The Dhampire and the Rogue

Author's notes: Welcome one and all to my first fanfic! I'm new at this so please R&R.

Ch. 1 – A Chance Encounter in the Desert

The lone rider continued his trek across the sun-bleached ruins of some ancient city, obviously uncomfortable in the blazing sun and sand. His wide-brimmed hat and high collared cloak shielded him from the dust in the air and kept his face cloaked in shadows. His cybernetic horse was jet black, along with every piece of clothing on him, making him a black silhouette against the bleak landscape.

"So, here we are again, stuck in some god-forsaken place on the prowl for yet another vampire that another wealthy family wants dead. Do you think you will ever tire of this way of life, D?" asked a voice that oddly enough didn't come from his mouth, but from somewhere around his left hand. "Hey, as pretty as you are, I bet the ladies would just line up to have your children," the voice continued. "Wouldn't that be nice? You could marry a farm girl and grow some crops for a change."

"Quiet," the lone rider simply replied.

"Oh, I'm sorry I broke into your reverie," replied his left hand sarcastically. "Do I need to remind you of your susceptibility to heat syndrome? You hardly travel at night for some damn reason and instead do your best to turn both of us into jerky on these little walks through th- ughmm" the vampire hunter clenched his left hand into a fist to quiet the annoying parasite.

D was less than happy. The vampire couple Dolan and Felicity Lamar had eluded him in Silvertown and had disappeared into the wasteland leaving him to deal with the several Barberoi mutants they had hired. Those two were old and powerful, not to mention extremely cunning. They took with them the twin daughters of an industrial mogul who was willing to pay D a very large sum of money for their safe return.

The dhampire hunter sat on the back of his horse and thought about his current course. The closest town would be Genola, a small port city a day's ride to the east. There was also Bull Hill to the north, a large industrial city. The problem was he did not know which town the vampires had fled to. Bull Hill was larger, so it could be easier to hide amongst the population, though he doubted that vampires would want to hide amongst humans. Genola was more out of the way, so maybe they were thinking of escaping across the sea.

While muddling over this, D was broken out of his thoughts rather violently when several man shaped rocks burst from the sand and began chucking boulders at him. Their faces resembled rocks with giant cracks that served as mouths. Damn, thought D, Rocklings. Rocklings are creatures created by the vampire Nobility as guardians. Their bodies were made from solid rock and they were relentless in their pursuit of their quarry. When the Nobility fell, they became savage bands of marauders that preyed upon unsuspecting caravans and travelers.

This all flashed through D's head as he rolled off his horse to avoid the flying boulders and drew his longsword. He checked his situation. There were about twelve of them, and they were advancing quickly. The dhampire moved with elegant grace and inhuman speed towards the first three. His vampiric strength allowed him to slash them in half with one stroke. He rolled to his left and thrust the tip of his sword through the mouth of another, killing it instantly, but his sword got stuck. Then he was clipped on the shoulder by another boulder and was spun over by the blow to land on his back. As his vision cleared he looked up to see one of the monstrosities standing over him with a boulder held high for the kill.

Two crossbow bolts suddenly exploded from its chest causing it to drop the rock it was holding on top of its head. Off in the distance he saw a figure riding hard towards him on what looked like a motorcycle. The hooded rider fired his crossbow to drop two more Rocklings with a bolt through their heads. He jumped off his bike as it crashed into another monstrosity and drew his broadsword.

"Get to your feet stranger, there's killing to be done!" the newcomer yelled to D. The vampire hunter immediately jumped to his feet and began to systematically destroy each monster. One tried to grab D in a bear hug, but the dhampire was too quick for it. He rolled to the left of the Rockling, right under its arms and swunghis sword in wide arc to sever both its legs. It fell to the earth emitting a scream that sounded like an avalanche. D silenced it with a stab through the back ofthe head.

The newcomer moved amongst the monsters with the practiced ease of a veteran warrior. He thrust his sword into the joint between the neck and shoulder, twisted his blade to make room, and swiped his sword down, cleanly severing its head from its shoulders. D noticed this as he cleanly bisected another monster. Whoever this stranger was, he obviously knew how to fight Rocklings.

He ducked under the swipe of one monster's arm and repeated the technique of severing its head to end its life. He used the dying creature as a shield from another's blow, flipped over the carcass, and brought his sword crashing down to split his attacker's head in half. D made quick work of the last Rockling by cutting it into three sections.

D turned around to take a look at the stranger who had come to his rescue. He was tall, only a little bit shorter than D. Two intense green eyes looked back at him from under the hood of his grey cloak. What caught D's attention were the two scars running down each side of his face, each crossing an eye and ending at the jaw line. There was a necklace hanging from his neck. Dangling from the chain was a crucifix that had thorny vines entwined around it, with a drop the color of blood set in the middle. The stranger bent to pick up his discarded crossbow. D noticed that the symbol on his necklace was also stitched onto the back of his cloak.

"Thank you for your help," D said quietly as he went to retrieve his horse. The newcomer just shrugged, "No problem stranger, what kind of person would I be if I had just let you get killed back there?" He went to his bike and dislodged it from the chest of a dead Rockling, inspecting it for damage. "Oh, by the way, my name's Leon Silverberg," he said as walked back to the dhampire and held out his hand. D looked at the proffered limb for a second before shaking it. "D"

Leon's eyes widened slightly at the letter. "Oh, the legendary vampire hunter himself almost killed by a pack of Rocklings?" He held up his hands in apology at D's stoic expression. "Hey, calm down there, big guy! I was only kidding!" D's expression didn't change. There was only silence for a moment. "Well, if you're heading to Genola, would you mind some company? I'm heading there myself," Leon said after a while.

D was thoughtful for a moment. Genola is the more logical choice if Dolan and Felicity are trying to escape, he thought, and there seems to be more to this traveler than he seems to let on.

"Very well."