Hours had passed, and both Trill and Spika were standing at the main entrance of the inverted castle ruins. Without the influence of Count Cel-Rua, its magnificence had quickly fallen into disarray. Unfortunately, Spika did not have enough control over her shadows to bring the castle back to life; in fact, the shadows obeying her the night before had only been the result of a sudden impulse, driven by the adrenaline of the moment. Her blood had boiled, and she had managed something she had never once attempted in her young life.
"Even so, it's very impressive," Trill said cheerfully while enjoying an elegantly prepared sandwich. "Powers over the darkness are something not just any untrained vampire can wield; many live for centuries without ever achieving anything remarkable."
"Then… could I raise the castle again?"Spika asked, holding in her hands a bowl filled with carefully stored blood, contained in a leather flask given to her by the orc.
"Raise the castle, you say? That requires a lot of control over the shadows; your father must have been a great duke if he was able to hold the castle above ground."
"Of course my father was a great vampire!" the young girl declared energetically.
"Lord Rudo surely was one of the greatest vampires there ever was," the orc added, bowing beside the young lady.
"Yes, yes, the great Rudo… whatever. Hey, orc, thanks for the food."
"Lady Alicia, to you," replied the orc with noble posture at her mistress's side.
"Yes, Alicia, whatever… as for controlling the darkness," Trill said, straightening himself on a stone he had taken as a chair, "I don't know anything about that and, as you can imagine, I don't know any vampire willing to teach you. Do you have any relatives besides that 'Cule-Rua' guy?"
"Unfortunately not. My only direct relative was my uncle… though calling him 'family' is a bit strange. I'd say I don't know any other vampire from the Cel-Rua line."
"And what about the Mare? Didn't you say that was your name?"
Spika fell silent for a moment. Moistening her dry throat, she took a sip before continuing."Mare was my mother's name. She has no ties to the vampires."
"I see… sorry," said Trill.
"It's nothing."
Silence fell, but the doubt lingered. Trill began pacing in circles in front of Spika, who followed him quietly with her eyes.
"Well… I only know one person capable of teaching you the trick of the shadows, but neither you nor I are going to like it."
"Please, Mr. Trill, tell me," the girl quickly stood up, excited, moving dangerously close to Trill, who stepped back to regain some space before answering.
"I really would rather not ask her for favors… I always end up regretting it," he said, swallowing hard, as if pronouncing the name of this enigmatic figure cost him dearly. "Carmen, the Crimson Witch."
"What?" both Spika and Alicia jumped at the mention of the name.
"One of the four witches who shaped the world?" asked Alicia, for the first time losing the elegance she had always displayed.
"Aren't they just a legend?" added Spika.
"Didn't you hear me when I introduced myself as one of her hunters?" Trill replied, pointing to the large suitcase that, under the morning light, revealed it wasn't matte black, but a dark crimson.
"It's true! You said something like that against my uncle."
"I work for her. She's the leader of the guild in the capital of Dagda, so I've got no choice if I want to operate as a legal hunter under the Church of Amalha."
"Is that why you carry the goddess's cross with you?" asked Spika innocently, with a wide smile.
"Ah… yeah, something like that. The point is"—Trill cleared his throat—"that crazy woman knows everything, or if she doesn't, she just makes it up. So I'm sure if we ask her, she could teach you how to properly use the shadows."
"Perfect, let's go to the capital right now and… a…"
Spika turned toward the great fissure that led out of the cavern, watching as the rays of the morning sun bathed everything within reach. She sat back down in her place, resigned.
Those rays now poured dangerously through the vast crack in the cavern; the moment the shadows vanished from the castle, its entire structure collapsed. Thanks to Alicia's quick orders, all of the castle's servants had managed to escape. Contrary to what Trill had thought, there weren't more than fifteen of them: all orcs scattered throughout the palace. Now they sat relaxed, eating in front of Trill, not thinking that just a couple of hours ago they had all been ready to kill each other.
While this passed through the Hunter's mind mid-bite, a pair he easily recognized stood before him. They were the brothers "Dum and Dummer," who threw themselves at the hunter's feet as he kept chewing.
"We want to apologize," they said in unison. "Forgive us for trying to torture you, sir hunter. We were just following orders."
"Although I really do enjoy playing with—" began the orc on the right, only to receive a punch from his brother.
"We promise never to do something like that again, right, brother?"
"Yes, I swear," he replied, rubbing his cheek, which was swelling fast.
"All right, all right, there's no need to apologize. I mean, I was planning to slit your throats, but you should feel lucky—I didn't have any knives on me down there."
Trill answered with a grim smile that made both brothers cling to each other. They quickly stood, bowed one last time to the hunter, and dashed off so fast they left nothing but dust behind them. Trill, watching this, softened his grimace into a more sincere smile—a detail that dazzled Spika for a moment.
"So… you can make that kind of face too."
Trill's face flushed instantly; he had never been good at receiving compliments, so he just covered his face and stood up.
"Well, we've got a problem to deal with. This castle, at least until you learn to use your shadows properly, is inoperable, and the sun could scorch you to ash in seconds. Hey, orc…"
"My name is Alicia," she retorted without looking at him.
"You all, will you be fine without the castle?"
The orcs looked at each other as if they had never once considered what they would do if they were ever free. The only one whose expression didn't change was Alicia. With conviction, she turned to the hunter. With that rough and ugly face that, when softened, carried more feminine features than one would expect, she simply replied:
"We're tough as weeds. We'll stand on our own and protect the young lady."
"Ah… speaking of that," Spika said timidly from behind Alice, "I'm going with Mr. Trill."
Immediately, Alicia let out a cry to the heavens—a loud roar like that of a wild beast, a "GRAAA!" that shook even the worn foundations of the ruin, which barely held themselves together.
"What do you mean you're going with that man!? You just met him!"
"Well yes, but it's also important that I meet the witch," Spika replied to her maid's reaction.
"The boy could bring the witch here! There's no need for you to go with a complete stranger."
"A couple of hours ago, you were the one saying you wished I'd taken her with me," Trill said sarcastically, just before receiving a massive slap that hurt as if he had run straight into a wall.
"You keep quiet, circumstances have changed. My girl…"
Alicia turned to look at the young lady, but the moment she saw her face, she knew: she was resolute. Her crimson eyes gleamed like twin rubies, and her stoic yet passionate expression shone like the moon at midday. Neither she nor anyone else could stop that resolve.
"I want to go."
"Besides, you belong to me," said Trill, still on the ground.
"That's something you made up," Spika shot back at the young man, who was weakly getting back to his feet.
"Let's be honest, kid: from now on you're a target for the vampires. If you stayed here alone, you'd end up being used by them," Trill replied, rubbing the spot where he'd been slapped. "Your best option is…"
"Trusting a jester who calls himself a hunter, I know. I won't deny it's the best option," Spika replied, a little irritated at the man's attitude. "Besides, I know you're actually a good person, Trill Noc-Tepex."
That surname made all the orcs in the place shudder, as if something instinctive, something ancient within their being told them they should fear that name. All at once, they turned to look at the young man, who writhed on the ground even more than they did.
"Don't you ever say that again!" Trill snapped, grabbing the girl by the shoulders with a twisted expression. Spika, on the other hand, remained stoic; in fact, a mischievous smile spread across her face at the hunter's reaction.
"What's wrong? I only said your name, Trill Noc—" The hunter's hand covered her mouth, but it was useless: the orcs in the place were already repeating, one after another:"Noc-Tepex."
The oldest name among the great vampire lineages. A name all Nemir recognize, respect, and fear. It is something deep within them, instinctive, innate. Alice had even covered her mouth at the shock of the revelation behind the mysterious hunter's identity.
"Everyone… shut up." A direct command, no hesitation from the hunter. Instinctively, the whispers of his name ceased. Only Spika kept staring at him defiantly. He removed his hand from the girl's mouth only to finish: "I have nothing to do with that family."
"Your scent," said Alicia, slowly lowering her hands. "That's why you smelled like a guest. You're a…"
Trill, fed up, simply walked toward the rays of light streaming through the cavern's opening. The orcs instinctively jumped to shield him, but all froze in astonishment upon seeing him standing under the sun's rays.
"Does this look very vampiric to you?" Trill retorted, spreading his arms wide beneath the sunlight.
"Dhampir…" Alicia whispered. "You're a hybrid… how is that…?"
This time, it was the young lady who silenced her. Spika had taken hold of one of her sleeves and tugged, halting her train of thought. Her face reflected a plea. Trill, who always wore a forced smile, now carried a complicated expression—half grimace of anger, half shadow of sorrow. Spika had seen through the façade: it wasn't the moment to speak of this.
"Well, it's settled," Spika took the lead. "I'll go with Trill. Everyone, I really don't know how to thank you for all your care. All I can do is leave you everything you can salvage from the ruins; these lands are as much yours as they are mine, and I hope to return to you one day."
"And we'll be here waiting for you, my lady," said the great orc, holding back tears as she knelt to embrace the girl tenderly—who could do little to stop her own tears.
Quickly, the rest of the orcs—from the brothers to the one from the elevator—ran to embrace the girl, joining together in a collective weeping.
"Well, you were right, Alice… I never imagined orcs could be so emotional."
The great orc simply wiped her tears a little before offering the hunter a kind look, still standing under the morning rays.
"Though I don't know why you're saying goodbye," Trill remarked.
"Well, I'm going with you, aren't I?" Spika said, letting go of Alicia to face him directly.
"You really want to leave now, under the sun's rays?" At those words, the orcs quickly pulled the girl back to protect her. "We'll sort that out later. For now, to you all… for today she is still your lady. Take care of her. I'll be back by sunset."
"Where are you going?" Spika asked.
"There's an old geezer who owes me a hefty payment."