Clapping sounds interrupt the unexpected euphoria my vampire lover just provided me. Since I obtained Vampiric Bloodline a few minutes ago, my senses heightened to a new level and now I’m able to hear the slightest noise.

“Humans!” Ambrosia yells disgusted to her ghouls. “Be prepared, Nestor’s vampire hunting squad must be here.”

I look at my vampire friend and notice a slight smirk on his pained face. Hard to imagine that a Vampire Lord created his own vampire hunting squad, a double-edged weapon if you think about it, but makes sense in the end, if you want to get rid of your vampire adversaries.

The hunters reach our chamber quickly. Knights in shining armor advance as one and circle us. Dressed head to toe with their heavy gear and silver weapons, they point their spears with a sonorous clamor. Their legs move in unison, synchronized in a way that makes the soil tremble.

I feel the adrenaline rushing through my veins again and I see that my HP bar goes full. My Neural Control Interface or NCI for short, notifies me of my Vampire Ancestry. A handy skill that replenishes my health. The thing is that most of the vampire hunters here are Threat Level 7 to 9, which makes them formidable foes, even for someone as Ambrosia, let aside me. If they were a couple of them, she could manage, but these great knights, number more than thirty right now.

“How low you’ve fallen, my old comrade,” Ambrosia tells the paralyzed Nestor. “A wise move though, you killed most of my ghouls without wasting the lives of your precious hunters and now I’m left without protection.”

“Your reign has ended,” Nestor snarls, still chained and paralyzed.

“Oh no, you’re wrong young Nestor. As long as one of us stands, we’re always a legion.” She pauses for a moment and takes a short breath. “Ghouls, kills the humans!”

There’s no way she thinks that five wounded ghouls can fight them off. But as it seems, that’s not what my mistress plans. Instead, she transforms into a mist. My NCI shows a tooltip above her: While in Mist form, the Vampire lord cannot take any action, receive damage, speak, or manipulate.

It is then, when I get a notification from my NCI: Telepathic link broken. You’re no longer Dominated or Charmed.

At last, I break free from my mistress’ web of influence. This place is a perfect pandemonium of death. The ghouls attack anything that moves, but there’s no easy prey here. The knights put a formidable battle and pierce the rotten flesh of the ghouls like ravening wolves on sheep. I must escape now, or things could go worse.

Easily, I manage to escape somehow. The ghouls were proven an excellent distraction for the hunters. Soon, I reach the cavern exit. There are four knights standing guard there. Oh, for fuck’s sake, I thought I activated the Casual difficulty. How am I going to kill those four? I’m not even able to cast spells.

“Look, Ambrosia’s there, hunt her down,” a knight shouts to his comrades.

Without wasting time, the knights abandon their positions and hunt my former mistress. It’s the opportunity I needed. I slip out and watch the red moon, lighting my path. I run as fast as I can and follow a path that leads to a main road. From here, I can see the lights of a city. I should head there for now.

After three hours of walking, the rising sun shines pale stripes of light and the morning comes to greet me with new hope. I can clearly see it now, it’s a big city, one that could house millions, but as I walk the empty streets, I’m left to wonder if it’s ghost city. There’s no one here. I reach an inn and from the looks of it, it must be open.

Great, because my stomach is burning from hunger and my mouth is filled with thick saliva from thirst.

My NCI warns me that soon I’ll suffer from exhaustion. It’s a status that can only be removed if my avatar eats and drinks the required amount. That’s a status I encountered in only a handful of virtual games, but this one’s different. Not only I’m notified by my Neural Control Interface, but my avatar has other senses that warn me as well. Awesome! And after my encounter with my sexy mistress, I’m starting to enjoy the pleasures of this avatar of mine even more.

So, back to the topic at hand. If I don’t eat, drink and rest, I’ll receive a penalty, so to the inn I go. Then, I stop for a moment and think: If I was sent here, then there’s a main quest I must fulfill. If I do, I’ll probably log out from this game and return back to Asphodel Meadows sector once I’m done. Better know what the main quest is, as inns and alehouses are the ideal places to obtain information.

It takes me a couple of minutes to find the Adventure Log and open the main quest. There are two main quests actually.

I open the first one: Kill Sarpedon, the Undead King of Lycaonia.

Ok, sounds clear to me.

Then, I open the second quest: Kill Alastor, the Demon Lord of Lycia

Both quests are clear, the problem is that I have absolutely no idea who these guys are. I’ll have to ask the innkeeper if he knows anything about them.

I rush into the door to the inn. The ground floor is full of tables and the bar curves at the back of the room. A foul smell harasses my nostrils, but I can manage. I see then a barkeeper standing behind the bar, staring at me curtly. I decide to approach him, giving him a harsh look, trying to intimidate him at the same time. His Threat Level is 2, just like mine.

“Greetings,” the barkeeper snarls at me and at the same time grabs a mug and starts cleaning it with a kitchen cloth. He bangs the mug on the bar, in front of me. “What can I get you lad?”

“I need food and water,” I tell him, staring him eye to eye.

“Got coin?” He demands with a hard look.

I think for a moment, but nothing comes out of my mouth.

“I’m not a charity, kid, get lost before I kick you out,” he tells me.

Ok, negotiations are failing. Maybe I ask him if there’s something I can do for him. Side quests are a great way to get some coin and help friendly fellows at the same time. “I was attacked and lost everything. I might be able to help you, help me,” I tell him.

“Help me how?” Frowned, the barkeeper asks me.

“I’m a mage, and a handy one. If you have a request, I might be able to help you in exchange for food and a roof over my head.”

Now I got his attention! He’s thinking.

“I’ll get you something to eat and drink, then tell you what I need,” he replies in all seriousness.

Well, I could ask him what he wants, this way I could have a better leverage, but my hunger and thirst get the better of me. I’ll do anything he asks for now.

I sit on a table and after a few moments the barkeeper brings me three eggs and half a loaf of dry bread. It takes me only a few moments to devour everything. Now, I’m ready to listen out his request, as the warning for a possible exhaustion fades away.

“My daughter’s name Melissa. She’s young and beautiful.”

Now he gets my attention. I’m interested in Melissa as well. “Was she kidnapped?” I interrupt him.

He glowers at me. “She was asked to serve our new lord, Nestor in the Vampire Castle. It’s been two months since the last time I saw her. I receive letters every week, but I haven’t seen her myself. I don’t know if she’s actually doing well. I mean, I trust our new lord, but I’d like to see if she fares good there. I’m not allowed to visit the castle myself.”

“So, you want me to sneak in and find out if she’s still alive?”

The barkeeper stammers. “I… I’m sure she’s alive and well, our benevolent lord would never harm her. Since he took over, Pedasa is thriving. He exterminated most of the ghouls of the Great Graveyard and the vampires dare not to approach the city.”

A notification appears before me: Accept Side Quest?

“I accept your quest, but I’ll need more than dry bread and three eggs, if I’m to lose my life searching for your daughter.”

The barkeeper nods agreeably.

While my new friend Markos, cooks a proper meal for me, I ask him about the location of the Vampire Castle and how Melissa looks. Now that I have a good understanding, I should find out about the Undead King and the Demon Lord.

“You know anything about Sarpedon? The Undead King?”

He gives me a serious look. “Who hasn’t? He’s one of the three Plagues of Anatolia, although only he remains now.”

“What happened to the other two?” I want to know.

Markos exclaims. “Nestor’s brother, Alastor, got them out of their misery once and for all. It’s been two months since he got rid of Lamia, the Vampire Queen that plagued this city and it seems he killed Lycaon, the Lycaon lord.”

Intriguing. I must learn more about this Alastor. “And why did he do that?”

Markos shrugs his shoulders. “I have no idea. What I know for sure however, is that he plans on putting an end on Sarpedon’s reign, once and for all. That’s what he said at least, when he left Pedasa and left his brother as lord and commander.”

I have to ask.“Is Alastor a demon?”

Markos stops for a moment, thinks and stares at me. “He has horns on his forehead. I don’t know what he and his team are, but they seemed a pretty capable lot. They got rid of the Vampire Queen in a matter of days, then flied away with his Titan Dragon.”

“A dragon?” I exclaim from interest.

He scoffs and shakes his head left and right. “I know you don’t believe it, I didn’t either.”

Actually, I was sure dragons exist in this world. “And where’s this Alastor?”

“Probably he’s back at Lycia, where he’s from. He’s building an army to fight Sapredon.”

“Interesting!”

“Want to join him?” Markos mocks me as he stares at me.

Wow! That’s an excellent idea, I think to myself. But for now, all that matters is to devour this tasty chicken he cooked for me and find his daughter, Melissa.