It didn't happen yesterday. No! But that's not the case. There was no embarrassment at all. Blood stains on my chin and clothes? A hunting accident. I'm deer hunting. Yes, a deer. A vicious person.

I was walking on a path that bypassed the border between Louisiana and Native lands. Even though I drank too much yesterday, I still felt thirsty.

I also felt a little 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 Toussaint reminded me of what I had lost. I want to talk to someone, I want to learn something new, I want to discuss ideas. I don't want to be some kind of hermit.

I find it impressive that ordinary things can reappear so easily. When I take care of the redhead slut queen, I just want to be alone. When I competed, I just wanted to have fun, and now I need companions. Humans always crave more, and death doesn't make me an exception.

I sighed and picked up my backpack. I have exactly three outfits right now, one of which is a combat suit with a hole in the chest. I should have brought a sewing kit......

I was too hasty in avoiding Mobile. I should stop and replenish supplies. The fact that I don't need food blinded me......

I stopped on the trail. I've been walking on forested land for two days now. Between the mountains, between tree trunks and the occasional rock, visibility was limited despite my eyes.

I close them.

I heard the crackling and sound of live wood, birds in the distance, and the sound of the wind.

Oddly enough, I can swear I felt something, not an aura that I was associated with magical creatures, but something weaker and less active.

Buzz.

I started walking a little faster again, leaving the trail and walking towards the nearest hilltop. My instincts never betrayed me. Something is wrong.

I reached the top of the hill 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 stuck 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 for office? May I? Running makes me thirsty, and if I have to rush, it will be difficult to find blood here.

Should I ambush them? If they knew exactly where I was, it wouldn't make sense. Buzz. Maybe they can't. I believe that whatever is following me is doing a kind of magic, the equivalent of shouting in the forest to find someone, and then that person will call back.

I need more information. I'm going to hide, I'm going to wait and see what happens, and at the first sign of danger, I'm slipping away like a gust of wind.

Half an hour later, the feeling was back. I dare say that 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 not reciprocated, and it implies that it scares me. Chances are, this thing knows my approximate location. When it noticed that I was doing the same thing, it decided to stop and I finally understood why. Time is not in my favor.

If they can track me down during the day, I'm done. 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 those defenses. The only good thing about me hiding is that no one is looking for me, until now. There are no labyrinths, no rock formations to hide me from. Finding my body in a bear hole or an abandoned shack and disposing of me was nothing short of pediatric.

How did this happen? I thought I was careful.

Phew, it doesn't matter. I have to find my opponent. The only merit I have is that it prefers to wait until I'm defenseless, which means it doesn't have the confidence to kill me in a fair fight.

However, I have no way of tracking it down. What should I do?

I have a good sense of sight, hearing and smell. I can use it. I also have my wisdom, like them.

I've been moving for a week now, mostly going north and now east. The stuff that tracked me must be behind me. I'll have to do it all over again. Secondly, there is a good chance that something that is tracking me is intelligent. Indeed, I feel that the beast is unlikely to have the patience to wait until dawn before killing its prey. It is likely to follow the clues.

Just in case, I pulled out my rifle, loaded it with bullets, and thankfully it didn't rain for a while. I'm also going to make sure Jimena's knife is out of his reach.

I can do without the butter smell on the carton. Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons!

I walked back, stopping every 300 steps. I close my eyes, listen to the sounds, and taste the air. I didn't detect anything unusual and continued.

I did this for a full hour, and it became more and more difficult not to pay attention to the "thirst". Maybe I should drop everything and go to those little outposts mentioned by Toussaint, hunt, and come back? It only takes a few hours......

No! I was nearby, and I could feel it.

I was distraught and screamed in surprise when the tracker returned. It's tighter and stronger than ever! I can run around and...

No. Focus, Ariana, you can do it.

It's like a pulse, ripples on the surface of a calm lake. Concentric circles reflect obstacles.

I still don't know where it came from, it could be anywhere...... I sniffed in disappointment and it hit me. There's a new flavor. I rushed forward on the trail and I finally recognized it, I had just found horse manure.

I got closer. I could tell it was fresh. I was on my knees staring at the ground. There are deep horseshoe prints everywhere.

I'm not an expert in tracking, but I can already see something. I was hunted by humans because vampires and werewolves don't ride horses, at least not when they're hunting. Locals do not use steel tips. Finally, there is more than one, but not many. This means that the criminals were a small group of Gabriel's servants, or mages. Since I'm sure someone is following me with magic, I'll go with the magician.

This is very problematic. They may have ways to hide their presence or become invisible. Perhaps, they can even turn themselves into salamanders! So, how do I find them?

I followed the trail to a bend in the road, and it was gone. It soon became clear to me that they had decided to leave the road at that moment. They must have realized that I couldn't move. Time is running out and my patience is running out. I had to find them before my desires got out of hand.

I followed the footprints to find a large outcropping of rocks covered with pine trees and dropped them on solid ground. I don't know what to do. Never have I ever hunted alone.

I sniffed the air. The smell of pine sap was suffocating, and underneath it was the smoke of firewood. Aha! A fire! I found the tallest tree and started climbing up. I ignored my increasingly sticky paws and looked around.

No, absolutely nothing. There is no hint of red for cooling embers. There was no crackle, and there was no sound of wood turning to ashes. Not even a single wisp of smoke rose into the sky.

They went into hiding.

What should I do, what should I do? I could walk around for the rest of the day until I turned into a ravenous beast, and then they killed me with a well-prepared trap. No, wait, they won't be very far, I can walk from one summit to another and smell them. Agg, it's too time-consuming.

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 frightened. I've got to do something to scare them.

I can set fire to the forest.

No, Ariana, this is the stupidest idea you've ever had after trying to fry butter. You're not a beast of fire, no, you're a beast of the night.

So let's scare them.

“Roaaaa !”

．．．

That's so sad. I may have scared three bats and a squirrel. This is wrong. I acted too much like a human.

I close my eyes and focus.

Beneath the surface of the lake where my mind is calm, there is an instinct that has saved me countless times before. I call them now, and I draw them out with the help of urgency and hunger.

I felt the breeze on my face and smelled a faint smell of firewood smoke. My blood sings in the night, and this is my moment. The prey is nearby. No one can track down vampires. Found it. Homicide. Put the trophy. Hide like a cockroach. Let them know. Let them know that I am not the prey. I'm the apex.

The night is mine.

“ROOOOAAAAAAR ! !”

Terrible screams erupted like volcanoes, spreading and tumbling through valleys and forests, filling every crack and reaching under every tree root. Millions of years of natural selection reminded them of their place in the pecking order, and hundreds of animals froze in horror. It's a manifestation of anger, a scream at dawn, back to a time when the victors would eat the blood-soaked hearts of their victims.

There, there was a hiss. of the prey! Slightly to my left. They are so close!

I lunged forward, then slowed down.

They knew I was coming. It has proven stupid to go against a magician, and months of limited training didn't make me suddenly an Amazon. I've got to play with a dim sum machine. Or charge in the Kill Drink.

No.

I heard another muffled neigh, and the sound of horses' hooves. They are right behind this tall rock.

I looked around. About thirty paces to my right was a huge pine tree. I walked there cautiously. My backpack is off.

Changed?

Change. I'm wearing a combat suit, and I'm grateful that someone will do something elegant and practical. It even has pockets! Imagine that.

I tied the dagger to my butt and the rifle to my shoulder, and started to climb up. I wasn't completely silent, but I still managed to slide between the branches until I reached the proper height.

They are there.

Three men sit in a secluded clearing surrounded by rocks. The only entrance was facing away from the road, which meant that the people who were following them had to go around that pile of stones and back again. One of them was trying his best to control three horses carrying heavy loads, another was sitting by a smothering campfire in contemplation, and the last was holding a ......

Is this a bluff? Well, at least they're taking it seriously.

There's a circle of stuff around them. It seemed to me that it shone with a white aura that made the air sparkle as if it had been heated. Although the distance was close, I couldn't feel the colorful aura associated with the mage.

I consider my options. I had to kill them quickly, but there were a couple of things I could try.

I can jump on them. That way I can kill one before anyone else can retaliate, but I don't know what this strange barrier does. It just makes me feel less about them. Isn't it unpleasant that it might also set me on fire?

Alternatively, I can try my brand new Talelang custom 56 caliber breech rifle, which I haven't had a chance to safely try in the woods in almost total darkness.

Hum......

Bang!

The bullet hit the sitting man in the chest. Yes! He screamed in surprise and leaned back.

Wait a minute, surprise?

The circle is gone. The man panicked and pulled something strange out of his pocket, and he began to mumble to himself, while the man with the halberd knelt beside him, aiming in my general direction.

Oooh.

The wounded man pointed a finger at me, and I fell as a metal storm tore through my hiding place. It doesn't matter, it's up close.

I put down my rifle and rushed forward with my knife. I jumped up and down on the rocky face and landed in their camp. The first mage was still muttering to himself, and I was stunned. The other two were Gabriel! I thought it was impossible!

A quick gesture woke me up. The two hunters drew their pistols, and the mage drew a sword, their faces pale and worried. When they aim at me, I move forward. The man guarding the horse shot too fast, his gun was completely missed, but the other waited until I got closer. I forced myself to rush to the mage. At the last minute, I pretended to slow down, and then instead slowed down. A roar deafened my ears, and a bullet slashed through the place where I had just been overhead. I dodged forward and slashed at the hunter's outstretched hand, and unfortunately my blade grabbed his hand from an angle, only to make him lay down his used weapon. A quick movement made me raise my hand, and a silver dagger stabbed me senselessly in the forearm.

Wait, this skirt is armored? I do not know!

I turned my attention back to the mage, who smelled good! I jumped on him.

"Fire Whip!"

A flaming snake wrapped angrily around my neck, and I stepped back and cut it with all my might. The blade cut through it, and the magical structure burst like a soap bubble.

“A

g !”

I blocked the hunter's other silver dagger and bypassed the mage.

"Hedgehog!"

It has silver spines on its back that are easy to avoid. I'd be stabbed to death if I touched him in the back, but I didn't have to.

I put one foot on the ground, put my arm around the other, and kicked it up with all my strength. My foot lifted off the ground in a leaf of fallen leaves, grabbing right between the mage's legs. He was thrown into the air and collapsed in a pile of wretched things a few feet away.

Thanks for the suggestion, Marcus. Like you said, it's in the jewelry

Ignoring the utterly horrified expressions on the faces of the other two, I headed straight for the second hunter. The third, the one close to the horse, wields a pistol like an amateur.

Low threat.

I'm walking slower now. I can still accelerate, but I want to grow second by second, and I'm afraid of losing control. It would be a terrible thought to face these enemies.

I walked up to the seasoned hunter and tried to assassinate him. He blocked mine with his own knife, but it looked like I actually hurt his hand anyway.

"Run, Gregoire, it's an order!"

The man who drove the horse hesitated, mounted his horse and galloped away. Parameter! No......

Seasoned hunters took advantage of my distraction and slit my wrists. I managed to move at the last moment, and the blade slipped into the armor of the skirt.

"Filthy 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 filled with endless hatred.

He threw the knife at me so fast that I hid.

"In God's name!"

With a strange, silent explosion, I was pushed against the rock wall. A bullet hit my right arm, and I barely managed to turn to the left. Accompanied by a scream of pain. I dropped the knife on the ground.

The hunter has already drawn a 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.

Time slowed down as I moved to the left. A burning line spread to the side of my head.

"Hey!"

It breaks my heart! Damn it! Oh, you wait and see.

My frantic hands finally found what I was looking for, and the hunter rushed at me with another knife. The hopeful look on his face disappeared when he saw what I managed to hold onto.

A pistol.

I snapped the gun, aimed it at his leg, and pulled the trigger. With a deafening roar, the hunter grabbed his leg and fell. I don't give him time to recover. I jumped on his back and slammed him in the neck, but not enough to kill him. He collapsed.

I breathe reflexively. I'm alive, I've won.

I need......

First, I'm going to suck blood. The fallen mage was hit by a bullet in the head, bleeding profusely. Waste.

I put my mouth on the wound. Confusion. Don't mind.

Ah yes, this man did not poison his own blood with potions. It's amazing. It has much less vitality than a werewolf, but all this power ......

I didn't rush to drink until the man died. Ah yes, that's remarkable. I stood up, twisted my shoulders, and immediately regretted it.

These actions made me forget about the gunshot wounds. Luckily, the bullet pierced him.

Under the influence of my recent eating, I quickly felt my body start to heal on its own and despite the pain, I was fine. Good. Also, one of my enemies has fled, which is not a good thing.

I rummaged through the men's things until I found a rope that tied the remaining one tightly. Then I disarmed him as best I could. There are so many ropes that the magician can't escape.

When he wakes up, I'll ask him some questions.

I set out to chase this inexperienced hunter. Gregor, obviously. With five hours to go, 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 is bent at the wrong angle. The man left it here to suffer.

I looked at those brown eyes that were crazy with fear and pain. It's 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 have a prey.

Now, where has he gone? I can't easily follow his footsteps, but he won't be too far away from me. What would I do if I was a panicked and inexperienced person?

Go ahead and look for cover. He was scared and tired.

I moved on. There was a slope on the forest floor, and I walked down. To my right, I saw a large patch of disturbed soil, as if something had fallen heavily. I changed direction and saw a few other pieces of messy dirt. Thankfully, the ground here is softer.

I walked down it until I came to a small wooden structure. I approached it cautiously. I've been shot twice tonight.

I tiptoed closer and heard a voice.

"… In the shadow of death, I fear no evil, for you are..."

Lovely.

I crept up to the door and was immediately confronted with a problem. A huge silver cross hangs from the door.

I can't get in.

"Hiss"

There was no invitation for me to step into this house. This is hostile territory.

Buzz.

Let's try diplomacy.

"Gregor," I said in a brisk voice.

The man screamed, then continued to whisper hymns. The sound made my ears uncomfortable and my teeth uncomfortable.

"Gregoire, let's talk, shall we?"

No reply.

I guess I've got to be a little more convincing. This mess of rotten wood suddenly turned into a sacristy for some stupid reason. Force won't help me. At least, not the kind of force I can apply with my bare hands.

I do have a bargaining chip, though.

I turned back to the clearing. The mage is still dead, and Gabriel's servant is still unconscious. I walked under the pine tree to pack my things. My arm was injured and it was hard to shoot through walls, and my dagger was not much better than my claws. I emptied the mage's pocket and found a very beautiful pistol with a golden engraving on it, a bag of silver bullets and two throwing knives.

I can have as many guns as I want now!

There are some magical knick-knacks here, but I don't know what they're for, so I'll leave them here.

I also pulled some Spanish gold coins out of his pocket. There's no need to leave that to werewolves.

Out of curiosity, I grabbed the strange gauntlet that all mages seemed to have and tied it to my hand.

"Peak! Shield! Seal! Fi

ewhip !”

I spent a few minutes trying to shout incantations, imagine effects, scream and shout. Nothing will happen.

I raised my eyes to look at the silent watcher. Can a celestial body convey an interesting sense of superiority? I'm sure so.

I threw down the useless garbage, grabbed my captive, and walked forward. When we got to the little hut, I could still hear the chattering idiot reciting the Bible verse by verse. Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons!

"Gregor, are you still inside?"

The man hiccuped and the recitation sped up. I caught his attention.

"It's rude to ignore a lady. Hey, I guess I could even take my anger out on your friends. ”

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 Gregoire. Now, let's talk. ”

"Gregoire, listen to me, don't tell her ......"

Tch, you don't need to be involved, old man.

I reached out and took the nearest piece of cloth from my backpack and shoved it into the man's mouth.

He looked at me in surprise, then confused again.

I took a closer look at this particular piece of fabric. It is white cotton with beautiful frills and a small bow and ......

"Hey!'"

I pulled my underwear out of the man's mouth and immediately changed into my socks. I look to the silent watchman.

"It's definitely a secret between us."

This watch.

"I'm serious."

"Oh my God, oh my God!"

Ah yes, that's right. Take care of the matter at hand. Yes. This has never happened. No! It was a sock from the start. Yes. A sock.

"Now, Gregoire, I have a few questions for you."

"I don't talk to you, brute!" You go behind me......"

Every time I don't like the answer, I break something. When I've broken everything, I'll drink him dry. ”

Silent.

"Let's start with a simple question. What's this person's name?"

"Father Perry."

The bound man was trembling, but he might as well have wrestled with a bear. Yes, it's the right way I can feel it. I'll ask simple questions and won't cost him anything. The more he replies, the more he replies. I can take a break here. I can......

I'm sleepy.

The imminent danger was over, so my body was stopping working. The powerful blood of a mage can only take me so far. Curse! I need to hurry.

"Are you members of the Gabriel?"

"Yes! We're going to bring you down, wicked demon! The wrath of God will ......"

I think I prefer when he's silent.

"You seem too inexperienced to go out hunting vampires. Why are you here?"

Gregoire remained silent, but eventually, he answered.

"I'm an archivist. Father Perry called me. ”

"Really?" Where's his squad?"

Gregor hesitated. While I was figuring out the situation myself, I was about to break another knuckle.

"Let me guess, you've been understaffed since your catastrophic assault on the vampire fortress."

"God's warriors are an army!" There are a lot of us! The righteous will always answer the call to rise up against the messenger of evil......"

"Yes, yes, I understand now. What I don't understand is why the three of you are going after me so unscrupulously. Why is there a mage with you? I thought you hated each other. Shouldn't you put them all on the fire and burn them?"

"I... I..."

"Nine fingers left."

"I am weak, but I know that Father Perry would rather die than let me divulge the secrets of the Knights. I refuse to speak!"

Time is running out. I could torture him, but...

Buzz.

It's doable.

"I have a suggestion. You answer my three questions, and I'll let Father Perry go. ”

"No, you're lying."

"I swear in the name of the watchman."

"Suqqam Hayatu? Ah, Watchmen. Are you sure? No, you're a devil! You're trying to manipulate me. ”

"So be it," I said, and that tone made me buy 15 pence per bushel at the Montfort market, "and I ask three questions, and you are to answer them in full." If at any time you feel that the answer is not worth your friend's life, you can stop and I will kill him. If you answer all my questions, I'll leave him at the door, no worse than he is hurt right now, and let you take him in. I will not hurt him or you at any time. When the door closes and you two are safe, our truce will be over. ”

The man pondered, while Father Perry spat and cursed in my mud-stained socks.

No tricks, no writhing places. If I swear and he does, it will all be over and both of my surviving enemies will leave safely.

"I agree."

Good.

Father Perry screamed in anger. In the shed, I heard the sound of furniture being moved. The man remembered that I had used a gun and thought that 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. ”

"All answers, Gregoire. That's the deal. I said impatiently.

"We don't have enough people to track you down, and you didn't leave any traces of the body of our expected one-year-old, so we had to hire a mercenary mage to come to you, despite the rules we have."

"Why did you kill me?"

Gregoire really hesitated this time. I don't understand why this is important.

"You killed his son in the fortress. We found you in the St. Lucia Hospital incident in New Orleans. We know that the victim is Ariana Reynolds, but the Knights are evacuating and we don't have enough men to take you. That's why we did what we had to do. I owe my father my life, so I followed. ”

I turned around and looked at the priest carefully.

The scar.

I remember......

In the hallway of the vampire castle, the corpse of the tailless platform falls. I threw it at the man with the scar on his face, and his red-haired companion shot me......

Oh my God.

In those gray eyes, I saw infinite hatred. I saw a desire for revenge that neither time nor distance could grind it down, neither drugs nor love could suffocate it. This man renounced his hierarchy, his oath and his values just to kill me. Defying God.

I was flattered.

"How did you track me?"

"That...... The mage ......"

Gregoire replied. If any mage could track down vampires at will, I'd know. ”

"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 mercenaries can use it!"

I felt frozen all over. My voice looked calm

"Gregoire, what have you done to my father?"

"Nothing! We will never hurt innocent people!"

I looked at Father Perry. I'm not so 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 would be happy to answer, but my task is done. ”

That's right, he's right.

I dragged the angry pastor to the door as promised, and walked away.

Gregoire opened the door, and we measured each other. He seemed to be mesmerized by me as I stood here, dressed in bloodstained clothes with my arms crossed over my chest. Then he pulled his friend in, locked the door, and they both hid in the sturdy nest he had managed to build.

Our truce is over.

Discovering Perry's resentment and the risks he took for my father drove away my slowly burning anger. I calmly walked back to the clearing and found what I was looking for in the saddle of a panicked horse. I found more in their bag. When I got everything I needed, I went back to the cottage.

I tore a tissue from their spare cloth, wrapped it around a piece of dry wood, and sprinkled lantern oil on it. I poured the rest of the oil on one wall. Light the torch with velvet and lean 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 hunter's hut.

As I mentioned, it hasn't rained in a while.

They lasted for 15 minutes, but eventually, 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 bodies into the cremation pyre that the sanctuary had become. I added that amazing item, including the tracker. I put their crosses on the outer pillars.

Later, I quickly found a cave, collapsed, and was exhausted.