I felt self-assured I would be able to take out the remaining Starboys with the help of my guildmates Veruka and Sasha. Once we destroy the Starboys, it will be the perfect time for Kat to start leveling up. A time of peace and growth. Then maybe Kat and I can start our own vampire cult. Not that Veruka’s is bad, but it would be nice to be able to define the rules and morals myself, or at least have more of a say than I do here. I shut my eyes and the next night came seemingly instantly. I flung open the heavy wooden lid to my coffin. Time to delete the Starboys.
Veruka and Sasha woke up with similar gusto and we all looked at one another and gave a singular nod in unison. We were ready.
Veruka, now wearing a slick black backpack, reached into it and tossed Sasha and me a bottle of blood each. I deposited mine into my cape. I’ll take a sip just before the battle begins.
“They are on high alert, and they would be absolutely foolish to leave their base alone at this point. They know we’re after them in full force,” Veruka said. “That being said, we all should stay together today as well. You shouldn’t have gone to get that gun by yourself, Aker. You would have been easy prey for the Starboys. We need to enact a buddy system to keep each other safe. Tonight, we’ll be on top of a skyscraper. They shouldn’t have a clue we’re up there. I scouted this building a few weeks ago. It has a great vantage point of the Starboys’ base, so if any of them go anywhere, we’ll be on them like flies on a carcass.”
Veruka led the way, followed by Sasha, then me. We were moving at a light jogging pace. Once we arrived at the huge building, we began climbing the metal ladder that led to the top.
Once on the roof, Veruka motioned for Sasha and me to come close. She then pointed northward to the Starboys’ base. “It’s right over there. Stay low when close to the edge of the building. Sasha, let us know if they exit from the rear. Aker, you and I will be keeping an eye on the side closest to us. If you have a clear shot, take it. Their numbers are so low now, one more down and I believe we’ll have the upper hand.”
I crouched down into sneak mode and started inching toward the edge of the building.
I loaded my three remaining silver bullets into my sniper rifle. I was covering the left half of the base, while Veruka was covering the right. Sasha stayed in the middle of the roof with her eyes shut, magically viewing the part of their base we couldn’t see.
The night was silent. We were in a focused trance crouching high above the surrounding city. Only the calm, deep breaths from Sasha intruded upon the absolute quiet. We waited like this for one hour, then two. Too bad my sneak skill isn’t increasing. I must not be able to improve it when sneaking around fellow guild members.
“Anything at all on your side, Sash?” Veruka asked in a whisper.
“Nothing, absolutely nothing. Notice anything, Aker?” Sasha asked curiously.
“Nope,” I said, losing my focused edge.
As we waited, the night was crawling by at a snail’s pace.
“I see movement by the door on my end,” Veruka said abruptly. “Fire if you’ve got a shot.”
I slowly moved my crosshairs to the metal door on the right side of the building. It was now open. A shadow flashed through the door, far too fast for me to get a clean shot. I tried to refocus, but I had no idea where the vampire went.
Veruka punched the ground in frustration. She scanned the surrounding city, trying to catch a glimpse of the fast-moving Starboy.
“Running down Williston Road, dodging in and out of traffic,” Veruka called out, spotting her prey.
I activated my Time Warp ability and chugged a mouthful of blood. Time slowed down and my stats increased; the drink perked me up and filled me with intense invigoration. I was able to easily track our enemy’s movement now. I carefully adjusted my aim, moving my crosshairs so it was centered on the vampire's chest. He looked fairly plain, with short black hair, wearing a tight black suit and tie. I pulled the trigger. I was sure I would hit my mark, but when the bullet should have struck my target, he disappeared. My ears rang from the violent and powerful noise of the gunshot.
“Can you see him? Did my bullet connect?” I asked, my voice deepened and slowed by the time distortion.
“He disappeared right as you pulled the trigger. Must be some kind of dark magic. Keep your eyes peeled, love. He may have blinked,” Veruka said. Her explanation took what seemed to be a minute.
“Blinked?” I asked inquisitively.
“A teleportation spell, or he may be wearing an accessory that has magical properties that activate when an attack would kill him,” Sasha explained. “I had the option to do a quest once that rewarded its completion with a blink ring, but I never completed it.”
“Sasha, we’re going to need you on the front lines now. Two more vamps just left the base. That’s all of them. This is it. No firm visuals on the enemies. High alert, everyone,” Veruka said through gritted teeth.
“I see the blinker, still on Williston Road, but closer now,” I called out nervously, readjusting my aim. The man was fearless and was still running straight for our building. He seemed to be squinting up at us; he knew exactly where we were, and was getting dangerously close. I took aim. My crosshairs were aligned with the center of his chest. I held the gun firmly and fired. Again the man disappeared as the deadly bullet punctured the street where he once was.
This is impossible. How can we defeat someone who teleports to safety anytime he’s in danger? Veruka cursed under her breath. Anxiety was getting the best of me. The blinker would arrive at our stronghold soon, and there was nothing I could do about it. Sasha had made her way to the rim of the roof, dividing the distance between Veruka and me.
“There, down below,” Sasha called. Immediately after, a ball of black fire shot from her hand toward the blinker. As it neared the man at breakneck speed he disappeared once more, but the fireball instantly changed direction, actively tracking his movements. I barely had time to admire how powerful Sasha’s dark magic was when the man blinked to the edge of our skyscraper. He jumped up half the building’s height in one leap. He paused for a brief moment and then sprung once more. While he was soaring through the air, Sasha’s black fireball smashed into his arm, severing it and causing it to fall to the street below. A look of abject horror was on his face. Sasha shot another ball of flames at him while he was distracted. This ball of dark fire hit him in the chest. He erupted into a bright white flame and disintegrated.
“One down, two to go. I’ll try not to take all the kills,” Sasha called out, and let out a sinister laugh.
Suddenly I heard a bang from behind the three of us. I turned to see a huge vampire with a foot-high green mohawk. Damien. He had a black and gold pistol in his hand, and a faint wisp of smoke trailed from the end of the barrel. Veruka had been hit. Her body was on fire, and she was letting out a haunting, angry cry.
He was too close for me to use my sniper rifle. I could flee to try to get a better shot, but I can’t leave Sasha here to fend for herself. I put my long-range gun into my cape, then drew my pistol and loaded the cartridge with my last silver bullet. Sasha ran to the seven-foot vampire, her fists surrounded by black flames. She was moving at lightning speed, throwing punch after punch, but nothing was connecting. He was dodging and blinking constantly, moving this way and that.
Another vampire popped up on the opposite side of the rooftop. He started running toward Sasha, but I cut him off. He looked startled and scared as I ran at him. I watched every move he made, careful not to let him get the jump on me. I tried to aim at him with my pistol, but he was moving too quickly, and I couldn’t get off a good shot. I decided to store my gun for the moment. I’ve only got one silver bullet left, so I need to make it count. Let's hope the points I’ve put in strength help me out here. There were four minutes left on my buffs. I’ve got to move quickly. I rushed at the man, who was thin and of average height, wearing a simple black t-shirt and black skinny jeans.
My right fist connected with his neck before he co
uld react. He stumbled away, off-balance, and screaming in pain. I didn’t relent in the slightest; instead I pressed my advantage. After faking a punch with my right hand, my left hand struck his abdomen. This must be a low-level player. He’s even weaker than I am. He was hunched over now, and completely defenseless. I drew my pistol and fired point-blank.
I felt bad for the man. He was new to the game, caught in the midst of a brutal guild war. Had he done anything to deserve this? He was about to attack Sasha, so that was enough to warrant retaliation, but maybe this was too far? No time to waste judging my morals. My buffs had only two and a half minutes left until they ran out for the day. I turned to the fight between Sasha and the leader of the Starboys. His once-powerful guild was almost completely destroyed. I could see anger in his eyes, but also something else. It seemed to me he was happy to be fighting, like he had been waiting for a true challenge.
I loaded my gun with normal bullets, hoping they would at least slow him down.
Sasha and Damien both seemed to have completely forgotten about me. I crouched down to get into sneak mode and worked my way around behind the lead Starboy. His large muscular frame was flitting back and forth dodging and attempting to strike; although he was engaged in a deadly dance with Sasha, they appeared to be fairly equally matched.
Sasha’s bubbly personality still could be seen as she winked at Damien whenever she had a particularly good dodge. I had a relatively clean shot but due to the fast pace of their fight, I didn’t want to take a chance, because if the Starboy dodged out of the way at the wrong moment, my bullet could easily hit Sasha, and that was something I couldn’t risk. I needed the perfect moment to strike and give Sasha the upper hand.
Damien had now drawn a long flaming sword. Sasha was forced to retreat and search through her own inventory for something to use against his mid-range melee weapon. He was walking slowly toward her, and his black leather boots made a loud clunking noise with each step. She was still frantically searching through her weapons, but not finding what she was looking for.
“Hey, forget about me?” I called, trying to buy Sasha some time.
The Starboy turned to me and laughed.
“You disposed of Lance easily enough, and you’re only a couple levels higher than he was. Imagine what I would do to you. I’m probably twenty levels higher than your measly level eight or nine? Please. Run now while you have the chance.”
I could run. I probably would have run, back when I first started this game. But I’m not going to run. Not now. Not when my friend needs me.
I fired a shot toward the Starboy’s back. He heard, and with insanely fast reflexes he ducked out of the way. The bullet flew over the city. I’d missed. He turned toward me, his face displaying pure hatred now.
“That was a mistake,” he said and sprinted at me, closing the short distance between us. He lifted his sword high above his head, ready to strike.
He swung downward, but just before his blade struck my head, I rolled to the side. When I looked up, only Sasha was standing there, a pile of ash on the ground, and a wooden stake in her hand.
Chapter 4: The Bear
Aker’s Stats
Level 9
$0 RM
Health: 10 (+1 Necklace)
Speed: 13
Strength: 23
Sneak: 12
Blood Bonus: 5
Bite: 7
Mesmerize: 4
Regeneration: 3
Sun Resistance: -50
Night Vision: 50
Special Vampire Moves: Time Warp (1), Blood Lust (+1 Necklace)
Inventory 53/200: Black Tee, Black Pants, Black Boots, Cape (+150 inventory space), Necklace (+1 Health, +1 Blood Lust), Blood Bottle (half full), Silver Silenced Pistol, Sniper Rifle, 45 Bullets, Ax, 1ReelC Candy
“Looks like you were the one who made a miss-stake,” said Sasha, then she ran over to give me a hug. Her body was cold—as was mine—but the embrace felt good emotionally. “Thanks for distracting him, Aker, we make a great team. I’ll see you on the flip side.”
She sat and said a few words that I didn’t understand.
“Wait, what do you mean?” I asked. It appeared as though she was casting a spell. She didn’t pay any attention to me as I waved my hand in front of her face, or when I tapped her slender shoulder. After a minute of mumbling incoherently, she lay down on the roof, lifeless. I kneeled down and cried on her shoulder, when suddenly I heard footsteps behind me. What just happened? I turned, and tears flew from my face, hitting the ground. It was Veruka. Somehow she was revived and seemed fine.
“Get out of the way, Vamp Boy,” she said. I jumped away from Sasha’s pale, dead body. Veruka bit into her wrist and held it so the black blood would flow into Sasha’s mouth. I watched in shocked disbelief. Veruka became thin and weak until she lay on the roof next to Sasha.
What is going on?
Veruka was near death now, but Sasha was revived. I saw her gulp down the last of Veruka’s blood, then shake her head as she took in her surroundings. Her thick, light blue hair had drops of Veruka’s blood dripping from its ends, giving it a dark purple hue.
“Good thing we know each other’s abilities,” Sasha said with a laugh.
“Too bad I don’t know them,” I said, hoping Sasha would fill me in on what I just witnessed.
“I had learned a spell long ago that would allow me to take the place of a fallen guild leader. Veruka as the guild leader can drain her life to zero percent to revive a fellow guild member if she revives them immediately after they die, and as long as we’re able to get her back to her coffin, she’ll revive.”
“Wow, that’s amazing. Good to know too. I can’t believe we beat the Starboys. Too bad Veruka wasn’t able to revive Brittany in time.”
“Yeah, we still don’t know exactly where Brittany was when she was killed. Veruka received a message notifying her that Brittany was dead. She was out trying to hunt down lone Starboys,” Sasha said and swept her hair out of her eyes. “Want to carry Veruka back to her coffin? I’m going to see what kind of loot the Starboys have. I’d let you do it, but I have a lot more room in my inventory, around eight hundred spare pounds.”
“Sure, sounds good, you gotta share some with me,” I said, half joking.
“Of course, you more than earned it. See you back at base camp.”
I lugged Veruka’s limp body back across town to our lair, ignoring the weird glances I received from other players. I must look insane. I’m lucky it’s late at night and there are few people around to witness this. When I returned to our base I gently placed Veruka back into her coffin and shut the lid. I noticed a large brown crate was next to my coffin with a note on top that said, “For Aker.” I tore it open and found the beer I had ordered from the lumberjack butler. Two dark brown growlers stood in the crate. Perfect timing, we really have something to celebrate now. I brought them over to the fridge in the church’s kitchen.
I returned to my coffin, sat on its closed lid, and waited for Sasha to return with the loot. While I was waiting, I replayed the night in my head. I can’t wait to tell Kat about all this, she’ll be sad she missed out.
Sasha strode in after a few minutes, and I noticed she was wearing a new camouflage bulletproof vest. She had a persistent smile that lit up the dingy room.
“Check it out, I think you’ll want some of this,” she said and started unloading various items from her inventory onto the table. A shotgun, a winter hat, a pair of bright green Nike running shoes, and a small pile of rings. I walked over and started examining the spoils. The running shoes gave a +3 to speed. I need these.
I inspected each of the rings. Four of them gave +1 to strength, three gave +1 to mesmerize, and one gave +3 to bite. The hat gave a 25% resistance to cold, and the shotgun would be great, but was too bulky for my tastes.
“Which items do you want? I asked, not wanting to be greedy, and knowing Sasha deserved the lion’s share of the reward. She picked up a ring and flipped it back onto the t
able. Then she took the shotgun in her hands and aimed at the far wall of the church, but ultimately set it back down as well.
“Honestly I don’t really need any of this stuff, so why don’t you take five items, and I’ll take the rest. I’m going to sell whatever I take to the butlers.”
I started setting my favorite items in a pile. The +3 bite ring and the running shoes were my first two choices. The next choice was a little harder. I decided on the winter hat. Although I hadn’t experienced any extreme cold yet, it would be nice to have in my inventory should the occasion arise. My last two items were a pair of the +1 strength rings. While not too flashy, they would certainly help with any conflicts in my future. I put them into my cape and looked over to Sasha.
“The rest is yours,” I said happily.
“Great, thanks for leaving me the shotgun. It’s probably the most expensive thing on the table. I’m going to buy myself a huge ice cream cone after I sell this stuff. I should get to bed soon so I can regenerate, I’m still at thirty percent health.”
“Yeah, me too, night Sasha,” I said. “Or maybe I should say good morning?” I entered my coffin and shut the lid, tired from an intense night of guild warring.
When I awoke the next morning, I kept my eyes closed for a moment and put on my new gear. My strength was now effectively 25, speed 16, and bite 10. My stats are starting to look really nice.
I messaged Kat to see if she had logged back into her account and told her about how we had destroyed the Starboys. She responded nearly immediately.
Her message read: “Hey Aker, congrats on defeating the Starboys, that is huge! I’m just finishing something up. I’ll be over in twenty minutes or so.”
I walked with newly earned swagger to the church’s dining room, where I could hear Veruka and Sasha’s voices. I stopped by the kitchen on the way, picked up one of the growlers I had ordered, and three cups.
Veruka’s face lit up when she saw me.
“Ooh, what you got there? Thanks for your hard work yesterday,” she said, eyeing the growler.
VampQuest Page 10