Zane and Lucy walked through the forest. Lucy led the way because she had been through here a lot of times before.
"So, do other races know about the vampires?" Zane asked.
"No, master. Vampires are the most hated race. We are hated far beyond the demons as well," she replied.
'Huh? A race hated more than demons? What could vampires have done to invoke such hatred?'
"What did we do to cause such hate?" Zane asked.
"I do not know, master. I've lived for thousands of years, and I do not know what happened. I believe it had something to do with why we vanished," she said.
"And because of your blood pact or whatever, you can't tell me what exactly happened to make us vanish, right?" Zane asked.
"Yes, master," she replied.
"Sigh. At least, is there anything that you could tell me that might prove useful?" Zane asked.
"Hmm, all I know is that the Seven True Gods cursed our race. What was the curse? I do not know. Why they cursed our race, I also do not know," she said.
'Hmm, the Seven Gods... why would they curse an entire race?' Zane wondered.
The Seven True Gods of the Realm of Bloodlines were power beings that sat at the very pinnacle of the realm.
They existed from the beginning of the game and were theorized to have been the ones that bestowed all bloodlines.
That theory was not certain, but since the producers of the game refused to say anything about them and left the gods as a massive mystery, no one knew.
The first god was called Genesis, the God of the Beginning. He was said to be the first god and the most powerful of the seven.
Then there was the God of Death and Darkness, Tenebris. As for his powers, they were in more mystery than all seven.
The Goddess of Life and Light was next—Lumis. She was one of the only True Gods that even interacted with a player. It happened when the first player reached ascension, and as a reward, he met with her.
The fourth was the Goddess of the Earth, Gia. She was basically part of the realm they walked on.
The fifth was the God of Flame and Chaos, Ignis—the most destructive god after the first god.
The sixth was the God of Storm and Water, Tempest. In the game, he was the one that had the most effect on players, especially when on the seas.
And finally, the God of Time and Space, Chronos—a terrifying being that very little is known about as well.
The game had introduced the gods and said there was a possibility for players to learn about them in-game, but even after several years, what players learned was very little and almost useless in general.
'So the Seven Gods have this much effect over the game? Cursing an entire race... I'll have to be careful. It seems they aren't fond of vampires,' Zane thought as they walked.
Growl Growl.
"Master, be careful. There are dire wolves up ahead," Lucy said. Zane looked up as he saw them in the distance—ten in total, grey fur with a streak of black running down the side of their bodies.
'Dire wolves... These are regular beasts, not demonic beasts, and they seem to be the lowest rank, with only one stripe on either side. At best, they are level four to six,' Zane thought, and he was right, because all their levels showed above their heads.
When someone was about to fight within the game, their levels would immediately show—although players could get their hands on some tools that covered it up.
Zane looked at Lucy to see if she would have the same, but much to his surprise, her health bar showed above her, but the level was blurred so much he couldn't make anything out.
'I can't see her level at all.'
"The wolves are about to attack, master. Stand back while I handle this," she said. Her gaze went cold, blood flowed from her hands and turned into blood-red daggers.
She leaned forward, both hands behind her back like she was about to do a ninja run.
Dash.
She moved so fast that she barely made a sound, her feet extremely light on the ground and her body traveling so fast she was like a blur.
'Is this the speed of a vampire?' Zane wondered as he saw this. Her speed was amazing—there was no denying it at all.
When she got into range, she leapt into the air and began using the trees as boosts, making her movements irrational and faster.
The wolves looked around in confusion and fear, and before they could catch a glimpse of her, she landed in front of one, her arm already coming down with a slash.
Slash.
The head of the wolf flew into the air, and before it hit the ground, she had already moved, and the next wolf was already dead.
In only a few seconds, she had swiftly taken care of two wolves. Zane could barely keep up with what she was doing at all, but he concentrated so hard that he stopped watching his surroundings.
An eleventh wolf had made its way around and was coming for him from the back. It waited until the right moment and leaped at Zane.
Zane immediately felt a sense of danger from behind him. He moved—he didn't plan how he lived, but his body simply responded to his will to escape.
He moved to the side, and he could swear that for a moment, the wolf moved in slow motion.
'What is this speed? There is no way I can be this fast. I've seen my stats—my speed is high, but not to this extent. Is this a special ability for vampires?' he wondered.
The wolf missed and hit the ground. It came to a stop quickly, turned, and attacked again—and for the second time, Zane could see it in slow motion.
'Hmm, since I can see you this way, then let's try this.' He threw a punch at the ribs of the wolf.