Underworld - Scorching Sun: A LitRPG Series

by Apollos Thorne

  I kept my eyes open and met anyone’s greeting with one of my own as we waded through the throng of overdressed adolescent vampires that thought far too highly of themselves. When we got to the guest seating, I sat at one of the back tables that was empty. Damsa asked if I wanted anything to eat, and I said no before thanking her for showing me around.

  I sat there, hoping that there would be some vampire breakdancing, or anything that might take the place of the uncomfortable waiting.

  Eventually, I knew I’d be called to a backroom to discuss whatever it was that had gained me access to such a party. I really had no interest mingling and didn’t care if I was just the weird guy that sat in the back talking to no one.

  An hour later, the tables were starting to fill as people brought their conversations to a place where they could better relax and eat. Everyone was polite enough to sit at every table except for mine. I almost thought I’d get away with not having to talk to anyone, when some guy in a loose purple blouse sat down next to me. He wasn’t even across from me, but on the same side of the table as I was as.

  “Not eating, huh?” he said.

  I glanced at him while not turning my head. “No,” I replied.

  “Are you also afraid of the hidden bill?”

  I narrowed my eyes and looked at him.

  He actually laughed at my response. “I’m the same. You never know what nobles will want for letting you dine at their fancy tables.”

  Seeing as he was being less socially acceptable than I was, I allowed myself a small snicker. “I’m actually a beast-feeder.” This was one part of the backstory Shamash and I had decided on.

  “Oh, nameless and uncivilized.” He smiled widely. “I’m Sai. I don’t know how you only drink beast and monster blood, personally. I find it hard not to eat everything.” He said it in a jovial manner.

  “I’m Zerin,” I replied. Getting a good look at him, his clothing clashed with the current fashion and even showed signs of wear. If it wasn’t already obvious enough, he definitely wasn’t part of the nobility.

  “It’s a pleasure to meet you, Zerin,” he said with an exaggerated bow. “So what crime did you commit to be dragged here? Anything interesting?”

  Finding a vampire who was likeminded in any fashion at all allowed me to loosen up far more than I’d expected. “I suspect not. I won my fight in the preliminaries.”

  “Incitement! What defiance! It’s only right that they flay you alive and poke you all over with a firm-bristled brush.” He paused before shrugging. “I’m actually here for the same crime. I think.”

  “You think?”

  “It could also be because I winked at his sister. She smacked me hard enough that I thought she’d let me off, but…”

  “Was it worth it?”

  “The wink, yes. Winning, probably not. I’ve only been here for an hour and it’s already noxiously dull.”

  I asked him about his fight and a common factor became clear after hearing his story. He’d beaten one of Manu Shah’s friends just as I had.

  Talking was easy with Sai, and I soon found out why. He had grown up here in Hallow, but as a commoner outside of the noble circles. He was intimately familiar with vampire airs, but only went by them when he absolutely had to. He’d only recently returned after a stint in the military. As a common Hallow resident, he was required to do two years of guard duty. He’d enjoyed the fight training, so he’d been competing in small-time fights ever since. This was his first big tournament. It sounded like he was not too bad.

  Thankfully, he was the kind of guy that liked to talk. He was exactly what I needed to keep my head from exploding for the rest of the party. I was getting plenty of looks from other guests, but straddling the line between too odd for polite company but unoffensive was perfectly fine with me.

  Without any announcement, Manu Shah left the head table through a side exit.

  “The interrogations have begun,” Sai joked. “It will probably be another hour before he gets to us, but it’s inevitable now.”

  “What do you think his real purpose is?” I wondered aloud.

  “Besides giving us lashings?” Sai chuckled. “Honestly, I don’t know. My guess is that he’ll try to pull us into his family’s outer ranks. For a small but oh-so-generous gift, he’ll expect undying loyalty for all eternity. The outer ranks are really just employees that don’t get paid anything, with hopes of becoming a part of the inner family. At least once you make it to the inner family you’ll be given a monthly stipend for the chores they’ll have you do.”

  He wasn’t wrong about it taking a while for Manu to get to us. Eventually, Sai began talking about the other guests and any rumors he’d heard. I was never a fan of gossip, but in this scenario the more I knew, the safer I would be.

  After a while, I asked about the girl who wore the blue shawl at the head table. Her hair was just as black as the average vampire in this region, but it was pulled back, lacking any of the braids or hairpins that seemed to be in style.

  “You don’t know her?” Sai said, surprised. “She’s also a beast-feeder and a princess of the Tir. Her name is Jale. You know better than I do that beast-feeders aren’t always on good terms with their neighbors but Hallow handles things differently than most of the world. It’s one of its few virtues.”

  “I see…”

  Just as I was about to say more, Damsa appeared with her kind smile. I noticed she didn’t look Sai in the eye, but still bowed to him. “Forgive the intrusion. Zerin, Master Manu Shah would like to meet with you.”

  “It seems your sentencing will happen before mine,” Sai said, patting my shoulder. “It was nice knowing you.”

  “Same,” I replied, before addressing Damsa. “Take me away.”

  The look she gave me made me feel as if I’d done something inappropriate.

  I gave her a secret grin, as if to tell her I knew what I was doing.

  As she led me toward the side exit Manu had used, she leaned closer and whispered a warning. “Sai Darvish does not have a good standing and is considered by many to be a scoundrel.”

  “Thank you, Damsa. I’m sure you’re right.” I didn’t tell her that that was why I liked him.

  I glanced at Jale, the beast-feeder princess, as we passed by. Once again, she was quick to meet my eye with a challenging glare. That’s when I noticed her eyes were different. Instead of a tinge of red, hers were purple.

  A few moments later, Damsa stopped at the exit and waved me through.

  Sai had helped me ignore my nerves over the past couple hours, but for this meeting I’d be alone.

  Chapter 15 – Bloody Offer

  Manu Shah stood waiting for me, holding a glass goblet with golden trim and filled with blood. His eyes glowed a deep red and he actually smiled in greeting—the gaps between his teeth were dripping with the red liquid. He wore a suit jacket that hugged his chest but was swept back like a cloak and hung down to his ankles. As much as I had mocked his dinner party and the people attending, I immediately felt an aura of power exuding from him which put me on high alert. The aura didn’t seem to carry any hostility, but a suppressive authority.

  “Zerin,” he said with an overly deep nod, showing me more respect than he’d ever dare to show in public. I had an odd thought that I was in the presence of an expert salesman, except he was also a psychopath and the product he was peddling was my own life. “I’m delighted to finally make your acquaintance. Please sit.”

  With a wave of his hand, he directed me to take a seat on a black leather couch next to him.

  There was one other vampire in the room who Creature Observation told me had to be from an older generation and was approximately level 40,000. He nodded toward me but sat down at the far end of the room as if trying to disengage from the conversation. I was sure his breaking of the no escort policy was a power play.

  Placed before me on an obsidian coffee table was a second goblet filled with blood. Manu took a seat on an adjacent couch and leaned back while
holding his cup up as if preparing to toast.

  “I took the liberty of filling your cup with Rose Serpent Blood,” he said, gesturing for me to take the cup. “I was informed you are a beast-feeder?”

  I wasn’t surprised that he’d had someone listening in on my conversation with Sai. “Thank you for the invitation, Master Shah,” I replied, trying to be on my best behavior. “Your sources are correct.”

  He was quick to grin. “Splendid.”

  I cordially smiled back. I’d play along but couldn’t let myself fall for his cordial act for even a moment. Left with little choice, I took the cup. After hunting in my Werewolf Form with Travis for so long, I had already experienced a few instances of accidentally swallowing monster blood. I wasn’t happy about it, but knowing it wasn’t human blood in my goblet helped. At least I believed I’d be able to stomach it.

  Lifting my goblet in the air, I mimicked his toast. He tipped his cup toward me and took a drink. I did the same. The moment the Rose Serpent Blood touched my tongue, I was surprised to find the taste was much milder than I expected. It was similar to a floral flavored green tea with a bit of an iron aftertaste. That was the only thing that hinted it was actually blood at all.

  It was only a sip, so I didn’t receive any bonus stat popups.

  I was determined to stop myself there. What Sai had said about a noble’s delicacies being deceptive was true enough. I’d toast with Manu as was appropriate but would only take it that far. I set my goblet back down on the table.

  Manu Shah’s eyes didn’t follow my goblet, but I knew he saw my every move.

  “I want to first congratulate you on your undefeated record,” he began. “I’ve only watched one of your fights in person, but I’m impressed with your Incubus Form. Shapeshifting is always a sight to behold.”

  I bowed my head in thanks. I’d been able to master the vampires’ language faster than I ever dreamed possible, but I knew that I still spoke at an unnaturally slow cadence when I had to both think of word usage and my responses at the same time. Limiting what I said was purposeful to hopefully not come off as dull-witted.

  As Shamash had suspected, the next question was in reference to my family background. Declaring myself as nameless didn’t necessarily mean that I didn’t have a family backing me. He needed to make sure.

  I responded with the answer the lich and I had concocted. “I’m truly nameless. My mother is an outer member of the Tammaro family, and my father was a soldier from the capital. They were together during a stop during his return from a mission to the south and then they never saw each other again. Of course, the Tammaro family didn’t accept me, but allowed my mother to raise me until I was of age. My escort is a nameless mercenary who took me on because of my talent.”

  Manu tilted his head. I could almost see him licking his lips. “This master of yours is wise in choosing you. I’m sure we could find a place for his talents, as well as your own, in the Shah family. We are always looking for those with ability and a hunger to improve themselves. Let me make a proposition. Seeing as you’ve only recently appeared in the Amphitheater and the preliminary tournament has just begun, I’m assuming you’re interested in the Trueblood that’s being offered as the main prize. The color of your eyes attests to the fact that you haven’t stuck strictly to the beast-feeder diet.”

  Remembering the color of the Beast-feeder Princess’s eyes, I couldn’t deny what he was saying. Mine carried a tint of red and not the purple that Jale Tir possessed.

  He continued, “With your ability, you will likely place high in this contest, but that top spot will be impossibly difficult. Join me and the Shah family. Work for me and I promise you that I will give you the opportunity to earn enough Trueblood to become a noble yourself. Even if you were to win the preliminaries, the prize wouldn’t be enough to grant you such a future. With me as your backer, it will just be a matter of time.”

  Time…

  “Master Shah, I will be candid,” I replied with a soft tone and carefully concocted my response to see how far he was willing to go. “Your offer is more than generous, but, as it is with my master, I’ve grown to love the freedom that corresponds with being nameless. You are right that I desire Trueblood, so I admit that I’m tempted, but I’d have to give up my freedom, as well as my mentor. I already know what the free life means to him and he won’t join for anything.”

  His reaction remained tactful but lacked the open magnanimity that he showed before. “I will give you a full body of Rose Serpent Blood as a welcoming gift and give you a trial membership as an outer family member if you choose to join us. If you prove yourself, not only will you become a permanent member, but have the opportunity of becoming a part of the inner family once you’ve earned Trueblood status. I can see how freedom without the responsibility of familial attachments might have its appeal, but the resources we possess and the things that we can accomplish together far exceed what is possible on your own.”

  The Rose Serpent was an elite beast, so his sign-on bonus wasn’t completely without merit, but compared to Trueblood it was nothing but puddle water. Not only that, it was a trial offer and as an outer family member which didn’t even receive a salary. It was clear that he hoped the benefits of being attached to a noble family would be enough to buy my loyalty alone. Part of me wanted to tell him off, but I continued to be a good little boy just as Shamash insisted.

  “Thank you, Master Shah, but even if it may slow my development, my freedom is too important to me at this time to make such a commitment.”

  Even though it wasn’t what he wanted to hear, he didn’t seem to be surprised at my answer. I even hoped that he might make another counteroffer and sweeten the deal, but I had a feeling that he’d offered all he was willing to at the moment. I wasn’t wrong.

  “I’m sorry to hear that,” he said, coming to his feet. “The offer will remain open as long as you’re in Hallow.” He gave me one last grin, which was more strained than his greeting had been.

  Standing up, I bowed and thanked him again. If I did well enough in the preliminaries his deal would likely get better. The older vampire in the room was already next to me, gesturing toward the door. It seemed they were rushing me out now that I’d wasted enough of their time.

  As the door to the backroom closed, the vampire escorting me placed his hand on my shoulder. He didn’t stop me but slowed our pace. We were in a hallway between the backroom and ballroom. He spoke as we walked. “The Shah family has a lot riding on the young master’s performance in the preliminary tournament. We’d take it as a personal favor—and even double the offer to two bodies of Rose Serpent Blood if you decide to join us—if when you face off with Master Shah, you allow his talents to shine. Thank you, for your visit.”

  The man opened the door to the ballroom and more or less pushed me out in a gentlemanly manner before closing the door behind me. Damsa was there to meet me.

  I’d almost thought they’d forgotten to threaten me, but it looked like Manu wouldn’t dirty his hands by doing it himself, so the older vampire did it for him. If I’d joined them it would be expected of me to let Manu win. They’d have much more leverage then, but now all they could do was warn me and hoped I complied. I suppose the bribe of sweetening the deal would be tempting to a normal nameless vampire, but to me it was worthless. Well, this whole party was nothing but a waste of time.

  When I’d finished my meeting, most of the head table had left their seats to mingle or leave altogether. Jale Tir had also disappeared. The best part was it was now safe for me to leave as well. I wanted to cackle like a crazy person just to let out some of my built-up tension, but I continued the unoffensive act.

  I didn’t have to go find Shamash. He was waiting in the greeting hall when I arrived, and we left together.

  ***

  As soon as we returned to our room, I reported everything that happened to Shamash. “How serious is their threat?”

  “That completely depends on how the preliminaries play out
,” the lich replied. “If you defeat Manu and he performs well during the fight, then it will be better for you. If you embarrass him, then they will look to kill you and possibly even make a spectacle of it since now they know you’re really nameless. If he is defeated by you and another contestant or two, then you won’t have as much to worry about. Regardless of how it turns out, it will be important for us to leave after we receive your prize.”

  “There was also a girl at the party, Jale Tir—”

  “The Tir princess?”

  “You know her?”

  Shamash dropped his Vampire Form as if needing to relax. “I know of her. The Tirs are one of the most powerful beast-feeder houses and openly antagonistic to the current royal family.”

  “Are they a possible ally?”

  It had been a while since Shamash had revealed his lich’s colorful mana glare since we’d been spending so much time as vampires. The pressure no longer bothered me. “Just because they don’t feed on humans doesn’t mean they aren’t vampires. They’re strictly beast-feeders, but the reason they don’t feed on humans, or keep humanoid slaves, is because of their belief system. You saw this Jale? You saw her eyes?”

  “Yes.”

  “Then you’ve seen one of the most obvious differences between beast-feeders and normal vampires. When vampires live on a strict beast only diet, it changes them. They still receive bonus stats in a similar fashion, but the number of stats they can get from draining beasts expands so that they can leech more from a beast species than a normal vampire. Because most beasts give more physical stats than mental, beast-feeders often have stronger bodies and exceptional physical abilities. In most cases, their reason for their diet is a belief it makes them superior to other vampires. There are some that believe it’s also a morally superior position because they don’t feed on sentient creatures.”