4

I woke with a yawn. my head turned this way and that as I tried to blink out the remnants of sleep. Enough to at least get out of bed. But there was just this traitorous mind that sought to keep me shackled to the bed. 

I fought, but the funny thing was... well it was winning. And so I groaned, just a little, and swept the blanket back over my body. It was warm... it was comforting... it was inviting... and it was something that I didn't have.

"What- Wait!" I called out. My voice cracking at turns. I didn't create this, I didn't order for it to be made and neither did I remember even... Gah- why was this here. I contemplated just leaving the mystery be.

It was probably just one of the spiders being nice.

But what if it wasn't? Some traitorous part of my mind warned that it could be something else. Maybe some kind adventurer who had found me and conquered the dungeon 'cept for the core.

And so I opened my eyes, instantly I was assaulted by the mysterious light of the cavern. It took a moment for me to readjust but I did. Eventually.

I inspected the blanket. Sighed. Then threw it to the side of the room. There it was, the culprit, one of them at least. It waved back to me, a cheery smile upon its face. Whatever counted as its face.

Ughh... why couldn't it be easier to live with them. The tentacle waving slime wobbled over to me. Seeming 'oh so cheerful. And so I jumped to my feet, yelling a slight "You." 

Gah- Why? Just why? I had tried to sound intimidating, but my voice came out more of a squeak than anything. And so I clamped my mouth shut immediately, blushing at the indignation. That- that wasn't supposed to happen. Me? Having a voice crack, that was preposterous. I hadn't had one since...

Ugh...

It was in this embarrassment that I noticed something. A slight lilt of my head towards the corner of the room found a person consumed by string and hung by their arms from the ceiling. I blinked.

"Oh."

I turned my attention to the ignored messages. Welp... that's what happened. 

[Intruders detected]

[Your |slime (lv2)| has killed a mana enhanced human.]

[Gain |250xp| ]

Must've been while I was asleep, one of the slimes... probably the one in the corner seeming so happy, it formed a thumbs up and slithered out of the room. Hah- that... well that was something.

Welp. Nothing to do but embrace the situation. I might be flustered, probably more than when I woke up... eh- that wasn't exactly correct, but it was close enough to what I was feeling as to be right.

And so I sat upright and pushed myself off of the makeshift bed. The captive tried to wiggle her way free of the bindings, her eyes shaking in a pleading gesture. 

I sighed. My eyes searching for any nearby sharp instrument. Of course there was one, and it just happened to have a ton of rusted blood on it too. I brought it to my face to inspect it just a little better.

But judging by the girls eyes it must've been a familiar thing. Either way the girl was quite frightened, especially since I was smiling something bloody while walking towards her with what amounted to a murder weapon.

Behind the binding of silk she gave muffled shouts of 'help me' and other such variations. I shrugged and just lifted the sword above my head. The girl just closed her eyes and whimpered. But my control was more precise than that.

I slashed down at a languid pace. And finally the silk that covered her mouth was taken. Cut to the ground with naught but a release of my grip.

Ruby red eyes gave a hesitant blink, then with a confused tilt of her head she pleaded with a full bodied voice, unburdened by silk coverings.

"Help me... please." Her voice was so... just so pathetic and pleading. Like this was her... oh yeah~ It was. She was pleading for her life. I chuckled at my own folly. Before I gave her my most beatific smile and a quite plain response.

"No."

Ah~ That look of pure despair. It seemed to trigger something fierce within this frozen heart of mine. Something that I just couldn't resist indulging in. And so I drew closer to her. The sword in my hand felt 'oh so light even as I raised it further and further into the air.

Until she could see her reflection in the tip of the blade. Her terror sated me, like a warm meal after a particularly cold night. It was no wonder that I couldn't resist doing just a bit~ more. Just a little bit more to sate that desire a little bit more.

The blade dragged across her cheek. Blood dripped from the small cut and fell to the waiting neck and into her slight breasts. It was a salivating sight. I couldn't help myself. It was just so delicious looking.

My mouth flickered to her wound, my tongue flickering back and forth to drink down the crimson life blood. Ah~ So delicious.

More. 

More!

MORE!

I would have my fill, whether or not she wanted to share. That mattered not. Fangs grew from my mouth and covered her neck. And with a bite I sucked all the blood I could, not stopping until her body gave no more.

Until I was finally sated from all that sweet~ sweet blood.

I parted from her neck. Slowly and languidly. And like a vampire I licked the blood that trickled over my fingers. Until every single speck was gone and undulated under my neck. I felt... I just felt so powerful... so great.

So much so that I could feel every single thing around me, I could hear the slow heartbeat as... as... "Shit!" She was dead. I could hear her heart slow and slow until it just didn't beat any more. Those ruby red eyes of hers rolling into her skull.

[You have killed a mana enhanced human]

[You have gained |250xp|]

[You have drank the essence of a mana enhanced human]

[Your senses have strengthened]

[Your body has begun its evolution]

[current progress |1%|]

/./

My back shifted against the makeshift bed. I felt my mind twirl around with thoughts, trying to find reason in my action. I was... I just felt so hungry that all reason left me, like some primal instinct had finally been given the light of day.

Was I a vampire? If so it would make sense. Maybe that was why I could see in the dark, I had thought that maybe it was just a quirk of the dungeon. And that it was something that I could just do.

So I had shrugged it off. But with the messages I had been given. It wouldn't be too farfetched to reason that I was a vampire. But that also just didn't quite click with me. No, it was likely that I was half-vampire. 

A dhampir maybe. Half vampire; half dungeon. Would that make sense?

But if I was a dhampir... vampire... whatever, then why didn't those boy's blood ever sing to me, call to me. Why?

I had a little theory, one that sounded quite crazy but... it might very well be true. If it was then... well. I shrugged my shoulders. Either way it would be crazy.

Heh- who would call themselves a vampire. Let alone a...