A/N: Almost been a year since I last updated...definitely no excuse for that long of a wait.
The Travelers' Encounters
The two vampires emerged from the hall, the air about them slightly charged with their previous quarrel but hinting at the agreed compromise. Seeing Michael and Rip waiting at the edge of the trees surrounding the castle, the couple joined them.
"Is your lover's argument over with?" Michael teasingly asked, earning a silent snarl from Alucard and a blush from Seras. "I'll take those reactions as a 'yes' and drop the subject" he said, holding his hands up defensively. "Now" he said, changing the topic. "Where are we going?"
"To the north" Alucard stated flatly, looking to the mountains around them.
"Um, any more specifics?" the younger male inquired, a dubious expression on his face.
"No."
Michael shook his head in slight amusement, though he straightened himself quickly at a stern glance from the elder vampire. Giving a shaky grin he himself looked to the mountains to the north, shaking his head in concern. Looking to Seras for an answer to his aloofness, she herself shrugged her shoulders and shook her head in confusion. However, feeling curious herself about Alucard's motives of destination, she turned to the elder vampire at her side.
"Why that way?" she questioned, half expecting him to ignore her and the other half expecting him to give another cryptic answer. He surprised her once again with his answer.
"The Countess' castle is in that direction" he replied plainly, obviously not in the mood for much conversation that evening. "I intend to pay her a visit."
Michael's eyes widened as he looked quickly toward where Alucard gazed, his mouth dropping open in shock. However, he regained most of his composure, snapping his mouth shut and his brows crashing down in deep thought.
"You know it's not going to be easy, right?" he asked seriously, turning his attention back to the vampire couple. "I have only heard rumors of her sorcery and her servants, but no one truly knows her full capabilities."
Alucard gave the young male a look so venomous he flinched at the sight, drawing back a step in agitation. Michael shuffled under the glare, his eyes attempting to hold their gaze into the elder's own but forced to look away after a moment.
"Your information of the Countess seems quite thorough for hearing only rumors" Alucard commented icily, one brow raised and his body stiffening in practiced reaction.
Michael for a moment looked shocked, his mouth clapping down into a thin mouth as his eyes suddenly narrowed. Seras was surprised herself, the mild-mannered youthful vampire before her showing a personality she didn't know he possessed. However, the spell lasted no more than a few seconds and he gave an innocent shrug, looking to the mountains with one last resigned glance.
"I just know what I know" he replied, turning back to the silent group. "Rip" he spoke, not bothering to look straight at his servant as he addressed her. "Go fetch the coffins, our hunting is about to commence."
The mentioned female vampire gave a single eager nod, smiling with more than a hint of fang as she disappeared into the castle. For a short while afterward there reigned an uncomfortable silence, the only one visibly affected by the mood being Seras. She shifted from one foot to another, looking at the two males who stood stiffly near her.
"Well" Michael spoke up, clapping his hands together as he looked between his remaining companions. The mood disappeared with the single movement, easing Seras' tension. "How are we going to travel? The skies are the fastest, so maybe the ladies wou-"
"They will follow us by a more direct route" Alucard suddenly interrupted, stepping toward the wagon. "My contacts in these countries have long since been destroyed and the peasants won't feel inclined to board us. Therefore" he added, turning toward the castle a moment before Rip appeared with a coffin under both arms. "The coffins must be transported via the road and we shall follow in the skies."
Seeing the wisdom in his words, though still remaining hesitant, Michael nodded his head in agreement. Meanwhile, Seras was looking quizzically as Rip stalked up to them, her eagerness slightly dampened by the menial labor. However, what caught the young vampiress' attention was the unknown second coffin being placed in the wagon's back, turning her confused gaze between a disinterested Alucard and an amused Michael looking for an answer.
"My own coffin" Michael finally explained, giving a small smile at her unspoken question. "I had it hidden among the grounds after my first arrival, though I am sure Alucard knew where I slept."
The mentioned vampire gave no indication he was aware of the conversation, his gaze pointed to the distant mountains they were going to journey to. However, he was rudely pushed back into the near vicinity with a sharp elbow into his ribs, his head snapping back with a silent snarl to face his startled bride. Seras cringed at the ferocious look while the others watched on in shocked silence, their faces visibly relaxing as Alucard's face softened.
"My apologies, Seras" he commented almost coldly, glaring at the two watching. "I thought you were the boy. Take the wagon and proceed down the road" he commanded, watching them carefully as they nodded and reluctantly began the journey without the others.
Seras, seemingly rooted to her spot, wasn't sure she had heard correctly, particularly when Alucard had admitted to being caught unawares. However, her fears for her mate's sanity were all for naught as he came up behind her, his hands resting gently on her shoulders.
"We must be careful with how we act now, Seras" he spoke soothingly, nuzzling her hair softly. Seras slowly relaxed against his chest, sighing as he wrapped his arms around her. "Our enemies will see this as a weakness and exploit it."
"I understand" she answered with a happy nod, turning in his arms and smiling as she cuddled into his coat.
After a short time they broke apart, Seras happily walking beside Alucard as they turned and strolled down the road to catch up to their companions farther along. They reunited in a few short minutes, the other two having stopped just out of vampire ear shot and waited for them. Alucard gave a quick nod to Michael and transformed into a large bat, taking to the air even as the younger followed suit. Seras climbed aboard the rickety wagon, giving an uneasy smile to the cold vampiress beside her with reins in hand.
So the group began their journey along the dusty and rut-bound road, the way slow as the luggage bounced forward. For half the night there was nothing but complete silence among them all, the only sounds the hooves of the horse and the sounds of the night animals. Seras, bored with her surroundings and uneasy with her companion, looked to the night sky at the two dark shapes following overhead. She cocked her head in curiosity as she thought she heard the sound of bat squeaking hit her ears, but quickly shook off the notion as the noise did not come again.
For a few minutes after Seras' strange noises there was not a sound, stretching the time to the infinity until dawn. However, Alucard suddenly swooped low to the ground before the wagon, startling the horse as he landed gracefully in front of the wagon. Seras and Rip watched in confusion and curiosity as he transformed back into his human form, his face to the sky as Michael also alighted.
"Someone wishes to greet us" Alucard spoke with a wide grin, his eyes still pointed upward and now facing toward the mountains to their side. "Perhaps we should entertain them."
Seras waited nervously as her vampiric senses began to awaken to the coming battle, the wind picking up as though by magic as the noises around them ceased. Then from the shadows forms slowly appeared, crawling upon the ground in smooth motions. The horses, already uncomfortable with their driver and baggage, became almost uncontrollable as the creatures began to surround them.
"They've been following us for quite some time" Alucard spoke with disgust, his grin dropping off his face as his eyes narrowed. "Her messengers have certainly become dull in their abilities."
"But not in number" Michael added as more jumping shadows began to stalk around them. "I count at least thirty about us and more behind. Care to make a fifty-fifty game, sir?" he asked, his question directed toward Alcuard.
"How tedious" Alucard commented lightly, watching as the creatures circled them. "We've already played this dance with one enemy" he spoke, alluding to the encounter before his and Seras' trip to London. "The Countess seems to have lost all her flare."
"Perhaps we should leave her a message in blood?" Rip suddenly suggested, eagerly looking at the werewolves with a hungry eye. With no objections quickly presented she jumped down from the wagon, causing Seras to grab for the reins before the horse could bolt with its precious cargo.
"A fitting warning, I suppose" Michael pondered, watching with narrowed eyes as the enemies crept closer. "Though I believe a quick dea-"
His words were cut off by the sound of amused laughter flitting among the trees around them, the owner of the voice stepping out from behind a large group of the shadow creatures. The person wore a hooded outfit, their face and body covered completely by a plain brown cloth.
"You think it'll be that easy?" the person commented, an air of arrogance in their words. Seras was unable to decipher whether the stranger was male or female, so rough and thick was the voice. "These are werewolves specially bred by her ladyship and won't be defeated easily by you worthless peons."
One of Alucard's brows rose at the snide remark though he remained stationary, watching as the figure stepped closer to them. Rip, however, had removed her gun from her back at the person's appearance, the long barrel fixed on any of the creatures which would dare move first. Her chance at carnage came when the leader raised their hand and, with one last pause, brought down their arm and the shadows burst from the forest.
The group saw they were indeed some sort of wolves, thought whether they had been human once was a matter of opinion. Their fur cloaked their entire bodies with claws and fangs abnormally long. Their body composition forced them to crouch low to the ground like a predatory hound and their bulk was so large the muscles could be seen rippling in a wave as they moved around them.
With a wide grin Rip opened fire on one of the largest, hitting her mark square in the head and dropping the body as the head literally exploded. Michael joined the fray with a sudden snarl and he jumped into the thickest part of the group, his fingernails growing to match the beasts' own as he swiped at them with precision. Many fell with their flesh skinned off their bones and others were quickly decapitated. Alucard merely destroyed those who approached him with a thick wall of darkness, trapping them in his shadows and suffocating them quickly by crushing their throats.
Seras, meanwhile, as the least experienced and without her trusty harkonnen barely managed to dodge the blows which were aimed at her. However, she soon noticed a pattern where the beasts were trying to lead her away from the others while not managing to kill her. The realization struck her that they were going to capture her alive, to take her to their mistress she assumed. The possibilities of what the Countess would do to her, and especially her child, surfaced in her mind and she snarled in anger.
Seras stopped shifting backwards towards the woods and stood firm, feeling as the darkness within her surfaced and wrapped around her. The familiar feeling of power ran through her body as she grinned in the rush of vampiric adrenaline, holding her hand before her and watching as the nailed grew to several inches long. With her bare hands she began tearing apart the enemy, knowing to do otherwise would give them another chance at harming both her and her child. Blood and flesh flew in all directions as she dwindled the numbers around her, losing herself in the thrill of the power and protection of her child.
By the time the carnage of battle was over Seras was still partially transformed, her hair still long and her teeth razor sharp. The others of the group had easily beaten back their foes, though Rip and Michael appeared to be tired from the exertion of the conflict. Alucard stepped toward the figure still standing among the trees, their stance still cocky but less composed than before.
"If you've had your fill of fun for the night, then I'll be going" the figure spoke, turning smoothly and disappearing into the darkness beyond.
With one last disgusted look Alucard turned his gaze on his bride, grinning slightly as her dark eyes searched for more enemies. Seras' narrowed dark eyes quickly found Michael, baring her teeth as she took a defensive position against him. She growled lowly in her throat, raising her hands to reveal the lengthened claws torn through her gloves. The blood from her battle still dripped from her clothes as she slowly approached Michael, a wide, wicked grin growing upon her face.
"Um, Seras?" Michael asked nervously, taking a few cautious steps backward. He stopped his retreat, however, when a low, threatening growl rose from the vampiress' lips. "Seras, don't you know who I am?" he asked, looking to Alucard. "Um, a little help here?"
"She will not listen nor recognize you" Alucard calmly spoke, coming up to stand next to the younger male. "She does not know how to control her bloodlust state when with child and currently only thinks to protect her unborn from everyone."
"Well, that solves everything" he sarcastically commented, dropping his stiff stance at the elder's calm attitude. "But how are we going to get her out of this if she is unable to recognize us?" Michael questioned, flinching as another growl escaped Seras' throat.
"She will recognize me" Alucard firmly answered, striding confidently toward the young female. "Seras" he called, reaching out a hand only to have it swiped at. However, he was undeterred and refused to retract it, instead grabbing Seras' own and pulling her against him. "Calm down" he firmly ordered, his command pulling some of the insanity from her eyes. "Remember whose blood you have in your veins."
Seras' eyes snapped wide open at those words, blinking several times as she looked at the faces of Michael and Rip as they slowly approached her. She hung her head as she realized what had happened, breathing deeply and bringing a hand up to her forehead in dismay.
"Again?" she asked calmly, feeling as Alucard nodded behind her. With a small sigh she looked up and gave a small smile to the group. "These mood swings are murder" she said jokingly, getting a returned smile from Michael and an annoyed look from Rip.
"Now if we can catch the horse and wagon we will be ready for the rest of our journey tonight" Michael commented, pointing to where the said objects had last been seen. All that remained was empty air and several deep hoof prints where the horse had driven into the ground in its sudden dash from the encirclement of werewolves who now lay scattered about them. "Rip, you had better find them" he added with a small laugh, shrugging when she gave him a glaring but obedient nod.
The horse and carriage were soon to be found a mile or so away, all the coffins intact but the wagon the worse for wear as the side boards had been broken in some parts. Realizing another encounter would happen, each took a mental note to carefully secure the horse to avoid a catastrophe. Soon afterward, when the horse had calmed enough to allow the girls to climb into the driver's seat and the group once more set upon their way.
