The beasts were hungry. Ridley could feel it. Then again, they were always in a perpetual state of hunger and violence, so he figured it wasn't hard to guess.
"Roseland, to think I would once again return here." Ridley mused. "I wonder if this was what fate intended. Would either of us meet our end here?" Deciding it would likely take too much time, Ridley shifted his focus to the overview of Kuran town. He was not too sure of everything, but at least he knew where certain garrisons were located during his training days. It would have to do, considering even with this large force, breaking through would be no easy feat. Yet, it had to be done. The designs of his master required it.
A masked vampire ran up to him. Ridley now leaned in as he whispered a few words. Ridley now allowed a little smile. "Indeed? Well, I suppose we needn't worry about the rest of the garrisons. Very well, I suppose we can plan our attack this way…"
The main living room was full of highly ranked vampires. Anju could see Seiren at the far corner, with Lin Hua's mother standing beside queen Ai. She spotted Ruka Souen seated on a chair to Ai's left while Ichijo was on her right. Beside Ichijo sat Rima and opposite was Hanabusa Aidou, patriarch of the Aidou family. Surrounding them were many other high ranking vampire knights
"So how many is that now?" Ai asked.
"We have confirmed at least five Purebloods who have thrown their lot in with the Kraven clan." Came the voice of Stefan over the tablet. "Based on our hacking of various cameras and our informants all over, we have identified Lady Song, Lord Ivanov, Lord Dezel, Lord Richtor and Lord Galeus."
"That's a lot." Ren frowned. "Song and Ivanov aside, I never thought he had already contacted other Purebloods who oppose us."
"And I'm more than certain Mortis has already arranged for them to acquire Alucard bodies, furthering his vision of making vampires the dominant race in the world." Ai nodded as she dropped another sugar cube into the tea. "If we allow that to happen, our defeat would be certain."
"I'll do everything I can to find out where the Kraven clan is holed up." Stefan nodded. "Stay safe Ai."
"You as well." Ai replied as the line cut. She sighed as she weighed the news, knowing things were likely getting worse by the minute.
"Those vampires." Anju asked. "They're dangerous, aren't they?"
"Lady Song and Lord Dezel have been implicated in many human hunting activities." Ren explained. "Lord Ivanov is a brutal tyrant while the other two have been quite vocal opponents towards us and the Senate. I suppose they couldn't pass up an opportunity to gather more strength for themselves."
"And thus we must work quickly. Though I wonder…" Ai pursed her lips.
"What is it?" Anju asked.
"These Purebloods that he has rallied to his cause…" Ai frowned. "I don't see them so easily just bowing to Mortis's whim. Many Purebloods are very prideful and are loathe to submit themselves, Ivanov the most of all. I don't doubt Mortis's strength, but I doubt he would simply give them such incredible power so easily. He ought to know that he risks being overthrown."
"You believe he wants to have some sort of insurance against treachery?" Akira asked.
"It would be the smartest thing to do." Aidou nodded. "I doubt he would want challengers in any way. Besides, I'm certain he would want to remain in control of all those Paragon monsters."
"Indeed." Ren nodded. "Some Purebloods are proud in that way."
"Unfortunately, how he intends to do that is beyond my current reasoning." Ai tapped her forehead. "For now, it seems that until he does so, he won't be handing out Alucard bodies so freely."
"While it means we won't be expecting more of such abominations, it also makes it more important to find out where they are." Ren stated. "If Mortis finishes his move first, it will be catastrophic."
"Yes, an accurate deduction." Ai nodded before she turned to Akira and Anju. "How is Katarina?" She asked.
"She seems to be warming up to us for the moment." Akira said. "I'm hopeful at least she will at least tell us where Mortis Kraven is."
"I hope that you are right." Ai said as she sipped down more tea. "Our timeline shortens by the second. For now at least, it has been quite a blessing that the only way they can create Alucard bodies is through a vast amount of Pureblood material."
"Yes your Majesty." Anju nodded as she stood up.
"How are Emi, Gabriella and Ganju doing?" Ai asked now.
"They recovered not too long ago." Akira answered. "Though I am concerned that they are putting all their time into training and nothing else. Already they have been having a go against many veteran knights. Not too long ago I heard that even Sir Akatsuki and Shiki, even Mr. Rodin have been helping."
"Well, in their views they were completely trounced." Ren stated. "It only makes sense they'd want to get stronger."
"We will need all the help we can get." Ai nodded. "Ren, please oversee our preparations. Like it or not, I fear a great battle will be upon us, one that will make our fight at Kraven castle pale in comparison."
"Then we should get to training too." Anju said.
"Agreed." Akira nodded as he stood up. "It would take all of us to handle Mortis's newfound power. Auntie, may we call upon your help as well?"
"Of course. Sister, if you'd excuse us." Ren bowed and left the room while the other two followed suit. Ai now pondered her son's words, a frown crossing her face.
"I know that face." Ruka spoke from her chair. "It's the face that is wondering if our answer is right beneath our nose all along. Tell us Ai, what are your suspicions?"
Ai breathed, knowing how bad the next train of thought was going to be. "I suspect just one method, considering how these Paragon beasts are formed. I always wondered, why did Mortis want the Blood Siren so badly? Why did he treasure Cassandra more than the others? Why would he need that power if his ultimate aim was to ensure that Vampires could rule unopposed through his Alucard bodies?"
"And the answer is clear." Aidou nodded. "The power to conquer death, to ensure true immortality. Such power breeds jealousy, envy even. Enough to override even prudence. In the end, Mortis will worry not about death, but the chaos that his new creations will bring. A world in utter turmoil and chaos is something I doubt he will tolerate after he conquers it."
"And so he needs his insurance policy." Ai nodded. "Cassandra's very power."
"Should we double the guard around her?" A knight asked.
"Please do." Ai nodded. "And while we are at it, it may be best to inform both her and her sister as well. If his true goal is to capture Cassandra, no doubt a mission this sensitive would warrant Mortis sending James. We must be prepared as best as we can be."
The training halls were situated underground from the main castle itself. While there were much larger training facilities all across the world, this one was mainly for the Vampire Knights who were assigned to Roseland and its various cities and towns. Of course, plenty of other grounds existed in the castle, but this was where the most arduous training regimes were conducted. After all, it would not do for the populace to hear the clamour of destruction that were more than likely commonplace for vampires using their unique gifts.
Ganju breathed as he stared down Senri Shiki. While unarmed, the blood tendrils snaking around him testified that he was no defenseless individual. Ganju charged in, his axe swinging as he did. Senri merely raised his hand and a wave of blood rose up and blocked it. Despite his strength, the blood felt more like a concrete wall. Ganju then encased his arm in rock and threw out a punch. Senri ducked before wrapping the stony arm in blood tendrils and driving it to the ground.
"Try and be a bit more creative with your powers." Senri said. "Yes, your ability to enhance your strength is incredible. But as you have seen, it has its limits. Expand your horizons, go beyond your limitations!"
At another corner, Emi and Misaki trained with Rodin. Conjuring ice swords, she hurled them at the former Helsing agent, only for his arm to dart forward, smashing the icy blades apart. Simultaneously, Misaki moved in, skidding underneath Rodin before spinning around to lash a roundhouse at his legs, destabilizing him. Emi immediately followed by stabbing her rapier into the ground, freezing Rodin's arms in place as he tried to recover.
"Nice." Rodin grinned. "If I didn't know better you've been partners for years. Each of you has a good understanding of how the other fights."
"Well, we have been practicing." Misaki huffed as she held up her knife.
"And we seriously do not want to lose again." Emi said.
"A good mindset." Rodin nodded. "But…" He grunted, his whole body now tensing up. Suddenly, Rodin heaved as threw his arms up, smashing through the ice and freeing himself. Misaki charged in, but Rodin merely grabbed her and rolled, throwing her over him and towards Emi. "You have to move faster!" Rodin said as the two recovered. "Celestine is way faster than I am, and many times crazier. Unless you can outpace her, you are not winning!"
"Truly." Emi nodded as she loosed a powerful blizzard, the icy shards flying toward him at breakneck speed. Rodin was forced to cover his face to avoid being hit as Misaki tried to flank again.
At another area, Shinji and Henry trained against various other knights, doing their hardest to hold off multiple attackers at once. From the side, Serenity watched, scribbling notes furiously on a notebook.
"May I ask what you are writing?" Henry asked as his bout ended. Serenity closed the book and immediately went up to him. She held her hand out while staring at one of the katanas.
"Gimme." She said curtly. Not wanting to risk her wrath, Henry handed the katana to her. Serenity examined the blade closely, nodding as she did. "This is a good sword. The guys you commissioned knew their stuff."
"I'm flattered." Henry said, only to be taken aback by the glare she gave him.
"Still, it ain't enough kiddo." Serenity said. "Not when you are facing Executors. I heard you guys tangled with Sergei and Hugo back then. Those two aren't that high up the ladder, but they can still kick ass if pressed to it. Their Blood Drive states don't give you much leeway. Thankfully, I have something that might just give you the edge." She now tossed the katana back to Henry before moving to Shinji and doing the same to his weapon. After a few minutes, she moved away, scribbling in her notebook again.
"What did she talk to you about?" Henry asked his fellow knight.
"She wanted to see how my weapon meshed with my fighting style." Shinji replied. "She seemed very eager on something. I told her about my Ketsueki Mahi, she thinks maybe she can help me with it. I already heard that she has been working with Misaki to make extra gear."
"From what I've heard, she makes very powerful weapons." Henry noted. "Along with powerful healing serums for vampires and humans. In fact, she has actually been working day and night to make some antiserums to Bloodbane corrosion. I wonder if the queen would also task her on the vampire cure?"
"Who knows?" Shinji nodded. "Still, I'm certain with enough time, she could make incredible things."
"I doubt she'll say the same about those Bloodbane weapons though." Henry stated. "Like the one you found in Berlin."
"Hence why we should help her in ridding the world of them, once and for all." Shinji resolved as he prepared for another round.
Serenity stalked her way back to the private workshop Queen Ai was able to reserve for her. Since she had returned, the vampire queen had generously gifted her plenty of help, space and equipment. She had even turned over the prototype Bloodbane weapon retrieved from Berlin, along with remains of Paragon creatures that have been recovered in the field, in the hopes that Serenity could find a more effective weapon against them. Of course, Serenity was more than grateful, and held nothing back in the discussions with the queen on her ideas. Still, the lack of a solution for Bloodbane weapons and the Alucard specimen still frustrated her to no end. As she headed to her laboratory area, she saw that the adjoining training chamber was already occupied.
Ichigo stood in the middle of the chamber, Havoc and Wither in his hands. Silence stretched across the room as he waited. With a hiss, a metal target shot up from the ground to his left. Quickly, he turned and fired. No sooner than he had pulled the trigger did another target come up. As he successfully tagged each one, more took their place, going faster and faster till at least four popped up at the same time. He moved quickly, making snap head shots at every target that popped up. As he fired another, a red light suddenly flashed and a buzzer rang.
"Dammit." Ichigo growled as he inspected his recent shot. It had missed the target's head, impacting only its shoulder.
"Another miss eh?" Serenity said as she walked in.
"I'm going up against something that can shrug off even these bad boys." Ichigo said as he hoisted the guns. "Nothing but a fatal blow will suffice."
"A fair assessment." Serenity nodded as she walked up and looked at the guns. "Well, for a guy who can be a total rebellious piece of shit you've certainly treated these right. I have little or no need to actually fix them."
"I wouldn't be a Hunter if I didn't know that." Ichigo scowled. "And is it necessary for you to call me that every time?"
"I only do that sometimes." Serenity said. "And only on occasions where I see you."
"Considering you made the room at the end your private workshop, that 'sometimes' becomes more frequent than I'd like." Ichigo said.
"You can't handle it? Then beat it." Serenity retorted.
"Geez, you are a real piece of work." Ichigo groaned.
"A real piece of work that made real nasty pieces of work." Serenity said. "Or at least helped in it."
Ichigo frowned. "Can I ask you a personal question? How did someone like you end up in Helsing? I get you and Rodin are the same when it comes to leaving those creeps, but before? How did you become, well, you?"
Serenity froze in her tracks. Silence stretched between them both before she sighed. "Well, it ain't the most interesting thing in the world. I was the average girl who didn't really click with the idea of being some lady who'd get hitched and raise a family. I was into a more, crude sort of profession. Nothing made me happier than to figure out how things worked. But the more I solved, the more I wanted to know. Mechanical engineering, biotechnology, chemistry, you name it. As long as there was something I could pick apart, I'd take it."
"Then along those lines, I became interested in vampire biology. They were so like us, yet not like us. Overtime, I slowly began to become more interested in creating safeguards for people who couldn't get Hunter Association help in time. And that's when Helsing came to me. Buttered me up with all that shit about wanting to make the world safer for people everywhere. And then I saw them use some of my creations to commit murder." Serenity walked over to the door. As she opened it, Ichigo could already see plenty of tools and materials lying about, most prominent being the prototype Bloodbane dagger that was retrieved from Berlin, and the remains of Jerome's coat.
"And so Rodin and I bolted. I burned or bombed whatever progress I had made. I used whatever expertise I had left to make things most of your scientists and vampire researchers hadn't even thought of yet." Serenity explained. "Really helped a lot in administering first aid to humans and vamps, but still, nothing that could wreck a Bloodbane weapon."
"Doesn't Helsing have loads of notes on that?" Ichigo asked. "If what they say is true, those weapons can't be made so easily. I'm certain there is a way to dismantle them."
"Hope you're right kid." Serenity said as she lit a cigarette. "Because I haven't got a clue how to do it, save for that Anju girl."
"I'm sure you'll figure it out." Ichigo remarked. "You're pretty smart after all."
"Heh." Serenity chortled. "You know, I told my story to that vampire queen too, and she told me the same thing. Word of advice, don't put that much trust in me. After all, I went and helped the worst kinds of people in all manner of ways. Even after all these years, I still couldn't find a way to solve some of the biggest problems I made. I'm not that smart. I'm just some fucking dumb bitch who can't fix her own mistakes."
"I don't think that's right." Serenity and Ichigo turned to see Anju walk into the room.
"Why are you here?" Ichigo asked.
"Oh right." Serenity nodded. "Time for the regular maintenance huh? Right this way kid." As Serenity led Anju to the workshop, she let out a sigh. "And for the record kid, doesn't matter if you don't think it's right. The truth is nothing but the truth."
"Maybe." Anju nodded. "But that's not really the issue. The real issue is what you have done, and what you will do now knowing all that. I know it sounds naïve, but I do believe that one can redeem themselves, if they try their hardest. And I'm sure that's what you and Rodin are doing now."
"Tch, no clue how this kid can actually be so damn positive." Ichigo said. "But seriously though, I don't really care much for whether you feel like you deserve trust or not. You want to take out those Helsing and Kraven clan bastards same as us. So as long as you help, we'll stand beside you."
Serenity remained silent as she opened the door to her workshop, beckoning for Anju to come in. Ichigo simply watched as the door closed once more, before starting up his regime again.
"Well?" Lance asked. "How do you think we shall fare?"
"Impossible to say with all this." Hagan replied. "But even so we have our orders. And I'm certain you'd rather not earn Arthur's disappointment?"
"I'd rather not have the vampires doing whatever they want." Lance replied. "Even so, I see the point."
"Then we move out. Relay my instructions." Hagan nodded. "Our hunt begins."
Author's Note:
And that's it for this particular chapter. Soon, I'm going to be starting the lead up to the end of this fic. Times have been busy lately and I simply ask for your patience as I write through the final segments.
As always, please read and review!
Jdbl00d