"And like I've already told you, they're the alchemists you're looking for." Liora pointed to Thariel and Sylka, her face exhausted from the cyclical nature of the conversation.

  "I can get you imprisoned for allowing a damphir to work for you," Virelith, finally having a change of dialogue, threatened Liora with a cold gre that the merchant barely reacted to. "Committing a crime of such severity could get you executed in less than a week once you're caught."

  "And will you?" Liora asks, turning to face Thariel and Sylka. "Because if I'm not lying and these two really are the alchemists you have been searching for then you'll take them under your wing in the future."

  "No, they are not." Virelith venomously spat, "substituting your alchemists with these two will only make me angrier and I assure you, I do not want to hold a town hostage for the next two weeks so it's in your best interest that you follow my demands."

  Liora raised an eyebrow and kept her mouth shut, she was feeling tired at this constant back and forth. At the non-answer, Virelith scowled and raised herself off the chair.

  "We can prove it!" Thariel excimed before facing the now silent Sylka, she's been acting like this ever since she learned that the noble in front of them is Virelith. "Right?"

  Sylka numbly nodded, "of course," she responded lightly, "we're more than good enough to prove ourselves as the alchemists responsible for those potions,"

  "See?" Thariel turned back to the viliness, she shriveled when she saw the gre Virelith was shooting her with.

  "Who told you to speak?"

  "I..."

  "Don't disrespect her like that," Liora intervened, "especially if you want her to work with you in the future." She looked at Thariel and nudged her to do something, "antagonizing your future alchemists doesn't sound like a good idea does it?"

  "Stop trying to trick me and hand over the alchemists already!" Virelith raised her voice and stood up before suddenly cooling down and taking a seat, "I'm not gonna py your games so it's in your best interest to be cooperative."

  "You won't believe me will you?" Liora asks in exasperation, "you have a one sided answer in your head and you'll refuse to accept anything that isn't that?"

  Instead of answering, Virelith pced her hand on the hilt of her sword.

  Thariel thought Liora had a point. Virelith is currently one sidedly making decisions despite her own conclusion being far from the truth. In her eyes the two alchemists weren't a Kobold and a Damphir so she's going backwards from there and finding a way to make that into reality.

  Thariel briefly wondered if she botched canon by attacking Virelith back in the forest and after giving it some thought, she felt that may have been the case.

  "Can't we just prove it?" Thariel asks again, trying to persuade the vilinness for the second time and failing.

  "Prove through what?" Virelith gred at her, "making potions won't mean that you're immediately going to be accepted under my banner, not when you're so dangerous." The noble spat, "vampires are bad enough, but a Damphir who awakened her bloodline?"

  Virelith neared her, "you're with a brood."

  "No?" Thariel thought about what she should say in panic, why was Virelith so paranoid and antagonistic towards everything?

  "You think Liora is a thrall?" Thariel guessed, she looked at the merchant and Liora shook her head. A gesture for her to not continue speaking went over Thariel's head and she ignored the warning in favor of getting an answer.

  She waited for Virelith to respond and she got what she wanted, but also the viliness' attention.

  "And isn't she?" The vilinness said, her tone ced with skepticism. "You can't fool me, if vampires move in to an established human town the first thing you all do is enthrall everyone."

  "That's not true," Thariel bit back, "no one in this town is a thrall, otherwise they wouldn't be supporting your war efforts."

  "Oh really?" Virelith smirked, which turned into a scowl moments ter when she realized that Thariel was being serious. She pulled out her sword, "if you think that I'm stupid enough to believe that a single town's support is going to convince me into them being obedient then you're wrong. Vampires don't eat."

  "What? That doesn't make sense-" Thariel's reply got cut short when she had to dodge.

  "I'm done with your games damphir," Virelith said in disgust, "you either lead me to your brood or this entire town is going to get razed, and not a week ter, padins will arrive and finish you all."

  "And what does you knowing the brood's location do exactly?" Sylka scoffed. "You're gonna kill us either way "

  "I'll give you all a swift death," Virelith replied casually, "I am far less cruel than the church, especially when dealing with vampires and other monsters."

  That's not comforting at all!

  Thariel shook her head, "we're willing to work for you," she said in vain, "and even if I do know where the brood is, they'll just move away once I reveal their location since they'll figure it out that I did."

  "So you knew that the one who shot those arrows was a vampire then? You're not part of the brood, you cim?" Virelith smirked like her beliefs had just been confirmed, "and now that it has come to light, you still dare lie to me about your connections to them?"

  "I..." Thariel paused, she didn't know a vampire had been shadowing her. How long has that been the case? She pnned on telling her mother in case she ever revealed the brood to Virelith but that isn't necessary apparently.

  "Can't we just coexist?" Thariel asked, and to her shock, Liora is the one to give her an answer.

  "Vampires are votile." The merchant commented, "and them living with humans can only mean that one side is going to wipe out the other."

  "That's not going to be the case-"

  "It will be," Virelith cut her off, "in all instances of vampire to human coexistence there has never been a time of peace, you all consider us as cattle and we deem you as monsters. You cannot change that."

  Thariel looked at Sylka only for the Kobold to turn away, "I was hoping you'd say something like you're willing to cut yourself from the vampires and work with us instead of them."

  "And I am also willing to take you both under my wing and spare this vilge if that's the case," Virelith leaned closer, "you're idealistic so I know that you'll trust me regardless but as reassurance, I'll give you my word that you and your thrall will be spared right as long as you give me the brood's location."

  Thariel gulped, she didn't know where the brood is but she did know someone who did.

  "Give me time." She replied, "two days, by tomorrow I'll come back here and give you an answer."

  Virelith pulled herself away, "I'll be waiting."