Chapter four: The Path that should not be travelled
Disclaimer: I do not own anything of Castlevania.
Simon Belmont stretched out his arm as he awoke in the morning to find that his new ally, Alucard, had already started to pack up his things as Sonia cooked breakfast in a skillet that had come from his pack. Not noting that fact, he got to his feet and started to fasten on his armor as he sat down for breakfast, which was served on the skillet for them to pick off of with forks. Alucard did not partake in the feast as he was unable to eat such food, it could actually heart him. After a quarter past 10:00, the trio settled back on their packs and started to ride off towards the mountains that stood between them and the family that knew the whereabouts of the key to the tomb of Mobius. In his mind he wondered about what lied ahead for them, but he decided that it didn't really matter, all he could do was walk the path that was set before him. The only question now was whether they should pass through the top of the mountain or to the bottom of the mountain, through the caverns that formed from long years of digging by the servants of Dracula, to bury the things they did not wish to ever bring back into this world.
"Well, which way should we go, it seems that the way before has split into two and I only know that winter is the worse time to go up a mountain," said Simon as he turned the Dhampire.
"It would be quicker to go through the caverns than under it," reasoned Sonia, who wanted to get Lydia back as quickly as possible, no matter what sort of danger she would face.
"To go under the mountain would prove more perilous than going above it," replied Alucard as he spat at the entrance to the caverns. "Too many evil things are under there for me to condone taking such a short cut."
"We're strong enough to handle such things, I doubt anything in there could be any worse than what Simon faced in the castle or I faced in the village," said Sonia as she looked at the entrance and felt the evil chill emanating from the inside of it. Over head a vulture flew above them and it seemed to be unlike any other vulture that she had seen feasting on the bodies of the dead and Alucard seemed to agree with her.
"They know we're going over the mountain and will probably send something after us," declared Alucard as he pulled his sword out and got ready to charge up the hill, but his arm was stayed by Simon.
"If they know we are coming from there then we must not let them see us and head into the caverns where there is only a threat instead of an assurance of evil," said Simon and Alucard relented to the vampire hunter. "Can horses fit under the cavern?"
"No, I will have to send one of my familiars to go and escort them back to our village for safety," replied Alucard as he dismounted in one quick and graceful motion. "I just only hope that what was meant to sleep was not awoken by my father's call or by the call of another."
"You worry too much, this is probably nothing too bad for us," said Simon as he too dismounted and went to help Sonia dismount from her horse, but she did so before he could.
"I can do just fine, Simon, you know I'm able," scolded Sonia as she walked off into the cavern holding her spear and sword close to her.
"Yes, you are able, but my heart is not able to bear the loss of you," muttered Simon as he walked onto the cavern, followed by the son of Dracula.
Inside was a myriad of caverns all enveloped in darkness except for the glow of diamonds and other gems that seemed to be pieces of the moon itself, all lighting the insides of the caverns. Stalagmites incased the ceiling, making it seem like the room where Dracula would impale his victims and give their blood to all of the weaker children vampires who had not grown into size yet. There was an ominous chill in the air as the trio went farther into the caverns, each corner becoming as dreaded as the last one and every shadow lending itself to the disdain of the travelers who braved through its dark aura. After coming to a crossroad, they stopped to take the time to decide which way to go since it had been ages since Alucard had travelled into the caves and it could be dangerous going down the wrong path. After choosing the darker path, the trio once again proceeded to walk down the dark narrow tunnels of the cave, moving out of the way of the stalagmites that extended down. It was then that came to a room that was done in the style of the inside of Ancient Egyptian tomb with piles of gold and other treasures surrounding a sarcophagus that was like a Pharoh's. This did not seem to sit well with Alucard who immediately became very nervous with the things that lay inside and started to back out.
"This was the wrong way, we must leave now," declared Alucard as he turned to walk out, but as instantly as he turned, the sound of bones cracking back into place filled the room as Egyptian warriors, or should I say the remains of Egyptian warriors came out of the piles of treasure with their curved swords ready. "We must go, NOW!"
"I think this is the right way, I just doubt it would ever be that easy to go along and you should be able to get by if your father made this place," protested Simon, but this did not help Alucard who was already drawing his sword to fight.
"Not this room, this room was created to keep a fierce Egyptian vampire from surfacing," replied Alucard as he shifted into a fighting stance. "Ihmotep, the rival of Ramses the Damned, and an enemy that was put to sleep since my father always figured he could someday make use of him like this. It may be too late to avoid this fight, but we can defeat him, as long as we do not lose our heads."
"You act like I make a habit out of that," laughed Simon as he removed his whip from it's holster and liberated his sword from its sheath. "Will he come about from the death of his servants?"
"Yes, exactly, but I expect his servants to place blood in his casket to awaken him," replied Alucard.
Before Simon could respond he saw that Sonia had already engaged herself into a fight and had taken out two of the Egyptian warrior skeletons that moved with a bit more gracefully than other skeletons would. Using her spear, she picked up a golden vase and flung it at one while kicking out the support for a pillar to a small wooden lookout tower, sending it onto another skeleton. The skeleton she had thrown the vase at ducked under it and was cut in half by her sword before having its head smashed by her spear. With one flick of his wrist, Simon sent his legendary whip into the face of one skeleton and threw a dagger at another skeleton, breaking the face of the first one and cracking the ribs of the second. After about an hour of fighting, Alucard sent in his bat familiars to ravage the rest of the band of skeletons and the trio prepared to fight whatever vampire would come out of the sarcophagus. A pale hand crept its way out from under the lid of the sarcophagus, letting the glow of gold and moon diamonds bask it, giving it some form of rejuvenation.
"Well then, I don't suppose you know anything about his ability to fight or any powers he might have," asked Simon as he moved closer towards the re-animating vampire, who stood at seven feet with long arms and auburn hair that was braided into a royal tail.
"I know that he has the power to shoot out electric bolts and is quite a fighter," replied Alucard as he stepped forward to use one of his fire balls on the Egyptian menace.
Then, Ihmotep spoke, his voice booming like thunder as he towered over the trio saying, "You who have come here seeking the treasures of a king, will find only the punishment of eternal torment in the pit of fire."
"You are a vassal of the house of Tepes and being the son of my father and not the ruler of the Tepes family, I order you to return to your coffin," commanded Alucard in a voice so fierce, that the Egyptian vampire was taken aback by the tone and almost did as Alucard ordered, but he stopped himself and grinned at the son of Dracula.
"SO Dracula is dead, and now only his whelp of a son is there to stand in my way, what a magnificent way to take the power of Dracula," exclaimed Ihmotep as he walked towards the Dhampire and was immediately knocked back with a blow from the blunt side of Alucard's sword.
"That is a warning, Ihmotep, another step in the wrong direction and I will remove your existence from this cave and this earth," warned Alucard in a voice that would rival a threat from his father.
The Egyptian did not listen and walked forward while unsheathing his shotel and swinging it at the son of Alucard, but Alucard was able to move faster than the Egyptian had predicted and was soon backhanding the Egyptian into a wall. Snarling as he got up, Ihmotep charged Alucard with greater speed that when he had first attacked and this time was able to force Alucard to block, but Alucard managed to do a quick fireball spell to burn half of Ihmotep's face. The skin repaired itself and Ihmotep went back to fighting Alucard viciously, while Alucard played a mellower defense, by instead of blocking his sword, he simply used his own sword to guide it away from him. This only served to infuriate Ihmotep all the more as he now started to leap into the air and come down with a might slash. Alucard back dashed out of the way of the attack and then summoned his bat familiars to fly into Ihmotep's face, making his vision unclear until it was too late and he was impaled by Alucard's sword.
"You should have listened to me," said Alucard as he stared into the eyes of his enemy and was surprised to find that his opponent seemed to be indifferent to the attack.
"Do not think that you have beaten me," said the vampire as he lifted Alucard and flung him towards a wall, but Alucard managed to rebound himself and onto the sarcophagus, which trapped his feet in binding as soon as he landed. "Your father would have never fallen into that trap, but I suppose you have more of your weak mother in you, that failure of a woman."
"You will do well not to mock my mother in front of me," warned Alucard as he seemed to emit a dangerous aura of blood lust that was all powering as well as intoxicating.
"The pathetic son of a pathetic mother," snarled Ihmotep as he spat on the ground in disgust. "I will never see what Dracula saw in that pathetic whore of human."
"I warned you not to, but now I cannot let you live for such words," barked Alucard as he let a burst of energy around him break the sarcophagus and then rushed towards Ihmotep with his bare hands, now grown into claws, and he left not a trace of Ihmotep to identify the vampire that had once been.