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Over the River and Through the Woods….To Another World We Go
"Aargh!" Maria groaned as she thrashed at a monster. "Where the heck did these come from?"
Alucard did not answer as he fought back against the surge of monsters.
"There are so many! How do we hold them off?" Maria asked as she continued fighting. She dodged as an arrow shot at her. Skeleton archers…drat…
They cleared the forest and retreated to a clearing; the edge of the forest. Many monsters were still lurking in the forest, and the two were nowhere near town. They trudged out of the forest and found themselves in an area with canyons and mountains.
"Where are we?" Maria asked.
Alucard looked around intently. "I have no idea."
Maria looked around as well. "Wait, look over there! What is that?" She pointed at something in the side of a mountain.
Alucard's eyes narrowed. "It seems as ruins."
"Let's take a look!" Maria said. "It might be something to look at in this messed up place anyway."
"Right…" Alucard scoffed and followed Maria.
***
Alucard stared at the ruins. "A castle?"
Maria giggled. "Oh, this must be the castle that those people were excavating. Look at the tools lying around here."
"What is so appealing about these ruins that they might excavate it?" Alucard asked.
"Well, it's old, and people like to explore antiques," Maria answered.
Alucard sighed. "This castle is rather strange, lying here." He knelt down and picked up something that glimmered slightly on the ground. It was a tarnished mirror. "How strange indeed."
"A mirror? Oh! Can I see if my hair is alright?" Maria asked.
Alucard scoffed. "Can't do anything harm, can it?"
"Of course not! It's only a mirror!" Maria grabbed the mirror and looked at her reflection. She made a face. "Alucard, why didn't you tell me that I looked so horrible? My hair, it's all messed up! I have dark circles under my eyes! How'd that happen? I'm not that tired!" Maria looked at Alucard.
Alucard raised an eyebrow. "You don't look horrible." He glanced at the mirror. "Maria…drop the mirror…"
"Why?" Maria asked. She stared at him.
A hand was reaching out of the mirror. "NOW, MARIA!"
Maria stared at Alucard blankly. She looked at the mirror and gasped. "What?"
Alucard muttered something under his breath and slashed at the mirror, spreading its shards all over the ground. "No harm, hmm? I was deadly wrong."
Maria glanced at the broken handle in her hand. "Uh…"
"Come on, Maria. It was only a dangerous tarnished mirror." Alucard scoffed.
Suddenly, there was a rumbling. Alucard and Maria braced themselves on the ground. The castle was rising. Its dark spires glistened in the moonlight.
"Watch out!" Maria and Alucard moved quickly as a spire broke the ground under them. "That was close…"
Its manner foreboding and ominous, the castle rose until it was halfway out of the ground. A gate opened in front of the two, revealing darkness inside. Maria and Alucard stared at it. There was a dim light somewhere beyond the darkness. Everything was silent.
"Are you thinking what I'm thinking?" Maria asked as she stared at the gate.
Alucard nodded. "Let's go." He walked through the gate with Maria behind him. There was barely any light. Only with his night vision could Alucard see anything.
The gate slammed closed behind them.
"We're trapped," Maria whined.
"We'll be fine. We've been through this many times." Alucard walked forward. "Follow closely behind me." He squinted. The room…it was very bizarre. It was empty. He walked through another door way. He stopped. The ground was soft, resembling earth. He bent down and touched it. It was dirt. A graveyard?, he mused. No. There were no headstones. He looked beyond toward the light. There was a river with a boat. Next to the boat was a hooded man. The Boatman? He walked toward the figure.
"Would you like me to row you across?" the hooded figure asked.
"Answer me some questions first. Where are we?" Alucard asked.
"Where? That is a good question. Simply, you are where you were not. That is all there is to it."
"What?" Maria frowned. "What's that supposed to mean?"
"Are we not in the castle?" Alucard inquired.
"You are but are not," the hooded man answered.
"We're not, but we are. We're inside of somewhere else inside the castle. That's the only explanation that I can think of," Alucard said to Maria.
"This is the river Styx. I must have your fares in gold to row you across," the boatman stated.
"Very well. How much gold?"
"All that you possess."
"Boatman, we'd rather swim the river than give you all our money," Maria declared.
"…Maria, we don't have any gold," Alucard said softly.
The boatman heard. "I cannot row you across then though it would suit you better to stay here than there."
"The river isn't that wide, Maria. I will carry you across so you don't get your feet wet. Rather, we'll jump over. The water seems a bit fishy."
Maria looked at Alucard and then at the boatman. "That's right. We don't need you!"
"Shall we strike a deal, boatman? Row us a cross and we will return with gold," Alucard said.
The boatman chuckled. "I am your friend here. Do not cross. Beyond here is death."
"I do not mind wading in blood. I am a dhampire after all," Alucard replied.
"Alucard, the young master, eh? I will row you and your friend across then, but don't come crying back to me for help."
"Thank you, kind sir," Alucard said.
The boatman nodded and beckoned to the boat. Alucard and Maria boarded. They crossed silently. The boatman bade them farewell when they stepped onto the other side. Alucard thanked him, and they were on their way.
"We're not really in the old castles, are we?" Maria asked.
"No, this is ….different."