A few days later, we arrived at the town of Eden. Looking at the town from the outside, it wasn't much to look at. The town was drab and cheaply built, with cracks in the buildings. With that in mind, I admit I am biased, having lived in an ornate palace for so long. The palace was filled to the brim with the best-quality things. There were two knights who stood guard at the entrance, checking the credentials of everyone who entered. "Oi, the Slumbering Wolves are back; how was the hunting?" one of the guards shouted out upon setting sights on our group.
Cassius grinned and waved. "Hunting went well; we got it all in our magic bag as usual. Any news on the war?"
The guard shook his head, a shadow coming across his stern-looking face. "Unfortunately, the kingdom lost; as of now, we are ruled by the Eldraz empire. I suggest bracing for higher taxes or moving to a different country at this rate." My head dropped at that news, confirmation that my old life was forever lost. The guard continued, "Who's the little miss? You didn't happen to kidnap her, did you?" A teasing note in his voice.
"What are you on about? She is the last survivor of a merchant crew and is now looking to become an adventurer. She is about at my level stats wise, which makes sense given her race." Cassius answered with an eye roll. "She is a vampire, but I vouch for her. Could you give her a free pass today until she gets her identification papers at the guild?"
The guard laughed, "Sure, sure, I don't mind. A vampire, though, eh? If you vouch for her, I trust ya." He finished checking over their identification items, engraved silver tags with magical identifiers. "Anyway, the Silver Owls have returned; you should meet up with them later; I know how tight you two are." Cassius's eyebrow raised at that. "Athena's back then. Good, thanks for the heads-up." Then we headed through the gate and split up.
Jude and Emmet went to look for an inn, while Cassius went to guide me to the guild and walk me through the process. As we paced through the run-down town, I noted the frailty of its people. A hungry glint was in their eyes, and a wary tension hung in the air. Without even thinking it through, I voiced my thoughts aloud. "My tutors and family lied to me then. We oppressed the people and left them hungry." Cassius's reaction to those words told me that I made a huge mistake, so I rushed to correct my statement. "I-I mean...er...What were the royal family thinking? The people are our lifeblood, the ones they must rely on. To treat them so horrib-" Cassius raised his hand to cut me off. "So, you're the princess; I can only assume you escaped the capital before the royal family was executed. There is no need to lie to me at this point."
I bowed my head in shame, my face tinged red with a bit of a flush from how flustered I felt. Cassius continued. "I won't turn you in, so you don't need to worry about that. Let's head to the guild; they have private rooms where you can talk about important and personal matters there." I looked up at him and stared into his eyes. He looked away and raised his hand behind his head. He looked uncomfortably awkward at that moment.
"Thanks, Cassius. I'm sorry I lied to you at first." I finally said as I glanced down bashfully at the stone-hewn road.
He looked back at me with a warm, pleasant smile on his face. "You remind me of my little sister; anyway, let's go before someone mistakes us for lovers." He joked as he turned around to start walking again. I moved to follow, only to bump into someone. "Watch where you're going, wench, unless you want to be someone's whore." The person was a massive hulk of a man, and he radiated an evil-feeling aura. I quickly stepped back and bowed. "I am so very sorry, sir; it won't happen again."
The man glared down at me. "That won't do; why don't you pay me back with that body of yours?" His cronies behind him snickered and added. "What an honor to service the Great Berserker Ezekiel as his plaything!" I flinched in revulsion and stepped back, then rested my hand on my spear. I looked for an escape route, but there wasn't one. I noticed Cassius off in the distance, meaning he didn't realize what was happening. I drew my lance and prepared for a fight I was bound to lose. The man and his cronies drew their crude-looking swords and maces, then moved to surround me. In response, I moved to avoid their encirclement. I dashed to my right and lunged at one of the cronies, doing a flip through the air as I thrust my lance downward at the man. The man's eyes widened in surprise as he just barely parried my thrusts. Then, quick as a storm wind at sea, I spun and jabbed at him from behind as soon as I landed. The blow grazed his thigh, dropping him to his knees. I jump back as a large mace smashes into the ground where I was a second before. The ground smashed and splintered from the impact, which left a small crater. "You're a fast little vixen; that was unexpected." Ezekiel spat.
"I am a spear user; you do understand what that means, right? Fast, agile combat, or pike-style defensive fighting, is our specialty." I quipped, commenting on his lack of experience.
"Shut up, wench, and meet your maker already!" Two of his goons lunged at me from behind. I already knew they were there, though, so I wasn't caught off guard. I stabbed my lance into the ground, then pole vaulted over them and yanked my spear back out in midair. I drove two rapid jabs at them and jumped back the second I landed. I pushed the goons back with a fierce storm of thrusts, buying my time for a small breather.
I sensed a shift in the air and dove low to the ground. Ezekiel's mace cut through the air the next moment, where my head was. I rolled to the side as he shifted the mace to smash where I was. Then I popped to my feet and thrust my spear again. Ezekiel blew my spear to the side and lunged at my broken guard. Just as his blow was about to come down on me, I caught movement out of the corner of my eye. I didn't sense any hostility, so I focused on bracing for the incoming blows inevitable impact. Only for the next instant to ring out with a loud clang and a feminine grunt. "You fought well, young lady; please allow me to finish this for you." A young woman with a shield and spear stood before me. She had just blocked a full-force blow from this hulk of a man and left me in awe. I pulled my spear back and fixed my guard. "Thank you for saving me there; I messed up and tried to end things quickly."
Ezekiel eyed the newcomer warily. "Let's back off; she's not worth dying over trying to fight the Captain of the Silver Owls. I'm not suicidal."
The newcomer bowed her head gracefully. "I appreciate your wise decision. If only you could think so reasonably every time, Ezekiel of the Wild Mercs."
As I watched them leave, the newcomer turned to me and smiled. "Names Athena," she held her hand out to me, so I took it, and we shook it in greeting. "I'm I-izuna ma'am."
"Izuna, I see; that's a good name. You're quite talented with a spear for a girl your age. Ah, I see. That explains a lot. Sorry, I just used analysis on you."
"I-it's ok, just please don't speak too loudly about it; I know my kind isn't exactly welcome." I bowed my head as I twitched from my nerves.
"Very well, I came to look for you specifically. My childhood friend Cassius noticed you weren't following him and saw the fight. He asked me to step in if you needed any help." Athena smiled warmly at me and patted my head. "Let's go to the guild so we can chat properly." She thumped my back softly and moved towards the guild. This time, I stayed right on her heels.
We arrived at the guild moments later; Cassius smiled and waved us down. "Come on already; the drinks are on me today." Athena smiled and chuckled. "I would think you were a dwarf if I didn't know you better." She moved towards the door and turned back to me, reaching out her hand, which I awkwardly took.
As I stepped through the doorway, a ruckus of jolly conversation hit me. I flinched and stepped back, which prompted Athena to chuckle and push me forward from behind, encouraging me to keep moving. "It's honestly funny how you can go from being a fierce and confident Valkyrie in combat to this adorable shyness in a social setting," she noted with mirth in her voice.
We headed to a back room to talk. Cassius had already discussed things with the front desk ladies, so they promptly led us back. Once we were alone in the room and sat down, Cassius and Athena shared a quick glance and nod, a silent exchange that cued the conversation to begin. Right as Athena opened her mouth, a knock at the door signaled a new arrival. Cassius got up and moved to shoo them away, only to be surprised. "Guild master, what are you doing down here?"
"Calm down, Cassius; why else would I be here? I was notified immediately when Athena came in late from her personal quest. The news that she returned with a silver-haired high elf only spurred me to act." The guild master said breezily.
"Just come in; I know you should hear what's about to be discussed anyway." Athena sighed, then added "Also, she isn't a high elf. Though it wouldn't be a bad idea to register her as one for her sake."
"I see, I see..." The guild master trailed off after he sat in the seat opposite mine and his gaze met mine. "I see, progenitor vampires do indeed share the physical traits of a high elf." He followed up after a moment of thought.
A stuffy and awkward silence filled the room. Athena cleared her throat, while I shifted as my anxiety stewed and clouded my mind. Cassius's smile was tight-lipped and tense. The GM was sitting there and looking through my stats via the analysis skill. A curious yet serious expression on his face. I knew that by the magic glow in his eyes. It mirrored when Athena used it to check my name.
The guild master sat up straight and looked at me again. "Young lady, no, I guess the correct phrase would be Your Highness, the second princess of Runelia, Izuna Runelia. The last queen of the vampires."
Athena and Cassius both looked shocked at this revelation. They knew I was a vampire progenitor and the escaped princess already, but the last bit caught them unaware. I was shocked by that last bit. "T-the last queen of the vampires, s-sir?" My voice shook as I wrapped my head around that information. "S-status!" I stammered as despair tinged my voice. My stats came up.
Name: Izuna Runelia Level: 1
Age: 16 Race: Undefined
Class: Valkyrie Princess
HP: 2,867/2,867
MP: 3,000/3,000
STR: 1,510
AGI: 2,842
SPD: 1,250
LUCK: 731
Unique skills: Omni-directional movement, Future sight
Skills: Spear combat 7, Passive regeneration 2, Leadership 2, Cooperation 3, Elemental magic 5, Governing 1, Kin control
Titles: Princess of the Lost Kingdom, Survivor, The Last Queen of the Vampires, The Anomalous Birth
SP: 240
When I last checked my status, the only titles I had were Princess of Runelia and The Anomalous Birth. That likely changed to Princess of the Lost Kingdom. As a result of my surviving the major conflict, I likely gained Survivor as a title before meeting the Slumbering Wolves. The Last queen of the vampires though.... That could only mean I was the last surviving Progenitor vampire. "I-I-it c-can't be...I... I'm the last of my kind..." My voice bordered on being an outright sob. I curled up onto the couch and tucked my legs to hide my face. My muffled sobs filled the room.
***
After what felt like an hour of silence since Izuna fell asleep mid sob, I spoke up. "To think they would go so far as to commit mass genocide. The Eldraz empire is sick in the head." Cassius nodded and let out a long slow sigh, "Fear of what they don't understand is a powerful motivator. Hate can carry on for generations."
"This is very true, and a lesson I am glad adventurers understand. That said, we should protect her while we still can. I will arrange for her to be listed as a high elf with the class Valkyrie. Will you take her into your team, Athena?" The GM said after a moment of consternation.
"Yes sir, she showcased an incredible talent for combat and if nurtured she will be an asset to the guild. Her stats are higher than a level 20 human combatant at level 1, so I have high hopes for her." I confirmed.
"Good, thank you. You're the highest ranked party in the kingdom at A-rank. I know you will probably leave the kingdom with your new charge, so I recommend basing in the elf nation of Mina. It will hurt to lose you, but you're the only ones I can trust for her sake." The GM nodded in my direction.