Feel free to skip the story and go to the next heading (Your Quest: Rules and Forms) if you want to get straight to the rules, quest, and eligible stories.
You continue down the path, aware of a strange smokey scent that gets steadily stronger with each step. The fog has changed now. It’s all shades of dark blue. It catches the silver moonlight, but it does not change its coloration. Dozens of tall trees without hardly any branches stood like sentinels all around you. The path wove through this forest, and all was deep blues, greys and silvers.
Suddenly you pause.
The breeze rustles in the narrow leaves above. As you strain your ears, you realize you can just make out the sound of…footsteps? “Hello?” you call out.
A man with dramatic clothing jumps out, brown-lined eyes wide with excitement. He wears a top hat with a blue suit so dark it is almost black. The smell of old velvet, bourbon, vanilla, and honey swirls around him. “Don’t be alarmed!” He tips his top hat to you and flashes you a big smile. “Dear traveler, what a joy to find you here so unexpectedly in these wilds and at such a time as this. Is it possible you could give me aid in finding the information that I seek?”
You tilt your head. “You need stories?”
“Yes, please!” He rubbed the rim of his top hat and then gestured almost wildly to the rest of the forest. “I am in dire need, dear traveler. I must find stories about monsters and werewolves. Ones that fulfill these requirements.”
“What requirements—” You stop as you feel something tickle the palm of your hand. Frowning, you hold up your hand, then freeze. A blue cursive script appears on your skin, listing out tropes and questions. “Did you just magic print words on me?”
“Don’t worry! It will vanish as soon as you find the necessary tomes. I swear.”
You sigh, setting your hands on your waist. “Let me guess. You need love stories.”
He gasps with delight, clasping his dark gloved hands together. “Are you a mindreader? Yes! That’s precisely what I need. There’s no better way to understand the psyche of monsters and werewolves and well any kind of were than by reading their love stories.”
“Why do you want to learn about monsters and werewolves?” You ask cautiously. “Do you…do you hunt them?” His attire doesn’t really look like he’s a monster hunter, but you don’t want to assume.
“Hunt them? No!” His dark-lined eyes widened with shock. “Oh no, not at all. You see, I run a finishing school for monsters and werewolves.”
“A…finishing school?”
“Yes. Or rather I will be soon.” He nods, delight flashing through his eyes as he steps closer. “You see, monsters and werewolves will inevitably go on to choose varying paths of good and evil. And the worst thing any of them could do is be boring. No. If a village is to be wrecked by a band of roving monsters, it must at least be imaginative and charismatic. No one wants to fight a boring villain. And if they choose the good path, then clearly they will need such skills to integrate with society. Everyone needs charm and pizazz. A little bit of the old razzle dazzle helps everyone, no matter what their calling in life.”
“I suppose that’s…not necessarily false.” You laugh a little, surprised at this man’s reasoning. “Won’t there be some logistical challenges with getting this set up? With teaching monsters and werewolves…charm?”
“Of course, of course. But you needn’t worry about any of that.” Hugo assures you with another flamboyant wave of his hand. “I have everything under control. All I need are the right tomes to teach my students the art of love and charm. You handle that, and I’ll handle the rest.”
“Well, I think I know where to look for these stories,” you say.
“Excellent! I knew I could count on you. Thank you so much for your help.” He bows deeply.
You laugh and bow your head in response. With a wry smile, you bid him farewell and go off in search of the stories that fit the parameters. It won’t take long at all.
Your Quest: Prize, Rules, and Forms
Prize
Once you complete this quest, you will be entered in a chance to win a $5 gift card.
This is open to anyone.
Rules
To complete the Quest, you can use stories from the list below.
You can only use a story for one element on the list in this quest. It is all right if you repeat a story from any other quest though.
This quest includes a custom curated list of all the stories in the event that include monsters and werewolves. You may use any of the ones on this page to solve this quest.
Be kind to your fellow readers and other authors.
The Forms
This one you will either fill out a Google Form or email us your discoveries. Refer to the form to find the list of required stories even if you choose to email.
Each answer is worth 1 token. Each token is an entry into the giveaway.
Bonus Tokens
In addition to the regular tokens, you can get bonus tokens by completing the following acts.
One extra token for every story you share in an individual social media post. (Yes, you can post on multiple platforms.)
Use #vampirequestbonus (and if you want to absolutely bless me, save off the links and paste them in the forms or an email to make sure we definitely see them. Screenshots also work.).
(We have graphics of all the stories here so you don’t have to make something separate. Just look look under the author’s last name to find the stories.)
Submitting Your Form
Once you’ve gathered up your collection of stories, you’ll need to turn them in so we can verify.
You can turn in your stories in two ways.
- Complete this form and directly post your answers (if you do this, you don’t need to turn in anything else. The form will allow you to return to it and edit your answers).
- Email your answers to faeornofae@farofeb.com. Make sure to include any of the bonus activities you have done as well. Use the title Vampire Quest or Vampire Expert Quest or some similar identifier.
Make sure to submit your completed form or list by October 30 at 11:59 PM EST.
If you have any problems, please feel free to email faeornofae@farofeb.com.
Heat Levels
All stories are ranked on a romance scale of one to four chili peppers to indicate spice levels. We use the Heat Levels Guide depicted here.
This graphic has also been saved in the Graphics Folder for the event in case you want to share it as well.
Monster and Werewolf Stories in Our Worlds and Others
The Conclusion of The Monster Seeker
There’s nothing like figuring out the tropes of the stories you love, and the monsters and werewolves subgenre is one you’re very familiar with. You stroll along the moonlit path with a big stack of books in your arms.
The smell of old velvet, bourbon, vanilla, and honey announce Hugo’s presence before he arrives. You turn to face him just as he strides out of the bushes.
As soon as he sees you, Hugo claps his hands together with delight. His eyes crinkle around the edges. “Oh, you gorgeous creature, look at you! Back so soon.” He springs forward. “You got them already?” A tiny pixie flew around him, humming with similar delight as it radiated its ethereal white light.
“I’ve got them.” You offer him the stack of books. “These will give you all kinds of insight into monsters and werewolves.”
He scoops the books up clumsily. A couple of the paperbacks almost slide off, but he catches them in time in his dark-gloved hand. The pixie darts around, humming and tinkling in a bell-like voice. He nods as if in response to the pixie, then looks at you. “This is perfect, dear traveler. Thank you so much! This school will soon be a reality thanks to you.”
You smile happily. The ink is gone from your hand now. “More than glad to be able to help.”
He adjusts the stack of books once more. His pixie friend zips around his head and lands on top of the stack. “Thank you again. I couldn’t have done this without you. If you’re looking for more adventures, then keep heading down that path. I’m certain you’ll find more who will benefit from your generous knowledge.” Hugo tips his hat to her, beaming with delight. Then he waltzes off, humming happily as the pixie remains on the top of the books.
You chuckle to yourself and then resume your journey. The sound of his voice soon disappears into the heavy fog. What other surprises will this week hold? You adjust the book bag on your shoulder. Who would have thought that such knowledge of romance stories and the fantastical would come in handy in so many ways!