Klein jumped to his feet and grabbed his sword. Now three creatures were on their feet: he, a vampire, rising from the rubble of the wall, and a werewolf, a two-meter humanoid wolf, who had seized control of Isabella’s body. And although the latter was, in fact, Klein’s girlfriend, the situation did not get any better. Now it was a wild beast, not distinguishing between friends and enemies.
The paladin kept a close eye on the two monsters, and breathed a sigh of relief when the werewolf rushed to add the bloodsucker. At least now he was not a threat, and the servant of Aronis had a chance to use his miracle. Since this battle dragged on, it was necessary to find out as much as possible about the enemy:
- [Inspection]
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Name: Victor von Geyr (35 years old) Warrior Mage
Level: 56 Vampire: 69
Vitality: 20+1
Strength: 23+1
Agility: 63+3
Intelligence: 54+5
Wisdom: 55+5
Charisma: 52+5
Magic:
1) Whisper
2) Minor illusion
3) Nightmare
4) Illusion
5) Memory View
6) Kingdom of Terror
A vampire:
1) Bat Transformation
2) Vampirism (drinking blood is cured)
3) Absorption of blood (the weapon is part of the body, and is capable of absorbing blood as if the owner drank it himself)
4) Child of Darkness (+15% stat points and +50% speed in the shadows)
5) Hypnosis
6) Immortality
Titles:
1) Fratricide (+5 charisma when communicating with creatures of an evil alignment)
2) Gray Cardinal (wisdom, intelligence, charisma +5)
3) Advisor to the King (wisdom, intelligence, charisma +5%)
4) Scientist (wisdom, intelligence +3, +5% experience gained)
5) Lord (Charisma +10, advantage on persuasion checks, +1 to all servant characteristics)
6) Apprentice of the Lich (intelligence, wisdom +5, +10% characteristics for actions directed towards the undead)
7) Vampire Lord (does not age, all characteristics + 5%, the sun causes fatal damage)
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- Hah, so why are you pretending to be an ancient powerful creature if you are only thirty-five!? – Klein grinned, getting closer to the vampire again.
- Oh, when you are dealing with the undead, please do not forget that you only see the age of death. Just so you know, I was born during the existence of the Kingdom of Berlin!
“That means he’s at least four hundred years old,” the paladin figured in his mind. This was quite important, because age directly depended on how many ancient artifacts the enemy might have. Meanwhile, Victor stood up, dusting himself off. He raised his hand, casting a spell:
- [Illusion]
Klein prepared to look for any signs of illusion, and was amazed to see that the vampire simply ran away from Isabella! The paladin looked at this dumbfounded for several seconds, after which he noticed that the werewolf was furiously fighting the void when Victor himself walked around the adventurers from the side.
“Holy crap,” Klein quickly guessed. “Isabella fell under the influence of [Illusion], and thinks that she is fighting with it... I was protected by the Necklace of Clarity.” And again the young man found himself, in fact, alone against the vampire... Oh, Blind Master, what a problematic opponent this was! The damned Dungeon Master was incredibly strong, even if Klein had Isabella's help...
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Isabella was kneeling in pools of blood and piles of dead bodies. Tears flowed from her eyes in a stream, falling to the ground and mixing with a different, red liquid. The girl stared at the floor in shock, unable to look at the whole picture. Now they were inside the walls of her hometown. They... She and what occupied her body.
Werewolf finished his meal, and, covered in blood, moved further, to where there were even more people. The pitiful walls could not stop the monster, and it moved incredibly quickly and stealthily, despite its size. And, what especially frightened Isabella, the creature became stronger. Having killed several dozen people on the outskirts of the city, it raised a dozen levels, becoming even more dangerous...
The young countess wanted to go as far as possible so as not to see what was about to happen, but she could not. The girl, like a ghost, was tied to the body of the werewolf, unable to leave or regain her appearance. And she was forced to watch all the atrocities of the monster.
When the night ended, almost a hundred torn corpses appeared on the streets of the once beautiful capital. The wolf-like monster looked at the rising sun with irritation. Together with the rays of the luminary, the monster’s control over the human girl subsided, and the fur grew back into the body, the bones fell into place, contracting, and the countess acquired her original appearance.
Isabella was happy that this nightmare was over. She hurriedly returned home, where her excited father and mother had been waiting for her for a long time.
- Isabella, honey! Are you okay? – Shaking, the count asked his daughter. -Where is your servant? Did you hear what's going on? Today some monster penetrated the walls of the city, and no one could stop him!
The girl did not answer, throwing herself on the chest of her beloved father, hugging him with all her might. She was so happy that she was able to return... So happy that it was over... And she was so scared, so scared! Tears streamed from her eyes again, creating wet stains on her father's embroidered gold suit.
The Count shuddered, feeling all the pain that flowed from Isabella along with the tears, and hugged her tightly.
- Oh, my poor little girl... What did you have to go through?..
This was the first time Isabella did not tell her parents everything. She was afraid. I was very afraid. She knew that she was loved and would be accepted as such, but what if not?.. A vile worm of doubt and panic ate the girl’s soul from the inside, tormenting her and not allowing her to open up to those closest to her. Even more than that she would not be forgiven, she was afraid to see fear in the eyes of her family. Fear towards her. And the young countess lay on the feather beds, curled up in despair. She didn’t want to believe it, but... What if this happened more than once, and will happen again?..
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The girl was never interested in werewolves, and this played a cruel joke on her. After all, knowing the truth, she probably would have immediately run away from home... But this did not happen. And that same night, in the chambers of the count’s daughter, the beast woke up, feeling such delicious smells from all sides!
And soon the entire estate was painted red. First of all, the werewolf blocked the exits, filling them with the bodies of servants. The monster was not a mindless ordinary wolf. He hunted like a master, little by little driving his prey into a position from which it was impossible to escape, and the count's estate in the very center of the city became his hunting ground.
Once again, Isabella had to be just a passive observer. And from the horrors she saw, the girl fell into a state akin to a trance. And she was brought out of it only by the stern, collected voice of her father, who used the miracle of his patron Aronis:
- [Inspection]
The girl looked around in horror. Yes, her worst fears had come true: the monster was in the ballroom, standing opposite a group of three dozen people led by a count armed with a sword. He managed to react, sensing something was wrong in his domain, and gathered around him the remaining guards and women trembling in horror, including Isabella’s mother. The girl sighed with relief: at least they were not alone, and with so many they had a chance to fight back the monster!
Suddenly, the sound of metal was heard in the room. The sword fell from the count's hands, hitting the floor loudly. And a second later the count himself fell to his knees, exhausted, looking in disbelief at the statistics window of the terrible monster standing in front of him.
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Name: Isabella de Gevaudan (20 years old) Aristocrat
Level: 4 Werewolf: 23
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In a trembling voice, the man weakly addressed the monster in front of him:
- I... Isabella? My girl, is it really you?..
And the monster roared joyfully, feeling a storm of emotions in the man in front of him. Werewolf carefully approached the armed people, they instantly prepared for battle, waving their weapons threateningly, but then the count’s frightened cry was heard:
- No! Put away your weapons! You will harm her! Don't you see, it's her, it's my daughter, your young mistress!
The guards exchanged glances incomprehensibly, and still began to advance, surrounding the werewolf, until a new, already furious cry of their master interrupted the people:
- Anyone who dares to harm her will be considered a traitor and sentenced to death! And I am ready to personally bring it to this vile traitor! – The Count jumped up, raising his sword, pointing it at the confused servants.
And the Beast felt their weakness. He attacked the nearest soldier, tearing off his head with one bite. The warrior’s body fell to the ground, and screams were heard, and loudest of all, the cry of the old count:
- Don't attack! Put away your weapons!
And the werewolf felt permissiveness. The massacre began. The monster jumped from one person to another, tearing into pieces, devouring, tearing apart the fragile bodies of people with its claws. Someone tried to organize resistance, gathering in groups, ignoring the count's order, but this only attracted the attention of the creature, and it killed these people first, depriving everyone else of the slightest motivation to fight. People just tried to escape, pushing and falling in panic. And the beast enjoyed this hunt, killing them one by one.
A few minutes later, the sounds in the hall died down. Only the weak voice of the count, distraught with grief, kept repeating:
- Don't attack... This is my girl! My daughter!
And the daughter approached her father, putting her paw on his head. The old man smiled.
- Y-yes, my little one. Don't be afraid, those who wanted to harm you are gone. There's only me, your dad, and here's your mom. We love you, Iza... Whatever you are. Let me hug you...
Isabella cried from powerlessness and despair. She always remembered the taste of her parents. It was the taste of grief and hopelessness. A taste that so pleased the beast inside her.
- Why... Why!? – The girl exclaimed into the void.
And the emptiness answered her.
- Because I despise you.
The beast looked directly at Isabella, floating in the air, with a surprisingly clear and intelligent gaze. She was so shocked that she couldn't say anything. And from this shock she suddenly remembered. She remembered that she had already experienced all this. She survived her infection, and this massacre, and the werewolf’s long, long hunt for all the remaining inhabitants of Gevaudan, and remembered his defeat, and the release of Isabella with the return of her body. The girl remembered how desperately she was looking for a way to no longer turn into this creature, how she found the druids, and learned from them. She remembered all this. The adventurer said in shock:
- All this is not true. All this is an illusion. Dream.
- Yes. – The monster in front of her confirmed, and the entire area around her began to blur, turning into vague white outlines. - Are you sleeping. But I don’t.
- Are you... Are you smart? – Isabella asked, shaking with fear.
The only answer she received was a contemptuous look.
- That’s why I despise you, human daughter. - You are weak. Stupid. Timid. And without any passion for killing. Why, out of all the options, you turned out to be the bearer of the suitable soul...
The werewolf growled furiously, waving his paws as if trying to tear apart the very space around him.
- And I, the great spirit Larkar, found myself locked inside you! Rrrraaah!
- B-but why do you kill people? – Isabella suddenly asked. She thought that she could try to use this chance to negotiate with the monster. She understood that the chance was very small, but while it was there, she had to try! – Can’t we live in peace!?
- Because I want to kill people. - The monster simply answered with a bloodthirsty grin. - And because I hate them. And he must put himself together.
- Collect yourself together? – the girl asked puzzledly
The werewolf's gaze suddenly filled with melancholy as he answered:
- Once upon a time I was great... Moon Spirit Hati, The Hater. The Great Wolf, collecting bloody tribute from the lands covered by the light of the Moon... I was powerful. Great. Only I, my brother Skadi, father Fenrir, and no more than a dozen other great ancient spirits existed in the world... Our power over mortals was absolute... But this bastard... - The werewolf growled in rage, remembering the past. – Gate Counting Souls. This scum ambushed me during my hunt... And so he became God, carrying out the ritual of apotheosis with the help of this victory. He divided me into many fragments, tying me to the souls of damned people. And the more people multiplied, the more my essence fragmented, becoming smaller and weaker! It has gotten to the point where now only a select few can I awaken to at least some degree...
- Why... Why are you telling me all this?..
- Because, Isabella de Gevaudan, - the monster looked piercingly into the girl’s eyes, - I want you to kneel now, knowing this. Bow down before me, the true ruler of people. I was before the birth of the gods! You all belong to me! Accept it and give your body!
The last words were already flying out of the creature’s mouth with a growl, and his eyes burned with animal rage. Isabella screamed and stepped back. She asked timidly:
- What will you do if I agree?
- I'll kill people, of course. – Larkar answered without hesitation.
- E-everyone?..
- Of course not. Some population should remain and produce offspring that I can hunt in the future. Although most of me must die so that my fragments become stronger and are able to come back together. But I will kill all the gods. No one will dare do this to me again!
- T-then... - The Druid plucked up courage and, stuttering, answered: - P-p-perhaps, n-no...
- What?
- N-no... I... I... I won't give you my body!
-Then I will take him by force. – The wolf raised his head proudly.
Suddenly the girl had an epiphany, and, increasingly confident, she spoke:
- No. You won't take it. If you could, you would have done it a long time ago, and would not have told me all this, asking for my help! You are weak! Even weaker than me!
- Watch your words, mortal trash! – The monster growled, and the fur on it began to bristle threateningly in all directions.
- No, you watch your words! - The girl got excited. - This is my body! My consciousness! My world! You have no power here! You are just a guest who occasionally takes control!
-Then I'll just kill your friends. That guy who seems to care about you is now in a very difficult situation. – Isabella saw a picture of the real world, where Klein was pressed in battle by a vampire with a bloody black sword. - What a pity if I also suddenly attack him.
- No. You won't do this.
- How can you stop me?
- You'll stop yourself. If you kill Klein, you will be left alone. And that vampire clearly won’t let you go. You will die. Even though there is only a piece of the ancient spirit of the Moon in me, you don’t want to die, I can see it! You even have your own name! Therefore, if I die, if my friends die, then you will die too!
Larkar looked intently at the adventuress. He had been in her body for the past eight years, and this was the first time he had seen her like this. This determination and strength even endeared him. This was the language that the sky wolf understood and respected. He silently retreated from Isabella's consciousness, disappearing into thin air and leaving her alone. Only a calm voice finally reminded her that the spirit still had a lot of time at its disposal:
- I'm looking forward to the next full moon. Everything will be different in the city, you understand that, Isabella de Gevaudan?