Noble Blood

Chapter One

Old Tepes IV, Unholy Sword Wielder and Lord of Vampires in YGGRASIL, realized something had changed the moment the timer reached zero because the world around him was suddenly so very real. He could hear it in the subtle breeze that echoed along the cavern's walls, he could smell the metals of the Gold, armor and weapons resting in the chests, even the earth of the cavern itself. The heat of the flames licked at his skin and the wood of the throne beneath his pale bare hand was suddenly so very grab able.

The High Vampire was also aware of the aching in his throat and gut, it was subtle, but he could already tell what it was. As a Vampire, he would be bound to the Races' weaknesses and curse, for Immortality, enhanced stats and various other benefits he would suffer the constant hunger for the blood of the living.

I'm thirsty. Old Tepes thought while reaching up and stared at the palm of his clawed hand, his nails replaced by black claws at one inch in length, sharp as razors. And he gripped his hand into a fist and he felt his claws dig into his flesh and with it came the sharp, slight sting of pain. He pulled his fingers apart and revealed four bleeding marks on his skin...That then healed over because of his passive, High-Speed Regeneration.

Unless a wound was caused by a blessed or cursed weapon, this at least confirmed his physical wounds would heal quickly, in barely fa second his marred skin was flawless and all that remained was his blood, which he brought up and licked with his tongue.

It tasted of copper, like any blood...But swallowing it, he regretted it instantly because bile rose in his throat and he coughed, stepping from his throne and bringing his hand up to muffle the harsh coughs.

"Well..." He muttered, voice a deep baritone. "At least I know drinking my own blood for sustenance isn't on the table." He wiped his lips on the back of his sleeve.

In hindsight that should have been obvious, if Vampires could sustain themselves with their own blood, how cheap would that be?

It also served to further confirm that YGGDRASIL had changed, it had been impossible for such features to be programmed, sight and interaction was possible, yes, but smell and such a real sense of touch? No, he now had access to all five of his senses as a Human, and even the Hunger related to his race was now his.

It was impossible, but this was just the first steps and he had to be sure. He needed to see the rest of the world, if it had become real, maybe a breakthrough in programming and technology, had YGGDRASIL ended and been reborn as YGGDRASIL 2.0? Or was this something entirely different?

Old Tepes was sure if he still had a heart it would be racing for how freaked out he should be, but it seemed that with his race, panic wasn't coming to him easily, or at all. It must something to do with my Mental Resistances. The Lord of Vampires thought as he stood, looking over the wealth around him once more. On top of actively defending me from Mind-Control and Illusion spells, it might also be working to increase my natural mental fortitude against emotional outbursts.

It was as good as any explanation, or perhaps he was in shock and still processing the reality of what was happening, either way he was still able to think about this situation, plan, he needed a plan.

"I guess I should start by leaving this cave." His HUD hadn't popped up, no gesture brought it up and he couldn't access any In-Game menu. For all intents and purposes, Old Tepes was now what he had been made to be. A High Vampire with the class Lord of Vampires.

Right, leaving the cave. The Vampire thought, frowning at his fist once more, flexing his fingers once, twice and then moving over to his chests. Before any exploration could take place he needed to be a bit more prepared. After all, all he'd had in his inventory was were Blood Potions to heal himself, Buff Items for physical fighters and the gear he'd un-equipped in exchange for this mid-Level setup he'd used.

He opened the chest and dug through the various tonics and scrolls, at the very least, he had access to his Inventory. And against all that shoud be possible, he just KNEW what was within it, he had fifteen Blood Potions, a dozen Mana potions. Several Buff Scrolls and some various high-level gear for combat.

So, he unloaded some of that gear, since loading up his Inventory might be a bit troublesome with all that he'd dumped into the chests. But then he'd not planned for whatever had happened to happen but who really expects such a fantastic outcome?

In the end, he decided to adopt a better suit of gear.

Now in front of a full body mirror, he observed his current attire. His breastplate had been replaced by dragon-scaled leather vest, with additional black steel scales down the back and front, additional protection. Mobile AND comfortable, which was important now that he could feel the weight of the armor and how it fit.

He glanced down at his black slacks, he thought about a more traditional Hakama, but then that didn't really fit the "Lord of Vampires" motif, he settled for the slacks and Dragon-scaled black leather boots, tipped by the same black steel at the toes and heels. With the red long sleeved noble shirt he wore beneath the vest, he cut a noble figure indeed.

But it needed something else, a final touch. He turned back to the chests and moved over to the fabrics chest, digging around it and then, when he found what he was looking for, a High-Tier fabric and leather cloak, with silver embroidery. It was black and gray, as well, so he flourished it and wrapped it around his shoulders and clasped it on.

He smiled, flashing his elongated canines in the flickering torchlight.

Old Tepes IV now cut a truly regal Vampire figure, on top of his high-class/tier clothing he was also designed to look fairly noble in face. While in his true Vampire form, he'd look a lot more menacing, but in his Human state, he would pass for a pale, odd eyed Human. With black hair, bangs framing his pale face just past his chin, while the hair behind him was braided neatly. Ending in a Red-Ribbon tie. A bit girly, admittedly, but hardly out of place for a slightly flampoyant noble.

His eyes were sharp, as were his eyebrows, which always seemed to be slightly furrowed. Red glowing eyes staring back at him as he smiled, his fangs glinted once more and he turned away, bringing up the hood and covering his face in shadow.

"Perfect." Old Tepes grinned to himself and set the Black Forged Katana at his side once more, if he needed to, he'd summon his Unholy Sword and use that. An Unenchanted, but powerful, forged sword would work just as fine.

Equipped and stocked on potions and scrolls, the High Vampire made his ascent up into the world of YGGDRASIL once more to find out exactly how different the world had become. So when he saw the light at the end of the tunnel, he frowned, because it had been night when he'd entered the cave previously and now it was suddenly day?

He stepped into the light and was greeted to the world anew.

Old Tepes wasn't sure what he expected when the world had come into focus, instead of the night covered ruins of the ancient tomb he'd taken cover inside of for this last hours in YGGDRASIL he was greeted to a vast expanse of trees, greenery and such pure nature that the scents and sounds assaulted his newly freed senses so utterly the High Vampire almost staggered as he took it all in.

The wild life, he could smell and hear them, some distant, somce closer. The rustling of the trees, the feel of the breeze, even the stinting of the sun against his Vampiric skin was only a minor concern compared to the sheer force of which the world around him was pressing against his senses.

Tepes inhaled deeply, taking in the scents with closed eyes and then exhaled, tasting the air and chuckling. "This... I always thought YGGDRASIL was beautiful, but this forest is truly something." That he wasn't where he'd originally been was still concerning, but he was not as worried because this was just...So much! The High Vampire took his first steps onto the grass and took another deep breath to re-live the exhilaration of nature.

Only this time, a new scent joined the forest's own, it was metallic, sweet and his body recognized it even if he, as a Human, wouldn't. It was the scent of blood, fresh Human blood being carried by the wind, someone had been freshly wounded and the scent had been carried on the breeze.

Tepes licked his lips which were suddenly far too dry, and his throat was suddenly so very parched, like a man who hadn't had anything to drink for a day.

I should investigate, spilled blood means battle...And battle could lead to valuable information, depending on the factions involved. Tepes thought, ignoring the way the Hunger in his gut twisted and churned and URGED him to run for the scent. And he took off into a run, he almost surprised himself with how quick he was moving... He'd merely attempted to jog, but his body's new strength, something beyond Human, took a "jog" and turned it into a sprint that would leave many top athletes salivating.

He ignored it, catching a mistep and leaping forward into a faster run, and the edges of his vision tunneled as his speed turned him into a blur of motion, stopping only when he came across the scene of a battle...Or at least a struggle.

There was blood splattering the grass, and the trees were scratched with sword wounds, and discarded sword and shield, bits of armor and fabric. The blood wasn't as fresh as he'd thought, it was drying in the sun, but the breeze had carried the scent towards him all the same.

Tepe crouched down and touched it, bringing his blood dripped fingers up and licking them. The sweet life blood of the living dampened his hunger, but more over, it gave him a better understanding of how old it was. The blood was five hours old, and given the time of day, whomever had been attacked had been ambushed in the early hours of the morning while the sun was just beginning to rise for the day itself.

It also belonged to a woman, a spirited one if the site of the battle was anything to go by, she'd struggled, but only after she'd been ambushed... This hadn't been a very long struggle, the blood was dripping and dragged, she'd have likely bled out by now if not treated immediately.

The High Vampire finished cleaning his fingers and then, he followed the trail left behind. Along the way, he found more splatters of blood and even more armor and fabric. They stripped her along the way, Tepes realized as he followed at a brisk pace. Lightening the load? Or giving themselves easier access to her body? There was a familiar feeling of disgust in the High Vampires gut, both as A Human and Vampire, such an act of base degeneracy was abhorrent in his eyes, it was pathetic, without any point bar physical pleasure.

Red eyes narrowing, he considered how best to handle the men who he'd catch up with.

He reached the entrance of a cave, he stopped and peered over the mouth of the cavern, cocking his head to the side and sniffing, there was more scents now...Humans, yes... Blood, yes, and others he didn't know...But they were foul, most foul.

"Disgusting." He sneered, resisting the urge to cover his nose from the scent of it. He wasn't sure what it was he was smelling but he decided he didn't like it.

After a brief glance for any potential traps, he stepped into the darkness and his eyes, once bound by Mortal means, glowed and soon, the dark passage was illuminated so sharply and perfectly he could see every nook and cranny of the cave the darker it became as he walked along, he frowned, and softened his steps further, soon the subtle sound of his boots padding the rocky floor quieted to almost nothing, but he assumed that was his High Vampire hearing making it still possible to hear them.

As an additional precaution, he muttered. "Conceal Presence." His body glowed briefly as his presence was eliminated, he would become all but invisible to the other senses bar touch and sight.

Whatever was in this cave, the scent of foulness and Human blood grew heavier as he walked further inside. He glanced down the path of another tunnel that connected with the main passage. How interesting, had I a torch, the shadows of the flame would have hidden it well. Tepes thought, frowning. Such a trick would have made for a good ambush tactic, if a bit basic.

He continued along, these bandits were base creatures indeed, less than Human if their intelligence allowed for only these basic set ups, any Player worth their salt would see such an obvious trap. But then, several things didn't add up and now that he had a few moments of silent, but stinking, contemplation, he could analyze them more thoroughly.

Like the woman being dragged, if this were still a game, I doubt they'd allow her to be stripped like she was being on the way here, that would be controversial as Hell itself if a game introduced a function like this. Tepes thought while casually stepping over a tripwire of some sort. And there's the lack of any real HUD or Menu, the more I think about it, the more I'm beginning to think this isn't an upgraded YGGDRASIL, but the other explanation is...Insane.

But there was a saying, if you eliminate every possibility then whatever remained had to be the truth. If I am in a new world, and my Player Character is now my new body, that would mean I'm no longer Human, it could also mean I might never wake up. But does that mean I'll die in the real world...? Or have I disappeared as a consciousness from it entirely? My new body is certainly real enough. The High Vampire glanced down at his pale palm, black claws extended.

If he wasn't a Human anymore, did that mean he was simply Old Tepes IV? God, how would he explain that name? Well, Tepes would do for now, anyway. Not like anyone had a HUD to showcase his name above his head so it would be fine all the same. So he would simply be Tepes, then. Easy.

The High Vampire stopped and frowned when sounds finally reached his ears, the sound of flesh striking flesh, whimpers and inhuman cackling. And the scent, the blood and whatever else, so spaced out was Tepes that he hadn't noticed but now he knew precisely what that smell was.

Fists clenched, he stepped downwards along the path and closer to the noises. Once he reached the bottom, he came across the large cavernous opening, it wasn't decorated, it was dark, or would be and inside the darkness he saw the shapes of Human women on the ground, around them were smaller, no less disgusting figures.

And now, the foul stench was suddenly made all too easy to understand. Small, green creatures, yellow goat-like eyes and simply loin cloths, shoddy weapons crafted from rocks and basic iron, primitive and small as the creatures that were currently having their way with the half a trio of Human women, who barely whimpered and struggled against their abusers, simply laying there among the blood and bones and other foul matter on the floor.

Bruised, beaten and certainly broken.

Tepes frowned, and the two guards watching at the entrance to the cavern hadn't taken notice of him, too busy watching with obvious malicious lust for the entertainment their prisoners were giving their...Fellows. The High Vampire felt his disgust and ire rising that he'd almost missed how the Shaman, who'd been watching the proceedings with obvious glee had taken notice of the dark figure in the darkness of the entrance.

With a screech, it pointed it's staff at him and suddenly, the two dozen odd Goblins who were scattered about the cavern looked up, throwing the Humans they were enjoying down onto the floor and reaching for weapons at their waists, snarling and glaring in surprise at the dark humanoid figure that had appeared snuck up on them.

And then came the lumbering of a taller figure from the back, stand a full two heads taller than even the High Vampire. These base creatures, they could only belong to one pathetic, base race.

"Goblins," Tepes intoned, his voice echoing deeply across the cave, the guards rounded on him, baring spears. "You filthy, base monsters barely worth the effort of tracking you down, let alone the XP of slaughtering you!" He gripped the handle of his katana his right hand, his left taking hold of the sheath.

The guard snarled and met his eyes, making their first mistake in this battle as his High Vampire passive skill took hold, Greater Vampiric Hypnotism took hold and the pair of Goblins suddenly relaxed as they fell into his complete control. "End your lives." Tepes commanded as he stepped forward, eyes glowing as they focused on the Shaman, who quickly adverted his own eyes when he saw the guards turn their spears to their own throats and thrust.

Gurgling, dying, the guards flopped over onto the ground behind him. Their death certain. Tepes stopped once he was in view of all the Goblins did the High Vampire see fit to draw the black Katana from it's sheath, the soft sound of metal leaving sheath echoing as the edge was freed.

"Now, who wishes to die next?" The High Vampire drawled with strained disgust, gripping the handle of his weapon so tightly he was sure the metal would warp if it was of lower quality.

The Shaman Goblin snarled, and the others looked at his chest, but never his eyes. They were smart enough to know not to look at his eyes now. The larger Goblin stepped forward, stopping short when the Shaman barked an order, leaving the smaller ones to swarm around the Vampire, whom glanced over the spreading forces.

Large numbers against a single, higher level foe. A common tactic, fitting for these low level monsters. Three circled around his back, and jumped, he felt them in the air more than heard them... And with a flicker of speed he twisted on his feet and severed them at their waits, spilling blood across his cloak and falling into a crouch to plant his hand on the floor, letting his leg lash out and slam into the side of another Goblin, sending it careening into another and both laying on the floor in pain, the first might have been dead.

He stood once more and brought the blade to bare again, slicing across the air and carving the weapons of the closing Goblins and removing their diminuative heads from their wretched shoulders, blood and goes around his neat little space of Vampire ground, Tepes rose to his full height, and left seven odd Goblins, the Shaman and the larger Goblin, who hefted a wooden club, looking ready to step forward.

And it did when the Shaman snarled, hopping off his bone throne and beginning to ready a magic spell, seemingly intent on ridding their cave of the intruder. The large monster came forward, hefting the club high and then bringing it down, the hardened wood surface slamming loudly against the flat palm of Tepes' left hand, who curled his fingers and gripped it so hard the wood groaned and snapped.

The large Goblin growled and tried to pull the weapon free, only for the Vampire to remain entirely immobile. "You're weak," Tepes muttered, and brought his Katana up with a flick of his arm, and then the body fell back, split nicely in two from groin to brain. He tossed the club aside and eyed the Shaman, who unleashed his magical spell.

A fireball.

Tepes watched the ball impact an invisible barrier of shimmering magic. Rolling his eyes, Tepes raised his hand and flashed the golden jeweled ring on his left ring finger. "Surprised? My Ring cancels out Magic spells of Sixth tier and lower." Which essentially gave him the same Immunity to magic as most lesser Dragon species. He lowered his hand and brought up the other, pointing it at the now shaking Shaman. "You, on the other hand," No pun intended. "Likely don't have such a ring."

Tepes smirked, and the Shaman turned to run. "Swarm of the Night." And from the shadow of his palm sprang dozens of black, shadowy bats that screeched and flew at the Shaman, catching him in their midst and lifting the screaming, gargling monster into the air...And soon, droplets of flesh and blood rained down onto the cavern floor.

The remaining Goblins, stunned and fearful, began to scream and run for the cave exit, intending to escape their fate. And that simply wouldn't do for the High Vampire. "Now, now... My pets haven't had nearly enough." He raised his second hand, and from it sprang the same spell, and the remaining goblins disappeared into the small, ravenous maws of hundreds of Vampire bats.

Once it was all over, Tepes was left along among the defeated corpses. He surveyed the dead Goblins, then brought up a hand covered in their blood and licked it, then hissed...Flicking his hand aside and snorting. "Disgusting in appearance, disgusting in taste." Go figure.

Still, he supposed there was a more viable source of food.

The High Vampire eyed the women on the ground, three of them, and moving towards their prone forms, naked and defiled, he glowered down at them. Sneering once more... How weak were they to have been overcome but such loathsome creatures? He crouched over the nearest one and gripped her hair, turning her head over and peering at her face.

Her eyes, he noticed, were distant, foggy, as if she weren't even there at a mental level. She'd likely been down here, enduring these creatures for days, he frowned, then giving her a skull a squeeze, she barely made a sound of protest... So used to pain, so far away from where she currently was.

This is tragic, honestly she'd be better off dead. The High Vampire rose after releasing her and peering down at her. He drew his sword once more and placed it against her neck and considered it. He could kill them, he didn't want to feed off them because...Well, they were filthy, and he is..Or was? Human, even if he had just seen all this violence... And yet all he felt for it was a mild disgust he wasn't even sure was from the act itself or just because they were weak enough to allow this to happen to themselves.

It was clear to Tepes that his Humanity had been altered by his new body, the women were proof enough of that, this would have sickened to the core were he back in his world, but now...The mild disgust and displeasure at not being to feed were all he felt. If anything, this is just more proof that I really am no longer Human. He thought to himself, still holding the sword against that exposed neck, as thirsty as he was he still didn't want to feed off these defiled women.

"If you want to live," He pressed the sword against her skin. "Speak up now."

It was the only warning she would get, the only opportunity to change her fate... And she didn't even move her lips. He frowned, then without a real effort, he severed her head from her neck, spilling her blood across the floor. He moved onto to the next, it was the same basic nothing...And then she was dead too. Tepes moved onto the next, placing his sword against her.

"Speak up if you want to live, woman." Tepes frowned, then sighed when she gave no real response. "Very well."

"-Elp..."

He stopped, it was barely audible, but he heard it, heard her. The edge of his sword lifted away from her throat, "What?"

"Help... I want..." She croaked, eyes finding themselves, there was life in them now, sparking. "To live."

The High Vampire considered her in silence, letting the darkness of the cavern around them sink in...Before finally, he nodding. "Very well, you will live." He crouched down beside her, rolling the blue haired woman onto her back, she gasped, seeing his red eyes glowing in the darkness. "But I require something of you."

Her eyes darkened, her eyes took him in and he could see the suspicion. "Anything..." She didn't hide herself, she was disgusting already, covered in dirt and things best left unsaid.

"Your blood, I will save you, and in return, you shall provide me a small feeding." Tepes said, staring into her green eyes. "Are we in agreement?"

"If I...Refuse?"

Tepes narrowed his eyes. "Then you can attempt to survive on your own, with no transport, no weapons and arms. Battered as you are physically. I will simply leave you to try and fend for yourself." The Vampire replied.

"And if...I agree?"

"I will take you from here, provide you with some supplies and take you to a Human settlement." He explained, "From there, I don't care what you do. I'll have held up my end of the bargain."

She was silent, and he was beginning to turn away. "I accept... Just...Get me out of this place."

Tepes smirked, turning his red eyes back to her. "Very well," he turned around and kneeled down, sheathing his sword and then, he took her into his arms, frowning softly at her stench, she reeked of filth and he hated it, but they had reached an accord. "Let's go." He turned away, the woman in his arms. This situation was also two-fold, he would gain, hopefully, an ally and she would provide him information about any nearby Settlement, from there he can begin to "map out" the local area, get a feel for it and decide what to do from there. It was the beginnings of a plan, to be sure.

"Ah, right," He stared down at her. "What is your name?"

"Paladin."

The Vampire blinked. "...Pardon?"

"No, Paladin. That's my name." She "corrected" him, finally meeting his eyes, before sharply glancing away again.

"...Ah." So, she goes by a class name, as opposed to a name given at birth? Or were he parents particularly strange to name her such a thing? The Vampire considered for a moment longer. If that was the case, should he go by one of his Classes? She knew he was a Vampire, so one of his Vampire classes or race would work... He doubted Lord of Vampires would go over well. For now, I shall use a suitable Alias, following her example.

"You may call me Vampire Prince."

End of Chapter One

There is Chapter One! And it is longer than the Prologue, because reasons! I'm hoping to flesh out Tepes as the story goes on, for now, he's not entirely evil, but Vampires are known to view other beings as their lessers, and now a Human is for all intents and purposes a Vampire, so, I think anyone would take a few moments to conflict with themselves.

And now, I must work on the second chapter! Thanks to all those who've Fav/Follow/Reviewed! Until next time, everyone!