Part II: The Arrival of D

 

            Vahleryie was exceedingly upset and she was getting more so by the minute.  The damn vampire had not shown his face yet. He continued to send his monsters, by the legions and Vahleryie was getting tired of killing the endless array of werewolves, mutants and beasts. Well, at the very least he had not hired the Barbaroi. The monsters she was dealing with now were very base creatures easy to kill. So she had assumed this would be a quick job. She preferred them. Break into the castle; kill the vampire and go. It was that simple. Occasionally there was a woman or child to rescue, or some of the monsters were really hired Barbaroi. It was those jobs that were always a bit more trouble.

            But none of the monsters she had encountered were as skilled as they were. Everything was base and simple. One swipe of her blade killed them. The problem was that they never ended! She hadn’t even been able to get near the castle. She had probably killed over ten thousand of those things on her own, and still had not been able to accomplish anything.

            Not only that, but the vampire would sometimes sneak about at night, attacking women, children and men in their sleep, killing them by the dozens. She chased him all around the town on those evenings, but to no avail. The coward refused to face her.

            No vampire had ever acted this strangely before. What could it mean?

            She turned and sliced another monster in half. Even now she was in the middle of a battle, Sehssta and her troop with her, yet she could still make no progress toward the castle. The dumb beasts under the vampire’s control would not cease coming towards them, no matter how many she killed. They felt no fear and had no sense of life. They were all under the mindless control of the vampire.

            Suddenly Vahleryie heard a horse rear back, and she turned quickly about to see what had happened. A man in a black cloak and hat leapt from the back of his horse and began to slice his way toward her, a long silver blade in his hands. Her eyes narrowed and she turned about, continuing the battle.

            He was at her side in an instant and was cutting up the beasts as quickly and efficiently as she was. Vahleryie blinked in surprise and a strange sensation swept through her. Another Vampire Hunter? She turned her attention back to the battle, shaking off the strange feeling at the pit of her gut. Now she had more complications.

            Hearing a whistle and the cries of horses, Vahleryie turned to see what the commotion was about. She saw Sehssta and her men beginning to retreat. They were exhausted. She shook her head and killed off a few more before leaping toward them. She mounted her horse and then turned back around to wait for the other Hunter to join her. He finished off a round of monsters and went back to his steed. She waited, killing off any monsters that threatened, until he rode up beside her. Vahleryie started as she stared into the eyes of the other Vampire Hunter who had decided to join them.

            She stared into dark silvery eyes.

            Vahleryie’s heart stopped in her chest for an instant. She knew this man…she could feel her bone deep recognition of him. He returned her gaze, both of them captured. Vahleryie could not pinpoint how she knew the man…but she did. She knew him as well as she knew herself.

            Suddenly she heard Sehssta calling and she shook her head out of the trance of his eyes. They rode side by side toward the blonde woman and Vahleryie asked the question.

            “Who are you, Hunter?”

            She did not look at him and he did not gaze at her.

            “I am D.”

            Vahleryie froze for an instant but then relaxed, trying to hide her surprise. That was how she knew him. He was the Vampire Hunter D. The legend. Now she realized where the sensation of recognition had come from. From their identical natures.

            They were dunpeals.

*          *          *

            Vahleryie had noticed immediately Sehssta’s reaction to D, but she was not surprised. He did have a magnetism that could draw women. But that came from his vampire nature. Her eyes were hooded as he came into the room and placed his sword against the wall where hers lay. Vahleryie had taken off her cloak and placed it aside as she gazed at him. He said absolutely nothing but she knew he felt the same pulse between them. It had only gotten stronger as the day had progressed. Vahleryie had so many questions. And now was the only time she would be able to ask them.

            “You are the Vampire King’s half-breed son, aren’t you?”

            D turned to the woman lying on her side on the long couch. Her massively long auburn hair hung on her shoulder and then dropped to the floor, and her icy blue eyes stared at him from beneath hooded lashes. D could feel a connection between them, but he had yet to decipher what it was. She was a very powerful Vampire Hunter. That was all he knew. But how had she deciphered who he was?

            “Yes.”

            Vahleryie nodded. “I thought so. My parents told me about you, your father and your mother many years ago.”

            D turned to her, his eyes narrowing. Her parents had told her about him and his mother and father? How could those humans have known?

            Vahleryie gave a small smile. “I am like you, D.”

            D looked at her carefully. That was the connection he felt with the woman before him. She was a dunpeal as well… And she had chosen the same path as he had. She had chosen to become a Vampire Hunter. He had never known another dunpeal who had chosen the same path he had. But now he was gazing into the eyes of one.

            “Who were your parents?” D asked quietly.

            Vahleryie smiled. “The Count Navarre and the Countess Adrianna.”

            D watched her face with narrowed eyes. That was impossible. He met her ice blue eyes coldly. “How can you be a dunpeal if both your parents are vampires?”

            Vahleryie smiled, but she did not turn her gaze away. “My mother was pregnant with me before my father transformed her into a vampire. To my knowledge, she is the only female vampire to have a child.”

            D slowly approached her, watching her face carefully. She was not lying. He could feel her sincerity as well as the strange aura that had affected him from the moment he saw her. There was something…very different about her. Her eyes suddenly gentled. For some reason beyond his control, D found himself drawn to her. Beyond his control? Drawn to her? D stopped. What was this connection?

            “You feel it too, don’t you?” she whispered.

            D was silent. She truly was skilled. Her perception was as deep and irrevocable as his. He understood immediately what she was talking about. It was as undeniable as the similarity in their natures and in their blood. This pull. Vahleryie smiled tenderly at him. “I never thought I would meet another dunpeal who chose the road I did. I had heard of you, but I never dreamed I would meet you.” She grew quiet and then met his piercing gaze. “And that there would be this sensation between us, D. It pulses inside me, drawing me to you.” When he was before her, she gave him a puzzled look. “What does it mean?”

          D stared down into the icy orbs. “I do not know.” A blatant need glowed between them and began to grow. D had never felt this way. How was he supposed to respond? How was he supposed to react? It was a strange feeling. What was he to make of it?

D slowly pulled away from her, tortured by the sudden, desperate feeling. Never, in all his years of life, had he ever met another dunpeal like him. Never had any other living thing, human, vampire or otherwise, made him feel vulnerable and powerful at the same time. D could only stare at her as he receded into the shadows, wondering at this strange sensation.

He watched her as she gave a small whimper and placed her face against the pillows of the couch. Neither uttered a sound or said a word. For the first time in his entire existence, D could feel the minutes pass.

Eventually, Vahleryie arose, gathered up her cloak and walked out of the room. The thick tension that had shrouded the room did not recede with her departure, however. It remained, hanging over the room, like her elusive scent.

“What the hell was that all about?”

D disregarded the comment from his hand.

Unfortunately the parasite refused to be ignored.

“Woo hoo. You couldn’t cut the air around here with butcher knife! ‘Sensation between us’? ‘Drawing me to you’? Well, I’ll say one thing for the girl, she’s got your flair for the dramatics. Now, the question is… What do you think?”

D walked slowly to his bed, not responding. How could he? At the moment, he did not know himself.

“Uh, hello? I know you don’t talk much, but this is a serious situation we’re dealing with here. Putting aside the schizophrenic, psychopathic vampire, we’ve got ourselves into a cozy situation. So are we going to get to know her better or not?”

“That is not my concern. Nor yours.”

“Ooh ho? Really? Now why don’t I buy that one for a second? Here you are confronted for the first time by a dunpeal just like yourself. Well, to an extent anyway. From what I can tell at least she seems to get a temper and be more emotional than you; but here you’ve got a dunpeal that chose the same path as you and you’re not interested?! Considering your heart rate sped up quite a number with that lovely lady in the room…I think I got reason enough to believe you’re interested. She’s interested at least. I really don’t know what women see in you, you know that? Brooding, unresponsive, cold, and a bad dresser. Why is it that you seem to get all the girls? Setting aside the hottie dunpeal number, that Sehssta has got a thing for you too, if you hadn’t noticed, and I’m sure you did despite that blasted poker face of yours.”

D took off his hat and sat down on the bed, ignoring the incessant chattering from his hand. His gaze turned to the window. The sunset glowed through the glass, reminding him of the dunpeal’s hair. Was he responding to her physically? Very few times in his entire existence had he felt the swift compulsion of sexual lust. But when the bloodlust always seemed to accompany it, he began to deny any amorous inclinations in himself and to avoid any situations where it could arise. Yet, for some reason, he had not sensed any threat from the bloodlust with that dunpeal. Or perhaps, it was because she was a dunpeal… like himself?

“Have you been listening to a word I’ve been saying?!”

D turned his gaze away from the window and leaned back onto the bed. He retrieved his hat and placed it on his head, shielding himself from the glowing red sun.

“You can’t deny it, D. I know you. I know what you’re thinking. You’ve always hated the fact that you were dunpeal and had to live the way you do. That’s why you’ve never got into a relationship with a nice girl. Like that Doris chick from… Damn, how many centuries ago was it? Or that Leila chick. And boy, did it rile you up when you thought that Charlotte girl and that vampire—what was his name?—oh, yeah, Link, right? Meier Link. See? I remember these things. I remember all the things you’d like to forget about. Why? ‘Cause I know it riles you up. And now look, you’ve found yourself a nice little dunpeal that looks at least somewhat sane, not like that nutball from the Lee thing. What was the vampire’s name again? Something Lee… the one that tortured that poor Doris girl. You remember her, don’t you? The one that offered herself to you, like so many others? Surely you remember little Doris?”

D closed his eyes, feeling slightly irritated, but ignored it. He would not grace the parasite’s barbs with a response.

“Yet now you find that a vampire and human did get together, who-knows-how many years ago, and had that nice little number and despite your reaction and her eagerness you’re not going to do anything?! Dammit, you might as well be dead! How many times do you think you’ll find a nice, sane, sexy female dunpeal with the hots for you, huh? It’s not like they grow on trees so you can be picky! Take what little relief you can get, man! You’re already too much of a stiff. Loosen up. Get rid of some stress! Hey, even I’ll enjoy a little romp in the sheets, if you know what I mean! You’re sharing a room with her. Why don’t you—?”

D clenched his fist tightly, silencing the chatter.

“That’s enough out of you.”

“Ahw wigh aweady. Ah! Cahf bweef.”

D relaxed his hand and a loud gasp for air ensued from it. Then came a low laugh. “Heh, heh. See? I knew it! I knew that’d—”

“Another word and I’ll slice you off.”

“Fine.”

D opened his eyes slowly, and then closed them again. He forcefully banished all thoughts of the strange dunpeal. He allowed himself a restful sleep until later that evening. Then he would begin the hunt.