Hello Scrolls and Nazarins, another chapter of my fanfic The One Who Came Back coming.
Someone comes to Arwintar and seeks help, will they get what they expect?
With you
The One Who Came Back
Chapter 42: Choices
Arwintar, a few months after the emergence of the adventurer Bat-Man.
A carriage arrived at the hotel; as soon as it stopped in front of the building, the group disembarked and headed to the reception.
"Good afternoon, sir. How can I assist you?" the receptionist asked.
"I would like a room for me and my wife," said the enormous man with a large mustache, giving a slap on the woman's rear.
"Certainly. We have some suites on the first floors. Do you have any specific preferences?"
"Yes, something luxurious. We're on our honeymoon," the gentleman replied.
The young black-haired wife then seemed to elbow him in the ribs, and he continued, trying not to pay too much attention to the blow he had just received.
The Day Manager looked at the two maids carrying the bags; one had pink hair, and the other had blue hair. Behind them was a small boy wearing a mask and regular adventurer clothing. He was probably the security, but Gunter couldn't imagine what he would be protecting being so small.
"Wonderful! We have the perfect room on the first floor! Please, sign our guestbook."
The man hesitated for a moment, then signed.
"Ah! Thank you very much, Mr. Gordon Seso Reulb, Mrs.Reulb. It's a pleasure to have you here at the Golden Apple Royal Hotel. The porter will help with your bags," said the manager, handing over the room keys.
After a few flights of stairs, they arrived at the room. The porter left the bags and received a generous tip from one of the maids.
"ARE YOU CRAZY!?" the woman shouted as soon as they were alone. "Honeymoon, luxurious room, we don't have that much money to spend!"
"Calm down, boss. You're being stingy. We have more than enough. We need to maintain the disguise, and you didn't need to almost break my rib."
"You needed it," said the masked adventurer. "Seso Reulb?! It's literally BLUE ROSES BACKWARDS!!!"
"Sorry, shorty. I panicked, but you didn't have to shout like that. They might hear us," Gagaran warned as she removed the mustache.
"I've already cast Silence as soon as we were alone," Evileye retorted, sitting grumpily in a much larger armchair than herself.
"We said Gagaran shouldn't talk," Tina began.
"She can't act," Tia added.
"But a woman taking the lead to speak could be suspicious. We want to be discreet," Lakyus responded.
"Evileye, shouldn't you cast Anti-Divination as well?"
"No!" the vampire said, refusing to provide further explanations. However, she noticed that everyone was waiting for more, so she leaned in. "Tsc! Casting Anti-Divination is only necessary when you want to hide the subject of a meeting. If someone is trying to spy, they won't succeed, but they'll know that something is happening. However, if they don't know about the meeting, they can locate the group, as it creates a gap where it's impossible to see if the spell is being used broadly. The Empire is a vassal state; it's logical that at least this city would be under constant surveillance. No one can sustain such a spell continuously, but from what we know of the Sorcerer King, he might have that power, even if we can't detect it."
"So, if they found a place where they can't see, it would be like signaling to them that something shady is happening," Gagaran concluded.
Evileye then slumped back into the armchair, satisfied that Gagaran understood, which meant that everyone else had as well.
"I would prefer more security, but I guess we'll have to settle for this. Tonight, we'll set out to find our potential ally. Are you sure we can locate them?" Lakyus spoke with resignation.
"I've already said it's not a guarantee. We'll do whatever we can to find them. We can't just announce a mission at the guild. But an adventurer of this caliber... maybe I can sense emanations of strength. Meanwhile, Tia and Tina will search suspicious areas, and Gagaran, in disguise, will visit taverns to listen to rumors.
Anything related to the black powder seems to catch her attention. And you'll stay here; you're the one who would attract attention wherever you go," Evileye explained.
Lakyus didn't seem pleased, but it was what they had agreed upon earlier.
"We really need to find her. Powerful allies will be crucial if we end up fighting against the Sorcerer King. That's why we need the Black Spider."
The following days were spent searching for clues or signs of the adventurer. Most leads turned out to be dead ends, but something seemed to have emerged.
Gagaran, dressed in a masculine armor with the vast mustache, learned from tavern talk about some kidnappings. Human trafficking was also a crime that caught the adventurer's attention. In the subsequent days, Tia and Tina traced the hideout of the potential kidnapper.
They kept watch in an abandoned building, observing the decrepit warehouse across the street. In fact, this whole neighborhood appeared deserted, a direct result of the adventurer's actions.
Criminal activities had declined so much there that only places like this remained for now. The Emperor had plans for revitalizing the warehouse district, but nothing had been done yet.
They couldn't be certain if that location was correct or if the kidnapper would return. Therefore, Lakyus and Gagaran kept watch while the others gathered more information. It was past midnight when they noticed some movement.
"Tia, Tina, Evil, someone entered the building. Come here!" Lakyus said after using a message scroll.
As she cut the message, Lakyus saw something pass through the upper window. It was so fast that she almost didn't catch it.
"She's here! So quick. What should we do, boss?"
"If we take too long, we might lose the chance. Let's go in."
Both of them rushed down the stairs, and upon reaching the front of the other building, the ninja twins appeared.
"Evileye should be coming from the other side of the city; she should arrive soon. Let's go in," Lakyus said as she ran into the dark interior.
The place had several rooms before leading to the storage area. Amidst the darkness, a man was running back and forth; each time he approached an exit, a large figure blocked his way. Eventually, realizing they were no longer alone, he tackled his victim.
"We need light," the group leader said.
Tia immediately launched a sphere into the air, which lit up like a slow-descending parachute.
Everyone could now see the massive figure standing over the fallen human.
"Black Spider's Partner! The adventurer Bat-Man!" they all exclaimed simultaneously.
"Ah! Hello, ladies. To what do I owe this visit?" Inta said, trying to force a smile through his injuries.
The Blue Roses seemed uncertain how to react. They had expected to find the adventurer, but now they were facing his non-human partner.
"Hello, sir... Mr.Bat-Man, sorry, I'm not sure how to address you."
"Hmm! I've never needed to identify myself before. I'd prefer to maintain my anonymity. You can continue calling me Bat-Man, but I believe you can see that I'm a bit occupied with this person..." Inta was cut off mid-sentence as Evileye struck him.
The force was so strong that they flew through several buildings before landing in a pile of rubble.
"WHAT HAVE YOU DONE!?" Lakyus shouted as she entered through the broken wall.
"STEP BACK! HE'S NOT WHAT HE SEEMS!"
"Why are you doing this, shorty? We know he's not human. You've ruined our chance to talk to the..."
"I TOLD YOU TO STEP BACK, you musclehead! He's not a beast-man..."
In an explosion, the pile of debris was sent flying, with Inta in the middle. He appeared quite injured, looking around before laboriously taking flight.
"Damn it, we can't let him escape," the vampire said before being grabbed by Lakyus.
"FOR THE FOUR, HAVE YOU GONE MAD? Explain what's happening."
"I sensed a presence as I approached. He's not a bat-man; he's a vampire, and we need to kill him."
"Are you sure? Why would a vampire be acting like an adventurer?"
"I don't know, maybe he's forming a clan. All those disappeared criminals could have become his subordinates. All I know is that he's very strong, perhaps nearly as strong as I am. If he escapes, he could disappear from here and start his plans elsewhere."
"Curses! We have to follow him. Tia, Tina, go!" And the ninja twins vanished.
"I can handle him alone," Evileye protested.
"NO! You're not leaving us behind," Lakyus ordered.
"Tsc!" the vampire clicked her tongue. "Fly." And so, the three of them flew through the hole in the ceiling.
"Tia, where are you guys?" Evileye inquired.
"We're at the cemetery. He entered a mausoleum."
"It must be his lair. We're coming; don't go in."
Soon, they were all gathered in front of the old mausoleum.
"Let's enter carefully; this could be the lair of a very powerful vampire. Tia, Tina, you two go ahead, check for traps. Evil, you're second line. I'll be in the middle. Gagaran, guard the rear."
"Understood, boss. Crypt formation," both knew that Lakyus was anxious; reviewing the basics was her way of calming herself.
"Shorty, is he very strong?"
"Very. I could feel him from a distance, but it was... it was his presence that I felt." She didn't want her colleagues to know that it was the scent that alerted her, a scent only vampires had, the scent of centuries of spilled blood.
They proceeded into the mausoleum, which was large and old. Strangely, there were no tombs, just a few plaques on the walls, and at the back, a single stone coffin. They approached cautiously, checking for traps. Then, positioned for an attack, they pushed the lid, which fell with a dull thud.
"Empty. Where could he have gone?" Lakyus asked, crouching down and inspecting the bottom of the coffin.
Her experience told her there was more to it. With a click, a false bottom descended, revealing a staircase.
"Let's go."
They descended a long spiral staircase. At the bottom, they found a chamber surrounded by various coffins. In the center stood the vampire, his wing broken, blood oozing from his mouth, nose, and ear, some ribs jutting from his open flesh.
"Why?" the dying creature said.
"Don't listen to him; he'll try to control you," Evileye warned.
"I haven't harmed you! Why attack me?"
"You're a monster; you must be destroyed before you become a threat."
"A-Are all that's different to be killed for your safety?"
"No, just you and the monsters attacking people."
"W-Which people? I've only helped, eliminated murderers, pedophiles, and traffickers; they were condemned to hang. You attack me just because I'm not human."
"W-We can't trust you; you might have deceived your companion, but not us," Lakyus spoke hesitantly.
"Ah! It's her you're after, coff! coff!"
"It's time to die, monster," Evileye said, kicking Inta in the stomach.
The vampire fell onto a stone coffin, which shattered on impact. His abdomen was torn open, intestines spilling onto the floor, his jaw ripped from his face, hanging over his chest.
"Who's the monster now?" a sepulchral voice emerged from nowhere.
