[Beyond Death] burned the stolen blood coursing through me as fuel for my regeneration. My right arm itched as it started to knit itself back together — far, far slower than it had when the area wide [Undead Regeneration] was active, but still at a visible pace.

I sunk my teeth into the vampire’s neck, activating [Progenitor’s Will.]

“Moron.” The vampire said, it’s voice cold, monotone, inhuman.

[Will check failed. Progenitor’s Will failed.]

I flew into the air. It took me a moment to realize what happened; first I felt shock, then the air leaving my lungs, then the loss of gravity as I flew ten feet into the air. Then I felt the pain where the vampire had knee’d me. Somehow, even on the ground, it managed to look condescending as we locked eyes, it’s mouth twisted in disapproval.

It spun, rising to it’s feet, and raised its sword toward me as I started to fall.

I activated [Wicked Implement.] The spell carved a line some ten meters forward, seeming to cut through almost anything it hit.

The vampire parried it.

The crescent shaped projectile of matte crimson energy bent and then shattered, pieces of it spinning off before dissipating around the vampire. The parts that hadn’t shattered slammed into the shelves and floor, gouging a line of stone and throwing up dust. Shelves collapsed.

I activated [Crimson Veil,] flinging myself forward. I scrabbled to land on a shelf, turning around to face the vampire.

[Blood remaining: 55%]

Every use of [Crimson Veil] took 10%. Every use of [Wicked Implement] took 5%. And [Beyond Death] consumed the rest — 20% for an arm — as my fingers regrew one at a time.

The vampire wasn’t looking at me. It turned, raising it’s sword as it stalked toward the humans in their makeshift camp.

"Once I kill the lot of your mortal friends, I’ll come to drink your blood, wretched progenitor. Then, I’ll seize the Catalog in the castle and claim this world for myself.”

“What catalog?” I shouted. I had no idea what he was talking about. We had searched every room — almost every room.

The vampire laughed. The light of the fire danced on his pale, thin sword.

“You speak english?” Dan asked, shocked and staring at the vampire.

Clarissa screamed and charged the vampire with a chainsaw.

The vampire smirked in the dark, raising its sword to block. It must have activated some kind of skill — the blade flashed red. For a moment, Clarissa’s chainsaw paused, even the engine stalling as the blades seemed to stick together.

Then the motor continued, the teeth of the chainsaw ripping the blade out of the vampire’s hand. It’s smug look disappeared as Clarissa shouted, bringing the chainsaw down into the vampire’s shoulder and beginning to carve it to pieces.

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The chainsaw reached halfway into the vampire’s chest before stopping. The vampire’s regeneration sealed its shoulder back together even as the chainsaw ripped apart it’s flesh.

It screamed. Clarissa laughed.

Then it backhanded her.

I didn’t know what it’s strength stat was. It’s willpower stat being high enough to resist me made me think it’s strength couldn’t have been too high. Surely most creatures specialized in some attribute or another.

Clarissa went flying, crashing into one of the shelves. The chainsaw turned off and fell from the vampire’s chest, and it activated [Crimson Veil,] flying away into the cave.

“Clare!” Dan shouted, leaning at her side.

“I’m fine.” She said with a grunt, rising to her feet.

I jumped down from the shelves, landing with a grunt. Russo stood behind Clare, more aware now, holding his shotgun in hand.

“So you really aren’t with them.” Clarissa said.

“We told you!” I replied.

“Where did that thing go?” Russo asked.

“It has to be searching for blood after that much damage.” I replied. “The regeneration skill — [Beyond Death,] it’s called — it consumes a ton of blood to heal those wounds. And since we killed the other Progenitor, the regeneration seems both costly and more slow. But something’s wrong.”

I stared off into the cave.

“What is it?” Russo asked, following my gaze. The underground smelled like car exhaust and smoke mixed with the sterile chemicals of a grocery store.

“That vampire — it wasn’t a progenitor, but it was much stronger than the progenitor we fought. It could be it’s bodyguard or something. And it’s the first vampire we saw with a weapon. Even the other lesser vampires seemed almost feral compared to this guy.”

Clarissa picked the chainsaw up off the ground. Her eyes fuzzed for a moment as she walked up and stood next to us.

“I got a level for repelling all those monsters. And I just got a level in a [Sword Saint] class for parrying his [Parry.]” She said. “That monster mentioned a catalog in your… did it say you guys have a castle?”

“We do.” Russo asked. “And we have people waiting up there for food. Let’s load up the shopping carts with everything we can carry and get up there.”

He was suddenly and undeniably back, his earlier spat of weakness gone. He stepped right back into his role of leader. I sighed in relief, but my eyes lingered on him. He nodded resolutely at me.

We worked with the party of people underground — though I had to personally assure a dozen of them that it was going to be safe before they started helping us fill shopping carts. We started with food, cases of water, and piles of clothes and sanitation products.

Russo pulled rope from the hardware section of the store. Unfortunately, this store wasn’t american enough to carry arms, though it did have a small selection of ammo we also took.

We tied shopping carts together with the rope, letting those who could pull trains of them out of the store.

Clarissa, Russo and I walked in the front, guarding the caravan as we took the minutes long walk to the pillar that led into the castle.

“We would be better off if I stood as rear guard.” Russo commented, then sniffed. He was still off kilter from earlier, more agitated than normal.

“And put two monsters at my back?” Clarissa said.

“I’m no monster.” Russo replied, stepping up to her and leaning over her. His chest heaved. The caravan of shopping carts stopped within throwing distance of the spiraling ramp up the pillar.

I stepped between the two of them, pushing Russo back and patting him on the shoulder.

“Why don’t you go ahead of us? We will need more help carrying all this in. And let people know we’re bringing more survivors up.”

Russo stared at me for a moment before nodding and heading up the stairs.

“I’m sorry.” I said, turning to face Clarissa.

Her eyes followed Russo’s retreating figure.

“You don’t think the vampire headed up into your castle, do you?” Clarissa asked.

“What? No. We would’ve heard if it did.” I said, looking up the central pillar.

There was a banging noise from next to us. I flinched, head snapping to the sound even as I fell to all fours and crouched low — a new, alien instinct in me.

The pillar had been full of rooms as we descended — we had explored a couple. There was a room for extracting blood, and a wine cellar full of blood. But we had missed a door at the floor level. A banging noise came from inside.

“What’s that?” Clarissa asked.

“I don’t know.” I said, stalking closer to the door and it’s noises. The caravan of humans murmured behind us. “But I don’t want to leave it at my back.”

I crept up to the closed door.