CastleVania: Senshi For HIRE!!!!
Part 9
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. Also I don’t owe the rights to Aino no Senshi. Rights of that song posted here are from the Sailor Moon Series. Please enjoy.

Prologue 1

  No matter how bad a person you are…if I love you, I will believe in you. -Lyrics from Aino no Senshi

  Alucard walked towards the group, he carried a demon smirk on his face. Richter and Slogera noticed the Alucard shield and sword he was carrying. Only Alucard himself could handle those weapons and no one else could.
  Oh, and the bat was squeaking happily. This was proof enough he was the real Alucard.
  “Hand over the young Belmont!!!!” Alucard hissed and he glared at the two.
  Richter got up as he placed YingGirl aside. He faced Alucard.
  “I may be your friend Alucard,” Richter said, “but I can not give you the young Belmont. She’s awfully weak and she’ll die if she fights the count now.”
  “Exactly.” Alucard replied with a smirk on his face.
  “What?” Both Richter and Slogera were shocked about Alucard’s reply.
  Alucard started laughing, his laugh was more sinister than his own father.
  “For centuries I had to endure a battle within myself,” Alucard chuckled as he readied his sword, “a battle between my vampiric half and my human half. I always let my human nature win…but not anymore. It has finally won.”
  “Alucard!!!” Richter yelled out angrily, “I have always respected your choices and how you help us out at times…but this is the stupidest thing you have ever!!! You said you never would do this because of your mother.”
  “My mother died because she wanted to save a doomed species.”
  “No…”
  “I tire of this talk, hand over the young Belmont and no one will get hurt. I ask myself why did I neglect myself of avoiding this power in the first place? I’m destined to have it anyway.”
  “I’m not giving the young Belmont to you.”
  “What did you say Richter?” Alucard eyes glow red.
  “I’m not giving her to you,” Richter replied strictly,  “I rather be dead than to hand over a member of my family to the world of darkness.”
  “Then so be it.” Alucard placed his arms in a position of a spell-caster as he glared at Richter. Richter backed away since he knew what spell was about to appear….
  Soul Steal.
  I woke up, thinking I heard Alucard. I calmly sat up, feeling a bit dizzy, and looked at the Richter.
  “What happened?” I asked.
  Alucard smirked and decided to change targets.
  “Young Belmont!!!!” Richter cried out as he turned around and looked at me, “Get out of here!!!! NOW!!!”
  “SOUL STEAL!!!!!” Alucard chanted out.
  “NOOOOO!!!”
   Richter kneeled down…yet he was still alive. Impossible!!! Alucard growled as he noticed Slogera ran in the way to protect Richter and now he is being consumed by this spell. Richter looked up.
  “Guess it’s my turn to sacrifice my life to a Belmont….” Slogera whispered.
  “I’m sorry I saw you as an enemy…” Richter whispered back.
  “That’s okay. All is forgiven now.” After saying that, Slogera vanished forever.
  Alucard hated this turn of event.
  “Great…” Alucard said as he readied his long piecing fangs, “I have you kill you pathetic mortals the old fashion way.”         

Prologue 2

  Pumpkin Jr. started to walk towards the young woman. Who was she? Why was she crying? Does she know something?
  “P-please don’t cry young lady…” Pumpkin Jr. whispered, “a woman should never cry if there is something not wrong.”
  She looked up to Pumpkin Jr.
  “What a strange creature…” she said as she looked at Pumpkin Jr.
  Matt and Cother went up to Pumpkin Jr.
  “Pumpkin Jr.,” Matt asked, “who are you talking to?”
  “I’m talking to this woman,” Pumpkin Jr. replied and then turned back to the lady, “by the way, what’s your name?”
  “Lisa…” she cried as she tried to look at the others, “Lisa Tepes.”
  “Oh. That’s a nice name. My name is Pumpkin Jr. Those are my friends Matthew Brodwick and Cother Mackenzie.”
  Matt and Cother started to back away.
  “Lisa Tepes?” Cother asked as she was feeling a bit nervous, “The only Lisa Tepes I heard of is the one that was the count’s wife.”
  “The count’s wife??” Matt cried out, “Pumpkin Jr.!!! Stay away from her!! She may trick us in becoming vampires!!!!”
  “I don’t think so,” Pumpkin Jr. said as he looked back at the two and the lady, “she can’t do us any harm. She’s a ghost…”
  “What?”
  Lisa then placed some item in Pumpkin Jr.’s paw.
  “If you ever see Alucard…” Lisa cried softly as she looked at Pumpkin Jr., “please give this to him. It is a token that will let him know I will always be for him, whatever which path he chooses.”
  “All right,” Pumpkin Jr. smirked, “I’ll give it to him when I meet him.”
  “Thank you…thank you. Perhaps there is hope…” She faded away from their sight.
  Pumpkin Jr. looked at his paw…a locket? Why would the ghost of Lisa want to give him this locket? Maybe when he sees Alucard, he’ll find out.

***

  “I MUST DESTORY THE YOUNG BELMONT!!!” Alucard hissed as he unleashed fireballs at us. Luckily, both of us were trained to avoid such attacks.
  “Richter!!!” I yelled out as I held onto my whip, “Why is Alucard attacking us?!!!”
  “He isn’t Alucard…” Richter said as he pulled out a blue cross and looked at me, “he is now what his cursed bloodline is…”
  “Richter…what is that you have in your hand?”
  “This is the Blue Cross, it’s been in our family for years. It has the power to unleash the greatest attack we can ever use against evil. That attack is called ‘Holy Cross’.”
  “Holy Cross? But if you use that attack…”
  Richter lowered his head. He wanted to hide his tears that were starting to run down his masculine face…
  I looked at him. I didn’t know a guy could shed tears.
  “I know Young Belmont,” Richter muttered, “it will end up killing Alucard because his vampiric half is stronger. It’s the only choice we have to stop him.”
  My face froze again. Killing Alucard? Killing the only gentleman that ever been nice to me and brought up my true heritage? He saved my life!!! I can’t just finishing him off because he’s now evil!!!!
  “No…” I cried as I was shivering, “there has to be another way!!! We can’t just kill someone who helped our bloodline various times because he turned evil!! There has to be another way!! I won’t accept giving death as a solution!!!”
  “Why do you think this?” Richter asked.
  “Because I love him!!! I understand all his eternal pain and suffering!!! I know how it feels to lose someone you love and cared for!! That’s why I love him…I promised myself I won’t let anyone be alone after my experience, and by pulling him out of that loneliness, it will heal both of our wounds.”
  Richter backed away, feeling a bit puzzled. How could a vampire hunter fall in love with the prince of vampires?
  “Are you two done yet?” Alucard whined as he looked back as us annoyingly, “After I finish you two off, I have to set up plans on how we’ll crush you pathetic humans.”
  We both looked backed at Alucard. There’s has be a way to save him. Alucard started to walk towards us.
  “Two little Belmonts,” Alucard chanted as he kept walking, “which pesky Belmont shall be the first to quench this half-breed’s thirst??” 
Into the sky my hair bursts afire
My body is just a flame…
  Richter got into his position, as he looked backed at Alucard with no mercy.
Oh no, why is it turning out like this?
Now I am really burning up inside…
  Alucard charged towards Richter while Richter unleashed his holy attack. Alucard then transformed into mist throughout the attack, and then attacked Richter afterwards.
While I am in love, and feeling heartache
Even though I want to have sweet dreams
They will not allow it, this is their fault…
  I looked at the two. Why must they fight? Is fighting the only way to save mankind?!! I don’t want to fight…it hurts other. I placed a fist on my chest. What am I suppose to do? I didn’t want to see anyone get hurt.
As I thought, it is I who must do this
By my own hands I will crush evil into defeat
That’s right, until then, I must preserve
Awaken now, soldier of blue…
  Richter quickly dodged the attack, only to suffer some few injuries. He kneeled down as he looked at Alucard, who was right across him.
  “Still up to the same tricks?” Richter smirked.
  “You’ll be the first…” Alucard growled back.
  “I’m sorry I have to do this…old friend.”
No matter how bad a person you are
If I love you, I will believe in you
Trying to take advantage of that
Is something you must not do…
  Richter stood in that position. Alucard didn’t have the strength to dodge this attack again. I looked at Richter again. My body was screaming, even thou it wasn’t in pain. I just had to do it!!!!
  “Good bye Alucard…” Richter said as he unleashed the power of the cross, “HOLY CROSS!!!”
  “NO!!!!” I yelled out and started to run towards Alucard. I couldn’t let him down. I couldn’t let him go away forever.
  This is not his destiny!!!!
I always want to protect you
For you I will go leaping forward
Only love is unlimited energy!
  Richter stopped his attack. He couldn’t believe what he saw. I somewhat shoved Alucard out of the way. The attack didn’t do any damage at all to me. I as rudely awaken as I felt someone grabbing onto my neck tightly. I open my eyes slightly to see who it was.
  Alucard was holding onto my neck, gripping onto it tightly. He was looking at me with some slight confusion.
Come on, it is we who must do this
We will show them the pure hearts that girls have
Whatever we do, in everything, we must persevere
Vowing in our hearts, soldiers of love…
  “Why did you help me mortal?” Alucard asked while he growled, “By doing such an act you just signed your own death warrant.”
  “B-because…” I weakly whispered, “I understand your pain.”
  “My pain?” He then let go of me and I fell onto the ground.
  “Young Belmont!!!!!” Richter yelled as his tears ran down his eyes.
Come on, it is we who must do this
By our own hands we will crush evil into defeat
That’s right, until then, we must persevere
Awaken now, soldiers of love
  Alucard then picked me up, almost cradling me in his arms.
  “Why?” Alucard said as he looked at Richter, “Why is her holy power pointed towards me?”
  “I don’t know Alucard,” Richter replied as he stood next to Alucard, “I even wonder why she did try to save you.”
  “Then we must speak to someone who could…”
  The bat squeaked as he flew next to Alucard. Alucard raised a card. The card produced a strange light. After the strange light faded, everyone in that area was gone.

***

  Matt, Cother and Pumpkin Jr. were walking down another hallway. Pumpkin Jr. was admiring the locket he has to give to Alucard. What did it held?
  Matt looked around as he held his gun.   “This place…” Matt said as he looked at the shelves, “looks like a library??”
  “Do you think they’ll have any Arthurian legends?” Cother asked.
  Both Matt and Pumpkin Jr. sighed.
  “I wonder why they place 25GP to 100GP bags behind the candles?” Pumpkin Jr. asked to himself, “We may be young adults, but damn!! All we got to do is knock down some candles and we’ll have enough money to last us a lot of semesters at Vainer if we fail the courses.”
  Cother started to laugh.
  “He’s right,” Cother replied as she tried to control her laughter, “maybe cause the count is like around an entire millennium year old, he thinks money is worthless to him.”
  “But it’s pretty stupid to hide your money behind the candles,” Matt suggested, “if I was that old, I’ll never place my money there.”
  “Maybe he’s suffering from Parkinson…” Pumpkin Jr. suggested as he waved his tail.
  Matt and Cother roared with laughter after Pumpkin Jr.’s comment.

***

  I had another dream. No, this dream is different. In this dream…I was an infant. I was very curious about my surroundings and had everyone around me. These were people I don’t know right know. They seemed like villagers.
  Most were very proud, yet some felt sorry for me. I heard whispers that Joanne Belmont is dead. Was that my mom? Some also said that I was born of a very unusual outcome.
  My dad, or what they said was my dad, always carried a scythe. His name was Merick. What kind of human carries a scythe? And even to make the rumours more scary, they said it was the same exact scythe that Dracula’s finest and most trustworthy adversary carried along by his side.
  I started to cry. I was scared and tired. One nurse came and placed me in a soft bed. Maybe I should get rest. Everyone then left me in the room to make me fall asleep. They all left to continue his or her duties.
  The room was calm and dark enough to put me to sleep.
  Then he came.
  I didn’t know who he was. I was still curious so I thought he was some guardian angel.
  He entered the room, wearing a long royal blue hooded robe. He carried a scythe, yet his features show nothing than a mere skeleton. He picked me up and looked at me, while trying to comfort me.
  “Dada…” I cried since it was the only thing I could say.
  “You look just like your mother,” he said, “but you can’t stay here any longer. My master will be here with his minions searching for you. I’ll take you to your cousins; you’ll be in safe hands over where they live.”
  He then raised his scythe and twirled it. After twirling it, we were both gone.

***

  I woke up. The bat squeaked at me. I looked around and realized I was at the library once again, but this time I wasn’t alone.
  “Take it easy Young Belmont” Richter said as he was trying to calm me down.
  “Where’s Alucard??!!!” I cried out, “You didn’t kill him?!! Did you?!!”
  “No. He’s at the librarian, paying. The librarian is a great help, but he always charges for his services.”
  “Why did Alucard take us here?”
  “He wants to know why your powers are connected to him. I could tell you, but I’m stumped by this as well.”
  “Oh…”
  “Please rest. You need to recover from your last fight from Orlox.”
  The bat squeaked again. I lied down on the mat. Could my admiration for him cause this defect? And what was that dream? Did it actually happen? I know I was an orphan and my cousins lived in England, then we moved to Canada.
  Now I had a new question to ask Richter or Alucard…
  Who was Merick?

***

  “I need some information…” Alucard said as he looked as the librarian.
  “Just tell me what information you need and I’ll be glad to inform you about it,” the librarian replied as he said in his chair.
  “It’s the Belmont…”
  “Ah yes, the young Belmont. I’ve met her before. She is a very kind person. I helped her with your bat.”
  “Before I meet her, I had these vision of her being shred to pieces…and now, after I decided to take sides with my father, her power has increased. What does this mean?”
  “It could mean you’re not under entire control of your father…just yet. Or the Belmont really does care for you. It’s very strange yet common for her to understand your pain. She isn’t an natural human.”
  “What do you mean?”
  “One of her parents is a servant of your father’s army. He must had disguise himself as a human and had an relationship with a member of the Belmont clan.”
  “WHAT?!!!! Does my father know about this?!!”
  “No. Your father doesn’t know about this, but if he does, we can be sure he will destroy this servant and the young Belmont too.”
  “Do you have any clues on who her father is or her father might be?”
  “I’m sorry. I don’t have anything, young master. But something is very odd. Death, your father’s most favored henchman is acting quite strange. He was looking for you instead of trying to kill you. Perhaps he knows who’s the young Belmont’s father is.”
  “Do you know where I can find him?”
  “Maybe at the mines. It’s the only place I’ll know he be.”
  Three figures started to walk in, Alucard turned around and readied his weapon. Only humans could enter this area, so it could be that Xia girl.
  It wasn’t.
  “Cool your jets man!!” Cother cried out, “we mean no harm!!”
  “Unless you’re going to hurt that old man,” Matt said as he readied his handgun, “unless you’re going to harm that man.”
  “He won’t harm me, friends of the Belmont,” the librarian said as he looked at them, “he is the young master.”
  Richter walked by and stood next to Alucard. The bat was right behind him, squeaking.
  “She still needs rest,” Richter said as he looked at Alucard, “give it a while and she’ll be back on her feet.”
  “We seem to have a problem,” Alucard replied as he turned to Richter, “the young Belmont has a father who is a servant of my father.”
  “Damn. This is bad. You father may try to bring her to the side of darkness or her dark half could be awakening.”
  “But he doesn’t know this. We must find out who her father is before the count does.”
  The trio look back at Richter and Alucard. Matt stepped forward and began to speak up.
  “The young Belmont?” Matt asked.
  “You mean YingGirl,” Cother replied, “does this mean she isn’t human?”
  “My sister is here?” Pumpkin Jr. cried, “I knew she wasn’t dead.”
  I entered the hallway. The bat was right behind me, squeaking happily. I couldn’t go back to sleep.
  “YING!!!” Matt, Cother, and Pumpkin Jr. cried out.
  “Richter,” I asked calmly, “who were Joanne Belmont and Merick?”
  “They were your parents Young Belmont,” Richter sighed as he looked at me.
  “You can call me YingGirl, everyone does.”
  “Now that everyone is here,” Matt cried out, “there’s no way the count will beat us.”
  Everyone agreed. We were a group of unusual people; two mortals, two vampire hunters, a cat from another planet, a half-breed vampire who is somewhat under the count’s control, and a cute bat. This is probably the weirdest team that could possible be created to fight off the count.
  Yet Alucard still have a strange feeling his father was just about to know this little secret that would create a world of chaos.

***

  Xia walked cheerfully towards the count’s throne room. Akiral was right behind her.
  “So Death is a father?” Xia said to herself, “this will cause the master to be in great pain.”
  “But we don’t know is it’s true or not,” Akiral replied as he flew around, “it could be a lie.”
  “Who cares? When the hour strikes midnight, it will be over for those idiots. I’ll tell the count that those Belmonts are at the abandon mines, trying to plot something against him over there. He can go there and slaughter all of them.”
  “How convenient for our enemies do such a thing, gathering all together like a heard of weak sheep.”
  “Exactly.”

***

  We all started to walk in the mines. It wasn’t so bad, except it was very dark and you had to dodge for every five minutes to let a group of bats fly by. This was a perfect breeding ground for bats, but why didn’t the bat familiar get acquainted with the other bats? Every time a bat flew pass him, the bat familiar squeaked and attacked the bat. I’m guessing he’s too found of humans, so he thinks his kind is evil because these bats attack humans.
  But I could be wrong.
  “So this is what it like to be underground,” Cother said as she looked around, “who knows how far we are from the surface? It’s so dark over here.”
  “At least there’s candlelight,” Matt replied as he readied his gun, “or else we could be running around in circles.”
  “What were the mines for?” Pumpkin Jr. asked as he waved his tail.
  Alucard turned around as he looked towards Pumpkin Jr. and the others.
  “This is the feeding grounds of the Cerberus,” Alucard said as he looked back at the gang, “my father would throw mortals in here just to satisfy the beast’s hunger and may watch in delight as this three headed monster rip them to pieces.”
  “What horror…” Cother whispered as she almost dropped her bowie knife.
  “That man is insane to do such a thing!” Matt cried out, “Forcing innocent lives to such torture is barbaric!!!”
  “It’s just like the Count to do such a thing,” Richter replied as he straightens his whip.
  “Exactly,” Alucard replied as he continued to precede foreword, “if we follow this path, we’ll sure have our rendezvous with the archangel of Death.”
  I lowered my head. What if…what if I’m the daughter of this madman? What if Joanne had fallen in love with a form of the count…and she didn’t know it? What if I had a dark half that was slowly taking over my body? What if, any minute now, it starts to awaken? Will I go into such a blood lust that’ll it end up killing all my friends?
  I kept my head down, still thinking of the consequences of who might be my dad.
  Alucard kept an eye on me, feeling worried that he might be forced to kill me.
  The bat squeak again and then started to fly off. We all started to chase after it. It was quite some fun as the bat leads us towards an unknown arena. It then stop flying and continued to squeak.
  We all looked around. It looked like a coliseum, but with three pillars standing side by side. Each pillar has represented a chained girl. Who was that girl being chained?
  Richter and Alucard drew out their weapons. They noticed something was about to happen.
  Six eyes glared at us from the darkness. Then it walked forward, snarling and growling. It looked down at, howling its’ three hideous heads at us.
  “Uh guys…” Matt said as he felt a bit scared, “I think we just met Fluffy.” 

***

  I never forget that day. Perhaps I’m not supposed to. It happened on a sunny afternoon in elementary school. It was a few months in the first year of the second grade. Every class was given a hobby that may maker our place a safer place. Our class was taking care of a sparrow that broke its wing. It was recovering greatly. The teacher asked me to take the bird outside. I was happy to send this small sparrow back to where it belonged…
  Then it happened.  
  “She killed the bird!!!” a student cried out as he pointed towards me, “She killed our bird!!!”
  I looked up while I was sitting next to a tree. I looked down again. It was the small sparrow, lying dead in my hand. I don’t know what happen. It was fine before…why did it die now? I was very careful with it…I never even harmed it. I’m so sorry that I did…
  All the other students came out and looked in horror. The bird that everyone pitched in for aiding it…was dead.
  After that day, everyone started to go away. They were all giving me the cold shoulder. Even friends started to move away from me, yet they were caught by some illness that placed them in a weak state of dying. I told my dad about this, and he just replies with the old saying, “Death is a natural part of life.”
  Although, my mother was delighted. It was she wanted me to keep up what I was doing; ending the lives of other children. Why? What does she know that I don’t?
  I could never get the answers. She was a demon after all, and she died in the flames. What was I? Who was my real father??

***

  “Get out of the way!!!!” Alucard yelled out.
  The beast lunged and charged strait towards us. Everyone managed to move out of the way…except me.
  I kept standing, still thinking. What am I? What powers do I wield to create such a mess? Can someone answer my questions?
  “Yingy!!!” Pumpkin Jr. cried out.
  The three-headed beast approached fasted, it then leaped forward about to swallow me in one bite…
  But it never even got the chance. Everyone watched as the dog was slashed into two pieces. Half of the dog fell on my right side while the other half fell on my left side. But how did a dog of such power just be slashed into two? Everyone started to reform the group right behind me.
  “Young Belmont,” Richter said as he placed his hand on my shoulder, “how did you manage to do this?”
  I raised my head up as I saw a glint of metal catching my eye. I knew that piece of metal anywhere. Could it be the same thing I saw when I was mere infant? It couldn’t be. It just couldn’t be…
  But that word just came out of my mouth…
  “Dad?” I asked as I looked towards the distance.
  ‘What did you say YingGirl?” Alucard asked as looked at me. He was looking more serious than usual
  Then, he stepped forward from the darkness. He was a fairly tall man. He had dirty blond short hair, dazzling violet eyes, and fairly slender skin. He wore a green scarf around his neck while his entire suit was navy blue. He carried a scythe in his right hand and placed the royal robes of a lighter shade of blue. Alucard knew that clock anywhere…it was worn by Death!! The same man that imprisoned him in an ice statue wore it. Not to mention, the scythe he held was a very detail resemblance of the one Death held.
  Yet a mortal was holding these items. Who was this gentleman?
  He was walking towards me, smiling.
  “Vanessa,” he said as he smiled, “you haven’t got hurt by my lord. You have the same features like your mother has.”
  “W-who are you?” I asked as I looked toward him.
  “I am Merick,” he replied, “your true father…but with these weapons I carry, you probably figure out who I really am.”
  “Are you…Death?”
  “Yes.”
  “Then that would mean…”
  “You are a Child of Death. You possess the power of bringing life and also taking it.”
  Richter and Alucard stepped forward. They couldn’t believe what they were hearing!!
  “It can’t be!!” Richter yelled out, “Why would you ever want to mate with a human, especially a Belmont?!!”
  “You mortals experience something known as pleasure,” Merick replied as he looked at Richter, “Do you think I’m delighted when I send hundreds of mortals screaming to Chaos? No. I realized my crude mistakes when I met Joanne. That’s why I had to lie to my lord, telling him that the Belmonts are dead. But he knows now…and I failed being a good father and a faithful servant at the same time.”
  “But it’s not too late…” Alucard replied, “you could start off new by refusing my father.”
  “Refusing the master? I never thought of doing such a thing. Yet I get sicken of being the master’s faithful right hand man at times. Always a complainer…perhaps this should be the time to rebel…”
  Then the pillars lit up with green flames on top of them. Who lit up those pillars with green flames anyway? Laughter began to roar thoughout the arena, as it grew darker. I know that laugh from anywhere!!! Cother, Matt, and Pumpkin Jr. covered their ears to ease the pain. The bat squeaked furiously.
  “It’s…” Merick cried out, “the master!! Get out of here!! If he sees me with mortals…you will all die!!!”
  “You don’t have to tell us twice!!!” Pumpkin Jr. yelled.
  Yet it was too late. The fireballs were unleashed onto the group. Matt, Cother, and Pumpkin Jr. slammed against the sides of the arena while the fireballs burned their flesh.
  “Matt!!!” I cried out as I ran towards them, “Cother!!! Pumpkin Jr.!!! Are you all right?!!”
  “So hot…” Matt muttered out.
  “My body hurts…” Pumpkin Jr. whispered while he slid down from the wall.
  “So powerful…” Cother replied as she collapsed to the ground.
  I couldn’t believe what I saw. They were my only friends…who could have done such a thing? I started to walk towards them. Then…something grabbed me around my waist and my neck. I couldn’t move!! I was paralysed all over since I started to find out who caught me.
  The count was right behind me.
  “So there is something about this Belmont,” the count said as he tighten his grip, “that would explain why you’re not dead yet. Why didn’t I see this sooner?” 
  “Hey!!!” I yelled out as I tried to break free, “Let me go!!! Let me go!!!”

TO BE CONTINUED.