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59. An Uncertain Future
🕑 Added 2022-03-18 19:38:06 +0000 UTCEarly signs of rain hung in the air, and morning mist swirled through the streets of Blackthorn as dark clouds that formed from the mountains loomed in the distance, casting an ominous sign for today's weather.
Damien stood upon crudely crafted stone stairs in front of the Mayor's house with a frown, looking down at the street that closely resembled a marsh with murky puddles filled with overgrown weeds after an early morning rain shower.
Damien heard some creaking noises and noticed many of the residents utilising the rickety walkways overhead instead of subjecting themselves to the filth of the streets below. The occasional brave or potentially foolish resident with leather boots could be seen wading through the muck with experienced movements, much to Damien's disgust.
Leon still looked like a corpse but was up and moving with the help of an ordinary wooden cane, unlike Damien's magic staff turned cane that was far too fancy. He joined the overly dressed vampire on the steps and followed his gaze, and sneered, "Finding the filth of Blackthorn to your liking Duke?" Leon said with a sarcastic undertone as he pointed towards wooden pipes embedded into the side of the street, "Don't worry, the filthy water is drained through a network of pipes towards the farms surrounding the town or to people's homes, the street will return to its former glory in no time-"
Damien's voice cut off Leon's ramblings, "Leon." Damien turned his head to look at the man, "I already know about Blackthorn's intricate water handling; instead, tell me about the coming caravan."
Leon froze, shock evident on his face as he leaned on his cane for support and let out an awkward cough, "The Duke is very well informed, it seems; ahem, how could I have forgotten to mention it?"
"Cut the crap, Leon; it would be unfortunate if I had to replace you so soon..." Damien flipped a runic metal card in his hand like a switchblade, "especially since you are the last one remaining, finding competent people is such a chore."
Leon gulped and thought back to last night's incident, "So Mike didn't escape, what a shame," shaking his head in apparent sadness and drumming his cane on the stone steps like a grumpy old man despite his lack of grey hairs.
Damien stood in silence, enjoying the chilling morning breeze as it whipped his hair around and gave Leon a chance to answer.
Leon stared at the sun hiding behind clouds with a dazed expression. Then, after a while, he leaned against the doorframe with a sigh, "I wish I could see her again... every time I close my eyes, I see my mother's face and memories, but they don't feel real. Just fleeting thoughts of a long distant past." He looked at Damien and saw no change in his emotion, just that same cold facade. Leon clenched his teeth in anger, "I know this is the result of those vines; they have corrupted me. I despise working for others, especially a vampire, but I will work for you on one condition."
Damien lightly chuckled and didn't even avert his gaze to Leon, "You seemed confused human; I do not need to accept any conditions. You are already my slave."
Leon looked down at this hand; he knew what he wanted, no, what he needed. The sap those vines produced allowed him to visit his happy past and forget the atrocities he had committed that haunted him every night. He thought he didn't care for his life anymore but now knew he needed revenge; seeing his mother's face and knowing how she died, a tear streamed down his face. Leon hung his head low and mumbled, "Please, I need to revisit that place in my memories; I do not wish to forget her anymore."
Damien finally gave the man some attention and looked him up and down while contemplating, "You would be willing to serve me? A Vampire? All for a little dose of Angel Tears?"
Leon looked at the murky streets with cloudy eyes and questioned his decision but couldn't help but ask, "Wait, what are Angel Tears?"
Damien grinned, "A fitting name, don't you think? It's a drug that lets you see your loved ones, again something only an angel could achieve. I might even start a cult around it, but that's a work in progress. But that's beside the point, Leon; I will be honest with you, man to man."
Leon felt an invisible force on his chin, forcing his gaze to meet Damien's imposing form.
Damiens cold eyes looked at him, "I need a competent subordinate to run the show here and luckily for you, Mayor Leon, you are my primary candidate for the job! Do you need some Angel Tears? I don't mind turning a blind eye if you skim a little off the top, so long as I receive my regular payment and you do a fine job running the place, it's a win-win in my books."
Damien placed his gloved hand just above Leon's shoulder, not touching him, but the gesture's meaning was still conveyed, "Who said working under me would be a terrible thing? We all have our personal battles, and your reasons for resorting to crime are unknown to me. But so long as you perform your expected duties so I can sit back and relax, then they are of no concern to me."
Leon seemed unconvinced, "So you aren't going to dispose of me?"
Damien moved his arm, and a dangerous glint passed through his eye, "I am as ruthless as I am kind. If you are loyal and complete your job to my expected standard, we will get along just fine, betray me or slack off," Damien tapped his cane against the stone steps, "Then you can join your mother in the ground."
Leon flinched away at his harsh words, "Y-you actually think I'm competent?"
Damien half ignored him as he focused on tapping a small communication stone he had retrieved from his pocket, "You competent? Certainly not, but compared to these people?" Damien gestured with his arms spread wide to the rest of the town, "You are one of the few educated nobles around these parts and have already run this town for a while, right?"
Leon nodded.
Damien lowered his hands and looked at the ominous clouds above, "See? Are you the perfect man for the job? Absolutely not. You are a slave-trading criminal that planned to sell out his people to the incoming caravan, right?" Damien chuckled at his joke while shifting his view back to Leon, "But that's fine; I'm not looking for the perfect candidate but one that can run things while turning a blind eye to my activities. Now tell me about the caravan, Mayor."
Leon had a sour expression on his now aged face, "No need to refer to me as Mayor; I'm merely your puppet on an imaginary throne, right?"
Damien nodded with a grin, "That you are, now spit it out. I hate wasting my time like this, especially on such a miserable day."
Leon sighed as he swapped the cane to his other hand, "Where to even begin..." rubbing his chin in thought, "Well, about a year ago, I made a deal with an old friend from Staedbergh. Actually, calling him a friend wouldn't be the correct word, more an acquaintance with similar interests."
Leon then traced his cane on the stone steps as if drawing out a map, "Staedbergh is one of the smaller cities within Oshal, my acquaintance goes by the name of Prince Kieran, but he's just a stuck up son of a small baron family, much like myself."
Taking a moment to sort through his terrible memories of the past, "Anyway, I digress; the deal I struck with Kieran is relatively simple." Leon looked around and lowered his voice, "Myself and a few other baron children, such as Mike, who I assume you have disposed of, were tasked with rounding up the northerners to this town. We picked this location because it was the final village before the Capital. Kieran would then bring a small personal army, and we would transport these villagers back to Staedbergh to become slaves or cannon fodder in the upcoming war."
While deep in thought, Damien rubbed the red gemstone on his cane, 'I can't seem to recall any event similar to this in the game or any mention of such an event occurring. Yet the town was still here with people once the game started. Did the residents win? Maybe the caravan never arrived as intended?' Damien looked at the menacing clouds in the sky and believed they were a forewarning of events to come. 'Should I abandon this town? What if a dragon comes and kills everything. No, don't be ridiculous. Darn, if only I had competent subordinates to gather information for me. I need to start developing this town for my needs as soon as possible.'
As the water began rippling along the street's surface, Damien awoke from his thoughts, "Ah, we shall continue this conversation another time; my ride has arrived."
A black carriage turned the street corner and arrived before Damien; he contacted his disciples and Fay with telepathy, "Think on my offer Leon and let me know by the end of the day, I don't have time to waste on you." Damien remarked as he descended the steps.
Walter tried to leave the car and open the door for Damien.
But Damien stopped him as the car door opened with a flick of his wrist. Damien climbed inside with a significant step, making sure to miss the filth of the street below and lounged on the comfortable seat.
Fay appeared first with dark bags under her eyes due to last night's antics; she gave Leon a cold stare as she walked by. Thar showed up a second later, his owl creature on his shoulder looking around curiously and Varn following closely behind. They followed Fay into the car with little difficulty.
Water began spewing from the car's wheels as it pulled away from the Mayor's house towards the central square of Blackthorn, splashing the homes and wandering residents with muddy water in its wake.
