The made it to the mausoleum covered in a veil of cold and silence. The howling winds being the only source of noise along with the crunching of snow underneath their boots.
Trevor opened the big heavy door and they were met with a big stone coffin. They walked towards a stone wall with pictures on demons on it.
Maria nudged him and she pointed to where the wall looked funny. He walked to the side where the wall changed to reveal and entrance.
"Good job, half pint." He said and tousled her head.
"Stop that you're gonna ruin my hair." She grumbled.
" You mean the hair that you let no one seen?" He asked as he climbed up the wall.
"You wouldn't understand especially since I have to purify you ever time you start smelling like a latrine." Maria said as she floated up with him.
"Thank you love. You really know to warm my heart." He said as he slid down. Maria stopped floating and positioned herself and let herself go down the slide.
"Look out below!" She yelled and she felt herself land on something, she looked down to see Trevor's arms.
"Thank you." She said and he put her down abd they walked down the steps of the corridor. Maria lit up her hand and created a ball of light that illuminated the room.
"Fresh oil." Trevor said as he took a whiff of the torch stick and he took a blade and lit it on fire.
"Seriously... I have a ball of light over here." Maria said.
"Well two lights are better than one...anybody home?" He called. He turned to see a pipe along the walls.
*knock!*
"Warm. That's weird." He said after he knocked it. They heard rustling and Trevor took out his sword and Maria her bow and and an arrrow from her quiver.
"We can hear you. We're armed, and a lot less happy than you are... so you want to stay well out of our way." Trevor said, but then as he got to the floor the earth cracked unerneath him.
"Whoa! Oh!" He yelled as he finally fell though.
*crash!*
"Ha! Reflexes like a cat." He said as he landed on his feet.
"Are you alright down there?" She asked.
"Yeah I'm--oh!" He yelled as he fell through.
Hearing him fall she flew down and saw him laying down on some rubble.
"Yep. You definitely got the reflexes of a cat." She smiled and reached out her hand to help him up and he grunts in pain as she pulled him to his feet.
She got her fert back to earth and they saw lights on the pillars and with an electric hum they came to life.
"I guess this is the person is looking for." Maria said as she came across someone who was frozen in stone in the middle of the corrider.
"Thator someone left a statue of a Speaker here or--"
*stomp!*
Thet heard big footed stomps coming their way. As it did it destroyed the lights and a big ugly Cyclops stood before them.
"Cyclops." Trevor said as it's eyes started glowing and it shot a beam out of its eye.
"Move!" Maria yelled as she dragged him to run as she flew. She made a shield of light as it followed in their direction as thet hid behinda pillar.
"Stone-eye Cyclops. Right out of the family bestiary. God shits in my dinner once again." Trevor gasped.
"That's great now we know what it is. Now get moving!" Maria yelled and the Cyclops came and shot it's beam. Maria had done evasive maneuvers to avoid it by running to the other side. Flying would make fighting this thing more difficult as there's no cover to hide in on the ceiling.
"Trevor!" She gasped when it grabbed his face and threw him. She caught him mid air and brought him to safety.
"Now would be a good time to say how to kill the thing." She said as she swiped her glowing hand over his face healing him.
She created a barrier as it destroyed the pillar they were behind and helped him get to another.
Trevor threw a knife from behind the barrier and it struck the chest causing the Cylcopss to pause for a moment.
"Come on. Come on! You're dead! Stop and notice you're dead." He groaned as it came out of it and shot.
"Alright here we go." Maria said as she grabbed her bow and an arrow and ran out.
She aimed at it with and shot her arrow at it's chest getting it's attention and she ran off. She took another, aimed and aimed an imbued arrow with it an fired at his head, she snapped her fingers just as the Cyclops dodged causing it to explode in a flash of light disorienting it.
Trevor took the opportunity to take his wipe and twirled it to grab the blade lodged in the chest and he used it to swing at the Cyclops from under it's chin.
The blade flew into the air and Maria ran up towards it, jumped in the air and kicked the blade lodging it in the eye of the Cylcops.
It fell, defeated as she landed on the ground as her hair fell at the sides of her face, she stood up and quickly fixed it.
Trevor noticed the stone statue stsrt to fall and he caught it, just in time for the effects of the Cylcops to wear off. The Speaker statue was then revealed to be a woman who gasped softly at being released from the stone prison.
She groaned as her cheeks stuffed full and she pushed him away and lurched over on the floor to release the contents of her stomach.
"I'm guessing she's the Granddaughter then." Maria cringed as Trevor got his sword gtom the eye of the Cylcops eye.
"I wish Speakers wouldn't do that." Trevor said.
"What?" Sypha said.
"Dress the girls like boys." He said.
"It's safer when we travel. What happened?" She asked.
"You walked intona Cyclops. Turns you to stone with it's eyeball and feeds on your terror while you're trapped in your own body." He said.
"Did---did you climb on me?" She asked.
"Mm, a bit." He said.
"Seriously?" Maria sighed dramatically.
"That was rude." Sypha said.
"Excuse me?" Trevor said.
"Who are you, anyway?" She asked.
"Would you look at that rude and lacks manners." Maria smiled sarcastically.
"We met your grandfather. He wouldn't leave the city until he had your body. We came down to recover your remains ask the remains so the Speakers would go to safety." Trevor said.
"But the Sleeping Warrior is still down here." Shs argued.
"There is no Sleeping Warrior, just a Cyclops waitinf for people stupidly enough to go looking. It's a trap for Gullible Speakers. You're not popular around here." Trevor said.
"The old wisdom says the tomb us gaurded--"
"Listen I get that yoy want to be the one who saves the world by waking the hero, but as you were down here adventuring your tribe's lives are at stake for every second and minute that passes by because of you. You can always come back by morning when the villagers are all dead so that no one can stop you." Maria said.
"So do your old man a peace of mind for the grandchild who thinks is dead." Trevor said.
"He thinks I'm dead?" Sypha asked.
"He wasn't much wrong. Killing a Cyclops is the only way to restore a victim. Didn't think we'd manage that." He said.
"Gee thanks for the vote of confidence." Maria scoffed.
"Who are you?" Sypha asked.
"Maria Verge." Maria said.
"Trevor Belmont." Trevor said.
"But the Belmonts fight monsters." Sypha said.
"I'm out of practice. Let's show you to your grandfather and then you can come down here and get killed again. Deal?" Trevor said.
"Very well. I'm Sypha Belnades." Sypha said.
"I don't care." He whispered and Maria giggled.
Sypha saw the other bodies return from their stone pieces. Unfortunately they were not in one piece so blood gushed out from the severed body parts.
****
They made it back to the Speaker's dwelling and the Elder was so relieved to see Sypha alive and well.
"Thank you." Elder sighed as he hugged his grandchild.
"Mm. You're welcome." Trevor said.
"I failed to find the Sleeper. I'm sorry!" Sypha apologised.
"Hush now, my angel." Elder shushed.
"I very much doubt there's anyone down there. It's probably a booby trapped legend. There's someone wriggling with pleasure in his coffin right now thinking of people like your girl walking into the Cyclops he left down there." Trevor said.
"Or perhaps there is something down there so important that it must be guarded by monsters." Sypha said.
"Damn, well you just might be on the borderline of Stupid and Delusional." Maria muttered with a smirk.
"Your Messiah isn't down there." Trevor said and Sypha glared at both of them.
"And what makes you so sure?" She asked.
"You Speakers carry information down through the generations. We Belmonts pass things down as well. Do you remember what we saw down there? Metal veins pumping hot liquid? Torches that light by themselves that exactly fit descriptions written by my great-grandfather. Descriptions of the inside of Dracula's castle. I don't know what's down there, but it's not a messaih." Trevor said.
"Well now all of you can pack and leave knowing that your heads are still attached to your bodies." Maria said and she waved of as they were leaving.
"No,no--nonsense. Please, stay with us for as long as you like. I cannot begin to repay what I owe you." Elder offered.
"You're leaving tonight, remember?" Trevor said.
"Well, uh yes. Until then." Elder said.
"Right. I'll come back later. See if you can find some beer." He said.
"As always I could buy some food while I'm at it." Maria said.
"Do you ever not think about food you bloody glutton?" Trevor asked.
"Do you ever not think about beer you fucking drukard." She retorted as they left through the door.
"I could pee in a bucket and tell him it's beer." Sypha said.
"Sypha, he saved your life!" Elder scolded.
"He's rude." She said.
****
They made it outside, but they got surrounded by priests.
"Uh, careful. My knife hand's not too steady. I could slip and take your eye out. The Bishop of Gresit requests your kind attendance at the church." Burly said and Maria looked around to find them surrounded by Archers and Spearmen.
"I don't think I'm allowed into churches." Trevor said.
"The Bishop says he'll make an exception in your case." Burly said.
"No. Seriously. I realize your trying to menacingly abduct me, and my friend but I'm excommunicated." Trevor said.
"Not her. Just you and the Bishop said to tell you that the terms of even major excommunication mean that you are obligated to appear when summoned by the church." Burly said.
"Bullshit. It sounds like something you pulled out of your arse, but who am
I to judge the corruption of the church. I'll be off then." Maria said and she walked off.
****
They're following me. She thought as she walked through the alley.
"Hmm..." she hummed and she bolted.
"Follow her!" One of them yelled. They ran after her through the ally until she took a sharp turn, but when they go there she disappeared.
"What the hell?"
"Where'd she go!"
*thud!*
Maria jumped down and landes behind them slammed one of them into a wall and jabbed the one behind her with her elbow to the face before giving them a leg sweep.
*swish!*
The glint on her bladd shined as she raised and slammed it into the hand of a priest.
"Aarugh!"
"Now I hate to prolong your pain, but you're gonna tell me what in the world are you bastards planning. If you don't well...this could get ugly." She smirked as the priest shivered underneath her gaze.
****
She made it to the church as she rsn behind it. She peaked in through the window to see what was going on.
"You..." She glared as she saw that fool who started it all.
"But you were there for the burning of Dracula's wife. I heard all about that." Trevor said.
"Oh, yes. I arranged it, in fact. The woman was a witch. And there could be no doubt now that she consorted with the devil. She even married him." Bishop said.
"I see. And I'm here to be disciplined?" Trevor asked.
"Not as such. I have a gift for you. Your life, Belmont. Take it and go. Tonight the speakers will be dealt with, and then Gresit will be secure. I refuse however, to toil so hard for the soul of this city with an excommunicant heretic within it's walls. You could undo everything by your very presence." Bishop said.
"My God. You realy believe it, don't you?" Trevor asked astonished by this man's insanity.
"You will leave Gresit by sundown, or you will not see the morning. Do I make myself clear?" Bishop asked. "Despite the crimes you've committed against my aids, despite the crimes your family has committed against God, you will walk safely until sundown." He said.
"My family commited no crime. You people simply decided we were wrong to defend this land against the supernatural. And now--
"You Belmonts have never understood the power of the Word of God! The people of this city are mine and our Lord's now, and they'll do as I ask in His name. By morning, no speaker will defile these streets, and you will either be gone or be dead. Do you understand?" Bishop glared.
"Yes." Trevor glared back.
"Do this thing for me, and the matter of your excision from the church will be something we can discuss." He said.
"No offense, but your just a Bishop. Excommunication came from a little higher up the ladder." Trevor said as he walked out.
"Targoviste is gone. The other great cities are lost or losing. Gresti will be theast major city in Wallachia. To all intents and purposes, I will be the church." Bishop smiled.
Maria who was on the other side merely sighed and walked away seeing that once again some humans were well beyond any sort of salvation.
****
"Trevor, Maria! Join us." Elder said as the two walked in.
"Sure." Trevor said.
"And by the way you're all going to die." Maria said as Trevor went off to lean on the wall.
"What?"
"The current Bishop of this place is...Well, beyond insane. Over the top and into new lands of just snake-fucking crazy, and convinved that the salvation of Gresit lays in you people being torn t pieces by a mob." Trevor said.
"When?" Elder asked.
"Before the sun goes down. By his logic you have to die before the night creatures conduct their next raid." Trevor said.
"What happens if we stay and survive?" Elder asked.
"Well, then the night creatures will come anyway, and the church will blame you and it'll start all over again. Pretty rough way to go down wouldn't you agree?" Maria sighed as she went through their baskets and found grapes to eat.
"This feels wrong. To be driven out for a lie that will doom these people, it is not a Speaker thing." Elder said.
"Good thing they're not Speaker's. I'd hate to imagine what the punishment would be if you were solvd violence and death with more violence and death." Maria said and she popped a grape in her mouth.
"We had an agreement." Trevor said.
"I don't think it's a Belmont thing, either." Elder said.
"I don't care. You need to leave, and leave now." Trevor said.
"I don't think we can leave these people, not in their time of need!" Sypha argued.
"Sweetheart these people believe you caused their time of need." Maria said as she was eating a grape without a care.
"Only because they are being misled by the church. Does one run away when someone tells lies about them? What have the church said about the Belmonts? That you have been corrupted by dealings with the supernatural, that you mock God, that you are a threat to the common good and that evil follows wherever you go. And what did you do in the face of that?" Elder asked.
"I didn't run away." Trevor said.
"Really. So, what are you running to? Did you have a destination in mind?" Elder asked.
"Are you calling me a coward?" Trevor asked.
"No. I am calling you defeated. Trevor Belmont. You fought your battle and you decided you lost." Elder said.
"We didn't have a choice." Trevor said.
"Perhaps. But we do. We carry with us the accumulated wisdom of this great country. We will use that to fight our battle." Sypha said.
"That's all well and good. But you'll lose and die and all that knowledge will be of no use when your blood is going down the city drain and yoyr bodies thrown through the shit hole. Good luck with dying and have a merciful death.
"We might well lose. But if nothing else, we might show someone that, although battles are won and lost, there's a larger war at stake. You who have been taught to heal and see the good in everything, as a Sain--"
"I said don't call me that! I did think, believe in it even. That people were worth healing and salvation. But look around! How do you expect me to believe when he even told me to abandon. When left I thought it would be an opportunity to set things right, but now one believe me, no one listened to me and all I saw was people going against each other. Killing each other...that I just...stopped, I realised that no matter what I did I cannot stop people from hiding behind arrogance, ignorance and intentional blindness to everything else. But tell me what exacly will you be fighting for." Maria said.
"The soul of our people. Because if we truly are the sort of people who will kill one another at the behest of a madman's fantasies, then perhaps it is right and proper that things from Hell should rise up to wipe us out." Elder said.
"It's time for those of us who fight that war to stand up and be responsible Maria Verge and Trevor Belmont. You should leave now." Sypha said.
"Have fun dying then. Who am I to stop you...if only we had met on better terms and conditions. " Maria said as she walked but then Trevor grasped her arm stopping her.
"What?"
"No. You're leaving right now." Trevor said with a glint in his eye.
****
The sun was beginning to set and both the nighg creatures and the people began to get ready.
The people got ready by grabbing their pitch forks while tue night xreatures began their march to the city.
The people lit up their torches and the night creatures breathed out their fire.
The people began their march while the night creatures flew into the sky.
****
The angry chanting of the people spread along the city as they gathered to kill the Speakers. They were ushered by the priests towards the home of the Speakers and those priests had sinister smirks on their faces.
They arrived at the door and men with an axe and a hammer walked up and started chopping away at the door. They kicked down the door to find no seeker there but Trevor, standing in the dark and all the priests walked in.
"Where are the Speakers?" Head Priest asked.
"I've put them somewhere safe." Trevor said.
****
"I sweat it just moved." Arn said as he stood by the Cyclops as the elder sat close by.
****
"You defend evil. Give them to us!" Head Priest demanded
"Shut up." Trevor mumbled hearing the angry cries of the people.
"What?" Head Priest scoffed.
"Shut up. You're not getting the speakers. You're getting no blood today, so shut up." Trevor said earning him a slap from the head priest.
"You will give us the Speakers so we can save this city." Head Priest said.
"This city's lost. It was lost when you and the rest of your scum oved in. Ow." Trevor groaned when he got another slap.
"And what? You are here to fight us. You're here to convince the people that nomad black magicians are good for Gresit and it is the presence of men of God that brought the night hordes upon us?" Head Priest said.
"You know--"
"Silence! Look at you. You're a wreck and you can barely keep your eyes open. What do you expect to achieve against us?" Head Priest asked mockingly.
"Absolutely nothing."
"So you're going to die for nothing? For people you don't know?" He asked.
"I don't know any of you, but that doesn't matter does it. My family, the family you demonized and excommunicated, haa fought and dues thrkugh generations for this country. We do thid thing for Wallachia and her people. We don't have to know you all. We do it anyway. And it's not the dying that frightens us. It's never having stood up and fought for you. I am Trevor Belmont of the House of Belont, and dying has never frightened me." Trevor said. Of course that being said the Saintess is on my side so she can fix me up. He thought as he kept a straight.
"Good." The Head Priest smirked as he and the others took out their blades and walked towards him.
He crouched down and the baldes unarmed the priests as they lodged in their hands.
Trevor pushed the Head Priest by jamming his elbow on his neck out the door and he pulled rope that was lodged within the crevices of the stone causing the doorway to collapse.
The angry mob started walking towards him and Trevor glanced at them and then he looked to the sky and whistled.
In the distance Maria pulled her the string of her bow. She took a breath, aimed and let her arrow fly.
The arrow sipped throught the air and cut the rope that held a big wooden cross up. The cross fell and the people scattered in panic as it fell.
As they were frozen in shock Trevor ran over it, grabbing a torch from a person. As he ran the people started to follow, including Maria as she ran over the roof tops.
She saw an archer standing on a roof abd Trevor had to hide in alley and she grabbed her arrow and shot him.
"Augh!" The archer priest yelled as an arrow went right through his hand as he writhed in agony she kicked him off the roof.
Trevor that took the opportunity to fught back he fought Skinny furst as he was the first to charge he blocked ad dodged his attacks andbhe held him down letting Maria shoot him right in the head and Trevor threw him towards the spear wielding priests.
He stabbed the first one and cut off the arms of the second. Maria was dodging arrows coming her way from other archers. She drew out two arros and shot them aiming right to in the centre of their chests and the screamed in pain as they fell.
"Oh!" Trevor yelped as he came across the angry mob.
"There his is!"
Trevor ran the opposite direction from the mob.
Meanwhile the night creatures were arriving in the city and the bright glow from the torches attracted them causing them to dive into the city.