Castlevania: Darkness Never Dies

Fan Fiction

Continued...

Part 1: Gathering darkness.

"Forgive those who hounts you and pray for those who are your enemy."

Mathew 5, 44.

Chapter 8: Crystal teardrops.
Realm of dreams. The 8th of December 2098 A.D.
Snow where pouring down on her as she battled her way toward a eerie dim light she saw far beyond the forest. As she finnaly came to the light, she found that a man was sitting beside the fire. She knew him, knew him with her heart and soul. "Sonia." He said, reaching out with his hand at her. Something was bottering her, something far back in her mind. She rouse her hand toward her face. Her glasses where gone and… Glases, she didn't use, she used… It was fleeting away from her, she took his hand and sat down by the fire. "Adrian." He nodded, smiling at her. She recognized him, why she hadn't before she didn't know. "You have come to this strange place to help me?" She said, his smile again warming her more than the fire. "I have promised to protect you." He said and fore once his voice didn't sound so cold as it used to be. "I will do anything to help you." He continued, leaning over to kiss her. The feeling of his lips on her was so warm, so filled with something… She didn't know what. "But please Sonia, you must help me." Adrian continued. "How so?" She said as he was helping her remove her tunic and armour. It felt so strange, she didn't want to do love with anyone yet. She was too young. "You must kill Edward/Victor/Torah/Saria." The last words rang in her ears, sounding like so many names. "Why?" She said, he was taking of his own clothing. "I don't understand... It's so blurry." He stared to lay down over her. No, she didn't want this, she didn't… Just as he penetrated her it all came to her, she looked into the fire and saw her own crucifix. "In the name of the Father, The Son and…" She clumsily began, lifting her hand to do the sign of the cross. Just as she did so, a beam of light shot from the fire and blasted Adrian, if it truly was him something she'd began wandering about, shot away from her. When she could see again, she was again dressed in her fur-coated black-leather pilot-jacket, army boots and grey trousers. And one other thing, her hair was again not braided and her glasses was back on her noose. She grabed down to her belt, the vials of holy water again where they should be, the short-sword hanging on her left side, the stakes going across her body and the chain-whip was coiled on her right side. She cracked the whip and at the same time grasped inside her backpack, bringin out one of her grenades. She looked down and saw that her crucifix again hung where it should be. Then she looked over at him and felt a chill go down her spine. "Inccubus!" She said. The black-haired male-demon, dressed only in a black cloth covering his mid-section, snarled at her. Demon wings grew from his back and horn appeared on his brow. She felt a desire to throw up. Was that the creature who'd… She shook her head, no time to think further about that now. The dream-stalker spread his wings and three prolonged claw-like projectiles came flying at her. She threw the grenade and then cracked the whip. Two of the projectiles became destroyed, but the third struck her arm and made blood ooze from the wound. "Foolish little wench." The Inccubus hissed. "I could have made your death a pleasure you would ever have hoped to return to." She shook her head. "Death is a natural thing for humanity. Our destiny is to search beyond the reach of this world. But it's also the destiny of making a choice. To choose between good or evil, to choose to do good or bad things in the life you have bean given." She cracked the whip at the dream-stalker, this time it was she who made wounds appear on his body. The Inccubus spread his wings and suddenly there where three of him. "God be with me and hear my prayers!" She called and cracked the whip almost without seeing where it hit. A foul scream answered that question, as the dream-demon staggered backwards, blood running from his face. He opened his mouth and fired a spiky ball of green fire, she tried to jump it but was hit in her leg. She fell down on one knee and the Inccubus bowed down to chares her breasts. "God is my lord, in Heaven and on Earth." She said, holding out her crucifix. A shock-wave of ice-blue energy blasted from the tiny object of faith and made the Inccubus fly right into a tree. She slowly got to her feet and then held out one of her vials of holy water. "May God forgive you of your sins." She said as she threw it right at him. The incubus screamed, spread his arms and then burst into fire. "You have done well." This time it was the voice of a female, a human. She turned around…

The chamber of wind. The temple of rubies. The 8th of December 2098 A.D.
...and found herself searing upon a creature of imaginable beauty. "Finally you have come." The woman smiled. Locks of light-red hair hung all around a red-eyed completely calm face. She was dressed in a flowing red robe and around her neck hung a heart-shaped crest, crafted out of rubies. She then looked further around herself. She was inside a hall, with red floor and tumbling-high pillars went up into a ceiling of concrete white marble. In a dome-shaped part of the ceiling, the sign of a heart was carved, sending down a single beam of red light upon a shining white fountain, on which the strange woman stood. "You are in the heart of the temple of rubies." The woman said. "In the chamber called the chamber of wind. I am the guardian angel of that element. And you," A weak smile crossed the angel's face. "is Alicia Schneider of the Belmont clan. You have faced my brother guardians, the guardians of ice and spirit, have you not?" She nodded, what they'd said rang in her ears. "No." The angel softly said. "What was lost have bean found. What was wrong has now bean corrected. What you was you are again. You forgave your enemy and prayed the One for his forgiveness. You are a Belmont, as where your forefathers. I will give you the orb of wind so that you now have what you deserve to have." She opened her mouth, in an effort to ask why she had bean given such gifts, but the chamber was already fading. "Remember," The guardian angel said. "you are a Belmont, a vampire hunter chosen by Him. Forgive those who hounts you and pray for your enemies." She opened her eyes.

Caverns, Warakiya. The 8th of December 2098 A.D.
He did look down upon her. This was all because of him. If he only had bean more focused on helping her then on the battle with the Buer, this would never have happened. His long pale fingers went through her long golden-blonde hair, reminding him about the few other women who'd looked beyond his vampire sides. His mind drifted back to a night more than six hundred years ago.

Flashback.

His hand stroke through her golden-blonde har there it lay on the pillow. Sonia looked up at him, her crystal-blue eyes filled with concern and worry, for him, but also with defiance and determination. "No matter what thou speak." She said, her seventeen-winters old voice strong with what she wanted to do. "It is thy duty of my clan to hunt the enemies of Christ." She did the sign of the cross. "It are far to dangerous my love." He said. "I pray too thee, stay hither and I swear to return to thou." She shook her head. "Thou cannot hinder me in this." She said. "Then thou leave me without any other alternative." He said. "Do not my love." She said, bringing out her whip. He shook his head. "Never would I harm thy. Fore I will die the final death." He said and turned into a bat. "I will find thee." She called after him. "I will follow thou to the border of the night to find thy." He heard no more as he flew of as fast as he could.

End of flashback.

He shook his head, as he'd done that long time ago. She had kept her word and followed him all the way through the castle, followed him and went beyond him. She had gone where he did not think he could go. Where he feared to go. To the den where his father sat upon his dark throne, waiting for him, for his last general in the attack on Walachia. Again his thoughts wandered off. Another woman's face came to his mind and a tear rolled down his face.

Flashback.

He did look out on the castle ruins. Rain was pouring down and made it difficult to see, but he could still feel it. Like the power of his father wasn't fulle put to rest. "Adrian!" He turned around, it was her. "Do you also feel it?" He asked. "My father is gone, but his power is stronger than ever. I fear he might return before he had gotten another hundred years of rest." She put a hand on his shoulder. "Richter told me what happened." She said. "He was far weaker than when he faced him. Take it easy. He will not return until it is our children's turn." He shook his head. "Maria, you do not know what you speak." His hand folded around her's and removed it from his shoulder. "You are a Belmont, in all but name. I know it, I have sean it. I remember how we, and your brother-in-law after I broke the curse, searched through the castle in hunt of Shaft, Death and my father. You cannot do this. I will forbid it. One night we had together. Remember me by my child and live the life of a hunter." He turned into mist and drifted away, ignoring her pleas as she called for him.

End of flashback.

He dried away the tears. How many times had he told himself to forget about those women? They where dead now and their souls where were he could not go. He again looked down at Alicia. She reminded him so about the two lost loves of his non-life and she did not care about him. That was the great ironic. With Sonia they had bought loved each-other of a full heart, while Maria had loved him while he only saw her as a friend. Now it was his turn, he would fall in love with someone who only saw him as a friend. "Adrian, are it really you this time?" He could not help it, his mouth fell open as she opened her eyes and looked up at him. "But it has only passed one and a half day." He said, finally able to close his mouth and speak properly. "I know." She said. "But if you only believe, nothing is impossible." A soft smile went over her face. "But thank you Adrian. Thank you for being her, thank you for watching over me so that nothing happened with my other friends if I shouldn't have pull it through." He lifted her hand to his mouth and softly kissed it. "Your humble servant my lady." "Gays, someone is coming." Victor said, he and a refreshed Torah was already on their guard. He rouse and withdrew his blade. Alicia did also get to her feet and cracked her whip, prepearing herself for battle.

Caverns, Warakiya. The 8th of December 2098 A.D.
He did shook his head. "No, no. Faster girl, faster. I thought you assassins where quick." Gylldraphe snarled and again attacked him with the club. She was strong enough, no doubt about that, but she was untrained in this sort of swiftness. Without much trouble he managed to penetrate her defence and deliver a blow which knocked the blade out of her hand. "Stop." He said and she hung her head, breathing heavily. "You're strong enough, no doubt about that." He said. "You also pick up the patterns pretty quick but you're not quick enough. If you don't become quicker soon you'll be cut down by the first who's swifter than you." "I know, I know!" She said, sounding a little irate. "But it's not as easy as you think it is." "No." He said. "I know how hard it is. Back when I was green in the army the trainer did run all around me, shouting spite-words at me until I was quick enough to give him a strike." The silver-fured were-fox looked up at him with a gleeful look in her eyes. "You did kill her?" She guessed. "Wrong again." He grinned. "I helped her stand and we continued the training. Later that night I was in bed with a female for the first time." He shook his head, focusing on the task at hand. "Let's pick it up again and this time you don't focus on your anger, rather try to empty yourself as you did when we tried the bow." She nodded and then rouse the club again. He did rouse his own and then they did attack each-other again. She was better, no doubt about that, but she was still to focused on trying to strike him. "Faster!" He called. "Faster girl!" He continued saying so until she stopped focusing about her own anger and instead started paying attention at what he said. "That's more like it." He did jump back and let down his guard. "I think we'll take another brake." He said, giving her a smile. "Get yourself something to drink and let's meat here again in one hour." She nodded and placed the club among the others. "How long until I get a real sword?" She asked. "Not for a while yet." He said. "We've only done this for two days and it took me three months before I got a sword. But relaxe, since we're a little out of time, I'll give you a sword when you get faster." She gave him a snarl. "And not before you learn how to control your anger. See you later." He placed his own club on the wall and marched out.

Caverns, Warakiya. The 8th of December 2098 A.D.
He drew his blade and destroyed the bone the skeleton was throwing at him. "Star bow!" Saria fired another blast with her arrow and the bony adversary burst into fire, bones flying everywhere. This tunnel wasn't that heavly guarded as the other had bean, but the soldiers who where there knew well what they did. "Watch out!" Saria screamed and he dropped to the floor as ice cracked and another bone-pillar fell from the ceiling as another flock of bats came flying at them. He threw the boomerang-cross and destroyed most of the bats. Saria dashed at the pillar of bones cracking one of them with the short-sword sh'd found inside one of the strange candle-stands who still shone here and there along the wall. He did come just in time, the lower of the dragon-skulls was about to blast her with a ball of fire. "Thank you." She said, giving him a smile. He gave her a quick kiss as they continued down the corridor. "Not another one." He mumbled. Before them was yet another of those pits they'd jumped across before. Before he could say anything else, three Medusa-heads came flying out of the darkness. Just as another Minotaur came running up from behind them. The boiling sound from the abyss sounded almost hungry as he did swing his blade at the Minotaur. The twisted man-bull jumped backward but didn't avoid his boomerang-cross which he'd bean wise enough to throw at it. The holy object made a gash open in the monster's shoulder, but he did nearly slip on the ice when he moved to retrieve it. "Here goes nothing." He said as he again made an attack at the minotaur. The horned monster meat him with a blow of its own axe. He did jump back and was near to fall into the abyss. But now Saria had taken care of the Medusa-heads and was ready for bear. "Star bow!" One of her magic arrows flew through the air and buried itself deep into the eye of the bull-creature. He was dead before he could reach the floor. "God forgive you of your sins and give you peace, amen." He quietly prayed over the corpse, before pulling out the arrow. "I'm sorry." He said before he and Saria pushed the corpse down the pit. Then he did take a deep breath and took some good steps back. Then, praying as hard as he could in his heart. Ran and jumped as long as he could. Saria was quick to follow and soon they bought stood on the other end. "Where do you think we're now?" The little dryad asked. "Have no idea, if we only could find a map. Or perhaps somewhere from where we could get a over-view or something." He shrugged, a laugh escaping his lips. "I could always take a look down that pit but judging by those shadows I don't think I would see much." Saria nodded, stroking his hand. "If we don't find anything soon we must go back to the others." He shook his head. "Hold on, that would be a betrayal and you know it." She squeezed his hand. "But what can we do, we have gone on, fought and then continued." He shook his head. "Don't give up hope Saria. Hope is what keeps uss all from giving in to Dracula and his trickery." His face became dark with memories. "There's one other thing, I promised Ursula I would save her cousin." She nodded and stopped playing with his hand. "I don't know if we can do that, but let us at least try." "No." Another voise said. "Not try, do never try. All there is, is the will of God and what we humans are allowed or allowed doing." Across from them, across the gap in the floor, Alicia stood looking upon them.

Caverns, Warakiya. The 8th of December 2098 A.D.
Marcia fluttered around her head, most likely readying one of her many spells. "Don't fire!" The tiny fey suddenly shouted. That's Sithish, but what in the forest have happened to her?" As the gorgon came gliding through the tunnel, she saw what she meant. The former naturalistic gorgon was now turned into a bizarre technical monster of metal and machinery. "Nothing to worry about." Sitish said. "It's merely the doctors of the medical-wing who'd done this to me to save my life. But I have other more dire news for you Torah. Your friend, that frost-elemental have bean executed. To cower up for me, he said that he'd attacked me and since that's close to treason, they did kill him." The Fernandez turned her head away, so that they shouldn't see her weeping. "Perhaps it was the best." Sitish softly said. "He was loyal to lord Dracula until the end. He wouldn't have found peace by joining us, only pain." "Think about how glad he became when you speared him." Victor tried to comfort her. "God's will be." Torah finally said, with tear-stained face and a hoarse voice. "Since we're all here." She said in an effort to change the young sorceress's thoughts. "I think it's best we follow after our friends so that we all can face what lies ahead." Although she noticed a reluctant glimpse in Victor's eyes, she didn't mind it. "I agree." Adrian said. "It was a mistake letting them battle my father's troops all by themselves when we could aid them." Torah nodded, drying off the few remaining tears. And with that settled, the went for the tunnel in which the others had gone through.

Caverns, Warakiya. The 8th of December 2098 A.D.
Even though her little dramatic entry, she and the others where soon across the pit. Edward shook his head, more so after she'd told him the story of what had happened in her dreams. Although she left out some of the more embarrassing points of the story, but that was beside the point. By the look in Adrian's eyes she almost guessed he knew or at least could guess, what she didn't tell them. "Well," The Morris finally said. "It leaves you with more power to defeat whatever is before us." Just then, Marcia came fluttering down the tunnel. "There's a stair-case a few meters away." She informed them. "The first leads up and the second leads down. What's interesting for us, is that this tunnel continues beyond those stairs. I saw an eerie glow coming from the end of the tunnel, but I don't know what that might be." She did a sign of the cross. "This could be what we've bean searching for all this time." She said. Adrian shook his head. "We cannot be sure. It can just as well be another trap for us. I think it would be best to invastegate this a little further." "Then what're you sugjesting?" Edward asked. "I sugjest that one party of our group will go down to correct our theories that the lava-lake really is down there. While the other one go up to see if not the nest could be up there." She thought about it. It would mean that they would use more time about something who just as well could be just inside that glowing chamber. But on the other hand, rushing into thing could be the best way to get them all killed upon. "We go about with your plan." It was Victor who now sounded his voice. "We need to know more before rushing into things." Edward shrugged, looking like he wasn't sure about it. "I can't climb stairs." Sithish said. "I'll stay guard at the stair-case while you investigate the place." "In that case." Torah said, walking up beside the gorgon. "I'll stay with you. All need someone to guard his back down here." Saria looked a little unsure, then she stepped over to her sister. "I'm with you to." Edward gave her a look which seamed like he didn't needed to think about him when taking a stand. Then he walked over to Victor. "It looks like we're togheter like in the old times." Victor returned the gesture with a grin of his own as she looked at Adrian. "Marcia," She then said. "do you want to stay here or to go with us?" Marcia flashed a smile. "Of course I'll be with you." "Thank you." She returned the smile.

Caverns, Warakiya. The 8th of December 2098 A.D.
She looked on as Adrian's fairy familiar and Marcia fluttered away in front of them. She'd asked them to fly before them and warn if there should be any enemies coming at them. "Adrian." She begun. "Isn't it so that an Incubus take on the form of their prey's most loved one in their effort to possess someone?" The estranged son of Dracula looked upon her with a surprised look. "So it is." He finally said. In his eyes she saw a shadow of dark memories glimmer before fading away. "Even if the prey doesn't know that the one is his loved one?" "In 1999," Adrian began. "I fell asleep near the castle's centre. A succubus came to me, impersonating your ancestor, Sonia Belmont. Although I knew she was one of," He turned away his head, but she could still see the crystalline teardrops folling from his eyes. "no. She was, my lost love. I did not know she was so fresh a memory in my heart. Had it not bean for Julius Belmont and the other hunters, I would have bean overcome by her. I could not do battle against her, but she could not do good enough battle against me. I do not know how, but I think that by taking on that form, she awakened such a strong feal of love in my heart that she could not conker me." She nooded, turning away her own head. "An Incubus tried to kill me." She softly whispered. "It looked like you and I was near to be overcombe by it. I don't know wy, but somehow it made me think I was Sonia and that nearly did me in. It was a light of a crucifix that made me get a hold on myself." She took a deep breath. "Adrian, I forgave him. I forgave him and was thus brought into the temple of rubies." "This you didn't tell the other." Adrian said. She shook her head. "I couldn't I thought they'd laugh at me and call me Sonia." Adrian put a hand on her shoulder. "It would have bean a honnor if they did." "Would it?" She asked. "You knew her Adrian, knew her intimate. How was she like?" This time it was Adrian who fell silent. "She was a woman of great honour." He then began. "But not only that. She was a strong-minded woman and one of the greatest hunter I have ever knew. Even so, she was as beautiful as you are, younger of course, but with the warmest heart I have ever met. Like my mother she was, to some degree that is. Not only did she dare to make love with me, she dared to love me, something very few have done." He felt silent again, she was about to offer him comfort as he suddenly drew his sword. "Do you hear that?" He asked, she nodded and brought out her whip. Marcia and the fairy familiar came darting at them. "Zeldoes are coming!" Her fey friend screamed as the flapping of wings grew louder. "What's a Zeldo?" She asked, pulling out some of her vials of holy water. "A Zeldo," Adrian began. "are the apprentices of Death." Just as he said so, two flying nightmares came swooping in. The black bird-like wings and the hoods and cloaks in the same colour looked like the angel of Death, no doubt about that. But on the contrary to the angel of Death, they didn't showed any other pice of their body than their wings and skeletal hands. "Wing of destruction!" Adrian spread his cape and a swarm of bat-inhabited blue balls of fire blasted from his charge at the Zeldoes. The apprentices of Death answered by throwing a barrage of hand-scythes. While they where busy with Adrian, she did threw the vials she had already pulled from her belt. One of the Zeldos caught fire and fell from the ceiling and down at her. Damaged, but not out of the battle yet, the apprentice of Death now spread his hands and fired one beam of intense black energy. She dropped herself to the floor, but Marcia who was darting at the Zeldo do deal it one of her spells, where captured in the crossfire and where blasted into nothing. "Marcia!" She screamed, without caring for getting blasted by the Zeldo's black magic she got to where here fairy had disappeared. All she found, was some strange little crystals, looking more like tears than anything lese. By the look of them, she started weeping herself. She'd never known what purification crystals really where, now she knew it and she felt a rage against Renon who could get money out of selling fairy corpses to any who could pay. She knew, by reading the copies of her ancestor's journals that her family stored, that it was a last act of love, that a fairy would leave its soul behind to other to live. Still crying, she picked up the tiny crystals and put them inside the little envelope she carried inside the pocket closest to her heart, in which she contained her few pieces of the Host. She then jumped to her feet, the Zeldo was still weakened by the power of the spell it had executed and that should be the downfall. At least if she had anything to say. With her whip at the ready she jumped to her feet and cracked the whip at the skeletal creature. Allready weakened by her other attack, the apprentice burst into fire and this time it didn't go out. She did a sign of the cross, more in thank to God's help and for Marcia's dead spirit, than in hope of that the Zeldo should receive forgiveness. She looked around and found that the battle was over. Adrian was placing his blade back in the scabbard at his side. "Do not mourn her death to much." Adrian said. "Do rather honour her spirit by remembering her bravery and her good deeds." She gave him a look. "Easy for you to say." Then she regretted it. But before she could say anything, Adrian said something which made her be silent for a long time. "You are not right to say so. All my loved ones are dead, by the hands of other or by the inevitable visit of Death. Thinking about the good of their lives keeps me from going mad. Thinking so is all I can." Without another word they continued down the tunnel.

Caverns, Warakiya. The 8th of December 2098 A.D.
This was leading nowhere. The stair just continued and continued upward. At another niche stood one of those bone pillars. He beheaded it with one powerful swing of his blade. Victor, throwing his axe finished the job. "You still wont going up here?" He asked. If he didn't knew better, he would say the stair was under some sort of curse. "We promised the others to go up this stair and that we shall." The former hunter said. "I don't thinking on letting them down." He shook his head, taking off his hat to dry the swet from his brow. "You know you're merely tricking yourself." He said in a low voice. "What're you babbling about?" His friend asked, his voice warning him not to press the subject. But he didn't heed the warning. "You know the only reason we're going up here is that you're afraid of what waits us inside the dragon's chamber." Victor swung his fist at him. "Don't dare say that!" He said. "I'm just as brave as you're." He blocked the blow and did tackle Victor to the ground. "I know how you feel."." He said. Victor trusted a kick at him and made him fall back. "You don't know what I feel!" He shouted. "And don't ever tell me what I must and musn't do!" He did get up on his knees, his hat somewhere where he couldn't get it. For once the hat wasn't his greatest concern. "I'm also bean scared." He said. "I'm also bean afraid of doing things I know I must do." He got up on one knee, but Victor again kicked at him and made him roll down the stairs. Before he knew it, Saria was at his side. To begin with he almost thought she'd followed them, but then he noticed that after he'd fallen some stairs, he was back upon where he'd begun. "We must go up there!" He told them, picking up the hat who'd followed him down the steps. "Victor have become possessed by his own fear and did start a fight with me." Torah and Sithish gave him strange looks, then the just nodded. "I'll stay here in case Alicia and Adrian comes back." The gorgon said, he saw the look of frustration she gave the fact that she couldn't climb stairs. "Allright Sithish." He said, before he drew his blade. Then, with Saria and Torah straight behind him, he ran up the stairs.

Caverns, Warakiya. The 9th of December 2098 A.D.
She cracked her whip and the ribs thrown by the bone-thrower, or so Adrian has called them, burst into fire. Just so, one of the bone-bombers threw one of its bombs at them. "Balls of destruction!" Adrian opened his pace and sent thre balls of blue bat-inhabited fire at the explosive, making the bombe explode before it could reach them. Just sow, she threw one of her own grenades, blasting the trio of bone-soldiers into oblivion. "There," She said, throwing the belt who'd contained the grenades out into the lava. "that was the end of that weapon." Now, all her backpack contained where more water to use in her vials and different types of food and healing artefacts. Adrian did dash beside her, destroying the bone pillar who'd given the bone-soldiers backup by blasting its beams and balls of fire. "Well," She said, recoiling the whip, placing it upon her belt. "what do we do now? This is where you fought that fire lizard allright." She nodded at the ruined bridge where the boiling remains of the lizard still could be seen. "We will go back." Adrian said. "I fear that our friend Victor Grant might have bean blindid by his fear when he sent us down here." She gave him a surprised look, then she nodded. He was right, why should the DaNasty clansman send them down here, if not to avoid going forward? Memories of the tales about such men as Hugh Baldwin, Clifford Graves and Maxim Kishine, came to her mind. She shook her head. "We must help him." Adrian bowed. "Of course we are to, my lady." They turned around, just to hear a sound which made Adrian become even paler than he used to be. It was the sound of rolling metal. "Alicia! Get down, destroyers are coming." Three weel-like dishes of metal came rolling toward them, stopping, setting out six spider-like legs to then let the spider-like frame pop out from the upper side of the dishes. "Enemy calculated." Three inhuman voices said, almost in unison. "Lasers at the ready. Fire!" From the sides of the heads two small turrets opened and six waves of laser-fire came blasting at them. "Crimson shield!" Adrian shouted, spreading his cape as a shield of energy-based bats appeared before them. She cracked her whip at the nearest droid, calling forth the power granted her by the guardian of sapphires. The droid froze and she continued to whip it, making the turrets break apart. "Self-repair system activated. Self-repair cycle complete." The droid was back at the ready and was again firing at her. She threw out some of her vials of holy water, calling forth the powers of gold, that did work far better. A spirit of compact blackness became dragged from the droid and the evil machine collapsed and burst into nothingness. "Watch out!" Adrian called. "Missiles coming in!" The two droids, noticing that they'd destroyed one of their colleges, had withdrew and where now launching small rockets at them. She threw more vials of holy water, Adrian did aid her by throwing more of his fireballs at the droids, making them focus on their self-repair systems than attacking them. "Come with me." Adrian said. "I did not know if you heard what I heard. But they where activating some sorth of shield-generators to block out your spirit power." She did gather the empty vials and then followed the vampire.

Caverns, Warakiya. The 9th of December 2098 A.D.
He did ran up the stairs. Edward's words ran in his airs. The anger of his friend's insinuations. Then he stopped, another niche in the stairs lay before him. But this time it was huger than the others, it was four pillars of bones, each one placed in its own corner. He lifted his blade and aight swirling blades of steel erupted from his weapon and they became destroyed. He took a surprised step backward. He'd became more powerful, he didn't knew how, but that didn't matter. He would do whatever it took to stay back from that which lay beyond. He didn't know when he'd decided that, but that he had and he didn't want to change that. "Quite impressive." A pillar of dust manifested itself at the centre of the niche. "Do not be alarmed." The dust became a man, or something that looks like a man. He was a rather young man, although his hair, eye-brows and moustache where already coloured in silver. His naturally red lips, brown eyes and pale skin did only ad weight to that he knew. The stranger was a vampire and he was now licking his lips in a more than meaningful way. He was dressed in a knee-long black coat from the 1850s, with a white sash going down his right shoulder. He had dark-grey trousers and black winter-shoes from the same period. He lifted his axe into a defensive stance. "Wait." The vampire said. "I merely come to speak with you." He lowered the weapon. "Then speak gay." He said.

Caverns, Warakiya. The 9th of December 2098 A.D.
"Then we are agreed." "You promise me to…" "Of course, the master did decree that." "Thank you."

Caverns, Warakiya. The 9th of December 2098 A.D.
As they emerged from the underground, they where faced by a sight of a nightmare. Bone-bombers, crossbow-soldiers, bone-throwers and bone-archers where everywhere. Sithish lay on the ground with an arrow right through her breast. "I'll check her you go take the bone-soldiers." She said as she ran over to the fallen gorgon. "Ready to fire!" Although they'd managed to blast one of the remaining spider-droids, there where still one left and now it came rolling in, uncoiled and started blasting the area with its laser-guns. ""Wing of destruction!" He spread his cloak and spread a swarm of blue bat-inhabited balls of fire came blasting at the horde of skeletons. The combined fire-powers of him and the droid was enough to blast almost half the bone-soldiers into oblivion. Tha of course made some of the bone-bombers did turn their attention on the it. He smiled, that made it easier for him to take out the rest. Even dough the crossbow-soldiers and bone-archers did made things difficult for him. "Familars!" He called. "Come to my aid!" He pulled out the magical cards and the sword familiar and demon familiar showed up. He didn't have to command them further. The demon familiar started blasting out at the crossbow-soldiers and bone-archers who where left, while the sword familiar attacked the rest on point black range. "For God, valour and Basraq!" He called his war-cry and swung his sword at the nearest crowd of bone-soldiers.

Caverns, Warakiya. The 9th of December 2098 A.D.
She was still breathing, but judging by where the arrow had hit, that wouldn't last long. "I'm so sorry." She said, helping the gorgon to lay more comfortable. "It isn't your fault." Sithish hissed up at her. "I know this would happen sooner or later." She screamed as she helped drew out the arrow. She used her jacket as bandage, trying to suppress the blood. "No spikes or anything." She said, looking at the arrow, before she threw it aside. "I would've died sooner or later anyway." "Don't talk like that." She began, but the weakly lifted hand of her friend stopped her. "I had decided that I would either die by my own hand to get away from this dark rule, or die by the hands of those who uphold it. Now, I want you to promise me one thing." "Anything." She said, without thinking if she could uphold it. "Strike me down." Sithish merely said. "What?" "You heard what I said." She said. "I know which power lies in the whip you carries, that a phoenix surrendered his life to give it power. I also know that the great ones blessed you with powers of sapphires, yellow gold and rubies. But what I offers you is the power of the crest of white gold, the power of life. You know that it will double the power of the whip." She'd clearly become more weaker, but her prayer was as fanatic as ever. "I pray this of you. As your friend, by the great ones and the One, do it so my life will not be in wain. I know I'm not as powerful as the innocent power of light which lives in the Vampire Killer, but please fulfil a dying gorgon's final request." Her voice became a scream. "Strike me, strike me now!" And so, partly without knowing what she did, she uncoiled the whip and slashed it right at her. Tears rolling down her face, but she couldn't do anything else. As she stroke Sithish down, a burst of golden light blasted from her friend's wound and for a short moment burned around her whip. She felt the power, although the light soon subsided, she knew the power within the whip now was more powerful than ever before someone had wielded this whip. But she also knew that it wasn't as powerful as the Vampire Killer was and never could be. Then she looked down at Sithish, to her surprise it looked like her friend had gotten back her life. "Help me take of the armour." The gorgon said. "But you'll die." But then she did just shot up. Still a little dazed, she helped her take of the armour she'd received from the medics and was again dressed in the tiny silk-cloth who covered her breasts, like the first time they'd met. The sword-crystals did also lay on the ground, but on her belt the quiver with the electric-arrows still hung. She brought forth her bow and placed an arrow at the ready. "The hunt begins." She said, smiling toward her. Then she looked forward as a stone-grey colour washed over her. She had turned into stone, like she could turn other into. But even in this moment, it was like there forever would be a hint of a smile on the gorgon's lips. "Rest well Sithish." She said, doing the sign of the cross. "Christ is with you, I'm sure. May He take you into His Heaven, amen." She again did the sign of the cross before she turned away. "Missiles at the ready." She felt a shudder go through her by hearing that voice. "Missiles fired." She brandished the whip right in front of herself and to her surprise, it made the rockets explode. She was thrown far back, avoding being knocked into the statue or the wall by centimetres, but that was all. She got to her feet and advanced on the droid. "Science without humanity is doomed to failure." She calmly said. "In the name of my God I band you and the ones who created you." She knew it was a terrible doing, but it was what needed to be done. Those who'd created such things as these droids who only brought destruction and nothing else, was beyond evil. She brought out a vial of holy water and then swung her whip at the droid, before throwing the vial. The combined and repeated blows did make the droid fall into a heap on the floor. She did then call upon the power of the rubies but didn't find it. She knew why. This thing didn't have any part in its creator's guilt. It was only a machine programmed to do a job. It was the creator and the programmer who where to blame. She turned her head away. Her excuse from before now shone forth as that, an excuse. "Forgive me." She said. "I didn't mean it." She then did something which could seam meaningless, but she still did it. She brought out the envelope and took out a piece of the Host. "Corpus Christi." She softly said. "My God forgive us of our sins and give us piece from evil. We are just sinfull humans and will allways be so. I pray of this in regreat for all the evil things we have said, thought and done, amen." She parted the bread and gave one piece to herself and the other she placed at where the mouth would've bean if the droid had bean a real spider. It didn't surprise her seeing that bought the piece of the host and the droid did vanish in a soft glow of silvery light. "Thank you." She said as she wept tairs of joy and gratitude. "Glory to the Father, the Son and the Holy Ghost, amen." She did the sign of the cross and didn't move from her kneeling position before she felt a hand on her shoulder. "God is with thee my lady." She looked up and saw Adrian looking down upon her. To her surprise, she could see tairs on his face. "What is it?" She asked. A weak smile showed up upon his face as he dried away the tears. "I have not wept since I saw my mother die." He confessed. "Not even when Trevor told me about his mother's death, about Sonia's death, I was able to cry. Seeing your good kindness once again prove that my mother where correct. I hope that when my nightmare is over that someone like you could be there to give me my final blow as you did now." Without knowing quite how it happened, she kissed him, just there, just then. At first he gave her a surprised look, then he bowed deeply before her and kissed her hand. "I thank thou for thee kindness." He said. She did blush a little, then a thought hit her. "Where is Torah and Saria?" The two sister should've stayed with Sithish and now they where gone. "I do not know." Adrian said, the mask of cold aristocratism was back on his face. "There is no corpses or anything else which might conclude to their destiny." "The stairs upwards." They said in unison. "Up the stairs." She said as Adrian turned into a swarm of bats and flew up the stairs before her.

Caverns, Warakiya. The 9th of December 2098 A.D.
He swung his blade and Bowie at the barrel the ape-skeleton was throwing at him before he jumped backward. The barrel blasted into fire and a blurry of splinter where sent flying all around. "Orbs of sorcery!" Torah did do a dancing motion and blasted off two orbs of magic and the ape-skeleton did go the same way the barrel had gone. "Watch out!" Saria brought out her bow and fired a set of bows at some incoming medusa-heads. The orbs exploded and the medusa-heads went along with them. The stairs ended at yet another niche with more pillar of bones and with another group of minotaurs armed with axes and had it not bean for Torah and Saria he would've bean finished. "Orbs of sorcery!" "Star bow!" The orbs and arrows did counter the fire spawned by the bone pillars. The minotaurs did run at them with the battle-axes at the ready. He threw the boomerang-cross and at the same time focused on his faith. The cross did split into four and did blast into a blur of light. He gazed at the crosses in amazement. His increasing power did really surprise him. They wasn't dependant on elementals, like Alicia's and Torah's powers, but was something that had slowly but surely as he did become more involved in the war against Dracula. He shook his head, two minotaurs fell to the ground, dead by the burns from his attack. "Star bow!" Saria was behind him with her bow at the ready shooting another Minotaur through the throat. The poor creature did gaggle up blood before he fell to the ground. He did jump over the corpse and stroke his blade at the nearest bone pillar and it burst into fire. He did a back-flip to avoid it but did then trip down the stairs. He did blush heavily as he got to his feet and expected to hear their laugher. But it wasn't they who laughed, it was Victor and one other. The two sisters did drop themselves to the ground as a wave of axes came flying at them. "Not bad lover. Dragon ball!" The blonde vampire did spread his arms and two orbs of steam was sent blasting at them. "Get back!" He shouted. "This is my fight." They cast him a look, then stepped back. "Come in here and we'll battle old friend." Victor waved his hand toward the hidden door he and the vampire had entered from. "No thanks Victor." He said as he brought out his throwing-cross. "Ready?" "Ready. And you stay by." He pointed at the undead beside his friend. "Just as well. If your friends stay back too." "He nodded. "Agreed." Victor nodded. "Remember though, you're not Trevor so don't expect to win." He shrugged. "You're not Grant either. You're not under a curse. All there is to it is that you're afraid of facing the creatures inside the nest. Don't you think that I'm not afraid too?" Victor snarled. "Don't say that. I'm not afraid of anything!" He brought out his battle-axe He shook his head as he brought himself into a defensive stance. "Take this." He threw his hat and coat over to the sisters. "Take good care of them." He said before he turned to Victor. "I wouldn't do battle against you, but if you attack, I'll defend myself." "Shut up!" His life-long friend shouted and dashed at him.

He did look out from the shadows in Bauer's hideout. He could have destroyed them with one spell, but this was more interesting. He felt how the black wanderers where about but he didn't mind. He wasn't drawned by their power but did want to see his enemies before battling with them.

Caverns, Warakiya. The 9th of December 2098 A.D.
She swung her whip to the hook in the ceiling and swung herself over the pit. "This stair is a trap." Adrian calmly said as he turned back into his human-looking form. "I would never known if you hadn't told me." She said in dry humour. Adrian bowed as drew his sword in a formal manner. Just then a group of bone-soldiers came running down the steps. She brought out a vials of holy water and threw them right at them, making them withdrew somewhat. Some of them dropped down toward one knee and brought out bows and crossbows. "Crimson shield!" Adrian spread his cape and spread his bat-shaped swarm-shield. While he did counter their arrows she dashed at the bone-soldiers with her whip at the ready. She cracked the chain-whip at the nearest bone-soldier, who countered by swinging its blade which clanged against her own mail. She snarled by the fact that that her jacket got another gash in it. Luckly she had the needed articles to mend it. She threw a vial of holy water at some of the bone-archers before she swung the whip again and again, but it felt like their never became fewer of them. "Alicia!" Adrian called out. "Dead soldiers are coming." "What?" The last of the bone-soldiers fell into nothingness but there where already other enemies coming at them. It was walking corpses, dressed in the brown, green and grey camouflage-uniform of the 20th centaury, with belts, boots and helmets from the same age. "They where part of the human army who invaded the castle together with us in 1999. Many of them died there and now there dead bodies serves the will of the dark lord." The dead soldiers drew out small battle-knifes or tiny grenades and prepared for attack. She did take a deep breath and brought out another vial of holy water. "Be Your will." She threw the vial and the vial exploded, that was the only word for it. Splinters of frozen holy water spread all over and the shards continued to shatter and explode in all directions. She fell to her knees, completely worn-out by the sudden outburst of power. "Are you well?" Adrian put a hand on her shoulder, his fairy-familiar fluttering over his shoulder. "No." She said, surprising herself by breaking out in tears. "I did betray her Adrian. She did turn to us for help, she crippled herself in our service. Adrian I'm not allright." She did dry her cheeks as her thoughts drifted back to when Sithish had rejoined them in the entrance-chamber.

Flashback.

"Who's there? Show youerself! Answer me?" Adrian did rise up, drawing out his sword, bringing himself into a defensive stance. "It's her," She said. "I know it's her." He cast her a look and lifted his hand, most likely to command silence, but then the stranger did dash into view. "Don't attack! It's me, Sithish!" And Sithish it was, but dressed in an armour and controls she'd never seen the like of before. "It's to help my new arm." She said, bringing out a strange metal-bow with strange metal-arrows with crystal arrow-heads instead of the usual ones. "This is a thunder-bow. It's a weapon the technicians equip their troopers with. I'm a techno-soldier now, but I'm on your side, so don't fear the fancy equipments." She shrugged. "Well, at least we're all together again. Thanks Sithish, for joining us." The gorgon smiled and returned the shrug, if that was possible.

End of flashback.

She was fiercely brought out of her thoughts as Adrian did slap her across the face. "Gather yourself Schneider." He harsly said. "You are a Belmont, a warior of light. The ones who dies for what they belive in has not lost, they have won. Through pain, doubt and death they'd proven themselves as the true followers of Christ. Remember the text. Those who live giving up on me shall for fell their lives, while those who surrender it in my name shall have the life everlasting. It might sound hard, but that is what it is all truly about. God is whit us but since we choosed free will over His guidance, it lies in our hands to fulfil the promises He gave us." He did present her with his hand. "Remember, you are not alone. God is with you and so am I my lady. I feel that our friends are in danger, so do you. Let us go and aid them as is our duty against them." She nodded and got to her feet. Further up in the stairs, the surviving dead soldiers and bone-soldiers had gathered. "Crimson shield!" Adrian did deflect their arrows and grenades. "Star bow!" "Orbs of sorcery!" Arrows shining like the night-sky, filled with stars, followed by orbs of magical energy, which blasted the few remaining soldiers into oblivion. "I know those attacks." She smiled as she saw Torah and Saria came walking down the steps. Even though their faces lit up with relief and happiness by seeing them alive, but soon faded into worried looks. "Come!" Saria shouted. "Edward and Victor is killing each-other!" Torah almost sobbed. "There's a vampire there to and he has done something with Victor. I feel another spell-caster nearby and I don't like anything of it." She noticed that Saria had the Morris's hat in the dryad's head and his coat inside Torah's backpack. She didn't care what the other's did as she started to run up the steps.

Forest, Warakiya. The 10th of December 2098 A.D.
The dragon hit the snow and tiny flakes was waved up, the two wing-horses did hit ground near him. He did stalk the land as he reached out with his dark presence to feel the aura of their power. The warlock-lord of the dark wanderers and his two followers did walk toward the tunnel leading toward their pray. But he was stopped in his course. Another black dragon did hit the ground, followed by two red ones, one green and a blue one. The troops jumped off and the dragons did lift off and the soldiers started organizing. A vampire in black and brown uniform and a were-spider in a gold-coloured creo-armour to sustain its body's cold, They did march up the troops, Nazi-zombies, dead soldiers, hammer-knights, maze-knights and bone-troopers of all kinds stepped forward to enter the caverns. They didn't notice them, but that wasn't important. "Notice the vampires at the back. The Jamaican, afro-Asian one, speaking with the brunette Irish one and the red-haired Canadian." "Why so my lord?" The wanderer to his right asked. "I smell brash." The one to his left said. "The Jamaican one is among lord Jones's servants, the other two are trusted servants in lady Karhnstein's court. This campaign have bean sanctioned by the darl lord himself and delivered with servants answering to servants high up in the new order." "Then it is best we go after the others." His fellow-wanderer said. He did nod and walked backward, toward his dragon. This was nothing for them. They where to capture the Belmont clansmen, not to involve themselves in official campaign. He sat up on his dragon and the others did sit up on their wing-horses and they flew away.

Castlevania, Warakiya. The 10th of December 2098 A.D.
"You have underestimated me for the last time." He lifted his hands and blasted a wave of blue bolts of lightning at his opponent. The fire-elemental before him de-constructed into a blur of fire and then reappeared somewhere else to blast out a three directional wave of fire. He lifted his hand and one red and one black ray of energy showed forth and deflected the fire. "Hearth of fire!" A spread-shot of fireballs did blast from the elemental's body and he did jump, swirl and danced to deflect the fireballs. "I have looked forward to this." He laughed with malice and with inhuman speed he made the sword-crystals disappear and blasted the fire-elemental with bolts of dark lightning.

On a platform high above the underground arena, he stood watching the battle. "Excellent is he not?" Supreme warlord Spahre, a bald vampire with a bushy white moustache did decorate his upper lip and was dressed in the same black uniform as he was in, said to him. "Indeed." He merely said. He was a tall vampire in black uniform, with a high brow, black hair who was greying at his temples, nodded his head. Then a thin barracuda-like smile crept over his face. After all, the necromancer had gotten the alternative to develop his powers through the last hundreds of years. Acording to the archives, he had pledged fealty to the dark lord in 1592, when Lord Dracula did battle with Christopher Belmont for the second time. He did become serious. His own position of power was dependent on his knowledge about technology, computers and orbital satellites. But what really did made him into the one he was, was his geniality in the art of droids, an interest he shared with Frankenstein and De Reis. His rank was more a formality but it granted him power. That was what was important, the only thing who was important. And the loyalty toward the dark lord of course. "She is ready my lord." A small hologram of dr. Frankenstein appeared from the ring of his left hand. "Very good doctor. I shall tell him." The cloning technology of the industrial branch was turning out to be a great asset to them. "You know what to do." He said to one of his aids, who saluted and then left them.

Castlevania, Warakiya. The 10th of December 2098 A.D.
Slowly she opened her eyes. A blurry blue and drifting bubbles was all she could see. What was this? All which had bean before, was a dream she couldn't remember. Why? Her eyes closed and she again fell into a dreamless darkness.

He smiled as he looked inside the tank before him. He could not see her because of the murky liquids, but he could feel her and he knew she was alive. "Soon she will be strong enough my lord." Frankenstein said. "Then we can let her out of the cloning-cylinder." He nodded. The short-built grey-haired vampire beside him left to investigate the other cloning-tanks, but he did stay before the tank before him. Had he really bean resurrected in this way. By letting his harvested DNA grow inside this tank, giving it energy and power to grow until the complete genetic read-out of the former creature was re-constructed? This was real power, to control and produce life the way the dark lord dcreed it. Soon his new apprentice would be free to start her traning. He did truly look forward to that. "Mae Lin." He hissed the name. "Soon you will be mine." He laughed and the cold winter night became even colder.

(A.N: This chapter is long and that it should be. I'm a resistant against cloning and genetic science, but that's beside the point. This chapter is dark and that's the meaning of it. The next chapter is going to be out as soon as I make it. That is the chapter all has bean waiting for, the final show-down with the dragon-zombies. After that I'll leave this group to return to Christian's part of the story. Until next time, see you.)

Chapter 9: The Story Continues | Back to Chapter 7