Chapter 24 - Coffee and blood
Damon sat down slowly, his legs heavy, his thoughts heavier. He needed to fucking log back into the game and have a good talk with Bloodreign. He needed answers now.
Thanks to the little nap, he only needed to wait a couple more hours to be able to log back into the game. The servers opened at 5pm sharp.
In the meantime he continued browsing the internet for any weird or suspicious news. He also checked on his friend but Mark had already messaged him with a rain check, saying that he was busy and something had come up.
Now that he thought about it, it was around this time Mark had become extremely busy all of a sudden and had picked up many side jobs to hustle as much cash as he could. He never really thought about it before but now he wondered why his friend suddenly started burning himself out like that.
Back then, Damon had chalked it up to Mark being broke or trying to save up for something important. Maybe some family emergency, maybe a loan to pay off. Whatever it was, he wouldn't allow Mark to suffer this time.
He badly wanted to repay all those fuckers who backstabbed him but more than that he wanted to stand by the guy who was there for him when no one else was.
Today he needed to figure out this bullshit that was going on but tomorrow he would have a proper chat with Mark and once and for all see what was happening with his friend. He owed him that much—hell, he owed him more than that.
Damon glanced at the clock. An hour and forty minutes left. He tried to order some food and eat but even his favorite go-to comfort meal tasted like ass now. He drank some cold water and took a cold shower, none of which seemed to help.
Cursing in frustration he downed the last bit of cold coffee sitting on his desk and he froze. Fuck! He never expected this but coffee tasted amazing for his tongue.
The moment the bitter liquid hit his tongue, the pounding in his head eased slightly. The gnawing hunger dulled—not vanished, but backed off just enough for him to breathe.
He stared at the empty mug in disbelief, then slowly set it down. "What the hell...?" he muttered, licking his lips. The aftertaste was richer than it had any right to be. It almost reminded him of how blood had tasted—less intense, sure, but in the same ballpark.
He eyed the machine on his counter like it was some sacred relic. "You might be my new best friend," he muttered, already brewing another cup.
And with the clock ticking down to 5PM, a fresh cup of coffee in his stomach, and a thousand questions storming his mind, Damon settled in. It was time to get back into the game and get some damned answers.
He laid on the bed, wore the helmet and switched it on and the next second he was once again back in the outskirts of the Niera city. The first thing he did was...
"Bloodreign!" Damn called for the damned weapon spirit. "Bloodreign! Come out now! You could have given me a headsup, don't you think?"
"Wow. Someone's cranky," the familiar voice appeared, followed by a sweet giggle. "Did you miss me that much, Damon?"
Damon let out a long, exasperated breath. "You think this is funny?" he snapped. "You could've told me that I would be waking up as a monster! That I'd start craving blood!
Bloodreign chuckled again. "Huh? Are you dumb or what? Didn't you know powers from the blessed lands transferred to the real world??"
"No. I did not." Damon hissed.
The woman simply laughed. "I guess you know now."
"I almost killed someone!" Damon growled, hands clenched into fists. "You think that's funny too?"
Eh? The sword spirit now sounded genuinely confused. "Why are you so squeamish over a single kill? The multiverse is a place where only the strong survive and you become strong by forging a path of blood and corpses."
"Don't patronize me," he snapped. "You could've warned me. Hell, you should've! Instead, I wake up with fangs in someone's neck and no goddamn clue what's happening. Fine. Leave that." This line of questioning was not really helpful. He had other things to worry about now.
"What do I do now? How do I control my thirst? Animal blood should work right? How often do you think I need to consume blood?"
"Huh? You are a primordial vampire and you think drinking animal blood will help your thirst? You are such a funny joker." Bloodreign laughed.
"You are just a bloodling, a newborn baby, you need lots and lots of blood, my liege. Human blood would suffice since I am assuming that's all you have access to. And not just any human would do, you need to pick someone with a strong bloodline."
Damon grit his teeth, pacing along the dirt path outside Niera city. "You're not helping."
"I am helping," Bloodreign chirped. "You're just not listening. Your body's evolving, Damon. Your instincts are sharpening. Your bloodline is waking up. And with that comes... appetite."
Damon sat down on a rock, trying to compose himself. There were too many things going on, and his mind was restless, a million things nagging him. He needed to calm down.
He closed his eyes and focused. His senses picked up some movement nearby. A few beasts were in the vicinity. From the snarling sounds, he could already tell what they were.
Direhounds! Big rabid dogs. Only around level 5 or so. They weren't all that strong, but they were enough for now. He shot towards the area of disturbance, and splurged on the blood like there was no tomorrow. In the next couple of minutes, the entire pack was massacred.
Their corpses lay sprawled across the clearing, and Damon stood in the center, chest rising and falling steadily. His craving was finally under control, and he was able to settle himself and think.
First things first. He needed to solve his real-life problem. He needed blood. The stunning face of the cold beauty next door immediately popped into his mind.
"Bloodreign, what happens when I drink blood from someone? Someone in real life?"
"Call me little red! How many times do I need to remind you?!" The weapon spirit pouted.
Damon had to take a breath not to lose his shit at the damned woman. "Okay, little red. What happens when I feed on a human being? Do they become a vampire or something?"