Disclaimer: I don't own Vampire Hunter D. If I did, I would've made 5 more
films and turned it into a series! Hehe, just can't get enough of the
dunpheal! ^_~
******** ********
A/N: Here's the D vs Farkas chapter. I really hope you enjoy it. I admit I had a hard time starting this, but in the end I managed to get it done.
I took longer than I thought to upload this cause I went to the beach last weekend. : ) It was an excellent trip, though.
Thanks to my friend Jimmy who's been so encouraging and supportive! *hugs him* And thanks for the reviews! You have no idea how much I appreciate them!
Well, on with the show.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
"When trusted without fear, the guide will lead you beyond the sphere of the solar into the sphere of the lunar. The answers are beneath the surface."
Kisma K. Stepanich, Faery Wicca Tarot
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~* ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Chapter 3
Seeing is believing
*******
Once again, the reflection upon the mirror was overcome by mist. It swirled in it's purple hues until a voice could be discerned from it's movements.
"Master, I have news", the bodiless voice spoke.
"Yes?"
"The hunter has entered Farkas Castle, my lord. It shall all begin momentarily."
"I told you to stay were you where. How do you know this?"
"It was easy to possess the mind of a human farmer who saw the dunpheal pass by. I had him follow the hunter at a distance. The gullible half-breed didn't suspect the man, and Farkas would never be suspicious of one of his subjects."
"Very clever. But what if the idiotic human were to tell someone that you invaded his mind?"
"That is not a problem, master."
"Why is that?"
"Because I had him fall accidentally and erased his memory completely. He won't even remember his wife and children when they find him."
Dark gleeful laughter was all that answered.
*******
D drew his sword in a blink of an eye and lunged himself towards the stairs, climbing with unbelievable speed. His sudden attack would have caught even the most prominent fighters off guard, such was the agility of the dunpheal.
But Kalman's sword was ready to meet his attack.
They locked blades for a moment, standing face to face.
"I truly do not wish to fight you, dunpheal," Kalman said.
"Then don't," replied D in a cold tone. "It would make my job a lot easier."
With that, he growled and pressed into his attack, forcing Kalman to climb back a few steps.
The sound of metal against metal rang throughout the immense hall for some minutes, testament to the skill of both fighters.
D found the vampire was indeed a veteran swordsman, for he handled his sword with great ability and countered some of his best attacks with little effort. But he felt that the Count was holding back. Farkas was playing defense and was not attacking D at all. It seemed he was speaking the truth when he had expressed his unwillingness to fight the Hunter.
Suddenly, Kalman changed tactics, attacking ferociously. The dunpheal was forced to step back and spin around to avoid his blade. But as he turned to face the Count once more, all he met was empty space.
D looked up to see the vampire flying across the air, only to come down at the other side of the room, his long black cloak settling perfectly around him as he landed.
Few could have pulled that move with the dunpheal and succeed. D's respect for the vampire was yet again reaffirmed.
"You have come into my home, Hunter, and I have welcomed you peacefully. Why is it that you attack me?"
"You have answered your own question Farkas. My profession is to annihilate evil creatures like you."
A look of sadness passed through the vampire's face as he heard those words, but was quickly dismissed.
"Tell me then," he said. "Who is it that has offered you money in exchange for my head?"
"You have taken the lives of two children, and I have come to make sure you answer for your crime," said D as he slowly came down the steps where he still stood.
"And what evidence do you possess that gives you the certainty that it was I who committed this crime?"
"The word of their father is enough", said D, anger rising with every word.
"Did you see the children's bodies? Did you see the marks of a vampire on their necks?"
"I had no need to see them", D practically growled as he reached the floor of the hall. "I know what a monster like you is capable of."
"I agree that many of my kin are not respectable, and that evil runs through their veins, but that is not my case. I assure you, I did not commit the crime for which you hunt me. I shall prove it to you."
D was taken aback by the whole notion. A vampire pleading innocence; it would all have been quicker if he just admitted what he had done. The dunpheal was tempted to end this stupid talk and just attack the Count. Something inside him told him to listen.
Kalman saw that D was not about to attack him, which he took as ascent for him to give an explanation.
"Tell me," the Count said quietly. "Did the father of the children happen to be a rich merchant travelling in an opulent carriage?"
D nodded his head, aware that Farkas had just admitted the knowledge that he knew who the merchant was.
"A carriage pulled by four white cyborgs?", the vampire continued.
D nodded again, but he wasn't sure of what the Count was playing at.
"I am sure that when you received the news that this rich merchant wished to hire you, you tried to contact him as soon as possible. Did you not?"
Kalman took D's silence as an affirmative answer.
"But you were told business would detain him until dark. Would a father questing for vengeance place business before his children's deaths? Does that not seem a little odd?"
Something inside D's mind clicked. He had been a bit confused when the merchant requested him to meet just after sunset. But he had decided not to press the issue, for he knew that a man of status would be a busy entrepreneur. Then again, wouldn't the rich man have the means to just detain his business for a whole day when his children had died not long ago? Something wasn't right.
D looked up at Kalman, realizing where the vampire's line of thought was heading.
"I see your mind has travelled down the same path as mine, D. A caring father would never place his work before his children. I am sure he seemed quite afflicted with the whole notion once you finally managed to speak to him."
That was true. D remembered quite clearly how the merchant had wept as he spoke to the dunpheal. The man had been so embarrassed with the whole notion that he had not lowered the hood of his cloak for shame that the hunter would see his weeping face. The man had not let D see his face.
D's eyes met Kalman's.
"He didn't let you see his face, now, did he?", said the Count, a smile of resignation on his face. "Of course he wouldn't. He was too ashamed for you to see him cry. So why, dunpheal, did he appoint your meeting until the end of his workday? If he had been so affected he would have seen you immediately."
D's mind was revisiting the encounter. He was trying to remember everything that had occurred during his meeting with the merchant. He had come to where the carriage was and had waited for the man to come out. His servants bade him to wait. When the man finally stepped out, he was weeping almost uncontrollably. After a moment he told the dunpheal all about his children and their violent death. Of how a week before, the children had been murdered by a vampire, Kalman Farkas. He gave D half of the money, saying he would be paid the other half once the merchant had seen Kalman's head. With that, the merchant stepped back into the carriage and left. The whole process couldn't have taken more than fifteen minutes.
Kalman could see the doubt creeping into the dunpheal's face and knew that this was his opportunity.
"You met him out on the road, did you not?" he continued to say. "I am sure he didn't even invite you into the carriage."
D grew suddenly angry. "How do you know all this? How did you come by all this information if you did not commit the crime for which you are being accused?"
"The answer is simple, D," Kalman replied with all honesty. "I know all this because if you had indeed stepped into the carriage, all you would have found inside was coffin."
"What?"
"I am afraid, dunpheal, that you have been set up."
With that, D attacked Kalman with all his speed.
"You lie," he said coldly.
"I do not lie, Hunter. I tell the truth," replied Kalman, as he parried D's blows.
"I am afraid that your credibility is quite lessened due to the circumstances, Farkas. You are just trying to save your neck!"
"I do not lie, dunpheal!"
Kalman took the offensive and started attacking, forcing D back. Steel met steel as both fighters battled around the huge room. Each one meeting the other's blade perfectly. Their intricate dance lasted for a while, all their movements matching gracefully.
D slashed out, forcing Kalman to jump back. He kept coming, forcing the vampire up against one of the columns.
Kalman knew he had to calm the Hunter down, or else his chances of proving his innocence would diminish considerably. One of them would indeed die if the fight continued.
When D came close, Kalman parried defensively stopping D's deadly blow. The dunpheal forced the Count's blade back, but Kalman sent a kick out to his knee. D drew back in pain, giving the vampire all the space he needed. He pushed D back and jumped, landing a few feet away.
"Use your head dunpheal!" he shouted. " Do not let your anger cloud your mind. You know all I've said was true. The merchant met you until nightfall, he never let you see his face, he did not invite you inside his carriage. You weren't shown the children's bodies because they were already buried. But I'll tell you the truth: he didn't show you the bodies because there never were any children!"
D stopped dead in his tracks, his mind absorbing all that Kalman was saying. All the details the vampire was giving him were true, but it was unbelievable that he could have been so easily fooled.
"He knew you would not need much convincing," Kalman continued more softly after a moment. " He played you by your weakness, D. He knew you would chase after a vampire who had slaughtered two children without very little prompting. He knew it would take little to convince you to take up the hunt."
It was true. He admitted it. When he had heard that two helpless children had been victims to a vampire, he had accepted the job immediately. He hadn't asked questions; he had taken the money, not doubting in the least that what had been said to him was true. Now, he wasn't so sure. And that made him angry.
"How can you be so certain of what you are saying, Farkas?" he asked quietly. "And why, of all things, should I believe you?"
Kalman was quiet for an instant, as if deciding to share some essential information with D. A look of intense pain flashed through his face before he answered.
"Because D, the vampire that set you up is the same vampire that killed my father."
D was confused for a moment. "Wasn't your father killed by a Hunter?" he asked.
"Yes, he was," Kalman answered. "A Hunter who was set up in the very same way you are being used right now."
D stared blankly at him.
"The reasons that bring you here make up the same story the Hunter brought to my father, so long ago. Every single detail. My father knew he was being framed, and tried to explain himself. But the Hunter didn't listen. In the end, the man managed to take my father's life."
He looked away for a moment, reliving painful memories. His hand holding his sword in a white knuckled grip.
"That is why I am trying to stop you D", he said, still looking away. "So the blood of the innocent isn't spilled, either yours or mine."
D did not know what to make of all this.
Kalman sensed his hesitation.
"I swear to you dunpheal, I did not kill those children. And if I had, I would be glad to have your sword pierce my heart," he said, looking directly into D's eyes.
"I live under an intense moral code, not unlike yours," he continued. "I hold a sworn oath under the Council of Stormhold. And if I were ever capable of killing helpless children, I assure you, I would not live to tell the tale. The members of the Council would make sure I would receive the worst of punishments."
There it was again, the Council of Stormhold. 'Just what does this Council do?' thought D frustrated.
"If you need further proof, Hunter, then you may ask any of my subjects. I am sure they would all vouch for me. If you do not believe the word of a vampire, then you must believe the word of the humans you so dearly protect."
"I am sure they would stand by your side, considering the amount of lies you have fed them."
Kalman chuckled. "I see you consider my county some sort of unrealizable utopia were things are too perfect to be true. Well, dunpheal, I tell you again, I live under the rules of the Council. If I were to treat my subjects differently, then I would be sorely reprimanded."
"You talk as if this Council is actually concerned with the lives of humans," said D, thoroughly unconvinced.
"We truly are concerned, D. Why else would a lead my people the way I do? The Council of Stormhold protects those citizens that are under it's reign. It is a fact, whether you believe it or not."
"I'll believe that when I see it," D replied coldly.
The oddity of the situation was creeping up on him. It was all too strange. From the way Kalman spoke, he knew the vampire was being honest. But the ideas he was expressing, the principles behind what he was saying, went against centuries of experience. Vampires just didn't concern themselves with humans; humanity was the livestock from which they fed. D had learnt it to be so. Now, Kalman was trying to take these lifelong lessons and turn them upside down. The Hunter did not know what to think.
Kalman smiled slightly. Then, as if deciding something, he said, "Well, if that is the case then, D, I cordially invite you to visit the Head of our Council. I am going to him myself, sometime soon."
The Vampire Hunter didn't answer.
"The Stormblade Baron would surely welcome you, and give you all the explanations you need. You see, it was he who established the very Council I now form part of."
This was the second time D had heard of the Baron, and he had to admit he was curious to know who he was and what exactly it was that he was planning.
"I may just accept your invitation, but I am afraid that our fight isn't over yet, Farkas," D replied, raising his sword once more.
"I would truly love to stay and fight you D. I must admit that you have been the most worthy opponent I have met for quite some time. But you see, if I were to fight you, the result of that fight would indeed be the death of one of us, and I truly do not wish for us to be enemies."
Kalman moved slowly towards the nearest window, sword poised defensively before him.
"If you want the answers D, I will await you in Arkenia."
"You are not going anywhere, Farkas. It is still light outside."
"I know," the vampire smiled.
And with that, he jumped through the window.
********
D followed, not wanting to allow his opponent to escape yet genuinely and surprisingly concerned for the count's welfare. As he passed the broken glass himself all he saw a large carriage ride away.
D chuckled mentally. So there was more than one reason why Farkas had closed the curtains. While they were both busy fighting each other, some of the Count's servants had placed the carriage next to the window, so that when their master went through it, he would land safely into shadow. Clever.
D watched as the horses pulled the carriage out of the gate and unto the road, away from the castle, out of sight.
"You could actually follow him easily," he heard Left Hand say.
"I know", was the only reply he got.
Silence reigned for a few minutes. Left Hand couldn't take it after a while.
"So? What are you going to do?"
"I'm not sure," D replied sincerely.
"Do you believe what he said about us being set up and all that?"
D didn't really know. He was certain of one thing though, there had been something strange about the job. Something that he had not been able to place until Kalman had spoken to him. It seemed to him that the Count was telling the truth.
He, D the Hunter, had been fooled.
It wasn't a fact that was easy to swallow. D took pride in his abilities, more than he would openly admit. Still, his capabilities went beyond the average, and it would've taken a very powerful and intelligent vampire to fool him the way Kalman thought he had been fooled. The way he was starting to think he had been fooled.
And if that was the actual case, then the vampire who had tricked him would surely meet his demise. No one played around with the Vampire Hunter D and lived to see another day. No one.
The problem now recided in finding out who this vampire was. Kalman definitely knew the answer, but he hadn't told him his name.
D chuckled mentally again. The Count had not shared the information on purpose so that he would be lured into going to Arkenia to obtain it. Again, very clever.
D suddenly felt an instant liking for Kalman Farkas, even if it contradicted the way he led his life or with the oaths he had sworn. And for the first time, he readily agreed with the opinion Petro seemed to have of his ruling lord.
But still, there were many holes needing to be filled, specially when it concerned the Council of Stormhold. And D was determined to fill those holes with the information he needed.
'At least', he thought, 'I know were to find those answers.'
D called his horse to him, the cyborg coming up to him slowly. He mounted and headed towards the gate at the leisurely pace that was so characteristic of him.
"Hey!", Left Hand popped in. "Where are we going, then?"
"To Arkenia, where else?", D replied, as he rode out into the waning afternoon.
"You are hopeless dunpheal. Simply hopeless."
******** ********
Please review! You know you want to! ^_^
******** ********
A/N: Here's the D vs Farkas chapter. I really hope you enjoy it. I admit I had a hard time starting this, but in the end I managed to get it done.
I took longer than I thought to upload this cause I went to the beach last weekend. : ) It was an excellent trip, though.
Thanks to my friend Jimmy who's been so encouraging and supportive! *hugs him* And thanks for the reviews! You have no idea how much I appreciate them!
Well, on with the show.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
"When trusted without fear, the guide will lead you beyond the sphere of the solar into the sphere of the lunar. The answers are beneath the surface."
Kisma K. Stepanich, Faery Wicca Tarot
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~* ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Chapter 3
Seeing is believing
*******
Once again, the reflection upon the mirror was overcome by mist. It swirled in it's purple hues until a voice could be discerned from it's movements.
"Master, I have news", the bodiless voice spoke.
"Yes?"
"The hunter has entered Farkas Castle, my lord. It shall all begin momentarily."
"I told you to stay were you where. How do you know this?"
"It was easy to possess the mind of a human farmer who saw the dunpheal pass by. I had him follow the hunter at a distance. The gullible half-breed didn't suspect the man, and Farkas would never be suspicious of one of his subjects."
"Very clever. But what if the idiotic human were to tell someone that you invaded his mind?"
"That is not a problem, master."
"Why is that?"
"Because I had him fall accidentally and erased his memory completely. He won't even remember his wife and children when they find him."
Dark gleeful laughter was all that answered.
*******
D drew his sword in a blink of an eye and lunged himself towards the stairs, climbing with unbelievable speed. His sudden attack would have caught even the most prominent fighters off guard, such was the agility of the dunpheal.
But Kalman's sword was ready to meet his attack.
They locked blades for a moment, standing face to face.
"I truly do not wish to fight you, dunpheal," Kalman said.
"Then don't," replied D in a cold tone. "It would make my job a lot easier."
With that, he growled and pressed into his attack, forcing Kalman to climb back a few steps.
The sound of metal against metal rang throughout the immense hall for some minutes, testament to the skill of both fighters.
D found the vampire was indeed a veteran swordsman, for he handled his sword with great ability and countered some of his best attacks with little effort. But he felt that the Count was holding back. Farkas was playing defense and was not attacking D at all. It seemed he was speaking the truth when he had expressed his unwillingness to fight the Hunter.
Suddenly, Kalman changed tactics, attacking ferociously. The dunpheal was forced to step back and spin around to avoid his blade. But as he turned to face the Count once more, all he met was empty space.
D looked up to see the vampire flying across the air, only to come down at the other side of the room, his long black cloak settling perfectly around him as he landed.
Few could have pulled that move with the dunpheal and succeed. D's respect for the vampire was yet again reaffirmed.
"You have come into my home, Hunter, and I have welcomed you peacefully. Why is it that you attack me?"
"You have answered your own question Farkas. My profession is to annihilate evil creatures like you."
A look of sadness passed through the vampire's face as he heard those words, but was quickly dismissed.
"Tell me then," he said. "Who is it that has offered you money in exchange for my head?"
"You have taken the lives of two children, and I have come to make sure you answer for your crime," said D as he slowly came down the steps where he still stood.
"And what evidence do you possess that gives you the certainty that it was I who committed this crime?"
"The word of their father is enough", said D, anger rising with every word.
"Did you see the children's bodies? Did you see the marks of a vampire on their necks?"
"I had no need to see them", D practically growled as he reached the floor of the hall. "I know what a monster like you is capable of."
"I agree that many of my kin are not respectable, and that evil runs through their veins, but that is not my case. I assure you, I did not commit the crime for which you hunt me. I shall prove it to you."
D was taken aback by the whole notion. A vampire pleading innocence; it would all have been quicker if he just admitted what he had done. The dunpheal was tempted to end this stupid talk and just attack the Count. Something inside him told him to listen.
Kalman saw that D was not about to attack him, which he took as ascent for him to give an explanation.
"Tell me," the Count said quietly. "Did the father of the children happen to be a rich merchant travelling in an opulent carriage?"
D nodded his head, aware that Farkas had just admitted the knowledge that he knew who the merchant was.
"A carriage pulled by four white cyborgs?", the vampire continued.
D nodded again, but he wasn't sure of what the Count was playing at.
"I am sure that when you received the news that this rich merchant wished to hire you, you tried to contact him as soon as possible. Did you not?"
Kalman took D's silence as an affirmative answer.
"But you were told business would detain him until dark. Would a father questing for vengeance place business before his children's deaths? Does that not seem a little odd?"
Something inside D's mind clicked. He had been a bit confused when the merchant requested him to meet just after sunset. But he had decided not to press the issue, for he knew that a man of status would be a busy entrepreneur. Then again, wouldn't the rich man have the means to just detain his business for a whole day when his children had died not long ago? Something wasn't right.
D looked up at Kalman, realizing where the vampire's line of thought was heading.
"I see your mind has travelled down the same path as mine, D. A caring father would never place his work before his children. I am sure he seemed quite afflicted with the whole notion once you finally managed to speak to him."
That was true. D remembered quite clearly how the merchant had wept as he spoke to the dunpheal. The man had been so embarrassed with the whole notion that he had not lowered the hood of his cloak for shame that the hunter would see his weeping face. The man had not let D see his face.
D's eyes met Kalman's.
"He didn't let you see his face, now, did he?", said the Count, a smile of resignation on his face. "Of course he wouldn't. He was too ashamed for you to see him cry. So why, dunpheal, did he appoint your meeting until the end of his workday? If he had been so affected he would have seen you immediately."
D's mind was revisiting the encounter. He was trying to remember everything that had occurred during his meeting with the merchant. He had come to where the carriage was and had waited for the man to come out. His servants bade him to wait. When the man finally stepped out, he was weeping almost uncontrollably. After a moment he told the dunpheal all about his children and their violent death. Of how a week before, the children had been murdered by a vampire, Kalman Farkas. He gave D half of the money, saying he would be paid the other half once the merchant had seen Kalman's head. With that, the merchant stepped back into the carriage and left. The whole process couldn't have taken more than fifteen minutes.
Kalman could see the doubt creeping into the dunpheal's face and knew that this was his opportunity.
"You met him out on the road, did you not?" he continued to say. "I am sure he didn't even invite you into the carriage."
D grew suddenly angry. "How do you know all this? How did you come by all this information if you did not commit the crime for which you are being accused?"
"The answer is simple, D," Kalman replied with all honesty. "I know all this because if you had indeed stepped into the carriage, all you would have found inside was coffin."
"What?"
"I am afraid, dunpheal, that you have been set up."
With that, D attacked Kalman with all his speed.
"You lie," he said coldly.
"I do not lie, Hunter. I tell the truth," replied Kalman, as he parried D's blows.
"I am afraid that your credibility is quite lessened due to the circumstances, Farkas. You are just trying to save your neck!"
"I do not lie, dunpheal!"
Kalman took the offensive and started attacking, forcing D back. Steel met steel as both fighters battled around the huge room. Each one meeting the other's blade perfectly. Their intricate dance lasted for a while, all their movements matching gracefully.
D slashed out, forcing Kalman to jump back. He kept coming, forcing the vampire up against one of the columns.
Kalman knew he had to calm the Hunter down, or else his chances of proving his innocence would diminish considerably. One of them would indeed die if the fight continued.
When D came close, Kalman parried defensively stopping D's deadly blow. The dunpheal forced the Count's blade back, but Kalman sent a kick out to his knee. D drew back in pain, giving the vampire all the space he needed. He pushed D back and jumped, landing a few feet away.
"Use your head dunpheal!" he shouted. " Do not let your anger cloud your mind. You know all I've said was true. The merchant met you until nightfall, he never let you see his face, he did not invite you inside his carriage. You weren't shown the children's bodies because they were already buried. But I'll tell you the truth: he didn't show you the bodies because there never were any children!"
D stopped dead in his tracks, his mind absorbing all that Kalman was saying. All the details the vampire was giving him were true, but it was unbelievable that he could have been so easily fooled.
"He knew you would not need much convincing," Kalman continued more softly after a moment. " He played you by your weakness, D. He knew you would chase after a vampire who had slaughtered two children without very little prompting. He knew it would take little to convince you to take up the hunt."
It was true. He admitted it. When he had heard that two helpless children had been victims to a vampire, he had accepted the job immediately. He hadn't asked questions; he had taken the money, not doubting in the least that what had been said to him was true. Now, he wasn't so sure. And that made him angry.
"How can you be so certain of what you are saying, Farkas?" he asked quietly. "And why, of all things, should I believe you?"
Kalman was quiet for an instant, as if deciding to share some essential information with D. A look of intense pain flashed through his face before he answered.
"Because D, the vampire that set you up is the same vampire that killed my father."
D was confused for a moment. "Wasn't your father killed by a Hunter?" he asked.
"Yes, he was," Kalman answered. "A Hunter who was set up in the very same way you are being used right now."
D stared blankly at him.
"The reasons that bring you here make up the same story the Hunter brought to my father, so long ago. Every single detail. My father knew he was being framed, and tried to explain himself. But the Hunter didn't listen. In the end, the man managed to take my father's life."
He looked away for a moment, reliving painful memories. His hand holding his sword in a white knuckled grip.
"That is why I am trying to stop you D", he said, still looking away. "So the blood of the innocent isn't spilled, either yours or mine."
D did not know what to make of all this.
Kalman sensed his hesitation.
"I swear to you dunpheal, I did not kill those children. And if I had, I would be glad to have your sword pierce my heart," he said, looking directly into D's eyes.
"I live under an intense moral code, not unlike yours," he continued. "I hold a sworn oath under the Council of Stormhold. And if I were ever capable of killing helpless children, I assure you, I would not live to tell the tale. The members of the Council would make sure I would receive the worst of punishments."
There it was again, the Council of Stormhold. 'Just what does this Council do?' thought D frustrated.
"If you need further proof, Hunter, then you may ask any of my subjects. I am sure they would all vouch for me. If you do not believe the word of a vampire, then you must believe the word of the humans you so dearly protect."
"I am sure they would stand by your side, considering the amount of lies you have fed them."
Kalman chuckled. "I see you consider my county some sort of unrealizable utopia were things are too perfect to be true. Well, dunpheal, I tell you again, I live under the rules of the Council. If I were to treat my subjects differently, then I would be sorely reprimanded."
"You talk as if this Council is actually concerned with the lives of humans," said D, thoroughly unconvinced.
"We truly are concerned, D. Why else would a lead my people the way I do? The Council of Stormhold protects those citizens that are under it's reign. It is a fact, whether you believe it or not."
"I'll believe that when I see it," D replied coldly.
The oddity of the situation was creeping up on him. It was all too strange. From the way Kalman spoke, he knew the vampire was being honest. But the ideas he was expressing, the principles behind what he was saying, went against centuries of experience. Vampires just didn't concern themselves with humans; humanity was the livestock from which they fed. D had learnt it to be so. Now, Kalman was trying to take these lifelong lessons and turn them upside down. The Hunter did not know what to think.
Kalman smiled slightly. Then, as if deciding something, he said, "Well, if that is the case then, D, I cordially invite you to visit the Head of our Council. I am going to him myself, sometime soon."
The Vampire Hunter didn't answer.
"The Stormblade Baron would surely welcome you, and give you all the explanations you need. You see, it was he who established the very Council I now form part of."
This was the second time D had heard of the Baron, and he had to admit he was curious to know who he was and what exactly it was that he was planning.
"I may just accept your invitation, but I am afraid that our fight isn't over yet, Farkas," D replied, raising his sword once more.
"I would truly love to stay and fight you D. I must admit that you have been the most worthy opponent I have met for quite some time. But you see, if I were to fight you, the result of that fight would indeed be the death of one of us, and I truly do not wish for us to be enemies."
Kalman moved slowly towards the nearest window, sword poised defensively before him.
"If you want the answers D, I will await you in Arkenia."
"You are not going anywhere, Farkas. It is still light outside."
"I know," the vampire smiled.
And with that, he jumped through the window.
********
D followed, not wanting to allow his opponent to escape yet genuinely and surprisingly concerned for the count's welfare. As he passed the broken glass himself all he saw a large carriage ride away.
D chuckled mentally. So there was more than one reason why Farkas had closed the curtains. While they were both busy fighting each other, some of the Count's servants had placed the carriage next to the window, so that when their master went through it, he would land safely into shadow. Clever.
D watched as the horses pulled the carriage out of the gate and unto the road, away from the castle, out of sight.
"You could actually follow him easily," he heard Left Hand say.
"I know", was the only reply he got.
Silence reigned for a few minutes. Left Hand couldn't take it after a while.
"So? What are you going to do?"
"I'm not sure," D replied sincerely.
"Do you believe what he said about us being set up and all that?"
D didn't really know. He was certain of one thing though, there had been something strange about the job. Something that he had not been able to place until Kalman had spoken to him. It seemed to him that the Count was telling the truth.
He, D the Hunter, had been fooled.
It wasn't a fact that was easy to swallow. D took pride in his abilities, more than he would openly admit. Still, his capabilities went beyond the average, and it would've taken a very powerful and intelligent vampire to fool him the way Kalman thought he had been fooled. The way he was starting to think he had been fooled.
And if that was the actual case, then the vampire who had tricked him would surely meet his demise. No one played around with the Vampire Hunter D and lived to see another day. No one.
The problem now recided in finding out who this vampire was. Kalman definitely knew the answer, but he hadn't told him his name.
D chuckled mentally again. The Count had not shared the information on purpose so that he would be lured into going to Arkenia to obtain it. Again, very clever.
D suddenly felt an instant liking for Kalman Farkas, even if it contradicted the way he led his life or with the oaths he had sworn. And for the first time, he readily agreed with the opinion Petro seemed to have of his ruling lord.
But still, there were many holes needing to be filled, specially when it concerned the Council of Stormhold. And D was determined to fill those holes with the information he needed.
'At least', he thought, 'I know were to find those answers.'
D called his horse to him, the cyborg coming up to him slowly. He mounted and headed towards the gate at the leisurely pace that was so characteristic of him.
"Hey!", Left Hand popped in. "Where are we going, then?"
"To Arkenia, where else?", D replied, as he rode out into the waning afternoon.
"You are hopeless dunpheal. Simply hopeless."
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