Lilly grumbled in irritation as the horde of the undead crowded around her. "Uh, Vlad? A little help here?"
The father of all vampires put himself in front of Lilly. "I command you all to stop!" he shouted. All the vampires stopped walking and stood still. Vlad smiled brightly with a nod. "Please do not drain our guest, my comrades. It will be your undoing."
"You brought a werewolf into your home?!" someone shouted.
"Yes, and we are to show her and Dr. Van Helsing our best hospitality," Vlad explained casually.
People gasped as they gawked at both Lilly and Abraham, and it was followed by an uproar of angry screams and curses. Lilly sighed with a shake of her head. "I could just make 'em all shut up," she said.
"You could, but do not worry. I have this under control," said Vlad. He shifted into one of his forms of a bat like monster man with wings. "Enough!" he shouted. "You disrespect me in my own castle?! Do you forget who I am?!" he growled loudly as he approached the crowd who died down. "I am Vlad Dracula, the first Nosferatu! You will remember your place!"
"Our place is above you!" some man yelled. "You have become weak, Vlad!"
Vlad chuckled as he crossed his arms. "Ah, Wadim. Do you wish to challenge me?"
"I do, and I have all of the Nosferatu Dragons with me!" Wadim spat as he approached Vlad with others behind him.
"That is convenient," Vlad observed coolly as he changed back into his regular form. "Let us rejoin in the trial chambers and battle there. I would hate to get my ballroom floor dirty."
"Very well," Wadim said.
Everyone started leaving the ballroom to follow Vlad down his long, dark halls. People were talking amongst themselves, mostly about Lilly and Abraham being there. People kept trying to catch a whiff of Lilly and she'd deter them with a shout or a punch to the face. Eventually they all got to a giant, dark chamber that looked more like a large auditorium than anything else. Vlad and Wadim faced each other as everyone else surrounded them in a big circle.
"Mina, my sweet, we could use some light in here," Vlad pointed out. "Humans do not see as well as we do."
Mina nodded and held out her hand, blowing yellow and golden smoke from her mouth into her hand. Lilly's jaw dropped when she saw this, watching with intense curiosity as Mina enclosed the bright smoke in her hand, then she tossed it up and light flashed as it hit the ceiling.
"Wooow..." Lilly laughed as she stared at the glistening lights floating above them. "They're like stars made out of gold."
Mina grinned as the room became completely illuminated. "You like that, huh?"
"Yeah!" Lilly exclaimed with a happy smile. "How did you do that?"
"That's a long story, but perhaps when the fight is done and the ball can resume, I will tell it to you, if you wish."
Lilly smirked. "Absolutely."
"Who will you have as your second spear, Wadim?" Vlad asked.
"Fane!" Wadim shouted. "Step forward."
The crowd parted and a very tall and bulky looking man came walking up. Lilly arched a brow as he towered over her, obviously trying to intimidate her with his size.
"Would ya get a load of this feckin' maggot..." Rose said in accusatory disgust. "He must be so angry over the inadequate size of his cock."
Lilly snorted and covered her mouth while laughing. Vlad looked over with a chuckle, then looked back at Wadim. "And who will be your second spear?" Wadim asked.
Vlad hummed before looking at Lilly. "M'lady, would you like to be my second spear?" he inquired with a smirk.
"That depends," Lilly replied. "What does the job entail?"
"You fight Fane whilst I fight Wadim in a two team battle match. We battle with spears. Winning requires the opponent's death, a yield, or being pushed or thrown out of the circle."
"I don't actually have a spear," Lilly said with a frown.
Vlad pointed at one end of the room and Lilly glanced to see a bunch of different types of spears lining the wall vertically. She went running through the crowd to inspect all the spears, slowly going along the line as she examined each one briefly. There was a black scythe that sort of got Lilly's attention but then she decided against using it. Just when she thought about saying no, a red and yellow colored spear with red and yellow feathers attached at the bottom of the spear head caught her eye. She grasped her palm around the shaft and lifted it off the weapon shelf before tossing it to her other hand with a grin.
"This'll do," she said before walking back to the center of the room. "Yes, Mr. Dracula. I will be your second spear."
"Thank you."
With a nod, Lilly watched the three men go and grab spears for themselves. She stuck the spear into the ground and looked at Mina. "Mina, um...would ya mind helpin' a lass outta her dress? I canna fight in this thing."
Mina giggled and nodded before walking over. As she got behind Lilly, Mina started undoing the laces in the back. "Are you about to fight naked?" Mina asked her.
"No, I have my armor underneath my dress."
"Oh. Must be snug in there."
"Not really," Lilly said with a shake of her head.
When Mina undid the straps, she helped Lilly out of the dress and the Irish woman lifted her arms up as Dracul's wife lifted the dress off. What Lilly was wearing underneath was a red and black colored ankle length loin cloth, a black and red strapless leather corset with a red wolf face on the back, and wrapped around Lilly's waist and thighs were knives made of silver. People awed and pointed, some commenting on the scars on her back. Lilly untied and kicked her blue high heeled boots off, then groaned in satisfaction.
"I hate wearin' those god damn things, but boy," she chuckled as she started undoing the clips in her hair. "It does feel good tah take 'em off. It's almost worth the pain."
Some people in the crowd chuckled, most specifically the women as Mina gathered up Lilly's shoes and dress before taking them with her. The Irish warrior expressed gratitude to Mina's graciousness. As the three men came back into the circle with their chosen spears, they all eye-balled Lilly.
"This is your armor?" Fane asked quizzically.
"Well, yes," she said. "I am Irish, after all."
"You are ugly and littered with scars," Wadim said. "A woman has no place on the battlefield except as a whore!"
"Please let me consume him," Rose pleaded. "The amount of disrespect shown tah ya on a daily feckin' basis enrages me!"
Lilly rolled her eyes. "If yer gonna try tah offend me, Mr. Wadim, at least come up with somethin' I ain't never heard before. Now let's get this shite goin', I wantah get drunk off me arse tonight."
The four people took position in the circle with their spears up. Lilly faced Fane while Vlad faced Wadim. Everyone else backed away as a circle was formed by Mina's yellow magic. Immediately, Vlad and Wadim started fighting. Fane charged at Lilly and she blocked his blow with her spear shaft, then she jumped back as he charged again, barely missing her stomach getting stabbed. As Fane brought the spear over his head and was about to slam it down on her, Lilly held her spear up horizontally to block the hit. The vampire tried to stick her with his spear but Lilly twisted around and swung her weapon, knocking Fane in the back. It sent him sailing across the ground but he didn't pass the circle.
"Go for the heart, Lilly!" Abraham shouted.
"I know!" Lilly barked back as she ran to attack Fane.
She leaped into the air and came thundering down with the spear head pointed at Fane's chest. He got out of the way just in time before the female warrior could stab him, her weapon embedding itself into the floor when she landed. Fane quickly got up while Lilly yanked the spear out and held it in her hands, crouching slightly as she glared at Fane with her weapon aimed.
"Come on, big boy. Show me what ya really got," she taunted.
Wadim and Vlad were still fighting their own match, and they were graceful yet dangerous with their spears. Lilly would have stopped to admire their skills had she not been fighting someone else. Metal clashed against metal and it echoed throughout the room, along with grunts and shouts coming from the four combatants. Blood and sweat spilled on the ground as they all wounded each other with cuts and slices from their sharp weapons.
Much like a dance of death, it all was, while Lilly continued fighting as Dracul's second. The minutes dragged on and soon the people were getting a little bored that none of the warriors managed to fatally wound their enemies.
"Stop playin' with yer food, Lilly!" Rose whined.
"Shut up!" Lilly screamed in her head. "I canna concentrate when yer babblin' on with commentary!"
Fane managed to stab Lilly in the thigh and she growled as she went to one knee. With a deep, victorious chuckle, Fane grabbed her by the neck and lifted her up.
"Now you die, you pathetic werewolf!" Fane snarled before sinking his teeth into the side of her neck.
Lilly growled loudly as his teeth pierced flesh and she grabbed his hair before punching his face over and over. As he drank, Lilly felt herself growing weaker but she continued to fight.
Suddenly he dropped her and coughed, falling to his knees and clutching his stomach. Blood spilled from his mouth as he wretched across the floor and Lilly crawled back a little while grasping her neck.
"Filthy feckin' blood sucker!" she screeched at Fane.
Vlad and Wadim had stopped their match to watch what was transpiring between the other two fighters. Fane collapsed on the floor as more blood spewed from his lips. Lilly quickly got up and sighed.
"Seriously, what the fuck?" she asked while looking at everyone. "Anybody got a clue as tah what's happenin'?" Fane's body suddenly started turning to mush and liquid, making Lilly take a few steps back. "Oh my..."
Soon there was nothing left of Fane but a bloody puddle and Lilly gulped with wide eyes. She gaped at everyone who all had the same look on their faces.
"How did you do that?" Abraham asked in shock.
"I dunna know!" Lilly shouted. "That's never happened before!"
Vlad, Wadim, Abraham, Jack, Arthur and Quincey came walking over to inspect the mess. "Jesus Christ!" Quincey yelled as he stared at the bubbling goo.
"Hmm," Van Helsing said. "It would seem your blood is poison."
"Erm, to everybody or just vampires?" Lilly asked.
Abraham looked at her with a curious brow, then he went over to her, took out a knife and cut her finger. Lilly hissed and pulled her hand away but Abraham brushed his finger across the blood and smelled it before tasting it. He wiggled his tongue around in his mouth as Lilly gawked at him. After smacking his lips, he shrugged and looked at her.
"Your blood is sweet, like honey or maple syrup. I think it only affects the undead."
Lilly blinked. "Are ya sure, Doc?"
"Ja," Abraham replied before giving the men and Lilly a bright smile. "On with the blood shed!" he shouted before laughing and walking out of the circle.
"That man is so odd," Quincey remarked.
Lilly shrugged. "Well, he is a man of science. He'd probably lick a shite covered rock if someone told him it was fer some experiment."
Jack chuckled loudly. "He probably would."
Quincey and Jack went walking but Arthur Holmwood stayed. "Be careful, Miss Lilly," he said before walking after his companions.
Lilly smirked before taking up her spear, looking at the other two warriors. "Well, back to it, I suppose," she huffed before getting into a fighting stance.
Vlad stood kitty corner to Lilly with his spear aimed at Wadim, and Wadim tensed before getting himself ready. The fight resumed immediately and Lilly went for Wadim's feet while Vlad thrust at his chest. Wadim kicked at Lilly's spear, contacting and shoving it while he deflected Vlad's attack with the pole of his spear. Lilly thrust at Wadim but he jumped back as Vlad swung his weapon down on Wadim, missing him only by a few inches. Once again, metal clanked and battle cries filled the spacious room as the three powerful fighters battled. Punches were thrown, they were kicked back, droplets of blood stained the floor and people watched in delight as things started getting more intense.
When Lilly plunged the end of her spear into Wadim's neck, Dracula used his own weapon to puncture his enemy's heart. Wadim went down almost instantly, his own blood spurting from his mouth. He glared up at the both of them.
"A curse on you both!" Wadim shouted.
Lilly grabbed him by the hair, put a foot on his chest and ripped off his head. Vlad pushed his spear into Wadim's chest further as Lilly showed the crowd her bleeding trophy. People cheered and hooted in Romanian, so Lilly raised Wadim's head up high and let the blood drip onto her body. Vlad looked at her with a big smile as if in awe of the fellow blood thirsty warrior. Rose cackled in glee as blood trailed down Lilly's body from her hair and face, and eventually Lilly dropped the head and shouted to the crowd in victory.
"Ascultați-mi cuvintele, cetățeni ai Transilvaniei! Am venit să vărs sângele dușmanilor lui Dracula pentru că are mulți! Am nevoie de mai mult sânge pentru a-mi potoli setea! Adu-mi toți câinii Nosferatu Dragon care l-au urmat pe Wadim!" she cried like a warrior. [Listen to my words, citizens of Transylvania! I came to shed the blood of Dracula's enemies because he has many! I need more blood to quench my thirst! Bring me all the Nosferatu Dragon dogs that followed Wadim!]
Vampires immediately started grabbing other vampires and Vlad laughed while holding his gut. "I think I like this big show you are performing, Mrs. Morgan. You remind me of myself, once upon a time."
Lilly smiled at him over her shoulder. "There is a sayin' in England. Muck or nettles."
"What does that mean?"
"All or nothin'."
Vlad nodded in approval before grabbing up his spear and Wadim's. "Would you like to kill my enemies with a spear?"
"No, I got me own weapons fer situations like this," Lilly said with a wink, motioning to all the knives she carried.
As the traitors were piled into the center of the room, Lilly pulled out two knives from her waist belt. One was specifically made for stabbing while the other was designed for slicing things up or off. She inspected them while displaying an expression of morbid curiousity. A smile crept on her face before she looked at the struggling vampires who were being forced on their knees.
"Executioner style, aye?" Lilly asked Vlad.
"It would please me," Vlad said.
Lilly nodded softly before turning back to the Nosferatu Dragons. "Any last words, gentlemen?"
Some of them spit on the ground. "Lasă soarele să te ardă în cenușă și să te înece mările! Diavol!" one of them said. [Let the sun burn you in ashes and let the seas drown you! Devil!]
Lilly cackled loudly at the man. "I am no devil, but I do carry one around with me. Would ya like tah meet her?"
The man only glared at Lilly in response. She rolled her eyes before taking a knife and stabbing him in the heart. Blood spattered on Lilly's body before she buried her fingers into the man's hair, pulled him forward and cut his head clean off. His body collapsed to the ground and Lilly tossed the head before retrieving the knife in the vampire's chest. Lilly went to the next man and did the same thing to him, and the next and the next until there were no more Nosferatu Dragons to send into the arms of Death.
When the last man's body fell, Lilly grabbed her stabbing knife and tucked both knives back into her belt. Soaked in blood, the woman sighed before looking at Mina.
"Um...ya know, I really didn't think ahead about this, did I?"
"What do you mean?" Mina asked.
"Well...uh, I can't wear my dress now."
"You are welcome to use a wash room here in the castle to bathe, Mrs. Morgan," Vlad offered.
Lilly grinned happily with her hands clasped behind her back. "Your hospitality honors me, Count Dracula."
XxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxX
When Rose was done with the tale, everyone was looking at Dracula with looks of astonishment.
"Did that shit really happen?" Arthur asked in shock.
"Every word," Vlad replied calmly while looking at Rose. "You are her husband. Why are you so surprised?"
"Lilly is very secretive," Lugh explained. "That might've been me fault because I told her when she was young tah not trust anyone but me."
"No, that is not why she keeps secrets," Vlad said.
"Then why does she keep secrets?"
"Because of the door in her head. Rose," Vlad began. "The door in Lilly's house, up the stairs and third on the left. Why is it chained and rotted?"
Rose stood up with her fur raised and her teeth bared. "Do not speak tah us about that door!" she snapped with two voices. "We do not go near it!"
People and animals stood up and got into fighting stances but Vlad remained calm. "Is the door not your making?"
"No!" Rose shouted. "Do not ask us about the door!" Dark smoke hissed from the dark wolf's pipes and black oily gunk leaked from her claws. "It speaks tah us! Haunts our dreams! It scares us!"
"Hard tah think anything could scare ya, Rose," Lugh observed. "What does the door say?"
Rose started getting bigger and she snarled loudly. "DO NOT ASK US ANYMORE!" her two toned voice bellowed.
Everyone backed off further except for Lugh and Arthur. "Lugh, don't poke the wolf, please," Arthur said.
Lugh grumbled before taking a step towards Rose. "TELL ME ABOUT THE DOOR, ROSE!" his voice sounded, mighty and commanding.
"NO!" Rose screamed. "I WILNA DO IT!"
"WHAT DOES THE DOOR SAY?" Lugh screamed back.
"LIES! DECEIT! TRICKERY! DARKNESS! DEATH!"
The carriage door opened and Corvin stuck his head out. "What the hell is going on?!" he barked.
"You!" Arthur shouted while looking at Corvin. "I'll kill ya!"
Arthur flew up and went to go above Rose but she jumped up and snatched him in her massive jaws. Everyone started attacking Rose as her teeth crunched on the griffin but there was nothing they could do as the dark wolf swallowed Arthur whole. Rose went for Lugh next and gobbled him up without trouble, then she attacked Brigid, took her into her mouth and forced the goddess down her throat. More dark smoke erupted from her smoke stacks and the sickness from her paws spread across the street.
"Who is next?!" Rose bellowed as the rest of the fighters started to retreat. The black wolf licked her chops and stalked forward, singing her song.
The monster...has awoken...
The storm has come...
A dark, violent wind started to pick up around Rose as she continued her song of death.
Now it...begins...
Is this how it...
...ends?