"Are you sure it was worth helping this lady? She seems kind of sketchy."
Blade and I were heading to her house. Just half an hour ago, I had helped tweak the appearance of a lady who looked more like a criminal boss than a businesswoman, as she had initially introduced herself. She was one of the contacts Obra had given me. I must say, I was quite satisfied with how the meeting went.
I was generously rewarded for my work, enough that for the next few months, I could live leisurely, handing out tips to everyone I met. But despite my now heavier wallet, doubts still gnawed at me. Helping the mafia change their appearance wasn't something I wanted to make a habit of.
"Vampires turned her daughter. I tracked them down and wiped them out. Sofia occasionally sponsors us with Obra, helps with gear. She runs a shadow business, but without any shady dealings or extremes."
Recently, Erika had become a bit more talkative, though she still preferred silence over spilling out words. When she did speak, it was usually in short, sharp sentences, as they say.
"Then why didn't Obra want to let me meet her alone?"
The huntress was silent for a while, fully focused on the van's wheel and the road outside the windshield.
"You look like too much of a sweet treat."
"Admit it," I said, feeling a goofy smile spreading across my face that I couldn't shake. "You wanted to compare me to a lollipop but were too shy?"
"Shut up," the short-haired brunette snapped. But I could clearly see the blood rush to her cheeks. I had learned to spot such little details during our time together.
Blade-chan, so cute!
Ahem, I'm not really acting very dignified for someone who's supposed to be an experienced "newcomer," but whatever. This is just who I am, and even time can't change that! Some people just don't know how to grow up, always staying reckless. I hope I'm not one of those and will eventually become wiser and more rational. Though I can't really picture myself like that.
While we were driving, I thought of teasing Erika a little more. After all, it's not often that she can't run away from me or immediately throw me into a training session in retaliation. I enjoy making her flustered and watching the emotions she tries so hard to hide. But apparently, fate had other plans.
Following all the local road regulations, we were cruising down a narrow Manhattan street when something large suddenly crashed into the front of our van. Well, more accurately, it slammed into the front end, which only had the name "hood" in the loosest sense. Blade reacted instantly and hit the brakes before it happened, probably noticing the projectile coming toward us. It turned out to be a human figure in a long dark cloak.
I didn't have time to be shocked. The figure, which had been flung forward, started twitching as though it were fixing its broken bones, and then got up. For once, the new acquaintance turned out to be a man, not another girl with big boobs.
Though, the man looked extremely off-putting. I started suspecting that this universe was deliberately making men into freaks or effeminate latent homosexuals to wipe us out completely. I wonder who from our brotherhood pissed off this world so badly that it was seeking revenge?
Anyway, back to the appearance of our involuntary victim. The man had pale skin like Caliban's. His eyes glowed red with tiny embers, and his shoulder-length hair had a dark blue hue. The most hideous feature of this young man's face was his nose.
It was flat, unnaturally lifted upwards, and bloated, resembling a pig's snout or the nose of a bat. The pale skin on his face pulled into a symmetrical, wrinkled pattern that converged at the same nose.
The man shook his cloak, bared his teeth in a vicious grin, crouched like Neo in his prime, and shot up into the sky.
"Vampire!" Blade immediately growled, picking up the keys to the van and tossing them toward me.
She pulled the door lever and pushed it open. I jumped out right after her, and I saw her open the van's rear door and grab the missing gear.
"Wait! What do you plan to do?" I asked, tilting my head upwards. I timed that perfectly!
"Hunt," Erika replied shortly. "Move the van. Check the dashcam footage, send the photos to Obra. I'll find you."
"Wait! Maybe it's not a vampire?"
For a moment, she hesitated and looked at me with a doubtful gaze, as though questioning whether something was wrong with my eyesight. She didn't even bother to say it aloud:
"We saw the same thing. Fangs, skin, claws on the hands. The smell was strange, but unmistakable."
"No, remember how we met!" I persisted. "I looked just like a vampire back then!"
That made Blade look at me more thoughtfully, not like an inquisitor eyeing a fleeing witch.
"Do you think he's the same?"
"I noticed something strange," I shrugged. "All I'm asking is for you to be careful and not act rashly. Also, someone else was chasing after this 'handsome' guy, so don't kill her, okay? Go, time's ticking."
Blade nodded and headed off in the direction where the strange vampire had flown. Of course, the girl, despite having some super abilities, wasn't running faster than the van, and certainly couldn't keep a high pace for long. But in this area, narrow alleyways and all, it was better to move on foot. Besides, our van was puffing smoke from the hood, and I wasn't sure if it was even capable of going anywhere.
My heart was racing like crazy, but I forced myself to lean against the cool metal of the van and calm down. My active nature wanted to chase after Erika and personally supervise everything, making sure no one got hurt. But I understood that even the huntress would have a hard time chasing a target that could fly, and I wouldn't be any use in such a race. I had done all I could, and there was nothing more I could do to influence the situation.