Disclaimer:
Check for it in chapter 1.
Castlevania: Sonnet of
Legends
Chapter 2
The quest begins
Romania
provinces
Rachael
and Kim looked at their surroundings in awe. They were definitely in
a Romanian province. The streets were actually made from
cobblestones, but the buildings were made from concrete. Modern mom
and pop stores flourished the streets, and each block had a row of
street lights. However, there weren't many villagers out, which was
good, since it would've been weird to see two people come out of
nowhere. What they saw was definitely real, so any further skeptism
about vampires and demons being real quickly withered away with the
new surroundings. Rachael would've said something, but she was
still trying to settle all this new experience into her mind. It just
happened so suddenly, so she was still trying to adjust to it.
Fortunately, her instincts proved to be most useful in handling her.
After
a while of silence, Kim decided to speak up to get things
moving.
"Well,
I guess we better adjust our watches, seeing as how we've traveled to
a new time zone."
"I
agree. But first we should find a hotel or something. This pre-dusk
silence is giving me the creeps."
"Hey,
I know! Why don't we just ask---huh? Where did he
go?"
Rachael
turned around as well, and seen that Renon was nowhere to be seen.
All that remained was the contract Rachael's grandfather signed,
which she promptly picked up, and put in her backpack.
"How
did he do that?" Kim asked.
"Obviously
through supernatural abilities." Rachael answered, slowly
becoming superstitious. Then she looked around. "Now where can
we find a hotel?"
After
a while of searching and asking around, they realized two things that
would be a hindrance. They were lost, and none of the villagers spoke
English. Although Renon gave them a map, none of them mentioned that
they couldn't read one. Suddenly, the sun was fully set, and the town
clock struck the coming hour, causing the villagers to hurry in their
homes. Kim quickly ran up to one of them and asked what was going on.
Unfortunately, that villager couldn't speak English as
well.
"This
doesn't look good." Rachael muttered while glancing around the
now extremely quiet village. "Come on, let's move
faster."
So
the two hurried along, all the while trying to learn how to read the
map, which was a bit difficult to do with only the street lights for
support. As they were walking, they heard a groan in the alley. They
stood there, wondering if they should check it out. Finally, instinct
took over, and they ran. Suddenly, more and more groans were heard.
Rachael turned around to see a bunch of undead looking people walking
towards them. The two stopped running, for what they seen behind
them, also appeared in front of them, and to their
sides.
"Of
all the times for grandpa to be wrong about supernatural creatures,
why not now?!"
Rachael
quickly took out her whip. A sudden surge of energy entered her body,
causing her to gasp in surprise. She knew that the whip was made from
alchemy, but she didn't think that the power could be felt so
strongly.
So, without thinking, she quickly struck a zombie
with it. Strangely, the whip not only killed it, but disintegrated it
as well. She then stood there in surprise.
"So
it 'is' an enchanted weapon..." She said to herself. Actually,
it wasn't just that, but her Belmont bloodline. The whip just
provided for faster results.
Kim
looked at her, and then punched her shoulder. "Hey! Don't just
stand there! Get us outta this!"
"(Easier
said than done)!" She thought to herself. She barely knew how to
use a whip, and what little she 'did' know, she saw on tv. So she
closed her eyes, and blindly whipped in many angles. Kim quickly took
refuge the minute there was an open path from the zombies. She wasn't
about to accidentally get hit by her amateur friend!
Meanwhile,
Rachael was running away while using her whip against the now lunging
zombies. Eventually, she found some boxes to climb on, which led to
the roof of a building. She motioned for Kim to rush over there,
which she did in a much faster speed than Rachael.
After
Kim was safely on the roof, she kicked the boxes over as the zombies
were trying to climb them. The two females looked down in shock,
their hearts beating very quickly.
"How
many of them 'are' there?" Rachael asked.
"About
twenty or so." Kim answered, actually keeping count.
Rachael looked at her friend in a surprised manner. "How can you be so calm after seeing all of this?"
Kim
shrugged. "I dunno. It just feels so exciting for some reason.
Maybe my mom was right about having an affinity for the
darkness."
Rachael just shook her head. "Never mind that for now! How are
we gonna get past these things?!"
"Hey,
I know! Why don't we ask Renon for help? I'm sure he can provide us
with the essential tools needed for these freaks." Kim felt that
they should use Renons help whenever possible if they were ever going
to make it in and out of the castle alive.
Before
Rachael could respond, the zombies were already trying to climb the
building from many angles. This shocked the girls. They had never see
zombies do that in any of the horror movies they
watched.
"Th-they
can do that?! Grandpa never mentioned anything about
that!"
So
she quickly used the contract to summon Renon. The contract unfolded,
a briefcase appeared, opened, and successfully summoned the
demon.
"Hello,
girls. How might I be of service?"
"By
giving us something to use." Kim answered quickly as she was
trying to keep the zombies from successfully climbing the roof by
kicking them in the heads. "And anytime soon would be
nice!"
Renon
looked at the zombies, and then at Rachael.
"As
you know, this will cost you."
"She
doesn't care, don't you, Rachael?!"
As
if snapping back to reality, she quickly shook her head. "How
much?"
"About
500 gold per item. 1000 for big
items."
"Gold?"
"Yes.
I'm sorry to say so, but that is hells currency. We can settle the
payment matter when the time comes. Now, how may I help
you?"
Rachael
quickly looked in the briefcase for something useful. She was also
surprised at how deep she was able to reach for stuff. If this
salesman weren't a demon, she would've been asking logical questions.
After searching, she found a revolver, and picked it up.
"I
think Kim can use this. Now all it needs are
bullets."
"Already
taken care of. Since the items in here are spiritual, they needn't
any ammo."
So
Rachael quickly handed the gun to Kim, who wasted no time in using
it. She was making headshots to every zombie that tried to climb up.
Meanwhile, Rachael was looking for something else that could be of
use. She found an old looking bottle, filled with a strange
liquid.
"That
is holy water. Like with the revolver, you needn't worry about it
running out. However, you mustn't throw the glass itself, lest you
destroy it completely."
So
she took it. "Thank you, Renon. Thank you for helping
us."
"Anything
for a client, as well as a friend. Now if you'll excuse me, I'll be
going now." So he tipped his hat, and vanished.
Rachael
put the contract back in her backpack, and was using the whip and
holy water to keep the zombies at bay. Eventually, all of the zombies
were destroyed. Exhausted, the two collapsed. They were tired, and
sleep had overtaken them.
However,
minutes later, the two were awakened by a loud howl. They quickly
rose to their feet, only to nearly fall at the sight they
saw.
"A
werewolf?!" Exclaimed Rachael.
"But
I thought they weren't real?"
"Well,
neither were zombies, but its happening!"
The
werewolf looked around, sniffing the air. Suddenly, it turned right
towards them, making the girls nearly jump out of their skin. This
creature was very broad in width and height, had razor sharp teeth
that seemed to have a blood coating on them, a red mane of hair, and
glowing red eyes. It howled at them, and took a giant leap from right
where it was standing, all the way to the roof that the girls
inhabited.
It
growled at them, and howled a blood curdling roar, literally giving
the girls chills.
"W-well,
Rachael? W-hat do w-we d-d-do now?"
"Well,
I'm not sure. We can't outrun it, and I'm too scared to think of
something. So, until then..." Then she sprinkled some holy water
on it, causing it to howl in pain, and temporarily stunning it.
"RUN!!"
So
they slid down the roof from a pipe, and took a mad dash towards the
forest. They saw more zombies along the way, but were just running
around them, only caring to run from the wolf creature.
Unfortunately, Rachael turned around to see that the werewolf had
just torn through the zombies, and running towards them at blinding
speed. The two quickly stopped, and it jumped right in front of
them.
Trying
to catch their breath, they tried to talk to the wolf creature, but
to no avail. Wasting no more time, it lunged at Rachael, pushing her
to the ground. She could smell the heat of its breath as it was
sniffing around her face. Then it growled again, and raised a claw
towards her face, ready to lunge and attack.
Fortunately,
Kim had finally snapped out of her shock, and had shot it in the head
several times, causing it to quickly retreat. However, that retreat
only lasted a few seconds, as it was now healed, and ready to strike
its 'new' target.
Rachael
quickly got up, her knees still shaking from what just happened, and
quickly whipped its back just seconds before it could slice Kim.
There was a glowing burn mark in its back as it was howling in pain.
It turned towards her, and charged.
Rachael
had never been more afraid in her entire life. She had seen on tv
about how someone can turn into a werewolf if they're scratched or
bitten by one. Suddenly, a bright flash of light pierced through the
creature, causing it to stop in its tracks. A few more bright lights
eventually reverted it into human form, losing consciousness in the
process.
Shocked
at what just happened, and her body and mind telling her it was safe
for now, she collapsed once again.
Morning
Rachael
slowly woke up, and found herself in a tent. She walked outside, and
saw that Kim was eating a bowl of rice, accompanied by a strange man
in priests garments, and a woman, who was garbed in nothing but a
blanket. She walked over to Kim's side.
"What's
going on?" she asked, still a little tired from her
sleep.
"Well,
you fainted, and this guy came and rescued us."
The
man extended a hand. "My name is Samuel, and this is my wife,
Deborah. We're very sorry to have troubled you."
Rachael
shook his hand. "Trouble? What do you mean?"
"You
see, my dear Deborah has been cursed. One night went we were
gathering firewood, a werewolf came out of nowhere. It tried to kill
me, but Deborah pushed me out of the way, allowing 'her' to be
attacked instead. I was able to kill the beast, but she was nearing
death."
"That's
horrible." Rachael said sadly. "What
happened?"
"While
she was dying, a man appeared before us. He was dressed very nice,
although his attire resembled that of a sixteenth century nobleman.
His skin was very pale, and he gave off a very uncomfortable energy
pattern."
"Who
was he?"
"Well,
it was the Count, although at the time, we didn't know it. He had
promised that if we served him, he would save my dear wife's life.
Hearing this, I accepted. He miraculously healed her, and left,
telling us to remember our words one day."
This
made Rachael quickly back away. Deborah quickly noticed this, and
spoke up.
"Wait!
Don't fear what my husband is saying. We have no intention of turning
you over to him. Had we known who he was back then, we would've
preferred death."
"But
if that's true," Kim started, "Won't he surely kill you
now?"
"Perhaps."
Deborah answered sadly. "But we cannot live with ourselves any
longer for it. My own life alone has caused the deaths of many
people. It seems that, although I lived, so did the effects of the
werewolf curse. So in a way, I was serving him that whole
time."
"But
we will no longer do such a thing!" Samuel said. "I saw how
effective your weapon was, and quickly understood that it was the
ancient Belmont whip! The ancient weapon made from alchemy! Please,
tell me. What is your name?"
"Rachael.
Rachael Belmont."
The
spouses' eyes lit up with joy. "So it is true!" Deborah
said in excitement. "The Belmont clan really 'does'
exist!"
"But,
how did you know about 'those' stories?" Rachael asked. "I
barely even knew about them from my grandpa."
"Let's
just say that we're not as young as we look."
Rachael
thought about their distress for a moment. It was sad how they could
never enjoy life unless the curse was lifted. She then spoke out
loud.
"Um,
if it's not too much trouble, could you direct us to Dracula's
castle? We don't seem to have a good sense of direction." She
then took out her map. "We have a map to get there, but we
sucked at reading it."
Deborah
looked at the map, and then responded. "Yes, I can help you.
However, we must travel quickly. At the light of the moon, I'll
transform again, and I want to be sure that I'm as far away from you
as possible."
"Alright
then. How fast can we get there?"
"If
we start after breakfast, then in a couple of hours."
"Hmm.
I guess I could use something to eat. I haven't eaten since last
night, which was yesterday morning from the part of the globe I come
from."
So
Deborah left to get dressed, while Samuel made some rice for Rachael
to eat. After everyone had finished eating, they left for the
castle.
Much later
When
they finally reached the castle, there was a moat surrounding it. Kim
looked around it.
"So
this is Castlevania, huh. How is it that people haven't found this
place?"
"None
ever returns alive." Deborah answered.
"Oh.
So how do we get in?"
"That's
the easy part. The drawbridge opens at sunset. However, you'll have
to move fast. It will close again ten minutes later." Then she
took out a blue cross from her robe, and gave it to Rachael. "Here,
take it. This is another ancient relic the last Belmont used. Just
throw it like you would a boomerang."
So
Rachael accepted it, and put it in her backpack. "Thank
you."
"Well,
I must be going now. It will be sunset in an hour."
Just
as she was about to leave, Rachael called out to
her.
"Wait!"
"What
is it?"
"Have
you, ever seen another Belmont around here? Perhaps one that said he
was on a business trip?"
Deborah
sadly nodded her head. "Yes. He said he had some business at the
castle. He failed to heed my warnings, and thus never returned. Why?
Do you know him?"
This
made Rachael want to cry. So her father 'did' meet his end at the
castle. Deborah comforted her.
"It's
okay. What happened?"
"Well,
he was my father. I had hoped that he was alive, but now it is not
so. I just hope that my brother is still alive." Then she
started to cry.
Kim
also comforted her. "Its okay, Rachael. We'll save him before
anything 'can' happen!"
Deborah
stood up, and looked at the setting sun. "I've stayed around far
too long. I must go now." Then she left as quickly as her legs
could carry her.
1 hour later
It was now dark, and
the castle bridge had just now lowered.
"Quickly!"
Exclaimed Rachael. "Before we lose our chance!"
So
the two quickly ran inside the castle as fast as their legs could
carry them. Finally, they made it inside. Panting for breath, they
sat down. However, while they were catching their breath, they saw
another figure rush inside the bridge just as it was closing. When it
stopped, Rachael and Kim gaped at the features.
He
was a slender man with very pale skin. He had on elegant clothes that
looked like a sixteenth century nobleman, with long blond hair, and a
slightly feminine face.
"Dracula!"
Shouted Rachael as she readied her whip. "Give me back my
brother, now!"
The
man looked at her strangely. "Dracula? Are you referring to the
lord of this castle?"
"Y-yes.
You mean you're not him?"
"No.
I have come here to put an end to him once again. I suggest that you
leave."
"No!
Not until I've rescued my brother!"
"If
you insist."
Kim
quickly spoke up. "What's your
name?"
"....Alucard."
Kim
raised an eyebrow. "Riiighht. A dyslexic Dracula, right?"
Then she shrugged her shoulders. "Well, at least you're
handsome."
Alucard
didn't say a word. Suddenly, another figure quickly entered the
castle via parachute. When he landed, he looked at
everyone.
The
man was also of slender build, only he had tanned skin, green eyes,
semi long black hair, and wore a black trench coat, complete with
black pants, shoes, and shirt. He also wore a rather large
backpack.
"So,
I take it all of you are on this expedition of monster/treasure
hunting too, am I right?"
Alucard
didn't say anything, but had a 'couldn't care less' look on his face.
Rachael had a slight blush on her cheeks, but also didn't say a word.
Kim just smiled, and then decided to speak.
"Glad
to see there's another handsome guy in our ranks."
"I
can say the same thing myself, except I'll replace 'guy' with 'girl',
if you don't mind." The guy said. "By the way, the names
Nathan, but you can call me Nate."
"It's
nice to meet you, Nate. I'm Kim. This is Rachael, my best friend. And
the gloomy, yet also handsome guy over there is called Alucard. We
don't know anything about him, since he just came here seconds after
we did."
"Ah.
Nice to meet you." Then he turned over to Rachael. "So,
Rachael, is it? I hope to meet you again soon. Stay human until
then." After that, he left deep into the castle.
When
Kim turned around, she saw that Alucard was already gone as well. She
just shrugged and approached Rachael, who was still blushing. She
chuckled, and punched her on the shoulder, snapping her back to
reality.
"Are
you going to be doing this to 'every' really cute guy that comes
across us?"
"N-no!
Of course not! Besides, the next creatures we come across from now on
will most likely be undead."
"Yeah.
I know what you mean. Enjoy the view while it lasts,
right?"
"Yeah...uh,
I mean no!" Then she shook her head. "Now's not the time
for teasing! We have to find my brother!"
So
she quickly left, leaving a sprinting Kim to catch up with her.
End
of chapter 2.
Well, I hope you're enjoying it so far. Please
let me know if someone is reading this. My email address is
