Disclaimer: I don't own Vampire Hunter D. This story was meant for
entertainment purposes only. No offense is meant by it.
******* *******
A/N: Well, here's the first chapter. A special thanks goes out to my friend Bobby *hugs him* for helping me out with all the Hungarian and Rumanian names for my vampires. Arigatou, Bobby-kun! ^_^
As usual, I had to face the problem of how to refer to D's hand... oh well, I did my best.
Hope you enjoy! R&R!
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
"Thus did the year one thousand seven hundred and seventy-five conduct their Greatnesses, and myriads of small creatures- creatures of this chronicle among the rest- along the roads that lay before them."
Charles Dickens, Tale of Two Cities
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~* ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Chapter 1
Arrival
*******
Under the failing light of the sun, only few would be brave or foolish enough to venture outside. But as the daylight faded, a tall lone figure on a horse could be seen on a long and lonely road. A large pointy hat adorned the traveler's head, and a long black cloak trailed after him, as his horse continued it's leisurely pace. From a distance, any person would have thought that this passerby was a fool, driven by mere stupidity to travel at such a time of the day. But upon closer inspection, they would have been proven wrong.
Stupidity was never among the traits of the Vampire Hunter, D.
The dunpheal had been traveling north-east for some days now, intent on reaching his destination within the time limit he had set upon himself. He knew he was entering the domain of the vampire he was now hunting, and above all else, caution was called for. He wouldn't reach his prey's stronghold for a few days, but still, when dealing with a powerful vampire, a bounty hunter must always watch for the shadows. Shadows that would usually come alive as soon as the sun had set. As was happening now.
D led his horse off the road, towards a copse of trees that grew on the side. He would usually keep on traveling at night, away from the sun's heat, but as hard experience had taught him over the centuries, he knew better than to keep on traveling in the darkness upon the entrance to a vampire's domain. He knew that the vampire lords saw and heard everything within their land, and had intricate webs of spies to gather information concerning about the doings and goings of every person under their rule. He was sure that many already knew of his passage, and would most likely attack him under the cover of night if given a chance. But D wasn't wont on giving his enemies any chances.
He decided to break camp on top of a large stone within the trees that overlooked the road. This way, he could clearly see any potential threats coming from the direction he had just traveled by or from the direction he intended to go. He didn't bother in building a fire, it wasn't cold outside, being late spring, and he didn't need it for light purposes either. He was fine with his vampire night vision and was able to see quite clearly in the engulfing darkness. So, after letting his horse wander off a bit, looking for some grass to eat near the side of the road, the Vampire Hunter sat down on the large stone, his back to a tree.
D sat cross legged, placing his long sword over his legs, ready for use if the need rose. He contemplated the stars above for an instant, allowing himself a brief moment of relaxation, something all too precious and rare in his nomadic existence.
It was in moments like this that he would usually lose himself in thought. Very often of late, he had begun to think about the way he lead his life. It had been centuries since he had pledged himself to exterminating vampire kind, centuries since he had learned the way of the sword to perfection, centuries since he had been traveling on his own. And even though he had excelled in his craft, gaining the reputation of being the best, his mind often came to wonder if he actually found his chosen profession fulfilling.
Not that he had much choice in the matter, anyway. His strong moral code had always led him to make sacrifices, had always led him to place other people's safety and happiness before his own. Completely neglecting his own, as a matter of fact. But that didn't matter; he did what he did for the greater good of the world, even though his sacrifices went unappreciated by most. He contented himself with knowing that he was ridding the planet of the most vile and evil species to ever walk under the sky, and that had been enough to stop the argument with himself for long years.
But centuries of traveling alone did leave very long spaces of time for thinking.
And there was the small matter of his heritage as well.but he hated it when his mind wondered upon such things, and as usual, when his train of thought reached this certain point, as was happening now, he concentrated on the task at hand.
Exterminating a vampire.
In this particular case, the vampire Kalman Farkas.
He had been on Farkas' trail for almost a week now. He hadn't been a particularly hard vampire to find, due to the large county over which he ruled. As D had come nearer and nearer to Farkas' domain, he had come to collect bits and pieces of information about his quarry.
Kalman has ruled over this land for only 300 years. It wasn't a long time, compared to vampire standards. He had inherited the castle and rulership from his father, a distinguished vampire Count, after the latter's untimely demise at the hands of a hunter. Kalman, filled with anger at his father's death, took it up upon himself to destroy the particular vampire hunter. He managed to kill the man not far from his home, and after doing so, he placed his head on a pole at the top his castle's gates, a warning to all that the Farkas family had little tolerance to any who came to threaten them.
D had learned the story from an old lady, who he happened upon on the last town he had come through along the way. D heeded the warning, and thanked the woman for her time. But the strange thing was that the old woman hadn't seemed worried about him; on the contrary, from the tone of voice with which she spoke, anyone would have had thought that she was actually worried about the safety of the vampire he had set out to kill. An interesting fact.a very interesting fact indeed, taking the Farkas Family's bloody history into account.
"Ahh, the old lady was probably senile by now! No need to worry about what she said. Stop being such a worry wart, dunpheal", came a voice from the vicinity of his left hand. D had wondered when the symbiont would make an appearance. It had been too quiet for the past hour or two.
"I am not worrying about it," replied D quietly. "I was merely wondering about the source of the worry that the woman made evident in her tone of voice."
"She was probably just saying that so that you would stay away from this place. Must I remind you that people don't have really warm welcomes for dunpheals. After all this time one would think that you would've learnt your lesson", laughed Left Hand.
D shook his head, but did not deign the comment with an answer. Left Hand had a way of getting on his nerves; it was an ability it had learned to perfection throughout the years of partnership.if one could call the limb stealing leech a partner.
Left Hand kept on rambling about blind old ladies and their fantasies of vampire lovers, but D efficiently shut his hearing from the tirade of sick jokes. He turned his gaze to the stars again, feeling a strange comfort in the small shining lights of the stars. After a while, he noticed that Left Hand had gone quiet.
"D?", said the symbiont hesitantly. No answer came.
"You've been acting weird lately", Left Hand insisted. But as soon as the words left his mouth, he chuckled at the absurdity of thinking that the eccentric Vampire Hunter was acting "weird". Everything D did was strange.from the way he lived his life, his profession and to Left Hand's perception, even the way he dressed. Even so, the symbiont was extremely good at reading and guessing the dunpheal's moods and thoughts.
'Hell, I'm attached to his damned hand!', he thought dryly. 'Of course I can tell when something's wrong. But of course, he won't say a single word.' Silence was the only thing that answered Left Hand's comment. Thus, the symbiont tried to change the subject.
"Alright, so we know where Farkas lives.or at least we have some idea of the whereabouts of his castle. And from what we've heard he'll be a tough vampire to deal with. Not to mention the fact that he probably has thousands of barbarois servants at his command; all of them guarding his castle faithfully. Also, he comes from one of the most prominent vampire families of all times, which can only imply that he is not the only vampire living at the castle. He definitely has to have more than one sibling or relative living with him."
Left Hand stopped talking as an image entered his mind.He saw both D and himself trying to fend off the simultaneous attacks of 5 or more powerful vampires, with an army of barbarois surrounding them. The thought didn't altogether match the symbiont's idea of an easy job.
"D, could you remind me again exactly why we took on this job?", he asked, frustration apparent in his voice. D seemed to be lost in thought. It was a moment before he answered in his cool detached manner.
"We are on this job because Farkas is an assassin. He is an evil creature, therefore he must be destroyed. He killed the daughter and son of the rich merchant that hired us. He spilled the blood of the innocent, and thus he deserves to die."
"You're wrong there, dunpheal. I think he didn't spill a single drop of blood! Hahaha!", laughed Left Hand, quite proud of the joke he had managed to play on the Vampire Hunter.
But as was usually the case, D did not seem amused. He closed his left hand, stopping the symbiont's annoying laughter, and silencing him for the rest of the night.
After gazing at the stars for a few more moments, D shifted so that he was more comfortable with his back against the tree. He decided it was time to call it a night; the following days would probably not grant him an easy hunt, so he had to make the most of the time he had now to rest. He lowered his hat over his eyes, placed his right hand on the hilt of his sword and closed his eyes.
Throughout the night, Left hand's snores where the only noise that pierced the silence.
*******
There was definitely something wrong. There was something altogether unnatural about the whole scene. It just wasn't right. D had ridden for a couple of days before he had come into the next town; a considerably large village called Lunke. He hadn't encountered any attacks or ambushes during the journey, which was always an inconvenience when entering a vampire's territory. He had considered himself lucky this time, not giving the fact much thought. He knew the attacks would come, sooner or later, and that the lack of them was probably a tactic used by his enemy, fooling him into thinking that he was safe, letting his confidence get the best of him and leading him to let his guard down.
But D was never fooled. He knew the ways of vampires too well. He was confident that the shadows would come for him any moment now. Or so he had thought. Now, upon the sight that his eyes fell upon, he wasn't so sure.
When he had first seen the town of Lunke in the distance, he had decided to cross it during the night. That way, no one would know of his passing and he would be spared of any unwelcoming gestures from the townsfolk. He had spotted Farkas' castle in the hills beyond the town, vaguely wondering how the villagers would risk living at such a close proximity to the Count's dwelling. Nevertheless, he would be arriving at the castle very soon, all the more reason to pass unnoticed.
He rode up to the town quietly, picking up the pace so that he would cross it as quickly as possible. But all the hard earned experience of living his life as a Vampire Hunter could not prepare him from what he now saw.
The windows of the houses were open; the doors as well. Not a single crucifix could be seen anywhere. There were people strolling happily under the streetlamps. There were children playing with fireworks on the sidewalk. Families sat on porches, enjoying the sweet spring air.
It was night, the time of the vampires. And these people were outside.
He immediately suspected a trap. His warrior instincts took over for a moment; his enhanced senses checked every corner, every possible shadow where an enemy might be concealed. He stayed very still, waiting for the imminent attack. But it never came.
Instead, a man from a nearby house, who had spotted the newly arrived rider, made his way over.
"D, this doesn't smell right", said Left Hand, voicing D's uneasiness. "There has to be something wrong. Be careful."
He nodded, almost imperceptibly. As the stranger came closer, D's hand made its way over to his shoulder, near the hilt of his sword.
"Good evening, sir", the man greeted happily. "Welcome to our modest town of Lunke." He hadn't noticed D's battle stance on top of his horse, apparently. In matter of seconds, the Vampire Hunter could slice the man's head off his shoulders, but it seemed the man had not even registered the fact.
D didn't answer the greeting, hoping the man would turn around and leave. But the human was not so easily deterred.
"Have you been traveling for long?", he continued to ask.
Still no answer.
By now, the man was only a few paces away. A soft breeze blew, rustling the brim of D's hat slightly, allowing his face to be seen clearly for a moment. But it was enough.
The man's eyes widened. "Oh my, a dunpheal!"
Now D knew he was in for it People would start running for the safety of their houses. Either that, or stones would start flying his way. He was about to turn around and ride the way he had come from, when the man stopped him with his words.
"Welcome, welcome sir!", he said, smiling even wider at D. "Are you here to see the Count? The castle isn't far, but you'll never reach it tonight. Might as well stay at an inn and try reaching him tomorrow night. There was some very nice inns in town, if I might add. Fair prices too."
D stared down at the man with and incredulous expression in his dark eyes.
"The name's Yuri", said the man, still smiling. "And how may I call you, stranger?"
"D", was all the answer he received.
"Well D, if you wish, I can lead you to a nice comfortable inn. What do you say?"
The dunpheal merely nodded, still not sure of what to make of the whole situation. He had to be careful, he couldn't let his guard down, specially now.
"Very well then, follow me", said Yuri, as he started walking.
D dismounted and led his horse behind Yuri, making their way through what was, in D's perception, a crowded street.
*******
The inn wasn't far, just a few blocks away. Yuri had introduced D to the innkeeper, an old man named Petro, and helped him get the best price. D had few belongings, which he carried with him up the stairs as Petro showed him to his room. Yuri had volunteered to take D's horse to the stables, where surely the stableboy would take the best care of it. D started to refuse, saying he could take care of the cyborg himself, but Yuri had waved him off, taking the horse away before D could give him his thanks.
Petro showed him his room; it was small, but it was all that D needed, with only a chair and a wash basin to keep the bed company. Petro gave him his key, leaving the dunpheal to settle in.
D surveyed the room. He still hadn't lost his suspicions about all of this being a set up, thus he made sure that there were no hidden wires or traps inside his small alcove. Satisfied that there was no hidden doorways inside his walls, he let himself sit down on the chair to think things through.
These people weren't afraid of him, that much was clear. They behaved in the most natural way around him. As he had walked down the street, people had turned to look at him, but they hadn't stared at him with hostility and rejection. They had looked at him with curiosity, as if they were looking at any normal traveler. They hadn't turned and fled. On the contrary, some people actually approached to get a better look at him and some children had actually stopped to wave at him in greeting.
His mind was thoroughly perplexed. He truly didn't know what to make of things. The people in the town acted as though having a dunpheal stroll down their street was an every day occurrence. Petro treated him as though he always had half-vampires staying at his inn. And Yuri's animosity at realizing his origins told him in no small measure that he was even more welcome for being what he was. Somehow, he felt uneasy about all this.
He admitted to himself that he had always dreamed of being welcomed into a town like this. Of having the people accept him for what he was and treat him amiably. But now that it was happening, instead of feeling grateful for it, he was growing slightly worried. Things just didn't work this way. Things like this just didn't happen.
He thought again of Yuri's welcoming words. The man had asked if he was here to visit the Count. The question was evidence enough that these people were used to having all kinds of creatures visit their town. A vampire never had what one would call "normal" people as visitors. And by the way Yuri spoke, it was clear that he was fond of his Count and treated the people who came to visit him nicely.
'It would seem', D thought, 'that the impression I had from the old lady in the first town wasn't entirely wrong.'
"Bah! They're all a bunch of lunatics!" Left Hand interrupted. "They have no idea of what a vampire Count is capable of. They haven't seen the terrors he can bring down on them. Farkas is probably herding them like cattle, waiting until there are enough of them so he can feast like the monster he is."
D nodded. He knew, rationally, that what Left Hand said was right. A vampire was never righteous with the people under his reign of fear. They were only livestock with which to feed. But something inside D told him that in this town, this wasn't the case. His heart told him that these people truly had nothing to fear from Farkas.
D shook his head, dismissing such stupid ideas. As he had perceived before, this was probably a trap for him so that he would let his guard down, and he was not about to let that happen. What he could really use to get a clearer picture was information.
D stood up decisively and made his way to the door.
"Hey, where are you going?," asked Left Hand, confused.
"I'm going downstairs to get some dinner and maybe talk some more with the innkeeper."
"WHAT!?!"
"You heard what I said."
"Have you gone mad, dunpheal? And since when does the great Vampire Hunter D mingle with the troublesome humans he so loyally protects?", added Left Hand mockingly.
D closed his left palm forcefully, silencing the symbiont effectively.
"I am doing this with the purpose of gathering some more information about the vampire we are about to go kill. Also, I wish to know what the people truly think of him. And I expect no more words from you, is that clear?"
Only silence answered him.
"Good", D said finally. He opened the door, heading down the stairs in the direction of the dining hall, seeing if he could make some sense of the situation he was in.
*******
The mists within the mirror shifted. What were once black shadows now took on a hue of purple. As the movements increased, a voice spoke.
"Master.Master?"
"Yes?", an equally dark and cold voice answered.
"The dunpheal has entered Lunke. He will reach the castle within a day".
"Excellent. We shall see what he is truly capable of in no time at all. Kalman Farkas will finally see his demise.just like his father did before him."
"Would you like me to follow the hunter, my lord?"
"No. We cannot risk being discovered. If we come any closer to the castle, the wretched Farkas will become aware of our intrusion. We shall know the results of the fight easily enough when it is done. Stay where you are."
"Yes, master. Your will is my command."
And with that, the mists inside the mirror receded, leaving only impenetrable silence behind.
********* *********
Well, there you have it. Let me know what you think! Read and review, please!
******* *******
A/N: Well, here's the first chapter. A special thanks goes out to my friend Bobby *hugs him* for helping me out with all the Hungarian and Rumanian names for my vampires. Arigatou, Bobby-kun! ^_^
As usual, I had to face the problem of how to refer to D's hand... oh well, I did my best.
Hope you enjoy! R&R!
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
"Thus did the year one thousand seven hundred and seventy-five conduct their Greatnesses, and myriads of small creatures- creatures of this chronicle among the rest- along the roads that lay before them."
Charles Dickens, Tale of Two Cities
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~* ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Chapter 1
Arrival
*******
Under the failing light of the sun, only few would be brave or foolish enough to venture outside. But as the daylight faded, a tall lone figure on a horse could be seen on a long and lonely road. A large pointy hat adorned the traveler's head, and a long black cloak trailed after him, as his horse continued it's leisurely pace. From a distance, any person would have thought that this passerby was a fool, driven by mere stupidity to travel at such a time of the day. But upon closer inspection, they would have been proven wrong.
Stupidity was never among the traits of the Vampire Hunter, D.
The dunpheal had been traveling north-east for some days now, intent on reaching his destination within the time limit he had set upon himself. He knew he was entering the domain of the vampire he was now hunting, and above all else, caution was called for. He wouldn't reach his prey's stronghold for a few days, but still, when dealing with a powerful vampire, a bounty hunter must always watch for the shadows. Shadows that would usually come alive as soon as the sun had set. As was happening now.
D led his horse off the road, towards a copse of trees that grew on the side. He would usually keep on traveling at night, away from the sun's heat, but as hard experience had taught him over the centuries, he knew better than to keep on traveling in the darkness upon the entrance to a vampire's domain. He knew that the vampire lords saw and heard everything within their land, and had intricate webs of spies to gather information concerning about the doings and goings of every person under their rule. He was sure that many already knew of his passage, and would most likely attack him under the cover of night if given a chance. But D wasn't wont on giving his enemies any chances.
He decided to break camp on top of a large stone within the trees that overlooked the road. This way, he could clearly see any potential threats coming from the direction he had just traveled by or from the direction he intended to go. He didn't bother in building a fire, it wasn't cold outside, being late spring, and he didn't need it for light purposes either. He was fine with his vampire night vision and was able to see quite clearly in the engulfing darkness. So, after letting his horse wander off a bit, looking for some grass to eat near the side of the road, the Vampire Hunter sat down on the large stone, his back to a tree.
D sat cross legged, placing his long sword over his legs, ready for use if the need rose. He contemplated the stars above for an instant, allowing himself a brief moment of relaxation, something all too precious and rare in his nomadic existence.
It was in moments like this that he would usually lose himself in thought. Very often of late, he had begun to think about the way he lead his life. It had been centuries since he had pledged himself to exterminating vampire kind, centuries since he had learned the way of the sword to perfection, centuries since he had been traveling on his own. And even though he had excelled in his craft, gaining the reputation of being the best, his mind often came to wonder if he actually found his chosen profession fulfilling.
Not that he had much choice in the matter, anyway. His strong moral code had always led him to make sacrifices, had always led him to place other people's safety and happiness before his own. Completely neglecting his own, as a matter of fact. But that didn't matter; he did what he did for the greater good of the world, even though his sacrifices went unappreciated by most. He contented himself with knowing that he was ridding the planet of the most vile and evil species to ever walk under the sky, and that had been enough to stop the argument with himself for long years.
But centuries of traveling alone did leave very long spaces of time for thinking.
And there was the small matter of his heritage as well.but he hated it when his mind wondered upon such things, and as usual, when his train of thought reached this certain point, as was happening now, he concentrated on the task at hand.
Exterminating a vampire.
In this particular case, the vampire Kalman Farkas.
He had been on Farkas' trail for almost a week now. He hadn't been a particularly hard vampire to find, due to the large county over which he ruled. As D had come nearer and nearer to Farkas' domain, he had come to collect bits and pieces of information about his quarry.
Kalman has ruled over this land for only 300 years. It wasn't a long time, compared to vampire standards. He had inherited the castle and rulership from his father, a distinguished vampire Count, after the latter's untimely demise at the hands of a hunter. Kalman, filled with anger at his father's death, took it up upon himself to destroy the particular vampire hunter. He managed to kill the man not far from his home, and after doing so, he placed his head on a pole at the top his castle's gates, a warning to all that the Farkas family had little tolerance to any who came to threaten them.
D had learned the story from an old lady, who he happened upon on the last town he had come through along the way. D heeded the warning, and thanked the woman for her time. But the strange thing was that the old woman hadn't seemed worried about him; on the contrary, from the tone of voice with which she spoke, anyone would have had thought that she was actually worried about the safety of the vampire he had set out to kill. An interesting fact.a very interesting fact indeed, taking the Farkas Family's bloody history into account.
"Ahh, the old lady was probably senile by now! No need to worry about what she said. Stop being such a worry wart, dunpheal", came a voice from the vicinity of his left hand. D had wondered when the symbiont would make an appearance. It had been too quiet for the past hour or two.
"I am not worrying about it," replied D quietly. "I was merely wondering about the source of the worry that the woman made evident in her tone of voice."
"She was probably just saying that so that you would stay away from this place. Must I remind you that people don't have really warm welcomes for dunpheals. After all this time one would think that you would've learnt your lesson", laughed Left Hand.
D shook his head, but did not deign the comment with an answer. Left Hand had a way of getting on his nerves; it was an ability it had learned to perfection throughout the years of partnership.if one could call the limb stealing leech a partner.
Left Hand kept on rambling about blind old ladies and their fantasies of vampire lovers, but D efficiently shut his hearing from the tirade of sick jokes. He turned his gaze to the stars again, feeling a strange comfort in the small shining lights of the stars. After a while, he noticed that Left Hand had gone quiet.
"D?", said the symbiont hesitantly. No answer came.
"You've been acting weird lately", Left Hand insisted. But as soon as the words left his mouth, he chuckled at the absurdity of thinking that the eccentric Vampire Hunter was acting "weird". Everything D did was strange.from the way he lived his life, his profession and to Left Hand's perception, even the way he dressed. Even so, the symbiont was extremely good at reading and guessing the dunpheal's moods and thoughts.
'Hell, I'm attached to his damned hand!', he thought dryly. 'Of course I can tell when something's wrong. But of course, he won't say a single word.' Silence was the only thing that answered Left Hand's comment. Thus, the symbiont tried to change the subject.
"Alright, so we know where Farkas lives.or at least we have some idea of the whereabouts of his castle. And from what we've heard he'll be a tough vampire to deal with. Not to mention the fact that he probably has thousands of barbarois servants at his command; all of them guarding his castle faithfully. Also, he comes from one of the most prominent vampire families of all times, which can only imply that he is not the only vampire living at the castle. He definitely has to have more than one sibling or relative living with him."
Left Hand stopped talking as an image entered his mind.He saw both D and himself trying to fend off the simultaneous attacks of 5 or more powerful vampires, with an army of barbarois surrounding them. The thought didn't altogether match the symbiont's idea of an easy job.
"D, could you remind me again exactly why we took on this job?", he asked, frustration apparent in his voice. D seemed to be lost in thought. It was a moment before he answered in his cool detached manner.
"We are on this job because Farkas is an assassin. He is an evil creature, therefore he must be destroyed. He killed the daughter and son of the rich merchant that hired us. He spilled the blood of the innocent, and thus he deserves to die."
"You're wrong there, dunpheal. I think he didn't spill a single drop of blood! Hahaha!", laughed Left Hand, quite proud of the joke he had managed to play on the Vampire Hunter.
But as was usually the case, D did not seem amused. He closed his left hand, stopping the symbiont's annoying laughter, and silencing him for the rest of the night.
After gazing at the stars for a few more moments, D shifted so that he was more comfortable with his back against the tree. He decided it was time to call it a night; the following days would probably not grant him an easy hunt, so he had to make the most of the time he had now to rest. He lowered his hat over his eyes, placed his right hand on the hilt of his sword and closed his eyes.
Throughout the night, Left hand's snores where the only noise that pierced the silence.
*******
There was definitely something wrong. There was something altogether unnatural about the whole scene. It just wasn't right. D had ridden for a couple of days before he had come into the next town; a considerably large village called Lunke. He hadn't encountered any attacks or ambushes during the journey, which was always an inconvenience when entering a vampire's territory. He had considered himself lucky this time, not giving the fact much thought. He knew the attacks would come, sooner or later, and that the lack of them was probably a tactic used by his enemy, fooling him into thinking that he was safe, letting his confidence get the best of him and leading him to let his guard down.
But D was never fooled. He knew the ways of vampires too well. He was confident that the shadows would come for him any moment now. Or so he had thought. Now, upon the sight that his eyes fell upon, he wasn't so sure.
When he had first seen the town of Lunke in the distance, he had decided to cross it during the night. That way, no one would know of his passing and he would be spared of any unwelcoming gestures from the townsfolk. He had spotted Farkas' castle in the hills beyond the town, vaguely wondering how the villagers would risk living at such a close proximity to the Count's dwelling. Nevertheless, he would be arriving at the castle very soon, all the more reason to pass unnoticed.
He rode up to the town quietly, picking up the pace so that he would cross it as quickly as possible. But all the hard earned experience of living his life as a Vampire Hunter could not prepare him from what he now saw.
The windows of the houses were open; the doors as well. Not a single crucifix could be seen anywhere. There were people strolling happily under the streetlamps. There were children playing with fireworks on the sidewalk. Families sat on porches, enjoying the sweet spring air.
It was night, the time of the vampires. And these people were outside.
He immediately suspected a trap. His warrior instincts took over for a moment; his enhanced senses checked every corner, every possible shadow where an enemy might be concealed. He stayed very still, waiting for the imminent attack. But it never came.
Instead, a man from a nearby house, who had spotted the newly arrived rider, made his way over.
"D, this doesn't smell right", said Left Hand, voicing D's uneasiness. "There has to be something wrong. Be careful."
He nodded, almost imperceptibly. As the stranger came closer, D's hand made its way over to his shoulder, near the hilt of his sword.
"Good evening, sir", the man greeted happily. "Welcome to our modest town of Lunke." He hadn't noticed D's battle stance on top of his horse, apparently. In matter of seconds, the Vampire Hunter could slice the man's head off his shoulders, but it seemed the man had not even registered the fact.
D didn't answer the greeting, hoping the man would turn around and leave. But the human was not so easily deterred.
"Have you been traveling for long?", he continued to ask.
Still no answer.
By now, the man was only a few paces away. A soft breeze blew, rustling the brim of D's hat slightly, allowing his face to be seen clearly for a moment. But it was enough.
The man's eyes widened. "Oh my, a dunpheal!"
Now D knew he was in for it People would start running for the safety of their houses. Either that, or stones would start flying his way. He was about to turn around and ride the way he had come from, when the man stopped him with his words.
"Welcome, welcome sir!", he said, smiling even wider at D. "Are you here to see the Count? The castle isn't far, but you'll never reach it tonight. Might as well stay at an inn and try reaching him tomorrow night. There was some very nice inns in town, if I might add. Fair prices too."
D stared down at the man with and incredulous expression in his dark eyes.
"The name's Yuri", said the man, still smiling. "And how may I call you, stranger?"
"D", was all the answer he received.
"Well D, if you wish, I can lead you to a nice comfortable inn. What do you say?"
The dunpheal merely nodded, still not sure of what to make of the whole situation. He had to be careful, he couldn't let his guard down, specially now.
"Very well then, follow me", said Yuri, as he started walking.
D dismounted and led his horse behind Yuri, making their way through what was, in D's perception, a crowded street.
*******
The inn wasn't far, just a few blocks away. Yuri had introduced D to the innkeeper, an old man named Petro, and helped him get the best price. D had few belongings, which he carried with him up the stairs as Petro showed him to his room. Yuri had volunteered to take D's horse to the stables, where surely the stableboy would take the best care of it. D started to refuse, saying he could take care of the cyborg himself, but Yuri had waved him off, taking the horse away before D could give him his thanks.
Petro showed him his room; it was small, but it was all that D needed, with only a chair and a wash basin to keep the bed company. Petro gave him his key, leaving the dunpheal to settle in.
D surveyed the room. He still hadn't lost his suspicions about all of this being a set up, thus he made sure that there were no hidden wires or traps inside his small alcove. Satisfied that there was no hidden doorways inside his walls, he let himself sit down on the chair to think things through.
These people weren't afraid of him, that much was clear. They behaved in the most natural way around him. As he had walked down the street, people had turned to look at him, but they hadn't stared at him with hostility and rejection. They had looked at him with curiosity, as if they were looking at any normal traveler. They hadn't turned and fled. On the contrary, some people actually approached to get a better look at him and some children had actually stopped to wave at him in greeting.
His mind was thoroughly perplexed. He truly didn't know what to make of things. The people in the town acted as though having a dunpheal stroll down their street was an every day occurrence. Petro treated him as though he always had half-vampires staying at his inn. And Yuri's animosity at realizing his origins told him in no small measure that he was even more welcome for being what he was. Somehow, he felt uneasy about all this.
He admitted to himself that he had always dreamed of being welcomed into a town like this. Of having the people accept him for what he was and treat him amiably. But now that it was happening, instead of feeling grateful for it, he was growing slightly worried. Things just didn't work this way. Things like this just didn't happen.
He thought again of Yuri's welcoming words. The man had asked if he was here to visit the Count. The question was evidence enough that these people were used to having all kinds of creatures visit their town. A vampire never had what one would call "normal" people as visitors. And by the way Yuri spoke, it was clear that he was fond of his Count and treated the people who came to visit him nicely.
'It would seem', D thought, 'that the impression I had from the old lady in the first town wasn't entirely wrong.'
"Bah! They're all a bunch of lunatics!" Left Hand interrupted. "They have no idea of what a vampire Count is capable of. They haven't seen the terrors he can bring down on them. Farkas is probably herding them like cattle, waiting until there are enough of them so he can feast like the monster he is."
D nodded. He knew, rationally, that what Left Hand said was right. A vampire was never righteous with the people under his reign of fear. They were only livestock with which to feed. But something inside D told him that in this town, this wasn't the case. His heart told him that these people truly had nothing to fear from Farkas.
D shook his head, dismissing such stupid ideas. As he had perceived before, this was probably a trap for him so that he would let his guard down, and he was not about to let that happen. What he could really use to get a clearer picture was information.
D stood up decisively and made his way to the door.
"Hey, where are you going?," asked Left Hand, confused.
"I'm going downstairs to get some dinner and maybe talk some more with the innkeeper."
"WHAT!?!"
"You heard what I said."
"Have you gone mad, dunpheal? And since when does the great Vampire Hunter D mingle with the troublesome humans he so loyally protects?", added Left Hand mockingly.
D closed his left palm forcefully, silencing the symbiont effectively.
"I am doing this with the purpose of gathering some more information about the vampire we are about to go kill. Also, I wish to know what the people truly think of him. And I expect no more words from you, is that clear?"
Only silence answered him.
"Good", D said finally. He opened the door, heading down the stairs in the direction of the dining hall, seeing if he could make some sense of the situation he was in.
*******
The mists within the mirror shifted. What were once black shadows now took on a hue of purple. As the movements increased, a voice spoke.
"Master.Master?"
"Yes?", an equally dark and cold voice answered.
"The dunpheal has entered Lunke. He will reach the castle within a day".
"Excellent. We shall see what he is truly capable of in no time at all. Kalman Farkas will finally see his demise.just like his father did before him."
"Would you like me to follow the hunter, my lord?"
"No. We cannot risk being discovered. If we come any closer to the castle, the wretched Farkas will become aware of our intrusion. We shall know the results of the fight easily enough when it is done. Stay where you are."
"Yes, master. Your will is my command."
And with that, the mists inside the mirror receded, leaving only impenetrable silence behind.
********* *********
Well, there you have it. Let me know what you think! Read and review, please!