The boy called Pin Fun intrigued Isfet-Iah. Though not a warrior, he had mastered techniques from the Willow and Gloaming Realms. He could step across boundaries between reflections of the mundane world, spin illusions from shadows, and transform into mists. Such versatility allowed him to exploit difficult situations.
If not feytouched, he was at least the child of someone who was.
What pleased Isfet-Iah most, however, was how Pin Fun used Sanguine Eclipse. He split the sword in two, and stood on the blades like snowshoes as they pushed him through the air. Rather than stand tall, he angled the sword tips down and crouched. That made the wind an ally. Instead of pushing him off, it pushed him against the blades as he traveled faster.
Isfet-Iah's shadow rode along with the young man, flickering over his legs and back as wind ruffled his clothing. The vampire learned a lot through contact. Pin Fun was a disciple of Jian Peak Abbey. He felt anxious for his brothers who had been abducted, but also felt compelled to bring Sanguine Eclipse to his master.
Whether or not Isfet-Iah would allow that transfer to take place, time would tell. The vampire could call Sanguine Eclipse to himself at any time. The more he remained against Pin Fun's skin, the more he learned. The more he learned, the more he liked the boy's plan. A martial order of gigolo monks was a good platform for an ancient vampire to ride back into the world.
Perhaps there was even a vampiric origin to the institution.
If so, that origin was unlikely to have been one of the Other Four. Jian Peak Abbey was founded sometime in the middle Qianqiu Dynasty. If one of the Other Four had been released at that time, the God of War would have broken free long ago. Isfet-Iah could handle any minor vampires. He doubted many remained in the world anyway. He'd felt none in a city with a million people. At most, there were a handful of necromancers pretending to be vampires – and another handful of vaguely demonic entities.
Pin Fun had wonderful skin. It was soft and smelled delicious.
The Abbey was too far to reach in a single day. Moreover, the boy could only use Sanguine Eclipse's spirit to fly for a few hours at a time. It was not a limitation of the sword, but of human legs. Pin Fun followed the Feng River. He preferred to travel at night. That suited Isfet-Iah. Daytime limited his power. Sunlight caused him distress. He was too strong to burn to dust, however. When the boy did travel during the day, his fondness for his own body led him to expose almost all of it to the breeze.
Inconvenient.
All Isfet-Iah required, however, was a sliver of shadow to curl inside. He didn't care where those shadows lay. If necessary, he could leave Pin Fun's body completely, bury himself for the day, then teleport to Sanguine Eclipse when night fell. Pin Fun was more than a pretty body, however. He knew where to make defensible camps in the wilderness, and what precautions to take at riverside inns. Wary of authorities, the boy stayed in places which required precautions. When matters escalated, he preferred getting away over killing. Killing drew attention.
Isfet-Iah was not averse to killing. He took opportunities to circle back and devour brigands whenever he could. Doing so also attracted attention, but Isfet-Iah could not be expected to conform his appetites to the needs of a future vassal.
In contrast to the Feng, the Aleph River's banks were nearly free of human settlement. As Pin Fun neared a place called Gol-Gunzgir, he stopped flying on Sanguine Eclipse and walked. The city was a whimsical maze of stockyards and corrals. If it had been prettier, creepier, or both, Isfet-Iah would have considered it a product of the Willow and Gloaming Realms. Foul-smelling, primitive passions filled its dusty air.
The stench made Isfet-Iah's shadow fangs drip narcotic venom.
Surrounded by an unsavory mob, Pin Fun stopped worrying about standing out and sauntered through town. Then he gambled – stopping with enough to pay for good food and a clean room. Then he heard the rumors. Jian Peak Abbot was dead. Nobody could have killed him. At the same time, it couldn't possibly be true that he died in his sleep?
Pin Fun maintained his composure, and refrained from running around Gol-Gunzgir tearfully proclaiming that his master couldn't possibly be dead.
Inside, however, his emotions were an ancient vampire's sweet and savory feast.