Back in time . . .
As soon as I laid eyes on the icy fortress, I knew I was truly at Dracula's lair. I was dressed warmly to fend off the cold, but a strong wind blew around the heavy snow. I followed behind him to a pair of giant, massive stone doors that opened by themselves, and once we were inside, they loudly shut with a thud.
"Welcome to my winter palace. This is where I live when I am not creating chaos in your world."
The wall around us shot high up to the extremely tall ceiling that was supported by columns and other inner walls leading elsewhere. They were covered in cobwebs and other mysterious substances, but I was glad for the warmth coming from the blazing fire pits we passed by. Then I heard noises coming from the left, and went over to what looked like a prison cell. Inside the divided room were a group of young men on one side, and a group of young girls on the other, all who seemed to be under a spell.
"Do not be alarmed, my dear; they are just like you, and I will make them all mine by tonight."
"So you will have a whole harem of young brides and an army of werewolves?"
"Correct. Then I will bring my future children to life, and take over the world. I will have werewolf assassins and many brides to keep me satisfied. I will be invincible."
I stared in silence for a moment as I pondered over this situation, and followed him into another room.
"Now, shall we begin, my angel?" he asked as he turned to face me. "I will give you the honor of being the first."
"I will become your bride under only one condition, Count," I announced.
"And what would that be?" he grinned back.
"That I be your one and only bride, for as long as we both shall live."
He laughed to himself. "Are you jealous, love? Tell me why I should even consider your request."
"Because . . . I can give you something not even a million brides alone could offer--true lasting life for your children."
I instantly caught his attention. "Go on."
"I know how you would need the Frankenstein monster to bring any of your normal young to life. I, however, have magic coursing through my veins from my Wiccan heritage, and have honed my powers enough to accomplish such a task without the need of someone else's invention. So which would you rather have--me, with the promise of life, or as many brides as you wish, but with the same troubles and failures as before?"
"How do I know you are telling the truth?"
"There's only one way to find out."
"Are you ready, then? One brief moment of pain, and we will be together forever."
He stood close by me and held out a hand for me to take.
"As long as you swear that I will be your one and only bride."
"And you keep your promise."
All it took was a look between our eyes to confirm our agreement. I took his hand as he drew me closer, and his eyes lit up like ice fire while fangs began to grow out of his mouth. Outside the castle, a bright red light shot straight through the roof and up into the sky, a visible beacon to the new visitors of castle Dracula. The three men had just crossed over and dashed across the bridge after staring at this event. The light and a sharp cry only served to worsen their fears.
"Damn! If I were still a werewolf, I could get us over these doors. We're going to have to find another way in," exclaimed Van Helsing.
"Over here, quick! I found a sewage tunnel," Michael yelled.
"Let us pray that we are not too late," said Marlus as he went in first, and the others came next with their torches.
They came out in what seemed like a basement, and tried to adjust their eyes to the cold, murky darkness. Wet and mossy walls surrounded the trio as they made their way over to a flight of stairs that had a rusty rail, and climbed up to an expansive stone hall. Some tapestries hung drearily and a few torches were lit, but there seemed to be no other signs of life anywhere. They quickly and quietly crossed to the other side and hid behind a large column to observe their surroundings.
A few Dwergi walked by, speaking in their own language, but thankfully didn't spy the group of heroes.
"Alright, the coast is clear. Follow me," whispered Van Helsing.
They moved from their spot and began running toward the end of the hall, until Michael suddenly slipped and let out a cry. Even the dead could've heard such a disturbance in a once quiet place.
A single Dwergi came out of a nearby doorway to investigate and shouted to its comrades as it spotted Marlus and Van Helsing helping Michael to his feet. The little imps chased after them, and a few managed to dodge Van Helsing's bullets. They barely made it to the door at the end before the Dwergi almost reached them, and Marlus and Van Helsing shut it quickly as Michael panted against a bare wall.
"That . . . was close," he barely said.
"Now to go find this girl before we're found."
Van Helsing led the way down another corridor that was thankfully empty, but the men still kept their eyes peeled for any more dangerous surprises as they passed more pictures and torches that created suspicious dark places and eyes. Then Marlus noticed a large set of doors in front of them, with one slightly ajar to reveal two human shadows cast from a light inside. He was absolutely sure of who was in there as he took off running, and the other two tried to catch up with him. The doors slammed open to Dracula about to pierce my neck with his fangs, and he looked up furiously at the intruders who stood staring at the entrance. No one made a move for a long, nerve-wrecking moment.
"Gabriel, you've returned," Dracula said as he dropped my body, and lightning struck outside.
Both enemies stared intently at each other, noticing nothing else around them.
"Yes, and now I have to stop you again."
Lighting and thunder boomed once more.
"And how do you plan to kill me this time? You are no longer a werewolf, and no longer a threat."
"That doesn't matter. Just step away from the girl, and we can settle this man to man."
Dracula laughed. "Do you think it is that simple, Gabriel? That I will obey you so you can be a grand hero, with your two assistants and a girl in danger?" he continued laughing. "Have you any idea what is truly going on?"
Before Van Helsing could answer, Marlus suddenly whipped out his sword and gave out a battle cry. He lunged straight at Dracula, who looked upon this foolish mortal with scorn. The vampire king stopped the attack in mid-air with his own hand, and threw Marlus to the side as if he were nothing more than a rag doll. Michael managed to sneak by them quickly and grabbed me as I began rising to my feet. Van Helsing pulled out his pistol and aimed as Dracula's attention returned to the circumstances, and both were on the verge of attacking. Then the demon slayer stopped when his foe started to transform.
"Now you fools will pay with your lives!"