Dracula's fortress is far more massive than what you had imagined. It is black, appearing to be a part of a vast mountain peak. Between the towers are spindly bridges and thousands of flaming torches. Gigantic icicles taper down off the walls. It is barren and evil-looking. The three of you walk out of a carved wall portal and stand in awe of this great castle.
"How do we ever find a way in there?" You ask. None of you move. You are too stunned and intimidated to do so.
"Well, it would appear to me that the dungeons are in the lower portion," says Carl, fidgeting slightly.
"No," counters Vladimir. He is gazing intently at the far tower, which also happens to be the tallest. "It's in the tower," he states.
"That's ridiculous, Vladimir!" Says Carl, clearly insulted. Vladimir silences him.
"Think about it. Being in the lowest level of the castle would allow for an easier escape, and more than one path. But a tower has one staircase, and it is isolated. Thus, it needs less guarding. Dracula wants us to check the lower level…there are probably traps down there," explains Vladimir.
"I'm convinced," you say, stepping forward. Carl sighs.
"Well, I suppose there is a point involved…" he mutters.
"Let's go," says Vladimir. You all move forward along a snow-covered roadway. It drops off on either side deep into an endless canyon of ice and rock. You shudder looking over, and then continue along the path that is no more than ten feet wide. The path bulges when it reaches the castle, but only enough to provide space to use the immense gate.
"Now what?" You ask, looking at them. You have stopped, staring dumbfounded at the gate. Vladimir shrugs. You look at Carl. "Well, what did you do last time?" You ask him. A flustered expression crosses his face and then one of remembrance takes over.
"Last time," he says, "Van Helsing climbed the gate, and lifted Anna and I over to the other side!" He nearly beams at this, not realizing that this is not very helpful. There is silence.
"I'm not doing it," says Vladimir finally. You glare at Carl. He retracts, expressing the same thought as Vladimir with his actions. You roll your eyes and hand your torch to Vladimir.
"Bunch of wimps," you mutter, boosting yourself onto the gate and clinging as you thrust yourself upwards. There are really plenty of footholds for you to grasp, but it is quite a distance to the top. The feat is almost too much for your upper body strength. When you grip the top of the door, it takes almost all remaining energy to pull yourself over. Then you half-fall/half-climb down the other side, collapsing in a heap with a gasp. You take a few moments to breath before getting up shakily, throwing the huge bolts on the door, and forcing it open. Vladimir and Carl push and enter, with you finally collapsing. It makes a long grinding sound as it opens, and they close it right after they have entered.
"Mira!" Says Carl in concern, rushing to your side. "Are you all right?"
"No, you senseless bloke!" You snap, regaining your spark, "Would it kill you to climb a bloody gate!?" Carl doesn't answer. You finally get up, looking down a vast, enclosed courtyard with basins of fire down the middle. "Let's go," you say, walking along. The sky outside is light gray, but the sun is not out quite yet.
"We have twenty hours until dawn," states Vladimir, "God help us till then." He crosses himself and follows. Carl pauses and then bustles after you.
"This is the last place I want to be," mutters Carl.
"Well, after this is over, we'll send you off to Sicily for a month," you say sarcastically, "But first we have to save the world." Vladimir chuckles slightly. You climb a small stairwell and find yourself in a circular room with five doorways. "Uh…" You say aloud. Vladimir looks as if he may be undergoing some serious mathematical calculations.
"Second on your right," says Vladimir. You look at him in surprise.
"How do you know?" You ask suspiciously. He shrugs.
"I don't," he answers. You laugh slightly.
"Excellent," you mutter, walking through the opening and starting up the stairs. It is nearly five minutes of silent walking to the top room. This is where you encounter your first guard. He is a rather burly, nasty-looking fellow in dirtied attire and a large, tangled mass of hair. He looks at you in surprise, and then stands to reveal that he is over seven feet tall. You gulp, a hand loosely on your sword. Carl takes the initiative.
"Why hullo!" Carl says brightly, stepping forward with a smile. You would have laughed, but the guard thrusts a mace into the floor at your feet, smashing the stones effortlessly. Carl scuttles behind you. The guard grins evilly through yellowish teeth (and a few slots; he is missing some). You think a moment of how to best deal with the situation. Perhaps this guard is only menacing in appearance.
"What do you guard?" You ask. The guard blinks at you, as if he was expecting for you to run away on sight.
"I guard prisoners," he states gruffly, with a hint of pride. You can tell he is not the brightest character in the world. You smile good-naturedly.
"Well, we aren't here to steal or anything," you explain. He is staring at you through dull, unresponsive eyes. "We just want to talk…"
"Master says all intruders must die," he says, narrowing his eyes. You smile again. "Except for woman intruder," he adds, "Who look like you."
"I am no 'woman' intruder," you say haughtily, "I am just an intruder." Then, you draw your sword and remove his head in a clean sweep. Carl and Vladimir stare in shock. You re-sheath your sword, blowing a lock of hair out of your face and turning to face them.
"Why'd you kill him?" Squeaks Carl.
"I killed him because he would have killed us!" You say. Vladimir is silent. "Many sacrifices must be made in war," you state, walking into the hall of jail cells. It is a very dark corridor. Once you focus your eyes, you see a figure slumped in a cell at the back. You run down there, falling to your knees at the iron bars. "Van Helsing?" You whisper. The figure doesn't move. "Gabriel?" You whisper louder. Finally, he shifts and looks at you.
"Mira?" He says, drowsily at first. Then he comes to. "Mira!" He exclaims, nearly falling over as he grips the bars. He looks at you in mixed excitement and paranoia. "What are you doing here?" He asks.
"I couldn't let Dracula cage and kill you," you reply, smiling wryly. He smiles back in admiration.
"And you remain untouched by his curse…" He runs an affectionate finger over your cheek. "Look Mira… there are many things that must be done. I cannot keep track of them on my own, for I fear after midnight I will change…" He moves his coat slightly to reveal a lightly bandaged wound.
"Oh Gabriel…you didn't…" You whisper, reaching out to touch the bandage. He re-covers it.
"You must listen, and listen closely. Dracula knows you're here. He counts on it. He knows nothing of the transformation that will take me. But there is more trouble stirring, Mira. Tonight is the first night since his renovation of Frankenstein's laboratory. Be cautious. He has read Victor's notes and he knows how to create life!" At this, Van Helsing's eyes are rather wide and frantic. You nod at him, reaching through to grasp his hand in assurance.
"Can I get you out of here, Gabriel?" You ask, "Is there a key?"
"No!" He says quickly, backing away from you, "Don't let me out! Not yet at least…look, the key is hidden in a compartment in the doorway. You should find it easily. Keep it close-by and do not release me until dawn. I think these bars will hold me at least until then…" His voice is dropping to a whisper. You lean in through the bars, holding to his every word. "When you release me, stay away Mira…lock yourself away if you have to. Until you see me walking as I am after Dracula is slain, do nothing—"
"Van Helsing! You have forgotten!" Interjects Carl, rushing over, "You have forgotten about the antidote!" Realization passes through Van Helsing's eyes and he pulls away from the bars with a vicious growl, gripping his forehead. He curses, finally coming out of it. He returns to the bars.
"The antidote…" He mutters.
"You remember what happened last time," says Carl with a gulp. Tears fill Van Helsing's eyes and he pulls away from the bars, pacing. He returns after three rounds of pacing.
"Mira, whatever you do…do NOT let yourself give me the antidote," says Van Helsing.
"Who will do it if not me?" You ask. There is silence in the room, and finally, Vladimir steps forward.
"My time is soon coming," he says, "If I die, then it will not affect those around me as much as it would for Mira to die." Everyone is still silent. "So, I will give Van Helsing the antidote." You are truly touched by this motion and look at Vladimir speechlessly. Then you look back at Van Helsing, who is staring at you. He looks at Carl and Vladimir.
"Can I have a moment alone with Mira?" He asks. They nod and leave the room. You turn to Van Helsing.
"Gabriel…" You whisper. He grabs you close and kisses you deeply through the bars, letting it linger for quite some time.
"Mira, if anything happens…" He whispers. He removes a ring from his finger and encloses it in your hand, "Continue my legacy…find out who I was…Carl has the things I have written so far…" You start crying, even though you try to somehow stop the tears from coming.
"You're not going to die, Gabriel…" You say, "Why do you say such things?"
"Just in case, Mira…just in case…" He says, stroking your cheek and wiping away the tears. He looks at you, pain raging in his eyes. But he is being strong; he does not falter. You look at the ring and a look of confusion comes over.
"Gabriel… this is Dracula's seal…" You say, looking at the insignia in mild horror. Gabriel looks at you with a bittersweet expression.
"It was left with me when I was orphaned," he says, "And it is Dracula's ring."
"Gabriel, why do you wish for me to carry it?" You ask.
"Because if Dracula kills me, I don't want him to have the satisfaction of retrieval. It holds some significant value to him. Keep it well, Mira, and go stop the processes in the laboratory. At least in daylight, you may have a chance of slowing the progress," he says. You nod, putting the ring on. It seems to fit rather perfectly, which is somewhat un-nerving. You take on a dutiful expression and bow gently to him. He kisses your hand through the bars. "Get the key and just before dawn…" He does not continue his sentence. He just looks at you.
"I know," you say, getting up, "Just before dawn."