Crimson Lotus

"You look like a vampire, but you don't smell like one."

The words of my victim echoed inside my skull. How cruel this new life of mine was. In the human world, they would likely fear and ostracize me for my vampiric features. In the vampire world, those monsters would attack me due to whatever humanity I have left. It struck me then that I had no place of belonging. 

Belonging… 

The Elder God once said that I belonged to him. I wondered if he concocted this cruel fate, knowing that my loneliness would bring me closer to him. With nowhere to go, I'd confide in him. I'd become a malleable puppet. 

The pieces clicked in place, and the vile stench of it sickened me. However, a contract is a contract and I needed to fulfill my end of the deal. I must act as his Soul Reaver until I die or breach this contract; whichever comes first.

Since I didn't smell like a vampire, I swapped jackets with one of my victims and searched for the Crimson Lotus. 

I was hypnotized by intoxicating smells and coaxing lights when I arrived in the gaming district. During the day, it was a ghost town. By night, it was swarming with vampires, walking in and out of casinos with alcohol-staunched breath. Sirens beckoned passersby into their brothels. Drug dealers openly offered their supply. I knew nightlife existed in Dragul, but this was beyond what I could have imagined.

It bothered me to see these creatures enjoying themselves. Go back a hundred years and humans would be the ones walking the streets. These bastards took away our home, claiming it as theirs. With the Soul Reaver, I could destroy every last one of them and restore Dragul to what it once was...

What really sickened me was the fact that they were none the wiser and that I was an outsider. From afar, they thought I was one of them. Though that fact disgusted me, I would use it to my advantage.

It wasn't hard to find the Crimson Lotus. Follow the crowds, the music, and the smells of sex, blood, and drugs. 

I stood in front of the sprawling tower, whose LEDs flashed its name with the symbol of a lotus, I needn't say what color it was. More lights curved toward the center bottom as if your eyes were meant to follow them until they found the entrance. I approached and those aforementioned smells intensified. I hardly needed my disguise.

I approached the bouncer, a muscular man five inches taller than me. Blocking my path, he asked me, "Name?"

Damn it. He did mention that it was prestigious…

I looked deeply into his eyes, activating my powers of persuasion. 

"I'm not on your list, but how about letting me in just this once?" I flashed a wad of cash, but he didn't bite. The Elder God once said my abilities could only manipulate the weak-minded. This oafs mind was fortified with steel and the money of a store clerk didn't impress him.

Then I felt the touch of a woman on my shoulder. 

"He's with me," she proclaimed. The bouncer looked her up and down before allowing us both inside. She walked ahead of me, and the first thing I noticed was her violet, shoulder-length hair. She turned to me, showing off her black lipstick and eyeliner. Her eyes reminded me of honey, perfectly complimenting her golden brown skin tone. 

Her eyes teased me, daring me to pursue her while simultaneously acting as a warning not to get too close. I froze for a moment and watched her disappear into the crowd, dumbfounded. 

When I stepped inside, I realized that I walked into the den of my enemies without a plan. Two days ago, I was nothing more than a cashier, this was beyond my line of work. Still, a hatchling must leave its nest eventually. 

Sitting at the bar, I was approached by the bartender, cleaning a glass with a rag caked in crimson liquid. 

"What can I get ya?" he asked me. Being twenty years old, alcohol was beyond me. I'd sipped wine before, maybe a hard seltzer, but never hard liquor at a bar. I couldn't even name one.

I frantically looked at the drinks around me until I spotted that woman's gaze across the bar. I knew she wasn't a siren as my body didn't have a physiological reaction to her eyes, but I wouldn't allow myself to enter a false state of security. Having persuasive abilities of my own, I was aware that she could be waiting for the right moment…

"I'll have what she's having," I eyed the woman as I said this, inviting her to sit beside me. 

"You're a new face," she said to me.

"Do you follow all the new faces or am I getting special treatment?"

"There's something different about you. For a second, I thought you were human." She leaned in close, disguising the fact that she took a whiff of my neck by whispering into my ear. "But your blood is different. Are you a dhampir?"

The bartender placed the drink in front of me. It was red– thick like tomato soup. It reeked of alcohol and blood. 

"Go ahead. Take a sip, Mr. Vampire," she teased. She was testing me; only a vampire could stomach such a concoction. 

Per her request, I took a sip of my drink. It tasted like salty metal with bitter undertones, but there was a slight sweetness to it. Having tasted it myself, I was certain that this was alcoholic blood. I figured such, but I pushed those thoughts to the back of my mind. When I ignored what was in it, I hate to say that I enjoyed the flavor. It seemed as though my appearance wasn't the only vampiric change I'd undergone. Though I didn't thirst for blood, my tastebuds had a taste for it, 

The woman laughed in my face; perhaps she could tell by my expression that it didn't go down easy.

"How about you and I go somewhere a little more… private," she said to me. 

I was certain then that she wanted to kill me. Perhaps she wanted to see what was so special about my blood by tasting it herself. Knowing that I could defend myself if need be, I allowed her to take my hand and lead me into the bathroom. She and I walked into a stall and she locked the door behind us. My hand was itching the draw my Sarafan blade, but I refrained.

I watched as her facade dropped and the real her emerged.

"You and I both know you don't belong here. I heard about you killing the leader of the Sirens. Who are you really?"

"You go first."

She paused for a moment, contemplating her next move. "Alright. My name is Brielle. I am looking for the daywalker. Blade. He is my father."

I'd heard of Blade before, but I thought he was just a myth. Everything clicked into place once she revealed her identity. She wasn't a full vampire and if legends were true, her father was a half-vampire himself. That must've been why she approached me, in believing that I am a half-vampire, she sought comradery.

"And you believe I know the whereabouts of your father because I may or may not be a dhampir like him?"

"I'm all out of leads. I figured you might lead me somewhere new."

"Well, unfortunately, I have no idea where your father is. You would be correct in deducing that I am not your standard vampire. Rather than consuming blood, I consume souls. I'm here in search of Dracula."

Her eyes widened, such that they nearly rolled out of her skull. 

"What the hell could you want from Dracula?" she said in a panicked whisper

"He has something of mine and I want it back."

Brielle looked into my eyes, searching for any signs of deception but found none. 

"Then maybe you and I could work together. If we find my father, he might know where Dracula is. He's been around a long time, so I've heard from my mother."

"You've never met the man?" 

She shook her head. "Not since I was a baby. I want to meet him. I have questions for him."

She and I weren't so different. Like me, she was cursed with being from two worlds, having nowhere to belong. Perhaps she believed that in finding her father, she would find that place.

"How sure are you that he'd know where Dracula is?"

"I'm almost certain. Supposedly, my father is the one who keeps Dracula in check. How could he do that if he doesn't know where he lives?"

I wasn't close to being powerful enough to fight the king of all vampires on my own. If I journeyed alongside her, I would likely consume some powerful souls on the way, including her father's. However, if he could keep Dracula in check, consuming his soul would be easier said than done.

"I don't have any leads, but I'm willing to help you find your father. It seems we both need him for our own goals." 

"Let's go to my place. I'll catch you up on what I know." Brielle led me to the bathroom door. When we stepped out of the bathroom, we were met with the gazes of every vampire in the building.

I knew why they were looking. The vampire I spared did as I asked, spreading the word of a vampire killer in Dragul. I'd bet he mentioned that I was searching for the Crimson Lotus.

Word must've spread fast… 

"They're here for me, Brielle. I can defend myself." I placed my hand on the handle of my sword. She reciprocated the gesture, revealing the foldable sword she tucked away in her jacket.

"You and I came in here together. If they're after you, they're after me as well. Cut off their heads. Blades can't kill them, but if they don't have heads, they can't feed."

"Speak for yourself. My blade can kill them!"

I brandished my Sarafan blade, compelling a simultaneous, resounding hiss from the bloodsuckers. 

"I take it that you've heard of my special sword? Unless you want your soul devoured, I suggest you leave!" 

One vampire threw herself at me like a wild cat, before her talons could slice my throat, my blade pierced her heart. I pushed her corpse, knocking over a couple of vampires like bowling pins before another came crashing down from the second floor. My blade sliced his belly open, spilling his innards on the floor. 

Another nearly grabbed me from behind before he slipped on a pool of bile. I raised my blade, ready to plunge it into his heart. When the edge was an inch from ending his life, another vampire held me from behind. I would have retaliated with a kick, but one I'd cut in half was still alive, digging his claws into my leg.

I was pinned. More vampires started to fall from the second floor, their fangs and claws aimed at my neck. I was then saved by Brielle, who soared past me and sliced their heads off with a single swipe of her sword. With her feet planted on the wall, she sprung herself toward me, cutting the arms off the one holding me.

With my arms free, I sliced the limbs off the vampire that clung to my legs before stabbing the heart of another that fast approached me. One of them managed to scratch my face, nearly knocking me off my feet. Blood was drawn, and my vision was blurred as it pooled over my eyelids. I took my revenge by ending their life with a stab to the frontal cortex. Their soul danced from their lips to mine. Once it was consumed, my wounds were healed in an instant.

Incredible… Not only do I become stronger with each soul I've consumed, but any damage I have sustained will be instantly healed!

Strength in numbers was meaningless against me! The more vampires that attacked, the more souls I could consume, thus restoring my health and granting me permanent strength.

One of my adversaries smashed a glass bottle on the bar before using it as a makeshift blade. He took three slipshod attempts at my throat, but I outpaced him, shoving my sword through the bottom of his chin. The tip of my blade was seen sticking out from the top of his soul as I drank his soul.

I heard a hiss from behind, but Brielle was there to slice their neck in two before I could even conceptualize how I'd have done it. 

Just then, an arrow whizzed past my face, nearly giving me a nose piercing. I looked toward the second floor to see a vampire aiming a handheld crossbow at me. Quite the archaic weapon, but I imagined wooden arrows were quite effective against bloodsuckers. 

I kicked off the wall and grabbed onto the railing of the second floor. Once more, an arrow nearly struck me. As I climbed, one of the vampires clung to my leg, holding me in place. I glanced at the archer, who was aiming for my heart. This left me with only one choice.

I entered the Spectral Realm. 

The room shifted. I watched as the first floor warped downward, appearing as if it were hundreds of feet away from me. A fall from that height would be fatal in the Spectral Realm, though it made me wonder what would happen if I were to die in this state. 

I dashed to where the archer was standing. When I reentered the Material Realm, I snatched an arrow from his crossbow and shoved it into his heart. I watched blood spew from his heart as his soul left his body. I consumed it whole, then grabbed his bag of arrows. 

Vampires began climbing the second floor, swarming me. The other half crowded Brielle, who still fended them off on the first floor.

One by one I threw arrows through the hearts of the vampires as they lunged at me. One of them tried to catch me from behind, but I shoved an arrow into his skull, killing him in an instant.

I heard Brielle screech as vampires held her down and another held my Sarafan blade in his hands, ready to impale her heart. I'd forgotten that physical objects, such as swords, did not travel with me in the Spectral Realm, so I'd left it behind. 

To Brielle's fortune, I still had three arrows left. I threw one of these arrows like a bullet, impaling the thief of my blade through the back of his brain. I then threw two arrows simultaneously, impaling both hearts of the remaining two vampires. The moment their bodies hit the ground, I exhaled in relief. 

There were plenty of souls bouncing around the room aimlessly. I opened my mouth and sucked in the air around me, consuming the souls of everyone who'd fallen. Having taken in so many souls at once, I could feel myself surging with incredible power. I was drunk with energy, feeling as though I could step outside and throw a car for miles.

I wanted more souls. I wanted to burst into the casino across the street and slay every single last vampire inside. If my strength was soaring from just twenty or so vampires, imagine two hundred or one thousand...

Once I noticed my body trembling from the surge of my newfound strength, I erased those thoughts. To think just the night before, I was only interested in consuming enough to sustain myself. Now, I was an insatiable glutton. 

The Elder God was betting on this to happen, wasn't he? If I'm not careful, I'll be his pawn for as long as I live...

I took in the carnage around me, and for the first time, I questioned my combat ability. I'd never been in a physical altercation before the night I was killed. Yet I was able to take down dozens of vampires all at once. I wondered if consuming the souls of my victims also meant that I inherited their fighting prowess. Looking back, I didn't use any technique when I killed the siren. I simply rushed her down and overpowered her. She and the others must've been how I acquired actual combat experience.

I lept from the second floor and helped Brielle off the ground, picking up my sword in the process.

"Let's get out of here," Brielle said weakly before leading the way.