"No," Damon said simply. "I'm not Ellora. She sent me."
Varnyx's eyes narrowed ever so slightly. Damon fished out the charm from his pocket and showed it to the vampire.
After a long silence, Varnyx finally nodded. "She must believe you're worthy."
'Nope. I just knew what tickled that freak liked.' Damon silently thought.
Changing race from human being to vampire was actually not that uncommon in the game. Many people decided to go this route and within the vampire race, there were many classes to choose from.
It was a very popular choice right alongside becoming a demon, an undead or a beastkin. There were many ways to get these race changes and they all involved reaching level 25 first and then doing a long and annoying chain quest.
That was until one player stumbled into the old bat Ellora's shop with his Rabbit Killer title.
He got the instant shortcut to change into a vampire. The key was to show up at the well entrance with Ellora's personal charm.
The location of the well was not exactly a secret. In fact all the players knew about this well. It was the hideout base for all vampire players in this started zone. Many players had already tried to sneak into the well without the charm but they were all one-shotted by the grouch Varnyx over here. Only those with the charm can successfully take the shortcut.
By the time these things were established it was already 3 months into the game. But now, Damon was here on day one.
Varnyx turned and began walking into the dark tunnel and Damon silently followed him. "Come," he said without looking back. "Your blood is still warm, but that won't last long."
It was dark inside the tunnel but Damon already knew this place like the back of his hand.
Eventually, the narrow tunnel opened into a vast underground chamber. The ceiling was lost in shadow, but rows of bone-carved pillars stretched into the darkness like fangs. At the center stood a stone altar etched with crimson runes that pulsed like a heartbeat. Pools of stagnant blood shimmered around it, and above, a floating sigil of the vampire crest turned slowly in the air like a crown.
A golden blood crown.
Varnyx turned to face Damon, his eyes now glowing with intensity. "You are about to forsake your mortality," He spoke slowly, raising both hands. "You shall no longer remain weak. Your heart will beat slower. Your hunger will grow. Your strength will awaken."
The room vibrated as the runes lit up brighter.
[Warning: You are about to change your race to Vampire. This change is permanent.]
[Do you wish to proceed? Y/N]
Damon didn't blink. "Yes"
He knew this was the right choice. He had become a vampire in his last life as soon as that option became available. Maybe back then he did not make this choice for the right reasons but now he was used to this race.
He knew the ins and outs of it and more importantly, he knew how to trigger the quest for the legendary artifact. He would be a fool to chase after some other race and class and let this advantage go to waste.
Varnyx nodded in approval at this resolute answer. The vampire's fangs gleamed as he smiled. "Bleed."
A shadowy dagger appeared in his hand, and without ceremony, he plunged it into Damon's chest.
Pain exploded through him but Damon's face was still the same. He had faced much worse in his life and this small bit of pain no longer fazed him. The blood on the altar shot towards him and coiled around him. His vision darkened. His heart slowed.
[Race Change Complete: You are now a Vampiric creature – Bloodborn Path Unlocked.]
[Passive Unlocked: Heightened Senses, Eternal Hunger]
Heightened Senses: You see better in the dark, hear farther than most, and notice things others miss. Faint footsteps, whispered voices, the smell of fresh blood, nothing escapes you.
Eternal Hunger: A gnawing void anchors itself in your soul, demanding blood. The longer you go without feeding, the stronger the craving becomes. Ignore it too long, and you may lose yourself. Satisfy it, and you'll feel unstoppable.
Damon's eyes snapped open, and they were burning red. He was now able to see much better in the darkness. He stared at his reflection in the blood pool and he could see that his skin had taken on a paler, smoother tone. His fangs were barely visible unless he smiled, but he could feel them pressing lightly against the inside of his lip.
[Ding! Congratulations. You are the first player to unlock a hidden race]
[Ding! Achievement Unlocked. Discoverer of Vampires. As the first player to discover the hidden race, you gain +500 reputation with Vampires and +500 notoreity]
Damon grinned. He hadn't expected this nice sweet bonus for changing his race. This made his next plan a lot easier to put in motion. Reputation points were a bitch to grind and especially so with arrogant vampires. They don't give it away so easily.
Notoriety was also a nice add-on. As a dark faction player, one needed high notoriety to interact with any decent NPC. Otherwise, they simply wouldn't respect you.
Both Reputation and Notoreity were something he planned on grinding this week and now his time had been freed up to do other better things.
With a three-month head start and prior life knowledge about the vampire race and the vampire classes, he was now free to plunder all of the hidden resources in the vampire world.
This time Bloodreign was going to be his.
Damon mentally adjusted his plans when a new notification popped in front of him.
[Ding! Please choose a class before you proceed]
Damon smiled. He swiped the notification away without a second thought. Nope. It was still not time to select a class.
Then the next notification popped up. It was his status screen.
***
[Blood God]
Class: N/A (Requires Awakening)
Species: Vampire
Race: Bloodling
Bloodline: N/A (Requires Awakening)
Level: 1
Faction: Dark
Experience: 0/100
Health: 50
Mana: 50
Stamina: 8
Strength: 6
Intelligence: 8
Agility: 6
Physical Defense: 2
Magical Defense: 2
General Skills: Heightened Senses, Eternal Hunger