World of Alvarra: Rise of the Vampire Lord

Van and the group walked out of the restaurant feeling very satisfied. The service was great and the food was delicious. The fish caught in the fog storm had a unique flavor that was hard to describe and a texture that was light yet filling. Together it made one think they were eating air soup, or the clouds themselves, but with spices and a slight tangy sweetness that was hard to place, all combining into a surprisingly filling meal.

“Wow… I’m stuffed…” Luna said, giving out a little burp.

“I should hope so, you went for thirds after all.” Van admonished, though he himself went for seconds, if only because he wasn’t sure if he was full or not. The meal was so light that it was hard to tell if one had eaten enough or not.

“Totally worth it, nyaa…” Nikki groggily said, rubbing her stomach. She too went for thirds and now seemed to be in a state of bliss. The kind Van usually saw when he took a woman to bed and went a few rounds with them. Meaning she definitely seemed to have enjoyed the fish.

“Let's walk a bit to burn some of this off and see what else we can do today,” Kiki suggested.

The group agreed and began walking around the shops and stores, exploring the city in their own leisurely time. The guards were not far from reach, though keeping their distance so as not to draw too much attention and get in the way of their charges fun. Though making sure to keep a close eye on anyone that approached the group. Van also felt that there were a few agents within the crowds also watching them and anyone around them just in case.

Kiki and Nikki went into a store and bought a ceremonial blood dagger as a souvenir, gushing about how cool it looked. They also bought a few items made in silver, pendants, and the like with what was called a blood gem in the middle. Actual blood worked into a hard substance, enchanting the pendant and promising to give increased cell regeneration to all those who wore it.

“These are so cool!” Kiki quietly exclaimed. “Do you use these daggers to sacrifice people and stuff? And I thought silver is dangerous to the undead? Why are there so many shops selling the stuff?” She asked, taking a closer look at the items she just bought.

“No, that would be silly,” Van said, beginning an explanation. “Those daggers were actually designed so as not to cut any further than the skin.”

“So as to torture people?” Kiki interrupted, looking worriedly at the dagger now.

“No… the enchantment on the dagger prevents wounds from going too deep and also makes the wound heal within ten seconds of the cut. This is for contracts and stuff, something that’s actually a huge export of Alcray since many people in other nations sometimes require blood on their magical contracts. This means a dagger that can painlessly cut a finger no more than skin deep and heal quickly. You may have balked at the cost before buying it… but if you try to sell it outside Alcray, you probably could get anywhere for two or three times more than what you paid for it. And that's for the low-end daggers like the one you bought. The higher ones can sell for even ten times that number.”

“Whoa~” Kikia and Nikki’s eyes widened, now looking at their daggers in a new light.

“And as for the silver thing… it only weakens us a little bit, but not enough for us to actually notice. The problem with silver is that, next to gold, it can hold a lot of positive energy, magic, and or holy power. And some gods are really against all things undead or near undead… which means powerful spells meant to kill vampires and the like were used to enchant silver and gold and the like.”

“Another reason why is because in the past, Alcray used to have a lot of silver mines. To the point that we tried to get rid of it as much as possible for more valuable resources. The same can be said for Fandor to our north. They have a lot of silver mines, and because of that, it's cheaper to make weapons that hold spells that kill undead with, since silver is cheaper there.”

“So in a way, you had vampires trying to get rid of silver, and Fandorians using it to kill vampires. And you get that story of how silver is a vampire's weakness. And because if enough people perceive something to be true… It kinda became so… though not as much as people would think…” Van explained.

“Wow! We should make a segment about this!” Kiki said enthusiastically. “Something like… little known facts about vampires! Or, misconceptions about vampires debunked! Or-!”

And she went on for the next few minutes, talking it over with Nikki about what other video ideas they should do.

As they traveled, the group got sucked into a tailor store. Where an old well-dressed lich in snazzy clothing was manning the counter.

“Ah… customers… please… browse… and enjoy…” He said in an old raspy, yet refined and clear voice. The skin on his bones pulled tight, eyes sunken and skin a pale gray. Though his pupils burned with intense intelligence and will, in stark contrast to his body that looked like it could blow over with just a gust of wind.

He was a bit intimidating at first, though oddly enough he also had a very welcoming vibe to him. Almost as if he was a grandparent who deeply wished to see his grandkids and enjoyed watching them wear the clothes he made.

Van and the group slowly let themselves in, then soon found themselves browsing the store with reckless abandon.

The clothes here were immaculate!

Everything was perfect! Almost like a piece of art! The group couldn’t help but feel in awe as they felt some of the clothes and traced the stitching. Even Van who wasn’t so much into clothes other than when he had to help make or repair his own could acknowledge that these clothes while looking plain at first, were elegant in the extreme!

As they browsed they couldn’t help but worry about the cost. There were no prices, so in the end, Luna eventually inquired about that.

“Oh… no costs… yet… depends… on the people… if they inspire… cheaper… if not… expensive… I have no need for… money… only desire… inspiration!” sounding like a man who already had too much money on hand and didn’t need anymore.

Which might very well be true… who knows how old this lich was... For anyone knew, he could have been making clothes for over a thousand years!

In the end, the group went around trying to figure out what they should and shouldn’t get. What looked expensive and what didn’t and trying to figure out what they could buy and get away with.

In the end, the group got a small smattering of clothes. Van got some underwear and socks. Luna got herself a sundress. Kiki got a dress as well, and Nikki got a beautiful red and blue ribbon to tie to her tail.

But everyone was shocked to find that the cost of all those were about nine hundred thousand Cravas!

“Made it cheaper… thanks… for the… inspiration…” The old lich said.

“If this is with the discount, how much was the full price!” Van thought, still in shock.

It somewhat explained why there was hardly anyone else here other than themselves.

“Uh…”

The group looked at each other, wondering if they should pay the price or not. They quickly huddled together and began to discuss how they were going to afford this. They didn’t want to do it… but they decided to charge it to Rosalyn, mostly because they would have felt bad about leaving after spending so much time here. Not to mention that the thought that they couldn’t even afford a few articles of clothing didn’t sit too well for them.

Once in agreement, Van turned around to buy the clothes.

“I'd like to purchase these please… I’ll pay a hundred thousand Crava’s personally… would it be possible to charge the rest to duchess Rosalyn?” Van asked.

The lich tilted its head. “Could you not… charge all of it to… her?”

Van nodded… “I could… but it doesn’t sit well with me to leave everything to someone else… I at least want to be able to buy my own clothes… and maybe pay her back… I don’t enjoy the feeling of owing other people…”

The lich gave a slow nod and accepted the transaction. He then packaged the clothes and put them in a nice bag and handed it over the counter. Van accepted the bag and was about to turn and leave when the lich stopped them.

“Before you go… please tell… Rosalyn… the student clothes… she wanted enchanted… will be done in three more days… I'll deliver them… personally…”

The group stopped surprised and promised to tell her the next time they saw her. But was stopped once more by the lich.

“Before go… please take this…” The lich then took out a small golden box and a book and placed them on the counter. He then looked towards Luna.”

“Golden box… has many threads and needles… sense hidden desire for… creation!” He then pushed the box towards Luna, who accepted it wide-eyed. Opening it up she saw the most elegantly designed needles, scissors, and much more that was necessary to start her own tailoring career.

The lich then turned and gave the book to Van. “feel… great potential… book… help enchant threat and needle… cloth as well… work together… make great creations!”

Van accepted the book. He flipped through the pages, eyes going wide as it went into great detail about how to enchant clothing, starting from scratch.

“Thank you…” Van said, realizing how much of a rare book this must be. It was filled with ideas and pointers about enchanting and how to use alchemy in combination with tailoring and enchanting to create even more amazing and powerful apparel.

“Learn… from each other… work… together… great clothes… will be made…” The lich said.

Luna and Van nodded, thankful for the gifts given to them, and walked out the store with a bit more spring to their step than they first thought. It was only then that Van decided to use his mana sight to scan the clothes they just bought.

“Holy shit…”

“What?” Luna asked.

“All these clothes are enchanted! Even the socks and underwear I bought!” Van exclaimed.

“Even my ribbon!?” Nikki asked.

“Yes!”

“What do the enchantments do?” Kiki asked.

“Let's see…” Van studied the clothes a bit closer. “The socks and underwear I bought are enchanted to be cold and heat resistant, and comfortable, stretchable, and self-repairing. Nikki’s ribbon does the same but also increases one's charm ability and promotes good health. Kiki’s dress is all of the above plus an increase in magical regeneration and manipulation. And Luna’s sundress is above all of that!”

“Whoa~” the girls said, now looking at the stuff they bought in a new light.

Van turned to look back at the store so as to remember the name.

The signboard on the store read, Weavers Rest.

It was a good store to remember should they ever earn enough money to come back and buy some decent clothing.

After that though, Van and Luna wanted to go back to the castle… they had no money anymore after all. But Kiki and Nikki insisted that they also do their part to pay for the clothes just bought. To which a small argument broke out, one side said it was a gift, the other insisting that they do something to pay back the kindness.

“Come on guys! You gave us an interview, fed us and ate with you at the flying cat, and let us sleep in a freaking castle! Gave us a great fucking, let us eat another delicious meal with duchess Roselyn no less! And another amazing interview with an awesome scoop! And bought us expensive and enchanted clothes! The least we can do is return the favor a little! You said it yourself that you don’t like owing other people, well what about us!?” Kiki said, crossing her arms.

Van hesitated, he didn’t want to admit it… but she had a point… so he sighed defeated. “Alright… we’ll continue window shopping… but no guarantees that will ask you to buy anything for us, okay?”

Kiki and Nikki nodded with a smile. “Don’t worry! We'll definitely find something you want and pay you back!”

Van didn’t agree but decided to keep his opinion to himself.

With that the group continued to travel once more, hitting shop after shop as they went. Luna lingered in the weapons shops, checking out the bows and the gauntlets. And Van the ateliers and book shops, checking out the engraving tools for enchantments and the latest discoveries and alchemical and magical research.

They were going down a street with a few more alchemist shops and herbalist ones when they found by accident the herbalist’s guild. More importantly, they saw Yassan enter the guild.

Van had to check it out…

He quickly followed Yassan inside and called out to him. “Hey! Yassan! Over here!” giving a small wave to get his friend's attention.

Yassan turned around in surprise, then noticed Van, taken aback by seeing his friend here, and waited for Van to walk up to him.

“Hey Yassan, what are you doing here? Coming to meet her girlfriend?” Van teased.

Yassan went a little red in the face but held his expression well. “Well… not exactly…” he said. “I’m here to meet her true… but not just because I want to, but because I was actually tasked to escort her to Bloodhaven. Turns out she will be delivering a few herbs that the school is in need of, and I'm to help her.”

“Good for you! This should give you a lot of time to get to know each other.” Van said happy for his friend. “Maybe we’ll be taking the same train together, we should meet up if that’s the case and hang out while we travel to Bloodhaven. What do you think?”

“Well… that… doesn’t sound so bad…” Yassan said, after a while of thinking it over. He then gave a rare smile. “It would be nice to travel with a friend.”

“Awesome! So now that we got that over with, can you introduce me to your future wife?”

Yassan blushed, already somewhat regretting what he said previously. “Alright… sure… follow me.” Now feeling a little nervous for some reason. Almost as if he was introducing a girlfriend to a parent.

Luna and the other girls, while interested, decided to stay back and hit the other shops. They were of course already invested in someone else's love life. But Luna had learned it was better to stay on the safe side than risk a two or three-hour lecture on plants… and was able to convince the other two the same. Van promised her that when he was done that he would call her when he was outside the guild once more.

A few minutes later, with the help of Yassan, Van was able to gain access to the deeper parts of the guild until they reached a sort of botanical garden where a young woman with a wide brim hat was humming softly and tending to a few flowers. She had green eyes and dark brown hair, indicating some mixed ancestry.

“Hey… uh… Chloe… It’s me! Yassan…” Yassan said nervously, already beating himself up inside for how he was acting. “And this is my friend! Van!” He quickly added.

“Hmm~?” Chloe looked up in a somewhat languid way. “Ah~ Yassan~! So happy to see you~” Her smile was warm and inviting, a dreamy almost half-asleep look on her face, and her voice was calm and soothing to the ears. It didn't even seem like she noticed Van or took note of his existence. Only after a few more moments did she seem to realize Van was there. “Hmm~? Who’s your friend~?”

Yassan explained again.

“So nice to meet you~ a friend of Yassan is a friend of mine~,” She said in that same dreamy way. Her smile never leaving her face.

“Though Yassan wants to be more than just friends with you.” Van teased.

“Van!” Yassan looked horrified.

“...Oh~?” Chloe finally said after a few seconds literally passed plus an awkward silence. “That sounds so nice~ I would like to be more than friends with Yassan~ he’s so dreamy~” putting a hand to her cheek and completely forgetting that Yassan was right there.

Van tried not to snicker or laugh as his friend went completely red-faced and didn’t know what else to say.

“You know… I can arrange a date with Yassan for you…” Van began, now that he was the center of Chloe’s attention.

Chloe tilted her head a little. “...Oh~? Really~?” She then clapped her hands together gently and gave a beautiful smile. “That would be wonderful~!”

“Excellent!” Van said he then fiddled with his Vespera bangle for a minute and sent a message to her. “I just booked a place at the flying cat. I’m sure Rosalyn would understand. I made sure for the message to alert you when it’s time to go. Make sure you meet him!” doing his best not to laugh about how absolutely easy this was.

Either she was faking… or she really was this airheaded… either way, Van helped get Yassan a date. He gave his friend a thumbs up. To which Yassan only replied with a pale face. Van then made sure to send the same message to Yassan.

“Don’t miss the opportunity alright?” He whispered, placing a hand on his friend's shoulder.

“I regret bringing you…” Yassan responded. Already feeling a bit overwhelmed.

“Don’t worry, I’m sure it will all work out! Trust me!” Van said.

After that, though it was a bit slow, Van, Chloe, and Yassan moved away from the topic of dates and towards plants. Van was amazed to find that Chloe was practically an encyclopedia of knowledge when it came to all things flora. Almost like a machine with a time delay, any question you ask, she will answer in time.

About an hour later, though Van wanted to spend some time longer, he left so as not to make Luna and the other girls wait too long. Wondering what else he was going to do today.

Varenes

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