Vlad eyed the Side Quest he was shown through the message panel. His brow irritably twitched at the information he was reading.
To think that he was forced to complete a quest to the point where he couldn’t even leave the place until he got the job done. It was like the system was threatening him to do this since he decided to enter an underdeveloped monster nest. If he hadn’t, this situation wouldn’t have happened.
Sadly, he was forced to go into the warehouse. Because his friends were somewhere inside. And Vlad needed to find them and fast. The problem regarding that was where were his friends in this building. It was a multi-story warehouse and Chloe, Arthur, and Lucy could be on any floor right now, and Vlad wouldn’t know where.
Speaking of his friends, he was certain that they were alive because aside from the Extermination Quest, he also had a mission to find and save his friends from this place. Just that panel alone told the vampire that they were still around and not dead on some floor. Vlad let out a sigh of relief, knowing that none of the people close to him were gone. But he wasn’t out of the woods yet.
He still needed to find them and get them out of the warehouse, but for that, he needed to complete the Monster Nest Extermination quest, otherwise, they were all stuck in this building until then. Thankfully, Vlad told Tyler to head back to the base to gather more players, so all he needed to do at the moment was locate his friends and just wait for the cavalry to arrive.
While scanning his surroundings, Vlad spun around to look at the window, suddenly noticing something in front of it. It was a thin layer of some kind of energy field that pulsed a blue light. Slowly approaching the area, Vlad stuck his hand out to check out what the energy field was about. His finger pressed against the energy and it was cold to the touch. Then another panel appeared in front of him.
[You are unable to leave the building until the “Underdeveloped Monster Nest” quest has been completed!]
Reading the message, Vlad stifled a groan while pulling his hand away. Well, that at least explained what would happen if he tried to leave. All of his exits were blocked by the energy field, and they’d only disappear once the quest was completed. Despite how simple it sounded, it was certainly anything but that.
He aggressively rubbed his head, a slight groan leaving his mouth. His head was a mess at the moment. He had so many things to worry about, and he couldn’t focus with all of his goals jumbling together like they were at a rave. He needed to organize his goals before he went any further with his mission.
Vlad walked over to a wall to his left. Although he couldn’t see in the dark, the natural light from outside gave him a little bit of illumination to guide him. Once he was there, the vampire pressed his back against the wall before sliding down, sitting on the floor, and remaining as quiet as possible. The only thing he could hear at the moment was the distance monstrous noises of the creatures on the floors below him.
“Okay…” He muttered quietly. “You have three goals, Vlad. Find your friends, wait for backup, and destroy the monster nest. Focus on one of them at a time. Right now…I need to find Chloe, Arthur, and Lucy.”
Since Vlad’s friends have been in this building for a while, they might’ve been able to scope out the place and likely have information regarding where all the monsters were including the Boss. So, finding them will not only ensure their safety but also give Vlad information to relay to Tyler and the players so they can prepare to exterminate the nest.
“Alright, then…” Vlad slowly stood up, feeling a bit more confident. “Let’s go play hide and seek, then.”
Before Vlad could take a step forward, his stomach slightly growled, hinting that he was growing hungry. Right, it’s been a little bit since he last consumed blood. He should drink some of his vials before continuing his mission. Reaching into his pouch, he quickly grabbed three vials from it, bringing them out to look at it. As he glanced at the blood vials, he soon realized something. He only had five vials left including these. Once he drinks three, he’d only have two left.
Human blood provided Vlad with a lot of BP, so he should probably use this in case of an emergency. Right now, he was currently in a warehouse filled with monsters, so, he technically was standing before an all-you-can-eat buffet. Depending on the monster and their level, he should be fine.
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Still…the taste of human blood was so good. Should he really save these for later when he could down them right here and now?
Vlad suddenly blinked, quickly realizing his train of thought. Although he liked the taste of the vials and how much BP he received from them, he couldn’t risk letting his supply get depleted. And yet…he really wanted to drink them. He could feel his thirst for blood slowly controlling him. His other hand reached for the tops, desperate to rip them off and drink all three vials.
However, Vlad stopped just in time, his fingers mere centimeters away from touching them. He managed to pull his hand away while using all the willpower he could muster and put the vials back in his pouch. His hands shook all the while, but he was able to control his impulses, allowing him to put away the vials, so he didn’t waste them.
With the vials back in the pouch, Vlad now had to focus on one another thing before finding his friend. And that was appeasing his hunger.
Vlad’s ears suddenly perked up as he heard a sound nearby. There were light footsteps that were on the fourth floor. Hearing this, Vlad quickly scurried for a hiding spot, soon finding a pillar nearby and hiding behind it. The vampire took a couple of deep breaths while poking his head out the pillar to search for the enemy.
With the help of [Blood Sense], he scanned the area before him until he spotted the red silhouette ahead of him. He examined its figure, noticing that it had a small stature like a toddler with frail and skinny arms and legs along with a big head. The moment he saw the creature, he quickly realized what he was dealing with. It was a goblin.
Up ahead, the goblin in question lightly roamed around the floor, not a care in the world. In its right hand, it carried what appeared to be a spear as it rested on its shoulder. The goblin let out a slight yawn, showing that it was tired. Before Vlad decided to attack it, he continued to observe the monster, curious as to what it planned to do on this floor.
Surely it didn’t know that Vlad was here, otherwise, it would’ve been more vigilant. Plus, if the bastard knew that he was on this floor, it wouldn’t be alone. So, why would a lone goblin come to the fourth floor with no backup while looking pretty tired? And the answer to that…was rather simple.
The goblin stifled another yawn before approaching a wall near it. It then rested its spear on the brick wall while pressing its back against it and sliding down, lowering its head while its eyes were closed. This little goblin…was taking a nap. A few seconds passed by, and the monster was now snoring away, heading off to dreamland.
Witnessing this, Vlad couldn’t help but smile in response. Here he was, worried about food when there was fresh blood for him to feed on. If easy pickings were a person, it would be the goblin in front of him. Eager to consume the monster, Vlad moved away from the pillar he was hiding behind and crept closer to it. He used [Stealth] to further silence his presence so he didn’t alert the creature before pouncing on it.
As he sneaked over to the goblin, the monster snored away without a care in the world, oblivious that its life was about to be taken. A few feet later, Vlad stood before the monster, looking down at it as it continued to sleep in peace. His crimson eyes hungrily watched the goblin before he finally took action. He swiftly crouched down and blurred his hand over to the goblin’s mouth, covering it to keep the creature from letting out a yell and alerting its brethren.
The goblin instantly awoken, grabbing onto Vlad’s hand as it looked at its attacker. Despite its attempt to pull his hand away, the Vampire kept a firm grip on the goblin’s mouth, even tightening his hand to the point where its mouth was slowly breaking under the pressure.
Vlad’s lips peeled back, revealing a toothy smile, which made the goblin turn pale at the sight of it.
“Thanks for the meal, pal…”
The blood hunter wasted no time and plunged his fangs into the goblin’s neck, instantly piercing its skin and drawing out blood. The goblin squirmed frantically while releasing a muffled yell, but it wasn’t loud enough to call out to its fellow brethren to assist him. As Vlad continued to drink its blood, it soon stopped moving, prompting him to stop consuming its life essence.
As Vlad pulled away from the goblin, a death notification manifested in front of him.
[Goblin has been defeated! 420 XP has been obtained!]
[Blood has been consumed! 35 BP has been obtained!]
[Skill [Hemophagia] has been activated! An Extra 7 BP has been obtained!]
Seeing the panels, Vlad’s brows furrowed in annoyance. Only 42 BP? That wasn’t nearly enough to maintain his Blood Point count. He would need to kill at least five to eight goblins of the same level to refill his Blood Point meter, and without using his skills to do so.
Maybe he should drink the Blood Vials…no, he couldn’t. Vlad shook his head, trying to rid himself of his thirst for the vials in his pouch. He needed to preserve them for when he really needed them. Otherwise, he’d find himself in big trouble and won’t be able to use them because they’re all gone.
“Get it together, Vlad,” He told himself. “You got plenty of blood all over the damn warehouse. Make use of them, you idiot.”
After mentally scolding himself, Vlad stepped away from the deceased goblin and made his way over to the stairs. Since the fourth floor didn’t have any living beings there, including his friends, he needed to go down to continue his search.
That, and also to find more blood bags to feed on. As the vampire made his way to the stairs, a slight grumble could be heard from his stomach as he felt his insides churn around. It was demanding blood, and Vlad wasn’t going to let himself starve in this situation.
It was time for him to start his Blood Hunt.