Ch 29:
Meanwhile back on the island Dimitri and Dracula have finally merged. Dimitri then turns towards Mantus who is just staring at him and smiles. "Before I make you one of us, I want to show you what kind my kind can do." He then turns towards Konk and bends down. "One little look at me!" But Konk doesn't. "Konk's afraid!" "It is ok, little fool, I won't hurt you. I'll make the fear go away, now look at me!" Konk finally looks up and when he does, Dimitri grabs him by the shoulders and makes him stare into his eyes. "You're getting sleepy, sleepy, until you cannot keep them open," and as Mantus watches in amazement Konk's eyes begin to close. Dimitri then steps back and smiles. "Well." "Interesting, your grace," says a smiling Mantus. "But I want to see more. Konk's brain isn't very big. You cannot do much with him, even Lord Bloth sees him as a fool." Dimitri then smiles. "Oh, really. Let's see if I can make him more." He then looks back down at Konk. "Konk, listen to my voice. Can you hear me?" "Yes, Master," says Konk. "Good. You are no longer a stupid pirate, you are now a monkey - bird. Good. Now look over at Mantus." Konk does so. "Good. Konk, when you, Mantus, you actually see a minga - melon; I believe that is what monkey - birds like." When Konk hears this, he smiles and begins to flap his arms. Mantus laughs, but just as he begins to to laugh Konk lunges at him and attacks. "What?" He then raises his arm and backhands Konk sending him flying almost into Dimitri. Seeing this, Dimitri makes him smile. "Do you believe in my powers now? Now do you want to become one of us?" And before Mantus can make a decision, Dimitri walks over and grabs Mantus. He then forces him to stare into his eyes. "You are mine, Mantus! Look at me!" Mantus tries to fight the hypnotic glare but fails. Dimitri then raises Mantus's neck and bites him. He then watches Mantus fall to the ground. He then waits for the change to occur. And after a couple minutes Mantus's dead body begins to change.
First rigormortis sets in. He then lies there for a couple of minutes then gets up. "Yes, Master." Dimitri laughs. "Good. He is now one of us." He then closes his eyes and sees his master in his mind. "Master. We have another." "Yes, my son," says Dracula. "And by you doing this, it gives me an idea. We'll use him to get the girl. And remember he only has the beast kill the being, not the boy. I think you two have a score to settle since he was the one that killed Darius." "Yes, Master." Dimitri then opens his eyes.
Once that was done, Dimitri calls his new apprentice over. "Mantus! Come here!" "Yes, Master." He then shows Mantus how to control the large flying beast, by using his telepathic powers. "Once you complete control over it, you then when using your powers you must give him gestures; pointing; snapping your fingers to show the creature where he must go. Do you understand?" "Yes, Master," says Mantus. "It is like how I control the Dagrons." "Good. Now let's you try. Make the creature fly." "Yes, Master."
Mantus then walks over the flying beast and using his new telepathic abilities tells it to fly around the island. The creature does so. But then something strange happens. The creature was now flying near the ocean. Mantus tries to stop it, but it keeps going. Dimitri was afraid of this. This creature was not one of the creatures that he was used to. He hated merging creatures because he never knew what to expect. He even tries to get it to come back, but it refuses. "Come back! Come back!" Dimitri says in his mind. Still nothing. And as they watch Dimitri's creation fly over the sea a small mass of dark water reaches out with liquid like arms and grabs the beast pulling it down into the sea. And as they watch the beast's head being pulled down into the dark sea, Dracula says inside Dimitri's head, "This creature, the Dark Dweller is a creature to tend with. Dimitri, we have to hurry." "But, Master, how? I no longer have a creature to fly Mantus to the island." "I know, Dimitri. Relax, my son! Now that I control your body, I can summon a creature so you can get on with your plan." "Yes, Master."
However, as Mantus watches Dimitri with Dracula controlling his body; he watches Dimitri send for a creature. Mantus then watches in amazement right before his eyes the crystal ball levitates in the air. Dracula then takes the crystal ball and while rubbing it on each side, begins chanting, "Mist of Change come to thee and create an evil of death for me." And as he says these words over and over the crystal ball suddenly begins to shoot out a white - like mist out of its crystal case. The mist then takes touches the ground and begins to take shape. Seeing this, Dracula then starts to chant again. "Droch Mirroch! Now Nightghoul take shape before me!" And as he chants the mist takes a solid form. And to Mantus as well as Konk's surprise, the creature begins to take shape. Dracula then bends down and points towards the bottom of the mist. As he points he slowly raises his finger as if measuring the shape. And as he does this, the creature takes on its full form. First the legs. Its feet like claws of a bird. Its legs like a demon. Then Dracula then points to where the arms would be. And as he points claw - like arms appear. Then the head. Its face was human - like. When Konk sees it, he hides under his hands as if trying to hide from the horrible glare. The eyes dark red. Seeing these eyes could make any man or woman cringe in fear. Dracula then steps away from the beast and as steps away bat - like wings appear on the creature's back.
He then calls Mantus over. "Mantus, my newest pupil, this is a Nightghoul. This creature is from the darkest of hell. The Great Dark Lord himself used these creatures in the early days of when man and beast fought. It can kill anything or anything!" He then orders the Nightghoul to bend down so Mantus can get on its back. And after he gets on the Nightghoul's back, Dracula then shows Mantus a map that Dimitri had taken from the Maelstrom. He then points to where the island and retrieve this woman. Let nothing stop you! And when you see this beast that holds Dimitri's bride, order the Nightghoul to kill it." "Yes, Master," says Mantus. Dimitri then watches his newest apprentice get aboard the Nightghoul and fly towards its destination. "Soon Tula, you and Dimitri will be reunited, and this time nothing will get in our way!"
As he watches his apprentice leave, Dracula transforms himself into a large vampire bad and flies towards the Maelstrom. When he reaches the Maelstrom the crew spots him. He then waits flying overhead as one of the crew runs to the cabin. Dracula then waits knowing that Bloth lived in that cabin. And when Bloth came out he would swoop down and grab him. And when Dracula sees him he laughs. "Dimitri was right. This Bloth is a fool. He would be a perfect sacrifice when it was time to open the doorway." He then looks at the crew. He didn't need them. He then looks around, trying to think of something that he could use to get rid of the crew and that's when he sees it; he then swoops down onto the deck of the Maelstrom and changes back to his human form. He then walks over to the trap and opens it. And when he sees the constrictus. When he sees them he smiles. "These creatures will be perfect." He then using his telepathic powers orders the constrictus out of the trap door. And as the beast squirms out of the trap door, Bloth's crew runs towards Dracula. When they see the constrictus come out they all run in fear. Some jump off the boat; others try to fight. As they fight, Dracula watches laughing. "These creatures are so pathetic!" But as he says this, Bloth sneaks up behind him and says in a loud roar, "I don't know who you are and how you got on this boat? But I do know how you're getting off!" When Dracula hears this he laughs.
He then turns around looking at Bloth with evil yellow eyes. "You stop me! I don't think so!" He then while raising his arm throws Bloth into his cabin using his telekinetic. He then begins to walk over to the cabin, and as he hears this he ignores the crew's screams of terror as well as their cries for help. When he reaches Bloth's body, he laughs. He then picks up Bloth by his neck and then changes back into a vampire bat. He then carries Bloth back to the island. When he reaches the island he changes back into human form and drops Bloth to the ground. He then waits for Bloth to wake up. He knows he could easily bite Bloth, but he wanted Bloth awake and struggling. He also wanted Dimitri to have the honor of deciding on what to do with him.
When Bloth awakens from his sleep, he sees the two creatures holding him, he tries to fight but they hold him still. Their claws almost were digging into his skin. He then watches in fear as well as amazement as Dimitri begins to glow. Suddenly a form comes from him, and from what Bloth can see it was an apparition. After the process is done, Dimitri opens his eyes and looks at the flat pirate then at his master. He then smiles. "Great, Master Dracula! Father of Evil! You have done well, but why bring this fat fool here?" Dracula's spirit then smiles and says, "He is a gift to you, Dimitri. Do what you want with him. Kill him slow or kill him fast. Do as you please. You can even sacrifice him if you want to. I now leave you, my son, if you need any help call me through the crystal." "Yes, Master," says Dimitri. However as Dracula back to the crystal Mantus has reached his destination.
