Now that they defeated Dustin, Giorno and Fugo quickly made their way to Bruma, where the rain turned into snow. They were outside the gates of the city.
"Alright, show us where Abby is," Fugo said.
Giorno cast the clairvoyance spell that led inside the city. "She's in the city somewhere. However, after we're finished, let's rest here. If we head straight to Leyawiin, the vampire might run out of town if we rest there."
Fugo was relieved to hear him say that. The more time they wasted, the more he didn't have to worry about killing Vicente. "I think we should wait until night to see her come out."
"I've explored the area around Bruma before. There's a tunnel that connects to a house. With that, she could escape. Hmm, I think I know where Abby could be. Come, follow me."
"But what if she's not there?"
"She is. I'm confident."
Fugo sighed. Since he never got the chance to stall him the first time, he thought he could do it now, but even that failed.
They went inside and went to the small shack near the chapel.
"Isn't this the home of those two Mythic Dawn agents?" Fugo said.
"Yes, and I'm surprised the guards haven't done anything about this house." Giorno knelt and picked the lock.
"Are you crazy? What if you get caught?" the Imperial said.
The Breton ignored him, but then his lockpick broke. "Do you have any spare lockpicks?"
"No," he lied.
Giorno raised his eyebrow, doubtful. "Truly?"
"Yes, I have none. Sorry."
The Breton got up and started walking somewhere else.
"Wait, where are you going?" Fugo asked.
"Getting lockpicks," he answered.
"Where?"
"Someone I know."
They didn't go far. The person's house Giorno knocked on was right across the shack they were trying to break in.
"Who's house is this?" Fugo questioned.
"A friend's."
The door opened, and a Nord man revealed himself. His clothes were ragged and dirty, and he seemed old, judging from his hair color.
"Giorno, what do you want?" the old Nord asked.
"Got any lockpicks?" he whispered.
"Yeah, 100 as always. How many do you need?"
"Ten for me and another ten for my friend."
"That'll 20 Septims."
"Thanks."
Giorno handed Fugo ten lockpicks and returned to the other shack, picking the lock.
"Fugo, before we go in, can you please take off your heavy armor? I don't want it to make noises while we're sneaking."
The Imperial sighed and took off the armor but kept the gambeson on. "I can't believe we're breaking inside."
"Hey, you broke into my room once."
"Whatever."
They were inside the shack. The house still had the furniture the previous owners left. Giorno bent to the ground, touching it to find the trap door. He found it underneath the rug. However, even though someone locked it, he managed to open it.
Giorno went down first, going at a slow pace. Fugo followed behind. A sleeping vampire slept in a bedroll in the caverns, possibly Abby. Her skin was extremely white, and her long hair was black as night. It seems that Miss Pastry was pasty. Her clothes were dirty, and her makeup consisted of only mascara.
Giorno looked at Fugo, making him slightly confused.
He mouthed the words, "Kill her."
"Why me?"
"Just do it."
Fugo rolled his eyes, brought out an ebony dagger, and slowly approached her, and then his foot snapped a small piece of wood, making a loud crack sound. The vampire quickly sat up.
"By the Divines!" Abby shouted. "Intruder! Intruder! Someone save me! Help! Help!" She sprinted for the other exit, which was further down the tunnel.
Fugo chased after her. "Oh no, you don't, vampire!"
He tackled her, pinning her to the ground. She didn't run far.
"Vampire? I'm not a vampire!" she denied. "I'm a beautiful Breton woman, and you're trying to get something from me! Help! Help!"
"Shut up already!" Fugo shouted.
"I know a vampire! Do you know this girl named Ashley in Leyawiin?"
"I've had just enough of you!" He tried to bring his dagger to her neck.
"Wait, stop!" ordered Giorno. "What do you know about Ashley?"
"She's an Imperial, fat, manipulative, evil."
"We don't care about your quarrel with her," Fugo interrogated her. "We want to know her weaknesses."
"It's fire, you genius."
The Imperial sighed. "We're getting nothing from her. We could just find Ashley ourselves."
"What do you know which Ashley you're looking for?" Abby asked. "Ashley is a common name."
"Then what's her last name?"
"She doesn't have one," Abby explained. "How about I deal with her? In exchange, maybe you could find a cure for my vampirism. Please, I can't deal with this thirst anymore."
"Maybe you should've thought about that before you got bitten," Giorno commented.
"It's not my fault Dustin tricked me!"
"Dustin?" he said. "Wait, you know Dustin and Ashley? Do you know Vicente?"
"I know Dustin, but I don't know who Vicente is. Anyways, could you get off me now?"
"No," Fugo answered. "Tell us about Ashley."
"By Dibella, Ashley and I were friends once. She's a vicious killer with a taste for Argonian blood. She used to be close friends with Countess Alessia Caro until someone revealed to her that she was a vampire."
"Could you give us a physical description?" Giorno asked.
"I told you she's fat. What more do you want?"
"Anyone could be fat. What's her hair color, her skin tone? Does she dress like a noblewoman, a commoner, or a beggar?"
"Um, I don't remember. Maybe if I tag along, I'll remember?"
"And give you the chance to escape? No, we got this ourselves," Giorno answered.
Fugo had an idea. "I think we could use all the help we can get. Maybe she could help us with Vicente. Besides, she wants to cure her vampirism."
"I don't know. I have a bad feeling about this," Giorno said.
"Please," Abby spoke, "I am begging you. Spare me! I'll learn how to heal and cure people! I'll donate food to the local beggars! Please!"
"Enough, enough!" Giorno facepalmed. "Alright, we'll spare you, but you're going to help us take down Ashley and Vicente."
"Yay! Can you get off me now?"
Fugo got off her.
"Thank you. Now, we wait until night."
Giorno sighed and sat at a small table. Abby tried to get close to him, sitting on the other chair, and Fugo kept an eye on her.
Abby eyed the blond Breton. "So, are you single?"
Fugo raised an eyebrow at her and curled his fists into a ball.
Giorno noticed his reaction. It was like when he first met him. "I'm taken."
"I'm not surprised. You're good-looking, you know. So, who's the lucky girl?"
"I'm with two people. You're in the same room with him now. As for the other, I'm not going to tell."
"I am?" She looked at Fugo.
"That's me. He's mine."
"Is that so?" She smiled at him. "How about you two kiss?"
Fugo blushed. "Why do you want to see us kiss?"
"How am I supposed to know if you're a couple?"
"We are a couple! We don't need to show proof!"
"Fine." Abby crossed her arms. "I'm going to assume that this girl you're talking about is imaginary. How sad that you have to pretend you have a girlfriend."
"His girlfriend is real," Fugo defended him. "I love her too."
"Then why is she not here with you?"
"She's studying at the Arcane University!"
"Fugo!" Giorno said, causing the Imperial to cover his mouth.
"She can handle herself," he replied.
"Ah, so she's a mage," Abby said. "I know a bit of magic myself. I excel at destruction magic. Using frost spells is my favorite, but I prefer using my illusion spells. That reminds me, I can use my invisibility spell."
"And I can use my life detection spell," Giorno said. "Don't get cocky."
The Breton sighed. It was going to be a long afternoon.
It was astonishing how Fugo and Giorno could handle Abby's constant chatting for almost three hours. The vampire constantly complained about how her life had gone to shit.
"I'm getting hungry," Giorno said. "I'll be on the surface. I'll bring you some food, Fugo."
"What about me?" Abby asked.
"Quiet!" they both yelled.
Fugo sighed and watched her. She had a big grin, but he thought it looked creepy.
"I have the feeling you don't like me," she said.
Fugo put on a fake smile. "Hmm, I wonder why."
"What can we do to get along?"
"I don't know." Then he had an idea. "How about you try and stall Giorno when we're about to leave?"
"And how will I do that?"
"Didn't you say you can turn invisible?"
"Yeah, but he'll find me anyways. What's the point?"
"Only he can find you. I don't know the spell."
"Then he'll kill me on sight."
"I can give you time to escape." Except Fugo wasn't sure if he could.
"I don't know if that's possible," Abby doubted.
"Okay, what can I do to prove I can give you time? I'll do anything."
"Anything?" She smiled evilly. "Will you kiss him in front of me?"
"Yeah, I'll kiss him in front of you."
"Touch him?"
"Um."
"Maybe grab each other's swords?"
Fugo's face turned entirely red. "That's too far!"
Abby chuckled. "Understandable. I won't tell him we had this discussion, and I'll cure myself once I can."
The two heard Giorno open the trap door, and he climbed down. There was a small bag he carried, placed it on the table, and then opened it, revealing a loaf of bread. Fugo tried not to look visibly disappointed.
"Bread for dinner?" Abby looked at them.
"I can't carry a plate of juicy meats here," Giorno replied.
"You could've gone the other way. You didn't have to climb."
"What about the giant rats?"
"Hmm, fair point."
Fugo got close to Giorno, putting a hand on his face. "Thank you. This is what I wanted for dinner."
The blond was confused. "This is just bread."
Fugo brought him closer to his face and looked into his eyes. "I love bread, but I love you most of all."
Their lips were close together, making Abby blush if she could. Before they could connect, the Imperial closed his eyes, but Giorno's were wide open, glancing at Abby's reaction. She could hear her slightly squeal, and then Fugo kissed him, making her squeal louder. This was different when Trish watched. She participated in the kissing and loved both of them.
Giorno thought the vampire was getting off to this and wanted the kissing to stop immediately. He tried to push Fugo away, but it was like trying to move a wall. That, and the Imperial started to hold him tightly.
"Stop!" the Breton demanded when their lips parted for a short second.
But Fugo kept kissing him.
"Use your tongue!" Abby encouraged him.
Fugo listened to her and slid his tongue into his mouth. Fed up, Giorno summoned a clannfear runt, which rammed into the Imperial's legs, causing Fugo to withdraw his tongue.
"Huh?" he said, causing him to stop and look at the creature.
"I told you to stop!" Giorno yelled at him.
"When?"
"A few moments ago? Did you forget Abby was here?"
She gave an evil laugh.
"I got into a heat of passion. I couldn't stop," Fugo explained.
"I'm just going to eat. Here, have a slice but keep an eye on her too."
Abby crossed her arms and gave a satisfied smile.
After Fugo and Giorno ate and a few minutes had passed, the two believed it was time to head out. Giorno was the one who walked in front, Abby in the middle, and Fugo covered the rear in case the vampire decided to run away.
When Abby stepped outside the cavern, she cast her invisibility spell and ran west. Since Giorno was up front, he didn't notice.
"Um." Fugo tried to grab his attention.
Giorno turned around and noticed she was gone, but he also saw the footprints on the snow.
"Quick, after her!" he shouted.
"Where did she go?"
"I got this." The Breton began charging a powerful fire spell.
"Careful where you aim!" Fugo shouted, hoping that Abby might have a chance to dodge.
Instead, she turned around, cast her silencing spell, and reapplied the invisibility spell.
"Damn it! Go after her! Look at the footprints."
Fugo chased her, approaching an abandoned farm with a family buried nearby. He saw Abby lying on the ground, close to the door.
"Why did you stop?" Fugo questioned. "You could've kept going."
"I'm tired. I can't do it," Abby explained. "You have to kill me."
"Is this what you truly want?"
"No, but there's no other way. Do it! He's coming!"
Giorno finally caught up with them. "Fugo, finish her now!"
He turned around to face him. "I think she truly wants to be cured of vampirism. Couldn't we put her in jail or something?"
Abby got up from the ground, got closer to Fugo, and placed her rusted dagger to his throat. "You fool. Do you think I'll just die without a fight? Do you have anything to say before I slit his throat?"
"It's over," Giorno said.
"You're damn right it's over!"
"No, it's over for you," Fugo said. "Do you not know I am the Grand Champion?"
The Imperial stepped on her foot, making her drop her dagger. He turned around, grabbed her by the neck, slammed her to the ground, unsheathed his sword, and pierced her heart. Her corpse turned into a pile of dust, and the cold winds blew her away. Fugo sighed, not because he couldn't stall Giorno but because he thought Abby was truthful.
They returned to Bruma, resting at the Jerall View Inn. Nothing much has changed since Fugo last entered. It was nice and cozy.
Giorno and Fugo walked up to the innkeeper, Hafid Hollowleg.
"Two rooms for the night, please," Giorno said.
"That will be 50," the innkeeper replied.
Fugo looked at him in confusion. "Why not save a bit of Septims and get one room?"
"Two rooms, please." The Breton handed the 50 coins to the innkeeper, causing the Imperial to frown.
"Very well. Your rooms are right next to each other," Hafid said. "The door to the basement is under the stairs."
The two blonds went downstairs, and while they were there, they decided to have a chat.
"If you're wondering why I wanted a spare room, it's because of what you did in the caverns," the Breton explained. "I wasn't expecting that from you, and it made me feel uncomfortable. I hope you understand."
"Yeah, I'm sorry about that," Fugo replied. "I'll give you your space and head to my room." He was about to open the door.
"Wait. Before you head to bed." Giorno walked towards him and gently kissed his lips. "Goodnight, I love you."
A shade of pink appeared on Fugo's cheeks. "I love you too."
