Chapter 87: The Baron’s Reward
Knock, knock.
The knocks resonated with solemnity on the oak door.
The atmosphere remained charged by the Baron’s words.
"An anomaly occurred."
That phrase kept spinning in Gabriel’s mind. He could not abandon the possibility of having been discovered in some way. Or worse, playing cat and mouse.
The door opened slowly.
A servant entered with measured steps, holding a silver tray on which rested two crystal glasses and a bottle of dark wine.
He did not utter a single word.
He approached a small table next to the Baron’s seat, served both glasses with precision. He did not return to his initial position, but personally handed one of the glasses to the noble before withdrawing.
And finally, after performing an impeccable bow toward the two men, he left the room with the same silence with which he had arrived.
The sound of the door closing returned the hall to calm.
"Have you ever tasted a refined wine?" The question arose from the huge seat.
Gabriel, still heavy-hearted, observed the transparent surface of the glass without much interest.
It was an intense reddish liquid, sweet, reflecting the light entering from the window.
"I have never had the opportunity, sir." He responded with sincerity.
His economic possibilities had always only allowed him to enjoy cheap drinks of bad reputation. Trying to taste such a wine would probably have cost him the savings of difficult months.
The Baron let out a slight laugh.
"I love grapes brought from very far away. In these lands great vineyards do not grow, so I prefer to pay a lot rather than settle for little." He said while slowly moving the glass between his fingers.
Gabriel observed the wine again.
"A good wine should manage to improve the mood."
The Baron’s laugh resonated again immediately through the room. It had a contagious nuance.
"Of course it does, young man! I would not have ordered it if we were only going to converse about such sad matters."
He raised the glass slightly. His mood seemed cheerfully refined.
Gabriel did not do him the favor of responding. A high-intensity storm had ravaged his mind in brief seconds.
Under the wide sleeves of his new clothes, his hands slowly closed into a fist.
An anomaly... What kind of anomaly?
A strange frustration was beginning to grow within him. Beginning to take root and deeply discomforting him.
The Baron seemed to understand much more about that illusion than he did. Like a master playing from an elevated position.
It was as if both were observing the same landscape from completely different places.
One under the light and the other remaining hidden in the shadows.
He disliked that kind of dynamic typical of a strategy game. But he could not do anything within reach of his hands.
They made silence for a few brief instants, until the Baron continued speaking.
"But that anomaly, which is one of the few that appear every long time, has finally disappeared."
He raised the glass to the height of his eyes.
Gabriel remained totally attentive to the words he would pronounce.
"You became a great storyteller. Isn’t that so?" said the Baron.
"I followed my intuition." He responded without hesitation.
The Baron gently struck the floor with his heel.
He seemed amused and enthusiastic at his response.
"Intuition... is a divine tool. It is the lamp that illuminates the path when everything else remains dark." He exclaimed while smiling.
His voice began to acquire admiration as his eyes shone.
Gabriel was about to respond. But then, the Baron finally stood up.
He was a tall man. Projecting shadows by hiding the light.
With his broad shoulders, he was quite remarkable. He walked slowly until he stood in front of the window, with the light surrounding him.
He calmly observed the exterior, saying nothing.
"I carefully observed your previous work, Gabriel. I wanted to discover what made you special. But I never managed to find exactly what your anomaly was." He said calmly.
Gabriel opened his eyes with suspicion and surprise.
An idea began to take shape in his mind. A conclusion he would never have expected before.
"You... Galius?" His voice sounded incredulous and surprised at the same time.
The man smiled with evident amusement.
"Who else could it be? The title of Baron belongs to the Prometheus family." He said while his chest swelled with pride.
It was a revelation that finally united all the pieces. His conversation in the tavern and the questions. Along with his refined vocabulary that finally concluded in his mysterious disappearance.
Everything had been deliberate. All along it had been the famous Baron participating again in his peculiar activities.
Galius served himself another glass with care, handing the other to Gabriel.
Both remained contemplating the wine, enjoying the silence. Its aroma was intense and delicately sweet.
"Your mother had originally fallen ill due to a rare condition." The Baron began again, taking a small sip.
"We call it ’Stardust.’ It is an extremely rare disease," he said while continuing, "But she should not have died so soon."
Gabriel’s expression hardened at the implications of his words.
"Is there something capable of accelerating that disease?"
The Baron began to walk slowly around the room. His hands rested behind his back.
"There are always external factors. But very few can alter the progress of Stardust. Unless... they devour." He said, glancing fleetingly through the window.
Gabriel felt his heart give a strong jolt. Instinctively he lowered his gaze toward his own hands.
Devour.
He only knew one ability related to that concept. His class, vampirism, was in itself a power strongly related conceptually.
An existence designed to evolve by consuming.
A possibility crossed fleetingly through his mind.
Had he himself accelerated that woman’s death?
He did not remember having done anything similar to cause that, but the doubt remained sown.
The Baron briefly observed his reaction. Smiling with compassion.
"Although that should no longer interest us. Much less now." He said, waving a hand carelessly.
Gabriel slowly raised his gaze.
"You must choose your reward."
He took a small step back.
"Unless you still prefer the medicine."
Gabriel internally thanked the change of conversation. The pressure on his chest decreased slightly.
"As you will understand, that medicine is no longer useful to me... What can you offer me in its place?"
He observed the Baron directly.
He had no intention of appearing humble. If there was an opportunity to obtain a better reward, he needed to take advantage of it.
The Baron let out a laugh.
"Your audacity reminds me of certain thieves. But, of course... I am a generous man."
He slowly shook his head. Smiling again.
He put a hand under the table. Using both hands.
Finally he placed three objects on the table.
A golden coin, a crystal flask full of a blue liquid, and an ancient dark necklace.
"These three objects possess considerable value. The Gold Coin, The Fountain of Wisdom, and the Amulet of the Night."
He said, pointing in succession to each object.
Upon his pronunciation they seemed to shine with greater appeal for a few seconds.
The system interface automatically appeared before Gabriel.
_________________
[Gold Coin]
Description: Grants luck to its bearer.
_________________
[Fountain of Wisdom]
Description: Its user will obtain a great improvement in their personal wisdom.
_________________
[Amulet of the Night]
Description: An ancient amulet of unknown origin. It grants the user the ability to become one with the night and be its most precious scion.
_________________
Gabriel barely finished reading. At no point did he need to reflect or compare advantages; he had his answer from the instant he read their descriptions.
He immediately extended his hand and took the necklace.
"I choose this one."
The Baron’s expression turned to surprise.
"A curious decision. To definitively reject luck and wisdom... It is not a small choice." He said while looking at him with interest.
He observed the empty space where the amulet had rested for a second and finally dismissed it.
Gabriel held the necklace between his fingers.
It was surprisingly simple. It was old and worn, without any kind of gems or detail that enhanced its value.
It seemed like a completely ordinary object. And precisely because of that it was perfect.
His class and his abilities were related to darkness. That amulet perfectly complemented the path he had chosen from the beginning.
At that moment he needed nothing else.
The Baron nodded slowly, approving his decision.
Then he returned to occupy his huge seat.
"Now..." His voice acquired again that initial serenity, "You must return to the dream."
"Return...?"
He did not manage to finish the question. An intense sensation of drowsiness invaded his mind.
As if someone had pronounced an ancient word of power.
His thoughts began to cloud.
The hall lost sharpness. The walls seemed to move away slowly.
He tried to stay awake but it was useless.
The Baron’s voice arrived one last time. Distant and deep.
"Remember... The ruin lives."
The entire world began to darken. The last images blurred.
"Experience its secrets... Storyteller."
Only darkness remained.
"And do not fall... Before the jaws of the lesser spirits."
Everything disappeared.
The blackness finally devoured him completely.