Chapter 12: Introduction of Ourselves
Alina and Ilya settled in the room, a modest space with a touch of magic – literal glowing runes that provided lighting and temperature control – Alina had a moment to sit down and process everything. Most of the furniture was made from polished wood, but there were also TVs and telephones to call the receptionist downstairs.
Alina felt awkward, being in the same room with the stranger whom she just met not even two hours ago. Still, she tried to hide the awkwardness away, after all, Ilya must have felt worse since a random vampire suddenly bit down on her neck.
As Ilya unpacked her belongings, she then made a cup of tea with a coffee pod machine. As the aroma of tea filled the room, Ilya then sat down right on the bed. She then turned her face at Ilya.
"Alina, I need you to get even with me, I know you are an ancient vampire from the moment I saw you on my encampment, so tell me, how ancient are you?" Ilya then asked again.
"It's complicated, but old enough, I guess?" Alina added.
"Don't lie; you're an anomaly. You didn't use charm on me, which makes me curious. What kind of vampire are you, exactly? You wield blood magic with such proficiency, yet you serve no master. You're a full-blood vampire, aren't you?" Ilya pressed, her gaze piercing as she searched for the truth in Alina's response.
"How should I even know, Ilya? Like I said, I don't know," Alina said.
"When were you born?" Ilya asked.
"2000," Alina answered.
"2000??? Like in, 2000 of the old era?" Ilya asked, she almost spurted out of her tea.
"Yes?" Alina said, not even understanding what the old era meant.
"Conifera... you are as old as dust," Ilya commented. "My great-great-great grandmother isn't even that old, Alina. Ok, grandma, that changes things significantly, doesn't it?"
"So, what did I miss?" Alina asked.
"A lot, to be honest, so, you survive The Square Incident, The Square Calamity, The Merge, The Interworld War, The EA-UN Peace Pact, TSA I, TSA II, and TSA III, and so on. Still, tell me, which side you were from? The Earth one or the Terra one?" Ilya asked.
"Earth, I guess?" Alina added.
"Vampire existed on Earth? Well, I don't know that. Tell me, what do you know about us? I mean, I'm curious about it."
"Well, it's... complicated."
Alina then told her story, the side of how she perceived the world. She told to Alina that when she was human, she knew a thing or two about this kind of world from a fantasy book, and she chose it as a guideline. She told her how the fantasy world was often medieval or older and how it affected her perception.
Then, she told her the sci-fi books she often read, about the technology she never ever encountered, including the holographic watch, the laser rifle, and so on and so forth. Ilya could only nod and oftentimes, throw a small chuckle at Alina's obliviousness.
As Alina shared her bewildered observations of the world, Ilya couldn't help but let out bursts of laughter, mixed with a tinge of sympathy for the vampire's out-of-time experience. After calming herself, Ilya offered Alina a reintroduction, this time with a more personal touch and a playful smile on her lips.
"My name is Ilya Meyer," she began, her voice light yet carrying a sense of pride. "I'm 80 years old, which probably seems like a toddler's age to you," she joked, giving Alina a friendly nudge. "I used to work as an aether engineer for General Dynamics - Aether System. Quite the shift from dealing with the intricacies of aether technology to roaming around as an adventurer, wouldn't you say?"
"Maybe?" Alina just nodded.
"And now," Ilya continued, "I work with the Aegis Mercenary Corp, or guild, as some like to call it. We take on various jobs, from protection details to exploring uncharted territories and dealing with the occasional bandit or monster threat."
"That's quite unique, if I have to say, and chronologically speaking, you are fifty years older than I am," Alina reiterated her point that she didn't know about her own age, but she had a general idea on how biologically older her body had become.
"But enough about me. Given your unique situation, Alina, I think you might need a guide or at least a partner to navigate this new era. How about it?" Ilya offered. "Besides, I think having a pair of eyes on my back is a good thing."
Alina was taken aback by the offer. A guide in this strange new world was exactly what she needed, and Ilya seemed more than qualified. The idea of learning about aether technology, understanding the political dynamics, and exploring her new abilities with someone as knowledgeable and experienced as Ilya was reassuring.
"That sounds good, great."
"I'm glad to hear that," Ilya then finished her coffee. "Do you have a phone?"
"I do have one," Alina pulled her iPhone out of her Blood Inventory and then gave it to Ilya.
"This is quite an ancient phone, isn't it?" Ilya commented. She then added, "You better keep it with you, we'll buy a new one. What brand do you prefer? Apple? Samsung? Iridium? Alphina? Kosh?" Ilya then grabbed her phone from her pocket, she then scrolled through what appeared to be an online shop.
"Woah, woah, woah, slow down, why spend that much money on me?" Alina asked.
"Consider it an investment in our partnership," she quipped. After a brief moment of browsing, she made her selection and placed an order. "There, done. I've bought you an iPhone 70, It should be here by 25:00 PM, thanks to drone delivery."
Alina, still trying to wrap her head around the generosity and the speed of service in this new world, could only nod in appreciation. "Thank you, Ilya. I don't know what to say."
"Just say you'll cover my back when the time comes," Ilya replied with a grin. "Now, let's get some rest. We have a big day ahead of us tomorrow. Starting with getting you acquainted with your new phone and maybe a bit of sightseeing around Rivercircle and meeting with some of my friends."
As night deepened around them, the city of Rivercircle didn't get any quieter it seemed as if this was in the middle of the day. In their room, the comforting glow of the runes provided a soft, calming light, creating an almost ethereal atmosphere. Ilya already went to sleep earlier than Alina.
Alina looked at herself in the bathroom mirror, her clothes were messy, with signs of blood and spilled guts dirtying them. No way Alina would sleep in this clothing. Still, continuing looking at the mirror, she couldn't stop admiring her new look. Maybe there was a charm behind the white hair and the glowing red eyes that she had.
Or maybe, she accidentally used Charm on herself. Nobody knew, but so far, Ilya trusted her too much for a stranger. She better watch out if the woman had some intentions, but for now, she could enjoy herself.
She quickly took off all of her clothing before heading to the shower. After all, she still had a long night to sleep, and truth be told, she was too tired to even think about what just happened.
[30:00 PM]
The alarm on Ilya's phone rang loudly, waking both of them up from their slumber. The sky outside was still as dark as when they entered the hotel, and the situation outside didn't change much, the street was still as bustling as before.
Still in the hotel robe, Alina stood up from the bed, looking at the window and the sight it presented. She then walked to the coffee maker and brewed a fresh one for herself. She sipped the coffee while looking out.
Thinking about it, she also needed new clothes. However, the royal vampire clothing proved itself to be able to protect her against some minor threats, and even, mend itself after being torn by that wolf automata. For now, she'd keep it, until she found a superior armor, that was.
She might also need a magical weapon, maybe something that could use Aether instead of BP. She learned her mistakes from fighting that wolf and the only thing her Aether could use was only the regeneration spell. The rest required her BP. A magical rifle would be nice, or even, a magical machine gun, well, the possibilities were there.
"Ah, good evening, how was your sleep?" Ilya asked.
"Better than my last one," Alina smiled back.
"Your phone should have been already in the lobby, let me call the room service," Ilya smiled, putting her hand on the telephone.
On short notice, a bellboy entered their room, carrying the box alongside two plates of breakfast. One was a plate filled with pancakes and the other was a large bowl of cereal. The bellboy put the plate on the table next to the TV and then, he left the room.
Ilya then immediately grabbed the phone box. With a little bit of tinkering aka opening up the manual, they managed to transfer all of the data from Alina's old phone to her new one. Weirdly enough, her SIM card hadn't been deactivated yet. She then installed a digital wallet application for her usage.
"There, done, you should be able to buy most things now, clothes, food, drink, or anything you want," Ilya then gave Alina the phone to her.
Storing the new phone inside of the Blood Inventory, all of a sudden, the phone melted into another blob of blood. When she pulled it out again, its appearance turned like her old one, dark with streaks of red.
"Neat."
"Let's dress up, and eat, then, we can go back out again, what do you say?"
"Alright, that'll do."
Gifts
-- Gift
received Weekly Power Status
-- Power
Ranking 
-- Power
stone