My apologies, it's so rough!
I'm feeling my way along slowly in the story now. I realize there are a few questions that I'm asking, so they're probably ones you are too. (And this points out to me some polishing the story needs in rewrites so that this information comes from the story and not in author's notes!)
Like why are two dhampirs traveling mostly during the day? Partly because I don't know if really good night vision is an attribute of dhampirs (it should be, but then why did Alucard need the echolocation ability to pass through the dark room filled with spikes in Castlevania?!) and partly because I am having them interact with 'normal' humans who presumably would be safe behind locked doors at night on D's world if they had any sense of self-preservation!
And aren't D and Alucard smart enough to rotate night watches when they do camp? Well...I'm seeing them travel all out, expending a great amount of energy covering as much ground as possible during the day, and simply needing the rest at night to maintain the pace. Besides, they have Left Hand, who seems to not need sleep (at least in this story, so far) to keep watch. So far, Lefty's been pretty good.
I've no idea if there's supposed to be any type of herbalism, item magic or witch-lore on D's world. If not, just consider Val and her shop to be out in some remote area our long-lived and extensively-traveled D discovered at some point.
I didn't intend to write limited omniscient from D's point of view, but as he's such a talkative character (NOT!) it seems to be the best way to clue everyone in as to what's going on in his mind. Alucard and D keep taking the story unexpected places too. >_ Unruly dhampirs!
Chapter Seven - Interrupted Dreams
D opened his eyes to find the business end of a sword in his face. Reflecting that it wasn't the first time he'd woken up to the sight and ruefully admitting it probably wouldn't be the last, he planned the actions of the next few seconds in the time it took him to blink his eyes. Once.
D rolled over his left shoulder into a backward single handspring vault, grasping the hilt of his sword as he rolled over it. By the time he'd gone from his prone position to his feet, his sword had cleared its sheath and was ready for business. So was D.
"Impressive. Even Alucard couldn't have done that," a voice claimed, "Let's see what else you've got!"
D resisted the urge to blink in disbelief. A huge, green-tinged, glowing sword hovered in the air before him. No one held the hilt, it simply floated on its own. It angled its edge, throwing a glint of light from the rising sun into D's eyes before slicing through the air at him.
"Slash!" it called out.
D ignored the discomfort from his dazzled eyes and listened for the soft sound of the animated sword slashing through the air to judge where to position his defense. A heavy crash on his blade jarred his wrists. The sword slid along his blade with a rasp, trying to break D's deflection, before darting away suddenly. D didn't fall for the off-balancing trick, maintaining his center of gravity while his vision cleared.
"Not bad, not bad."
"Sword! What are you doing?" Alucard came up behind the floating sword and plucked it out of the air.
"I was guarding the camp," Sword claimed.
"You were attacking D," Alucard retorted.
"I wasn't serious about it. He's pretty good. Better'n you I think," Sword taunted.
"Probably," Alucard admitted, slanting a resentful glance D's way, "But you have no right to test him."
"Sword?" D asked, retrieving his sheath and putting his blade away.
"Yeah. Sorry. I set him to guard duty last night. I didn't think he'd attack you. I thought he was smart enough to realize you belonged in the camp," Alucard explained.
"Oh, he knew," Left Hand stated, "What other freaks you got in those cards of yours?"
"It might interest you to know that I sensed..." Alucard began, ignoring Left Hand as usual. Sword tried to pull from Alucard's hand, "Hang on...what are you doing?"
"Let...me...go!" Sword wrested free, darted across the camp and slashed a huge circle in the branches of a tree. Leaves, twigs, blood and the body Sword's attack just created spilled out.
"Oh, crap!" Left Hand exclaimed. D's mouth thinned into an exasperated line.
"Thank you, Sword," D said aloud.
"It's that damn mutant!" Left Hand cried out, "What do we gotta do to make him stay dead?!"
********
"...he was neatly cut in two, so we buried half of him at a crossroads and sank the other half in a deep pool," D finished.
The old man sagely nodded his head, "Might do it. Might not."
"So helpful,"
Alucard muttered, picking up the equine skull from the counter and running
his hand up the single, spiraled
horn.
"Oh? Can I interest you in that? Many, many helpful things can be made with that horn," the old man's eyes lit up as he slid off his stool and sidled up to Alucard, "The bone of the skull is pretty useful too."
"No, we are just here to speak with Val," D told him, taking the skull from Alucard and placing it emphatically back on the counter.
"She's not here. Hunting, she is."
"Hunting?"
"Herbs, in the woods. Lichen, roots.. Stuff like that," the old man elaborated.
"When will she be back?" D asked.
"She'll be back when she gets here. I never know. I just keep the shop tidy and sell what I can while she's gone."
"Hmm. Did she mention where she was going to go?"
"She's looking mainly for mushroom-moss, so that'd be in the caves at the base of the mountains. A couple days to the west. Or she might still be in the forest between."
"Thank you," D responded politely.
"You going to go find her?"
"I think it will be quicker than waiting for her to return. We need to get supplies first though," D replied.
"Just tell her I said 'hi'," the old man sat down and ran his finger along a page in the book he had been reading when D and Alucard entered the shop.
D nodded as he opened the door and left the store.
"I'd smack you if I could, sweet pea!" Left Hand hissed at Alucard outside, "But D won't let me! Didn't I say not to touch anything in the store?!"
"I don't take orders from...whatever you are," Alucard replied haughtily.
"You are lucky it was the old man and not his son watching the store today," D told Alucard.
"Heh, heh! Yeah. I thought D was going to have to use his sword to get out of there the last time!"
"Why, is the son dangerous?"
"Naw...just pushy. Always wants D to buy something!" Left Hand explained, "If it had been the young guy, you would have had to buy that silly skull!"
********
"D! D! Wake up!"
D opened his eyes to one of the flat, dead hours of the middle of the night.
"What is it?" D sighed. He swore to himself that if it was Left Hand pulling his "I want a glass of water" in the middle of the night routine, he'd drown him. Then cut him off. And maybe bury him at a crossroad.
"Look, over at Alucard. Slowly," Left Hand commanded.
D turned his head fractionally so he could look across the camp at Alucard. A mist seemed to be hovering on the ground around where Alucard slept. It writhed like a living thing as it surrounded him completely.
D wondered if he would be able to do anything, as he had learned with Alucard's mist ability how futile it was to try to strike mist with his sword. He was not willing to ignore the fact that something seemed to be threatening Alucard, though, and reached to grasp his sword anyway. Alucard's eyes opened as D's hand closed on the hilt and the mist immediately disappeared.
"D?"
"Yes?"
"What is happening? You are readying yourself to fight something..." Alucard asked as he sat up in confusion.
"Yes, I was. How did you know?" D released his sword and sat up himself.
"I just...know. Your battle instinct woke me up," Alucard explained slowly, "Just like the yesterday morning, when Sword attacked you. I could tell you were fighting something and it woke me."
"Interesting," D finally said.
A long silence stretched between them.
"We are..." Alucard began.
Another long silence fell.
"You weren't preparing to attack...me?" Alucard asked finally.
"No."
"Then...what?"
D pondered. The fact that Alucard had asked a distrustful question didn't concern him. It was the uncertainty of the situation that was giving him pause. Was the mist surrounding Alucard a strange side effect of the relic Alucard used to become mist functioning in D's world? Or was it an attack by some creature in this forest? Or maybe some other creature entirely, following them... D had to know for sure. He thought it best to keep Alucard ignorant, so he could draw out the attack, if indeed an attack it was. D would use Alucard as bait, for now.
Too many unanswered questions surrounded this half brother of his. D most wanted to solve the mystery of who had set Alucard against him in the first place. The gem left behind in Alucard's sanctuary was the most solid lead. It seemed most likely that it was Alucard himself who was the target. The method was devious, inciting Alucard to anger and somehow bringing him here to focus that anger on D. A good plan as, except for Alucard's mist form, D would have killed him. And Alucard's mist form was rendered useless by Left Hand. D was...well he was glad that Left Hand sensed that Alucard wasn't evil and freed him, rather than destroying him. Besides, D wasn't pleased that Alucard's attacker assumed that D would do his dirty work and slay Alucard for him. Such arrogance had to be dealt with.
"We should find Val tomorrow," D finally said aloud, "She might be able to tell us something about your gem."
"Right," Alucard agreed. He locked gazes for a long moment with D before lowering his eyes and gingerly lying back down again.
D wondered how he could reassure Alucard, having read the misgiving in Alucard's eyes. It did look bad, D realized. He'd been reaching for his sword as Alucard lay asleep and there was no threat at all evident in the camp by the time Alucard had waken up.
"Alucard," D began.
"Yes?"
"If I ever do attack you, it will be when we are both armed, face to face and you are expecting the attack," D finished.
There was a very long pause before Alucard responded.
"Okay." D heard a note of satisfaction in Alucard's voice, lay back down himself and instantly fell asleep.
----------------
Reviews, comments and constructive criticisms
are always welcome! Please feel free to email me also if you see
something awkward that needs to be clarified or fixed. I need all
the help I can get!
stargarde@stargarde.com
Next chapter teaser - Answers! (Well
some) More questions too! (heh, heh!) And Left Hand!
(ROFL)