I'm having a rough time with the transitions. I know where I want this beast of a story to go, it's the getting it there that's hard! >_ I apologize for the choppy flow. Hopefully, as the story develops (and I have a chance to rewrite and tweak) it will smooth out a bit.
I have a concept in the back of my head for naming each of the chapters for something from a fairy tale, but I'm not certain that's going to work for the entire story.
D's horse. He has it of course, I'm just not sure how to write it in! Or maybe he's between mounts? Does that fly?
Oh! And I do read the reviews and emails! It is most helpful when you point out awkward phrasing or unclear writing. Thank you, please continue to do so! ^_^
*sweatdrop* If you guys follow me
through this chapter... *shakes head* It's a bit weird even though
one part makes me ROFL!
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*UPDATE* Just fixed the omission
Cyberkat pointed out in the reviews. Thank you! ^_^
Chapter Three - Fee, Fi, Fo, Fum!
D reflected upon the last two weeks after he made camp for the night. The insane, regenerating mutant hadn't reappeared. D hoped it was gone for good. However, he had the furious, unknown dhampir taking its place. D did not recognize the dhampir at all, so he had no idea what he'd done to tick him off. There had been eight attacks since the first one. Even though D was the more skilled warrior of the two of them, the dhampir had the ability to turn into a mist D's sword couldn't touch, and thus had escaped each battle when D finally battered through his defenses.
One odd thing was that it was D, not Left Hand, who seemed to sense the proximity of the dhampir first. That had never happened before. Fighting against the dhampir was strange too. Somehow D just knew what the dhampir's attacks were a split second before they began. This sense made it easy to dodge or deflect the dhampir's attacks, which would have been a great advantage, if D didn't share it with his opponent. The dhampir seemed to sense D's moves early in the same way.
"What are you thinking about so hard?" Left Hand asked.
D grunted.
"It's that upstart dhampir, isn't it?"
D grunted again.
"You're the better swordsman," Left Hand offered.
One of the silences that was the most common communication between the two of them followed the comment.
"Every time you have him though, he turns into mist," Left Hand continued.
"That is unbelievably annoying," D agreed.
"Next time, follow the mist and let me handle it," Left Hand offered. D knew what Left Hand would do if he heeded that suggestion. He found himself seriously considering it. He was weary of being the target of an attacker he didn't even know!
D halted the next day as a familiar tingling crept across his spine. He made certain his cloak wouldn't hinder his hand when he went for his sword and waited for the attack.
"Above," Left Hand said in a low voice.
"I know," D replied tersely.
He sidestepped the first attack, whirled his cloak out of his way and drew his sword just in time to accept a crashing blow against the blade.
"Dammit!" the dhampir cursed.
D said nothing as he parried, deflected and countered the furious attacks. His curiosity was piqued. He wondered why the dhampir was so intent on fighting him as he battled D with such passion. Weary of this encounter, D switched to the offensive.
It really wasn't fair, but D used his height to overbear his smaller opponent and lay him flat out on his back on the ground. While the dhampir struggled to find his bearings and regain his feet, D set his sword on a great two-handed slashing arc. D had a split second to think that perhaps he had decisively won this battle before the dhampir turned into mist on him again.
"No!" D shouted as the mist began to drift away.
D pulled the glove from Left Hand and leapt into the mist.
Left Hand inhaled, drawing all of the dhampir's misty form in. D watched morbidly as Left Hand chewed acting all the while as if he were dining upon the finest gourmet meal.
"Well, that's that," D finally said, preparing to put his glove back on.
"Ngg!" Left Hand grunted, scrunching its eyes closed tight.
Surprised, D looked down into Left Hand's face. "What's wrong?"
"Ngggg!" Left Hand opened his mouth and let the mist float out again. It floated weakly to the ground and coalesced into the solid dhampir again.
"What?!" D demanded.
"You have no idea...how hard...that was!" Left Hand gasped.
"He's too much for you?"
"No...I could consume him if you wanted. He's very powerful and his soul has a sweet taste."
D grimaced slightly.
"Letting all that mildly sweet power go is what was hard!" Left Hand told him, "What a nice meal he'd be!" Left Hand sighed regretfully, "But you'd probably get mad at me. He's not evil."
"What?!" D asked again, "Are you sure?"
"Yeah, I'm sure. He isn't evil. I'd taste it if he were."
D watched as the dhampir got weakly to his knees. "What did you do to him?"
"Oh, I wasn't about to let such a nice morsel go without sampling!" Left Hand cackled. D glared at his hand, "I took some of his power which weakened him some so he couldn't turn into mist on you and escape again. I know you hate that. You should be able to talk with him and find out why he's attacking you. Stop glaring at me already, D!"
"We'll discuss this later," D warned, before dropping to one knee next to the dhampir.
"You...that thing let me go," the defeated dhampir observed slowly, glowering with loathing at Left Hand. Left Hand winked and made a kissy face at him. D smacked his leather glove against Left Hand's face sharply before drawing the glove on.
"It assures me you aren't evil," D explained, offering a hand, his right hand, to help his opponent to stand again. Left Hand grumbled until D closed his left hand tightly against its mouth in warning.
"No...I'm not. And that thing," the dhampir shuddered, "It's in your left hand?"
D held up his gloved hand showing that Left Hand did in fact reside in his left hand. The dhampir looked deeply into D's face and eyes, then glanced up at D's hat and down at his cloak. D noticed that, for the first time, red fire didn't spark in the dhampir's eyes.
"I think I may have mistaken you for someone else," he finally admitted. D's eyebrow raised at that. He thought his appearance was pretty distinctive!
"Explain."
The dhampir slumped over unconscious instead.
"Oops!" Left Hand
squeaked, "I took a little too much!"