Aldrin awoke in his room on the carriage. The sunlight streamed down onto his face from the window. He was amazed at how the enchantments worked, letting him have his own view of the world as it passed by. It definitely reminded him of when he and his mother had taken a train when he was little. Albeit it was a little fuzzy but the minor details remained: his mother’s perfume that smelled of lavender, the bustling and jockeying of the train cart, and the firm leather seats that became uncomfortable after a while. Luckily, none of this was even remotely similar to that experience.

  He swung out of bed, his bare feet touching the cold wooden floor below. “Strange. I shouldn’t feel the coldness,” he thought. Moving past that peculiarity, he stretched and got up to put on a shirt he had draped over the desk chair the night before. While he knew his body didn’t necessarily need to sleep, it still felt nice to let himself drift off into a slumber. A slumber he didn’t know he needed. He figured from everything, his mind ?no longer needed to work overtime, it could relax, thus granting the tiredness he felt from being constantly vigilant.

  He looked around his cabin, per se. It was bare but had the potential to be decorated if he wanted. There was a desk, of course, with shelves above it to hold any keepsakes and trinkets, another wardrobe, a dresser, the bed he had slept in, a weapon rack that hung by the door where Sin-Screamer rested. There was no armor rack yet, nor did he even have the kind of armor that could go on it either.

  However, he did have a mirror, which allowed him to see himself if he wanted. He was hesitant to look at himself since he had changed so much. He was afraid of what would stare back at him, if he even was the same. Not to mention the possibility of only seeing the Vampire side of him staring back at him put him on his back foot. He was curious, but not that curious yet.

  He was about to gaze out the window for a little longer to enjoy the peace as the sea of grasslands fluttered in the breeze like waves when there was a knock at his door. “Come in!” He called as the doorknob shifted with a click, and Pierre was the one to push it open.

  Much like Aldrin, he shed his armor for a shirt, pants, and his traveling boots while he let his blue-black hair be free from its ponytail he usually had it in. He was about to step in but noticed Aldrin didn’t have shoes on, so he waited outside the door. “It’s alright. I think the enchantments are also self-cleaning.” Aldrin waved him in.

  Pierre nodded and stepped in. “How are you feeling?” He asked as he looked around the room.

  Aldrin shrugged with a soft smile. “At peace, honestly,” he chuckled.

  Pierre smiled at that. “I can say the same. I had the best sleep last night. You don’t think the beds are enchanted too, do you?”

  Aldrin looked back at his bed and pondered. “You know… that’s a good question. I would say yes judging how the bed also put me in a chokehold too,” he laughed, which earned one from Pierre too.

  “Anyway,” Pierre said. “Evie said breakfast is ready and told me to come get you and Jared.” He stepped aside.

  Aldrin gave a curt nod and followed him out into the hallway. Across from his door was another bedroom that was Jared’s, and at the end of the corridor to his left was another door that was the bathroom. To his left, the hallway led to the living room, and if you were to walk past it, you would be at the other end where Evie and Pierre had their rooms.

  They walked into the living room, where a curved couch rounded itself around a circular coffee table. Behind the living room, in the open space, was the kitchen where Evie was busy frying something. Aldrin felt a tug of jealousy at the smell because of how amazing it tickled his nose, but his appetite required a different type of sustenance.

  “Morning!” Evie looked up with a wide smile when she saw them coming to the living room. She had also dressed in comfier clothes as she had on a shirt with sleeves rolled up to her elbows, giving Aldrin a clearer picture of her Giantese tattoos. She placed two plates full of strips of bacon and scrambled eggs, followed by a stack of three empty plates. “For us,” she said, pointing at the empty plates and wiping a stray brown hair that escaped from her bun atop her head, then looked behind them to see if Jared was there. “Where is Jared?” She asked with a look of confusion.

  “Bathroom,” Pierre answered, his brown eyes zeroing in on the bacon as he moved to get an empty plate to fill.

  “Ah. Ok.” Evie then pulled out a goblet with crimson liquid from the fridge that set Aldrin’s stomach aflame with need.

  Aldrin licked his lips as he stared at the goblet. “Is that…?” He hesitated as he stepped forward.

  Evie grinned and pushed the goblet closer to Aldrin, who greedily took it before anyone could snatch it away. He downed it in an instant, letting out a sigh of contentment as the blood, which tasted of strawberry shortcake, nourished him. “Whose blood was it..?” he asked, catching himself as he looked at both of them, who had grins.

  Evie shrugged. “Don’t know. It was in the fridge with a note from Waesmenor saying, ‘Everyone needs their strength.’ There is also a whole pitcher full that’s enchanted to refill every two days.” She explained.

  That turned Aldrin’s happiness into despair as the implications ran through his mind. “You don’t think it’s a prisoner being tapped for blood, do you?” He asked, dreading the answer.

  Evie looked him square in the eye, all sense of the earlier mirth gone. “Does it matter? It’s better and less complicated than having to hunt down someone in the middle of nowhere or in a public place. Granted, I’m pretty sure there are murders every day in Ebira, so you can freely hunt the criminals there. But still.” She glared at him. “Don’t kick a gift horse in the mouth, or at least I think that’s how it’s said?” She looked to Pierre for confirmation, who nodded.

  Aldrin wanted to retort, but he knew she was right about it being convenient. “I just don’t like thinking someone is suffering just to keep me sated.” He looked down as he swished around the last bit of blood.

  Pierre patted him on the shoulder. “You are sometimes too pure to be a Vampire, you know?” He chuckled.

  Aldrin was about to respond when the toilet flushed and Jared padded down the hall, his short sandy brown hair still sticking up in awkward directions. “Morning everybody,” he yawned with a stretch as he wiped sleep from his brown eyes. “Something smells good!” He sniffed as all traces of sleepiness faded away when he looked at the food. He moved over to the counter to grab a plate and started pulling food onto it.

  Evie couldn’t help but grin as Jared began eating like he’d been starved for days on end. “Slow down. It’s not going anywhere,” she teased with a smirk.

  Jared shook his head. “But it’s so good!” he said.

  Pierre laughed and tapped Jared on the shoulder as he picked up his plate. “Come on, caveman. Let’s get started,” he said.

  They followed ?Pierre as he took a seat on the couch, placing his breakfast on the table. The others found their own seats, marking their first planning session for team strategies. Evie clapped her hands together in excitement as a giddy smile graced her face. “Who wants to be first?” She asked, looking around.

  “I’ll go since I am going to be ranking up to Tier 3 soon,” Pierre said, and then his gaze became unfocused as he pulled up his status to share with the group.

  Pierre's Classes and Profession

  “Your alchemist profession should garner you an interesting branch choice whenever you are ready. Given that your first path was Rogue, you could follow along the path of an Assassin. However, we gotta take into account your Servant title, which also might tweak the choice.” Evie said aloud as she skimmed and reread parts of Pierre’s status.

  “Something to do with Undead, maybe?” Aldrin asked, his attention on Pierre’s Status.

  Evie shook her head. “Not technically, not since he isn’t considered an Undead.”

  “Huh. Well, I’ll have time to work on alchemy while we travel.” Pierre mused.

  Evie smiled. “That’s good. I’m sure you’ll get something exciting. I’ll go next though,” she said as her gaze became unfocused when she shared hers.

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  Evie's Classes and Profession

  Aldrin and Jared both whistled. “This is what Tier 4 looks like? You weren’t kidding about the first three tiers being a foundation, then. I really gotta hone myself this time.” Aldrin said, looking over her sheet. “And your profession being a Transmuter helps.”

  Evie giggled, “I told you, everything you do now will pay dividends the higher you go. You could also cripple yourself if you don’t synergize,” she informed.

  “Has that happened?” Jared asked after swallowing a mouthful.

  Evie sat back as he tried to remember. “Yeah. A woman in my village had to reset her Class and start over from the beginning.”

  That piqued Aldrin’s interest. “How do you reset? I’ve heard it in whispers like some kind of taboo thing to do,” he leaned in, his brows furrowed in concentration.

  “With a [Reset Stone]. They are expensive to use, which is why it isn’t really commonplace to do so, and it also hurts because you’re basically peeling part of your soul away,” she said.

  Aldrin sat back with a thoughtful expression. “Interesting.” He then turned to Jared, who was eagerly waiting to share.

  Jared's Classes

  “Definitely gotta keep you in the back then with these Skills. You could potentially bombard people with different area of effect arrows if we are reading this right,” Pierre said as he read through.

  Aldrin tapped his chin. “You and Evie could synergize well with her runestones and your arcane arrows.”

  Jared beamed triumphantly. “I’m excited to see what’s going to happen when I get my Beastmaster profession.”

  Aldrin grinned when he remembered something he read in the halls of the Holy Order’s library. “You ever heard of the Chimeric Knights?” he asked the group.

  “Oh! I have!” Evie raised her hand, but the other two shook their heads. “They were masters of shapeshifting with their bonded monsters and animals, right?”

  Aldrin happily nodded with a grin of his own. “Exactly that. And it goes on track with you wanting to be a veterinarian back on Earth. I think the Class Path would suit you.” He said, chewing on his bottom lip, “But!” He held up a hand to temper the excitement Jared was beginning to show. “Don’t quote me! I don’t know the pre-reqs to unlocking it. All I read was that most of them had a variant of a Tamer Class or Profession.”

  “But Chimeric Knights never ended well, did they?” Evie asked.

  Aldrin shrugged, “Honestly, I don’t know. The Holy Order didn’t really have much information about them besides the barebones of how to obtain the Class, which Jared has the right combination for if I remember right.”

  Jared stared at them, slack-jawed, as the revelation and implications of the potential he could have raced through his mind until he settled on a decision. “Let’s do it!”

  The rest of the time they chatted amongst themselves, cementing the idea of Aldrin being their frontline fighter to keep everyone safe based on his ability to quickly maneuver around. Pierre would be their off-shoot damage dealer and counter to stealth-based enemies given his mastery over stealth and his growing fondness for potions. Jared would be their long-range support and possibly utility when he gains the Beastmaster. Finally, Evie would be their magical specialist and artillery once she leveled once more. They had a good core group, but they were just missing someone to heal them instantly in case things went sideways. Something they would be on the lookout for once they reached Ebira.

  After they broke away, Aldrin stayed on the couch, swirling his goblet to watch the crimson liquid slosh around. “What’s on your mind?” Jared asked, cutting through Aldrin’s focus, making him flinch.

  He stood and moved to the kitchen as Jared watched him. Aldrin stared out of the small window that sat above the sink as he watched the swirling fields of green whiz by as they raced down the road. “I’ve just got this weird feeling, is all.”

  Jared stood and moved over to the kitchen counter. “Oh? About what? Something’s got you scared?” he asked with mirth-filled eyes and his usual teasing smirk.

  Aldrin turned to face him, his face hard as stone. “Yes, and I don’t know what it is, but something is coming for us. I felt it when I woke up this morning. I felt…cold.” He tasted the last word, but he knew it didn’t fit what he was trying to convey. “I just know we need to be as strong as possible.”

  Jared’s infectious enthusiasm dimmed at the revelation. “Well, it can’t be all that bad, right? What’s the worst thing that could happen?” He teased, bouncing back.

  Aldrin groaned and ran a hand down his face. “Why would you say that…”