Darian woke to pain. He sat up and groaned, a dozen small wounds stinging him. The slash across his chest was an angry red line edged by torn flesh. His skill [Minor Regeneration] had healed it some, but it burned as he shifted and rose to his feet. A few lingering rays of sunlight were visible through the cabin’s smashed window. Darian would have to be on the move as soon as darkness fell. That skeleton would surely be back, and Darian doubted he could escape him a second time.
He looked down at his blood-stained clothes, cut arms and gashed chest. His hands tightened to fists, a cold rage bubbling up deep inside him. I lost. That single thought kept striking him through the pain. I lost. That monster had been strong, far stronger than the other meager creatures Darian had faced thus far. Something about its strength made Darian angry, furious even. If he met it out in the open, he would be dead. Or be getting experimented on by whoever its master is. Besides his cave and this cabin, he didn’t know of anywhere else he could hide from the sun. That meant fleeing the forest was extremely risky. And if he was going to stay, odds are he would have to contend with that hooded bastard again. I guess that makes things simple. Only one thing I can do. He would have to become stronger.
With the sun finally vanished behind the mountains, Darian collected his sword and sped into the night. Tangled roots disappeared underfoot, Darian wasting no time. He looped around a hill and splashed across a shallow stream. He couldn’t rule out the possibility of being tracked, so he returned to the stream and ran along inside it for as long as he could. Saw this in a movie once. Not sure if it works, but I might as well try. He reached his cave before too long, the sight of the pond almost serene.
He checked the area to make sure nothing was around, even using [Detect Magic] just to be safe. Once it was clear he was alone, he removed his cloak and tattered shirt. Doesn’t look salvageable. He placed the shirt in his inventory. I might be able to use it for something later. His pants had fared much better, only thinly cut here and there by the darkness spell the skeleton had cast. When he was fully stripped, Darian slowly waded into the pond. A few frogs croaked their protests at him, but the water felt oddly soothing on his skin. Even his wounds seemed to feel better in the cool water. Though I’m thankful for my cold resistance right now.
Floating on his back, he stared up at the moonless sky. A kaleidoscope of multicolored stars stared back at him, reminding him that this world was not his. But I will make it mine. He’d determined already that he would make the most of his new life, but to do that, he would have to grow in power. Killing enemies earned him XP, which meant he would have to start looking for fights on purpose. Not that fights have been avoiding me as is. It was funny. He’d never been in more than an elementary school brawl in his old life, yet here he was, fighting giant rats and skeletons. Part of his skill was because of the basic knowledge his classes gave him, but he sensed there was more to it. He lifted one of his arms and clenched his fist. There was power in him, more than he could have ever dreamed of in his old life. And that power was a fraction of what he was truly capable of. I want to be strong. He decided. Strong enough that nothing will ever be able to control my life but me. Another thought wormed in beside the first. Strong enough that no one can stand in my way.
Darian sat on his favorite rock, waiting to dry. Despite the late hour, birds chirped in the trees. They were small, white bellied but blue everywhere else. He’d never seen their kind back home, but he wasn’t a bird watcher. He observed them playing amidst the branches, an endless game of tag with no clear winner. Darian watched them with a frown. He was used to being alone. Besides his parents, he hardly ever spoke in person to anyone else. But it still bothered him that his first conversation in his new life was between himself and a skeleton.
He did mention something about a village. Darian rose, finally dried off. I bet that’s who set up all those traps. By their placement, I can bet the village is north of the ruined temple, closer to the mountain. Whoever the villagers were, it was clear they were no friends of the skeletons. They could make allies, but Darian had to be careful. If he didn’t tread lightly, he could face two enemies rather than one.
A thought struck him, causing him to pause as he slipped his pants back on. Could I kill a human? It hadn’t occurred to him until now that killing another person was a possibility. But I’m not human anymore, am I? Something about the thought troubled him. It stayed with him as he emptied his inventory of all the junk he’d collected over the past day. I’m sure I could. But only if I had to.
“Enough doom and gloom,” he said. “I’ve got stuff to sort.”
His favorite thing he'd collected was the bearskin rug. It stretched almost the length of the cave and made him feel less like a stone age caveman. The pillow and blanket would certainly come in handy, and an axe for chopping wood could be useful. The rest of his inventory was an assortment of small tools and other miscellaneous items. He separated them in the corner by usefulness, feeling rather stupid that he never thought to put the chest from the ruined temple into his inventory.
After he was finished sorting, Darian patrolled the perimeter again. He didn’t know why, but he couldn’t shake the feeling that he was being watched. Eventually a rabbit scurried out from a bush, and Darian sighed as he used [Command Animal] on it and beckoned it closer. He drank the small creature’s blood and then carried its body to the little graveyard near his cave. Thankfully, no critters had dug up the remains he buried. Still hungry, he placed the rabbit near one of the graves to be buried later. I wish I had a way to store blood. That would make collecting it from bigger animals actually worth it.
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Quest Added: Rise of the Vampire
Objective: Reach Race level (2).
* Reward: Blood Vial.
* Reward: Ring of [Summon Minor Undead].
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After jumping at the sudden trumpets, Darian cocked his head to the side. Race level two, huh. Darian inspected his character sheet.
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Character Sheet
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Name: Darian
Race: Lesser Vampire
Total Level: 3
Race Level: 1
Class Level: 2
HP: 68/80
Attributes
* Strength: 16
* Dexterity: 16
* Constitution: 16
* Perception: 16
* Fortitude: 15
* Arcane: 12
[Unique Skills]
[Racial Skills]
[Class Skills]
[Triumphs]
[Traits]
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His racial level had not increased with his class level, and truth be told, he had no idea what race level even was. He touched his race level on the screen and a new window appeared, hovering close to the first.
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Race Level: 1
XP: 8/40
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What is that eight XP from? As was becoming the norm, a translucent screen appeared with the info he asked for.
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Small woodland (beast) blood: 2
Medium woodland (beast) blood: 6
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I guess that answers things. He looked over the screen again. But how do I go about gaining it, exactly?
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There are two paths to gaining Race XP
1. Consuming the blood of new creatures. The rarer and more exotic the blood, the higher your XP gains become.
2. By completing race related quests.
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He drank more than one rat and both medium and small woodland beast blood was listed only once. I guess it really does only count the first time I do it. And unlike his Class Level, he couldn’t see the potential reward for leveling up his race. Still should be something I work towards. Leveling something up should come with advantages, after all. He looked back at his new quest “Rise of the Vampire”. Seems like these quests are prompted by goals I set myself. The reward, listed simply as “Blood Vial” got his imagination going, but he shook his distracted head and checked the area one last time.
His cave was about an hour and a half away from the hunting cabin, but that was if you were running. The low-level skeletons didn’t seem capable of moving that quickly, and Darian just had to hope the hooded one had reasons for not checking this area. I could prepare all I want with traps and defenses, but if that one comes, I’m royally screwed. Any obstacles he could create would be rendered useless. But can I really abandon this place? If he left and was caught out in the open when the sun rose, he would be dead. But staying also had a high chance of fatality. Not knowing what else to do, Darian walked over and sat inside the cave’s mouth.
His chest wound still hurt, but it was healing slowly. After one more day, he would be ready to head back out. Then he could explore the area some more. He knew a little of what was north and northwest, but the south and east were still mysteries. He would have to be more cautious from now on and cover ground slower, but he had to know what the local area was like before he could leave the forest. But until I heal, I have an idea of what I can do to improve.
Darian grabbed his dagger from his inventory and climbed a thick tree at the edge of the clearing. The sturdy oak was surprisingly easy to ascend. When Darian was about twenty feet off the ground, he carved a large X into the tree. He made two similar marks as he went down. He also created three marks on another tree that stood a little behind the first. Once he was finished, he took a few steps back to admire the targets he’d created.
During his battle with the skeletons, Darian’s spells [Flare] and [Shard] had mostly hit their targets, but a few had been blocked since he had to aim at center mass. Each shot sent a jolt of recoil through Darian’s arm, making the spells difficult to aim. Since he wouldn’t need them for fighting right now, he decided it was a good time for some target practice.
Need to check one thing first. He gathered a pile of branches, leaves, and loose sticks into a pile and fired off [Flare] into the middle of them. The spell created a few sparks, but even the driest of the leaves didn’t catch fire. Guess it’s not hot enough to create fire. The damage must come from the magic itself, then. Now that he was sure a rogue spell wouldn’t result in the entire forest burning down, he took aim at the farthest and highest target. He shot off a [Flare] that missed the mark by at least six paces. Guess it’s a good thing I’m practicing.
***
Darian slumped onto his makeshift bed, face buried into a pillow. It turns out hitting targets with your spells is a lot harder than it seems at first. He’d exhausted his daily supply of spells without hitting the top target once. Even the lowest and closest of the targets had proved a challenge. But he was already getting better, his shots gradually improving in accuracy. He would make it a point to practice each night if he had the spell uses available. Besides that, he had discovered the remains of a fallen tree that stood about head height to him. He’d used it to practice swinging his sword, though he had used a heavy stick to avoid blunting his blade. His Warrior class might have given him basic knowledge, but his body seemed to not be fully in sync with that knowledge. Some of his reactions were too slow, almost lagging behind what his class was telling him to do. And being slower, even by a second, could lead to his death. So he practiced different kinds of strikes and slashes and got used to using his footwork to dance around his foe. Even if the training proved to be useless, it was at least fun to move his new body around.
He turned and looked out of the cave entrance, still unable to feel at ease. Tomorrow I will head out. He would go south in search of battle and new creatures to drink dry. And if there were ruins to the north, who was to say he couldn’t find more in the south? Maybe then he could move away from the cave for safer territory. I will become stronger. He told himself again. It was more than just a simple desire now. It was his ultimate goal, what would drive his steps moving forward. This world was dangerous, he knew that for certain now. But all that meant was that in order to survive, he would just have to become dangerous himself.