Return to Jorgaldur Volume III: blood warrior

See you soon?

At 32, she had regained Darkness Blast, which applies corrosion and damage all around. It was equivalent to Eldi's Blast spells, but with darkness magic.

The next spell she had at her disposal again was Sweet Blood, whose name is quite misleading as it is actually quite sinister. It is also very occasional, as it requires the right environment. Its effect is to cause blood to be extremely captivating, due to its aroma and color, thus attracting enemies to the wounds. From fleas and mosquitoes to large predators.

The skill regained at level 32 had been Growl. It allows simulating animal sounds, and it can be very useful if it is executed together with Ventriloquist.

The poison resistance passive was also more than welcome. It could mean the difference between life and death.

The reptilians watched the vampiress in silence as she solemnly buried the bones. After that, she plunged the huge sword into the center of the tomb, and placed a talisman on it. It was one of the talismans which the knight had entrusted to her.

"You were one in life, be one in death."

The result of her actions and the words she had just spoken surprised even the vampiress. The sword sank into the earth, or rather melted into it. It disappeared as if it had been swallowed, and left no trace. The weapon merged with the buried bones, and disappeared with them.

It took much less time for her to recover from the surprise than it did for her to decide what words she should say. It was even more difficult to muster the courage to turn around and face the ezihuq.

"You know what I am. I'm not your enemy, but I know we aren't welcome, regardless of our intentions. That's why I didn't want to get involved with you... but I couldn't leave you to your fate either... Don't worry, I'll go back the way I came. Surely, we won't see each other again."

It was a farewell that was extremely bitter. It is true that she hadn't known them long, and that she had kept a certain distance from them. However, it is also true that it pained her to be relegated, as it had been in the past on her home world.

However, there wasn't much she could do. The fear in the eyes of her former companions had been evident. Therefore, she turned around and started to walk away.

"Wait!" Kroquia called her suddenly.

Gjaki didn't expect them to say anything, let alone words without hostility. She turned around again, and looked strangely at the reptilian woman.

"We owe you our lives, several times. I won't say I'm not scared that you're a... vampire, a pure vampire at that, whatever that means. But your actions speak for themselves. You aren't like them!" Kroquia assured.

"It's true. You've saved us again. Also, we can brag about knowing a vampire, ha, ha, ha," Krongo laughed. "Ouch!"

"Idiot! Don't you see that you'd put her in trouble if you go around telling it!?" Krinia censured, after having hit him with the staff.

"That hurts... It was just a joke..."

Even Gjaki couldn't help but smile. For some reason, she felt tears on the verge of spilling, and her heart strangely warmed.

"I'm not going to say that we weren't surprised, or that it isn't a little overwhelming, but we aren't people who forget the gratitude that we owe to you," Kruloz added.

The vampiress turned her back on them again, as she didn't want them to see her cry. She didn't know why she felt that way. Gjaki hadn't expected that feeling herself accepted instead of rejected would mean so much to her.

However, she couldn't go with them. On one hand, she had to keep leveling up. On the other hand, the soldiers or the counts might not be so understanding. Besides, some were much more powerful than her.

"Take Kroco, there's no time to waste. If fate wants, we'll meet again," she said goodbye.

"In ten days, we'll enter the dungeon. If you want to come with us, we'll be waiting for you, at night. There's something inside that might be what the other vampires wanted. With you, we could take a look," Kroquia offered.

Gjaki nodded, without looking at them, unable to say a word. She walked away with tears running down her cheeks, and while feeling strangely happy. She didn't know whether she would accept their invitation, but just receiving it was enough.

The reptilians didn't delay either. Their brother and friend was still breathing, but he was very weak. They had to find help as soon as possible. They all looked back, though, to where their guide, their savior, their strange and mysterious companion was fading away.

The vampiress was hesitating. Her options were to go back, continue leveling or go to the dungeon. Leveling up a bit more, and ignore the invitation of the reptilians, seemed the safest. After all, she had only been with them for a specific situation.

However, she couldn't get the invitation out of her head. The idea of going with a group to the dungeon, with a group that appreciated her, was nothing short of appealing. If she had been more honest with herself, she would have recognized that it excited her, that those tears hadn't been an accident.

It is also true that she had some doubts. While she wanted to trust them, she couldn't be completely sure. In the past, at school, there had been a friend with whom she had felt quite close. One day, said friend had joined the rest of the class to make fun of her, which had made her feel betrayed.

That was something she had never quite gotten over, although Goldmi and Eldi had helped her. In the game, they had had the opportunity to join a known group, to be able to carry out certain missions that were undoubtedly extremely attractive. They just had to go.

However, none had done it. Due to her characteristics, a vampire didn't belong to one of the classes considered optimal for that type of mission, so she hadn't been invited. At that time, she wasn't yet such a well-known player.

Her two companions had refused to go without her. They had preferred being with her, even dying with her, than trying to get certain legendary weapons or armor.

Perhaps, it was just a game, but Gjaki had been genuinely moved. If she regretted something, it was not having confessed it to them at the time.

Finally, she made the decision to go to the city and investigate a bit. She would be disguised as Ikajg, a merchant from a tribe whose members always covered their face, which was very convenient for a vampire. She hoped that the merchant guild credentials she had obtained in the game would work in reality.