Hello everyone!

Hope that you've been doing well~! In this chapter, I took some liberties with canon and included my own interpretation. But more to that by the end of the chapter...

Anyway! Enjoy and see you around! :)


~ 6-3: Demon Seed

The looming sounds of the abyss was deafening.
Water crashed down from everywhere, filling the silence, but never quite managing. It echoed and bounced off the walls, the depths swallowing the sound.

Alucard could only stare down into the dark as it stared back at him. As a bat, his eyesight was terrible, but his instincts came in handy. Along with the other sounds, his form would raise no attention whatsoever.
The body of the Hydra must have still been warm, whether it was alive not. And near the beast must have been Grant. He was either knocked out from the fall, depending on how he landed, or he wasn't even-
Alucard pushed the idea away. His search couldn't be futile. As much as the other was a nuisance, he couldn't deny the support and his worth to the team. Besides, it wasn't honorable to leave a companion behind.

But Alucard chose not to dwell in these thoughts for too long, he had a task to fulfill.
Luckily, the abyss wasn't as deep as he had feared it to be and soon enough, he was greeted with the sight of the Hydra. At least, the outline of it, there was no source of light that illuminated the area. The creature didn't move, neither did he hear a sound coming from it. Instead, another sound caught his attention, a bit further from him. Something was moving in the water, struggling and splashing.
It drained Alucard to remain in this form, so he turned back and summoned a fireball in his hand. His eyes were immediately drawn to the monster which was stretched across the ground. No limb dared to move, the creature was lifeless.

Yet, Grant was not to be seen.
The prince feared that the other had been crushed by the massive body in the fall, now buried underneath.
Then again, he thought to himself, I would have seen a trail of blood in the water.
At least, his blood he would have recognized due to the prior experience, sadly. It was both calming and confusing to have none of it by the water. Yet, as soon as he tried to focus on that, he did have a faint trail of it which alarmed him, so he followed it with quick steps. The water was about to reach his knees by then, it was getting more and more difficult to work his way through it. Human or not, he could feel the cold crawling up his back at which he sniffled and tried to push this sensation away.

His path led him to one of the walls of the abyss, a pair of stairs where one would find heavy gates at the end.
At the top of the stairs, he spotted the pirate, slumped over and lying flat on his face. Alucard almost lost the focus on the fireball when he hastened up the stairs and knelt by his side. His fingers searched for his pulse by his neck, pressing in while he tried to calm his own breathing. After a few dreadful moments, he could finally get a glimpse of his pulse. Though the sensation fuzzed his mind a bit as if trying to evoke something else, so pulled his hand away quick. Instead, he turned the other on his back. The scent of blood had come from a few scratches on him, a laceration on his forehead especially. Alucard took him by his shoulders to shake him a bit, swallowing the knot in his throat to get his voice out.
"Grant, can you hear me?"
Alucard stared at him, hoping to get a sign out of him by giving him another shake. This was enough for the other to grimace a bit, shifting in his hold. Then his eyes fluttered open, though only halfway through.
"What…?" Grant glanced around himself a bit before he focused on the dhampire. "What happened…? Where am I?"
Understandably, the pirate was completely disoriented. When he attempted to sit up, Alucard placed a hand to his chest to keep him down. He wasn't exactly in the best shape to go back to jumping and running again right away.
"The Hydra fell into the abyss and you with it." Once again, Grant frowned at his explanation and tried to remember. Before he could even ask about the monster, he added: "I have seen it back there. There is no movement coming from it any longer, so we don't have to worry about that problem now."
This sparked something in Grant's mind and he rummaged in his jacket for something. He pulled out a red orb and held it out to him. Alucard kept it in his palm and watched it with curiosity.
Trevor had picked up something like this when they fought the monster in the Curse Castle. Between the waves of fog, he could see the Hydra swimming around.
"This must be what the Devil Forgemasters use to keep the spirits of these creatures in place...", he mumbled more to himself than to the other. Without thinking twice about it, he let it slip into his own pocket.
"I-I don't remember too much. I believe... I let go off the beast at some point to… Prepare better? I remember sliding off of it after it all happened…", Grant began as if afraid that something might slip from his memory in any second. In the meantime, Alucard searched for bandages in their pockets. "And I kind of… Staggered into a direction until I came here. Then everything went black and I… Well, that's where you found me, I guess."
The human instinct is incredible.
This was the first thought that crossed Alucard's mind. How they preserved themselves no matter what. If the body was somehow willing to move, then it would happen. Survival was in their blood and the dhampire had to admit that they were doing well even during the Curse.
His hands worked to get the bandage around his head to stop some of the bleeding, at least. Then he checked for how far the water had gotten up, though he realized how steep the steps were.
"You must have fallen unconscious then... The shock of it all wearing off and then the pain and such breaking down on you."
Grant closed his eyes again with a weary sigh. He was more than exhausted and drained at this point.
"Do you have… Any idea where we are? Or where these gates would lead us?"
His question had him ponder for a moment.
Alucard then picked up the fireball which he had left hanging in the air to hold it closer to the gates. Engraved were scenes from Christian stories, those of Jesus and how he would hang on the cross. Though the metal was worn off and the facial expressions and the lettering were gone.
"My guess is some sort of tomb… Coming from the inside to this place, it would lead into a dead end. So this was either for hiding from enemies or to deceive robbers?"
Alucard gave a shrug. One couldn't climb up this abyss via stairs or anything. At least, there were none to indicate such, but then again, those could have broke over time. Whatever it was, there was no way for them to climb upwards.
"If there is one end here, there had to be another in there somewhere. Maybe one from the city, actually. If this is a tomb, they could have used it to bury their noblemen in there." Regular townsfolk got a simple graveyard, of course. Nothing to protect the deceased from grave robbers or the forces of nature.
"Another horde of undead…?" Grant groaned at the idea of it. These were the times of the Curse after all, so it was to be expected. Not that Alucard would comment on it, he allowed him to have some more rest.
"It would be better for you to take a bit of a nap. I'll watch out for the water and if it gets close to any dangerous level, I will wake you up and we continue. After all, we have to meet back up with the other two later on."
"They continued on? I'm glad… I hope that they are doing fine and not… Worry too much about me", murmured the pirate with a soft smile curling on his lips. After Grant pressed out another sigh, he finally allowed for his body to relax some more. Something about this sounded pitiful to Alucard as if the other wished for them to forget about him. The dhampire frowned at these words and leaned back against a pillar.
"Of course, they worry. It's normal when someone cares for the other. They fear that you have died in the fall. Which wouldn't have been unrealistic, if I may add." He watched Grant shift in place some more as he turned to the side to face him. "You're a magnet for trouble, it seems."
The pirate didn't find the strength in himself to reply. He could only nod and let out another sigh before he would allow himself to drift to sleep. It was all too complicated to think about and to be fair, Alucard couldn't even blame him for that.

In the middle of all this chaos and uncertainty, the dhampire has found a moment of relief and calm.
To know that he had found their companion alive and somewhat well was giving him some peace. At least, their other two friends wouldn't need to be sorrowful with bad news. Their return would give them new hope and strength for the journey ahead. Yes, they all needed that much after all.
Even the water falling down and waving from one side to the other sounded pleasant to his ears now. Nothing else stirred in this place any longer, the danger felt so far away. One could almost argue that this was a comforting spot to be if it wasn't so very empty.

Alucard didn't mind the time, couldn't say how much had passed before Grant stirred from his sleep again. He himself seemed to have nodded off, the calm washing over and cradling him.
"Have I… Overslept?", he could hear the pirate mumble as he rubbed his temple.
"I don't think that there is a specific time for us to get up. Unless it is about drowning, but that would have taken a while." Alucard peeked over to their surroundings. Indeed, they could have had a lot more time, but they weren't here to sit around and wait for something else to happen. They would need to catch up with the others soon to not have them completely worried out of their mind.
"Can you get up? Are you okay?"
Grant sat up and took a moment to himself to understand how his body reacted.
"Why do you care so much?", he then asked and frowned a bit. The prince squared his shoulders at this question. Of course, he should have expected for him to return to his usual hostility.
"I was the only one that could follow you. So I'm the one stuck with you, so it seems." Alucard shrugged it off as if he didn't care. "But none of us were willing to leave you behind without knowing what was of you. So, I told them that we would meet them by the city." The pirate shifted in place, taking a deep breath before he got back on his feet and swayed a bit. Alucard was by his side to take him by the shoulder and he could feel how the pirate flinched from the touch. At least, he wasn't shaking him off or even snapping at him. Not wanting him to fall over in the next second if he was too stubborn to take his injuries seriously.
"You think that you can go on?"
"I guess so…", he mumbled as he steadied his posture. Grant attempted to be stronger than he actually felt. Then again, he was still pretty pale for his standards. Despite that, he showed the other a bit of a smirk. "Can't let the others wait and weep over us, right?"
There was often something bright about his words.
Alucard couldn't tell if it was fake or he actually found the positivity within himself to share it. He would rather stick to the latter.

The doors were rather heavy, they had to put behind some strength to open the gateway. As soon the gates opened, the smell of decay reached them and they were greeted by darkness. Grant shuddered in place, but then lightened up the oil lamp.
"I assume that keeping this fireball up is costing you some energy." He fumbled with the handle of the lamp to bind it to his belt. Alucard allowed for his magic to disappear and he gave a light nod. It wasn't a whole lot that would be burnt up, though he could see why they would rather rely on the oil lamp for a while.

Alucard's previous guess had been correct.
This was some sort of tomb for novelty built as catacombs. Yet, the sight of these catacombs was worse than the one the group had faced before. Some parts of the walls were broken and filled up with skulls and bones, sticking out as if used to stuff the holes. So many pairs of empty, lifeless eyes watched their every step. There were plates in the walls and on the ground as well, inscriptions in Latin.
"'Basarab'…? Some of those belong to members of the royal family?"
Those were the graves, so it seemed, they could sometimes read dates and some of the names. Grant's expression darkened at the idea of whom those graves belonged to. Alucard wasn't excited about it either.
"Those seem to go back centuries…"
None of them looked too fancy. The decoration was modest on those graves, some bronze and gold shimmering in some cracks. Apparently, they weren't important enough to have their own tombs, but rich enough to be kept in catacombs.
What gave them some relief were the skeletons that encountered, as ironic as that sounded. Luckily, this area echoed the sounds of the enemies' footsteps, so there was no ambush to be expected.
But never had they encountered dark red skeletons before. There was a blue light emerging from their eye sockets as well, though they weren't sensitive to light, it seemed.
"Even this tomb isn't safe from the minions of my father...", mumbled Alucard at the sight of the first two patrolling skeletons. They were armed with larger bones which they seemed to use as clubs. The companions weren't close enough to trigger their attention though.
"At least, this shows us that we could pass through here. If this was a dead end, no one would have bothered to put up some kind of defense." Grant pulled out a long dagger and Alucard followed his example by unsheathing his sword.
"Either that or it's supposed to throw us off and make us believe that there is an exit."
"Always a downer, eh?"
By then, Alucard couldn't tell if he meant it as an actual insult or as banter. But that might come from the fact that the pirate was focused on attacking in the next few seconds.
His mind switched back to action as both of them dashed towards the foes. The enemies didn't expect their arrival and turned in surprise before they were slashed by the blades and broke apart into piles of bones.
"Huh. The element of surprise is still effective even against demons. Good to know." Grant let out a sigh. The running took more energy out of him than the actual attack.
"These aren't exactly the best fighters that can be created."
With that statement, the two of them walked past the piles and focused back on the path before them. Yet, when they made their first few steps, they could hear rumbling coming from behind them. Jittering and shaking and soon enough, they could hear their bony feet tapping the ground. This time, the foes knew exactly who to aim for and dashed forward. Grant's reflexes took over and he slashed the first skeleton that had already risen its' club to hit either of them. This reaction energized Alucard and he sliced the second skeleton again. Once more, the enemies had fallen into pieces.
"They take back their forms? We can't destroy them?", murmured Grant with a frown and kicked the pile of bones in frustration. The prince took him by the arm to pull him a bit before letting go.
"We should advance quickly then, so we can leave them behind before they can track us again." As he was saying that, the bones were moving and daring to find their former place. Though it seemed like kicking the constellation was enough to have it collapse once more. They didn't wait much longer and turned on their heels to haste down to the next hall.

Some of the stream seemed to have gotten underground as well. There must have been holes somewhere still. Besides, bones weren't the best material to fill up holes. The platform below was already submerged with water, logs floating along. Considering how there wasn't a door that would help them move forward, they would have to go down. The stream that the water created had the logs move back and forth between the other platforms.
"Do you think, those logs can carry us?", asked Grant as he kept watching said logs on the water. His body already tensed to get ready for whatever running or jumping was required. "I guess, we don't have much of a choice. Though you could turn into a bat and fly over instead? As part vampire, you won't swim far if you fall in."
"This doesn't look too difficult to handle. In any emergency, I would turn into a bat immediately, but I am not exactly clumsy either."
"Then let me go and try first, then you can follow."
The pirate already took a few steps back to get a running start for the first log. Now he only needed to wait for the timing, watching the log as it floated on the surface.
"It almost sounds like you actually care." There was something mocking to his words, to poke at Grant and his behavior which had the other frown in an instant. If Alucard was one to joke around, he would have snickered at that expression alone.
Yet, Grant didn't seem to take his words as a joke. It was unusual to have him this serious about a matter.
"Well, they expect us both to come back, no? As you are responsible for me, I am for you. But we're not here to have any kind of sentimental talk, so… We better get going."
After these words, Grant sprinted from his spot. At the edge of the platform, he jumped and landed on the log, balancing himself on it before he was secure on it. With a prideful, yet childish smirk, he turned back to glance at the dhampire. Not that Alucard was impressed or even affected by it, but he had to admit that it was amusing to witness. This moment of faint joy didn't last for long as Alucard spotted a form materializing behind the other. Grant did notice how his gaze had trailed off and his smile fell before turned in place.
The floating skull clattered its' teeth as if mocking, launching forward. From the shock, the pirate fell back and Alucard didn't lose any time to reach him. There was no hesitation in the jump, he threw a fireball as his eyes were focused on the foe. The aim was enough to send the creature off, escaping from the flames when the dhampire landed on the log as well. Grant glanced up at him sheepishly from his position.
"Thanks." His answer was muttered before he got back on his shaking legs and steadied his stand. "I should watch my surroundings better instead of celebrating myself. But hey, a solid jump and landing from your side, too! Then again, a demonic being has a bit of an advantage anyway." Nothing would be able to keep that smile off his lips, the prince was almost impressed.
"Uhm… Thank you?", he replied, unsure whether to take his words as a compliment or not.

Instead, they would need to focus on the other spirited demons as they had their ride on the log. Waving to lash out at the levitating skulls was a way to pass the time until the next platform was close enough. On the other side of this poor excuse of a river was another group of skeletons waiting for them. Three skeletons with rusted swords, two red ones with their clubs while another one was in the back and waited to chug bones at them.
"Take out the ones at the front", demanded Alucard with a low, determined tone. "I'll get the one in the back and keep the red ones down."
Without questioning one part of the plan, Grant nodded and got right at it. He sprinted towards the group to get their attention, Alucard keeping in the back. The skeletons turned in place, clattering their teeth and they staggered after him. When the first projectiles were tossed in his direction, the pirate turned and dodged the few bones. Then his dagger was flipped between his fingers only slash it across the skulls that dared to come close. When the red skeletons were about to reach him, Grant could see how Alucard had turned the thrower into ashes. Then he spun to stab one of the two which surprised the other foe and that split second was enough for Alucard to turn this enemy into a pile of bones as well. Since they were already aware of the specialty of the red skeletons, the duo moved right away into the next room.

Another pathway to cross the water via floating pieces of wood planks. There was also a pair of spiral stairs going up, though they couldn't make out if there was something on the other side to reach from that point.
"Well, we wish to get back outside, right? Not further down into the earth, that won't get us anywhere", commented Grant as he trailed his eyes over the ceiling which was the platform above them.
Alucard wasn't so sure himself. The lower half of this room offered a door as well which would get them somewhere, at least. "We don't know how far down we are at this point. The valley is just as deep and we might be wandering through it. Unfortunately, we can't say for sure where the exit would be."
"You feel like playing frog again, I take it?", sneered the pirate and Alucard would only roll his eyes at that reaction. Instead of giving him an answer, the prince made his way up the spiral steps. There he was greeted by a bat that tried to nibble on his skin, but he swatted it away with a sigh. Soon enough, he could see how Grant had followed him. Yet, he didn't look back at him almost in fright to see that mischievous smirk again.
But the stairs didn't only lead to one platform, but to three others. This stairway looked like some sort of tower and the duo decided that they might as well get to the highest floor. Running downwards was easier in case of danger and they would have an advantage, since their right hands were free to move. On each floor, they would glance to the side to see if there was something in particular, but the next two floors held about the same sight. A door by the end of a hallway and a few skeletons patrolling around or leaning against the wall. The level at the top of the stairs, however, offered a different scenario.

Three doors in each wall before them. They all looked a bit taller and fancier with Christian style carvings. There wasn't any particular difference at first glance when they approached the middle of the room.
"Spoiled for choices, eh?", mumbled Grant as he placed his hands on his hips. They weren't planning on staying in the same area for hours, so running around to get to a dead end wasn't the goal.
Alucard approached the first door to their right.
"Maybe they say or show something that helps us understand what this is even supposed to be or where it would lead us."
The pirate walked up to another door to check it out as well, yet Alucard focused back on his own door in front of him. Scenes of another Bible story. The prince recognized it as the Moses story with the parting of the sea in one panel, though it ended with them walking around in the desert. "It doesn't even seem like that there was even supposed to be any writing to begin with... There must be something out of the ordinary or—"
"God damn!"
The sudden curse had Alucard flinch and he snapped in place to see how Grant had jumped back from a werewolf that burst through his door. His sword was drawn and he rushed down the hall. The pirate was having serious difficulty to outrun the claws that had already ripped his jacket.
"Were you waiting right behind the door?! Geez, if you needed some private time, you could have said so!"
Of course, the pirate had opened the door without thinking, typical. Alucard snarled at that and the werewolf dodged the blade only to jump on top of the pirate, throwing him off and towering above him. The muzzle opened wide so that the creature could ram its' sharp teeth into his shoulder and devour him. Yet, Grant was able to pull up a dagger and pierce the top of its' mouth instead, the blade digging in all the way. A cry escaped the werewolf, its' blood gushed out, flowing down and soiling Grant's chest. The pirate stemmed his feet against the firm belly, though he barely had the power to push it off. Instead, Alucard sunk his sword into the side of the werewolf, then kicking it off of the other. The monster tumbled and rolled further over itself. They could still hear the heavy breathing of it, the dhampire had no mercy and pierced its' throat with the blade.
Its' sounds ceased in an instant.
Silence filled the air once more until Grant sat up again to wipe off some of the blood from his clothes.

"Great… Now I will smell even worse than usual."
The werewolf blood had another smell and taste than human blood, it was stronger. This wasn't in Alucard's interest and he turned to watch him with squinted eyes.
"You should watch what you're doing. I didn't come here to have you killed", he replied in a scolding tone before the prince continued to clean his blade with his cape.
"Thanks, father", he sneered and got back on his feet, though he didn't meet his gaze. Grant knew himself that his actions were too careless and that he shouldn't have opened the door.
Before Alucard could even answer to this comment, something else caught his eyes.
There was something shimmering on the ground in a light blue color and the prince picked it up before Grant could protest. It was a silver necklace with a blue gem, something about it reminded him of the sea with the sand particles within.
"Is this yours?"
In panic, Grant rummaged in his jacket only to notice that one pocket was ripped by the werewolf.
"Yes… This is my necklace", he began and sighed as if he gave up from hiding the fact that he owned this.
The prince turned the gem between his fingers and frowned a bit. "Isn't this the… 'Ocean's Drop?' A gem given down by the Dăneşti family? This is jewelry from the royal family." Grant flinched at those words. Alucard waited for an answer, though didn't receive any. Lord Dracula was, before becoming the Lord of Darkness, part of the Basarab clan somehow. Thus, the dhampire was aware of the royal history. "Where did you get this?"
Grant shoved his hands in the pockets of his pants and twisted his mouth a bit. His shoulders were squared back while his gaze trailed off.
"I don't know, I'm not so sure..." His voice wavered from nervousness, but he shrugged as if this subject wasn't too important to him. "Some black market where I had found this. I liked the gem. It was as if it was taken right from the sea. As a pirate captain, I wanted to look a bit fancier. You have to start somewhere, you know… It wasn't cheap either, so I would want it back, please."
As much as this was a vague answer, Alucard knew that there was a possibility for this to be true. With a frown remaining on his expression, Alucard handed out the necklace to him. It was his whether he got it via legal ways or not. The pirate thanked him as he took hold of it, putting it away in the other pocket instead.
"That's what you get for owning something like this. The spirits of this clan might be around here still and feel that you own it."
"As you said, I am a magnet for trouble. I don't think that the necklace changes my condition that much", he chuckled as he approached him, patting his shoulder. Alucard wrinkled his nose and took a step back.
"Sorry. The werewolf blood, it…"
Another sniffle from his side to get this smell out. Grant edged back as well, lifting his hands in defense and excusing himself. Of course, this would influence him and his instincts. Instead, they turned to see where the opened door would lead.
The pathway wasn't long at all, the light of the oil lamp reached into the other room. It was rounded and didn't seem to offer any other door to pass through. A bunch of plates were in the walls, inscriptions of other dead inhabitants. One coffin had burst open, the remains of those bricks on the floor.
"That's where the werewolf was, I guess." Grant could only state the obvious. It wouldn't even be surprising to think that at least one of these corpses was cursed and a dark creature. The Curse would enhance these circumstances anyway. "We got this room checked off then. Only two more doors to deal with."
"Hopefully without any other monster encounter. Let's check the last one together." As much as Alucard wasn't fond of the werewolf blood on the other's clothes, he couldn't deny that he was worried that there could be yet another enemy. It would be easier to overwhelm one foe together.

Another Christian scene. This one was the one of Noah's Arch. How he gathered each of every animal, then the arrival of the flood only for it all to disappear again with God's forgiveness.
"All right… This is Noah's story… The door that I opened depicted the story of Judas." There was no real connection between the three stories. At least, the stories of Moses and Noah were in the Old Testament, but having Judas in the mix was unfitting. Then again, this door had led to an enemy. Not helpful when having to pick between another duo of doors.
"Well, it was not exactly smart of you to open a door that showed Judas and his development", murmured Alucard and lifted his eyebrows. His judgement wasn't the best, but what did he expect from a pirate? Their morals were a bit twisted, of course.
Grant showed him his tongue. What a child.
"Most of these Saints didn't have the best history. God had a lot of cleaning up to do in the Bible. Now it is up to us to do that job, quite ironic, uh?"
"Whatever our mission means, it doesn't help the decision. Which door should we open?" With that, he gestured to the other door that he had examined and Grant followed the gesture with his gaze. He tilted his head as he began to think about it.
"This one looks like, it has a good ending. That is promising enough, right?"
The pirate's musings weren't long or that meaningful, but Alucard could get behind the meaning of it. In fact, the Moses story didn't end with them reaching their destination, but their pilgrimage. It wasn't the most positive of signs in comparison to receiving God's forgiveness. Grant turned back to the door in front of them and edged close to every panel, hoping to find something that was off.
Yet, it was the dhampire this time who initiated action.
"We should try and see what we find in there. You can stand to the back, so that you can attack whatever is waiting behind it. If there is anything at all." The pirate looked up at him in confusion, but nodded and offered the other the door, gesturing to the knob.

The hollowness was the only thing that greeted them when they had opened the door.
No sudden werewolf, no red skeleton, no bat that flapped their way.
This chamber was far larger than the last one, though similar in design. There was even an altar with a cross which reminded them of the tomb in which they had fought Alucard.
Then, something stirred behind them. Feet that scoffed over the broken ground, a heavy sigh echoed.

"Oh, Ionel…" A sultry, sweet voice reached them. It was somehow contorted, twisted, as if the sweetness of it only meant to cause nausea. "Good angel of mine, have you finally returned to us?" Alucard could see how the other shook from that sound, how panic immediately had taken hold of him. The duo turned in place nonetheless to spot a woman by one of the open graves. Her skin had paled and rotten, half of her face was torn. Even her form was so fragile that one could only wonder how that thin layer of flesh was still hanging on her. The hair was a mess, most of it fallen out already and the once fancy dress was now ripped and soiled. What had Alucard shudder though was the wicked smile of hers that stretched over the thin, blue lips. Then there was intense stare of hers on them, the gray eyes sharp and deadly. Before Alucard could even make connection, the figure continued as she stretched out her hands to them.
"It has been so long… Did you not miss your family?"
It was as if these words summoned other undead who approached them from the sides. Two young men and a woman. They made the same sight as the mother: scraggy and bony with ruined clothes, twisted smiles and eyes burning with anger. It was disturbing for sure, to hear and see that there was something human to them once, but Grant was petrified. Alucard didn't even think that he would ever see him with such terror in his eyes. When he had cursed him into his demonic form, there was still defiance within him despite all.
Without taking his eyes away from the foes, the prince began to whisper:
"Grant… Who are these people?" There was no reaction coming from the other as if he didn't register the question.
"Grant", he repeated, this time more firm, "who are they?"
Though it wasn't the pirate that would give him the answer. The eldest figure opened her arms and chuckled, but it came out as hollow and cold.
"Have you not told your friend about your family? What you did?"
"Who you left behind?", spat out another figure from the other side, the oldest man out of the three.
"Who you betrayed?" It was as if they were about to burst in yells.
Yet, it was Grant who had raised his voice first in a rush of panic.
"Shut up!" He pressed his hands against his ears, closing his eyes hard to push out anything. "I haven't—I didn't— I never meant for any of this to happen!" His voice broke almost immediately again, pushing his tears down from fright.
This was it, he was losing the other if he wasn't doing anything. Of course, the dhampire had still no idea what was going or what they were talking about. He would need to put the two and two together later. Alucard took him by his shoulder and turned him to face him, to grab his attention. Goodness, to see how the sharpness in his eyes had dulled from panic and sorrow was almost knocking him over, too. The pirate tried his best to focus on the dhampire, blocking out every other maddening thought.
"Look at me, Grant! This is an illusion; this is demonic trickery!" Not that Alucard could know for sure, since he wasn't the one who had summoned them from their graves. But if these were the remains of his family, he would think that he was loved and that they had cared for him. "Dracula is using his powers against us!" With caution, Alucard glanced around, seeing how the siblings had pulled out weapons: a sword for the eldest, a lance for the sister and an axe for the other brother. The mother watched from the back, waiting for the reaction that her only living son would give.
"Those are... Those are phantoms...",. Grant stuttered like a mantra as if he was trying to convince himself. "They are... T-Tricking us..." As much as he found some steadiness in his words, hearing his mother hum was having him flinch once more. Yet, Grant seemed to use his desperate energy to pull out his combat dagger nonetheless. His hand gripped around the handle so tight that the knuckles whitened. His eyes stared down at the blade, convincing himself that this needed to be done. There was pity in Alucard's expression as he watched his trembling form before him.
"Forgive me, but we have no other choice. They will—"
"I know." Grant exhaled as if saying that much costed him energy already. It didn't help his nervousness at all. He would have put on a brave face if he could have. Instead, all that one could see was defeat as he pushed it all down for a moment of indifference. Alucard watched him for another second, unsure whether Grant could make it, but that would show during battle. In the end, all they needed to do was to stop their foes from moving.

The first one to take action was the sister, dashing towards the duo without hesitation. With a swing of her lance, she stabbed between the two of them and they jumped to the sides. The dhampire blocked the next swing with the broad side of his sword, putting strength against it. These beings were supernatural as the strength of her swings were beyond human.
"This is not a matter for you to meddle with", the sister hissed while she gritted her teeth, pushing against the other before pulling back to take aim and stab. When the woman swung her weapon, a blade dug into the leg of hers and she shrieked from the sudden pain. Her eyes snapped back to Grant who stood in place, paralyzed for a second as if shocked by what he had done. He could only watch how the dark red liquid pumped out and slid down the rotten skin.
"You. Always the little traitor, aren't you?!" She enraged by the actions of her brother, she lashed out in his direction instead. Before Alucard could even attempt to defend the other, another undead raced him down with his axe. He swung after him like a madman which was making it difficult for the dhampire to aim and hit a limb. Meanwhile, he could hear the screams from the sister while she toyed with Grant, making him jump and duck. Her insults consisted of 'traitor' and 'coward', though she did burst out something else that would only continue to tug on Grant's guilt. "You've let me die and now you will allow so again?! Is this what you have always wanted?!"
Alucard had no idea what had happened between them for those words to have such a crushing effect on the pirate. He couldn't even reply anymore, the words stuck in his throat before he chugged another dagger to hit her chest. This alone caused him to wince and shake his head.
"I-I could have never even imagined for this." Grant made no attempt to hide the sorrow behind his words. This wasn't a reunion that he had hoped for. Having to fight what he had once known so many years ago, facing the forms of those who had embraced him. "You are not my sister. Those are not my brothers and this is not mother. Not anymore."
To underline his words, he chugged another dagger her way to her chest which had her bend and cough up blood. A sense of duty was to his attacks and also to stop from those harmful words to pour from her twisted tongue.
As the sister fell back, the last brother took her place and lashed out with his sword. The speed of his attacks was as troublesome to him as it was to Alucard. He had changed his strategy and blasted small fireballs to throw him back, still hesitating to slice and burn them on the spot. Seeing the remains of their humanity made quite a difference. Their connection to his companion was far more influencing than he would have liked to admit.
"You do not belong here, son of Dracula. Fighting for a side that curses your blood. Though, you two aren't that different, both filthy and cowardly", the man spat back at him. "This isn't any of your business."
"Neither is it yours."
The prince figured that he wasn't here to hold conversations with rotten corpses. This time, it was Alucard who attacked first, now convinced more than ever that they would need to put an end to this.

Yet, this might not prove itself as simple as it might have seemed at first glance. The sister who staggered back, pulled out the blade from her chest and swayed in place for another second. Then, white mist covered her skin and wrapped around her. The mother had stretched out her arms, summoning the fog. What the white fog did was to fill out the wounds that were caused on the body. It turned into flesh and binding with the rest which still hung on her.
Her twisted smirk returned to her lips before joining her brothers in their combat. Alucard swung his sword, piercing the arm that held unto the axe and then pushing the enemy back with another fireball. Yet, there was no point in giving them any form of injury if they could be healed in another moment. The prince turned to call out to Grant who was trying to avoid any hit as he juggled his daggers. His eyes only darted to him for a split second before he had to focus on his angered siblings while Alucard was occupied with the other brother again.
"We'll have to attack-". Another strike from the axe, passing by his cheek and cutting right through the fabric of his cape as it split the ground with a crash. Alucard cursed under his breath and fired yet another fireball at the foe who attempted to pull the axe out. With his sword, he gestured towards the mother. "We have to attack her! Otherwise, they will have us cornered at some point!"
"Look at that little strategist there! You will have to get to me first before you can even lay a finger on me!", the mother mocked immediately at his words.
Not that the brother had cared much for it once he held his axe between his hands again. The dhampire turned his attention back to him, but did glance at Grant. He didn't believe that he could have paled more than that, but somehow, his face was completely deprived of color at this point.
Grant could barely look as he lashed the daggers at the knees of his siblings, making them immobile. Without even thinking about the words that Alucard had uttered, he turned on his heels and dashed towards his mother. His feet slowed down as he got closer and the smirk on her lips widened.
"My child, do you really wish to do this?", she hummed and opened her arms once more. In one hand, one could see how she summoned a green flame. Guilt tripping him was one thing, but she wouldn't allow herself to be defenseless if he did change his mind. "Why don't you lower your weapon and return to us? Everything can return to the way it was before, Ionel. You don't have to throw your future away. In the end, isn't this all a bad dream of yours? All you need to do is to wake up."
A moment of silence was between them. In the meanwhile, Alucard needed to keep the siblings away. At least, the two of them were still struggling with their kneecaps being pierced. Then again, the older brother with his axe was quite strong on his own, no need to add anything more to it.
"Wake up?!", Grant snarled back as his whole body tensed up. With his long dagger, he aimed at the other and pressed his lips together. "Believe me, I have seen things on this journey that could never be matched with the nightmares that I have had for years ever since I left home. Now, I need to face the truth and that is that neither of you is of my family." The smile on her face widened, then deformed with the rotten remains of her face. It looked like the skin would rip in any second from the tension. She didn't move in place when he took another few steps towards her. "And know this, demon, I will end you and avenge my family that had to suffer by your hand!"
This was enough talk for his mother.
Her expression changed as fast as it came. It made way for pure anger and in the next second, she pointed her palms towards him. The green flames formed a spear in a matter of moments and was fired towards him. Even if surprised, Grant managed to duck and roll under the attack. The flaming spear pierced a pillar. As soon as it came in contact with the marble, the spear exploded and sent pieces of the pillar flying, engulfed in fire.
While the woman was busy with attacking Grant, Alucard figured that his attacks should become more lethal. After all, she was distracted and wouldn't be able to heal her undead children right away. Another stab to the foe's arm, then a fire ball to his head. The enemy groaned in frustration and lashed out at him, forcing to put distance between them.
Now more than ever, Alucard was willing to end the battle once and for all. He dashed towards the other and pulled a dagger from his belt. This he pierced right into the chest, pulling the blade out in the next moment only to let the metal slash the throat. The dark blood gushed out and stained the clothes in gushing spurts. The skin on the throat ripped and his head snapped back as if Alucard had cut the strings that held the head on its' body. Thus, the older brother staggered back, pulled by the weight of his head. Finally, he fell on his back as the blood sprayed into the air like a broken fountain. Disgusted by the sight and smell of the foul blood, Alucard turned to see how Grant was faring in his battle.

Certainly, his mother didn't make it easy for him. Her fire magic was dangerous. Any sort of contact would cause it to explode and the flames that were created by it didn't go out. What they feasted on, they couldn't tell, but it was enough to create smoke which hung in the air. She had already created holes in the ground, pieces of stone were in flames and only served as distractions and obstacles for Grant. The prince joined his side and looked him over while they were avoiding yet another spear.
"How are you holding up?", Alucard asked breathlessly. Another dodge, aiming to separate the two as it was shot between them. The friends did exactly that, jumped from the destructive force in opposite directions. For a second, the dhampire couldn't spot the other anymore from the smoke which rose from the ground.
"Take a wild guess!" That was all he could hear from his side. The smoke wobbled, caused by the pirate dashing back towards his main target. Alucard didn't hesitate to follow his example, but they could only get so far. His mother caused yet another explosion to throw them back with the shock wave alone.
Yet, when she fired another spear, it wasn't aimed at either of them at all. The weapon blew another pillar to pieces and the next spear went upwards to the ceiling.

Alucard watched in dismay as broken bricks crashed on the ground. One bigger chunk smashed the remains of his previous foe. All that was left in that spot was a splash of blood and chunks stuck in the cracks of the ground.
She didn't care for any kind of target, it was chaos that she wished to create. Enough to sacrifice her own children for it, so it seemed. Before he could utter any word to describe what was happening, she let out a maniacal laugh, loud enough to echo in the hall and pierce their ears.
"If you won't join us and our cause, then I will take you down to Hell with us instead!"
There were still a few pillars left in this hall. But they wouldn't want to think about how many more needed to be destroyed until this room would collapse.
Grant pulled his bandana down and bound it once more so that the cloth would cover his nose and mouth from the smoke. After all, it was starting to engulf them and getting in the way of their sight. His dark brown hair stood off as a mess and dangled in front of his face. Through the smoke, one could merely make out the outline of their last enemy.
It had something intimidating to it. How the smoke changed from grey to green from the flames and her laughter wouldn't stop anymore.

There wasn't much time left.
The companions had to end the battle or else. Without knowing where the other was located anymore, they dashed towards the figure somehow, lead by the green light. Alucard would use this situation to his advantage and turned into a bat. His senses as a bat didn't rely on sight anymore and he was a smaller target, too. But in this form, he couldn't attack with his sword or with the fire balls. Instead, he chose to scan the area.

There the pirate was.
Rolling and jumping and running, making his way towards his mother. Another pillar was taken down. Though for that, he didn't need to be a bat, it could be heard and seen quite easily even from the ground.
It seemed that the lack of sight was soothing somehow to Grant. He couldn't see his mother anymore - or what was left of her form - and this didn't collide with his memories any longer. At least, for now, she was only another enemy summoned by Lord Dracula to defy them.
In the end, that was probably what she was, a spirit that possessed a body to make it look like his mother. Then again, Grant preferred not to think about this any second longer. Either they were to defeat her or this would become their grave. Thus, the pirate dashed towards her and once he was close enough, he collided with the smaller figure. The impact was big enough to throw her over. Now that Grant was close enough to her, he could make her out clearly again.

For a second, he hesitated.
Right then, it was the human form that he was seeing before him. His entire frame was paralyzed and he could feel how his dagger almost slipped from his hand.
"Ionel... Ionel, what are you doing?!" She did not turn in place, but did start to sob hard. Her body shook from the painful sensation. Grant could only watch in dismay, unable to move from his spot as she crawled forward. "Do you really wish for my death this desperately? Has the first time not been enough? Didn't I ever..."
Her voice failed her and she gave up trying to get back on her feet. Instead, she slithered on the ground to turn around to him and reached out to grasp his ankle. Her head snapped back up and Grant stared into an expression that held only pure anger. "Why won't you listen to me, child?!" And in the next second, the pirate could feel heat right streaming from her palm against his skin.
It was out of reflex to defend himself, to allow for his dagger to slash down on her wrist to free himself from her grip. His fingers grabbed for another blade and, as fright took over him in an instant, flung it down towards her face. This hit was enough to have the skin ripping apart. Her features, which had been vaguely on her face, now burst before him and the gush of blood stained his feet. The shock had him stumble back and his stomach twisted once more. He could only stare at the remains of hers, he could even still hear her stertorous breathing. Somehow, this figure was still alive, as much as you could call something like this "alive" anyway.
"I'm sorry...", he began to stutter and struggled for breath. Every noise around him didn't matter anymore, he was forgetting where he was. Another few steps backwards, not knowing or caring if he was going to be close to any fire. "I'm sorry..." His apology loosed strength, Grant could be barely heard any longer.
Then, all of a sudden, the pirate was grabbed by the arm.
"Grant! We have to get out of here, quick!"
He was completely out of place right then, staring up at Alucard as if he was the last person that he expected to see. Yet, the pirate didn't fight him when he pulled him along.

Luckily, Alucard didn't need to see a whole lot to be able to navigate through the hall. Remembering their surroundings, he was able to find their way back to the door. He cursed under his breath as the gates were closed. For once, the prince wasn't patient with their surroundings. While Grant might have been able to pry open the door, he couldn't do anything besides trying to gather what was happening. Thus, all that Alucard could do was to aim at the lock and shoot fire balls at it to break the handles altogether. They swung open without much resistance at that point and the light blinded the duo. Alucard grabbed the other by the arm to stumble outside with him without much direction.

Then, it was all silent.
The gates fell shut behind them. As their eyes finally got used to the sunlight of the dawn, the two of them found themselves at the other side of the hill. A pair of stairs led upwards to the flat lands, they couldn't quite see what was ahead.
Not that Grant cared for it much at the moment. He sat down on a large piece of broken stone and pulled down the bandana only to cover his face with his hands.
Alucard took a deep breath and took in the silence. Then his eyes darted to his companion who was frozen in his position.
"Tell me, Alucard", he finally began with his voice shaking in despair. The dhampire was impressed that he could still form a sentence when he himself was feeling breathless. "Tell me... Were those really just demons? That took the form of my family? Tell me that it wasn't them... That I didn't..." Grant bent over further and began sobbing into his palms, his entire frame shook in place.
All that Alucard could do was to kneel beside him and take him by his shoulder.
In all honesty, he didn't know the truth. Whether demons had possessed the corpses of what once were his blood-relatives or if it was an illusion created by another wicked minion.
"No. I don't think that it was them."
Alucard couldn't lie to him, but he couldn't imagine that one's family could think of someone else like this. To call them traitor, a coward and the reason why they perished. The shock in Grant was too strong to stem from the guilt of having actually committed murder. It was rooted from deep inside, something that has haunted him for years. Alucard wasn't one to do any kind of pep talk or even motivate anybody, yet, to see the other this broken was tearing on him.
"I am sure that your family loved and missed you."
"They... They were right... I was afraid and I... And I ran and left them behind... It was all my fault that they died."
Grant shook his head and sniffled, unable to take any hold on himself. In any other situation, the dhampire would snarled at him, to get a grip on himself already. But Alucard wouldn't even wish to imagine what was going on in his mind right then.
"I left them behind... And now I... I had to fight and slay their remains with my own hands..."
The prince could only squeeze his shoulder to let him know that he wasn't alone right then in his sorrow. His gaze lowered and all he could do was to gather his own thoughts as he listened to the other crying his eyes out.
"Ionel... That is what they called you. Is that your real name then?"
Perhaps some form of practicality would help him find his way back to reality. To ask about his past would be too indelicate and not recommended when the pirate was falling apart.
Grant did take it as such, at least. He lowered his hands and let them rest on his legs, though he couldn't raise his head to meet his gaze. "That is my name, yes..." Tears fell from his eyes and his lower lip quivered. As sorrowful as he was, he was determined to follow his question. "Ionel Darian Dăneşti... It's b-been a long time since I have heard that name directed towards me, I have to admit..."
Grant pulled out the silver necklace with the Ocean's Drop and looked at the gem that now rested in his palm. Alucard frowned at the mention of his last name.
A Dăneşti, a member of the royal family. Not that the pirate looked like royalty exactly. Though it would begin to make more sense after having passed the catacombs.
"Then... This necklace belongs to you?", he asked, not wishing to overstep any boundaries. The prince watched him, wanting to prepare for any kind of reaction, but Grant gave none at all. His grey eyes, which still swam in tears, couldn't look away from the Ocean's Drop.
"Not exactly... I suppose that I would have the right to own it, but..." His fingers clutched around the gem and he closed his eyes hard in a poor attempt to stop himself from crying. And that was all he had to say about it.
Alucard didn't poke the issue further. But Grant seemed to search for something else that he could focus on that wasn't his past or bloodline.
"Alucard... That isn't your real name, is it." It wasn't a question, it was an observation. "Your father... Back then, he called you Adrian. At least, that's what I believe that he has called you... I can't remember much...".
"Indeed, my name is Adrian." It was only fair to share this much after Grant revealed his origins to him. "Alucard is... Dracula spelt backwards."
At this point, one would have imagined for Grant to laugh at him. How unimaginative this was and asking if he made that name up in his teen years, but he received none of it.
Somehow, that saddened him even further. To see someone depressed when he was usually so upbeat and bright was cruel to watch.

Another moment of silence between them.
Grant didn't move from his spot, but he ceased his crying, at least. Perhaps, he didn't have any more strength in him left to do so.
"Go on without me. The other two must be waiting for you."
"What?!" His words shook Alucard from his own gloom. He got back up on his legs, but the pirate wouldn't follow him with his eyes. "What are you talking about?! They are also waiting for you! I didn't get here to leave you here in the end!"
Grant returned to his former position and covered his face in shame once more. "What good am I anyway? I am a mere human... At least, that's what I used to be before I became a demon. Compared to you or the others, I am more of a weight than anything else..."
He shook his head in despair. It was true that the rest of the group held their own share of powers, but their skills were different. That much, he wasn't able to see in himself and it was a pity. "Perhaps it would have been better if I had just perished in the Clock Tower like everyone would have expected me to..."
That was enough, the prince thought to himself and he squared his shoulders.
"We might not know why you had survived your battle with Trevor, but I do not care for the reason either. You have helped them more than you can imagine. Perhaps, they wouldn't have even made it as far as they did now without you. As Father Cypher had put it, our meeting must have a meaning. I am taking it as such at least."
Once more, Grant let his hands sink, but this time, he rose his gaze, too.
For a second, Alucard was speechless, the initial sadness was still found in his features. Yet, some form of defiance was there as well as if he wished to believe his words somehow. The dhampire shook himself to continue. This was no time to dwell on whatever was going on within him.
"We will leave this place and we'll do so together. I'm not going anywhere without you." Then Alucard got back on his feet and finally, he noticed how the other followed him in disbelief. "If you can't do that much for yourself, then do so for us and your family. None of us is willing to leave you behind."
Not like this anyway. They had escaped the catacombs to get further in their mission, not to return beneath the earth like that.
He could see how Grant took a deep breath and pressed his lips together. Then he glanced back at the necklace, hung it around his neck and got on his feet even if wobbly.
"Let's... Let's get going then...", the pirate sniffed, rubbing some of his tears away for a moment before passing him with quick steps. He could be barely heard and he couldn't look at Alucard as if still ashamed to have tears drop from his eyes.
Was that an hint of pride that the prince could feel within him at the sight?
He couldn't tell himself, perhaps it was a form of relief.
Still, Alucard followed right up ahead without looking back to the catacombs.
Though Grant did when they walked upwards. A heavy breath escaped him and it took him a bit of energy to tear his eyes away again. It were the thoughts of guilt tormenting him still, yet, none of it was stopping his motion.

When they had climbed the stairs, the next path was clear before them. It lead to the town which the group had planned to reach.
In the morning, the duo couldn't spot any sort of life buzzing there. But maybe they had been too far to make anything out. There was smoke rising in the sky, at least, signalizing some activity. Everything around was bleak, not even the sun could bring color into their surrounding. Not that it wasn't a sight that they weren't used to at this point. Quite a march anyway, though the hope to run into their friends was motivating.

The two of them had shared companionable silence for a while. Alucard wasn't comfortable with approaching him and the pirate was in thoughts.
It wasn't unpleasant, there was something soothing to it after having faced such horrors together. The dhampire felt more responsible than ever in many respects. If it wasn't for him and his cursed blood, none of the tragedies would have occurred. Without his ties to his father, Grant wouldn't have even been turned into a demon. All he could do now was to look out, aware that the others' senses might not be as sharp as they usually were.
"Hey."
Alucard was shaken awake by Grant's voice reaching him. When he peeked to the side, he could see his slumped over form, his hands in his pockets. Grant peeked back just the same and gave a sheepish shrug.
"Thank you for... You know... For everything."
At first, the prince didn't know how to reply. For everything?, he pondered with a bit of surprise. To deny the gratitude would be rude, that much he figured. So all he could really reply was a muttered "you're welcome..." and following after a few seconds with a shrug from his side "I-I'm glad that I could help..."
Finally, a gentle smile curled on Grant's lips.
It must have been an eternity since he had seen one on his face, to see hope return to him.
And Alucard had never been happier to witness as much in the other.


Since, in the Japanese version, Grant is basically named like the other royal branch family, I took that over. Interestingly enough, that makes Alucard and Grant relatives. I believe, that would be second degree cousins? Still, kind of funny to me

Plus, I imagine that his necklace was handed down through the centuries... Only to become part of Maxim's bracelet. I headcanon them to be related :U