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 walk along the path, enjoying the calm of the night. Even if there are no other adventures, it’s beautiful out. Truly.
That thought no sooner crosses your mind when a strange stirring sensation strikes you. It moves through your body like lightning. You halt, your breaths shortening.
If that’s not magic, you’re a porcupine.
Before you can have a second wittier thought, you find yourself appearing in a cloud of grey smoke in a throne room. It’s a dramatically designed room with a bold throne and a vivid red carpet that cuts up the center of the room. A strange being stands before you. He is ivory skinned with straight black hair and long arching horns. He looks as if he might be…well, maybe a devil of some sort? He is shirtless and in a mood grimmer and tighter than his black leather pants.
“You’re the answer to my problems?” he asks, eyebrow arching dramatically.
You draw in a deep breath, catching the strong scent of his cologne: vetiver, black amber, pepper, and incense. “Um…I don’t think so. I just got snagged by some sort of portal incantation. What are you doing summoning strangers if you don’t know who they are? Speaking of which…who are you?”
“You may call me… Zen.” He gives you a sharp appraising look and then tilts his head. “Not that that’s my real name.”
“Well, I wouldn’t expect someone who used illegal magical methods to give me their real name.” You do find it humorous that he calls himself Zen when his manner suggests he is the exact opposite of that.
He hisses sharply through his teeth. “Well, aren’t you the sassy little beast?”
“Why did you summon me? Did you want someone to give their opinion on appropriate adornments for your horns?”
“Hah.” Zen gives a light flick of his hand. “My ruler is contemplating uniting me with a vampire. I must confess…the idea is not entirely without appeal. But I require information so that I know how love stories with vampires go because I intend—whatever the result—to have the most epic of love stories known to any mortal or eternal.”
“And you think I can help with that?”
“Oh, don’t play coy with me.” He glares at you, his dark eyes narrowing. “I know your smell. You revel in these stories. If not with vampires, then all other sorts, and I’ll bet you know where to look if you don’t know them offhand.
You give a faint shrug, not wanting to commit one way or the other. Truth is, you do know quite a lot about vampires. Especially in romances. “What do you need?”
Zen leans closer, lowering his voice. “Like I said, I need stories about vampires. Hm.” He waggles his thick dark eyebrows. “Love stories. All right?”
“What kind of love stories? Even just vampire love stories is a bit of a broad category.”
He rolls his eyes dramatically and heaves an enormous sigh. “Oh please. Here.” He whips out a list. It’s perfectly inked in cursive dark red script. “All the details are here.” He grins at you as he looks you up and down. “Such a shame you aren’t a vampire.”
“I’m definitely not a vampire,” you say flatly as you take the list away. You glance over it. “Lucky for you though, I do know just the stories to fit this.”
“Excellent! Then you’ll help me?”
“Do I have a choice?” you ask.
“No.” He flashes you a smug smile. “You get me the names of those stories, and I won’t smite you. How’s that for an offer?”
You open your mouth to respond, but he’s already walking away. Insufferable asshole. You raise an eyebrow with annoyance as you glance at the list. He probably would smite you if you didn’t give him all the stories he needed. Good thing you knew exactly stories to recommend.
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 vampires. 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.
Vampire Stories in Our Worlds and Others
The Conclusion to Vampire Expert Wanted
You go through the list and fill it out swiftly. Your knowledge of tropes within vampire romances serves you well, and you can think of quite a few that will provide Zen with excellent guidance for understanding some of the tropes surrounding vampires in love stories.
That burst of smoky vetiver black amber fragrance fills the room as Zen returns. He carries a rose that is all the more vibrant against his pallid yellow-ivory skin and long dark claws. “Do you have something for me, little wanderer?”
“Here.” You present him the list with a flourish and then step out of the way in case he decides to be dramatic in a way that works against you.
“Hm.” He snatches the list out of the air and then looks over it, playing with the rose as he does so. “Very well done. Your mind is a sexy thing, I must say. I have to admit, I’m almost half tempted to propose to my ruler that I take you to be mine. What would you say to that?”
“I’d say I’m not inclined to follow the insta love or captive bride trope.”
He chuckles, biting his lower lip. “Perhaps some enemies to lovers then. I chase you. You stab me. Then we make out like hellions on the fast track to oblivion.”
You offer no response aside from the lifting of your eyebrow.
He grins as he shakes his head and walks back. “Well, you can’t blame me for trying.” He makes a small flourish and grins at you. “If you change your mind, I might fancy you over a vampire. Even if my ruler says he’d rather I not, I’d still find a way to make it work with someone as…talented as you.”
“Flattery will get you nowhere,” you say, though you do find yourself smiling nonetheless. “Now send me back to where you found me, all right?”
“Such a spoil sport.” He rolls his eyes, then snaps his fingers. “Bye, bye, doll.”
The spicy smoke sweeps up around you and drops you back on the path. You blink, shaking your head as you regain your balance. No matter how many times it happens, you’ll never get used to this sort of thing.
Well, at least you had managed to get through one additional adventure. As you straighten your tunic, you catch another odd scent. Something a little more wild. Not quite so bloody and sulfury. Hm. You continue on the trail. What will the future hold?