They hired a horse and cart and began the long journey to Transylvania. As they rode, Van Helsing filled Murundio in on what was going on.
"Dracula wants to bring his dead children to life, using Frankenstein's life force. Dracula has maybe thousands of children and if he brings them all to live, they will kill millions of innocents," he said.
"That's a little… weird," Murundio said. Van Helsing nodded his agreement. They had all changed out of their party clothes.
"So, you become a werewolf tonight?" Murundio asked.
"Yes. I will become that in which I hunt." He paused before continuing. "One of my last acts as a man will be not of destruction in the name of the people I work for, but of saving the life of an innocent. Frankenstein deserves to have a chance at living and the little girl who lives inside of Anna deserves to live long enough to see the ocean," Van Helsing said emotionally. Murundio raised an eyebrow at him.
"Can you do me a favour?" Van Helsing asked.
"Yeah? What is it?" Murundio asked. Van Helsing took a deep breath.
"When I become a werewolf, I want you, not Anna or Carl, to do the right thing and put a silver bullet in my heart."
Murundio breathed in sharply as the weight of what Van Helsing just said hit him.
"Alright," Murundio said uncertainly. He shifted away from Van Helsing, slightly taken aback, and began a conversation with Anna.
As it turns out, Anna was a gypsy princess who had sworn to destroy Dracula so that her family could enter heaven. She had grown up in the town of Vaseria and had been trained in the art of swordplay and fighting.
Anna had an older brother named Velkin, whom Murundio learnt was dead. Her father, Boris Valerious, had died at the hands of Dracula and her mother, Fiona Valerious, was killed by one of Dracula's vampire brides. Anna had also mentioned that she had two younger siblings, but they had 'disappeared' (Easter Egg for my other fanfictions, ha! Ha!).
Murundio's backstory was a little less glamorise.
His mother had passed away from tuberculosis when Murundio was but a baby and as such, he had been raised by his father in London. His father was butcher and had begun to teach Murundio the skills of the trade, hoping that Murundio would one day take over the butchery. When Murundio was twenty, he married Aleera. Life was good until the Count came to London.
Murundio didn't know it, but Count Dracula had come to London to employ Dr Victor von Frankenstein.
The Count had set eyes upon Aleera and in one bite, taken her from Murundio. Murundio was devastated and he vowed revenge, and since then, he had pursued Dracula relentlessly across Europe. But the Count was smart and he soon shook Murundio off his trail. Five years later, Murundio received his lucky break, killing a vampire that had received an invitation for Dracula's All Hallows Eve Masquerade Ball.
And now, here he was, hell-bent on destroying the monster that had dare set eyes upon Aleera.
"They must have taken all the equipment to Dracula's lair!" Anna said once they had reached Castle Frankenstein. She was right- the room was empty. Murundio could hear the disappointment in her voice.
"Where-ever that is," Van Helsing said in a dangerously low voice. Without a cry of anger, he picked up a piece of equipment the Dwergi had left behind and used his werewolf-strength to hurl it across the room.
"Why must everything be so DIFFICULT?!" he shouted. Anna and Carl rushed to calm him down. Murundio stayed back, suddenly nervous.
"There's still time! Dracula can't bring his children alive until the sun sets," Carl said quickly.
"The sun sets in two hours! We've been looking for him for over four hundred years!" Anna protested.
"Yeah, well, I wasn't around for those four hundred years, now was I?" Carl shot back.
"What do you mean?" Murundio asked.
"I found some clues back at Valerious Manor that might be helpful," Carl explained.
"Well, what are we waiting for?" Van Helsing said, suddenly calm.
It took them an hour to reach Valerious Manor. Murundio was taken aback by how big it was, but he supposed that was the perks of being a Gypsy Princess. Carl led them into a sort of library in the main tower.
"Alright Carl, what have you leant?" Van Helsing asked. Carl immediately pointed a portrait off the wall.
"Who's that?" Murundio asked.
"My Great Grandfather, Valerious the Elder," Anna answered.
"Yes, and Count Dracula was the son of Valerious the Elder," Carl said. He turned to Anna.
"The son of your ancestor."
"Everyone knows that, what else?" Anna said, unimpressed.
"Whoa, wait! Doesn't that make Dracula your Great Uncle?" Murundio asked.
"Yes," Anna said simply. While Murundio stared at Anna open mouthed, Carl continued to prattle on.
"According to this rubbing, it all started when Dracula was murdered."
"Do you know who murdered him?" Van Helsing asked.
"No, no. It says some vague reference to the Left Hand of God," Carl said dismissively.
"Anyway, in 1462, when Dracula was murdered, he made a deal with the Devil," he said.
"And was given a new life," Van Helsing murmured.
"But the only way he could sustain that life was by drinking the blood of others," Anna continued.
"Dracula didn't become a vampire in the usual way. Instead, the Devil himself granted it. That explains why he can't be killed the usual way. But the Devil doesn't do things for free. Dracula must have one greatest weakness," Murundio noted.
"Um, excuse me, are you going to let me tell the story?" Carl asked, annoyed.
"Sorry," Anna and Van Helsing said at the same time. Murundio merely rolled his eyes.
"Now your ancestor, having sired this evil creature, went to Rome to seek forgiveness. That's when the bargain was made was made. He was to kill Dracula, in return for entire salvation, right down the line, all the way to Anna," Carl said.
"But he couldn't do it. As evil as Dracula was, my ancestor couldn't kill his only son," Anna said.
"So, he banished him to an icy fortress, sending him through a door from which was no return," Carl finished.
"That must be what my Father was looking for in here, clues to the door's location," Anna breathed.
"You know, your Grandfather could have left a note or something. I mean, if he wanted someone else to kill his son, it would have taken him no less than five minutes to write one. Or if he wanted to be subtle, he could have marked it on that map of Transylvania that you've got in the armoury," Murundio said dryly.
Van Helsing jumped like an idea had struck him.
"I know what the door is!" he said, excitedly. Turning, he walked away quickly. Carl hissed something under his breath and they all followed Van Helsing. He led them to the room with the map of Transylvania.
"So your Father spent ages looking at the map for the door. I think he was right. I think this-" Van Helsing gestured to the map. "-is the door. He just didn't know how to open it!"
"So how are we supposed to open it?" Murundio asked.
"Hey look! That Latin inscription, maybe it works like that painting in the tower," Carl pointed.
"What painting?" Murundio asked, but was ignored.
"If this was a door, my father would have opened it long ago," Anna said. Carl began to read the Latin inscription. Murundio was doubtful that this could be the door, but that couldn't stop his hoped from rising. Perhaps finally, after all these years, he could avenge Aleera-
"I can't finish the inscription!" Carl cut in to his thoughts. Murundio felt his heart sinking.
"There's a piece missing!" he said. Van Helsing stared at the spot where the piece was missing, a thoughtful look on his face.
"That's because your father didn't have this!" he said, pulling something from his coat. Murundio saw it was the missing piece. He frowned.
"How on Earth-"
"Where did you get that?" Anna cut in.
"Carl, finish it!" Van Helsing said. Carl obeyed and from the missing piece, began to read.
"In the name of God, open this door," Van Helsing said. Then something quite amazing happened. The map, which Murundio had been staring at intently, faded and quite suddenly, he was staring at his face.
"What the…?" Murundio gasped, taking a step backward.
"It's a mirror," said Carl.
"Dracula has no refection in the mirror," Anna put in, confused.
"Yes, but why?" Van Helsing asked.
"Does it matter? This is not the door, it a mirror!" Murundio snapped.
"Maybe to Dracula it's something else," Carl said.
"A mirror's a mirror," Murundio insisted. Van Helsing reached his hand out to touch the mirror. Murundio's eyes widened as his hand passed right through the mirror.
"Mirrors don't normally do that," he said dumbly. Van Helsing's entire hand had passed through the mirror.
"What do you feel?" Carl asked.
"It's cold," Van Helsing said. He moved his hand out of the mirror and stared at it.
"And it's snowing," he said, eyeing off some snowflakes that had fallen in his hand. Anna couldn't help but smile. But Murundio was weary of the mirror. What was on the other side?
Van Helsing grabbed a flaming torch off the wall.
"See you on the other side," he said.
"Wait!" Anna caught him before he could take another step. A look passed between them and Murundio realised there was something going on between them.
"Be careful," Anna said. Van Helsing gave her a small nod before taking a step forward. He was immediately engulfed by the mirror. Before Murundio's eyes, Van Helsing had disappeared. Anna followed him almost immediately, leaving Carl and Murundio by themselves.
"I don't want to go," Carl said in a tiny voice.
"Be brave, Carl," Murundio said.
"Fine. But you first."
Murundio stared at the mirror grimly and walked foreword to the mirror. Taking a deep breath, he pressed himself into the mirror. He didn't know what awaited for him on the other side. But he was about to find out.