Ep2: First Bounty

"Please sir! I'll do everything in the back! Even bring in the raw materials!" Lao said, bowing in front of the store owner. He was a big-bodied strongman with hime-cut mop hair that ended over his eyes, but his uneven awkward grimace on his face portrayed his uncomfortableness all the more. Here was a man, with a cut on him that leaked spirit mana onto the floor, pressing his head into the ground to look for a job and sanctuary. If only to stop the public display, he nodded and lifted him up. "Thank you, sir! I won't disappoint!" Lao said, finding the mop rather fast before beginning to clean up.

He spent the day working through his pain, taking frequent breaks before going back inside to continue cleaning off surfaces and kitchen things used. It was a trial learning which was soap and which was oil, but after a short tutorial, he got the hang of it. He worked until he had enough money to pay for a meal, which he ate in one of the booths in the corner.

From there, he noticed things about the patrons of the tavern. Each one was decked out in some form or manner. It wasn't emblems from armies either. Mercenaries, bounty hunters, mana wielders, and healers populated the setting. He was the odd one out, still in torn and dirtied pants and a bare, although nice looking chest. He needed clothing.

After eating a real meal, he worked until the end of the afternoon rush, taking his satchel of coins to go looking around. He promised his new boss he will be back before the lanterns went on to help with the evening influx of patrons. Keeping the whereabouts of the sun in mind, he went searching around the small town, looking for a place to find new clothes. He found a small shop that sold some small items, but nothing like the armor in the tavern.

He came out of it with a near-empty satchel, but now he was looking more of the part. Under the grey work shirt and brown overalls, he found a nice brown cape with a hood and a satchel to store his items. He thought it was cool, until he found a reflection to look into. Now he just looked like he was on the run, not any mercenary or orderite hero. It would have to do for now.

Next on his mind was weapons, but he realized he already had a blade tucked under his old pants. Sure enough, the demon blade fell out of his old pants, still smelling like that elf he slashed earlier in the morning. Yuck. He found a nearby water source to clean it off, then put it in his satchel to keep until he had a proper weapon for an Orderite.

At last! He was ready….to at least defend himself. His clothing can still be torn by practically everything, but nothing better could be gotten. The cloak at least added a bit of mystery to him, so he can elude capture. He went back to the tavern to do the night shift, watching as people milled in. He then noticed that a few went to a wall then back, then went to go check himself. He saw a list of bounties all plastered onto the wall, ranging from escort missions to what seemed like suicide runs. Each one carried warnings given by people that had been to the area. Most of them carried labels such as "monsterization" or "better to do when married".

He got curious, looking for any that could be a good starting point for him. He found a simple one that even he could do with his limited arsenal-

10 Gold - A Dhamphir has committed a heinous crime. Reports lead to conclude she is wandering among the forests that surround her hometown. 10G for death with proof, 15G for live capture.

Warnings - vampire halfling has experience in close range combat. Will be hard to take down

Posted by - The Vampire Aristocracy.

"KIll a vampire…" he took the paper, looking over each detail. He had the blade to immobilize her, but if he killed her, he could also gain a rank in the Order. It was a win-win no matter the outcome, well except for if he lost.

"Don't like that paper fool you," Said a nearby swordswoman that had noticed. "I tried that bounty once, and it turned out to be more of a hassle than it's worth. Although, you look like you don't have anything else to do…"

"Madam, I must. If I want to get better, I must do it."

"Tsk. Your loss, but you will be better off continuing to help out the tavern." She, downing the rest of her beverage before continuing. "She isn't like most vampires like the reward lets on. The V.A. does it in an effort to make their "issue" less of one as it is. How long do you think that paper has been on there?"

"A few weeks?"

"No, but I wouldn't expect anyone here to know unless they tried it themselves. It has been there for months newbie. The price hasn't been raised at all!"

"But why would they…"

"You will understand if you go. But if you do, know that she won't take you as a husband. She would rather run her blade through your heart." She turned around just like that, going back to conversing with her mates. He remained sure that he would do the mission, however, still reading over…

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He could only go after hours, as the owner didn't let him flake for a vampire mission. With the extra money, he bought a few more things. Boots to replace his normal footwear, gloves because why not, and a short sword with a holster. He at least now looked more like a bounty hunter, but his clothing still wasn't up to par. The demon's head would have to pay for that, he thought, the crickets filling the night as he followed the instructions to the general location. Tucking the paper in his pocket, he was left on his own from then on. He patrolled around, seeing a few mamono milling around as well. Luckily, they mostly looked unconcerned with him, or never noticed.

He happened upon a small cottage, which looked built by hand and hand only. It was a log cabin, sized for only a few rooms and no roof. Somewhere a vampire could be residing. He went up to the window, which was just an opening with crisscrossing twigs stuck inside. He saw two people sleeping in there, unable to discern them in the darkness. This must have not been it, but they might have information.

He knocked on the door, waiting for someone to come to the door. His boot tapped the wooden floor under him, stopping once the door popped open. A smaller woman had opened it, in a brown vest and beige leggings with darker color string crisscrossing them. She rubbed her eyes and yawned two fangs showing in the moonlight as she did. "You look new," she said in a tired voice. "And strong. Did you come for the bounty?"

"Yes, I was looking for a half-vampire," Lao said, his eyes locked on the fangs. His hand went to his side, only to be pierced by the thin blade of a rapier. "What the!" He traced the pincerpoint blade back to the girl's hand, who was still rubbing her eyes to wake herself up. "I would advise you to leave, or else I will have to dispose of you once I get this stuff out of my eyes…"

He tried moving his hand, but the blade had threaded his skin like a needle. It only pulled out once his arm stopped trying to move, the end coated in his blood that she licked up. "Mmm, you're an ahh," she said, walking inside to put on some more clothing. He foolishly followed her, behind held at rapier point while he waited for an opportunity. The candlelight went on, revealing the other person that she had been sleeping with. It was an elderly man, frail but sleeping peacefully. "I would rather fight outside newbie, for if you disturb my father, you will have a fate worse than death."

"Who are you?" He asked quietly, the halfling smirking as she put on a suit that laid folded on a crate. "Your killer, obviously. I can grant you a peaceful death outside, and you can go meet your Chief God early." She daunted a wide-brimmed hat that had one red feather laid on it. "As thanks, I'll add your blood to my hat. Now then, are you ready to die?"

"Unlikely," he said, drawing his sword. "Didn't I say not to do that?" the halfling said, raising her rapier. "I don't listen to monster's wishes."

"Have you ever thought for a second that you're the one that is coming to kill?"

"A monster has no merit placing blame."

"Fine, but don't go running away from this!" instead of attacking him, she went into a sprint and talked Lao out back out of the door, taking them both outside into the woods. They both landed with a thud, getting up with blade in hand to clash. His copper shortsword slid across the silver rapier, forcing him to the side while the halfling charged passed. She started to circle, Lao doing the same as he held his sword up with both his hands.

"Out of the many people that have tried to assassinate me, you are the only one idiotic or poor enough to use copper!" She claimed. "It's enough to mortally wound a halfling!" Lao yelled back, drawing his blade back and rushing forward to strike her. She read his arc from a mile away, jumping up over his swing to slash his shoulder. She landed behind him, kicking him from the back to send him to the ground. He clutched his shoulder, falling to his kness while his face contorted in pain.

"Hmph, not even skilled with the blade you hold. If I didn't know any better, I would think you had just bought that," she said, watching him stagger back up, blood coating the hand over his shoulder. "You still want to fight? Fine then, just means more fun!" She went back in, playing with Lao as she fenced her blade around him. Bloodly scratch after bloodly scratch fell onto his body as he doded for his life. "Your reflexes are respectable, but you're still going to fall!"

He was being pushed back deeper into the woods. He dropped his sword in the midst of the never ending barrage. His backing up turned into running, she gave chase, laughing manically as she swiped at him. "I thought you weren't going to run!"

"It is a strategic retreat!" he yelled, ducking a jab of her rapier. He went around trees and hopped over pushes, but she was just as adept and agile as him, if not more. At the very least, running like this gave him time to think, to come up with an idea to capture her.

After a bit more weaving, he got it. He waited for a gap between trees, and started sprinting away from her. "Hey! Come back here!" She attempted to keep up, but could only push herself a bit faster while Lao widened the gap. He suddenly hooked his arm around a thin enough tree, winding around it while she passed by. By the time she realized he had ended up behind her, taking out his knife and stabbing it her back.

It's over! He thought, as he tackled her for insurance, they slid along the ground, the halfling eaitng it as the dirt slowed them, and a tree stopped them in entirety. She fainted from the impact with the trunk, falling limb in Lao's arms.

"Finally," he said, sitting up while the dhampir laid beside him. A small bump had formed on her head. He wasn't sore this time, just a bit out of wind. He unfolded the paper he had put in his pocket, since ruined since the rapier had poked holes in everything but his gloves and boots. "When subdued, a group of vampires will show up at the tavern to collect the bounty. Do not ask questions." He nodded, starting to walk back the way they came. He looked around, trying to figure out where they ran….he couldn't.

Uh oh.

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"Maybe it's this way…" he said, holding the halfling vampire in a fireman's carry. He refused to be lost, when he had already gotten so far. He looked around for any signs of running or slashing, but his search lead to nothing of use. He was getting worried, since the vampire could wake up at any moment bite him, and also because even if he got the money, the tavern was closed, so he would have nothing to help him get back home.

He heard talking and chatting in the distance, echoing through the trees. Following the noise, he found humans, sitting around a campfire. They all had scars on their limbs, and had emblems that he recognized. "Survivors," he said under her breath as he stepped through the bushes. They all jumped as if they had saw a ghost, drawing blades all pointed toward the vampire on her arms. "Heresey!" one shouted out.

"Don't worry, I've subdued her," Lao said, setting her down in front of the fire. "I'm going to sell her for a bounty, but I do not know where the tavern is anymore."

"Sell her!? We must kill her here!" The same person said. "We cannot just sell her!"

"She will be executed, just not by us. And I will make more if I give her back to the vampires. Isn't that enough?"

"Why are you dealing with monsters?" They asked him. "You can't give her back!"

"It is either that, or continuing my rise as an orderite with a demon weapon!" Lao pulled out a blade from her back, showing the blade in it's entirety. "I used this to get away from the camp without being turned into monster food. I used this to subdue the vampire before you! I don't want to use this no longer, to beat a demon with demon tech!"

"I understand, but-"

"You don't understand! I must do this the right way!" Lao said, throwing the knife away in anger. A sharp squeel turned everyone's head, to one of the men sitting around the fire. The dagger had impaled him hard, the man falling over as his spirit energy was leaking out and replaced with arousal. None of them saw, but it caused the unconscious halfling's nose to start twitching at the scent.

"You fool! Because of you he could be tainted!"

"Dear god I'm sorry!" Lao recognized his mistake, but they group had already pointed their weapons toward his head. "Sorry? What if this was all an elaborate scheme!?"

"Why would I accidentally through it on him on purpose!" He found no logic in that, but the group wasn't hearing it, they advanced on the two. Surrounded without a weapon, Lao started reaching for the rapier at her waist, but her hand grabbed his. A sharp pain went through him as she bit down on his wrist, the pain slowly fading away after the initial bite.

"So it was a scheme!" said the closest one to him, bring down his sword over his head. The vampire blocked with her rapier, without even lifting her fangs from his wrist. "Hop on mah back," she said, her words muffled from biting into him as she arose to parry then counter another swing. Even with another weight on her, she moved fast, turning to swings toward his back to stab the swinger. One by one they fell, except one. He had the least amount of injury done to him, besides the bandaid wraps around his wrist.

"How could you have helped her?" he started, looking for somewhere to strike that she couldn't parry. "I could have taught you how to be a proper orderite…"

"A proper orderite?" she question, finally letting go of his wrist. "You were going to kill me when was already attempting to. He bested me, and you were going to take that away from him." Her body started to grow from the shorter stature she had before. Her clothes changed, and her assets grew bigger, and the aura around her grew tenfold. Her body blocked the light of the fire, leaving only the red glow in her eyes to shine at him. "If that is what a proper orderite is supposed to be, then you're lower than this misguide human."

"H-heresy, heresy I say!" He charged with a manly yell, only to get pierced through the heart before his hand could even start to come down. He fell in silent agony, watching as the Vampire carried Lao away.

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"Wake up human," the Vampire said. She had been shaking him for minutes now. She made sure to cover all of his cuts, but despite it he had lost quite a bit of blood. Laid down beside the older man, all he did was breathe and sleep.

"Fine then, I didn't want it to come to this, but I have no choice." She started rolling up one of her sleeves, slowing getting closer to pushing it beyond his shoulder…

Her head got hit with a bonk as Lao headbutted himself awake, panicking as he rolled back down his sleeves. "In God's name don't do that mother! Mother why is your hair is golden, and you look y- oh it's you."

"Fucking-" she rubbed her head, stumbling back onto the floor. "So the rumors are true. You do keep your shoulders concealed."

"I thought you were going to kill me," Lao said. "Where is my sword?"

"Gone, and so is the blade in case you try to stab me again. Are you going to be docile this time?"

"I still have to take you to the tavern, especially since they think that I have actually subdued you now."

"Are you going to give up?" She watched as he got up, raising to fists and shaking his head. She couldn't help but laugh, covering her mouth as she chuckled at the human in front of him. "I sucked a large chuck of your blood, stripped you of your weapons and you still wish to fight?"

"You said you weren't going to let me live."

"Yes, I did, but I think I have a solution that works out for both of us…."

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"So you have killed her?" The group of vampires asked Lao. He held up a bloody arm and nodded, also holding her rapier. They inspected it, as if bringing her dismembered arm isn't enough evidence to prove he had done it. They nodded to each other before giving lao a black and red box, then leaving the front of the tavern. Confused, he went inside into the back, opening up the freezer, where the halfling was there, smiling and missing an arm. "Doesn't that hurt?" he asked. She shrugged and opened the box, seeing gold coins stacked on gold coins to the brim. "I thought the reward was only 10 gold!"

A 'told ya' rang from the front, followed by everyone laughing before it died down to the usual chatter. "You're such a newbie at this aren't you? Well, thank you for giving me my arm back. As a reward, you will have the honor of knowing my name?"

"A monster doesn't have honor. Only disillusion."

"We are also going to get rid of what you think is your holy Order." She said, reconnecting her arm to her body. She grew smaller in the process, using up all the blood she absorbed to heal herself together. "I am also not going to marry you."

"I wouldn't marry you either. Instead…" she holds out a rapier for Lao to hold. "I will be your mentor. You are basically an outlaw now, and if you try to go back, you will be murdered on the spot."

"A fitting end for all that has happened to day."

"No! How brainwashed are you? Just call me Melisa. It seems I can't let you go either. I've grown attached to your blood, so you will be living with my father." She finishes her arm, watching any sign of separation sear and steam off. Lao thought back to the older man sleeping peacefully, realizing that was her dad. "You evil-"

"I am not screwing my father. Even we monsters have standards. In fact, that is the first lesson you will be learning today. I'll see you at sunrise," she said, leaving through the back of the tavern.