I Can't Get the Vampire Rogue to Romance Me

Chapter 12 - Temple Ruins Anyone?

As they all filed out through the sanctuary's exit, Evangeline marveled at the change in atmosphere. Where their little grove had been sunny with chirpy little friendly birds, the real forest was overcast with heavy gray clouds, rumbling with promises of rain. No birds or other sounds except for an occasional snap of a branch.

Even the bodies of the goblins they had dispatched the day before were gone. All that was left were patches of blood that had dried on the torn-up ground. No one in the group commented on the scene, but each dispersed automatically to pick up one of the bags. Since all the bags were covered, Evangeline went up next to Valerian, leaning in to peek into his bag.

"Nothing worth stealing if that's what you're looking for," he commented as he continued to dig through the bag. "I mean, unless you want the whole three gold and this half-eaten apple."

"I'll take the gold for sure," she quipped, moving to snatch it out, but he anticipated the move and cupped his loot around to his side. Now he faced her, looking down his nose while lowering his lids into a haughty glance.

She lifted her fingers away in a disarming gesture. "Hey, you offered." Then she walked past feeling smug.

Setting her hand onto the hilt of her +1 dagger, she was glad she remembered to retrieve it from her camp inventory before they left. With this baby, her attacks were going to be more effective, and any time she used it as a tool, like for picking locks or prying out treasure from nooks, she would be more successful.

Imagining her quick fingers lifting jewels from tombs, that feeling that she was forgetting something she should remember flittered through her again. Unsure of why, she stopped and looked around, letting the others pass her. They had just reached a beaten trail, the one she knew would lead them toward the village and tollhouse. Spinning in place, she spotted another path, running nearly perpendicular to the road, leading away and down through the trees.

Summoning her table, she looked at her Special Ability bar, then in a moment of inspiration, tapped it, then dragged it in space, positioning it just on the edge of her sight like she was seeing the world on her TV screen. Sure enough, it slid away from the table, which disappeared to take up residence on the edge of her sight.

She took a deep breath, then softly said, "What an ass."

Another tic disappeared, and the voice that wasn't a voice said:

"Special Ability: Meta Knowledge."

"Everyone. We should go this way," she called out.

"What? Why?" Sigismund asked, whirling about. At some point, the cleric had picked up a staff from the woods. Her large sleeve fell back from where her fist gripped it, flashing the wrapped bandages she had placed around her forearms. Despite her healing of them so she wouldn't bleed further, it was still possible for her to do further harm to them by tearing the newly healed flesh open. It reminded Evangeline that Sigismund would be the one most adverse to putting herself and Artmond in a dangerous situation. They were who she needed to convince.

"There is something over here that would help us," she said, lamely.

"What something?" the cleric demanded.

"There... there is..." she didn't have a good way to put this other than the truth. "There is a ruined crypt over here. There will be some supplies and things we can forge for that will help us."

Valerian narrowed his eyes. "How do you know that?"

"My... my Special Ability, you know," she said. "It tells me that we should go do this first. It'll be really easy, and we'll be able to level up—"

That brought her to a full stop. Leveling up? Would they have any idea what she was talking about?

"How would you know what our levels are?" Sigismund demanded, her eyes darkening with hostility.

"I... I don't, I just assumed..." Evangeline panicked. "Look, I just think it would be a good idea to be more than Level 2 by the time we get to town. I mean, that's when you get your mass heal ability right? At Level 3."

Now everyone in her newly forged party became alarmed, looking at each other and talking all at once.

"Are you... are you looking at our stats?" Artmond asked, looking confused and frightened.

"How is that possible?" Hagor asked, genuinely perplexed.

"It's not," Valerian growled.

"That's not true. Married couples can see each other's stats and share inventories," Artmond chimed in.

"None of us are married to her, are we?" Valerian asked, clearly already knowing the answers.

"I got it. She's an oracle," Hagor declared, snapping his fingers. "You can't see our stats at all, can you? That's not what's going on here. You just know what the gods show you, and that's what you're conveying to us."

"Yes... yes, I suppose that is it," Evangeline conceded. "Before... Look. Before I met up with all of you at the inn and the goblins took us, I..." How in the world am I going to explain this? "I was transported somewhere by a... a god. A god I've never seen before calling himself Meta. And ever since then, I've had this ability called Meta Knowledge. It's allowing me to know... what is going to happen. At least, right now it does. I just... I just know."

All four pairs of eyes stared at her with emotions too various to name them all.

Hagor spoke first. "And this power is telling you that we'll find useful things that will help us right now if we follow this path?"

"Yes, basically."

"So there isn't any danger that way?" Valerian asked, pointing.

"Well, no. There are dangers, but... if we're not dumb about it, it can't be anything we don't have the skills to handle," she admitted.

"By grave robbing?" Sigismund challenged, cocking an eyebrow.

"It's an old temple, actually. Abandoned, but there are still things inside, like some equipment and a couple of spell scrolls. That sort of thing," Evangeline tried to think of other things to add that would help, but nothing more came to mind. That was the extent of what that tick of Meta Knowledge would give her.

"And what sort of threats are in those ruins?" Artmond asked, curious in his genuine way.

"I... I don't know. That's all I've been given this time," she said.

She waited as each companion debated silently with themselves.

Valerian cracked his neck then each of his knuckles. "Alright, then. Let's go check it out."

To be continued...

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