"H-hey! Let go of me!"
Whisperclaw jerks her hand away.
Ignoring her yelling for a moment, I glance around us. She followed me, without a word, into a clearing in the center of the garden. We are surrounded by hedges forming walls, decorated with beautiful blue and black roses. Nobody followed us. Good.
"Ughh! I don't know what's been going through your head lately! You drag me all the way out here to stand there and not say anything!"
Whisperclaw grabs my shoulders, yelling as she forces me to look at her.
Why is she so mad? Did not explaining my situation really hurt her this badly? My gaze finds its way from her brown eyes to the floor.
"..."
"Nothing?"
I can feel her eyes on me.
Her hands are shaking. She's right. I dragged her out here so we could talk without causing a scene, but now I'm not sure what to say. A deep breath from Whisperclaw follows my silence. She takes a seat on the concrete bench in the center of the clearing.
"Are you… working with Blackthorn?"
"W-what? Why would you ever even-"
"Because you stabbed Ironvine, Renald! A-and… you've been avoiding us ever since you woke up!"
Wait. No. That can't be true. That's not possible. I… stabbed Ironvine? When? I look down at my hands. I'm the one shaking now. That explains all the looks. The distance I was feeling. They can't trust me anymore.
I take a staggered step back.
"No… I…"
"So, Vesper was right. You really don't remember."
I fall to my knees. Visions of my bloody hands as a crimson saber is thrusted through Ironvine's stomach flash through my imagination. I feel sick. How could I forget something like that?
"We all thought as much."
"Huh?"
Whisperclaw sighs. Her response causes me to lift my head in confusion.
"I remember seeing something silver floating in your eyes when it happened. It was right after Vanhiel attacked everyone with his scales. Everything was just so chaotic at the time, I wasn't sure..."
She doesn't finish, but she sounds more understanding than at the start of our conversation. That must have really been bothering her. Something silver, though? Why would there be something silver in my eyes?
Oh… wait. A short memory returns to me. I remember bits and pieces of getting hit by those silver scales. I mainly remember the excruciating pain I felt at the time. After I pulled the last one out, I looked up and… Vanhiel and I made eye contact! That's right! His eyes flashed silver, and that's the last thing I remember.
"You're still not off the hook."
Whisperclaw pulls me from my thoughts.
"This whole situation made me understand how little I really know about you. Like, how long did you plan on hiding the fact that you're turning into a vampire from me?"
She glares at me, the sharpness returning to her voice.
"It… it isn't that simple."
I'm trying my best to avoid eye contact, but I know I can't dodge her questions forever. The truth is, I don't really have all the answers myself.
"It seems simple enough. Just tell me."
"Is that why you waited to tell us about Blackthorn and your husband? Because it's just so easy to drag unrelated people into personal matters?"
I snap at her. She thinks this is simple? I didn't find out what I was until I was eighteen. Even then, I still only knew half the truth.
"..."
"... sorry."
She doesn't say anything. She angles her eyebrows and stares. I apologize, and my head sinks back towards the ground. I need to calm down. I don't even know why I'm getting so upset.
"When I was still working with the Wardogs, I was sent on a mission to assassinate King Thomias."
Whisperclaw speaks slowly, as if carefully choosing each word.
"My contact was supposed to be a saber with all black fur. Blackthorn. Heh." She laughs. "He still had both eyes back then."
I find myself oddly quiet throughout Whisperclaw's recounting of the events leading to her arrest. She, along with her husband at the time, met with Blackthorn in the back of a tavern in the western quarter.
During the evening, all of them worked out the details of the plan for assassinating the king of Ardent. When they were finished, Whisperclaw retired early for the night. Brownblood had decided to stay up drinking with Blackthorn.
"He woke me up earlier than planned. I could tell something was off. Cookie…I mean, Brownblood…was acting strange. Saying there'd been new orders from the higher-ups."
She's shivering. Instinctively, I go to wrap my arms around her, but I stop short. My tail twitches around behind me. I'm... nervous.
Brownblood told her that he and Blackthorn had gone to scout the castle prematurely. Blackthorn, who was apparently a noble at the time, tried to reason their way out of it. When it didn't work, he gave himself up so that Brownblood could escape.
"What?" I blurt out. "Don't tell me you believed that crap?"
"My hands were tied. We… we had to break him out."
Whisperclaw sighs her answer after a long pause.
"Blackthorn was a… loose end."
I understand her pain all too well. I might have done the same if I were in her situation. The risk of Blackthorn leaking information was too great. He had to be rescued or, in the worst case, silenced.
I'm personally familiar with the Ardenian military's methods of interrogation. I've used most of them myself. There's no way Blackthorn would have held out.
"But it was a lie!" Whisperclaw shoots to her feet, clenched fists trembling. "They set me up! Used me like… like some scapegoat!"
I've never seen her so angry. Her fur and tail are sticking straight up, and her ears are darting around chaotically. She shouts, grabbing the fur on her head as if to rip it out.
"The breakout went too smoothly. There were barely even any guards."
Brownblood, being the highest-ranking member, chose to take the opportunity to assassinate King Thomias. According to Blackthorn, he should have been in the throne room, finishing his early morning meetings.
The three of them successfully snuck inside, taking out a few patrols along the way. When they entered the throne room, however, almost thirty wardens were waiting.
"I saw him. The king was right there." Whisperclaw spits. "But the bastard had a sun crystal! Got rid of all the shadows. No matter what I tried, I couldn't teleport away."
She squeezes her eyes shut. I can tell she's fighting back tears.
"That's when I realized. I'd been played. I thought it was just Blackthorn at first, but when I turned around…"
She trails off, her grip shifting to her shoulders.
"Whisper…"
"I found out after my trial that the war was over. The bastards… they knew, so they traded me for a pardon from the Ardenians."
"There's one thing I don't understand," I comment after Whisperclaw has calmed herself. "Why would Brownblood work with Blackthorn?"
I question Brownblood's logic. Blackthorn was an Ardenian noble, so I see why he would seek a pardon from the king, but why Brownblood? If he and Whisperclaw had used their shadow-stepping skills, they could have easily escaped back home.
"Seems that the higher-ups decided to terminate all of the Wardogs to keep their assassination attempts under wraps." Whisperclaw answers with a tired shrug. "If we had tried to go back home, we both would have been executed."
How despicable. To escape being executed by his own people, Brownblood conspired with Blackthorn. Together, they planned to exchange Whisperclaw for their own freedom.
While she was sleeping, they made their move. Of course, King Thomais would never pass up the chance to learn the military secrets of a hostile nation. Plus, he was getting a decent bargaining chip in the process.
"I'll kill them!"
Whisperclaw pounds her fist together.
"I promised myself that… so…"
I'm in awe at how determined she is. She's not running from her problems. Quite the opposite, actually. She's running full speed towards them. My eyes meet the roof of the palace. Glimmer, too, is trying to face his problems. At this very moment, he's being crowned as a king. Heh, I chuckle to myself, even Ironvine decided to give up being a pacifist… sort of. I'm the only one trying to run away.
"Look…"
Whisperclaw softly scoops my hand into her own.
"...you don't have to tell me everything, but I want you to trust me. After all, you're the only one I trust. You even said you'd die for me."
"I… I remember."
My face is starting to heat up. I thank Glimmer in my head for the mask. It's definitely helping me stay calm, just like he said it would.
"I trust you too, it's just… I'm not even sure about what's happening." I decide to tell the truth. Well, as much of it as I know. "My family, the Blacks, all of us are vampires. At least, that's what we're supposed to be. I've always been different, though."
"W-what do you mean?"
I look away from her questioning gaze.
I've never had to explain this to anyone before. I don't even know where to begin. There's so much she doesn't know.
"Whisperclaw, did you know Vampires can't have children?" I start by asking her a simple question, one any adventurer should know the answer to.
"Yeah. I didn't know for sure until now, but it makes sense. It probably has something to do with them being undead, right?"
I nod my approval of her answer.
"Vampires are creatures that were once living, but exchanged their souls for immortality. However, to keep living, they must constantly consume the life of living beings."
Their blood. The same thing that makes vampires nearly immortal also keeps them from having children, as there is no life inside of them to pass on.
"One did manage to have a baby, though. My mom."
"You can't mean…"
Whisperclaw's mouth drops open in shock.
"Yeah. I was born a vampire, at least half anyway." I sigh. "It shouldn't have been possible, but Uncle… no, General Games… seemed to think it had something to do with who my dad is."
"Who is he? Your dad, I mean."
"I'm not sure. I have a pretty good idea that he's a senat, but I've never actually met him." I shake my head. "But because of his blood in me, up until now anyway, I'd been able to live like a normal person. Everything changed after I fought Ash. I guess drinking blood for the first time triggered something."
"You never thought you'd start turning all the way." Whisperclaw draws up a conclusion. "That's why you never said anything, right?"
"Right."
I take a heavy seat on the stone bench.
"My whole life, I've never had to deal with my vampire side. It would only come out when my emotions went out of control. But now…"
Looking down at my hands, I think about Ash. The memories I saw when I drank his blood haunt me when I sleep. Memories of his training to join the Inner Circle as a child. My teeth clench together. What kind of monster puts children through that?
"Haaaa…" Whisperclaw plops down next to me. "... Looks like it can't be helped."
If she could see my face, she would see just how confused I am. She's nervously pressing her fingers together, avoiding eye contact with me.
"I-if you need to…"
"What?"
"I said you can drink my blood if you need to!"
I stare at Whisperclaw with a dumbfounded expression plastered on my face.
Did she really offer to let me drink her blood? My eyes lock onto her surprisingly slender neck. I fight with the urge to grab her, to rip into her throat. Unlike earlier with Glimmer, however, the feeling quickly dissipates. Is it… My hands find the black pearl necklace, neatly tucked beneath my suit. I'll have to return the favor to Glimmer one day.
"D-don't look at me like that…"
Whisperclaw's cheeks grow a shade darker.
"Knowing you, you're probably starving yourself. So…I want to help…you…"
I can't help but smile at Whisperclaw being embarrassed. I'm not used to seeing her so flustered. I can't say much myself, though. I'm probably wearing the same expression. Once again, I thank Glimmer in my head for the mask. I don't know how I could've handled this conversation without it.
"Whisperclaw, I-"
A warhorn forces its way into our conversation. The sound seems to originate from within my own mind, echoing in my ears. Not overbearing, but loud enough to block out everything else.
The floor boss is respawning. I'd heard some adventurers mention it a few times back home in Vertalara. Abell blows the divine horn, which can be heard throughout the entire floor. Hearing about it and actually hearing it are two totally different experiences, though.
Every instinct in my body is telling me that something is terribly wrong. As I look up into the starless black sky, two formless masses imprint themselves into the tower's moonlight.
"What in the hells?!" Whisperclaw howls the question. "What is this accursed noise?!"
I can only imagine the intense pain she's feeling right now. Jackals and other predatory races have enhanced senses that aid them during hunts. A horn of this volume is the equivalent of somebody rapidly dropping bombs in her ears.
I clamp my hands over her ears, pulling her close to my chest. I know it probably won't help, but I have to do something. Not once do I take my eyes off the moonlit silhouettes. Two shapes split into four. Two hold the other two. On the sides of the carriers, I can make out sets of wings.
The horn fades. In the same instant, the winged silhouettes release the two they had been carrying. The two forms smash through the top of the palace. My instincts kick in as pieces of debris come raining into the courtyard. I dip and dodge through falling bricks and glass while carrying a recovering Whisperclaw in my arms.
"Somebody give me an explanation!"
I shout into my crystal earpiece, an expensive magic tool for instantaneous short-range communication.
"Two… things… just smashed through the palace roof!"
In return, all I get is static. Panic is starting to rise in my chest. What was going on? Did I make a mistake by skipping the ceremony? I only did it because Glimmer said I should take the chance to make up with Whisperclaw, but was that the wrong decision? It looks like they landed in the ballroom. I should check there first.
As fast as my legs can go, I rush into the throne room. It's empty, not a single person in sight. A blood-curdling scream rips from the open set of doors on the left side of the throne. Nobles and common folk alike all spill from the ballroom, covered from head to toe in dust and blood.
"...Ren…"
I carefully set Whisperclaw down and help her stand as people slam into us. I grab her hand tightly and begin carving a path. Whatever those things were that crashed through the roof, they were enough to cause a frenzy.
While pushing through the wave of bodies, a horrifying thought crosses my mind. The only thing that could cause bounty hunters to turn tail and run would be a high-tier monster entering one of the cities. But that should be impossible with the anti-monster barriers.
"T-this is impossible!"
I yell in disbelief when I finally cross the double doors.
The scene in the ballroom causes my heart to sink into the pit of my stomach. In a twisted ballet of sparks and blood, two monsters swing battle axes that absolutely pulverize whatever they come into contact with. Goblin Sentinels.
Any adventurer would recognize the obviously stolen white armor encasing everything but their crimson colored heads. Their unnaturally tall forms, especially for Goblins, which are typically a species of small monsters. The eyes, normally emerald green, are bathed in a deep blue glow.
My moment of processing ends when my eyes land on the bodies beneath the Sentinels' axe. In front of it, a little girl holds her mother's severed hand. A brief moment in time flashes through my head. This is the same girl I met right before Whisperclaw and I left the courtyard.
Her parents…their bodies are completely dismantled in front of her.
"Ahhhhh!" The girl screams, tears cascading down her face. "M-m-m-mommy?! D-d-daddy?! I p-promise I'll be a good girl! Don't go, please…"
"Brahhhhhhhhhh!"
My body moves on its own. I let go of Whisperclaw's hand, my wings ripping through my suit jacket. Everything around me turns into a blur as the Sentinel's axe swipes where the girl's head once was.
I'm able to make it just in time. I throw myself in front of the girl, wrapping my whole body around her. She looks up at me, her eyes wide with fear and filled with water.
In the same instant, a sharp pain buries itself into my spine. I see the ground leave from beneath me. Or, maybe I left the ground. Either way, the sensation comes to an abrupt halt as I slam through a table and into one of the ballroom walls.
"Renald!"
Everything's spinning. I can still feel the girl in my arms. She's still crying. Good. That means she's still alive. I made it in time.
My vision won't focus. A constant ringing bounces around my head. Monsters are the creatures from people's nightmares. The subtle realization dawns on me like the shadow of the approaching Sentinel.
Move! You have to move! I scream at my body, but it betrays me. Everything hurts too much.
I barely manage to pull myself free as the axe smashes into the wall where I was trapped. Debris and dust explode on contact with the blade, further obscuring my vision.
"...Duck!"
Ignoring the voice wasn't an option.
The dust parts. The blade of the axe cuts through it, spinning viciously as it barrels towards me. I leap out of the way. The axe carves its way through the ground before circling back. I pull the child close to my chest and get as low to the ground as possible.
I clench my teeth in pain. The axe shaves off the top of my wings and slightly trims my hair. It follows its trajectory, straight back into the hands of the Sentinel that threw it. I have to stand, but… It's already on top of us. Seeing the edge of the blade being raised over my head sends waves of fear through my bones. These things are impossibly fast!
Right before the axe tears into my face, a chair collides with the Sentinel's head. The blade crashes down directly to my right, ripping a bit of skin from my shoulder. A purple fur-covered fist slams into the Sentinel's lower jaw, continuing the chim-chi's assault. The Sentinel, thrown off balance, releases its weapon and slides backwards with the force of the punch.
"Get the kid out of here!"
Ironvine roars at me, picking up the Goblin Sentinel's axe and entering a battle-ready stance. He plans on fighting, no matter how much the odds are against us. That much is clear. Blood pours out of open wounds on his body, but still, he's willing to fight.
"Go!"
He howls, charging the monster.
I nod, determined to use this moment to get the young girl to safety.
I stagger to my feet and towards the double doors leading to the throne room. Whisperclaw is just standing there with a blank expression on her face, her mouth slightly agape.
"Shadow step with her!" I plead as I close the distance between us. "Make sure everyone escapes."
"What about you!?"
I shake my head and look back at Ironvine, going blow for blow with a Goblin Sentinel using its own axe. Behind them, another battle is unfolding between the second Sentinel, Liaz, and… Glimmer!?
"..."
As if recognizing my intentions, Whisperclaw doesn't even try to argue. She takes the girl, who seems to have fainted at some point, from my arms. Carefully cradling her, she steps onto the shadows of a destroyed table and disappears.
With my hands finally free, I turn to face our enemies, releasing my saber from its sheath. Two Goblin Sentinels. The personal guards of the floor boss and generals of the Goblin horde. What were they doing here, so far from their master? Nothing but questions pass through my mind. Nothing will come from asking these questions right now, however.
So I steel myself, preparing for what will undoubtedly be a fight to the death. Taking a deep breath, I leap into the fray.