"Ah, you're here," Laihud mumbled, ushering him inside, "Here, we need to talk."
The vibe around the hospital was pleasant. Everyone was happy with the advanced treatment they were receiving, thanks to Laihud. However, the room they entered was drastically different.
A mother laid unconscious right in front of her son's eyes. Despite being comatose, Avalina's body showed no signs of failure, thanks to her being a vampire.
Laihud's urgent summon was the only reason why Ashton got worried about her. But Laihud may have wanted to talk about something else.
"I hope everything's alright?" Ashton inquired.
"Yes," Laihud smiled, handing him a tablet, "things are much better than 'alright'."
Ashton stared at the tablet, failing to notice what he was supposed to look at. The tablet carried the patient's information, in this case, Avalina's, and the device could also predict the patient's stats and other differential intel.
At that moment, Ashton realised what he was supposed to look for, and what he discovered surprised him. Avalina wasn't unconscious because of some drug, but because she was evolving!
"How is this-"
"I did some research on vampires, although I'm not certain due to time restrictions, it would seem traumatic experiences can trigger their evolutionary stages." Laihud explained, "The shock of losing her husband might have forced her to evolve."
The situation was unlike everything Ashton had in his mind. Avalina's evolution was welcoming news, and it was the conditions associated with the evolution that bothered him.
'Asta, can you-'
[No idea, bub. Evolution and unpredictability always go hand in hand. Though I can say certainty, emotions affect a creature's growth in some way, shape or form. Take yourself, for example.]
Now that Astaroth mentioned it, Ashton could make sense of his words. His classes, at least the original ones, reflected his thoughts and emotions.
[Revenger] class was born out of his passion for revenge, while [Bloodmage] could result from his bloodlust. His necromancy powers reflected his lack of allies during his early years.
It was odd how everything suddenly made sense when Ashton had assumed class generation was completely randomised. But the revelation also worried him.
Moments before collapsing, Avalina's emotions and thoughts were all over the place. Her disgruntled phase could sabotage her evolution which might turn her into some abomination... like Johnathan in his final moments.
"Keep an eye on her. Meanwhile, I'll increase the security around here."
"A wise move, considering your mother's state-"
"It's not to protect her from assailants but to protect everyone else from her."
Ashton's words left Laihud perplexed. Why would they need protection from her? After all, from what he had heard about Avalina, she was a great leader and a loving soul who cared about those around her, no matter who they were.
Yet Ashton's strange instructions contradicted everything Laihud knew about Avalina. Why would someone of such great character turn into a psycho, like Ashton was expecting?
"If it puts your mind at ease, I won't stop you." Laihud relented, "If you need any help or anyone to talk to, I'm here."
Ashton smiled while patting Laihud on the back. Just when he was about to leave, his [Perception] screamed for him to dive out. Instead of following through, Ashton grabbed Laihud and shoved him out of the room.
Before Laihud could ask what was happening, Ashton slammed the door shut. Without wasting a heartbeat, Laihud rushed out of the hospital towards the arena. Though he wasn't sure what had happened, the odd look on Ashton's face had Laihud concerned for the captain's well-being.
"Hold on, Reaper! I'll be back with support!"
***
Meanwhile, inside the room...
Even with all this strength, Ashton was having a tough time restraining Avalina, and her vampiric tendencies had skyrocketed. Never had Ashton seen a more thirsty vampire like his mother at that moment.
When Ashton's [Preception] warned him, he knew what would happen next. Although Avalina's maternal instinct would not let her harm him, Laihud was fair game. That's why instead of saving himself, Ashton pushed Laihud to safety.
However, containing a recently evolved vampire was no joke. As if that wasn't enough, Avalina had not consumed blood for days, which had made her even more hostile.
Even in such a condition, she never tried to bite Ashton. Overwhelming hunger was churning her insides, yet motherhood overpowered her thirst.
"Damn it! Calm down already!" Ashton yelled while trying his best to get her under control.
Despite his best efforts, it didn't seem like Avalina was going to stop as she kept lunging towards the doors.
One could imagine how difficult it was to keep her under control as Avalina didn't give Ashton enough time to summon someone to aid him. She was possessed.
[Choke her!]
'She's a vampire, dumbass!' Ashton gritted his teeth, 'They don't need to breathe!'
Having no other way, Ashton grabbed Avalina and jumped out of the window, hoping the sudden shock would snap her back, albeit momentarily.
They both crashed on the ground as a huge dust cloud erupted. Although Ashton had used his body to cushion the blow for Avalina, she was hurt a bit. In a fit of rage and pain, Avalina began flailing her arms around.
Another reason why Ashton pushed Avalina outside was the sun. Although the rays were not strong enough to harm her, the beams were sufficient to slow her down considerably.
Before Avalina could get away, Ashton tore through the dust cloud, latching onto his mother's back. He wrapped his legs around her waist while his free arm grabbed its neck before pinning her to the ground again.
It was Ashton's half-assed attempt to lock Avalina in a rare-naked choke. Once locked in, a rear-naked choke usually stops the blood flow to the brain, and a person could go to sleep in just a few seconds. But this was a vampire, not a human or any 'living' creature.
Instead, Ashton hoped his weight would be enough to stop Avalina from charging at random onlookers. By this time, the number of spectators had increased significantly, and if Ashton couldn't stop her, the results would be devastating.
Everyone wanted to know what was happening, and even Ashton had no clue how to stop Avalina from killing someone. Just then, blood splattered all over Avalina's face.
As soon as Avalina tasted the blood, she immediately calmed down. Just then, Ashton turned to see who helped him, only to see Mera standing there with more blood packs.
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