(Bonus chapter for "starsfalling," 5/5)
Murphy hadn't meant to eavesdrop on the sort of domestic chatter a mother and daughter might share, but unfortunately, Lady Cecilia didn't seem to be in her right mind.
Her consciousness had long since been rendered incoherent by the Warp's corruption, but the scraps of truth she let slip under Femis's prompting were enough for Murphy to piece together an "answer."
Unfortunately, that answer didn't explain everything. Instead, it left Murphy with even more questions.
To sum it up: why Triss?
Why was Dusk's target in Transia a drunken wreck of a woman who'd been sunk in misery for over a century?
What other secrets did Triss have?
What had she done in her supposedly eventful past to make Dusk chase after her like a stray dog after a bone?
Ah, what a headache.
Murphy thought to himself that all he'd done was casually find himself a girlfriend in another world, only to discover that her background was so terrifyingly vast.
"Murphy?"
Femis was still standing inside the protective spell. She stared at the vampire lord in surprise and cried out,
"You've been following me this whole time?"
"If you're not using your eyes, you could donate them to someone who needs them, young lady."
Murphy glanced at the four greatsword guards closing in around them and sighed.
"Isn't it obvious? How could I let one of my own walk into danger alone, especially when Dusk's shadow is already looming over us? We need to be on our guard.
"As it turns out, I was right to come.
"Get out of here!
"Go back and help the merchant caravan. I'll handle things here."
"Can you handle it?"
Femis eyed the four mysterious greatsword guards, their bodies wreathed in tainted psychic energy. The pressure radiating from