Author's notes: Wow. Some good (or not good) guesses already. Anyway let's take a break from Double D's crew and look at a short chapter about the bad guys. Like I said, I got several ideas from various RPGs, so I won't miss a single clichéd tradition.

P.S. So you guys don't nag me for it later, the heroes won't appear in the order given last chapter. It'll make the story too monotonous.


Chapter 9:

Villain Meet & Greet

Magus sat on a throne in a room about half the size of a football field. Fancy red draping lined the ceiling and torches provided a large amount of light. Each ray of light from them seemed to bounce off and magnified by the chandelier.

Magus remained silent as Conrad and three others walked through the opening double doors on the other side of the room. Conrad walked in front of the group, moving and twirling his cane like a parade leader.

The first person was dressed in a simple blue T-shirt and jeans. He wore a metal pad on his left shoulder. On his back he carried a quiver and a bow almost as large as he was. His dirty blond hair fell over his green eyes a bit.

The second person wore slightly worn down samurai armor, each metal piece colored a dark green. Her white mask allowed her brownish hair to hang out. A Japanese styled long sword hung by her side.

The man at the end of the line, to put to in the simplest words possible, was completely enchanting. The type of man some would ladies swoon over for no apparent reason. His black hair was pulled back into a neck ponytail, and an elegant robe covered his body. His narrow crimson eyes looked around the room in curiosity.

"Sit." Magus said politely, waving to the row of chairs in front of him.

Each person sat down in one of the chairs. The man with the bow simply kneeled at the steps in front of Magus.

"As you some of you may know, Conrad has reported that the Book of Mages has fallen into enemy hands and that Griff has joined them." Magus explained. "We lost track of them after they warped out of the temple."

"I've always knew he could not be trusted." The man with the bow said, not even lifting his bowing head.

"Yes, that's quite true, Noname." The robed man said with a slight Transylvanian accent. "But that would not explain why I am here. It's not like I'm one of your top generals."

"All in good time, Alucard." Magus said. "Though Conrad did bring back something useful. The men are questioning the children as we speak."

"The children?" Alucard asked, with a bored expression. "Yes. I saw them on the way here. The red capped one, Kevin I believe, looked particularly angry and aggressive." He chuckled, getting up from his seat. "Leave them to me."

"What do you wish of us?" Conrad said.

With a press of a switch, Magus watched as a large transparent screen came to life. It showed the battle between the Eds and the Shadow. "I believe that they may head for our base in the old country. Noname, how does your search for the Earth Key go?"

"I believe that we have located it. It's believed to lie in the old country." Noname said, rising up. "I will leave at your command."

"Go."

The samurai got up as Noname past her. However, she pulled out an orange warp card and disappeared in a flash of light. Noname merely shrugged and continued walking into the hallway.

"How rude of that silent samurai. To leave without being dismissed." Conrad said, smiling.

"Conrad, would you explain something to me?" Magus asked, walking down from the throne.

"Yes, my lord?" Conrad said, confused.

"Out of all those people you could have brought to me, you bring me the most useless people there." Magus brought out a gold scepter, beginning to glow with energy. "You could have brought me the boy with the book or that traitor Griff. Yet you chose to bring me a jock, a brat, a crybaby, and a child whose reality is so warped he talks to a piece of wood!"

"Yes, w-well…" Conrad stammered, backing away from the Shadow Mage. "I guess I got caught up in the moment of the show. It won't happen again."

Magus sent out a blast of energy, knocking Conrad into a pillar. "I do not take bad choices lightly." Magus walked back to the throne, watching the view screen play the battle over and over again.

"Now leave."

"Yes sir!" Conrad nearly screamed, running out of the room.

Magus continued watching the battle between the three Eds and his Shadow of Mrs. Gretch play out, keeping a close eye on the actions made Double D.

"I loathe you." He said.


Sarah, Jimmy, and Jonny watched as Kevin continued to punch the door keeping them inside the room. They had been in the brightly lit room every since they woke up a few hours earlier. They had saw Conrad and an elegant looking man walk by a few moments ago and Kevin had been punching the door and yelling for someone to come and release them ever since.

"Forget it Kevin!" Sarah yelled, aiding the sobbing Jimmy. "They aren't going to unlock the door-"

She stopped when she saw the elegant man come to the door and open it. Kevin stepped away from the door when two black armored knights came through directly behind him.

"I want him." Alucard said, pointing towards Kevin.

The guards immediately stepped forth and grabbed Kevin by the arms, lifting him right off the ground.

"Lemme go!" Kevin yelled, struggling against the knights' tight grips.

"Come." Alucard ordered. The two knights left with Alucard, who locked the door just before Jonny ran face first into it.

"Plank says that he'll get you for this!" Jonny yelled through the bars. "He'll get you! He knows people!"

"Give it a rest Jonny." Sarah ordered.

The two knights dragged Kevin down the hall and into a different room, similar to the one they just left. The only changes were that this was cleaner, more dimly light, and had a chair in the middle.

Kevin was shoved until the chair so fast it nearly fell backward. A simple gesture made by Alucard sent the knights out of the room, locking the door behind them.

"So how are doing, Kevin?" He asked. "I hope Magus's men have accommodated you and your friends nicely. It sure would be a shame if you were to expire before you're friends even come."

Kevin leaped out of the chair and grabbed its metal legs, lunging at Alucard. "You son of a-"

With inhuman speed, Alucard grabbed Kevin out of midair and held him against the stone wall. The chair laid at the far end of the room, broken in at least a dozen different pieces. The wall Kevin was forced into was cracked. Some parts of the bricks were even falling off.

"Now listen boy, I am not a man you want to see upset." Alucard whispered in Kevin's ear. All elegance in Alucard's voice had disappeared, replaced by a tone that precedes complete terror. "One look into your eyes told me all I needed. You are just the person I've been looking for. Aggressive, short tempered, and with a hatred of someone we both want out of the picture."

"I don't know… w-what you're… talking about!" Kevin choked, trying to breath against force Alucard was applying to his neck.

"You can try to hide it." Alucard said. "But I've already seen it all in your eyes. There is someone you care about deeply, even love. However, others are trying to win her over as well. You eye them with suspicion and distrust, ready to lash out against any particular one."

"And why should you trust them?" Alucard continued, talking as if he could look into a person's soul. "How can you trust people who would constantly bring her into harm's way? How can you trust Double D to keep your precious Nazz safe, even when he could be the threat?"

"He's right." Kevin thought. "Even after all these years, Eddy's still a con, Ed's an idiot, and Double D's a nerd. How can you trust dorks to do a real man's job?" He mentally slapped himself for these thoughts, but they still clung to his brain.

"As you once said, 'Once a dork, always a dork.'" Alucard chuckled, letting Kevin slip to the ground. He helped Kevin get up and guided him to a mirror, shattered by the chair fragments.

"But I can help you keep Nazz safe." Alucard said, lift Kevin's head to the wall sized mirror. The mirror didn't show Alucard and Kevin. Kevin was the only person in the mirror. Even the guards just outside the door were missing.

"You're a vampire?" Kevin asked absent mindedly.

Alucard chuckled and put his lips closer to the boy's ears. "I am Count Alucard, son of departed Count Dracula and king of the vampires. And I can help you keep Nazz safe…"

"Forever."

Like a spell, the last word hung in Kevin's head. Echoing during the whole time it took for the guards to drag him back to the cell. Jonny caught him as they threw him into the room.

"Are you okay, Kevin?" Jonny asked, putting up against the wall. "You're as white as a sheet!"

"Think about my offer Kevin." Alucard said through the bars. "If you need me, just ask one of the guards to come get me." He turned to the nearest guard. "I'll be on one of the balconies outside. It's such a pleasant moonlight out tonight." He looked at Kevin as he walked away, hoping he didn't shake him up too badly.

"Watch the boy with the cap." He ordered. "If anything bad happens to him, you'll be flying without wings."

"Yes sir." The guard answered.

The other kids watched as Kevin struggled to get up. He hadn't spoken or, when the guards brought them food, ate ever since Alucard brought him back. He was still as white as a sheet and looked terrified.

"Come on Kevin!" Jonny pleaded, offering him a piece of bread. "You need to eat or Plank says you'll die!"

"What happened to you anyway?" Jimmy asked, trying to get Kevin to sit down. "You look absolutely terrible."

"Buzz off, fluffy." Kevin said pushing Jimmy away and continuing to get up.

Sarah grabbed Kevin and threw him. He collided against the opposite wall next to the door. "You can't treat Jimmy like that!"

"What are you going to do anyway?" Jonny asked.

Several images crossed Kevin's mind. The first was of him, crying over Nazz's gravestone. The next had Double D, moving out of the way from an attack that hit Nazz in the chest. The last was of him and Nazz. Safe in a place looked over by Alucard. He had made his decision.

"I'm going to make the smartest decision I've ever made." Kevin began knocking on the steel door until one of the guards came.

"Yeah?"

"Get me that Alucard dude." Kevin said. "Tell him he has a deal."

The guard only nodded and unlocked the door, allowing Kevin out of cell. He quickly closed and locked the cell door just before Sarah reached through the bars trying to punch them.

"This way." The guard said, guiding him through a series of halls, doors, and stairs that he did even bother to memorize. "Here." He opened the door, showing a stone balcony.

Alucard stood at the edge of the balcony, looking up at the moon despite the fact that the balcony looked over a somewhat lively village.

"I trust that you're presence here means that you've made your decision." Alucard said.

"Yeah." Kevin said. "I'm ready to keep Nazz safe from those dorks. Give me the power to do it."

"All in good time, my boy." Alucard chuckled. "I must prepare you. In your current state of being, you could not possibly handle the power that comes with vampirism."

Kevin was suddenly pulled next to Alucard by some invisible source. The moonlight shined on Alucard's slightly pale skin, making it seem as if glowed white. "You must eat and rest. Tomorrow you have much training to do."

"I understand." Kevin said, walking through the open door on the balcony.


Author's notes: I wanted this chapter to introduce the villains, but Kevin and Alucard kinda stole the scene. Also, my big sister read this and suggested to mention that this isn't a Hellsing anime crossover. Hard to do that 'cause until she mentioned it, I never heard of Hellsing! I would also like to credit her with the name of the ship 'C.D.S. Salvage.' Mr. Who signing out.