Corvinus
After tormenting Marius for a few more hours I eventually decided that it was probably time to go swoop in and save Amelia. I didn't go out of my way to save her only to let her get killed walking into a trap that I should have seen a mile off. Selene didn't exactly know where the Eastern Coven was, nor did our guest in the dungeon. That left very few options in finding out where the Covens made their home. I didn't remember much from the last two movies, so I resigned myself to sending out Alruna and my pack to scour the countryside looking for the Coven. The Cleaners weren't much help, surprisingly. Their information network had died with Alexander Corvinus. I had made a note to have them piggyback off of my network to monitor New York and had a few of their members who were well versed in programming start creating a surveillance network that would essentially spy on the whole world using every single camera system. I stole the idea from another movie, but for the life of me I just couldn't remember which movie.
Selene and I sat on the balcony of a five star hotel room I had rented for the week. The concierge had made an impressive impression of a fish when I tossed her several stacks of hundred dollar bills. Alruna was still out searching and was keeping in contact through comms devices that I had purchased in the Gamer Shop. I looked over to Selene who was softly stroking her pregnant belly.
Another surprise came in the form of her rapidly expanding stomach. She was only a month pregnant at most but visually looked at least five months in. I didn't know if it was the supernatural aspect of our child, or just a common occurrence with vampire pregnancies. Selene was still mainly a vampire based hybrid after all.
"She's kicking already." Selene said with a smile.
"Hard to imagine that she's literally only a month and some weeks old."
"This is natural for our kind, they grow fast up until their late teens where they slow down and eventually stop aging."
'Huh, so that answers that.'
"When you say 'grow fast', do you mean physically, mentally, or both?"
"Both, it wouldn't make sense for children to grow disproportionate to their appearance."
"You'd be surprised, humans have several ailments that would result in that."
"Well, we're not humans dear, far from it. In fact, I think our little moon will be just as special as you and I."
"Little moon… I like that, my littlest moon."
"Our, she's our little moon."
"How long do you think, before you give birth?"
"At the rate things are going? I'd like to say half a month or less."
"Good, I'll have all of this wrapped up in a few days at most."
"You may have to figh-" Selene began.
"Say, you wouldn't mind if I burned the entire place to the ground now would you?"
"Blake, you alone have probably killed more vampires than even the Lycans."
"Love, those sparkly assholes don't count."
"Even then, just try not to cause an entire race to go extinct." Selene said with a sigh.
"Why not? We can repopulate." I replied with a lecherous grin.
"You're insatiable… I'm very pregnant Blake, no sex until I've recovered."
"Very well, I'll have to leave you here when I go after the Eastern Coven then."
"I'm fine with that, I'd rather not put our child at risk."
I hummed, "I thought you put up more of a fight, insist on coming with me even. I thought you'd even suggest wearing armor tailored to fit over your belly."
"While that is an interesting idea, Luna comes first. I may be stubborn but I'm not stupid. Just go do what needs to be done and get back here as soon as you can."
I nodded to her with a smile, "Keep the bed warm, I'll test that 'no sex' policy you have when I get back."
Selene chuckled before shooing me out of the room. With one last look at the woman that had quickly gone from a school yard crush to the center of my world I left the room and stepped into a portal I created to my pocket dimension. It came as a shock to me to find out that the space I had created traveled with me despite being made while I was in another world entirely. I also found that I had significant control over time in the pocket space.
'Hera? Is this a whole world or just a large pocket space.'
While you are on your first steps to godhood, you are not quite powerful enough to make an entire world yet Blake. This space you are in is only about as large as a country
'That's still massive, and what about the plants and animals. I'm pretty sure 'the void' doesn't exactly cover creating life.'
The Void is the space that all things eventually go Blake. Everything from souls to faded gods and goddesses that don't quite make it to the Realm of the Faded
'Why the Void though? Out of all the things I could be giving control over, why The Void?'
I do not know, perhaps you have a connection with the place?
'I did find myself drifting through a void before you or whoever found me and brought me to this world.'
That shouldn't have been possible. Nevertheless you are here now
'So in this pocket space, I have complete control over what happens?'
That seems to be the case, perhaps you'll discover something new. Just don't forget about your task Blake
'I won't…'
I looked around at the thriving 'world' I had created with a smile. I was already able to control time with my Skills but now that I had a place where I could freely manipulate the flow of time without spending MP, I thought of all the possibilities it presented. I remembered seeing dragon eggs in the Gamer Shop and quickly opened the menu. I found the eggs being sold and sighed in relief when I found out that I had the choice of how many eggs I bought. Each egg was going for a measly hundred million dollars. That was hardly a dent in my massive fortune. Buying two I left one in my inventory and held on in my hand.
The petrified dragon egg was covered in dull black scales that must have glimmered once. I cast Observe on the egg and began to read the information.
Dragon Egg (Dormant)
Hatching Requirements:
Mystical Flames:
Human Sacrifice x 1:
Blood Offering:
'Not too bad for one dragon egg. I wonder if the number of human sacrifices play into how strong the dragon gets?'
Shrugging I set the petrified dragon egg in my inventory before stepping out of my pocket dimension. An idea for where exactly I could find some humans to sacrifice popped up in my mind making me grin. Discreetly teleporting to the National Archive I hunted down a specific list of individuals. Thirty minutes later I had Alruna and the pack visit the homes of over 200 registered sex offenders. Another fifteen minutes later I was back in my pocket dimension with all two hundred bound gagged and terrified sexual deviants on their knees in a circle around the petrified dragon egg. Alruna grinned savagely before disappearing in a flash. The pack had helped set up a pyre in the center of a stone temple I had created in my pocket space. Alruna had been ecstatic when I told her about the scum I was going to sacrifice to bring forth a dragon. Turns out even werewolves hated pedophiles, who would have guessed.
The muffled cries of two hundred men and women echoed in my empty pocket space. The wild life must have sensed something since they all disappeared to the far corners of the created continent. I drew Dark Sister from her scabbard and the blade erupted into black flames. The heat from the demonic fire made the hair on my arms curl. The 'volunteers' in my sacrificial circle started panicking and screaming through the gags that had been stuffed in their mouths. Tears stained their faces and some even soiled themselves. I felt no remorse for these vile wastes of human life. Their death would birth something more useful in the long run. Feeling a bit melodramatic I raised Dark Sister into the air and began to speak. I knew they could all hear me.
"For the crimes against humanity, and the atrocities committed to innocents. I, Blake Corvin, of the house of Corvinus, Lord of the Void, sentence you to die."
The muffled screams and pleas of mercy grew to a fevered pitch. I pointed Dark Sister at the center of the circle. Black flames leapt from my sword and washed over the 200 sacrifices. Their shrieks and pained shouts rose with the flames. Their bodies consumed by the demonic flames crumbled to ash. A pulse of power thrummed from the egg as it began to absorb the black flames. Another burst of power scattered the ashes away from the stone temple. I could feel a connection set in place as cracks began to appear on the eggs shell. I rushed over to the egg and made the final step in hatching the dragon. Using Dark Sister I cut the palm of my hand and smeared my blood on the shell. The blood immediately began to sizzle as more cracks appeared on the egg. In a flash of light the egg exploded open and a black dragon stumbled out of the shell it once occupied.
The black dragon chirped at me with what I assumed was the equivalent of a smile for a dragon. The dragon was unlike the dragons I had seen on the Game of Thrones show. Instead of two legs it had four, and it had blood red eyes that shone with intelligence. Casting Observe on the newborn dragon and nearly laughed like a villain when I read the information that appeared.
(Unnamed)
HP: ♾️
MP: 5,000,000/5,000,000
Age: 1 day
Species: Elder Dragon (Female)
Status: Bonded to Blake Corvin
Bio: Elder Dragons come from an age long gone. First thought to be an ancient ancestor to modern dinosaurs, that theory has since been debunked. Elder Dragons grow with their bonded individuals. They grow twice as fast as normal dragons and can rely solely on magic to sustain themselves. (Being Bonded to a Demonlord has elevated this Elder Dragon. Its stats will always permanently be half of its bonded individual.)
"I guess you're going to need a name."
The dragon chirped at me, her tail thumping on the ground excitedly. I grinned at her and took out chunks of beef from my inventory that I had prepared beforehand. The dragon yipped and snapped at the meat.
"How about…"
[Scene Break]
Tiamat had grown in the accelerated time frame in my pocket dimension. She was now bigger than a two story house and could easily eat a whole cow in one bite. Time outside my pocket dimension was frozen until I stepped out. With that in mind I had spent several weeks in my created world feeding Tiamat my magic and herds of cattle. She had an appetite to match her size, according to what I had read she was soon going to be able to sustain herself on ambient magic in the worlds she would be in whether it was my pocket space or the outside world. She had also developed speech, though she was only able to communicate through our mental bond. I watched her fly through the air with surprisingly grace for her size.
'A few more laps Tia, we have to go soon.'
'Am I finally going to get to see the outside world father?'
She always referred to me as her father, I had tried to get her to call me by my name but she refused to the point of huffing and blowing a small gout of black fire at me. Her fire didn't harm me, just like mine did nothing to her obsidian-like scales.
'Yes, you've grown enough so that nothing can ever hope to harm you.'
'I shall make you proud father, our enemies will tremble at our might.'
She sounded amused, with a roar she dove straight down and landed with an impressive display of acrobatics. The ground shook as she walked towards me. I reached out a hand and gently stroked her snout. A satisfied rumble radiated from her chest as she closed her eyes leaning into my touch. Tiamat lowered herself so that I could jump up onto the saddle I had put on her. Once I was properly seated she roared again and took off into the sky. A whoop of joy left my mouth as we shot into the air. The wind rushed through my hair as we circled in the sky a few times before I opened a portal to the outside world in front of her.
She flew through the portal and we reappeared thousands of feet in the air over the European continent. Even so high up in the air the ambient heat Tiamat radiated kept the both of us warm. She lazily flew around for a few moments while I set a waypoint in my minimap to the location that Alruna had sent me telepathically. The images had come through the second Tiamat and I emerged back in the outside world.
'Fly in the direction I tell you to Tia, we should reach our destination in several minutes at the speed you're going.'
Tiamat roared in acknowledgement before shooting off towards the direction I had mentally sent her. The clouds zoomed past as we flew by. I hunched down, lowering my profile on her back. Moments later I mentally called for her to stop and she began to hover over an isolated mansion in the countryside. Leaving Tiamat to hover I flamed to the front of the mansion and projected my voice so that I could be clearly heard.
"Hello there, I'm here to speak with your Elder. I think you know her? Goes by Amelia, dark hair, about yea tall."
The mansion was silent, I knew they had heard me. I could hear the vampires running around inside grabbing weapons and shouting out orders. I waited for a few more seconds before speaking again.
"We can do this the easy way, or I can burn this entire building down to the ground. Your choice."
Their response was to raise their steel shutters, I sighed. I really didn't want to go commuting another mass genocide but clearly vampires only knew how to communicate through violence. I teleported back to Tiamat and got on her saddle. Rubbing her scales I sent her a mental message as I drew Dark Sister.
'Let's make our entrance Tia.'
'Let's burn them all.' She roared in approval.
I clenched my legs in the saddle as she nosedived towards the mansion. Tiamat slowed just enough to not crash into the building. Alarms could be heard blaring inside as ports opened in the window shutters. Gun barrels emerged and began to fire. The silver bullets harmlessly bounced off Tiamat scales and my armor. Tiamat roared before unleashing a blast of black flames at the mansion. I watched in awe as the flames impacted the masonry like a cannonball, shattering the walls and turning any vampire unfortunate enough to be in the way into ash instantaneously.
I jumped off of Tiamat's back and landed in the opening she had created. She landed in the courtyard of the mansion and began to wreak havoc, stomping on cars and spewing flames on everything in her path. I grinned at her antics and turned my attention to the Death Dealers rushing at me. Spinning Dark Sister in my hands I met their charge with a swipe of my sword decapitating three of the vampires. More bullets pinged off of my armor and I sent a blast of lightning from my hand towards where the bullets came from. There were screams of pain as the charged electrons struck the vampires taking cover behind an overturned desk. While I fought I could feel the souls of the vampires I killed being absorbed into me turning into levels and experience points. I worked my way through the mansion cutting through Death Dealers by the dozens.
Eventually their numbers dwindled down and I was faced with a group led by a woman wielding a silvery sword. A blond haired man stood at her side with a scowl on his face. Around them a dozen or so Death Dealers had their rifles aimed at me. I stabbed Dark Sister into the ground and took off my helmet before looking at the gathered crowd in amusement.
"Before you ask the usual stupid questions, my name isn't important, I don't care who you are, all I'm here for is Amelia. So be a good bunch of bloodsuckers and kindly bring her to me."
The woman sneered at me, "And why should we do that? You're clearly outnumbered."
The Death Dealers looked at her wide eyed in disbelief. Some had even lowered their weapons slightly before she had spoken.
"Clearly you haven't seen the current state of your mansion or your people. I could as easily just cut you all down in the blink of an eye but I'd rather avoid spilling anymore vampire blood today."
"You're delusional, bring me his weapon."
I let out a sigh, "You know I was feeling merciful. But clearly you villain types just don't know when you're beat."
I put my helmet back on and picked up my sword again. The Death Dealers stepped back in alarm. My voice came out muffled through the steel of my helmet.
"Last chance, bring Amelia to me or I'll water the ground with your blood."
The woman glared at her subordinates, "What are you waiting for! Seize hi-"
She never got to finish what she was saying, the blond haired man drew his pistol and shot her between the eyes before she could. Her body dropped to the ground in a heap as the rest of the Death Dealers turned to the man in shock.
"God I thought she would never shut up."
I sheathed Dark Sister at my hip and took off my helmet. Tucking the helmet under my arm I looked at the man who looked ridiculously calm for someone who just capped his boss.
"Interesting, you treat all your bosses like that?"
"No, only ones that let the power get to their head. Besides Semira wasn't my boss, my Loyalty is to the leader of this Coven. Who has been imprisoned by Semira for no apparent reason." He replied.
"Why wait that long though, you could have stopped her at any time?"
"I wanted to see how far she would go." He shrugged.
"Right then, fair enough. Will you be releasing Amelia? I don't think this mansion will remain standing if I have to go looking for her."
The man nodded before glancing at two Death Dealers who immediately ran off. "While we wait, would you like some refreshments?"
"I'd like that, give me a second. I have to tell my daughter that she doesn't have to raze this building to the ground anymore."
He raised his eyebrows. "Daughter?"
I smirked at him. 'Tia, the vampires have surrendered. You can ease up on the fire and destruction now.'
'Very well father, should I be there with you?'
'If you want, just try not to-'
Tiamat's head crashed through the wall behind me and looked around before spotting me. She gave me a playful nudge and I patted the scales on her nose.
"Your daughter is a dragon?"
"Yeah, this is Tiamat. Tia, this is… I'm sorry I never got your name."
"Varga, my name is Varga."
"Well then, Tia this is Varga. Varga, this is Tiamat."
Varga smiled uneasily while nodding at Tiamat, she blew a plume of smoke at the vampires and gave the dragon equivalent of a snort.
'Are we sparing them father? These ticks taste delicious when roasted.'
'I'm sure they do, but yes. They're likely the last of their kind in this contentment. I'd rather not drive a species to extinction.'
"Erm, yes… I'd rather not be dragon food too." Varga muttered.
"You heard us?" I said in surprise.
"In my head, yes."
'Tia?'
'Our connection can extend itself to the people around us father, it makes communication easier.'
"I see, the more you learn eh?" I said out loud with a grin.
Before Varga could reply the contingency of Death Dealer returned with a shackled Amelia. Varga reached for the shackles to unlock them but I beat him to the punch. With a sharp flick Dark Sister sent the restraints clattering to the ground cut in several places. The vampires blinked owlishly while I sheathed Dark Sister with a smug grin on my face.
"Now then, on to business. Amelia, the people you see around you are all that's left of your Coven. The rest… they didn't quite make it."
"You killed them!" She exclaimed.
"Well, they didn't respond well to my demands."
Amelia looked like she was searching for a rebuttal, her shoulders slumped when she found none. She glanced at Varga and the other vampires.
"None of you have anything to say?"
"Lady Amelia, he's right. We heard the offer of parlay. Semira ordered us to open fire. We didn't have much of a choice."
"You're the head of security Varga! You could have put a stop to Semira."
"Be that as it may Lady Amelia, there were too many people loyal to Semira. The whole council has been imprisoned, and those loyal to her would have killed us the second we attacked Semira."
"Right," I interrupted. "While you guys sort this out, all I have to say is. Try not to draw my attention again. I'm long overdue for a vacation and I'd really hate to have to come back here to knock some sense into you people."
"You're just going to leave?" Amelia said with a look of shock.
"Uhh, yeah? I came to free you and I did. The plan is for you to fix this mess and try to fix the whole blood feud you've got going on with the Lycans. You're leaving evidence of the supernatural world for humans to find and trust me, you don't want the humans to find out about the supernatural world."
"But…"
"No but, fix this shit Amelia. You're not like the other Elders, you are actually logical and willing to get things done. I'll be back to check on your progress. Until then, I have a pregnant woman to take care of."
'Tia, let's go.'
[Scene Break]
Amelia watched Blake jump into the massive dragon before the two disappeared in a burst of black flame. The oppressive aura left the room leaving her feeling like she could breathe again.
"T-that was a dragon."
"Lady Amelia?"
"I didn't even notice the dragon…"
Varga looked at the last Elder and sighed, she was clearly in shock. He gently put a hand on her shoulder and she turned to look at him.
"My Lady, we need to move. The mansion is in ruins and we hardly have the capabilities to get repairs started."
Amelia nodded dumbly before looking around. "Get the rest of the council out of the dungeon. We need to head to the Nordic Coven."
"At once my Lady."
Varga turned on his heel followed by the rest of the remaining Death Dealers. A few minutes later the remaining council members were standing around Amelia taking in the destruction of their once beautiful mansion. Thomas reached out to grab Amelia's arm.
"My Lady, what has happened here?"
"Semira, she drew the ire of the one person in this world who has a dragon."
"You're saying that a dragon did this?"
"Varga and his men saw it. The ashes of our brethren laying in the ruins of our home should be evidence enough."
"What are we to do then? Where will we go?"
"North, we will go north. Vidar will welcome us."
Thomas pulled Amelia to the side when he felt no one was paying them any attention. He drew her into an embrace which she returned. She broke the hug off with a sigh before looking at him.
"Our son, where is he?" She whispered.
"Var Dohr. I sent him away weeks ago before Semira imprisoned me along with the other council members."
"We will see him soon Amelia, that I can promise."
She nodded, sharing a quick chaste kiss they separated and returned to helping the remains of the Coven with their tasks. The remaining vampires began to pack and salvage what they could from the burning rubble. Their moods somber as they stepped over burned skeletons and piles of ashes. Hundreds of miles to the north, in a castle obscured by mist and ice Lena woke from her meditative state with a gasp. Her silvery white hair clung to her damp face as she regained her breath.
The vision she had gotten by using her Covens gift had not been a pleasant one. She had witnessed the death of hundreds. A being made of fire and death, a beast that bathed entire armies in black flames. Her vision had changed dramatically since the day they had gotten news that Amelia had been injured. Her old visions had shown her a world where her kind had been hunted by humans. She saw a woman and her daughter at the center of a conflict that brought their old enemies to Var Dohr. Now all she saw were shadows of unseen foes and the beast that breathed black flames. Lena didn't know if this was good or bad, her visions were never that clear. She quietly dried herself off before changing into her fur lined clothes. As she made her way up the stairs back to the main castle she heard an ear piercing roar and her eyes widened. Her heart was hammering in her chest. Her blood ran cold, she remembered the beast in her vision.
[Scene Break]
I had Tiamat fly around a bit after we left the ruins of the Eastern Coven. With the adrenaline finally flowing out of my bloodstream I winced at the memory of having killed so many people. Tiamat sent a wave of calm through our mental connection.
'I'm just afraid all this power is changing me Tia. That's all.'
'Is change really that bad father?'
'It is when I slowly start to become a heartless monster that slaughters people for the sake of killing.'
'You are far from heartless, maybe a bit bloodthirsty. But that's what makes you my father. You behave like a dragon in human skin. You would burn the world to ashes for those you care about.'
'Thanks Tia…'
Tiamat hummed in my head, I thought about what she said. I had always been a bit selfish when it came to people and things I cared about. Maybe ascending in power enhanced that. The bond with Tiamat definitely gave me more draconic behaviourisms. Not that I didn't already have pyromaniac tendencies, or a big mountain of money that I could consider my horde, or the urge to smite people who disrespected me. The memory of the entities that I had defeated in the alternate past came to the forefront of my mind. I wondered if they could somehow influence me too. Gamer's Mind should have prevented it, but 'impossible' was no longer a word in my dictionary. Seeing that I had a few more hours to burn I decided to take a trip north.
Finding the Nordic Coven was much easier than I had expected. I just flew north and kept going when the icy mist got thicker. Eventually we reached a lone castle perched on a cliff side next to a frozen waterfall. Tiamat roared out our greeting before I jumped off her back. She flashed brightly before disappearing. A tattoo in her likeness appeared on my right arm swirling from my shoulder to my wrist.
'I can remain hidden this way, these bloodsuckers are different. They don't stink of death like the others.'
I looked at the tattoo on my arm in wonder. Tiamat moved around as if getting comfortable before settling down and staying still. I hadn't known that my familiars could show up on my body as tattoos, I didn't mind much. I had always wanted tattoos. I wondered how Selene would react, I leave to help out Amelia and come back covered in tattoos. I chuckled at the thought before turning my attention to the group of vampires in white fur. The lead vampire was a white haired woman who looked at me cautiously. I took off my helmet and tucked it under my arm. She gasped in shock when she saw my face before covering the distance and throwing herself in my arms. I nearly fell to the ground with her momentum. I put my one free arm around her and awkwardly returned her hug. What I wasn't prepared for was for the woman to suddenly start kissing me. In my shock my instincts took over, my helmet fell to the snowy ground as I wrapped my other arm around the woman returning her kiss. She moaned into my mouth when I pulled her closer. Tiamat's amused cough returned my senses to me and I hurriedly pulled away much to the woman's disappointment.
"What's wrong Matthias? Don't you remember me?"
The rush of confusion was stemmed by Gamer's Mind. I quickly froze time and let out a sigh.
'Hera, does the name Matthias ring any bells for you?'
I don't know much about this world Blake, the Fates were in charge of placing you in a life suitable for the choices you made before being returned to the land of the living
'So I could be this Matthias, or I could be some reincarnation?'
As I've said, I'm not sure. I'm not all knowing you know… though, with your abilities you can certainly find out
'I think I'll do just that, I hate not knowing things.'
Vaguely remembering that these vampires had access to mystical powers. Powers that let them apparently see things beyond the waking world. It was a risk but what was an adventure without a bit of risk. I released my hold on time and looked at the woman.
"Matthias?" Her voice was barely above a whisper.
'Fuck my life, time to find out if I can develop acting skills'
"Wh- who are you?" I said, trying to sound confused.
Which wasn't really hard, I was confused even Gamer's Mind couldn't prevent the full extent of the confusion I felt.
"What's wrong?" The woman asked with a pained look on her face.
"My memory, it is not what it once was." 'Yeah, that about sounds right. I hope she buys it.'
She looked a bit tearful, "Come, we shall try to restore your mind."
I followed the white haired woman ignoring the people that were staring at me like I was a lion eating a gazelle. Eventually she stopped at a room with elevated stone structures with shallow pools of water in them. The water glowed an ethereal white, I fought the urge to use Observe on them.
"You will need to remove your clothes." She said.
She looked like she was retraining herself from ogling me as I vanished my armor and clothes to my Inventory. I set Dark Sister to the side leaning on a wall. I followed her instructions and lay in one of the pools of water. She began to hum some sort of chant while rubbing me down with something. She slowly covered my body with gauze making me feel like a mummy. I closed my eyes and drifted off to darkness.
Blake, what the hell are you doing?
'Shhh, I'm trying to meditate Hera. This is some sort of ritual that'll give me answers.'
This ritual will open you to forces beyond the Moirai's control Blake. If you go any further I can't guarantee your safety
'Nothing ventured nothing gained.'
Fine! Just remember your promise to help my world
'I will, you keep reminding me as if I'll forget.'
Hera remained silent, I felt myself sinking into nothingness. The darkness swirled around me and I felt something try to latch onto me. I swatted it away with my control over the Void. It returned with more strength and I allowed it to grab hold of me and pull my deeper into the black.
[ The Sacred World]
Matthias Corvinus hid behind a burning cottage as more vampires flooded the village. He clutched a wound at his side and cursed his luck. He had been following a lead on his family's past for months now. He finally caught wind of a village that Markus Corvinus had passed through in order to track his brother down. Unfortunately the information was dated… by decades if not centuries. Matthias traveled to the village only to arrive just as vampires had come through to capture more slaves. He had fought off several vampires before he was hit by a crossbow bolt.
He tried to staunch the bleeding as best he could but he had already lost a fair amount of blood. Thankfully the vampires were too focused on the villagers to go looking for him as he ambled out of the village. He couldn't go back for his horse and risk being attacked again. Feeling faint from the blood loss he wandered further into the snow covered hills away from the village. Matthias blacked out momentarily only to find himself huddled over a fire he did not remember making. Groaning in pain he shifted slightly to draw his dagger. Holding the blade in the flames he waited until the metal was a dull red. Gritting his teeth he pressed the hot knife into his wound.
Pain shot through his cold body as the knife seared his flesh. The smell of burnt skin would have made him gag had he not been fighting back a scream. Breathing hard he set the cooling dagger down and got a fistful of snow. Matthias gingerly pressed the snow where he had cauterized his wound and let out a sigh of relief at the coldness that held the pain at bay. Taking another handful of snow he put it in his mouth to soothe his parched lips. The fire was dying down without the addition of fuel. He kicked some snow into the glowing embers and slowly got on his feet, wincing as the wound on his side throbbed painfully.
Once situated he made his way without any direction, relying solely on his senses born from years of living off the land. He knew that he had to keep moving before the cold claimed his soul. He must have walked for hours before he saw the shape of a castle in the distance. His vision was failing due to his injured state. He wanted to call for help but stopped himself. He wasn't familiar with anyone who owned a castle this far north. For all he knew this castle belonged to the vampires that had attacked that village. Just as the last of his strength left him he saw figures in white coats approaching. Not wanting to die without a fight he drew his dagger before his world darkened and he knew no more.
Once Matthias woke again it was to find himself facing a beautiful woman with streaks of white in her ebony hair. Despite her beauty he knew what she was, even before he saw the pronounced canines in her mouth. He tried to jump out of where he was laying only to find that he was restrained by strips of cloth. He also found that he couldn't speak as his mouth was already covered in the same cloth that was on his body. The last thing he saw was the woman looking at him apologetically before more cloth was wrapped around his face obscuring his vision.
Fear gripped his heart as he struggled to make sense of his current situation. The voices around him were muffled by the water he lay in. Something seized his consciousness and he was pulled into the darkness once more.
"Strange isn't it?"
My eyes widened in shock when I realized that I could move freely while I was witnessing memories that weren't my own.
"Who are you?" I called out.
"You tell me, you are the one witnessing my memories."
"Matthias Corvinus?"
"Pleased to make your acquaintance."
"What's going on?"
"I've pulled you to The Sacred World so that we could speak."
"The Sacred World? Is that the afterlife?"
"Of sorts, I find it interesting that you carry my soul along with another. So I saw it fit to pull you aside so that I could speak with you."
"What do you mean, your soul and another?"
"I am not sure myself, though if I had to guess… I'd say you are my reincarnation. But that does not explain the second soul."
I thought about lying for a moment but decided against it, if he was right then it was only fair that I told him.
"I'm not from this world. I came here after my own death in my world. Fate, you could say, decided that I was to take the place of who I'm guessing was your original reincarnation. He died, I don't know how, and I am now living on in his place."
"As hard as that is to believe, for some reason I believe you. Fate has never been on the side of those who break the natural order."
"So what now?" I asked.
"Now we continue on and watch some more of my, and I guess your memories."
I was once again pushed into Matthias' body to relive his memories.
Matthias let out a groan as he sat up slowly, his hands flew to his side to where he was wounded only to find a raised scar where it once was. He looked around in shock, taking in his new surroundings. The room he was in was nearly bare. A few furs on the bed, a small table pushed into the corner along with a chair. He got out of bed and walked over to the table where a change of clothes had been laid out for him. Looking down he realized that he was naked. Dressing quickly he grabbed a set of furs from the bed and threw it over his shoulder. Pulling it tightly around himself he fought a shiver as he stepped out into the cold corridors of the seemingly empty castle.
The woman from earlier appeared from around a corner and he froze in his steps. Her eyes met his and Matthias felt like a rabbit facing a lion. He wanted to run but his feet were firmly stuck to the ground. She glided over to him on unseen feet. Her white dress flowed in the air as she moved.
"I'm glad that you're awake, I've come to bring you down to the dining hall for some food."
"You will not get my blood so easily vampire!" Matthias spat.
The woman frowned, "We do not want your blood we simply wish to-"
Matthias threw the fur blanket at her and ran past her. He didn't know where he was going and after turning through a few hallways he was thoroughly lost.
"As I was saying, we have food prepared for you."
Matthias definitely did not scream like a little girl when the woman practically appeared behind him. Clutching his chest he stumbled back against the wall wishing to sink into the stones. The vampire drew closer to him looking worried.
"Are you alright?" She asked.
Irrational fear gripped at Matthias' core the vampire reached out to him and he shut his eyes in fear of what she would do.
"I will not hurt you…" She said with a comforting smile. "Would you tell me your name?"
Matthias hesitated, he slowly opened his eyes and let out a breath. His mind tells him that if she had wanted him dead he would have never have made it to the castle.
"Matthias, Matthias Corvinus."
"Pleasure to meet you Matthias, my name is Lena." She replied, a smile still on her face.
The world spun, months passed and the two formed an unlikely friendship. That friendship eventually evolved to something more. They shared many nights laying side by side speaking softly of their future. Several years passed, and their relationship grew stronger. But Matthias never stopped searching for answers about his families past. He heard whispers of a fortress that was said to contain the first werewolf, his ancestor, William Corvinus.
Matthias walked out of their shared room followed closely by Lena. A pack was thrown over his shoulder filled with supplies for his journey. He made his way out of the castle and finally down to a horse he had gotten a week prior.
"I still do not understand why you must leave."
"Lena, I must discover the truth about my family. One of my ancestors is locked away in a fortress if the rumors are to be believed."
"Then let me go with you, I cannot bear to be apart from you."
"You know you must stay here, your Coven needs you. I am but a mortal. My time in this world is limited."
"What are you saying? Do you not love me?"
"Lena I love you with every fiber of my being."
"Then-"
Matthias silenced her with a kiss, a moment passed. He pulled away while brushing her hair out of her face.
"Perhaps some day I will return when I have found the answers to my questions. Will you wait for me until then my love?"
"I will wait for you." She whispered.
He smiled at her, his love for the woman clear on his face. Placing one last kiss on her lips he mounted his horse and rode off. Matthias spent months on the road riding fast towards the rumored fortress he had heard about. He was so close to reaching his goal. A storm thundered overhead, he gripped his horses reins tighter and pushed on. He could see the shape of the fortress in the distance lightning flashed, the ground in front of him exploded in a shower of dirt and stone. His horse panicked and threw him off of the saddle. Matthias crashed heavily on the ground, the impact driving the wind from his lungs. Thunder had struck so close to him, his ears rang painfully. Struggling to his feet he looked for his horse which had unfortunately run off in the chaos. Lightning flashed again, Matthias felt the hairs on his arm tingle. He knew what it meant, he ignored his aching limbs and ran.
The air shimmered ahead of him, thunder crashed down behind him throwing him forward. He flew through the air before going through the shimmering air. He struck a tree painfully and his vision flicked. He did not notice that there had been no trees anywhere nearby before. His last thoughts before his vision went black was of Lena.
The memory sequence ended but I still remained in the vast emptiness. I processed what I had just learned for what I saw.
"It took me a while to learn that I had somehow ended up in a world that wasn't mine."
Matthias' voice came from everywhere in the empty space.
"So you got sent to another world? But why?"
I struggled to comprehend how it could have happened. Back in my past life when I was a kid I had read several articles and stories about rifts in reality where people would sometimes slip into alternate dimensions. Certain requirements usually had to be filled for it to happen, but that was just it. Those were just stories, things people made up for the entertainment of others.
"I do not know how I came to be in another world. All I know is that my heart was torn when I realized that I could never return to the one I had left. At least not until I passed on and found myself here."
"But where is here exactly?"
"The Sacred World, as Lena calls it. Is something beyond normal understanding. As I have said, it may be the after life or it may just be a gathering point of the souls of the deceased. I am merely a denizen of this place, I am not it's master."
"This leaves me with more questions than answers. Where did you end up, why do I look like you?"
"In the new world I found myself in, I suddenly found myself thrust into lordship. I kept my name hoping that maybe someone would recognize me. But alas, no one ever did. Time passed and I had a family, they carried my name after my passing. Perhaps it was the same world you came from before coming into this world, perhaps you are a true descendant of mine."
"I wouldn't put it past the Fates to fuck with human lives like that." I grumbled.
"Our time draws short, when you wake please give her my apologies for never coming back. Tell her that I never stopped thinking of or loving her."
"I will."
"That is all I ask. Farewell voyager."
[Outside World]
I sat up in a startle, the cloth had been removed from my body and I was now laying in a bed covered in furs. I felt an eerie sense of déjà vu as I took in my new surroundings.
'Fucking bullshit magic bullshit…"
Blake! You're alright, you've been unconscious for hours
'Ah fuck, I'm sure Selene will forgive me. Besides, I got some questions that I think you need to answer.'
What? What do you mean… where did you go? I couldn't sense you after you got in that pool of water
'Let's just say I've been enlightened to the various manipulations that gods seem to enjoy pulling on mortals.'
Wh-
'Hera, I'm trying to be as nice as possible. I know it's not your fault, But WHAT THE FUCK! The Fates clearly meddled in this world before. Matthias Corvinus, does that name sound familiar?'
Matthias was a king in Bohemia, he existed in the world you originally came from. Why is this important?
'Because Hera… Matthias Corvinus came from this world. He was shot through what looked like a portal by a lightning bolt. Maybe thrown by someone you know?'
Tha- that's not possible. The Fates they…
'Has my life just been one big game to them Hera? It certainly feels like they're just happy to push me around on their whims. I supposedly 'chose' this appearance before I was put in this world, interestingly enough it's exactly what Matthais Corvinus looked like. I once again supposedly 'chose' to name you and ironically 'Hera' is your actual name, not only that but as it turns out I may in fact be related to Matthias Corvinus in this life and the last because the Fates had a hand in meddling in his life as well.'
Blake I- I don't know what to say
'You don't need to say anything, I am coming to your world soon and you can count on me becoming powerful enough to wipe Olympus off the map if I get some half assed answer.'
Hera remained silent, I let out the breath that I didn't know I had been holding. Gamer's Mind slowly filtering out the rage that had built up. I wanted to kick myself to the moon for not noticing all the manipulations early on. They hadn't even tried to hide it. I felt foolish for all of three seconds before realizing that the Fates probably still controlled my system. I made a mental note to figure out how to break my system away from the Fates so that they couldn't take away all the power I had already gained. Swinging myself out of the bed I accessed my Inventory and 'equipped' some clothes making the shirt and pants appear on my body with a flash. I stepped out into the hallway and looked around. My senses told me that I was alone for the most part. I felt Lena's presence a floor above me and I teleported directly in front of the vampire.
Instead of jumping up in fright she simply gave me an amused look and smile. I didn't know how to feel about the white haired vampire. On one hand, as Matthais' reincarnation/descendant I felt obligated to see to her. On the other, I was Blake Corvin. Sometimes known as Balthazar Corvinus. Lesser known fact, I named myself Belegûr, because I was a huge Tolkien nerd and because it felt right as a 'Demonlord' to name myself after one of the most powerful 'deities' in Tolkien's works. But most importantly, I was Blake Corvin, soon to be father, supposedly committed mate of one sexy goth vampire turned hybrid. I was also a man, so the thought of having two gorgeous women as mates made me feel some kind of way.
'I definitely need to talk to Selene about this, I'd rather not wake up to that dagger of hers pressed up against my junk.'
"Matthais?" Lena asked softly.
I sighed, "Lena, I'm sorry but I'm not really the Matthais you lost."
A pained look crossed her face before she schooled her features. "Then who are you?" Her voice was even and calculating.
"It's difficult to explain… but I will try nonetheless."
I went into what I had witnessed in the 'Sacred World'. Lena listened without interruption, her eyes occasionally lit up when I mentioned Matthais. She frowned when I mentioned that he had been sent to another world. I left out the fact that it was most likely the Fates of the Greek Pantheon.
"So, are you Matthais' descendant or reincarnation?" She asked when I had finished retelling my experience.
"Ultimately, I'm not sure. Before I came back to this side of things he told me to tell you that he was sorry that he never returned, and that through the years he never stopped thinking about you or his love for you."
"I- I need some time to process this. Thank you for telling me." She said quietly before excusing herself and walking away.
I watched her retreating form and sighed, Tiamat sent me comforting thoughts through the tattoo on my arm.
'She will be fine father, let her grieve in her own time.'
'Thanks Tia.'
Tiamat hummed before falling still on my arm. I pulled out my phone from my Inventory and sent a message to Selene apologizing for not coming back in time and promising that I would come back as soon as I could. She replied within minutes demanding an explanation the moment I returned. Putting the phone back in my Inventory I pulled up my stats manually, I didn't want to speak with Hera at the moment.
Name: Blake Corvin
True Name: Belegûr
Race: Demonlord
Title: Lord of the Void
Level: 487 Next Level: 4,610/150,000XP
HP: nul
MP: 15,000,000/15,000,000 (200,000 per sec)
SP: 7,000,000/7,000,000(200,000 per sec)
(200% when transformed)
STR: 2,964 DMG: 106,700, per hit ( STR/2 x 100 )
DEX: 2,754
VIT: 2,754
END: 2,754
INT: 2,754
WIS: 2,754
Luck: 120
I had gained an even 65 levels from killing the vampires in the Eastern Coven. It wasn't much but it had put my stats closer to hitting 3,000 each. My strength stat was currently my highest. At its current level I could throw a car into orbit. My Intelligence and Wisdom stats allowed me to process information at a fast rate, my high Intelligence stat granted me a near photographic memory. Yet they were near useless if I didn't focus, the proof being that I hadn't seen the manipulations that Hera and the Fates had done. Then again, the Fates still held control over my system so I didn't put it past them to make me ignorant of certain things. Now that I was aware however, I vowed not to let them push me around so easily.
I summoned a large goblet full of warm blood and downed it in one gulp. The crimson fluid filled me with energy and I pulled up my system. Navigating to the Dungeon tab I selected one of the new dungeons and the world shifted around me. It was going to openly defy gods and primordials in the next world jump, I wasn't going to take any chances. Sure I was powerful now, but I knew I could do better. My feet landed on a grassy hill and I looked around taking in where I had landed. I could spot some buildings in the distance, the neon signs were bright and in a foreign language that I interpreted as Japanese. Having such a high Intelligence stat pretty much gave me Bradley Cooper's ability in that one movie where he becomes a pill junkie.
The Kaiju Dungeon seemed peaceful, I knew it was only a matter of time before shit would go down though. Hardly a minute later klaxons went off in the distant city and the ground trembled.
'I smell monster father!' Tiamat exclaimed.
'Let me handle them Tia, you can eat their corpses once they're dead.'
Tiamat roared as she burst from my tattoo and shifted into her true form. I was buffeted by a gust of wind from her winds as she took off into the sky. Just then another roar came from the nearby ocean. Dozens of skyscraper sized monsters emerged from the sea. I felt a grin creeping on my face as I summoned Dark Sister from my Inventory.
"Once more into the fray." I muttered before charging forward, sword wreathed in black flames.
[Scene Break]
System Updated
Change Log:
Rename Function Unlocked
(Cannot Change True Name)
WIS & INT Now Determine Separate Stats
'HP' Stat Removed
Stat Calculations Updated
Respawn Function Unlocked
VIT Stat Removed
Skills Upgraded
Points Refunded
Divine Form Unlocked
I sighed while looking at the information laid out on my screen. My system was a bit overdue for an update. The update came in once I had finally reached level 1000. It also absolutely decimated my Stamina stat but it had also allowed me to set my MP stat to historic numbers. Once I redistributed my refunded points from my VIT stat I took a look at my new stats and grinned.
Name: Blake Corvin
True Name: Belegûr
Race: Demonlord
Title: Lord of the Void
Level: 1000 [Ascend] Next Level: (EXP overflow held)
MP: 90,000,000/90,000,000 (Regen: 946,000 per sec)
SP: 946,000/946,000 (Regen: 94,600 per sec)
(200% when transformed)
STR: 9,670 DMG: 483,500, per hit ( STR/2 x 100 )
DEX: 9,460 (Max Speed: DEX/2: 4,730 MPH)
END: 9,460 SP: (END•100) (Regen END•10 per sec)
INT: 9,460 MP: (INT^2)
WIS: 9,460 MP: (Regen WIS•100 per sec)
Luck: 120
I was now able to level up after reaching level 1000 but I decided that I would save that for when I reached Hera's world. With my current MP levels I could potentially freeze time around me for several days if my calculations were to be trusted, but then again I was dogshit with math so I took that bit of information with a grain of salt. Still, seeing that I could run at Mach 6 made me giggle like a demented child. What more, Tiamat's own stats mirrored half of my own stats. She had to be the strongest dragon in existence. I cleared away the screen and looked up to where she was still flying in circles. She was high up enough to be mistaken for a bird but I knew she had grown exponentially. Where she used to be the size of a two story house, she was now bigger than my mansion back in the outside world. I mentally called her down and she landed with an earth shaking thump. A notification popped up about another wave and I grinned.
'Wanna kill some monsters Tia?'
'Yes! I was bored just eating their bodies between waves father. Do I get to burn them?'
'Burn them, crush them, eviscerate them, it matters not. Let's see what we can do…'
Without further delay I jumped onto the enchanted saddle that adjusted with Tiamat's size. She roared before taking off and flying towards the first Kaiju. A blast of black fire reduced it to a charred corpse. A flock of horse sized flying Kaiju flew towards us. I unleashed a blast of lightning wreathed in black flames that vaporized half the flock before Tiamat chomped on dozens with each snap of her mouth. A blast of fire cooked another dozen, I may have not been leveling up due to already being the max level for my current 'rank' but it didn't hurt building up a pool of withheld experience points that would go to my next 'rank'.
Tiamat dove at a Godzilla knock off and hit into the titanic Kaiju's neck eliciting a pained roar from the monster. I jumped off Tiamat's back and took my ten foot form in a flare of light. I found it ironic that my divine form was an armored giant that radiated heat and suspiciously reminiscent of Sauron. One couldn't deny that it was a badass form, all I needed was an oversized mace to complete the look. Hundreds of drone-like human sized Kaiju rushed at me from the ocean and I cut them down with Dark Sister which had grown along with my form to compensate for the size difference. The sword had quickly become my favorite weapon in my arsenal. Fire and arcs of black lightning danced along the blade adding an extra bite to my attacks. Mere scratches was enough to kill enemies as the fire and lightning tore into their bodies cooking them from the inside.
My dragon roared in triumph as she ripped the Godzilla Kaiju's head clean off its body. The rest of the Kaiju crashed into the ground, crushing hundreds of drones. I summoned Tiamat back into my tattoo and jumped back. I utilized my massive pool of magic casting Falling Star thousands of times eradicating all life around me in a blast of superheated plasma. The very air around me screamed as it was lit ablaze by my power. Hundreds of Kaiju were vaporized and turned into experience points. Once the 'spell' dissipated I was left standing in a burned wasteland. The only thing left was the city left untouched in the distance. Shifting back to my normal size I sheathed Dark Sister at my hip while reequipping my normal clothes.
'That was fun.' Tiamat said in a amused voice.
'A bit cathartic too, I needed to let off some steam and that was one hell of a way to do it. Shall we head back?'
'I've had my fill, we can return to the white haired one.'
The world shifted as I exited the Dungeon, I found myself back in the hall where I entered the dungeon. Checking the clock on the system menu I saw that approximately thirty minutes had passed since I got in the dungeon. I had run an experiment with keeping time running while I was in the dungeon. Usually time would slow to a crawl in the outside world while I was in the dungeon. I could spend ten years in the dungeon and hardly a second would pass in the outside world. I was surprised that I even got results. Usually when I wasn't in the area whatever skill I had active would dispel yet here was proof that my power was evolving along with me. The Skill description might not have changed but it was clear to see that my new status was capable of affecting things even without my presence.
I figured leaving without telling Lena was a bit of a dick move so I found her 'aura' and teleported to it. I found Lena sitting at the corner of her bed and frowned. She looked like she had been crying if her eyes were anything to go by. I didn't even know that vampires could get bloodshot puffy eyes.
"I'm sorry, I have to go Lena."
She looked up, apparently she hadn't noticed my arrival. Her shock turned to horror, she flickered out of existence for a second before reappearing in front of me. I was shocked to see that I could barely keep up with her movement.
'The Sacred World power boost is no joke.'
"You're leaving me again?" She whispered sadly.
'Fuck… crying women, god or not I'm not equipped to deal with that, think Blake. What the fuck do I do, fuck!'
"You can come with me if you wish."
The words tumbled out of my mouth before I had really realized what I said. The second it clicked I was engulfed in another embrace while I tried to think about how exactly I would explain this to Selene.
Weekly Power Status
-- Power
Ranking 
-- Power
stone