Blade felt Daniel's blatant "you-poor-bastard" stare and, for the first time in years, actually looked awkward.
Every single shotgun shell he used was hand-loaded with pure silver shot. One magazine meant several hundred dollars literally up in smoke.
A full-time vampire hunter with zero income couldn't afford to mag-dump for style points.
That's why he usually ran around with a silver longsword looking like an edgelord.
…Fine, 10 % was for style. Sue him.
"Hand me the gun," Daniel said, palm out.
"It's already emp—"
"Five grand. Gun's mine."
"HERE, TWENTY ROUNDS INCLUDED, PLEASURE DOING BUSINESS!"
Blade's cool-guy mask shattered instantly. The shotgun flew through the air like it was on fire.
Daniel: ( •_• )
Your persona lasted 0.3 seconds, bro.
He caught it smoothly, slammed shells in, and raised the barrel.
Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!
Four vampire heads became red mist. Bodies hit the floor, then turned to ash.
The survivors ducked behind crates, trembling.
Daniel casually pulled a handful of frag grenades, cooked them without looking, and yeeted them over the barricade.
BOOM!!
Limbs and screams flew.
Vampires are tough; even missing half their torso they were still cursing vividly.
Daniel ended them with leisurely headshots. Mission counter +7.
Quinn, the lieutenant, swallowed hard and tried to rally the troops.
"Don't panic! Rush him together! He can't—"
Bang bang bang bang bang.
Another layer of ash on the floor.
Turns out he absolutely could.
Bang!
One last shot shattered Quinn's kneecaps as he tried to crawl away.
"He's all yours," Daniel told Blade, already walking toward a downed bloodsucker, watermelon knife ready.
[Current Vampires Killed: 665]
Daniel stared at the number and felt his OCD flare up like herpes.
He turned to Blade. "You want this one?"
"Nope."
Shink!
Head relocated.
[Current Vampires Killed: 666]
"Much better," Daniel exhaled, whole body relaxing.
Blade: "…"
This guy definitely has problems.
Daniel sheathed the knife. "Plans?"
"Quinn spilled that Deacon Frost is cooking something big. I'm gonna flip every rock in this city until I find him."
The name Frost came out dripping venom. Frost had murdered Blade's mother; the grudge was carved in blood.
Daniel grinned. "I'm farming vamps anyway. Temporary party-up? You hunt Frost, I harvest heads."
Blade thought for half a second. "…Deal."
Ding!
[NPC Eric Brooks (Blade) has joined your party]
[You may now view teammate panel]
Daniel blinked. "This game has partying? Why didn't it trigger with Tony?"
[Party invites must be verbally extended by the player and accepted by the NPC. NPCs cannot initiate.]
"Then why didn't you tell me sooner?!"
[This game prides itself on zero hand-holding. All mechanics are for the player to discover.]
Daniel pouted and immediately opened Blade's sheet.
[NPC: Eric Brooks (Blade)]
[Race: Dhampir]
[Stats: Strength ?, Agility ?, etc. (Hidden – insufficient Favorability)]
[Equipment: Cool-Guy Shades, Tactical Coat, Silver Longsword, Silver Stakes]
[Favorability: 0]
Half-vampire, huh.
Daniel's brain instantly went: "If I kill him, does the counter go up by 0.5?"
Then he noticed the equipment slots were clickable.
Click → [Favorability too low. Cannot unequip.]
Daniel's eyes shot wide.
"System… does this mean if Favorability is high enough, I can strip NPCs naked?"
[Correct]
"HISSS—"
Daniel sucked in air so hard he almost inhaled a fly.
He had accidentally discovered the true end-game mechanic.
He turned to Blade, eyes sparkling with the warmth never seen before.
"Bro! Got any side quests? Need help moving? I'm totally free 24/7!"
Blade instinctively stepped back. "…No."
Why is he suddenly looking at me like I'm a limited-edition skin?
They left the ruined nightclub separately after setting the next meet-up.
Before leaving, Blade meticulously collected every spent silver shell, even prying the ones stuck in walls with his dagger.
Pure silver wasn't cheap; he'd melt them down and reuse.
Superhero life—glamorous on the outside, broke on the inside.
Daniel also asked to buy some of Blade's anti-vamp gear.
Blade hesitated; the stuff was expensive to craft.
Daniel silently produced a fat stack of hundreds.
Blade's face darkened. "Are you trying to insult—"
He snatched the cash, stuffed it in his pocket, then stripped off half his arsenal and tossed it over without a word.
If Daniel hadn't specifically said "keep the sunglasses," Blade would've thrown those in too.
Silver prices were through the roof and rent was due. Principles are important, but so is eating.