Vlad took a moment to reread the message while a heavy sigh escaped his lips.
âIf you chicken-winged pricks are just going to continue berating me like a bunch of idiots, then Iâm just going to cancel the chat room right now.â
Despite talking to an administrator, Vlad didnât bother to speak or act formally. Not when he was being told off on the first message. If anything, he had bigger issues to deal with right now aside from these angels.
[Michael: You clearly donât understand your place, boy.]
Suddenly, Vlad felt a massive pressure weighing down on him, much like what happened during his encounter with the Archangel Gabriel. However, unlike before when he could barely resist the force, Vlad somehow was capable of defying it this time.
At first, it felt like he had a building pressing down on top of him, but now it was like he was wearing heavy clothes. It was enough to be annoying, but not a lot to obstruct him entirely. Vlad even raised his arms up and down and even moved around to see how bad it was, only to be surprised that he could maneuver around with relative ease.
Realizing this, Vlad smiled for a moment before it was immediately replaced with a frown.
âIâll say this again, chicken wings,â Vlad snarked. âIf this is all you are going to be doing to me, then Iâm hanging up the call. I do not have time to be dealing with you guys right now. Especially after you bastards screwed around with our Quests to try and get me killed.â
Although he was currently boosted by whatever power was surging through him right now, he could feel it faded away by the second. He was only acting like this because he had the advantage and wanted to flaunt it, but he knew it wouldnât take long before the Archangel noticed and took advantage of that.
[Michael: â¦I do not know how you became what you are, but your existence is very dangerous.]
âTo you, I assume?â
[Michael: To every single living being in the Multiverse. You have become something that threatens the balance of everything that was built. And to make matters worse, you are not the only one.]
Vladâs eyes widened in surprise. âYou mean that there are others?â
[Michael: I will not answer that, monster.]
He furrowed his brows in anger, clenching his hands into fists, and glared at the message. If he wasnât going to answer, then he shouldnât have said anything at all. Now Vlad was curious about this statement.
Could it be that he wasnât the only Vampire on Earth? Could it be that there were others that went through similar trials?
Vlad groaned, pinching the bridge of his nose. âLook, I donât have time for any of this alright? So why donât you-â
[Michael: Do not think that we will allow your existence to go unchecked, boy.]
ââ¦Is that a threat?â Vlad glared at the message.
[Michael: It is. And a promise. You clearly donât understand how devastating your constant existence is. To the point where it is irritating.]
âWell, sorry to annoy you, Chicken Wings. How about enlightening me, or are you not going to answer that either?â
Vlad was slowly losing his patience. Just standing there talking to this bastard was enough to make his blood boil with rage. Michael truly hasnât changed, has heâ¦
The vampire blinked after thinking this, realizing his train of thought. Why did he think about that? He didnât even know this angel and yet his mind went to that.
It wasâ¦almost as if he knew Michael personally. He could feel a wave of emotions washing over him. Anger, hatred, andâ¦betrayalâ¦
Just whyâ¦was he feeling this way?
[Michael: There would be no point in telling you, boy. Besides, it is better for us for you to remain ignorant of your existence. At least until you are dealt with.]
Vlad cocked an eyebrow. âLet me guess; you bastards are going to continue messing with my quests?â
Considering that these Angels couldnât deal with him directly, they would need to continue interfering with the system and adjust his future quests to make it impossible for him to pass. It was either that or something else.
[Michael: You will have to figure that out yourself. All you need to know, is that this isnât over, Vlad Stoker. It is far from it.]
âAnd thereâs the villainous line Iâve been waiting for,â Vlad sneered. âI think weâre done here, now.â
Just before Vlad could cancel the call, Michael decided to get the last word in and a new message appeared.
[Michael: The way you fought that disgusting Goblin we blessed after recovering; it had a strong resemblance toâ¦him. If anything, your entire being seems to remind me of that bastard.]
Vlad paused, reading the message, and tilted his head in confusion.
âWhat does that mean? What are you talking about?â
[Chat Room has been canceled! The connection between Representative Michael and Player Vlad will now be severed!]
ââ¦What?â Vlad stared at the message, dumbfounded by what he saw before a surge of anger swelled up inside him. âHe canceled the call?! After saying that kind of vague, mysterious shit?! That bastard! I was supposed to cancel the call on him when he was in the middle of some speech, and yet he beat me to it!â
Vlad didnât expect the Archangel to pull off his move before he could. Was it payback for canceling on them during their first meeting? If it was, then these Angels were pretty petty. And they were supposed to be considered Godâs soldiers, huh?
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Especially Michael. Vlad didnât know much about the Bible, but he definitely knew about that Archangel. He was known as the Right hand of God and His Greatest soldier. A powerful archangel that led heaven and his fellow brothers into battle.
For someone like Michael to behave so immaturely. Somehow, that annoyed Vlad more.
âWhatever,â Vlad mumbled before a wave of pain coursed over him, forcing him to hunch over.
He raised his hands, watching them tremble uncontrollably as more of his strength left him.
âDamn, my bodyâs starting to give outâ¦â
That boost of energy he got was slowly leaving him. If he didnât get things done quickly, there were going to be some consequences.
Jumping off the corpse of the goblin boss, Vlad made his way over to his friends. They were all together when they witnessed their friend take down the monster. Chloe and Arthur were next to one another, their faces stricken with shock and fear while Lucy stood close by them by herself.
As soon as he laid his eyes on the cleric, realized immediately that something was different about her. It didnât help that he could also feel a connection between him and her either.
Her eyes were no longer an ocean blue but crimson red much like his now, and there was blood dripping from her lips. When she opened her mouth, he saw two fangs protruding from her gums, a common characteristic for vampires.
When Vlad saw this, he knew exactly what happened to her. She was a vampire now. Not just a vampire, but also Vladâs kin. The connection he felt with her was a lot stronger than it was with the Gralls. Almost like a familial connection.
This mustâve been because of the corruption she endured during the Healing Sacrifice ritual. The Corruption mustâve transformed her when he was still unconscious after getting his stomach cut open.
For a moment, Vlad was worried about Chloe and Arthur. Since Lucy was a vampire now, she was likely starving for blood after her metamorphosis. He was definitely like that when he first became one. But surprisingly enough, they were fine, and Lucy seemed to be awfully calm at the moment and not in a blood frenzy.
This could only mean that Lucy found another source of blood aside from their friends, and the only other living being would be the Goblin Boss. And that monster had plenty of blood to replenish her BP.
Still, this was a major issue in more ways than one.
Vlad calmly walked over to Lucy, sparing a couple of glances at Arthur and Chloe who watched from where they stood. Not wanting to get any closer out of fear of being attacked by their friend.
In front of Lucy, Vlad carefully scanned her, taking note of all of her chances. Lucy stood there, looking dazed as she stared at Vlad.
âLucy, are you alright?â He asked.
Hearing Vladâs voice, Lucy suddenly smiled, almost as if she was drunk. âYes, Iâm alrightâ¦master.â
Vladâs brows creased upon hearing this. She was calling him master now? That must be because of their familial connection as his Kin. Still, hearing one of his friends call him master wasâ¦very uncomfortable.
âI would appreciate it if you didnât call me master,â Vlad stated, rubbing the back of his head nervously. âJust call me by my name like before, alright?â
For a moment, Lucy looked embarrassed, placing her hands on her cheek and acting like a shy maiden confessing their love to someone like in a cartoon or movie. Vlad found this a little strange but did his best to ignore it.
Then, he placed his hands on Lucyâs shoulders, looking her square in the eyes. The sudden eye contact caught Lucy off guard and her eyes widened.
âListen, Lucy,â Vlad started. âRight now, your body went through a significant change, alright? Youâre like me, and while you have become stronger, there are also disadvantages to being a Vampire. Do you understand?â
âY-yesâ¦â Lucy answered nervously.
âGood. Now, I donât have a lot of time left before my body collapses from exhaustion. Until I wake back up, Iâm going to be putting you to sleep. Think of it like hibernation, alright?â Vlad turned over to Chloe and Arthur. âChloe, both me and Lucy will be unconscious for a little while, okay? So, youâll have to explain the situation regarding what happened here when reinforcement arrives.â
âR-rightâ¦â Chloe nodded, acknowledging his orders.
âAs for the Gralls,â Vlad stared at the remaining Gralls who survived the battle with their former brothers and boss. âYou guys need to go into hiding. Go up to the roof of the building and escape that way. While staying hidden, I want you to monitor the area and inform me of everything you discover after I wake up. Go.â
Following his command, the Gralls left the group and climbed the stairs to the second floor. Since Reinforcement was going to show up soon, he couldnât let his minions get discovered or else they might die and also potentially expose Vladâs vampirism.
With the Gralls gone, Vlad turned his attention back to Lucy.
âAlright, Lucy, Iâm going to put a blood sigil on your body that will put you to sleep, okay? Once Iâm awake, Iâll be the one to wake you up.â
âY-yes, ma-I-I mean, Vlad.â
Vlad could tell that she was fighting back the urge to call him master. It was practically her instinct at this point that was compelling her to since they were now Master and Kin. Still, Vlad was uncomfortable about it, since they were friends. He would have to work on that after waking up.
He then bit into his thumb and tried to find a spot where he could write the sigil on her body. It couldnât be visible to others or else they might try to wipe it off. At that moment, Vlad pulled down her cleric collar to reveal her collarbone.
When Chloe saw this, she immediately got anxious and nearly stepped in to stop whatever was happening. However, Arthur held her back, since he knew that Vlad wasnât going to do anything to her.
Vlad then wrote a blood sigil on Lucy. For a moment, he didnât know what he was doing. Although he stated that he was going to put on a blood sigil, a part of his mind didnât know what that was, and yet another part of him did, and that was the part that took control.
He knew about Blood Circles like the Healing Sacrifice and Siphon Circle, but sigils were new to him, and yet he was putting one on Lucy right now. As soon as Vlad pressed his finger on Lucyâs skin, she shivered either from his cold touch or something else before he started writing the sigil.
It was a simply rune-like symbol made from his blood. It was small and also unnoticeable if you place it in the right spot. As soon as Vlad was done, he pulled away from Lucy. Then, the blood sigil started to glow brightly as smoke emanated from the source, causing Lucy to wince in pain.
It only lasted for a few seconds before the light faded away. As soon as it did, The cleric started to get sluggish and collapse. Vlad managed to grab a hold of her in time before she fell on the floor.
Seeing this, Chloe and Arthur then rushed to their sides, both of them looking anxious as they stared at the unconscious Cleric.
âH-how is she?â Chloe asked.
âSheâs fine. Just asleep. Think of it like sheâs hibernating right now.â
âHow did you do that?â Arthur asked. âWas that a part of your Blood Ritualist skill?â
Vlad shook his head. âIâm not sure. All I know is that I was able to do it for some reason.â
Chloe looked puzzled when he said this, cocking an eyebrow curiously. âWhat does that mean?â
âLike I said, I donât know,â He shrugged his shoulders. âI think it was my instincts or something. Either way, that was one crisis averted. If I fell unconscious while Lucy stayed awake, who knows what couldâve happened before I could wake up and help her.â
Arthur shuddered. âYeah, youâre right. She likely wouldâve drunk peopleâs blood and caused all kinds of problems for us.â
Since Lucy was a newly made vampire, she didnât have full control of her powers or instincts. In the worst-case scenario, she wouldâve experienced a Blood Frenzy and attacked anyone to drink their blood, including Chloe and Arthur. And Vlad would be unable to do anything at that point.
Thankfully, he had that secret knowledge of putting her to sleep. Which solved that problem accordingly.
Vladâs vision started to blur, which was a sign that his body was going to give out soon.
âHere, take Lucy,â Vlad said while giving the Cleric to Chloe. âRemember, with both of us unconscious, you guys are going to have to deal with the aftermath.â
âWhich means we canât tell the full truth?â Arthur questioned.
âThatâ¦is up to you. As long as you keep my and Lucyâs vampirism secret, anything will work. Now thenâ¦â Vlad started to lay on the floor. âIâmâ¦going to sleep nowâ¦â
Closing his eyes, Vladâs vision went dark as he lost all feeling in his body. It didnât take long after when his consciousness finally drifted off into dreamland.
It was now up to Chloe and Arthur to explain the situation to the others when they arrived. It was now out of Vladâs hands.