The Rise of the Vampire EmperorChapter 12: The Lieutenant's Leap
The success of the Vance Gala sabotage, carried out entirely through non-supernatural corporate and political maneuvers, had solidified Vicky's confidence in his followers. Now, he needed them to be truly unbound. While Vicky was Level 5 and free from the sun, his two primary field operatives, Marcus Keller and Elias Vance, were still bound by the Level 1 infected weakness. Their full utility was limited to the night.
The Mandate for Freedom
In the heart of his penthouse, Vicky addressed his subordinates. Senator Hayes, being an influence asset, was left to manage the bureaucratic fallout of the Vance scandal.
"The Crimson Pact is growing, but its hands are tied by the daylight," Vicky stated, his voice resonating with cool authority. "To secure the base of operations I require, you must both be operational 24 hours a day. You require ascension."
Keller, whose new life was measured in stock fluctuations and classified data, nodded eagerly. "Master, what must be done?"
"You must hunt. I have analyzed the conversion data," Vicky explained. "For a Low-Tier Infected, shedding the sunlight weakness requires an accelerated XP equivalent, roughly 500 XP beyond your initial conversion bonus. We will hunt tonight, together, and you will earn your freedom."
The Coordinated Hunt
Keller's intelligence led them to a newly discovered sub-level of the abandoned Veros Foundry—a deep, subterranean laboratory where the black market geneticists had been breeding a highly aggressive, single specimen.
The target was a Tier 2 Hivelord, a monstrous creature responsible for spawning the surrounding Skirmishers.
Vicky descended with them, but he made his role clear: he was the overseer, not the executioner. They needed the kill credit.
The cavern was vast and damp. Keller, using his tactical mindset, laid timed explosives on the main support columns near the Hivelord's nest. Elias Vance, relying on the immense physical strength granted by his infection, took point, drawing the initial swarm of Skirmishers away from the center.
"Elias, draw them into the east corridor! Marcus, trigger the first blast on my mark!" Vicky commanded, observing the flow of combat from a ledge above.
Elias fought with savage efficiency, his movements heavy but brutal, crushing three Skirmishers with raw power. Keller, though less physically imposing, used his superior speed and cunning, leading targets into blind corners where he dispatched them with focused, lethal blows.
They fought for nearly an hour, a brutal, exhausting test of their new abilities and their absolute loyalty. Elias and Keller were pushed to their limits, sustaining minor injuries, but they never faltered.
The Hivelord finally emerged—a hulking, armored beast, dripping with mutagenic fluids. This was their final target.
"Now, Marcus!" Vicky yelled.
Keller triggered the first explosive. The sound deafened the chamber, and a major section of the ceiling collapsed onto the Hivelord, momentarily crippling it. Elias seized the opportunity, channeling his raw strength into a primitive form of Blood Claws, tearing at the exposed, unarmored underside of the massive creature until it finally fell with a screech that echoed through the tunnels.
The Dawn of the Lieutenants
As the Hivelord dissolved into dust, the system notifications flashed, not only for Vicky but for his followers.
Tier 2 Hivelord defeated. +400 XP.
MARCUS KELLER: FOLLOWERS STATUS
NEW RACE: TIER 2 VAMPIRE
ASCENSION ACHIEVED: SUNLIGHT WEAKNESS REMOVED.
ELIAS VANCE: FOLLOWERS STATUS
NEW RACE: TIER 2 VAMPIRE
ASCENSION ACHIEVED: SUNLIGHT WEAKNESS REMOVED.
A palpable wave of energy radiated from both men, a visible surge of vitality and power. Keller looked down at his hands, a genuine, joyful astonishment in his eyes. Elias fell to one knee, overwhelmed by the feeling of absolute, unbreakable strength.
"Master," Keller breathed, realizing the full scope of the gift. "We are free."
Vicky descended, the shadows receding from his approach. "You are more than free. You are now Lieutenants of The Crimson Pact. You have earned the right to stand with me in the light."
He assigned their next mission, capitalizing on their new 24-hour capability:
Lieutenant Keller (The Strategist): Use the chaos from the Vance collapse to secure the title deeds and clear the bureaucracy for the acquisition of the Old Veros Bank Vaults—a perfect, secure, and easily defended subterranean base.
Lieutenant Vance (The Enforcer): Recruit ten new Low-Tier followers from the docks and the dispossessed, ensuring their loyalty is rooted in either debt or genuine desperation.
The empire had found its footing. With a loyal, unstoppable core that could operate day and night, Vicky Thorne was ready to move beyond simple revenge and claim control of Veros.
Vicky now commands a loyal, daylight-operational inner circle.