4Back against the wall, Simon let his body slide to the floor, breathing heavily as he caught his breath. He was in a living nightmare. No matter where he went it seemed there were monsters everywhere, relentlessly getting in his way. It seemed like days had passed since he crossed the threshold into Dracula's Castle, and yet the ever present moon told him otherwise. The sun had yet to rise… It was still the same night as he had come.
"I need a break. A lot of good it'll do if I drop dead from battle fatigue before I even reach Dracula," he muttered to himself.
Once his breath had evened out, he got back to his feet, his hand reaching for the whip hanging at his side. In his haste to get away from all the monsters, he had rushed into the first room he found, not bothering to check and see if the room was even safe.
The room was circular in shape with stained glass windows, offset by statues of angels adorning the walls. Much like the rest of the castle, the room was covered with cracks and dried blood stains; a sign of previous battles or a previous meal. There was no way to tell the difference in a castle filled with vampires. Either way, there were no monsters to be seen.
Then he noticed the room's sole furnishing. Standing in the middle of the room was a massive stone sarcophagus.
The sarcophagus stood on a low pedestal shaped like a star. At the base of it were four dragon statues with glowing red eyes; the symbol of Dracula himself, and along the sides were the figures of four weeping women, each looking identical with long dark hair and brown eyes filled with tears.
"Can it be?" he wondered aloud. "Is this the tomb of Dracula?"
It was clear to see that a lot of work and care had gone into crafting it. Surely such a burial had to have been made for someone important. It made sense for the lord of the castle to have such an elaborate resting place. Yet, for some reason, he got the feeling that wasn't the case.
Reluctantly he approached the sarcophagus, climbing up onto the pedestal to get a better look at the lid. What he found left him confused. Written on the lid of the sarcophagus was a name, but it wasn't Dracula.
"Alucard?"
It didn't make sense. Who was this Alucard and why did he have a sarcophagus with the symbol of Dracula carved into it? Was he a high ranking vampire in Dracula's ranks?
He was still racking his brain, trying to understand the significance of the tomb, when he felt the lid begin to move beneath his hands.
Letting out a startled yelp, Simon leapt back. He cursed himself for becoming so taken in by the sarcophagus. This was Dracula's Castle, he reminded himself. He was going to get himself killed if he stopped to ponder every grave he stumbled upon.
With his whip out, ready to defend himself, Simon watched as the lid was pushed aside. After a moment, a figure arose from inside. His eyes widened in awe as he took in the sight. Standing before him was a man, tall and broad-shouldered with long white hair and glowing yellow eyes. There was no doubt about it … He was a vampire.
Climbing out of his sarcophagus, the white-haired vampire started towards him, staggering as if he was drunk.
"Get back!" Simon exclaimed, retreating a step back.
Much to Simon's surprise, this seemed to startle the vampire. He stopped abruptly in his tracks, raising his hands up in surrender.
"Forgive me if I startled you, but you seem familiar to me. Do I know you?" the vampire spoke, his fangs briefly peeking out from behind his pale lips.
Simon gave him a good look-over. He had to admit that there was something vaguely familiar about the white-haired vampire, but he couldn't put his finger on why or how.
"I doubt that. You wouldn't be walking this earth if we had met before."
"Have I done something to make you hate me?" the vampire asked. "If I have, I am deeply sorry."
"Your existence alone is enough to make me hate you, vampire!"
The vampire cokes his head to the side, giving Simon a questioning look, "Vampire? Is that who I am?"
Now it was Simon's turn to be confused. Was this vampire trying to mess with him? Was he trying to convince him that he was completely clueless? If he was, it was starting to work.
"You can't be serious… You mean to tell me that you don't even know what you are?"
The vampire shook his head. "All I know is that I just woke up inside a coffin," he explained. "I can't remember anything before… I had hoped that you knew who I was, seeing as you were there when I awoke."
Simon could see honesty in the creature's eyes. His golden orbs were filled with nothing but sorrow and confusion. He hadn't thought it possible, but he actually felt sorry for a vampire.
This man had clearly just been turned. Simon didn't know much about vampirism, but he knew enough to spot a newborn one. The man seemed weak, stumbling about, gripping the side of the sarcophagus for support as if he would collapse at any moment.
It made him wonder… Was this how all vampires awoke; Sad and unable to remember who they were before?
He shook his head. That couldn't be the case. He had heard tales of vampires coming back for those who had wronged them in their previous lives to have their revenge.
No, he got the feeling that this was a special case. This man looked like a vampire but he didn't really act like one. He could have lunged at him and ripped his throat apart by now, but he hadn't. He either wasn't thirsty or possessed a great deal of self restraint, especially for one who just awoke.
"I'm afraid I do not. I stumbled upon this room by accident, but judging from the name inscribed on the sarcophagus, I'd have to guess that your name is Alucard."
The white-haired vampire turned back to face the sarcophagus. Slowly he approached the lid, crouching down and running his clawed fingers over the name.
"Alucard… The name doesn't sound familiar, but I suppose it could have been my name."
After a few moments, the vampire, Alucard, stood again and began to gaze around the room.
"I feel like I've been here before… I-I think this was the room in which I died…"
Simon had figured as much. Though he was still puzzling over the significance of the sarcophagus and its significance. If this man had been killed and turned by Dracula, it seemed unlikely that Dracula would place him in such an elaborate tomb without reasoning. Could it be that this man was somehow special to the Vampire Lord?
"Does the name Dracula ring any bells?"
At the sound of the name, Alucard's stopped dead in his tracks. His shoulders tensed and his fists clenched as he slowly turned back to face Simon. The dark look on his face said it all.
"I don't know why… But when you said that name, I felt a rush of overwhelming anger flow inside of me," he said. "I do not know how I know him, only that I want to kill him."
"Well then, sounds like we have a shared goal. I too have come to Dracula's Castle in hopes of killing him. Perhaps if we team up, we might have a better chance of doing so."
Simon wasn't sure if the idea was wise. Joining forces with a vampire wasn't exactly something he would ordinarily do. He couldn't explain it, but he felt this connection to Alucard; as if they were meant to find each other. It was as if they knew each other somehow… As if they had always known each other.
Alucard nodded his head in agreement, extending a hand to him. "Might I know the name of the man I am to be fighting alongside of?"
Reluctantly Simon took the hand offered and shook it, being careful to not be scratched by the claws. "My name is Simon Belmont."
"It's a pleasure to meet you, Simon Belmont," Alucard smiled. "I hope I can be of some help to you."
Through the windows, Simon could see that the night was starting to lift. For the moment, that was good. It would give them a bit of time to prepare. He could get some much needed rest, and Alucard … He doubted that the vampire needed rest … No, he assumed that what the vampire needed to recover its strength was to feed. The thought made him tense. He hadn't thought of how or who his accomplice would be getting his food from.
"Don't worry, I won't drink from you." Alucard assured him as if he had just read his thoughts. "You can rest here and I'll stand guard outside the door to make sure nothing disturbs you."
Simon let out a sigh of relief. Ordinarily he would have been more on guard, especially around a vampire, but for some reason he believed Alucard when he said he would keep him safe. He trusted him to guard him. It was truly bizarre, but he was much too tired to try and fight it.
"I'd appreciate that."
With a final nod of the head, Alucard staggered out of the room, closing the door behind him.
A part of Simon worried that his new friend would be too weak to take on any monsters that came his way, but he quickly shook such concerns away. Alucard was a vampire. He'd be fine. He needed to focus on himself for now.
Casting another glance around the room, he searched for a place to lay down. He briefly debated over trying the sarcophagus, but ruled that out soon after. There was no way he was going to sleep in the bed of the undead. Instead, he settled for a relatively clean spot on the floor in front of one of the many windows.
Laying down, he did his best to get comfortable, using part of his fur pelt to cushion his head. Secure in the knowledge that Alucard was standing guard outside and the sunlight that would surely wash over him while he slept would offer him more than enough protection, he closed his eyes and allowed himself to relax. He was gone within minutes.
Alucard collapsed almost as soon as the door was closed. He needed to feed. He knew nothing else. There was blood everywhere, slowly closing in on him and threatening to overwhelm him. He had done his best to hide it from the red-haired man, but the truth was that he had been sorely tempted to drain him dry.
He didn't know who he was, but still he hated himself, or rather the vampire that he had become. Somehow he knew deep down that he hadn't always been this way. He had to have been human before, meaning that someone had made him this way… Someone had turned him, selfishly stealing him from the life he knew before, and judging by the hatred that bubbled inside of him at the mention of this Dracula, he suspected that he was the culprit.
If only he could remember who he was. Did he have a family somewhere outside of this castle? Were they missing him? Did they think him dead? That, he couldn't answer.
Then there was the issue of his name. Alucard… Was that really his name? It didn't fit as he felt it should. There were several names that sounded familiar, but Alucard was not one of them.
Simon Belmont, on the other hand, was a name that sounded so familiar to him. In fact, everything about him was familiar, yet he couldn't place why that was. He had this unexplainable desire to protect Simon from all those who would wish harm on him. Which is exactly why he fled from the room when he did…
Alucard knew that he was going to have to get his strength back if he was to be of any use, and the only way to do that was to sate his thirst. He was determined not to hurt his new friend, or any other human beings for that matter, but that didn't leave him with a lot of food sources.
That was when the beasts started to come. Dozens of dwarven hunchbacks came out of nowhere, running at him with wooden shields and pitchforks. They came to an abrupt halt in front of him, scratching their heads and mumbling something amongst themselves before continuing on with their attacks.
He struggled at first, unarmed and weak with thirst, but then he came across a strange cross-shaped weapon lying around in the hall. Without hesitation, he snatched it up and used it to fight off the hunchbacks.
Something deep inside him seemed to come into place. He felt somehow more whole than he had before. Like the weapon was an integral part of him that he had been missing for so long. From that moment on, he fought with ease. His body moved instinctively, as if it knew what it was doing on it's own. Before long, there was a pile of fallen hunchbacks at his feet.
"Who was I in my previous life?" he asked himself, staring down at the weapon in his hands. "Was I like Simon; a warrior who came to try and defeat Dracula?"
If he was, he had clearly failed. The nagging ache in his throat reminded him of such, but it also brought an idea to mind.
Crouching down before the pile of hunchbacks, he observed them for a moment, noticing blood dripping from the open wounds across their body. Their blood didn't exactly smell the most appealing to him, but it was there and so he scooped up one of the dead hunchbacks and sunk his teeth into its wrinkled flesh, draining the tiny body dry.
He did the same with four more hunchbacks, throwing them off to the side as he finished them off. Once he had his fill, he pulled back, wiping the excess blood dripping from his mouth with the back of his arm.
"Well, at least it did the trick."
Just like its smell, its taste left some to be desired, but the constant ache in his throat had lessened to a point where it was barely noticeable. Not only that, but he felt a bit stronger from it as well. He smiled. At least he knew that he had an effective substitute. He wouldn't have to worry about attacking Simon.
True to his word, he remained outside the door, listening to the slow but steady heartbeat of the man on the other side. Hours passed and though a few more hunchbacks did wander his way, his watch was uneventful for the most part.
Eventually, he heard Simon begin to stir, signalling that he was finished sleeping. He waited patiently outside the door, unable to re-enter the room on account of the open ceiling, until the door finally opened and the red-headed warrior emerged, yawning and rubbing the sleep from his eyes.
"Did you sleep well?" he asked.
"As well as you can expect when you're lying on a hard floor," Simon said with a shrug.
It was then that Simon noticed the pile of hunchback corpses scattered about, eyeing them curiously.
"I take it you managed to find some food for yourself," he stated, glancing back over at Alucard. "I'd say it helped. You seem to be in a much better state than when you first woke."
Alucard nodded. "I also managed to find a weapon for myself," he held it up for Simon to see.
"It's a battle cross!" Simon's eyes went wide. "May I have a look at it?"
Alucard handed it over a bit reluctantly, feeling a bit bare without his new-found weapon.
Simon examined the battle cross quite thoroughly as if searching for something. Whatever it was, he obviously didn't find it judging from the frown that surfaced on his face.
"Is something wrong with it?"
"No, nothing like that," Simon insisted, handing it back to Alucard. "I thought it might have been my father's old battle cross, but I was mistaken."
Alucard raised a brow. "Your father had a weapon like this? What did you call it? A battle cross?"
"Yeah, apparently it's still here in the castle. I hope to find it before I face the Dark Lord."
"Well, I'll do my best to help you in that regard," Alucard promised. "I seem to remember the basic layout of the castle from before. I might have seen it somewhere and just passed by."
"That would be much appreciated, seeing as my previous guide just up and vanished on me," Simon muttered bitterly. Clearly there was some bad blood between him and his so-called previous guide. "Anyway, we should get going. I've already slept for a good part of the day and the other night creatures will no doubt be out again when night falls."
Both in agreement with the idea, they started off into the castle's winding halls.
