Chapter 19: Tour

---D-Day+41, Glenic 12th---

Its after midnight and the sky is shockingly clear.  Like you could reach out and pluck each and every star.  Chilly still, but getting warmer even at night.

"[Call of Charon]"

"Sleep.  Rest.  Know love.  Know peace."

The child in my arms smiles and fades as I cry.  Now cleansed of its stains.  Feel its spirit dispersing thru the blanket of mana I wrapped it in.  God this hurts.  Heartbreaking.  But it must be done.

Shouldn't this be the church's job?  Yeah, right.  Those fuckers are downright twisted.  Find plenty of angry, scared, lost, spirits were made that way by one of the church.  Of course there are plenty other horrible fates for spirits in this world.

Find it hilarious that 'necromancy' is actually the rarest of them.  Abuse, murder, torture, heartbreak, neglect, the list of how spirits became like this child are nearly endless.

Leaving spirits too traumatized to, well, finish dying.  I don't get it all myself.  Doesn't appear to be a heaven or hell thing.  And its not like everyone who dies that way gets stuck.  Most can still die.

Eventually.

Those who can't?  Welcome to becoming a ghost, zombie, specter, wraith, skeleton, etc, etc...

Find that ghosts are by far the most common.  Zombies are a lot easier to find and also kill.  Ghosts can hide pretty easily.  And the weak ones do that a lot.

I sit on the ground.  Lean back against the shack's wall in this dirty alley.  And keep crying.

Frankie and Red wrap their arms around my neck and chest and cry with me.

Yeah, fuck you too.  I'm a father.  A stupidly overprotective helicoptering one.  I know.  Had a shit childhood so I'm overcompensating.  I get it.  Knowing it?  Doesn't actually change it.  Not even sure I want to change it.

Its part of what makes me, me.

Kids are the most painful to deal with.  See bits of their lives when I clean them.  For them?  Its all still fresh.  All just happened.  The hell they go thru in their short time on this oh so shitty world.  Frankie and Red feel some of it in our link.

Offered to sever our connection but they refuse.

"We accept everything of you."

That's how they reply every time.  Damn troublesome women.

Why am I even putting myself through this?  Should just go fuck more.  But I can see them now.  Can feel them now.  And I can do something about it.

If I had known learning necromancy from Ushalen would lead me here?  I would have picked [Basket Weaving Magic] instead.  At first it was just seeing the spirits lingering in the newly corpsified.

But it keeps getting worse.  Now?  [Super Senses] lets me see the bodyless spirits too.  Even tell what they used to be.  Like children.

This ocean of mana?  My necromancy and living shadows?  It seems its opening me up more and more to the undead world.

Now I'm not saying there are cities full of ghosts.  Most?  Die.  Pass beyond the knowledge of men.  Even the spirits that remain are almost never 'whole.'  Only parts of them survive.  Usually the most stained parts.  Stained with pain.

Even those fragments seem to eventually die.  No problem.  Right?  If you are okay with them spending every moment until that eventual final death, tormented?  Sure!

Especially when it comes to kids?  I'm not okay with that.

The 'adult' spirits don't bother me much for some reason.  Maybe I'm just an asshole?  The really tormented ones I [Call of Charon].  But the really angry ones?  The ones who only stay to bring pain to others?

I break.

Bind and shatter like the ones I kill after I raise.

Then you have the ones who are too attached to leave.  You find some watching over families.  Others at favorite bars or games.  Even found a couple, still together, who have a spot over the harbor they love so much?  They chose to stay there.

Like with my living shadows, most can't 'talk.'  Those with enough soul left to even communicate but not enough to talk?  Do it through their emotions.

Most who can be, are friendly and accept this is my turf now.  My shadows have been very active and already destroyed or driven off the material or astral predators that could harm them.  Some are just, well, douchebags.

Can't justify to myself killing someone just for being an asshole.  Though they do seem to know better than to push it.

Yeah, this is my first night getting out to see the undead neighborhood thru my own eyes instead of thru my shadows.  And its been an emotional roller coaster.  Also very educational.

Several shadows and half-deads are with us.  Including Milti-Juri.  She still is ecstatic about having legs again so is constantly somersaulting, cartwheeling, etc...

Seeing her youth and joy does heal the heart.  Soon the wives and I are able to continue the tour.

After my sweep?  There are less than a hundred 'ghosts' and over a dozen 'zombies' in and around Pearlden.  Even a couple of cat and dog spirits.  Former pets who chose to stay with their families.

Very rarely do animals have enough attachment to not finish dying.

We leave town and go into the surrounding hills.  Mounted now.  We covertly visit nearby manors.  Also some abandoned ones.  Couple of little graveyards.  Some goblin holes.  The half-deads get a work out hunting goblins and bandits.

Finally we arrive at our last stop.  I've been invited but the location's changed.  Its not far from Raelera and the occupant had to move again.  Guild adventurers have driven her out of another hole.

Yep, a vampire.  One of the few left in northwestern Tourin, if Frosty is right.  She pretty humbly requested a meeting when my patrol encountered her.

She was alone but I'm sensing a few more now.  They feel, rough, though.  New maybe?  The one I'm here to meet seems different too.  From what my shadows remember.  Injured?

They all seem pretty haggard.  Unhealthy.  Hehe...  Unhealthy Undead.

Investigated what vampires are in this world first of course.  Frosty knew a lot.  In this world vampires are cursed beings.  Not demon seed kind of cursed.  Actual wrath of god kind of cursed.  Way way back, someone pissed off the wrong god.

That god's reply?

The sun's touch burns them.  They can eat or drink but its tasteless.  The only thing that tastes good?  Blood.  If it's from a race 'of the mandate.'  And if they share their own blood?  A new vampire is created.

They never age.  They never grow.  Most go mad and turn into monsters.  Rampaging until they are put down.  Some become truly diabolical.  Ruling the night.

This one?  Got a long long way to go before she'll be ruling anything.

We are walking down what's clearly a goblin hole.  All the typical goblin traps are here.  Along with quite a few corpses of said goblins.  All look, mangled.  Several look drained.  Wait, aren't goblins not a race 'of the mandate?'

Huh.  Frosty said that if its blood from anything else?  It tastes nasty and is not very nutritious.  Like empty calories.  Oh and only 'mandate' races can be turned.  So no worries about hordes of goblin vampires.

We enter the largest chamber in this goblin hole.  The breeding pit.  Ah.  That explains the newbies.

The other vampires are around 'her.'  All human women.  All pitiful.  Goblin sows.  Must have been captured within the last few months.  Probably refugees.

Most non-goblin women?  Only survive a few pregnancies before their bodies give out on them.

Pregnancies only lasting a few weeks and giving birth to several imps each time?  While being raped twenty-four seven?  Very tough on bodies not built for it.

I look at Frankie.

"There are three besides the vampire.  All were breeders.  You don't have to be here Ushi."

She's startled at first and then smiles.

"I will never leave your side, master." And squeezes my hand.

Okay then.

On top of a pile of goblin corpses sits, a small girl.  This one though?  Is clearly not a princess like in one of my favorite isekais.

What's she's dressed in has definitely seen better days.  Cleaned and repaired it would probably be quite the goth dress.  Around her, randomly munching on this or that corpse, are three very new vampires whose minds appear to already be gone.

See a few non-goblin corpses about.  All women.  Probably captives who were not strong enough to survive being turned.

Vampire loli's red eyes try to bore right through me.

"See what I am reduced too?"  She waves her one hand around.  "Feeding on goblins.  Turning sows."  A distant sad look.  "We were so much, more."

Her right hand is mangled and much of that arm burned.  An injury that hasn't healed.  Holy wound perhaps?

Red is clearly not happy to be here but will not let any disrespect pass.

"Know your better, vampire.  He is Viscount Jon Barton.  Savior of the Blue Lady.  Bane of the Demon Lord Urnithun.  Rescuer of the Maidens of Sanriel.  Bearer of the Holy Sword Sanctity.  Tamer of the Demon Blade Tormentor.  Swordmage of the Guild of Adventurers.  Necromancer of Shadows.  Butcher of Rapists.  Breaker of Betrayers.  Crusher of Curses.  Protector of Pearlden.  Guardian of Stormgarde.  Lord of Lions Keep.  Confidant of the Lord General.  And Adopted Son of the Marquis of Vaegia."

Oh god, no.  Not that crap again.

The littlest vampire chuckles to herself, climbs down from her corpse throne, curtsies, and sighs.

"If only my master was still alive.  I am Valaine.  Just Valaine.  A mere street urchin turned by my maker, Lord Helmo Alvingham."

Recognition dawns for Red.

"You are one of his victims then?"

The loli blood sucker smiles.

"Do not mistake me.  The years I had with master were the best of my pathetic life."  Daydreaming.  "He taught me everything.  Even how to be a proper lady."

Red turns to me.

"Husband.  Ten years ago House Alvingham was destroyed by the inquisition and, House Gilend."  Valaine nods.  "They were necromancers who delved too deeply into the dark arts.  Were rumored to have members who turned themselves into vampires and liches.

"My lord was building an army to oppose the church and House Gilend.  He failed."

"The number of undead discovered, husband, was scandalous."

How can Red say that with a straight face?  Hello!  McFly?  You're married to a necromancer!

"We've been hunted ever since.  I lost my friends, my servants, even my love."  Depressed vamp loli.  "I have nothing.  So I must beg another."

Might as well get this done.

"What can you offer?  You are weak and I have no shortage of beauty around me already."

"Nothing but everything I am.  Which, is nothing."  At least she's keeping her cool.  Staying composed.

She's not a princess and she doesn't sparkle.  Still, I need strength and properly developed?  She could be formidable.  Fuck it. Let's see what happens.

My shadows bring in the table and chairs I brought in case I chose to spare it.  A bottle with a cup is brought in as well.  Prepared by me before hand.

We take our seats and I motion to the empty chair.  Valaine and the three join us.

Tea time in a slaughterhouse.

"Choose.  One, return to what you were before.  Two, remain undead and serve me.  Three, die here now.  Four, be left as you are and I leave."

The little vampire and her sisters laugh.

"My lord, you tease us?  What we've done and what's been done to us?  We'll never be, human, again.  Ever."  Lips licked.  "And whose blood have you brought us in such a fine bottle?  A virgin's perhaps?"

Hehe.  Ham sandwich.

"Mine."

"L-lord.  S-such a g-gift?"  Her eyes are swimming.  "H-how old?"

"Today, so its quite fresh."

The four parasites eyes seem trapped by the bottle now. Huh. So vampires can drool. Are they really undead? Or just mortality challenged?

The only true currency recognized among vampires in this world?  Blood.  The finer?  The rarer?  The richer?  The better.  With my mana ocean and how often I flood my blood with magic nitro?  Well, drinking it might kill them.

"I-I see." "Sister?" "C-can we?" "Please..."

Accepting my blood could also be seen as her accepting me as her master.

"Be warned.  I'm somewhat, potent."  Still ignoring me?  "Don't know what drinking this will do to you.  It might kill you."  Let's see what happens.

"Y-yes."

"So, Lady Valaine.  How did you become, this?"

That woke her up.  Her eyes focus again and she looks at me, strangely.

"My lord.  I was a wager."

"Wager?"

"Yes.  My master was debating whether anyone could become noble.  Truly be a lord."  Looking at the past.  "He believed it impossible so I was picked to find out."

Oh, like that one movie play thing.  Tramp Lady?

"So he turned you then?"

A shake of the loli head.

"He turned me as a reward after he lost the bet and brought me into his service."  She's sad again.  "He was cruel, but always fair."  Looking around.  "Even this is better than what I was, before."

Picking up and unstopping the bottle.  She shakes a bit once the full smell hits her.  Pours it slowly into the one cup I brought, my blood is strangely thick.  Her shaking starts again and gets worse as the chalice is slowly brought to her lips.

Oda-Mar is suddenly next to Valaine and supports the cup so the littlest vampire doesn't spill any.  Hmm...  Hope I brought enough.  The team has been experimenting with my blood lately and to call it 'rich' is apparently an understatement.

Its a full bottle.  Sim-Fer picks up the bottle and pours a portion for the next sister.

While she's pouring Valaine stops shaking but starts sweating.  A lot.  Hope she doesn't throw up on me.

All four have finished their drinks and the bottle is now empty.

I see rosy cheeks return to vampire girl and her skin looks quite healthy.  Even starts filling out her-  Oh?  Big rack loli?  Well not that much. Ushi is still the champ.  The wound on her hand and arm fade as they are restored.

Could you call it, glowing?

Unlike Val, her new sisters look like they were in their twenties.  But their very healthy appearance returns too.  Two are 'big boned.'  Hehe...  'Full figured' vampires?  Hollywood must be spinning in their lack of creativity graves.

Now don't get me wrong.  They are absolutely not 'fat.'  These are strong peasant women.  With arms used to field work and hips used to village births.  Probably helped them survive being breeders.  Its a nice change from the looks nobles prefer.

No vomiting.  No 'brains' rampages.  Just sweating.  A godawful lot of sweating.  Huh.  Was kind of hoping for more.  Frosty was acting like my blood was pure mana or something.

They don't even look 'in heat.'

Lame.

"You will return with us to Lions Keep.  There is a Sorcerer King tomb underneath it that I've been, renovating."  The sisters nod.  "You may not hunt nearby.  You may also not kill or turn, yet.  For now you may only lightly feed."

Shorty gets up out of her chair and along with her sisters?  Kowtows.

Sigh.

"We are now forever yours my lord."

I stand up and my shadows begin packing everything.

"Thank you.  I will either save this world or burn it.  Haven't decided which yet."

"Then we are yours until the days end."

"Thank you again.  Test your limits.  My 'fluids' have strengthened my women.  Who knows what my blood may have done to you."

""""We praise our lord.""""

Now that was a little, creepy.

"Alright.  Let's go home."

Valaine (female, human, tourinese)