"Who in the world is that?"
Even though she was higher in elevation with her vampire eyes she could see for miles. Yet even she couldn't have expected the handsome figure peering in her direction. Though she didn't know if he had been looking right her, from the moment Elexina had seen him she felt a bit...unusual.
A feeling she hadn't felt in a very long time. A feeling of desire, and it was unbearable. She couldn't remember when the last time was when she felt that. But she also had questions left unanswered and finding out the answers was her top priority.
Luckily for her she had a way to get them.
Returning to her chamber the vampiress made her way to a circular table in the corner of her room where a crystal globe was place. The Desiree as she called it, was a mystical item given to Elexina by her mother as birthday present long ago. It had its uses, but the one thing it could do for the wishful vamp was answer any and all her lingering inquiries. Such as who that handsome man who had killed the werewolf.
Sure she could go down and ask him herself, but she didn't want to make the effort only to be disappointed. She could also send couriers to spy on him, something that she would do anyway, but like when she had been waiting on Laura earlier she grew extremely impatient very quickly. So, to the orb she went.
The sphere came to life when she sat down in the chair at the table and from there she merely asked, "Orb, who is the man I saw in the courtyard below?"
Within the fog inside the orb a face appeared to answer her, and sure enough it was the same face upon which she had spied. Without the use of words she knew it wasn't enough so she asked again. This time more images appeared, this time of memories in the castle's past.
Images of a beautiful woman and a rather imposing looking gentleman with a child in happier times.
The same woman being burned at the stake, possibly for witchcraft.
A battle between the man and a trio of hunters centuries ago.
The man appearing before the grim reaper somewhere within the castle years before.
The man and the imposing gentleman facing off in a fight in a dark dimension.
"Huh...he seems like he has seen a great deal in a large span of time. What is his name?"
Though the orb didn't speak to where anyone could hear it, it did answer her with a name.
Adrian Fahrenheit Tepes.
The last part of the name was instantly recognizable. Any self-respecting child of the night knew it and feared as well as respected it. "Tepes? As in Vlad Dracula Tepes?!"
It spoke to her, responding to her with affirmation. But it also added the word 'son' as a postscript.
This got Elexina by surprise. Dracula had a son? She had never known that. Shaking her head she asked the orb, "Show him to me."
Like a real time video feed from within the castle, the orb showed the man walking through what appeared to be a library with books all over the floor and stacked so high in piles they created stairs and platforms. Elexina recognized it as the Blackmore Library. She had been there a few times during her childhood. It wasn't an ideal place to spend time, not with all the haunted books and other monsters living there. Also, the librarian wasn't the most fun to be around either, a showoff of a human with the power to manipulate shadows. Such a person Elexina wouldn't put herself through to be around.
Her thoughts went back to the man she so desired. Adrian was his name, and while she felt the need to go and make him hers forever, she didn't want to do it until she was ready and better presented. After all, what self-respecting woman would appear in rags to the man they were to marry?
Smiling deviously Elexina stood up from her chair and went over to her vanity to pick out her next outfit. She had a little more pep in her step than she had before.
The orb went out like a candle suffocated of air.
"This place needs a maid," said Alucard with an unusually witty response to the room he now found himself in. To say the library needed cleaning would have been an understatement. Dust everywhere, books lying all over the floor to where he couldn't help but step on them. Dimly lit candles not ideal for reading were placed sporadically along the walls. The smell of dust permeated the air and it would have been lethal to anyone with allergies.
Then there was the elephant in the room. Books piled many meters high towered over Alucard and swayed ever so slightly, adding a level of danger he didn't expect to have in a place such as this. The last time he had been in the castle the library had been more clean than this. Sure the books tried to kill him but at least they burst into flames when he killed them. Then there was the old librarian himself...
"I wonder if he is still here..."
He hoped to see the old codger, a man with undying loyalty to Dracula but kept out of his affairs and tended to his library instead. Alucard thought about it and concluded the thought.
"If the old one is here then he wouldn't have neglected the place." That statement alone made up Alucard's mind. He would stick with his plan to reach the keep and confront his father. First he had to navigate the library. That, of course, was easier said than done. He stepped onto a tall pile of books, many of which slid down the sides from his movements and peered up at the ceiling. The library was indeed massive to the point where he could barely see beyond the darkness above him.
A book fell from a distant pile and created an avalanche of books that collapse to the floor.
Now Alucard could sense something was off, and it wasn't the dust bunnies he suspected either. He drew his sword and walked with it outstretched. He used the books under his feet to muffle the sound of his boots on the floor, trying to be quiet. Ahead of him were a few circular tables in a square formation. They were suspiciously devoid of items on their hard wood surfaces.
Still the dhampir moved forward, ignoring the random sounds that happened around him. He only took a few steps before a large thick book slammed down on one of the tables from above. The loud smack of its heavy leather echoed in the room. There was no way that was just an accident, Alucard thought.
He was proven right when the book opened, by itself, and pages started shooting out from between its covers. They formed a whirlwind in the air, a devil twister of parchment. Soon it was joined by other books that surrounded Alucard and they clouded the room.
He had been expecting something to happen, but even this was a bit more than he had anticipated. "No doubt the castle's defenses are bearing down on me."
Then the pages started to fly at him.
At first he used his sword to slice the pages that came at him directly. He got most of them with swift movements, but a few did manage to get past his reflexes. Those that did cut him with their sharp edges. Leaving small nicks on his coat and even his face, though the latter healed instantly.
Alucard leapt to the next level of shelves, using the surprisingly sturdy stack of books to help him up. The pages followed him like a tornado, destroying all in its path in its pursuit of the dhampir. Shelves were torn asunder and Alucard still used his sword to fend off attacks to his sides as he ran along the walkways. Out of his periphery he could still see the big book on the table, the one that had started this whole situation. Yet he knew that it wasn't the only book causing the tornado but he could start there.
A wall of pages cut off the path ahead, destroying the environs around it in the attempt to stop him.
The books had other ideas it seemed.
Alucard stopped short of the wall but didn't remain in place for long. Using his speed to its most extreme he avoided the tornado behind him by leaping down to the main floor. It collided with the wall but didn't stop there as it resumed its chase of the dhampir. Alucard expected that.
"A one trick pony. Time to end this game."
Though there was a protective shield of pages protecting the book, Alucard merely pushed his abilities to the limit and sped through the layer of pages and, when he got within range, through his sword like a spear at its intended target. The silver sword hit the book at an angle and it drove itself and the book right through the table and burst into flames. The effect was instantaneous as the pages lost all aggression and fell like blossoms in a breeze around Alucard. The library resumed its quiet, strangely peaceful ambience.
Going to retrieve his sword Alucard's wounds healed themselves, though the same could not be said for his black coat. Though it was very much intact he hated getting it ruined for a surprising reason.
"Maria will not be happy that it was ruined like this," he said softly and with a little laugh. Though he could sew surprisingly well for a man Maria had inclined to do it for him. Yet with as many cuts as he had already sustained he knew she would be beside herself with him, but she would tend to him, nonetheless.
As he took hold of the handle Alucard heard light footsteps approaching from behind him. He turned his head swiftly and saw an old man in a brown rope with a lantern come into the area.
"What in heaven's name is causing that ruckus?!" The old man turned and saw Alucard, but the dhampir didn't take a battle stance. He recognized the man. "It's been a long time, old one."
The other man gasped, his expression one of surprise. "Lord Alucard? Is that really you?"
"It is indeed," Alucard sheathed his sword. "I am glad to see you're alive."
"Alive as one immortal can be. Follow me. I am sure there is much to discuss."
The two men went along a path that was hidden from the main halls and led to a smaller, more private area that was the living quarters for the librarian. Unlike the rest of the area this was tended to perfection. No dust, all books were on the shelves and even alphabetically organized. The lights in the room were also much brighter, with many glass covered lamps on the walls.
There was also, to Alucard's surprise, a hot pot on the table. He could smell the fresh scent of tea.
"Would you like some tea, milord?"
Alucard nodded, not wanting to refuse an offer from an old friend. "Thank you."
The librarian happily poured some into the two cups on the table. "It's been years since I shared a cup with anyone. Rather refreshing if I were to be honest."
"No one comes to check up on you?"
The man scratched his chin, "Other than the monsters, no."
The man known only as the Librarian had been living in Dracula's Castle long before Alucard had even been born. He served Dracula loyally, but never partook in any of his plans to annihilate mankind, instead tending to the work in the library. As a man of science, Dracula was fond of reading, and expected the best from the older man in tending the books. Though from what Alucard had seen, he had been lagging in his duties. He decided to use that as a starting point.
"You've been slacking in your job, old one."
The Librarian sighed loudly, almost annoyed. "I have, but not by accident. I know very well your father would be very upset with me if he saw the state of this place. Yet the ladies in the castle are not ones to give the place a look around."
Alucard sat in the chair opposite the older man. "Speaking of which, I met a girl named Laura earlier. She said this was her mother's castle. What do you know of that?"
The librarian sat down and took a drink. His expression went somber. "What she says is true. Almost."
"What do you mean?"
"Lord Dracula is still dead. Since his last battle with the Belmont clan he has been waiting to return. Yet, sometime ago, a woman arrived at the castle and took over. She didn't come alone, as her brood of daughters came as well. I have yet to meet her personally, but she goes by the name Carmilla."
It only took Alucard a brief moment to know he had never heard of that woman. "And her daughters?"
"She has many, though the only one I have actually met is the one you spoke of. Laura. She told me she is the oldest and favorite child of her mother, and that I should bow to her."
"And did you?"
The librarian shook his head. "I remained loyal to you and your father. She then told me I would regret my choice and threatened to kill me if she ever saw me again. So, I did the only thing I could. I hid in here since no one else besides you know where I reside I'm safe from her wrath."
So his father wasn't alive. At least not yet. He had a feeling that would change. Digesting the information he had received, Alucard began to put the pieces together, but more than a fair share of the board remained out of his sight. He wanted to find out more.
"Carmilla and Laura, as well as the other daughters...what is their goal?"
Leaning back in his chair the older man spoke, "I can only surmise they want to bring back Lord Dracula, but by taking over his castle they have made a terrible mistake. As you know the castle doesn't take kindly to others treading upon the master's ground and as you have seen the monsters here are far more hostile to any and all who enter. I have even heard through the other level minded inhabitants that the daughters have even been attacked by the monsters. That's not to mention that the castle is randomizing itself to those who choose to venture inside."
Alucard's thoughts went back to the other people he had met outside the castle. They would surely come inside as well, and there for could not have known the danger of the place. Still, if they could take out a wyvern then there shouldn't be too much concern needed. "There are others treading on the castle, all of whom might be aimed at stopping Carmilla."
The old man seemed pleased to hear that. "That's good. The master has history with Carmilla but I doubt he would be pleased to hear she has taken the castle as her own. I for one do not approve of her."
"I am sure if I do not succeed then surely one of them will. But I must say, old one, you don't seem against me stopping my father from being brought back."
"As devoted as I am to the master I don't take sides when you're involved. I have lived long enough to stay out of certain quarrels."
Smiling lightly Alucard took a drink of his tea. The taste was sweet on his tongue. Being a dhampir he was able to eat and drink like humans would, though that didn't mean he was without the occasional lust for blood. He had it largely under control, however. Multiple centuries helped achieve it.
"Now, back to the topic at hand. You've told me of Laura and her mother. What of the other daughters?"
"A few come here every now and then but none stick around for very long due to the monsters. There is one, however, who helped usurp my position as head librarian. A woman in a pink dress and an obnoxious air. Her name was...Elexina?"
The name was etched into Alucard's memory, but he was more interested in hearing details. "What do you mean she usurped you?"
"She replaced me with someone else. I spy on him every now and then, but he seems to be more interested in playing with his shadow than tending to the shelves. Windows broken, dust everywhere, books all over the damned floor! I even have to put out a fire every once in a while! I dare say he is worthless as a librarian."
Hearing the animosity out of his voice slightly surprised Alucard. He had never known this man to ever talk negatively about anyone.
"Regardless of who is in charge I need to get to Carmilla. If she intends to bring back Dracula I must stop her." Yet that didn't answer the more burning question in Alucard's mind: how would she be able to do that? Normally Dracula was resurrected by humanity's dark desires once every hundred years, or even by special magics and rituals. He suspected more of the later this time around, but as it would require a great deal of power it couldn't be something trivial. "I just wish I knew more about how she would bring him back..."
"I might have a faint idea. Wait here." The librarian got up from his chair and went over to a shelf of neatly placed books. He pulled out one that was made of bright red leather. "When Carmilla came to the castle prior to my self-imposed exile I began to use familiars to eavesdrop on her conversations in the castle keep. She made mention more than once of a certain ritual called the Blood Moon ritual." He sat down in his chair and opened the book to a bookmarked chapter. "This is just theoretical on my part, but the Blood Ritual hasn't been used in so long that how to actually do it is known only to a few. This tome is the only book in the entire library that even mentions it."
"Better than nothing. What do you know of the ritual?"
"The ritual must be done on the night of a blood moon, but also needs specific requirements. There's no clear answer to what, but I found this passage as the only clue. It reads as such: *ahem* 'When the moon is crimson, and the maidens of blood pure, tainted, turned, and frail bleed together, the dark lord will arise.'"
Pure, tainted, turned, and frail? What would that mean? "Sacrifices?"
"I would surmise it so, but it is only conjecture at this point."
Alucard recalled some of the others saying they had loved ones taken to the castle. Could they be used in the ritual? An urge to tell them hit the dhampir, but as much as he wanted to he knew trying to find them in the state the castle was in now would be tricky. Besides, if he could stop Carmilla before the ritual were to take place, then he would be doing his allies a favor.
He got up from his chair after finishing his tea. "Thank you for your assistance. I must be going."
"Master Alucard, if you want to know, the fastest way to get out of the library is through the rear exit..." The old man hesitated, reluctant it seemed to share what was on his mind.
"Yes?"
"The librarian is the only one who can open the door. You might have to take care of him, and I do not mean with words."
A faint smiled crept onto Alucard's lips, and a hand went to rest on the handle of his sword. "Then I will if I must. Then the library will be yours again. Good thing too, since it needs some tender loving care."
Thanking the older man again Alucard turned and left the way he came, his intended path clear as the night sky.
"Ah, that's better."
Enchanted mirrors surrounded Elexina, allowing her to see her reflection as she finished her preparations. The area of her chamber known to her as the vanity was fitting for one who put her looks above all else. The ten foot tall mirrors dwarfed her in size but covered her in every major angle, showing her in all her glory. She wore a gothic styled pink dress with long skirts and loose shoulder straps and a darker pink corset. She personally didn't like this dress but it was the best she had on hand. Were she back in England she would have had a better selection but this would have to do. Her hair was freshly washed with herbal water, her skin sparkled with glitter to add to its paleness.
She had never gone to such lengths to impress a man, at least not since she tried to seduce Henry VIII years ago. She had only been wed to the man for a night before she left him and his questionable tastes. She deserved better than that.
Now that she was almost ready, she just had to find the right venue. Right now she knew Alucard was int he library and would be until he either gave up and pleaded to be let out or when he found the key. The former was most likely to happen, as the librarian was the only one who held the key and he was no push over.
"Especially when shadows are in play," said the woman with glee, thinking of what to say to the man named Alucard.
Her pleasant thoughts were interrupted by the doors to her chamber opening, and in walked a man in a dark blue and red flamboyant suit. His long pastel green hair was contrasted with his suit, but he walked with a strange swagger that made his presence harder to ignore.
"Lady Elexina, I am here. You called for me?"
Keeping her back to the man, Elexina spun slowly back and forth before the mirrors. "It is rude to enter a woman's chamber without knocking. You understand that, don't you Blackmore?"
The man stepped forward, careful of his next words. "I apologize miss." He got down on one knee in repentance, as well as a sign of respect. He was the subject of Elexina after all. "How may I be of service to you on this night?"
Elexina forgave him. For now. She kept her back to him as she continued to examine herself in her magic mirrors. "I was wondering if you could entertain a certain guest that has entered the castle for me."
Raising his head Blackmore grinned, "Ah, entertainment? For me? I am honored, miss-"
"This man is not to be harmed. He is my future husband and I would like him to be in one piece when we have our wedding later tonight."
The grin vanished from Blackmore's jaw. "Say what, miss?"
Elexina got off the step before her mirrors and went over to a small vanity, where many priceless pieces of makeup and other items were laid out. She reached for a container of lipstick, colored bright red, before returned to the mirrors. "You heard me. If he is harmed unnecessarily I will have your head."
That wasn't a threat but a promise, and Blackmore understood it. Just like the rest of the castle's inhabitants.
He lowered his head once again, "I see...may I ask where this future husband is?"
"He's in your library the last time I checked, destroying books and causing a scene. He is formidable enough to destroy the tome of violence so he shouldn't be underestimated." She applied the lipstick, her thin lips a bright shade of red reminiscent of blood. Now she felt ready to meet Alucard. "I want you to get his attention and bring him to me. In one piece if possible. Ask him, and then force him to come along if he refuses."
"And if he should put up a fight? What do I do then?"
"Beat him into submission but don't hurt him too much." She finally turned and faced him for the first time. "How do I look?"
Standing up straight the magician smiled in apparent awe, "Beautiful."
Elexina nodded, expecting nothing less of an answer from her servant, and shooed him away. "Bring me my future husband, Blackmore. I want to be able to show him off to mother 'fore long."
Taking to heart what the librarian had told him, Alucard returned to the library but remained in the shadows. The old man had told him of a secret passageway that led to the end of the place, a passage only he knew about. Thus he might just be able to avoid the monsters that inhabited the place and reach the exit without causing a bigger scene.
"I hope so, otherwise I might be running around nude if my clothes keep getting torn up like they have been," Alucard thought with some jest.
The passageway turned out to be a loop that was dark as the void, but thanks to his night senses Alucard had no need of light. He ran the entire way and it took him only seconds to reach the end. When he came out he was on the second floor looking down at what could only be the main entrance to the library. There was a wide area with many benches and small tables near a tall pair of wooden doors, but a tall metal fence was behind a long line of oak desks that looked like where people had to pass to enter the place. There were also, suspiciously, a great many unlit candle sticks lining the floor, shelves, and anywhere it could spare an inch. The walls were bare withe the surface not made of blocks but smooth marble. Upon closer examination Alucard noticed the candles went around the room in a horseshoe shape, leaving the middle of the room bare.
Having been at this for a long time, Alucard didn't have to make a guess as to what this signified. "This is obviously a trap..." His crimson eyes found the doors, his only exit out of this place. Yet if what the old man had said was true, the doors would be locked and the only one who had the key was-
The candles all around the base floor suddenly came alight seemingly of their own accord. The room lost any and all shade and it was almost blinding even to Alucard's eyes. He leapt over the metal railing and reached the ground floor, just in time to see a literal shadow in the form of a woman sprout from the marble floor. No notable features, because she was a shadow, other than the ballroom dress she had on, the shadow extended a hand to Alucard as he stood across the room.
The dhampir shook his head, "I politely decline your offer."
A clapping of distinctly gloved hands took Alucard's attention away from the shadow woman to a man in a blue and red tail suit and bright green hair. "That was rude, ignoring a lady's invitation. Just what kind of man would do such a thing?"
"Dramatizing such a small thing must be your only entertainment around here."
"I won't lie, it does get boring around here. Thus I must keep my own form of amusing myself," said the other man as he took the shadow woman's hand and performed a little dance with her. He was confident that Alucard would try anything for the moment.
Alucard was instead examining the shadow the man was dancing with. Going further Alucard noticed the shadow wasn't ethereal but appeared to be solid like a living person. 'Must be some type of black magic...'
Alucard put his hand on the handle of his sword. "And I suppose you're the librarian."
The man continued to dance and spoke to Alucard at the same time. "I am Blackmore, and yes I am the one in charge of this library."
"You don't seem inclined to keep up the standards of the previous tenant."
"This wasn't a job I wanted in the first place. Yet when the ladies of the castle tell you to do something you sure as hell shouldn't refuse. That leads to endless suffering and an untimely death. You'll know soon enough."
"How so?"
The dancing stopped, and the shadow woman backed away from Blackmore. "I am here to tell you that Lady Elexina, daughter of Carmilla, wishes to have an audience with you. A special one, I might add."
Remembering what the librarian had told him before Alucard recognized the name. Though he had to admit he wasn't expecting an invitation from the enemy. A threat, yes, but not something like that. "Your master must be naive to think that after trying to kill me she would ask for me to see her without a qualm."
"I am just the messenger. I don't speak for the lady. But I will admit, she is very interested in you. For what reason I do not know."
"And if she is so interested why didn't she come herself? Why send you?"
"Because she is making herself look pretty for you before you go to the altar together. If I were you I wouldn't make her wait. I am to take you to her."
Before Alucard could agree he had to double take the words Blackmore had given him. One word got his attention in an unsettling way. 'Did he say altar? As in a chapel? Oh God no...' Alucard sighed. "I will decline this offer."
To say Blackmore looked shocked would have been an understatement. "Say what, sir?"
"I have no personal interest in meeting the lady. My business here is with her mother."
"You're Dracula's son, are you not? Surely seeing your father again must be-"
What he was going to say Alucard didn't care. He had already made up his mind. "To stop Carmilla from bringing my father back from the grave is my only reason for being here. Should you or anyone decide to stand in my way I will not hesitate to cut you down."
Looking disgruntled Blackmore popped the muscles in his neck, the sound audible to Alucard. "I see...then there is no way to change your mind?"
Alucard readied his sword. "Step aside."
To the dhampir's surprise, Blackmore actually chuckled, like he had been expecting this reaction. "Lady Elexina doesn't like not getting what she wants...looks like I will have to be a bit more persuasive." The man spun in a circle, and from the ground just behind the mage came a much larger shadow that was in the crude shape of a giant beast.
At first glance it appeared to be nothing more than just a shadow Alucard knew better. He also knew that Blackmore wasn't backing down.
"In the name of Lady Elexina, I will take your shadow!"
Then the dance began.
