The sky was beginning to brighten when D returned to the farm. The barrier was back up, much to his satisfaction. Yet, when he pulled up to the fence, the barrier was not lowered to let him in. D could clearly see Daniel and Iria standing at the window, watching him, so why were they not...

Oh, that was right. Daniel had found out what he was, not to mention what he was capable of. Iria no doubt knew as well by now. Dear god, did he hate problems like this. D sighed and dismounted, slipping off his helmet. "Daniel!" he called. "Open the barrier and let me in!"

No movement. Where was Catherine, wouldn't she be trying to convince them on his behalf? Hell, he'd already saved them from that mob, didn't Daniel and Iria realize that he was the only thing keeping those people from storming their home and turning them over to Tremere? For that matter, he was their only hope of being rid of Tremere's terror. "Daniel, lower the barrier!"

The young man walked away from the window and opened the front door. His rifle was in hand, now aimed toward the hunter. "Just go away!" he screamed. There was fear in his eyes, fear of the things he'd seen D do and fear of what he was. More precise, what he thought D was. "If I had know that you were a dhampir freak, I never would have hired you in the first place!"

Daniel had no idea just how close he was to wishing he had never heard the word 'dhampir'. "I'm not a dhampir, Daniel. If you'll just open the barrier and-"

A shot fired. The energy burst slammed into the barrier and was harmlessly dispersed, but it was enough to say that Daniel was not going to listen to any explanations. "Don't fucking lie to me, you son of a bitch!" He turned toward his older sister. "Iria, I don't want you to shut off the barrier for any reason, understand?"

"Daniel, this is stupid!" D exclaimed. With the young man's attention back on him, the hunter sighed, trying to figure out how to end this little crisis. "I'm not a dhampir! Are you willing to take that maniac thrall's word over mine, when I saved you and your sisters from both Tremere and that mob who wanted to hand you all over to the vampire!"

The young man shook his head. He was clearly afraid for himself and his sisters. Yes, D had saved them repeatedly, but he was a half-breed, and as far as Daniel was concerned, dhampirs were no better than the vampires who spawned them. Being that D was not a dhampir, he'd normally agree, with a few exceptions due to personal experience. However, Daniel and Iria were choosing to believe Reidai's words rather than let D explain himself, all because he hadn't outright told them in the first place. It wasn't like they ever asked or had a concern about it before. "Just...just go!"

D shook his head. "I can't do that," he said, voice ice cold now. "I have a reason for going after Tremere, Daniel, and you hired me to protect your family. That's exactly what I intend to do." He raised a brow now. "Besides, you still have some of my weapons."

The rifle was held tighter now. Daniel was about ready to have Iria shut down the barrier just so he could shoot D, but he knew that the hunter would move too fast for that to work. He wanted to believe D, give him a chance to explain, but he'd already seen what this half-breed could do. "You're not coming in here. Just forget about your weapons and-"

The dunpeal shook his head. This wasn't going at all how it should have. "You brought this on yourself," D muttered just before he raised Varda and unleashed a lightning barrage that caused a hole to form in the barrier field. Using the split second he had, D ran through the gap and jumped up just as Daniel fired. He came down, landing right in front of Daniel and pulling the rifle from his hands. "Listen up, and listen good!" the hunter spat while pushing Daniel back into the house. He felt Iria's reaction before he saw it, drawing his force gun and aiming it before she could do the same. "I'm asking you now to stop acting like frightened animals and start thinking like human beings. If I was some monster, why would I be working so hard to save you from the monsters?" D's eyes shifted about. "Why the hell haven't you let Catherine explain it all to you?"

"What the hell does Catherine have to do with you being a dham-"

Those crimson eyes quickly returned to glaring at Daniel. "Call me a dhampir again," D hissed venomously, "and I'll be very hard pressed to keep from tearing your throat out. Now sit down."

Daniel gulped before complying. D turned back to Iria, the look in his eyes more than enough to tell her that he wanted Catherine out there now. When she left to get the girl, D returned his attention to Daniel. He sighed, then tossed the young man his rifle and holstered his own weapon. "Catherine has to do with this because she already knows what I am," he began. D wasn't in an aggressive posture anymore, but he also hadn't relaxed. "Did you even think to ask her if she knew?" Daniel shook his head. That had been rather expected, sadly. "Then let me clue you in, Daniel. I'm not a dhampir, I'm a dunpeal."

"A...what?"

Again, that was the expected reaction. Get too far out from the planetary capitol of Enoch and people had never even heard of vanpyr, let alone dunpeals. "I told you about different vampire races," D explained. When Daniel nodded, he sighed in relief. It was then that Iria returned with Catherine. "Just because I am half-vampire doesn't mean I'm a dhampir, because my father isn't a Kinthea, he's a vanpyr, and his kind have been fighting to protect you humans from the Kinthea."

Daniel looked to Catherine, eyes asking for confirmation. She nodded slowly. "D told me about the dunpeals and vanpyr," she stated. "How the vanpyr are different from the Kinthea, that they only need blood for their strength and powers..."

"And how I have one hell of a personal beef with Tremere," D finished. Now leaning against the wall, he nodded to Catherine, thanking her for helping him. "I know I didn't tell you before, but it's not exactly something I advertise because of this very reason. Dunpeals are similar enough to dhampirs that most people just assume we're the same thing and that our parents are the vampires we know as Kinthea. Plus, you never asked."

"Don't ask, don't tell," Daniel muttered. Yes, he and Iria had kind of brought that on themselves. He'd never questioned D's human heritage or his abilities. Still, it was just too frightening to let him stay here any longer. He'd already killed one of the mayor's men, even if it was in self-defense of himself and his clients.

The dunpeal narrowed his eyes. They still weren't ready to trust him again. Catherine believed in him, and for him, that was enough. It was Daniel and Iria he was concerned about. In order to do his job, he needed their trust again. Right now, it didn't seem like that trust was going to be restored.

"Just go," Daniel finally said to the hunter. "I don't want any more trouble from you or the town, and so long as you're here, trouble is all we'll have." He shook his head in dismay, then pointed toward the spare room. "Just take your things and go."

D didn't say anything as he walked down the hall and into the room. Slipping his coat on, the hunter went about packing up his equipment back into the hard cases. The particle rifle was swiftly disassembled and stored in its case. He paused for a moment. D didn't like this at all, just leaving the Rans to the mercy of Tremere and his kind. He was abandoning his mission if he obeyed the young man now.

The face shifted to the back of his hand again. Varda wasn't looking all too thrilled at this rather unpleasant turn of events. "I keep telling you," the demon remarked while D finished locking shut the cases. "You can't have too much faith in humans, kid." A grunt of disappointment. "Four hundred years of doing this, and you're still just now getting your feet wet."

Cases in hand and duffel bag slung over his shoulder, D made his way out of the room and down the hall. Daniel and Iria were watching him closely. They were frightened, yes, and the fact he was just so utterly calm about all this made it even more disturbing. He paused for a moment, turned toward the Ran siblings, then continued on out the front door and to his motorcycle. The hard cases were locked into place on the metal body of the machine while the duffel bag was stored away in one of the compartments. D didn't even look back when he slipped on his helmet and started the engine. However, just before he engaged the drives, he looked to see Catherine standing in the doorway. It was almost as if she was begging him not to go.

But right now, he needed to find a way to make them trust him. Ignoring Daniel's plea was not the way to go about it, no matter how well intended he was. As so, pressing the gearshift petal, D engaged the engine drives and drove off.

He was gone. Their only hope of salvation from the vampire, now gone, all because her brother and sister had decided to listen to that stupid mob and the thrall when they claimed D was a dhampir. He was nothing like the vampires or their half-cursed spawn! How could her family so ignorantly refuse to let him prove himself, explain things like he had for her? If only they had been there when D had rescued her from Tremere's castle, risked his life to save her, they would not have been so quick to pass judgement on him.

"I can't believe you just did that!" she screamed. Both Daniel and Iria looked at Catherine in shock. "He was our only chance of being free of all this, and you chased him off!"

The young man blinked. He couldn't understand why his sister was angry with him. She had seen what the hunter could do, what he was capable of, and what he was. How could she defend him after seeing all that? "Catherine..." Daniel shook his head. "He's a monster."

"He's not a monster!" the girl snapped in reply. "He's the only person who actually gives a crap about what happens to us, Daniel, and you just treated him like he's lower than dirt!" Tears were welling up in Catherine's eyes as she turned and stormed into her room, slamming the door shut behind her.

With his attention now on his older sister, Daniel Ran found that he couldn't say anything. What was there to really say after the things said by Catherine, after she had defended the hunter? Was it possible that they were wrong to drive him away? But D was a half-breed, just as dangerous as his vampire parents, if not more so owing to the fact that he could walk about in daylight. He was deadly, already proven many times over, and he'd tonight revealed a furious rage that he'd kept hidden before. Then one factored in the peculiar aura that he had, making it most uncomfortable to be around him, and it all made sense after knowing what he was.

But then why was Catherine able to be around him, able to believe in him so much? She'd been there when he'd unleashed his rage, she'd known what he was and still had the faith to trust him. What did she see in the hunter that her older brother and sister couldn't? She wasn't...in love with him...was she?

"I knew it was a bad idea to have him in this house," Iria remarked softly while sitting down. She brushed back her hair, moving the bangs from over her eyes. "The moment I saw him, there was something about him that bothered me, and now I know what it was."

After a moment, Daniel found himself nodding. He'd had that doubt about D before, but considering the lack of options, he'd ignored the worries in his mind. Yet, now, after giving into those fears, Daniel wondered if his original decision was not what he should be second-guessing, but instead the decision made now to get rid of the hunter. If D was right, then once the town realized he was gone, they would come to the farm and tear it down in order to get at Daniel and his sisters.

The young man sighed and looked out the window. Had chasing the hunter away been such a good idea now, he wasn't sure. All they could do was wait and see. Hopefully, it was over. Yet there was a worry in the back of Daniel's mind still. Would it be over?

"You know, that's something I ain't never seen you do before, kid."

Ignoring the gauntlet's voice, D continued to tear through the plains, running the engine at full throttle. He didn't feel right about leaving the Rans, but he didn't exactly have much option at the moment. Daniel and Iria were scared to death of him, they wouldn't listen to Catherine, and now the whole town knew what he was, or thought they did. Insulting or not, dhampir was close enough to what he was for people to get the idea.

The face shifted so that it got a better view of the dunpeal. "You don't run away from your problems, I know you too well." Varda narrowed his eyes at the boy. Something was up. "What are you planning?"

Silence still. D tapped on the control board and brought up data from the orbiting satellite network, which relayed into his helmet visor. Even then, he gave no answer. It almost was as if he had no answer as yet.

The demon face grunted. Truly this job had been making D act very oddly. The boy normally wasn't one to brood, nor did he ever simply abandon a job. Then again, he normally didn't let his clients gets so close to him, nor did he ever open up like this to the person he was hired to protect.

"You know, while we're out here," Varda stated as she shifted about, "you mind stopping so I can eat? I haven't had much of the big five since we left the Balkans, and I-"

The bike pulled to a halt. D stepped out and placed his left palm against the ground. In mere moments, earth began to vanish under the gauntlet. The strange thing was, the earth would have normally stood up to even a hard shovel. Then again, Varda was hardly a natural being. With a belch, the demon chuckled and shifted to the top face of the gauntlet again. "Any chance for some water or fire?"

"You'll have to wait," D replied, once more mounting the motorcycle. He keyed the engine back on and took off, continuing on his way. "You already had wind when you chugged down those corpses, and wood isn't much of a worry." The boy sighed, then tilted his head back.

The sun well over the horizon, shining brightly on its westward path in the sky. It was around mid-day, just before noon; a Kinthea's time of bane, so he needn't worry about vampire attacks. D had already been driving for hours now since sunrise. It would probably be a good idea to stop at some small village and get something normal to eat.

"Give me a map of local villages and supply points," he stated to the computer. In seconds, it had calculated his distance from the nearest stop. Sixty kilos out, wouldn't take long to get there now. By nightfall, he'd well be out of the region and on his way back to Enoch, which as about the only place he could go to get his motorcycle serviced. The weapons storage was running low, since he hadn't been able to get a reload after his last job, and he needed to get the transmission retuned. It was running a bit heavy, would do some good to get work done.

An hour later, he pulled into the small rest stop village. It didn't even have a name, just a designation because of how small it was. But it was enough to get fuel for his tank and some food. A few hours of sleep wouldn't hurt either, because even if he was more enduring than a human or even a dhampir, he still had limits.

The fuel was pricey, expectedly so since engined vehicles were such a rarity out here on the frontier. But, in his line of work, one wasn't often short on money. Three full auxilery tanks of gas, the two main tanks in the vehicle itself, and the motorcycle was ready to make the long trip to Enoch. D, however, still need, to get food and some sleep.

Night was approaching. Daniel gripped his rifle tightly while looking out through the hole in the living room wall. So far there had been no sign of anyone coming up to the farm from the village or the castle. Maybe they'd actually been given the chance to live in peace now.

"Catherine's still going on about that dhampir hunter," Iria said as she walked into the room, blaster in hand and rifle slung around her shoulder. "I knew hiring him was a bad idea."

Daniel only nodded. It looked like there was something moving out in the distance. Most likely just the trees blowing in the wind. "I should have seen it when I met him, that he wasn't human." A pause as the young man glanced to his sister. "I guess I was just so desperate to get help that I didn't listen to my instincts."

The sun had set. Daniel turned back to keep his eyes out for trouble when something appeared from the trees. His rifle came up, ready for use, but nothing could have prepared him for the crushing force that slammed into his chest and sent him flying back into the furniture. An instant later, the barriers flickered out. Iria's weapons came to the ready, but they were swiftly flung away as an unseen force caught her by the throat and lifted her into the air.

There was a cruel high-pitched laugh. Stepping into the room, Grigori looked at the oldest of the Ran siblings lustfully. "You're even more lovely when you struggle," he remarked in a hissed tone. Turning to Daniel, he walked over and picked the young man up by the collar. "Where's the hunter, boy!"

The human didn't reply, he could only stare in horror at the dhampir who held him by the neck. Grigori snarled, then looked around. If the hunter were still present, he would have already intervened. "You released his services," the dhampir concluded, gaze now returning to Daniel while two burly mutant golems entered the house. "A wise choice on your part, it means that I'll actually spare your life for realizing your error of opposing your rightful lords."

With a grin, Grigori dropped Daniel to the ground and gestured for one of the golems to take Iria. "Your invitation to the wedding between my father and your sister still stands, human," he stated while walking back toward Catherine's room. With a quick motion of his hand, the door flew off the hinges to reveal the girl now backed against the wall. A hand reached out to her while Grigori smiled. "Duke Tremere awaits you, my dear." The dhampir flashed his fangs. "We mustn't keep him waiting any longer."

A flash of his eyes caused Catherine to faint. The dhampir picked the girl up and carried her out, nodding to his golems to follow him in departure. A moment as he stopped and looked back at Daniel. The human knew where the castle was, and the servants had been ordered to grant him entry should he decided to come for the wedding as invited. They had what they came for, but Grigori still wanted to face the hunter. Such would have to wait.

Snapping awake, the blonde young man looked about before getting out of bed and quickly grabbing his belongings. Armor and coat donned, golden gauntlet locked to his left arm, and D was out the door, leaving his payment for the room on the front desk as he ran out of the inn. He turn his gaze back in the direction of the Ran farm as he reached his motorcycle, slipping on his helmet and keying the engine to life.

Gripping on the brake control before gunning the engine and performing a turn-around, D narrowed his eyes and released the brake to go tearing out of the village. He quickly tapped the control board to engage the overdrives, now roaring away at speeds only imagined possible by the simple people of the frontier. At full speed, main engine and overdrives, he would be back to the farm within less than an hour, but it was going to burn into his main tank of fuel like a roaring fire.

"What the hell is going on!" came the irate voice. Varda hadn't taken kindly to his rude awakening, nor to the fact he didn't know where they were going. "I was having a rather nice dream right there, so what's the big idea of-"

"Shut up!" came the harsh words from the hunter. Already he could see the dim lights of Runsalva in the distance, and they were rapidly growing brighter as he continued to draw near to the village. "It's Arkhm. He's made his move, and I am not going to let him do to those kids what he did to me!"

The gauntlet was silent. It was not wise to try and smartmouth at D when he was in this kind of mode. While Varda wasn't completely privy to the details of D's past before they'd met, he knew that there were somethings that really set the dunpeal off, and this Tremere vampire was one of them.

The village was in sight now, but Runsalva wasn't D's objective. He tore right past the village, only shutting down the overdrives when he was in sight of the farm. At last, he came to a screeching halt and leapt out of the motorcycle, but he found that he was already too late. The farm was in shambles, the barrier posts torn down and the stables little more than debris while the bodies of the livestock littered the grounds.

"Good god," Varda whispered as he looked at the scene from the top of the gauntlet. Even to the demon, the sight of the farm in such ruin was surprising. "Tremere wouldn't kill them all, would he?"

The hunter was silent. Something else was still here."Daniel!" he cried out, now racing toward the rubble which had been the farm house. There was no sign of the young man, however, as D reached the debris. He sniffed the air again, unsure as to what that smell was, to whom that presence belonged to.

"D, watch out!"

The hunter spun, blade erupting from Varda as it came up and blocked the attack from a long rusted blade. The dunpeal's eyes went wide at seeing that sword again, but quickly went cold as they traced down to meet the eyesof the weilder of that weapon. Now D realized what he had been smelling. "You're no thrall," he hissed while Grigori grinned and leapt back, sword brandishing mockingly at the hunter. "I can smell the taint o a thrall, abut you're is too strong for that. You're a dhampir!"

"And soon enough I shall be rid of my human blood!" Grigori replied angrily. "Even now, the girl is being readied for her marriage into our family, and her sister will join her as my bride once I am Embraced by my father!"

The blood red of D's eyes shifted violently. Recognition now as to why Grigori had looked so familiar. "You're Arkhm's son," he whispered. Indeed, irony was amusing at times. "So, did you come back and kill the boy before taking his sisters?"

A smirk formed on Grigori's mouth. "No," the dhampir replied. "Father wishes the human to be witness to his sisters' union into the house of Tremere. It's the least we can grant the boy."

Anger was burning in the hunter's eyes now. So many insults had this half-breed fool and his father thrown at the one who hunted them, not realizing yet who it was that they faced. And now the knowledge of who this dhampir was had at last presented itself to D, as did his way of having revenge. "You do know that both you and your father have to die," the hunter stated as he took stance for battle. "A vampire and his loyal dhampir are something that the world cannot have existing."

"And a vanpyr's spawn seeking to destroy our kind is something we cannot suffer to continue existing," Grigori retorted. His sword came about to thrust out at the dunpeal, only to be deflected by the blade of Varda while D spun about and moved back from where Grigori now stood. There was a smile on the dhampir's face still, one that was grow more arrogent by the moment; the dunpeal was afraid of his sword. "What's the matter, dunpeal?" he stated in a taintly tone of voice while taking a step toward D. "Scared of a little iron?"

The youth of a hunter growled. Tremere knew his weakness, as did the vampire's dhampir son now. It was no surprise, considering what had happened before, four hundred years ago, back before the world had ended. Those memories still burned in D's mind, eternally reminding him of the horrors he'd lived through, the terrible things he had witnessed. "I fear nothing," the dunpeal replied. "Especially not a coward's son who hides behind his father's power and a piece of shit sword that your father still doesn't have the decency to clean the blood off of!"

A thrust and Varda's blade was racing for Grigori's throat. The iron broadsword came about to parry, sending the two half-breeds into combat once more. With a twist, D deflected a return strike before leaping up into the air and whipping out his force gun. With only a moment of hesitation while the gun reached full charge, he pulled the trigger and fired, causing the ground to explode out as the burst slammed down. Grigori, however, wasn't harmed one bit, having avoided the burst, and was now standing ten feet from where he had been.

The dunpeal landed, firearm held at the ready while he bore his gaze down on the dhampir. It had been a long while since he'd faced an opponent with this kind of skill. Reidai had been skilled, true, but he was in the end just a thrall with more ego than true ability. Grigori, however, was a different issue all together. Not only was he imbued by Tremere's blood through the way of thralling, but he also had his own cursed dhampir blood which added to the abilities given to him by his master. No doubt, Tremere had been training Grigori well, which added up to an opponent that most human hunters would quickly fall to.

But D was hardly human himself.

Blades clashed once more, the dhampir grinning like a mad man as he swung again and again. Sparks flew with each crash of metal, proving that both hybrids were more than a match for each other. Another burst fired from the force gun, once again missing its target as Grigori leapt up into the air. He seemed to float there for a moment, his eyes shining before he slowly came back down to the ground. This was more than enough proof of the dhampir's mastery of his powers.

"Just a simple half-breed is all you are!" he stated to D, lifting the broadsword to point at his foe. "I'm more than you could ever be, freak! Faster, stronger, greater in every possible way!"

The dunpeal took a breath. Grigori's boast was not empty ego, since he'd already lasted longer than Reidai had. However, he still seemed to be far too confident in himself and was placing too much faith in the iron of his blade. "That sword isn't going to do you much good if you can't stick it in me," D stated calmly while repositioning his feet. "Even then, do you really think you can kill me?"

A flash of his fangs revealed Grigori's opinion on that matter. "Watch me, dunpeal!" With a cry, the dhampir rushed forward, blade scrapping against Varda before pulling back and swinging about again to crash into the main portion of the gauntlet. He quickly spun around, bringing his left leg about to slam into D's chest. There was a dull thud, but with that was also a crack.

D stumbled back, cursing himself for being caught like that. Another blow was narrowly deflect away from his face, sparks flashing from the blade of his gauntlet as the iron sword scrapped along at the edge. Pushing to the side, he brought his right hand up with force gun charged to fire, but something flashed out and knocked the weapon from his hand. Sparks spurted from the firearm where five metal claws had been drive through the side.

Once more flashing his fangs, Grigori revealed a wooden stake in his left hand. "It's time for you to die, lowbown freak," he hissed. With a flick of his wrist, the dhampir brought his sword up to strike at D's chest. To his surprise, the blade was blocked by the solid plates of armor in the hunter's vest. "What!" The dhampir growled before defending the attack from D that followed. With a grunt, Grigori flashed out his right hand to produce his metal claws, then swung to cut open the zipper of D's vest. "This has gone on long enough!"

The hunter leapt back in time to avoid another attack from the sword. His vest was wide open, leaving his torso vulnerable. "I really hate it when someone gets that kind of idea," he muttered just before stepping back and raising Varda to block a swing from Grigori just as the dhampir jumped at him. Another clash of blades caused sparks to fly out once more, but if either combatent was tiring, they dared not show it.

With a roar of anger, Grigori swung, slamming the iron sword against Varda and trying to swat the wide and very defensive blade away so that he had a clear strike. D was far too quick though to let such a blow slip through. One lucky attack managed to catch him across the cheek, just as Reidai had done. He quickly leapt away, smoke oozing from the wound even as he could feel the burn. Grigori only looked at the sight in amusement. Apparently, he hadn't imagined that iron had such a visable effect on dunpeals. It truly was their bane, burning them to even touch the metal.

"Now I know why you fear iron," he stated, closing in on D. "It burns you like it does the fair ones!" A sadistic grin made its way to his lips, flashing his fangs which hungered for blood and victory. "You're like the pixies, pookas, and knockers! Iron is your bane, because you're something that isn't supposed to exist!"

D took a breath. Just being near wrought iron for this long was starting to sap his strength. Actually having been touched by it was painful and sucking his ability to fight. "No," he retorted coldly. "We represent life from that which does not live. Iron is unchanging stagnation, a symbol of death, you idiot! Dhampirs are not supposed to be, dunpeals are!"

The hunter made his strike, but with his body tiring and drained from the effects of the iron, he wasn't able to mode fast enough to defend against the sword as it slammed into his back by the flat. Even with his armor and clothing, D could feel the burning touch of the iron, causing him to cry out in pain. Another swing swat him once more in the face, leaving a burn mark where the flat of the blade had hit him.

He tried to recover, but suddenly was gasping for breath when Grigori plunged the blade into his stomach. Smoke was billowing from the wound, almost as if he was on fire as, the blade withdrawn from his body, D fell over, trying to block out the pain. With his vest opened wide, the dhampir had taken the advantage and impaled him. Somehow, D knew that wasn't it.

A strong hand grabbed him by the neck, lifting him up as the iron sword was dropped to the ground. In Grigori's free hand was now a wooden stake. "Like our vampire sires," he stated, raising the sharpened piece of wood back, "the stake will kill us by the heart, as will it you!"

One powerful motion and blood was bursting from where the dhampir impaled D through the heart. The hunter was flung back to the ground, nearly motionless against the rubble of the farm house while Grigori only grinned in triumph. True, the youth was still gasping for breath, but in moments, he was still.

He waited. For five minutes, Grigori stood there, until at last satisfied that the hunter was dead, he picked up the sword and began his trek back to the castle. He paused, looking back for a moment to the hunter's corpse. "For what's it's worth,' the dhampir spat, "you were a worthy challenge...for a half-breed freak."

And the Kinthea hybrid leapt away into the night, leaving D where he lay to rot. With nothing around to attempt a rescue, a revival, it was surly over. Tremere had beaten his foe...