As the rest of the guild council went their separate ways to bring forth all the scattered followers back to the guild, Li stayed behind in the meeting room with Alexei. The vampire had his hands drawn together in thinking posture, his eyes narrowed in on Li, awaiting their topic of conversation that was fitting only to be spoken between the two of them.

And Tia, of course.

"Skinny man strong," said Tia from Li's lap as she eagerly looked at Alexei, no doubt being far more sensitive to the latent power hidden within the higher vampire. "Too strong to be here."

"Strength is subjective, girl," said Alexei rather stiffly. It was very evident he was unused to dealing with children. "Look to your father, for example. His might inhabits an entirely different dimension compared to mine own. But nevertheless, I am flattered by your expertly honed appraisal."

Tia cocked her head up to Li, wanting him to explain Alexei's words in simpler terms.

"He means he thanks you for thinking he's strong," said Li.

"You welcome," said Tia simply with a smile and nod. "We fight later?" she asked in the same pleading manner a child would ask for a bite of candy.

"Hm." Alexei raised a brow. "Perhaps. If your father will allow it."

"If there's anyone I know who gets when to reign in their strength and pull their punches, it is you," said Li. He put a hand on Tia's head. "But Tia, you will have to get much, much stronger to fight him."

Tia crossed her arms in defiance, but she knew Li was right. "Soon! When papa travels, we fight many monsters. I eat them, and I grow strong. When I come back, I fight skinny man."

"The evolutionary properties of draconic blood and their relevant mutagens are truly exceptional organic marvels," said Alexei. "I do not doubt that with sustained exposure to the varied flesh of sufficiently powerful organisms, especially those encountered west where magic is richer, you will emerge quite advanced in physical development and quality of magical processing."

"He means you'll get very strong," said Li, knowing pre-emptively Tia would not understand anything Alexei said.

Tia nodded her head in agreement, and Li began to unspool the thread of conversation he had wanted to share with Alexei. "Alexei, last I heard, you were monitoring the duchess, were you not?"

"As much as I can," said Alexei. He drew a hand close to his chin, his alert eyes processing where Li was going with this. "But I cannot say it is monitoring in the strictest sense. I do not have eyes upon her at all times, especially now. What I have uncovered of her past, I have done so years ago. In recent times, getting close to her has become rather difficult."

"And why is that?" asked Li, not accusingly, but curiously, wanting to know as much as possible.

"I am not the only higher vampire in this land, as I have stated," said Alexei. "There is another south. Or rather, what remains of him, for his figure has been transfixed into a tree, his essence leaking out in bloody sap, and those who imbibe it you are familiar with as blood legionnaires.

Another lay east, near the capitol. She waged war against the duchess and was promptly crushed. As you know, much of her clan of vampires has integrated into mine, but still, some remain there, causing caution to be intensely high against vampire-kind."

"And that makes it difficult for you to put up any intensive surveillance on that end of the duchy. Still, I am rather surprised that the higher vampire you mentioned was subdued so easily."

"She underestimated the heroes," said Alexei. "Her clan was specialized in shapeshifting. I am sure she believed she could simply outmaneuver flying brutes such as Sunstar. But she did not expect there to be a hero that could see through her abilities so thoroughly.

The hero Monster, as it is known after its promotion to the Ascendant Order after defeating the vampire."

"I see." Li leaned back in his chair a little, looking up in thought. "I intended on asking you to spy more thoroughly at the capitol and the duchess herself. There's something more off about her than I had originally thought, though I cannot quite put my finger on it.

But you heard what Meld said. This whole stalemate war on the northern border is a fabrication. A faux conflict meant to drum up a false sense of urgency to keep both populaces under easy control. There must be something she is planning, something grander, something perhaps involving the elves, that would be good to know."

"I agree entirely with your sentiments," said Alexei. "The duchess herself, I can keep an easy eye upon with kin placed through the Black Securities marching with her. But Eclat will be difficult to penetrate, for Monster still lies there.

However, I too seek more answers now. I will send Valery, my most trusted associate, to the capitol. He will serve as my eyes."

���Will he not be found out by this Monster? If that hero can sniff out a higher vampire specialized in shifting, then how can he, lesser in strength, compete?"

Alexei smiled. "Valery is uniquely suited to this, for he, too, is a hero."

"Excuse me?" asked Li.

"Half-hero, I suppose, now that he has been turned," said Alexei. "But regardless, his mutation makes him apt at espionage under these circumstances. He possesses the capability to invade the mind of another and entirely control them. I need only provide him with a usable human body and the adequately forged credentials for him to evade all detection."

"You seem to believe in him fully, and I will choose to accept your judgement," said Li. "Ensure that he also investigates the dungeons in the capitol as well. All corners of the capitol where the duchess may be hiding things that show her intentions for the future."

"Of course," said Alexei with a bow. He stood up, knowing by Li's tone of voice that the conversation was nearing its end.

Li also stood, picking Tia up and hugging her close to him with his arm. She giggled in delight, waddling her feet as she floated in the air.

"I will be gone some time. I wanted to express my gratitude," said Li. "I understand we began off rocky ground, but I will say now that of all in this world I have met, you have been of the most helpful, understanding, and loyal. You have my thorough thanks, Alexei, and I hope that by now, you are not only helping me out of a sense of obligation."

"Certainly not," said Alexei. "The bowing, the signs of deference – those are all simply formalities. I choose to aid you for I believe you are instrumental in bringing order to this chaotic world, and the more I see of you, the more I am inclined to believe so.

I eagerly await news of your exploits to the West, my friend, and I wish you nothing but the best of luck, if even you need such a trivial thing."

Li nodded, and Alexei smiled. The vampire disappeared then, breaking apart into a flash of misty shadow that seeped out the nearest window.