Chapter 6 - To Tame a Vampire

"Mary. It's good to see you."

The greeting flew over the vampire's head completely as she craned her neck to get a proper look at the hulking figure in the doorway, struggling to process what her mundane and spiritual senses were picking up. 

Advanced Apprentice. Greem was an Advanced Apprentice. Since when? 

True to her status and ability as an Intermediate apprentice, her ultra-sharp thought process instantly surmised that he must have made the advancement while she endured through her month-long ordeal.

One year to go from Intermediate to Advanced. Most magic-inclined people in this plane would be astounded at that sort of progress. Whatever the case though, her plan was rendered moot.

She'd thought that with her newfound strength she could take Greem as a "subordinate" to protect him, repaying the kindness he showed her during that dark, torturous period. Not that she'd ever tell him that.

But it seemed that wouldn't be necessary.

Greem didn't need her protection. In fact, she needed protection from him.

Her gaze remained glued to his face, his amazingly beautiful face… for a good long while. 

Ever since she became a vampire, Mary's beauty had entered the realm of enchanting and seductive, taking the number one spot in the tower. No other individual, whether male or female could compare. 

How could they, when her already breathtaking appearance was further propped up by the supernatural elements of her bloodline?

Taking in the details of the charming smile before her though, Mary felt she had a solid contender. 

Lustrous, flowy hair as dark as the night, perfectly angled eyebrows of the same color, deep black eyes that sucked her into their depths, a straight unblemished nose, a powerful jawline, and a perfect set of teeth… all of them chiseled by the gods.

Drinking in the masterpiece of this divine artwork sent a sinful warmth creeping into Mary's face and parts of her she dared not mention, her fangs lengthening on their own accord.

When the razor pointed things pricked her tongue and instilled her with clarity, she blinked a few times, and the red in her cheeks grew to match her hair.

She regained her senses somewhat and retracted her fangs, leveling a glare that only managed to look cute in Greem's eyes.

While she dealt with the effects of the bewitching Charm she'd so happily inflicted on so many others, her hand vanished into Greem's fan sized one as he pulled her into his room and shut the door.

The girl couldn't grow any redder.

"Rascal! Let go of me!"

Inside the room, Greem did as requested and released her, gesturing at the bed and inviting her to sit. The flustered vampire complied after a moment of hesitation, leveling a toothless glare at her—what was Greem to her anyway?

The person in question grabbed the chair from behind his desk, spun it and placed it a few feet away from her. He sat on it and placed his muscled, vascular arm on the backrest, lowering his head on it and locking eyes with his guest.

"How are you doing?"

Caught off guard by the absolutely mundane nature of the question, Mary gawked for a little bit. This quickly devolved into a frown as she looked away from the face that made her annoyingly tingly inside.

Greem was looking down on her. He felt pity for her. He pitied her. After all she'd gone through, after all she'd endured and survived, he saw her as some fragile porcelain that needed to be handled with kind words. 

He thou–

"Hey! Earth to Mary," Greem said as he snapped his fingers in her face. 

If with all the abilities afforded by the Method and his potent Spirit, Greem couldn't deduce the thoughts swirling through the traumatised girl's head, he might as well dive out of his second floor window head first and end things.

Well, he would still survive, but you get the point. 

"What kind of thoughts are nursing in that head of yours? I asked how you're doing because I want to test your strength. I don't need weak subordinates."

"Who's your subordinate?!" Mary rebutted almost immediately. 

Despite the quick and loud response and the insinuation that she was weak, the smile at the edge of the young girl's lips was telling.

She liked this dynamic way better. She'd rather their relationship be boss and subordinate than a savior and damsel and in distress. Her days of being fragile were long over.

However, she could take advantage of this. She looked Greem up and down, unconsciously licking her red lips and the fangs that'd poked their pointy heads out again.

Based on the little she knew about body-refiners, those that focused on Physique, Strength, or some combination of the two tended to be slow due to the sheer mass they put on.

Looking at the closet sized teenager proclaiming himself her new master, he definitely fell into this category. Smiling and patting herself on the back for her sheer genius, Mary made her intentions known.

"If we fight, the winner becomes the boss, the loser becomes the lackey. How about it? Do you have the balls?" 

Flashing her his perfect, pearly whites, Greem stood up from the chair and grabbed a shirt from the rack with his Spirit, floating it towards himself.

"Deal. Let's go."

Slipping on the white cotton shirt, Greem used his Spirit to pull the straps and tuck in as a black, medieval style leather jacket also flew off the rack.

He slotted his arms into the opened and outstretched arms of the jacket and buttoned it up. In a similar fashion, he equipped a set of boots, a belt, and a talisman he tucked under his clothes after slinging it around his neck.

Meanwhile, Mary reclined on the bed, her curves and fangs on full display as she enjoyed the show.

Once Greem finished, he looked at her splayed and relaxed form and shook his head before opening his door and gesturing to it.

Taking her sweet time, the young vampire managed to make something as simple as climbing down a bed look seductive and elegant. She got down and catwalked to the door, her Charm on full blast. 

Greem maintained his easy smile and enjoyed the swaying of her hips and backside, his self-control and focus unblemished.

He locked the door and joined her in the corridor, their combined appearance making any wandering apprentice gawk uncontrollably. For Mary it was the males, and Greem one or two of the ladies.

Unlike him though, Mary took the enraptured stares of the females as a threat. These unlucky girls got a full dose of a mentally unstable vampire's unrestrained bloodlust.

Their enchanted expressions morphed into dread as they white as sheets. Watching them scurry away made him laugh, but he didn't show it.

Was Mary sure she didn't have a cat bloodline? What were these cute, snarling sounds coming from her throat?

Unbothered by the jealous and intrigued stares, Greem and Mary were nearly at the arena's entrance when they both felt someone rushing towards them.

Picking up the person's identity through the use of his powerful sense of smell and Spirit, Greem halted his steps and patted the thin, unblemished arm interlocked with his own.

"Let's wait a bit."

Eager to get herself a hunky and handsome subordinate, Mary quickly grew displeased and shot the approaching figure a scathing glare.

When said figure saw the invisible flames shooting out of the redhead's eyes, he stopped and looked to Greem for help.

The latter just told him not to worry and beckoned with his hand, connecting their Spirits together so they could communicate. 

After delivering the message Greem paid him for, the figure took one last look and scurried back faster than he came.

Turning away from him, Greem dragged the impatient vampire along to the overseer of the arena and dropped a fist sized pouch on the table with a clank, his intentions clear.

He didn't say anything and just stared at the Intermediate apprentice, Anm, who grabbed the pouch and had his face brightened by its contents.

Quickly, he tightened the strap on the pouch and stowed it, turning his attention to the small, bizarre looking frog on his shoulder.

The magical amphibian had a huge head, a slimy back full of lumps and blisters, a huge mouth, and eyes that were situated on two protruding tentacles.

Anm gently patted on the creature's weird head, turning and whispering to it softly. The frog, coaxed by the apprentice, opened its mouth and spat out a special card glowing with a golden glaze.

It was Greem's turn to be dragged along as Mary snorted and snatched the card off the table.

As they walked into the arena and the stone doors dragged across the ground to lock them in, the duo took in the impressive size of the room.

This space where Apprentice Adepts could use to solve any disputes between them was as wide as a hockey rink.

Although there was a rule forbidding apprentices from killing each other (they were properties of the Adept), should an 'accident' like that occur, the killer wouldn't have to pay with their life. They'd only have to pay some compensation.

As a result, many Apprentice Adepts feared this arena a great deal, hence its nickname "Arena of Death."

After taking in the dull and uninteresting sight of the space, Greem unfurled their entwined arms and started to chant under his breath.

Mary looked up at him in mild surprise before smiling and vanishing in a blur of red. 

She reappeared at the arena's other end, 30 meters away, in less than a second, an eerie and almost animalistic look on her face. 

Without explicitly stating it, Greem had started the fight.

While a normal person might see this as a breach of trust or trickery, Mary saw it as validation of her strength. Greem was not underestimating her. He truly believed she could beat him if he didn't prepare.

The thought of it tingled her insides, the arousing warmth creeping back in as her fangs elongated past her other teeth.

Unlike before though, she basked in the feelings and let her bloodsuckers grow to their full length, her green eyes turning the same shade as blood.

She launched herself at Greem, afterimages left in her wake. Her hands assumed a claw shape as her nails grew to fine, razor sharp points and edges.

With no regard whatsoever for the teen she was massively crushing on, the stimulated vampiress brought her talons down at an equally fast speed, leaving faint red streaks in the air.

These sharp, magically reinforced "blades" that could render quality steel armor into scrap, produced dull clanging sounds upon colliding with the stationary Greem's chest, his leather jacket unmarred by even the tiniest of cuts.

Partially driven by the animalistic instincts in her newly gained bloodline, the aspiring vampire adept didn't grow shocked like most humans would at such a setback.

Instead, she devolved into a near rage that saw her arms turn into a blur of red and pale flesh that assaulted the still stationary and chanting Greem with nearly seventy slashes in less than three seconds.

At the sixth second after this fight began however, Greem stopped chanting and attacked.

Too fast for Mary's brain to process, he reeled back his right arm, clenched his fist and launched it forward in a manner that almost looked lazy.

The "lazy" fist dispersed the crimson blur banging uselessly against his defenses and planted itself into Mary's thin midriff, folding her around it and shooting her back like a red streak. 

With a bang that barely shook the room, the stunned vampire slammed into the wall on the far side of the arena before falling face first.

As a bloodline apprentice and one with insane regenerative abilities to boot, she should've healed right after the collision, landed on her feet, and charged right back.

But the damage the blow had wrought was so extensive she needed a few seconds to recover. 

Whatever energy Greem infused into the punch and her body, it shattered her ribcage, damaged most of her organs, and fractured most of her bones.

The truth went unsaid, but Mary knew it. She was supremely outclassed. 

Greem… was the boss. She… was the subordinate. Her eyes went red at the thought, and she snarled, charging at him right after gaining enough strength to move.

With effortless ease, Greem sent her right back into the wall and sighed. "This is going to take a while."