「Tsk. There's always one more, huh?」
The spearman glares at the little girl, as she walks past Straf on the ground. Sheltering herself in the shade of the black parasol that rests on her shoulder, she and Straf momentarily lock gazes. Her inhuman, vertically-slit scarlet eyes narrow as her face twists into a sly grin. She looks up at the spearman, her high boots clack on the stone beneath her past Straf's face.
「I am rather grateful, that you've created this opportunity for me. I have been waiting for the moment to reveal myself, and you've put me in a quite favorable position.」
Her boots clack to a stop, standing between the spearman and Straf. She twirls her parasol playfully on her shoulder, with a smug smile.
「Favorable position? What are you talking about, man-eater?」
The spearman's inhuman, vertically-slit dark eyes cautiously dart all over the little girl's form, as well as Straf while he is still trying to recover from the blow.
「Why, I owe a debt to this man, which I am paying back right now. I doubt someone as weak as you has gained an upper hand on him through legitimate means. You must have resolved to some underhanded tricks, have you not?」
The girl tilts her head a little, and her short, golden twin tails gently wiggle from the movement.
《That's right! That son of a bitch must have placed that turtle there as a distraction!》
Straf shouts in his mind, as he clenches his teeth from the pain. His hand jitters in the air as he tries to open his [Portable Storage], but nothing happens.
《Fuck! Shit! I can't even access my inventory like this!? This fucking sucks! All of this fucking sucks!》
「Underhanded tricks, huh? Is that not what you beasts do all the time? Await your prey to be distracted, then strike?」
The spearman's black eyes glare into the girl's red ones. A strong wind rustles the leaves, and the grass. They exchange cold, murderous gazes with serious faces, before the girl nonchalantly smirks again.
「Not anymore. But as I said, I am feeling rather grateful. Leave now, and I will not hunt you. I have no more interest in you, and I have something to discuss with this man.」
The girl says, and turns her head away towards Straf dismissively, completely ignoring the spearman before her.
「And you think I will do just that!?-」
The spearman readjusts his grip on the spear, taking a different stance. Still keeping his spear and his general stance low, he puts most of his body weight on his front leg and stretches the rear one out towards the back.
「You will. Or you will die.」
She turns her gaze back to the spearman, nearly ordering him to turn back and leave with her tone alone, as she glares at him with a side glance and a face devoid of the slightest hint of patience. The wind blows again, and a momentary silence ensues as the two stare each other down. The spearman lowers his head as he smirks.
「Hmpf. I had half a mind to question the monster, but I know better than to let the beast regenerate. One or two of you, it doesn't matter…」
He lifts his head and speaks while glaring back at the vampire girl.
「…It's you who will die.」
The spearman growls out, and as soon as he says the last word, his form turns into a blue-black blur when he lunges at the gothic little girl with blinding speed. He closes in, thrusting his spear at her thoat while she's frozen, still staring at him with her side glance.
Fwoosh! Clank!
The spearman re-appears in front of the little girl. His vertically-slit pupils widen, when he realizes his weapon has been knocked aside without him even seeing it. They stand only a spear's length apart, and the man is undaunted by the setback. He pulls his front leg back, and unleashes a flurry of stabs.
Clankclankclankclankclankclankclankclankclankclankclankclankclankclankclank!
《Wow. These guys are really going at it. I can't see shit. My condolences to the inbetweeners.》
Straf thinks as he's lying on the ground, trying to get his pain under control. The spearman clicks his tongue as the vampire girl effortlessly knocks his spear away somehow, only moving her free hand a little.
「If I can't stab you, then!-」
He shouts out in frustration, and begins slashing at her with wide swings of his broad-headed spear, turning it into a black blur.
Swishswishswish- Clank! Swish! Swish- Clank!
「Tsk.」
The spearman clicks his tongue again as he leaps away from her, with his attacks having no apparent effect as his spear gets either deflected, knocked back, or simply evaded by the small vampire through taking a step back with a slight lean backwards. She covers her mouth and yawns with her beastly, crimson eyes closed. The spearman's lip twitches in anger as he scowls.
「Are you making light of me, vampire!? Is this a taunt!?」
He shouts at the twin-tailed blonde girl. She opens her eyes with her brows raised.
「Huh? Ahh. No, of course not. I just haven't slept very well. Please, don't elevate yourself and think you're worthy of taunting.」
As she lowers her hand from her mouth, she tilts her head again. Her expression is nonchalant and serious. If the vampire is joking, she's an expert at keeping a straight face.
「Since you've survived my attack, and you're a sapient beast… What is your name? I am Shien the Beast Hunter.」
Though the Beast Hunter is still glaring murder at the little girl, his expression softens as he is humbled by the realization, that this may be a battle to the death on an equal footing.
「…What makes you think I owe you my name, worm?」
Her scarlet eyes narrow. The vampire glares at Shien with pure disdain, as Straf cheers her on in his mind while trying to focus on opening his [Portable Storage].
《Yeah! Fuck him and his turtle! Can I open my inventory yet!?》
「…I see. You are entirely devoid of humanity, and a sense of honor… That suits me even better. Die nameless!」
Fwooosh! Clank!
Shien shouts out, his black eyes snap open as he lunges forward, turning into a blue blur. A violent torrent of wind rushes towards the little girl, and his stab is knocked away again. He repeats his flurry of slashes, and his rush of stabs.
Swish- Clank! Swishswishswish- Clank! Swish- Clank! Clankclankclank!
Straf manages to finally focus enough to open his [Portable Storage]. He puts his wobbly arm into the purple vortex, and searches for a glass container.
《Health potion, health potion… Come on, where are you- There!》
He strains, but manages to pull out a red potion. He uncorks it with his teeth, and chugs the whole bottle in almost one gulp.
《Ahhh… Strawberries. That hit the spot. Never thought that these things would come in handy, especially so soon.》
Clankclankclank! Swish! Swish- Clank!
《Since I can open my inventory, can I use my abilities yet?》
Straf thinks, as he watches the spearman violently jabbing a black blur at the gothic vampire. He attempts to activate his [Contextual Time Perception].
《Ah. There it is. I'll just heal up and let the recurrent character handle that turtle-abusing fucker.》
Straf watches the battle in front of him slow down. The blue-bodysuited man's black spear slows down, and Straf can focus his eyes on it again. Shien recovers from his deflected attack, and jabs his spear at the girl's throat again without missing a beat. Despite the slow motion, her hand rapidly shoots towards the spear's blade and she knocks it aside with a flick of her fingers.
Cllllaaaannnnkkkk!
《Oh. So that's what's she was doing. That's kind of sad. I bet this guy thinks he's winning. Whatever, I'll let her get a moment in the spotlight. Go, recurrent character! Go! Kick his ass!》
Straf cheers on, and lowers his ability's factor to help the pacing along. Shien remains on a ferocious offensive, with the vampire girl only deflecting the blows and taking a step or two back every dozen or so strikes.
Clankclankclank! Clank! Clankclankclankclankclank! Clankclank!
「What's the matter!? You were so smug, just a second ago!」
Shien taunts the vampire as he wildly slashes and stabs away at her. Her eyes narrow in response. After deflecting one of his stabs, she jabs her clawed palm at his chest, aiming square at where his heart is. Her long-nailed fingers carve through the air like a spearhead itself.
Clang!
Shien deftly places his spear's shaft in the way, and he's knocked backwards. He slides on his feet, kicking up a trail of dust. The little girl takes a few steps towards him, before he even fully slides to a stop.
The author's tale has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.
The Beast Hunter changes his stance, returning to the one he took, when he initially leaped away from her. Low to the ground, Shien is pointing the spear's point at her chest up from below, as she walks towards him ominously. She spins her parasol on her shoulder, as if she was just a bored noblewoman taking a leisurely afternoon stroll.
She reveals her pale, young face as she tilts the parasol away. To most, she would look like a completely ordinary little girl, if only a little pale… Though her face is full of veiled cold and bitter hatred.
The disgust in her crimson eyes is clear as she glares at the spearman, even if she doesn't want to show it. His eyes widen and he takes a step back on instinct, but then he re-adjusts his stance and braces his spear under his arm.
Shien thrusts his spear at her again, and it once again is deflected away. This time, it's different. There is enough force behind her parry to cause a blast of wind, and his whole body swivels around with the spear as he tries to regain friction on the ground.
The sudden difference in power comes as a large surprise to Shien. He is visibly shocked by the unexpected amount of feedback. Without a warning, the vampire girl lifts her boot high up above her head, kicking up the white underside of her frilled gothic dress. Despite the awkward scissor-like pose she's standing in, her boot begins to descend on Shien with an uncanny acceleration. He moves his spear's shaft in the way.
He then decides to leap away from her stomp, dodging it at the last second with his eyes open wide.
Thud!
The ground tremors and the stones beneath her foot crack, when she stomps her high boot down. Shien re-assumes his defensive stance, cautiously watching her every move.
「Oh? For a mere human maggot you have good instincts, at least. Have you learned your place yet, you clamorous swine?」
The vampire is mildly amused by the sight of the spearman widening the gap between them even further. Though she's smirking, her eyes are still glaring death at Shien. He grips his spear tighter.
「This is all the more reason why your kind has to be eradicated once and for all. I fought in battles more pitched than this and came out on top. Just because you're admittedly more powerful than I thought changes nothing-」
The vampire girl appears right in front of Shien's face, way past his spearhead. He leans away on instinct, with his teeth clenched. His reaction forces a singular amused chuckle out of the vampire. Her pale, tiny hand turns into a blur as she reaches for his throat.
Swoosh.
Shien drops to the ground and rolls away sideways. He then jumps back to his feet in a single, smooth movement. A small nick on the side of his neck bleeds slowly. Shien wastes no time and attempts to regain the initiative, lunging at the vampire now caught in his spear's ideal range.
Clankclankclankclank! Clankclankclankclankclank! Clankclankclankclank!
Finally feeling that he's fighting for his life, Shien's strikes also accelerate. Vapor trails form around the black blur in his blurry hands, as he thrusts it at the slowly backpedaling vampire. Her boots clack on the stones with each step, making a distinct noise.
《Wait, is that it? He just gets a free power up!? Come the fuck on! Kick his ass already!》
「You've made a grave mistake underestimating the human will to survive, beast! It will be your last!」
The Beast Hunter shouts as his thrusts accelerate and grow in power, and orange sparks fly. His face is twisted into ferocious fury, and the little vampire girl's expression is that of a disdainful boredom.
He pulls his spear back, then lunges forward again with renewed explosive force. An audible crack resounds and echoes off the trees as his spearhead breaks the sound barrier, closing in on the girl's thin, sickly pale throat.
Crrrrrrrrkkkkkkk…
「…What?」
Shien mutters out in complete disbelief, as if he was witnessing a tangible falsehood with his very own eyes. The vampire girl is holding onto the spearhead as if it were a mere teacup, with her pinkie finger outstretched. The spear shakes and jitters as Shien is still trying to force it into her throat, so close, that he can almost see it happen before his eyes. And yet, it is still so far.
He tries to pull it away, but it doesn't budge. Neither pushing nor pulling moves it in the slightest. The vampire girl looks up from the spearhead into his black, slit eyes with a malevolent glint in her blood-thirsty crimson eyes.
「Since when were you the impression, that…」
The girl says, in a completely serene voice. She then disappears from in front of Shien, causing him to search for her side to side rapidly in panic.
「…I wasn't just toying with you?」
The girl asks from behind Shien, standing behind his shoulder. Shien's eyes widen, his teeth clench and he tries to turn his head to face her voice, but the vampire uninterested in his answer.
Thudcrack!
She slams her fist into his ribs from the side in a backhanded blow. His whole body deforms as a pained expression sets on his face.
Blood spews out of his mouth as he flies sideways into the treeline, bouncing off trees and toppling them as he barrels deeper into the woods. Treetops crash down, as only shattered stumps remain from the Beast Hunter's impact against them.
《Oh. Okay. Yeah, figures that trope would crop up.》
The vampire turns her gaze to Straf.
Clack. Clack. Clack. Clack.
Turning her parasol so she's always in its shade, she walks towards him in an unhurried, casual step. Her boots clack on the stone below, and she takes a wide step around a fresh bloodstain to avoid getting dirty.
Clackclackclackclackclackclack!
《Huh?》
「Lia, what are you doing?」
Straf asks, as Cycelia runs out between him and the vampire with her sword drawn, and its edge pointed at the little girl. The vampire stops.
「I- I'm not g- G- Going to stand by- I won't let you harm him!」
Cycelia stammers as she tries to shout out a coherent sentence. She manages to shout a very short, and simple-worded one. The vampire glares at her with her crimson eyes, as Cycelia's hands shake upon the sword.
「Hmmm… I remember you, vaguely. I suppose I am a little thankful to you, too. And you seem to be on good relations with him. I will overlook this. Just this once.」
The vampire says as she lifts a sword hilt-up, holding it with two fingers by its blade.
「Huh?」
Cycelia blinks, wondering from where did the vampire produce a sword identical to hers. She looks down at her hands…
「H- Huh?」
Cycelia's eyes widen in disbelief and her jaw drops, as she realizes her hands are empty. Her teeth start to chatter again, while the vampire glares at her with a suffocating aura.
「I am not here to fight him. I just want to have a little talk. Take this back.」
The vampire girl presents the hilt back to Cycelia. Her shaky hands barely manage to eke out enough force to grip it. The vampire lets go of her sword, and continues walking towards Straf, stepping around Cycelia.
「Point it at me again, and you'll die.」
The gothic vampire glares at Cycelia with a side glance from under her parasol, pausing beside her for just a second to deliver a warning. It takes a few moments for Cycelia to calm herself to be able to sheathe her sword. Straf slowly picks himself up off the ground.
「Ahhh… And I was going to offer you my blood to put you into my debt…」
The little girl lets out a disappointed sigh when she sees Straf get up.
「Yeah? Sorry, I only do debit. Thanks for the help. Though, why did you?」
Straf straightens out, stretching a little. He winces, and puts his hand on the huge gash left on his shirt. While not visibly injured, he is very obviously in severe discomfort.
「Why, it was only natural. I dislike owing anybody a favor, and I owe you a favor for back then…」
The vampire girl gains a sly smile as she spins the parasol on her shoulder, casually ignoring how much terror she caused to Cycelia just a moment ago.
「Back then? When?」
Straf squints, shoveling through the memories of his last few days in this world. He comes up blank.
「In the alleyway, of course. You knew I was a vampire, and you didn't kill me, despite having the full ability to. I consider your mercy to be a favor to me, which hopefully I have repaid by handling your little problem, just now.」
「Uhhhhhhhh…」
《What the fuck is she talking about? I was just going to give her a proper schooling on why she shouldn't drag adult men into dark alleyways, when she looks like a 12 year old girl.》
「More importantly… You are Straf Katastrof Vindict, are you not?」
She slowly tilts her head as she asks, looking up from below her parasol with a surprisingly calm face, devoid of previous hatred.
「Uhhh… Yeah? But I don't remember giving you my name at any point.」
Straf puts his fists on his hips as he looks down at her with heavily furrowed brows in suspicion.
「I was curious about you ever since. I was wondering who you are, why you are so powerful, how did you know my age…」
「I mean, that one was pretty easy…」
「…And so, I tracked you all the way from where we first met, to now.」
She explains with a bright smile, in a massive contrast to her heart-attack inducing demeanor from before.
「Wait, what!? So it was you!?」
《So I not only have a stalker, I have a creepy fangirl drooling over me!? Why does she have to look like a little girl!?》