Chapter 2 - Chapter One: Callings

Chapter One: CallingsHis quarry was close. He could hear the grunts and snarls of the werewolf close at hand."Oh joy…..the ‘thrill’ of the hunt." A droll voice mutters, from the hand of the youth who gripped a bright sword tightly."Shh, Marv. You’re gonna blow my cover." Dirk hisses, not taking his keen grey eyes off of the beast. In years past, Dirk had wondered how it could be that he could see as clearly at night as he could during the day."Now I know. It’s because of the vampire blood I have running in my veins. That would also explain why I get so sleepy during the day…." Dirk mused, silently, leaping when the monster wolf became aware of him and slashed at him with it’s sharp claws."Now, now! Bad dog! Now I’m gonna have to discipline you!" Dirk shouted, jokingly, as he held his sword between him and the werewolf. With practiced ease, Dirk moved around the beast, avoiding the talons all the while. Then the werewolf lunged, foaming mouth agape and trying to take him unawares…..but Dirk was too quick for it."Gotcha!" Dirk cried, as he drove his sword into the back of the werewolf’s neck, through it, and buried the sword up to the hilt."Lovely. Now I’m going to smell like werewolf for the next couple of days." ‘Marv’ mumbles, as Dirk withdrew the sword from the dead monster’s neck."I’m starting to think I should’ve left you in that lake, Marv. You’re startin’ to get on my nerves." Dirk said, with a sigh. He’d found the talking sword on one of his forays away from the Lang Farm; after his grandfather’s sword had been broken in battle."Mother just about had a conniption when she found out I had broken Grandfather’s sword…..If Uncle Dan hadn’t interceded, I would have ended up sleeping in the barn for a month!" Dirk thought, smiling a little at the memory of his mother’s angry expression, and his uncle’s pleas to avoid ‘banishment’. He was jolted from his thoughts when the whinnies of horses reached his ears, and then a black carriage roared past, almost running him over as it went."Hey! Watch where you’re going! This is a public road, for pity’s sake!" Dirk shouted, a bit miffed at the thought of almost having been run over. It was then that a thin scream came from the carriage itself, and a thrill ran down Dirk’s spine; that was a young girl he’d heard just now!"And a black carriage could only mean one thing….." Dirk thought, his mind racing as he whistled for his horse, sheathed his sword (which by now had been wiped clean with a cloth) and leaped onto the back of his steed before he could lose sight of it. "C’mon…..Give it all you’ve got, Burdock. We can’t lose ‘em." Dirk murmured, into his horse’s ear, as he bent forward across the cyborg’s neck. With a slight toss of its head as a response, the horse increased its speed; slowly closing the distance between it and the carriage."Almost there…..just a little bit more…..Got it!" Dirk shouted, in triumph, as he gripped the door-latch and turned it. He let out a yelp when the vampire inside snarled at him and tried to block the door, but it was driven back by a satchel of garlic powder the young werewolf hunter carried on hand (just in case). When he had gained a little more ground, Dirk jumped into the carriage and looked to his right. There was the frightened young owner of the voice he’d heard just a few moments before." I’ll get you outta here. Grab my hand." Dirk said, as calmly as his racing heart could allow. With much trepidation, the terrified girl moved over to him and clung to him, her eyes not leaving the vampire for a moment. Dirk’s eyes narrowed as he glared at the vampire (who glared fiendishly back at him with blood red eyes)."You’ve got a lot of nerve pickin’ on girls, pal. Especially when they’re so much younger than you." Dirk growled, his own tone of voice (and the audacity to speak those words) surprising him."Feh, you know nothing, you little upstart. We, of the Nobility, have the right to choose which humans to feed from, and to toss them aside when we’re done. There’s no more difference between them and other livestock." The vampire sneered, yet not moving because of the garlic the youth still had in hand."It’s you who doesn’t understand anything." Dirk growled, then turned to the girl. Her long, coppery-brown hair was tangled, and her clothing was torn; but her bright blue eyes were clear. "Must’ve gotten to her just before the vampire could bite her…..I just hope my luck holds." Dirk thought, then held the girl close to him with one arm."Hang on to me, we’re gonna jump!" Dirk told her, getting a wordless nod from the terrified girl. Seconds later, he’d done just that; releasing the garlic powder as he did so."Burdock, get us outta here!" Dirk shouted, as he landed on the cyborg horse’s back, grabbed the reins, made sure the girl was secure before him in the saddle, then took off in the opposite direction."Whoever has been lookin’ out for me so far, please let me get back to town, and get her to safety! Please!" Dirk thought, desperately, as he bent low over the girl; shielding her with his own body, in case an attack came from behind….Which he hoped wouldn’t. Little did he realize that the entire impromptu rescue had just been witnessed…….   …………………………    D yanked hard on the reins of his horse and skidded to an abrupt halt when his eyes beheld the unusual scene before him. In the blink of an eye, a youth had come from nowhere, raced alongside his target’s carriage, opened the door, pulled the girl out, and was now charging back towards the town the girl had been kidnapped from. "D, what is it? What just happened?" Left asked, confused by his host’s sudden stop."I think we have competition." D muttered, matter-of-factly, as he watched the younger man’s form disappear into the darkness."Really? Who could’ve heard about this? From what the headman had told you, you were the first to arrive to ask about the job!" Left stated, remembering what the worried man had told D earlier that same evening."It doesn’t matter. I may have been mistaken, anyway. The target is beginning to give chase." D said, as he watched the carriage turn around and take off after the youth."Well? What’re you gonna do? You aren’t gonna let the poor kid pay for his mistake, are you?" Left asked. D sighed."What do you think?" D replied, in exasperation, as he spurred his horse into motion again, wheeling about to take the shortcut back into town to meet the youth, and his pursuer. Little did D realize that, with this move, the wheels of fate were beginning to turn……..   ……………………………    "Oh crap!" Dirk shouted, as he tore through the town’s abandoned streets, with an almost demonic carriage on his heels."I thought you were a vampire hunter and that you knew what you were doing!" the girl’s voice cried, her eyes wide with fear as the fearsome visage of the vampire appeared behind them on top of the carriage."I’m not! I think you were thinkin’ of somebody else! I just happened to be in the right place at the right time, that’s all! I’m a werewolf hunter, for cryin’ out loud!" Dirk replied, ignoring ‘Marv’ when he muttered something about ‘getting in deep this time’, and concentrated on getting himself out of the sticky situation. Both he and girl let out cries of surprise when a figure materialized out of the gloom. "Whoa, Burdock! WHOA!!" Dirk shouted, pulling back on the reins as hard as he could to try and prevent a collision with the other rider. The cyborg horse complied, skidding to a halt just inches from the mystery rider. Unfortunately, Dirk and the girl just kept going; they ended up in the lap of the other rider and slung across his saddle."Eek!" the girl yelped, as she slid forward, was caught by the other rider and gently placed on her feet beside his horse. Dirk, on the other hand, stopped when he was half-on and half-off of the other man’s mount."S-sorry, sir." Dirk stuttered, his cheeks now quite red with embarrassment at the blunder on his part. The other rider merely lifted him by his belt from the saddle and placed him with the girl on the ground; but Dirk could have sworn that he’d heard a slight snicker from the man in response."Just stick close. This ugly business with be over with, in short order." The other man said, as he dismounted, unsheathed his own sword, and stood at bay in front of the vampire."Things are about to get ugly." Dirk mused, as he watched the other man face off with the undead."Get the girl to safety. The church behind you should suffice." The other man murmured."Duh! Holy ground! Vampires can’t stand such places! Why hadn’t I thought of that?!" Dirk wondered, cursing his own stupidity as he rushed to get the girl into the church, leaving the other man’s side for a moment.   ……………………………….    "Well now, he has a good head on his shoulders. Anybody else would’ve been paralyzed by fear." Left commented, when the youth had turned to the girl and motioned to the church without saying a word."Indeed. There is more to him than meets the eye….. and something disturbingly familiar." D mused, and Left noticed his unease."And that would be…..?" Left asked, trying to egg his host on."None of your business." D silently retorted."Sheesh. Okay, okay, I get the point. I won’t try to get any details on your personal life……..Spoilsport." Left grumbled, as D returned his full attention to the vampire in front of him."Stand aside, Dunpeal. This is none of your concern." The vampire growled, blood-tinted eyes narrowing when he saw his potential victim escape into the church, and as the youth that had aided her turned to watch the confrontation. D’s eyes narrowed slightly."When vampires are concerned, it becomes my problem. Your kind should have gone extinct long ago." D replied, coolly. There was no response from the vampire, but, the battle-light was in its’ eyes."I’ll make you regret you were even born, Dunpeal!" the vampire roared, as he dove at D with a sword in hand. D prevented himself from turning when he heard a sharp, metallic ‘clang!’ come from behind him, yet stiffened in surprise when Left discovered what had just occurred."The kid just saved your life!" Left’s mental voice yelped, sharing the image he’d just seen with his host (right-side up, of course). There stood the youth, his sword unsheathed and glaring dangerously into the shadows of the alley behind D; a broken silver spear lying in shards at his feet. Before D could ponder on the youth’s actions any further, the attacking vampire brought him back to the here-and-now. He let out a pained grunt when the vampire’s sword thrust its’ way deep into one of his blind spots, and hissed when his opponent dragged the sword through his flesh a little ways before withdrawing it; leaving a large gash in his abdomen. As D fell to one knee, he heard the youth let out a fierce yell, then watched in utter shock as he launched himself at the vampire with sword…..and fangs….bared."Is he…..? Could he be….?" D wondered, shaking his head as his vision blurred, and as pain started to intensify. The last image his mind registered before darkness claimed him was when the youth sliced the head of the vampire off, and the head bounced away into the shadows before dissolving into ashes……..   …………………………………    "Well done, kid. You gave in to your dark side, but, hey, so does my host sometimes." A voice said from nowhere, when Dirk’s ire had faded, and he had returned to himself."What the heck did I just…….?" Dirk asked, turning in the direction the voice had come from and was alarmed to see that the other man was down. "Hey! Hang in there!" Dirk shouted, as he carefully turned the other man over onto his back. He winced when he saw the deep gash in the other man’s abdomen, and how much blood had already been lost."This wound’s been poisoned…..His blood isn’t clotting as it should……If this keeps up, he’ll be dead before sunrise." Dirk murmured, his mind pushing aside any notion of panic and settling on the need the man had for immediate medical attention."Let me see the wound, Dirk. I may be able to purge it……but I highly doubt it, since the one you’re trying to help is a dunpeal." Marv said, in his usual droll and depressed tone."Shut it, Marv. I don’t want to hear any more negative talk from you tonight. Just do what you can." Dirk ordered, irritated with his manic-depressive sword to say the least."All right." Marv replied, dully, as Dirk lowered the guard part of the sword to the gaping wound. No sooner was it three inches in front of the flesh a face mysteriously appeared on the metal guard, and eyed the wound gravely."Well? Is there anything you can do?" Dirk asked, his ears pricking slightly when he heard light footsteps ~ the girl, he realized ~ coming towards him."Let me see……" Marv muttered, as he pulled himself from Dirk’s grasp and landed in the wound. The man flinched; his impassive, grey face taking on a slight wince in response."Is he all right?" the girl asked, speaking calmly for the first time in Dirk’s presence."I don’t know. Marv is trying to find out now if he can dilute the poison." Dirk replied, solemnly."What will you do if he can’t?" the girl again asked, surprising Dirk when she didn’t ask about how a sword could have a mind of its own. Dirk shrugged helplessly."Again, I don’t know. I’m a werewolf hunter by trade, so I know how to concoct poisons that would leave werewolves in pain, and I can tell which poisons are at work if I’m familiar with the symptoms……It would take a professional herbalist to mix an antidote together to save him, however. Whatever that vampire had used on him, it’s something way beyond my league." Dirk admitted. The girl then gave him a grim smile."That is part of the reason I was kidnapped. My mother had trained me in all sorts of herbal lore, so I know of all different kinds of poisons and their cures. That vampire wanted to make sure he could control this town’s medicine supply by holding me hostage." The girl said, as she boldly kneeled down beside the wounded dunpeal and placed a hand to his sweaty brow."A monopoly, in other words." the voice from before said again, thoughtfully. The girl and Dirk exchanged confused glances."Was that you?" the girl asked."Nope. Wasn’t me. And it wasn’t Marv, either." Dirk stated, then looked down at the dunpeal’s left hand. It was moving peculiarly; almost as though it had a mind and will of its’ own. It raised itself so that it was eye level with the two, then a face appeared in the palm."Howdy!" the left hand greeted, smirking when he saw a deadpan expression appear on Dirk’s face, and as a somewhat disbelieving look graced the girl’s daintier features."This poor sod has it bad." Dirk muttered, then added, "And I had thought I was the unlucky one!""Oh, come now! Don’t be like that! At least I don’t have a negative attitude!" the left hand argued, sounding a bit insulted by Dirk’s statement. Dirk’s expression remained the same."I only have your word against his. He would probably say a thing or two to the contrary, if he were conscious." Dirk said, matter-of-factly, as the girl allowed herself a slight chuckle, then got right down to business."I think I know the poison, but what I need to make the antidote is back at the house. Can you lift him?" the girl asked."I can try. Marv? Were you able to dilute it?" Dirk asked, as he returned his attention to his sword. The sword promptly removed itself from the wound for a moment, then shook itself in the way a human would shake his head. "Then we’re gonna have to hurry. Burdock." Dirk called, getting an immediate response from his horse in that it walked right up to him and lowered its’ front half."Good boy." Dirk murmured, as he carefully lifted the injured dunpeal onto the cyborg’s back, then mounted. With extreme care, the young hunter manipulated the other man so that he was sitting on the saddle, and Dirk was astride behind it (not the most comfortable position, granted, but it was all Dirk could do at this point). "What about me?" the girl asked, looking a bit miffed at having been forgotten."Do you think you can ride his horse?" Dirk asked, in turn, as he nodded to the dunpeal’s horse. The girl nodded."Yes." The girl replied, as she mounted the pitch-black cyborg with grace, then started riding in the direction of her home."I suppose we’re staying with her then?" Marv asked (who, by now, was cleaned off and back in his sheath)."Until this guy starts feeling better." Dirk said."Or until the master of the house kicks us out." Marv muttered."Shut up, Marv." Dirk grumbled, as he followed the girl into the lamp-lit part of town, and through the gates of a grand mansion."I hope this guy makes it. I have to do all I can to help, since I was the reason he got distracted in the midst of that fight." Dirk mused, silently, as they rode around to the back, where some servants waited anxiously for their young mistress’ return.

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