She agreed to a second chance at life. She made a very big mistake.
At least whatever afterlife she was going to would have been better than being stuck in a Sabbat controlled Miami with who knows what else out there in a rotting, slowly crumbling world.
This world has been broken since before history was recorded, and now she was stuck here, in the body of a former ghoul with a vengeance. Eh, doubt anyone would mind if some parts of Miami went up in smoke.
I would be lying if I said that dying wasn't that bad.
Sure, the constant pain and detachment from the body thanks to drugs was now gone, a balm on my soul that I never thought I would have, especially not in my right mind.
Lung cancer was a bitch, especially because breathing was sorta something that you needed, no matter how much I sometimes wished that I didn't. The end wasn't that bad though.
Surrounded by friends and loved ones, a smile on my face as the medication dulled the pain, and the last thing I saw was my little guerito's (little white boy) sad green eyes, filled with tears that made my heart break and soar as I closed my eyes and just… let the currents take me.
It had been a good forty or so years. Sure, the world might have gone a bit weird, and the roads that my life took hadn't been the ones that I expected.
Some days were bad, others were better. But those green eyes had been the thing keeping me going for so long, and in the end, I was happy to have at least seen the son I took in grow into the man that my asshole of a dad should have been. Yes, even after fortyish years since seeing him I still hold a grudge, sue my old ass.
Anyways, you don't care about my old ass dying, I barely care about that much right now. No, what I really cared about was blinking my eyes and finding myself sitting in an… office.
Not even a fancy office.
A simple wooden desk, wooden board filled with photos of people and… was that a Wookie? Smiling into the camera, while little pins dotted the brown and sea of frozen people.
Other than that, the walls were barren white, and there was a dinky old computer that looked like someone had dusted it out of a museum beeping away as a scraggly blue bearded man typed away, green eyes magnified behind his half crescent glasses.
And I don't mean normal green eyes, I mean glowing, life giving green that crackled with energy as they flicked at me once before they moved back to his screen.
What kinda old anime ass shit was this?
"You're dead." The man with baggy eyes said, his twenty-something face instead looking like he was in his mid-forties.
I could help the words that came out of my mouth, but I stopped giving a damn about that years ago. "Yeah, no shit, dumbass."
"Hm." The old/young man hummed without a measure of emotion as he typed away before he finally turned to me. "Good, you've accepted it already, can't stand when I have to counsel one of the new hires."
"Kid, this better be a joke, because I thought that the whole point of dying was that you could finally stop working." Seriously, that was, like, the one good thing about finally closing your eyes for the final time. "What kinda job would you want a 68 year old Latina for anyway? I ain't' hoofing it around, legs are tired enough as is."
"Right, I work for an organization that likes to give dead souls that have potential second chances as data collectors and overall doing various jobs across worlds in exchange for power."
"I know I was high as a kite when they pumped me full of drugs, but I don't think I was high enough for my soul to get stuck on whatever video game shit this is."
"If narcotics were really the only way to get here, I would be even more swamped than I already am, and wouldn't bother keeping photos around." Greeny said as he gestured towards the photos, one hand gently brushing a fingertip across the laminated images with a tenderness that was very much against the bored accountant look he was giving me.
"Alright, I get power out of this, whatever, that might be enough to get the lonely desperate shit for brains to agree to whatever this is, but you're going to need to be more specific if you want me to agree to this."
"I don't really need your agreement, I can just force you to do it, but I prefer to work with you instead of forcing you to do a job you don't want to do. We get more results that way, and I have fewer headaches due to not dealing with any rebellions or intentional fuckups." He responded dryly, as if he'd done this whole song and dance already.
"Why are you doing this, kid? You look tired." Was this weird? Yes. Should I be questioning how real all this was? Maybe, but I died, and I remember dying. What else did I have to lose?
He let out a long, long sigh, rubbing his beautiful green eyes with one hand while passing over a smirk. "I am, but when your mother is busy dealing with a bunch of branching or broken timelines across multiverses, you tend to push yourself to the limit instead of just bailing. I could. But I won't."
"You're serious about the whole giving me power just for data and doing the odd job?" I asked, knowing that I probably wasn't going to get more out of him.
"As a heart attack. We always need more agents, for extra variables or simply to do the occasional odd job that a variant needs help with, but it costs us little to dole that out. Once you have this, the System we provide, the strength and power is yours to do with as you wish. Won't cost us much besides whatever you buy from the Marketplace."
System? Marketplace? Huh? And what was this about his mother and 'branching timelines'?
"Alright, we need to wrap this up, I need to debug a system error that is summoning monkey gods to the wrong reality, and that sorta takes up priority, so listen good, and listen fast and be ready to say yes or no. We provide you with a System and Marketplace to provide you with tools, gear, and various other materials that you need to become stronger. In exchange, we offer quests of objectives that we would like to be accomplished, with optional ones being highlighted. If there are some quests that you can't complete for whatever reason, the consequences will be yours to deal with in the main world we will be sending you to. As for the world, it is not a happy one, or one that one would consider the ideal. Good news is, you can help fix it, and do whatever you want because honestly, it's harder to break at this point than healing it. And before you ask, no, you can't go back to your family. That life is gone, and the door is closed to you. You have thirty seconds to answer yes or no, and if you answer yes, then more information will be provided. Whatever afterlife you have is outside our control, so don't bother asking us where you're going."
He pressed a button and an hourglass appeared, each grain of sand falling down in a shower of ticking time.
Fuck.
Fuck.
A second chance at life, but I become someone's lapdog? But he said I could not do quests. That would bring consequences that would be mine to deal with. And the life was going to be shit.
Sure, he said it would be easier to fix than break, but was that really a life that I wanted to live? I could just… go to whatever afterlife is out there for me.
But what if there's nothing? Shut the fuck up existential dread, no one asked you!
Yet, the thought was out of the bottle and bouncing around in my head. Fucking hooray. Now it was all that I could think of. So, like a normal, stupid human, I let my fear of death take over and said. "Yes."
"Wonderful." For the first time since I had shown up, he gives me a big, genuine smile. "I look forward to working with you. So, let us get underway then."
More clicks of the ancient keyboard pass as his mouth moves. "Unfortunately, your start is going to be a harrowing one, mainly because it is the easiest way to ease you into the underbelly of the world that you are going to. Your objective? Prevent, or at least mitigate, the incoming end of the world. It is a world of horror and monsters, one where good rarely shines bright, and more than one breed of creature of the night prowls the world. If you die in your line of work, the acts that you did in this world will apply to whatever afterlife awaits, so please keep that in mind before you decide to go full 'edgelord' as the younger folk like to say."
Words flew from his mouth, faster than the swiftness of his hands on the keyboard, as he met my gaze and gave me a soft smile. "You will wake up afraid and in danger, and for that, I am sorry. But please, do your best. This is a world that needs a little light, and I hope that you can provide it."
Those were the last words I heard before everything went dark.
I instantly regretted not taking that damned offer for the afterlife the moment I opened my eyes and saw an image straight out of hell. It was a dingy, old motel room, one of the roach infested ones that you just knew had drug deals going down. Trust me, being out in the streets taught you when one was going down, and to stay the fuck away.
Standing up on shaky limbs, forcing the damn things to keep me from falling into a pool of something, I stared into what had to be a drug deal gone wrong. Or a gang fight that went right for someone.
The motel room was full of corpses. Most of them were riddled with holes or had their necks ripped open like some animal had gone for their throat. Some of them though looked… wrong. Like their bones had pushed themselves out of their bodies while their flesh had been sculpted into something wrong.
I lick my lips involuntarily and flinch back as the taste hits my tongue. That pool I had been laying in?
That was blood.
My blood, I knew.
Or rather… Regina's blood. The girl that had been taken by these assholes and brainwashed into being a good little footsoldier.
The corpses of the people weren't the only ones. Over by the restroom, there was a corpse that looked like someone had drained all the blood from the inside, down to even the fucking bone marrow as sunken hollow eyes stared up into the ceiling.
The open doorway only showed even more corpses in the warm night air, blood leaking down the rails onto the floor below, the constant drip from the veritable carpet of corpses a bloody pale sight. I had seen dead bodies before. Hard not to when you were a street rat that had run away from her parents.
But I had never seen this many.
I don't bother fighting the urge to throw up, but end up only dry heaving because there wasn't really anything in my stomach.
Well, except my stomach acid.
When I finished hating my life, a small blue screen appeared.
GAMER SYSTEM INSTALLED
STATUS MENU INSTALLED
QUEST MENU INSTALLED
SKILL MENU INSTALLED
PERK MENU INSTALLED
MAGIC MENU INSTALLED
SHOP MENU INSTALLED
PARTY MENU INSTALLED
SKILL, PERKS, MAGIC, AND SHOP MENU CURRENTLY UNAVAILABLE DUE TO TUTORIAL STILL ACTIVE
WARNING, YOU ARE SUFFERING FROM POST REVIVING SICKNESS
WARNING YOU ARE SUFFERING FROM BODY WEAKNESS
"What the fuck?" I ask the unfeeling void that was the blue text box with white glowing letters
QUEST GIVEN
SURVIVE
YOU HAVE WOKEN UP IN WHAT CAN ONLY BE EXPLAINED AS A BULLET ORGY GONE HORRIBLY RIGHT WITH THE LOVELY RED FINISH. GET THE HELL OUT OF THERE DUMBASS, OR ELSE YOU'RE GOING TO DIE FOR REAL THIS TIME
Somewhere in an office outside of real space, a blue haired old young man groaned in irritation.
REWARD?
100XP, SKILL, PERK, MAGIC AND SHOP MENU UNLOCKED, 2000GP
"What menu?" I asked the empty warm bloody air, trying to ignore the iron stuffing into my nose as memories that weren't mine flashed through my head.
A menu of blue appeared in front of me, the quest disappearing.
NAME: MIA ITZEL/REGINA REED AGE:93(68+23)
HP:20/50 MP:150/150
FUNDS:0
REVIVING SICKNESS MINUS 5 FROM MENTAL ATTRIBUTES
BODY WEAKNESS MINUS 5 FROM PHYSICAL ATTRIBUTES
BLOOD BOND(BROKEN) CONNECTION TO KINDRED
Jesus christ.
The sound of movement and some sort of squelching sound caught my attention, and slowly, oh so slowly, I tipped my head over the balcony down to the first floor below.
It was a parking garage, something so mundane and normal that you would be forgiven for just ignoring it. You know, if it wasn't for the dead shriveled bodies on the floor. One of which had someone kneeling over the corpse, their head bent down onto a dead man's neck.
I didn't need to see it to know what was happening.
That horned bitch. She survived a shotgun blast to the chest. And she was drinking her fill because that's what she needed to survive.
The fight upstairs had been a wild and savage thing, one that I had been too doped out of my head because of whatever the fuck they did to me to remember. There were guns littered on the floor, and if the hotel wasn't so outside of the city, then the place would already be swarming with popo already.
I tried taking a step back, but of course that's when my fucking feet slipped and I fell onto the floor, the blood staining my clothes and face. I hit the floor with a loud slam and feel what little HP I had go down into the bare minimum. I hear more than see the horned thing downstairs howl at me, their rapid footsteps coming up, snarling and howling like some sorta monster.
Fuckshitmierdashitfuckcoolerofuck
I scramble around, hands reaching out for whatever my hands can reach, and feel one hand grip a long bulky thing, and the other wrap around the hilt of something far smaller that felt familiar in my grip.
I wasn't going to fuckin die her-
A blur of motion rushes up the stairs, and on mere instinct, I raise either weapons and point them at the rushing abomination. With a squeeze of both fingers, I pull the trigger of both weapons. In my right, a pistol that was dripping red with blood. In the other, a shotgun that flew away with the recoil, as my noodle arms were very much not strong enough to deal with this.
She screeches in pain and horror, bloody fanged mouth howling in pain and outrage, dazed demonic eyes lost in pain as her flesh horns bled from past injuries. The pistol got her in the chest, the shotgun on her legs, tearing one knee apart as the other was thrown off the balcony, landing belly first on the floor, her head mere inches away from my leg.
Enough room for the red dress wearing cunt to reach out and try to bite into my leg, mouth chomping onto the metal floor with enough force to tear through.
Acting on pure adrenaline, I unload every last bullet in the clip onto the screaming vampire, because what else could it be? Only two of the five bullets impact her skull, her screams turning more frantic, more distorted, like screaming through multiple speakers before adding in bats screaming into the stereo. I just chucked the gun at her as I scrambled away and grabbed a piece of broken wood from a nearby door.
She launches herself off the floor, right into the waiting wood that pierced her through the heart.
With that, the screaming dies, and the flesh sculpting bitch goes quiet, torpor taking over.
I knew what world I was in.
And I fucking hated it. I grab the nearest gun, and unload even more bullets into the bitch until her head was little more than a mess. Knowing that I can't stay here for long, I drag her, my pissy strength barely enough to roll her down the stairs, and I struggle to get her into the back of a nearby pickup truck.
Looking at a nearby corpse, I find a watch and give a grim smile as the clock struck 5AM.
Even if the bitch wasn't dead yet, sunrise was soon.
But I didn't have the luxury to wait.
Without another look at the parking lot, I look into one of the empty motel rooms and take a quick shower, knowing that the cops weren't going to come for at least another half hour. I was done getting most of the blood off in less than five minutes, and I take some clothes from a nearby dresser, the poor owner of the clothes now gone. As was everyone else in this hotel room.
God, this was such a fucking shitshow.
By the time I let the tears flow, I was driving down the road, having stolen one of the many cars that we had brought with us, hands shaking, and barely able to see the road. I hit Miami just as the sun rose, and a notification hit.
QUEST COMPLETE
SURVIVE
SECRET OBJECTIVE COMPLETED
KILL BONE LILY THE TZIMISCE
REWARDED FULL SYSTEM UNLOCKED
2000XP REWARDED
6000GP REWARDED
+1 TO ALL STATS
OBTAINED THE PERK, STAKER
DEAL BONUS CRITICAL DAMAGE TO VAMPIRES WHEN STAKING THEM THROUGH THE HEART
ISLA REVERE AKA BONE LILY ELIMINATED
REWARD: 1500XP, 1100 GP By the time I had gotten to 'my' apartment, I had cried my eyes out already and just felt… tired.
I took another shower, making sure to get every last speck of red off my skin, thankfully still brown just a lighter shade, changed into a new set of underwear that needed to be replaced soon, and a loose shirt. I burned the clothes I had stolen and hid the ashes in a box that I would then scatter into the ocean.
After that, I slept, and didn't dream.
When I woke up, I stared at the dingy, disgusting apartment that looked like someone barely lived here.
There wasn't a single clean plate in the dirty, brown sink, most of the clothes were dirty, or barely hanging together, and trash had been piled up in half forgotten bags in the corner.
Then I looked at myself in the mirror. Or rather, the face of the young lady that had died. And I felt my heart crack as I stared at the gaunt, haunted face that looked back. We didn't look alike much. Her features were sharper, rougher than my button nose or almond eyes, hers being more angular, nose far more pointed than mine was. Sad Hazel eyes stared back where they should have been a darker brown, and my hair that had been grey and white was replaced by straight bronze.
Taller than I had been, but that wasn't much of an accomplishment when I was barely above five feet, and I can't believe that a part of me right now is missing being a short stack.
Regina had been a pretty, bright young girl at one time, with hopes and dreams. A veterinarian. She loved animals, adored learning about them and volunteering at shelters.
A future that she had been building towards, brick by back breaking brick, barely eating because her family didn't come from money, but making her parents proud. Then she got mixed up with the wrong crowd.
Met the wrong people that introduced her to another ghoul that then introduced her to him.
A short man with close-cropped blond hair, shades, and always wearing some kind of leather jacket with nice clothes underneath. Skin as pale as bones, with a smile that had long since lost joy, now frankensteined by mere sadistic pleasure.
The memories were there, but not mine. Just reflections that I could look at, detached.
That only made me angrier when I thought of him, and how he used the girl that had once dreamed of healing sick dogs and nursing orphaned kittens. Who would get followed around by whatever little animal had grown an interest in her for no reason other than her presence.
Who became so obsessed with reaching her dreams that she found herself isolated, bereft of any real friends. A marvelous opportunity for recruiters and predators.
A year of life as a ghoul. A year away from graduating and finally earning that doctorate of hers. All of it, now gone into wind, the memories the only thing left of her inside of this body. And that damned connection that the Brujah prick made on her.
Well… how's about we take care of that, why don't we?
The only thing I have to lose is a life that isn't mine. So, how's about I take that asshole down? And every other Vampire in this fucking city.
NEW QUEST
CLEANSE THE WOUND
OH GEE, HERE WE GO! THIS!
THIS IS WHY I LISTEN TO THAT BORING OLD DIRECTING MANAGER IN THE FIRST PLACE! THE MURDER! THE CARNAGE! THE FUTILITY! GO OUT AND KILL EVERY VAMPIRE IN THIS CITY! CLEANSE THE ROT BUILT INTO THIS CITY! IT'LL JUST COST YOU WHATEVER ANONYMITY YOU HAVE LEFT, BUT THAT ISN'T SAYING MUCH SINCE IT'S ABOUT AS FLIMSY AS A DOGGY BAG THAT'S BEEN REUSED FIVE OR SIX TIMES
REWARD?
WHO KNOWS?
Wouldn't be World of Darkness if shit wasn't ominous, now would it?
Before that though… time to clean this fucking place.
Though, how's about I buy something to make this easier?
And there were a lot of notifications that I hadn't bothered to open yet.
Five level up notifications, five stat points per level, leaving a nice little nest egg with more of those 'GP' things than I knew what to do with. The weakness hadn't left me yet, it still felt like I was moving through weighted limbs with a bit of brain fog that wouldn't go away, regardless that I slept a good twelve hours. The first full night of sleep that Regina's body received in at least a month.
I even got a quest notification for cleaning this place, couple hundred or so XP and some GP, but I didn't really care much about that. Better to just have some place clean and her personal belongings stored away. She deserved that much respect at least.
Oh, god. I was going to have to reach out to her sister wasn't I?
The thought of not doing so was an even worse thought than the latter.
Not now. Now, you choose your weapons. Your powers and spells.
So, what to choose?
Instead of buying something really quick, I wound up spending the next hour or two just going over various options. There were a lot of locked boxes, citing 'requirements not met', but that didn't mean that I didn't have plenty there to tide me over.
Apparently, some of these had been unlocked when I staked and suncooked that flesh sculpting horned bitch.
MIND RESISTANCE
2000GP
VAMPIRE PHYSIOLOGY
4000GP
WOODEN WEAPON MASTERY
1500
Yeah, some of those options could go take a sunbath, ain't no way I was going to turn myself into one of those damned monsters.
No matter how much I dug, I couldn't find Observe anywhere on the list, think that someone might have scrubbed that from the list because of how much bullshit that one skill was.
Well, I could do with something to compensate for it, besides, intrigue and investigation was a big part of this damned world, so I might as well buy something for this place, shouldn't I?
CURRENT BALANCE:5100GP
It was like I could suddenly see the obvious in the world that I couldn't before.
The minor scuff marks over the window held greater interest than before, as did the little scratch marks that were left on the latch, like someone had tried cutting through it or rubbed something against it a bit too much.
What it was, I didn't know, but it was only one of the many new details that suddenly just popped to my eyes.
INVESTIGATION HAS REACHED LEVEL 2
Yeah, I don't think this one is going to get old any time soon.
Hm, going to have ta be picky with what I buy from here on out, don't have that much GP left. Though, those debuffs were still there.
Fuck it, Esuna was a spell that had every benefit, especially in this world.
ESUNA
-2000GP
Immediately I could feel the difference when I cast the spell on myself, my MP took a hit, but the overall weakness, the slight fogginess in my brain was gone. Like someone had snuffed out a candle on the way out of a room.
Alright, 3200 GP left, and I still needed to distribute those points.
Hm, how about evening some of the scales out?
STR:14
DEX:13
VIT:16
AGI:14
INT:21
WIS:26
There we go, nice distribution. Specializing was probably the smarter option, but I wasn't exactly going to go full mage like I wanted to.
Would it be awesome if I could just vaporize that fucker with a Flare? Sure.
But then I'd have every cop and military member looking for my ass for blowing a building to kingdom come. So, that meant that I had to go for something that could just be waved away without sending a squad of technocrats or something resembling them after my ass.
So.. time to go a bit boring then.
ANSATSUKEN
-1500
It used a combination of Str, Dex, and Int for overall damage output, but the actual techniques were something that I actually had to practice.
Just as I was widening my stance, I slipped on an old ramen cup and fell on my ass.
Ah. Right.
Cleaning first.
Sure, I spent about 1000 of my remaining GP on Telekinesis, and it took a nice chunk of my MP, but it helped a lot. Getting a nice chunk of trash into a bag on the porch was a time saver, but I had to lug them outside on my own.
Didn't want anyone seeing me do that and have to deal with that shit on my own.
Now, the mopping and getting this fucking stain off the goddamn carpet was when someone started banging on the doorway. I'm just glad I remembered to put on a bandana on my head when I was dusting, sure, it didn't protect everything, there was still some dust and old trash that fell on my hair, but the less got in there, the better.
"REGINA! YOU FUCKING WHORE! I KNOW YOU'RE IN THERE!" See asshole, I know that's bull because i didn't know I was going to be here today. Or rather she didn't…
Great, I just made myself angrier.
I could just hide in here until asshole went away, but I was already heated, so might as well let out some steam by yelling at whoever this was.
Wrenching open the door, I scowl down at some grubby skinny guy with moppy black hair and rat like eyes. Jim Reach or something. My scowl only got worse as I leaned down at him. "What do you want Jim?"
He blinked in surprise at my question, flabbergasted that 'junky Regina' had grown a spine, probably. Then he remembered that I was some skinny chick that he could still throw even with her height advantage.
"I want my money, bitch! You still owe me a good 2k after the last couple of buys." It took everything in my power not to grab the little asshole and chunk him out the window. Or try to Shoryuken his ass into the ceiling. That would be fun.
Huh, guess being younger brought my temper back. Or maybe dying and killing someone, even a monster like her, did that.
Don't think about it.
He wasn't connected to the vamps, one of his other clients was, so he didn't know jack about what went bump in the night.
Even if I really wish that he was. But I didn't need his buddies coming after me when I was basically a newly born chick without a flock to protect me. Could I take them for a bit? Yeah. But I was basically close to broke, and had no one in this world.
So, as much as it pains me, diplomacy was the only option.
"I don't have it Jim, going to need at least a couple of days before I get it to you. I'm good for it. Bye."
"Hey you stupid bitch I don't care that you need time I want my mo-" He tried to grab my wrist, but it only ended with my own hand around his wrist, my other gripping onto the thin cloth of his shirt, ready to throw him over my shoulder and finish with a punch.
Instead, I just held him there and stared deep into his eyes, doing nothing to hide the sheer rage that had been simmering in my chest since I woke up this morning. "Give. Me. A. Few. Days." I grunted out through clenched teeth and chunked him out the door, slamming it in his face while I breathed out heavy puffs of air through my nose.
Yeah, I wasn't ok.
I mean, I knew that when I woke up in a pile of blood, various other ghoul soldiers scattered around me, but I stopped snapping like that years ago. Lord knows I wouldn't have been able to raise my little boy if I had into my thirties.
Thankfully, that peddler left soon after that, probably spooked that I didn't just do whatever he said like the last couple of times he came by.
I'd have to take care of Ricky later too. Damned bastard. He wasn't a ghoul, but he kinda knew what was going on. What he was dragging, or throwing people into. There were a lot of teenaged or college kids that 'somehow' wound up in the gang life because of that night club asshole.
If I went after him, though, I was going to sound the alarm, because the Sabbat needed their disposable soldiers. Didn't care who they were, but did care if they kept getting them or not.
Thing is, because they didn't care about us, they also didn't care what they said, especially the ones that they were just going to dump and forget about.
Meaning, I knew where a couple of other Vamps liked to sleep during the day.
Before that, though, I had to do some digging around.
A trip down the street into a decentish coffee shop had me with a newspaper in hand, and groaning as I read the date and remembered a little something.
It was fucking 2004.
No smartphones, no Youtube, no streaming services, no music at the palm of my hands, and no being able to google shit at the drop of the hat.
Oh my god.
Was Guilty Gear ever a thing here?
I was going to have to go to the library to find this shit out, wasn't I?
I sipped my coffee and grumbled, doing my best not to think about some of the raging emotions I was going through. I was going to save those for a crying session later or something emotional, when someone new walked in the door.
He was a big boy, and in the nicest way possible. Wide shoulders, nice hazel eyes, chin length straight hair and a sorta ferociousness that you could just feel off him. Those were just the nice aesthetics from him, it wasn't what drew my attention to him and leveled up my Investigation by two levels.
Large, gnarly scars stretched from the corner of his eye down to his jaw. Scars that weren't made by any blade or industrial accident. Those were made by claws. And there was a predatory look in his eyes that drove me to the edge.
Yet, he grabbed a cup of coffee, didn't even say a word to the lady at the counter, who gave him a bashful smile, and walked right out the door.
A local then. I didn't have a chance to scan Libra on him, there was enough about what I did see that had me on edge.
Whatever, wasn't my concern right now anyways.
I had some Vamps to hunt tonight.
QUEST ACCEPTED
KILL "LUMPY" RICK
WELL, WE CAN'T EXACTLY CALL YOU AN OVERACHIEVER, NOW CAN WE?
NO, INSTEAD OF GOING STRAIGHT AFTER THE GRUNTS, WHICH IS DEFINITELY NOT THE SMART THING, YOU'VE DECIDED TO GO AFTER THEIR BOSS FIRST. GOOD LUCK WITH THAT HOTSHOT.
REWARD?
4000XP
7000GP
FURTHERING QUESTLINE
UNLOCKING HIDDEN ITEMS IN THE SHOP
+2 TO EVERY STAT
GREATER NOTICE FROM THE SUPERNATURALS OF MIAMI
STIRRING THE POLITICAL SMORGASBORD THAT IS THIS HELLHOLE
INCREASED CHANCES OF WAKING UP A BLOODLESS HUSK
??? There wasn't much that I knew about "Lumpy" Rick, other than the fact that the Bastard's pack hated his guts and called him the laziest vampire imaginable. The fact he was also at least five hundred years old, was another thing they never stopped complaining about. Ah, seniority. A curse that it seemed only got worse when you became a soulless bloodsucking monster.
It gave me some flashbacks on some blue collared places I worked at, factories and such that meant most guys that had 5+ years on the job meant they could get away with almost everything.
I blew the steam off my hot cup of coffee as I read the newspaper on the latest events, unsurprised that they were still talking about the fight just two days ago in that little motel out of town. "All suspects are presumed to have been found." I read off the first page, and frowned down at the page.
Think that was all that I needed to know about the cops being under the Vamp's control. Wouldn't surprise me if the captain or police chief was a ghoul. That tended to be the usual MO for modern day vampires, less having to worry about normal everyday cops coming after them if the right people were paid off.
Course, they couldn't go too far, because then they'd have certain other parties coming after them.
Hadn't come across much Technocracy proof, but that was sorta the point with that bunch. They had to remain hidden, otherwise consensus was going to bite their ass with a big heaping curse of paradox.
The Traditions however were a different matter.
Here and there, as I walked through the city, I could spot certain pieces of graffiti and street art that had specific imagery that caught my attention. The good old caduceus of Hermes, the wheel of life and death that the Chakravanti believed in, and certain pieces of holy imagery scattered through the city.
Now, that could just be my brain jumping to conclusions, but paranoia wasn't unfounded if the people I was worried about were actually out there.
I had no wish to deal with the Ascension War, so I was going to stay as far away from those bullheaded reality benders as much as possible.
Then there were the various Pentex companies that were scattered all over the city. Gas stations, pharmaceutical companies, entertainment, etc.
It caused a chill to crawl down my spine as I realized just how entrenched those assholes were.
Goddamn do I hate this place.
Somehow, though, it's better than Worm.
If there was a damned message option, I would have left that Bob prick some nice and long hate mails, just like I left my asshole parents right before I ran away from home.
The Form Party option was there, and I could have up to six, but that was kinda hard when most people that I hung out with day to day were already dead. Dead. But at least they were free.
I refused to be under the Blood Bond again, to be that thing's plaything like Regina had been.
Downing the last of my coffee, I stood up from the bench, stretching my arms and putting down the newspaper as the sun slowly rose from the sky, knowing that Ricky boy had been asleep for the past two weeks.
He tended to do that, apparently, sleep for weeks at a time while he let his childe take over the day to day. He had to wake up to make sure that none of them overstepped their bounds, and that his own little posse of ghouls stayed loyal to him, and him alone.
It was why I was staring at a middle class apartment complex in a nicer part of Miami. It wasn't that big of a place, but at least a dozen of the people there were ghouls bonded directly to Lumpy Rick.
At least five of them were completely loyal to the old man, one of them having been his ghoul for at least a whole lifetime, but I didn't know who that was.
And the thought of having to deal with him and the rest of them made my stomach do little backflips.
Killing a vampire wasn't something that I struggled with. Not after all the things I've seen those damned monsters do, what they said, how they thought.
The ghouls though were still human.
Human beings.
Regina had killed before. After all, when you were high on Vitae, if your vampire asked you to jump, you asked 'how high?'
You would do anything for that high. The rush of power and life as you drank the blood of your master.
Nothing else mattered.
It was enough that a part of me wanted to just smash a car into the fucking building, damn the consequences.
But I couldn't do that.
Taking your first life was a slippery slope, and I hated that I knew that my first step was an inevitability in this world.
There were too many monsters here that just needed to go. To many of them.
Far, far, too many that had lived too long and sowed too much chaos.
Fortunately, I didn't need to take care of all of them, just a few, with some distractions.
It's why I was practicing Telekinesis all day yesterday after the coffee shop and got it up to level 10. Which turned out to be a milestone.
TELEKINESIS LEVEL 10 RACHED
YOU HAVE REACHED A MILESTONE
+2 TO INT
+2 TO WIS
That had been a nice surprise, and it sure as shit helped with the MP regeneration.
I still needed to wait a bit for it to regen, along with being limited to what I could lift. I had gone from being able to lift about twenty pounds up to a nice slab of metal.
Course, one of the perks I'd bought helped in that little department.
FORCEFUL MIND
APPLY YOUR STRENGTH ATTRIBUTE TO KINETIC MAGIC AND ABILITIES DAMAGE MULTIPLIER.
So that meant that I could do this!
I reached out to a loose panel of metal from a gas station across the road, raising it a few feet in the air before I launched the improvised weapon through a very fancy car parked on the side of the road. Rick's favorite vehicle.
I couldn't help the smile on my face as two people rushed out of the building, an older bald man built like a linebacker, and a younger looking dude with slicked back hair.
I climbed down the building, my increased stats helping with my descent, the men so distracted in their shouting and yelling that other morning goers started to converge around them to see what happened.
YOU HAVE LEARNED THE ACROBATICS SKILL
ACROBATICS HAS REACHED LEVEL 5
Huh, guess higher stats helped learn some things a little easier? Nice. Wonder how much this would synergize with Ansastuken. It was the only skill in my arsenal that I hadn't leveled up, but that was because I spent most of my day yesterday going through all of my options.
Was I min maxing? Not really, that was never my thing, but I was doing my best. I hoped that INT stat would help in that department, but I'd always had the attention span of a crow. Jumping to the nearest shiny with everything that I had.
Slipping into the building was relatively easy, Regina had been here exactly once before with him, and I had memorized every little detail.
The hood of my hoodie was up, and I telekinetically moved the camera in the lobby towards the far wall.
The clock was ticking, and I only had so much time before I had the rest of the ghouls on my ass.
You'd think that a Vampire taking a long ass nap would be in either the nicest building, or in the basement sleeping on a regal bed, or in a coffin.
But no.
Rick was actually a lot smarter than that, and if Regina hadn't been with him when Rick woke up, I'd be up shits creek with a spoon for a paddle.
Which is why, now of course, was when everything went to shit.
I was just about to get to the next floor when something smashed into my shin, almost sending me tumbling down the stairs, but I managed to grab onto the han rail and push myself up, spinning in the air as I landed on my feet.
-10HP
Holy shit, I didn't know I could do that! And Ansatsuken along with Acrobatics both went up a level!
ANSASTUKEN LEVEL 2
ACROBATICS LEVEL 6
-30HP
Oh, fuck! I jumped back with the motion of getting punched in the face, feeling something in my nose begin to creak at the impact, the smell of copper in my nose.
A stocky, short guy looked surprised that I wasn't on the ground, gaping at me for a second before setting his shoulders and stepping towards me in a boxing stance.
He was definitely stronger than a normal person, and faster as he closed the gap between us in a blink, fist cocked back and ready to hit.
Too bad for him that I still had MP.
I mentally grabbed his shoe and yanked with all my focus, causing him to fumble in surprise, managing to catch himself before he fell down the stairs.
It's ok though, I helped him by kicking him down them with a spinning kick to the face and a telekinetic shove down.
YOU HAVE DEFEATED RICK GHOUL (NAME UNKNOWN)
+500XP
+600GP
TELEKINESIS LEVEL 11
ANSASTUKEN LEVEL 5
Without another glance, I kept running up the stairs as fast as my legs could take me, which was a little hobbled when someone from behind me started shooting, and managed to clip me on the shoulder.
-40HP
Dammit, down to half HP, and bleeding, meaning I was losing one HP ever minute until I tied this damn thing.
Without looking back, I threw a telekinetic blast, wide instead of focused and heard another gunshot, along with a shout of pain.
TELEKINESIS LEVEL 12
Dammit, they were injured, but they weren't out of the fight.
Can't slow down now, need to keep going.
"WAKE UP, THIS ASSHOLE IS GOING FOR THE BOSS' ROOM!"
I heard a woman shout behind me, and that only made me pump my legs faster, even as my lungs burned and legs protested. Just because I could move this fast didn't mean that my body was built for this kind of work quite yet.
Fuck, I jumped the gun on this, didn't I?
Let my rage get ahead of me, and unlike back home, I didn't have anyone to convince me to rethink things.
Too late to worry about crushed eggs, keep going.
I didn't bother trying to open the door, instead, charging through it with my shoulder, the wood, and chain snapping as I used the last of my MP for one more telekinetic shove.
Throwing the door open, I push over the blankets and find a handsome tall man, with accentuated tall cheekbones, a strong jaw, and some of the palest skin I've ever seen.
Wow, he even looks like a douche.
He barely managed to open his eyes and open his mouth before I grabbed a piece of the door and stabbed it into his chest.
STAKED! BONUS DAMAGE!
"NO!" Someone shouted down the hallway, but far enough that I could drag the paralyzed vampire from his resting place, face shaped into a feral demonic scowl.
Dammit, this room didn't have a window!
And I was out of MP.
Out of the corner of my consciousness, I heard the metal 'click' of something, and threw myself into the closet over the vampire, slamming a leg into the stake to drive it further into the monster's heart.
You don't get to be a bishop in the Sabbat without being some kinda dark brand of horrible.
Six bullets punched through the door, right where I had been standing before it was kicked in and a woman stepped through, blood on her scowling face and gun held up towards the rest of the bedroom.
Too slow.
I jumped towards her with a leap from the closet, more fumbling on top of her rather than landing any good blows, smashing my fist over and over again into her face. She screamed and shouted, trying to shove me off her, but I was persistent in my onslaught until one lucky hit finally got her to go night night.
-10HP
-10HP
-10HP
CONGRATULATIONS YOU HAVE DEFEATED RICK GHOUL (NAME UNKNOWN)
+1500 XP
+4500GP
God, I wish that sleep or an incapacitating spell had been in the shop, but noooo.
I swear, if one of those spells gets added after this fight, I'm going to break a boat or something.
There was no time for me to rest like my body wanted to, and looking out of the corner of my eye, I smiled as my MP regenerated just enough for one more telekinetic shove. Specifically, I pick up Rick's body and chunk it right at the wall towards the outside.
Most of it breaks apart before I manage to make it through, but I smile as enough gets through for the smell of something old and foul cooking.
CONGRATULATIONS YOU HAVE KILLED 'LUMPY' RICK!
+8000XP
+13000GP
CONGRATULATIONS YOU HAVE COMPLETED THE QUEST
KILL 'LUMPY' RICK
REWARDS:
+4000XP
+7000GP
+2 TO EVERY STAT
DUE TO KILLING THEIR SIRE, ALL UNWILLING OR BRAINWASHED GHOULS HAVE BEEN RELEASED FROM THEIR BLOODBONDS.
"You piece of fucking shit!" Someone screamed out, a gunshot ringing out, and I couldn't hold back my scream as a bullet hit me right in the shoulder.
-40HP
Damn, guess I only knocked him out for maybe a minute, because that guy I knocked out earlier was already up and around. There was a wild look in his eyes, the same kind that I used to see in my younger years when I had nowhere to go and hung out with the homeless and addicts.
I had just gotten rid of the one thing that gave him his fix, and now he was going to be stuck going to someone else for his Vitae.
While his whole body seemed to shake, his gun arm remained steady as he readied his gun towards my head, finger on the trigger, the twitch alrea-
BANG!
A bullet rings through the shambled room, piercing through the man's jaw, through his skull and into the ceiling.
The woman I had knocked unconscious for a bit was blinking through the blood, bruised and bloody face scowling, only not at me.
At the man in front of us.
"I never liked you John." Was all she said as she stumbled up, and I did the same, going to help her up before I knew what I was doing.
She gripped my hand, weaker than before, and pulled me into her.
I was expecting her to shoot me again, but instead the gun clattered to the floor.
Then I realized there were more gunshots ringing out through the building, screaming and shouting going on outside that sounded like a war was going on.
I need to get the hell out of here.
"Take us with you." The woman whispered at me, eyes ringed red with fresh tears, probably the first ones that she'd shed for herself instead of under that assholes control. I knew exactly what that was like. But I hated what came out of my mouth.
"I can't take all of you." I told her honestly. "You all need to get out of town before the rest of the city hears what happened. I don't got the resources to help with that."
And I hated that. These people were free now, sure, but they were basically consigned to go back into their slavery.
I hated these 'tough' decisions, but I knew that if I tried to do too much, I was just going to wind up dead. I was already near death as I made a quick purchase, the blond pretty lady staring as I bought and cast Cure on myself.
-1500GP
Thank god that bullet managed to get out of my shoulder, and there were definitely going to be some scars from this shit, but there wasn't much that I could do about it.
She looked like she was going to protest, but the coming sirens answered for both of us, and we bagan to hobble our way out of the room. Though, I did snatch some of the cash that we found around here, and I stuffed it in my inventory, leaving the guns on the floor.
If I left this place like this… they'd find my blood, wouldn't they?
Fuck.
Well… I've committed plenty of crimes, hadn't I?
Why not add arson to it?
FIREBALL
-1500GP
I made sure to pull the fire alarm before I threw a fireball into the room, the remnants of the corpse bursting into flames alongside the rest of the room.
Ignoring the wide eyes from the woman we kept moving our way downstairs, though I cast cure on her when my MP regenerated, and we both took off in a sprint down backstreets, sirens heralding our escape.
NAME: MIA ITZEL/REGINA REED AGE:93(68+23)
LV:8
XP:4,800/12,800
HP:200/200 MP:230/230
ATTRIBUTE POINTS TO DISTRIBUTE:10
FUNDS:$4000
GP:23,700
PERK POINTS:1
PERKS: FORCEFUL MIND:
APPLY YOUR STRENGTH ATTRIBUTE TO KINETIC MAGIC AND ABILITIES DAMAGE MULTIPLIER.
THOUGHTFUL MIND: INCREASE MP REGENERATION BY 50%
HARDY LUNGS: INCREASE OVERALL ENDURANCE AND STAMINA.
So, yeah, my brain decided that it wanted to write another story, and I've been wanting to write a gamer story for years. I've taken a lot of inspiration from Mister Ficser's wonderful fic Project Gamer and I highly recommend that everyone go and take a read through that one.
Most of the notifications through the chapter were for my own benifet, because, wow, keeping track of everything is way more of a nuisance than I thought. Respects towarsd all Gamer/Litrpg authors for keeping track of those numbers.
Now, for those of you that have read my first fic, yes I'm using Mia again. Sorry that I haven't updated that one, I've just found the motivation drained out of me for that particular story, and I do plan to someday continue it, but that won't be today. She of course won't develop the same way that she did there because WoD is a very different place compared to Worm, one that is weird, depressing, yet you can find the light scattered here and there in some of the stories that are being told. Full disclaimer, I am not a complete Lore buff for everything in WoD. Ironically, Vampire is one of the splats I know the least of, with lacking knowledge in Wraith and Mummy. I have done a lot of research, reading through a 20th edition pdf I've had collecting dust for a while, and asking those that know so I'm doing my best to make sure everything is as accurate as I can make it.
To those of you coming from the Gamer side of things, World of Darkness is a Tabletop Roleplaying game taking place in a far darker and more monstrous urban fantasy setting where more times than not you play as the monsters of the setting. Vampires, Werewolves, Mages, Changelings, Wraiths, Mummies, and Demons, with Hunters being caught in the middle. Unlike a good number of other TTRPG's, this one had an overacrching metaplot that advanced with each new release of books until the world itself came to an end in 2004 due to the company deciding to reboot the setting. In more recent years, we received various 20th edition books for Wraith, Mage, Vampire, Werewolf and Changeling, along with some of these receiving 5th edition updates which were... controversial to say the least.
Then again, for anyone that keeps up with the creators White Wolf, that isn't anything new. Most of the books were written back in the nineties and... let's just say that a lot of stuff there hasn't aged well in the past 20+ years.
As I said before, I am not a complete lore buff, and have been trying to catch up on the various books and splats, but unfortunately haven't had an actual chance to play a game. Also, Mage is the deep end especially when it comes to mechanics with Changeling behind it I think.
From what I remember of WoD lore, order is basically eating everything, destruction has been driven to madness, and creation is mostly dead so everything is rotting and getting worse.
Possible gamer available tools to fix this:
Exaltations: basically any of them would let you *eventually* fix this, though it would probably involve punching Autocathon in the face and turning yourself into a primordial to actually fix it all the way.
Titans from WoW: basically order powered creation deities, this would let you rework Autocathons spreading order into something that wouldn't choke the world into a static clockwork. Maybe.
Neverborn/warp gods/the powers of the sea of souls: technically yes, but with how messed up this universe is it would probably suck the whole place into the warp before actually fixing anything.
Generic gamer powers: not esoteric enough to actually solve the underlying problems, though it might let you play eternal clean up crew.
Cultivation: again, yes technically, but not fast enough.
Divinity: Maaaaybe becoming a divinity on the scale of an old god/Titan might be enough. A primordial could probably do the job though.
Science!: perhaps, but not easily, and especially not with the technocrats and Autocathon both sticking an oar in.
Thoughts?
Not really. Don't see the point when most people that use SB tend to use SV in general. Every time I try to cross post I end up forgetting one for a while.
From what I remember of WoD lore, order is basically eating everything, destruction has been driven to madness, and creation is mostly dead so everything is rotting and getting worse.
From the very beginnin WoD was cursed. Kinda like how Gotham is cursed, only worse.
I'm going to be playing around with some stuff on that front, and since there is no real 'canon' to everything, I'm going to see what I can get away with.
Now, since I'm about 90% sure that there are going to be some people going into this from the Gamer side who have no idea what World of Darkness is, I thought I'd type out a little informational section for it.
Now, I already explained some of it in Chapter 1's Author's Note, so go check that out if you're interested, and watch this video as well.
There's about thirty years worth of lore to go through for World of Darkness, a lot of it hasn't aged well though, so be warned.
Now, Vampires. They were the very first gameline that White Wolf released for World of Darkness, and the rest of the game lines were released around it.
Vampires, are basically what you're thinking. Old bloodsucking monsters, with one of the biggest points of the game in how you deal with the change you've gone through. How much do you hang onto your humanity, and what can happen if you allow the Beast that every Vampire carries inside of them to run loose.
Given that Vampires have been around for a long long time, Caine was the first vampire(yeah that Caine), they have done well to ingratiate themselves into human society, hidden from view because while most Vamps can kill humans easily, we outnumber them and would get them eventually. They know this, and many hate it.
There are three main 'factions' in Vampire. The Camarilla, the Anarch's, and the Sabbat.
Camarilla:
The largest and most well organized of the Vampire factions. For years they have hidden themselves and upheld the Masquerade, building up their prescence in human society, and while none of them are ever going to be known in public, a lot of them have vast amount of money and like to control things from the shadows. Many of them like to pretend that they are keeping their humanity and 'shepherding the mortals', but in truth, most spend their time playing political games with each other while growing their power base, the old growing older and keeping their young on a tight leash.
Anarchs:
Basically what it says on the tin, vampires who have gone rogue or rebel against the Camarilla and old masters who they have grown tired of obeying. Originally it was a small rebellion, but in recent years it has become a larger movement due to younger kindred(vampire) flocking to their banners. It is also the faction that we know the least about.
Sabbat:
These assholes. They make most other Vampires look like saints. They believe that they are fated to fight on the side of Caine against his children, the Antedeluvians when Judgement day comes, and they specifically fight against the rules that the Camarilla enforce. They believe that they should be the ones to rule, not in the shadows, but in pubic so that mortals would know their place. If I don't sound impartial, it's because there is no way to look at this particular group of douchebags in any form of grey.
Instead of clinging to their humanity, they take on alien Paths of Enlightenment, some are actually somewhat noble, but more often than not, they are alien, brutal, and barbaric in the worst way possible. With being cooperative, compassionate, or trustworthy as sins and believing that the only way to live is by betraying everyone around you until it is just you at the top.
The Camarilla and Sabbat have been at war with each other since the Sabbat formed back in 1512, with various cities falling to either side in shadow wars across history.
Right now, the Sabbat control Miami, as they do a number of other cities like Washington DC, New York City, Milan, and a great vast many more.
Now, as for what Ghouls are. Ghouls are basically mortal thralls that Vampires take. The moment that a Ghoul takes Vitae, vampire blood, they become bonded to the Vampire and become infatuated with them to an unhealthy degree. Drinking Vitae also brings out the greatest, and most potent high that anyone could experience, with normal drugs never coming close to the feeling that Vitae can bring about. Ghouls do receive benefits from this of course. Increased strength, durability, learning some vampire bloodline powers depending on how strong their sire is, ceasing to age as long as they drink Vitae at least once a month, and some eventually become Embraced by their sire and become full fledged vampires.
Thing is, out of all the groups, the Sabbat treat their Ghouls the absolute worst, and their own vampires just the same. One of the terms that they use is 'shovelhead' where they embrace someone and then bury them into the ground, forcing the newly birthed vampire to claw their way out of the ground. Most times, newly embraced vampires don't have a choice in if they're embraced or not. After all, if you refuse... well, they can't exactly let you leave now that you know about vampires, now can you?
Of all the various supernaturals, Vampires are some of the most numerous, yet, ironically, also one of the weakest.
A single Werewolf can cleave through a coterie of Vampires with barely any trouble, Mages can literally bend reality to their whims, Changelings are tricky and able to escape to dream lands or cast their own brand of magic, and Demons while a new breed of supernatural are resistant to any form of mind control that a vampire can cast against them.
Yet, it has been secrecy that has kept all of them safe, not just from each other, but also the world around them.
And, just like Vampires, everyone has their own crap to deal with.
Any plans to use the WoD netbook Genius:the Transgression? Mad SCIENCE! THINGS MAN WAS NOT MEANT TO KNOW! The lore of WoD is pretty deep, I just thought I might mention it in case you hadn't heard of it.
Nope. I have a very... low opinion of Genius. Specifically because it's basically just discount technocrats. And it's set in Chronicles of Darkness instead of Old World of Darkness.
Also, I was writing a Celeastial Forge fic and somehow the Genius perks from the jumpchain got into the Forge which is just bad, since Inspiration ruins your capability of doing any sort of science.
I don't seem to have the 20th Anniversary edition of VtM, but in earlier editions, it took feeding three times from the same vampire for the blood bond to take hold. Doesn't help with the addiction to vitae, but does explain how independent ghouls can exist. Also, a few lucky people can't be blood bonded at all.
Is the game system you're using from the Gamer? It's clearly not Storyteller.
For Mia, yeah. A homebrewed version that is inspired by Mister Ficser's fic. Specifically the item shop, and GP points.
As for the feeding, you are right, it does take three times. It's just... well, Regina wasn't in the right state of mind when she first drank, as Mia said. Plus, I'm pretty sure that there have been plenty of ghouls that didn't know what they were getting into.
No, sorcerers exist and they also don't get paradox. They will think she is a prodigy sorcerer, probably one of the best ever to do it.
Anyway she already deadly to most vampires, they are super weak to fire and a pair of fire balls should wreck most vampires days.
Now her main concern should getting illusions or memory magic so she can stop masqurade breaches. She could even be recruited by technocrats if she wants to, sever of the non paradox tech she could sell would be a very big favour earner.
Mages and Technocrats are going to get their dicks ripped off and fed to them by a wrathful latina as punishment for their myriad crimes and failures. The only reason Mia has to give a shit about the Masquerades is because she can't declare war on the world and win yet.
This is true, but in the short term, she might need the bodies to throw at problems, though honestly I would hope she would go to the Werewolves/were beings first before trying to use the technocrats or most of the mage factions.
This is true, but in the short term, she might need the bodies to throw at problems, though honestly I would hope she would go to the Werewolves/were beings first before trying to use the technocrats or most of the mage factions.
This is true, but in the short term, she might need the bodies to throw at problems, though honestly I would hope she would go to the Werewolves/were beings first before trying to use the technocrats or most of the mage factions.
well she just got a bunch of liberated ghouls who she can cure of their vitae addictions pretty trivially. That's not nothing.
As for the werewolves? Fuck 'em. The Garou Nations are psychopaths who do nothing but jerk each other off about how they deserved to rule the world. Mia's going to adopt every Metis on earth and introduce everyone who gets in her way to mr. messatsu hadouken
well she just got a bunch of liberated ghouls who she can cure of their vitae addictions pretty trivially. That's not nothing.
As for the werewolves? Fuck 'em. The Garou Nations are psychopaths who do nothing but jerk each other off about how they deserved to rule the world. Mia's going to adopt every Metis on earth and introduce everyone who gets in her way to mr. messatsu hadouken
Mages and Technocrats are going to get their dicks ripped off and fed to them by a wrathful latina as punishment for their myriad crimes and failures. The only reason Mia has to give a shit about the Masquerades is because she can't declare war on the world and win yet.
Noooo, I just had to let my blood take the place of my brain, and now here I was. In my shitty old apartment, 4 stacks of bills in my Inventory, a formerly blood bonded ghoul passed out on my couch, and watching the news as the building I set on fire smoked into the air. I could even see the black plumes if I looked out the window.
Thank god I'd at least put on a hood and covered my face with a bandana while wearing clothes I'd bought from a thrift shop. I'd already set those clothes on fire, and healed my wounds with the Cure spell.
Now, I had a different problem.
It was the reason I had a metal detector jammed into my shoulder with telekinesis, while I drew an X at the right spot with the radio tuned into mariachi music as loud as it would go.
Turns out, that damn bullet was still in there, contrary to what I had thought.
So, I grabbed one of the oldest T-shirts I had, that whole wardrobe was getting burned later, cut into my shoulder.
It was painful, with a lot of blood, me once again regretting all of my decisions, a lot of screaming, and tears in my eyes. It was strangely nostalgic for my teenage years.
Getting the damn bullet out was easy after that, and healing the wound closed thankfully didn't leave it with worse scar tissue or any loss in mobility. Maybe it was because Cure had reached level 7 already, or maybe it was just that Final Fantasy magic was complete and utter horse shit.
Honestly, I didn't know.
I didn't know anything other than the fact I was so, so fucked unless I grew stronger soon. Grew stronger, and found more people to watch my back.
Unfortunately, it wasn't like I could just hit people up when most of them would try to kill me before I could get a word in. And that was before they knew about what I could do.
Mierda.
Now that I was done having a panic attack, I decided to just deal with some of the notifications that had accumulated from the fight.
ARSONIST
CONGRATULATIONS! YOU HAVE ENTERED THE HALLOWED HALLS OF ARSON THAT ONLY A SPECIAL KIND OF CRIMINAL HAVE ADDED TO THEIR PRESTIGIOUS RAP SHEETS. TRULY, YOU MAKE YOUR PARENTS PROUD.
REWARD: YOU GAIN AN INCREASED EXPERIENCE GAIN FOR FIRE BASED ABILITIES
DAY HUNTER
YOU HAVE HUNTED AND KILLED A VAMPIRE IN BROAD DAYLIGHT. TALK ABOUT A STALKER. HOPE THAT YOU HAVE THE BALLS TO ACTUALLY TAKE THINGS ON WHEN THEY'RE ACTUALLY AWAKE INSTEAD OF KILLING THEM WHEN THEY'RE ASLEEP. TALK ABOUT RUDE.
REWARD:YOU DEAL INCREASED DAMAGE TO VAMPIRES DURING THE DAYTIME.
There's a reason my parents didn't want me to go to their funeral, and that's because they knew I'd probably air out all the dirty laundry that they tried to hide for most of their lives. Sure as shit what I did online when my dad passed away.
Is it petty? Yeah.
Did I care? No.
Spite was the only thing that kept me going for most of my life.
Though, I did feel kinda bad afterwards.
Stop it dumbass, you're letting your thoughts drift away again.
Having a nice little nest egg of GP was good, more currency for the shop and expand my abilities, though I should probably put those attribute points somewhere.
I put half of them into Vitality, and the rest into Wisdom and Intelligence. I had grown too close to death, and every point of HP was a benefit.
For perks, well, there were too many choices, so I just went with one that would be beneficial no matter what I did.
I CAN DO THIS ALL DAY: REGENERATE YOUR HP BY 5% PER HOUR INSTEAD OF 1%.
The sound of groaning from the coach stopped my descent into the shop, which was no doubt going to take at least an hour of my time with how many options there were. And I remember that the shop said there was going to be even more after the quest.
Turning, I clean the knife I'd used and stare straight at the blond woman as she groaned and groggily rose from her position on the coach, eyes bloodshot and wild as she searched for a monster that was already dead.
She locked onto me, body tensing like a coiled spring ready to jump, hands shaking from-
Ah. Shit.
ISABELLE BERNADETTE
HP 150/150(200)
STATUS: VITAE DEPRIVATION
ABILITIES: NONE
WEAKNESSES:NONE
INVESTIGATION SYNERGY DETECTED
A FORMER GHOUL SUFFERING FROM HER BLOOD BOND BEING BROKEN, AND VITAE RUNNING LOW. AGING PROCESS HAS NOT STARTED YET, BUT WILL DOUBT BEING AFFECTING THE SUBJECT SOON.
Well, damn, that can't be good.
I can't believe that I just brought her to my apartment. Then again, it wasn't like I had anywhere to stash her, and she did save my life after I broke her nose. She'd let me set it, at least before she passed out.
For a second, she gave me a murderous, hate filled glare, and I was getting ready to throw her the moment she jumped at me. Thankfully, she instead relaxed, some of the tension remaining, but she didn't look like she was about to try and kill me with her bare hands.
"Thank you." She said, and it's only now that I could hear a faint French accent in her words.
I didn't have to ask to know what she meant. "I wasn't going to leave you there to be rounded up by any of that assholes children." I said simply, standing up and walking towards her, taking a knee and beginning to inspect her.
Fever was building up, body was shaking, face is pale, and her eyes were completely bloodshot.
"I take it you hadn't gotten your Vitae hit in a while?" I asked softly, and she just gave a harsh bark of a laugh.
"While he made sure that we would receive enough, he enjoyed making us wait to the last possible moment. A game that the man played to keep us in line." Of course he did. You don't get to be as old as that asshole was as a vampire without getting some penchant for cruelty.
"How long have you been stuck under his thumb?" I asked.
"Sixty years."…I really wish I'd shot him a couple of times before I cooked his ass. "I had been visiting the man that would have been my husband. It was after the war, and we had fought together in the war."
"You were a soldier?"
"Non, resistance. I still remember the day Paris fell. The people gathered and taken to be 'processed'. My friend, Marie, and her family were taken from their homes so many years ago. And I could not simply stand by and let that continue. I saw many comrades fall, some of them next to me during our nightly raids of soldiers." Like a flood, she just kept going. On and on about her days during WW2. Nostalgia and melancholy mixing into bittersweet medicine that brought a smile to her lips even as tears streamed from her eyes.
I just pulled up a seat and listened, wishing I had set a pot of something to boil so that we could both drink. She talked about her parents, who she had lost in a bombing run. How her favorite coffee shop managed to survive the war, scratched up and in need of repair, but still there.
It was like she hadn't been able to speak freely for the past sixty years, and I wouldn't be surprised if Rick was the 'women were meant to be silent' assholes.
And then she got to where her true nightmare began.
"I found them while he had been drinking my Bruce. He wasn't the most dashing man, but he had 'eart. A pure soul that wasn't afraid to dive headfirst to save anyone that he could. And they took him away. And for so many years I just… didn't care. Because he didn't want me to care. Just that, was enough to make me forget about my home of Paris. Forget sweet skinny Bruce, who'd lost his father while he was gone to war."
She cried, she sobbed, and before I knew, she was clinging onto me and I just let her because I knew what she explained. Only, unlike her, Regina never woke up from her nightmare. That girl was gone, and I was here to pick up what scattered pieces were left.
I was at a loss for what to do for her. There wasn't anything that I could do.
Her life was gone, her loved ones were dead, and the world had changed drastically in the past sixty years, and it was only going to keep changing.
There was one thing that I could do. No point in beating around the bush, she'd already seen me cast a fireball and force throw Lumpy through a wall.
But I would ask her first.
"The side effects are going to hit soon." For once, my voice was even and almost cold. Far and away from how I usually spoke, but the occasion called for it.
Isabelle didn't react, merely nodded. "I have accepted that."
I probably would too. Death is better than that.
"If you could avoid that outcome… would you? Not by taking any more Vitae." I added quickly when she glared up at me. "I mean, if there was another option, would you take it?"
She considered my question, leaning back into the couch, silent contemplation flitting through her blue eyes.
"Well, if all I got left to lose is my life, then why not? Surely don't wish to die because of that monster." I wave a hand over at her and cast Esuna, ignoring the dip of magic points and three levels.
Like a light switch going off, she was good as new. The deathly pale was back to a healthy tone, crimson red eyes shifted to white sclera, and the shaking slowly dissipated within a few heartbeats.
She blinked a few times, staring at her hands as she sat up, breathing out disbelieving puffs of air. "I don't feel it. The cravings. I thought I was going to die, wanting to drown in that hideous blood."
"I would avoid going anywhere near the blood from now on." I said quietly, knowing that she was already going to do that, but thinking that it was probably best to say it out loud.
She doesn't laugh or cry like I would have expected her to. With a quiet sigh, what tension remained just left her body and the woman contemplated where to go from here, much like I did.
Poor dear. I had her wrapped in a hug before I knew what I was doing, instinct taking over before my brain could tell it otherwise. She reminded me so much of my little one back home, of me when I first realized that I had a home again and didn't have to worry about my next meal, or shelter in the winter when the shelters were overcrowded.
Isabelle leaned into the hug, burying her head into my shoulder, while I just sat there, more than content to help in any way that I could.
There were so many other ghouls that were out there right now, afraid, alone, and suffering from the effects of losing their blood bond and Vitae addiction.
I hated that I knew helping them would just be a stopgap before they'd be found if I took them in.
The Sabbat had most control of the city, with the rest of the supernaturals of this world caught up in their own issues. The Technocracy and Traditions stuck in their endless war for 'ascension' that I wanted no part in, the Changelings cursed to lose themselves to the banality of the world, the Werewolves losing an endless war that they themselves caused at the very beginning of history.
Everything was fucked.
And it was just me here, with a French woman crying her eyes out, and no one else to help.
I needed that help.
Mages, Changelings, and Demons were right out the window, with Mummies being exceedingly rare in this day and age. Werewolves might help, but they were all angry eco warriors, with most of them probably willing to kill me just for knowing about their culture. Their kinfolk, those with wolfblood in their veins but not actual Garou, would probably be more amenable, especially the Bone Gnawers and Glass Walkers of the city, but then word would go back to their arrogant cousins.
Hunters, meanwhile, were even more paranoid than Vampires or Garou, and with good reason. Unlike the rest, they had no idea what the fuck was going on, much like me. Which meant contacting one was incredibly hard because most didn't want to be found.
Then there was the chance I'd find one of the Imbued instead of a normal hunter which would have… unfortunate implications.
"What are your plans?" Isabelle asked as I released her and she stared out the window at the inviting and foreboding darkness of the Miami night sky.
"Hunt down as many Sabbat are left in the city. Probably get eaten by one or turned into a flesh golem by one of those Tzimisce bastards if I'm lucky enough." I said tonelessly, already beginning to dig through the shop for more things to buy.
For the first time since I'd met her, she laughed. A musical sad sound that lacked the joy that a laugh should have.
"Yes, I do believe that will be your fate. Would you mind sharing it with someone with nothing else to live for?" My hand froze on the holographic blue screen, turning to stare at the stone faced and completely serious woman who evenly met my gaze. "I saw what you did. You are… a magi?"
This time, I barked out a laugh. "Not the kind that Lumpy would have known. I'm something… new. Something different. Unlike most mages, I don't have to worry about hiding whatever magic or weird shit that I can pull out of my ass."
She scrunched up her nose at my language, ah right, she was from the 1940's, but didn't comment on it.
Something simple, a form of craft or something.
Ah, how about that? -2500 GP
DWARFEN RUNECRAFT(WARHAMMER FANTASY)
AN ANCIENT ART KNOWN ONLY TO THE DWARVES. UNLIKE MOST OTHER RACES IN THE OLD AND NEW WORLD'S, DWARVES HAVE NO AFFINITY TO HEAR OR CONTROL THE WINDS OF MAGIC. INSTEAD, THEY HAVE LEARNED TO HARNESS THE MAGIC INTO THESE RUNES, CAPTURING THEM AND CONTROLLING.
YOU ARE NOW ABLE TO FORM BASIC RUNES. HIGHER LEVELS WILL UNLOCK NEW STRONGER RUNES, ALONG WITH INCREASING THEIR STRENGTH AND THE SPEED AT WHICH YOU CAN CREATE THEM.
Now, something else that will help with this.
-2000GP
HASTE
A TIME MAGIC SPELL THAT INCREASES THE TIME OF THOSE UNDER THE SPELL.
STRENGTH AND DURATION OF THE SPELL IS AFFECTED BY INTELLIGENCE, ALONG WITH THE SPELLS LEVEL.
She watched me buy my two spells, silent but intrigued, and I shrugged as I cast Haste on myself. She'd already seen me cast a fireball this wasn't that much worse.
HASTE HAS REACHED LEVEL 2
The speed was probably only about 25% and it wouldn't last me longer than a couple of minutes, but it was still something at least. It was only at a walk, but I must have looked like ran across the room as I grabbed a piece of paper and started to write down all the runes that played in my head. Most of them were beyond what I could do, I instinctively knew, but that was something that I could take care of with time.
For now, simply having them written down would help later one when I had to actual inscribe them. I was going to need an anvil, a forge, a nice weighty hammer, and space.
When the spell had worn off, I was standing there, an entire booklet written on different runes and how to properly guide the magic where I wanted it to go. Doubt that anyone else could use this thing right without being able to use magic, but it might be useful someday.
Adding a couple of runes to guns or pieces of clothing would be helpful, especially against those vampire fucks.
Realizing that she was staring at me with great big wide eyes, I give her a big smile.
"Sorry, heavy subjects tend to make me antsy and want to work on something with my hands. I've sown a lot of quilts and baked tons of cookies. Now… if you're serious, you're in it for the long haul. No turning back, no running away."
Isabelle nodded without a second thought, and stood up, taking my hand and kissing it.
Well, that was one way to make an old lady blush. Part of me wishes that she wasn't straight. Shut up horny Mia, we're too old for that.
"My life, my freedom, were given to me by you. Not out of obligation, or for a payment of debts, but because that was what you wished. An act of kindness that I will not answer with abandonment. If it is more of the Night folk we must hunt, then I shall do so gladly." I usually wasn't one to get embarrassed when talking to people, shame was something you tend to throw away after a couple of years after being alone for a while. But damn, people sure as shit didn't do that when I was growing up as a kid.
I clear out my throat. "Now, now, no need to bow your head to little old me dear. Please stand up."
She did, though she gave me a curious stare. "You do not speak as other people of this day and age do."
I snort. "That's because I'm a lot older than I look." I said honestly. Ah fuck it. Just because I could be alone for long periods of time, didn't mean that I wanted to. Especially in this hellhole. "You've opened up about your story, I should open up about mine. At least, mine and Regina's.
And I did.
She listened with the patience of a saint, barely reacting to anything that I said, with the occasional wince at Regina's fate, or widening eyes when I summoned a small fireball in my hand before crushing it.
I thought she was going to call me crazy, so I just bit the bullet and used a feature for the first time.
ARE YOU SURE THAT YOU WOULD LIKE TO EXTEND A PARTY INVITE TO ISABELLE BERNADETTE?
Y/N
I was way too sober for how fast I pressed 'Y'.
Thing is, I could see the text box that appeared in front of her just like mine. She stared at it in disbelief for barely a second before she accepted it as well.
When she summoned her status, she looked over at me.
"So, what now?"
"Now, we build up our strength and figure out where we're hitting next." I said honestly.
"Hm, you should know, you are not the only hunter in the city then." That… made my heart soar with just the tiny bit of hope.
NAME: MIA ITZEL/REGINA REED AGE:93(68+23)
LV:8
XP:4,800/12,800
HP:250/250 MP:230/230
ATTRIBUTE POINTS TO DISTRIBUTE:0
FUNDS:$4000
GP:19,200
PERK POINTS:0
PERKS: FORCEFUL MIND:
APPLY YOUR STRENGTH ATTRIBUTE TO KINETIC MAGIC AND ABILITIES DAMAGE MULTIPLIER.
THOUGHTFUL MIND: INCREASE MP REGENERATION BY 50%
HARDY LUNGS: INCREASE OVERALL ENDURANCE AND STAMINA.
DAY HUNTER:YOU DEAL INCREASED DAMAGE TO VAMPIRES DURING THE DAYTIME.
ARSONIST:YOU GAIN AN INCREASED EXPERIENCE GAIN FOR FIRE BASED ABILITIES
I CAN DO THIS ALL DAY: REGENERATE YOUR HP BY 5% PER HOUR INSTEAD OF 1%
