Chapter 32

First thing Wednesday morning I called Todd and let him know that we would not be making it tonight, “Ed’s fine. She is sleeping right now, but probably shouldn’t go anywhere for a few days. There was an incident with a Portal. When she is up and about, I’ll have her call everyone.” We didn’t talk long, but he promised to pass the message to the relevant people, i.e. everyone.

Koz was fascinated, Kate horrified. I was worried, fascinated and not horrified. A blood colored hard film had encased Ed’s body while we slept last night.

A fucking blood cocoon.

I called Heather and had her spread the word that Ed’s title and Class activated. She would be out for a few days and was going through changes. And yes, she did turn into a variety of vampire. The rest would have to wait. But we did talk to her and she was still human. “We got lucky.”

We also asked everyone to give her space until she woke and was ready to talk.

Kate, Koz, and I took turns watching over our Ed.

Calls were fielded by all for the next day.

Thursday at dawn, Koz fetched me and woke Kate. Ed’s cocoon was cracking.

We all sat around my bed to watch the morbid show. Or a butterfly emerging from its shell. A blood-sucking butterfly.

Suddenly, the candy-coated, solid blood shell shattered. Ed stretched and blinked.

A slimmer Edna Peters. Otherwise much the same.

I, we, noticed that the inside of the shell pieces was a gooey black, they stuck to everything like they were ... covered in goo.

Maybe I haven’t had enough sleep lately.

They stank too.

“I’m hungry.”

We all took a mental step back. Kate’s wasn’t just mental.

Frowning, “Just get out, I need a shower. And breakfast. Katie, can I have some of your delicious pancakes, please?”

“Okay.” She scurried out.

Glancing at the clock, Ed asked, “How many days?”

“It’s Thursday morning.”

“It felt longer. Kozzie, be a dear and help our sleep deprived bastard clean up this mess. I don’t think Kate is up to it.”

Gracefully, she slid out of bed and walked into the bathroom to shower. There were tiny bits of goo and candy shell on her and in her hair and pretty much everywhere else on her flawless pale skin.

“Go help her, Natasha. I have this.”

“K.” she was tired too. None of us had gotten much sleep. Unconsciously, Natasha stripped and bent under the sink to grab an extra loofah and washcloth. Ed’s thick comb was lifted from the counter, and Koz entered the mostly clear shower. The glass walls held enough wave to make everything just slightly blurry.

After stripping the bed and throwing the sheets in the basket, I started cleaning up the mess. My first glance at the pair was of Koz picking out shell fragments from Ed’s hair. The second was her combing Ed’s hair to get the last pieces out.

The third glance, after rinsing out my second wash rag, was of Koz being held by the neck while pressed against the shower stall wall. The furious kissing between the two women seemed mutual from my obscured prospective. That Ed’s fingers were pumping slow and hard, I never saw.

I saw nothing.

“Breakfast is ready...” Kate froze at the scene.

“Is she okay?”

To me it looked like Koz suffered through an orgasm. “Picture yourself in Koz’s place, does that look like she is in pain?”

“Jason, don’t be mean.”

“Do you want to take Koz’s place? She looks tired.”

“I have to go to school,” she squeaked out and ran out of my room.

My first smile since Ed drank my blood was welcome.

I returned to cleaning. My sheets were ruined. Instead of the laundry basket, they needed to go straight to the garbage can. Anything to keep my mind off what was happening in the shower.

Ed exited the shower, licking her fingers, savoring the taste of the blonde woman. Koz was crumpled on the floor. Bones jelly and stomach a little sore from the convulsions.

“Ed?”

“She’s fine. Just got what she deserved for teasing me. I smell pancakes.” I received a quick kiss before Ed threw on one of my shirts and left the bedroom.

“Fuck she’s strong.” Koz complained. Her only complaint.

“You’re a bastard for sending me in there. Help me up.”

I did better than that, I carried her into Kate’s bedroom, dried her off, and tucked her in bed with a kiss.

“Thank you.” She earned that kiss. I earned the return one.

Natasha was asleep before the door closed.

“I don’t blame you for not telling me. You probably never trusted a single person in your life.” Ed began after I took my seat at the table and grabbed the syrup.

“Even if you did, it would not have changed anything. Neither of us knew. I didn’t, did you?”

“No.”

“Then get that hangdog look off your face. I’ll be fine.”

I gave her a worried half-smile.

“What is your real class?”

“Blessed Knight.”

“Blessed by who?”

“No clue. God? It doesn’t say and I didn’t ask.”

Anything else you are hiding from me?”

“A couple titles.”

“Any I should know about?”

Jason Blakely: Blessed Knight Level 1 (750/5000)

Title: Orc Slayer (White), Zombie Slayer (White), Earth’s First Gate Walker (Gold), Ghoul Lord Slayer (Green), Earth’s First Hero (Rainbow), Skeleton Slayer (White), Undead Scourge (Blue), Explorer (Green), Blessed Knight (Holy), Earth’s Strongest Gate Walker (Colorless), True (Holy).

Status: Steadfast* Hero# Knight& Blessed.

Points: 0

Strength: 13* +1/5 Levels while mounted on aligned mount&

Force Multiplier: 2*

Agility: 10, (-1, +1/5 Levels after Level five) while mounted on aligned mount&

Endurance: 14*

Damage Resistance: 2*, +1/5 Levels while mounted on aligned mount&

Pain resistance: 2*

Speed: 8, or as per mount while mounted&

Intelligence: 8

Will Power: 2** +1/5 Levels when mounted on aligned mount&

Health: 155/155* +% of total health of mount while mounted aligned mount&

Mana: 45

Skills:

War Axe: Level 4

Undead Scourge: +10% damage versus Undead.

Sharpness: 1, +10% damage per Level above 1, adding to the +25% damage when attacking unarmored opponents.

Armor Piercing: 3, +10% damage per Level above l, adding to the +25% damage when attacking armored opponents.

Physical Vulnerability Curse: 1. 10% chance of Cursing the target to receive increased damage from all physical damage sources.

Holy:

-25% damage received from all undead and sentient Evil-aligned and affiliated beings

+25% damage to all undead and sentient Evil-aligned and affiliated beings

+100% resistance to Mental attacks.

Final Rest: Grant final rest status to those worthy.

Mounted combat: Unlocked.

Mount: N/A

Plate Armor: Unlocked.

Shield: Unlocked.

Honor duels: Unlocked.

Weapon Class: Archaic Knight: Unlocked.

Equipment:

Krell’s Rune Axe

Earring of Poison resistance +25%

Ring of Hand protection +1DR

Unlocked Runes:

Rune of Stamina: A 10% chance to absorb 1% of target’s Stamina per attack. If multiple targets were struck on the same attack the % chance stacked on all targets affected by that one attack.

Rune of Knightly Valor: A single step forward in the midst of crisis can make all the difference. Knights will always recognize another knight.

Spells:

Refraction: 10 Mana, Recharge time 30 minutes; rebound some of the block with a Weapon against the attacker with a successful block. Duration 5 minutes.

Extended Slash: 4 Mana, Recharge time 10 minutes, Duration; 1 minute. All Melee attacks extend an additional two meters, dealing the same type of damage as the weapon, in an arc projected from the tip of the blade or head of the weapon used. Intermediate Level Skill.

Money: 5630 silver +3200 opal

Inventory: 7/1000 (four Brass, zero silver and one Gold keys)

(=Hardened) (*=Advanced Attribute) (#= Hero.)

“So, if you used a spoon to attack a zombie, you could kill it, right? With your strength, that extra 35% damage is no joke.”

“Not that I would want to.”

“And you have two fucking hidden titles. Both Holy rank. Well, you are the Hero. Heroes need to fight off evil. Your three Holy passives are reasonable too. So what’s up with your fucking ‘True’ Title?”

“It doesn’t say.”

“I believe you. I guess you want to hear mine now?”

I shrugged. I wanted to, but I did not want to press. “Just what you are willing to share.”

“Fuck you.” She didn’t like my passive response. “I’m strong as fuck now. My strength went up to a 12 and my Endurance went to an 11. Two points in both.”

“A huge increase,” I agreed.

“My speed is now a ten, Agility a twelve and my intelligence got a boost to 7.”

“A two point, across the board increase?”

“Agility and intelligence only one, but yes. And I need 7500 experience for 6.” I winced, that was 50% more than Kate or I needed.

“I need a liter of a sentient male’s blood once per moon. After every ten days without it, I lose a point in each Attribute. When any of my stats hit zero, I go into either a berserk fury or hibernation.” She didn’t look happy about that.

I didn’t blame her.

She told me of her Skills, all of which were decent, but with the caveat that they don’t improve with Level, but with blood.

“Fucking system is making me hunt and kill. Pigs and cows are cardboard. Useless. And you are off limits too.”

“Oh?”

“Yup, you were first. Can’t drink your blood anymore.”

I felt that there was something else about that. I didn’t ask.

“Men only,” she repeated. “I can drink women, and it will taste good, but only Men can Nourish me.”

“I still have my ‘Hero’s Chosen’ title. And a new one. Noble Vampire. Both Gold.”

“What are the effects of your chosen title?”

“Good enough that I will never leave you.”

I frowned at her implied greed.

“Just kidding. A plus one to all stats and a plus twenty five percent increase in all resistances when I party with you.” Later Kate confirmed that she received the same results and her title was also Gold. Jude’s was silver and received a lesser bonus of only +10% to all resistances instead of the 25%, and +1 to Strength, and Endurance only. Still excellent.

“Holy shit.”

“I know, right?”

“Ed, you have changed, even if you won’t admit it.”

She sighed. “I know. I probably lost twenty pounds of muscle. Or apparent muscle, since I am now almost as strong as you.”

Her curves were more accentuated now. The hips, bust and chest were about the same, just that her waist, legs and arms were thinner and narrower. All of her was rounder and smoother. She also looked younger. Less hard.

“I was not talking about your appearance.”

“How then?”

“It’s hard to describe.”

“Try it anyway.” She came close to snapping at me.

“That is one way. You are more volatile, you are more emotional and aggressive. You are swearing a lot more than I have ever seen you.”

“Why the fuck shouldn’t I swear? I just became a fucking vampire. I put everyone I know at risk just being around them.”