Chapter 3: The Five-Star Dungeon Review & The Covered Excursion

"A room," Eleanor repeated, her voice pitched slightly higher than usual as she kept one eye on Mochi’s humming plasma turret. "Yes, of course. We have... many rooms. The finest guest chambers in the east wing. They are yours, Lady Maya."

"Great," Maya said, patting her pockets. "And some coffee. Dark roast, preferably, but at this point, I’d take instant."

Eleanor and the silent giant, Garrick, exchanged a blank look.

"Is 'instant' a type of potion?" Eleanor asked hesitantly.

"It's a miracle in a cup, but never mind," Maya groaned, rubbing her temples. "Just show me the room. And you," she pointed a sharp finger at Julian, who was still clutching his scorched, slowly healing cheek on the floor, "don't even think about sneaking into my room tonight. Mochi has a motion-activated laser grid, and unlike me, he doesn't have a snooze button."

*“Affirmative!”* Mochi beeped cheerfully, spinning in a circle. *“Safety protocols are set to 'Vaporize' for unauthorized night-time guests!”*

Julian glared at her, but wisely kept his mouth shut.

Ten minutes later, Eleanor threw open a pair of heavy, creaking oak doors to reveal a massive bedchamber. It looked like a museum exhibit on the Black Plague. There was a canopy bed with dusty velvet curtains, dripping wax candles, cobwebs in the corners, and a stone hearth that looked like it hadn't seen a fire since the last century.

Maya stepped inside, crossed her arms, and began to pace.

"No outlets. No overhead lighting. What is the ventilation situation here? It smells like a tomb—literally. And don't get me started on the lack of basic plumbing. If I can't charge my tech or get hot running water, my productivity is going to crater. I’m basically running on a low-battery warning here, people!"

Eleanor and Garrick stood in the doorway, completely bewildered. To them, she was speaking a bizarre, ancient-sounding language full of words like *outlets*, *plumbing*, and *low-battery*. They had absolutely no idea what she was rambling about, but they didn't dare question her. Every time they even looked like they wanted to interrupt, Mochi would drift slightly closer, his glowing digital eyes narrowing defensively, making the vampires quickly nod and look incredibly respectful.

"It... it is the royal guest suite," Eleanor offered weakly, bowing her head.

"Whatever. Mochi, activate workspace mode."

*“Executing!”*

Mochi floated to the center of the room. With a soft chime, the round drone expanded. Metallic, interlocking plates slid out from its core, unfolding in mid-air to create a sleek, metallic folding table complete with a holographic interface, several micro-tools, and a glowing workspace lamp.

The vampires gasped, stepping back. Fearing the "magic" table, Eleanor quickly cleared her throat. "Lady Maya... perhaps you would like to see our town? To... clear your mind?"

"Actually, yes. I need to see what kind of resources we have to work with here," Maya agreed.

Before they left, however, Eleanor insisted on wrapping Maya in a heavy, thick velvet cloak, pulling the oversized hood low over her face.

"Why am I dressed like a medieval cultist?" Maya grumbled under her breath.

"In our town, humans are considered... nothing more than blood bags," Eleanor whispered urgently. "If the common vampires or the hungry beasts catch even a single whiff of your human scent, they will storm us. You must remain completely covered and heavily guarded."

True to her word, as they walked through the dark, gothic town square, Garrick and Eleanor flanked Maya closely, their hands on their weapons and their eyes darting around. The locals gave them a wide berth, terrified of the strange, heavily guarded 'noble' and the cute, floating white orb that kept emitting low, threatening beeps at anyone who dared to look too closely.

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