"There are wounds that never bleed, yet they scar the soul deeper than any blade." — Attributed to Elie Wiesel (paraphrased; thematic of his tone and work)
---
Daylight draped the forest in a shroud of uneasy calm, pierced only by the distant wail of a restless wind.
Beyond the silent barricade of trees, hushed voices mingled in tense conversation.
'I have to do something about these bandits... their evil knows no bounds,' Kain thought, his heart pounding.
Hidden in the shadows, Kain watched from behind the trees.
He had stumbled upon the bandit den purely by accident.
"Help me! Please, someone help!" The desperate cries of a young girl, no older than thirteen, echoed throughout the clearing.
She was being dragged away by the bandits.
Kain's eyes widened in horror as he witnessed the scene.
"Inside or outside?" one bandit sneered to his companion.
"Obviously outside! That's where the real fun begins! Hahahaha..." The bandit laughed, reaching for the terrified girl.
But just as his hand stretched out—
*slash* *splat*
A sharp, chilling sound tore through the den.
*Silence.*
The bandits, moments ago lost in drunken laughter, froze mid-sentence.
All eyes snapped toward the source of the noise.
A figure emerged.
He was tall, well over six feet, clad in sleek leather armor over a blue shirt and black trousers.
His armor was modern in style, its craftsmanship extraordinary.
But it was his eyes that commanded fear: a deep, unnatural red, like those of a predator.
He stood with his back to the den, sword in hand, radiating a cold, lethal intent.
He turned to face the bandit den, his eyes menacing, sending shivers down everyone's spine.
"Oh... shit," he said.
"Now... now... aren't you a brave one... kiddo?" said the bandit boss.
Kain's eyes widened as he started counting the number of bandits in the den.
1... 2... 10... 30... 50... 63!
'Over 60 bandits... I'm dead...' thought Kain.
But then, an idea popped into his head.
'That hand! I can drink blood from it!' he thought, scanning the area for the severed hand.
Soon, his eyes found the hand and he rushed over to it.
---
Elsewhere, in an unknown location,
A being sat upon an obsidian throne.
A large window behind him revealed a sprawling city, bathed in red moonlight.
The hall was filled with nobles in western-style attire.
They all shared one trait.
All had red eyes.
*cough* *cough*
The being coughed, blood dripping from his mouth.
"What... what is happening?" he muttered.
"Bring me the crystal orb," he commanded.
"Y-Yes, my lord," replied a knight clad in full black armor. His helmet concealed his face, making him appear as a dark knight.
The knight hurried out of the throne room.
After a few minutes, the knight returned with an orb.
The being on the throne stood and descended the steps.
*step* *step* *step*
His face, previously hidden in shadow—save for his glowing red eyes—was now revealed.
He had white hair and skin even paler than Kain's. He stood eight feet tall, dressed in regal attire, a silver crown with a red jewel atop his head.
His beauty was beyond compare.
If a normal human woman saw his face, unimaginable things could happen.
He reached the orb, placed a hand atop it, and began to chant.
But then,
*spark* *ZZzzp*
Golden-white lightning sparked through the orb, forcing him to withdraw his hand.
"Good! Very good! So this is how you repay someone who grants power to a pathetic creature like you! You don't appreciate my kindness! Very well!" the King declared, turning and returning to his throne, sitting like the overlord he was.
"We need to change our plans," he said.
---
Back at the bandit den, Kain was surrounded, swords pointed at him from all sides.
'I'm trapped. At this rate, I won't get any blood!' he thought.
The little girl had already escaped, and Kain was left to face the bandits alone.
He hadn't been injured yet, but it was only a matter of time. He had already killed five bandits.
Exhaustion began to set in; his blood points were down to 12.
If they dropped to 10, who knew what would happen.
And then it happened.
A bandit attacked him from behind.
*woosh*
The blade sliced through the air.
Kain dodged, but the sword still grazed him, leaving a non-fatal wound.
His vampire abilities activated, and he began to regenerate.
His arm, slashed by the sword, started to heal.
Seeing this, the bandits recoiled in fear.
"Monster! Boss! He's a monster! Look how fast he heals! No human could do that! He's a monster!" Gustav shouted at the boss.
The boss barked, "Everyone, fall back behind me. Something's happening... with this monster."
[System Alert]
[Your Blood Points have fallen below 10%]
[Activating Emergency Survival Mode: 'Suckling']
Kain's consciousness faded; he no longer controlled his body.
"Grrr...", he growled.
His face twisted into a grotesque, wide smile, stretching unnaturally, his tongue growing long and lolling from his mouth.
[Initiating System Response to the Emergency]
[Finding the nearest source for: 'Human Blood']
[!Ding]
[Sources Found: 58 Humans]
[Initiating Mode: Battle]
Kain's eyes, once white, turned black, his irises glowing an even deeper red, radiating bloodlust.
He raised his hand to the sky and looked up.
"Grrow~ Hrrr-", he growled as all the spilled blood nearby began to stir.
The blood from the dead and their severed parts started to move at the molecular level.
Within seconds, all the blood gathered above Kain's hand, forming a dense, large sphere.
This was advanced blood manipulation.
Instead of drinking the blood, Kain extended his sword as the blood formed a stream, flowing onto the blade.
And then...
He charged.
"OHHH FUCK! EVERYONE RUN!" The bandit leader was horrified by that unnatural smile.
He was the first to flee, leaving the others behind.
Kain—or rather, The Suckling—moved at incredible speed, as if his body's limits had been removed.
His upper body flailed wildly, even striking trees, but his legs never stopped.
The Suckling tore through every bandit, slashing at inhuman speed, each strike hitting vital points with precision.
He used every skill at his disposal.
After two minutes, every bandit was dead.
Only the leader remained.
"You—You monster! Stay away from me! I'm the leader of the biggest bandit gang in the region! Stay away!" the bandit screamed.
"Grr~" The Suckling growled, his terrifying smile unwavering.
He extended his sword, now strengthened by the blood of his enemies.
He slashed at the bandit's neck.
The bandit raised his axe, shouting, "I will not fall so easily!"
But the sword sliced through the axe like a hot knife through butter, severing the bandit's neck in an instant.
*slash*
*thud*
The bandit's head hit the ground and rolled away.
"Grr..."
The Suckling stuck out his tongue and opened his mouth.
He leaned in and sank his fangs into the leader's neck.
*gulp* *gulp*
*gulp* *gulp*
True to his name, The Suckling drank every last drop of blood from the leader.
But he didn't stop there.
He drank the blood of every person who died in the battle.
[Targets Eliminated: 58]
[Blood Collected From: 63 Humans]
[ |||---- ]
[Your Greed has reached Beyond Sanity Levels]
The Suckling collapsed to the ground, curling into a ball as he slept.
---
Elsewhere, in a different forest,
[Umbrosia Family]
[ . ]
[ . . ]
[ . . . ]
[Connection Establishment with 'Family Head: Kain Umbrosia' Unsuccessful.]
"Kain, where are you? Why aren't you answering my connection?" Eren said, worry creeping into his voice.
"I just hope you're safe. I really want to see you soon," Eren sighed.
*rustle* *nibble*
*thump thump*
*sniff sniff*
*squeak*
Various sounds came from a nearby bush.
Eren narrowed his eyes and crept toward the bush.
Suddenly, two tall ears popped up, and a horned bunny darted away at high speed.
"Ahh, it ran away again. What a waste... *yawns*," Eren muttered.
He had been using his Sloth ability a lot.
It seemed to be affecting his personality as well.
---
[ ~*~ Vampire Status Screen ~*~]
[-- Name --]
[Name: Eren Umbrosia]
[Race: Halfling]
[Health: 690/700]
[Level: 7]
[EXP: 500/3000]
[Family: Umbrosia]
[-- Talents --]
[Talents:]
[??? - Unawakened]
[-- Stats --]
[Agility: 10]
[Perception: 10]
[Intelligence: 7]
[Strength: 6]
[Free Stats: 0]
[Blood Points: 100/100]
[-- Path --]
[The Sin of Sloth: (Awakened - Level 1)]
[-- Bloodline Abilities --]
[Blood Manipulation: Locked]
[Night Vision]
[Enhanced Senses]
[Blood Healing]
[-- Path & Other Abilities --]
[Silver Tongue (Sin of Sloth)]
[Vampire Family Connection]
"I wonder what level Kain is at? Since it's Kain..." he mused.
After sighing,
he used his ability.
[Silver Tongue (Sin of Sloth)]
"Hey rabbits, I have tasty carrots with me. Come here one by one and I'll give them to you," he called out.
After a few seconds, three horned rabbits emerged from the bush.
Eren hid behind another bush and said,
"You need to come one by one behind this bush to get it, come~ come~," he coaxed.
It was impossible for beasts to understand human language, but Silver Tongue made it possible.
Slowly, one rabbit came after another.
Whenever a rabbit approached, he would grab it by the neck and instantly stab it in the vocal cords,
so it couldn't alert the others.
He then put the body in a bag and waited for the next one.
[Killed 1x Horned Rabbit. Received 10 EXP]
[Killed 1x Horned Rabbit. Received 10 EXP]
[Killed 1x Horned Rabbit. Received 10 EXP]
[Total EXP 530/3000]
"So efficient *yawns* I don't know why others waste energy hunting them."