It didn't happen yesterday. No! But that’s not the case. Nothing embarrassing happened at all. Blood on my chin and clothes? A hunting accident. I'm deer hunting. Yes, a deer. A vicious person.
I was walking on a trail that skirted the border between Louisiana and Native lands. Even though I drank too much yesterday, I still felt thirsty.
I also feel a bit lonely.
I never expected this to happen. I had only been on the road for a week, but a simple conversation with this man named Dusan reminded me of what I had lost. I want to talk to someone, I want to learn something new and discuss ideas. I don’t want to become some kind of hermit.
I find it impressive how easily mundane things can resurface. When I take care of the redhead slut queen, I just want to be left alone. When I compete I just want to be entertained, now I need companionship. Human beings always crave more, and death makes me no exception.
I sighed and shouldered my backpack. I have exactly three sets of clothes right now, one of which is a battle suit with a hole in the chest. I should have brought a sewing kit...
I was too hasty in avoiding Mobile. I should have stopped to replenish supplies. The fact that I don't need food blinds me...
I stopped on the trail. I have been walking through the forested land for two days. Between the mountains, tree trunks and the occasional rock, visibility was limited despite my eyes.
I close them.
I heard the harmonious crackling of live wood, distant birds, and the sound of the wind.
Oddly, I could have sworn I felt something, not the aura I associated with magical creatures, but something weaker, less active.
buzzing.
I started walking faster again, leaving the trail and heading towards the nearest hilltop. My gut has never betrayed me. Something is wrong.
I reached the top and looked around and there was nothing but trees and silence. I climbed the tallest tree I could find and dug holes with my claws. Still nothing, now my fingers are sticky with sap.
The feeling came and went, getting closer and stronger. I still don't know what it is, but I can only think of one explanation. Someone or something is following me.
Should I run? Can I? Running makes me thirsty and finding blood here would be difficult if I had to rush.
Should I ambush them? There's no point if they know my exact location. buzzing. Maybe they can't. I believed that whatever was following me was doing a kind of magic, equivalent to shouting for someone in the forest, and that person would shout back.
I need more information. I would hide and wait to see what would happen, and at the first sign of danger I would flee like a gust of wind.
Half an hour later, the feeling returned. I dare say, everything is exactly the same as before.
Someone is after me, I'm sure. However, they stopped.
I waited another half hour and had no change. The feeling is unrequited and the implication scares me. Chances are, this thing knows my approximate location. When it noticed me doing the same thing, it decided to stop, and I finally understood why. Time is against me.
If they could track me in daylight, I was screwed. Most vampires protect themselves by hiding in fortresses guarded by loyal followers. This was evident in the raid on the fortress. I don't have these defenses. The only good thing about me hiding is that no one is looking for me, until now. No maze, no rock formation to hide me. Finding my body in a bear cave or an abandoned shack and disposing of it would be child's play.
How did this happen? I thought I was being careful.
Phew, it doesn't matter. I have to find my match. My only saving grace is that it prefers to wait until I'm defenseless, meaning it doesn't have the confidence to kill me in a fair fight.
However, I have no way of tracking it. what should I do?
My sense of sight, hearing and smell are all very good. I can use it. I also have my wisdom, like them.
I've been moving for a week now, mostly north and now east. Whatever is following me must be behind me. I have to walk it all over again. Secondly, there's a good chance that whatever is following me is intelligent. Indeed, I find it unlikely that wild beasts would have the patience to wait until daylight before killing their prey. It was probably following a clue.
I pulled out my rifle and loaded it just in case, thankfully it hadn't rained in a while. I also made sure Jimena's knife was within his reach.
I can totally do without the butter smell on the carton. Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons!
I walked back, stopping every three hundred steps. I closed my eyes, listened to the sounds, tasted the air. I don't detect anything unusual and continue.
I did this for a solid hour and it became increasingly difficult not to focus on the thirst. Maybe I should drop everything and go to those little outposts Toussaint mentioned, hunt, and come back? Just a few hours…
No! I'm nearby, I can feel it.
I was so distraught that when the tracker came back I screamed in surprise. It’s closer and stronger than ever! I can run around and…
No. Stay focused, Ariana, you can do it.
It's like a pulse, a ripple on a calm lake. Concentric circles reflect obstacles.
I still don't know where it came from, it could have been anywhere... I sniffed in disappointment and it hit me. There is a new flavor. I rushed forward on the path and I finally recognized it, I had just discovered horse poop.
I came closer. I could tell it was still fresh. I knelt and stared at the ground. There were deep horse hoof prints everywhere.
I'm no tracking expert, but I can already tell a few things. I was hunted by humans because vampires and werewolves don't ride horses, at least not when they hunt. The natives do not use steel points. In the end, there was more than one, but not many. This means that the criminals are a small group of Gabriel's servants, or mages. Now that I'm convinced that someone is following me with magic, I'll just go with the magician.
This is very problematic. They may have ways of masking their presence or becoming invisible. Maybe, they can even transform themselves into salamanders! So, how do I find them?
I followed the trail to a bend in the road and it disappeared. It soon became clear to me that they decided at that moment to leave the road. They must have realized I couldn't move anymore. Time is running out and so is my patience. I have to find them before my desires get out of hand.
I followed the tracks to a large rocky outcrop covered in pine trees and dropped them on solid ground. I do not know what to do. I have never hunted alone.
I sniff the air. The smell of pine sap was suffocating, and underneath it was wood smoke. Ah ha! A fire! I found the tallest tree and started climbing up. Ignoring my increasingly sticky paws, I looked around.
No, absolutely not. There is no red hint of cooling embers. There was no snap, no sound of wood turning to ash. Not even a wisp of smoke rose into the sky.
They are hiding.
What do I do, what do I do? I can spend the rest of my time walking around until I turn into a ravenous beast and then they kill me with a carefully prepared trap. No, wait, they're not far away, I can walk from top to top and smell them. Aggar, this is taking too much time.
Ah, but I almost forgot.
They have horses.
I remember yesterday, I managed to scare the dog. Horses are prey and they should be easily spooked. I have to do something to scare them.
I can set the forest on fire.
No, Ariana, this is the dumbest idea you've ever tried frying in butter. You are not a beast of fire, no, you are a beast of night.
So let's scare them.
"Roaaaa!"
． ． ．
That's so sad. I probably scared three bats and a squirrel. This is wrong. I was acting too human.
I closed my eyes and concentrated.
Beneath the calm lake of my thoughts lies the instinct that has saved me countless times before. I call them now, I draw them out with the help of urgency and hunger.
I felt the breeze blowing across my face and smelled the faint smell of wood smoke. My blood sings in the night, this is my moment. Prey is nearby. No one can track the vampire. turn up. kill. Take the trophy. Hide like a cockroach. Let them know. Let them know I'm not prey. I am the apex.
The night is mine.
"ROOOOAAAAAAR!!"
The horrific scream erupted like a volcano, spreading and rolling through the valleys and forests, filling every crevice and reaching the base of every tree root. Hundreds of animals froze in horror as millions of years of natural selection reminded them of their place in the pecking order. It was an expression of rage, a scream at dawn, back when the victor would eat the blood-soaked heart of his victim.
There, a neighing sound. Prey! A little to my left. They are so close!
I surge forward, then slow down.
They knew I was coming. Going up against a magician had proven to be foolish, and a few months of limited training didn't suddenly turn me into an Amazon. I have to do some tricks. Or charge in a kill drink.
No.
I heard another low neigh, and the sound of horse hooves. They're just behind this tall rock.
I looked around. About thirty paces to my right stood a huge pine tree. I walked there cautiously. My backpack fell off.
Change?
Change. I'm in combat gear and I'm grateful that someone would make something elegant and practical. It even has pockets! Imagine that.
I strapped the knife to my hip, strapped the rifle to my shoulder, and started climbing. I wasn't completely silent, but I still managed to slide between the branches until I reached the appropriate height.
There they are.
Three men sat in a secluded clearing surrounded by rocks. The only entrance was set back from the road, which meant whoever was following them would have to go around the pile of rocks and back again. One of them was struggling to control three heavily laden horses, another was sitting brooding beside a suffocating campfire, and the last was holding...
Is this a bluff? Well, at least they're taking it seriously.
There's a ring of stuff around them. It seemed to me that it shone with a white halo that made the air sparkle as if it had been heated. Despite the close distance, I couldn't feel the colorful aura associated with the mage.
I consider my options. I have to kill them quickly, but there are a few things I can try.
I can jump on them. This way I can kill one before the others retaliate, but I have no idea what this strange barrier is for. It just makes me feel less of them. It might also set me on fire, wouldn't that be unpleasant?
Or, I could try my new Talleyrand custom 56 caliber breech-loading rifle, which I haven't yet had a chance to try safely in the woods in near-total darkness.
snort……
boom!
The bullet struck the seated man in the chest. Yes! He screamed in surprise and leaned back.
Wait, surprise?
The circle disappeared. The man panicked and took out a strange object from his pocket. He began to mutter to himself, while the man with the halberd knelt beside him and aimed in my general direction.
oh oh.
The injured man pointed a finger at me, and I fell as a storm of metal shredded my hiding place. That's okay, it's up close and personal.
I put down my rifle and charged forward with my knife. I jumped up and down on the rocky surface and landed in their camp. The first mage was still muttering to himself, and I was petrified. The other two people were members of the Gabriel Society! I thought this was impossible!
A quick gesture woke me up. The two hunters drew their pistols, and the mage took out a sword. Their faces were pale and worried. When they target me, I advance. The horse guard fired too quickly and his gun missed completely, but the other man waited until I was near. I forced myself to rush towards the mage. At the last moment, I pretended to slow down, and then slowed down instead. A roar deafened my ears, and a bullet pierced the top of my head just a moment ago. I ducked forward and slashed at the hunter's outstretched hand, unfortunately my blade caught his hand at an angle, only causing him to drop the weapon he was using. With one quick movement I raised my hand and a silver dagger stabbed me senselessly in the forearm.
Wait, this skirt is armored? I didn’t know!
I turned my attention back to the mage, he smelled delicious! I jumped on him.
"Fire whip!"
A flaming snake wrapped angrily around my neck and I backed away, cutting it with all my strength. The blade sliced through it and the magical structure burst like a soap bubble.
"A
g!”
I blocked another silver dagger from the hunter and bypassed the mage.
"hedgehog!"
It has silver spines on its back that are easy to avoid. I'd get stabbed if I touched his back, but I didn't have to.
I put one foot on the ground, held the other foot with my arm, and kicked it up with all my strength. My feet left the ground in a fallen leaf and caught the mage between his legs. He was thrown into the air and collapsed in a wretched heap a few feet away.
Thanks for the advice, Marcus. Like you said, it's in the jewelry
I ignored the expressions of utter horror on the other two's faces and headed straight for the second hunter. The third, the one closer to the horse, brandished his pistol like an amateur.
Low threat.
I walk slower now. I could still speed up, but the desire was growing second by second and I was afraid of losing control. It would be a scary thought to face these enemies.
I walked up to the experienced hunter and tried to assassinate him. He blocked my knife with his own, but it still looked like I really hurt his hand.
"Run, Grégoire, that's an order!"
The driver hesitated for a moment, then mounted his horse and galloped away. Parameters!Cannot...
The skilled hunter took advantage of my distraction and slit my wrist. I managed to move at the last moment and the blade slipped against the armor of the skirt.
"Dirty monster!"
The man was very old, with wrinkles on his face and a huge scar on his cheek. But his eyes were not dim at all, and his expression was full of endless hatred.
He quickly threw the knife at me and I hid.
"In the name of God!"
With a strange, silent explosion, I was pushed against the rock wall. A bullet hit my right arm and I reluctantly turned left. Accompanied by a scream of agony. I dropped the knife.
The hunter had drawn his third pistol.
I stepped forward, then stepped aside, grabbing the mage's unconscious body and lifting it up. The hunter tried to circle me to get a clear shot and I used my left hand...
explode.
As I moved to the left, time slowed down. A burning line spread up the side of my head.
"Hi!"
This breaks my heart! Damn it! Oh, you wait and see.
My frantic hands finally found what I was looking for, and the hunter charged at me with another knife. The hopeful look on his face disappeared when he saw what I'd managed to grab.
A pistol.
I cocked the gun, aimed at his leg, and pulled the trigger. With a deafening roar, the hunter grabbed his legs and fell. I didn't give him time to recover. I jumped on his back and punched him in the neck, but not enough to kill him. He breaks down.
I breathe by reflex. I'm alive and I'm winning.
I need to……
First, I want to suck blood. The fallen mage had a bullet in his head and was bleeding profusely. waste.
I put my mouth to the wound. confusion. Never mind.
Ah, yes, this man did not poison his blood with potions. This is amazing. It's much less dynamic than a werewolf, but all that power...
I took my time and drank until the man was dead. Ah, yes, that's amazing. I stood up, rolled my shoulders, and immediately regretted it.
These movements made me forget about the gunshot wounds. Fortunately, the bullet penetrated him.
I quickly felt my body begin to heal itself under the influence of my recent eating, and despite the pain, I was fine. good. Also, one of my enemies escaped, which is never a good thing.
I rummaged through the men's belongings until I found a piece of rope with which I tied the remaining man tightly. Then I did my best to disarm him. With so many ropes, even the magician can't escape.
When he wakes up, I'll ask him some questions.
I started chasing the inexperienced hunter. Gregor, obviously. There are still five hours until dawn, and I still have a lot of energy to expend.
This person is easy to follow. Deep mud marks guided me forward until I heard a scream of pain.
His horse lay on the ground. One of its legs was bent at the wrong angle. The man left it here to suffer.
I looked into those brown eyes that were crazy with fear and pain. This is a beautiful beast. it's a shame.
"It was a good hunt."
If I stab it in the brain, it will die instantly.
"You can rest now."
However, I still had a prey.
Now, where has he gone? I can't easily follow his footsteps, but he can't be too far away. What would I do if I were a panicked and inexperienced person?
Keep going and take cover. He was scared and tired.
I keep going. There was a slope on the forest floor and I walked down it. To my right, I saw a large expanse of disturbed soil, as if something had fallen heavily. I changed direction and saw a few more messy patches of dirt. Thank goodness the ground is softer here.
I walked along it until I came to a small wooden structure. I approached it cautiously. I've been shot twice tonight.
I crept closer and heard a voice.
"...In the shadow of death, I fear no disaster, for you are..."
cute.
I crept quietly to the door and was immediately faced with a problem. A huge silver cross hung on the door.
I can not get in.
"hiss"
No invitation could bring me into this shabby house. This is hostile territory.
buzzing.
Let's try diplomacy.
"Gregor," I said in a light voice.
The man screamed and then continued to chant a hymn in a low voice. The sound hurt my ears and made my teeth uncomfortable.
"Gregoire, let's talk, shall we?"
no reply.
I guess I have to be a little more convincing. This tangled pile of rotten wood suddenly became the sacristy for some stupid reason. Force cannot help me. At least, not the kind of force I could apply with my bare hands.
I did have a bargaining chip, though.
I retraced my steps back to the clearing. The mage is still dead and Gabriel's servant is still unconscious. I walked under the pine tree to collect my things. My arms were injured and it was difficult to shoot through walls. My daggers were no better than my claws. I emptied the mage's pockets and found a very beautiful pistol with golden engravings, a bag of silver bullets and two throwing knives.
I can have as many guns as I want now!
There are some amazing knick-knacks here, but I have no idea what they are for, so I just left them here.
I also took some Spanish gold coins from his pocket. No need to leave this to the werewolves.
Out of curiosity, I grabbed the strange gauntlet that all mages seemed to have and tied it around my hand.
"Peak! Shield! Seal! Fi
ewhip!”
I spent several minutes trying to shout the spell, imagining the effects, screaming and yelling. Nothing will happen.
I raised my eyes to look at the silent watcher. Can a celestial body convey an interesting sense of superiority? I believe it can.
Dejectedly, I threw down the useless rubbish, grabbed my prisoner, and moved forward. We got to the little hut and I could still hear the babbling idiot reciting verses from the Bible. Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons!
"Gregor, are you still in there?"
The man burped and recited faster. I got his attention.
"It's rude to ignore a lady. Hey, I guess I could even take it out on your friend."
I reached for my finger and broke it. The old man woke up screaming in pain.
"Oh my God, no..."
"Ah, I knew you could hear me, dear Grégoire. Now, let us talk."
"Gregoire, listen to me, don't tell her..."
Tch, you don't need to get involved, old man.
I reached into my backpack and took out the nearest piece of cloth and stuffed it into the man's mouth.
He looked at me in surprise, then confusion.
I took a closer look at this particular piece of fabric. It's white cotton with pretty ruffles, a little bow and...
"Hi!'"
I pulled my underwear out of the man's mouth and immediately put on my socks. I look up to the silent watcher.
"It's definitely a secret between us."
This watch.
"I was serious."
"Oh my God, oh my God!"
Ah, yes, that's right. Take care of the matter at hand. Yes. This never happened. No! It was a sock from the beginning. Yes. A sock.
"Now, Grégoire, I want to ask you a few questions."
"I won't talk to you, beast!" You get behind me..."
Every time I didn't like the answer, I would break something. Once I've broken everything, I'll drink him dry. "
silence.
"Let's start with a simple question. What is this man's name?"
"Father Perry."
The bound man was shaking and shaking, but he might as well have been fighting a bear. Yes, that's the right way I can feel. I would ask simple questions that wouldn't cost him anything. The more he replies, the more he will reply. I can take a break here. I can……
I am sleepy.
The imminent danger has passed, so my body is shutting down. The powerful blood of the mage can only take me so far. Curse! I have to hurry up.
"Are you members of the Gabriel Order?"
"Yes! We will strike you down, evil demon! The wrath of God will..."
I think I like him better when he's silent.
"You seem too inexperienced to be out hunting vampires. Why are you here?"
Grégoire remained silent, but at last he answered.
"I'm the archivist. Father Perry asked me to come."
"Really? Where is his team?"
Gregor hesitated. I was about to break another knuckle when I figured it out myself.
"Let me guess, ever since your disastrous attack on the vampire fortress, you've been short-handed."
“The soldiers of God are an army! We are many! The righteous will always answer the call and rise up against the messengers of evil…”
"Yes, yes, I understand now. What I don't understand is why you three are so desperate to hunt me down. Why is there a mage with you? I thought you hated each other. Shouldn't you put them Burn them all on the fire?"
"me…"
"Nine fingers left."
"I am weak, but I know Father Perry would rather die than let me reveal the Order's secrets. I refuse to speak!"
time is limited. I can torture him, but...
buzzing.
This is doable.
"I have a suggestion. You answer my three questions and I will let Father Perry go."
"No, you're lying."
"I swear in the name of the Watcher."
"Suqqam Hayatu? Ah, Watcher. Really? No, you are a devil! You are trying to manipulate me."
"Well," I said, in a tone that made me buy fifteen pence a bushel at Montfort Market, "I ask you three questions and you answer them completely. If at any time you feel that the answers are not worth the life of your friend , you can stop, and I will kill him. If you answer all my questions, I will leave him at the door, no more injured than he is now, and let you take him inside. At no time will I Will hurt him or you. Once the door is closed and you both are safe, our truce is over."
The man mused while Father Perry muttered curses into my dirt-stained socks.
No tricks, no wiggles. If I swear, and he says yes, this will all be over, and both of my surviving enemies will be safe.
"I agree."
good.
Father Perry screamed in anger. Inside the shed I heard furniture being moved. The man remembered me using a gun and thought my ultimate goal was to shoot from the outside. He is building a shelter. I find his determination admirable.
"How do you work with a magician?"
"...It was Father Perry's decision."
"Answer them all, Grégoire. That's the deal," I said impatiently.
"We didn't have enough numbers to track you, and you left no trace of the body of a one-year-old that we expected, so we had to hire a mercenary mage to find you, despite our rules."
"Why do you want to kill me?"
Grégoire really hesitated this time. I don't understand why this is important.
"You killed his son at the Presidio. We identified you during the St. Lucia Hospital incident in New Orleans. We know the victim was Ariana Reno, but the Order is evacuating and we don't have enough manpower to come." Get you. So we did what we had to do. I owed my father my life, so I followed."
I turned around and looked carefully at the priest.
That scar.
I remember……
In the corridor of the vampire castle, the body of Wu Taidai falls. I threw it at the man with the scar on his face, and his red-haired companion shot me...
OMG.
From those gray eyes, I saw infinite hatred. I saw a desire for revenge that neither time nor distance could wear down, nor drugs nor love suffocate. This man abandoned his hierarchy, his oaths and his values just to kill me. Contempt God.
I was flattered.
"How did you track me?"
"That...that mage..."
replied Grégoire. If any mage could track vampires at will, I would know about it. "
"A lock of your hair."
"What! ?"
"We took a lock of your hair from one of your father's lockets as a focal point. It's well preserved and has a strong meaning, so the mercenaries can use it!"
I felt like my whole body was frozen. my voice looks calm
"Gregoire, what did you do to my father?"
"Nothing! We will never hurt innocent people!"
I looked at Father Perry. I'm not sure...
"We got it from your uncle Roger and we said we wanted to add it to the memorial to the victims of violence in New Orleans!" I swear. Also, this is the fourth question, which I'd love to answer, but my job is done. "
Yes, he's right.
I dragged the angry pastor to the door as promised and walked away.
Grégoire opened the door and we measured each other. He seemed fascinated by me, because here I stood, wearing blood-stained clothes, arms crossed over my chest. He then pulled his friend inside, locked the door, and they both took shelter in the sturdy lair he had managed to build.
Our truce is over.
Discovering Perry's resentment and the risks he had taken for my father drove away the numbness from my slow-burning anger. I walked calmly back to the clearing and found what I was looking for in the saddle of a panicked horse. I found more in their bags. Once I had everything I needed, I headed back to the cabin.
I tore a piece of paper towel from their spare cloth, wrapped it around a dry log, and sprinkled it with lantern oil. I poured the remaining oil onto one wall. Light the torch with tinder and place it against the wooden frame. When it looks good, I throw the torch on the thatched roof.
This is not a church, but a sacred hunting lodge.
As I mentioned, it hasn't rained in a while.
They lasted 15 minutes, but eventually the smoke and heat forced them out.
They still fought to the end.
I made it quick and painless.
"It was a good hunt."
I drank a little from both of them, and then I threw their bodies and the mage's body into the pyre that the sanctuary had become. I added that magical item, including the tracker. I put their crosses on the pillars outside.
Later, I quickly found a cave and collapsed, exhausted.
