Hello again!
This time, you will find a chapter that is shorter than the rest. It's supposed to kind of wrap the chapter up with Trevor and Sypha, so we do get to the "boss battle" rather quick.
But don't fear! I am planning to get to more this summer! Guess, this is just something to tide you over until Season 2 hits... (Prayer circle for our pirate boy)
Anyway!
Hope that you have fun and see you around~!
~6-4: Aquarius
Sooner or later, they must have come across a place like this.
A cult, a group of possessed people, those rotten by Dracula's Curse. It was bound to happen, they should have expected it.
Not that this realization helped Sypha in her situation one bit.
After having entered the facility and meeting some of the staff, she was brought to a prayer chamber. To kneel and pray by herself; to focus, they said.
The urgency and tight grips behind their gestures was more than unnerving. They took away her staff and books, saying that she won't need those anymore. After all, now that she was part of the community, that was all anybody could desire.
"Once you are one of us, the Lord will free you."
At least, that was what they said.
And that was when the priestess realized what kind of mess they had gotten themselves into.
Kneeling in front of the small opening, she had folded her hands in prayer. Well, she might as well leave a few pleas with God, since she was already stuck in here.
Her first thought was with Trevor.
Now that they had been separated, they couldn't just escape. Instead, they would need to find one another if they wished to have a chance.
Her hands clutched tighter and her frame tensed.
Please, let him be safe, she begged in her thoughts, for he serves in Your name. I cannot bear the loss of another companion. This realm might suffer the worst consequences if he was to perish...
Before Sypha could even continue her train of thought, the door behind her was opened and a young man peeked in. His lips formed into a smile once his dull, blue eyes focused on her.
"Ah, already getting prepared, I see! I was sent to pick you up."
He waved her over to his side. Not that Sypha had much of a choice, otherwise she might cause a riot. On her own, that was less than ideal.
"In this place, I can't help but feel inspired", she said with a bit of a smile.
"Wonderful."
The other returned the smile, it stretched over his lips.
A shiver shook her frame, the unsettling sensation taking hold of her. Not that his next words calmed her as he lead the way:
"I'm happy to know that I can help with your initiation. The name's Isaac, by the way."
"N-Nice to meet you. But..." She struggled to keep her voice steady and free from fright. "Initiation? This is the first time that I hear of this."
Isaac chuckled at that, it sounded breathless. He glanced over his shoulder before they descended a flight of stairs. The cold crept beneath their clothes and torches lighted their path.
"You seem to possess exceptional powers", he began, his voice down to a whisper, "your books were interesting... Quite useful for our cause. Our Lord might find some interest in you."
Sypha couldn't say what kept her from running or fighting. At least, for the moment. Neither did she know how she raised her voice again. It was almost as if her mouth was running on its own while she listened.
"Oh? So you ask me to prove something?" She sounded like as if challenging him, playful even. Perhaps, that would give the priestess her books back. To know that they were with some lunatics... The quicker she'd get them back, the better.
Yet, Isaac could only laugh at that offer and waved her off.
"Eager as ever, I see! Promising, I must say, but no. Instead, I would like to show to you the powers that our Lord has given me! And maybe, it will make you understand that His strength is greater than any other force in this realm." Then they came to a halt in front of an iron door. He threw her another knowing smirk before he swung the door open and gestured for her to enter. "Behold! The fruit of my ambitions!"
The sight before her prevented Sypha from straying in further.
A large cellar was behind the door, a gush of foul odor hit her and twisted her stomach in an instant. Usually, one would find such a room filled with produce to keep over the winter, now it was a hall for experiments. The smell of burnt oil was supposed to cover the one of rotten flesh.
In the middle sat a massive creature. Its crooked back almost touching the ceiling as it was slumped over. Metal was attached to flesh at random, it seemed, to keep it together.
Isaac hurried past her and opened his arms to the monster.
"Just look at it! It's magnificent, isn't it? What a hassle sowing all that flesh together! Melting the metal to the limbs and pieces, it turns out more reliable, can you believe it?"
Sypha shuddered at his words, paralyzed in place. Indeed, this creature did resemble the giant from the Cursed Castle. The unnatural construction only more horrid in its pitiful existence. The burnt smell did make a lot more sense now.
"Is... Is it alive?" Well, this being wasn't alive, of course. Being made out of corpses and metal, that was. "As in... Awake?"
"Not yet! It's his first awakening! I wanted you to witness it, to understand what we can do and what you... Could do within our circles."
Isaac approached his creation with twisted enjoyment. Though, when he drew close, he wouldn't want to touch it and his eyes carried a glint of disgust. Instead, he pulled out a blade from his belt and clutched the hilt so hard that his knuckled turned white.
"Heed my words, o great powers of darkness! Release to me one of the tortured souls!" Dark bolts of lightening seemed to shoot through the metal, it sizzled in the air. His arm was starting to shake as if about to lose control. "Let me infuse it with my life-force and awaken it to the world of the living! Immaculate being... Appear before me now!"
As the bolts began to graze his skin, Isaac struck the blade down into the foul flesh with a short breathed yell.
The lightening spread all over the monster like insects. Its limbs shuddered and its torso trembled from the force. With a strained groan, the teeth parted and a stream of dark blood poured out. Its fingers were clutched, another animal like sounds escaped it while it was waking up. It resounded in the cellar, hollow and haunting.
A Devil Forgemaster, right before her. Those servants of Dracula whose powers were akin to Death.
Sypha stepped back, another gush of foul smell hit her and she grew weak in her knees. If it wasn't for the creature's presence, it would have been Isaac's wicked smirk that would have disturbed her the most. The dark glint in his eyes had her shudder, the gaze creeping over her skin.
"It's magnificent and horrifying, is it not?"
Sypha couldn't keep from glancing up at the monster. Horrifying it was indeed, bringing fright to anybody's bones. Magnificent, not so much.
"With this, I can finally follow the wish of our Lord! And in time, it was! I mean, look at that, you've led the Belmont scum into our lair! That would be enough to win our Lord's favor."
"What?! I did not... I mean..."
Of course, Trevor must have come to the attention of Dracula. They did come far enough after all. Though, as he did, so did the rest of the group...
"Anything wrong, Father?", he sneered, looking her over and, all of sudden, she felt way too exposed to his eyes. "Are you saying that you're not willing to sacrifice the enemy? Are you an ally of his? Because it does look like it."
This was it.
There was no way that she could avoid conflict anymore.
Betrayal was no option, their mission was not to be mocked. If she was to know that Trevor was safe, she could act as his enemy and be led to him. But as long as she wasn't sure that he was free, selling his well-being was unacceptable.
Thus, Sypha raised her hand with a swing and directed a fist towards him. Flames burst from her skin without hesitation as if her anger fueled the fire.
Isaac's smirk vanished. As if his smiling wasn't uncomfortable enough, but now the priestess knew that she got herself in trouble.
Not that it vanquished any of her righteous fury.
"I would lie if I said that I didn't have my doubts about you. Downright figured that you'd start fighting any second. But that is of no matter now. You and the poor excuse of a Hunter are separated and the other two traitors far from you." His gaze went back for a second, the monster got on its' legs as it remained slumped over. "I'll get to test out my Golem on you as I wished. After all, you are the least impressive threat of the lot. Let's see how the little girl deals with this without her protectors."
For a moment, the flame flickered from surprise. They had come to know about a lot more than their troop.
Yet, this wasn't the time to ponder about her appearance.
A portal appeared underneath Isaac, the red light almost blinding her.
"I'll take my leave, I am needed elsewhere. Someone else will pick up your remains. Perhaps, I'll be able to reuse your flesh for something more useful."
"Enough! Come here and fight me, coward!"
She shot the fireball, but the attack went through his frame as Isaac disappeared. The rest of the strike grazed the rotten skin of the Golem which only reacted by turning his attention to her. Many eyeballs, squeezed between bandages, opened and focused on her.
How long has it been since she fought alone?
Not since the Mad Forest, that was for sure. What a frightening sensation to face a demon alone. How her heart quickened and goosebumps covered her skin from growing dread. It was almost the same back then, fear blooming in her soul as she grew too petrified to take on the challenge.
Her frame tensed up further. Both her hands turning back to fists as now the cold was materializing within her fingers.
A creature brought to life through dark magic. It was in her duty to send its' cursed soul right back to where it belonged.
But for that, Sypha needed a plan.
The summoned ice began to stick on her, a thin layer over her skin. Without waiting for a second longer, she aimed the ice at the deformed feet. Immediately, the ice clung to the Golem, crawling up to its knees and thickening around the flesh. Her spells clicked through her mind, switching and racing to what could have worked best.
Lightening, lightening, something to switch the beast off. Enough strength to strike it down, ideally at once.
The electricity began to build up in her fingertips. Her frame trembled from the intensity of the magic within her. Yet, the Golem summoned his own strength to rip his leg out of the ice. Her concentration broke off as the monster attempted a running start, the momentum freeing the other leg.
For such a lump of meat and metal, it was quite quick.
Sypha turned on her heels and hurried up the stairs, the Golem first blocked by the doorway that was too small. Not that the creature would let itself be stopped by that obstacle. Instead, it rammed against the door frame with a grunt and the structure caved in. While the priestess hurried upstairs, the Golem worked his way upwards through the ground. Breaking walls, punching the ceilings with ease and it had no regard for the earth and bits of wood and stone falling on top of it. The metal that coated its' head sure was helping that.
Sypha took the last few steps upwards and was back on the ground floor. Everything beneath her was shaking from the Golem's strength. Its fist punched open the ground before it heaved itself out step by step. Debris was thrown through the air as the noise echoed.
The priestess prepared another lightening spell while she watched in terror how the beast tore apart the earth.
Even if this place was infested with a group of lunatics, she couldn't let this monster out with the others. The devastation left behind would be unimaginable... And running away could only do so much.
When the Golem was on its two feet again, it searched for Sypha. As soon as its gaze targeted her, all the pent-up electricity within her veins was released. Lightening shot out of her hands, aiming for the chest. The Golem roared and staggered in place, lightning crawling along its skin and sizzling on the flesh. Its head twisted from one side to the other as if trying to shake off an insect, the movement more sluggish than before.
At least that was more helpful than the ice, Sypha cursed to herself under her breath.
Yet, summoning lightening wasn't as easy and would cost more energy. Fire would be better and ice was fine, but the second option didn't work so well.
Then, fine, let's go with fire before shocking the head some more. Should fry its' brain at some point, right?
Not enough time to get through that train of thought.
The Golem was angered and didn't waste any other second to charge her again. Sypha could only jump out of the way and the Golem crashed through the doorway. Through the hole that it created, Sypha could see how they would enter a hall full of members of the cult. Said members found themselves shocked and screaming for their lives. They ran in every direction as the Golem plowed through the crowd.
In terror, Sypha saw how men and women were flung around, how they clashed against the walls and pillars and painted the gray decor in red. She swallowed the thick knot in her throat and rushed afterwards. With a fireball at hand, she flung it against the beast to drag its attention back to her.
Her plan worked out. The Golem soon forgot about the people around it as it tried to figure out who was responsible for the attack. Didn't do a whole lot of damage, that much she could tell, unfortunately. Would have been nice otherwise.
Sypha couldn't say if the monster would recognize her from before, but it did seem to be keen on flinging her around, too.
Now this was more of a matter of endurance than anything else. Sypha would evade the hits from the Golem, but needed to concentrate. More and more, to summon the lightening from within. If she wanted to prevent more deaths, she would have to stand between the monster and those people that wanted to see her and Trevor dead.
The irony of it all.
But that was what the Curse was about: death, destruction and betrayal within everyone. To fight it all with their might was their fate and lead them to dawn. If it wasn't to kill them one day.
But Sypha wasn't one to give up.
The Golem must have realized that the attacks weren't quite so effective against her, she was quicker. Whatever was in its head, the Golem was able to learn from this circumstance and stopped trying to grab her. Instead, the monster turned to grasp one of the pillars with both its hands to rip the stone out. Now, with the rocks in its palms, it flung the pieces at her which was at a much greater speed than the Golem itself. At least, its aim was off, so many of the projectiles weren't hitting even close.
Enough time to gather a new charged attack.
Sypha struggled to keep the concentration up, but it was enough for it to curl inside her chest, flowing along her limbs.
Then the shot, another set of lightning struck the frame of the beast and it flinched and stuttered. Its entire body slumped over and the Golem groaned in pain, holding its head between its hands.
"Will you just be done for already?!",. the priestess cried out in frustration. She took a few steps back to prepare some more electricity. At least, it couldn't shake the pain off so fast as it did before and her anger fueled her next summon. "Return back to where you came from, wretched beast!"
The next shot began to drain Sypha. She wasn't sure if she could surge something else from within in a short amount of time.
Yet, the Golem cried out. There was almost something pitiful to its tone that reminded her of a human being for a second.
No, this was no person before, it was molten together and brought to life by dark magic. Its form was inspired by the human one, but none of it held a soul or consciousness that could be taught about morals.
The sounds would die out quick, as if out of breath, staggering and swaying in place some more.
What wouldn't she give for a proper long sword now to drive it through the chest of the beast?
Not that she had a lot of body strength to wield such a weapon, but it sure would come useful right then.
Fine, another spell. Just relax, you will finish this battle on your own.
Yet, her concentration was soon to be cut off again by some other noise coming from both sides of the hall. From behind her stormed in other members, screaming and swinging whatever objects that they found. For a second, Sypha could spot a young man with her weapon at hand, but she lost his sight in the crowd almost immediately. Not that their weapons did any proper damage and it only irritated the Golem some more.
"What are you doing?! Stop it this instant or you will end up like your brethren!",. the priestess yelled between the mob, but hardly anybody listened. The Golem didn't wait to flail with its massive arms, throwing townspeople left and right.
"Tame that beast of yours, devil!", Sypha could hear from her left as a member approached her, driven mad by anger. Soon, other people joined in and yelled at her. "This is your fault for bringing this twisted being among us!"
"It wasn't me that summoned the Golem, it was—"
"Kill the servant of the devil and the monster shall perish! We must spill your blood to free us from this Curse you have sent!"
There was no time for Sypha to defend herself with words as the first townspeople began charging her. Clubs, planks and daggers were swung before her face, trying to land any kind of desperate hit.
Meanwhile, the Golem was distracted by the group, regaining its former state. From the corner of her eyes, Sypha could see how the monster would grab people and crush them between its' fingers. Not having to deal with the Golem was good, yet it only gave the beast the chance to act out as it wished for none of them were a true match. Neither would Sypha wish to use any of her magical powers against the townspeople. But if she ever wished to put distance between her and them, she would need to at least create a physical boundary.
"You leave me with no other choice but to keep you at bay! It's for your own safety, you fools!"
With a swift motion of her hand, she focused to create a blockade of ice before her. A wall thick enough to keep them away from her for a while. The other side of the hall was still busy with the Golem, but she didn't spot as many members anymore. A good chunk must have fled already while the body count was growing.
Sypha took cautious steps towards the Golem. Her body tensed up as she tried to scrap up the last remains of energy for one final charge of electricity. Her sight was starting to become fuzzy as if she hadn't eaten in days.
Everything seemed to go slower around her. The focus for her environment was slipping away. Even her hearing was dulling, the cries and the screams of the townspeople rang from afar. The Golem was big enough for her to make out still. Other people were blurred shadows at this point while the electricity took hold of her. It was like her frame began to have a mind of its' own while Sypha was a bystander of her own actions.
"Step aside!", she could hear herself yell at the crowd, "I will fire a powerful attack at the monster!"
If anybody was near the lightning strike, there was no saying if the person was to survive. Then again, if that person was foolish enough to be near the Golem still, they would have died either way. Whether that was by being crushed underneath the fist of the beast or by a lightning bolt.
At this point, the priestess was beginning to lose control of the energy that was pent up within her. She would need to release it soon before it would all backfire on her. Thus, when she stretched out her arms, the lightening was released without warning. The strength was so great that the Golem cried out, spilling blood from its mouth like a small waterfall. The bandages on its body were soon soaked, the teeth tainted as it gargled on its breath some more.
It was now Sypha that swayed in place, unable to find proper balance on her own two feet. She watched with a mix of fascination and disgust how the Golem was fighting its own demise. It smashed its head against the wall before it fell to its knees, the arms dangling down.
In this state, the priestess almost didn't notice the next action.
From one second to the next, a blade struck her side.
The metal pierced right through her robes, into the side of her torso. Then it was pulled back for her own blood to spurt. Her punch to the attacker was faster than her registering the pain, the adrenaline keeping her conscious up.
Now that the Golem was fighting itself, the townspeople focused back on what they believed to be the source of the Golem. Sypha stumbled to the right, her club had been flung across the room. With a proper weapon back in hand, she could swing after the group. Her movement was sluggish, but it kept the others from charging her as an immediate action.
For how long would Sypha be able to keep this up?
She couldn't say, her mind wouldn't be able to let her ponder about more than anything else right now. Self-defense, that was all that she needed while her thoughts ignored the blood loss. With her back up against the wall, there was little to no room anymore for her to escape to.
Then her legs gave up on her. Her legs became too weak to hold up her weight anymore, she crashed on her knees and the impact had her hiss. The rest of her body slumped over, her fingers clutching to the club as they began to shake more by the second. She wanted to gather her voice, to yell at them to get away and find peace somewhere else. But even her voice started to fail on her as she began having trouble keeping her eyes open.
This might be why Sypha saw a creature with clear white fur dashing before her when she lifted her head.
She would describe it as a wolf, though it was almost three times the size of the regular animal. The townspeople grew afraid of the beast, backing off step by step. When the first began to run from the animal, the rest would follow this instinct and escape as well. Someone else rushed in from the side and began checking up on Sypha.
"Geez, what have you been up to?! We are gone for a day or two and you immediately get yourself stabbed!"
The voice was ever so familiar, but her mind wouldn't want to put together who it was. Only for a second, she could look up and it almost seemed like her memory returned. But before her head could come to any sort of conclusion, it all turned black on her.
"You know, I have had enough of this town. Let's get out of here before someone else finds us."
Trevor had escaped the other townspeople through the church and its inner maze. Father Hector had cried for his members to give chase and the message soon spread. At some point, the hunter hadn't heard any command anymore, so he must have gotten some distance to the leader.
The giant wolf turned dark, black like a shadow, as its form changed and grew back as Alucard. His gaze would wander from the unconscious Sypha, who was bandaged up by Grant, to the pile of flesh that was once the Golem. His expression only darkened.
"It seems that the servants of my father have done their experiments in this place just the same... Nothing else to be expected, I assume."
Trevor picked the priestess up between his arms. As the strongest among them, he wouldn't lose his breath quite so soon. The pirate frowned as he crossed his arms.
"Could have told us though that we were running straight into a cult. Wouldn't let us in as they saw Alucard, so we let ourselves in! Needless to say, they weren't too happy about it. Those that didn't fight, were fleeing the place, actually…"
"Because Carmilla's news about the son of Dracula leading a revolution against him spread. They wouldn't know what you looked like, but I suppose that I am more known among… Those people."
"Enough of the chitchat." Trevor passed them with quick steps. "Lead us out of here first so that we can get to safety. Or whatever you would call it. I am not keen on running into another mob and Father Cypher needs our help! The bandages can only do so much."
The town almost looked deserted at this point.
Chaos had spread across the space. People fled into their homes, some others muttered prayers on the ground. The rest was either paralyzed from the shock or too confused to act. Enough time for the warriors to make their way upwards to the walls, looking for an exit.
Finally, as they were beyond the walls of the Sunken City, the sound of the waterfalls was ceasing. Alucard led on the way, they were heading towards a couple of trees between which they could find shelter. Trying to find a somewhat comfortable spot to place the unconscious Sypha on. Alucard used his magic to create a campfire between the piles of wood that Trevor had set up. After setting down the bag with Sypha's books – it was left in a chamber in the church - Trevor sat by the side of the priestess while Grant unbuckled the cloak. He was about do the same with the belt on the tunic, but then he stopped in his tracks.
"You know…", began Grant as his cheeks changed in color, "I think that I can't continue before… Well…"
"What is it?! We can't let him bleed out, get to it or I will if you're too squeamish!"
The pirate frowned at those words, he was just as resistant to seeing blood as anybody else here. Well, except for Alucard, who wouldn't want to draw too near for obvious reasons.
"There's something that you should know beforehand. But I guess, you'll understand on your own."
Grant opened the belt and buttoned down the cloth, underneath a white undergarment, the side already soaked in red. The undergarment already suggested a shape that confused Trevor for a moment. The pirate made the priestess turn to the side and took hold of a dagger to open the cloth. Blood spurt out some more from the wound, but it didn't look like a larger one that would need stitching or even burning.
"Well... Could have been worse…", he commented as he grabbed the few utensils that they have had to patch up wound.
Meanwhile, Trevor was left baffled. Now that the undergarment was loose, the suggested shape now spoke of what the pirate had been hinting at.
"So… Wait a minute… You're telling me that… The priest is not a priest. He's… A woman?"
It didn't seem to have reached his mind yet as quickly as he would have wanted. Alucard found himself surprised as well as he heard those words and his gaze turned to glance upon them. As much surprise as possible for him anyway, he was too stoic even for that.
Grant finished up bandaging Sypha without taking away the cloth. He might be regarded as a brute, but he wasn't shameless.
"Yup. Came to know about it by accident. I had promised not to tell and... I bet she would have been more comfortable telling this you herself rather than me just... I don't know, giving it away while she has no choice. Other than bleeding out, I guess." He let out a sigh and shook his head. There was guilt welling up within him, it showed in his eyes. "It's something that I can understand, regarding the circumstances... To be fair, she put up a nice disguise so far, but once you know, it all falls apart."
Indeed... For a man, Sypha had a gentle voice and her face was quite soft. If one wasn't to focus on any of these features, one might think of her as a frail man with this disguise. Trevor could feel a blush creep on his cheeks and he shook his head, he was embarrassed to not have known. The priestess could have been honest with them without fearing judgement. They were all fugitives after all.
Yet, the hunter wasn't one to judge.
"Either way, we'll have to let her rest as you all do. I will watch for the night." The dhampir sat by the fire and tried his best to conceal any reaction to that reveal. Both Trevor and Grant were about to complain. They would need to plan for their further journey, yet Alucard waved them off. "We should do that when Sypha is awake again. We will need her judgement, too, if we are to act as a team after all. Plus, we've all been through quite some adventures, we need some proper rest from those."
"And you're going to stay awake?", Grant mumbled back and crossed his arms.
Trevor glanced between them. The obvious concern was yet another surprise to him, but he wasn't going to ask about it.
Alucard shrugged that reply off.
"I don't need a lot of sleep. If you do wish to switch shifts, we can do that. Might come in handy anyway."
He then gestured for them to lay down. It wasn't comfortable to sleep out in the open, wrapped in a cloak, but at least the fire kept them warm and the ground was dry. It was still daytime, but so grey and cold that it almost didn't matter. The nap would take hold of them eventually. Only in the distance, they could hear the crows, but no enemies showed themselves to be near.
A bit of a relief after a whole lot of panic and running.
Trevor turned in place to close his eyes. His mind put together all kinds of thoughts almost in an instant.
Of what had happened in the Sunken City, the possessed cult and the sacrifices.
Then the relief of knowing that the other two companions were safe and alive. Well, he would need to express that much once they were all sitting together around the fire.
Of what was with Sypha and how she hid her entire life to avoid punishment and execution. Pity arose in him, it was all far from judgement.
As much as they were focused on their task, they had grown to be his trusted companions after all.
And, for the first time in a while, Trevor could feel how his lips formed into a smile as he drifted into sleep.
How does this website ruin the formattin ?
