Disclaimer: Check for it in chapter 1.

Castlevania: Sonnet of Legends

Chapter 6

Sonnet of Legends

Guest room

After telling the whole story of what happened to her to Nate, she decided to rest for a while before searching through the castle once again. Nate, on the other hand, was ready to find at least 'some' kind of treasure, it being the reason he entered the castle and all.

"Listen, Rachael." Nate started. "I want to continue my search through the castle, but I also don't want to leave ya behind."

"Don't worry about me." Rachael assured. "I'm all better now. I just need to rest for a few minutes. Besides, where I'm headed next, I'm pretty sure you wouldn't want to follow."

"You mean the throne room?"

She nodded. Nate smiled at this.

"On normal occasions, you would be right. You seem independent, but there's something about you that would make me worry." He then shrugged. "I dunno. Maybe I'm developin' feelings for ya."

Rachael was a bit surprised at this statement. She raised an eyebrow, but wasn't able to summon up the right words. Nate noticed this, and decided to answer her.

"I know it sounds silly an' all, and I'm sorry for bein' bold, but I usually speak what's on my mind, often forgetting to filter out the details."

After hearing this, she finally managed to speak.

"Yeah. I know what you mean. I kinda feel the same way... about the feelings." She said the last part a little quietly, and she was looking at the floor.

Nate walked up to her and gently held her chin up. He looked directly into her eyes. She was slightly blushing because of this.

"It's okay." She said softly. "You don't have to say anything, at least not right away. You go on and do your mission. As soon as I find some treasure, I'll call for my squad to come pick it up. I'll also be sure to save something special for ya." Then he walked to the door and opened it up. He looked back towards her direction. "Just promise me one thing."

Rachael slowly nodded.

"Promise me that the next time I see you, you'll still be among the living."

"Y-yes, of course." She finally said. "You be sure to do the same, alright?"

Nate smiled and nodded. "I wouldn't have it any other way." Then he gave one final wave. "Good luck to ya then." After he said this, he closed the door and left.

Rachael then sat on the bed, thinking. Why was she still here even though her brother is safe? Why couldn't she just forget about Dracula, and live a normal life again? The answer was simple. If he gets his way, then all humanity would suffer, and she wouldn't get to live a normal life anyways. Plus, Kim would've died in vain. But there was now something other than that. The thought of Nate also dying in this castle was too horrible to comprehend. She was now regretting her decision on letting him leave. She knew that he was capable of surviving, but what if Dracula himself appeared? What will happen then?

While she was thinking, she glanced over at her backpack, which was right next to her, and remembered the contract. Seeing this, she remembered that she didn't thank Renon for his help yet. There was something about the demonic salesman that didn't seem right, but she knew him, although they never met physically before, for about a year. It was difficult to distrust a friend, but something inside of her was nagging at her to be cautious.

Finally shrugging the thoughts aside, she picked up her backpack, removed the contract, and summoned Renon, who appeared as usual. He smiled at her, and tipped his hat.

"Greetings, friend." He said. "It is most fortunate to see that you have become well once again. Now, what is it that you need?"

The female Belmont shook her head.

"Nothing, really. I just wanted to thank you for helping."

"No need for gratitude. I was given a special exception to the rules, it being bad for business to have you die and all. Besides, you 'are' a friend, right?"

Rachael smiled. "Yes, we are."

"So, is there anything at all that I can help you with?"

"Well, now that you mention it, I am kinda hungry. A little thirsty too."

"Not a problem. Might I suggest the roast chicken and ale? The food around this castle gives strength and replenishes energy."

"Okay, but can the ale be substituted? I don't drink. Besides, my senses need to be sharp as long as I'm in this castle."

"Very well. The cost of your meal will go to your bill."

"Yeah, I kinda figured that."

So Renon opened up his briefcase, and reached inside. He pulled out a red box that 6 inches long, 6 inches wide, and 6 inches deep. He also pulled out a golden goblet. He handed them to Rachael, who accepted them. She opened the box, and inside were legs of roasted chicken. She picked up one of them. Surprisingly, it was hot, as if it were fresh from the oven. She took a bite. The meat was very well seasoned, and quite moist. She looked at the goblet, which was empty at first, but then instantly filled up with grape juice. She took a sip. Also surprisingly, it was cold, as if it were taken right out of a refrigerator.

A little later

After eating her fill, she handed the box and the goblet back to Renon, which he promptly put back inside the briefcase. Rachael used one of the towels from the bathroom in order to clean her hands and mouth off.

"Thank you." She said as she was getting ready to leave again.

"No thanks are necessary. After all, it's going to your bill."

"Yeah, that reminds me. Can I ask you a question?"

"Go ahead."

"Um, why is it that you had my grandfather sign the contract, rather than me? I didn't really think about it until just now."

"Ah, I was wondering if you would ever ask that."

"Yes."

"Well, I am afraid that you cannot know the answer right now."

This quickly made her worry. "Why? What happened?"

"Nothing that will stop you on your quest to confront the Count, let me assure you."

She was now worried a little more. "Please don't tell me this concerns my grandfather!"

Renon could see the worry on her face. He knew that if she knew what was written on the contract, she would no longer spend anymore money. So he decided it best to not let her know about it for the time being.

"Do not worry. It has nothing to do with your grandfather's well being, if that is what's worrying you." He lied. "Nor you. It's merely a means of keeping in contact with you. After all, you're only a College student, and he's an old man. He's more likely to be able to pay off the debt than you are, no offense."

Rachael sighed in relief. "Oh. For a minute there, I thought his soul was in danger."

Renon mentally smiled at this. She was astute, but still innocent as far as gullibility goes. He then decided to change the subject by commenting on her clothing.

"Rather scruffy looking clothes, don't you think?"

Rachael looked at her clothes. Although they were clean, some of it was a bit torn and worn out from the battles she previously encountered.

"Well, they need a little mending, but they're not that bad!"

Renon shook his head.

"True, but not worthy of a vampire hunter. Might I suggest something more suitable?"

"Oh? Like what?"

Without answering her question, he opened up his briefcase once again. He reached in, and pulled out this strange leathery outfit. It looked like an armor breastplate, only lighter, along with shoulder pads, and no sleeves. The lower half looked like a hard leather skirt, only with two slits for leg movement, and showed off a lot of leg. Under it were built-in spandex shorts. Not the kind that were casual, but the kind that were worn by Japanese girls in gym class. Fortunately, the lower part of that was covered by the lower half of the armor. On the waist was a belt that had various pockets in order to keep items. On the side of it was a buckle where her whip could go.

He handed it to Rachael, who accepted it. She was looking at the features of this type of armor was also dark blue in color. In other words, it looked like the traditional Belmont clothing that was similar to what Simon and Trevor wore.

"It will be added to your bill, along with these." He said, and then vanished before she could say anything. The other item mentioned was a pair of black moccasin boots.

Shrugging, she decided to try them on.

A few minutes later

It felt a little tight in some areas, but other than that, it fit quite well. She then looked at herself in the vanity, admiring the way it made her look. It was like she was given a cool costume. She rushed to her backpack, and removed the cross, holy water, crystal, dagger, and the first- aid kit she got from the bathroom, and put them securely in each of the compartments of her new belt buckle. She grabbed her whip, wrapped it in a coil like fashion, and attached it to the buckle where it nicely fit. She then put her other clothes on the bed. They would only slow her down, so she decided to leave them. She put on her backpack, and admired herself in the mirror again. She normally wasn't vain, but she really liked the way the armor made her look like the vampire hunters that her grandfather told her about in his stories. To make sure that she could avoid dangerous situations, she walked around the room, and then ran. She was definitely able to move faster in this, since the weight was surprisingly light.

She then tried jumping around and rolling from side to side, and from front to back. She'd have to get used to her bare legs touching the cold floor, but at least now she'll be able to avoid attacks more quickly. After feeling a little more secure, and after catching her breath from all the rolling and running, she exited the door, shut it, went to the bathroom hole in the wall, entered it, and searched for another first-aid kit. Since she had more room in her backpack now, she put two of them, along with a towel, inside it. When she was finished with this, she brushed her hair, and was now ready to leave.

Garden

Meanwhile, Nate had decided to explore the garden once again. He had a strong feeling that the treasure was hidden here. While walking and slaying the occasional monster threat, he felt a patch of loose ground, but kept on walking. Eventually, the loose ground collapsed under him, causing him to fall into an unknown pit. He didn't expect this, and landed on his rear, hurting his tailbone in the process.

"Ouch, that's smarts!" he muttered. He then looked ahead, and saw a corridor of some sort. Slowly getting up, he decided to explore it. The only source of light was what he was following at the end of it. Not a bright light, either. It was kind of dim, which was lit by fire. When he finally reached the end of the corridor, his eyes widened in amazement at the sight that lay before him.

All that he could see before him was various amounts of treasure scattered about the incredibly large room. There was gold, silver, various jewels, coins, bags of money, and ancient artifacts. He took a few steps forward, and noticed that the ground he stood on was also covered in the same treasures.

"(This is too good to be true)!" he thought.

Unfortunately, he was correct. The minute he thought this, golden skeletons emerged from the ground. They weren't really made of gold, but gold dust covered their bones. They wasted no time in attacking him as they lunged towards them, equipped with swords and axes.

Nate just grinned at this as he took out his shotgun, and started pumping rounds into the skulls of these creatures. When the others got closer, he quickly ran to the sides of the room, shooting and reloading when necessary. This would've been easy if not for the fact that for every skeleton he would destroy, a new one would take its place. Seeing this, he decided to take higher ground by running to the highest pile of gold. That way, he could see the whole room.

When he did, and looked around, he could see the skeletons climbing their way towards him. Over the horizon, he saw a giant skeleton that stood at ten feet that definitely looked like it was made of gold. Behind it, however, was what looked like to be a huge stone Golem. It was obviously there to guard the giant skeleton, who was the one reproducing the other skeletons.

Without wasting any further time, he threw a grenade at a group of skeletons, which promptly exploded. Using the newly cleared path, he rushed through it, and reached the giant skeleton. It responded by quickly running behind the Golem, which was about half the size of Galamoth. Its eyes glowed red, and looked straight at the treasure hunter. The first thing it did was charge at Nate, which he quickly got out of its way.

He shot a few rounds with his shotgun, but it only succeeded in making small holes in it. It then stamped its foot on the ground, causing a shockwave, knocking the treasure hunter against the wall, along with the other skeletons. Unlike the fragile skeletons, however, Nate didn't break apart upon impact. Quickly recovering from the attack, he lit a stick of dynamite, and ran towards the creature. He stopped and ducked just as it tried to punch him, and then threw the stick at it when the fuse was very short, and ran. It looked at it, and then exploded when the dynamite stick did. Nate waited for the smoke to clear before trying anything.

When it did, the Golem still stood. Fortunately, it was thinner, meaning the outer armor shell has broken off. Unfortunately, it now had a spike ball and chain attached to one arm socket, and a rail cannon attached to the other. Nate gaped in surprise. He expected the castle to change with the times, but he didn't expect the technology to be like this.

The Golem looked at him again, and swung the ball and chain at him, almost hitting him if not for the fact that it was slow, and Nate was quick enough to dodge. He tried shooting it again with his shotgun. It did more damage this time, but not by much. He was about to take out a grenade, but stopped when he saw it charging its rail cannon. He also noticed the skeletons trying to attack him again.

Trying to think quickly, he ran in zigzag directions, not sure as to where would be a safe place to take cover. The Golem then fired the rail cannon at Nates direction. He quickly ran behind on of the gold piles. The beam followed. Fortunately, the Golem could not see behind the gold, and was shooting above his head. He ducked as the beam was practically liquefying the gold above him. When the beam stopped, he looked around, and to his surprise, all of the skeletons had been destroyed, including the giant one. Apparently, this Golem couldn't distinguish targets.

For a second, Nate thought he was in the clear. He was quickly proven wrong by the ball and chain destroying his hiding place. When it saw him, it charged up its rail cannon again.

Finally deciding on a plan, he quickly threw a live grenade inside the spout of the canon. Then he ran as far as he could while a huge explosion took place, the pressure sending him all the way to the other side of the humungous room, sending him crashing against the wall. Exhausted, he just sat there, the entire room looking like it experienced warfare. The only treasure that was left untouched was the ones on lower part of the ground and against the walls. He had hoped to find the ebony stone here, but it looks like it's just one of those treasures that Dracula keeps with him.

After catching his breath, he took out his communicator, and called his squad. After informing them of his whereabouts and the dangers of the situation, he broke contact. Looking around, he wondered what kind of treasure he should keep for himself, and what special thing to find for Rachael. He then remembered that she was still going to fight Dracula, and quickly stood up.

"Well, I had better fulfill my promises." He said to himself. "I will go help you. But first, let me keep my promise on finding something special for ya. I'll make it quick, though, being an expert at arriving at the nick of time and all. The squad can just haul away the remaining treasures."

So he stood up and began his search.

Long Library

Rachael had eventually found herself in a very large library, with books on shelves as far as the eye can see. At the end of the hall was Alucard, and he was talking to an old man that was sitting down. They quickly stopped their conversation and focused on the newcomer. Feeling a little uneasy, she approached them as quickly as she could. Alucard greeted her, while the Librarian just eyed her cautiously.

"I see that you lived." Alucard said. "And that you have a new wardrobe."

"Yes, thank you." Rachael answered. "Um, what're you doing right now?"

"None of your business, human!" exclaimed the Librarian, but then sighed. "Sorry about that. It's just that your getup reminds me of the Belmont's that slay my master."

"It's.. okay." Rachael said a little nervously. Letting him know that she was a Belmont was the last thing she wanted right now.

"Anyways," the Librarian continued, "Young master here was asking for my help. I just refused, so don't think you're getting any help from me, either."

"You will be well rewarded." Alucard said as he placed a pouch of gold coins on the desk.

The Librarian happily picked up the pouch, and removed a coin, examining it carefully.

"Well then, how can I help you?"

"I need to know where the final key is. I was told that it resided here."

"That it does, young master. That it does. The only problem is finding it. All I remember is that it's on the left wing of these bookshelves. My memory is still pretty fuzzy, especially with a human around." Then he looked at Rachael. "However, perhaps something of value can recollect my memory."

"I'm sorry." Rachael said. "But I don't have any money."

"Who said that all things of value had to be money?"

This made the Belmont grimace. "I don't think so!"

The Librarian laughed at her assumption. "That wasn't quite what I had in mind, although if I were several hundred years younger, I might've considered it."

"Then what do you want?"

He then noticed the glow that emanated from her whip. His eyes widened in shock as he quickly stood up.

"That weapon right there is the legendary vampire killer! The only one that possesses such a thing is a Belmont!" Then he quickly got on his guard. "Get away from this place! Begone!"

Alucard observed the situation, brought out a larger pouch of gold, and set it on the table.

"You never saw this woman, understand?"

The Librarian looked at the large sum of money, and all of his fears quickly vanished. After quickly scooping up the money, he sat down.

"What woman? I never saw her in my life." Then he pointed towards the left wing. "You will find what you are looking for in the children's stories section. It's pretty small, so you shouldn't miss it."

"I thank you."

"And I thank you. Farewell for now."

So Alucard and Rachael walked towards the area the Librarian had spoke of. When they arrived, they noticed the rows of books set before them. Fortunately, it was only four rows.

"I'll search the first two. You search the other two."

Rachael nodded in agreement, and they both went to search for the hidden key.

Later

While Rachael was searching, she kept shaking each book, hoping for the key to come out. She then reached this poetry book titled "Sonnet of Legends." Since she was a fan of Sonnets, she decided to read a few. They actually turned out to be Sonnets related to Castlevania history. The words were actually pretty moving. She checked the front of the book for the author. Turns out, the author happened to be an 'authoress' by the name of Lisa Tepes.

Since the Sonnets sounded very lovely, she decided to put it in her backpack. She knew that it didn't belong to her, but if it's in Dracula's domain, she didn't care.

Meanwhile, Alucard had been frantically searching, shaking each book, one by one. Eventually, a book he had removed was the correct one, and the moment he shook it, a key fell out. Alucard then picked it up, and examined it. It was definitely the key he had been searching for. He placed it in his pocket, and looked at the cover. The book consisted of fables, all of which his mother written for him when he was a child. Clutching the book to his heart, he decided to take the book from this place as a memento of his mother, aside from his sword and shield, that is.

"Thank you for helping me once again, mother." He said quietly.

After that, he walked over to the other side of the bookshelves, where Rachael was still searching for the key.

"I found it." He said.

Rachael then stopped searching.

"That's a relief. Maybe now we can finally enter the throne room."

Alucard didn't say a word, but just motioned for them to get going.

Later

They were now at the main door, where all of the other locks have been opened. Alucard inserted the final key into the keyhole, and turned. Within seconds, the doors instantly flew open by themselves. However, blocking that door was yet another door. On it was a seal that read; "Those who wish to enter, speak a verse from the Sonnet of Legends." Rachael was a little confused by this. Alucard shook his head in frustration.

"What does it mean?" she asked.

"It's the title of a poetry book that mother wrote. That means we have to go back to the library and find it amongst all the other books!"

Rachael thought for a second, and then smiled.

"No, we don't." Then she removed the book from her backpack. "See? I decided to keep it.... Sorry. I didn't know she was your mother. I guess I should've, what with you two sharing the same last name."

Alucard just motioned for her to read something from it. Seeing this, she quickly went to the front of the door, opened the book, and recited the one about the Crimson stone. Within seconds, the seal vanished, and the door opened.

"Well, it worked." She looked at the book, and sighed. "I suppose you'll want this back."

Alucard walked up to her. "Did you like it that much that you were willing to steal it?"

She nodded. "Yes. The Sonnets were so moving, words can't describe their loveliness. She must've been treated very well."

"Indeed. If that is the case, you may keep it."

"R-really? You don't mind?"

Alucard shook his head. "I already have more than one memento of her now. Just promise to treat it with care."

"I will. You can be sure of that. Thank you." Then she put the book inside her backpack. "By the way, will this door become locked again once we enter?"

"No. Once the seal is removed, only the one who cast it can lock it again."

"That's good."

"May I ask why?"

"Oh, nothing. I just might be expecting someone, that's all."

Alucard didn't say anything. He could tell from the look in her eyes that it was someone meaningful to her.

The two then entered the door.

Clock Tower

Rachael looked all around the area. The whole place was filled with sprockets, cogs, and various other things one would find in a giant clock. She also noticed that bottomless pit that resided in the crevices and cliffs of the place. Seeing all this freaked her out a bit.

"Why did all of grandfather's stories have to consist of Clock Towers within the castle? Now that I actually see one with my own eyes, it's pretty frightening!"

"Just don't look down." Alucard answered. A second later, he jumped on one of the spinning cogs. "Hurry up!"

Rachael gulped. She was quite nervous, especially knowing that failure to climb, time a jump, or even stay on even footing can lead to a horrible and painful death. As quickly as she could, she jumped on the same moving cog Alucard was on. She didn't like the feeling that the cog was moving them around and around. This of course, will make further jumping and climbing difficult.

"Just do as I do." He said as he was looking for another gear to jump on.

Rachael looked around nervously. This, in her opinion, had to be the worst part of the castle.

End of chapter 6

Sorry for taking so long to update. I have been really busy and all. I'll once again update sometime in January, since I won't be able to access a computer until then.

Thank you again, everyone, for all the reviews.