And here we are with chapter 37. Sorry it took so long to update but I was uninspired for a spell then when I was inspired I happened to be away from a computer so I wrote it all down then had to go and type it up. But enough with the excuses, on to the review.

Kaiya- Yes, Loki is back and that is usually not a good thing.

'I like it, I love it, I want some more of it, I try so hard but I can't seem to get enough of it…' That song is so dirty it's not even funny. But your comment 'I like and want more of it' reminded be of it.

Yes the sequel will come… eventually.

On with the chapter!

Well that's one problem solved
It was all a blur to Van. One minute there was peace, the next complete confusion. He had helped Dracula up then drew his sword as Loki attacked. The deranged god was screeching about his son. Van whipped the blade around and plunged it forward, into the god's chest. Loki spun around wildly, blood dripping everywhere. The Valkyrie where attacking in earnest now. Why exactly, Van couldn't figure out. As far as he could tell they had the advantage, knowledge of the land, weapons, super human powers etc.

Dracula smirked as he saw the Valkyrie backing off.

"Press on!" He yelled, hopping that the men would get the general gist of the idea. They did and put more effort into battling the last of the Valkyrie.

The sound of swords clashing died down as the last few Valkyrie disappeared. The men went quiet, there bodies tense and ready for another attack. It didn't come. A few minutes passed before they relaxed.

Dracula pushed through the crowd, trying to find Van. After locating him and Carl he turned his attention to the large group. They had been lucky, only a few dead and very few wounded. He knew that the next time they might not be as lucky.

A few hours later the weary men had managed to make camp. Dracula and Van did their best to comfort the men, but it was hard, as they did not speak the language (that usually comes in handy)

"Well… that was unexpected." Murmured Dracula as he plopped himself down next to Van. The monster hunter nodded and leaned against Dracula. "You ok?" The Vampire inquired.

"I'm fine, just tired." Van paused and chucked a small rock into the fire, sending sparks scattering. "I'm not sure what I'm going to do after this." He said softly. Dracula raised an eyebrow.

"What do you mean Gabriel?" The man shifted his weight and sat up.

"I mean my job. If what you say is correct then I have reason to believe that the church isn't going to welcome me back with open arms." Comprehension dawned on Dracula's face.

"Of course." He said while nodding. "Just take it as it come Gabriel, just take it as it comes." His Eyes drifted over to the horizon, small wisps of sunlight where creeping over the trees.

By noon they where on the move again, pushing through the dense foliage. The wounded where being carried and the dead had been buried. A tense silence had fallen over the group. Muscles where coiled, ready for ambush.

After a few hours of dreary marching Van called for a break. (Well, more or less waved franticly and indicated that they where to sit and rest)

Carl walked over and dropped himself next to Van and Dracula. "Where are we going exactly?" he asked. Van looked up and shrugged.

"The old maps we have are useless, the land has changed." He paused then stood. "Come with me Carl I need to speak with you." Carl raised an eyebrow but complied. Dracula turned and looked at him with something akin to disgust.

The two wondered away from the main camp. Van scowled, wondering how to fraise his question. After much internal debate he decided to take the side road in.

"Are you still in correspondence with the church?" Van asked as he leaned against a tree. Carl's face was pale, whether from the cold or from the question Van didn't know.

"Yes." The friar replied shakily. Van nodded to himself, trying not to show his emotions.

"What have you been telling them?" He asked. Carl seemed to fidget more than before.

"Just that we are after the Valkyrie and that type stuff."

Van began to pace. His fingers where in front of him in a steeple and he drummed them together. "No mentions of Dracula? How about me? Did you tell them anything of that nature?" His voice was low and eyes cold as he regarded the friar.

"N- no. No I haven't said anything." Carl gulped and swung his gave to the ground.

"Well that's odd, because Dracula seems to be under the impression that you have let some things slip." Carl shook his head fervently.

"I haven't said anything!" He paused, "don't you trust me?" Van turned and shook his head wearily.

"Sometimes I don't know who to trust." His voice was thick with fatigue. Carl peered at his face, worry etched on his brow. The two stood in silence, only the wind for company. Van finally turned and headed back to camp. Carl scowled into the darkness before following Van.

The next morning was not a chipper occasion for anyone. Van winced as the scouts came back into camp. They where not in the…best shape. Even a blind man could tell what Loki and Valkyrie where trying to say.

The two men where tied to their horses, each worse for wear. One man's eyes had been ripped out; blood was dried and cracked on his skin, tendons handing from the empty sockets. His arms where a bloody mess, in certain areas bits of white could be scene. It took van a few minutes to realize that the man had been skinned and that the white was his bone showing through the carved flesh.

The other man had needles sticking out of his eyes and his nose was missing. But Van could tell that it had been hacked off with a dull blade. His arms where broken and twisted around backward where they where sewn into his lower back. He had been scalped, bits of raggedy flesh hung off his head.

Van suppressed a shudder and motioned for them to be brought down. The two men lay moaning on the ground, the snow around them turning into a pink slush.

Dracula walked over and stared at them calmly. He didn't bat an eye when one of the men began throwing up his own intestines and other bodily organs.

"Kill them Gabriel." He whispered. Van stayed frozen to his spot. "Fine, I will." With one swift movement Dracula had drawn his sword and severed both of the men's heads.

Van scowled and turned away, it was wrong to him. But he knew that killing them was the merciful thing to do.

The men where buried outside of camp in shallow graves made of snow as the ground was frozen and no one could get a shovel into it.

No one said anything for the rest of the night, unspoken knowledge that they where being watched kept them all still.

Morning dawned and they broke camp as soon as everyone was up, not even stopping for breakfast. Most men where distracted their thoughts drifting to the previous night's events.

The attack came from the left; two men flew through the air and landed against a tree with a sickening crunch. People grabbed their weapons and rushed forward, attacking their foe as quickly as possible. The Valkyrie fought back with astounding ferocity.

Van whipped his sword and thrust it into the nearest one; she screeched and fell back. He whirled around in circles, trying to keep the fiends from attacking his back. Eventually he bumped against a man and they unanimously agreed to fight back to back. (Ah the wonders of eye language)

The battle raged on for hours, screams of the dying filled the air and the stench of blood was thick. The ground had turned to slush under to many feet.

Dracula grunted as he threw himself at his enemy again. Loki just laughed and moved out of the way while sending a jarring blow in Dracula's direction. The Romanian Prince scowled and picked himself up again and stood still, eyeing his opponent.

"You vill not vin my child." Loki purred as he plastered a manacle grin on his face. Dracula snorted and took a step forward, relishing the adrenaline rush.

"I will win you deranged thing." Dracula growled as he threw himself forward but as Loki stepped aside Dracula transformed and shoved his hand through the God's stomach. Loki blanched as he was thrown down to the ground. A split second later Dracula was on top of him, back in human form, and stabbing him repetitively.

"You fool." Loki managed to say through the blood in his mouth. "You can not kill me like this, stupid-" his sentence was never finished. In a blinding light he disappeared. Though Dracula swore he heard someone say 'It's time to leave them brother.' But he never knew for sure.

Dracula stood and glanced around, the Valkyrie where slowly being turned into either, water, flame, dirt, or just disappearing all together.

Van stumbled across the field towards Dracula, a look of amazement on his face. "What the hell just happened?" He whispered. Dracula just shrugged helplessly and turned to face the group of stunned men. Suddenly unanimous shouting went up, people threw hats up into the air and danced around as best as they could.

"So, they just disappeared?" Carl asked as he and Van helped bury the bodies of the fallen men. An euphoric joy had settled upon them and nothing could break the mood. Not even the set of hoof tracks that where placed just beyond the clearing.

"Yes I believe so…" A smile perched itself on Van's lips. "It's over, it's finally over."

TBC
Ok I am not quiet done yet, a few things to tie up then a break and then the sequel.

Dracula: Well that was random.

Napoleon: And now you finish with the climax, 37 chapters later.

Shush. I'm not sure how long the sequel will be, and if I get it up before summer it won't be updated for long periods of time as I am going to be away for most of it. Hopefully I will get good story fodder.

Hope you all liked the chapter, I am sorry about the rush to end the fight but I was getting tired and didn't feel like writing pure gore. (Had enough of it earlier)

The gore part with the two messenger/scout people, credit should not go to me for torture idea's, they where all my friend's. (Don't ask, it's better not to.)

Dracula: I say they should have been impaled.

Napoleon: Or poisoned to death slowly.

…You two are demented. But that's besides the point. Please review!