"What am I missing?" Ashlynn asked, looking into the vampire's midnight blue eyes. She was afraid she'd see disappointment there but instead she found a hint of… amusement?
"You don't need to fight Hauke at all," Nyrielle said, her voice losing its warmth and gaining a faint edge. "Destroy someone else, perhaps one of his rivals. Find an excuse to do it preemptively. The difficulty is more or less the same but your harvest will be much greater."
"But you asked me what to do if Hauke is the one testing me," Ashlynn asked, confused about why Nyrielle would mention a proactive attack.
"Yes, but no one ever said he would come at you directly," Nyrielle said, shaking her head. "You've seen human noblemen and merchants scheme against each other in all manner of subtle ways. Don't think that the Eldritch won't scheme against you simply because we value contests of strength."
