Reborn as a Vampire in a Dying World: Blood, Power, and Pleasure
Chapter 42: Strike the Bloodline

Chapter 42: Strike the Bloodline

They both spotted Irsted and Trish in the same alley where they’d met the night before. The two stood near the mouth of the street, quietly exchanging words with an informant.

The informant was dressed in tattered layers, hood drawn low, blending perfectly with the usual homeless drifters that loitered in this part of Underzen.

Perfect cover for anything shady.

Corven and Rose waited a beat until the informant disappeared down the street before stepping forward.

"Hey," Corven said casually. "What’s the job this time?"

Irsted’s canine ears gave a twitch. He looked over his shoulder, nodding. "You two got here quick. Good. Saves us some time."

He gestured toward Trish. "Go ahead. Your turn."

Without a word, Trish stepped forward and handed them a rolled parchment. Corven took it, unrolling it halfway to see a detailed floor plan. It included guard rotations, marked blind spots, patrol routes—even notes on hidden or unguarded entry points.

"Our objective is to extract the heir from Clan Heist," Trish said, her tone clipped and direct. "The local clans have started making moves. Yesterday’s mess was just the start. Things are heating up fast."

Corven’s eyes narrowed as he skimmed the map. He tilted it so Rose could view it too.

"Looks like a serious job. Are you two really allowed to just hand this over to us?"

Irsted chuckled, folding his arms over his chest. "You’re exactly the ones we can hand it to. You don’t belong to any faction yet. No ties. That makes you useful. And trustworthy."

Corven smiled at that, rolling the map up and handing it back to Trish. His bone rapier clinked lightly at his hip as he moved.

"Then we’ll handle it."

"Hopefully we’re enough," Rose added, expression firm.

Irsted nodded once and turned on his heel, leading the way.

The four of them slipped through the less trafficked alleys of Underzen, avoiding major routes and staying in the shadows as much as they could.

Of course, that didn’t mean they went unnoticed. Underzen was layered with eyes—lurking in windows, behind crates, around corners. Observers were everywhere. Avoiding attention down here was like trying to walk through fog without getting wet.

Corven knew that. They all did. This was just to delay being noticed, not avoid it entirely.

It wasn’t long before they reached the mission site—a walled compound that matched the map’s layout. The four crouched low in a side alley, just out of sight, planning their approach.

Irsted let out a sharp breath. "Welcome to our personal little hell for the day."

He unsheathed his greatsword—this time lined with silver along the blade’s edge. A serious upgrade from the night before.

"What’s the plan?" Corven asked, gripping the handle of his bone rapier instinctively.

"I’ll draw attention at the front while you three go in through the side. I’m too big to sneak in without getting noticed anyway," Irsted said with a grin.

Rose raised a skeptical eyebrow, her hand tense. "You versus what, a hundred guards? Are you sure you can hold out?"

Irsted ruffled her hair, treating the concern like a joke. "I’m not just some brute. I’ve done this before. Trish will lead the way—just make sure she stays alive."

With that, Irsted stepped out of the alley, his massive blade resting against his shoulder.

He didn’t waste time.

"Hey!"

His voice echoed down the street, slurred and uneven as he stumbled forward like a drunkard.

The idea was simple: act like a loud, obnoxious drunk to draw attention. In a place like this, that kind of behavior wouldn’t raise alarms—it was normal. Especially near the compounds, where fights broke out almost daily over spilled drinks or stolen blood.

At the front gate stood two vampire guards, looking half-bored until Irsted stumbled closer.

The compound itself was as big as a mid-sized dormitory, the central structure alone holding over fifty rooms, if the map was accurate.

"When do we move?" Corven asked quietly, body tensed, ready to sprint at a moment’s notice.

"Just wait..." Trish whispered. "We’ll move in a few more seconds."

Right on cue—

SLASH.

Irsted’s blade cleaved clean through one guard’s neck, decapitating him instantly.

"The hell!?" the second guard shouted, summoning a weapon with a bloody hiss. A sword appeared in his hand just as he lunged toward Irsted.

CLANG.

Irsted blocked it with one hand and followed up with another clean strike.

SLASH.

Another head fell to the ground.

The silver lining on his blade did its job—no regeneration this time. These kills were permanent.

It didn’t take long for the rest of the compound to react. More guards rushed out from the building—armed, armored, and no longer half-asleep.

Chaos erupted fast.

Corven glanced at Trish again. "Now?"

"Almost..."

The ground trembled.

Irsted let out a guttural, bloodthirsty howl—his eyes glowing with unnatural red light. His whole body shifted slightly, posture unhinged and wild like something high on shrooms and blood.

BOOM.

He stomped down hard, cracking the stone under his feet in a spiderweb pattern. The shockwave knocked the guards off balance, giving him even more room to work with.

"Now!" Trish hissed, already taking off.

Corven and Rose didn’t hesitate. They followed immediately, keeping low and fast.

All three of them darted around the side of the compound—where the guards had now thinned out, all of them drawn to the storm at the front gate.

The mission had officially begun.