226 The Sealing Array VI : Nosferatu

Gus feeding on a skeleton was bone chilling. At least until I realized that every vampire behind me, and even myself had a blood lust like attraction to the green flames dancing within their hollow eye sockets. So I gave the order to charge.

Since they could speak, maybe a conflict was not the best way to solve things, but there was a frenzy, a need, a hunger for those flames, whatever they were. And to be honest I don't think I was free of that need.

A Skeleton came after me, swinging an enormous bone club at my head, but I side stepped, and punched a hole through it's strangely armored midsection before grabbing it's spine and pulling back, hard. I felt it snap, as the spine still attached to the skull dangled from my hands, and the rest of it's body fell apart.

I brought the skull to my face, and split it apart. The green flame within it's eye socket danced and flickered within the hollow of it's cranium. I took a deep breath, and the flame flew up and into my nostrils, floating like smoke and stinging like fire.

But the pain was only for a moment as I felt euphoria the likes of which I've never experienced before. I understood what this was, it was a soul. A physical manifestation of a soul, but it was so much more. It was something the darkness within us craved, and as I fed it the soul, I could feel myself go stronger, so much more stronger.

From my speed, my strength, even something as obscure as my cells were experiencing a qualitative change. I shot forward, releasing my soul energy as they shot towards hundreds of the skeletons at once. And with that very same soul energy, I pulled, and I grabbed. Drawing those soul flames through the air and back to me.

I spread my hands wide as they dove right into my body, falling like a cascading wave of pleasure and power, changing and shaping me into something better, into somethinghigher. Vampires were creatures of death, but we were also creatures of life.

We were stuck in the balance, neither one nor the other, and now I've found that the representation of life: which is blood sustains us and keeps strong and alive, and now the representation of death, which is the soul also did the same thing! And it seems it's effects were a lot stronger than blood. How could I not have noticed this all this while.

The soul flame gathered within my heart, and my spine, strengthening everything that was me, even to the depths of my soul. And then suddenly there was a loud boom, a feeling electricity cascading through my body as I was shocked beyond measure.

Everything felt more open, the world clearer and the stench of death sharper. I could feel everything in my body, down to the cells within and the pumping heart half covered by darkness in my chest. There was a sort of awareness, and a feeling of power hanging within my soul and mind. I felt like I could command the world, tell it to stop and worship at my feet.

I looked up to see two skeletons escape the ongoing onslaught, heading straight for me with their bone swords held high. I didn't move, and not because I couldn't but rather because I didn't want to.

"Stop!"

The bone swords stopped just before my forehead, the soul flames flickering as the undead were held sway under my words. I could feel as if every syllable that flew out of my mouth had the compelling power of a thousand sirens all placed together, in one voice.

"Kneel!"

THUD!

They did, they knelt and looked up at me, helpless as I drew in the power that made them what they were, that made them move. And as I drew in the soul flame, a system message showed up in front of me.

[Congratulations on advancing to the Nosferatu rank. You've gained the racial skill blood control, and have been awarded 10 thousand essence points and 5 thousand ethereal points.]

[Your soul realm has advance to the twelfth circle.]

A rank up in a place like this, and it was not with any of the options given by Baeki. But it was not that different from taken the essence and power of my enemies. That's exactly what I was doing here, taking the power, the fuel and life of an undead.

I checked my status, finally looking to see the recent changes, and the changes I've implemented over the past few days. There was a lull in the battle after all as the vampires had destroyed the undead army within my immediate vicinity; so there was time for a little respite.

• NAME:KAEL COR

• AGE: 20

• RACE: DHAMPIR: VAMPIRE/????NATURE SPIRIT

• RANK: NOSFERATU: LEVEL: 0/10

• CLASS:WEAVER/ESSENCE BLADE MASTER +/DRUID

• REALM: WEAVER(12THCIRCLE)/MIND(4THCIRCLE)/SWORDSMAN (11thCIRCLE) /DRUID(1st CIRCLE)

• ESSENCE POINTS: 19003

• ETHEREAL POINTS: 5000

• STRENGTH: TIER 25

• AGILITY: TIER 25

• PHYSIQUE: TIER 25

• MIND: TIER 25

• SOUL: TIER 25.99

• ETHER: TIER 25

SKILLS: PASSIVE

• [ENERGY CONTROL: LEVEL 1] ADVANCE

• [AURA MANIPULATION: LEVEL 1] ADVANCE

• [BATTLE ARTS: LEVEL 5] ADVANCED

• [ILUSSION RESISTANCE: LEVEL 3] ADVANCED

• [GRAVITY WALKER: LEVEL 5] MASTER

• [NATURE LORD: LEVEL 5] BASIC

SKILLS: ACTIVE

• [WEAVE: LEVEL 6] ADVANCED

• [NINE GATES OF AURA SWORD SKILL: LEVEL 1] MASTER

• [MENTAL ACCUITY: LEVEL 2] ADVANCED

• [DUNGEON BUILDER: LEVEL 9] BASIC

• [LION SOUL: LEVEL 9] BASIC

• [SUMMON MONSTER: LEVEL 1] ADVANCED

• [ESSENCE SWORD SKILL: LEVEL 7] BASIC

• [SANGUINA'S CRYSTAL: LEVEL 2] BASIC

• [PERCEPTION CUTTING GLEAM: LEVEL 4] BASIC

• [TRANSFORMATION: LEVEL 1] BASIC

• [COMBINE SKILL: LEVEL N/A] MASTERED

SOUL SKILLS:

• [SOUL CONVERSION: LEVEL 7] ADVANCED

• [SOUL INFUSION: LEVEL 3] ADVANCED

• [SOUL WALKER: LEVEL 10] ADVANCED

• [SOUL SIGHT: LEVEL 4] ADVANCED

• [SOUL DOUBLE: LEVEL 7] ADVANCED

BLOODLINE SKILLS:

• SOUL GUARDIAN: (1/1)

RACIAL SKILLS:

• ALLURE

• BLOOD MANIPULATION

• AURA

• TURN

• SOUL RUNES:[BREAK/SHIELD/PUSH/PULL/HEAL/DREAM/SUMMON]

• POWER CREST(II):[COMMUNICATION/SENSING/MINOR TELEPORTATION]

• MISSIONS: 1

Some of the most probable change apart from a rise in rank, would be the fact that most of my skills were missing, and there were new ones in their place. This was a result of the skill, combine skill. It's made all of my old skills stronger, and their effects more varied and powerful.

All of my energy manipulating passives except for aura had all been rolled into one. Next the nature oriented passives like beast tongue and one with nature were combined. Then mining, read and Hyper sense were combined into mental acuity.

This was the least of the changes, but they were all in the effort to make me stronger than I already am. And with this rise in rank, I was more than ready to face what this infernal tunnel of undead had to offer.

[My Lord Kael, We've arrived at the entrance of the tunnel. We have three hundred vampire elders from castle Sarang following behind us, what are your orders?]

Asare's voice flashed from the crest on my hand. I was satisfied with the news he had given, it meant things were going according to plans. And we would be proceeding smoothly until we meet a challenge.

"That's good Asare. Tell Soren to come find me, I'm sure he can sense my location. And have the elders follow him while you and Malek bring up the rear and follow at a slower pace. Though we've not met any trouble, it would not be wise to place all our eggs in one basket, so take your time and secure the main tunnel and the Hub, keep an eye out so we're not flanked by unexpected enemies. When you get to an awesome intersection of tunnels, I'll send someone to get you."

[Noted, please be careful my lord. I'll relay your orders.]

I turned my gaze forward and began moving, picking my pace so as not to move to fast. I was savoring the feeling, this euphoria of being stronger and being able to break minds and bend wills with just a word. I don't understand why I've not seen it being used a lot by other vampires, it had quite the allure.

I marched onwards, moving over broken bones and empty skulls devoid of the flame that animated them. Though I didn't understand the origins of the soul flame, but with what I knew about souls, I couldn't help but feel I was destroying the souls of people who were once alive. It was a rather strange thing to be feeling at the moment, but it was there none the less.

But I squashed it, I was here on a mission, regardless of who or what stands in my way, morality or not, I'm going to remove it. By now I know what sort of a person I am, I tend to emotionally torture myself over everything that happens, but in a world like Shearath, that's a weakness I can no longer afford to have.

The world is an ugly place, and life sucks. I agree with that, but there's no need to bitch and moan every time something happens to prove that point. I stepped over a skull, crushing it to dust as the tunnel ahead ended at a turn.

When I got to the turn, I realized we've reached the end, the vampires were all standing still, waiting for me to come to the front and take the lead. We have reached the slope, and it went down into an underground valley that at this moment was chock full of undead.

This time there were varieties. Rotting zombies, dry skinned draugrs, skeletons of both men and beasts. Headless dullahans and the steeds of nightmare and hell. Bone dragons, two of them to be precise, and at the end of the valley, on a slope almost ten to twelve kilometers away, a man sat on a throne.

He's bright green eyes sparkles as he twisted his lips to reveal a fanged smile, and right by his side were ten others, members of different races but each of them had something in common. And that was the intense aura of death that wafted off the bodies. What a surprising turn of events.

The lich we had to deal with, was a vampire, and he had a team of necromancer with him. That was totally unexpected, but the words I heard Kodak say next turned everything from unexpected to completely insane.

"Gus!....that's our father!"