Underworld - Book 5 - Chapter 41

I approached the Vampire Gate alone. Shamash had long ago persuaded me that my stealth, as impressive as it was, wouldn’t afford me to sneak past the Tammaro family guards. They weren’t the most powerful lineage, but their ability to see through invisibility was of the highest level.

There was still a mile between me and the Vampire Gate. I was already in the main tunnel that headed straight into its main entrance. There was no reason to worry about patrols being this far out, but I did need to keep an eye out for travelers coming from the gate. With each step, the beating of my heart seemed to pound louder. Mana Sight was at full power, slowing time to my perceptions, which only put even more strain on my nerves. Victory and survival depended upon one thing. Catching the enemy by surprise.

Knowing that this day would come, I contemplated a thousand plans of how to best achieve that goal. Each one was more complex than the last. I had so many Shapeshifting Forms to work with, and so many elements and sub-elements to pull from that the possibilities were quite staggering. Each plan had the same problem. It depended upon the inaction of trained soldiers. It was possible for any number of my plans to work, but I had no idea how proficient or disciplined, the vampires would be. In the end, I settled on the most straight forward approach possible. It wouldn’t require me to rely on a distraction that may or may not work. The only question left was, when should I drop Invisibility and begin?

I spoked to the lich at length about the Tammaro family’s spotting abilities. He’d never worked with them directly, so his practical knowledge was lacking, but he’d heard much about this Vampire Gate during his time with Lord Darius. The vampire’s pride could have embellished some of what he’d said, but Darius, as much as he was capable, was honest with Shamash while he was in his service. The lich was a great source of wisdom for even the most arrogant nobles, and Darius wasn’t a complete fool. He knew the lich’s advice was only as good as the information given to him.

Creeping forward as silently as possible, I felt the seconds stretch and drag. Not only was I unsure if my stealth would hold but I had no way to know for sure if the vampires possessed some form an Invisibility that Mana Sight wouldn’t see through. Shamash said that it was unlikely, but it was possible none the less. Vampire’s had an aptitude for Darkness Magic that other Monster races did not. It was why they were weaker against Solar Magic than the average Dark Magic monster, but also made them naturally competent with all forms of concealment.

As I neared, the tunnel in which I traveled became dimmer and dimmer until all light seemed to be sucked away. It didn’t affect me directly because of my reliance on Mana Sight, but it was a sure sign that I was almost there. The gate’s hall that led up to the gate was like a grand station where many tunnels intersected. This grand hall was made of forged Dark Ore that was so pure that it gave off its own aura to help shroud the room in absolute Darkness. This was why I was so apprehensive while still at a distance. The Vampire Gate was designed to bolster the ability of the monsters guarding it and could ruin my plan before it got started.

Through Mana Sight, the world became one of purple and black. The endless shades of grey all blended into one as the light of the world dimmed. The tunnel floor changed from that of worn stone to paved shadow. The Forged Dark Ore’s aura was so powerful it seemed to drive away the other forms of mana in the air until Dark was all that was left. Thankfully, the Dark Mana in the air wasn’t that dense, or I feared changing to one of my Light Magic Forms could have been disastrous.

I could feel the power of the Tammaro family guards like a mighty wind that blew through the tunnel to oppose me. I was still a half-mile away and the tunnel hadn’t straightened out so there was no line of sight. This feeling was familiar, but much more pressing than the numerous Dark Magic Dungeons that I’d cleared. It was similar to the much greater concentration of mana that Lord Darius, Mistress Nava, and the Head Mistress possessed. I knew none of these vampires would be on that level, but even the least of them would be equal to me in power. Many would be twice my level, and their captain would be level 20,000 at least. Sixty vampires were waiting for me with enough power to end my quest before I was able to take my first step onto the Cavern Level.

My pace sped. It wasn’t Mistress Nava that awaited me, but the excessive Dark Mana stir up the animosity inside me like a spoon to a witch’s brew. I was conscious of the effect my emotions were having upon me, but I didn’t squelch them. Instead, I added salt to the mixture to increase its boiling point. By the time I reached the place in the tunnel where it straightened out, I was frothing at the edge—almost foaming over the brim.

Time Crawl skidded the world to a stop. It was like taking the kettle off the fire to temporarily calm its turbulence. The tunnel hadn’t just straightened, but its walls and ceiling changed as the floor had a few hundred feet behind me. It was like looking down a corridor of living shadow. Only Mana Sight gave me to subtlest hint that two monstrous guards stood to either side of its mouth at the opening of the room.

As time returned to normal, I slipped back out of sight, returning the kettle to the flames. Shadow and Dark fell away from my Form as Rog worked as a transitional state before the flare of my Solar Form cut through the bleakness the surrounded me.

Aeris, I’m coming.

Taking a step around the corner, I was already channeling mana into my palms. The Solar Aspect Mana that erupted from my hands was so compact that the streams of mana were visible to the naked eye. My mana plunged into the heart of a newborn Artificial Sun. Like the final sunrise at the end of time, the light sliced through the darkness as my Solar Magic expanded to fill the tunnel in seconds.

I hadn’t been wrong to overestimate the vampire’s response. A volley over a dozen bolts glowed like purple torches the moment before they were bound to rocket toward me.

My Artificial Sun began to move forward like a rolling boulder. I drove it faster. The tunnel around me was already beginning to crack, but I didn’t slow the flood of mana being channeled into it. The vampire’s initial assault was devoured in my Sun’s mass.

If the Vampire Gate came down around me and crushed us all, so be it. Shamash had spent the last couple months afraid I’d hold back when only my everything would do. Even if he was a mile away, I’d make him feel my progress.

The Artificial Sun reached the gate’s entrance and beamed through it with no resistance. 

I was there a moment later in my Solar Form’s glowing brilliance. Light Vision allowed me to see through the brightness when others could not. Looking from side to side, I saw the two guard’s I’d first seen now lying there with smoke rising from their fallen forms. Using my Form’s speed buff to its full advantage, I sprinted past them, keeping pace with the house size globe of Solar power. It was still gaining speed and size when I almost running into a vampire guard that had been standing directly in its path. He was standing motionless except for the smoke rising off of him. A direct hit had cooked him where he stood. Giving him a nudge with my shoulder, he teetered over. I was gone before he hit the ground.

Magic from multiple schools began appearing throughout the grand hall. My Solar Magic cut through the refined ore’s aura, revealing the room’s secrets. The gigantic gothic columns weren’t as tall as Shamash had described them, but they held up a ceiling nearly two hundred feet tall and were encapsulated by walls just as wide. The vampire’s attacks came from all directions, including some from above.

I wasn’t an easy target to hit 5,600 Dexterity, my Solar Speed Buff, and the light of my Artificial Sun blinding their eyes. With the immense energy coming off of my Sun, none of their attacks flew my way. My plan was working. I’d caught them off guard and was almost to the position to do the most damage.

Reaching the room’s center, I came to a skidding stop. My Artificial Sun stopped with me. With my hands in the air, I stood under the mass of Solar Magic and willed it to rise higher into the middle of the room It had only been seconds since I’d stepped around the corner to begin my assault but channeling the full extent of what my refined mana provided me, 25,209,495 MP, was not an immediate thing. The most mana I’d ever manipulated was 5,000,000, a fifth of what was now available. Even the Mana Cannon we’d built to protect Sanctuary against Mistress Nava only focused 8,000,000 MP at the most.

What was even more incredible was that I had no need to use Solar Mage as a partial Form. With 10,000 Intelligence and Wisdom, I could gain the full benefit of its effect on Solar Magic. My control over this Aspect of Life Magic was at its peak.

I was surrounded by vampire soldiers in obsidian mail. Their black cloaks disintegrated, but their armor didn’t melt or fume as the refined Dark Ore of the room itself did. It offered them decent protection, even against Solar Magic, but my light found every crack. Many of them lacked helmets or faceplates, and those that had them did their best to revert their eyes. The higher level vampires tried blocking the Light with their own magic or even items they’d had tucked away. Dozens of them dropped wordlessly to the ground. Other’s screamed.

Most that remained standing, were fighting back. The vampire’s spells were deflected or disintegrated when coming into contact with the denser mass of Light Magic of my Artificial Sun. It was simple really. Regardless of the school of magic, except in rare cases, enough of any one kind of magic would overwhelm all others if it contained enough power. Their spells had little effect against my own, but I felt that that was about to change. 

Their silence, or lack of communication, filled me with hope at first, but then multiple spells rose up throughout the room. They didn’t attack but let them build. Then I realized that they knew. The best way to combat my magic was to attack it with an even larger body of mana. Without a word, they acted as one and their true expertise was revealed. How many hours had they practiced similar scenarios? How many years? Their smaller attacks had ceased altogether, and I now felt twenty or more spells being prepared. Even though I’d gotten a head start by beginning my channeling first, with their numbers they’d quickly overtake me and overmatch my spell.

For a moment, I doubted. Should I have taken a different approach? I already knew the answer. Even with a distraction, I’d have run into this same problem. It was always going to be my magic against theirs. I had one chance. I had to kill them before their counter was ready. If not, I was going to die.

Against my better judgment, I willed my Artificial Sun to drop lower toward me from the middle of the room. It wasn’t a huge help, but it would speed the time it took for my mana to reach my spell even if it put me in danger. Besides my Solar Form’s ability to get the most out of my Solar Magic, it also helped protect me from my magic, but where was the line?

Even my vision was distorted from the excessive light, but I could see the glow of Fire and Darkness—Ice and Wind. A great swelling of Dark Magic dwarfed the rest of the opposing magic in the room. It came from over by the foot of the stairs that led up to the Cavern Level. It could only have come from the Vampire Captain. It seemed fitting that he stood in front of me about one hundred feet away. I had little doubt that his spell would be the one that landed my death blow.

I hadn’t even been able to channel even half of my mana yet. My Artificial Sun just wasn’t growing fast enough. If I pushed too hard it would kill me, wouldn’t it? Why weren’t the vampires dying? Was this the real challenge Shamash had been warning me about? To push my mana any harder would likely kill me, but to hold back would lead to certain death. Had he constantly pressured me to give my everything because he knew this would happen, or had he thought I’d be able to win with my current abilities? Many of the vampires had already succumbed to my Light. With time, the rest would fall as well. It was impossible to know. There was only one choice.

I said my goodbyes to Aeris and my friends before closing my eyes. In my Solar Mage Form, my eyelids didn’t block out the light but painted my vision with a sheet of photons. I began to squeeze against the resistance that limited my channeling. All comfort left my body as it felt like I was swelling and going to pop. I was starting to shake, but it wasn’t from the tremors of human muscle. The photons of my Solar Body were being energized. The vibrations grew more violent as I neared a breaking point.

Opening my eyes, I found that I couldn’t see. It wasn’t light from the Artificial Sun that was blinding me, but my body itself was giving off so much light that everything around me was saturated with it. The vibrations grew faster, but their wave ledge narrowed, giving me a moment of hope that my body would stabilize. Then I was devoured as my body erupted.

At that moment, I was changed. My consciousness had yet to fade in full as life left me. I felt my mana’s shackles lifted as it rushed upward into my Artificial Sun in a single burst. I had no body. There was only light. I’d given the spell everything and was left in utter exhaustion. I felt my consciousness drifting away.

A single beat, like that from a failing heart, thumped throughout my spirit. I wasn’t sure if I heard or felt it since I wasn’t sure if any of my body remained. Some part of me was struggling to live on. There was another thump, then another, until the world rushed back to me all at once. My Solar Body had reformed, but I’d lost my connection with the Artificial Sun. 

It was everywhere. I wasn’t sure if it had grown so large that I was standing inside it, or if it was giving off so much light that the room was drowning in it. How I was living and standing its wake—I lacked comprehension. Even more incredible was that it was self-sustaining, even if only a moment. It was a few seconds before the light blinked out and I sensed the lack of opposing magic.

As soon as my eyes were able, I found the Vampire Captain still on his feet with smoke billowing off his form. The shiny finish of his obsidian armor had been eroded by the light into grainy sandpaper. I absorbed a Minor Light orb while there was still hope, and cast Forced Learn with what little mana I’d begun to recover. Through the Captain’s open-faced helmet there was enough left of him for the spell to work.

He’d taken great damage, but once inside his flow of mana, everything I thought I knew about the monster races was turned on its head. What was staring back at me was a struggling cardiovascular system flowing with Dark Mana filled blood and a Master Dark Magic Orb. This vampire had both. What’s more, the mana flowing through his blood was unique compared to all that I had seen except for one other time. When I’d used Forced Learn on Lord Darius.

Using it on Lord Darius had been my first time using Creature Observation in that manner. I’d so little knowledge of magic that I’d been distracted by the vampire’s devastating power that I hadn’t taken in all that I could. It was a chance to steal his essence before I knew what an essence even was, and I had failed.

Turning my attention back to the Captain Vampire’s existence in the Mana Realm, there was much that reminded me of Lord Darius, but there was also a distinct difference. At first, I’d thought my memory was sugar-coated because he was my first, but a second look made it clear that wasn’t the case. The Captain’s mana was mixed with his blood, but Lord Darius’s mana had been one with it. That’s why I hadn’t associated Darius’s mana with his blood at all.

So as not to make the same mistake I’d made with Lord Darius, I focused my attention on taking in everything there was to learn from the Vampire Captain. It was then that I discovered the truth about why vampires were unique.

Shamash had said that they naturally possessed more Darkness Aspect than Corruption. That had been an understatement. His mana was 80% Darkness and 20% Corruption. No wonder they were so weak against Solar. As I examined it, I mystified by what I saw. The Darkness in his blood had been refined into a liquified state. Was this change in form the reason he was able to resist better than the others? I needed to get my hands on his Dark Orb because there had to be something unique about it. It may hold clues in how I could unlock Corruption Magic.

Stepping back to get an overall look, I ripped my focus from his form in the mana realm when I realized his blood was no longer leaking. He was regenerating.

I tried casting Time Crawl, but its cooldown timer wasn’t up. Spinning around in a quick search for other vampires that may still be alive, I’d reverted to my human form to utilize Mana Sight but it revealed only corpses with the dissipating mana. I needed to take care of the Captain before he regenerated then I’d do another search. Time was sensitive.

I hadn’t recovered much mana, but I launched Laser across the room and aimed it at his head. He’d recovered enough to shift his weight out of the way.

Taking off at a sprint, I began to change. I wasn’t sure I had the time to replenish my mana, but I didn’t need to. There were only one hundred feet between us. Primordial Cat Form took shape when I was three-quarters of the way there. With a single stride, I bound at him. 

He staggered like an alert zombie. Aware, but clumsy. He hadn’t recovered enough to put up much of a fight when I pummeled into him with my claws and teeth. With a single tearing of my teeth, I made it so that he’d never rise again. 

Like a hungry tiger in a room filled with mice, I stalked through the room looking for the fattest one for my supper. I’d cruised around the perimeter three times before I let myself believe that it was finally over. It was still many minutes before I completely calmed down.

Back in my Incubus Form, I began studying my popups while I cast a Drain on the room with 200,000 MP.

Vampire Form

Bloodline: Inferior

Level: 1

Cost: 5,000 Mana Per Second (500 with buffs)

Strength: +500

Dexterity: +500

Intelligence: +500

Special Abilities: Vampire’s Might, Night Vision, Shadow Step, Bat Form…

Next Level:

Cost: 4,960 Mana Per Second (496 with buffs)

+5 Strength

+5 Dexterity

+5 Intelligence

In many ways, Vampire Form was underwhelming. It offered very little in stat buffs, although it did offer a rare Intelligence Buff. The special abilities it gave me I already had. Curious. It did make me wonder if having Vampire’s Might as a spell and in a Form would allow me to double-dip and gain stats from mobs I’d already tapped out. Since there was a limit to how many stats I could take from any one mob type, this might let me go beyond that and even double the stats I could steal from them. I doubted it, but it was worth testing out.

The most interesting part about the Form was notes underneath the basic explanation.

Note: You Vampire Form does not Rank Up as most Forms do. It doesn’t even have to reach its maximum level to Rank Up during the beginning ranks. This changes after reaching Trueblood. In order to Rank Up, you must use Vampire’s Might on vampires with purer blood

Inferior Bloodline explained. At this Rank, your blood is diluted. You have no trace amounts of a Trueblood vampire. This means that you were a vampire that was made, and not born. The more Trueblood you leech with Vampire’s Might, the purer your blood will become. Your Rank will go up as well as your power.

Was that the difference between Lord Darius and the Vampire Captain? Was Lord Darius a Trueblood Vampire and the Captain Inferior? That might explain the discrepancy in how mana mingled with their blood.

So to Rank Up my Vampire Form, I just needed to drain other vampires while in the Form. That would be easy enough. Too bad I’d already cast Drain on the room. The power of 60 vampires was already filling me.

+519 Str

+499 Dex

+1,417 Int

+789 Wis

I hadn’t even looked at the levels I’d received, and it was already the biggest take of stats I’d ever had. Returning to Vampire Captain’s corpse, I used my skeletal tail to reach in and yank out his Master Dark Orb. It was certainly different than any of the Dark Orbs I’d ever seen.

“Elorion,” Shamash hissed as he sped into the room. He came to a stop a few feet from my face. “We must move quickly up the stairs and find a place to hide on the Cavern Level. You’ll need to refine your mana before you’re ready for another fight.”

The lich’s gaze was heavy on my face.

“Are we going to loot them?” I said. “Take their orbs?”

“No. This isn’t like slaughter a group of beasts. This will soon be an active crime scene. The more disturbance we make, the more they will learn.”

I held up the Vampire Captain’s Core. “Should I put this back.”

“Don’t bother, but we must go. Use your Incubus Form for now because it hides your Light Magic well. We will go quickly at first but be ready to cast your stealth abilities at any moment. Now, follow me.”

He flew up the stairs at a breakneck pace. I managed to keep up well enough. With Mana Sight I was able to check out where my level had landed and pumped stats into Wisdom. I wasn’t disappointed. 

Elorion

Character Sheet

Level: 5,897

Health Points: 563,716

Refined Mana: 14,874

Base Mana: 5,750,399

Mana Per Minute: 240,170(4,002.83 Per Second)

Attributes

Strength: 6,500

Dexterity: 6,174 

Constitution: 5,344

Intelligence: 11,417

Wisdom: 24,017

I’d gained 1,176 levels in a single battle. It didn’t seem like a lot after killing a level 20,000 monster. I couldn’t complain about the 700,000 additional MP and the 40,000 MPM.

My Refined Mana was just beginning to replenish as I exercised my core as we ran. I was starting to see why playing the long game might take so long. Even if I hit outposts like this, vampires between levels 5,000 and 20,000 would only get me so far. And between each fight, I’d have to take the time to refine my mana to be at full power for the next fight.

***

It was two days before we stopped running. Unlike the Dungeon Level, the Cavern Level was truer to its name than I ever imagined. Instead of tunnels snaking throughout the earth, the Cavern Level was like one big open cavern as far as the eye could see. There were walls and side paths, and most of this region was dark, but it resembled more of a moonlit night on the surface than the Dungeon Level. There was so much room.

We found a cave in the base of one of the area’s underground mountains, and Shamash sealed it off so that I could change back to the human form and focus on Refining Mana. Only when he stopped did he finally congratulate me.

“Why didn’t you tell me I was able to channel all my mana at once in my Solar Form?” I said a while later.

He woodenly shook his head. “I didn’t know exactly what would happen. Only that Light Mages were capable of something similar when the Illuminated Cathedral was at full power. This is one instance where the legends were less than the reality.”

“So you knew I’d survive?”

“I knew there was danger, but no, I didn’t think it would kill you. If Light Mages had commonly blown themselves up in the past, I would have told you about it. Your True Forms seemed to allow you to become one with each Aspect of Light Magic. It was mana sickness that made you feel as if your life was slipping away.”

“So what’s next?”

“Lord Darius’s manor is in the city of Persepolis. It is close by, but it has a population of over 100,000. With your Vampire Form, it may be possible to deceive your way in, but you’ll need to reach the rank of Trueblood at the least for it to work. There is also the possibility of sneaking in, but it would take even longer for you to build the skill to pull it off. There is also my preferred route.”

“Which is?” I said when he didn’t continue.

“Become powerful enough that you can leave the city in ruin and take what you want by force.”

My first inclination was to make a joke to lighten the mood, but it wasn’t Travis I was speaking with. This wasn’t dark humor. The lich was being serious. 

He left me to the mana refining process as I thought about what he’d said. It made me think of my friend who was probably going to be nearing the end of his road soon. With Kylie delivered to him by the Head Mistress, I highly doubted I’d ever see him again. He said that they still had their reservations about their relationship, but I’d seen how she waited all night during the first days of his transformation into a Werewolf.

I was happy for him. He was my friend, so I wanted him to go. It would be safer, and he’d have a happier life.

The wisest path would be to spend years here, decades, or even centuries so that I could become powerful enough to finally protect the others. I feared that if I took that long, they’d no longer be among the living.

Aeris’s dilemma was even more time-sensitive than that. As much as I wanted to daydream about the Head Mistress’s downfall if Aeris lost all will to fight—to go on living—then what was the point?

There was no clear path to accomplish everything I needed to achieve. For now, I’d refine mana. Next, I’d find some vampires to kill.

End of Book 5

---

I wanted  to clarify the distinction between forms he was able to take before book 2 and those after. Johnathan asked a good question, but a thorough answer didn't seem to fill well in the chapter. I gave some of the detail, but there's more to it. 

The main reason Elorion wasn't able to steal Lord Darius's form when he cast Force Learn on him in book 1 is primarily because of his level. In my mind, Lord Darius was around level 30,000 to 40,000.

The other creatures were low enough for him to steal their essences from, but not in the same way described in book 2. The Ghoul, Zombie General, etc. didn't even require him to channel mana to Force Learn in order to gain their forms. They were of a low enough level that he could just take them without having to use brute force.

What he learned from the liches during Lord Darius's last battle was to channel mana to Force Learn, or brute force abilities and essences from them. I really should have probably given both abilities different names looking back. So I confused things when saying that he couldn't learn essences early on. Its not that he couldn't take forms at all, but that he didn't know how to channel additional mana to it in order to force his will.

Hint. It might also have something to do with the purity of blood, but you won't find out more until the next book. I hope to start chapters in two weeks.

Now that book 5 is finished, its time to get editing. I'm handing it off to my editor on 6/8.

Cheers!