Inspection

Hours passed by.

"Do you mind if I use the 'Cleanse' spell on you?"

*Cleanse?*

[Cleanse - A spell specialising in cleaning what the WORLD considers dirty.]

"Go ahead."

The guard reached out his hand and touched Gerard's shoulder. A wave of coolness washed over Gerard, and the blood, dirt, and stains washed from his equipment.

"Thank you."

"You're welcome." The guard nodded before leaving the mess hall and heading upstairs.

[You've acquired the spell: Cleanse.]

*I might have a use for this in the future. We'll see.*

As more time passed, Gerard grew restless. The room chilled as the evening turned to dusk. Guards came and went from the room to eat and chat amongst themselves.

A loud grunt came from a table of four guards, and the scent of blood reached Gerard's nose. One of the guards smashed a clay plate and sliced their hand open. Gerard's fangs began to poke through his gums, and his body ran hot.

Quickly, Gerard ran out of the barracks and walked down the street.

*I need to leave before I commit another massacre.*

[A good idea. Seclusion may be necessary until you get a handle on your bloodlust.]

Gerard followed one crowd of people after another until he found the stone wall surrounding the city.

Guards stood atop the walls with bows and crossbows, and several guards stood at a gate leading out of the city. Two large lines slowly shuffled through the gate—one from inside and one from outside. Guards pulled down the hoods of people leaving the city and checked any bags and wagons before allowing them to go through the gate.

*It's okay. I look passable as a human now.*

Gerard shuffled forward with the other commoners, doing as they did and nothing else.

Three people now stood in the line before the guards would examine Gerard.

"That's him!" A man in robes from the Institute pointed at Gerard.

"Fuck."

With as much strength as Gerard's legs could muster, he sped forward, using his sword to take the heads of two guards standing in the way and the robed man casting a spell before clearing the gates.

[You have gained 27,940 experience.]

The whinny of horses and the shouts of men and women followed him, but he dared not look back.

"I'm thankful for this new evolution. Turning to dust or whatever would have sucked."

Gerard reached a small forest and ran in without hesitation.

His stomach growled.

"I'm hungry?" A tear streamed down Gerard's face.

[Are you okay?]

"Yeah, Sprite. It's just nice to feel a little more human again."

[Half-human. You'll start to feel some of your human emotions now that you're a dhampir.]

"Ah, that's why I feel weird about everything I've done up until now. It's not like I had a choice, though. I was driven by instinct, bloodlust, a lack of emotions, and a need to survive."

[Rationalise it however you want, but I wanted to tell you that I cannot sense any of those following you anymore. They've lost track of you.]

"Good. I'll have time to scavenge."

Gerard searched the forest floor and bushes for food. He took off his robe and carried it like a sack before filling it with mushrooms, roots, nuts, and berries.

"Surely, my resistances will protect me, but I should be careful not to overeat."

Gerard popped a berry in his mouth. The sweetness exploded on his tongue and melted away within seconds. Within minutes, all of the food Gerard had scavenged rested in his stomach. He burped happily.

[Did you not say-]

"Be quiet, sprite. I don't know if the food is more delicious in this world, if my heightened senses helped, or if it's because I haven't eaten in years, but I couldn't help myself."

Gerard leapt to his feet and continued to the forest.

[Poison Immunity has activated. Immunity could not prevent non-fatal effects.]

"Non-fatal?"

As if to answer his question, the colours, shapes, and sounds around him warped, and blended into one. Gerard found himself in a state of bliss, a wide smile stretching across his face as he took in the world around him.

"This?"

[You seem to have fallen under hallucinogenic effects from the food you scavenged. Intoxication Resistance has been acquired.]

As soon as the effects had set in, they began to fade.

"Fun while it lasted, I suppose. Dangerous, though."

Gerard stocked up on more food as he trudged along, and four days later, while Gerard bent down to pluck a mushroom from the base of a tree, an arrow whisked by.

"Humans? Did they find me?"

Gerard scanned his surroundings but could see no sign of an enemy. A pungent smell reached his nose, urine, decay, and sweat.

He picked up a stone and threw it with all of his strength into a bush. A small green humanoid creature stumbled out, a rock embedded in its head.

[You have gained 50 experience.]

"A child?"

[A goblin. These creatures live in nests, and although they are mostly harmless by themselves, in large groups, they can destroy a village.]

"So, what you're saying is that I should be wary of-"

Four more arrows flew toward him from other bushes. One pierced his left arm.

"... more."

Gerard pulled the arrow from his arm.

[Poison Immunity has negated the effects of 'Goblin Poison'.]

"Maybe starting as an undead has more benefits than I thought."

He grabbed a crude dagger from the dead goblin and darted forward; he reached a bush that an arrow flew from and saw ridged green ears. He brought the blade down and drove it through the goblin's skull.

[You have gained 40 experience.]

Wild cries sounded out, and the goblins ran deeper into the forest.

"They're a little smarter than they look, but that experience is hardly worth chasing them down. How long until my next level, Sprite?"

[31,350 experience until you reach level 11.]

"Maybe I could level up if I massacred an entire..." Gerard scratched his head.

[Nest. Goblin settlements are called nests and are generally underground or in ruins.]

"Thanks, Sprite."

Gerard wove through the seemingly endless trees for weeks until he reached the world beyond. The sun, unfiltered by the dense foliage in the forest, warmed his face.