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...
He turned on his lantern, the warm light cutting a thin path through the dark. Minutes passed, quiet except for his footsteps. Then, a sound. Soft. Like cloth scraping stone. Caleb raised the repeater, eyes narrowing toward a corner where the tunnel curved.
"Come out," he said quietly. "I have my repeater here already pointing at your location, and you're surrounded as well on the outside so don't do any sudden movement."
The last bit was of course a lie, but a convincing one thanks to his Persuasion Skill.
For a long second, he heard nothing after he said those words. But then, a whisper, so soft he almost missed it if it weren't for his high perception stats.
"You shouldn't have come here."
The voice was male, middle aged, hoarse, but eerily calm.
Caleb tightened his grip. "Name's McLaughlin. You're wanted for eight known murders here in Saint Denis. Step into the light, or I'll drag you out by the throat."
Footsteps immediately echoed, slow and deliberate. The figure that emerged was pale indeed, his face gaunt, cheekbones sharp enough to cut glass. His eyes, though, gleamed with something that wasn't quite human, something cold and detached.
"You think you can catch death itself?" the man murmured.
Caleb smiled faintly. "I've caught worse than death."
The man lunged, faster than Caleb expected, but not fast enough as he activated his Dead Eye to immediately shot. The Litchfield roared once, the shot tearing into the man's shoulder. He screamed, staggering back, clutching the wound as black red blood oozed between his fingers.
Caleb advanced slowly, the barrel steady. "I think death shouldn't have bleed, friend."
The man hissed, eyes flashing in the lamplight. He lunged again, knife drawn this time, but Caleb sidestepped, drove his knee into the man's gut, and slammed him against the wall. The knife clattered to the floor.
In one smooth motion, Caleb pulled the wooden stake from his belt and pressed it against the man's chest. "Just in case the stories are true," he muttered and drove it in hard to the man's heart.
The man convulsed once, a strangled sound escaping his lips, then went still. The blood that dripped from his mouth was dark, sluggish.
Caleb stared at him for a long moment, then exhaled through his nose. "Guess that settles that."
He searched the body, finding only a bloodstained letter and a small silver cross. The letter was written in old, almost elegant script, mentioning a "Master" in New Bordeaux and promising "deliveries."
Smuggling. Always came back to smuggling.
As he dragged the body toward the surface, he couldn't help but mutter, "So much for vampires. Well he could possibly be a vampire, but just didn't turned into an ash or stone when it died."
A soft chime rang out inside his mind. His system interface flickered into existence before him, translucent, glowing faintly in the dark. Caleb's eyes widened a little at the sudden appearance. "What the—" he murmured, instinctively lowering his weapon. He hadn't expected a notification after this kind of job.
But then he began to read.
<< SYSTEM NOTIFICATION >>
BOUNTY COMPLETE: The Saint Denis Phantom
Target Analysis: Human Thrall. A mortal being sustained and enhanced by a sanguine curse, granting prolonged life and minor physical augmentation through the consumption of blood. Not a true higher vampire.
REWARDS:
– Physical Regeneration Skill: Level Up (Lv.1 → Lv.2)
– Pain Nullifier Skill: Level Up (Lv.2 → Lv.3)
– Sneaking Skill: Level Up (Lv.3 → Lv.4)
– Charm Attribute: +1 (6 → 7)
"You have ended the myth of the Saint Denis Phantom. Order and safety restored. The people will speak your name tonight."
Caleb blinked once. Then again. "You've got to be kidding me," he muttered, half laughing under his breath. "He was a vampire. Or… something close enough." His expression softened into a grin as he re read the part about his skills.
"Physical Regeneration… level two." He flexed his gloved hand, feeling the faint hum of energy just under his skin. "That's going to come in handy."
The Pain Nullifier upgrade was another blessing, the last time he'd been shot, the pain had nearly make him unconscious before he could even patch himself up. Leveling those up was something he expected to take months, maybe years, if there's no reward form the system.
The Sneaking Skill boost meant his already silent movements were now ghost like, useful for any future hunt. It was no surprise, considering how much stealth the hunt required tonight, but that Charm +1 caught his attention the most.
He smirked faintly. "That's gonna come in handy when I deal with Bronte again."
Charm was one of his hardest attributes to increase. Only Luck ranked higher in difficulty. For most, improving charm meant months of social maneuvering, persuasion, and reputation building.
Increasing it through charming people would take some time, so a natural boost from the system was a rare gift. On thing for sure is that the system recognized the unique, otherworldly nature of this hunt.
As the glowing interface faded away, he chuckled softly. "Well, that's one hell of a thank you from the system." He crouched to lift the body, the so called vampire was lighter than expected, more bones than muscle, and slung him across his shoulder.. "You made this a lot messier than it had to be. But you were worth the trouble."
"Come on, Phantom," he continued, "time to show Saint Denis the monster under their bed." He started his way out of the twisting alleys, lantern swinging gently at his side.
The night air outside felt cooler, cleaner, after the suffocating underground stench. The streets were mostly empty except for one familiar face, George, the old drunk who'd pointed him in the right direction earlier, now leaning against a lamppost with a half empty bottle dangling from his hand.
When he spotted Caleb emerging with the body slung over his shoulder, George nearly dropped his drink. "Holy hell, you actually did it!" His slurred voice echoed off the cobblestones. "You got the Phantom! Thought you'd be food for 'im by now!"
Caleb shook his head with a faint smile. "Yeah, he put up a fight, I'll give him that. Tried to bring him in alive, but…" He shrugged, adjusting the corpse. "Didn't quite cooperate. Hard to keep a man breathing when he doesn't seem to feel pain."
George let out a hiccup, blinking owlishly at the dead man's pale face. "Alive or dead, don't matter none. You made this place safer for the likes o' me. I can drink in peace again without worryin' I'll get my throat slit."
Caleb chuckled under his breath. "Glad to hear I'm improving Saint Denis nightlife."
The old man raised his bottle in salute, wobbling a little. "To the bounty hunter who killed a ghost!"
Caleb just shook his head and walked past him, murmuring a simple, "Take care, George." He could feel eyes on him as he made his way through the back alleys toward the main street, people staring from windows or doorways, whispering. A few gasped outright when they realized what he carried. The rumor mill would be spinning by morning, that much was certain.
By the time he reached the front of Doyle's Tavern, his horse Morgan was right where he left her, pawing lightly at the dirt. "Good girl," Caleb murmured, hoisting the corpse onto her back before climbing up himself. "Let's get this over with." He flicked the reins, guiding her through the narrow streets toward the police station.
The transition from the slums to the well lit apartment blocks was like stepping between worlds. Gas lamps glowed golden on the pavement, casting neat halos that blurred slightly in the fog.
Even at this hour, Saint Denis was never truly asleep, carriages clattered by, a few late night workers trudged home, and a couple of gentlemen in fine coats stopped mid conversation to stare as Caleb rode past with a dead man tied across the back of Morgan.
He ignored the stares. Let them talk. Proof was proof.
By the time he pulled up to the police station, the lanterns outside still burned bright. Two officers on night duty were smoking near the door. Their conversation cut short the moment they saw him.
"McLaughlin?" one of them blurted. "You brought another one in?"
Caleb dismounted smoothly, hitching Morgan to the rail before hefting the body back onto his shoulder. "Something like that."
The officers exchanged looks, this wasn't the first time they'd seen him deliver bounties, but it was the first time he'd ever brought one dead. Usually, he preferred his targets alive, more pay, less paperwork.
He pushed through the front doors, boots echoing against the floorboards. The desk officer, a tired looking man with ink stains on his sleeves, looked up and froze. "Jesus, McLaughlin, what happened to that one?"
"Put up a fight," Caleb said simply, letting the body drop onto the floor with a dull thud. "Saint Denis Phantom. Thought you might like to see him before I toss him in the dirt."
The man's eyes went wide. "The Phantom? You're tellin' me this is him? Really?"
Caleb nodded, wiping a smear of blood from his glove. "Matches the description from what you told me, from the eyewitness. Had the same eyes, same build. Left a trail of bodies from the warehouse district to the church tunnels. He won't be killing anyone else."
The officer's disbelief quickly turned to excitement. "Wait here," he said, scrambling off his stool and hurrying down the hallway. Moments later, he returned with Chief Lecler, his stern face breaking into a rare, impressed smile.
When he saw the corpse, though, his eyes lit up like a boy on Christmas morning. "Good lord... I can't believe it," Leclerc breathed. "You actually got the bastard."
Caleb gave a faint shrug. "Got lucky."
Leclerc crouched beside the body, pulling back the collar to reveal the pale, unnaturally drawn face. "That's him, all right. We've had half the city terrified for weeks because of this animal. The mayor himself was losing sleep." He stood, clapping Caleb on the shoulder with a heavy hand. "Fine work again, McLaughlin. You've done Saint Denis a real service tonight."
Caleb inclined his head slightly. "Glad to help. That's one less monster walking around."
"200 dollars, as promised," Malloy said, motioning to the desk clerk, who retrieved a thick envelope and handed it over. "This one... he might not have had the highest bounty, but he was the one we wanted the most. Slick, quiet, and he butchered a lot of good people. The city owes you a debt."
He turned back to Caleb. "Three down, two to go. The Hackshaw Brothers and Chen Lei. You're making this city a safer place, son. Keep it up."
Caleb took the money and tucked it neatly into his coat. "Just doing my job, Chief."
Leclerc chuckled. "You always do." Then his expression sobered. "But seriously, McLaughlin, word's gonna spread. Folks'll feel safer knowing someone like you's out there. You ever need a favor, you come to me."
Caleb offered a nod of thanks. "Appreciate that."
As the chief turned to have the body taken out to the back, Caleb let out a slow breath. The adrenaline had long since faded, leaving behind a bone deep tiredness. His hands still smelled faintly of gunpowder and blood, the two scents that seemed to define his nights lately.
He stepped outside again, the cool air brushing against his face. Morgan nickered softly as he approached. "Easy girl," he said, running a hand along her mane. "Let's head back to the Bastille to rest." The streets were quieter now. The whispers followed him still, though softer, carried on the fog like rumors with wings. He didn't mind. The job was done.
...
Name: Caleb Thorne
Age: 23
Body Attributes:
- Strength: 7/10
- Agility: 7/10
- Perception: 8/10
- Stamina: 7/10
- Charm: 6/10 → 7/10
- Luck: 8/10
Skills:
- Handgun (Lvl 4)
- Rifle (Lvl 4)
- Firearms Knowledge (Lvl 4)
- Past Life Memory (Lvl MAX)
- Knife (Lvl 3)
- Blunt Weapon (Lvl 1)
- Sneaking (Lvl 3) → (Lvl 4)
- Horse Mastery (Lvl 4)
- Poker (Lvl 4)
- Hand to Hand Combat (Lvl 3)
- Eagle Eye (Lvl 1)
- Dead Eye (Lvl 3)
- Bow (Lvl 2)
- Pain Nullifier (Lvl 2) → (Lvl 3)
- Physical Regeneration (Lvl 1) → (Lvl 2)
- Crafting (Lvl 3)
- Persuasion (Lvl 3)
- Mental Fortitude (Lvl MAX)
- Cooking (Lvl 4)
- Teaching (Lvl 2)
- Germanic Language Proficiency (Lvl MAX)
- Inventory System (Permanent - 10x10x10)
- Acting (Lvl 3)
- Alcohol Resistance (Lvl MAX)
- Treasure Hunter (Lvl MAX)
Money: 3,058 dollars and 20 cents
Inventory: 104,369 dollars and 72 cents, 11 gold nuggets, 64 gold bars, 1 Double Action, 1 Schofield, 2 Colm's Schofields, land deed (Parcel), 1 Mauser, 1 Semi Auto Pistol, 1 Lancaster Repeater, 1 Old Wood Jewelry Box, & 1 F.F Mausoleum small brass key
Bank: -