"That can't be possible," Claire said, her eyes going wide in disbelief. For the first time since Alex had met her, she looked completely off guard. Something about it felt deeply wrong. The hair on the back of his neck rose and a chill gripped his spine.
Anything that took Claire by this much surprise was not going to be good news, though Alex did take a moment to really analyze her expression. This was Claire, after all. It was no longer possible to take everything she did at face value.
But even with that said, she Alex was pretty confident that this reaction was completely genuine.
It does feel a bit odd that she doesn't sound happy about another Dhampir being here. If anything, she seems… worried?
"No, she's definitely a Dhampir," Abby said. "Why? Is something wrong? I kind of figured—"
"No, nothing at all." Claire's expression shifted in a split instant and she gave Abby a wide smile. "I was just surprised. That's all. I didn't think I'd run into one of my own kind over here. What a coincidence."
"So you are a Dhampir. I saw the pointy teeth, but..."
"You didn't want to make assumptions," Claire finished. "Probably wise. There are a lot of things with pointy teeth. Fortunately, having pointy teeth automatically makes us friends. Please introduce us. I can't wait."
That was weak. Unless she's intentionally sandbagging, she's off her game. But what's a Dhampir even doing here in the first place? I suppose it would be a bit arrogant to assume they're completely unique to Claire's planet since a bunch of Outworlders are basically just humans… but still.
This seems like a bit too much of a surprise to be a coincidence.
Claire wasn't the only one that looked out of sorts.
Aaron glanced from May to the Dhampir uneasily. He shifted from foot to foot, opening and closing his mouth several times. It struck Alex that he was probably trying to think of an explanation as to what the hell a Dhampir was — one that fit into the rather unconvincing story that he'd woven for his sister.
"Dhampir means they both like cosplaying as vampires," Alex provided. "Claire really likes Halloween. They've got a club and everything."
May arched an eyebrow — and Alex suppressed a laugh.
May was looking at him in the way a little boy looked at his mother after catching her hand under his pillow, fishing for teeth meant for the tooth fairy.
"I see," May said. She did not sound convinced in the slightest.
That seemed to be enough for Arron, though. He blew out a small breath as Aaron shot him a grateful look.
"We should get moving," Abby said tersely. She held her recently-reattached shoulder with an arm and threw a glance over her shoulder, into the house. "Rin can't stay awake for long. If you want to speak with her, then we'll have to keep things prudent."
I almost wonder if that's what Claire wants.
"Let's get going, then," Claire said with an impatient gesture, completely ruining Alex's theory. "We wouldn't want to keep her waiting."
Aaron stepped out of the way and looked to his sister. "May, why don't we go get some food while—"
"No. I wanna see Rin."
"They'll be talking about boring stuff," Aaron tried.
May ran inside the house. Aaron looked after her, then ran a hand through his hair and let out a groan.
Alex clapped him on the shoulder as he and Claire followed the girl into the house. "Don't worry about it too much. The world's changed, man. Trying to keep her sheltered won't work forever."
"It doesn't have to work forever," Aaron replied. His hands clenched at his sides and he stepped into the house alongside Abby after them. "I just want to keep her away from all this shit for just a little longer. She's too young."
"You're not doing her any favors," Claire said, keeping her voice low as they walked through the darkness in pursuit of May's steps. "Every minute is precious… and you aren't strong enough to protect her."
Even in the dim lighting, Alex saw Aaron flinch. He cast his gaze to the side as shame colored his cheeks. "I know."
"Being weak isn't something to be embarrassed about," Claire said. "But staying weak is."
"Well said." A new voice drifted through the lodge, as old and weathered as a forgotten scrap of paper at the bottom of a pile in an abandoned government building. It took Alex a moment to even realize that the voice belonged to a woman.
Whoever was speaking wasn't just old. They were ancient.
A faint whuff broke through the darkness, and a flicker of light twisted up to illuminate the sparse room around them. Sitting in a rickety wooden chair that barely had any right to remain upright was a surprisingly young-looking woman.
Young was, of course, relative. Alex would have guessed her to look like a prune in the form of a human from the sound of her voice. But, what he found was someone somewhere around their mid-sixties. She had grayish-white hair and stern, sharp features. Fangs protruded from her upper lip, which was curled up in slight amusement.
Words shimmered through the air above Rin now that she was fully illuminated. For once, it seemed that someone didn't have an item to conceal their identity.
Rin - Dhampir Broodmother (Novice 1)
Novice 1? That must be because of what Claire was speaking about. No matter how strong Rin might be, if she tries to exert energy fighting, she'll end up killing herself. But if she's really weak… why would a bunch of Outworlders be ferrying her around? Anybody going around invading planets isn't going to be doing it out of the goodness of their heart.
"Rin," Abby said, bowing her head in respect.
"Abby. Thank you for bringing our guests. It's a pleasure to meet you all," Rin said, giving them the slightest inclination of her head in greeting. Her eyes — yellowed and with vertical pupils like a cat's — lingered on Claire. "Well, isn't this interesting."
"Broodmother," Claire said. Her voice was difficult to read, but the word didn't sound like a name so much as a title.
"Oh, posh. A Broodmother needs a brood," Rin said with a dry, scratchy laugh. "I'm just an old woman."
Somehow, Alex didn't believe that for a moment.
"Why are you here?" Claire asked.
"Because I didn't fancy dying for a bunch of stuffy invaders who think they can charge into our world and do as they please," Rin replied. Her smile fell away. "Just like all the other good people in this encampment. We're not interested in the games of your families, Outworlders."
Well, so much for my plans of trying to pretend to just be a normal earthling… even if that literally is exactly what I am.
"You're an Outworlder yourself," Orchid pointed out. "That seems a bit hypocritical."
Rin's finger twitched. "Your kind stole my planet from me. I came here, not as a conqueror, but as a refugee. Nobody here is looking to destroy or control. We simply want to live."
"How did you even get here?" Claire asked.
"There aren't that many new planets opening every day, you know. It's quite the event." Rin let out a dry laugh. "And there are families that need fodder. People to go first and make the way. My entire brood was dead. Killed. So I volunteered — and betrayed them at the first opportunity. Idiots thought the pull of power could keep me at their beck and call. I've lived long enough. I have no desire to live forever. There was nothing they could offer me. But you, girl — I think you question is better directed at yourself. Why are you here? Did the Nightmarch pay you to find me?"
She's not speaking like a Novice 1. Can the System even properly assess her strength if she hasn't actually leveled up within it?
"I'd sooner cut out my own tongue than work for them," Claire said. "We do not come representing any Outworlder family interests. Not in the way that you've come to know them. We're here for one reason and one reason alone."
"And what would that be?" Rin asked.
"There's a Region Boss awakening in this area," Alex said. "We're here to kill it. That's all."
"Oh, is that all?" Rin's lips quirked in amusement. "How kind of you. And I am certain you wish for nothing in return for your services?"
"That depends," Alex said. "Do you care how many of your people die when the Region Boss arrives? Because I've seen what you've got to offer — and I can tell you right now that it isn't going to be enough. Abby nearly got killed by an Initiate 3."
"It caught me off guard," Abby said defensively, her cheeks coloring in shame.
"The forest… there have been reports of stronger monsters," Rin said, a frown flickering across her lips. "Tell me more."
"I've seen a Region Boss land near a town before. It didn't even emerge from its meteor, but its mere arrival was enough to reduce the entire place to ruins. It was heralded by empowered monsters and a Field Boss — one considerably stronger than anything else in the region."
It was impossible to tell if Rin was concerned about his words or if she was just digging for information. Alex didn't even bother trying to read her. Given her age, she had to have so much experience with the Dhampir game of Court that he would have had better luck just asking her what she was thinking.
And — if he was honest with himself — he didn't really care what Rin thought. The Region Boss was coming whether she wanted it to or not. This wasn't something that could be politicked away.
"And what do you want in exchange for killing it?"
"Want? Nothing. Killing the monster will be reward enough. We didn't come here looking for you," Alex said. "Surely one of your number is aware of what a Region Boss is. You're Outworlders!"
"Not every family is as powerful as yours. Many can't afford to send powerful members to new worlds. The cost can be… astronomical. It's much more efficient to send newer ones," Orchid said. "And Oathbreakers aren't going to be the top of their families anyway. They're usually the expendable troops at the bottom that are too scared to do what it takes to grow powerful."
"It is not our duty to die for our oppressors," Rin said coolly. "If anything, they deserve to be betrayed for being so foolish as to believe that we would throw our lives away for the benefit of a family that we are not part of."
Shit. These aren't seasoned Outworlders that have gone from planet to planet in search of power and resources. It's a bunch of people that got swallowed by Outworlder families invading their worlds and then put to work on a new one.
No wonder they're trying to build a new life for themselves. They're not trying to steal our planet. They just want to survive… and now the System is about to completely wipe every single person in this village off the face of 274-50.