Chapter 121 Bloodlust
After this extensive lecture, Ikaris stood in silence for a long time. He was tempted to start assimilating a fifth Bloodspark, but after the close call with Malia and Ellie he decided to focus again on his I Am Me Spell.
For the moment, he still didn't feel the unquenchable bloodlust Magnus described, but his Blood Energy gauge was still high. If that was a good reflection of his satiety then it was a safe bet that his bloodlust would grow as that gauge went down. The only unknown was how long it would take.
The decision to focus on his I Am Me Spell was not just for the sake of it. He also had to deal with the insatiable hunger of his Crawling-Thrall Bloodline, his deep-seated hatred for the living from his Nephilim of Faulch Bloodline, and his bestial instinct to hunt and prey over his own species from his Dire Black Werewolf Bloodline.
He feared that the intermingling of these four compulsions would result in some undesirable behavior on a scale that would spiral out of his control. Magnus was well aware of his concerns and did not dare convince him otherwise. The previous incident had surprised him too.
Still, before letting him practice his magic in peace, the old Vampire seriously reminded the boy,
"Your four Bloodlines are already showing signs of conflict, but you have only awakened their basic forms. All Cursed Races are endowed with power and abilities commensurate with their curse. As your Bloodlines become stronger and purer, the side effects will only intensify.
"To use the example of Vampires, your sunlight vulnerability should be bearable with your Constitution. You won't catch fire at the first ray. But if you were a Vampire Progenitor with exactly the same Constitution and Vitality, the first light of dawn would obliterate you. Keep that in mind. The same goes for your bloodlust..."
All the more reason to temporarily stop assimilating new Bloodsparks. The Vampire then revealed to him other important secrets of his species. One of them was that the oldest living Vampires were rarely the descendants of Progenitors.
Thanks to Beneficial Aging, an ordinary Vampire could become exponentially stronger as they aged, even if their Blood Energy Rank was capped at Rank 3. The evolution of the Bloodline and the increase in Blood Energy Rank brought both positive and negative qualitative changes, but this limited potential was actually to their advantage.
With a Blood Energy Rank of limited growth potential, side effects such as sunlight vulnerability and bloodlust could be kept at tolerable levels.
Ikaris had of course wondered why not simply create a Spark that would remove the "cursed" aspect of these Bloodlines, but while it was theoretically possible it was not desirable because of the Principle of Sacrifice.
In order for such powerful Bloodlines to be created, their original creators had sacrificed something important. If he were to cancel this curse directly, the question was whether he would still be a Vampire at that time.
That was why it was better to create Secondary Sparks and develop his attributes and Soul Strength to better resist these curses instead of trying to undo the curses themselves.
Focusing on his practice, the night passed in a flash and Ikaris opened his eyes with a sharp look on his face when he sensed the Black Fog and the abominations lurking inside receding into the distance.
Gurgle...
Ending his I Am Me Spell, Ikaris immediately heard his stomach growl and a mixture of hunger and thirst took over his mind. As he licked his lips, he realized that they were dry and parched, just like his tongue.
He also felt weaker. Not weaker than the day before, but certainly not as strong as before his parting with Malia and Ellie.
Thinking of something, he threw a glance at his status and noticed that his Blood Energy had dropped to 4/10.
'I've only been a Vampire for 6 or 7 hours...' Ikaris broke out in a cold sweat as he did a quick calculation.
His Blood Energy was burning up faster than he expected. This was going to cause some trouble. Remembering how Malia got her fix of animal blood, he slipped on his shoes and ran into the kitchen.
Malia and Ellie weren't up yet, probably because of last night's frantic twists and turns, so he didn't need to worry about his table manners. Slamming open the cupboard where the food was kept, he pulled out a huge piece of bloody Rank 4 meat and chomped into it ferociously.
While committing this act, the teenager was not aware of it but his eyes were glowing like two bright crimson jewels, while his canines had lengthened and sharpened to form two long fangs. Compared to Malia, his fangs were longer and thicker and he could stretch open his jaw much more. A perk from his Dire Black Werewolf Bloodline.
The fresh meat appealed to his Crawling and Werewolf instincts, but his overwhelming thirst for blood was only marginally quenched. Even after sucking all the blood out of the meat, he found that his Blood Energy level plateaued at 4.5/10.
To make sure it wasn't just a matter of quantity, he wolfed down two more pieces of meat weighing about 5 kilograms each, but his Blood Energy level remained at 4.6/10. That wasn't enough to take advantage of the Rank Bonus.
"It seems that Malia didn't exaggerate." Ikaris sighed aloud while suppressing a retch. "Animal blood, even from a Rank 4 Magical Beast is hardly satiating for a Vampire in addition to being barely edible. This taste is what vinegar is to wine I reckon... It's enough to keep me from starving, but it keeps me in a sub-optimal state."
With Magnus' existence no longer a secret in this house, the boy was no longer afraid that his monologues would be misinterpreted as a sign of schizophrenia, and so he could afford to speak his mind. Of course, the old Vampire was only a soul remnant, so he could only answer him telepathically.
"I warned you." Magnus snickered in his head. "If this is the satiety that the blood of a Rank 4 Magical Beast gives you, imagine what it's like to drink the blood of an ordinary beast like chicken blood. If you can finish a drink without throwing up, you'll have my respect. Malia is more disciplined and headstrong than she looks for resisting her urges all this time."
"But my Blood Energy levels are dropping too fast." Ikaris argued with trepidation. "At 4.6/10, my batteries will be depleted in four or five hours if it follows the same pattern."
"That's why most civilized Vampires, even the less gifted ones, create an Energy Conversion Spark." The old Archmagus enlightened him. "The most rudimentary one is within everyone's reach and converts your Stamina into Blood Energy with a horrendous output at first. As your Bloodmancy improves you will also be able to extract more energy from the blood you ingest. However, as your Bloodline progresses, non-human blood will become less and less satiating until it becomes totally ineffective. A Spark can solve this issue, but I don't recommend it."
As Magnus finished briefing him, the door to the two girls' room slid open and a drowsy Ellie breezed into the living room in her nightie, rubbing her eyes. Upon seeing Ikaris she was startled, letting out a frightened cry.
"Oh my god, you almost scared me to death..." the blonde student complained as she patted her pounding heart below her plump chest.
As soon as she entered the room, Ikaris had fallen silent, even ceasing to breathe. His mouth was slightly open, his sharp canines visible, and his red eyes were glued to the young woman's carotid artery. When she received no response from the boy, Ellie sensed something was wrong and turned her head toward him.
Her body froze as she saw his demonic face. She felt like a rabbit cornered by a wolf. Subconsciously she swallowed and prepared to escape, but after a few excruciating seconds Ikaris looked away, his expression back to normal.
"Sorry, I still have to get used to some of the side effects." He immediately apologized, quickly explaining his plight.
Being around Malia all this time, Ellie had never realized that being a Vampire could be so taxing and it changed her perspective of her Dhampir friend.
"Erm, you know... If you really need it I don't mind you drinking some of my blood." She bravely offered in an inaudible voice, while fidgeting with her hands.
Ikaris was taken aback, but he did not immediately refuse her proposal, considering it seriously. Unlike Malia, his morals were more flexible and maintaining his full fighting strength was essential to accomplish his goals and stay alive.
Especially since today he would be returning to Tartarus Shade for the first time in 9 days and there was no room for an accident.