Blood Realms: Infinite Level
Episode 4 — The Blood Hound
The ash was still drifting when the wind shifted.
It wasn't just carrying smoke anymore.
It carried them.
Something heavy slammed into my senses — not a sound, not a smell exactly, but a pulse in the blood. It was deep, primal, the way prey knows when the predator steps into the field. My [Blood Sense] flared, spitting out red text in my vision.
[Entity Detected: Veyra Blood Hound — Level 22]
[Warning: Extreme Threat]
A chill rolled down my spine that had nothing to do with the cold air. Level twenty-two. That was twelve levels higher than me — and judging by the name, it wasn't just a hunter. It was a tracker.
Which meant the Clan wasn't guessing anymore. They knew exactly where I was.
⸻
The first sound it made was a low, wet growl. It came from beyond the tree line, and the shadows seemed to twist where it moved. Branches snapped like toothpicks. Then I saw its eyes — a pair of molten red coals, far apart, set too low to be human.
It stepped into the clearing, and the word "hound" suddenly felt like an insult to dogs everywhere.
It had four legs, but they were too long, jointed wrong. Its skin was black and stretched thin, cords of muscle writhing underneath. Its head… gods, its head was half-wolf, half-skull, with teeth like broken knives. Chains dangled from its ribs, clinking softly as it breathed.
And in the middle of its forehead was a brand — the sigil I'd seen on the warriors' armor. Veyra.
The thing sniffed the air, turned its head toward the ash at my feet, then toward me. The growl deepened.
[Alert: Blood Hound Ability — Mark of the Prey Applied]
[All enemies in the Veyra Clan now have increased detection range against you.]
"Oh, that's just perfect," I muttered.
It didn't lunge right away. Smart. It began to circle, low to the ground, like it wanted to see how I moved.
I didn't let it finish.
I lunged first. My claws slashed for its face — it tilted just enough that I only took part of its jaw. Flesh tore away, black blood spraying across my arm, but instead of staggering, it snapped at me mid-turn.
The teeth grazed my shoulder. Pain seared through me.
[Alert: Wound Inflicted — Blood Rot]
[HP Decay: -2/sec until cleansed]
Great. Poison. Or whatever passed for poison in something that ate vampires.
It came at me in a blur, faster than I expected for something so big. I backstepped, but its claws raked my stomach, scoring lines through my armor and skin. HP dropped in chunks.
I had one advantage — agility. And maybe… hunger.
I darted sideways, using the tree trunks as cover. It slammed into one hard enough to split it, but it kept coming, relentless. My stamina bar was already dipping, and if it outlasted me, I was dead.
That's when I saw it — the chains hanging from its ribs weren't just decoration. Each one ended in a shard of sharpened bone, swinging when it moved.
I ducked under its swipe and caught one of the chains. It yanked me forward, right toward its mouth, but I didn't fight the pull. I went with it.
At the last second, I dropped low, sliding under its chest, and drove my claws into the soft muscle of its belly.
It howled — a sound like metal tearing.
[Critical Hit]
[HP -18%]
It whipped around, catching me in the ribs with its hind legs. I hit the ground hard, vision flickering at the edges.
I spat blood, forced myself up, and went feral.
Claws, teeth, rage — I didn't hold back. I raked its side, tore into the muscle of its neck, bit deep until hot black blood filled my mouth.
[Blood Rot Cleansed]
[HP Restored: +10%]
It went wild, thrashing. One of the bone shards caught me in the thigh, nearly taking my leg off. I roared, grabbed the chain, and ripped.
The shard came free with a wet pop — and so did a chunk of whatever kept it moving.
It staggered. I didn't give it a chance to recover.
I leapt onto its back, found the gap where skull met spine, and bit down with everything I had.
Bone cracked. Flesh tore. The world went still.
[LEVEL UP: 10 → 12]
Strength +4 | Agility +3 | Vitality +3
Unique Item Acquired: Veyra Blood Fang
— Consumable: Permanently increases Blood Sense range and detection of hostile intent.
I pulled the fang free, breathing hard, my body trembling from the fight. The ash from the hound's corpse swirled in the cold wind.
Then the second notification hit.
[Alert: Mark of the Prey persists until death of the caster.]
[Clan Veyra will continue to track you.]
The hound wasn't the caster. Which meant… someone out there still had my scent locked.
⸻
I looked down at the fang in my hand. It was warm, pulsing faintly, like it was still alive. I bit it without thinking.
It dissolved in my mouth like fire, spreading through my veins.
[Blood Sense Enhanced]
— You can now detect blood signatures up to 500 meters away.
— Hostile intent detection added.
The world sharpened. I could hear hearts beating — tiny ones in the trees, bigger ones farther off. And then… one, much closer, pounding slow and steady, like it was waiting for me to notice.
North. Half a mile.
Someone was watching.
The hunger curled in my gut again, but this time it wasn't just hunger. It was… anticipation.
They wanted to track me? Fine.
I'd follow them.
I took one last look at the blackened clearing, then started walking north, the scent of blood like a beacon in the dark.
[New Quest Progression: Blood Feud — Hunter Becomes the Hunted]
Reward for Completion: ???
Somewhere deep inside, the hunger purred.