Explosions, gunfire, groaning, hissing, and screaming were the main sounds in the symphony of madness. London was burning. Its people were either bloody, mangled corpses on the streets or rotten ghouls lurching about aimlessly in search of a warm, living meal. Survivors of the chaos were the victors of this barbaric attack, the Nazi vampire army of Millennium. If she didn't already feel so defeated, Seras would race through the entire city and kill every last one of them with just her fangs. Hands tied behind her back, blindfolded even. She was disgusted with the smell of dead bodies, smoke, and blood coming from the scene before her.

Behind her was Hellsing manor, about to be invaded by a separate but similarly eager wave of Nazi vampires, if she didn't get off her ass to do something.

A finger pressed into the slowly healing bullet wound on her shoulder, cringing when her nerves protested her curious action.

She understood why vampires hated blessed weapons and ammunition much more than she wanted to. It hurt a hundred times more than being shredded by a hail of regular bullets to her face and she'd long since healed of those wounds.

With the help of the scythe she'd snatched from Zorin, she stumbled to stand, growling at her protesting, still-healing legs.

She'd collected so much blood and yet she still struggled with fixing herself from an explosion at her feet. She could barely imagine what being decapitated with a holy blade felt like. Could she even survive such a scenario?

That was a question for later, for her Master to answer, once he returned.

Right now, she needed to shape up and get her head back in the game.

Right. Yes! Destroying an entire Millennium airship. Not a problem. Not something she trained for, but causing trouble was something that came to her quite easily. Surely breaking a few engines and blowing up major parts of the aircraft would be simple enough.

Whoever heard of something being easier said than done? Not her.

Why was she stalling so much? Seras eyed the enemy ship with this new revelation in mind. Was it because she was afraid? Screw that; she'd faced off against the worst, that she was completely positive of. No one on board would match her strength even if she didn't try as hard.

And yet, she could technically call it fear. Fear of no satisfaction, if that was a thing. Fear of boredom. Fear of not enjoying the kill as much as she wanted. Killing Zorin had been the highlight so far in this insanity. That and quieting that taunting voice once more, or at least drowning it in a hundred others.

Seras was afraid of becoming like her Master, just like he'd said she would. All of them did; him, Integra, maybe Walter, the old soldiers, and the new. Her Master had been waiting with bated breath for this war to start, just to find entertainment in the slaughter that a million search and destroy missions couldn't quite fulfill.

She had become just as eager, and now that her subconscious expectations hadn't been met, she was bored. Absolutely bored.

Don't you have something you should be doing?

Seras was damn near close to cursing, annoyed that she'd been caught thinking too much. Again. That's... What? Twice today alone?

Police Girl, I'm beginning to think you're in need of another lesson.

Master, I don't have time–

No, you clearly do, since you seem to be fine standing around, disobeying my Master's orders. His teasing tone both irked and pleased her. Anything to break her out of the screaming solitude that was her mind was fine with her.

"Fine," she grumbled as she attempted to take a few easy steps toward the mansion.

How do you intend to intercept the airship? he asked, still mocking her. God, was he bored too? At least for him, it made sense; being stuck on a ship in the middle of the Atlantic didn't exactly sound fun.

"Err... I'm assuming running at it is definitely out of the question?"

At the rate you're moving, you wouldn't even make it to the armory in time to try blowing it up.

Damn. Then what other options did she have? She couldn't exactly fly up there, could she?

Master, can vampires fly?

In theory, it's possible. If you count bat familiars as part of vampires, then I suppose so. In reality, no. I have yet to meet a vampire that can. I'd be astounded if you found a way to do so.

She hummed, considering his words. Bat familiars, eh?

How many bats do you think–

It wouldn't work. Trust me.

"Then how the hell do you even make a bat familiar, if you're trying to teach me something?" she barked, teeth trembling. Actually, her whole body felt shaky all of a sudden. Perhaps the fear of losing Pip and the Wild Geese was starting to take over finally. Thank goodness, if that was the case. She was afraid she'd become apathetic to those she cared for.

She didn't hear from him for quite a time. A second suddenly felt like a year, things were moving so slow.

"Sorry, Master," she mumbled knowingly, hearing his hum of acknowledgment.

At least you're aware of your mistakes. Most fledglings, not even those older than you, realize their stupidity.

So you're going to teach me about familiars? she thought back hopefully.

How would that help you in any way?

I'm thinking I could use a couple to sabotage parts of the ship. She kept her sights set on the engines, assuming he'd understand from there.

You don't even know how to make one and you're already intending to send multiple to do as you command. She could hear his amusement. His laughter was probably scaring sharks away out there.

Well, I would have one already if you actually taught me how to do it instead of wasting time.

You're growing quite the attitude, Police Girl. It's charming. Don't overdo it. She could feel the ghost of a sigh on her shoulder, startling her somewhat. This wound on your shoulder. Stop healing it.

"What? Are you mad?" she questioned, but obeyed nevertheless.

Good. Now imagine the blood shaping into a bat instead of your muscles. He decided to ignore her and focus on teaching her anyway.

"Like... Control the blood into the form of a bat?" she spoke with uncertainty, watching the blood soak into her uniform's sleeve.

No. I told you before. This isn't like controlling blood or leading the blood. This is molding it. Familiars require a different kind of concentration to create. You're bringing a separate but connected creature to life, not just commanding a puppet on strings.

His phrasing was reprimanding, but his tone was gentle, patient. She wasn't sure how he could be so calm in the face of dangerous circumstances, but then again, this was her mission on the line, not his.

"So would this be related to healing in some way?" She only connected the dots from what he'd previously stated.

On the spectrum, yes, it would. The forming of a familiar is probably one of the tougher abilities, especially if you're making an entirely new, unique body from scratch.

"Does that mean I could create a body I already know and not have to put much effort into giving it life?"

She noticed the blood on her sleeve begin to bubble up, much like the pile she'd amassed back in Rio. Surely this was progress? She was on a bit of a time crunch.

You'd be wasting souls away instead of actually using them. To maintain the original form, multiple souls have to be used. These aren't illusions, Police Girl. These are actual creatures that fight for you.

"Illusions?" she murmured, hearing a confused grunt from him. An idea suddenly came to mind. She smiled. "Master, hypothetically speaking, say you had a soul with a certain... magical power. How costly would it be to access such an ability?"

If it's a magical ability, the only cost would be from the ability itself, not any vampiric energy. You'd have the knowledge and power that soul once possessed if you drank enough of their blood. He took a moment to think before adding, What are you up to, Police Girl? You sound like you're onto something.

"That's because I am," she responded back with the same cheerful tone, focusing more intently on the bubbling blood.

It seemed to twitch like an erratic spider leg, then gained a more solid, round form before springing off her shoulder with a slick popping sound. She watched as it spasmed through the air, at one point almost falling to the ground. It circled around her head, finally behaving like a happy little blood bat.

Not as impressive as I was expecting, but still–

"I'm not done yet." She held her hand out, letting the bat land on her palm.

Closing her eyes and gritting her teeth, she felt through the energy within her for the power she desired. She could barely touch it, feeling it right on ghostly fingertips. The cheeky soul was trying to avoid her. How cute. She reached further in, easily grasping the power, but now needed to put it into practice, just like the rest.

It seemed, since the soul was unwilling, she couldn't entirely do with the power what she liked. She was stuck with what she had, which she figured was enough for what she wanted to do.

The bat began to glow a dark purple, fluttering off her hand and around her head once more before falling in front of her as an entirely full person.

Seras opened her eyes and smiled, her familiar mirroring her expression.

Oh? Her Master's chuckle reverberated through her mind. Looks like someone's moving ahead of the lessons.

"But it works, doesn't it, Master?" the second Seras replied.

Interestingly, yes. Were it not for the number of souls I can sense between you two, I wouldn't be able to tell the difference. Now, what is this little trick going to accomplish, Police Girl?

"Well," the original Seras began, "one can take care of the mansion and make sure no enemies make their way inside while the other takes care of the airship and the rest of London."

"And another can go off to fetch Integra and Walter," the other Seras added suddenly, glaring when the original raised a brow. She remained firm, a silent understanding moving between them.

"Fine," the original said with a deep sigh. "But you're the one that's taking care of the airship and the mansion, if that's the case."

"Fair," the clone responded before looking to the dirigible and turning back into a bat.

Seras grinned at the howling laughter of her Master. Seems she'd accomplished something surprising beyond her magic trick.

You sound absolutely mad.

"I suppose talking to yourself is a tad mental," she commented as she watched the familiar fly off.

Arguing with yourself isn't just a tad mental, little one.

She rolled her eyes and focused on creating another bat. She had a mission to take care of, after all.


A large booming explosion reverberated through the air and earth. Huge metal bars, beams, and sheets fell from the sky, busted engines crushing the ground like meteors.

Flames quickly died as the wind seemed to kick up around it. As more parts of the destroyed aircraft fell, the fire was beaten away before it could engulf the surrounding grass. The remains of the ship had become a scrapyard in front of the manor.

"I'd call it more of a graveyard," she murmured to no one in particular. Maybe it was the voices in her head. She couldn't be sure.

Blood from decapitated soldiers obeyed her silent command, coming to her in her time of need.

Despite being without a real leader anymore, those Nazi soldiers had put up quite the annoying fight. At the same time, all she had were a dozen or so souls inside her, instead of the usual full amount. This meal would heal her left arm right back up, it having been torn off in the whole mess by a few of the wilder vampires.

Content with her destruction, she strode back towards the manor, which was only a few steps away. The walkway to the front doors was a mess, but since it wasn't exactly part of the building itself, she considered this a job well done.

"Miss Victoria, you're okay!" Theo was the first to greet her in, his voice sounding rather weak and hoarse. She gave him a questioning look, which he chose to avoid as Pip came up to her.

"Kept my promise," she chimed, grinning at his soft chuckles.

"Of course you did, ma chère. I knew you wouldn't break your word." As he spoke, he side-eyed Theo, who huffed and shrunk away.

Her gaze darted between the two of them. "Am I missing something here?" she asked.

"Some of us–" he subtly motioned to the retreating Theo– "didn't think you'd survived, with the ship still coming our way and all. Since we couldn't contact you to make sure and things were quiet out there, they assumed the worse."

"And you didn't?"

"You're one of the strongest vampires I know, cher. I'd assume you would've gone off to clean up the rest of London if you didn't come out of that wreck," he answered, jokingly shrugging his shoulders.

"Your faith in me is quite flattering, Captain. Thank you for that."

Seras scanned the foyer, seeing weary but relaxed expressions all around. Now that she'd returned from killing the main threat, fear and worry were washed away from the soldiers' thoughts.

"So what's next?" Pip had her attention once again and at first, she had no clue what the question implied. Then she remembered. She was in charge.

"Err... Well, we can relax for now. As far as I can tell, there aren't any more of those freaks left nearby. Best to stay alert though, just in case some come along."

She hesitated to say more, on how she was taking care of things in London and with Integra, but decided against it. Perhaps it was better the Geese focused on keeping the manor safe and she worried about the rest on her own.


It was difficult to hold back the bile. Corpses strewn about the street and blood plastered on buildings like graffiti. A vile stench seemed to permeate the air even if you weren't in it, just by looking at the mess that was London.

Barbaric monsters, vampires could be. Integra knew this now more than ever. She knew Alucard had been this way more than a hundred years ago, long before Van Hellsing, back when he was still Vlad the Impaler. To think, centuries passed since that first vampire came to be and the species hadn't changed much.

Even her vampire, the chained dog he was, still craved the insanity of war.

Shadows passed by the car and screaming could be heard behind it. She didn't want to look back, but the reflection through the rearview mirror was all she needed.

More blood soaked the streets they passed through.

There was a heavy thumping sound right above them. Integra flinched when she heard it, and she could see Walter's body tense up as well.

Through the mirror, she could see a boot poking into view. There was someone on the roof.

"Sir, should I..." The butler didn't finish his question, since the rest was easily implied. He held a hand up knowingly, his other firmly glued to the steering wheel.

Integra glared up at where the body likely was, considering the option.

Suddenly, fingers appeared at the edge of the opposite window to hers. She almost didn't notice them until they became a full gloved hand that knocked twice on the glass.

Strange, polite, and feminine.

A familiar head of messy blonde hair and bright red eyes appeared at the window. Seras smiled and waved sheepishly, and the muffled words, "Sorry for scaring you, sir," were heard before she slipped through the roof and into the seat beside her.

"Miss Victoria, what on earth are you doing here?" the Hellsing exclaimed, obviously upset.

"I came on my Master's orders, sir. He told me to keep you safe, so I am." Seras grinned, then turned her head to the chaos outside, like a child marveling at amazing new sights.

Integra was about to interject with another point, when the commotion outside caught her attention.

A group of Nazi soldiers had taken to following the car, clearly intent on destroying it and the passengers inside. To Integra's surprise and without warning, all five of the men were killed by the time Walter rounded the corner. She barely had a chance to see the flash of blonde and red before it disappeared.

She eyed Seras' seemingly innocent act. Surely that wasn't...

"Is there something wrong, sir?" Seras asked with a playful tilt of the head.

"Seras, was that–"

The car suddenly screeched to a halt, almost hitting someone standing in the middle of the road. The sound of crushed metal was the first sign of danger. Another vehicle had been thrown at them.

The figure that had caught the offending object tossed it away and turned to the passengers inside.

"Keep going," the second Seras suggested, pointing to the road to the right before turning back to her latest objective.

"H-How?" Walter stammered, looking through the rearview mirror at the Seras still sitting inside the car.

"Just keep going, Walter," this Seras insisted.

"But–!"

"Walter, it's an order," Integra commanded, and with that, the car was speeding through the street Seras had chosen.

Seras giggled, having decided to observe the disappearing fight through the back window for as long as she could.

"Explain yourself, vampire," Integra snapped, immediately gaining the Police Girl's attention.

With a sigh, Seras slumped into the seat, though her smile remained. "I'm pretty sure I don't need to explain, do I? You already know. Or at least understand. You're smarter than most people give you credit for." Her words seemed to trail into silence, as if she were thinking about something as she watched her Master's master.

There was something in the way those crimson eyes looked that frightened Integra, much like Seras' snappy attitude had during their little spat. It wasn't rage or hate, unlike before, but madness. And yet, it wasn't entirely so. Seras clearly knew what she was doing; there was a focus in her expression, though on what, it was unclear; but knew nothing at all at the same time.

Unpredictable, she could perhaps call it, since she couldn't place the right word on it. Frighteningly unpredictable.


Soldiers stumbled through the streets, drunk off the blood of the innocent. They exuded the pure madness in their cores, chanting their victories, holding up their spoils as they laughed the night away.

It was almost too easy to kill them. They were distracted by their victory. She was unsure whether to make herself known before killing them or sneakily end each of them off.

What do you think, Master?

There was a huff, though she couldn't tell if it was an annoyed or upset one. Wait, weren't those the same thing? Maybe? No? Oh well. Who cared?

Surely you don't need me to order you around, Police Girl.

No. But I'd like a second opinion, if you're willing to provide.

If that's the case, then leave them be. I'd at least like something to kill when I return.

Seras grinned, stifling her giggles as she climbed back up to the rooftops. He wasn't wrong. She had been taking care of a lot of the vampires roaming about. Whenever she saw some, she made sure they weren't able to blink before ending them. A few here or there had stabbed through a leg or shot through the heart, but she didn't even flinch.

Such a fuss over an enemy that didn't even live up to the hype. How disappointing. The Geese could put up more of a fight than these cowards.

In order to satiate her desire, she'd stopped simply slicing through the soldiers with her scythe or shooting them. She started charging in, fangs at the ready, right for the jugular whenever she could. She wanted something thrilling from this whole ordeal.

Speaking of that, how close are you to London, Master?

Enough to enjoy the scent of slaughter. Why? Are you missing me, little one?

I miss when the fighting was fun, sir.

Then have patience. Things will improve soon.

Why's that? She stopped, feeling the phantom hand tilt her head up to the sky.

Scanning through the thousands of colors and stars above, she saw them. A dozen or so copters making their way towards London. She could even see Enrico Maxwell, trapped in, of all things, a clear box, or likely protected by it. It was laughable.

Her nose caught the scent of fresh blood, warm and untouched by the fire and slaughter beneath her.

"Humans," she murmured then giggled. "Iscariot sent humans to fight off vampires?"

Seems the Catholics want to start a crusade in Hell. So be it then. Alucard's voice was laced with a new thrill. We might even find an equal in the mess. Someone to challenge our strengths. Humans are the only creatures that can kill a true Nosferatu, Police Girl. Remember that well. You can't underestimate that which fears us the most.

She had to question him, even a little, for that. How on earth could humans be more dangerous than vampires? She had mowed down nearly a hundred of them in Rio. These would be no different.

At least try to act scared, Police Girl.

But they'll be too easy to kill, Master.

Then leave them to me. With any luck, Anderson will be somewhere close to Maxwell, which means I can have my fun.

She sighed mockingly. "Fine. I'll be finishing off the Nazis then. That's the deal."

Not waiting for his agreement or argument or whatever else came out of his head, Seras chased off after the group she'd let slip away.

Soon, she found herself racing through the streets, chasing after cowardly vampires who themselves were tailing a vehicle. She almost didn't recognize Sir Integra's car, having barely seen it herself in her time at the manor. Blood on the wheels and smeared a tad along the sides had further marred its familiarity.

She brandished her scythe, slicing through one of them before pinning another down with it. She eyed her second form in the car, then tore into the shoulder of her prey and dragged back the last one to finish him off as well.

As quick as she finished them off, she saw the being that dared attack Integra. She had to move this time, barely enjoying her meal.

Once Walter listened and drove away from the danger, she focused her attention on the man before her.

Quite an intimidating one, as tall as her Master. Maybe even as gruff and grizzled as him too. He had an intimidating air to him, raw power almost emanating from each step closer to her.

She looked back at her scythe, but decided against it. She had her rifle if she needed a weapon.

The faint creaking of metal met her ears. They both looked up at the airship, one she hadn't noticed until now, to her shock. This one was different from the one she'd dealt with before. Red and black checkered pattern, larger and better equipped.

The ship trained its lights right on her and she hissed, temporarily blinded by the brightness. Shielding the light away with an arm, she growled, daring the strange man to try using this to his advantage. She knew Millennium wasn't afraid of using nasty little tricks.

Actually, that reminded her of something.

"Ah, if it isn't the little Police Woman, Seras Victoria. Not who we were expecting, but equally as delightful to see." That was the nasty, cunning voice of the Major. She recalled that same demeaning tone having been used to address her back at the interrupted meeting with the Queen.

Back then, she hadn't allowed it to annoy her. She was focused on personal matters. Now, however, his voice ground on her nerves and she couldn't put down as to why.

The lights moved, giving her the freedom to see her enemy. The man still stood there, watching her, seemingly defending his leader. She'd have to go through him to get to that irritating pig of a man.

"You sure did a number on the Lieutenant, didn't you? What a show that was!" The Major's hearty cackles blasted through the street. "I knew from the moment I first saw your work in Brazil, you would be a force to be reckoned with. A true Nosferatu, yes? Your Master has trained you well."

"What the hell do you want?" she hissed, tired of his inane ramblings.

She could tell he was restraining himself from his mirth. "War, mein fraulein. Haven't you learned that by now? Surely you've come to understand the beauty of battle. It's in your veins, isn't it?"

Puzzled by this, Seras glared at the vague figure she could make out on top of the blimp.

"Yes. You feel it within you. Madness, desire, hunger. A yearning for the endless threat of war fifty years in the making."

At this, she shivered. Her body tensed, the blood within crying out in agreement. She looked down at her hands, finding them trembling and aching for satiation. Even her fangs seemed to react, her jaw tightening as she forced this wild thirst back.

What was happening to her?

"Oh, you seem surprised by this. Yes, we did have something planned for such an occasion. Zorin was sent to kill you after all, and once that obviously didn't happen, we made sure there was something left to finish the job. Or at least weaken you enough for the wolves." He laughed at a joke she could barely understand. She hardly had the time to focus on that.

Her gaze darted back to the man before her, the blood screeching at her. She knew who this man was. The Captain. Not hers, but Millennium's.

This was the mighty beast meant to destroy her and her Master, along with one other. This was a werewolf.

"I suppose," the Major's voice returned, "I can give you a choice, little one."

She bared her fangs at him, angered that he dared use that nickname. That was not his privilege; that was her Master's! This maggot had no freedom to call her such names!

"Of course he does. He is the Major. He leads the madness of war."

No! Not again! "Be quiet!" she hissed.

"No, I don't think I will, fraulein. In fact, I can tell you're having some trouble disagreeing with yourself. You vampires have such troubles with unwilling blood. Some might call it a weakness, don't you think? I can offer you the chance to change that, if you'd like. The Doctor is very good at making your kind stronger. With the blood we have on supply, we might even be able to free you from your bonds to your Master."

Free her? From her Master? He couldn't possibly have that kind of power. Could he? Now that she was thinking about it, she wasn't sure at all. The damned blood wasn't telling her what she wanted to know anymore.

"Imagine it. Being free to kill all who stand in your way. Powerful, cruel, unyielding to madness. Not even Hellsing would be able to stand against you."

"Lies! Lies, lies, lies!" she screeched, holding her head in her hands. The chorus of screams only intensified.

"The Major can lead you on the path to greatness. You can even best him. Toy with his servitude, making him suffer and even beg for mercy if you wanted. Integra wouldn't be able to stop you. She'd be dead at your feet before she could bark out the damn order. These Hellsing dogs would be nothing to you."

Without realizing, she fell back, curling in on herself and trying to kick away the insanity.

The fat man cackled once more. "Seems your hubris has crumbled to dust, Fraulein Victoria. Much like you will, unless you wish to join our mighty cause? Hm?" His cruel question dug into her skin.

"Join? No, return to him. Return to the one who leads you. He will make you strong once more. He can end the madness."

"P-Please," she whimpered. "Make it stop!"

"I suppose it's more than just Zorin's blood making you like this. My army of vampires come with a tang of disorder as well. They all obey me, just as they obey the call of war. You will choose, Seras. Eternal war or living in the shadow of your soon-to-be-forgotten Master?"

"Do it."

Soon to be? What did that...

Oh, right. Zorin knew that. Hell, some of the soldiers mocked her about it too. She already knew that.

Then what would become of her? She'd be lost without him, wouldn't she? He had so much left to teach her, right? She had tricked her way into becoming this strong, but that would only last so long. What would be her breaking point?

She wasn't strong enough for this. She wasn't cut out to be a vampire on her own. She wasn't! She couldn't even silence the souls, no matter how much she tried.

Seras relied too much on the strength her Master had given her. The courage he'd instilled in her mind had waned without him here. She would never last on her own without his guidance.

She was useless without him. She didn't want to be.

The Captain strode up to her, looming over her in wait.

The scent of power and dog fur blended in with the blood. Swirling. Infinite. Waiting. Lurking.

Hungry. She was so hungry. She had bitten her lip to stop the whimpers and in doing so tasted her own blood. Why do that when there was so much around to drink up? What was she thinking, wasting her own?

The beastly werewolf grunted when a blood bat squeaked and jerked its tiny little body around in front of his face. Soon, another joined it, both circling the air above the poor girl. If one watched from the right angle, it would seem as though the two spritely creatures were fighting.

Then, before his eyes, they transformed into two large dogs, growling at the Captain and snapping their teeth at him. When he jumped back, the two bared their sharp maws, eyes red with hunger.

The black furred one stepped closer to the enemy, his pointed ears pressed back and claws ready to tear into flesh.

The white and brown dog turned its attention to Seras, nudging its snout against her head and lolling its tongue out in preparation to lick.

She looked between the two, surprised to have done such a thing. Was it because of the scent of fur that she'd created these two? Perhaps these two had been two souls she'd collected off the streets as she wandered about. She wasn't keeping track of what she collected after all. There were far too many at this point.

"So be it then."

Seras gasped as a searing pain began at her shoulder, shooting straight through her left arm until the fire coursed through every vein and bone. Then the flames pushed through the skin, a deep, unheard of agony spreading from her fingertips and right back to her shoulder.

"Ah, so there she is. Well, I hope you can make do without an arm in a fight."

Barking and biting sounded with her screams. She recognized the fire, the same one from Alhambra and Jan's deaths. Her brain briefly recalled the concept of microchips embedded within the ghouls and vampires. In her thrashing, she caught sight of the Captain beating back the two dogs, hearing their whimpers of distress as they hit the ground.

This fire stung just as badly as the blessed bullets. Of course it did. It had to turn her completely to dust. That was the point of the chips, once the host vampire failed.

"Return to him. You promised you'd return to him. You can't fail him now. Endure. Get up and fight!"

Easier said than done, damn it! She was sort of busy with something!

"Endure. You have to! You can't fail him now! You can't betray them now. Stand and fight! Integra said it's an order!"

Endure the pain? She couldn't feel anything but the pain. It was even starting to spread to her neck, trying to choke her in its blue purity.

She slammed the side of her head against the ground, attempting to use her legs and good arm to stop the spread by pulling the offending arm off. She'd seen her Master lose a limb or two. It shouldn't be that hard to imitate and regrow. She'd done it before, right?

Through her connection, one of her familiars agreed. Yes, this... This wouldn't be so bad. Not. At. All.

Her shoulder popped from the socket easily, joints likely burnt off at this point. Her elbow twisted at an odd angle. Her hand was almost ashes and bone. All unrecognizable meat.

Easy. Easy.

She heard the dogs trying again to ward off the Captain, buying her time to do this.

The fire tickled at her chin, though not as strong as the direct flames. She could handle this. She can do this.

Her flesh and muscle seemed to melt off before she actually tore it off trying to twist further. Her bones crackled like splintering wood once she finally had the arm off.

Free hand patting away the small embers on her chest, she scrambled away from the arm as it turned to dust.

With a huge sigh of relief, she relaxed, only to jerk to attention when her dogs landed in a beaten pile at her side. Her attention was immediately back to the Captain, who seemed barely phased by her familiars' distractions. In a flash, he was in front of her, attempting to drop kick her.

She rolled out of the way, nervously eyeing the empty space where her arm used to be. She didn't have time to focus on healing it back yet. She'd have to work without it.

No problem? Hopefully, yes.

She stumbled to her feet and dodged a grab at her head easily enough. With barely seconds to think, she darted to her right, narrowly avoiding a swift punch, and grabbed her rifle off her back. Firing a couple shots was easy, but with only one arm, she couldn't exactly reload fast enough. She hadn't actually considered this scenario in practice.

It wouldn't even matter now anyway, as the Captain was completely unaffected by the bullets. The bullet wounds hissed smoky white vapors as they healed. She was reminded of Anderson in the way the man barely reacted to the pain.

Before Seras could react, the werewolf, a fact she needed to remind herself because she had no idea how to kill such a beast besides baseless fiction, snatched the gun from her hand. She tumbled around him once more, avoiding a nasty beat down with the handle of the rifle, only to whimper as she watched it break into various pieces.

Familiar and wild hyena-like laughter faded into the distance, but she paid it little mind. The Captain gave it some attention before completely turning and dashing at her once more.

Her back hit the wall of a building and she immediately used it to her advantage, disappearing into the veil in between. Her shoulder, where the healing had only barely begun, protested, her energy having been split multiple ways at this point. She couldn't stay in here long if she didn't find more blood soon and quick.

Wait, what was she thinking? There was blood all over the streets. She just needed to get to enough of it to help herself.

She was about to head left, but right before she could, the darkness there seemed to shatter and disappear. She couldn't push past it, unless she wanted to leave through the barrier and back out into the real world.

He'd broken through that part of the wall. He knew she was in here!

The thin barrier rippled and came closer as the wall crumbled further. She had to move fast before he found her. Who knew what he had in mind if he caught her? Tear her limb from limb, probably. This one seemed like all muscle.

She sensed his movements, finding his power shifting into the building, then bounded out and onto the streets. As fast as her legs could move, she sprinted away, sensing her dogs on either side of her.

The black one howled and darted off, leaving her and the other to continue running. The other one yelped, then seemed to trip on its own paws and tumble to the ground. Seras skidded to a stop, only to regret doing so as a bullet pierced through her neck. As she fell back, she felt her own blood pool in her mouth and tried her best to swallow it back down.

Her brain scrambled for ideas, her gaze darting about until she saw a pile of dead bodies nearby. Then she heard groaning. Ghouls, either coming from the inside the pile or somewhere else nearby. It didn't matter to her. She just needed to get to the blood.

She looked back to her enemy, remembering that she needed to keep track of him as well in order to survive. The Captain held in his hand a pistol, presumably what he used to shoot her and the dog. He seemed to wait, watching her, eyes silently daring her to move.

Feeling the pain in her throat, she could tell those bullets weren't the normal kind. Not exactly blessed, but it still stung and even tasted terrible. She had half a mind to cough out the bullet, but didn't, out of fear of tasting another soon after.

She couldn't move, unless she wanted more pain, and wasn't too far away from the nearest large source of blood. Eyeing the bodies again, she focused on a pool of blood at the base, willing it to come to her.

The Captain seemed to notice, suddenly hurrying towards her and choking her as he held her up. His other hand pointed the long barrel of his gun at her temple. He grumbled, or maybe growled, since he was a werewolf.

Oh, she hadn't even seen his wolf form and she was barely holding on at this point.

In a split second, she was free. The blood had struck at the hand holding her, slicing through the wrist. She barely had a moment to collect her thoughts and decide to act when something in the back of her skull urged her not to drink the blood now.

What? Why? Make up your damn mind!

As she shuffled back, her eyes caught sight of the Captain, whose wrist dripped blood in thick, heavy drops into the pool. His skin hissed violently as bone and muscle made quick work regrowing.

He looked right at her, through her even, and bared his teeth, sharp canines threatening to tear her to pieces. Seems she struck a nerve or two.

She bolted off to the pile of bodies, deciding it best to at least try to find some energy to fight with. The strain was starting to grate on her, being conscious in multiple places at once. She'd have to fix that soon, if she found a way out of this.

Her body reacted faster than she did when the werewolf fired at her again. All at once, she disappeared into what she at first thought was the ground beneath her.

Then she heard the moaning, all too familiar to her ears. It wasn't loud, by any means, but it was there and made sure she knew it.

This world around her was different, swirls of black and red, seemingly endless and yet with a limit to it. There were people here, walking around, ghoul-like in their strides. They seemed lost, confused, and dead. Most certainly dead. Their faces held vacant stares into the distance, but there was still awareness to something in them.

Seras took a few steps toward the closest one, waving her hand in front of the man's eyes. He didn't even look at her or acknowledge her actions and existence, choosing instead to turn and stumble away.

What was left of the half dozen people reacted similarly, leaving her almost as confused as they all were.

Then she grabbed one of them, curious now. She had a theory.

Carefully, she bit into the woman's arm, watching for a reaction. When none came, she momentarily furrowed her brow, only to relax into the feeding. It felt like literal millennia had passed since her last full meal. This war had been going on not too long, but simple actions felt like an eternity.

Seras licked her fangs in delight, almost drunkenly walking towards another person and biting into their neck. It was only after she had finished this one off did she notice that the body had completely disappeared. She decided against questioning it for now, continuing until no one was left in this little realm of bloodlust.

As quickly as she came into this world, she was forced right back out by the barrier, flung at a lamp post.

She groaned and rubbed the back of her head, then flinched out of the way when her lanky brown and white dog was tossed in front of her.

When she searched for her enemy, she was astonished to find a huge, mighty wolf with radiant white fur looming over her. So... this was the werewolf's true form.

Gulping, Seras shrunk back and tried to think of something to do. She had no weapon, but she did feel better. Her arm wasn't back yet, but she could feel the process slowly working at her shoulder. As long as she made sure not to hurt the area, she was sure she'd have something akin to an arm back before she was done. At least, that was her hope.

Her dog had done a bit of damage while distracting the beast and if he had turned into this form, it meant the Captain was either losing patience or energy of his own trying to kill her without transforming. She hoped the latter was the case.

He charged at her, snapping his long canines at where she once was then moving again to bite into her leg as she ran.

She made sure to grab her familiar, keeping the hound under her good arm until they were at a safer distance.

"Okay, doggie. You understand the plan, right?" she questioned the mutt, who whined and tilted its head. It stuck out its tongue, as if completely unaware of the danger coming at them.

Seras sighed and tried to telepathically speak to the creature, only to come up with nothing as well. Strange. Wasn't the dog the same kind of illusion familiar she'd created before with her duplicates? It was just a different form. How different was it to control? The bats had been no real problem, not that she dealt with them much anyway.

They were split by the Captain biting at the space between them right as they dodged.

Without hesitation, Seras bounded over the werewolf, calling out to her dog, "Fetch! Fetch!"

The silly animal barked twice in understanding as it ran off, practically stumbling on its mangly legs in its excitement. Seras bolted in the other direction, leading the Captain away. At least, that's what she wanted to believe she was doing. He probably didn't care what her dog did, since she was left alone for him to kill with no more distractions.

She hissed at the sudden jolt of pain at her shoulder. Though momentary, it hurt enough to earn her attention. She could see a mass of pointed shadows and blood poking out, twisting around in a hurried attempt to form an arm. Her Master had been right. Regrowing body parts was difficult and painful. A new arm was growing though and that was honestly all she needed.

The Captain seemed to speed up his pace, intending to halt her healing by chomping at her, breaking her run and concentration. While he wasn't successful at either, he was right at her heels, which meant she had to act to avoid losing another limb.

Looking over her shoulder one last time to make sure her little maneuver would work, she jumped, launched herself back and flipped over her opponent. She barely managed to land on her two feet when she was immediately back to running, this time the way she came. She didn't need to look back to know the Captain was trying to catch up again.

There, in the distance, was her dog. Both of them, actually, to her surprise. She'd almost forgotten the black furred one had run off earlier. She was glad to see her scythe in the other one's teeth, dragging it by the handle.

Seras snatched it out of the dog's mouth, not bothering to mention the drool, but mentally acknowledging it. Gross. Glancing at her healing arm, the shadows had formed most of it and she could almost feel it again. The fingers seemed stiff and her elbow felt solid, but beyond that, she had no control over it yet.

Keeping pace, her dogs at either side and wolf still chasing her, Seras wasn't sure exactly what to do next. She still didn't have a way to kill the werewolf, but she was making progress towards being able to fend him off until her Master returned.

Oh God, was she actually considering letting her sire take care of her problems? She shook her head and growled. She needed to take care of this herself. How was she going to prove herself to those she was supposed to protect if she couldn't fight her own battles? No, she needed to defeat the Captain.

How? Well, she was still working on that. What were werewolves' weaknesses? Vampiric weaknesses were the only thing she truly knew for sure. Silver? Silver was something she knew from the books and movies, though she'd learned not to trust those as factual sources as of late.

The black dog snarled and growled, and it was then that she noticed something in its mouth. She could make out the prongs of a gnarled fork poking through its teeth. Did... Did it actually fetch a silver fork in all this mess?

She yelped when a shadow passed over her head, the Captain cutting off her sprint. It took all her strength to stop and still keep steady on her feet. She had no choice but to act now, it seemed.

Part of her sort of hoped the excitement would've lasted. All things must come to an end, unfortunately for her.

Finally able to hold her scythe with her left hand again, she swung it at the wolf, knowing he would dodge back or duck to avoid it. Thankfully, he did the former, giving her enough time to pull the mangled silverware out of her block dog's willing maw.

The wolf's determined and deadly expression turned somehow eager and hopeful. Finally, he seemed to say, he was getting a real fight. A real chance at death.

Strange. But then again, this was a Millennium member she was fighting. All of them were asking for death, weren't they?

"Here, doggy," she mockingly cooed, waving the bent fork around.

The Captain howled, a sound that vibrated the air around them and pounded at her ears. Though she was temporarily stunned, she still noticed his charge and grit her teeth in anticipation of the attack.

His claws dug into her shoulders, his sharp teeth threatening to decapitate her. The raw energy coursing through his fur burned at her skin.

Instead of focusing on the screaming pain, she let it motivate her, fuel her to react accordingly. Grip tightening on the fork's handle, she forced it directly into the Captain's heart. Once. Twice. A third, once she broke through a rib or two. She screeched when his teeth dug into the sides of her head.

No! None of that! Get off!

She pulled at his jaw, hearing at sickening snap as she tore it right off. Her renewed hand turned into a fist and punched his snout, a few bones there crunching as well.

The silver seemed to work quick. He couldn't heal anymore.

As Seras kicked the Captain off her, she cringed at the horrible, twisted, garbled, and animalistic wailing he tried screaming out. He appeared shocked, confused, and in such terrible agony, she almost felt pity for him.

Then his expression became acceptance. The light in those mystifying wolf eyes seemed to fade. He almost looked... happy. The glow of his fur, his energy, dimmed as he collapsed. His form slowly morphed back to his human one. His body was still, lifeless.

"He is dead."

"Lucky."

"I wonder what that's like."

"He's glad. It must be nice."

Her cheerful dog barked and licked at her head, lapping up blood from her bite wounds. Seras smiled and thanked the silly creature by petting it.

The other one, likely wanting a similar reward, nudged its nose against her new hand. She obliged, even scratching behind its pointed ears and cooing, "You did such a good job. Both of you! Yes, you did! Such good dogs!"

For a second, she considered the two unique familiars. She could tell, from the way they behaved to their looks and cut off minds, they weren't like her other ones. She couldn't explain why either. Their power felt no different from the bats. More questions to ask her Master when he returned.

Her smile grew. That's right!

Seras sprung to her feet, grabbing her scythe and looking to both her dogs with a new confidence.

"Come along, you two," she ordered before she swerved on her heel, completely disregarding her latest kill now that that fun was over. Her loyal hounds flanked her, ready to obey her orders. With renewed vigor, she began walking. To where, she wasn't entirely sure, but she moved nonetheless.

"We have promises to keep."