Hunt Resumes

The guild hall was a cacophony of voices, each more anxious than the last. The hunters, once confident and boisterous, now spoke in hushed tones, their eyes darting toward their peers as if.

The guild master stood at the head of the room, his scarred face a mask of grim determination. Behind him, the notice board was plastered with hastily written warnings and missing persons reports.

"Listen up!" the guild master barked, his voice cutting through the noise like a blade. The room fell silent, all eyes turning to him. "We've lost good hunters—friends, comrades—to whatever this thing is. But we're not going to let it win. We're hunters, damn it! We don't run from a fight."

Even after the hunters stuck together and kept careful, more and more of them were killed or disappeared. So much that now serious measures needed to be taken

A murmur of agreement rippled through the crowd, but it was hesitant, uncertain. The guild master's eyes narrowed as he scanned the room. "I'm forming a special task force to investigate this threat. Volunteers only. This isn't a hunt; it's a mission. And it's going to be dangerous."

For a moment, no one moved. Then, a hand shot up. It belonged to a tall, broad-shouldered man with a long scar running down his arm. "I'm in," he said, his voice steady. "Troy was my friend. I'm not letting whatever killed him get away with it."

One by one, others raised their hands—seasoned hunters, each with their own reasons for joining. The guild master nodded, his expression softening slightly. "Good. We'll meet at dawn tomorrow. Be ready."

Krista sat by the window of her inn room, her scarlet eyes fixed on the bustling streets below. The city was on edge, its usual vibrancy dulled by fear. She could feel it in the air—the tension, the unease. It was almost tangible. There haven't been enough food these days and the hunters were getting more prickly with the civilians. Krista smiled at the thought of having disturbed the peaceful environment they have managed to achieve after purges.

Behind her, Dianelle emerged from the shadows, her form solidifying as she stepped into the light. "Mistress," she said, bowing low. "The hunters are preparing a task force. They mean to hunt me." She spoke without a hint of care. Humans now were stronger than vampires, that much was clear, but Dianelle wasn't fighting them one on one; she was using sneak attacks and hiding in the shadows. Fighting her in the shadows wasn't a task for these low ranked hunters.

Krista's lips curled into a faint smile. "Let them come. The more they throw at us, the more will die and more desperate they'll become. And desperation breeds mistakes."

Dianelle's grin widened, her sharp teeth glinting in the dim light. "Shall I continue thinning their numbers?"

"Yes. Do it." Krista replied, her gaze still fixed on the streets.

Dianelle nodded, her eyes gleaming with anticipation. "As you wish, Mistress."

Dawn broke over the jungle, its golden light filtering through the dense canopy. The task force, a group of ten seasoned hunters, moved cautiously through the undergrowth. Each was armed to the teeth, their eyes scanning the shadows for any sign of danger.

At the front of the group was the scarred man who had volunteered first. His name was Garrick, and he had a reputation for being as tough as they came. Beside him walked a woman named Lira, her bow slung over her shoulder and a quiver of arrows at her hip. She was known for her sharp eyes and even sharper aim.

"Stay alert," Garrick muttered, his hand resting on the hilt of his sword. "We don't know what we're dealing with, but it's fast. And it's deadly."

The group moved in silence, their footsteps muffled by the thick layer of leaves underfoot. The jungle was eerily quiet, the usual sounds of wildlife absent. It was as if the forest itself was holding its breath.

Then, they found it.

The clearing was a scene of carnage. The bodies of the missing hunters lay scattered, their lifeless eyes staring up at the canopy. Bloody marks marred the ground, as if something had dyed it red.

"No way...?" Lira whispered, her voice trembling.

Before anyone could answer, a tentacle emerged from the corpse's shadows and surged forward, tendrils of darkness lashing out like whips. Garrick barely had time to draw his sword before one of the tendrils struck, sending him flying into a tree. The others scattered, their weapons drawn as they tried to fend off the attack.

"Fall back!" Garrick shouted, struggling to his feet. "We can't fight this thing here!"

But it was too late. The tentacles closed in, their tendrils snaking through the air with terrifying speed. One by one, the hunters fell, their cries of pain echoing through the jungle.

Krista stood at the edge of the jungle, her arms crossed as she watched the scene unfold from way behind. Dianelle emerged from the shadows, her form now visible to the half dead hunters as she manipulated the tentacles to her will.

"V-va...vampire...?" Lira choked out her final words.

"Pathetic," Krista murmured, her voice cold. "They're not even a challenge."

Dianelle's laughter echoed in her mind, dark and gleeful. "Shall I finish them, Mistress?" Dianelle asked Krista using her vampire instincts.

"Leave one alive," Krista replied similarly. "Let them carry the message back to the guild. Let them know how hopeless their situation is."

"As you wish."

The shadows receded, leaving only one hunter alive—Lira. She was battered and bloodied, her bow shattered and her quiver empty. Her eyes were wide with terror as she stumbled and lay on the ground, her breath coming in ragged gasps.

"Run," a voice whispered in her ear, cold and mocking. "Run and tell them what you saw."

Lira didn't need to be told twice. She somehow managed to get up and fled, her heart pounding in her chest as the jungle seemed to close in around her.

The guild hall was silent as Lira staggered through the doors, her face pale and her hands shaking. All eyes turned to her as she collapsed to her knees, her voice barely above a whisper. Her bloody body on the verge of unconsciousness

"It's... it's a vampire!. A VAMPIRE... it's alive. It's... it's killing us."

The guild master stepped forward, his expression grim. "Vampire? Impossible..Where are the others?"

Lira shook her head, tears streaming down her face. "Gone. All of them... gone."

The room erupted into chaos, the hunters' fear and anger boiling over. But amidst the noise, Krista stood in the shadows, a faint smile playing on her lips.

Out of all the hunters, only she is the one coming back with prey these days. Despite being told to go in groups, she insists on going alone and brings back one prey after another.

"It can't be a Vampire. Weren't they all purged and burnt in the sun?" Someone said.

Everyone frowned. There was once a time when vampires were feared to death. They invoked a terror in the hearts of humans. But now they only invoked anger and hatred.

"Those vermin still live. And they are drinking our comrades' blood."

"Those vampire hunts didn't do their task properly it seems. And now they're playing easy being noble and playing politics."

"We have to inform them of this. Someone take Lira to a healer, I will go and report this to the palace.."

"Those fuckers will take years to reply. Our commoners' plight doesn't move them anymore. How long will we be unable to hunt? Only the newbie Krista is keeping our supply from total stop. After her only the fields are left."

"Man, I am sick of eating bread."

"By the way, Krista, how did you manage to hunt without encountering this vampire?"

Krista turned her head, a female hunter has decided to ask her what everyone else was thinking. It was clearly suspicious. Not only was she exceptionally good at hunting, but the vampire didn't seem to hurt her at all.

"It's just my skill," She answered casually and activated her [Soul pressure]. Immediately all the gathered hunters felt a sharp pressure in their soul, immediately they stepped backwards away from Krista.

"I do this and nothing dares to come close .." krista says turning off her skill.

"That's crazy..."

"Fuck. I felt my bones shaking. Who is this girl?"

They muttered as Krista pulled herself on her feet and walked away.

"Vermin? I will show you what vermin means.." she thought while leaving, Bloodlust erupting from her departing figure.