Novels2Search

19 - Chapter 18

19 - Chapter 18

Tasha double checked her items, she had the cameras, battery packs, cable ties, spare rope, her knives and her katana. She slung the katana across her back and tied off the belt. She hung the knives from clips on her belt. The rest of the items were packed in a smaller back pack. She put on the backpack, made sure everything was secure and started moving in direction of the map location.

As she walked she clicked into the system map. The map was mostly transparent and allowed her to keep the map view up as she walked without it impacting her view. While playing with the map options, she managed to place a pin denoting her makeshift tree camp. That would make it much easier to navigate back.

She then started to concentrate on approaching the marked location. She knew she had several hours before she was supposed to be there, so she hoped whatever she was supposed to see was not there yet. She wanted to get a good look at the site and set up her cameras. Hanna had been right, it was significantly more dangerous to be out here without any backup. It didn't take long until she was at the map location. There was a small clearing in the location. The clearing floor was covered in leaves, but not much grass. It was like the clearing had been tramped down by a multitude of feet, then covered in fallen leaves. The clearing was surrounded by a number of particularly tall trees.

Tasha took the time to look around the clearing to see if there was anything unusual to be noticed, but came up empty. Tasha then methodically proceeded to climb up the trees with the best foliage, and started to set cameras in hidden locations. The branches were too thick to just use cable ties. She got around the problem by tying off some rope, and then attaching the battery packs and cameras to the rope. She powered each one on and checked that the vision was not impeded. She then climbed down from the tree, looked around to see if she could spot the camera from the ground. She also checked the view from other trees. She didn’t want to risk the cameras being seen by whatever she was hunting.

It took her almost 2 hours to set up all six cameras and check that they were properly positioned. She spent another 30 minutes to ensure that the setup on the receiver was correct and configured in the way she liked. She had pointed three cameras into the clearing and the other three in a wide view covering all approaches to the clearing. Happy with her setup she moved a little away from the clearing, found a tree with good coverage and climbed into the foliage. She settled into wait. It wouldn’t be long until the appointed time.

Tasha watched the time approach in her map view. The wait was both excruciating and anticipated. Her training allowed her to relax while keeping her heightened awareness. Her emotions on the other hand drove her desire to get answers. She had to repeatedly calm herself. She didn’t want her high heart rate to give herself away. She watched the final minutes and then second countdown to the appointed time.

As the metaphorical timer hit zero, she checked everything from the cameras to getting a look around, but nothing had changed. On a hunch she checked her quest screen. Her hunch was correct. There was a new quest waiting for her.

Quest: First Hunt

In search of answers about your family's accident, you find yourself alone in a forest. The forest area is frequented by a vampire and her blood servants. Kill them all and learn about the hidden powers in your world. Be aware, the vampire and the blood servants can only be killed by decapitation. Anything else will allow them to survive and recover.

Reward: Variable dependent on performance (Quest Points, Experience, Quest to get further information about your family)

Status: In Progress

Tasha read and reread the quest multiple times. She had only just started to believe in the system, and now she was told to hunt a vampire. It seemed that not all the myths about vampires were true. Unless she was expected to be here for several hours, it would still be daylight when the vampire showed herself. Also there didn't seem to be any mention of a stake through the heart in the quest either. Only beheading, and not just for the vampire.

Tasha ran through what she knew about vampires from popular culture. Though she anticipated a lot of the knowledge to be incorrect, she had to base her preparations on something. She remembered that they were supposed to be abnormally strong, and fast. They were supposed to have excellent perception and night vision. With her stats having been raised, she was also much stronger and faster compared to a normal human. She could confidently say her stats put her significantly beyond even the best of athletes. She wondered what the gap would be between them.

Tasha was not confident in just rushing into a group until she got a better understanding of the abilities of those she would be facing, so she would have to isolate and hunt. She would have to keep the noises to a minimum if she wanted to avoid being mobbed. A part of her wondered if she was doing the right thing. She had been sent here by a quest to kill with no justification as to the reason. She also only had the system's word that this was a vampire and blood servants. She spent some time thinking about the morality of what she was about to do. In the past when she had taken on wetwork, the moral authority came from her chain of command and ultimately the elected politicians who had given the orders. In this situation, she was taking orders from a system she knew next to nothing about. The system had provided her with resources, opportunities to improve and train, actual power and then sent her off to this task.

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It was akin to bring a private military contractor or mercenary. She had not gone down that route after leaving the military, her friends had. She was still not entirely comfortable with being a mercenary for hire, but was this the same situation? As she was debating the morality of the situation, she heard a group moving through the woods towards the clearing.

Suddenly Tasha was on full alert. She looked through the cameras and noticed a group of 6 people dragging a seventh bound man towards the clearing. From another direction, she noticed a tall woman with pale skin approaching the clearing. Though from the movements it looked like she was walking with a languid pace, the speed with which she approached the clearing was astounding.

Thankfully, by luck or providence, neither group would pass past Tasha’s location. Tasha decided to get closer to the ground while she monitored their actions. She made sure to move slowly so as not to attract any attention. She watched the group reach the clearing. Some of the members started to clear the leaves and the soil in the clearing, revealing stone beneath. Tasha could not make out the details, but the stone looked to be pitted and marred.

She watched as the vampire entered the clearing and the group bowed down to her before continuing their tasks. A couple of the people moved out and started to collect dead branches before bringing it back and creating a bonfire on the stone in the clearing.

Once everything was ready, the bound man, who was now visibly struggling, was passed over to the vampire. One moment she was saying something to him, then all of a sudden she moved like a viper, and sunk her teeth into her jugular. Tasha watched in shock as she drained the poor victim, all the while with an expression of ecstasy on her face.

It didn't take long, before she had fully drained the poor man. It seemed like she had not only sucked out his blood, but his vitality too. All that was left was a desiccated corpse. The body was unceremoniously thrown onto the bonfire and the bonfire was lit. In that moment, watching the callousness of these individuals, all Tasha’s moral qualms disappeared. She also understood why the system had structured the quest the way it had. If it had just told her, she would never have believed it. Only by witnessing the brutal act, was she able to accept the reality of the situation.

The blood servants lined up in front of the vampire and one by one the vampire provided her own blood to her servants. The blood servants were left writhing in ecstasy on the ground after consuming the blood. Tasha had seen drug addicts in the throes of their addiction on past missions, and what she saw in that clearing was no different from scenes played out in any drug den across the world. The name blood servant was apt, the only name that might fit better was blood addict.

As Tasha watched the blood servants pass out after taking their hit of the vampire’s blood, Tasha decided to target the vampire first. She kept an eye on the clearing but circled around to the direction the vampire had approached from. Tasha was fully cognizant of the fact the vampire had just fed. Based on the speed she had already displayed on her approach, she expected the vampire to be a tough opponent.

Tasha placed herself a few hundred meters away from the clearing in what she anticipated was the direct path the vampire would take if she returned the same way as she had come. She drew her katana from her scabbard and prepared herself, as she kept an eye on the vampire in the clearing. She watched the vampire feed the last blood servant. She checked the video feed, and saw that all the blood servants were still passed out on the ground.

Even as she watched, the vampire turned around and started to head in her direction. She was moving even faster than on her journey into the clearing, though looking at her gave the impression of a lady out for a stroll.

Tasha debated whether to try and gather some information from this vampire, or to attack from ambush. She really wasn’t sure of which option to take. She decided to take the risk. This was the best situation she could find herself in, with only one opponent. Sure she could attack from ambush and probably win, but that would not give her a measure of her opponent. She would have no idea what she would face if she ended up in an unfavourable position. The risk was worth the knowledge and experience she stood to gain.

Tasha kept a close eye on the vampire as she travelled towards her location, just as she was about to go past her hiding place, Tasha stepped out and into the path of the vampire, her sword held behind her to obscure it from her target.

“Well well, what do we have here?” mused the vampire in a warm sultry voice, “What is a little lost human doing so far out in the woods?” she asked with a wide smile.

“What are you?” asked Tasha “why did you kill that man?”

“Oh you noticed that, did you?” mused the vampire. “But how did I not notice you if you got close enough to see me feed? No matter, I am always in the mood for dessert.”

“I am no one’s dessert.” replied a riled up Tasha. “What makes you think you are here to hunt me?”

As they had been speaking the vampire had been slowly approaching Tasha, like a hunter would approach a skittish animal. At those words the vampire sniffed the air.

“You are not part of the syndicate,” mused the vampire.”If you were I would be able to tell by your scent.”

Tasha cocked her head, this felt like the first new lead she had uncovered in a long time. “What is the syndicate?” asked Tasha. “Are you all vampires?”

The vampire started to laugh. “You really don't know anything,” she replied laughing. “I guess I can assuage your curiosity, think of it as being granted a final wish. The syndicate is all your horror stories come to life. When there was still magic in the world, we all walked in the light. Since the fall of magic, we have been forced to replace the magic with life force. We are so lucky that there are so many of you little humans to feed on. Now that I have fulfilled your final wish, it's time for my dessert.” and with those mocking words, she attacked.