Get the squad back together.

At last you surface from the castle as the sun nears noon. It was an exhausting adventure on your own, and even though your party tends to be even more exhausting than that, you miss them. You're not exactly sure where to find them, however. It has been an entire day. You start walking out onto the street but then you spot familiar faces nearby.

Sitting a series of benches beneath the shade of nearby buildings are your friends--Amara, Niki, Eva, Delphi, Alice, Snow, and Yin. They look bored and half-asleep, but they're waiting there for you.

"Hey!" you shout and wave as you approach.

They perk up. "Kyle!" Niki says. "Where have you been?"

"It's a weird story."

Alice stands and approaches you politely, but her new outfit is surprising. You almost forgot that they were going to get her something new to wear. It has short frilly sleeves extending from a puffy white top with tiny frills around her bust, and it leads like a dress down just to her thighs, where the same kind of frills are present as well. Though around her chest is another layer that's a deep, dark shade of green. Though she doesn't show off Eva levels of cleavage, it fits her figure well and accentuates her features. Dark green boots are laced from her feet all the way up above her knees. She pinches her skirt and curtsies.

"Welcome back," she says timidly.

"Wow. You look great, Alice."

Blue starts coming to her face. "R-Really?" she says quietly and turns away. "Thank you..."

"Doesn't she?" Eva says as she catches the golem by surprise with an embrace. "They have talented tailors here too! I hope Luna won't be too mad."

"So what did happen?" asks Snow.

You look around, but nobody seems to be near enough to listen. "Well, to keep things brief, I was asked to protect a member of the royal family for awhile, but then things got really bad. There was an attack by the Vampire Queen. You know, that one we met before, Mistress Catherine? Yeah she might be upset with me now. But on the bright side, the queen knighted me for my service."

"Is that all you did for the queen?" Delphi asks with a grin.

Niki leaps in front of her. "The Vampire Queen?!"

"Not so loud," you say.

"I remember her," Eva says. She starts to blush. "Does that mean she might be after you?"

"Maybe," you reply. "But, uh. There's something else. You know that necklace thing they were all trying to get? She sort of stole it."

"How did that happen?!" Niki grabs you by the shoulders and shakes.

You grab her back and try to **** her off. "Give me a break! She's the damn Vampire Queen!"

"Ooh." Eva places her hand on your ring.

Niki looks down. "Oh yeah. What is that?"

You take a step back and lower your hand. "It was a gift from the queen. A magic ring that absorbs magic."

Eva raises up her hands with determination. "Okay. Try to absorb this..."

"No!" you shout and grab her hand before she can cast anything.

She wiggles her hips and tugs back in desperation. "Let go of me!"

As people from afar start to take notice of your noisy party, you let go before they think you're doing something inappropriate. Of course people had to start showing up right when that happened. You take a deep breath.

"So I don't really know the plan," you admit.

"Isn't it obvious?" Niki says. "We go vampire hunting."

Amara crosses her hands politely in front of her waist. "I hate to say it, Mr. Warren, but our options are limited. The enemy has possession of a powerful item, and they know your face as well. The Vampire Queen must be stopped, or either we will perish, or the world may, and subsequently us. Have faith in me as well. Holy power is effective against vampires, though not nearly as much as with skeletons and zombies."

"With enough preparation, we might be able to do it. And I bet she'll never expect an attack either," Snow says with a nod.

"Let's figure it out when we're back home. It's on the way to where she lives anyway apparently, and I need some rest," you respond.