Note: As Valentine's Day is approaching, you might be expecting a special chapter for it. However, the story will continue as normal, as suddenly interrupting the narrative would ruin it. Granted, the story will probably end in October (assuming I manage to make the story last that long), but that's mainly because it's a story about vampires. After all, who really associates vampires with the rest of the holidays in the world?
Before we move on, I'd like to say something to a reviewer.
Big Bossk Man 92: Actually, I wouldn't really compare the spirit of the Helsing family to a Super Saiyan. Rather, I would compare it to the powers certain Castlevania protagonists get. In addition, the spirit could be considered another version of Hamon from JoJo's Bizarre Adventure. The first protagonist of that anime franchise, Jonathan Joestar, is actually an inspiration for Orlando. Owen could technically be considered the Joseph Joestar to the Helsing family, without the goofy behavior. I hope that you're ready for the next chapter.
Now that I've said that, it's time for chapter twenty-four.
Chapter 24: Battle with a Former Teammate
After looking through the second floor, Fox and Krystal decided to head up to the third floor, in hopes of finding keys there. If any of them were the one needed to open the dungeon cells, then Fox would be the one to send it down to his imprisoned teammates. If they weren't, then Krystal would tell Fara and the Helsings the key hadn't been located yet. Neither Fox or Krystal wanted to outrun their allies, but finding the key to the dungeon was urgent. Lucy was also being held captive, but it felt like it would be a while before the vulpine vampires got to her. Despite that, they hoped to reach her before a member of Volk's army turned her or drained her to a husk.
Reaching the third floor, Fox began to look through each of the rooms with Krystal. Krystal refrained from using her telepathy, not wanting for Volk to find out they had returned yet. It would have made it harder for her to detect any incoming threat, but she couldn't risk Fox and herself getting caught, even if Fara and the Helsings could save them. As the cobalt vixen looked through each room, she was unable to locate any keys. Fox wasn't having much luck as well, even as he used his powers. With no keys to be found on the third floor, the vulpine vampires decided to move onto the next one.
Krystal walked up to the fourth floor, finding that it was a long corridor like the second floor. Fox arrived shortly after, his talon-like feet slowly marching on the floor. He looked around, his glowing eyes shining like the embers of a fire. Both he and Krystal began to look through the rooms, hoping that they would find a key this time around. As they searched, they did not hesitate to smash anything that would've contained a key. From jars to armoires, the undead foxes wrecked everything they saw, but did not locate any keys.
Upon finding nothing they could send down to the dungeon, Fox and Krystal were ready to go to the fifth floor. That was until Krystal sensed something with her telepathy. She had kept her telepathy from giving away her and Fox's location, but it appeared that someone had found them. Worse, it was someone the two of them had tangled with, even before Fox had been killed by Wolf/Volk and turned into a monster by the Grim Reaper. Krystal had her staff out, while Fox did not have a weapon of his own. Though, given how he had gained powers, the maroon tod could defend himself.
"Krystal, are you sensing something?" Fox asked.
"Yes." Krystal said. "Be ready, Fox, because our dear friend is almost here!"
There was an explosion near them, being powerful enough to shake the castle's walls. From within the smoke, a silhouette was seen, causing Fox and Krystal to get into defensive stances. Hatred in their eyes, they glared at the being approaching them. With both her staff and her sword, Krystal was intent on destroying the enemy. Fox, on the other hand, had formed a fireball in his hand. If the fireball was blocked or dispersed, then he would use his claws to fight. As soon as the enemy was near, the two undead foxes would take them down as quickly as they could.
"Krystal, you're back!" A voice rang out. "And Fox, that's a good look for you! I never did like your fur color anyway!"
"Save the sweet talk!" Fox snapped. "We're not going to show you any mercy!"
"Traitors don't deserve mercy," Krystal spoke, "especially the ones who sacrifice their own mortality for the sake of becoming a bloodsucking freak!"
All of a sudden, the smoke dissipated, revealing who had arrived in the fourth floor. It turned out to be Fay, who was greeting her former allies with a friendly smile. Fox and Krystal only glared at her, knowing what she had done. The spaniel had been willingly turned into a vampire and was assisting Star Wolf in their plan to conquer the galaxy with their army of monsters and undead creatures. No one who turned their back on the innocent in order to join an evil army bent on conquering and killing everything deserved mercy or kindness. Evil needed to be punished every now and then, after all.
"Lord Volk will be pleased to know that you're back, Krystal!" Fay stated. "As for you, Fox, I'm sure that he'll find a way to get rid of you for good!"
"Wolf will not be pleased when I ram my staff down his throat!" Krystal said. "Even if I fail to kill him with that, I can find other ways to do so!"
"You will not be taking us to him, Fay!" Fox spoke. "Rather, we'll go to him as soon as we're done fighting you and freeing the others!"
"That's not gonna happen, guys!" Fay said, wagging her finger.
"Act all smug and cute, it will only make your punishment much more painful!" The maroon tod said.
Knowing that neither Fox or Krystal were going to give up, Fay began to form a fireball in her hand. Once it was ready, the spaniel threw it at her former allies. The fireball was thrown back at her by Krystal, who used her sword to stop the attack. After that, the cobalt vixen slowly approached the canine, putting her sword back in the scabbard and taking out her staff. Fox stood back, thinking that the Cerinian vampire would have the fight finished. However, something told him that Fay had something up her sleeve.
Raising her staff, Krystal got in a position to thrust into Fay's chest. In response, the spaniel rolled away from her friend-turned-enemy, getting back on her feet. She threw another fireball, though it was deflected again. Unlike the first time, however, the canine dodged and ran towards Krystal. In response, the cobalt vixen fired her staff several times, each blast hitting her opponent. However, Fay shook them off, her vampire powers keeping her from being annihilated by each attacks.
Once she was near Krystal, Fay tried to disarm her. The cobalt vixen kept a firm grip on her staff, making disarming her hard. She kicked Fay in the side, then felt a powerful energy surge through her body. Her eyes began to glow, bright enough for Fox and Fay to flinch. A light shot out of the Cerinian vampire's eyes, rushing towards Fay with little restraint. The spaniel only closed her eyes and froze up, thinking that this would be the end of her. Fox couldn't see what was happening, but he heard his former teammate scream.
The moment the light had dissipated, Fox saw that Fay had been launched at a wall. She had some minor clothing damage, but there was not a single injury on her body. With that in mind, Fox felt that it would take a miracle to finally defeat the vampiric spaniel. Krystal felt the same way, though she seemed to be winded. The attack the cobalt vixen had used was enough to blast her opponent and drain herself of energy at the same time. By looking at her, Fox hoped that Fay wouldn't go after her.
Falling off the wall, Fay let out a groan. After that, she stood up, then looked at Fox. The maroon tod only glared at the spaniel, letting her know that the battle wasn't over yet. His eyes glowed with ethereal energy, the desire to win on display.
"It's your turn now, Foxy!" Fay shouted. "Unlike Krystal, you won't be shown mercy!"
"Fine with me!" Fox said.
Jumping in the air, Fay dived down towards Fox, causing the two of them to roll around on the floor. Pushing his opponent off of him, the maroon tod swiped his clawed hand at her, managing to leave a scar on her chest. In response, the spaniel threw some fireballs at him. The Papetoonian vampire used his powers to turn intangible, causing the fireball to phase right through him, sparing him from the attack. Seeing that, Fay knew that there was more to her former teammate. Whatever happened to him, he had managed to gain powers of his own.
Creating another fireball, Fay decided to make this one big enough to damage both of her enemies. Once it was formed, the spaniel thrusted her arms forward, launching the massive fireball. To her surprise, neither Fox or Krystal moved, nor did they seem particularly phased by it. However, she was confident, thinking that it wouldn't matter once her opponents were dead. As soon as the fireball was near the maroon tod and the cobalt vixen, the Cornerian vampire let out a chuckle, thinking she had won. Of course, she wouldn't know until it had dispersed.
The moment the fireball had faded, Fay was shocked to see that Fox and Krystal were still in one piece. It would appear as though Fox had made them both intangible once the spaniel had launched the fireball. Seeing this caused her cheerful façade to fade, her grin turning to a scowl and her eyes narrowing. Krystal only glared at the Cornerian vampire, holding her staff out. Fox's eyes glowed brighter, signaling that his energy was increasing. Both undead foxes saw Fay's expression change, knowing that they had finally angered her.
Letting out a furious growl, Fay charged towards Fox and Krystal, intent on ripping them to pieces. Before she could land a single hit on them, a bright green glow flashed, causing both her and Krystal to close their eyes. After that, Krystal opened her eyes and saw that Fay had been ensnared in chains. They were glowing and ethereal green, like how Fox's were. Sure enough, the cobalt vixen saw that he was the one who had summoned the chains. Not only that, but the maroon tod didn't seem to have trouble controlling them.
"What the?!" Fay cried. "Couldn't Leon do this?!"
"He could," Fox spoke, "but I'm afraid the poor fool had to relinquish control of these chains to me!"
Thrusting his arms upward, Fox tossed Fay into the air. After that, he jumped up and kicked her down to the floor. Krystal tried to charge at the spaniel, but Fox signaled for her not to. He brought out the chains again, this time tying them around his former teammate. Fay was unable to move from that point onward, the magic surging through the chains preventing her from moving. This left her at the mercy of her opponents, who were eager to do what they wanted with her.
"Guys, untie me!" Fay spoke. "You are the heroes in this situation and heroes don't do things like this!"
"Well, you were a hero, but you sacrificed your mortality." Fox said. "Let's just say that we're not going down the path you went, but we're intent on punishing you!"
Nodding his head, Fox signaled for Krystal to bite into Fay's neck. Upon doing so, the cobalt vixen felt something powerful surge through her body. It traveled from her veins to her teeth, making contact with the flesh on Fay's neck. The spaniel screamed in pain as a result, unsure of the fate that awaited her after this attack. Her body burned and her eyes began to glow, meaning that something strange was happening to her. A blinding light soon surrounded Krystal and the canine, engulfing the entire room soon after.
When the light had faded away, Fox saw Krystal on her knees, as if struggling to stay up. Fay was next to her, lying absolutely still. It didn't matter if she were dead or alive at the moment, as Fox and Krystal needed to move on. Even if Fara and the Helsings met up with them, they needed to kill whatever monster was lurking within the castle. Gathering their weapons, the undead foxes were ready to head to the fifth floor and look for a key to the dungeon cells. If there wasn't one there, then it was somewhere else.
"Death must've given you the power to harness any ability from a soul you have eaten when he transformed you." Krystal spoke.
"I'll say." Fox said. "It comes in handy!"
"Hopefully, you'll be able to use it throughout the mission, because I feel as though my powers are inconsequential." The cobalt vixen said.
"Fear not," the maroon tod said, "you won't have to use them."
Before they could approach the stairs, Fox and Krystal heard something moving behind them. Looking behind them, they saw Fay standing up, letting out a groan. At first, they were cautious, given how she had fought with her former allies. However, the spaniel looked at them, a smile forming on her lips. Unlike the one she had during the battle, this one was a friendly smile, with no traces of malice behind it. It was as if someone hit a switch that changed her attitude.
"Hey, Krystal, what are you doing here?" Fay spoke. "Wow, that outfit looks pretty on you!"
Looking at each other for a moment, Fox and Krystal knew exactly what caused Fay's demeanor to change.
"Your bite must've turned Fay back to normal." Fox spoke.
"That's strange!" Krystal said. "She wasn't even bitten beforehand, she was injected with that accursed formula!"
Fay approached Krystal, intent on complimenting her new clothes some more. In the process, she saw something that she had never seen before. It was some sort of creature, like a demon or vampire. However, the creature bore somewhat of a resemblance to Fox, albeit with maroon fur instead of orange. The being's eyes glowed a bright, sickly green, looking like something one would see in a horror movie or dungeon crawler video game. It didn't seem to have any clothes, barring a purple scarf around its mouth and green pants that were tattered and rotting.
"Krystal, what is THAT?!" Fay asked, her eyes full of fear.
"It's me, Fay." The creature said. "You might not have believed it at first, but I'm Fox!"
"Why do you look like that?!" The spaniel asked.
"Believe us, Fay, it's a long story." Krystal spoke. "To make a long story short, Fox and I are vampires who are looking to stop Star Wolf. We're currently in a castle they own and we're standing in the fourth floor. Head down to the first floor, because there are some people waiting for you."
Not fully understanding what was going on, Fay was reluctant to move. However, Krystal gently put a hand on her shoulder, encouraging her to head downstairs. As such, the spaniel took the stairs that led to the third floor, wondering who could be waiting for her. With her gone, Fox and Krystal decided to move on and look for a key that could be used to free everyone. They began to walk up the next stairway, agreeing to keep an eye out for anything intent on attacking them. While doing so, Krystal used her telepathy to reach out to their allies.
Fara, Mr. Helsing, Owen, Fay is coming downstairs. Krystal transmitted her thoughts. Do not worry, she's not going to attack you! Fox and I took care of her, but she's back to normal! If you're about to fight something, please be careful!
Note: Didn't think that Fay would be cured of her vampirism, now did you? And it seems that Fox can use the powers of those whose souls he consumed. What is next in store for our heroes? Will Fox and Krystal show more of their vampire powers? Will Orlando show more of the Helsing family spirit? Can Owen use it as well?
Until next time, guys, this is Newcomer24, signing off. Peace!