Coach

There is a kind of place in the Box where this Universe exists that are named Grain World. They are not part of a universe, each one floats alone in the empty void. Related to nothing, connected to anything only by interdimensional technology.

Imagine a spheric surface 17 trillion times larger than the surface of Earth. Nothing but darkness in the sky above.

Spread through this surface there are towers, ten times smaller than your space-elevators would have to be. On top of those, rings of light and heat. In some places those towers are so close that you can see then in the distance from the habitable ring surrounding one. Most places are dark areas, icy and deadly.

Close to each Light Tree there is a circle of burning rock and fire, around that there is a region where is possible to live, in this surface. Beyond that ring, many times larger than your Earth, there is darkness and desolation.

Those places Grain Words are build artificially, of course. Product of the same race responsible for create the Box and the Universes inside it. Yours included.

Bellow the ground there are layers, over layers, of older surfaces, concentric spheres going all the way to the core where the energy source that feeds life and grow in this place is. However, those in the surface do not know any of that. Generally speaking, most live their lives and die their deaths knowing no other reality.

One of those rings is covert entirely by a city, hundreds of floors high, named Kandah. Factories print cheap food for the masses, with high status neighbours have private organic printers, making tastier food in smaller scale. Both options are nutritive and healthy enough.

Recreative **** are illegal, and the concept of medicine is so obscure that most people could not distinguish that from illegal recreative ****.

Life is not terrible, alien as it would look to your eyes. This densely populated area surrounded by darkness is full of light. Most humans have two free days for each day of work, and there are no **** physical labour, since machines are better than living organism for that, and energy is abundant beyond imagination. No one has reason to ration it.

There is, however, constant conflict for territory, between humans, elves, orcs and other things. Populations arrive in confusion, brough from different worlds in actual Universes. To mix with the locals and change the genetic pools of our ring according to whatever purposes our distant and mysterious Creators may have in their timeless minds.

All talking races have among them some sort of vampire. And in this place without sun vampires are even more powerful and dangerous.

I was born in Kandah, from a caste of soldiers. We trained to fight and kill all sorts of vampires, using powers much inferior to those of old vampires but derived from the same source. Inter-dimensional technology, beyond our comprehensions.

One cycle, when I was perhaps about 30 years old, my order made a deal, to exchange 20 of us for a territory that would sustain and provide living grounds for thousands of people under our protection. I was in the list of acceptable candidates, provided by the other side. I could decline, without being punished by it, but someone else would have to take the burden. I decided to accept.

My expectation was to be used as a blood-thrall, or die fighting for the entertainment of my masters. Possible both.

Instead, I was turned into a vampire.

My previous training and genetic powers mixed with the blood-seeds in strange ways. I hated the notion of being send to fight my own brothers with those new powers. Fortunately to me, it never happened.

After my initial training as a vampire I was chosen instead by one of the Messengers, to be send away from our Grain World. Through a portal, to this place. Planet Earth.

The existence of vampires was secret here, humans didn’t knew they are prey for those beings. And humans didn’t know for sure if life exists anywhere beyond their planet. Here, it seems, humans are the only race serving as ram material for vampires.

Here the nests of vampires are called “families” and they mix human relatives and vampires in a bond of mutual protection and trust. Or something in that general category of ideas.

My first mission was to train the leader of one of those families, newly formed. Speed up his development, and help his family survival for as long as necessary. Or until my interdimensional owner move me to another task.

I am grateful for no longer be in Kandah. Because, to me, any mission that does not forces me to go against my own people is good and welcome.

There is heavy rain outside, tonight. I was send to capture a vampire woman. Someone who is considered a criminal by the vampire authorities on this world. A “lowlife”. It seems that her recruitment by the family I am serving would place her in safety, and help the family. Noble Families of vampires have this prerogative, in some cases. If they have empty sits to offer to those vampire criminals in substitution to definitive destruction.

I find the trail of this furtive individual I am looking for.

Almost the same time I realize there are others also hunting the same prey. Humans, vampire hunters.

Seven hunters, poorly equipped, clumsy. They would not survive one **** like than in my hometown. Here, perhaps they are sufficient to the task of hunting vampires.

The vampire they are hunting is properly surrounded. All her scape routes seem to be well blocked, except for the few options left open on purpose. As traps.

This vampire had some time to grow her blood-seeds, she almost manages to escape. Cutting the face of one of the humans with her claws. Disappearing, leaving her clothes behind. They almost miss her, running between them to the next exit as a small quadruped rodent. She is caught in the last instant, and I realize they had faced similar power before. Probably had even managed to research that specific lowlife vampire.

Caught in a net of strong translucent wires she fights and screams, changing size frenetically, trying to cut the trap but unable to do so fast enough. The method humans use to deal with vampires in this world is to first decapitate the vampire. Then cut the heart for the chest and expose this heart to sunlight as soon as their sun raises.

We didn’t have that option where I came from there is no sun. On the other hand, we have other tools, not available to vampire hunters here.

I do not like killing humans, but when I must do that, I choose to work fast.

After this, the vampire woman was ready to hear my proposal. More inclined to give it a chance than she would have been if we had met in calm circumstances, I presume.

Was still running outside, when the car stopped for us. The worse of that was gone, now there was just a soft caress to remind us the furious impact of water falling moments before.

Sun would be rising, when the car reached the underground garage. Home.

As close to it as either of us had, at this moment.