Chapter 10: Mankind Ill Needs A Savior Such As You

Though Dracula had just welcomed them into his home, everyone continued to stand awkwardly by the doorway. The lord of the night frowned, "You are allowed to come in, you know."

Eventually, Jonathan was the first to step forward, offering Dracula a small potted plant.

"This is for you," Jonathan said with a grin, throwing a mischievous glance back at Soma. "It's from Soma's mom."

"I… no it's not!" Soma blurted out defensively.

"Oh, is it?" Dracula said, truly touched as he accepted the pink and purple flowered plant. He looked fondly at Soma. "It's beautiful! Please tell your mother 'Thank-you.'"

As the pale haired youth struggled to come up with a witty reply, Leon walked up to his old comrade with a grin, "Well met, Mathias."

"Dracula," the lord of the night reminded him.

"Sara and I brought this for you," the Belmont said, proudly procuring a banana cream pie.

"It's just from Leon," Sara scowled back.

Immediately, Richter shrieked, hiding behind Maria. The warrior woman rolled her eyes. "It is merely a pie! Do not be a baby."

Though he accepted the pastry, Dracula could only look at it hesitantly, "Thank you, I know you had the best intentions, but may I ask why you chose…. this?"

"It has a touch of darkness, so I figured you could eat it," Leon said happily.

"That's not how it works…" Dracula attempted to explain, but then he remembered who he was attempting to explain things to. "Why don't I show you around the new castle?"

"That sounds wonderful," Leon agreed, waving everyone forward. "Come on, everyone, don't be shy!"

Dracula glanced back at the crowd, noting that there were far more Belmonts in attendance than he would have liked, but he chose not to complain just yet. "That's right, I have instructed the monsters not to attack you, but I cannot guarantee what will happen if you provoke them."

With that ominous tidbit of advice, the party traveled through the front corridor, many of them amazed as the zombies lazily shuffled out of their way so that they could walk through and the bats avoided swooping too low so that they would not get hit.

"Oh wait, I have something for you too," Joachim said as they rounded the corner towards the next area of the castle. Pulling out a green box from an undisclosed location, he tossed it at the lord of the night. "Here you go."

Dracula caught the box easily and frowned at the label, "Thin mints?"

"A girl scout hit up Leon the other day," Joachim explained.

However, the lord of the night was not listening. Instead, he was making the worst mistake of them all. He was reading the nutrition information on the side of the box. "Why, these are TERRIBLE for you! The saturated fats alone would kill one of my poor bats! Adrian, don't eat any of these!"

"Of course not, father," Alucard sighed, knowing that this was only the beginning.

It was. As Dracula walked them through his brand new gardens, outer wall, battle arena, and marble gallery, he continued to explain the detriments of having a diet that was too high in saturated fats. Eventually they made it a beautiful large fountain in the center of the gallery, their host still busily at work.

"…and if it contains too many trans fats, then those will permanently clog your arteries, leading to strokes and heart attacks at a young age!" the lord of the night ranted.

At this point, Simon Belmont stepped forward, "I've had about all I can take of your chatter." Before anyone had a chance to react, Simon had retrieved a small bag from his pockets and thrown it forcefully into the fountain.

The effects were immediate. A cloud of opaque gas lifted from the rippling waters, filling the chamber quickly with its fumes.

When the fog lifted, several of them were laying on the ground, unconscious.

Simon looked around at the people still standing, "I take it you all ate the laurel soup?"

Jonathan, Charlotte, Maria, Richter, Shanoa, and Juste stared back at him with confusion.

"What did you do to them?" Charlotte demanded, falling to her knees beside Leon. She pushed aside a lock of the unconscious Belmont's fair blonde hair, noting with relief that he was still breathing, and quickly opened her book to read the words of a healing spell. "How could you do this to Leon?"

Before she could utter a single word of the spell, Simon had closed her book. "I assure you, they will all be fine. The effects of the poison are temporary, and they leave no ill feelings upon waking."

"I assume you have a reason for doing this?" Shanoa asked, glancing away from her phone only briefly before resuming the constant watch over her ebay bids.

"Yes," Simon agreed, looking at them each in turn as he geared up for his next statement. "Castlevania must be destroyed."

Charlotte gasped, "But that's…"

"Absurd? Hardly," the elder Belmont scoffed, pacing around until he stood beside his arch nemesis. "For centuries Dracula has plagued mankind, killing more of my fellow man than I can count. Now, suddenly, he claims that he has turned over a new leaf? I doubt that."

"But he didn't seem bad…" Richter pouted.

"He is," Simon responded seriously. "Richter, he is very very bad."

"Oh, ok," Richter conceded, pulling out a handful of knives. "Should I just kill him now?"

"No," Simon said quickly, staying his hand. "There is much to be done before that. Shanoa and Maria, I would like to claim that favor now. Please aid me in destroying the castle."

"It seems like a waste, but very well," Shanoa nodded in agreement.

"Third time's a charm," Maria also consented.

"Wonderful," Simon turned to the others. "Juste, Charlotte, and Jonathan, I would very much appreciate your cooperation as well."

Silently, Juste nodded, his hair leaving a small bluish trail as he did so.

Jonathan looked skeptically at Charlotte, "I don't think…"

"We'll do it," Charlotte declared.

"We will?" Jonathan asked, throwing her a harder look.

"Simon… seems to know what's going on," she explained. "More than anyone else does. Did you look around at the people in Leon's house? He was the only other person with half a brain."

Knowing where Charlotte was headed with her line of reasoning, Simon dutifully lifted his head, "After this is over, I will do what I can to return you both to your own time."

"Funny, I thought Dracula could open time portals to whenever he wanted," Jonathan commented.

"Who knows if he really can?" Charlotte sighed, shaking her head. "Besides, even if he could, he wouldn't do it until after Leon and Sara's wedding. Do you really want to go to that?"

Jonathan thought about it. Two seconds later, he looked over at Simon, "We'll help you."

"Wonderful. Now that we are all in accordance, I have much to explain to you, but we should head elsewhere, as the effects of the poison will soon fade," Simon said, kneeling beside Dracula. With a shrewd grin, he slid the elegantly crafted platinum ring off the lord of the night's finger. He gazed at the large ruby set in the ring for a moment before carefully pocketing the valuable. "There is much to be done."

"Long accustomed to the poisonous fog you are, but will you be able to traverse your new surroundings? Though the castle has roots back to the Bernhard family centuries past, a new owner has ordained its creation in this perilous place. God bless that you adore high places! For if you did not, the fear that would grip you would certainly lead to your untimely demise. Do not give up faith now! You must continue on! Go, find your way through this maze, and reclaim that which you have lost!"

Soma awoke later with a groan, "Ugg, the fuck was that?"

Alucard was by his side instantly with a concerned frown, "You seem to have hit your head quite heavily. Soma, you should take it easy the next few days. Don't party too much."

The pale haired youth rolled his eyes, "Yes, grandma… I'll eat my vegetables too."

Meanwhile, Dracula was scowling at Leon, "Your descendants."

Leon pouted forlornly, "I'm sorry, Mathias, I didn't think they would do that again."

"Never underestimate Simon Belmont," Dracula advised with a frown. "He even took my ring. I liked that ring."

"Good thing we already started moving to another country," Isaac commented.

"Isaac! Hush! You never know where they may be hiding!" The lord of then night cried, glancing furtively around them.

Joachim sat up with a soft murmur, clutching his head for a moment until the dizziness faded away. "Leon, I don't know what happened, but I know it was your fault."

"Of course it was Leon's fucking fault. He's such a moronic shit-head," Sara glowered at Leon, who pouted cutely back at her. Immune to his cuteness, she snarled back, "I knew this was a bad idea, but nooo. Leon never thinks going to Castlevania might be a fucking dangerous idea."

"I am sorry dearest, you are right, of course," Leon agreed, causing Dracula to involuntarily retch in the corner. "Is everyone ok? We seem to be missing some people."

"Yes, half of them seem to have defected to Simon's side," Alucard noted. His eyes narrowed as he calculated their reasoning in his mind. "If I were to guess, I would say they are planning to destroy Castlevania again."

"Good luck with that," the lord of the night scoffed. "They'll have to get through my guardians before they can take down the castle's power sources."

For a moment, everyone was silent.

"Simon Belmont," Joachim reminded him.

"Damn it," Dracula swore quietly, clutching his chest with reminiscent pain. Determination set in his eyes as he looked up. "Then we have a mission of our own. We must protect the guardians of Castlevania."

Immediately, Soma whooped with joy, "All right! I can show you my bitchin' attack!"

"The one that doesn't exist?" Joachim questioned.

"I told you, it's bitchin'. And it exists," the pale haired youth declared.

"Sure it does. And I'm actually a really nice guy underneath it all," the vampire said with heavy sarcasm.

"I know you are," Leon agreed with a confident smile.

Joachim didn't know how to respond to that.

It was Isaac who eventually spoke up, "Wait a minute, why'd we put the guardians in the castle if we have to protect them?"

"Simon Belmont," Alucard sighed the explanation again.

Isaac was skeptical. "How tough can he be? Looked like a nerd to me."

"Never underestimate Simon," Dracula advised, pronouncing each word deliberately and carefully as he thought of the best course of action. "We should split up."

"Oh, great, that always works," Joachim, who had spent the last few years glued to HBO, rolled his eyes. "We may as well just ask them to pick us off one by one now."

"That may not be wise, father," Alucard said cautiously. "The majority of us do not know the new layout of Castlevania. Perhaps we should remain together, at least for the time being?"

"You were always so smart, Adrian," the lord of the night beamed at his son, ignoring the others, then turned around with a dramatic swish of his long cape. "The first guardian is nearby. Come, let us be on our way!"

Reluctantly, the others followed.

Simon continued to lead them efficiently and quickly through the castle, occasionally marking down where they had walked on a small map he had drawn.

"How do you know where to go?" Richter asked, glancing at the piece of paper curiously.

"The way to the heart of evil is clear," Simon explained with a confident grin.

"Oh," the younger Belmont murmured, feeling as though his question hadn't really been answered at all.

Fortunately, the monsters of the castle were continuing to leave them alone, making their progress through the dank corridors and occasional rooms filled with platforms rather easy.

After proceeding through enough of the castle, they arrived at a very pleasant centrally located room. It was unlike any of other they had encountered so far. Soft browns and greens colored the walls, which were lined with a variety of potted plants. Flowering and hanging plants circled the chamber upwards to the ceiling, which lifted several stories into the air. A clear open window at the top allowed in a beautiful view of the starry sky.

The room itself was simple yet tasteful in design. A round mahogany pedestal graced the center of the room, filled with a multitude of foliage and surrounded by a few extremely comfortable looking plush chairs. Periwinkle curtains adorned the various windows that provided a pleasant view of the city below.

"Here," Simon decreed, turning to face them all with certainty. "This appears to be the centermost place in the castle. This will be our meeting ground, once you have accomplished your tasks. Unless the castle begins crumbling, of course."

"What tasks?" Juste asked, regarding his grandfather with calm grey eyes.

"Our common task is to destroy Castlevania once and for all. God, I'm sick of this place!" the elder Belmont sighed. "We shall accomplish that by taking down the foes that guard Dracula's power. As usual, they appear to be littered throughout the castle."

"That sounds simple enough," Shanoa agreed, not bothering to look up from her cell-phone as she dutifully clicked away, noting that this room had great reception.

"It should be, but beware, the castle seems different this time." Simon rubbed his chin thoughtfully for a moment as he cautioned, "I cannot place why but the castle holds a very familiar feeling, even though this is the first time I have seen it."

"Maybe because you already destroyed Castlevania five times in the past?" Charlotte offered helpfully.

"I was tempted to brush it off as nostalgia myself, but now I am certain it is more than that," Simon closed his eyes for a moment in thought. Coming to a decision, his piercing brown eyes opened with clarity. "We must work together on this one."

Carefully, cautiously, Simon gazed at each one of them meaningfully, calculations racing through his mind at blinding speed. Richter, unaware of this process, was beginning to wonder if his grandfather was constipated. Just as he was about to offer his advice to eat prunes, Simon's eyes fell on him. "We will travel in pairs. Do not separate from your partner."

"Ok," Richter agreed. "I get to be with Maria!"

"Yes. You are best suited to work with her," the elder Belmont agreed. He then turned to the rest and decided, "Charlotte and Jonathan, you two appear to have worked together to traverse Castlevania in the past. I am certain you can do this again?"

"Of course!" Charlotte agreed cheerfully, while Jonathan offered a, "No problem!"

"Good," Simon nodded, turning to the last two. "Juste, Shanoa, I believe you two may find that you have more in common than you think."

Understanding the unspoken command, both Juste and Shanoa nodded back silently.

"But what about you, Grandpa?" Richter asked with a frown. "Are you going to be all alone?"

At this, Simon could not resist ruffling Richter's hair. "Yes, but do not worry. As Charlotte said earlier, I have traversed Castlevania five times already. I will be all right on my own."

After he had finished, the elder Belmont looked pointedly at each of his teammates. "Richter and Maria, take the passageway to the north. Charlotte and Jonathan, the long corridor east belongs to you. Shanoa and Juste, your duty lays to the south. I shall travel west, but I will do my best to keep up with all of you."

Leaning in closer to Charlotte, Jonathan whispered, "How does he plan to do that?"

"I don't know," the girl murmured back.

"Are there any questions?" Simon asked.

Richter raised his hand.

Simon sighed, knowing that he should have expected that, and eventually gestured to him. "Yes, Richter?"

"What if we do get separated? What should we do?" Richter asked.

"Your task is to find and destroy the guardians of Castlevania, but please do not separate from your partner," Simon sighed, glancing at Maria. "Keep an eye on him, if you wouldn't mind."

"Certainly," Maria agreed, having already had many years of experience doing just that.

"One more thing," Simon cautioned. "Should you run into the others, they may not approve of our actions. I chose all of you, because I knew that you would understand the situation. However, they simply may not realize the evil that this castle has wrought in the past and what it is capable of now. Pacify them, if you must."

With those ominous orders, the team silently spread to their respective corners of Castlevania.

Meanwhile, on the sandy beach in the Caribbean islands, a lone figure sat by another lone figure in a beach chair by the shore.

"Though you have recently returned, you are needed elsewhere again," the first said, his voluminous voice filling the nighttime air. Casually, he took a sip of his dirty martini, taking a few moments to lounge and enjoy the flavor.

The other waited patiently by his side.

Eventually, he spoke again, "return… and remember to report their progress. When the time is right, finish the task."

The other fidgeted uncomfortably, looking to the first with unease. "Pardon my saying so, but are you certain this is necessary? It seems as though—"

"Yes, it is necessary!" The first roared back, placing his martini on a small side table and focusing his complete attention on glaring sourly at the other. Meaningfully, he commanded, "do not forget your place."

"Forgive me. It will be done," the other said in a low voice, bowing quickly before disappearing into the night.

"Indeed it shall," the first chuckled, retrieving his drink and taking a moment to revel in the cool breeze. "Soon, old foe, soon…"

LateNiteSlacker's Notes:

1 – Thank you for the reviews! I adore you all! =)

2 – Simon's plot should be a little more clear now, and if you're a hard-core Castlevania fan, you probably know exactly what he's up to.

3 – Any of you play Harmony of Despair out there? I do! 8-bit Simon Belmont rocks my world. ^_^

4 – Congrats to everyone who got the chapter 9 trivias correct!

Chapter Trivia 9 – Willowfur, Jotepaine, Selfish Vampire Mint, Lupine Eclipse, SunLord89, True Hyper Sonic, Shinn Yagami, NeoseekerDarkKnight, heavenschoir, Auragonian, and Arbl A-17!

Bonus Trivia 9 – Willowfur, Jotepaine, Selfish Vampire Mint, Lupine Eclipse, SunLord89, True Hyper Sonic, Shinn Yagami, NeoseekerDarkKnight, Auragonian, and Arbl A-17!

Title Trivia 9 – Selfish Vampire Mint and True Hyper Sonic!

Chapter Trivia #9 Answer: In this chapter, it is mentioned that Alucard killed Saccubus long ago. When did he do this? Alucard killed the succubus in Symphony of the Night during the Nightmare stage. The half-breed was none to happy that she messed with his memories of his momma. (By the way, yes, she also is the succubus from Lament of Innocence. Hmm… another plot point, perhaps? ^_^ )

Bonus Trivia #9 Answer: Magic points aside, can Alucard actually fly through all of Castlevania as a bat? No, he cannot. Several things would get in his way, one of which being those pesky things called doors.

Title Trivia #9 Answer: Where is the title "Into the Shadows of the Hell House" from? This is originally from the introduction to Castlevania 2: Simon's Quest. This very line (including everything else) has been reused in the game Castlevania: Harmony of Despair.

Chapter Trivia #10: Throughout time, the Belmonts have defended the world from Castlevania. Which Belmonts have been shown in pixilated 2D sprite glory?

Bonus Trivia #10: What item in Castlevania 1 produces an effect like a Laurel from Castlevania 2: Simon's Quest?

Title Trivia #10: Where is the title "Mankind Ill Needs A Savior Such As You" from?