Holy shit, I had no idea just how long it had been since I last updated this fic! I had been suffering a little bit of writer's block with this one... well... not so much in that I didn't know where to take the story, because I do, it was just this particular chapter that gave me a lot of grief for some reason. Nothing felt right. But today, I had a sudden burst of inspiration for it and I'm certainly not going to let that go to waste. I'm really sorry about the wait, but thank you so much for being patient with me and leaving such awesome reviews in the meantime! I'm so happy that so many people enjoy this story!


Chapter IX - Barbarians


Seras wasn't sure how long she had been running for, nor did she care. Her legs refused to stop, carrying her away from the impending danger. She couldn't even concentrate enough to phase through the trees and bushes that scraped against her skin as she fled. Jagged bark and branches tore at her, the scent of her own blood filling the midnight air. Few rays of the full moon's light could penetrate through the thick canopy of leaves above. The sting upon her cheek remained. Each pulse of her nerves served as another stab to her undead heart. In fact, Seras was pretty sure she would have preferred it if she had been stabbed. That pain would likely be nothing compared to what she was experiencing now.

Military boots continued to slam against the ground, and tears began blurring the draculina's vision. Everything turned red, and it wasn't long before Seras finally felt her foot connect with the root of a tree protruding from the ground, and her whole body was sent flying. She gasped and groaned as her body repeatedly slammed against the cold, hard ground, tumbling ungracefully before finally coming to a stop, caking her body in dirt, mud, and leaves. Her palms burned from trying to cushion her fall. She had lost so much blood that she was struggling to heal. Body, mind, and spirit had all given up.

She really was pathetic.

Nails dug into the ground as Seras silently pleaded for the earth to swallow her up. Inside the earth is where she should have been right now. Her corpse rotting beneath the dirt, probably nothing more than a skeleton by this point. Worms and other bugs would have consumed her flesh. There she would lay, mortal and dead... as nature intended. Instead, she had chosen to let her... her master... turn her into a monster. A monster who had no control over itself. A monster who frequently disappointed, annoyed, and angered all of those around her.

Another painful sting shot through her cheek. His hand was larger than her whole face, and she could feel its imprint against her skin. No doubt there was a red mark there. Bringing one hand back up from the ground, Seras pushed her head back up slightly to lightly caress over the place her master had struck her. He... he had never hit her before. He'd dragged her around and been rough with her in the heat of training and battle, but he had never once truly laid a finger on her with malicious intent. In fact, the draculina had been so sure that her master was now proud of her. Proud of her for finally beginning to embrace the life of a nosferatu. True pride and other emotions that Seras couldn't quite place had shone in his red eyes when they had met on the battlefield with Millennium and Iscariot. He had stared at her so intensely, and the memory never ceased to send a shiver down her spine. She had goofily ruined the moment, as was her awkward nature, but her master hadn't seemed to have cared. He had ruffled her hair, stroking her with a gentleness that she had never experienced before. Even now, thirty years later, it elicited a purr from deep in her chest.

The only explanation was that Seras truly had ruined things. When the new recruits had cornered her like that, she just couldn't control herself. She had warned them to stay back. They didn't listen. What was she supposed to have done? Let them continue? Seras had been caught between a rock and hard place; damned if she did nothing and damned if she did something. Their warm blood had called to her. Heated up like a delicious stew of hormones, lust, arrogance... pure humanity. Seras instinctively licked her lips at the memory.

NO! She wasn't a monster! They had been the monsters! She hated them all!

Before her temper could consume her, the snap of a branch in the distance caused her to freeze. Oh god... had her master been sent after her? Had he changed his mind? Or had he come to finish the job?

Snap.

Seras needed no further motivation as she scrambled to her feet and fled once again. She had to get out of here. Out of England. Out of Britain. Maybe even out of Europe. She was no longer safe here. It would be all too easy to stumble across her master and be killed by him if she stayed. He had warned her after all... Her master was not a man to use empty threats.

So she ran and ran and ran. The salty sea air soon filled her nose, her arm blurring into the shadowy silhouette of bat-like wings...

Seras wasn't sure how long she had been running for, nor did she care. Her escape was only brought to a halt by a large lake in front of her. The dark water almost looked like a black void under the limited light of the night sky. The reflection of stars twinkled upon the surface, revealing the small, gentle waves that lapped at the sandy edge. Thick forests surrounded the young vampire in every direction, the trees seemingly closing in on her and making her chest feel tight with a sense of claustrophobia. Every creature within the forest seemed to have scarped upon sensing Seras' very presence. However, that was probably for the best - no matter how lonely it reminded her that she was.

Growling to herself, the draculina grabbed hold of a large log and launched it into the water. The loud splash and resulting waves were satisfying, especially when the water rippled over her shoes. But she couldn't enjoy the blue view for too long before her vision began to turn red. A strange strangled sound filled the air, and it took Seras a second to realise that it had come from her own mouth. Her knees wobbled before giving out, and she collapsed where she had once stood, burying her face into her hands as she sobbed uncontrollably. The blood stained her porcelain skin crimson, and the metallic scent burned her nose, but she didn't care.

"I rue the day that I created you."

No! She had tried so hard to push that moment to the back of her mind, far away into the deep recesses along with the painful memories of her parents' murder. Now, Anastasia had dragged them to the forefront, where their evil savagery threatened to tear Seras apart from the inside. She tugged at her blonde hair, desperately wishing that she could somehow peel her skull back and let all of those memories float away and leave her alone. Now she was re-living it over and over and over and over again.

Why did the red-headed vampire have to do this to her? Seras never would have agreed if she knew that this is what her training would involve. Not even her master had been this cruel towards her. Though he would express his impatience, he would still let her learn and adapt to things at her own pace. She would never forget all of the times he would try to force her to drink blood, use her powers, and forget everything that it meant to be human. Seras wasn't sure she could ever complete that last task. How could she?

Though she never wanted to be a pushover, the young vampire didn't want to be a sadistic killing machine like her master. He revelled in chaos and gore. Meanwhile, Seras preferred to fight only when necessary. The memories of ripping that other male vampire limb from limb invaded her mind as a cruel reminder that that wasn't always strictly the case.

Seras cringed. Cringed at how much she had secretly enjoyed the feeling of her claws digging into his flesh. Cringed at how euphorically drunk the power of having his life in her hands made her. Was this what her master felt all this time when in battle? If so, Seras could easily see how one could become addicted to something like that. But she didn't want to be that kind of person – that kind of vampire. But was she fighting a losing battle? Everyone wanted her to be this terrifying, formidable, powerful draculina. Her master, Anastasia and her band of followers, and hell, even Integra encouraged her to embrace her true nature from time to time. Was this a battle that Seras had already lost?

Snap.

Seras gasped, instantly whipping around to the wall of trees behind her, only to relax again as Eva slowly emerged. Her brown eyes were unsure and worried. She kept her distance, and that only upset Seras even more. Was she truly that much of a terrifying monster? Even Eva, the one person who she felt was her friend, couldn't bear to near her. Had she heard everything that had happened? What had Anastasia told her? What was she even doing out here in the first place? The draculina would have thought that the young brunette would have been attending to her normal duties.

Unable to meet the eyes of the worried girl, Seras looked away, turning her gaze back to the lake. The water was so crisp and clear that it served as a perfect reflection of the night sky. The rest of her senses remained locked on Eva, though her morbid curiosity longed to torture her further by waiting for the moment where Eva would give up and run away. All the more reason to cause Seras to flinch when the younger girl finally spoke.

"My lady?"

The draculina sighed and closed her eyes. "Seras," she reminded, trying to keep her voice from cracking.

"Seras... Is everything okay?"

Words became caught in the blonde vampire's throat as if a snake had coiled itself around her neck. There was so much she wanted to say. So much she wanted to scream about. But it had all clogged itself inside her to a point where nothing at all could break free. The only sound she could manage was a strangled noise, comparable to that of a kitten having its tail stepped on. She bit her lip to stop any further sound from escaping. Her fangs dug into her lip, sinking into the pink flesh and drawing blood.

"Was it your meeting with mistress Anastasia?" Eva inquired gently. "I know she may seem scary and intense, but she really is only trying to help –"

"Help?!" Seras snapped, whipping back around to face the young woman. "That woman made me re-live everything that I've been trying to forget! She had no business probing around my mind like that!"

"Seras –"

"Just what have I got myself involved in?! All I wanted was to learn how to defend myself, and instead, I feel like I'm being tortured into insanity!"

Eva lowered her head, looking completely at a loss of what to say. She bit her own lip, brown eyes remaining locked on the ground as she did so. She kept her distance, leaving Seras to feel lonely once again. The draculina hadn't wanted all of this.

"But..." Eva finally spoke again, her eyes becoming distant. "That's what other vampires would do to you... and far worse..."

Seras blinked before looking away again. One of her arms moved up to self-consciously rub her other one that continued to hang limply. Instantly, she knew that Eva was right, she just didn't want to admit it. She had indeed seen first hand just how cruel other creatures of the night could be. Seras had been lucky to escape as long as she had done while living out here for as long as she had. Other vampires... most of them were nothing more than barbarians. Thinking about it only reminded Seras that she was no better. She had torn humans apart and feasted on them. She had attacked members of her own kind, torturing that vampire who had tried to corner her alone back in the arena.

"Mistress Anastasia is just trying to give you the best fighting chance," Eva explained.

"It's just that..." Seras whimpered her response. "It's what she saw... what she made me see again..."

"You don't have to talk about it if you don't want to." Eva took a step closer, but still looked unsure.

Seras sighed and sat down on one of the fallen logs on the edge of the lake. It was damp and covered in mud, smearing all over her trousers, but she paid it no mind. If anything, the coolness helped calm her down somewhat. She only now just realised how heated her flesh had become in her moment of panic and embarrassment. Her fingers brushed against the decaying wood before pressing down. The hard surface helped keep her grounded, helped keep her mind from fleeing to faraway places. The effect was obviously noticeable when Eva finally found the courage to approach and stand beside her. Her blue dress swayed in the light breeze, and Seras couldn't help but compare Eva to a character from a fairy-tale. She looked so young and innocent. It was hard to believe that the girl stood next to her was also a vampire. A vampire that was much older and wiser than herself. Having Eva around was like having an older and little sister all rolled into one. Maybe that was why Seras suddenly felt like she could talk freely and openly about what had happened.

"You're the first person that I have talked to about it," Seras sighed out. "Making friends and talking to people wasn't exactly easy after I... left."

"I understand," Eva whispered. "I walked the earth for many years on my own."

Seras nodded before closing her eyes in the hopes of drowning out the world around her. But doing so only caused images of the Hellsing manor to appear before her; the only place she had ever been able to call home. She missed it dearly. She missed Integra. She missed some of her fellow soldiers. She missed the random spars she would have with Heinkal whenever Iscariot would visit for a meeting. More importantly, she missed... her master.

"After everything he did... Why do I still care? Why do I still miss him so much that my chest aches?" Seras had blurted out before she could stop herself. Blood tears burned the corners of her eyes, and it took everything within her power to keep them at bay. She had honestly thought that she had run out of tears to cry by now. Her master was always the source of the leak that kept them flowing. It had been a while of constant repression, and now the floodgates of her mind were opening up again thanks to Anastasia making her re-live it all.

A hand was suddenly placed on her shoulder. "I'm guessing you're talking about his majesty, Lord Dracula?"

It was always so strange to Seras hearing him referred to in that way. It was easy for her to forget what her master once was... still is. The Dracula. A famous horrific creature of a centuries old story. Well... what was thought to have been just a story anyway... It was almost impossible for Seras to wrap her head around, and it always took her a few seconds to realise that other vampires were talking about her master.

When Seras said nothing, Eva continued to speak. "What you're feeling is perfectly normal. You're not a full-fledged vampire yet, and all fledglings have an attachment to their masters. The stronger and more powerful the vampires, the stronger the bond is."

"But..." Seras sniffled. "I can't feel him. I used to feel him all the time as if he was a part of me. But now I feel so alone... so lost... I can only compare it to the time I lost my eyes and arm, only this is much worse. I try to ignore it, to push it to the back of my mind, but Anastasia... she..."

Seras couldn't take it any longer. The dam finally broke, and the tears cascaded free. Her face was stained red by them, and her cries echoed in the night air of the forest around them. It was like something inside of her was reaching out in desperate yearning. Like invisible arms had lurched from her chest trying in vain to wrap around and hold onto something that wasn't there. She was vaguely aware of arms wrapping around her, but they weren't the arms that she wanted. The draculina felt so stupid and pathetic for reacting this way. Acting like some lost duckling. But she had pushed these feelings aside for so long that she could no longer hold them back. She wanted to go home. She didn't care what had happened between her and her master, she just wanted to be back with him. She wanted everything to go back to the way it used to be. Her own little dysfunctional family.

"I wish I could help, but I only have a limited understanding of such a thing," Eva mumbled against Seras' blonde locks. "I am from a weak bloodline, and I doubt I would recognise my master if I ever came across him again. I can't even begin to imagine what it's like for you, Draculina."

Seras flinched at the name.

"But all of us are here to help you. I know it might not seem like it, but Anastasia, Edmund and Levi are the perfect people for you to talk to about all of this. They are of powerful, ancient bloodlines, almost as ancient as the king himself. They were high ranking members of the royal court before Hellsing attacked. We're all here for you. We'll teach you everything that we know. It will be hard, but nothing worth doing is ever easy," Eva comforted, and Seras could feel herself relaxing slightly at the other girl's words. "We swore that we wouldn't let anything bad happen to you."

Seras pulled away to stare down at brunette vampire in confusion before something flashed at the corner of her vision, diverting her attention. Her red eyes locked onto a distant, shadowy figure standing just before the treeline. The flash she had seen was the moonlight reflecting off sharp fangs. Eva noticed Seras seemed distracted and turned around to face the intruder herself. Fearful recognition appeared in her wide brown eyes, causing Seras' stomach to drop. The figure stepped forward, revealing himself to be someone that Seras had never seen before. He was rather unremarkable looking other than the fact he was probably the burliest person the young vampire had ever seen. But his other features were average, save for the red eyes that gave away his species. His hair was a light brown and almost shaved completely off. His posture was cocky as he smirked at them.

"So the rumours are true," he practically purred. "There really is a draculina among us."

The two girls remained frozen.

The man's grin widened, and he bowed. "It is delightful to make your acquaintance, your majesty. I trust I am speaking the right tongue to you? The rumours did state that you were English, no?"

Eva began trembling, but otherwise positioned herself in front of Seras.

"Oh look, and you have even gotten yourself a weak little pet. How are you, my dear Eva?" He winked at her, and Eva's face paled even more if that was even possible.

The male vampire chuckled at the fearful response before turning his attention back towards Seras. "My name is Augustin."

"S-stay away! Mistress Anastasia is on her way here right now!" Eva snapped.

"Come now, my dear, we both know that that's not true. You're not powerful enough to send such a telepathic message," he goaded her.

"But I am!" Seras interjected, not liking where this situation was going. Whoever this man was, Eva was obviously terrified of him, making him bad news. She had never really properly sent a telepathic message before, only ever having done so by accident, but she definitely had to master it now in order to get them both out of here. She began to picture Anastasia in her mind, only to blink and jerk back in shock when Eva suddenly disappeared from in front of her.

Seras looked around frantically before her eyes landed back on the male vampire. It originally appeared that he hadn't moved an inch, but the fact that he now had Eva in his arms gave him away. Eva looked so tiny compared to him. One of his large arms was wrapped around her waist, pinning her back against him, while his other hand was firmly around her neck. His sharp nails began digging into her skin, causing Eva to squeak.

"One wrong move, Draculina, and I will slice this pathetic girl's throat and drain her dry," he ordered calmly as he turned to grin at the blonde vampire. "I'll know if you try to mentally contact anyone. The second that you do, you forfeit the girl's life."

Seras' eyes widened in fear and disgust as the hand that was on Eva's waist moved down to between her legs, cupping his palm against her most intimate area. The brunette cringed and whimpered in pure fright, but this only made the male grin even more.

"Which would be a real shame," he continued from his previous statement. "How I have missed you, dear Eva. I was most upset when my master sold you to that bitch, Lady Anastasia. No other woman could take me quite like you could."

"Let her go!" Seras yelled, but remained frozen in place. This vampire was quick. If he had managed to snatch Eva up so quickly, then it was likely he could slice her neck before the draculina had even taken a single step forward to save her.

Augustin laughed. "Little queen, you're hardly in the position to be giving the orders here."

Seras ignored the stupid nicknames and glared at him as menacingly as she could. "What do you want?"

"I want nothing." He flashed his fangs at her. "I am simply the humble messenger of my master."

The draculina narrowed her eyes. "Then what does your master want?"

"Why to extent her invitation to you, of course! She was there at the arena! As soon as she saw you, she was dying to introduce herself to you, but that bitch was always in the way. Then, when you wandered off alone, all she could do was watch as you took out that pathetic scum. She simply wishes to meet such a precious gem!" he explained.

"And what if I decline?"

"Királyném, if you wish to throw all manners aside, then by all means," he threatened, gripping Eva's throat even tighter.

"Just run, Seras!" Eva managed to choke out.

"Seras? What a pretty name." The male vampire began backing away with Eva still trapped in his grasp. He rested her chin against the brunette's shoulder, nibbling at the skin of her neck, all the while maintaining eye contact with Seras as if he was goading her. "I think we both know what will happen if you try to run."

"Please, just let Eva go!" Seras pleaded, unable to stand seeing the fear in her friend's eyes and see her be molested like that. The sight made her want to vomit.

"Why should I? If anything, taking her back is a fair payment for delivering you my master's message. She was sold for such a low price, too."

Eva screamed as Augustin slowly sank his fangs into her neck. That was all it took for Seras to see red. She lunged forward, hands outstretched and ready to rip Eva out of his cruel grasp. However, her vision soon blurred as the air was knocked right out of her. Shadowy tendrils appeared from the male vampire's back and had slammed into her torso, knocking the draculina back. It was like a whip made out of barbed wire, with tiny sharp needles piercing her flesh. Her stomach bled out onto her shirt, creating a large eye of blood in her mid-section. But Seras bit back the pain and bared her fangs at the vampire who had dared to attack her and Eva. An animalistic snarl escaped from her throat. Did this vampire have a death wish? If he had seen the way she had taken out that vampire at the arena then why was he provoking her now? Well he was about to find out what happened when he messed with a draculina.

Again, Seras lunged forward, pushing her sped to the limit as she practically teleported in front of him, desperate to get Eva away from the monster before he sliced into her neck. Yet Augustin unexpectedly pushed Eva aside and met Seras' attack head on, grabbing hold of her wrists before she could cut through him like a knife through butter. The entire time, the smirk remained on his face, practically laughing out loud at her attempts to harm him.

Seras screamed in pain as both her arms were all of a sudden ripped from her body. Blood and shadows spilled out of her, and a hot searing pain travelled throughout her whole body. Tremors vibrated her entire form as she tried to remain calm and in control. The beast within her was barely contained as it growled at having been disrespected by the barbaric vampire in front of her. The arms within the male vampire's grip began to melt away, the blood oozing between his fingers. Seras' shadows morphed, beginning to re-form her lost limbs only to lose shape again as her legs were kicked out from under her. Everything below her knee felt like it had been shattered, and once again, white hot pain consumed her. Screams filled the forest, sending birds scattering into the sky.

"I appreciate the challenging fight," Augustin taunted as he straddled her. "But your problem is you rely too much on your base instincts. Which is more than adequate when facing low class filth, but against someone like me –"

Seras eyes widened in horror and fear as his hands clamped down on the sides of her head, her neck protesting as it was pulled upwards.

" – you're going to have to do a lot better than that."

That was the final thing Seras heard as her head was ripped from her body.


Thank you so much to those who have been sticking with this story after all this time. Now that I finally have this chapter out of the way, hopefully the rest of the story will continue without too much of a hitch. Like I explained, this chapter just gave me hell for some reason. But at least it's finally out of the way. I realise it probably won't be the best quality as a result, but I still hope that you got at least some enjoyment out of it. Pretty please feel free to share your opinions. Take care of yourselves!