Chapter 234: Retrospection

"So Mister Cullen," Drake said, looking at the now upside-down vampire, "Normally I would ask a question and then end your misery."

The vampire spat at Drake's face, but it was stopped by a wall of water.

"Really? Twilight jokes? How old are you?" the vampire cringed, "My name is Christan you fucking loser."

The small screen of water fell to the ground, Drake laying an even expression back at the man.

"Unfortunately for you, you will not live long enough to hear all of my vampire jokes," he growled, "You tried to kill and kidnap my kids. Even if I did allow you to fight them," he paused, raising his right hand, a blue circle of magic manifesting a circulating spike of water, pointed right at the vampire's head, "I'm still really pissed."

"Oh, I'm so fucking scared!" Christan laughed back, ignoring the spell completely, "Do you even know who I am?"

Drake stayed silent for a moment, then dismissed his spell. Honestly happy he was a mouthy one, even if he was too stupid to realize what Drake obviously had in store for him.

He may not even have to ask questions if it progressed the way he wanted. And was once again not sure if he should be thankful for his disguising necklace, as it apparently being active reduced his intimidation factor by quite a lot.

The man turned a slightly less pale gray as his face reddened and squirmed in incredulity, "I'm high up on the totem pole, pal! And if I'm not back by sundown there's going to be a small army looking for me!"

"Is that right? You seem like a nobody to me. You were bested by children less than level 10. As a…" Drake inspected the man.

[Christan Jules Level 14]

"As a level 14… you should honestly be ashamed…"

"Y-you little fuck! I was just letting those little wastelets of minions take care of it for me! Why would someone of my status go out of his way to take care of some low-level scraps?! I convert people, I don't deal with the dirty work," he scoffed.

"You do, do you? Hard to believe," Drake jabbed, "You seemed more like a grunt than even those other three that got rolled by the kids."

"Screw you. I'm a tier 2 Dhampir you little shit, I'm only a few more hundred conversions away and I get to be lord of a town-" Christian continued to rant but then closed his mouth shut as if compelled.

Drake raised a brow, "Oh? Bella got your tongue? I doubt it though since she's probably at Jacob's house-" but before Drake could finish, Christian's head exploded killing him instantly.

"Uhhhh!" Drake groaned, "I'm covered in 1-star movie actor…."

He burned his hoodie and drenched himself in hot water and cleaning himself, disappointed with the lack of information he received.

Drake sighed, picking up the spatial bag but was unable to find a skill stone from the Dhampir, pulling another hoodie from his inventory to slip on.

"At least he talked a little bit… But it looks like there's some sort of ingrained or safeguard in these undead converted," Drake waved his hand, the dhampir's body lighting up in a brilliant white fire, "A small army huh? I guess I'll need to just let loose, it's been a good minute and I'm still… really pissed," he sighed, "But I'm starting to get concerned. He mentioned becoming a lord and that he was a few hundred away. Just how many undead are getting made?"

He crossed his arms as he walked back to the group, a long list of questions and problems filling out in his head to ask Natto once they got back.

"Is there something wrong Patriarch?" Sah Ul' asked, standing up from helping Kalik Tu' nurse his freshly restored hand.

"There's a bunch if I'm being honest but it will have to wait until we return back to the town. Right now," Drake began addressing the rest of the group, "We are heading to the nearest system center. We need to pick up the quests I had you all skip earlier."

"Why now?" Lanin asked, scratching at the fresh scar across his left eye.

"Oh, nice placement of a scar. Real intimidating. Missed the Squall look by a little though," Drake grinned pointing at his own two marks under his left eye.

"I'm fine with that. If I cut my hair and close my eye, at least I can look like Auron. Wrong eye but close enough," Landin shrugged taking Drake's joke in stride as he glossed over it.

Drake let his mouth hang for a moment, more surprised he knew the reference, and then even more surprised that he deflected it, referencing another character.

"R-right, Auron is always a good pick…" Drake said, his eyebrow twitching slightly, "But back on topic. We are basically going to be experience bombing all of you."

"No! They have just finished a fight. And you wish to blow them up?" Sah Ul' frowned incredulously.

Drake scrunched up his face, "N-no… I want them to take a bunch of quests and turn them in all at the same time so they can jump from their current level to hopefully level 10 all in one go."

"O-oh," Sah Ul' said, then nodded, "This is fine then."

Atropos held up a hand.

Drake chuckled, "What's with the hand?"

Atropos put her hand down, her head tilting slightly, "Is this not how people of your culture ask questions? I have seen it done on the TV, Lord Drake," she questioned.

"Yeah, if you're in class for school I guess… You know what, it's fine. I'll allow it. What's your question?"

"What of my brother and I?" she asked, "We are both already level 10."

Drake gave a dismissive wave, "It's fine, you will both do the same thing and it will probably even out if we are doing the same quests. I'm sure the experience won't do much for you both at a higher level. Now, Charlotte," he said addressing her.

"Hmm? Yeah…?" she answered half-heartedly.

Drake gave pause, thinking for a moment before asking his question, "Bring Atropos and Clotho into your party. I know you four figured out the party system even without me telling you. After that…" he sighed, his expression softening from his dealing with the dhampir into an endearing smirk, "Let's have a warm meal."

—-----------

The group of eight had since moved from the remains of the blood-soaked battle and set up a small campfire to rest.

Sah Ul' remained vigilant on the edge with her weapon holstered on her back, ready for any uninvited guests while Drake hummed as he cooked, preparing food and stirring a large pot.

"Did you know he cooked…?" Landin whispered to Charlotte.

"N-no. But remember he gave us all that food before? The one that seemed to make us stronger," she muttered back.

"Oh…! Yeah, that was really good stuff. You don't think that was him right? You would need, like, one of the professions he mentioned, right?"

"I can hear you, I'm right here you know," Drake smiled, dropping some chunks of meat into the pot with a sprinkle of salt, "No, I like to cook. I don't have it as a profession."

"Hmmmm," they both mused.

Atropos pulled her brother back from leaning forward almost over the pot, his tail wagging furiously.

"Lord Drake, do you like women that can cook?" she asked, dabbing the corners of Clotho's mouth with a piece of cloth.

Drake hummed, not noticing Charlotte and Sah Ul's ears almost becoming larger and turning in his direction as he answered.

"If I had to choose one or the other, yeah. Cooking is a big green flag."

"Green flag?" Atropos asked.

"It's a good thing," Drake chuckled, pulling the spoon from the pot, pushing his finger into the broth, and licking it, "Hmm, needs a bit of flour I think, it isn't thickening the way I want…"

"I would like to make cooking my first profession," Atropos said confidently, pumping her fists.

"I'd also like to know where we can get the profession," Charlotte answered, somehow sounding competitive about it as she stared at Atropos.

"I already have all my professions filled…." Sah Ul' sighed from the edge.

"Ok…" Drake said, trying to ignore the obvious, "Anyway… Let's see those status screens everyone. I want to see where we're all at and what we need to do going forward. Might as well do something while we wait for the stew to reduce and simmer."

Kalik was surprisingly the first one to walk up to Drake, turning around a blue screen as he rolled his wrist.

[Kalik Tu' Rahk]

[Race: Low-Land Orc]

[Base Class: Warrior] Level 7

[Vitality] 81

[Strength] 102

[Dexterity] 33

[Intelligence] 13

[Wisdom] 8

[Endurance] 23

[Free Points] 14

[Skills] Basic Heavy Blow [Level N/A]

[Titles]

First Hunt, Two vs One, Living on the Edge, Pig Hater, Wolf Hunter, One vs Many, Canine Exterminator

"Oh…" mused Drake, "I knew from inspecting you all but everyone grew so fast in just a day and a half. Let's see…"

Drake made some mental notes then moved on to Landin who was next.

[Landin Raymond]

[Race: Human]

[Base Class: Cleric] Level 8

[Vitality] 68

[Strength] 53

[Dexterity] 53

[Intelligence] 141

[Wisdom] 111

[Endurance] 63

[Free Points] 49

[Skills] Basic Mend [Level N/A], Basic Wrath [Level N/A]

[Titles]

First Blood, Two vs One, Living On the Edge, Close Call, One vs Many, Pig Hater, Wolf Hunter, Canine Exterminator, Dead Man Walking, Murderer, Punching Up 

Then Charlotte.

[Charlotte McClarin]

[Race: Human]

[Base Class: Warrior] Level 8

[Vitality] 109

[Strength] 106

[Dexterity] 78

[Intelligence] 48

[Wisdom] 48

[Endurance] 48

[Free Points] 48

[Skills] Basic Heavy Blow [Level N/A]

[Titles] First Blood, Living on the Edge, Two vs One, One vs Many, Pig Hater, Wolf Hunter, Canine Exterminator, Murderer, Punching Up

And finally the unusually quiet Quetz.

[Quetzel Mano]

[Race: Sun Conure]

[Base Class: Ranger] Level 7

[Vitality] 22

[Strength] 33

[Dexterity] 85

[Intelligence] 12

[Wisdom] 12

[Endurance] 46

[Free Points] 31

[Skills] Basic Power Shot [Level N/A]

[Titles] First Flight, Two vs One, Pig Hater, Wolf Hunter, Canine Exterminator

"That's good, everyone is around the same level so hitting level 10 in the time we need should be doable. And we can do a little more title hunting in the meantime," Drake said before his brow furrowed, "There's no other way to say this though. All of you except Landin will have to also gain the near-death titles pretty much. Kalik has one but as far as I know there are two others."

"Near-death titles…?" Charlotte asked warily.

"Yeah," Drake answered, bringing up his own status screen and flipping around the title, "You will all need to go below 5% health several times which is dangerous, to say the least…" he said, regret on his face, "But the boosts to health will be a big factor in your growths overall. Especially for those of you not specializing in vitality. It could be the main reason you die or live in a fight. Without those titles in the early parts of the tutorial, I would have most likely died later on, I can't even count on both my hands how many times I've gone below 5%..." he finished, giving a wry smile.

"But how exactly are we going to do that, Lord Drake?" Atropos asked a hint of fear in her eyes.

Drake grimaced, "Honestly I'd like to say there is some special trick I can give you. But as far as I know, there isn't a way around these types of things. Health is measured by the system in a way that it reflects your current vitality or the current life force you have."

"But, but… Quetz has lots of life force. She's plenty young," Quetz chirped.

"No, I mean in terms of inner life force," Drake smiled, "I'm sure you have all noticed that with the recent fights you've had your bodies don't always feel like they are at 100% right?"

The teens nodded.

"Well the system still shows your status as 100% right?" he added.

They nodded again.

"So for example, Kalik," Drake said, pointing to him, "His wrist is still bothering him. It's easy to tell. Yet, I'm sure his status still says he is at 100% health. There is this kind of physical fatigue that doesn't get factored into the system's calculator of health. And my only explanation is that it is calculating the pure life force of well, your vessel."

Drake paused for a moment, threading his hands, "So that means we can't trick it with say damage over time, that would be negligible in pain but still damage your life force. I won't lie to you all, gathering these titles in particular is going to be hard and painful, but I assure you it is worth it for the points and every advantage you get now will only add to the ones you gather later."

He sighed, "Unfortunately it looks like Kalik and Quetz didn't do enough damage in the fight for the system to consider it part of the kill for the vampires. So you two didn't get the Punching Up title either. At least that one won't be extremely hard to get but if you all look at the stat difference from just that title it's pretty night and day what I mean. Here, take a look."

Drake motioned for everyone to gather and asked Quetz and Landin to share their statuses.

"Oh my!" Atropos said, her mouth going wide in surprise, "This is from a single title?"

Drake nodded and smirked, "This is a heavy-hitting one but yeah. There are certain titles that give extreme bonuses. This particular one gives 30 points to every stat."

Waving away the windows, Drake stirred the pot again, pulling a chunk of meat out.

"Ok, think we're good, dig in."

He pulled out bowls from his inventory, filling them and handing them out to each of the teens before continuing his small line of explanations.

"The good thing and the most surprising is that you all still have free points to use, well, Kalik used most of his, but his class advancement should be in line with his warrior class more than the rest of you so it shouldn't be a problem."

He finished handing Quetz a bowl and spoon and looked at her for a moment.

"Quetz."

"Hmm?" she hummed and looked up at him from her steaming bowl.

"You're going to have the hardest time it looks like. I understand you're a ranger and don't really get into melee often but these stats from these titles are going to be important…" Drake said trailing off slightly.

"Quetz understands," she smiled, looking back down at the bowl, "Quetz wasn't able to do much for her flock during the fight with the bad men. But… she wants to do more, yep yep!"

Drake gave her hair a tussle and a small smile creased his lips as well, "I'm sorry and thank you Quetz."

He stood up right after, stretching slightly and letting out a satisfied groan.

"Finish up your food and rest. In an hour we are heading to the town Sah Ul' and I found on the way earlier to visit the system center. Be ready for more brutal training ahead, you all still have a ways to go."

"What are you going to do?" Charlotte asked, placing her bowl down onto her lap.

"Hmm? Nothing right now. I'll stay on watch with Sarah. Just focus on getting your bodies rested for now and your heads straight. I know what it feels like but everyone deals with the stress differently. What I'm putting you all through," he said rubbing the back of his neck, "Is only going to get worse."

"Fine by me," Landin scoffed.

"I will not allow myself to fall behind children," Kalik said, scowling.

"I am waiting expectantly to begin my own journey to repayment, Lord Drake," Atropos agreed, bowing her head slightly.

Quetz gave a chirp but continued stuffing her face, while Clotho merely nodded as he continued to eat silently.

"I don't plan on stopping now," Charlotte added, "If there are people like that out there… I won't leave them be, what would happen if it was Brodie instead of me? I won't allow it."

Drake turned his head a complicated feeling welling up in his chest. He couldn't tell if he was proud they were willing to continue so admirably, regretful they had to grow up so quickly because of him. Or fearful of how they might change after their own Rank Ups.

They really are becoming little monsters. He scoffed in his head. Level 8 in a day and a half… I don't know if I should be amazed or questioning my own leveling speed. I've slowed down a lot but there isn't much I can do right now.

He bit down the gnawing feeling in his stomach. The budding thought kept inching closer and closer to the surface in the back of his mind telling him to throw everything away and get stronger.

Drake needed to be stronger, he knew that and had the conviction to do so, but he wasn't ready to discard his family to do so. That feeling had to remain pushed down deep inside for now even if he knew it was growing stronger by the day.

And it wasn't only this feeling that ached inside of him. He felt like some kind of instinctual call was pulling at his whole being. Like some sort of magnetic force wanted him to move forward rushing him to the finish line.

What that line was Drake wasn't sure but he had a feeling that it may have something to do with a particular quest that he received.

[Legacy Quest: Ghosts of the Past]

Reach Level 30 and enter the Trials of the War General

Reward: Experience, Legacy Item, Access to Asuran's Generational Training Wilds. 

There was something about this quest that ate at him. And it felt as if his very soul was being called to.