Eternal Undying Chronicles

"Monkeys... I suppose that comparison suffices. They exist solely to serve, for what other purpose could they possibly have?"

Elizalina's voice carried an air of disdain, dismissing the Strigoi as inferior beings.

Alicarde wasn't entirely clear on the relationship between vampires and Strigoi, so he decided to probe further.

"So, you don't compensate them for any work they do?"

Elizalina shot him a cold glare, her eyes narrowing slightly as if he had insulted her.

"The fact that they are alive is payment enough. We allow them to live beneath our cities. What more could they possibly require? Occasionally, we offer them some carcasses to share with the ghouls."

Tilting his head, Alicarde blinked in mild surprise.

"They live underground, and you keep them well-fed by supplying them with a limitless amount of dead flesh?"

Confused by his misunderstanding, Elizalina felt the need to clarify.

"Limitless... well-fed... I did not say that. We feed them occasionally."

Alicarde raised his hands slightly in disbelief.

"Wait... hold up, let's get this straight... what do they eat when you don't feed them?"

Elizalina responded matter-of-factly.

"Whoever dies first gets eaten."

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Alicarde's eyes widened, taken aback by the sheer cruelty of it. He sighed, accepting the harsh reality.

"I guess they are monsters with no semblance of humanity, so it's fine..."

Amena, who had been observing silently, finally spoke.

"I wouldn't go that far. Natural-born Strigoi, and those who have been Strigoi long enough, can take on human forms."

Alicarde was now genuinely puzzled, clearly unaware of this fact.

"Let me get this straight—they can look and act human, just like vampires?"

Elizalina's expression soured at his words, disgust creeping into her features.

"Do not compare me to such lowly creatures, but yes, more or less."

Her reaction caught him off guard, and he contemplated the implications.

"Then they have similar things as everyone else—friends, family, loved ones, and all that?"

Carrisa interjected this time, her voice cold but informative.

"They do. They aren't merely monsters; they are intelligent creatures, after all."

Alicarde frowned, trying to make sense of it.

"Wait, then what differentiates them from the more monstrous creatures? You said only high-level ones could talk."

"It's a very thin line, but Strigoi are intelligent," Carrisa continued.

"So Zagarath can also assume a human form?" Alicarde asked, raising an eyebrow.

"He can," Carrisa confirmed, her voice steady.

Alicarde crossed his arms.

"If that's true, then he's not just holed up in some rotten place; he's actually among human society."

Amena nodded, tapping her wrist to bring up some data.

"We've been investigating Zagarath over the past month. He is a Strigoi from the vampire cities. A genius even among his kind—an outlier, if you will—that's why he was favored by the vampire lord he serves. That particular vampire is now in league with Prince Riglă."

"Am I supposed to know who that is?"

Argint scowled at his tone, her voice serious as she remembered the name.

"You should. He is most likely the one who sent Zagarath here to eliminate Carrisa, only for Zagarath to pursue his own agenda... then again, this might all be part of the plan. Who knows?"

Carrisa, deep in thought, narrowed her eyes at the mention of her brother.

"It's difficult to say, though I wouldn't put it past my older brother to concoct such a scheme."

"Seriously, how many siblings do you have?" Alicarde inquired.

"Too many to count."

Alicarde chuckled, though his humor was clearly misplaced.

"I really need to meet your father and get his autograph. His hips are just too OP."

Carrisa didn't take offense to the joke but instead offered a warning, her voice darkening.

"I would be mindful of what I say if you value your life. Such irreverence could land you in a great deal of trouble."

Argint gave him a worried glance, fear evident in her eyes.

"You shouldn't make light of the Emperor, even in our presence."

Amena chimed in, her voice calm yet laced with concern.

"You should be cautious, Ali."

Elizalina, her tone cold and serious, added her warning.

"Thoughtless words have consequences; it would behoove you to exercise greater care."

Alicarde held up his hands in mock surrender.

"Seriously, guys..."

Carrisa, aware of the dangers of speaking lightly of the Emperor, shifted the conversation back to their main concern.

"Now, back to the matter at hand. Zagarath is attempting to unseal a demon of which we know nothing."

"Malefica mentioned something about the demon of noon... or something," Alicarde added, momentarily forgetting that he was supposed to keep his dealings with Malefica a secret.

Carrisa and the others ignored his slip-up, opting not to call him out on it. Carrisa continued, her mind already processing the potential threat.

"The demon of noon? There is no such demon in this world. However, we can investigate it—perhaps starting with the records left behind here in this city. Evergreen City is four hundred years old."

Amena elaborated further.

"Even before the human settlers, this land was inhabited by an ancient coven of witches, a group known as the Coven of the Dawn. They should know something."

"A coven of witches in this city? That's news to me," Argint muttered.

Elizalina seemed to know something on the topic.

"Hmmm, I did look into some things recently, and there was indeed a coven here long ago, but no one knows what became of them."

Carrisa turned to Alicarde with a sweet, knowing smile on her face.

"If only we knew a witch whom we could ask about the coven."

Elizalina was momentarily confused but quickly caught on to what Carrisa was doing, so she played along.

"But since we don't know any witches in this city, we cannot inquire."

Argint was even more obvious with the act, raising her hand in mock exasperation.

"Yes, that's unfortunate. I suppose we'll have to figure it out on our own."

Alicarde looked at them with a deadpan expression. They weren't even trying to pretend—clearly, they were telling him to ask Malefica, as she was the only witch he knew.

"Seriously, guys... Seriously, I already knew you were aware of my pact with Malefica, but you're not being subtle right now. And stop acting like I'm an eighth grader—it's creeping me out."

Carrisa had a playful look on her face, placing a finger on her chin.

"Malefica? Who is that? We do not understand what you are talking about."

Alicarde sighed, clearly not willing to stoop to their level.

"We really need to start establishing some boundaries here. You guys are giving off serious stalker vibes."

Argint's eyes twitched as she forced a smile.

"Why is a pervert known for trying to grope us acting like we're the problem?"

Elizalina smiled at his words, pushing away a few loose strands of her silver hair.

"Perhaps you should look in a mirror more often. When I first met you, I thought you were quite the gentleman. These days, you seem to take advantage of me at the first opportunity."

'This coming from a bloodsucker who only wants my body fluids. I really need to reflect on myself,' Alicarde thought.

Carrisa and Amena didn't say anything, but the looks on their faces told Alicarde all he needed to know. He pointed at Elizalina but soon realized he had no solid retort.

"Birds of a perverted feather flock together. Let's all agree that I'm not the only perv here. I don't need to call you ladies out on what you've done, like when—"

"Why are we straying off topic again?" Carrisa interjected, stopping him before he could say something that would leave all four ladies blushing.

"Perhaps Alicarde can brief us on the details of the people he saved."

"I didn't really save them. They just happened to be there when I killed some Strigoi, but I am willing to regale you with my awesome tale."

Carrisa seemed interested in his story, leaning close to him as she asked.

"Ohhh really, what did you do?"

"Nothing much... I mean, it's not—"

He paused, his playful tone completely disappearing as the memories of what he had actually done resurfaced. His smile turned self-deprecating.

"I... I burned a girl's father alive, and then I told her to blame herself for being weak... It hurts now because she still thanked me for saving her. And now you guys tell me Strigoi of a high enough level can take on a human form. Maybe her father could have returned to her someday. I know he wouldn't be the same, but he would still be him, right?"

"Do you regret it?" Amena asked him.

"No, I don't. If I went back, I would still kill them. And if I go out again, I would still hunt Strigoi, regardless of whose father, son, or brother they are... I don't have the heartstrings to care."

Carrisa sighed, watching Alicarde force a smile.

"It still troubles you. You are logical enough to know it must be done, but despite that, it still weighs on you."

"It doesn't really bother me. I won't lose sleep over them."

Argint snickered at his words.

"Is that not exactly why you are awake now? And wasn't your nightmare about everyone in the city becoming Strigoi?"

"Look here, you don't have to pretend that you don't care. It's fine to care. Caring doesn't make you weak. Honestly, if I had to admit it, you're really amazing. I've only met a handful of people as strong as you. You've only been involved for less than three months, and despite all the crap you've been through, you're still here.

I imagine a normal human would have ditched, immortality be damned."

Her expression became serious, her amber eyes locked onto him.

"Don't you dare sell yourself short. You are, after all, the warrior who defeated my brother."

Alicarde forced a smile. Her earlier words made him feel somewhat better, the latter, however, reminded him that he had killed her brother.

"Damn, I'm so sleepy. I'm going to bed. See ya tomorrow. You villains keep cooking up your schemes while I catch some Z's."

Carrisa watched him leave, her thoughts lingering on Beowulf. She knew how much the memory of that event weighed on Alicarde. Beowulf, the powerful scion of the War Wolf Clan, had been the first person Alicarde ever killed, and the fact that he was Argint's brother only made it harder to forget.

His shoulders had been tense as he departed, a clear sign that the memories were still there in his heart.

Carrisa's gaze shifted to Argint.

"Did you truly need to bring that up?"

"Sorry, I… I was just trying to cheer him up. I didn't mean to reopen old wounds."

Elizalina sighed, not seeing why they should make it into a bigger issue.

"Be that as it may, we are speaking of her brother."

"Indeed, I am aware of that. I still believe the responsibility for all of this should rest squarely upon my own shoulders."

Carrisa's words seemed to stir something, with Argint clenching her teeth in frustration.

"No, not you. The one who caused all of this is to blame, and I will see to it that they pay dearly."

Carrisa remained silent, while Elizalina took a more reproachful tone.

"Even so, your words were quite tactless, as one might expect from a nameless bitch. Just because you hail from a warrior household does not mean everyone shares that mentality. Alicarde was merely a normal human until recently; it is only natural that he would be troubled by having to make you face your brother's killer every day."

"I've already told him I was over it... but fine, whatever. Going forward, I won't mention my brother around Alicarde."

Carrisa shook her head, denying Argint's suggestion.n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

"That is not the solution."

"Then what is?"

"We allow time to wash everything away. What does not kill you only serves to make you stronger."

"We have been awfully chatty tonight, and tomorrow promises to be a very busy day for all of us. Why don't we call it a night? We can begin our investigation into the Demon of Noon tomorrow. Elizalina, you can check the library at the university, and the rest of us will search elsewhere," Carrisa suggested, gently pushing her hair to the side as she spoke with poised authority.