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Vampires.
Among the many races that inhabited the vast fictional universe of Genesis Saga, vampires ranked among the most ancient and powerful bloodlines in existence.
According to the extensive in-game lore that Brunhild had thoroughly studied in her previous life as an obsessed gamer, these beings originated from ancient demons born from the First Demon King eons ago. They were part of the very first "Demon Races" created from the remains of the First Demon King after his defeat at the hands of the invading Ancient Gods.
The Demon King had originally been birthed by the Planet's Core as a final defense mechanism to protect the world from those same Ancient Gods. Although the First Demon King ultimately perished, he inflicted severe damage on the invaders, forcing a long and brutal stalemate that lasted for millions of years.
Because he had been such an enormous lifeform, his massive corpse gave birth to the Demon King Continent itself. From his bones, blood, flesh, and lingering miasma, several new living beings emerged. These were the first intelligent lifeforms on the planet aside from the Ancient Spirit Race.
The Seven Vampire True Ancestors were born directly from the First Demon King's blood. Each one carried a fragment of his Demonic Authority over Blood, and in time, every ancestor established their own powerful family line.
While the True Vampire Ancestors themselves were not considered undead, their descendants, who were born through the act of drinking their blood and thus possessed a lesser bloodline, grew even closer to the realm of death. Over time, their powers evolved into a curse, granting them incredible strength at the steep cost of a debilitating weakness to sunlight.
True Vampire Ancestors could reproduce naturally and bear live children with one another. However, as countless eons passed, their descendants increasingly preferred the simpler method of sharing their blood and infecting members of other races, converting them into Lesser Blood.
In the game Barbarian Conquest, the Lesser Blood had spread across the Northern Ice Lands, a frozen realm where the sky remained forever cloudy and winter reigned without end. Sunlight was faint and rare in this harsh environment, allowing these overlords to rule over the three remaining vampire houses on the continent.
Among the selectable factions in the game, however, vampires were not directly available. Barbarian Conquest focused strictly on choosing barbarian factions. Players could select non-human races such as Orcs, Goblins, or Ice Trolls, but no vampire-inclusive barbarian faction existed.
Still, enemy factions and recruitable units from the Vampire Faction could appear during campaigns. The Vampire Faction was divided into three distinct Houses.
House Belladonna specialized in seduction, illusion, brainwashing, and dream weaving. They were elusive and incredibly dangerous, though relatively rare. They also loved traveling more than the other houses.
House Nosferatu stood among the most ancient bloodlines still in existence and reigned as masters of necromancy. They excelled in undead arts, death magic, and the control of souls and phantasmal energies. Pure-blooded members were few, but they compensated by raising vast armies of millions of undead servants.
House Morpheus was known for their durable, nearly indestructible bodies and their mastery of weapon techniques and blood arts. They commanded the Sanguine Knight Order and ruled the largest empire in the Northern Ice Lands. By far the strongest of the three houses, they thrived thanks to their large population and highly militaristic society.
Each house specialized in unique abilities inherited from the Seven True Vampire Ancestors. All of them could transform ordinary living beings into Dhampir, lesser vampires who existed between life and death, neither fully alive nor completely dead.
These Dhampir stood far superior to the Blood Thralls, which were mere undead raised from the cursed corpses of victims completely drained of blood. Blood Thralls obeyed their masters' every command, forever enslaved to their will.
Dhampir, however, retained a spark of intelligence. If the original vessel had already been strong and sharp-minded before the transformation, the results were even more impressive.
CLASH!
They received massive upgrades in stats, skills, and cognitive abilities.
"Hehehe…! Keshiakaaaaa!"
But above all else, their regeneration abilities became the most frustrating aspect of fighting them. These powers were amplified to such an extent that many considered Dhampir nearly immortal.
"Damn it, it keeps regenerating!"
"Is this thing an immortal being?! How?! You blasted half its head off, and it regrew?!" Ragnar shouted while dodging a barrage of giant icicles hurtling his way.
"Be careful and stay away from that thing!" Brunhild warned sharply. "It's a Dhampir, a terrifying creature that regenerates endlessly. It even has the ability to survive with just one hit point remaining even after you think you've killed it!"
"What?!" Magnus exclaimed in disbelief. "What do you mean one HP— Aahh!"
Magnus panicked and stepped back as the Dhampir suddenly turned its attention toward him. The ice elf laughed maniacally, infusing his knives with blood energy before slashing the air. Dozens of long-ranged blood slashes tore forward.
"Damn it!"
Magnus rolled across the snow with pure animalistic instinct and narrowly avoided the attacks. He then spun around and unleashed a blazing shockwave from his prosthetic leg directly at the elf.
BOOOM!
The elf was blasted backward, smashing into a tree before being impaled by its sharp branches. This was their chance.
"Now! Crush that thing! Smash it into pulp!" Brunhild commanded.
The whole family roared in unison as they charged the creature or attacked from a distance. Ulf and Kara's attacks struck first. Two blazing arrows pierced the ice elf's chest and head, detonating on impact.
BOOOM! BOOOM!
The explosions engulfed the monster's body in flames, but a wave of frost quickly dispersed the fire. The ice elf tore its own body open to free itself from the impaling branches.
Then Ragnar appeared, swinging his blazing axe with the force of an ox. Frigga followed right behind with her sword, beheading the ice elf and sending its head flying.
Even while headless, the creature continued moving. Blood poured from its neck and exploded into a crimson mist that made everyone nearby cough violently in pain.
"Cough, cough…!"
"Ack! W-What is this?! My throat burns! Aaggh!"
"Blood Mist!" Brunhild cried out in panic.
Blood Mist was one of the most basic Dhampir abilities. It allowed the user to turn their own blood into a noxious, poisonous vapor that burned the body, weakened enemies, and inflicted deadly poison. When infused with a particular bloodline's power, it could also cause terrifying hallucinations that confused those exposed to it.
"Keukaaaaahhhh!"
The Ice Elf roared furiously. An ice claw surged from a magic circle and struck both Frigga and Ragnar at the same time. Their armor shattered, and they suffered heavy, deep wounds across the muscles of their chests.
Both warriors were sent flying, crashing into the snow. Frigga struck her head hard against a tree and passed out instantly.
"Mom!!!" Astrid screamed, panicking as she ran toward Frigga.
"Brunhild, what the hell is that thing?! How is it so damn strong?! We already beheaded it! How is it not dead yet?!" Magnus shouted while he and Brunhild clashed fiercely against the rampaging ice elf.
"Kuahahahahaha!"
The elf laughed wildly as he opened his mouth and absorbed the blood lingering in the air. His body grew stronger, his aura surging violently. Thousands of sharp red ice needles formed and shot toward the two siblings, piercing their bodies.
"Nnnggh!"
"It's a Dhampir, I told you! Damn it… Is Mom okay?!"
"She's fine but she passed out!" Astrid called back.
"Protect her!" Brunhild ordered, her aura flaring powerfully. "Bro, cover my back!"
"Got it!" Magnus replied. Knowing they had no other choice, the siblings charged at the ice elf once more.
"RAAAAHHHH!"
They transformed, channeling the full power of their bloodlines and tattoos. Brunhild's form shifted as she gained red scales and golden feathers made of flames across her body.
She delivered a powerful kick to the ice elf's head, smashing it down into the ground. The snow below instantly melted into vapor, creating a violent explosion of pressure that formed a ten-meter-deep crater.
CRAAASH!
"Kaaaaaggh!"
The ice elf groaned in agony. Its head was almost completely destroyed, brains exposed, yet tiny tendrils of blood and flesh sprouted rapidly and began reattaching everything.
"This one's particularly tough. It must have drunk all the blood from its brothers!" Brunhild shouted. "Bro, keep it pinned down!"
"Yeah!" Magnus roared. He channeled Scaly's powers through their bond, growing sharp scales, claws, and wings. He used every ounce of his strength to hold the creature in place while Brunhild swung her axe downward, crushing the ice elf's head and torso.
"KUAAAH!"
The monster still fought back desperately. Blood Mist filled the air, forcing them to cough, but they refused to yield. Icicle spears rained down, yet Sigrid conjured powerful Ice Barriers to block them. She then appeared from above, raining ice flames and bombarding the elf relentlessly.
"Kill it!" she yelled.
Ulf and Kara rushed in from the sides and fired two precise arrows, blowing apart the ice elf's kicking legs and finally easing the pressure on Magnus, whose nose was now bleeding after taking several brutal hits.
"Where is it?! It's… Here!"
Brunhild's claws dug deep into the creature as her flames burned everything in their path. She tore out a giant crystal from the monster's torso and shattered it completely.
Their Blood Core.
CRASH!
The moment the Blood Core shattered, the body stopped moving entirely. All regeneration halted at once. Magnus stomped down hard on the monster's head, splattering it into the snow.
At long last, the creature stopped moving.
A large soul slowly leaked from the shattered Blood Core, giving Brunhild deeper insight into exactly how these Dhampir functioned.
"These damn cores are the reason they cannot die so easily…" she sighed heavily. "Ah, right! How's Mom doing?!"
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