Chapter 191: What’s in the bag?
Vespertine crouched down on the other side of the chest, his hands on either side of the chest, but from the back. Cass, now that he didn’t have his foot of the chest, realised that it was...not bad looking?
In a creepy, slightly melted way? Like it was made with fine metals, but it had clearly seen better days and might have been melted? Cass didn’t know how that could happen, but the only other option was that someone had put this kind of box here intentionally.
Cass didn’t know what to say, or even think. Did the demons go that far when making these dungeons? He didn’t really know how that worked, and honestly? He didn’t really care. Fuck those guys for the last room.
Cass put his hands on the chest, glancing around to make sure that Lady Ava was asleep and that he could still hear the others fighting, before he exhaled. Then, he turned his attention to the lid. He flicked up the little, almost mocking lock socket before he attempted to open the chest.
He expected it to be heavy, but it was actually rather light. He had only wanted to open it a little bit, but because his expectation and the reality of the situation was different, the chest flew open. Vespertine’s chest was hit with the chest lid, but he didn’t seem to mind as both men couldn’t help themselves and their eyes zoomed in on the content of the box.
Coins, currency, a few gems that looked dark and would probably be pretty when cut and then...a small velvet pouch. Cass stared at it, uncomprehending, a sense of dread filling him as he stared at that little bag. It wasn’t a cloak. He knew that much. The whole chest had been filled to the brim when they had gotten the chest, plus, it had been a reward for defeating the big boss of the dungeon.
So Cass was in uncharted territory right now.
"Let’s close it." Cass said and Vespertine nodded.
"Hey, at least we will be surprised when we open the bag." Vespertine said with a boyish, infectious grin. "And congrats. You can open any of the chests in any dungeon now! Look at you!" Vespertine closed the lid of the chest before reaching out and patting Cass on the shoulder enthusiastically. "This means that we can quietly take a load off of Fiona’s back! She knows, right?" Vespertine was overflowing with excitement and happiness, while Cass couldn’t help the sinking feeling that was filling him.
This felt...he wasn’t sure exactly, but he didn’t feel good. This felt...planned? He was severely worried that something might happen to Fiona, because that was the only conclusion he could come up with. Why was he also a hero, when Fiona already existed?
Were the gods going to throw her away? Were they using ’change the ending’ as an excuse? Maybe that just showed how much Cass didn’t trust the gods, but fuck, he had this sinking feeling fill him as soon as the chest opened.
It was a solidification of the fact that the mark on his shoulder had a real world consequence. It wasn’t just some strange mark. It held weight. It felt like a new weight had been added to his shoulders.
"That is a good thing." Cass said quietly, clearly not mimicking Vespertine’s excitement. Vespertine’s expression didn’t change, but he caught on to the fact that Cass wasn’t exactly excited.
"Is it? You sound...like the world is ending." Vespertine said and Cass felt his lips turn up in a bitter smile.
"No. The world isn’t ending, Vespertine. I’ll make sure of that." Cass’ voice was full of twisted humour, a stabbing pain in his gut. That was the whole reason he was here, in this damn dungeon, experiencing everything he was experiencing. To make sure this world didn’t end.
Vespertine watched him, quiet, observant. He let go of the chest, coming around and giving Cass a hug. It was a surprise to Cass, but he didn’t fight it. He did need some comfort right now, and so what if it was from a damn vampire? If the man wasn’t such a sleezeball, Cass might get along with him.
Or a religious zealot, but honestly, that was Lady Ava’s avenue, not Vespertine’s.
Cass tried not to think too much about how warm Vespertine’s arms were, nor how comfortable they made him feel. It wasn’t like being hugged by Lucian, who practically smothered him with his chest whenever he hugged him. With Vespertine, it felt like he was hugging another person.
Cass hadn’t thought about it much, but Vespertine was warm. All the lore that he knew said that vampires were undead, but if in this world they considered undead to only be zombies, what did that make vampires? Why was Vespertine warm? Were they classified as a persecuted species or...were they demons?
The book in his bag felt like it was calling his name, and he knew that at some point, when all of this craziness was done for the day, he might sneak off to his tent and do some reading.
"Whatever the gods decided was your task, Cass, just know that I’m here for you. So is everyone else. That’s the whole reason for the hero party, even if you’re keeping it a secret from some of them." Vespertine’s words filled the air and Cass exhaled slowly.
Yeah, Vespertine was probably right. Too bad Cass had a hard time trusting what he was saying due to everything that had happened so far.
Cass pushed him away after that, needing to focus on his task at hand.
"Thanks. Now, let’s keep an eye on the chest. Do you want to sit on it while you make sure Lady Ava is okay? That way I have some freedom to do some roaming and make sure that my spell is working?" Vespertine nodded at Cass’ words, turning to sit on the chest without another question.
"That I can do. Anything else you need?" He asked as Cass felt another bead of sweat form and roll down his back. Cass looked around, his gaze lingering on Lady Ava.
"No. That’s all I can think of right now." Cass told him and Vespertine nodded.
"I’m going to have a little drink while we’re waiting. Do you want one?" He asked Cass and Cass hesitated for a minute before he nodded. It would probably be a good thing for him to do. Vespertine smiled as he showed off his own little side bag, considerably smaller than the one that Lord Blackburn made, and pulled out a bottle that looked familiar.
It was the wine bottle that Vespertine used to hold his...wine. He then pulled out two glasses. More likes rocks glasses instead of the goblets that he usually used for this purpose. He quietly whispered something to the bottle and the cork popped out before he poured a red liquid with some herbs floating in it into a rocks glass and handed it over to Cass. Cass took the glass, sniffing the contents.
It smelled like how he remembered, not like blood at all. Cass could feel Vespertine watching him, and Cass glanced up. Vespertine’s gaze was narrowed, but this time it didn’t feel malicious. He just appeared to be curious.
"I wonder why this doesn’t hurt you." Vespertine pondered out loud and Cass scoffed.
"You and me both." He murmured before he took a large sip of the liquid. It ran down his throat easily, smoothly, and Cass wouldn’t lie and say that he didn’t feel better once he had done that. He shuddered slightly, and Vespertine chuckled, taking a large sip of his own.
"It never gets easier." He told him and Cass froze. Never got easier? What did that mean? That made Cass think of a bunch of possibilities.
Had...Had Vespertine not always been a vampire? Did he say that to Cass already and he’d forgotten, or was this a new revelation? Holy shit, the implications of that statement. If what he thought was true, that Vespertine hadn’t always been a vampire, that meant...he’d been turned.
He’d been made a vampire. Cass had to force himself to concentrate on the spells he was casting so that he didn’t drop them. Holy shit. What benefit would that have for the temple? Was it the temple that changed him? If it wasn’t, how was he allowed to live? And if it was....
Cass felt a shiver run down his spine. He was getting curious now, but he couldn’t let it show. Hell, this wasn’t the place to be having this kind of conversation. Cass couldn’t prod right now, he’d have to hold this in. Damn it.
Cass turned slightly, angling his body so that he could see both Lady Ava and Vespertine.
"Never?" He asked, trying to sound casual and Vespertine’s blue eyes, his handsome face held something deeper, something Cass wasn’t able to place.
"No. Never. There’s a reason I prefer drinking this way then the other, more traditional way. It’s more potent, but..." Vespertine trailed off, swallowing thickly. "Anyway, don’t be afraid to ask. I have a few local suppliers now. The people who donate are paid well." He told Cass, like he was defending his actions.
Cass couldn’t exactly say that he wasn’t judging him for it. He would worry about whether or not the people donating blood for this were getting well paid.
"Do the same donours come by?" Cass asked and Vespertine nodded.
"They are limited to once a week. We have three groups that come in three times a week." Vespertine told him and Cass was impressed.
"I assume magic is used to keep it fresh?" Cass asked and Vespertine nodded. It was slightly strange to discuss this while the two of them drank from cups pretending that they weren’t drinking another person’s life blood.
"Of course. It’s something that I found in our archives. Works wonders, doesn’t it? It’s the reason why I’ve been able to go to less parties, create less rumours of infidelity." He said, his smile turning bitter. Cass didn’t know what to say.
"I’m sorry that it’s impacting you so much, Vespertine." Cass told him and Vespertine tensed.
"It’s...fine. It’ll have to be fine. Fiona and I have...had some conversations about it. Some have devolved into shouting matches, but I think I’ve worked through the worst of it. I can’t...hate her. I don’t think I ever could. Doesn’t mean that it feels good to know that I wasn’t enough." Cass winced.
He might not know what that felt like romantically, but he certainly knew what that feeling felt like. He’d felt it. Once as Cass, and probably more than once as Lord Blackburn.
"No. It doesn’t feel good." Cass agreed, his hand tightening around the glass. The sounds of fighting were getting quieter, and Cass was surprised by how quickly it was happening. Or maybe not. They were able to move without worrying about Cass, Vespertine or Lady Ava. They could just be the strong freaks that they were.
Good for them. He hoped they had...fun? However fun this could be? He couldn’t imagine that anyone was having fun, except Lucian.
He was a bit more of a freak then everyone else, and that was fine. Vespertine’s chuckle filled the air, but neither of them spoke more on it. They just finished their drinks in silence while Cass kept up the barrier with relative ease.