Castlevania: Dark of the Rose
Chapter 3: The battle of Thor
A girl sat in the front row of Ms. Nekonome's classroom. She had Auburn brown hair, clear blue eyes, was wearing a British Style school uniform (one of those frilly silk miniskirts they wore in the old days, a white top with a red tie, bluish violet boots, and one of those blazer-jacket hybrid type jackets), and looked to be about 16 years old. This was Charlotte Aulin, a young witch with amazing powers who was descended from a long line of witches who had helped the Belmonts defeat Dracula in the Battle of 1999 (If you've played Castlevania: Portrait of Ruin, you'll remember her.).
Sitting next to Charlotte was a young boy who looked to be about 17 years old. He had light blond hair, dark blue eyes, was wearing a british style red jacket, trousers, army boots, shoulder pads, and carried a whip. This was Jonathan Morris, a member of a family who was related to the Belmonts by blood. The whip he carried was a special whip known as the Vampire Killer, a whip feared among monsters as the whip of evil's bane (If you've played Portrait of Ruin, you'll also remember him.).
Sitting on the other side of Charlotte was a young girl who also looked to be about 16. She was blue haired (tied up in a rather cute ponytail), violet eyed, was very busty (as any other guy would notice), wore an extremely tight white long sleeve shirt and a sweater vest over it. She also wore the slandered school girls skirt that showed off her legs. Yes, kids, if you've read the other two chapters, this is no doubt the villainess of our story: Succubus Princess Kurumu Kurono, the rebirth of Lilith!
Now let's begin the third chapter, shall we?
Charlotte Aulin stood at the front of the classroom, working out some rather complex calculus problems on the board. The boys couldn't help but whisper in audible voices.
"Who is she?"
"I don't know, but man, is she hot!"
"So petite… must… date… her!"
Charlotte couldn't help but blush a little. Charlotte could now see why her friend Soma Cruz had suggested that Jonathan go as her boyfriend. The male student body's attention had shifted from Kurumu to Charlotte rather quickly.
"Done," said Charlotte as she turned from the board, revealing her work.
"Well done, Miss Aulin," purred Ms. Nekonome, "you're smarter than you look."
"Suddenly, calculus has meaning to me!" said one boy.
"I'd like her to be my tutor!" said another.
Charlotte couldn't help but giggle a bit. Soma was right. With all the boys hitting on her, she could get easily distracted. Thank goodness for Jonathan! As she headed back to her seat, she noticed Kurumu who was green with envy and livid with rage. Charlotte smirked behind her hand. Driving her enemies' blood pressure up was something Charlotte enjoyed doing. Only one person stooped to the same level: Seiya Arkiado. Still, it served Kurumu right for enslaving Seiyai.
A few hours ago, Charlotte and her friends had witnessed a terrible event happen to their dear friend Seiya. Seiya had made a valiant effort to defeat the Succubus Princess, but ultimately failed. As a result, Kurumu enslaved him by kissing him while he was still allured. It had been said that the possessed person who was kissed by a succubus would become her eternal slave. Charlotte knew the legends were true, and she was mad for two reasons: one, Kurumu had a lot of nerve stealing Seiya from one of the most accomplished witches known, and two, she didn't even win him fairly. Kurumu barely even knew Seiya! Charlotte was tempted to perform a killing spell to end Kurumu's sorry existence, but Jonathan tugged on Charlotte.
"Don't," whispered Jonathan, "not yet…"
Charlotte nodded angrily and sat down. One way or another, she was going to get Seiya back from Kurumu, whether Kurumu liked it or not! (Hey, Charlotte does have a major crush on Seiya, so what'd you expect?) And if it resulted in someone's death, so be it! She would not see a brave and handsome soul such as Seiya be enslaved by a lowly succubus, least of all the Succubus Princess.
Charlotte walked down the halls of Yokai with grim satisfaction. Charlotte had succeeded in depriving Kurumu of her slaves by showing up in the first place, upsetting Kurumu's plans and pissing off Kurumu herself. Charlotte looked around for Jonathan. He was nowhere in sight, much to her chagrin. With all the boys wolf whistling at her, Charlotte wished Jonathan were here. Her thoughts were suddenly interrupted by a female voice.
"So, they say you're a first class witch, huh? It's quite the gossip around here. Charlotte Aulin, right?" Charlotte looked up and saw Kurumu sitting on a rail, smirking evilly down at her.
"So, you're the girl I saw with Seiya, aren't you?" said Charlotte, "why don't you get down here and we'll settle over who's worthy of a man's heart?"
With that, Kurumu leaped off the rail and landed in front of Charlotte with such grace that her white panties showed. The boys couldn't help but notice.
"Wow! Did you see that?"
"The girl is so damn hot, she is on fire!"
"Her body is so petite except for her…her…"
"She's just as hot as Charlotte and Moka!"
"I am the Succubus Princess Kurumu Kurono," said Kurumu, "and I am here to defeat you."
"Correction," said Charlotte, "I am here to defeat YOU!"
"I can't stand it!" snarled Kurumu pointing angrily at Charlotte, "an airhead like you is getting in the way of my master plan! I won't allow it!"
"Let me guess. Operation Draco, right?" said Charlotte, "where you would raise an army of love slaves to do your bidding all the while enslaving my dear friend and future boyfriend Seiya Arkiado aka Draco so he could help you become mistress of Castlevania. Is that it?"
Kurumu couldn't help but raise an eyebrow. She was impressed to see that someone could've figured her out so easily. This Charlotte was smarter than she looked.
"Don't you dare act as if you don't know what I'm talking about!" snapped Charlotte, "I saw all that you did to Seiya! You have a lot of nerve taking him like that! I'll show you why you'll never win a man's heart!"
"Oh, give me a break," laughed Kurumu, "I have no time to deal with you!"
"But come to think of it," said a familiar voice, "we can take away some of your time."
Jonathan came out of the shadows and appeared next to Charlotte with his whip, Vampire Killer, at the ready.
"That whip," whispered a terrified Kurumu, "that's the Vampire Killer! You're a Belmont, aren't you!"
"The name's Jonathan Morris, succubus," snapped Jonathan, "and don't you forget it! What the hell did you do to Seiya?"
"You're too late!" laughed Kurumu, "I've already made him my eternal slave! Now, nothing will stop me from ruling the heavens!"
"Think again, wench!" said another familiar voice. A middle age woman landed in front of Kurumu. She was wearing a violet-black dress, along with a bit of armor. She had flowing black hair, and had quite a few tattoos. This was Shanoa, the carrier of Dominus (If you've played Order of Ecclesia, you'll remember her.).
"Shanoa!" said Jonathan and Charlotte.
"Long time no see, you two," said Shanoa.
"Who the hell are you?" asked a stunned Kurumu.
"I am the blade to banish all evil. I am Shanoa, the Mistress of Dominus!"
"Shanoa, if you're here, then where's Alucard?" asked Jonathan.
"He's helping Soma with Seiya" said Shanoa, "for now, we need only worry about the Succubus Princess. We've gotta find a way to beat this wench!"
"That's what we intended to do from the beginning," said Charlotte.
Two guys ran through the woods at top speed. The first one had white hair, and was pretty much dressed in all white. He wore a white cloak, a blue shirt, and white pants. This was Soma Cruz, the rebirth of Dracula (If you've played Aria of Sorrow and Dawn of Sorrow, you'll remember him).
The other one had long black hair, was dressed in black leather and carried a flaming blue sword. This was Adrian Tepes aka Alucard, the son of Dracula, commonly known as Genya Arkiado (If you've played Symphony of the Night, you'll remember him).
"Are you sure Kodi is this way, Soma?" asked Arkiado warily.
"I'm sure. I saw him enter here not too long ago," said Soma.
Suddenly, they both stopped and looked around.
"Perhaps we should find a vantage point to get a better view," offered Arkiado. With that, Arkiado made for the nearest tree and began climbing. Soma followed close behind.
From their vantage point, they could see Seiyai practicing his attacks, swinging his sword this way and that. All of a sudden, Seiyai stopped to catch his breath. Soma and Arkiado leapt from branch to branch as close as they dared. Suddenly, Seiya looked up straight at the two.
"SOMA! FATHER! I thought better of you two!" shouted Seiya, "lucky for me, I heard you coming!"
Soma and Arkiado jumped down in front of Seiya.
"Long time no see, Seiya," said Soma casually.
"We heard about your new 'girlfriend'," added Arkiado.
"How did you know about Kurumu?" asked Seiya.
"So that's her name: Kurumu. As in Kurumu Kurono, right?" said Soma.
"Yeah, why?"
"Is she beautiful?" asked Arkiado.
"Beyond that."
"Is she cute?" asked Soma.
"Beyond that."
"Is she a succubus?" asked Soma and Arkiado.
"Yes, not that it's any of your business."
"Kodi, you do realize that you've cavorted with the legendary Succubus Princess, don't you?" said Arkiado.
"HA! Kurumu, the Succubus Princess? Yeah, right!" laughed Seiya.
"We're serious, Seiya," snapped Soma, "You're under the Succubus Princess' spell! Snap out of it!"
"What a pathetic joke. The words of a mere mortal," scoffed Seiya.
"It's no use, Soma. He's completely under Kurumu's control," said Arkiado, shaking his head, "the only way to save him is to defeat him."
"I see," said Soma, "Arkiado, help me out here. This is gonna be a long battle."
Arkiado nodded and drew out his sword, as Soma did the same. Kodi quickly drew out his sword and rushed at Soma and Arkiado, prepared to fight.
Shanoa, Jonathan, and Charlotte were in the heart of a nightmare. The trio not only had Kurumu to deal with, but also her love slaves. Shanoa was busy using Dominus to keep them at bay, while Jonathan and Charlotte were busy with Kurumu.
"Give… Seiya… back!" shouted Jonathan and Charlotte.
"NEVER!" shouted Kurumu, "He's mine!" With that, she dived at Charlotte, claws extended, but Charlotte was ready.
"Ice Needles!" shouted Charlotte, causing a ring of needles of ice to appear and fly at Kurumu. Kurumu easily dodged the needles, but Jonathan struck Kurumu with a throwing knife, grazing her arm. Kurumu screamed in pain and anger as she clutched her arm. Jonathan quickly followed up with the Vampire Killer, burning Kurumu as the whip struck. Shanoa dropped her defense and joined the fray, slashing Kurumu in the wing with the Dominus Sword. Kurumu screamed in agony and collapsed.
"Owww," groaned Kurumu. She turned to Jonathan, surprised. "How can an ordinary human such as YOU possess such extraordinary power?"
"I may not have the whip's power," smirked Jonathan," but I can still kick your ass!"
"Hmph. I underestimated you," said Kurumu as she shakily got up, "but still, I have my reasons to hold back."
"Is that your excuse? How typical," said Charlotte, "now resign yourself to your fate!"
"Know the limits of your power," said Kurumu cryptically, "you still have tasks to perform, so I'll admit defeat for now. We'll meet again!"
With that, Kurumu flew away.
"Damn it! She ran away!" snarled Shanoa.
"Don't worry about it," said Charlotte, "We need to find Seiya before she does!"
"She's right! There's no telling what Kurumu may do next to him." said Jonathan.
"But what about Kurumu's love slaves?" asked Charlotte.
"Without Kurumu around, the spell will quickly wear off," said Shanoa as she ran off. Jonathan and Charlotte followed.
Soma and Arkiado were in the midst of a power struggle. Seiya rushed toward the two, hammer at the ready. Soma and Arkiado quickly jumped out of the way as the slashed the air.
"Damn it!" snarled Seiya, "why won't you hold still?"
"Seiya, please," pleaded Arkiado, "we're your friends. Let us help you defeat Kurumu!"
"Remember who you are!" said Soma, "remember your destiny!"
"My destiny and heart are with Kurumu!" shouted Seiya as he prepared to strike.
"Wrong, Seiya. You have been deceived by the Succubus Princess, without a doubt." Said a strong but kind voice.
"Seiya! What's wrong, huh? Snap out of it!" shouted another voice.
Seiya spun on his heel and saw who spoke. His blood ran cold. Standing in front of him were two strangers. The first was a man who looked to be in his thirties. He had reddish brown hair, wore a light brown overcoat and matching pants. This was Julius Belmont.
The other stranger was a woman who looked to be in her mid twenties. She had blond hair, and clear blue eyes. She wore a red robe with a white belt over it. She also wore long black stockings. This was Yoko Belnades.
Accompanying him were Jonathan, Charlotte, and Shanoa, weapons all at the ready.
"Looks like the gang's all here," muttered Seiya.
"Seiya, snap out of it!" said Jonathan, "you're being tricked!"
"Please, Seiya," pleaded Charlotte with tears in her eyes, "let us change you back!"
"The only thing changing today is the victor of this battle!" snarled Seiya. At the bottom of his heart, Seiya could not help but feel guilt. He could sense that Charlotte was ready to cry, and Seiyai hated upsetting Charlotte. After all, he did have his feelings for Charlotte. However, Seiya's focus was Kurumu.
What am I doing? Thought Seiya, I never wanted to go so far as to make Charlotte cry. I must stop this madness, but I don't seem to want to because of Kurumu! Seiya i wrestled with his thoughts and kneeled down and started shaking violently.
"He's fighting it! He's fighting the spell!" said Yoko excitedly.
"No, no!" moaned Seiya, "this isn't what I want! I never wanted to break any hearts! I can't bring myself to do such! I CAN'T!" And with that, Seiya started sobbing heavily.
"The spell… It's breaking!" said Alucard.
"But he can't fight it alone," said Shanoa, "he needs help!"
"Charlotte, use your purification spell!" said Jonathan.
Charlotte quickly flipped through the pages of her spellbook until she came across the spell she needed. Charlotte began to concentrate her power.
"Sanctuary!" shouted Charlotte. Suddenly, a wave of sparkling light shot out at Seiya, hitting him. Seiya stopped sobbing and looked up at Charlotte.
"Charlotte… forgive me…" said Seiya weakly. Then, he fell down, unconscious.
Charlotte and the others quickly ran over to the fallen vampire and examined him.
"The spell of the Succubus Princess has left him," confirmed Alucard.
"Is he alive?" asked Shanoa.
"His heart is still beating, so it seems to be," said Soma, nodding.
"The Succubus Princess has grown stronger to have been able to control Kodi like that," said Arkiado, shaking his head.
"The Succubus Princess? Stronger?" whispered a terrified Yoko.
"If that's true, then what are we supposed to do?" asked Jonathan.
"We wait until Seiya comes to his senses," said Charlotte.
At this, Seiya groaned.
"SEIYA!" everyone shouted in unison.
Seiya slowly got to his feet and looked around.
"Oww. What happened? Where have I been?" groaned Seiya.
"Under the Succubus Princess' spell," said Charlotte.
"Charlotte? Why are you here?" stammered an astounded Seiya as he looked around, "Soma too! And Jonathan, Alucard, Shanoa, Julius, and father!"
"Long time, no see," said Julius.
"Where have I been?" asked Seiya.
"Under the Succubus Princess' spell," said Jonathan.
"WHAT?"
"That Kurumu girl you were with," said Soma.
"What about her?"
"She was the Succubus Princess," said Shanoa, "She planned to enslave you so you would be her mate of fate. Only then she could rule by your side."
"So… Kurumu was the one? It doesn't surprise me," said Seiya, "Anyway, we must hurry. We must stop Kurumu from gaining Dracula's power to increase her own."
"Of course! Dracula's Castle!" said Charlotte.
"I thought Dracula was destroyed in 1999 by the Belmonts," said Soma.
"True," said Charlotte, "but legend says that when Castlevania rises, the one who gains the throne will gain Dracula's powers."
"That must be Kurumu's intent. After all, all monsters have easy access to it," added Shanoa, "Kurumu must be planning on becoming the mistress of Castlevania to exponentially increase her powers."
"Exactly," said Jonathan, "that way, she can enslave the world's males!"
"Bingo! You saw right through me," said a voice they all recognized. Slowly, they all turned and saw who spoke. It was none other than Kurumu! Kurumu hovered in the air as she smiled evilly down at the group.
"Saying your little goodbyes to MY boyfriend? How sweet! Wah ha ha ha ha ha!" laughed Kurumu evilly.
Seiya was furious.
"Kurumu! You were planning to overthrow my father this whole time!" shouted Seiya, "You were the one! I didn't want to think it was true!"
Now, that Seiya is free, can Seiya win the next battle against Kurumu? And what about Tsukune and Moka? Will they escape Kurumu's traps in time to help? Find out next time in Dark of the Rose!
To be continued…