"Oh, a werewolf killed her a few years later, no need for that now."

"Do people do that a lot?" asks the death mage. "Can't your governments do anything about it?"

"Not to vampires, no. Normal murderers get jailed for life or executed whenever they can catch 'em. But vampires are more or less above the law back home, and also a secret from the general public. Magic is rare and most people believe it doesn't exist at all."

The death mage squeaks!

"Most of your world is those, those... animal-people?" Valanda shivers.

"You should've led with that," says the death mage.

"Animal-people? They're still just as smart, within variance. Witches are rare, that's all. What's the big deal?"

"Doesn't it hurt just to think about them existing?" says Valanda.

"...You're a real person, right?" asks the death mage.

"Ah, an age-old argument of philosophy! Just because you can't see the internal experiences of all these other people, you can't know for sure that you're not the only conscious being in the whole world and everyone else is an automaton, you can still take a good guess that since they tell stories, misinterpret things, learn and have desires and goals, so on and so forth, everyone else is probably conscious too, or at least you can safely bet that way and stop thinking about it so hard."

"They're creepy," says the death mage.

"I know they're people, I checked," says Valanda. "I don't have to like it."

"Well, I won't argue with you guys. One cannot help one's reactions, to an extent."

"You don't have to be around animal-people who want to hurt you anymore. Now you're around normal people with normal magic and you have a government powerful enough to keep people from doing things like that."

"Vampires have some psychological changes compared to humans that mean I am pretty much over it now, but, yes, benefits and drawbacks."

"Oh, that reminds me, it wouldn't be anywhere near enough but I can sell you a couple pints of my blood a month, I remember you said you prefer cannibalism."

"Cannibalism is technically inaccurate. And yes, a vampire cannot subsist on just one human at all. Pigs and wild game should do except for the occasional treat, though."

"Oh, you're like an erel?" says the death mage. "But for humans instead of beluli? ...I'm not selling, don't bite me."

"I won't. That's the main drawback of vampirism - high dietary requirements. I still need food that humans need. I can down other kinds of blood but it's disgusting."

"A ring if you'll tell me if this is what you want so many humans for?" he asks Valanda.

"Nah, but maybe I'll get some human immigrants advertising the, uh, job opportunities! What do you think, want to help me lure in more humans?"

"I do have to budget. But if there were enough humans to sell me fresh for all my meals I would be a fairly frequent buyer. Death mage whose name I still don't know, want to get back to storytelling? I have lots of good war stories left. I've barely touched tactics and strategy and haven't mentioned logistics at all."

"I'd love another one. Maybe not for ninety-six rings this time? And I'm Mahan, like the language teacher."

"I'm Nikolas. Or Nick. Ninety-six rings was a special price for bringing up a personal and still slightly painful topic. Let's say eighteen for the tale of the battle of Gate Pah, which pitted the most technologically advanced military in the world at the time against a very clever and brave band of warriors defending their homeland."

"Can it be twelve? Twelve is rounder."

"It can be twelve but I'll tell the story more briefly."

"Sure, let's hear the short version."

The British had the fury of seventeen large cannons, which he does not clarify are not actually magical, on their side. But the Ngatirangi made a fake fortification that, from a distance, looked like the real one and the British wasted all their cannonballs attacking empty dirt mounds. The British outnumbered them seven to one, but the native warriors were masters of confusing their enemies and using fortifications. Even as the British continued to advance, they found it difficult and painful. And when they finally broke through to the center of the enemy camp, the British found it... Empty? No! An ambush! The British, so confidently attacking, were now being attacked from all sides. Their victory evaporates in confusion and panic. Later, the commanders of both armies both compliment the other side's soldiers and agree to stop fighting long enough to tend to wounded and bury the dead. The native soldiers then leave carefully in the middle of the night, calling it a victory, having made the British bleed for little in return.

Yep that is well worth twelve rings. Mahan grins and pays up. "You said you had other kinds of stories too?"

"Sure. Crime stories- committing and solving, adventure and - still no word for it - 'courting' will have to do. Fantasy stories about magic we don't actually have, stories about how technology changes things, thrillers designed to be exciting, drama that wouldn't make much sense because we have very different cultures, maybe westerns - they're about a time when the law, such as it is, was still being established in most of America."