I enjoy my semester break to the fullest and manage to write a little more 😊 ! Now I have already written 10 chapters and finally managed to start with the actual plot :D ! Whoo-hoo-hoo-hoo-hoo! I wish you, as always, a lot of fun reading and would be happy about comments like a boss 3
Your Salaka-chan
Looming shadows
When the knight stopped her with a bored expression on his face, Livia was already prepared for the coming situation thanks to Regis. With his slightly unkempt appearance and chubby cheeks, the man fitted perfectly into the run-down harbour district of Beauclair. Since her home village was surrounded completely by fields, the stinging smell of fish got into her nose all the more.
"Stop! Only those with a legitimate interest may enter this building."
The alchemist nodded knowingly and looked the knight confidently in the eyes, which clearly impressed him. "I am aware of this, but thank you very much for the hint. My name is Livia Moreau and I am a prospective alchemist from Francollarts. I am thinking of expanding my parents' business and would like to take a closer look at this property."
He examined her and just from that moment on seemed to notice that despite her stature and height she was not a child but a young woman. She tried to cover up her exhaustion with her extremely self-confident appearance and admonished herself in her mind never to touch a bottle of alcohol for the rest of her life. Thanks to the potion "purgatio" from the vampire, most of the collateral damage of her boozing was mitigated and only a slight headache remained. Before her departure, Regis had assured her several times that she had neither spoken ill-consideredly nor committed any embarrassing acts the previous evening. It was the first time that she had no memories at all of a previous evening, and this was to be the first and last time.
"Beauclair already has quite capable alchemists. Why would people go to see a stranger?"
Livia frowned and gave the knight's man a devastating look, causing her interlocutor to scratch his feet restlessly. "Occasionally it takes a breath of fresh air to push people further and I would like to try my luck at this. Long-established alchemists remain true to their old conventions and are reluctant to resort to new methodologies. I, on the contrary, prefer modernity and would like to push the craft of alchemy further. To accomplish this, it would be good if I could gain more experience in this field through clients and at the same time be in the capital, which would enable me to share my latest groundbreaking findings with researchers."
Her extremely plump, but nevertheless quite high-minded speech seemed to exceed the mental capacities of the somewhat chubby man. When it ended, he waited a few more seconds to make sure nothing else would follow and finally cleared his throat in embarrassment. "Very well. I see that there is a legitimate interest, Mademoiselle ..."
"Moreau." Livia replied with narrowed eyes, annoyed.
The armed man showed the beginnings of a small bow. "Of course, Miss Moreau."
When Livia wanted to continue her way, the knight stopped her again with a gesture of his hand and she could not avoid an annoyed groan.
"Excuse me. You must have noticed what happened here a few days ago."
This was a rhetorical statement, because he did not wait for her reaction and continued. "This building has been vacant for some time because the previous owner was unable to cover the running costs of the business. A vampire took advantage of this fact and lived in the building undisturbed. Probably he thought up the insane plan to destroy Beauclair in this building. Well, well, well." He tapped himself against his chest with a broad grin, "He did not reckon with the capable knights of Toussaint. Believe me, he won't be back anytime soon! But to prevent another monstrosity from entering Beauclair right away, I have to do a little test on you."
Livia didn't know what would impress her more. The almost endless seeming stupidity of this man or his pronounced self-confidence. Before she could start a biting comment the knight splashed her with a clear cold liquid. Normally this would have been the point where she would have screamed like a fury at this annoying soul, but as chance would have it, the home-made liquor saved the life of this incompetent individual from a "monstrosity", rather its side effect. Her fingers trembled slightly as she wiped the drops off her face and her voice took on a deep undertone as she spoke at a moderate volume. "Could you please explain to me what this shit is all about?"
"With respect, it is not proper for a young lady to use such words. I sprinkled holy water on you to ascertain your humanity. As a second and final test, please touch this dagger."
He handed her a silver dagger and she grabbed it with the ulterior motive, if the headache should increase further thanks to this idiot, to make some animal sounds. If she was lucky, she could frighten him so much that he would piss himself into his armour. In the end, reason prevailed and she silently returned the weapon to its owner. He happily stepped aside and let her pass.
Before she entered the house, she inspected the exterior. Although it had been empty for some time, it didn't look very run-down from the outside. She liked the sign at the entrance with the rocking horse and the inscription 'The Rocking Horse - Toys and Pleasures'. The colours on the wood of the sign had faded due to the sunlight, but it still had a certain charm. The same applied to the red colour of the building. At a moderate pace she walked up the steps to the entrance and opened the door.
She was not particularly surprised that the toys still were on the shelves. A thick layer of dust lay on the items and the shop displays. She walked carefully through the passage until she reached the bottom of a staircase. A queasy feeling crept over her as she walked up the worn steps. The first thing she noticed was the painting of a woman on the wall below the round window. She was beautiful and her eyes glowed with life, while her lips revealed a sweet and engaging smile. Unbridled rage seized her at the sight of this image. One could see, almost feel, the romantic feelings and longing of the artist if it were not for the disturbing knowledge of the true character of this model in the back of her head. Everyone has his vices and has to live with them, but everyone is free to take the path he or she thinks is the right one. Syanna had decided to dedicate her life to revenge and did not hesitate to use any kind of abomination to achieve it. She was a MONSTER.
She will apologise to Dettlaff for her behaviour and show him that not all mortals were completely depraved. As she explored the rest of the room, she found various tools for maintaining toys on the workbench. She made sure that the knight had not followed her, and with nimble movements packed everything into her bag, noticing a letter on the bottom of the bag and remembering vaguely that she had received it from Regis. After she had bagged all the tools, she sat down on the bed and noticed with great surprise the absence of a cloud of dust. The higher vampire must have lain down here several times.
Livia could only imagine all too well how the fear and uncertainty had slowly but steadily worn down the impatient vampire.
How often had he lain in this bed and thought about his further actions? How often did the grief for his beloved bring him to the brink of despair? How often had he worked on and repaired the toys to distract himself from reality for a short period of time?
Her spiral of thoughts ended with the last central question: Could vampires cry?
There was no doubt that these beings were capable of feeling emotions and yet she could not imagine this situation. This behavior seemed too ... human. Too weak for such a powerful being. But if this was the case, how did they deal with their grief? Was the next obvious alternative destruction? A gradual transition from one extreme to another?
The thoughtful wrinkles on her forehead became even deeper as she read the letter. The content, despite the neat and beautifully curved handwriting, was completely absurd for the young woman and by no means realizable in reality. At least that was what she wanted to tell herself, but a treacherous synapse in the vastness of her mind was already underhandedly beginning to plan for the days that followed. As she descended the creaky stairs again, a bushy beard adorned Syanna's face and Livia hummed happily.
Bright sunshine greeted her as she left the former games store when the annoying knight came into her field of vision again. She twitched her eyes in annoyance after she had grasped the situation that was going on in front of her. In front of this respectable idiot stood a slim woman with buxom breasts, which were particularly noticeable by a daring cleavage. He willingly told her everything important about the condition of the real estate and which basic data had to be observed. She recognized that no test procedure would be carried out on this tantalizing woman to check her for "humanity". Annoyed, she pushed her chin forward and muttered: "This chubby dolt will pay for this. Nobody messes with me scot-free."
With a moderate walking pace she passed them and after a few more steps she could tell from the lady's giggling that her plan had worked out. With nimble fingers she now stowed Regis' empty flask under her shirt and dared a glance to the toy store. The knight looked at the isolated drops on his armor and the yellow puddle that was directly underneath him with a stunned look. After a very short time he assumed an unhealthy red skin tone in the facial area. A gloating grin spread across her lips and she opened her braid with a flowing movement, causing her long hair to curl smoothly along her body. The scene seemed to come to a climax, as even some children had not escaped this prank. The roaring and screeching was enough for Livia as applause and when other passers-by noticed the knight's alleged mishap, the young woman started laughing stupidly. But now she was only too happy to bear her tomcat.
She went to some shops before she left town to make her way back to Francollarts. It was already late afternoon and there were hardly any travelers left on the streets. Without a horse, the journey took almost 2 hours, so she could not help but sigh.
At the edge of a field of sunflowers she noticed a large, gaunt figure from the distance. He was dressed in dark clothes and on closer inspection he turned out to be a scholar. His black, back-combed hair and minimalistic glasses made him look like a bird. When she tried to pass him, he cleared his throat and adjusted his glasses. "Excuse me, young lady."
Livia paused and looked at him suspiciously. "I'm an explorer passing through and I'm looking for a cheap place to stay"
It did not escape the alchemist's attention that the man carried no baggage whatsoever and hardly looked like a traveler. Her facial features hardened before she countered him with a dismissive tone:
"There is a large city in front of you. I am sure you will find suitable accommodation there for the night. If you do not have enough money, a bench will also do it. The guards patrol at regular intervals, thanks to recent events.
The short, cold and piercing look made Livia flinch before a broad smile appeared on the pale face.
"Ah yes. Of course. I should have been more precise." He bowed deeply in front of the young woman before continuing. "My journey began in Beauclair and shall now take me across the country. I am particularly concerned with the lower classes and their use of scientific methods."
Livia tilted her head. "In other words, you study the fertilizers used by farmers and their yield" When he again bowed humbly before her and smiled at her, Livia came to the conclusion that the first impression did not always have to be the right one. She wanted to give Dettlaff a few more days to sort out his thoughts and she could think of an appropriate excuse. Her goal was to show him that not all people are equal. However, if she wants to change someone, she should also have the willingness to change herself. Her weak point was the interaction with men. This was the best opportunity to set the basis. She timidly returned his smile and continued. "I come from Francollarts. Our village is specialized in cattle breeding and agriculture, if you like we can walk the path together. There's also a tavern with cheap lodgings and excellent food."
"My sincerest gratitude. It seems to me that fate has smiled upon me to choose you as my companion."
After this exaggerated praise, Livia could not stop laughing and held out her hand to the man, who grasped it firmly.
"My name is Livia Moreau and you?"
"Sebastion Morel. Pleased to make your acquaintance."
At the beginning, they generally talked about Toussaint and the most wondrous corners of this land, while surrounded by flowering fields. As Livia had never traveled further in her life than between Francollarts and Beauclair, she listened more to Sebastion and occasionally asked an interposed question. She tried to find out the geographical locations of the most amazing places described, and when the time came to take a little trip to these areas. Maybe she could convince a certain reclusive vampire to go on the journey with her, after all they would hardly meet other humans in the wilderness.
After some time the scientist changed the topic of conversation and asked Livia about her everyday life and profession. His praises about her field of interest flattered her and after some time she also asked him about his daily life.
"Well", did she imagine this or did the voice of her interlocutor become a bit cooler? "As mentioned at the beginning, I am concerned with the application of science in everyday life. But it would be extremely bland to study only one discipline, wouldn't it?" Livia merely blinked and looked at Sebastion questioningly. "A very interesting subject, but one that requires extreme caution, is the exploration of - divinitus electus sanguis excogitatoris-.", whereby he pronounced the technical term extremely stretched and did not turn his gaze away from her.
"Eh?" She cocked her head and looked at her interlocutor perplexed.
He did not seem to have expected this reaction on her part, as he needed a few seconds to catch himself and then could not suppress his loud laughter. "Please forgive me. I did not want to confuse you with this statement. Frankly, I expected a completely different reaction."
The wrinkles on her forehead became deeper and deeper as she tried to translate the term with her sparse knowledge of foreign languages. She could only translate sanguis offhand. Blood. But blood from what and in which context?
Deep in her thoughts, she did not notice the absence of Sebastion. The impact from behind came unexpectedly and before the pain could start she was protectively surrounded by a paralyzing darkness.
When her consciousness returned to reality she was painfully overcome by a bitter realization. She wanted to change and give male beings a certain amount of trust. The result was undeniably phenomenal. Was it the same for Dettlaff?
The second thing she noticed was the sunset and the long shadows that the ruins cast over the marsh. In the distance, she heard some male voices, although she could not fully understand the content of the conversations, due to her recent awakening. Some had an accent and used quite a lot of rough language.
Livia wanted to turn on her back when she noticed that her hands were tied behind her waist. Her breath accelerated with each passing second, while the adrenaline rush pushed the pounding headache into the background. What did these men want from her? Was the abduction accidental or planned in advance? Sebastion, he was not only dressed like a scholar, but he expressed himself like one. It couldn't have been all an act. Was he behind all this? If not, maybe he was a prisoner too and she could work out an escape plan with him?
With effort she raised her head and sounded out the situation. In the next second she cursed herself inwardly for this step when she looked into the sneaky eyes of a muscle-bound man sitting on a chair a few steps away. The seat creaked as the mercenary with his heavy gear rose and at an unexpected speed reduced the distance between them. Just before her, he crouched down and gave her a scornful look. "Well, my dove? Did you sleep well?" He ran his thick fingers over her lips. In shock and without a thought for the consequences, she bit. Her counterpart cursed blasphemously and struck her in the face with the back of his hand. The force of the blow made her head hit the floor and she thought she would lose consciousness for a short time.
The fight did not go unnoticed and Livia saw a familiar figure emerging from the corner of her eye. She pulled her lips in disgust. "Is this the kind of science you want to study among the common people?"
There was no smile on Sebastion's face. Instead of replying, he walked towards the giant who was still squatting and kicked him in the face with surprising force, causing him to go down screaming. With unnatural calm, Sebastion began: "Tell me, what was our agreement?" But he did not wait for a reaction from the other and stepped in again. With eyes widened in horror, Livia saw the scholar pull out a dagger and hit the stunned mercenary several times between his eyes. The blood splattered in high splashes into all directions with every further blow, so her face got some of it. Standing in shock, she made no sound and could not turn away from the cruel scene. The other men within the Hanse must have witnessed the incident but did not interfere.
As Sebastion wiped the bloodstained dagger with the inside of his jacket, he turned to Livia and continued speaking with blissful calm. "Please forgive me. I fear that my manners have deteriorated a bit after prolonged exposure to this riffraff, but I assure you that it will not happen again."
He stepped out of her sight and halted behind her. She tried to control her breathing, which turned out to be impossible. This man was unpredictable! He was insane! A madman hiding behind the facade of a scientist! The touch of cold steel on her wrist made her stop in her thought. She heard something get cut before Sebastion stepped in front of her again. He held his hand out to her, which she grasped without another thought. Her wrists had red welts and her movements were extremely stiff due to the cuffs. Sebastion pulled a white cloth from his pocket and wiped her face with routine movements. When he had finished, she was shocked at the sight of the now red-soaked cloth.
"A mademoiselle should not lie tied down on the floor." With a scowl on his face he continued. "However, if I discover that you tried to escape, you will regret it." With these words he disappeared and Livia let herself fall to the ground in silence. Her head was empty before Sebastion's voice could be heard again from a distance.
"You filthy, disgusting vermin! We have an agreement and you will keep it. If you don't, I'll split the skulls of every one of you fuckers. Do we understand each other? Nobody, absolutely nobody touches this woman! If you harm her and she bleeds, you will face hell and I assure you, you will regret it for the rest of your miserable lives."
The young alchemist could not believe that Sebastion was feeling so safe, leaving her behind without further security precautions. He seemed to leave nothing at risk. Why was he so lenient at this point? She looked at her damaged wrists and realized that not much would have been missing until some of the marks were scraped off. She is not supposed to bleed. Why? The term shot into her head on their way back to Francollarts together. Divinitus electus sanguis excogitatoris. She no longer believed in coincidence. This was all planned in advance. Sebastion seemed to have been waiting for an opportunity for her to leave the village. Why didn't he do it the day she first met Dettlaff? The forest would have been ideal. Questions about questions, but hardly plausible answers.
The sphera sensum came to her mind. Dettlaff could free her without further problems, but that would mean that he would have to kill for her again. Basically these men were just monsters like the creature in the forest. Would the vampire see it that way? After her last statement, did she have the right to ask him for help? Hot tears ran down her cheeks when she realized that right and wrong were not always so easy to differentiate. She lectured him about morality, but Maurice was in a similar situation as she was at the moment. She was torn from her state of shock when she heard the men speak in a subdued manner.
"Hear, hear. This asshole acts up and marks the big guy. Let him. She can't lose blood? It's no problem. She' s got nice hands and a mouth you can do all kinds of things with. Right?"
The laughter of the men was too much for her. Livia squeezed her eyes tightly together and held the sphere tightly closed.