Underworld - Vampire Gate: A LitRPG Series

by Apollos Thorne

  “It will be over soon,” I promised, even if it was a stretch of the truth. At best, I could head to the Vampire Realm, get what the Head Mistress requested from Lord Darius’s vault, and return quickly.

  “There’s something I’ve been meaning to ask you,” I said, changing the subject. “There’s this demonic-looking undead horse that has become my summoned mount.”

  “An Embar?” she replied.

  “Yes. You know what an Embar is?”

  “I’ve killed a few in training.”

  “Okay… Well, if there was a pushy one that doesn’t have a name, what would you like to call it?”

  “You want me to name your undead Embar?”

  “Yup.”

  ***

  We skipped the rest of the dungeons in the area as we hurried back home. Aeris and I spoke as often as she was available, which was less than we’d both have liked, but still hours out of the day. During our conversations, I traveled atop Brat the Embar. The name had started as little more than a joke, but it was the nickname of her oldest brother and the Embar seemed to like it. It was obvious she missed her brother a lot, but I didn’t ask further questions to give her some time after hearing about the possible missed opportunity we both had of returning to the surface.

  Even while we talked, I’d become proficient enough with Core Creation to cast it repeatedly. Not only was I using it to continue power leveling Core Creation, Succubi’s Caress, and Vampire’s Might, but I was building a huge stockpile of mana orbs.

  At Shamash’s direction, I gave a special focus to Dark, Metal, and Smoke Magic Orbs. Creating them didn’t just give me unique orbs but helped me level the spells that gave me access to their alignments in a roundabout manner. Even though I was constantly refining my mana, as my level went up, so did the maximum amount of mana I possessed. The refining process was constantly adding more mana to the total that I wanted to keep in reserve, but I’d made a critical decision. So that I wouldn’t have to rely on Master Mind Buff to get the 10,000 Intelligence stat buff, I started pumping stats into it. I wouldn’t do the same for my physical stats. With enough time, I was convinced that Vampire’s Might would earn me the rest. There was no way I’d faced even a fraction of the monster types in the Underworld. There was still much left for me to Devour.

  Before we’d made it back into range, I’d even managed to create a Master Dark Orb. The process was slow and strenuous because I had to rely on Vampire’s Might to absorb additional mana while I was in the Core Creation process. Even after weeks of messing with it, Shadow Bolt was only level 48. Dark Shroud was a little better because I tried to keep it cast constantly in one way or another. It was still only level 61. They were at least becoming less costly as they leveled. Vampire’s Might was finally nearing its Master Rank, and with each level it became more proficient. I was pretty sure its absorption of mana would still be limited, but at Master Rank, its maximum mana buff will become permanent.

  As we were finally nearing the end of the road, I glanced at Shamash. His advice was always subtle, but I no longer doubted he’d been leading me to this exact point. My maximum mana was skyrocketing from the refinement process thanks to my Master Light Mana Core. Vampire’s Might would add even more to that once it finally progressed. And with 10,000 Intelligence, Master Mind Buff was no longer eating into my Mana Per Minute for me to keep the buffs. My Mana Per Minute had grown to the realm of the ridiculous where I could rely on it during most Dungeon Level fights without having to tap into my stored mana at all. It was almost like he’d been preparing me to face off against a bunch of level 10,000 vampires or something…

  I noticed a creature in the distance. There was something familiar about it, so I called out for everyone to stop. Hopping down from Brat, I continued forward on foot. Travis joined me.

  I felt his transformation beside me into his new Iron Werewolf Form even beneath his Metal Armor. He’d been doing most of the killing while we traveled which gave him further opportunity to master the wolf inside of him. Changing back and forth at will was only the beginning. He could now safely be around other people, but there were still many more secrets for him to unravel.

  “Undead Skeleton Warriors,” Travis said. My senses couldn’t compare to his Regal Sight. “It looks like Mel has expanded our territory.”

  “They are his?” I replied. “We’re still miles out…”

  As we neared, a squad of skeletal soldiers formed up. The Dark Aura that surrounded them was visible to the naked eye. I quickly checked and found that they were each over level 1,000. He’d been busy.

  I was about to try to speak with them, or through them, to get Mel’s attention when they stood up straight from their battle stance in a swift, coordinated motion. There was no verbal command given, but they immediately began lining the sides of the cave to make a path. Once in their place, they put a hand over their missing hearts and bowed.

  “Definitely Mel,” Travis snickered.

  We waved our party forward and continued past the obedient minions.

  No more than half a mile later, I felt an erratic energy flying our way at a breakneck pace. A moment later, someone appeared before us, skidding to a stop. It was a yellow-skinned teenager with a rough patch of blue hair on his head. He wore black leather armor that was rich in Dark Mana and was staring at us with psychotic jubilation. His eyes were wide open like he was half-crazed. I’d never seen him before. Was this one of Mel’s minions?

  Casting Creature Observation, I froze in place at what I saw. He was level 1,203, but that wasn’t too surprising after seeing the level of the common skeletal soldiers. The strange thing was that this minion had a name, proving it wasn’t a minion at all. “Zorik?!” He’d evolved.

  He bowed in response, grinning widely to show his needle-sharp fangs. “Master, you’ve returned. Spar with me.”

  Without another word, he rushed forward. The fiendish grin never left his face.

  All the warning that the Head Mistress’s Lich had given me about his nature returned to me, and I feared that leaving him here with the others had been a mistake. But if there was a problem, why hadn’t Richard said anything?

  Before I’d decided how to react, Travis disappeared from my side and raced forward. His spear was safely in his inventory as was his helmet and both gauntlets. Like a tank of platemail with tiny hands and a tiny head, Werewolf Travis plowed into the reckless Incubus. Even if Zorik’s power had skyrocketed during his evolution, against Travis’s speed it was like a child challenging an adult. He wasn’t even able to react before Travis intercepted him.

  To our surprise, Zorik’s form liquified, absorbing most of the impact, and like a wall of water, he ran over Travis’s armor only to reform on the other side. He swung his fist at the back of Travis’s head, only to miss as the werewolf blurred out of its path.

  They faced off a moment later. Zorik’s eyes held the delight of a mischievous child as he took in Travis’s Form. He had no fear. After seeing his skill with Water Magic, it was no wonder.

  “Don’t hurt him!” I cried out to Travis. It was probably unnecessary, but if he got serious, I was afraid he’d kill him.

  Travis responded by showing his own fang-filled grin. Even without being in my Werewolf Form, my connection that had developed with Travis was strong enough that I could feel what he was thinking. He shared Zorik’s desire to play…

  I’d decided to just let things play out when I sensed another presence. A moment later, I heard Mel speak. “Zorik!”

  The countenance of Zorik immediately changed and his head drooped down. His smile was gone. “Sorry, Uncle,” he said, turning to Mel.

  I didn’t have to use Creature Observation on him to sense how much he had changed. The roots of his hair had grown black and only the ends remained orange as if they’d caught fire. His skin had grown even paler, and his freckles had darkened as if the color had been drained out of his face. He’d reached his True Form. When I did cast Creature Observation, I wasn’t surpri
sed, but couldn’t help but shake my head. He was already level 2,700. I knew it was only a matter of time before his necromancy made it so that he began surpassing everyone else. Only Travis, Aeris, and I were still at a higher level. I didn’t expect that would last much longer.

  “Sorry, guys,” Mel said. “I should have known he would rush here to pick a fight when I heard that you were returning soon.”

  Travis straightened and reverted to his human form. “It’s not a problem. We’ll spar later.”

  I saw Mel’s eyes widen at seeing Travis’s newfound control.

  Zorik’s face lit up and he bowed. “Thanks, Uncle Travis.”

  “Go inform the others they’ve arrived,” Mel directed him. “Hurry now.”

  With a nod of his head, Zorik raced off in his reckless manner toward Sanctuary.

  “Is he dangerous?” I said.

  “Not anymore. When he first evolved he was a mess.” Mel waved us to follow as he continued. “You’ve seen how it has changed him physically. He looks like a young teenager. That’s more accurate than you know. It’s almost like his evolution left him as a teen amid his raging hormones. He had no idea how to handle it at first and flipped out. He wasn’t attacking people exactly but wrecked a few rooms in the Outer Perimeter. I had to transform myself to get him under control.”

  “Transform?” Travis said.

  Without removing his Incubus’s skull from his inventory, Mel’s flesh began to change. Within a few seconds, a Dark Incubus was walking at our side. It was the same form he’d used when helping me face Waldemar the minotaur captain.

  He gave us a small smile before returning to his human form—if that’s what you’d call it…

  “It comes in handy when there’s an issue that requires a personal touch. It doesn’t compare to you two though. I can feel the power radiating off of you guys.”

  “Thanks. And congrats on your new True Form,” I said, hoping for more information. He didn’t disappoint.

  “I’m a Pale One, or so the title goes. What it really means is that there’s nothing I can do to get past my gothic look, and I have unique expertise with Dark Magic for a Light Magic creature. I can also do this.”

  Dark Magic surged from his body and clung to him in a thick aura. It should be impossible. The Dark Magic wasn’t just touching his skin but flowing through it. I noticed that it was mostly Darkness Aspect that was coming in contact with his skin. It was like there was a layer of Darkness with Corruption Aspect on top of that. He was a true marvel. No wonder Shamash was interested in him.

  “Before I leave again, we’ll have to get together and test a few things,” I said, holding up my hand. I’d finally found a creature that let me learn some Dark Blue Magic spells. A ball of Shadow Bolt began forming. Unlike Mel, it would harm me if I touched it with my human hand.

  Shamash, Brat, and Queen Degima stayed with the golems further back in the tunnel. It wasn’t long before the others finally joined us. I wasn’t able to go past the barrier the Head Mistress had set up, but that didn’t mean the others couldn’t come to me.

  The first thing I noticed was that Zorik was standing next to Skyler like one of his men. Our blond Strength basher and leader of our melee force still wore the brown platemail that Russ had made for him, and his work ethic hadn’t suffered since I left. He’d reached level 1,739.

  Mel noticed what I was looking at and whispered, “Skyler is the one that spars with Zorik all the time. After beating the snot out of one another, Zorik calms down and follows Skyler’s every word. I think they were made for each other.”

  “I thought you were going to take him and settle in the other dungeon?” I replied.

  “Eventually. I have some of my minions there now to do some experience farming and I want to wait a bit for him to grow up.”

  “I can’t blame you there.”

  Sauntering up to me like a muscle-bound bear, Russ grabbed me around the waist and picked me up with a grunt. “Welcome back.”

  He’d grown in size again. Setting me down, he stepped aside to reveal the rest of the crew that I hadn’t seen for weeks. They’d all leveled far more than I thought they would. Thankfully, except for maybe Mel, they were still within the level range of being able to return home. I’d let them know soon, but the revelation could wait until after our greetings were over.

  “Can you believe this guy?” Richard said, patting Zorik on the shoulder. “I told you some surprises were awaiting you. Is that armor Travis is wearing the surprise you were talking about?”

  “One of them. Help me get everyone’s attention.”

  Richard called out to the guys who had surrounded Travis and me with endless questions.

  When everyone was quiet, I held up an empty hand. “As you guys might expect, we’ve brought a lot of things back with us.” With a flip of my wrist, I pulled out a Master Light Magic Orb.

  The whole lot of them froze in place.

  “I won’t be able to stay here long,” I said, taking the time to look each of them in the eye. “To get the girls back, I need to finish what I’ve started. This should be sufficient for getting the farm back on track though.” I tossed it to Steve, who caught it in the air.

  He held it out, unwilling to remove his gaze from it. “This is incredible.”

  “You’ve found a way to use it?” I said.

  Russ answered, “Yup. Nothing to it. I’ll have it running in a day.”

  “Good. I have 49 more Master Light Orbs to give you.”

  Watching Russ turn ghost white was the funniest thing I’d seen in weeks.

  “How’d you get 50?” Skyler yelled for no reason at all. He was a few feet from my ear.

  “The same way I have 100 Advanced ones, 200 Intermediate, and 2,000 Minor ones to give you as well…” Holding up my hand again over my head, the Light Mana thread shone before their eyes and it began to spin. Within ten seconds a freshly made Minor Light Orb fell into my palm. “I can make them.”

  The roar of voices that rose up didn’t stop for a few minutes. They knew as well as I did that once the dwarves returned with their goods that these orbs would act as a small fortune and we could purchase whatever we needed and then some. I’d wait until later to tell them about the other orbs from other alignments that I’d made to give them as well. I also planned on giving Khun a minor heart attack if that was possible for a dungeon spirit. Seeing him freak out was one of the things I’d been most looking forward to. Sadly, he wasn’t here. He couldn’t leave Sanctuary’s border. We’d figure something out.

  “That’s not all,” I called out and finally got their attention—or so I thought.

  “What level are you?” Mel said, flabbergasted.

  With a sigh, I pulled out my Character Sheet and turned it so they could see it.

  Elorion

  Character Sheet

  Level: 4,721

  Health Points: 563,716

  Current Mana: 25,209,495

  Refined Mana: 25,209,495

  Base Mana: 5,041,899

  Mana Per Minute: 208,176(3,469.6 Per Second)

  Attributes

  Strength: 5,981

  Dexterity: 5,676

  Constitution: 5,344

  Intelligence: 10,000

  Wisdom: 17,348

  I’d just finished converting the last drop of my mana into its liquid state during the last few hours of our approach. I admit to failing to continue refining at points when I was clearing dungeons or focusing on other things. But to finish refining all of the mana inside me in less than a month—it was preposterous. My mana was literally five times as potent in its dense liquid state as it was normally.

  Everyone had had enough shock today that instead of showing more astonishment, they simply rolled their eyes or shrugged it off. They really had no idea. Not only had I leveled drastically, but I’d also Drained 1,392 Strength, 1,424 Dexterity, and 684 Constitution from mobs during our dungeon runs. There were enough unique creatures that Lesser Devour had ranked up t
o its Intermediate Rank.

  Seeing a few of them disheartened by seeing how much I’d progressed, I had the perfect medicine to cheer them up.

  “Bring it,” I yelled.

  The sound of something heavy being pulled came from the direction in which we had arrived.

  Watching Mel as Queen Degima came around the corner, I inwardly clenched my fists. He hadn’t noticed.

  At first, the entire group stared at the beautiful crimson girl who’d come around the corner. It took them a moment to realize she was pulling something with an oversized rope. As the mound of Metal came into view, I knew it might startle some, but Richard, who stood closest to the approaching Faeastein Queen, was the first to recognize what it was. He teetered over backward and fell to the ground.

  “He fainted,” Zorik said with a mocking cackle. His trap snapped shut as he lifted his eyes, laying them on the massive head of the Metal Dragon.

  Finding Russ among my silent friends, I smacked him on the back as he’d so often done to me. “What do you think?”

  He moved his mouth, but nothing came out. It was obvious what he was trying to say. For the next minute he kept mouthing, “Dragon.”

  Chapter 37 – Loot

  It had been weeks since I’d tasted bacon’s savory juiciness. Some of it was a little crispy, and I didn’t care. It wasn’t much of a sit-down meal. Food and drinks were brought and the lot of us got our munch on while catching up. Everyone had progressed beyond level 1,000. Zorik was still the lowest in level, but after he’d evolved his timidity had disappeared with his maturity. It was the same change I’d seen in many of the others except at an accelerated pace. We’d all been a bunch of geeks before entering the Underworld, and then, with our powers unlocked, we all went a little crazy with the new possibilities.