Tales of the vampire hunter

Chapter Three: Dracula: lietnaunts: Legion

Mortals fear Legion, for he is at once what they are and what they will become. His inner works are unknown, but this hulking behemoth of dead bodies has been known to rise again and again after his defeat. Many, alongside the Belmont family, believe that he is not the same Legion, but rather that he is recreated by Dracula every time his castle rises once again.

Fear Legion, for we are one, and he is many, in malice he relishes, on love he leaches.

"Oh but Mr. Helsing, I simply must show you around town."

Abraham had been training, curiously enough. He had never dabbled in the close range combat that so many other hunters held so very dear, mostly because he believed it to be the reason he had so few colleagues, but when you had spent what amounted to 400 silver coins in bits to have a sword crafted for you, then you'd want to make something out of it.

"Miss rarity, I don't know if you've realized yet, but I am not the most social person, for reasons too obvious to explain." He sheathed the sword in the scabbard carried on his back. His hat was lying next to the training dummy he had fashioned for his training, mostly because he didn't need to sweat more than he already did.

"Oh but there are so many ponies in town that I'm sure would be delighted to meet you."

Helsing had to do his best not to snort at that. Most of the ponies who had seen him on his way back from the hospital, that basically being half the town, had thrown him looks that ranged from scared to terrified. But that was to be expected, his look was made to intimidate and to protect. Not to attract unwanted attention, in truth that was exactly the opposite a hunter should do.

"But I was actually planning on going to the forest, miss Fluttershy offered to help me find some plants to help in my chemical research," he said, trying his best to find an excuse that didn't seem like an insult.

"Oh I'm sure that can wait mister Helsing. Because there's a special somepony I'd like you to meet." Rarity said, trying her best to sound innocent.

Helsing huffed slightly, wiping his eyebrows free of sweat, "it seems like I have no excuse, please lead the way to this special someone."

Rarity smile reached from ear to ear. She waved a hoof at Abraham who promptly picked up his hat and jumped over the small wooden fence that marked the Library's back garden. In truth he spent most of his time here. Either reading, training, or doing necessities like eating or sleeping, it all happened at the library.

So he hadn't gotten a good look at ponyville except the small portion he had seen from his trip back from the hospital.

Which had already given him a pretty good look of what the town had to offer.

As of yet he had seen the spa, which if rarity was to be believed was a wonderful place that Abraham definitely should visit at some point.

Even the concept of a spa scared Helsing more than he liked.

But there was one place he paid close attention to, he looked to be a forge, seeing as the stallion there was working an anvil. He was a light caramel like colour with a much darker brown mane. His cutie mark as Helsing had been told they were called was three horseshoes seemingly floating in midair. His hammer hit the metal block repeatedly creating melodic smacks.

"Who's that?" Helsing asked pointing towards the smith.

"Oh that's caramel," Rarity said, only now looking towards the brown stallion who turned at them, waving at Rarity. Helsing presumed that he had nothing to do with the smiths greetings.

"Come Mr. Helsing, let's go and say hello."

Abraham really had no choice but to follow. He had of course complied to go with Rarity on this leisure stroll. But this time he actually had business with the stallion here, at least he hoped he did.

"Hey there Rarity," Caramel said as he put the hammer down. Surprisingly he didn't look at all like a smith, he was rather skinny and nimble. But Helsing was living proof that strength wasn't as important as skill.

"Hello Caramel, I don't believe you've met mr. Helsing?" Rarity inclined her head back towards the hunter who literally towered over both of the ponies.

Caramel looked at the human skeptically before going into a kind smile, "if Rarity says good for you then you're welcome. Why don't you come inside?" He said, stepping to the side and inviting them in.

"Oh Caramel we'd love to, but were a bit...."

She didn't have any time to answer before Helsing stepped into the shop.

"..busy?" She said, looking towards the hunter.

Helsing sat down at the nearby table, hanging his hat on the chair which he was sitting in. He started pulling something off his back. That something was apparently his sword, he placed the sheathed weapon on the table, inclining for the smith to sit down opposite of him. Caramel complied with interest gleaming in his light blue eyes.

"What do you wish for?" Caramel asked in his best business like tones.

Helsing dug into his pouch, pulling out a plethora of silver coins. Caramel looked curiously at them, as if they were completely alien to him.

"What is this?" He asked, biting down on one of the coins and immediately pulling back as he realised how hard it was.

"This is silver," he said, holding one of the coins up, "a special metal from my world, incredibly expensive."

"What do you want for it?" Caramel said, his business tone suffering a slight crack because of his now damaged tooth.

"I want you to use half of it to line the edge of my sword," he said, pulling the steel blade out of its scabbard. The metal glowing slightly because of the light from the forge, "and I want you to take the other half as payment."

"What makes you think this is worth anything to me?" Caramel asked. Helsing knew he was faking, Caramel knew exactly what this metal was worth, so much that he might even try to cheat the hunter out of a few more coins.

Yet Helsing remained calm, he leaned back and closed his eyes, "you'd have the only shop in the entirety of Equestria that sells silver, you'd also be known as the first silversmith. Imagine going from being a small town blacksmith to being the sole exporter of Equestrias most priced metal."

Caramel was now looking greedily at the gleaming coins, he planted a hoof on Abrahams sword, extending the other towards the hunter. Helsing grasped it firmly, smiling beneath the bandana.

"Consider it done."

Rarity and Helsing greeted Caramel farewell, The blacksmith had been quite fascinated about the idea of working with the new metal, so he had gone to work as quickly as he could.

"Now then, shall we get going?" Rarity asked in a diplomatic voice. She had been slightly annoyed by Helsing's delaying of the trip.

"Of course miss Rarity, lead the way."

She giggled slightly, "just Rarity dear, no need for such addressing between friends."

"I have been called many things Rarity, friend is not one people normally use."

"Well what do they normally call you then?" She asked, her voice oblivious to the malice that had been in his.

"Murderer, beast, cannibal, freak, fiend, blemish upon gods earth are just a few I can remember off the top of my head.

Rarity looked shocked. Of course she would be, unlike humans, the ponies of Equestria seemed much more civil, maybe he just hadn't visited the right areas.

He had only really seen ponyville as far as culture goes.

"I-it would seem were here." Rarity stammered as they came to an abrupt halt.

Outside of the school.

Now Helsing, as he had mentioned before, had been called many things, and he was known as even more things. But he was never known as a person who's good with children. Or in this case fillies and colts.

"Ahh, Rarity, there you are, and I see you brought company."

A darkish purple mare was skipping towards them, and skipping really was the right word. It seemed as if her hooves only had contact with the earth one fourth of the time they should have.

"Good day miss Cheerilee, yes this is Van Helsing, the po- man you requested to meet." Rarity was quick to change the noun before it got to an uncomfortable discussion.

"Ahh yes, twilight told me about you last time she was here." The mare said as she turned towards Abraham, who was standing still as usual.

"Pleased," he said dryly, he really had no idea why he was here. So until he got an explanation then he was going to do his best to seem like a jackass. Not really a hard illusion to use when you are one.

Cheerilee just kept on smiling, oblivious to his displease.

"Why exactly am I here?" He asked, having gotten enough of his lack of knowledge.

"Well, I asked twilight if you'd like to visit the school so the students could get an insight into a job they've never heard of. But she just growled at me for interrupting her reading a new book. Something about a guy named Dracula, and you."

This was something Helsing knew all too well. As the newest inhabitant of the library, he knew how caught up twilight could get in her job. But according to her assistant spike, whom Helsing found to be fascinating, this was something entirely new. She apparently neglected all the other jobs of the house other than reading the book Helsing had brought with him. So normal day to day activities like cleaning and cooking were left to the males of the group.

"So you'd like for me to present my job for the class?" He asked. Raising a skeptical eyebrow that made his goggles move slightly. After that he moved them up to his forehead. They were mostly used in combat to make up for his poor vision, but in day to day life they were useless. In stead he replaced them with his normal round glasses, making him look slightly less menacing, slightly.

"Well, yes, I think it would be good for the children to learn of something unfamiliar." She said, at the same time eyeing over his attire. As usual it was with a slightly worried look.

Helsing shrugged slightly, "Fine, ill entertain the children with stories of horrid monstrosities, gruesome deaths and locals chasing me out of their town without paying me, until I force them to."

Cheerilee took a small step back, "maybe we should rethi-"

"Or I'll show them some more academic parts of my work, like what I make my weapons out of, how they work, and what plants I use to make different chemical cocktails."

Cheerilee's scared demeanor now turned to the smile Helsing had seen before, "that sounds like a much better idea. why don't you follow me so I can introduce you to the students?"

The teacher didn't wait for an answer, in stead turning around, this time walking back towards the entrance to the school. Rarity nodded at Helsing as he took his departure. He nodded back in the same fashion, not exactly the most kind farewell. But he had never believed in kind farewells, he liked to show people that they weren't just acquaintances, or in this case friends.

They were equals.

But as he stepped into the school and looked down to where Cheerilee was standing, a small classroom with the letters 3.c written on a board, he couldn't help buy whisper to himself.

"Time to impress these brats."