David lay at her feet, a grotesque reminder of this cheerful little sadist’s power. Ace’s jaw clenched, his new vampire instincts screaming at him to get the hell out of here even as the Marine in him knew it wasn’t possible. Victor remained unnaturally still at the edge of the group, while the others had begun backing away with glacial slowness, as if sudden movement might draw the little demon’s attention.
The System studied the heart for a moment longer, poking at the ventricles with childish interest, then carelessly tossed it aside like a kid discarding a broken toy. It hit the ground with a dull thud and rolled to a stop in a patch of blood-red grass.
“Disappointing,” she mused, licking the blood from her fingers with disturbing casualness. “No worries. He was boring anyway.”
“You sick… you sick little…” Rachel’s face paled, and she crumpled to one knee as she heaved into the grass. She tried and failed to stand, only to vomit again onto her blood-stained shoes.
“Pop quiz!” the System announced. “What happens when you defy me? David just demonstrated beautifully.”
Ace caught Tara’s eye. Even combat medicine couldn’t help David now. The others went statue-still, their earlier panic crystallizing into something darker. Colder.
Victor, however, crossed his arms as a slight smirk played at the corners of his mouth. There was a hint of pride in his stance, almost, or perhaps professional appreciation for how efficiently the floating girl had made her point. One moment of resistance, and David had simply... come apart.
Defiance had a price, and the System evidently loved making examples of those who disobeyed.
“Anyone else feeling civilized?” The System’s voice was sweet as honey, but her eyes promised pain. “No? Wonderful! You only get one more chance, my precious little monsters. When you die here, you die for good, and every ounce of your power and energy becomes mine.”
Ace frowned, something clicking into place for him with that confession. Maybe that was why she had called them here—to feed on them all.
Through his disgust at this demented goddess, and through his burning hunger, Ace refused to lose himself in his dread. He logged every detail. Every potential threat and ally.
Old habits die hard.
Unlike David.
“One more thing before we stafrt our game,” the floating girl said with a wicked little grin. “There’s a little event I’ve pulled together to get you properly acquainted with this wild new world. Let’s take a look together!”
A flash of light ignited in front of each of those she had summoned, and Ace raised one hand to shield his eyes as another screen popped to life in front of him.
———
CRUCIBLE SUMMONS:
Deep within the ever-shifting halls of Darkmoor’s Crucible lies the Evolutionary Keystone, an artifact of incalculable value.
TERMS OF THE SUMMONS:
- New heroes only.
- Only one hero can win.
- The winner will receive an exclusive title.
- Death within the Crucible is permanent [NO SYSTEM RESURRECTION]
WARNING: Darkmoor’s Crucible studies those who enter its domain. It will test you according to your deepest evolutionary potential—not as you are, but as what you might become.
———
The message on the screen hung in the air, its text pulsing like a fresh wound. Ace stared at it, his newly heightened senses picking up the immediate change in the two dragon shifters’ heartbeats—a sharp contrast to his own lack of a pulse.
Oddly enough, he felt calm. Clear-headed. Even as the deafening silence hung in the air, his mind raced with options.
No matter which way he looked at it, though, this was probably not going to turn out well for any of them.
"What the actual fuck is this?" Marcus asked. "You want us to run into some kind of magical death maze?"
The System twirled in mid-air. She settled into a seated position, as if she were sitting on an invisible swing, and her legs kicked childishly from her perch. "It's not just any death maze, silly! It's a murder labyrinth where you all get to face a bunch of beasties to prove who's the most worthy vampire!"
"This is insane," Rachel said, her voice trembling with a blend of terror and indignation. "You're telling us we have to go into a death trap for your entertainment?"
"I prefer to think of it as 'competitive elimination'," the System replied with a wink. "Gotta weed out the weak ones, after all. And that just sounds more professional, don't you think?"
“What exactly are we supposed to do?” Victor asked with a scoff. “Waltz in with no experience and punch things?”
“Of course not, silly goose,” the System replied. You have to be Level10 to even enter, so you’ll have plenty of time to learn how to fight things.” She paused and drummed her finger lightly on her lips. “Unless you die first, that is.”
“What a relief,” Ace said dryly.
“It is!” the floating girl said cheerfully, apparently missing the sarcasm. “Now, once you reach Level10, I can give you more information on how to get into the crypt where the Crucible is held. Who plans to reach that first? Hands, anyone? Nobody?”
When no one raised their hand, she pouted.
“Spoilsports,” she muttered with an indignant little huff. “Anyway, you’ll have to Levelfar beyond Level10 to survive what’s waiting for you in the Crucible.”
Marcus ran one hand through his hair, his whole body trembling. "The message mentioned 'evolutionary potential.' What exactly does that mean?"
"That’s quite obvious, don’t you think?" the System asked. "It means the Crucible sees what you might become, not just what you are. Fascinating, really. Some of you have such delicious darkness lurking inside."
Tara crossed her arms, strangely calm despite the chaos. "And this 'exclusive title' for the winner—what’s that? What are titles?"
"Asking the tactical questions! I like that." The System blew Tara a mocking kiss. "Titles in this world are power—real, tangible power. They're like permanent buffs with bonus abilities. Very valuable. Very rare."
If you spot this narrative on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.
"And absolutely not worth entering a death pit to get," Olivia interjected, her voice soft and sultry. "There has to be another way."
Victor barked out a laugh. "Wake up. We're vampires now. In a world with a psychotic child goddess." He gestured at the System, who curtseyed in response. "The rules have changed."
"How would we even navigate this Crucible?" Marcus asked. "We know nothing about this world, its dangers, its... its physics, for lack of a better term."
"That's part of the fun!" the System exclaimed, clapping her hands together. "Watching you stumble around, figuring things out. Very entertaining."
Instead of joining in the panicked fray, Ace kept his mouth shut and took the opportunity to assess those around him. Their reactions told him more than they realized—Rachel's terror, Victor's cold calculation, Tara's level-headed responses, Olivia's quiet nature, Marcus's rising panic in a world where murder and death reigned supreme.
"I'm a C-Level executive," Rachel said, her voice cracking. "I've never even been in a fight. How am I supposed to survive this?"
"Perhaps that's the point," Olivia replied softly. "Not all of us are supposed to survive."
"Bingo!" the System pointed at her. "Give the museum curator a gold star!"
"This is barbaric!" Olivia said. "We were people with lives, families—"
"‘Were’ is the operative word," the System interrupted. "Past tense. Now, you're vampires in my world. New game, new rules, new hellscape. Right, Sergeant Grumpy Pants?"
In that instant, everyone pivoted toward Ace, and he suppressed an irritated groan at the floating girl’s antics.
Rachel’s eyes widened with desperation. "What do we do, Ace? You've been in combat situations, right? There must be a way out of this."
Before he could answer, the System's giddy laugh bubbled through the air. "Oh, you sweet summer child. The Crucible is filled with all sorts of nasty things that want to eat baby vampires like you. Stand around holding hands and singing kumbaya if you want—you'll still end up dead."
"What kind of 'nasty things'?" Tara asked sharply.
"Spoilers!" The System clicked her tongue in mock disappointment. "But I'll give you a hint: I'd suggest getting comfortable with the dark."
Marcus rubbed his temples, apparently lost in thought. “But what if—”
"Question and answer time is over," the System interrupted, floating higher. "You've got preparations to make, alliances to form—or not, I don’t care—and existential crises to drown in. You’re going to be quite the busy bees!"
Ace’s voice cut through the panic like a combat knife. "What's the real point of this Crucible?"
The System paused, regarding him with sudden intensity. "What makes you think there's more to it than my entertainment?"
"Everything has an objective," Ace replied dryly. "Even sadistic games designed by self-proclaimed gods."
For a moment, something flickered in the System's eyes—something almost like respect. "Clever Marine. Maybe you'll live long enough to find out. After all, I have a hunch that you all will be my best batch of summoned heroes to date."
"Heroes," Tara repeated with bitter emphasis. "Is that what we are to you?"
"Well, 'expendable pawns in a cosmic game whose rules you couldn't possibly comprehend' is a bit wordy for the marketing materials," the System replied cheerfully. “So, yes. Heroes it is.”
"That's monstrous," Rachel whispered.
"That's survival," the System corrected. "And it's going to be a spectacular show."
A lull settled among the summoned heroes, as she had called them, and the gathered civilians stared at her in dumbfounded horror. Only Ace and Victor maintained their composure, and Ace cast a sidelong glance at the man to size him up.
This man would either be the best possible ally or the biggest pain in the ass.
Ace couldn’t tell yet.
“Now, enough nonsense and panic,” the System said with a chipper edge to her voice. “Everything is finally ready for you. We have so much violence to commit together! Have fun in the arena, my darlings. It’s your first trial of many.”
“Wait,” Ace said. “What arena—”
Before he could finish his thought, the System raised her blood-covered hand, and reality twisted before Ace’s eyes.
Darkness slammed down on them all with the force of a bullet. The forest’s crisp air vanished, replaced by dank moss sprawling across ancient stone. In the sudden darkness, his newly enhanced vision adjusted instantly. Rough-hewn tunnel walls stretched into the pitch-black void, the stone wet with something that wasn’t water.
Blood.
Old blood.
Lots of it.
He could taste it on the air. It coated the walls like a sickening mural, clotted and clinging to the lichen along the stone. Whosever blood that was, the way it all clustered in clumps on the rock made the sergeant’s new predatory instincts sing.
His ravenous hunger disgusted him.
Though he instantly got his composure, the others weren’t as lucky. Their bodies stumbled through the shadows with unnatural silence—no screams, no whispers, just the soft scrape of boots against stone as they fought to regain their footing.
Marcus let out a strangled curse, his deep baritone shrill with panic, the sound bouncing off walls. Rachel’s shoulder hit the stone with a soft impact followed by a hiss of pain. Tara stood tall, her breathing rapid but her body otherwise still. A heady scent, a blend of coffee and gunpowder, radiated from her like twisted perfume, and Ace couldn’t help but wonder how she had died.
The tunnel seemed to drink in their presence, heavy with the weight of death. Only the two dragon shifters had heartbeats, their thudding panic loud as they caught their breath. The vampires were deadly silent, save for the soft gasps of surprise amidst the steady drip of ancient blood somewhere in the dark.
With a deafening rush, the roar of a crowd echoed down the tunnel from somewhere ahead. Not quite animal, not quite human. More shouts joined it, a chorus of bloodlust and rage that vibrated through the stone.
This couldn’t be good.
“Welcome to the Proving Grounds!” The System’s voice came from everywhere and nowhere, bouncing off the walls like demented wind chimes. “In this arena, baby monsters fight to the death to earn their place in this world! Are you ready for bloodshed, my darlings?”
The roar grew louder.
“A bit of advice, Sergeant,” the System whispered in his ear. “This is a popular spot for guild scouts, so be sure to put on a show.”
His head whipped around, but there was nothing floating in the air behind him. The term “guild scout” didn’t mean much to him, and he was more focused on the sensation of her eyes on his back anyway. This twisted child could be anywhere at any moment, and that didn’t bode well for him or his new team.
She had asked for a show, and this must’ve been the first true test in her little game.
Fine.
If she wanted bloodshed, he would give it to her.
Ace pressed his back against the cold stone, automatically scanning for defensive positions. The tunnel was wide enough for three abreast, curved just enough to prevent line of sight beyond fifty meters. The way the roar echoed off the walls suggested a larger space ahead. Multiple hostiles. Unknown capabilities.
Around him, the others’ panic built to a crescendo. Tara held herself tightly, muttering under her breath. The CEO—Rachel—curled up in a ball and rested her back against the uneven stone. She dug her nails into her knees, sharp enough to draw blood. Olivia, meanwhile, watched the darkness where the roars of the crowd were coming from. Judging by her thousand-yard stare, she was evidently lost in her shock.
“The rules are quite simple,” the System continued, her giggles mixing with the distant roars. “Acquire a class. You do this by killing something. Anything! The stronger your prey, the better your class. Think of it as makeshift career counseling!”
The hunger that had been gnawing at Ace’s gut sharpened. His senses raged, scanning desperately for something he could eat, but only his fellow vampires and the two dragon shifters were within reach. He could smell their fear, their sweat, the blood just beneath their skin.
Fuck.
No.
He had to focus. He wouldn’t kill his own teammates, no matter how bad his hunger got. They had to rely on each other to survive this, and he wouldn’t lose what humanity he had left.
Another chorus of voices echoed through the tunnel, closer now. The stone under his feet rumbled with the thunder of ten thousand boots slamming against the ground. Rachel stepped forward, a numbness settling over her expression. She took another step, as if in a trance.
“Did I mention there’s a time limit for this little challenge, too?” The System’s voice dripped with false concern. “Those lovely voices? They’re waiting for you! Isn’t making new friends fun?”
Deep down, Ace knew the only way out of this was through it—and getting through it meant spilling blood.
“I. Need. To. EAT!” Rachel’s scream turned into something feral.
In his periphery, she jumped. He spun in time to see her launch at the feminine dragon shifter, the former CEO’s face twisting into something inhuman. The hunger Ace had been fighting this whole damn time had finally broken Rachel.
Her bloodlust was a nearly tangible scent as it rolled off of her. The shifter barely had time to raise her hands before Rachel’s fangs ripped out her throat. Dark blue blood gushed in bursts from the deep gash, and Rachel only dug her teeth in deeper. The ribbons of sputtering blood spread across the vampire’s face in thick rivers.
“Rachel, stop!” Tara’s voice cracked as she reached for them both.
“NO!” The other dragon shifter screamed.
On instinct, Ace rushed toward the dragon shifter just as Rachel grabbed the shifter’s neck. Rachel’s nails dug deep into scaled skin, and blood bubbled from beneath her fingertips.
But he was too late.