Slavia

"There are only two things that matter in the battle equation: the weapon in your hand and the fire in your heart." -Alucard Bloodlust

Welcome to Amazing Individuals! This program will pick an individual every issue (usually a Canadian), and will write a short to medium-length article about that person, including a short bio, mini-interview and my thoughts. In this pilot episode, I have decided to focus on an individual I have been fascinated with for some time- Alucard Bloodlust. I have recently acquired Alucard's autograph (which you can see above) and would like to pay homage to this amazing individual.

Alucard Bloodlust has been in eRepublik for over a year and is one of Canada's finest exports- that is, if you can attach any nationality to him. This ruthless mercenary has relentlessly dominated the battlefield, becoming eRepublik's first ever General: http://www.erepublik.com/en/forum/topic/38631/Alucard-Bloodlust-the-new-world-s-first-general/1 The first major conflict Alucard participated in was the War of Nave's Toe; ever since, he has been an international celebrity. He is the master of all forms of warfare, including his legendary psychological provocations. The story of Alucard Bloodlust is an amazing one, yet a tragic one; the story of a man who all but lost his profession. "Governments are less likely to pay when they can invest in their armies. Some still maintain the funds, the will, and the honour to hire mercenaries, such as Dishmcds and Benn Dover, but they are few and far between. Mercenaries thrived on person vs person conflicts, and V1 effectively killed the mercenary." -Alucard Bloodlust

After the release of V1, a dissapointed Alucard Bloodlust went into semi-retirement. In his spare time, Alucard began a campaign to bring back PvP fighting, founded a Corporate Arms Chain called Hellsing Arms, and wrote one of the finest articles in Canadian history: http://www.erepublik.com/en/article/northern-lights-ecanada-s-presidency-in-review-716416/1/20. His name has also been dragged in the Adam Sutler multi-accounting scandal; an enraged Augustus Baldwin even accused Alucard himself of being a multi of the former president. Recently, however, Alucard Bloodlust has made a return to war-mongering, joining the Canadian Armed Forces. Now, he has agreed to an interview with me....

I admit I was a little nervous to be interviewing such a world-famous individual, and my heart beat faster tha ever when I received the reply from Alucard to my e-mail, consenting to an interview. I dressed in my finest 1300$ Valentino suit and headed for the address Alucard had sent me. I could might as well have worn cut-offs and a T-shirt for all it mattered in the place he sent me. This sinister structure was made of dark steel and concrete. I slowly entered; the dark and ominous atmosphere filled my senses- the smell of alcohol, steel and fear, the sight of gruff-looking military men giving me "the eye", the "you don't belong" look. Alucard Bloodlust was sitting alone at a table at the far end of the bar; he waved at me with a sly grin upon witnessing my uneasiness. The man exerted power in person as well as in spoken legend. I knew all my notes had gone to hell, I could throw them all away.
After grim and nervous greeting respectively, I proceeded with the interview.

Dominik: Could you please, in one or two words, sum up the purpose of your life?
Alucard Bloodlust: Carnage.
Dominik: Approximately how many people have had the pleasure to have a bullet from Alucard Bloodlust rip through their bodies before they died?
Alucard: Before V1 came out, my kill rate exceeded 500 users. Roughly 40 of these were Nave Saikiliah. BA HA HA HA HA!
Dominik: How has the role of the mercenary changed throughout the years?
Alucard: It has transformed from an essential wartime service to a rare anomaly in V1. In retrospect, one could say that the Mercenary has followed a similar path as the Jedi of Star Wars. Early in the war module, effective fighters were needed anywhere war broke out, and thus mercenaries would often form the backbone of attacking forces and defending nations. Back then it was largely country vs. country fights, so governments often chose quality over quantity. By the time of the South African War, the role shifted. As standing armies began to take to the battlefield, the most experienced mercenaries found that they could not only market their fighting ability, but their wealth of knowledge. Initially hired to strike fear into the hearts of the enemy as we cut them down, we soon took on the role of military advisors and battlefield commanders. In battle, Mercenaries became an elite unit, used to smash through the enemy front lines at the very end of a battle to achieve victory; or to tie up other mercenaries to prevent a loss of territory. But like the jedi, mercenaries are in short supply now. This is largely because so many were alienated by the removal of the PVP system which we so loved. Others found homes within the standing armies, as governments preferred to spend less gold on large quantities of weaker soldiers than a cavalry of effective tanks. Some were just banned because they were crooks and cheats; while still others merely faded into history.
Dominik: What advice would you give to young soldiers?
Alucard: High quality is your friend. The higher the quality weaponry you use now, the less you will have to fight, and thus the less you will have to spend in Gold to reach a high level of damage. Never underestimate the power of psychological warfare, and its ability to raise the moral of an ally, or shatter the will of an enemy. Always have at least 4 moving tickets in your inventory, with the new war module, you cannot move to enemy territories to sabotage their markets directly, so instead you must go through a neutral intermediary. I suggest Ireland. A soldier is almost useless if he is trapped in a captured region. Organize a personal gifting group: friends who will raise your wellness in battle and vice versa. It�s cheaper than high quality food in most countries. Never work for the Hungarians, for a cheaper employer cannot be found. Finally, never pet a burning dog. BA HA HA HA HA!
Dominik: You have been doing this for an awfully long time; have you ever thought of retiring, maybe training a protege?
Alucard: I have remained in a state of semi-retirement for some months before joining the CAF out of boredom. In that time I have offered advice and assistance to many an up-and-coming soldier. I have assisted the development of such soldiers as Benn Dover and Emerick, and they in turn have returned the favour. Currently, I have been counselling David Johnson on the ways of the Mercenary. The most ancient of us have a duty, to maintain the history and the legend of the Mercenary in any way we can.
Dominik: We never hear much about the man behind all the gloom and doom; how is the personal life of Alucard Bloodlust? Are you married? Are you religious?
Alucard: I prefer to keep my personal life just that: personal.
Dominik: You know all the top guns of the world. Any juicy gossip you'd like to share? For example, which mercenaries are gay?
Alucard: The security of information is as essential to any mercenary. We need to trust one another with our secrets, lest the enemy find a weakness. A government will never hire a mercenary who will betray them for a higher price. As for non-mercenaries: Nave Saikiliah is widely believed to be a multi, in which case he likely takes up an even larger percentage of my kill-rate than previously specified.
Dominik: Looking back on your life, is there anything you would like to have changed, or done differently?
Alucard: I would have chosen a less obvious password initially, thus preventing a 700 Gold theft from my account back in the times of Beta. But I do not fail. I succeed in finding what does not work. The difference between a mistake and an error is that anyone can make an error. It becomes a mistake when one refuses to correct it.
Dominik: In conclusion, is there anything you would like to tell the readers of Slavia?
Alucard: �He who fights with monsters might take care lest he thereby become a monster. And if you gaze for long into an abyss, the abyss gazes also into you.� - Friedrich Nietzsche

I left the bar stunned, but also feeling better about the man. I was glad to see that he in fact is human, or humanoid at least. It was clear that Alucard Bloodlust was not like any of the other worthless goons standing around the bar glaring at me. In fact Alucard Bloodlust is not like any man I ever have, or ever will meet. So next time you fight, strive to be like Alucard Bloodlust. The man. The mercenary. The legend.


Coming up in Edition 002: Dean22

On the next Amazing Individuals....
Dominik: How are you feeling today Dean?
Dean22: MOTH****CKING PIECE OF FU***ING S**T, A****LE!!!! SCREW YOU! GO TO HELL!

That is all, subscribe to Slavia, and keep the 60s alive!