Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Vax was leaving the Temple after sunrise prayers when a palace guard approached with a missive. Sovereign Uriel was having a dinner party tomorrow in honor of establishing trade with the city of Whitestone. Delegates from every major Noble, Military or Religious house in Emon was expected to attend. Vax had been selected to represent the Temple of the Dawnfather. Why him? Sure he could be charming when he needed to be but there were plenty more socially capable Clerics and Paladins better suited to an event like this. He turned back into the Temple to talk to the Head Cleric.

He found Drogon taking a box of offerings left through the night to the safe room. An older Dwarven male with a graying beard down to his waist he wore gold and silver robes that represented this station and made him look shorter and wider than he was. He had become a father figure of sorts to himself and his twin, Vex'ahlia. Vax sped up. Drogon may be short but he was quick.

"Do you need help with that?"

Drogon yelped in surprise.

"Vax'ildan! I swear you get quieter by the day. Yes, if you don't mind taking these staffs. Getting things down here is easier when I'm not top heavy."

He took the walking staffs Drogon had wedged into the crook of his arm and followed the man into the room. Putting things away and making doubly sure the safe was closed Vax handed him the missive.

"Do you know anything about this?"

"Oh good. They caught up with you! You can be a hard man to find."

"YOU sent them to me. For a formal dinner?"

"Why not? You're more then capable of handling yourself. I know you don't like these high society affairs and I was going to send your sister but Seeker Asum also requested a meeting with you specifically and I thought "Why send two'."

"Seeker Asum? What for?"

"Didn't really say. Something about help looking into why some of the guest are here. They have suspicions. They asked that you go to the castle early. They'll be waiting for you in the courtyard."

"And what exactly am I supposed to wear to this? I don't have formal wear. At least nothing appropriate and the dinner is tomorrow!"

Drogon rolled his eyes at this point. "Everyone from Emon that will be in attendance knows you're a Paladin of the Dawnfather. Wear your dress armor."

It was Vax's turn to roll his eyes. His dress armor consisted of a thin breast plate and pauldrons that would do well in covering the fact that the shirt would be underneath utilitarian at best. He had refused the lower body armor as it was impossible to move in it without scratching the metal. It was also obnoxiously shiny unlike his regular, actually protective leather armor. But, he thought, he wasn't going to intimidate people. His job there was quite the opposite.

"Fine. For the good of keeping relations I'll go. But I won't be happy about it!"

Drogon smiled placatingly. "It's nice that you think you had a say. Go dig out that armor and get it shined up. Good day, Vax'ildan."

"Good day."

He left the safe room and went straight for the Temple living quarters. Bypassing his room he knocked on his sister's door. It was gloomy day with rain on the horizon. She most definitely went back to her room after prayers. To his surprise she answered the door. She usually called through the door for him to come in when she heard his knock. She poked her head out the door to glance up and down the hall like she was making sure he hadn't been followed pulling him into the room.

"Well, hello to you to, Stubby. Since when do you answer my knock?" She put a hand over his mouth as he spoke, shushing him.

"Since Trinket followed me back here yesterday. He wouldn't leave so I had to sneak him in or the guards would have hurt him." She whispered.

"He what?!" He whispered back. Turning to face the room he spied a patch of brown fur on the other side of the bed. Moving slow, he stepped further in and yep, there was Trinket. A brown bear cub Vex had more of less adopted after finding it alone and starving about six months ago that was supposed to stay in the woods just outside to the city. He was blessedly still asleep.

"How are you getting him out of here?"

"I don't think I am. He listens well and I've been teaching him some tricks. I think he would make a good security or companion animal."

He looked at her. The intent, serious expression told him everything he needed to know. "I have no chance of talking you out of this, do I?"

"None."

"Good luck convincing Drogon. Listen, has there been any talk in the kitchens about the dinner at the castle tomorrow?" Vex spent quite a bit of time in and around the Temple kitchens and it's servants. Her job as lead hunter provided the meat and wild berries for most of their meals, including what the temple served the poor. It was her favorite way to serve the Dawnfather. It also gave her a chance to keep up with court gossip. Servants heard everything.

"Nothing out of the ordinary. Though no one seems to know much about the guests of honor. Lord and Lady Briarwood sort of showed up in Whitestone five years ago, made friends with the Noble family there then took over control of the city when the family died of some terrible illness. It's odd though. The previous family, the De Rolos, kept to themselves. Mostly dealt with towns near them. All I can think is the Briarwoods want to expand trade to get to know their new country better. They're from Wildemount."

"Hm. I don't know if you've noticed but most of the people who come to Tal'Dorai from other continents to stay are usually running from something. Wonder what happened to bring them so far from home."

"Well if that's the case the "something" would've happened years ago and it's none of our business." She glanced at Trinket, still asleep, and motioned for the door. "Can we go to your room? He was up most of the night he should be out for a while."

They slipped out. Vex locked her door behind her and they moved in sync to his room. As they walked he quickly filled her on the invitation and Seeker Asums request. "Do you think it's anything to worry about or are they being their usual suspicious self?"

"Hard to say. If you want we can get our old Message earrings out and I can find a reason to be near the castle? Granted it will be crawling with guards but the Temple has pull. Do you need help putting together an outfit?"

At this point she had flopped onto his bed like it was hers. Her question made him smile as he opened the trunk at the foot of the bed. He silently pulled out several items. The dress armor, a small box containing their Message earrings and his best clothes. The look on her face turned scandalized at the state of it all. Except the box of course. Enchanted earrings cost way too much to be careless with. She ironed the clothes while he polished the armor. They worked in silence partially out of simple companionship, partially keeping an ear out for Trinket. Her room may be 4 doors down but they had Elven hearing and she was on alert. They heard him rummaging around near noon.

The rest of the day and a good chunk of the next went by as normal. Outside of watching Vex argue and somehow win keeping a bear. She was far too persuasive and charming for her own good. Maybe it was a good thing she wasn't going to the dinner. She'd probably charm some rich fool into giving her her own forest instead of just permission to hunt in one.

Drogon had cleared his schedule for the afternoon and evening so he had time to wash, dress, have his appearance approved of by Vex and get to the meeting with Asum. Vex had brushed and tied back his long black hair in a low ponytail. The Message earring was worked into the leather thonging holding it back. As a Paladin piercings were generally discouraged as they could be ripped out in a fight which was the only reason he had taken it out right before taking his Oath. Vex had arranged to visit a friend in the Cloudtop so she would be mere minutes from the castle.

He threw a plain black but voluminous cloak over his shoulders and made his way to the castle trying to draw as little attention as possible. Thankfully the sun was setting so he stuck to the shadows. It was unusual for the Sovereign to have a formal dinner or any sort of government event this late but Whitestone was far north and the guests of honor weren't even in town yet. They were apparently arriving by horse drawn coach which he thought odd given their rank. A Teleportation of some kind would have been more effective. But, he reasoned to himself, not everyone was comfortable with magical travel.

Entering the Cloudtop was as simple as flashing his Holy Symbol. The castle, on the other hand, required his handing over the missive along with his name to the guards. A few moments to check the guest list (he saw a note by his name) and they let him with a nod. He knew where he needed to be so he crossed the main hall quickly, acknowledging the stray servant with a smile, and quietly entered a small, windowless room just off the ballroom. Asum was waiting. No surprises there. He knew the Seeker well enough to guess why they wanted this meeting after what Vex had told him. He didn't bother with formality.

"Two strangers from Wildemount taking over a prominent Northern city on little notice then making deals here 5 years later seem odd to you to?"

Asum smirked. "Glad to see you did some digging. Yes, their entire time in Tal'Dorai has been shrouded in mystery. What I do know is the paperwork to put Whitestone in their care was filed months before the De Rolos passing. Since trade talks started I've sent people out there to look into things and all have either quit or simple never came back. I've sent 2 men to Wildemount itself to see if they can find any papers or stories of the Briarwoods life there but that will take time we don't have. I'm asking for your help in a physical investigation while they're here. I'll be coming to dinner late after checking some things on my own. I need you to be my eyes and ears at dinner. You're sharp, Vax'ildan. You see, hear and sense things others can't. You're also about as subtle and stealthy as I am even if your current armor isn't helping with that."

Vax chose to ignore the last part of that sentence. "Thank you and of course I'll help. Will we be meeting back here?"

"No, I'll come to the Temple tomorrow to debrief. Now we should get out front to greet our guests."

They exited the small room to a candlelit hall. The sun had fully set as they talked. Walking quickly they separated at the castle doors to find a place among crowd lining the steps. Castle residents and Nobles to the right. Everyone else, like Vax, to the left. The wait was just long enough that people were getting restless when a coach pulled up. The valet, a nervous looking young man, quickly stepped around to open the door and free a set of short steps before jumping aside. Then out stepped a tall, handsome man with black and grey hair and neat goatee. He was very muscular, his well cut suit almost straining at the seams across his shoulders. He was also extremely pale. He glanced quickly at the crowd before turning to offer his hand to the woman in the coach doorway. She was beautiful (was everyone in Wildemount good looking?) with auburn hair piled up in a high bun. Her dress matched his in color, a dark blue, and had a high collar that seemed too almost force you to look at her sharp features. They both wore dark red sashes. Interesting. They were both human. But he was so damn pale. Something about it made Vax want tap into one of his favorite abilities as a Paladin. When the couple passed and everyone made their way back up the steps Vax carefully placed himself near enough to where they were talking to the Sovereign. Pretending to adjust the chain on his Holy Symbol he called upon Divine Sense. The acrid scent of Undead nearly knocked him off his feet. It didn't take a genius to tell where it was coming from either. The only real question was was it both of them or just one. There was no way he was sitting through dinner without figuring out what kind of Undead the Sovereign was making deals with. He let himself fade into the back of the crowd before pulling the cloak he was still wearing tighter around him to conceal the armor and following the valet and castle servants as they took the Briarwoods luggage upstairs. Asum would just have to deal with the not knowing what said at dinner.

Chapter Text

He followed the short parade of servants and guards up to the castle guest rooms. They seem to have bought quite a bit with them. How long were they planning to stay? He watched from the shadows as a door was unlocked and the servants, some of whom the Briarwoods brought with them, entered to prepare the room. A guard positioned himself outside. Keeping still he waited as they all slowly left the room over about twenty minutes. Luck seemed to be on his side as a maid stopped to flirt with the guard. Vax recognized her and remembered she scared easy so he decided to try a diversion. Undoing his snakeskin and leather belt he rubbed his thumb over the snake head buckle and set it on the floor. It came alive as an actual snake and slithered out of the shadows. He heard before he saw the maid spot it. Her shriek echoed through the hall.

"Kill it! Kill it!" She shouted as she pushed the guard in front of her. The guard lunged foward but Simon was faster. Sliding down the hall with the foolish guard in pursuit. The screaming maid slowly followed. As soon as the door was clear Vax moved. Hopefully the maid didn't lock the door behind her. Click. The handle turned easily and he slipped silently inside. If he had the timing right dinner should just be starting. If no other servants came back he had time for a thorough search.

The desk and armoire held nothing unusual outside of a fresh stack of the Briarwoods personal stationary. The nightstands, under the bed, the luggage staff had tucked into a corner. All clear. He bent to check the trunk at the foot of the bed and noted it was locked. Not that that was a problem for him. Sliding the lockpicks he always had on him, that Drogon didn't know about, out of his pocket he made quick work of the simple lock. Digging through the extra sheets and pillows he found a box with more intense lock. If fact, judging by the sigil around it, it should have been magically locked. It wasn't though. Today seemed to be his lucky day. Inside was a book on Necromancy. That definitely proved that one of them was Undead and the other was keeping them that way. Suddenly the door opened behind him. He barely managed to close the trunk and stand up before watching Lord and Lady Briarwood enter their room. They both looked at him curiously.

"Good evening and Apologies. I'm with the city guard. I was sent to check nothing nefarious was brought in without your knowledge." His armor was covered. Hopefully they'll buy it.

Lady Briarwood replied, "Yes, I believe I saw you on the steps coming inside."

Vax nodded as his mind raced to think of a way out. They were standing in front of the door. There was a large window a few steps to his right. If he could get close enough to see the ground he could Misty Step out.

"What is it you do that requires searching a guests room without their consent?"

"You weren't informed? I'll let my superior know and again I apologize. There isn't really a name for what I do. I'm security in a sense." He eased toward the window. "I'm almost done just hav.." He saw Lady Briarwood quickly raise her hand in grasping motion then his entire body locked up. Shit. She walked toward him and pulled his cloak aside, revealing the Dawnfather symbol on the chest plate. Extra shit.

"Ah yes, that makes sense. Sylas, love, come look."

Lord Briarwood approached. A cold smile grew as he took in the symbol. He put a arm around Vax's immobile form as he spoke. "A soldier of the Dawnfather, of course. We seem to need a longer conversation since the temple should know Whitestone's history. Let's get comfortable, shall we. Although I could use a snack. There wasn't much for me at dinner without causing a stir. Now, don't worry. You look delicious."

Vax spent this whole exchange fighting the spell and only had about three seconds to realize what was said before fangs pierced the side of his neck. That's what broke the spell. Or did Lady Briarwood drop it? All he knew was he could move again. He wasted no time, pulling away from the larger man's grip and running towards the window. He wasn't thinking clearly enough to cast and instead simply jumped through the glass. He barely had the foresight to cover his face.

He hit the ground harder than intended. A castle guard saw him fall and ran to his aid. Not before Lady Briarwood appeared at his side in a swirl of purple Arcane energy. Vax tossed a dagger at her but his vision was blurry so she easily avoided it. Raising her hand in a grasping motion again the guard froze. Shit. He forced himself to his feet as Lord Briarwood jumped as well and landed lightly at her side. Sunlight yellow energy burst from Vax as he cast his own Misty Step to move away from them. Reappearing near a corner he pumped some healing magic into himself as others converged, following the noise. The bite marks on his neck burned from the Divine energy he was using.

Reaching for the hair tie he felt the metal of the earring. He thought of Vex, the metal growing warm, then quickly spoke. "He's a Vampire. East side of the castle. Hurry " he then zeroed in on Lord Briarwood with Hunter's Mark. He had together closer if he wanted to hit him. The guards were trying but most of them had no useful magic in this situation and both Briarwoods seem to easily dodge most strikes.

Vex's voice cane through his head. "Fucking Seriously?! I'll be right there."

He watched two guards fall as he got in fighting range. A whispered prayer and subtle glow told him Divine Smite took hold before throwing his other two daggers at the Vampire. He cast Haste on himself on himself as one hit and just caught a twitch of pain on it's face. Good. Dodging a spell now that he was much faster he ran to help the fallen. He pulled his shield around to protect himself and the man who looked like he was barely breathing. Trusting more help was near Vax used the last of his Lay on Hands on the man. Another flash in his peripheral vision as the Necromancer shot another spell at him. His shield partially absorbed it but the rest angled off into his leg. The sear of Necrotic energy sent him to the knees.

He looked back at the two and cast Bane in an attempt to give the guards a boost but he felt the magic fizzle. The Vampire ran towards him, his own dagger in its hands.
He avoided the swipe of the blade but took a punch to face. Falling back he felt a spike of cold at his neck. Something else Necrotic. Fuck, they needed help.

He looked up at the Vampire, intending to try to kick it back from the guard, when the tides turned. He watched three very familiar arrows hit it. It yelled in pain as two disappeared in a puff of fading magic but another hit as they did. Vex must of Marked it too. The scent of Holy Oil filled the air around him. He jumped to his feet and grabbed for his dagger. He wasn't strong but it was distracted. It got more distracted by the scream behind them as the Necromancer took a crossbow bolt to the side. Crossbow? Vax glanced up to see Asum leaning out the broken window, loading another. Next to them was Lady Allura Vysuron. She was casting something.

The dagger dropped from it's hand as it ran back to it's wife. Snatching it up Vax ran/limped to where he knew the other one he threw at the Vampire had landed. As he moved a large burst of Allura's bright blue magic wrapped around the Necromancer, slightly fading to a semi-transparant cage. He heard Allura yell from the window.

"She can't attack now! Focus on him!"

It didn't take long to subdue the Vampire after that. It was overwhelmed without it's wife's magic backing it up. A Cleric joined in, her Guiding Bolt a beacon for those without Darkvision. Weapons hit, Divine magic and Smite chipping away at it, the Necromancer screaming while trying to magic herself out of the cage. Either Allura was more powerful or watching her husband fall was shaking her. Suddenly the Vampire disappeared into a cloud of mist.

"That's it!" The Cleric yelled while swirling her hands in a ball shape, her Everlight medallion glowing, "Who has Daylight? End it!

Yellow/white light sparked to life in her hands. She threw it at the mist, forming a beam of sunlight between her palm and it. Lady Allura did the same a second later. The mist form seemed to explode then disappear. The Necromancer screamed it's name again before passing out.

Everything got quiet. For a few moments the only sounds we're heavy breathing, the metallic chink of the guards armor and the opening of Healing potions. The Cleric, a white haired, Gnome woman, ran to the fallen to help with her own Healing magic. The adrenaline rush of the fight and his Haste spell faded and he almost passed out himself. Arms caught as the scent of bear and leather hit his nose. Vex. He sagged into her shoulder.

"Vax! What the fuck?! How'd you find out?"

"He bite me." He slurred out as she pushed a Cure Wounds into him. The warmth of her magic was like a favorite blanket enveloping him. He could hear orders being shouted down and just barely saw a manacled body being carried away.

"He what?! Cleric! My brother was bitten by that thing!"

The woman barely glanced up from the guard she was bandaging up. "That's above my Divine paygrade. You need an Arch Cleric. You're Temple should have one. The sooner, the better."

"Vax'ildan! Vex'ahlia, is he alright?" Lady Allura called down.

"Uh, I'm not sure. He's alive and talking but I need to get him back to the Temple to check the BLOODY VAMPIRE BITE."

"I'll Send to Drogon to expect you."

Asum called down too, more anger then concern. "I'll be speaking with him tomorrow to discuss what happened here."

Vex steered him toward home. He could have walked on his own but the protective arm around him was grounding. He didn't feel like anything was happening to him because of the bite. However his knowledge of Vampires outside of how to kill them was limited. Maybe one didn't feel different right away. In the back of his mind, a slight worry formed on if he just stirred up something nasty politically. As they turned the final corner to the Temple grounds he saw Drogon at the entry with one of the High Priests. Drogon looked beside himself as he ran foward to meet them.

"Dear boy, I'm sorry! I would never have sent you if I thought for a moment you would be in danger."

"It's alright, Drogon," He said as firmly as he could. "I took a chance and put myself where I shouldn't have been. Asum is rightfully furious, I'm sure."

"At that Vampire, not you! Allura said in her message that the Sovereign had been Charmed at dinner. It tipped them off that something wasn't right and as her and Asum were going to the guest rooms to question them they heard the window break." Drogon said all this in a flustered state as the Priest assessed his neck.

The Priest spoke calmly. "It's not deep and I don't see any telltale coloring around edges to suggest the curse taking hold. Usually the Vampire would have to, uh," He paused in disgust, "drink or the bite would have to render you unconscious for any potential to be turned. I have an alcolyte bringing the proper components to heal this. She should be here soon."

"Why do I feel so tired?" This bone deep fatigue wasn't right. Even with the Haste fade he should be more sensible.

"You had a lot of Necrotic energy thrown at you. Minor Healing spells and potions don't fix the full damage that does. A more powerful spell and a good night sleep. I know it's an old cliché but you will feel better in the morning."

A girl in Alcolyte robes appeared quietly at the Priests side. Taking the components he made quick work of the more complex spell. Vax felt the skin and sinew heal up with another burning sear. He did still feel like the fifth circle of hell but he followed orders and took himself directly to bed. Vex helped him get our of his armor. Small shards of glass cluttered to the floor. It reminded him of his expected debrief tomorrow. Well, he thought as he crawled under the covers, at least the night was more eventful then he had expected.