CastleVania: Senshi For HIRE!!!!
Part 8
By: YingGirl. (yinggirl_the_sephiroth_hunter@hotmail.com) Notes: Although I do not owe the rights of CastleVania SoTN, I do owe the rights to some characters. All other characters are based and owned by Konami. The story takes place in the modern time. Please enjoy.

Prologue 1

The fear of blood tends to create fear for the flesh-Silent Hill

  When I started to regain my conscious. I found myself in another area. Could I be dreaming all of this? It all seems so real. It’s like this castle could shift towards realities, or different dimensions.
  I couldn’t be here at all. In fact, I might have well been in the plane with Alucard and the plane crashed before we even reached our destination.
  The bat squeaked.
  I started to walk around. It was hard to see, the darkness was everywhere. I then looked at my hand…it was still covered in blood.
  What does this mean? Could I be the one behind all of this??
  I studied my hand once again. The blood on it gave a shining color of chrisom red. It was almost my hand was soaked in a red liquid than blood.
  Or could it be my blood all along?
  The bat looked at me once again, squeaking. His beady little eyes gave a look that he was really concerned about me. Why?
  I gently patted the bat on his head.
  “Guess you’re the only one who believes I can defeat the count,” I said as I scratched underneath its chin, “why to you still follow me, even thou Alucard is your friend and master?”
  The bat still squeaked. I never find an answer to his charming replies. Or perhaps I’m not supposed to.
  Then I heard laughter. It was the most sinister laughter I have ever heard.
  I turned around as I held onto my whip. The bat squeaked as he stared at the stranger.
  He wore the same style of clothing as Alucard. His skin was more as a sickly ivory color, his hair was more whiter, and greyer than Alucard. Yet he did have some fairness in his posture.
  I started to back away slowly, holding the whip tightly.
  “Who are you?” I asked as I kept my distance away from him.
  He started to walk towards me.
  “So you are the Young Belmont?” the count replied “And yet, you don’t know who I am…Perhaps killing you quickly won’t be an option.”
   “Damn!!” I cried out, “What do you want from me?!!”
  He laughed again. I had to cover my ears cause it started to sound painful. He looked at my performance to his reply. He almost seemed delighted.
  “Damn you!!!!” I yelled as I unleashed my whip at the gentleman.
  He quickly side step away from the whip.
  “So you are starting to learn Young Belmont,” he cackled, “maybe I should let you live.”
  “I will not forgive you,” I replied as I stood in my position, “agent of Light and Hope…I am YingGirl!! Champion of Justice!!!”
  “Soon, you’ll understand young Belmont…that in the end, it’s impossible to defeat me.”
  He raised his arm towards me. What was he doing? Then fireballs started to appear from his cape, but they weren’t like regular fireballs.
  I tried to avoid them as they headed right towards me, but they came fast!! I winced in pain. It burned some of my flesh and my tattered my clothing. Yet I still managed to not get knocked out. I was crouched onto the ground.
  He smirked, admiring the new wounds on my body, which he inflicted. So, he wants to play with fire? I show him that it’s not nice to play with fire.
  “Giving up already?” he asked, “You never even gave half a fight your ancestors did when they challenged me.”
  I stood in my position. The fire in me started to grow stronger. The bat squeaked playfully.
  “PHOENIX!!!!” I yelled out as I created a fire spell in form of an arrow, “CRESCENT ARROW STRIKE!!!!!”
  I unleashed a furry of fire arrows at the count. He then quickly teleported to avoid the arrows.
  “Now this is interesting,” the count said as he reappeared again, “a Belmont who learned some fire tricks.”
  “If you are the count…” I growled while holding my whip, “then give me back Alucard-san!!!!!”
  “Why should I give you my son? You aren’t his mother.”
  “Your son?”
  “You thought he was kidding when you first met him. But he is my son no matter what happens.”
  “Then why do you place him in so much pain by forcing him to join you?!!!”
  “It’s because humans like you, have stolen something more valuable than this immortal life from my grasp.”
  Before I could answer, he unleashed another batch of his fireballs at me. These were stronger than before. I was on fire!!!!
  I screamed in pain. I feel towards the ground as my entire body felt like it was on a grill.
  “Finally,” he muttered, “I got rid of the nuisance.” He turned around and started to walk away, having no pity for the burning corpse behind him.
  When he left the room, another gentleman appeared. He walked towards the burned body. He was dressed in gothic swashbuckling clothing and had some features as the young Belmont.
  Who was this gentleman? And more importantly…why does he carry the same whip as her?!!!

Prologue 2

  “BELMONT!!!!” Alucard yelled as he clutched onto himself, “NOOO!!!!”
  “Dude,” Pumpkin Jr. asked as he waved his tail, “what’s your problem?”
  Alucard fell silent. His vision of the Belmont being destroyed…had come true.
  “She’s dead…” Alucard muttered, “no, she’s badly wounded.”
  “Who is?” Cother asked curiously as she looked up to Alucard.
  “Your friend…YingGirl.”
  “It can’t be…”
  “Then we truly lost the battle,” Matt replied as he looked up his computer, “without YingGirl…there’s no chance that we can stop the count.”
  “Guys don’t give up!!!” Pumpkin Jr. cried out.
  Alucard, Cother, and Matt turned their heads and attention to Pumpkin Jr. Pumpkin Jr. had always got the reputation of being a shrimp…he is in fact much shorter than everyone around him. But when he wanted something, he always managed to get it.
  “YingGirl is a person that will never give up,” Pumpkin Jr. said with teary eyes, “Matt, you told me we’re friends on her side that will aid her at any costs.”
  “I did…” Matt said as he looked at Pumpkin Jr.
  “Then you’re just breaking your own opinion when you say that we can’t beat him. We have to beat him!!! For YingGirl’s sake!!! If we don’t beat him, a lot of people will suffer the same fate of loosing someone they care for!!! So please, don’t give up on YingGirl!!!!”
  The other three looked at Pumpkin Jr. as they were instantly shocked of his comment. Pumpkin Jr. still stood there as he used his paw to wipe away his tears. Alucard stepped foreword and walked towards Pumpkin Jr.
  “You’re right for a creature,” Alucard said as he kneeled down at Pumpkin Jr. and looked at him.
  “I learned from my sister,” Pumpkin Jr. replied as he looked up to Alucard, “do you think you can be my big brother? It’s only until we find what happened to YingGirl.”
  “Alright.”
  Pumpkin Jr. then gave Alucard a hug. Alucard felt a bit shocked of this “creature” giving him a hug. Or maybe, this was the first hug he ever had in centuries.

***


  I started to regain my conscious once again. I sat up. The bat was squeaking again. I looked at myself. My wounds were gone as if those monstrous fireballs never hit me in the first place.
  Man, this castle is doing a good job screwing around with my mind.
  I don’t know what real or what’s not real anymore. At least I’m still in my fuku. I could have been killed back there.
  Then a gentleman sat by me.
  “Dracula wanted you to believe that you’re dead so you’ll give up,” he said as he looked at me, “you collapsed at the fountain and the count invaded your mind to create his monstrous appearance in your head. Luckily, I found you before you could have got injured.”
  I looked at him. It was looking at a mirror image, except this was a guy wearing a blue jacket, had not the exact same length of hair, some pants, and yet…he was carrying the same whip like I have.
  “Who are you?” I asked as I looked up to him, “You seem so familiar.”
  “Don’t tell me that you forgot the stories told from Maurice Lecarde,” he replied as he smirked at me, “but I guess I should introduce myself. My name is Richter Belmont.”
  “Richter Belmont?!!”
  “The one and only.”
  “Holy crap!!!! You beat Dracula’s ass in the 1790’s!!! That’s like 211 years ago!! How can you appear in this time?”
  “The same magic that was used on me to become the lord on this castle has been used again. Shaft didn’t realize that his magic has a side affect, it summoned me in the process. So I appeared in front of the castle and entered it. The castle has more tricks up its sleeve, but never the less…it stays the same.”
  “Shaft? You mean Isaac Hayes’ character?”
  “I mean the dark priest Shaft. He controlled your friends, but luckily Alucard has managed to break Shaft’s hold off them.”
  “I see.”
  We both started to stand up and start once again from this castle. Richter then looked at the bat.
  “This bat belongs to Alucard,” Richter said, “I seen it with him when we fought in the Castle Keep.”
  “Hey,” I replied as I looked at Richter and the bat, “do you know why the bat is following me around?”
  Richter turned around and gave a grin.
  “It’s simple,” Richter replied with a grin on his face, “the bat familiar likes you.”
  The bat squeaked happily as he flew around my head once more. I started to blush. So that’s why this crazy little bat is constantly following me. And I thought he wanted to be friends.
  Something tells me, this was going to be one of those long nights.

***

  The small group started to wander in the castle. They were all prepared. When the servants seem to look as they had the power to over throw the mortals, yet these mortals managed to take down the servants with ease.
  Alucard seemed a little dumb-folded. How can such…children managed to take down this servants?!!
  Matt lowered his handgun as he looked around and started to reload it with new bullet shells.
  “You think we’ll make vamp hunters?” Matt asked as he looked at Alucard.
  “I don’t know….” Alucard replied as he sheath his sword, “but you’re capable of handing the final fight.” He then turned away from the trio, trying to think.
  He knew that if the Young Belmont was wounded…the darkness will devour this world bathed in light. Yet…if there were vampire hunters still alive, maybe there is a chance for this world after all.
  “Leave him alone Matt,” Pumpkin Jr. suggested, “he’s worried sick about my big sister. I think he kind of feels sorry because he never told her that he lo…”
  “Never say that word in my presence!!” Alucard growled as he looked at Pumpkin Jr., “That word is almost as good as sin. I am forbidden to obtain in because of my cursed nature.”
  “Sorry sir. But it is a human emotion. You’re half human…if you’re avoiding it, you’re also avoiding your human half, making your vampiric half easy for it to take over your soul.”
  Alucard stood quietly. Is “this emotion” making him worry sick about the young Belmont? Was it constantly battling with his vampiric nature by aiding his human half to grow stronger? And how was it winning?
  So he’s falling in love with his enemy: His father would curse and greatly disagree with his decision. But then again…he never took sides with his father anyway.

***

  “Sire,” Shaft said as he bowed towards the count, “I think we have some trouble here.”
  “Go on ahead,” the count replied as he sat on this throne, “I did manage to take care of that Belmont. She’s probably all petrified to the bone and all ready to run home, hiding away like a weak sheep.”
  “That’s the trouble sire. The Belmont is not petrified…and worse, another Belmont has appeared to help her.”
  The count’s face grew pensive. He growled in silence, trying to hold his anger. He did dig his inhuman hands on the armrest. Shaft slowly and cautiously stepped back.
  Another…Belmont?
  “What did you say?” the count asked in a dark tone and it was followed by a growl.
  “It’s all my fault sire!!” Shaft replied as if he was in panic, “I used some of my magic that I used 211 years ago, which caused Richter Belmont to resurrect again in the process. He ran into the castle without any of us knowing it!!! He is with the Young Belmont…”
  The count rose from his throne. His face showed his inhuman nature as a fearful and provoked force. Shaft started to look for a place to hide, shaking nervously.
  “YOU BLUNDERING IDIOT!!!!!” the count hissed, “NOW I HAVE TO DEAL WITH TWO BELMONTS!!! TWO ANNOYING IRRITABLE MORONIC BELMONTS TO GET RID OFF!!!”
  “Maybe if you caught one of them,” Shaft squeaked, “you can use its holy power against your son and his new allies.” (Author’s Note: Uh-oh…)
   “New allies?”
   “Your son has managed to free the humans I captured. Now they’re working for him.”
   “Great. Now everything has gone to bloody HELL!!!!”
   “Do you want me to destroy them??”
   The count started to laugh. Shaft didn’t know if he should take this as a joke or a threat. The count then looked at him with a sinister smile.
   “It’s a funny thing that you want to destroy them….” the count grinned as he stared at Shaft, “when in reality you want me to kill them for your own gain.”
   Shaft backed away. How did the count finally figure out his whole plan?
   “Oh,” the count said as he looked at Shaft, “if you want to know how I found out, let’s just say a little ninja girl told me.”
  Then out of the shadows, Xia stepped out of the shadows and stood next to the count.
  “You harassed me for the final time Shaft,” Xia said as she stared at him, “so I decided to give my problem to the big guy. When I told him all your little secrets of taking over the world by using his power, he was pleased that he’ll be able to make you suffer greatly.”
  “You arrogant little….!!!!” Shafted growled as he started to charge towards Xia.
  The count grabbed Shaft by his arm and twisted it right behind him. Shaft tried to wriggle his way out of this.
  “I resurrect you again!!!” Shaft cried out, “And this is what I get for serving you?!!!”
  “This is how the Devil pays his helpers!!!” the count cackled as he drove his fangs straight into Shaft’s collarbone.
  The dark priest screamed a horrid cry. It didn’t sound human at all…but it finally stopped. The count dropped the shanky body onto the ground and kicked it away. Xia smirked as she looked at the blood-drained corpse and its gruesome face or horror placed upon it.

***

  “Richter…” I calmly cried as I was walking next to him.
  He turned around, looking at me with his comforting eyes. It reminded me when I was looking at Alucard on the plane.
  “Yes?” Richter replied.
  “Why are we destined to kill a man ever few hundred of years?” I asked as I looked at him, “Why are we placing our lives just to put one man in absolute misery? What have we done to create this man to hate us?”
  “We’re the only ones that can stop his madness. He has lost his human nature a very long time ago. He only cares for power now…but he will never get all the power he wants.”
  “What power is that he’ll never get?”
  Richter smiled as he started to turn around and faced me. He then pointed at the center of my chest.
  “The power that lies in every human’s heart,” Richter said as kept his finger on my chest, “the clan of the Belmonts managed to control that power. Our weapons grow stronger by the emotions of our heart. Your emotions had greatly increased the power that lies within you. Dracula will never get that power unless you want him too.”
  “No way!! I’ll never give my power to the count!! He’s hurting Alucard, my friends, and soon everyone else!!! If I give up…that means I’m giving up on everyone…right?”
  “Exactly. You must never let him fool around with your heart or the weapons you wield shall be used against you.”
  “I see. You can count on me Richter-sama. I’ll never let my heart be fooled.”
  Then there was laughter. The bat familiar squeaked as we both turned around. The gentleman appeared, wearing a suit of armour. He looked at the two Belmonts with a smirk on his face.
  “By orders of Count Dracula,” Orlox said as he started to walk towards them, “you two will not be permitted to leave this area…alive.”

***

  Xia stopped looking at the rotting remains of Shaft and then paid attention to the Count.
  “So…” Xia asked, “how are we gonna win this battle?”
  “Simple my dear gentle warrior,” the count replied as he started to teleport, “my son desires the company of the young Belmont. This human desire shall be his downfall. I shall lure him to join my side for the sake of the Belmont.”
  “But will it work?” 
  “It will. This plan won’t fail.” And without another word, the count disappeared into the solitude of the night.

***

  Orlox continued to walk towards them. Richter held his whip tightly as he started to get ready for combat.
  “This won’t be an easy fight…” Richter said.
  “So?” Orlox laughed, “Which Belmont is ready to die first?”
  Before Orlox and Richter started to make their move, a squawking noise interrupted the battle…wait on a sec, a squawking noise?!!!
(Author’s Note: Eric Roman, this tidbit of my fanfic is dedicated to you and your awkward obsession with Slogera.)
  Richter and I paid our attention to what was coming down. The skeleton of a dinosaur bird hybrid was crashing down and fiercely unleashed his trident on Orlox, which knocked him off his feet. Orlox was more surprised than hurt by the attacked. When Orlox managed to get on his feet, a range of repeated fireballs attacked him.
  The duo landed onto the ground. They both faced Orlox, ready to fight attack him again.
  “It’s the monsters I helped in the labs!!!” I cried out. Richter gave out a puzzled look.
  “You helped Dracula’s minions?” Richter asked, feeling a bit confused.
  Orlox had a crossed look on his face as he looked at the monsters.
  “Slogera!!! Gaibon!!!” Orlox hissed as he glared at the two, “How dare you takes sides with this miserable little Belmont?!!”
  “She helped us when we were wounded….” Slogera muttered as he raised his trident.
  “Yeah,” Gaibon replied, “we’re returning the favour.”
  Orlox just laughed at he looked at the monsters.
  “Only idiots befriend mortals,” Orlox cried out as he looked at the miserable servants.
  “That’s not true!!!!” Richter cried out, “Mortals need all the help they can get when facing…”
  Before Richter could finish his sentence, Orlox unleashed a devilish attack on the gang. Bats appeared out of nowhere and were rapidly attacking us with wing smashes. These bats also attacked the bat familiar and easily made use all vulnerable to Orlox’s attacks.
  “There are too many of them!!!” I yelled out as I was trying to shield myself from these attacks.
  Orlox floated and stood right in front of me. He then started to create a massive fire spell to form from both of his hands.
  “You must be YingGirl,” Orlox said as he looked at me, “you’ll be the first to die!!!!” He then unleashed his attack without me having a chance to defend myself.
  “Young Belmont!!!!!” Richter yelled as he tried to interfere…yet the bats wouldn’t let him.
  One of the monsters managed to break free from the cursed bats, and dashed towards my direction. But will he make it?  

***

  Matt then looked around the castle.
  “We gotta find this count and nail him,” Matt said as he readied his gun, “or should it be stake him.”
  “Not funny Matt,” Cother replied.
  “Guys,” Pumpkin Jr. said, “get serious. Pretty soon, we’ll be facing the battle for our lives. We can’t screw on this battle or the aftermath of this battle if we lose…will end all of mankind.”
  “Sorry Pumpkin Jr.”
  “We gotta win, we’re the very last hope of mankind. Isn’t that right Alucard?”
  Alucard wasn’t paying attention to Pumpkin Jr. Something has caught his eye, a thorn weed. He then turned around.
  “The weed!!!!!” Alucard yelled out.
  But it was to late to take out the weed. It quickly wrapped its thorny vines on the two mortals and the cat creature. They quickly re-acted with such retaliation.
  “Not this again!!!” Pumpkin Jr. yowled.
  “What the hell?!!!” Cother yelled out as she tried to pull onto the vines.
  “Damn!!!” Alucard muttered, “I’ve placed you all in danger!!”
  “That’s nice…” Matt replied as he struggled with the vines, “now…CAN YOU GET US OUT OF HERE?!!!!”
  Then, a sinister laugh was heard. The count re-appeared in front of Alucard once again, smirking at him.
  “Father…” Alucard growled as he held onto his sword.
  “Now don’t talk to me in that tone,” the count sneered, “unless you want to see my pretty collection of thorn weeds squeeze the life out of these pathetic mortals.”
  The vines held tighter on their captives.
  “Can’t….breath….” Matt winced as he was caught in the vines.
  “Help…me…” Pumpkin Jr. whispered as he felt the vines holding tighter.
  “Don’t…give…in…Aluc-” Cother was about to say until the vines have stolen her strength.
  The count was smiling, enjoying these mortals and their cries of pain.
  “Damn you father!!!!” Alucard cried out, “These mortals don’t deserve this!!!!”
  “Of course they do,” the count said as he looked at Alucard, “unless you want to save their miserable lives and the Belmonts too.”
  “The Belmonts…?”
  “Yes. I have three servants, and one of them is about to finish off your friend YingGirl…or should I say you lover!!!!”
  Alucard backed away. His face had shown a slight glimpse of fear. The count just laughed at him.
  “You love her don’t you?” the count asked, “I know that feeling. Humans are suitable love toys for our kind. It’s so easy to manipulate them since they always go by their emotions.”
  “That’s not true…” Alucard started off.
  “Come with me and I’ll take you to the Belmont. Refuse…and every mortal within this castle dies.”
  “Don’t do it Alucard!!!!” Matt cried out, “It has to be a…” Before Matt could say another word, the vine held tighter…silencing the young boy.
  Alucard looked at the boy then back at the count with a stern look on his face. He had no other choice but to do what he never wished and wanted to do.
  Join up with his father.
  “Damn you,” Alucard silently muttered as he walked towards his father.
  “Finally,” the count replied, “you’ve made the right choice. Welcome to the World of Darkness, the most beautiful world anyone can dare dream of.”  
  The count did his teleportation trick once again, yet this time, Alucard joined him. Once those two were gone, the vines released their prisoners. Cother and Matt started to regain their conscious. Pumpkin Jr., who was conscious throughout the whole ordeal, now had tears running down his face.
  “Big brother is gone,” Pumpkin Jr. whimpered, “now all is truly lost.”
  Pumpkin Jr.’s crying stopped. He also heard a woman crying as well. He looked around and there she was.
  A woman was on the stairs, crying. She wore a black dress; her skin was like ivory, and her hair dangled on the soft satin dress she wore…yet her face, so delicate, had shown signs of a woman in absolute misery.
  Strange enough, there were the same exact features on that Lestat look-a-like guy Pumpkin Jr. has made friends with. The guy that joined up with that bad vampire count. His curiosity began to rise.
  Who was this woman?

***


  The other monster looked and shrieked in horror.
  “Gaibon!!!!” Slogera yelled out, “NOOOOOO!!!!”
  But it was too late. Gaibon got in the way of Orlox’s attack. He was holding me tightly as his body suffered a great amount of damage from the attack. I looked at him; my body was starting to shiver. The bat squeaked in horror.
  “Gai-bon…” I somewhat managed to say.
  He looked at me, smiling lightly.
  “With that notion…you will never defeat our master…” Gaibon wearily said as he looked at me, “Good bye…young Belmont, I will never forget you.” He lowered his head onto the ground and closed his eyes. 
  Those eyes will never open again. 
  “No…” I whispered with tears running down my face, “NOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!”
  My cry of aguish was heard throughout the area. Both Richter and Slogera, even thou they were on different sides, paid their respects to the fallen demon.
  Yet Orlox was laughing though out the entire time.
  “One down,” Orlox cackled as he began to start up a new fire spell, “three more idiots to go.”
  “You’ll pay for this!!!!” Richter yelled as he ready his whip.
  “No one gets away with killing my friend!!!” Slogera hissed as he place his trident to severely hurt this minion.
  “Soon you’ll all die,” Orlox replied, “so I don’t fear your little threats.”
  I started to get up. Something was burning in my body. Could it be the power Richter was telling me that we have? My fist was placed on my chest.
  “You’ve hurt my friends…” I said as I felt my body constantly burning up, “I will not forgive you!!!!”
  “And what are you gonna do little Belmont?” Orlox laughed, “Cry for your mother?”
  I didn’t know what happened. My body was covered in flames as I dashed towards Orlox, slamming him against the walls. He was shocked and managed to fight back with spells. I dodged all his attacks, yet he never had a chance to dodge mine.
  Even with my body as a human torch…I felt at nothing happened at all. It was like my adrenaline was controlling my mind to fight and keep on fighting…not for getting revenge, not for victory…it was to stop him from hurting others. It’s like my wildness and sanity managed to cope with each other at once.
  Richter smiled as he watched the brawl.
  “She learned…” Richter said as he kept watching the battle, “Fatal Fury.”
  “Fatal what?” Slogera asked as he looked towards the human.
  “It’s an attack used because some members of the Belmont clan that tried to increase the power of the flame whip. By accident, Fatal Fury was created. It is a highly dangerous attack to perform since once in that mode, they become insanely angry because of the flames on their body and it leaves that person defenceless afterwards since it wastes all of the holy magic in once shot.”
  I then unleashed another Crescent Arrow attack on Orlox. He screamed in pain as the arrows burned into his inhuman flesh. The flames were burning him to the bone. He kept standing there, screaming with flames covering his body until the flames turned his body into nothing but a burning pyre of ashes.
  I felt a coolness surrounding my body as I slumped towards the ground. The bat squeaked while Richter ran up to me, holding me in his arms.
  “Young Belmont…” Richer asked with a serious look on his face, “are you alright?”
  I woke up dizzily as I looked up at Richter.
  “Did I get him?” I weakly replied, as I look up weakly toward him.
  “Damn!!” Slogera cried out, “I never knew you Belmonts can kick that much ass!!! I never had seen any elemental fire minion pull off what you just did!!! Can you do that again?!!”
  Richter calmly laughed. He then looked at Slogera.
  “She’ll be able to do it again,” Richter replied as he held little old me, “but right now, she needs plenty of rest.”
  “Rest…” I muttered.
  Someone then teleported right in front of us.  It was…Alucard??? Richter looked at him, yet something was wrong, very wrong. Alucard doesn’t have the power of teleportation unless he uses his fire spells.
  He walked towards Richter and Slogera, drawing out his sword. Richter definitely sensed danger as he looked at Alucard with a calm expression.
  “I’m here…” Alucard said with his eyes glowing a shade of red, “to take the young Belmont to the master.”

TO BE CONTINUED…