[Transylvania] Castlevania

[Bloodedge]

Gregor was virtually speechless. A vampire, the thing he'd sworn to remove from the face of this planet, had made use of the one thing he'd always thought them fatally weak against. He found himself wondering if the god he believed in even existed anymore, if that existence was ever real to begin with. Sorin could sense the wavering of his faith, and thought to clarify a few things for the man. "That is why your power is lacking. If you choose to fight using faith, how do you think God will react if something like this is enough to make you question Him? Our God is not so fickle as to forbid someone like me from believing in Him. Keep that message with you, hunter."

Sorin removed his hand from Gregor's cross, and walked away from the man. In the meantime, Kasmina questioned his arrival here, prompting Gregor to look her way with judgement in his eye. "I... I don't understand. Sorry, wee hen. I came here to save you from a monster so you could go back to your old da. We thought ye were entranced by this creature, but... you're a creature too. Either way, if it'll take a stronger faith than mine to kill you lot, then a stronger faith I'll get!" Upon saying this, Gregor made a quick reach for the reins of his mare, which he intended to use for a hasty escape of this castle. He would be sure to return one day, but he knew now that he could not do anything about this sort of vampire presence alone. He needed help, and more importantly... he needed understanding.

[Apollymi]

It became obvious in the passing moments that Gregor was questioning his faith. It was apparently incomprehensible to him that one such as Sorin could use faith, stronger faith even. Sorin had nothing but a lesson in store for the man about the nature of faith which was surprisingly a nice thing to do, considering the man basically stormed his castle in the hopes of killing him just a few moments prior to this one. Beyond this lesson though Gregor was soon looking at Kasmina and she met his gaze unwaveringly despite the judgement found there, in so doing as he answered her question, she looked into his mind and saw the conversation in the tavern with her father which had led up to this particular ride against Castlevania. The young woman stood, wanting to be shocked by the information but more or less annoyed. She held herself startlingly still as she took a deep breath and watched as the Scotsman rode off, apparently going to find his faith. When she spoke again it was after Gregor left. "The Baron MacLaird was apparently swayed by a story fed to him by my father about what a fiend you are. His words about you, led that man to believe you'd bewitched me, so he thought to free me from your control and send me back to my father," she said very calmly, though she'd still not moved or opened her eyes. But her thumb was spinning her ring around her finger as she fought not to move. She did this mostly so she wouldn't immediately move to her father's house and rampage while there. She prayed for the strength to forgive and to maintain her calm, but she was utterly furious, and beneath that very disappointed in her father.

[Bloodedge]

On his path toward Kasmina, Sorin willed his sword to rise from the floor and enter its sheath. Once that was done, he held out his left hand to request its return by Kasmina. "Holy and Unholy powers are ours to command as we wish. God forgives, so long as you remain loyal to Him. Trust in me, as well; I will never lead you astray. Keepe Faith Till Death," he said, reaching out with his right hand to touch the left hand of the female vampire.

Of course, Sorin was also privy to the fact that Gregor had been sent by Costel Dacian. He had at least made the assumption the moment he discovered who it was invading his castle. Kasmina didn't seem to be taking this knowledge well, and he didn't blame her for it. "Worry not, my dear. All will be made well. Tell me, though... do you believe this was also done for the sake of your brother?"

[Apollymi]

With Sorin's approach, Kasmina's eyes opened, if not for his physical presence, then because of the weight of the sword now in her hands, not that it felt like much to her. With his left hand open to accept his weapon she placed it there, the turning of the ring on her right hand coming to an end as she made peace with the nature of her father, while listening to Sorin's words about the nature of their pairing as beings. "Of course, my faith in God does not tarry and I trust you completely," she said this much should of course be obvious by how she chose to act around him. Though she was still ill at ease about her father, Sorin reaching out to touch her own seemed to make her feel a great deal better than she'd managed to feel previously. She took one final deep breath and exhaled seeming to release tension from her person as she did, before looking up and into Sorin's eyes to answer his question. "I do not worry that all will be set right. But on the matter of my father and what he may or may not have done for the sake of my brother..." there was a pause but there was nothing but honesty to come from her in these moments alone with her husband. "I am remiss to say it is doubtful, that this was purely a selfless act. I can not be sure of my father's intentions, he is quite obvious in the child he favors. But my brother is already taken care of, he knows this as fact. This just seems spiteful because he felt slighted that I would not simply bail him out of his agreement with Hendryck," she mentioned of their previous meeting with her father. "Not that I ever truly did that in the first place. He probably sought to benefit in someway," she said, never one to underestimate the avarice of a man like the one who raised her. She wouldn't be surprised to find out the thought he could get something out of the potential death of her husband for himself.

[Bloodedge]

"... I see." Sorin understood all he needed to. In all his years, he'd never met one so taken by the cardinal sin of greed as Baron Costel Dacian. For him to be called a Baron, a father, a man of the church... it was all absolutely ridiculous. Sorin was no man of hatred, but he felt a strong distaste for his bride's father. If he wasn't stopped, how far would he go? If anything, Sorin felt as if he'd rescued his wife from an existence filled with this man's influence, but the Baron continued even now. She did not deserve this mental strain. "If that is the case, may the Lord give me the strength to restrain myself once more. This all ends tonight." As Sorin spoke, a conjured wind blew through his hair and clothes. A stronger form of traveling than Mistwalking was upon him, and he used it to teleport himself away, to the Baron's home. He would have words with the man, and the outcome remained unknown even to him.

[Apollymi]

Kasmina watched her husband's face in this moment. It seemed his understanding was exactly as he wanted it to be. Of course, she wouldn't lie to him about anything, but she felt plaguing him with her family's problems was probably unnecessary. But before she could say anything else on the matter, her husband conjured a great wind and disappeared from her sight. A sigh escaped this young woman as she thought about how fast her husband had moved from this place and what the statement that this would end tonight had to mean. "Alina," she called for the maid and the young woman appeared at her side, curtsy in place crimson eyes glowing. "Yes, Mistress?" she asked awaiting for a command. "I'd be right to assume, that after finding out that my father sent a Vampire Hunter here to kill him, with no regard for my safety, probably for his own greed, Sorin would go see him, yes?" she asked as if she already knew the answer to this question. There was a gentle upturn to the demon maid's lips as she answer. "Of course, Mistress. Would you like to go to him now?" she asked figuring this woman wouldn't leave her husband alone to deal with the problem. "Of course," and with this statement Alina would reach out for the young woman's hand and once she took it the pair of them would disappear from Castlevania, to the Baron Dacian's farm in Sibiu.

Continue the story here.

[Bloodedge]

Roughly one hour after their departure, Sorin's teleportation saw to the return of Kasmina and himself to Castlevania. Hand-in-hand, they appeared in what had once been Dracula's study, filled not only with books of all sorts, but with alchemic devices and unknown technologies as well. Within this one room were tools which dwarfed the likes of the "self-lighting torches" upon the castle walls; there were many strange beacons and spheres, gears and elements... all sorts of things upon tables and individual stands of various persuasions. Many of the items seemed magical, and many were. Of course, Sorin had brought his wife to this specific location in the castle for one very specific reason: to explain and advance her abilities, and to spare her of her current "illness" as a result. "Apologies, my dear. I let it slip my mind that teaching you about Mistwalking would have this effect on you if I did not follow with the proper knowledge of your new physiology."

[Apollymi]

As they arrived at the castle hand in hand, after a very strange evening out and about, Kasmina got to look around a room she'd never seen before. It was full of marvels and wonders the likes of which her eyes had never seen before. She became infinitely curious about all manner of these things, and found herself scoffing at her husband's apology. "I accept your apology, but there is hardly a need to offer it. I expected some level of strangeness when I accepted this as the next step in our life..." she started as she kept her attention split between this man and taking in all the sights this room had to offer. "More pressingly... I remember my earlier inquiry, forgotten from days ago... these lights are astounding! Tools and instruments the likes of which I couldn't have imagined. With this wealth of knowledge it is a wonder any focus is managed," she said with emphasis about her current interest. Her current 'illness' and new physiology all but forgotten to her already. She could learn about herself anytime, but... all of the other things she had to learn about were also equally if not more important to her.

[Bloodedge]

If Kasmina expected such occurrences to follow vampirism, Sorin thought she could also expect the future happenings. In the moment, though, she seemed less content to receive the development of self than she was to speak about the advancements in technology within Castlevania. "Ah yes, of course. These are tools of science," he replied. Releasing the female's hand, Sorin took a few free steps around the immediate area, turning in different directions and observing the various items strewn around. "Dracula lived a very long time. Life beyond the mortal limits allows many developments to take place. The lights you mentioned probably won't be invented by mortals for decades to come, given their current advancements. Imagine the ability to capture lightning, and place it within a closed lamp. That is essentially what happens."

[Apollymi]

Kasmina soon was given an explanation to her question without much hesitation or thought. This was exactly what she wanted and when the creation of these lights were explained she was astounded, both by the longevity of Dracula and by the ability to apparently capture lightning within little glass bulbs. It seemed preposterous but she was looking at them right now and could hardly deny their existence. "That's astounding, truly... though admittedly I do not know whether to assume he was clever or that he was simply beyond finding amusement," she said of Dracula and the apparent developments he'd made many years before other mortals would find the ideas. She supposed that made sense of course, longer lifetimes would break the limits normally imposed on creativity defined by the times. "Science seems like it will be interesting to follow for quite some time to come," Kasmina mentioned thereafter, but she was not one to tarry when she could remember why she was here. "Now then, what else needs explaining," she gently prodded as she moved forward taking up a place beside her husband as she was quite sure he meant to explain other physical changes she'd go through as she adjusted to immortality.