“I didn’t have any money. I tried to steal the supplies, and when that failed, the butlers beat me up. I woke up in a hospital and came straight back here.”
Veruka burst out laughing. Then when she realized she was the only one enjoying my misfortune, she scowled at the robed men. They instantly followed suit and the forced laughter lasted probably two minutes. I stood there rolling my eyes until eventually, they calmed down.
“How much did it all cost?”
“Four hundred and seventy-nine RM, not including the flamethrower,” I said, a little miffed.
“Here you go. Come back soon, love, and try to cheer up a bit,” she said, then turned to the robed men and growled, “Line back up!”
I soon completed the mission without a hitch and had one more mission to go before I reached Level 4. Veruka explained it was important for any vampire guild to have some devout human followers for a fresh blood supply whenever the guild might need it. We rested for the night, but Veruka promised tomorrow would be eventful in the best way.
I went to bed sad. My friend was still dead, and her killers were still at large. Although Veruka and I were beginning to plot revenge on those who were playing evilly, and I was starting to trust her despite her over-the-top nature, it didn’t feel like we were doing enough. I can’t level up fast enough; I need to play harder and faster. I just don’t know how, not yet. I’m still so weak, even the butlers can kill me. Is Veruka even a good leader? Is she someone I should be following? I soon passed out, my mind still troubled.
Veruka knocked on my coffin what seemed like only moments later. I slowly exited. The night had just begun, and it was still dusk. A few of the robed men stood close by, carrying all the supplies we would need for the night’s mission.
“Let’s go, boys. Aker, your next mission is to light the Starboys’ base on fire,” she said as she grabbed one of the men by the shoulder and pushed him toward the door.
Chapter 2: Revenge
Aker’s Stats
Level 3
$0 RM
Health: 10
Speed: 6
Strength: 6
Sneak: 5
Blood Bonus: 5
Bite: 6
Mesmerize: 1
Regeneration: 2
Sun Resistance: -50
Night Vision: 50
Special Vampire Moves: None
Inventory 10/200: Black Tee, Black Pants, Black Boots, Cape (+150 inventory space)
The night air was warm and humid as our group made our way toward the Starboys’ base. Veruka had an excited aura about her. She was skipping and humming a little tune, but the robed men looked scared. They had more to lose than Veruka and me. If things went south, they would likely be the first to die. I pitied them. Veruka said she promised them she would turn them into vampires if they served her long enough, but was it really worth all their effort?
We passed by two men doing push-ups, who didn’t even look up at us. They were completely immersed in their grind to gain strength. I admired their focus.
“We’re getting close, keep quiet,” Veruka cued to our group, and added, “It’s that sports stadium just ahead.”
A large arena came into view. It looked as though it had extensively neglected maintenance, like our base. Expansive empty parking lots surrounded the structure. I scanned the area cautiously, looking for any signs of life, and especially for any signs of our enemy. On top of a streetlight on the far edge of the parking lot, I saw a dark figure motionlessly standing sentinel. I stopped breathing abruptly; my heart started beating double time.
“Up there,” I said quietly and pointed so Veruka could see. Veruka squinted.
“Good catch, I’ll be right back.” Poof! Veruka was in bat form. She flew straight into the air and disappeared without a trace. I looked around the area for any other guards but saw no one else. Thud. I turned toward the streetlight, and the lookout had fallen hard to the ground. A moment later, a tiny bat fluttered near and Veruka’s gothic vampire form reappeared. She wiped off her hands. “Easy peasy.”
“How did you do that?” I asked, perplexed at how easily she took out her target. She’s so powerful.
“That’s what a level 20 Bite skill will get you when paired with the bat special vampire move,” Veruka explained, “an incredibly effortless takedown of a single target. Although, who knows how good his regeneration is, so we should get moving before he sounds an alarm. You robed fellows get the building ready to burn. Aker, you’re with me.”
I followed Veruka. She was carrying a long coiled fuse, plus a small gas can. We arrived at the side of the building where it loomed high above us, casting dark shadows. I had to crane my neck to see the top of it.
“Tie the rope to the rain gutter, then bring the other end to the base of that tree,” Veruka said and started splashing gas everywhere, completely dousing the area. She pulled some trash from a nearby dumpster and piled it high on the side of the building where the fuse led. The old wooden building would go up like a tinderbox. I fastened the rope securely to the gutter and started unwinding it; it was just long enough to reach the base of the tree. Meanwhile, the robed men were splashing gas everywhere and getting themselves covered with the smelly liquid in the process. They’d better be careful. Veruka rounded up the rest of the men and had them leave their cans next to our large trash pile. They walked quietly as a group out toward the tree where I was waiting.
“Nice work, gang. Aker, do you want the honor?” she asked as she handed me a silver lighter. I took it from her and clicked it on. A small flame flickered to life and licked the air. I crouched down and lit the fuse. We all watched in excited silence as the flame worked its way toward the building. Veruka reached into her cape and a moment later her hand emerged, holding the rocket launcher she had been testing the other night. “Three, two, one,” she counted down, taking a small breath between each number. As she reached one, she confidently pulled the trigger.
The lit fuse hit the gas and the building erupted into flames. A second later the missile hit the side of the building, blowing the whole thing open. I could see movement inside as a level-up message appeared. The completion of my last mission brought me to Level 4. One more level until I unlocked my first special vampire move. I quickly put another point into speed, bringing it to 7. I needed to complete four more missions to reach Level 5.
“Run!” Veruka hissed, and we took off. The robed men struggled to keep up as Veruka and I quickly left them in the dust. I winced as I heard one of them let out a scream as we practically flew back to our base. Guess it’s not his lucky day. I felt as fast as a cheetah—hell, maybe I was even quicker than one with my new speed increase. I was keeping up with Veruka easily, which surprised me.
“What about the humans?” I asked. I breathed in deeply and could feel oxygen flood my muscles, allowing them to move more quickly. She shrugged.
“They’re expendable; I can get more followers in no time. But it will take the Starboys months to repair the damage we’ve just done. Give me one night in the city, and I’ll have five more blood bags before morning,” She said. I shook my head.
“You can’t treat them so poorly. They paid good money to play the game.” Veruka smirked.
“Relax, Aker. I gave them a truly unique experience. Plus, if they were streaming all this, I guarantee they made money during this whole ordeal. Getting a sneak peek at VampQuest is worth far more than a normal round of Reel Life.”
I let out a sigh. Once I was more powerful, I vowed to myself I would help protect the humans. Someone needed to stick up for them. We arrived back at base a moment later. A weird feeling came over me when I realized I felt kind of good and exhilarated. I had taken the first step in avenging my lost friend. A minute later, two of the robed men arrived, panting and screaming in terror.
“They got HarryPotterFan831 and Barney,” one of them said, sounding truly upset. I looked at the ground and shook my head.
“I’m sorry you lost your friends, b
ut their deaths won’t be in vain. We’ll work hard to defeat the Starboys,” I said.
A moment later, a piece of parchment appeared in my hand. I looked over to Veruka, and it appeared she’d received a letter too. It read, “Nice trick, VampGods, but your insolence won’t go unpunished. This is a formal declaration of a guild war.”
“Um. Veruka?” I asked, a little scared, and looking for somewhere I could dispose of the note. I’m such a new player, I’m not ready for a full-on guild war. After a few seconds the declaration of war disintegrated, and its ashes fell to the floor.
“They’re playing exactly as I hoped they would. A guild war is just what we want. Now we have the perfect opportunity to set a trap for them, somewhere that we’ll have the advantage. They’ll want to strike us hard at the first opportunity that presents itself.”
“A trap is a good idea. Would you mind giving me a couple more missions so I can level up again? I almost can unlock my first special vampire move.”
“You’ve made quick work of your first levels, Aker, nicely done. I admire a hard worker. All right, I want you to recruit three humans to the guild. We’ll need a larger blood supply during this war.”
“Do you have any advice on how to do that?”
“Not really. You’ll have to learn your own technique. This is your mission to complete; I don’t have time to hold your hand every step of the way, especially not now that we’re waging a guild war. Looking the humans directly in their eyes will activate your Mesmerize skill but at your low level, it has a low chance of success. You’ll have to maintain direct eye contact with them to even have the chance for it to work. I’ll bet plenty of people would join without you mesmerizing them though. If you pitch it to them right.” Veruka seemed distracted, so I decided to set out and see what I could manage.
“Got it. See you later.”
“Keep an eye out for the Starboys. If you come across any of them, you’d better get away fast.”
A chill ran down my spine as I imagined the fate that would befall me if I got caught by the Starboys. I don’t want to die, even if this is just a game. I set out into the night and pulled up a list of nearby clubs. One called Russian Sleep Xperiment caught my eye. I made my way there, unsure what to expect, so I stood just close enough to survey the area before making an entrance. A steady stream of wildly dressed people were making their way into the club. Low bass notes emitted from the doors and rattled my bones. Looks safe enough at the moment. No sign of any other vampires.
I strolled up, starting to feel more confident in my tight gothic attire. A bouncer dressed as a large leprechaun wearing a jacket with multiple flashing neon clover pins looked me up and down, then nodded for me to enter. I stepped in, and it looked like everyone was having the time of their lives. People were dancing rhythmically to electronic music, and hardly an inch stood between any of the dancers. A DJ dressed as an alien was on a stage that rose from the middle of the dance floor. Suddenly electric light radiated from its hand and it appeared to create a deep bass drop.
I drifted aimlessly through the bar when I noticed a sign that read “Chill Zone” above a door and decided that’s where I needed to be. As I entered the new room, the heavy soundproof door closed behind me, and instantly the raucous dance club was left behind. In this room, people seemed to be having deep conversations in groups of two or three. This is perfect. I walked up to the bar and noticed a butler polishing a glass. He nodded at me as I approached.
“I’ll just have a water. That’s free, right?” I asked, still uneasy around butlers after the gang of them beat me up.
“Of course, sir, right away,” the butler said pleasantly and filled a cup for me. I guess they’re not all the same, I thought and started to relax.
I took a sip and looked around the room for any likely candidates. My eyes were drawn to a group of three who were all smiling and laughing. Three is exactly the amount I need to recruit. I approached them after finishing my water.
“Mind if I hang out with all of you for a while?” I asked.
“If you can keep up. Here, try this,” said a blond, extremely tan man as he handed me what looked like a small candy.
“What is this?” I asked.
“That, my friend, is ReelC, the hottest in-game drug on the scene right now,” he replied.
“I don’t do drugs, or at least I don’t think I do,” I said, and surreptitiously let the candy drop to the floor.
“Come on, this is just a game, have some fun,” goaded a girl with tattoos covering her entire body. “This isn’t the real world, so you can let loose here.”
I looked the blond man straight in his eyes in an attempt to trigger my Mesmerize ability and said, “I’ve got something much more fulfilling back at my guild’s base. You could continue partying there. This is a great opportunity for you. You should come too,” I said to the tattooed girl and the last member of the trio, who was a plump guy.
They looked at one another, nodded, and agreed to follow me back to my place. We walked through the noisy club in a tight V formation. That was easier than I expected it to be. I shuffled through a group of dancing people and my new recruits fell behind in the crowd. “Follow me,” I called, but it was too late.
The three humans were out on the dance floor now, jumping around happily. I tapped the chubby guy on the shoulder. “Hey, we should go back to my guild’s base,” I said loudly, trying to be heard over the music. He wasn’t paying me the slightest bit of attention and continued jumping in time with the current song. Next, I tried the large blond man. I tugged at his muscular shoulder, but he easily brushed me off. Then he looked startled, as if he’d just woken up somewhere unfamiliar.
“Oh, here you go, let me know when it kicks in,” he said and handed me another ReelC, then continued performing snakelike dance moves. I rolled my eyes, stuffed the candy-drug into my cape, and then the tattooed girl appeared next to me. She got right in my face and was looking into my eyes. It felt like she was looking into my soul. I noticed her eyes were dark purple and seemed incredibly deep; her hair was jet black and messy.
“We won’t ditch you, don’t worry,” she said and gave me a big hug. She was confident and extroverted. Despite myself, I genuinely smiled at her show of affection and friendship.
“I wasn’t worried about that, I just wanted to get out of here. I’m trying to complete a mission.”
“The night has just begun, so we can go to your place and do your mission later. I’ll do another ReelC with you, so come on, try it with me. Work hard in the real world, play hard in Reel Life. Three, two, one.” She put a candy in my hand and moved it to my mouth, then popped one in her mouth as well. “Liftoff!”
I stood still while everyone else was dancing around me. I don’t know how to dance, but it looks so silly. This mission is not going well. Everyone playing Reel Life Online seems to party all the time, but they should be trying to complete missions every once in a while.
“It takes about half an hour to kick in,” the plump guy told me. He looked jolly and round as he added, “Try to have fun and it will come on faster.”
“What if I don’t want to feel it at all?” I asked. I need to be leveling up, not partying. He gave me a bewildered look then turned around to continue dancing and shaking his large belly back and forth. I walked over to lean on the nearest wall. I need to come up with a plan. I stood with my hands in my pockets and a hard look on my face. Maybe I should just roll with it and befriend these three. Maybe I could turn them into vampires eventually to repay them if they join the VampGods. I felt a tap on my shoulder and jumped.
“Hey, stranger,” said the tattooed woman. Below her neck there wasn’t a square inch of uninked skin I could see. Her tattoos were high quality, resembling paintings, and each piece on her seemed to tell a story.
“Hey, how are you? What’s your name, anyway?” I asked.
“Call me Katarina, what’s yours?”
“Aker,” I said sheepishly. “Not my first choic
e, but I still kinda like it.”
“Oh, that’s your IGN? Nice! I go by my real name since all the names I wanted were taken when I created my account. Aker, that is a cool name. How long have you been playing, Aker?”
“I don’t even know. Maybe a week or so, I guess? I haven’t really been keeping track.”
I started to feel a warm sensation flooding my body. I forgot about my mission and was completely in the moment with Katarina. I looked deep into her purple eyes. She seemed bright, vibrant, and caring.
“I think the ReelC just hit me,” I said, then started laughing uncontrollably. She started laughing too. “Is everyone here on this stuff?”
“They wish. This is the high-end stuff, so it costs about a hundred RM per hit.”
“Oh, wow. I owe you guys a lot, thank you for letting me try it.”
“Anytime! You looked like a cool guy, and I’m always open to making new friends. Anyone who dresses like you has got to have something fun going on. Plus, the three of us all have a little extra money to throw around, so don’t worry about it.”
Suddenly I blurted out, “I’m a vampire, and I’m trying to recruit you and your friends to my guild.”
Kat looked at me in disbelief, then put her arm around my shoulders. “A vampire, really?”
“I’m not playing Reel Life Online like the rest of the people here, I’m playing VampQuest. It’s a weird game that seems to be patched on top of the game you’re playing. So far there seem to be around fifteen VampQuest players in the city.”
Kat’s eyes grew wider and wider as I spoke. Then she started laughing again. “That explains your outfit. I just thought you were really into the whole emo rocker scene. I’m so glad you’re hanging with us. I suppose we could join your guild. What’s in it for us?”
“To be honest, it doesn’t seem like that good of a gig to me. Since I’m recruiting you three though, I can try to make it more fun for you than the last humans in the guild,” I said. I was talking so fast and openly, thanks to the ReelC. I felt as though everyone loved me and I loved them. “I’ll talk to Veruka—she’s the guild leader—and see if we can work out some incentives. Like maybe if you work for us as a human for a month then we could turn you into a vampire.”
VampQuest Page 4