The Bloodgem, one of the Eight pieces of the Lifestone Tree, able to grant its bearer incredible powers, including Immortality. In fact I have another fragment of the Lifestone Tree with me already, the Alpha stone.
The Alpha Stone's fragments had embedded themselves in Basilisk's body, granting him his powers. He was the green-scaled reptilian who had attacked Stark Headquarters with Obadiah, and Bobbi managed to capture him after the battle.
Extracting the fragments wasn't easy—it took Monica a significant amount of effort to carefully remove each shard from his body. But in the end, she succeeded, fully restoring the Alpha Stone to its original form.
I am sure though that neither Elsa nor her father Ulysses has any idea of the origins or the connection of Bloodgem with the other gems. And I am definitely not in any hurry to inform her about it.
"Of course, I would never betray my Monster Hunter Buddy!" I say cheerfully, pouring another glass of whisky and handing it to her. Now, both of us hold a secret about each other, creating a bridge of trust that can strengthen our bond.
"Cheers, to Elsa the Monster Hunter and her dashing sidekick, the Handsome Bait!" Elsa says with a grin, clinking her glass with mine.
"Hey, I am pretty sure I took out more vampires than you tonight, so that makes you the sidekick," I reply with a playful smirk.
"Beginner's luck," she fires back with a competitive gleam in her eye. "We will see how well you do on future hunts."
"Well anyways, thank God I was right about the gem. Otherwise, I would have kept thinking you were into BDSM with that choker you have got on," I say, chuckling.
"It's not a choker!" Elsa protests, clearly annoyed.
"It sure looks like one to me," I tease, amusement colouring my tone.
"Ugh, I told Father to make it as a glove, but no, he insisted it would get in the way during fights. So, I am stuck with this 'necklace.'" She emphasises the word with a heavy dose of irritation.
"Well, to me it still looks like a choker … Guess we will just have to settle this with a bet." I smirk slyly.
"A bet? Oh, you're on!" Elsa declares, clearly up for the challenge.
"A drinking bet. First one who can't keep going loses." I place two unopened bottles of vodka on the table.
"Drinking? Pffft, I am game, but no using any of your fancy powers to cheat!" she says, narrowing her eyes.
"I swear, no powers. But that means you will have to take off that choker of yours," I say, amusement dancing in my eyes.
"It's a necklace, and fine! Here, happy now?" She removes it and sets it aside. "Even without it, I will still drink you under the table," she says confidently, pouring herself a shot of vodka and downing it immediately.
"We will see, El," I say with a hidden smirk, taking my own drink.
---
"…Blight Beasts of Krakow are massive! Bigger than bloody cruise ships! My father kept one caged on the island for over 5,000 years! And I had to defeat it when I was just a baby!" Elsa slurs, slouching back into the couch, her face flushed with the drink.
From the start of the game, I had been usingmy Data Warping powers to alter the alcohol, transforming it into a version potent enough to affect even superpowered individuals. One of my little inventions—highly appreciated by Peggy.
I could have easily won, given my Super Soldier physique, but I altered the drinks to keep it fair. And, honestly, after tonight's chaos, I wanted to get a bit drunk.
Still, I hadn't expected Elsa to keep pace even after taking off her choker. She is definitely superpowered, even without the Bloodgem. But now, with her starting to slur and drop phrases like 'My Father and 5,000 years', it was clear that the booze was finally taking its toll.
"Five thousand years and bigger than a cruise ship? And why would you have to fight it as a baby? How does a baby even do that?" I ask, my speech also little slurred as I pour another glass of vodka and set the empty bottle down with the growing pile.
"Hehehe... It was a rite of passage from my Father! And what do you mean how? I wasn't just any baby—I'm a Bloodstone! 'Course I could defeat any monster, no matter how big or strong!" she declares, raising her glass triumphantly, her smile wide.
"Ohhh, Super Baby!" I cheer along with her, as I down my glass.
"Yeah, I just did this, that, and the other—wham, bam—and passed the rite!" Elsa giggles, waving her hands around as if mimicking sword strikes in slow motion.
"Was that harder than the time you fought the White Sharks as a kid?" I ask, genuinely curious.
"Ugh, well... the Blight Beast was caged. But when it came to the sharks, Father just threw me into a horde of Great White Sharks off the coast of South Africa—without any weapon. So that one was definitely harder, although I was a bit older by then," she says, reminiscing with an oddly happy smile.
If anyone else overheard these wild claims, they would think she was either bragging or completely insane. But I knew better. The real crazy one was her father, Ulysses Bloodstone, who had subjected his own daughter to these impossible rites.
"Wow… you have had such an interesting childhood. Mine was just school, friends, dating, college—you know, the usual, average stuff. Pretty boring compared to yours," I say with an awkward smile.
"No, no… I would've loved to go to school, make friends, maybe even—" She pauses, her gaze lowering. "I mean, I don't mind how Father trained me, made me go on hunts… it was to remove my weaknesses, after all. But, it wouldn't have hurt to have a normal childhood. A normal life… even just for a little while," she says with a bitter smile, quickly downing another glass.
"Elsa…" I watch her, concern softening my tone.
"Don't mind me, mate. Mostly my mum's words, not mine. Like Father always says: 'A Bloodstone can never be ordinary,'" she says, imitating his voice before giggling.
"Well, if you don't mind me saying… your dad sounds like a bit of a jerk," I say, smirking as I take another sip of my drink.
"A jerk? Yeah, a big, stupid jerk!" Elsa laughs, bouncing slightly on the couch. As I pour more vodka into her glass, she suddenly grabs my hand, her eyes sparkling. "Why are you sitting sooo far away? Come here," she insists, tugging me closer.
I slide over beside her, drink still in hand. She downs her glass in one go, then turns toward me, grabbing my face suddenly. "I really like this original face of yours… much better than the other one!" she teases, pinching my cheeks playfully.
"Well, I like your original face too, El," I say with a goofy grin, grabbing her reddened cheeks in return.
"Ughh you are sooo Handsomee! Say Luke, if… I mean, if I'd had a normal childhood, gone to school and even a college, do you think I would have ended up with a boyfriend as handsome as you?" she asks, her hazy, drunken blue eyes gazing at me with desire.
"I don't think there's anyone quite as handsome as me," I say narcissistically as she playfully twists my cheek while pouting. "But I am still in college," I add, leaning closer, "so if you joined my college, then you could have me as your handsome boyfriend," my lips hovering dangerously close to hers.
"What about… Monster Hunting, then?" Elsa inquires, her cheeks flushed as her hot breath brushes against my face.
"Don't worry … we can be the Monster-Hunting Couple of the college," I say with a grin, and in that moment, Elsa leans in and plants her rosy red lips on mine.
With her eyes closed, she has just pressed her lips against me, making me believe that this silly monster hunter has no experience with this sort of thing. I take the reins, cupping her smooth cheeks, opening my mouth just enough to nibble at her soft lips, from the upper to the lower, tasting them carefully.
"Haa," she gasps, opening her mouth in response, and I seize the opportunity to show her a real kiss.
Our mouths join fully, allowing me to taste her for real—her flavour a mix of alcohol and tangerine, likely from the orange-flavoured vodka she has been drinking.
She moves her mouth unconsciously as my tongue ventures inside, exploring uncharted territory. Her tongue starts to rub against mine in response, and I begin to play with hers.
The kiss is long and slow, and after I have had my fill of the first kiss, I pull away from her lovely lips, noticing that her eyes are still closed and her mouth still half open.
"Wow," she says, opening her dazed eyes as her blue ones meet my green. Before I can respond, she grabs my neck and leans in for another kiss, this one a bit more sloppy, as we both start to engulf each other's mouths in a fervent effort to get more of one another.
My hands find the place I have longed to touch, cupping her soft, big breasts through her bra. 'Wow,' I echo her words in my mind as my hard cock twitches in response to groping this exquisite softness.
I can barely control myself as my other hand joins the first, grabbing and playing with her incredibly soft tits. Elsa's hands are also busy; she reaches into my shirt and starts exploring my bare chest and my eight-pack abs.
The kiss gets even hotter as she rips apart my shirt, desperate to touch more of me, and I am not far behind, deftly flicking my finger to undo her bra, allowing me to finally feel her bare, silky smooth tits with my hands.
As I grope her breasts and tease her hardening nipples, the kiss continues, both of us forgetting how to breathe as we consume and exchange each other's saliva.
Knowing it's time to take this to the bedroom, my hands reluctantly leave her breasts and reach for her butt. I grab her tight ass with both hands and stand up, Elsa, who had been sitting on top of me, wraps her legs around me while still kissing. I effortlessly carry her to the bedroom, my hands groping her magnificent ass through her shorts.
I cross the threshold of the open bedroom door, our tongues still passionately battling with one another. Elsa begins grinding her hips against my hard dick, making me impatient.
Once at the bed, I break the kiss and toss the redhead onto it!