Chapter 5 The Burial Mound

The darkness surrounded me as I walked through the lake, I walked slow and quiet, while nothing appeared on my map I was taking no chances. To be honest the sight of those Vampires ripping through the camp of Rattacans had left a strong impression on me. These were not little sugar puff vampires that glittered in the sun, these were killers who had abilities that I had not heard of before.

I approached the tunnel leading up to the cavern and eventually to the outside world. I would be glad to get the heck out of here, even if I could see in the dark, everything was grayed out, there is no color with night vision. I also was beginning to feel a bit trapped, illogical but the constant darkness and the mountain overhead was taking a toll. I continued on and finally reached the surface, taking in deep lungsful of fresh air I noted the time. It was approaching evening, it was easy to lose track of time underground. I began to make my way down the slope of scree and onto the barren fields.

I had left a waypoint on my map which corresponded to where I had seen the burial mound. I was very curious as to what the ruins were, they looked like burial mounds from pictures I had seen but they could be anything. I was on the alert as I made my way through the barren fields, but nothing appeared, and eventually I arrived at the spot on my map I had marked, I was close, about forty yards off was the structure. I began to circle it as I drew closer. It stood about ten feet tall and was about twelve feet across. The stones it was built from were cracked and aged, it had been built long long ago.

Once I was at the structure I continued to go around it looking for a doorway or any sign of a buried ramp that led to a lower level. Unfortunately, there was nothing to see, it was frustrating but a good reminder that not all things come easy in the game. I had been lucky so far, but luck is a fickle lady who quickly turns her attention to others leaving you alone. So here I am alone in the middle of the barren fields without a clue on how to proceed with getting into this stone structure. Bending down I once again circle the building, this time I notice that one of the stones has a deep crack running across the face. The stone is thirty-six inches wide and twenty-four high.

Grabbing my water bottle I dribble water into the crack then I grab several handfuls of grass and stuff them in. I repeat the process pushing the wet mass further into the crack till it will go no more. I then cast Icy Blast directly into the crack, it takes thirty mana for the spell and has a one second cast time. I repeat the process over and over until the rock is covered in ice and I am out of mana. On my last attempt, the rock cracks into five smaller pieces. I sit back and let my mana recharge after a couple of minutes it is topped back up.

Reaching out I grab the smallest chunk of rock and begin the slow process of wiggling it out. This takes a while and by the time I have all the rocks removed night has fallen. My look into the chamber had shown that there were several items visible, but to see what they were would require entry through the hole I had made. Pushing my arms ahead of my body I wiggled into the small hole. It was a tight fit and I had a moment of doubt, but with some effort given and skin lost I made it.

Once I dropped into the chamber I began to cough, I had stirred up a fair amount of dust that had settled over the centuries. Once I managed to stop coughing I turned around began to look at the chamber. Maybe that was my mistake, I should have not looked around, but who can tell the future. As my gaze swept the room I saw what appeared to be a stone statue of a man, judging by his armor and gear a warrior. I did not have a lot of time to evaluate who he was or what kind of gear he had on because in a blink of an eye he attacked.

I would like to say that I pulled my daggers out and defeated him or that I managed to think out a clever ploy to escape him, but I didn’t. I took one hit and was thrown against the far wall, I could feel my bones breaking and my breathing suddenly became very difficult. I gazed up at the man as he walked towards me, and I knew this was it, the end, I would respawn at the starter zone. Feeling resigned to my fate I still wanted to let this creature know that I was not going out with a whimper. I raised my right hand and slowly extended my finger in the universal salute.

The manlike creature stopped and for a moment and stared at me then with a snarl on his face he advanced, I guess it really is a universal symbol, I thought as I prepared myself for the end. As I saw the creature raise his arm there was a blur of shadows and a loud crack, and suddenly the manlike thing was no longer in front of me. What now stood in front of me was a girl, maybe seventeen years old with pure white skin, dark wavy hair and a figure that I had fantasized about as an adolescent.

It was clear that she was an angel of some kind, who had been tasked with keeping an eye on me. I managed to smile past my pain and wave my hand at her, she smiled back at me and I knew I was fucked. Her teeth were perfect including the Vampire fangs that were clearly visible. My plans were not going the way I hoped. My sight was beginning to tunnel, and I was fading fast but I could still see the girl slit her wrist with a finger nail and then I felt her push her wrist against my lips. I tried to pull back but had no strength and as the blood pooled into my mouth I involuntarily swallowed a mouthful.

It should have been a bad experience the taste and sensation of drinking blood like that but it tasted of cinnamon and cherries and it immediately took the edge off the pain I was feeling. I looked at the girl and heard her say, “Drink more, my blood will heal you.” She pushed her wrist against my mouth and I sat there drinking in her blood with every pulse of her heart. After several minutes, she pulled her wrist away and then spoke once again.

“Young mortal, I have saved you from death, but there is always a cost, if I were to have drank your blood first and then had you drink mine you would have become a Vampire. However, I have allowed you to drink my blood, untainted and pure, to heal you. This will cause a change in you, but have no fear you will not be turned into a Vampire but you will not be a mere human.” She looked sad as she spoke and I had a bad feeling but then her words sunk in.

I interrupted her at this point and said, “I won’t be a Vampire?” seeing her shake her head I felt a sense of relief, I really did not want to go around twinkling in the sunlight. I knew I was losing it as a sudden wave of pain arose from within me, and I could tell that this pain felt different, I felt like I was being pulled into tiny parts. The girl looked down at me and then said, “The little death, soon you will sleep and when you awaken you will be changed. I will see you again Anon.” With that, I faded away, and when I awoke I was in my house, the VRGC had punted me out of the game as I had exceeded my time allotment. I reached my arms out and hit the exit button, with a hiss the lid began to open, letting in the light of day. I slowly stretched out then took off my helmet and climbed out of the pod, I had to go to the bathroom. I had been in the game for twelve hours and I needed to piss like a racehorse. Once I was done at the toilet I stared at my reflection in the mirror, I looked the same, but my eyes had a wary look to them. Getting almost killed by some kind of monster will do that, I thought. I turned around and started the hot water in the shower, it always took longer to heat up than the sink’s faucet. Once the steam was starting to appear I dropped my undies and climbed into the shower.

I took my time scrubbing and somehow was not surprised to find that my ribs, arms and back were a little sore, that was where I had been injured. I had read that there would be a little crossover, the mind was powerful and the input of data was so strong and life like in the VRGC that people could expect to feel ghost sensations, the experts hired by the gaming manufacturer assured everyone that it was a minor thing and any sensations would fade within minutes of exiting the game.

Once done my shower I put on a pair of sweats, Walmart specials. I loved them, cheap, comfortable and warm. They helped to keep me warm as I kept the heat down in my house, it was a tiny house about 640 square feet, I had managed to reinsulate it and then put in an energy efficient furnace. Still, the windows and the roof needed to be replaced, the triple pane thermal windows cost a huge amount and I really wanted to buy the new solar shingles that Elon Musk’s Tesla power company sold. With the advanced tech in solar products his company had developed I could cut my energy cost almost in half once I managed to get three of his Tesla Powerwalls. These are the lithium-ion electric battery for homes. You hang them on the house wall and wire them in and boom, power. The cost was the problem, they were not cheap.

Nothing is cheap in the modern world, and the cost keeps going up. I was lucky that I could be self-supporting, while I would not be getting rich I made enough to live a simple and comfortable life. I had a small inheritance, which I had reinvested with some wise advice and had done all right at least up to this point. I also had a private business, I detailed cars, my back yard had a two-car garage and enough room to park three or four other vehicles there, I had taken the time and spent the money to plant a lot of perennials and flowers in the back, and had even put in a couple of those little park benches you can purchase. Then I painted the garage inside and out and made it look as best I could.

It had taken a couple of tight years to actually grow the business, and I had made some mistakes, but people appreciated having a clean car for a reasonable price and I was actually starting to make some money instead of breaking even. It was a good feeling, and while I had worked hard to get to this point I knew that lady luck had favored me, the location of my house, the garage, and large backyard were all contributing factors. I went to the fridge and pulled out a Hungry Man meal and grabbed a coke and a red bull. I microwaved the Hungry Man and chugged the energy drink down in one long pull.

Going to my little liquor cabinet I grabbed my bottle of Crown Royal Northern Harvest and poured a shot into my glass of coke. Putting everything away I was ready to eat within a couple of minutes which is about when the microwave dinged and the phone rang. I had made sure that my weekend was free, I normally took two weekends off each summer, and I had let my few friends know I would be busy. I glanced at the call display as I cradled the hot tray with my dinner on it, chicken strips, corn and mashed potatoes with some kind of a cherry desert. Yummy. The display showed a number I did not want to see, it was my ex-girlfriend. Her name was Mandy and she had been my one true love, we had graduated high school together and had continued to date for a couple of years as she went to college and I worked at my car detailing business.

It had all come to an end about three months ago, I had been out back finishing off a 73 Corvette for a customer, I had taken some extra time to really make that old girl shine. She was a beautiful car and looked great when I was done. The owner had actually slipped me an extra fifty as a tip and I was in a great mood as I entered the house. Once inside I could hear moans and yelps and a rhythmic thud, thud as the headboard of my bed was pounded against the wall. I walked over to my bedroom and looked in seeing Mandy, my Mandy with her legs up around some dude’s shoulders as he thrust himself deep into her. She was moaning and clutching at his back as he finally dumped his load.

They both held still for a moment and then Mandy reached up and pulled his head down and kissed him. I observed them for a couple of minutes as they tongue wrestled and then I spoke up.

“Sorry to interrupt you but you have a minute to get out of my house, if you do not go I will assume this is a home invasion and shoot you.” I then pulled my little plinker out of the dresser near the door and waved it at them. It was empty but I did not share that with them. The guy swore and threatened me until I pointed the gun at him.

“Listen up you asshole, you are in my home doing my girlfriend and you think you can threaten me, that is not going to be happening man, now grab your shit and get the hell out.” He took one look at my face and got out. Returning to the bedroom I saw that Mandy was sitting on the bed crying, I gathered her things and put them beside her.

“I don’t know what the hell you were thinking and at this point, I don’t care. Get out.” I tried to yell but I could not, the feeling of rage had changed to a deep regret and sadness. I watched as she continued to cry as she dressed and then once she was ready to leave I snagged her keys from the old ashtray I always put keys in and removed my house key from the metal ring.

“You won’t be needing this.” I waved my house key at her. “I truly do not want to see you again Mandy, so don’t make this difficult, you fucked up here and it is not repairable. I don’t hate you, and I hope that your life becomes what you want it to be but now get the fuck out of my house.” I watched her as she continued to cry as she left, after all of our years together she knew that I was not joking around. I could not understand how someone could throw away almost five years of dating and good times but I guess people do this shit all the time.

That was then and this was now, and she was still trying to contact me, about once a week I received a phone call from her, it always started and ended in tears, with many pleas for me to pick-up the phone and answer. That was not going to be happening, I can forgive almost anything but seeing my girl squeal as some dink banged her in my bed was past my limit.

I sat down to eat my meal slowly taking my time, in truth these frozen dinners were not that bad, they filled the body up and gave the needed calories, and most times they tasted all right. I slipped on my running shoes and made my outside, it was a beautiful night, the warm June air carried the scent of lilacs. The lilacs grew in most of the alleys of my area of the city, I lived in Dieppe, a subdivision of Rosemont city. This warmth would not last and soon it would be cold, the summer went by fast. My area Dieppe was older built in the forties and was filled with many small homes. Fortunately, the yuppie crowd had fallen in love with it and bought almost everything up. There were many small shops and boutiques, open air cafes and small trendy pubs.

I began to jog, I try to do about ten miles a day, it helps to keep my limber and trim. I returned a couple of hours later in a sweat but feeling relaxed. I grabbed a quick shower and then went over my business accounts if the business continued I might be able to get those windows next year. For now, I had food on the table and drinks in the fridge. Laying down I set the clock to go off in six hours and faded asleep.

I awoke feeling refreshed, it had been a strange night for dreams, the Vampire girl I had seen had been in my dreams, she was calling me to help her. Other Vampires were around and were clearly not friendly, we had managed to escape to my island in the lake, but were being pursued. I awoke to the sound of Slick Black Cadillac blaring from my clock radio. Have to change it from the 8o’s hair channel I thought as I stumbled out of bed. Taking my time, I did some light stretches and then one hundred push-ups and one hundred sit-ups. Turning the Keurig coffee machine on I had a fast shower then ate a bagel washed down with some morning blend single shot serving I had in the kitchen drawer. I was ready to get back into the game. Glancing at the clock showed me it was 4:00 am this was a great time to log in, not as many others would be on right now.

Closing the VRGC lid I slid on the helmet and hit the enter button, within a moment the verbal confirmation was complete and I faded into blackness only to open my eyes to find I was on the floor of the old tomb in the barren fields.