Before we start: Tetsubo – a sort of Japanese mace.
Don't own Hellsing, never did, though if I did I'd dragoon the anime's creators into making a 2nd series!
On the last chap, I only said Incognito was african because of his "voodoo"-like powers and his deformed head, what reminded me that some ancient african cults did so to a few select children whose features pleased their gods. So, no hate-mail, please.
Now to get on with things:
Seras was sitting on the wooden chair inside her bedroom in the dungeons writing a new entry onto her journal. She'd been writing ever since she joined Hellsing, after that fatidic night on Cheders. For her, it was an alternative to a confident, something she hadn't had in the Institution. Alucard was not very social, if his pranks were conveniently forgotten, Integra didn't have the time nor the obligation to befriend her, in fact doing so would be favouritism, something the former leader of Hellsing could not indulge in, and Walter, despite his carefree and gentle nature, was too busy with his duties to speak for her longer than the usual comforting word. Everyone else was either scared to death of her, or couldn't engage on a conversation different than Macho crap. Done with the journal for now, she closed it and put it on the table in front of her. She had a sad look, as if recent painful memories had been dug up. "Master…" she whispered. Saddling up, she got back on her feet and walked to the shooting range. A few soldiers stared at her when she entered. Seras didn't mind, she was used to it. All she wanted was to get a rifle. Luckily for her, there was an abandoned M-16 standing by her locker. She had plans for tonight, and they didn't involve the cumbersome Halconnen Cannon. After checking the weapon's condition, Seras turned to the mercenaries, looking at her with inquiring eyes. "I'm going to raid the Damphir base. You don't have to come with me, as I'll be doing this on my own accord. But I'd greatly appreciate your help." No one seemed to be tempted to help, they weren't payed enough to deal with that sort of crap. Especially if that meant having "pain-in the-ass" Alucard back."You're being a world of help…", she moaned. She'd have to go alone. She walked to the entrance hall. Before leaving, Seras took time to admire the mansion. No one had cleaned it after Integra's assassination so…It was a wreck. Burned walls riddled with bullet holes and silver knifes, broken furniture, little sharp pieces of glass spread throughout the room, shattered windows, dried blood here and there, heaps of dust accumulating everywhere, it seemed a haunted mansion. The dungeons were an example of welcoming environment in comparison. Then again, it was home to two vampires. Or one if I don't succeed. Before leaving, she took one of the knives. They might prove useful. Gathering her courage, she opened the front door and walked outside.
Locking the door on her way out, she went to the garage. An Honda motorcycle was there. She had bought it to give to herself on the first Christmas at Hellsing. Reaching for her chest pocket, she grabbed hold of the ignition key and hopped unto her bike. Its engine rumbled as it was turned on. Seras skillfully drove it to the front gates, before having to dismount and opening them. Or in this case, try to open them. She'd left the key inside. A bit impacient, Seras decided to make use of her vampiric abilities. Lifting her motorcycle with two hands, she walked up to the gates. "Remember, feel as if you and what you carry are nothing more than fog, entering through every crack, no matter how microscopically small." Her Master had told her that on their first attempt, and despite a few early troubles, that involved being half stuck inside walls, she had succeeded in mastering the skill of walking through walls. Gates were easier than walls, and Seras had no trouble passing through them. Free of all restraints at last, she mounted once again on her trusted bike and head towards Central London.
The city was no better than the mansion. Buildings either ruined or collapsed were now all that remained of the once proud London, and only a few citizens had chosen to remain in such an inhospitable city, for reasons unknown to Seras. Though she had heard rumours that the FREAKs sent scouts to English villages to gather humans to use as prey. And judging by the desperate and haggard looks of the few men and women that hid on the smaller streets, it might just be true. She halted as she reached her destination, the Queen's Theatre. Before the FREAK attack, it was playing the Phantom of the Opera. Now it was nothing more than Damphir's base. Dismounting, Seras walked around to the backstage entry. Turning her guns' safety to off, yet determined to use it only as a last resort since stealth was her best option, Seras breathe in and kicked open the door. No one was inside. Entering the theatre, and closing the door as quietly as possible (a futile precaution if you consider how it was open), Seras made her way through the corridor connecting the actor's chambers, always looking out for vampires. Then, she heard a woman's cry from inside one of the rooms. "..No…Please stop…" She stopped to think. If she helped the woman, the element of surprise would be lost. Her Master's body might not be recovered, and on the next night, the Damphir (and perhaps the other two clans) would throw in a party at Hellsing's door. Cursing herself for her pity, she walked right through the door. "Why didn't I enter that way? Stupid girl!" There were two male vampires dressed as 19th century gentlemen, who were shredding the clothes of a terrified young woman, obviously planning of having their fun with her before sucking her blood. One of the vamps slapped her. "Shut up, you wench! Who do you think's going to help you? The Phantom of the Opera?" The vampires laughed at their stupid joke. Her tear-covered face lightened as she saw Seras reaching for the silver knife at her waist, a predatorial look on her face. "She! She's the one who's gonna save me!" Seras was mortified by the stupidity of the woman. Perhaps if she joined the vampires, she might… "Taste your thoughts to see if they're palatable, Seras!". And they weren't. No choice but to fight.
Drawing her knife, she jumped on the nearest FREAK and motioned to stab him in the heart. She was most surprised when the blade clashed against a force field. The assaulted vampire looked like he was using all his power to maintain the field. "What are you doing, you idiot? I can't keep this up for ever! Get her!" He shouted to his companion. "No need to say twice!" The companion punched Seras in the face, causing her to slam against a nearby drawer that did not resist the impact. Grabbing a piece of wood that served as a perfect replacement to a wooden stake, the FREAK attempted to stab Seras, who tried to get in a standing position, in the heart. Due to her reflexes honed by long hours of training and enhanced by her undead state, she managed to make a quick jump right, and, landing with her left foot, spun around herself in an attempt to decapitate the vampire. Once again the force field prevented her from claiming her prey. The other vamp jumped on her back, and attempted to snap her neck. Feeling the building pressure on her neckbones, she relied on instinct. Kneeling down slightly, she thrusted her upper body forward with full force, and sent her assailant flying against he other vampire, who had seen his chance to try and stab Seras again. Instead, he stabbed his companions' back, who slammed against him before dissapearing into dust. Coughing ashes, the vamp looked at Seras, who seemed more than determined to send him to the lowest pit of Hell. "You can't kill me… That guy's death was merely accidental! You're nothing but a lowly fledgling!" The FREAK taunted, trying to break her focus. "Oh, and what are you, you failure of a living being?" Alucard lines often mind-raped his opponent's upset to the point of losing their proper state of mind, which seemed to be just what she needed to break through his invisible shield. "So, you're a true vampire, you say? Spanking and raping defenceless women before drinking their blood, and doing so for fun, not to appease the thirst, does that fulfill your desires? Makes you feel powerful?" Now she knew how her Master felt, toying with her prey before killing it. Anger mingled with joy began to form. She wanted to kill him! Raising her blade, Seras aimed at the FREAKs forehead and fiercely hacked with a downward motion. The FREAK made a desperate attack. There was only a split second between the blade's clash with the vampire's weakened shield and its erosion. She cut the FREAK in two. He attempted to speak before his separate pieces felt in opposite directions.
Seras turned to the terrified woman. "Please, don't hurt me, l'lady vampiress! I'm not worthy of your anger! I just want to leave…" The woman rantled. Gathering all her patience, she tried to calm down the woman. "You don't have to worry, I've drank my blood before coming here." Bad idea. "I mean… Look, you don't have to worry about a thing, I'm here to rescue you." The woman didn't seem very convinced. "C'mon, you said it yourself that I'd save you, and I did. If I wanted you hurt, I wouldn't have entered this room in the first place." She seemed to calm down, to Seras' relief. "I… s'pose so, m'lady… what's your name?"
"Seras, and you don't have to call me lady. I'm only 22." She smiled at the woman's startled face. "Not all vamps are evil, century old, arrogant creatures. Just most of us." Before dismissing her, a thought came up to her. "Have you seen the rest of their base?" The woman nodded affirmatively. "Great! I need to know the layout. Do you mind if I scan your thoughts?" She looked a bit aprehensive. "It won't hurt a thing. And besides, I need to find something very valuable for me…" Seras looked down sadly. It was still so recent. "If it's so important to you, then I guess it's the least I can do to repay your kindness." The girl looked like she was going to give her a bear hug. "OK, then, it'll be easier if you relax yourself. Allow me to enter your mind, and remember all you can about the inside…" Seras relaxed her body. Breathing in and out, deeply and slowly, she cleansed her mind of thoughts. "Do not allow anything to disturb you, Policewoman. Like nicknames, for instance. Visualise a door in front of you, and on its surface the picture of who you want to scan. Open it, but remember that the stronger their will, the harder it'll be to enter their mind." She didn't have many difficulties opening this door, though.
Seras' body moved against her will, being pushed and shovelled by ghouls. From the orchestra pit, she was led to the stage, were Damphir's leader, Letice, sat on a prop throne. She was a red-haired, tall woman, about Alucard's size. Her young face was of a beautiful pale tone, and her eyes were purple. She was clad in a black dress, covering all of her body except the neck and hands. "So, my hunters have brought another one to our lair? Hmm, I'd love to taste your blood, but my students here have worked so hard today… I think they'll be better of with you." The two vampires Seras killed earlier appeared from behind the throne, eager looks on their faces. The vision became blurry as Seras began to lose control. "Don't let that bother you! Remember, I killed them, you don't have to worry about them!" She successfully managed to calm down the woman. The two vamps grabbed her by her wrists and led her through the backstage. A few vampires played with the props, attempting to lift the fake chandelier by use of their telekinetical abilities. One of them succeeded, and lifted it as far as the ceiling. Seras noticed something interesting there: the body of a beheaded man wrapped in paper was tied to a rope originally meant for other purposes. It was Alucard's body! A few armed ghouls were guarding it, though, so things wouldn't go as easy as she'd hope. She was led once again to the chaimbers, as the FREAK let the chandelier fall and crash loudly on the floor.
That was all she needed to know. Seras snapped out of her transe, looking a bit drowsy. Shaking her head, she turned to her new friend. "OK, that's all I needed to know, thanks. You can go now. It's a short run from here to the outside." The woman looked concerned at her. "Please, miss Seras, be careful. I hope you leave this place with whatever you came in search for." By the looks of it she'd have to fight some more, and the odds weren't too friendly. She walked towards the door. Just as she opened it, an invisible string wrapped around her neck. It squeezed around it, metodically cutting through her flesh. When Seras finally acknowledged what was happening, it was too late. The laced string sunk deeper, and hacked through bone, thus decapitating the woman. With a mixture of pity, anger and surprise, Seras tried to look to the figure behind the woman's body, that gushed more blood through the injury than what seemed humanly possible. A skinny female figure dressed in a red and green checked jester outfit stood there. She wore a mask that prevented Seras from gazing at her face. The transparent strings could be heard sliding back to the vampiresses' gloves. "So, you're Alucard's little pet. From what I heard of him, I'd say he chose the worst human girl he could find." She had an annoyingly sharp 13 year-old voice, though she could be centuries old. Walking over her victim's corpse, she moved towards Seras. "Allow me to present myself. I'm Mistress Letice's most loyal apprentice, Darcia." Somehow Darcia reminded Seras of Walter. "Did you think you could get away just like that? Those who enter our domains without our concent must all be punished." She laughed silently. "From the moment you took pity on that human creature you damned yourself. We're all connected to our Mistress, Native and FREAK."
Darcia waved her hands, ejecting the resistant yet supple murderous strings. She looked like a puppet master, waving her hands to control the strings' course. Before Seras could react, she was tied up. Her arms and legs were immobilized, and her neck and abdomen had been laced, which meant she'd have a gruesome death unless she thought fast. She had been in this situation before, and had only escaped because Walter had snapped out of the incantation he had been put under. No such luck with Darcia. Pulling back only made things worse, so… The other way might be a good idea. Challenging her equilibrium, Seras kneeled down a bit to gain impulse, and torpedoed forward. The pressure was momentarily relieved. Just as she was about to collide head on with her enemy, Darcia jumped, rectracting her legs on the way up, making Seras harmlessly fly below her. She turned to Seras is mid-air, and pulled the strings again. She didn't kill Seras, not before she had her fun with her. Instead, Darcia simply threw her out of the room. Seras slammed her head against a wall. Quickly getting back on her feet, she tried to locate Darcia, a hard task since her vision was blurry from the impact. Darcia had sneeked into the corridor while Seras gained a grip on herself, and, as if able to project massed wind, threw her further inside the theatre. Rolling through the ground, Seras found it was time to use her M-16. Desperate times… And besides, every vampire must've known by now she was there. Reaching for her back, she drew the weapon, and remained proned, waiting Darcia to come close enough. It was a surprise to her when she saw her crawling on the ceiling. That didn't stop Seras from shooting a volley at her. The bullets didn't get past Darcia's shield. Seras was in big trouble. Making a run for the backstage was her only choice. She couldn't retreat, not with Darcia standing in the path. So she ran.
Darcia lauched her strings again. This time, and thanks to vampiric sight and agility, Seras managed to dodge most of the strings, jumping forward, spinning around herself in mid air and rolling on the ground as she landed. Though one of the strings cut her weapon in half. Cursing herself, she threw away the broken gun. Darcia didn't chase her. She knew the trouble Seras was going to get into. Relieved to have survived the encounter, she ran faster than ever towards the back stage. She could see some of the props in the distance already. Just as she was about to enter it, she stopped. "Why did that girl allow me to get here? Certainly not out of pity! I better be careful, it might be a trap. Just a few minutes ago FREAKs were goofing around here.". She carefully entered the room. It was filled with props and all kinds of costumes, some of which had been used very recently. Seras looked for Alucard's body up in the ceiling. It wasn't there anymore. Beginning to despair, she walked towards the proscenium. She wouldn't leave without her Master's body. Looking under the curtain, Seras noticed that Letice's prop throne had vanished, and was replaced with a coffin instead. Crawling out into the stage, she found where the FREAKs had moved Alucard. Not to her surprise, it stood inside the large coffin. Seras was now sure it was a trap. Looking around, she saw nothing besides empty seats encircling the stage in front and on the balconies. There wasn't anything else to do. She walked up to the coffin with a stern look on her face. Just as she grabbed Alucard's body (and nearly fell for it's weight), she was blindfolded by stage lights pointed at her. Out of nowhere, the whole of Damphir's vampires appeared on the seats. "What have we here?", a sweet female voice behind Seras spoke. "A fledgling searching for her master's pieces? I must admit, it's a very courageous act to enter your enemies' lair to bring back your fallen leader's corpse. Yet bravery and stupidity are so much alike, I'm not sure which has compelled you to doing so." It was Letice. She was only a head's height taller than Seras, yet she felt smashed by her presence. The FREAKs laughed at Seras' frightened look. "You don't have to worry about me. I won't hurt you. Not for the moment." Letice floated off the stage and into one of the private loges. "I'll just sit back and enjoy the show." The stage's trapdoors opened, and ghouls climbed out onto the floor.
Seras was surrounded by the hungry-looking ghouls. They advanced on her in unisson, likely being controlled by their master, intent on appreciating the show to its fullest. A ghoul to her right grabbed her shoulder and tried to deliver a bite. Seras simply elbowed it on the face. That was enough to send its head rolling. The FREAKs shouted and whistled in delight. Another jumped for her legs. She jumped back, and was about to crush its head before she was grabbed by many arms. Cooperating, the ghouls knocked her down. She was at the ghouls' mercy (which they didn't have). Their teeth pierced Seras' flesh. The audience was utterly carried away. Her mind raced, but still, nothing useful for dealing with the situation came out. Seras had sometimes wondered how her second death would come, being a subordinate of Hellsing and watching death on a daily basis. On the bottom of her list was being cannibalized by ghouls. She felt into a semi-conscious state. "A vampire, defeated by a mob of ghouls… Master, you'd be ashamed of me…Master, Alucard…ALUCARD!" She woke up. Anger revitalized her numb muscles, and her sullen face now had a berserk look. Her pupils had shrunk to the point of resembling a pair of strait lines. Seras ripped out the leg of a nearby ghoul with a bite. It felt, losing its grip on her. Rolling backwards, and dragging a few ghouls with her, she got back on her feet. Opeating at a demi-conscious level, she reached her blessed knife, and charged her enemies. Her lightning fast blows made short work of the ghouls in no time. Just as she regained consciousness, she examined her doing. Seras had singled-handedly butchered (in the literal sense) her foes, so that there didn't seem to be one that hadn't been torn in pieces. Severed members redecorated the stage. The FREAKs eyed each other nervously. No one seemed willing to finish her off. Ackowleding that, Letice shook her head. "My brave servants… Well, Darcia my sweet, it seems you get the honour of this combat." Darcia jumped from where the stage lights stood, landing gracefully in her master's balcony and bowing before her. "I shall not fail you, my Master." Darcia's words echoed in Seras' thoughts.
Darcia fiddled with her gloves, surely preparing her favoured weapon. Seras stood in a defencive stance, staring defiantly at her. Though inside she was in turmoil. How could she defeat such a foe? When she was in her best shape, she had failed miserably. And now she was exhausted. "You can't defeat me, you know that. I'm a much more powerful creature than you. Someone that refuses to drink human blood can't stand her ground against a true undead." Darcia taunted. Seras' heart wavered for a moment. Her enemy was indeed formidable. "But I can't just leave Master like that…" It was an encouraging thought, and her fear began to dissolve. "Do your worse, Jester-Girl." Seras counter-taunted, grinning. Darcia attacked. By the abrupt way Darcia threw her strings, it was obvious that she'd been angered by Seras' taunting. Such things happen when you're used to be feared and not fear. The brutal force which she applied had a reverse effect, though, as her strings were slower than before. Seras saw an opening to her right, and quickly avoided the waves of murderous strings. She was about one meter away from Darcia, not close enough to attack, but close enough to disarm her. With a left to right swing of her blade, Darcia's left hand strings were cut short. Spinning around herself, Seras advanced for the killer move. Her powerful strike was blocked by a reddish power shield. Darcia jumped back, and used her telekinetic abilities so send a wave of dust against Seras' eyes. She then whiped her remaining strings at Seras, who was cleaning her eyes as fast as possible. Instinctively, she jumped back, avoiding the attack but still being slightly cut by a stray string in the right arm. The smell of blood seemed to excite Darcia, who used her strings again, this time attacking with a stabbing motion. The strings' sharp tips were very close to each other, and making their way towards Seras' throat. With her sight unhindered, she watched the attack, and simply dodged right. Underneath her mask, Darcia smiled. Waving her hand in Seras' direction, and opening her fingers at full extent, she caused her strings to slash in five different directions. The pinky string cut through the floor, the thumb one broke the support of a stage light, that fell where Seras stood at the attack's beginning, but the other three were aimed at her neck, abdomen and legs. In a split second decision, Seras crouched and waved her blade in an upward slash, cutting two of the three strings to about 3/4 of their length. The other passed harmlessly above her. Darcia, who was getting a bit nervous, closed back her hand. The remaining intact strings came closer together, and would've cut Seras in half had she not dodged left. Beginning to feel a glimmer of hope, she ran as fast as she could, spinning her blade and hacking Darcia's weapon into pieces as she came closer to the – now wavering - vampiress.
Darcia knew that she could not fight her opponent hand to hand. She'd have to resort to her powers. Just as Seras was about to decapitate her, Darcia felt back, and telekinatically dragged her. When Seras was about to fall on top of her, she sent her flying to the roof with a "massed wind" projection. Seras, admirably keeping her cool, simply "landed" on the roof, and darted towards the stagelights. That broken light had given her an idea… On her way towards them, however, something fired a gun at her. Armed ghouls were controlling the lights. Just as well. They weren't silver bullets, and the ghouls weren't too accurate. Landing on the support with only a few bruises, she gutted them, and threw their remains into Letice's loge, intent on provoking Darcia into doing something stupid as jumping to get her. Which she did. "Your bad-temper will be your downfall…" Seras waited for the right moment, and just when her enemy was more than halfway away, she sliced another light's support and kicked the light against Darcia. Her shield wasn't enough to block the object falling on top of her, and she felt back, smashed by the heavy thing. The wooden stage gave in to the weight, and Darcia sunk into whatever was under it. Unwilling to waste any more time there, Seras jumped back to the stage, grabbed her Master's body and ran back to where she came from, leaving behind a disgruntled Letice and a mob of FREAKs now quite willing to finish her off. It was better, after all, to face uncertain death fighting Seras than certain staying close to their leader.
She was being slowed down by Alucard's slim, yet tall and heavy, body, and as such the vampires steadily gained on her as she ran through the corridor. Just near the exit she was caught by a pair of FREAKs. Seras pretended submisson, and stabbed one in the heart with a quick thrust of her knife when he least expected. The other, armed with a prop (but sharp nonetheless) spear, jumped back and then forward, attempting to impale her. Seras deflected the spear's edge downwards, so it sank in the floor. Unnarmed, the FREAK looked at her with a terrified face, and ran back screaming. With a small grin, Seras grabbed her Master back and ran to her bike. Now, there was a "small" problem. Alucard's body might fall from the bike at any time. As she heard other vampires gaining on her, she had no choice but to improvise. Sitting her Master on the bike, she stabbed one of his legs, deep enough to pierce through the bike's plate, nailing him to it. "Master's gonna kill me…". Placing his arms around her, she turned on the bike and drove as fast as mechanically possible back to the Hellsing mansion.
"That was a close one!". Seras dragged Alucard's heavy frame across the hallways, attracting unbelieving looks from the occasional mercenary she happened to pass by. "I'm not payed enough for this shit…", a few mumbled. Alucard's room was still a bit far, and she felt her strength failing her. "Just a bit longer…". She made it to the dungeons, Alucard's room was in the far end of Demon's Road. "Just a bit longer…". Dragging herself, she opened the door. Alucard's room was amazing. The brick dungeon walls had been painted dark red, and were decorated by a few century-old paintings of nobles, one of them being of Alucard's former self, back when he was a human. He had confided Seras once that he had stolen the original for himself from a museum not so long ago, and forced an artist to make a copy of it. A beautiful 19th century oak desk stood in the middle, with an open bottle of red whine on top. Alucard enjoyed his sip now and then. On a corner stood his bed. 6.5 by 3 feet in length, covered with white velvety sheets inside, partially hidden by a black cotton bed cover. Surprisingly, there were two pillows at the head. Thick black wool curtains around it protected the sleeping vampire from whatever daylight might breach the room. Seras would've been surprised if it weren't for two things. One, she was about to faint from exhaustion, and two, she'd been there many times training her abilities with Alucard. Placing him on the bed, where his head stood as well, Seras finally allowed herself to faint.
Alucard's mind drifted through his own unconsciousness. Vampires his level don't need to use their brain to think. In fact, everything related to the mind can be achieved without requiring a frame to operate. But without it, he couldn't acknowledge the world around him. He felt himself separated in pieces, and only if they were restored could he return. With nothing else to do, he recalled the major events of his life. The adolescence spent as a prisoner from the Turks, his father and brother's assassination by political enemies, the brutal laws he had to lay down, his first wife's death, who he loved most, his battles against the Turks… All passed before his mind. And that fateful night in the forest north of Bucharest… Barasab Laiota…
Next Chapter: Undercover ops! Seras snatches Alucard's heart from the Nosferatu clan! R&R please!
