Last Goodbye

Over the course of the next few hours, Helena took down another four Wights, each moving on their own.

When the sun finally rose, it was safe to say any remaining Wights wouldn’t be moving for some time. So, Helena entrusted the Whispered Testaments with a group of neighborhood watch and asked them to turn them over to the town guard, also informing them where the bodies of the defeated Wights were so they could receive proper burials.

With that settled, Helena returned to Irene’s home and knocked on the door. The smaller woman seemed relieved to find Helena in one piece. “Please, come in,” she said.

Helena did as she was bid.

Irene poured some tea for herself and for Helena while the mercenary sat down. “I was able to take down several Wights, including your sister,” she said after taking a few sips of tea.

The expression on Irene’s face was a mix of emotions. There was grief and relief, pain and acceptance. Maybe part of her had hoped that Leila could be returned to normal. Maybe this news was akin to hearing her sister had died a second ****. Whatever the case, helping her sort her feelings was outside of what Helena could do. But there was one thing the mercenary could do.

“I have this spell I can use, that can… impart the last words of a deceased target. It doesn’t work on undead until after defeating them, but I was able to use it against all of the Wights I defeated tonight. They gave several clues as to the appearance of the vampire responsible, so the guards will be **** to make a move, and the neighborhood watch will have something to watch out for. And… I also wanted you to hear these words from your sister,” Helena explained, producing a small orb of mana with a wave of her hand.

“Thank goodness. My dear sister, do not mourn me. I died defending someone I love. That means far more than rotting away in some gutter. I hope you find peace and happiness. Goodbye.”

The message was short, but Irene had already started weeping by the halfway mark. Helena gave her a handkerchief, the other woman taking several long moments to calm herself. “Thank you so much for all of this. Here’s the payment, but if there is anything I can ever do for you, please do not hesitate to ask.”

Helena nodded. “Thank you. Now, I need to get some rest, so I’ll take my leave unless there was anything else.”

“No, I hope you sleep well.”

With that, Helena left. She wanted to head back to her apartment to get some sleep. But first, she’d make a stop at the guild. She’d report the completion of the mission and relay the info she’d gotten on the vampire’s appearance. And she’d also put out a recurring mission to patrol the slums. After all, she wasn’t certain how much effort the city guard would put into it even with the info about the vampire, and the neighborhood watch could only do so much. Better to have some other mercenaries watching out, and Helena could afford to pay them from her own pocket.

And once more clues about the vampire came through, Helena could stamp out the root of this problem.

GOOD END