Chapter 15: No Mercy...
His body shaking immensely, he gazed at Petra's figure and stared deep into her single, gray, desperate eye before looking away with bloody tears, grabbing his helmet off the ground and rushing off behind Luck who was slightly beginning to panic and grow impatient.
"I'm sorry…"
As he slowly began to follow behind Luck, a small, subtle banshee-like shriek almost calling out to him from the depths of hell entered his ears and sunk down deep into his lurching heart.
"MONSTER! I THOUGHT GRANDPA SAID YOU WERE A NICE GUY!!"
"AHHHHHHH!!"
That voice was followed by the sound of metal slashing flesh and screams from that exact same corner…
He let out a bloody tear once more, closing his eyes and clenching his teeth before shaking his head, looking straight ahead of him at Luck's flying figure with determination and an unquestionable will to survive…
His whole life, Ren had always been a logical and rational thinker. Adrian and Petra were as good as dead and there was nothing he could do about it… Soldiers were following him from behind and there were six men in front of him, one of whom was immensely out of his league to the point that his movements did not register. Especially In his state, fighting them was nothing short of suicide.
As he ran away, he heard the girl's frightening scream echo in his head once more as he wore his filthy helmet.
Suddenly, he felt a deep pain in his heart and an empty feeling in his stomach as he looked at Luck's back with hazy eyes, struggling to keep up due to his injuries and the patches of fire all around him.
He had no idea what that feeling was… Was it regret? No… It couldn't have been… If he were to be thrust into that situation once more, he would have chosen the exact same thing every time.
Even if by some miracle he managed to kill the soldiers, in their state, they would not last for long without medical treatment. He would have to escape from the burning village with them slowing him down and painting a target on his back. Luck was clearly panicking and struggling even with just him following behind, adding two more extremely injured people would be nearly impossible seeing how he was acting.
It was to the point that had the guards not even been there, he would have still left them to die. He was no selfless hero, and never had been… He WAS human... How could he expect to save others when he could barely save himself?
At least now, he actually felt something more for them unlike the other hundreds of people he had seen murdered. Maybe he was not a complete psychopath after all... He still felt pity and emotions for others… Or, was it just his mind trying to search for some shred of positivity in his current state?
He had absolutely no idea and had no time to ponder over it… He needed to forget about everything for now and focus on what was truly important...
*BOOOOM*
Suddenly, a massive explosion was heard from above him, and in the next instance, rocks began falling down onto his head which forced him to move faster and push his body further.
*Ah*
As he rolled away from the final rock, he heard echoes coming from behind him.
"Did you hear that!? Do you think it's him!? Split up and search! No one is allowed to run!"
The voices seemed to only be getting closer and Ren's panic was growing even further along with it as he Ran behind the flying luck through the damp yet fiery alleyways. They avoided all of the falling rocks and even needed to take extra turns and scale rubble to get to where they needed to go and where Luck was meticulously leading him.
That was until they turned a corner and were met by an intersection where a single enemy soldier was patrolling, multiple dead bodies on the ground around him.
'SHIT!' Ren inwardly cursed, unable to advance any further, and with the voices behind him still getting louder, he seemed to be trapped.
That was until Luck, who was peering over the corner beside him spoke.
"Lord, wait until he turns around… I'll push that rock up there to the ground to catch his attention and muffle your footsteps! I know you are no amateur but remember to aim for the heart! To end it quickly since we have no time!"
And, before he could get an okay from Ren, he immediately flew away and left him alone.
Ren had no time to think or interject, an immense rush of adrenaline flowing through his nerves— he hardened his undead heart and steeled himself for anything as he unconsciously wore the slightly shaky eyes of a predator.
*Crash*
"Hmmm? Someone there?"
There hit the rock and there was his queue. Although it felt different, he Instinctively used some of his previous in-game knowledge and pro movements.
Like a shadowy mist and as quiet as a rat, masked by some of the explosions from the outside, he snuck behind the guard with his slightly extended nails as hard as steel and thrust them deep into his heart.
Without being told, as soon as he noticed his opponent's mouth open wide, he instinctively reached his hands over to his throat and slashed to completely remove his vocal cords so he did not scream, making him fall silently dead on the ground with a less than pleasant expression on his face...
[ +50 XP! ]
[ Level Up! ]
This was Ren's second time ever killing someone and other than it feeling far more natural, it did not differ much from his first one.
He stared coldly at the dead body he just slew on the ground with even more adrenaline pumping through his veins. That was when something entered through his nose, making his eyes instinctively look towards his hands that bore succulent fresh blood…
And, without even knowing it, like something completely took over his body, he began sucking his hands and licking it up like he was a toddler, savouring every last drop of that delicious substance that tasted so good and invigorated him unlike anything before.
[ Congratulations! You have reached the requirements to unlock the "Blood Sucker" class! Would you like to unlock it? ]
[ Yes ] [ Not Now ]
As if the message was not even there, as if he was hypnotized, Ren kept on sucking his hands over and over, the taste too good to stop. That was when he completely ran out and his gaze once again shifted towards the soldier and the blood gushing out of his heart.
He bent down with piercing red eyes, about to dig into the meal when a massive explosion hit from above him, making rocks fall down towards him.
Snapping back to his senses, he rolled away from the rocks that completely crushed the body he was about to feed on before Luck's voice came into his head.
"Nice thinking cutting off his vocal cords my lord! Let's go! It shouldn't be much longer!"
Luck began flying away, the sound of the mayhem and intensity of the battlefield only getting worse from the world outside of this maze of alleyways.
Ren followed suit, thinking with shock.
'Did I just do that? Did I always like blood or is it just being a vampire?'
Whenever killing and blood was involved, he seemed to be almost like a completely different person… Had his in-game experience helped him that much? Was this part of being a vampire? Or, had he been a natural-born killer all along and had only just noticed?
When he looked up in front of him, and noticed the notifications he had missed, he immediately assigned all the stats he gained into agility for obvious reasons and his class point once again into vampire.
Although it was minuscule, as soon as he did, he felt that same rush of energy overcome his body like before, and his speed increased allowing him to better keep up with Luck with his fresher feeling, slightly more rejuvenated body.
As for the "Blood Sucker" class, it was completely invaluable in his eyes. If it was anything like the game, It was a permanent decision that will shape him for the rest of his life yet he was so confident that he easily chose it anyways without even thinking as to not waste any time.
"We're all almost there!" Luck whispered through the sounds of violence and destruction. "The city walls are just up ahead!"
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Sorry for the late chapter guys... I really am... I had some stuff come up and a lot of school... I will 100% post another chapter today to make up for that. I hope you guys aren't too mad at the MC and understand where he is coming from. Next chapter will him finally trying to escape.
Don't forget to vote to support the story in the contest and for a chance at an anime adaptation!
Extra chapters if we get to the top 10 of the new/monthly rankings!