Dracula stepped through the doors of the castle watchtower, where the laboratory of the late Doctor Frankenstein still remained, awaiting its dark purpose. He watched the Dwergi at work; such disgusting creatures, to be true, but as long proven, even the living had their uses. Victor Frankenstein had much proven his worth, even after his death. He had built this laboratory, something no other living man could have done, and as much as it insulted him to admit it, even Dracula was not sure he could have himself. Such an admission said something about the late doctor, Even in life, Dracula had been an exceptional man: a soldier, a statesman, an alchemist, working at the height of scientific knowledge in his time.
And in death, he was much more. But it still perturbed Dracula that a mortal had surpassed anything he could have imagined. Such was the mystery of existence. But, Frankenstein's genius had, still, been easily bent to his will.
His minions looked to him expectantly, and Dracula nodded his approval. One of the Dwerger slammed down a large switch with its small gloved hand., and the laboratory sparked to life. Brilliant arcs of electrical energy coursed up and down the walls as the massive dynamos, engines and machinery hummed and churned. All the while, the Dwergi scurried about in the chamber, preparing the equipment.
A flash of lightning outside, and Dracula smiled. Normally, such weather did not happen in winter, but he was a master of not just the night, but of the elements as well. He looked up to the shattered skylight, which he had smashed through when he had departed the lab after Frankenstein's success a year ago. "Igor!" he cried.
The twisted man peered over the railing of a catwalk. The count had been right to place him in Frankenstein's employ. Igor had been of much help in repairing the broken equipment, and in deciphering how to operate the massive machinery. He was also cruel and deceitful, qualities that Dracula much appreciated.
"Yes, Master!" Igor called back down.
"Have you finished?"
The man nodded as best he could. "Yes, Master! All is done!" He chuckled and moved down the catwalk, shoving a Dweger out of his way. "We lack much of the good doctor's notes, but the Dweger, they are smart."
A gleam of hungry pride was his Dracula's eyes. "Good," he said. Yes, indeed, the living had their uses.
Taking the time to go back and gather a few of his deadlier weapons, Van Helsing now was back in full attire, with his coat, gloves, and hat. As soon as he had gathered what he needed, he joined Adrian and headed out with him to hunt for Velkan. Tepes was still insisting that he was only giving Anna false hope for her cousin.
"Something tells me we have a chance to save him," Van Helsing said, reflecting on the voice in his mind. It had never steered him wrong so far, so it only made sense to continue listening. "Even if he is stuck as a werewolf, there may be a chance to give his human mind the power to control that form."
Adrian looked to Van Helsing oddly. Something about that idea seemed possible. "You mean like a lycan," he said on reflex.
That word was familiar. "Lycan?" Van Helsing asked, now interested in what Tepes might know about these matters. He slowed his horse's pace to let Adrian catch up. "I know the term lycanthrope in relation to the werewolf curse, but what does lycan have to do with the state of the victim's control?"
He sighed. Apparently, Van Helsing didn't know enough, so it was time to inform him. "There are two kinds of werewolves," he began, his eyes watching the footprints in the ground that led toward the castle. "Lupus, which are people who are cursed with the form of the werewolf. Then there are lycans, people who are born werewolves, though for them, it is more a gift than a curse." Adrian was quiet for a moment. His expression said that there was indeed a great difference between lupus and lycans, and he hoped that Van Helsing's intent to make the latter possible for Velkan was not a pipe dream. "Lycans can control their beast form, when they change, and the animal instincts. They are capable of communication with humans still. The moon, to them, is a mother. From my studies, I have discovered that to be a lycan is to carry the touch of the moon and nature, a true blessing."
Yes, it would make sense. There had once been a time when, in pursuit of a lupus, he could have sworn he was being helped by another werewolf, one that very much was not a mindless raging beast. Considering the creature had not caused further problems in the German forests, Van Helsing had thought little of it and left it out of his report to the Vatican. Now, though, it made sense what he had seen; it was a lycan.
He dismounted his horse after bring it to a halt. There was something in the low branches, and Van Helsing had a good idea what it was. Still, the conversation with Adrian was helping to calm his nerves. "So, why do you battle Dracula?"
A look on Adrian's face said he was hesitant to answer. He glance to Van Helsing. "It's personal," he finally said, dismounting to join Van Helsing on foot. "My family has...certain ties to Dracula. It deals with my relations to Matthias Corvinus." A spark of regret. Was there something Adrian again was not telling? Van Helsing wasn't sure if he could trust the man now if he kept hiding all these secrets. "I suppose you could call it family honor." He paused. "What about you? Why do you do this work, what do you hope to get out of it?"
That was a question he had been expecting, and always had an answer for. "A little self-realization," Van Helsing replied, walking over to the tree branch. "Maybe to find out who I am. The only thing I've gotten so far, however, is nightmares." He pulled a long thick swatch of fur from the branches, now looking toward the castle. Something pulled in his memory again. "Lupus only shed their fur like this before their first full moon," he muttered. Apparently, he knew enough about the breeds to know that much.
Adrian nodded, then turned around and held up his hand to create a sphere of light. When he saw what was behind them, he hissed. "Anna!" the man exclaimed. "What in God's name are you doing here!"
Turning, Van Helsing saw the girl had followed them, still in her riding clothes. It seemed that she'd finally given into her defiance and chosen to come after them. It was not a good idea. But he knew well why. "Can't be too angry," he said to Adrian. Van Helsing looked to Anna. "I find it hard to disagree with her; that's her cousin we're trying to save, she wants to be there."
For a moment, the anger lingered on Adrian's face. But then he relinquished and nodded. "Alright," he said, now smiling a bit. "But you stay close to Van Helsing, you understand? Dracula's trying to capture you for some reason even I don't yet know."
Anna nodded, then moved to lead the way into the castle. It was then Van Helsing grabbed her shoulder and gestured for Adrian to shine his orb of magic light forward. "There are those who go through the front door," he said, and the light revealed about a dozen corpses that were entangled in the foliage. "And then there are those who get to live a bit longer."
There was a crash of thunder, and a howling roar that came from a fissure in the castle walls. Dracula paid no attention, but knew that his more bestial servant had returned. It was about time.
The werewolf slid down the walls, claws digging into the hard stone. He then leapt to one of the girders, sliding down it like a pole, then finally dropped to the ground. Now, the absence of moonlight hit him instantly, and he fell down, writhing in pain as his body began to change. He tore at his fur, his body shrinking and shedding while the skin of the wolf was ripped off, and at last, laying there on the stone floor was Velkan Valerious.
"Werewolves are such a nuisance on their first full moon," Dracula commented while Velkan fought to recover from his painful transfiguration. He grinned at seeing the agony in the man's face. "So hard to control." He then frowned, walking away toward a group of Dwergi. "I send you on a simple errand to find out who the stranger is, and you had to stop for a chat with your cousin." Dracula had seen the exchange, and though Velkan had not revealed anything important, it seemed he still had enough power over himself to effect a transformation when the moon was blocked off.
Now able to stand, Velkan rose to his feet, even now defiant of the vampire. "Leave Anna out of this!" he yelled, his rage still touched by the beast within. "She knows not of your secret, and I will soon take it to my grave!"
Yes, he is strong-willed indeed, Dracula reflected. Of course, most of the Valerious bloodline had been trained to have great willpower, strong minds. It was only natural, considering they had sworn themselves to aid the Corvinus family. Even now, Velkan was resisting Dracula's hold on his mind. He would so enjoy this now. The vampire stepped over to the rusted pod where Frankenstein's creature had been brought to life, then turn towards Velkan.
"Do not wish for death so quickly," he stated, his eyes cold as ice. "I still have much use of you."
"I would die before helping you!"
So predictable. Dracula had faced enough men like him to know what they would say. "Don't be boring," the vampire replied, turning toward the pod where the Dwergi were working to pull something out of it. "Everyone who says that ends up dead, and I'm rather tired of the mess." It was true; Victor Frankenstein had said similar words, and it had ended up upending the count's plans. This time, however, it was different. "Besides, after the final stroke of midnight, your mind will be gone, and you will have no choice to obey me!"
The Dwergi finally pried the object lodged in the pod out and threw it to the ground. It was a badly burnt corpse. Dracula smiled while Velkan looked down on it, and when the man saw the stylized cross that was around the corpse's neck, his eyes burned with anger. "Look familiar?" the vampire asked teasingly.
"Uncle Nicholas," Velkan whispered in horror. The whole time his uncle, Anna's father, had been missing, they thought he was out searching for Dracula. Instead, he had been here the whole time, a victim of Dracula's torture. Just imagining it alone was enough to ignite the wolf's rage that lay within him. "You filthy beast!"
As he rose, Velkan was halted by Dracula's hand now holding him by the underside of his chin. "He proved useless!" the vampire hissed, pushing Velkan back and into the pod. "But with the lupus venom in your veins, I hope you will be over greater benefit!"
Velkan struggled as the Dwergi strapped him down. He wished that he could now summon the might of the werewolf, to lose himself in that power just this once so that he might tear Dracula apart. But as hard as he fought, his human strength was no match for the bonds that tied him down. "I swear, count!" he roared out. "Even if I failed to kill you, Adrian and my cousin will not, and they will finish what Lord Matthias started!"
The angry cries of the man was music to Dracula's ears, and even as Velkan was raised toward the skylight, the vampire smiled, spinning about as if in a dance. Yes, tonight would be glorious indeed.
There was suspicion in Van Helsing's eyes now, as the three of them entered the castle through a small back entrance than Adrian had led them to. Just how much did Tepes know about all this? He knew the secrets of this castle, the secrets of the supernatural, and he seemed to know about things before they were even obviously revealed. His trust for the man was being greatly tested now.
Once inside, their boots splashed in the puddles of water that dotted the floor. The trio quietly moved through into the foyer, and Van Helsing drew out a shotgun from the folds of his coat the moment he heard a low guttural sound that was approaching from one corridor. There was a stench here; the stench of corruption. Dracula was here, no doubt about it. Van Helsing could feel it. Maybe he would be able to finish this faster than expected.
A small creature scurried past from the far end of the hall. Van Helsing was about to aim his weapon when Adrian grabbed him by the arm and shook his head. "Dweger," he said. When Van Helsing gave him a confused look, the man continued to explain. "Trolls, they're servants of Dracula's. Industrious creature, and vicious." He paused a moment. "If you have a chance to kill one, do it, because they will do far worse to you."
"Right."
Another Dweger appeared from the hall, carrying cables as it trailed behind its fellow. One of them grumbled off something, though Van Helsing couldn't understand it. He did, however, understand when the name "Velkan Valerious" was said. It didn't take much to figure it out from there.
"They're using my cousin for something," Anna said with fear in her voice. "Adrian, we have to help him, he's still fighting the sickness!"
"Anna, there is no hope for Velkan!" Adrian hissed. It pained him to say it, but if Van Helsing was in fact wrong about there being a chance, it was best to shatter the illusions now. If it turned out to be otherwise later, then there was nothing to worry about. "We can't save him, but we can at least make sure that he is free of Dracula's grip."
Lightning filled the sky, crackling madly as thunder roared, almost in protest. Yes, even nature tried to defy him, rebel against his will, but Dracula was the master of all things. This storm was his creation, he commanded it, the way he commanded werewolves.
The Dwergi scurried about, tending to the equipment. The balance of forces needed was delicate; one miscalculation, and Velkan might end up just like Nicholas Corvinus, a ruined and burnt corpse. If the man were transformed, then it would not be an issue, but in his human shape, Velkan was still vulnerable to mortal wounds, and death. Such was the problem with a lupus. He didn't trust his luck to lycans, however. They were a natural enemy of vampires, it would do no good trying to recruit one of them. Something to do with vampires being an affront to the natural order, something ridiculous like that. No matter, it was not an issue now.
But what had frustrated the count was that most of Doctor Frankenstein's notes were missing, as were all his journals - an unpleasant surprise, but one that he'd been able to compensate for. The lupus blood in Velkan made him stronger, more durable, and less susceptible to variations in the process.
Electrical power crackled, the dynamos and generators whirling. The chemical vats bubbled. Everything was accelerating, and the time was near. Soon, his plans would come to fruitation
The three came around a huge stone column, now entering a massive hallway chamber. The sight that greeted them was a strange and disturbing one. Hanging from the rafters and the walls were dozens of green pustulus pods, dripping with slime and looking like odd maggots. Anna nearly lost her stomach while Van Helsing merely wrinkled his nose at the smell. Whatever they were, they had a wretched stench.
"Any idea what those things are?" he asked.
Adrian nodded, but the expression said that he wished he hadn't known. "I've got a strong clue," was the man's reply. He glanced to Anna, then to Van Helsing. For a moment, he did not continue his words while they stared about at the cocoons. "Vampiric spawn."
They both looked at him. "Not literally," Adrian added to clarify what he meant. "Vampires are the walking dead, they cannot sire children of their own with other vampires. But these are a creation of Dracula's, there can be no doubt of it."
"For a moment, I thought you were going to bring up his damn brides," Van Helsing remarked while glancing around at the pod, trying to imagine what was inside them. Wires stuck out of the cocoons, electrical wiring, Van Helsing noticed. It meant one thing. "He must be trying to bring them to life." The thought was a disturbing one. "Danesti mentioned that Dracula and his brides only kill one or two people a month." Granted, considering Danesti had been one of Dracula's minions, he wasn't so sure how much he could take that to be the truth. No doubt that man had done his own share of feasting on the people of Tirgoviste and added to that. But now, with this new equation, things changed. "If he brings all these things to life..."
A flash of lightning and a clap of thunder made it that he need not finish those words. The result of such an event was clearly obvious. It didn't take that long for Van Helsing then to break open a box of special shells that Carl had devised. He quickly began loading them into his shotgun, having a gut feeling that they would come in handy.
"What are those?" Anna asked. Van Helsing glanced to her before finishing his load and locking the weapon shut.
"A little gift to Dracula from Carl," he said, tossing a shell to the girl so that she could examine it. He noticed the confusion in her eyes. "Something he calls silver nitrate, supposed to be really nasty when used on werewolves and vampires." He shrugged then. "And anything else you pump it into."
His eyes blazed with pride, victory soon at hand. With a hiss, Dracula slammed down the iron hatch of the chemical tank, securing it tightly. He then turned to his servants. "Let us begin!" he commanded.
Igor and the Dwergi instantly clambered up the scaffolding that hung over the lab to their stations. The storm was growing violently in power, and even now, rain was pouring in through the shattered skylight. Brilliant flashes of lightning split the sky while terrible peals of thunder tore the air. It was the beginning of a new era, his era, and the feeling was exhilarating.
A bolt struck down, slamming into the conductor above the pod. Dracula could even now imagine the electricity that must be flowing into Velkan's body. It would be painful, and the thought gave him a twinge of pleasure. Moments later, the surge of energy burst down and flowed through the wiring that lead deep into the castle's depths.
His age had begun.
Van Helsing reached for one of the cocoons. As he touched it, he made a disgusted face at the squishing sound that was made when his hand made contact with the slime coating the pod. "Disgusting," he muttered.
A crash from above. He knew that sound, and quickly pulled away in time as the surge of electricity flow down through the ceiling, coursing the wires and striking the cocoons. They started to pulsate, giving them the indication that Dracula's plan was commencing. However, Van Helsing took the chance to pull open one of the pod. His nose wrinkled at the smell while he fought the urge to pull his hand away as a flood of fluid came spilling out through the hole he had made.
Anna looked over, obviously looking sick. "What are you doing?" she asked while holding her left hand over her mouth to block the stench.
"I want to see what we're up against," he replied. He glanced back and noticed something; Adrian was gone. Where had he gone, and why? Surely, he hadn't left to chase after Dracula himself, it was madness. But Tepes did seem to know what he was doing.
Retuning to his task, Van Helsing reached in and pulled out a hand-full of thick goop from in the cocoon. He tossed it aside, repeating and empting the pod of fluid until he touched something solid. His hand peeled away more of the pod shell, and he could see now what it was inside. "So this is what you get," he muttered to himself, "when vampires can't mate."
It was a small gray-skinned bat-like creature, with a squat human-like face, large lidless black eyes, and a hairless pig-snout. It resembled the brides in their demon forms except smaller, more stocky. In fact, it somewhat resembled a pygmy gargoyle.
The creature suddenly snapped to life, hissing at him viciously. He backed away, but it didn't follow. Obviously, that first bolt wasn't enough to fully give these horrible creatures life, only enough to be aware of things. That changed as a second flash and boom sent another surge flowing down. The electrical crackling caused the pods to explode, releasing the creatures out into the air. Van Helsing quickly pulled Anna about and hid behind a column when he heard a noise from above. For the moment, they were safe, and he could see the two remaining brides stepping out onto a balcony high up, along with a man clad in black.
He narrowed his eyes as there was a flash in his mind. Not just a recall of his briefing, but something deeper, more rooted in his past. The features did not have the beard as in the briefing, but it was the same man, he knew it, felt it. It was Dracula, and Van Helsing at last knew the face of his enemy, the face that was haunting him.
Suddenly, he heard something. Dracula was talking with his brides, telling them to lead these vampiric creatures, to teach them to feed. The city, his mind rang in fear. The brides leapt from the balcony, screaming in joy before transforming and flying up to lead the pygmy creatures towards the sky.
His shotgun was readied, the first round pumped into the chamber, and Van Helsing stepped out while the pygmies flew towards the now shattered skylight. "This is where I come in!" he yelled, aiming and firing a round off. The silver nitrate splattered into his target, and the pygmy vampire screeched before exploding into slime. Very nasty reaction.
Carl's invention had worked perfectly in the test, and thusly, Van Helsing turned about to fire round after round, killing the creatures even as they flew to escape. He turned about, eyes trained on one in particular, and as he fired, he noticed that Dracula was glaring down at him. Good, exactly what he wanted. "Now that I have your attention," Van Helsing quipped, pumping the action once more to expel the last empty shell.
There was an angry hiss, and Dracula leapt from the balcony, roaring furiously as he made the drop. It was then that Van Helsing realized garnering Dracula's attention might not have been the best idea. He and Anna ran while Dracula, now transformed, began to cause massive gale winds with the beating of his wings. Pieces of equipment designed to relay the life-giving electrical energy into the pods were flung about, sparking madly while the humans raced to escape. Anna managed to get to a doorway that looked to lead up into the watchtower. Van Helsing was tempted to follow, but she was safer if he kept Dracula busy. Besides, Adrian had said the vampire was after her for some reason. Best to keep him here while she went to save her cousin.
As suddenly it had begun, the winds died, and Van Helsing hid behind a pillar while he watched Dracula's shadow land, reshaping to look like a man. The vampire's voice echoed through the hall. "I can tell the character of a man," he began, walking on the stone floor. "Judge his spirit by the sound of his heartbeat." Dracula chuckled, now slapping his hands together, slow at first, then progressively faster. "Usually when I approach, I can almost dance to the beat!" he stated, his hands quickly slowing to a calm pulse, then stopping. "Strange...that yours is so calm, so fluid." He paused a moment. Surely, he couldn't be hearing what met his ears. "No, more like, a chorus of voices," the vampire whispered.
A chorus? Van Helsing pondered what Dracula had meant by that. Of course he had a heartbeat, he was like any man. But something was odd about it; he didn't feel it pounding, racing along. In fact, he felt nothing but utter calm.
Carl thought he could spend the rest of his days here in Corvinus Manor. He was in the library, sitting in front of a window that looked out toward the castle. There were books here that even the Vatican didn't have. Incredible volumes, telling of much of the lost secrets of an ancient world. Folklore, ancient mathematics, spirituality...he'd even found a book that described the original purpose of magicks, as a benevolent art for defense and healing. And it did detail a reliance on a caring deity, most obviously referring to the Christian God. It was a wonder why the Church objected to the mystical arts after seeing this. No doubt this was how Adrian had become such an accomplished magus.
Almost hating to spoil the pristine order of the collections, Carl had arranged the materials he needed as carefully as he could, stacking them on the large table he was using as a desk. Right now, he was looking through a tome that told some history about the days of Dracula. Most definitely of use in their task, so he'd assumed. But so far, it mostly detailed his history as a man and the reign of terror he'd spread once he became a vampire. The, he found something interesting.
"'By half-damned blood,'" he recited from the poem he was reading. "'A pure soul can carry his curse, yet walk the day and suffer not his pain. But blessed by God and born to a mother's love, by the blood of the son shall the dead's rule be undone.'"
What did it mean, Carl was not sure. Surely, it had something to do with someone who had been damned by God, but then why then was this pure soul who carried that curse blessed by God as well? And what was this about 'born to a mother's love'? Clearly this would require much research.
He picked up another book, starting to read through its contents. Now this was worth the read; lore of the Roma Gypsies, detailing the vampire. He had just come to a page that started talking about something called a "dunpeal" when he heard a skittering noise from outside. He stood up, looked out the window, and saw a mass of what looked to be bats coming from the castle. "What the..."
Something hit the window, and Carl saw clearly what the bats were; gargoylish creatures, with long canines that were obviously intended for piercing skin and drinking blood. He noticed then Dracula's brides soaring through the air, and there was no doubt in Carl's mind what was going on.
"Bloody hell!" he roared, now grabbing his coat and racing out of the library. As he ran to head for the city, Carl shouted to the servants to stay inside, and though he would be safest following his own advice, he was an agent of the Templar, and with Van Helsing gone, he had a duty to help those people in Tirgoviste as best he could.
Besides, Van Helsing wasn't the only one who could show his prowess. Carl had proven a few times that he had his own combat skills, and while he didn't have Van Helsing's training, he was competent enough to hold his own. After all, what point was there in being a weapons designer if you didn't know how to use the devices you created?
He ran into the city, arriving not too long before the vampire creatures. People had just come out of the pub to head home for the night, but were now staring at the swarm which was flying from the castle. "Oh, bloody hell indeed," Carl intoned as the creatures and the brides arrived, everyone panicking and running to escape.
His eyes caught sight of the pub barmaid, and he ran over, grabbing her by the arm and pulling her to safety while a group of the pygmies flew by. She was in hysterics, breathing heavily while he was nothing but the utmost calm. His mind was running through thoughts of how peculiar these people of Tirgoviste acted. After having lived in the shadow of the vampires for this long, one would think they'd learned not to gawk and stare when something obviously not natural came from that blasted castle.
The bats were grabbing people, pulling them into the air and carrying them away. Carl recognized two things about these creatures now; there was a god-awful horde of them, and they were strong. And alone, there was no way he could do a whole lot of good.
"Where's that damn Van Helsing when you really need him?"