"Best of luck!" Trainer Mason said as they moved in. His badge was placed into the door wall and turned just a few inches to the left. The torch in his hand turned green before returning to normal. Vladis didn't miss the expression on the trainers' face. He was annoyed in a way. "Haaa, you two grew in more strength before coming. This may not provide many problems to test you correctly."
"It is just a little more strength. Not a lot." Rosso said. Her eyebrow twitching in slight annoyance. Having thought about where Vladis was coming from with scaling. The advantage of personal growth would never matter unless you were tricked out gear-wise with that kind of set up. Clapping her hands, she figured something out to fix the situation. "How about he goes on his own and I go on my own?"
"Or you go and I do not go?" Vladis took a step back ready to leave. Scaled up challenges were boring. They provided no additional story and difficulty that took a few more seconds in every avenue. Just wasting time really. "Tons of other Quests to do."
"Wait! There is another Trial! It is an old one that many do not even bother to take anymore. Even fewer know about." Another Trainer said from the back. She was standing in Vladis way, as she explained. Quite determined to test them both. "Allow me to take you there, please. I rather you not think less of the Training Facility anymore."
The scary thing about some of the programming. They learned social ticks quickly, which allowed them to fit their roles easier. Trainers picked up on annoyance and disgust really quickly from people especially. All fitting more with a season teacher or observer.
"It should be alright Vladis." Rosso interrupted. "They couldn't have change the difficulty of something old and I still need your help in the Representative Part. So it should excite you enough to go ahead."
"Fine." Vladis shrugged. The old part would give him something new to explore He just had to convince himself it was worth it. 'Never did a quest like this last time. Even more so with the old part never really popping in books. As far as I know anyway.' Following the Trainer, his thoughts turning away to what it could entail for the future. 'The Reputation gain from this should be really nice. May need to focus on it till it is at Revered status. That would be enough for backing in the future and access to deeper facilities while here.'
Convinving was hte best way to move forward with something he dislikes.
'The bot did some small quests in the Village. Such as trash pick up and weed pulling. So the reputation gain from that is not bad overall for the village.' Noin thought to him. Her eyes full of code as parts of the game changed outside the village. Updates on the "Gangs" as well as "Monsters" changing. 'The two low-level Vampires you have, what do you want to do with them?'
''Keep a low profile for the first one since he is in deep with the gang as an Infiltrator. The woman, have her help in the village. A good way to help build her reputation. If she is ever caught, she can say she was forced to help them. With a high enough Reputation, she would be forgiven by most.' Vladis stopped when the Trainer stopped. Her torch-passing some old stone pieces to highlight words. 'What class is she? And what sub-race?'
Vladis read over everything the torch lit up while moving. The good news, his memory kept what languages he learned. He defintely did not want to re-learn any ancient language. It took years to find each letter for the most part. And took months to put it togethor correctly.
'Class, Mercenary, and sub-race is Vampire now. Before, part of the Nightfolk. Your cultivation has almost removed every trace of that. Soon she will be Vampire only. Same as the first one. Having her build up a Reputation only should help with things.' Noin finished up her tasks and relaxed. Her code was more advance than any other besides the Helper Guide with the Heroine. But her combat was more evolved in ways.
"Best of luck in the Trials." The Trainer said. "May Fate be on your side."
Stepping through the door, a magical barrier formed behind Vladis. He would not be allowed to leave. The trainer disappeared on him instantly. Which never meant well for exploration.
"This seems like the beginning of trouble." Vladis mumbled. He moved forward ready for anything at this point. Thinking everything shouldn't take to long. A smile creeping on his face at the thought of a new experience.
He was very wrong.
.
12 hours later-
.
Vladis thought it would just be a small walk, but no. It turned into miles and miles of walking. Checking he already ran for over 37 miles before he gave up and just walked. Outside messages were not allowed. But the GM ticket option was still available.
Right before he was about to give up, he came across a tomb. Two golden statues on the outside with falcon heads. Adorned in ancient Egyptian clothing and khurki blades in each hand.
*Fwip!* All around several torches lit the place up. Glowing green with flickering white smoke. Enough that it made Vladis skin crawl. Between the statue, a door opened up. Pushing out what looked to be a casket. Out walked a mummy of all things once it opened. Why couldn't just be jewels or something.
"Well... this is just Prime." Vladis was ready to fight at a moment's notice. But it was for naught. "What in the blazes?"
The mummy removed it's bandages revealing a very dried up woman. Skin and nose all sorts of wrong and ready to just.. fall off. It reached out with it's mind, breaking through his mental protection with ease.
"Rude!" Vladis yelled. He gripped his head and started backing up. Small little taps to send energy inward to mess with the probing. But a barrier appeared stopping him. 'This is just bullshit! I call hacks!' Fighting against it was exhausting already.
"Calm yourself, little Vampire." The mummy said simply. Voice succulent as it spoke. But Vladis was no fool, his eyes darting around in every direction to escape as soon as possible. "It is all part of the Trial. To test the "mind" first is the first of many. And you passed with flying colors. I only found bitterness and anger at the surface. A good projection to push a lesser mind away."
"Uh huh..." Vladis felt Blood Sonar trigger with a simple thought. It found nothing to identify other creatures in the area. Beside the mummy that was running low on blood of course. Which did not bold well for himself. "Soooo we are done, excuse me as I continue on my way."
*Stretch!* He pulled a little against her grip. Not budging more than a centimeter.
"Wait, I have a proposition for you." The mummy called out. The tone only slightly pleading. "Spare some blood for I can leave here in the future. That is all I ask."
"Ummm.." Vladis had know idea who the mummy was as he racked his brain. Looking over the member of the future extinct race, was a bit of an issue. "You know I am a vampire and I am not going to give my blood willy nilly. It does you know good to take it unwillingly considering...."
"Yes yes, shut up. Just rather not die here. All alone and starving." The mummy stopped him by raising a decrepit hand up. "I will agree to a small trade, as long as the stipulation is not to high of course."
Vladis and the Mummy spent some time ironing out some details of a Blood Pact. The Mummy and any of its offspring would not attack him unjustly, and he and his offspring would do the same.
The deeper agreement actually caused the Mummy to frown. In know way, were either party allowed to undermine and maneuver acts to cause the downfall of the other unknowingly by feigning ignorance or by the grace of magic from others.
"Really... detailed their eh?" The Mummy frowned. Confusing caution from Vladis as Cowardice. But it agreed nonetheless. Which a tiny prick, the tiniest of blood went towards Vladis. "Your turn."
"Sure." Vladis pricked a finger sending a blood drop no bigger than a thumbnail. "Quality against quantity I suppose." As the blood passed each other, a resonance passed for just a split second. 'Well.. this will go bad or terrible in the future.'
*Woom!* The blood entered Vladis causing his body to shudder for just a moment. He was now able to see the level of the Mummy. Enough he wanted to just log out of the game itself for a bit. The name was still unknown to him though.
"Vilkiss the III, how unusual of a name you have." Vladis muttered. The blood was still working in his body. But a path opens that he shot towards in an instant. "Later!" Best to go before she changed her mind in some way or find something out from his blood.
*Scatter!* Using Shift he was on to the next trial. The effects of his blood working away at the Mummy Vilkiss.
"So rich! So untainted! SO POWERFUL!" Vilkiss cried in ecstasy. Flesh throbbing as well as restoring. In moments she had normal flesh back. Organs regenerating and reforming from the embalming process. "Haaaaa.." Vilkiss took a fresh breath before rolling on the floor in excitement. "Ohh Vlady, you will be fun!"
As the Mummy enjoyed its new lease on life, the room started to change slowly. The Games programming altering its location for future use. This Trial would no longer be available for those in the future. Which was what happened originally.
The temple access appeared in "free space" on a Continent not visited by Users as it was still forming more. With quests finishing in every dimension. Around the temple, story and content related to the Mummy Vilkiss III coded itself.
A special bit for a Saviour of the Mummy race named "Vlady" was formed. Weaving him into story content.
A character that was studying Spirit Magic stumbled upon a book. The book was flayed and old. The book was called Legend of the Crypt. A path to Necromancy was definitely available on this path.
Another temple adorned in clouds had a different tale. Statues started moving out for a few feet. Straining against the pull of the temple energy inside. The temple restricted the statues with the energy of light.
The light, the same as Vladis in a way. The statues were not normal at all. They were the creatures' known as gargoyles. And they were a big problem.
.
New Abilities-
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As Vladis moved to the next destination, he was suprised at the open area of water in front of him. But nothing else. The way back closed off as well.
With nothing else to do, he sat down and had a meal before absorbing the raw essence in the area. His blood started to act up the moment he did so.
*Babump! Babump!* Two powerful heartbeats echoed across the way. A deeper connection appeared between his clothing as his magic.
(User has gained the ability Wrap-All, Gathering Rank I. Cloth based textures on down can now be wielded with thought. Flexibility as well as damage increases from tightly woven material.)
'Neat. Well planned on learning mostly cloth for now anyway. It is gonna take a while to move up to the high stuff anyway.' Vladis focused more on learning about the new abilities. Another was starting to develop. Something to do with undead. 'This.. feels odd.'
(User has gained the ability Dead Feed, Gathering Rank I. Can now draw blood from the dead to replenish oneself. 1% Currently. Vampirism to low for full effect.)
Oddly enough, the water started to churn in response. Above the break of the surface, finned heads appeared. Several appearing right after moving towards the shore slowly.
The next part of the Trial was starting.