Chapter 325

The return to the inn was peaceful, though their dwarf escort was quick to point out opportunities to see more if they had the silver, but even he grew quiet when he realized that his 'audience' had more or less turned their thoughts inward.

The stone surrounded them like a grave, and the wind swept over their bodies and chilled them like the same for a fair bit of walking before the many caverns broke the gale up into nothing but a light breeze.

The inn itself was a functional, square building with steps carved into the side of itself, like the rest of the buildings under the mountain, the building was carved out of the stone therein, and so was rooted to the spot.

The glowstones were starting to wink out by then, and the busy streets they once saw were now almost empty. Though a few of the white furred quagoa and a handful of dwarves were still out in the open, the only real noise they heard when they reached the building came from nearby taverns.

"Just out of curiosity," Momon asked when they were about to enter the building, "why are the taverns kept apart from the inns, in Re-Estize, and elsewhere, the inns usually have dual purposes."

"Oh, thas how we keep monopolies from happening. No one place can do too much, keeps em from drivin everybody else outta business doncha know. If we let the innkeepers serve food and drinks, not many would go to the places that only do food and drinks. No business can do so much that they destroy all the rest. It keeps our prices a little higher maybe, but it means more work goes around overall, an if that cuts the burden on the state since they don't have to support folk with no work… so much the better, amiright?" The guide said and, despite the fact that Momon's hand was already on the door, the dwarf reached out and opened it anyway.

They were immediately greeted by a blast of warmth that stopped the party dead, "Heatstones. There's one on every floor to keep guests comfortable." The guide explained and led them to the front desk. "Got a few more for ye Broki," he jerked his thumb over his shoulder at the adventurers, "set em up nice, big spenders."

The dwarf behind the desk might as well have been a twin, with a fire red beard and a twinkle of greed in his eye. "Aye course, c'mon folks I got a room for each of yah."

"Is that necessary, we don't mind sharing some space." Momon suggested, and the innkeeper chuckled.

"I guess if you want, two to a room, well… three." He said, and before they could ask, he was out the door and leading them up the stairs embedded into the outer wall of the structure. "Here for you two." He handed a single key to the twins, "You want another key, that costs extra."

"It's fine, evil innkeeper." They said as Tia accepted the key, he smirked when they disappeared within.

He ascended to another level, handed a key to Lupu and said, "This for you and the big one."

Lupu grinned and snatched up the key, she held it aloft where Gagaran could see it and said, "C'mon roomie, -su, we'll get settled in before we go drinking!"

Gagaran's grin was almost as wide as her face. "You read my mind." She said as they entered the room.

The innkeeper ascended one more floor, "Now, this'n here as got a bed big enough for you two and your daughter, here. The stone is right thick, lotsa privacy, but maybe send the wee one down to one of the others as a sitter, eh? There's no privacy 'inside' the room." He gestured to the masked Evileye. "Also, there's still only one key still, less you pay extra, but if you do, don't let your little girl wander around, we not far from the gorge and she might fall in if she gets too close."

"Ah… I'm not their daughter." Evileye gasped, "I'm an adult."

The dwarf rubbed his fiery beard and looked her up and down, "You sure? I thought human children were about our size an you-"

"I'm an adult!" Evileye snapped and stomped her foot.

"Not convincin…" He muttered.

"Don't mind our daughter." Momon said, "We shall take the room."

Evileye's mouth dropped open at Momon's words, but he only accepted the key, opened the door, and went in with a blushing Evileye and Lakyus following on his heels." The innkeeper left them alone, and the little vampire slumped with a defeated sigh.

"Short girl problems…" She muttered.

"It was easier to simply go with it." Momon said, "You and Lakyus may take one bed, I will take the other."

Lakyus's blush began to fade, and for once she envied Evileye her mask. "For a moment I wondered about your intentions, Momon." She said with a little sly laugh, "I've heard of what happens between male and female adventurers who journey together… sometimes they reach distant destinations with more people than they started with."

Evileye's red face deepened behind her mask at Lakyus's attempt at humor, and to his credit, Momon chose to laugh at it despite the blonde priestess's awkward delivery.

"I suppose that is why you formed an all female party?" Momon asked, and Lakyus looked him up and down as he sat himself on the bed and rested his arms on his knees.

"Part of it. Women and men in dire situations… things happen, passions run hot… the Greed Kings supposedly destroyed each other fighting over the one woman in their number. So… generally, we avoid mixing too much. Adventurers… we run more independently, they're harder to control, and things can get out of hand with people like that." Lakyus explained, and when she sat on the bed nearby she said, "I am surprised you and Lupu never had anything happen between each other."

"She is more like a little sister than anything else." Momon explained with a shake of his head, "Nothing like that would ever happen with her."

"So… no plans to settle down, you're one of the Great Lords of Re-Estize, don't you intend to marry, establish a dynasty, anything like that?" Lakyus teased him, and Momon smirked, while Evileye sat silent, a rush of gratitude came over her for her sister's innocent questions which often plagued Evileye's own mind.

"I have met court ladies… they lack fire, passion… I wouldn't choose to marry someone with whom I had so little in common." Momon answered, "No more than you would, I assume."

Lakyus chuckled, "You've looked into me, have you?" She asked.

"Of course, if we are to work together, we should know something of one another, you're the child of a noble house, joined the priesthood and abandoned marriage talks to become an adventurer. Settling down into a life with a dull lord whose biggest adventure is watching a hound tear a fox to pieces, it doesn't suit you."

"No, no, it doesn't." Lakyus replied and flopped herself backward on the bed, and when Evileye sat beside her, she without thinking, reached up to pat the short woman's back.

"But the priesthood alone would have given me an exemption for marriage if I wanted it. I chose to adventure because… when I was a girl, I was touring our holdings when I saw a group of adventurers for the first time. They were quite a band, at least in my young mind… they'd just killed a vampire… it was plaguing our lands, it had killed several of our young women and it was trying to use those women's undead bodies as minions to turn young men… a death spiral was the goal… to turn a whole village… adventurers protected my people. Not the priests, not soldiers, not even my father. Adventurers… I saw one of the survivors they rescued from the vampire's lair… hollow eyed, hopeless, body streaked with blood… I knew two things then. I wanted to be an adventurer, to do what they did… and that the undead had to be destroyed."

"I see. But what of undead that are not evil?" Momon asked, and Lakyus shot straight up and stared at him with almost disbelieving eyes.

"That can't be real. Skeletons and zombies are like natural disasters… brainless destroyers. The smarter undead, liches, vampires, they harbor hatred for the living… they're like animals that have gone rabid and have to be put down."

Evileye felt the stroking of her back, which had been a comfort… and ceased to lean into it, as it transformed in her mind into a dagger in her flesh.

"Liches… I know what you speak of, but intelligent undead do not have to be so compelled. I have heard stories of undead living openly in the Kingdom of Nazarick. They work, live normal… if more nocturnal, lives, and accept only what is given willingly." Momon said, and Lakyus looked down at the floor.

"I'd have to see that to believe it, but even so, they're predators, the God of Water demanded their destruction in every story that I know. Landfall, one of the greatest villains of old, destroyed so many lives before she was brought down… when I was little and started chasing hero stories, I often imagined myself as one of the heroes on the quest to finally slay her… driving a sword into her heart and saving the people. A good vampire?" She snorted, "Naive, at best they'll play the part, and then when the chance comes?" Lakyus drew a finger across her throat, "You're just food… that's what we are to them, just food… and who loves their food as they would a mate, sibling, or friend?"

Evileye felt her heart tearing apart in her breast throughout Lakyus's rebuttal, and hearing her beloved sister blast the twisted story of Landfall… calling her, knowing or not, a predatory animal… it clawed and raked at Keeno's spirit, in the past, it was dismissable. 'She doesn't know, that makes it okay… if she knew, she wouldn't really think that…' The excuse ran through her mind again, but Lupu's taunts wormed their way into Evileye's mind, and when her excuses for Lakyus came up again, Lupu's voice rang in Evileye's mind.

'If she wouldn't really think that if she knew, then you'd have already told her.'

Evileye sprang from the bed so that she was standing straight up, whirled on her sister, and screamed, "Shut up! You don't know anything! I do! I do! I do love you! I love you all! Stop saying that stuff! Just stop it! Please just stop it!" She screamed at Lakyus through choked sobs, grabbed her mask, and flung it at the wall so hard that it shattered into fragments before falling to her knees and covering her face in her hands. "Stop… it's too cruel… just stop saying those things… I can't take it anymore…"