Sanguine Desire (Project Moon Bloodfiend Quest)

Your arms were on the brink of falling off. Your muscles were sore and exhausted. You could scarcely see through the tears welling up in your eyes.

You had to do this. Otherwise, their bodies would rot. You couldn't afford a proper burial ceremony for your parents and your sister, so the only thing you could do was drag their bodies out and wait for the Sweepers to arrive.

They would come. They always did. Every night, the Sweepers would always arrive without fail.





—
Since that night, nothing would come from your brush but a thousand shades of red.

And that was when the Ring found you.


It's been a year since then.

..Living as a Ring Student was.. difficult. You had struggles acclimating to your new life, but you owe everything to them.

Without the Ring, you would not be able to pursue your passion for the arts. The Ring gave you freedom to create, you no longer needed to slave away in some dead-end factory, but you were still quite unable to fully integrate into your new existence.



The first time you murdered someone, it was simply a matter of self defense. Being a part of the Five Fingers comes with its own fair share of enemies, and you've come under attack more than once during the monthly assignments. It's less difficult fighting in a group with your fellow students, but it took some time to get used to it. To say nothing about how your fellow Ring Students taught you to gather "canvases." It's all still so very new to you, you're still adapting to life as one of them.

You frown at the newest piece you're working on, this month's assignment was open ended, there were no limits to what you were allowed to create.

The other Students have been kind enough to lend you some of their own "materials." They didn't do it out of the kindness of their hearts, they did it because it was a group assignment and if one person lagged behind, it would reflect badly on everyone.

You were also alright with that. You looked down upon your palette and frowned. You're out of paint, your supplies are running dry. When you paint, you tend to be lost in a world of your own.

You sigh, you didn't particularly like the idea of going out so close to the Night.. but this deadline is practically breathing down your neck and you don't want to disappoint your fellow Ring members by turning in an unfinished work.

You don your mask and make sure the Ring on your finger can be spotted by any bystander. Your status as a member of one of the Five Fingers afforded you a level of protection from the more unsavory sorts that frequent the Backstreets. Plus this area was under the protection of the Ring, not many have the courage to actually start trouble. You pick up your assigned weapon from where it was lying on the wall, you doubt you'd need to use it, but one can never be too safe in The City.


You rush to the store, pick up the paints you need, and throw the money at the clerk. You hurry back to your apartment, not wanting to encounter the Sweepers. You take a few shortcuts here and there, a few shady alleyways you probably wouldn't want to enter usually out of fear of being jumped.
But just this once, you'll make an exception.

You sigh in relief, your apartment building was almost there, almost there-!


You make a corner and stop dead in your tracks as you see something odd in front of you. A man hunched over what appears to be a corpse. You immediately shift into a combat stance, holding your weapon out in front of you, but he doesn't seem to acknowledge you.


The man turned. He was tall. Pale. Well dressed. That alone bode misfortune for you, someone so well dressed in this area of the Backstreets was probably someone you shouldn't take lightly. Perhaps he'd leave you alone if you don't seem to be worth the trouble?

"..Another meal?" He spoke. "Well, I wasn't planning on drinking from another one so soon, but I'm not complaining." You prepare to swing, but he closes the distance between you in one swift stride and rips your weapon away from your grasp with unnatural strength. You gasp as his hand wraps around your neck and pins you against the wall like a butterfly on a corkboard.

You really shouldn't be getting sidetracked about things like this, but this man had the most beautiful pair of eyes.. blood red, sloshing lightly as if they were placed inside a moving cup. It's so beautiful you could almost get lost inside of them. Half of his face was engulfed by a shadowy mass with blood red veins running through them. You really don't have time to admire him however, as he opens his mouth to reveal a pair of very, very sharp fangs and digs his teeth inside your neck.


It hurts. It feels less like a bite and more like someone dug a knife into your skin and ripped a chunk out. You'd gotten some augments to ensure your safety when you first joined the Ring, but his teeth pierced through your skin like they were made of nothing but tissue paper.
You can feel your struggles abating as he drinks your blood, and some part of you feels lightheaded. Dying in the pursuit of art sounded just fine to you, but you weren't expecting it to end like this. His hand is covering your mouth, so you could barely even scream.


Well, if he was going to bite you, you were going to return the favor. You bit down on his fingers as hard as you could until you taste copper in some desperate bid for him to release you.

He yelped for a second and withdrew his hand, and you took the opportunity to pull yourself away from him a bit. You felt so weak. So drained.. you were so close to death. But then something odd happened.

Instead of finishing the job, the masked stranger turned to your direction and.. chuckled? "You actually bit me?" He laughed. "Well, why not? Let's see what happens. I look forward to seeing what you'll do." And once again, he picks you up like you weigh nothing and jams his fingers deep into your neck where he bit you. The sensation reminds you of worms crawling inside your veins. Burning, itching. You feel for a second as if he was going to tear you apart.

And then the sensation passes, and what replaces it is a thirst. A thirst so bone deep that you feel like you'll never be quenched again. You can smell it.. in front of you, an alluring scent. A scent so deep you could drink it all up. Your mouth waters. It hurts. You lunge at him, and he simply holds you in place again with one hand. He seems to be visibly struggling this time though, fending off your ravenous thrashing is no easy task.

He drops you onto the ground, screaming and that's when you notice the corpse earlier wasn't a corpse whatsoever. They were still clinging to life by some miracle even though there was a wound in their neck, like they'd been mauled by a wild animal.

You can't make out anything about the person on the ground, moaning weakly. You can't make out their features. Can't make out anything. Only blood. Drink. Feed. Hurt. He smiles at your agony. "Welcome to the family." He whispers to you, and his tone is filled with nothing but glee.

You lunge at the person on the floor and sink your teeth into their throat.

You drink.






—


The time for the next examination came sooner than expected, and you couldn't wait for it to be over.

"I hope they grade my work well! I put a lot of work into it!"

"Ha! As if, your art is sloppy. Pretentious. There's no substance behind it!"

"Oh really? Then if you're so good then why don't we see yours?! What's this? Look at the technique you put in. Did you even try?"

It's always the same. Always the same arguments. Always the same dispute about which style is superior.. you know that Fauvism is the answer for you. It was a style that encourages self expression above all else, and it was exactly what you needed.

You're not really there.. your mind was still in the alleyway from that night. Ever since that day, you've noticed that your throat feels constantly thirsty no matter how much you drink. Each day, it gets worse, not by much, but it's going to hurt soon.

..What was that man? Why did he drink your blood..? Why did you feel so thirsty? That night, after you drank from that bystander, he left you in that alleyway, confused and yet.. surprisingly high. After you drank from that stranger, you felt like you were on top of the world. Flush with energy and vitality.

You'll think about it later when this examination is over. You hope it's soon. You just don't want to be bothered any longer by these types.

You take a look at your work. Ever since that night passed, you've been hit by a sudden burst of inspiration. When you sleep at night, you dream of sharp teeths and red shadows. You dream of the taste of blood. How sweet it tasted. How it quenched your burning throat. You dream, and you dream, and you paint. You paint everything you dream of, all sharp edges and dark corners and blood and teeth.


The Docent grades your work as a B-
Not particularly unique in any sense, but certainly passionate. You sigh in relief. It'd be a shame if you received a failing grade.


—

That night, you thought about some rumors you've heard.

The Blood Red Night, the infamous Star of the City who terrorized the Nests so long ago, famous for drinking the blood of her victims until they were dry. Her case brought the existence of Bloodfiends into the public, but still not much was known about them.

Could the man in the alleyway possibly be.. one of them? And are you one now? Considering this thirst you've been feeling in your throat. You don't want to admit it, but there seems to be no other answer.

Great. Just more troubles. Now you'll have to figure out a way to keep this thirst sated and keep up with the assignments you were given every single month by the Docents. Definitely just what you needed.

Your throat is dry. You'll have to quench it soon.

You are Dustin Bright. You are a Child of the Backstreets. You are a Student of the Ring. And now, you are a Bloodfiend.

[Who Will You Hunt?]
[X] Rats
Petty organ harvesters who are simply looking for enough Ahn to make it until the next day. Noone will miss them.

[X] Your Fellow Students
It's.. going to be difficult, but some of them trust you and considering the hobbies some of them have, they might not mind too much.


[X] Syndicate Members
You know who they are. Nobody would miss them either.

[X] Drunks
The Backstreets have several cheap, dingy little bars that are constantly populated. You could go there, befriend some of them, and then drag one out into a secluded spot and drink.



[X] Write-in.





THIRST: ◉◉◉◉◯◯ (Thirsty)


A/N: So you have a Ring MC that's still struggling to get used to his new life and gets peer pressured by his fellow Ring students to commit violence. Admittedly, that's not the type of character I was expecting.
I rewrote this prologue 4 times already over the course of two days. Thanks for MrOnEdge from the Project Moon Community Hub for helping me with this.

Dustin Bright
Gender: Male
Age: ???

Traits:

A Ring Member: Affiliated with the Ring. Must perform assignments given by the Docents every month. If you do a good enough job, you'll either have your work displayed in an art gallery or have it sold at an auction. Either way, you'll profit from it.

Bloodfiend: A creature of the night. Must feed periodically. (You have a thirst meter, if the thirst meter is low, you must drink and cannot take any other actions until you drink, additionally, this quest has weighted voting. Each vote is weighed on Dustin's personality and how much he likes/dislikes the idea.)
1.5x= Liked.
1.0x= Neutral
0.5x= Disliked

Hemokinesis: The ability to control Blood. A universal trait in all Bloodfiends. You cannot control Blood inside people's bodies, only blood that has left the body and become one with the environment. Requires practice to hone further.
Equipment:

Spear: Ring Assigned Weapon.

Mask: A mask that signifies your status as a Fauvist of the Ring.


Future Traits will be added.





Positive Traits:
Natural Leader.
Leadership comes naturally to you.
Creative
You find it easier to come up with solutions that others might not think of.
Medical Knowledge
You are intimately familiar with the human body.

Negative Traits:
Starving
You have a tendency to drain people dry when drinking from them, even when you don't want to.

You weren't sure why the Docent asked you to take care of the Rats that had scurried into the Ring's turf. You weren't in a position to refuse either, you were just a Student after all. Besides.. the thirst was becoming unbearable. Scavenging for the aftermath of battles at night wasn't cutting it for you anymore.

If there's any consolation in the situation, it's that you won't be going alone. Several of your fellow Students will be coming to accompany you.

So here you are, at the local place you know is common for Rats. Your fellow Students are already excited, you can feel the bloodlust radiating from them. You on the other hand.. not so much, only the promise of quenching your thirst kept you in place.

The Rats draw their weapons in alert when they spot your group, but they stand no chance and they know it. They move to run, and your fellow Students fall upon them in a whirlwind of violence. Dozens of them die in seconds.

You mostly hang in the back and pick off the stragglers looking to escape the bloodbath. You wince a bit as you sink your spear into the skull of an unfortunate fellow, you're still not used to this business.

Fortunately for you, the grisly business is over soon. Rats are the lowest on the pecking order of the City, and thus they were never able to put up much of a fight in the first place. You watch as they fall one by one.

Your fellow students chatter amongst themselves as they drag away some of the unlucky ones who are still alive to be used as future art pieces. They don't notice you as you stay in the background and survey the aftermath, your mouth is watering already at the scent of blood. You can scarcely control yourself, but you manage to wait until the last of them disappears.

..With that, you turn your attention to a man moaning weakly on the ground, it looks like they missed one. The last of your self control snaps like a thread, and you tear his throat open with your teeth and drink.






—

..It takes you a moment to regain yourself. When you finally come to, the stars blink down at you quietly. You stare at the body at your feet, the man's body completely drained of blood, his skin chalk pale. It looked like he'd been mauled by a wild animal, you suppose that was what you are now. Nothing more than an animal.

The sensation that you experienced when you ripped out his throat and drank his blood was incredible. It felt.. delicious. It made you complete. The blood has reached inside of you and filled an empty spot inside yourself you didn't even know existed.

You begin making your way back home, the Sweepers would take care of the bodies, as they always have. You thought with no small amount of bitterness. You feel.. oddly conflicted with yourself. You wouldn't call it guilt per say, but you can't help but wonder about the meaning of this new existence. Is this how freedom is supposed to feel? You really don't know.

You suppose you'll find the answer to that question one day.

—



Something strange happened when you tried to paint.



You can't help but notice a certain niggling sensation in the back of your brain is constantly bothering you, and it seems to be affecting the painting as well. When you are annoyed, the blood swirls erratically. When you are calm, it pulses gently. Pushed by curiosity, you begin experimenting.

You follow your instincts and push. The blood droplets on the painting begin floating according to your will, you swirl your hand around and they follow. You visualize them forming shapes in your mind, and they do.

..It appears that you can control blood now. Is this a universal trait in all Bloodfiends? Either way, it fills your mind with the desire to know more.

New Trait Revealed!
Hemokinesis: The ability to control Blood. A universal trait in all Bloodfiends. You cannot control Blood inside people's bodies, only blood that has left the body and become one with the environment. Requires practice to hone further.

—

"Listen up!" The Docent's voice rang throughout the warehouse, instantly quieting all the conversations and bickering between the Students. You take a pause to look up from your canvas, and turn your head towards the direction of her voice.

"This month's assignment is a.. unique one." She spoke, her voice carrying an undertone of triumph, as if she's finally come up with the perfect task at last. "I noticed that the majority of you are too focused on using the human body as a canvas. There's nothing wrong with that, but it gets bland after a certain point." She continues. Where is she going with this?

"So here is my assignment for the rest of you this month! You must create a sculpture of an animal.." She makes a pause for dramatic effect, and you resist the urge to roll your eyes, doing so would not end well for you. "Using the parts of a different animal! For example, if you make a statue of a duck, use a pig as your canvas! If you make a statue of a pigeon, use a turkey!" She thundered.

"I care not about the methods as long as you follow my instructions! Am I understood?" She asked. The majority of the room murmured their assent.

"Good! Class dismissed, as usual, this is a group assignment. Select your partners and begin work immediately! Your deadlines are at the end of this month!" With that, she sweeps out of the room with all due haste.

God, it's like the universe is laughing at you. Where are you supposed to find animal parts? Would meat count? You suppose you can make a visit to some of the butcher shops.. although some of them sell.. a different type of meat. You'll have to really be careful about what you're purchasing.

Then again, no assignment was ever easy, and you pulled through every single time, so there was that. With your materials secured, you only needed a partner. Usually, you'd partner with whoever was unlucky enough to not manage to receive a partner, and they'd complain every single time. So you suppose you'll wait until you spot someone alone in the crowd, and then approach them and hope for the best. Something you're very much not excited for.

An odd shadow approaches your table. You look up and see a tall man with strawberry blonde hair hovered over your seat. "Hey." He spoke, his voice lilting and casual.

"Wanna be my partner? I haven't found anyone." It took you a moment to respond, since you live a mainly solitary lifestyle and don't really interact with your fellow Students beyond what was strictly necessary, you almost forgot how to interact with your fellow human beings but you suppose you'll:

[X] Take his offer.
Weight: 0.5x
What choice do you have? It was either this or get a lower grade.

[X] Deny his offer and do the assignment on your own.
Weight: 1.5x
Something about him sets your nerves alight. He seems like someone you would not get along with. At all. You'll get a lower grade for doing a group assignment alone, but you think you can do it.

THIRST: ◐○○○○○○ (Sated)
A/N: Not really proud of this chapter.. enjoy though!
As usual, thanks to MrOnEdge for being a beta reader. You're probably a co writer at this point.