And if I get caught, the best I could hope for is a quick death.
But knowing the United Academy?
They're definitely not that kind.
They've got a whole arsenal of torture methods. Devices designed to break you, body and mind. Just thinking about that damn intestine mixer... I can still feel my skin crawl.
"We're not dumb enough to send you in without a plan," Clark said, watching as my expression grew darker by the second. "Just follow me."
Great. What kind of half-baked preparation do they have that makes them so confident?
Do they even understand what the United Academy is? No amount of preparation is enough for intruding United Academy.
It would be my life on the line. For them, it'd just be, "Oops, we underestimated the United Academy."
Tsk!
I had a hundred questions, especially about why they were willing to take such a massive risk. But his words made it clear—I'd find out soon enough if I followed him.
After about fifteen minutes of walking, we stopped in front of a shady-looking cage.
As Clark moved closer, I focused on the figure inside. It looked like a man, but his aura was... different. Ominous. Full of hate, maybe? Or coldness?
No. This rage—this wasn't human.
That's when I noticed his ears. They were pointed.
He was...
"A vampire. Alastor Van Helsing. One of the fallen vampire nobility," Clark said, his voice as cold as his gaze, which was locked on the near-dead figure inside the cage.
There wasn't an ounce of pity in his eyes.
But,
Alastor Van Helsing.
That name does sound familiar.
It took a moment to remember who he actually was, well thanks to the novel being so long-running, but then it clicked.
A figure synonymous with magic engineering.
He was the magic engineering professor for first-year students, the first non-human ever invited to teach at the United Academy.
But why was this guy here?
And in such a broken state?
If I remember correctly, Alastor Van Helsing was portrayed as a pretty strong character in the first half of the story. Even that extra was wary of him, because of his knowledge and unconventional thinking.
Alastor was perfect for a field like magic engineering, and his hatred for vampires was something the United Academy had exploited to its full potential.
A frown crept onto my face as I realized that whatever Clark was cooking could only lead to more trouble for me.
As I was lost in thought, Clark's voice cut through, "Do you perhaps know about blood classes?"
He asked it casually, his eyes still fixed on the crippled figure of Alastor, as if watching something insignificant.
Does Blood Dawn have bad blood with vampires?
Clark didn't expect me to know anything about it, and was just about to explain, when I cut him off, "Blood classes? You mean the special abilities noble vampires have?"
His surprise was brief but noticeable. I could see the question in his eyes: how could a slave, locked up in a cave just the other day, know about this?
It was amusing to watch him react like that.
Vampire classes were something very few people knew about—only those who had faced vampires or participated in wars against them. As the noble lineage of vampires mostly lived in isolation, within their own borders, and didn't concern themselves with the outside world.
And the blood classes were the key to discerning a vampire's lineage.
There were twelve primary classes, each with its own advantages and drawbacks. Most vampire children inherited their class from their father, but in some cases, certain classes had unique methods of succession.
Clark gave a slight nod before turning toward me, his expression turning grim.
Clark's voice remained firm. "As I mentioned, he's from a fallen noble family, the Helsing family of blood knowledge. So, can you guess which class he belongs to?"
Why guess? Just move the conversation along already! My heart raced every time he pulled this guessing game.
There was no suspense here, though, I already knew the answer.
Alastor Van Helsing belonged to the Tremere class of vampires. But there was no need to really answer as it will only raise suspension. He continued, as expected, "Alastor Van Helsing... he belongs to the Tremere class. It's known for its ability to pass on knowledge."
His tone was heavy, carrying weight, and I could somewhat guess what he was on to, but there was a flaw in his statement.
"But the Tremere class can only pass on knowledge and memory to another of the same class,"
I knew about the Tremere class because it was mentioned in the novel. Despite its restrictions, the Tremere's ability to transfer knowledge made them progress in magic far faster than any other class. A young Tremere could inherit all the knowledge of their predecessors, making them unmatched in magical growth.
What a broken ability, right?
But ironically, this very ability led to their downfall.
The Tremere could also inherit memories. And in a world where many revolutions occurred within vampire society, Tremere vampires stood as a threat to any faction wanting to rewrite history. Sure, they helped their race progress leaps and bounds, but greed always overshadowed logic.
Intellectual races like elves, humans, vampires, and dwarves, we all have our differences. But one thing still exists as are common characteristics, true to back on earth or in here: It's Greed.
And the great Helsing family to talk about fell victim to the same greed.
Then Alastor's growing hatred for his kind drove him to the extreme, he decided to transfer his knowledge to the vampires' mortal enemies—humans.
Maybe Blood Dawn, being a relatively new organization, didn't fully grasp how the Tremere ability worked.
Sigh...
I really thought I'd have to deal with the absurdness of going to United Academy.
Knowing that the absurd plan was cancelled, I started to mentally prepare for cultivating the blood essence. Just as I was about to turn away, I felt Clark's gaze on me.
"Wow, for an ex-slave, you sure know a lot," he chuckled, his remark making me frown. But I noticed another pair of eyes,
Alastor's,
he was awake and focused on Clark.
Clark continued with the same firm tone. "But Stevenhearts also had a special ability, you know."
❖❖❖
{A/N}
I know the Novel's pacing is getting quite slow and is still in the introductory stage. But I still hope you bear with the earlier chapters, as this setup is quite important for the story. And I promise you the story will catch the pace from the very next chapter and there will be lots of hype moments later on.
Thanks for reading!
If you have any complaints or questions related to the story pls comment.
Ahh, and also I will try to increase my update schedule.
With that peace out!