Potential Powers

"Abilities that all vampires can use? Even if that's true, I doubt they'll be anywhere near as good as the clan abilities, not to mention the fact that everyone with a clan ability will also have those abilities, right? In the end, I'll just be a step behind everyone else no matter what..."

Horace could practically feel Aurik's disappointment manifesting into something tangible. To hear a newly created vampire lament over his future, a very long future, was something he had hoped to avoid for his entire life.

"I can't deny what you've said but just because it will be harder doesn't mean you should give up. The abilities I'm talking about, the basic abilities as we call them, are something that most treat like a bonus. Very few vampires choose to train the basic abilities and would rather focus on their clan abilities instead, since that's what the higher ups look at when considering our power levels."

Listening to Horace speak, Aurik had to admit that what he said made sense. If he was able to get good enough at using these 'basic abilities' then wouldn't he at least be able to keep up with the others?

Feeling less dejected than before, Aurik asked a question that would determine his plans for the future.

"What are the basic abilities?"

A small smile spread across Horace's face as he saw an ember of hope burning in Aurik's eyes, an ember that proved to him that his words were getting through. 

"How about I give you a small demonstration?" Before Aurik could even think of replying, Horace's green eyes began to glow. "Slap yourself."

Slap!

"What the-"

"Again."

Slap!

"Alright! I get-"

"Again."

Slap!

The first time it happened, Aurik was naturally surprised. His arm moved like it had a mind of it's own and his hand was sent flying towards his own face. The second time Aurik tried his best to resist, to force his arm not to move, but it proved futile. He could definitely feel his efforts being transmitted to his arm and it's movements slowed slightly but ultimately he couldn't stop it.

During the third and final slap he decided that rather than trying to stop his hand he would try to change it's direction slightly, since he could only affect his arm in a small way regardless. He put everything he had into forcing his hand away from his body by extending his elbow, and it seemed to work.

His bent elbow straightened slightly and his hand was clearly moved off course, at least until it suddenly changed directions and instead of slapping his cheek from the side he just smacked himself on the forehead from the front.

"We call that ability 'charm' and it's the first one that becomes available to us." Horace said with a large smile on his face and what sounded like pride in his voice.

"You can control the actions of others? That's amazing...!" Aurik's excitement had been rekindled and his mind was already working overtime trying to think of all the different ways that he could make use of such a thing.

"That's pretty much the gist of it." Horace nodded. "I'm a bit better than most when it comes to using charm though, so don't expect to be able to do what I just did right away when you get the ability."

"When I get it? Does that mean I don't have it now?"

"That's right, you'll only get it after you become a knight." Horace said matter of factly before remembering that Aurik had no idea what that meant. "Ah, I should probably explain what that means... actually, on second thought, I'll ask one of the soldiers you'll be staying with to explain that later so just hang tight."

It bothered Aurik that he wasn't getting answers right away, again, but he had already accepted that it would take some time before he would know everything. He especially couldn't expect Horace to explain every single detail on his own, just imagine being told that you had to describe every aspect of society to someone all at once.

"That reminds me." Horace suddenly said. "I need to show you where you'll be staying from now on. Follow me!"

He immediately took off towards a door on the side of the room and Aurik was forced to follow behind him.

"What do you mean 'where I'll be staying'?" Amidst his hurry to keep up, Aurik asked the most pressing question on his mind.

"I told you before that every vampire in the city lives here, right? Well, you're a vampire too aren't you? That means you have to live here now." 

"What?! But what about my apartment and belongings? Also, this place is too far from the restaurant, how will I get to work everyday without spending a fortune on public transport?"

Horace looked at Aurik quizzically for a moment before being hit by a realization. "That's right, you didn't become one of us in the usual way!"

'Is his head just empty or is he forgetting all these things on purpose?' Aurik thought, dumbfounded.

"To answer your questions though." Horace paused and thought about it briefly. "If you bought the apartment then you can either sell it or keep it as a second home of sorts, somewhere to go if you feel like spending a few nights away from here every now and then. If you're renting though, just stop paying, it will be cheaper to just pay for a hotel or something for a few nights than waste money keeping that place.

You will be able to retrieve your belongings sometime in the next few days, once you have acclimated to our society, I'll even organize it so you can use a car to make it easier. As for your job, well that one's easy, just quit! Since you are one of us you will be given a job soon and your pay will be significantly better than what you currently receive, at least double."

Listening to Horace explain how he should uproot his entire life like it was no big deal was something that Aurik found incredulous. He had spent years building his life and now he just had to give it all up and blindly trust that everything would be fine just because he's 'one of us'.

'It's not that easy, Horace...but I'll keep an open mind.'