Part 1

Chapter I

The year is 1852. Dracula has been absent from the mortal realm for a long time. The Belmont family has gained the acceptance of the people, and has also managed to spread its family tree all over the world. They had relatives in several countries, including England, Australia, and the United States, many of them with different names due to marriage. Although the Belmont bloodline has spread all over the world, its great and noble history has been all but forgotten by most of its descendants. There are still a few who believe in the tradition of the Belmont name and what it stands for. One such individual still resides in the country of Romania, the home of the infamous Count Vlad Tepes, better known as Count Dracula. This individual’s name is Reinhardt Schneider, and he has been training the majority of his life to combat evil in all its forms. His mother was a true Belmont who enriched his young mind with the history and teachings of her family line. He loved and respected his mother greatly, and was deeply wounded when she was killed in a train wreck a few years earlier. His father, on the other hand, was a cold, uncaring man who had abandoned Reinhardt and his mother when Reinhardt was only 7 years old. He had not heard from his father since, and was glad for that fact. Reinhardt was not lonely by any means, though. He had several good friends who would put their lives on the line for him, and a beautiful young fiancee by the name of Julia who loved him with all her heart. He was happy with the way his life was going, but lately he had been having terrible nightmares that seemed to disease his very soul. On one particular night, he had a dream that nearly drove him insane. In the dream he was chained to a stone wall in the interior of a castle. He watched in horror as Count Dracula himself violated his beloved Julia and proceeded to drink from her neck at the moment of climax. Within a few seconds, Julia stopped resisting the Count’s urges and gave herself to him in a manner that actually drew tears from Reinhardt’s eyes. Despite how hard he tried, he couldn’t manage to close his eyes or turn his head, and was forced to watch his one true love submit her will and her body to the man he was bound by blood to hate. All he could do was scream, and that was what he did, both in his nightmare and in his bed. He practically leapt out of bed, which he was sharing with his soon to be wife. He looked over at her innocent face and could not believe his mind could create such a horrible image of such a beautiful creature. She looked so peaceful and so happy lying in bed next to him. Surprisingly, his sudden outburst had not woke her from her peaceful slumber, and kept careful not to disturb her. He knew he would not sleep anymore that night and decided to get up. He dug through some of the things his mother had left behind for him and came upon a book that accounted for all the confrontations between the Belmonts and the Prince of Evil, Dracula. He read about his ancestors Simon and Trevor, and even about the rebellious son of Dracula, Alucard. He read all through the night until the sun rose in the morning until he finally realized what it all meant. Dracula was returning to this world soon, and Reinhardt knew he would have to stand up to the Count. It was his turn, his time.

Chapter II

When Julie woke in the morning she found her love packing his bags with food and money.

"Going on a trip, are we?" she asked in a curious and somewhat concerned voice. Reinhardt had been preparing what to say to her for hours, but looking at her beautiful face the words seemed to escape him. How could he possibly break the unexpected news to her? He knew she would grow sick with worry, as well as loneliness. On the other hand, the fate of the free world depended on him, whether he liked it or not. He knew he had to do it.

"Honey, we have to talk."

After he told her the whole history of his family and explained to her what he must do in order to protect the world, he waited for her reaction.

"You’ve got to be joking." she laughed. "All of a sudden, you have to go out and save the world. You just need a little time before you realize how silly all this sounds. Just set the table and I’ll cook you a nice breakfast.

"I’m not joking," he said in a somewhat irritated manner. "I have been waiting my whole life for this. My mother invested her faith in me. I can’t let her down."

"You can’t be serious," she replied.

"I’ve never been more serious about anything. If I don’t fulfill my natural duty, none will be safe from Dracula. He will ravage the countryside and wreak havoc and the people."

"Look," she said, "if Dracula is coming back, let someone else fight him. You have responsibilities. We are to be married in 6 days, and I was hoping to conceive a child soon. You can’t leave me now."

"If he does return then everyone will suffer under his evil machinations. I could not allow myself to bring a child into a world ruled by a man as evil as him. I must oppose him and his evil army."

"Reinhardt, no! You can’t leave! We will be wed soon. How can you desert me on the eve of our matrimony? You’re not thinking this thr..." Her desperate pleas were suddenly interrupted by a scream from the village square. Both Reinhardt and Julie hurried out the door to see what had happened, the former with whip in hand. What they saw was a young woman being attacked by a group of hunchbacks. The small green demons were harassing with the woman, cackling and jumping around her in circles. Then suddenly, the cackling stopped and the demons proceeded to attack the young maiden. One of the creatures mounted the back of her shoulders and bit deeply into her exposed neck. The girl collapsed as blood gushed from the open wound and the hunchbacks seized the opportunity to sink their teeth into her lifeless body.

Many of the villagers stood motionless, unable to cope with what they had just seen. Reinhardt, however, was not one of them. He clenched the handle of his whip and ran to confront the impish devils. One of them spotted him approaching and leapt quickly with its fangs and claws extended at the hunter. Reinhardt was caught off guard by the speed of the creatures lunge, but still managed to crack his whip across its malicious face, killing it instantly. The others quickly took notice and began to creep toward Reinhardt. He didn’t wait for them to attack. He latched his whip around the neck of one hunchback, and snapped it easily with a quick yank. Another one leaped at him and was quickly knocked out with a fierce backhand. He seized another by the leg with his whip and fatally swung it into a nearby tree. By now, one of the demons had attached itself to the back of his coat and was slashing furiously at his neck. Suddenly he heard a loud BOOM, and the creature fell dead to the ground. Reinhardt turned confused to the source of the blast and found his friend Henry standing near with his pistol smoking. The hunchbacks all laid motionless on the cold hard ground. Reinhardt, meanwhile, was bent over breathing heavily. After a moment or so he came to and extended his gratitude to his loyal friend. The village doctor saw that the danger was neutralized, and ran out to tend to the victim of the vile demons. He grasped her wrist and felt for a pulse, but failed to find one.

"She’s dead," he announced solemnly. Reinhardt returned to his fiancee and embraced her lovingly. She was still shocked from the whole ordeal. It took him a minute to bring her back into reality.

"This was his work," he stated. "I have to prevent things like this from happening to innocent people. I must go and stop him." For a while she said nothing, only looking into his passionate eyes. She knew she couldn’t stop him, and deep down, she knew he was right. Finally she spoke.

"Then go if you must, but be careful. I don’t think I could live in this world without you."

"I’ll be careful," he reassured her. "I will carry your spirit with me. I will think of you everyday, and when I destroy Dracula, I will return to you. Never forget that I love you more than life itself and I would never leave you alone in this world."

"May God bless you, my love." With that they shared one last embrace and Reinhardt gathered his equipment and headed through the forest to the castle of evil, Castlevania.

Chapter III

There was a musty air in Castlevania. Two figures were striding anxiously through the empty halls. They were both human figures, but upon closer inspection, it was apparent that neither was truly human. At least not anymore.

"When he returns this time there will be no one to stop him," spoke one of the figures, a voluptuous young female. "This will be a grand event indeed. I’m breathless with anticipation."

"Patience, Elizabeth," muttered the other. This one was a sinister character draped in robes of darkness. "It will all come together soon enough."

"Why do you always have to spoil my fun, Shaft? You’re always so bitter. Maybe you just haven’t felt the pleasures of the flesh often enough lately. I could gladly remedy that for you."

"If I didn’t indulge in sexual pleasures in life, what makes you think I would in death?" replied the dark priest. "Besides, I know what you would do to me if we were to commit such an act together, and I don’t think your uncle would appreciate you sacrificing one of his most trusted followers for your own twisted pleasure."

"Like I said, so bitter," Elizabeth with quiet contempt in her voice.

"Enough. We have arrived at our destination."

They had entered a large room with rich tapestries and elegant candles lining the wall. Toward the back of the room rested a long coffin which housed the spirit of Count Dracula himself. On the coffin lay the body of a beautiful young virgin who was to be sacrificed to the Dark Lord. In front of the coffin floated the grim visage of Death, who was prepared to perform the task at hand. Shaft and Elizabeth Bartley watched the act from a distance with keen interest. Death proceeded with the ceremony, ignoring the two individuals who had just entered the room. He read a verse from the Necronomicon in order to gather the spirits of evil around him, and, with a wicked grin on his face, brought down the razor sharp end of his scythe on the milky white flesh of the virgin girl’s neck. Her head was severed from her body and landed on the cold hard stone with an eerie thud.

Elizabeth couldn’t help but laugh at the disgusting sound it made as it hit the floor, and was quickly shushed by an irritated Shaft. What happened next was truly a sight to behold. The decapitated body of the young girl began to melt into the lid of the coffin. Flesh and bone were transformed into dark red blood and soaked into the dark wood of the coffin. For a moment, nothing happened.

"Why didn’t it work?!" shouted Elizabeth impatiently.

"Quiet!" prompted Shaft. "You’d think you would have more patience for an immortal."

Shaft’s lecturing was cut short by what happened next. The lid of the coffin began rumbling and shaking violently. Suddenly it exploded off the rim of the casket and crashed on the stone floor. A few breathless seconds passed before the resurrected body of Count Dracula rose ominously to its feet. Death was the first to speak.

"Behold the rebirth of evil. Welcome back to the world of the living Count Dracula." Elizabeth watched the return of her master in awe and admiration, a slight smile pursing her lips.

Chapter IV

Reinhardt was making good time through the woods outside his home town of Aljiba. It was going on 8 o’clock, and he estimated he would arrive in the town of Veros before midnight. He hoped he would, because midnight was the most dangerous time of night to be out traveling. It was when vampires and werewolves were most active, and he wanted to get a bit more battle experience before he could take on the most powerful creatures of the night. All he had come across so far were a few ravenous bats and a pack of wolves that quickly tasted the lash of his whip. He had just eaten a chicken drumstick he had packed and was feeling quite refreshed. His mind was lost in thought as he ran through the muskey woods. His mind was quickly alerted, however, by a sound that caught his attention. It was a rustling in the bushes about 15 feet in front of him. He stopped short and listened closely, but couldn’t distinguish it. His mind was soon set to ease when he spotted an owl float out of the bushes with a small rodent in its grip.

"Calm down Reinhardt," he said to himself. "Don’t let your mind play tricks on you." He took a deep sigh to calm himself down. Then, without warning, he heard another sound. He recognized this sound as the piercing of air by a sharp object. If he didn’t follow his instinct to duck, the arrow that passed would have found its mark right between his eyes. He looked back at the unfortunate tree that it did lodge itself in and barely managed to turn around in time to see the gang of goatmen charging at him. He rolled to the side as one of the beasts swung its steel mace at his unprotected head. He lashed at the creature with his whip, but only caught it with a glancing blow that did little but sway its balance. He got to his feet and continued the assault against the staggering goat. He snapped his whip and hit it square in the chest, sending goblets of its foul blood spilling to the ground. The creature was knocked off its feet by the blow and, being unable to breathe, was eliminated as a threat. Unfortunately, he had several companions who also wanted to assault Reinhardt, so the hunter quickly took action. He clutched the hind leg of another goat with his whip, and twisted its furry kneecap beyond repair. The creature fell to the ground bailing in pain. One of the other goats quickly got on the offensive and swung his spiky mace at Reinhardt. He was not able to spot the attack in time and was forced to shield the blow with his shoulder, which he quickly regretted. The mace practically shattered his shoulder and Reinhardt slumped to the ground. He was not defenseless, however, and quickly drew a dagger from his belt. As the beast came down on him to deliver the final blow, he thrust the blade into the creature’s gut and rolled out from under it to avoid getting covered in the blood that began to pour from its mouth. As he got to his feet he heard the whiz of two more arrows and dropped back to the ground to avoid getting skewered. He spotted one of the goat bowmen in the bushes to his left and threw his dagger straight for its face. The dagger flew so quickly that the creature was not able to avoid it, and caught the blade viciously in its left eye. Another goat charged him with mace in hand, but Reinhardt was ready for it. He cracked his whip hard against the goat’s upper chest and neck. The best fell to its knees clutching its neck and coughing up blood. It suffered for a few agonizing seconds before it felt the cold touch of death. Another goat had snuck up behind him and raised its blunt weapon up in the air, preparing to bring it down on the back of his skull. Reinhardt sensed the goat behind him preparing to attack and quickly swung around, embedding a sharp dagger deep into the side of its head. The creature fell to its side in a heap. Reinhardt held the grip on his dagger, though, and spun around quickly enough to hurl the knife at the other bowman in the tree behind him. The blade lodged itself in the creatures foul heart and the last able goatman fell silently out of the tree and landed hard on the ground. The few who had survived the battle had crawled away in defeat. Reinhardt felt no need to pursue them. His main concern now was his shoulder. It was throbbing with pain and he could hardly stand it. He wrapped a bandage tightly around his wound and ate a pork chop to replenish his energy.

After resting for about 15 minutes Reinhardt decided to resume his journey. He knew he had to hurry if he wanted to make it to Veros without too much trouble. The goatmen had given him a grueling battle, and he just wanted to collapse in a nice warm bed. He would have to fight one more battle before that could happen, though. He found himself walking through a rocky field when he suddenly spotted one of the larger rocks beginning to move. He watched in sullen awe as the boulder towered over him. He quickly realized that it was, in fact, a rather large golem who didn’t like being disturbed. Like most golems it donned an iron helm that was covered with ancient dust. Reinhardt sighed and hung his head for a moment while the mystic beast stretched out its stony limbs, pockets of dirt and dust falling from several crevices around its body. Reinhardt drew his whip, along with one more deep breath, and prepared to combat the stone giant. The golem possessed surprising speed, however, and batted Reinhardt a good 8 yards across the field with the back of its fist. The wobbly adventurer staggered slowly to his feet and shook cobwebs out of his head before retaliating. He cracked his whip hard against the creatures stone frame, but it accomplished nothing more than making the beast more angry. Reinhardt could see its eyes glowing ominously in its helmet, and knew he was in trouble. The golem swung fiercely at the hunter’s head once more, but the small human was able to duck beneath its comparatively huge fist. He saw an opening and quickly crawled between the golem’s legs, turning around in time to crack it in the back of the head. The beast didn’t even flinch. It simply turned its head in a slow, apathetic manner and made Reinhardt weak in the knees. It lifted both of its massive fists high in the air and proceeded to bring them down with great power upon the unfortunate earth. The sheer force of the impact and its proximity to Reinhardt were enough to knock the weary hunter off his feet and into a nearby boulder. His eyelids became instantly heavy and he was barely conscious as the golem stood vigilant over his shattered body. The last thing he heard before he slipped into unconsciousness was the piercing howl of a vampire.

Chapter V

When Reinhardt finally woke from his painful sleep, his head was throbbing with the pain of a thousand hangovers. His vision was hazy and blurry, but he could just barely make out the silhouette of a tall, dark figure standing a couple yards in front of him. As his eyes struggled to focus he could see that the figure was a human, and was facing away from him.

"Who are you?" he managed to mumble in a barely audible tone. The figure turned to face him and revealed its face. It was a pale face with long whitish hair, and the body it was rested upon sported an elegant black jacket that ran the length of its form. He also noticed a beautifully crafted long sword gripped in the left hand of the mysterious figure. After a moment of silence the figure spoke.

"I am a mutual enemy of the Count," it said briefly and coldly.

"How long have I been out?" asked Reinhardt.

"About four and a half hours," was the reply. "You suffered a massive concussion." The long sword that the man was holding was quickly sheathed in a graceful manner.

"What happened to the golem that gave me this concussion?"

"I destroyed it," responded the dark man with a bit of arrogance.

"How did you accomplish that? I couldn’t even discover a weakness in that stone behemoth."

"The golem is indeed a legendary beast with incredible power, but every enemy has a weakness." Reinhardt was both humbled and irritated by this statement.

"Care to tell me what the golem was prone to?" inquired Reinhardt.

"Its head was its weak point. Although its body is forged of powerful stone, its head is composed of vulnerable flesh, just like you or me. That is why it always caps it with an iron helm. To defeat the golem you have to strike its face, which is no easy task considering it defends it with its massive stone arms. I had to mount the creatures back and remove the helmet from its crest before I could deliver the fatal blow to its head."

Reinhardt glanced over at the fallen golem to see the deadly gash that had been struck upon its head, which was dripping with dry, crusty blood.

"I appreciate your saving my life, but would you mind telling me your name?" The mystery man ignored the question at first.

"Alucard," came the sudden reply. "I doubt the beast would have killed you though. The golem is more interested in the battle than the kill, and is usually satisfied with just victory."

"Did you say your name was Alucard?!" Reinhardt was stunned by this revelation and seemed to ignore what the man had said about the golem’s tactics.

"Yes, I did."

"I know all about you. You’re the son of Dracula himself. I’m Reinhardt Schneider, of the Belmont family. It’s a pleasure to meet you."

"You are a Belmont!" came the cold response.

"Yes. My mother was a true Belmont, but the name was lost to me when she married my bastard father. Of course, without him, I wouldn’t be here to confront Dracula." Alucard reeled at this discovery.

"So you are the latest Belmont to be chosen. You come from a very noble family. I have fought alongside your ancestors before."

"Yes. I have read of your adventures with Trevor and Richter. So I suppose you are out to confront your father as well? Shall we join forces then?"

"I suppose that would work to our advantage. I have much to teach you first, though, before we confront my father."

"I have trained my whole life for this. I’m ready."

"Don’t be so sure, Belmont. My father is a being of immense evil power. Do not make the mistake of underestimating him." Reinhardt kept silent. "Come on now. It’s not far to Veros and you must get some rest and recover from your injury." With that Reinhardt rose to his feet and ran to catch up to the silent dhampire, who had already set off in the direction of town.

Chapter VI

Veros was a large town with decent looking buildings and a population of happy citizens. Near the town square a large, illuminated church stood tall in the sky, watching over and protecting the innocent people of the town. When Reinhardt arrived in his room he did what he was looking forward to and collapsed in the nice warm bed. After a few peaceful hours of sleep, he woke up to find Alucard standing tirelessly in front of the window, watching for any danger that might invade the peaceful town.

"Don’t you want to get some sleep?" asked Reinhardt.

"I will sleep when it is necessary."

"Well I for one need a drink."

"Suit yourself."

Reinhardt entered the the well-lit tavern and seated himself at the bar. He surveyed his surroundings, but there was little to survey besides a few drunks and vagrants. The short, stubby bartender casually walked over to face the rested hunter.

"What can I get for you, sir?"

"A nice mug of dark ale would really hit the spot."

"Coming right up." The barman poured Reinhardt a pint of ale in a brown ceramic mug and returned to his business of wiping down the counter. Reinhardt gazed into the mug for a moment before taking a swig. It had a smooth flavor and went down easily. A young woman who was dressed in an elegant red gown watched the young man from the only dark corner of the tavern. She eyed Reinhardt longingly and decided to approach him with a proposal.

"Hello there adventurer," she said in a teasingly excited voice. "I figured you might want some company tonight. You look as though you’ve been traveling a long ways. I can help ease some of your tension if you can afford my services."

"No thanks," he replied angrily. "I’ve no need for a prostitute. I’m already taken by the most beautiful angel in the world. Find another traveler to please your filthy desires and leave me alone!" The young woman was insulted by his rejection.

"Fine," she responded. "You’re probably not man enough to satisfy a real woman anyways." With that she whipped her fair hair around and stormed out of the quiet bar. Reinhardt finished his mug, paid the tender appropriately and left the bar for his room.

Along the way back to his room Reinhardt noticed a small shop crowded between two larger, more successful businesses. He decided to take a peek inside. As he steeped through the creaky door he could smell the dank, musty air all about him. He had the feeling that he was the only customer to enter the store in quite a while. He looked all around himself and gazed curiously at the mysterious items that littered the shop. He looked particularly at one strange piece of jewelry that seemed to have a magical air about it. It seemed to be seething with power and violence and sent a chill down his spine.

"Quite an interesting piece, isn’t it?" Reinhardt’s heart nearly leapt out of his chest. He whipped around to find a rather professional looking gentleman perched behind the counter who had not yet made his presence known.

"Where did...?" stumbled Reinhardt. The man had seemed to appear out of nowhere, without a sound.

"I own this shop," he stated matter of factly, "and all the marvels that lie herein. That particular item is the Ring of Azmodan, an ancient demon from the netherworld." Reinhardt fixed his gaze back upon the demonic ring and quickly set it back on the shelf where he had found it. "Forgive my rudeness," the man spoke. "My name is Renon. I am a dealer in mystic relics and other unworldly goods. I have the finest merchandise that this dimension has to offer." Reinhardt began to open his mouth to speak.

"...," he tried to speak, but was abruptly interrupted.

"Your name is not important," stated Renon. "Only your money." Reinhardt was baffled by the dealer’s knowledge of what Reinhardt was going to say. "Please feel free to look around." Reinhardt took the man’s advice and began browsing. What he found were weapons and talismans of undescribable craftsmanship, all of which seemed to carry a mysticism about them. There were many other items of unholy power and mysterious uses, but Reinhardt decided that Renon was quite possibly the most interesting thing in the room.

"Who are you, and how did you get all these peculiar items?"

"I am what you would call a demon." Renon replied. Reinhardt quickly became alert and drew his whip from his belt. "Rest your weapon. I am not an enemy," assured Renon. "I am merely a businessman. It is indeed a shame for a demon to be working, but one needs money even in Hell these days. Please, feel free to purchase anything that might be of use to you. I admit, though, that some of my merchandise is rather expensive." Reinhardt returned his whip to its resting place and decided to give the shop another look-through. He found several items that he might need in his adventure, including purifying stones to cure vampirism and zombieism, as well as cure ampoules to cure poisons. He purchased a few of each, along with a small throwing axe, and approached the counter. Renon finally spoke up.

"I must let you know that before I can sell you any of these items, you must sign a contract of agreement." Reinhardt looked distrustingly at the scroll that Renon had now placed between them. It was written in ancient demon script, which Reinhardt obviously had no knowledge of, and Renon saw the need to explain it. "It basically states that I am not liable for any strange events that might occur from the use of some of the more powerful items I have gathered here. Since you are only purchasing items of basic and common use, it really doesn’t apply to you. None the less, I can’t sell you anything from this shop until you sign this contract." Reinhardt pondered the deal for a moment, and eventually decided to take the demon at his word. He took the pen in hand and signed the contract as Renon watched over the him. He felt a sudden eerie feeling creep into his soul, and noticed that Renon had attained a wicked smile on his face. He felt no need to examine this feeling, and, after gathering his recently gained treasures, exited the shop in a hurry. On the way out, he nearly ran into another townsperson.

"Hey! Watch where yer goin’," bellowed the stout, irritable man that stood before him.

"Sorry about that," apologized Reinhardt. "Hey, let me ask you a question. Do you have any idea where the gentleman who owns this shop came from, and how long he’s been here?" The man looked confused.

"What shop?" he asked bewilderingly.

"The shop right behin..." Reinhardt suddenly stopped his sentence short. He turned around to find the building he was just in to be nothing more than a pile of rubble and dust. "I don’t understand. I was just in there. A guy with a brimmed hat and bifocals just sold me all these weird antiquities."

"I don’t know what you’ve been drinkin’, son. That shop went out of business ages ago when the owner sacrificed himself to Satan. It was a pretty disturbing sight when they found him in there, soaked in his own blood. Scared the hell out of the women and children worse than anything you could imagine. Yep. Mighty gruesome." Reinhardt didn’t respond to the grizzled man’s story. He just tried as best he could to gather his thoughts, before they were suddenly shattered again by a high pitched shriek that echoed through the walls of the town.

Chapter VII

"Now what?" murmured Reinhardt wearily. He ran toward the edge of town, where a large portion of the townspeople had now gathered. When he arrived there he realized what was going on. It was another attack by the minions of Dracula. There was a group of about a dozen snakemen, a few of which had vicious black panthers attached to short chain leashes. The panthers were eerily calm, until their masters released them. Two of the panthers ran toward the frightened villagers, while the other just stood still, staring evilly into Reinhardt’s eyes. He quickly abandoned the deadly stare-down to protect the townspeople from the other panthers that had nearly reached them. He snatched the leg of one panther and held it just inches from a frightened child who was too paralyzed with fear to run. The panther was yanking wildly in an effort to reach the child, but Reinhardt was strong enough to detain it. He noticed that the other panther was still rampaging through the streets, however, and yelled at the townspeople to barricade themselves in the nearest building. Just as the cat was about to pounce on one man foolish enough to stand up to it, Alucard appeared and thrusted his long blade deep into the panther’s heart. The beast moaned in agony and flopped to the ground. Just then the beast that Reinhardt had managed to contain quickly turned on him. He was caught off guard and wrestled to the ground by the powerful cat. With his whip still wrapped around its leg and unavailable, he resorted to his secondary weapon, the short throwing axe he had purchased from Renon. He held the beast up by the neck with one hand and hacked hastily and repeatedly at its face. After several hacks the creature’s face had been mangled, and it folded down dead.

"Are you all right?" asked Alucard who was running to aid the downed Belmont.

"Yeah, I’m fine." replied Reinhardt. "Now let’s get these bastards." As Reinhardt rose to his feet the panther that had been eyeing him suddenly raced toward him. Both Reinhardt and Alucard were surprised by the cat’s amazing speed, but even more surprised by what happened next. As the panther leaped toward them a bright bluish-green bolt of plasma surged in between the two warriors and smashed into the cat’s chest, killing it instantly and sending it hurtling back several meters where it landed at the feet of its masters. The snakemen were shocked by the powerful blast that had killed their pet, as were Reinhardt and Alucard. The two of them whipped around quickly to spot the source of the incredible magic bolt. What they found was a young girl, about 10 or 12 judging by her stature, with intense, magical fire blazing in her eyes. The two hunters looked back at eachother in astonishment, and then proceeded to take the offensive on the snakemen who were now prepared to attack themselves. As the serpents charged toward them, Reinhardt and Alucard attacked. Reinhardt struck first, snapping an unfortunate snake around the neck and dragging it to the ground. As the beast struggled back to its feet Reinhardt brought the sharp end of his axe down on the back of its head, and split its skull wide open. Alucard swung his sword ferociously at another, knocking the shield out of its hand and leaving it vulnerable to a second attack, which Alucard quickly delivered. He swiped his sword clean through the creatures neck and watched as its head fell neatly from its body. He had little time to admire his work, however, for the other serpents were approaching his position with lethal speed. He managed to evade one’s sword, but another’s slashed him deeply in his right arm and beared down on the wounded Alucard. As the two of them toppled to the ground Alucard grasped the creatures face and shoved his thumbs, along with the snakeman’s eyes, deep into its sockets. The beast rolled off of Alucard screaming in pain and feeling for the ground which it could no longer see. Alucard ignored the howls of the blind beast and focused his attention on the other brute that was seconds away from splitting Alucard’s face down the middle. Just as the beast raised his sword in the air, Reinhardt whipped its wrist and restrained it from carrying out the fatal deed. Alucard seized the opportunity and shoved his blade into the creature’s chest. Alucard let out a deep sigh and glanced at Reinhardt just in time.

"Behind you!" he shouted. Reinhardt turned in time to have an iron shield smashed across the side of his face. The blow sent him staggering backwards and tumbling to the ground. He shook his head and looked up to see three snakemen who had there hearts set on gutting him and impaling his head on a pole, and it looked like they would not be denied. Then, another bright flash lit up the streets. Another plasma bolt jetted through the air at the wicked snakes. It exploded through the back of one snakemen who promptly collapsed to the ground. The bolt was not finished just yet, however, and seeked out the face of a second serpent. The bolt smashed into the serpent’s head, which instantly exploded, sending fragments of skull and brain flying through the air. The last snakeman was prepared for the enduring plasma bolt and lifted his shield to deflect it. The force of the blast alone was enough to knock the snake off its feet and send it crashing to the ground. The snakeman was stunned not only from the impact, but by the fact that his shield was blazing with ultra-hot plasma fire. He discarded the shield and decided to take revenge on the girl who had killed his companions and almost him. He dashed at the girl with his sword extended and was within a few feet when the girl suddenly surprised him. Her hands were blazing with bluish-green fire as she leapt up at the charging snakeman and delivered a burning uppercut that proved fatal. The blow was extremely powerful for such a small girl, and shattered the serpent’s skull. The beast fell to the ground in a heap of burning flesh and bone. Even the girl seemed to be a little surprised by her own display of power. The remaining four snakemen were undecided on whether to pursue the fight or take this chance to escape. The decision became quite clear to them, however, as the girl’s hands began to glow once more with amazing power. The snakemen quickly turned and headed for the woods. As they ran, the girl unleashed the bolt and it sped toward the fleeing serpents. As the last one entered the woods just outside of town the bolt smashed into a tree not more than three feet from the creature’s head, and then the beasts were gone. Alucard took the time to examine the sightless Snakeman who was still clambering blindly on the ground. After watching it amusingly for a moment he put it out of its misery and shoved his sword deep into its back. Reinhardt took a moment to catch his breath, and then decided to meet the mysterious girl who had just saved his life. As he approached, the girl looked up at him bravely.

"What’s your name, little girl?" he asked politely.

"My name is Carrie Fernandez, and I’m not a little girl," responded the spirited youth. She knew what he was going to ask next.

"Where did you get those amazing powers!?" The girl stood silent for a moment and then stated the truth.

"I was born with them," she stated proudly.

"Do you know how you came to possess them?" inquired Reinhardt.

"I am a descendent of the wise and powerful Sypha, the greatest sorceress of all history." Reinhardt’s mind danced for a second or two. Where had he heard that name before? Of course! Now he remembered. Sypha was a woman who fought alongside his ancestor, Trevor, as well as Alucard who was still examining the bodies of the slaughtered snakemen. He had read that she was an extremely powerful sorceress, as well as an extremely beautiful woman, whom Trevor had briefly fallen in love with. After they defeated Dracula with the help of Alucard and the pirate Grant, Sypha returned to her homeland of Wallachia where she married a famous healer and raised a family. That was a long time ago, and now this girl was standing in front of him waiting for him to speak. He finally did, but not to the girl.

"Hey," shouted to Alucard, careful not to mention his name in front of the villagers. "Come here for a minute." Alucard looked confused and irritated at first, but obliged and joined the two allies that had fought the threatening snakes with him.

"This is Alucard," Reinhardt whispered. "He fought Dracula alongside Sypha, as well as my ancestor, Trevor Belmont." The girl acknowledged the dark figure.

"I’ve learned a lot about you, Mr. Alucard," said the girl. "It’s an honor to m..." The girl stopped short. "Did you say Trevor was your ancestor?"

"Yes," replied Reinhardt.

"Then that makes you a belmont, right?"

"That’s right, although my name is actually Reinhardt Schneider. My mother was a Belmont, you see." The girl’s eyes lit up.

"If you’re a Belmont than surely you know what’s happening around here."

"I do," replied Reinhardt. "The resurrection of Count Dracula."

"Then we haven’t a second to lose," said the girl excitingly. "We must go stop him before he covers the world in darkness." As the girl gathered up her equipment Reinhardt spoke up.

"Wait a minute, child. You’re much too young to fight Dracula." The girl seemed enraged by this comment.

"It is my destiny to fight Dracula!" she shouted. A few of the towns people took attention after hearing the dreadful name. "If you won’t help me, than I’ll just have to fight him myself." Reinhardt laughed at this thought.

"What good can a child do against Dracula?" he said jokingly. Alucard made his presence known at this point.

"She did quite a bit of good against those snakemen," said Alucard, who was pointing at the remains of the vicious serpents that fell at the girl’s hands. Reinhardt pondered the idea for a moment and eventually agreed with the girl.

"All right," he said. "We’ll take on Dracula together. We need to get some rest before we fight again though. A worn out warrior doesn’t stand a chance against the forces of evil in such a perilous time. Let’s go back to the inn."

"No wait," interrupted Carrie. "You can stay at my house with me and my uncle. He’ll cook us all up a nice dinner."

"Okay," replied Reinhardt. "That sounds good. Would you care to join us, Alucard?" The dhampire nodded and the three went off to the young girl’s house as a sinister figure watched from the shadows.

Chapter VIII

The gates of Castlevania opened slowly as Shaft drifted through them. He wasn’t dressed in his usual garb, but instead in a plain brown cloak. He traveled for nearly an hour before he finally reached the doors to Count Dracula’s throne room. The doors creaked agonizingly open allowing Shaft to enter. Count Dracula was alone in the room, sitting majestically on his throne.

"Welcome," greeted the Count.

"Hello, master. It’s a pleasure to be in your presence."

"Your pleasantries are unnecessary, Shaft. What do you have to report?" Shaft cleared his throat to address the Count.

"I spotted your son in the town of Veros. He was accompanied by a warrior with a whip."

"Who is this warrior?" interrupted Dracula.

"I overheard him introduce himself as Reinhardt Schneider. He is a descendent of the Belmonts." The Count’s face soured.

"So the Belmonts are out to stop me again."

"There was also another. A young girl with incredible magic power. She is a descendent of the vampire slayer Sypha, the woman that helped your son defeat you in the past." The words did not seem to bother Count Dracula.

"Well, it will be interesting to see how things unfold. That will be all, Shaft."

"Yes sir." Shaft turned around and left the same way he came in, stopping only to catch his breath for the long journey back to his quarters.

After dinner at Carrie’s house, Reinhardt finally explained to Alucard who Carrie was and what her relationship to Sypha was. Sypha’s name brought back old and painful memories of the first time Alucard fought against his father. Before the three of them went to bed in the small cozy building where she lived, Carrie asked Alucard to tell her what her ancestor was like.

"Mr. Alucard?" she asked.

"Yes?"

"Well, you knew my Great Grandmother Sypha. What was she like?" Alucard thought about it for a moment and then answered.

"She was an intelligent and beautiful lady, very friendly. She wanted so badly to help the people who had suffered under my father’s rule, and fought with unmatched courage and skill. She was a wonderful woman. You should be proud to be related to her." Carrie smiled broadly and her face lit up.

"I am," she stated simply. Carrie blew the candle out that rested beside her bed and fell asleep within a few minutes. Reinhardt didn’t even last that long. Alucard, on the other hand, had a lot to think about before he went to sleep. He was still having doubts about facing his father again, as well as what he would do if he actually did have to face him. Count Dracula was an evil and powerful tyrant, but he was still Alucard’s father. Dracula still loved his son, and Alucard as well still had a special bond with his father that drove him insane at times. The only thing that brought joy into Alucard’s life was his mother, and ever since she died he has been left with a feeling of complete loneliness and despair. Suddenly, Alucard’s thought were violently interrupted by a loud crash in the other room. Carrie too was awakened by the noise, and the two of them ran out the door to check on it. What they found was a horrifying sight for a young child to witness. The door had been smashed down and Carrie’s uncle, who had fallen asleep in his favorite chair shortly after dinner, was lying on the ground in a puddle of blood. His jugular had been ripped out of his throat, and his eyes yanked from their sockets. Carrie let out a gasp and fought to hold back the tears that wanted to mourn her beloved uncle’s savage death. She knew crying now would accomplish nothing. Before she could mourn his death, she had to avenge it. Until now she hadn’t even noticed that they weren’t the only ones in the room, but a bone-chilling howl soon grabbed her attention. She finally noticed the beast that had slain her uncle, a huge, bloodthirsty werewolf. The grey werewolf was shaking with fury, but it could not match the pure hatred that burned in Carrie’s young eyes. The vicious beast was not alone, however. It was flanked on both sides by two vampires that looked vaguely familiar to Alucard. The werewolf crouched down to reveal a third vampire who Alucard recognized immediately.

"Damien!" he blurted out.

"Long time no see, Alucard. I see you’re still associating with humans," the vampire said contemptuously. He looked casually at Carrie, who was still staring hatefully at the at the now silent werewolf.

"You’re going to pay for that man’s death, demon!" shouted Alucard. He drew his sword and charged wildly at Damien. The vile murderer made no effort to defend himself, but didn’t need to. He watched amusingly as Alucard was swatted aside by the powerful werewolf that was now prepared to exterminate the remaining residents. Alucard flew through the air and crashed into the back wall. Carrie, who had been charging up her most powerful plasma blast to deliver to the werewolf, decided to make her move. She fired the bolt with ferocious velocity at the beast. The werewolf was extremely agile, though, and quickly ducked under the blazing plasma. Damien was no slouch in speed either, and leaped effortlessly into the air as the the bolt went streaming past under his feet. The two vampires who accompanied him were now ready to engage the bewildered Alucard. Alucard knew he was in serious trouble, and had no reservations about asking for help.

"Reinhardt!" he shouted. "Get out here now!" The vampire hunter had been sleeping through the whole ordeal, but Alucard’s piercing voice was enough to wake him from his heavy sleep. He grabbed his whip quickly and ran out to aid his two accomplices. As he came running out of Carrie’s room he was greeted by a shower of fireballs discharged by the malevolent Damien. The weary hunter was able to evade the first two fireballs, and extinguished the third with a quick crack of his whip. He noticed that Alucard was being assaulted by the two nameless vampires, and decided to give him a hand. He flung his axe at one of the assailants and it embedded itself directly into the vampire’s back. The other turned to face Reinhardt and received a deep laceration across the face courtesy of Reinhardt’s whip. As the first vampire struggled to dislodge the axe from its back Alucard rose to his feet and delivered his clenched fist into the creature’s gut. The blow knocked the wind out of the vampire and Alucard raised his sword to deliver the final blow. As he did so the vampire rolled backwards and glided through the air, landing awkwardly on the table behind him. He tried to laugh at Alucard’s annoyance, but the roll had lodged the axe even deeper into his back and he grimaced in pain, nearly losing his balance. Alucard noticed the slight slip-up and fired a pair of fireballs toward the wobbling vampire. The fireballs were not aimed directly at the vile creature, but instead at the legs of the table, which exploded in flames instantly. The table collapsed on itself and crashed to the floor, bringing the surprised vampire with it. The creature landed flat on its back, driving the axe even deeper and paralyzing its victim in pain. Alucard didn’t waste this opportunity and leaped through the air at the helpless vampire with his sword in the downright position. As the sword penetrated the creatures heart and the hard wooden table behind it, the creature howled in pain. It began coughing up blood as Alucard pried through its intestines with his blade. Alucard finally withdrew his sword and watched as the vampire’s body suddenly burst into bright orange flames. That was an interesting aspect of a vampire’s death. After being killed, a vampire’s body was soon engulfed in flames that burned its remains, until nothing but foul smelling ashes were left. The color of the flames was also interesting, as it differed depending on the power of the deceased vampire. The lowest vampires burned with yellow and orange flames, semi-powerful ones burned with green and blue flame, and the most powerful burned with violet or red fire. The sight was almost beautiful, but evil nonetheless. Alucard had seen just about every color of the spectrum, but none had affected him as much as the dark red flames that engulfed his father on both occasions that he had fought against him. That was all in the past, though, and Alucard realized he still had a battle to fight. Reinhardt was chasing the other elusive vampire around the room and Carrie was toughing it out against the malicious werewolf, so Alucard decided to engage Damien, who still stood statuesque in the open doorway.

Meanwhile Reinhardt was trying unsuccessfully to slay the unnamed vampire that still remained. He was hurling daggers hastily at the vile creature, but it was able to evade all of them. The creature was quite stealthy, and had managed to scratch a deep wound into Reinhardt left arm. It was having too much fun avoiding the frantic hunter to face him in battle, but would occasionally sweep in to attack. Reinhardt was able to duck under its sharp claws on one such attack, and was quick enough to latch on to the creatures leg with his whip. The vampire tried to fly free of the whip, but instead crashed into the ground as a result of its own momentum. Reinhardt quickly drew one of his stakes from his belt and charged at the stunned vampire, who turned around in time to have the wooden shank thrust into its heart. The creature clutched at the stake and screamed as it was engulfed in bright green flames. Reinhardt surveyed the situation in the room. Alucard had pursued Damien outside, but Carrie was still battling fiercely against the werewolf. The beast had wounded the girl in several places, but she refused to let it defeat her. She was at a disadvantage, not only because of the power of this particular werewolf, but also because of the fact that they were enclosed in a small room, which made it difficult for Carrie to use her plasma bolts effectively. Reinhardt sensed that she was in danger and rushed to protect her.

"Stay back, Reinhardt!" warned the girl. "This one’s mine."

"That thing is far too powerful for you, Carrie! Let me handle it." The girl was enraged by Reinhardt’s remarks.

"This werewolf killed my only relative! I must avenge my uncle!" The werewolf was ready to pounce on Carrie, but a quick blast of plasma knocked the beast off its guard. She tried to follow up with a devastating energy punch, but the wolf had picked up the collapsed table and used it to swat down Carrie. The table was shattered by her blow, but Carrie was able to back-flip gracefully on to the ground. The momentary distraction was enough for the werewolf to deliver a haymaker that sliced through Carrie’s dress and flung her backwards into the wall. The impact almost knocked her out and her dress was now stained thoroughly with blood. She was barely breathing, but she managed to speak and restrain Reinhardt, who now had his whip ready to attack.

"No!" shouted the severely injured Carrie. "I have to do this on my own." Reinhardt fought every urge he had to defend the wounded girl and watched painfully as she rose back to her feet. The werewolf was done toying with the young girl and was now ready to slaughter its prey. Carrie was not powerless, however, and began charging both her hands with powerful plasma. The werewolf was not impressed and charged at the injured girl. Carrie was ready for it, though, and leaped over its head as it rushed past her. The beast saw the escape as an act of desperation, but Carrie was about to deliver a blast of energy that she was not even aware she was capable of. The werewolf slowly turned and was surprised to see that the length of Carrie’s body was now glowing with magical power. The girl screamed and unleashed a massive surge of plasma that blasted toward the bewildered werewolf. The ground cracked and shattered as the surge blazed past at blinding speed. The spike of pure energy smashed into the shocked werewolf and sent it soaring against the nearest wall. The impact of the explosion was deafening. Reinhardt rushed to where the beast had blasted through the wall to discover its disfigured carcass. He turned to Carrie who was exhausted after her impressive outburst.

"You killed it," he said happily.

"Good...," she muttered and collapsed to the ground.

Alucard was close on Damien’s trail. The dhampire had chased his opponent out of town to the woods nearby. Damien wasn’t trying to escape, however. He was simply toying with Alucard, who was well aware of this fact.

"Are you not man enough to turn and face me, Damien?" asked the angered dhampire.

"I’m not man at all, Alucard," replied Damien. "I’m vampire." As Damien said this he spun around to face Alucard who was charging at him. Alucard swung his sword at the the vampire’s head, but cut through nothing but air. The vampire had ducked, and then slashed at Alucard’s gut with his sharp claws. Alucard tried to suck his gut in to avoid Damien’s claws, but the razor sharp nails ripped through the dhampire’s soft belly flesh with ease. Alucard grunted and staggered back a few feet. He felt his gut throb with pain, but he gripped his sword even tighter and retaliated against the smirking Damien. He swung his sword fiercely at the vampire’s face, but Damien was too quick to get caught by Alucard’s blade. Alucard saw this and decided to resort to his secondary attack. He fired three fireballs at Damien, which caught him by surprise. Two of the flaming orbs collided with the vampire and staggered him. Alucard then slashed at Damien with his long sword and cut a deep gash into the creature’s shoulder. Alucard slid the blade out of its resting place in Damien’s shoulder and the vampire fell to his knees.

"Did you think you could defeat me?" mocked Alucard. Damien looked up at him and began laughing.

"You fool, Alucard," he laughed. "My goal wasn’t to defeat you, it was to distract you. The town is being demolished by the forces of evil as we speak. I’m sure your friends are already dead." The vampire began laughing hysterically. Alucard reeled at this remark and began shaking his head. His disbelief soon turned to anger and he striked at the ecstatic Damien. The vampire vaulted over the sudden attack and landed behind the raging Alucard.

"It was nice fighting you again, Alucard. Just like old times, huh? But the fun is over. None will stand in the way of the all-powerful Count Dracula!" The vampire laughed mockingly at Alucard and retreated through the woods back to town. Alucard stood confused for a moment before he decided to return to town. As he got his thoughts together and started running after Damien he heard an agonizing howl followed by a vicious one. He ran to see what had happened and the sight he found was astonishing. He found a sleek blue werewolf growling and holding Damien’s decapitated head. Under its menacing forepaw lay Damien’s massacred body. Alucard immediately realized that this was indeed a powerful werewolf if it was capable of slaying Damien. The beast stared threateningly into Alucard’s eyes and let out another piercing howl. It tossed Damien’s head to the side and began approaching Alucard, who quickly readied his sword. Alucard saw this as an opportunity to speak.

"Wait!" he shouted. "If you killed Damien than you must be fighting against the forces of evil. I am your ally then, not your enemy." The beast halted its advance and responded to the pleading dhampire.

"I can smell your vampire blood," it stated. "I also sense that you aren’t full vampire, so you may yet be telling the truth. If you are an ally of the innocent than we must hurry. Veros is in grave danger." The werewolf quickly circled around and bolted for town. Alucard followed closely behind.

As they arrived in Veros they found the army of darkness swarming over it. The sky overhead was filled with bloodthirsty gargoyles and screeching harpies. The ground was even more menacing. Vampires and werewolves were raiding the building and dragging out the frightened residents. Skeletons and zombies were littered throughout the street, and panthers were stalking around the town square. Snakemen and goatmen were slaughtering the defenseless villagers. Dragons were igniting the wooden structures with searing flames. Flaming skulls were blazing across the sky and exploding into the more stable building, which were slowly crumbling down. Alucard looked for Reinhardt and Carrie. A small group of skeletons had spotted the dhampire and his werewolf companion and quickly started dashing toward them. The vicious werewolf quickly dismantled and shattered the deceased assailants and leaped into the air, dragging down with him a passing harpy, which was quickly eradicated. Then Alucard spotted Reinhardt, who was holding Carrie at his side as fended off several attackers.

"Reinhardt!" he called. The weary hunter located the source of the voice and ran to meet with Alucard.

"Are you all right Reinhardt?" asked Alucard.

"Yeah, I’m fine," came the reply, "but Carrie’s severely injured. She needs medical attention immediately." Reinhardt took notice to the perilous werewolf at his side and took a defensive stance.

"Who’s this and why is he with you?!" he demanded. Alucard turned to the werewolf, who had not yet revealed his identity.

"My name is Cornell," he stated. "I am here to fight against Dracula’s minions, not you." Reinhardt relaxed his whip.

"There’s not much we can do to stop these vile creatures. There’s just too damn many of them, and most of the townspeople have already been slaughtered."

"We have no choice, then," said Cornell. "We have to abandon this poor town before we get killed along with the townspeople. Reinhardt was offended by the beast’s cold remark and lashed out at him.

"How can you say such a cruel thing?! These people are being massacred! We have to defend them at all costs!" Alucard hung his head in despair. Reinhardt looked to him for agreement but didn’t find it. Alucard lifted his head to speak.

"Cornell is right Reinhardt. We’re all injured badly, too badly to battle an army of this magnitute. Besides, if we don’t get Carrie to a healer soon, she may die. We really have no options." Reinhardt was outraged at first, but soon realized that both Cornell and Alucard were right.

"Let us escape from this forsaken place, then. I only hope the surviving townspeople can make it to safety." Reinhardt took Carrie in his arms and followed Cornell as he fled from the sieged city. Alucard stood for a moment and looked at the burning town. Suddenly a familiar voice shattered his focus.

"Hello son." Alucard darted his eyes skyward to see his father floating eerily overhead. "You can’t run forever, Alucard. Soon you will be at my side as I rule the entire world with an iron fist. Either you will join me, or you will die with your pathetic friends. The choice is yours, and I assume you will eventually make the smart decision." Alucard was completely dumbfounded as his father smiled proudly at him, revealing his sharp fangs. The only clear thought that took control of his mind was that of survival. He stumbled backwards a few steps, and then started running. As he retreated frantically from the ravaged town of Veros, the only sound he could hear was the haunting laughter of his father.

To be continued...