Something in Common
By The Unseen Watcher
Vampire Hunter D and Castlvania are not owned, operated, or are even aware of me. The storyline, however, I made up. Thanks to all who support me.
Chapter 7
--------------------
Alucard decided to be the bait, diving into the room and rolling to his feet. Moving quickly, he headed for toward the right, head low. D followed in a similar fashion, but moved to the left.
A distant roar, like the blades of a huge fan, rumbled through the room. The sound soon became discernable as the beating of enormous wings as something quite large dropped from above. Bat-like wings glistened greasily in the light, their span stretching across most of the room.
The huge monster landed hard enough to buckle the stones under its three- toed feet. The walls shook with the aftershocks and plaster fell.
The two hunters kept their feet.
The creature towered over them, a mass of bulging muscle under a green- tinged hide. Its face was clearly demonic, sporting a pig-like snout that showed the only normal coloring it had. Little black eyes were set back deep into the skull, and peered nearsightedly around as it snorted, sniffing around for them. To complete the effect, tusk stuck up on either side of its jaws, and a bristly mane swept from crown to waist.
It roared, raising stubby fingered hands the size of wagons over its head. Reaching back, it pulled two weapons. One was a saw-edged blade almost as tall as it was. The second was, inevitably, a club.
The beast seemed confused, moving its massive head on its short neck from one Hunter to the other. It was obviously not used to making such a difficult decision as to who to attack first. They had placed themselves strategically opposite each other, one on either side of their anticipated enemy.
Before it could make up its tiny mind they both moved, so smoothly that even an experienced, intelligent opponent would have been hard-pressed to spot the slight tensing of muscles that heralded an attack.
This creature missed it entirely.
Alucard went low, slicing at the muscles on the back of one tree-trunk- sized leg. The beast roared in surprise and pain, its attention immediately turning downward to the one who stung it, swinging the massive club at the pale-haired hunter . . .
Who was already well out of range by the time the spiked weapon crashed down where he had been.
With its attention diverted low, D jumped from just behind its right shoulder, landing on its' round head and slashing at the neck and eyes. The roar turned up in volume, followed by an earsplitting squeal as D found one of its eyes.
Meanwhile, Alucard had returned to harassing its balance, weaving through its legs and carving gaping wounds in its calves and ankles. He avoided striking into the back of the knees. His sword could easily get stuck between the two joints, lessening his effectiveness down to a dagger. Finally, with an especially accurate cut, he severed the hamstrings in its left leg.
The thing shrieked, and both hunters winced. Its leg crumpled under it and it went down on one knee. It looked down at its leg, the pest on its head temporarily forgotten as it wondered why the leg no longer followed its commands. Alucard took the opportunity to sprint around and up the bowed back. He didn't bother going for the spine. It would be too hard to cut through. The jugular, on the other hand . . .
The pig-demon was now aware of them, and had somehow made the connection between them and its inability to use its limb well. Roaring in rage, it swung its weapons at its own head.
***
The silent observer slowly shook his head, disgust clear in his voice. "Idiot." he muttered.
***
The creature was quickly working itself into a frenzy. All its blows did was cause itself damage, as the pests were never there when the weapons landed. It was now half-blind and reeling. It instinctively felt the urge to flee, and started flapping its massive wings.
D and Alucard got firmer holds as the wind that swept up threatened to knock them from their perches. They had to move quickly or risk falling from a height with the creature above them. Dodging the creatures continued swings, they scrambled to the shoulders.
The demon seemed to gain some measure of intelligence, or luck. Dropping one of its weapons, its hand was now free to make a more accurate grab for them. Alucard thought he had dodged the fist, until he felt a sudden tugging at his throat. The next instant he was lifted clear of the shoulder and dangled by his cloak in front of the red-rimmed snout. The foul breath blasted against him, sending him into a spin as the thing eyed him angrily and snorted. Alucard jabbed the fingers about him with his needle-like sword, but that only irritated it more.
Alucard reached for the clasp of his cloak. A drop was better than being eaten or squeezed and Then eaten. Then the thing reared back, its mouth wide. Alucard tried to hurry with the intricate clasps.
Then a jet of black blood gushed out of the open mouth, soaking Alucard in an instant. Alucard dropped from suddenly nerveless fingers as the thing gurgled. Alucard looked up to see that D had reached its throat, and had used his opportunity while the thing was still distracted by its captive. The older Hunter and their opponent crashed down after him. Alucard barely avoided being flattened.
The demon started thrashing, its death throes threatening to take its killers with it in the small space. D quickly ended that potential problem by running his sword deep into its blinded eye, holding tight to the green skin with hand and feet. The thing spasmed one last time, then quieted. D jumped off as the body started to dissipate into black mist before dissolving altogether.
Alucard had pulled out a handkerchief from somewhere and was attempting to wipe off his face. He dripped from head to toe. He looked up at D through the mask of gore, golden eyes rueful. "Nice kill." He remarked.
*
D nodded, checking him over for injuries. Aside from the mess that lingered even after its originator was long gone, they were only slightly bruised from near misses and hard landings.
"Good teamwork." D replied, inclining his head. He saw Alucard's eyes widen in pleasure at the acknowledgement. D rarely complimented, but the other had more than earned it.
*
Together they approached the door. Careful handling with their weapons revealed that it wasn't booby-trapped. On the other side was the foot of a broad stairway that led upward, twisting around at intervals. Alucard sighed, and D cast him an inquisitive look. Alucard caught it and grimaced. "Just sick of winding stairs." He admitted, sloshing as he moved forward. He wished heartily for an opportunity to wash off, but knew he was unlikely to get one. Moving forward even more cautiously if possible, they set foot on the first step. ** They traveled upward. This seemed a lot easier to Alucard than the last time he'd been in a similar situation. For one thing, he had someone to look up while he looked down and vice-versa. For another, he knew it was futile to wonder just How LONG a flight of stairs could possibly be, so he didn't waste any of his time letting it irritate him.
So far the most dangerous thing they had encountered were steps that had a nasty habit of being less solid than they appeared. D had discovered this unfortunate fact and only a quick grab and pull by Alucard had stopped him from falling through to the darkness below. D had nodded, but Alucard got the distinct impression that his help was appreciated but unnecessary. He sighed inwardly. Well, he was doing what he could. However, he did not like the feeling of uselessness that sentiment conjured.
He was still pondering what he could do to be of help when he noticed a faint glow emanating from the next turn of the staircase. His eyes narrowed at the sickly blue and white color and he wracked his brain for the memory of just where he'd seen it before. He was slightly ahead, and so was the first to catch a glimpse of bone-white hair that moved in an unseen breeze.
Golden eyes widened in abrupt realization and real fear raced along his spine. He had only a second warning, but managed to get out a brief warning as he dove to the stairs.
"Banshee!!" He shouted, clapping his hands over his ears a split second before an unearthly scream ripped through the air. The lethal sound cut through the feeble protection of his hands, cutting into his mind like a vocal razor. Had he not already been down, he would have fallen to his knees.
Struggling to shake from his limbs the insidiously numbing effects, he raised his head in time to see that D was already moving, sword out and targeting the pale female shaped figure that floated before them. It's face would have been pretty if it had not been for the black holes that were in place of her eyes, and the malicious hate that twisted her features. Hissing, she dodged the long blade, her mouth opening once again in her own attack.
Groping in the folds of his cloak, Alucard nearly sighed in relief as he found what he was searching for, a block of what looked like white candle wax. Quickly breaking off four pebble-sized bits of it, he gratefully inserted two of them into his ears.
Meanwhile, the banshee was still managing to keep out of D's formidable reach. Hissing, its hands were in front of it in a defensive gesture, the nails black and claw-like. She seemed far wilier than was normal for her kind, warily hovering out of reach and using her deadly voice to her best advantage. It was no longer a danger to him, protected as he was by the special earplugs, only a slight annoyance to his sensitive ears. D was still on his feet, but even he had started to stagger a little as the thing turned her assault fully on him, forgetting the other. It was a mistake that Alucard was determined she would not survive to learn from.
Producing a small whip from a pouch, he lashed out with it, catching the mad ghost by the ankles and pulling her toward him with all the strength in his arm. Her wail turned to a screech of surprise as the movement flung her to the floor, skidding several feet forward. Furious, she sat up and turned her scream on him, but he paid it no heed as he raced up the remaining steps and closed the distance between them. She had half-risen by then, not quite balanced, so the force of his charge as he rammed into her rag-clad form had the effect of flinging her back against then over the rail on the small landing. Her now despairing cry remained long after her g low could no longer be detected below, cutting off abruptly minutes later.
*
D moved forward to where Alucard was leaning against the stone of the rail, shaking off the lingering effects of the literally heart-stopping scream. Taking a moment to collect himself, he gazed at the other, a small spark of curiosity lighting in his dark blue eyes.
"How were you not affected?" He asked quietly, surveying the other.
Alucard turned toward him, still propping himself up slightly, and smiled wanly, holding out the remaining two split off pieces, meeting the other's questioning eyes. "These are made from the wax of altar candles. They block out the debilitating effects of the voices of the undead." He sighed. "Though they don't do anything for the volume." He apologized, wincing slightly and rubbing his aching ears.
D took the offered protection, nodding his thanks. His respect for the younger dhamphir's tactical expertise increased. Despite his comparative youth, Alucard had evidently gone through more than his share of battles. He had learned quickly from them, as evidenced by fact that he had survived so long. He was resourceful and adapted quickly to a given situation, the sign of a survivor and good hunter.
D realized then, as Alucard had earlier, that he was glad to have this singular individual to guard his back. He had unknowingly taken much of the problem of staying at constant alert to all directions at all times off his broad shoulders. What one of them might inadvertently miss, the other picked up.
D's ingrained stoicism eased slightly, replaced by a refreshing calm. He had never looked beyond the next mission, now knowing for certain, or caring, that he would survive to the next one. Now he couldn't shake the certainty that just about anything could be possible with the two of them as a team.
**
The journey upward continued, slowed only briefly as they encountered more frequent opposition. They fought past dozens of human fighters that had the blank, empty eyes of those doomed as thralls. They quickly put them out of their misery, moving on to the next challenge. Spell twisted parodies of bats that were twice as large as they were assailed them, dropping from the unseen ceiling to try and rip them with their claws. The creatures also spat streams of acid that ate into the stone of the steps but they managed to avoid getting on their more vulnerable flesh by careful dodging in the limited space, taking advantage of the twists in the stairway to throw the monsters off their aim.
They ran across a few more banshees, but were well prepared this time and made short work of them as the element of surprise was no longer in the creatures' favor.
Finally they turned one final corner after what seemed days of climbing to discover a large landing, ending in two ornate double doors. Their dual heritages made it so that they were barely winded from the journey, but nevertheless some signs of mental fatigued showed in Alucard's eyes. There's only so much one can take of a seemingly endless task without feeling a bit weary. Even D was somewhat ragged around the edges.
Pausing in front of the doors, they each gripped a curved handle. They didn't even bother to glance at each other in confirmation. Each knew what the other was thinking. As one, they pulled both doors open.
------------------------
Me again. Sorry for the wait. The death threats were rather touching. You DO care! *sniff * Anyway, to make up for it I'll give you more than just the last part of a chapter I should have done quite a while ago. shrugs sheepishly I've been getting some complaints that I'm downplaying Alucard's expertise. I'm trying not to, but it's a bit hard when D has, quite possibly, 10,000 years more experience than he does. So, I downplayed HIS ability to handle a creature that Alucard was probably quite familiar with. Most of the monsters seem to have changed (mutated) since whatever war destroyed human civilization in the world. This lair holds a few of the remaining traditional types that Alucard is more familiar with.
By The Unseen Watcher
Vampire Hunter D and Castlvania are not owned, operated, or are even aware of me. The storyline, however, I made up. Thanks to all who support me.
Chapter 7
--------------------
Alucard decided to be the bait, diving into the room and rolling to his feet. Moving quickly, he headed for toward the right, head low. D followed in a similar fashion, but moved to the left.
A distant roar, like the blades of a huge fan, rumbled through the room. The sound soon became discernable as the beating of enormous wings as something quite large dropped from above. Bat-like wings glistened greasily in the light, their span stretching across most of the room.
The huge monster landed hard enough to buckle the stones under its three- toed feet. The walls shook with the aftershocks and plaster fell.
The two hunters kept their feet.
The creature towered over them, a mass of bulging muscle under a green- tinged hide. Its face was clearly demonic, sporting a pig-like snout that showed the only normal coloring it had. Little black eyes were set back deep into the skull, and peered nearsightedly around as it snorted, sniffing around for them. To complete the effect, tusk stuck up on either side of its jaws, and a bristly mane swept from crown to waist.
It roared, raising stubby fingered hands the size of wagons over its head. Reaching back, it pulled two weapons. One was a saw-edged blade almost as tall as it was. The second was, inevitably, a club.
The beast seemed confused, moving its massive head on its short neck from one Hunter to the other. It was obviously not used to making such a difficult decision as to who to attack first. They had placed themselves strategically opposite each other, one on either side of their anticipated enemy.
Before it could make up its tiny mind they both moved, so smoothly that even an experienced, intelligent opponent would have been hard-pressed to spot the slight tensing of muscles that heralded an attack.
This creature missed it entirely.
Alucard went low, slicing at the muscles on the back of one tree-trunk- sized leg. The beast roared in surprise and pain, its attention immediately turning downward to the one who stung it, swinging the massive club at the pale-haired hunter . . .
Who was already well out of range by the time the spiked weapon crashed down where he had been.
With its attention diverted low, D jumped from just behind its right shoulder, landing on its' round head and slashing at the neck and eyes. The roar turned up in volume, followed by an earsplitting squeal as D found one of its eyes.
Meanwhile, Alucard had returned to harassing its balance, weaving through its legs and carving gaping wounds in its calves and ankles. He avoided striking into the back of the knees. His sword could easily get stuck between the two joints, lessening his effectiveness down to a dagger. Finally, with an especially accurate cut, he severed the hamstrings in its left leg.
The thing shrieked, and both hunters winced. Its leg crumpled under it and it went down on one knee. It looked down at its leg, the pest on its head temporarily forgotten as it wondered why the leg no longer followed its commands. Alucard took the opportunity to sprint around and up the bowed back. He didn't bother going for the spine. It would be too hard to cut through. The jugular, on the other hand . . .
The pig-demon was now aware of them, and had somehow made the connection between them and its inability to use its limb well. Roaring in rage, it swung its weapons at its own head.
***
The silent observer slowly shook his head, disgust clear in his voice. "Idiot." he muttered.
***
The creature was quickly working itself into a frenzy. All its blows did was cause itself damage, as the pests were never there when the weapons landed. It was now half-blind and reeling. It instinctively felt the urge to flee, and started flapping its massive wings.
D and Alucard got firmer holds as the wind that swept up threatened to knock them from their perches. They had to move quickly or risk falling from a height with the creature above them. Dodging the creatures continued swings, they scrambled to the shoulders.
The demon seemed to gain some measure of intelligence, or luck. Dropping one of its weapons, its hand was now free to make a more accurate grab for them. Alucard thought he had dodged the fist, until he felt a sudden tugging at his throat. The next instant he was lifted clear of the shoulder and dangled by his cloak in front of the red-rimmed snout. The foul breath blasted against him, sending him into a spin as the thing eyed him angrily and snorted. Alucard jabbed the fingers about him with his needle-like sword, but that only irritated it more.
Alucard reached for the clasp of his cloak. A drop was better than being eaten or squeezed and Then eaten. Then the thing reared back, its mouth wide. Alucard tried to hurry with the intricate clasps.
Then a jet of black blood gushed out of the open mouth, soaking Alucard in an instant. Alucard dropped from suddenly nerveless fingers as the thing gurgled. Alucard looked up to see that D had reached its throat, and had used his opportunity while the thing was still distracted by its captive. The older Hunter and their opponent crashed down after him. Alucard barely avoided being flattened.
The demon started thrashing, its death throes threatening to take its killers with it in the small space. D quickly ended that potential problem by running his sword deep into its blinded eye, holding tight to the green skin with hand and feet. The thing spasmed one last time, then quieted. D jumped off as the body started to dissipate into black mist before dissolving altogether.
Alucard had pulled out a handkerchief from somewhere and was attempting to wipe off his face. He dripped from head to toe. He looked up at D through the mask of gore, golden eyes rueful. "Nice kill." He remarked.
*
D nodded, checking him over for injuries. Aside from the mess that lingered even after its originator was long gone, they were only slightly bruised from near misses and hard landings.
"Good teamwork." D replied, inclining his head. He saw Alucard's eyes widen in pleasure at the acknowledgement. D rarely complimented, but the other had more than earned it.
*
Together they approached the door. Careful handling with their weapons revealed that it wasn't booby-trapped. On the other side was the foot of a broad stairway that led upward, twisting around at intervals. Alucard sighed, and D cast him an inquisitive look. Alucard caught it and grimaced. "Just sick of winding stairs." He admitted, sloshing as he moved forward. He wished heartily for an opportunity to wash off, but knew he was unlikely to get one. Moving forward even more cautiously if possible, they set foot on the first step. ** They traveled upward. This seemed a lot easier to Alucard than the last time he'd been in a similar situation. For one thing, he had someone to look up while he looked down and vice-versa. For another, he knew it was futile to wonder just How LONG a flight of stairs could possibly be, so he didn't waste any of his time letting it irritate him.
So far the most dangerous thing they had encountered were steps that had a nasty habit of being less solid than they appeared. D had discovered this unfortunate fact and only a quick grab and pull by Alucard had stopped him from falling through to the darkness below. D had nodded, but Alucard got the distinct impression that his help was appreciated but unnecessary. He sighed inwardly. Well, he was doing what he could. However, he did not like the feeling of uselessness that sentiment conjured.
He was still pondering what he could do to be of help when he noticed a faint glow emanating from the next turn of the staircase. His eyes narrowed at the sickly blue and white color and he wracked his brain for the memory of just where he'd seen it before. He was slightly ahead, and so was the first to catch a glimpse of bone-white hair that moved in an unseen breeze.
Golden eyes widened in abrupt realization and real fear raced along his spine. He had only a second warning, but managed to get out a brief warning as he dove to the stairs.
"Banshee!!" He shouted, clapping his hands over his ears a split second before an unearthly scream ripped through the air. The lethal sound cut through the feeble protection of his hands, cutting into his mind like a vocal razor. Had he not already been down, he would have fallen to his knees.
Struggling to shake from his limbs the insidiously numbing effects, he raised his head in time to see that D was already moving, sword out and targeting the pale female shaped figure that floated before them. It's face would have been pretty if it had not been for the black holes that were in place of her eyes, and the malicious hate that twisted her features. Hissing, she dodged the long blade, her mouth opening once again in her own attack.
Groping in the folds of his cloak, Alucard nearly sighed in relief as he found what he was searching for, a block of what looked like white candle wax. Quickly breaking off four pebble-sized bits of it, he gratefully inserted two of them into his ears.
Meanwhile, the banshee was still managing to keep out of D's formidable reach. Hissing, its hands were in front of it in a defensive gesture, the nails black and claw-like. She seemed far wilier than was normal for her kind, warily hovering out of reach and using her deadly voice to her best advantage. It was no longer a danger to him, protected as he was by the special earplugs, only a slight annoyance to his sensitive ears. D was still on his feet, but even he had started to stagger a little as the thing turned her assault fully on him, forgetting the other. It was a mistake that Alucard was determined she would not survive to learn from.
Producing a small whip from a pouch, he lashed out with it, catching the mad ghost by the ankles and pulling her toward him with all the strength in his arm. Her wail turned to a screech of surprise as the movement flung her to the floor, skidding several feet forward. Furious, she sat up and turned her scream on him, but he paid it no heed as he raced up the remaining steps and closed the distance between them. She had half-risen by then, not quite balanced, so the force of his charge as he rammed into her rag-clad form had the effect of flinging her back against then over the rail on the small landing. Her now despairing cry remained long after her g low could no longer be detected below, cutting off abruptly minutes later.
*
D moved forward to where Alucard was leaning against the stone of the rail, shaking off the lingering effects of the literally heart-stopping scream. Taking a moment to collect himself, he gazed at the other, a small spark of curiosity lighting in his dark blue eyes.
"How were you not affected?" He asked quietly, surveying the other.
Alucard turned toward him, still propping himself up slightly, and smiled wanly, holding out the remaining two split off pieces, meeting the other's questioning eyes. "These are made from the wax of altar candles. They block out the debilitating effects of the voices of the undead." He sighed. "Though they don't do anything for the volume." He apologized, wincing slightly and rubbing his aching ears.
D took the offered protection, nodding his thanks. His respect for the younger dhamphir's tactical expertise increased. Despite his comparative youth, Alucard had evidently gone through more than his share of battles. He had learned quickly from them, as evidenced by fact that he had survived so long. He was resourceful and adapted quickly to a given situation, the sign of a survivor and good hunter.
D realized then, as Alucard had earlier, that he was glad to have this singular individual to guard his back. He had unknowingly taken much of the problem of staying at constant alert to all directions at all times off his broad shoulders. What one of them might inadvertently miss, the other picked up.
D's ingrained stoicism eased slightly, replaced by a refreshing calm. He had never looked beyond the next mission, now knowing for certain, or caring, that he would survive to the next one. Now he couldn't shake the certainty that just about anything could be possible with the two of them as a team.
**
The journey upward continued, slowed only briefly as they encountered more frequent opposition. They fought past dozens of human fighters that had the blank, empty eyes of those doomed as thralls. They quickly put them out of their misery, moving on to the next challenge. Spell twisted parodies of bats that were twice as large as they were assailed them, dropping from the unseen ceiling to try and rip them with their claws. The creatures also spat streams of acid that ate into the stone of the steps but they managed to avoid getting on their more vulnerable flesh by careful dodging in the limited space, taking advantage of the twists in the stairway to throw the monsters off their aim.
They ran across a few more banshees, but were well prepared this time and made short work of them as the element of surprise was no longer in the creatures' favor.
Finally they turned one final corner after what seemed days of climbing to discover a large landing, ending in two ornate double doors. Their dual heritages made it so that they were barely winded from the journey, but nevertheless some signs of mental fatigued showed in Alucard's eyes. There's only so much one can take of a seemingly endless task without feeling a bit weary. Even D was somewhat ragged around the edges.
Pausing in front of the doors, they each gripped a curved handle. They didn't even bother to glance at each other in confirmation. Each knew what the other was thinking. As one, they pulled both doors open.
------------------------
Me again. Sorry for the wait. The death threats were rather touching. You DO care! *sniff * Anyway, to make up for it I'll give you more than just the last part of a chapter I should have done quite a while ago. shrugs sheepishly I've been getting some complaints that I'm downplaying Alucard's expertise. I'm trying not to, but it's a bit hard when D has, quite possibly, 10,000 years more experience than he does. So, I downplayed HIS ability to handle a creature that Alucard was probably quite familiar with. Most of the monsters seem to have changed (mutated) since whatever war destroyed human civilization in the world. This lair holds a few of the remaining traditional types that Alucard is more familiar with.