Act 1 Guest lobby

  “Shiro?” Lizel asked as we both stood playing air hockey together, as the princess and Rikka played pool with the other guests, Rikka chatting up the girls.

  “Yeah?” I answered as I was distracted at not letting her lead become too much, it was already 1:3 in her favour, I would be damned if I made it easy for her to get to five first.

  “It’s the vampire, I don’t trust her.” She said as she almost scored another one, making me sweat as I defended against it.

  “Why would you? She’s probably planning to drink half the girls here.” I said scoring my second point.

  “And you're not worried?” She asked confused as she scored a fourth time.

  “Why would I? Ever since that night, she hasn’t tried anything to me or the princess.” I said as she slipped and it landed me my third score.

  “It doesn’t stop her from seducing you though.” She said in a low voice as she won the game. 3:5 her win.

  “Nevermind, I'll buy some snacks. . . Oh yeah, do you still have those wrapped meals?” She asked after stopping her walk towards the vending machines.

  “I do, it’s in one of the bags I left in the room.” I said as I motioned for her to come with me, to get it but then.

  “HELP!” A scream from the entrance lobby made us all turn to the door and made some of us run to investigate.

  Act 2 Heart attack?

  The commotion made me follow the group. Half went to the entrance lobby to check out the noise while the rest stayed in the Guest lobby.

  It was the innkeeper standing frozen in place scared as a man was laid down, soaked in water.

  “He stumbled in and then just collapsed! I didn't know what to do!” The innkeeper said, his voice trembling in panic.

  “Hmm, let me check, he might just have just fainted.” I said as I came forward as I heard the two behind me speak silently.

  “Did you do this?” Lizel said in a gritted accusation.

  I checked his neck, showing it to Lizel and everyone who was watching and then laid him in his back checking his pulse, and chest.

  “He's alive, his breathing and pulse are erratic, he might have just had a minor heart attack.” I said as I stood up.

  “Innkeeper do you have medicines? Nitroglycerin or anything for high blood pressure would do.” I asked as the others helped the man up, mostly the buff guy from before and an office work man.

  “No, I don't, I only have painkillers and flu meds.” He answered and he seemed to be honest.

  “He's fine for now but I’m not sure he’ll keep being fine for long.” I said as the innkeeper was still standing there thinking.

  “You should call an ambulance.” Lizel said as she helped carry the guy.

  And the innkeeper ran to use the telephone but something was wrong as he kept pressing on the telephone.

  “There’s no dial tone, the telephone lines must have fallen.” He said as he told us, as the lights turned off, and then after a few seconds turned back on.

  “That’s not good, please everyone go to your rooms, I’ll go check the generators, after getting him to the clinic.” He said, leading Lizel and others carrying the guy to a different hallway.

  I followed them, leaving Rikka and the princess, as they and others returned to the guest lobby.

  Act 3 Medicine

  I was in the clinic alone with Lizel and the unconscious guy, as the Innkeeper and the guys went to check on the generators.

  The clinic was a small room with tree beds that had cloth dividers with shelves stocked with first aid tools and a box of labeled medicine, and the Innkeeper was right.

  There's nothing here for heart problems, but there was stuff like insulin, flu meds, anti-fungal infections, antibacterial infections and anti-allergens.

  This place is well stocked, for a motel, I didn’t see the price for a room, because the princess paid for us but damn, it should be expensive. If this place was this prepared.

  It’s just odd that there’s only one employee, did others leave because of the storm? Or is there another reason they only had one guy watch over this place.

  Those were my thoughts as Lizel was looking through his pockets, to see if he had any meds on him which was normal for those with high blood pressure.

  “No, he doesn’t have any medicine on him.” Lizel said as she sat next to me.

  “Can’t you use your magic?” She asked, as I looked through the insulin medicines descriptions and ingredients.

  “I can probably trade this Epipen for some liquid aspirin or a tPA drug but if I did that I would be left with only 4 spells for tonight. . .and I’m not sure if this was actually a heart attack.”

  I sounded my suspicion as Lizel turned serious and started sniffing at the air and her ears turned wolfic as they twitched.

  “Nothing, if you think you need to save spells, then save them, let’s go back to our room and let this guy rest.” She said leaving first, I gave the older man another look and knew he was stable so with a short prayer I left him.

  “Still he’ll be fine until morning atleast, if the Innkeeper keeps changing his dextrose.” Remembering that there were still around 20 in the box where I found them, and set a drip on the unconscious older man.

  Act 4 Monster

  We went to the guest lobby but we saw no one was there except the group of young adult friends where the buff guy was a member playing pool, the rest of the guests were gone, probably already in their rooms.

  “Hey it’s the butler and the redhead, you guys want to play with us? The other two girls already went to their rooms.” The buff guy said.

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  “No, where good, thanks for the offer though.” I said as I approached then held out my hand.

  “My names Shiro by the way. Sorry for what I did earlier, I’m her butler and body guard I get paid to do stuff like that for her.” He looked at me surprised and then accepted my hand.

  “It’s Derick, and Yeah, yeah where cool, I understand, I did bodyguarding last semester and it sucked! Atleast you're doing it for a pretty girl and not a bunch of kids during a field trip.” I smiled at that as he gave me a nod and went back to his friends.

  We already left the guest lobby when Lizel spoke.

  “Didn’t know you were that good with humans.” Lizel said with surprise in her voice.

  “It’s just experience, so do you still think Rikka's the reason that old man was sick?” I said as we made it to our door.

  “Yeah, I’m sure that vampire is related to it somehow.” She said as she opened the door.

  “Unfortunately, your mistaken beastly girl.” Rikka said as I saw her playing chess alone with the princess, I would have thought she would be sucking her dry by now.

  “What the hell are you doing here!” Lizel said as she looked down at the other girls.

  “You should know, I only drink the blood of pretty virgins and cute little boys.” She said as she moved her bishop piece capturing, Komiko’s knight piece.

  “And I never drink the blood of. . .” I cut Rikka off as I knew she would try insulting Lizel again, making her angry.

  “You think I’m a cute little boy Rikka? I Appreciate the compliment.” I said, sincerely making Rikka’s smile towards Lizel twitch.

  “Ugh, whatever.” Lizel said as she went to the far bed laying down facing away from us.

  I gave out a breath, satisfied that the two didn’t fight.

  “Komiko, I think there’s a monster involved with this incident.” I said as I sat down on the corner of the bed.

  “Oh, you hurt me Shiro. I thought we have a special relationship.” Rikka said her eyes, not leaving the chessboard as she moved her pawn.

  “I don’t think it was you Rikka, you were with us the entire time, plus our ‘relationship’ would have told me so.” I said as I took out small silver coin with a blood red finger print, I took bite on the coin as the smell of my blood thickly filled the room.

  The princess covered her nose with a handkerchief, in response.

  While Lizel turned half-werewolf and covered her nose with her hands.

  Which left Rikka as she turned vampiric, showing her fangs at me as her hair floated and eyes turned blood red, with a single black circular slit.

  Then with a wipe of my finger on the coin, the smell vanished as quickly as it came.

  Rikka turned back to her more human self as she sat down back on her cushion chair, looking confused and disgusted, while taking shallow breathes calming herself.

  “What was that Shiro?” She said her voice was straining to maintain her normal sweet tone.

  “Our relationship.” I said simply as I gave her a soft smile.

  A silence was made after my words, as she scrutinized me with her gaze.

  “You're right Shiro, there’s probably a monster here feeding off the life-force of the humans.” Komiko said as she moved her rook to capture a bishop, her voice indifferent to the situation.

  “So I was right, it was weird that the old man suddenly showed extreme signs of oxygen depletion, as if he climbed a mountain, that means it's a monster, that can suck the air out of your lungs.”

  I said as I felt the girls listening to me.

  “I used to be a doctor in a past life.” I explained as I saw the princess take out a small booklet and then read through it.

  “Is it the Apocalypse doctor? Or Is it the Heavens touch?” The princess asked as she looked towards me.

  “Doctor Reyes, apocalypse doctor, I thought he was the safer option of the two.” I answered honestly.

  “Let’s see huh? His one of your lives where lived freely wasn’t he?” The princess asked.

  I gave her a nod and then looked towards Rikka as she looked confused, with our interaction. I didn’t explain it to her as I was still unsure of her.

  “Rikka, is there any way I can convince you to join Princess Komiko’s war?” I asked, as her focus returned back to their game.

  “Aren’t I helping enough? I’ve already been giving your princess gossips whenever someone interesting enters the town.” She said boredly as she went back to playing as she played her queen.

  “Huh, I didn’t know, fair enough then, I’m going to solve this threat princess.” I said resignedly, as I understood that I can’t convince her to stop plotting against the princess, but in the other hand, cheap night flying reconnaissance.

  Weirdly enough, ever since last month I can vaguely feel things that are a threat to the princess. It started during that lake trip and now it’s becoming more and more acute.

  I tried explaining this to the princess once, and her answer was that it was normal and that I’ll get a few other abilities the longer I keep being one of her eternal guard.

  With that in mind I started taking off my butler’s coat. The monster wasn’t an issue but something else is working behind it, and I sense danger from them.

  “Where safer in here Shiro, let the monster feed, once it satiated it’ll eventually leave.” The princess said, barely taking a subtle peek at me as I changed clothes.

  Rikka was more subtle than Lizel but they were taking more peeks than the only one princess Komiko had done.

  But still as I stripped of most of my clothes, ignoring their gazes, I realized I've spent enough time with Komiko and the other girls, to understand them enough that they don’t really value human life.

  Or more accurately they don’t intrinsically value human life over animals or other monsters.

  “I understand princess, the monster needs to do what they must to survive, but what if it goes after us?” I asked as I pulled my backpack to me.

  And then started pulling out a few things that would look random from the perspective of a normal person.

  “Then we deal with it, Shiro.” She said as she looked away at her game and looked at my actions as I pulled out a pistol belt.

  Buckling it around my chest and shoulder, then I pulled out a string tied with five feathers with a piece of paper on it’s end with the words ‘First five shots’.

  I tied that talisman, on my gun belt.

  Then I took out a small bell earing and wore it on my left ear, runic words that meant ‘Truth’ was etched on it.

  Then I pulled out a single cloth glove with a small plate on the back hand with the runic words for ‘lighting’ and ‘touch’.

  The last trinket I took out was a small golden chained necklace with a heart-with an eye on it’s middle with the runic word for ‘charm’ etched on the eye.

  All the girls were now looking at me interested in my preparation, after the necklace I finally pulled out my six shot pistol.

  Without any words I loaded it with my silver bullets and then holstered it on my chest.

  “Princess, with your permission I’ll start hunting it now.” I said as I looked at her, after giving her a servant’s respect.

  “AHH!! HELP!!” A yell was shouted at the hall outside our room, it sounded distant, and male, I didn’t move, winning against my body’s natural reaction to help as it tried to move.

  “Shiro, be honest, are you about to hunt the creature, hunting humans, because it’s hunting humans or do you want to hunt it because you're being greedy again.” Our eyes met as Komiko spoke.

  I felt like she was looking through me, and lies would only disappoint her, but I didn’t need to lie.

  I only needed to act, and plus I really want to try out my new gun, it took a while for me and Flenna to make it.

  It is the first of its kind in this world, as this world never went past world war 1 personal infantry weapons, oddly enough they never even had a pike and shot revolution.

  As a holy roman mercenary prince invented a version of early tanks to fight the newly popularized pike squares.

  That was devastating high medieval chivalry tactics during the beginning of the renaissance.

  “Princess, I will kill this creature, I will do it to quench my own needs. As it quenches its own needs to devour and prey upon humanity. Plus, I think it's reason I'm feeling a subtle threat on your life princess.”

  I said my own tone echoing the indifference the princess showed in her care for human values, but I wasn’t able to hide my bloodthirst within my words.

  My life as a vampire royalty’s slave surfaced, my want, my need to slay every monstrous thing that prey upon humanity, was leaking.

  I let my past self carry my act, breaking my kind, compassionate, and brave mask, which I usually wear as Shiro, as my face showed something to the girls.

  The girls reacted differently to the broken mask of my current vessel, Rikka seemed to enjoy it the most, her face reddening as her eyes showed great interest and thirst.

  Lizel in contrast shook as something primal, took her over, as her arms changed, as her eyes showed that she was ready for challenge.

  And as for the princess? she was just indifferent to it, only giving me a passing, almost bored look.

  “Do what you want, Shiro.” The princess said finally, after a few seconds of silence between us, and then she went back to playing with Rikka.

  “Thank you princess.” I said bowing to her, my old mask gone, returning to that of Shiro, while leaving the room, with my equipment in toe, excitement in my steps.