Castlevania: Lisa's Last Words
Chapter 14
Family
With no time for subtlety, Dracula executed a swift and graceful leap from the well's bottom to its top, his eyes scanning the surroundings with a piercing intensity. The freed captives had yet to arrive, and the others had fled in abject terror. He sprinted towards cover with unbridled haste, until the village houses obscured him from view. Then, with a fluid transformation, he took to the skies as a bat, flying to the cabin with all due urgency.
As he landed and returned to his natural form, Dracula felt the twinge of his skeletons falling, their brittle bones shattering beneath Mina's relentless assault. He peered through the window, his gaze piercing the gloom, and beheld Mina striking them down with leisurely ease. Realizing his subterfuge had bought him precious time, Dracula knew his skeletons could be restored if not too severely damaged.
Mina had just opened the door to the cellar when the Dark Lord made his dramatic entrance. "So, you are much quicker than I expected," she remarked, turning back to face Dracula with a smirk. "If you insist upon getting in my way, then I will have to strike you down first." Her voice was as smooth as silk, filled with an unwarranted confidence that bordered on hubris.
Dracula chuckled, a low, menacing sound. "You are far too overconfident, arrogant, and ignorant to see what is right in front of you. Just like I was," he said, the thought "Just like I still am" fleeting across his mind. "This façade has no more purpose; I will do you the honor of dropping it." With a flick of his wrist, Dracula discarded the remnants of the ax he had been carrying, the shattered remains clattering to the floor.
Dracula, ever the master of theatrics, dropped his glamor with a flourish, summoning the darkness to envelop him like a shroud. The only luminescence on his form came from his piercing red eyes, gleaming like embers from the very depths of the underworld. "You have taken what is mine, whelp," he spat, his voice dripping with malevolence. As he spoke, his hair transformed into a snowy white, his skin followed suit, and his fangs bared themselves, revealing the true visage of the Prince of Darkness. "This village is mine, and everyone in it."
Mina's eyes widened in terror as she stumbled backward, her confidence crumbling to dust. "You're... you're a..." she stammered, her voice barely audible. "Who ARE you?"
The Dark Lord's response was laced with malice, his voice devoid of any warmth or compassion. "I am known by many names," he declared, his words hanging in the air like a challenge. "Vlad Tepes, Mathias Cronqvist, among others. However, most know me only as..." He paused, savoring the moment-. "Count Dracula." The name echoed through the cabin, a stark reminder of the terror that stood before her.
The woman shrieked at the mere mention of Dracula's name, a testament to the widespread terror his reputation inspired. However, before she could retreat, Dracula opened his cape, revealing... nothing. The hellfire that usually accompanied his unveiling failed to manifest, leaving him momentarily vulnerable. Seizing the opportunity, the vampire rushed at Dracula, tackling him to the ground with a ferocity that caught him off guard.
As Mina pinned Dracula's limbs down with her legs, her confidence returned, and she stroked his cheek with a sensual caress. "Are you really?" she asked, her voice laced with sarcasm. "That was far too easy for the Dark Lord. Your idle boasting..." But before she could continue, Dracula effortlessly threw her off, sending her flying across the cabin.
"That odd weariness is returning to me yet again," Dracula noted, his voice tinged with a hint of annoyance. "But I am still far stronger than this upstart." Summoning a blade to his hand, he advanced on Mina, his eyes gleaming with a calculating intensity. "I suppose you have caught me on a bad night."
Mina didn't wait for Dracula to strike first. With a savage cry, she launched herself at him, her claws extended, aiming to pierce his chest and rip out his heart. Dracula, anticipating the attack, transformed into mist, dodging the blow with ease. He materialized behind Mina, his blade slicing through the air, aiming to sever her arm. But the vampire proved agile, leaping forward to avoid the strike and twisting in mid-air to evade further attacks.
Mina alighted upon the ceiling with an unsettling grace, her countenance twisted into a deranged grin as she gazed upon Dracula. The Dark Lord mirrored her actions, springing into the air with a fluid motion, both combatants now suspended from the log cabin's ceiling like macabre puppets. Dracula's growl reverberated through the space as he transformed into his lupine form mid-leap, his body contorting into a snarling, snapping mass of fur and fang. Mina responded in kind, her own metamorphosis swift and seamless, and the two beasts clashed upon the ceiling, their claws and teeth locked in a frenzy of violence as they sought to rend each other asunder.
Beth stood frozen, her eyes fixed on the two creatures battling above her. They looked like puppies, but they were fighting so fiercely! One of them, the bigger one, was Mr. Dracula. The other one, the smaller one, must be the bad one.
'I have to help! The one fighting with Mr. Dracula must be bad, so it has to be stopped. Beth thought. Her hand trembled as she reached for her bow and quiver of arrows. Slowly, she drew back the arrow and waited. With a deep breath, she released the arrow.
Neither combatant could gain the upper hand in their lupine state, so Mina retreated and transformed back into her human form. Dracula followed suit, readying his blade with a swift motion. Despite his diminished strength, Dracula adapted quickly, relying on his superior skill and speed to compensate for his reduced powers. Though his blade offered a significant advantage over Mina's claws, the outcome was far from certain. A single, well-placed strike to the heart or neck would prove fatal for either party.
Just as the standoff seemed poised to escalate, a sudden interruption came from nowhere. An arrow pierced Mina's chest from behind, striking her with precision. "Did I get her, Mr. Dracula?" Beth asked, her voice tinged with uncertainty.
Dracula smirked, his eyes gleaming with approval. "That is not quite correct, Beth. Your aim was slightly to the right, but it serves." He approached the fallen vampire, his blade at the ready. With her heart nicked, Mina would require a brief respite before recovering. "However, even if you had struck true, it would not be enough by itself. To kill a vampire requires holy magic..." Dracula's voice trailed off as he raised his blade, his gaze devoid of mercy. "Or you must remove the head." With a swift, deadly stroke, he severed Mina's head from her body. The vampire's eyes went blank, her lifeless form slumping to the ground, her head rolling slightly to the left.