Castlevaina

Chapter 9

     He chased her footsteps, loosing her as they went their separate ways. He passed another of the long corridors of old and unused clocks, it opening up to the familiar sight of the Marble Gallery. Thick bricks of marble of black and white, cloth of royal purple and bright gold lining the walls as statues of angels and demons alike stretched out their wings. After climbing and descending more stairs, he found himself in an unfamiliar and endlessly long hall.   

    Large cubes of stone made the floors, large windows revealing the thunderstorm outside. He made his way through the hall carefully. His caution was rewarded with danger, a Diplocephalus stalked toward him, it's lower half dripping with drool from it's maw of teeth. Green skin stretched to it's limits over muscles that were strung too tight. A equally ripped tail ended in a beautiful and alluring woman, her black hair and storm-grey eyes summoned the lesser men to her. Her breasts were covered by white cloth and hoops of gold were hanging in her ears. She giggled, a sweet sound to lure lesser men, but Alucard was not swayed.

   He slashed at the beast, making sure that he missed the large maw of fangs. It screeched from it's lower mouth, a feral hiss escaping its more human appendage. Alucard swung his sword again, causing the beast to flinch back in pain. Using this chance, the Night Prince lept onto its back, driving the short sword through the human-like entity's heart. It gasped for air, but sneered at Alucard.

   "Try all you want, Alucard, but you wont win," she gasped, black blood dripping from her plump lips.

   "Win I shall, demon, and send my father to his grave," Alucard scowled, watching the creature burn, returning to Tartarus where it belonged. He sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose, trying to stay an oncoming headache. He opened narrowed eyes, silver glancing at the hall.

   'Onward, it seems,' he thought. He soldiered on, finding more of the Diplocephalus. After quickly slaying them, he happened upon a Stone Rose. The red bloom was closed, petals pulled to form lips. The bud was connected to a strong vine, one that he couldn't forcefully cut.

   It spat at him, a gray, skull-shaped seed aimed at him. He dodged, but the strange thing hit his boot. That seemed to be all it need as stone crept up his leg. He hissed, wiggling his foot as much as he could, breaking the stone. It bit into his skin, but he paid it no mind and jumped up in front of the monster. He slashed it diagonally before it could spit another of those seeds at him. It screeched, the noise making his sensitive ears ring. It opened up, as if it had been cut into fourths. A quarter spread in each direction, showing a row of teeth no rose should own.

   It shook, seeds -normal looking ones this time- slowly drifted toward him. He slid under them, making sure none touched him. He jumped, making sure it was in between waves, and lashed out. He took his enchanted axe and hit it squarely in the back of its throat. It screeched again, collapsing to the ground and vanishing into purifying flames.

   Alucard made his way further down the corridor, the feeling of something watching him making him glance at the windows in sudden bursts of paranoia. He continued without further incident, but found himself slightly confused. He was on the Outer Wall, the evidence in the bared windows that let the moonlight shine. The rain had stopped, he noted. Broken and rounded ledges alike let him make his way up. 

   'It's worse than those blasted stairs,' he thought, growling low in his throat as he jumped down from ledge to ledge. As he descended, though, the air almost seemed to grow thicker. He lept down, coming face-to-face with a monster's head, the body nowhere in sight. Yellow skin made emerald green tresses stand out, though, now that he looked, they were hissing vipers. Glowing red eyes caught his own silver, and that was his mistake. His skin was encased in stone, his whole body frozen. His eyes where still facing the Medusa Head; the more it glared at him the more he could feel the stone sink into his skin. He mentally hissed, using what little magic that his weakened state left him, and broke free of his prison. 

   He closed his eyes, letting his blade come down in front of him in a wide arc. Screeching signaled the death of the Medusa Head. He opened his eyes again, for only a blue-skinned Medusa Head to stare at him. Though he felt the magical pressure of it trying to stone him, nothing happened. He waited not to slice the monster down the center. Only the yellow ones? 

   Keeping it in mind, he moved downward, slicing the never-ending Medusa Heads into oblivion. Finally, he reached the bottom, and instead of the stone walls, wood encased him. It looked almost like a lounge, tables and chairs prepared, but forgotten. Windows where on either side of the small room. One had a old but well maintained telescope aimed at the lake on the castle grounds. Curiosity ate at him and he gave in, looking into the glass, the water shining in the silver moonlight. 

   On the water's surface, making ripples in the glassy surface, was a familiar, dark cloak. The Oar-man glided the long, wooden boat across the water, making no sound like a phantom. He stepped back from the telescope, thinking of the image. What did the Oar-man mean by his presence there on the mirrored waters? Shaking his head to clear it, he began to climb his way back up the Outer Wall.