Chapter 23: The Regent (1/2)
“Hi, Charlene.” Victor waved at the poor office manager, as he rode through the town square while on top of his new mount, the Black Beast of Murmurin. “What’s up?”
The guild manager glared back at him. Her ‘office’ was composed of a board, a desk, and a chair in the middle of the town’s square, gnolls and kobolds often checking the few requests available.
Murmurin had grown thrice-fold since the ‘War of the Hoard’, with minions building more houses or tents to accommodate newcomers. A giant stone statue of Vainqueur stood in the middle of the town, with Vainqueur Junior buried underground right next to it, ready to ambush anyone trying to pull the false sword.
They had been forced to equip the locals with axes and spears, or otherwise, Junior became jealous and tried to eliminate the competition. Even Victor’s rapier had suffered his envious wrath.
Since he reaped most benefits by wielding a scythe, Victor gave Red Ranger the musket which he stole from Vilmain. The raptor had proven himself an incredibly deadly shot, gaining [Gunslinger] levels at a pace that surprised even the chief of staff. The Kobold Rangers had become the official sheriffs of Murmurin, keeping the monsters in line. In fact, they had even started taking requests from Charlene as official members of V&V, chasing rogue monsters who didn’t submit to the ‘Emperor’s’ authority.
They had a pretty effective strategy too. The weaker rangers ganged up on and exhausted the troublemaker, and then Red swooped in to deliver a finishing blow.
Kobolds being kobolds, they surrendered their gains to Vainqueur all the time.
“I hate you,” Charlene told him, clearly not happy to be here. Since she was the most familiar with V&V, having named them, the higher-ups had transferred her to Murmurin instead of someone else. “I hate you and that dragon so much.”
“No need to be snappy,” Victor replied. “I’m still sore about that iron plate. Our company destroyed an ancient lich who killed gold-plated adventurers, and we’re not even bronze?”
“They took the politically safe path with your company. I wonder why.”
Since civilized species feared Vainqueur, only other monsters and unsavory characters had started moving into Murmurin. Which meant only monsters or close enough creatures like Jules the ghoul made up the company, and with his new Perk, even Victor counted as one now.
They were the first fully-inclusive monster adventurer company.
“Also, just feel thankful I let you keep your adventurer fee behind Vainqueur’s back,” he told Charlene. “No tax, so spoke the Emperor.”
“I wouldn’t even be here if you hadn’t told that dragon about classes and levels.”
“If it had been anyone else getting that rapier, Vainqueur would have destroyed the nearby villages in his fury,” Victor pointed out, before glancing at the board. “We’re looking for princess-oriented quests. With three princesses, and which would make Brandon Maure's life miserable if possible. Do you have any?”
She gave him the ‘are you serious’ look, then twitched upon realizing he wasn’t. She stared at him blankly, then turned around, seized an isolated request on the board, then gave it to him.
‘The Demon King’s Captive
Rank: Gold.
Giver: King Roland Gardemagne.
Brandon Maure is a fiend infamous for collecting foreign beauties as trophies. Imperial princesses from the fallen Sablaris empire, noble ladies from the Harmonian League… and the king’s own niece, Princess Merveille, abducted as a child during the war and kept as a political hostage. The King offers a boon to the rescuer of Merveille, so long as it is within the bounds of reason.’
“A harem? Maure kidnaps women as brides?”
“No, of course not. He sacrifices them to demons for power.” Yeah, somehow that made it sound better. “Maure has captive princesses kept in his capital of Mauria, so if you want to die to the demon king, please consider picking it up.”
Like the salt of the earth, Croissant joined them, aiming for Victor, but his eyes getting sidetracked upon catching sight of Charlene. “Oh,” Croissant looked at the office manager like an appetizing meal. “Vic, you didn’t tell me you knew such a pretty woman.”
The guild manager smiled, slightly charmed. “Thank you.”
“I love mature women with lots of meat on them.” Victor shuddered at the wording, while Croissant put an arm on the guild’s counter. “What’s your name, pretty one?”
“Charlene.”
“I’m Croissant. I run this town.”
“He did,” Victor clarified, the werewolf glaring at him. This just encouraged the adventurer. “Now he’s run over.”
“Did they ruin your life too?” Charlene asked Croissant, giving him a sympathetic look.
“Like you wouldn’t believe.” The werewolf returned to his flirting. “Why don’t I give you a tour of the place, especially the spots the dragon doesn’t know about yet?”
Charlene’s mood improved tremendously. “This town may not be so bad after all.”
Yep, they would end up together. Although Victor still wondered if Croissant intended to eat her or flirt; maybe even both. “Before I vomit on Charlene’s counter, why are you here Croissant?”
“Savoureuse has brought a newcomer and is waiting for you at the town’s entrance, and Sis and Allison have a problem with a summoned demon who won’t let himself get killed at the temple. This’ gonna sound strange, but that woman outside creeps me out more than the demon.”
Victor would have loved to say this was the weirdest problem he had to deal with in Murmurin, but it wasn’t. At all. He sighed, then had his monster walk to the town’s entrance.
He found Savoureuse talking with a woman his age whose raven hair was tied with a white flower; she wore some kind of university uniform, and felt, for lack of a better word, off-putting.
“Hey, Vic!” Savoureuse waved at him. “How are you? I hope work isn’t stressful.”
“Not as stressful as getting kidnapped by a lich while you watched,” Victor replied with heavy sarcasm.
“Yes, but my life was in danger,” Savoureuse said. “I could not help.”
Yeah, right. Why was he friends with her again? For the food, he decided. And maybe the Crests, if she could smuggle one as he asked her to. If only Furibon had left one behind, but he had sent all of those found in the region to Brandon Maure to empowering his soldiers.
His eyes settled on the newcomer. “And who might you be?”
“Remember the woman I told you about?” Savoureuse asked, slightly embarrassed. “This is her.”
“My name is Lucie Lavere, of the Royal University of Gardemagne,” the newcomer said with a formal, professional posture. “I heard a lot about you and your master, Lord Victor.”
“Oh? From whom?” According to Savoureuse, this woman belonged to the Nightblades, and so she was bad news.
“Many, but especially my new friend Henry. Since the debacle with the Scorchers, I keep an eye on him so he does not get into trouble.”
Somehow, her tone implied something sinister… which it probably was. “Are you here to keep an eye on us too?” Victor asked, suspicious.
“Depends. Are you going to meddle with the wrong crowd?”
The conversation had taken a sharp turn towards the tense. He could play the game too. “Not unless you do it first.”
“I will not.” She smiled at him, but behind the smirk, there were sharp teeth. “I choose my friends carefully, and I think you may be a trustworthy, reliable fellow.”
He immediately used [Monster Insight] on her.
Lucie Sinistra Lavere
Alchemical Vampire (Undead/Humanoid)
Strong against Sunlight, Moon, Alchemy, Darkness, Unholy, Blood, Frost, Necromancy, Drain, Insta-Death, Mind-Control, Disease, Poison, Fatigue, Sleep, and Beast (Boss Undead, huh?).
Weak against Holy, Fire, Life, Berserk, Manslayer, and Deadslayer.
The archmage Nostredame’s prized student and top spy. Secretly a deadly monster lord and the criminal mastermind behind the Nightblades syndicate. She’s Evil with a capital E, MUCH stronger than anyone in Murmurin except Vainqueur, and currently reading your thoughts with creepy undead mind-reading. She knows you know.
In short, thou art BLEEPed.
“How the hell can you walk under the sun?” Victor asked, his hand reaching for his scythe while Savoureuse watched, disturbed.
“Fairy flowers, gifted from one of my teachers,” she replied, caressing the flower in her hair with her fingers. “I am repaying the favor by carrying some politically-minded tasks.”
“Savoureuse told me you asked the Nightblades to support the Scorchers,” Victor put the two and two together, growing more and more uneasy. “You are the one who handed Henry to Gustave and Vilmain. Are you working for Ishfania?”
“Sometimes. Sometimes, I work for Gardemagne. Nostredame asked me to report on your new ‘empire.’” The name amused her as much as it did Vic. “But do not worry, I have no intention of bothering you. Unlike that lich in your scythe, I am not stupid enough to pick a fight with a dragon.”
‘In hindsight, I would not recommend it, no,’ Furibon whispered from in the scythe, annoyed.
“I have come for Nightblade business alone. We are looking for a warehouse that could serve as a relay for our black market endeavors. If you agree to leave us alone, so will I. I will even turn a blind eye to your desertion. You know the usual punishment.”
“Are you threatening me?” Victor wasn’t amused. “No repossession here, or waste disposal, or Vainqueur will have you killed.”
“Certainly,” Lavere said. “Who in their right mind would try stealing from a dragon?”
Victor glanced away.
“You were.” The vampire chuckled. “Oh my, how far you have gone since then. You have even learned necromancy. Perhaps I could even give you… private lessons.”
Was she flirting or threatening him? Victor couldn’t tell and didn’t want to. In any case, she was creeping him out like nobody else ever did.
“As a token of good faith, I will tell you a secret,” Lavere said. “After you took out Furibon, Brandon Maure has decided to get off his throne and come for you personally. Expect an ambush in the near future.”
Well, that made attacking him in his capital a preemptive counterattack then. “Sav, give her the official history of Murmurin, ‘The War of the Hoard.’ It has been transcribed from our emperor’s mouth to paper by our scribe, Pink Ranger, and then duplicated by mimic printing presses.”
Creatures capable of transforming in nearly any items had turned out surprisingly useful, once Victor could provide them directions. He would order one of them to keep an eye on that woman while she stayed in town.