After I got out of the crowd I jumped straight up onto the roof. Took a couple deep breaths to focus, closed my eyes and felt out. I don't know if this is unice to just me or older vampires and progenitors, but I have a limited ability to detect nearby vampires. It is even stronger if they are my descendants. So those that I have turned and any they have turned.

It took me some time but after a while I felt it and I knew in my bones that each one of them were mine. It broke my heart a little for what he did to these poor children but it was nothing to the burning rage in my soul. I moved.

Roof to roof I raced through a long breach. I saw the chaos of what was happening below me. Bodies here and there cars crashed or just left in the middle of the road. I would not say it looked like a war zone because that would be an overstatement but it was not that far from it. It was rather sad to see things the way they were. Was this the whole country right now or was it just cities like long beach that were like this? Human nature truly is a crazy thing.

After moving almost halfway across the city I came up to a wear house near the docks. ‘How cliche’ I thought to myself. Walking up to the roll up door I decided that he knew I was coming and that subtlety was not needed. So I put my hands on the door at the bottom and lifted it up. Metal sheared and screeched as I forced it up open. Looking around I saw my welcome party. Two dozen young vampires lined the room with my oldest sitting on some crates in the middle of the warehouse. He had pitch black hair, deep blue eyes and to be honest he was incredibly good looking. A strong jawline on a clean shaven face. Well toned muscles and a rather attractive smile.

“Well done mother, I was not expecting you to get here so fast. I was planning something a little more grand but you were too fast.” He clapped as I walked further into the warehouse. Some of the vampires shifted behind me while pointedly not stepping in the light of sunset. Looking around I asked

“Rather young group of vampires you have here Joshua. They can’t even stand in the sun yet.”

Joshua waved his hand. “Why would they even if they can you know as well as they do you grow weaker in the sun. So why make yourself weaker when you are fighting a progenitor.”

I stiffened at that and he smiled. “To save us both the time of you asking me why I will just explain. You deserve that much. You see, I have been planning to kill you for a while now. You were the only vampire that could stand in the way of my plans after all. Seeing that dear old Grandfather died a century back. With him gone the only vampire that had true power over me was you.

Yes the other elder vampires could exude pressure on me but not in the same way as the one who turned you or the ones that turned them. So I had been planning and growing stronger unlike you who has wasted away in the pleasures of both the body and the modern era.” He hopped down from his crate and walked closer to me but made sure not to step in the light of the quickly setting sun. Prompted by what he said, I identified him.

Level: 88

Race: Elder Vampire

Highest class: Elder Vampire Leader level: 10

“To be honest I had not planned on killing you for some years yet. I mean I knew where you were and you were unlikely to move for a couple of decades so I had plenty of time to keep training my children and work on ways to further resist the command of my creator. But then comes along the system and it hands me everything that I had been working for. Skills to help resist the command of an elder vampire. A class to improve my children when they are near me and most of all it gave me a reason to kill you now instead of later. To think that I would be given such power for being the heir to the progenitor. I can’t imagine the power you have as one. Think about it, an army of vampires, the benefits that we get and the fact that I have so much control over them is amazing. Then there is the fact that your very blood holds so much power if I can gain that and the title.” His face of pleasure as he said the last part was slightly off putting.

Confused, I asked “You do know that I also have this ability so what makes you so confident?”

“The system dear mother.” he exclaimed “My class gave me the skill to keep other vampires from controlling those under my command. Unlike some of the other skills it does not say it gets stronger with level but only that the effective area and number increases with level.

With the power I will gain by killing you and the army of vampires at my call on top of the dungeon you are now in control of, I will become a power that no one, not even the dragons will be able to offend. It will only be a matter of time until no one will be able to deny me.” I just shook my head.

“You really have gone off the deep end this time haven’t you Joshua. First you kill the man I planned to spend the rest of eternity with and then kill my only true child, my daughter. You killed the only child I ever gave birth to out of jealousy. YOU KILLED A CHILD BECAUSE OF JEALOUSY!” my voice boomed through the walls of the warehouse causing all the vampires to shrink back a bit.

Joshua just stood there smiling unphased. “In the end, doing that has helped me now. Thought it was more than jealousy but that does not matter now and I have no regrets for what I did. Nor do I care about that poor kid I killed at your pathetic bar.

You know it was so easy to pull your attention away. All I had to do was light the powder keg that was this town to take you from your charges. Tisk- tisk mother I thought you were better than that.”

I looked Joshua in the eyes, rage bubbling under the surface. Not only did he kill Carl but he had a hand in the chaos and death that has now engulfed the city. Friends and family of those I swore to protect could be dying due to his involvement.

Taking a deep breath I let it out in a sighed and said “ That is quite the plan Joshua, lure me away from my charges with a massive gang war only to come in a murder one of my human friends and partner, all so you could lure me here to use your new found power to put an end to my immortal life. But you have made quite a few miscalculations. The one of which is the fact that you have not thought that it is weird that my level is so low seeing as I live next to the dungeon." I removed my ability and let my true level show.

Level: 163

Race: Ancient Vampire

Highest class: Midnight’s Perfect Assassin level: 25

Tittles: Dungeon Keeper of The Forest of Stars

His eyes grew wide at what I can only assume was him identifying me. I then continued. “You were not the only one to get the system. That is one thing that you seemed to be rather bad at. You only thought about how you could succeed and not how you could fail. I mean it is a rather simple thing to think of. I mean I'm sure some of your followers could have told you if you did not treat them like pawns.

I will say you are right that I did not try to increase my physical power. I did however gather allies and money. Which I am using rather well at the moment. Though I did not see the reason to gain more power. I thought I had no one out to get me and anyone that did would either be so much more powerful than me that it would not matter or I would kill them. I mean come on what humans would be able to kill me. What dragon would want to kill me and what fay would care about me? The only vampires I had to fear were all able to suppress me so why bother. I had nothing better to do so I enjoyed life. It's better than wallowing in self pity or watching as humans tear each other apart over and over again.”

Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere.

You could see his confidence fading by the second. He bit off more than he could chew. The saddest part about all of this is that he would have had a better chance at succeeding before the system came to be.

“I mean did you really think I was that easy to defeat? I am more than a millennia older than you Joshua. You don't live as long as I have without being about to not only fight off your enemies but also know when you run and not engage. If I had any major concerns about not being able to at least be able to escape do you think I would come here? Oh don't get me wrong I would be having nightmares for decades about the faces you would massacre and turn but I would survive and come back with the ability to end you. You would no longer be able to hide, you would be at the dungeon and I have friends that I could gather that would be able to crush you before you could gain enough power from the dungeon to fight back. Then there is the fact that with me not dead I would still be the dungeon handler and I could just wait for you to get fair enough in the dungeon to use it to kill you.

Do you see all the very clear places your plan could go wrong?”

His normally handsome face was twisted in rage and with the last of the setting sun's light leaving the open door of the warehouse he screamed “KILL HER!”

All of the vampires pounced on me. Some of them pulled knives while others attacked with hands and fists. I activated all three auras of Presence of an Ancient but it did nothing more than make them stumble.

Seeing it fail I got ready to fight. The first of my grandchildren shot towards me, the rest following quickly behind. Ducking the first blow I pushed the child away only to have a foot coming for my head. I pushed the kick up knowing the boy was off balance. Next there was a knife heading for my throat. I knocked the hand away and the knife went flying. More and more of them joined the fight but they could not land a hit on me. Even then the attacks keep coming. I ducked blows, pushed kicks and punches out of the way and disarmed others. It was like a massive dance. If there was one thing I could give Joshua credit for it was he trained his children well. This dance of me not doing any damage lasted for a while that was until a shoot range out. On instinct I dodged to shoot. I was still nicked but it did not break skin. But the vampire behind me was hit. I looked up to see Joshua pulling the trigger again. I used star shot and knocked the gun out of his hands but not before another shot was fired and another vampire fell.

His eyes were wide and he knew I could kill him if he did not run so he added to his record of cruelty and said. “Kill her or die trying either she is dead and you return to me or you die here by your own hand or hers.” Then he ran. I screamed “NO!” putting every ounce of my will into those words putting the full force of my title of a progenitor and Presence of an Ancient behind it. For a second I thought it would work but all it did was cause them to freeze up for a second then they kept fighting with more fury than before. I could see it in their eyes the will to live on. Each one of them threw themselves at me trying all they could to bring me down.

I tried to cripple them and take them out of the fight to maybe keep them alive long enough for them to no longer be under Joshua’s sway But once they knew they could not longer fight on, tears welled up in their eyes, looked at me, pulled a knife and cut their throats.

I screamed again the fear, terror and rage filling my voice but it was for not. Even when I broke their arms and legs they still found a way to kill themselves whether it be slamming their head repeatedly in the ground or one of their fellows killing them before I noticed.

The bodies piled up, the bodies of my grandchildren. I tried all I could but in the end there were just two left. They looked to be in their teens, a boy and a girl too young to have even understood what was going to happen to them. Tears ran down my face while I moved to stop the boy from slitting his own throat. I was too late like all the rest. I was too late. I may be more powerful than any of them, faster, stronger but between whatever skill Joshua got from his class to make them stronger and whatever class they have they were fast enough and strong enough that not killing them was a challenge in the extreme.

I looked to the last of the young vampires looking no older than 15. She was bloody bruised and had tears in her green eyes just like the daughter I never got to see grow up. There was blood streaked through her blond hair. She still had yet to fully develop into a woman with a face still in the throws of youth. My mind flashed to the same green eyes my own daughter had just like hers. Never seemingly able to save them.

She gave me a broken smile and her hands in what seemed like slow motion to me went for her neck. I, seemingly in slow motion, tried to run and stop her. I was going to be too late. I was going to save no one and get revenge for no one. I was to watch as more of my kin were taken from me. Forever too late.

Whether some god took pity on me or I was just incredibly lucky. Moonlight barely showed through the door stopping right in front of her and I blinked in front of her. Her eyes grew wide. I pushed her arms down to her sides and bear hugged her. She screamed her bones creaking under my hold. She yelled “I have too, I have to master told me I have too.” I spoke softly in her ear. “Quiet my child. You do not have to listen to him anymore.”

She kept yelling “NO NO NNNNNOOOOO I HAVE TO!”

“It's ok my child you will never have to do anything he tells you ever again.” And for the first time in four centuries I bit into the neck of a person not to feed from them but to turn them.

While she is already a vampire she was changed by a blood much weaker than mine. So in turn she is not only not a pure blooded vampire like me or Joshua but I can overcome his hold on her and make her mine.

She kept screaming with my fangs in her neck, though it quickly quieted. She then began to twitch violently and she went limp in my arms. I lightened my hug on her but kept her close to my chest. And whispered “No more.”

I looked around at all my fallen grandchildren and finally broke down releasing the grief and rage at what took place tonight and over 600 years ago.

###

After closing the eyes of all my grandchildren I set the building ablaze. I did not care if it started a city wide fire. Maybe that would be enough to get the fools to stop their pointless fighting.

I made my way back across the city with my new child in my arms. She was out cold, still slightly twitching in my arms. Looking down behind all the blood and bruises of the battle she was rather beautiful. It only made me madder. What did Joshua do to get this girl? Who was she before he took her life away? The rage simmering below the surface began to boil again. Knowing it was not the time, I took a deep breath and calmed down.

As I made my way back, any battle that was happening near me paused as they all stopped to watch me make my way back home. After I passed I did not hear anymore fighting. They all seemed to pack up at least those that I passed. It was almost midnight by the time I walked up to the blocked off part of the street that was my block. Eric was on guard on this side of the street and approached me. He was about to say something then I looked into his eyes and his mouth went shut. Because of my rolling emotions I was not able to completely resist the call of the night with the half moon above me. I knew my eyes were blood red right now.

He backed up and said somethings to the others guarding the street and walked behind me and to my right as I kept moving to the bar. I looked like they had set up makeshift sleeping areas outside for the adults because I did not see a single child among them. A few were still up talking quietly as I walked up.

All of those still awake were wide eyed, staring at me as I carried the young girl in my arms. There were hushed whispers but one look from Eric silenced all of them. I made my way into the bar seeing kids of all ages sleeping on the floor. The twins and Ana were quietly talking to Cameron who still looked distressed. Grace saw me paled slightly and was about to get up but a shake of Eric's head sat her back down. Cameron also looked up to see me bloodied and holding a girl. She too looked like she was going to get up a whirlwind of emotions in her eyes but one look at my fading red eyes calmed her and she quietly stayed put.

I made my way to the back and worked up my stairs. At the bottom was Edward standing guard with his fencing sword at his side. His eyes went wide at the sight of me. He stepped aside for me as I walked up the stairs. Eric stayed at the bottom of the stairs with him. Getting to the top of the I shifted the girl to be able to open the door. Walking thru I closed it with a kick. That seemed to walk up Sarah who was sleeping on the couch with Samantha and Maria sleeping in the two padded chairs. Sarah blurry eyed looked up to see me, she sleepfully said. “Vivi?”

I walked past her to my room while she kept waking up. Seeing my bed which was covered in plastic lay Carl’s dead body doing an about face I moved back into the living room. Not having the mental energy to deal with it right now. Sarah was now fully awake staring at me in wide eyed horror.

“Are you okay? Is the girl okay?” she asked. All I did was nod and laid the girl down on the couch. I then picked up her head, sat down and laid her head down on my lap. Her twitching at this point had stopped but she was still out cold and I had no idea how long she would be like this. I had never taken claim of a vampire like that before so I have no idea what the difference in the transition is compared to a human. Stroking the girl's hair, I closed my eyes and drifted to sleep.