The late afternoon air was a bit cold, a strong wind blowing about. Trees swayed while the fields billowed in the winds. No birds dared to fly out at this time of day, but the field was hardly empty.

Standing on the dirt road, the wind blowing through his brown hair, stood the young man named Daniel Ran. His blue eyes narrowed as he could hear the sound of an approaching engine. It was a distinct sound, one that wasn't often heard in these times since the Great War. Right hand gripping the stock of his rifle as he saw the oncoming figure, he raised his hand to flag down the traveler.

Coming to a halt, riding on a strangely designed jet black motorcycle, was a figure dressed in black. His head was covered by the black helmet and shield visor, while a black overcoat draped around his legs as he lifted up the control board of the machine and dismounted. Underneath, what could be seen of it at least, was a crimson bodysuit covered by shiny black sections of armor, while a thick armored vest covered his torso. A vicious looking golden gauntlet clad his left hand, most evident even when covered by the left sleeve of the overcoat.

The young man frowned as he nodded to the traveler. "I take it that you're a hunter," he stated, without any introduction or formalities. The traveler in black did not reply. "Well, are you?"

The glove clad right hand came up. Pushing open the shield visor, the drifter reveal his crimson eyes, but little else. They were filled with a cold sense of purpose, almost fluid and shifting like blood. "What if I am?" he finally said in response. His voice, while firm, was that of a youth no more than seventeen or eighteen at most.

Daniel breathed with relief. "Thank god," he said. "My name is Daniel Ran, I need your-"

"I don't have time to waste on silly boys and their hunts," the traveler in black hissed just before slapping down his visor. He slipped back onto his motorcycle, moving to start it up again, but he found that Daniel was grabbing him by the arm now. "What is it now?"

"This isn't a game!" Daniel growled. "My sister was bitten by a vampire, and if he's not killed, she'll become one herself!"

The drifter stopped just as he was about to restart his motorcycle. His right hand slowly lifting the visor again, he turned his gaze to Daniel, eyes narrowed. "A vampire?" he repeated softly. After a moment of hesitation, he dismounted once more and reached under the helmet to undo the straps before slipping it off. Pale blonde hair fell down, almost to his shoulders, but not quite. His skin was a bit pale, but not greatly so, and his hair came down over his ears to hide them. The drifter set his helmet on the left side handle piece of the control grip and locked his attention on the young man. "Who is this vampire?"

Daniel hesitated. No doubt, this man was a vampire hunter, but something felt so odd about him. He was dressed all in black and red, for one. In fact, the bodysuit wasn't all that was red, the inner lining of his coat was the same color. And then there were his eyes; they looked like the color of blood. He wasn't so sure that this was the person he should be talking to about his problems.

The traveler sighed while he watched the young man. "Are you going to tell me," he asked impatiently, "or should I continue on my way?"

"No!" Daniel exclaimed. He breathed in before telling his tale. "Two nights ago," he began, "my younger sister Catherine disappeared from our home. When I found her out in the fields, there were two bite marks in her neck, and I saw a man standing over her minutes before I reached her." He paused while trying to read the traveler's expressions. Impossible task, the blonde young man was completely neutral in his facial features. "We don't have much money, but we'll give you room and board if you accept the job."

The drifter didn't reply right away. He seemed to be looking off into the distance now, as if he was trying to find something. It was then, when his eyes went narrow, that his gaze returned to Daniel. "Who is this vampire that tainted your sister?"

Not exactly a statement of accepting the mission, but judging from the drifter's tone of voie, he was gong to take the job. "His name is Jonathan Tremere, he's been living in the area on and off for a couple centuries." Again, Daniel paused. "He's been gone the past five years, but about two weeks ago, the lights in the castle came on, and everyone knew he was back."

A nod. "Your sister is his first victim since, I take it," he said inquisitively, eyes narrowed in thought. After a moment, he mounted the motorcycle again and took his helmet from the control grip. After starting up the motorcycle, he slipped on his helmet before glancing to Daniel. "Get on," he ordered. "Unless you expect me to find your home on my own while you walk the whole way."

Tending to the grazing sheep, a young brunette woman looked up as she heard the approaching engine. It wasn't a sound she was expecting, and more surprising was when the source of that sound, a jet black motorcycle, drove up into the farm, ridden by a drifter in black and her younger brother. "Dan," she said as she walked over, eyes on the mysterious traveler. "Who's this?"

Daniel sighed as he got off the motorcycle and walked over to his older sister. "Iria, this is..." After realizing that he'd never gotten the hunter's name, Daniel looked back to his companion. "You never told me what to call you."

"D," was the single reply while the hunter pulled off his helmet and looked around at the farm. Mounted on the border fences were several metal objects that had thick cables running back into the house. No doubt they were barrier generators for keeping out the night life of the area. His own crimson eyes narrowed and returned focus to the Rans. "Your brother tells me that you're having problems with a local vampire named Tremere, and that you need a vampire hunter to handle him."

Iria Ran nodded slowly. There was an odd feeling about this blonde young man. His eyes colored like blood, his features making him look younger than he acted, and an air of deadly command. She already didn't like the chill that seemed to be around him. "Catherine has been sleeping all day since Daniel found her. She only wakes up at night, and eats very little."

The young hunter D only nodded while now walking toward the house. "I'll need to see her," he stated, the Rans following close behind him. When he looked back and saw the concerned looks on their faces, he sighed. This wasn't making his job any easier. "I have to determine just how much the vampire tainted her blood with his own."

He continued through the farm grounds, reaching the font door of the house and entering. His crimson eyes flashed momentarily, then, his nose sniffing the air, D walked toward a room at the back of the house. The door of that room was covered with various icons and religious symbols. When the two older Ran siblings approached from behind him, D glanced back. "Rather wide range of faiths your family has," he said calmly.

"We're taking any measure to keep Tremere from getting her," Iria replied. Her voice was trembling slightly, but she remained in control of her fear. Something about this young man was making her feel uneasy.

The young hunter frowned before he proceeded to remove the various ornaments. "These won't do a damn thing against a vampire," he explained before opening the door and looking inside. Lying on a bed was a young girl, about fourteen years old, who was sleeping soundly. Bark brown hair came down from her head, the same shade as her brother and older sister's own hair. D quietly walked into the room and knelt down beside the girl, now looking her over. The bite marks were still there on the right side of her neck, though they seemed to be healing. Her skin still was flushed with red, so she wasn't falling to the vampire taint. Good, that made his job less gruesome.

Those crimson eyes flashing over her, examining the girl carefully, D finally stood up and quietly walked out of the room, closing the door behind him. He was silent, glancing to the Rans, then gesturing that they would best move away from the room. "Your sister hasn't been tainted enough to worry much," he reported while walking into the main den of the house. He turned to face Daniel and Iria, eyes almost shining. "I need to know more about this Jonathan Tremere. Who is he, how long has he been residing in the area, and anything else you might know."

Daniel was the first to speak. "No one knows much about him," he began before now taking a seat. He nodded to Iria, who went to get them something to drink while he continued his explanation of the situation. "Supposedly, he's been around since before the War, so he'd be over four hundred years old."

There was no immediate response from D. He simply turned and headed back outside. There, he looked out and saw the bare signs of a castle in the distance. No doubt, that was where this vampire Tremere lived. "Four centuries old," he muttered to himself. "Undoubtedly powerful, but not near invincible."

"Not too unlike yourself."

D's eyes shifted toward the golden gauntlet on his left arm. Now was not the time for dealing with smart mouthed comments like that. "Mouth shut for now," he hissed before looking out and seeing a trio of men coming up the hillside. His eyes changed shape slightly, pupils now slit as his vision increased and he could make out details on this group. Two of them were armed while the third was a portly man with graying brown hair and a thick mustache. His eyes reverted back to normal as he heard Dan and Iria racing out of the house. No doubt, D surmised, that this visit was very unexpected and unwelcome.

"Mayor Rodham!" Dan exclaimed in greeting. He came to a halt as he saw the weapons of the two men flanking the mayor, eyes wide with worry. "May I ask-"

"Where's the girl?" the portly man asked in a firm voice. Already this was not going well. "Where is she, Daniel? You know that she has to be destroyed before she begins to prey on the village."

Eyes wide now with horror, Daniel shook his head violently. "No!" he yelled out. "She's still human, my sister isn't a threat to anyone!"

One of the armed men raised his rifle and aimed at Daniel. "Get out of the way and let us do what we came to do," he growled. The look in his eyes said he wouldn't think twice about firing at the young man.

Something cold pressed against his head. "I suggest you put that down," D's calm voice ordered. His right hand was holding a vicious looking handgun to the man's head, and from the various blinking lights and the very solid design of it, that gun could probably blow its target's head clean off. "Catherine Ran is being taken care of, there's no need for you to just walk in with the intent to kill her."

The mayor narrowed his eyes. "And just who are you?" he said in a demanding tone. Less than a minute after meeting this blonde stranger and already he didn't like him. Not only was he obviously an outsider, but he was already defying the authority of the village mayor. "And what gives you the right to be an expert in these matters?"

D was silent as he continued to hold his weapon against the first armed man's head. "Have your men drop their guns now," he stated, once more infinitely calm. To make his point, he pushed his own firearm deeper against the man's skull. "I mean it."

The first man dropped his weapon instantly. He could feel that deadly aura of command around this boy. The second armed man hesitated, but after D has turned his gaze toward him, he lowered his weapon. With the safety of his clients insured, D brought his handgun back, twirling it on his finger before slipping it into the folds of his coat.

His gaze shifted back to Rodham now. "I'm a hunter," D explained. "I've been hired to eliminated Jonathan Tremere and that's exactly what I'll do."

"Defeat the vampire?" Rodham scoffed. He obviously didn't believe it could be done. "You can't be older than sixteen, boy. Tremere will tear you apart without a second thought."

Those crimson eyes now flashed again. "And what do you think he will do to your village when he finds out you killed the girl he's marked for his bride?" D hissed. He could hear the gasps of Daniel and Iria. Apparently, they hadn't figured out why their younger sister was still alive. Best to continue letting this weasel of a man know what would happen. "He's marked her to be his property, and that means if you kill her, he'll raze your little hamlet to the ground in retaliation."

Rodham took a moment to think that over. The horrified look on his face was enough to let D know that the man had reconsidered his original assessment of the matter and solution. He was definitly wondering if he'd chosen the best course of action in the first place. "And what would you have me do?" Rodham asked. "If you can't kill the vampire, what then?"

Not an immediate response, but D slowly narrowed his eyes at the mayor. "Tremere isn't going to escape," he stated in a cold tone. "I'll kill him, and thus solve everyone's problem." He paused for a moment, now glancing to the mayor's companion guards. That gaze returned now to Rodham. "I suggest you sit in your little office and wait for me to do my job, because that's the only thing you can do to help the situation."

The mayor scowled, but turned to depart. His men flanking him, Rodham halted as the moved to leave and turned back to glare at D. "For their sake, you had best not fail," the man coldly hissed. "If you do, all three of them will be executed."

The three men left, leaving Daniel and Iria to stare in horror while D's face was stoic. After a long moment, he turned back toward the house, clenching his left hand tightly. Once inside, he halted in the living room and waited for Daniel and Iria. "Don't worry about him and his men," he stated as he turned the face them once the two older Rans had joined him. Daniel was already falling back into a chair while Iria leaned against a wall, rubbing her temples. No doubt, they were worried about the mayor's threat. "I don't think he's stupid enough to try and uphold his words."

"Easy for you to say," Iria snapped. She hesitated in continuing. Her anger at Rodham was getting the better of her, it wouldn't help to go off on the one person who was trying to help them. "I'm sorry, it's just that-"

D shook his head. Now was not the time for apologies, it was time for planning. "If I might find a place to put my belongings for the time being," he said while gesturing his gaze toward the door.

"Oh!" Daniel exclaimed as he stood up. "I'm sorry. This way." He led D to a room at the end of the hall, not far from Catherine's room. "You can take the spare room for now, I guess."

The young hunter simply nodded, then headed back out to gather his gear. After taking them inside and setting the bags and cases down in the spare room, D knelt down and opened one particular case that contained several vicious looking blade weapons. Two sets of curved blades attached to a central hub, what looked like a khatar, and several sharp metal stakes, all packed into the hard shell case. D withdrew both of the throwing blades and set them on a small desk which was against the far wall. The hunter began checking his other weapons before finally closing the door to his room and glancing to the golden gauntlet on his left arm.

"What do you make of this?" he asked the object. For a moment, it was quiet. Then, the back of the gauntlet shimmering, a face formed from the metal. It seemed to shift in the act of concentration.

"Well," the face stated while the deep sunken sockets where eyes would have been narrowed, "Tremere sounds like a Kinthea bloodbag alright." Again, the face shifted, now looking around. Those dark eye-points creased as the face gave a tight frown. "I don't like this, D. We've never dealt with a Kinthea this old before."

A nod while D stood and set the other hard case against a wall. His eyes shifted toward the direction of Catherine's room, not sure what it was he was feeling. "If he is as old as they say," the young hunter muttered before grabbing the gauntlet with his right hand, "then he is going to be one hell of a challenge." A glance to the gauntlet. "Time to get off my arm, Varda."

The gauntlet growled, then sighed as a sharp click was heard. Following that was the sounds of something pulling out of D's skin, and he finally took the golden gauntlet off and set it on the bed. It was then he took the chance to pull off his overcoat and set it down next to the gauntlet, now revealing in full the hard black armor he wore over that red bodysuit. The left sleeve of the suit was cut off below the elbow, where the opening of the gauntlet would have been. Blood was trickling from a series of wounds down the forearm, but the wounds themselves were already rapidly healing. D took the chance to wipe the blood off, then set the case that rested against the wall down and opened the lid to reveal its contents.

"If I'm right," the boy began while pulling out a trio of battery cells for his firearm, "he'll probably have a small army of mutants at his beck and call." D sighed and slipped the power cells into slots that were mounted on his belt. His head suddenly snapped upward, nose sniffing the air before he tilted his gaze toward the window. "Lupus," he muttered before pulling out a silver stake from the first case and locking it into a holding slot on the left leg section of his armor. From the firearms case before him, he withdrew several sections of a weapon that were quickly assembled into a rifle. D pulled a large power cell out, loaded it into the stock, then tapped on a small key pad that was mounted on the rifle's side to power the weapon. "They'll come tonight for her."

The gauntlet gave a soft chuckle. Clearly, he was amused by something, and D wasn't so sure he wanted to know what that was. "You know, the girl's siblings seems rather intent on being able to protect her," came the snide comment while the face continued to shift in form in order to show speech. "I'm pretty sure if you made it a part of the deal, you could get having the older girl for-"

"That's enough, Varda," D hissed while powering down the particle rifle and setting it against the wall. He walked over and picked up the sentient gauntlet, then glared down at the metal face on the back of the object. "Just because I look like a teenager doesn't mean that my priorities are the same as one."

"Hey, all I'm saying is that she looks like a nice piece of ass," the gauntlet replied. There again was that insufferable grin. No doubt, Varda was imagining quite the vivid image of such deal being fulfilled. "It's been only God knows how long since you last got laid."

Once more, D growled. He threw the gauntlet that was Varda's body to the bed and grabbed his coat, setting it now on the desk before locking his weapon cases shut and heading out of the room, door shut behind him. He'd had enough of his traveling companion for now, best to spend some time without that vulgar being while he had the chance.