"Hello, Jeremy. How have you been?" Nicholas spoke in an enticing voice, his face showed a small smile, looking straight towards Jeremy.
Jeremy was a bit scared because Nicholas's tone was like that of a snake seeing its prey.
"Haha, I'm just messing with you." Nicholas said with a laugh, his tone now joyful as if the previous act was just a prank.
Jeremy was a little pissed, but he was tense as well. Still didn't say a word this whole time.
"It's okay, I was just messing with you. Look at you, you are already sweating. Relax, man." Nicholas said as he sat on the couch without asking if he could.
The living room was pretty comfy, low light, they probably didn't receive many visits. There were two couches, a big tv on the wall, some decoration here and there, but overall, simple.
Jeremy was still stuck in his place, not knowing if he could trust this guy.
"This is getting boring. Just sit, and relax. I won't do you harm. Didn't I tell you I am friends with Papa John? If you trust him, you can trust me." Nicholas spoke simply, really convincing Jeremy to relax.
Jeremy was a bit on edge still, but he decided to sit for now. He doesn't know what Nicholas is capable of, although he had tried to think of ways to deal with him, he couldn't think of anything, as if he tried something, he couldn't know how Nicholas would react. He needs more information, that's what Jeremy thought.
"See? Much better." Nicholas smiled simply.
"I presume you have questions. You may ask 3, for now." Nicholas continued, with the same smile.
Jeremy didn't wait for a second to ask.
"Who are you, what are your plans for me, and what is a vampire's weakness?" Jeremy spoke the questions that could bring him the most information.
Nicholas smiled a bit more as he saw through Jeremy. First, know who you are dealing with. Second, know your situation, what is ahead for you. Third, prevent yourself, plus know your opponent's weakness as well as your own.
"Nicely done. My name is Nicholas, just Nicholas. I don't really have a plan for you, I am just getting to know you right now. And lastly, energy. High quantity and concentrated energy or another Vampire." Nicholas replied, his eyes directed to Jeremy.
Jeremy didn't feel good about any of the replies, but what could he do?
Question his identity more? No, that would be giving too much information, and that could make him be killed faster. The second reply meant that nothing was certain, anything could happen. Thirdly, what type of energy? Electricity, solar, kinetic? Anything could do it. Though considering the realm in which they are currently, it could be magic. And then, another question. Is magic also real? Many questions passed through Jeremy's mind.
One thing that Nicholas had let slip was the fact that he is associated with Papa John, but he couldn't tell if it's true yet. He could only wait to inquire more, and he had to it smart so that Nicholas doesn't find out or gets mad because of it.
All these questions happened in mere moments, Jeremy's attention was fully on Nicholas again.
"Now what?" Jeremy asked the smiley Nicholas, the latter seemed to enjoy the situation.
"Well, actually I lied about the planning part. I do have plans, but don't worry. First, I need to know your skills." Nicholas said.
Jeremy was even more pissed now, but he controlled himself, beginning to understand the grounds that he stands at as another thing was revealed. Nicholas can't be trusted, his words might not always be truthful, which means he needs to be even more careful.
Getting up from the couch, Nicholas walked in front of Jeremy and put his right hand forward.
"Give me your hand." Nicholas said in a solemn tone.
Jeremy continued scared, but he raised his right hand.
"Real funny, you know I want the hand with the ring." Nicholas said, his smile had a bit of ferocity as looked at Jeremy's eyes.
Jeremy right now played dumb, he knew what Nicholas meant, he wouldn't just ask for his hand casually, and Jeremy knows that the ring is important, otherwise, he wouldn't have received it.
Switching hands, Jeremy presented his left hand to Nicholas, showing the silver ring with a blue gem attached to it, worn on his left index finger. The gem was a beautiful vibrant blue, with the ring being large, it was good on Jeremy's character.
Still afraid of the outcome, Jeremy started sweating even more.
"Now... You know what this ring does, right? It stabilizes your magical energy, the thing you probably have already felt inside you. Without this ring, you will last until tomorrow morning, that's because it will take some time so that your magical energy destabilizes again. Your first thing is simple, get me half a million dollars by tomorrow morning, before you turn into ashes and die after your magical energy destabilizes." Nicholas explained Jeremy's first test.
Jeremy felt conflicted inside. On one side, he knows he has a high chance of completing this mission. On the other side, if he somehow doesn't do it, he dies. Jeremy is not really a fan of betting his life.
"Note that the test isn't about the money, but how you get it. Remember, I'm evaluating your skills." Nicholas continued.
"What do I gain from this?" Jeremy asked.
"Well, it depends on your performance." Nicholas answered honestly, though he knew that Jeremy wasn't speaking about the test, but instead the long run, the commitment with Nicholas, and if he was going to be harmed in any way.
Nicholas took off the ring from Jeremy's hand as it would be unwise to resist now. Again, he doesn't know Nicholas's capacities, and going against him could very well result in his own death.
After Jeremy was left without the ring, he looked at his hands as if contemplating something. He looked around the room looking for Nicholas, but the vampire was nowhere to be seen. Just moments later, Jeremy got up and left.
As Jeremy left the house, shiny yellow eyes appeared in the corner of the room.
Nicholas didn't leave the room.