29 Spawn (1/2)
”You're not human, are you? No vampire, either.” said the vampires as they stopped their flanking maneuver and gathered together, side-by-side, understanding that they were in for a serious fight. They stiffened their lips and narrowed their crimson gazes. Their fanged teeth bared in snarls as their broken claws regenerated, filling out into their dagger-length glory oncemore. ”This city is vampire territory. You are not welcome here.”
”If you knew what I was, you would be giving me all the welcome that I deserve,” said Li. He rolled up his sleeves. ”But in a way, it's good that I'm wearing my human face for this. Instead of having you blabber in terror at my true form, it's better to teach you to fear me from the ground up.”
”You kill us, and you invoke the wrath of Alarie,” said the vampiric duo. They did not recklessly attack anymore. Li's human form prevented much of his power from being detectable, but even so, they understood that they weren't here to slaughter some helpless flesh and blood man anymore. Their cockiness had faded away and been replaced with a tense wariness.
”Who is that? Your boss?” Li stepped forwards.
”Our Elder. One of Higher kin, one that you will not match.”
Li stopped and looked the vampires up and down. Aside from pale skin and the red eyes, they looked completely human. Also, they maintained a humanoid figure even while rearing to fight, indicating control over their bodies.
These weren't Lamashu, lesser vampires that were basically just blood-sucking beasts, monstrous in appearance, ruled by base instinct, and terrified of the light. These were Izcacu, a more evolved and higher-level variant of vampire, capable of shapeshifting to a human form to withstand light and think rationally.
Li remembered that Lamashu ranged from levels 10 through 40. Beyond that, they evolved into Izcacu, making these vampires at least in that level range. Rather high for the standards of this world. Each of them could likely slaughter an entire company of knights with ease.
And they had mentioned their boss was of higher kin.
Li nodded. Around level 70 or so then, but not at 80, as higher vampires became hierarchs at that point.
”Your boss is a higher vampire, is he? And he owns Black Vine? I thought vampires thought humans as food. When did they start getting into business?”
Find authorized novels in Webnovel，faster updates, better experience，Please click for visiting.
The vampires explained, now more willing to talk. They still had a tenseness to them, a coiled energy about their muscles that was ready to explode into combat the moment the situation turned aggressive, but before then, they were intelligent enough to want to de-escalate.
”We vampires enjoy human society. Their blood is fine, purer than beastman filth and with more substance than watered down elven dregs. But to rampage about and draw attention is to court doom, for though we are powerful, we are still few, and the humans are many. That is why we assimilate in their society. You should understand this, for you too walk among the humans in their skin.”
”Unlike you two, I'm not hiding because I'm afraid, but enough with that. You'll lead me to your boss now.”
The vampires looked at each other, unsure of what to do. Eventually, they nodded and said to Li, ”We cannot do that. We can submit to the Elder that you wish audience, and he will send for you when he feels the time is right.”
Li shook his head and smiled. ”I wasn't asking.”
The vampires stiffened. The air in the rune-sealed pharmacy had become incredibly tense to the point that even the slightest movement or sound became amplified a hundred-fold.
”I gave you two the chance before. I had thought about it quite a while, and honestly, I thought I was being generous, letting you two live your immortal lives out in exchange for leading me to your boss, but what did you do? Attack me.”
Li lazily pointed an open palm towards one of the vampires. He cast [Blood Root]. The crimson, stake-shaped root burst from his palm like a missile, piercing through the vampire's heart. The vampire stared wide-eyed at the root embedded in his chest and his pale hands grasped the root, trying to tear it out.
”Wow, so looks like vampires don't need hearts to live,” said Li.
The other vampire lunged forwards; his arms crossed in front of him. When he neared Li, he uncrossed his arms in a slashing maneuver, his arms glowing a beating red as he empowered himself with [Blood Rush], a vampiric skill to massively enhance physical stats temporarily.
Li raised his free hand and allowed his passive [Bramble Vest] to activate. A barrier of swirling leaves, roots, and thorns emerged around him. The vampire's claws struck the barrier and immediately shattered.
The force of the blow rippled through the barrier, and the wall of roots absorbed it hungrily before immediately growing giant thorns that spiked outwards like a hedgehog puffing its spines out. They skewered through the vampire, slashing his arms into ribbons while riddling his torso full of holes.
The vampire cried out in agony before stepping backwards. Mists of blood started steaming from his open wounds, condensing back into flesh and healing the damage. Vampiric regeneration.
”You,” said Li, pointing to the vampire busy regenerating. ”Stay put. [Root of Vulthoom].”
The vampire breathed heavily as his vampiric powers struggled to repair the horrific damage wrought upon his body, and so he had no time to move as the floorboards beneath his feet broke apart. A bone-white root emerged with frenzied speed, stabbing through both the vampire's ankles.
The vampire screamed as roots began growing inside his legs, crawling up his skin, making their way even up to his face, bulging under his skin like countless exposed veins.
Li grimaced as the vampire continued to scream wildly. It seemed that the spell, which in the game was nothing more than an incredibly powerful root, had become much, much more devastating. In Elden World lore, [Root of Vulthoom] was an appendage of an extraterrestrial Elder One whose roots would invade the very fabric of space and time itself.