Heroes to Hunted

***Kamida POV***

'Greetings! My name is Kamida Gin. I am thirty-three years of age, an accomplished financial consultant, and an absolute gentleman!'

'If I had to describe myself in a single word, I'd be charmed to say I'm absolutely elegant. Throughout my life, I have always made it my pursuit to handle any situation, no matter how unpleasant, with absolute dignity and class!'

'Where am I, you ask?' If I'm being honest, I wasn't readily sure myself.

Alarmingly, my hands were bound to some slick, metallic surface, and I had a sack on my head. 'You might be wondering how I got into this situation. To answer you, I haven't a clue.'

Let me tell you what I do know, though.

As a man with thirteen years of sales experience, I have never failed to manipul-...persuade another into a deal. Some struggled, but I'd always succeeded in the end. That said, I had no doubt I'd escape this undesirable situation. That is a promise, a salesman's promise.

The sound of metal grinding against metal grated my ears, disrupting my thoughts. Soon after, some force ripped the bag from my head, temporarily blinding me from the torchlight above.

Blinking a few times, I opened my eyes. When the blurry veil finally lifted, what was revealed was indeed a perturbing sight.

"Oh, you're awake!" a woman exclaimed while excitedly clacking two knives together.

Given her change in demeanor, I almost didn't recognize her.

Amongst the women who borderline attacked me in the ballroom, she was one of the tamer individuals of the bunch. She didn't throw herself to my feet like the others; hers was an elegant distance of two meters. Her attitude wasn't obnoxious, either; she was more reserved and of the classy variety.

She had wholly captivated my respect!

That's right, she had been the one I'd admired most during the ball. Which is why her personality change was utterly concerning for me.

During the dance, she was the apex of dignity. Now, though? Now she stood before me as she disturbingly stroked a knife's blade. She was ogling me and drooling with pervertedly lustful salivations.

Following my instincts, I slapped a bright smile on my face and set aside the fear that was brewing inside. "Hello, Miss! To start, I'd like to state that your new look is as beautiful as the dress you wore during the dance!"

Needless to say, that was a lie, of course.

During the ball, she wore a stunning black dress that hugged every curve of her feminine figure. She'd radiate elegance and confidence. Both were traits a man like me respects most.

Her silk-textured black hair seemed to endlessly flow down her back, glistening whenever she flourished. All of that flawlessly paired with two sky-blue eyes that sparkled brightly against the chandelier light above.

A far cry from then, she now donned a classless, red-stained brown apron, and her hair had been tied up in a reckless ponytail with a multitude of strands that jutted out in mutiny. The best way I could describe her now was...messy.

She brought her hands to her now flushed cheeks and smiled. "Oh, you're such a flirter!"

I felt an immense desire to bow, but, to my distaste, I was a little tied up.

Begrudgingly, I settled for words. "Well, of course, Miss, I just had to state the facts! Speaking of facts, could you do me the kindness of telling me what is happening here?" The time for information was ripe now that I had her buttered up.

There was no way this woman could resist my charms. 'None ever have,' I thought with a smirk.

She launched her face towards me, stopping just a few inches from mine.

Her breath became rapid, pelting my skin with moist heat and my nose with an oddly fruity scent. "I'm going to make a meal out of you!" she exclaimed with disturbing joy.

I heard what she said, but I feigned that I didn't. "You're going to make a MAN out of me?" I flirtatiously joked. "Wouldn't you rather release me, and we have dinner first, just the two of us?"

She backed away and giggled. "That actually doesn't sound too bad, but," she pointed her knife towards me with the light from above cascading down its blade, "I'm planning on having YOU for dinner, so I'm not sure that's going to work."

Don't underestimate a veteran! I'll have you know that my expression barely flinched at her admission to cannibalism. "Why so hasty?" I eased her. "Let's talk for a while! I'm sure we can come to an agreement that suits the both of us." I said with a sly wink.

She stashed the knife she had been sharpening and leaned over me, practically crushing my chest with hers. "What would you propose?" she said with a playful yet curious tone.

Negotiations were successfully established, and I switched my tactics to be more assertive. The key to success was uncovering the other party's wants before they could uncover mine. Then, armed with this knowledge, I would delicately guide her toward a mutually beneficial agreement, like a skilled puppeteer with a marionette.

"Would you mind if I inquired why you'd want to eat me?" I asked. "I'm not tasty, I assure you."

"Because it feels good, of course!" she exclaimed, circling a finger on my bare stomach.

Her admission of depravity shook my confidence. 'Am I in trouble?' I asked myself, feeling my mental state beginning to falter.

'No, me? Of course not! I mean, she did practically just admit that she's a sadist that takes pleasure in eating people, but we all have our unique traits and quirks! Right?' There was no way that I, Kamida Gin, was in danger!

'Think, Gin, you are a man with no equal in terms of persuasion. If she has a strong personality trait, you need only tailor your responses to it!'

I nodded to myself, refusing to give in to fear, and maintained my professionalism. "Could you elaborate on how consuming me will provide you with pleasure?"

She jumped up from me and began squirming her body in an unnatural euphoria. "Because your hearts and blood are so delicious, I can't stand it!" She locked eyes with me, a thin streak of drool dripping from her mouth. "Just a single taste is enough to send me into total bliss!"

The depths of her perversions seemed to know no bounds. This might've been... No... It WAS the first time that I'd encountered someone like her.

My body had actually broken out in a nervous sweat! I wouldn't be deterred, though. On my honor, as an unofficial financier, I'd succeed in this negotiation and live!

"If it's bliss you're looking for," I winked back, "why don't we seek it together? I'm sure we could find something far better than devouring me."

"Reeeealllly?" she replied skeptically. "Do you really think you're capable of that?" she asked with a tilted head.

"Of course!" I confidently declared. "In all my years, there isn't a single human being I haven't kept my promise to!"

She turned, exposing her side to me and revealing the white blouse she'd worn beneath her apron. "What if I told you I wasn't a 'human being,' though." Turning only her head, she glanced at me with playful intrigue. "What would you do?"

Her question puzzled me. Was she suggesting that she wasn't human? Of course, she must've been joking since a person's madness could only go so far. Still, it would've been in my best interest to play along. Who knows what she might have done to me if I didn't.

"Well, Miss, I'd begin a new record of perfection," I eyed her, "starting with you."

"Oh, what do I do?" she swooned. "I'm starting to like you more and more! I don't want to spoil my dinner with feelings of regret!"

I couldn't tell if she was exaggerating or if I'd made some progress; either way, I took it as a sign I should keep playing into her delusions. That may have been the key to my survival. "Miss, might I appeal to you and determine what species you belong to?" I readied myself for anything.

"Why I'm a vampire!" she pridefully shouted. "Or, at least, that's what you would know me as."

I was elated at the stroke of good luck. To my benefit, she chose a known creature of fiction rather than something of her own fabrication. With that, I could leverage my knowledge and convince her to let me go.

'After all, vampires can't possibly exis-'

She held up her finger and pulled back her cheek, revealing a set of fearsome, razor-sharp canines that gleamed menacingly. They appeared capable of tearing through even the most hardened skin with ease.

Then, taking a second finger, she stretched her full, rosy-red lips further to reveal two more fangs on the other side of her mouth. She even went far enough to display how deeply embedded they were into her glistening pink gums.

As much as I tried to convince myself otherwise, they were undoubtedly genuine. Those were fangs.

Ah yes…vampires… they're real. They're real, and one is standing directly in front of me…naturally.

For the first time since I started my career, I was completely struck down. My perfect streak, my class, my elegance... It was all falling apart.

"Oh, you're cute even when you're expressionless!" she squealed. "I just can't wait anymore!"

She ran to the workstation and retrieved one of the knives she had stored. On her return, She gripped the blade by the handle with both hands and held it above me. The knife was anything but steady; her hands trembled furiously with excitement.

"Are you ready?" She excitedly asked with a crazed smile.

Sensing the danger, I returned to reality to protest. "Wait for a second, Miss!"

She was too far gone.

No longer willing to heed my conversation, her sole focus became the puncturing of my chest cavity. The knife's tip closed in slowly until it encountered the top layer of my skin. Its tip sunk into my flesh, splitting apart my skin and drawing a stream of blood.

Thirteen years. In all thirteen years, I had never failed before. Was this normal for failure? To be killed and eaten by a mythological monster…was that the standard?

'If I survive this, I make this new promise to all of existence: That I, Kamida Gin, will never fail again. Failure is just too terrifying!'

"Please, Miss!" Now abandoning any sense of tact or strategy, I resorted to any means necessary to preserve my life. "Don't you need a financial assistant?" I begged. "I'd be happy to aid you with any economic endeavor! A slave, perhaps?!"

She lifted the knife from me, still preparing it in a plunging position. "Well, here we go!" she yelled in glee.

"Wait, let's discuss this! wait, wait…WAIT!"

The knife stopped just short of insertion when a man in the most impoverished outfit bashed down the door. He wielded a blade of his own, startling my soon-to-be killer. Though he wasn't in uniform, I recognized his scarred face immediately.

'Did you think that I was panicking? Me, Kamida Gin? Of course not! It was all strategy! A strategy that I used to gauge my opponent's psyche and stall her for this exact moment. I was never in any real danger, after all.'

'How do I know, you ask?'

It's because a salesman's promise never lies.