Soul of the Devil
Act III
Amy Rose awoke on a couch of red leather, before her was a coffee table and beyond that a cubic pillar of glass, steel, and black granite, containing a roaring fire. A wall of glass and brushed metal offered a panoramic view of a city, shrouded in night. Rising slowly, Amy winced at a sharp pain in her lower back where the taser had struck her. Glancing around, she quickly realized she was in a lavishly appointed penthouse apartment. Furnished in mix of modern and old designs with lots of glass and dark metal tables, leather chairs, woven rugs, a polished hardwood floor, and paintings of strange geometric designs on walls of stark white, the place looked like it cost a mint.
"I see you're awake." Spoke a familiar voice, as the figure of the one Amy had come to know as Alucard, walked into view. Instantly Amy's mind rewound to the memory of the restaurant, the fight, and then. . . . Amy's eyes widened in horror, as she recalled the last thing she had seen before blacking out.
"You. . . you're really a. . . . ." Alucard nodded.
"A vampire." He confirmed. "And one who's legend you are already well acquainted with." Amy suddenly felt her heart leap into her throat, as she connected the dots.
"Dracula. . . ." She breathed out. "You're really. . . oh my god!" Alucard gave a slight smirk.
"I can assure you, god has very little to do with me." He stated smoothly, as he took a seat in a nearby chair. Amy managed a commendable level of calm as she stared at the man she was dating, the literal king of vampires.
"Wow. . . I mean just. . . wow." She declared. Alucard, or rather Dracula gave Amy a look of concern.
"Can I get you something? A drink or. . . ?" Amy arched an eyebrow at him, and he chuckled. "Not that kind of drink." He assured her. Amy shook her head in disbelief.
"You know it's funny," She began. "I should be freaking out about this, but honestly. . . it feels like I somehow always knew you weren't human." Dracula nodded.
"Are you angry?" He asked. "There is quite a lot I've kept from you." Amy shook her head.
"No. . . though I am curious, why me?" Dracula shrugged.
"You intrigued me when we first met. In you, I saw, and still see, more potential than I could ever recall encountering in a mortal. You had the mind and soul of a conquering warrior, but it was being held back, chiefly by those around you."
"You mean Sonic." She stated flatly. Dracula nodded.
"Yes, but also your own fears and insecurities. You were afraid of the ferocity and rage burning within your heart, so you covered it up. You forced yourself into the mold of the damsel in distress. You modernized the role to disguise it, but regardless that is what it amounted to. You hid your true battle potential and intelligence to avoid outshining Sonic, all because you knew he would pay more attention to a weak woman than a strong one. You also, I suspect, realized that deep inside of you, was a lust for violence that you knew others would reject you for, so you buried it." Dracula stated, Amy nodded as something clicked in her head.
"You've been. . . changing me somehow. . . haven't you?" Dracula nodded.
"Small upgrades to your intelligence, and a fair bit of psychological counseling. However in all honesty, there wasn't much that really needed upgrading. And all of it is very much reversible if you decide you'd rather not accept my offer." He stated smoothly.
"You said. . . I was your Queen." Amy breathed out. Again Dracula nodded.
"If you wish to be. Contrary to what my legend might tell you, I never forced myself on any mortal. What's more, my queen must have her own mind and will, not be a slave to mine." Amy nodded uncertainly.
"Why do I get the feeling that if I say yes. . . I'll stop being me?" Dracula shook his head.
"You will stop being the you that was created to please others. The real you, will be quite intact." Amy swallowed as she realized what he meant.
"I'm. . . a killer. . . aren't I?" Dracula shook his head.
"As I said you are a conqueror, you take what you desire and destroy any who get in your way or disrespect you. I understand that idea may be appalling by the standards of mortals, but among my kind it's par for the course. We are predators, but on the whole we have our own sort of nobility. For example, ten thousand years ago, when I saw the beginnings of mankind's self-destruction, I took precautions to ensure the survival of life. Across the world I seeded nanomachines that would repair the damage mankind had done to the planet, and rapidly accelerate the evolution of the species that remained. In a way, I suppose you could say that I am the creator of this world you call Mobius, the world that was known to me as 'Earth'." Amy's eyes widened.
"That's. . . so in essence what you're telling me is that you are effectively the god of Mobius?" Dracula shrugged.
"Powerful as I am, I can hardly claim the title of god. . . though that might be an interesting goal to try for one day." Amy laughed, unable to help herself.
"I can't tell if you're arrogant or just really confidant." She declared. Dracula shrugged.
"I am simply honest about my own limits, and my desire to exceed them. Something I am very much interested in seeing you do." Amy shook her head in faint disbelief.
"So I guess this is my chance to pick the red pill or the blue pill huh?" She asked. Dracula arched an eyebrow.
"How is it that you even know about that film?" Amy shrugged.
"A long time back some intact data cashes from the ancient world were discovered in various hidden bunkers. It's how we managed to build up our tech level so fast. One of the things we found was hundreds of years of digitized and archived movies." Dracula nodded.
"I see. . . ." He trailed off. "Well, in any case, you needn't decide now. I am quite patient." Amy nodded.
"So if I pick the red pill, I become a vampire queen and rule at your side for eternity. But if I take the blue pill I wake up at home in bed with no memory of you and go back to being Sonic's obsessed fan girl?" Dracula nodded.
"More or less." Amy closed her eyes, folding her hands in front of her as she thought hard on what she wanted.
"How exactly would I even become a vampire?" She asked, opening her eyes.
"All you need do is drink a bit of my blood, freely given. After that, you will fall into a deep sleep as your body changes. The transformation will take about a month, during which I will watch over you. Once you awaken, you will be entirely transformed. Smarter, stronger, faster, with powers and senses you can scarcely imagine. Given you already are stronger and faster than any human by a significant margin, I suspect you may even awaken more powerful than I am. . . physically anyway." Amy smirked.
"What about sunlight?" Dracula gave a slight snort of laughter.
"Vampires can only be truly harmed if both our heart and brain are destroyed. Even then it will only stick if our remains are burned to ash, otherwise it just means a longer than usual stint of regeneration. Silver hurts us, but on its own can only rarely kill us. Think of it like an allergic reaction, it is even possible to nullify its effects permanently with the proper magic, medicine, or genetic manipulation. As for sunlight, you've seen me in daylight plenty of times. Night is just the best time to do things unnoticed, so we vampires gravitated to being night owls. Mortals noticed, and erroneously assumed we had some aversion to sunlight. Honestly, I rather enjoy a nice sunrise." Amy nodded.
"So what are the actual downsides?" Dracula smirked, pleased that Amy was asking the smart questions.
"Well, the first drawback is that we do need to feed on blood. At least a pint or so a week, and while we will never starve, if we go too long without drinking we start to lose ourselves to the thirst. Eventually we become little more than savage, mindless ghouls, until we drink again. Next, is the fact that while we might look human, our actual form is more. . . monstrous. Granted few of us ever spend time in that form unless our bloodthirst grows too great, but some dislike the fact that it is an aspect of them at all." Amy gave Dracula a slightly suspicious look.
"So then. . . what do you actually look like?" She asked. Dracula sighed.
"Are you certain you want to know?" Amy nodded.
"I am trying to make an informed decision."
"Very well then, just. . . try not to scream." Taking a deep breath Dracula stood up from his chair, and after hesitating for an instant, began to change. The transformation was surprisingly swift, first he grew taller, his pale complexion darkening as he gained at least two feet. A sound of tearing cloth accompanied his growth as his arms and legs ballooned out, lengthening as they were covered in thick corded muscle. His face extended into a short muzzle filled with razor sharp fangs, and the remains of his shirt exploded, as a pair of massive bat wings burst from his back. Black wiry hair sprouted across his body, his skin becoming black and leathery. As swiftly as the transformation began, it ended, as eyes like twin burning coals pierced Amy's soul. Towering over her at just short of eight feet, stood a nightmarish figure that looked like nothing so much as a beast summoned directly from Hell. Standing on two legs, the creature gestured to itself with fingers tipped by large ebony claws that looked like they could rip one of Eggman's tanks in half. "You can see why we don't care for this form." Dracula stated casually, his voice deeper and far more terrifying than before. Amy nodded as she got up, walking toward the creature her would-be lover had become.
"So I take it vampires also were the original demons of myth?" She asked. Dracula's massive head nodded, his pointed ears swiveling slightly in Amy's direction.
"The Christian's were quite content to see us as proof, that their delusional idea of a dark underworld filled with sinners was real. Honestly, out of all the fictional gods humanity dreamed up, Yahweh, Allah, and Christ were easily the worst in terms of the violence they inspired, and I once visited an Aztec temple during the height of one of their religious weeks." Amy nodded, placing her hand against Dracula's, now much broader, chest.
"Would it weird you out if I told you you look kind of hot like this?" She asked. For the first time in well over eleven thousand years, Dracula, did a double take.
"You cannot be serious." He deadpanned. "Though I suppose among an anthropomorphic species I might seem a bit less unpleasant." Amy smiled.
"Well you are quite a bit bigger than most of us, but honestly you don't look that different than some of the bat mobians I've seen. Dracula snorted.
"Well I suppose that explains your lack of horror." He stated, as Amy drew her hand over his stomach.
"Wow," She breathed. "you are ripped in this form." She declared, running a finger along chiseled, rock hard abs. Dracula chuckled.
"I must admit this is a novel experience, normally when I transform, everyone in the room, mortal and otherwise, runs screaming for the exits." Amy giggled.
"Pity, because I just noticed, your muscles aren't the only thing that got bigger." She declared, gesturing at the remains of the pants and underwear Dracula had been wearing. He growled.
"That brings up another little quirk about my kind. Our libido is quite a bit more intense than an ordinary human. It is not unheard of for vampires to devolve into frenzies of lust on occasion. So until you've made the decision of whether or not to accept my offer, I advise you keep your hands, and comments, above my waistline." Amy grinned.
"Oh? And what would happen if I decided I'd like to sample the goods before I make my decision?" She asked coyly. Dracula arched an eyebrow.
"I don't think you would enjoy your first time being quite that violent. You have already tested my self control with our first kiss. I do not care to think what could happen if you pushed me over the edge, especially in this form." Amy giggled and withdrew her hand, as Dracula began to shrink down to his standard human appearance.
"I think I'd like to know more before I reach my decision." Amy declared. "You can tell me everything after you put on some new clothes. Hard to focus when you're naked." Dracula chuckled, pleased with how well this was going.
"Very well then. . . ."
"So we still have no idea where she is?!" Sonic demanded, his eyes narrowed as he glared at each of his friends in turn. Well, his friends and Eggman, who had come by partly because Sonic all but demanded it, and partly because he was curious what could have happened to his missing frenemy.
"No, and we've searched everywhere. . . twice!" Tails replied. Amy Rose, had at this point, been missing for nearly three months. No one had heard from her since she had last joined her friends at Meh Burger for lunch, where she and Sonic had acted oddly cold to one another. Only after they noticed her house had been empty for days, did they get the full story.
"What about that guy she was with?" Sonic asked. Tails shook his head.
"Alucard H. Dalv is a complete ghost, no record of his existence whatsoever. I have no idea who he could be, let alone where to find him." It was here that Sticks decided to butt in.
"I bet he was an agent for the vegetable Illuminati! They're probably using Amy for their depraved vegetable-mobian hybrid experiments!" Sonic pinched the bridge of his nose.
"Sticks, there is no vegetable Illuminati!" He declared through gritted teeth.
"That's just what they'd want us to think!" She screeched.
"Maybe Amy decided to leave because she'd had enough of Sonic being a jerk to her?" Knuckles posited, scratching his head. Sonic glared daggers at Knuckles but before he could speak, Eggman spoke up.
"For once the red idiot has a point. You've never exactly been sensitive to Amy's needs and feelings." Sonic gave Eggman a disbelieving look.
"You don't know what you're talking about Eggghead. Nobody knows Amy like me!" Eggman arched an eyebrow.
"Oh really? Five seconds: What's her favorite color?" Sonic blinked a few times in surprise.
"Uuuuhhhh." He replied. Eggman frowned.
"Seriously Sonic? It's red. What about her favorite food?" Sonic simply looked nervous as he stayed silent. "It's sushi, especially California rolls. Her favorite music?"
"Hold the phone egghead, how do you know so much about what Amy likes?" Sonic demanded. Eggman gave a slightly superior smirk.
"As an evil genius I pride myself on knowing everything there is to know about my enemies."
"Uh guys?" Knuckles began as he glanced out the window, only for Sonic and Eggman to talk over him.
"So you've been spying on us?!" Sonic demanded. Eggman looked almost offended.
"Guuuuyyy's?" Knuckles tried again, his expression becoming slightly concerned as he continued to stare out the window.
"Of course I've been spying on you you! I'm your nemesis you dimwitted blue rodent!" Sonic glared at Eggman as the two started to square off.
"You wanna fight egghead?!" Sonic snarled. Eggman adopted a clumsy fighting stance.
"Anytime you-"
"GUYS?!" Knuckles shouted.
"WHAT?!" The enraged pair demanded in unison.
"Isn't that the guy you said you saw Amy with?" Knuckles asked, pointing outside, and oblivious to the anger being directed his way. Instantly, everyone in the room found their gaze snapping in the direction he was indicating. Sure enough, there he was, in a white dress shirt, red vest, and black dress pants. A long black overcoat completed the ensemble, along with a pair of black leather dress boots. His long black hair spilled over his shoulders as he stood casually before a hover limo, hands in his pockets. Seeing he'd been spotted, the man smirked, an unearthly aura seeming to throw his every feature into shadow. Sonic and the gang ran up to him with weapons drawn, and fists clenched.
"YOU!" Sonic shouted. The man gave an elegant bow.
"Pleasure to see you again Sonic, and you must be Tails, Sticks, and Knuckles, Amy's told me a great deal about-"
"WHERE'S AMY YOU FREAK?!" Sonic demanded. The man simply arched an eyebrow.
"Come now Sonic, I can understand you're not my biggest fan, but is there really any need for petty name calling?"
"I'LL SHOW YOU PETTY!" Sonic roared as he hurled himself forward in his signature spin dash, only to connect with nothing but air. Coming down on the beach, Sonic whipped around to see his target standing a few feet behind him. Sonic stared in shock, how had he dodged that?! Alucard gave Sonic an appraising look.
"Interesting. . . your body appears to posses the ability to naturally create a form of simple quantum dimensional field. That would explain how you can move as fast as you can without destroying your body or creating a massive shock wave when you break the sound barrier." Sonic let out a snarl as he tried to hit Alucard again, only to strike nothing but sand. "Tragically, my abilities exceed yours by a rather significant margin. As impressive as that field of yours is, it has limited application. Given training you could in theory use it to move faster than light, stop time for yourself, or even become immune to physical damage for a time." Alucard's tone was clinical, as if he was reading bullet points from a piece of paper. Sonic let out roar as he ran forward and threw a straight punch. This time he saw, eyes wide with shock, as his opponent seemed to dissolve into mist and then whip past him. "You can create a quantum field, but it is an ability rooted firmly in physics, whereas my power is pulled from extradimensional and elemental energy as well as psychic phenomena, which is just a bit more adaptable." Sonic whirled around, less concerned with what he had just been told, than with the fact that Alucard, impossible as it was in Sonic's mind, appeared to be faster than him.
"GUYS SURROUND HI-" Sonic's command ended in a strangled gurgle, as what felt like an invisible hand encircled his throat, an immense weight pressing his body from all directions as he found himself paralyzed.
"I. . . I CAN'T MOVE!" Tails cried out.
"INVISIBLE TENTACLE MONSTERS! THEY MUST BE WORKING FOR THE VEGETABLE ILLUMINATI TOO!" Sticks shouted in panic.
"NOT TO WORRY! I CAN GET US OUTTA THIS!" Knuckles declared, then after several fruitless attempts at moving, during which he only succeeded in turning his neck a few times, he stated in a far calmer voice. "Uh, guys, I may not be able to get us out of this."
"Don't bother," Eggman stated, his tone sounding more annoyed than alarmed. "this is some kind of kinetic barrier. Nothing in the world can move or break it, except-" At that point Alucard interrupted.
"A stronger kinetic or gravitational force, yes Doctor we are all familiar with physics 101. Now may I deliver Amy's message, or would you prefer to just keep standing here wasting my time?" He asked, his tone caustic. Sonic began hacking and coughing as the pressure around his throat was released.
"Where's Amy?!" He hacked out. The man shook his head.
"Currently she's enjoying a relaxing spa day, in preparation for seeing you all tonight in town." At that, Sonic and the others stared.
"Wait. . . so, you're not holding her prisoner?" Asked Tails. Alucard gave the young fox a look of disdain.
"No." He declared, his tone flat. "Amy wanted to get away for awhile, she tried to call you, Sticks, and Knuckles, several times, and every time the line was down." Eggman's face suddenly lit up.
"Oh, that's right! I forgot I blacked out all incoming and outgoing communication from the island before our last battle three months ago! Guess I never turned them back on." Alucard gave Eggman a blank look.
"For the sake of my sanity, and all of your lives, I am going to ignore that comment. Now listen carefully." Here Alucard took a breath. "Tonight at six o'clock PM, Amy will arrive in the center of town. She challenges any and all comers to attempt to defeat her in a no-holds-barred death match. Any who succeed in either killing or incapacitating her, will receive a prize of no less than fifty billion dollars in gold bullion. However, if she wins, she will lay claim to this island and all its inhabitants."
"DID YOU JUST SAY FIFTY BILLION?!" Instantly, from a nearby bush, a fat walrus and what Alucard took to be either some kind of fox, or an extremely short wolf with blue fur, stumbled into view.
"Indeed." He stated, expressing no visible surprise, as if he expected the pair to be there.
"Think what we could do with that kind of money?!" The walrus said to his companion.
"Yeah!" The fox replied enthusiastically.
"With money like, that the Lightning Bolt Society could finally hit the big time!" The walrus declared.
"And all we have to do is beat Amy Rose in a fight?! This'll be a cinch! As the pair capered and cheered, Alucard looked down at them like they were insects he was debating whether to crush or not.
"I advise you spread the word to everyone you know. The Amy you will meet tonight, is a far cry from the one who left here three months ago. Just to make sure the fight will be worth her time, I already left several fliers around town and various other locals on this island." He stated, his voice cold. At that point Sonic interjected.
"Wait! Why would Amy want to challenge everyone to a fight?!" Alucard smirked as he looked into Sonic's eyes.
"Call it. . . therapy." He stated smoothly, before heading back toward the waiting limo.
"Hey! Wait!" Sonic shouted, but was ignored as Alucard got in.
"Remember, six o'clock sharp. This is a very important night for Amy, her coming out party as the soon-to-be 'most powerful woman in the world'." He said with a grin, before suddenly giving the assembled anthropomorphs a glare as cold as the void of space. "If you disappoint her, I can promise that you will regret it." Alucard stated, his tone as icy as his gaze, before shutting the door. Several moments after the limo took off, Eggman, Sonic, Knuckles, Tails, and Sticks, found they could move again.
"Guess we'll see Amy tonight?" Knuckles stated, scratching his head.
"Good, 'bout time someone talked some sense into her." Sonic growled.
"I'm going to go get ready. . . to see Amy." Eggman stated haltingly, before all but sprinting to his hover chariot with dollar signs in his eyes. Sticks just growled and muttered under her breath. Only Tails felt a chill, as he watched Alucard's hover limo disappear amid the clouds. As he spoke in a worried tone.
"I have a really bad feeling about this."