Disclaimer: The characters and concepts pertaining to the movie Van Helsing is the property of Stephen Sommers. This is an amateur effort and no infringement of copyright policies was intended. It is for entertainment purposes only.
Chapter 2: Know Your Enemy
"A sorceress eh?" Carl asked rhetorically. Gabriel knew he wasn't expecting a confirmation on that. He had just told him the new mission. "Well then you won't need the usual. Take this please..." He tossed over the leather sack to Gabriel. He caught it in just enough time to have his short friend begin tossing in various weapons and defense mechanisms.
They started at the end of the table, moving past the rings of garlic and the silver stakes, all the while Carl shaking his head. Every time he moved it the absurd helmet shook and jingled, the magnifying glasses sliding down over his eyes from their position on the top of his head. They looked like broken insect antennas.
"All magical wielding creatures hate one thing." He said, searching through a series of boxes. Each were filled to the brim with different types of bullets, some silver plated, some gold plated, and several groups of fragile ones made of glass and filled with various coloured substances. "Fire. They burn very easily." He said, picking up one box of glass bullets with a yellowish liquid inside. "These explode on contact and will completely consume a magic wielding creature."
Carl picked one up and out of the box before promptly hurling it as hard as he possible could to the ground a fair distance away from them. The glass canister refused to break. Gabriel looked back at Carl.
"I assume it was supposed to something." He said, looking back at the bullet.
"Well not everything's perfect." Carl said, moving to pick up the bullet. He wasn't fast enough. At that moment a Monk walked by, not watching where he was putting his feet and stepped on it.
Immediately there was a tiny crack as the bullet exploded. Flames rose from the liquid and licked at the robes that hung low on the man's body. Carl's eyes widened and he set the bullets on the table, looking around for some water or something to extinguish the flames. A second Friar took care of it, dumping a bucket of water on the growing fire to put it out.
"Sorry father." Carl said, getting a nasty look from one of his coworkers.
"And they call me a menace to society." Van Helsing said, turning back to the table as Carl strapped a lid to the box of bullets and slid it into the bag. He continued down the table.
"Holy water." He said, putting the bottle next to the bullets. "Also if the bullets go off in the bag that will put them out."
"That's comforting." Gabriel said, making a special glance into the bag at the box of bullets just to be sure. Carl's previous demonstration had done nothing to ease his anxiety over carrying them in pack. Carl moved past the silver stakes. "No Crucifix this time." He ignored the silver plated crucifix and walked on. Van Helsing followed.
"You'll need an axe or a sword as well."
"For what?"
"Well for cutting off their heads obviously. You know nothing about sorceresses or witches do you?" Carl asked. Gabriel sighed exasperated.
"No but by the time we finish this conversation I'm sure I'll know enough."
"Well they're not like your average immortals, you know vampires and faeries. Bloody bastard faeries. Keep away from them if you can since they tend to stick with the sorceresses like flies to a corpse." Carl looked through the selection of swords and axes they had, moving through them to find a specific one. He held up one and compared it to Van Helsing, squinting his eyes as if mocking a tailor before tossing it aside on a table of other weapons. "Definitely not." He said, going for another. "Besides you are dealing with Morgan le Faye here."
"What's the difference?"
"Have you ever picked up a book in your lifetime Mr. Van Helsing?"
"As long as I've got you around I have no use for books Carl." He said, watching Carl pick up another sword and compare it to him once more. This time, the magnifying glasses were in front of his eyes and made them the size of large beetles. He blinked a few times and shook his head.
"Definitely not." He tossed it aside as well. "Morgan le Faye was born in eleventh century England to the Lady Igraine and her husband the Duke of Cornwall. She was also..."
"The half-sister to King Arthur and a had a pivotal role in the downfall of Camelot. Come on Carl everyone knows that part of the story."
"And I thought you didn't read, Mr. Van Helsing."
"I don't. That's general knowledge."
Carl finally picked up an axe, looking between Gabriel and the weapon before shaking his head. The table was now holding up a growing pile of weapons Carl has discarded. "Anyways, she disappeared not long before Arthur's death and was never heard of again until some time in the thirteenth century when she was under the supervision of Merlin the magician. The council sent their first hunter after her, and he brought back news that she had in fact killed off Merlin in an effort to assume his power. But the power she exerted on him nearly killed her."
Carl finally held up the last sword, a long silver broad sword. The forte held an inscription of runes that Van Helsing couldn't translate at first glance. The pommel was a large ruby encased in thin silver bands coming together in a sharpened point on the end. The cross guard was studded with tiny stones and more runes lined the edges. Carl grabbed the scabbard from the rack and slid it inside.
"This one will do." He said, handing it to Gabriel. He took it and shifted the bag about in his arms to better hold the weapon. Carl moved past the blacksmith and Gabriel could see his body tense temporarily and eyes widen quickly before getting finally away from the heavy-set priest. Gabriel said nothing as the moved further into the darkened rooms of the order, past tables of religious figures testing new weapons. He gazed off past the swords and axes to the rapid-fire weapon being tested again. As far as he knew they were still having troubles with the clips and the projectiles getting caught in the barrels.
"It is believed that she became a servant of the Queen of Magic to gain her power before she attempted to bring down her brother's kingdom." Carl said, going down another table, picking up objects more quickly this time. "Pentacle." His picked up a long silver chain with the five-pointed star on the end. "Protects against magical forces and evil spirits you may meet on your way. The older witches usually have one or two ghosts watching their steps and, of course, faeries." He sounded angry at the word, spitting it out before moving on. "Grappling gun." He put one into the bag away from the bullets.
"After Arthur died some say that Morgan changed completely and killed off the Queen of Magic to free herself from contract." Carl grabbed several glass orb filled with more yellow liquid. "Fire bombs." He said, putting several in the sack. "After inheriting the kingdom she was beaten down by Merlin who took control of her."
"And I assume she didn't like that."
"Actually she used Merlin, in the beginning anyway, to gain more knowledge of magic in general. And now she's back once again, killing off sword collectors."
"Any particular swords?"
"No connection at all. They were just seemingly random weapons." Carl said, grabbing up two tojo blades off the table. "The usual." Van Helsing put them in the pockets in his sleeves instead of in the bag. He came to the end of the tables and stopped, watching Carl pick up two clay canisters.
"Greek fire." He said finally. "Something you'll enjoy, I imagine. The liquid flame starts to burn slightly when ignited, but the difference is that the more water you put on it the bigger the fire gets." He handed them to Gabriel. "Do you want a demonstration?"
"No, Carl, I don't want to imagine what would happen if you tried to show me how these work."
"Very well." Carl said. He looked into the bag. "Well, bullets, bombs, pentacle, tojo blades, sword, holy water, Greek fire...I think that's it."
"One last thing Carl: Specifically, how do I kill her?"
"Decapitation or fire are the most effective methods, although, cutting off her right hand might help as well."
"What do you mean?" He asked, flipping that bag onto his back, running his hand under the strap.
"Morgan le Faye bears the mark of the pentacle on her right hand." He said. "It's what gives her the power to maintain the kingdom of magic. If you were to cut it off she would lose all of the abilities she assumed as Queen of Magic."
"And those are?"
"No one knows the full extent of her abilities. She claimed to be a great healer, however, even claiming to be able to bring the dead back to life." Carl made it sound so simply when he said it like that. Gabriel knew better.
"I thought there wasn't anyone who could bring someone back from the dead?"
"It was a rumour, Mr. Van Helsing. Nothing more." Carl said. "To date there have been no mages who could ever manage to bring someone back from the dead, except maybe Frankenstein but look where that got him."
Gabriel closed his eyes and breathed deeply. The name triggered something inside him, bringing him back to the icy fortress through the map, back inside the mind functions of a werewolf. His whole being was driven by the need to feed.
He could still see her face, tightened in frustration as he charge upon her. She looked like she could have taken on anything at that moment when she finally got the needle inside him. And then her face changed in a cortortion of pain as he fell on top of her, crushing her chest and the bones within it, halting her breath and causing her heart to stop mid beat.
His chest started to hurt again, the deep punture wound from the needle starting to burn with the anger rising from within him. The memories as a wolf, vague as they were, haunted him to that day. To Gabriel, it seemed like he could never stop running from his past, whether he could remember it or not.
"Mr. Van Helsing?" Carl asked, waking Gabriel from his vigil. "Are you alright?"
"Fine, Carl." He said, breathing deeply as the pressure in his chest went away. "Just fine."
Author's Notes: The anatomy of a sword is as follows (In case anyone was wondering): The pommel is at the bottom of the handle on the sword. The crossguard is the horizontal piece the rests between the handle and the blade to protect the hand from being hit by the opponent's blade. The forte is the strongest section of the sword, namely the part nearest the handle. Sometimes runes and signatures of the makers were engraved on this area because it was the strongest section of the blade.
Review Response:
Pottermania22: I will try to add more depth to the story. The first chapter always proves most difficult for me (explaining the length). I hope this chapter has more depth and more description. I have moved my story to the Van Helsing category. Thank you very much for your review!
Midnight Dove: I enjoyed Carl too! I just love David Wenham and when I found out he was in this it was more of a push for me to see the movie. Hugh Jackman was the main reason (obviously). He won't be going on the journey this time, but I'll have flashbacks eventually and everyone loves flashbacks right? Thank you for your comment about me being professional! I appreciate it! Thanks for your review!
White Wolverine: You read my mind! Morgan le Faye is a character that would do something like that, from my impression of her. She did seduce her brother. That is a good idea! Thank you for reviewing!
Mistress Natalia: I saw the movie on Friday and had to start writing. Thanks for your review!
Aragornvaar: Thank you for the information about Morgan. I wasn't truly sure who to write the Disclaimer about because there are so many variations. Also, thank you for the information about the Cardinal. I wasn't quite sure how to write his character and that's why he only appears for the short time. I will go back and fix up the first chapter whenever I can. Thank you for reviewing and your help!
Star Magel: I'm glad you enjoy it! Thanks for reviewing!
Angela Starr: I saw the movie opening night too! I have such a crush on Hugh Jackman now! I hope you continue reading. Thank you for reviewing!
Luthien Saralonde: I hope the rest is just as good. Thank you for reviewing!
Hell On Hooves: Here is the update! I hope it's just as good as the first. Thank you for reviewing!
Lembas7: I love your name! Yes, actually I was going to use the reference to him being the left hand of God. It will come in later chapters, I promise, along with answers to what I believe would be a suitable past for Van Helsing. Thank you for your comments and your review!
Kmia: I'm sorry Jason's being an ass. I always knew he was. Well, actually that's a lie but we can pretend I knew more than I said I did, right? Kidding. Love you too! Thanks for reviewing!
