Chapter II

Courtyard of Blood

The drive to the castle was mostly uninterrupted. There were a few snippets of conversation, but for the most part the drive was silent.

They were approaching the Pennsylvanian state line and they had stopped the car to fill up with gas. Soon afterwards, Oliver's directions led them off of the main road through a nearby town, and eventually off the road altogether.

Stella was wearing the same outfit that she had worn as a vampire, though she had decided to try out a pair of dance footwear that allowed for easier mobility. Heels were fine for fighting in if you were floating in midair. On the other hand, they were not good when you needed to perform the fancy footwork that her fencing technique demanded; so dancer's shoes it was. Loretta was giving her a bit of a hard time about her ensemble, seeing as the rosy pink and blue ballroom gown had lost its protective enchantments over a year ago. She could never understand why Stella always felt the need to flaunt her voluptuous figure. Then again, she didn't know how it felt to be a bombshell like her older sister. Unlike her somewhat flamboyant sister, she had opted to wear something particularly plain, even doing away with the frills she had worn those two years ago. She had on an ordinary navy blouse with a matching knee-length skirt. Over this was a long leather coat that was dyed the same frosty green color as the outfit that she had worn as a vampire. Also, she had decided against wearing her usual rose-adorned maid's babushka in favor of a more traditional bonnet. She also wore her durable rain boots and stockings. As for their argument, Stella's counter was that as a fencer and a duelist her best defenses were speed and mobility. The best way to stay alive in a fight was not to get hit at all. She had obviously momentarily forgotten that her dress was ankle-length.

Jonathan had taken his usual crimson leather coat that he wore on all vampire-hunting jobs. It was part of his standard ensemble. The black leather pants were also part of his regular getup. Even so, it was sweltering for him in the car. It was all he could do to remind himself that he would be grateful for his thick clothing when they got to the castle. After all, there were a lot of places in Castlevania that tended to be chilly. If he wasn't already too hot, he felt himself blushing for the umpteenth time that day as he saw Charlotte in the rearview mirror. It didn't help that she was wearing an armored, but gorgeous blue corset that accentuated her curves…in addition to pressing her breasts together in a very distracting manner. Having known her since early childhood, he'd noticed that she'd begun…developing…a bit late. She wasn't quite done during their last hunting job and he'd taken the opportunity to tease her as much as possible about still being a child. He wouldn't exactly get another opportunity. He was glad he did, because she stopped growing only a few months later, just before her seventeenth birthday. Unfortunately, ever since then he didn't really know what to make of her. She wasn't quite as curvy as Stella, but she still had them in all the right places. She was beautiful enough to turn his brain off almost entirely, but it felt so terrifyingly wrong to be looking at her like that!

'Maybe I should see a therapist,' he thought wearily.

In addition to the light blue corset, she also wore a white knee-length skirt. She had outgrown the thigh-high stockings both physically and psychologically, and opted to stay cool for the drive, not wearing any leg-gear this time around. She had opted to keep her old half-cape. She had outgrown it since their first trek through the dark castle, but it was something that she had worn ever since she was small enough for it to (almost) be a full-sized cape on her. She had gone to a seamstress and had it refitted for her. She had a pair of enchanted bracers on her wrists that protected her bare arms. Being a scholar, her hands were her favorite part of her body. They deserved extra protection. After all, if they were damaged how would she write her doctorate paper? Her shoes were her favorite pair of Oxford running shoes. Brand new, better quality, and barely a fraction of the price she had forked over to Vincent for her first pair. Sometimes she could barely contain herself when wearing them, a fact that annoyed her infinitely.

None of them needed to be told when they were approaching the castle. They could tell they were close by the fact that the sky grew dark as midnight around 2:00 pm. They decided that it would be best not to enter the grounds inside the vehicle, and they were looking for a good place to park when a man seemed to materialize in front of their car. Jonathan slammed on the brakes, but they failed to bring the car to a stop soon enough. The man was sent flying, and the five occupants of the car hopped out like they had been ejected from the vehicle. They ran over to where the man had landed, and were surprised to find him picking himself up.

"Oh my god, I am so sorry," Jonathan tried before the stranger shot him down.

"It's fine, no harm done. I would be more worried about the other occupant of your vehicle if I were you."

All five of them looked at each other, making sure that they were all there.

"Uh…there's nobody left in the car…" Jonathan said in confusion.

"Are you sure?" asked the stranger, "I doubt that machine would be shaking all on its own."

Jonathan and Charlotte glanced at one another before turning to look at his car. Sure enough, it was shaking back and forth. They ran over to the car, not seeing anyone inside. They weren't sure whether to be worried or relieved when they heard thumping coming from the trunk. They couldn't have opened it fast enough, but they found themselves less than enthusiastic about the occupant.

"Thank you so much! I thought I was gonna die in there!" she gasped as she climbed out of the small, dark space in the back of the car.

"Mariabella Fox!" Charlotte raged, "What do you think you're doing here! Have you got any idea how dangerous it is here! And why on Earth would you sneak into the trunk of a car! That's dangerous enough as it is, you could have suffocated!"

"Sorry mom," Maria said with a roll of her eyes, "I can take care of myself." Charlotte was utterly lost in terms of responses, so she settled for one of her trademark death-glares. "Besides, I had to know where you were going. I just followed you."

Charlotte groaned, but resigned herself to taking Maria with the rest of them.

Meanwhile, Jonathan had turned to get another look at their car-victim. He had platinum blond hair, and was wearing something akin to a fancy eighteenth century suit, complete with a cape. It was eerily similar to Dracula's preferred cloak.

"So…uh…who are you exactly?"

"All you need know of me is that I oppose Dracula, but if you must call me anything, you may refer to me as Alucard."

"Alucard, huh? Something about that name strikes me as being odd."

"It is Dracula spelled backwards."

"Oh," replied Jonathan smartly.

A few meters away, Maria and Charlotte had resolved their conflict and were making idle small talk.

"So who's that gorgeous piece of work?"

"We don't really know," answered Charlotte, "Jonathan just rammed into him with the car. It's totaled, but the guy's fine. Something is very wrong about that.

"Something about him seems familiar to me. Maybe it's the silver hair…" she strode up to Alucard, "So, what's your name?"

The man in question seemed startled when he looked at her, but then shook his head as if trying to dismiss a thought.

"You may call me Alucard. May I ask you the same question?"

"I'm Maria Fox.

Alucard choked.

"Is…Maria…short for anything, perchance?" he asked, almost in a whisper.

"My whole name is Mariabella, but I'd really rather you not—"

Alucard sighed almost inaudibly, "It is…good to meet you Mariabella."

"Did I not just tell you to call me Maria? I hate being called by that silly long name."

"I apologize, but I cannot simply call you…Maria."

"Why not?"

"That is none of your concern, as we only met a few moments ago," Alucard's voice was more forceful as he said this, but he didn't walk away either.

Off to the side, Stella and Loretta muttered to each other. "What's his problem?"

"I couldn't tell you, sister," Loretta's answer was blunt,

"There is something strange about him though… Alucard… I know I've heard that name somewhere before."

Meanwhile, Maria was busy asking questions again, "So, Alucard, why are you so formal?"

"Is having good manners looked down on these days?"

"Um, no, of course not. It's just that you have really good etiquette. Better than anyone I know. I've known you for barely two minutes and I can already tell that you're a complete gentleman."

"I see."
"Look, I don't mean to be a buzzkill, but shouldn't we be getting to the castle?" Jonathan asked.

"Yeah, we probably should," agreed Charlotte.

"I will join you."

"Are you sure?" Oliver asked, "It's not exactly safe in there."

"I am more than capable of taking care of myself," Alucard stated in a tone that dared anyone to question him. He drew out a masterfully crafted sword that seemed to emit a blue aura from a scabbard at his hip. He gave it a few experimental swings before sliding it back into its sheath.

"Okay, let's go then," Stella suggested, "Loretta, Charlotte, your spells are prepared? Do you have a weapon ready, Jonathan?"

She was met with unanimous agreement, and they proceeded towards the castle gates. Maria looked on in bemusement. Her four best friends? Swords and sorcery? What in the world were they talking about?

"Oh dear God, please tell me that they don't do Role Plays."

"Wow, this place is spooky," said Maria, "And I feel…strange… Have I been here before?"

"I doubt that," said Oliver passively, "Nobody ever comes to this castle if they can avoid it. Its power even affects human minds, making people want to avoid the general area it's made its home.

"Still…this place is familiar to me," Maria insisted.

"Charlotte, your memory's better than mine, but I could have sworn that the designs on the gate shafts were different last time we came here," said Jonathan suspiciously.

"What? That's crazy. I'm sure they're exactly—" Charlotte cut herself off as she saw the two demonic figures depicted on the twisted metal bars. "You're right, they are different. That's…creepy."

"Whatever," Loretta said, not showing any interest at all, "Let's proceed, shall we?"

"Yes."

Stella and Jonathan went first, each of them pushing one of the heavy double gate-doors open. As they passed through the entrance into the castle walls, everything grew silent. The sounds of the night seemed to fade away as they made their way closer towards he two giant doors. No crickets chirped. Sounds made by forest animals disappeared. The wind blew, but no leaves rustled as it passed. They found themselves standing at a moat. The drawbridge was up.

"Any ideas on how to tackle this obstacle, Jonathan?" Charlotte asked.

"Sorry," he looked away slightly embarrassed.

"We can't just be stuck here! We're not even inside yet!" gasped Charlotte in exasperation, "Last time there was at least a way inside!"

There was a sound like metal gears turning and they looked up to see the bridge being lowered.

"What? Who—"

Before she could vocalize her question, a deep, gravelly, and chillingly familiar voice came from the other side of the moat still hidden by the slowly descending bridge. Charlotte opened her spellbook and Jonathan hoisted Agni's Flame into a fighting stance.

"I know what you are about to ask, Miss Aulin. It is a rather simple question for you to be asking if I may say so, but I shall answer it regardless. I lowered the bridge for you.

The groaning mechanisms screamed and the bridge suddenly slammed down with a crash, revealing whom they already knew to be speaking. A figure in a tattered blue-black hooded cloak hovered several feet in the air; skeletal arms gripped a terrifying black scythe, and red pinpoints smoldered deep within a pair of empty sockets of a grinning skull, partially hidden by the hood. A skeletal humanoid creature with a long, razor-sharp beak and equally dangerous-looking spear stood at the specter's right, while at its left a demonic, dragon-like monster flapped its winged arms to stay aloft, smoke coming from its nostrils.

"Oh God…" Maria sank to her knees, "I'm seeing things aren't I? Jonathan and Charlotte, a swordsman and a witch? And i-is t-that the G-Grim Reaper! And w-what the hell are those things? What is going on!"

"He prefers to be referred to as Death, for that is what he is," Alucard tapped her on the shoulder.

"Hmm…Alucard, I see you have returned," Death took a moment to analyze him, "And you found your weapons. I expected no less. As for you," he pointed at Maria, "I remember clearly that I took you four-hundred years ago, but I never forget a face. I shall need to determine whether or not my theory is correct. In the meantime," he said in a businesslike tone, "We have much to discuss."

"Yeah, you bet we do!" Jonathan charged, Agni's Flame in hand, "Like how the hell you're even here!"

Flames erupted over the blade of his sword as he dashed towards the Reaper. Sparks burst everywhere as the sword was blocked by Death's scythe. Charlotte ran up and cast Spirit of Light, catching Death while he was busy fending off Jonathan.

"Slogra, Gaibon," Death commanded, "You know what to do."

The pair of demons advanced past Jonathan and Charlotte and began an offensive on Stella, Loretta and Alucard.

"I have destroyed the two of you once already," Alucard stated, deadpan, "It should not be a complicated matter to do it again." He drew his sword.

Slogra and Gaibon both glared at him in recognition and focused their attention on the Lecarde sisters. Stella almost immediately had her rapier thrust between Slogra's all too visible ribs. Slogra looked down at the sword protruding from his chest and lowered his head with what Stella could have sworn was embarrassment. Other than that reaction, he didn't seem particularly fazed for one who was just impaled. An agile spear thrust, and Stella was knocked backwards, sword in hand, pulling it out of Slogra's seemingly emaciated frame. She dusted herself off and was no worse for wear.

Loretta on the other hand was having trouble. She was casting her usual ice spells, and Gaibon was using this to his advantage. Loretta would cast Icicle Drop, and he shot fireballs from his mouth, melting or shattering the giant ice shards before they could fall to the ground. She would use Ice Fang, and Gaibon just dodged the spikes. Freeze Bite was too slow, and the frozen projections of wolves' heads were once again met with fireballs. She was running out of ideas.

Back on Jonathan's side of the field, Death was hammering at Dragon Slayer with his scythe, Jonathan having switched weapons when he realized that the Agni's Flame could be damaged if he used it to block. That was one sword that he was not ready to lose. So while he kept Death busy, Charlotte was able to cast whatever she pleased. An Explosion was followed up by Thor's Bellow, both of which knocked Death off guard long enough for Jonathan to take a few slashes at him. All in all, things were beginning to look rather grim for the Reaper.

Stella was going all out on Slogra. She had thought the fight was over when she had managed to his spear out of his grip, and was naturally caught off guard when Slogra charged at her, head outstretched, beak forward. She jumped backwards just a moment too late, and Slogra's sharp beak stabbed her just above her waist.

"And this was a new dress too…" she muttered glumly as she put a hand to her now torn dress. She pressed her hand to the cut, wincing as she did so, and held her hand up to her face, finding it more than a little bloody, "Well, I suppose that I should have realized that wearing it to this castle was a poor decision. I can only blame myself. I'll still beat you senseless though. Slogra, right?"

"Correct," replied a thin, congested-sounding voice. Stella looked around for its source before it dawned on her that it was Slogra who had spoken.

"Whoa. I didn't know that you could talk. Why haven't you said anything yet?"

"I see no reason to speak while fighting. It would only distract me. I did not bother to speak, yet I know all the tricks you've shown me thus far. Now you have a choice: Defend yourself, or die. En guarde!" He thrust his beak forward like a spear, but this time Stella was ready. She batted his beak away with her rapier and leaped up into the air. "Anticipate this! Observe!" Stella held out her rapier and was suspended in midair as she executed one of the few magical attacks she knew: "Crescent Moon!" she twirled around in the air, drawing four arcs in the air with her sword. Slogra watched her movements carefully as she slashed at the empty space. He was not prepared for the crescent shaped blades of wind that seemed to materialize wherever she had drawn an arc with her sword. Stella hung in the air, concentrating fiercely to keep her attack in effect at least until it hit. The 'crescent moons' slowly began to home in on him, and Slogra weaved about through the courtyard trying to evade the razor sharp wind-based pursuers, but they steadily grew faster and faster until…

"Sister! Behind you!"

Stella didn't react fast enough and her concentration broke as she was swatted out of the air by a leathery blue-gray wing. Of course, she should have understood it sooner. Slogra and Gaibon were partners. Of course they would assist each other. She should have been paying more attention. Slogra had also managed to retrieve his spear and was now back at his full threat level.

Up until that point, Loretta's situation hadn't worsened, but it hadn't improved very much either. She found that Gaibon was susceptible to her Blizzard Storm spell because the wind it generated threw him off balance. She had climbed up a tree to get a more appropriate altitude so that she could be level with him, and when she cast the spell he had tumbled from the sky, landing in a dazed heap on the ground. Still, in order for her tactic to work she had to keep herself at a similar altitude to the demon.

Once Gaibon had gotten his bearings he had noticed that Slogra was on his last legs so-to-speak. He saw that the other sister seemed to be casting a spell, and though still somewhat faint, he managed to dash towards her, jump, and knock her out of the air at the moment his opponent had tried to warn her. The crescent moons dissipated before they reached Slogra, who was now ready for another round. Gaibon on the other hand had been too distracted to notice the gigantic icicle that was hovering above his head as he landed from his jump-attack.

"–Drop!"

The great ice shard fell. It hit him square on the head, and he crumpled to the ground like an empty soda can being stomped on by a teenager. Small chunks of ice, all that remained from the icicle sailed in multiple directions. One of the larger pieces hit Slogra in the head as well, and he was knocked over onto his back.

Loretta ran over to the slightly dazed Stella. She was picking herself off the ground holding her head in one of her hands, anticipating what would likely be a splitting headache before the hour was up. They were about to take a breather when Slogra picked himself up and stalked up to the sisters.

"I may be in bad shape, but it will take more than that display to take down Gaibon."

Stella and Loretta stared at Gaibon. Slowly, he pulled himself back to his feet using a nearby rock as leverage. Something had started to change about him too. As he pulled himself to his feet, his body darkened from its blue-gray hue to until it was a deep, bloody red.

Slogra stabbed forward, aiming for Loretta with his beak but was knocked away with a well-placed thrust of Stella's rapier. That was when Gaibon leaped up and into the air. He flew around the sisters circling around them a few times. Flames gathered in and around his mouth as he inhaled. They were ready for fire, but not in the quantity that was delivered. He let loose a massive barrage of fireballs in their vicinity. Nothing could escape that kind of firestorm. While the fire had done some damage, the sisters were still not out of the battle yet. Thanks to the fire, their area was clouded by smoke. While they couldn't see Slogra and Gaibon, the reverse was true as well. But there was a way for them to fix it in their favor now. And it was all thanks to dear old Gaibon and his fire based attacks.

"I have an idea," Loretta stated calmly.

"Do tell, dear sister. We may need a new strategy."

"You don't have to worry, I have it all figured out. Just listen carefully…

Alucard had by no means been idle throughout the fight. The moment Slogra and Gaibon turned their attention away from him, he quickly strode over to Maria.

"Stand up. Hurry over to those willows. Oliver is taking cover there. It would be best if you stayed out of this as well. I will do what I can to keep the two of you safe."

"U-Um, er… Oh. Oh! O-Okay. T-That's f-f-f-fine," she stuttered, still quite shaken from the initial encounter.

"Move quickly."

"I-I said, 'okay.'

As they reached the trees, Maria took several deep breaths and closed her eyes for a moment before calming down enough to ask what was on her mind.

"All right. Would you mind telling me what's going on here? What are my two friends doing fighting some crazy guy calling himself Death? What are those…things? And please, for the love of God, tell me that I'm not going crazy."

"I assure you that you are still of sound mind, Mariabella—"

"I'm not 'Mariabella!'" she huffed haughtily, "I'm just 'Maria!'"

"…As I was saying, I can assure you that your mind is intact. All of this is actually happening. Your friends appear to be vampire hunters, and the being whom they fight is not a lunatic claiming to be Death, he truly is Death. The two creatures that the two young women are fighting, they are Slogra and Gaibon. They are elite demons from the underworld and are—

"Yeah, I know, Death's most trusted minions," she drawled impatiently, "—Wait a sec! How did I know that?"

"I…" Alucard began slowly, wondering exactly how to respond, "I cannot say. I haven't the first idea how you could have come across that knowledge."

"I'm so confused! Why can't I just get a straight answer?"

"That is as direct as I can be. You'll have to forgive me for my lack of knowledge. In any case, I may be able to find some sort of answers for you inside the castle."

Death's scythe grated precariously against an axe. Although it was a very strange axe indeed. Not that it looked odd or was unusual in any sort of way, as it looked like any generic battleaxe. The thing about it that made it so bizarre was that it was protruding from the pages of a book, along with a number of other weapons, including swords, another axe, spears and even a few maces. Charlotte snapped the book shut and slid out of the way as Death's momentum drove him forward. This gave Jonathan enough time to slash at Death. He leaped away, preparing to go for another new tactic. Or to be more accurate, he was about to change tactics until Charlotte stopped him.

"Jonathan?"

"Yeah?"

"I just noticed something…you're not going to like this."

"What? What's wrong?"

"Haven't you noticed? The last time we fought him he was summoning sickles that homed in on us. He also hasn't been changing his defensive alignment between magic and weaponry. Both of our attacks are equally effective against him."

"You're right, now that I think about it, he was also using those weird chain-hand-portal things to trap us. What's he up to?"

"I have a guess…but what do you think?"

"I think that he's toying with us. Either that or he's discreetly letting us win."

"That's exactly what I was thinking. But why would he do either of those things?"

At that moment everything finally went to Hell. Death pulled his scythe back and threw it. It spun at a lightning quick pace, almost like a buzzsaw, and flew all around the surrounding area, knocking both Jonathan and Charlotte off their feet. He shot over to where they landed and slammed his scythe down at Jonathan's head. He managed to roll away just in time, but he was still shaken. He watched the curved blade slide out of the ground and he stiffened. Charlotte was unconscious.

He made to reach for his Dragon Slayer, but of course it wasn't in its scabbard. He'd dropped it when the scythe had sent them flying. Still, he had other weapons that he could use. He pulled out Agni's Flame and jumped over Charlotte just as Death followed up his first strike with another. The haft hit Agni's Flame's blade and the scythe's razor sharp edge stopped millimeters above her face. Jonathan didn't know what happened next, but the next thing he knew, he was in a very different position.

Loretta steadied herself before she began with Phase One of her two-part plan:

"Blizzard Storm!"

In the following moments the wind generated by the concentrated blizzard blew all the smoke away. While that had the potential to be counterproductive, if they were quick enough, it would only work in their favor. The storm blew smoke, ash, snow and ice into the two demons' eyes, momentarily blinding them. They wouldn't be able to see for several seconds after the smoke cleared enough to find them. It was time for Phase Two:

"Ready, sister?" Loretta asked.

"Yes, Loretta," Stella confirmed.

Loretta cast their dual crush at that moment.

"Ice Claymore!"

The blade of Stella's rapier was suddenly encased in a large, razor sharp block of ice shaped like the blade of a sword. The ice was under Loretta's control until she released it, and so Stella held fast to her sword as the ice plucked her from the ground until she was above Gaibon and Slogra. Loretta's control loosened just enough to let Stella direct the immense blade. She would simultaneously keep enough control to move the icy blade along the path as laid out by Stella.

Stella's declaration of "You shall be sundered!" was not completely literal, as Gaibon and Slogra weren't in pieces when she swept the huge ice-blade in a wide vertical arc. Nevertheless, they were still were on the wrong end of a very powerful attack. The demonic duo didn't stand a chance. As the dust (and various other particles that were still in the air) settled, the Lecarde sisters admired their handiwork:

Gaibon had managed to get entangled in the branches of a tree he had been knocked into, and Slogra was sprawled on the ground ten feet from where he was hit, his beak agape. Unlike Gaibon, Slogra, amazingly was still conscious, his eyes wide open, though his pupils were dilated enough to show that he was stunned and he was obviously more than a little stupefied. The overall facial expression could be accurately defined by the word 'hilarious.' His spear had snapped like a twig when he had tried to block the massive strike, which only added insult to (severe) injury.

Stella's next announcement was really only for herself and her sister who responded with a shrug, followed by a nod of her head.

"I think we could have done better."

Meanwhile, Jonathan was just getting his bearings: Death had nearly killed Charlotte, and he had barely managed to stop him. After that the rest was a blur of fury and adrenalin. All he knew now was that he had managed to single-handedly knock Death himself to the ground. Jonathan still felt the anger and hatred directed toward the deity, but he was at least able to think clearly now.

Death pushed himself up slightly with his skeletal hands, and spoke slowly.

"Jonathan Morris…"

"I just dare you to beg me for mercy you worthless insect!" The vampire hunter's voice dripped with malice he didn't even realize he was capable of.

"Very well… I shall concede. This was not a fight… that I intended to win in the first place," Death's voice was ragged, coming in short bursts, which was odd considering the fact that he didn't seem to breath. However Jonathan had only noticed what Death had said, not how he said it.

"This was not a fight… that I intended to win in the first place."

If Jonathan's anger had been a burning tree moments ago, it was now an uncontrolled forest fire, "Charlotte was right! You let me win! You bast—"

"Perhaps…the two of you…would like to know why?"

"Pray tell."

Jonathan looked behind him to find the source of the voice: It was Charlotte, awake and otherwise uninjured. Rage turned to relief, and in seconds Jonathan was helping her stand up.

"Are you alright?" he asked, shaken.

"I'm fine, but I'd like to hear what he," she pointed at Death, "has to say." The deity in question slowly began to rise, until he hovered a few feet above the ground.

"Very well…" Death announced, "Though I'd prefer to get to the point, I shall indulge your petty ignorance. You see, I never truly challenged you. The two of you were the ones that picked the fight. I lowered the drawbridge for you because I need you to enter this castle, but you saw fit to attack me on sight. I only fought back because I needed to retain my physical body for the time being."

"Then why did you try to kill Charlotte?" Jonathan demanded.

"If you've ever wanted to fight me, I would have thought that you already knew this: A fight with Death is a fight to the Death, though not for me of course, leaving you with nothing to gain, and everything to lose in this particular battle. Even so, I let you win because I cannot let you die yet. I never actually would have killed you Miss Aulin; I simply needed to make it appear as though I would to motivate your partner enough to end the fight before the usurper of this castle's power noticed anything."

"Why exactly do you want us alive still?" Charlotte asked, "I mean we've beaten you three times now. I'd expect that you'd rather have retribution on us for our 'offensive' behavior towards you."

"I certainly would like to kill you. However, that would be counterproductive. You see; I cannot enter this castle unnoticed. The two of you on the other hand would be completely ignored until you had caused a substantial amount of damage."

"Um…thanks? But are you telling us that you're also against the Bernhard clan? Is it for the same reason that you opposed Brauner?"

"That is partially correct. Dracula is not currently able to return as far as I know. However, it is still my duty to guard his castle in his absence and keep unwanted guests—such as Alastor—out. The main reason that I need you to go in there however is so that you can kill that vile Devil Forgemaster, Camilla. I suspect that the young man hiding behind that shrubbery over there," a bush a few feet from them suddenly gasped in audible terror as he said this, "has informed you that she can resurrect the demons that she summons. I am assuming that because of that ability, she also has the power to ward off death…"

"Meaning that you probably can't even get within a ten foot radius of her, right?" Charlotte asked.

"That would be about right. Being death incarnate is not a simple task. Every second, hundreds, sometimes thousands, of things die all over the world, and it is my God-given duty for me to guide their souls to whichever afterlife is meant for them. And when an undead woman starts bringing things back to life from death and undeath…well, you should already realize that I would find her actions irritating on an astronomical scale. She must be eliminated."

Jonathan turned to Charlotte, "You know, I'm lost having second thoughts about defeating her."

"Jonathan, just because Camilla bothers Death doesn't mean we can just ignore her. She's out to get us anyway! I can't believe I'm saying this, but if you want us to kill Camilla for you, I think we can work out an agreement. Also, I feel inclined to ask if you're able to give us any outside assistance?"

"Yes, young Oliver has a license to sell various items that can help you on this expedition of yours. I suppose that I could let him use some of my power to enchant the weapons he makes. Also, there will be no deals, as you already need to defeat her to get to Alastor. However, Miss Aulin, for your compliance and diplomacy I will give you this," he handed a blank silver coin to Charlotte.

"Pardon my asking, but what exactly is this?"

"I'm surprised that you haven't read about this coin in a book somewhere. It is a token that allows you to acquire whatever object is specified on it."

"But there's nothing on it…"

"There will be. You need only step foot into Castlevania's Great Library and the coin will lead you to the object in question, and then you must give the coin to the Master Librarian. As long as Alucard is with you, you should be able to find him. I think I've explained as mush as necessary, so I will begin forging the tool Oliver will need for enchanting his weapons. Just be aware that it does not belong to any of you. Stealing it will result in severe consequences."

"So, Oliver," Jonathan inquired, "You don't have any objections in regard to staying here in the courtyard, do you?"

"No, none at all. Uh…I'm just going to start setting up shop… Waaaaaaaaayyyy over here."

Jonathan waited with a raised eyebrow as Oliver went all the way to the wall opposite Death's worksite. He was about to start nailing hooks and other implements into the masonry when Death suddenly materialized behind him, scaring him out of his wits.

"I would recommend against vandalizing the Master's castle. Lay your weapons out on the ground and pull that hook out of the wall immediately."

"Yes! Right away!" Oliver removed the hook from the wall and Death went back to his side of the courtyard, where something was beginning to glow.

"Okay, the pre-show entertainment's over," Charlotte announced, "I think we should get moving. Shall we, Jonathan?"

"Don't see why not," he answered.

"Stella. Loretta. Are you both ready?

"We wouldn't be here if we weren't," Stella said passively.

Jonathan clapped his hands together in finality, before he seemed to remember something, "Alucard, are you coming with us?"

"I would like to meet this vampire for myself, so I believe I shall join you."

"I'm coming with you guys!" cried Maria suddenly.

Charlotte groaned, running her hand down her face. Jonathan, and the Lecarde sisters displayed similarly aggravated reactions, "Maria, I can't even begin to explain how dangerous it is in there!"

"Really? I think it's already kind of dangerous out here. Do you really want to leave me out here on my own with only the wimpy shopkeeper to protect me?"

Jonathan considered her question for a moment, "She's got a point."

"Gee, I am so glad to know that you trust me," huffed Oliver.

"Don't take it personally, we just think that it'd be best if she came with us," Stella said with a laugh. She pushed the large castle doors open with a chorus of rusty protest from the ancient hinges, and walked inside, followed closely by the rest of the group.

"Wait! Don't just leave me out here by myself!" Oliver began to panic as Jonathan, who was at the back of the group, pulled the door closed behind him with a resounding bang.

"Well, this is just great!" Oliver shouted to nobody in particular. He tensed as he saw Death floating towards him.

"This is a list of materials, combinations, and instructions for creating magical weapons," he explained, handing Oliver a thin but impressive looking tome, "They should find an abundance of these materials in the castle. And this…" he added, showing him what appeared to be a traditional dream catcher, "is a seal of enchantment that you can use to enhance certain weapons that your…friends might find. As I already mentioned, this is not yours to keep. I'll take my leave of you now. Gaibon! Slogra!"

The pair of demons suddenly got up, Slogra getting up off the ground and Gaibon untangling himself from the branches, both as if they had never sustained severe injuries only a few minutes ago. The air around them blurred and when the distortion cleared, all three of the supernatural entities had vanished.

Author's Note: I think Death came off as being a bit too funny. He was intended to be dramatic. I see death not as evil, but as having a dark responsibility that he unfailingly carries out. He may be Dracula's confidant, but he is also the spirit who guides the souls of the dead to whatever afterlife they are meant to go, as dictated by God himself. I think that I may have made too many gags. Other than that, I think that I did rather well with his character. He was straightforward, matter-of-fact, and spoke very objectively. I think that they may have come across as slightly silly at times though. Anyway, I'd like to hear what you think. Is it going okay?