Underworld - Vampire Gate: A LitRPG Series

by Apollos Thorne

  Waiting a full minute, I changed back to my human form and turned to Mel. “I’ve enjoyed geeking out with you,” I said, offering him my hand.

  He took it. “Same.”

  “Keep everyone safe while I’m gone, and I’ll be sure to bring you a genuine vampire skull.”

  “Deal.”

  I watched him go.

  “If you want, you can bring me back something as well,” Richard said through a private message.

  “You think I’d forget you?” I replied as I walked away from the Head Mistress’s barrier toward my golems and an undead horse named Brat.

  “Reminders never hurt.”

  “You better enjoy that Metal Armor when Russ finishes it.”

  “I’m drooling even thinking about it.”

  “And Queen Degima. Feed her a Fire Orb if she starts acting weird. She’s our guest, so if she wants to leave, don’t try to stop her.”

  “No problem. I think she has a crush on Khun, so whatever. Be safe.”

  Transforming into my Incubus Form, I straddled Brat and sat there staring back the way I’d just come. I’d been home, or as close to it as I could get, for six days. It had gone too fast. If it weren’t for Aeris asking me to stay longer, I’d be who knows where by now.

  “Leaving is the only way to keep this place truly safe,” Shamash said.

  “Then let’s go,” I said, and turned my Embar to head out. Besides a detour or two, next stop, the Vampire Gate.

  “Aeris, I’m leaving,” I said, hoping to connect with her. “What are you up to?”

  Chapter 40 – My First

  Shamash directed me to a Dark Vein that was out of the way so that any of my Light Magic use would remain undetected by the monsters at the Vampire Gate. Which was good, because Shamash wanted me to use this dungeon as a test run for how I was going to handle the Vampire Guards. It was still within the radius of Richard’s communication ability, so I hadn’t had to say goodbye to Aeris yet. That day was soon approaching.

  Stepping foot into the Dark Magic Dungeon, I saw that the place had been laid waste. Dark Ore tended to grow in spikey crystal-like formations with one towering pike that grew above all the rest. These ore formations had once heavily populated the grand cavern of this dungeon, but they were all shattered and flung across the stony floor. Our hope for a test run was denied. All of the creatures in the dungeon ran at the first sign of me. None of them were worth chasing down.

  “That’s rather disappointing,” the lich said. “But you’ve had plenty of practice with the other Dark Magic Dungeons. You’ll just have to remember to not hold back. We must be vigilant here. The lack of monsters can only mean that someone cleared this dungeon recently. Let’s make our way to the vein quickly. Your golems and Embar should work as a good first line of defense, but if we’re attacked, you’ll have to fight during the unlocking process. It can be dangerous for you, but your refined mana will give you more control over the Aether as it enters your system, allowing you to overwhelm it if necessary. Worst case, you’ll have to start over if you’re interrupted.”

  I walked with the lich to the back of the room where a barely elevated mound rose up and held the Dark Vein at its center. This dungeon would offer no natural protection in case I was attacked.

  Standing a step away from the Dark Vein’s outer orbit, I watched periodic black sparks travel from droplet to droplet, then back to the pillar. All that I needed to begin the process was to touch one of the Aether droplets with my finger.

  “Remember, this is Aether and not mana,” Shamash said. “It will not have the same reaction as when Dark Mana meets Light. The process will not be a comfortable one, though. It is contrary to your nature to take this Aether in. In a very real sense, it needs to burn its way into your system and leave an everlasting scar.”

  “What can I do to speed up the process?” I replied.

  “Touch the Aether twice. Once with either hand. It will speed up the first stage of the process, but after that, it is up to you to take it from there. As much as you might want to transform to a Dark Magic Form, don’t. It will undo any work that the Aether has begun. You must let it affect your true body.”

  I glanced back and saw that my golems were in place, and Brat was kicking at a large ore-rich rock on the ground for the fun of it. Remembering Travis’s unlocking, I found a place where I could sit down and be fairly comfortable. I just hoped this didn’t take days.

  Leaning forward, I touched the Dark Magic droplet closest to me with the index finger of my right hand. Like a singeing syrup, the Aether attached itself to me as I drew back. I felt it try to push its way into my system. For the moment, I held it at bay. Reaching out my other hand, I touched another droplet with my left index finger and retreated to the place I’d chosen to sit.

  The next step was simple, but not easy to do. I needed to let the Aether invade my system, going against my every instinct. Taking a deep breath, I pulled my mana away from my fingertips and let the Aether progress. Pulling back my mana had a second effect of pulling some of the Aether with it. Perhaps this was going to take less time than I thought if I could handle the burning sensation.

  Instead of letting my mana relax and return to its natural flow, I began to circulate the mana around my core. My proficiency with the exercise had grown to the point of being second nature. I could speed it up and slow it down at will. Churning my mana had the desired effect. I sucked the Aether through my hand and down into my arms until it had entered the whirlpool of mana in my gut. I could feel it trace a path of shocking tingles, which was sharp and painful as it traveled down my arm and chest, and into my stomach region.

  As I spun my mana faster, the Aether spread out like a flung poison, flooding my body with the burning sensation. It was like a wave of nausea that brought up stomach acid into the back of my throat and seeped into the rest of me. As the Aether burned toward my heart, I had to spin my mana even faster to suppress the urge to block its path. It was even worse as the sensation entered my mind. I hadn’t had a headache since my Light Magic had been unlocked. This one seemed determined to make up for all that I’d missed.

  The one place that I kept guard upon was my Light Core. It wasn’t connected directly to my cardiovascular system, but in the open space where my body normally stored fat. Shamash had warned me of the effect Aether would have on my core. It was easier than I expected to keep the Aether away from it because of its density of mana.

  The Aether had fully saturated my system, and after a few minutes the burning, and my headache, started to dull. I wasn’t sure if it was because my body was growing numb to protect my sanity, or if I was beginning to absorb the Dark Aether.

  “That was more reckless than I expected, but you’ve completed the first stage in record time,” I heard Shamash say.

  When had I closed my eyes?

  “The Aether has attached itself to your system,” he continued. “Now it’s just a matter of the Aether merging with you. Alternate the speed of your mana rotation to send slow waves of mana rippling throughout your body. It should help with the pain while not slowing down the process.”

  My experience with mana manipulation had greatly sped up the first stage of the process, so of course, it hadn’t taken me as long as Travis who had been a novice during his unlocking. Shamash had needed to instruct him repeatedly for days before we’d even made it to the Metal Vein.

  The second part of unlocking, even with the lich’s direction, was different from the first. I’d hoped there was something I’d be able to do to speed it up, but all that Shamash’s advice did was make it more bearable. All that I could do was wait.

  And wait I did. After a few hours of nothing but circulating my mana, I asked Shamash if it would be unwise to create some orbs as I waited. He agreed that it would be fine as long as I didn’t tap into my body’s mana, so I’d have to rely on only my mana regeneration. With over 200,000 Mana Per Minute, that wasn’t a problem. I’d just have to limit myself to creating Advanced
Orbs or lesser ones.

  It was impossible to say how much time passed. I’d spoken to Aeris before about how long it could take, and she knew she’d have to wait before we could speak again.

  The pain disappeared after a while—replaced by a constant pressure. In the end, I’d expected some great event or a thread of enlightenment, but instead, I got a common popup.

  You have Unlocked Dark Magic!

  “How long have I been out?” I said, looking up at the lich.

  “Two days,” he said with his arms wrapped around his back. “Take your time getting up. Remember that even with Dark Magic unlocked, you must take the same precautions as before. Go ahead and experiment with your new magic.”

  Climbing to my feet, I channeled mana into my skeletal armor to buff it up to Skeletal Titan’s Defense. It would offer at least some protection. I already knew that Dark Magic worked the same way that Light Magic did. There were no elemental skill trees, only a single spell that all other manipulations of the magic were based on. Looking at Dark Magic’s information page, I saw that the spell was called Corrupt.

  I wasn’t as hesitant as I was before to cast Dark Magic in my human form, but I still took a cautious approach. Holding up my heavily armored hand, I cast Corrupt into the air. A pathetic little bolt of Dark Magic shot up a few feet from my hand before dissipating into nothing. So this was the power of a level 1 Dark Mage with a Light Magic Alignment. My Blue Magic Shadow Bolt was many times stronger. This thing wouldn’t wake a sleeping Wererat.

  “Don’t be discouraged,” Shamash said, floating up beside me. “If you had unlocked this when you first entered the Underworld it would have taken you months to get to the Intermediate Rank. It will take time for you to advance even now, but with your vast mana pool, strong mana manipulation, and Dark Magic Forms, we should be able to get you there in a couple of days. Remember, to master both Light and Dark defies the laws of magic. You’ll have to work ten times harder to advance Dark Magic as you did Light. Maybe one hundred times. Keep in mind why you chose this path and you’ll be fine.”

  “Should I try to get my Dark Magic to the Advanced Rank before taking on the Vampire Gate?” I said.

  “Intermediate will be enough for you to create a decent Shadow Cloak for stealth and practical purposes. It will also be sufficient for you to begin your experiments with Light and Dark. Even with your mana pool, it will still take you weeks to reach Advanced at the quickest possible rate. Months are more likely. That is the end goal, but not necessary for the Vampire Gate.”

  “Will it not be possible for me to Master Dark Magic?”

  “It’s possible. It will require help from your Blue Magic Forms. I have no way to gauge how long it will take. Normally, it would be impossible.”

  “Where do we start?”

  “Show me what 200,000 Mana Per Minute looks like.”

  Despite a crazy amount of excess mana channeled to Corrupt, I was at most able to create a bolt of Dark Magic lightning that was thirty feet long. The purple-black energy shot forward like a Dark Magic tesla coil that spread out its electrifying fingers the further they reached from my hand. Even with over 10,000 Intelligence and Wisdom, manipulating the low-level Dark Magic was near impossible at first. The difficulty of control was not something I’d expected. Controlling Light Magic, and even Blue Magic versions of other schools of magic, had always come easily to me.

  As my Dark Magic leveled, control became easier. I could focus the bolt to extend further from my body or widen the web of Dark Magic to create a close-range area of effect spell. It took a day for it to reach level 30, and once it did I had a good jump in control. I could focus it into a beam, or a large ball of energy. Shamash directed me on how to calm the sizzling effect so that I could use it to heal my Embar.

  Brat had stayed busy by running off any creatures that happened into the dungeon. He didn’t need healing, but I needed to be ready for the day that he might. Having to resummon him each time he got injured was inefficient and took time to cast.

  During my power leveling, Aeris and I spoke often. We both ignored the coming day that I would have to leave Richard’s communication radius, but I felt it growing close. How could she not be feeling it as well?

  When I finally reached the Intermediate Rank three and a half days later, I was capable of the necessary manipulation for both healing and cloaking myself with Dark Magic. It was possible to do most of the same things with my Blue Magic Dark spells Shadow Bolt and Dark Shroud, but at the Intermediate Rank, my Dark Magic was starting to outperform the Blue Magic versions of spells. That became even more apparent when casting Corrupt in my Incubus Form. A Dark Magic Form nearly doubled my Dark Magic’s effectiveness.

  I left the dungeon while Aeris was telling me about her day. I traveled for another day and a half before I reached the extent of Richard’s ability.

  In our goodbyes, Aeris said exactly what I expected her to say. She loved me and encouraged me to take my time to do what I needed to do in the safest manner possible. I knew her well enough to know that there was more going on than she said. Her dilemma wasn’t time-sensitive exactly, but it was draining her conviction like a leech. I’d seen her mood improve during the short time we’d had together, but I feared the moment I was out of range she’d become dispirited once again. Who knew what bottomless pit that led to…

  I had to say something. “Aeris. I don’t know exactly what is going on, and I won’t force you to tell me, but if at all possible, stop. If not, tell me the truth. How much trouble are you in?”

  She giggled, even though I knew it was forced. “I’m okay, really. I’m not in any trouble, it’s just that training is exhausting. It was easier when I had someone around to heal my exhaustion any time I needed it.”

  I played along with her excuse but knew it wasn’t true. Not entirely, at least.

  “When I return,” I said, “you better have your dress picked out because I don’t know if I’ll be able to wait any longer to get married.”

  “I might already have a few in mind that I’m trying to decide between,” she teased.

  “Well, I might have a surprise or two when I return that might encourage you to decide quicker.”

  “You’re resorting to bribery now?”

  “Absolutely.”

  “Then you better make it good.”

  The wind seemed to have been sucked out of our sails. Even our banter lacked the life it normally had. What made things even worse was that Mistress Nava’s human group was giving the girls from Sanctuary a hard time. She didn’t go into detail, but it was just another thing adding to her plate. It seemed that eventually we would have to deal with them.

  When I took that first step out of Richard’s territory, I felt like there was something that I hadn’t said even if I wasn’t sure what it was.

  It wasn’t a monster or Shamash that ripped my attention from my musing, but a portal that appeared directly in my path.

  “Did you think I wouldn’t find out?” Lilith said, stepping out of the portal wearing a sleeveless gown of black.

  I felt Shamash flee back several paces and bow his head. It looked like he would be of little help.

  After just saying bye to Aeris, the girl the Head Mistress had personally taken from my reach, I wasn’t exactly in the mood for pleasantries. “You see and hear everything we do. How could you not know?” Noticing the grit in my voice, I remembered who I was talking to and dropped my glare to the floor. I couldn’t bring myself to apologize, but I wasn’t in the mood for torture or death either.

  She ignored my spiteful response and instead said, “Then explain it to me. What makes you think I’d allow any of you to return to the surface?”

  “Because even if a few are returning, those of us staying have decided to stay of our own free will. We have the opportunity to leave, and we choose you. You don’t have to worry about us fleeing anymore. Making the others stay will only drive a wedge between those you’ve won over and yourself.”


  “I’d like to believe that.”

  “I’m not saying that we’re happy. Even if it is for our benefit, you separated us after we’d grown to rely on one another. If you let this happen, those of us staying will have a better time accepting it.”

  “Do you believe that? That I did this for your benefit?”

  I looked up and really looked at her for the first time since she stepped out of the portal. Her charm had lost its effect on me long ago. Even the greatest beauty can be tainted by a person’s character. She looked like she was asking with sincerity. I couldn’t believe what my eyes told me.

  “I believe that it will be a benefit to our growth in power,” I said.

  Regardless of how earnest she seemed, I couldn't trust that she wanted what was best for us, and not just what was best for herself. Yet, why did she choose to play these games? Why didn’t she just command the others not to leave? We were fearful enough of her to obey. Why did she wait until now to confront the problem? Travis and the others had already left. She could have stopped them from leaving weeks ago when we first discussed it. One moment she seemed reasonable and the next she was a monstrous tyrant. What would she choose to be this time?

  “I have already delivered Kylie and Melony to your friends. They will travel with them to the Illuminated Cathedral and leave with them.” She watched intently for my reaction to her words.

  How was I supposed to react? My heart leaped in my chest that she wouldn’t stop them and that the girls that wanted to leave would be allowed to. My gut had a completely different reaction. It tensed up and begged my brain to look for her hidden agenda.

  “Thank you, Head Mistress,” I said, bowing my head. I was afraid that if I said more I’d cause more problems than I solved.

  “Finish this task for me, Elorion, and you and Aeris will be reunited,” she replied.

  Was she trying to reassure me? “Head Mistress, if I may?”

  “Go ahead.”

  “I worry for Aeris. Something in her training seems to be affecting her desire to fight.”