It's been a week since I left Montfort. I have no problem overwintering in locked sheds and barns. The ability to climb means I never have to force a door open. Worst case scenario, I removed a pair of boards.
As for nutrition, it’s not difficult.
There are several types of victims.
Some villages have sentries who walk around with lanterns. The light they carry allows them to be seen from hundreds of meters away, which I think is very considerate of them. I just have to follow the signal and I'll find the blood.
There are also some strange travelers. For one reason or another, a large number of people move at night, businessmen go home, doctors, soldiers on leave...
enough.
If I get desperate, I can always take off a layer of clothing and knock on the door with a desperate look on my face, although this is a last resort.
I followed Jimena's advice and went ahead without leaving any bodies behind. I've found that the best approach is not to create one in the first place. Looks like tonight is an exception.
I reached the end of the settlement and began moving east around Choctaw territory. This was once an indigenous nation too, but it changed hands when a certain governor decided that treaties of respect only applied if the other side had a modern military. I noticed that after passing Mobile, the land and the people became rougher and rougher.
A great example.
"It's your turn, Bowker!"
I stood at the edge of a small clearing. A hunting dog was tethered at the other end, greedily devouring a piece of charred meat.
Two patched tents were pitched on either side of a small fire, and the ground was littered with half-gnawed bones and empty bottles. The criminals, three filthy men in their twenties, burst into laughter and elicited a whimper when a thrown knife kissed the cheek of a slave tied to a tree.
I frowned in disapproval. I can understand the way you play with your prey but this situation bothers me. Black people have shown courage in the face of failure, and that certainly deserves respect, right?
The situation is clear to me. The slave escaped, was successfully tracked, and now he will be returned to be tried and punished according to the Black Code. They tortured him and made him bleed for no reason, which felt like a waste and disrespectful to the prey and the hunt.
Those guys make me sick and I'm thirsty, so we'll find out soon if they really are the predators they think they are.
I backed away and hid my backpack and my prized rifle. I quickly put on my rags, threw my traveling cloak on the ground, and headed back to camp. After some consideration, I decided to show them a white shoulder. The bait has been set.
I hunched over like a victim and crossed my arms in a protective gesture. I walked into the clearing, gasped loudly, and deliberately stepped on a branch. The dog started growling.
The three men didn't notice me.
incredible.
Only when the slave's eyes open wide do they turn around. I had my frightened deer expression on for a full ten seconds. God, how much energy did I waste trying to turn this into a real game! I could have snapped the necks of two villains and the last one would have been giggling like an idiot and scratching his privates. I really hope they will do better from now on.
"Hey, hey, hey, dear, are you lost?" Don't worry, the guys and I will take good care of you, right? said the leader, who was lanky and had a cruel look on his face.
"Yeah, hahahaha." A short man with a thick beard and squinting eyes answered. The third man just stood there, unsmiling. A stream of saliva ran down his chin.
Just like that, my interest in verbal communication disappeared. There was little reason to match my wits when my opponent was obviously unarmed, so I let out a scream of agony, turned and ran.
As expected, the three jumped out laughing drunkenly. I was forced to slow down so they wouldn't lose track of me. We eventually reached another clearing and I turned left and ducked at the base of the tallest beech tree I could find.
The three of them came to the open space, and the leader frowned. He made a gesture and they separated and started looking for the trail.
"The dog should be taken away," the leader said.
That won't save you.
I waited a moment until they were completely apart, then I let one foot stick out of my hiding place. As soon as the person closest to me looked in my direction, I snapped a branch and his eyes fell on it.
I hope he's too stupid to believe such an obvious ploy.
he is. I'm not surprised, but still a little disappointed.
Out of the corner of my eye I saw the bearded man named Bouc motioning for his friends to join him. Of course, they were too far away so he had to call them to warn me that I'd been spotted.
Or he would catch me off guard.
Sterling is very predictable. I knew he would want the pursuit to end as quickly as possible, and I knew why. He likes another kind of sport.
The man crept closer like a drunken bull in a china shop. When the wind blew, I smelled a musk scent.
oh. mine. God! Do I really want to drink his blood? Can I really not catch any disease? I'm afraid I'll have to burn that dress later or someone will notice from a mile away. How can a man allow himself to be so offensive? How come his nose hasn't fallen off yet? Ah, it's getting worse.
The man reached out a filthy hand and grabbed my leg, and I moved at the last moment before he stained my socks so much that no one could wash them off. Two fingers were pressed against his airway, but no blood was drawn yet. I smiled at him and made sure he saw the eight fangs.
I began to whisper.
"Congratulations, you caught..." Then I froze.
The man soiled himself. I thought the smell couldn't be worse, but I couldn't be more wrong.
"Hey, you annoying pig! I..."
I stopped again.
Something crawled from his beard onto my arm. My eyes widened in shock as my enhanced vision spotted this unwelcome passerby.
Lice.
"Hiss!"
Oh, that's it! I punched him in the throat, grabbed his arm, and bit him deeply. In my safe haven, I ignore the rush of life and my memories, staring at the echoes of the silent watcher.
"Don't think about it, don't think about it, don't think about it..."
"Ge!" I shuddered for the last time in disgust, put down the bloody arm, and the body fell to the ground. I made a bit of a mess and I silently scolded myself. Under no circumstances should I waste blood. still……
"Bouc?"
The leader frowned and walked in my general direction. I pushed the hideous remains into a recess and moved forward across the clearing as if I wanted to steal. Then I seemed to notice the leader and ran away screaming in terror.
The leader smiled and ran away, all thoughts of his friend immediately forgotten.
We played for half a minute, during which time the man managed to assure me that I would love it, threaten me if I didn't stop, call me a mute whore, and "compliment" my butt. Seriously, what does a man have to do with my butt? Should I ask?
Finally, I pretended to fall. The lanky scumbag paused to admire the sight of his target crawling along the ground. His eyes sparkled and the way he licked his lips spoke volumes. Then I turned my head and picked a random spot on the tree.
"Behind you!" I screamed in horror.
The man frowned, turned around, and grabbed his neck with two claws.
"I said," I added in a sultry voice, "that behind you..."
I took some time to enjoy this leader and now I'm content. My hunger and thirst have kept me here for the night, and I'm now in a dilemma.
Should I kill this fool in front of me or let him go?
I don't believe I have the ability to make him forget. When I attract tourists on my way here, a bite and a look are always enough to make them leave with no memory of the incident. The chase that resulted in the friend's disappearance, however, was something else entirely. If I let him go, would he say a blonde woman in a torn dress? In the best case scenario, informed parties might be aware of the vampire influence. In the worst-case scenario, they may start a pursuit.
He is dangerous.
However, is all this really his fault? He seems too dazed to realize that his actions are evil. His "friend" is most likely a bad influence. Am I being too hasty?
I'm already a little tipsy. Can vampires get drunk from drinking too much blood?
of course not.
"Your woman! I found you! That fool finally noticed me," he said. Then he went on to unbuckle his belt and lower his pants.
"I'll be the maid you like!"
Okay, that's it.
"Teeheehee!"
Oh, what a beautiful night! It was nice, quiet, peaceful and the weather was mild. Hey, I can have a tea party in the moonlight! And Silent Watch! No tea, please, though. Instead we could have the gentlemen sit at the table with Jimena and Constanza also there! The gentlemen would be completely naked!
"Teehehehehehehe naked!"
But first I had to clean up the body because Ximena asked me to do it and Ximena is my best friend in the world! So, I brought them together and it was easy. The idiot was already there, so I went to pick up the leader, and it took me a while to find him, but eventually I did, and then I brought him and stacked them together, and then I found the stinky one Man, he was so gross though, so I took the belt from the idiot and tied it around his legs and then over the idiot's head. Now I can move both of them just by dragging the idiot!
"Genius! Ariana, your light of wisdom really shines on this world!"
So, I tied the leader's belt around his head and around the idiot's legs and now I can carry three bodies back to camp with me! My ability to innovate knows no bounds! So, I picked the leader and started Dragging, then falling face first.
Heavy!
I spat out a few leaves and stared up at the silent watcher.
"You didn't see anything!"
This watch.
"Fine! But don't tell anyone, I'm serious!" I mumbled twice, then said, "I want to protect my reputation."
I led myself and the body team back to camp, only falling twice and hitting a tree. Ariana, the queen of dexterity!
When I got to the clearing the dog started barking and howling so I growled and it whimpered and fell silent.
Good dog.
I put down my luggage and looked around for a shovel. There's no swamp nearby, so I'd better bury the body.
Oh, wait...
I turned around and burped. A trickle of blood dripped from my chin. Ariana, polite! Ah yes, I remembered that. captive!
I came closer, and the black man looked at me with an astonishing calmness. Ah, how brave. My mouth was definitely covered in red liquid but he still didn't flinch!
"Greetings, princess."
Did he just...
Ignoring the rope's bite on his wrist, the man leaned forward and stuck out his jugular.
This was so unusual and exciting! He could talk! He politely called me "Ning", princess! And with such a submissive gesture, I felt like I shouldn't hurt him. Why, I'm curious now. I wanted to kill him but now I just have to listen to him!
The words came out of my mouth.
"Beggars."
The man was almost relieved. What's the matter? Is he that anxious?
"Princess, can you let go of my hand?"
It was a reasonable request, and besides, he couldn't kneel like he was doing now. The applicants are in the wrong location!
"very good."
I walked up to him and cut the rope with a few strokes of my paw. Just like a cat!
“Teehehehehe!”
Now this man is massaging his wrists, where are my supplicants?
He froze and slowly knelt down, offering his throat to me again. That's it! Now, I'm satisfied. So I stopped ranting.
"You can stand up now."
He didn't move, so I sighed,
"You can stand up now."
Silly Ariana, you can’t expect everyone to understand tongue! Bah bah bah.
"May I have your name?"
"Toussaint."
Creole! That might explain it. He knew Iken, maybe even the scandal-ridden girl Nami.
possible.
"How do you know what to call me?"
"Princess, there was a Bogo who ran from plantation to plantation. He told us about voodoo and the ways of magic. He also told us about werewolves, werewolves, and pale men. He said that if a When a person meets a pale person outside at night, he should greet them politely and pray that they feel mercy.”
I raised my hand, it was a fascinating story but I had a most urgent matter to deal with right now.
I sprinted for the nearest bush.
"OooOoOoo..."
I vomited blood. It stinks! There's no energy in it at all. Bah! I shouldn't have drank so much, but, well, I didn't want to waste all my life.
"Hiccup! Uuuuh."
When I came back, Dusan was motionless. Although it was very cold, cold sweat had accumulated on his forehead.
"What exactly is a werewolf?"
"A werewolf. A cursed soul that transformed into a horrific monster in the moonlight. It was said to be as tall as two men, covered in fur, and strong enough to shred metal! It could only be killed with silver, but this No small task! For the beast is terrible: its mouth is like a wolf's, covered with nightmares..."
"Oh, that's it. Well, it's delicious. Full of energy and strength. I wonder if I can catch another one?"
Dusan didn't answer, but he smelled fear again. Is it because of what I said? Bah bah bah.
"So you pose as a supplicant. Now tell me, what do you want?"
"Hmph, I want to live."
"snort!"
I tapped my chin with my index finger, pondering the words. He wants to live. Well, I guess that does sound reasonable. I can't stand another person anyway. Can I let him go?
"Ah, Toussaint, I wish I could go, but I really can't let others spread the word about my trip. You see," I grabbed his shoulder and leaned closer, because it was a secret.
"I'm trying to move in...move in...etc. "Invisible!" He couldn't help it. "Yeah, that's it. Teehee!”
"That's not a problem, princess." He answered with a hint of panic. "I can swear on the loan!"
"So?"
"If I lie, my soul will burn in hell forever! The Bondi people will never forgive me!"
"Well, give me your hand."
I bit him gently and stared into his eyes.
"You want to betray me?"
"There is no princess! Dusan is an upright man!"
"Do you believe that if you break your vow to God, your soul will go to hell?"
"Of course!" he replied in shock.
"Yeah. Okay then. I agree to let you go. In return, you have to help me bury the body."
"Princess? Really?" He licked his lips, the hope on his face as clear as day.
"Yes. Swear now!"
I expected him to put together a hasty sentence, but he actually built a small altar out of wood and soot, muttered a long prayer, and finally loudly announced that if he broke his promise, he would die. How strange! I was having a perfectly normal night when suddenly, something completely extraordinary happened, a pagan ritual. This is so bizarre!
When this was done, Toussaint found a small ravine where we dumped the bodies and covered them with earth and heavy stones so that wild animals could not dig them out. A masterpiece. They're gone. Ariana, the magic queen!
We walked back to camp for the last time. Toussaint assured me that he knew where he was going and that he would take care of the men's belongings, as well as their dogs. He also gave me some instructions without prompting. At this point, we parted ways. His expression of gratitude and disbelief at me as I left was so touching. As my father said, he was a good kid.
Following his advice, I quickly found shelter in a natural cave system and, despite the early hour, decided to call it a night.
