Disclaimer: I don't own anything associated to Castlevania. Konami has that honor. The original characters and story belong to me.

Castlevania

Millennium

By: Striker

Chapter Two: Training

Gregory sighed with relief as Alucard led the Belmonts and their friends into the church. He approached them and began to speak. "It's fortunate that you were not killed. Now we may stand a chance against Dracula. We must immediately commence with your training if you are to defend yourselves against Dracula's onslaught. I trust that your friends will accompany you as well, so they will be trained with you. In the past the Belmonts relied on allies to assist them as well, for this is one battle that can not be won alone."

"I only have one question." Craig said. "You're all vampires and our family kills your kind. Why the hell are you helping us?"

"To ensure the survival of our kind." Gregory replied. "It is true that in the past we vampires sought to rule over mankind. Many of us saw Dracula as our savior, a man that would lead us to greatness. However, there were those that hated him since he was neither born nor made a vampire by normal means. As I told you before Dracula was made a vampire by using the crimson stone, one of the four stones of alchemy. Because of how he got his powers some would not follow him, but the rest did. We honestly believed that we were so close to taking over this world. But as with anything time has changed our views. Back then we were many, but as time wore on we became few. We are victims of our own greed. The more we tried to enslave humanity the more humans resisted and hunted us down. While the Belmont family was concerned primarily with Dracula, they and other vampire hunters destroyed many of us. Fortunately my kind has learned from our grievous mistakes. We wish only to exist with humanity, not against it. Now we live in the fringes of human society coexisting with your kind. Our survival is aided by the belief that vampires are a product of movies or novels. These days we work amongst you, live amongst you, all without you knowing. There are a few people who know of our existents and help us to secure the blood we need from blood banks and slaughterhouses. Most of us have become used to animal blood and some will not drink human blood at all. There are some who will not drink from a human even if their life depends on it. As you can see we are far different from what we used to be. Only through these changes to our society in the past hundred years have we managed to survive."

"So why would you want to stop Dracula?" Kristy asked. "Wouldn't you be happy that he's back?"

"He's as much a threat to vampires and he is to humans." Alucard answered. "My father is set on conquering the world. He will try to rally all vampires to his cause and expose them to the world, undoing all that they have done to survive. While there are a few who would follow, not all vampires wish for war as it would lead to the destruction of their species as well as you humans. In fact, my father would probably see them as weak and kill them himself. Things have changed since the last time my father was awake. Humanity is not equipped or prepared to oppose him. You are the only ones who can."

Gregory turned to Alucard. "I believe it is time to give him the whip."

Alucard nodded. "It is time for you to accept your destiny Eric." Alucard motioned to the vampires standing next near him. Sophia, Reis, and Drew each brought out a case. "Within each of these cases are weapons made to eliminate Dracula and his army. You will be trained on how to use them." Reis stepped towards Eric and opened his case. Inside was a whip. "This whip has been passed down through your family since your ancestor Leon Belmont first used it to slay another vampire." Alucard said. "The Vampire Killer Whip has been passed on to the person most worthy of the Belmonts to wield it. As the oldest child you were going to be trained in how to use it. Take it now and become its master."

Eric took the whip and held it close to his face to examine it. As he held it he felt a surge of power go through him. "What the hell was that?"

"The whip holds great power." Gregory said. "It contains chaotic energy lethal to us. Alucard himself has felt its power on several occasions. It will serve you well."

"What about us?" Cheryl asked.

"What are you going to give us?" Craig added.

Sophia stepped forward. "See for yourself." She and Drew opened their cases. Inside there were a broadsword and a pair of short swords. Both had shining silver blades.

Alucard motioned for Cheryl and Craig to take them. "The Belmont who was destined to receive the Vampire Killer Whip first trained with these. These swords were crafted from silver than had been mixed with Belmont blood. While anyone can use them their true power will only come out if a Belmont wields them. These will now be your weapons."

Craig took the broadsword and stepped back before swinging it. "This thing's light. I thought it would be heavy."

Cheryl took the short swords. "So if we get these, what do our friends get?"

"That will be decided later." Gregory said.

"I don't think Amanda needs a weapon." Paul said. "She has those magic missiles."

Gregory turned to Amanda. "Is that true?" Amanda replied by nodding. Gregory pointed towards a candelabrum. "Would you mind demonstrating?" Amanda held out her hand. It soon began to glow. She fired a bolt at the candelabrum, destroying it.

Sophia whistled. "She may be related to Carrie Fernandez."

"Who is she?" Amanda asked.

"One of the people who fought against Dracula and aided the Belmonts." Alucard said. "She had powerful magical abilities. It's possible that you might share her blood or that it may come from a different family. Whatever the case your magic may be useful to us."

"So when does the training begin?" Eric asked.

"We leave tonight for your training grounds." Gregory said. "I will accompany you, as well Sophia, Reis, and Drew. We will lend our power to help you. It will be difficult, so be prepared for anything."

The group prepared to leave, unaware that a pair of crows with blood-red eyes was watching their every move.

"I told you to ensure that none survived!" Dracula bellowed. He stormed back and forth through the cold, dark crypt. "The Belmont line still lives on. If I am to conquer this world I can not have any Belmont still breathing. Explain to me how you could have failed at such a simple task?" He stopped and leaned against the stone wall.

"You are still weak from your slumber." Death coolly said. "You should rest until your strength returns to your body."

Dracula glared at his henchman. "How can I rest when I know that my most hated enemy still lives? For almost a millennium I have tried to fulfill my dreams. Each time those cursed Belmonts rob me of it. And now the perfect moment to strike has been lost because of your incompetence. How could you let them escape?"

His generals cowered before Dracula's rage. Death stood next to Medusa, the Death Knight, the Bone Dragon, the Minotaur, and the Succubus. The Minotaur spoke first. "When we arrived the children were not there. We searched the grounds but found no trace of them."

"They must have been warned by someone." The Death Knight said in a low, hollow voice. "We believe that it may have been Alucard."

"Alucard." Dracula spat with disdain. "My beloved son has opposed me again. His bleeding heart for humanity sickens me. If only he would come to his senses we could rule as father and son."

"His human side has corrupted him." Death said. "A curse he has inherited from his human mother. You should have killed her when you had the chance."

Dracula straightened and pointed at Death. "Never talk that way about one of the only women I ever loved. I will never forget how she was taken away from me by people serving God's will. He has taken everything from me, and so I shall cover this land in darkness. But as long as a single Belmont lives I will never achieve that."

Medusa slithered towards him. "Fear not my lord, for they are weak and untrained. They shall be easy to kill." The Bone Dragon growled in agreement.

"During my time in the Belmont mansion the children were never even told about their bloodline." The Succubus said. She flew across the room and landed next to Dracula. She hung over his shoulder and stroked his face. "They will be killed in due time. Not even your son will stop us."

Dracula shoved the Succubus off of him. "Do not take them so lightly. Many a time I believed that my plans would work, but each time the Belmont family survived. The time for that has passed. The only way to make sure my enemies are crushed is to kill them. All of you have tasted the Belmont clans' fury before. You should not underestimate them now."

"But my lord, they have no training." The Minotaur said. "They shall fall."

"Fool." Death replied. "Alucard has already warned them. He will no doubt begin to train them. Our time to destroy them is quickly slipping away. He may even have allies that we don't know about."

The Death Knight chuckled. "We shall soon see. I left my spies at the mansion in case the Belmont children were foolish enough to return. We will know soon enough who is assisting them."

Dracula smiled wickedly. "If they did it may serve us well. The Belmonts may act out of anger and attack us before they are ready. We may use that to our advantage."

Suddenly one of the crows flew into the room. "My spy returns." The Death Knight said. The crow landed on his shoulder. After listening to its report he turned to Dracula. "My lord, it seems that your son had help from other vampires. The Belmonts were also given the weapons, including the whip."

What was left of Dracula's good mode dissipated? "They have the whip? Who gave it to them?"

"It seems that Alucard was in possession of it." The Death Knight hesitantly replied. "He is being assisted by a vampire named Gregory. One of their group also has magical powers."

"It is a sad truth, but most vampires in this time wish to live with the humans." Medusa said. "Things have changed from the time you last walked this Earth."

Dracula hung his head. "Betrayed by my own kind. It won't matter; I will destroy the Belmonts and any who get in my way. Nothing will stop me this time."

"My other spy will follow them and find out where they are going." The Death Knight said. "When we learn where they are what should we do?"

"I will not allow them to get any stronger." Dracula said. "However, we can't risk attacking them directly and lose the element of surprise. We will let them reveal their weakness to us. Watch them, and when they let their guard down we will eliminate them."

The mid-morning sun shone upon the training facility Gregory had provided. There were several large buildings forming a C shape. A wall ran along the parameter of the grounds with a gate that opened onto a private road. The largest building in the center of the formation was reserved for meetings and served as the mess hall. The long building to its right contained the living quarters for everyone. At the end opposite the main building was a garage for several vehicles. The last building to the left of the main building had a gym and recreational facilities. The driveway leading from the gate split with one road leading behind the rec. building for deliveries and the other road lead up to the garage. In the center was the training field. Here the Belmonts and their allies trained.

Eric was practicing with his whip. He struck several candles, taking out the flames. Cheryl and Craig practiced against sparing partners. The training facility had a large staff that was hired by Gregory to help in the training as well as run the facilities. Elsewhere in the field Amanda practiced shooting down clay disks shot by one of the staff. Paul and Kristy were training with the weapons they had been given. Paul practiced with his ax, smashing plastic targets. Kristy spared with a trainer with her lance. All the while Alucard monitored their progress. He got them up before dawn every day and trained them into the night. It was a difficult regime, but Alucard knew it would pay off. The team had little time off, thought Alucard did give them time to rest and relax. After weeks of training the Belmont team had begun to show results.

Inside the rec. building Sophia, Drew, and Reis also trained. They couldn't go out into the sun, so they trained indoors during the day. Sophia practiced with her weapon, a circular shaped throwing blade. She sliced up several pots with her blade. Reis meanwhile practiced with his mace. He smashed several stone blocks, barely breaking a sweat. Drew practiced with a set of hand claws. He had finished cutting through some boards and was now practicing his different strikes.

Reis slammed his mace into the floor, cracking the ground and shaking the room. "Any of you think that we don't need training? I think that all we're doing is playing bodyguard to those kids."

The vibrations from Reis's mace caused Sophia to miss her target. "Dammit Reis, why do you have to be such an asshole?"

"Alucard has us training night and day." Reis said. "Why the hell is that?"

"Because we need less sleep than the humans." Drew replied.

Reis stared at Drew with an expressionless look. "That's not what I mean. Why are we going thought this? Alucard continuously works us every day. No one told me this was going to happen when I agreed to help those Belmonts."

Sophia put her hands on her hips and raised her eyebrow. "Are you questioning Gregory's wishes?"

Reis shook his head. "I would never question him. It's because of him that we're alive. What I am saying is that we're not the ones who need training, those infants do."

"You're just pissed because that guy with the ax almost took off your pretty little head." Drew mockingly said. "Come to think of it that one chick almost turned me into a kebob with that spear."

"I'm impressed that they have gotten this good in a short time." Sophia said. "They appear to be natural fighters. It must really be destiny that they came together."

"We'll see what happens when they get into a real battle." Reis said. "I'm taking a break. If Alucard complains, tell him I don't care."

Drew watched Reis leave the room. "What crawled up his ass?"

"He's always been that way." Sophia said. "We better get back to work."

Craig sat down and yawned. He had just beat his sparing partner and decided to take a break. "I'm beat. I know we have to get good with these weapons so we can kick Dracula's ass but we need a day off."

"Quit your complaining." Cheryl said, avoiding a jab from her sparing partner and parrying another. "Alucard said that we need to get better or we won't stand a chance against him or any of his servants."

"Craig's right. We've been at this for the past month and we haven't had a single break." Paul said. He set down his ax and turned to Alucard. "Hey, why don't you give us a vacation? We're not slaves you know."

Kristy leaned on her lance. "For once I have to agree with Paul. We're not machines. If you keep pushing us this hard we're going to get worn out."

Alucard crossed his arms and closed his eyes. "We will continue your training. You must be ready to battle my father's army at any time. To do that you must be better than you are now."

"All we want is one day or two to relax without having to run five miles." Craig said. "We're human; we need to have a little fun once and a while."

"You can't afford to have fun." Alucard replied, staring blankly at Craig. "You must keep your guard up at all times. My father is still hunting you and he will do whatever it takes to kill you before you get strong enough to defeat him. All he needs is one opportunity and you're all dead." A whistle blew signifying that it was time for lunch. "Get something to eat and get back to your training." Alucard headed for the main building before Eric stopped him.

"I understand that you've had experience fighting Dracula, but maybe you are pushing us too much. We need time to rest. Maybe we can have just one day of no training so we can recover. If we don't I'm afraid one or all of us are going to burn out and break down. I believe we can afford a vacation. And if Dracula does attack we'll be ready for anything he throws at us."

Alucard shook his head. "Others of your family made the mistake of underestimating my father. They though they could deal with any of Dracula's plans. My father is a master of taking advantage of people who think that way. He uses their confidence against them, luring them into a false sense of security before striking. With him trying to kill you and your siblings before you can be a threat to him we must be extremely careful. We'll continue as we have. You still have a long way to go before you can face him."

"I think you just worry too much." Eric said as he left to join the others.

"In time you will see for yourself how dangerous my father can really be." Alucard said to himself as he watched Eric leave.

Alucard entered the main building and headed for his meditation room. As he walked down the hall he passed by Gregory. "Don't you think you're being too strict with them?"

Alucard turned to Gregory. "They must be ready. I can not go easy on them. They don't have the luxury of time that their ancestors did. My father wants to ensure that there will be no one to stop him."

"Their skills have improved considerably over the past few weeks that they have been here." Gregory said. "They may be ready to fight sooner than we expect. Maybe they have earned the right to have time to do what they want. They are after all still children to us. Even Reis and the others need personal time."

"I see what you are saying, but now is not the time to be lenient." Alucard replied. "My father won't."

Gregory signed. "I understand how you want so much to see your father defeated for good. I also notice how you distance yourself from the others. By this action you make these people believe that you only see them as students and not as friends. I know how you despise your vampire side and how you hate to establish bonds with others. Become their friend and stop being so demanding. In time they will be ready. Till then show them that you are more than just a teacher."

Alucard stood a moment and thought about what Gregory had said. "I'll think about it. But you are wrong in one respect. I do care for their safety. The Belmonts that I have fought beside were the only humans who saw me not as a mere Dhampir but a friend. I will help this generation of Belmonts just as I have the generations before them. And I will make sure that this cursed bloodline ends with my father and me."

Gregory watched Alucard leave. "I know you will." With that Gregory turned and walked away.

Alucard entered the mess hall and walked up to Eric and his party. The other vampires were sitting with them. "I've though about your request and I believe that you are right. You will have the rest of the day to yourselves. All I ask is that you stay on the property and do not travel outside the walls. We will continue your training tomorrow."

Alucard turned and left the room, leaving the others confused. "What just happened?" Paul asked. "Did he just say we don't have to do any more training today?"

"That's exactly what he said dumbass." Kristy said. "So what do you guys want to do?"

"How about we watch some movies." Cheryl offered. "This place is stocked."

"I'm going to sleep." Craig said.

Drew scoffed. "Don't tell me that's what you plan on doing. I say we paint the town red."

"Alucard doesn't want us leaving this place." Cheryl said. "If we do we'll get in trouble and then things will be worse."

"Dracula won't send his peons to attack us while we're in public." Paul said. "Besides, we'll just be extra careful."

Sophia nodded in agreement. "We'll come with you. With us around you should be safe. Just don't talk to strangers."

Eric didn't like the idea. "I don't think we should go out to the city. As much as I'd like to it sounds too risky."

Amanda slapped him on the shoulder. "Come on, we've been cooped up here forever. It'll do us some good to get out of here."

"Don't be a buzz kill." Kristy said. "We'll only be gone for a few hours. We'll be back before Alucard even knows we're gone."

"Fine, we'll go." Eric said. "What time are we going to leave?"

"As soon as it gets dark." Sophia replied.

Drew clapped his hands together. "Finally, some real fun. Hey Reis, you coming with us?"

Reis stood up. "Unlike you I don't need to go anywhere. Do what you want; I'll be in my room." Reis left as the others kept talking about their trip to the city. "I have a feeling that this is going to lead to some real trouble." He said to himself.

Author's notes: Well, this chapter is done. Looks like our heroes are about to head out for a night on the town. You know that that can only lead to trouble. The enemies have also been revealed. Basically I took all the heavy hitters from the series and grouped them together, though I don't think the Bone Dragon is based off another boss character. In any case this story will continue. I hope you all enjoy it. See you later.

"Children of the night, what a mess they make."

Dracula, "Dracula, Dead and Loving It."