Back in her office in the Ninth Family Castle, Muka Fortuna sat at her desk. Now that she was alone, and thus there was no one around for her unnaturally strong Charm to be a NUISANCE, she was dressed in a Victorian-era black dress with a popped collar. In the back of the room, there was a full-body mannequin, similar to the ones that were used to display clothes in shopsgenerations ago. Covering the mannequin was Muka's black armor.
As Muka heard Faye's words, she leaned forward in her seat.
"Is that so?" she replied, her voice now full of interest. "Well, that was certainly fast. It's only been a day since you returned."
There was a slight pause on Faye's end.
"He…wasn't hard to find," Faye replied, her voice cracking through an identical communication bracelet to Faye's that was on Muka's wrist. "It seems that one of the things that you forgot to mention before my departure was the fact that Humans and Vampires smell different."
Muka put her finger under her chin and glanced to the side.
"Hmm, I did, didn't I?" she muttered.
"Anyway, the Vampire in question is a student on the base," Faye replied. "First-Year Student, Quinn Talen."
Faye paused for a moment.
"However, I don't believe that he is from the Settlement," Faye replied.
Muka quirked an eyebrow in interest.
"I suspect that you have justification for this assessment?" she asked.
"Yes, my Leader," Faye replied. "For starters, he does not possess a Vampire Ring."
Muka blinked for a few seconds, trying to process Faye's words.
"Are you…sure of this fact, Faye?" she asked. "You humans wear armor, like what I found you in, correct? Perhaps he is simply hiding it under a pair of gauntlets or such to avoid suspicion."
***
Back in the library on Military Base 2, Faye narrowed her eyes.
"Pardon my rudeness, my Leader, but he carries an umbrella over his head when he travels outside," she replied. "I think I can confidently say that he doesn't possess a Vampire Ring."
***
Back in her office in the Ninth Family Castle, Muka digested Faye's newest statement.
'No matter what their motives may be, no Family in the Settlement would be stupid enough to send a Family Member to the Human World without a Vampire Ring,' she thought to herself. 'Likewise, nobody would be stupid enough to try and sneak out of the Settlement without one.'
"...I see," Muka replied.
A sigh could be heard from Faye's end of the communication.
"Additionally, while I did not confront the Vampire directly, I did the next best thing," Faye replied. "I confronted a Human boy who is always seen by his side."
Faye paused for a moment.
"However…I fear I may have inadvertently revealed information about the Settlement in the process," she replied, a disappointed tone in her voice.
Muka's hands tightenedinstinctively.
She remained quiet for a moment.
"Please…explain," Muka eventually replied, a sharp tone in her voice.
***
Back in the library on Military Base 2, Faye felt a pit form in her chest. It was as if she could feel Muka's anxiety through their familial bond.
She subconsciously gulped.
"I…attempted to use the Influence Skill on him," Faye explained. "To try and get him to reveal what he knew about the Vampire."
Faye then paused.
"However, it didn't work," she replied.
***
Back in her office in the Ninth Family Castle, Muka remained silent for a moment.
"Perhaps, we should have had you test your Influence Skill on other Vampires in the Ninth Family before you left," Muka replied. "While rare, we have come across those who have been able to resist the Skill."
"Lady Muka, I don't think the issue was with my efficiency with the Influence Skill," Faye replied. "I used it perfectly fine against a fellow Sergeant who had been in the Military for the last six years. For some reason, when I tried to use the Skill on the boy, it felt as if the Skill was being blocked."
Muka put her finger under her chin and began to think.
She had heard of the Influence Skill being resisted before, but she had never heard of it being blocked outright.
'Interesting…' Muka thought.
"While the boy adamantly refused to tell the Vampire's secret, as it was, and I quote, 'not my secret to tell'," Faye replied, snapping Muka back to attention. "He was considerate enough to answer the questions I gave him when I attempted to use the Influence Skill on him."
Muka straightened in her seat.
"Which was?" she asked.
"I asked him which Family the boy belonged to, as well as what he was doing on the Base," Faye replied. "The first answer was quite enlightening. He told me that neither of them even knew what the 'Vampire Families'were. In fact, he said that out of the three of us, I was likely the only one who did. Additionally, the second answer leads me to believe that, at least when the boy had first arrived on the Base, he was still Human. He told me that Quinn Talen was on the Base for the same reason that all the other students were."
Muka remained quiet for a moment.
"Also, it seems that the two have at least some information about the Vampires," Faye continued. "For starters, while the boy does not possess a Vampire Ring, he knows of its existence and function. Also…"
Suddenly, Muka felt a feeling of embarrassment and self-loathing flood her body through the familiar bond.
"...they were both very much aware of the fact that Vampires can't eat Human food," she replied.
Instantly, Muka winced.
'Looks like I forgot to mention that, too,' she thought.
"Faye, did you…" she asked.
Faye remained silent for a moment. And while that itself was enough of an answer for Muka, Faye responded anyway.
"Yes, my Leader," she replied in a depressed tone. She sounded like a child admitting that they had misbehaved to their parent. "I…I…tried to eat one of our Food Pills. And ended up…vomiting all over the floor."
Muka was trying her hardest not to laugh. It was such a rookie mistake that Muka almost found it adorable.
"Later on, during our little chat, the Vampire's friend explained to me that Vampires are only capable of eating meat," Faye continued. "Raw meat, at that."
The more and more Muka learned about this "friend" of the Vampire's, the more she became interested in him.
'He certainly does seem to know quite a bit about the Vampires,' she thought.
"Keep a close eye on them," Muka replied. "Both the Vampire, and this…boy. Report back to me if you discover any new information regarding them. Or if the Humans start making any actions that would affect us."
***
Back in the library on Military Base 2, Faye nodded once again.
"Yes, my Leader," she replied. She pressed down the jewel on the bracelet, cutting the connection.
***
Back in her office in the Ninth Family Castle, Muka was still thinking about all the new information that Faye had just given her.
"A Vampire with next to no information about the Settlement," she muttered. "Did a Vampire create an Illegal in the Human World and just ABANDON him? Or…"
She then glanced over towards the left side of her office.
"Is it something else?"
On the direct opposite side of the Settlement, the castle that stood across from the Ninth Family Castle stood out like a sore thumb. It was one of only two castles in the Settlement that was not illuminated. While the other castles were kept in pristine condition and had multiple lights on, the castle opposite the Ninth Family Castle looked almost abandoned. It was as if no one had lived in it in an incredibly long time.
Within this castle, an oldman with a large beard that was almost as long as his head was. There were wisps of red smokecoming off his body as if he had just walked through a smoke screen, and the smoke was still clinging to him. He stood alone in an empty hall in front of a large portrait that he was cleaning.
In the portrait, a young man was smiling a cheery expression back at the viewer. He wore a Victorian-era outfit and had piercing, red eyes and long, blonde hair. And if Quinn had been here in the room, he would have instantly recognized the man as being the same one from his Tutorial videos, as well as the same man whose voice now constantlyrang in his head as the voice of the "AI" in his System.
The man looked up at the portrait and wiped a tear from his eye.
"Oh, Vincent," he replied, his voice full of sorrow and longing. "You'd be distraught if you ever saw what has become of the 10th."
The man let out a weary sigh.
"You've been gone for so long," he replied. "So dreadfully long. Will I eversee you again?"