155. Crimson Bounty
An unassuming building with a large hall within H.A.R.M. headquarters.
Late at night, the building remained brightly lit, filled with commotion and bursts of laughter.
Behind a massive oak desk, one befitting a seasoned general, sat a little girl dwarfed by its imposing size. Her legs, too short to reach the floor, swung playfully while an uncharacteristically serious expression spread across her face, barely visible between the two humming metallic devices on the desk.
Arnold Stark stood silently behind the girl, observing his grandmother's focused expression. He watched as she scrawled on a gilded registry, her handwriting messy and illegible.
He recalled how beautiful her calligraphy had been when she was younger. After years of tracking the Blood Moon Vampire King, even her penmanship grown rusty.
Behind Granny Chloe were two large LED panels. The output from the two devices was projected on them, letting everyone in the building see.
The Vampire Hunters, with their rough-and-tumble martial world manners, couldn't even manage to form a proper line. They craned their necks to peek at the panels, eager to see what trophies their fellow hunters brought back from their hunt.
At that moment, however, there wasn't much displayed. One panel showed "None," while the other read "Wave Realm Essence Samples: 3, previously recorded 2."
A young woman giggled as she taunted her colleague, "You call that a hunt? Just three Wave Realm vampiric auras? And two of them duplicates? Seriously? You think that's worth collecting merits for?"
"Mind your own business," the man in front of the desk snapped. Rolling his eyes, he snatched his copper bell from the desk and stormed out of the building.
At the door, he spotted an unfamiliar face approaching.
He paused, studying the young man with curiosity. "Bro, I haven't seen you around before—are you new here?"
The young woman from before waved enthusiastically. It was Aveline Hightower, whom I hadn't seen in a while. "Colonel Kane, you're back too?"
I gave the man a brief nod and entered the building.
"Colonel?" The man froze, rooted to the doorway. At that moment, both Granny Chloe and Arnold Stark raised their heads.
"Look who is here? John, when did you come back?" Arnold forced a slight smile, instantly stunning the other Vampire Hunters. Apparently, the arrogant and aloof Uncle Stark wasn't really a facial paralytic as they had presumed.
"I just returned yesterday," I said, walking to the end of the line.
Granny Chloe tapped her pen against the table. With so many people present, she dropped her usual youthful pretense. "Come straight here. The others are busy chatting anyway—they won't mind waiting a bit longer."
To be honest, she hadn't expected John to join in the fun. He had only been gone for less than two months.
According to Arnold, the young man had slain three tiger vampires in Bellingham—including one at the nascent Crystal Realm level.
Such achievements would have been enough to earn a low-grade crystallization technique, but this young man clearly aimed higher.
As Granny Chloe finished speaking, the other vampire hunters respectfully stepped aside, though doubt flickered in their eyes.
Cutting in line wasn't a big deal, but only if you had the achievements to justify it. Everyone understood this unwritten rule.
When I reached the massive desk, Arnold reminded me, "Take out your bell."
I placed a gleaming silver bell on the desk.
The silver bell shone brilliantly under the bright light of the hall. The vampire hunters collectively held their breath. Only Aveline Hightower wore a knowing smirk, having witnessed this spectacle before and eagerly anticipating her colleagues' reactions.
But... Aveline shifted her gaze to the devices, curious whether the young man had acquired anything else during his journey escorting her cousin Rose to Black Stone Spring.
Chloe remained quiet as she plugged the silver bell upon a circular indentation in the center of the device on her left.
The silver bell quivered slightly, then it rotated several times.
"..."
Aveline and the vampire hunters stared in disbelief. The panel on the wall displayed a single word: None.
No essence samples at all. What about the essence sample of the Mountain Lord of Chuckanut Mountains? Aveline had seen Rose give it to him with her own eyes.
Arnold frowned and swept his gaze across the room. Under his stern look, the others stifled their urge to speak, only daring to exchange furtive glances.
Seeing this, Arnold slowly withdrew his gaze.
Kane had only recently joined the Vampire Hunters, yet he'd already slain a nascent Crystal Realm vampire. These idle onlookers had no right to question him.
He gave a slight nod and said reassuringly, "Don't worry. You've only been with us for two months—it takes time to master the essence-collecting technique."
Arnold's words hung in the air, and a wave of unease rippled through the Vampire Hunters. Their faces, once etched with curiosity and anticipation, now hardened with suspicion and doubt.
Two months as a Vampire Hunter, lacking proficiency in the essence-collecting technique, yet carrying a silver bell.
The combination of these three facts in one person naturally led to unsavory suspicions—suspicions that could challenge the very foundations of the Vampire Hunters organization.
… …
Chloe smiled coolly, seeing right through everyone's thoughts. Without further delay, she unplugged the silver bell and placed it in the transparent chamber of the other device.
She needed to demonstrate that silver bells were earned through merit, not given away freely.
The entire device trembled ever so slightly. In an instant, crimson light flooded the entire building!
An overwhelming iron scent of blood filled everyone's nostrils, causing their expressions to grow slack with awe.
As the device vibrated, text flashed on both the device's display and the large panel behind Chloe.
The cool smile on Chloe's little face wavered and fell. The pen stuttered and jerked, leaving a trail of ink blots like startled footprints across the page.
Arnold's face twitched involuntarily. Despite his attempt to maintain composure, his inner turmoil showed through as he hastily reached for the silver bell to inspect it—only to have Chloe swat his hand away.
First came on to the screen were 10 Wave Realm vampires.
"Wave Realm Vampires:
Bat Vampire near Lover's Lake, late stage.
Leopard Vampire near Silent Hill, late stage.
… …
Previously Unidentified Deer Vampire, perfection.
Previously Unidentified Tiger Vampire, perfection."
Some of these vampires were previously unidentified, including the tiger cub of Chuckanut Mountains. Most of them were slain along the road from Bellingham to Black Stone Spring.
Next emerged 13 Crystal Realm vampires.
"Crystal Realm Vampires:
Previously Unidentified Tiger Vampire, nascent.
Previously Unidentified Tiger Vampire, nascent.
Previously Unidentified Peacock Vampire, nascent.
Bison Vampire of North Shore Mountains, nascent.
Leviasaur Vampire of the Pacific, crystallizing.
Leviasaur Vampire of the Pacific, crystallizing.
Leviasaur Vampire of the Pacific, crystallizing.
Previously Unidentified Peacock Vampire, crystallizing.
Toad Vampire of Black Stone Spring, crystallizing.
Tiger Vampire of Chuckanut Mountains, fully crystallized.
Previously Unidentified Peacock Vampire, fully crystallized.
Marten Vampire of North Shore Mountains, fully crystallized.
Golden Eagle Vampire of Mount Fairweather, fully crystallized. "
The sheer number of slain vampires was staggering, but what truly astonished Arnold Stark was their unprecedented distribution. Not only did Crystal Realm vampires outnumber Wave Realm ones, but crystallizing vampires surpassed the nascent ones—and most remarkably, four had achieved full crystallization, each a being that commanded awe and fear. This young man appeared drawn to hunting increasingly powerful vampires, as though the challenge itself fueled his pursuit.
One of the fully crystallized vampires was eerily familiar to him—the Mountain Lord of Chuckanut Mountains!
But it wasn't over yet. The device continued humming, its vibrations growing even stronger. The thickest wisp of blood was pulled out of the silver bell.
The vampire hunters waiting in line stood frozen while Arnold stumbled backward, his eyes fixed on the wisp of blood. "Who is this?!"
Chloe set down her pen and closed her eyes, letting a heavy silence linger.
She seemed to be gathering herself after the shock.
But her two small hands on the table clenched tighter and tighter.
At last, the device stopped shaking, and one last line of text scrolled onto the screen. "Snow Owl Vampire of Sacramento Coast Range, harmonizing."
With a sharp intake of breath, Chloe whispered that name: "Moonfeather."
The entire hall fell into dead silence.
Chloe took the bell out of the machine and handed back to me. "Is that all?" She asked, her voice was a mix of shock and awe.
"Does this count for merits?" I brushed the silver bell, and a massive feathered form materialized from it, falling to the floor.
Gasps and exclamations filled the air. Though long dead, its feathers still gleamed under the light, and its talons remained menacing and unsettling.
Even without Chloe's identification, many Vampire Hunters instantly recognized the creature. This was the dreaded vampire lord—one their masters had warned them to flee from at first sight.
For centuries, this being had engaged in a deadly dance with the twelve H.A.R.M. Generals and the elite Gold Bell Vampire Hunters. And now its lifeless body lay before their eyes.
Chloe had once believed that Vampire Hunters and H.A.R.M. were fundamentally different organizations. The hunters was willing to deploy operatives that H.A.R.M wouldn't risk, and the hunters didn't shy away from weapons that could backfire.
But in this moment, the weapon had grown into something terrifyingly powerful!
Its power was so overwhelming that everyone felt as if their throats were being constricted by an invisible force.
In the deathly silence, only the young man in black maintained his composure as Moonfeather's brilliant white form overshadowed the silver bell's gleam.
… …
I looked at Chloe and asked directly, "What can I exchange for all of these?"
That was my only concern. I quickly added, "If it helps, I have additional vampire remains that may be of value."
At these words, Arnold recalled the young man's expression when he had emerged from outside into the Delgado mansion in Bellingham two months ago—the look was exactly the same.
Arnold's eyes remained fixed on the young man, his teeth clenched tightly.
A glimmer of fanaticism crept into his gaze.