Sudden Aggression

"As it turns out, the young mistress Ligma is a vampire." Pear commented and proceeded to whisper to her friends once more.

Despite being suddenly drawn into disorder, gossip has to continue. It is an essential part of a tattletale's life after all.

The party was shocked by the sudden Alex's sudden transformation into a vampire fledgling. To her unknowing, she was already infected and could have been turned at any time.

"We have to inform Priest Ped, let us leave quickly!" Bob was alarmed. Alex may have been put down to the ground, she was only a servant to the higher class vampire.

Just like any other fantasy story, vampires are governed by the blood that flows in their undead bodies. Alex was just a common vampire, however, Ligma, the one who controlled her remotely, may be that of a higher class.

"Stop being such a wuss. This is a low-level area, the bosses should be low-leveled." Enma mocked Bob's frantic reaction.

But before Enma could laugh at Bob for being scared, the doors that led deeper into the building suddenly swung open.

BANG~

The loud bang of the double doors put everyone into a state of panic. The sudden shock and fear caused the tattletales to faint, leaving only the party aware of their surroundings. The doors opened to a long hall laden with doors on both sides.

"Auuuggghhh." Alex moaned in horror.

Alex was never aware of her vampirism and the sudden change made her very aggressive. However, now that she had time to control her thoughts, she could now perceive her surroundings very well.

'Young Miss.'

She tried to speak and plead, but the fear caused by the aura of blood stole the sound before she made it. Ligma was angry, and all Alex could do was suffer on the floor.

Only Alex felt the aura of blood that gushed out from the double doors into the meeting room. The hall was empty and the loud bang from earlier still echoed from within.

Clack~

Creeeeeaaaaak~

A single door opened from the furthest of the hall slowly creaked open and a man wearing a suit and white gloves showed himself. An old butler who not so old, probably around 50 years of age.

He closed the door behind him and slowly walked towards the double doors.

What was odd was that despite walking with heavy steps, there were no audible footsteps. Closer and closer, yet there was no sound. The eerie silence never seemed to end.

But it did.

"The Young Lady invites you to her chambers." The butler bowed his head and elegantly pointed towards the room he just came from.

Everyone could feel chills tingle their backs as they heard the cold voice of the butler. Alex couldn't have been more terrified as well. She was the person most familiar with the butler but he seemed like a stranger just now.

The butler turned around and began walking. He didn't seem to care whether or not the party would follow him towards the chamber. And just so, the party followed him without confirmation from each other.

'It's getting good!'

That was what everyone in the party had in mind. They were interested in the story of the quest. But it was different for a particular person, Bob. Bob's ears were strained and his eyes were covered.

[A new hand! Listen, mortal! Hear me and obey!]

A prompt showed up and he heard a voice in his ear. A loud and sudden shouting, despite him not wanting to, made him listen to every word with clarity.

[The evil that has been vanquished long ago. Now that they have resurfaced, you must resolve this crisis!]

Bob is a Gourmet's Knight. A religious class, similar to that of a cleric or a paladin. However, he hasn't been officially inaugurated yet so he was an unofficial knight.

However, the crisis that they are facing now procured the attention of Meteder. And being the only person of religion within the building, Bob was chosen.

"Ugh." Bob felt lightheaded.

The disturbance and the ringing. They all took a toll on his mind and brought him further into confusion. But he knew that what the voice told him to do was the right course of action.

He has heard stories of old, despite that arc not happening. When he was a child, he has been told of the horrors of the vampires and their magic prowess. Doing the unimaginable cruelty without a single any warning.

'Yes. They are evil.'

Footsteps resounded within the long hall. The party walked towards the butler—who was waiting by the door—and soon arrived in front of it. As they stopped, the butler opened the door.

Inside the room was a comically large room. The ceiling was tall and the lighting was dim. There was a king-sized bed with decorative laces, the bedframe had delicate carvings that screamed that it was an expensive bed.

On top of that bed was a woman who was reading a book. A pale moonlight came shining from a window and was conveniently illuminating the book she was reading, it was useless though since vampires can see in the dark.

"So, you've finally arrived." A clear and alluring voice came from Ligma's gorgeous lips.

Thud~

Ligma closed the book she was reading and she looked to the side. There was a bookshelf where she was looking and she lifted the book towards that direction. The book flew from her hands and landed right into a gap between books.

"Do pardon me for asking, you are adventurers, correct?" She asked as she looked back towards the party.

"Yes!" Enma excitedly answered.

He was enamored by her beauty. With her looks and voice, she was able to win Enma's goodwill. But it wasn't the case for Minion.

"Whaddya want, old hag?" Minion rudely interrupted.

Enma stopped looking at Ligma and instead stared at Minion in anger. He was furious that Minion disrespected the lady.

"How rude. But that is only to be expected, yes. Just characteristic of you barbaric adventurers." Ligma's ire grew. It was evident from her voice that was louder by a few decibels.

She poised herself and properly sat up. She motioned her hand and a white sheet danced within the air. She moved towards the side of the bed and the dancing sheet began coating her. Once she was standing, the sheet became a dress. Her lips moved once more.

"Well, let's get down to business."

"To defeat! The Huns!" Minion was still as rude as ever.

"I'm going to ignore that. I know what you adventurers are here for. And I invited you here to propose a deal." Ligma explained.

"Tell me more about this deal!" Annera swiftly replied. She could smell more quests to come.

'Ugh, it's uncharacteristic of me to negotiate with such boring creatures.'

Ligma motioned her hands once more and a parchment paper flew towards her hand. She unrolled the sheepskin paper and a jar of ink together with a feather pen danced.

"Take this and read from it. I shouldn't have to explain myself whatever it is I wrote. Oh wait, I haven't asked, is anyone here capable of reading?" Ligma mockingly said.

Annera grabbed the parchment aggressively and tried to read the text on it. But she failed. It was written in English and cursive. She could read English just fine but cursive is a challenge.

"Figures. Domingo, read it to these fools." Ligma turned her back and walked towards her bed. She was getting back to her original position.

"Uhum. Ms, if you would please." Domingo, the butler, spoke to Annera and asked for the paper.

Once he received the paper, he began reading the text.

"The Lady of Gloom, Overseer of the Velvet Castle, Ruler of Munchkin Fortress, and Head of the Boels Household, Ligma Boels offers an agreement towards the adventurers who will be named in the signature."

"The contents of the agreement are as follows. The adventurers will not speak of Ligma's identity as a vampire. Nor should the adventurers bring harm to her directly or indirectly."

"Furthermore, the adventurers will not warn the various religions of the continued existence of vampires. In exchange, Ligma Boels will grant the following adventurers with boons that will satisfy their wants."

"However, the demands of the adventurer should be fair and when boundaries are overstepped, the adventurer in question will be punished and turned into a vampire."

That was all that was contained within the agreement. The terms and conditions were oddly beneficial towards the party. They could get a massive reward simply for keeping silent.

'No. This is a trap.' E sensed it.

Choosing this path meant that the story quest they unlocked would end there and other players will eventually catch up to their progress.

But before he could speak to the party, someone already made his move.

Sludge~

A spear covered in sugary goodness was suddenly thrown towards Ligma.

"You dare! You killed those innocent people and you want me to keep silent?! Die like the dog you are!"

Bob dealt a massive amount of damage due to the multiplier against unholy enemies. But it wasn't enough to kill Ligma.

"I gave you a chance, and you spit in my eye. And it seems that you are one of Meteder's lapdogs, why are you with these band of buffoons?" Ligma spoke despite having a spear protruding her chest.

Ligma is a vampire. A high-leveled one at that. The damage she took was laughable and so she decided to ignore it.

"Bah. Why am I still even talking? Time for you to die." Ligma declared.