"Does it still hurt?" Mari asked, gently tapping her finger against the bandages wrapped around Derek's upper arm.
He gave a light chuckle, shaking his head. "It's mostly fine by now, don't worry about it too much."
A lie. The truth was, the wound had healed yesterday. The bandage was just for show—an excuse to avoid returning to the portal site too soon. With them narrowing in on its general location, he needed more time, and faking an injury was the easiest way to buy it.
"Do you think you'll be able to come today?" the black knight asked, his voice low, his helmeted head tilted slightly in Derek's direction.
They were all gathered around a table inside Verstiek's tavern. The village, though scarred, had been largely restored thanks to Lennix and the black knight's efforts.
Derek frowned and put on a show of testing his arm, wincing slightly as he raised it with exaggerated slowness. "I can lift it… if I take my time. But if demons show up again? I don't think I'd be quick enough to react. Not yet."
He reached back to rub the nape of his neck, letting out a nervous, sheepish laugh.
"Come on, we can protect you. You'll be at the back. All you have to do is close the portal," Lennix said, brushing the concern away with a casual wave.
Clarissa, who had been standing behind them, gave a soft sigh—almost imperceptible. Her voice, when it came, was as emotionless as always. "Might I remind you, Master Lennix, that his current 'condition' is a direct result of your failure to react quickly last time?"
Lennix rolled his eyes. "Yeah, thanks for the reminder, Clarissa."
"You're welcome, Master Lennix" she replied, tone unchanging.
"Why can't we just move on already?" Karin muttered from her seat at the edge of the table, arms folded tightly. "How long are we going to be stuck in this village?"
No one paid any attention to her.
Derek leaned back in his chair, his expression thoughtful. "Sorry. It's not that I don't trust you guys to protect me… it's just that…"
He trailed off, then chuckled, dropping the polite tone.
"Actually, no, that's exactly it. I feel like I'm a bit traumatized from last time, and I don't really trust you to protect me."
Lennix turned toward him, raising an eyebrow. "Wow. Tell us how you really feel, why don't you?"
Derek smirked. "Oh, you don't want to know how I really feel."
It was half a joke—but it was also probably one of the most honest thing he had ever said to them.
"Well, if you can't go," the black knight said, standing up with a mechanical rustle of armor, "then we'll stay here for the day. Guard the village. Just in case anything comes through."
"Good luck with that," Lennix said with a lazy wave.
But the black knight placed a firm, heavy hand on his shoulder.
"You're coming too."
Lennix sighed, dragging a hand through his hair. "Fine. Just let me top off a bit first."
The black knight gave him a sidelong look. "You're hungry already?"
Lennix shook his head. "Not really. Just… better to be safe than sorry, right?"
He turned toward Clarissa, who wordlessly gave a nod before slipping off toward a quieter corner of the tavern.
The black knight crossed his arms. "Alright. But what is this? Actual long-term thinking? Who are you, and what have you done with the real Lennix?"
"I've been teaching him, Uncle Knight!" Mari piped up, beaming with pride from her seat near the fireplace.
"Since Uncle Lennix is dumb, I thought it would be a good idea to help him get smarter. So that's what I've been doing!"
Lennix turned to her, eyes wide with betrayal. "Mari! I told you not to say that in front of anyone!"
Mari's eyes widened as if only just realizing what she'd done. "I—I mean, Uncle Lennix is just… getting smarter! That's all!"
But the damage was already done.
Derek covered his mouth with one hand, pretending to stifle a cough as his shoulders shook with silent laughter. The black knight stood motionless, but a low hum escaped from within his helmet that was unmistakably a laugh. Even Karin—though already well aware of Lennix's lack of subtlety—found herself glancing his way and wondering, not for the first time, if he'd been lobotomized as a child.
With robotic stiffness, Lennix stood and staggered toward the back of the tavern where Clarissa waited. He didn't look at anyone.
"Clarissa," he whimpered as he reached her, "they're bullying me."
"You deserve it, Master Lennix," she replied without hesitation.
He recoiled as if struck, clutching his chest in mock agony. "Cruel…"
Clarissa, unmoved, extended her wrist toward him.
Lennix hesitated for only a second before gently taking her hand. He brought it to his lips and sank his fangs in with practiced care. Clarissa's breath hitched—sharp and barely audible—but enough to disrupt the stillness that usually defined her. A flicker of sensation crossed her otherwise impassive face, the euphoria of the vampire's bite managing to stir something even in someone who couldn't feel emotion.
Lennix drank only enough to fill himself, never pushing past what he needed. When he was done, he withdrew his fangs and gently ran his tongue across the punctures to seal them shut.
"Thanks, as always," he said quietly, releasing her hand.
"You're welcome, Master Lennix," she replied, her tone already back to its neutral default. She rubbed her wrist absentmindedly, as if the sensation still lingered.
Lennix gave a dramatic stretch. "Alright. Time to guard the hell out of a village!"
With that, he turned and marched back toward the black knight. The two stepped out of the tavern side by side, their mismatched silhouettes vanishing through the door.
Derek watched them go, then looked down at his hands.
*Just how long can I keep this game going?* he wondered, flexing his fingers slowly.
*All things must come to an end eventually, after all.*