—「Quest: Obtain your very first sire」—
|[Mission Complete!]|
✪ Rewards: New Skill, 20 Stat Points
[Congratulations! You have obtained a new skill]
Kyle smiled as he glanced at the next string of words.
— Bestowal
You can bestow quirks upon your sires through physical contact. Note: a sire can only handle 3 quirks at a time.
'Hmmm, not bad…'
He had been hoping for a new vampire skill, but it was still great to see that with this new skill, he could make his vampires stronger.
In the future, he would be handing over some tasks to them. It wouldn't do if they were too weak to handle them.
As the reward screen vanished, another screen appeared before Kyle.
[You have received a talent ascension card]
[Do you wish to use it now?]
Kyle gave it some thought before shaking his head. 'No,' he responded mentally.
He needed time to think it through; rushing to upgrade any talent wouldn't do him any good.
[You have sired your first vampire]
[Your influence has increased]
'Influence? Ohhh… that…'
Kyle had almost forgotten about it. When he ascended his bloodline and got the ability to sire vampires, there was a certain caveat attached to it.
Influence…
The more vampires he had under his control, the more his influence over a certain region improved, and as such, the more the world would bend to his will.
Finally, Kyle read the last screen.
[Quest Evaluation Notice]
[Quest Details: Further ascend your bloodline by creating five sires]
[Special Condition: Sires must be people important to the plot]
[Sires Obtained: 1/5]
Kyle's eyes narrowed slightly. 'That means Himiko is still an important part of the plot...'
There was one confusing thing about the quest he had received.
Kyle was unsure if the system meant only characters important to the original storyline, or if characters that could potentially affect the story in the future were included…
If it was characters important to the original plot alone, then things might get a little difficult, since convincing them was not going to be easy.
But if others were also included, then it wouldn't really change much since there was no way to find out.
He stroked his chin, contemplating it, when the door creaked open and a cheery voice reached him.
"I'm done, it's your turn!"
Himiko had changed back into her normal clothes and had her bathrobe folded in her arms as she smiled at him.
•••
The injury Himiko had inflicted on Kyle had long healed, and he had managed to wash the blood off the bathrobes using the bathing supplies. Even if it was torn, it was usable...
But the room was still in a terrible state…
They did the little they could to make it look a little better before leaving some cash on the chair and leaving the bathhouse.
Immediately they stepped out of the building, they both sprinted, Himiko laughing as they dashed toward the car.
Although they had left some money for the damages, he was in no mood to offer an explanation.
They quickly got into the car, shut the door, and pulled onto the road.
When they got to the bathhouse, it was still evening, but now it was well into the night.
There were still a few cars on the street, their red lights gleaming as they traversed the road, heading to their various locations.
Kyle glanced at Himiko. "How do you feel?"
She flexed her fingers and turned to face him, grinning wide. "I feel amazing!"
Just then, a car sped past them, its bright lights illuminating her face and highlighting her bright smile.
Her excitement was infectious, and for a few seconds, Kyle just stared at her.
Her eyes had returned to normal, although there was still a faint gleam of scarlet in them.
Honk—!
Kyle jolted, blushing in embarrassment as his hands tightened on the steering wheel.
"Uhum…" He cleared his throat.
"There are a few things you need to know about being a vampire. These are rules you should take to the grave, okay?"
Himiko nodded, listening to him attentively.
"Rule number one: a vampire's greatest weakness is wood."
Silence…
"Huh? You're kidding, right? This isn't some anime or movie…"
"Exactly!" Kyle complained. "How can we be weak to wood? It doesn't even make any sense!"
"Wait, are you saying it's true?"
Kyle nodded dejectedly, and Himiko ran her hand over her face.
"Wood… I'm practically allergic to wood now. So what else? I can't eat garlic or what?"
Kyle waved his hands dismissively. "Nah, garlic is fine…"
"How does… you know what, never mind. What else?"
"Hmmm…" Kyle glanced at her before looking back at the road. "You cannot go under sunlight or you'll shrivel up and die."
The blood drained from Himiko's face, her mouth hanging open.
"K-Kyle, this is not the time for a joke…"
Kyle's face was hard, not even an atom of humour on his handsome features. "I'm not joking—"
Now that Himiko thought it through, wasn't that the first thing associated with vampires?
'How did I forget to ask?!' she scolded herself in her mind before glaring at Kyle.
'Wait, but Kyle doesn't have an issue with sunlight…' Himiko paused.
'What if it's because he is the vampire lord or something?!' She was panicking inwardly.
"Kyle!"
"Kek…"
"How wouldn't you tell me something so important—"
When she was interrupted by Kyle's laughter, Himiko knew she had been played.
She seethed as she grabbed the arm nearest to her and pulled the thinnest amount of skin she could grab.
"Ow, ow, ow, I'm sorry, heheh, I'm sorry, okay?" he said in between laughter.
By the time Himiko let go of his arm, there was a red bruise on his skin, but it was there barely for a second before it returned to normal.
Kyle glanced at her and smiled. "Do you want to hear the other rules?"
"I think I've had enough rules for one day…"
They spoke for some time, but shortly after, Himiko stopped responding. She had fallen asleep somewhere along the line, her head rocking back and forth as they drove.
'It's been a long day for her…'
The transformation must have taken quite a toll on her body.
Kyle pulled over to the side of the road and reclined her chair.
There was still a lot he had to teach her, but she had done enough for one day.
He changed the location of his GPS to Himiko's place before pulling back onto the street.
•••
There was a sound of clicking boots; a graceful lady was making her way through an unknown building.
On the city map, all that was meant to be lying here was a vast unused forest, but secretly, deep underground, was a base unknown to most people.
The walls were painted white, and there was a thick smell of disinfectant in the air which caused her discomfort.
She rubbed her arms, feeling a strange itch rising.
This place was her home.
And she hated every single thing about it.
The white lady arrived at a large double door and took a deep breath before pushing it open.
'It should be about time…'
Crash!
Just as the door swung open, there was a sound of breaking glass.
Lime green odious water spilled out of a broken containment unit, a humanoid body sliding out of it.
The white lady took her stance, observing him with caution.
"So? How do you feel?"
Pulse stood up and shook his head. His black hair was dripping with liquid, and his body was slick from having soaked inside it for more than a week.
He flexed his arms, a smile creeping up his face as his laughter boomed across the empty room.
"I feel amazing!"
Yellow currents emerged from his body, spewing out of his skin with far more intensity than ever, and then he lifted his other hand, a miniature storm forming just above it.
The white lady scowled and turned, her cape fluttering in the wind.
"When you laugh like that…"
She began walking away.
"…You almost seem human."
..
..
A/N
I was meant to post this yesterday, sorry it's late. This is a Powerstone bonus chapter for last week.
I will post those for this week as the week goes on, keep the stones coming!