The scene before Matthew's eyes changed. Suddenly he was looking on a scene somewhere inside the down of Cheddar. On one side of the room stood Alucard. On the other, Shalrik. 'Damn him! He didn't wait for us!'

Alucard spoke. "After all this time, Shalrik, we finally end this. I've always considered your skills to be that of a grade A vampire. It's been some time since I've had a worthy opponent. I hope you don't disappoint me."

Shalrik gave a cold chuckle. He spoke with a very deep voice. "These decades have only allowed me to increase my skill. I think you'll find me more then a match for you." He smiled; the same smile he'd given Matthew. "I have more power then you could ever imagine. Actually, I'm confident enough in my skill to let you go first, my old opponent."

Alucard smirked. 'Go for it, Alucard,' Matthew said in his mind. Seras's mind joined his by saying, 'You can take him!' Now, Alucard spoke to Shalrik. "Very well, but I'd better not get bored fighting you." He took a combat stance. "Releasing control art restriction system to level three. Level two. Situation A release level one. The Cromwell Approval is now in effect. Hold release until target is silenced." Shalrik chuckled at the display, but his smile faded at what happened next.

Alucard's arms dissolved, reforming into a pair of large black blobs with many red eyes on them. His hat disappeared, letting long black hair fall free. His arm blobs started to form into something... but the view cut away before Matthew could see what they were becoming.

The view was back on Shalrik. "Very impressive, Alucard. How about this?" He let out a long, loud yell. But, that human yell slowly turned into an inhuman screech. Matthew's eyes went wide as Shalrik started to morph. He dissolved into a red blob, then his form grew to about forty feet high with many appendages forming from it. Shalrik's new form solidified and cleared. Matthew gasped.

Shalrik had become a red dragon. He screeched and let loose a breath of fire...

...And suddenly, Matthew's view was back in the forest near Cheddar. In the distance, a ball of fire flared above the town. "Alucard..." he said silently.

He heard Seras quietly call out to him. "Master..." Matthew looked over to her, and was stunned. Seras's expression slowly turned from one of concern and fear to one of anger and rage. Her eyes were colder and harder then he had ever seen.

It was enough to make him draw back a step. "Seras... Are you all right?"

Her voice carried what her eyes showed. "I'm going to him, and I'll kill anything that stands in my way."

"That is good to hear, vampire."

Matthew and Seras turned to the newcomer. A tall figure with a sword in each and approached. Alexander had arrived. "Sorry I'm late. I had to send a vampire to Hell."

Before Seras could reply with some poison-laced remark, Matthew spoke. "You know, we do have names, Paladin Andersen. I'm Matthew Jemeth, and she is Seras Victoria. How about, for this mission, you call us by those?"

Alexander sounded annoyed. "I know you names, Jemeth." He gave a vexing sigh. "Fine, then. Let's get movin'."

Wordlessly, Seras moved out towards Cheddar, bringing her Harkonnen to her hip. Matthew slid his Valkyrie over to the left side of its rail and snapped it into place at his left shoulder. Snatching out a slug round and stuffing it into the Valkyrie's breech, he followed Seras. Alexander brought up the rear.

Cheddar had been a simple English town until a vampire disguised as a priest came. After the vampire was defeated, no one came to repopulate the town. The town remained largely intact since it had been abandoned. Most of the buildings still stood, but those remaining showed the signs of the battle that led to its abandonment. Broken windows, bullet holes in walls, and a pair of burned out buildings stood as testament to the valiant efforts of the police's efforts in stopping the vampire and his ghouls. But it had been for naught. That vampire had left no survivors in the town. It was that vampire that had held Seras hostage, forcing Alucard to do to her what she had done to Matthew two months ago.

They approached the entrance to town, with many roads heading towards the center. Another ball of fire leapt above the buildings and flared out. "Yeah," Matthew said, "he's definitely over there." Seras lightly grasped his arm, showing her appreciation at his attempt at humor.

"We should probably split up," Alexander said. "Cover the most ground and take out as many of those creatures and possible."

Matthew turned to him. "I'm not so sure. Along with the ghouls and vampires you're used to, Shalrik has created some enhanced ones. Ghouls which can communicate, strategize, give orders. Vampires which are stronger, faster, and have resistance to silver and mercury." He reached up to Spitfire's stock. "If you'd like, I'll loan you a weapon."

"Nah," Alexander replied. "I'd rather use my swords. God has approved of my working with you, but He does have his limits."

"Suit yourself." He let his arm drop to the Valkyrie and turned to Seras. "It's up to you, Seras. What do we do."

She considered their options. "Probably better to split up. I've seen Paladin Andersen in action, and I'm sure he can handle himself."

Matthew nodded. The point was decided. "All right, then. Let's move out." They each chose a road and started into town.

For several long minutes all was silent, save for the occasion flash of red from the sky, sometimes with a black form shooting across. 'Just hang on, Alucard. We're on our way.' He knew Alucard was strong, but just how strong was the question. Matthew had never seen Alucard's fighting form.

Suddenly, there was a boom from a street over. Seras had just fired her Harkonnen. Matthew turned to run to her aid, but stopped. 'She can handle herself, Matthew. She's counting on you to clear out this road. Get to it.' With a nod to himself, he turned and started up the road again.

After another minute of walking and feeling concern for Seras at each boom of her cannon, Matthew stopped in his tracks. He brought his right arm up to brace the Valkyrie and put himself in position to take the force it its recoil. Up ahead was a large mob of ghouls. They were armed, but they weren't firing yet. They walked in a formation which reminded Matthew of old British army formations. There was an inhuman yell from the back of the group, and all stopped. Matthew knew that an enhanced ghoul stood somewhere in the formation, telling the ghouls what to do. With another yell, two rows of ghouls dropped to a knee and the first four rows brought up their weapons. "Shit..." Matthew fired before they could and ran for the side of the street looking for cover. A line of ghouls dropped as the rest opened fire. He heard a bullet whiz by his head as he leapt through a broken window. He reloaded the Valkyrie with another slug, took aim, and fired. The ghouls had broken rank and were advancing on his position. As another line of ghouls fell, Matthew dropped back, moved the Valkyrie out of the way, and yanked the Spitfire from its mounts. Stuffing in a magazine, he yanked back its bolt, took aim, and started spraying fire at the mob of ghouls. As each row dropped, another took its place. 'I can't take them all out before they get here.' Matthew stole a glance to his side and saw a way through the building. Problem was moving would only delay the ghoul's arrival by a short while. Not nearly enough for him to take them all out.

However, he saw something on the ground that he could use. A grenade, possibly from the battle between police and D11 forces and the vampire's ghouls from many months before. It looked all right, and it still had its pin. He grabbed it and considered using it. 'No,' he told himself. 'These ghouls aren't enough of a threat to be worthy of a grenade.' That thought made him pause. 'Wait a sec... That sounds like something Alucard would say...'

The sound of glass breaking behind him interrupted his thought. He paused from firing to look. An object was arcing through the air towards him. He snatched it out of the air and smiled. It was one of Seras's Harkonnen shells, one of her explosive charges. "Thanks, Master," he said to the air. He knew instantly what to do. First, he slid the grenade into an inside jacket pocked. Then he stood, checked the ghouls' positions, and hurled it at the ground at the center of their formation with all his might. Matthew turned and ran through the building. The shell hit the ground with enough force to light the charge, causing the shell to explode. He turned and kicked a door off its hinges before reentering the street. Most of the ghouls laid in pieces on the ground, and the few remaining ghouls didn't last long against Matthew's Spitfire. Matthew yanked out the Spitfire's magazine, stuffed in another, and after dropping the bolt hit the safety. He snapped the Spitfire back into its mounts on his back, then brought the Valkyrie in place, this time over his right shoulder. 'Takes too long to move it out of the way of the Spitfire.' Before he went any further, he grabbed each browning, pulled back its slide, and lowered its hammer. He wanted them to be ready for a quick draw. Slipping the second browning back into its holster, he continued down the road.

Three vampires were suddenly upon him. One landed right in front of Matthew, and Matthew got off a snap shot with the Valkyrie. Silver shot launched from the weapon and blew through the vampire, dropping it in a pile of ash. 'Hey, at close range these things do work.' Matthew drew his left browning, thumbed back its hammer, and started firing at the second vampire. It dodged some of his shots, but enough landed to take that one out too. He flipped the Valkyrie over his shoulder to its resting place on his back and pulled out the second browning. Thumbing back its hammer, he fired a volley from each pistol at the third. The vampire dodged them all. 'Damn... Enhanced...' He fired another volley, running his left browning out of ammo. Three shots landed, wounding the vampire. The vampire started to run, trying to escape Matthew. He wouldn't allow that. He fired his last shots from the right browning, tagging the vampire with two. It dropped in a pile of ash. He slowed his breathing back to normal, got control of his nerves, and prepared to continue. He hit the magazine releases, letting the empty magazines fall to the ground. He pressed the brownings against a pair of magazine holders on the belt. Sensing the pressure they released their magazines, launching them into the pistols. After checking the magazines were all the way in, he hit the slide releases, lowered the hammers, and slid the brownings back into their holsters. Bringing the Valkyrie back around, he continued on. Though after a few steps he paused, noting a sudden silence from Seras's street. Suddenly, he heard in his mind, 'Eat Harkonnen, bitch,' followed by another boom. Matthew shook his head. "I'm glad she's on my side," he said to the air.