Looking at the quest panel, Seth could only sigh further. However, he could see there was something unique about this quest.
'Prologue Chapter Quest, is it?' Seth thought to himself.
If the quest types were any clue, then this quest was a prelude to the main story. In the same way, the tutorial quest was a method of adaptation to the lifestyle of this world.
'So, the main story will soon reveal itself. Finally!'
While Seth was thinking, a voice brought him back to reality. "So…?"
Instinctively, Seth replied to Darla, "So, what?"
"Tell me about yourself. Who are you? Where are you from? I'm curious." Darla rapidly spoke with curiosity beaming out of her eyes.
It wasn't everyday she met peculiar people like Rhazien. Their stories were always a source of entertainment for the bored young lady.
"I-Ha. I'm a vampire, an agent of darkness. I came from a far away place in search of something personal. That is all there is to know about me." Seth summarized. He instantly decided on this backstory for the character of Rhazien.
Amongst a group of customers who had just arrived, one of them commented, "Vampires are not just from 'a far away land'. Surely, you downplay the homeland."
Seth raised his eyebrows as he stared at the person that just spoke.
It was a lady with honey hair. Something about her seemed familiar. As she gulped a mug of ale, Seth could link her with someone in his memories… someone he met recently.
"Wait… It is her! The thief!" Seth accidentally thought out loud.
The lady's face turned white. She pulled her hood over her head and muttered, "That's rude. I don't know you."
"F*cking b—" Seth was about to curse when he noticed his situation.
A noble vampire like Rhazien shouldn't curse. He should be the exact representation of noblesse. Calm, cold, eloquent.
Seth turned his frown into a smile and spoke, "Oh lady thief, please return the coins you took from me."
"As I said, I do not know you," casually replied the lady.
Since they were causing a commotion, Seth made sure to memorize her appearance and scent. He would give up right now, but later…
'Hehehehe, I already caught her scent. She can't run from me.' Imagining the torture that he would instigate on her once he found her, Seth grinned like a veteran criminal.
He passionately addressed, "Oh, it must have been a mistake. You look like the thief I encountered yesterday. But the lady thief was better dressed and more presentable. My apologies for my hostile behaviour."
"Eek!" The lady voiced the twitch visible on her face.
On the other side, Seth picked up his towel and bucket. He headed for another table with Darla behind him.
*Wipe!* *Wipe!*
As he cleaned this table, he whispered to Darla. "Who is that?"
Darla bent towards his ear and replied. "Raina. She is famous adventurer around here. It is best not to mess with her."
"What do you mean 'around here'?" Seth asked and hoped the question would lead to something good.
Darla gave him a weird look at first, but she later came around with a quick response. "The continent of Ryithh, of course. You really are from a faraway land."
"I don't tell lies." Seth gave a snarky response.
He had figured out a way to complete his quest. Darla was the key he needed. Through their conversations, he could extract the information that he needed.
"This continent is strange. When I first arrived, I was greeted by strange beasts. I lost all my belongings. It didn't take long for some so-called adventurers to kidnap me."
"So, you have met the enslavers. How did you escape?"
"I was lucky to find a way." He didn't tell her the true story. He was the only captive that survived that night.
"Oh, poor you. After the Eternal Night, we humans have lost our way. Enslavers acts as adventurers but they abduct elves and half-elves for the sole purpose of selling them to a slave master. It has become a wealthy profession nowadays."
Darla went on. "You are lucky to meet us. The town of Cravel is a famous slave market spot. Since you look like a half-elf, you would be well desired by slave masters."
"I understand that, but there is one thing I still don't fail to understand. Why elves?"
"Heh, it was said the Eternal Night was caused by them. After all, the grim event started from an elven kingdom. Some humans feel like their peace was stolen from them. They prey on innocent elves and find joy in torturing them."
Seth kept quiet as he tried to absorb the series of information given by Darla.
'I can somewhat understand the current situation. The humans found an avenue for discrimination and they took it.'
'What is the main story of the game? I need to know more!' Seth concluded.
There was a question he had been meaning to ask for a while now. He realized it would be a bit sensitive, but he needed to ask for the sake of clarity.
"What is the Eternal Night?" Seth whispered to Darla just as he was done with cleaning.
She instantly looked sideways in fear that someone heard Rhazien. The customers were immersed in their own affairs. They could be concerned about Darla and Rhazien's conversation.
Darla shook her head, "You shouldn't have asked that. Follow me upstairs."
She went to her mother and excused herself. The two of them went to the upper floor where they continued their conversation.
"The Eternal Night is a forbidden topic. It riles people up. There is a story Father used to tell me to make me scared."
"In the third epoch, on a particular destined day, the sun was covered by a black sun that cast the land into darkness."
"On the fifth day of this perpetual darkness, the Blackening occurred. The Black Sun bled, leading to a vile rain that transformed whomever it touched into evil creatures. They were called Fiends, for they were the vilest of the vilest, with no positive emotion left in them."
Darla took a break. She could see her young self hugging her father because she was frightened by the story.
Darla smiled as she continued, "The fiends still exist till this day. They are outside the borders of our towns, villages, cities. They infest the forests with their dark presence. They eat stubborn children that leave the borders of their home."
Seth interjected, "It sounds like your father wanted an obedient daughter."
"Oh yes, he did. He told me this story every night." Darla chuckled.'
"Father always wanted to rid the world of fiends. I guess he was just like every adventurer in that sense."
"He was a man of valor." Seth commented.
He didn't need the rest of the story. It was clear that it was due to this passionate desire that her father died.
Seth remembered a vampiric custom. He bowed in front of Darla and said, "Thank you for telling me this story, Miss Darla."
She blushed, "Oh, there is no need for that."
Immediately, she dashed away from the scene. She was heading downstairs to assist her mother.
Seth went into his room. He looked at his mirror and spotted a frown on his face.
'This is more serious than I expected. I don't feel safe leaving the town. Also, those adventurers…'
There were a lot of adventurers that visited the inn. Most of them were not worth his attention, but a specific few bedazzled him.
'I shouldn't have been surprised. I knew there would be magic in this realm.' Seth sighed.
When he passed by those few adventurers, he almost exposed his fangs. He could feel the mystical entanglements of the adventurers. They were heavily involved in magic.
'The mana waves that they gave were not that of an amateur. As I thought, I need to keep my head low until I discover a way to empower myself.' The paranoid aspect of Rhazien affected his thought process.
Compared to an average human, vampires were stronger, faster, and smarter. But with the help of magic, humans can balance the scale.
If he were to meet a magic-attributed human that despised elves, he might actually be killed, or even worst… he might be sold as slave.
"As I thought, I need to begin my awakening as soon as possible."