I thought for a few minutes about my options. I have to distract them so I can at least use the element of surprise. I’ll probably need to incapacitate them; that crate is huge and going to be very difficult for me to move, so there’s no way for me to sneak it out. I noticed a passageway on the right side of the room. If I can make a splash over there and get them to check it out, maybe I can use my Time Warp ability to work my way back around behind the crate to get the jump on them. First I need to explore around to that doorway to make sure I have the correct layout of the tunnels.
I started crawling back down the tunnel from which I had come. I went straight for a long while and finally was able to start angling around. I checked my map. The portions of the tunnel I had already explored had been revealed, while the unexplored parts were still dark. It looked like I was heading the right way, so I continued. The tunnels appeared to form a crude loop around the room with the guards and the ReelC. Again, I heard the guards’ voices and saw the tunnel brighten as I came close to the room.
“Um, hello,” I said and waved at the two. They pulled out their guns and immediately took aim.
“What the heck do you think you’re doing down here?” the woman asked menacingly.
“Trying to get some free ReelC,” I said and smiled. “I need all of it, actually.”
The two looked at one another, then started blasting. I activated my Time Warp ability and began running back down the tunnel. Sounds deepened and slowed, and a ten-minute timer appeared at the upper right of my vision. I sprinted and hid just around the first corner.
“You’ll have to do better than that,” I yelled to the two of them, coaxing them farther down the tunnel. I heard them sloshing slowly after me. I ran back around the loop of tunnels to the room with the crate full of ReelC and sat behind it. I was nervous. What if they spot me right away? Is this really a good plan? My hands were shaking as I waited in the shadow of the wooden crate. Time Warp deactivated automatically, then fifteen more minutes passed. The two guards were apparently doing a thorough check of the surrounding tunnels. They entered the room with frowns on their faces.
“What a weird night,” the woman said, shaking her head as she resumed her post on the crate.
“We must have scared him off,” the man replied.
The man sat down as well and they each moved their guns around to their backs. It was as if I had never lured them down the tunnel in the first place. Now’s my chance. I grabbed both of their guns, and with one quick motion relieved them of their weapons, snapping the weak straps that had feebly held their guns to their bodies. I tossed the guns into the far corner of the room. Before they could turn around, I plunged my teeth into the man’s neck and began drinking his blood. I brought his life bar down to 5%, then threw him to the floor. The woman had started running toward the guns in the corner. I overtook her in a moment. The extra speed stats I had were coming in handy.
“Please don’t,” she cried out.
“You’ll regenerate enough to get moving again in a few hours,” I said as I drained her to 5% as well, and laid her body next to her fellow guard. I got a message informing me my Bite skill had been raised to 7 and I needed to bite four more people to raise it again. It also let me know I had four more missions to complete before I reached Level 6.
I turned to the large ReelC container. How am I going to move this? I started pushing on one side of it, using all my strength. I got it to budge, but it only moved an inch before catching on something and coming to an abrupt stop. How did they get it down here? I started looking around and walked down a passageway that I had yet to explore, when I came to a small forklift. Perfect. I climbed in and turned it on.
The machine started up smoothly and was making a low rumbling noise. I pressed on the gas, and it slowly lurched forward. Even when I pressed the pedal all the way down, I was traveling at only three miles an hour though. At least I’m not in a hurry. Eventually I got to the ReelC crate and aimed the forklift straight at it. Crunch. The forklift punched a small hole in the side of the wooden crate. Well, that’s not going to work. I started messing with some levers and got the lift’s prongs to drop to the floor. I approached the crate again, making sure to line up the prongs with their corresponding slots at the bottom of the crate. The prongs slid in, and I pulled the lever to lift the crate a few feet off the ground.
I worked my way back toward the entrance, feeling like a farmer slowly riding a tractor, doing work that needed to be done. I reached the metal ladder fifteen minutes later. I popped the lid off the crate and fit as many plastic-wrapped packets of ReelC as I could into my cape and arms, and then unloaded them on the surface after climbing back up the ladder. I repeated this process until I had an enormous pile of ReelC packets laying in the sand next to the road, and an empty crate in the tunnel. I took the top off of the wooden crate, slowly hefted it up the ladder, and onto the surface. I then methodically piled the many packets of ReelC onto it.
I need a boat. There’s no way I can swim back to the island with all this. I pulled the pallet into a clump of trees and bushes near the lake. Hopefully no one sees this. I’ve got to get the ReelC out of here fast before the guards regenerate and start looking for it.
I ran along the shore of the lake, where beautiful white sand glowed in the night’s light. Soon I came across a home with a large pontoon boat tied to a wooden dock. I hopped in, hoping it would be easy to operate like the forklift, but had no such luck. After ten minutes of searching every nook and cranny of the boat for a key, I gave up, and continued down the shore.
I found my way to a small log cabin. The home looked deserted, but laying along the side of the house was a blue canoe. I jogged over to it and flipped it over to inspect it. It had a small nickel-size hole in it. Not ideal, but it should float as long as I need it to. The ReelC packets should fit.
I hefted the canoe back to where I had stashed the ReelC, its paddle balanced on the canoe’s thwarts. I stayed close to the shoreline I had just run along. It was a strenuous walk, yet for some reason I found it relaxing—probably since I had the lake to myself, and a cool breeze at my back. I loaded up the ReelC into the front two-thirds of the canoe, humming a tune to myself as I worked. I left a little open area in the back of it to stretch my legs, set my course for the island, and started paddling. I was making good time when I noticed my environment getting lighter. The clouds were bright white now, indicating the sun was coming up. I started paddling furiously. I need to get to shore and get underground ASAP. I paddled double time, then triple time. Water was flying everywhere, soaking both the pile of ReelC and me. I hope that plastic wrap is watertight.
The canoe hit the sand. Leaping out, I took hold of the bow and pulled the canoe farther onto the shore so it wouldn’t drift away, then I started rapidly digging a deep hole in the sand. The clouds above the horizon were a beautiful mix of red, orange, and deep blue, but I couldn’t spare a second to appreciate the sight. My hands soon became coated with a thick wet layer of sand. I was flinging sand through my spread legs, creating an ever-growing pile near the canoe. My mind was racing as I extended the hole to make it long enough for me to lie down. I could feel each second passing and getting hotter. I wished I had saved my Time Warp ability for this moment. My hole was now just long and deep enough for me to lie down in it. I got in, hurrying as fast as I could and pushed the pile of sand first over my legs, then torso, and finally my head. I hope this works.
I passed out the moment I closed my eyes. I felt I had just barely escaped a sunny death. When I awoke, there was sand in every crevice of my body. I started to spit the sand out of my mouth, but that only worsened the problem. It was in my eyes and ears. I need to get above ground now. I exploded from the ground like an insane sand monster and started shaking my limbs, trying to be free from the wretched sand. After a moment, I started to calm down and catch my breath. I shook my head and methodically brushed the remaining sand off myself.
The canoe was still sitting next to me,
being gently lapped by waves. I walked over to it to examine the ReelC packets. My heart sank. The canoe was empty, save for the single paddle on its floor. This is not good, this is not good. My face started to sweat. Ugh, what should I do? I started running to the old NPC’s home. I have to let him know I lost the ReelC. Maybe there’s another way I can get the silver bullets. Or maybe he can help me retrieve the lost drugs.
As I came to the man’s small abode, I saw him sitting proudly on top of the pile of ReelC packets, just outside of his rocky cabin. I let out a sigh of relief.
“You made it! I thought you dropped off the ReelC and ran,” the old man croaked.
“Sorry. I, uh, needed to sleep. I’m so glad you found the packets. So can I get those silver bullets?”
“You have proven yourself worthy. Here are the bullets you desire. Don’t shoot them all in one place,” he said as he reached into his robe and pulled out two small wooden boxes. I walked over and put them into my cape. I closed my eyes and saw the two boxes displayed in my cape’s inventory. I had room for 200 pounds, and the two boxes only took up 10 of those. A mission complete message appeared in my vision and informed me I had three more missions until I reached Level 6.
“Thank you, sir. These will go toward destroying a guild that has only caused harm to the players in this world,” I said and took a step away from the man.
“Hold on one more moment, mister, I’ve got an extra reward to bestow upon you for your fine work. Here.” He handed me a silver necklace on a long chain. “Wear this, and you’ll find drinking blood a little more worthwhile in the future. Here’s some Reel Money for your trouble.”
A message flashed: “You received $200 RM.” I took the necklace from the man, put it on, then closed my eyes. I could see the extra stats the necklace gave me: +1 health, and one special vampire move point into the Blood Lust skill tree. Now after consuming blood I would receive a 25% buff to all my stats for ten minutes. Nice!
“Thank you, thank you so much.”
“I have more quests for anyone who’s willing to work. There is much I need to do to stop the underground drug scene in this small town.”
I looked at him meaningfully for a moment, then looked at the ground.
“I’ll come back someday, or I’ll send someone. Right now I have to help my guild.”
“I understand. I’ll be here, so don’t hesitate to come back now.”
I waved goodbye, took a few paces, and then started running to the water’s edge. Just as I came to where the dark water met the sand, I jumped and attempted a dive. Splosh. Water erupted from the lake. Not the smoothest entry, but maybe I can blame it on this cape. The run home went smoothly, and I raised my speed stat to 11. The free speed leveling was beginning to slow down, as I needed to run 400 miles to level speed again. Still, it was nice to get the stat increases while completing missions. Only two more missions until Level 6. I was definitely getting stronger.
I eventually walked into the church and looked around. Veruka was in one of the back rooms getting a massage from a robed man, one of her recruits.
“Hey, I got the bullets,” I said, rather pleased with myself.
“Nice job, honey. Want to take over for this scoundrel?” she asked as she looked over at me, then frowned at the robed man.
“Do you have guns that can shoot these?” I asked and handed her the boxes of silver bullets, purposely ignoring her invitation.
“Of course, check the locker over there,” she said and lazily lifted a finger to point, “take whichever one you like, and load it up.” She slapped the robed man's hand away and got up from the massage table. “Time for some target practice.”
There were machine guns, sniper rifles, and pistols of all shapes and sizes in the locker. I chose a silver pistol with a silencer. I liked the idea of being covert and not drawing undue attention to myself, especially since I would presumably be lower level than most of the other vampires we would encounter.
“Don’t you look good with a firearm? You can keep that,” Veruka said and winked at me.
She led me outdoors to the back of the church, where a circular target was set up with chalk lines marking different distances from the target. She tossed me a large packet of lead bullets and loaded a pack into her gun while I followed suit. Then she spray-painted a small red circle in the middle of the large wooden target.
“Aim for that, let me see what you’ve got.”
I stood at the closest line, clicked the safety off the gun, pointed it at the target, and pulled the trigger. Boom. The sound deafened my ears, even with the silencer; the gun recoiled hard, and my shot hit the outer edge of the target. Wood chips flew into the air. I completely missed the circle Veruka had just prepared, but I was amazed at the power the small gun contained.
She gave me a look that encouraged me to shoot again. I took aim, braced myself and pulled the trigger. The gun hardly recoiled this time, and the shot was closer to the target.
“Give me one more try. I think I’m getting the hang of this,” I said hopefully.
I lined up my arm with my eye and the target. I slowly let out my breath and calmed my nerves. Then, holding the gun as firmly as I could, I pulled the trigger a third time. Bang. I hit the center of the target.
“Nice work, bub, now try to speed up that process. You’re not going to have that much time when we’re facing the Starboys,” Veruka said and without warning let off three shots. The shots were clustered in a tight triangle near the center of the target. She put her gun into her cape and strutted away with a satisfied smile on her bright red lips. Dang, she’s good.
I stayed and practiced for another hour. Slowly, I became better at aiming. By the end, it took me only two or three seconds to let off an accurate shot. Much better than when I started. I put the gun into my cape for safekeeping and went back inside. To my surprise, I didn’t find Veruka messing with her recruits, but instead she was drinking a coffee cup full of steaming blood with two other vampires. I strode over to the three. These must be the other members of the VampGods guild.
“Hello,” I said, then smiled and sat with them.
“Aker, meet Sasha and Brittany,” Veruka said. I shook their hands politely. Sasha had light blue hair and was wearing a short silver dress with black leggings, plus matching silver heels. Brittany’s appearance starkly contrasted with Sasha’s; she had messy black hair, a tight black hoodie, and black ripped jeans. They both smiled at me.
“Yay, we finally have a guy in our guild,” Sasha said, looking me up and down as she added, “a nice-looking one, at that.”
“Don’t try any cute stuff,” Brittany said to me with a scowl, then looked away and took a long swig of hot blood.
“We’ve been talking, and think tomorrow should be the day we spring our trap on the Starboys,” Veruka said with raised eyebrows. “There’s no sense in waiting when we have our full group ready, so we should attack before they have any more time to prepare something themselves.”
“Since you’re new, you’re going to be the bait,” Brittany said with a grim smile on her wide face.
“We’ll protect you, Aker, so don’t you fret a moment,” Sasha said and gave me a tight hug.
I felt uneasy. At least most of my points are in speed, so this is probably the way for me to be most useful.
“How many members are in the Starboys?” I asked, trying to squash my fear and block out the doubts that were racing through my mind.
“I don’t know their exact numbers at the moment, but last I heard they had ten members. Which is a lot, considering a cult leader can turn only one player a month, at least until they’re much higher level.”
“We have fewer members than them, so we’ll have to be smart about this,” Brittany said flatly.
“We have a plan and you’re the star,” Sasha said and smiled at me. Her blue hair and eyes matched perfectly, and I was enchanted by every word she said.
“All right, all right, let me hear it,” I said.
; “You aren’t going to like this,” Veruka said, laughed heartily, and then continued, “You’re going to knock on the front door of their base and shoot whoever answers.”
I looked at each of the three women in turn, searching their faces for any sign that they were joking. I found none.
“You can’t be serious,” I protested.
“You’ll only have to make it a quarter mile or less without dying. I’ve just purchased an apartment complex a couple blocks away from their base. You’re going to shoot whoever answers the door, use your Time Warp ability, and then run as fast as you can to the apartment complex. We’ll be waiting for them there. Hopefully they’ll follow you right into our trap. Get them to run into the basketball court and it will be like shooting fish in a barrel. Sasha and Brittany procured firewalls, which we’ll activate as soon as they enter the court.”
“You’re right. I absolutely hate this plan. And how did you know I chose Time Warp?” I asked.
“That’s one of the many things I can check up on as a guild leader,” Veruka said smugly. I sighed. There was still so much I didn’t know about VampQuest. Heck, there was still so much I didn’t know about myself.
“Do you need anything else from me tonight?” I asked. I wanted to get out of here and try to raise my speed stat at least one more point before dawn.
“Check out the location you’ll be luring them to, so it will be second nature for you to flee there.”
“Will do. I’m going to try to run about four hundred miles before morning, so see you all tomorrow.”
The three gave me a nod farewell and I was out the door. Veruka shared the location of her new apartment complex, and I ran to it. The building wasn’t much, not anymore. It was a fairly tall brick building with a basketball court right out the front door. But it looked like it had seen better days. It's easy enough to get to. It does appear to be a good location for a trap, since I certainly wouldn’t expect anything or anyone to be around this dump.
VampQuest Page 6