The five traveling companions spent a few days in the mayor's home, recuperating and getting to know each other just a little better than before. Their bellies were full each day and night with ample food and drink. They were bestowed with a large reward, larger than the bounty had mentioned; one hundred gold coins each. It was a generous reward like the mayor had promised. Using their collective goods, they stocked up on materials, a few more weapons, and food for the journey ahead of them. It would be a week or two before they reached the next town, which was ever so closer to the heart of the Delvar Kingdom. The next town was Locgres, a metropolis only a fortnight from the main capital.
On the last day of their stay, the group packed their bags and saddled their horses. After saying their thanks to the mayor, Ray, Nimer, Jex, and Rin climbed onto their saddles and headed for the edge of town with Canin's hulking wolf form bounding beside them.
"Aren't we forgetting something?" Jex asked Nimer as they made their way through town.
"I don't believe so," Nimer answered.
"I believe that we owe the church of Faelira a vial of blood," Ray notioned.
Nimer grimaced only now remembering the deal that they made with the church about the vial of blood in return for using their stake to kill the vampire.
With a long sigh, he pulled on the reins of his horse. He turned to Rin specifically then fished a small knife out of his pocket and handed it off to him. "If they want vampire blood, they'll get it, but not from a pure blood."
Rin took the knife, handling it carefully. He looked at Nimer with a scowl. "So you're going to settle for my blood then?"
"Yes," Nimer answered simply.
Rin frowned, disliking where this plan was going. He complied with a stream of curses. Rin pulled up the sleeve of his coat from his wrist and lightly glided the blade across his pale skin till a small line of blood surfaced from the cut. He nearly gagged at the smell. It was rich to him.
Nimer then handed the vial to him and they filled it halfway with Rin's blood. After they got what they could, Nimer plugged the top with the cork and tossed the vial to Jex who fumbled with it before catching it in his hands.
"Hold onto that before we get there," Nimer commanded.
Jex held up the vial, examining it closely. "I'm not sure this will work," Jex worried a bit.
"They have no way of confirming whether it's real or not unless they plan to drink it," Nimer said, confident in his knowledge.
"If you say so," Jex said then pocketed the vial.
They reached the church of Faelira midday, its appearance drab and lifeless in the cloudy overcast light of the sky. Dismounting their horses and tethering them to a tethering pole out front, they entered unsupervised. Upon entering, the church was dark, and no torches were lit. They searched through the different corridors and even visited the room where they had seen the men before. They did not find a single soul inside.
"This is rather suspicious," Nimer mused, rubbing the beard on his chin. "Where could they have gone? If there is no one here, they must have been working for the Ravathor cult. How can a full group of clergy men go missing in a few days?"
"Look at this," Ray said, kneeling down. A single piece of paper had been left abandoned on the ground. She picked it up and handed it off to Nimer who read the handwriting scribbled on the parchment.
"We know what you've done and we know where you've been hiding. You cannot run forever as your prize will be ours. Taurion himself has taken all the souls of the clergy and they were killed with your failed attempt to deliver us what we asked for. Take this as your warning. We will find you if we do not meet you at the doors of the Kingdom of Zaniah," Nimer read out loud, his eyes widening at the signature near the bottom. "It's signed by Zinlar," he said breathlessly.
"We need to go now," Canin commented.
"Agreed," Nimer said and tucked the piece of paper away in his coat. "It is not safe here."
They hurried out to their horses and clambered into the saddles with haste.
"What will happen to the church of Faelira?" Ray asked as they hit the main road.
"I'm unsure, but since my suspicions were correct, I only worry we will be running into more danger when we hit the main road. We should have left Dalharst days ago. We wouldn't be having this problem," Nimer scorned.
"It's only going to get harder from here to trust people, too," Jex said. "And to think, the church even gave us a stake to kill the vampire. Was he a decoy to be killed all along?"
Nimer rubbed his chin a little perplexed. "You have a point. It doesn't make sense. If the vampire had the vials of blood already and was working for Zinlar, he would have known that he had the vials. Why would he need more?"
"None of this adds up," Ray pointed out, the look on her face dismal.
"I'm sure they were trying to give Rin more power for when they were going to force him to awaken, am I wrong Rin?" Canin asked, glancing at Rin who had stayed quiet for the time being.
"That would make the most sense," Nimer said, agreeing with Canin's point. "But that still leaves the question; why would the church of Faelira need vampire blood? What were they trying to achieve?"
"Good questions, good questions!" came a familiar voice from in front of them. All five in the group pulled to an instant stop.
It was Zinlar.
He and a few of his goons stood around on the road in front of them. Their weapons were drawn and magic sparked around their hands and blades in small bursts like small fireworks. In Zinlar's hand, he held the same, familiar robes that the clergymen had worn, though they appeared to be covered in stains of blood. Zinlar threw the robes to the dirt, the bloody garments getting soiled with the mud and dirt from the roadway.
"Zinlar," Nimer said darkly and placed a hand on the hilt of his cutlass sword.
The elf put his hands up in defense and smiled an unusually cruel smile that was nowhere near as innocent as he may have intended it to be. "I am not here to fight you or your companions, Nimer."
A looming presence of anger and fury grew among the five in moments. Nimer glanced at Jex and then back at Ray. Ray had a menacing glare in her eyes, staring at the elf man. The look was all Nimer needed to know how furious she was with him.
"You speak lies. You want to kill us," Ray spat, speaking with venom in her voice.
"So nice to see you again," Zinlar chuckled. "And here I thought I had an offer you couldn't refuse."
Before Ray could shoot more arrows from her mouth, Nimer held up a hand and commanded, "An offer we can't refuse? I'm intrigued. What could a lowly servant of Ravathor have to offer?"
Zinlar bowed respectfully then straightened rather quickly. "It should not be new knowledge that we seek the same thing, the same artifacts to complete the key. You want to go to the kingdom of Zaniah and so do we. It will never be revived without a monarchy, we both know that." His smile only grew larger, looking like a crescent moon under his large hooked nose. He drummed his fingers together. "I would like to offer you a trade, if you will." He turned and looked directly at Rin. "Rin was it? The one that now has power and status because of a wise choice he made? I need you to join us and in return, I will give all of you your shards back."
Rin looked astonished and spat angrily, "I am not some prize to be traded. My life is more valuable than others as a seat of the noble house Darkwell."
Zinlar chuckled. "Why yes, Rin. We know who you are and that is why you must be handed over to us. I don't think you understand, your place is not here with these people but rather by my side, awakened as Ravathor," he said, motioning to his goons next to him. "We could rule a Zaniah together. You can choose me as your king-"
"I am refusing your offer," Nimer said, shaking his head. "Someone's life is not the same net worth as the shard. Let's go." Nimer then waved an arm as the five of them started to continue forward.
The elf and his goons then moved to stand in their way. "Perhaps you did not hear me clearly. Rin's place is not with you. His fate is to be the guardian god of Zaniah. The only true god to rule Zaniah is not Albranis but Ravathor," Zinlar said, the smile falling from his face as he turned his nose upwards.
"I don't think you get to decide someone else's fate," Jex spoke up. "Including your own. We've learned things happen for a reason and you are no king, Zinlar."
"Yes, that is correct," Nimer agreed. "We are done here."
As they started to push forward again, Zinlar raised a hand, purple sparks snaking in webs around his hand. He yelled and threw his hand toward the migrating group, "I will not take no for an answer! I am the one true king of Zaniah!"