Atum led his new employees through the building. He was more familiar with the twists and turns, so he seemed to walk with more purpose than Meena and Rotan.

  “Where are we going Sir?” asked Rotan who had difficulty keeping up with Atum though his stride was longer.

  “Call me Atum or Boss,” corrected Atum, “I just need to confirm with admin that you guys have joined, and then we can take on our first case. You guys should remember the different people we meet, having a network takes half the load off us.”

  “Who are we meeting now then?” asked Meena.

  “Mrs. Milton. Call her ma’am. Lovely person. She’ll be our main point of contact most of the time for general admin things. Always stay on her good side.”

  Meena nodded. Rotan looked a little flustered but managed to straighten his tie. After another minute, they were back in the busier section of the building. Atum exchanged a few greetings with other employees but focused on getting them to their destination.

  Finally, they reached a door which had the words ‘Administration’ labeled on it. Atum paused and then knocked twice on the door. A voice told them to come in and so they did.

  Inside was an office space much larger than Atum’s. This was only one of many admin spaces and it was difficult to tell exactly what each one’s exact function was. 16 people sat at desks inside, all extremely busy. It was difficult to know who even welcomed them in. Atum knew who he was looking for though and strode towards a desk in the corner.

  Sitting at the desk was a plump human woman. She was dark skinned with short dark hair tightly curled to her head. The presence of a few grey hairs and some wrinkles on her forehead showed she was slightly older and perhaps stressed. Yet none of that appeared when she raised her brown eyes to meet Atum’s and also take in his companions. She smiled warmly at them.

  “These must be our newest employees. I’m so glad to meet you both!” she said warmly, like an auntie from the neighbourhood. “I suppose I can confirm your joining then. Though normally your department head is supposed to send the appropriate form.” Her last statement was very pointedly directed at Atum. Meena and Rotan nodded while glancing at Atum.

  He smiled, “Yes, but I thought we’d get a head start with them. I’m taking them out on a case.”

  “Already?” Mrs. Milton hesitated, clearly wanting to say more on this. “I’m not surprised. But I hope you’re choosing an appropriate situation for their first time.”

  “I was thinking the vampire case. In Brixmane?” Atum responded.

  Mrs. Milton nodded, placated. Clearly, she agreed this could be handled by Meena and Rotan.

  “Can we know what exactly it is we supposed to be handling?” Meena asked, slightly irritated.

  Whoops. Need to better at this. I’m not working alone anymore. Keep them in the loop. Atum silently chastised himself and then answered Meena.

  “Sorry, that’s my bad. I’ll get you up to date now.” He turned to Mrs. Milton. “We’ll be heading out now. Can you do the needful?”

  “Yes, go ahead. Meena, Rotan.” She addressed the two freshers directly. They belatedly realize that they hadn’t actually introduced themselves, meaning she must handle quite a lot about their department if she already knew them. “We should have a proper introduction later. You and I will be working together for quite a lot from now on.” She smiled gently. “I think both of you will be fine, but if you have worries, please voice them. The more I know, the more I can help you. It was the same for this…person over here” She gestures to Atum.

  Atum pointed to himself questioningly, “Who? Me? I was perfect. I’m pretty sure your work load decreased!”

  Mrs. Milton didn’t dignify him with a response and just waved them away.

  “Ok, time to brief you on today’s tasks.” Atum said. The three of them had left the admin office and were moving to exit building. They were walking at a slightly relaxed pace so that Atum could comfortably speak.

  “Long story short, we’re dealing with a vampire.”

  Meena let out a groan.

  “Not a fan, Meena?” asked Atum. “Didn’t know you were a racist.” He smiled to show he was joking but then looked ahead with a thoughtful expression, “Wait, species-ist?”

  “I’m neither. But I’ve had to deal with them a lot.” Meena responded. “My home used to be harassed by a lot of groups because they wanted the land. Their go to method was to basically try and make our living situation unbearable. During the day, it was wardens and other “official” people, but at night they sent thugs. And who better to use than the night rats.”

  Night rats was common derogatory slang for vampires, particularly the ones at the bottom of the vampire hierarchy. Atum was familiar with it and understood her distaste for them, but he still needed to maintain decorum, especially on the job.

  Love this novel? Read it on Royal Road to ensure the author gets credit.

  “Keep the insults in stow freshie. Whatever your experiences maybe, I want you to treat this job as a fresh slate. You’re going to see whole new sides to people and the best way you can do your job is with an open mind.”

  “Yeah, I get that. But I also find it difficult to treat people whose life is supported by sucking the life out of others as decent people.” Meena said conclusively. Rotan nodded slightly next to her.

  Atum sighed. Ok, gonna have to work on that. Note to self, keep an eye out. Also consider putting them in the sensitivity courses.

  While Atum was thinking to himself, the trio finally exited the building. It was a moderately sunny day and the light hitting them greatly invigorated their mood. Especially Meena’s.

  There was a park area in front of the government also within the gated borders, filled with a variety of trees and other flora. It was mainly built in consideration for the more nature leaning employees but was also a place for everyone to take a break from being inside the building.

  The building itself was painted white and stood four stories tall. It was one of the main offices in the city in which all the divisions mingled. The building was mainly brick which was used more in human architecture but had other influences. Stone and steel were more in the Dwarves domain while the woodwork was Elvish. It was an interesting mix but ultimately you got the impression that the building was practical, typical of most government buildings.

  In other parts of the city though you could see the architecture shift depending on the residents and wealth.

  “We’ll take the tram. Brixmane is around 20 minutes from here with no trouble.” said Atum.

  “Do we not have our own transportation?” asked Rotan.

  “I have a bicycle. It’s good exercise.” responded Atum, “Though we do get some offers on public transportation if you do the paperwork. I recommend it.”

  They had reached the nearest stop and were waiting for the next tram to arrive.

  “So, what else do we know about this vampire case?” asked Meena, continuing their earlier conversation.

  “From what I understand, the vampire has been converting some people from the community.” said Atum, “But records show it’s all legit. Documented correctly, all consensual, no hiccups.”

  “So, why are we involved?” asked Rotan.

  “The problem is we’re still getting some complaints. It’s hard to tell if it’s just people not liking vampires or if there’s something going on. Best case scenario is that people just find the vampire creepy. If not, well, we’ll deal with it.”

  “Have you dealt with vampires before?” asked Rotan.

  “Sure, sure. Not always bad though. Vampirism is a tricky thing, depending on the level of it. The grunts at the bottom are usually just that, grunts. Start going up the hierarchy and then it starts to get complicated. But that’s the usual with long lived species. They get bored and make it everyone else’s’ problem. I don’t think the vampire we’re dealing with is particularly important though. They usually let me know when it is.”

  “We also deal with important people?” asked Meena, a little more interested.

  “Yeah. Sometimes. We deal with the niche cases which also includes people no one else can handle.”

  “Isn’t that…. a bit dangerous?” asked Meena.

  “For most people, yeah it is.” Atum let his words hang there.

  Was that dramatic? That felt a bit dramatic. Nah, it’s fine. You’re great. Don’t even worry about it. Atum grinned to himself.

  Rotan and Meena saw him smile and looked questioningly at each other.

  The tram had arrived and all three of them had entered and stood in the back. The tram was a simple vehicle, made from wood and metal. It travelled over rails built into the roads, propelled by magic circuits. Another outcome of the meeting between technological advancement and magical history.

  “Do you guys know much about how vampires exist in the city?” asked Atum.

  Both of his freshies shook their heads.

  “Ok, quick primer. Vampires are treated the same as any other citizen, but with some specific considerations. Obviously, they can’t be under sunlight. And they have a particular aversion to holy things or any faith. Our major concern is their population since their diet is blood. Luckily, not all vampires can convert others. Only mid-tier and elder vampires have that ability. Elder vampires rarely do convert anyone though, so our main focus is typically the mid-tiers. Old enough to be a little savvy and enough power to do something about it.”

  Rotan had taken out his notebook and was taking notes again. Meena just listened carefully.

  “We keep a tight control on the conversion rate though. There are quotas and a significant amount of paperwork that goes into it. We also try to be informative on what it means to be a vampire. Several people want it for different reasons. Power, immortality, or simply becoming part of the community. Unfortunately for them, none of that is likely. Simple logic would suggest that if power was so easily gained, we would be living in a very different world. But people capable of the that simple logic aren’t the ones who look for vampire conversion.”

  Atum glanced out the tram window. They were passing through the city, and many people were out and about, all consumed by in their work. Other vehicles were also on the road. It had been a few decades since these forms of transportation had been introduced to the public. Dwarves had made the initial designs, being experts at wielding magical tools. Their ability to make complex runes and create sustainable phenomena in the physical world was what made them the economic power they were today.

  However, it was human ingenuity that simplified the complex craftmanship of the dwarves and made their products more accessible to the public. Lacking the strong mystical intuition that was common to other races, humans endeavoured to create easily understood and transferable magical skills. It was somewhat of an equalizer in the modern world and created a balance to what would have otherwise been the unstoppable power of elves and dwarves. Not that humans were motivated purely by good intentions.

  Having given the two freshers a moment to reflect on what he said, Atum continued “Honestly, being a grunt vampire sucks. You’re given a watered-down version of what true vampires possess. A longer lifespan and improved physical strength sure. But you crave blood and can never be in the sunlight again. You also aren’t exactly welcome into normal society. Vampire society is very strict about hierarchy, so you’re likely to spend the rest of your undead life serving others. In my opinion, only the truly desperate or vulnerable want it.”

  “That’s what we’re here to check then?” Meena asked, “Desperate or vulnerable?”

  “Yes. And then see if we need to do anything about it.” Atum gestured to the tram door. “Ok, our stop now. Let’s get off.”

  They exited the tram into a neighbourhood full of apartments. The buildings were simple and you could see the wear and tear, indicating it was mostly for the lower middle class.

  “We’re going to meet some of the people who sent complaints. Get a feel for the situation.” Atum said. “Remember! We’re here to listen. Open minds and ears.”

  Atum led them purposefully towards one of the buildings.