Chapter 4: Welcome to Eternal Night
A/N So, I hope you all liked the last chapter. Andrew had his first battle, Soma, Andrew and Arikado are off to rescue Mina, and Andrew is getting used to the idea of all sorts of things happening. Now, for the first time in a thousand years, we return to the castle in the forest of Eternal Night. I do not own Castlevania, it is too popular. But Eternal Night…I wonder…
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Outside the forest of Eternal Night, Julius Belmont waits. Arikado had called him and said to wait outside the castle. To get the rest of the gang here, he had called Yoko and told her that Mina had been captured and where to find her. As for Hammer…well, all he had to do was tell him where Yoko was and he got here before she did. That lovesick baka…Julius snaps his thoughts back to reality and reminded himself of the situation. A vampire, possibly stronger than Dracula ever was, had betrayed Arikado and claimed this new (or rather, old?) castle as his own. And now Arikado had dragged some new boy into this whole mess. Well, what else was new? He pulls himself together as a car pulls up to the edge of the forest. Out first comes Arikado, looking as pale and as gloomy as ever. Next is Soma, Julius' good friend. For some reason it did his old heart good to see Soma again. Finally, the new kid gets out of the car. Rather than the all white attire of Soma, the boy is dressed in a black t-shirt and loose black jeans. His wavy dark brown hair is neatly trimmed and kept out of his eyes. His dark hazel eyes have a warmth about them to make him look very friendly. At his side hangs a sword as black as the clothes he wears. He extends his hand towards Julius. "Julius Belmont, I presume? I am Andrew Gold, nice to meet you." Julius shakes his hand firmly. He suddenly feels a great surge of rage from the Vampire Killer whip. It is not directed toward the boy, rather, something inside him. Julius ignores it and smiles at the boy. "Nice to meet you too. So, you're the boy Joachim wants to kill?" Andrew nods uncomfortably. "Any ideas why?" "All he said was that I stood in the way of him becoming the lord of the castle. Oh well, if he wants a fight, I'll give him one." "I don't think we should linger here any longer." Says Arikado. "We need to get inside the castle and finish this matter" Soma nods and starts walking toward the castle, Andrew walking slightly ahead of him. The rage from the whip fades to a din as Andrew walks off. "Who is that boy, Arikado? The whip really doesn't like him." "I can't be sure, but I have a very good idea. I've been feeling a great power inside him, desperately trying to get out. The last time I felt it was back at Castlevania, inside of Soma. Come, we mustn't let them get too far ahead." "Why not?" Soma and Andrew shout down the path "Come on, old-timers!" Julius is running after them very quickly, growling and laughing at the same time.
Andrew is amazed at the sight before his eyes. The castle before him is ancient, yet it could have been built a few years ago from the condition he saw. The many towers loom over everything, making him feel like a simple ant standing up to some ferocious dragon. Much closer than the castle, however, is a small, cozy looking cabin. The light shining through the windows makes Andrew very curious. They say curiosity killed a member of the feline family…Andrew disagreed. Andrew walks up to the cabin and opens the door. Inside is a man standing behind a counter with an odd assortment of goods. The light glistens off of the mans bald head. He is dressed from head to toe in army fatigues. "Howdy!" Says the man, "What can I do ya' for?" "What the heck is this place?" Andrew picks up a small statue and examines it. The man quickly snatches it away and sets it down gently. "THIS just so happens to be the finest store you'll find anywhere! It's chocked full of all sorts of goodies that'll help you in the castle." Andrew looks up excitedly "These things will help me? How?" "Well…" says The man, his eyes glimmering with greed at the thought of the gold he could make from this young man, "What are you looking' for?" "First, why don't you tell me your name?" "I am Hammer, salesman extraordinaire! My greatest ambition is to one day wed the beautiful Yoko Belnades!" "Oh yeah…" says Andrew, looking more suspicious, "Arikado told me to look out for a shopkeeper named Hammer." "What! You're friends with that Arikado fella? That means you know Yoko! Did she talk about me?" "Whoa! Slow down there, sparky! Just because I know Arikado doesn't mean that I know her! I know OF her, but that's it. So, what kinds of things do you have for sale?" Soma then walks into the shop, looking exhausted, followed by an obviously worn out Julius. Arikado calmly follows behind them. "I…don't….get it!" gasps Soma. "I know what you mean!" Says Julius. "No one runs that fast without getting tired! Well, except for Arikado, but he's not human." Andrew smiles at them teasingly. "I like to be speedy. Keeps me one step ahead of the competition. Now then, you were trying to sell me stuff?" Hammer gets happy again when Arikado interjects. "Sorry Andrew, but you don't have the kind of money that this castle takes. You'll have to come back later." "Now just hold on there!" interrupts Hammer, "I like the kid. He knows a good shop when he sees it. Just for that, I'm gonna let him take one item free! Well, actually, I'm just gonna give him something, but I think he'll like it! Voila!" Hammer pulls a long, black leather trench coat out of the closet. The trench coat has belts with loops on the side, letting it hold items on it. Andrew stares at it with some confusion. "Well, it's a nice coat, but wouldn't it hinder me in a fight? You know, wind resistance and all?" "You'd think so," says Hammer, "but for some reason, people wearing anything resembling a cape get a power boost in the castle. Look at Julius and Soma! They wear trench coats and they do even better than usual. I know it sounds crazy, but trust me it's true." "Well," says Andrew, "I've seen stranger in the past week. Well, thank you Hammer. I accept your gift with appreciation." Andrew puts it on, instantly increasing his coolness factor. "If ya need anything else, you can always come to me! Assuming, of course, you've got some actual money." Andrew walks out the door and starts to run toward the gates of the castle. Julius and Soma groan as they try to keep up with Andrew, but to no avail. The gates of the castle, pulled up, begin to lower themselves. Andrew, Soma and Julius take their first steps into the castle.
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Enjoyed that? If not, I'm sorry, just showing the shop system and introducing Julius and Hammer. Hope you guys anticipate the next chapter!