"Don't get too down, Drac," Joachim consoled him discreetly as they lingered a few feet behind the rest of the party. "So the kid showed you up once, big deal."
"You have never been lord of this castle, you don't understand my pain…" Dracula began to weep emo tears.
Joachim blinked at him. "No, I guess I don't. Hey Leon! Did you find the next room yet?" He floated swiftly up to his friend's side.
Leon gave him a reassuring grin. "Not yet!"
"We are close," Alucard said solemnly.
"Gee, what gave you that idea?" Soma rolled his eyes as yet another obsidian door with a blood-red skull carved into it came into view. When they reached the door, Soma turned to face his companions, "Ass-kicking time?"
"Wait," Alucard grabbed Soma's collar, pulling him back as the boy leapt to kick open the door. "You don't know a thing about your foe."
Soma sighed, folding his arms. "Ok, grandma, tell me what I should know."
Alucard cleared his throat. "The demon behind this door is one of the toughest and most fierce that you will encounter in this entire castle. His might is so great that he has been locked away not only within Castlevania, but in an alternate dimension all together."
Soma blinked, as if coming out of a daze. "Wait, what?"
"I think what Alucard is saying," Leon interjected, "is that once we pass through this door, we will no longer be in Castlevania. The demon is so strong that his prison is another world."
"That's insane!" Joachim protested, "Why would anyone build such an elaborate prison?"
"Because he was once my favorite."
"But now," All eyes turned to Dracula, who opened his cape in a familiar way, pulling forth a carrot. He drained the vegetable of its carroty juices thoughtfully and muttered, "He may as well be dead to me."
"Sounds like he's got a bitchin' awesome soul!" Soma grinned, ready to kick open the door again.
A bright light filled the room briefly, then flickered out. Leon spun around, "Where is that light coming from?"
"Who cares?" Joachim shrugged, turning to Dracula. "You might want to open that door. The puppy is getting anxious to go out."
Indeed, Soma was already kicking the door.
No sooner had the massive ebony seal slid open than a great force pulled all five of them within. The door slammed shut behind them.
"Aie!" Leon yipped. "Since when do the doors slam shut like that?"
"The last one did too," Dracula commented. "You were just too busy admiring yourself in the mirror."
Leon couldn't deny that, so he chose to observe the room instead. What Alucard had said was true. This was more than a mere room. It was an entire world.
They were currently standing in a meadow filled with daisies and butterflies. A small lake graced the scenery, and a line of log cabins sat peacefully in the background. Fortunately for the vampires, the sun appeared to have set recently.
"Aww man…" Soma groaned, falling onto his back amiss the flowers. "How are we supposed to find him in this huge place? This is gonna be so much work…"
"I suspect we won't have to look very hard," Dracula replied. "If I remember him correctly, he will find us."
As if on cue, a loud whirring noise filled the meadow. Gigantic gusts of wind flattened all of the flowers to the ground and blew their hair and clothes in a very artistic way. Over the horizon appeared a sight that none of them had expected.
A helicopter flew until it hovered just above them. The craft made no motion of landing, and a ladder wasn't even extended.
Instead, the demon jumped from the plane, falling with his arms spread until he reached the ground, where he landed hard on his feet, leaving a deep imprint into the ground. Dust billowed around them, and the chopper slowly began to depart.
He had landed not five feet from Soma, whose eyes widened in shock. His boots alone spoke volumes, durable leather encrusted with both dirt and the blood of his enemies. He wore tattered jeans stained with automotive grease as if to say "what the fuck do I care?" His henley shirt was a deep red color, the sleeves rolled up so that his bulging biceps were easily visible. The demon's hair was a vibrant red, gracefully yet terrifyingly sweeping over his left eye.
Despite being clearly outnumbered, he seemed to notice only one of them. "Hey, Dracula."
"Isaac…" the vampire uttered the name with clear hatred, his lips curling into a displeased snarl. "My once-loyal devil forger. What happened to you?"
Isaac shrugged. "Had to hit the gym."
"For four hundred years?" Dracula growled.
"Hey, this work of art didn't build itself overnight," Isaac spread his arms, flexing instinctively.
Soma's eyes narrowed with jealousy.
"Isaac… I've heard of you," Alucard spoke, drawing the attention of the two ancient beings. "You… aren't what I expected. I thought you used magic and crafted innocent devils?"
"I don't use magic much anymore," Isaac admitted. "Don't need it, except to get U.F.C. on the T.V. The innocent devils like piloting."
As if it knew what was being said, a burly innocent devil looked down from the chopper, waving good-naturedly.
Isaac waved back, signaling for it to leave on its merry way. He then turned his attention back to the others, reminding them of their mission. "So what brings you this way?"
"We came to defeat you," Leon explained apologetically. "Though really, you don't seem like the evil demon I was expecting."
Isaac's laugh bellowed across the meadow, echoing back a few times, and he slapped Leon on the shoulder, sending the Belmont sprawling into the squished flowers by Soma. "Evil? If building motorcycles is evil, then I suppose I am."
Soma's eyes bugged out of his head. "You… build… those?"
"Harley-Davidson ain't got nothing on these babies," Isaac assured him with a grin, gesturing towards one of the log cabins with his thumb. "They're out back if you wanna look."
Soma did, and he almost got up to check it out, but then he remembered why they were there. He looked up at Alucard, "Hey Allie, are you sure this is the right guy? He doesn't even seem menacing."
"This is Isaac," Dracula answered quickly instead. "I would never forget the face of my favorite."
"I'm flattered," Isaac nodded graciously.
"Don't be. You aren't anymore," the lord of the night frowned.
"Oh. That's too bad," Isaac shrugged, then turned to the others. "Hey, you guys wanna catch some U.F.C. and drink a couple cold ones? I built an in-ground cooler into my deck."
Soma was about to agree, but Dracula decided to interrupt by having a fit.
"I can't believe what has happened to you!" the vampire cried out, "You were once so elegant, so mystically powerful, and now… you have chest hair everywhere!"
Joachim glanced at the tuft of chest hair sticking out from the three unbuttoned buttons of the devil forger's henley shirt. "Actually, they're only on his chest."
"Oh, they're everywhere," Isaac quickly remedied. "I got so sick of shaving every three hours."
Unable to bear it any longer, Dracula began to weep emo tears again, his eyes glowing red with inner sadness. "Oh Isaac! How could you do this to yourself? You used to be so graceful when you wore these. Couldn't you wear them again?"
Everyone's eyes widened as Dracula opened his cape, producing a pair of tight leather pants affixed with chains that looked like they were necessary to hold the scant fabric together.
"You would have me emasculate myself by wearing those again?" Isaac's eyes narrowed, his lips curling into a snarl as he clenched his fists. "Dracula… you have gone too far! Enough talk, let's fight!"
Immediately, everyone sprung to defensive positions. Leon was starting to see why this man had been locked away inside his own world. Just the sight of his rage was terrifying, and he had no doubt that they would be in for quite a battle.
Leon found that to be a gross understatement.
It took Isaac less than a second to grab Dracula by the nape of his cape, spin him around once, and hurl him like a sledgehammer across the meadow. He then turned his eyes to the remaining four. "This was your goal? I'll never become that person again! I'll never prostrate myself before anyone and sink to the depths of wearing tight leather and chains again!"
Eager to prove himself, Soma ran forward first, an electric charge of lightning bursting from his fingertips as he raced towards his foe. Isaac clenched his fist, punching through the lightning and back spin kicked the silver haired youth into the thick trunk of a near-by maple tree.
He didn't even need to look behind him to know that Alucard was there. In one swooping motion, he ducked underneath the half-vampire's sword attack, grabbed the blade and bent it in half.
Disgruntled, Alucard began pulling forth another sword, but the devil-forger hit him with a flying knee to the head before he could, knocking the dhampire halfway into the lake. With a cry, Alucard pulled out his left arm and leg, which had already begun to sizzle sensuously in the calm water.
In the past ten seconds, Joachim had materialized his favorite five blades around him. With an arm outstretched, he telekinetically sent all five racing through the air at the redhead. Roaring, Isaac swiped each blade away with a swing of his meaty fist, stepping closer to the vampire with each swing.
Joachim gasped, unable to recall his swords before Isaac had flying scissor heel hooked him into submission. Wasting no time, the devil-forger grabbed the vampire by his trapped leg and hurled him towards the lake. Alucard caught the squealing vampire in the air before he made contact with the water.
Again, without looking back, Isaac held up and flexed his right arm, catching Leon's Vampire Killer whip before it could reach his neck. Letting the whip wrap around his arm a couple times, he pulled both the weapon and its owner forward. Catching Leon by his neck, he raised him into the air and choke-slammed him into the ground.
"Nng!" Leon struggled to pry Isaac's enormous hand off his neck, his whip lying uselessly to the side.
"Way to go and lose me, Leon. Again." Sara commented sourly from within her confines of the whip.
As usual, Leon didn't hear her. "I…ssac… don't…"
"Don't what? Resist?" Isaac laughed bitterly. "I told you already: I'll never be that person again. For years I was trapped in that awful skin-tight leather… do you know how much that chaffs?"
Leon did not.
"A lot. All that shaving whorishly exposed skin, dealing with pain in the ass platform shoes, and fucking submitting to everything…" Isaac roared with rage. "I'll never do that again!"
Leon's eyes widened, and for a moment, Isaac thought that he had killed him. Miraculously, he hadn't, and the Belmont managed to croak, "Now!"
Like one being, Dracula, Soma, Alucard, and Joachim all pounced on Isaac, tearing him off Leon and throwing him onto his back. While the devil-forger was still stunned, Soma and Alucard both grabbed an arm, twisting it into a submission position. Joachim and Dracula each grabbed a leg and did the same.
Coughing, Leon stood up, waiting for a moment for the dizziness that accompanied near-death to pass. When it eventually did, he collected the Vampire Killer, walked up to the mass of struggling bodies, and said, "Admit it Isaac. We've beat you."
"No! Never! I refuse to tap-out! I'll never submit!" Isaac bellowed.
"There is only one way to defeat him," Alucard said cryptically. "We must do something that will make him submit. If we take a symbol of…"
"…his traumatic past and make him relive it, that should do the trick!" Joachim agreed jovially.
That hadn't been exactly what Alucard was going to say, but it was close enough.
"Harsh, man," Soma shook his head. "But I guess it works. What symbol do we have?"
"I know just the thing," Dracula said with a grin, looking up at the Belmont. "Leon. Get the pants."
"I already have pants, thank you." Leon politely informed him.
"No, Isaac's old leather pants, the ones lying over there," Dracula rolled his eyes in the direction of the leather heap.
Realization dawned on Leon as he retrieved the leather. "Are we going to have to…?"
"Pants him? Yes," Dracula smirked, pulled off one of Isaac's boots then looked to Joachim, "Take off his boots first, and then on the count of three…"
Joachim nodded and took off the other boot. "One… two…three!"
An instant later the vampires had ripped the pants off the devil-forger.
The next instant everyone screamed with agony and disgust.
"He's going commando!" Soma shouted, adverting his eyes. "It's like a vermillion forest!"
"Quick, Leon! Put the pants on him!" Alucard ordered desperately.
Not about to argue with any of them, Leon swiftly positioned the pants at Isaac's feet. This time, Joachim and Dracula were able to coordinate pulling up the leather without a flashy countdown. Soma affixed the chains around his abdomen just for good measure.
"AAAAAAAARRRRRRRGGGGGGGHHHH!" Isaac roared immediately as the tight leather and chains clung to his legs, constricting, binding, and emasculating him at the same time.
It was the cry of a man who had lost his dignity. Leon had to look away.
Noticing that Isaac had gone limp, the other four let go of his limbs. "You beat me…" he muttered quietly.
Feeling a little guilty, Leon had to apologize, "Yeah, sorry about that."
"Nah, it's cool," Isaac stood up and winced at the tightness. "Ok, not really, I've gotta get out of these things."
With a mighty growl, Isaac flexed his thighs, ripping the leather off his body. He tore the cumbersome metal chains in half, discarding the destroyed leather on the meadow floor. Walking with his bare butt to the breeze, he headed towards one of the log cabins. "Since you destroyed my pants, I'll need another pair."
"We could go shopping!" Joachim exclaimed happily.
"I'd rather not, thanks," Isaac said, with a sidelong glance. "Anyway, if you wanna get started on that U.F.C. you'll find the cold ones in the back patio. I'll catch up in a minute."
As Isaac walked into his log cabin and closed the door, the group looked back and forth at each other. Finally, Leon asked, "What should we do? It's not like he's really hurting anyone out here…"
"Yeah, I almost feel a little bad for him," Joachim agreed. "We did just invade his privacy, rip apart his jeans, and force him to wear chaffingly tight leather pants."
"However, Isaac is dangerous," Alucard cautioned. "If left to his own devices, there is no limit to the destruction he could cause."
"You're right…" Leon muttered, deep in thought. Finally he looked up at the others. "I suppose that settles it then. We'll have to take him along with us."
"WHAT?" Soma cried in outrage. "He just tried to kill us!"
"He wouldn't have done that if Mathias hadn't reminded him about the past," Leon pointed out. "Besides, he seems pretty cool."
"Dracula," the lord of the night reminded him, swallowing back a look of disgust. "I suppose he does have a different type of…charm… now."
The group only seemed slightly skeptical when Isaac reemerged from his home, tattered automotive grease stained pants back in place. All of their doubt disappeared though, when he lead them to the back, pointing out his row of perfectly polished hand-crafted motorcycles and the built in back-yard theater, complete with lounge chairs and the promised cold ones.
Noticing that Soma was eyeing the bikes enviously, Isaac asked, "You want one?"
"Seriously?" The youth's eyes glowed with happiness. "But, I couldn't possibly…"
"Don't worry about it," Isaac waved it off. "I'll just build another one tomorrow."
"This U.F.C…" Leon murmured as he watched muscled men fight each other on the large screen before him. "How are you receiving it in this alternate dimension?"
Isaac pointed up to the roof of his house, where a large spear raised helpfully towards the sky. "I've moded the Chauve Souris to be an antenna, but I've also got to use a little magic to pull it from the other dimension."
He was interrupted by a delighted squeal. Joachim was lounging in one of Isaac's plush chairs, holding up a pot of coffee. "You have coffee! Any chance I could get creamer and sugar with that?" The vampire produced his Starbucks cup with glee and began pouring the dark liquid into the vessel.
"Sorry," Isaac spread his hands. "I only drink it black, but if you want, I could milk one of the cows."
Joachim waved it off, "That's ok, it would probably taste like grass or something if it's unpasteurized."
"It does," Isaac agreed thoughtfully.
Alucard picked up the remote control and changed the channel. Immediately, their ears were assaulted with the screams and destruction of a monster truck rally. He clicked the remote again. They were back to U.F.C.
"Monster trucks. U.F.C. Monster Trucks. U.F.C…" Alucard sighed. "Is this all you watch?"
The devil-forger rolled his eyes. "Sometimes the Martha Stewart show comes through. I have no idea why."
Dracula adverted his gaze tactfully.
Everyone seemed to be having a good time, and after Isaac offered to barbecue steaks for them, they found themselves staying well into the night.
Dracula found it impossible to be around people who chose to be so brutal to animals, and he stormed off into the forest. Since he couldn't partake in the meal either, Joachim went after him.
"They're humans, they have to eat sometime," Joachim explained, sipping his coffee with a content sound.
"Yes, they do, but does it have to be dead cow?" The lord of the night whined. "Don't they realize the harm they are doing to their bodies and the environment by consuming all that red meat?"
Joachim shrugged, happiness filling his eyes as he continued to sip his drink.
"You… look far too happy. What's wrong with you?" Dracula stepped towards the other vampire, caught the scent of his coffee, and took a step back. "Is that… blood in your coffee?"
"It… is," Joachim admitted. "Isaac felt bad that he didn't have creamer for me. So before he strangled the cow for dinner, he bled some of it into my cup."
Feeling betrayed, Dracula shook his head. "I thought you had become a vegan too!"
"I never said that," the purple haired vampire quickly corrected him. "For Leon, I don't kill anymore, but I eat more than vegetables."
Dracula, feeling hurt and dejected, began to weep bloody emo tears again. "You're as bad as the rest of them!"
Joachim nodded, "Probably worse."
"Get out of my sight, I can't look at you anymore," Dracula turned away, his cape flaring behind him dramatically.
"Ok." As Joachim walked back to the others, he passed by Isaac going the opposite direction. "Are you going to talk to him?"
"A real man will man up," Isaac confirmed, then pointed with his thumb back at the others. "I saved you some blood in a tin can by the grill, if you want."
"Do I!" With that, Joachim happily frolicked away.
Isaac walked into the wooded clearing, finding his former master leaning against a tree, sobbing. "Hey Dracula."
"Isaac…" Dracula turned around, wiping the blood streaks from his cheeks. "What do you want?"
"To say thanks, and sorry it had to be this way." The devil-forger said, stopping when he stood next to the vampire.
"Thanks?" Dracula spat. "I resurrect you back from the grave, give you an entire world to play in, and this is how you thank me?"
"Yeah, I should probably explain that…" Isaac took a breath in preparation. "When you brought me back, I knew that I could never be that flamboyant magic-wielding whore anymore. That was never me."
Dracula was silent, taking in all of his former-minion's words.
"When you sealed me behind the demonic boss door, I was kinda glad," he continued to explain. "I could never have gone back anyway."
"A change in identity… a change in who you are…" Dracula looked firmly into Isaac's eyes, a grim smile on his lips. "I understand that… and I think I can accept that."
Isaac grinned, extending his hand. "Peace?"
"Peace." They shook hands, and Dracula began to cry bloody tears again, but this time it was tears of happiness.
As they walked back together, Dracula looked back at his former-lackey. "Isaac, I just have one more question."
"Hm?"
"What happened to your tattoos?" he asked, observing the perfect creamy skin where dark lines once marred his body.
"I rubbed them off," Isaac explained with a shrug.
"Rubbed… them off…" Before he could say any more, they had reached the others, who looked up impatiently.
"Are you two fucking done with your kiss and make-up session?" Soma rolled his eyes. "It's time to kick some demon ass! I'm seriously lacking souls here."
"Though he could have stated it with more proper manners, I agree with Soma," Alucard harrumphed, switching off the T.V.
"Ok," Isaac nodded to them. "Good seeing you all. Stop by sometime if you want to barbecue and hang again."
"Actually," Leon interrupted. "We would like for you to join us."
A moment of trepidation passed wherein all feared they may have yet another life-threatening battle on their hands.
Then, Isaac cracked a grin. "I thought you'd never ask."
"OhThankGoodness." Leon released a breath he hadn't realized he'd been holding, then stood from his chair. "Well, shall we get started?"
"Give me ten seconds," Isaac said, holding up ten fingers.
Ten seconds later, he was atop one of his many flashy hand-crafted motorcycles, racing through the meadow towards the demonic-boss door, his scarlet hair whipping behind him in the breeze.
"I guess he's ready," Joachim commented, tipping the last of the blood into his cup discreetly. With a happy sip, he floated after the devil-forger. "Last one through the door's a rotting corpse! Oh wait. It's probably going to be you, Leon. Nevermind."
While Alucard power-walked smoothly through the meadow, Soma zoomed past him on the cycle he had chosen. Dracula stared intently at the demonic-gate in the distance, grimacing with displeasure, but not moving.
"…Mathias? Are you ok?" Leon asked with concern. "Isaac didn't uhh… do …anything to you, did he? You have rights, you know."
"It's Dracula," the lord of the night sighed. "And no, Isaac was perfectly cordial. In fact, he… waaah!"
"What is taking you two so fucking long?" Soma shouted, grabbing them both and pulling them onto his motorcycle. "Damn! Grandma Allie even beat you to the door!"
As he barely clung to Soma's motorcycle for dear life, Dracula screaming in his ear, Leon smiled. Though they hadn't killed Isaac, Leon was satisfied with their new manly addition to the party, despite how strange he may seem.
Thank you to the people who have reviewed! I love to see that people like this story as much as I like writing it.
Congratulations to Lonewolf102 and Biru-chan for correctly answering the trivia!
Chapter Trivia #6 Answer:
Alucard is a half-vampire, but he doesn't have a reflection. In which Castlevania game does Alucard clearly not cast a reflection in the mirror?
In Castlevania: Dawn of Sorrow, Julius and Yoko's reflections are visible in the mirrors, but Alucard's is not. Though Alucard is featured in Castlevania: Symphony of the Night, there are no mirrors in the game, thus leaving it impossible to prove whether or not he does have a reflection. Oddly, in Castlevania: Harmony of Despair, Alucard does have a reflection in the mirror, but that is primarily for game-play reasons.
Chapter Trivia #7:
In this chapter, Isaac is able to build motorcycles and aircrafts. Is this too far fetched for our manly man? Review with your answer!