A/N: If you can't understand half of what the priest is saying, then I've done my job well, lol.Another cruel cliffhanger, too. As always, thanks to my readers and reviewers!!!!!!
Revenge burns deep into the soul,
Never forgotten nor quenched.
The vampire and Police Girl were returning from their excursion of the grounds. Alucard and Seras walked silently along the corridor toward her room, the only sounds heard were Seras' footsteps as they echoed on the cobblestones that made up the floor. The moon was casting its light through the many windows, illuminating the stone walls and creating a curtain of shadows at the far end of the hall.
Suddenly Alucard caught Seras' arm, causing her to stop. She looked into his face, wondering why he had stopped her. Seras immediately noticed there was something wrong. The grin on Alucard's face had vanished and his eyes were mere slits. Looking in the direction of his eyes, she caught sight of a man down the hall. The shadows hid most of him from her view, but she could see a large silver cross around his neck, glistening in the moonlight.
"Retched human, how dare you enter my castle?! Have you no manners!?" Alucard spoke clearly, cursing himself for not noticing the man earlier. Thoughts about the girl beside him had greatly distracted him.
"Ah've come tae rid this world of ya, monster!" spoke the figure as he started walking toward them, footsteps barely heard touching the floor.
"I have heard those words many times, human" Alucard snarled, placing as much venom in his words as he could. "What makes you different from the others?"
The stranger stopped a few feet from the couple. "Ah have the true power o' God on my side and Ah will avenge my friends' deaths."
"Friends?" Alucard had no idea what the man was rambling about, but maybe this one would give him a challenge.
"Aye, the group ordained by God tae rid this world o' yer kind. The Iscariot Organization, which ye so brutally destroyed! Ya desecrated my friends' bodies and souls wi' yer sacrilegious touch!"
Alucard's eyes lit up with remembrance. He thought he had annihilated all the members of that accursed group, but this one must have eluded his carnage. "Ah, yes, the Vatican puppets. My, my, I'd almost forgotten that bit of fun."
"Ye filth! Ah'll see ye burn in hell fer wha ye've done!"
"Poor little Vatican dog. Still mad that I destroyed your precious Iscariot?"
Alucard swiftly pulled out his gun, and fired at the priest's forehead. The man fell to the ground, his body twitching.
"Pathetic," Alucard said. "A waste of my-" Suddenly the body started to rise
Seras watched with horror as the priest rose to his feet, the bullet hole smoking in his forehead. She had to stifle the scream that had risen in her throat, knowing her fear would distract Alucard from the battle. However, she couldn't hide the pity she felt for the priest standing before them. He was some sort of an abomination. Not man, but not monster either. A soul trapped somewhere between the two.
"Ah, a regenerator, Iscariot's pet project! This could be more fun than I thought!" A grin of wild amusement spread across his face at the prospect of a worthy opponent.
The priest took no notice of Alucard's words, because he had suddenly noticed the vampire's companion. He shifted his eyes to look at Seras. "Ah see ye've picked up ae wench, vampire. Is the monster lonely?" he asked mockingly, a hint of disgust in his voice.
"Human filth! I should have destroyed you along with your pathetic friends!" Alucard growled, attempting to control the anger welling up inside him. The priest's words affected him more than Alucard thought they would. "Those fools were little more than entertainment, barely lasting a few minutes each. Their blood was very sweet, though" he added, his insane grin returning to his face.
"Ya damn monster!"
Seras watched the exchange of words silently, her mind trying to comprehend the situation. Why did this man hate Alucard so much? What was this Iscariot organization? What had Alucard done to it?
"A monster am I? What does that make you, hmm?"
"Remember my name, monster," the priest said, voice little more than a whisper. Seras could feel the indescribable hatred behind his words. "It'll be the las' thing ya hear befoor Ah send yer soul tae hell. Paladin Alexander Anderson."
With that said, hundreds of incantation sheets flew from beneath the priest's coat. They were pinned to every corner of the hall by small daggers, preventing Alucard from casting any of his vampiric magic. Then, taking two swords from his overcoat, he charged toward the vampire and girl.
Alucard pushed Seras to the side as the priest ran toward them, blades glistening in the moonlight. He did not want her caught in the middle of the battle.
However, Alucard did not bother pulling out his gun. The fight was little more than a mockery. The Vatican was too angered by the vampire's words to concentrate on the fight, allowing Alucard to easily dodge his swords. Amusingly, most of the blows appeared to be aimed only to incapacitate him. Apparently the priest wanted to make him suffer for the destruction of his precious Iscariot. After a few minutes of this, the fight became tedious for the vampire.
When the priest aimed another stab at his shoulder, Alucard deftly grabbed the Vatican's wrist and violently twisted it back. Seras could hear the snaps as his wrist was broken in several places. With his free hand, Alucard grabbed the front of the priest's coat and lifted him off his feet.
"You antics bore me, human filth." With that, he launched Anderson into the wall opposite him. The impact made a dent in the stones, and the audible cracking of several ribs echoed down the hall. Sliding down the wall with his breath knocked out of him, the Vatican could only glare at the abomination.
"You disappoint me, priest. I thought you would give me a decent battle, especially with how your friends bragged about you before I drained them." Here he chuckled slightly, remembering the threats they had made. How the priest would avenge their deaths with no mercy toward the monster.
With his wrist and ribs now healed, Anderson stood and once again charged the vampire. His speed was increasing as he took control over his emotions. A quick jab with one of his swords brought a low growl from Alucard and Seras could see a stream of blood seep from his side.
"You've put blessings on those blades, haven't you?" Alucard asked, with a hint of amusement and annoyance in his voice. The priest gave the vampire a cruel smile.
However, as Anderson pulled the blade out, he watched with horror as the wound quickly healed. No, tha's not possible. The blades are made o' silver and blessed by the pope himself!
Another few stabs connecting with the vampire's body also ended with the same result. The wounds healed quickly and the priest's sword thrusts did not seem to slow the monster's movements. Anderson realized there was only one way he could deal with this monster. It would take most of his strength to accomplish the task, but it was the only way. The binding spell.
Alucard watched with curiosity as the priest jumped away from him. What trick has the Vatican up his sleeve?
Crouching down, the priest started muttering under his breath. The words were too low for the vampire to distinguish them, but from what he saw, Alucard knew the human was casting a spell. Suddenly, two long strips of incantation sheets flew out from underneath Anderson's coat. The papers wrapped one of their ends around Alucard's wrists, while the other ends drove deep into the stone behind him, pinning the vampire to the wall.
Alucard struggled against what he realized to be a binding spell, but the more he pulled the tighter the papers' holds became. This Iscariot dog had more power than he had given him credit for. He was trapped.
With his remaining strength, Anderson threw a sword straight toward Alucard's heart. The destruction of the monster's heart would give the priest ample time to destroy the rest of the vampire's body. Finally giving him the vengeance he'd sought for so long.
Standing there, bound by the Vatican's spell, Alucard could only watch as the blade flew toward him. Then movement from the corner of his eye caught his attention.
Seras now stood in the path of the oncoming sword.