Walking into the dark caverns below the castle, I slowly drew my blade. I knew that there were to be monsters beyond my imagination below, and after years of training my hunters instincts, I felt that I was ready to take them all on...This, however, still did not stop me from shaking within my boots, as the corridors echoed with the sounds of beast ripping into the flesh of their former victims.
I reached my hand forward to take an unlit torch from the wall, but as my hand grew near, the tip burst into flames, and a whole line of torches lit themselves, almost as if there was some sort of magical force guiding me down into the depths.
As I took my journey down into the depths of the cavern, my eyes adjusted to the dim lighting. What I saw as I walked could only be described as hell. There were bodies crucified along the wall in an upside down manner, and the blood from their bodies dripped down into a trench that had been dug by some creature, causing it to flow downward like a demonic stream. Some of the bodies had been cut open, and appeared to have been feasted on by some sort of being with razor sharp teeth...I pray that I do not end up with the same fate as they.
I'm nearing the end of the corridor. I know this from how the sounds have grown louder, and more violent. Sweat trickling down my neck, I tighten the grip on my sword, and exit into a room filled with what could only be called demons.
A bat-like humanoid creature was the first to recognize me. Letting out a shrill cry, it alerted the other demons to my presence. There was no chance of getting away anymore. I had dived into hell, and now it was time to fight my way through the hordes.
I dashed forward as the first of many demons moved in to attack me. From the looks of it, the demon seemed to be a Lycan of some sort, as it attempted to cleave me in half with it's long, wolf-like, claws. Narrowly dodging to the side, I slid my blade across it's stomach, leaving a large gash. The demon howled in agony as it ran off to tend to it's wound, and in it's place came forth the bat-like creature.
Using it's speed to it's advantage, the demon began to fly in circles around me. Probably in an attempt to disrupt my senses...However, the trick was on it. As I flicked back my cloak, a small crossbow was reviled. It's bolts were made of a blessed silver, made from a melted down cross. I quickly took aim as the demon flew around me, and when it finally tried to move in for the kill, I fired a bolt into it's head. It's body fell to the ground with a thud. The other demons looked forward at their enemy, and knew that they could not hold back if they hoped to defeat him.
Looking around, I knew that I was going to have to step up my game, as the rest of the demons moved in to strike. There was no time to hesitate. I shot the last two bolts from by crossbow into two more winged demons, an dodged the trident of another, as I broke a vial of holy water on it's chest, causing it to dissolve slowly. It's screams deterred a few of it's demon brethren, however there were still hundreds willing to kill, and none of them were going to be easy to defeat.
I braced myself, for what I knew could well be my last battle, and slowly walked towards my enemies. If I am to die, I'm going to make sure I take out as many of them with me as I can.
My blade and instinct guiding me, I attacked what appeared to be a large featherless bird, carrying a spear. My blade slid effortlessly through it's neck, and before I knew it the beast was dead, but my victory over that opponent was to be short lived, as I felt a scorching heat, like that from a flame, repeatedly assault my back. Quickly dodging to the side, I turned around and spotted my assailant. It was a dark blue-skinned creature with a muscular build, gargoyle wings attached to its arms, and a reptilian face. Angered by it's attack, I ran for the beast, and threw my now flaming cloak onto a small imp, revealing my blood red armor.
The demon began to take to the air as I neared it, narrowly dodging my upward strike. Reaching behind me, I grabbed a weapon that had been used by many men before me. I pulled out a shining silver cross with sharpened edges, and threw it at my escaping target. A high pitched scream was released from the beast as the cross embedded itself into it's back, causing it to fall to the ground. I knew that this would not kill it though, and moved forward, retrieving my cross as I stabbed it repeatedly with my sword.
I walked away from the demon, assuming it had been killed. This was a large lapse in judgment on my behalf. As I went forward, and slayed a few more of it's demon brethren, the creature stood back up. It's skin now glowing a vibrant red. Pulling it's head back, it prepared for a mighty strike, and as I turned around, I saw a wall of flame heading in my direction, with no chance of escape.
This was it, I was about to die, another fool who descended into the castle of chaos in hopes of saving mankind. I closed my eyes, and prepared myself for death.
"SOUL STEAL"
These were the words I heard as I felt the temperature of the area plummet. I thought that I had died, and was going to have my soul devoured...That is, until I opened my eyes. Standing in front of me was a man in pitch black armor, with pale skin and long white hair. He had cast a spell that opened a hole in the area around us, stealing all energy from whatever he chose, and smothering the flames.
"I commend your effort, but it seems that you're not experienced enough to take on my father's castle alone." He stated, "Allow us to lend you our assistance."
"Allow 'us' to lend you 'our' assistance?" I thought to myself, as I regained my composure. There was no time for hesitation, as I noticed the spell was dissipating, "Alright, I'll allow you to help, but later I would like to know who this, 'us', is." I responded, going back to back with the man in black, as more demons circled around us.
"Fair enough." He replied as he drew forth this shining white blade that appeared to be covered with a dark blue aura, "Prepare yourself, young one. This is going to be a fierce battle." Clenching our blades we moved toward our enemies at lightning speeds, cutting through demon after demon. The reddened beast fell quickly as the man in black split it down the middle, causing it's flame-sack to erupt, and dissolve it into nothingness. The beast I fought was not so lucky.
As I charged in towards yet another billed spear wielder, it thrust it's three bladed spear towards my head, assuming that I would be dumb enough to continue moving forward. Easily dodging to the side, I took hold of it's spear, and sliced off it's hands, making the spear my own. As it tried to run away, I thrust my sword into the ground, and taking the spear in both hands, I hooked the beast's leg with one of the three blades, and brought it to the ground. The demon now grounded, I placed my boot on its back, and slammed the spear blade into it's spine.
As I turned from the demon that I had killed I noticed the man in black fighting off ten demons. I could feel that he was able to handle himself, yet, I could not risk the chance of losing an ally here. Pulling my sword from the ground, I rushed over to him, cleaving an imp as I arrived, "So, where's this other person you mentioned?" I shouted, as I shattered the skull of a reanimated skeleton.
The man in black turned, and disemboweled a minotaur that was approaching from behind, saving my life yet again, "He will be here, his clan has always arrived to help fight my father in humanities time of need."
Hearing this, I now knew that whoever this person was that we were waiting on, it had been made clear to me that he was one of the descendants of the legendary hunters, as it has been recorded in the history books of old that every time the Count's castle of chaos, 'Castlevania', appeared in the past, a lone hunter wielding a holy whip would come forth to fight the Lord of Darkness himself. These hunters are known as the Belmont clan.
My hope renewed, I preformed a dance of blades with the man in black, as we killed all that came near us. The first the beast to fall was a skeletal ape, which attempted to throw an explosive barrel at us. Jumping over the barrel, the man in black bashed the creature with a shield that had remained hidden behind the cape on his back, causing it to shatter.
I, having dodged to the side of the barrel, kicked it, changing its trajectory, and causing it to explode next to a large grouping of demons, sending their bodies flying, only to become impaled against the cavern's jagged walls.
The fight continued on for hours, and from how it seemed, the man in black and I were going to be victorious. However, the waves of demons continued to approach, and despite all that we may think, it was only a matter of time before a single being will begin to lose its strength.
After countless hours of fighting, I became exhausted. Unable to stand anymore, I dropped to one knee, the black blood of the demons dripping off my face, "Well, this has been fun, but I don't know if I can go much longer." I laughed, as the cold wind from the corridors whipped across my skin. The man in black moved closer too me, he was still on guard, but it was easy to tell that most of his strength was leaving him, as his breathing had become much heavier. I knew that we had reached our limits.
The demons were closing in quickly, and if we were to survive we would need the strength of another hunter. Reaching for my belt, I grabbed my last vial of holy water, "Heh...So this is all I have left...", arching my arm back, I took aim at the horde of demons approaching us, "Well, better make use of what I've got right?"
As I launched the vial through the air, I prayed that it would buy us at least enough time for the man in black's ally to arrive. I wasn't ready to die, I had to keep my promise to those I knew back home. That I would rid this world of evil once and for all...My prayers were answered.
Before the vial even hit the ground, a man in blue jeans and a brown trench coat threw a sharpened cross into it, shattering the vial, and causing the holy water to spread, hitting each demon like grenade shrapnel. Standing in front of us like a shield against the demons, the man pulled out a whip, it's handle was made out of wood from what appeared to be a blessed oak while its body was made from a long spiked chain, and at it's tip was a silver morning star. It was the whip of the Belmont's, Vampire Killer, "Sorry I'm late, Alucard. I hope these beast didn't cause you too much trouble." He laughed.
Smiling, Alucard promptly replied, "What took you so long, Julius?"
Cracking his whip, Julius made quick work of a line of demons in front of us, "So this is the power of a Belmont..." I thought aloud, as I sat there in awe. The power emanating from the whip and he was overwhelming, and it felt as if no man should ever be in control of that much strength.
"Boy! Do you have any more holy water on you?" Julius asked in a slightly demanding tone. It was clear that he had some plan in store. Perhaps he was thinking about creating another holy rain with it?
"I'm sorry, but we already used my last vial when you arrived." I felt horrid letting down a Belmont, but that's when an idea popped into my mind. Reaching behind me I grabbed my silver cross, "Julius!" I shouted while tossing the bladed cross, hoping that he would sense my plan in time.
A smile crossed Julius' face as he moved aside of the cross, allowing it to fly about five feet in front of him before he grabbed hold of it with his whip. Spinning his whip around, he used the bladed edges of the cross to slice through the necks of countless demons, and then, with a flick of his wrist, he sent it flying in a spinning manner, cutting through demon after demon until it eventually found a home impaled within an imp's heart. Turning to me, Julius gave a thumbs up, "Thanks for the help kid! You and Alucard should pull back a bit, and heal up. I'll take care of the rest of these small fries."
Not being one to take the advice of a surperior lightly, I nodded to Alucard, and we both limped over to an area that was safe from the battle, "Damn..." I sighed, "And here I thought I was good enough to take this place on my own." There was a slight chuckle from Alucard as he pulled out two vials of some dark blue liquid.
"You held your own against quite a few of my father's minions, you should not start doubting your abilities as a hunter just yet." He stated as he uncorked one of the vials, and began pouring the liquid on my wounds. The liquid began to seal up what injuries I had, but the burning from it hurt like hell, "So, boy. I've yet to learn the name of the one brave enough to enter this castle without any allies." Alucard craftfully stated, in hopes of gaining both my name, and my trust.
"Artur, Artur Remus." I clinched my teeth as the last of the healing took place, "I don't know what's worse, the pain from getting cut up, or from the healing." I joked.
"It is a wonder." Alucard laughed, "Well, Artur, that should do you for now." Corking the now empty vial, Alucard opened the other one, and began treating his own wounds. It was obvious to me that he was a powerful man as he didn't even so much as flinch at the pain of the healing process.
After we had finished healing up, Julius walked on over. He had slain the rest of the demons within the area, and didn't even have a scratch on him. Crouching down, he held his hand out to me, my cross within it, "Here kid, you're going to need this again later."
As I reached forward, taking back my cross, I couldn't help but feel a sense of pride swell inside of me. Not only had I survived my first encounter within the castle of chaos, but it appeared that the latest member of the Belmont clan had decided that I was worthy of staying on his team.
Returning to our feet, we all knew that it was time to move down into the final section of the underground caverns, as there was an evil power pulsating from the next area. We weren't sure as to what to expect, but one thing was for certain. Whatever was within that secton of the caverns was ready for us, and was out for blood.
As we walked over the bodies of the fallen demons I noticed a small, blood red gem on the ground. As I picked it up, I noticed that the gem was in the shape of a tear, and seemed as if it had a slight energy held within itself. Feeling as if it might be of use later, I pocketed it, and drew my blade as we walked down the corridor, and into the final section of the caverns.
When we reached the next section, there was a beast that appeared to be a mass of what could only be described as featureless humanoid bodies. Alucard's eyes narrowed as he looked at the beast in front of us with unrestrained hatred, "Legion."
I couldn't believe it. The count of this castle could actually control the demon of old, Legion? I shuddered at the thought, as it finally began to dawn on me just how powerful the count was.
A crack of the whip, and one deep breath later, we all ran forward, striking the mass wherever we could. It was a horrifying experience. Every time we would strike, the bodies would all let out one harmonized gut wrenching scream. Despite this, we all knew that we had a job to do, and fought our way through the madness. When Legion finally realized that it's demoralizing tactics were not going to work on us, it began to have the bodies fall off of itself, and attack us. Thankfully these things were easily dispatched, and had as much fighting ability as a primitive human.
After about twenty or so minutes of fighting, the mass began to fall apart, and inside the cracks of the bodies was reviled a tentacled nucleus, "Julius! Alucard!" I shouted, "There's a form within the mass of bodies! That's got to be it's weak point!"
Taking a better look at the demon, Julius spotted the nucleus, and taking his whip, he began to tear away at the bodies attached to it. Alucard, however, continued his assult against the mass of bodies on the ground floor, "Artur! Let us handle these beasts, and give Julius the time he needs to open the demon up for attack!"
Alucard's tactics were indeed wise, and I knew that if I wanted to be of any help later on, I was going to have to let Julius have the honor of killing most of these hellspawns. So with a flash of my blade I continued to fight along side Alucard, destroying corpse after corpse for what felt like another thirty minutes, until finally the final corpses were destroyed, and all that was left was the bloodied nucleus. Julius had indeed damaged Legion to the point where it was at death's doors, and as he moved in for the final hit, we were met by yet another of Legion's surprises, as one of the tentacles opened up, and blasted Julius with a beam of energy, causing him to slam against the wall, "DAMN YOU!" Alucard proclaimed, as he flew into the air, thrusting his sword deep into the nucleus, and out the other side.
Legion's lifeless body fell to the ground with a sickening thud. Removing his blade from the corpse, Alucard ran over to Julius, a vial of that blue healing liquid in his hand, "Julius! Keep your eyes open!" Alucard's voice was filled with fear. To him, it was almost as if Julius were to die, mankind would be unable to defeat the count this time around.
Opening the vial, Alucard poured the liquid onto Julius' scorched skin as he let out an agonizing scream. I had only had that liquid used on me once, and the pain was near unbearable. With how much greater the damage that Julius had taken from the brunt of that attack was, I couldn't even imagine the pain that he was going through, as the liquid slowly regenerated his skin and damaged organs. After a while, Alucard corked the vial, and Julius slowly rose to his feet, and dusted off his shoulders, "Sorry for the trouble, my friends." His voice was solid, and made clear that the 'potion' had worked.
Sheathing my sword, I gazed towards the other section of the cavern, hoping that none of the demons from within the rest of the castle had decided to go underground with us, "We should get topside." I stated. Turning my head to my allies I gave a shrug, and began walking towards the direction we came, "After all, there doesn't seem to be anything else for us to deal with down here." The others began following me shortly. I knew that I was in no position to be trying for the leader role, and I didn't intend on taking that spot from Julius. However, someone had to state the obvious, and get the team moving.
As we walked past Legion's corpse I felt a strange force emanating from my pocket. Reaching in, I grabbed a hold of the gem I had picked up earlier, and pulled it out to take a better look at it. What I saw made my eyes widen, as I noticed an image of the demon we had just slain within it. Unsure of what this meant, I began to turn towards Alucard, but before I could even get a full glance in his direction, a dark voice resonated inside of my head and took control of my body, placing the gem back inside of my pocket. What the hell had I picked up?
I knew now that I had been cursed by this item, and despite how much I may had wanted to inform my allies, I was rendered silent by the voice each time I tried. So, with nothing else I could do, I decided to continue on my quest.
We were greeted by a blinding light, as we arrived at the cavern's exit. As our eyes adjusted to the light, we began to hear voices coming from within the room, "captain Julius!" One of the voices cried, "Thank god you're here! Half of the battalion has been wiped out, and turned into ghouls!" When our eyes finally finished adjusting to the light, we were greeted by a group of soldiers. They were well armed with the latest armor and weaponry, but from the looks of it they had been having a rough time fighting off the demons within the castle, as most of their unit were bloodied, and barely able to stand.
"What's happened? Tell me all that you can." Julius demanded, a stern look planting itself on his face. The soldier who had approached us looked down, his body shaking.
"Well, captain, as I stated earlier, half of the battalion has been turned into ghouls, and...Well..." The soldier began to shake more and more as he tried to gather up enough courage to speak, "...W-we've been keeping in contact with the other squads via radio. However, we lost radio contact with all units about one hour ago, and fear the worst."
Julius' head dropped, "I see..." Looking back up, he took a look at the remaining soldiers, and then back at Alucard and I, "So it's possible that we're all that's left...Well, at least we can take solace in knowing that we're still alive." With a wave of his hand, Julius motioned for Alucard to come forth, "Alucard, use whatever you can spare to heal the soldiers here. We're going to lead them out of the castle." Nodding, Alucard proceeded to heal those who were badly wounded, making sure that they at least had the ability to walk.
Unsure of what I could do, I closed the door to the caverns, and walked over to the window. Outside was a garden, the foliage glistened in the moonlight, and gave a feeling of serenity to this otherwise dreary castle. As I looked outside the window, I watched as skeletons and other monsters tended to the plants. It was almost comedic seeing a gentler side to these creatures, as they watered the garden, and planted seeds.
Walking up beside me, Alucard put his hand on my shoulder, as he also began to gaze outside, "Don't let this image fool you. These monsters have no kindness within their souls. Doubting that will cost you your life."
I knew he was right. These creatures had ravaged the Romanian countryside in days of old, whenever the castle would reappear. There were tales of harpies killing and eating the livestock. As well as tales of draculina and succubi abducting the men of the village. All of these stories I was informed of at a young age, which steeled my resolve for the conflict which is now occurring.
Turning from the window, I could now see that the soldiers ready to attempt an escape. Our leader moved to a giant double door, that led to a corridor along the outside wall, "Everyone, on me." Julius ordered, "When these doors open we will make our way towards the castle entrance. No one is to stray from the group, and most importantly, only fight that which you can not get around, otherwise you will only waste precious energy, time, and strength." The soldiers nodded as they tightened their grip on their weapons, "Alucard. Artur. You two cover the rear of the group, I'll take point." With these words, Julius burst open the doors, and we began our desperate escape.
As we ran through the doors we were heavily assaulted by an onslaught of monsters. It felt like when I first entered the caverns, as I watched zombies, skeletons, imps, and more hideous beast charge at our group. Luckily, my sword arm had regained its strength.
Running forth, Julius tossed a hatchet into the skull of a giant phantom-like bat that was attempting to carry away one of the soldiers. It released the soldier as its body fell to the ground with a thud, crushing a few of the nearby skeletons, "Someone help him to his feet! We don't have any time to waste!" The sense of urgency in his voice was frightening. It was almost as if he didn't fully believe that we could survive our attempt to flee the castle.
As the soldier was helped to his feet, I could hear gunfire, as his comrades unloaded their weapons on the zombies heading in their direction. It was like a scene from a horror movie where the cast as become surrounded, and you weren't fully sure if they would make it. While I wish I could have helped them with their struggle to survive, I had problems of my own to attend to.
Narrowly dodging the strike of another blue, fire breathing, winged reptilian beast, that Alucard had recently told me was called a Gibbon, I took my shining blade and slashed open its right arm. The beast howled in pain as it turned towards me, it's razor sharp teeth leading the way. With a quick snap, the beast grabbed my sword and ripped it out of my hands, breaking the silver blade within its mouth. I became filled with fear, as I watched my blessed sword fall to the floor in pieces. I knew that, without a weapon, I was now helpless against the beasts of this castle, "ALUCARD!" I cried for help as the Gibbon stared me down, flames once again filling up its mouth. Thankfully, luck was on my side this time around as Alucard came flying in from the side, and transformed his body into that of a wolf.
Alucard's teeth sunk themselves into the Gibbon's neck, causing the demon to thrash around in pain. Now that he had a firm grip on it's neck, Alucard changed back into his human form, and I watched in terror as he began to drink its blood. As he did this, the Gibbon's body began to shrivel, and turn a dull grey. Until eventually it's corpse collapsed, and turned to dust.
"You truly are the son of Dracula..." My voice trembled in fear as I spoke. I had never seen a vampire acting upon its instincts outside of a movie screen, until this point. The feeling of terror is overwhelming, as you realize that the very soul is being stolen from the creature that is being devoured...I now know why Dracula has lived for so long. It's like he said, when he was the human Vlad, 'The blood is the life, and it shall be mine.'
Wiping the blood away from his mouth, Alucard picked up the hilt of my sword, and its severed blade, "It's a pity that such a uniquely crafted blade has been tarnished." He held out the shattered remains of my sword within his right hand, "However this is no time to morn over the loss of such artistic weaponry."
As I took the remains from him, I placed them respectively in their sheath. With a heavy sigh I nodded to Alucard, "You're right...However, I am now without a weapon, and I fear that I will be nothing but a burden now."
"Just because you are without a weapon does not make you a burden." Reaching over, Alucard grabbed the hatchet that Julius had used earlier out of the phantom bat's skull, and handed it to me, "You have a talent within you, that you have yet to realize. But, if you insist, you can use this to fight with for now." Turning from me, Alucard motioned for the soldiers to continue to move, as he drew his blade and made his way towards Julius, who had been taking the brunt of the damage.
I clinched my fist around the hatchet. There was still much to do, and little time to do it. So with my fighting spirit renewed, I continued on with the group as we fought our way through this ruined castle corridor.
Following Julius' orders, I continued to run through the corridor, fighting only that which blocked my path. It wasn't as easy having to use the hatchet instead of my sword, but at least I had some way to battle the beasts.
"Don't slow down! We still have a ways to go, before we get out of here!" Julius' voice echoed, as he gave his order. It sounded almost as if he was expecting to take us out of a different area than the main gate, with how he spoke.
This made me feel a sense of unease, as I thought about the reasons why we might not be exiting through the entrance. Could it be that the main gate had been overrun by demons? Or is it possible that the castle has changed its form while I was in the caverns below? Regardless, there was no time to dwell on these thoughts for long. The path in front of us was filled with monsters and demons, and the only way to survive was to focus on the problem at hand.
Up ahead I spotted Julius and the soldiers fighting a large demon blocking the door that appeared to have an extra layer of dull gray skin overlapping its natural red first layer. The creature also had a gaping torso which exposed its ribs and internal organs, as well as two golden shackles around it's ankles. Knowing that Julius would be able to handle the beast, I turned around to face the creatures that we had simply run past on our journey to get through this section of the castle, "Alucard!" I shouted in hopes of gaining his attention, as I knew that I would be unable to handle all of these beasts on my own.
Having already known what to do, Alucard rushed the mob heading our direction, and plunged his blade through a ghoul as he used his shield to block a blade that had been tossed at him by an animated suit of red armor, "What are you waiting for, Artur?! There's no time to hesitate!" Alucard's words were true, without my sword I was indeed more hesitant to fight the demons of the castle. However, as Alucard said, there was no time to hesitate. If we wanted to make it out of Castlevania alive, we all would have to adapt to rapidly changing situations. A thought that had not occurred to me before this very moment.
Reaching behind me, I pulled the cross from it's sheath on my belt, and held it like a dagger within my left hand as I held the hatchet Alucard had given me in my right. Moving forward, I cut through a small group of ghouls, making sure to remove their heads. 'I will not become the downfall of this group.' This thought driving me, I continued to move forward, cutting through whatever creature appeared before me. If Alucard had faith in me whenever he returned to me my broken sword, then who am I to doubt myself?
Alucard moved quickly past the rest of the ghouls, as he lobbed off their heads. The next creatures to move forward were some skeletal beings holding the enemy line, who looked as if they had been former knights from Wallachia. Their rusted swords and shields held in a proper stance, the skeletal knights slowly move forward. It was clear that they were well trained in battle tactics, and proved to be formidable in battle as they all attacked Alucard and I in unison. Luckily, Alucard had his shield and was able to successfully block the first wave of attacks. As for myself, I barely managed to jump back far enough to dodge three of the four blades heading my direction, and only obtained a small cut on my face by the fourth.
With little time for the skeletal knights to recover their stance, I moved forward to counter attack. Two of the four jumped back and managed to dodge my strike, as I attempted to strike with the blunt side of the hatchet. However the other two weren't so lucky, as the hatchet's hammer-like backside slammed into the skull of one of the skeletons, causing it to shatter and crumple to the floor. While my cross embedded itself into the shining left eye of the other, the weapon's holy affinity dispelling the curse that had reanimated the bones of this damned soul.
Pulling back, I gave a quick glance over to Alucard and witnessed him quickly turn into mist as the enemy's blades came swinging down yet again. After they passed through him, his body reformed itself and he quickly dispatched the skeletons that had surrounded him. His sword elegantly slicing through the vertebra of their necks.
Looking back at the three skeletons in front of me, I knew that I was going to have to find a way to deal with them quickly, as more of the beasts we had left behind began to catch up to us, "Damn...Looks like this could take a while." Readying myself to attempt to counterattack once I was attacked again, I heard this large roar come from Julius' direction. The beast he and the soldiers had been fighting had finally given out, but apparently was not ready to leave this world before letting lose one last attack as a white energy began to glow in it's mouth.
"DODGE! NOW!" Alucard's voice rang through my ears, as he and I both rolled to the side, dodging a large beam of energy that had been fired from the beast and allowing it to finish of those that were attempting to catch up to what was left of our group.
Returning to our feet, Alucard and I dusted ourselves off as we moved over to the door where Julius and the fallen creature were waiting. To our dismay, the soldiers that were with Julius had fallen in the fight against the creature, "I hope they all at least died a quick and painless death." I thought aloud, as Julius stood there shaking his head. I guess even a hardened vampire hunter such as a Belmont has a hard time dealing with the loss of his allies.
Turning away from the carnage, Julius opened the door that he and his men had worked so hard to reach, "Let's get moving. We don't have much time before the sun rises, and the castle decides to change it's shape and position again." It was easy to sense the sorrow in his voice. The thought of losing every last one of his men must have been eating him alive, yet he still was able to focus on the task at hand. It was as impressive as it was heartbreaking, to say the least. However, now was not the time to let myself sympathize with others. As Julius had pointed out, there was very little time to escape the caslte. And, as such, we began to move into the next section...That is, until I once again felt that force emanating from the gem in my pocket. Falling to my knees, I felt my eyelids get heavy, and my vision tunneled until finally all had gone black.
"So, you are the fool who has found one of my treasures." A powerful voice echoed through the darkness, its tone both dark and elegant, like that of a noble lord, "What is your name child?" The voice demanded.
Not knowing what else to do, I attempted to speak. However I could not manage to pull forth a single word from my mouth. 'Why can't I speak? Am I dead? Is that why it's so dark?' My soul trembled as I attempted to figure out what was going on.
"What is wrong, child? Are you so overwhelmed by my power that you have become unable to muster forth even the simplest form of speech?" The voice mocked, "Come now. Tell me your name child."
Once again, the unknown voice commanded me to speak. This time its tone was much lighter, almost like that of a parent who was trying to make their child feel better and confess to a mistake they had made. So, I gathered all of my strength, and finally was able to speak, "Artur...Artur Remus is my name." After having stated thusly, I felt the hold around my vocal cords loosen, almost as if I had broken free of a binding spell.
The disembodied voice lightly chuckled as the silhouette of a body appeared to me out of the darkness, "So you say that your name is 'Artur Remus'? You should know better than to lie child." The voice's tone had become harsh, and demanding once again as the silhouette moved closer, "I will ask you one last time child. What is your name?"
Looking directly at the silhouette I gave a small smirk, "Isn't it a bit rude to ask for someone else's name before giving your own?" While I held the smirk, I quickly realized how bad of an idea is was to talk back in such a fashion, when I had just barely released the restraint on my vocal cords. 'Too late to take back what you just said now, idiot. Hopefully whoever this is will just let it slide.'
The silhouette began to laugh softly at first, but then soon it began to turn into roaring laughter as the silhouette moved closer and closer, until finally I was able to see the features of the one who had been speaking to me. It was a man who stood quite tall with a pale complexion, a pointed nose, silver-white hair, was clad in an all black suit and cape with red trimmings and embroideries, and was clean shaven except for a well groomed mustache and goatee, "It appears that you are correct child." He laughed, as he almost mockingly smirked at me and bowed, "Allow me to introduce myself. I am the lord of the castle that you all call, 'Castlevania', Count Dracula." Lifting his head upward, the count stared at me as his eyes changed from blue to red, "Now, child, 'What is your name'?"
Frozen in fear, I was unable to control my voice, "My name...Is Arthur Renard."
As I spoke my name, I found myself waking to the sounds of a woman screaming. My eyes open, I witnessed a succubus falling as she vanished from existence. Standing next to me was Julius, his body heavily wounded, "What happened?" I asked, hoping to be cleared on the details I was missing. However, Julius just pointed his finger behind me, and as I turned around I witnessed the sun starting to rise from right outside the castle's gate. 'How did I get here? Were we not deep within the corridors a moment ago?' My mind was boggled at the thought of how we got here, however there was no time for wasting. When the sun was fully risen, the castle would vanish until nightfall came yet again.
Quickly reacting to the situation at hand, Alucard moved up to Julius' side, and began to help him get to the gate's exit, "Artur! We have to go! Clear a path for us, and we might all be able to get out of here!" Alucard's eyes had also begun changing from their original gold to a red color, as I heard him mutter under his breath, "Dark Metamorphosis". After quoting this spell, Alucard obtained a red aura and enhanced abilities. The most obvious of these being an increase in his strength and speed.
My cross in hand like a dagger, I rushed forward towards the monstrosities that laid before me. The first creature that stood in my path was what I could only describe as a giant fire demon. It's body covered in both bright red scales and what looked like goat fur. The beast flew high into the air, and held it's hands together as it launched a fireball in my direction. Luckily one of it's allies was impatient, as another Giabon flew forward in it's attempt to grab me with its teeth, and took the hit from behind, completely incinerating it.
Knowing that I only had one chance to kill this thing, I pulled out my crossbow, and placed my silver cross on the launching mechanism. Taking aim, I waited for the demon to try an launch another fireball, and once my opportunity came, I pulled my trigger. The cross flew elegantly as it dispelled the demons magic, and plunged deep into it's chest. The demon fell to the ground, and crushed some of the skeletal beings that were in front of us, clearing a slight path.
With little time left, Alucard ran forward at a dizzying speed, and cleared the gate as it started to crumble, "Artur! Get out of there!" I could tell by the urgency in his voice that I had only one shot at escaping the castle, and began to barrel forward. Running past both demons and other monsters, I felt the cold tearing of their claws and weapons digging into my flesh, as well as the coldness of my blood dripping down my skin. The pain was excruciating, but I couldn't slow down. If I was to be trapped within the castle, my fate would surely be sealed.
"Dark Metamorphosis!" I don't know why I let out these words. Maybe it was me believing that it would work, or maybe I was just desperate. Whatever it was, I'm glad I did it. I felt my strength return to me, my vision became much more clear, and my speed was increasing. With this new-found advantage, I powered my way through the last of the monsters, and exited the gate. Where I turned back to watch the castle crumble along side my two allies.
Turning around, I saw Alucard walking up to me, and before I knew it, I felt his fist colliding with my face, "Who are you?!" He demanded as he drew his blade, "You can use the powers of a vampire, and have nearly gotten us killed twice in one night! EXPLAIN YOURSELF!"
"'The powers of a vampire'? But I'm just a human!" My voice trembled with rage as I stared down his drawn blade, "Just what the hell are you talking about?!" Despite my words, Alucard continued to glare at me coldly, the tip of his blade in front of my face.
"I'll ask again, "What is your name?!" If you refuse to answer, I will assume that you are nothing more than a vampiric spy sent by my father!"
Gritting my teeth together I glared up at Alucard, "I already told you what my name is! It's Artur Remus!" Moving back, I returned to my feet. Alucard's sword and gaze following me the whole way, "Now, get your damn sword out of my face! I am not your enemy!"
"Arthur?" A familiar voice came from behind me. It's tone was soft, feminine, and slightly scared. Turning around I saw my teacher from years back, Charlotte Aluin. Her eyes studied me, as she moved forward, "You are Arthur, right? Arthur Renard?" Her question startled me. Surely the teacher who had taken me in as her own would be able to recognize me, even if she had advanced in age, "Your expression, it's not that of the Arthur I know. His expression was always firm but kind. Yours is filled with the same firmness, but the blood lust in your eyes..."
I now knew that something big must have happened to me while in the castle. I turned my eyes from Charlotte as I spoke, "But, Charlotte...It is me..."
"Excuse me, but could someone fill us in on what's going on?" I heard Julius speak from where he had been resting, the grass around him covered in blood, "Actually, could this all wait until we're back and resting in town? I would prefer not to bleed to death out here."
Charlotte moved towards Julius, her hand reached forward as she began to read from the book she had in her bag which she always seemed to have on her. As she did this, Julius' wounds slowly began to heal themselves, and the color in his face began to return, "There, that should be better." Slowly falling to her knees, Charlotte began to breath heavily. It was obvious that age was catching up to her, and that the healing spell she just cast had worn her out.
Moving over to her position quickly, I helped Charlotte back to her feet, "You shouldn't have used up so much of your strength, he would have been fine if you had only healed half his wounds. He is a Belmont after all."
Sheathing his sword, Alucard turned to Julius, and the two of them followed my teacher and I to our home. There was to be a long discussion, and I knew that it was better to have it over with sooner than later.
Sitting around an oak table, the lot of us found ourselves in a bit of a situation. Charlotte, Alucard, and Julius were all at the opposite end, looking at me as if I were a child about to get scolded for misbehaving. This was a scene that I was all too used to, for I was not the most well behaved child. Yet, now, it was different. As my loyalty, to those who hunt demons and other dark beings, was being brought into question.
After what felt like an eternity, Charlotte broke the silence, "Arthur. You don't need to hide anything from them. They are not your enemy. You know this." Her calm tone was both reassuring and unsettling, as it was the same tone she used to use with me when I was caught having lied to her and Jonathan. Something that Jonathan would always get upset with me about.
Looking at the three of them, I let out a sigh. Charlotte was right, there was no reason for me to keep anything from Julius and Alucard. They were the ones who saved me down in the underground caverns, as well as the ones who I assisted in taking down Legion. So, I let loose all restraints on my past, as I told the two of them my real name, "Julius, Alucard, I am sorry for having lied to you. My name isn't Artur, as I told you it was. My real name is Arthur Renard. A descendant of the family who married into the Belmonts."
Almost as soon as I had begun to speak, Charlotte cut in. Telling the two of them more of what she knew, "Arthur here became a student to myself and Jonathan, around the time that he was six years old. We found him at an orphanage run by the nearby church, after a fire had burnt down a large section of forest." She glanced at me for a moment before turning back to the other two, clearly wondering if she should mention the rest of the sob story. I was glad to see that she didn't, "I taught him how to properly maintain the use of magic, and Jonathan taught him how to use the sword." While she was speaking, her expression changed, and looked as if she had just remembered something important.
Standing up, she walked over to this lockbox that she and Jonathan had always told me to stay away from. Not that I could have ever opened it without the key. As she brought the lockbox to the table, she manifested the key from her shirt pocket. A wise place to hide the key, as no man was brave enough to try and take it from there.
As she unlocked the box, and lifted the lid, Julius smiled, "So, "THIS" is where it's been hiding." He reached into the box, and pulled out a long dark purple, to the point that it nearly looked black, leather whip. He nodded to Charlotte, as he tied it to a strap on his belt, replacing the other whip that he had been using, "My ancestor's whip, 'Vampire Killer'. How is it that you came across this?" A valid question. One that I began to wonder myself.
"Back in 1944, Jonathan and I were hired on by the church. Our mission was to discover the reasoning behind a castle that had appeared out of nowhere, and was causing monsters to attack the nearby cities." Charlotte took a sip of tea, before continuing on with her story, "That castle was the same one that you three have come from this morning, 'Castlevania'. Or, as some call it, the 'Devil Castle'. At that time, Dracula was not the one in control of his castle. It was under the control of another vampire, who went by the name of Brauner. A vampire, who's loss of his daughters had driven him to insanity."
Alucard interrupted Charlotte's story, as he added in some unnecessary information, "I see...So, this 'Brauner' was the replacement for the Count Orlox. Whom I had killed many years ago."
Charlotte looked at Alucard with a slight expression of annoyance. She never did like being interrupted, "I suppose so, yes." She scoffed, taking another sip of tea, "Regardless, of this. Jonathan and I ended up having to fight Dracula, after Brauner was defeated. As it turned out that his magic was what was keeping Dracula sealed at that time. In order to defeat and seal him away for a while longer, we had to rely on the whip that Jonathan's father, John Morris, had handed down to him. But it's power was still sealed at that point. Causing Jonathan to have to use a gift from Eric Lecarde, in a battle against the 'Memory of the Whip', as Eric's daughters called it, in order to release the whip's power. The weapon was a spear, which is hanging over the fireplace. I also belive that it was originally yours." She stated, looking at Alucard, "It is called the 'Alucard Spear', after all."
The smile on Charlotte's face was an unmistakable one. She was clearly enjoying the ability to remember the journey that she and Jonathan had taken years ago. These memories were probably the way that she remembered herself and Jonathan, back before age had caught up to the two of them...This was also probably her way of coping with Jonathan's passing twenty years prior to this one, "Be careful, when using that whip, Julius." She held her finger in the air, as if teaching a child a lesson on life, "The Vampire Killer is dangerous, as it steals the life from anyone who is not a direct descendant of the Belmont clan, and was the reason for the early passing of Jonathan." She put down her finger, and finished off her tea, "I don't want to see that whip fall into anyone else's hands but yours. Do you understand?"
Julius nodded, "I understand." He glimpsed down at the whip, a small frown upon his face, "All of this started back when my ancestor, Leon Belmont, swore vengeance upon Mathias. The one that we now call Dracula. It is my bloodline's curse, and I shall do all that is within my strength to end it." Looking back up, Julius slid his now discarded whip over to me, "Arthur. Your sword was destroyed back within the castle, right? Here, I don't need this anymore. I hope this Jonathan trained you in how to use a whip...Also, could you return my axe to me? I might need it later on."
While I handed back Julius' axe, I couldn't help but let loose a small smile, as I accepted the whip. 'The whip of a Belmont. I bet that Jonathan is rolling in his grave, and laughing right now.' While I had learned the means of fighting with a whip, it was the least favorite of the styles that Jonathan had taught me. As I found having to learn to control a weapon that flexed to be bothersome, and unnecessary, "Thank you Julius. I will be sure to make good use of this." Unstrapping the sheath, which held the broken sword, from my side. I sat the destroyed weapon upon the table, and attached the whip in its place. The broken shards rattled as the sheath contacted the surface of the table, creating a feeling of guilt within me, "I'm sorry for not taking better care of Maxim's sword. I know that Jonathan used it back when you two were younger."
An audible sigh could be heard from Charlotte, as she looked upon the broken weapon. It was clear that she did, in fact, feel disappointed in the destruction of the sword. If not only by the sigh, then by the look upon her face. She soon looked up at me, and shook her head, "You always did cause things around here to break...How many times do I have to tell you that you need to be careful with what you find around here?" Her words helped me feel at ease. While I knew she was disappointed, I also knew that, above all else, the fact that I had returned home was more important to her.
Soon there was a thud, as Alucard stood up from the table, and made his way towards the spear above the fireplace. One could see him mumbling something, as he took the spear and strapped it to his back, but I could not make out exactly what he was saying.
Daylight began fading outside of the window, and I knew that the castle would arise again shortly. And, while I might not want to return after the near death experiences that I had dealt with the night before. I knew that I had a job to do, as the successor to the fighting styles of Jonathan and the arcane teachings of Charlotte. While I might not be the best out of the three of us, in fact I was likely the weakest out of Julius, Alucard, and I. I knew that I could, at the least, provide some sort of assistance.
So, as we all gathered essentials, and prepared to head out for the night. We steeled our nerves, watching as Castlevania re-formed itself. Knowing that our quest would be difficult, as the castle would not look the same inside as it had the night before.