They faced each other, and Anderson noted that the boy seemed to be undergoing some sort of transformation. His shoulders were broadening and his posture was less erect. Every moment that Anderson watched, the boy became more bestial. The paladin threw two more blades, but the boy dodged effortlessly. Even confined to one room, this obviously wasn't going to be an easy fight. The paladin smiled broadly. "That's more like it!"
Schroedinger was losing his human appearance quickly now. His clothes were splitting off his body as it filled out and became heavier and hairier. Anderson closed on him again and Schroedinger yowled and leapt onto the priest. Sharp teeth closed on Anderson's right arm. Anderson was able to land a blow with the blade in his left, but at the same time, Schroedinger's hind feet dug into the soft flesh of his abdomen and tore. The priest howled in agony and pushed his knife further into the beast's body. It seemed that the cat would never let go, but when Anderson twisted the blade brutally and shoved, he was able to fling the transformed vampire off of him.
He stood, gasping harshly, blade at the ready in his right hand while he clutched his stomach with his left. There was a moment when the world wobbled as he pushed his intestines back into the quickly closing rent in his flesh, but he was able to stand through it while waiting for the creature's next action. Schroedinger was also taking a moment to heal, but was having more difficulty because of the nature of Anderson's blessed weapons.
Anderson seized the initiative and threw a barrage of holy scripture at the cat. There was an ear-wracking shriek as the writs struck their target, but Schroedinger stood under the assault and leapt at the paladin. Anderson twisted and evaded the blow. As Schroedinger passed within his reach, he was able to rake both blades down the length of the cat's body.
Schroedinger howled again and twisted in the air. As soon as his feet touched the floor, he bounded forward again. He clamped his jaw around Anderson's right arm and jerked. There was a sickening crunch and Anderson's hand went limp. The bones of his forearm were completely crushed, rendering the arm useless.
His attack placed him within Anderson's reach. Anderson slammed the blade in his left hand through the top of Schroedinger's head, impaling him in reverse. The animal went limp and its grip on his right arm was released.
Anderson sat on the floor next to Schroedinger's body and waited through the agony of his right arm healing itself. He remembered that Schroedinger had had his head blown off before and returned as obnoxious as ever. To lend credence to that, instead of turning to dust or going up in flames, Schroedinger's body was still intact on the floor. Anderson grimaced and began the messy task of cutting the creature into small pieces, starting with cutting his heart out and severing his head. It wasn't until Anderson had doused the bits with holy water that it had finally returned to the dust.
"Another abomination removed from God's sight. 'But we all, with open face beholding as in a glass the glory of the Lord, are changed into the same image from glory to glory, even as by the Spirit of the Lord.'"
Paladin Alexander Anderson went onward to do his duty of cleansing the unholy from the sight of the Lord.
ooo
"Well, Major, you should speak with some of the people who benefitted from your research. I think they might have different opinions of your goals now." Alucard's body lost cohesion, becoming a shadowy portal ringed with eyes. The portal extruded a chunk of shadow which began to take on a human form, as the first shadow began to take on more details, two more chunks of shadow were pushed out of the portal.
The first piece was gaining resolution, like focusing in binoculars on a distant object. The details became clear and before the Major stood a tall young man in a tidy suit. His long hair fell down his back to be gathered up by a bow a bit below the level of his waist. He was still the inky black of shadow, but he was clearly Luke Valentine. Nearby the other two pieces of shadow were undergoing the same process and soon the Major was facing Tubalcaine Alhambra and Rip Van Winkle.
Luke spoke first, "You said I was superior to him in every way. Do you know the horror that he really is?"
Alhambra, now the photo negative of the Dandy Man, spoke next, "You sent me to him as a lamb to the slaughter. Did you know what he was capable of and send me as a sacrifice or were you really that hopelessly ignorant?"
"You sent me into Samiel's arms. You knew! You knew and you gave me to him!" Rip wept and shuddered. Her face steeled and she looked into the Major's eyes, "You gave us all to Samiel."
The shadowy portal reformed into Alucard's smirking figure. "They don't seem to appreciate your love of war and its consequences."
The Major was shaken. One thing he had always been able to count on was that those who were dead and gone were just that, dead and gone. Seeing his former subordinates in this manner was unnerving.
"I lost my brother and my soul!"
"You gambled with my life and the cards were all his!"
"You threw me away as though I were the riffraff!"
The three shadow vampires were advancing on the Major. He turned, but before he could even hope to reach the door, Luke Valentine was there, between him and escape. The Major drew himself up. All aspects of war are beautiful. Every victory is a defeat for someone and they are both beautiful. I will throw defeat into the jaws of his victory and we will both suffer. It will be glorious.
The Major seemed to be quivering. Alucard watched with interest and a bit of disdain. Was his longtime opponent really so weak as to go to pieces already? He hoped not. There was so much more fun to be had. The quivering escalated to the point that the Major's body seemed to be humming. The humming increased to a teeth-rattling vibration. The three shadows had halted about a meter away from the Major and seemed unable to get any closer.
With a terrible screech, the Major's body tore itself apart. Pieces of him flew like shrapnel. Valentine was destroyed instantly by a gobbet of flying flesh that tore through his heart. Alhambra was struck by several pieces of his former commander and lost his left hand and part of his head. Rip fared better than her two shadow companions, taking only a small wound to her shoulder. The majority of the Major's body hit Alucard dead on. Alucard had time to look shocked before he was mostly shredded by the gruesome projectiles. His tattered body slid to the floor.
ooo
Master! Seras' grip on Integra was painfully tight for a moment before she relaxed her hold again. She stumbled and the jolt woke the pain in Integra's stump. Integra bit her lip to keep silent and dug her fingernails into Seras' back. Seras' eyes widened and she looked at the pain in Integra's eyes, "Oh Sir Integra! I'm so sorry! Something has happened to my Master. I felt it for a moment. We really have to get out of here, things are going to get much worse very soon."
They hurried down the hallway to what Seras told them would be the final door. "There will be a bunch of people in there. They're always there for supplies and to make sure the gliders are ready. Sir Integra, I'm going to put you down out here. Walter and I will be able to take care of them with no trouble. Then we'll come back for you and we can get off of this zeppelin."
Integra sat in the hallway. It galled her to be so helpless. "I am not the damned damsel in distress!" She listened to the brief shouts and screams, but silence returned quickly. In a moment Walter returned and gently picked her up.
Seras was quickly rifling through one of a rank of lockers against one wall. She pulled out some odd-looking equipment and tossed it in Walter's direction. "Daylight gear. It will protect you from the sun. I don't know how much resistance you have as a newly turned vampire and we're better safe than sorry. I'll be wearing some as well."
The two vampires quickly put on the protective clothing and turned to examine the gliders. They were attached to the underside of the blimp by clamps that could be released by the pilot of the glider. "Are you sure you can fly this, Walter?"
"I can fly almost anything, Seras. It's one of my many talents." Seras was surprised, but relieved, to see Walter's familiar smile.
It was a tight fit. The gliders were not designed for three passengers, but they squeezed in. Integra sat between Seras' legs where Seras could keep a good grip on her. She had managed to convince Seras to find her one of the dead Nazis' guns. She felt much more herself with a gun in her hand, even if it was her off hand. Walter sat in the pilot's seat and took a moment to look over the controls.
"Shall we vacate this piece of hell in the sky?" he asked his companions.
"Get us out of here, Walter."
"As you wish, Sir Integra." There was a dizzying moment during which Integra was certain that the glider was not going to fly but instead plummet them to their deaths and then the wings caught the air and they circled away from the zeppelin.
"Walter, get us as far away from here as possible. My Master is going to do something awful soon, I just know it." Master?
Faintly, she heard him, Police Girl?
Master, don't die. You can't die until I can have your blood and be free, okay?
The chuckle blew through her mind, I'll see what I can do to accomodate you, Seras.