Chapter 15 "The Siege Begins"
I heard a loud explosion just as I entered the stairway down into the building, I sprinted back upstairs to get a look over the edge of the building and didn't see anything until the second explosion sounded. About fifty feet from the crash a car sized explosion occurred, sending gore and setting off numerous rounds of ammunition that got caught in the blast. Pip spoke over the radio next more, " The mines worked! That'll keep them busy for a while, shoot any that make it around the mines but avoid hitting the ground. We don't want to lose any mines." My mind remained determined and my expression, serious, there was no time to celebrate. I pivoted and ran back downstairs and just as I did I heard one of the guards from by the fence scream, without the radio. These things would only transmit when pressed so whoever got him made sure he didn't warn us. I peered at the fencing visible to my window, the fencing along the opposite side of the building to where the airship crashed. I saw figures skipping about a foot off the ground and over the fence, I rubbed my eyes in disbelief before snapping out of it and focusing on them with my Third Eye. A few vampires had placed knives in the soil, using them as makeshift stakes for them to leap on, over the mines, and into the manor's perimeter. I pressed my communicator's transmit button just as a collection of screams erupted from it, along with pleas for mercy. I looked outside only to see the Nazis were looking up, but not at me.
I beckoned Pip multiple times over the radio as I made my way back up to the roof...again. I got no response from him or anyone else, they were too busy being paralyzed by fear of whatever made those Nazis stand in awe. I swallowed hard, wondering what could do such a thing. As I opened the reinforced ugly stained white door to the surface I readied my rifle, only to find no one. Confused I started to do a complete 360-degree sweep of the roof, I stopped at about 180. I saw a giant standing in front of the manor, wielding a scythe. It was hard to tell the gender from the face, but the creature, body was a dead giveaway, though I wasn't so focused as to whether this monster was a boy a girl to be honest. I fired into its head unceremoniously, it appeared to not even scratch the Goliath, I couldn't even see where I was hitting it. My memory flashed back to the Dandy Man and his many tricks, I peered at it harder utilizing my Third Eye and discovered it was just a hallucination. I slammed the button my throat mic and exclaimed as clearly as I could, "It isn't real! It's a hallucination, it casts no shadow for God's sake!" I yelled and after a few seconds of completely silence Pip answered, with an obvious fake confident tone, "I-I see, hold your fire men! Its a trick, look for the vampires, get a visual..." He started before I heard glass break and a scream. I bolted to the edge and looked for the. Nazis as the illusion disappeared, being reduced to weird black lines. I saw the vampires used the same strategy as the ones that approached from the rear, using blades as stepping stones. I cursed as I fired down upon them, killing several before many returned fire, forcing me to take cover. I took in a deep breath and peered in one of the larger bullet holes made by the enemy's MP40s and Kar98Ks I peered down and saw nothing but black. Confused I backed up and saw it was an eye, something was right under me and attached to the roof. I scrambled back on my butt and pulled my rifle up to my shoulder, ready to fight. I waited for a few seconds, but nothing happened, so I peered in the hole again and noticed nothing was there. Paranoid, I spun around, expecting to see the thing breathing down my neck, but I was alone. Deciding I had been delayed enough, I bolted towards the door and started to head down all the while thinking, "what the hell was that?"
Upon entering this place that was in charge of the country's defenses, I immediately regretted my decision to come when I saw the leader was the idiot from that conference. Remember those useless idiots that whined and moaned when the Valentines attacked? Yeah? Well, this is one of those idiots from that conference. As Integra started the traditional of monotonous greeting that nobles exchanged, I silently grumbled in the corner, standing beside Alucard who had his eyes closed. I then began eyeing the a guy to my left with a look of disbelief. With a scoff, I spoke up, "Hey, this guy's playing Doom or some shit!" Integra sighed and the guy glared at me after looking up from the demons he fought ingame but Penwood looked grateful. Alucard chuckled as said man ordered the officer to get serious and asked one of his lackeys, I mean second-in-command, to watch over him and make sure he didn't continue to goof off. Integra discussed the situation with Penwood who claimed they had two fireteams of S.A.S. in Blackhawks en route to the battleship. Integra scoffed.
Minutes later I heard one of the communications officers squirm in his chair and flinch at what he heard. The officer removed his headphones and reported, "we lost contact with both fireteams." Penwood rose from his seat, out of fear rather than anger and said, "Did they make it to the ship? How many troops confronted them?" The officer's now pale face quivered as the words returned to his mind's eye. "One. The choppers only said one enemy appeared and took photographs before they cut out. The flyby jet has confirmed the two teams and helicopters were destroyed and not by the artillery either..." He said as he reached to grab the pictures that were printing. As soon as they finished developing his passed them to Penwood who gave them to Integra. "Come here, Kirisuto, Alucard. What do you two make of these." I grabbed a pair of the pictures, they were grainy and black and white, I guess it'd have to be somewhat low quality in exchange of being able to be taken at mach speeds. I activated my Sharingan to ascertain every detail and began to list them. "Female that appears to be approximately twenty, eye tint suggests vampire. I also notice she is wielding a flintlock rifle, strange and impractical, there must be a reason for the use of such an archaic weapon..." I commented aloud. The older male vampire behind me made a hum before intertwining his fingers. "I agree. She fired the rifle as this picture was taken. It must be some equivalent of a tracer round because I can see the bullet trail but...it's wrong, it doesn't look like a tracer." Alucard commented. I looked at the picture with a puzzled expression, unfamiliar with tracer rounds. "Well, muskets were pretty inaccurate- oh. That blue stuff looks like chakra..." I said as he held up the picture, the woman was about the size of an ant in it but the most prevalent aspect of the photograph was the messy blue line...for some reason this blue thing showed up on black and white film. "Magic?" I asked Alucard who flatly responded with, "Magic." Walter cut off from saying, "shit" when he asked what the best course of action is. Alucard chuckled.
As I viewed Alucard in a Blackbird super plane...thing dive bomb, as in fly directly down, into the ship I covered my eyes. "This is insane," Penwood and I said simultaneously causing me to frown at the thought of having anything in common with this guy. My disdain stopped when I felt something was amiss and turned, I reflexively drew my pistol and kunai before letting out a low growl. The intruders grinned, barring sharpened teeth and I couldn't take their cheekiness after a day of boredom and seeing the vampires that must suffer because of ones like these mongrels…I let out a roar worthy of a dragon in response.
Shaking off the feeling of dread in my gut, I continued down towards the first floor. My rifle wouldn't bode well against the enemies' submachine guns in the narrow hallways of the manor so I slid the strap attached to Kirisuto's shotgun off my shoulder, replacing it with the strap to my Harkonnen. I held up the shotgun, the pistol grip on the weapon about eight inches from my right shoulder as I examined the iron sights. If I used my third eye, I would be able to fire from the hip as accurately as in the proper fashion but I preferred not to do so. I was taught to shoot like a human and no matter how far I fall, I intend to stick to that. A vampire suddenly burst through the window, submachine gun in hand, and his boots didn't even touch the ground before I blew his head off. He collapsed and another SS soldier turned out to have come up behind him in the few seconds it took for him to enter the building. I gripped the lever of the gun with my hand and swung the weapon toward his face, it knocked him back a bit and chambered the next round simultaneously. I kicked his shin, causing him to kneel slightly, then pressed the barrel of the firearm into his sternum at an upward angle and fired directly into his heart. He opened his mouth to scream but seeing as the buckshot obliterated part of his trachea and lung he remained silent. The pair dissolved into ash and I stared at them for a second, thinking that one day the same would happen to me. I accepted that idea but seeing it in front of my eyes was a bit too much as I hurried past the dead and continued down the hallway to the next set of stairs. I was randomly alternating between different sets of stairs so they wouldn't have my exact location, the only drawback being that it lengthened the journey.
As I neared the last set I had to fall on my back to avoid a group of bullets that would've hit every inch of flesh visible. I also luckily avoided a bayonet that that stabbed the doorframe I stood. I looked at the Nazi who was standing beside me and had his hand on the blade's hilt with a pant before reaching up and grabbing his chest. I dug my nails into his flesh enough to touch bloody muscle as I recited the incantation my Master taught me, finishing it with the phrase required to be spoken in my native tongue. I looked I'm in the eyes as the spell dictated and said, "Lucifer, God of this world, please listen to…" I swallowed hard at the realization of what I was doing and what I am now. "…your humble Daughter, a product of your temptation, and grant me dominion over this weaker vessel of you vengeance so that I may bring you greater glory and please your carnal desires," I said before adding from my own mind. "I know you care little for us but a lot for our actions, I will use this worthless monster to slaughter the rest of this hollow army then crush him without mercy. I know you have control of me now as I gave myself to your curse but just ask that you allow me take full advantage of it." I felt a tug as something stuck to my hand and I pulled it away, carrying the vampire's blackened soul with it. It was featureless save for a mouth of sharpened teeth and intangible fluid flowing from its red eyes.
As the last bits of the soul broke off contact with the body, the spirit gained mass and a physical form. It resembled a revenant of sorts, it looked dead and alive but certainly was unnatural. This was my familiar for now on, the tortured soul of a Nazi vampire forged into a demon of my own. I snapped my fingers and gave my first weapon. "You go down first and take a few hits, I'll use you for cover and kill them." The demon grunted, it's blackened fully exposed teeth formed a grin and clacked together. It then turned, it had no muscle beneath the skin and, as a result, all the bones could be seen writhing within. It ran out and bullets immediately assailed the deceivingly frail creature, the metal met flesh but no blood. I was behind the beast yet still unseen so when I dived onto my side, laid prone, and returned fire, the vampires were easy targets. As the undead turned into burning ashes, I relaxed my shoulders and looked for the demon. I turned and was face to face with the unholy beast, "orders master...?" I suppressed a shiver and began moving again. "Follow."
Chapter End