(Chapter 14: Rock the Boat)
Van Helsing's eyes blinked open, and he let out a groan as he sat up from his comfortable boxed-in resting place.
"Air feels a little heavier, starting to think that this storm might be stronger than we initially thought." Gabriel overhead one of the crewmates speaking somewhere above deck.
"Think we can convince Sergei to turn this ship around?" A voice that the monster killer had come to recognize as Ogorand replied.
"Sergei won't be pleased if you ask him." Another crewmate said as a matter of factly.
"Well why don't you ask him?" Ogorand argued, his voice sharp and stern, "You're his first mate after all."
Ivan was heard letting loose a defeated but hesitant sigh, a sigh that was soon followed by the creaking of the wooden floor.
Van Helsing finally stood up and stretched his muscular limbs and torso, the pleasing sensation of a good morning stretch elicited a satisfied groan from the monster killer, a groan that morphed into a groan of pain as he felt a surge of searing pain shoot through his forearm, he rasped and clutched it again as he received a not so nice reminder of the curse that was still threatening to be unleashed when the night came around.
Part of Gabriel started to wonder that if he just let himself transform and be restrained, that his nagging forearm wound would subside; just get it over with because he felt that it was only inevitable that he would transform, he knew he couldn't avoid the moon forever.
Then the monster killer scoffed; it was yet another out of pocket idea that he had came up with on the fly just like resurrecting Dracula and his Brides, he imagined how Father Valentino would reply to such an idea, he envisioned the priest giving up on the mission and leaping overboard in a hopeless effort to swim back to Europe.
Van Helsing ascended the stairs and made his way through the main corridor of the Demeter, eventually catching the aroma of salted beef, dry and stale bread, as well as coffee that wasn't quite as potent.
Gabriel pressed the door open to see four of the regular crewmates sitting at the table enjoying their breakfast, one of them raised their head up as they took a bite of salted beef, their eyes narrowing upon him.
"Rise and shine, furball." The grinning crewmate taunted, his voice was just loud enough for the other crewmates sitting at the table to hear him, or so he thought; for as they began to snicker at his taunt, he noticed Van Helsing raising a conspiratorial eyebrow.
"That's the best you can come up with?" Gabriel asked as he took a step towards the table, the crewmate relaxed back as far as he could in the firm wooden chair.
"All that long hair…does it ever get itchy, fleabag?"
Now Van Helsing was looming over him, he leaned forward and placed a hand on the crewmate's shoulder, the other sailors' expressions darkened from their smug appearances.
Despite Van Helsing's presence, the heckler was still unfazed and only casted a careless glance towards Gabriel's arm on his shoulder.
The monster killer moved uncomfortably close, his brown eyes staring daggers into the cold blue ones of the heckler. Gabriel let the joke hang in the air for a moment, hearing the word "flea" brought a smirk to his face now.
"Fleas tend to jump to the nearest dog." Van Helsing finally replied after a pause, and patted the heckler on the shoulder, his gaze then snapped to the hardtack on the heckler's plate, and he nabbed it up before his eyes, and took a bite.
"By the way, thanks for the breakfast, Alexander."
Alexander's cocky grin faltered at last as he witnessed Gabriel casually steal his food and walk away, he could only sit and watch with the rest of his sailor comrades as the person who had initially been the butt of their joke ascend a small flight of stairs and out onto the upper deck, sunlight filling the dimly lit mess room.
Sunlight also flooded into Van Helsing's eyes, forcing him to shield them and groan with discomfort for a moment as he readjusted to the world around him. The elements continued to harass him as a ruthless wind lashed against him, the powerful surge of air nearly taking his hat off, but he was able to secure it at the last second.
Grey and white clouds blanketed the sky and painted it a dismal color, and a light rainfall in the form of a drizzle fell upon the ship. Gabriel scrutinized his surroundings and noticed Friar Carl in the distance gazing out into the water while Aidan spoke with other crewmates, Dracula and his Brides were nowhere in sight.
Gabriel approached the monk, his boots generating creaking sounds as he walked over the wood, alerting the monk of his friends' presence.
"Carl, where's your lover at?" The monster killer teased as he slapped the monk on the shoulder.
"Beats me, where's yours?" Carl asked casually as he turned around, judging by the angered look and the clenched fists, and how his partner avoided eye contact; he quickly changed the subject… "We've been out at sea for ten days and we only get one or two days of sunshine…can't believe this."
"Well, I like it when I can come up deck for once and not feel possessed." Gabriel fired back; Carl's scathing words still fresh in his mind.
"I just wish all this shit will clear up, it's all been water and white nothingness this entire trip almost. I need to get me a tan like that time I went to that Hungarian beach." The monk continued to complain just as Aidan Cain stepped between the two of them, gazing out to the water just like the two men were.
"I'm afraid it's going to be a while before you see the sun again." Aidan remarked.
"Oh great, and then there's this guy to spoil the fun…" Carl with a scowl and roll of his eyes.
"Just as much as the storm?" Aidan taunted before continuing, "I know it doesn't seem like it right now, but the storm we're approaching is a particularly nasty one…I can smell it."
"Oh, for God's sake! You can smell it!?" Carl boomed.
"I can, it's called petrichor, and that means—" Aidan was interjected by the monk.
"Okay, okay! It means that I don't want to hear the history lesson!"
Aidan turned his head to face Carl with a deadpan look on his face.
"Considering we can smell it while we're out in the ocean is a good sign, idiot…" Aidan groaned, "when rain hits the soil, the soil releases odors that are picked up by the wind and can be projected over great distances, hence the musky Earthy stench we're smelling right now."
"So, if we can smell the ground, then…" Van Helsing started, slowly pausing towards the end of his sentence so he could let the warlock finish it.
"It means that land isn't too far away from here and we won't have to spend another day on the water."
Carl already had a smart-ass response prepared in his mind as he listened to the warlock explain everything like some sort of professor.
"God…feels like I'm in bloody school again with all that nonsense."
"What you call nonsense is knowledge, friar…and with the way you behave sometimes, I feel like you lack knowledge…you lack it a lot."
Carl and Aidan's banter faded away in the background as Van Helsing focused on the reality of their situation; if they were less than a day away from the North American shoreline, then he had to figure out a location to hide the Blood Whistle away from all possibilities of it being discovered.
The monster killer approached the captain again, noticing a decent sized map in his hand as they pressed the large paper against the wheel.
"Captain Sergei," Van Helsing called out as he advanced upon him, "mind if I borrow that map for a moment?"
"Go right ahead." The Russian captain spoke as he handed the map over to the monster slayer, Van Helsing nodded his head in thanks before heading to the mess room below deck.
Carl happened to see Van Helsing with the map and he followed after him, joining his partner in crime in the mess room where they made themselves a morning meal as the rest of the regular crew of Russians headed up deck to tend to their duties.
"Aidan mentioned something to me while you walked away, Van Helsing." Carl revealed, his voice a tone of warning that caught Gabriel's attention.
"Yes?" The monster slayer asked as he spread out the map on the table before him, it was a decent sized map of the entire East Coast of the United States with too many words to count, for it's time it was quite advanced, even some small islands were mentioned as well as the outer banks of North Carolina.
"Something about that storm," Carl answered, "he said that something else feels wrong, but he can't describe exactly what it is…"
"I know, I feel it too."
"Do you know what it is?" Carl asked.
"I don't know, Carl. I got the feeling that we won't know what it is until we're right in the middle of it too…"
"Well that's comforting…" Carl let loose a dreadful sigh with a worried shaking of his head, his fingers drumming against the wooden table. The monk then noticed the map outstretched and he scooted forward to get closer to it.
"Where are you thinking of hiding it? Surely it can't be on the beach…"
"It won't be on the beach, Carl," Van Helsing started, "It'll more than likely be somewhere in the mountains to the West of the coast, I think they call them the Rockies, if I'm not mistaken."
"There's potential for miners to uncover it, Van Helsing." Friar Carl warned.
"Fear not, I'll have Aidan bury it in the deepest and tightest of caves where no one would dare to go searching for it. We shall take the secret to our graves if we must."
"If someone finds it centuries from now, it'll be on you." Friar Carl taunted.
"Well, you won't be around to see what happens." Van Helsing shot back playfully.
"Gee, thanks…" the monk scoffed.
(later)
"That scent of rain is right on top of us, we can't be too much further…" Aidan announced as the entire crew had gone above deck to investigate their surroundings.
The wood of the schooner groaned loudly as the ship was thrashed and tossed about on the unruly sea, the waves furiously slamming against the sides of the vessel and sometimes the water was even thrown aboard!
Just then, a bright bolt of lightning cascaded from the fearsome heavens above them, striking the water unmercifully. Seconds later, a deafening roar of thunder pierced through the stormy night, the boom rattling the boat with tremendous force!
With the thunder came a sudden lashing of brutal wind, the gust so strong that it knocked Carl off his feet and sent him stumbling back just to be caught in Marishka's arms.
"Bloody hell! What is going on!?" The friar screamed with confusion, Aidan shielded his face and stood his ground, but he found it difficult to remain in one place.
"This isn't an ordinary storm…" The warlock groaned through his teeth as he glanced to the night sky, which was an ominous green color.
"Ogoran, we need those sails secured, now!" Captain Sergei boomed before turning to the rest of his crew, "help him!"
Meanwhile, Marishka hurried Carl below deck, she could feel his heart pounding in his chest as her soft hand caressed it.
"I must help them, my dear!" The friar protested.
"I'm sorry my love, but you don't have a say right now!" The blonde retorted before shutting the door, pulling on the nob to jam it so that the monk wouldn't get out so easily.
"Marishka! MARISHKA!" Carl screamed, pounding the door with his right fist but it wouldn't budge. With a frustrated kick, the monk conceded in his efforts at getting free.
Outside the safety of the ship's interior, the derecho that dominated the schooner was relentless.
With a deafening crack, a massive wave surged forth, towering over the Demeter. Van Helsing's eyes widened as he saw it coming.
"Hold on!" The monster killer screamed as he braced for impact, his voice barely audible over the natural but chaotic cacophony.
The wave crashed down upon the ship with the force of a massive hammer, sending men and cargo alike sprawling across the deck. Van Helsing was swept off his feet and dashed against the support pole of a sail, his body slamming into the deck hard with a sickening thud.
Dracula's eyes flared with anger as he leapt into the air and hovered, landing in the crow's nest while his brides morphed into their winged forms. Aidan teleported himself to the opposite end of the ship to avoid the brunt of the wave's impact.
Carl heard the wave slam against the ship which rocked it violently from side to side, nearly knocking the monk off his feet again. Friar Carl let out a yell of fright as he had to use the mess hall's table to keep himself stable. The monk started to wonder if they would even reach the shore before the derecho destroyed their vessel…
"I need to get away from this…madness…" Carl whispered to himself, descending the narrow staircase into the bowels of the ship where Van Helsing once found solace.
While the air below deck commonly smelled of old wood and animal shit, a new stifling odor hung in the air—that of something metallic, like copper— Carl wrinkled his nose, wiping away the cold sweat that was running down his brow, his heart still thundering in his chest. The flickering lanterns below deck only cast more shadows that danced along the walls, making the darkness even more oppressive than it already was.
The monk navigated through the passageway of barrels and crates that jostled and threatened to careen over the sides of each other with every violent movement that the ship was forced to make. Carl approached the livestock hold, praying that the animals were faring better than their human compatriots were above deck.
As he drew closer to the livestock hold, his intuition began to tell him that something was wrong, and his chest grew tight with dread.
"It's just the storm, it's just the storm…" Carl told himself, trying to gain back some resolve that had been washed away after he was nearly tossed overboard by the wild winds that shown no mercy to them or the crew.
That strange metallic odor grew stronger, tinged with the stench of rotting flesh. There would be no mistaking it now, something was certainly wrong…
The monk rounded the corner, throwing open the sliding wooden door, and then he stopped dead in his tracks.
The pens were a scene of utter carnage. The livestock which consisted of a few pigs, sheep, a dozen chickens, and a single cow; all had been slaughtered, their bodies lying in broken heaps of gore. The throats of each creature had been torn open; their bodies mangled close to unrecognition.
The floor was caked with blood, and Carl noticed a bootprint that shouldn't have been there. Everyone was above deck, even Van Helsing…
Then he saw him emerge from the shadows, clutching a dead rooster in his left hand.
Lord Ruthven…
A column of fear shot down the spine of the monk as he backed up slowly, shaking his head incredulously. How long was he on this ship with them!? Did he teleport on the ship!?
"Friar Carl!" The vampire noble taunted as he dropped the drained chicken to the floor, licking away some excess blood on the corners of his lips, "Gotta say, I wasn't expecting to see you down here of all people. I thought Gabe would be here, he's been cowering in the dark ever since Clint bit him…"
You've got to be kidding me… Carl thought to himself, this bastard had been watching Van Helsing down here the whole time, and the monster killer had been unaware of it the whole time.
"Huh-how!?" Carl forced from his lips, "How the hell did you make it here before u—"
"Your friend—no, former friend— said that Van Helsing planned on burying the Blood Whistle somewhere far away from where you were…" Lord Ruthven began; Carl watched helplessly as the enemy dug into the pocket of his waistcoat to reveal the same compass-like tracking device that Father Gabrielle Valentino had used against Clint.
"Father Valentino's been a good boy to me, I knew precisely where you fools would be heading. So, when I found out that the first ship leaving the harbor would be the Demeter, I knew what to do from that point forward…"
Lord Ruthven started for Carl, and as the monk backed away towards the stairs, he noticed green eyes shining brightly behind and over the vampire's head.
Thump, thump…
Then, faintly outlined in the darkness of the cargo hold, stood Birsha right behind Lord Ruthven.
Friar Carl felt that his heart could rupture his sternum and leap through his chest at any second now as he felt the back of his boot touch against the bottom of the stairs, his lips trembling, his eyes agape with fear.
"I knew that the desperation of getting this mission over with would lead you idiots to leave Europe as soon as possible, and I figured that I'd join all you cowards on your last voyage."
Somehow, a boost of courage surged through Carl and made him take a stand, the monk was unsure whether it was survival instinct or maybe finally getting a person to love as a romantic interest had caused this surge…nevertheless, it proved useful.
"That may be the case," Carl began as another rogue wave struck the ship, rocking it violently, a lantern fell from the wall and hit the floor with a sound of shattering glass, the embers that were thrown about the impact radius ignited hay across the floor. The heart of the monk sank at the sight as tiny flames started to creep along the dirtied flooring; Lord Ruthven could see the fear in his eyes…
"But it shall be your last voyage too…" Carl promised before rushing up the stairs, breaking through the door and into the mess hall.
Carl heard their footsteps, Birsha's being the loudest as the villains crept after the monk. With a defiant scream, Friar Carl lowered his shoulder and charged at full speed into the door leading to the deck.
The impact of Carl's body against the door was enough to knock it from the hinges, the monk groaned in agony, clenching his teeth from the pain as he grasped his right shoulder as he rolled off the door.
"Land isn't too far away, we should be approaching the shoreline once we breach this damned mist!" Aidan screamed at the top of his lungs as torrential rainfall pounded everyone on deck as the powerful winds of the derecho lashed them mercilessly.
"Van Helsing!" Carl screamed, his voice beyond recognizable in the chaos as a lightning bolt crackled from the heavens, striking one of the sails that Aleera and Verona were assisting some of the regular crew with.
"Van Helsing!" Carl screamed again, and this time he caught sight of Gabriel approaching him hurriedly.
"What is it, Carl?"
"It's…i-i-it's…"
Before Carl even had a chance of getting his word out, a loud scream was heard combined with an explosion of wood scattering everywhere!
"Ogorand!" The captain screamed as one of his good friends soared from the deck and into the stormy sea! A large hand emerged from a hole in the floor of the deck as Birsha emerged with Lord Ruthven shooting out and executing first mate Ivan with a ruthless slash of his claws across the throat of the Varna native.
"They're here!" Van Helsing screamed, his face filled with confusion and shock, "Spread out and take it to them!"
As Lord Ruthven descended upon Van Helsing and Carl while in his hellbeast form, Dracula swooped in from out of nowhere also in his beastly form. The two winged beasts slammed into each other with a fleshy clap before the two of them wrestled and smashed around on deck, jockeying for position against each other!
Dracula sank his massive fangs into the muscular forearm of the ancient enemy, Ruthven hissed in pain and shot a fist into the hideous demonic face of his foe which only enraged the count further!
Annoyed, Dracula raked his claws across orc-like face of hellbeast Lord Ruthven which stunned him long enough to ready for a fatal bite.
Unfortunately, before Dracula could dish out the killing bite, he felt something tug at his mane and pull back hard, eliciting a hiss from Van Helsing's former nemesis.
With a furious growl, Birsha hurled Dracula into the air, but Lord Ruthven didn't have time to get up as Van Helsing's boot smashed into the side of his face. The monster hunter had used his grappling hook gun to fire into a pole that held one of the few sails, and he used the momentum to land a cruel blow to the side of the hellbeast!
The kick had dealt enough damage to knock the vampire out of his beastly form, but Lord Ruthven remained the aggressor as he reached into his pocket mid-transformation to brandish his ornate dagger.
The enemy slashed towards Gabriel's mid-section, but the monster killer hopped back and the blade sliced through the air.
Lord Ruthven hissed angrily as he stepped forward and tried a stab towards Van Helsing's jugular, who weaved back to avoid the tip of the blade from piercing the front of his throat. While the arm was still in the air, Gabriel batted it away with enough force to dislodge Ruthven's signature weapon.
Van Helsing noticed that his rival was taken by surprise by this, and he quickly pressed the advantage while the going was still good.
The monster hunter crunched a roundhouse right hand into the face of his foe, causing Lord Ruthven to hiss in pain and wince to the side at an angle perfect for Gabriel to drive a nasty left hook into the back of the vampire's head.
Lord Ruthven groaned and lurched over, giving the left hand of God enough leeway to strike an elbow to the base of the neck, which kept the vampire overlord leaning forward. Gabriel took a step back and fired a push kick to the side of Lord Ruthven's head that sent him stumbling to the edge of the deck!
Van Helsing looked to knock his enemy off the ship, but this time he underestimated Lord Ruthven's resolve. The vampire shrieked, his eyes burning with unholy rage as he lashed out with his claws in the hopes of connecting with a loopy overhand left.
Van Helsing narrowly avoided the blow, a few strands of his long-layered hair sliced fell from his head and to the slick floor of the rocking vessel.
Lord Ruthven stepped forth and went to drive his claws into the face of his mortal foe, but Gabriel ducked and countered with a vicious uppercut into the mid-section before following up with an elbow strike to the face that sent Ruthven staggering back.
Unexpectedly, Lord Ruthven morphed back into his hellbeast form, but before he could close the distance between him and Van Helsing, Aleera and Marishka slammed into him in their winged forms, driving him away!
"Aidan!" Van Helsing cried out; the warlock didn't hesitate and teleported to him.
The sounds of screaming, gunfire from those that remained of the regular crew, vampiric shrieks and hissing, roaring thunder and crying wind provided the combatants with sensory overload that would drive those of the toughest wills insane.
Aidan and Gabriel retreated inside of the ship just to find a flame had engulfed all the mess hall. Intense heat forced sweat to surface and the acrid stench of smoke, forced the two men to their knees to avoid inhaling the black cloud.
"This ship won't make it to shore…" Aidan said, his voice heavy with concern.
The reality of the current battle began to dawn on Gabriel.
Everything below deck had caught fire, including the water storage which was now at maximum capacity. Other fires had been ignited by lightning strikes on deck, and every sail of the schooner had been sliced to ribbons. The foremast had collapsed as well as the mizzenmast, somehow the main mast remained standing.
The ship itself was starting to lean to the side, but it was still at a stable angle where people could find their footing. The doomed Demeter seemed to fly along despite its sinking state, propelled by the derecho's winds and unruly sea currents.
The only one Van Helsing could see surviving the sinking of the ship was Aidan.
Accepting his fate, Van Helsing pulled out the Blood Whistle from his pocket and presented it to the warlock.
"That may be so, but we aren't going to make it to shore, then this can't make it either."
"You're entrusting this to me?" Aidan questioned, sounding surprised.
"Destroy it, if you survive the sinking, you must dispose or destroy the damned device!"
Acknowledging the future and finality of the mission, Aidan nodded.
"It's time to part the sky, Aidan. Expose the moon…"
The two men burst from the ruined mess hall, Aidan retreated to the stern of the ship as he raised his hands to the sky, beginning to chant a spell in Latin as the action continued all around him.
"Enough!" Dracula roared whilst still in his hellbeast form, his voice commanding and filled with imperious power. The Count launched himself at Birsha, whose rock-solid hide began to soften thanks to the waters of the ocean and rain. The Brides provided support as they fought against hellbeast Lord Ruthven as best as they could.
Dracula's form was faster than the eye could follow, his claws aiming for the golem's throat. Birsha replied with equal ferocity, meeting the Count head on in a clash that sent a shockwave across the sinking ship.
Dracula's fangs sank into Birsha's softened shoulder, causing the golem to growl in pain and anger. Birsha wouldn't let himself be a ragdoll for the vampire and fought back with two crushing blows to the ribs and a headbutt that staggered the hellbeast back.
Suddenly, Lord Ruthven burst into the scene! Slamming against Dracula and launching him across the ship! The unthinkable happened, something that caught everyone off guard.
The fallen mast pierced the body of hellbeast Dracula, skewering him through the body. Of course, he'd survived getting stabbed through by a sword from Victor Frankenstein many years ago, but the sight still came as a surprise to the Brides.
"Master!" Aleera shrieked before flying towards Lord Ruthven from behind, her blind rage getting the better of her as Birsha backhanded her out of her winged form, sending her human frame smashing into the main mast with such force that it toppled over!
Verona flew towards Dracula frantically, hoping she could help him wedge free from the mast before the ship vanished beneath the raging waves, leaving only Marishka to try and handle Birsha while Carl provided support by firing towards the golem with his revolver.
Lord Ruthven landed on his feet in front of Van Helsing, a grin on his hideous face as he shifted back into his regular human form.
"This ship, this ocean… all of it will be your tomb, Gabe…" Lord Ruthven promised darkly as he approached the monster killer, causing Van Helsing to back away slowly.
Gabriel looked around, the bow of the Demeter had vanished beneath the water and the remains of the doomed vessel began to tilt upwards, albeit at a slow rate. Verona and Dracula were having trouble with the mast, Carl and Marishka were struggling against Birsha, and Aleera seemed to be knocked unconscious.
Van Helsing then glanced to the stern where Aidan was performing his dark arts to create a wedge in the sky to reveal the moon. With the use of his peripheral vision, Gabriel could make out the faint lunar light wanting to appear…
"I've enjoyed the hunt, enjoyed the chase, Gabe… but this whole mission ends here. The carcasses of you and your friends shall rot at the bottom of the ocean, and this world will be mine…"
"You're right, it will end here…" Van Helsing admitted as Carl suddenly lost his footing and began to tumble towards the submerged bow, screaming for help! Marishka went to save her lover but was caught by Birsha and slammed into the deck.
The body of the monk went beneath the waves, soon joined by Aleera's…
"We're all going to die here…" Van Helsing continued as he felt the beast within him beginning to gnaw at his willpower, his hands curled into fists to tightly clenched that his knuckles turned bone white.
Lord Ruthven's lips parted to speak but Gabriel raised a hand to cut him off.
A sinister grin appeared on Van Helsing's face…
"You included…"
Van Helsing threw his black coat and wide brimmed hat from his body, his legs began to tremble as he faced the ground for a moment. His heart began to pound at an unfathomable pace within his chest, he looked at his hands; they were trembling.
Gabriel raised his head to stare directly at Lord Ruthven, who noticed that the eyes of the monster hunter were a gleaming yellow. The moon was now fully exposed through a column of clouds that resembled a tornado that hadn't touched down all the way, lunar light illuminating Van Helsing like a spotlight within the derecho.
"Let there be light…" Van Helsing muttered, his voice deeper than usual as he torn his shirt from his body and let it fall.
Gabriel let out a scream of pain as he collapsed to his knees! The bones within his body began to contort and change, the bones snapping and reshaping as the transformation took hold at last. The muscles bulged to obscene levels before the flesh ripped entirely, revealing dark brown fur beneath…
"IN MANUS TUAS, DOMINE!" Van Helsing roared as his final words of choice before his mind went black, at the whim of the werewolf. Into your hands, O' Lord…
Dracula and Verona gasped in shock, the lead bride faced her master and lover with confusion but a strange sense of happiness all the same. Dracula himself looked proud as he said:
"We're now on the same side of the board…"
The shadow of Van Helsing's werewolf form towered over Lord Ruthven's human form as the canid beast began to march towards his undead foe cruelly.
"You're as good as gone, Gabe… the human has died and rotted away!"
The werewolf didn't care, and he bounded towards the enemy, his yellow eyes zeroing in on Lord Ruthven as he transformed back into his hellbeast form to combat him. The two monsters collided with thunderous impact, their bodies tangling together as they tumbled down the deck, smashing into a wall that now served as a platform due to the angle of the ship.
Van Helsing got the better of the exchange and landed on top of his vampire prey, sinking his claws into the chest of the beast and carving deep canyons into his flesh without mercy, sending scarlet essence flying everywhere the more his claws sunk into Lord Ruthven's flesh.
Werewolf Gabriel attempted to sink his fangs into the hellbeast's neck, but Ruthven raked his claws across the lupine mug of his foe. The wolfman growled in pain and recoiled to the side, but this only seemed to anger him further.
As Lord Ruthven go back up, he was put right back on his ass when Gabriel's right hand—or paw— swatted across his face.
Van Helsing descended upon Lord Ruthven, going for a fatal bite to the throat, but his vampire nemesis was just one heartbeat quicker with a chomp into the beefy shoulder of the werewolf.
Van Helsing howled in pain and recoiled from his enemy, baring his teeth with unmatched anger. Blinded by rage, Gabriel tore forward, not seeing that Lord Ruthven had removed a large strip of jagged wood from the wall…
A universe of pain seared through his midsection as the jagged edge pierced his abdomen, Van Helsing grasped the piece of wood and snarled, but his glowing yellow eyes reflected agony, something that Lord Ruthven noticed.
"I told you, Gabe…this ends here…"
Still clutching the piece of broken wood, Van Helsing snarled and fell back on purpose, flinging the vampire off the ship. This maneuver did little to no good as the enemy was still within his hellbeast form and with a flap of his wings, hovered over the water.
Overcome with rage, Van Helsing barked at his enemy as Aidan made a sudden appearance! The warlock leaped towards Lord Ruthven, clutching his stolen ornate dagger in his right hand.
Unfortunately, before Aidan could even get close, the vampire batted him into the sea, his body vanishing beneath the waves.
"Gabriel!" Dracula called out, the Count was also in his beastly form, standing at the top of the stern, looking down.
Everything of reason and judgement within Van Helsing no longer existed, just destroy. At the mere sight of what the beast still considered a mortal enemy, Gabriel barked and rushed up the deck.
Not wanting to fight but seeing no way to calm him down; Dracula flew away and let the monster killer turned werewolf face the consequences of his actions.
Gabriel faced the distance, lightning split the angry sky, illuminating the land ahead. The shoreline was close, dangerously close. From what the werewolf could make out, jagged rocks lined the shore with a small cove, beyond the cove was an expansive forest where large pine and oak trees swayed and thrashed in the destructive winds which continued to howl and roar all around him.
The jagged rocks, which seemed like fangs jutting out of the raging waters along the shore, were closer than the werewolf expected.
What was left of the ruined ship suddenly jolted with violent power, knocking him from his perch and sending him falling to the wall which continued to serve as a platform. Gabriel grunted and shook his body with vigor, water flying from his dark brown and now matted fur.
As lightning frequently crackled from the heavens, it gave Van Helsing a decent bit of lighting for him to see, but now, everything seemed darker than normal. Growling with confusion, the werewolf turned around and looked up to see a gigantic wave towering over the sinking vessel.
Gabriel howled in defiance as the rogue wave slammed upon him and the Demeter, forcing him to sink his claws into the wood to get traction and cling to it for dear life.
There was no stopping it now.
The impact the Demeter had on the rocky shoreline was thunderous.
Wood went flying and splintered all around him, the force of the collision sent debris scattering in all directions. The impact was like an explosion of sorts without fire and smoke, the blast sent the werewolf backwards, his furry body careening into a hole in the deck.
Suddenly, Gabriel found the environment around him near pitch black, his hearing was blurry, and everything around him was wet, and somehow, he felt heavier.
Waves of pain assaulted him from all sides as wood splinters struck against his large lupine body, some of the splinters larger than others, some of then stabbed into his muscular body beneath the fur.
Suddenly, a loud blurry blast reverberated from within this flooded chamber of the ruined Demeter. Van Helsing swam around and found himself to be face to face with stone, and then the rest of his world cut to black…