Chapter -11-
History Lesson

Julius wiped the sweat from his brow with the back of his hand. He glanced over at the demure looking kitsune then coiled the Vampire Killer whip into his hands. The Hunter's whip remained upon his belt. He glanced down at it then back at her and tilted his head. "You seem to know a lot about the Belmont family. Do you know when I was born?"

Sinopa Crevan tilted her head. Her silky red locks cascaded down her right cheek and a smile tugged at her lush lips. "I do believe you were born in the spring, six months before Ronald Regan was voted into office. That makes you a Jimmy Carter baby, Julius."

Belmont held his hand up, palm out. His eyes narrowed as if challenging her. "You've an interesting sense of humor. So, if you know so much about the Belmont family, where did this come from?" Julius' arm extended, offering the coiled whip outwards.

"It was first blessed by the hands of an alchemist. Later, it was fused with the soul of Sara Trantoul. It's been blessed countless times, enchanted by holy water rituals, empowered by the magic of the Belnades family and drenched in the blood of Count Dracula. Have I missed anything?"

He blinked several times then cocked his head and lowered the weapon. "Then answer me this, as I'm curious to know… what is its true age?"

Sinopa approached him and placed her palms on the whip. She closed her eyes and in a soft whisper, told him, "It was created… Oh my. I assumed it was slightly older than when Leon Belmont first obtained it but what an irony…" She looked up at Julius and lifted her right hand, brushing her hair back. "It's ten centuries old, exactly. Do you know what this means?"

"It's one thousand years old this year," he replied.

"A millennia, Julius. Surely that whip puts the fear of God into Count Dracula."

"I thought you don't exactly believe in God." He reattached the whip upon his belt, opposite of the Hunter's Whip, and then stepped over several dead demons on his way to the door.

"Count Dracula does," she retorted. "And I'm not challenging the prospect of one true Creator, Julius. Did you know that Baron Belmont, the first to possess that whip, had a father of equal power? In fact, it was Leon's father who finished a bloodmagic spell started by his father… how amusing, no? A supernatural man, created by the mating of a human to a creature such as myself… and with all of his esoteric power, he becomes a Christian Crusader; how noble, no?"

"Not much is known about Baron Leon Belmont," Julius told her. He opened the large wooden door at the far end of the room and held it for her. "How do you know all of this? Are you the woman-creature who mated into the Belmont bloodline?"

"No." She stepped through the door, glanced about the empty hallway then peered over her shoulder at Julius. "She's dead. The Christians were so scared of their own Bible that they hid behind it to murder countless others. And, yet, it's true that they did succeed in killing several beings who were not of the pure human persuasion. That is a dark chapter in the early Belmont history – she's been reincarnated twice since that time. But she is the mother of the Belmont Clan and its shiny, noble lineage. Again, after a thousand years, even her potent blood is wearing thin. Be glad that Dracula is dead. It came down to the wire, if you ask me. Your family was feared for several generations, because the population knew that your line was born from something not quite human. She was murdered in her sleep by a Christian lynch mob, claiming to kill in the name of God… C'est la vie. For a short time, the Belmont descendants were on the run. Trevor saved lower Europe in the 1470's but that was forgotten fifteen years later, when Columbus made news of his own. The Belmont family remained quiet when able… And the populace still feared them… That is, until Simon became a champion of the people."

The hybrid vixen placed her palm against his forearm and smiled. "To answer your question, I know because several of my tribe were called upon to watch various supernatural protagonists. They're worried the Belmont bloodline will lose their powers over the next several generations. I'm sorry there isn't a history book about your family. I'm sorry you're forgotten by the world, and have become a myth to a rare few historians of old…"

Julius waved his hand in a dismissive fashion. "Popularity means nothing. I'm a Belmont – it's my job."

Sinopa grinned at him. "Richter used to tell people that. Annette was a wonderful wife for that man, but what do you know of her sister, Maria?"

Julius continued down the hallway, trying to remember all the details from the genealogy book he owned. "She had magical abilities and helped rescue her brother-in-law about five years later… I don't know too much about what happened to the Renard line."

The woman patted his forearm then said, "Ask Alucard. It seems as though he can't stay away from the Belmont females, no matter how distant the relation."

"What in the hell is that supposed to mean?"

Sinopa's voice took on a cheery tone, as if teasing him. "Ask Sonia – no, wait she died over five hundred years ago. Hmm, ask Maria – no, wait, she died almost two hundred years ago… Perhaps you should just ask Alucard why he's so damn cold natured. Outliving all of one's lovers must be difficult on a man."

"Just stop," he told her with a frown. "I can't verify any such romances with those two ancestors – I have no desire to ask the man if he is the father of Sonia's offspring. That would make him my great, great…"

"Father of Trevor?" Sinopa placed her fingers on his lips. "No one knows for sure but it would explain why he helped Trevor a few years later, don't you think? They didn't invent a paternity test back then. Your blood is too far removed from the ancient blood of Alucard for an accurate test; it's impossible to check anyhow… putting Alucard's DNA in a genetics lab is forbidden by the supernatural community. Just know this: the Belmont Clan is akin to Hercules. They're only half gods. Adrian is no different – he's half human."

"Adrian? Coincidentally, that was the name of Trevor's father – he received his mother's maiden name." Julius narrowed his gaze again. He couldn't help but ponder the possibility of Alucard's involvement in his family history. After a moment, the older man shook his head and told her, "You're distracting me. This isn't the time or the place for a trip down memory lane. We're not the millennial great-grandchildren of Dracula – we're his nemesis. Leave the irony and coincidence to the Florescu family. I'm a Belmont. We don't have a stain in our blood – perhaps Alucard was a lover to a Belmont female in the past but that doesn't mean they have children."

Crevan lowered her eyes. "I didn't mean to make you feel uncomfortable, Julius. Perhaps we should change the subject then."

He glared at the kitsune and told her, "Perhaps you should remain quiet for a while. I have work to do."

"And the Belmont war has gone on longer than Dracula has been around – after all, much like Soma Cruz, Vlad Tepes was a reincarnation of Mathias Cron-…"

"Enough." Julius lowered his right hand to hip level and made a horizontal gesture, as if asking for her to stop speaking.

"As you wish," she replied, adding, "Darling."

Genya's hand brushed Yoko's shoulder. She stopped in the middle of the hallway and turned to him. "What?"

"I heard something." His deep, aloof voice reverberated off the decorated walls. He closed his eyes and canted his head to elevate his right ear. His chin lifted and his eyes shot open. "I hear fighting. Heel to me." In a brisk pace, the elegant gentleman made his way to the far end of the hall.

She scrunched her nose at his dog-like command but followed him. She watched Genya carefully. He placed his head against a wooden door and paused. She leaned in, besides him, and placed her own ear against the door. On the other side, she could hear the distinctive sound of intense combat. The sharp snap of a bone breaking, the sound of furniture being strewn about and the crash of a chandelier slamming into the floor.

Alucard placed the backside of his left hand against her shoulder then opened the door with his right. The door creaked ajar, allowing them both to peer into the large, dilapidated room. Both appeared fairly surprised to witness a werewolf at the center of the dusty hall.

Surrounded by hordes of skeleton monsters, demonic imps and other more grotesque beings, the lupine seemed to be handling his own very well. Yoko recognized him from earlier and whispered to the dhamphir adjacent to her. "That's Julius' nephew, Justus Bell. He's succumbed to the power of… well, it's pretty obvious."

"Interesting. Will he receive the Whip? Passing it on is important as I may be returning to my slumber by the end of the year."

Yoko cut a sidelong glance at Alucard then returned her gaze to the beast in the middle of the large, dismal room. "That all depends – do you think this kid would need a whip? Just look at him. He's a natural with those claws."

"The power of a werewolf was once used in an attempt to resurrect my father. I wouldn't want it to become an ingredient to provide anyone else with power, either. We should watch over this creature."

Yoko gawked then turned to Alucard, glaring at him. "He's not a creature! He's Julius' nephew and he's a nice boy! Furthermore," she said, drawing in a breath with which to continue her banter.

"That will be quite sufficient," retorted Alucard. He gestured her to back away then stepped into the room. He drew a sword from its sheath and swung it at the nearest demon. A blue aura surrounded the blade, which cut a swath through the monster's torso. The upper-half of its body slumped forward, spraying blood. He waved the sword from left to right, decapitating another, on approach to Justus at the center.

Meanwhile, Young Bell grew frustrated by the amount of attackers and the lack of progress made towards saving Molly Fields. He shredded the nearest skeleton, snatched a femur bone and swung it like a short club. It knocked the skull from another skeleton and shattered the jaw of some nearby hellspawn.

"Enough!" Alucard shouted. He reached into his blazer and drew out a crucifix. The skeletons dropped to the floor, leaving a pile on the dust tiles, while the other monsters evaporated in a flash of intense light. He sheathed the sword, his mother's family heirloom, then approached the werewolf. "Justus Bell I presume?"

"You presume correctly, Mister… Arikado, was it?" He recalled the man from the limo in the field outside of the castle then turned to the left so as not to pant in the man's face. "A cross, huh? How quaint."

"One needs faith to wield one with such results." The dark-haired man sifted his fingers back through his dyed locks then waved Yoko into the room. "This is my assistant; she recalls meeting with you earlier. Her name is Yoko Belnades."

"Right, thee, ah, 'seal cracker'." Justus offered her a nod but kept his gaze averted, so as not to rudely pant in their faces. He slumped to the floor to catch his breath then said, "We've got to find this girl named Molly. She brought this jewel into the castle and now everyone is looking for it. Half the castle wants to give it to this dude they claim is the son of Dracula. They say they'll bring about Evil through that guy. The other half of these nut-jobs want to give it to that crazy bitch," he froze and cast a glance at Yoko. "Sorry – lady present; my apologies. They want to give it to that wacky lady who thinks she runs the castle. It's some sort of old stone that belonged to Dracula. He's somehow put some of his 'essence' into it, before he died. The recipient of this stone will help usher in a bunch of really bad sh… stuff." He looked over at Yoko again and offered an embarrassed smile. "I think I gave you the short and narrow of the situation, earlier. Anyhow, sorry about my language," he told her.

"Yes, this pertains to the 'Dracula's Anagram' riddle from the man in Moscow. I was telling Genya about his prophetic claims and you're just confirming it all to be true. As far as your language… apology accepted. Your mother raised you well," she told him with a pleasant smile. "Can you revert to your human form?"

"I don't know how," he said then turned to Alucard. "Uncle J. says, at the very least, you're trustworthy. Have you seen him? I want to know that he's all right."

Alucard narrowed his gaze. His cold eyes panned to Yoko, who quickly butted in to answer instead. "He was fine, the last time we saw him. He's disappeared right now and we don't know where he is, but the last time anyone saw him, he was off to complete some sort of task. No one knows of his whereabouts at the moment but I'm sure he's probably fine."

"Is all of this crap real?" asked Bell with a sharp sigh. He drew in one last deep breath then ceased his panting. He faced them both, swishing his tail off rhythm, behind himself. "Listen, I've seen insane stuff over the last day. I'm tired and it's getting late. I slept last night but not very well. I don't trust this old dump – so believe me when I tell you, I won't go nap in a corner. Now I'm seeing vampires all over the place, walking zombies and skeletons… and it feels pretty damn weird to rip those things apart. I've never killed anything before."

"I don't pity you," Genya said. "If you can't adapt, you won't survive. We need to know that you're capable of acting in the face of danger, do you understand?"

Justus blinked. "I was tearing those things apart. I just need to know that I'm not hallucinating. I need to know that this isn't some crazy crap happening in my mind. I need to know that I'm not some crazy mental patient in a straight jacket, who has no idea what reality is, because I'm so involved in this delusional crap, here. Is it real?"

Yoko placed her palm on his forearm then immediately jerked it away, feeling awkward about the strange sensation of fur under her fingertips. It reminded her of when she sewed his wounds, earlier. "Even if this was in your mind, we'd be part of your mind, too. It would be like convincing yourself. But, the truth is, we're all alive and real. Dracula was a Prince in the fourteen hundreds, but he was also many other things."

"Many other things, like what?"

Alucard returned to the conversation. "He was a mortal prince in the middle ages to the rest of the world, but to us, he was a man who lived a thousand years ago. He was also a little boy named Malus, who roamed the hallways of Castlevania. He was a leader and a dictator. He was a Christian knight and a voivode. But, of all these things, he was truly the Dark Lord. However, he's dead. He's been reincarnated into someone with a good heart. He was a husband, a father and a fool; all of these things, all at once. We're not concerned with Dracula – we're concerned with people who are obsessed with Dracula. I suggest that you leave this girl and her stone to us. However, you seem capable of protecting yourself, so feel free to search out your Uncle."

Justus shook his head slowly. "I've got this feeling that Molly's stone is really important. So I'm going to look for that, first. You two are invited to come along, if you like."

"Very well. If you find it before we do, please destroy it." Genya folded his arms. "Turn it to dust then crush whatever is left. Just to be safe."

"Sounds fair enough," said the fuzzy teenager. "But I also want to find Molly."

Belnades cleared her throat. "Actually, I'm better equipped to find Julius." Yoko turned to Alucard and told him, "I can cast a spell to find him – we'll need his help against Bathory. We'll need his whip to…"

"Then it's settled." Alucard drew a corner of his cape into his fist and brought it to his shoulder. "Please find Julius, Miss Belnades." He turned his gaze to Justus. "Stay by my side but do as you're told. If you get in my way, you'll be putting us both in danger. Something tells me you already know more than you're letting on, so everything you see and hear from here on out must remain in Castlevania."

"What happens in Vegas stays in Vegas," replied Justus.

Alucard narrowed his gaze then jerked his head towards an open door at the far end of the room. "Follow me, Mister Bell. Try to keep up." Then, to Yoko's surprise, Alucard shifted his shape into that of a dusky gray wolf with auburn highlights accenting his throat and belly. He broke into an immediate sprint and Justus hurried off in his direction.

Yoko shook her head with a frown. "Things must be serious if he's breaking his masquerade in front of the boy." She sighed then pulled out a spell book from her things. She ran her thumb over the faded name on the front. "Charlotte Aulin," she whispered, reading the name, followed by a Latin passage beneath. A metal clasp on the side began to glow for a moment then clicked, allowing Yoko to open the lock with her thumb. She held the ancient tome, one hundred years old, in her left palm and ran through the pages with her right index until she located the 'seeking spell'.

The submachine gun clicked in protest. Hammer mashed his thumb in on a metal button and the empty magazine ejected. It clattered across the tile floor. He canted his head back towards old man Johnson and asked, "Did that freaky thing startle you? Don't worry… it's toast." He nudged the lesser demon with his foot with no response from the bullet-riddled corpse. "Anyhow, if you ask me…"

A cry of anger and fear reverberated off of the walls. Johnson and Hammer glanced at one another then simultaneously shifted their attention towards a long, empty corridor. James Johnson licked his lips then asked, "That startled me, too. But the weirdest thing is… it sounded human."

The ex-soldier lowered his FN-P90 after reloading it. He brandished the shotgun and cleared his throat. "I think Yoko said something about another guy being trapped here. He's a politician from a neighboring country or something. Can you speak this slop of a language, just in case we find him?"

"It's my theory that this castle provides its guests with the gift of tongues." James sighed from frustration and anxiety then said, "I've spoken to you in Romanian this whole evening so far and you've understood everything I've said. The werewolf boy said he only knows English and yet he spoke to me in Romanian as though he'd lived here his entire life."

Hammer furrowed his brows. "I'm speaking English right now and so are you."

James tilted his head. "You hear my words in English? That just proves my point, Sir. I've not spoken English in years – I've had no need to do so. Like I said, this castle breaks down the barriers of Babylon. At any rate, we understand one another."

"But I see your lips moving, man. You're speaking plain English."

The aging man placed his hands on his hips. "You don't believe me? That's perfectly fine, unless you're the one lying. I've not heard you speak in English yet and your lips are moving to form the Romanian language. Save for butchering it and referring to me as 'mister' every few minutes."

"Man, I always say man." Hammer shook his head and said, "There's no time for argument if someone is screaming down the hall. Let's go – stay close."

The shout came again, but this time they discerned distinctive and enunciated wording. "Help! Please!"

James pointed down the hallway, "You can't tell me you didn't hear that in Romanian."

"English!" Hammer said, breaking into a sprint down the hallway. "C'mon, old timer!"

Johnson fell into a feeble gallop behind the younger, darker skinned merchant. He lifted his hands and placed them over his ears in anticipation of the shotgun going off indoors.

Hammer reached the end of the hallway and kicked the large wooden door. The hinges held tight but the framework cracked, sending the large mahogany object to the floor. Fueled by adrenaline, he lifted his Jackhammer and squeezed off two rounds. Several demons on the far left shrieked, pelted by buckshot and engulfed in flames. Two other demonic looking creatures turned towards the door, guarding their vampire master. Suspended by the neck, held aloft in the vampire's right hand was a human man. The vampire put him down and redirected its attention on Hammer, leaving the human man to scurry back into an open armoire where he'd been hiding until only a few moments ago.

The two remaining guardians rushed Hammer. He opened fire on the left one then struck the other in the face with the butt stock. It listed to the left, unable to retain its balance. The hell spawn careened into the floor and rolled over twice. It pounded its fist into the floor then scrambled to its feet and charged again. Hammer jammed the smoking barrel into the monster's chest to cool the barrel.

He head-butted the demon then pulled the trigger. Fire gushed from its back and engulfed the creature. The retired soldier placed his boot on the demon's chest and kicked it away before the blaze could cover the front of its body as well. He lifted the Jackhammer and quickly inspected the slightly misshaped barrel.

The vampire placed his hands together. "The heat is softening your metal toy gun," he mused. "I'm afraid it won't be much longer before it's rendered completely ineffective. But the display was quite entertaining, nevertheless. I must say, though… I'm impressed by your ability to successfully get four shots out of it, thus far."

"It's cast iron, son." Hammer replaced the weapon on his shoulder and brought the P90's laser sight to bear on the vampire's torso. The small red dot stopped over the creature's heart. "So will this thing work like a stake?"

"I'm afraid not," replied the bloodsucker.

"That's a shame," he replied and lifted the weapon. The red dot danced over the vampire's face and stopped between his eyes. "But you're going to move before I can pull the trigger – at least that's your plan. Then what? My bullet goes right through the closet behind you, so that I kill that dude. You're smart but don't pat yourself on the back just yet."

"You're perceptive, my good sir. I'm afraid that it's true: I am too fast for you to hit."

Hammer smirked. He squeezed a rubberized button on the laser sight toggle switch beneath the barrel. The red dot disappeared and the laser emitter shined brightly with a pulsing green glow. The vampire squinted in irritation and put his hands up, temporarily blinded and stunned by the visually disrupting green light.

The merchant didn't hesitate. He squeezed the trigger and put a bullet through the vampire's forehead. As soon as the creature toppled to the ground, writhing in agony, Hammer approached it and opened fire on its neck. It only took two rounds to decapitate the vampire. The body began a rapid decomposition, meanwhile hot steam poured from its nose, mouth and ears.

He kicked the head across the room, lowered his weapon and opened the armoire. "I'm John Hammer and I'm here to save your ass."

"You speak Turkish? Thank God!"

James stepped into the room and said, "See, Hammer? I told you so."

The Prime Minister turned to Johnson and added, "Ah, you both speak Turkish… I'm grateful for your help, gentlemen."

"As I said," Johnson told Hammer. "You hear him and you understand him and he thinks your speaking the Turkic standard – Subject, object, verb. He hears the words and sees your lips move and form his language. We're all speaking without babble and, despite the way I speak, he hears no noun classes or grammatical gender. Which is most odd, since I speak a bastardized mixture of French and Romanian. I also speak German and English and know just enough Turkish to order lunch, ask for directions to the nearest bathroom and demand the correct amount of change when shorted at a register. So," James approached the middle aged man and nodded politely. "You, sir, must be the Prime Minister, which young Justus mentioned."

"Of whom do you speak?" asked the Turkish leader.

Hammer said, "Justus." He added, "Y'know… like 'The Justice System'."

The Turk tilted his head. "Justice? As in law?"

Hammer shook his head quickly. "It sounds like 'Justice' but it's spelled different. Justus is the kid's name."

James turned back to Hammer and sighed. "In English, Justus is a homonym for justice. However, in the Turkish Language, he heard you say 'It sounds like –the word for law when served- but it's spelled different. Justus is the kid's name.' and therefore, we're confusing him. Indeed, Justus and justice sound alike in the English language. At any rate," he continued, turning back towards the prime minister. "Sir, we're in a magical citadel where the barriers of language do not exist. Mister Hammer speaks English. I'm speaking Romanian and you, sir, are speaking Turkish. And yet we all hear and comprehend one another. Let's take advantage of the situation and do our best to work together."

"Fair enough. I appreciate being rescued and would like to invite you both to a dinner in your honor."

Johnson raised a brow. "Will there be Sufi whirling dervishes? I appreciate your offer, sir but let's focus on escaping, first, Basbakan."

"Wait, what did you just call him?" Hammer tilted his head. "I thought I'm supposed to understand every word you speak or whatever?"

James shrugged. "While the word 'Basbakan' means 'Prime Minister', it's not a literal translation. It's the word used for his title, like 'prince', 'voivode', Lord, or even using 'sir' when speaking to a knighted man. Since the words are typically synonymous, either can be used. I'm calling him that out of respect, though. Let's not dawdle all day. I'll be honest, Mister Hammer… this place scares the hell out of me. Can you escort us back to the courtyard?"

The Prime Minister nodded in reply. "Yes, I need to return to Istanbul immediately."

Hammer face-faulted. "Uh, that won't be happening… And it's probably thanks to your country, too. I might be wrong but I think Turkey tried to nuke us – the magic seal kept out the blast and the fallout but leaving would put you directly at risk. It's going to be a few days before we can leave and even then, we'll probably wind up with cancer in the future because of it."

The Turkish leader's eyes widened. "That is impossible. My executive order was to attack this castle but only if they recovered my slain body. I'm most certainly not dead, and they would only have attacked if my corpse was identified. I'm still here – they've not mounted a rescue mission."

"That's because no one is getting in or out," said Hammer. "It's magically sealed – I just told you that, man."

James folded his arms, looking uncomfortable. "My only concern is, if your cell phone is able to get even a single bar of reception, how can say we're safe from the effects of radiation?"

Hammer shook his head then rolled his eyes. "I never said that. I said the shield has blocked the fallout. If its direct the flash or the air you're worried about, I'll sell you both some potassium iodide. I've got plenty enough if you guys have legit currency on hand."

A/N: Heh, always the salesman, huh? Good ole' Hammer. So, yeah, I gave him a first name in this chapter… Ah well, no harm done, right? So yeah, this chapter was a history lesson from every angle. Julius learned something from Sinopa, Alucard had some crap to offer Justus and James provided a short lesson to Hammer. The name seemed appropriate. There will be a ton more action in the next chapter – Alucard and Justus are going to be at the center of skull cracking, Julius and Miss Crevan will team up and bash some heads (Although something tells me she might be fibbing about how the Belmont clan got their powers… But she does seem to know an awful lot about the family line).

A lot of you have probably noticed that I'm NOT going by Konomi's current listing of what IS and what IS NOT considered canon. They removed Sonia, Juste, Nathan Graves, Cornell and Ortega, and a ton of others. But that doesn't mean crap to me – I'm using it all:D

It's fanfiction about a VIDEO GAME SERIES. So what if I'm using information from all the games and combining it. Big deal!

I hope everyone is enjoying the story thusfar. Thanks for reading, gang!

-KIT

PS: I still have to finish SPY COOPER before I can really focus my attention on anything else again. I'm just updating because I know people are still reading this story and so I didn't want you guys to think I'd TOTALLY forgotten ya'!