In front of a large, wrought iron gate twisted into the form of roses and chrysanthemums, two guards stood around, bored out of their minds. The one on the left, a bulky man with dirty red hair let out a yawn.

  "What a pain. Why do we have to be the ones to stand guard all day?" he complained, staring out at the underground city with half lidded eyes, barely able to keep them open. Vampires didn't need much sleep, but the weaker ones needed to sleep at least a few days a week.

  "You know why. The mistress obtained a new pet and doesn't wish to be disturbed," said the second man, this one sporting dark hair and an unkempt beard. He was just as bored as his partner, but the constant whining wasn't helping the time move any faster.

  "Yeah, yeah, I know. But even so, it's not like anybody would be stupid enough to attack the manor of a noble. That'd be suicide," the first mentioned. The man next to him secretly agreed, but neither one of them were brave enough to speak up to the lady of the house about it.

  "Maybe, but you heard about what happened in the city today, didn't you?" the second asked, looking around to see if anybody was listening. His words caught the interest of the red haired vampire, who gave him a look, eager for some gossip.

  "All I heard was the lady came home steaming mad. Then she sent those two brothers out to collect something," he said. The bearded man gave a nod.

  "Aye, that's all true but it's only the tip of the iceberg. Apparently, some uppity do-gooder gave her a hassling in the market, made her look like a fool. She sent them two to collect some waif of a thing to teach him a lesson. Poor sod must be new around here if he thought messing with them nobles was a good idea."

  "Too right. No one but a fool would cross them. Those that do have a tendency of disappearing. But that's what he gets for stickin' his nose where it don't belong," stated the first. That was the one, ironclad rule in the city of Night Garden, you don't mess with the nobles.

  The dark haired man was about to continue his gossip session when he caught sight of something from the corner of his eye. Turning sharply, he glared out into the gloom, seeing a tall man with long blonde hair and fancy clothes staring at them from the entrance to an alley.

  "Oi, what business do you have here?" he called out, getting his companions attention. The two of them shared a nervous look as the stranger ignored the question and just stared at the manor.

  "Didn't you hear the man? If you've no business with the Baron or his wife, I suggest you sod off before we have to make you!" the red haired one shouted. This caused the man to finally acknowledge the two of them, staring directly into their eyes. It caused a bead of sweat to go down their backs.

  "But I do have business with them. You see, they've taken something that doesn't belong to them, so I'm here to take it back. So if you'd kindly step aside, I would greatly appreciate it," he stated, voice calm and unwavering, taking a few steps closer towards them.

  "I'm afraid we can't allow uninvited guests into the manor. Besides, the Lord and Lady happen to be busy at the moment, so you'll have to come back another time," said the bearded vampire, grabbing at the sword on his waist. He didn't unsheathe it, not yet, but the person in front of him gave him a bad feeling, even if the power he gave off wasn't anything special.

  "Busy? Is that what you call torturing a child?" the well dressed vampire asked, eyes hardening into a glare. He never stopped his casual gait towards them, taking slow, predatory steps, eyes gleaming under the pale city light like a pair of smoldering embers.

  "That's what this is about? Some half dead runt? What, you fancy yourself some kind of hero?" mocked the red haired one. His friend, however, wasn't laughing. He was clearly the smarter of the two.

  "So your saying the thought of her being abused doesn't bother you, is that it?" Vincent asked, his eyes sharpening, gait not halting.

  "Better her than me, right mate?" he asked his companion, giving a small laugh. But the dark haired vampire gave his friend a nervous look.

  "I think you should stop talking," he whispered. He noticed what the red haired man didn't, and that was the intruder's magical aura. When he first approached, it was small, barely worth noticing. But the more his friend spoke, the greater it grew. What was once an ember was now a raging flame demanding to consume everything in its path. He could practically feel the heat licking at his skin.

  But what scared him the most was the control the approaching vampire had over it. As violent as it was, it was contained… Measured in a way he's only seen from the most powerful of the vampires, such as Marquis Rae Vhen.

  What the hell was someone like that doing here? Was it really about some kid? He felt like a mouse standing up against a hungry lion.

  "What, why? Don't tell me you're afraid of this twink here?" asked the red haired one. But his friend didn't answer, his throat feeling like it was being constricted. This made the stupid one scoff.

  "Whatever. If you can't find your balls then I'll just deal with him myself. Oi, you hear that you twink? This is your last chance. Fuck off, and I won't hurt you."

  His words finally made the man stop several feet in front of him. But rather than leave, as the man so politely suggested, the golden haired vampire only stared at them for a moment.

  "Yeah, that's what I thought. All talk, ain't ya? Nothin but a little bitch in the end," the man laughed once more.

  "You talk too much," the blonde vampire stated.

  "Huh? The hell you-gurgh."

  Whatever the man was going to say was cut off by his throat being ripped out. His friend could only blink in confusion. One second the intruder was a dozen feet away and the next he was right beside his cohort.

  Grabbing his throat, blood gushing out like a geyser, he did his best to keep the liquid inside. Sure, the wound would heal soon enough, but that knowledge didn't stop the pain and panic he felt as the ground was stained red in front of him.

  The bearded man took a step back in fear. The intruder turned his dispassionate gaze at the slowly recovering man who had fallen to his knees.

  "You know, I should thank you. I was a bit worried that I would feel guilty about killing you all, but you assuaged that fear. I have no reason to feel guilt over killing you swine. So you have my appreciation," he said, holding out his hand towards the man drowning in his own blood.

  Once he did, the red liquid began to gather into a ball around him. And not just the blood on the ground, but the blood inside his victim as well. The man tried to keep the precious substance inside him, but his control was nowhere as good as the other man's. And with his throat ripped out, he couldn't even scream.

  As the last drop was extracted, the last thing he saw was the brightly burning eyes of his killer. Then, there was darkness.

  As the body crumbled to the ground, his companion felt his back hit the gate. His entire body was laced with fear as he watched the large orb of blood swirl around the other man's head.

  "Who-who are you?" he asked.

  "Hm? Have I not given you my name? How rude of me. You may call me, Vincent," he replied, taking a few steps towards his next victim.

  "No, wait! Please! I have nothing to do with what happened to that girl! Spare me!" he begged. But for as much as Vincent's eyes looked like flames, they were currently as cold as ice.

  "And yet you stand around and guard the entrance like the loyal dog you are. That makes you an accessory, I'm afraid," Vincent said.

  "No, it's just a job! I don't care about these people!" he tried. But his pleas fell on deaf ears.

  "So a disloyal dog then? Is money really so important to you that you ignore the tragedies all around you? Honestly, I don't know which is worse," Vincent replied. Seeing that he wasn't going to be let go, the bearded vampire had but one choice if he wished to live. He had to fight.

  Pulling his sword out, he charged with a battle cry, desperation fueling him. But as he swung his blade, he hit nothing but air. His opponent was nowhere to be seen. It was like he just… disappeared.

  "Where are you!? Show yourself!" he shouted in panic, looking all around for the elusive man.

  "As you wish," Vincent whispered in his ear. After that, the guard felt an immense pain coming from his chest. Looking down, he was shocked to find an arm sticking out of it, a still beating heart held in its grasp.

  He stared at it uncomprehendingly. The fact that he was looking at his own heart didn't register in his mind until he watched it be crushed. That was the last thing he would ever see.

  Looking down at the two bodies, Vincent didn't feel much in the way of anything. It was the first time he's ever killed anybody so he figured he'd feel… something, even with all the tough talk from earlier. But as he gazed down at the corpses, all he felt was satisfaction.

  Was that because they were pieces of trash? Willing to ignore the torture of an adorable innocent as long as it didn't inconvenience them. Hell, red looked like he would have gotten off from it, the sick fuck.

  Or was it simply because he was a vampire now, and those human emotions didn't exist anymore? But that seemed unlikely, given that he didn't feel any change in emotion from turning into a monster.

  Well, whatever the reason, it didn't really matter.

  Bending down, Vincent grabbed the blade the second man used to try and cut him in half. It wasn't anything special, just a basic, steel longsword, but Vincent figured it would have some use.

  Besides, Issac taught him a technique that should help. Running his hand along the blade, he used the edge to slice into his palm and coat it in his blood. He then willed it to cover the entirety of the actual blade. Once that was done, he hardened it, his blood stiffening to be harder than the steel itself.

  He gave it a look, appraising it for any defects. Finding none, he decided a test would be in order. Glancing back at the red haired vampire, he thought he would make for the perfect subject.

  There was a chance he would be able to heal from the damage he inflicted, however unlikely it was. Vampires were extraordinarily resilient, even the weaker ones like him. Normally, removing one's jugular would be a minor inconvenience, and the same would have held true had he not drained him of his blood. Without that, it would be difficult for him to regenerate, but not impossible.

  To ensure the world was a little cleaner, he would have to perform one final act. Raising the sword above his head, Vincent brought it down, decapitating him and leaving a groove in the ground beneath him.

  He wouldn't be recovering from that.

  Satisfied his enemy was well and truly dead and that his sword should hold up, he made his way towards the gate, using the blood he amassed from the two vampires to form a giant fist and solidifying it, much like the blood on his sword.

  "Knock, knock," he said, before sending it barreling into the iron gate. It never stood a chance. With a thunderous boom the gate bent inward before violently exploding into the courtyard.

  "There we go, that should get their attention," Vincent muttered. And of course, he was right. The sound of alarm bells began ringing out. He would be swarmed with enemies any minute now. Looking at the destroyed gate, he got an idea.

  Inside the manor's dungeon, a certain Baroness was having the time of her life. The girl she was currently "playing" with may have been mute, but that made the little squeaks of pain she managed to coax from her lips sound all the sweeter.

  Just as she was about to swing the studded paddle in her hand once more, the room gave a small tremble, little bits of dirt and debris falling from the ceiling. This made her halt mid swing to look about the room, a disgruntled look on her repulsive face.

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  "What the hell is going on!?" she shrieked. Just then, the door to the cell opened, and one of her servants, a massive hulking man wearing an executioner's mask, poked his head inside.

  "Milady, intruders," he informed, his voice a deep, raspy baritone. This made the small girl perk up slightly. Intruders? Who would attack one of the nobility? She didn't dare to hope but maybe…

  Maybe she would be saved after all.

  "And? Can't you see that I'm busy? Just take care of it!" she ordered. The large man gave a nod before closing the door once more and locking it behind.

  "Imbecile… honestly, why is it so hard to find good help?" she questioned, before turning back to the girl, "Now, where were we?"

  Hearing the alarm, the mansion's guards began scrambling to do the job they were paid for. Most of them signed up because they never expected to actually have to work. Afterall, nobody messed with the nobles. It was a guaranteed cushy gig.

  Until now that is.

  "What the hell is going on!?" one of them yelled, running next to one of his fellow guards.

  "Fuck if I know! Some asshole with a death wish!" shouted someone else. The group continued to run, making their way to the front doors. However, as the lead guard opened the door, a massive explosion sent them to the floor.

  "The hell was that!?" one of them yelled. The front entrance was covered in a cloud of dust, making it impossible to see. But they could hear just fine, and the noises echoing through the room sent shivers down their spines.

  "Ah! It hurts! Someone, help me!" someone pleaded. Of course, nobody moved. Once the dust cleared, they saw exactly what had happened.

  "Holy shit…" one of them muttered. A sentiment shared by most.

  It was one of the front gates impaled into the wall. Someone must have thrown it at the house. But that in itself wasn't the problem. No, the real issue was the person sitting on top of it. Or to be more precise, half of a person.

  When the gate struck, the poor schmuck was nailed with a direct hit, slicing him in two. And now, his upper half remained on top while his bottom lay crumpled beneath. The sight of his organs dangling off the bars and flopping onto the ground as he wept in agony made many of them feel sick.

  "Please, help! I don't want to die!" he shouted, reaching towards his companions. But not a single one offered him aid.

  "Come on, he'll be fine! Let's go get this son of a bitch!" someone shouted. Most of them weren't exactly eager to go out and meet the person who did this, but it wasn't like they had much choice. They knew what fate awaited them should they turn tail and run.

  Dying to the monster outside was a far better option than dying to the ones inside.

  Running out of the manor, leaving the bifurcated man where he was, they looked around for the intruder. Not that he was hard to find.

  "There!" one of them shouted, pointing to the lone man in the courtyard, currently spinning around and around in circles while holding onto the other half of the gate.

  "Shit, look out!" someone yelled as he released the gate. It soared towards them at breakneck speeds. Most of them were able to get out of the way, but a couple were too slow and were turned into a fine, red mist.

  Vincent watched with satisfaction as two more of his opponents were rendered immobile. Hard to move when you were basically a smear on the ground. And with the first guy he hit, that makes 5. Looking at the crowd, he counted another 13.

  Guess that's their unlucky number.

  Most of them seemed to be armed with some kind of weapon. Some had swords, a few spears, and one guy had a pair of axes. None of them seemed to take the ranged option though. Talk about an unbalanced party.

  "Bastard! Who do you think you are!? Do you have any idea whose house this is!?" yelled someone. Vincent rolled his eyes. Why do they all ask that?

  "To answer your questions, I'm Vincent, nice to meet you. And this is the residence of one, Iriella, is it not? I'm here to meet with her, so if one of you strapping young lads could bring her to me, that would save me a lot of trouble," Vincent told them.

  "Shit, this guy has a name?" one of them said. Right, Vincent almost forgot how important those were. Guess that means they were a bunch of literal no name scrubs..

  "Who cares! There's a bunch of us and only one of him!" yelled one.

  "Quality over quantity my friend," Vincent responded with a smirk. That seemed to rustle their jimmies.

  "That's it! You're going to die, pretty boy!" one yelled.

  "Aw, you think I'm pretty? That's so sweet. But I think I'm more handsome than pretty. Is it the hair?" Vincent asked, threading his long, golden hair through his fingers, giving it a curious look.

  "Does it make me look too girly? Should I get a haircut? I'll have to ask Lumi later," he asked himself, ignoring the angry mob in front of him.

  "Think you're funny, do ya!? Well you won't be so funny after we beat you to a bloody pulp!"

  "You? Beat me? Now who's being funny," Vincent replied with a smirk. It was the kind of look one had when they knew something the other person didn't.

  "You really think you can take us all on by yourself!?"

  "Who said I was alone?"

  The group was confused for a moment. He was clearly by himself, but his words did put them on edge. Could there be someone else, lying in wait to ambush them? These fears caused them to unconsciously start to group up, especially given the unconcerned look in Vincent's eyes as he watched.

  As one of them was fearfully searching the area, a slight buzzing sound caught his attention. Much to his surprise, a small wasp landed on his nose, causing him to go cross eyed as he stared at it.

  "What the hell?" he asked. It was like no wasp he's ever seen. Its body was a shiny red and basically one solid color. It stood there on his nose, antennae twitching as it seemingly stared at him.

  But that would be crazy, right?

  "Oi, get off me," he growled, shaking his head. But the stubborn bug remained steadfast, unbothered by his attempts at removal. Seeing that it wasn't working, he stopped and glared at it. He raised his hand slowly, ready to squash the stupid thing, when it raised its abdomen in a way that he instinctively knew meant one thing.

  He was about to get stung.

  "Easy there. That's a good boy. You don't want to sting me now, do you?" he asked nervously, trying to soothe the savage beast. Just because he was a vampire with high levels of regeneration didn't mean he liked to get stung anymore than the average human.

  The wasp looked at him one more time, a hint of mischief in his eyes, before it thrust its stinger right into his schnoz.

  "Ow!" he shouted, slapping his face immediately. Everyone watched this happen with amusement.

  "You alright there pal? Hey, blondie, was that supposed to be your back-up?" he asked, causing the group to laugh. All but one that is.

  "Something like that," Vincent said with a smile, putting them on edge again. They turned to face the man who got stung, who had removed his hand from his face. They expected to see the remains of the flying terror but much to their surprise, his hand came back empty.

  "What the… where did it go?" he asked.

  "You know," Vincent called out, gaining their attention once more. "I learned a very interesting Blood Art from a woman named Valerie. You see, it requires me to inject someone with some blood, which then pulls in the blood from the victim, causing the area to swell. Just like that."

  Looking at the man once more, they could see his nose was bright red and slowly bubbling outward. It looked like he had a massive boil growing out of it. His eyes were wide with panic as he watched it slowly get bigger and bigger.

  "Once the infected area has absorbed enough blood and Magicules from the victim, it becomes rather… explosive. She called it, Blood Art: Virulent Bomb. As you're about to find out, it's quite painful," Vincent said.

  "Hang on! Wait! Stop! Guys, help!" the man shouted, reaching for his allies, who only moved away from him. Vincent likewise ignored his pleas, raising his hand for them to see. He then snapped his fingers, causing the bloody boil to explode violently.

  He didn't need to snap his fingers, but why not add a bit of pizzazz when you own someone.

  The group of guards watched as the man's body fell to the ground, his face caved in, looking more like an empty bowl than a head. They slowly shifted their gazes at the cheerful Vincent, who waggled his fingers at them.

  Unnoticed, another of the wasps landed on the arm of a second guard. He had just enough time to look down in horror before he too was stung, the wasp disappearing into the man's flesh.

  "Oh, and by the way…" Vincent said, face morphing into a twisted grin while the man screamed as his arm swelled before being blown off. He wasn't dead by any means, but even with regeneration, that still hurt like a bitch.

  "That wasn't my only one."

  As soon as he uttered those words, the courtyard was filled with the sound of buzzing. Looking up, the guards eyes widened with fear as they saw a massive swarm of Blood Hornets.

  As if by an unknown command, the swarm descended upon the screaming henchmen. They tried to prevent the little buggers from stinging them, but there were hundreds, maybe even thousands of them. There was no way they could avoid every single one.

  A few had the bright idea to flee, but Vincent wasn't about to let that happen. The first one who tried found himself impaled with a spike and chain made of blood. It pierced through his chest and four hooks sprung out from the piton, holding him in place as Vincent gave it a violent tug.

  "Get over here!" he yelled, the man screaming as he was pulled through the air. Vincent then swung him into the ground where he was accosted by the swarm. His body swelled up in numerous directions, looking like he had the world's worst case of the mumps before exploding in a shower of gore.

  Another decided that the best defense was a good offense, charging at Vincent with a crazed look in his eyes. He swung his blade down, hoping to kill the psychotic blonde vampire, but Vincent merely danced out of the way. Spinning behind the man, Vincent's own blade sang through the air as it found its target.

  The man screamed as both his legs were sliced off. Vincent then grabbed the man by the back of his shirt and tossed him into the swarm as well. This was all done with a single, graceful movement.

  After that, it was only a matter of time until they were dealt with. Vincent watched as one by one they met with a grizzly end. He did wince in sympathy at the one guy who got stung in the dick. That just sucked. At least he died with a huge hog.

  Hard to believe he's only been a vampire for a month. When he first started his training, controlling that amount of blood was impossible.

  You see, blood control was dependent more on the volume of the liquid in question, rather than what you did with it. Whether he made one giant wasp or a thousand, it was all the same as long as the same volume of blood was used.

  Looking at the pile of body arts strewn about the courtyard, Vincent was once more surprised by his lack of care. The old him would have likely vomited and needed years of therapy had he seen a sight like this one, let alone been the one to cause it.

  But the new him didn't give two shits about these people.

  "Huh… maybe I should have left one alive to question…" he mumbled. He didn't exactly know where they were keeping her, and he didn't exactly have time to inspect the whole damn house. It was freaking huge! And to think, these guys are the lowest rung of the totem pole.

  Nobles really were something else. And Luminous wasn't any different. Her home was even bigger than this. It wasn't even close! Even after living there for a month, he still hasn't explored all of it.

  Left with no other choice, he started to make his way towards the entrance. Hopefully he'd be able to find something with his Magic Sense. Actually, hold the phone… Looks like there was somebody left alive after all, near the entrance.

  Perfect.

  Following where the Skill revealed the location of the person, he was somewhat surprised to see half a man sitting on the gate that was impaled into the wall. He'd completely forgotten about him.

  His regeneration was kicking in as well allowing him to once more call himself a man. Unlike the man outside who got stung in the dick. He still had a ways to go, but he wasn't in threat of dying. Unless, of course, he refuses to answer.

  "Hey there baby legs! How are you?" Vincent asked cheerfully, coming to a stop in front of the man. His lower body reminded him of that one scene with Deadpool when he was regenerating and he had those little baby legs. But for all Vincent's sunny disposition, he only received a terrified look in return.

  Maybe because vampires don't like the sun. Or maybe it was because of the piles of meat he left on the front lawn. Hard to say.

  "No, no, don't get up. This won't take long," Vincent mocked as the man started to squirm.

  "I only have a single question. You answer that, and I'll let you live. If you don't, well… I suggest you talk. Nod if you understand," Vincent said. The vampire gave a fearful nod, getting a pleasant smile in return.

  "Excellent. Now, here's the question. Where is the dungeon?"

  "Underground. There's a secret entrance somewhere, but I ain't privy to that, honest. Somewhere in the east wing, that's all I know," he replied quickly.

  "I see… Thank you for your cooperation. If you're lying to me, just know you WILL live long enough to regret it." Having said his piece, Vincent walked back the way he came, confusing the guard.

  "Wait! That ain't the way to the east wing!" he shouted.

  "I don't have time for that. I have a much better way to find it," Vincent replied. He walked towards the middle of the courtyard, so he had the most ground he could cover. Once there, he knelt down, placing his hand on the ground.

  "Alright little one… Where are you…" he muttered, expanding the range of Magic Sense as far as he could. Normally it had a set range that he could comfortably use, but it was possible for him to expand it with concentration. Which is exactly what he was doing right now.

  Closing his eyes, he placed all his attention and focus into expanding the sphere. It was somewhat slow but it was a far faster method than searching the mansion for the entrance. Especially if they had some way to conceal it, and given the depravity that he was sure happened down there, they would be incredibly stupid not to.

  Actually, considering the behavior of Iriella, they probably were that stupid. Oh well, he had already started.

  After about a minute of this, Vincent was finally able to feel the top of the dungeon nearly 500 feet below the manor itself. From what he could sense, the area right below him was a hallway of some kind. With that, all he had to do now was follow along and he would find the girl.

  Standing up, eyes still closed, he slowly walked around the courtyard. The first room he found didn't contain the girl he was looking for, but there was another victim. A woman with short purple hair and reddish purple eyes. She would have been considered beautiful had it not been for her emaciated state and filthy appearance. The poor woman's eyes were glazed over with drool coming out of her mouth.

  Guess that confirms that they were in fact kidnapping people. Once he managed to save the one he came for, he would make sure to free them as well. Nobody deserves to be subject to whatever the hell that woman was putting them through.

  He passed by a few more rooms, each containing another victim, just not the one he was looking for. But finally, he found a room with two people inside and someone guarding the door. A very big someone, but that wasn't important.

  "Found you," he whispered, eyes snapping open. The little girl was chained up and dangling in the center of the room with that horrible woman swinging a paddle at her. And not just any paddle either, it was one that Vincent distinctly remembered Leliana using on him countless times to try and teach him popper manners.

  In other words, it hindered regeneration. He doubted the little one's healing was anything special anyway, given her appearance, so that accursed object likely robbed her of what little she had.

  Iriella had a big, manic smile on her face as she struck the girl, whose skin was starting to look more purple than her regular pale complexion.

  "Fucking bitch. Let's see how you like when I turn you into mulch like the rest of your guards," he growled. He then held his hand above his head, concentrating on the copious amount of blood staining the manor grounds.

  "Blood Art: Gathering of the Infinite."

  Using Isaac's technique to gather the obscene amount of liquid from every nook and cranny and blade of grass, he coalesced it into a massive form above his head. It was almost too much for him to handle.

  Once gathered, he commanded it to take shape. The blood twisted and morphed into a massive drill. It then started to spin, going faster and faster until it was a blur, the sound echoing across the property. He was almost certain everyone still inside would be able to hear it, not that he cared.

  "Now then, I think it's time we had a little chat, Iriella. Face to face," he said, before dropping his hand, the drill following his command and rocketing towards the ground.