Chapter 20: Wallachia Part 1?

Midnight, the darkness befell the great mountains of what was Wallachia. The former province was one of three that formed the triad of Romania.

It was here on the Făgăraș Mountains that a blue portal appeared near a set of trees. Helsing, Cirrynth, Zitiraas, and Lina walked through the swirling vortex. After Lina had exited, it closed behind her.

They had arrived at their new destination. There was the familiar sense of cool air that resided around them. The hint of chirping insects marked a sleeping wayside of a steep cliff near a massive valley below.

For Lina, her boots staggered against the rocks and grass below her. At times, she maintained her footing to the best that she could. The moonlight did help, but it still took a minute for her eyes to fully adjust.

When they did, she was able to see the hint of lights near a small spectacle sitting atop the neighboring mountain. Below was a river and valley. In the day, it must have been a beautiful sight to behold.

“Alright,” Helsing remarked. He reached into his coat and pulled out a small pair of binoculars. He briefly took his glasses off and looked through them to get a closer look at the great citadel in the distance. Then, he took his binoculars off and looked at his glasses for a moment before putting them back on.

“Hmmm...,” he said.

“What?” Lina asked.

“Just thinking of combining something in the future.” He put his binoculars away. “We’ve arrived near Poenari Castle. The place is being rebuilt. I count four towers alone, possibly another building parked behind the walls, three sets of AA guns near the side walls, not counting what else is parked near the mountainsides.”

“Is that supposed to be that way?”

“No. I remember Poenari over two hundred years ago. It was badly neglected. With the World Wars, Romania had all but abandoned it. Its location, however, is quite remarkable. There was a reason why Vlad Tepes chose this location. The Turks would have been spotted from any direction, and it took a lot of their men to conquer it.”

“You know of this place?”

“Only so much. I explored a little bit of the caves, but nothing more. Poenari seems small, but its underground facilities are extensive. Yes, you can say that I had a small interest in Lilith’s history, although even she wouldn’t have had much interest in this.”

“Why?” Lina asked.

“Lilith’s offer was only accepted in Vlad’s third reign. He was held prisoner in Corvin Castle after his second reign. Although, I’m still finding inconsistencies with her story.”

“You think your mother lied?”

“It’s a combination of things. It’s the curse of immortality. We live forever, but our memories become fragmented over time. For example, try to remember what you had for breakfast ten years ago. Then, try to do it in hundreds of years. I doubt that even I will be able to counter its effects either. However, with Lilith, she chooses to lie to herself to protect her emotions. Eventually, those lies can become truths.”

“It’s why you didn’t want to have her here.”

“Indeed.”

“But, in the end, she should. I think you want her to be here.”

Helsing looked at the castle. “She ... needs to face her demons, but the price may be too high.”

Lina nodded. “I can’t really see anything.”

“If Dracula is there, he’s been busy. Some ogres are there. They’re carrying tools and stone bricks. It appears that Dracula is doing what he can to have the castle restored to its former glory. The place is also well-lit for them.”

“What will be the plan of attack?” Zitiraas asked.

“A direct frontal assault will be risky,” Helsing said. “The area is well defended. Most likely, those guns are equipped with the same shells that were used to kill Annika.”

“We can summon reinforcements,” Cirrynth added.

“We don’t have quantifiable proof that he’s there, despite how much I want to believe. Even if we do an all-out attack, if Carmilla or Dracula are in there, too much commotion may end up causing them to escape. We have to treat this as we are now. Even Lilith, assuming she is there, will be covert. We must treat it the same.”

Lina could see Helsing think about it for a little bit. His attention wasn’t on the big structure on the mountain but on the mountain’s sides. There were hints of lights below it.

“The heart of this castle is its network of caves,” Helsing explained. “The ogres have likely expanded its underground network, remodeling and rebuilding it from within. Cirrynth, do you see the second cave down to the right?”

“I do,” the blue dragon replied.

“It has the least amount of activity going to it. I spotted one ogre entering and exiting from the other. This one, however, there hasn’t been one yet. I want you to open a portal where we will jump in and go from there.”

“Consider it done.”

Helsing looked at Lina. “Make sure to only shoot when you have to. The loud volume of gunfire will attract attention.”

“Umm...,” Lina showed a hint of doubt. “That makes me very useless.”

“I don’t think so. It will only be a matter of time before they will go on wide alert. When they do, silence won’t matter.”

Cirrynth walked near a set of trees. He held his staff as it began to glow. Then he began to close his eyes and chant. He held his scaly hand up as magical energy surged around him. Then he tapped his staff to the ground as a portal opened up in front of him.

“Zitiraas,” Helsing continued. “Guard Lina and your brother. Do not worry about protecting me.”

“Understood,” she replied to him.

With that, all four walked into the swirling vortex. It closed behind them as Lina entered it.

Meanwhile, near one of the entrances of the caves of the nearby mountain, a swirling vortex opened. One by one, each of the characters emerged. When Lina exited, the portal closed behind her.

The cave itself appeared to be quite dirty. It almost seemed to be some sort of dumping site, where excess sand and rocks were discarded over the mouth of the cave to the bottom below. There was an uneven floor consisting of rocks and bare stones. The walls seemed to be carved out with metal picks, widened to make entry. Rubble lined the sides. There were a few electrical lights that provided illumination, but just barely. It was large enough for a single Ogre to enter and exit. Zitiraas stood in front as Helsing pulled his sword from his coat. He stood close behind the red dragon as Lina stood behind Cirrynth.

The interior passageway of the cave was quiet at first. Occasionally, some whispers echoed through the walls. Conversations would bounce and go in all directions. The four ventured further and further in as the mouth of the cave began to disappear behind them. Eventually, they reached a crossroads that split off into another direction. Helsing gestured to everyone to stop.

“Maintain a whisper,” Helsing quietly said. He reached into his coat and pulled out a match. He flicked his finger and set it aflame. His eyes watched carefully, observing the flames. It had a tendency to flicker towards the direction of the exit. However, he could note that it continued to head away as he moved it in the other direction. He tossed the match down and pressed his boot to extinguish it. He pointed at the right turn and gestured not to head that way.

Instead, they continued down the main passageway. As they kept walking, they heard a sudden set of noises.

Lina’s heart skipped a beat as she got down. Immediately, a set of small creatures zipped past the four and flew out towards the exit.

“Bats,” Cirrynth whispered.

Lina relaxed. It only made sense that there were bats in a cave.

“I do not remember this,” Helsing said. “They have been busy...”

They reached a set of carved-out stairs that led downward. Helsing paused as he looked down. The others looked around.

“Downward floors...,” he whispered. “They’ve been cutting out stone rocks and making rooms.” Helsing walked by what looked like a carved-out pillar. “Supports to handle the cave’s weight and most likely the castle above.” He gestured ahead. “Come ... let’s go.”

The four continued their trek, passing the set of stairs. There were more sets of lights till they reached a large brick-layered archway. A set of torches was set but unlit. The four passed it when...

SLAM! Lina got spooked again. A set of dual heavy metal portcullis slammed shut. Their exit had been cut off. The woman was shaken but alright. The four stopped as Cirrynth checked in on the woman.

“Are you alright?” the blue dragon asked.

“Yes, but I almost felt my back get cut.”

Helsing bumped past them and checked on the portcullis. He tapped his finger on the metal.

“Tungsten,” Helsing remarked. “One of the most resilient metals ever made. Someone was anticipating our arrival.” He turned to look at Cirrynth. “Can you teleport us out?”

“It would be difficult to open a portal,” Cirrynth replied.

“Are we abandoning the mission?” Zitiraas asked.

“More like testing a hunch,” Helsing answered.

Cirrynth held his staff forward and began to focus. He started to say a few words as the staff glowed. However, the dragon felt a surge hit him. His channeling fell, and the staff ceased to shine. He touched his head and shook it off.

“I thought so,” he told the dragon. Helsing put his fingers onto the wall and ran across the stone surface.

“What happened?” Lina asked.

“Mythics and underground caverns. Deep beneath the Earth can mask magic. It’s why we never detected it and why the ogres are rebuilding this castle. We must have tripped something that caused this to shut ... an intruder gate.”

“But I can’t use my magic,” Cirrynth said.

“Deep beneath these walls are possible energy-dampening crystals, placed there on purpose. Large concentrations of lead can also block out and slow down magic use. Most likely, someone wanted to make sure we didn’t leave and warn for new reinforcements.”

“Are we in danger?” Zitiraas asked.

“Hmmm...,” Helsing looked ahead to the only direction he could head into. “There’s nothing blocking us forward. If I had set up something to trap intruders, I would have done more than just block out our exit. It seems that the network of traps isn’t complete, most likely due to only a year of work placed on this structure. The ogres are fast and hard workers, capable of accomplishing much, but even this is quite extensive. Of course, this is only an assumption. More information is needed.”

“We’re trapped,” Lina said. She felt her apprehension go up.

“It is expected. I still don’t hear much activity ahead of us. Let’s proceed forward with caution.”

The four began to move forward again, being meticulous as they walked. The stone floor ended, replaced with a brick floor. This was later followed by brick walls. The electric lighting continued to fill the halls, but they were heavily dim.

“Watch the floor,” Helsing advised the others. “Most likely, one’s weight was what triggered the door to close. I see a crossroad ahead.”

This was a frightening aspect to Lina but one that could be easily countered in an argument. The bricks were well placed, but trying to track for loose panels was difficult in the low lighting. Helsing was right. Lina noted that the passageway was going to split into three directions. Upon reaching the area, Helsing grabbed a corner as Zitiraas took the other side. Lina remained close to Zitiraas as Helsing pulled out a mirror and held it over the corner. He was observing the passageway carefully.

“Two doors on the right,” Helsing whispered. “No ogres.” He flipped the mirror to the other side. He held his finger up to maintain silence. Then he made a gesture of “one,” followed by “asleep.”

Lina surmised that Helsing saw someone to the left, possibly an ogre that was sleeping. He held his hand up and gestured to them to stay ready. He ran ahead to the left, ensuring his foot foley was quiet.

In a few seconds, there was the very faint sound of metal cleaving flesh. Zitiraas nodded, and the others went to the left. Lina could see that Helsing had killed a sleeping ogre that was perched by the wall of a door. He was armed with a rifle, but his own exhaustion was to his detriment. He had fallen asleep on duty, and Helsing stabbed him in the head and chest, killing him instantly.

As the other three rejoined Helsing, Lina felt she was being watched. It was a sense of evil, raw evil in its purest form. She knew she was in the back of the group and turned around at whatever was supposed to be there, but only saw a brief black haze.

“Uh...,” Lina mumbled.

Helsing turned to where Lina was looking. Both Cirrynth and Helsing grasped Lina in mere seconds. However, the haze quickly vanished.

“What?” Helsing asked.

“I ... felt something,” Lina said.

“Explain it.”

“Hunger...”

Ahead of Lina and Helsing was the passageway that led to two doors past the crossroads. There was a dead-end past those doors.

“We’re being watched...,” Helsing told her.

“You think it’s?”

“Could be anything. If Dracula is alive, then he would have the power to do this.”

Lina kept her rifle aimed forward. Her breathing was up as she perched on the wall. Cirrynth was also maintaining watch. Helsing got next to the door that the ogre was guarding. He slumped the dead body aside as he got to the door and placed his ear to it. He focused and remained there for several seconds.

“Many ogres sleeping,” Helsing whispered, gesturing past the door. Then, he gestured to the team to take a left at the passageway and keep moving forward. Lina had to surmise that they were in the area where many of the ogre workers were resting. A part of her wanted to go and kill these ogres, but this would likely awaken and stir the hornet’s nest.

Bypassing the rooms from the crossroads was a set of stairs. It was neatly carved so that it wrapped around in an upward 180-degree arc. Zitiraas was the first to reach it, but Helsing remained next to her. He pulled out his magnum from his coat and aimed it upward, looking for any threats.

Lina was beginning to hate the idea of being in the rear. While she had been keeping pace with the group, it was the looming fact that something was following them. At the same time, when she lost track of the group, she would bump into Cirrynth’s scorpion tail.

“Ah,” she would lightly gasp.

“Are you alright?” Cirrynth asked.

“Yeah, your tail.”

“Don’t worry, I can’t envenomate you by accident.”

“But it’s still sharp.”

“Lina,” Helsing directed her. “Stay in front of him. Let’s head up.”

The stairs weren’t that large enough to allow one individual up at a time. They began the slow trek heading up. The steps were steep and crudely built. It required the individual to hug the far-right wall just to ensure the purchase of their feet. Thankfully, Lina adhered to Helsing and remained in front of Cirrynth. If she fell, she would land on him. After half a minute, the four reached the floor above them.

The new level they reached had stone and wooden paneling for the floor. There were barely any lights except the occasional lit torch. The walls made a 90-degree turn to the right, where the four walked straight into a large room.

The interior room was quite big. Sets of pillars lined its sides to keep the upper floors from collapsing on themselves. Rows of tables were there, with a hint of a kitchen on the far side. It was obvious that they arrived at the dining hall. Thankfully, it was empty. There was a single door that led outward.

“Food hall for the workers,” Helsing said. “Most likely, as we keep heading up, we will be heading away from the ogres.”

It was something that made Lina happy to think about. The ogres were servants to whoever was in charge. As the four approached the closed door, Zitiraas heard something and stopped. It was getting louder and louder.

“Dum, dum, duh ... dum ... duh, da,” the mumbling voice sang away. Helsing ran to the side of the door. There was nowhere else to hide for the rest of the team. Lina recognized it as an ogre approaching the door.

“La, umm ... I think that was how that line went,” the ogre fumbled the door and opened it. “Got to make the stew, got to make the stew for breakfast in the morn DAH!”

The ogre walked right in on the four. However, there were actually two instead of just one. One was a female carrying pots.

“Sound alarm! We got...,” the male ogre tried to scream, but Helsing’s blade went right into his back. At the same time, Zitiraas ran toward the female, driving her shield into her, straight into the wall. The ogre dropped her pans, creating a hard noise that reverberated around the room.

“Argh!” the other ogre screamed. Helsing pulled his sword out and swung hard, cleaving his head straight off as the large body slumped to the floor. Meanwhile, the female ogre tried to resist and grab the shield, but the red dragon was doing multiple stabs with her sword. After five strikes, the ogress slumped to the floor dead.

Lina was at the ready, but a familiar presence made the hairs on the back of her neck rise. She was a few steps away from Cirrynth.

“The weak...,” a quiet male voice echoed behind her ear. It was a haunting set of words set in a whisper. As Helsing checked the body of the beheaded ogre, he briefly pressed his hand to his head before turning to the human woman.

“Lina...,” Helsing asked her.

“I swore I just saw that ... cloud,” Lina remarked. “I think it said something.”

“What did it say?”

“It was a man ... I don’t know what he said.”

Helsing looked at the open door. “Those were the cooks we killed. Let’s keep going.”

The four headed out the door when they heard more sounds. It was other voices closing in fast. They stood in a brick-layered passageway that split into two directions and curved 90 degrees away. A pair of ogres came walking from one direction but hadn’t seen the team yet, followed by more steps.

“I thought I heard something!” One of the male ogres said.

“Probably just Crina,” the other male said in the distance. “She fumbles those pots, but her stew is good.”

“Ummm ... the door to the floor below tripped,” one of the male ogres said.

“Probably just Garth sleepwalking as usual. Dracula won’t be happy he’s sleeping on the job again.”

“Yeah, might have him impaled. Then Garth can sleep as much as he wants.”

“Ha, ha, ... AH!”

The ogres fell into the team’s line of sight. They had walked around the corner and saw the four. Unfortunately, the passageway made it impossible to hide. They were so busy talking to each other that it took seconds to react, even with the team standing in front of them. Both of the ogres were armed with large bolt action rifles and wearing body armor. Most likely, they were a roving patrol of armed guards. The distance between both teams made it impossible for Zitiraas to reach them with her sword, but she held her shield up when the ogres lifted up their rifles.

Helsing knew he didn’t have a choice. He had his gun aimed at them and fired. The gunshots were loud, echoing in the hallway like a powerful hammer. Lina’s ears rang as she got behind Zitiraas.

“Intruder!” one of the ogres yelled. “We’re under attack! We’re ... AHH!”

Helsing’s gun kept firing. Three shots hit one of the ogres in the chest, arm, and finally, the head. He never managed to get a shot off. However, the heavy body armor the ogres wore made the magnum almost useless. Helsing was only able to take one of them down. He dove behind Lina on the other side of the hall as the other ogre aimed at the red dragon and fired.

TINK! The rifle round bounced off of Zitiraa’s shield. She held her ground and maintained protection for the ones behind her. The ogre racked the bolt back and was loading a new round. Lina knew that Zitiraas couldn’t hold out, and she got out of cover and opened fire on the ogre.

Lina fired four shots at the ogre. Her rifle held well in the counterfire, but the ogre’s armor was able to handle the shots. The ogre grimaced and aimed his rifle at Zitiraas again before Lina dove back behind her. The gunshot echoed.

TINK! The red dragon almost charged as another rifle round bounced, narrowly scrapping the top portion of the shield and hitting the ceiling. Lina tried again. She got out of cover and aimed for the head. She fired a burst round from her rifle. Two of the three shots hit the ogre in the head. This did the trick. The ogre slumped over and crumbled to the floor.

An alarm echoed in the interior. It was brief, but did it twice more. All secrecy and stealth were gone beyond this point.

“Come on!” Helsing yelled. “The ogres will be arming up!”

Zitiraas charged forward as the rest of the team followed behind her. Lina briefly looked at the ogre. The body armor they wore was another factor in their growing strength. Even on the battlefield, they never bothered to wear them. Why did it matter? They were nearly invincible as it was. But, if they knew they were weak against the Coalition’s weapons, then they were stepping up their defenses. Even Helsing’s gun was almost useless against it. The thoughts lingered in her mind as adrenaline continued to coarse through her body. The alarm stopped as they made their turn. Ahead was a series of closed doors. Another set of curved stairs was just past them.

They had to hurry. Going up was the only direction to go. Likely, it would lead to an exit, a way to escape and warn the Coalition of Deities that Dracula was, indeed, nearby. However, the underground labyrinth was problematic at best. It was makeshift but led to dead ends. It formed nothing but death funnels where gunfights were straightforward.

They ran past the doors and were halfway to the staircase. However, in their hurry, Helsing noted something about the walls. The bricks used to line them were of a different color. They were almost older in appearance. To his horror, he realized something was wrong as they almost reached the stairs.

“Will die first...,” the same whispering voice echoed behind Lina. She slowed down in her run, falling behind Cirrynth. She swore she heard it in better detail, a male voice of unknown origin. She tried not to think about it and continued to move forward.

“Stop! Wait!” Helsing yelled out.

Lina had fallen just behind Cirrynth when Zitiraa’s foot stepped onto something. It pressed a brick panel when the floor past her dropped. Cirrynth narrowly slipped and fell, but Lina was caught in it.

None of the bricks below her were plastered together. They had been loose from the beginning. However, the trap activated caused the floor beneath the bricks to open, revealing a massive pit. It was dug so deep that the light barely showed the bottom.

“Ahh!” Lina screamed. She felt herself falling. Her arms flew as she tried to grab the pit’s edge. She dropped her rifle in the midst of the struggle.

Grab! In a flash, Helsing tossed his gun and sword to the side and caught her left wrist. He stopped her from falling. The blue dragon also grabbed ahold of Helsing and held onto him.

It happened so fast that Lina barely knew what was happening. All she knew was that she was being held. Her head looked down and saw spikes ... spikes everywhere. The pit had carved-out metal spears sticking from the bottom. A sharp pain registered in the woman’s chest and hip, but the sudden shock of the event blinded her thoughts.

“I got you!” Helsing told her. “I’m...”

As the bricks settled into the floor below, Helsing stopped and saw the woman bleeding. He had no choice but to pull her up, but the moment he did, she screamed in pain.

It was here that Helsing saw that there weren’t only spikes on the floor but along the walls and edges. It was the perfect pit trap designed so that even those who tried to catch themselves would still get impaled.

“It hurts!” Lina yelled in panic.

“I have no choice but to pull you up,” Helsing remarked. The other choice was to simply let go and let her plummet into the spikes below. He had to swing her back while holding onto her. At the same time, he would yank her up. With a jolt of his arm, the spikes yanked free of her body as he pulled her up. However, they still cut up her leg as she was hoisted above and over onto the hard floor.

“Help...,” she cried out in pain. There was blood everywhere. Lina had two stab wounds near her lung and heart and one in her hip. Cirrynth put his staff to the floor and gestured for Helsing to move aside to give him room.

“Two stab wounds,” the blue dragon said. “I’m more worried about the chest wound.” His fingers scanned her chest. “Her heart has been perforated.”

“Can you heal her?” Helsing calmly asked. The man gently took the woman’s hand and held it.

Cirrynth closed his eyes and pressed his scaly hands to the woman. He focused and chanted a few words. There was a faint glow from the dragon, but Lina only winced in pain.

“I’m trying,” the dragon said. “My magic is being suppressed.”

It was like dragging bricks with a broken hand. Zitiraas was looking around and noting the sounds around her.

“Reinforcements are coming from where we came,” the red dragon commented.

“I hear it,” Helsing replied.

The dragon continued to focus. Lina was bleeding too much, and her heart was damaged. Cirrynth was adamant about how hard he was trying, but every cent of power was barely reaching her.

“I can only slow down her demise,” Cirrynth said. “If I stop, she will die here and now.”

Lina knew her time had come. She felt incredible pain, but her eyes focused on Helsing. She summoned the will to say a few words to him.

“Promise me...,” she asked him. “Find me ... in the past.”

“I promise,” Helsing said.

Her hand reached up to Helsing. The man leaned his head down and pressed to her neck. It was the closest that she would get to an embrace.

“For my cousin ... and you ... Doctor.”

“Helsing!” Zitiraas called to him. The ogres were closing in. There was nothing more they could do. The man stood up and looked at her. Lina had made her peace. These were difficult and almost uncontrollable circumstances.

“Farewell, Lina,” Helsing said. He reached to Cirrynth and told him to stop. The blue dragon stopped channeling his magic. He grabbed his staff and stood up, looking down at her. It wouldn’t take long before Lina’s heart stopped beating. The last she saw was Helsing’s face before the life completely drained from her. Her breathing came to a halt, and she fell limp.

“She’s dead...,” Cirrynth said. “I’m ... sorry.”

Helsing reached forward and closed the woman’s eyes. He quickly grabbed his gun and sword and told the two to run up the stairs.

There was no time to react to the event. For Helsing, he had one goal: to face his opponent. The three reached the stairs just before a group of ogres reached past the corner with their guns at the ready. By the time they fired at the three, Helsing was out of their line of fire. They would only see a long open pit trap and a dead woman lying on the stone floor...

“I could have saved her...” Cirrynth said. “My magic doesn’t work.”

“Nothing could be done,” Helsing replied. They climbed the stairs, reaching halfway to the next floor. “Fortunately for us, Dracula designed that trap to keep a division between him and the ogres. Those ogres will have to find a way around it.”

“Why would he do that?”

“I don’t know. He sees himself as superior to his underlings but expect more to come.”

They reached the next floor. Unlike the floor below, the bricks on the side walls were the same age. It was somewhat cramped than the previous halls. It was big enough for a single human to walk through it. There were no lights where they were, but there was a hint of light ahead. The team had a choice of two paths to take.

The death of Lina hit Helsing. He took a deep breath and adjusted his back. His wings pulled out from the open flaps of his coat. Finally, he ejected the magazine of his gun and pulled a fresh one to replace it. The other two dragons looked at him.

“I’m sorry I couldn’t save her,” Cirrynth apologized.

“It wasn’t your fault,” Helsing said. “She knew the risks. We’re in Dracula’s domain. He sets the rules.” The man reached into his coat and pulled out a small crystal. He tapped it and saw it give a flicker of light before putting it away.

“How is your magic?” Helsing asked.

“It feels a little bit stronger here,” Cirrynth commented. “But, not strong enough.”

“Each floor we go up, the weaker the dampening field gets. I surmise we’re nearing the original ruins of Poenari Castle, what it was before the ogres began to work further underground.”

“What direction?” Zitiraas asked.

“Left, toward the light. Let’s go.”

The red dragon stayed ahead as they progressed slowly. The possibility of other traps loomed in everyone’s minds, but Helsing pressed on. They took a left and saw a brick and wood-laden hallway with one open doorway to the right. Past that was another turn to the left. There was one hint of an old torch perched on the wall. It was lit, but the embers were smoldering, barely providing any illumination.