Chapter Text
Not everything is as it seems. Do not trust what your eyes say to you, because they are the greatest liars of them all.
It was a gloomy evening in Beast-Yeast, though the sun had long since set and stars shone like crystals amongst the navy blue of the sky. No clouds shielded Earthbread from the full moon’s pristine white rays, reflected from the sun on the other side of the world that the Witches had so carefully crafted. It was a fairly peaceful night despite the faint fog that coiled and danced around the path, though the breezeless trees not stirring and the silence of the air created a kind of sweet lie that was like fatal poison in a decadent cake.
Pure Vanilla Cookie and Dark Cacao Cookie treaded long upon the well-worn dirt path, only their breath and the occasional chatter breaking the silence. Dark Cacao was a vampire hunter and king, whilst Pure Vanilla had stepped down from his position not too long ago to become a healer and pass the title on to a relative. One of the most renowned healers, yes, but his new title that he traded for was fairly modest compared to Dark Cacao’s. The healer had been accompanying him on this journey for this particularly important adventure, which required his magic if things went south. They’ve known each other for a good while now through meeting in the past from kingdom affairs, but excursions like these were what allowed them to grow ever closer to each other.
Occasionally, Pure Vanilla did some hunting as well. More out of a “end their suffering so they don't have to hurt anymore” instead of Dark Cacao’s “to stop them from hurting my citizens,” but he did like going out with him. Especially so he had an excuse to fuss if he got hurt, which meant he could so graciously heal him and hear the other’s groans of “tis but a scratch.”
Tonight, though, wasn’t exactly as “casual” as it normally was. Dark Cacao Cookie’s kingdom as well as Pure Vanilla Cookie himself have been terrorized by a particularly dangerous vampire and their followers as of late–one of the five Beast Vampires, the infamous Vampire Lord Shadow Milk Cookie. The beasts were turned into vampires long ago, and managed to get large followings for being some of the first, gaining a mouthful of a title each. They all ended up growing very, very powerful, and now they were the most well known and renowned vampires in all of Crispia and Beast-Yeast. And now, Dark Cacao’s had enough. So of course, he decided to put a stop to the torment, his resolve fueling him on this mission.
Pure Vanilla Cookie softly sighed as the two marched along, his long hair trailing him. He held up his map of the area, squinting around at all the trees through the foreboding mist to hopefully figure out where they were at. He frowned before looking up once more, glancing to Dark Cacao Cookie with a tired squint.
“It says there’ll be an old inn around here, but I haven’t seen any light.” He murmured, his eyes a bit heavy from the long day full of walking.
“I’m sure it’s just up ahead,” the other replied, offering a small amount of reassurance. His voice was gruff yet a tad uncharacteristically soft, often a result of talking to Pure Vanilla Cookie at all. He always had a sort of odd affection towards him. “Though, I don’t know why someone would put an inn smack in the middle of a forest practically crawling with vampires. I feel watched everywhere I turn.”
Pure Vanilla slowly nodded in agreement. “Yes… but perhaps it is to help prevent travellers from being turned if they need to go through here. Going around this big of a forest isn’t entirely favorable, and some people just can’t. You know, like us.”
“I suppose you are correct. That damned Beast lives much further within the thicket, weaving lies like knitting clothes to wear as a disguise. A wolf in sheep’s clothing.”
“Do you blame the wolf for feeding its starving stomach?” Pure Vanilla Cookie mumbled, a light frown tugging on his soft lips.
“Oh, don't give me that,” Dark Cacao Cookie groaned. “I do not, and you know that. But Shadow Milk Cookie is a Beast. He knows what he is doing. He is a manipulator. And he will manipulate you.”
“He can’t possibly win me over,” Pure Vanilla replied, a bit of a grimace crossing his face. And to be honest, he felt… worried. This wasn’t a regular vampire, or even a pack of them. This was a vampire lord. If Dark Cacao went down, and he couldn’t heal him in time… then he’d be sucked dry. Perhaps then, he would be staked too, and his life should end twice in an hour. “But perhaps, we should’ve had some other vampire hunters join us, no?”
“That would have been a wise choice,” Dark Cacao admitted with a grimace, already regretting his mistakes. “But I am a strong warrior. And we have garlic, don’t we?”
Pure Vanilla slowly nodded, reaching around to open his satchel. He flipped it open and started digging through, his steps growing slower. “Oh, yes, I did pack some, I am sure. But there is no jar in here…” he mumbled, growing more and more nervous as his fingers touched no bound cloth or smooth glass. His stomach began to twist with crashing waves of guilt and fear as he quickly realized how irresponsible he’d been. His pastel eyes widened with horror as he looked up to the other.
“You don’t have it, it seems.” Murmured Dark Cacao, though his voice held no bite. He was… oddly understanding when it came to Pure Vanilla. “You trust in my skills, correct? The garlic is merely a precaution. Yes, this is a dangerous mission, but we’ll be alright. There are other ways to ward off vampires.”
The healer sighed and slowly nodded, still feeling quite ashamed. Perhaps there’d be garlic and supplies to purchase at the old inn they were going to as well. But he couldn’t help but feel… anxious. “Thank you for reassuring me.”
“No need,” he replied. He was about to continue, when suddenly, a snap of a twig split through the silence of the forest around them. He spun around with his lantern, drawing his sword like a wolf baring teeth as soon as you touched it. He narrowed his violet eyes and shoved the former king behind him as he searched the darkness for wherever the noise came from.
After a few moments of silence and no movement, Pure Vanilla spoke up. “Maybe it was just an anim-“
“Well, well, well! Two lone hunters who lost their way…” cut off Pure Vanilla with a loud, dramatic voice, floating through the darkness like music. Out from it came a hooded cookie, dressed in simple traveler’s clothes, with a wide, open lipped grin on his face. Much to Pure Vanilla and Dark Cacao’s relief, his canine teeth were rounded and small enough to be normal. His face was angularly shaped yet had soft features, and while his dough was blue, it was smooth with no particular marks or scarring.
“Who are you? Tell us your name and state your purpose.” Dark Cacao articulated, still having his sword drawn strong before him. Its silvery blade practically glowed under the moonlight.
“No need to be so tense, my friend!” He exclaimed with theatric vigor, strolling up to the two hunters with open arms. “My name is Blueberry Milk Cookie. A pleasure to meet you two, yes! The old inn isn’t too far from here, but you’re a bit turned around. No recent maps I’ve seen have gotten it quite right… so every night, I go on a little stroll to find any stragglers who are trying to get there.”
“…Seems friendly enough.” Pure Vanilla murmured to the other hunter, before slowly stepping forward to hold out a hand. He held his staff in the other, glowing like a beacon. He gave a gentle smile, his trepidation dissolving away. “Greetings, friend. My name is Pure Vanilla Cookie, and I am a Healer. This is Dark Cacao Cookie, my dear friend.”
Dark Cacao Cookie only half-hummed half-grumbled in reply, reluctantly lowering his sword. His eyes remained glaring, but his shoulders slowly relaxed.
“My, oh my! So I’m speaking to royalty here! And one of the best vampire hunters in all the land.” Shadow Milk Cookie exclaimed, suddenly bowing deep. He looked up with the same, wide smile, his mismatched eyes gleaming with an odd sort of excitement. Though, as he gazed upon Pure Vanilla’s smile, he could feel a sort of… slight fondness. He took the healer’s hand and gave it a gentle shake. “Please, allow me to humbly escort you both to the inn. It would be my finest pleasure, your majesties.”
Pure Vanilla Cookie softly chuckled, his voice like the very rays of sun that burned the undead away. “Well, I’m not a royal anymore. I’m a humble healer now, but I take pride in my work. And I appreciate your offer, I think that would be lovely.”
“…Fine, we shall go with you, Blueberry Milk. But we will not be staying in that inn for longer than necessary. We will be gone by sunrise.” Added Dark Cacao Cookie, sheathing away his shining blade.
“Of course, of course! I completely understand. If it’s not much trouble nor too personal, may I ask what you two are doing out so far in Beast-Yeast?” Shadow Milk asked, turning around to start walking down the path. He turned his head to make sure the other two were following, waving them along.
“We are here to find and defeat Shadow Milk Cookie, the vampire lord.” The vampire hunter grumbled, falling in step behind the innkeeper.
“The vampire lord?” He asked incredulously, his eyes widening with faux shock. “Why, that’s quite a dangerous task. Are you sure you’ll be able to do it on your own? While I’m not questioning the power of a mighty king and healer, I’d like to… offer my services.”
“And what use will you have for us?” Dark Cacao remarked, raising an eyebrow. He softly grunted as Pure Vanilla lightly smacked his shoulder, allotting a deep frown.
“I think that will be lovely.” The healer smiled a bit wider now, before looking back up beyond the path. A dark shadow appeared in the distance, though part of it was revealed to be a building with a bright lantern above the sign. He squinted his eyes as he gazed upon the flash of golden light, its glow spreading wide like a star in the night. “Is that the inn? I’m sorry, the light is bright…”
“Oh, no need to apologize,” Shadow Milk interjected. “And yes, it is. My talents of vampire hunting are rather exceptional, I’d say, and I’ve been hunting the vampires around my inn for the last ten years. Never bitten once!”
Soon, the three approached the inn, and Shadow Milk walked inside. He held the door for the two, his grin becoming almost unnatural when they weren’t looking.
The inn itself was small and quite cozy, with warm lanterns hung about. Behind the bar stood the innkeeper’s apprentice, cleaning a glass with a soft rag. He looked up with a smile, seeming happy to find the only two customers in the entire inn. Among the tables and chairs was a short, green faerie cookie flitting around with a broom in her hands. She looked up and squealed, darting over to the newcomers.
“Master Blueberry Milk Cookie!” Candy Apple Cookie exclaimed, smiling joyfully. “You’ve returned! And with customers!”
Shadow Milk smiled, gently reaching over to give her a pat on the head. “Why yes, I have. I found these two stumbling along the wrong path looking for here.” He then walked further in, turning around to his patrons. “These are my two employees. Grape Merchant Cookie is a bartender in training, and Apple Faerie Cookie is my lovely janitor. She decided to leave the Faerie Kingdom to explore the world, and ended up here for the time being.”
“It’s wonderful to meet you all!” Pure Vanilla exclaimed, clapping his hands together with a bright smile. However, Dark Cacao did not seem as happy, but he did slowly begin to relax more at the innocence displayed by the three who kept the inn.
“There seems to be no other customers, I see. Isn’t that… rather suspicious?” He asked, walking through the tavern with an observing eye.
“Oh, most customers don’t come in the middle of the week. Besides, there’s a storm coming tomorrow, so that erases practically all patrons.” Black Sapphire Cookie answered, his disguise impenetrable to even the king’s prying eyes. “But that also means each room is empty. 150 coins a night, if that’s not too much for you.”
“Oh, no worries. Thank you kindly.” Pure Vanilla chirped, shuffling to the counter. He counted out the shimmering gold and placed the handful on the countertop, each coin clinking against the polished wood.
“Splendid! Now, unless you’d like to purchase something from the bar, I shall take you to your room. It’s the largest one we have, perfect for a king and his healer…” Shadow Milk began, now heading for the stairs.
Dark Cacao shook his head and followed close behind, his footsteps thudding intimidatingly against the old wood steps. “No need. We have no interest, and we have our own rations for tomorrow.”
The hunter and the healer followed him up the stairs, reaching the end of the wide hall. The door itself was of a dark mahogany, and its knob was a sparkling silver sheen. The inside of the room was quite spacious, with a single, large bed in the center. It was dimly lit by lanterns, and there was a blue rug at the foot of the bed with a storage chest. Deep blue curtains draped the windows, shut closed to hide the darkness outside.
“U-uh, there’s only one bed…” Pure Vanilla inquired, turning back to the innkeeper. Much to his surprise, the door was shut, and his footsteps grew quiet as he hurried down the stairs. “Huh. Well, I suppose I can sleep on the floor.”
“Nonsense,” proclaimed Dark Cacao Cookie, who already set down his supplies and began taking off his layers. He left himself in his loose pants and white linen shirt, gently sitting down on the mattress. “You will sleep comfortably. While inconvenient, this bed is big enough for the both of us. It is not a burden for you to lay beside me.”
The healer’s blue and yellow eyes softened, and he set down his things as well. He pulled off his cloak and set his staff to the side, leaning it against the wall by Dark Cacao’s blade. He shuffled over to the other side and laid on the very edge, only half of the blanket covering him.
“Stubborn little healer,” the king muttered, rolling his eyes. He laid down beside him and yanked him fully onto the bed, throwing his share of the blanket over him. This elicited a yelp, to which he rolled his eyes. “Relax, or I’ll start feeling weird too.”
“A-alright, I’m sorry, my friend…” he sheepishly mumbled, sinking into the mattress as he forced himself to chill out. He could feel the warmth from Dark Cacao’s broad frame, and it didn’t help the warmth of his cheeks. He always got like this when being even slightly ‘intimate’ with the king at all, despite being incredibly close friends. He glanced over to the other, who already closed his eyes, feeling a light urge to move closer. He immediately stamped out the feeling, gritting his teeth as he squeezed his eyes shut.
And finally, with a bit of time, the two of them fell into a deep slumber. An air of comfortable silence fell upon the hunter and the healer, swirling around them like the fog outside among the trees.