VampQuest

by Adison Runberg

  I could now run 65 miles per hour. I could check how fast I was going when I closed my eyes, not exactly the safest thing to do while running full speed, but I was excited to see what new speeds I could reach when I brought the stat to level 12. I decided to set out for a small town called Little Marais. It was just over 200 miles away from our base. I’ll run there and back, and it should take around six hours with no stops. That should give me time for a beer when I’m at the halfway point.

  Three hours later, after going into a running trance, I arrived at a small cabin-slash-bar. The cabin was near the top of a huge cliff that overlooked a seemingly endless dark blue lake. I entered the dimly lit cabin. The interior glowed orange, and roaring fireplaces on each end of the small building kept it nice and warm. A single butler stood behind the bar, wearing a plaid flannel shirt and a monocle.

  The butler turned to look at me, and a wide grin was on his heavily bearded face. I noticed he was missing one of his front teeth.

  “Hello, good fellow. What can I get for you?” he asked, seemingly happy to have something to do. I also noticed his voice was much deeper than the other butlers I had previously encountered.

  “Got any local brews?” I asked, enjoying some interaction after running for three hours straight. I wished I could stay at this small restaurant for a longer period of time. It had massive floor-to-ceiling windows that gave the restaurant the perfect view. From here I could gaze upon a forest of pine trees, and further out to the huge and ominous, yet beautiful lake.

  “But of course, sir. I haven’t been sitting dormant, like a bear hibernating; I have been continually concocting the best beer to my ability. Try this. I assure you, it will delight your senses.” He took a large glass mug to a tap and filled the cup to the brim. Dark beer sloshed back and forth, but he didn’t spill a drop.

  I raised a curious eyebrow. This game had many surprises. I took the glass from the man and took a swig. My mouth was barraged by a deep and hoppy, pleasantly bitter flavor. Wow, that was a good beer.

  “Hey, you’re doing great work here,” I said to the man. “Do you get many players up this way?”

  “Not yet, but as the in-game population grows, more players will become curious and venture out of the major population centers. I am grateful for the free time I have to perfect my craft. It takes a lot of refining to create the perfect brew, and I believe I am getting ever closer to that feat.”

  “Would it be possible to get shipments of your beer?”

  “Of course. You can message me at any time, and once you transfer me the money, I’ll fulfill your request. It will take a few days to ship your order, and you’ll be paying for the shipping as well as the beer.” I received a notification that Lumberjack Butler Robert had added me as a contact. When I looked at his contact details, I could see prices and information about the different beer he had for sale.

  “Great! If all goes well, hopefully my guild can celebrate with your beer in a couple days. I’ll order some as soon as I have a spare moment.”

  “It would be my honor to provide you with beer. It is indeed what I live for,” he said, beaming at me.

  “How much do I owe you for this one?” I asked as the last sip of cold delicious beer sank into my stomach.

  “That one is on me,” he said, winked, and took the empty glass from me.

  “You are too kind, but thank you, and goodbye for now,” I said and walked to the exit. He raised a friendly hand to bid me farewell, and I was gone.

  On the run home, I envisioned myself pulling the trigger and then fleeing from the Starboys’ base. I was truly scared that I wouldn’t be able to shoot a player. I know the Starboys killed my friend, but what if whoever answers the door is a good player, a good person? What if they answer the door and shoot first? I tried to shake these thoughts from my head. I need to avenge Maria. And this is a game, after all. Plenty of games are built around killing other players. A morally good player would quit a guild that killed humans willy-nilly.

  My speed stat leveled up as I approached my home city, Minnetonka. The stat was now level 12; I had 800 miles to run before I leveled it again, and one more mission to complete until Level 6. I ran as fast as my legs would carry me down a straight stretch in the road. I closed my eyes briefly to view my speed. It was now hovering at around 75 miles per hour. Wind whipped my hair and cape to and fro. I wonder if the players I’ll be facing tomorrow will have similar speed stats. I hope not.

  I swung by Veruka’s new apartment complex and basketball court once more before returning to base for a good night’s rest. My body was shaking, but whether it was from running all night, or my nerves about tomorrow, I couldn’t tell. I closed the lid to my coffin, and my brain turned off yet again. It must be some lovely in-game magic that brings sleep so quickly.

  I awoke to Veruka’s devious face grinning down at me. The tips of her curly red hair tickled my cheeks.

  “Wake up, good looking, we’ve got work to do,” she said. I could tell she was excited about this guild battle. She seemed to thrive in chaotic situations. As I got up, she handed me a water bottle filled with blood and said, “Keep this on you in case you get hit with anything. I drained your recruits a few times so we would have a stockpile of blood for quick regeneration. Got it beforehand so they would be out of harm’s way today. See? I’m a compassionate leader,” she said and smirked at me. “Let's go!”

  I followed her and the other two vampires over to the basketball court.

  “We’ve set up the firewalls around the perimeter of the court. All you have to do is get them within the boundaries, then we’ll activate the walls, and they’ll be trapped. We’ll take care of the rest no problem,” Sasha said and winked at me.

  “Think you can handle that, noob?” Brittany chimed in, and she elbowed my ribs hard. I nodded and gulped. They really were trusting me with an integral part of the mission. I can’t let them down.

  “All right, get to it, handsome. We’ll be waiting for you right here,” Veruka said and slapped me on the back. I scowled at her. “Oh, and you may want to load up with these.” She handed me five of the silver bullets. Oh my god. I almost had taken off without the crucial silver bullets loaded into my gun. I prepared my pistol. I was nervous, but ready to take action against the rival guild.

  I ran straight to their front door, where I knocked three times, then waited. My right hand held my pistol, safety off, and ready to fire. Every moment seemed to take an hour. I stood on the balls of my feet, ready to take off at the slightest hint of danger. Finally, I heard someone approaching the door. I turned on my Time Warp ability and noticed the timer start ticking down from ten minutes. I need to stay focused. Now time really was taking longer than it should.

  The door opened, revealing one of the men who had been there the night Maria died. Anger flooded through my body.

  “Hello,” he said his voice was deep and slow, “how can I…”

  I pulled the trigger. I saw his face slowly realize his game was over. As the bullet passed through his body, he burst into flames. The flames turned to ash in a pile on the floor. I jolted away from the door and started to sprint back to the basketball court faster than I had ever run before.

  I knew if I slowed for even a second, I would be dead. My arms and legs were tingling and going numb, but I couldn’t slow down; I couldn’t even turn to see if they were chasing me. I learned that lesson the hard way with the butlers. There was a ball of dread in the pit of my stomach. I rounded the last corner on my route and the basketball court came into view. My feet pounded down the pavement as I heard the low boom of bullets being fired from behind me.

  One went straight through my cape and into the ground near my feet. I’ve gotta go faster. I started dodging erratically, but I was almost to the court.

  “Help!” I yelled, scared for my life. Every hair on my body was standing on end. My feet kept moving at lightning speed. I could tell a few of the Starboys were pursuing and gaining on me. I dove through the open
door of the old brick apartment building as bullets smashed into its side. Veruka, Sasha, and Brittany were ducking beneath windows nearby. Sasha gave me a thumbs-up. The other two were deadly focused.

  “Now!” Veruka screamed as flames erupted around the court and grew taller than any of the surrounding buildings. My three guildmates popped up and started firing shot after shot into the basketball court, where a few unlucky members of the Starboys had found themselves. I crawled away from my guildmates. A robed man motioned for me to follow him. He led me up to the second floor, where I turned off my Time Warp ability for the day. I couldn’t stop panting. I couldn’t believe what I had just done.

  “You can look out this window, but be ready to duck if you sense anything,” he said seriously.

  “Got it.”

  I approached the window and popped up for a moment. Four members of the Starboys were in the basketball court. They sprayed the apartment with bullets, and did what they could to dodge the return fire from the VampGods. Flames danced dangerously around them, and smoke filled the night sky. I ducked down. The previously untouched window I had been looking out of shattered suddenly. Glass exploded and fell as bullets destroyed the building. Did one of them see me? My heart was pumping adrenaline to every limb of my body, filling me with incredible energy. One of the enemies said something and pointed up to my window. The next second he was a pile of ash on the ground.

  Sasha let out a victorious whoop and called out, “Three left.”

  One appeared to be using Time Warp and was dodging bullets as they neared him; his body blurred as it contorted this way and that. He tossed a grenade that blew a gaping hole in the lower wall of the building, exposing my teammates below. I can’t let my friends get hurt. Another Starboy was using dark magic, and flinging fiery spheres toward the building’s lower level. I stood up and took a shot at the dark magic user. He had apparently forgotten I was up here and when my bullet connected with his chest. I watched with satisfaction as his ashes fell to the ground. Two left.

  Brittany stormed the basketball court, now in the form of a werewolf. She dodged and ducked until she neared the time-warping Starboy. An amazing fight ensued, but with each punch and claw she threw, he was always just a little out of harm’s way. He was able to evade each of her strikes at the last second. He jumped away from her and took aim with a pistol. She dove to the ground just as a bullet flew from his gun. The next moment she had his gun hand in her powerful wolf-like jaws, and I heard a crunch, followed by an agonizing scream. She had torn his hand from his body. Veruka appeared behind him and delivered a wooden stake to his heart. One left.

  “You can surrender now. We’ll let you go if you quit the Starboys,” Veruka called to the poor lone soul. Brittany and Veruka had him cornered and were approaching him slowly. He gulped, realizing he had lost this fight. He looked nervously back and forth, weighing his options carefully. In a flash he fired two bullets; they sped toward Veruka’s heart, and blue puffs of smoke emerged as they struck her body. I was horrified. Why was she approaching so carelessly? I looked on as tears were beginning to form in my eyes. I thought I had lost her.

  Suddenly Veruka—unscathed—raised her arm, fired one shot, and blew smoke from the end of her gun. She turned and did a victory jump into Brittany’s furry werewolf arms as the Starboy turned to ash.

  What happened there? Surely he didn’t miss. I ran down the stairs of the war-torn building and out onto the court where the other VampGods were celebrating. We had done it; we’d exacted revenge on the Starboys fivefold. A mission complete message popped up. I had reached Level 6, and I put my spare point into strength.

  “Nicely done, Aker,” Veruka said and pinched my cheek hard. I pulled away, but couldn’t stop smiling.

  “He shot you. How did you survive?” I asked, still in disbelief.

  “Ask Sasha, that was all her.” Veruka nodded over to a now-blushing Sasha.

  “It was nothing, just a spell I picked up a while ago. A temporary shield for a fellow guild member,” she said and looked at the ground humbly.

  “So you know some dark magic?” I asked, intrigued.

  “I do, but I can’t teach it to others yet. I think I need to invest a few more skill points in it before I get to that level.”

  “Interesting, who taught you?”

  “I learned from an NPC who had been giving me a lot of quests. Apparently that’s how most players learn dark magic. There are rumors that in remote places the NPCs are more powerful. They can help you level up quickly and teach you the most incredible dark magic spells. I only have a few points in that particular skill, but I’m proud of them,” Sasha said and then proceeded to hug Veruka, Brittany, and me, in celebration.

  “You should be proud, you’re the only one in the guild who knows any dark magic,” Brittany said, then turned to me and punched me in the gut. “Stay alert, noob!” She and Veruka started laughing insanely as I doubled over in pain, clutching at my stomach.

  “So there should be about five Starboys left now. They still outnumber us, but we stand a much better chance against them now. However, I doubt they’ll be lured into a trap again. They’ll be on guard and anticipating our attacks, so I think the best way to proceed is to take them out one by one,” Veruka said, determined to be a good guild leader. “Their leader, Damien, is still at large, and he’s the most powerful of them all. If we can kill off his remaining members then team up on him, we may be able to defeat him. He’s about fifteen levels higher than me, so it will be a challenge.”

  “Holy…I can’t fight him at my current low level. Can I have a new mission? I need to keep leveling,” I said eagerly.

  “Yes, you can steal a shipment of ReelC that’s coming in tomorrow at midnight. I’ll share the delivery truck’s route with you.”

  Chapter 3: Growing Stronger

  Aker’s Stats

  Level 6

  $200 RM

  Health: 10 (+1 Necklace)

  Speed: 12

  Strength: 8

  Sneak: 5

  Blood Bonus: 5

  Bite: 7

  Mesmerize: 1

  Regeneration: 3

  Sun Resistance: -50

  Night Vision: 50

  Special Vampire Moves: Time Warp (1), Blood Lust (+1 Necklace)

  Inventory 17/200: Black Tee, Black Pants, Black Boots, Cape (grants +150 inventory space), Necklace (+1 Health, +1 Blood Lust), Blood Bottle, Silver Silenced Pistol, 3 Silver Bullets, 20 Bullets, 1 ReelC Candy

  We had halved the Starboys’ numbers and nearly made the VampGods the number one guild in town. I feel good that Maria has been avenged, but still, all this killing doesn’t sit right with me. I want to protect good players and keep everyone at peace, not kill players. I’m getting stronger, but still nowhere near strong enough to be able to protect the players in my city.

  I ordered two growlers of beer from Lumberjack Butler Robert, which deducted $20 RM from my account. I smiled, thinking of the good times the guild and I would have when the beer arrived. Then I went to the nearest hardware store and purchased an ax that weighed ten pounds for $50 RM, bringing my balance to $130 RM. I ran to the edge of town, where the rows of homes and businesses gave way to deep dark forests. I took out my new ax and started hacking away.

  Each swing of the ax made a satisfying thud as it connected. The first tree fell within fifteen minutes of hacking. But the next fell after only ten more minutes. I was getting better and developing a rhythm. I would angle the blade of the ax ever so slightly downward, then inch down the base of the tree trunk in an eight-inch area, then I would angle the blade straight toward the tree and repeat the process. This made quick work of the trees. After two hours I had raised my strength from 8 to 9 and cut down many thick trees. This left me with five missions to complete until I reached Level 7. Dawn was coming soon, so I returned to my coffin to sleep for the day.

  When I awoke the next night I had a message from Veruka waiting for me, detailing the mission she’d mentioned. A
shipment of ReelC was coming in on a semi. I was to intercept the drugs, and bring them back to our base. This sounds difficult. I messaged Katarina to ask for help, and she said she would be over ASAP.

  I walked around the church for a few minutes while I waited. I found Sasha and Brittany talking over a warm cup of blood.

  “I bet I could have taken all of those Starboys,” Brittany boasted.

  “You think so? A couple of them were pretty powerful,” Sasha said sweetly.

  “I didn’t even use all of my abilities. Oh hey, look what the bat dragged in,” Brittany said and nodded at me as I sat down next to them.

  I shuddered as I smelled the bloody drinks, and was repulsed by the fact that the scent was enticing to me.

  “Why do you drink those?” I asked with a frown on my face.

  “We both have ten points in Blood Bonus. It buffs us up for most of the night, so we almost always like to start the night with a fresh cup of blood if we get a chance. Want a cup?” Sasha asked.

  “I’m good, thanks,” I said. “I haven’t put any points in Blood Bonus yet. Want to help me steal a shipment of ReelC?”

  “Not a chance, noob, we’ve got bigger fish to fry,” Brittany scoffed. Sasha looked at me compassionately.

  “I’m afraid I can’t assist you either, Aker. We’re hopefully going to take out some more Starboys today. Otherwise I’d love to do a mission or two with you.”

  “No worries,” I said.

  “Did you hear someone reached level sixty?” Brittany asked Sasha.

  “No way, really?”

  “Somewhere in South America, from what I heard. They have a guild of a hundred now, the maximum number.”

  “Holy cow. How is that possible?”

  “Apparently deep in the forests there, in some old destroyed ruins, jaguar NPCs will train vampires to insanely high levels in very short amounts of time. I’ve heard they can assign twenty missions a day if the want to.”