MC sat in a dark hotel room. He hadn’t been eating or sleeping right for days. Missed calls stacked up in his phone. Dark circles were forming under his eyes. He was fixated on getting his revenge more than ever. Distractions had to be eliminated. He didn’t see or talk to anyone unless it favored him for the sake of information. He still hadn’t fully recovered. While his skin had closed and scarred, the muscles and tissues underneath were still repairing themselves.

Jin had caused every problem that he’d ever faced. How could he allow this person to roam free in the world? Jin needed to be punished. MC often thought that even killing Jin would not be enough to undo all of the evils that he’d unleashed unto the world.

In order to take out Jin, he decided he was going to need to make some changes. The first was to leave his connections behind. They were only holding him back. The second change was to become stronger. GM’s unorthodox training methods weren’t going to cut it anymore. He needed something more serious. He needed to learn from someone stronger. GM was one of the best in The Organization and he was confident that he could beat GM in a one on one fight.

After some consideration he picked the only person stronger than GM that he knew of; The Vampire. As the sun began to set, MC left the stuffy hotel room and went out onto the streets in search of The Vampire.

Traditionally, a vampire comes out at night and sucks the blood from unsuspecting victims. The Vampire wasn't much different. He was most active after dark.

For MC, Narrowing down his location wasn't too difficult. There was a recent string of especially bloody murders in the far Northwest corner of Strongzinburg city. They were all committed at night. MC could be fairly sure that The Vampire would be found there.

It was a Friday night. Crickets chirped and a thin layer of dust had settled on the sidewalks.The streets in the Northwest corner of Strongzinburg city were filled with a spectrum of action. MC staggered down the street with a hood low over his face. People stumbled out of busy bars while others sat and sipped bottles alone on the sidewalk. Women in short skirts and high heels approached men passing by while a ragged person bent over at the waist and seemed to be asleep while still standing.

People wore short sleeves and shorts. A mother and father walked down the sidewalk with their two children. They crossed the sidewalk before getting too close to MC and some of the other less slightly creatures. His sulking figure and staggered pace alone would have made any regular family do the same and it didn’t help that the streetlights almost seemed to go off as he approached them.

MC changed his pace and hid himself in the shadows. He wasn't sure exactly where The Vampire would strike, but he knew that there was plenty of prey out tonight. There was a slim chance that an alpha predator would pass up an opportunity like this.

Wandering in the shadows of the city for hours led to no luck. It was almost two in the morning. MC decided to take a new approach and headed up a hill that led a winding road up a mountain where the buildings changed gradually into shrubs and trees. Perhaps I’ll see more of the city if I get a different angle.

After a jog up several winding switchbacks towards the top of the hill, there was a pullout for cars along with a small grass park. It was an overlook for this portion of the city. It reminded him of the night he and Aiko had at a similar park across town.

When peering over the side of the short steel fence that blocked cars from careening over the edge, you could see the snake-like road below. From that point you could see for miles. The city lights shone as far as the eyes could see.

There was a single car at the park. It was unusual to even see one car here at this time of night. It was a nice car. It looked like someone had put a lot of work into it. Its black paint reflected moonlight from hood to the spoiler.

“I thought I might find you here,” said MC in a voice just loud enough to be heard inside the car. There was no sign of movement inside the heavily tinted windows. “I need to talk to you.”

The window rolled down an inch. “Go on home, kid.”

“I need your help. I need to become stronger. I know The Vampire is the only one who can help me.”

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The window rolled back up and a moment later, the door popped open and The Vampire emerged. His tall figure towered over MC. His fur-hooded overcoat and heavy boots seemed to add girth to his already monstrous aura. MC didn't flinch. He stared him right in the face.

“I can't work with GM and Sora anymore. I need someone stronger to train me.”

“Ah, so you’re from their team, huh?” The Vampire said in a raspy voice. “I can't deny that GM’s gone soft. He’s lost his lethality.”

“I’m going to kill Jin. I can't do it unless I have your help. I’m not strong enough.” MC’s demeanor was still and cold.

“You think you’re going to take out Jin? That’s almost funny. I’m not taking on any training duties. It would be a waste of time anyway. You’d probably just die. That’s all I have to say to you. Now get out of my sight,” he said as he thrust his palm at MC’s chest to push him away. A powerful smacking sound erupted as MC blocked the blow with a forearm, casting The Vampire’s arm to the side. MC stood firm. “What’s this?” said The Vampire with subtle surprise. “So it looks like you're not completely powerless then are you?”

“Help me and I’ll make it worth your while,” said MC.

“You know your eyes are similar to mine. They have a fatal look to them, but they tell me that you’re still too afraid,” said The Vampire. MC glared daggers at him.

Am I really that easy to see through?

“I have no reason to work with someone like you. I’ve been on my own for a long time and that’s how I like it. I only want to see two things, blood and chaos.”

“I can promise that if you work with me, there'll be plenty of blood and plenty of chaos.” Without another word he pulled the pin off of a flash bang from under his hoodie and tossed it high into the air. He leapt at The Vampire, tackling him. Their weight difference was too much. The Vampire only stepped back slightly, but it wasn’t MC’s intention to throw him. He grabbed tightly. Around The Vampire’s arms as the flash bang came down and exploded only feet above The Vampire’s head. There was no denying that it was a direct hit.

Absorbing the power of the flash bang, MC felt a surge of strength. His veins pumped and his muscles flexed. The Vampire raised his arms and broke MC’s grasp. MC was quick with his next attack. He started punching The Vampire in the chest, causing him to back pedal into the grass park behind him. Even MC’s adrenaline-fueled punches did little against The Vampire’s hulking mass. Each punch felt like it hit a steel beam. He knew that if he wanted to he could aim for a lethal blow, but that wasn’t his intention. Even then, he had little hope that a lethal strike would even hit. The Vampire was almost completely blind right now and was still managing to block and return most of his attacks.

“You’ve very quickly become a pain in the ass,” said The Vampire. With that remark, he grabbed MC’s forearm and held him off the ground. MC curled his legs up around The Vampire’s arm and attempted to put him into a lock against his arm joints. The Vampire spun around like he was throwing a shot put and threw MC over the guardrails. MC panicked as he saw nothing but clif and ground hundreds of feet below. The Vampire jumped off the cliff after him.

They exchanged blows in the air as they both fell. MC’s accuracy and power faded greatly as he saw the ground below him getting closer and closer. “This is why you're not strong. You’re too afraid. Too afraid to die. You’re holding onto too many attachments.”

“Fuck you!” MC yelled as he kicked off The Vampire’s chest, sending himself towards the rocky cliff face. He grabbed onto a rock that chipped off instantly sending him into a spin as he slid down the cliff grabbing onto whatever he could. His fingers bloodied as he tried to find a grip and stop his fall, but each ledge crumbled away only slowing him down a bit. MC’s body bounced off the cliff like a rag doll before finally coming to a thudded halt in a pile of brush. He’d managed to slow himself, but it threw his shoulder out of the socket and he was sure some ribs were broken. He staggered to his feet as quickly as he could. With a bloody hand he grabbed his left wrist and attempted to pull his right arm back into the socket. His hand slipped off his wrist. There was too much blood to get a good grip.

A presence was felt from behind. MC’s jaw dropped and his eyes reflected the moon like dinner plates. The Vampire was standing right behind him. How did he get behind me without making a sound? How did he recover so quickly after a fall like that? He felt a tug on his right arm as The Vampire lifted him off the ground and shook him slightly. His shoulder popped as he felt his joint regain its place in the socket.

“Well, come on then,” said The Vampire, releasing MC’s arm and setting his feet back on the ground. “Let’s walk back up this damn hill. It seems that you’ve actually got some potential.”

MC was shocked. “Are you agreeing to train me?”

“I’m not agreeing to anything. I simply think you might be fun to have around for a while. You’re more unhinged than I thought and I like to see that in a person. Keeps things fresh.”

MC’s demeanor changed as he was accepted into the care of a new mentor. He held his throbbing shoulder and followed The Vampire into the night.