Howard carefully followed after him in the dark. Gunnar did not turn on any lights, and just continued walking in blind. So Howard had no choice but to just listen to the sounds he made, or more so the feeling of his presence nearby.
Even without sight, there was such a thing that people usually call 'sixth sense', where one can just feel something that their other senses couldn't.
It's almost the same as scopaesthesia, except you don't feel that somebody's watching you, you feel that they're just there whether or not they pay attention to you.
It's not the same as hearing since he can barely make out Gunnar's footsteps now that he was barefoot. He was actually pretty stealthy for a big guy with a striking appearance. It's not smell either, because he doesn't actually stink or emit any strong odors. Howard simply followed him without bumping into anything by pure intuition.
This was the same way he determined the other presence in the basement. The underground area turned out to be much longer and deeper. It was almost like a tunnel down here, and was very, very dark.
But Howard could still tell there was someone…. Or something, waiting for them just a few meters away.
"Now, I don't know if you're part of some family or a rogue. But I won't take no crap about how I store 'em, you hear? I don't like fighting these things in cages or surrounded by UV lights like the Von Halsinges. I won't put them at disadvantage when training with 'em, that's just stupid! "
Howard finally heard it. The growling sounds of several animals.
He sensed that there may be half a dozen or so, but there could be more further down. He knew what they must be, even though he never really encountered them in person.
But they just have a similar feeling to that bastard. They were of the same ilk, and so that must be why he liked them so much.
"Now, I'm mostly sure you're not a vampire, or a fledgeling. But if these bats don't feel like feeding on you much, then you still have some vampirism in your system." Gunnar said. "Which sadly means….."
He raised his saber. "That I'd hafta chop your head off. It don't matter if it's a little bit, you're better off dead than living with a venom that will have you marked forever by some bloodsucker. You get me, right?"
Howard just nodded. "Yes."
Seems like he would have to find a way to trick this man.
It seemed easy enough since they were in the dark, but Gunnar was clearly a skilled fighter under these circumstances. How else would he be confident enough to go into the nesting grounds of vampire bats without any lights or even a torch?
Howard heard a slicing sound as a bat approached him, and there was a squelching sound as he stepped on it to make sure it was dead.
"That's closer to my face than I would have liked. Seems like they're still taking time to wake up, though. It's still not sundown."
Howard held the fireplace poker in his hand, thinking of an idea.
He went in the direction of the nearest vampire bat he could sense. This one was hissing, but it didn't fly towards him. It just seemed wary of what he would be doing.
Howard then raised his weapon to stab the thing…..
And swung around to have it go after Gunnar!
The tip of the poker hit him somewhere, maybe in the arm of the shoulders. The big man groaned, and cursed.
"What the hell was that, brother?" He exclaimed.
Howard then pulled the poker out of the bat and stabbed it again. "It was going to attack you, and I missed. I'm sorry, I'm not used to fighting in the dark."
Gunnar grumbled. "Aye, just be careful wi' that. You must be one of those posh hunters with how you got those legs. Probably never tried a more difficult terrain than some city alleyways or abandoned buildings, eh?"
Howard plainly answered. "Yeah."
He felt for the tip of his poker, and felt the warm blood of both Gunnar and the bat. He then smeared as much of it on his neck, just enough to cover the two moles there.
He wasn't sure if this would work, but it was better than nothing. Either way, these blood-sucking bats can smell the venom of the others on their potential victim, that's why they don't attack it anymore. It's kind of the same when animals piss on spots to mark territory. None of them want to start trouble with whoever got the prey first….
And especially not if it was their masters who had it.
But eventually, some of the bats flew in Howard's direction. There were fewer than those going after Gunnar, but it seemed that the hunter's blood managed to mask the scent of the venom in Howard's system.
Howard fought them off the same as usual, and they were actually easier to deal with than the likhos. Soon, they finished off all the bats within this certain area, and the rest seemed to have hidden and did not dare to attack.
"They're cowards, I tell ya. Only good when under the bidding of some full-fledged vampire, but in the wild, they prefer to hide in the dark till they get called out to have a meal. I throw some two or three full cows in here every week so they can survive." freewebno vel.co m
Howard caught his breath, wiping the blood he smeared on his neck. "Then you use them to train in their own 'habitat'?"
"Yeah. Or just to pass time. They make babies pretty fast, and unlike regular bats, they have it from eggs." Gunnar chuckled. "I would have tried to steal an egg once and cooked it, but I dunno if I might get the infection from that. Won't risk it, already lost an arm."
They went back up the trapdoor, and closed it as if nothing happened. Gunnar told him that he does pay the guards here to get the place to himself.
Still, he told Howard to wash up in the bathroom and help him clean up all the blood and dirt. After the hurricane, the museum might open again soon. It's much better for him to clean them all so they won't leave much stains. He was surprisingly meticulous too, though Howard never really put any expectations towards him beyond that he was a hunter.
So that meant that he couldn't underestimate him. He had him fooled for now, but he can't be so sure next time.
He was given fresh clothes that were honestly much bigger than him, but Howard found ways to make it work. He was creative enough anyway with just a little sewing, and the hunter didn't seem to mind having changes in his clothes. freewebnov(e)l
In fact, he even complimented Howard in his ingenuity.
Gunnar was now cooking some food, some kind of hotpot from whatever he had found in the pantry for today. He asked Howard as he got out of the bath:
"Where'd you come from anyway, brother? You've passed the test, so I think it's time you make a proper introduction."
Howard sat down on one of the chairs, made of very sturdy oak wood and had velvet cushions. "I'm a rogue. I'm all on my own, and I just got into monster hunting recently. I didn't actually come from a hunter family. I lost my wife just a few years after I lost my legs. That's how it started."
"Oh." Gunnar's smile faltered a little. "Sorry to hear that, brother."
"It's fine. I'm after the one that hurted her." Howard said.
Gunnar nodded. "That's a common thing for us rogue hunters. I started because I wanted to kill the bats who caused me to lose my arm…. and their master. The Von Halsinges was kind enough to give me a new arm and the knowledge to do it myself, but I'm used to flying solo."
"These Von Halsinges…. Do you think they know where he is too?"
"Who?" Gunnar asked while stirring the pot.
"The source of all evil. The bats, their masters... The one who is called The Night."
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