Help in Unexpected Places
Disclaimer: Castlevania belongs to Konami, not me. I am making £0.00 out of this fic, it is written purely because I have a burning need to create. Although I would like to own Alucard . . . then he'd be mine.
Rating: PG-13
Part: one of four
Setting: Pre SOTN
Authoress Note: Little Adrian is sick. Dracula panics.
Please note that this story ignores the Netflix series, the only real change though is that Adrian is young when Lisa dies and the castle is full of monsters such as Death, etc.
Italics = thoughts and flashbacks
Chapter Two
"Babba Yagga," Dracula muttered as he landed in the forest and resumed his more humane form. He looked around the darkened clearing he had landed in, glancing at the sky he tutted, it had taken him a good forty minutes to reach this place, that was forty minutes that Adrain was alone.
He had left his boy in the company of the alpha's mate, she was strong and soft on his boy, most of the female monster's were soft on the boy, he was adorable, all gangly limbs and a mop of blond hair. Even though he knew that the she-wolf would defend his son to the death if need be, she couldn't fight the illness that was slowly overcoming his small frame and the longer he was away the more anxious he was becoming.
Taking a deep, but mostly unneeded breath he started further into the forest, he could feel the witches power, sinuous and almost greasy in the air. Had he not trusted Death the way he did he would have laughed at the idea of such a creature as Babba Yagga having any kind of healing art. The woman ate children last time he checked.
"Ridiculous," he muttered aloud, growing more and more impatient with his progress and more and more doubtful of the success of this excursion.
"My Lord," a small voice said, instantly Dracula's head snapped towards the source of the sound. A small creature, resembling a rat with overly long limbs was squatting on a log to his left. He said nothing. "Lord, my mistress knows of your approach, she sent me to greet you and guide you forward."
"I am in no need of a guide," Dracula hissed, the creature was tiny, he was in no mood to wait for little legs to lead him where he could already sense he needed to go.
"My mistress bids it," the creature dipped it's head. Dracula rolled his eyes and stalked off in the direction of the witches power. Normally he might entertain the creature, it would make his arrival more polite, but he was in no mood to be polite today, if the witch could help him she would, he would ring the life from her until she did.
He found the walking house after a few moments, it towered over him, stalking through the forest in a disjointed ambling gait.
"Lord," the rat creature pipped up, Dracula felt both his eyebrows raise, the tiny thing had kept pace with him, something those closer to his own size struggled with. He was prone to carrying Adrain on his shoulders to avoid the boy running to keep pace with him. "this way, Lord." The rat creature scarpered up the birds legs of the house, Dracula snorted, he didn't need to climb. Instead, he leapt, landing lighting on the thin balcony. The rat creature was waiting for him, where he not so focused on his goal the creature would have been worth studying.
The door creaked open slowly, and again Dracula found himself rolling his eyes, useless attempt to be dramatic He deliberately had the creatures of the castle keep it in good upkeep, why anyone thought living in a hovel was worth it just to be intimidating was beyond his understanding. His wealth was far more intimidating than a grubby hovel that, had Adrian been with him, he would have forbidden the boy from touching anything save he get lurgy.
"You always were a snob," an elderly voice chuckled from within. "come in, come in, turn your nose up if you must but do come in." Dracula stepped forwards, absently pulling his cloak up from the ground a little. He winced as the stink of mildew, body odour and death assaulted his nose.
"My lady," he dipped his head in a forced expression of politeness. "it might be a hovel owned by a mad old woman who ate kids, but he had come to ask for help, being a little polite wouldn't kill him.
"I am no one's lady, vampire," the old voice said from the shadows. Dracula frowned, the shadows normally held no secrets from him but he couldn't make out the speaker in the darkness. He pointedly did not stretch his power, if she wanted to talk to him from darkness then let her.
"My apologies," he muttered concentrating on not tearing her glamour away. He did it so casually usually that it took an effort to not be a bastard.
"No need, vampire," she said. Dracula purposefully ignored the fact she was not addressing him as she should. "I know why you've come."
"perceptive," he said knowing full well that the news of his boy's illness had spread, the monsters of the castle were insufferable gossips.
"Hardly," she said. "your man came to me, tried to barter for something to aid your little vampire child, I refused him. If the boy matters that much then surely Father can come himself." Babba Yagga stepped forward from the shadows, she was nothing special to look at, an old woman, frail of build and evil of eye. She looked like a strong wind would be her undoing, but that before she fell she'd peel off your skin and fry it in butter.
"Death came to you?" Dracula said without thinking, the old hag nodded.
"I was most amused to see that the great and powerful Lord Dracula was not quite powerful enough to defeat something as simple as a common cold." She laughed, Dracula clenched his fist.
"It's not a cold woman," he hissed. "I believe its an infection, possibly blood-based. It's spreading through him, burning him from within."
"and you don't know how to stop it," she laughed. "At least you are not as dumb as you appear. The ailment is most certainly blood-based, his mortal and mortal blood wars within him causing any outside contaminant to thrive."
"you're saying his duel nature leaves him vulnerable," Dracula said. Babba Yagga nodded.
"For a time," she shrugged. "I imagine as he ages it will pass as his body sorts itself out and decides if it wants to be more vampire or more human."
"I see," Dracula said filing the information away for further study. It sounded like hokum to his scientific mind, but as well as a man he was also a monster, there were some things in this world that defied sciences current limitations. Perhaps she was right and the dual nature of Adrian's blood made him vulnerable, the blood was so busy fighting itself that it was vulnerable. An autoimmune problem, it certainly bore further study.
"That little titbit was for free," Babba said. "well, free in the sense that you paid for it by coming here. I will take your presence as payment on this. That the great Lord of the vampires would grace my humble home will increase my presence and reputation. That is payment enough."
"You seem like you have more to offer," Dracula said. "get to the point woman, I have little patience for anything these days and less so right now."
"I have a tonic that may tip the balance in your boy," Babba said. "Which way I can't say, it might make him more like his saintly mother, or more like his demonic father, who can say. Bt by tipping the balance it will strengthen him and he will defeat the illness." She held up a small bottle filled with red liquid.
"Payment," Dracula almost barked. The idea of giving his boy some kind of tonic made by this woman made him cringe, who knew what was in it, who knew when the bottle had last been cleaned.
"I want more power," Babba said. Dracula waited for a moment for her to elaborate. She waited for an uncomfortable moment before finally relenting, she let out a disappointed sigh that he had not asked her more questions. "I will accept that power in various forms, pray tells how would you be willing to provide it."
"I can give you a guardian," Dracula said. "something more visually impressive than your current envoy."
"hhhmmm worth thinking about," Babba said.
"I could provide you with an artefact, something that stores power and can release it on command, allowing you to perform far more powerful spells than you could without."
"I've already got one of those," Babba said holding up a staff.
"I could provide you with a fairy, a creature capable of acting as a repository for knowledge, it might also be persuaded to clean." The old woman laughed.
"a book with wings," she snorted. "I will take the guardian, what did you have in mind."
"Chimera is always impressive to look upon," Dracula said with a nonchalant shrug. "Big, loud and very loyal."
"what does it require?" she asked.
"Feeding," Dracula said. "They are low maintenance, feed it regularly, meat obviously, human is preferable but it will eat livestock." Babba Yagga offered her hand, Dracula reached out and took it. They shook once and Dracula had to resolve himself to not wipe his hand immediately. He watched as flakes of dead skin fell from his palm.
"Now snob," Babba Yagga said handing him the medicine. "Leave, I cannot stand the overwhelming smell of aftershave a moment longer. I will await the arrival of my guardian."
End Chapter Two
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