"Tom?!"
A rough yet warm voice greeted him as soon as he approached the counter.
"Ouden…" Tom smiled back.
Without delay, the brown-haired, bearded man grabbed a glass and poured him a drink.
"As promised, the first one's on the house."
A few days earlier, Tom had defeated the "pit monster," Banjur, here. Because of that feat, Ouden had guaranteed that his first round would always be free at the Bell Tavern.
"Hmm… thanks. I think I needed this." Tom didn't hesitate and drank half the glass in one go.
"Oh, and on my way here, I noticed the Golden Bread bakery is closed."
"Yeah… that's a shame. Not sure what happened, but it's been closed ever since your last visit. The owners are a really nice couple."
To complete the reason he came, Tom placed a few coins on the counter and ordered dinner. Ouden and the other staff quickly got to work.
The place was nearly empty, with Tom being one of the few customers around.
"Ouden, is Malivor at the pit, or did he pass by here today?"
"No. He's probably out on a mission with Moonli—… shouldn't you be with him?"
The tavern keeper fixed his wine-colored eyes on Tom.
He remembered Malivor mentioning that Tom was his squadmate and of course, Malivor belonged to the Moonlight mercenary squad.
After a brief pause, Ouden spoke his first thought out loud.
"Just because you're the rookie?"
Tom opened his mouth, lifting a hand as if to argue and then froze.
"…I guess? They didn't tell me anything either."
Ouden laughed.
"Yeah, I figured."
"I'll just finish eating. That'll be more productive…" Tom said sarcastically — but ended up laughing himself seconds later.
As he ate, Tom's thoughts began to spiral.
Ouden's known Malivor for a while… right? Maybe he knows something Malivor never told the squad. Maybe someone at that 'gaming house' in the pit knows more about Superiors and Ascendants…
Ideas flooded his mind, one after another, as he tried to figure out how to approach Ouden without seeming like he "knew too much." But honestly, from an outsider's perspective, any question about such topics would already sound suspicious.
Finishing his meal, Tom wiped his mouth and set the plate on the counter.
As Ouden approached to collect it, Tom decided to act.
Even if it failed, it cost nothing to try.
And he trusted Ouden — at least a little — just like he trusted Snow.
Am I just being fooled because he feeds me?
"Ouden… they say asking doesn't hurt, right?"
"That depends on the question." He picked up the plate and wiped the counter.
"What kind of tip or information can you give me about Ascendants?"
Ouden looked him up and down with narrowed, wine-colored eyes.
After a few seconds—
"Trying to help Malivor?"
"Ah… yeah."
Noticing Ouden's attitude toward the question about ascendants, Tom quickly accepted the excuse that he was looking for clues for Malivor, who was apparently already known there as an ascendant.
"…That's a tough one. People already tried to figure out who his Superior is, but nothing so far."
Ouden dried a glass and set it upside down on the counter. "But depending on how much you want to know… the information has different prices."
Price… fair enough, I guess.
"I'll pay up to eight kranns for something useful."
At that moment, Tom had 116 zenns in his pocket, or converting that to 11 kranns and 6 zenns. He could have offered more, but he didn't want to be left with no money, so he said a number lower than what he actually had.
The shop owner tilted his head slightly in disbelief before extending his hand and closing his fingers to signal that Tom should hand over the money.
A little hesitant, Tom took a brown coin from his pocket and placed it on the counter.
Ouden pulled it to his side and smiled, not very respectfully.
"You're definitely a foreigner…"
Tom's facial expression fell instantly. His first reaction was to think something like "I've been tricked" or "this guy pulled a fast one on me." And then he drummed his fingers on the counter, waiting for the information.
"What you're probably looking for is a divine channeling ritual."
"How does it work?" Tom asked immediately.
"Well… it's used to try and communicate with divine beings."
Yeah… kinda figured that from the name, Tom thought, annoyed.
Seeing his frustration, Ouden shrugged.
"That's a pretty valuable piece of info for what you paid."
"…Yeah. Thanks." Tom pressed his hand to his forehead, already regretting the deal.
Irritated, he didn't even say goodbye.
He stood up and walked out.
Sometimes, asking does hurt.
Outside, the sun had nearly vanished, giving way to the rising moon.
In the distance, bats took flight, defining the city's atmosphere.
As he walked, a thought struck him.
Vampires… Nikz…
"…Wait. Ouden's a vampire too?"
Brown beard, wine-colored eyes—
It clicked instantly.
Tom laughed.
Well… it made sense. Nikz was the capital of the vampire kingdom.
Still thinking, an idea formed.
He hurried to a nearby corner where a few carriages were parked. Approaching one, he waved. The driver nodded.
Climbing inside, Tom gave his destination.
"To the d'Kallivyeski Library!"
"That'll be 3 zenns."
Closer from here than from HQ, he thought, pulling out the coins.
Minutes later, he looked out the window at the massive two-story gothic library, its central stained-glass window glowing faintly.
Stepping inside the grand structure — more like an ancient temple of knowledge — someone recognized him first.
"Tom?!"
He turned and smirked at the red-haired vampire.
"Hey, Ruzz."
"Returning the… hods book?" Ruzz squinted, trying to recall.
Right… I should've brought it back already… Tom thought, biting his tongue.
His progress in reading the book on hods was around 80%, so returning it at this point wouldn't be bad for him at all, as it would save him some zen.
Unfortunately, he didn't bring the book to the Bell Tavern, nor did he return to HQ after finishing his meal.
"No, not yet. Actually… I wanted to ask if you have books about divine channeling rituals."
Ruzz frowned.
"You're not a vampire, judging by your skin tone…"
"…Dude."
Tom's eyes widened.
"It's because you're tan. There are no tan vampires. At least I've never seen one."
You'd get canceled in seconds back on Earth…
Tom remembered Ruzz being blunt — but that was on another level.
"Are you a follower of the Violet Maiden or the Blind One?"
Faced with the question, Tom ended up furrowing his brow.
"Neither."
"Oh. Must be another church then. Fine. I just can't give you the ritual critiques. The books are in that aisle." He pointed to a specific row of bookshelves.
"Wait— what do you mean 'critiques'?"
"They're the magical titles needed for the ritual to contact a specific god. Only churches can provide them. You might find them in the black market, though… well— never mind."
Oh come on… now you stop talking?
Tom forced himself not to snap.
"Thanks," he said flatly.
He grabbed a random book — unsure which would help — and moved deeper into the library.
Further into the library were some tables and chairs, which Tom assumed were for reading on-site, without the need to borrow books.
…
SYNC Mercenary Base
Staring at a chessboard with pieces lined up and scattered across the surface, a young woman with long blonde hair and blue eyes had a rather unhappy expression.
Ffffft. The door opened.
From there came another woman with golden hair, wearing her usual dark blue uniform and carrying a sheathed sword.
"Still trying to learn that?"
"I don't know… but I feel like I should.
The one who entered the room was none other than the swordsman Niora.
"Chess is considered a 'royal' game. Intelligence and all that. But my father never taught me." Emily flicked her king, knocking it over.
Niora approached, sat opposite her, and set her sword aside.
"Do you remember the basic moves?"
"Yeah."
Niora reset the board and took the white pieces.
"Niora."
"Uh?"
Pieces moved as they spoke.
"I've been thinking, for some time now, that I've been considering accepting the commander's offer and actually becoming a mercenary for the squad."
"I figured." Niora didn't seem to pay any attention to the princess's words, as she didn't even take her eyes off the game.
"I mean… you're strong. You have your own missions, your own goals. Your life feels more… alive than mine. Even though I'm royalty."
Emily captured a pawn.
"You're still young. You just want excitement. Everyone goes through that."
Niora ignored the pawn and captured Emily's rook.
"Hmm …Didn't seen that." Emily pinched her own arm.
"Of course, the commander would love that mindset," Niora continued. "And I must admit I'd go back to my normal missions. But I need to warn you, Emily, when you decide that, you won't be able to leave anytime soon, or maybe you'll never be able to leave."
She spoke calmly — but seriously.
"Once you accept, we'll perform divine channeling rituals to contact your Superior and confirm there are no issues with your affiliation to us."
"You'll be officially declared a SYNC member which will likely cause you to lose your noble title in Darcus. You will also become a target for other mercenary squads, active church groups, and many people from the black market and the underworld."
Emily gritted her teeth as she made another move on the board. Her guard and friend — at least she was already considering Niora a friend — spoke quite a bit, including important warnings. Not to mention that she had captured her queen on board.
The princess was stunned. There were far more details than she considered had already "mentally resolved."
Another piece of Emily's was captured on board, and she rested her forehead on hands, trying to think of something to get out of the unfavorable situation.
"I'm probably going against the commander by saying this…" Niora chuckled lightly. "I should be convincing you to join."
She made another move.
"Let's go on the mission tomorrow. We'll talk about this again later."
Emily moved the king attempting to escape the relentless attack of Niora's pieces.
" It's a difficult path. But Emily... if you join, you'll have protection and support when things go wrong."
Niora made her final move.
"Checkmate… Emily."
Once again, Emily flicked the king, causing the piece to fall.
…
Ouden finished loading a barrel of alcoholic beverage, pushing it into a corner near a crowbar.
Almost reflexively, he turned to the counter and spotted two people standing there. Both wore expensive formal clothes and blindfolds covering their eyes.
"Can I help you, gentlemen?" Ouden threw a cloth over his shoulder.
"We hope so," the shorter person replied.
"What do you want, miss?"
From the voice, Ouden easily identified that she was a woman.
"The guy who left here about 40 minutes ago, he was talking to you. We want what you know about him," she said directly.
At the same time, the other person, taller, slightly opened their vest, revealing a bronze blade. This was not a suggestion, but a threat.
Ouden looked around and quickly noticed that only the three of them were in the room. The few other tavern employees were in another room, their voices barely audible in the distance.
Without haste, he pulled up a backless stool and sat down on the other side of the counter, facing the two "customers."
"So the tavern being empty today is your fault?"
"Draw your own conclusions. We're only here for the young man. It's no use saying you don't know him; we were here and saw you two talking."
"Then why didn't you go after him then...?"
Neither of them answered, maintaining a serious demeanor throughout.
With his hands on the table, Ouden interlaced his fingers and adopted a more relaxed posture.
"Sit down. How much are you willing to pay for the information?" The shrewd vampire made his move.
The taller of the two reached inside his vest to remove the bronze blade but was stopped by his partner.
She was the first to sit down, followed by her partner.
"Very well. What do you think of ten obras for all the information?"
Inevitably, Ouden's eyes widened.
The tall man selling the items placed the exact number of coins on the counter.
Ouden laughed nervously and licked her lips.
That was a considerable sum. A single obra was equivalent to 100 kranns. The ten gold coins on the counter were worth more than Ouden would receive from tavern sales in the next two or three months. Reaching out, he took the coins, noticing the approval of the two in front of him, since they did nothing to stop him.
"Very well... Where do I begin? What do you want to know first?"