Castlevania: Darkness Never Dies

Fan Fiction

Continued...

Part 1: Quest of the Vampire Killer

Part 2: Legacy of Sorrow

Take Me to Part 2

Part 1. Gathering darkness.

"but the women then fell to her knees before him and said. "But the dogs eats the pieces who falls from the children without stealing it from them." Jesus then looked upon her and spoke. "Your faith has delivered you." And in the same hour the unholy spirit left the girl."

Mathew 15.22.

Chapter 2. Opposing bloodlines.
Underground reservoir. The 5th of December 2098 A.D. They soon learned that the hope of they being finished with the water-caves, was a false one. As they opened the blue door they came out into another pipe-line and this was even huger than the last. At first they didn't know where to go, but then Adrian called forth his fairy and let her lead the way. "Take out the enemies as they come along. Make the road safe fore her." Edward and Ursula smiled when they heard it. The discussion they had before the battle with the queen had seemingly paid off. But to their surprise, they where only met by some bats, medusa heads and fishmen, but nothing more difficult than that. Then he looked down and saw the reason. "He have followed us!" He cried as he brought out his throwing-axe. "Find the way down to the water-level." Adrian instructed his familiar as he sliced the trout of a fishman. The fairy nodded and lead them over to one of the elevators and Adrian run after her. He followed him just as Ursula used one of the rods to freeze a flock of bats who came out of the murky mist. "Shield of bats!" Adrian shielded them as they went down. Here, as before, there where skeleton archers and pillars of bones tried to blast them down. He used his throwing-axe, as Ursula used her rods, to terminate their enemies. But even as he sent the dead back to their eternal sleep. It was the water dragon who concerned him now.

Forest, Warakiya. The 4th of December 2098 A.D.
"Watch out! Orb of sorcery!" She concentrated her mind and fired an orb of green energy. The ball blasted the vampire-bats into oblivion. "Thanks, girly." She and Victor had met little resistance so far, beside those cursed bats. But that was dangerous enough. Because those pesky bats carried the vampire curse with them, and she feared that the laurels wasn't efficient to heal them of that kinds of damages. The strange thing however, was that the bats just mere bats, not vampires. She didn't understand how they could carry that sort of disease with them, but that was beside the point. Perhaps, if she ever saw Christian again, she could ask him about. He knew much about the lore of the enemy and his power. It was then, when the bats where destroyed, she discovered the eerie silence of the forest. It was gnawing on her nerves, with its nothingness. When she entered the grounds of the castle, she had expected hordes of demons, ghouls and vampires, not the madness of the human mind. The sounds of their steps, breathing, even the falling snow and the wind blowing through the leaf was like thunder. Waite a moment, leafs, in the winter? It couldn't be. It was impossible. But there they where, like the most beautiful summer you could ever dream of. "This is truly the forest of silence." She whispered, desperate to hear something which was human. "No." Victor told her. "I see it to. There are some trees with leafs on them. Look." He pointed his finger, and she now saw that he was right. "What do you think it means?" He asked her. Before she could answer, a girl stepped out from the shadows of the nearest leaf-tree. She was small, like a child, yet more mature than se could ever be. Her skin was like pale gold, as the rays of the sun, shining upon leafs. She had red-blonde hair, as leafs in the fall, and green eyes, like that of leafs and was dressed in a green tunic, decorated with white flowers and knee-high green boots and a golden buckle around her waist. "Stay back." She told him. "That's a dryad; watch out if you don't won't to stay the rest of eternity as her male." The dryad lifted her hands, in a gesture she had seen on TV, the sign of peace. "Do not harm me." She told them in a soft childish voice. "This forest is dangerous for the children of man and for the children of the forest as well. You must get out of here, before you become mad. Follow me, I swear whit my life-tree I mean you no harm." Victor was the first to react; he nodded to the little dryad. "Lead the way. But I swear whit God and Jesus Christ that if you lead us wrong you will regret ever having listened to the dark lord." The dryad smiled. "Do not fear me. If I have been one of his servants, those names would have driven me off. Do not worry, I would never have led a sister wrong, especially not my own. Now, quickly, follow me." They nodded, and the dryad started walking.

Underground reservoir. The 5th of December 2098 A.D.
"I greet you, worriers of The Ancient One." He jumped back when he saw the demonic form who flouted before them. He threw his axe at the creature but the creature spread his hands and it was like the darkness in his cloak shielded him fron the mystic-weapon. "You think you have defeated the master of this caves. But in all reality she received it from my friends on the command of Lord Dracula's SS." "Are you one of Shaft's apprentices?" Adrian asked from behind him. "He is a lich if that's what you wonder." Ursula told them with a snarl on her face. "Necromancy is the darkest sin a dragon can think off." Adrian told him as he brought out his sword and saluted their enemy. "Watch it!" His friends had been concentrated on the lich and seemingly forgot about the water dragon, a dangerous mistake. The water dragon fired a stream of green liquid with made burns appear on the metallic floor. He turned to them to gather their attention. "I will battle the water dragon, you can do what you want." He jumped into the air and threw his boomerang-cross as he picked up the throwing-axe which the lich had thrown aside when it didn't damaged him. "God in Heaven!" He cried as another water dragon roused its head from underneath the water. "Here goes nothing." He mumbled his favourite saying as he brought out his sword. He swung his blade at the nearest dragon just as it blasted a frozen projectile at him.

Forest, Warakiya. The 4th of December. 2098 A.D.
"The dark lord has brought much evil to this land." The dryad told them. They turned to hear what she had to say. Torah almost blushed when she thought of how she had behaved. And it was all because that they could hear sounds of life again. It was time to get serious. "The dark lord's castle and presence always cause the land great pain. But now it is a pain we have not felt since the time of Christopher and Simon Belmont." The dryad dried of some tears which had formed at her eyes, before she continued. "I hope you succeed in your war against him. And if you or any of your friends need our help, then go to the water-fall you see there, and call for me. Call for Saria. Fear well, sister." She jumped up in one of the trees nearby, and was gone before they really saw her leave. The green trees shivered and become as they had been before the dryad had come. Why had she done that, called her sister? Grandmother Yoko had always told her that her father had done something he shouldn't have done. No, she didn't want to think about it. To change subject, she said. "This proves that the seal really has broken." Victor nodded in agreement. "But even so, there are still good and beautiful things in the world. You saw that dryad and what did happen when she was near? Dracula must never be allowed to destroy her and her world." She looked upon him with new eyes. So far, she had only seen him as a jolly pirate and trusty companion. But now she noticed that he had a good almost celestial side in him. He cared for the greens in this world. She understood why The One had chosen him as one of His worriers. Perhaps that was because she didn't hear the sounds of the horse, coming towards them. Suddenly, Victor jumped on her, pushing her to the snow. "One of those black wanderers. But now they ride on horseback." He whispered in her ear. He wasn't wrong. From behind a curve in the road, which went through the forest, came a rider, on a huge black horse, hooded and cloaked totally in black. "One of the forsaken thirteen." She told him. "Living wraiths, neither living nor dead. It's written more about them in the Fernandez-chronicles, much more, but I can't remember it. When we find Christian, perhaps he can tell us more." He put a hand over her mouth, the forsaken one had stopped. His black hood, turning from side to side, as if he was looking for someone, or something. "At all time," She said in a low tone, fear in her voice. "they feel the blood of the living. They hate us, because we are alive and they are not." The black rider suddenly sat straight in the saddle, and then made his horse starts galloping. "One thing is fore shore," She remarked, when they had gotten back up from the snow. "the hunt has begun." Victor mumbled something she didn't heard, before he took out his axe, preparing himself for battle. She understood, and brought out her razor-rings. Christian had told them to be careful with magic, since the black wanderers could feel when they used magic and would be drowned to the power in the spells. It was lucky that when she dressed herself at home, she had chosen her white poncho instead of some of the more colourful ones. "Tell me," She asked. "if I am not to rude, how did you become involved in all this?" Victor smiled without humour. "My family has allways been friends of the Belmonts. You must have heard of the story from 1497 when my great-whatever, helped Trevor Belmont and your foremother in their battle against Dracula. Although we didn't become that much involved in the battle, but we have still been helpful once in a while. It wasn't until 1999 that we did play a greater role in the war. You see, after that Julius Belmont disappeared, we tried to find him. Although some forces in the church didn't wanted us to do so, not until 2036 that is." He shrugged. "My grandfather, Hugh Grant, allways thought we, sooner or later, would be called upon again, and he was right on that one." She nodded and opened her mouth, but shut it, when she discovered that they had reached the end of the woodland. Before them, there lay a frozen wasteland. In the distance, a town could be seen. Behind that, the castle loomed into the night. "It's far, far away." She remarked. Out there, it would be easier for the black riders and wanderers to see them. If "see" was the correct word for it. "We have to turn more toward north." Victor told her. "Even if the lake is frozen, it's too risky to venture out on the ice." "Ice?" She questioned. Then she saw it. What she had taken for a wasteland, was in all reality the frozen water of the foggy lake. She was just about to tell him that she had seen it to, when something huge broke the ice and wormed its body over the ice, then broke it somewhere else. The holes immediately froze, but she looked at the lake, wide eyed. "It was a water dragon." Victor told her. "Grandfather told me about them. I thought he was only joking, but now I see he didn't." She slowly nodded. She had hared about water dragons too. The thought of that they may have to battle that thing, inside the castle, made her shiver in fear. It was really a strange thing. While Victor was afraid of ghosts and demons, he didn't fear monsters that made her go cold. Then again, he was a hunter, and was used to them, even if it was monsters the world hadn't seen in over two or even three thousand years. She shook her head. Grandmother Yoko had told her she would never truly understand men and she had once again been right. With Victor to do the tracking, they went around the curve in the lake, and got into the woodlands again. This wood however, was just a normal forest. On an old sign they read. "Dora forest" and she smiled. Bought Sypha and Carrie had told about this place in the family log. She now knew where she was, sort of, at least. But there was something wrong here, it should be closer to the castle, not a couple of weeks travel away. She shrugged, the castle was a creature of chaos, most likely it had submerged closer to this forest. Before she had the chance to speak her mind, he once again throws her to the ground. Another of the forsaken ones crossed their track. She didn't know if this was the same as before, or if it was a new one. But the same chilling dread as before fell over her soul. Christian had told them, when they journeyed to the resurrection site, that some of the dark lord's servant may do so with them. But if he had told how to repel them, she couldn't remember it. This wasn't fair. She had thought she would be attacked by skeletons and walking corpses, not by madness, dread and darkness. Then again, Nancy, one of her friends from the U.S. had told her that the world wasn't supposed to be that, now she understood what she meant. "He's gone." Victor's voice made her return to the present time and place. "I think the time of battling those creatures is near. Next time I see one of those beast, I'll kill it." "You can't." She told him. "You may destroy the cloaks and other things they wear to give their nothingness form, but as long as Dracula's spirit lives on, you can't kill them." He shrugged. "Then, if that's all I can do, I'll do it." As they where walking, she cast a glance on her watch, not the stop-watch, the ordinary one. "It'll soon be dawn. Then we can relax a little. Not even the vampires can venture out during daylight. Less the sun will leave them stripped of all their supernatural powers." Victor gave her a surprised look. "I thought sunlight would burn them into ashes." She smiled without humour. "It's a popular belief, but it isn't true. But most of them don't do it, because they are so weak during that time. They can only change form at dawn, dusk or twelve o'clock. And that only if they are on some evil place." He slowly nodded. "Being a witch seems to be more than just simple spell-casting." She nodded. "It is." She then jumped forward, and did a body-swing with her razor-rings, cutting three bats into pieces. She didn't see the corpse hanging from a rope in the tree, and her cutting let it free. Had not Victor been there to drag her aside, she would have gotten the corpse right in her head. She went forward; to investigate it, but Victor put a hand over her eyes. "Don't see. It's almost naked." Irritated she pushed his hand aside, only to see the corpse rise from the pile of snow where it lay. "Orb of sorcery!" She concentrated her mind and blasted the thing with one of her energy balls. Victor glared at her. "You told me to not use magic, and now you use it yourself. The black wanderers are still out there." She opened her mouth to respond, but was cut off, when other corpses started rising from under the snow. "Dead ones wander where they don't belong." She mumbled, before she did a crisscross attack with her rings, cutting two of the corpses into pieces. "Did you destroy their hearts?" Victor asked, the other corpses lying there, without head and with holes in their breasts. She shook her head and he was swift to see to that the work was done. "Didn't your mentor or whatever you call a trainer in magic, tell you that you must kill the walking corpses the same manner as you kill vampires?" She once again shook her head, hoping he wouldn't see her blushing. She had thought she was the one with the most knowledge about these things. But then again, he was a country-man, the sorts of people who told and believed in this kind of myths and legends. But she didn't have time to think further about that. They could already hear galloping closing in on them. "Run!" He told her, as he sat of, into the deeper part of the forest, where horses couldn't go. She run after him, she knew that if she lost him, she would soon be lost inside the forest. One part of her, told her that she would be just fine, but she didn't want to think about that. Although it would help her get out of the forest? A little voice asked her. She tightened her grip on the razor-rings. She did not want to think about it. She was a human, a full blooded human, no bastard. "Watch out!" Victor's cry made her see the end of the cliff right in front of her. "Wall of Earth!" She used her connection to the element of earth to raise a wall to hinder her to fall down on the frozen lake below her. But she never came thus far; a hand grasped her and turned her back. "Thank you." She began, then, she saw who had saved her. "Saria? Why did you save me?" The little dryad smiled. "Because you can save the forests of the world, and my race, from the curse of Dracula." She shook her head. "What do you mean? Dracula can't turn you into a vampire, the dryad's souls are one with the spirits of the forest. And the life-force of the forests is to big to destroy, even for Him." Saria nodded. "But he can poison us with our own greed for power, turning us into dark versions of ourselves. His servants are sapping power from the forest spirit as we speak. Turning parts of it into an almost fungus-like creature. I decided that the best way to battle Him was to join you. I didn't want you to notice, since your kind doesn't like us dryads that weary much. But now I see it is necessary that I join you as a "battle-sister", as I think you call it." One part of her wanted to scream, the other part, wanted to embrace her. She compromised by giving her a welcoming smile. "Then you have to, eh, "turn of", your summer-power." Victor had now joined them, and was talking to the dryad. "Its beautiful, but its winter, and we have to accept it." Saria nodded, giving him a smile. "I know, but summer is my favourite season, but you are right. It draws to much attention to us." The trees and lake became as they had been, and the snow started falling again. "Here, take this." She brought out another poncho from her backpack, giving it to Saria. "Thank you." She took it on, and it fit her quite well. It was green, but she hoped the black wanderer's horses and other spies didn't saw colours. "I think it will be a beautiful day." Victor said, as he pointed to the rising sun, spreading rays of gold through the clouds. "I know." She smiled. The first long night in the landscape near the demon castle, was finally ending. She knew there would come other nights like this. But for now, she just found happiness in the clear golden light of the rising sun.

Underground reservoir. The 5th of December 2098 A.D.
Edward's sword pierced the left eye of the first water dragon and he had just time to jump back into the water and climb up on the catwalk. The water dragon screamed and spit blood and acid in all directions and he got some of it on his coat and jumped into the water to wash it away. "Crimson lightning!" Adrian raised his hands into the sky and made crimson bolts of lightning shoot down from the sealing and the water dragon he had blinded was more damaged as the lightning shot down. "Watch out!" Ursula cried as the other water dragon's head popped up from the water and spit a wave of frozen water at him. He smashed into the wall as the ice hit him and he felt how blood started oozing from several wounds on his body. "Heal him." He heard Adrian command his familiar and he then saw his friends jump into his view, Ursula with her rods, Adrian as a bat, attacking the water dragon. "Balls of Death!" The lich who still flouted over the water fired a blur of grey energy-orbs. "Bat shield!" Adrian deflected the grey energy The fairy reached him and he felt how his health returned to him. He jumped to his feet and again brought out his sword and throwing-cross. He would not give up. Not now, not ever.

Forest, Warakiya. The 4th of December 2098 A.D.
"Concentrate. At peace. One with yourself." She went through the lessons of her grandfather, while she looked gazes with the skeletons surrounding her. Alicia made a sign of the cross, which, for a moment, made the skeletons retreat. But they where swift to gather themselves, and once again, they readied themselves fore battle. They where all dressed in the same manner. In leg-long dark-brown and light-grey weapon-shirts and knee-high leather boots, battle-gloves and belts. They all had breast and shoulder plates, carved out of leather, dome-shaped helmets, mail-hoods and black tunics, cowered with overlapping steel-shells. Only the choices of weapon seamed to be somewhat individual. Some had bows and crossbows, which made her happy by the thought of her own mail, which she had under her fur-trimmed pilot-jacket. But fore the most part, they carried lances, spears, battle-axes or rapiers and round shields. "God with me!" She cried as she swung the chain-whip at them. Fortunately, they exploded in golden flames after a few hits, but they where many and they swung their weapons with relative good skills. Before she had finished them of, she was bleeding from more than one wound. She took out some of the medicine her house had learned to prepare from Sophia Belmont, the wife of Samuel Schneider, the founder of her clan. She took a deep breath; the burning sensation of the medicine went through her body. The ruined houses surrounding the market on the little farm, glared at her with empty windows. The skeletons had suddenly appeared up from the snow and attacked her. She had battled her way through the forest of Silence, and thus far, she had met much of the same enemies, armed or motorcycle skeletons, which had not been easy to destroy. Her thoughts was cut short, three walking dead, dressed in black hoods and cloaks, spiky black mail and with crossbows in their hands and swords at their sides. "Kill the intruder!" One of the walking-dead shouted. Two steel-bolts shoot from their crossbows. She jumped to the side, avoiding the bolts. It had been wise of her to fasten her glasses around her neck, now she had a chance of catching them before they disappeared when she battled these demons. She drew one of her daggers and throws it at the nearest corpse. It staggered backwards; she swung her whip at the next one, sending it stumbling to the ground, small flames erupting from the hit-point. She jumped to the side, avoiding the sword-blade of the last walking-dead. She took a step back, to get a view on how to react next. The first one, which she had hit with the dagger, was coming to its feats, while the one she had hit with the chain-whip, had drawn its sword. "In the name of Michael the Archangel!" She cried, as she concentrated on one of the other throwing-daggers. She threw it, and it became enflamed and split in three and hit home. The trio of walking-dead exploded into silvery-collared flames and burned into nothingness. She fell down on her knees, on the hard-frozen snow-cowered ground. She took some deep breath of air, and put a hand over her eyes. Her thoughts drifted back to what the ferryman had told her, when he had brought her over the strange unfrozen river.

Flashback.

"It has been a long time ago since any of your blood has come here." The old man told. "What do you mean?" She asked him, trying to see behind the darkness in the hood. She couldn't see him, but she had a feeling he was smiling. "The first, of your bloodline, was Haakon Belmont, in 647 i think." The ferryman breathed. "He had pledged alliance to "The white Christ" as he called him, when his ship was attacked by vampires outside of this coast. He and a friend of his, which he had gotten among the prisoners aboard. An Antonio Gandoli, who had promised to serve God, was exiled by the other Vikings, and had to abandon ship. They brought with them a whip, who they had taken from an old Christian grave. The last I saw of them, was when they burned their heathen-symbols at the mouth of a river." She slowly nodded. She had heard the stories about Leon Belmont, and his battle with Mathias Krohnqvist, but before that happening, all was dark. But could she bring herself to believe what this strange creature told her to be throe? "Now we are here." The ferryman's remark brought her out of her thoughts. "Thank you, old man. God be with you." Once again she felt how the strange old man smiled inside his hood. "I sure he will. And I am sure He will lead you to your throe destiny. Fear well, young vampire killer." She sat foot on the other side of the river, and the ferryman started rowing again, and where gone in the mist, before she really saw him leave.

End flashback.

She got back on her feet, she couldn't be sitting here. The undead monsters would soon be back. And besides, she would surely freeze to death, if she didn't start mowing. She cast a glance on the barometer on her watch. -17 below 0, it had been a long time since it had been this cold in Romania. If she remembered correctly, it was almost one hundred year since the last time. Wait a moment. One hundred years! Could the resurrection of the dark lord be the cause of the imminence cold and heavy winter? Then she thought about that white wizard she had seen in her dreams. She had always waked shuddering after dreaming about him. And, after all, Dracula was the lord of the dead. And winter was, although beautiful, had always been the deadest period in the turning of the year, at least like she saw it, so why not. She gave a look around, she had investigated all the houses, and there had been nothing interesting there. She had hoped to find one of those morning-stars artefacts, to empower her whip, but had found nothing. The slivery-lit candle-stands, which she had whipped down, had only held crystals and food, which had done something with her throwing- daggers, holy water and grenades. She now didn't need to search for the daggers and vials, when she had thrown them. But she feared she soon would have to face even more powerful adversaries than the skeletons and walking-dead, and wanted to be prepared. She smiled to herself. Before, she had doubted the tales of the candle-stands, which there was told you could find inside the castle and its surroundings. That was, until she had found these things that is. She now regretted she hadn't studied the lore of the Belmonts, their enemies and friends more closely. Her thoughts where cut short, she felt a chill of fear go down her spine. She could hear the cries of wargs in the distance. "They are coming." She whispered to herself. "And they're coming for me." She started running. The fact that the sun was rising, didn't mean much to wargs, since they hunted bought night and day. And that was the thing which worried her the most. But she couldn't do more about that, then she could fly to the heaven in living life. She smiled without humour as she went along. God would help her, she knew that. But sometime she would have to help herself. She didn't like the sound of that thought, but sometime, it was the cold truth.

Underground reservoir. The 5th of December 2098 A.D.
Ursula used her rods to fire a beam at the lich. She had chosen to use the fire-rod this time. Those strange crystals which made Edward perform his own form of magic, also made her able to use these rods. That was a great asset tor her, since she had wasted all her magic power and it was still some time before they would returned to her. The water dragon answered to his ally's call by spitting a wave of acid at her and this time it hit her and threw her into the water. "Edward, Adrian, help me." She cried as she sank. It was truly ironic, but without her magic she couldn't even change back into her true shape. She felt how her lungs began to be filled with water. She was dying, she knew it. The pain inflicted by the water dragon hindered her to swim and the others where to busy with their battle to save her. Then the water was suddenly gone. No, on second thought, the water was still there, but a bubble of breathable air was forming around her. She would be saved. At first she was relived, then she thought it could be an enemy doing this. As Edward used to say, here goes nothing". She still had the rod and prepared to defend herself against anything that may came against her.

Forest, Warakiya. The 5th of December 2098 A.D.
"Did you hear that?" Saria stopped, rising a hand to one of her delicately pointed airs. "Wargs!" Victor cried out. "They are hunting something. We must be careful; wargs isn't something to laughter at." Torah nodded. She understood what he meant. Before she, Christian and John had joined the others at Carmilla-gravesite, they had been forced to battle a group of wargs, and a vampire, controlling them. John had told them that, even without a vampire, the wargs was more than dangerous. "They are not hunting us." Victor told them. "How can you say that?" She asked him, he shrugged. "The warg's cries are coming to us, from the wind, the south wind. Which means they are behind us, but, judging from the sounds, they are turning more to the east? They can smell us, but isn't coming toward us. This means they are hunting someone else. And that's ridicules. Why hunt something more distant, when we're here?" A thought struck her. "One of the others, or at least, another good creature." Victor slowly nodded, Saria smiled impressed. "Then we must help him, whatever he is." The dryad concluded. "Maybe. But watch out. It can be a trap to catch us." Victor warned them. She nodded, before they went after the warg's cries. Running through the forest, they soon came upon another clearing, which lay a little higher than the rest of the forest. Under a great old oak-tree, a glasses-wearing golden-haired girl, at the age of nineteen, stood, chain-whip in hand, and with a throwing-dagger in the other. "Gather around the tree!" The whip-armed girl called to them. "The wargs would soon be here. Together we might have a chance to fight them off." Slowly, they approached her, and when they came closer, they saw she was wearing a silver crucifix around her neck. To be sure, she asked the stranger. "Who is the saviour of the world?" The girl smiled, before she answered. "Jesus Christ, our Lord. Worshipped and glorified, together with The Father and The Holy Ghost. Shall, at the End of Days, judge living and death." Her laughter was warm and welcoming. "The name of Jesus would have been enough. But I think He liked that." More serious, she added. "If you meant it, that is." The stranger presented her hand. "Alicia Schneider." She took it and shook it warmly. In some strange manner, she felt that this was important. "My name is Torah. Torah Fernandez. The hunter is Victor Grant, and the dryad is Saria." Before they could say anything more, the wargs entered the clearing from multiply directions. "No more speaking." Victor instructed them. "Have your backs turned to the tree. Form a circle, and don't use magic." She nodded and brought out her razor-rings, preparing herself for battle. She did a body-swing at the first wargs, cutting it in half, jumping to the side, to avoid the blood. She did a dash-cutting to the next, piercing its breast. "Curse it!" She heard Victor cry, and she swiftly understood why. The dead wargs, burst into flames, and disappeared into nothingness. "This isn't ordinary wargs." Alicia cried, as she swung her chain-whip, blinding the warg she hit. "They are spawned to life from powerful magic used by the elementalists of Dracula." "Then let's kill them!" Saria stood tall with a bow and arrows in hands. Firing at the advancing wargs. "I can agree on that." Victor used his battle-axe to slice the skull of another warg. "They keep on coming." She warned, as she did another crisscross attack with her razor-rings. She cried when a warg bite into her and tried to tear her arm off. An arrow came flying through the air, killing it instantly. She dropped to her knees, so the weight of the warg didn't should tear of the arm in death. "Here. Belladonna. Use it on your wounds." Alicia gave her some spice-looking herbs, which she hasty put on the wounds. To her surprise, it made good work of the wounds, sealing them in seconds. When she looked around, she saw there where no wargs left. The surviving ones had run back into the forest. "Strange." Victor cast a glance around them. Alicia nodded. "Why did they retreat? One of us was down, they could have overwhelmed us, but didn't." The answer came sooner then they had expected. Saria screamed, and she understood why. A dryad's darkest nightmare, a dendroid, came walking into the clearing. "I think it's time that we show our magic." Alicia coldly remarked. She hadn't seen her throw her dagger, but she clearly had, judging by the blood on the blade. She was cleaning it off on one of the trees nearby. She knew she was throwing away time, to not think of their new enemy. The dendroid where the dark versions of the Ents, the friends and helpers of the dryads. It was tall, like all trees. Cowered in rotting brown and black bark. It had huge branch-like arms and legs. With flowing leaf-hair, tainted by spots of black and yellow sickness-marks. Eyes, like wells of dark water gazed upon them, while other branch-like arms or whatever they where, grew out off its head, providing to the sick crown of black and yellow leafs. "The dendroids," Saria shakily told them. "where Ents who betrayed their duty to protect their forest. The matriarch of the forests, the Alurae spirit, cursed them, banishing them from the forest. That is what our elders told us, if its throe, i don't know, but they are dangerous and kill without thinking twice. Axes, fire or wizardry is the only thing which can kill them." It was then that Alicia stepped foreword. "I don't think you can help me with this." She told them. "I don't know as much as my half-brother, but I know the dendroids are almost immune against human magic. I must do this alone. The power of the Belmonts was given to us by God, and by him alone. Pray that it will be enough." She wanted to tell her she could use other kinds of magic, than the human one, since her powers wasn't entirely human. But she couldn't bring herself to do so. "In the name of Jawhe, the one throe and only God, I call upon the power of the Sunbird, who enchanted this whip in ancient times." The Belmont called, and, to her surprise, the chain-whip became enflamed, coloured like the sun. "This isn't the Vampire Killer, but the power within, comes from the Phoenix. One of The Lord's most powerful creatures." She told them, before she turned to face the dendroid. "God with me!" The woman shouted, and swung the whip at the undead tree-creature. She screamed when she saw the tree became enflamed, but didn't seam to feel it. It instead swung three of its arms toward the Belmont. Hadn't Alicia been so trained as she was, she would serenely been smashed into pieces. As it was, Alicia again swung her whip. This time, it was the dendroid's turn to scream and that in pain. "You know how to do this Alicia!" Victor shouted to the golden-haired girl. But they had underestimated the dendroid's power, which was a dangerous thing to do. Now it sent roots through the ground, trapping Alicia in its deadly grip. "Now I have you, little human. I shall make you pay for what you did to me." The voice was like the breaking of death vegetation. "Your corpse shall give me new strength, and your little friends I shall give to Dracula." Alicia must've been in great pain, but refused to give up. "Power of the Sunbird, in the name of Christ, doesn't leave me now!" She shouted and flung the morning-stars at the end of the chain-whip toward the dendroid. She once again gasped in surprise. From the end of the glowing whip, the sun-collared Phoenix flew into the dendroid. The undead tree-creature roared in pain, as it burned into a crisp. But even in her victory, Alicia had to pay for it. The roots that held her, had also been set ablaze, and now burned their way into her flesh. Grimly, the Belmont girl brought out a vial of holy water and threw it at the roots, destroying them forever. Then she fell to the ground. She ran to her side, bringing forth her laurels. She hoped her faith was as strong as Maria Renard's, but tried to not think about it, she started praying. "Dear Father, do so that the pain of your dear daughter goes away, so that we, her friends, and your servants, can continue to follow your will and work your work, amen." She closed the prayers, with the sign of the cross. It was then; she saw the silvery glow, streaming from her hand, which held the laurels, and into Alicia's body. When the glow was gone, her friend rose to her foots. "Thank you, Torah. I don't think any of my herbs could have healed my wounds as fast as you did." She smiled back. "Don't thank me. Thank the Lord. It was He who made it possible." "We have learned an important lesson by this." Victor told them. "We now know, and should have known, that the minions of Dracula can attack us even during daylight. From now on, we have to keep a sharp look-out for monsters at all times." She nodded, understanding his point. In her family chronicle it had been told about the battles against darkness. But in those stories, it had sounded like the battles only took place during the night, which was impossible. Even for the great Carrie and her friends, it had taken weeks to get to Dracula, and they must have battled enemies in daylight as well. She was cut off in her thoughts, when the wargs started crying again. "There must be someone controlling them." Alicia said. "It can't be such a large pack out on its own. If we could find that someone, and kill or drive him off, it would be easier to wander this forest." Victor nodded. "I should have known it. None of those little puppets we battled back there where any leaders. From now on, we must be careful." She shook her head. "I think it's too late for that. Watch." Another dryad had taken a step out from the shadows of the trees surrounding the clearing. And she didn't look quite as friendly as Saria. "You!" Their friend shouted. "I should have known." "Who is she?" She asked her. Saria shook her head. "Her name is Xodaka. She is one of the dark dryads I told you about. She is a darkrobe, a witch and a traitor to my race." The stranger dryad smiled devilishly. She was a dryad, yes, but different. Like a bad dream, or rather, a raillery over how a dryad should look like. She had skin like pale gold, like Saria's. But on Xodaka, it was the colour of black petals, and, which was the worst, it still looked good on her. She had yellow eyes, but with the evil fire in them, they looked like burning leafs, in an ever-lasting pyre. Her hair ran down her shoulders in rich banks of blackness and she was dressed in a simple dark-brown robe and cloak. The only thing that shined up in her dark clothing was the golden brooch, shaped like a winter-naked tree, which held her cape together. "So." She spoke in an evil yet soft voice. "you recognize me, after all this time. But little good it will do to you now." Saria gave her a confused look. "What do you mean? We haven't met since you where exiled from the tribe, accused of witchcraft." Again the dark dryad smiled like the winter. "So, you have not seen my little servants? Come to me, my servants. In the name of the great lord Dracula I call upon thee." Two ravens, with eyes as black as death itself, fly to her, resting on the little witch's shoulders. Alicia smiled without humour. "Then I was right when I thought I where watched." She nodded, then took a step forward. "Stay back. You to Alicia. In this battle, you can't win with mere weapons. This is a fight of sorcery and magic." Saria nodded. "Let's take her on together sister." She shuddered at the mentioning of her inhuman blood, but nodded neither the less. "Indeed. And you think you can defeat me?" Xodaka snarled. "Then come to me. I shall make your souls suffer in Hell." She lifted her hands and blasted off two balls of brown energy. "Watch out!" Saria warned her. "Those spells will become rooted, like a tree." She grimly nodded. In a strange manner, she felt like she already knew that. How she knew it, she didn't want to think of. She used one of the barrier-spells she had learned from her grand-mother... By combining the powers of fire and air, she created a body-sized green bubble, which deflected the dark dryad's magic. "Take that your hybrid bastard!" Xodaka called before she fired two waves of green flames, which shattered her bubble. "Star bow!" Fortunately for her, Saria, who had stayed out of the battle this far, fired a star-coloured arrow which hit Xodaka's shoulder and broke her concentration. "Thank you!" She shouted to her friend. She then concentrated her mind, using thought to combine air with lightning, forming a trap-spell. "In the name of The One, His son and His spirit!" She shouted while she unleashed a perfectly shaped bolt of lightning. When it hit home, Xodaka became encapsulated into a crystal. But her hope of stopping her was crushed, as was her crystal. This gave her no choice. She had to stop her, before she killed all of them. She again concentrated her mind. Although, this time, she used spirit, not thought, to combine air, fire and lightning. "It's finished!" She cried, blasting her bolts of deadly energy at the witch. Xodaka spread her hands and disappeared in a flash of green light. "Yeah!" "Watch out Torah! Behind you!" Victor's cry made her curl into a ball and roil to the side. Two balls of green flames blasted past her, putting the trees on fire. What she did next, wasn't something she was proud of, but it had to be done. She concentrated on her faith in God, which, combined with her gifts of magic, made a single bolt of pure silvery-coloured light struck from above, blasting down upon the dryad witch. And although she managed to raise a barrier of green energy, she was sent flying backward. "Not bad." Xodaka went back on her foots, although shaking wildly. "I am impressed. Next time we meet, I shall be prepared. Enjoy your victory, while you can." She then disappeared in another flash of green light. She concentrated the last of her strength, combining spirit with water and air, with made it snow over the burning trees, extinguishing the flames in the process. Then, tired by the outbursts of power, she fell to her knees. One danger was taken care of, at least for a while. But there would be countless others to take Xodaka's place. It wouldn't stop, not until they had banished the dark lord. Totally drained by using the spell called "banish light" she felt herself collapsed into a sleep. There would come other battles like this, but for now, she had to rest.

Underground reservoir. The 5th of December 2098 A.D.
"Balls of Destructions!" He opened his cape and fired three bat-inhabited blue fireballs at one of the water dragons. "Good work Adrian." The Belmont threw his throwing-cross at the other one. "I salute you young Belmont." Together they had destroyed the first water dragon and was now battling the last one, who also had been the first to enter. It was then Edward said. "Where's Ursula?" They looked around, but couldn't see her anyway. "If she's dead," Edward grimly told him. "I'll never be able to forgive myself." But before they could continue to search for her, the last of the water dragons popped its head out from the murky water and fired a massive blur of ice-projectiles. "Curse it!" He said as he had to jump away. The water dragon continued to blast projectiles at them and it was becoming little room to move on. "Crystal waterfall!" "What?" They turned to see a seemingly little girl dressed in a flowing blue robe, with water streaming from her hands. "A naiad?" Edward blinked in surprise as he saw her. He gave him a a look, then he smiled, it was a long time since he last saw one, but that was behind the point. On the ledge off one of the pipes lay the body of Ursula. Edward jumped into the water and swam over to her. "She's alive." He called to them as he checked her. "You should have taken better care of her." The naiad said before she again shot a spell at the water dragon. "I know." He said, before he again opened his cape. "Balls of Destructions!" But then he saw the throwback, water and fire wasn't a good combination. "Warg flames!" "Bat shield!" The lich fired a huge warg-headed flame at them and he had just enough time to deflect them with his bats. "Now it's our turn." Series of flames and frost came blasting into the skull of the water dragon, just as a barrage of burning blades shot at the lich. "Black shield!" The lich cowered himself behind a shield of black flames. But the water dragon was just a beast and was killed in an instant. "Not rest!" Ursula cried. "Concentrate on the lich!" But in the moment they turned their heads upward. The undead wizard was gone. "I think I saw him fly out from there." The naiad said and pointed at a pipe-opening at a high catwalk near the metal-sealing of the pipe. "Just one thing first," Edward said as he nodded at their new friend. "who're you? And why do you want to help us?" The naiad stood her ground and looked him right in the eyes. "You should know. It was you who helped to establish the alliance in 1998 between the younger and elder children of God. Now that He has return some of us think it's time to renew that alliance." She smiled. "And, to answer your first question, my name is Marina Seaflower of the house of Danube." Edward seamed like he didn't care about it, but knowing the nature of man, he would ask about it later. But now he looked like he was most interested in how they could reach the lich. "I saw your water-trick back there, can you rise the water so that we may catch him." Marina nodded and raised her hands. "By the might given to us by the water temple!" She called and the water started rising from the opening of the smaller pipes and they could swim to the catwalk. "That pipe, up the stairs." Ursula cried and ran at one of the nearest stairs. He nodded and followed after her. As the best magician of them she could track the aura of the lich.

Forest, Warakiya. The 5th of December. 2098 A.D.
When she woke, it was to the soft sensation of white hair and the feeling of being carried. She looked around her, her friends where walking next to her, Alicia and Saria involved in conversation, while Victor was in the front, as he used to. She wondered where they had found a horse, then she saw the long shining horn, at the head of the horse. She screamed, thinking they where couth by the demons in the castle. "Do not be afraid, cute little half-breed." A stranger's masculine voice told her. "Who are you? And what do you know about me, and my... Tell me!" "I am a unicorn. I can talk to you and other races through telepathy. And how I know your bloodlines, I can feel your soul. If feels somewhat like the human female, and somewhat like the tree-dancer who summoned me. I can sense your fear, but do not fear the mixture of blood is a good thing. It tells me there is still hope for the old friendships between the older and younger children of The One." She slowly nodded. His words comforted her, but she was still afraid. What if she became mad or something likes that. Or run away from the safety of her people. Her grandmother hadn't supported it, but Saria was one of the kindest and cutest children she had ever met. To get her thoughts away from her personal problems, she asked him. "Why are you here, I thought you didn't wanted to be involved in a battle between humans and vampires." She couldn't see his face, but she had a feeling he was worried. "The dark lord is a threat to us all. They couldn't carry you and do battle at the same time, so Saria used her voice's power to summon me from where I was galloping with the rest of my pack. This reminds me. Saria told me to give you this when you awoke." A flash of golden light, and she held a little instrument in her hands. "It is an ocarina. The musical instrument of the dryad race. Play the songs of their race and you would be able to summon me and other of my kind. Or even some of the numerous others of their allies. And yes, even to change the time of the year. Do not worry to play it. Listen to the power in your dryad blood, and you would be able to play it." "Unicorn." She began, but she was broken of. "Ealdaneril." "What?" She didn't understand. Once again she had a feeling that she could feel his temper, and that he now must be smiling. "That is my name, Torah Fernandez. At least, that is what others call me. My throe name, the name of my soul, I will not tell you, unless we should one day form a soul bond." She nodded. "I understand." She told him. "We are here." Victor suddenly told them. She jumped down from Ealdaneril's back and cast a look around. Before them, loomed a high hill into the darkening sky. A frozen water-fall came from the rocks, forming a river, also frozen, blocking the entrance to a cave. "What are we doing here?" She asked them. "While you slept," Alicia explained. "we did a little planning. The lake is to open to travel, the bog is to crowded with enemies to be a chance for us. And they serenely keep a close eye on the passage leading to the far side of the lake. So we decided to take this longer route. The hope is that although this way is longer, it will lead us closer to the castle than by crossing the lake or marshlands." She slowly nodded, before she added. "Have you thought about the monsters that may lurk inside there, in the eternal darkness under the ground." Alicia nodded. "That's why Saria went to collect some of her fey friends. They have promised to help us, by providing light to us. Show her Victor." The pirate nodded, handing out a lantern from his backpack. The lantern, crafted in an older-looking model, was like a little container, which housed a shining petite female shape, a fairy, who gave forth a soft yet shining light. "Have you captured her?" She asked, hit by shock. "It's no crystals in these lamps." Saria told her. "They can leave us whenever they want to." Alicia brought out another lamp, this one, with another, a male, fey inside, giving yet another lantern to her. "Hello, big female one." The little creature greeted her. "Hello to you to," She took a deep breath, before she added. "little sister." "Then," The unicorn said. "I bid you fear well. Until we meat again. May The One be with you and give you victory against the dark one." Before they could say another word, he was gone, like a rush of wind in the snow. "He is a good friend." Saria smiled. She nodded; it was easy to agree on that. "Let's go then." Alicia brought out her chain-whip, preparing herself for battle. She nodded. And, with the lantern in one hand, and their weapons in the other, they went over to the frozen water-fall. "I think this is something I will have to do alone." Saria told them. "Stay over there. So the water doesn't wash you away." They did as she told and then the dryad stood still for a while. Then a most particular thing happened. Saria started to sing. Her vice was soft and low, child-like, yet it had within it a feeling of the turning of the year, and all the beauty of each season. First it was the kind, and yet sorrow-filled, feeling of the fall. Then the powerful sensation of the winter. Then it turned to the happy and unrestrained feeling of the spring. Then the song turned to its climax. They felt the bought simple and complex power of the summer. The ice started melting right in front of their eyes. Then the dryad stopped. "That was good and powerful, sister, I'm surprised, after all, it is your first try on the Song of Year." She blinked her eyes. It was then she discovered she had participated in the song. She shook her head. When, if, she was finished with Dracula, she would sit down with her, at least she thought so, half-sister and discuss these matters. But for now, they had other, more important matters, to take care of.

Forest, Warakiya. The 5th of December. 2098 A.D.
Marcus Von Kaldtmark ,the warlock-lord of Ohrdogh, the master of the forsaken order, used his thoughts to search the land far below him. "They are gone." His black dragon told him through telepathy, the wind to powerful for voices to be heard through. "Indeed." He replied to his steed. The dark lord would not be pleased to hear these news. "We must return." He ordered his two underlings, who sat horseback on two bat-winged black horses with eyes of blue fire. "As you command my lord." His second-in-command answered him. He silenced them, when he felt an outburst of energy. He felt his soul became drawn to the power within it. "I feel it to." The third forsaken one told them. "We must find it." Before they could pinpoint the exact location of the power, it disappeared. He snarled, but they would find them sooner or later. At all times, they could feel their blood. He hated it, and desired it. Never the less, he would do what his master had commanded. He once again stretched out with his dark spirit. He would find them, then he should drain them of all their power and soul.

Caverns, Warakiya. The 5th of December. 2098 A.D.
"Watch out. Bats are dangerous." Her fairy, who had presented herself as Maisha, told her. She could agree on that. The bats where no enemy to underestimate, although you could kill them with only a hint of your magical powers. They carried with them the curse of the vampire, and she was still afraid of just thinking about them. They had killed her grandmother with such ease. And her grandmother had been one of the most powerful sorceresses she knew. No, she didn't want to think about that. The cold, moss-grown water-dripping dark cave was spooky enough as it was, to not think further about vampires. Somewhere there where huge cracks in the floor, which they had to jump across. It was dangerously enough without the low stalagmite-grown ceiling. She and Saria didn't have any difficulty by doing that, but for the grown-ups, it was a constant danger. The numerous bats, spiders and, not to forget, the medusa heads, where not doing anything easier. It was then she heard the snoring. "Bear is weary dangerous." Maisha told her in a low voice. "It's a bear." Victor quietly told them. "It's sleeping, but don't wake it. It'll be dangerous, as the fairies told." She nodded, understanding what he told her. Home in Chicago, she had seen on TV how dangerous bears could be, so she didn't do anything. The one that did something, was a medusa head, who bit her, making her scream. She had allways bean afraid of those things. "Who's there?" A deep stranger voice said. "I smell Christian blood. The dark lord had commanded that no Christians may pas this point." In the glow of their fairy-lanterns, they now saw the huge black-bear rouse from its sleeping place. "God with us." Alicia's war-cry now came out as a shocked whisper. The bear had no eyes. Instead, there where swarms of wasps, inside its empty eye-sockets. They could now smell the foul scent of rotting flesh, oozing from the bear-carcass. For that it was. They could see white bone and ugly gashes all over the body of the bear. She bent foreword and throw up all she had managed to eat in this long cold day. "I understand you." Saria put a hand on her shoulder. "But we need you, to battle this humiliation of the guardian-spirits of the land." She nodded and started concentrating on her mind. She didn't know when she had broken through her inner barrier, but now it wasn't at all difficult to use her magic. She combined fire, ice and lightning into one of her usual blue-green energy spheres, before she blasted it at the undead bear. "Orb of Sorcery!" At the same time Alicia threw one of her vials of holy water, which exploded into flames, right in front of the bear's face. The undead creature only shook its head. "It's Lord Dracula's will that no Christians may pas this point." It shouted, before it opened its mouth, shooting a wave of bloodstained wasps toward her. She quickly combined air, spirit and fire into a protective barrier, but she was still hit right into the cavern-wall. She fell to her knees, and felt a daze hit her. She fell on her face, knowing no more.

Caverns, Warakiya. The 5th of December. 2098 A.D.
"Torah!" Saria screamed as she saw her half-sister collapse at the wall. With one swift movement, she brought out her bow, firing an arrow after the undead beast. The arrow hit home, piercing the flesh of the bear, but once again, it only shrugged it off. "It's as I told you!" Victor came up behind the bear. "You must destroy the heart and brain. Only then you can be sure that these things are really dead, again." The last he dryly added, as his axe went through the skull of the bear, while one of his silver-stakes, destroyed its heart. The undead thing exploded, sending burning pieces of it flying through the cave. "Well." Victor dried of the blood from his tunic. "I didn't expected that to happen." But she wasn't interested in the blood cowering her own tunic. She knelt at the side of her sister, cheeking her pulse. It was then she heard what Torah was mumbling about. Her heart went cold inside her. "I'm turning mad, like all half-breeds. It's the dryad blood. It's the dryad blood. I can't do it." She repeated again and again. She shook her. "Come on. You aren't mad. Just tired from battle, that's all." Torah opened her eyes, she was taken in by there complexity. She had allways thought human eyes where more alive than her own people's. "Forgive me." She whispered. "I was afraid, afraid of my opposing bloodlines. I'm so sorry. Sorry for everything." "No." She softly told her. "No, sister, don't say that. I couldn't have been easy to know that you where an offspring of crossing blood. It was hard for me, when my tribe-elders told it to me. At first I was angry, that they hadn't told me before. Then I was afraid, thinking that my sister wouldn't like me. Then my tree told me something which allways shall sound in my heart." Torah watched her closely. "What did he tell?" She asked, in a low voice. "That birth and blood doesn't matter. What matters, is what you do with the life that you have received." Her sister shook her head, before she smiled. "He sounds like my grandmother. She used to say things like that when I told her I wanted a normal life. If we survive this, you must show me your tribe and tree." She returned the smile; it looked like her sister finally had found peace with what she had told her. In her heart, she thanked God, for his great kindness to her and her sister. "Shall we go?" She presented her with her hand. "Yes." Torah took the hand. "I think you're right. Let's get going." She helped her stand. And, after she had eaten some of the food Alicia gave her, she looked refreshed. "Take it easy." The Belmont told her sister. "And try not to use more magic before you have to." "I will." She said thankfully. "Let's go." Victor told them. "Wait a moment." Torah told them. "Maisha, are you alright?" She had gathered the lantern, which she had lost in the battle with the undead bear. "I think so." The tiny creature told them. "That bear was really ugly." Torah laughted and, after recovering her other things, they continued their journey down the corridor.

Water-tank, Warakiya. The 5th of December 2098 A.D.
They had come out of the monstrous pipe and into an even huger water-tank. Pipes of all types and sizes came in and out of the steel-walls they had been used to inside the main-pipelines. "We must be underneath the lake." Adrian told them after looking around. "The castle-reservoir has no such huge system as this." Ursula shut him off. She was bent upon finding and killing the lich and was busy looking for the correct way up from the tank. "Don't do this." Edward put his hand on her shoulder. "Don't hate so much." He told her. "We must do battle with him, but don't be consumed by hatred. It wouldn't help anyone." She shook him off and ran up the stairs. "Head up!" A barrage of swords went over her shoulder and destroyed a bone dragon who had ready to blast her with a beam of blue fireballs. "Never forget," Adrian warned them. "the servants of my father is allways looking for us." Edward nodded and brought up his beloved throwing-axe and boomerang-cross. Then, with the males in the front, she and Marina at the back, she with her magical rods and Marina with her trident in hands, they went up the stairs. Bone dragons, bats and fish-heads did what they could to stop them, skeleton-archers and lizardmen forced Adrian to constantly generate his bat-shield. But there where nothing all to difficult, not compared to what they had faced in the reservoir. The difficult thing however was, the tank itself. Its size and machinery was so magnificent that it almost made them stare. But focus was important, as Adrian was swift to mention. She smiled without humour. If the story was thrue, and according to Marina's stories, they must be, he had been awake in 2035 and seen the technology of man. But she hadn't and had been to focused on the mission when they went along the pipelines, but now she was astonished by what the youngest children of The One hand managed to create with their own hands. As they came up to the top of the tank, they all gasped at what they saw. A huge cavern, ten or even twenty times as large as the tank and reservoir-chambers together, filled with water and with catwalks all around the abyss with drain and water-supply controls to assist the workers of the reservoir-control. A metallic pillar rouse from the lake, raising into the sealing, most likely leading to another control station. Although it lay many miles away from them, they could see its towering shape in the distance. A bridge, crafted out of metal, went from the abyss to another metal-platform with tunnels leading hither, dither and really anyway, leading an underground river from deeper inside the cavern. A Russian ship from the Victoran time, lay harbour at the metal platform, she smiled without humour, that had to be something from the castle. The crew of the water-station would have used ships from this time rather than that old hag of a bout. Edward looked at his watch and shook his head. "We have been in the reservoir all day. I think you're right Adrian. We're under the lake, but that must be really deep. Watch, over there." The sound of running water wasn't from the tank-abyss, but from a stream from the sealing near the huge pillar in the distance. "There, over there, the lich!" She cried as she saw the lich flying through the further-most tunnel where one of the underground springs ran out in the lake. "Come on." She started running across the bridge, closely followed by the others.

Caverns, Warakiya. The 5th of December 2098 A.D.
"What, what do you say? Did they defeat the bear too?" Xodaka glared at the lightly armed and armoured skeleton before her. "It's what I saw. Don't blame me; I'm just a tracker, no soldier." The skeleton told her, in the skeletons usual whispering hollowness. "Leave me." She furiously instructed it. "As you command, my lady." The skeleton saluted her, before he turned and left her. She went over to her huge dying tree at the edge of the underground river. It would never die, of course. The dark lord had seen to that and it gave her more power than her old tree. The tree which her own tribe had cut her off from, could ever do. "Dreaming of good old days?" General Reich's messenger asked her. The messenger had come to her the night before, with words from the new head-commander of Ravenberg-fortress. She was ordered to kill the Belmonts and all others with them. That was why she had sent the dendroid and the wargs against them. She had tried to confront them herself and now she had sent the undead bear as well. And all of them had failed. She feared what should happen to her when her commander and the dark lord heard of her failures. But she still had a chance of victory. They had only entered the outer parts of the caverns and where still in her territory. Not wanting to answer his question, she only said. "They are close to the room of the ancients. I will let the ones who dwell inside it do what the undead bear didn't managed." The messenger flapped his wings, flying down from her tree to face her. "And what if they fail you? As all of your other servants have done." She had expected that question. "Then I will send out my own band of soldiers to kill them." The messenger smiled. It knew what she meant and was enjoying it. She herself was in reality not so sure. But she was determined. Should her personal underling also fail her, she was prepared to once again do battle with the humans and their allies. And if she should die in the battle, it would be easier to perish swift, than to face Lord Dracula's punishment for treason. And if it should be, it would be better to die as a servant than a traitor. Who knows, she may be resurrected one day by the castle itself. It happened only to those who the dark lord looked to as his closest servants. She hoped for it, but feared otherwise.

Underground river. The 5th of December 2098 A.D.
"I think he went down there." Adrian informed them, Edward nodded. "There, over the bridge longer down the tunnel." Ursula smiled, she looked like she was looking forward to this, he shook his head. He had warned her about this before, but to his dismay it looked like she didn't heed his words. "Head down, quiet." Marina, who had went scouting came back to them with a stern look in her face. "There's a huge crypt down the tunnel. The lich are there, but there is someone else there too. A human girl with a whip, a male with an axe, a dryad and a young human child." "A whip?" He asked her, Marina nodded. "It's my friends." He tild them before he started running down the tunnel. This time it was he who had to be saved. A group of skeletons dressed in rags, unfitting pieces of armour and old shoes or boots, jumped from the river and threw a set of rusty daggers after him. Other, which where armed with bows and arrows tried to shot them down but failed with their first attempt. "Bat shield!" Adrian's spell hindered the daggers, arrows and loose bones from hitting him, but it didn't stop the skeletons from throwing more daggers or bringing out new arrows, just as more skeletons jumped from the river. "It's the lich!" Ursula cried and used the ice-rod to blast the first group of skeletons into oblivion. "Run, if you want your friends to live." Adrian told him as he opened his cape and fired three balls of bat-inhabited blue flames to kill another skeleton. "We shall take care of these air-breathers." Marina told her as she used her trident to smash the skull and ribs of a skeleton. He nodded and ran down the corridor.

Caverns, Warakiya. The 5th of December. 2098 A.D.
She made large eyes at the room before them. They had ventured down the long corridor and entered into a huge battle-ground sized chamber. But it wasn't that who made them stop and stare. Tunnels entered into this hall from multiply directions and grotto-paintings and carvings of dragons, wyverns, unicorns and a pegasi decorated the wall and many candle-stands enlightened the room. Skeletons of wyverns, humans and numerous other creatures where laying everywhere. As where pots, artefacts of gold, iron and bronze littered the floor as well. "Can you feel it?" Saria asked her. "Yes." Alicia said. She nodded in replay. The room was as cold as the winter outside the caves. "Curse it! You are here to." A cold hiss of a voice, hard as iron and without any humanity left in it, called out to them. A short shape, with burning eyes, shrouded in crimson silk-cloth, glared upon them. The smell of decaying flesh drifted from it. "Is that... Is it, Him?" She began. "No." Alicia had brought out her whip and something which looked like a vial filled with water. "It's not Dracula, it's a lich. A wizard who once was a man. He gave up his life to receive immortal power." The creature, the thing, who had once been a human's eyes burned with dark amusement. "I have abounded death and I have followers who also have done so. See for yourself." The lich spread his hands and the skeleton wyvern's heads flouted up in the air and chained themselves to the walls, while skeleton wargs and rags-clad human skeletons rouse from the piles of other bones. "They don't answer to you. They answer to "lord" Dracula and to him alone. You deceive yourself when you think these poor creatures would ever follow you by their own free will." Alicia countered the lich's words. "I can agree on that." A strong masculine voice sounded. The last words where followed by the boom of a shotgun. A bloody hole opened itself in the left arm of the undead wizard. "Edward Morris." She cried happily. And Edward Morris it was. He stood there, dressed in his usual coat and wide-brimmed hat, with his old hunting-rifle in hands. "Let me handle this gay." The Belmont-descendant told them. She nodded. It was time to do battle. Edward put back his hunting-rifle and brought out his sword. She concentrated her mind, calling forth one of her energy balls by combining fire, ice and lightning. The battle was afoot.

Caverns, Warakiya. The 5th of December. 2098 A.D.
"You almost got us with those water dragons, but this time it's different. This time it's just you and me." He coldly told the lich. "Fool!" The undead mage shouted. "I have outlived your life-time. I shall destroy you and all your kind in the name of Lord Dracula and The Dark Lord." He swung his sword, only to be hindered by another sword, which the undead wizard had drawn from out of his robes. This time it was the lich's turn to attack. He manage to turn it aside. Then he did a slash at his head, with the lich turned away. "You are good. But you cannot win in this battle. I have had hundreds of years to hone my skills, while you have had only a few short years to do the same." He smiled when his blade cut through the traitor's other arm. Now he couldn't attack him from the left. "Curse you! Undead curse!" The lich stepped a few steps back to fire a ball of dark-grey energy. "In the name of The Father, The Son and The Holy Ghost!" He called as he slashed through the energy-ball. The lich lunged towards him, he brought up his blade just in time to block the enemy's blow. He noticed that their battle had brought them out of the tomb and down another corridor. They where now inside another huge camber, with an enormous decaying tree at the edge of a underground river. Rays of pale moonlight came in from holes in the ceiling. That short look gave him a cut in his arm, which made blood ooze from the gash. He cursed himself for not paying better attention. He now only had one hand to swing his blade, but it had to do. He prepared himself, calling upon the powers of God in his heart. He again lifted his sword. "All or nothing." He told himself. The lich swung its blade at his middle-section. He managed to turn it aside even this time. "Blast it Adrian, where are you!?" He sent his blade toward the lich. But he once again had to do a back-flip. He now noticed that the others, even his own friends, where involved in battles with dark dryads, dendroids and skeletons dressed in rags. He couldn't help them now; he had his hands filled with this one enemy.

Caverns, Warakiya. The 5th of December 2098 A.D.
"Take that, your bony monster!" Victor dug his axe into one of the bone dragons. She smiled. Victor's statement in battle often made her do that. Some distance away, Saria sung a song for some of the undead wargs, which made them fall back on the ground, burning away in golden flames. "I'm so sorry." The dryad whispered sorrowfully and made a sign of the cross. "The song of a crying spirit." She told her, she nodded, understanding what she meant. The dryad's songs where used to protect life, not to destroy life, not even this twisted dark form for life. But before she got over to her, another short-grown female, with silvery-white hair, azure eyes and pale eyes, reminding her of sea flowers, dressed in a flowing blue robe, laying a hand around her shoulders. "Who are you?" She asked her just as she concentrated on her mind and forming an energy-orb in her hands. "My name is Marina Seaflower, of the house of Danube. I am a naiad, a guardian of the fresh-water concentrations in the world. You may call me a cousin, since our races are different fractions of the same speeches." Before she could ask her more questions, Marina turned around and destroyed a skeleton dressed in rags, armed with rusty daggers and with a wide-brimmed black hat on its head. "It's the lich doing this, he must be stopped before he bring all of Hell's forces down on us." "Orbs of Sorcery!" She nodded and concentrated her mind and fired three orbs of green energy. "Orbs of Sorcery!" The orbs circled her body and homed upon three more skeletons as they made their move upon them. "Make a circle, straight forward, follow Edward." Alicia, with Adrian and Ursula with her side, came up to them with their weapons in hands. "Watch out! Beam of gold!" She made three bolts of gold-coloured beams blast from her hands, beheading three skeletons as they went along. They thanked her by destroying a skeleton who tried to shot an arrow in her back from behind. "Crystal water-flowers!" Marina aided her with a blast of water flower-looking crystalline bolts at another group of skeletons. "Xodaka!" Saria's cry made her look to the left, as did Alicia, but she did look in yet another direction. "Follow Edward!" Three voices said at the same time and then three females darted off in two different directions.

Caverns, Warakiya. The 5th of December 2098 A.D.
Sword hit sword as he leached out at the lich. The undead wizard had stopped using spell when he noticed that he would only use his mystic weapons or his faith to counter them. "You have given up the eternal life Christ promised the ones who believed in him and threw aside his death for our sins." He snarled as he turned aside a hate-filled blow from the lich's blade. "Why die in this world when you may live forever? I have seen what you are blind to. The Dark One let us live forever and do what we want just that we do what he wants us to do." He had enough force to rip out his cross, a simple one, crafted out of silver, and stamp it on the shrouded forehead of the lich. The dark creature who once was a man screamed in pain as flames erupted upon his undead flesh. "You have been deceived." He cried to his enemy. "Christ died so that the human who wants to do good things shall find strength in his name and deeds to continue their struggle. I'm maybe just a simple Warakiyan mailman. But I believe this to be true I believe in…" The lich cut him short. "Don't dare to say that name, don't dare to!" He lashed out with his sword to kill him with one powerful strike, but to no avail. Even as he saw the dark blade coming toward him, he stood his ground and spoke out his denial of the darkness with all the force he had left in him after the long battle with an immortal enemy. "God!" He cried out. "Make mercy upon my soul and deliver me from evil!" He brought up his sword and cross, bougth shining with golden power and the undead wizard's blade was destroyed as the hit each other and the dark servant staggered backwards. "Impossible!" He cried as he tried to bring up his hands to defend himself from the sword-blade, but to bought his own and his foe's surprise, he dropped the sword to the ground. He instead raised the cross and held it to the skies. "Father in Heaven!" He cried out. "Forgive the souls of darkness. They don't know what they do!" As he spoke the words from the Bible, a beam of silvery-coloured light shot from the cross and the lich burst into nothingness, still screaming for his false God. "Great work Edward." Victor, his old friend from Warakiya who he had started this adventure together with, clasped his shoulder as he reached him. "The curse is lifted." Adrian said in his usual cold voice, but it was like he could see a smile of approval in his new-found friend's eyes. The two females, Ursula and Marina, embraced him, congratulating him with the victory. "Where is my cousin?" He asked them, casting a look around. He couldn't see Alicia anywhere. "I am afraid your little friend has gone hunting the crystal-master. But don't be disappointed, I am here and I am ready for you." "Who's there? Show yourself." "Indeed." From the crown of the dying tree, the dark-clad form of Xodaka jumped to stand before them. "Sulimo, Kyotri, bring them to me." Down from some of the smaller trees, two other dark dryads, dressed in dark-green and brown tunics and sandals, jumped to face them together with their mistress. "No, not this, not now." Victor was right in his comment, as the two newcomers brought with them the captured forms of Torah and Saria. "Now it is my turn. Kill them, slowly." The dark dryad commanded and her two underlings drew their moved for the two captured ones. "Dragon breath!" To their surprise, Ursula opened her mouth, and sent her flames, not at the dryads, but at two of the trees standing at the edge of the underground river. The result amazed and horrified him at the same time. The two dark dryads started screaming and fell to the ground and disappeared in flames as did their trees. "Forgive me Saria, but it was the only solution." Saria and Torah was freed and they now all turned toward Xodaka, who was still smiling. "I have expected this, and know how to counter. If you thought that you defeated my last forces, then think again." As she spread her hands, the dark dryads and dendroid which had run of when the lich had perished, returned from their hidings and rejoined battle. "I shall take care of the witch." Torah told him, he nodded as he ran to where he had threw his blade and then turned toward the enemy. It was not over yet, not by far.

Caverns, Warakiya. The 5th of December 2098 A.D.
"We are with you cousin." Marina told the young cross-breed as she tightened her grip around her trident. She hadn't yet made battle with a sorcerer, but she was prepared to do so. "She's right sister." Saria the dryad tested the string of her bow as she lifted an arrow to fire at their enemy. Torah nodded, thanking them for their support, but her thoughts where far away. She was thinking about her ancestor, Sypha Belnades, which at the side of Trevor Belmont and a group of other individuals battled a group of similar enemies. That time it also had been three fiends who ruled a grotto underneath the castle, in that case, the mummies, the Cyclops and Leviathan, and still they had defeated them. She prayed that she would master the same challenge, but she fared she would fail. The last time she had fought against this witch, she had tried to destroy her, but hadn't been successful, perhaps she should try a different approach to their enemy this time. "Can you two handle her without my help?" She asked them. They gave her a puzzled look, but nodded their replay. "So you turn your back on your friends." Xodaka mocked her, but instead of replaying, she just ran away to what she hoped would be the failure of their powerful enemy.

Caberns, Warakiya. The 5th of December 2098 A.D.
She looked upon the great dying tree, in some strange way she felt pity for it. At first, she had thought to set it afire, but now she know that she couldn't. She cleared her throat. She was still a little afraid of her strange blood, but now she had to trust it entirely to pull this off. She cast a glance over her shoulder, Saria and Marina was busy battling Xodaka, and her other friends had their hands filled with the skeletons, dark dryads and other enemies who Xodaka and the lich had summoned. "Time to roll the dice." She whispered, then looked down at her cross, picked it up and kissed it. "Father in Heaven." She prayed. "Give me gaidence to do what I need to, amen." She then opened her mouth and started to sing. She concentrated her soul on her dryad blood and in it, found the tones she needed and song like she had done outside the tunnels. It was great power in her voice and great beauty in the song, but it was the tree her eyes where fixed upon the tree. She felt tears form in her eyes as she watched the tree begin to live again. The bark once again became a glowing mahogany-brown and the leafs became lithered with green, red and gold. "Thank you God." She whispered as she dried her eyes. She focused on her human blood again, but still she felt the joy her dryad blood gave her seeing the tree live again stayed with her. But she didn't care. For for the second time since she learned of her dryad heritage, she felt at peace. "Draining roots!" Roots embraced her and started to squeeze the life out of her. "You might have resurrected my tree, but you underastemated me." She heard Xodaka's voice hiss in her ear. "Your little stunt have given me more power then ever before. Now it is my turn." Her enemy made a laughter at her, but it ended in a scream. She whirled around and saw an arrow standing out of her back, blood colouring her dark robes with crimson and she saw her eyes glaze over as she fell toward her. "Forgive me." Saria stood back her with her bow in hand. "I had to save you, she was about to kill you." She then dropped the bow and fell to her knees. Shocked by what she saw, she ran to her side and embraced her half-sister as tight as she could. "I wathed her almost kill Marina, I had to run over to heal her. Then she tried to kill you to. I had to do something." It sounded like she tried to convince herself, but judging by the tears in her eyes, she failed. A dryad was a being of life, created to sustain and heal other life, killing and battling was not their stile. For the first time she really understood which struggles which lay behind Saria's soft green eyes. "Look." She told her and turned her eyes to the tree which, even though its guardian was dead, still lived. "She has been forgiven. Do you think the tree would have bean allowed to live if she wasn't?" Saria nodded, although there was still tears in her eyes, she smiled and got back of her feet. "You did it." This time it was Victor, Edward, Adrian and Marina who was the ones to congratulate the victorious ones. "How did she manage to capture you in the first place?" Adrian asked in his usual cold manner, she smiled, she could see that he was impressed and oversaw the tone in his voice. "She used her powers to make us think she was in a good post for attack." She told them. "We went for her, but ended up as the one who was attacked." She smiled to them, then she noticed something. "Where is Alicia?" She felt like deja vu when she said it, but it concerned her that the golden-haired Belmont was lost. Her friends shook their heads, non of them had seen her since the beginning of the battle, then she saw that Edward maybe had recalled something. He stood beside a blue door at the end of the cavern, as if he was lissening to something from inside the room. "That's the room of a crystal-guardian." Adrian told him, Edward cast him a glance, but she almost didn't care, as her eyes where fixed upon something else. "A crystal you say?" She asked the youthful-looking vampire. "Like that one?" She pointed at a crystal ball, which rested at the exact same place as where Xodaka had perished. "Yes." Adrian said in a low voice. "Pick it up." Edward told her. "You deserve it." She stood a moment without moving before she walked over to the shining red ball. As she picked it up a beam of light shot down around her and she felt herself all refreshed and at peace with herself. "Do not be afraid." A voice told her. "You are blessed from two sides, use them to battle evil and to renew the world in the name of God." She nodded and the light subsided. "Does that allways happen when someone pick up a crystal?" Edward asked Adrian who shook his head. "Sometimes, when the hero is in doubt with what to do, the One speak to them, but for the most part, you only feel at peace and becomes refreshed." He cracked a smile, and for the first time since she met him, she thought she could see some humanity in him. "Not that His light and power could ever be cold "onlye", that is." She returned the smile, he bowed before her, but she could see that he also was worried about Alicia. She walked over to him and asked him in a voice she hoped nobody could hear. "It is just because she look so much like Sonia, or it is something else?" At first it looked like he was taken aback by her question, then he again smiled, sorrowfully, she thought. "Yes and no." He quietly told her. "She reminds me about my mother as well. But it is something about her. She has the same faith-filled fighting spirit as Sonia had, but it is more. I can see her spirit when she call upon her family's power, she is a good woman. I fear for her now, but I believe she will defeat whatever it is inside there." She nodded. She understood what he meant and she also hoped her friend would return to them. In the meantime there was only one thing they could do, wait for their friend to return. She and Saria went over to watch the tree. To her surprise, the others followed her and sat down around it. She smiled, she could feel their friendship. She didn't know if it was a dryad of human ability, but for the first time this night, she didn't care. She could almost feel that her opposing bloodlines would return to pain her later, but for now, it was enough sitting around the tree with her friends around her and with the living evidence of God's forgiveness. "Torah, I want to speak with you, alone." She looked to the side and saw doubt in the mysterious girl's eyes. "What is it?" She softly asked the red-head when they where out of air-shot of the others. "Yesterday I met a darkrobe," Ursula began. "she tried to kill me." She looked at her, that wasn't any mysterie, at least not to her. Darkrobes lived to serve Dracula and his master. Then Ursula continued and she understood her worry. "She tried to kill me with a spell called "star of silver", the weaker form om the spell called "crest of silver". The funny thing is that those spells are light-side spells. I don't understand how one from the dark side learned about them." As Ursula presented her story, she felt a chill go down her spine. "The darkrobe you met must have been a renegade, a wizard or sorceress who serve no side but go where the power is." Ursula nodded and they went back to their friends, sitting down again. Now she had more than her friend to worry about. Renegades where the worst thing for a magic-user to think about. She would watch her opponents closely and see what she could learn.

Caverns, Warakiya. The 5th of December 2098 A.D.
"Show yourself! I know you are in here somewhere." She had seen him sitting in the top of the tree when she first entered the chamber and had followed it through the blue door at the end of the room. The chamber inside was a high-sealing stone-room with low-burning candles on the wall. There where many shadows inside the room to hide in, but she was concentrated on defending herself. The chain-whip was at the ready and her crucifix and holy water was as well. She knew that if she should loose her glasses she would be doomed, but she had to do this. The dendroid had been a powerful enemy but this would be different. This was a crystal-guardian, or at least she thought so. Four successive fireballs came flying from one of the nearest shadows. She heard a snarl as she jumped to the side and slashed at him with her whip. The creature bat, a human-looking bat, dressed in a black wide-sleeved hooded shirt, boots and a light-grey tunic with a spiky belt and shoulder-plates, glared upon her. "Enjoy your little trick while you can." He said as he took to the air and fired four new fireballs. She used her whip to turn out the flames and threw a vial of holy water at the creature bat, but to her dismay, a new set of fireballs destroyed it. "Power of the Hummingbird!" She called forth the power of the phoenix who had given its power to this whip and blasted the second wave of flame-blasts. Almost on instinct, she dropped herself to the floor just as something flew over her and blasted into the wall behind her. She looked up at her enemy, he was shouting, shouting, at her. Of course, she thought, he was using sonic-blast in an attempt to stun her. Just as she thought so, the second sonic-wave hitt her and made her freeze in motion. "You have fought well, young Belmont." The creature bat had landed and was marching toward her. "Pity to kill something so cute as you." Something who looked like a grin went over his lips, as he touched her face. She shuddered as she felt his hands on her privates. She tired to break free of the sonic stun-blast, but to no avail. "Be still, while I refill my energy." He smiled even brouder as he leaned over and she closed her eyes as he gitt into her neck. He was no vampire, but he had the same urge, having been infused with DNA from a vampire bat. He would infect her with the curse, but she was not sure if it would turn her into a vampire or just kill her. He swung his claws and opened her jacket, what he thought about she wouldn't think about, but whatever it was, he saw her crucifix and just as she also saw it, her strength returned to her. She rised her hand and swung the whip right into her enemy's face and smiled when he saw flames erupt on him. He hoped she had blinded him, but when four fireballs went flaying at her, the hope was crushed. The creature bat had taken to the air again and landed with such force that some of the stalagmites in the sealing fall toward her. She threw a set of grenades and destroyed the rocky spikes and again swung her whip at her enemy. The creature bat snarled in pain as more flames erupted from his skin, she gasped as she saw his skin turn red as he fired six blue fireballs. She cried as one of them hitt her leg and the pain, together with that from her neck, hindered her from running as swift as she had before. "You're finished!" The creature bat landed and fired eight linked fireballs She dropped herself to the floor just as the flames hitt her and rolled toward him. When the fireballs subsided she rised and threw a vial of holy water right in his face. The vial exploded and her enemy burned away in silvery-coloured flames, she had to jump aside as more flames and burning pieces of the creature bat was thrown in all directions. She took a deap breath and the blue door opened. She thanked God with one of the Latin prayers she had learned by the priest in her village before she went out. Her neck burned and she was afraid that she would die. She hoped she had been right in what she had seen on Adrian's belt.

Caverns Warakiya. The 5th of December 2098 A.D.
She came out of the room and her friends came running over to her. "Give me one of your crystals, fast." She told Adrian. The young vampire looking like he was taken aback by that she had seen the crystals in his belt, handed one of them over to her. "In the name of Christ." She whispered as a tiny silvery-coloured light erupted around her and she felt refreshed and at peace. "What did happen?" Edward questioned her worriedly. "Why did you need a purification crystal?" Torah nodded. "Was there a vampire inside there?" She shook her head and took a deep breath. "It was a creature bat, and it didn't have a crystal inside itself. It infected me with the curse but thank to you it ended well." Their conversation ended by a cry. "Look!" Torah pointed to someone across the river. "It's one of them." Edward tightened his grip around his sword. But it was Alicia who recognised her as who she was. "Actrise!" And she it was. She was a tall perfectly shaped young woman with long golden-blonde hair, burning sapphire-blue eyes and bluish-grey skin. She was dressed in a Renaissance dress but she had the same rod in her hands but now she looked more like the woman Jonathan Harker and Professor Van Helsing had described her like all those long years ago. She was a vampire, no doubt about that. Her pointed airs, full crimson lips and bat-like eyes made it more than clear to her. "She can't cross the river." Adrian said. She knew it but didn't pay that much attention as she grasped her crucifix from inside her fur-trimmed pilot-jacket and presented it toward Actrise. "I call you from darkness into light and cast you back into Hell in the names of The Father, The Son and of The Holy Ghost!" She yelled as she lifted the image of Christ so that the vampire should feel its presence. Adrian mumbled something which sounded like a prayer of forgiveness, but it was Actrise who interested her. The vampire snarled and her eyes burned with a eerie blue light. "You have the upper hand now. I warn you, in the castle there is no God!" She hissed with a metallic voice. She proudly stood her ground. "God is allways with us as long as we have faith in Him." She continued with bringing out a little box, which contained a piece of the Host. She felt an enormous power shine from the combination of the crucifix and Host. "Corpus Christi! Be gone you bitch of Satan! Be gone in the name of Christ!" The vampire's eyes burned like blue fire, but Actrise knew, as she did, that she couldn't stay. The blonde vampire took on the form of a swarm of bats and then disappeared into the shadows of the cave. "Well," Edward said as he resheathed his sword. "what do we do now? This way leads nowhere and the water-caves doesn't either. The only other way leads upwards it seems." "You know that you are holding that map up side down?" Victor told them, they gave him a look which made her smile. Adrian gave him the draft. "I cannot read this technical readout, so what do you make you think you can?" The descendant of the DaNasty clan shook his head. "Didn't I tell you that. I used to work on the Ravenberg power-plant/water reserve station before the ice came. I know this place as my own pocket. The only way that reach out near the place the castle stands now is up, as you said, but if you had followed the map as you read it it would had lead you nowhere except for the cleaning-pools." "Incredible, just clean incredible." Edward shook his head but gave no other replay. "Then that's our way then." Victor told them, she nodded and Adrian presented his hand to him. "Lead the way." Edward grinned as they shook-hands. And with Victor in the lead, they started walking down the tunnel. She was quick to follow and the others filled in behind her. She noticed Adrian at her side, with his sword drawn. "There are no more crystal-guardians alive here. But the ones who had indeed survived will surely try to kill us. We must not rest." She shook her head, his language and manner to speak sometimes amused her. "I agree." She said but was cut short by Saria and Torah. "The plant-life!" The young sorceress screamed. "They are attacking us!" The dryad was right as the moss and flowers who grew on the cavern walls and sealing started spitting seeds, thorns and acid at them. "It is something controlling them! Crimson lightning!" Adrian blasted some of the nearest sprouts but it was just to many of them. "Run if you want to live!" She screamed as she followed her own example just as she threw a vial of holy water at the evil plant-life. "We should've known that this place was to big to have just two crystal-guardians.." Edward commented as he sliced some of the vines with his sword. She didn't have time to answer, even though she thought he was right. They would have to find the one controlling these thins or they would be overwhelmed and crushed by these things. She did an item-crush with the holy water and even many of them burned away they kept on coming. "Here goes nothing!" She heard Edward cry by her side. She nodded and did the sign of the cross and cast a glance at her watch. Another long night had ended, but it didn't matter down here. But she could allways hope that the day outside would hold the undead gone.

Ice-caverns, Warakiya. The 6th of December. 2098 A.D.
She saw the shocked look on their faces and smiled in her heart. She was coming and it was nothing they could do to stop her. "They have killed to many of us too me to like it." Reinhardt Reich Van Deer Hawk told his comrades in battle. She smiled again, on her face this time. The German vampire was all to right. Bought the silver-fured sorceress and the ghost queen where dead and gone, they had been some of the key-members of his commandos. She had heard that others was also dead, servants the dark lord had sent to Ravenberg before this group. "I think it is time we move the eggs and retreat back to the castle. The local Devil-cells, or what left of it, must take care of this mess" The red-fured were-fox wizard called Maeglin insisted. The general shook his helmet-clad head so that the well-polished eagle shone in the light of the cave. "We have not gotten any new commands from Lord Dracula. And until we get one, we are to stay here and do what we have been ordered to." She took a deep breath, there where still time, but they would have to hurry. One again she sent her mind-calling to her friend. "Hurry, there is no more time to spear. "Herr Reich?" A new group of walking dead, dressed in Nazi SS-uniforms entered the cave. "Der Graff woollen mitt Sie gesprechen." "Ach so Herr Ubersthurmbandfurer. Sehr minute." The general turned to the were-fox wizard, and again spoke to him on the Romanian language. "Take over here, Lord Dracula has summoned me. Do not do anything without new orders from either myself or a decree from Der Graff." He turned to brigade of walking dead. "Hail Graff Dracula!" He saluted and left the cave. "Send the new servant back to the nest and we will retreat even further into the caves." Maeglin ordered the soldiers and renegade traitors who saluted him in the same manner he had done to the SS-troops. A group of them went over to her and made her move on her but she didn't care, she was sure her friend would come in time. Meanwhile she had to defend her children.

Caverns, Warakiya. The 6th of December 2098 A.D.
"All abaourd?" Alicia asked them just as she threw a vial of holy water at the evil plant-life. Edward cast a glance around at his friends and nodded. Adrian, who knew best the skills of this types, stood at the helm, while Victor and Marina at the two switches at the masts of the ship. He, Alicia and Saria stood at the ready while Torah hang over the side and throw up what she had eaten. He grinned without humour as he saw her, but Saria warded her against the few fishmen who jumped out of the water. Then, they suddenly vanished, and they started looking around for other enemies, but he didn't think anyone of them suspected what they did see. "A water-flower Alura Une!" Marian cried as the huge flower rised out of the water, spread its leafs and showed forth the beautiful little girl growing from the core. "This is really the true master eh, mistress, of the water-caves." Adrian told them in his usual cold and emotionless voice. "Edward, do you still have that throwing-axe?" Alicia asked him, he nodded. "You see," She told them as she brought out her grenades. "that this sort of enemy is somewhat natural and then our holy weapons wouldn't help us. And Adrian, no lightning, or we are finished." The young vampire nodded and, to his surprise, took up one of the bows they had found aboard. "Ice?" Ursula asked but he shook his head. "Its to big, you would have to freeze the entire lake and the springs too to do that." "Star bow!" Saria fired an arrow of magic-force but it was blocked by a blur of small-sized seeds. "It's a water-flower Saria." Marina told her as she picked up another bow. "It have no roots, you can't kill it as you would a flower from your own element." Adrian nodded. "The only way to kill it is to kill the girl." He screamed in pain as a swarm of leafs hitt him and started to drain his energy. "Sorry Adrian." Ursula fired a beam of ice at him to free him from the leafs. He turned his attention to the water-flower and threw his axe at the flower and made an item-crush. He smiled as the many axes hitt the head-leafs of the flower. But to his dismay, the flower closed itself around the girl and defended her from the blades. "Balls of destructions!" Adrian opened his cape and fired three balls of blue bat-inhabited flames at the flower. "Don't!" He warned him but it was to late. The flower returned under-water, submerged from another direction and smashed its "head" into the ship, smashing it into oblivion. "Ursula! You must help us!" He cried to her and she nodded, changing form back into her true form. "Climb up, now, be swift." He jumped up to her back, with Alicia, Torah and Adrian at his side. "Come on!" He cried to Victor and the other girls. It was a long way to victory, but they had done it before and they could do it this time to. The main-leaf of the flower opened and the Alura Une lifted its hands. Most likely to unleash yet another deadly attack, but the spell never came. "What in the name of God is happening?" Torah cried as a coldness spread out in the cavern. The flower froze in a minute and the water became one huge ice-sheat as they watched it. "It must be the true ruler of this cave." Adrian said with a low voice. "We must escape or be frozen as the other poor dwellers in this cave." He nodded and Ursula flew at the huge metal pillar at the far side of the huge grotto.

Castlevania, Wakariya. The 6th od December 2098 A.D.
"He have used the Jadis spell." Shaft rouse from his chair and started walking at the door. "Stay where you are wizard." He turned to look at his master. The formless shadow of Lord Dracula gazed upon him from withing the hood of his cloak. "It is forbidden by you yourself to use it without direct order from either you or someone representing you." He softly pointed out. He could feel his master smile from withing his hood. "He is my representation there." The dark lord hissed. "If he choose to use the spell, it will take its price out on him, not me." He slowly nodded and retook his chair and looked out on the table. That fool of a wizard had killed the plant his master had sent to battle the vampire hunters, but now he instead would take that plase. He smiled, showing his fangs as he did so. Maeglin was a powerful wizard, but soon he would stand face to face with the kin of the man who had once killed him several hundreds years ago. He leaned back in his seat. This would turn out most amusingly.

Chapter 3: The Story Continues | Back to Chapter 1