Vlad of Wallachia was accustomed to tension. In life, he had been tasked of defending his home from enemies on all sides. Whoever it was that ruled his home was often placed there by which neighbor became its ally. Then, the opposition would fight and place one loyal to them in their place and this back-and-forth cycle would continue on.
In a Grail War, the Servant Vlad was still accustomed to tension. Though current circumstances were not like that of Grail War, not a standard one at least, it did not change the fact that the other Servants present here are opposed to him and his Master. All of them bore their true names: Frankenstein's Monster, Nitocris the Pharaoh, Jack the Ripper, Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde.
It is the last one that caught Vlad's eye. The first of all Servants, he was, without question, the weakest of all Servants here. Not only does he run the risk of losing himself to Hyde in this form, circumstances have made the good doctor less than a Servant and closer to these huntsmen of Remnant.
Yet, despite all that, it was he that appears to lead the charge as he took everyone in and possessed the knowledge and skill that Vlad struggled to adapt to during his early days in Leonardo's Haven Academy.
Phantom of the Opera was absent. Vlad stood alone. It wasn't an unfamiliar setting; Vlad had the odds stacked against him before. He had done what he believed to be right then for the sake of his Romanians. But as a Servant, there were things that he would not do, a thing that he would never do, a thing that he kept secret even from his own Master.
The Legend of Dracula. Had it been anywhere on Earth outside of Romania, the circumstances of Vlad's manifestation would have ensured that he would be under the Berserker class. Only in Romania was he ever considered a hero. But in Remnant? He had neither the fame of his home nor the infamy of that accursed novel. He manifested in his Lancer class once more, as the sovereign of Wallachia.
This was a miracle. There can be no question about it. A new life which meant a new chance to start. He could not—would not—throw it away by bringing that cursed legend with him. History may remember this Vlad, along with Raven, as some kind of villainous monster who aided the immortal queen of the Grimm, but it will never learn of the terrible vampire count that is Dracula.
Vlad kept his chin up. All eyes, all of them suspicious and malicious, were on him. He stood alone just as Raven stands alone. Stares were thrown their way. Many stared at Raven for they saw her as the bandit who was responsible for many crimes. Those in this shadow war between Ozpin and Salem saw her as the traitor to Ozpin's side. Frankenstein's Monster was especially protective whenever Vlad or Raven had their eyes pass by the headmaster of Beacon Academy.
He raised his hand, protecting Raven. Raven was a capable huntress; she was this Spring Maiden as well which meant that she possessed a power that surpassed most huntsmen and huntresses. She is one of the best huntresses on top of it. There is no simple means for any of these individuals to best Raven. Vlad wouldn't allow them to, even if he had to face them at once.
Nitocris slammed her staff on the floor, jolting everyone away from their tension.
"We are in the presence of the public." Nitocris gave Vlad a side-eye. Raven was still a criminal. "We cannot allow ourselves to fight this openly less the people panic and draw the Grimm towards us. We are, all of us, aware of each other's allegiances and of our identities. But like the Greeks, we must respect the laws of hospitality, the hospitality of Atlas headed by its general. Lay down your weapons and put aside your differences. This year's Vytal Festival calls for unity and we will not be anything else but so in the public eye."
Jekyll was the first to follow that order. "Come on, Jack. Let's see if there are any stalls at the carnival. Maybe I can win you a prize."
"Okay, father." Jack was raised. That tone contained no love but a disdain for Vlad. "Mother," Jack called out.
Winter Schnee, the Winter Maiden, followed. Her own eyes, evidence that she and Raven are of the same, burned furiously against the whimpering embers of Raven's own.
Ozpin remained in place. Frankenstein's Monster didn't appear to listen as her hammer still remained in that tight grip. Ozpin sighed. "What happened to you and Leo, Raven?"
"We saw the truth for ourselves, Ozpin," Raven replied. "The truth that you hid from us."
"I was not aware of these Servants before Amber's desperation."
"I wasn't referring to these Servants. I met Salem. Tried to…" Raven looked away. There was pain in her throat; Vlad could see that. "Tried to kill her and end it all then and there."
Ozpin's eyes widened. Then, they shut tight. "That is no longer a guarantee. These Servants should be proof of that."
"You think I didn't know that? It was the first thing I did. But you can't kill an immortal, her immortality is one put upon her by gods. There is nothing that we can do about it."
Vlad looked to Nitocris who only returned with a raised eyebrow. Pharaohs were considered gods in their own right. It was a matter of domain and authority that they hold. For Nitocris, that was her status as a child of Horus, the sky god of Egypt. She shook her head; it was not her authority to decide. His jaws tightened for he believed that there might be a chance. Her magecraft should have allowed her to guide souls to the land of the dead.
"Call this one last act of kindness, Ozpin," Raven said. "I'll take the fall. I tried to kill Salem and discovered that she's immortal. That you never learned of this yourself. That way, you all know why I defected to her side and you get to keep them to yours."
"It will not absolve you of everything, Raven."
"I don't expect it to. I just know that you're trying to do everything you could, you bastard, and I'm giving you my one olive branch."
When Ozpin and Fran left, Nitocris remained. She approached and whispered in Vlad's ear: "to undermine the authority of another god is to risk invoking their wrath, especially when that god is the native of the land. Not only that, but to do so would require that you separate Salem's soul from her body. You must first separate her from the physical body for a long enough time for me to work. Or turn her into some creature neither living nor dead, something that I know that you can do."
Raven had gone ahead and prepared the room for herself, leaving Vlad outside and alone in those hallways. Had it been outside, Vlad would have welcomed any rain on his face. There was a water sprinkler system above him but he wasn't mad enough to start a fire just to hide away his shame.
His own dorm was right next to Raven's. Not that he would use it much since Raven would rather turn into a bird and sleep elsewhere. She was not welcome in Atlas; she was merely a guest that Vlad took with him as his companion for the coming Vytal dance.
Forehead slammed hard on the desk as Vlad buried his head with his arms. Nails scratched the back of his head and fingers made attempts to pull at his hairs. He was hopeless. He was useless. There was nothing that he could do but prolong the inevitable.
Could he fight against Salem? Yes, and win easily. But Salem was immortal and could not be killed. Could he face against multiple Servants and Maidens to protect Raven as was his duty to her as Servant? Yes, and he won't allow anyone to say otherwise. He may not have the advantage of his home but neither do these Servants.
Forced to ally with an enemy that he cannot kill, against allies that deem them their enemy already, there was nowhere that Vlad could turn to for aid. He looked at the mirror. His reflection stared back at him. But his eyes blurred and he could not see any reflection. He shook his head. Never that. He would never succumb to that. He will find something else. He has to.
He took his coat and stepped outside. The others were not there anymore and the ire on him only came from other Servants. Everyone else, the ignorant especially, cared not for Vlad the Impaler.
Bright skies over Atlas seemed dull in his eyes. The cheers and laughter of festival enjoyers sounded horrid to his ears. The sweetness of candy and desserts lacked flavor. Whatever smiles everyone had changed to anxiety at the sight of Vlad's perpetually disappointed face.
It was still too early but Vlad did have his salary. He went to a store and bought wine. There was an individual there who was engaging in small talk with the seller.
"The usual, sir?" asked the seller.
"Seems like it," replied the mustached customer. He was bald on the top of his head with the hair forming some kind of ring around it. "Oh? Do you have inquiry sir?"
Vlad's eyes went down to the wine bottles. There were many. "Isn't it a bit much to be having so many this once? Or perhaps I am mistaken and that you have friends? Still, is it not too early to drink at all?"
"I would ask you of the same, sir," replied the man. "Here you are entering a wine shop presumably to purchase wine. I would think that would be your purpose for being here unless, of course, you wish to apply for a job. But I do not see any sign of you carrying a resume."
He leaned closer, eyes changing color that it reminded Vlad of Jekyll's own little trick.
"Maybe you're looking for trouble or something, eh?"
Vlad sighed. "I am looking for direction."
The man's eyes returned to their colors. "Are you now? Well, I am not one to know of your circumstances but I do not think it is good to find it here. But I must go now. Take care, good sir. Oh, and my name is Klein Sieben."
"Vlad," he replied. "I am… a huntsman from Mistral."
"Welcome to Atlas, sir Vlad!" Those eyes changed again and Klein became visibly happier. "Do wear a coat sometime. It gets awfully chilly around here at this time of year!"
"I will keep that in mind." It wasn't enough to bring Vlad to smile but it at least kept his lips in a neutral line. That was an improvement from the frown he had to be carrying. He still bought two wine bottles. But they were not for the day, they were reserved for later.
Vlad also perused other shops and found one that hand fine glasses. He bought a pair of wineglasses and had it wrapped up nicely. It wasn't a gift but he was going to different places and he wanted to make sure that not one of them would be cracked by the time he would enact his hazy plan.
A bird landed on his head. It was Raven, unwilling to change into her human form. She was still a wanted criminal and not everyone was going to be kind to her in public. Raven stayed by his shoulder and nuzzled against his head. His Master was in a sorry state, fitting for the Servant was of a similar mind.
"Worry not, Raven," Vlad said. It wasn't strange for one to talk to their animals. One would just assume that Raven is his pet right now. "Perhaps we could not overcome the evil. But we will not let ourselves be conquered."
Raven's avian eye only looked at Vlad's own. There was nothing there; it was harder to read the expression of a bird than it was a man. She said nothing, not one that Vlad could understand; chirps weren't comprehensible to the human ear and Vlad did not have the skill Animal Communication.
"We cannot be allied with them," Vlad continued. "But we do not have to be allied with Salem for long either. We must find some way of freeing ourselves from her chains. We cannot win; but perhaps we should not have to."
In the end, Raven still flew away and back to Atlas Academy from the direction of her flight. Vlad himself was headed there to begin with. Keeping the wine bottles hidden was the difficult task. It was the largest one there that he couldn't simply hide it away. It was only through Vlad's license as a professional huntsman that he was allowed access, though that didn't stop the soldiers from giving Vlad a warning, as if he would ever allow a student to drink.
Vlad placed his things on the desk in his dorm. He waited until night fell for everyone else was still outside. Then, he brought it back out with him and left Atlas Academy. He knew that Jekyll did not stay in the dorms. Only Servants that were there were Nitocris and Fran. Jack the Ripper was at this Schnee Manor and Phantom of the Opera had his opera house.
Finding the residence of doctor Jekyll was simple. But he was not there. Information had guided him to go down to Mantle. Vlad was no stranger to the news; he knew exactly of the identity of this Mister Utterson that the news cycle seems to talk about.
There were many huntresses that surrounded the building. A respectable enough building that contrasted with the riffraff that is the rest of Mantle. Atlas' more pleasant streets were preferable over the near slums of Mantle.
Vlad didn't need to introduce himself for Jekyll had saw him through the windows. It was the politician, Robyn Hill, that gestured and escorted him in.
"So," asked Robyn. "What brings the Voivode of Wallachia to my sponsor's humble abode?"
"I've come for a drink with him." Vlad didn't look at her. He kept his eyes straight. Jekyll was in the building. "We have businesses to attend to."
Vlad was led to a private room. A lone table was there at the center. On one side sat Jekyll who was waiting for him, judging and observing him. On the other side was an empty chair. There was nothing on table except for the things that Vlad brought with him.
It was Vlad that poured the wine into the wineglass and offered it to Jekyll. Jekyll took only the scent but never a sip. Vlad was of similar mind for the wine simply rested in the glass. Vlad placed his arm on the table and breathed. Jekyll wasn't about to start the conversation.
"I will want answers after this, Jekyll," said Robyn as she closed the door. The room was a private room, no recording devices.
Should Vlad wish to escape, he had the advantage being closer to the door. It had to be a deliberate choice of Jekyll's. But that wasn't why Vlad was there.
"I suppose we should begin straight to the point?" Vlad began. "I have a question that I believe you are best equipped to answer, doctor Jekyll."
Jekyll raised an eyebrow. "Is that question for me, lord Vlad? Or perhaps a question for mister Hyde?"
"You still think of yourself as separate, then? What are they to do should they discover your other half?"
"They already have, Vlad. For the record, I have been coming to terms with the fact that I am fundamentally both. Everyone is aware that I am Hyde; Hyde is no different from myself. If anything, Hyde might as well be who I really am."
"You know that to be true," Vlad insisted. He sees a lingering doubt.
"You're right." Jekyll nodded. "Feels good to actually hear that. Hyde is simply who I am when no one is looking. But he is not my entire being. To think that is to assume the worst in humanity, that a human person is fundamentally evil and only the constraints of society are we made good when that is not wholly true. My worst moments are not who I really am just as much as my best moments are not. There is good in the worst of us and evil in the best of us."
"Enough with the philosophies," Vlad interjected. "You said that everyone knows of who you are. How is it that they all still accept you as though you never had it in the first place? I did not hear of any news of your rampages nor of any murders did you commit."
Jekyll put down his glasses and leaned closer. This was the first time that Vlad had seen Jekyll pick up the wine glass and he emptied the entire glass. "It is a good thing that you brought the wine. Heaven knows that it is going to be a long tale that I have to tell you."
"I have time. We have all night to hear this tale of yours."
"You and I are creatures of the night. It is our fate to stay in the night."
Jekyll filled the glass to the brim with wine. "I wasn't always quite open with Hyde. That I can assure you. During my early months here Remnant, I have spent my days trying to hide it. But with the natural excitement of the Grimm, it is impossible for me to keep hiding Hyde away. I was nearly caught as early as the first initiation."
"When you worked in Beacon Academy?" The initiation for Beacon must have been different from Haven.
Jekyll nodded. "But that hadn't been the only instant that I lost myself to Hyde. I've had a few nightmares. Ones where I would wake as Hyde, lose control and kill them, all of them. Peach, Winter, Qrow, Ozpin, the thought of failing Amber, my Maiden, always remained at the back of my mind. It is that that brings out Hyde now that I look back at it."
"And yet now you carry Hyde as though you have your heart on your sleeves."
"It isn't perfect Vlad, but I've sought help. A therapist though, for obvious reasons, I had to leave out that fact. I couldn't let what nearly happened in Mountain Glenn to actually happen."
Vlad tilted his head. "Mountain Glenn."
Jekyll drank his glass and filled it again. He cleared his throat. "There was a mission that I had to take with team MGHT; they are my team that Ozpin formed specifically for that mission. After that, we have become a proper team."
/-/
The hum of the Bullhead droned on as Jekyll twirled his knife in preparation for that mission. Amber was still comatose and was hidden away in the Vaults beneath Beacon Academy. Everything went silent and most thoughts went to the void. He couldn't even feel the relief of the council's approval.
Cinder Fall, Mercury Black, and Emerald Sustrai, three individuals whose names he hadn't learned at the time of the attack were the three responsible for Amber's condition. Those three were the reason that he even exists at all.
It should have been Arthur Pendragon, not him. But something, Qrow believed it be his semblance of misfortune, had occurred and now Jekyll was the one walking on the face of Remnant.
Mountain Glenn was a pleasant place to look at had it actually been finished. Jekyll could imagine the hustle and bustle of this metropolitan city and with its connection to Vale, it would have given quite the space for the otherwise crowded inner cities of Vale.
Living space was a double-edged sword in Remnant. Living in the big cities ensured access to different needs and wants. But the conglomeration of different people also made it a cesspool of negativity, an alluring attraction for the Grimm.
Further out had its fair share of problems. Less people meant less Grimm. But that also meant less convenient access to necessities. If one is not prepared to train their own bodies, nothing could stop the Grimm from coming passing by them anyway. Huntsmen had to be stationed in these settlements to deal with the problem.
Mountain Glenn had been one solution for the inner cities. It was far enough that those who wish to make a new start could do so. It also allowed further space as those of the inner cities could move out, freeing space within that inner city. But it had been shut down due to Grimm activity, courtesy of one doctor Merlot. At the time, team MGHT knew that it was the industry but doctor Merlot's personal involvement had been more assumption that they operated under.
Team MGHT, after synchronizing their scrolls, proceeded towards the underground tunnels, the one that would connect Mountain Glenn to Vale proper.
Perhaps he should have known then. But things on his mind made it difficult for him to notice the signs. Peach then had been quiet. She had to have suspected something at the time. Peach looked away when he would turn to face her.
The underground tunnels were lit and obviously used. White Fang activity confirmed to use Mountain Glenn as a sort of platform for their terrorist activities and were the manpower behind Merlot industries.
At one point in the tunnels, team MGHT had to split: Jekyll and Peach on one path, and Mulberry and Greene on the other. Jekyll and Peach had seen shadows move the further inward they travelled their designated path.
It was there that they were caught by Roman Torchwick's assistant, Neopolitan. In their attempts to remain concealed, they had let down their auras and were caught by Neo. Everything went wrong in that moment and only became worse when Cinder had her hand around Jekyll's neck. The fires of Cinder burned through the aura that he brought up then.
Jekyll had been desperate. Surrounded by White Fang and caged Grimm, Peach couldn't regain any footing as enemies got to her. Was it Neo? Was it Roman? Was it many White Fang? Jekyll couldn't recall the details. All he remembered was Cinder's hand gripping tighter around his neck.
The rage, the anger, that desire for sin. He still tried to resist. Jekyll still did what he could to hold back.
"Oh God, not now! Dear God not now!"
Whether it was the taunting or the fact that he ran out of breath, Jekyll remembered the darkness and desperation. He heard only the rapid thumps of his heart as he lost himself to that darkness.
The last thing he remembered then was Peach asking: "Jekyll?"
He remembered his response vividly: "they don't want Jekyll. Only Hyde!"
/-/
Doctor Jekyll alone had emptied the one wine bottle. Vlad didn't bother opening the second since the tale had already ended.
"If I were to continuously fight against Salem, Vlad," Jekyll concluded. "They need to know about the dangers that I pose, Peach especially since she is my partner, and I'm doing all that I can to make sure that Winter doesn't go through the same. I know Jack could protect her, but she shouldn't have to."
Silence reigned for half an hour. Jekyll had spoken for hours. The memory of such a time must have imprinted on him.
"Why do you ask, Vlad?" Jekyll spoke again. "You did not just come here because you wish the tale of a senior."
"Senior? I believe I am older than you."
"Not for the time spent on Remnant you're not. It is about Salem, is it not?"
"If my Master has yet to tell you then I shall not be the one to divulge it. She will, I'm sure. She has granted that much to your dearest headmaster Ozpin."
"So?"
"I wish for you to understand that I will do everything I can if it means protecting Raven, just as I see now that you would do the same for those dear to you."
"Is that what this is? You see yourself in me?" Jekyll stared into Vlad's eyes. Then, he realized. "I see. I suppose in some ways; we are very similar."
Vlad nodded. "I am glad that we have come to an understanding."
"Not quite." Jekyll shook his head. "We are not quite there yet. You and I are not too similar yet."
"How so?"
Jekyll leaned closer. Red eyes replaced green. Hyde said: "because I'm not off the table, mate. If I have to run wild to keep them alive, you can bet your arse Satan will be my side when I do." Hyde leaned closer. "What are you planning to do 'bout it, bloodsucker?"
Vlad felt little threat against it. But he still moved back on instinct as Jekyll stood back up. He opened the door and said that the room needs cleaning.
Outside the window, two noises became one: the screeching of bats and howling of wolves.
AN: I don't think I'll get the chance to say it so I'll say it now: I am not a fan of the Dracula Musical because of the one change it made from the original novel (which I read before giving it a listen). In the kindest way possible, I have my first ever NOTP. It is sad for me because the composer of the Dracula Musical is the same one from the Jekyll and Hyde Musical that I listened to and I accepted the changes that one made relative to the book.
I don't think I'll ever be able to look at any adaptation of Bram Stoker's Dracula knowing that my NOTP is popular in these adaptations. I'm going to be one of those "BuT iT's nOt in tHe bOoK" kind of snob when it comes to Dracula; I can feel it.
Jonathan Harker deserves better, man. I stan Jonathan.