The little trick that Ray had used was expensive, costing him more than half his reserves of Power and giving him a massive headache in the process. It wasn’t one that he could repeat often, but it gave him an immense number of ideas and made him question even more about the world as it was. Could he do this to anyone? Could he send items? Could he change or transmute one thing into another? Or, gods forbid, could he even change someone into something else? Alter classes? Make NEX?
The questions were as endless as they were vital. He would have to experiment as much as possible over the next month before the wave hit. He and his territory would need all the advantages that they could get.
After looting the Bandits and recovering a surprising number of modern crossbows, enhanced bolts, and even some magical molotovs, they proceeded to clear the build they had come for. Unlike their first nearly disastrous dive into the {BUILDING MIMIC}, this one was a plain old infested high rise. Nothing exceptionally special outside of the parking garage containing two completely full diesel generators. Once the building was clear Ray converted everything into resource packs and they moved to their third target.
The group didn’t encounter any additional Bandits along the way, and as per the rest of this unusual expedition, they saw no creatures or undead either. When they arrived, however, they did find something that they didn’t expect.
Ray grunted in frustration as he peeked over the edge of where a building had once stood. The location where they were supposed to get some resources, unusual materials, and the rare items they needed was now nothing but an enormous hole in the ground. In fact, not much of the block was left intact, as if something had exploded from underground, taking the buildings with it.
“Well, that’s incredibly annoying,” he said with a loud sigh. “This trip was a waste, but it’s not like Nadia could have known the entire place burned to the ground after she had it scouted. Whatever, we can’t win them all.”
Josephine shrugged, “Perhaps, My Lord, but what could have caused this level of devastation? Some kind of eruption or creature? Something with that level of firepower would be… unwise to engage.”
“No way. This wasn’t a someone, this was a something,” said Rivea with conviction. “There is no smell here, nothing. No blood. No monsters. No undead. I think those big tanks filled with… uh, what did Derrick call it? Diesel? Yeah. That stuff. I think that stuff went off. This crater is too deep and too clean to have been done by something with natural power. Besides, if this was a creature it would have continued its rampage. It wouldn’t have stopped at a few measly buildings.”
Ray could get behind that theory. “That’s as sound an idea as any other. Regardless, there is nothing for us here. I suppose we only have that last site to go to. Nadia said there was something there nasty enough to push back on her dungeon creatures, so we need to be careful.”
“The dungeon and the Fairy are at their weakest Ray, it wouldn’t take much more than a weak human with a sharp stick to push back anything outside of a Boss she sent their way,” Nyx pointed out.
With a chuckle, the group agreed. “Fair enough,” he replied.
Moving away from the devastated area, they entered the shadows of the tall buildings again. The sun was on the far side of noon, leaving them a five or six hours to clear the building and get back to the zeppelin before night fell. Even if they hadn’t encountered any undead yet Ray was not going to risk their lives by trying to move around at night. That was a losing proposition, not matter what angle you came at it from. Undead may not have been overly weakened by daylight anymore, but they were certainly far stronger at night than during the day.
That remained fact.
AS they walked Ray lamented that they hadn’t brought any of the Goblins with them. The small green folk had slowly evolved into a boon, proving that the once savage and insane near monstrous creatures could adapt quickly to a variety of roles in society. However, it took a lengthy investment and a lot of time for them to change.
“I am telling you,” Ray said softly as they moved down the street with caution, “Goblins are a serious power multiplier. They can literally master any role if you let them work long enough. I heard a saying once that if you put a bunch of monkeys into a room with a piano they will eventually play Beethoven. I remain convinced that if you put a bunch of Goblins into a room they will eventually build the damn piano. Then play Beethoven. Then hold a fucking concert.”
Rivea wholeheartedly agreed with that assessment. “Indeed. Before I was drug here I knew of many Drakes and Dragons that kept Goblins and their variants as servants. They would build entire cities in the image that they were instructed to. They were never the most powerful beings, but being decently good at everything is an amazing feat in and of itself. However, the time investment was considerable. I can see why the mortal races would only ever see them as a nuisance or a plague.”
“If they are so amazing, My Lord, why are we not training them by the legion?” wondered Josephine. As Ray thought the question over one of the apprentices spoke for the first time he could remember.
“Master, perhaps they are now? If I recall correctly the Goblins at the fortress were already in mid to advanced roles,” the small Asian apprentice theorized. “Aina stated that the Shop was unavailable, restricting the acquisition of additional Goblin units.” The large red-headed apprentice, Aina, snorted in agreement but didn’t respond.
Josephine considered that point. “Was this indeed the issue, my Lord?”
“Yeah, pretty much,” Ray confirmed. “The Shop is up now, between waves, so I am hoping that Derrick has hired a shit ton of new people and bought as many slaves, creatures, and defensive measures as he could. I know that a few hundred thousand NEX is a lot to us, but apparently, it is chump change to the rest of the universe.”
That left the group contemplating just how far they had come… and how much further they had to go. What Ray and the others had achieved was immense, particularly seeing how little progress the other groups had made. There hadn’t been any additional faction announcements for some time, not since the Integration really. This meant either others were struggling to come together, or most of them had joined the ranks of the undead.
This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience.
It wasn’t hard to live if you were careful, but it was incredibly difficult to die and stay dead.
They chatted softly as they walked, Ray discussing some of the details from their time at the fortress as well as some of his prior interactions with others through the Shop. Josephine seemed particularly interested in Argyle and just what kind of creature he was. The powerful Elder Demon was an entity who was completely outside the realm of their ability to classify his power. Ray was just glad he was on their side, a perspective that the rest agreed with. Soon enough the group arrived at the fourth, and final, site for their little expedition.
It was, once again, not what they expected to find.
“That… is a very large cathedral,” muttered Rivea. Turning to Ray she grunted, “This is stupid. There is something insanely dangerous in there. I can feel it, smell it, and practically taste it. Whatever it is absolutely reeks of death and magic, in particular, Miasma. Much like that Lich did.”
“Not good. We are not equipped to face opponents with powerful abilities. If the creature is Rare we are going to have a serious, and most likely fatal, problem on our hands,” Nyx growled.
Ray took a deep breath and let it out slowly as he thought. The group watched him, waiting for his decision. “We don’t have a choice. Nadia was beyond certain that whatever is inside is something we need to survive. Seeing as making modern firearms from scratch is outside my abilities, we need all the advantages we can get.”
Drawing his gun from his inventory, he empowered the rounds to explode. Many creatures were immune or resistant to various types of elemental attacks. He had fought things resistant to ice, water, fire, and even magic itself.
He had never found anything that was resistant to being blown up.
“Whatever it is in there we need it. Frankly, we need everything that we can get our hands on. So let's make our way in there, carefully, and see just what’s inside,” Ray said, moving forward with Ravia and Josephine on either side. “Let everyone know the second that you see, hear, or encounter anything. I do not have a great feeling about this.”
“Then why are you taking us inside?” wondered Nyx, but he didn’t respond.
Ray swallowed nervously as they carefully made their way through the large double doors of the cathedral. The doors themselves were cracked and in poor disrepair. Stepping through and into the vast open interior space of the building, they encountered no resistance at all. No creatures, no monsters, no items or rewards.
Just an empty nothing.
An empty nothing that was making them extremely nervous, as if they were staring into the abyss knowing damn well that it was staring right back at them. There was something here, and sooner or later they would run into it. Or it would run into them.
“Well,” echoed a deep raspy voice, halting the group in the center of the lines of pews. “What have we here? A Drake, some Humans, and a… oh my, aren’t you special? A one-time Nemesis turned pet.” The last word was spat as if in disgust.
A tall figure rose from behind the pulpit a dozen rows in front of them. The black armor with the engraved blood-red dragon on the chest was mired between the folds of a deep black cape. The man's styled hair was darker than onyx, while his pale face and deep-set eyes displayed the haunted visage of a man who would not die of natural means. That nature itself rejected.
“Sad, when the champions of mistakes fall. Even sadder when they become tame,” he lamented. With a small smile, his blinding white teeth gave way to rows of jagged fangs. “Never-the-less, welcome to my home. At least, it is my home for now.”
Ray eyed the man cautiously and was about to speak when Josephine’s hand crashed into his chest, stopping him cold. He turned to her but froze, the look of sheer terror on the woman's face was enough to lock his body with fear. Nothing scared her, not even death itself.
So who was this man that terrified her so much?
“That,” she whispered, so quietly the others had to strain to hear her, “is the Son of Dracul. He who was reborn in honor to the Order of Dragons. Vlad the Dracula.”
The man's eyebrows shot straight up to nearly the top of his forehead. “Goodness me dear, I didn’t think anyone would recognize me. For that alone you have my thanks,” Vlad said, bowing deeply.
“That can’t be,” Ray said. “I know a bit about Dracula, Vlad the Impaler that is. The history. He died… multiple centuries ago. He was confirmed dead.”
Vlad frowned, “Now that isn’t very nice. I only impaled the very worst of my enemies. Such a grisly sentence was by no means forced up everyone,” he said. Then his face turned thoughtful, “Although, I do clearly remember not everyone agreeing with the practice. It was a large part of why I was betrayed so thoroughly. It is amazing what a mob of peasants can accomplish.”
“Peasants? You were ambushed and your retainers slaughtered by soldiers from Mehmed II, emperor of Constantinople,” Ray replied, utterly confused. “I know my history. I didn’t have much to do but read between sailings.”
The progenitor of all vampires tapped a long, armored finger against his chin as he leaned on the pulpit, “Fascinating. You know, I have clear memories of my past. It’s almost as if I were brought into a different world altogether. The undead here do not heed my commands and the monsters don’t avoid me. Humans, with the notable exception of yourselves, don’t know who I am. Ignorant peasants that they are. Something tells me that this meeting of ours is… preordained.”
Ray's eyes widened and his jaw dropped open. “You!”
Vlad blinked, “Yes. Me?”
“You are the resource!” he said excitedly. “You are what we came here to get.” Another slow blink from the undead grandaddy of all things that go bump in the night was his only response. “I mean, we were told to come here because there was something that we needed to get and bring back with us. Nadia, the dungeon Fairy, was positive we would need whatever was here. You are here. You are sentient, much unlike the other monsters we have fought, and you seem to have an end goal. Whatever that may be. You have to be the reason why we got sent this way.”
The vampire was stunned speechless. Then he began to laugh. Vlad’s laughter roared through the empty cathedral, the harsh sound reverberating through the rafters and dancing through the pews. After several minutes of clutching his sides and howling with mirth the monster of a man straightened and wiped a trail of blood from his eyes.
“I … I haven’t laughed like that for centuries,” he admitted. “Well, to be fair I don’t think I have existed here on this world for more than a few months, but one cannot disperse unpleasantries between options one has not considered.”
Ray blinked. “I have no idea what that means.
“No. No, I didn’t think you would,” Vlad said directly, all levity gone from his voice and stature. “Here is my proposal. I will feast upon you, and should you survive you can become my thralls. I will then expand my power base and save what humans I can as I slaughter my way to creating a new variation of this world. One in my own image. This, Raymond Finnegan, will be the only offer you get that will allow you to survive.”
“Fuck me and fuck you too Ray, this guy isn’t what we came here for. He’s a goddamn monster of monsters and we are going to fucking die,” growled Rivea. “We may be… no we are seriously fucked here.”
Josephine and the apprentices drew their blades and readied themselves, even as Ray had the sudden urge to faceplant into the nearest pew. Whatever Nadia had sent them here for, Vlad was apparently not it. She had, in her own way, warned him of the dangers of approaching this place.
Interrupting his thoughts, the vampire spoke menacingly. The very words drew chills down everyone's backs as they felt the physical temperature of the room drop. “I take it you are not willing to accept my offer? Pity. You would have made decent thralls. Now you are only going to make a decent snack!”
With a roar Vlad spread his arms wide and began to lift into the air as wind whipped around him, shredding the pews and throwing splinters everywhere.
“I hate boss fights!” Ray growled. “Fucking hate them!”
He had barely spat the words out at the undead menace when Vlad decided this was the perfect time to attack. With a deafening screech, he flung himself forward at the group, and the battle began.