Blood Realms: Infinite Level
Episode 3 — Clan Invitation or Death
The Direfang ash was still clinging to my boots when I saw them.
Three figures moved through the blackened undergrowth, their pale faces catching what little red light bled through the clouds. They weren't like the starving husk that had bitten me in Manhattan. These ones were armored, confident, alert — predators who knew they were at the top of their food chain.
Their armor was the color of dried blood, stitched with strips of black leather. The weapons in their hands weren't steel but bone — long, pale scythes carved from something enormous. Each step they took was deliberate, silent despite the brittle ground.
And every so often, one of them would tilt their head like a wolf sniffing for prey.
The tallest of them stopped, nostrils flaring. His eyes locked directly on the brush where I crouched.
"Fresh blood," he said. The words were calm, but I felt the weight in them — not hunger exactly, but recognition.
The one on his left, smaller but carrying herself with the lazy confidence of a killer, smirked. "The Clan will want him alive."
The third, a broad-shouldered brute with jagged teeth, grunted. "Alive or in pieces?"
That was my cue.
I stepped out from the brush slowly, letting them see me. "You've got a problem if you think I'm going anywhere with you."
They didn't look surprised. Just amused.
The tall one tilted his head. "You're newly turned. But… not pureblood. Something else." His eyes narrowed. "That makes you valuable."
"I don't do leashes," I said.
The female vampire's smirk widened. "Then you do coffins."
⸻
[Blood Sense] pulsed. The air around them felt like hot coals, radiating danger.
[Entity Detected: Vampire Hunter-Guard — Level 15]
[Entity Detected: Vampire Hunter-Guard — Level 14]
[Entity Detected: Vampire Hunter-Guard — Level 16]
They out-leveled me. By a lot.
But I'd fought things stronger before — not by overpowering them, but by outlasting them. And I was faster now.
The brute was the first to move, swinging his bone scythe in a wide arc meant to take my head off. I ducked low, the blade singing past my ear, and drove forward with a shoulder check. It was like hitting a wall, but I used the momentum to slide behind him.
My claws raked across his back — the armor split, but barely. His skin didn't.
The female moved next, her scythe stabbing like a spear. I caught the shaft with both hands, the force driving me back into a tree hard enough to splinter it.
"Strong for a newborn," she said, pushing harder. "You'll make a good soldier."
"I don't do uniforms either," I said, and yanked her forward into a headbutt. Bone cracked — hers, not mine — and she stumbled back, blood running from her nose.
⸻
The tall one hadn't moved yet. He just watched, expression unreadable. Then, almost lazily, he raised a hand.
A black chain of mist erupted from the ground, snaking toward my legs. I jumped aside, but it followed, wrapping around my ankle with crushing force.
[Alert: Blood Bind Detected — Movement Reduced 60%]
The brute grinned and came at me again, scythe overhead.
I didn't think. I bit down on the chain. It wasn't solid, but my teeth tore through it anyway, the mist dissipating into nothing.
The tall one's eyes widened. "Impossible—"
I was already moving.
I went for him first. My claws flashed, aiming for his throat, but he blocked with his forearm. Blood welled from the gashes instantly — and I felt it. The hunger.
I grabbed his arm and bit deep. He shouted, shoving me away, but it was too late.
[LEVEL UP: 6 → 7]
Strength +3 | Agility +2 | Vitality +3
I spat his blood onto the ground and smiled. "I like your flavor."
⸻
The brute roared and charged again. This time I didn't dodge. I caught the scythe mid-swing, muscles screaming as I stopped the blade inches from my chest. My other hand shot forward, fingers punching through the gap in his armor where I'd clawed earlier.
I pulled.
He screamed once before I ripped his heart out. It was still beating when I bit into it.
[LEVEL UP: 7 → 8]
HP Restored. Blood Energy Restored.
His body collapsed into ash that blew away on the wind.
The female didn't hesitate — she came from behind, scythe slicing low. I leapt over it, landed on her shoulders, and snapped her neck before she could shake me off. She hit the ground hard, twitching.
I didn't waste time. My fangs sank into her throat, and I drained her in seconds.
[LEVEL UP: 8 → 9]
⸻
That left the tall one.
He stood there, blood still dripping from his arm, watching me like I was some rare animal.
"You kill like a feral," he said quietly. "No discipline. No restraint."
I stepped toward him. "No leash, either."
For the first time, his calm cracked — just a little. He readied his scythe, but I was already inside his guard. My claws carved through his stomach, my teeth taking his throat before he could scream.
[LEVEL UP: 9 → 10]
When he turned to ash, the only thing left was silence — and the faint, lingering smell of blood on the wind.
I stood there for a while, feeling the new weight in my muscles, the speed in my legs. Every kill made me faster, stronger, harder to kill.
But I also knew something now:
These weren't random vampires.
They'd called themselves part of "the Clan."
And if they sent three warriors after me, more would follow. Stronger ones.
Good.
⸻
[Alert: New Quest Available]
Quest: Blood Feud
You have killed members of House Veyra. Their retaliation will be swift.
Reward for survival: Unique Bloodline Skill.
I grinned. "Let them come."
Somewhere deep inside, the hunger growled its approval.