RM CH5

We entered the castle’s dining room to the smell of roasted chickens, pigs drenched in honey, earth apples baked in butter and brown sugar, pots of gravy brown and rich, and generous cuts of beef lavishly seasoned and stacked 64 ounces stacked like flapjacks. Warm candlelight lit the room, exposing the wealth of ancient nobility. Paintings by long-dead artists covered the walls with statues of Artemis, Hades, and one black marble statue of Nyx herself, finely depicted naked and beautiful. The seats around the mahogany table were ebony, each with a waiter pulling out the seats in preparation for our arrival. Standing on a dais at the foot of Nyx’s statue were 6 beautiful girls with differing hairstyles, colors, and curls. Older women, clearly their mothers barely older in appearance than their daughters, stood behind them dressed in jewelry, fine silk clothes of ancient fashions, and each with a regal disposition. Behind them were youthful men dressed in the fine clothes of the noble gentry, each with a saber at their side and eyes of brightest blues, reds, and greens. Sitting upon his throne, an old stone monstrosity covered in chips and cracks with sunken yellow eyes, youthful skin, and white hair, was Count Lee himself. Beside his throne was the gleaming head of a mace with its handle casually within reach.

I picked my targets carefully. The dark-haired girl with black lipstick and eyeliner whose mother kept a firm grip on her arm was the weakest link. This was what divers called an event flag.

“Dibs,” I said.

“Fuck,” Theodore said.

“What,” Gabriel said.

I smirked because I fully planned to take the whole set. Ju Li bumped into me. “What are you talking about?”

“Nothing important,” I said.

“Guests,” Count Lee quirked his lips. “I am Count Lee of the Atif Duchy and Royal War Marshal to the great King Iskandar and so know that so long as you stay in these walls and follow my laws, there is no place safer.”

He looked around, and I covered my mouth and whooped. The others started clapping and cheering, I slapped Ju Li’s behind, and she jumped in the air so quickly her breasts escaped her shirt, flashing the Count. Every single son of the Count covered their mouths, and the girls giggled. Even the goth vampire girl smirked. The wives raised fans while I stared down at Ju Li’s dark, pointy nipples and felt my attention focused entirely on them until the room vanished from my attention. It was like I was seeing something from a perspective I never had before.

Did I mention I was 15?

Just as I saw them, I realized they were so beautiful and mine.

Did I mention I was a guy?

I shielded her with my arm and pushed her behind me. Her face flushed her chocolate eyes glared at me with all the anger she could manage. Tears of embarrassment fell down her face and her teeth were barred at me. My gaze focused on her pouty lips and the thought of what they would feel like kissing and licking up and down my abs.

Did I mention I was human?

“Sorry, I didn’t mean to make you jump,” I said.

“Let me introduce my beautiful family. My sons,” They were forgettable, especially the one leering at Ju Li. “Cesar,” the green-eyed vampire’s gaze wouldn’t leave the girl behind me. I glanced to the corner of my eye to see her blushing as the son of a count gave her attention. The blonde’s mother glared down her nose at us, brought about all my attention.

I raised my hand and tapped my scouter, scanning each of the vampires.

Name: Cesar

Monster: Vampire

Rank: 2

EAP (Estimated Attack Potency) 8/10

That little box of information only compared him to the vampires I just scanned, not attributing any skills they might be hiding. Lee was a 10, and his son was an 8, so killing him was like killing 80% of the boss. No EAP only determined how much damage they are estimated to be able to do compared to all vampires scanned. I tapped my scouter, changing the parameters.

He went from 8/10 to 89/100, Lee being the strongest being scanned and the rest of the monsters scanned, adding to the data points. That wasn’t important. I had a vampire near a boss vampire’s power. I also had a whole lot of unknowns to deal with. More importantly.

“My wives, Marishka, Jacinta,” I let my gaze fall upon the dark-skinned beauty with coal black hair, bright blue eyes, and covering her beautiful dark skin in a frilly dress. It was irritating. I needed some way to destroy the dresses of NPCs and monsters. Still, I would have them in my simulation. In only 30 days, I would grow in power as swiftly as I could.

“My lovely daughters cannot be denied. If any of you are of noble blood and believe you can give me a dowry worthy of them, then I will hear talks.” First is my lovely Claudia,” the almost doll-like vampire with bouncy blonde curls and so much cheer on her snow-white face and lips as red as blood.  

Name: Claudia

Monster: Vampire

Rank: 2

EAP 5/10

This was excellent data. I glanced over to Gabriel and Theodore. Neither had called dibs, much to my shock. While she wasn’t strong compared to her father, she was still a beauty with the second-largest breasts among her sisters.

My stomach rumbled, and I was sure the food would get cold before long. I started tapping my foot as a dark-skinned daughter of the Count smiled with pink-painted lips and a flowing red dress.

“Last is my youngest daughter Raven.” The Count said.

Her skin was pale like the others, and her hair was black, straight, and fell below her shoulders. Black pearl earrings, the largest breasts, and pouty dark lips that screamed daddy issues. My brother Michael told me stories about these girls and the things they are willing to do to get attention or revenge on their inattentive fathers.

Name: Raven

Monster: Vampire

Rank: 2

EAP 7/10

She was just behind her chocolate-skinned sister in power. What was her name, Moka, Kahlua, or maybe Kokoa? All are fine for me I wanted some chocolate.

“Atom, calm the fuck down.” My inner demon sighed. “I think it’s the fire chi lit above the arena. That fire manifestation changed this place. We have a sun now, and the arena is wider.”

So, my flames of passion are literally lit. No limit, that was incredible. I was feeling better about this dungeon. I had goals, and a little passion was just what the white mage ordered.

“Please go to your assigned seat.”

A ghoul with spotty skin, sunken eyes, and broken teeth dressed in a fine suit pulled a chair out for me. Carvings of bats, wolves, and crows were carved into the ebony frame. The seat’s cushion was a small red cloth pillow full of goose feathers. On the table were an assortment of knives and forks fit for nobility. They were a test for the guests as well as a tool to show the nobles were of a higher position. Knowledge of how to use those tools was a silent dividing line to filter wealth and nobility from the common man.

My amulet was burning hot, from my earlier activity. The flames had scorched my spiritual organs and my body suffered for it. When I moved to sit my knees shook and the ghoul servant paid careful attention. The monster sized me up and his lisp quirked up in a smile.

“You need fuel for advancement. The body can not survive off Chi alone but on the blood, sweat, and tears of sect servants working themselves to death for you.” My inner demon said.

I inwardly nodded at the sage advice. What my inner demon meant was clear: I needed a work force loyal and willing to help my advancement. Ju Li was unfortunately out. She couldn’t leave the dungeon as a human. The daughters of Count Lee were an option and his wives too. But did I have enough passion to satisfy a small harem of vampires?

A snort from my inner demon answered that but I could fake it.

The trick was to assign a representative of the harem and treat them as a single entity. In that way, I’m having a monogamous relationship with a multibody hivemind with multiple personality disorder.

What should I call the entity?

My eyes settled on the food as the Count yammered on about the sanctity of guest rights and how blessed we were to find shelter. Hunger replaced all other thoughts as I gazed upon an assortment of meat, hearty vegetables, and flagons of ale.

I sat down in front of Raven and between Ju Li and Gabriel. The blonde-haired boy Cesar smiled as I lifted a chicken leg. They all stared at me as I put it in my mouth and bit down. Meat, gristle, and bones shattered beneath my teeth as I consumed the drumstick.

“How did you do that?” Raven asked.

It was an opening I couldn’t fail; the vampussy relied upon it.

“My teeth are hard,” I said.

She turned her head to the side and blinked at my brilliant answer. Mai was always so easy to talk to bless her for that. Raven was so beautiful and dark, and her cleavage was milky white. I picked up a steak with the wrong fork and lined it with drumsticks and ribs before folding it like a burrito. Raven stared as I rolled tight the inch-thick 64-ounce steak burrito and dipped it in the table’s gravy.

“Have you never eaten in civilized society before?” Cesar growled.

Heat softened bones crunched as a mix of various flavors and textures dazzled my taste bud. I swallowed a lump of bone, meat, and gristle tasting the delicious char from a grill. Apple wood must have been used by the chef. The smokey flavor of the ribs was to die for and there was so much fat my body felt energized and still empty.

I grabbed a young pig from a stack on the table covered in sauce by the head. Feet first I consumed the thing only to find that its insides was full of cheese. The sharp flavor went well with the sweet sauce and salty pork. The bones crunched softly under my teeth as it brought back a memory of Mai eating bones in front of me. I used to shiver at the sounds of crunching it felt so ironic that later in life I enjoyed the sensation that made my younger self cringe.

“Are you actually some kind of monster in disguise?” Ju Li asked.

I paused from my sudden hunger. My attention cleared for a moment and I realized what I was doing went a little far beyond a social faux pas. Oh, I was given training like any other child in the Walker family. On the other hand, my body was burned out and recovered not too long ago. I needed food to fill in the missing matter. Using Chi on my body outside the simulations began a change in me. My body needed so much more food, like I was going through a growth spurt.

After so much food was placed in front of me, I had no more control. I grabbed another 64oz steak and wrapped a piglet in it before pouring gravy on top of it. Some bear claws sat on the table and normally I wouldn’t partake in bear but they looked good. While I let the gravy soak in, I grabbed one and consumed it in a few bites. I forked some cabbage onto my plate and started shoveling it into my mouth.

“I’m not a monster. This is normal when going through a change.” I said.

My Chi-enhanced teeth were sharpened with Chi further becoming far sharper. The mana-filled meat, bones, and gristle from animals born and raised in a dungeon were exactly what I needed. Mana-infused food, when consumed regularly, had a beneficial effect on the body slowly but surely increasing attribute efficiency. In my case, the food greatly strengthened my body cell by cell.

Chi enhanced everything, including the acids in my stomach and the mucus of the stomach lining. Bones shattered under my teeth as I consumed everything in front of me.

I checked to make sure Theodore was too far away to hear. “Of course, my grandfather is a republic senator,” I said between bites.

“Have they never fed you?” Cesar asked.

“Father did restrict your diet when you were younger brother,” Raven said.

“Ah, I see. It seems we have some common ground, after all. This is truly a monstrous sight. I was not introduced to you, my lady. You know my name so can you do me the honor of giving me yours.” Cesar said.

I couldn’t allow it.

Showing myself to be the jealous type was a mistake. Michael always said the best way to impress a girl was to show you didn’t care.

“Raven, you haven’t touched your food,” I said.

Her lips twitched. “I’m afraid it’s a bit greasy for my taste for the moment.”

To my side there was a tablecloth. I wiped my face while staring into her shining eyes. There was a hint of a smirk on her face. “There is that better,” I said and tried my best to eye fuck her like Michael and I practiced in the mirror before he went off on his journey two years ago.

“What are you trying to say to my sister?” Cesar asked.

I raised my hand palm out then made a circle with my fingers and pushed my index finger inside. “I’m not saying anything,” I said

“We are trying to have a pleasantly awkward conversation. I apologize, my fellow introvert if I have said anything to displease you.” I said.

“Oh, nothing you’ve said has been a bother at all.” She winked and bit her bottom lip, showing off her fangs slightly before smirking.

“I think we have introduced oil to fire.” Ju Li said.

“They are as bad as each other.” Cesar agreed.

“Madam Li, if you would like to accompany me to the drawing room, I would gladly entertain you for the evening until you are prepared to rest,” Cesar said.

“Gabriel, go with her. We don’t want a lady to be alone with him.”

“Are you questioning my honor?”

“I am questioning two teenagers alone in a room together,” I said.

“He’s right. You get along like fish in water.” Raven said.

As the fish eat each other, the fish get along well with their habitat, or they breed in the water.

Gabriel apologized to Claudia, who seemed completely disappointed until she moved on to a guard.

…

With eyes like a hawk, ringing chainmail beneath the full plate, and a monstrous sword on his waist, Ser Dooku was a force to be reckoned with. He watched us carefully, Raven and I, as we walked through the garden under the red moon’s light.

I glanced at it and raised an eyebrow. “I don’t want a tan. It's bad for my skin.”

Roses of red, blue, and yellow filled the garden, along with more exotic predatory plants. The vines of a particularly dangerous plant rested surrounded by salt, exposing lovely red leaves wrapped around the organs of animals.

“Don’t ever let its spores touch you, or it will sprout and spread until not even Father can stop it,” Raven said.

“My lord could stop it no matter the creature’s power, lady Raven.” Ser Dooku, our chaperone, said.

Name: Ser Dooku

Monster: Vampire

Rank: 2

EAP 9/10

I thought about kicking him into the plant to see what would happen. Could I end the scenario with a single kick? If the plant grew out of control, the Count would have to take care of it. Most likely, it was the dungeon giving us hints to make the scenario fair or it was a trap to kill us all.

“So, burning it isn’t possible,” I said.

“Fire-resistant spores they would spread all around the castle.” I nodded. “Come, this isn’t what I wanted to show you,” Raven said.

She took my hand and pulled me along deeper into the garden. Every few steps, she looked back and bit her lip.

We arrived at a large fruit-bearing tree that smelled sweet. It was a similar perfume to what Raven wore, if a bit different. Large head-shaped fruit with terrified eyes watched us hanging from heavy branches. Some of the heads were bulging until they practically burst with juice.

“This one is my favorite. Father named it Mortal Peril but we call it Punishment. Do you see the large round fruit at the top?” I looked up to see 7 golden bundles atop the tree. The fruit themselves were impossible to see at over 200yards. “Those are our garden’s greatest treasure. If you took a bite of one, it would increase the effectiveness of attributes. Only Father can get them safely, so don’t try, or your head will join the rest.” Raven said.

“Ok,” I said and scanned the tree. One of the branches shot out and nearly caught a man trying to climb it. I recognized him as one of the butlers from the castle.

“Looks like you’ll get to see what I meant.” I tightened my grip on her hand. “Are you scared?”

I pulled her closer to me. “Terrified,” I said.

This was very convenient. After all I could simulate this experience until I mastered it. It was obviously a trap, but I couldn’t help but try.

I watched the man struggle as the trunk opened into biting maws leading into darkness, limbs swung like battering rams, and spears of wood erupted from the tree. The man jumped from one branch to the appearance of safety on another, only for a stake to suddenly shoot up.

“Everyone has a plan until they’re impaled through the anus,” Raven said.

“I will remember that my lady,” I said.

Branches swirled around the body, ripping into him as branches opened, revealing hungry maws. They ravaged the body, choking down the organs before the head was brought before the great maw in the center. I felt the Chi of the creature and understood its spirit just well enough to simulate it. This was going to be so much fun.

“So, would the fruit have made that much of a difference if he had one?” Raven raised an eyebrow. “Was it worth his life?” I asked.

“Punishment needs to eat,” Raven said.

I nodded my head. “Do you sell cuttings or seeds?” I asked.

“My father would undoubtedly give a cutting as a wedding gift if the bride price for any of our hands is right,” Raven said.

“Don’t even think about it mortal. There is nothing you could have that would be worthy of a daughter of my lord.” I stared up at the Knight, nearly two heads taller than me and armed for a campaign. “What do you think you can fight me mortal?”

“Raven can I beat up your toy soldier? He’s rude.” I asked.

“I don’t know, can you?” Raven asked.

Dooku’s eyes lit in amusement.

I opened my mouth and closed it. Raven’s question had two meanings. Can I actually do it, and proper grammar would be, may I?

“May I beat up your toy soldier?”

Raven smirked. “No,”

“No, I can’t, or no, I may not?” I asked.  

“Yes,” Raven said.

“I will take pity on your weak mortal mind. Do you see the majesty of this garden, the bird bathes crafted by locals long deceased, the well-trimmed path, and the rare and exotic plants? Even a swing of my fist may disturb the majesty of this place, and your mortal remains would dirty it for days. You can’t possibly defeat me and here is not a place to fight.” Dooku said.

Raven rolled her beautiful glowing blue eyes and looked back at me with a smirk. Clearly, she didn’t feel like adding context. There might have been a little pride for her family going on. That, too, was ok. We had 30 days in this castle to get to know each other.

I stared at Dooku. The longer I had to observe someone or the more experience I had fighting them, the more accurate my simulation was. Seeing the tree in action greatly increased the accuracy. Dooku strutting and talking smack didn’t do much, but Chi was weird. I knew about what he was capable of and my mind could fill in the rest with known vampire abilities. I could just mix and match them and come up with theoretical builds to train against.

By the time I chose to fight him I would be prepared against the theoretical best possible Ser Dooku. My simulation was Stage 9 and only needed a push to prestige to the peak of rank 1. It was unfortunate that until I reached rank 2 myself, my Chi techniques were still rank 1.

I was having issues. My goal could be broken down into a, b, to c. A was meeting Raven, and C was having sex with all of her beautiful sisters. My problem was B. How to get from this date with Raven to pounding her sisters? The issue required research into the vampire society in this dungeon, its laws, and its history. Dungeons rank 2 and up were practically worlds with their own complicated histories.

Some philosophers theorized that our world was a dungeon possibly of rank 9, and that was why not even the gods themselves could surpass that limit. The only way out of such a place would be a dungeon break. But then, would we merely break into larger and larger dungeons. It was a maddening prospect, and if it were the case.

Only monsters can leave dungeons for NPCs its impossible. That was a matter for another time. I focused back on what was important.  

Raven pulled my hand, taking me to a lush clearing filled with climbing blue roses and sparkling fireflies. She made a shewing motion and Ser Dooku sighed.

“I will make my rounds and check on your sisters.” Ser Dooku said.

“This is my favorite spot.” She pulled her dress back, and I glanced to see no sign of Dooku. “Sorry about him. Father demands we stick to a certain level of decorum. I have a question. When you eat something, do you like to taste in small bites or eat it all at once?” Raven asked.

…

We were alone, surrounded by the ambiance of the garden. Most of life was about sex except for sex. Sex was all about power for women. For a man, sex was the goal, and for a woman, sex was a means to an end. Our roles were reversed in a new experience. For once, I was the prize, and she was the one pursuing my body alone.

“I guess this is step B.” Raven blinked as I pulled her close. I reached a hand underneath her dress and felt up her perfectly smooth skin. My fingers found heat between her legs underneath the underneath. Her glowing blue eyes met mine as I lunged, pressing the tips of my fingers against the damp barrier. “I am a glutton; I consume all of the best when I can. Instead of little tastes, I would prefer to bide my time until I can get a lot of what I want to consume.” I said.

Her lips parted slowly, revealing sharp fangs. I leaned in and kissed her. Raven’s eyes widened further as I gripped her panties in the same instant. My middle finger struck out, coated in her anticipation, and slid into her depths. Her cute vampire hymen stretched but hadn’t torn as I buried myself to the knuckle in soft, rippling walls. She clenched before pulling her lips away. Her eyes flashed, and she lunged for my throat, only stopping when my pinky pressed her anal virginity. Those beautiful blue orbs widened.

“What are you willing to give up for a taste?” I asked.

I reached behind her head, grabbed a handful of her luscious, silky raven hair, and pulled. She hissed as I thrust into her crushing depths. Her eyes blazed, glowing brighter as a small smile tugged at her lips.

“I don’t like being teased with tastes and don’t sip like my brothers.” She licked her lips and stared at my neck with open desire. Her flower gushed with nectar as she flexed her strength. Raven crossed her legs, forcing my hand snugly between her legs, and rocked, forcing my finger to pleasure her to her specifications. I stuffed a second digit into her wet vampire cunt and kissed her while pulling her hair. She grabbed the neck of her dress and pulled, letting her massive breasts fall out. “You’re lucky I’m not wearing a corset.” She grabbed my shirt and pulled until the fabric tore off me.

Raven let her neck fall back as I pulled and pressed her breasts against my chest. Soft pink capped nipples with wide areola rubbed against my chest. She lunged, and I held her hair firmly. The vampire giggled and stuck her tongue out, licking my neck. She touched it, and it was rougher than when we kissed. Drool dripped from her lips and tongue as she tried her best to get ahold of my neck.

Her legs pulled, and she hugged me, bringing her mouth a few inches closer to my neck. Raven licked my neck, covering me in her sticky drool while her pussy squeezed down on my finger. She rolled her hips and pressed her hardening clit against my palm. Her lips pressed against my neck, barely brushing it. I lifted her with my hand buried into her and met her gaze.

“You’re the one with free hands,” I said.

Raven licked her lips before blinking. “What,” I glared at her.

“Take my pants off.”

“Not without a dowry, wedding, and castle.” Raven moaned, “You’re prey. We can have fun, but you don’t fuck the cow. Well, my brothers do but bad analogy.” Our eyes met. “I barely know you, and I have standards.” I stared down at her legs wrapped around my hand. “You know what I am? Your words were hint enough. This way, you won’t panic and cry when I feed. Come on, it’s a win, win. I get to drink all of your food-enriched blood, and you get to pleasure me while I do it. It is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.” Raven said.  

“You think you know someone,” I said.

“We just met.”

“I thought we had something special.” I said.

She snorted. “At least you’re funny.”

“It helps deal with arrogant noble girls who underestimate my pull,” I said.

She looked over my half-dusty, dried, blood-covered self and back to her nearly pristine appearance before raising an immaculate eyebrow. “You’re lucky I don’t mind a little dried blood on my meals,” Raven said.

“So, we’re dropping pretenses then,” I said.

Raven rolled her eyes. “No, the act is important, besides I like it when my prey sucks on my boobs while I feed. If you promise not to run, I can make this fun. You might even rise as a lesser vampire.” Raven said.

I picked her up with my trapped hand, raised her up, and scratched my itchy eyebrow with my forearm. Then I stood up while carrying her. She stared back at me less in shock and more in interest.

“So, you’re strong. That does increase your chances of rising. We have a chart that covers it.” Raven said.

The vampire was relaxed without a care in the world. I expected this was the norm for her. My fingers shifted, and she smirked at my struggle until I positioned my pointer at her entrance.

“That’s too much. You might tear my hymen, and my dowry will drop.” The noble lady shook her head. “Why would you be so petty?”

Chi enhancement only took me so far. It was stage 8, but I couldn’t close the gap between the monsters and myself. Aura was nearly impossible to use as repulsion but it had other uses. After thousands of simulations, I figured out it worked well to supplement my physical toughness and strength. When flowing through my muscles I gained sudden incredible bursts of strength while it also hardened my bones, blood vessels, and tendons. Manifestation was a catch term for creating constructs with Chi. It could be used to create a kinetic force as well. Basically, Manifestation was a branching technique with near infinite uses. Kinetic Manifestation, a subcategory dealing with only increasing the output of my actions or limiting them, greatly raised my combat ability.

Unlike manifestation subcategories which are around 10 times harder to cultivate. Cloth Manifestation required String Manifestation. That would make cloth manifestation 100 times harder to level if I went down that route. Or I could simply manifest cloth only making it 10 times harder to cultivate than the manifestation skill. So why bother with the process at all. Well, the answer to that was simple. The chi cloth made from manifesting chi strings and then using chi manipulation and possibly Chi manufacturing to make chi cloth would be much stronger. Steps act like stages or realms in cultivation. If I could create a foundational step before the string itself, the result would be even stronger.

I gained this information by dying thousands of times in my simulation and forcing myself to try new things. Vampires were strong, and if I didn’t have Melony as a benchmark Raven might have been able to do whatever she wanted.

Spirit Arts, according to Master, was a series of chi techniques put together with a purpose. Spirit Art:  Battle Attire was an art yet to come that would eventually result in an art that dressed me in powerful chi constructs for battle. Spirit Art: Fire, while vague, could be a combination of fire-based chi techniques. The only Spirit Art I successfully cultivated, it was called Spirit Art: Wrath. It was my revenge for all the losses I suffered, the blood I shed, and the endless agony.

Spirit Art: Wrath

Rank: 1

Stage: 1

Techniques: Aura, Enhancement, Kinetic Manifestation  

Description: After banging my head against impossibly strong enemies I connived and schemed to create a Spirit Art to beat them at their own game. Like with all Spirit Arts, if it hasn’t been practiced for decades, it can’t be considered powerful. Thanks to the simulation’s time dilation I will get my practice in.

I flipped Raven over and pried her legs apart. Then I slapped and pulled the hem of her dress up to see the lacy black panties she wrapped around her heart-shaped rear. Her well-toned behind was impressive. I moved quick as Melony at the scent of blood and slapped Raven’s smooth white butt. The smack was loud and so satisfying.

“That hurt,” Raven said.

She stared back in utter shock. I smacked her again to make sure I had her attention. “Taking out a trump card for this is unforgivable.” I stripped while Raven rubbed her butt while staring up at me. She hadn’t moved, and she was so much wetter than before. 

“I think I found you’re kink,” I said.

“What are you talking about?” Raven asked.

She shook her rear at me, and I smacked it again, and she bit her bottom lip. “You’re a noble vampire who is always the one in control. No one who comes here is a threat to you. Overpowering you is impossible for them.” I smacked her rear again. “I bet this is the first time you’ve felt something like that. Does it sting?”

I grabbed her hips and positioned myself to press to tip of my member at her slick pink slit. She struggled and threw elbows that could shatter stone and pushed down on all fours in an attempt to rise but failed to overpower me.

After thinking about it, I reached into my back, holding for something I kept in case of an emergency. A red bottle with a cartoon vampire’s blushing face on it emerged. I opened the top and poured a generous amount on my dick. For a vampire, the lube would taste like the blood of someone who ate nothing but strawberries. That was supposed to be a big deal for them. I stepped around the girl who suddenly couldn’t take her eyes off my dick. Her pouty lips bunched together until I pushed my dick between them. She gave me a frustrated look and then licked my head.

Her eyes sparkled, and she took my head in her mouth. Raven’s extra-long tongue licked under my shaft and toyed with my balls. I grabbed a handful of her hair and slowly felt my cock descend her throat. She sucked and gagged before pulling away and pressing her breasts together. She brought them down on my cock and rubbed her puffy pink nipples against it. My eyes nearly rolled back by the sheer feeling of soft vampire boobs. Then she started sucking on my head before sighing.

“I’m still hungry, and you can’t have my virginity. I changed my mind about draining you dry. You’ll have to eat lots of meat to keep me from draining you.” Raven said.

The regeneration of part of my amulet worked on blood loss the most effectively. It was practically a vampire sex toy.

I poured more lube on my cock and slowly spread her sexy lips. Her tongue shot out and lapped at my lube-covered dick, still sandwiched between her vampire titties. I grabbed her soft white breasts and pressed them snugly together while she sucked, and I humped into them. Her large blue eyes were the best part, along with how wide her lips stretched to suck on my head, poking through her milky white cleavage.

Raven pulled away and sighed. I grabbed a handful of her hair. “Could I have more flavor first?” Raven asked.

“No,” I said, and she opened her mouth to take my dick deeper. Her eyes widened as I pushed her head down until her beautiful hawkish nose touched me. I could feel her throat tighten along the head of my cock. I was nearly in her stomach, only a little more.

Her tongue slathered my balls as her fangs bit into me with my sausage buried down her throat. I pressed her as the pain from her fangs mixed with the pleasure of her throat. She swallowed, and her throat rippled. I pressed harder until I felt the final barrier to her stomach open, and I came dumping my seed and blood from her feeding in her stomach.

Dungeons were insane.

I relied on regeneration to keep me going as we continued for an hour. Raven didn’t, in fact, need to breathe, and she was a glutton through and through. Her stomach was poking out from blood and semen before she let me withdraw my cock.

She coughed and licked the inside of her mouth. Then she grabbed my spent member and rang out the last drop before tasting it.

“You have a regeneration skill,” Raven said.

“While we are saying things without asking questions. You know about skills.” I said.

“You’re lucky I don’t take you to my coffin to feed on all day. So long as you don’t try to escape, I’m willing to begin a trial relationship with you. With enough time, I could convince Father to make you a retainer. So when I do marry off, I can keep you and cuckold my future husband. We will have to make sure I attract one that looks like you.” Raven said.

I slipped my pants on and stretched, feeling my joints pop. She continued to plan as I buttoned my pants.

“I will give you my virginity before the wedding and cut myself before my wedding duties. A potion from Claudia tied to your line will ensure only you can impregnate me. I’ll take it before the potion my husband will force upon me to make sure it takes precedence.”

“How will we ensure Claudia remains loyal?” I asked.

“True she will tell father if he asks unless there is something in it for her. Do you have any rare ingredients from your travels?” Raven asked.

“Well, there is one way to ensure your goals remain the same,” I said.

“Glutton, yes that does describe you perfectly after all. Do you have plans for my other sisters, mothers, and brothers?”

“I have one rule, Raven.” She raised an eyebrow. “No dicks up my ass,” I said with all the seriousness I could muster.

“Ah, so you merely want every woman in my family like a true barbarian instead of an Eastern Barbarian. Though, like them, you were pants.” Raven said.

“Your brothers also wear pants.” I pointed out.

“Statements still aren’t questions. They are at most prompts.”

“Why do your brothers wear pants?”

“The barbaric style is in fashion, and no noble worth their name will remain out of fashion, even we vampires. Father prefers dresses in dark colors paired with a blouse.”

“I plan to limit myself only to your sisters. When I go, I plan to take all of you with me. Are you aware of what this world is and why there are limits to power?”

“Rumors, myths, and certain events in history have led me to believe there existes a world beyond this one. I always assumed it was pure speculation. In our world, there is a limit of power, and Father is close to it. Someone is coming to the castle tomorrow. An Attorney who deals with land by the name of John Wayne and his family will arrive tomorrow evening. I will speak with Father, and you will be dressed to attend at the lower tables as guests.” I rolled my eyes. “Father intends to move us to the heart of the world, New Avalon,” Raven said.

A ticket for the ship appeared in my inventory and I suspected it appeared for everyone else as well. No matter how this scenario played out, the next one would follow the standard. Floor 2 was open to us, so all we had to do was follow this scenario.

…

I stood in the garden under the light of day with Ju Li beside me. She had wrapping on her neck that brought my blood to boil. Cesar would have my Wrath soon enough. He fed on her. 

“Do you think we will see Cesar here?”

“No,” I said.

“He’s probably busy. Did you know he’s the heir apparent? That means all of this will be his one day.” Ju Li said.

“Only if he lives.”

She slapped me. I paused in my thoughts, completely stunned. “That is a terrible thing to say about the young lord.” Ju Li said.

“Why are you here?” I asked.

“I spoke with Cesar about your infatuation with his sister. You should give it up. A mercenary isn’t worthy of Lady Lee. Your status isn’t close to the same. Even if you had a King’s ransom, it wouldn’t work out.” Ju Li said.

“That’s an interesting stance.” I made my way to the tree and sat down to meditate.

When I focused, I felt that I could alter the time to 3.5 days for 1, and it was Summer. We had around 15 hours of daylight. That gave me around 52 hours to meditate a day. With that amount of time, I should be able to steal the fruit in less than two days.

Dungeon Challenge

Steal Penance Fruit from the Punishment Tree

Reward

500pts

Inspiration for Spirit Art: Wrath

1 Companion Stamp

1 Companion Inkwell

Interesting, this dungeon knew what I was, what I wanted, and how to tempt me beyond the fruit alone. I ran a few scenarios already. Tossing a rock to get the fruit will cause the tree to destroy the falling fruit itself. Jumping doesn’t work. The tree has eyes hidden along its trunk and can move itself. The only time the tree doesn’t immediately go on the offensive is when someone climbs it, honestly. The tree’s height capped at 200 yards or two ball fields and its trunk had the diameter of an average bedroom. It didn’t attack until the first limb was touched, not because of a sense of fair play but because of small taste receptors. I made sure to give the tree a full look over before ever climbing it. From what I could understand, Lee must either coat himself in something or have a power that makes him taste unappetizing to the tree.

I made a simulation of Raven attempting to climb it, and she was devoured brutally. So, the plant doesn’t have a problem eating vampires.

With that in mind, what could I do but brute force it. I closed my eyes and appeared before the massive tree in my simulation. Two blood waterfalls filled my inner world with noise while a sun poured light down from overhead.

I sucked in a breath and ran.

My hand touched the tree’s first limb, and I activated Wrath. The moment I touched the next branch, spikes impaled my hand, and limbs restrained me. I screamed as a bite from the trunk took my leg before I reset. On my second attempt, I climbed onto the first limb and shot off down the limb as if I didn’t care about the fruit. The limbs chased me until I reached the end, and then they lashed like a whip, lashing my back bloody. One of the limbs encircled my throat, piercing it with thorns before snapping my neck with a sudden yank.

I reset it and sent Melony, Charles, Mai, and Raven after it. The tree butchered them in short order the heads on the limbs screamed like banshees dazing them and setting them up for impalement.

My 3rds run ended like the first. I had to move faster and predict it, but the tree was like lightning. When I made a plan, the tree seemed to adjust, and when I used all my Chi to move at my highest speeds, it barricaded its fruit.

After dying only 50 times, I raised my finger and pointed it at the tree. It was only a moment before a fireball exploded the bark, and flames raged across its trunk. The tree shattered its fruit as it burned alive.

My gains were hard to determine. Spirit Art: Wrath hadn’t increased, but I felt like I was getting a handle on it. There was no choice. Either I got better at making myself faster and stronger, or I died painfully. I approached the tree, bent my knees, and leaped all the way to the second branch. Branches whipped out, and I jumped down to the first one. Bending low I saw eyes open just before I jumped. Those eyes had been closed before. My feet touched the second branch, and the branches whipped again instead of going for impalement. I counted the eyes and paid attention to where the mouth opened.

I leaped to the 5th branch and barely managed to get my hand on the branch, expecting spikes, but there weren’t any. The limbs whipped, and I dodged down to the 4th limb. Something was going on there was a pattern here. I dodged impalement limbs with simple side steps waiting for the shift beneath my feet that meant limb spikes. When I felt it, I jumped again, putting more power into my leap, and landed on the next branch up. I screamed as spikes were waiting for me. The tree had already adapted to my strategy.

I reset and tried jumping to different branches again, but after a certain point, the tree swapped strategies. Then, a thought occurred to me: could the trunk produce spikes. I placed a hand where I knew the eye slits were and waited.

After no spikes impaled my hands, I climbed using the eye slits for hand holds. The eyes closed and stayed closed when I used them, and the branches avoided me. I avoided the mouth, and when one of the branches shot forward to impale me, I dropped down, and it impaled itself. The tree froze, and I scurried up it at full speed.

I crossed the halfway point and saw a large eye that opened and narrowed at me. Tendrils emerged from the tree and captured me in an instant. The head fruits opened their mouths and laughed at me.

“Did you think it would be so easy, little treat?”

“Who’s world do you think you stand in?” I asked.

Suddenly, I towered over the tree. I grabbed its trunk, and it poked my skin, so I burned it in my hand, and it shrieked.

…

I stood up and cracked my back. In the beginning, I fit in 30 climbs an hour, and later, when my climbs lasted longer, I managed to get 10 in an hour. After my tantrum, I managed to find a strategy that worked. All I needed to do was change my strategy whenever I saw a change. The most effective strategy was to lead the tree into believing it was about to win then changing my pattern at the last minute. In other words I had to edge the tree and then leave it hanging.

The real question was, did I want to try it for real? I couldn’t reset in the real world if it looked like I was going to lose my only hope was to burn the tree down and lose the fruit. It might also ruin this run.

I spotted 12 fruits. There was still time before sunset, and I had a bathtub in my room. I could crush them and bathe in the juices to soak up all the efficiency myself, or I could invite Raven to my room, and we could do so together. Maybe wait a while and ask her sister to join maybe the chocolate one. Jacinta’s daughter, the one with the dark skin and blue eyes like Raven.

“What are you doing?” Raven asked.

I turned to see the girl of my dreams in heavy clothes and a parasol walking around like it was no big deal.

“You’re going to hurt yourself,” I said.

“Atom, I drained five mortals worth of blood from you. I’m fine, don’t worry about me. All that giving must have damaged your brain. Your humors must be imbalanced if you are thinking about climbing the tree. I could give you a few drops of my blood.”  Raven said.

Her face broke into a blush and she turned away refusing to meet my eyes.

“I figured it out. What you need to do is start talking to your sister about getting a bath with us,” I said.

“The tree fruit is clearly not the fruit you were looking for. Your search would have been easier to find my sister’s coffin for a little breakfast in bed. That glutton Esmerelda consumed four of the strapping guards last night with her Mother. Those were supposed to last us,” I mean, you should know the way to a girl’s heart by now, Atom. Be yourself and let true love guide you.” Raven said.

“You burned the true love idealistic bridge when you went on that rant last night. Or do you want to use that narrative?” I asked.

Her tone was dry enough to crack asphalt. “It’s better than your blood and semen are extra yummy in my tummy. Oh, father, please, that’s the dick I want.”

“Oh, my love, I must climb this evil tree to get fruit for our bath with your sister.” She opened her mouth and I placed a finger on her lips. “Fear not, for I have learned its secret in the time you slept, and its fruit is mine for the taking watch. Also I want the dark skinned green eyed one.”

She grabbed my shoulders, slammed me on the ground, and put her high heel on my neck. “That isn’t happening. I was unaware you wanted Kahlua most people with our complexion dislike her exotic skin tone. That’s beside the point. You are not killing yourself in front of me, and I will talk with my sister if you must have this threesome. Also, have you eaten?” Raven asked.

Raven shielded her face as the sinking light of dawn touched her. “That is too bright.”

“You do care,” I said.

“I care about your blood. Speaking of fruit, you’re going to eat all blueberries and bluebears. The chefs are preparing to cook one from my father’s farms just for me, I mean you.” Raven said.

“Glutton, what is a blue bear, some kind of monster,” I asked.

“The berries are from a rank 2 monster called a boo berry, a blueberry bush with ghost typing, and a Blue Bear is a rank 2 Berserk Bear whose diet was blueberries for the past two hibernation seasons. In this case, I improved the formula with Boo Berry blueberries. You’re going to eat your body weight in bear meat and Kahlua, and I will drink the most delicious blood ever and bond in the bath.” Raven said.

“When did you come up with this scheme?” I asked.

“The bear was something I was playing with and feared I would have to drink from an animal for even a chance at the taste. Normally, we sell the prized meat to mortal nobles for a high price. Kahlua and I never got along. We have different mothers, and I used to bully her when she was younger. Her mother, Jacinta, was the daughter of a conquistador and the Aztec Princess La Malinche. I teased her because she looked different but still had father’s eyes.” Raven said.

“I know the feeling I had to study enchanting to find a way to make my passion work. I am an enchanter, and I’m not proud of it.” I said.

“Enchanting is a noble profession a shame the witch hunters burned so many masters of your craft. That device on your head, is that a work of yours?” Raven asked.

I pulled a blue one from my bag of holding and handed it to her. She pointed it at me and blinked.

Name: Atom Walker

Monster: Human

Rank: 1

EAP 10/10

“Ah, it's very intuitive. I am only a novice, but I can see craftsmanship when I see it. Jewel work isn’t easy, and this small script was burned into the jewel instead of etched. I can tell by the way the material sags that only happens under heat. You should find something to fill that in to hide your work.” Raven said.

“You are full of surprises,” I said.

“What does the device contain?” Raven asked.

“Oh, you caught that too.” She raised an eyebrow. “A skill if you must know.”

“This new information could be used at the right time to alter Father’s opinion of you. Do you want to use it, or should I?” Raven asked.

Raven was Count Lee’s youngest daughter. She was probably his favorite. Fathers had a weakness for their daughters, and naturally, a woman like Raven knew how to exploit that. The way she saw that information as a weapon was clue enough to what she would do with it.

“You use it,” I said.

I rose up and jumped on the tree before she could stop me and activated my spirit art. Chi blazed around me as I couldn’t quite refine my control to make it invisible. I used the eye slits as handholds and shot up. Tree limbs whipped, and I dropped to a lower branch, circled around, and used the eye slits to climb higher and faster. The trunk wasn’t as sensitive as the limbs, and it took time for the tree to adjust.

There was a pattern, and even when it shifted, the pattern was clear. “Get down here now, I’m getting Dooku. Hurry down, or it will kill you.” Raven said.

I jumped to the long branch that was practically stuck outside the tree, ran across it, and dropped to the limb below. Bending my legs as the limb itself moved, I jumped off and grabbed the mouth of the tree. The trunk twisted as I transferred momentum forcing the mouth to open beyond its limit before slipping my hand into a nostril that was almost invisible before climbing up the small eyelids. Limbs below me rubbed at the nostril while I climbed high.

When I jumped on the upper level, and the great eye slid open, it narrowed in confusion. The tree wasn’t a single entity that controlled everything. It was a single creature with multiple minds controlling different parts of the body.

The lower mind was distracted, slowing down the movements of the upper canopy. I bent my legs, and the pupil dilated. A beam charged, but it was too late. I shot upward as beams of concentrated curse mana blasted beneath me. I landed on one of the uppermost branches and shot toward the fruit as the body of a dryad with black bark and red leaves for hair emerged.

She opened her mouth, barring a mouth full of fangs that dripped venom. The spirit lunged as my chi reserves began to dip. My amulet granted a steady supply, but my Spirit Art consumed Chi faster than I could process it. That was fine. This was the end.

The white Chi surrounding my body intensified as I burned more of it for a sudden boost in power. Tendrils of wood exploded as I shot forward, burning all my power. I delivered a single blow to her midsection, and everything above her waist exploded. With two of the minds out of commission, the limbs fell limply. The body wiggled and kicked as it rapidly regenerated. I grabbed her by the foot and threw her hard over the tree top next to the castle and down to the grassland below.

I turned my attention to the clusters of Ambrosia. I had been wrong before. Each cluster glowed like it was a single fruit when, in fact they were many grouped together. I shot forward on dregs as I dropped my spirit art.

Limbs lashed my ankles, but they were uncoordinated and wild. My blood still spills only not enough to matter. I picked all but one cluster, taking over 100 into my bag of holding. Then I jumped shooting down the tree with all my speed. Limbs turned into pin cushions before my vision as I used flashes of my spirit art. In those flashes, I kicked off of shooting limbs, trying to impale me to change directions.

I thought I was home free until a limb rose covered in thorns. There was no choice. I dug deep and used my spirit art. Seconds ticked by the art as I threw a devastating blow. The limb in front of me exploded as I landed on the one behind it before ultimately falling out of the tree.

Raven stood there with Dooku as I landed. The tree turned, and I raised my finger, conjuring a small ball of flame above it.

“Go ahead, you already stole my livelihood.” The Dryad screeched.

“Well, maybe if you didn’t make getting your fruit such a challenge, I wouldn’t have gone for them.”

“You are rank 1, so you shouldn’t have come after it anyway. Know your lane meat bag, and if it was just the challenge, then why did you take so many. Over a hundred. Nobody needs that many.”

I held up my hand and swallowed down a mouthful of blood as I pulled on my Chi. A white aura gathered around my only my knuckles, brighter than before.

“Alright, this time, I’ll punch the tree into splinters,” I said as my fist glowed even under the setting sun.

The Dryad’s eyes widened, and I could see the gears turning. “Hey, let’s not be hasty. I still have enough to glow at night. This could be a windfall. If people hear that someone besides the Count managed to get my fruit, then more people will try it.” The Dryad said.

I looked down my nose at her and sighed before letting go of my technique. “Very well, but when I need fruit, you will not attack me, and I won’t take enough to damage your hunting,” I said.

“Sure, but do me a favor and shit my seeds out far from here. I don’t need any brats coming to me with their problems. I’m only turning two thousand this year I’m not like those hold matrons.” The Dryad said.

“Yeah, you’re the cool young tree spirit that still has taste in music.”

“I know you're teasing me, but you’re right. I like music like Lee puts on, not the bird songs my mother prefers. Woodpeckers are hardly instruments; you know what I mean?”

“Was that a dick joke?” I asked.

The Dryad gnashed her teeth and sank into the roots at our feet.

“Did you really get 100?” Dooku asked.

“Let's go inside, and I’ll show you,” I said.

“We will have a conversation when we’re alone. Be prepared.” Raven said.

Dooku lifted his hand and made a whipping motion while staring at me. “Why are you so much friendlier?”  I asked.

The vampire shrugged. “You’re sticking around.”

…

I stood out on a balcony with the Count, John Wayne, the attorney’s son, and several guards. John smoked a cigar while talking up the land he promised was prime real estate. Howls sounded through the distance as I stared out over the valley below. A sea of yellow eyes waited just outside the castle grounds.

“Did the black hounds cause your party trouble? I understand they are rough in this area. We had to hire mercenaries.” John said.

The Count smirked. “You will find that they will be the least of your problems if this deal falls through.”

“I assure you Mr. Lee,”

“Count, my title is to be respected always.” Count Lee said.

The man looked flustered.

“I apologize perhaps I have had too much to drink. I meant no disrespect.”

The Count waved his hand at me. “At least you are not trying to seduce my daughter with vulgar displays.” The man’s red eyes flashed. “I know you’re smirking Dooku. More wine servant I need comfort that only the grapes of Wrath can give.”

“I’m afraid I don’t follow. What is going on between Mr. Walker and your daughter?” The man stared at me. “He does not look properly chastised.”

The Count pointed a meaty finger at me. “You stay away from my daughters. Her blood is noble and pure not to be sullied by your mongrel seed.”

“Chastisement received.” I said.

“You see no respect from the young he and my daughter are too alike. We are moving to a new world and it only makes their love more tragic and attractive to her maiden’s heart.” The Count said.

“Well young man what do you have to say for yourself. You’re at the age when you should be apprenticeship under a master or working toward the higher sciences. Instead, I believe you are a mercenary.” John Wayne said.

“It pays well and I get to see foreign lands. Sire has Ivan taken an expedition to reclaim the wagons left behind in our flight from yonder wolves?” I asked.

“Indeed, he has recovered his wagons and found them strangly empty. It seems while you all feasted in my hall some enterprising adventurer found his merchandise and took everything.” The Count said.

“Speaking of wealth are you in the mood to speak of dowries.” I asked.

John choked on his cigar. Dooku slapped his back gently as he coughed over the balcony’s edge.

“You better not have killed my attorney. It has taken a long time to get one out here.” The cigar flew out of the man’s windpipe and flipped end over end into the darkness. “What does my daughter see in you?”

“Wrong sense.” I said.

The count slapped me hard across the face nearly sending me over the edge. When I raised an eyebrow, he only sighed. “Yes, I know her nature well the apple falls not far from the tree. She is a good girl despite her peculiar tastes. You have some skill though your tact needs work. If the peerage were to invite themselves to my castle I would have to hide you in her bed chamber.”

“If her tastes are her only flaw then we will have a fruitful marriage. One of my friends is of high society such as yourself maybe I could ask her to come.” I said.

The Count raised two silvery eyebrows before nodding. “I can not approve but I will begrudge such a union less with a proper price paid. Do not misunderstand me your mortal blood will be a stain on my bloodline and the thought of your pathetic,” The Count tightened his grip on his cigar sucking it down until it was only a filter. He blew out a great plume of smoke and sighed as a teary-eyed John Wayne stared up at us. “You managed to steal fruit from Mortal Perils. Do you know what a titan is?”

I shook my head in the negative.

“A titan is a creature like a god grasping for ever greater power. They don’t know restraint and that is why I call the tree punishment. For those strong enough to believe they have a chance it is truly a punishment. Can you hear the mercenaries if you listen their screams rise above the wind?”

When I focused, I could just hear something but it wasn’t very clear.

“I think I need to go to my room to recover can we begin drawing up the contract tomorrow?” John Wayne said.

“I am often busy with my duties during the day so it must wait until the night.” The Count said.

“Of course, Count Lee, I am at your service.” John Wayne said.

When the man left everyone sighed. “Mortal don’t ever become like that man. The day you do will surely be the day my daughter devours you. Have you eaten any of the ambrosia yet.” The count asked.

“No I’m waiting for a special occasion.”

“You can only use it once so find a way to make the most of it. Not even my daughters have partaken of it. There is a similar item in the distant mountain guarded by a powerful snake. It is called Nectar and if you can capture a seed of the tree that grows it, I would consider that worthy of courting my Raven.”

“But not for a dowry.” I said.

“Don’t push your luck boy.” Count Lee said.

“Luck is planning and opportunity.” My eyes met the Count’s and I think he saw it then. “You’re right, today I won’t test my luck.” I said.

Time was enough to simulate the Count with every skill I knew a vampire could take. I could give the simulation a rank jumping set of skills to train against. My time dilation was increasing all the time. 30 days was plenty of time for me.