The sound of metal gears clanking and rotating had filled Cornell's ears since he entered the clock tower. Jumping from gear to gear Cornell followed Ada's scent, which had become very strong. She smelled so close he felt he could touch her. Yet Cornell continued on not even catching a glimpse of her. Finally, Cornell was jumping across several gears when he saw a figure lying on one the many metal walkways that made up this tower. Cornell took a giant leap and almost howled in delight.
"Ada!" Cornell yelled. He landed beside her ad turned her face up. Her face was pale and her hair white just like he had left her a little over a year ago. He touched her face gently and whispered her name once more. Cornell almost panicked when she did not respond. But slowly her eyelids opened to reveal her bright green eyes.
"Oh, Cornell..." She said softly. Then she grasped his shirt and began to shed tears in his arms. "The village has burned... all the people..."
"It's all right now." Cornell said as he rocked her back and forth. Cornell pulled her out of his arms and looked into her eyes, as he had not for over a year. The look of her face was one of relief that her brother had come for her. But her face changed instantly into a horror filled expression. Cornell looked confusedly until he saw the blood spray onto her face. An instant later Cornell felt the pain in his shoulder. An instant after that Cornell felt himself being pushed away from Ada. Cornell fought to get himself closer but he took a hit from behind and fell to the ground. First he removed the sharp object that was nestled in his shoulder then he clasped his head in pain. He looked towards Ada and howled in anger as he saw her encased in what looked like a large red crystal. Hovering at her side was a skeletal figure dressed in robes, in its hand was a long wooden reaper. Spinning quickly in the air behind him were more of the same sharp things that had gotten him in the shoulder.
"Scythes," Cornell said quietly to himself.
Ada pounded and screamed from within the crystal, "Cornell!"
The skeletal figure then spoke. Its voice did not roar loudly but it echoed nonetheless. " I have found her at last. To think that lycanthropic fool hid the divine sacrifice here! Searching for her almost upset the timing of the ritual. And I thought that stupid lycanthrope would prove to be a little useful. What a fool, disobeying the orders of the Prince and wasting his own life."
Then like many of the other deathly figures Cornell had encountered, the robed figure began to disappear taking Ada with him. Cornell meantime stood up and began running. Suddenly feeling himself being drawn somewhere Cornell pursued his instincts and followed them towards the end of the walkway and to a steel door. The door blew in on itself with one blast and Cornell went storming in. The chamber he was in was enormous but irrelevant. Cornell followed his senses up a flight of stairs on the opposite of the chamber and broke through yet another steel door. This one he did not storm through. Cornell stood on edge of oblivion. His face was once again washed with raindrops and the wind streaked through his hair. Across form him and about a hundred feet to many was the tower where he had battled Ortega. He looked above and below him. He was no standing in the face of the clock. He himself was standing on the hour hand of the giant face. Beneath his feet he could feel the gear as slowly he anticipated the hand moving down. Cornell jumped to his right. He did not know if he was jumping towards anything or if he would fall into the abyss that lay below him. He felt the brunt of metal he managed to grasp the edge of the clock's hand. From where he was hanging he could no longer tell if he was hanging onto the hour or the minute hand. Above, in the corner of his eye, Cornell could see another doorway. With all of his strength and standing balanced for a spilt second on an angle clock hand, Cornell leapt into the air. He grabbed the edge of it and slowly pulled himself up. The doorway actually had no door, only darkness beyond its rim. Cornell stepped in and walked in darkness. In it, Cornell allowed his senses to take him over once more, surrendering himself to his primal side.
Cornell emerged from the darkness drenched in water. The rain had not let up since it had started only a while ago. Cornell stood at the base of the most ominous flight of stairs he had ever seen. Cornell struggled to see what lay at the top but all he could see was clouds and fog. He continued his ascent into the clouds wondering how far up did this tower go. Only until he had passed two small and vacant towers did he see a glimmer of light. As he continued upwards the light transformed into fire and he stood before a dark and haunting structure.
Throughout the ages this castle had changed many times. It had fallen before the might of many warriors but one thing remained the same. The highest point of the castle, the nexus for the ultimate duel between good and evil, the castle keep. It was a round structure with two flaming torches on either side of the enormous doors that comprised its entrance. The flames burned brightly and did not seem affected by the heavy downpour from above. They burned in defiance of the mother nature herself. The doors were made from an unnatural material and had imbedded in them the figure of a creature the likes of which Cornell had never seen. Cornell walked slowly towards the doors when suddenly they opened of their own accord. Cornell did not flinch. He continued walking until he was once again submerged in darkness.
When Cornell entered the Keep he felt cold. It was unlike any cold he had ever experienced before. For years before the man-wolf sealed their powers, man-wolves were almost immune to the cold thanks to their furry bodies. "In this place it would have made no difference," Cornell thought. The keep was darkly lit but Cornell's eyes adjusted quickly. Inside the circular chamber curtains decorated the sides and a red carpet went through the middle of the room. It led all the way to a raised section of the room where lay a large wooden coffin. Hanging above the coffin was a large figure. Cornell approached slowly and for a moment thought he saw it move. When he was but a few feet away from the coffin the Keep became flooded with light. Torches hanging from thin pillars at the "corners" of the chamber suddenly became lit. Cornell looked up towards the figure and breathed a sign of relief. The figure was a giant statue of a bat. Cornell walked closer to the coffin when suddenly it flew open and the lid went flying across the Keep. Cornell staggered backwards as a red glare almost blinded him. When it subsided enough Cornell watched in disbelief as a large red crystal arose from the coffin. Within the coffin was Ada.
"Ada!" Cornell yelled both in relief and in anger. Cornell began to look around like a hunter searching for the source of the sudden laughter. The laughter filled the room until a red glare formed in the center. Cornell blocked his eyes and suddenly there appeared a huge figure. The figure was dressed in a dark blue-gray coat that covered his red vest and white shirt underneath. Running from his shoulder to his waist was a white sash that matched the white collar tied around his neck. The man's face was scarred and ancient. He had a thin beard and mustache, his hair which was an unnatural faded color was pulled back. His eyes were red and blended perfectly with the inside of his cape. Even though he hovered several feet above the floor he was twice maybe triple Cornell's size. Cornell did not have to ask if he was in fact Dracula, he could smell it. Cornell stared into his blood red eyes when he spoke to him.
"Release my sister."
Dracula smiled and returned with an equally determined stare. "I must applaud you. Not too many find their way to the Devil's lair. It normally takes a very particular bloodline to accomplish that."
"This will be the last time I ask. Let my sister go. Let Ada go!"
"I will not bore you with ranting about how coming here would be the death of you. If you wish to free this young woman then come, let us dance the dance of creatures like us. Should you win then you may take your sister. Fail and join all living creatures in serving as the staff of my life in darkness."
Cornell at once jumped towards him planning on fire bolts as he flew. But as he came closer to him he transformed into a cloud of mist and Cornell fell hard against the ground. Cornell rolled until he sprang back onto his feet. He quickly scanned the keep searching for where he had moved when he felt the hairs on his back stand up at once. He turned around in time to see the lightening come down through the roof and strike him with full force. Cornell felt himself flying across the keep. As he did he watched as more lightening came crashing through the roof. Cornell quickly got to his feet and rolled from side to side dodging both incoming bolts of lightening and debris from the crumbling roof. Cornell shot a glance up and saw his moon shining brightly in the night. When he was within striking range of Dracula he howled at him over the sound of the raging thunderstorm.
"Try some of mine!"
Dracula staggered for a moment then faded once more into a cloud of mist. When he reformed again his eyes were filled with fire and so were his hands. Cornell rolled across the floor narrowly missing the flames that sprouted from his hands. As he missed Cornell Dracula set fire to the various curtains that surrounded the keep as well as the carpet that run down the middle. Soon the vampire and the man-wolf found themselves encased in fire. Cornell leapt over the fires and bolt after bolt. Dracula hid the pain he felt well. He took several more hits before retreating into his mist form. This time the mist reformed on the other side of the flames. Cornell prepared to leap once more when he felt himself being pulled by an invisible force. The force was slow at first then quick. It was so quick that Cornell did feel burned as he passed through the flames and into Dracula's hands. Dracula held him up with one hand and squeezed at Cornell's throat.
As the rain came down the fires around them went out. Dracula hovered above the ground once more and gently floated towards the crystal where Ada had painfully watched the battle. He pushed Cornell against the red crystal as he taunted him.
"What do you call that? I thought you loved your little sister? You're not even trying. You can do better."
"Go back to hell!"
"In time, man-wolf. First let me tell you, I know you better than you think."
"All you need to know is that I will kill" Suddenly a bolt of lightening struck Cornell directly and stayed there. Cornell felt as the electricity surged through him. He felt as the small wound in his shoulder suddenly opened wide and began to bleed. Cornell felt anger swell up inside him. His eyes glowed even more than the lightening that was striking him. In his mind Cornell felt his mind fading. He was reverting back to the animal that he was before. Dracula looked into his eyes and knew it.
"Come man-wolf, give me want I want. Release the animal in you. Let me see what you are made of."
"No," Cornell yelled into the air. Dracula's face became filled with hatred and conviction. "He's trying to provoke me. Make me lose control in order to kill me." Cornell thought to himself.
"Why don't you tell Ada your secret Cornell? No? Then I will. The truth is she is not a man-wolf. She is a survivor of the humans your kind killed. No, the ones you killed. You led the attack on her wagon train didn't you?"
Cornell fought to control himself the glow in his eyes showed that he would not win. Dracula would continue until he saw Cornell a primitive animal and then he would sacrifice Ada.
"You raised her as a man-wolf, but you cannot deceive me. You hid her during the ceremony of the seal. You made sure that no one asked where she was so that no one would suspect. You came from another tribe so everyone believed you when you said that you had been separated. So after all the man-wolves became human it was safe for you to raise her.
"Did you think that you could atone for your sins by saving her? That it would make up for all the humans you killed? Or perhaps you thought that this young lady would be elated by your actions? It is nothing more than a shallow deception by a man-beast! Come now, bare your true self. Show her who you truly are! You are an animal!"
Cornell then grabbed Dracula's arms and yelled, "I am not an animal!" The surge of man-beast energy released Cornell from his grasp and sent Dracula to the other side of the keep.
"Ada" Cornell said as he touched the crystal.
"Are you alright Cornell?"
"Not until you're free and away from this place." Cornell said then looked back towards Dracula. His huge figure lay on the ground. Smoke rose up from his motionless body. Cornell fired a blast but he did not stir. Although he did not believe for a minute that the infamous Dracula was down for good, he wanted to get Ada out of the keep as soon as possible. He turned back to the crystal and began thinking of how to break it without harming Ada. Cornell was halfway through deliberating whether or not to try a blast of man-beast energy when Ada cried out to him.
"Cornell!"
Cornell fell to the ground and struggled to break free from the magical bonds that held him. He turned towards Ada and then towards Dracula. He was now standing with his cape wide open. The crystal slowly moved towards Dracula as Ada pounded and cried for Cornell to get up. Cornell fought hard but soon he felt his anger taking over again. It was then that Dracula spoke again.
"Now I will reveal to you my true form. This power is second to none! If you want to save this woman you'd better be willing to give your life."
Cornell continued his fight to release himself. Cornell watched in watched in horror as the crystal that held Ada began to shrink smaller and smaller until it was totally absorbed into the now closing cape of Dracula. "Ada!" Cornell yelled at the top of his lungs. Then the world around him came apart. The remaining parts of the keep's roof flew high into the air. Above the keep Cornell could see the sky clearly. In the sky a portal formed. As he stared above he felt as though the keep were rising. Cornell could not tell anything as the walls and the very floor itself disappeared from his sight. Cornell looked below him and saw nothing but dark clouds. He was surrounded by darkness. Then suddenly Cornell felt that he could move once more. The magical bonds that held him had gone. Slowly he rose from whatever it was that was holding him up. He felt almost disoriented by the lack of sturdy ground beneath him. Then he nearly fell backwards as a huge bolt of lightening struck before. He thought he saw something illuminated in the darkness but only for an instant. The primal forces that had taken him over still lingered so Cornell was not taken totally by surprise. Nonetheless the mammoth sized creature slowly hovered towards him. Entirely it was as high as one the castle's towers. It hovered with wings that spanned what seemed like a mile in either direction. The creature's head was like that of two different ones. The bottom half was like that of a man, it had a chin, mouth and nose. The upper half converged at point like a mountaintop and had four horns protruding out of the back. His arms and chest were muscular and had enormous strength. Unusual cuts along the center of his chest moved ever so slightly as though some huge and dark heart lay underneath the skin. It's skin was a gray identical to the Cornell saw on Dracula. The creature had the look of a twisted and hellish equivalent of an angel. Then Cornell heard the voice. It was ancient, raspy and worn away by centuries of combat. It echoed throughout the dark universe that Cornell now stood in. It was the voice of Dracula and he was yelling out his war cry. He spread his arms and wings and began to roar loudly. As he roared the cuts and crevices in his chest revealed their true purpose. Cornell watched as Dracula's enormous chest opened wide to reveal the monster within. Dracula's head shifted from left to right and protruded slightly from the cocoon that held it in place. The face was surrounded by red flesh that was moist with blood. Dracula's face smiled for a moment then shut himself back into his chest. Dracula formed semi fists and within those fists he attracted bolts of lightening which he threw at Cornell. Every single one came within an inch of striking Cornell. He rolled along the invisible floor and sprang up firing his own bolts of energy. Hitting Dracula was no problem, his size made it easy but actually doing him harm was another. Cornell hit him many times but nothing seemed to hurt him. This made Cornell very angry which was dangerous not only for Dracula but also for Cornell. He did not know he his mind would come back again if he reverted back to his animal state. Dracula soon began for send out fireballs, which Cornell easily picked off one by one with his own energy. But Dracula caught him off guard by flying quickly over towards him and snatching up into his hand. Cornell could never hope to break the grip of the monstrosity but continued to pound on Dracula's enormous hand. Dracula drew him close to his chest where Cornell came closer than he ever wanted to Dracula's head. His huge wide eyes came open and examined him for a moment then the face smiled once more.
"Surrender man-wolf. Surrender or your kind becomes extinct like so many others that I have massacred."
"Never!" Cornell cried as he fired blast directly at Dracula's huge head. Dracula roared in pain and Cornell became spray with blood. He felt himself being thrown away to the ground. When he landed, he felt as though he was once more in a portal similar to the one that brought him here. This portal made him feel as though he was being pushed backwards but Cornell's senses told him that he was still where he had always been. Cornell leaped into the center of the portal to face four huge worm-like creatures slithering towards him. As he continued forward Cornell blasted them as well. More blood sprouted from his enemies and Cornell had to suppress the thoughts that entered his mind. His animal senses became delighted with the taste of blood in his mouth. But he was not an animal. When Cornell came out of the portal Dracula was a little further away from him than before and had his hands open and aimed at him. Long shards of ice came rushing towards him. Cornell was ready to pick them off one by one when he slammed his fist onto the see through ground and the huge shards became smaller and even sharper shards. Almost all at once Cornell felt the hundred shards come cutting across his arms and legs. Cornell did his best to hide his head from the icy blades. When they had passed Cornell began to run towards Dracula once more. This time he created one of his streams of energy and maintained it. The long stream of man-beast energy continually bombarded Dracula's cavity until it burst open. Dracula emerged from his chest screaming in pain. Cornell pressed on. Energy began to build all around Dracula's body so much that Cornell could not have blocked it when it blew. A massive storm of energy moving in all directions with Dracula as it's eye. Cornell landed well away from Dracula and staggered to his feet.
Unlike when the battle had begun Dracula's skin was no longer smooth and muscular. Now it slowly began to reveal its scars. Blood poured from the openings all over and his arm and wings went limp. Then he let loose a horrible moan. Cornell breathed a momentary sign of relief as a huge wormhole formed beneath them. Cornell was far enough away so that he did not feel himself being pulled in; but the same was not true of Dracula. Ever so slowly Dracula began to sink into the huge vortex. Cornell looked around hastily searching for some clue to where Ada might be. Cornell yelled once more as high as his vocal cords would allow.
"Release my sister,
monster!"
Dracula was halfway through the portal when he slowly began to rise again. His
arm reached up for something. For a moment he seemed to be reaching out for
nothing but then Cornell saw the crystal. The red crystal, which had entrapped
Ada, was being sucked into Dracula's hand. Within moments it he closed his enormous
hand around it and then resumed his descent into the vortex. Cornell once more
leapt into the air. He seemed fly upward defying the pull from the vortex until
he struck something. Cornell fell back to the ground right at the edge of the
wormhole. He quickly tried to move forward again but he once more hit himself
against the invisible field. The invisible wall blocked Cornell from moving
any further. Cornell pounded against it when suddenly the field became visible
and took on the shape of the magical bond that had captured him before. Cornell
watched as Ada sank closer and closer to the abyss. Cornell's eyes glowed with
a rage unknown to this world. "All or nothing!" Cornell howled for
no one's sake but his own. In his mind he surrender to his mind over to his
animal instincts. Cornell felt as his mind slowly slipped away and the animal
inside him took over. If it's strength was all that might save Ada then he would
give it, even if it meant losing his mind and soul. The magical bonds instantly
broke and Cornell was free from his bonds. But Cornell was not free from the
pain. As his anger took over he felt that the more anger the more pain. He could
not stop the anger, it swelled up, and it matured within him. Finally it burst
out like a newborn baby. The anger was so strong and so filled with purpose
it took on a life of it's own. Cornell felt like clutching his stomach, which
was on fire but he could not. The pain alone left him with his arms spread and
chest out. Cornell cried out in anguish as he felt himself being ripped apart.
Cornell's anger flowed out of him and took on the shape of his wolf form. It
went flying upwards towards Ada. Within seconds it hovered next to her. With
one swift blow it shattered the crystal. It grabbed onto Ada and sent spiraling
towards Cornell. Then Cornell's anger howled like a wild animal as Dracula's
hand gripped it. It fought savagely but did not break free. On the ground Ada
helped Cornell up and together they watched as Dracula sunk entirely into portal.
The last thing they saw
were the eyes of Cornell's anger as it stared at Cornell. Cornell nodded slightly
as though it had said something to him. Ada did not know and did not care. She
only held onto her Cornell and watched it disappear. When Dracula had totally
disappeared a whirlpool of clouds formed beneath them and began to rise. Together
they stood nearby its eye holding each other. The whirlpool of clouds came up
around them and continued to rise until slowly their surrounding faded into
something familiar. Within a few seconds Cornell and Ada stood in the center
of the castle keep, once more restored to its former state. The whirlwind that
had surrounded them became narrower and narrower until it sank into the coffin
at the front of the keep. When it had totally submerged itself there, the lid,
which had flown off, came flying back towards its counterpart and closed over.
When it was all over the castle keep was exactly like it had been before the
battle. The curtains and carpet were no longer burnt and the coffin lid was
firmly in its place.
For the first time in a very long time, tears ran down Cornell's cheeks. Although
they were still in the lair of evil, Cornell and Ada stood there and held each
other. For them, nothing else mattered.
Chapter
19: Aftermath