Smoke hung heavy in the air, thick with the stench of blood and scorched fur. The battlefield was quiet now, save for the crackle of dying flames and the low groans of the wounded.
Lucas stood in the center of the courtyard, boots soaked in beast blood, cloak torn and blackened by fire. Around him, vampire warriors picked through the ruins—some limping, others dragging corpses into a burning pit.
They had survived. Barely.
Lucas opened his system interface.
---
[City Planning Module – Active]
Project Queue: Outer Wall Reinforcement, Barracks, Watchtower Foundations
Labor Assigned: 12 Vampires
Progress: 8%
Estimated Completion: 3 Days (Standard Labor)
---
He dismissed the projection. No magic. No instant fixes. Every wall would rise from blood, sweat, and stone.
Mira approached, carrying two sealed glass jars filled with thick, dark liquid.
"They're starting to feel it," she said softly. "The thirst. They haven't fed since before the battle."
Lucas took a jar, turned it slowly in his hands. Beast blood. Still warm.
"This is all we have?" he asked.
"For now," she said. "We drained what we could from the freshest corpses. It's not much."
Lucas stared at the jar. The scent alone made his fangs ache. Hunger curled through his veins like a whisper.
"Distribute it evenly," he said. "Small portions only. Just enough to keep them steady."
Mira hesitated. "And what about you?"
"I drink last."
She didn't argue.
---
That night, the first feeding protocol began. Vampires lined up in silence, eyes sunken, jaws clenched. Each one received a measured dose of beast blood—barely a mouthful, but enough to survive.
None resisted. None complained.
Lucas drank the final portion alone, away from the others. It didn't satisfy. But it dulled the edge.
Barely.
---
At first light, reconstruction began.
Stone by stone, the ruins stirred. Vampires hauled debris, sharpened logs, cut timber from the forest's edge. The castle echoed with the clang of tools and the groan of effort. Elder Cale barked orders from atop a cracked tower, marking walls and defenses like a man possessed.
Lucas didn't just lead—he worked. Clearing rubble. Placing supports. Reinforcing the first foundation beams.
Hours passed.
Then, the system pulsed again.
---
[Clan Management Module – Updated]
Passive Skill Unlocked: Shared Growth
Effect: When Lucas levels up, loyal clan members receive minor ability enhancements.
---
Mira staggered mid-swing, her axe buried in a beast's skull. She blinked, then exhaled sharply.
"I feel… stronger," she murmured. "Like something just shifted inside me."
Lucas nodded. "It has."
---
By dusk, the outer wall's skeleton stood. Crude, but solid. Fires burned along the path—not for light, but to ward off anything lurking in the forest's dark edge.
Lucas stood atop the incomplete gate, eyes on the tree line.
They had shelter. They had order. They had begun.
But far beyond the reach of the flames, something watched.
Waiting.
And it was hungry, too.
---
Author's Note:
Thank you for reading the first arc of Crimson Ruin: Bloodborn Reign.
If you're enjoying the story, don't forget to follow, add it to your library, leave a comment, or drop a power stone.