Alex Itsios's Blog, page 6
April 22, 2020
May, Upcoming Releases!
May will be a busy month, will also be releasing three more stories in the Hades Online Universe:
Hades Online: Paladin 3, a novella which will conclude Rostam's journey in the Damned Lands.
Hades Online: Succubus 4
I must admit, my favorite series of novellas so far. It's set for release within May 18, 2020. If you loved the 3rd part, the 4th will blow your mind with the plot twists.
And last, but not least Hades Online: Dungeon Keeper, (probably the first ) Reverse Harem LitRPG adventure. Cover pending ^-^. Gals, wait for updates, you're gonna love the MC!
Hades Online: Paladin 3, a novella which will conclude Rostam's journey in the Damned Lands.
Hades Online: Succubus 4
I must admit, my favorite series of novellas so far. It's set for release within May 18, 2020. If you loved the 3rd part, the 4th will blow your mind with the plot twists.
And last, but not least Hades Online: Dungeon Keeper, (probably the first ) Reverse Harem LitRPG adventure. Cover pending ^-^. Gals, wait for updates, you're gonna love the MC!
Hades Online: Red Knight Released
The third installment of the Fire Knight series is already out and compared to the first two, it's twice the size. I hope you'll love it as much as the first two!
Don't forget to check it out - https://www.amazon.com/dp/B086C3F9N4
Don't forget to check it out - https://www.amazon.com/dp/B086C3F9N4
Hades Online: White Knight Released!
The second book in the series has been released and it's available on Amazon! - https://www.amazon.com/dp/B085K1Z171
April 12, 2020
Hades Online: Fire Knight has been released
Check out this new adventure in Hades Online universe!
THE FATE OF HIS TRUE LOVE LIES IN THE BALANCE
When young Melanthios' home village is attacked by the monstrous Flesh Tree of the Cedar Forest all seems lost, until he’s made the Fire Knight and offered a quest: to gather the five Great Knights who can help him save his village and his love.
Struggling against his inner-demons, Melanthios is given three terrible choices: Abandon this impossible quest and allow his people, his love to be devoured by the monster who has taken them; sacrifice his benefactors, the five Great Knights as demanded by the malevolent Flesh Tree as ransom; or, somehow lead these Great Knights against a power so terrifying even the greatest of monsters quake in fear of it.
Hades Online: Fire Knight is a LitRPG fantasy novella following the tradition of novels like “Sword Art Online”, “That Time I Got Reincarnated as a Slime” and “Overlord”.
Warning: This 45 Minutes Science Fiction & Fantasy short read contains graphic violence and profanity.
Click here to read more about the series!
March 1, 2020
Chapter #8: The road to Lycia, pt 2
It has been days since our battle with Melissa. Ambrosia keeps stalking me and from time to time, she keeps harassing me. I can’t blame anyone but myself for what happened. I was the one who proposed this and now I pay the price of my foolishness.
We haven’t encountered anything but goblins these days, which helped me upgrade a bit and now I’m Threat Level 3, HP 28. Still, I’m no match for most opponents and the only thing I can easily kill is low level goblins. Ambrosia keeps pushing me fight those tiny creatures, so that I level up and be a ‘strong pet’, as she calls me.
I haven’t mentioned that she becomes restless by the day, having days to taste soft and pudgy flesh, but only mine. You see, she refuses to drink goblin blood and yesterday she decided to take a bite out of me.
She told me, “My, aren’t you tasty?” As she grappled me and had her time with me.
My HP decreased momentarily from the bloodsucking, but thankfully, my vampiric bloodline comes handy as it helps me heal pretty fast. It seems I don’t need to drink blood to replenish my strength and I don’t have any weaknesses. On the other hand, I don’t have the powers a pureblood vampire has. I’m left to wonder however, if this will be the case as I keep leveling up. There has to be a catch.
As the sunlight inflicts damage to my vampire entourage, we travel only night. I don’t mind though, as it is the same for me. Dark Vision helps me see clear as daylight.
Ambrosia looks at me with a drooling face. “I’m hungry!”
I know what will follow, but I keep looking the other way as I tell her, “Soon we’ll reach the city of Tlos, then Patara, the royal capital of Lycia.”
Her face becomes paler than usual. “Are you sure you want to go there? The whole kingdom of Lycia is unrest from the recent events. Alastor, the Demon Lord that rules these lands is a cruel and strong man. He killed my former master, Lamia, the Vampire Queen of Pedasa and now gathers a great army to fight the Undead King of Lycaonia. I must warn you though, since he came into power, devilish creatures emerged, making even creatures as such as vampires look gentle and kind.”
I keep wondering if Alastor and Sarpedon are Players, just like me. It will be interesting to meet them and see how this story progresses.
“So what else can you tell me about this Alastor?” I ask her.
“He is, was actually the fifth prince of Lycia. His two elder brothers died, and Nestor, the third in line was considered dead. Pero, the fourth in line reigned for two years, till Alastor killed him and took over the throne. That’s how much I know, but all of these Lycians are evil and bloodthirsty. What man would kill his own brother. Their devilish bloodline will bring doom to all of Anatolia. Of that, I’m pretty sure,” she tells me with certainty.
I dare to ask, “How strong is this Alastor that makes even a Vampire Lord as you shiver?”
Ambrosia grunts upon listening the foolishness I just said. “I’ve lived decades mortal, don’t you dare mock me again or you’ll pay it dearly.”
I nod agreeably, waiting for her to continue.
“He is strong, stronger than any creature I’ve ever encountered in my long life. Stronger than my master, Lamia. He ventured into her chambers, killed her and her elite guard single handedly. He had powerful friends with him, a demoness and a necromancer. They stormed the Vampire Castle with Nestor and killed most of the vampires and Vampire Lords. I was wise enough to retreat with two other Vampire Lords. We were the only which were spared. Not of Nestor’s benevolence though, but because of our cunningness. Alastor left soon after and headed back to Lycia with his dragon or so I know. He left Nestor behind to act as lord of Pedasa. Things have been worse for us since he took over control. The bastard drank the blood of Lamia before Alastor killed her and gained some of her powers. Even though he was the weaker and younger of the Vampire Lords, he obtained great power. Now he’s the one who plagues Pedasa.”
You Adventurer’s Log has been updated, I’m notified.
More questions come into my mind now. “Isn’t Pedasa a city of the kingdom of Caria? How is it that Alastor, a king of another kingdom decided who the lord there is?”
Ambrosia nods and keeps explaining. “Pedasa indeed belongs to the kingdom of Caria formally, but because of Lamia plagued these lands for centuries, Caria had no real control. I heard that Nestor tries to bond ties with the Carian Throne, but who would believe a Vampire Lord? No one dares to come to Pedasa. Which begs the question, how did you came and what was your business in Pedasa?”
I take a deep breath and start explaining everything to Ambrosia. She listens carefully to me, but doesn’t understand much of what I’m saying. Well, it’s the usual reaction I’ve been waiting. In all of the game worlds I’ve been, the NPCs never believe where the Players come from and think we’re mad. It makes sense plot-wise as this would ruin the experience.
Suddenly, she grabs me by the neck. “Stop,” she orders. I know it’s about time she feeds on me. Well, it was about time. But no, that’s not the reason she silences me. I hear clatter of horses and men fighting.
I understand that there’s a battle taking place in front of me. Black knights, pillaging and attacking unarmed merchants. Strange, usually raids take place during daylight.
“We have to help them,” I tell my vampire friend.
She seems amused for some reason I cannot understand, but quickly agrees to my demand. “I’ve been dying to taste something else. Let’s help those merchants… for now…” she smiles wickedly.
We haven’t encountered anything but goblins these days, which helped me upgrade a bit and now I’m Threat Level 3, HP 28. Still, I’m no match for most opponents and the only thing I can easily kill is low level goblins. Ambrosia keeps pushing me fight those tiny creatures, so that I level up and be a ‘strong pet’, as she calls me.
I haven’t mentioned that she becomes restless by the day, having days to taste soft and pudgy flesh, but only mine. You see, she refuses to drink goblin blood and yesterday she decided to take a bite out of me.
She told me, “My, aren’t you tasty?” As she grappled me and had her time with me.
My HP decreased momentarily from the bloodsucking, but thankfully, my vampiric bloodline comes handy as it helps me heal pretty fast. It seems I don’t need to drink blood to replenish my strength and I don’t have any weaknesses. On the other hand, I don’t have the powers a pureblood vampire has. I’m left to wonder however, if this will be the case as I keep leveling up. There has to be a catch.
As the sunlight inflicts damage to my vampire entourage, we travel only night. I don’t mind though, as it is the same for me. Dark Vision helps me see clear as daylight.
Ambrosia looks at me with a drooling face. “I’m hungry!”
I know what will follow, but I keep looking the other way as I tell her, “Soon we’ll reach the city of Tlos, then Patara, the royal capital of Lycia.”
Her face becomes paler than usual. “Are you sure you want to go there? The whole kingdom of Lycia is unrest from the recent events. Alastor, the Demon Lord that rules these lands is a cruel and strong man. He killed my former master, Lamia, the Vampire Queen of Pedasa and now gathers a great army to fight the Undead King of Lycaonia. I must warn you though, since he came into power, devilish creatures emerged, making even creatures as such as vampires look gentle and kind.”
I keep wondering if Alastor and Sarpedon are Players, just like me. It will be interesting to meet them and see how this story progresses.
“So what else can you tell me about this Alastor?” I ask her.
“He is, was actually the fifth prince of Lycia. His two elder brothers died, and Nestor, the third in line was considered dead. Pero, the fourth in line reigned for two years, till Alastor killed him and took over the throne. That’s how much I know, but all of these Lycians are evil and bloodthirsty. What man would kill his own brother. Their devilish bloodline will bring doom to all of Anatolia. Of that, I’m pretty sure,” she tells me with certainty.
I dare to ask, “How strong is this Alastor that makes even a Vampire Lord as you shiver?”
Ambrosia grunts upon listening the foolishness I just said. “I’ve lived decades mortal, don’t you dare mock me again or you’ll pay it dearly.”
I nod agreeably, waiting for her to continue.
“He is strong, stronger than any creature I’ve ever encountered in my long life. Stronger than my master, Lamia. He ventured into her chambers, killed her and her elite guard single handedly. He had powerful friends with him, a demoness and a necromancer. They stormed the Vampire Castle with Nestor and killed most of the vampires and Vampire Lords. I was wise enough to retreat with two other Vampire Lords. We were the only which were spared. Not of Nestor’s benevolence though, but because of our cunningness. Alastor left soon after and headed back to Lycia with his dragon or so I know. He left Nestor behind to act as lord of Pedasa. Things have been worse for us since he took over control. The bastard drank the blood of Lamia before Alastor killed her and gained some of her powers. Even though he was the weaker and younger of the Vampire Lords, he obtained great power. Now he’s the one who plagues Pedasa.”
You Adventurer’s Log has been updated, I’m notified.
More questions come into my mind now. “Isn’t Pedasa a city of the kingdom of Caria? How is it that Alastor, a king of another kingdom decided who the lord there is?”
Ambrosia nods and keeps explaining. “Pedasa indeed belongs to the kingdom of Caria formally, but because of Lamia plagued these lands for centuries, Caria had no real control. I heard that Nestor tries to bond ties with the Carian Throne, but who would believe a Vampire Lord? No one dares to come to Pedasa. Which begs the question, how did you came and what was your business in Pedasa?”
I take a deep breath and start explaining everything to Ambrosia. She listens carefully to me, but doesn’t understand much of what I’m saying. Well, it’s the usual reaction I’ve been waiting. In all of the game worlds I’ve been, the NPCs never believe where the Players come from and think we’re mad. It makes sense plot-wise as this would ruin the experience.
Suddenly, she grabs me by the neck. “Stop,” she orders. I know it’s about time she feeds on me. Well, it was about time. But no, that’s not the reason she silences me. I hear clatter of horses and men fighting.
I understand that there’s a battle taking place in front of me. Black knights, pillaging and attacking unarmed merchants. Strange, usually raids take place during daylight.
“We have to help them,” I tell my vampire friend.
She seems amused for some reason I cannot understand, but quickly agrees to my demand. “I’ve been dying to taste something else. Let’s help those merchants… for now…” she smiles wickedly.
Chapter #6: The road to Lycia
I’ve been walking for some time now in this god forsaken road. It looks more like a path, rather than a main road that connects one city with another. Having a vampire as the lord of Pedasa led to abandonment, so it makes sense that this road is the way it is.
At least, I got the Vampire Origin Bloodline here and now my powers increased exponentially. I feel I can walk for days without rest. Although I’m not as strong as a normal vampire, let aside a Vampire Lord, this new class / sub-race came handy. I better keep that fact to myself though, I don’t think the NPCs of this world will be happy if they learn of my bloodline.
As the night comes, my heightened senses inform me of a new menace. Something is approaching. I don’t know what this is, but the stench of death is everywhere. I must hide somewhere, it’s not safe here. I climb a tall tree I find before me. I manage somehow to climb it, although I don’t have any climbing skills.
My first action now is to double-check if my spell inventory replenished, but as expected, I can only use cantrips. I haven’t rest and I’m unable to use any 1st level spells so far. Fortunately, my HP is full again. Another advantage of having the bloodline. I wonder what will happen later as I level up. Will my avatar remain the same or the urge for blood will overrun me? There’s no way I inherited a class like this without its demerits. But that’s something I’ll have to consider once I’m out of this mess.
To my surprise, instead of ghouls and vampires, I now hear the synchronized marching of the knights. It must be the Vampire Hunting Squad. Each and every one of them is stronger than me. I doubt I can fight a single one of them and win. Especially now, that I’m out of spells. I can see them now, they are eleven in number and their leader is this girl, Melissa that I talked earlier. She’s the commander.
“Look at the mess that you got us in, Melissa,” a bearded knight tells her. “If you had killed the guy, now we’d be hunting Ambrosia and the rest of the Vampire Lords. Instead, we must find the vermin that drank the blood of our lord.”
“If I knew the events that preceded, I would have killed him myself,” she says, while she glowers at him.
“It is said that a vampire lets a mortal being drink its blood only when they have taken an interest to them. Having a simple vermin drink our master’s blood… I will make sure he breathes his last breath once I find him.”
My NCI gives me a new Main Quest: Escape the Vampire Hunting Squad.
Ok, I’ll have to stay here till they get bored, I guess.
Unfortunately, it takes me only a few moments to understand that they know where I’m located. How they know? I’m not sure, but there are a couple of items in this game that could have given away my position. Probably they’re using some type of scry gem or spell to track me down.
I climb down the tree and start running. I hear their voices behind me, cursing and shouting at the same time. “Stop! Don’t you dare move, you vermin,” the white bearded knight barks at me as he raises his heavy crossbow and aims at me.
You must be mad if you think I’ll stay. Eat my dust Vampire Hunting Squad. I might be weak, but my stamina is way higher than theirs. I will keep running and hopefully, they will get tired earlier than me.
***
I've been in a running battle for the last couple of hours. The Vampire Hunting Squad hasn’t stopped. These bastards are better prepared than I thought. From time to time, I’ve seen them drinking a potion that replenishes their stamina. It will be impossible for me to escape them, but there’s now way I can fight them. I access my NCI again and search for the difficulty level. It’s casual, so I wonder if there’s something wrong with this game’s settings. Probably the only think I must do right now is keep running.
That’s until the stench of death fills my nostrils again. It’s the same stench I smelled before the knights appeared. Creatures lurk here and wait for the right moment to attack. I hope their target is the Vampire Hunting Squad and not me.
Without notice, I see several level-6 ghouls coming from left and right. The vampire hunters take defense positions and stop hunting me. It’s the chance I’ve been waiting. I sprint for a couple moments, then I turn back and I see that only Melissa, the innkeeper’s daughter is following me. Her knights are left behind, battling ghoul menace.
“Stop, you bastard,” he shouts at me.
I think she must be insane if she thinks her order will work on me. “Just leave me alone, I did nothing wrong,” I shout back at her.
I keep running and she keeps chasing me for a couple more minutes, till the ghouls and the knights are no longer visible. Is she perhaps the boss of this stage and I have to battle her in this condition? It could be the case, but I haven’t seen any updates in my NCI, so she probably isn’t the boss after all.
Suddenly, Melissa stops chasing me, and I stop as well. Before me stands Ambrosia, the Vampire Lord I encountered just yesterday. Her Threat-Level increased to 24. Her HP went up to 93 and she seems a bit stronger as well.
“Well, well,” she claps her hands, amusement on her face. “What do we have here? If it isn’t Melissa, Nestor’s favorite toy.”
Melissa seems pale and surprised, as if a great revelation occurred before her very own eyes. “So, it was your plan all along,” she tells Ambrosia.
“Indeed,” the Vampire Lord confesses with a smile. “I thought that Nestor would be fool enough to send his precious Vampire Hunting Squad and their commander to take the head of this abomination.” She points at me with her forefinger. “It makes perfect sense for me to take advantage of the situation. You my dear,” now she points at Melissa, “are the perfect hostage. With you, I’ll be able to blackmail poor Nestor. You are his favorite after all.”
Melissa talks back at Ambrosia. “You overrate me Ambrosia. Nestor will replace me in no time, but you’re a fool to you think I’ll let myself live and have your way with my master. But enough talk, show me what you got there!”
Is she insane? Her Threat-Level’s only 9, while Ambrosia’s 24. There’s no way for her to win this battle.
At least, I got the Vampire Origin Bloodline here and now my powers increased exponentially. I feel I can walk for days without rest. Although I’m not as strong as a normal vampire, let aside a Vampire Lord, this new class / sub-race came handy. I better keep that fact to myself though, I don’t think the NPCs of this world will be happy if they learn of my bloodline.
As the night comes, my heightened senses inform me of a new menace. Something is approaching. I don’t know what this is, but the stench of death is everywhere. I must hide somewhere, it’s not safe here. I climb a tall tree I find before me. I manage somehow to climb it, although I don’t have any climbing skills.
My first action now is to double-check if my spell inventory replenished, but as expected, I can only use cantrips. I haven’t rest and I’m unable to use any 1st level spells so far. Fortunately, my HP is full again. Another advantage of having the bloodline. I wonder what will happen later as I level up. Will my avatar remain the same or the urge for blood will overrun me? There’s no way I inherited a class like this without its demerits. But that’s something I’ll have to consider once I’m out of this mess.
To my surprise, instead of ghouls and vampires, I now hear the synchronized marching of the knights. It must be the Vampire Hunting Squad. Each and every one of them is stronger than me. I doubt I can fight a single one of them and win. Especially now, that I’m out of spells. I can see them now, they are eleven in number and their leader is this girl, Melissa that I talked earlier. She’s the commander.
“Look at the mess that you got us in, Melissa,” a bearded knight tells her. “If you had killed the guy, now we’d be hunting Ambrosia and the rest of the Vampire Lords. Instead, we must find the vermin that drank the blood of our lord.”
“If I knew the events that preceded, I would have killed him myself,” she says, while she glowers at him.
“It is said that a vampire lets a mortal being drink its blood only when they have taken an interest to them. Having a simple vermin drink our master’s blood… I will make sure he breathes his last breath once I find him.”
My NCI gives me a new Main Quest: Escape the Vampire Hunting Squad.
Ok, I’ll have to stay here till they get bored, I guess.
Unfortunately, it takes me only a few moments to understand that they know where I’m located. How they know? I’m not sure, but there are a couple of items in this game that could have given away my position. Probably they’re using some type of scry gem or spell to track me down.
I climb down the tree and start running. I hear their voices behind me, cursing and shouting at the same time. “Stop! Don’t you dare move, you vermin,” the white bearded knight barks at me as he raises his heavy crossbow and aims at me.
You must be mad if you think I’ll stay. Eat my dust Vampire Hunting Squad. I might be weak, but my stamina is way higher than theirs. I will keep running and hopefully, they will get tired earlier than me.
***
I've been in a running battle for the last couple of hours. The Vampire Hunting Squad hasn’t stopped. These bastards are better prepared than I thought. From time to time, I’ve seen them drinking a potion that replenishes their stamina. It will be impossible for me to escape them, but there’s now way I can fight them. I access my NCI again and search for the difficulty level. It’s casual, so I wonder if there’s something wrong with this game’s settings. Probably the only think I must do right now is keep running.
That’s until the stench of death fills my nostrils again. It’s the same stench I smelled before the knights appeared. Creatures lurk here and wait for the right moment to attack. I hope their target is the Vampire Hunting Squad and not me.
Without notice, I see several level-6 ghouls coming from left and right. The vampire hunters take defense positions and stop hunting me. It’s the chance I’ve been waiting. I sprint for a couple moments, then I turn back and I see that only Melissa, the innkeeper’s daughter is following me. Her knights are left behind, battling ghoul menace.
“Stop, you bastard,” he shouts at me.
I think she must be insane if she thinks her order will work on me. “Just leave me alone, I did nothing wrong,” I shout back at her.
I keep running and she keeps chasing me for a couple more minutes, till the ghouls and the knights are no longer visible. Is she perhaps the boss of this stage and I have to battle her in this condition? It could be the case, but I haven’t seen any updates in my NCI, so she probably isn’t the boss after all.
Suddenly, Melissa stops chasing me, and I stop as well. Before me stands Ambrosia, the Vampire Lord I encountered just yesterday. Her Threat-Level increased to 24. Her HP went up to 93 and she seems a bit stronger as well.
“Well, well,” she claps her hands, amusement on her face. “What do we have here? If it isn’t Melissa, Nestor’s favorite toy.”
Melissa seems pale and surprised, as if a great revelation occurred before her very own eyes. “So, it was your plan all along,” she tells Ambrosia.
“Indeed,” the Vampire Lord confesses with a smile. “I thought that Nestor would be fool enough to send his precious Vampire Hunting Squad and their commander to take the head of this abomination.” She points at me with her forefinger. “It makes perfect sense for me to take advantage of the situation. You my dear,” now she points at Melissa, “are the perfect hostage. With you, I’ll be able to blackmail poor Nestor. You are his favorite after all.”
Melissa talks back at Ambrosia. “You overrate me Ambrosia. Nestor will replace me in no time, but you’re a fool to you think I’ll let myself live and have your way with my master. But enough talk, show me what you got there!”
Is she insane? Her Threat-Level’s only 9, while Ambrosia’s 24. There’s no way for her to win this battle.
Chapter #7: Melissa, the Vampire Slayer
Ambrosia jumps and attacks Melissa from above. She tries to grab her by the neck, but Melissa avoids her by a hair and tries to get some distance. It seems that the whip isn’t the ideal weapon for close combat. I’m at a loss and don’t know if I should help any of them or escape.
“You’re weak, there’s no way you can defeat me. Surrender now fool!” Ambrosia tells Melissa.
Melissa tries to catch her breath. “I think that you are the fool here. You think that my master, Nestor wouldn’t have thought that you or another Vampire Lord wouldn’t try and ambush us?”
Having gained some distance from the vampiress, Melissa takes a gem out of her pocket.
Ambrosia seems troubled now and for a good reason. “A Trap the Soul gem,” the vampiress exclaims. “There's no way you can use this item.”
“Let me prove you wrong,” Melissa tells her, as she lifts her hand and activates the gem.
“Nooo! This cannot be!” Ambrosia shouts now trapped inside the small gem that Melissa holds.
I focus on the gem and a tooltip appears above it with a notification: The gem holds the trapped entity indefinitely or until it’s broken.
“Now, where were we?” She glowers at me, stretching her whip.
This can't be good, I think to myself.
A notification appears: Quest update: Defeat the Vampire Slayer.
Then a second: Optional quest: Free Ambrosia
OK, you gotta be kidding me. There's no way I can defeat a Threat Level 9 opponent. There's something obviously broken with the difficulty level of this game. What's worse is that I haven't been able to perform a long rest, so I can't cast anything else other than Cantrips. Without a second thought I cast Fire Bolt. The cantrip finds its target but fails miserably as Melissa deflects it with her whip.
“Those tricks don't work on me, vampire sorcerer. You better try something else,” she mocks me, while whipping the ground.
I think of my options. Should I release Ambrosia or try and fight Melissa by myself? The way I see it, it will be impossible to fight the Vampire Slayer by myself. On the other hand, there's no guarantee that the vampiress will help me. But what choice do I have?
With excess gallantry, I cast chill touch and try to grab the gem with the ethereal skeleton hand I just animated. My action, most fortuitous. The skeleton hand shutters the gem and Ambrosia is released again.
Optional quest: Free Ambrosia completed!
That was easy. Let's see how things go from this point on.
Melissa curses. “You idiot, do you have any idea what you just done ?”
“Just helped an old friend of mine,” I smile her my sexiest smile.
“Thank you, pet,” Ambrosia tells me with her soft voice. “It’s time I give a good lesson to this fool who tried to imprison me for eternity.”
Melissa seems more hesitant than ever. The tables have turned and now, she faces a stiff challenge. She knows no there's no way she can defeat beautiful Ambrosia only with her whip. She takes her dagger of her belt and points it to her bare neck.
“You will never have me. I'd rather die than become your pet or even worse,” she says determined to end her life.
I intervene, knowing that what I'm gonna do is completely stupid, but hey, I can't allow gorgeous Melissa to die in vain. I like acting the hero when I can.
“Don't be a fool, it’s not your time yet,” I tell her, pointing her out with my forefinger, then I turn my look to Ambrosia. “You should think smarter Ambrosia. Leave her be. There’s no reason to continue this battle. Your army of ghouls has been annihilated and Nestor is stronger than you. If you kill his bride, then he’ll hunt you to the end of world.”
She stares me with her cruel face, “Oh, I'm a fool now? And what should I do? Let them have their time with me as they please and have me killed?”
And then I make another stupid proposal, “You can come with me, the world is vast, or at least that's what I think. Leave this place and build your Legion somewhere else.”
Ambrosia is intrigued by my proposal. “Pedasa has been my home for centuries. Do you think that I should be there one who leaves and let a new Vampire Lord do as he pleases?”
“The board is set, the pieces are in place. You’ve lost and the only thing that’s left is your life. Live to fight another battle. You’re immortal, a new opportunity will arise. Leave your pride behind for the time being.”
The vampiress is actually thinking what I’ve said. “Good, I’ll take your advice for now, but don’t forget that I’m the master here, pet!” She looks to Melissa. “You can keep your pathetic live mortal. I’ll leave this place and don’t forget to remind your master that I still have him,” points at me, then continues “Nestor’s biggest disgrace.”
Melissa gives an empty threat. “I’ll never stop hunting you.”
“You are free to follow us…” Ambrosia provokes her, as she approaches me from behind and licks my ear. “Hm, aren’t you tasty?”
A popup notification appears: A new member joined your Party!
“You’re weak, there’s no way you can defeat me. Surrender now fool!” Ambrosia tells Melissa.
Melissa tries to catch her breath. “I think that you are the fool here. You think that my master, Nestor wouldn’t have thought that you or another Vampire Lord wouldn’t try and ambush us?”
Having gained some distance from the vampiress, Melissa takes a gem out of her pocket.
Ambrosia seems troubled now and for a good reason. “A Trap the Soul gem,” the vampiress exclaims. “There's no way you can use this item.”
“Let me prove you wrong,” Melissa tells her, as she lifts her hand and activates the gem.
“Nooo! This cannot be!” Ambrosia shouts now trapped inside the small gem that Melissa holds.
I focus on the gem and a tooltip appears above it with a notification: The gem holds the trapped entity indefinitely or until it’s broken.
“Now, where were we?” She glowers at me, stretching her whip.
This can't be good, I think to myself.
A notification appears: Quest update: Defeat the Vampire Slayer.
Then a second: Optional quest: Free Ambrosia
OK, you gotta be kidding me. There's no way I can defeat a Threat Level 9 opponent. There's something obviously broken with the difficulty level of this game. What's worse is that I haven't been able to perform a long rest, so I can't cast anything else other than Cantrips. Without a second thought I cast Fire Bolt. The cantrip finds its target but fails miserably as Melissa deflects it with her whip.
“Those tricks don't work on me, vampire sorcerer. You better try something else,” she mocks me, while whipping the ground.
I think of my options. Should I release Ambrosia or try and fight Melissa by myself? The way I see it, it will be impossible to fight the Vampire Slayer by myself. On the other hand, there's no guarantee that the vampiress will help me. But what choice do I have?
With excess gallantry, I cast chill touch and try to grab the gem with the ethereal skeleton hand I just animated. My action, most fortuitous. The skeleton hand shutters the gem and Ambrosia is released again.
Optional quest: Free Ambrosia completed!
That was easy. Let's see how things go from this point on.
Melissa curses. “You idiot, do you have any idea what you just done ?”
“Just helped an old friend of mine,” I smile her my sexiest smile.
“Thank you, pet,” Ambrosia tells me with her soft voice. “It’s time I give a good lesson to this fool who tried to imprison me for eternity.”
Melissa seems more hesitant than ever. The tables have turned and now, she faces a stiff challenge. She knows no there's no way she can defeat beautiful Ambrosia only with her whip. She takes her dagger of her belt and points it to her bare neck.
“You will never have me. I'd rather die than become your pet or even worse,” she says determined to end her life.
I intervene, knowing that what I'm gonna do is completely stupid, but hey, I can't allow gorgeous Melissa to die in vain. I like acting the hero when I can.
“Don't be a fool, it’s not your time yet,” I tell her, pointing her out with my forefinger, then I turn my look to Ambrosia. “You should think smarter Ambrosia. Leave her be. There’s no reason to continue this battle. Your army of ghouls has been annihilated and Nestor is stronger than you. If you kill his bride, then he’ll hunt you to the end of world.”
She stares me with her cruel face, “Oh, I'm a fool now? And what should I do? Let them have their time with me as they please and have me killed?”
And then I make another stupid proposal, “You can come with me, the world is vast, or at least that's what I think. Leave this place and build your Legion somewhere else.”
Ambrosia is intrigued by my proposal. “Pedasa has been my home for centuries. Do you think that I should be there one who leaves and let a new Vampire Lord do as he pleases?”
“The board is set, the pieces are in place. You’ve lost and the only thing that’s left is your life. Live to fight another battle. You’re immortal, a new opportunity will arise. Leave your pride behind for the time being.”
The vampiress is actually thinking what I’ve said. “Good, I’ll take your advice for now, but don’t forget that I’m the master here, pet!” She looks to Melissa. “You can keep your pathetic live mortal. I’ll leave this place and don’t forget to remind your master that I still have him,” points at me, then continues “Nestor’s biggest disgrace.”
Melissa gives an empty threat. “I’ll never stop hunting you.”
“You are free to follow us…” Ambrosia provokes her, as she approaches me from behind and licks my ear. “Hm, aren’t you tasty?”
A popup notification appears: A new member joined your Party!
Chapter #4: Pedasa, the Vampire City
Clapping sounds interrupt the unexpected euphoria my vampire lover just provided me. Since I obtained Vampiric Bloodline a few minutes ago, my senses heightened to a new level and now I’m able to hear the slightest noise.
“Humans!” Ambrosia yells disgusted to her ghouls. “Be prepared, Nestor’s vampire hunting squad must be here.”
I look at my vampire friend and notice a slight smirk on his pained face. Hard to imagine that a Vampire Lord created his own vampire hunting squad, a double-edged weapon if you think about it, but makes sense in the end, if you want to get rid of your vampire adversaries.
The hunters reach our chamber quickly. Knights in shining armor advance as one and circle us. Dressed head to toe with their heavy gear and silver weapons, they point their spears with a sonorous clamor. Their legs move in unison, synchronized in a way that makes the soil tremble.
I feel the adrenaline rushing through my veins again and I see that my HP bar goes full. My Neural Control Interface or NCI for short, notifies me of my Vampire Ancestry. A handy skill that replenishes my health. The thing is that most of the vampire hunters here are Threat Level 7 to 9, which makes them formidable foes, even for someone as Ambrosia, let aside me. If they were a couple of them, she could manage, but these great knights, number more than thirty right now.
“How low you’ve fallen, my old comrade,” Ambrosia tells the paralyzed Nestor. “A wise move though, you killed most of my ghouls without wasting the lives of your precious hunters and now I’m left without protection.”
“Your reign has ended,” Nestor snarls, still chained and paralyzed.
“Oh no, you’re wrong young Nestor. As long as one of us stands, we’re always a legion.” She pauses for a moment and takes a short breath. “Ghouls, kills the humans!”
There’s no way she thinks that five wounded ghouls can fight them off. But as it seems, that’s not what my mistress plans. Instead, she transforms into a mist. My NCI shows a tooltip above her: While in Mist form, the Vampire lord cannot take any action, receive damage, speak, or manipulate.
It is then, when I get a notification from my NCI: Telepathic link broken. You’re no longer Dominated or Charmed.
At last, I break free from my mistress’ web of influence. This place is a perfect pandemonium of death. The ghouls attack anything that moves, but there’s no easy prey here. The knights put a formidable battle and pierce the rotten flesh of the ghouls like ravening wolves on sheep. I must escape now, or things could go worse.
Easily, I manage to escape somehow. The ghouls were proven an excellent distraction for the hunters. Soon, I reach the cavern exit. There are four knights standing guard there. Oh, for fuck’s sake, I thought I activated the Casual difficulty. How am I going to kill those four? I’m not even able to cast spells.
“Look, Ambrosia’s there, hunt her down,” a knight shouts to his comrades.
Without wasting time, the knights abandon their positions and hunt my former mistress. It’s the opportunity I needed. I slip out and watch the red moon, lighting my path. I run as fast as I can and follow a path that leads to a main road. From here, I can see the lights of a city. I should head there for now.
After three hours of walking, the rising sun shines pale stripes of light and the morning comes to greet me with new hope. I can clearly see it now, it’s a big city, one that could house millions, but as I walk the empty streets, I’m left to wonder if it’s ghost city. There’s no one here. I reach an inn and from the looks of it, it must be open.
Great, because my stomach is burning from hunger and my mouth is filled with thick saliva from thirst.
My NCI warns me that soon I’ll suffer from exhaustion. It’s a status that can only be removed if my avatar eats and drinks the required amount. That’s a status I encountered in only a handful of virtual games, but this one’s different. Not only I’m notified by my Neural Control Interface, but my avatar has other senses that warn me as well. Awesome! And after my encounter with my sexy mistress, I’m starting to enjoy the pleasures of this avatar of mine even more.
So, back to the topic at hand. If I don’t eat, drink and rest, I’ll receive a penalty, so to the inn I go. Then, I stop for a moment and think: If I was sent here, then there’s a main quest I must fulfill. If I do, I’ll probably log out from this game and return back to Asphodel Meadows sector once I’m done. Better know what the main quest is, as inns and alehouses are the ideal places to obtain information.
It takes me a couple of minutes to find the Adventure Log and open the main quest. There are two main quests actually.
I open the first one: Kill Sarpedon, the Undead King of Lycaonia.
Ok, sounds clear to me.
Then, I open the second quest: Kill Alastor, the Demon Lord of Lycia
Both quests are clear, the problem is that I have absolutely no idea who these guys are. I’ll have to ask the innkeeper if he knows anything about them.
I rush into the door to the inn. The ground floor is full of tables and the bar curves at the back of the room. A foul smell harasses my nostrils, but I can manage. I see then a barkeeper standing behind the bar, staring at me curtly. I decide to approach him, giving him a harsh look, trying to intimidate him at the same time. His Threat Level is 2, just like mine.
“Greetings,” the barkeeper snarls at me and at the same time grabs a mug and starts cleaning it with a kitchen cloth. He bangs the mug on the bar, in front of me. “What can I get you lad?”
“I need food and water,” I tell him, staring him eye to eye.
“Got coin?” He demands with a hard look.
I think for a moment, but nothing comes out of my mouth.
“I’m not a charity, kid, get lost before I kick you out,” he tells me.
Ok, negotiations are failing. Maybe I ask him if there’s something I can do for him. Side quests are a great way to get some coin and help friendly fellows at the same time. “I was attacked and lost everything. I might be able to help you, help me,” I tell him.
“Help me how?” Frowned, the barkeeper asks me.
“I’m a mage, and a handy one. If you have a request, I might be able to help you in exchange for food and a roof over my head.”
Now I got his attention! He’s thinking.
“I’ll get you something to eat and drink, then tell you what I need,” he replies in all seriousness.
Well, I could ask him what he wants, this way I could have a better leverage, but my hunger and thirst get the better of me. I’ll do anything he asks for now.
I sit on a table and after a few moments the barkeeper brings me three eggs and half a loaf of dry bread. It takes me only a few moments to devour everything. Now, I’m ready to listen out his request, as the warning for a possible exhaustion fades away.
“My daughter’s name Melissa. She’s young and beautiful.”
Now he gets my attention. I’m interested in Melissa as well. “Was she kidnapped?” I interrupt him.
He glowers at me. “She was asked to serve our new lord, Nestor in the Vampire Castle. It’s been two months since the last time I saw her. I receive letters every week, but I haven’t seen her myself. I don’t know if she’s actually doing well. I mean, I trust our new lord, but I’d like to see if she fares good there. I’m not allowed to visit the castle myself.”
“So, you want me to sneak in and find out if she’s still alive?”
The barkeeper stammers. “I… I’m sure she’s alive and well, our benevolent lord would never harm her. Since he took over, Pedasa is thriving. He exterminated most of the ghouls of the Great Graveyard and the vampires dare not to approach the city.”
A notification appears before me: Accept Side Quest?
“I accept your quest, but I’ll need more than dry bread and three eggs, if I’m to lose my life searching for your daughter.”
The barkeeper nods agreeably.
While my new friend Markos, cooks a proper meal for me, I ask him about the location of the Vampire Castle and how Melissa looks. Now that I have a good understanding, I should find out about the Undead King and the Demon Lord.
“You know anything about Sarpedon? The Undead King?”
He gives me a serious look. “Who hasn’t? He’s one of the three Plagues of Anatolia, although only he remains now.”
“What happened to the other two?” I want to know.
Markos exclaims. “Nestor’s brother, Alastor, got them out of their misery once and for all. It’s been two months since he got rid of Lamia, the Vampire Queen that plagued this city and it seems he killed Lycaon, the Lycaon lord.”
Intriguing. I must learn more about this Alastor. “And why did he do that?”
Markos shrugs his shoulders. “I have no idea. What I know for sure however, is that he plans on putting an end on Sarpedon’s reign, once and for all. That’s what he said at least, when he left Pedasa and left his brother as lord and commander.”
I have to ask.“Is Alastor a demon?”
Markos stops for a moment, thinks and stares at me. “He has horns on his forehead. I don’t know what he and his team are, but they seemed a pretty capable lot. They got rid of the Vampire Queen in a matter of days, then flied away with his Titan Dragon.”
“A dragon?” I exclaim from interest.
He scoffs and shakes his head left and right. “I know you don’t believe it, I didn’t either.”
Actually, I was sure dragons exist in this world. “And where’s this Alastor?”
“Probably he’s back at Lycia, where he’s from. He’s building an army to fight Sapredon.”
“Interesting!”
“Want to join him?” Markos mocks me as he stares at me.
Wow! That’s an excellent idea, I think to myself. But for now, all that matters is to devour this tasty chicken he cooked for me and find his daughter, Melissa.
“Humans!” Ambrosia yells disgusted to her ghouls. “Be prepared, Nestor’s vampire hunting squad must be here.”
I look at my vampire friend and notice a slight smirk on his pained face. Hard to imagine that a Vampire Lord created his own vampire hunting squad, a double-edged weapon if you think about it, but makes sense in the end, if you want to get rid of your vampire adversaries.
The hunters reach our chamber quickly. Knights in shining armor advance as one and circle us. Dressed head to toe with their heavy gear and silver weapons, they point their spears with a sonorous clamor. Their legs move in unison, synchronized in a way that makes the soil tremble.
I feel the adrenaline rushing through my veins again and I see that my HP bar goes full. My Neural Control Interface or NCI for short, notifies me of my Vampire Ancestry. A handy skill that replenishes my health. The thing is that most of the vampire hunters here are Threat Level 7 to 9, which makes them formidable foes, even for someone as Ambrosia, let aside me. If they were a couple of them, she could manage, but these great knights, number more than thirty right now.
“How low you’ve fallen, my old comrade,” Ambrosia tells the paralyzed Nestor. “A wise move though, you killed most of my ghouls without wasting the lives of your precious hunters and now I’m left without protection.”
“Your reign has ended,” Nestor snarls, still chained and paralyzed.
“Oh no, you’re wrong young Nestor. As long as one of us stands, we’re always a legion.” She pauses for a moment and takes a short breath. “Ghouls, kills the humans!”
There’s no way she thinks that five wounded ghouls can fight them off. But as it seems, that’s not what my mistress plans. Instead, she transforms into a mist. My NCI shows a tooltip above her: While in Mist form, the Vampire lord cannot take any action, receive damage, speak, or manipulate.
It is then, when I get a notification from my NCI: Telepathic link broken. You’re no longer Dominated or Charmed.
At last, I break free from my mistress’ web of influence. This place is a perfect pandemonium of death. The ghouls attack anything that moves, but there’s no easy prey here. The knights put a formidable battle and pierce the rotten flesh of the ghouls like ravening wolves on sheep. I must escape now, or things could go worse.
Easily, I manage to escape somehow. The ghouls were proven an excellent distraction for the hunters. Soon, I reach the cavern exit. There are four knights standing guard there. Oh, for fuck’s sake, I thought I activated the Casual difficulty. How am I going to kill those four? I’m not even able to cast spells.
“Look, Ambrosia’s there, hunt her down,” a knight shouts to his comrades.
Without wasting time, the knights abandon their positions and hunt my former mistress. It’s the opportunity I needed. I slip out and watch the red moon, lighting my path. I run as fast as I can and follow a path that leads to a main road. From here, I can see the lights of a city. I should head there for now.
After three hours of walking, the rising sun shines pale stripes of light and the morning comes to greet me with new hope. I can clearly see it now, it’s a big city, one that could house millions, but as I walk the empty streets, I’m left to wonder if it’s ghost city. There’s no one here. I reach an inn and from the looks of it, it must be open.
Great, because my stomach is burning from hunger and my mouth is filled with thick saliva from thirst.
My NCI warns me that soon I’ll suffer from exhaustion. It’s a status that can only be removed if my avatar eats and drinks the required amount. That’s a status I encountered in only a handful of virtual games, but this one’s different. Not only I’m notified by my Neural Control Interface, but my avatar has other senses that warn me as well. Awesome! And after my encounter with my sexy mistress, I’m starting to enjoy the pleasures of this avatar of mine even more.
So, back to the topic at hand. If I don’t eat, drink and rest, I’ll receive a penalty, so to the inn I go. Then, I stop for a moment and think: If I was sent here, then there’s a main quest I must fulfill. If I do, I’ll probably log out from this game and return back to Asphodel Meadows sector once I’m done. Better know what the main quest is, as inns and alehouses are the ideal places to obtain information.
It takes me a couple of minutes to find the Adventure Log and open the main quest. There are two main quests actually.
I open the first one: Kill Sarpedon, the Undead King of Lycaonia.
Ok, sounds clear to me.
Then, I open the second quest: Kill Alastor, the Demon Lord of Lycia
Both quests are clear, the problem is that I have absolutely no idea who these guys are. I’ll have to ask the innkeeper if he knows anything about them.
I rush into the door to the inn. The ground floor is full of tables and the bar curves at the back of the room. A foul smell harasses my nostrils, but I can manage. I see then a barkeeper standing behind the bar, staring at me curtly. I decide to approach him, giving him a harsh look, trying to intimidate him at the same time. His Threat Level is 2, just like mine.
“Greetings,” the barkeeper snarls at me and at the same time grabs a mug and starts cleaning it with a kitchen cloth. He bangs the mug on the bar, in front of me. “What can I get you lad?”
“I need food and water,” I tell him, staring him eye to eye.
“Got coin?” He demands with a hard look.
I think for a moment, but nothing comes out of my mouth.
“I’m not a charity, kid, get lost before I kick you out,” he tells me.
Ok, negotiations are failing. Maybe I ask him if there’s something I can do for him. Side quests are a great way to get some coin and help friendly fellows at the same time. “I was attacked and lost everything. I might be able to help you, help me,” I tell him.
“Help me how?” Frowned, the barkeeper asks me.
“I’m a mage, and a handy one. If you have a request, I might be able to help you in exchange for food and a roof over my head.”
Now I got his attention! He’s thinking.
“I’ll get you something to eat and drink, then tell you what I need,” he replies in all seriousness.
Well, I could ask him what he wants, this way I could have a better leverage, but my hunger and thirst get the better of me. I’ll do anything he asks for now.
I sit on a table and after a few moments the barkeeper brings me three eggs and half a loaf of dry bread. It takes me only a few moments to devour everything. Now, I’m ready to listen out his request, as the warning for a possible exhaustion fades away.
“My daughter’s name Melissa. She’s young and beautiful.”
Now he gets my attention. I’m interested in Melissa as well. “Was she kidnapped?” I interrupt him.
He glowers at me. “She was asked to serve our new lord, Nestor in the Vampire Castle. It’s been two months since the last time I saw her. I receive letters every week, but I haven’t seen her myself. I don’t know if she’s actually doing well. I mean, I trust our new lord, but I’d like to see if she fares good there. I’m not allowed to visit the castle myself.”
“So, you want me to sneak in and find out if she’s still alive?”
The barkeeper stammers. “I… I’m sure she’s alive and well, our benevolent lord would never harm her. Since he took over, Pedasa is thriving. He exterminated most of the ghouls of the Great Graveyard and the vampires dare not to approach the city.”
A notification appears before me: Accept Side Quest?
“I accept your quest, but I’ll need more than dry bread and three eggs, if I’m to lose my life searching for your daughter.”
The barkeeper nods agreeably.
While my new friend Markos, cooks a proper meal for me, I ask him about the location of the Vampire Castle and how Melissa looks. Now that I have a good understanding, I should find out about the Undead King and the Demon Lord.
“You know anything about Sarpedon? The Undead King?”
He gives me a serious look. “Who hasn’t? He’s one of the three Plagues of Anatolia, although only he remains now.”
“What happened to the other two?” I want to know.
Markos exclaims. “Nestor’s brother, Alastor, got them out of their misery once and for all. It’s been two months since he got rid of Lamia, the Vampire Queen that plagued this city and it seems he killed Lycaon, the Lycaon lord.”
Intriguing. I must learn more about this Alastor. “And why did he do that?”
Markos shrugs his shoulders. “I have no idea. What I know for sure however, is that he plans on putting an end on Sarpedon’s reign, once and for all. That’s what he said at least, when he left Pedasa and left his brother as lord and commander.”
I have to ask.“Is Alastor a demon?”
Markos stops for a moment, thinks and stares at me. “He has horns on his forehead. I don’t know what he and his team are, but they seemed a pretty capable lot. They got rid of the Vampire Queen in a matter of days, then flied away with his Titan Dragon.”
“A dragon?” I exclaim from interest.
He scoffs and shakes his head left and right. “I know you don’t believe it, I didn’t either.”
Actually, I was sure dragons exist in this world. “And where’s this Alastor?”
“Probably he’s back at Lycia, where he’s from. He’s building an army to fight Sapredon.”
“Interesting!”
“Want to join him?” Markos mocks me as he stares at me.
Wow! That’s an excellent idea, I think to myself. But for now, all that matters is to devour this tasty chicken he cooked for me and find his daughter, Melissa.
Chapter #5: Side Quest: The Innkeeper’s Daughter
It’s noon and it takes me only a few minutes to find out where the Vampire Castle is. It is said that it was once an infamous cynosure for scientists and philosophers from all over the world. Now a shadow of its former glory, it stands sad and gloomy, overshadowing Pedasa with its recent past. That’s the place where numerous men and women lost their lives and where demon lord Alastor killed the Vampire Queen. At least, that’s what Markos told me.
I see several people in white tunics here, gathering some type of purple flowers. They wear a bizarre garment around their necks, probably to hide the fact that they are bitten by Nestor. Markos told me that these people were offered as sacrificial offerings to the Vampire Queen in the past. Addicted to the vampire kiss, it makes it impossible for them to return to their families now. The folk of Pedasa fear them and if they aren’t bitten once every month or two, they could go mad.
Maybe this is another side quest and I must find a cure, but for the time being, I should focus on the task at hand: Melissa.
“Hey friendly fellas,” I tell a young, black haired man.
He glowers back at me and says, “This place is forbidden to strangers. Go back the way you came.”
He isn’t friendly, but again, no one is in this city.
I raise my hands, showing my palms at him, trying to calm him.“I’m looking for a girl and you might be able to help me, I just arrived in your city.”
My last sentence makes him more wary than before. “What’s the girl’s name?” He demands to know.
I check him with my NCI. His Threat Level is 2, HP: 17/19, common folk.
Good, I could easily take him on if he tries anything funny. What I don’t like though, is the fact that two more men in white tunics approach us. They have the same stats as him and notice their HP is a bit decreased as the man before me. Probably from the constant blood sucking I guess.
“Well, what’s the girl’s name?” He repeats again, now his two comrades standing side by side.
There’s no way to avoid them now, it seems I messed up. “Her name’s Melissa, her father wants to know if she fares well in the Vampire Castle.”
“She sent you right?” The guy shouts, now taking his dagger of his belt and the rest follow.
I’m at a loss and have absolutely no idea who he refers to. “Look lads, you got it all wrong, her father…” but I’m unable to finish my sentence, as the guys start attacking me, trying to slit my throat.
I avoid the cut and unconsciously cast Fire Bolt. The spell activates immediately and through my hand, I unleash my full wrath. The Fire Bolt crushes on the guys head, achieving a Critical Hit and Blindness. The other two guys are at a loss from their friend’s moaning, but quickly gather their lost morale and try to stab me. I avoid them the best I can and gain some distance from them. I cast Chill Touch to the one guy and now that the ghostly hand appears and attacks him, I stop retreating and rush against the surprised other. I punch him in the face, throwing him down and now I’m above him, punching him hard, each time decreasing his HP by 1, till I have him lying unconscious on the ground. The tooltip says Paralyzed above his head.
Chill Touch has been pretty effective and now my last, standing opponent has HP 12/17. I cast Fire Bolt and I manage to decrease his HP 5 more points, while burning his chest. I hear all of them moaning now. I take the dagger and head to the one who’s still conscious, ready to put an end to his misery.
But I’m interrupted when a strange, gorgeous girl makes her appearance. She’s tall, the same height I am and has long, blonde hair, “Stop it,” she tells me.
The tooltip above her head shows a Threat Level of 9 and holds a dagger and a whip. It will be impossible to win against her with my current level 2 and without any proper spells.
I decide to defend myself with words. “They attacked me first, all I wanted was to deliver a message to Melissa, the innkeeper’s daughter.”
She stops and glowers at me. “Tell this old fool, my father, that I’m doing well, and I’ll visit him when my duties allow me.”
I nod agreeably, admiring her petite, elegant body.
“Now leave, before the Vampire Squad comes and kill you!” She booms at me.
My NCI informs me of another Main Quest, which I look immediately: Escape the Vampire Squad.
I leave her standing and start running, heading back to the innkeeper, hoping the Vampire Squad will need some time to prepare.
After some time of intense running, I reach the inn and inform my friend of what happened. Markos finally reveals to me that Melissa is one of Nestor’s future brides and that Ambrosia has attempted to murder her in the past, so that was probably the reason the other guys attacked me. Maddened by the sick bastard’s poor briefing, I request twice the amount of food we’d agreed for compensation. He accepts it without arguing. Now that I think about it, I should have demanded thrice the amount of food, but anyway, I don’t have much time. For all I know, the Vampire Squad could be on my tail, so I must hurry and leave this place.
As I leave the inn and say farewell to Markos, a window appears: Side Quest Completed Successfully!
Good, now I must head to the royal capital of Lycia, in hopes of finding demon lord Alastor and escape the Vampire Squad at the same time. And I’m left to wonder, what kind of gameplay experience I’d have in this world, if I decided to revert the difficulty to Hardcore again. Better left wondering, I think to myself.
I see several people in white tunics here, gathering some type of purple flowers. They wear a bizarre garment around their necks, probably to hide the fact that they are bitten by Nestor. Markos told me that these people were offered as sacrificial offerings to the Vampire Queen in the past. Addicted to the vampire kiss, it makes it impossible for them to return to their families now. The folk of Pedasa fear them and if they aren’t bitten once every month or two, they could go mad.
Maybe this is another side quest and I must find a cure, but for the time being, I should focus on the task at hand: Melissa.
“Hey friendly fellas,” I tell a young, black haired man.
He glowers back at me and says, “This place is forbidden to strangers. Go back the way you came.”
He isn’t friendly, but again, no one is in this city.
I raise my hands, showing my palms at him, trying to calm him.“I’m looking for a girl and you might be able to help me, I just arrived in your city.”
My last sentence makes him more wary than before. “What’s the girl’s name?” He demands to know.
I check him with my NCI. His Threat Level is 2, HP: 17/19, common folk.
Good, I could easily take him on if he tries anything funny. What I don’t like though, is the fact that two more men in white tunics approach us. They have the same stats as him and notice their HP is a bit decreased as the man before me. Probably from the constant blood sucking I guess.
“Well, what’s the girl’s name?” He repeats again, now his two comrades standing side by side.
There’s no way to avoid them now, it seems I messed up. “Her name’s Melissa, her father wants to know if she fares well in the Vampire Castle.”
“She sent you right?” The guy shouts, now taking his dagger of his belt and the rest follow.
I’m at a loss and have absolutely no idea who he refers to. “Look lads, you got it all wrong, her father…” but I’m unable to finish my sentence, as the guys start attacking me, trying to slit my throat.
I avoid the cut and unconsciously cast Fire Bolt. The spell activates immediately and through my hand, I unleash my full wrath. The Fire Bolt crushes on the guys head, achieving a Critical Hit and Blindness. The other two guys are at a loss from their friend’s moaning, but quickly gather their lost morale and try to stab me. I avoid them the best I can and gain some distance from them. I cast Chill Touch to the one guy and now that the ghostly hand appears and attacks him, I stop retreating and rush against the surprised other. I punch him in the face, throwing him down and now I’m above him, punching him hard, each time decreasing his HP by 1, till I have him lying unconscious on the ground. The tooltip says Paralyzed above his head.
Chill Touch has been pretty effective and now my last, standing opponent has HP 12/17. I cast Fire Bolt and I manage to decrease his HP 5 more points, while burning his chest. I hear all of them moaning now. I take the dagger and head to the one who’s still conscious, ready to put an end to his misery.
But I’m interrupted when a strange, gorgeous girl makes her appearance. She’s tall, the same height I am and has long, blonde hair, “Stop it,” she tells me.
The tooltip above her head shows a Threat Level of 9 and holds a dagger and a whip. It will be impossible to win against her with my current level 2 and without any proper spells.
I decide to defend myself with words. “They attacked me first, all I wanted was to deliver a message to Melissa, the innkeeper’s daughter.”
She stops and glowers at me. “Tell this old fool, my father, that I’m doing well, and I’ll visit him when my duties allow me.”
I nod agreeably, admiring her petite, elegant body.
“Now leave, before the Vampire Squad comes and kill you!” She booms at me.
My NCI informs me of another Main Quest, which I look immediately: Escape the Vampire Squad.
I leave her standing and start running, heading back to the innkeeper, hoping the Vampire Squad will need some time to prepare.
After some time of intense running, I reach the inn and inform my friend of what happened. Markos finally reveals to me that Melissa is one of Nestor’s future brides and that Ambrosia has attempted to murder her in the past, so that was probably the reason the other guys attacked me. Maddened by the sick bastard’s poor briefing, I request twice the amount of food we’d agreed for compensation. He accepts it without arguing. Now that I think about it, I should have demanded thrice the amount of food, but anyway, I don’t have much time. For all I know, the Vampire Squad could be on my tail, so I must hurry and leave this place.
As I leave the inn and say farewell to Markos, a window appears: Side Quest Completed Successfully!
Good, now I must head to the royal capital of Lycia, in hopes of finding demon lord Alastor and escape the Vampire Squad at the same time. And I’m left to wonder, what kind of gameplay experience I’d have in this world, if I decided to revert the difficulty to Hardcore again. Better left wondering, I think to myself.
Chapter #2: My Friend, the Vampire Lord
I look around. It seems I’m in some kind of cavern. I feel cold suddenly, it’s as if the temperature dropped immediately once I was transferred into this massive underground chamber. A violent chill goes down my spine, something I’ve never encountered with another avatar. I must admit to the developers of this game, the sensation and the feeling is the best I’ve encountered so far. So, this game experience might have something to offer in the end.
I lay aside my thoughts, when a soft sound echoes inside the seaming empty chamber. “Who’s there?” I demand to know, but I get silence in return.
There’s no light coming here from the ceiling and there are no windows. I don’t have Dark Vision, so it’s impossible for me to see anything but a few feet away. I shouldn’t have chosen Hardcore, that was a mistake on my end. I’m certain there’s someone here, I can feel it.
Well, its time I set prepare my spell slots. I recognize most of the spells here. So if I’m in a cavern, probably I’ll have to face ghouls, vampires and most likely various undead. I don’t have that many options, as I’m Level-1 avatar at the moment.
I can select three cantrips. I choose Chill Touch, Light and Fire Bolt. I can also choose and use two level-1 spells as well. I add Shield and Catapult to my spell slot inventory.
A notification appears in my Neural Control Interface: You can use two Level-1 spells in a single day.
Ok, so far everything works as in Elysium. Known territory. No bugs.
I touch the stone bed I was laying a moment ago and cast Light. It’s an evocation cantrip that makes any object I touch shed bright light.
“At least some light,” I sigh relieved, till I notice a pale man in red clocked armor, ten feet away from me. “Who are you?” I ask the creepy man. It goes without saying that I activate my Insight skill to scan him for information.
A tooltip appears above his head: Vampire Lord, Threat Level-56, HP: 107/175
Fuck, I’m a goner! It’s the first time I’ve played a game where I’m Level-1 that my opponents start at Level-56. He seems injured badly injured, but still, I’m no match for him.
For some reason, my feet start trembling and something inside my chest beats hard, demanding immediate release. It must be my heart. I heard that real bodies have multiple organs. The pressure is so intense from the adrenaline rush, that my eyes are ready to explode. So, I’m in the Real World?
My predator looks at me like with his sharp, purple-red eyes “Oh? A mage? Down here? I didn’t know that Ambrosia was so desperate that decided to hire human mercenaries to aid her.”
“Look, I just appeared here, I don’t have any idea who you’re referring to. I was just leaving!”
“Don’t worry human, you can trust me,” the vampire lord tells me with his soft voice.
For some reason, I trust this guy. My heart beats decrease and my pressure returns to normal.
A notification appears in my Neural Control Interface: You have been Charmed.
How could I not be charmed? This guy is friendly and cool. Exactly the person I needed to help me in this new world.
“I’m Athanasios, I just woke up here. I don’t know Ambrosia.”
“Ahh, is that so?” He approaches me even more now, only two feet away from me. His fangs are visible. He smiles at me and licks his lips. The motion of his tongue resembles that of a creature, rather a human being. So funny, I think to myself, but I try not to laugh, it wouldn’t be proper to insult my new friend.
Another notification appears in my Neural Control Interface: You have been granted access to the Difficulty menu.
At last, probably the developers are fixing bugs as we speak. I access the Difficulty menu from my Neural Control Interface and change it from Hardcore to Casual.
Ok, another notification: Casual difficulty confirmed. I wonder what’ll happen now.
Hoofbeats reach my ears and I’m certain my new, vampire friend heard that with his heightened senses. This can’t be good.
“You hear that? Something is coming,” I warn him, but he ignores me and passes by me fast like the wind, heading at the opposite direction I’m staring.
I look back and I see that the place has been infested by ghouls, all of them ranging between Level 6 and 8. Still, however, I’m not a match for any of them.
“Ambrosia, come and face me you coward,” the Vampire Lord screams at the direction of the ghouls. “How many of your pathetic servants must I kill?”
The other Vampire Lord makes her entrance, clapping her hands slowly, as if she’s a spectator in a performance. “My dear Nestor, you never stop to amaze me. You came here all by yourself?” Then she stares at me. “Oh, forgive my insolence, I see you brought a toy with you. Is he your blood bag this time?”
I must say, I've never seen in my entire virtual life an avatar so gorgeous and hot as this one. I can feel my crotch hardening. So, this avatar of mine is made for other things as well. Not that it matters right now.
“Hi!” I greet her, smile on my face. “I just met him, but I think he’s a great guy.”
“Shut up!” They shout both in unison.
“Ok!” I reply.
I use the Insight on Ambrosia and the tooltip on her head informs me that she’s a Level-23 Vampire Lord. Her HP bar is full at 86, but still lower than Nestor’s. She must suck as a player, because all the babbling gave Nestor the time to heal 20 Hit points. Of course, there are thirty or so ghouls here at the moment.
The two vampire lords stare at each other. Both are predators, creatures of attack. Each measure’s each other’s strength.
“Enough talk, kill them,” Ambrosia commands her ghoul servants.
The ghouls attack Nestor, without any concern of formation or strategy, like the mindless beasts they are. What I admire though, it’s they speed and sheer strength. The vampire lord is strong and fast, yet, despite all his supernatural speed, they begin to tear his body achieving grave wounds, but he keeps pushing, killing one ghoul after the other with one hit.
I use my Insight, Nestor has 42 Hit points left, but for a moment it seems that he has taken control of the battle. And then, Ambrosia decides to make her move. She hisses and attacks at Nestor. They exchange a raging series of deadly attacks, each more powerful than the last. My eyes are impossible to follow their speed. I must act though, my friend needs me.
I access my Spell Control Menu and cast Catapult, the spell-level 1 transmutation spell that placed in my spell slot earlier. With this spell, I raise a 5-pound rock that I see besides me and throw it straight at the direction of Ambrosia. Unfortunately, a ghoul shields her and the rock crushes its head, achieving a critical hit of 24 Points, thus killing it.
My Neural Control Interface notifies me that I leveled up and now I’m Level 2. At least you level up fast in this world.
The ghouls which previously ignored me, now see me as potential threat. Two of them come against me. I use Catapult again and throw it against the first ghoul. It’s a direct hit on the chest and I see that his HP decreased down to 10 HP from 22 which was a moment ago.
Shocked by the impact, the ghoul falls down for a moment.
No more spells for today, it’s time I make full use of my cantrips. I cast Chill Touch and a ghostly, skeletal hand appears before the ghoul, achieving a 5-point hit.
The second ghoul charges against me, but I fall back, trying to gain some time before I activate my second cantrip: Fire Bolt. I hurl a mote of fire at the ghoul and I achieve another critical hit of 10 points, but it’s not enough to stop it. It approaches me and performs a vertical slash with its claws, achieving a 6-point damage to my avatar.
My skin is torn and blood gushes out. The pain is so intense, and I can’t control it. There’s no fucking option to decrease the pain level in this world. I must admit being an alpha or beta tester, it’s harder than I thought.
I notice that my vampire friend is at his limit as well, only 26 Hit Points in his bar, but he can win. He has Ambrosia cornered and only three ghouls still support her. The rest of them became minced meat by his claws.
But it’s not the time to worry about my vampire friend. I have two ghouls I must fight by myself. I start casting Fire Bolt again, but before I finish my move, something or someone hits my head and I lose consciousness.
The only thing I see, is a black notification: You have been paralyzed!
I lay aside my thoughts, when a soft sound echoes inside the seaming empty chamber. “Who’s there?” I demand to know, but I get silence in return.
There’s no light coming here from the ceiling and there are no windows. I don’t have Dark Vision, so it’s impossible for me to see anything but a few feet away. I shouldn’t have chosen Hardcore, that was a mistake on my end. I’m certain there’s someone here, I can feel it.
Well, its time I set prepare my spell slots. I recognize most of the spells here. So if I’m in a cavern, probably I’ll have to face ghouls, vampires and most likely various undead. I don’t have that many options, as I’m Level-1 avatar at the moment.
I can select three cantrips. I choose Chill Touch, Light and Fire Bolt. I can also choose and use two level-1 spells as well. I add Shield and Catapult to my spell slot inventory.
A notification appears in my Neural Control Interface: You can use two Level-1 spells in a single day.
Ok, so far everything works as in Elysium. Known territory. No bugs.
I touch the stone bed I was laying a moment ago and cast Light. It’s an evocation cantrip that makes any object I touch shed bright light.
“At least some light,” I sigh relieved, till I notice a pale man in red clocked armor, ten feet away from me. “Who are you?” I ask the creepy man. It goes without saying that I activate my Insight skill to scan him for information.
A tooltip appears above his head: Vampire Lord, Threat Level-56, HP: 107/175
Fuck, I’m a goner! It’s the first time I’ve played a game where I’m Level-1 that my opponents start at Level-56. He seems injured badly injured, but still, I’m no match for him.
For some reason, my feet start trembling and something inside my chest beats hard, demanding immediate release. It must be my heart. I heard that real bodies have multiple organs. The pressure is so intense from the adrenaline rush, that my eyes are ready to explode. So, I’m in the Real World?
My predator looks at me like with his sharp, purple-red eyes “Oh? A mage? Down here? I didn’t know that Ambrosia was so desperate that decided to hire human mercenaries to aid her.”
“Look, I just appeared here, I don’t have any idea who you’re referring to. I was just leaving!”
“Don’t worry human, you can trust me,” the vampire lord tells me with his soft voice.
For some reason, I trust this guy. My heart beats decrease and my pressure returns to normal.
A notification appears in my Neural Control Interface: You have been Charmed.
How could I not be charmed? This guy is friendly and cool. Exactly the person I needed to help me in this new world.
“I’m Athanasios, I just woke up here. I don’t know Ambrosia.”
“Ahh, is that so?” He approaches me even more now, only two feet away from me. His fangs are visible. He smiles at me and licks his lips. The motion of his tongue resembles that of a creature, rather a human being. So funny, I think to myself, but I try not to laugh, it wouldn’t be proper to insult my new friend.
Another notification appears in my Neural Control Interface: You have been granted access to the Difficulty menu.
At last, probably the developers are fixing bugs as we speak. I access the Difficulty menu from my Neural Control Interface and change it from Hardcore to Casual.
Ok, another notification: Casual difficulty confirmed. I wonder what’ll happen now.
Hoofbeats reach my ears and I’m certain my new, vampire friend heard that with his heightened senses. This can’t be good.
“You hear that? Something is coming,” I warn him, but he ignores me and passes by me fast like the wind, heading at the opposite direction I’m staring.
I look back and I see that the place has been infested by ghouls, all of them ranging between Level 6 and 8. Still, however, I’m not a match for any of them.
“Ambrosia, come and face me you coward,” the Vampire Lord screams at the direction of the ghouls. “How many of your pathetic servants must I kill?”
The other Vampire Lord makes her entrance, clapping her hands slowly, as if she’s a spectator in a performance. “My dear Nestor, you never stop to amaze me. You came here all by yourself?” Then she stares at me. “Oh, forgive my insolence, I see you brought a toy with you. Is he your blood bag this time?”
I must say, I've never seen in my entire virtual life an avatar so gorgeous and hot as this one. I can feel my crotch hardening. So, this avatar of mine is made for other things as well. Not that it matters right now.
“Hi!” I greet her, smile on my face. “I just met him, but I think he’s a great guy.”
“Shut up!” They shout both in unison.
“Ok!” I reply.
I use the Insight on Ambrosia and the tooltip on her head informs me that she’s a Level-23 Vampire Lord. Her HP bar is full at 86, but still lower than Nestor’s. She must suck as a player, because all the babbling gave Nestor the time to heal 20 Hit points. Of course, there are thirty or so ghouls here at the moment.
The two vampire lords stare at each other. Both are predators, creatures of attack. Each measure’s each other’s strength.
“Enough talk, kill them,” Ambrosia commands her ghoul servants.
The ghouls attack Nestor, without any concern of formation or strategy, like the mindless beasts they are. What I admire though, it’s they speed and sheer strength. The vampire lord is strong and fast, yet, despite all his supernatural speed, they begin to tear his body achieving grave wounds, but he keeps pushing, killing one ghoul after the other with one hit.
I use my Insight, Nestor has 42 Hit points left, but for a moment it seems that he has taken control of the battle. And then, Ambrosia decides to make her move. She hisses and attacks at Nestor. They exchange a raging series of deadly attacks, each more powerful than the last. My eyes are impossible to follow their speed. I must act though, my friend needs me.
I access my Spell Control Menu and cast Catapult, the spell-level 1 transmutation spell that placed in my spell slot earlier. With this spell, I raise a 5-pound rock that I see besides me and throw it straight at the direction of Ambrosia. Unfortunately, a ghoul shields her and the rock crushes its head, achieving a critical hit of 24 Points, thus killing it.
My Neural Control Interface notifies me that I leveled up and now I’m Level 2. At least you level up fast in this world.
The ghouls which previously ignored me, now see me as potential threat. Two of them come against me. I use Catapult again and throw it against the first ghoul. It’s a direct hit on the chest and I see that his HP decreased down to 10 HP from 22 which was a moment ago.
Shocked by the impact, the ghoul falls down for a moment.
No more spells for today, it’s time I make full use of my cantrips. I cast Chill Touch and a ghostly, skeletal hand appears before the ghoul, achieving a 5-point hit.
The second ghoul charges against me, but I fall back, trying to gain some time before I activate my second cantrip: Fire Bolt. I hurl a mote of fire at the ghoul and I achieve another critical hit of 10 points, but it’s not enough to stop it. It approaches me and performs a vertical slash with its claws, achieving a 6-point damage to my avatar.
My skin is torn and blood gushes out. The pain is so intense, and I can’t control it. There’s no fucking option to decrease the pain level in this world. I must admit being an alpha or beta tester, it’s harder than I thought.
I notice that my vampire friend is at his limit as well, only 26 Hit Points in his bar, but he can win. He has Ambrosia cornered and only three ghouls still support her. The rest of them became minced meat by his claws.
But it’s not the time to worry about my vampire friend. I have two ghouls I must fight by myself. I start casting Fire Bolt again, but before I finish my move, something or someone hits my head and I lose consciousness.
The only thing I see, is a black notification: You have been paralyzed!
