Rough Draft - Blood & Chlorophyll Ch. 09

(V2) I added a bit more length to the last scene with Sera. If you happen to find time to check it out, great! I'd love to hear what you think!

—

The “Becoming Monsters” LitRPG setting was originally created by AiLoves, and is now managed by OtterlyMindblowing.

Content Warning: Blood, Violence, Mind control, Self-harm.

—

Four years earlier

Katrina’s phone buzzed on her pillowcase, falling to the floor with a heavy thud. Looking over to it, she groaned in frustration, but didn’t bother picking it up at the moment; she was far too distracted trying to wrangle her hair into submission. Her bright, ginger hair was incredibly curly, and unmanageably voluminous. At the moment, she was sitting in front of her vanity mirror, an industrial grade brush in one hand and a pile of hair ties in the other.

She heavily preferred sleeping with hair tied back, but doing so required a solid half hour of annoying, painful brushing. It’s not that she disliked her hair, she honestly loved its color, but she desperately wished she could find a product that would reduce how easily it mangled up.

After another ten minutes, once her hair was mostly in check, she finally kneeled down to pick up her phone. It had gone off a couple more times since hitting the floor; apparently her friends were trying to plan one last beach trip before the weather started turning cold. After checking her calendar, and the weather forecast, she started typing a response in the group chat.

Katrina: I’m fine either weekend, but can we find a spot with lots of shade? Even with sunscreen, the sun will burn me alive if I’m not careful.

Memories of her last trip to the beach returned, and she unconsciously rubbed her shoulders as she thought about the horrible sunburn she’d gotten. Despite all the hassle, it was still worth it; she was really happy she’d managed to stay in touch with her college friends after they graduated. She’d heard too many stories of friend groups that drifted apart after leaving school; her parents basically didn’t have friends, content to watch TV all day, and Katrina wanted better for herself.

She looked out the window, staring at her tiny corner of the Chicago skyline. She loved the night breeze, and happily left the window open all night long whenever she could. She also loved the noise of the city; it helped her sleep, and was an ever-present reminder that she was never quite alone. Growing up in the distant suburbs, she’d quickly developed a distaste for the overwhelming silence and lack of activity. She’d left for the city the instant she had an opportunity and had never looked back.

Katrina plugged in her phone, then set it on the nightstand and took one last trip through the house. She made sure the lights were off, locked the front door, and then stopped in the kitchen to grab a glass of water. She always kept one on her nightstand in case she got thirsty at night, and wasn’t a fan of walking through the house in the dark.

She had almost left the kitchen when her body suddenly lurched forward. She fell to the ground, the glass shattering on impact, as pain surged through her. She had no idea what was happening, and panic set in immediately. She feared it might be a seizure, or possibly a heart attack, but she could barely think as her body flailed uncontrollably on the floor. In the chaos of the moment, she even thought she saw a flash of blue floating in the air, but it vanished as she kept crying out in pain. Her skin felt like it was on fire, and her entire body felt like it was stretching and snapping. She screamed out, desperately trying to grab something to steady herself, but recoiled when she saw her hands.

The lights in the kitchen were off, and she wasn’t even wearing her glasses, yet she could see everything in perfect detail. The hands that tried to push her up weren’t her own; they were deathly pale, and their nails were far too long. When she managed to crawl to her knees, bending over and panting in exertion, a curtain of unfamiliar hair fell in front of her. It was pitch black, and perfectly straight.

What’s happening to me?!

Somehow, Katrina found the strength to stand up, but even that proved to disorient her. The apartment almost seemed smaller, the ground further away, but she didn’t have the energy to try and figure out why. In fact, she felt completely and utterly drained. When had she last eaten? Based on how she felt at the moment, it was like she’d never eaten anything in her life, and she was ravenous.

Opening her fridge, she pulled out the second half of a sandwich she’d made earlier that day, and eagerly took a bite. Attempting to chew only served to further disorient her; her teeth felt wrong, somehow, like they had all switched places.

Her confusion over her teeth, however, was immediately replaced by another shock; the sandwich was repulsive. How? The ingredients were fresh, the fridge seemed to be working, yet she wanted nothing more than to spit the food into the garbage. She tested everything in her fridge, desperate to find something to fill her stomach, and everything she tried was as horrible as her sandwich. With her body screaming at her, desperate for some unknown food, she ran back to her bedroom.

She fell more than once, still swearing that her body had somehow grown, and managed to turn on the lights. She collapsed in front of her vanity, the chair skidding slightly as she did, and grabbed the edges of the mirror, hoping to find answers in her reflection.

But it wasn’t there.

The mirror was completely empty, and when she pulled back in surprise, the chair behind her clearly moved in the reflection.

“What’s going on?!” Katrina shouted, barely holding herself together. In a panic, she grabbed her phone and turned on the selfie camera. This time, an image appeared, and it terrified her.

The creature in the camera had ghostly pale skin, jet black hair, and blood red eyes. She stared into the crimson irises, almost getting lost in them, before realizing that they were glowing brightly. Without fully understanding it, she could tell this creature was dangerous, but worst of all, it was her.

Terrified, Katrina dropped her phone on the floor, and lost control of her body once more. She stumbled backwards, hoping to escape the beast she’d just seen, but failed to sense how close she was to the window. She tripped, tumbling over the edge and beginning the four-story fall to the pavement below. Time seemed to freeze as she stared at her apartment, tiny and contained in that little box, and she knew she was about to die.

Yet, time stayed frozen.

Except it didn’t. She heard horrible noises from all over the city, cars crashing and people screaming, yet she stayed perfectly still. Time hadn’t frozen, she had. Somehow, she was suspended in midair, her body floating on the night breeze.

Underneath her, another scream echoed out. Someone had burst out of her apartment building in a panic, and she watched him fall to his knees as he made it to the sidewalk. Some instinctual side of Katrina took hold, and she managed to float lower to the ground, eventually landing safely on her feet. She approached the man on the ground, still scrambling to get up, and saw that she recognized him. His name was Marco, he lived on the floor under hers, and she saw him frequently at the grocery store down the street.

Marco made it to his feet, and he grabbed Katrina’s shoulders. “Please, you’ve got to help me! My wife, she… I don’t know! I woke up and she had turned into some… some monster! I don’t know what’s going on, 911 isn’t picking up, and I’ve been hallucinating this weird, blue box thing!”

Katrina gently placed her hands on Marco’s arms, trying to calm him down. Before she could speak, however, a delicious smell filled her senses. It was the most glorious thing she’d ever experienced, yet she couldn’t identify what it was. For some reason, it almost seemed like it was coming from Marco.

“Hey, it’s gonna be alright, let’s take a deep breath, okay?” Katrina said, staring into Marco’s eyes.

When he stared back, something strange happened. He instantly took Katrina’s advice; he took a deep breath, and his iron grip on her shoulder relaxed. “It’s… going to be alright,” he said, his words slow and methodic.

Katrina’s eyes briefly moved off of Marco’s and she kept looking for the source of the smell. Except, it wasn’t just a smell. It was an idea, a purpose, a celebration. It was a beautiful symphony of perfection, an elusive dream that she was on the verge of discovering. The sensation grew louder, overpowering every thought in her head, and she suddenly knew exactly where it was coming from. She stared at Marco’s neck, the source of everything, the origin of the most rapturous overture the world had ever created.

Whatever it was, it was trapped.

She looked back into Marco’s eyes. “I can help, you just need to trust me, okay?”

Marco nodded, his voice quiet and distant. “You can help, I trust you…”

With a deep breath, Katrina ran her tongue over her teeth. Were they bigger? Two of them seemed unnaturally long, and felt strangely powerful. She wrapped a hand around Marco’s head, pulling him close and exposing his neck. The song was right there, just underneath his skin. She just needed to free it, that would make everything right.

Opening wide, she sank her teeth into Marco’s neck. They punctured deep, releasing a heavenly river of blood, and the symphony exploded in Katrina’s head. Ambrosia passed over her lips, and her body sang with delight as she tasted the most delectable cuisine the gods had ever created. She drank deep, convinced she’d just unlocked the secret to life, the hidden truth that tied everything together.

Her ears rang with the most joyous melody she’d ever heard, and she was ecstatic that she’d been the one to free it. It was passionate, vivacious, and bombastic, and it was all hers. The drinking continued, and the melody began to slow. It became a romantic waltz, then a passionate sonata, and before long, a powerful, thrumming dirge. Nothing that Katrina had ever experienced came remotely close to the joy of this moment, and she was on the edge of her seat as she did everything in her power to savor every last note of this performance.

When the music ended, the deathly feeling in her stomach had somewhat abated. Her thoughts felt manageable again, and in a panic, she let go of Marco.

Oh God, what did I do?!

Her neighbor’s body fell to the ground, completely limp. Blood ran down his neck, and Katrina raised a hand to her face. After a moment of hesitation, she ran a finger across her chin, and found it covered in that same blood. Had she really just attacked Marco?

But… the blood on her finger, it smelled so delicious. Without even thinking about it, she had moved her finger to her mouth and was eagerly sucking it clean.

She needed more. She was so hungry.

Somewhere in the distance, the statewide alarm system had started. Sirens blared, warning of some unknown disaster, and when Katrina looked to the skies, she saw fire on the horizon.

Another scream filled her ears, this one not too far away. Without thinking, her body floated off the ground again, and she raced towards the source of the sound. Down an alleyway, around a corner, and suddenly she was in a small, private parking lot. Several cars had been cramped into a tiny space, likely belonging to whoever lived in this apartment complex. As she arrived, she saw someone on the ground, slowly backing away from a smoking crater in the side of the condo.

The stranger looked over at Katrina as she landed. “Stay back! I’m dangerous!”

Katrina looked at the crater, then back at this stranger. She was a younger woman, probably no older than thirty, and had messy light-brown hair. Her curls cascaded down to her shoulders, but at the moment, Katrina could only focus on the song she heard deep inside this stranger. “Hey, it’s okay, I’m here to help. What’s going on?” Katrina asked.

“I’m serious, stay back! This weird… box told me I’m a Magus? I don’t know what that is, and I panicked, and then lightning jumped from my hands! Please just stay away, I don’t want to hurt you!”

That’s the second person to mention a weird box, what’s going on?

Stepping carefully, Katrina looked deep into the eyes of this stranger. “It’s going to be okay, I can help. Why don’t you tell me about this box you saw, maybe we can figure this out together.”

“I… I don’t really know. It appeared out of nowhere, and now, when I think about it, it comes back.” The stranger suddenly calmed down, her breath slowing as Katrina kneeled next to her. “It’s hard to describe. It’s a bunch of boxes, it has my name, information about me, it’s almost like looking at a video game status screen.”

Katrina kept her eyes fixed on this woman, listening intently to her words, but also to the song buried just beneath her skin. It was calling to her, perhaps not as strongly as it had earlier, but it was there. “I can help, if you let me. I can set you free.” She saw a strange flicker in this stranger’s eyes, and they seemed to dull as the woman nodded again.

“Please… please help me!” she whispered desperately.

A pale hand caressed the side of the woman’s face, and Katrina pulled her closer. She brushed her hair aside, exposing the tender flesh of her neck, and opened wide. With another powerful bite, she felt her teeth sink break skin, and another deluge of perfection found its freedom. This woman’s song was an impassioned opera, a chorus of a thousand angels celebrating the beauty of the cosmos. The blood that passed over Katrina’s lips was every bit as delicious as she remembered from moments earlier, and she could think of nothing but drinking every last drop. She shuddered with excitement, practically moaning in delight as she bit down harder. The woman gasped, whimpering in pain, and she began to struggle in Katrina’s grasp.

She tried to point her hand at Katrina, who instinctually reacted and pointed the arm elsewhere. A crackle of electricity formed around the woman’s fingertips, then erupted outward, striking a nearby car.

After the discharge, however, the stranger lost the strength to fight. Her struggles grew weaker, her gasps joining the final chorus of the music that filled Katrina’s senses. Blood continued to flow from her neck, and Katrina desperately drank even deeper than last time. The void inside her had been so painful, and every drop that passed her lips chased it further away. By the time the stranger’s arm fell limp to the ground, Katrina could no longer hear that rapturous music, nor the woman’s heartbeat.

Another lifeless body fell to the ground, and again Katrina felt her senses return to her.

No! Not again! Why is this happening?!

Guilt wracked her body, and in a panic, she flew to a nearby roof to escape the body of her latest victim. She desperately wanted answers, to know what was going on, and she remembered what the stranger had said. Something about a status screen? If she could find that, maybe she could figure out what the world was becoming.

Katrina focused hard, trying to imagine a mystical, blue box that would tell her basic information, but nothing happened. “C’mon, give me something! Information! Bio! Status!”

Without warning, a bright blue box filled Katrina’s vision. It moved with her eyes, effectively blocking her from seeing anything else, and she didn’t hesitate to read everything she could.

—

Name: Katrina MacMillan

Race: Vampire

HP: 100%

SP: 57%

MP: 100%

—

Attributes:

STR: 11

END: 16 (+4)

DEX: 12

AGI: 15 (+2)

INT: 9

WIS: 10

CHA: 19 (+4)

LCK: 10

PER: 13 (+2)

HLT: 15 (+4)

—

Racial Features:

Vampiric Curse

Flight

Undead Fortitude

Enchanting Gaze

—

Class: Bard - Path of Magic

Level: 1

Progress: 0%

—

Class Features:

Inspiring Performance - Guitar

Bardic Knowledge

—

A Vampire? I’m a VAMPIRE?! Oh God, that explains so much… This also explains why I can fly, but what’s an Enchanting Gaze? Did I hypnotize those people into giving themselves up to me?!

Katrina was paralyzed with fear, completely unable to process everything that had just happened. Not even an hour ago, she was planning a friendly trip to the beach, and now it felt like the entire world was collapsing around her. The emergency sirens continued blaring, and she still heard the sounds of chaos sweeping the city. Explosions, screaming, gunshots, and she had a feeling there would be more than two people dead before the end of the night.

She curled into a ball, screaming and crying as she tried to forget the terrible things she’d just done. Time ceased to matter, and she stayed there for hours, hoping beyond hope that she would wake up in the morning to find this was all a terrible dream.

Yet, when morning came, she was still covered in other people’s blood. She still had the fangs of a killer, and worst of all, she was still hungry. The warmth of day began to dawn on the city of Chicago, and just before the light found her, she remembered that she was a Vampire. Would the sun hurt her? Kill her?

She ran to a nearby staircase, stepping inside before leaning against the wall. She started watching the light of the sun creep across the roof, the inside of the stairwell growing warmer and warmer. Katrina reached forward, nervously letting her hand pass into the light. The sunlight immediately assaulted her, not only burning her hand, but causing terrible pain across her entire body. It felt like every fiber of her being had just threatened to catch fire.

Hadn’t that weird Status box displayed how much health she had? She opened it up again and saw that just a second of sunlight had brought her HP from 100% down to 98%. What would longer exposure do?

Maybe I deserve it. Why should I continue living after what I’ve done?

Keeping her status screen open, Katrina felt tears start falling down her face. She stood at the edge of the daylight, her thoughts consumed by the dying gasps of the two people she’d attacked last night.

No, I didn’t attack them; I killed them. I’m a murderer.

With a deep breath, one that shook her body as she started openly crying again, she stepped into the sun.

The pain was beyond description. It was the polar opposite of everything she’d felt last night during her attacks. There was no music, no joy, just overwhelming, undeniable agony. Deathly silence surrounded her, only broken by the sound of her body threatening to buckle under the pain. She watched the HP value on her status rapidly drop, and knew she had only seconds left to live.

40%.

She couldn’t be allowed to continue living, not if she had to kill to survive.

30%.

She thought about her family, her friends, everyone she was leaving behind.

20%.

They would be safer this way, right?

10%.

Wouldn’t the world be a better place without her?

5%.

At the last possible second, Katrina fell backwards into the stairwell. Despite everything she believed in, she couldn’t bring herself to go through with it. She was scared of who she was. Scared of what she’d done. Scared of what she might do in the future. But, more than anything, she was scared of dying. No matter how much she thought she deserved it, she couldn’t muster the courage to step back into the light. Once again, she hugged her knees to her chest, tears of pain mixing with tears of guilt as she cried herself to sleep.

For better or for worse, Katrina survived the Change.

—

Three months later

After checking her camera to make sure her makeup had survived the flight, Katrina walked inside the bustling suburban bar. Music sprang to life around her, smoke filled her nostrils, and she took a look around. Ever since the Change, the clientele one might expect to find at a bar had shifted dramatically. Looking around, she saw mostly humanoid races: Beastfolk, Aelves, a cute Nekomata tended the bar, and of course, plenty of humans. On rare occasions, bars like this would clear out spaces in their parking lots to try and attract the more unique races, but most didn’t care for the hassle.

She’d been stalking this particular neighborhood for a few days, and if all went well, tonight would be her last visit. She found a seat at the bar, one that was visible from the whole establishment, and politely turned down the Nekomata that tried to take her order.

“Status thing, I can’t eat or drink,” Katrina said. She did, however, slide a tip across the counter anyways. “Just need a place to hang out for a bit.”

With a smirk, the bartender appeared content to leave her alone for the rest of the evening.

Ready to begin, Katrina rotated her seat and leaned against the counter. Her simple, leather jacket pulled back slightly, revealing a somewhat exotic shirt that exposed both her midriff and her ample cleavage. She was still getting used to having so much to show off, but it certainly made her life a lot easier at times. She made sure to sit nice and tall, knowing that with her Charisma score, it was only a matter of time before her target approached her.

Tonight’s prey was a notorious brute, someone who used his Class to offer protection services against monsters. Of course, monsters never traveled this far from the city, and he most frequently protected people from his own anger. After a few days of following him around, Katrina had learned that he liked to pick up women by bragging about fighting for reclamation, despite never having set foot in monster-contested streets.

Just as she predicted, barely ten minutes had passed before her honey trap went off. He was some kind of canine Beastfolk, likely a wolf, with striking lines of red fur that ran across his head and tail. Likely elsewhere, too, but Katrina didn’t care about that. He hiccupped as he started talking, and his breath stank of cheap beer.

“Hey good lookin’, haven’t seen you around here before,” he said, leaning against the bar next to her.

“Well, you know how it is. With the city overrun, it’s hard to get home, so I’m kinda floating from place to place.”

“Yeah, can you believe it? All those monsters? You know, I’m actually helping out with a lot of that. I’ve got a pretty strong Class, so it’s the least I can do.” The Wolfkin smirked, taking another swig of his drink as he tried to check if his pickup line was working.

It was obvious he hadn’t seen any combat recently. Katrina had seen enough fighting over the last few months to develop a nose for it, which made it easy to avoid bars that actually served active combatants. The last thing she needed was a fight, after all.

“Oh my gosh, really? What Class are you?” Katrina asked, leaning closer as she feigned interest.

“I’m, uh, a Berserker. I know I don’t look it, but hey, no one got to pick their Status, right?”

A practiced giggle left Katrina’s mouth. “Ugh, tell me about it. I’m a Bard, and I have no idea where to even start with that. Am I supposed to start taking music lessons while the world is falling apart?”

The Wolfkin shared a hearty laugh of his own, playfully slapping her arm as he continued to test his limits. “Ha! You’re a funny one, can I buy you a drink, Miss…?”

“Oh, where are my manners. I’m Sasha, but sadly I don’t drink. It’s a Status thing, I got stuck as a Vampire.”

“A Vampire, huh? You sure you’re not here looking for a different kind of drink?”

“Ugh, absolutely not. I don’t know if you’ve heard, but we can actually use pig’s blood as a replacement. Plus, even if I couldn’t, you’re not a Human, so you’d still be safe.” Katrina leaned closer, tracing a finger over the stranger’s chest as she kept flirting with him.

Ever since the Change, Katrina had spent hours desperately scrolling through message boards and forums to try and find other Vampires, hoping for advice on how to manage her hunger. About a month back, she’d started to hear that pig’s blood was a suitable replacement, and had leapt from her chair in celebration. That very night, she flew a few hours south to find an isolated farm, and had put the theory to the test.

The first taste had been terrible, but she was desperate for a solution and pushed through it. For nearly half an hour, she’d fought the urge to gag and throw up, and managed to drain an entire pig. When she checked her Status afterwards, however, she’d only gained a single percent of SP.

“Well, lucky me!” the Wolfkin said, back in the present. “So, what brings you around then?”

“Honestly? There’s so much going wrong out there, I just wanted a place to relax, to pretend that not everything is on fire. Plus, if I happen to meet someone nice… I certainly wouldn’t say no to some company tonight.” Katrina licked her lips slowly, staring deep into this stranger’s eyes. “I didn’t catch your name, by the way.”

“I-I’m Jackson,” he said, swallowing nervously under her intense, seductive glare. “I don’t suppose you’d… maybe want to get out of here now, would you?”

Wow, he’s really pushing his luck. He’s lucky he’s my target tonight.

Katrina leaned in close, her eyes still locked on Jackson’s, and started whispering so that no one else could hear. “Jackson, if you want to take me home tonight, then listen very carefully. You’re going to whisper something dirty in my ear, I’m going to throw your drink in your face, and then storm out of here in a huff. You wait ten minutes, complaining about me the whole time, then leave the bar. I’ll be waiting on a bench at the park three blocks down.”

She saw a familiar flicker in Jackson’s eyes, then watched them dull as he fell into a suggestive trance. Her Enchanting Gaze feature was working perfectly, and even if it failed, she doubted he would turn down a chance to go home with her.

With a slow nod, Jackson agreed, then leaned in close. “I can’t wait to bend you over my kitchen table, Sasha. I bet you’ve never had wolf cock before, and I know you’re gonna love it.”

Katrina scowled at Jackson, pulling back before grabbing his drink and throwing it in his face. “You pervert! I can’t believe you!” She straightened her jacket, then hurriedly left the bar while pretending she was about to start crying. As soon as the door closed behind her, and she knew she was alone, she dropped the act.

After a peaceful ten-minute stroll through the park, predictably enough, Jackson the Wolfkin walked right into her trap. He seemed exceptionally smug, and he spent the whole walk back to his place asking about her kinks. Did she like it rough? Did she like playing hard to get? He was convinced her little stunt in the bar was something she did for sexual pleasure, and she was more than happy to let him think that. It certainly wasn’t a plot to make people think they hadn’t gone home together.

Luckily for Jackson, Katrina had discovered an unexpected benefit of the Change: she was hot. Like, really hot. Having spent most of her life as a scrawny ginger with unmanageable hair, the realization that men and women were tripping over themselves to try and sleep with her was a pleasant one. Not only did this make hunting easier, but it let her cut loose and indulge in other pleasures she’d never had a chance to taste in her prior life.

Tonight, though she’d pretended to recoil at the suggestion, that meant happily letting a Beastkin bend her over a table and rail her senseless.

Jackson was anything but an attentive lover, but thankfully Katrina didn’t mind. When she’d gone down on him, his grip had been far too tight, and he didn’t even offer to return the favor. Once she’d been introduced to the aforementioned table, she learned it had rather sharp edges. Each powerful thrust, of which there were many, jammed her hips into the table and caused it to dig deeper into her skin. It was impressive how much it hurt; she had a feeling he hadn’t entirely adjusted to his new Stats yet.

The pain, however, felt right. It was penance for everything she’d done since the Change, and it was a big reason why she tried to target men like Jackson. They weren’t afraid to get rough with her, and they almost never treated her like a person. To be fair, she wasn’t one. She was a monster, plain and simple.

By the time he’d finished, and emptied himself deep inside her, he collapsed back into an armchair and began gasping for breath. His night was about to get much worse, as she took this opportunity to straddle him. He clearly thought she was turning out to be a nympho, but after calming him down with her Enchanting Gaze, she opened wide and let her powerful cuspids pierce his neck.

It only took a few seconds for his soft fur to grow wet with blood. She did her best to avoid sucking hair into her mouth, silently wishing that he'd been a human. Beastkin had a different taste, one that wasn’t quite as delicious, but it still helped shrink the void in her stomach.

After drinking what seemed like enough, Katrina forced herself to pull away from Jackson. She looked down at his neck, and saw that more blood was coming out than she’d anticipated. Moving her hands to his throat, she pushed down to try and stop the bleeding, hoping she could keep him alive. “No, no! C’mon, stay with me!” she whispered to herself. Seeing that her hands were doing nothing, she flew to the kitchen to grab a towel, then pushed it quickly against the Beastkin’s neck.

Despite having just fed, she could still hear the song under Jackson’s fur. It was slow, melancholy, and fading fast. Katrina’s heart was racing, hoping desperately to keep him alive. She hadn’t wanted to kill him, just scare him a little while sneaking in a quick bite to eat. After several more moments, however, his song ended. Katrina crawled off the armchair, eyes wide, as she lost control of her breathing. Tears ran down her cheek, mixing with the fresh blood on her chin. She fell to the floor, grabbing her head as she rocked back and forth, openly weeping as the guilt from her latest kill overtook her.

—

Six months later

Tonight’s choice of venue was somewhat different than Katrina’s usual fare. Instead of a dingy, run-down dive bar somewhere far off in the suburbs, she’d picked something a little nicer, close to the Guild Hall. Chicago still hadn’t been fully cleared of monsters, which meant Katrina didn’t feel safe enough to try getting back to her apartment. She’d heard most of the monsters were stuck on the ground, but she didn’t want to risk it.

She’d been couch-hopping for months, sometimes with temporary friends, sometimes in shelters, but mostly in the homes of her victims. As much as she hated to think about it, the chaos of the Change made it incredibly easy to travel around and not get caught.

One thing she couldn’t hunt for, sadly, was friendship. She was terribly lonely, and often spent her nights following news from the monster fighting community that had appeared practically overnight. In other cities, they called themselves Delvers, so Chicago followed suit, but technically no one had yet been inside the Chicago Dungeon. The various Guilds were doing their best to build a united front and take back the city street by street. They were gaining impressive ground, and many of them thought they might have the city under control by the end of the year.

Even though Katrina had never been much of a gamer, she was fascinated by everything the System had introduced into the world. She loved learning about all the different Classes, their abilities, and seeing the unique ways Races could affect combat effectiveness. For this reason, she had started semi-frequently visiting establishments near the main Guild Hall.

As the city was still a battleground, the Guilds had taken over a large mall in the northwest suburbs. Different guilds set up in different wings, and all the varied shop fronts made ideal spaces for everything that went into running a Guild. Enchanters had a space to practice, Alchemists had a place to set up their equipment, and the mall was even big enough for most of the larger Races to comfortably move around inside. Katrina didn’t want to risk going inside, but it was nice to see the fringe elements of the community in the surrounding businesses.

It was a cozy establishment, almost reminiscent of a fantasy tavern, but far cleaner. It was well lit, smoke-free, and served a wide variety of drinks. Katrina had chosen a small booth in the back corner, away from the rowdier customers, and was happily nursing a flask that she’d filled during her last feeding.

She let herself get lost in the various conversations happening around her. Some were talking about their last trip into the city, a few were talking about their new Level Ups, and almost everyone had something to say about their Ten. A person’s Ten, Katrina had learned early on, referred to the ten different attributes that made up a person’s Status. The hardest part for Katrina was trying to remember the order of the different stats; was the seventh stat Charisma or Luck? She was in the middle of trying to memorize that particular facet when someone walked onto the stage next to her.

Well, calling it a stage would be generous. It seemed to be a pallet that someone had tried to pretty up, but it got the job done. In the few times Katrina had visited this place, she hadn’t seen anyone use it, so this was an exciting new development. The person now setting up was a young human woman; she had a short, blonde pixie cut, and wore a blue, flannel button-down shirt. Her face had delicate, striking features, with piercing blue eyes and a small collection of freckles on her cheeks.

Katrina had gotten so lost in the good looks of this girl that she’d failed to notice the guitar in her hands. After pulling a chair onto the pallet, she took a few minutes to tune her instrument, and then started playing.

It was a light melody, playful and whimsical, but it held a tinge of sadness to it. Her fingers expertly danced across the strings, and after a short introduction, she began to sing. Katrina had already been impressed by the guitar playing, but this woman’s voice was otherworldly. She had incredibly range, and it seemed like she had the lung capacity of an Olympic swimmer. As her words washed over Katrina, an unusual sensation accompanied it. Her hair seemed bouncier than usual, and took on a supernatural sheen that wasn’t normally present. She had a sudden urge to sit up straighter, and she swore her shirt had started shrinking.

On closer inspection, her first assumption had been wrong; her shirt hadn’t shrunk, her breasts had grown. Her cleavage was even more prominent than usual, and when Katrina finally looked around the bar, she saw that everyone had suddenly grown just a little more attractive.

This woman was a Bard, no question about it, and her singing was giving everyone a boost to their Charisma. For the first time in nine months, Katrina almost forgot her problems, forgot everything she’d done to survive. She was so enraptured by this woman’s song that she simply stared for the entirety of her performance. When the music finally stopped, and Katrina shook her head to regain her senses, she realized nearly an hour had passed. She almost felt guilty, staring at this singer for so long, and she tried to hide her embarrassment by burying her face in her phone.

“Now, what did I do to catch the attention of the most beautiful girl in the building?”

Katrina swallowed nervously, looking up from her phone to see the singer had walked over to her table. After a moment of awkward stammering, in which Katrina realized that, yes, the singer was talking about her, she spoke up. “I, uh… well, I’m a Bard too, and your performance was just really good!”

The woman slid into the booth across from Katrina. “Y’know, most people don’t need to stare at the person singing just to enjoy the music. I’ve played for enough crowds that I can tell when they’re using the music as an excuse to look at something else.”

“I… well…” Katrina had no idea what to say, she’d never been caught ogling someone like this before.

After a horrible few moments of tension, the singer started laughing. “You haven’t been able to socialize much since the Change, have you hun?”

Katrina shook her head. “Not really, no.”

The singer held out her hand. “Name's Sera. How about you?”

Another tense moment passed, and Katrina reached out to shake Sera’s hand. “I’m Katrina. It’s… good to meet you, Sera.”

“What brings you to these parts? You don’t seem the delving type.” Sera asked.

“I’m just… a little untethered at the moment. Doing a lot of drifting, and it’s nice to be where the people are.”

“Yeah, tell me about it. The owner of this place pays me to perform, and it helps lift everyone’s spirits, which I always enjoy. Plus, he gets the benefit of having a Bar where the music literally makes you more attractive.”

Against all odds, Katrina found herself smiling. “Between your music and the alcohol, it’s a surprise this place isn’t a brothel by now!” Both girls laughed at this, and the conversation paused for a moment afterwards.

“You know, I meant what I said earlier, by the way,” Sera said. Katrina had no idea what she was referring to, and tilted her head in confusion. “About you being the most beautiful girl in this place.”

“Well, that’s just… I had your Charisma buff on me.”

“It’s not on you now, hun, and I still think that. But, I have a feeling I’m coming on a bit strong. You said you’re a Bard? What kind?”

With a sigh of relief, Katrina happily welcomed the change in conversation. “Path of Magic, Guitar.”

“Get out of town! Really? Heck, let me grab my guitar and you can teach me a thing or two!” Sera had leaned closer now, her interest in Katrina more than apparent.

“I’ve never actually played. Haven’t had the chance since the Change hit, and all my time has been spent surviving. Doubt I could pull together the money even I wanted to.”

“Well, I have a guitar. I could… show you the ropes, if you wanted.” Sera’s hand moved closer, and now rested on top of Katrina’s. The girls looked into each other’s eyes, and Katrina could feel herself giving in to this beautiful girl’s suggestions.

“…You know what? I’d like that.” Katrina couldn’t deny that a chance to finally try out her Class sounded pretty fun.

The blonde quickly pulled her guitar up into the booth, then opened it up. She moved next to Katrina, stealing a chair from an empty table nearby and inviting Katrina to sit in it. “Alright, sit here, and I’ll show you how to hold it.”

Sera moved Katrina’s hands, and the Vampire couldn’t help but notice that she was letting her touch linger longer than she needed to. “Like this?”

“Exactly! Now, it’s nice to have something to prop your foot on, so here, use my case. Now, it’s still tuned from my performance earlier, so let’s work on some basics!”

Over the next few hours, Sera began teaching Katrina Guitar 101. It was a slow start, initially, as Katrina had never studied music before. However, after the first fifteen minutes or so, she found that all the pieces started clicking together faster than she had expected. Without any knowledge of music theory, she seemed to have a keen ear for intonation. She began to hear melodies before they appeared, and was able to will them into existence.

Eventually, once the basics felt familiar to her, she decided to try improvising a simple tune. The music made sense, it was already there, she was just finding a way to channel it. As soon as the melody started, and she felt truly connected with it, a bright blue pop-up appeared, eclipsing her vision.

—

Inspiring Performance activated!

Choose one: HP/MP/SP

—

The sudden appearance of her Status made her jump, and she lost the song she’d just started. “Whoa!”

“What happened? You almost had it!” Sera said, leaning forward in excitement.

“My Status appeared, said I’d activated a Class Feature. Does that always happen?” Katrina asked.

“Oh absolutely. For Bards, it’s usually Inspiring Performance. It’ll also give you the chance to pick what Attribute you want to boost for your Inspiration.”

Katrina tilted her head in confusion. “But, I didn’t see any Attributes. It asked me to pick between HP, MP, or SP. What does that mean?”

Sera’s eyes went wide with excitement. “Katrina! That means you got assigned Regen buffs! Instead of a temporary boost to Stats, your Inspiration gives enhanced Regeneration to whatever you pick. It’s a fantastic ability that makes longer delves way more viable. Well, or trips into the city, since we’re still not delving yet.”

The other Bard’s excitement was infectious and Katrina couldn’t help but smile. “Wow, I’d never heard of that before.”

“It’s nowhere near as common, so I’m not surprised.”

Swallowing nervously, Katrina decided it was time to give her Inspiring Performance another shot. “Well, what meter of yours needs refilling?”

“Mana, for sure. I just spent an hour performing, and buffing the entire bar takes a lot out of me.”

With a resolute nod, Katrina tried to connect with the music again. She was ready for the pop-up this time, mentally selected MP as she started playing, then made sure to only direct the Inspiration to Sera. The two girls locked eyes, the music dancing around them, and Katrina swore Sera was moving closer with each note played.

“You know… that’s not the only thing I’m looking to fill tonight,” the blonde girl said.

“I hope you mean your bed,” Katrina whispered back.

“Well… among other things.”

Sera’s guitar was packed up in record time, and before Katrina had time to second guess herself, she was falling backwards into Sera’s bed. The girls were making out, tearing each other’s clothes off as quickly as possible. They spent the next few hours exploring each other’s bodies, moaning and writhing in pleasure as they both lost count of their orgasms.

When they finally finished, they collapsed onto each other, panting with exertion. Sera’s hands traced circles around Katrina’s collarbones, and they began making small talk about nothing in particular. They talked about the Change, about the weird things they’d both seen and heard. Sera shared her hopes for her Class, what she wanted to do once the city was reclaimed. Katrina shared that she wanted to go back home, to try and connect with old friends, but didn’t have many other plans.

In the end, they both started talking about their own Class and Racial features. Sera was intensely curious what Features a Vampire might have, and Katrina was happy to have someone that seemed legitimately interested.

“No way, you can fly?!” Sera said, bouncing up and down on the bed. “You’ve got to take me sometime!”

“I’ve never tried carrying someone before, but sure, I can give it a shot.” Katrina laughed, then continued with her Racial Features list. “Then there’s Enchanting Gaze, which lets me induce minor hypnosis if I make eye contact with someone. Not sure if they figure it out eventually, though. I, uh… I don’t really use it.” Katrina felt bad lying, but she wasn’t about to share all the terrible things she’d done with that particular class feature.

Sera seemed excited nonetheless. “Can we try it? I bet we could have some kinky fun with it…” she said playfully.

Though it felt a little odd, Katrina was eager to have a chance to use the ability for something nonviolent, and smiled in agreement. After a moment of thought, in which Katrinatried to think of something strange but not off-putting, she said “Put an ice cube in your mouth, bark like a dog, then come here and suck on my nipples.”

As expected, Sera’s eyes glazed over and she nodded in agreement. She grabbed an ice cube from the glass next to the bed, put it in her mouth, and did her best impression of an excited dog. When finished, she moved to Katrina’s breasts, softly biting her nipples before sucking them into her mouth. The cold from the ice cube felt nice, and Katrina moaned in appreciation. Sera teased her for a few moments, then switched to her other nipple, both girls enjoying the attention. When the ice cube finally melted, Sera sat up and paused for a moment.

“Wait, hold on. Did I just bark?”

Katrina nodded, giggling softly to herself. “You were such a good girl!”

“Oh shut up!” Sera said, playfully hitting Katrina with a pillow. “That’s a weird ability. In the moment, it felt like my idea. Even now, I can’t really tell where my own thoughts ended and your suggestion began. I think it’s only possible because I know exactly when it started, and what you told me to do. If I didn’t know you had that ability though… oof, that’s a scary thought. Now I get why people hate Mesmers.”

“It’s okay, we don’t have to keep playing with it. Since you asked, I figured I might as well show you. But, enough about me, what about you? Any neat Class or Race features?”

“C’mon Katrina, I’m a Human. We all get something called Human Potential, which the internet seems to think gives us better pickings of Class Features? But then I’ve got a Feature called Mutable, and I have no idea what that is. As far as I can tell, it’s incredibly rare, and I’ve never found anything but speculation about what it’s for.”

“First I’ve heard of it, that’s for sure,” Katrina said. She looked over to the window, and her eyes went wide as she realized the sun was dawning. “Oh, shoot! It’s dawn already?”

“That certainly explains why I’m so tired. Well, among other things,” Sera said smirking.

“I can’t leave in the sunlight, though. I hate to be a bother, but… I need to crash here today. More than a couple seconds in the sun will zap my HP straight to zero.”

“Oh no! I have to spend all day with a beautiful woman in my bed? Ugh, truly the Change has cursed me this day…” Both girls looked at each other, starting to laugh as the room filled with the warm glow of daylight.

—

One month later

After their spur of the moment overnight tryst, Katrina had started living with Sera. She was thrilled to have someone in her life again, someone that cared about her, and she swore to do everything in her power to avoid hurting her. Katrina was still terrified of her Vampiric nature, and sadly having a girlfriend didn’t stop her cravings.

Roughly once a week, Katrina would take a trip down south to hunt for a meal. She made sure to never visit the same place twice, and she’d gotten quite good at covering her tracks. As far as Sera knew, Katrina was simply traveling around to different farms, bleeding pigs dry to keep herself fed. She felt bad lying to Sera about this, but she had no idea how to share the actual truth about what was happening. How do you tell someone that you routinely hunt people down and drain them dry?

Katrina was busy cleaning up the place when Sera returned from her trip to the Guild Hall. She hadn’t taken any trips to the city recently, but was still offering her Inspiration services to various crafters in the area. Sera also helped with clothing, patching holes and doing her best to put together comfortable clothes for people with unique body structures.

“Kat! I’m home!” Sera said, yelling down the hallway.

Without making a noise, Katrina floated down the stairs and happily welcomed Sera home. After they kissed, she noticed Sera was carrying an unusual bag, one that looked fairly different from her usual totes. “What’s that? Gift from another crafter? More clothes to mend?”

“Actually… this is something for you!” Sera was blushing profusely, and grabbed Katrina’s hand to lead her to the kitchen. “I, um… don’t know if you’ve been keeping track, but… today is our one-month anniversary!”

“Is it really?” Katrina’s face turned red with shame. “I… wasn’t really keeping track, I’m sorry. You really didn’t have to do this.”

“No, it’s okay! I know people don’t really care about the one month, and I never expect them to. It’s just… this last month has been really nice, and I wanted to do something to show my appreciation. To make your life a little easier.”

Katrina started opening the bag, wondering what on earth Sera meant. Inside the bag, she found something that looked like a lunchbox, or possibly a small cooler. It was definitely designed to keep something cold, and Katrina slowly opened it, taking care not to make a mess of whatever might be inside. When she flipped the top open, she found a large, clear bag, filled to the brim with red liquid.

“Sera, this is… what did you do?” Katrina asked.

Sera held out her arm, revealing a large bandage on the inside of her elbow. “I found a phlebotomist in the Guild Hall, and had them draw my blood. It’s not something I can do too often, but… this mean you won’t need to spend all night hunting down pigs this week, right? Plus, I know you’ve said human blood tastes way better, so… happy monthiversary!”

Without saying anything , Katrina pulled Sera close and kissed her. “Sera, this is amazing. I don’t even know what to say!”

“Don’t say anything! Just dig in! Apparently, they’ve got these new bags that are designed for races like you, so it’s just like cracking open a juice box. See, you just turn this, and presto!”

Katrina’s senses immediately filled with the smell of blood, the most delicious thing in all existence. Eager to steal a taste, she grabbed the pouch and took a long, slow sip. It was every bit as delicious as she’d expected, if not more so. This had easily been the kindest thing that anyone had ever done for her since the Change, and she fought back a few tears that tried to fall as she drank.

She managed to hold off on finishing everything, instead closing up the pouch and moving it to their fridge. Sera crept up behind her, hugging her tight before turning her around and kissing her deep.

“Is that what my blood tastes like? Interesting… can’t say I love it.” Sera said, giggling.

“Well, it’s an acquired taste I suppose. Oh! I got so distracted by your gift, I was going to show you my project I started today!” Katrina grabbed Sera’s hand, leading her up the stairs.

“Oh? What have you been up to?”

“Nothing crazy, but I just wanted to show you the alterations I made for that Lizardfolk outfit you were working on.” Katrina had been learning to sew in an attempt to help Sera out, and she was rather proud of the skills she’d picked up. Surprisingly, her Bardic Knowledge Feature made learning everything easier, not just music.

“That’s great! I’m actually supposed to have that out by the end of the week, so that’s honestly a huge help.”

Katrina picked up the outfit, showing everything she’d changed to Sera. “So, I figure adding the extra fabric here will make it chafe less on his tail, and then over here, I added— Ow!” In the middle of turning the garment around, Katrina had accidentally pricked a finger on one of the sewing needles.

“Hey, watch yourself Kat. I know this isn’t delving, but you still have to be careful. Here, let me take a look.” Sera took Katrina’s hand in her own, turning it to look at the pin prick. A small droplet of blood had formed, and an idea seemed to form in Sera’s head. She moved Katrina’s hand closer, pulling her finger into her mouth, and slowly ran her tongue over the Vampire’s finger. It felt nice, though it made Katrina wonder if Sera had plans to drag her into bed afterwards.

“You sure that’s safe, Sera? It’s not like I’ve had my blood tested recently.”

“Eh, I’ve heard that most Races have fairly Human standard blood anyways. Little tweaks here and there, and I think there’s a new blood type? But otherwise nothing crazy. Besides, you’ve had mine, right? Now we’re bound by blood!”

The girls smiled at each other, and Sera began moving in for a kiss. Before their lips met, however, Sera winced in pain and pulled back. The pain seemed to grow worse and worse, and within seconds she was writhing in pain on the ground. “Sera! What’s happening?!”

“I don’t— AAGH!!”

Katrina watched in horror as Sera’s body began to change and contort. Her limbs groaned and stretched, and her tanned complexion began to grow pale. As she screamed out in pain, Katrina saw her cuspids elongate, growing to a horrifying, supernatural point that mirrored Katrina’s own. There was no mistaking what was happening, and when Sera’s eyes opened again, they were blood red.

“Kat! What's happening?!” Sera screamed.

Falling to the floor, memories of the night of the Change flooded Katrina’s mind. The horrifying pain, the overwhelming hunger that had driven her to become a murderer. The worst thing that had ever happened to her, and it was now repeating itself with Sera.

Sera’s convulsing began to slow, and a terrible growl left her throat. She tried to crawl closer, but it was clear she was still in horrible pain. “Kat… why?? Why did you do this to me?!”

“No! I didn’t… I don’t know what’s happening!”

Katrina moved closer, reaching out to try and help, but her hand was knocked away. Sera's transformation was now slowing, likely almost finished, and Katrina could tell that Sera was already much stronger. Her pallid fingers now had sharpened nails, and she lashed out at Katrina, who failed to react in time. Sera slashed at Katrina, her new nails drawing blood as they raked across her arm.

With another horrible growl, Sera brought the blood to her mouth and tasted it. "Hungry... so... hungry!"

"Sera, please, let me help you!"

"No! Get away!" Sera said, jumping to her feet. She pushed Katrina down to the floor, jumping over her and running for the front door. When she grabbed the handle, she didn't just open the door, she completely ripped it off its hinges. The moonlight hit her body, casting a shadow towards Katrina, who flew down the stairs to try and stop Sera from turning into a killer.

"I know what you're going through! Please!" Katrina again reach out for Sera, who spun and shoved Katrina against a wall.

"LEAVE ME ALONE!" Sera screamed. "JUST LEAVE!!"

Sera's face was warped, distorted by anger, hunger, and betrayal. Tears clung to her face, the last remnants of Sera's humanity, and Katrina felt her heart shatter as she saw everything Sera had become. With another guttural growl, Sera ran out the front door, leaving Katrina alone. In a panic, Katrina flew out the front door, trying to get as from away from Sera as she could. She flew for hours, crying the whole way, barely able to see where she was going.

Why does this keep happening to me?! Why did I think I could live a normal life? I was foolish enough to try, and now Sera is… now she’s a monster, just like me. Everywhere I go, everything I touch, I ruin. How many lives am I going to destroy?

—

Eight months later. One year and six months Post-Change.

Katrina flew out her window, the cool night air filling her senses. There was no joy in flying like there used to be, and she had no idea how she managed to get out of bed each day. She felt every bit as dead inside as the System had made her.

Six months ago, on the anniversary of the Change, Katrina had once again tried to summon the strength to step into the daylight. Just like on that fateful night, however, she stopped herself at the last possible second. This time, she’d gotten her HP down to 3%. She was still convinced the world would be a better place without her, but she had no idea how to continue.

The news, however, had begun promising a way out. A way for her to escape the eternal torture that was her own existence. She continued flying, eventually finding a small medical clinic just a few blocks away from her house. The doors opened for her, and her nails dug into her arms as she squeezed herself tight. She didn’t want to get her hopes up, she was so sure something would go wrong again. After all, she ruined everything she touched, right?

She pushed aside thoughts of Sera, thoughts of all her victims, and approached the counter. Her body was shaking, and she was having trouble thinking straight, as she hadn’t eaten in far too long. She barely even noticed when someone approached the window from the other side.

A solid pane of magically reinforced glass separated them, and Katrina was thankful for that. The man in front of her was Human, probably in his twenties, with short blonde hair and grayish-blue eyes. His look was full of pity, or possibly sorrow? Katrina was having trouble reading people, she was so hungry. She grabbed the counter, squeezing it tight as she fought to stay in control.

“I, um… I heard you have… blood?” she asked quietly.

The man behind the glass nodded. A soft smile appeared on his face, and he spoke in calm, comforting tones. “We do. I can help you set up a donor card, and we even have coolers for first-timers. What’s your name?”

Katrina’s voice shook as she spoke, scared to believe him. “I’m… Katrina.”

“It’s nice to meet you Katrina, my name’s Dennis. How about we get you set up, and you’ll have a fresh set of rations in just a few minutes.”

—

Well, that was quite a chapter, wasn't it? I'll admit, it took a while to nail the tone on this one, since I've never really written anything this depressing before. Still, I think it does exactly what I wanted it do.

I want Katrina to feel like someone who is trying her best to survive, despite her impossible situation. She's not doing very well, obviously, but I'm sure no one thought she had a happy backstory after everything we learned in the first eight chapters.

Most importantly, I want to make sure that she's still likeable after this chapter. I'd hate for people to change their minds and decide that she truly doesn't deserve Alicia. That would be pretty bad for a romance story, wouldn't it?

Nyx <3