SilverPaw

Revue of Annihilation

Theodore Valentin

In cooperation with @ERode

//A3 - The Mug At Dusk

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As soon as the woman was out of sight, Theodore half-sat, half-collapsed right onto the floor. “Ahhh, fuuck,” he groaned. He looked up, glaring into the sky as sweat droplets rolled down his neck, back all damp. He breathed in, almost snarling as he did so. He’d never thought himself weak. He’d won against a fucking two century old vampire and all his minions, fuck’s sake. Granted, they’d been half asleep, but still…

To be proven so undeniably wrong in the span of a handful of seconds. It stung. It served to ignite his desire for power even more, and he swore to himself he’d not be beat next time.

As the surge of adrenaline left, he became loose-limbed, feeling almost light headed. The blood loss probably didn’t help it. “Damn, didn’t think I’d need to resort to this,” he muttered. He let his spear and shield clatter to the floor, shifted into a meditative posture, and concentrated. As his breathing and heartbeat slowed, he could almost feel the blood. He willed it to stop pouring out of his body. The wounds he incurred scabbed over, painfully quick. From the hiss Ezra and Maris produced, the same had happened to them.

“Aaalright,” Theodore sighed. He picked up his gear and stood up. “You two, go with the boys, and handle the selling for me. Buy some good shit too, yea?” He patted each on the back. “You know where to meet up.”

With that, he followed Samuel, who took him to a dingy little bar. After the man ordered them drinks, he naturally wanted to know what exactly was on offer.

"Sure." The dhampir drank deeply from the offered drink. It wasn't the best, it wasn't the worst. It sure beat goblin blood, though. "The deal's that, as far as I can tell, I've got a piece of the dead Thousand-Faced God in me. So, to an extent, I 'rule over' a piece of existence. That piece, predictably, is Blood," Theodore flashed his fangs. "I'm not that far off from your regular human or vampire right now, but...Monsters really want to kill me, looks like." He paused to sip at his drink some more.

"Whoever pledges to follow me gets to drink blood safely. As long as we can hunt blooded monsters in the Abyss, that will cut down on supply costs," he summarized what Samuel might have noticed on their delve already. "You've seen I can do some weird stuff here and there," he traced one of his recently-healed wounds; when he'd performed a miracle after the fight, they'd scabbed right over. The same had happened to his two followers, and if any strangers nearby had had an injury, they'd have experienced this too.

"Now, there's a reason why that sword-lunatic wanted to cut me down too." He sighed, and drank another mouthful. "When I and my followers spend time in the Abyss, we get this sort of...energy. The more of us there are, the longer we live through that hellhole, the more of it I get. Seems like I - and any other Divine, and maybe the monsters - are the only ones who can sense this. I'll need a bunch more of this power, then I'll be able to do more, become stronger. And whatever benefits me, benefits my followers, is the general gist of it."

"And those pledges...they basically about as much as any other religious nutjob in this age? Just gotta say it in order to be one?"

"Hmm..." Theodore took a moment to think about it. "The other guys, they haven't really made official pledges per se." Maybe he should create one down the line though. "So, it's partially based on intent, but the intent can be as vague as 'I'll see what this guy's about' on your side. I also have to recognize you as a follower, but as far as I'm concerned that's just a matter of following some simple rules." He gave Samuel a look. The guy struck him as pragmatic, so he figured he'd understand that much.

"One: follow me, not anyone else. If you ever feel like ditching I'd appreciate a heads up, too." Obviously, letting him know would be optional. With the existence of other Divine, it was more than possible for a follower to switch leaders. Something to keep in mind, for sure.

"Two: Don't ever even think about drinking any person's blood without my permission. I don't care if it's a vagrant nobody would miss, or someone you seduce, or someone you pay for it. Don't do it without consulting me, seriously." At the very least until he trusted Sam a bit more. But even then, it was often more trouble than it was worth. Simpler to stick to animals and monster.

"Three: Don't go looking for trouble, but if something happens, whether it was your fault or someone else's, you inform me. Then we can deal with whatever it is." He smirked as he gave a light shrug. "Basically, don't do anything outrageously stupid, and we should be fine." His smile gained an edge to it as he showcased his fangs again. "I reward loyalty and usefulness, and I punish betrayal, maliciousness, and unconscionable foolishness."

"Reasonable enough." Samuel folded his arms. "So, you basically harvest that 'energy' from the Abyss, and your followers can gather it for you. With that in mind then...let's say every fella in my expedition becomes your follower. Gets you that 'energy'. What do I, being the one who gathers 'em up for you, who protects 'em until they get out of the Abyss, get in return?"

He leaned forward.

"Only the starving'll be interested in drinking monster blood. For folks like me, well, I'd want something else."

Theodore raised an eyebrow, amused. "I don't mind gathering up my own followers." The starving wasn't a bad suggestion; getting desperate souls from the Underpass onboard would be doable. Though, there'd be little point if they just died off soon after, so getting Samuel's men was preferable. "I intended for you to still get your protection fee," he shrugged. "But if you're saying the potential for more money isn't enough..." the dhampir grinned. "Well, more power for me means more of it for you. I'll get to a point where it won't be just 'drinking blood', though I can't say what else it'll be. I expect I could even actively share some once I've enough." That was a guess on his part; he figured maybe he'd eventually also be able to do something himself by manipulating that energy. What that 'something' was, only time would reveal.

"Mhm, well, there's the other thing to consider here." Samuel said, scratching his chin. "Seeing that you need to be alive for this arrangement to work, is there even any reason for you to come down to the Abyss? My boys and I can handle monsters just fine, least normally, but the Abyss isn't a normal kinda place. If you're here to spark up a new faith and all, better not risk your neck, if you know what I mean."

"Hmmm, fair point." Theodore leaned his head on an open palm. He had never considered not delving. He didn't think the strong urge to explore deeper was something he could - or wanted to - resist. "As long as me attracting monsters is useful, I do need to be down there. I need to be there," he emphasized. Without the appropriate context, it was perhaps a strange notion to Samuel, so he rephrased. "At the very least, I'd like to know what kinda place the Abyss is by seeing it myself, but..." he grimaced. "I do need to get stronger if I wanna hang out down there, and not just from the," he waved a hand, "mystical end."

"What, you want to go deeper? Beyond the First Layer?"

Theodore gave the man an unusually solemn nod. "Yes. As deep as it goes. Into the core, unto the end, to The Final Layer - eventually."

He whistled. "Welp, guess you ain't holy until you're crazy. I'll keep on the First Layer myself. Don't expect me to guard you against the swarms that'll come over in the deeper layers."

Theo chuckled. "Fair enough. I won't think about going deeper as long as I've trouble on the First Layer, either. So, deal?"

"Yeah."

Samuel stuck a hand out.

"Here's to a profitable relationship, Theo."

The dhampir reached out and shook it. "To a lucrative alliance," he agreed.

Reborn in a Fantasy World, This Time I Shall...!

Elf tamer

Sora

19 y/o | Male | High Elf | 5'11
STR [1] | DEX [3] | MAG [2] | DEF [1] | RES [1] | AGI [3] | LCK [1]
《 Level 1 Tamer 》

Personality:
Good natured, laid back, and has a tendency to go with the flow of things. A bit of a daydreamer, the new chance at life in a fantasy world has stirred and sparked his previously slumbering spirit for adventure. He is much more eager now to explore the world and its wonders; sure, he was alright traveling before, but rarely went out of his way to do it. He likes to hang out with people, but doesn’t mind being on his own either. He generally tries to be friendly to others, but may come across as aloof or indifferent, as he has a tendency to get lost in his own thoughts, or be distracted by the environment. He definitely finds animals simpler to deal with, and spending time with a friendly critter is his go-to destressing activity. Though he wishes for his new life to be freer, if he must leave a mark, he wants it to be a good one.

History:
In the previous world, he was a regular kid from a regular family, the first-born son with a sister four years younger. He had grandparents in a more rural area, and he enjoyed the visits there. Even as a city kid, he liked the peace and quiet. They had a dog there, too, and the boy was enthused. As much as he’d have liked though, the place he and his family lived in didn’t allow pets, unfortunately. So, he made do with watching shows – animal rescue was one of his favourites – playing games, reading, and doing other normal kid stuff. His interest in animals persisted, though, and when he was old enough, he volunteered at an animal shelter. He also decided early on that he’d become a vet, a goal he stuck to. Even when he struggled with the academics, and didn’t get into his university of choice on his first try, he persisted. He worked and studied for a year, and was confident he’d pass. He was proven right when he got the acceptance letter. To celebrate, he decided to take a short trip overseas. Well, it was supposed to have been a short trip.

Skills:

• Skill Name: Taming
• Skill Description: The ability to establish a special, magical bond with one or more creatures. While the MAG stat has some relevance (especially for magical creatures), taming chance depends on a complex array of factors, such as the tamer’s level, their familiarity and experience with a given creature, their ability to take care of the creature, the creature’s sociability and will, among others. Note that a formed bond can be broken, either by the tamer or by the tamed creature.

Other: “Oh, I can bond with animals? That’s neat, I always wanted a dog. …Wait, does this world have dragons? Could I be a dragon rider? Man, how freaking awesome would that be?!”

Reborn in a Fantasy World, This Time I Shall...!

Elf tamer

Sora

19 y/o | Male | High Elf | 5'11
STR [1] | DEX [3] | MAG [2] | DEF [1] | RES [1] | AGI [3] | LCK [1]
《 Level 1 Tamer 》

Personality:
Good natured, laid back, and has a tendency to go with the flow of things. A bit of a daydreamer, the new chance at life in a fantasy world has stirred and sparked his previously slumbering spirit for adventure. He is much more eager now to explore the world and its wonders; sure, he was alright traveling before, but rarely went out of his way to do it. He likes to hang out with people, but doesn’t mind being on his own either. He generally tries to be friendly to others, but may come across as aloof or indifferent, as he has a tendency to get lost in his own thoughts, or be distracted by the environment. He definitely finds animals simpler to deal with, and spending time with a friendly critter is his go-to destressing activity. Though he wishes for his new life to be freer, if he must leave a mark, he wants it to be a good one.

History:
In the previous world, he was a regular kid from a regular family, the first-born son with a sister four years younger. He had grandparents in a more rural area, and he enjoyed the visits there. Even as a city kid, he liked the peace and quiet. They had a dog there, too, and the boy was enthused. As much as he’d have liked though, the place he and his family lived in didn’t allow pets, unfortunately. So, he made do with watching shows – animal rescue was one of his favourites – playing games, reading, and doing other normal kid stuff. His interest in animals persisted, though, and when he was old enough, he volunteered at a shelter. He also decided early on that he’d become a vet, a goal he stuck to. Even when he struggled with the academics, and didn’t get into his university of choice on his first try, he persisted. He worked and studied for a year, and was confident he’d pass. He was proven right when he got the acceptance letter. To celebrate, he decided to take a short trip overseas. Well, it was supposed to have been a short trip.

Skills:

• Skill Name: Taming
• Skill Description: The ability to establish a special, magical bond with one or more creatures. While the MAG stat has some relevance (especially for magical creatures), taming chance depends on a complex array of factors, such as the tamer’s level, their familiarity and experience with a given creature, their ability to take care of the creature, the creature’s sociability and will, among others. Note that a formed bond can be broken, either by the tamer or by the tamed creature.

Other: “Oh, I can bond with animals? That’s neat, I always wanted a dog. …Wait, does this world have dragons? Could I be a dragon rider? Man, how freaking awesome would that be?!”

Reborn in a Fantasy World, This Time I Shall...! (Interest Check)

Idk, might app a tamer or sth if I feel like (Weakest Tamer is p. cute), maybe a mage.

Revue of Annihilation

Elys Adair & Theodore Valentin

Collab with @Estylwen and @ERode

//A3 - Adventurer's District

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Theodore sized up the unknown woman. She was Divine, he could recognize that spark within her. Only, hers was still an entirely empty vessel. Could she tell his was not? Certainly, she was no blind woman, blindfold or not. She'd snuck up on him almost unnoticed, and she was clearly very skilled. An adventurer who'd been blessed maybe? Overall, a fight he'd rather avoid for now, if possible.

So, he smiled. It was a pleasant if a subtly sharp-edged smile. "Looks like it," he remarked to the supervisor. "How unfortunate for you, then, that I have no business with you, Miss Murderer." He could smell that fresh human blood on her. Intriguing. Too bad she looked like she wanted to put him down to the ground too. Maybe some free intel for her would get her to reconsider, at least. "If you want what I have, all you need to do is head to the Abyss. You'll get the same; you'll see what I mean if you stay in that hole for a little while, at least."

Elys' face tightened at the mention of 'murder'. How did he know? Was his sense of smell really that acute? Or perhaps it was a trait his naturally possessed.

It didn't matter. What was done was done. He should really be more focused on himself. She listened to his intel, her curiosity partially satiated, before she took a step forward. Her staff was tossed to the ground. The shling of her sword leaving its scabbard, sharpened tip pointing at center mass of the alighted one in front of her.

"Why go through all that trouble when you're before me, and I can simply take what I want?"

"Come on now," the supervisor sighed, shifting his stance to face her more directly. "This isn't the backstreets. There are rules of conduct to follow."

Theodore's eyes narrowed as the woman unsheated her blade. "A regular brigand, then," he noted coolly. He and his followers shifted, ready to escape or defend if they would need to. Except, the way the lady kept focusing on him, he didn't think running was an option. It was as if he were a shining beacon to her. Was that the minuscule power he had gathered calling out to her? Was she akin to creatures from within the Abyss, recognizing and hostile to any Divine?

"Yet another monster after my ass," he huffed, irritated. Surprisingly, the leader of the adventurer group pitched in. "Oh, really?" Theo questioned him, though he never let the woman out of his sight, did not easen the grip on his shield and goblin spear any. "So, if I don't want to deal with your everyday thugs and thieves, I don't have to? Or is it just more so a 'if someone wants to beat you up, there are specific ways they need to go about it' kinda deal?"

Elys seemed to hesitate for a brief moment, hung up on 'rules', and 'conduct'. And though she could agree with giving a human being, divine or not, their rights to freedom and health, this was something... she couldn't back down from.

The smell of smoke. The shrieks of her family. The worst day of her life when everything was taken from her. It showed her how powerless she was. Showed her that if she ever wanted to right that old wrong, she would need to become a force to be reckoned with.

And staring right in front of her, ripe for the taking, was such an opportunity. She knew it was wrong. But she also knew her own wishes and dreams had to be accomplished - had to take precedence. For her family's memories. For her dream of getting to the top.

The dust ground beneath her feet as she coiled. "This monster can't afford to back down now."

And she struck forward, her sword cutting through the air towards the upper portion of the alighted mass, aiming for the neck.

“Of course. Adventurers are just vagrants and treasure hunters without rules. If you want to take something out on the surface, then you’ll have to offer something up to wager.”

The supervisor backstepped as Elys shifted to offence, apparently uninterested in stepping in to help Theo for free.

“Now, you could cry for help, friend, but I wager that’ll also have a cost to it!”

Theodore stopped consciously listening the moment the blindfolded woman shifted. He adjusted his shield, his stance. Maris, who wielded the other spear, edged to the attacker's side. Ezra circled her, getting behind her, though he wasn't close enough to strike. Not yet. The man picked up her staff, then aimed a strike at her ankle.

Meanwhile, the dhampir was barely able to rise his shield in time. The woman was *fast*. Even with his weapon having a longer reach, she was too good - most times, she could close the distance faster than he could try to pierce her. Even with the other two assissting, they struggled to hold her back. She weaved in between them, as slipery and agile as an eel in water. As lethal as a feral, starving shark pinpoiting onto the scent of their blood.

"What's the-" another parry, yet another poke of his spear the woman sidestepped, "going rate?" He questioned Samuel. It was an acrid realization, that he'd need the help if he wanted to get out of this unscathed.

The parry of blows was like a symphony to Elys' ears. She spun, she danced as the attacks came. And, once again, she slashed forward at the alighted one, meeting his spear and cuffing it. She pressed, causing their faces to be inches from one another.

In that moment, she twisted her sword, shifting the weight, hoping to catch the alighted one off-guard and behead him.

But her blade stopped short.

Images flickered through her mind. Images of the Bladerights.

How would she face them, if they saw her now? How would she explain this.

Elys gritted her teeth, cursing under her breath and taking a step back from the other divine, sheathing her sword.

"I can't do it. I've had everything taken from me, and I still can't-" A heave of air, of frustrated exasperation.

She reached for her staff that had been picked up, and made to leave.

"You still can't become someone who takes?" Theodore filled in for her. He was breathing harshly by now, sweat lining his brow. He'd accumulated a few more cuts, but otherwise, he and his followers were still alive and kicking. "For fuck's sake," the dhampir growled. He spat a glob of saliva and blood onto the ground. "Just get into the fucking Abyss like I told you in the first fucking place, you goddamn lunatic." He watched her warily as she made to leave. The staff Ezra had 'borrowed' was thrown her way where the woman proceeded to pick it up. The trio she'd attacked out of nowhere was understandably tense. They watched. They waited. They were ready for another unpredictable attack.

No response was given. The monster-slayer had already disappeared into the crowd.

Revue of Annihilation

Theodore Valentin

In cooperation with @ERode

//A3 - The Abyss, 1st Layer

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His offhanded offer about being able to drink blood was met with more interest that the dhampir had expected. He was asked if he was for real, and if it meant he’d be turning whoever was interested into vampires. “No, no turning required. You’ll be able to stay human, don’t worry.” That led to more questions; if what he was claiming was true, how could it be. “Well…it’s a special ability of mine. You see Ezra, right? He’s weird for a human, but he can drink monster blood fine because he follows me.” Ezra did not enjoy it, but he demonstrated being able to do so with a recently dead wolf. There was some suspicion, some interest, some wariness because the workers didn’t know what to make of it.

“Think on it,” Theo shrugged. “It does mean you’ll have to accept me as leader if you’d like to be a blood-drinker, though.”

The mining trip continued. Theodore didn’t think much on the attack once it was over. However, the reality of it was that more and more monsters came. Goblin raiders slipped through, injuring or killing the workers while he tried to mitigate as best as he could.
They were always going for him.

It must be because of his Divinity that they were drawn to him, that they wanted to eliminate him.

The realization was unsurprising, if annoying. Theo headed outside. “HEY! These bastards are going after me. Watch!” He ran around some, acting as bait, throwing rocks at any monsters which got too close. After some observation, the adventurers were convinced that he was in fact a very appealing monster-bait, even if they didn’t know why. “C’mon, work with me here. I can’t do shit against the bastards without any equipment.”

He was given a shield, and a shoddy ill-fitting helmet. Theodore resented he would have to take the role of bait, but given that monsters were naturally drawn to him, he would simply have to accept this. At least for now.

After another incursion of monsters was dealt with, Theodore spent some time with the adventurers. The boss asked him what the deal was, that monsters went strictly for him.

“To be honest…I have a piece of Divinity in me. Believe it, or not, there’s something that makes me special. Anyone who follows me can drink blood safely – even monster blood. Looks like monsters have a thing against me, too.” The boss-adventurer was clearly calculating something. “Interested in working with me?” Theo went on to ask. However, the lead supervisor said they could talk more up above. “Sure,” the dhampir agreed with a shrug.

The rest of the mining trip was the same; he remained outside as a monster attractant, his followers and the remaining workers were inside, mining. Theodore had been able to procure two goblin spears; he kept ahold of one, and gave one to Maris. It helped with defending against the goblins; even crap weapons were better than nothing.

At the end of the trip, more than half of the workers of the initial group were dead. Theo and his followers looted some of the corpses; if they didn’t, someone else would. Most of the survivors were disillusioned, and he got a ‘oh, so you’re the same as the rest of ‘em’ kinda treatment from a few. Greg gave him a nod of understanding, though. Theodore wasn’t strictly a fan of looting corpses, now, but it was what it was.

The adventurers were over all excited about this trip; the venture was much more profitable than usual because of the monster drops they got. But Theodore and his followers weren’t unscathed; they were bloodied enough that they could not simply ignore their injuries. They would need to get some medical supplies, and have their wounds tended to. They were tired too, but being able to drink monster blood made them better off than the other workers, who were thoroughly exhausted.

The trip was finally over, though, and they were all starting to make preparations to leave. Theodore looked up at the skies. Would he make it in time for sunset to meet up with his other followers? There was also still the deal of discussing a potential partnership with the adventurers, maybe with the surviving workers too.

“I’d like to pick up my other three followers at sunset by the tower, but would you like to meet up somewhere today to talk?” he asked the leader. “If any of the workers are interested, I’d take them on too.”

Revue of Annihilation

Theodore Valentin

In cooperation with @ERode

//A3 - The Abyss, 1st Layer

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The first layer gives the impression of an open field atop a mountain. The air is sharp and humid here, a breeze passing by that's more a refreshing than it is cold. Piles of whitestone rubble are here and there, and there's definitely some ups and downs present, as well as patches of white fog, but there are patches of wildflowers too, of a species that Theodore wouldn't recognize. No monsters are present thus far. He'd note that the wall that he was on top of before this would continue into the Abyss itself, serving as a perpetual boundary.

Around him, his fellow crew members immediately start eating the food they were given.

Theodore gave the surroundings a cursory glance around. No danger yet. Then, as the saying went, he did as the locals did - he ate. The only blooded creatures here so far were the workers and he doubted any would be keen to be fed upon, now or later. His human follower copied him, while the vampire lady pouted. With an eye roll, Theo beckoned her. Frowning, she complied. With an ease that revealed the two's familiarity - if not exactly comfort - with the idea, they exchanged nutrition sources.

In other words, he received her lunch, and Maris bit into his neck to drink some blood. It was easy enough to mistake for an intimate embrace, though neither was that particular about the actual exchange getting noticed. Ezra watched with a predator's gleam in his eyes, licking his lips, but Theo ignored him.

As if there were nothing unusual going on, he turned to a group of workers. "You've done this before, yea? What's to watch out for - do monsters just...appear?"

"Nah. Heard stories 'bout them popping outta thin air in the lower layers, but on the first, you can expect em to pop out from holes or the sky."

The one who answered him upended the sack, shaking it out in hopes of anything he had missed. It was empty though, so he went to tie it around his belt.

"Lotsa fog 'round these parts. We try 'n avoid em, but most times we can't, and that's where the bigger ones like to lurk." The worker turned his attention to Maris. "That your woman? Kinda stupid, bringin' her down here."

"Huh," Theo remarked. He'd not heard that about monsters. Seeing the man seeking more food, the dhampir tilted his head. He still had a bit of his left, given he'd had two portions. He offered the remaining piece of bread and cheese to the man. He figured he might as well reward his cooperation.

"I see," he nodded. The fog, huh. He wondered if Maris could sense hidden danger, but a glance her way revealed nothing except her satisfaction after a good meal. "Can any of them be fought, or do we run?" he wondered. The man, unsurprisingly, made an assumption about their relationship, pointing it out with an insensitive question. "Ah, she's--"

The vampire literally hissed as she turned towards the worker, fangs exposed. "You dare? You, a mere human, would question my prowess?" Theodore sighed, and put a palm on her shoulder. "She's her own lady, and a feisty one, you see," he answered, lips quirked in amusement. "On a good day, she can even beat me." Evidently, the backhanded compliment didn't soothe her ruffled feathers any. "If I had my sword, I'd slice you to ribbons in a second," she glowered. With an offended sniff, and a graceful turn, she walked away - not anywhere far, of course, just the few steps it took to make her point.

"Feisty," Theodore reiterated. He was smiling; inviting, friendly, charming. "What brought you here?" he asked after a beat. Even though more focused on talking, he still scanned the surroundings intermittently.

The man waved it off.

"You'd need it more. And as for fighting monsters...well, dunno where your lady-friend's sword went, but that's what the boss's for. We run and he handles it. Unless it’s too much. Then we're all running."

He looked up. The elevator was descending once more, the trio that oversaw the group about to arrive.

"Just a money thing for me. Risk and reward, yea? Crazier that tidy folks like yourself'd do this though, when you could be an actual adventurer. 'less yer trynna get a dungeon divorce."

Theo shrugged off the refused offer, and stored the food. His eyes tracked the arrival of 'the boss'. He chuckled at the last question. "No, I like her around just fine. I would be an adventurer, but, well...We've just arrived, and are left with nothing – a common enough story, I’m sure. But all in its own time, no? Speaking of, it looked like it was time to venture forth.

Once the trio of well-armored adventurer-supervisors descended, one of them handed out pickaxes to the labourers present. The labourers then headed off, fanning off over the layer. They were to give a shout when they came across a particular cave or tunnel opening in the ground. The practice struck Theodore as odd, so he asked about it.

He learned that the Abyss was a living environment; the caves opened up from time to time across the first layer. One could mine common ores from it, but that was also how the monsters of this layer armed themselves, so there was often a risk of encountering monsters when descending inside. Of course, the supervisors wouldn’t care unless there was a monster inside, so the labourers were expected to get in and get as much work done as possible. Once they found one such cave system, all the labourers descended into it, mining for stones and other materials around the cave, while the adventurers mostly stayed outside.

Theodore was informed that they would have to show the contents of their bags when they left. He could see this lead to disputes between labourers if one of them came across a rarer sort of material. But that was a worry for later. More immediately, the first tunnel system had a ceiling so low that Theo and Ezra had to be in a perpetually-crouching position within. It was extremely uncomfortable, but at least, there was no sign of any monsters.

A tunnel collapse, however, was always a possibility.

A possibility he and his followers ignored as they diligently mined as much as they could.

As Theodore continued to just straight up exist in the Abyss, he got the sense that something invisible was clinging onto himself and his followers. It was a sort of aura or energy, and it was ever so slowly gathering around them. Drop by drop, the energy condensed, yet it barely made a difference. He estimated they would have to make several trips into the Abyss for the energy level to become significantly larger. Out of curiosity, Theo flexed the aura, and he thought it sort of moved as he wanted it to…but that didn’t seem to do anything. Nor did he sense anything similar anywhere else in the area. So, he simply let it be for now.

Since his followers did not appear to notice what he had, Theodore moved to give them a heads-up. However, this was when he heard an alarmed call, accompanied by the sounds of fighting.

Two monstrous wolves with goblin spearmen riding on their backs descended into the tunnel. More were obviously outside, being handled by the adventurer-supervisors. The intruding monsters lashed out at the labourers nearby; the cramped space and low ceiling made it hard for the labourers to get out of the way, while the spears themselves were certainly proper iron spears that had no issues piercing flesh.

After the immediate clearing out of their surroundings, the monsters beelined straight for Theodore.

“Fuck.” The tunnels were too low and convoluted to run well; there wasn’t much beyond the drops bags of ore to hide behind either. Rushing to the nearest bag, Theo picked out a chunk of the mined material, and hurled it at the wolf’s snout. It snarled, but wasn’t cowed. No regular animal, that’s for sure. “Everyone! I’ll keep them busy – just attack when you can! We can get these bastards down, adventurers or no!” His confidence, and the willingness of his two followers to help was enough to embolden the workers too.

Theodore kept going from bag to bag, throwing rocks and ore at the monsters. When a goblin rider got to close, he blocked or parried it as best as he could with a pickaxe. Obviously, against a spear, the tool wasn’t up to task. He’d thought about breaking or stealing one of the spears, but that was no go.

So, he focused on dismounting the creatures from their mounts. Throughout his attempts, his followers and the other workers pitched in when they could, dealing glancing blows, and preventing the two riders from moving him down. Eventually, with clever tactics and luck, he dislodged one goblin.

…

Only for that goblin to jump right on him!

The little bastard was clawing at his chest, trying to scratch his face, and had even picked up a rock to smash his face in.

As Theodore raged and snarled and defended one of his best features, Ezra was the one to notice his predicament. With a smug smirk in place, he came over, and held down the goblin. That was enough for Theo to bite into the creature and drain it dry.

The blood was thin, bitter, and acidy – but he could drink it. He felt he could do this safely only because of his Divine ability rather than any natural dhampiric trait, however.

A quick glance around let him know the fight was over. The goblin-less wolf had been put down by a group of labourers, and the other rider had likely been weakened by his followers before being killed by some desperate workers. Three workers he didn’t know laid on the floor, slain. Two had major wounds, and five others had sustained minor injuries similar to Theo’s.

With a sigh, he turned to Ezra. The human didn’t even bother trying to suppress his glee. “So, how bad is it?” Theodore asked, cautiously raising a hand to his face.

“Mmmm…rudimentary marks made by lowly beasts, but…Delicious,” Ezra commented with a purr. Between one blink and the next, the man was already touching his face, tracing the wounds with a disquieting eagerness. Theodore merely rolled his eyes, however, and lazily slapped the offending hand away.

“Right, never mind. Forgot you were a blood-freak,” he snorted. And that’s a dhampir saying that, yes.
The worker who he’d spoken to before approached. “Aye, good work, there.” Secretively, he handed over a goblin’s pouch to Theodore. With equal furtiveness, the dhampir stashed it away. “Thanks. Good job on living. What’s the name?” The man introduced himself as Greg, and Theodore nodded. He asked about a water source, but apparently there was nothing substantial.

Just in case, he decided to check outside. There, the combat had settled down as well. The adventurer-supervisors were definitely surprised about the amount of monsters that seemed to just zoom in on them – there had been seven pairs total – but money was money. Those with major injuries were being helped up by their fellow workers; they were to be escorted back to the walls, awaiting an elevator up. The corpses, of course, were looted by the survivors.

As all this was going on, Theodore knelt down by a patch of damp grass, and gathered dew between his fingers. With meticulous care, he patted down his face, ensuring that the scratches would at least clean – as clean as he could make do with dew from Abyss. It wasn’t optimal, but it was what it was.

Soon, the supervisors drove them back to work. The intensity of the attack had been a surprise, but also not too out of the ordinary. Theodore noticed the adventurers and the boss had no injuries whatsoever.

Before Theodore returned to work, he observed the adventurers. They went and looted all the monsters’ corpses, even the ones they hadn’t killed themselves. They took any pouches the goblins had hanging from them, and sliced open and removed the liver. They broke off the canines of the wolves for storage, and removed the hearts. They also took the spearheads, but not the spear shafts of the goblin spears. The dhampir memorized the process; these were the valuables from these types of monsters, then.

Once back in the cave, he nodded at the survivors. “Back to it, then, aye? Let’s celebrate surviving by mining the heck outta these damn rocks,” he grinned. Maybe it was weird for him to be so perky, but he’d learned much in this one trip.

“Oh, by the way – if anyone’s ever looking to save on food costs by being able to drink blood, you’ll want to keep me in mind.” He threw that out there, just in case. Couldn’t hurt to have a little advertisement for potential would-be followers.

Revue of Annihilation

Theodore Valentin

//A3 - On Route to the Abyss

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---

Even as some of the adventurers sneered at the workers, Theodore merely smiled faintly as he observed and assessed the would-be pioneers. The most promising ones were the best prepared ones, but to get someone of their ilk under his wing? He’d need something convincing. In a pinch, he could make do with the doe-eyed ones as followers. Unlike his current employer, however, he didn’t want to obtain someone merely to waste them as ‘dead meat’.

First, he’d prefer some experience, even if it was in the form of a mining trip. He noted the jokingly macabre exchanges about goblins and lycans, determined that neither him nor any of his would be killed. However, it did occur to him that these other workers who’d signed up for this might be quite proficient in surviving. After all, minor injury was leagues better than death, dismemberment, being eaten alive, or who knew what else.

Theo’s gaze only briefly lingered on the slaves. It brought back memories, that. The sight was visceral to him in a way that the poverty-stricken homeless of the Underpass – whose suffering he was unfamiliar with – had not been.

Pleading eyes. Pleading for death. For an end to the suffering. Or worse: insensate, lifeless eyes staring unseeingly at nothing – perhaps, already glimpsing the imagined afterworld. Desiccated bodies drained of their blood, of their life essence. A relief of bones etched into paper-thin skin. Living skeletons; mere shells of bodies lingering on the earth, waiting. Waiting to be free, for eternal rest to claim them, and grant them reprieve.

He had given them that. That final, absolute freedom.

Arnfinn had been the only one different. The first one to show him that there could be another way.

But at this very moment, there was nothing indeed to do about those wretches, no way to free them. No saving graces, whether an easy death or a ‘heroic’ saving was in store for the slaves.

Theodore passed them by, not entirely unaffected. A new insight was gained; in Oratorio, those who were too weak could and would be enslaved. A fate worse than death, if you asked him. To be avoided at any and all cost.

Would the Abyss prove that people were the worst monsters? Or would literal beasts, savage and relentless, put things into perspective?

Revue of Annihilation

Theodore Valentin

//O3 - Heading into the Adventurer's District

“Sure thing, boss,” Theodore rolled his eyes. He didn’t care if the man saw it or what he thought; he didn’t think politeness would be paid extra. He went to grab a sack; Maris and Ezra took one each as well. The lack of tools was concerning, but Theodore figured if they needed to ditch and escape, they could do so even from the Abyss.

Sana, Jaxon, and Arnfinn followed along part of the way. While Theo spoke to them, Maris was trying to coax the geared men into chatting with her. Meanwhile, Ezra was sidling up to the workers with that slick, charming smile of his.

“Whatever adventurer’s district we pass through, let’s make it our area of operations for now. You three find whatever jobs would most suit you. Sana, try to stay with Arnfinn if you can.” The woman nodded. “Doc…If you find a clinic, I doubt it’ll be up to your standards, but just deal with it.” There was an unhappy acknowledgement.

The group soon trekked through the Underpass. Theodore did not even once glance at the suffering mass of humanity gathered there. They made it through largely unbothered, as theirs was a fairly sizable group. The Adventurer’s District had a distinctly hopeful atmosphere. This was where all those deluded fools came to chase their dreams.

Well, he was one of them, now.

Theodore’s gaze flicked here and there. Streets were lined with stalls, colorful banner hung all around, and there were establishments a plenty. At first glance, what stood out was a tallish tower. The dhampir decided that would be their meeting area, and related it to others. “Just before sunset, today. If we aren’t all there, those who are will try to find whichever cheap place to stay. Then try again next day; dawn, noon, sunset. Got it?”

With that decided on, three of his followers went off on their own. Theodore could see them staying with each other, before the three were swallowed by the crowd. This left just him and two others, along with all the rest of the people they’d joined up with, of course.

While Maris and Ezra were making nice with whoever was open for conversation, Theodore took his time to get a bearing on their surroundings. He wanted to see if theirs was the only group of their kind, or if going mining to the Abyss was common practice. Were there any who gave them pitying looks, or any who were obviously trying not to look their way? Or were they all too busy with their own lives?

What kind of opportunities were there in the Adventurer’s District? Who was hiring, who was selling what? Unfortunately, there wasn’t any leeway for interaction, but there was much one could learn about a place and its people just by looking.

Revue of Annihilation

Theodore Valentin

//O3 - Entrance area

Theodore looked around in interest as they explored the outer layer of Oratorio. Surprisingly, there were a few job openings here and there. Craftsmen, serving personnel, cleaners. Manual labor. It could be a start. However, he would prefer if any jobs they found were better suited for his folk’s skills. But he saw hide nor hair of anything resembling a pharmacy, arcane providers, or anything of the like. Even if there were no such things on the outer edge, surely, there would be further within?

With that line of thought, Theo was about to lead them all further in, toward the adventurer’s district. Yet, just then, a call resounded from a small paved clearing – a crossroads, of a sort – drawing his attention to the speaker. A leader type, surrounded by three geared adventurers. He promised ‘the usual’; a mining trip to the Abyss. The cut, in Theodore’s opinion, was shit. Only a fifth of each person’s work. Even so, many people gathered. His keen eyes tracked the workers, seeking out any that would be recognized by the leader. He saw Ezra and Maris doing the same; if they were going, the workers who were familiar with the jig were the ones to look out for.

Theodore was certain that the protection offered by the adventurers wasn’t necessarily intended for the workers. Or, if it was, the unarmored, unskilled folk going in still had a high chance of being injured. Theo motioned to the doctor covertly, disregarding the man’s pallidness. “Who’s the most badly injured? The slowest?” he questioned near-silently.

Yeah, he was thinking who to throw under fang and claw if it came to it. Furtively, the doc nodded at a few he thought were in the worst states. Theodore patted him on the shoulder.

Then, he approached the speaker. “Say, mind if there’s a group of us?” Granted, he and his company made for half as many as there were of the other hirelings. However, Theo didn’t intend for all of them to go – provided that the three he was thinking of could find something else. “And do you know of any clinics looking for staff? Mage shops? I’ve three I’d rather leave upside. A doctor, a witch, and her assistant.” Theodore motioned to Jaxon, Sana, and Arnfinn. Calling the child a witch’s assistant may be pushing it, but if possible, Theo would prefer if the cambion and at least one adult remained out of the Abyss – for now.

He knew it was dangerous. A bad idea. A terrible idea. But an irresistible part whispered to him to go. To see how it was for himself, to get a feel…Maybe even to get a hint of what he was being called here for, exactly.