Undergeared

Chapter 31 - An undying chaos.

    Straight and a right turn at the second horse drinking trough. At the bottom of the alley, there's an old factory. It says «Brandon & Wesley» outside. The sign is worn out and it hangs from a lonely nail on the verge of giving up. Xio crosses the huge iron door, on the other side, tens of weaving machines gather dust and rust. It's dark and a waterfall of dust comes from a hole in the tall roof; it shines weirdly beautiful with the ray of sun that sneaks from the hole.

    "Hello!? Holaaaa!?" Asks Xio. Only echo comes back.

    «Kaaaawww?» Koko helps.

    There's a small sign at the end of the weaving machine's line. «Please wait after dark and ring the bell if you mean business». So Xio logs out to grab a bite and gets back at night. The place looks eerie and spooky.

    "What brings you to my humble abode, young one?" A feminine, soft and kind voice comes from all over the place. Like from a surround system.

    "Oh, fuck!" Xio flinches. It is dark and the origin of the voice is nowhere to be found.

    "Be not afraid. I'm talking through the speaking tubes all around the factory." She giggles. "Come down to the basement to talk business."

    Xio comes down the stairs pretty sure she'll be murdered or something like that. That place is too creepy at night. The basement is well lit. A bunch of candles rest on every able surface. At the corner, a lean woman sits on a comfy chair. Her hair is long and black, her skin is unhealthily white and only wears a baggy black dress. She has the silver name tag «Peonia». There's a functional-looking weaving machine behind her and not much else in the matter of personal belongings.

    "H-hello? I suppose you are the weaver, right?" Xio asks.

    "I am, young lady. Are you in the need of my services?"

    "Sure am!" She quickly takes out her cart and brings out the spiderwebs. "Can you do something about this? I need as much fabric as I can get from this."

    Peonia examines the webs and with a smile, she answers, "Yes, I can, but it won't come cheap nor will it be quick. It's a two weeks job, just so you know."

    "I-I can't give you gold. Is there something I can trade you instead?"

    Peonia cocks her head for a moment. She then smiles slightly. "Blood... you can give me some blood".

    "I-I think I'll have to rethink this weaving thing... b-bye!" Xio starts walking back slowly.

    "Don't be silly, sweetie. I don't mean your blood." She chuckles. "I need blood from the Sand Whale. 10 gallons might be about the right amount."

    "Fuh~!" Xio sighs relieved. "Are you a vampire or something?"

    Peonia explains a bit about herself. She's 235 and, even if she isn't a vampire, she was made a retainer by one. A retainer is a vampire's servant, a human made half vampire temporally to serve an immortal being for a while. She was the personal tailor for a vampire duchess named Marie Rose. When Marie was imprisoned, Peonia was able to run away and hide in Armadillo from vampire persecution. A bit over a hundred years later, Armadillo fell from grace and she couldn't get away because the sun is still lethal to her.

    "The blood of the whale is the only thing keeping me from becoming a feral ghoul. I could go around drinking everyone's blood, but there's no «everyone» anymore and I'm no monster. The blood I ask of you to bring doesn't need ice to be kept fresh because of the whale's heat regulation physiology. What do you say?"

[Skin and bones.
Rating: S
Peonia needs a certain type of blood to survive and can't just go out to get it. It will be a hard trial to overcome at your current state, but the rewards are worth it. You will find the Sand Whale a few miles north of Armadillo around The Spines.
Quest Conditions: Get 10 gallons of Sand Whale's blood within 2 weeks.
Quest Rewards: One roll of Canyon Spider's Web fabric. An upgrade for your Tailoring Station. Your relationship with Peonia will greatly increase.
Quest Failure: Peonia will still be able to take commissions, but you'll loose the materials you already gave to her.]