(Samuel's POV)
"Does the name Valtheris mean anything to you?" I asked Kiyomi
She exhaled some smoke as the barkeep served us drinks, "Valtheris?" She said, "No, I can't say it does."
"Hm. Shame." I said, leaning back, "Here I thought due to your brief Hunter experience, you would."
"Why, what does it mean?" She asked me, "And I was just acting as a brief substitute."
I looked at her, "I don't know what it means either." I said, "But a few months back, I was trailing what I thought was a Werebear. A small village near the mountains, there was a trail of bodies. All of them were mauled to death. The prints resembled a Werebear's, but they were slightly warped, so my guess was some sort of mutant or variant."
"Mhm." She said, "Carry on."
"I followed the beast to a cave at the base of the mountains." I continued explaining, "Discovering that not only was it feasting on a fresh victim, but that it wasn't a Werebear. It was a Gargoyle."
"A Gargoyle?" She asked, "I didn't know they ate flesh."
"Not ordinary ones." I said, "They don't need such things for sustenance. This one was a different type of Gargoyle, but the resemblance was uncanny. It was larger and had fur, which was rather surprising."
"Gargoyles have stone scales, do they not?" She asked
I nodded, "Yea." I said, "They're used as sentries and bodyguards for Vampires."
"So that means this Gargoyle was used by a Vampire?" She asked
"That's what I thought too." I said, "So after I put it down, leaving it alive to see if it could speak, it uttered those words; Valtheris."
"Hm...." She said, "Rather strange."
"That's not all." I said, "After I killed it, it reverted into an ordinary Gargoyle, traces of Cursed Magic emitted from its stone body. The cave that it had made as its lair also contained belongings. Among these belongings was a Midnight Legion coat. It didn't look new either, as if it was ripped off a corpse."
She narrowed her eyes, "You're kidding." She said, "That is rather unlikely."
"Hm." I said, "I knew you would say that. But it's the truth."
"Do you have the coat?" She asked me, "I need evidence if I were to take your word as truth."
"Not with me." I said, "After going through the rest of the belongings, I came to find a letter that was sent to a member of the Legion. It was damaged, so this is the only part I could salvage."
I pulled out a folded piece of paper that was in my pocket, handing it to him.
She took it, opening it slowly to see that it burn marks on it, "Hm...." She said, "Wait.....this name."
I nodded, "General Streinde." I said, "The letter mentioned a Midnight Legion Commander by name. The name Valtheris uttered by a strange new Gargoyle variant along with a letter with Streinde's name, it was all rather odd."
"What are you suggesting?" She asked
"I don't know." I said with a shrug, "But I'll tell you one thing; this whole thing reeks of Vampire."
"The Vampire Covens have been inactive for decades. House Corryn is in servitude to Queen Asothia in Dreadwalk." She said, "They're the only active Vampire Coven currently and their matriarch is fiercely loyal to the Demon Queen."
"That may be so." I said, "But with a name like Valtheris, which was uttered by a Vampiric Familiar,I can't help but assume that it's no longer the case. Not only that, my other assumption is that whoever these Vampires are, they had infiltrated the Midnight Legion."
Kiyomi narrowed her eyes, "Oi, kid." She said seriously, "I seriously suggest watching what you say. You can't just come in here and say such things, even if you are my student."
"I'm not just your student, Kiyomi." I said, "I'm a Hunter. And alongside Werewolves and other great magic beast, Vampires are one of the most dangerous targets that Monster Hunters set their gazes on. If any Vampire is forming a conspiracy, infiltrating the Abaddon Kingdom's main military force, then someone has to know."
"But for General Streinde's name to be dropped like this." She said, "You're saying that it's cutting too close to home."
"I don't care if it does, it is the truth." I said seriously, "So do yourself a favor, Kiyomi, tell your boss that someone is conspiring and name-dropping her."
"General Streinde is not a woman who will tolerate such things, Samuel." She said with a scowl, "I warn you, kid, she won't let this side. If I go to her with this letter, saying that a Hunter gave it to me, claiming there is a Vampire Conspiracy that means to compromise the Legion...Samuel, do you understand what will happen to you?!"
I stood up, looking at her seriously, "Whatever happens, I will get to the bottom of it." I said, "People died for me to find out about this. And more people will die if I just ignore this. I can focus my attention on other jobs, other hunts, and other monsters. But at the moment, from the moment I found out about it, my main focus is whatever the hell this is."
"Listen to me!" She exclaimed, "The Midnight Legion won't care if you're a Hunter, much less a Greyclaw, Samuel. If The General deems you a threat, which she more than likely will, she will set her Wrath upon you."
Her saying this caused the other Legion members in the bar to look up in surprise, as if the mere mention of the Wrath to cause them alarm.
I adjusted my hat, "I don't mean to provoke a Legion Commander, Kiyomi." I said, "If I wanted to, I would go up to Streinde and shoot her."
"Not Streinde." She said, shaking her head, "No, not her."
"Oh." I said, "Well, I guess I have nothing to worry about."
She clenched her fists, "You're an idiot." She said, "An impulsive brat, as always. Take this letter and leave, Samuel."
"I have a job here." I said
She scowled, "Streinde is here." She said, "Stay away from her, I am warning you. I'm giving you this one chance, kid. Only because you're my student. Because you're Sonya's boy. Because you're Maria's bro-"
"I don't need my sister's name to bail me out of shit." I said with a scowl of my own, "I'm my own man and not just that, I am a Hunter. I prioritize the safety of the people of the Kingdom, no matter what race they are."
"And I will get to the bottom of this."