Sune's Solution (D&D/MGE)

[Isabella met… a more local vampire]

Thanks to @Armoury for the beta!

—

You still couldn't truly taste the food, everything is like a dull… memory of a taste. But what you are is hungry, very. Very hungry. And that is enough to set you to eating with an urgency you hadn't had in many years. The servants are missing, and the food isn't the usual assortment, but all of it is appetizing, and with every bite the pains that screamed from your stomach quieted. You ate with a mad, focused intensity, your thoughts and your plans slowly fading away in favor of food, until, finally, you let out a long, slow, contented breath and let the fork fall to the plate.

"Franciska." You say aloud. You couldn't see her, but you know she is there.

/Master?/ A voice from behind you so pleased it nearly came out as a purr.

"Thank you for the food," you say.

/Of course Master, thank you for enjoying it./ The voice is beside you now.

You turn your head, taking in the woman standing just beside you. Eyes, many eyes all over her body watched you, and the edges of her dress curled and rippled, fading in and out of existence, folding in and out of itself. But the look on her face is that of pure adoration. "Ignis didn't hurt you when she grabbed you did she?"

/No Master./ Franciska replies.

You nod, then push your seat back, standing up on momentarily unsteady legs before you catch yourself. Franciska continues to smile, though her eyes shift down slightly. She is already looking down, she is taller than you are, only now she is staring at your chest instead of your face. "I would ask if you wanted to be returned, but you made it quite clear you are exactly where you want to be, so I shall be blunt." You stare into the two eyes on her face, technically there is a third, but it is in an unnatural spot in the middle of her forehead and vertical so you simply ignored it. "I sense no evil from you, but I am well aware that outsiders such as yourself tend to view morality through a different lens. If you have any plans of threatening those under my protection I shall remove you from this plane."

Franciska's smile… grows, and she lowers herself, or, more accurately, she shrinks. Her 'legs' tentacles, really, fold in on themselves until she sinks by a good foot so that you are eye to eye. Then her hands, cold to the touch, land on my shoulders. /Master, forgive this one for being so forward. But I merely only wish for whatever it is that you desire. If you wish to care for these people, then I shall as well. All that matters is you, my bright, shining star./

"Fair enough," you say after a moment. Frankly, you didn't much like the idea of having a maid, but this one is a bit too dangerous to be allowed to walk around outside. "Then I thank you once again for breakfast. Stay here as long as you wish-"

She raises a single finger, causing you to pause. /Master, may this one make one selfish request?/

After that meal? Of course. "Certainly."

Franciska squeals, then, grabbing onto your shoulders again and… rather effectively pushes you across the room to the front door. You try to fight it, digging your heels into the carpet, but she's far, far stronger than she looks. You let out a brief noise of alarm. It's all you can before she has shoved you out the front door of the mansion and closed the door behind you.

You jerk around, worry and a fair bit of anger filling you as you yank the door back open. To see her...

Bowing.

/Welcome back master. Would you like a bath with me? Dinner with me? Or me?/ As she asks this her clothing… melts slightly, revealing plump, purple skin, and more of the breasts that put even Ignis to shame. It doesn't seem to be an apparent seduction however, given the twitching and spasming of her tentacles… she might genuinely just be losing control of that 'form'.

You found yourself staring at the revealed skin a bit longer than proper, and more than you normally prided yourself on having the self control for. "No thank you Franciska. But I appreciate the offer." You reply after a few… long moments. "Why don't you make yourself comfortable? I'll be… taking a bath, alone."

A brief look of disappointment flits over her face, before she schools it to something controlled once more. /Of course master, simply call me if you should… desire… me/

Then she sinks into the floor like a droplet of rainwater hitting the ground… and she's gone, leaving you to stare at a small wet patch left on the rug. You continue to stare at it, wondering if one of the servants is going to clean it up, but none arrive.

… Fascinating.

—

It had been some time since you had truly soaked, normally it is a quick wash if nothing else, and magic took care of the rest. Today, you let your aches fade away. You felt, better. You felt better, yes. That is the simplest way you could put it. It isn't perfect, and you felt bad about using Miki like this. But the simple sensation of touch, it is a sense of relief you didn't realize you had been seeking. You found yourself taking your time, slowly dressing. Your tunic… itches slightly on your chest. Your leggings are a mite too tight. Your boots are thinned, far more than you had noticed. And you slowly dressed yourself, Sabatons, greaves, cuisses. It is difficult without your squire, but it isn't the first time either. Some had complained in the past about how much effort this took to put on, and beyond that, how much noise it made. The former could be alleviated with practice, the latter… never really went away without magic. But then, you hardly cared either. It is a badge of office as much as anything else is. The gambeson went on next, the hole made by the dragon stitched by… you aren't sure who, it had moved from where it had sat on a chair to your armor stand. The fabric however covering the hole is black, so you had a rather good idea of who might have stepped in.

The armor meanwhile had already been mended by Fuyao, of which she had plenty of scrolls for the purpose. Perhaps you are overdressing for the day, but…

You wanted to.

Lifting the breastplate, you-

*Knock Knock*

"It's open."

The door opens, revealing… Ignis. She is dressed in her usual attire, and has a wide grin on her face that quickly falters at the sight of me. Instead she looks both confused and curious, tilting her head this way and that as she walks over and crouches down. "That's a lot of straps."

"It's a lot of protection." You reply. Pressing the breastplate against your chest, you point to the backplate sitting against the wall. "Mind grabbing that and tying these two together? I'll walk you through it."

"Oh, sure." Ignis replies, her tail gently rubbing against your leg for a moment before she walks across the room.

It's slow going, far, far slower than it is with Fuyao. Mainly due to the fact that Ignis didn't have fingers, she had claws. But she managed it, and in time about the only part of your armor you aren't wearing is your helmet and tabard, the latter you are in the midst of draping over yourself as you spoke again, thankfully, finally moving the conversation of what strap goes where, how, and in what order. "So, everything alright, Ignis?"

The Salamander nods her head, her orange hair waving behind her. It had an interesting gradient to it, almost like that of a flame, matching rather nicely with the burning flames running along her tail. "I uh, was… well, I came around to ask you for something."

You finish attaching the tabard, Sune's face proudly facing the world, then turn to look at Ignis with a smile. "If it is within my power, I will certainly provide it. What do you need?"

"Well…" Ignis says, drawing out the word. Her eyes shift to your door, still closed. Then your window, showcasing the empty garden. "I was hoping you could… well… hgmermd." She mumbles the last bit, her hand moving to cover her mouth.

"Pardon?" you ask.

"Hug… me."

You stare at the Salamander, her orange skin now as red as a tomato. Then, without another word you step forward, and wrap your arms around the woman. She lets out a rather adorable squeak, her arms going rigid at her side. Then, gently, as if afraid you will break or fade away to nothing. She wraps her arms around your back. You hold it, you don't begin to release it until you feel her arms move away, then you step back and smile up at the woman. "Now then, what brought that on?"

Ignis is staring at you, her skin now red all the way to her neck. Then, without a word, she takes a stumbling back, then another, and another. Before she reaches for the door, rips it off the hinges and… sprints down the hall.

She sounds rather like a tea-kettle.

—

Cidrom isn't in the house, Ignis had locked herself in her room. Franciska is better off at the mansion, and Miki is still sleeping. That left you and Brynhild to step out of the portal and back onto the streets of Baldur's Gate. It is late evening now, which means the search that Isabella is doing with Ilias and Fuyao should hopefully be nearing completion.

It is a busy city, it isn't… really what you would call a beautiful city. But it is full of life all the same. The people there simply lived their lives for good or ill, and there is a sort of mad order to it all. In truth, you much preferred the smaller villages, or even the relative tranquility of Silverymoon, but still, it is to be protected. Nobody paid you any attention as you began to walk, a man in armor isn't anything unusual in the city. Reaching into your belt, you produce a small stone and hold it to your ear. "Fuyao, where are you at the moment?"

Brynhild turns her head from where she is taking in all of Baldur's Gate to instead look at the small stone you are holding curiously.

"Boss? I'm next to the Low Lantern. Isabella is going nuts looking for other vampires. We've still got Ilias with us."

… The seediest tavern in town. Alright. "I'll be there momentarily." You pocket the stone, then turn to look at Brynhild with a smile. "We need to go across town, mind giving me a ride?"

Brynhild smiles, then lowers herself slightly. You gently mount her, and don't fuss as she reaches back to grab your hands and place them on her stomach. She looks back, her eyes gleaming with delight. "Just give me direction Sir, and I'll have you there faster than any steed."

—

If people are alarmed at the sight of a Paladin in full armor riding upon the back of a centauress they decided not to bother getting in your way. And in a matter of minutes, during which Brynhild it turns out is quite adept as tearing through alleys. You found yourself at the Lowered Lantered. It had been, at one point, a three mast ship. It is now permanently anchored in the harbor where it served as a den of just about every iniquity one could imagine. It sat low in the water, holes punched into it over the years having done their work. You only paid attention to it for a moment however, as spotting Fuyao and her group is quite easy. Ilias and her white wings stood out well after all. The three of them are next to the water, Fuyao looking rather bored, Isabella staring down into the water, her expression unreadable underneath the heavy black cloak she is wearing. And Ilias looking… also bored, her wings folded behind her, her mouth curled to the side like she didn't much enjoy the scent of the place. Gone is the torn dress she had been wearing, now she is dressed in a simple white chemise, a belt tied around her waist.

At the sound of hooves all three turn to look at yo-

"Baeran!" Isabella is in front of you, her cloak billowing behind her, but thankfully staying on. Brynhild jerks, taking several steps back as the vampiress closes the distance between the two of you in less than a second.

"Isabella," you greet cordially. "You seem excited."

"Vampire! There's another vampire!" Isabella practically shouts, causing more than a few heads to turn curiously in your direction.

"... Is there?" You ask cautiously. Isabella has been relatively pleasant so far, but that is… far from the norm for her kind. And then, you doubted she is very similar to vampires from this plane anyway. "How did you find them?"

Isabella's red eyes shine with delight. "I recognized him! Well, not like, recognized him. We had never met. But one villain knows another when they see them! And he had fangs, and was really pale. I introduced myself as a fellow villain and we talked for a bit before Fuyao called me away. Now I'm trying to find him again!"

"Isabella, most vampires are… less than pleasant. That may not be wise."

"You would have an easier time convincing a dragon not to drool over a golden coin." Ilias says, hand on her hip as she walks over. "It has been all she has talked about for the past half hour." Her eyes flit from Isabella, to you. "The man is a mere few houses away, he was easy enough for me to leave a tracking spell on."

You arch a brow. "I was not aware you could cast magic, and I am curious as to why you would bother."

"I am a goddess, I can do many things." Ilias replies. "And it is a vampire, even if not one of the accursed creations of Alice I would like to know where it is… and I assumed it was something you would have no qualms exterminating."

You let out a slow breath, "not all vampires are… unpleasant, but regardless. I wou-"

"Come on, the meeting of villainous minds must not wait any longer!" Isabella says. "I demand to be taken to meet him once more!"

You glance at the vampiress for a moment, before you look at Fuyao. "Be ready." Then you look to Ilias. "Lead the way."

—


View: https://youtu.be/1mGzzqDB6ps?si=peub_7VoDqVVZrXO

It is a ramshackle little house in the most ramshackle part of town. The port, while affluent in the trade it brought in. Did not exactly meet the standards of living the rest of the town did. Which, given that it is Baldur's Gate. Tended to be, unfortunately, rather poor. Wealth shot upwards to the highest spires here in town, and very little fell back down again on the lower masses. A scream had hurried you along, not an uncommon sound, especially not one in this part of town, but not one you could ignore either. The door burst inwards, revealing a very, very modest home that, from appearance, still at one point was loved.

But the man didn't belong there.

He is beautiful, but not in a human way. They always have a… different sense to themselves, something more primal, more animal. His face is too perfect, the lines of his chin too drawn, his skin too porcelain white to be done with simple makeup, his eyes just too much a shade of red to be natural. Of course, if that is the only red on him that would be enough to be alarming. A white cravat, a black suit, tight pants. He is beautiful and sexual, all the better to act like a siren. But the blood dripped from his mouth, from his hands, from the woman on the floor, it all did wonders to remove anything of desire one might have normally felt. The eyes are bestial, manic, slowly returning to some amount of sanity.

Then he smiled. It reminded you more of a wolf than man. Bloody teeth dripped with drool and ichor, and Isabella took a step back. But the look on her face isn't fear.

"That's a vampire in this realm?"

She looked furious.

"That thing calls itself a vampire?" Isabella continues. "That peasant?"

The man straightens up, a brief hurt look coming onto his face. "A peasant? Me? Milady, I am as my master made m-" His jaw clicks shut.

Mostly because Isabella is holding it closed. She had crossed the twenty or so feet between them in the time it took to blink, a rush of wind extinguishing the fireplace and slamming the door shut behind her. One of her hands is holding the vampire by the jaw, lifting him off the ground effortlessly as she did so. The other is not quite a hand anymore. Curled at her side, her fingers longer and nails, claws, tapered to wicked points, the word 'talon' comes to mind. The room is dark, but for a very faint red glow boring into the vampires face.

The vampire in her grasp grabs her arm, his fingernails digging into her flesh, tearing it. But she doesn't relent, her blood flowing back into the tears and sealing shut before her sudden victim can make the next. "Peasants don't talk." Her arm swings to the side with an audible crack, and you watch as the vampire crashes into a nearby wall, denting it. Then she's on him again, lifting him up by the hair. "Vampires don't hurt people, not anymore. Anyone who does is little more than an animal."

"You called yourself a villain!" the vampire retorts.

Isabella tilts her head. "Yes. I did. Yes. I am. It's what I'm supposed to be doing. You aren't a villain."

"Isabella," you say. "I will deal with him."

Isabella turns her head to look at me, and she looks a fair bit different. Her skin is paler, her eyes are redder, and her fangs are more pronounced. Then she looks back, just in time to catch a fist on the side of her face from the man.

She doesn't flinch.

Her arm presses forward, shoving him against the wall. The crackling sound could be the wood, his skull, or both. "Baeran, is the woman alright?"

You bend down, placing your hand against the woman's neck. Her heartbeat is slow, her skin pale. Her face and neck are covered in blood. But your hand glowed with a golden light. "Yes." You reply.

"Why?" Isabella asks, staring at the vampire.

The vampire stares at her, his eyes unfocused, likely from a concussion. He doesn't speak.

"You reek of evil." Isabella continues. "You dare call yourself a child of the night?"

"Isabe-" you start, but don't finish.

Her hand plunges into his torso, then wrenches upwards. Splitting the man partially in half. Blood erupts, bone erupts, and she flings her hand to the side as the man falls to the ground, his heart bouncing along the stone floor.

Then Isabella looks at you, blood covering her form. She shudders, her tongue darting out to lick at her fangs. She then looks away from your eyes, further south towards your neck, and she shudders again.

"That's why you didn't like Vampires?" She looks away. Squeezing her eyes shut with apparent effort. "I'll… I'll be back." She pulls the cloak tight around herself, then darts out the backdoor of the building.

—

[] [Chase after her]
You won't leave Isabella alone.

[] [Leave her be]
If she needs time to herself, she will have it.