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The Scarlet Hunter	By : naturechild02 Category: +S to Z > Vampire Hunter D Views: 2103 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 1
Disclaimer: I do not own rights to Vampire Hunter D or any of Hideyuki Kikuchi's works. I do not make any profit/monies from this story. This a fanfic written merely for the enjoyment of myself and others.

Chapter List
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Dawn was just breaking when he rode his horse into Lichen Valley. As the first light shone through the mountain peaks, he closed his eyes from the direct rays. Though he was a dhampir and not a true vampire, too much exposure to the sun would still harm him. In this lush mountain valley nestled the town of Haven. Well named, it was a refuge from the harsher lands to the east. The Noble’s weather devices were completely demolished in this part of the world and the earth had taken care of itself. But D’s thoughts were not on the beauty of this mysterious place.
It was still hard for him to believe how many humans and vampires alike now knew (and feared) his name. Every town within a hundred-mile radius of Haven had received a message to give to him should he pass through. And in a shabby little town east of here, a girl of about fifteen had shyly approached his horse.
“Please mister, are you known as the Vampire Hunter D?”
He had merely nodded his response and her face flushed when she looked at him. “Umm, well… there is a message, umm, for you from Haven.” Her hand shook as she lifted the piece of parchment toward him. He took it and she immediately ran off with a dreamy look in her eye.
“Well aren’t you popular,” his left hand muttered with a small cackle.

So here he was in Haven with the note still balled up in his right hand, wondering where the last century had flown to. The humans of this time were doing much better for themselves, some towns even having ‘aristocratic’ families. Those were the families that were doing so well with farming and livestock that they could afford servants in the house and fields. It had been a few years since he had been through this town and it had grown. There were many more houses and more windmills bringing water from deep underground. There were fields of produce stretching over the hills that armed men took shifts guarding day and night from the various monsters in the surrounding forest. The town now had a barrier (obviously with a force field) surrounding it that appeared as if it had been thrown up haphazardly overnight.
He stopped right in front of it and a man on the other side hailed him. “Speak your name and business and we will judge if you can pass.” The man’s voice was gruff but he only looked to be in his mid-thirties.
“I am D, the Hunter. I was summoned here by the Clemmons family.” His horse pawed the ground as he spoke. He heard the force field being turned off and two men opened the gate. They stared at him as he passed. There was a small group of armed men just inside the gate waiting for him. A man with graying hair in his fifties came up to him. He seemed taken aback by D’s beauty but quickly collected himself.
“I’m the mayor of this town. My name is Miles Harris. We’ll be escorting you to Mr. Clemmons’ house.” And he turned on his heel and walked away. D followed on his horse and the armed men surrounded him and indeed escorted him there. The Hunter wasn’t bothered by their presence in the slightest.
When the townspeople saw the small band of men coming, they grabbed up children and babies and headed indoors: a sight not unfamiliar to D. They walked to the far end of town where the houses were larger and spaced further apart. They stopped in front of a grand two-story house with large glass windows and a railed in porch. D dismounted and the mayor came close to him, out of earshot of the other men. Hate shown plainly in his eyes and he rank of expensive cologne.
“I just want you to know that your kind would not normally be welcome here but Daniel Clemmons was a well revered man in town and his son says that at this point, your help is ‘necessary’. All I can say is finish the job quickly and leave so my town can get back to our normal duties.” And with that he jerked his head at the others and they left.

When D turned back to the house, there was a boy standing on the porch looking very nervous. He slowly walked toward D and as he came closer, D could see him trembling. Not nervous, terrified.
“Cccould I take your horse to be… to be looked after, sir?”
D handed him the reins without a word, walked to the door, and knocked loudly.
Almost immediately the door opened and a girl said, “Please come in… oh!” She had stepped aside and swept her arm back gesturing for him to enter but froze when she saw his beautiful face. She turned crimson and ran into the adjacent room.
“Sssir, you you have a guest…” D heard her stammer.
“What in the world, Mary! Pull yourself together and show them in. No one wants to be left in the doorway.” A young man stepped in to find his guest and was startled to see D standing there clothed from head to toe in black Hunter attire. D promptly removed his hat and the man couldn’t help a small gasp escaping his lips.
“Well, this explains Mary’s odd behavior. You must be the Vampire Hunter, D. My name is Dathan Clemmons. Please come in the parlor and I will explain why I sent for you.”
He made the same sweeping gesture Mary had and D stepped inside the man's home, following him to the parlor. It was a small room but lavishly furnished with exquisite handmade chairs and beautifully woven rugs and tapestries on the walls. These people were obviously rich and loved to flaunt it.
Dathan sat in a chair by a window and D studied him for a moment. He seemed to be in his late twenties, rather young for the head of such a house. His hair was clean cut, his face recently shaved. His clothing was fashioned for style alone. He presented himself in a way that hinted he was used to getting what he wanted. He practically dripped charisma.
“Please be seated, this house does not show disrespect towards Hunters whether they be human or not.”
D was debating with himself whether he should sit or not when the door opened and a lovely young woman entered.
“Dathan, what has gotten into Mary? She came flying into the kitchen red as a cherry and could hardly speak a decent word.” She caught sight of the stranger and stopped. She blinked at him but said nothing.
“D, this is my sister Katherine. Katherine, this is the Hunter we are going to hire. If he will take the job of course.”
“How do you do?” she curtsied respectfully and took a seat opposite her brother. D could only nod in return. He was caught off guard. He wasn’t used to a girl looking at him and not gushing over his beauty. Most men even blushed in envy. But this girl had merely glanced at him and immediately dismissed him. As if she couldn't care less. He realized he hadn’t spoken a word yet so he turned to Dathan.
“If you would, please explain the details to me. This note,” - he held out the crumbled letter, - “tells me nothing about the vampire.”
“Yes, it is a long story that starts in the ruins in the forest beside town. These ruins were once the castle of a Noble that was run out years ago by a Vampire Hunter. Perhaps it was even you or someone you know. Anyhow, the place is still feared. There are even rumors that some of the old machines are still running. Whatever the case is, strange sounds have been heard by passing townspeople in the last few months. Soon people in town started to disappear and we began to suspect the worst. Another vampire taking refuge there perhaps?
“The mayor gathered a hunting party and stormed the place. They found the missing people, now vampire zombies, hiding in dark corners. They did the respectable thing and pulled them out into the sun and killed them all. There was a coffin hidden deeper inside but when they approached it, a hideous monster of a kind never seen before attacked them and killed half the men before they could make their escape. Then, one evening just before sunset, a figure in black was seen approaching the forest and terrible howls of pain were heard.
“The next day, the body of the beast was found outside of town, ripped to shreds. No one had been taken the previous night at all, for the first time in weeks. But, the vampire would not be stopped. The next night, another horrible beast attacked the patrolling men and two children were taken. Now, the place cannot be approached at all without the monster attacking. It is protecting its master. And the master is a cowardly vampire. But even so, there is not much we can do. We have lost twenty-three men now just to the monsters; many more villagers to the vampire. What is worse, a shadowy figure has been seen around Katherine’s window some nights and I fear she will soon be a victim. Now, to the point, I am willing to pay you to protect my dear sister. The townspeople have asked me to also pay you to kill the beast so we can get to the vampire.”
He named a price twice as large as the going rate for such a job. He stared at the Hunter in silence for a moment, perhaps trying to size him up. “If the price is not to your liking, we shall have to find someone else.”
D had listened to his speech in silence, staring right back without moving a muscle. Now he nodded. “It will do,” was all he said.
Dathan breathed a sigh of relief. “Good, now Katherine will show you around. Our grounds are extensive and I want you be familiar with the lay of the land. Katherine dear...”
His sister had been silently looking out the window during the conversation but at his gesture, she rose and with a “Follow me please,” exited out a back door. Dathan also rose.
“Half now, half after the job is completed, that is how it usually goes. I will count out your money while Katherine gives you the tour.”

The girl strolled along and pointed out the stables and gardens and orchard to D in a cheerful tone, as if nothing at all was amiss. She gave him a tour as if he were any stranger coming for a visit and not a Hunter here to protect her from harm. He couldn’t help himself as he asked, “Aren’t you even a little afraid of the vampire seeking your life?”
She glanced at him, a smirk touching her lips. In the dim light of the parlor she had looked lovely, but outside in the sunlight her true beauty now shone. Her lips were painted a dull pink, which made their poutiness a bit more noticeable. Her eyes were a slate blue like the sky on a rainy day. She couldn’t be more than eighteen but she held herself like an adult. The wind whipped her dark red hair into her face and she tugged it behind her as she said, “I believe my brother is overreacting to rumors. I do not believe the Noble is after me in particular. I would have heard someone at my window.” Her face showed no fear only what looked like… amusement?
“Vampires can be silent if they wish,” D muttered. Could this girl really be that naïve? Perhaps a beautiful face is all she had, and nothing in the head behind it. But something in her eyes said otherwise. He couldn’t put his finger on it, something knowing… familiar…
“Will you room with us tonight or is there somewhere else you wish to stay?” she asked.
“I will not be resting tonight.”
She smiled again. “I know, but it would be impolite not to at least ask. Would you like me to show you the fastest way to the ruins?”
D looked at her questioningly. “I wouldn’t think your brother would let you near them.”
“I have not been recently, but I used to play there when I was younger so I know the location. The stable boy Mark has been looking after your horse; we can stop by and mount up and I will take you there. It will not even take half an hour.” This girl was so carefree it was unnerving.
“I still don’t think you should go until I’ve checked it out.”
“Nonsense, I am safe if you are there and I am not going too close anyway. Not unless I want my head bitten off.” With that, she gathered her skirts and dashed off toward the stables. D stood there bewildered.
“What an airhead,” his left hand laughed scornfully, “I guess that’s how girls get when they have everything handed to them from birth.”

A few minutes later they were mounted and headed out towards the forest. She showed him a secret way through the force field. She had a device that cut through the beams in two areas and made a narrow walkway. “I have the only control to this so do not worry, no one else knows about it.”
“Where did you get it?”
“I made it.”
“You did? For what purpose? To sneak off with young boys?”
She wrinkled her nose. “How common do you think I am? My brother tries to find suitors for me but I will have none of that. What use have I for a suitor? I just like to walk in the woods by myself sometimes is why.” She said it with a straight enough face but for some reason D couldn’t believe that.
This girl is so strange, he thought. They went through the gate and after she reset the fence, they moved on into the forest. The sun was sinking lower and lower in the sky; it would be dusk soon. About ten meters in he began to feel an evil miasma, almost like a dark cloud. It grew stronger the further in they went. Suddenly, Katherine’s chocolate colored horse stopped. It wouldn’t go any further. And yet Katherine showed no signs of even feeling the evil aura except maybe a few beads of sweat on her forehead.
“Well, I guess I will not be going any further then. I would not want to ruin my dress on foot.” And she abruptly turned her horse around and left. “Just ahead, you cannot miss it!” she called over her shoulder.
“I can’t figure her out,” D muttered to himself.
“Stop worrying about that stupid girl and concentrate on what’s concentrating on you,” left hand said. And the purple eyes of the monster emerged from the trees ahead.
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The Scarlet Hunter