120 Tiger Essence
"Your recommendation letter was quite understated," Arnold said to Rose with a scoff.
Dozens of Vampire Hunters had spent the entire night scouring the city, running around like headless chickens. Arnold Stark didn't doubt their abilities. The only explanation was that the vampires were simply too powerful, their strength far surpassing that of even the most experienced Vampire Hunters.
There was at least one true vampire lord (Crystal Realm vampire) among those tiger vampires. And yet, despite the chaos, Bellingham had escaped relatively unscathed. It didn't look like a city that had been ravaged by a vampire lord. And the Mountain Lord's parting cry... it all pointed to something unusual.
"I thought I'd already overestimated you," Arnold admitted, shaking his head in disbelief. "But you continue to surprise me." To slay a Crystal Realm vampire at such a young age... it was a feat beyond even Arnold's wildest dreams.
"All that preparation, and I didn't even get a single merit." He chuckled, his earlier tension dissipating. He no longer bothered with the pretense of seniority. Until he reached full Crystallization, I was his equal.
"Say something," he urged. "Boast a little. Let off some steam. I can't believe you're truly this calm. It's unsettling."
I raised my eyes. Unleashing the full power of the External Crystal had taken a toll on me, both physically and mentally. I was exhausted. But if they wanted me to speak, I did have a question.
"I require the Mountain Lord's essence," I said. "What must I offer in exchange?"
This time luck wasn't on my side. I failed to obtain the bloodline power from the tigervamp's core, so I can't track it down by its aura like I could with the Leviasaur.
Arnold's smile faltered. He'd been impressed by my swift execution of the Kongo Shintai jushoku, and even more so by my slaying of a newly ascended Crystal Realm tiger vampire. And now, after all that praise, the boy was asking for the Mountain Lord's essence?
"Are you insane?" Arnold exclaimed. "Do you have any idea what full Crystallization entails? That old Leviasaur you encountered on Crown Mountain? It wouldn't last a hundred moves against the Mountain Lord. And besides..."
The name "Moonfeather" caught in his throat. That creature was a nightmare for Vampire Hunters, a silent killer who had managed to slay a H.A.R.M. general despite their vaunted intelligence network.
"If you didn't plan to answer," I sighed, "why bother letting me ask?"
I leaned back, a hint of annoyance in my eyes. I wasn't planning to hunt the Mountain Lord now, but I'd made an enemy of it. And until I'd eliminated that threat, I wouldn't rest easy. Arnold flushed, shamefaced. He clenched his fists, fighting to control his frustration.
"... we didn't catch its essence," he finally admitted. "How can I give it to you?"
"Who said we didn't catch it?" Rose interrupted, her voice laced with amusement. She opened her hand, and a golden wisp of essence drifted out from the silver bell.
Arnold's eye twitched. He'd seen her extinguish it with his own eyes.
"Don't look so shocked," Rose said with a sly smile. "Just a little trick."
Then she turned towards me. "But promise me to inform me immediately whenever you find it. I can get you a H.A.R.M. general to help."
Arnold watched with a thoughtful expression, amused at how Rose would handle her two love interests.
I was too focused on Rose to notice Arnold's reaction. Her brows were furrowed, a delicate blush rising on her pale cheeks as she gazed at me with an expression of mingled concern and tenderness.
"Of course I will," I assured her as I pulled out my silver bell. "I just want to be able to sense it when it comes looking for me."
Aveline, who had been observing the dynamics between her cousin and me, suddenly froze, her eyes widening as she saw my bell.
She clutched her copper bell, her mind reeling. Hadn't Arnold been explaining the most basic rules to this newcomer just the day before yesterday? Even Rose was taken aback. She stared at the silver bell, then turned to Arnold with a puzzled frown.
"What?" Arnold snapped. "Think he's not worthy?" He glared at the Hightowers and thought to himself. With his strength, he is sure to become a Gold Bell Vampire Hunter, just like I will. It was only a matter of time. Why are they acting so surprised?
"That's not what I meant," Aveline replied, her gaze returning to me.
"Where are you going next?" I asked while Rose flicked her wrist, sending a golden wisp of the Mountain Lord's essence into my silver bell.
"Black Stone Spring," Rose replied. "I have a secret message from General Laurent for the personal attendant lieutenant general stationed there." She coughed, blood staining her fingers as she covered her mouth.
She'd simply been passing through, and had noticed the commotion among the Vampire Hunters.
The letter wasn't urgent, so she'd decided to see what all the fuss was about. She hadn't expected things to escalate quite so dramatically.
Arnold would undoubtedly return to Seattle to report to Granny Chloe and recover from his injuries. Rose, however, had other obligations.
She looked at me expectantly. I gave her a warm smile. "Of course, I will go with you." Though she tried to hide it, I worried her injury was more serious than she let on.
I recalled that these lieutenant generals were often assigned to monitor specific high-level vampires, to act as deterrents. Perhaps it would be beneficial to observe such an arrangement.
"In that case," her eyes twinkled, "we should depart right away." She rose, nodded to Arnold and her cousin, and headed out of the hall, pulling me by the hand. A thoughtful silence settled over the room.
I closed my eyes, savoring the lingering scent of the Mountain Lord's essence. A thrill of anticipation coursed through me. I'd never tasted a fully Crystallized vampire core. I was still too weak to venture into its territory. I tucked the silver bell back into my pocket and turned to leave, but the old man, his body battered and bruised, stopped us.
Alonso Delgado stared at me, his gaze filled with gratitude.
The Vampire Hunters might be impressed by my strength, my ability to slay powerful vampires. But what Alonso and his family saw was the preservation of Bellingham.
The citizens might be terrified, but they were alive, their families intact. And it was all thanks to this young man, who had stepped out into the night to face those vampires.
"Thank you, young hero," Alonso said, bowing deeply, his family following suit. "for protecting my family, for protecting Bellingham."
"You're welcome," I replied with a dismissive wave of my hand. "It was my duty." With that, I strode out of the hall.
I wasn't just a Vampire Hunter; I was also a colonel of H.A.R.M. If I wanted to benefit from both sides, I'd have to fulfill my obligations to both.