Disclaimer:
Konami owns the rights to Castlevania, a few items mentioned, and the Belmont family. Konami, PLEASE don't sue me. I may have gotten some geography wrong, but this is fantasy . Just have a good time reading the story.
Prologue: Dark Rites
"We summon the lord of all darkness. Make your appearance in this world again, O powerful one!"
This cry came from the castle of the ancient Lord Dracula, dead for nearly a century, but believed to have lived on unnaturally by some through the Romanian countryside. In the dark times that followed, these rumors would be confirmed many times over, but where we stand now, they remain just that, rumors.
"The time is right for your rebirth! Come back to this world, in life or death!"
In the castle's dusty ruins, a party of four stood before Dracula's coffin, placed in his bedroom, at the center of the castle, just as he asked before his horrible death. Having been found near death with blood draining from various bites on his neck and chest, the last words he uttered were, "Place me near the bed..." To this day most still don't understand the words, but the assembled few certainly did.
"In this place, your home, Castlevania, do we wait for your return! We offer ourselves, blood, and bodies, for your entrance into this world once again!"
The man chanting, no, screaming these words at this point, led the group into the ruined halls of Castlevania. His name was Samuel Worthington, an Englishman who had heard of the legend of Castlevania years ago. He quietly searched for those who could help him attain his goal, and having found the three who would help him complete the rites, he headed for Romania.
"Rise up, to feast upon the souls of those who oppose you! RISE UP, AND RECLAIM THIS WORLD FOR CHAOS!"
A bolt of utter darkness, so black that not even the many torches burning in the room could pierce it, came from the sky, some would say, the ground, others would tell you, and struck the coffin in the room before Samuel and his comrades.
"WHY AM I RETURNED FROM THE HELL WHICH DEATH PREPARED FOR ME?"
This was yelled by a voice that, with each word, sounded less like a demon and more like a human male. As the unholy darkness fled the room, those assembled could see that the speaker was a man in his mid-40s, with completely gray hair, and dressed in a black cape and suit.
"Lord Dracula, we came to return you to your former life, to rule this world as you nearly did before the hunter!", Samuel explained, his excitement not hidden at all.
"WHY DO YOU SEEK TO RUIN YOUR WORLD, TO MAKE IT INTO THE HELL I'VE JUST ESCAPED?"
"Because, O great one..."
"I AM NOT A 'GREAT ONE', NOR", and at this point, his voice lowered slowly, "did I wish to be. I was content when the hunter laid me to rest. Did he catch the beast who did this", and he pointed at his fangs, sticking out of his mouth in hunger, "to me?"
"Yes, Lord Dracula, however it killed him in the process. His granddaughter is the last remaining member of their family, and she is like all women, content to raise her babies and act as a mate for the largest brute that will accept her."
"What does this mean to me? I am nowhere near my full power, and wish to atone for the crimes I committed in this form through my damnation."
"But Lord, what if you could make this world the hell in which you atone?"
"For what reason? Nobody should suffer like I did, and you cannot change that fact."
"Ah, but I can. Look around your feet."
Dracula looked down, and saw the many symbols and runes drawn at his feet.
"For what reason did you do this? I worked dark magic, and know these runes. You have no reason to use such feeble spells of compulsion upon me!"
"Ah, but I did. For you don't seem to want to agree with my plans. You WILL be my weapon of revenge. I will use you to return the pain given to me by the living!
"What pain could make you wish to destroy your world, mortal? Nothing is that evil, save your black soul."
"Ah, but that is why. Those who practice my magics are stoned when found. Not all are like me, however, and before my family was killed, I worked the magic of healing. However, to the ignorant, magic must be evil, since it is new. "
"Then why not try to help them learn? To teach the others?"
"Because I want my revenge. And you missed a rune. That one underneath your left foot is a bodychange rune."
The resulting screams could be heard for miles, thanks to the echoes of Castlevania.
Chapter 1: Shadows and Substance
"Listen to me, young woman! You must believe me! The Dark One has returned!"
These were the words presented to young Sasha Belmont when the English stranger returned the next day from the ruined castle. The descendant of the man who killed the beast believed to be a vampire, Count Vlad Dracula, this was not the first time she had heard something similar from a person who had spent a night in the castle ruins.
"Listen, Mister... Samuel, was it? Should I see proof of this, I'll believe you, but until then, he's a skeleton in his bedroom to me. Now where are your traveling companions? Surely they can use a good meal before returning on the long trek to England?"
"They are dead, possibly undead, killed by the beast himself!"
She had heard this story before, also, usually from one who had partaken of a few too many ales at her inn before heading to the wreck. However, Samuel and his party hadn't had a thing to drink when they left for the ruins of... what was that name...? Something along the lines of Castlevainita, or close to it.
"Samuel, sit down, have an ale, and if they haven't come back by nightfall..."
"NO! I won't be here when they show up! Listen to me! Your ancestor killed m... it before, you must be able to!"
"Mister Worthington, for one thing, he SUPPOSEDLY killed it. Second, he was a he, I am a she. That makes this a little different. Third, I've just had a baby. You can see little Sonja behind me in her crib, can you not?"
"Yes, madam, but..."
"Well, you see another reason I can't go kill a vampire. And finally, why pick ME to try and do this? My blood? I think you have another reason, should you be telling the truth. Tell me in the morning."
"I don't plan to stay at night, I told you as much."
"Yes, but I DID drug your ale. We'll talk in the mor...", were the last things that the man formerly known as Vlad Dracula heard before falling asleep.
A few hours later, the sun had set over Transylvania, and the body of Samuel Worthington had been placed, sleeping, into the bed he had used part of the night before. Meanwhile, a young vampire in Castlevania, and Samuel's former companion, one Floyd Daniels, had set out for the inn at which he stayed the night before. When he found the building marked, "The Flaming Wench", named after a local legend (not that he cared, but he had been told the tale) involving a young dish cleaner at the inn and a 'dragon' which turned out to be a traveler's campfire. He entered, and with hood drawn, asked the innkeeper, our Sasha Belmont, if Samuel had returned and was ready for their journey.
"Why yes. He kept telling me that you were all vampires, and the like. Wait until morning and he'll have woken up by then."
"We need to leave now. Can I put him on my horse?"
"No, no. Too much motion while he sleeps could hurt him. I may have used too much of my sleeping tonic in his drink."
"I'll be careful. He'll ride on my horse."
"No, no. Just stay the night."
"Can I at least see him?"
"Yes, that you can."
"Good." Floyd paused a second, and then added, "Sleep."
Sasha stood for a second, blinked, said, "You're a va...", and fell asleep, as commanded.
Chapter 2: Dreams and Destruction
"Awake, light-child."
Sasha awoke to see a specter standing before her. He looked quite similar to her father, with a few changes.
"Sasha, my granddaughter, I enjoy seeing you. But I do not envy you your task. It falls to you to stop what I could not. The vampire walks again."
As she gasped, the specter of her grandfather nodded. "Yes, it did exist. Listen closely. The man you drugged is Vlad Dracula in mind, but not body. 100 years ago, he begged me to kill him, before he could claim a victim and lose his soul. Sadly, in the madness of his death, as he flailed from the pain of a stake in his heart, he knocked a servant out of his watchtower's window. The fates called this murder, and he was sentenced to hell. The man you thought him to be, Samuel Worthington, and his allies revived him through many dark rituals. In his thirst for revenge, no, don't ask me why, there isn't time, he used an ancient magic known as the bodychange. He has stolen the body of a vampire, and has used the blood of is comrades to fuel his power. Should he take Vlad's blood, he will be invincible."
"Stop him, my girl. The fates have decreed that you can take a holy artifact to do so. Choose wisely, this may be what saves the world."
The ghost lifted one arm, made a gesture, and three items appeared before Sasha. The first was a sword, glowing slightly in the dim room. Seeing her gaze fall upon the sword, he explained.
"The sword can cut through anything. Stone, flesh, steel... or a vampire's heart. Pick it up. You must choose with your words, not your hands."
Sasha lifted the weapon... and nearly severed her foot. It weighed a little too much to be of use to her. She placed it back, and looked at the next artifact, a crossbow that lay next to a full quiver.
"The crossbow and its quiver will never run out of bolt. Each bolt will explode, quite a small explosion, mind you, when it hits a target."
She lifted it, aimed at a particularly old and loud cat running through the street, and fired. It hissed... and burst into flames.
Her grandfather chuckled. "Quite a shot, dear. That cat may well be a descendant of the one that kept me awake when I ran the inn. The guests will sleep easier now, you can be certain. Finally, we come to the last artifact."
A whip lay before Sasha. She picked up an end...
and felt a power surge through her. "This one," she said without thinking.
"The Hunter's Whip, then? They say God Himself blessed it, and any blow landed will harm an undead creature more than a living one. Try it out on the vampire behind you stealing your guest."
The spirit faded slightly, but Sasha could see him before she turned to see the vampire who had put her to sleep taking Samue... no, Vlad, outside. He noticed her quickly, whip in hand, and became VERY frightened.
"Who are you to wake up so quickly from a vampire's charms?"
Before she knew it, Sasha responded, "A vampire hunter."
She lashed out with the whip, and where it connected, bloody streaks ran down Floyd's face.
"That burns like the flames of Hell! What is that thing?"
However, before he could hear her answer, the whip wrapped around his neck, a sign that this was the weapon she would use, and severed his head cleanly. It took about a minute before the stump even bled, the strike had been so neat.
Her grandfather whistled from behind her. "Quite good, Sasha, quite good. You were born to do this. Take this last gift, and listen." He handed her a belt, with a few items on it. The first was a cross. "This acts like a boomerang. Throw it, and any wound it strikes on the undead will continue to burn, and cannot be healed by their natural regeneration." The next item was a small vial, or a row of them. "These are specially made holy water. Throw it at the ground, and stand back. You won't run out, the belt is also magical." Finally, a small watch. "That will stop time for 10 seconds. Use it wisely, it may be enough for one crucial hit. I hate to leave you so, but save Vlad."
Sasha quickly turned to see the two other men from the previous night steal the sleeping man and run out.
Chapter 3: Vampires and Violence
"Good, you brought him. Only a few hours to the full moon rising, and then I'll be invincible! A man to challenge God Himself!"
The man who had become Dracula stood above his prey, waiting for the moon to rise. In two hours, the full moon would rise, and the ritual that would bring him eternal life could be completed. Once the blood of his own body reentered his veins, he would fear nothing, save sunlight, ever again. And then, his revenge could finally begin to save Europe from the church. Was it not they who had taught the people to kill those who were different? After the church fell, he could...
"Sire! There is a downside to this news. The third vampire you sent, Floyd... he was killed. By the innkeeper."
"A female killed the most powerful of you three? Impossible. Next you'll tell me that God has become jealous of Satan's power and they jointly rule Hell now."
"We joke not. Look under the cloak that your form wears."
At these words, Samuel... no, he must think of himself now as Dracula, noticed that the cloak his abandoned body wore seemed somewhat lumpy. He lifted a fold of the cloak, only to find the head of his most powerful vampire underling at this feet.
"HOW DID THIS HAPPEN, DAMN YOU? TELL ME EVERYTHING!"
The weakest vampire, a young man of 21 years before meeting Dracula, spoke first. "Floyd entered the inn, and tried to take the body. However, the innkeeper had put him to sleep after hearing his tales that you lived. Floyd used a charm to make her sleep, and we watched outside. A few minutes later, we heard the girl's voice, as if she spoke in her sleep."
The other who had gone to the village, a young woman they party found in a swamp shack named Camilla, spoke next. "As we heard Floyd come down the stairs, we looked inside and saw that he had the body. We quickly went to saddle up the horses, and heard him yelling. The bitch had taken his head off with a whip when we looked in, and then turned to talk to the air behind her. We ran in, grabbed the body and head, and ran to your castle."
"YOU FOOLS! Now she knows where we are, she has a weapon that can kill all save me, and probably wishes vengeance. Camilla! Raise some undead from the skeletons in the castle."
As Camilla walked off and the youngest vampire left to guard the castle's gates, Dracula sat above the sleeping man, waiting for the moon to finish rising, to allow him to steal the strength to rule the lands he had just traveled through.
While this scene took place, Sasha had saddled her horse and headed for the ruined castle on the hill. About an hour later, she wasn't surprised to see the youngest vampire from the inn standing at the gates.
"Hello there, vampire hunter. You may have killed my comrade, but you don't have surprise on your side this time!"
"I don't, do I? Then you should anticipate this next trick, beast!" With those words, Sasha reached towards her belt, not toward her whip, but for the boomerang at her left hip. However, the vampire did expect enough to dodge the blunt of the blow, which in this case meant that only the part of his leg from the knee down was severed.
"How in the hell can you keep chopping of the body parts of your superiors without any regard for their feelings?" taunted the vampire.
"How are you not IN hell?" Sasha retorted.
"Touche."
As the boomerang returned, the huntress put it at her hip and drew the whip in one fast motion, striking the fledgling vampire in the chest. She rode on, letting the undead fiend bleed to death, something only possible for humans and vampires to do. Quickly, she jumped from the horse across the breaking drawbridge beneath the horse's hooves, and yelled at the creature, telling it to return to the village.
After walking through some of the rooms near Castlevania's (yes, that was the name, Sasha thought) entrance, she was somewhat surprised to have a skeleton grab her heel. The language she uttered before killing the hand was quite foul indeed, and would shock to this day. Somehow, she was not surprised to find more undead, in too many varieties to count, in the rest of the castle. Finally, she found a hallway where torches had been lit.
"Welcome, undead killer," a female voice greeted her upon arrival. "I am Lady Camilla of the church of Dracula. You will soon worship him as a god with the rest of your race, should I let you live."
"Only if your kind does not die out first."
"A challenge? Very well. To the death, and to Hell with you!"
Chapter 4: Confrontations and Conclusion
The first blow was landed by a vampire, this time. Camilla, a truly powerful witch of the black arts before training under the mortal-made- vampire then known as Samuel. However, after spending months with him, she surpassed all save her tutor, and could easily kill with her skills, whether the victim was dead, living or demon. With this in mind, she had no trouble launching a ball of green flames at the huntress. She did have trouble believing that the woman could take the blow and live, which she did.
"You truly are a hunter of the undead! Very well, take this!"
The next spell was a globe of the darkest black, which would destroy anything living that it touched. However, the Hunter's Whip wasn't living, and shattered the ball at a touch. It also shattered Camilla's wrist after a quick tug. The scream she let loose was a thing that banshees would have trouble competing with.
With a broken wrist keeping her from casting spells, Camilla launched herself into the fray of battle, and quickly regretted it. Within a few seconds, Sasha had thrown a vial at the ground, which burst into flames the color of a clear sky. Try as she might, Camilla could not extinguish them, even as she lay dying and rolling around on the stones beneath her feet.
Since the undead had been slain with Camilla, the route to Dracula was quite uneventful. However, when she arrived, the moon had already risen, and Dracula had almost taken every drop of blood from the man at his feet. Sasha's response was quite quick, as she used the watch at her belt and ran towards the vampire lord.
With a few seconds left and very little time before Dracula would become immortal, she chose the fastest remedy to the problem. Sasha whipped his fangs off.
Time started anew, and Dracula's cry of pain was almost as loud as Camilla's had been. "You bitch!" he screamed. "You have kept me from becoming a god! Your death shall be more painful than anyone else could make it!"
"Try it, hellspawn! Should you succeed, at least I won't see you ruin my homeland!"
With those words, Sasha drew her whip and charged at the enraged creature. After landing the first blow, however, she began to glow with a faint white light. With each successful hit, she grew faster, stronger, and brighter. Finally, the glow became a separate being, an angel with a sword in hand, striking the vampire lord multiple times per second. Finally, it stopped, and all assembled listened to its words.
"Demon of Hell, your unlife ends here! You shall rule this castle, but it and you shall rule only in Hell! The man you seeked to slay shall also end his life here and now, but his fate shall differ from yours immensely! Vampire huntress, you alone may leave this castle alive. Keep the weapons you bear, your family will use them again! Go now, this castle shall soon leave this plane entirely!"
Epilogue: Gates of Heaven, Gates of Hell
Sasha went on to raise her daughter Sonja, and taught her to use the weapons granted by Heaven and its guardians. After Sasha passed away, Sonja kept looking for the castle her mother had told her about. One day, she found it, but that's a story for another time, and another storyteller.
"What is this place?"
"Lost soul, you are in heaven, the final resting place of the good and just."
"How did I end up here?"
"The angel who came to Earth saw the goodness in your heart, unclouded and pure, and since you were no longer in the body of a vampire, your soul could not be returned to Hell."
"Thank you."
"WHY COULD I NOT RULE EARTH?"
Finally, after days of sitting in the restored and now sentient evil known as Castlevania, the man who had become Dracula would get an answer.
*YOU COULD NOT RULE EARTH SINCE YOU ARE WEAKER THAN I, AND IF I CANNOT HAVE EARTH, YOU WILL MOST DEFINITELY NOT!*
"Who are you?" he replied nervously.
*WHO AM I? I AM YOUR NEW GOD, VAMPIRE!*
"Damn you! Damn you to Hell!"
*DAMN ME TO HELL? THIS IS HELL, AND I RULE HERE, FOOLISH THING!*
Konami owns the rights to Castlevania, a few items mentioned, and the Belmont family. Konami, PLEASE don't sue me. I may have gotten some geography wrong, but this is fantasy . Just have a good time reading the story.
Prologue: Dark Rites
"We summon the lord of all darkness. Make your appearance in this world again, O powerful one!"
This cry came from the castle of the ancient Lord Dracula, dead for nearly a century, but believed to have lived on unnaturally by some through the Romanian countryside. In the dark times that followed, these rumors would be confirmed many times over, but where we stand now, they remain just that, rumors.
"The time is right for your rebirth! Come back to this world, in life or death!"
In the castle's dusty ruins, a party of four stood before Dracula's coffin, placed in his bedroom, at the center of the castle, just as he asked before his horrible death. Having been found near death with blood draining from various bites on his neck and chest, the last words he uttered were, "Place me near the bed..." To this day most still don't understand the words, but the assembled few certainly did.
"In this place, your home, Castlevania, do we wait for your return! We offer ourselves, blood, and bodies, for your entrance into this world once again!"
The man chanting, no, screaming these words at this point, led the group into the ruined halls of Castlevania. His name was Samuel Worthington, an Englishman who had heard of the legend of Castlevania years ago. He quietly searched for those who could help him attain his goal, and having found the three who would help him complete the rites, he headed for Romania.
"Rise up, to feast upon the souls of those who oppose you! RISE UP, AND RECLAIM THIS WORLD FOR CHAOS!"
A bolt of utter darkness, so black that not even the many torches burning in the room could pierce it, came from the sky, some would say, the ground, others would tell you, and struck the coffin in the room before Samuel and his comrades.
"WHY AM I RETURNED FROM THE HELL WHICH DEATH PREPARED FOR ME?"
This was yelled by a voice that, with each word, sounded less like a demon and more like a human male. As the unholy darkness fled the room, those assembled could see that the speaker was a man in his mid-40s, with completely gray hair, and dressed in a black cape and suit.
"Lord Dracula, we came to return you to your former life, to rule this world as you nearly did before the hunter!", Samuel explained, his excitement not hidden at all.
"WHY DO YOU SEEK TO RUIN YOUR WORLD, TO MAKE IT INTO THE HELL I'VE JUST ESCAPED?"
"Because, O great one..."
"I AM NOT A 'GREAT ONE', NOR", and at this point, his voice lowered slowly, "did I wish to be. I was content when the hunter laid me to rest. Did he catch the beast who did this", and he pointed at his fangs, sticking out of his mouth in hunger, "to me?"
"Yes, Lord Dracula, however it killed him in the process. His granddaughter is the last remaining member of their family, and she is like all women, content to raise her babies and act as a mate for the largest brute that will accept her."
"What does this mean to me? I am nowhere near my full power, and wish to atone for the crimes I committed in this form through my damnation."
"But Lord, what if you could make this world the hell in which you atone?"
"For what reason? Nobody should suffer like I did, and you cannot change that fact."
"Ah, but I can. Look around your feet."
Dracula looked down, and saw the many symbols and runes drawn at his feet.
"For what reason did you do this? I worked dark magic, and know these runes. You have no reason to use such feeble spells of compulsion upon me!"
"Ah, but I did. For you don't seem to want to agree with my plans. You WILL be my weapon of revenge. I will use you to return the pain given to me by the living!
"What pain could make you wish to destroy your world, mortal? Nothing is that evil, save your black soul."
"Ah, but that is why. Those who practice my magics are stoned when found. Not all are like me, however, and before my family was killed, I worked the magic of healing. However, to the ignorant, magic must be evil, since it is new. "
"Then why not try to help them learn? To teach the others?"
"Because I want my revenge. And you missed a rune. That one underneath your left foot is a bodychange rune."
The resulting screams could be heard for miles, thanks to the echoes of Castlevania.
Chapter 1: Shadows and Substance
"Listen to me, young woman! You must believe me! The Dark One has returned!"
These were the words presented to young Sasha Belmont when the English stranger returned the next day from the ruined castle. The descendant of the man who killed the beast believed to be a vampire, Count Vlad Dracula, this was not the first time she had heard something similar from a person who had spent a night in the castle ruins.
"Listen, Mister... Samuel, was it? Should I see proof of this, I'll believe you, but until then, he's a skeleton in his bedroom to me. Now where are your traveling companions? Surely they can use a good meal before returning on the long trek to England?"
"They are dead, possibly undead, killed by the beast himself!"
She had heard this story before, also, usually from one who had partaken of a few too many ales at her inn before heading to the wreck. However, Samuel and his party hadn't had a thing to drink when they left for the ruins of... what was that name...? Something along the lines of Castlevainita, or close to it.
"Samuel, sit down, have an ale, and if they haven't come back by nightfall..."
"NO! I won't be here when they show up! Listen to me! Your ancestor killed m... it before, you must be able to!"
"Mister Worthington, for one thing, he SUPPOSEDLY killed it. Second, he was a he, I am a she. That makes this a little different. Third, I've just had a baby. You can see little Sonja behind me in her crib, can you not?"
"Yes, madam, but..."
"Well, you see another reason I can't go kill a vampire. And finally, why pick ME to try and do this? My blood? I think you have another reason, should you be telling the truth. Tell me in the morning."
"I don't plan to stay at night, I told you as much."
"Yes, but I DID drug your ale. We'll talk in the mor...", were the last things that the man formerly known as Vlad Dracula heard before falling asleep.
A few hours later, the sun had set over Transylvania, and the body of Samuel Worthington had been placed, sleeping, into the bed he had used part of the night before. Meanwhile, a young vampire in Castlevania, and Samuel's former companion, one Floyd Daniels, had set out for the inn at which he stayed the night before. When he found the building marked, "The Flaming Wench", named after a local legend (not that he cared, but he had been told the tale) involving a young dish cleaner at the inn and a 'dragon' which turned out to be a traveler's campfire. He entered, and with hood drawn, asked the innkeeper, our Sasha Belmont, if Samuel had returned and was ready for their journey.
"Why yes. He kept telling me that you were all vampires, and the like. Wait until morning and he'll have woken up by then."
"We need to leave now. Can I put him on my horse?"
"No, no. Too much motion while he sleeps could hurt him. I may have used too much of my sleeping tonic in his drink."
"I'll be careful. He'll ride on my horse."
"No, no. Just stay the night."
"Can I at least see him?"
"Yes, that you can."
"Good." Floyd paused a second, and then added, "Sleep."
Sasha stood for a second, blinked, said, "You're a va...", and fell asleep, as commanded.
Chapter 2: Dreams and Destruction
"Awake, light-child."
Sasha awoke to see a specter standing before her. He looked quite similar to her father, with a few changes.
"Sasha, my granddaughter, I enjoy seeing you. But I do not envy you your task. It falls to you to stop what I could not. The vampire walks again."
As she gasped, the specter of her grandfather nodded. "Yes, it did exist. Listen closely. The man you drugged is Vlad Dracula in mind, but not body. 100 years ago, he begged me to kill him, before he could claim a victim and lose his soul. Sadly, in the madness of his death, as he flailed from the pain of a stake in his heart, he knocked a servant out of his watchtower's window. The fates called this murder, and he was sentenced to hell. The man you thought him to be, Samuel Worthington, and his allies revived him through many dark rituals. In his thirst for revenge, no, don't ask me why, there isn't time, he used an ancient magic known as the bodychange. He has stolen the body of a vampire, and has used the blood of is comrades to fuel his power. Should he take Vlad's blood, he will be invincible."
"Stop him, my girl. The fates have decreed that you can take a holy artifact to do so. Choose wisely, this may be what saves the world."
The ghost lifted one arm, made a gesture, and three items appeared before Sasha. The first was a sword, glowing slightly in the dim room. Seeing her gaze fall upon the sword, he explained.
"The sword can cut through anything. Stone, flesh, steel... or a vampire's heart. Pick it up. You must choose with your words, not your hands."
Sasha lifted the weapon... and nearly severed her foot. It weighed a little too much to be of use to her. She placed it back, and looked at the next artifact, a crossbow that lay next to a full quiver.
"The crossbow and its quiver will never run out of bolt. Each bolt will explode, quite a small explosion, mind you, when it hits a target."
She lifted it, aimed at a particularly old and loud cat running through the street, and fired. It hissed... and burst into flames.
Her grandfather chuckled. "Quite a shot, dear. That cat may well be a descendant of the one that kept me awake when I ran the inn. The guests will sleep easier now, you can be certain. Finally, we come to the last artifact."
A whip lay before Sasha. She picked up an end...
and felt a power surge through her. "This one," she said without thinking.
"The Hunter's Whip, then? They say God Himself blessed it, and any blow landed will harm an undead creature more than a living one. Try it out on the vampire behind you stealing your guest."
The spirit faded slightly, but Sasha could see him before she turned to see the vampire who had put her to sleep taking Samue... no, Vlad, outside. He noticed her quickly, whip in hand, and became VERY frightened.
"Who are you to wake up so quickly from a vampire's charms?"
Before she knew it, Sasha responded, "A vampire hunter."
She lashed out with the whip, and where it connected, bloody streaks ran down Floyd's face.
"That burns like the flames of Hell! What is that thing?"
However, before he could hear her answer, the whip wrapped around his neck, a sign that this was the weapon she would use, and severed his head cleanly. It took about a minute before the stump even bled, the strike had been so neat.
Her grandfather whistled from behind her. "Quite good, Sasha, quite good. You were born to do this. Take this last gift, and listen." He handed her a belt, with a few items on it. The first was a cross. "This acts like a boomerang. Throw it, and any wound it strikes on the undead will continue to burn, and cannot be healed by their natural regeneration." The next item was a small vial, or a row of them. "These are specially made holy water. Throw it at the ground, and stand back. You won't run out, the belt is also magical." Finally, a small watch. "That will stop time for 10 seconds. Use it wisely, it may be enough for one crucial hit. I hate to leave you so, but save Vlad."
Sasha quickly turned to see the two other men from the previous night steal the sleeping man and run out.
Chapter 3: Vampires and Violence
"Good, you brought him. Only a few hours to the full moon rising, and then I'll be invincible! A man to challenge God Himself!"
The man who had become Dracula stood above his prey, waiting for the moon to rise. In two hours, the full moon would rise, and the ritual that would bring him eternal life could be completed. Once the blood of his own body reentered his veins, he would fear nothing, save sunlight, ever again. And then, his revenge could finally begin to save Europe from the church. Was it not they who had taught the people to kill those who were different? After the church fell, he could...
"Sire! There is a downside to this news. The third vampire you sent, Floyd... he was killed. By the innkeeper."
"A female killed the most powerful of you three? Impossible. Next you'll tell me that God has become jealous of Satan's power and they jointly rule Hell now."
"We joke not. Look under the cloak that your form wears."
At these words, Samuel... no, he must think of himself now as Dracula, noticed that the cloak his abandoned body wore seemed somewhat lumpy. He lifted a fold of the cloak, only to find the head of his most powerful vampire underling at this feet.
"HOW DID THIS HAPPEN, DAMN YOU? TELL ME EVERYTHING!"
The weakest vampire, a young man of 21 years before meeting Dracula, spoke first. "Floyd entered the inn, and tried to take the body. However, the innkeeper had put him to sleep after hearing his tales that you lived. Floyd used a charm to make her sleep, and we watched outside. A few minutes later, we heard the girl's voice, as if she spoke in her sleep."
The other who had gone to the village, a young woman they party found in a swamp shack named Camilla, spoke next. "As we heard Floyd come down the stairs, we looked inside and saw that he had the body. We quickly went to saddle up the horses, and heard him yelling. The bitch had taken his head off with a whip when we looked in, and then turned to talk to the air behind her. We ran in, grabbed the body and head, and ran to your castle."
"YOU FOOLS! Now she knows where we are, she has a weapon that can kill all save me, and probably wishes vengeance. Camilla! Raise some undead from the skeletons in the castle."
As Camilla walked off and the youngest vampire left to guard the castle's gates, Dracula sat above the sleeping man, waiting for the moon to finish rising, to allow him to steal the strength to rule the lands he had just traveled through.
While this scene took place, Sasha had saddled her horse and headed for the ruined castle on the hill. About an hour later, she wasn't surprised to see the youngest vampire from the inn standing at the gates.
"Hello there, vampire hunter. You may have killed my comrade, but you don't have surprise on your side this time!"
"I don't, do I? Then you should anticipate this next trick, beast!" With those words, Sasha reached towards her belt, not toward her whip, but for the boomerang at her left hip. However, the vampire did expect enough to dodge the blunt of the blow, which in this case meant that only the part of his leg from the knee down was severed.
"How in the hell can you keep chopping of the body parts of your superiors without any regard for their feelings?" taunted the vampire.
"How are you not IN hell?" Sasha retorted.
"Touche."
As the boomerang returned, the huntress put it at her hip and drew the whip in one fast motion, striking the fledgling vampire in the chest. She rode on, letting the undead fiend bleed to death, something only possible for humans and vampires to do. Quickly, she jumped from the horse across the breaking drawbridge beneath the horse's hooves, and yelled at the creature, telling it to return to the village.
After walking through some of the rooms near Castlevania's (yes, that was the name, Sasha thought) entrance, she was somewhat surprised to have a skeleton grab her heel. The language she uttered before killing the hand was quite foul indeed, and would shock to this day. Somehow, she was not surprised to find more undead, in too many varieties to count, in the rest of the castle. Finally, she found a hallway where torches had been lit.
"Welcome, undead killer," a female voice greeted her upon arrival. "I am Lady Camilla of the church of Dracula. You will soon worship him as a god with the rest of your race, should I let you live."
"Only if your kind does not die out first."
"A challenge? Very well. To the death, and to Hell with you!"
Chapter 4: Confrontations and Conclusion
The first blow was landed by a vampire, this time. Camilla, a truly powerful witch of the black arts before training under the mortal-made- vampire then known as Samuel. However, after spending months with him, she surpassed all save her tutor, and could easily kill with her skills, whether the victim was dead, living or demon. With this in mind, she had no trouble launching a ball of green flames at the huntress. She did have trouble believing that the woman could take the blow and live, which she did.
"You truly are a hunter of the undead! Very well, take this!"
The next spell was a globe of the darkest black, which would destroy anything living that it touched. However, the Hunter's Whip wasn't living, and shattered the ball at a touch. It also shattered Camilla's wrist after a quick tug. The scream she let loose was a thing that banshees would have trouble competing with.
With a broken wrist keeping her from casting spells, Camilla launched herself into the fray of battle, and quickly regretted it. Within a few seconds, Sasha had thrown a vial at the ground, which burst into flames the color of a clear sky. Try as she might, Camilla could not extinguish them, even as she lay dying and rolling around on the stones beneath her feet.
Since the undead had been slain with Camilla, the route to Dracula was quite uneventful. However, when she arrived, the moon had already risen, and Dracula had almost taken every drop of blood from the man at his feet. Sasha's response was quite quick, as she used the watch at her belt and ran towards the vampire lord.
With a few seconds left and very little time before Dracula would become immortal, she chose the fastest remedy to the problem. Sasha whipped his fangs off.
Time started anew, and Dracula's cry of pain was almost as loud as Camilla's had been. "You bitch!" he screamed. "You have kept me from becoming a god! Your death shall be more painful than anyone else could make it!"
"Try it, hellspawn! Should you succeed, at least I won't see you ruin my homeland!"
With those words, Sasha drew her whip and charged at the enraged creature. After landing the first blow, however, she began to glow with a faint white light. With each successful hit, she grew faster, stronger, and brighter. Finally, the glow became a separate being, an angel with a sword in hand, striking the vampire lord multiple times per second. Finally, it stopped, and all assembled listened to its words.
"Demon of Hell, your unlife ends here! You shall rule this castle, but it and you shall rule only in Hell! The man you seeked to slay shall also end his life here and now, but his fate shall differ from yours immensely! Vampire huntress, you alone may leave this castle alive. Keep the weapons you bear, your family will use them again! Go now, this castle shall soon leave this plane entirely!"
Epilogue: Gates of Heaven, Gates of Hell
Sasha went on to raise her daughter Sonja, and taught her to use the weapons granted by Heaven and its guardians. After Sasha passed away, Sonja kept looking for the castle her mother had told her about. One day, she found it, but that's a story for another time, and another storyteller.
"What is this place?"
"Lost soul, you are in heaven, the final resting place of the good and just."
"How did I end up here?"
"The angel who came to Earth saw the goodness in your heart, unclouded and pure, and since you were no longer in the body of a vampire, your soul could not be returned to Hell."
"Thank you."
"WHY COULD I NOT RULE EARTH?"
Finally, after days of sitting in the restored and now sentient evil known as Castlevania, the man who had become Dracula would get an answer.
*YOU COULD NOT RULE EARTH SINCE YOU ARE WEAKER THAN I, AND IF I CANNOT HAVE EARTH, YOU WILL MOST DEFINITELY NOT!*
"Who are you?" he replied nervously.
*WHO AM I? I AM YOUR NEW GOD, VAMPIRE!*
"Damn you! Damn you to Hell!"
*DAMN ME TO HELL? THIS IS HELL, AND I RULE HERE, FOOLISH THING!*