Vampire Hunter D: Stolen Sunlight

Chapter 20

D left his companion behind with a slight sense of trepidation. He knew logically that she would only be a detriment where he was going, but a small part of his mind wouldn't let go of the thought that they still had no idea how far that man would be willing to go to get what he wanted. His only consolation was the fact that he had left her in one of the most fortified towns nearby. He knew it wouldn't pose much of a block for his nemesis, but from all other issues she would be safe. It would have to be enough for now.

Pushing his concerns to the back of his mind he sped up. The quicker he finished the search the faster he could return. He barely paid heed to the voice of his constant companion, instead he tried to focus on what he might find. The only true words of wisdom Lefty had, were those of caution. There was no telling what they might run into while searching.

It was late afternoon when he finally slowed his horse. Ahead of him stood towering piles of rubble. If a person came through and didn't know what they were looking at, there would be no way they could guess it used to be one of the largest complexes for the Nobility outside of the Capital. It was one of the first built by the Sacred Ancestor once the Nobility had seized control. It wasn't the only facility he built, or the largest, but it still held many dark secrets most thought lost.

D navigated to a part of the destroyed complex near the center. He had to crawl over several portions of rubble and move large sections out of his way, but he knew what he was looking for and right where to find it. It was only a matter of time until he dug down far enough to expose a crumbling staircase. It looked to be in worse shape than it actually was. D descended into the darkness, only stopping when he reached a large set of doors. He reached out and a blue glow enveloped him before the door opened with a pop.

The room lit with a soft glow as soon as D entered. Unlike the last facility that Leigh had uncovered, that one seemed to go on for miles. The entrance hall was nearly as large as the single room had been but there were doors that lined the walls instead of monitors. D had been there when the complex was still standing and knew what he was looking for. Most of the doors went to various rooms filled with specific experiments, lodging for the scientists, and a few had millennia worth of research. It was those last that D had come for. Most of the research had been digitalized but there were still several rooms worth that were in nothing but written format.

During his search for the first room on his list he ran into a few monsters and other security measures that had been put in place to keep the world at bay. None even slowed the hunter down, but he did feel a slight apprehension that they were the worst he had run into yet. He had felt that his intrusion would be one that might warrant a more personal approach. The fact that he hadn't yet faced a single vampire had him slightly worried. Not that he would be worried about the encounter, but the lack of resistance had his mind on high alert, and if he dared admit it, his worry for the companion he left behind increased.

He first moved to the room that contained the computers. It didn't take him long, with Lefty's help, to access the ancient machines. It took longer for him to sort through the data, but since he knew what he was looking for, most of it was irrelevant and was pushed to the side for further scrutiny if no other information turned up.

When that search proved to be fruitless, D turned to the first of the large libraries. There were so many books that if D had been a lesser man he would have despaired at the idea of leafing through them. As it was, he was able to skim the titles and pull out several to start with that he felt could be relevant. By that time, it was already well into the night, but D didn't show any signs of slowing down. When his companion thought to remind him to rest, he brushed it off without comment.