Chapter 28

Partners Unite!

Where was she and how had she gotten to such a hell hole? A city torn to ruins, the humans turned to stone but her friends, they were still there. As she approached them though the sky began to turn red as the clouds turned into a swirling vortex above. The screams, she could hear them all, the screams of the humans as their lives were taken away before they vanished and in their place was a loud roar that shattered each building into little pieces.

"Well princess, where are you..." she heard as from below the ground nightmarish serpents shot of.

"Alucard? Come on do something, please." she begged as she shook his shoulder.

They were onto them as their narrow red eyes locked onto her, her scent leading them straight to her. Quickly she shook again and again as her legs trembled but still no response. What was with him?

"Come on Al will you just look at me and fi~"

But something was wrong, his coat, it was cracking before he along with everyone else collapsed into dust. Al, Jerel, Ela, Vlad, Ela, and even her own father, who could have done it? It was over as she collapsed to her knees, friends, family, the world, they weren't there for her. She was alone, trapped a nightmare.

"Awe come now you don't have to be shy my dear. Step out of the light and we'll fix all of this."

Something came over her though as she turned around to see a colossal titan standing right behind her as its pets surrounded the area with no way to escape.

"No I wont, give them back!"

Without knowing how she threw her arm forward as a blast of dark goop shot out, but it did nothing to harm the titan. Its big yellow eyes just continued to focus on her as its pet hissed in hunger.

"My, my feisty aren't you? I can see why that puny vampire has taken a liking to you. You smell delicious." it replied as it sniffed the air.

"Al...what have you done to them?! Why, why do this to everyone?!"

"It's quite simple really, our kind have hidden in the shadows for ages. Our once feared reputation has diminished and what have we become? Nothing more than stories in books and creatures that those fools mock once a year. Instead that fool Vlad decided he wanted to protect them, to ensure their safety and for what? His change of heart? Soon we'll reclaim the earth for our own, we'll instill the fear we once did back into those insects of creation and I'll be their leader!"

Even as it spoke the ground shook under her feet as she gritted her teeth. Whatever it was inside of her it was just waiting to burst out as she stood before the mighty titan, but for the time being she held it in.

"Let me ask you this. How much pain will you endure when I crush them all right in front of your eyes. Their ashes will become one with the wind and they will be forever gone. Mark my words child, I will take my place as ruler and I will kill anyone who gets in my way."

Those final words echoed inside her head as she spun around as the hisses from the slithering beasts got closer. Then everything faded to black as she fell into the black void below. Had it all really been just a dream? It all felt so real though, the rough touch of his jacket and the fowl breath of the serpents, was she going crazy or had Nightmare somehow gotten to her? It was the controller of terrible dreams so that was a definite possibility. When her eyes opened though she jumped as the sound of falling trays rang in her ears. Once she rubbed her eyes however she saw a rather disturbed Alucard sitting across from her with her hamburger and fries all over his face and shirt.

"Oops, uh sorry about that?" she said as she handed him a napkin.

"Tsk yeah right like that will do any good. I'm going to need some heavy duty cleaning to get this gunk out." he replied as he peeled the burning onion off his forehead.

"I'm sorry..."

"It's alright, just try and not splatter me with food the next time you fall asleep 'kay?" he replied as he moved his chair back to get up.

Thankfully the employee locker room had its little sink and soap and while he couldn't use the waters there he could find towels to at least wipe off the rest of the goop that remained on his shirt. As they both walked to the room though something inside of her began to feel funny. What that thing had told her, the way humans would perish and the fate of her friends, could she really prevent all of that? To lose those she held close, what would she do if that was to happen?

"You know our work hours are almost up, want to hit up the arcade afterward? Maybe do a bit of Dancing Rebel Revolution?" he asked as he wiped the bits of lettuce and tomato off his uniform.

"What about training? Weren't we suppose to get started on some new spells today?"

"Well yeah but you've been working hard for the past few days, you deserve a little break. And plus Locke still needs to recover as well, we kind of, you know, blew him to bits a lot. So yeah what do you say?"

All she did was shake her head before she turned to leave.

"Something must be bothering her but what? Maybe I should go talk to her before I screw up." he thought to himself as he threw the towel into the basket.

As he approached her though his phone began to vibrate as he reached in his pocket to take it out. In her mind she kept wishing it wasn't a mission, no fighting. If anything she hoped it was all good news for them.

"Mhm...alright. Now? But we, fine. Well it looks like we're up."

And there went her wishes down into the abyss.

"I don't know if I'm ready. What if something goes wrong and I get eaten or something? I'm not ready for this Al." she followed as she tried to calm her heavy breathing.

"It's alright, trust me I was scared too when I faced off against my first opponent. Trust me if you're in trouble I'll come and help out. I'm not going to let my own friend die, not on my watch."

Hearing what he said did help out a bit but that didn't help her heart out when the world around them began twisting and distorting. Meanwhile back at the underground club both Ela and Jerel began their normal survey of the city.

"According to our barrier's detection there are two Class A rouges somewhere in the city, but where? They aren't appearing on our scans." she said as the large screen came up to show off their champion and his partner.

"Strange, but this is par for the course when this crap happens. Still I hope Julie's ready, she's only been training for five days and I'm not sure if that's enough." he said as he looked over her shoulder at his friends.

"Thanks for that, that really helped lower my worry." she replied as her body relaxed in the chair.

"Please just be careful brother..."

Back out in the distorted world though things seemed pretty calm, except for the giant, swirling vortex that laid just below the floating city. With arms and knees shaking she and her partner walked through the archway that use to be their place of work.

"Show no mercy or fear, they can smell all of that. Just be cool and relax." he said as he transformed, his hand wrapped around her own to ensure her of his promise,

Easy for him to say, he had been doing it for almost eight years and counting and what had she been doing? Going to school, learning how to defend herself, and living a normal life. How was she suppose to stay calm when her own life was at risk? She didn't want to worry but her mind just kept slipping back to it as he walked her through the city. Seeing it up on the screen was one thing but actually being in the city itself was kind of unsettling. The sky no longer had its blue shade but instead a bright combination of both orange and red and from the buildings small pieces of debris could be seen floating off into the endless sky.

"Al, about all of this..."

"No worries no matter what happens I'll always protect my partner. Didn't I already tell you that?"

"Yeah, but what about you? These thing, what if they're stronger than what you faced before? Remember what happened last week? I don't want to see you die."

"Wait hold on, you're worried about me now? Woman have you seen how beast I can be?"

Though his attempts at trying to cheer her up seemed to fail. Thinking back though she did seem a bit different after their little mess with lunch. Had she seen something that bad? Well there was only one way to ensure her on both her safety and his own.

"Come here, look when I signed that contract not only did I take up the duty of protecting my partner but also a friend and there is no way in hell, heaven, or on earth that I will let you or myself die. Julie, I promise to you that no matter what challenge comes our way, no matter what monsters decides to block our path I will protect you and I will not lose. I'll always be here, to bring us back."

His eyes, the more she looked into them the more intense they got. The fire inside his immortal soul had been set ablaze as he gripped her shoulders. The way he spoke to her wasn't like how he usually did, both passion and trust filled his words as he tried to comfort her. Even so it did lift her spirits a bit but that didn't stop her from worrying about what was to come.

"Purr, don't you two look cute together. Just hanging out in a place like this without a care in the world? A bit stupid don't you think?" they heard.

What a strange sight, unlike anything he had ever seen. At first it looked as if she still had her human disguise on but upon closer inspecting he was wrong. With the ears, eyes, and tail of a cat she was a rare sight indeed. Most monsters never looked so much like humans unless they were vampires, but the aura coming off of her was not pleasing to his poor nose.

"Oh god, you've got to be kidding me. This is the A class we were called out here for? A little kitty cat?"

Oh he couldn't control his laughter, it was just too funny. Unlike others he had faced in the past she looked the most non-threatening out of all of them. Oh god, his stomach was starting to hurt from all the laughing.

"Stop laughing. Koolagan!"

"Hm, what?" was all he could say before a great force propelled up up into the air.

Not only had it forced him up into the air but along his chest a cut ran as his blood began leaking from his body.

"Hmph I thought vampires were suppose to be more powerful than this." he heard as his enemy revealed himself.

A boy who looked about his age dressed in homeless people's clothes was hovering right in front of him and without anything around him to grab onto he was a sitting duck.

"This place shall be your grave." he growled.

There was no stopping him as he rushed forward. Quickly he reached for his blade but in a matter of a second he was forced up against the glass window as the attack burned away at his chest.

"Alucard?!" yelled Julie.

"Tsk, are you sure we have the right guy here Arilo?" he asked as she kept Julie occupied.

"Sure of it darling, white hair, red eyes, young, smug, that has to be him."

But his victory would have to wait as his foe began began laughing, taunting the poor sucker.

"What's so funny? Even you wouldn't laugh at your own funeral." growled Koolagan.

"I'm laughing, at yours."

There was no time to play around as he initiated the contract. As the black aura consumed him the glass began to crack more and more as his foe backed up towards the open area. With a loud echo to follow the glass shattered as bits and a pair of mighty, black wing spread far and wide across his back while his friends arm lit up with her new gauntlet. There was no fucking around now, he was dead set on killing the punk.

"Whoa man, what's going on? Didn't I just kill you?" the punk asked as he lifted his head.

The ultimate monster had awoken and with a single glare of his deep he sent him a clear message, he was getting out alive. No matter what it took he would die for daring harm the humans and his friend.

"Let me teach you what fear really is..."