Day 8 Default 5

“Rise and shine!” Else had woken her up the next night. “Maybe don’t shine too much, we’re not that kind of Vampire.” She paused for a moment as she tried to think of a better saying. But she had finally given it up, just saying, “Get up! There's more training.”

KillPrinsX rolled out of bed and flipped onto the floor, narrowly missing falling on Charlotte. The Endurance training was really kicking her but. Leg day had left her legs still feeling sore. It wasn’t any better when the next day you pull an all nighter while jacked up on Crimson Taurus Stam berries. Everything hurt, particularly her head, and even more particularly, her eye balls, right in the back where no matter hard you rub, it just won’t satisfy.

“What’s next?” KillPrinsX asked, not bothering to get up off the floor.

“Next is for you to get up! Then I’ll have you finalize your sneaking skills.”

KillPrinsX was getting excited, despite the fatigue she could already start feeling like a Vampire warrior. She could move faster, punch harder. She was even getting excited just thinking about giving critical blows to other players, knocking them out in just a couple hits, unsuspecting of a little girl.

She had finally fought enough to get up and go outside. It was very dark already, but not nearly as dark as it should be now that she could see in the dark because of her Focus skill.

Else was standing outside impatiently. “Let’s gooo! I hope you’ve been grinding your stealth. It’s that and one more before you get to meet the Lord.”

What? There’s more, and then more? It’s all so exciting.

Days of grinding stats has been fun enough. I mean, who doesn’t love punching chickens.

Actually becoming a Vampire and going out to fight might actually be some fun. But with such great powers… the beasts must only be just as strong.

“So what do I have to do?”

“Just sneak around the forest until your stealth levels up. I really hope it doesn’t take all night.”

Bloodless

You’re nearly complete with the Vampire training. Danger awaits. Just a few more skills to train up and you’ll be ready. But everyone hopes that you will be ready.

Your next task brings you to sneaking around the forest. Once your skill has upgraded, report back to Else. And don’t take all day!

She went to hit the accept button, but noticed there wasn’t one. Right, she had already signed up for it. So, she crouched a couple of times and went off into the forest.

She wandered around, finding that rolling and darting off to cover became a lot more natural. Previous skill upgrades or not, practice makes perfect.

So far she had been somewhere around rank 15 in Stealth. Hopefully it shouldn’t be too much longer before it upgrades, but of course the last few ranks are longer, being increased in length of time exponentially.

But orders were orders, and she had to upgrade the skill. So she kept on stalking and sneaking everywhere, never letting up, no matter how much her legs protested.

She found many creatures but she either halted or successfully snuck her way around them, only making her stealth increase that much faster.

And it was a final 8 hours of the night gone when she got…

You have evolved the skill Sneak!

You have learned the skill Catfoot (tier 2)!

Have you ever been in that terrible situation when you walk straight into the wrong conversation but they haven’t seen you yet? Well, before you jump and run away… Catfoot it out of there. They’ll never be the wiser.

This novel's true home is a different platform. Support the author by finding it there.

Catfoot give one the ability to sneak around without making the slightest sound, making you virtually invisible, unless they’re looking right at you, then again, camouflage is another thing.

Costs:

5 MP per second

Gives:

Silent footsteps when activated

-1 Solidity: Auditory: Silence per rank

You have received the following bonuses to your attributes:

-5 Solidity: Auditory: Silence

+5 Endurance: Movement: Legs

That’s not a bad turn out for this upgrade. It’s definitely something worth using as a Vampire.

She looked at her map to see where she had gotten to for the whole day… she was pretty far out, more than an hour’s walk back to the village, and then it’d be dawn soon anyways… Else’s gonna be pissed.

She thought better than to walk the whole way back. She used her new skill, Bolt, and started running back. It wasn’t that easy though. All those trees! She could hardly run in one direction before having to step off course to avoid slamming into one of the wide ones. But she got the hang of it after a while, running and weaving, only having to stop every 20 yards or so.

The sun had risen and she had just a few minutes before entering the Vampire Village. She had gotten back and walked into the cottage she and Else were staying in.

Charlotte had seemed to keep up, and she wondered about her stats, after all that running, she still managed to keep up. Either those short legs are really fast or eight of them actually do make a difference.

Else was deep asleep in her coffin. And as soon as the door closed with a quiet thud, the lid of the coffin flew off. Else rose up wearing a black cowl, her face hidden from any light. “You’re late!” She said in a deep, raspy voice. “More endurance training! One million burpees until the sun sets! And you better have upgraded your jumping skill to the next level!” She slammed the lid back down on the coffin without another word.

Well, looks like another day of self inflicted pain. All for the best.

She went over and grabbed a handful of those Crimson Taurus Berries, eating a few to recover what was lost from that long trip of bolting back. One thing that she had found out was that it had a cumulative effect, boosting her Stamina higher than normal, but for a price. It only gave her half the expected boost when she was already maxed out on stamina.

She started her next mission… 1,000,000 Burpees, and before sunset.

IRL, she’d be happy just to do 50. But she’s different now, Endurance level higher than before, strength a good bump above her highest in a real body. She’ll try her luck now.

100 burpees and she was running low.

She took a minute and stuffed her face with more berries.

Another hundred and her stamina was gone.

More berries, more burpees.

Down, push-up, crouch and jump. Repeat!

The thing with depleting stamina was that a black fog would come into her vision and only get worse the more she pushed. And she was at that point now.

She jumped up, blacked out fully, and put herself in position to catch herself, arms out, before her face hit the dirt.

Apparently she had done it. And she willed herself to push up one more time!

She couldn’t see it but she had felt it. She felt a thud on her front side and a timer telling her that her Stamina was depleted, out cold for one minute.

But she could move one wee hand. If only ever so slightly. Just an inch. One unbearably difficult inch at a time. She grabbed a berry, and slowly, slowly, put that berry into her mouth.

The timer zeroed out, but the fog was still there.

At least now she could grab more berries and shove them into her mouth.

Her stamina was back, but she had the strange feeling that she wouldn’t want to do that again.

301 burpees done. 999,699 more to go.

She started with another 50, thinking about how this would pan out when the sun sets. Else would come out, ask her how’d it go and then start yelling… “You only did 3000 burpees? The whole day? Oh, you’re pathetic.”

There has to be a better way.

She thought about it, sitting there popping berries. The task was really to just upgrade the jumping skill. Burpees are killer, sure they’re a great workout, but to do all that, with all the Stamina depletion. Her tired debuff has been on since she woke up…

What a brilliant idea! Jumping jacks!

This was much easier on her Stamina. She did about 500 before her Stamina had actually fallen off the bottom.

“Alright,” she said to herself, Charlotte was sleeping. “I can do this the whole day. As long as there’s berries. And I’ll have to ask about some hangover potion. It’s going to be rough after the third day in a row of endurance training and all-nighters.”

Just in case, she checked the log of actions. Jumping was counting up. Yes! It counts! Just keep on with those jumping jacks!

28,000 jumping jacks later, and another few hundred Stam berries, the day was over.

You have upgraded your jumping skill!

You have learned the skill Spring (tier 2)!

When there’s a wall just a bit too high, a car speeding your way, the only way to go, is up. Spring over those hurdles like an Olympian!

Spring allows one to jump twice as higher than before. Landing is just as safe, allowing one to also jump and land safely, without health reduction.

Costs:

10 SP per use

Gives:

+1 Strength: Push: Legs per rank

You have received the following bonuses to your attributes:

+5 Strength: Push: Legs

KillPrinsX nearly fainted as her tired debuff was quickly eating through her Stamina, no matter how many berries she ate.

She hardly waited for Else to get up, shuffling over to her bed and nearly passing out.

The lid of Else’s coffin had opened, not so violently this time, and she asked as simple question. “Did you get your skill upgrade?”

KillPrinsX replied, “Ya.” And she slept.