The Countess
Prologue
This story is for Spawnspectre, whose chat tonight got me in the mood to write this story. Oh yes there will be blood.
"Okay class, settle down," Stein said, "I want to welcome you to this new seminar course here at Shibusen entitled: Mythical Kishens: A History. I will start roll now." He looked at his print out. "Maka Albarn?" He said. Maka raised her hand. Soul sat next to her, looking frustrated. Last night he was going to race his friend on Gran Turismo 5 but Maka had forced him to go to bed to get up for this class. Black Star was snoozing, a thin trail of saliva flowing from his mouth. Tsubaki nudged him forcing snapping him out of his doze. Patty was drawing ducks on her notebook cover while Liz text messaged on her phone on how Kid's new medication made him less psychotic. Roll ended and for those paying attention the screen came down with a small whirr from its holding spot.
"Today for our first lesson we are going to talk about one of the first Vampire Kishens." Stein said.
"Vampires can't be Kishens because they have no soul!" Soul shouted. Maka elbowed him in the ribs hard.
"Mr. Evans here has been reading too many Twilight novels. If you had stayed awake for my class on Kishens last semester, Mr. Evans you would know that all paranormal entities from Aliens to Zombies have souls. Some are good and others are bad. Today we are talking about the worst." Stein said and clicked the next slide. "Anyone care to tell me who this is?" He said. Maka raised her hand.
"Countess Elizabeth Bathory 1560 to 1614 from Hungary, also known as the 'Blood Countess' or 'Blood Queen'" Maka said.
"Very good Ms. Albarn, pay attention to her, Mr. Evans, you'll learn something." Stein said and began his lecture.
"Countess Elizabeth Bathory had a pretty nasty skeleton in her closet. She believed that if she bathed in the blood of virgins she would remain youthful. She lured these young girls with the promise of work in her castle, some would even sell out the girls for favors or gifts, and some were beaten unconscious and taken away. All told, she murdered around 650 young women. She supposedly died while walled in a room in her Castle in 1614. However, there have been rumors she still exists in this world. A few modern day examples: 2008 Gloucester High School, 18 teen girls become pregnant as a part of a so-called pregnancy pact. This was going on as," Stein switched the slide to a mutilated corpse, the class winced, "Several Gloucester students who were a part of an abstinence education program were found in random places drained of blood. All were virgins." Stein said. Then a Voice came over a PA system in the room.
"Maka Albarn, Soul Evans, Black Star, Tsubaki Nakatsukasa, Death the Kid, and the Thompson sisters please report to Shinigami-sama's office now. I repeat those weapons and meisters please report to Shinigami-sama's office now." The voice said. Maka and the others grabbed their things.
"I wonder what he wants." Tsubaki said.
"Beats me, probably something big." Black Star said.
Somewhere in the Hungarian countryside
The fingerless corpse hung over the bathtub, its body black, covered in bruises. The veins had been slit carefully with scissors. A female sat in the tub as the blood dripped audibly in the quiet chamber. In life, this girl was only 15, young pretty, her skin soft and supple. The figure in the tub could remember how the girl could make her reach climax without fail. She always refused but in the end, she saw no choice. It was, please her, or die. Taking the sponge, she wrung the blood on her ample bosom, massaging her nipples, giving them a small tweak as she dreamed of the girl who had given her life for her mistress. Gasping she felt a stirring in her loins. She wanted to touch herself, down there, but it would taint the blood. She thought about other things. Feeling thirsty, she grabbed a goblet from her tray next to the tub, dipped it in the blood, and drank deeply. Three hundred and ninety seven years, not even hell could have held her that long.
Death City Nevada
"I am sure you are quite aware of Spartoi's place in preventing evil?" Shinigami-sama said.
"Yes sir," Maka said, "Quite aware."
"You heard Stein's lecture, on Bathory?" He said.
"Part of it, we were called out of class." Tsubaki said.
"There is a method to my madness here kids. You are all going to Hungary, Bajansenye to be exact. It is a small village of 558 people. There have been some homicides unsolved of course, bodies drained of blood, all virgins. We think it may be Bathory." Shinigami-sama said.
"Are you sure? Do we have proof?" Maka said.
"Proof? Hah, the great Black Star needs no proof! Just show me where that vampire is. I'll kill her and use her scalp as a decoration." Black Star shouted.
"Noggin Chop!" Shinigami-sama shouted and slammed his hand on the Ninja.
"I hope things will go well for all of you, I want her soul brought back here for study, so no eating it Soul!" Shinigami-sama said. The group looked at the mirror, a grey skied village looked back at them.
"Here goes nothing." Maka said.
TBC