Tristan
October 15, 1786, Realm Timeline, Bratislava, The Slovakian Protectorate
Hat in hand, Tristan walked behind the Emperor, waiting for Joseph the Second to say something. He had recounted everything that happened during the escape two days prior and since, asking to be relieved of his duty as an Imperial Guard.
"Are the powers she bestowed on you strong?"
"Yes, Your Majesty, but I was ordered to keep them secret."
"How does it feel to be a thrall?"
"I'm a Minion now, Your Majesty. I leveled up. I don't feel any difference. They have strange concepts about what a Vampire should be. For them, I'm supposed to be weaker during the day or even be burnt by the sun."
"So you don't get burnt by the sun?"
"No. And what's more important, I can enter churches. I went to the Mass this morning. I... almost asked for a confession, but... maybe it's better to keep everything secret for now."
"Don't worry, son. I can always ask the archbishop for an indulgence," Joseph said.
"You can? That would be kind of you, sire."
"It's the least I can do. So, it appears being a Vampire is not so bad after all. Maybe I was wrong not to refuse her offer," the Emperor giggled.
"She would have used you for their political goals, Your Majesty. "I fear she would have even—pardon my insolence—made her way into your bed."
"That must've been their plan from the start."
"I believe Outworlders have a distorted view of beauty," Tristan snorted.
"She's skinny, isn't she?" the Emperor laughed, and Tristan joined in. "You have my blessing, Tristan. I trust you not to work against the Empire."
"She promised me she'd never ask anything like that."
"And you say she won't accompany her husband to Vienna?"
"The Countess changed her mind. I believe it's because he has a lover," he creased his nose. For Tristan, once married, one stayed faithful to one's spouse and never divorced. The sermon that morning had been exactly about that. In his heart, he pitied Eliza.
Your Humanity stat is now 19. Mind Stats debuff is reduced by 1 point.
Hey, what do you know? Going to church helped.
The Emperor patted Tristan's back, leaning closer to him. "Now, if something of interest appears while you accompany the Countess to... what was it again?"
"Orientation, my liege."
"Orientation, you will write me, right?"
"The Countess ordered me to show her any letter before I send it," Tristan sulked.
"I would have done the same. Do your best to serve the Countess, but be careful, Tristan. Outworlders are... strange."
"Indeed, my lord."
"Tell me... Did she also order you not to speak with other people at—"
"She ordered me not to mention my powers; that was all— Oh, Bleep! I beg your forgiveness, Your Highness. I interrupted you!" Tristan shouted, his knees mollified.
The Emperor waved his hand, then wrapped his arm around Tristan's shoulder, whispering in his ear. "That means that if you go into a tavern, at times, and tell someone about what you find, and they write me, it's... how do they say it? Aw, kee-eh?" the man put a bit of emphasis on the foreign words.
"Oh, kay, my liege. So I won't spy directly, but report to a spy?"
"Yes. There are inns called The Black Eagle in all important cities. If you have important information, go to one of them and ask for a beer as dark as the inn's name. Somebody will take that information and bring it to me."
"What if she figures it out?"
"Blame it on me," the Emperor said, fondling Tristan's shoulder, facing him. "Look, son. They are not omnipotent; they're just humans with dangerous knowledge. It would be helpful to have a... err... heads up."
"Very well, Your Majesty," Tristan said.
"Try to find out more about their history. They come from the future of a twin Realm. That would help us a lot."
"I'll try, Your Majesty. They're very scarce with information. The Countess only told me that the French Revolution was supposed to happen later, and the tyrant was called Napoleon, instead of Lafa—"
"Shush!" the emperor blurted, squeezing Tristan's shoulder. The man's eyes were wide open. "And this... Napoleon... Do you know who exactly he is?"
"Only he's still a kid, and he'll be a general."
"So it's the French Revolution as well," the Emperor said in a low voice, releasing his grip. "Walk with me, and I'll tell you a story. You are not allowed to share it with anyone."
"Y-yes, milord."
The Emperor stepped briskly toward the rear of the Town Hall's courtyard. There were a couple of Outworlder guards at the entrance, but Tristan didn't feel any Mana coming from them.
"The guards are Nulls," Tristan whispered. "They can't hear us."
"Good," the Emperor said, sitting on a bench, his head lowered. "I didn't know about the French... It... makes sense..." the Emperor used an Outworlder expression again.
The Outworlders' manner of speech is spreading... That, in Tristan's opinion, was good. It sped things up. During the war, a scout reported suspicious movement in their rear. Their colonel said: 'The argument carries such force of reason as to commend itself immediately to the understanding.' Before the phrase was finished, the enemy had attacked their provision train, looting everything.
"When we got word the Outworlders were low on ammo, we counterattacked," the Emperor said, and Tristan realized he was telling him a story about the war. He had missed the first part, but it sounded like old news.
"And we won!" Tristan exclaimed emphatically.
"If you call losing half of Hungary, Transylvania, Croatia, Slovenia, Hungary, Bohemia, Slovakia, and the Duchy of Krakow a victory, then yes, we won," the Emperor sneered.
"But they sued for peace, Your Majesty," Tristan argued.
"You know the Kingling?" Joseph the Second said abruptly.
"The Rebel? Who doesn’t?"
"In their Realm, he was a nobody. He came to plead with me on behalf of the Vlachs, his people. The Transylvanian nobles were treating them worse than animals. My other self dismissed him. The nobles were against reforms. Like here, again. Then, that Kingling mounted a revolt, which was crushed, and he was executed."
"The other Emperor was not as wise as Your Majesty," Tristan said.
The emperor shook his head. "We're similar. We want to reform things, but the resistance from the nobles is too strong. Three years ago, about this time of the year, we were about to take Prague. Then, a faction called the Reneades went to the Kingling and told him what was in store for him. I suspect they also helped with guns and taught them terror tactics."
"And history changed," Tristan said, feeling a shiver down his spine. "They created a monster."
"My other self and I created him because we didn't have the spine to resist the nobles. My generals begged me to push to Prague and then deal with the Rebellion. I decided otherwise. I had a… gut feeling," the Emperor creased his nose when using the Outworlder expression. "I sent all our forces to Hungary, and we still lost."
"May I ask something, Your Majesty?"
"Of course, my boy. Ask."
"If by God's will, we win against the Kingling, will Your Majesty wage war against the Outworlders again?" Tristan asked, worried about what he would do if his former and current masters fought against each other.
"Lol," the emperor snorted. "No, son, we can't fight the Outworlders anymore. That train had sailed."
It's 'That ship had sailed, Your Majesty,' Tristan thought, but kept it for himself.
"Back then, the population was against them. They were scared, and the Outworlders looked crazy. Now? We'd had to fight against everybody. Even the local nobility is with them. They confiscated their lands, and they still remain loyal to their new masters."
"Go figure," Tristan said seriously.
"Exactly. Beatsme why. The commoners, I understand. Even the Bohemian peasants have become wealthy, but the nobility? See if you can find out why, Tristan. Maybe they bewitched them."
"I'll try my best, sire."
"Do that. You're excused. I'll go prepare; I have to attend a party. Tomorrow, I'll spend my time with my wife, and after tomorrow, I'll have to return to Vienna. Godspeed."
"Thank you, Your Majesty." Why is His Majesty informing me of his private schedule? Maybe he doesn't have true friends…
Tristan bowed deeply. He felt a pat on his back, then Hoseph the Second went away, and he straightened up. Waiting patiently until the Emperor entered the building, he exited the garden through the gate leading to the main street. The Outworlder guards gave him a short military salute, to which he reluctantly answered, uncertain of the protocol.
"Whatever," he whispered to himself, heading to a nearby inn, a place built in the old fashion, where he had rented a room and a place in the stables for the stallion. It was still early, and he was free until the next morning, when Sam had summoned both him and Eliza for a training session. The Countess had given him a bit of pocket money, and food was cheaper in the Protectorates than in Austria.
Sausages, sourkraut, and some beer later, he leaned his back against the wall, summoning his Menu. Eliza had forbidden him to allocate any Attribute Points without her knowledge, but had not locked his access. It was time to push the envelope a bit.
Name: Tristan von Melk
Age: 22
Class: Vampire Minion. Advance to level 20 to become a Minion Champion and be able to turn others.
Level: 11
Body
Strength: 20
Dexterity: 26
Constitution: 20
Agility: 27
Endurance: 29
Speed: 20
Mind
Intelligence: 12 (-1)
Wisdom: 9 (-1)
Perception: 16 (-1)
Knowledge: 7 (-1)
Focus: 9 (-1)
Willpower: 24 (-1)
Spirit
Arcane Power: 10
Blood Potency: 10
Mana Affinity: 10
Mana Capacity: 10
Soul Resonance: 19
*Humanity: 19
* This stat is an insurance against abusing your powers. It will inflict various debuffs if it goes below 20, increasing the debuffs exponentially if you go lower than 10.
You have 29 Attribute Points to invest
Skills:
Passives:
System Interface / Universal Translator / Night Vision.
Combat:
Vampiric Touch / Kill Streak / Mana Bleed / Nocturnal
Debuff: -1 in Mind Stats.
Focusing on Nocturnal, Tristan expanded the description because it was something new.
Maybe I got it automatically while doing that night bounty? Whatever…
Nocturnal: Your stats receive a 5% bonus at Night if you're in combat.
Not bad… Now… let's get serious. Mistress Eliza won't notice ONE point, will she?
Focusing, he pushed a point into Humanity, bringing it to twenty. The reward was instant.
Mind stats debuff canceled.
Intelligence: 13
Wisdom: 10
Perception: 17
Knowledge: 8
Focus: 10
Willpower: 25
Nice… I deserve a treat… "Another beer!" Tristan raised his hand toward the innkeeper.
The second beer was followed by a third and a fourth. Tristan's body reacted differently to alcohol than before. He knew instinctively he could drink four without side effects. Before getting the System, the limit was two.
Tristan stopped after the fifth, enjoying the sweet sensation of being slightly inebriated, but not too much. He lit a cigar, gifted to him by the bandit, Little John, for wounding the constable and his general performance at the castle.
Gradually, the regular patrons, coming for a drink and a bite, were replaced by rowdier characters. Sailors and soldiers of fortune, the first handling the boats going up and down the Danube, the latter guarding them from bandits, but not being much better themselves.
The heck is that?
A magical presence was approaching, radiating Mana like a beacon. The tavern door opened, and a girl's head peeked around before she stepped in. It was the Vlach serf girl, the witch. She tiptoed inside, approaching the counter.
"Do you have some milk?" she whispered, putting a thaler on the counter.
That was the most glaring example of inviting trouble, and Tristan instantly saw the scene playing in his head. A sailor or a soldier, or more, picking on the girl with a bad joke and sexual advances, maybe even putting their hands on her. The innkeeper or his wife trying to stop them, maybe getting slapped or sworn at. Tristan stepping in. A general brawl.
"Are you stupid, girl?" he yelled, slamming his hand on the table. Everyone froze. "Do you have any brain in that tiny head of yours, going out alone on the streets, at this hour?"
"B-but it's for my child," she stuttered. "She's hungry. Everything else is closed."
"So what? She'll survive one night without milk; she won't survive without her mother. What if something happens to you? Now you've ruined my night! I'm obliged to escort you home."
"Hey, give the kid some slack!" a sailor yelled. "Do you have children? I don't think so. You don't know how it is when a baby cries of hunger."
"Wait a second. Why should we trust you to get her home safely?" a soldier interjected. "Who are you in the first place?"
"No, no, it's fine, I know him!" the girl blurted. "He's an Imperial Guard."
"My name is Tristan von Melk," Tristan said. "I'm here with His Majesty; he's in town for private business."
The soldier's attitude relaxed, and so did the general attitude. The idea of picking on the girl had been transformed into empathizing with her. Since the mercenaries knew the girl was in safe hands, everyone minded their business.
Intelligence +2/ Perception + 1/ Wisdom + 1/ Humanity: +1
XP earned.
A bar appeared, showing a lot of green and just a bit of red. He was about to break into level 12.
"Bathilde," the innkeeper yelled, "do we have any milk?"
"I've heard her. Give me a minute," the innkeeper's wife shouted back from the kitchen.
Tristan puffed his cigar faster. He disliked wasting such a good thing. Five minutes later, they exited the inn, the girl carrying a bottle.
"Go away. I'll be fine," she sneered as soon as they were alone.
He shrugged, throwing down the remaining but and crushing it under his boot. She walked fast, hoping to get rid of him, but he followed nevertheless.
"You're staying at the Guild?" he asked when she stopped in front of a side door, opening it with a small key.
"Penny hired me to take care of the house," she said, without looking at him. "Don't try to follow me inside, or I'll scream, and Sam will cut your head."
Judging from the dark windows, there was nobody inside. Sam and Penny were probably at the same party the Emperor was.
"Abusing some stupid child with a child of her own was never my intention," Tristan snorted, turning on his heels. The door slammed behind him, and he could hear the locks going back on.