Lydia- Awakening

by Grey Arney

  “Let that be a lesson to you. We are hunters. We do what we will with our prey, and we answer to no one,” said a tall male in glittering robes. Apparently satisfied, the group turned around in a hurry and went back inside.

  Arcturus was not one to get himself involved in the squabbles of others, but rescuing the occasional damsel in distress was not beyond his purview. From his vantage point behind the wagon, he had been unable to examine the victim’s face, but he was hopeful. A new plan formed. He would release the woman and get out of here as fast as possible—with or without her.

  After a few long moments of silence, she stood up and began searching for a way to escape her cage. Arcturus approached her cautiously as she rattled and shook inside of it. The woman was deathly pale, with jet black hair all over her face, and a wild look in her eyes. Still, her face belied a youthful beauty.

  When she caught a glimpse of him, she called out immediately. “Hello! Hello, doggy! Yes, you. Could you please be a good pup and let me out of here?”

  “What do you mean, doggy?” said Arcturus.

  “You do have the blood of a wolf, do you not?” asked the woman.

  “How would you know that?” asked Arcturus.

  “I’ve got a good sense of smell?”

  Arcturus had not been in this world long enough to recognize the woman for what she truly was, and so he headed over to the other side of the chain. Digging his heels into the ground, he removed it, and slowly stepped forward to lower the cage. When she was just a few feet off of the ground, he slipped and the cage fell down with a thunk.

  Hiding her displeasure at the rough treatment, the woman encouraged him more. “Yes, that’s good. Now what about this lock?”

  “Wait a moment,” said Arcturus, reaching in his pouch. His hand emerged with a palmful of Soothing Chokeberries. “Eat this.”

  It seemed that the woman knew immediately what they were, as she accepted them readily and began to eat them. While she was doing that, Arcturus asked her to step back. He began to cast Burning Touch on the padlock. When he had cast it four times, the lock started to glow red. That’s when he came down hard with the hilt of his kukri, splitting the lock into glowing fragments that scattered about onto the ground. The door swung open.

  “That’s a good doggy,” the woman said, smiling at him pleasantly. She quickly retrieved her bag, which had fallen to the ground in the fracas. Her eyes seemed to widen, and her teeth suddenly seemed just a little bit too long, and Arcturus felt like his view was suddenly being distorted by some subtle funhouse mirror. But then she appeared normal again. He gave her a puzzled expression, and concluded he must have been imagining things.

  “How do you know about my Wolf-Blooded trait?” asked Arcturus. His instinct to reproduce was starting to be supplanted by his instinct not to die first, and while the former was happy to ignore that this woman had strange insights, the latter was starting to get suspicious.

  Now that the woman was freed, she had no qualms about revealing her true nature. “I’m the Queen of Vampires, sweetheart. I could smell your wolf blood a mile away.”

  Upon hearing that this beautiful woman whom he had freed was the queen of all night-walkers and the mother of all vampires, Arcturus froze perfectly still as he stared into the eyes of unthinkable evil, which twinkled raspberry red.

  “Relax, dear. I do need to feed soon, but I’m not an animal. You just rescued me, and for that I shall reward you, not bite you. But first, I need to go someplace dark. My place or yours?”

  Knowing that he was making the same mistake that all men proudly make at some point in their lives, Arcturus revealed that he had a campsite in the woods with plenty of shade. The vampiress held out her hand expectantly, and Arcturus held it, supporting her as they walked back to the tree line. He was surprised to find that, at times, her body weight shifted heavily onto him. She was injured and weak.

  When they reached the shade of the trees where Lyle waited, her energy level seemed to improve markedly.

  “Oh, there’s the other doggy. I knew there was another one,” she said, crouching down low to greet the dog and pet his ears. “And you have some fur, unlike the big bald one over there, don’t you?"

  “His name is Lyle,” said the Druid. “and I’m Arcturus. What is your name?”

  “You can call me Lily, if you like.”

  “I would like.”

  Marveling at the buffoon who had become her knight in shining armor, Lily motioned into the forest. “Come on then, let’s go.”

  While they made the journey west to the campsite, Lily shared parts of her story. Although many were feral, all civilized vampires throughout Lydia knew her as their queen. She claimed this title because she was the oldest among them, and was the mother who founded the bloodline to which most vampires belong. She ran a tight ship, and she expected those loyal to her to follow three cardinal rules: one, never to kill during a feed; two, never to induct a new vampire who was unwilling or who did not have approval of the brood; and three, to avoid assaulting players whenever possible.

  While it was possible for vampires to nourish themselves on mammals such as rats, it would be akin to a man living on a diet of lettuce. Most did need to feed on the blood of sentients from time to time, but they could prey on constructs instead of players. For human or elven blood, there were worshippers in the cities who would allow their blood to be taken, especially in exchange for gifts and blessings. When feeding on a sentient, the vampire would see a prompt, much like the quest prompt, and the victim could only contract the disease if the vampire chose to transmit it.

  Lily knew that her kind would never be popular, but she hoped that by following her discipline, one day vampires could be tolerated in Lydia.

  The coven that had just brutally assaulted her had once been loyal to her, but she was troubled to learn that they had taken to the glorification of wanton violence. They would kill, maim, and dismember just for the sheer pleasure of it, and their leader had become obsessed with Death Magic. Because vampires do not have a good reputation, macabre actions like this could start a war. As the Queen of Vampires, Lily aimed to prevent this from happening. So she had traveled to the coven to confront them about their deeds.

  After hearing this, the leader of the coven rebutted her and she was attacked. Catching her unawares, they forced her out into the sunlight where her powers were useless. But the assailants were weakened, too. Hence the weird sorority fight Arcturus had seen. Of all the indignities, they left her to die in the open sun. Although vampires could tolerate sunlight, direct exposure would cause them to lose 1 hit point per minute. The drain was slow, but if it weren’t for Arcturus, Lily may have died before daybreak. Here in the forest, there was plenty of shade, and the drain had stopped.

  “If you’re the Queen of Vampires, wouldn’t you be able to escape from that cage?” asked Arcturus.

  “Possibly, but my hit points were already very low before you came along. And none of my powers work under direct sunlight. I am much stronger now that we’ve reached the shade.”

  “What kind of powers, exactly?”

  “I have a few tricks up my sleeve,” she said. “You will discover them later. For now I need to rest.”

  Shortly after, they arrived at the campsite. As Arcturus passed the raspberry bushes, he yelped suddenly and examined his arm. A single drop of blood welled to the surface where he had been pricked by a stray thorn. He heard the woman’s breathing grow heavier, but when he looked at her, she feigned innocence. Wanting no part in whatever was to take place, Lyle headed straight for the tree to chew on his bone.

  Arcturus knew he had something that this woman wanted, and he was fascinated by the contradiction between her frail beauty and possibly enormous power. For so few moments in a man’s life is he truly valuable to a woman, and it can be intoxicating. Knowing he was entering dangerous territory, he said, “It’s only a drop, but do you want it? Will it help?”

  “You’re such a dear. No, a single drop w
on’t do much for me at all. I will need at least a pint. Would you offer your blood to me?” Lily was now unable to hide her excitement as she advanced toward him.

  “I don’t mind, if it won’t kill me or turn me into a vampire.”

  “Losing a pint or two might make you lightheaded for a bit, but you won’t die. And even if I chose to transmit vampirism to you, you wouldn’t contract it anyways, because of your wolf blood. Trust me, I’ve done this more than a few times.” She had taken another step towards him.

  “Okay, could I just think about it for a moment or two?”

  That’s when the vampiress put her lips near his ear and whispered something known only to her and to him. And after that, he was convinced.

  Lily took his hand and led him to the shade under the tree where Lyle sat. The dog regarded them with a single open eye, and decided to get up and take his bone elsewhere.

  Lily sat on the grass next to the tree, beckoning for him to sit down. She put her hands on his shoulders and brought his neck before her.

  “This won’t hurt, I promise. In fact, most people enjoy it.”

  When her lips met his neck, it felt like she was kissing him. There was no discomfort, but only a feeling of pressure as she sucked. He did feel a prickling sensation, but he was surprised that there was almost no pain as her teeth entered, each fang nicking his artery in perfect alignment. It felt wonderful. He lost sensation in his whole body, and dozed off, relaxing in her arms.

  After she was done with her meal, she roused him, shaking him and slapping his cheek. When he opened his eyes, they met her irises, whose shade of red had deepened to a crimson that was so dark it was almost black. She looked satisfied.

  “Well, my little puppy. You have saved me for a second time today. Are you ready for your reward?”

  Arcturus was a touch bashful, but after volunteering his very life blood to the woman, he wasn’t about to shy away. Her lips came closer once again, and this time met his own. A surge of eager energy overcame him, and the two fell together to the grass where they coalesced.

  ***

  Arcturus opened his eyes once again, after what seemed like hours. It was late afternoon now and he was sore in many places, but the two puncture wounds in his neck had closed, leaving only little red dots. He felt drained and empty.

  The vampiress had somehow rediscovered her modesty, and had changed into a new set of clothes. She was sitting next to Lyle, stroking his ears. Arcturus took the chance to look at the many notifications that he had ignored until now.

  Lily bites you, and drains your blood! You are losing 1 hit point per second.

  He wondered how many hit points he had lost during the encounter. His gauge was full right now, but they did replenish slowly over time. The next prompt must have come after he had come to know Lily carnally.

  You have gained a new Trait: Blessing of the Vampire Queen

  Laying with the vampire queen has bestowed you this rare gift. The amount of people who have earned this blessing are few and known only to Lily, but she insists it is a very small number. Although you now are technically infected by Vampirism, it lies dormant, unable to take hold because of your wolf blood, and therefore you are not a vampire.

  - +15% to movement speed

  - +10 to strength, endurance, agility, dexterity, intellect, wisdom

  - Undead are less likely to be hostile

  - Stealth bonus against undead

  - 9 perception in direct sunlight

  Arcturus could not believe the fantastic benefits of sleeping with vampires. True, most people would be cursed with vampirism by now, and forced into an eternity of drinking blood to survive. He had earned these incredible boosts to his stats with almost no downside. The one exception was the penalty to perception. With a base perception of 10, he would now be almost blind in direct sunlight. But he could offset that problem instantly by investing 9 more attribute points in perception. That would give him a perception of 10 in direct sunlight, and 19 the rest of the time. He promptly opened up his Character Display and invested the points. He put the remaining 6 in luck in order to round out his character. Then he viewed his results with satisfaction.

  Character Display

  Name: Arcturus

  Level: 5

  Race: Human

  Hit Points: 100/100

  Mana: 100/100

  Vital Stats

  Strength: 15

  Perception: 19

  Endurance: 15

  Agility: 20

  Dexterity: 15

  Intelligence: 15

  Wisdom: 15

  Luck: 11

  Abilities

  Stealth (Level 11)

  Archery (Level 10)

  Short Blades (Level 1)

  Alchemy (Level 7)

  Crafting (Level 1)

  Fire Magic (Level 7)

  Earth Magic (Level 6)

  Traits (3/4)

  - Original. As the oldest sentient being in Lydia, you have the privilege of access to powers that were banished from the land long ago.

  - Wolf-Blooded. Canines are friendly unless attacked. Nightvision. +5 to agility.

  - Blessing of the Vampire Queen: +10 to strength, endurance, agility, dexterity, intelligence, wisdom. -9 perception in direct daylight. +15% to movement speed. Undead are less likely to be hostile. Stealth bonus against undead.

  Lily’s blessing gave him a total of +60 attribute points. Since only five points were awarded per level, it was like gaining 12 levels worth of attributes all at once, making Arcturus equivalent to a level 17 character. This would improve his chances of survival by a great deal. If he could acquire some better gear and level up his other abilities, he could become a formidable player!

  “Rise and shine, my little puppy,” came her voice. It sent a shiver down his spine. “Tonight, I will return to the coven and have my vengeance. Will you come?”

  Arcturus was emboldened by his new powers, but he still hesitated to return to that awful place.

  “Do you know the average level I will be dealing with? I’m only level 5.”

  “There will be a number of lower level players. The highest level player is above level 30, but he is far beneath me. I will take care of him. You have no need to worry. Last time I was caught by surprise. This time, I will be unmatched. You will be safe as long as you are with me, and you will have the chance to gain a great deal of experience. In addition, although I have the first right to claim anything we find there, there will be money and items that could be useful to you. And you get to hang out with me awhile longer.”

  NEW QUEST: VENGEANCE OF THE VAMPIRE QUEEN

  The Queen of Vampires herself has asked you to accompany her while she exacts vengeance on an unruly group that repudiated her covenant. Will you help her annihilate the vampires at Crystal Lake? (Yes/No)

  Arcturus didn’t want to say yes. He didn’t have the courage. But it felt like it was the logical course of action. It seemed like an easy way to level up. For a moment, he felt almost as if he had left his body, and he was outside of it, watching himself agree.

  “Alright, sweetheart,” Lily said. “I’ve got to rest for a while then, and prepare myself. Believe it or not, it took a lot of energy for me to make an alpha out of the little puppy you were when I found you. And by the way, no, that is not a reward I give out lightly.”

  Arcturus had plenty of his own business to attend to. He needed to bring back some meat for himself and Lyle, and also wanted to try his hand at Crafting again. There was still plenty of Ironwood Bark laying around. Maybe he could craft it into some kind of armor.

  The first order of business was the hunting, which would be easier in the light of day. He motioned for Lyle to follow, and in moments the two were outside of the camp, headed north. For this hunt, Arcturus decided to try something different.

  “Lyle. Explore this area. Be quiet. Find an animal to eat. Do not scare it. Come back and tell me.”

  The dog seemed to understand completely, and in moments
he was off. The sound of his footfalls was soft, and faded rapidly.

  In no more than five minutes, Lyle returned to his master’s side, and then stood there facing the north and east.

  “Do we go this way?” he asked the dog. Looking back the way he came, Lyle set off in this direction again, and Arcturus followed.

  A few minutes later, the pair came upon the target: a lone doe grazing on some wild flowers. Arcturus prepared an arrow for the longbow. Since he was in the shade, he had 19 perception. He hoped that would be enough to ensure a kill shot.

  When his shot was lined up, he let out a whistle to catch the doe’s attention. The deer lifted its head just in time to see the shaft of an arrow coming for it.

  You are unseen! You strike the Deer for 157 points of damage.

  The Deer has died. You earn 75 experience points.

  Arcturus unsheathed his kukri and moved in to claim his prize.

  ***

  Back at the camp, Arcturus prepared a fire. He gave a hearty portion of meat to his dog, who gladly accepted. He ate a huge amount himself, cutting the rest into small strips. Once it had cooked and cooled, he wrapped it in a cloth, and put it all in his sack. Between the deer meat and all of the raspberries, he didn’t need to worry about food for a while.