Alex soared through the skies, his wings beating the air steadily, carried by the invisible currents of the wind. Since he had drunk the blood of several creatures, his senses had improved. His sense of smell, in particular, was now sharp enough to follow a trail like a hungry predator.
He was tracking a familiar scent: that of the old fisherman he had encountered earlier. Alex hadn't forgotten the smell of metal the man carried on him. Maybe he came from a village… a village with a blacksmith.
That was all he hoped for.
A few kilometers later, the scent became clearer. The old man had wandered much farther than an ordinary fisherman would have.
"He's pretty fit for his age…" thought Alex, impressed.
And suddenly, in the distance, he saw it.
A village. Small, almost timid. Elanterne.
Built in the hollow of a clearing, where the light seemed softer than elsewhere, the village looked frozen in time. Light wooden houses with roofs curved like mushrooms clustered around a central square paved with gray stones, worn by centuries.
His hearing, also enhanced, caught the metallic sound of a hammer striking a blade. His heart beat faster. He couldn't resist.
Instinctively, he activated [Rising Current], and in an instant, he became a white gust, a living whirlwind cutting through the sky. The villagers looked up, confused by the strange breeze.
"A storm?"
Alex, meanwhile, had already activated [Concealment] and glided toward the forge, invisible.
He slipped inside, and there he saw her.
A young woman, no older than eighteen, was striking a glowing blade, sweat beading on her forehead. Her movements were precise, powerful. Her eyes burned with a passion only a true craftsman could understand.
Alex, fascinated, even forgot he was supposed to stay hidden.
His skill deactivated without him noticing.
"HEEEEEY!" screamed the young blacksmith upon seeing him. Panicked, she grabbed a broom and threw it at him furiously.
Startled, Alex barely dodged, flying through the window.
"Damn! I deactivated the skill because I was so absorbed…"
He fled at full speed, darting through the open door as the villagers, alerted by the scream, stepped out of their homes.
"The old fisherman was right! The white bat with red eyes really exists!" cried one.
Another villager, puzzled, added:
"But… I didn't hear it speak…"
Alex, now hidden again, observed the blacksmith from a distance. He waited for nightfall. He wanted to drink her blood—not out of hunger, but to acquire more knowledge in this world's blacksmithing. He also cast a curious eye on the florist and the tailor. Each of their skills might prove useful.
Night slowly fell, and the villagers returned to their homes. One by one, the lamps went out. Silence settled.
Alex flew into the shadows, slipped through the florist's slightly open window, and using his [Concealment] skill, landed silently atop her wardrobe. His eyes, used to darkness, scanned every corner of the room. He waited. One hour, two… then the young woman finally fell asleep.
He approached slowly, sank his fangs, and drank her blood.
[You drink the blood of your target… No skill detected.]
[You copy your target's knowledge: Floral Art]
[Craft Level +1]
Current level: 3
Satisfied but still hungry, Alex immediately flew to the tailor's house. The man was slumped over a table, drunk, mumbling incoherently about his wife who had left him for a noble. Alex looked at him with a mix of curiosity and disgust.
"Let's make this quick," he muttered.
He drank.
[You drink the blood of your target… No skill detected.]
[You copy your target's knowledge: You learn Basic Sewing]
[Craft Level +1]
Current level: 4
"Yuck, he tastes awful…"
But that didn't matter. He had saved the best for last: the blacksmith.
He shot toward the forge at full speed, driven by a silent urgency. All the windows were shut, the doors locked, no visible way in.
But that didn't matter.
Without slowing down, he activated his skill: Mist Body. His physical form slowly dissolved, giving way to a dense, dark mist that slid silently through the walls. In an instant, he passed through the building's façade and found himself inside.
The silence there was broken only by the soft creaking of wood and the distant echoes of the sleeping forge. He floated through narrow hallways, past creaky stairs, above dusty furniture and abandoned tools.
But no sign of her.
He checked the kitchen, the living room, a small secondary workshop, even the storage room. Empty.
Finally, he stopped before one last door. The only one he hadn't entered. His instinct told him she was there.
Without hesitation, he passed through the wall and entered the room.
She was there, lying on her bed, her golden hair spread across the pillow like a field of wheat under the sun. Her beauty could have bewitched any man. But Alex wasn't quite human anymore. He was only passion, obsession… for forging.
He approached, ready to drink.
But just as he bared his fangs, the blacksmith suddenly opened her eyes and, out of pure reflex, tried to strike the white bat. Alex dodged effortlessly.
"I don't want to hurt you," he said calmly, using a low-dose Static Shock.
The young woman stiffened, unable to move, paralyzed.
Alex gently landed on her stomach and, with a sincere smile, whispered:
"Calm down… I don't want to hurt you. I only need your blacksmithing skill."
He looked up at her with a determined gleam and added:
"I will forge a sword no one has ever seen before. A unique weapon. And when that day comes, the world will know what I'm worth."
Without knowing why… she felt something sincere deep in her heart: an unshakable love for fire, metal… and the art of creation.
Alex drank her blood.
[You drink the blood of your target… No skill detected.]
[You copy your target's knowledge: Blacksmithing Knowledge]
[Craft Level +3]
Current level: 7
He then flew out the window, disappearing into the night.
The young woman, still lying down, watched him go, heart pounding. She wondered how such a small bat could accomplish such a crazy dream. Then a memory returned… Her late father used to say the same thing, when he talked about becoming a great blacksmith.
Unable to sleep, she got up. She had to forge.
Meanwhile, Alex flew through the night, overjoyed. He had gained precious knowledge. He would become even better.
But suddenly—bam!
A small blue dome formed around him mid-flight. Trapped, he crashed violently to the ground, prisoner of the magic barrier. The dome opened with a rumble.
An old man, accompanied by an equally ancient specter, approached slowly.
"Finally, I've got you… Good thing I passed through this village," he said in a deep voice.
And he grabbed Alex, taking him with him…