From the door leading from the entrance to the next area, the difference was like night and day. While the previous rooms had been immaculate in cleanliness and decor, what greeted the two men of the Holy Order was nothing short of a destroyed castle. The ceiling was missing, letting in the cold and most peculiar the snow that fell all around them. The temperature reminded them of their previous adventure in the heart of Transylvania. A thin layer of snow covered every inch of the area. The area looked somewhat familiar to Van Helsing and while he kept his opinion to himself, Carl spoke what was on his mind.

"Is this the same castle?"

It was now that Van Helsing opened his mouth, his warm breath turning to a haze upon meeting the cold. "This is Castle Dracula."

The castle had once been an imposing fortress many miles high and secluded from the rest of the world. A trio of towers amidst a never ending storm. Now, as Van Helsing peered upward towards the heavens, he noticed the place was nothing more than a shade of its former glory. The three towers were gone, destroyed in the days after the Count's demise, and nothing remained save for the large open hall past the main gate. The large basins that had been alight the last time the men had been in the place had been long since snuffed out. Disgusting dry green bile covered the entirety of the floor. Years ago the two had entered this ice castle in the hopes of slaying the vampire lord. Though they had succeeded, it had come at the cost of a close friend and ally. The memory of that battle had eaten away at Van Helsing the most, as it had been at his hand that the woman he had loved had died. Even if it had been out of his control, it still pained his heart to think of the memories. That had been a handful of years ago since he had last been in this place, and even if the castle itself was playing with his mind, it didn't lessen the pain he endured.

"The place never looked good to begin with but it surely needs a bit of house cleaning," said Carl as he went forward. His boots crunched the snow underneath his feet with each step.

The roof of the place had more holes in it and debris that had fallen through littered the floor. It was no doubt from when the rest of the castle had been destroyed, but the fact that any part of the structure remained standing was nothing short of amazing.

"Carl, I think we're being watched."

The words from Van Helsing seem to stun the friar. "What do you mean?" He looked around but saw nothing. The ruins of Castle Dracula remained still and the only sound that was being made was the cold gusts of wind going through.

That didn't mean the hunter couldn't feel the eyes of his foes watching his every move. He reached into the holsters on his hips and removed the large caliber revolvers and switched the safeties off in one fluid motion.

A bullet ricocheted inches from the tip of his boot, making the hunter jump back a few steps. Carl cried out and took to cover once again. Even with as many shadows as there was around him, Van Helsing looked straight into the darkness, and found what he was looking for.

A woman in a dress with a long ranged rifle stood up and stepped out of her hiding spot. Beautiful to the eyes, but the hunter could tell by her complexion and mysterious air that she wasn't human at all. That and the glowing red eyes were a dead giveaway.

"Who on earth is that?" asked Carl nervously, no doubt seeing the woman.

"I don't know," said Van Helsing, raising his pistols at her.

Instead of taking a defensive stance the woman merely placed the bulky weapon on her shoulder, casually waved, and quickly disappeared in a black and blue portal.

Toying with us, thought the hunter.

"Wonder if that was Carmilla?"

Van Helsing shook his head, unsure. "If it was then she is merely playing with us. We must go and stop her."

"As long as we don't run into any beasts along the way. Oh who am I jesting of course we will-"

Before Carl could even finish his sentence, a fearsome growl echoed loudly through the area, and Van Helsing spun in the direction from where it most likely came. It took only a moment for it to appear. A canine like monster that looked like it had crawled out of the mouth of hell itself. A large beast the size of a carriage, its front half covered in black fur and midnight blue eyes, while its lower half was emancipated and rotting, its innards dragging along the ground beneath it as it walked. It's maw was open enough to reveal sharp and bloodstained fangs.

"My God..." said Carl, frightened more so than ever before now.

"Carl, get to cover!"

Van Helsing didn't have to tell the friar twice to move as the man scurried to a corner and hid there. When the beast followed the frightened friar Van Helsing fired his revolvers at the monster. Both slugs hit the beast's shoulder, causing meat to fly and leave two holes in its flesh, but it didn't seem to cause any noticeable pain.

Then the beast charged at the hunter. He moved, trying to maintain distance, but despite the beast's rotting rear it still proved faster than Van Helsing. The hunter was hit in the shoulder and was sent flying into a pile of debris, losing his hat in the process. When the beast tried to pounce on his prey, it found nothing waiting for him, as the hunter had moved away not long after he had landed. He fired a few more bullets, this time aiming for its head. At least two slugs struck home and the monster howled in pain. Yet it didn't go down. Instead it went into a blood rage and took off after the hunter once again.

"Van Helsing!"

As soon as the hunter hit the ground he turned towards his friend who tossed him something big and made of metal—another revolver—and he managed to catch it. The time between catching the weapon, aiming it, and pulling the trigger lasted all of two seconds. Even only using one hand he was able to aim the weapon and the two bullets that exploded from the nozzle once again hit the monster in the forehead.

Whatever the slugs had been made of did something to the monster that the previous ones didn't. The monster didn't get back up and Van Helsing got to his feet. After a few seconds of waiting he relaxed his shoulders when he realized that the beast wasn't getting back up again. "Thank you Carl."

"Better late than never, I apologize."

Van Helsing opened the chamber of the gun and took a closer look at the bullets inside. It was then that he saw something that made him smirk. "Silver."

"Not just any silver, mind you, but silver melted from a crucifix and blessed with holy water. What one would call a double knock out-or something like that."

"And why aren't the other guns loaded with them?"

"Have to conserve resources whenever we can, I'm afraid."

"Very well then," said the hunter, willing to drop the subject right then and there. The Order was stingy with its supply of weapons to even its most senior hunters. Van Helsing was no exception to that. Not that he expected anything less, but he had learned to be resourceful in his years of service to God. It had saved his ass more than once.

Van Helsing sighed and went to retrieve his hat.

Watching from her perch, Briella eyed the hunter and his cowering ally through the scope of her rifle. It'd be so easy for her to take him out right then and there. Right after dispatching of her hellhound when they had their guard down.

But what good would that do? Sure she'd have ended a potential threat to her mother, but she also had herself to think about. Until the ritual her mother and sister Laura were putting together was over with she'd have to have something to keep her entertained.

Still, keeping her prey on their toes would make this more fun. That left her with a surprising idea.