Merek Dracul's Story

The Austrian fencer sat alone at the large table. His elbows braced against the surface, holding up his aged forehead. Merek had woken with a start and cold sweat drenching his white hair. After venturing to the balcony for air he descended into the Room of Reason - lost in thought.

Casren quickly strode into the room, flinging his cellphone across the table. The screen shattered on impact: Casren had forgotten the damned table was stone, and that the damned phone was fragile. Of course, ten guards took the perimeter like always.

"Merek!" Casren exclaimed, having had followed the scent trail to this Dracul. "I've things to discuss with you, regarding Alucard."

Merek slowly lifted his head from its perch and looked at Casren. His face was paler than usual, and his eyes were fatigued and bloodshot. He released a drawn out sigh.

"Ja Herr Kazren..." he said in his characteristic German accent. "As do I... Last afternoon I had a dream - a fision."

"You don't say?" Casren was fully intrigued, flopping into a chair with a scowl at his phone.

"I've sounded the alarm, alerted the necessary authorities: Alucard should be found sooner than later, and placed under proper care until he can learn to control himself," at least, Casren hoped. He sighed, twice, the feeling wonderful. "Tell me about your vision."

Merek smirked. "Perhaps zat vill vork... if he vants to regain kontrol..." he clenched his gloved fist. "I vas standing at zee bank of a river - a river of blood and fire. Bezide me vas zee Greatvader, Alukard, in his uzual red get-up. He looked at me and gave hiz karacteriztik sneer. Alukard zen stepped into zee river..."

"A fiery river of blood," Casren thought for many minutes, in silence.

"Could you be thinking of literal hell?" He inquired. It was ridiculous enough to be true.

"Perhaps..." he pondered for a moment. "After a moment, he emerged from zee ozer side of zee river. Alukard vas dressed in zee garb of a varrior - a zuit of plate armor and cape - in reminiscence of his days in zee Crusades. In his hand vas a runeblade zat dripped vit blood. His ozer hand held a red banner. At his heelz came a host of monsterouz kreaturez from zee river. Zeir fangs ver like knifez an' zey valked like large mutated hounds. Zeir pale vite faces had no eyes, yet zey glared at me vit pure bloodlust and malice. Zee Greatvader looked at me from akross zee river vit a zmall zmile before stretching out his hand - beckoning me to kross vit him."

"Hmm..." Again, Casren was lost deep in thought.

"This could mean many things. It could mean he has officially returned, it could be a very literal vision of what may be soon to come. It could all be symbolic!" He looked to Merek, "The few things that reign true are..Well, you are in this vision. Alucard addresses you. He is dangerous."

Pushing the phone off the table and onto the floor, Casren killed the electronic device. Next time, he wanted one with real buttons. None of this touchy glass nonsense that didn't detect his frigid fingers. There was more silence, until finally the old vampire found the right words.

"Tell me Merek," He asked on a whim, keeping a light hearted tone, "If ever Alucard were to return and rise, evil on his heels and in his hand, would you stand with him despite the destruction?" Casren now looked deep into Merek's eyes, probing for the truth.

"Alucard has amassed many people that want nothing more than to see him safe in a cell until he sobers up, myself included. I ask because when the time comes, if the time comes, I must know what I am up against in coming between the destruction set by Alucard..." He almost laughed, "The rest of Terra."

"Zer vas one more sing..." he continued. "I remember numerous - hundreds - of pikes lined across zee river. Upon each pike vas impaled a soul in zee fachion of zee var against zee Turks - one for every year of his imprizonment. He said one sing to me... 'Baptized in zee Plegethon, zee Blood King haz rizen. Born in blood, a new breed emergez. So beginz zee reign of Lord Vladimar Dracul.'"

"I... am unzure..." Merek confessed. "He eez my vader. He vill have his reasons. Az for right now... Vee do not know his motives exactly. I zink zee best sing to do is to hunker down and vait out zee storm, because I doubt zer is a single army in zis vorld zat can stop him... You chould know zis."

"Wait out the storm indeed," Casren knew Merek could only say that much. He was loyal to his sire, that much was certain, but he also seemed loyal to the world.

"I respect any information or developments you uncover on Alucard will be shared with I, as I will share all information I acquire or find with you," Casren extended a hand to shake. "Alucard is troubled, I trust it will all...blow over."

Merek sighed and took Casren's hand. "Ja... Vee vill vait and see. Hovever, I except zer to be blood spilled before it is over."

Vankoryth Détente

A faction of vampyric creatures who reign over the Cursed Wood. "Expect from thy blood no more than thy blood expects from thee."

A single note magically appeared and landed on the center table. It read...





...the note was signed by Zosimos, and was intentionally addressed to all.

The Forces Vankoryth poured in through the front doors as Descorp evacuated the planet completely. With what technology was left, the whole entire structure was seized by it's occupants.

"Setcher p'sitions!" Ulrich's harsh voice climbed the walls. From his pocket he pulled a piece of technology. Quickly, he found the single red button that would detonate the emergency message.

"Make sure them royals'r safe," He commented to a soldier at his side. Silently, Ulrich thumbed the button. The message was sent out. He turned for the stairs, barking.

"Detahnt!" Ulrich shouted, "Bad news n'such!" Soldiers hustled around.

Vladimar glared furiously at Paragon. His eyes resonated with a deep aura of blood red. "Then your blood shall open the gate of my passage..." he growled. The vampire king vanished in a blur and reappeared at the other end of the roof. He lifted the large runeblade in both hands and gripped it in a battle stance. "Much has happened since last we met, Paragon. To underestimate me can be fatal... Only a man can hope to destroy me. So tell me, demon. Are you a man, monster, or dog?!"

The Blood King looked upward as the floating warship further darkened the sky. He attempted to reach out to the body and mind of Arden Maximoff. Vladimar channeled his rage and the demonic energy that flowed through him, attempting to boil the precious life blood within the man. Black cystic pustules would form across his body before exploding with highly contagious and deadly plague onto the other crew members.

As the battle intensified below, the victims captured by the tendrils were lifted high above the city. They carried them over the army and up to the central skyscraper where the Blood King stood. Other tendrils lifted large pikes, formed from broken street lights and poles, and thrust them into the roof. Finally, the tendril-spears attempted to impale the prisoners on the pikes. In ancient days, they would have been set on top of the pikes to die a slow painful death as they were slowly impaled through their nether regions. However, they were in the midst of battle. Every second counted.

The blood flowed from the impaled dying victims towards the center of the roof.

When the helicopters and Aschen fighters soared through the air, the writhing mass of chaotic boiling blood and undead reacted. Pillars and tendrils shot into the air in an attempt to smash or disorient the helicopters. A musket shot snapped from somewhere in the flood and a blue streak of light zigged, zagged, and darted over the battle. It charged at the choppers with murderous intent as it attempted to pierce its hull. The object would circle back around again and again until the vehicle dropped from the sky. Then it moved on to the next one until they all fell into a crumbled heap.


The undead continued to swarm even as the Invictus landed on the battlefield. Though the retaliation against Vladimar's legion intensified, their numbers continued to swell. It was an endless flood that churned them out by the hundreds. However, a single cloaked figure strode amidst the living chaos. He was like a stagnant stone against the raging river. Vladimar's familiars charged passed him, ignorant or indifferent to his presence.

"His name vas once Alucard." he said as he approached Arya. "A vampire. Zee ultimate vampire - arguably zee first and most powerful of all our kind. Take note of zee banners of Wallachia and zee fachion of how zee blood sacrifices are impaled at his feet. You battle one of the fiercest, cruelest, and powerful men in all of human history. Alucard was a monster created to destroy monsters, but now he has been severed from both master and purpose... So now he has cast away the identity and created himself anew."

"He cannot be killed or defeated." the strange figure continued. "This hordes are an extension of himself. They are a part of him as he is a part of them, and what you see here today is only a fraction of the forces within the Blood King's fortress. The harder you fight back, the more people will die - and that will only strengthen him..."

From silence, with no signature on detection radar or sonar. As if it wasn't even there, the great red warship, The Huntress, pulled from the shadows of nothing, it's green eyes gleaming, and it's jaw parted in what could only be assuaged as a grin of fiendish intent. Battle was to be joined, and the predator of a thousand stars was eager for it.

"the party started without me, awww...." Melanie storm muttered in the blackness of the ship. "well, I'm here now.. Time to have a good time."

And with that, the ship roared forward to the front lines, it's forward gauss guns bombarding ship after ship, with no distinction for faction. It would tear through shields and armor as though they were little more than tin foil. It's terrorsome visage would be the last thing many a crewman would see.

The dragon's head would open it's jaws and scream, the air would fill with the sound of a hawks hunting call, followed by a very hyper voiced Storm "IS THAT THE BEST YOU GOT!"

-"So tell me, demon. Are you a man, monster, or dog?!"-

"All this and more, beast," Paragon turned, glowering at the Blood King, his dark cloak fluttering in the smoggy breeze, "and in the name of every blameless mortal killed by your hand long before their time... for every innocent soul unjustly claimed by your insatiable hunger... I will stop you."

With these words, Paragon reached into his cloak, unveiling a magnificent blade, every bit as bright as Vladimar's was dark. It glowed with the soft, celestial ambiance of the full moon, a bright and shining star amid the hellish epicenter of the Blood King's horror.

"The Night demands justice, Vladimar," he stepped forward, blade brandished, his words writhing into the vampire's ears like serpentine whispers, "so come to it. Come and face the Dark."

---

Back on the ground, an NPA Sergeant overheard the mysterious stranger's words with Arya.

"Well what the hell are we supposed to do then?!" he growled, "STOP fighting it?!"

Still, there was no arguing that the ensuing conflict was only making Vladimar stronger. With every man killed, the chaotic blood wave pulsed higher, groaning against the psionic boundary of the Svalinn with wretched yearning. It was the Svalinn, the TNG-sanctioned energy shield constructed from the wills and minds of mortal Terran heroes, that kept the full power of the Blood King's "level zero" attack at bay, allowing the hordes of hell to be released only in small waves, rather than the tidal frenzy that it ought to be. If that shield failed, there would be very little hope left for the city.

Luckily, with the arrival of Invictus, Aschen and Varden support as well as the continued efforts of many brave and valiant heroes, the defensive line formed against Vladimar's horde was solidifying. Shaky still, but far better than it was. Despite this, the situation remained dire. Every drop of blood spilled only increased the power and energy of the invaders. If the defenders were to have any hope of winning the day, they needed to cut off Vladimar's "food supply".

"Admiral Whitcomb, Warden-Admiral Apis, do you copy? the Sergeant commed into the two ships high above the city, "I need IMMEDIATE evacs of all civilians in the area. If those floatin' hunks of metal have direct ship-surface beam transport abilities, that'd be fuckin' dandy." He tapped at a holo-screen on his arm. "I'm uploading the coordinates of the seven most populated buildings in the vicinity. Get them out, get them safe."

Meanwhile, another NPA Enforcer, hunkered behind a chunk of thrown-up concrete, was making a separate call to Fort Veritas. "Veram actual, do you copy? This is Strike Four, requesting immediate requisition of Tetris operatives and Sixth Legion to contact point. Air support is needed. Requesting a bombing run from V-88 prototypes along designated coordinates..."

The forces of order continued to make their stand against the tides of chaos, fighting them with their weapons, machines, fists, powers and honest human courage.

Istzyr was perplexed at the angelic assassins offer only to chuckle and stop for a moment to consider what was all going on. The act of war was upon every mind in this entire city and yet here stood someone who also was here to help the fleeing and the damned. "Well I suppose that will work out just fine for now." Istzyr then smiled revealing his white fangs a bit while waving on those who were still running.

It was up upon the golden galleon that everything and just about anything could go wrong as Arden took a step forward only to suddenly fall to his knees as he felt the presence of his target breaching his mind like it was nothing but a stroll in the park and it was through sheer will power alone that Arden dismissed the conjured water elemental with only a moments notice. With every moment that seemed to pass pain began to flood the sorcerer's senses and the screams of his crew members did nothing for his moral other than send him into yet another fit of emotions. "You think you can decimate Arden Maximoff!" His voice seemed to echo throughout the city as he raised his cane high into the air allowing the energies he controlled to flow through him to sever the connection and in hopes stagger his opponent.

In the mean time as ships were getting hit on both sides the golden galleon began to turn tail for the crew that remained protected had only one thing on their mind and that was to survive and fight for another day.

"Things have certainly changed, and like always this planet is going to shit," Zosimos indulged in the blood powder, too much to taste any good. Daemala's mouth dropped open at his words. He waved a hand and forgave her manners. It was true. There were too many military presences for anyone to be entirely relevant. Stocks were down, though war seemed to be up. Ridgecrest City was aflame, and Casren was nowhere to be found.

Which left Daemala in charge, which was certainly no good for their coffers. Ulrich Paternosta and Riesel Dracul slipped in with a child, who was upon closer inspection not a child at all. Zosimos sniffed the air. Who was that? That smell was familiar...

"We are hosting a ball," Daemala said firmly, glaring a hole into Zosimos, who pretended not to notice. She pulled a bundle of millennial pink envelopes from a fold in her dress and threw them on the table. There was enough for everyone in the Detente, and the pile seemed to grow by the second.

Akio was sitting at the table, with his feet raised. If one were to ask why he was sitting there, he might say "Because it seemed fun" or "Because it looked interesting". Of course, whether it was the truth or not was all dependent. After all, Akio had a habit of being cryptic. His own name was technically an alias, but he never used his original name anymore so it became his official name. The vampire who appeared as a ten year old was typically hard to read, because sometimes he would act childish, and other times he would formulate advanced plans and stratagies.

He was a bit all over the place.

As he took one of the pink letters, he grumbled a little. "Pink? I mean, I know black would be cliché and all, so would red, but what about green? Or teal? Or purple with orange pokadots? Now that would be fun! Hehe".

Akio randomly mentioned some things as he held up the envelop. He considered the possibility of just changing the color himself with an otherwise useless color changing spell he picked up, but that might seem poor in taste.

Akio was completely disinterested in the wars, or the planet, so he did not bring them up. As someone who lost his home village, was kidnapped and turned into a vampire, and then lost the next place he had stayed at, Akio was not particularly attached to one place anymore. Although he did prefer places such as where he was now would remain, Akio could easily get over such a loss. However, one did not need to worry much about him, because he rather enjoyed the company.

Even if he was an oddball.

A crunching sound came from the back of the room. It went on and off, pausing for a few seconds at a time and then resuming. Each time there was silence, a sense of hope was felt in the air, only to turn to annoyance when the sound came back. This went on for a new minutes, until a small sigh led to a pause.

“Really, Derry? Now, of all times?”

A handful of finger bones were put back in their pouch. The fellow eating them clacked his teeth to get the splinters out, looking faintly apologetic. The tone of his voice implied that he had explained the reason for his actions multiple times in short period of time, however, and that he was beginning to do it on reflex.

“Ate all the soft bits on the way over, boss. Got no time as of late for digging, seeing to your travels.”

A nod of acknowledgement. Without the sleeplessness of the ghoul, there likely would have been a lot more sun-related difficulties. How he managed to set up multiple train-rides to be night-only, he’d never really know. Getting the coffin booked as carry-on was something he’d hold over him for years. Still, a retort was required.

“Could you not have some of this lovely blood? I know you prefer it...brown, but it’s quite good, I can assure you.”

“Got my own drink, boss. Figure now you should focus on the...what is this, some type of meeting?”

Now it was his turn to look exasperated. The vampire watched his friend produce a musty bottle of something that smelled like ash, rubbing his temples.

“The Detente, Derry. I’ve explained this multiple times. You were the one who urged me to do this, godammit.”

“Boss, you’re getting a touch of rigour being cooped up in that crypt. If anything, this is getting you a free lunch. One that ain’t on me.”

“You know damn well why I’m in that crypt, you colossal ass.”

“Yeah. And now where are you now?”

“...Not in the crypt.”

There was the sound of very smug ghoul patting a very annoyed vampire on the shoulder, followed by the familiar sound of chewed bone.

“Eat yer blood, boss. Have some fun.”