Chapter 2 – Transylvania
"And then, Cynder delivered the final blow, a fully charged plasma burst, which reduced the Pyre Squad's robot to scrap iron and sent them flying out of here!"
Draco was on the Camera Caller in the hotel lobby, telling his friend Tails about what happened recently on their journey.
Tails nodded impressively. "Well, it doesn't surprise me as she was taught by Blaze for years," he said. "I say great job on taking care of those Obsidian Devourer goons."
"Those guys won't be bothering us for now," said Draco. "Hopefully we won't have to see them ever again, though I'm still puzzled to why they're so bent on causing trouble."
"We might never know," replied Tails solemnly. "But one thing for sure you'll have to be careful."
"Cynder and I have each other's back," assured Draco. "And we have our friends by our side, so that's more power to us."
"What was it Jakkin is again?" asked Tails. "You said he was a shape-something."
"A shapeshifter," explained Draco. "He has the ability to assume forms for a certain period of time."
"Ah, yes, now it all makes sense," said Tails. "He sure has quite an attitude for an eastern dragon, if you ask me."
"Heh, he is quite a tough one, that's for sure," laughed Draco. "But we're all happy that he has warmed up to us since yesterday."
Tails smiled. "Okay, so I take it that you guys are on your way to Transylvania soon now, I take it?" he asked.
"Oh yes," said Draco. "We just had breakfast, and we are almost all set for our next course."
"This certainly won't be an easy task, I'm afraid," said Tails as his expression suddenly changed. "The Bran Castle is not an ordinary castle."
"What do you mean?" asked Draco.
"Well, I may not believe in myths and such," said Tails. "But Blaze is very sure that the castle may be home to some of the most frightening creatures you could ever encounter."
Draco gulped. "D-did you say 'f-frightening?'" he shuddered.
"You heard me correctly," said Tails. "You see, Blaze has such a fascination for horror novels, and she particularly has a fondness of the novels by a famous author by the name of Bram Stoker."
"Bram Stoker, he's author of the…" Draco paused when he realised the name of the author. His face almost turned white. "Wait a minute, you mean Bram Stoker… as in Dracula?" he asked slowly.
Tails nodded, though he could see that Draco is shaking very nervously. "I guess this must be terrifying to hear, isn't it?"
"I'm b-beginning to wonder if we should really t-take on this m-mission," stammered Draco.
"Try not to think too much about the legend," said Tails. "It's quite likely that it's not really true."
"Y-yes, b-but what if it really is?" asked Draco.
"You said a few minutes ago that Cynder is with you, so you'll be fine," assured Tails. "Besides, that treasure Blaze wanted you to find will really come in useful for you and your friends as it could be the next brooch."
Draco sighed in a mixture of doubt and really. "Yeah, I guess you're right," he conceded.
"Right then, I better get to work on my research," said Tails. "It was great talking to you again, Draco, and don't hesitate to call back once you've completed the task."
"Same to you, Tails," said Draco as he faintly smiled. "And I'll surely call back afterwards."
"Alright, good luck, Draco!"
After Draco ended his camera call with Tails, he headed back to his room feeling rather nervous. Cynder was already set and waiting for him.
"So Draco," started Cynder. "Did Tails say anything?"
"Oh, yeah!" exclaimed Draco. "He was very proud of you with defeating the Pyre Squad."
"Everyone's outside waiting for us," said Cynder. "Are you ready to go?"
Draco hesitated. "Yes, I am ready," he said finally.
"Good," smiled Cynder. "Now let's head out."
Not too long afterwards, Cynder and Draco joined the rest of the dragons waiting outside the hotel and together they flew off to a remote location at the outskirts of the town. Then they got out the transporter device and set their destination to Transylvania.
"Okay, now that we got our destination set, let's get going!" exclaimed Cynder.
"This is going to be fun!" cried Darky happily.
Draco chuckled a bit. "Yeah, fun…" he said slowly.
"Hmph! You seem a little bit nervous, Draco," said Jakkin.
"Yeah, this is just the first time we're using this thing," replied Draco, though it wasn't the reason why he was feeling nervous.
As all seven dragons boarded the transporter device, Cynder pushed the activation button, and the machine made loud whirring noises before it flashed and vanished into nothingness.
It was late night in the town of Transylvania. Everything was peaceful. A few tourists were checking out the ancient buildings and landmarks while some of the townspeople were enjoying their tea. Suddenly, they heard an extraordinary noise from the distance. While some of the people continued on with their activities, the others went to investigate on where the noise came from. Soon they came to a forest and searched around, only to find seven dragons grouped together.
"You, you're the ones who made that noise?" asked one villager.
Cynder tried hard to think up of an explanation. "Yes, we were just practicing our battle tactics," she lied. "We're sorry if it caused any disturbances."
A dragon came rushing in. "You're all dragons, aren't you?"
"Yes, we are," replied Torden.
"Well, since you're new here, I must say welcome to Transylvania," said the dragon. "Please, come with me so I can show you around the town."
The dragon led Cynder and her friends into Transylvania. They could only look in awe at how antique the buildings are.
"Wow, this is like being in a fairy tale!" exclaimed Draco. "It's so medieval-looking."
"We like to keep our buildings," chuckled the dragon. "By the way, my name is Octavian,"
"Thanks for showing us the places in Transylvania, Octavian," said Cynder. "Though there is something I wanted to ask about the Bran Castle."
"Alright, then," said Octavian. "Please tell me, what is it you want to know about our famous castle?"
Cynder thought really hard on what to say. "My friends and I heard about some lost treasure hidden deep within the castle, and we would like to search for it for a treasure collector we know personally."
Octavian froze with shock. At first Cynder thought she had said something wrong, but then he finally spoke. "Are you nuts? You really want to look for that treasure?!"
"What?" Cynder asked. "What's wrong with it?"
"This isn't a good place to explain," whispered Octavian. "If you really want to know more information, I strongly advise you and your friends to come with me into my cabin."
Confused yet understanding of Octavian's words, Cynder and the gang followed Octavian to the far end of the town, where they see a large cabin that is situated in a recluse location. Inside, Octavian brought them their seats where they sat down and waited patiently to bring them some tea.
"I don't get it, Cynder," said Percival. "This Octavian guy is making it sound as if the Bran Castle might be a dangerous place."
"I have a feeling that he will reveal what's behind the scenes," said Cynder.
"He's coming now!" exclaimed Lily. "I can hardly wait for some nice food!"
Sure enough, Octavian returned with some sandwiches, cookies, and cups of tea. While the dragons helped themselves, he focused on Cynder. "So, you are determined to enter the castle of the most feared vampire of all time, correct?" he asked.
Cynder was stunned. "Wait, you're saying that the Bran Castle is inhabited by a vampire?"
"All those legends and stories revolving around Count Dracula are actually true," said Octavian. "That's why we don't want to talk about the castle, so as we can avoid instilling curiosity on the tourists, because many who have entered the castle never came out."
"What are you saying?" asked Lily, feeling rather scared.
"I can't tell you any more information," replied Octavian. "But what I can tell you is that there are a lot of strange things happening inside the Bran Castle, and it's always at the stroke of midnight."
"The only time we could search for this fabled treasure will be during those hours, right?" asked Cynder.
"I wouldn't go as far as calling the treasure 'fabled,' Cynder," said Octavian. "But if you're planning to go search for it, please be cautious, stick together as a group, and above all, be aware of what you're getting yourselves into."
Cynder looked at her friends. Already, Draco, Lily and Percival were shaking nervously, while Jakkin and Torden were eager to explore Bran Castle. Then she turned to Octavian. "We will take great care entering the castle, Octavian," she said.
"What?!" exclaimed Draco. "You can't be serious!"
"Don't be such a wimp, Draco," said Torden. "This sounds like an excellent idea."
"You'll be alright as we'll be staying together," assured Cynder. "We'll start our exploration after midnight."
Draco could only nod in agreement. He was feeling rather scared about entering a castle inhabited by a vampire, knowing how terrifying they were portrayed in books and television. Lily and Percival were also uneasy about the prospect too, but since Blaze wanted them to retrieve the lost treasure, they knew they had no other choice but to enter the castle.
Author's note: Looks like the thrills and chills are just about to start! And Torden's becoming a bit cocky for his own good!
