Chapter 51: Between Hunger and Choice IV
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Level Three: True Vampire
A true vampire was what most legends described when they whispered about vampires with fear and desire. The system described them as a stable blood species, not a half-cursed creature.
True vampires gained refined beauty and predatory grace. Their bodies became optimized: stronger bones, faster reflexes, higher chaos energy capacity. Their senses sharpened dramatically. They gained true blood arts, the ability to shape blood into weapons, armor, chains, and even temporary constructs.
A true vampire could create lesser vampires intentionally, could choose whether to convert or simply feed, and could suppress bloodlust with discipline instead of suffering it like a curse.
The bond at this level became a blood oath. Betrayal was difficult and painful. Obedience was not mindless slavery, but it was deep.
[Minimum Blood Awakening required to create: 15%.]
Level Four: Night Lord Vampire
A night lord vampire was a ruler-tier entity, often mistaken for half gods in the lower realms. Their blood arts became domains, not just skills. They could influence blood in living beings at range, induce fear, paralyze, or even force brief obedience through blood pressure manipulation. They could regenerate from lethal injuries if their core blood essence remained intact.
Night lords could create true vampires and command them through blood resonance. Their bond was absolute in battle and overwhelming in proximity, like gravity.
The system noted that night lords often built blood courts, cities, and armies, not because they needed them, but because their nature pushed them toward rule.
[Minimum Blood Awakening required to create: 35%.]
Level Five: Blood Sovereign
The highest tier the system displayed was not described with romance or poetry. It was described like a disaster.
A blood sovereign was a blood god’s echo. A being whose blood awakening reached a threshold where its blood carried law, not just power. Blood sovereigns could command blood like an element, like a natural force. They could strip blood from enemies in waves, create vast blood constructs, and forge immortal blood servants bound permanently.
They could also resist nearly all forms of chaos corruption because their own blood became a purified chaos law, shaped by the blood system.
[Minimum Blood Awakening required to create: 70%.]
The system’s note at the end was simple.
[Blood sovereign tier is extremely rare. Often associated with ancient Walkers or blood gods.]
(Author’s note: Quick reference table.
Level One: Ghoul Vampire
Minimum Blood Awakening to create: 1%
Typical creator range: 1%–4%
Level Two: Lesser Vampire
Minimum Blood Awakening to create: 5%
Typical creator range: 5%–14%
Level Three: True Vampire
Minimum Blood Awakening to create: 15%
Typical creator range: 15%–34%
Level Four: Night Lord Vampire
Minimum Blood Awakening to create: 35%
Typical creator range: 35%–69%
Level Five: Blood Sovereign
Minimum Blood Awakening to create: 70%
Typical creator range: 70%–100% )
Sekhmet stared at the hierarchy until his eyes hurt.
Then he looked down at the two guards again, trembling and changing.
They were Level One.
Ghouls.
He had made them ghouls.
Sekhmet’s chest tightened.
"This is... different from Blood Puppet," he said, voice hoarse.
The system responded immediately.
[Correct. Blood Puppet is an active skill requiring host intent and activation.
Blood God’s Covenant is a passive blood trait that may trigger during feeding.
The host currently lacks fine suppression control due to low Blood Awakening.]
Sekhmet’s hands clenched.
"So I cannot stop it," he said.
[Host can reduce probability by avoiding feeding on allies and by improving Blood Awakening.]
Sekhmet swallowed.
Avoid feeding on allies.
That sounded simple until you realized he had almost bitten Lily earlier.
He looked at Lily, unconscious in his arms. Her face was peaceful. Her eyes were closed. She did not know what was happening.
And Sekhmet knew, with cold certainty, that if she had seen him bite her guards, she would have looked at him differently. Even if she still cared. Even if she still trusted.
She would have been afraid.
And Sekhmet could not handle that.
Not now.
Not while he was still fighting himself.
The two guards groaned again. Their voices sounded thicker, as if their throats were changing.
The first guard’s fingers twitched. His nails looked darker, sharper.
The second guard’s teeth clenched and unclenched as if his mouth could not decide what shape it wanted.
Bat Bat crawled across the ground, peering at them.
"Why they ugly," Bat Bat asked.
Sekhmet’s jaw tightened.
"Quiet," he snapped.
Bat Bat puffed up.
"Not ugly," it corrected itself quickly. "Different."
Sekhmet did not have time to discipline a bat’s vocabulary.
Outside, the kobols’ howls grew louder again.
KRAAAH!
TapTapTapTap!
Footsteps scraped stone near the cave mouth.
The kobols were close.
The guards’ transformation slowed, settling into something stable. Their breathing became deeper, stronger. Their eyes opened fully, glowing dull red.
They looked at Sekhmet.
Not with hatred.
Not with fear.
With hunger.
With confusion.
With something that was not quite loyalty, but not quite hostility either.
The first guard licked his lips slowly.
His tongue flicked over new sharp teeth.
"What... did you do," he rasped.
Sekhmet’s voice came out flat, controlled.
"I kept you alive," he said.
The second guard pushed himself up, knees shaking, then steadied. He looked down at his hands, seeing the nails, the veins, the pallor.
His face twisted.
"No," he whispered. "No..."
Sekhmet clenched his jaw.
"This is my fault."
The system spoke again, this time with another detail that hit like a knife.
[Ding! Blood Proficiency Update
Blood Proficiency: 100%.
Blood Awakening increased by 1%.
Current Blood Awakening: 2%.
Skill Upgrade available: choose one skill to advance to Level Two.]
Sekhmet froze. He stared at the notification. His blood proficiency was now full.
That meant he had reached a milestone.
That meant his body had adapted.
That meant the blood thirst would never be a temporary problem again.
It was part of him now.
Sekhmet’s throat tightened.
He looked at the guards again.
Their eyes were fixed on him, not like men looking at a commander, but like starving creatures looking at a source.