Day 26 (S15)

The next morning, Kin awoke before the sunrise once again, and left a note to Valentine that he was leaving for Pennislovica.
He used treestride and got to his little tree just outside of Castle Frey before anyone else was out of bed.
He headed toward the Tunnel inn to find the party, Rina was the first one up.
“Kin, what’s the status at the Sprite Light coven?” she asked.
“They’re going to talk to other coven leaders to see what we need to do, they’ll use a sending when they want us to come back,” he answered, “they also want us to change our party name.”
“Yeah, I figured they probably would,” said Rina, "Let's wake the others. We burned those pouches, by the way."
"Good," Kin answered, "we won't even be the Sprite's Lights for much longer, probably."

Rina woke Alice and Kin woke Aurelius, then they all gathered in the small lounge area of the Tunnel inn to have coffee. Shortly after, a royal guard came to find them, "King Sullivan Frey will see you now, follow me."
They all followed and headed toward the center castle. By this time in was roughly noon, and most of the cafes and restaurants were busy.
The guard walked them up the long stairs to: through the royal waiting room, the dance hall, the court yard... until they reached the dining hall with the long, stone table and the throne on one end.
King Frey was siting on his throne, with Francis to his right, and Godfrey was standing to his left. Drake was there, as well, and was standing next to Godfrey.
"Friends," Sullivan began, "come and sit, tell me of your time on Mt. Ivatim while we have a nice meal together."
"Ahh come on, little brother!" Godfrey yelled boisterously as he put his arm around Sullivan's neck, "Don't be so stuffy! Have fun with it!"
"I am having... fun," Sullivan responded, "Or, I was."
Godfrey then put his other arm around Drake's neck in the same way, "You two boys need to lighten up a little! Have some fun with immortality! You've gotten stuffy in your old age!"
Sullivan gritted his teeth, "Killing you sounds a lot more fun right now."
"Agreed," Drake echoed.
"Wait..." said Aurelius, "Can you guys even be killed?"
"Oh hoah! Of course we can!" Godfrey exclaimed, "We can be killed many times! Go ahead, try and kill me!" Godfrey then let go of the other two of the Three Fangs and opened his arms to Aurelius.
Aurelius shrugged and pulled out his sword.
"No!" Rina yelled at him as he sliced right through Godfrey from right shoulder to the left of his waist.
Godfrey burst into dust that fell to the floor.
"Aurelius!" Rina yelled again, "What the hell is wrong with you?!"
"He said to," Aurelius answered.
"If someone told you to jump off a bridge would you?!" Rina scolded again.
"Yeah, probably," Aurelius answered.
The pile of dust that was Godfrey then began to hover, and flew itself out of the room toward another room somewhere else in the castle.
Sullivan had his hand on his forehead and sighed loudly, "Now... looks like we have to wait for lunch."
"You seem awfully cavalier about this" Rina said.
"It's... fine..." Sullivan said, "He'll be back soon."
"How long is soon?" Kin asked.
"It'll take an hour" Drake answered, "an hour that I'm going to spend being productive."
"Doing what?" Alice asked him.
"I need to actually eat" Drake answered.
"You mean... collect taxes?" Rina said with a bit of a joking tone.
He looked at her out of the side of his eye, "Yes. That is what I mean."
"Can we come watch?!" Aurelius asked him excitedly.
Drake rolled his eyes, "I suppose, as long as the citizen paying is okay with it."
"I'll go, too," said Rina.
"I have some other errands to run, also" said Kin, "Would you just point me in the right direction to some places on the way, Drake?"
Drake nodded.
"I'll to with Kin" Alice said.
Drake sighed a bit, but waived for them all to follow.
He pointed gave directions to some small shops to Kin, who needed diamonds and some other spell components.

Drake then lead Rina and Aurelius to a small apartment-like building in the center castle. There were a few other Dhampir moving in and out of the building, some giving the side eye to Rina and Aurelius - but seeing Drake leading them, they didn't make a big deal of anything.
"Why do you want to watch this?" Drake asked Rina and Aurelius.
"Seems cool," Aurelius answered.
Rina rolled her eyes, "We're on our way to citizenship" she answered, "At least, I'd like to be. So I'd like to see what I'm in for."
Drake nodded in agreement to Rina's sentiment as they approached one of the apartments. He knocked on the door, and a young Druse man opened it. He looked to be in his early 20s, and had a bandage on his neck from previous tax collecting.
"Oh, hello" he said to the three of them.
"These two are working toward being citizens" Drake began, "would you mind if they watched?"
"Oh! No, not at all" he said as he turned to Rina and Aurelius, "it's actually not all that bad. They're paying me quite a lot to be here - enough that I'll be able to afford a house soon for my fiancée and I!"
Drake walked in and prepared some things at a counter in the corner. The apartments were small and studio-type. They had a kitchen area and a somewhat blocked off area with a bed. The corner that Drake was standing at had drawers and a cabinet. He gathered a new bandage, alcohol, rags, and a few other things.
As he did, the man laid down on a strange couch just off the end of the counter. It had a small, raised pillow that allowed for the Blood tax payers to lay in such a way that they were comfortable, but also made their neck easy to access from behind where a small stool was attached. The entire operation was very clinical.
Drake sat in the stool behind the couch and removed the old bandage. The man's neck already had a substantial wound. Drake wiped the man's neck down with a bit of cool water on a rag, then he leaned in a bit down.
The man seemed to enter a bit of a trance, slightly shivering and almost seemed barely conscious.
Aurelius winced, Rina seemed more curious than anything.
"What do you think about being a citizen here, now?" Aurelius whispered to her.
She thought a moment, "Hmm... I don't think I'd mind."
Drake glanced up a moment upon hearing her say that and she smiled at him and winked.
Within a couple of minutes, Drake was done. He wiped a bit of blood from his chin; he used the alcohol on a rag to clean the wound on the man's neck, and he put on a new bandage.
Drake then handed the man a drink that appeared to be juice of some kind, and walked out of the room, pushing past Rina and Aurelius.
"What did you give him afterwards?" Rina asked.
"Blackberry juice," he answered, "the sugar helps them recover."
They then left the apartments and headed back toward the dinner hall with the King.

Once again, Francis was seated to the right of Sullivan Frey, then Godfrey was back and seated to the King's left.
Alice and Kin sat next to Francis, Rina sat next to Drake again, and Aurelius sat next to her.
"Did it hurt?" Aurelius asked Godfrey.
"Haha! That was the most excitement I've had in a century!" he answered, "Well, except for killing a couple of Pegasi!"
"Speaking of..." the King started, "let us talk about your journey to Mt. Ivatim."
"What do you want to know?" Kin asked.
"I want to know why my brother had to risk his life fighting one of the Fingers of Luminus for you" the king said sternly.
As the food arrived, the party told the king everything in detail, Rina showed him the drawings of the 4 Murals she drew in her journal.
"So," the King started, "the Church of Luminus will likely be coming for you."
"We are working to become members of the Sprite Light coven" said Kin, "but we aren't even sure that they can Get Sprite Light legitimized before the church takes action."
The king thought for a moment, then spoke, "Pennislovica could offer you protection-"
"Really?!" Alice exclaimed.
"If..." the King continued, "you gained full citizenship."
"The blending didn't give us citizenship?" asked Aurelius.
"The Blending is the first step, but you must own property here to officially be a citizen."
"We are happy to purchase land," said Rina.
Drake scoffed a bit.
"What? What's funny about that?" Rina asked.
"In order to Gain Citizenship in Pennislovica, you must have land, but you must have land to gain citizenship" Sullivan answered.
"So... then where do we start?" Alice asked.
"Someone will have to gift you land," Drake answered, as he picked as his food sparingly.
"I don't suppose you know anyone dying, do you?" Aurelius asked.
"Aurelius! That's rude" Rina scolded.
"What? That seems like the only way to do this" he answered.
The king paused for a moment once again, "I will see what I can do for you" the king answered, "In the meantime, I'd like to know what you would ask of Pennislovica for everything you accomplished on Mt. Ivatim."

"What we would ask?" said Alice.
"The work you did - defeating the Shepherd and solving the issue with the Bodaks, saving an adventuring party who was also on the path to citizenship - that all constitutes reward from the crown. So, what would you ask of me?"
The party all looked around at each other.
"I have no input," said Kin, "I don't do things for rewards."
"I'm down for what everyone else wants," Alice said.
Aurelius seemed too focused on eating to answer.
There was a pause in the room for a moment.

"I have a request," said Rina.
The king gestured for her to continue.
"The Kingdom of Bolgroth is currently still killing the Therianthropes of Basta'Thrope' at their southern border. My son, Darien, is the leader of the Cat Clan there. It is my belief that the Bolgrothian people are still so fervently fighting them because they have now been cut off from nearly all trade."
"Yes, we already support Basta'Thrope' in their independence. Though we cannot send troops to fight, we have made it clear that we are their ally."
"I appreciate that greatly," Rina said, "but it doesn't work toward solving their current problem. Whether due to mercy or complacency, Garrison Bolgroth let the Therianthrope people go. Knowing it would cut off his country from trade, knowing that it would anger his people - he still did the right thing. And I don't think his people should starve for it."
"Garrison Bolgroth is a tyrant-" King Frey began as Rina cut him off to continue.
"My request, King Frey, is that you establish trade with Bolgroth to prevent their people from starving, and hopefully stave off another genocide of my son's people."
The king stared at her, annoyed at the audacity of the elf to interrupt him, and clicking his long nails together with one hand while grasping the hilt of his sword with another.
Rina did not break eye contact with him, and he finally spoke, "This... is something that would cost my country a great deal" he said.
"That's why it's a favor" she responded, "favors aren't free."
He leaned back in his chair and took a deep breath, removing his hand from his sword. Francis, Godfrey, and Drake all sensed the tension in the room - Drake drinking what was left in his wine glass in one gulp.
The king looked at the rest of the party, "You all agree to this?" he asked them.
"It's fine with me," said Alice.
"I am indifferent," answered Kin.
Aurelius - oblivious as usual, and now mildly drunk from the wine - looked up from his food, "Yeah, sure. I'm cool with whatever."
The King looked back at Rina, "As you wish, then" he said, "I will send a letter to Garrison Bolgroth tomorrow."
"Thank you, King Frey," Rina answered as she bowed to him out of respect.
"Now that the business is out of the way!" Godfrey said loudly, breaking the tension, "Let us all enjoy dessert, eh?"
Some servants took their plates - the Dhampirs' plates still mostly full of food - and replaced them with smaller ones, upon which was flan covered in caramel or chocolate.
"Can I trade you?" Aurelius said to Rina as she got a chocolate one while he got caramel.
"Sure," she said, "I like caramel better anyway."
Drake turned to Rina, "You said you acquired a few strange items in the mountain?"
"Yes, we got a few different things" she said.
"If you would like to get them out I can identify them for you," he said.
Kin looked at Rina, shaking his head "no" but Rina did it anyway.
"I only have one of the things," she said as she got out the Cylinder of Liquid.
"Here's that God Compass" said Aurelius as he placed it on the table.
"I have this crown," said Alice, "And the medallion that the Fearsome 5 were after."
"Kin," Rina started, "Don't you have one of the Red Gem Keys?"
Kin reluctantly pulled out the gem and placed it on the table with everything else.
"The gem is the easiest one here," Drake said, "it is simply a key - nothing more" he continued, "The druid crown is powerful - it would aid any druid in battle. This compass... it points to Therius in his underwater library just off the west coast. And... the Medallion..." he paused as he looked it over, "This has powerful end magic. It should not be used lightly," he said, "It destroys the soul of anyone who dies near it. I would take great caution with it around."
"We should probably put it somewhere safe," Kin said.
"Oh! I know!" Alice exclaimed, "I'll keep it in the bag of Colding!" With that, she put it in the little pouch, and the dark magic it was emitting left the room.
"One last thing then?" Drake asked as Rina handed him the Cylinder of Liquid. He used the identify spell, but it seemed to not work. He tried again, and - once again - nothing. He shrugged, "This is unknown to me" he said, "I cannot get a reading on it."
"Thanks for trying," said Rina, "I'll just hold onto it until later I guess."
Rina went to put the Cylinder of Liquid back in her bag, but she saw a bit of writing on the side written in Celestial. She cast Comprehend Languages to read it. It only said one word, "Gabrielle." Rina breathed a sigh of defeat, not wanting to tell the others about this. Holding this Cylinder now brought back intense memories of the moment she chose to save Marie over Gabrielle... watch Marie die right then and there, or hope the Church of Luminus doesn't kill Gabrielle before they can get to her later.
"Drake," Rina continued, "You're an extremely seasoned blacksmith. Do you know anything about the weapons of the Fingers of Luminus?"
"I know that there are many talented blacksmiths in Asmery," he said, "and I did see one of the Finger's Weapons a few years ago. The Pinky finger, she had a dagger I was privileged to hold briefly. The inscriptions on all of the Finger's Weapons are the same - they indicate that whoever is killed by one of these weapons will serve in the army of Luminus."
"So, Luminus is harvesting souls?" Rina asked.
"Yes," he answered, "For exactly what purpose, I do not know. We do not have many dealings with Asmery or Luminus here."
They all continued eating their desserts and drinking wine. Rina noticed that Drake had much more than anyone else at the table.
By the time it was nightfall, and all the lights in Castle Frey dimmed, they were all laughing and sharing stories - except Kin, who made it clear how little he really wanted to be here at all.
"Well, my friends," King Frey began, "it is night, and time for us Dhampir to retire for the evening."
"Do you guys even sleep?" asked Alice.
"Yes," Sullivan answered, "the vampires of Castle Frey sleep during the same hours as the other citizens. It is best to be able to be awake when they are."
"Sleep when the baby sleeps," Rina said jokingly.
The king pointed at her, "Exactly. Now, if you will excuse me, I'll be off." The King and the rest of the Dhampir all got up, and the party got up with them.
Rina and Drake had made it to the door at the same time, "Goodnight Drake" she said, specifically only to him.
He stopped before walking out the door, turned around, and walked back to her. He offered his hand out for a handshake, so she shook his hand awkwardly, and he then walked away - shaking no one else's hand.
She smirked at his awkwardness, but appreciated the response.
The party all went back to the Tunnel inn to their individual rooms, and went to bed, themselves.

Next: Day 27 (S16)