Alright here's the next chapter for you guys. Hope everyone's ready for high adventure and passable storytelling. Just kidding, hoping this makes it out before my birthday in June. I've gotten into the habit of writing such long chapters that I feel almost obligated to make each chapter as long a two or three for most people. Which is why it kinda becomes daunting when I write a new one. I start writing get something good out of it, and them I'm at like five thousand words and I'm like, alright, time for more story and than I keep going. I know I should just shorten it but I've had this habit of 7000-12000 words for each chapter for a long time. Hell the shortest chapter in Broken Angel is 4300 words, which is on the higher end of average for most people. The longest chapter is sitting at 15900 words. Looking back I haven't even dropped under 6500 words since chapter fifty of Broken Angel. That was like years ago. I'm still blown away by how much I wrote for that story, It basically as long as the whole Harry Potter book series.
Anyway, there is my micro rant for the day, to help pad this sucker out. Lol. Time to get things lit up. This chapter is gonna lead up to some truly epic stuff, so time to strap in. much like I did with Riley's first attack on Konoha, The Battle of London might release as two chapters at around the same time, so that you guys don't have a major cliffhanger, or I might just do one epic long one, thats 15000 words. We'll see what happens though. Anyway lets get started.
Broken Angel: Rising Demon
Chapter 16: Hopeful Tidings.
-Hellsing Manor, England. May 7th 1999-
Daphne and Walter stepped into the bedroom of Seras Victoria as she let out a scream of fright. Alucard was sitting by her bedside and she seemed to losing her wits over her newly discovered pointed teeth.
"The Police Girl is quite loud, isn't she, my master?" Alucard noted with a chuckle.
"That she is. You should remember where you come from, Police Girl. We like to show manners in this country. Vampire or not." Daphne noted, with a stoic, calculating gaze.
The newly reborn vampire, turned her cerulean gaze onto Daphne. Confusion and curiosity filling those ocean blue globes.
Daphne took the moment of silence to study the buxom blonde that had become her newest ward. Seras Victoria had blonde hair cut in a flare cut. She wasn't overly tall, though still a bit taller than Daphne. She was broad shouldered, with visible muscles along her forearms, but she was also quite buxom as well. A tick of annoyance flashed in Daphne's eyes at that, noting that Seras had quite the figure, despite being nineteen, a year younger than Daphne.
"So… I really am a vampire? Sorry, but where am I, exactly?" Seras inquired, with a sigh.
"This is Hellsing Manor. The headquarters of the Hellsing Organization. Our organization is dedicated to protecting England from monsters. I am Daphne. Daphne Greengrass Slytherin Hellsing. I am the head of the Hellsing family, and organization. This is Walter C Dornez, my adviser and butler to the Hellsing Manor. You've already met Alucard, your sire." Daphne answered the young woman, earning a slow nod from her as her eyes darted between the three of them.
"Given your unique condition, you have two choices. As a vampire, and an untrained one at that, you must receive training so that you can keep control over yourself. Your first choice is for me to send you off to the local coven. The lord vampire there will take you in, they will raise you, train you, and teach you in their ways. You'll end up segregated to their niche little corner of the world, and you'll walk the night forever more. Or, you can remain here. In which case you will work for Hellsing. Alucard will train you to control yourself, and I will allow you the same freedoms I allow him, once you've proven you can control yourself. Our organization it dedicated to protecting people from monsters. Monsters like the one that killed you. You've chosen to walk the path of undeath, as a vampire. Now you must live with that choice. You have an hour to decide, sadly I cannot offer you more. Until you're trained, Alucard will keep an eye on you, and I need him for a mission. So… think on it, and decide." Daphne explained to her, earning another slow nod from the woman.
Daphne and Walter turned to leave, when Seras spoke up.
"Ma'am?" Earning their attention both turned back to her.
"I think I'd rather stay here, if that's alright..." Seras said to them. Alucard smirked at her reply and rose to his feet.
Daphne nodded as Walter approached the young woman and placed a uniform on her bed, giving her an amused smile as he did.
"I figured you would. Get dressed, and then get ready. There are two vampires out there, murdering their way across the countryside. They are tearing off their victims heads, and using their blood to write messages on the wall. They are calling out our organization and insulting the national faith. You'll join Alucard in hunting them down and killing them." Daphne commanded, earning devilish smirks from both Alucard and Walter, while Seras herself just nodded slowly.
Not long after, the fledgling vampire was deployed on her first mission to aid her master in destroying two more murdering vampires. The mission went off without much difficulty.
Nearing midnight, Seras found herself standing silently beside her master as he gave his report on incident, to Daphne.
The former police officer still didn't fully understand the dynamic between Alucard and Daphne. Why exactly was a vampire working for a human? Who was Daphne exactly? What was really going on?
"How was it, your first kill as a vampire?" Daphne inquired, directing her question towards Seras.
Seras didn't answer immediately, causing Alucard to smirk.
"Come now Police Girl, it's impolite to space off during a meeting." Alucard hummed with amusement.
Seras blinked a few times, realizing they were talking to her, and had in fact asked a question.
"Sorry. Ma'am… master." Seras muttered, her face flushing with embarrassment.
"I understand you probably have a lot on your mind right now. I'll forgive your lack of focus, though try and keep your mind from wandering until after your reports are given." Daphne responded, earning a nod from the blonde vampire.
"Yes ma'am." Seras replied.
Daphne quietly blinked several times then turned her head to gaze at the empty space next to her, as she did Seras saw something that left her jaw hanging open in disbelief.
The space around a central point about six feet off the ground, warped and twisted, almost like illustrations she'd see in school of black holes. Out of the center of the distortions, a being emerged, a woman, standing at six foot even. In the moon lit room, it was hard to tell, but it appeared that her skin was a palish gray, her hair was jet black, and horns emerged from the top of her head.
Her eyes glowed a metallic purple, in the darkness of the night, and she wore a coat of pure blackness.
Something about the woman, immediately set Seras on edge, and filled her with fright. Almost like a sixth sense, or an instinct warning her against a predator. It was the same feeling she got from Alucard, but more intense.
"Riley?" Daphne inquired, gazing at her mate.
"My love." Riley responded, gazing down at her. For the briefest moment, her eyes flickered to those in the room. When they landed on Seras she felt every muscle in her body tense up, almost painfully.
It lasted only an instant, but it was long enough to send a fearful shiver down her spine. This woman, she exuded power on a level beyond imagining. It was almost suffocating, being in the same room with her. Who was she? What was she?
"So you have yourself a new pet?" Riley inquired to her wife.
"Indeed. Alucard sired her a few days ago." Daphne responded.
"Congratulations. I didn't know you were expecting." Riley noted, sending a smirk towards the ancient vampire, who chuckled in reply.
"Rough, and moronic at times. She's still raw, but I do sense opportunity in this one." Alucard responded.
"I see. Well I hope she makes a fine addition to your band of guardians. Just know that if you need me, I'm always available." Riley responded, turning her attention back to Daphne.
"I believe we're capable of handling things, but I appreciate the offer. I was just finishing up our meeting, so if you wouldn't mind. I'll see you later." Daphne replied to her offer, earning a nod of understanding an a small smile.
For the briefest instance, Riley's eyes flickered across the room again, before she vanished from sight, her body seemingly evaporating into air. To Seras, she could only just barely catch the rapid movements around the edge of Riley's form, otherwise, nothing else presented to indicate that she hadn't actually just faded out of existence.
"Apologies for the interruption. My wife is nosy, and isn't well known for her timing." Daphne stated, returning her focus to them.
"Your… wife?" Seras muttered, her jaw falling open.
"Your beloved beast grows more powerful by the day, my master. Do you truly believe you can control such power?" Alucard inquired with a smirk.
"Control? No. I've never thought that. Not with her, not with you. Monsters cannot be controlled, only directed. What is it you always say? Speak the name and you will see them dead? Say the words and you will rip them asunder? Controlling monsters, is what fools spend their lives trying to do. But there is no controlling them. If there were, they wouldn't be monsters in the first place." Daphne responded, earning a sagely nod of agreement from Walter, while Alucard hummed thoughtfully before smiling.
"A wise answer." Alucard agreed.
"Yes, well. Regardless, your mission is complete for now. So I would recommend you get some rest. These vampire attacks are occurring more and more frequently. I believe something massive is coming our way, an attack that may threaten the very fabric of our society. Ensure that your sireling is prepared for the bloodshed to come." Daphne commanded, earning a chuckle from Alucard.
"Oh… I will make sure of it. When fire rains from the sky, and the oceans run red with blood, we shall stand tall amongst the fallen. As all monsters of the night, are meant to." Alucard stated offering a respectful half bow to Daphne, as he sank into the ground.
Seras was still staring at the place where Riley had been, only to then stare dumbfounded as her master, seemingly fell through the floor.
"Wh- How? How did he do that?" Seras muttered in disbelief.
"Perhaps one day he will show you. For now, the night is only half over. I've taken the liberty of gathering some preferred reading for you. So do your homework. The sun wont be up for a while yet, so you've got plenty of time to familiarize yourself with our current enemy." Daphne motioned towards a small stack of books set on the corner of her desk, closest to Seras.
"Yes, ma'am." Seras replied dutifully. Her training as a police officer, allowing her to show a degree of professionalism.
"Walter, if you could, please give her a quick tour of the facilities, and then you are free to retire for the night." Daphne ordered, slowly rising to her feet.
"Of course, Sir." Walter said with a polite bow.
"This way, Police Girl." Walter commanded as she retrieved her homework and offered Daphne a quick salute.
The two immediately departed, leaving Daphne alone with her thoughts.
"I'm assuming you have questions?" Walter noted as they made their way through the mansion.
"Well, yes. I'm still trying to understand what I've become, but I guess that'll all come with time. I do have some questions about my master, and lady Daphne, and Hellsing in general." Seras responded.
"Feel free to ask. I will answer what I can." Walter responded as he led her through the halls, occasionally noting points of interest for her.
"Well, firstly, if lady Daphne isn't a vampire, than why does master serve her. We're fighting vampires aren't we?" Seras inquired, curiously.
"Vampires are our current foes, that's true, but they aren't the only beasts of the night, that our organization deals with. Hellsing itself works as an advisory group to various magical and muggle agencies around the world, offering them out expertise in dealing with dangerous situations, involving magical creatures. Alucard and yourself, belong to Hellsing's elite strike force, sent in when speed is of the essence. However we do have access to the assistance of the aurors if need be, as well as the Cysgodol Legion. As to why Alucard serves Hellsing, that ties into the old stories you may have heard about Doctor Van Hellsing. The famous monster hunter, alchemist, and rune master, who hunted down Count Dracula." Walter explained to her.
"Magical? Muggle? Aurors? Cysgodol Legion? Um… what does Count Dracula have to do with any of this? You're saying he was real?" Seras responded, a bit confused, and surprised by the revelation.
"Reverse Alucard's name, and you'll have your answer. He was real, and thanks to Doctor Van Hellsing, he if bound to the service of the Hellsing family, and directly serves the master of the household. Beyond that though, magic exists, muggles are how we in Europe refer to non-magicals humans. The Aurors are magical law enforcement, and the Cysgodol Legion is Britain's magical military." Walter answered all of her questions. He smirked as he heard her come to a stop, her eyes widening at the realization, as she reversed Alucard's name in her mind.
Her whole body trembled as she quickly caught up to Walter, much more unnerved than she was before, but more understanding of why her master gave off such a terrifying aura to him. If he truly was Count Dracula, than that would definitely explain it.
Her mind then passed onto the rest of Walter's responses. Magic was real… now that in-and-of itself was mind blowing, though it did explain how Alucard sank through the floor, and how Daphne's wife had arrived so strangely.
On that note she decided to take the opportunity to ask about Daphne and the strange being that Alucard had called a 'beast'.
"Walter sir, Lady Daphne… what do you know about her, and that other woman… her wife… what is she?" Seras inquired.
"Lady Daphne Greengrass Slytherin Hellsing. She was born Daphne Greengrass. She married into house Slytherin, and ancient and powerful magical house, and won Hellsing through Right of Conquest when she killed Richard Hellsing, the last lord of the Hellsing family. Before you ask, the right of conquest is tied to old family magics. A few generations of a family of powerful magical beings, can lead to that family developing an inborn and unique type of magic that recognizes their name and their specific family. If such a family is wiped out, that magic will try and survive however it can. So in the case of Hellsing, when the last blood member of the family, Richard Hellsing was killed, his family magics and name passed onto the one who killed him, through Right of Conquest. Which is how Lady Daphne earned the Hellsing Title." Walter began to explain, earning Seras' full attention.
"You called her, sir before." Seras noted.
"Yes I did. Lady Daphne was knighted by the queen when she took full command of the Hellsing organization. She has a seat on the round table. In her capacity as the head of the Hellsing organization, she is best addressed as a knight, though as the head of house Greengrass, and the Lady of house Slytherin, she is addressed as a Lady. She is both, a Lady and a Knight." Walter answered, earning another nod of understanding from Seras.
"So… she killed the last lord of the Hellsing house, and became it's new leader. Does that mean she managed to defeat master Alucard?" Seras inquired.
"No, Richard Hellsing never used Alucard, nor would Alucard have ever agreed to work for him in the first place. Richard Hellsing was a snake. He murdered his niece, the rightful heir to the Hellsing house, and used his position and connections to run a slave trading racket out of this very estate. The Queen herself, ordered his execution and the Cysgodol Legion carried it out, attacking the facility and killing him in the process. It was Lady Daphne who dealt the killing blow." Walter explained to her.
"Wow. What about her wife?" Seras asked.
"She's a bit more of a mystery to me, I'm afraid. Lady Riley Gryffindor Slytherin Ravenclaw Uzumaki Uchiwa Senju Black. Quite the name on that one, head of multiple noble households, and considered by many to be the most powerful magical warrior the world has ever seen. She founded the Cysgodol Legion only a few short years ago, and participated in the attack on the manor. She is considered a hero of the Fourth Great Ninja World War, and successfully defeated the Ten-Tails. Sealing the great demon away within her own body. From what I've heard, those strange events that were seen a few years back, causing all that chaos in Eastern Asia, that was all due to her battling an ancient demonic god." Walter answered, earning a dumbstruck look from Seras.
"I remember seeing those things on TV. That light that shot across the sky, and the giant orb… it took out a lot of satellites it was so big." Seras muttered, dumbfounded.
"Indeed. Some say the world nearly ended that day. That we came a hair's breath from annihilation. Lady Riley is said to have been the one responsible for stopping. From what I hear she beat it, nearly single-handed. Aside from herself I hear only a few others were involved in the direct fighting, including Sir Artoria Pendragon, the head of the Round Table. Sir Daphne's superior." Walter offered, earning a slow nod from Seras.
"And what about her eyes? Lady Riley's eyes had a strange pattern in them. I didn't get a look at it for very long, but it made me feel small. Tiny even, like I was an insect." Seras asked.
"They call them the Rinnegan. The ripple patterned eyes. The Samsara Eyes. The Eyes of God. I can't say I know much about them, other that the fact that only five people in history have ever had them. The first was the Founder of Magic, the Sage of the Six Paths, some three thousand years ago. The second a man from Village Hidden in Rain, named Pain. Than there is Lord Madara Uchiwa, lady Riley's grandfather. Lady Riley is the fourth, and the fifth is Lady Naruko, her twin sister. The eyes are said to grant the user unimaginable abilities. I asked Alucard if he knew anything more about them. The old vamp simply laughed and said those eyes were an aspect of God. Proof that God was not omnipotent. He offered me no more than that. Aside from all that, Lady Riley's eyes are different from the others. Her eyes carry markings along with the ripple pattern. Though I can't say what that truly means in regards to how they differ." Walter explained to her.
"Wow. This is all so crazy..." Seras muttered.
"Oh… you haven't seen the half of it yet." Walter smirked, knowingly, causing Seras to blanch in response.
-Kamui. May 8th 1999-
Riley rushed forward, delivering a downward slash to her opponent. Artoria was quick to side step the strike and lash out with Excalibur. Her blade sung as it slashed through the air, barely missing Riley's head.
The demoness, grinned with excitement, the thrill of battle, and injury causing her blood to come to a boil.
Artoria grimaced as Riley slammed into her again, Riley's strength was otherworldly, even with heavy use of her Mana Burst ability, she found herself struggling under the her partner's assault.
The two came to a pause when their blades locked together.
"You're awfully excited today." Artoria noted.
"What's not to be excited about? I'm going to be a parent. Like is going pretty well, all things considered. I've got a beautiful knight, to occupy my attention. I'd say I have plenty of reasons to be excited." Riley responded, her eyes alight with glee.
"You're full of flattery today as well." Artoria added, as she felt her heels begin to slide along the dirt, Riley pushing her back with her superior strength.
"Just trying to get you into bed. Nothing out of the ordinary." Riley said to her, causing Artoria's face to redden, as she tried to not let Riley's flirting distract her.
"You have a child on the way, shouldn't you be more focused on that?" Artoria tried to deflect Riley's attention away from flirting with her.
"Oh I am focused on it. About as focused as I am on the prospect of you and I having a baby." Riley responded, her tone becoming more sensual and alluring.
That did it for Artoria, she blushed beet red, and had to avert her eyes away from the lust building in Riley's gaze.
In response, Riley used her free hand to seize Excalibur by the blade and pull it away from the deadlock. Creating an opening that allowed her to press her blade to Artoria's throat.
Artoria's eyes went wide as burning white light erupted around where Riley had gripped the blade. Holy magics billowed off of Excalibur, burning at the Archdemon's flesh, but Riley seemed undeterred, even as the flesh of her hand, sizzled and burned.
"Ha… looks like I found what makes you blush the most." Riley hummed with amusement, removing her hand from the blade, and allowing the burning white light to fade away. Artoria's eyes danced to the scalded flesh on Riley's hand.
Riley shook her hand a few times in annoyance.
"Are you alright?" Artoria inquired, knowing full well that holy energy was far more capable of hurting her than most other forms of attack.
"Yeah, fine." Riley responded, showing her hand. To Artoria's amazement, the blisters and burns were slowly receding, fading away into nothingness.
"I thought you couldn't full heal from Holy energy?" Artoria inquired, confused.
"No normally, I cant. Usually it just leaves an ugly scar. However, I learned that holy energy, acts a lot like cursed magic, wherein if you purge it from your system, you can negate it's effects. In my case, I'm actually corrupting the holy energy that's tainting my wound, allowing me to heal myself. As you can see it takes far longer, than the near instantaneous regeneration of my normal wounds, but I can still heal from it, if given than time. Otherwise I can just remove the affected area of my body, discarding it, and then recreating that part if I want." Riley explained, earning a nod of understanding from Artoria as the wound finished healing.
"I see. When did you learn that?" Artoria asked, as she sheathed Excalibur in Invisible Air.
"A few weeks ago. Trial and error really. Figured there was a reason why angels hadn't won the war against demons, if they could cause permanent damage to them. So just tried a few things." Riley replied with a shrug. "What's really curious though is the unique tie between holy magic and demonic Youki. For instance, when I summon up my purest memories, and create a Patronus, I can purify my own magic. It's quickly re-corrupted by my demonic core, but for a few instances in time, my magic is different. The fact that Demonic Youki can alter it's state like that, even to a purified form, is curious. I'm not quite sure what it means, and no one that I've asked, has had any sort of insight into it."
"Fascinating." Artoria agreed.
Riley stared down at her hand for a few more moments, before turning her attention back to Artoria and smiling.
"So… you spend a lot of time thinking about us having kids?" Riley inquired, causing Artoria to blush and look away, while Riley grinned.
"Your earlier statement simply caught me off guard." Artoria tried to respond with confidence though her final words came out as a bit of a stutter, as Riley stepped up to her, placing her hands on Artoria's shoulders, smirking, her eyes filled with lust and desire.
"Well I hope you realize, that I've been thinking about it, you pregnant with out child. Such an enticing thought though first I'd have to get you into bed..." Riley growled sensually into her ear as she pulled Artoria into an embrace.
She felt Artoria hug her back, but she didn't say anything, no doubt extremely embarrassed by such a prospect.
"I've never considered such a thing, not truly. Having children. Maybe one day." Artoria responded quietly, sinking into Riley's embrace.
Riley smiled at that, happy to know that Artoria was open to the idea. For now though, it was nice to just be with her, and spend some time together. Riley knew, not so deep down, that everything was soon going to get wild.
-Hellsing Manor, England.-
"Ser Daphne, a word if you may, we've received an interesting report that you may find troubling." Walter offered to her, earning Daphne's attention.
"What does it say?" Daphne inquired.
"Word has reached us that the Vatican has deployed it's Iscariot organization to Ireland, to deal with vampire threats in that region, and that they may be crossing over into our territory." Walter informed her.
"Iscariot? Members of the Vatican's elite monster hunter division. Section XIII. How many members did they send?" Daphne inquired in response.
"Only one. Alexander Anderson." Walter replied.
"Alexander Anderson? The Paladin. What are the chances he runs into Alucard and Seras?" Daphne asked, earning a rather pointed look from Walter. "Damn. Alright then. Looks like we're headed to Ireland."
Daphne was quick to rise to her feet, her Dementor cloak manifesting around her. Walter was by her side immediately, and the two quickly disappeared from the estate, headed to check up on their wayward vampires.
They arrived at an old hospital that had recently been captured by a rogue vampire whom had turned all of the inhabitants into ghouls. Daphne and Walter entered into the building, Daphne coming a pause as she passed through her cloak and shadow both reacting as if passing through a barrier.
Her eyes narrowed as she continued forward.
The two made their way past dozens of corpses, left over from Alucard and Seras and made it to the floor above.
They arrived just in time to find Seras on her knees, heavily injured, and a man in a long light blue coat, standing over her, armed with two long bayonets.
Daphne reacted immediately, firing a severing curse right at the Paladin's weapons, snapping both of them, and alerting him to their presence.
"Alexander Anderson. Paladin of Vatican's Iscariot Organization. That girl belongs to me." Daphne snarled, another spell fresh on her lips, her wand training on the Catholic agent.
Alexander Anderson, stood impressively tall and muscular, he had blonde hair, and light stubble running along his chin. A long scar ran down from one of his eyes, and small glasses covered them. He faced Daphne and Walter, and offered both of them a menacing smile.
"Oh, would you look at that, Hellsing's come all this way. Hmm… I guess the rumors are true, your godless organization of heathens is run by a witch." The priest stated with a chuckle before launching towards them at incredible speed.
Walter, readied to counter the man, but was surprised when he saw Daphne advanced, stepping forward to meet the man's charge.
Anderson brought a blade to bare on her, only for to meet with ice cold steel. A gauntlet covered fist closed around the priest's neck, causing his eyes to widen in surprise.
Having emerged from her shadow, her own personal wraith, blocked his strike, and was now holding him at bay. Daphne's wand was pressed to Anderson's chest, with single word she could unleash a blasting curse and take out his heart, spine, and damage most of his internal organs.
"Where is Alucard?" Daphne inquired, her gaze filled with fury.
"Seems like more than just vampires in service to you wretches. As for your vampire, he already dead." Alexander replied, his eyes dancing from Daphne to the wraith, than back again.
"Dead? Do please explain to me how that came to pass? Seeing as how the building is still standing, I'm guessing you're exaggerating." Daphne scoffed at him, earning confusion from the priest.
Almost as if on cue, the sound of flesh molding itself together, along with bats screeching filled the air. It took only a moment, but Alucard manifested nearby, a demonic grin adorning his face.
A curse left Anderson's throat as he jumped back, away from Daphne and the wraith.
"Come now Catholic, shall we continue our dance?" Alucard demanded, charging at the priest fire shots from his pistol.
Anderson dodged them, and rushed forward, slicing off one of Alucard's arms, only for it to grow back almost immediately.
"Now this is getting interesting. Do please show me more." Alucard's grin was becoming hellish now.
"You're right. This is getting interesting. A bit too interesting for what I came prepared for. I guess I'll have to retreat for now. Next time though, I'll see you to your grave vampire. And you as well, witch." Anderson retrieved a small bible from pocket, when he opened it, golden papers erupted, causing a burst of light, that Anderson vanished into.
Just as suddenly as it had started, it ended.
Daphne let out a sigh and shook her head, placing her wand back in it's holster as she did.
"We're alive. I can't believe it." Seras muttered, letting out a sigh of relief.
"Are you alright, Ser Daphne?" Walter inquired.
"Fine. The wraith shielded me, as I knew it would. What was the Vatican doing here?" Daphne responded with a question of her own.
"They've never moved this far into our territory before. Despite both of our churches, long standing feuds, surely the Vatican has heard rumors of your lady, Wife. Any attempts into our lands, could mean retaliation from the Queen, and if the queen sends her… well…" Walter trailed off, but Daphne understood plainly.
The Vatican and the Church of England had long been at odds with each other. But Daphne herself held no such religious views. Despite that, Walter was right. The Vatican surely had at least heard about Riley through their ties to the magical world, and knew of what she had done, and what she was capable of. And Riley was English, despite her mixed heritage. Attacking one of the Queen's loyal organizations, would definitely risk Riley being sent to deal with the problem, and Riley had no issue with attacking a religious organization, despite the problems that it would cause globally.
Daphne bit her lip in frustration, and turned to head out. Riley had been right. This was getting worse, by the day. Soon, everything would come burning down, and perhaps it wouldn't just be Millennium, who had a hand in it.
-Vatican City, Rome. May 9th 1999-
"So our intelligence was correct. The leader of Hellsing is a witch?" Enrico Maxwell, the head of the Iscariot Organization, inquired to one of his top soldiers, Alexander Anderson.
"Aye. And a strong one at that, despite her age. She has a creature guarding her, something that seems to follow in the darkness of her own shadow. It also appears as if she's gained a new pet vampire, on top of the original. We'll have to look into these things, and be ready, the next time we clash with Hellsing." Anderson responded.
"Did you, perchance, come across the container to the Tree of Life?" Maxwell inquired.
"No, why would I have?" Anderson responded.
"New intel may suggest that the leader of Hellsing, is married to the container. Two women engaged in a sinful relationship." Maxwell responded, his eyes darkening as he did, filling with fury and hatred.
"Well one is a witch, and the other, an abomination. Would you expect anything less?" Anderson replied, much calmer than his commander.
"No. I wouldn't. Just another reason why Hellsing has fallen into decadence and sin. We will have to be cautious. Our attempt to capture the Tree of Life, met with severe failure. The container proved to be exceptionally skilled, and easily overpowered our sealing ritual, killing all but one of the paladins we sent after her." Enrico stated, earning a look from his subordinate.
"Why was I not sent to deal with the container? You put to many lives at risk, trying to deal with something that powerful. Even if it's only the vessel, we're talking about the birth of all life in our world. It is from that tree, that god planted the seeds of life on Earth. If she has access to even a fraction of it's power, than who know what kind of destruction could be unleashed." Anderson admonished the younger man with a stern glare.
"Yes indeed. This was merely an attempt, if we were successful than it would be a great boon, but if not, we still left with valuable information, and she doesn't know who we are, which opens the doorway to the possibility of trying again. We will simply have to be prepared." Enrico responded, playing it cool, despite the malice in his eyes.
Anderson continued to eye him with concern and anger, but said nothing in response.
"One more thing, in regards to the container. Our newest intelligence indicated that she may also be the container of the Nine Tailed Demon Fox spirit." Enrico informed his subordinate, earning surprise from Anderson.
"So… the Tree of Life, and the most powerful demon in our world. Just who is this woman?" Anderson mused.
"An abomination. Nothing more." Enrico replied, his fury reaching out, adding a chill to his words.
Anderson sighed, but added nothing. It was a sentiment he agreed with, but he wasn't so willing to dismiss the container of these two great powers, as 'just' an abomination. There had to be more, much more, and it was from that more, that the secret to her defeat may lay. For now though, for now they simply had to prepare. First they needed to deal with Hellsing. From there, they could plan for how they would retrieve the Tree of Life from it's current vessel, and uplift the Church into a new Golden Age.
-Sunagakure, Elemental Nations. May 20th 1999-
Riley lay in Gaia's bed, the Kazekage cuddled up next to her, both enjoying some peace and quiet.
"Less than two weeks left until Fleur and I get married. Not more than six months after that, you and I will be married. That'll be three of my mates, I'll finally be wed to." Riley noted aloud.
"Yes. How's Fleur? Is she starting to show yet?" Gaia inquired.
"Yep. Her belly's getting rounder, and I can see the life growing inside of her. Our child is going to be strong, I can tell." Riley responded, with a smile.
"Excited?" Gaia hummed.
"Like you wouldn't believe." Came Riley's response.
"So, with Fleur already pregnant, what are you gonna do for your honeymoon?" Gaia wondered with a smirk.
"I'll think of a few things to fill the time." Riley responded with a mischievous little grin.
"Well I hope you two enjoy yourselves. You've been rather tense lately, I hope you can find some time to relax." Gaia noted.
"You're on to talk, my love. Any new troubles I should know about?" Riley inquired in response.
"Our enemy has been too quiet lately. I don't like quiet. Iwa rebels have slipped away into the mountains, and haven't come out recently. I worry that something major is coming." Gaia answered honestly.
"Well you know I'm here if you need me. Just say the word and I'll come here and deal with them." Riley offered, earning a nod from her beloved mate.
"Thank you Riley. I'll be sure to keep that in mind. You just focus on your wedding, I know you've been waiting for this day, for a long time." Gaia responded, causing Riley to smile.
"I've wanted to marry Fleur since I was little more than a child. Now that day is fast approaching. Thanks for taking time out of your busy schedule to come to the wedding Gaia, it means a lot, to both of us." Riley informed her.
"I'll always be there to support you, in all things." Gaia said to her, snuggling closer to Riley.
"I hope you're ready for what that entails my love. Very soon, that support will be needed for whole of the magical world." Riley thought to herself, tightening her grip on Gaia as the two continued to relax.
-Riley's Home, London. May 30th 1999-
Riley and Fleur lay together on the couch, their relatives busying themselves with preparations for their upcoming wedding.
The two had no greater plans other than spending some quiet time together, basking in each others presence.
Even now, after only a short time had passed, Fleur was already starting to show with her pregnancy. Her belly was beginning to grow, and her hormones were falling out of whack. The night prior she burst into tears while making love with Riley, and couldn't stop crying nearly twenty minutes. It was honestly adorable as the normally regal, prim, and proper Veela, was now a bit skittish, hormonal, and giddy.
Needless to say, the upcoming wedding had everyone feeling excited.
"Two more days, my love." Riley whispered to her, feeling her smile in response.
"Two more days." She whispered back.
-May 31st 1999-
Just like with Daphne, the ladies were quick to whisk Fleur away for her bachelorette party. Just like with Daphne's it would be her family, friends, and fellow mates, spending their day on one of the southern beaches of France, kicked back, and enjoying a day of peace and quiet.
For Riley, her grandfathers had organized a get together with all of her friends, to enjoy a long day of all of them collectively trying to kick the crap out of Riley. Basically an all versus one, battle royale for the ages.
Good times all round, with Riley getting to flex her limbs as she fought off basically everyone she knew, and tried not to accidentally kill anyone, all in all, a fun day for both brides-to-be.
-Chateau Delacour, France. June 1st 1999-
Katie and Gabrielle both cradled Fleur between them as she openly wept, her feelings overwhelming her in the moments leading up to the wedding ceremony.
It would be held in much the same was as Daphne's and Riley's had been, though it would be officiated by the head of the local Veela coven.
Fleur herself was a mess, barely able to contain her excitement.
Nearby, Daphne, Luna, Kaede, and Gaia, all stood by watching Katie and Gabrielle try and get Fleur calmed down enough to proceed with the ceremony.
"So, how does it feel to go from wife, to first wife?" Gaia inquired to Daphne, earning a smirk from her in the process.
"I'm happy for them. Really, I am. I just hope nothing back happens today. She went to war for me, I'd hate to see what she'd do if something happened to Fleur, while she's pregnant, nonetheless." Daphne, answered, earning collective nods from her fellow mates.
"Are you gonna be okay?" Katie inquired, wiping the tears from Fleur's face.
"I- I… Perhaps." Fleur muttered in response, earning a smile from her sister.
"Today's finally the day. Time to go and marry the woman of your dreams. Can't keep her waiting now." Gabrielle hummed, earning a quick nod from Fleur as she rose to her feet.
Just then, Fleur's mother poked her head into the room, offering her a wide smile.
"It's time." She stated, earning an excited nod from Fleur.
"Knock 'em dead." Katie encouraged her as they all quickly departed to find their seats.
Not long afterwards, it was time for the ceremony to begin.
Just as with the previous wedding the, two would exit their respective chambers, and walk towards one another, meeting in the middle before the crowd of onlookers and well-wishers. They would then approach the official and proceed with the ceremony.
Fleur couldn't escape the feeling of her heart threatening to pound it's way out of her chest. Finally, after almost ten years since they had first met, she would finally marry her beloved mate. This was quite literally a dream come true.
The two approached each other, Fleur in a white dress, Riley in a black. The passionate flame with the demoness' eyes spoke volumes even as she kept her composure.
Fleur entered into her embrace when the two met.
"Are you ready for this?" Riley whispered.
"I am. My love. You make me so happy. I love you wiz all of my heart." Fleur responded as they turned and headed towards the Veela Matriarch.
"Who comes to claim this woman as their wife?" The Matriarch inquired, gesturing to Fleur.
"I do. Riley Uchiwa." Riley responded.
"And who comes to claim this woman?" The Matriarch asked, gesturing to Riley.
"I do. Fleur of House Delacour." Fleur replied.
"In the sight of old magic, I ask that these two be wed, let their vows of love, form the basic of their unity. Let their hearts and souls be joined together, forever more. Let their lives be filled with joy and happiness, for the rest of their days. We shall begin with the exchanging of the rings." The official began.
Riley and Fleur turned to face each other, both of their eyes alight with excitement.
"Fleur… you were the first person I ever truly loved. You've been with me ever since we were children. You and I were meant for one another, and I every day you prove that to me with your love, your compassion, you heart, and soul. I knew from the moment we shared our first kiss that we'd spend the rest of our lives together. I love you with a fire that grows in intensity with each passing moment. It's been a helluva ride getting here, but after today, we'll step forward, joined hand in hand, ready to face the rest of our lives together. I don't think I've ever thanked you loving me. For giving me your time, and your heart. So thank you, thank you from the bottom of my heart. I plan on spending every day of my life, making sure that it's that happiest day of yours." Riley said to her, tears building in her eyes as she placed the ring on Fleur's finger.
Both of their rings were silver-gold bands intertwined and adorned with cerulean blue emeralds. Much like with Riley's and Daphne's wedding rings, a drop of blood had been infused into the stone work.
Fleur was openly crying now, earning smiles and tearful chuckles from her fellow mates in the crowd, as well as her family and friends.
It took several moments for Fleur to compose herself enough to begin reading her vows, and when she did, it was with great difficulty as she struggled to keep from bawling her eyes out.
"My love, my heart and soul. You have been on my mind, every day, since ze moment we first met. You have always been my hero, my lover, my friend. I cannot imagine my life wizout you in it. I have counted the seconds until zis day. Ze day I could call you my wife. I know our days will not always be easy, but wiz you I know we will make is zrough. Now, here we stand, ready to unite out lives fully wiz one anozer. Zis is ze happiest day of my life. I love you Riley, I always have, and I always will." Fleur got her vows out through her tears. Riley smiled lovingly at her as she reached out and took Fleur's hands, as Fleur placed her ring on Riley's finger.
"You and I, together forever, my love." Riley whispered to her, earning a nod from Fleur as she wiped some tears from her face.
"The vows have been said. Let us now ask magic to join these two, in the unity of marriage. By the powers that be, I, Arianna of House Lithold, call upon magic to join these two in marriage. I ask that they be blessed with long and happy lives, and that their union be blessed with good fortune, from this day, until their last. May the bonds of marriage hold them united, through sickness, and hard times, from now onward." The Veela matriarch proclaimed, causing magic to rise out of the two women. Fleur's magic rose as a gentle baby blue, and it moved like flame, while Riley's rose as three different colors, black, dark gray, and red around the edges. Riley's magic moved in torrents shifting and floating through the air, filling it with a crackling noise, and causing everyone's hairs to stand on end.
The sight earned many oohs, and awes from the crowd, many noting the changes in her magic's appearance since her last wedding. All of them attributing it to her now being the Ten-Tails' Jinchuriki.
Their two magics intermingled and joined with one another, mixing and diluting into each other, until they finally formed one color, a dark bluish-gray, signifying that magic had accepted their union.
"Magic has seen fit to join you both in holy matrimony, seal the union with a kiss and finish it with an act of true love." The Matriarch commanded.
Riley and Fleur beamed at one another, before meeting in a passionate embrace and kiss.
Cheers broke up from the crowd, as family, friends, and well-wishers, roared their approval.
As the two shared their kiss, Riley kept her senses keened into the crowd, just in case something were to happen, like the last time.
A few other members of the crowd, were of a similar mind, her grandfathers, keeping their eyes peeled for anyone attempting anything.
Luckily no one tried to attack them, and the wedding was allowed to continue to the reception.
Cheerful celebrations soon ensued with plenty of merriment to go around.
Fleur spent the time being passed from group to group, of friends, family, other Veela, and the like, all of whom offering their blessings for her new marriage.
Riley did much the same, floating around amongst her friends, family, and mates.
"Fun times, eh?" Riley inquired to Daphne.
"Indeed it is. Happy to see nothing went awry. So, you two planning on vanishing from this party, or were go going to wait until tomorrow before heading out to spend some time alone?" Daphne inquired as she drank from her champagne glass.
"We'll vanish the moment everyone's done offering their congrats. I'm thinking of taking her somewhere in the Mediterranean, to enjoy the warmth and beaches." Riley responded, earning a curious look from Daphne.
"No gonna take her out to Alaska to show her your cabin?" Daphne asked.
"Nope. I think I'll let that be our special place. Somewhere you and I share our memories." Riley responded, earning a gentle smile from Daphne.
"Ma'am, my lady?" Walter inquired, offering a tray of champagne to the two, earning a nod from Riley and a curious look from Daphne.
"You know you aren't working right now, Walter. You don't need to go around serving everyone." Daphne said to him, earning a dry smile from the old butler.
"Force of habit ma'am." He responded, sending a glance towards Riley.
Riley caught his eye, and noted the gleam in it. Something about it, drew her attention. Walter was trying to speak with her.
"Yes?" Riley inquired, speaking into his mind.
"There is an attack coming. Millennium is going to launch an assault on Hellsing's compound on the 13th of June." Walter informed her. Riley was quiet for a moment but offered a nod.
"Alright. I'll make sure everything is in place to deal with this attack. Thank you for the information." Riley responded, earning a nod from Walter, whom offered the same to Daphne, before departing to return to his role as a faithful servant.
Their conversation occurred in the blink of an eye, so quickly in fact that Daphne didn't notice it.
"Come along my dear, let's go find Itachi and Artoria, I've got some news for the three of you." Riley offered, placing an arm around Daphne and guiding her through the room, leading her to gather up Itachi and Artoria.
Once he'd gathered the other two, he led them off to a side area where they could speak in private.
"A weeks ago, I tracked down a member of the group launching these vampire attacks against us." Riley informed Artoria and Itachi.
Both of them shared a look before focusing on her.
"This man was sent as an infiltrator into our operations within the British Government. His purpose was to keep an eye on Hellsing and feed the enemy information on them. I turned him to our side, and made him swear a blood oath of servitude. He's my agent now, and has given me a great deal of info about this group. They call themselves Millennium. They're a group of Nazi vampires that survived World War II. Their goal is to trigger a global conflict that will initiate a thousand years of bloodshed and chaos. They intend to live in this chaotic world, and spent the rest of their lives fighting in glorious battle. On the thirteenth of this month, they're going to attack the Hellsing compound." Riley informed the three of them, earning hard looks from all three.
"You waited this long to tell us, why?" Itachi inquired.
"I'm playing this one close to the vest. Our enemy has plans to trigger a global catastrophe, and my agent doesn't know where they are, exactly. If they learn about us, and about us, knowing about them, they'll slip from sight, until they're ready. So, the fewer people in the know, the safer everything will be. A predictable enemy, is an easily beaten one, it's when they're forced to become unpredictable, that they become dangerous." Riley answered, earning a nod from Itachi. It was the same philosophy she'd used with the Akatsuki, so long as she knew what they were doing, she could counter it, but if anything went wrong and they escaped, the line of information was broken, and they became and unknown. Patience was key, you had to wait and strike at the perfect time, to ensure their total destruction.
"Alright, we'll lay a trap for them, and wipe them out when they come at us." Daphne stated, earning a nod for agreement from Artoria.
"I agree on the trap, but we have to be careful that we don't let the enemy know, that we know about them. They cannot suspect that we knew they were coming, otherwise my agent may be exposed. When you lay a trap for them, make sure it looks like you simply reacted faster than anticipated. The key word being 'reacted'. A surprise attack, if known about, and properly exploited, can be turned on it's perpetrator quite efficiently." Riley responded.
"I agree. We'll need to make this appear like we were simply more prepared for something like this, than they thought. So long as they believe we reacted to their attack, rather than knew about it before hand, they'll continue along their current course. What is their goal in this attack?" Itachi inquired.
"The round table. You have a meeting on the thirteenth at the manor, right?" Riley responded, surmising that part on her own. Artoria and Daphne nodded.
"I'll be back from my honeymoon by then, and I'll be there to help if need be. Just get ready for it, as quietly as you can." Riley offered to the three, earning nods from all of them.
Internally, Riley seethed at the prospect of someone going after her wife and future mate. She'd play the game for now, but when the time came, Millennium would suffer a fate worse than death.
-To be Continued-
Alright, there's the next chapter for you guys, rest of Hellsing Arc, and the Battle of London next chapter, get ready cuz it's gonna be a long one. :)