Castlevaina

Chapter 11

   The creaking of a coffin rattled through the empty room, letting the young vampire prince step out, fully healed and still angered. Glancing around the room once, he noticed whatever marks that had been inflicted to the room from his scuffle with his double had been returned to normalcy. Or as normal as this castle got. 

   His face was a mask, carefully controlled. Breathing deeply to level his head, he adventured on. Going out the opposite door that he had entered, he found himself higher up on the outer wall. Growling to himself while mentally cursing the castle and its sadistic side, he continued up. Upon landing on a one of the perches, slaying the pile of bones trying to lodge an arrow in his skull, He noticed an steel gate.

   The heavy metal contraption reminded Alucard of the elevator he had come across, and by simply sense, deduced that it was meant for the same purpose. He approached, but it did not open to allow him entrance. Confused, Alucard put a pale hand against cool steel, simply waiting for it to open. It didn't budge. Sighing and berating the elevator for wasting his time, Alucard moved on, passing doors and knights with swords too heavy for man to carry. He lept to another ledge of marble, catching his breath for but a moment. Observing it slowly, he found the other end of the elevator, but it was what was behind the steel that caused him to pause and take a breath.

   An orb just hovered there at eye height, teasingly bobbing up and down slowly. The yellow sphere had the imprint of a wolf shadowing half of it, the animal howling in what looked like despair. An object of power. Knowing his arm was not long enough to reach and that it wouldn't heed his call, he came to the conclusion of needing to activate the elevator. There had to be a switch of some sort not far away. Baring his teeth in annoyance, Alucard traveled upward, hoping to find it and retrieve his missing prowess.

   Soon enough, the smell of oil reached his nose, signaling his approach to his goal. The hissing of tresses on both blue and yellow skin alike alerted him the the Medusa Head's that had found him. He simply ran, not wanting to deal with such annoying pests, though it spared not the ones in his path. Following his nose and the stench of a machine, he found the a huge contraption that seemed to be melded into the low ceiling.

   Tsking and pushing the large handle, screeches of metal and the whine of the mechanisms. Nodding to himself is self-satisfaction, he made his way back down. On the way, though, he paused. Looking at a intricate door with the carving of a massive scorpion, Alucard sensed magic. Lots of concentrated magic. Curiosity getting the better of him, he moved toward it. Opening the door with a heave, Alucard found himself awed. A portal that swirled with all the colors of the rainbow, lighting the dark around it. Making a note of it, he walked back out, thoughts trained on the piece of his power that hovered innocently behind a steel cage. 

   With his presence, the elevator opened its gate as the chain holding the cabin of the contraption pulled up at alarming speeds. Alucard took a step back, letting the cabin hit the marble roof. The door was tall, his mother having his father in mind, most likely, so he slipped in. He willed the elevator not to fall as he reached his hand through the bars on the other side, letting the hovering orb slide into his palm.

   His power was warm, his cold skin drinking in the warmth like a sponge. A soft smile passed briefly as a memory surfaced along with the thrumming of his returned power.

0oo00oo0

   "Oh, my," Lisa giggled, watching as a wolf pup ran around her skirt. His father had boomed with pride and laughter as the pup yipped in excitement at his new form. "Alucard, is that you?"

   A much larger, black wolf made its way to the silver pup, huffing a laugh. Approaching his father with the pride of a wolf and Tepes, he sat down and howled his joy.

   "Now, young one," his father's baritone boomed, though his mouth never moved, "here comes the trail of turning back."

   The pale fur of the wolf pup seemed to grow paler, making both his parents burst into another bout of laughter.

0oo00oo0

   Stepping out of the transportation device, Alucard let the familiar feel of his power run through his veins, morphing him. Now that he was older, the wolf soul had matured along with him. His once, silver fur that matched his hair now took a more purple hue, his underbelly and chest keeping the blond color. His sword, which unfortunately didn't disappear like his other gear did, was strapped to his middle, laying along his side so it didn't scrape the ground.

   Shaking his fur, he walked on, finding it easier to leap the ledges in this form, going down. His mind shifted to his old friend, surly one that would help him on his way. Shifting back to his human shape, he opened a door, the smell of old books and bones hitting his nose. The books, which were neatly organized on tall shelves that reached the ceiling, explained the smell of parchment. The old bones can in the form of armored skeletons.

   They wore purple armor, covering most of their bare bones. A sword swung toward him from one side, it held its skull in other. drawing his blade and parrying, Alucard didn't trouble himself with the body and jabbed the monsters skull. It screeched, lighting itself with blue, purifying flames. How it made any noise without vocal cords, let alone with a detached head, Alucard didn't question. Two more shuffled toward him, one lounging at him,

   Alucard dodged, but the dull blade nicked the cloth on his arm, tearing the fabric. Not letting it phase him, he lashed out with his own short sword, successfully nailing another Dhuron in its fleshless skull. The other lunged at him, nearly hitting him, before another swipe of his sword ended the beast. Sheathing his blade once again, he traveled father into the library.

   Where the Librarian waited.