Act 1 Who’s a monster?

  “Alright cheers!” I said as I drank my cup until it was empty.

  I saw everyone else doing the same and then.

  “Thud, thud. . Thud. . Thud!” Every human in the room started collapsing on the floor.

  Only a few didn't faint, making me look at them closely, the forest ranger didn't faint, as she looked confused looking at everyone else falling to unconsciousness.

  The innkeeper didn't faint either standing at the trolley, looking behind him at the sounds of falling bodies.

  Komiko actually started clapping, Rikka started giggling at something really amusing while Lizel looked towards those who were still standing with great caution.

  Besides them two of the guests were still standing, a man that was dressed like an accountant and another girl from Derrick's group.

  I pulled my gun out aiming it at the four that weren't my companions, as I took steps away from them, giving myself a healthy distance.

  “Alright, no one move, I gave everyone narcotics, only humans are affected by it. . . So if you move I'll assume you're infected.”

  I said my voice hardened as I cocked the firing pin of my revolver.

  The four didn't say anything, as they were looking at me, their faces telling me different things that I ignored as I noticed the suit wearing man’s neck.

  “Aahk! Sik! Sik! Thud.” a large spider-crab tentacled thorned like thing, bursted out of his bloodied mouth jumping towards me, its fanged face had human-like eyeballs inside them.

  As it lunged it quickly fell, as I shot at it twice in quick succession, but then the girl spat out another one.

  I was slower this time but Lizel moved faster than the parasitic monster, punching it upwards “Buck!” it struck the ceiling with force, leaving it stunned.

  “Sik!” With another quick shot, it’s blue blood painted the ceiling, “Thud.” it fell motionless on the floor, as I shifted and aimed my gun back towards the remaining two, non-humans.

  The ranger didn't move as I dispatched the parasites, only crossing her arms.

  The innkeeper looked terrified but I can smell an act, as easily as I can perform one.

  “Clap, clap, clap. . . Bravo Shiro, now that this little play of yours is done I'll be going to take a bath now, and then bed. . . it has been quiet the day” The princess said as she walked towards the doors.

  “Princess wait! I'm not sure if there's any left.” I said trying to stop the princess from leaving as I kept my attention towards the ranger and innkeeper.

  “There's none left Shiro, I can't feel any threat against me anymore, you've done your duty.” And with that she was gone.

  “Huh, didn't think royalty would be that careless.” The ranger said as she started growing antlers and her hair started turning maple red with wild flowers.

  “I want to reintroduce myself, I'm Sharmina the Kirin, I'm the protector of the woods around the town Maplewood, I mean you no harm human.” Sharmina said, I nodded as I heard honesty in her words, as the bell on my ear did not ring.

  “Thank you, for your honesty Lady Sharmina. Please, you can leave. I can handle things from here.” She looked at me as my gun shifted pointing at the only one left, the innkeeper.

  “No, I'll stay, the other humans needs to moved.” She said walking towards the unconscious, as she started laying them on the sofas.

  “Lizel, I'm worried about the princess, can you go with her.” I said my aim, steady.

  “Alright, but yell if you need help!” I felt her thumping my shoulder as she left.

  Act 2 The innkeeper

  “What are you innkeeper?” I said as we both sat across each other on sofas, Rikka was with me, as Sharmina sat on the other side of the room with the humans.

  “I. . . I don’t know what you mean young man! Please I’m not infected I’m. . .” “Sik!” I didn’t let him finished as I shot him, a small pressure canister shell fell on the carpeted floor, as the bell on my ear rang.

  “Damn . . . no mercy huh?” He said as he clutched his bleeding shoulder, his form shifting.

  The once pale older Asian man in his 40s changed. his eyes, turning from green, to bright bleeding bronze, his black hair turned ashen white, and his pale skin turned copper dark.

  “Well I warned you count Zahav, you should have been more subtle in your approach.” Rikka spoke, in between her amused smile.

  “Well Mis Rikka, I didn’t know he would break the laws.” Zahav spoke in casual response, my bell did not ring.

  “And what laws did I break? Because I know in every realm I’ve visited, trapping and sending monsters against royalty is a capital offense.” I shot back making him focus on me again.

  “Hah! Those laws only apply in the royal family’s realms!” He said truly amused by my ignorance, my bell did not ring, did he noticed it so soon?

  I stood up and brought my gun on his forehead.

  “Your a vampire lord, a bullet to the head wouldn’t kill you, but it’ll keep you asleep for long enough.” I said gaining back the seriousness of the situation.

  “Oh? Long enough for what? do you plan to beg, your princess to keep the other vampire lords from avenging me?” I kept silent as he looked into my eyes as he continued to speak.

  “Because that’s what they’ll do, dead or alive the humiliation you’ve put me through is enough for my Duke to give you a blood price.” his eyes shifting now as he realized his hypnosis wasn’t working.

  “Rikka, what is this blood price?” I asked without blinking my eyes digging deeply into him.

  “Ha ha ha! A blood price is something the vampire high nobility, gives to people they want dead or captured, a duke’s blood price is enough for any pure blood to become a baron or baroness, or a court of regular vampires to become pure bloods.”

  She said in great disgust and Mirth, my bell did not ring once.

  “See! Your dead now, sorcerer release me and I might forgive you.” He said his voice still arrogant, even in front of certain death, but my seriousness actually faded as my bell started ringing.

  You could be reading stolen content. Head to the original site for the genuine story.

  I smiled at him as his, arrogance faded, and fanged indignation anger loosen.

  “You mean if I killed you or kept you as bait, other vampires would bring themselves to me? And I don’t need to buy your fangs from merchants?” I said as I stepped back pulling out a bullet from my pocket and tossing it to him.

  He caught the simple silvered bullet, and then looked at it, but after a glance he paused, in shock as his eyes showed something new.

  “Fifth best material to make bullets from, as it seemed dragons, and laviatan serpents are rare.” I said as I felt nostalgia as fear started setting in the arrogant vampire.

  He dropped the bullet, a silver dipped vampire fanged, methane pressured steel cased piece of monster hunting art, and then he tried running.

  “AHH! Your a HUNTER!” He cried in fear as he jumped back flying quickly towards the door, but then. “Tump.”

  The wooden doors didn’t break open as he tried fleeing, but rather he was like a fly hitting the windshield of a car bouncing of the solid wood.

  I moved quickly as the spell on the door broke, before he could stand from the sudden confusion of hitting a wall, my cloth gloved hand was on his neck.

  “[Stun]” I casted loudly as a light flashed in the room, the lights flickering, the air turned to the smell of methane and burnt iron.

  “Interesting, didn’t know sorcerers use Hunter tactics, and this? Never even heard of Hunters using vampire fangs as bullets.” Sharmina spoke as she stood next to Rikka as they analyzed one of my silver fang bullets.

  “A perk of serving royalty, Maplewood guardian.” I said as I took out silver leaf coated rope made from white ash pulp, as my single glove turned to ash.

  “You don’t need to be that respectful kid, I’m the guardian of the ‘Woods’ of Maplewood, not the town itself, that honor has been vacant even before I came to this town.” She said as I looked over to them.

  “Really? Can you tell me more?” I said trying to be calm, but I realized my very words betrayed my excitement at learning more about the natives of this world of many realms.

  “Ha ha ha! So your a scholarly sorcerer? alright, I’ll tell you more if you join me in the baths.” She said as she walked away tossing the bullet to Rikka as she left the guest hall.

  “Shiro, what do you plan to do to the count? The blood price is real, desperate vampires would try hunting you.” Rikka said as she stood next to me, as I placed a holy water filled bottle in Zahav’s mouth, tying it in place.

  “I was serious about it, the princess funds my research, and magic practice, but I’ve already used three bullets that costs, 6 months of our school’s budget in one night.” I said as she gave me back one of my bullets.

  “The princess is wealthy but. . . anyways are you okay with me using these? Your a vampire and all, does my hunting your kin offends you Rikka?” I said turning around and looking up at her a little, I’ve grown enough that she’s only a few inches taller than me at this point.

  “No Shiro, it is fine, there is a reason I’m here in the human realm. And I don’t really care if you hunt my kin to extinction.” She said smiling at me genuinely and giving Zahav a sad one, my bell ringing a few times at her words.

  I moved slowly, and touched her hand, it was cold and she didn’t move away, so with both hands I held one of hers.

  “As long as you don’t harm my sister and the princess or kill Lizel then I wouldn’t care what you do either, besides where friends, so go make those three at the door stop listening in on us.” I said giving her redden cheek smile as I moved away, carrying the vampire count, on my broadening shoulder.

  Act 3 Bath

  “Princess did you enjoy the drama?” I asked, as I felt the hot tea smelling water, seeping into my cold pale skin as it warmth my unbeating heart.

  “I was expected him to atleast force a kiss from you, sadly there goes my plan in using his lust to tighten his leash.” The princess joked in mock sadness, the dog’s ears twitched at her words but she said nothing, but bubbling.

  The dark skinned Kirin, was drinking sake, as she listened to our talk with a gentle smile on her light ebony lips.

  “I didn’t think I would one day meet a royal struggling with there servant, but then again seeing a Sorcerer at that level, as a royal’s eternal guardsman. . . the realms are truly endless and time are but moments.” The Kirin said as she happily drank her third tokkuri shot of hot sake.

  “Says the Kami, pretending to be a simple antlered Yokai of the forests.” The princess said her expression neutral as always, with only the heat of her words telling people of her intent.

  “Oh don’t let your servant hear that princess, I’ve met sorcerers like him before, they basically worship any being that are wiser than them, and from the way he uses his wisdom, he had hunted his fair share of my kind, before.”

  The Kirin no, the Kami spoke, her tone turned from jovial to deathly serious as she finished drinking her fourth shot of hot sake.

  “His near princess, I can hear his steps, and there lighter than usual.” The dog said as she looked towards the door.

  It opened as a young, tall boy, in his early teens entered, his hair was as white as polished marble, and it was long, it wasn’t tied up as usual but wavily hanged just above his ears.

  And his eyes where of sea amber, his healthy lightly tan skin was only cover by a white towel.

  “Hey girls, am I welcome to join in?” He said lightly as he sat down at one of the washing stations to soap and wash himself of cold water before joining the hot bath.

  “Oh your more than welcome Shiro! How about I help you wash~” I said teasingly as I stood up, letting him see me in nothing but a wet white towel.

  He quickly turned red as his eyes rolled over my barely covered body, after the glimpse of me he turned from us and started washing himself with cold water and soaped cloth.

  I moved, but then I felt a hand on my wrist, it was strong and it made me smile as I realized who it was.

  “Don’t you dare, blood sucker.” Lizel loudly whispered with gritted wolfic fangs, her eyes, screaming murder, I met her gaze, but as we where distracted.

  “Oh! thank you Sharmina-san, for washing my back.” We both looked towards Shiro as we saw him with the Kami washing his back.

  “It seems your a bit to late, Rikka.” The princess said before she soaked deeper into the bath.

  “Yeah your right, unhand me please.” I said as the dog’s grip loosened and with that I was able to pull my hand from her as I soaked myself in hot tea like hot water.

  Act 4 Plans

  As I soaked with three really attractive girls and one very alluring woman, I thought about how many times this happened to me before. . . huh, this is only my 4th time, even though this was my 20th something lifetime.

  “Shiro, do you really plan to make yourself an enemy of that vampire count’s, duke?” It was the princess who broke the silence between us after I finished summoning everyone an iced honeyed drinks.

  “Yes princess, I plan too, but even if I don’t where already enemies with his duke.” I said as the thought crossed my mind.

  When I realized earlier, from how Rikka acted, that this count must have been the same vampire lord that caused that hospital accident.

  “Oh, so you’ve realized it too? yes, this vampire duke might be supporting one of my siblings, even a bored vampire high lord wouldn’t risk sending one of there counts without reason.”

  The princess spoke her eyes focusing as she smiled with amusement for some reason.

  “But killing one of his counts would increase his support from being subtle to becoming more open.” She explained before sipping on her forever cold honeyed orange drink.

  “Let those blood suckers come, will kill each one of them who tries.” Lizel spoke in confidence, ignoring the fact that Rikka did try and we let her off easy.

  The princess raised an eye-brow on that comment, and then her gaze moved towards Rikka as well as my own eyes.

  “Rikka, if I hunted this duke, would you be able to take over his place?” I said as my words shocked Lizel to silence while the princess and Sharmina gave me thoughtful looks.

  “Unfortunately that’s not how it works Shiro, even if I’m not a progenitorless pure blood, I still need to acquire vampiric nobility first.” She started to explain as she stopped herself from laughing.

  “Let me guess, you need to drain a low noble or be made into one by royalty, before you could go after a high noble vampire like a duke?” I said remembering it was the same process as it was in my last world.

  “Yes, that’s the only way.” She said as she stopped talking and started drinking her raspberry honeyed drink.

  “Sigh. . . well atleast I’ll have a steady supply of fangs. Ha ha ha” I said laughing at the end.

  “Ehh, why do you even use guns Shiro? I’ve seen you fight with a sword and I’ll probably only win against you in a straight fight if we do it during a full moon.” Lizel spoke as she finished her drink clicking the glass telling me to refill it back up.

  “Well that’s my reason, one of these days will probably fight things that’s way above our weight class Lizel, with a gun and a sword I can probably fight and win against 3 of you in a full moon.” I said as our conversation went to how to fight things.

  Act 5 Reward

  “Is this really fine princess?” I asked in a whisper as I felt her heat.

  “Yes, your not the first Eternal guard I’ve done this with.” She whispered back lazily as I felt her shift, her soft chest pressing on my back.

  In a semi-double bed, two laid together the taller one was a blonde beauty, her hands wrapped around the other.

  Who was a tall boy of marble hair, they where covered by a thick blanket, there heat shared between each other.

  “Is this really how it works princess?” I asked still a bit unsure about the situation as my body reacted to the situation and my mind started to cloud.

  “Yes, now get a grip and sleep, this was considered the greatest rewards among my guards.” She said as I felt her breathing turning steady.

  She told me earlier that the greater the proximity of an eternal guard to there master, the faster the guard can develop his abilities.

  So as a reward for me making her stay here peaceful, as we waited out the storm she gave me the right to sleep with her whenever I can.

  Which she could have started earlier if this really is a way to make my threat senses better.

  But is there a reason she did it today? I thought as I went through my actions today.

  She was testing me! I thought as I moved lightly trying to make space between us, but the princess shifted, her arms tightening around me as if I was a teddy bear.

  “Crap. . .” I said silently, as I noticed she was already asleep, did she plan this from the start?

  If I wasn't able to solve that subtle threat would she still do this or. . . my thoughts wondered as oblivion embraced my mind.