Before a while:
In an isolated place, far from the noisy sounds and glittering lights of the city, and amidst dense forests, there was an old tavern whose location was marked only by a worn neon sign, its letters flickering intermittently, placed on the edge of a highway to guide passersby to it. Inside, its walls were made of cracked wood, bearing the marks of years of dust and smoke, and its small dilapidated windows were adorned from the sides. The clash of voices inside mixed with the sound of old music coming from an antique instrument placed at the side of the tavern, while clouds of smoke rose, curling around the hanging lights of the tavern, giving the place a misty aura that hinted everyone there was hiding a secret. The wooden tables were crowded with patrons of all kinds: wandering werewolves, homeless vampires without a group, and other customers sitting at the side of the tavern where each hid their own secret.
Behind the long wooden bar stood a bartender with black skin, sharp features, medium height, bald, with a beard mottled with gray. He overheard everything said in the tavern while holding a glass and cleaning it.
Believe me when I tell you that a war will soon happen between the three families," said one of the agents to his colleagues sitting at his table while sipping his glass of beer. "The days of the Blood Alliance are numbered."
Yes, especially after the Nostradamus family began losing their influence in the western side," said one of the seated men.
Another replied, "And don't forget about that Trinity gang, they have become very notorious after recruiting a large number of street monsters..."
His words were interrupted by a voice coming from the table next to them, where three vampires were playing a card game with another person dressed in black and covering his head with the hood of his cloak. One of the vampires said, "Damn you, Wisker, I'm sure you cheated."
Wisker replied, leaning back in his chair with a tone full of gloating, "I did not cheat." He threw his cards on the table and continued, "All I did was play honestly in front of a bunch of scammers who were planning my loss."
Anger took over that vampire to the point that his fangs began to show, and he slammed the table in rage, "What do you mean by 'a bunch of scammers'?
During that, one of the people who had been speaking before his speech was interrupted stood up, annoyed by the noise of the argument, and said, "Why don't you lower your voice, you damn vampire? Don't you see that some of us are trying to relax?"
The vampire replied, "Mind your own business, you mangy werewolf," and turned his gaze towards Wisker while signaling his colleagues to prepare for what was coming. "My talk with this cheater..."
Before he could finish speaking, Wisker quickly got up from his seat, drew his dagger, and aimed it at the vampire's heart, placing the dagger on his skin before plunging it in. That movement made everyone in the bar turn towards the place of the struggle, their eyes directed at the frightened vampire and his two colleagues who had stepped back. Wisker said to the vampire, looking into his eyes, "What, why did you stop screaming and threatening?" Then he pointed to the vampire's sleeves and continued, "Do you think I'm stupid and didn't notice the cards you were hiding up your sleeves?"
The bartender slammed his hand on the bar , interrupting their conversation and said in a firm voice, 'How many times do I have to warn you, no fighting in the bar. And if you want to settle your scores with them, go and do it outside, not here.'
Wisker, removing the dagger from in front of the vampire, replied, "Don't worry, Fergus." He then took the money from the table and continued, "Our friends wanted to leave anyway, didn't they?"
The vampire remained silent, unsure how to respond. He simply nodded in agreement with Wisker's words. "Yes," he finally said, staring intently into Wisker's eyes, his voice laced with anger. "We were about to leave."
The vampire and his companions headed towards the door. As they walked, they heard whispers from the other customers, followed by hushed laughter from some of them at what had just transpired. Upon reaching the exit, the vampire turned to Wisker and said, "It's very dark this evening, Wisker. You can barely see your way, especially if someone is walking behind you." He then left.
The customers returned to their usual routines and chats. Wisker headed towards the bar, placing some money and pointing to some beer. "You had to make all this fuss over here? And for a few coins?" Fergus said, pouring beer into a glass.
"He started it, him and his cheap trick," Wisker said, holding up the glass. "Can you believe it? A moron like him trying to fool me."
"You blame him?" Fergus said, gesturing to the other customers. "As you can see, everyone here is having trouble because of recent events."
"Yeah, yeah, I know what you mean. Border issues and power struggles between the vampire families." He placed the glass on the bar. "Anyway, I have to go now. I have some work to do."
"Kill or hunt?" Fergus asked, cleaning the glass Whiskey had drunk from.
"Hunt, I guess," Wesker replied, heading towards the door.
Before Wisker reached the door, another person entered the bar. As soon as he stepped inside, all eyes turned to him simultaneously. Tongues fell silent, and a heavy, oppressive silence descended as eyes stared at the stranger with a mixture of surprise and terror. He wore a gray hunting suit and a skull mask that completely concealed his face. A sword hung securely in its scabbard on his back, while another sword, its blade still dripping with fresh blood, was held in his right hand.
But what silenced the onlookers wasn't the blood-stained sword, but rather the mark embroidered on his shoulder strap that held their breath. That X was enough to make every bar patron wary of this man.
"Damn," one of the customers whispered to a man sitting next to him. "One of the Shadow followers."
The man silenced him. "Shut up, you fool! You want to get us into trouble?"
The masked man slowly sheathed his sword on his back, as if enjoying the silence his entrance had caused. But his eyes met those of Wisker, who stood a few steps away.
Wesker didn't say a word. He simply moved his thumb, pointing first at Fergus, then at the dagger at his waist, and finally at the masked man. He then walked beside him out of the bar, He muttered to himself in a low voice after noticing the three bodies lying outside his tavern, "You should have watched where you were going on such a dark evening, you silly vampire."
After Wisker left, the masked man walked into the bar and approached a table where two people were sitting: a tall, muscular man wearing a short leather jacket and black pants, with a light mustache and a neatly trimmed beard; and a woman wearing a black hoodie and dark jeans, her face obscured by a white mask. The masked man stood before their table and said, "Ross and Selena?"
"Who asks?" Ross replied.
The masked man placed a wad of cash on the table and said, "Hunting mission: 20,000 upfront and 60,000 upon completion. The target is a white-haired vampire and a short human girl with purple hair. The target is currently located in the St. Louis cemetery."
Ross laughed. "Hahaha, you got straight to the point. I like that."
Ross reached for the money, but Selena stopped him, saying, "Hold on, you idiot, not so fast."
Ross, annoyed by Selena's words, retorted, "What now? He wants us to hunt some people, and he's put a wad of cash on the table. What more could you want?"
"Use your head for once, you fool," Selena said, glancing at the masked man. "I understand you want a hunting mission, but doesn't it seem odd? No one from the Shadow followers has ever wanted to..."
The masked man cut her off. "No questions. Do you want to work or not?"
Selena sighed, realizing there was no point in trying to talk. "Fine," she said, "but can you at least tell us how to get to the mission location so that we don't lose sight of the objective?"
The masked man placed his hands on Ross and Selena's shoulders, and thick black smoke rose around them, swirling like a serpent, swallowing the light. For a moment, the ground beneath their feet vanished, along with the table they were sitting at and the view of the old bar before them. A slight dizziness, like falling into an inescapable void, washed over them. When they opened their eyes again, neither Ross nor Selena knew where they were until their eyes recognized the silent rows of gravestones. They stood there, stunned and shocked, as the masked man broke the silence with a dry, uncompromising voice: "This is the site of the mission. Begin the work, and no more questions." Before either of them could speak, the masked man had disappeared.
"At least you should have warned us before you did this," Ross said, putting a hand to his head, feeling dizzy.
( Present Time ) :
Ross stared at N and Uzi for a moment, then turned to Selena questioningly and asked, "Are these the two people we're looking for?"
"And what do you think, you fool?" Selena retorted, twirling the dagger attached to her chain in the air. "A short girl with purple hair, and a white-haired vampire. Weren't you listening to what that masked man said a moment ago, or are your ears just for show?"
"There's no need for all this tension. I was just making sure, that's all..." Ross muttered as his claws began to dig into his fingertips. "If we're going to kill them, let's have some fun first. Fun is what makes the hunt worthwhile." Without warning, Ross lunged at N, his claws aimed at N's heart.
N barely managed to transform one of his hands into a blade in time and instinctively raised it to block Ross's attack. N's blade slammed into Ross's claws.
Ross chuckled as he felt N resisting, trying to push him back. "Interesting, kid. You've got some courage, I'll admit it," Ross said mockingly. Then, without warning, he lifted his leg and delivered a painful kick to N's stomach. N's body flew off the ground and slammed into the front of a grave behind him. "But you're just pathetic," Ross continued.
Uzi tried to rush to N's aid, but But N cried out in a hoarse voice, his hands transforming into claws, "Uzi, you mustn't run away..." He couldn't finish his sentence because Ross had returned to attack again, this time trying to sink his claws directly into N's heart. But N managed to fend him off once more, using his own claws to do the same.
"You should worry about yourself first, vampire, before you worry about others," Ross said, shoving him against the tombstone behind him. The stone shook under the impact.
Before Uzi could say or do anything, Selena's chain shot through the air and wrapped tightly around Uzi's arm. "Where do you think you're going?" "Don't even think about interfering," Selena asked coldly as she pulled the chain toward her.
"Let go of me, you masked fool!" Uzi cried, struggling to free her arm from the chain's grip.
Selena didn't like those words. She pulled even harder, dragging Uzi toward her, and said dryly, "I warned you." Then she delivered a powerful punch to Uzi's stomach, and she fell to the ground gasping for breath, feeling as if everything in her stomach was about to come out of her mouth.
N saw what happened to Uzi from his vantage point, and a fire ignited in his chest at the sight. "Don't you dare hurt her," he said angrily. He tightened his grip on Ross's claws, extended his wings, and landed his feet on the face of the tomb behind him. Then he charged forward with all his might, using his wings and feet, which recoiled from the dagger, while still holding onto Ross's claws. The two collided with an ancient stone statue, and before the dust had settled, N sprang to his feet, bracing himself against the impact. He charged directly at Selena, transforming his right hand into a blade.
Selena blocked the blow with her dagger at the last moment, but the force of the impact sent her staggering backward despite her attempts to stay steady. Unlike Ross, Selena lacked the physical strength to withstand such direct attacks.
N took advantage of Selena's retreat, then bent down to Uzi, lifted her with one arm, and flapped his wings, attempting to soar away from the graveyard.
Selena watched the scene furiously, then yelled at Ross, "You idiot! You let him slip through your fingers!"
Ross rose from the rubble of the statue, brushing the dust off his body. "And how was I supposed to know he could fly?" he said sarcastically. "That damned masked man didn't tell us he was a flying type." Ross remembered how N had turned one of his hands into a sharp blade. "Besides," he added, "his abilities weren't normal at all."
Selena was taken aback by his tone, and her anger gradually subsided. "What do you mean?" she asked. "Aren't all vampires like that?"
Ross laughed at the naiveté of her question. "That's why you're still a novice," he muttered.
Selena's face burned with rage. She pointed her dagger at him. "What did you say, Stonehead? You want to pick a fight with me? You're the one who let him escape in the first place!"
Ross sighed heavily. "Can't you take any criticism? You might be calm sometimes, trying to analyze the situation, but your quick temper ruins everything you do. They were right in front of us. Shouldn't we have attacked them instead of just watching? What did we gain from that, really?"
"The benefit is that I know where they're going," she retorted sharply, pointing to the grave where Uzi and N had stood moments before. "While you were salivating at the thought of killing them, you know-it-all. As we followed them among the graves, I heard the girl mention a place. I think that's their next destination."
N landed on the roof of a building after getting a good distance from the cemetery. He put Uzi down and said, catching his breath, "I think I've lost them. They couldn't possibly have followed us that far." N noticed Uzi's poor condition; she was clutching her stomach, which still ached from Selena's blow. But what worried N most was Uzi's face and the misery in her eyes. "Are you alright?" N asked, reaching out to check on her.
"I'm fine," Uzi said irritably, clenching her fists. "Come on, we have to go. We don't have time."
"Go? But where to?" N asked.
"Where do you think?" Uzi replied, her eyes flashing with anger. "To Castle Manor House."
"But what about those two who tried to kill us?" "
"
"The Shadow sent them, I'm sure of it," she said, trying to piece together all the information. "I mean, think about it. That masked woman said another masked person had pointed us out to them, and also, the Shadow is the only one who wants to kill us after what we did to one of his followers."
"But even if we go there, they'll follow us," N said, his anxiety growing as he realized the gravity of the situation. He continued, "We barely escaped them, and on top of everything..."
"So what do you suggest? That we run away and hide?" "Uzi interrupted him sharply, her eyes blazing with undisguised anger. "And even... even if we run away, they'll follow us wherever we go, and we won't be able to find any answers to our questions, so we'll lose either way." She lowered her gaze to the ground, her voice suddenly fading. "So we have to go there and face them if we have to..."
N grabbed Uzi's shoulders and said, "Uzi, don't you understand? I barely managed to protect you and we escaped with our lives, and now you're saying we have to face them again..."
"I know what you mean," Uzi burst out, her eyes filling with tears. "I know I... was pathetic there." Uzi remembered what Selena had done to her there, how she'd fallen to the ground, unable to resist after just one blow, and a wave of regret washed over her. "I've always been like that." She moved closer to N and began hitting his chest. "I've always been the one to push my way in." "In trouble and... and with me being..."
N wrapped his arms around Uzi, trying to comfort her. "I know, I know, you don't have to finish. I know what you're trying to say." N had never expected to see her like this; she had always maintained her composure in front of him, no matter how difficult the situation. But now he was witnessing her vulnerability, her helplessness, and this feeling wasn't so much pity as it was mutual understanding; he, too, sometimes felt that everything he did wasn't enough, that he was nothing but a small burden compared to his colleagues V and J.
After a while, Uzi calmed down and pulled away from his chest, saying, "I know I'm dragging you into my problems, but this time I..."
"I'm with you," N interrupted, looking into her eyes, which were red from crying. "Whatever happens, I'll be with you and by your side. That's because we're friends." He lowered his head for a moment, then added, looking away, "Besides, isn't that what friends do?" Helping each other."
Those words were enough to dispel the feeling of weakness that had gripped Uzi and replace it with a feeling mixed with joy and relief. She looked at him, giggling, and said to herself, "You really are a strange vampire." Then she continued in a voice full of enthusiasm, "Well, let's go to that haunted palace and kick those idiots' asses if we have to."