Hello all,
Here is chapter 4 of the Dracula story. Sorry it took so long to post it.
Transylvania, days later...
Deep in the Carpathian mountains and built into the side of a mountain lay the fortress where the creature known as Dracula dwelt along with his followers. Part of the castle was built inside the mountain to house the vampires from daylight. The other half was for the night and looked like any other castle. However it was high up into the mountains and hidden away from humans that would seek to hunt the vampires down. Those humans that were too brave or too stupid to turn back could eventually find the hidden castle, but they never returned from the venture. Leading many to believe that finding Dracula's castle was a fool's errand. Besides only a fool would seek out Dracula after all he was an evil monster that hated the living. While it was true that he hated humans and cared little Vlad Tepes as he was once known had good reasons for what he did, or at least to him he had good reason. Dressed in black leather trousers, boots, and belt with a black tunic he moved about his halls. Usually he wondered to think and dwell on what he wanted most. More than blood or life he wanted his bride, his Elora. He had close to over one-hundred years to dwell on her and he would do so for eternity.
However today his thoughts turned to a minor problem, one easily fixed. A minor group of lords thought to gain his powers after hearing a ridiculous rumour of a prophet. Still as master he could not allow for any threat to his rule, even a minor one. Minor threats tend to snowball and become larger threats if allowed. So he sent a spy to France to learn the nature of the threat, and hopefully soon he would know of it. Sure enough Vlad turned as he heard the tap of boots approaching from the other end of the corridor. It was his Captain, Aiden. The older grizzled man now bore a scar on his cheek from before being turned a lasting reminder of the loyalty the captain displayed. The captain as always wore black armour and held a note in his hand.
"My lord, message from France. Our spy found the prophet."
"And?"
"And he was talking to a group of vampire hunters about his little prophecy." Vlad gave a short laugh knowing Aiden thought prophecies to be equally ridiculous.
"Let me guess they found some holy relic to send me to hell. Some sacred cross, or ancient weapon. The spear of Christ perhaps?"
"No my lord, the prophet claimed the weapon of choice to be a girl of all things." Aiden scoffed, then smiled as Vlad burst out laughing, then both straightened as Vlad's expression darkened.
"There is only one who could have been used as a weapon against me, and she was murdered by those wretches I tried to protect."
"I know my lord." Aiden said bowing, Vlad shook his head.
"What else? The other vampires sent by those that oppose me?"
"They were spotted by the group of hunters. In fact I believe your rivals slipped up. They thought to ambush the hunters not thinking how skilled they were." Aiden replied.
"Well then the problem solves itself." Vlad turned to walk away, but Aiden sighed.
"Not quite my lord. That very group of hunters believed the silly prophecy, they are heading here." Aiden said and Vlad groaned as he turned back to his captain.
"Do we know anything about these hunters?"
"They are led by one Professor Abraham Van Helsing, my lord. According to what we have gathered he is one of the best as are his team of seven other hunters."
"Hmph! Eight professional Vampire hunters coming here to die, more like." Vlad replied.
"It does look that way my lord. How do you wish to proceed?" Aiden asked as Vlad stopped and thought a moment.
"Let them come, and since this Van Helsing is such a well known hunter he can become legendary for dying by my hand."
"Of course my lord." Aiden nodded with a smile, then frowned, "As ridiculous as it sounds. What of this prophecy?"
"What of it indeed? I doubt it will come to anything, Aiden. After all this girl the prophet speaks of, is not Elora." With that Vlad stepped away to continue his walk not for a mere second thinking that the silly prophecy could in any way be real, that this girl could do anything to even phase him.
Months later...
Weeks travelling to the opposite end of France then on a boat for months was tiresome for many, especially since their group was not the only Vampire hunting group called to action due to the prophet's prediction. To say Lecura hated working with other hunter groups was an understatement. Being a woman meant being looked down on by men she did not even know. Despite cutting her hair to shoulder length and dressing as a man, it was obvious she was a young woman. For the most part she could ignore lewd looks and comments from the other fools that were stupid enough to call themselves hunters. Her team including Abe were also ignoring it for the most part, mainly because she said she would handle the other hunters herself. Besides what better way to put fool's in their place then by being beaten senseless by a girl? Lecura knew it was only a matter of time before one was stupid enough to try something with her.
After all men at sea starved of female company made for stupid idiots. Sure enough towards the end of the voyage another hunter tried to corner her. She never bothered to get the fool's name, only that he stared at her ass too much and disgusted her. She had been sitting at a table sharpening her blades, the other hunter groups were eating at their own tables in the small dining hall on the ship. Occasionally different ones would look her way and leer at her or make lewd comments suggesting she would be fun in bed. The one idiot that liked to watch her ass finally got up and went over to her table, and right then she was choosing to ignore him as she ran the whetstone slowly along her blade. "Hey sweetheart, I got a blade ya can sharpen right here."
Some of his friends laughed as Lecura continued as though not hearing him. "Did ya hear me, bitch?"
"Oh I heard you, I just chose to ignore you. That disgusting thing you call a blade should be permanently removed since it is so dull." Lecura answered as she looked up at the man with an ice cold glare.
"Lecura? Is there a problem?" Rorke asked as he had come into the dining hall.
"No problem Rorke I can handle this." Lecura answered not wanting Rorke to help her, long ago she determined that if she received any aid while putting down a fool that his friends would not get the hint.
"Oh she will handle it alright!" That was when the hunter made the mistake, he grabbed her wrist. His other mistake was coming at her when she was armed, once pulled from her chair the hunter never saw it coming. She spun as though dancing with him and twisted his arm behind his back to where he immediately let go of her wrist and she slammed him face first onto the table. Holding his arm behind his back and in a very painful angle, her other hand held a blade between his legs.
"One move from you or your friends and I not only make you a women but I will show you how it would feel to have a real blade violate you!" Lecura replied violently cold. His friends had stopped laughing and stared stunned as did the other fools that had made comments about her. A wave of tension came over the hall, but the threat she had given kept each of the groups in their seats. The man whimpered as he felt the blade's tip threatening him. "Still think I would be easy to bed? Or that I would be begging for it?!"
The questions were not just directed at the man she had pinned, she was throwing their earlier comments back at them. "Maybe I should make an example of you for them? Hmmm? A cautionary and gruesome reminder not to cross me again!"
"Please! I am sorry!" The man actually started crying, and he called himself a hunter? Lecura was not sure what was more pathetic the man begging her not to hurt him or the fact that he wet himself.
"Pathetic!" Lecura replied disgusted, "and you are suppose to be a vampire hunter?! What do you do when faced with a vampire?! Cry like a girl and distract it while others attack?!"
"He-he is new, a new recruit." One of the others at the table spoke up, and she looked at the man with a raised brow. Lecura could not help but scoff at the sorry excuse of a man she still had pinned on the table.
"Hmph! I give him a day before he gets ripped to pieces by a vampire if that! He will not survive in this business!" Lecura replied looking at the men still sat at their tables, then released the coward. "Go home little girl!"
Taking up her blades and whetstones, Lecura stepped around the puddle with a wrinkled nose to Rorke who was shaking with laughter while trying to keep a straight face. "What?"
"That was priceless!" Rorke burst out laughing, "He pissed himself! Wow Lec you have scared men senseless before but to see one piss his pants?! That is going in the record books!" From there the pair left the hall with Rorke still laughing. At least now the other hunters knew not to cross her, not that she would have to deal with them much longer. Stepping out on deck Rorke led her to the rest of the team still laughing about the incident in the meal hall. In the distance was Romania. As she looked at the land deemed cursed, Lecura felt a shiver run down her spine. All the while Rorke told the others what she did in the meal hall. Her uncle laughed and patted her on the back proud of her, then noticed her lack of reaction.
"Is it what you expected?" Abe asked.
"No it seems... darker more ominous than I first thought it would be." Lecura answered, wondering if this land always looked so deary. Here she thought England was a dreary place to live, this place had England beat. Who in their right mind would want to willingly live here? Aside from being a cursed land it to her looked cursed.
"You are the one that said 'we should save the girl'." Morris grumbled, then eyed the land annoyed. All the while Lecura sighed wishing to ignore their resident complainer. At least soon they would be off the stinking boat, and Lecura would be away from the other hunters and sailors. While it was gently recommended that the groups of hunters team up by Nostradamus, Abe had soon decided against it. He needed professional vampire hunters not amateurs. Some of the other groups on the boat were more professional then others, but the other reason was because they underestimated Lecura. He needed people with better sense than that, at least his team knew better than to think her incapable. As the land drew closer, the group gathered their gear, and Abe decided they would take a different route from the other groups. As the ship docked in the harbour and the group stepped off the boat and into the land of the master vampire.
On entering the village the group moved along not staying very long in one place. Abe only stopped long enough to see about horses and provisions for the trip. The other groups of hunters that had come to pit themselves against Dracula had already left, by the main road. So their group would take one of the roads less travelled to reach their destination in the morning. By the time they had purchased the horses and provisions it was late afternoon, and one of the policies of Abe's was to never travel at night or camp out if possible. Instead they lodged in one of the smaller Inns where not too many people stayed. The dining hall was virtually empty so the group could discuss the plan more freely.
It was after eating a nice well cooked meal, that Abe decided now was a good time to talk, so when the bar maid cleared away the dishes Abe rolled out a map of Romania. "Alright as you know soon we will be leaving this village. Our route will take us through Wallachia north towards Transylvania and the Carpathian Mountains. From here it is easily a couple of weeks journey to our destination. The rumoured birthplace of Dracula, Sighisoara."
"Hmph, talk about irony." Morris scoffed, and Abe chose to ignore it.
"It is here we have been told we will find the girl, but every leg of the journey we will have to be careful. Dracula rules these lands still."
"Boss how large is this village Sighisoara?" Rorke finally asked pointing to the map where said village was.
"It is pretty good sized anywhere from fifty to eighty strong." Abe replied.
"Great and half of those will be women, anyone of those girls could be the one Dracula will want." Thrask pointed out.
"I know just before we left the prophet told you more directly where the girl could be found uncle, but did he describe her? Give some detail to help find her?" Lecura finally asked.
"He gave me a description of an area just outside of the town where the girl will be found on the night of an eclipsing blood moon just before first frost in a clearing." Abe said hating the lack of details.
"Great so we have to wait for a girl to show up to know who she is." Thrask said annoyed.
"So what is the plan?" Demetri finally spoke up.
"We find the girl, and get her as far away as possible." Abe stated simply.
"That is it?" Morris asked disappointed that the only thing they were doing was rescuing some girl.
"That is it. We are not here to fight an impossible foe. You forget this is Dracula we are talking about not some random noble vampire, but the master himself. So our job is to keep this girl safe from that monster, nothing more. Let the other fool hunters throw themselves at this creature if they wish." Abe said, then continued to chart out the path they would take to reach the village. Towards the end Abe looked at his crew. "Get some rest, we leave at dawn and make for the next village over."
Immediately the crew rose from their chairs and went to their rooms. The group had been split into pairs to share rooms: Abe and Rorke were in the first room down the hall. Then it was Lecura and Demetri, followed by Thrask and Cordric, and lastly Wesley drew the short end of the stick and was bunked with Morris.
Abe came in and laid down on the bed, and perhaps could have easily dosed off if not for Rorke who laid down in the other bed by the window. "You sure letting Demetri bunk with Lec is a good idea?"
"My niece can handle herself." Abe replied not about to let the question bother him.
"Yes but she is with Demetri, and he is a charmer."
"Rorke you are talking about Lecura. The girl that says she would rather die then let a man touch her." Abe said.
"Yeah I suppose you are right, still she says those words now. Just wait until she meets someone she really likes." Rorke replied lying back on his bed.
"If said someone survives her and I do not put some crossbow bolts in him." Abe said after a moment getting a short laugh from Rorke. However to Abe he never needed to worry, Lecura was too wilful and feisty. Besides when she was old enough Abe had dreaded it but sat her down to have the talk. That very unsettling conversation mothers had with daughters, and fathers had with sons. It had been then that Abe had felt out of his element, he was stumbling through the talk until Lecura stopped him by saying: "Uncle please stop, you never need worry about me getting involved with someone. Truth be told I would rather die then ever let a man touch me, if I have my way I will die a virgin."
At the time the words coming from the girl he raised had embarrassed him, especially the words 'I' and 'virgin' placed in the same sentence. Now the words served as comfort when he worried over her, besides Demetri while a charmer had more respect for Lecura then to try anything. Normal girls Lecura's age were married with children or children on the way, but with his niece that type of life was not suited to her. So Lecura being alone in a room with another man never bothered the vampire hunter, even if in society it was looked at as scandalous. Normal Society? To him in their line of work Vampire Hunters were as far outside normal as one could possibly get. There was nothing normal about vampire hunters and even less for vampires, so he could care less about normal society. With that thought in mind Abe rolled over and closed his eyes dosing off to sleep.
Author's Notes:
Well I hope you liked this latest chapter. Just wanted to note some things for you, mainly the scene where Lecura takes a rival hunter down a peg or two. I wanted to establish the OC as being a stronger more independent character. Sadly what I find annoying about a lot of the Dracula stories is that the female lead is portrayed as being weak or defenceless. So I wanted to make the female lead much stronger and at times like in the previous chapters and future chapters I will try and show just how she differs from other girls in the Dracula stories.
Furthermore I have seen Dracula Untold and must say: AWESOME! I did like that story and everything. Luke Evans as Dracula is HOT!
Anyway enjoy the chapter and please review away.