Disclaimer: The battle begins! The fight in the mountains commences as our heroes face off against the empowered vampires and Ghouls. A vicious conflict, can they successfully repel the first wave of LOD's invasion?
At the same time, the assault on St. Petersburg begins as night falls. Get ready, more super powered action than you can handle!
Hellsing/Devil May Cry are owned/copyrighted by their respective companies and creators. Please don't sue me.
Chapter Eighteen- The Assault Begins
The Ural Mountain range stretches some 1,553 miles. Running north to south, it is part of a vaster region, dividing Europe and Asia. The mountain region is noted for being particularly rich in mineral deposits and materials, various types of ores, metals and stones as well as gems. With a wide variety of flora and fauna it would soon serve a darker purpose. Vampires were on the warpath, attempting to begin their invasion of Russia by striking and gaining control of this region.
Back at the Order's headquarters, Vladimir was busily monitoring all progress from the conference room. Sitting at a table, a large map of the mountain region along with Moscow and St. Petersburg lay before him. Around the table, Integra, Walter, and Rosette were helping him track and monitor the progress of the counter force. Clicking his radio he began speaking with Captain Reznov, who had finally touched in St. Petersburg.
"Captain?" Vladimir asked waiting for a reply.
"Go ahead Vladimir" Captain Reznov answered. "Have you made contact with Colonel Gruzinsky?" Vladimir asked.
"Indeed I have. He has already begun dividing his troops around the city. We are mostly concentrating on the river, the ports and Saint Isaac's cathedral. "
"Right, what's your current position Captain?" Vladimir asked.
"In a chopper, overlooking Palace Square. We're also doing a sweep of all the nearby building, looking for bombs or any other surprises." Captain Reznov answered.
"Copy, keep me posted. We've got about six hours until night time. I've dispatched a backup unit to assist Michael and the others in the mountains. Nothing major, about 100 men but it will help even the odds a bit." Vladimir said.
"Copy that. Captain Yuri Reznov, signing out" he said as Vladimir shut the radio off.
Vladimir sighed, he was stressed. Despite all their planning, all their prep work he still felt as though LOD was planning something they could not have anticipated.
"Everything alright?" Integra asked noticing his look. Vladimir sighed again, managing a weak smile. "Just nerves that is all. I get the feeling there is something we are overlooking" he said. Integra folded her arms, "I know the feeling. Relax Vladimir, it may get ugly but we can and we will win this fight" she said tenderly clutching his shoulder.
Rosette, having been studying the map of the mountain range looked up from the table.
"Hey, guys something just crossed my mind" she said pointing with her finger. Everyone spread around the table to watch.
"Look here, about 10 miles south of the mountain pass. There's a meadow here. If they can funnel the vampires into this meadow, they might not be as overwhelmed" Rosette said.
Walter looked at the map, "True, Ms. Cristobel but the thing is even if they lure them there they still have the problem of the numbers of the vampires and Ghouls. At best our estimates puts them at about 200, just for the vampires we have no idea how many Ghouls they may have." The aging butler said.
"My experience with Ghouls" Rosette said, "Is that the ratio of Ghouls to vampires is roughly 1:4. For every one vampire there is surely to be four Ghouls to take its place. With 200 vampires then that means there are 50 Ghouls, bringing total combatants to about 250." Rosette explained grimly.
Integra, viewing the map of the mountain region pointed to a different position. "There is a valley here, it may provide a good way for them to eliminate most of their numbers. If we can give them these coordinates, they can set up their ambush points at four different locations leading to this valley. From there, their numbers will dwindle and we can lead them to this field, where it will all end" she explained.
Vladimir listened intently. "Alright, Integra, Rosette, map out the coordinates and I'll radio them to the pack. " he said.
An hour later, in the midst of their preparations for the remaining assault Vladimir's radio clicked. Picking it up he answered.
"Boss, it's Michael"
"Ah, good to hear your voice. What's your situation Michael?" Vladimir stated as everyone drew closer to listen to the conversation.
"We've touched down and we're beginning to establish the ambush trails. How much longer until the backup unit arrives?" the alpha Werewolf asked.
"They left late in the night and should be there by 3:00. First things up, understand there may be more vampires than we originally calculated" Vladimir said.
"That's fine"
"Next, we've been mapping out locations around you that will better serve for you guys to dwindle their numbers, Sending them to you now, check your GPS" Vladimir explained.
"Sounds good. Michael, signing out" and with that his radio clicked off.
From his position, way at the top of a tall cliff overlooking a large canyon, Michael stood to full height, dressed in a sleeveless black shirt, black pants and boots. Behind him stood Kathy and next to her Dante. The sun beamed off the snow covered peaks. It was March so the mountain temperature was still quite cold. Exactly how the wolves loved to fight.
"Let's get ready. Headquarters are sending coordinates to our GPS. Time to get this hunt underway" Michael said grinning as Kathy walked beside him and tenderly clutched his hand.
Dante smirked, "You sound so exited" he said.
"Oh I am, it's been far too long since we've faced a battle of this magnitude. Time to roll" Michael said. He leaned back, tensed his body and let out a deep ad powerful howl that echoed in the canyon and carried for miles. He was calling to his pack.
At a lower altitude, Raul, Sergei and Nero heard the howl. The trio had finished digging a series of dug outs and setting charges. Raul and Sergei howled in response, Nero simply stared. He couldn't believe they were actually howling, like a real wolf pack.
"Boss is getting set, he says to check with the others" Raul said dusting his hands off as he grabbed his bag. "Yeah, sure" Nero mumbled leaning against a tree.
Sergei jumped on top of a fallen branch, and howled. His howl carrying to the next position. Karl, Hanya, Seth, Alucard and Seras heard from their position. Karl and Hanya howled in response. They were near a large river, setting incendiary charges along a rocky formation. "These are set, it's about time we get ready to take position. All that remains are the game trails we found earlier" Karl said.
Seras turned, noticing Alucard's expression. He seemed excited, more so than usual. "Seras, prepare for battle" he ordered. "Sir, my master" she answered.
Back at headquarters…
"What? What do you mean he refused the escort we arranged? Doe she not know what is happ- He does? Wait so who the hell let him go?" Vladimir shouted into the phone. Integra looked on curiously. He had been on the phone for almost an hour arguing with more politicians about safety measures he had set in place. Once the attack began, there was no guarantee they would not be targeted in the confusion of the fighting, Vladimir had argued. Turns out, he was being met with great resistance. Hanging up the phone angrily, he rubbed his temples, swore under his breath and grit his teeth.
"These motherfuckers are going to get someone killed. None of the politicians I arranged for an escort out of the kill zone are taking this seriously! They insist on staying behind confident that 'the Order of the Cross and its allies will handle this situation swiftly and orderly'" Vladimir said in a mock tone.
Despite his frustration, Integra chuckled. "Did someone actually say that to you?" Vladimir shook his head in an affirmation.
Just then his radio clicked. "Delta One to HQ, over" the voice said. Grabbing the radio Vladimir spoke. "HQ in, over" he answered.
"The backup unit has been dispatched into the mountains. Awaiting contact with the pack"
"Roger that Delta One. Once the fighting begins keep us posted on anything that goes down."
"Copy that HQ"
Back on the mountain…
Dante, Seras, Nero, Sion and Alucard all stood atop a large hill, overlooking the grassy meadow they planned to finish the fight at. Near the meadow was a large rising rocky outcrop. Everything had been set, it was just a matter of time. The wolf pack were in their positions. The plan was to spark the explosive charges once confirmation of the vampires was made. The game trails leading to the meadow would also serve to confuse the vampires once the fighting began.
Seras narrowed her eyes, "Master, I see them. There is about 20…no 30 of them. They're moving in file through the woods, they seem to be cautious. They keep scanning the skies" Seras observed using her heightened vampiric powers. Alucard chuckled, "Let's have some fun then, Seras" he said grinning as his eyes flashed.
Dante grabbed the radio given to him by Michael. "Ready when you are captain" he said to the commander of the backup unit.
"Aye, contact affirmed" he answered.
The ambush units were spread throughout various positions in the forest, the main force gathered atop a large cliff overlooking the game trails and watching as the vampire army began to descend from the cover of the trees. The Ghouls lumbered beside, snapping their jaws and snarling, keen for fresh blood. The vampires themselves, armed with high powered weaponry and full battle armor looked intimidating.
"We see them" the captain whispered. Dante then asked, "How many?"
"One….no, two. About two hundred and ninety. Shit there is so many of them. We're counting about 50 Ghouls that we can see. The vampires are armed, heavily armed. M4A1 assault rifles, MP5 sub machine guns, high powered shot guns. You name it, they've got it. Wait, they're on the game trails. They're nearing the charges we set. Waiting for your command" he clicked on his radio.
Dante smirked, "Let'em have it boys" he said excitedly. The captain then raised his hand, preparing the signal to spark the ignition.
"On five, four, three, two one. CONTACT!" he shouted as a shoulder flipped a switch. There was a flash of light followed by a long and drawn out BOOOOOOM sound as the explosives went off, igniting the trails and marking the beginning of the counter strike.
The vampires and Ghouls began panicking, as fire and explosives set off all around. Some began firing off wildly, not accurately aiming at anything. The Ghouls began sprinting off into the forest, away from the main force.
"Contact established! Fire at will, shoot them all" the captain said as he and his men began firing from their position atop the cliff. The vampire howled from the hailstorm of bullets coming their way. One was struck several times in the chest before being shot through the heart. His body ignited on fire before he turned to dust.
"The holy rounds work! Keep at it!" a soldier shouted reloading his weapon.
Back at the headquarters, Vladimir's radio clicked. Picking it up he answered, "This is HQ over"
"Sir! Ambush a success, we're repelling most of the vampires into that valley! Most of the main force was taken out in the explosives we set." The captain of the team spoke to Vladimir. Everyone gathered around, listening as the battle was reported to them. They could hear the roar of explosions and gunfire over the radio.
"Any casualties Captain?" Vladimir asked tensing his body.
"We've suffered a few, sir. Wait, oh shit!" the captain said as machine gun fire broke out.
"They're holding their ground now, drive them back! Keep firing!" he roared to his team.
"Good, they're drawing away. Towards the meadow!" he shouted.
Vladimir clicked the radio again, "Captain give us a report"
"We've taken some losses but we managed to get them on the move. They were totally taken back by the ambush we set. They're on the run, towards the main group. Sir.."
"Captain?" Vladimir asked.
"It's starting" he said. Vladimir then looked at the intense and alert faces of Rosette, Integra and Walter.
On the battlefield, the vampires and Ghouls remaining after the ambush were running at break neck speed, clearing the forest. The Ghouls snarled and snapped, the vampires cocking their weapons as they cleared the forest, running into the large grassy meadow towards where Dante and the others were. As more vampires ran through, the remainder of the ambush unit emerged from their hiding spots, picking off stragglers with heavy gunfire. Bullets flew through the air as human and vampire began a bloody conflict. The fires set off in the ambush continued to burn, the rising plume of black smoke hanging heavy in the air.
Over the scene, two large helicopters appeared, circling the area and providing cover fire for the group. A soldier sat at the seat, aiming with a large Vulcan cannon as he unleashed an oppressive line of gunfire. "Take them out!" the pilot shouted, continuing to circle the copter around as his partner continued firing. Vampires and Ghouls alike began succumbing to effects of the holy ammunition rounds, blood burst from their wounds as they quickly ignited and disintegrated.
The entire group watched, Dante stood with his arms folded as Nero walked beside him and chuckled. "Scared Dante?" he teased as the devil hunter scoffed and said "You know it" he said. With a chuckle he then jumped down, sprinting ahead of the group. "First one to land the first kill gets twenty bucks!" he shouted as the group began running into the field, meeting the vampires head on.
A group of about thirty sprinted towards them. Taking a position, they crouched and aimed with their weapons before opening fire. Dante and Nero ran straight into the melee, their speed impressive as they dodged most of the bullets their way. Alucard could be heard laughing as he pulled out his twin pistols, the Jackal and Casull. Seras kept pace with her master, armed with twin sub machine guns while Sion pulled out two machine pistols.
"Here we GO!" Nero shouted balling up his right fist. The Devil Bringer arm glowed brightly as he cocked it back, and let it sail, punching the head off one vampire as it flew through the air. The group finally made contact as they spread out, taking on the vampires who opened fire still and began engaging them physically.
More emerged from the forest, until there were now about 120 total sprinting towards the group who began taking them out. Dante ducked under the furious swipes of several vampires, shooting their heads off with his pistols and mixing in physical attacks. Seras rammed one vampire, sending him sprawling to the ground. Another attacked but she evaded and dashed around him, grabbing him by the head in a secure grip and twisting his head clean off. Tossing the bloodied stump away she continued fighting. Alucard opened fire with his weapons, the vampires crying out from his rounds as they turned to ash upon disintegrating. Sion pulled out Oblivion, slicing vampires and Ghouls to ribbons. The fighting happened so fast, the group now near the rocky outcrop towards the middle of the field. Vampires and Ghouls surrounded them. Dante grappled with two, Nero stood back to back with the devil hunter as a pair charged. Alucard, Seras and Sion joined the fray with all of them now back to back in a circle with the oppressive numbers of vampires and Ghouls closing in, cutting them off.
Dante grit his teeth before a confidant smile crept to his face. "NOW!" he shouted at the top of his lungs.
The vampires prepared to fire, and the Ghouls to leap and tear them to shreds but not before a long howl pierced the air. They looked up, towards the rocky outcrop to see a very large and powerful looking wolf sprinting down the steep rocks above them straight for the vampires. Curling its snout back it roared with great power as its black fur bristled. With a leap of intense power the Werewolf jumped down from the rocks, near the group and began swiping and tearing into the vampires and Ghouls. It was not alone; more of the pack emerged from their hiding spot, into the fray as the battle quickly turned in the groups favor. The Werewolves roared and bellowed as they surrounded Dante and the others before forcing the vampires on the defensive. Their large claws swiping their heads off and gutting them as their fangs ripped into their flesh, quickly becoming caked with blood. Michael and the rest of the pack had finally joined the battle. Last to emerge was Seth, jumping down behind Sergei and Alex and swiping and biting off the heads of several of the Ghouls. Seth had phased into the form of a powerful Eurasian Wolf with rusty brown fur, dark gray streaks on its flanks and a cream colored underbelly. Tall as a horse, as powerful as a bull with deep rippling muscles Seth howled as he assisted the wolves in forcing the vampires back and from overwhelming the group.
The chopper overhead continued raining down gunfire on the vampires. The pilot reporting the activity to Vladimir who listened intently.
"Report! The wolf pack has finally emerged. The vampires seem frightened of them! They're evening the odds! Man look at how BIG they are!" the pilot said excitedly into his radio.
Vladimir sighed, then grinned. Integra nodded her head in approval.
"Alright now we can party!" Nero said excitedly pulling out Blue Rose, shooting two vampires in the face. Bullets whizzed past their heads; body parts such as heads and arms and legs flew into the air, the field became stained with the blood of the vampires and Ghouls as they were quickly being slaughtered.
Michael barked and then roared, his 11 foot tall frame causing the ground the rumble a little as he sprinted and dashed around the field. He was flanked by Kathy, her smaller and lighter frame causing him to look even more massive. Kathy roared and swiped off the heads off three vampires before tearing into their bodies. Sergei and Alex sprinted next to each other as they went to assist Nero. Nero pulled out the Red Queen, revving the handle as he slashed more Ghouls to bits. Taking the Devil Bringer arm he used the Buster move as he stretched the arm out, grabbing a vampire that had climbed on top of Hanya's shoulders as he roared and flinged it off.
Nero held the struggling fiend, the Devil Bringer glowing intensely. "Hang time!" Nero said and tossed the vampire into the air as Alex then leaped, grabbed the vampire in his jaws and proceeded to rip it to shreds sending blood and gore splattering on the ground.
Raul and Raven batted away a series of Ghouls that charged. Raven roared twice and bit off the Ghoul's head as Raul took his claws and slashed twice. Alucard ejected empty clips before reloading his weapons. A group of vampires opened fire on him, turning him to pulp in a hail of fearsome gunfire. Moments later his body began pulsing before he slowly began to reform.
"AHAHAHAHAHA!" he said as the vampires stared in fear. 'What…what the hell is he?" one shouted fumbling with his rifle. Alucard reformed, his clothes tattered and ripped as his hair flowed loosely and his crimson eyes flashed. "Cromwell Restriction 3...2…1 RELEASE!" he shouted as his body began morphing in a mass of shadows towards the vampires as he encircled them. Vicious slobbering hellhounds began forming from the darkness as Alucard attacked, ripping and shredding the vampires to a bloody bit.
The fighting pressed on as the chaos escalated. Sion slashed rapidly with Oblivion turning his opponent to bloody ribbons. Nero opened fire with Blue Rose while Dante took Rebellion, using the Stinger combo he skewered scores of vampires in a single thrust before slashing them apart.
Seth barked twice, snarling as he was tackled by a vampire, who pinned him. Struggling and kicking Seth whined and growled as the vampire pulled out a large knife, stabbing him through the flank.
Seras turned, sprinting to his aid. She knocked aside a Ghoul and then kicked away a charging vampire as she ran to Seth who continued kicking as the vampire cocked its rifle. Seras leaped, grabbing the vampire by the head from behind and pulling it straight off as she flipped and rolled to a stop. Seth stood to his full height, shaking his fur as Seras went and pulled the knife out. Seth snorted, his fur rustling. "Thanks" he said before snarling and bounding away. Seras smiled before she too returned to the fight.
The wolves continued the battle, slaughtering the remaining vampires and Ghouls. Nero stood his ground, tossing away one vampire that charged at him before spinning and back handing a second away with the Devil Bringer arm. He heard a snarl and then a whine behind him. Turning he saw one of the Werewolves, Raul crawling on all fours as a few Ghouls crawled on his back halting his movements. Raul snapped and snarled at the beasts managing to nick one.
Nero sprinted over, reaching the massive Werewolf and offering assistance. Nero summoned Devil Bringer; pulling off two of the vampires and leaving the final for Raul who bucked his shoulders and threw the remaining vampire off. Nero punched the head off one before pulling out Blue Rose and unloading a hail of bullets into the fiends head before turning back around. He watched as Raul jumped on top of the vampire, biting and shredding it to bloody chops. Raul roared, standing to full height as he turned to Nero who smirked as Raul gave him a slight respectful nod and then bounded off on all fours.
The battle eventually drew to a conclusion as Alucard and Seth tag teamed to finish off the last of the vampires. The vampire opened fire with its assault rifle as Seth sprinted out of the line of fire. Seth managed to bite off the beasts arms before grabbing and tossing it over to the vampire count as he pulled out the Jackal. Without even looking Alucard proceeded to blow the fiends head clean off, and then laughed viciously while he clapped his hands. Seth barked a response and ran in the opposite direction.
The chopper hanging overhead continued hovering. The gunmen armed at the Vulcan cannon watched in astonishment as the Werewolves and the rest of the group finished off any stragglers. Bodies littered the grassy field; blood staining the earth as severed body parts collected in heaps. The pilot then radioed headquarters.
"HQ over, come in over" he said. Moments later Vladimir answered.
"This is HQ over"
"The fighting has stopped, it looks like we've managed to repel the vampires. We took some losses but from our position it looks like all the vampires and Ghouls have been slain" the pilot said.
Vladimir gave a deep heavy sigh, offering a quick prayer in gratitude and then said "Give us the situation"
"Well the wolves are walking about the field, making sure everything is ok. Everyone has likewise spanned out, checking the bodies and finishing off any stragglers. What's our next objective?" he asked.
"Drop off any supplies they might need then head for St. Petersburg. This battle isn't over, LOD is surely gearing for their strike there. Contact as soon as you touch down. HQ out" Vladimir said. He then turned to Integra and Rosette and gave them confident thumbs up.
"Well, now for the easy part" Rosette said grinning as Vladimir smiled.
Back on the battle ground, the wolves and the rest of the group were finishing off any surviving Ghouls and vampires. Their cries of pain and agony carried into the air. Michael loomed over one Ghoul, opening his jaws as he crunched down and tore its head off. Nero, Sion and Seras were shooting any wounded in the head, ending their life. Alucard ejected an empty clip from the Casull, he then watched the massive form of Seth as he slowly walked around the vampire, sniffing the ground before turning and gazing at him. Grinning, Alucard balled his fist and held it out towards the brown wolf. "Nice teamwork" he complimented. Seth barked and wagged his tail, "Thanks" he said raising his right paw as the two bumped fists. Dante had to smirk; it seemed the fight had struck up camaraderie among everyone.
By the cover of the forest, Raven stood calmly observing the scene. Her fur rustling, she gave a low rumble and opened her jaws. A yawn. Her gaze then shifted towards the rocky outcrop. She spotted a lone vampire as it slowly emerged intending to sneak up on one of the group. With a roar Raven charged forward, running on all fours as the two collided. The vampire was better prepared; it held the embrace before knocking her back a little and wrapping its arms around her neck. Raven fought and tried breaking the grip. She then heard the galloping of footsteps, turned her head and saw Seth leap into the air, biting the vampire on the shoulder as it hollered in pain as Seth pulled it off of Raven who crashed to the floor.
Seth fell to the ground, rolling as he and the vampire began grappling and wrestling against the others strength. The rest of the group had turned in all the commotion, some sprinting over to help. Seth barked and snarled, trying to keep the vampire from circling around. The vampire then managed to secure a grip behind Seth as his brown fur bristled. The vampire spread his arms, wrapped them tightly around Seth's body and with a shout and sickening crunch proceeded to snap Seth's back and several bones in a single blow.
Seth howled; alerting the rest of the group who sprinted to his aid. "Seth!" Seras shouted running towards him as he fell in agony. Seth mustered one final attack, kicking the vampire away as he was quickly set upon by Michael and Raul, the two Werewolves tearing the fiend to shreds in a bloody fashion.
Seth began to shift back to human form, shrinking to his normal size. His black cargo pants were shredded and torn as he laid still, wincing and breathing heavily and occasionally groaning in pain. Sion reached him, taking his arm and clutching it. "Seth hang on man we got you" he said.
"My back" Seth said wincing. "Fuck I think my back is broken, I can barely move and I feel cold" he said. The Werewolves likewise shifted back to human form as Michael walked at the head of the group as he too knelt down to examine Seth. "Your spine was shattered, and you've got some broken ribs and your arm is fractured. Your accelerated healing ability is already repairing the damage. Hang tight dude, five minutes you'll be good as new" Michael said smiling.
"Seth oh God I'm so sorry! If I had focused better that vampire would never have gotten the drop on me" Raven said quickly apologizing. Raul walked up, holding her by the waist. "It's not your fault, we anticipated someone would get hurt fighting these things" he said soothing her.
Despite his pain Seth flashed a weak grin, his left eye shut tight. "It's ok, I was the one trying to be the hotshot and save the day" he joked then winced.
"Idiot! You should be more bloody careful!" Seras shouted fuming. Seth again chuckled, "I'm sorry I worried you" he said winking as Seras suddenly blushed furiously. "Well I uh…well someone's got to watch you and make sure you don't do anything stupid!" she said crossing her arms as a vein popped on her head from annoyance.
The chopper hovering over then contacted HQ.
"Man down! Man down! Seth has been hurt, he looks bad!" he said. Rosette tensed, squeezing her palms together tightly as Walter patted her shoulder in reassurance.
Vladimir clicked his radio, "Keep us informed. Extract Seth out if necessary" he said.
The pilot then put on his speaker as he spoke to the group below. "Listen up! Headquarters needs us to head back to the city. We've don't have much time before St. Petersburg becomes a war zone. We've got weapons and ammo on board, we'll drop them for you. More choppers are on the way to the extraction point. It's just 2 miles south of your location. Head there after you gear up! Good luck guys!" the pilot said, ordering his partner to lower the weapons and ammunition down to the team. The chopper rappelled down two large crates to the ground below. The pilot saluted the group and then turned to leave.
Michael looked off into the distance, "Ok. Sergei, you and Alex, Robert and Hiro take Seth to the extraction point. The rest of us will load up first and then meet you there. By the time you reach he should be fully healed" Michael said as Sergei nodded. "You got it Boss" he said motioning for Alex and the others who surrounded the injured Seth. They all bent down, each slowly lifting Seth off the ground who winced and cursed from his injuries.
"We got you bro" Alex said as the trotted off, gently carrying Seth while the rest stayed behind. Seras took one last concerned look before turning to where the others were. Michael stood a few feet from the group, looking into the horizon as the sun kissed the mountains reflecting light off the snow covered peaks. Kathy walked beside him, noticing his serious expression. "What's wrong?" she asked concerned. Without turning Michael said, "The hard part is over. We know how they fight, and we know what to expect from the enemy. All that's left is to keep them from taking St. Petersburg. Get ready, Kathy. It's going to be a long night, I can feel it" he said. Kathy didn't speak, after a while she then smiled and gently took his hand in hers, clutching it tenderly. "I'll be right here, with you every step" she said.
In St. Petersburg…
St. Petersburg Russia was in the midst of preparing for the coming assault by LOD. Dozens of ground units littered the city streets. Helicopters and other aircraft routinely flew over the sprawling city. The time was now 6:45, just a little after sunset with the sun slowly settling down over the Neva River casting the horizon in a beautiful orange light. Sweeping over the river, Captain Reznov watched the calm and tranquil water. With a sigh he turned to the pilot.
"Any latest Intel?" he asked. The pilot shook his head. "Negative, all is calm." He said. Captain Reznov frowned, that was what he was afraid of.
Another half hour passed and still no sign of activity. Captain Reznov radioed in to Vladimir back at headquarters. "Vladimir come in" he said.
"Go ahead Captain"
"No sign of activity. I don't like this Vladimir. It's too quiet, way too damn quiet. Something tells me they are planning to start soon" he said switching his radio off.
The chopper flew over the river and towards Palace Square. Captain Reznov watched the citizens below. He then watched as several vehicles began pulling up into the center of the square. There were about eight all black buses. Watching the busses Captain Reznov felt his stomach flip flop and his heart sink: Buses aren't all black he thought to himself. Suddenly, Captain Reznov understood very clearly what was going to occur.
"Oh shit!" he said but it was quickly drawn out by a massive and powerful BOOOM sound. Each of the buses exploded in a violent inferno that sent Palace Square into panic. Captain Reznov then looked off into the distance. More explosions were taking place, scattered across the entire city. Fire broke out in the city, the rising plume of ash, cinder and smoke filling the night sky. From the streets below, many citizens were already in panic. Some wounded while others just scared and confused. One woman then watched as several heavily armed figures marched out of the flames. "Hey, what's that?" she asked pointing to the group. The soldiers in question stopped, fanning out in a square formation now numbering perhaps 40 or more. They cocked their assault rifles, took aim and began firing into the crowds mowing down people with oppressive gunfire. LOD, had finally begun their assault.
Vampires quickly descended into the city, dashing through the streets and killing all in their path. Palace Square itself became the middle of the heavy conflict as more and more vampires began spreading out. Wave after wave of undead monsters armed to the teeth with assault rifles and other powerful weaponry. The vampires filled the city streets, killing people and shedding blood.
"CONTACT!" Captain Reznov roared as he fired from the chopper overhead. A soldier beside him manned the turret on the helicopter as the pilot steered the aircraft. From the ground below, armored trucks carrying soldiers of the Order of the Cross and the Russian Federation spread forth in Palace Square and other locations. Jumping out, soldiers wasted no time in fighting back against the army of the undead. Armed with G36 rifles they took aim, blasting away at the undead fiends.
"Spread out and drive them back! Keep them from overrunning the city!" a captain shouted over the gunfire as he issues orders to his team. It had taken only twenty minutes, but St. Petersburg was quickly turned into a warzone.
At the Order's headquarters Vladimir and the rest were furiously at work monitoring the situation. Vladimir spoke into the phone with military officials on containment and counter strike strategies. Walter monitored the fight as viewed from a live feed generated by several of the ground and air troops. Rosette and Integra helped Vladimir dish out instructions.
"Colonel Gruzinsky talk to me! How many we talking?" Vladimir shouted. There was the loud roar of gunfire as the Colonel responded.
"Our estimates puts their numbers at about 1,500 right about now. But. There's so many. We don't even know if this is all they have! More seem to keep popping up and they've already overrun Palace Square and are branching off into the rest of the city. We're keeping them concentrated in the center inside an isolated containment area. Our main objective is to retake Palace Square and control the river!" he shouted.
Vladimir clutched the radio tightly. "Thank you Colonel keep me posted, God be with you" he said signing off. Walter watched as more vampires began the assault. A group of soldiers were ambushed and quickly mowed down by heavy gunfire. One soldier was decapitated, his head being sliced off by a vampire wielding a combat knife as the fiend grabbed the severed head and kicked it across the ground. The Order's soldiers continued fighting back, alongside the Russian Federation troops as they mowed down a large group of vampires. Worse still, Ghouls began taking to the streets slaughtering any in their path and feasting on fresh corpses.
"God what a disaster" Walter said with disgust and shook his head. Integra stood tensely, her arms folded. She watched Vladimir's expression; she had never seen him so worried and anxious. Not even when facing against Victor's army in London all those years ago. Then again, Russia was his home so he probably felt just as heavy a desire to keep her safe as Integra felt with London.
Back on the battlefield, fire and destruction littered the streets of St. Petersburg. Captain Reznov's chopper finally descended to street level as he and two other soldiers jumped out. They had landed on a base set up by ground forces. About 25 soldiers were holed up in a manmade dug out, ammo and supply crates circled their cover as one soldier shouted obscenities and orders into his radio. Running over, Captain Reznov grabbed his rifle and knelt down by the officer.
"What's the situation?" he shouted over the loud sound of gunfire and explosives detonating.
"We're getting our asses kicked that's what!" the reply went as the soldier reloaded his weapon. They continued exchanging bursts of gunfire as the vampires pinned them down. Captain Reznov grabbed his radio.
"We need some heavy cover fire pronto! Launch that predator missile!" he shouted. The radio clicked, "Roger predator missile online, launching now" the voice said.
Several aircrafts flew by overhead. Captain Reznov looked up to see as they rained down a volley of missiles on the vampires, blowing them to shreds and causing a massive explosion.
The fighting continued, most of the vampires had been successfully contained in the center of the city but were quickly forcing the counter defense team back. They seemed endless; wave after wave of super powered undead armed to the teeth with high powered weaponry.
"Yesh'te der'mo, I umeret' ublyudok!" a Russian soldier shouted unloading heavy fire from his M16 assault rifle. The Ghouls he shot at were blown to bits as he reloaded and dove for cover. A group of about 15 Russian Federation soldiers were fighting off wave after wave of Ghouls. They were fighting on the Exchange Bridge; the bridge connecting Vasiliesvsky Island with the rest of the city. Taking cover behind damaged and destroyed cars they drove the Ghouls back as one soldier crouched and spoke into his radio.
"Commander! This is Unit B! We've managed to repel them from the bridge but we're not sure how much longer we can hold out. We'll hold off as long as we can!" he shouted to his unit leader who answered, speaking in fluent Russian. Turning his attention back to the Ghouls he noticed something peculiar. The Ghouls had fanned out in a phalanx formation with each monster standing completely still. The soldiers ceased firing, unsure of the enemy's action.
"Chto proiskhodit?" another soldier asked. The Ghouls stood still, hissing and snarling. Suddenly, they began grinning, exposing their horrid and filthy piranha like teeth. The middle row began stepping to the side allowing a large and lumbering sight to take view, causing the Russian soldiers to look on in fear. One soldier stood to full height, slowly dropping his rifle. "What…in the holy name of God?" he spoke.
A large monster began walking, making thunderous footsteps causing the bridge to begin shaking. The creature stood about 8 feet tall and had pale gray skin. It had green eyes with black pupils and a round bulbous head. The creature was dressed in heavy battle armor complete with large and heavy shoulder guards. It had long sharp black claws, in one hand it carried a strange looking weapon. It resembled a grenade launcher, but bigger, longer and with the ammunition being fed by a drum shaped magazine. The creature grinned, a horrible and wicked smile that filled the soldier's hearts with fear. Aiming the weapon with one hand it cocked the trigger and in a deep steady voice uttered a terrifying phrase.
"DE….STROOOOOY!" and fired a massive powerful red shell that sped for the soldiers. Upon impact, it detonated in a small but deadly cluster bomb which sent both the soldiers and vehicles flying away in a burning inferno. The impact was so loud it hurt the ears of any wounded. The creature laughed and began walking forward as the Ghouls sprinted ahead, slaughtering any remaining soldiers and ripping them to shreds.
"Commander! There is something, OH SHIT!" a soldier cried into his radio as a Ghoul tore into his flesh, biting out large chunks.
The appearance of this strange new foe was not limited to the bridge attack. Back over by Captain Reznov, his unit began successfully driving some of the vampires back. Standing by his position on the street level, his unit had moved towards the Admiralty Building, desperately trying to repel the vampire force. They had set up a blockade on the north part of the street in an attempt to funnel the vampires into the main square so as better to pick them off. Choppers and F-22 Raptors flew through the air, gunmen aboard raining down support.
Captain Reznov ejected an empty clip. "We've managed to keep it pretty control, but the night is still young. Check your targets, shoot only to kill. You get short on ammo don't try and go all Rambo. Get your ass to cover and call in for support." He instructed to his team who nodded. One man then pointed down the street, near some fallen debris and burned out cars. "Captain, what is that?" he asked.
Everyone looked, in the direction he pointed in. A lone figure could be seen walking up the street. The soldiers quickly took formation, some crouched as they all took aim. "On my signal" Captain Reznov said taking aim. However, when the figure finally came into good view it took all but the grace of God from him not to shit his uniform.
Walking up the street, footsteps thundering and echoing was a man. Or rather, it almost looked like a man. It was freakishly muscled, long deep rounded biceps and a thick neck. The figure only wore dirty black pants with deep blood stains on them. It had piercing black eyes, a mouth full of razor sharp teeth and large pointed ears. The man thing carried two twin barreled Vulcan cannons, one on each arm with a large heavy ammo box strapped to its back. The figure continued walking, not uttering a single sound. Finally it stopped, now about 20 feet away from the group. Captain Reznov snapped out of his daze, gulped and then said "Oh SHIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIT!".
The figure laughed, aimed the cannons and then shouted "GRIIIIIIIIIND!" at the top of its lungs and opened fire. A loud and thunderous hailstorm of bullets sped towards the group instantly turning some of the men into bloody mush while the others fled and took cover. The creature continued walking, raining nonstop gunfire on the unit who tried in vain to shoot back. Their weapons seemingly having no effect on the creature who laughed and continued firing his massive twin cannons.
Captain Reznov dove behind an overturned truck, swearing. "What the fuck is that thing?" he shouted. "I don't know Captain but we better find a way to kill it or we're fucked!" another officer shouted jumping from his cover and shooting. The creature continued moving up the street, shooting more and more soldiers down. The streets quickly becoming filled with blood and corpses.
The horror of the battle continued with more strange beings appearing across St. Petersburg. The worst was in Palace Square, where vampires happily controlled the site, shooting at any of the counter strike who tried forcing them out. Overlooking the scene, watching as the vampires and Ghouls likewise began feeding on the freshly spilled blood were familiar enemies.
"Nice touch with the Juggernauts, Rashkor. I know you've been waiting to use them" Victoria commented to the Beast Tamer who grinned and chuckled. Beside her was Tristan, observing the scene with a bored expression. The trio were standing atop the building overlooking Palace Square. Victoria, dressed in tight black pants, knee length black boots, a red and gold sleeveless top and black vest tossed back her hair and chuckled. "This is all so fun to watch. It's making me horny just seeing all this death and chaos" she purred and licked her lips. Tristan rolled his eyes. "You're really twisted you know that right?" he said. Rashkor growled, clicking his teeth together. He reached behind and pulled out a small dog whistle. "Time to usher in the pack. They're quite hungry and I plan to spoil them with some good meat" he said blowing the whistle. The tune it carried was almost unnoticeable, but for Rashkor's 'pack' the message was clear: Dinner.
Victoria turned to Tristan. "I'd say this shit hole is about good and done. Why don't we just blow it to hell and be done with it?" she said. "Klaus has a very specific reason. His orders are clear. Besides, we've yet to entertain the other key players here. There's the wolf pack, that devil slayer Dante not to mention the Nosferatu, Alucard" he explained.
Victoria looked disgusted. "Please. They're of no consequence. Anyway you boys have at it I have more important matters to attend to" she said turning to walk away. "Where are you going?" Tristan asked.
"My date" Victoria answered, letting her hips sway as she walked off. Tristan paused; her use of the word date conjured up the images of her last assignment like this. It wasn't pretty. With Victoria off, Rashkor and Tristan continued watching the chaos of war.
On the ground the fighting continued with the appearance of more inhuman monsters who began working with the vampire army. A soldier, having witnessed his entire platoon be slaughtered and devoured crawled on his back, firing from his pistol as a group of Ghouls led by three vampires inched closer. The Ghouls snapped their jaws, drooling as the soldier panicked. He backed into a hard wall, then turned to see what obstructed his path. Only, it wasn't a wall. Rather it was a man, an exceptionally tall man. Clad in a red coat, black suit, red fedora hat, red wire framed glasses and white gloves. The man grinned, exposing his fangs.
The soldier froze; More vampires? No, there was something different about this guy. Something far more terrible than the invading vampire forces he had been fighting.
The two vampires gave a command as the Ghouls snarled and sprinted towards the man in red. He simply pulled out two massive pistols, opened fire and proceeded to kill the Ghouls in no time, reducing them to ash. He then laughed, watching the panic of the vampires who trembled and cocked their weapons.
Alucard again grinned, removing his fedora hat and his glasses as his hair flowed freely and his crimson eyes flashed. "Cromwell Approval confirmed. Releasing Control Art Restriction Ability levels 3…2…1. Full release engaged until the enemy is eternally silenced" Alucard hissed. His body glowed bright red as he placed his weapons away. The vampires fired, shredding his body in a bloody mess but he quickly reformed from the damage. Laughing Alucard spread his jacket open as dozens of eyes formed from a black shadowy center.
"Come on! Time to show you how real vampires engage in battle!" he said as a mass of shadows erupted from him, morphing into multi-eyed hellhounds which quickly ripped and shredded the vampires to pieces.
Alucard was not alone. Behind him Dante approached followed by Nero. The two men whistling. "Man oh man this city has gone to shit. Guess we got here just when the fun is happening" Nero said casually looking around. Dante smirked, "You ain't never lied kid" he said. Alucard laughed, this time more drawn out. "What a classic sight. The scent of blood, the roar of fire, the howls and cries of the people calling out, begging for death. The sound…of war." Alucard said looking up to the sky. He found what he was looking for. The moon hung in the sky, fat and full as she illuminated the nighttime sky. Chuckling he began walking forward as Nero tapped his earpiece.
"Big red had made contact, everyone else set?" Nero spoke.
Across St. Petersburg, the counter strike was given new players. The Werewolf pack had finally arrived. They walked down the street, in their standard V-formation with Michael at the head, Karl to his left and Raul to his right. The pack wore standard clothing: Black long sleeved thermal shirts, black cargo pants and black boots. Michael was dressed in more flashier garb. He sported a brand new coat: This one was had three tails with a red interior and large hood also with a red interior. The right side of the coat had a gold striped flaming pattern running from the chest down. He carried his trademark blade, Fenrir in his right hand. Michael also wore black fingerless gloves.
Sweeping a hand through his black hair he raised his fist, signaling for the group to stop. Approaching them was an armed contingent of about 50 or so vampires. The vampires cocked their rifles and took aim as Michael smirked. The pack gave a low howl, easily anticipating the fight. Each member packed heavy assault rifles and weaponry. "Michael in, we've just made contact. Looks to be about 50 or so suckheads" he tapped his earpiece.
"What? You lucky son of a bitch" Seth answered on a different frequency. He and Sion sat atop a destroyed bus, watching as scores of Ghouls stalked the streets, hissing and moaning for fresh blood.
Michael chuckled, "Ready on my mark. Begin the counter strike" he said pressing his thumb against the cross guard of his sword. The pack cocked their weapons, ready to fight. "On your say Mike" Raul said reaching for his twin short swords.
From their position, Alucard, Nero and Dante encountered another group of vampires. Taking aim the devil hunter said, "Ready to rock dude" he said as his group prepared to attack.
"Boss, permission to engage the enemy" Hiro said moving to draw his sword. Michael flashed him a thumbs up, eyes still on the vampires before them. "Permission granted, my friend" he said as Hiro smiled.
The vampire laughed, clearly underestimating their new opponents. With a low howl Michael then said "GO!" as he sprinted forward, moving in a blurred after image and began slicing and tearing through vampires like a hot nail through butter as the rest of the pack opened fire, thus sparking the beginning of their counter attack against the vampire army of LOD. The night was still young indeed.
End Chapter
Man I hope you guys enjoy this one I had so much fun writing it! Next up, the fight to take back St. Petersburg continues! Everyone begins forcing the vampires back but not before meeting heavy resistance including powerful devils brought forth by LOD. Will our heroes be able to save the beloved city from destruction or is the vampire horde too much? Find out, the fighting is far from over. Thanks for reading and stay tuned!