Offer
So, the emperor beast turned out to be a hydra-like creature with three heads. Would’ve liked to have known that information before? Of course! But there’s little I could do about it now. Sure, I could curse myself for being impatient, for not waiting and watching the beast for longer. But then again, we were on a time crunch, the trial was drawing to a close and there just wasn’t enough time left.
The Ungoir was down a head, but that didn’t seem to be slowing it down any. I sat up in the ford, water soaking through me, and grimaced at the sound of bones popping in my chest as my ribs settled back in place and healed. The beast had nearly caved in my chest with that strike, and now it was charging at me.
Before I could even try and think of a way out, the ground rumbled and the beast slowed as it attempted to keep its footing. Jiyun charged from behind and leapt over its back, then her hands flashed as she swung her sword, six crescent cuts appeared and cut into its back.
I saw the blood gush out, and the beast roar in pain and anger. Its tail swung and swatted Jiyun from the air, sending her beyond my sight.
Saia dove and slammed into one of the heads, then started clawing at it. I got up and realized that I had lost my weapon, leaving only with my daggers and my revolver.
I cursed then charged forward as the beast’s second head grabbed hold of Saia with its maw and started shaking attempting to rip her off the other head.
I drew one of my daggers then hurled it with as much strength as I had. It slammed into the second head’s eye, and it let my dragon go.
“Saia, glaive!” I yelled.
[Overburn Skill—Lesser Leap]
The dragon collapsed into a pool of goo that flew at me, then reformed into a glaive and bracers as I leapt. I swung with [Slash], intending to cut off another head, but instead my glaive opened a deep gash in the side of its neck as the beast retreated.
Both heads glared at me, each with one good eye, one still had my dagger stuck in it, and the other was mauled by Saia.
As I dropped to the ground, the beast reared back, its heads rising high above me. Then the ground split open and one of its legs fell in. The stone on the riverbank flowed and flashed upward as spikes formed and impaled it in the stomach. They didn’t get deep before they broke, but they pierced the skin.
I took advantage. I ran forward, letting my anger rise and flow through me, I focused on the pain in my chest and the embarrassment of being wrong again, my worry for Jiyun, all of it rose to the surface.
The Scarlet Moon Style used those emotions to fuel me forward, Advance, Whirling Mist.
I flowed spinning beneath and cutting open its chest, not stopping as it roared again, I danced to its side my glaive twisting in my arms and opening up new wounds all along its stomach.
Its tail lashed out and I ducked beneath it, my glaive swiping across its back leg. It leapt forward, getting away from me, but I went after it, moving so fast that it could barely follow me. We waded into the ford, and the ankle-deep water slowed me down some, but not enough.
It raised its limbs and pounded the ground, sending water and rock flying in all directions and forcing me to step back.
Its heads rose, their mouths opened, and the long necks bulged. Then, two fast moving bolts of water smashed into me, sending me flying as the crack of them breaking the speed barrier echoed in my ears.
I smashed against the rocks on the riverbank, breaking bones and spraying blood out of my mouth as my bones were shattered and organs pulverized.
My mind got foggy, and my vision doubled as the beast hobbled toward me. The ground was shaking, and someone was yelling. Spikes of stone rose from the water, but the beast ignored them. I saw a sword fly through the air and strike its side sinking by perhaps a third of the blade.
The beast was close, it was bleeding so much from so many wounds that the river had turned red. Both its maws opened as it prepared to chomp down on me.
I raised my arm.
[Blood Gout]
Its wounds split open as blood rushed out of it like from a fountain. A dozen ropes of blood flew out of it, startling the beast and forcing it to retreat a step as all that blood flowed straight into my open mouth.
The thirst rejoiced; my body burned as it healed at a rate that nothing else on Earth could but a vampire. I rose, the pain just a distant throbbing, the voices of the thirst wanted more.
The skill ended, and I pounced on the unstable beast as it fell to its knees from the blood loss. I wrapped my limbs around one of its long necks, my claws digging in deep and clawing to get deeper.
Its hide was tough, covered in scales, though not everywhere. I opened up long gashes then slipped my hands inside, gouging flesh, using skills every time they came of cooldown.
[Triple Thrust]
[Slash]
The head started coughing, blood spouting out of the wounds I was making.
The other head struck before I even had the chance to respond. It bit my hip, serrated teeth gnawing on my bones. I screamed and bit into the neck in front of me, drinking.
Water rose all around me, attempting to drown me. Unfortunately for the beast, I didn’t need to breathe.
The beast collapsed, the first head wheezing while the other weakly attempted to pull me off. Quickly, its bite lost its strength, and I turned my attention to it. I pulled out my second dagger and stabbed the other head straight through the top of its head. Then I continued to drink blood and let the memories flow.
The beast was an emperor, the top of the food chain, its memories were unremarkable. Except that it had butchered a group of Suul on the first day.
Mask of the Blood Reaver — Second Investment; Seventh Carving
[Blood Empowerment] skill gained.
Finally, the second skill. I had a vague idea what it did, though no details. The name was suggestive enough.
Once I was done drinking, I stepped back, my leg giving out and forcing me down to my knees in the water. I glanced down and saw the damage it had done to my hip. Even with my stomach full with blood, I was aching all over.
I turned my eyes away from the beast, looking for Jiyun and Aurora, and found them immediately.
“Ah, fuck.”
Jiyun was propped against a tree, holding her stomach, clearly injured—whether from that tail strike from the beast or something else, I didn’t know.
A man stood over her a hooked harpoon in his arms and pointed at her head. He wore full black plate armor, with dark blue and red stripes hanging from his shoulder and waist like a cloak and skirt made out of strips of cloth. His helmet completely sealed his face, leaving only a thin strip for him to look out of. A fin-like crest topped his head, tilted backward.
Two more stood nearby, both burly men, wide and muscled, wearing rough looking clothing that barely covered them. Just a simple set of loose pants that were tied with a rope and a fur vest. I have seen both of them before, though they had worn different clothes back then. One of them was holding Aurora, pinning her hands behind her back. Both shifters were bald, with full beards. The one holding Aurora was the older one, by the look of the lines on his face and the gray in his beard. Which put me on edge, shifters weren’t as long lived as vampires, but they could live for a long time. That he even showed signs of age meant that he was very old. Their scents were those of nature, but the smell of blood clung to them. I recognized the scent of Suul blood.
I knew all three of them.
The armored man was Jean Dubois, and the other two were Guo Li and Guo Zhang, both shifters and if I was correct related. Three of the top ten Masked, four if one counted me.
Aurora gave me a weak smile. “Sorry Mari,” she said, as if it was somehow her fault that they were ambushed.
The shifter pulled her back, and she winced. I nearly took a step forward but managed to restrain myself. I was still healing, buying time was the priority.
“May I ask why you are holding my friends captive?”
“Hah, friends, thralls maybe,” the younger of the two shifters, Li, said.
I refused to rise to the provocation.
“What’s all this about?” I said slowly.
The shifter that was holding Aurora, the older one, Zhang if I remembered correctly, spoke. “You know what this is about, vampire.”
This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience.
“No, I really don’t. I’ve done nothing to you. We are all in this together, even if you want to pretend that we are not. What the fuck do you think this will accomplish? The only thing you are doing is trying to weaken Earth, which I guess if you’ve switched sides and promised the other races something, is actually your plan,” I looked pointedly at Dubois and his clearly too advanced armor and weapon. He didn’t answer my provocation, choosing to remain silent instead, so I turned back to glare at the shifter holding Aurora.
“Grandfather,” the other shifter, Li, whispered. “Her eyes.”
Zhang’s brow furrowed. “Your eyes weren’t like that before,” he said as he noticed. “You wore contacts, didn’t you. You deceived us even at the start.”
I bit my tongue to keep myself from speaking. There was no point trying to try and explain. What even could I say? My sire made it clear that people didn’t know how vampire maturation really worked. Anything I said would be taken as another lie. He was a xenophobe; he hated my kind.
Scratch that, the original plan was to buy time, but unfortunately, I lost my shit immediately.
“So, your plan is what exactly? Because let me tell you right now, I’m not doing this dance, especially not with you pecueca,” I narrowed my eyes at him. “I don’t care what you imagine you are doing here. You’ll let my friends go or I’ll come over there and rip your fucking heart out.”
“Threats, I expected nothing less from your kind, leech,” Zhang growled at me in a guttural tone that I felt in my bones.
“Stop your posturing pup, you’re quite literally threatening my friends, get off your high fucking horse,” if he thought that I was an Elder Vampire, then calling him pup would probably fit. If only I could try and sound a bit more distinguished it might sell it better. Though, if I was as old as he probably thought I was, I could get away with talking however I wanted.
“Pup, hah,” Zhang bit out. “I’ve walked the land for three thousand years leech. I’ve killed dozens of you Elders, you’re not as untouchable as you think you are.”
That made me pause. Three thousand years was insane for a shifter. I didn’t even know that they could get that old.
“Oh yeah? So, what are you waiting for? Let’s dance,” I rolled a shoulder.
Just as Zhang opened his mouth to respond, he was interrupted.
“Enough,” the voice came from the armored figure of Jean Dubois. It was deep, sounding slightly muffled as it was coming from the helmet. “We’re not here for your old racial feuds.”
Zhang glanced at him and growled. “This is a mistake, but fine, say your piece, the leech will not listen. Her kind thinks only of themselves.”
I frowned, turning to look at Dubois.
“Ms. Rojas,” he started slowly. “Forgive my companions, we are here for a simple conversation.”
“Aha,” I said, glancing at Aurora and Jiyun. “And you thought that threatening my friends was a good way to get that conversation?”
Dubois glanced at Zhang before speaking. “I was… persuaded that you wouldn’t listen otherwise.”
I narrowed my eyes at the shifter who raised his nose at me. Arrogant bastard.
“Why not let them go now, then we can talk?”
“I fear that now it is too late; I would much rather say my piece while I have your attention,” Dubois answered.
I debated just rushing across the distance and slaughtering them, but decided against it. “Go ahead then, I’m listening.”
“We’ve come with a proposition. As you’ve correctly surmised, I have an arrangement with a patron from one of Kirios nations.”
It was obvious, but I was glad to have it confirmed at least.
“What kind of a proposition?” I asked, though I already knew the gist.
“The kind that will see us through the hard times ahead. You are an Exemplar,” he said slowly. “You understand what is coming. We must have allies that can help us weather the storm.”
I looked from him to Guo Li, the younger of the shifters. Both Dubois and Li were Exemplars like me. “What happened to all of us are on our own? Didn’t you say that we don’t have to fear the other races? That the Elves won’t come as conquerors?” I asked the younger shifter. It was his words that had swayed the rest of the challengers, that had convinced the others that working together was the wrong move.
“I still believe that. The Elves are custodians of nature, they will do what my kind has wanted to do for thousands of years. Let Earth recover without the greedy hands of humans and vampires taking from her. Dubois also has a point, not all Kirios factions will have our best interests in mind,” the shifter bit out. I didn’t think that he fully agreed to be here, talking with me. Dubois seemed to be the one in charge, which was interesting. The two shifters were stronger. If Zhang really was as old as he said he was, then he should be a lot more powerful than a Masked human, even if he had reached Second Investment.
“You still haven’t said what this offer is,” I turned my attention back to Dubois. “Let’s hear what you promised for that nice suit of armor.”
Dubois didn’t rise to the provocation. “My patron is from the Naga-shan Empire, they are the only race on Kirios that has not splintered into many different factions. And they’ve offered us aid in what is to come.”
“In return for what?”
“The Naga-shan have no need for great stretches of land or resources,” Dubois said. “They live in the oceans. All they require is a small piece of our coast where they can build cities.”
“Aha, so they don’t want land, but they want it?”
“These cities would be jointly controlled; they only wish for places where they can trade freely.”
“And for such a small sacrifice they will help us fight off all the other factions that will try and make claim to our land?”
“Fight off everyone is impossible; you must know that. We can preserve a small part with the Naga-shan help, ensure that we endure.”
It was a smart play; it was my play. He wanted to do the same thing I wanted to do. Except I didn’t trust any of the factions that wanted to come in, nor any deals that they offered. Shadow had warned me, had told me what would happen. The factions of Kirios had done this many times before, and the last time they did it they robbed an entire race of its land, turned them into nomads.
“What do you want from me then?” I asked finally. “As Li had already said, we are all separated back on Earth with little ways of connecting.”
“All you would have to do is stand aside when the portals open. Not initiate any conflicts with any of the factions arriving. The Naga-shan will make arrangements to ensure that there will be no conflict, that the other factions will not wage war on us.”
I looked at him for a long few seconds. Just stand aside, don’t fight, so simple. It sounded a lot like what Shadow told me happened with the Harpiem last time. It sounded nice, we would get protection, maybe a little piece of land where we could survive and start again, under the guidance of other factions of course. All in return for not fighting, because let’s face it, the factions of Kirios didn’t believe that we stood any chance. It was all about minimizing effort it took to take from us. Except, this time it was different. There were two continents, two races, the factions of Kirios will have to split their focus.
“So, they have you going around to others, getting their agreement not to fight once invaders come, and you think that they have no ulterior motives?” I asked finally.
“Everyone has ulterior motives, the Naga-shan just don’t have the same goals as us. Allying with them makes sense.”
Perhaps he was right. Shadow warned me against trusting any of them, Naga-shan included, but maybe we had to make tough choices. It might be the best option we had.
Except, I didn’t want to. I was a vampire, sired by the firstborn son of the first vampire. Yeah, it was going to my head a little bit, but hell, I was actually special. And I made a promise to Shadow and to myself. I wasn’t going to let them do what they had done so many times before.
“And if I refuse the offer?” I asked slowly.
Dubois didn’t answer immediately. “When the portals open, there will be conflict, it is inevitable. My task is to ensure that the conflicts don’t spiral out of hand into something… undesirable.”
“That wasn’t an answer,” I said slowly my eyes falling on the silent Aurora and Jiyun. I felt the tension of his body inside of the armor, the way that the shifters adjusted their positions.
“Some sacrifices have to be made,” Dubois shrugged.
“Oh. My. Fucking. God,” I closed my eyes. “You cannot be this idiotic. A literal alien god has invaded our world, turned it into its playground, and here you are playing hitman for people that want to take what belongs to us at the cheapest price.”
“The Earth doesn’t belong to anyone vampire,” Zhang growled.
“Oh fuck off.”
He narrowed his eyes at me. “You don’t act like any Elder Vampire I’ve ever met.”
“Oh, you’ve never met anyone like me, shifter,” I grinned, showing my fangs. It seemed like we’ve come to an understanding. “My answer to your offer is no. I will not stand aside and let the invaders take what is ours.”
“You act more like a Fledgling, wild and with no control. A vampire with no control is a danger to everything in its path.”
Now he was finding excuses why our conflict was justified in his eyes. Not that he needed too much, his hate for vampires was obvious.
“That is unfortunate,” Dubois said slowly. “The world is changed; I had hoped that your kind might see reason.”
His hand tightened on his harpoon, and I knew that there would be no more talking.
My issue was that they had hostages. Zhang held Aurora, and while he might or not might be as old as he said, he was a shifter. Shifters, like vampires, grew stronger with age, though not at the same rate. I didn’t know too much about them, except that they could reach the strength of an Adult Vampire while in their human form. If they shifted into their true form, then they were stronger, though not quite as powerful as an Elder Vampire, at least I didn’t think that they were. Though their shifted form came with other advantages.
Aurora was actually the one I was worried for less. Zhang obviously didn’t consider her a threat and was barely paying any attention to her. That was a mistake, they were standing on rocky ground, Aurora was a lot more dangerous than he probably suspected.
Jiyun was the one that I was worried about, she was sitting on the ground, Dubois above her with his harpoon pointed at her throat. Jiyun’s finger held the regeneration ring that I had given them, Aurora had to have gotten it to her. So, she was probably in a better shape than she let on.
Li was the only one of the three that was completely free to act.
If I was going to ensure my friends survival, I had to make myself the biggest threat as fast as possible, force them to focus on me and not them.
Saia was on the ground in front of them, she had remained in her glaive form for the entirety of the conversation, hidden in plain sight. I didn’t know where my serpent-tongue spear was, so I only had my daggers and revolver as weapons.
There was going to be a fight, it was inevitable, they had incurred a debt by threatening Aurora and Jiyun with no cause, their offer was made and refused so there was no debt there, unless they decide to come after me as they implied.
I made eye contact with Jiyun then Aurora and saw resolve in their eyes. They were ready.
“The conversation is over, so, what now?” I asked. I had to have a confirmation, I had to have them cross the line to satisfy my obligation to the Way. “Are we just going to stare at each other or are you going to let my friends go.”
“Sadly,” Dubois started. “We can’t do that. This trial is our best chance at ensuring that the people who think like you will not remain relevant to our future.”
“Saia,” I whispered, so low that no one could hear. I didn’t need to speak out loud, Saia was part of me, she could detect the movements of my jaw and tongue. “Protect Jiyun.”
“So, you’ll just kill us then,” it was Aurora who asked the question.
Dubois shrugged. “It is better this way.”
That was enough. I drew my revolver as I dashed forward. I fired from the hip once, hitting the younger shifter, Li, in the stomach with my first shot. Zhang’s head snapped toward the direction of his grandson, his mouth open to say something, but he wasn’t fast enough.
As I raised my arm and fired again, my next shot caught him in the chest, my third in the throat and my last going through his cheek.
The four gunshots of the H-tech Rhino revolver thundered out in less than a second, startling everyone. Aurora had expected me to do something, and she reacted. While I shot, she shook the ground and spikes made out of stone grew out behind her, forcing Zhang to let her go.
[Blood Empowerment]
I didn’t know what exactly the skill did, but I needed all the help I could get. I holstered the revolver and crossed the distance to Dubois as he was stabbing his harpoon toward Jiyun’s chest. She twisted away, but it wasn’t going to be enough. Unfortunately for Dubois, he underestimated just how fast a vampire like me was. I arrived faster than even I expected.
I backhanded him across his breastplate with all the strength I had, I noticed the tips of my nails turning red like crystals and deep scarlet of my veins spread just beneath my skin as my skill fully activated. I felt stronger than I ever was. My strike dented his armor, and sent him hurtling through the forest.
Saia flew from my body, the parts of her that were bracers, and flowed to join the other part of her over Jiyun, keeping watch.
A massive roar grabbed my attention, and I saw Zhang barreling toward me, his body bulging and shifting. In a fraction of a second, he went from human to a monstrosity on two legs.
Humans called shifters werewolves, which was a derogatory term for them, as they had no connection to wolves at all. Zhang’s skin turned pale almost gray in color and smooth as it shifted to tough and thick hide that was covered instantly by extremely fine brown fur. His neck burst into a short black mane, and his skull elongated into a wide and vaguely wolf-like shape, if one squinted and it was dark.
The shifters were related to the animal called Andrewsarchus and had more in common with zebras and giraffes than they had wolves. A shifter in their transformed shape looked like a cross in between a hippo and a wolf. An animal walking on four legs. And no matter how comical that image might sound, it was in fact incredibly terrifying.
Zhang didn’t drop to four legs; he didn’t shift into a full animal form. Instead, he remained upright, in a kind of a mutated hybrid transformation that I have never heard about. He roared, then charged.