“Jared, are you sure about this?” Aldrin whispered as they trudged through the rolling hills that were dotted with boulders.

“Yes. All you gotta do is put on your Vampire face, look menacing like you’re gonna take their souls, and then we simply abscond with their loot,” he grinned.

Pierre harrumphed in response. “They have lost enough already. Preying on their own is lowly enough.”

“Besides, you need to feed and we are out of donations.”

“I still don’t think this is a good idea though,” Aldrin said as they slowly crept up to the refugees turned bandits.

“We are just returning what they took. It’s simple, with no sweat off our backs,” Jared reassured.

“Here goes nothing then,” Aldrin stood, walking out towards their campfire.

“Atta boy!” Jared quietly encouraged.

Aldrin surveyed the group with his predator vision, letting him pick out at least seven strong heartbeats in the vicinity. The rhythmic sound called to him, beckoning him to consume their life-force as the thirst threatened to take control. He could let it and turn this into a bloodbath, but he reserved that only for a last resort. These people had lost enough already, but now they chose to take things from others that were traveling away from Lor-Vold in order to better their lives. It was already bad enough that these roads weren’t patrolled like they should have been, or at least not by people. The back roads to Folos were mostly patrolled by roving bands of monsters and packs of animals.

Unfortunately, being what Aldrin is, those monsters gave him a clear berth as they traveled through. He knew he would much rather tangle with those monsters than the monsters that wore human guises. He chuckled to himself, realizing that he was considered a monster wearing a human-guise too.

“You are a monster; be the monster,” Aldrin repeated to himself as he got closer. His steps were silent, let alone they wouldn’t even hear him approach based on their raucous laughter from celebrating their latest pillage.

Fresh blood that smelt of raspberries wafted into Aldrin’s nose, making his head whip to the source, seeing that the bodies of their victims had died in fear. His self view of justice burned within him as the Vampire called for blood in retribution. A part of his heart broke when he stepped closer to the bodies, seeing it was a family of six that had been slain. The man was gutted while the woman had torn clothes before they slit her neck. Two older boys had also been slain in the same manner as their father. Worst of all, he picked out a set of small hands that still clung to one of the older boys. Upon closer inspection, it was twins, a girl and boy, that died in fear. Clutching his fist, Aldrin released the hold he had on himself, letting the Vampire come to fruition.

His fangs grew long enough that they began to poke out of his mouth. His skin took on an almost stoney pale color, and his new claws sharpened to points as they took on a new hue of black. Drawing his sword from his inventory, he wheeled around using Shapechange to fly in a swarm of bats at the group. He flew up above their heads at first, circling, counting out where all seven were before he crashed down in the fire, making it explode outward before being snuffed out. Reforming, he roared, letting the fury he felt within infuse with it, sending fear to those around him that jumped back in surprise.

Without warning, Aldrin separated the closest man’s head from his body in an instant. He jumped to the next one, sinking his fangs into him, draining him until he was nothing but a dried out husk. Finally, understanding the gravity of the situation, a third lunged at Aldrin from behind, but that was for naught since Aldrin felt the shift behind him. He pivoted around, sidestepping the lunge and grabbing the wrist of the man. He squeezed, feeling the bones pop and break under his grip. The man yelled out in pain before Aldrin threw him into two others, knocking them over. He jumped high into the air before coming down, pinning two of them together with his sword, killing them instantly.

“Only three of you left,” Aldrin darkly chuckled as the blood seeped and fertilized the barren earth.

One man that was a Mage conjured an ice spike that streaked through the air, impaling Aldrin in the shoulder. He grunted from the impact, but felt no pain as the ice spike shattered into pieces. His wound closed immediately when his system promptly flashed in the corner of his eye. He grinned wide enough to show his fangs that glinted off the moonlight.

“SHOOT IT AGAIN!” another yelled in panic.

The Mage obliged, letting off another ice spike that bounced off Aldrin this time as he stalked forward. The one that was busy trying to get from underneath the two that had been pinned by Aldrin’s sword finally got free, only to be met with an arrow through the neck from Jared’s bow when he stood.

Aldrin watched the man gurgle and suffocate in his own blood before turning back to the two in front of him. “Only two left now,” he growled out.

He rushed at them in the form of his bats, circling them as they each tried to swat away the swarm they found themselves in. Aldrin didn’t let up as he reformed half his body, pulling the Mage to him before jabbing him in the stomach with his claws. The man screamed as Aldrin found what he was looking for and yanked his hand back, pulling his intestines out. He kept pulling as the man screamed and finally succumbed to death with his entrails on display for the other man to finally mentally break.

The man fell back on his butt, screaming in terror as he tried to escape Aldrin. He only got so far when Aldrin grabbed him by his ankle, dragging him back and lifting him effortlessly off the ground. He sniffed, smelling raspberries coming off the man that was the strongest out of the bunch.

“So, you are the main one?” Aldrin asked in disgust.

“W-What do you want?!” he cried.

“I’ll give you anything! Please!”

Aldrin listened a while longer to his pleas of mercy that fell on deaf ears. The man continued to struggle as Aldrin watched him like a statue. Finally, he dropped him on his head, letting the man crawl and scamper away. Aldrin lunged at him from behind, piercing through his chest to grab his heart with his claws. He pulled back and watched the heart beat one last time before he squeezed it above his mouth as the man fell face first, shock evident on his face from the killing blow.

A faint wheeze tickled Aldrin’s ears when he turned back to see the man he had pinned struggling and clinging to life still. Pulling his sword from the bodies, he watched the man take his last breath.

“It’s done,” Aldrin called out as he regained control of his nature, letting the features recede and the human side of him return.

Unauthorized tale usage: if you spot this story on Amazon, report the violation.

Jared whistled at the display when they approached. “Personally, I cannot wait to see how you do in a Dungeon when we get closer to Folos.”

Aldrin quickly read the system prompts, telling him of the experience gained from the kills. It left a bitter taste in his mouth from how little he gained. Pierre went to loot the bodies and scrounge whatever treasures they hid as Jared continued to scout the way forward. A moment later, Evie strode along the road riding the carriage, coming to a stop near the hidden camp of the bandits. Aldrin gave a slight wave as he approached.

“An excellent feeding, I presume?” she asked, eyeing the blood that marred Aldrin.

“They were slightly sweeter this time,” Aldrin said before he realized what came out of his mouth.

Evie smiled, then hopped down, handing him a wet rag from her inventory. “Clean yourself before Cannor sees and has a heart attack,” she winked.

Aldrin nodded gratefully before taking it and wiping his mouth from the blood. Eddock opened the carriage door right when Aldrin was reaching for it. He looked for a moment before quickly stepping out, dragging his brother, Cannor, right behind him before he could see. Aldrin stepped in and sat and cleaned himself away from everyone else.

A gentle knock on the carriage door alerted Aldrin before Evie opened it and stepped in and sat in front of him. “I have some advice for you, seeing that you are a front-liner. Permission to advise?” she asked with a smirk, knowing it would get under Aldrin’s skin.

Aldrin groaned, “Evie, I told you, you don’t have to treat me like I am some noble.”

“I know my Vyncari, but it is fun,” she fully smiled at him.

“Anyway, Hemomancy will be your best friend. It will help with the cleanup after your battles. Just a thought,” she said.

Aldrin sighed, “I’ll think about it.”

“What is Vyncari, by the way?”

“In my language, it roughly translates to lord of the between,” she lightly laughed when Aldrin gave her a deadpan stare.

“It’s just a respectful term for a Vampire and not many know its meaning any longer,” she said.

She patted his knee before rising to leave.

“Evie…” Aldrin began.

“How are you since everything…?”

A dark look overtook her features for a second. “I am an Adventurer. I knew what I was signing up for when I started.”

“You lost your party and lover. That can’t be easy.”

“And you lost your party and family. Now that can’t be easy either,” she answered before she looked him in the eyes. “I at least can go back home, but you never can, and I know that hurts more than anything.”

Aldrin looked away, shaking his head. “It’s not the first home I have lost, nor will it probably be the last.”

Evie opened her mouth to say something, but thought better of it before she bowed deeply and stepped out. Aldrin felt the sun beginning to rise and with it, his power steadily diminished. He wondered how his powers would work in a Dungeon to begin with, anyway. It was something he was both apprehensive about and excited about trying. They all needed to do a Dungeon run to see how well they could work together in tense situations to begin with. Especially if this was going to be the party going forward. Luckily, Folos was rife with Dungeons on the floating land masses that spiraled upward around the city.

He heard Jared and Pierre come back shortly after as they climbed into the driver’s seat of the carriage. Cannor and Eddock hopped back in, along with Evie, who decided to sit next to Aldrin. The carriage was then back on the move, ambling towards their next destination.

Hours went by in silence before Cannor grunted when Eddock elbowed him. Aldrin opened his eyes from his semi meditative state to quirk an eyebrow at them. “Can you make other people Vampires?” Cannor bravely asked.

“I’m sure I could at a later time, but right now I am not considered an old enough Vampire by System Standards,” Aldrin answered as best he could.

“What’s your age then?” he asked.

“It currently ranks me as a Juvenile Vampire.”

“Oh! You’re still so new at this? I thought you were older,” Evie stated.

“Not quite yet,” Aldrin chuckled.

“And I am unsure what would happen when and if I do make other people into Vampires. That is still a bit of a mystery to me still so I’m hoping I won’t have to do it so soon.”

“Also, Evie, I meant to ask the other night, but I got a prompt asking if I wanted to convert the horses out there. Do you know anything about that?”

Evie turned to him with her eyes alight with joy. “Yes, actually! What do you know of Vampiric Steeds anyone?” She looked at everyone.

Cannor grumbled about him barely knowing anything about Vampires ‌while Eddock shrugged his shoulders. Aldrin shook his head, to which Evie took a deep breath, trying to remember the information that was imparted to her.

“Vampiric Steeds and animals tend to be what a dog is to man, a boar to a dwarf, a mammoth to a giant, and so on and so forth. They are the companions that bond on an intrinsic level to the ones that made them. While you could make any animal Vampiric in nature, it still limited them to how strong the Vampire was that created them and their potential for growth. For instance, if you were to take those horses out there and convert them now, it would only limit them to a tier above your own. Still strong, but not as strong as they could be if you were to convert a pet.”

“There are tales of Vampiric pets among my clan of harmless creatures that grow alongside their master into mighty terrors. Sadly, that was an art that has been lost,” she finished.

System Notice:

Mystery Quest Issued:

Ritual of the Damned Part 1: Find a compatible companion to grow alongside you

“But as I said, each animal has a different area of growth. For horses, I know they gain infinite stamina, shadow steps, and have a connection to their master. It would be wise to collect different mounts for different occasions.” Evie finished her lecture.

“So in a nutshell, I am changing them tonight then,” Aldrin laughed.

“That would be wise, my Vyncari,” Evie joked, causing Aldrin to stop.

“I would also advise finding a pet for you to convert as well once we get to Folos,” she added at the end.

“But since you are the Progenitor, I am unaware how it will affect them, since it will be vastly different compared to a regular Vampire, so my information may not be true for you at all. I am sorry.”

“No, don’t apologize! You have actually been more helpful than anything!” Aldrin reassured her.

“Jared!” Aldrin called out.

“Yes, my evil dark lord?” he grinned when he opened the slit.

Aldrin gave him a flat stare that only made Evie laugh harder. “I was gonna ask if you wanted to see something cool tonight, but you ruined it.”

“I’m sorry! I'll take it back! What are we getting into tonight?” Jared asked, hopeful that Aldrin would accept.

“I’m making Vampire Horses,” Aldrin proudly stated.

“Alright, you got me. I’ll be there,” Jared grinned again.

“I kinda want to see it too,” Cannor piped up, surprising all of them.

“What? I like cool stuff too and I’m warming up to all this Vampire business,” he shyly looked away.

“Count me in too,” Pierre joined, briefly glancing back.

Aldrin looked at Eddock and Evie, who both nodded their heads that they would join too.

“This is a nice beginning to a new party,” Jared nodded to himself.