Allied Powers part 3

Traveling the streets of Toledo would have been more beautiful had there not have been so many ghouls terrorizing the lustrous area. Sloth cleared out at least seven reported blocks. Civilians gave her many blessings and prayers. Some even offered her dinner and wine. She was happy to have met so many people, even if it was under dire circumstances. She was alone this time. Her new apprentice, Adolf Kreuss, was not strong enough to handle being transported frequently, so she went to carrying out her missions as a lone ranger. It was relatively warm tonight, so she decided not to wear her helmet and simply stuck to wearing the mask over her face instead. Her hair came in dark brown sweeps as the soft winds blew threw her curly tresses.

As she walked along the sidewalk in silence, looking at the moon's soft glow, a dark figure jumped through the air. It appeared to be a vampire who had just fed off someone. He leaped from one rooftop to the next until he disappeared in the forests. Taking a deep breath, Sloth untied her golden rifle, reloaded some ammunition, and kneeled down to take aim. Using her keen senses, she followed the target with a trained eye. He was running through the trees, chuckling maniacally as blood dripped from his lips. She pulled the top part of the rifle back to activate her scope for optimum lighting, aimed, and then... BAM!

"Aaaaacckk!"

"That's one of the leaders down," Sloth whispered to herself, rising to her feet to stand. She replaced the rifle back onto her back and continued her walk through town. A ringtone sounded in her pocket, alerting her to a phone call. She pulled her cell phone out and saw a picture of a young man smiling and showing a peace sign with his fingers. She answered it, saying, "Sloth."

'Master, something's happening near the bridge in Toledo. Civilians are being gathered onto it with ghouls and a head vampire holding off the ends. You're about a mile off. Go through the forest and you'll see everything.'

Sloth's phone beeped, signaling another caller. She ran through the forest with haste and told Adolph, "I'm on my way now. Keep searching for the other points of attack in the city. We need to clear out the city before the attacks spread anywhere else."

'Yes, ma'am!'

She could feel the tension in her leg muscles working to pick up her speed as she ran through the rough terrain of the nearby forest. Screams were heard in the distance, and the ominous gleam of possibly a fire lit the horizon of her line of sight. Sloth ended her call with Adolph then answered the new caller, "Sloth?"

'O, great mother, Eve...'

Sloth immediately stopped dead in her tracks from the deep voice donning a hissing in tone. She wondered over and over why her boss would be calling her, but it must either be important or tragic. She answered, "The czar?"

'Young mother, awful news has passed... A friend of yours has left this world...' the voice informed, hearing no response come from the woman but knowing she is inwardly asking who died. 'A vampire hunter from the Netherlands was turned into a ghoul during the spread...'

"The Netherlands?" Sloth questioned, feeling her hand shake and her heart drop into her stomach. She was beginning to find difficulty in breathing.

'The Hunters' Legion of the Netherlands has been destroyed along with several neighborhoods within proximity. Other agents have been sent to investigate and salvage whatever is left. They only found some security footage in which Roi Puissant had been bitten by a vampire. The vampire was discovered to be one of the droids.'

"A cyberpire?" Sloth inquired, angered and saddened all at once. She gritted her teeth hard enough to feel her teeth about to shatter then crushed her phone into pieces.

__________________________________________

Alucard and Seras were calmly walking to a small house that had been rented out for them, steering clear of any civilians. Seras had wondered if Alucard changed his mind about seeing his movie for the night, but she began to doubt that he did. After teasing Baron, the butler sent coordinates through the phone to pinpoint a local movie theatre not far from their house. Since the theatre was opened until one, Alucard decided to take a leisurely stroll to the house before going shopping for himself and his fledgling. He had Baron to thank for finding local shops for the occasion. Of course, everything was in close range so the vampires wouldn't get lost. The streets were completely empty of human civilians, the two noticed. More than likely this was because of the rise of stray vampires lurking through the night. That was until the most peculiar experience happened to the two foreign tourists.

One brave elderly woman was fussing with a man in her house as she took out the trash and went to sit on her porch. A rocking chair creaked as the wind blew it, but was then silenced as she sat in it and reached in a basket next to the chair to pull out some knitting. It was a nice-looking yellow blanket. Seras hummed in thought at what the man in the house was screaming about. She couldn't speak the faintest hint of Spanish. If Baron's daughter was around, she probably could have translated something. As she followed her master, she noticed that he stopped in his tracks as evident when she bumped into him. She looked up at her master and noticed he was watching the woman very closely. The reason being the woman had looked up at him and stopped knitting. Alucard seemed interested enough in the woman to drift towards her, but he went no further than the wooden fence. Of course, it wouldn't be like him not to smile widely at the lady. The woman slowly rose to her feet then placed her knitting down.

The man inside of the house was arguing madly at the elderly woman, but she heard nothing from him. Slowly, she gathered her dress in her hands and then walked towards Alucard suspiciously like she knew him but couldn't place where she had seen him. Alucard merely watched the woman approach him, not truly knowing what she was thinking or doing. It was only until she came face to face with the master vampire that she got intimately close to him. Her frail hands reached out and touched his smooth face. She could feel the coldness of his skin, and he could feel the warmth of her palms. Alucard noticed her skin still had some youthful shine to it, and her hair may have been a lustrous sort of silver, but it too shined as the moon cast a beam onto her face. The wrinkles on her face did little to hide a time-worn beauty in the woman's features. She must have been truly stunning in her younger years. Maybe even so beautiful that Alucard himself would have fallen for her delicate frame.

Of course, then it would be wrong to flirt with an older woman; incidentally, it's wrong to think being touched in such a way is sexy. Alucard shoved his attraction to the woman's soft touching to the back of his mind and tried thinking of something else. What's gone wrong with the world when a master vampire feels he should hit on an old lady? The woman's fingers gently caressed his cheeks then dragged down to his pale lips and for a moment touched his fangs. Her hand drew back, and she chuckled a bit at the childish gesture. She then continued to guide her fingertips up his cheeks to touch the bridge of his nose and took her time to remove his glasses to see his amused, interested red eyes.

She smiled softly then whispered, "Rojo como un diamante cubierto en el mas puro de sangre."

The woman then dragged her hand across his cheek again and carefully removed his hat. She gasped a bit at his flowing, black hair and merely stared at his features. Poor Alucard didn't know what the hell the woman had just said but, clearly, he trusted her enough for her to touch and caress his face without him hurting her. She reached out to him again and felt the texture of his hair. It was soft!

The woman laughed and said, "Suave como un gatito!"

"M-master, what is she saying?" Seras timidly asked, wondering if Alucard knew this language versus the ghoul's. Ha, you thought wrong, Draculina!

"You are Nosferatu," the woman said in clear English, give or take the Spanish accent. Now that they understood. Alucard's eyes immediately narrowed at this. How would she know what a Nosferatu vampire looked like? She placed Alucard's goggles in his hat then smiled at him. She asked, laughing softly, "What is Nosferatu doing in a country where him can't speak the language?"

"You mock me, woman?" Alucard questioned in more of a challenging sort of way. Okay, so he doesn't know basic Spanish. No need to rub it in!

"Mock you?" she scoffed, giving him a 'boy please' look. "Only a fool would mock Nosferatu! It strange to see Nosferatu wander around here anymore. Only one ever wander here. You not him."

"Another Nosferatu comes here?" Alucard questioned; interest gained immensely. Tonight was truly filled with lush surprises!

She then said, "Nosferatu married my niece years ago. We speak t'ree times a year. Him always watch me or speak to me, but him know my language and was born Spanish. You move like him. Very calm y no slouch."

"Vampires can marry humans?" Seras asked, looking to her master. "I thought the church was a hated place for vampires."

"Not Nosferatu," the woman answered, shaking her head and furrowing her brows just an inch. "They no like many things, but they handle it. Nosferatu man who married my niece was very old. Him vampire long before Catholics were born. Him not affected."

There are vampires even older than master? Seras thought.

"Where is this other Nosferatu?" Alucard asked, ignoring the marriage ordeal entirely.

"Him everywhere and nowhere," the woman responded, smiling mischievously at Alucard. Said vampire smiled viciously at her from that answer. Not everyone could exist everywhere and nowhere like he could. "Sometime him home, sometime him visit familia, sometime him search for his daughter. She beautiful like mother. Very strong like him. He always search for her. She never stay in one place. That why he always wander. Put him to work, that girl! You never know where him be. You just know him somewhere."

"Let me know when he comes to visit you. I'd like to see him," Alucard hissed, itching to face this other being like himself. He was also curious to see the daughter of a Nosferatu-human cross breed.

"You have phone?" the woman challenged, smiling playfully. Alucard dug in his pocket to produce the device the woman asked for. She pushed a few buttons with an elegant sort of haste then handed the phone back to him. "Ah, a gift!" the woman then brightly said. She ran to her basket of knitting and pulled out two trinkets from beneath the yellow blanket she was crafting. She pulled out a beautiful necklace made with turquoise and blue stones found in the seas and gave it to Seras. She said, "Makes eyes soften from that red."

"Thank you, miss," Seras piped, letting her put the necklace on. The blonde touched the necklace lovingly and smiled innocently.

"For you," the woman said, turning to Alucard whose wild grin turned to a more subtle smile. She wrapped a soft green sort of scarf around his neck and pointed to the coat of arms that was along the gold embroidery. He looked down at where she was pointing and noticed crowns and chipped gems and stones sewn and meshed into the fabric. She then said to him, "Young prince."

Alucard looked up at her with a genuine kind smirk before even that softened up to a small smile. She was rather sweet to someone who could easily kill her, but it must have had something to do with Spanish tradition and the fact that a Nosferatu vampire married - of all things - into her family. Her niece must have been enchanting for a vampire to have gone to such a great length like marriage just to have her. That's when a thought crossed his mind rapidly. He remembered the vow Sloth and he made. She mentioned there was someone she had to fight before him. Was it possible that she had to fight a Nosferatu vampire?

"I must go. Old people get cranky when they no sleep," the woman joked, handing Alucard his possessions back. She waved at him and said, "Rest in peace, Nosferatu prince. Goodbye, young lady."

____________________________________________-

"Evening, Alucard. I expect a full report after you have rested properly, including yours Seras."

Last night was simply wonderful for Alucard! Just wonderful! He bought some nice clothes, went to the movies, met an old woman who knew he was a Nosferatu, learned there was another Nosferatu who knew Spanish, and even bothered to give her a call to make sure she would call him to tell him when this other so-called Nosferatu would return to visit her. He was terribly fascinated with the people and culture of Spain. They were all so lively and colorful! He had actually begun to miss the boisterous town and nightlife. He had to remember to thank Baron for the coordinates.

"Yes, ma'am," Seras responded brightly as ever.

"Where is Baron?" Alucard then proceeded to ask.

"Right here, of course," Baron answered, walking into the office with a tray of tea. "All the more to seem suspicious. Hungry after your trip, sir?"

"Very. There is also something I think you'll find very interesting. If you're not too busy, I'd like to talk to you about it."

"This is going downhill fast," Baron remarked, making a rather interesting face. Of course, Alucard and Integra collectively like when Baron showed some hint of emotion other than the gentleman face always smiling and hardly entering a second opinion on matters. "Today will be rather busy, sir. At least up until breakfast."

"I expect you will find some time to indulge in a short conversation then since your schedule is so full," Alucard challenged.

Baron sighed then rolled his eyes and chuckled, "Dinner will be down in a moment, sir. We'll speak then."

With that, Alucard left the room with Seras following behind him. As she watched her two agents walk out of the room, she hummed in thought. Nothing about Alucard and Seras's relationship seemed to really change. She still followed behind him like a servant, even though there were some complications to their interactions. It was somewhat the same with her and him. Stupid vampire and his seductive powers is what that is! Integra grew more suspicious of Alucard and Baron's relationship, however. While she understood that Alucard was a male and would probably be more open about certain things to other males like himself, she couldn't understand why he always tried to speak to Baron in privacy. This was too welcoming of him! He never truly spoke to any of the Wild Geese men like this, so what was really going on between them? What were they talking about so much that Alucard simply felt the need to just speak to him? It couldn't be about that skank vampire hunter. Baron was just teasing her like he always did after he admitted to it. So then...what is it? Does he really...trust him?

No, that couldn't be it! Integra rubbed the bridge of her nose in thought then sighed deeply. Clearly, she was thinking too much about relationships. What she needed to focus on was the Round Table meeting tomorrow. Since most of the table were replaced with the next generation of leaders, she would have to know how to explain the happenings with the vampire attacks. That included knowing the new members' temperaments and background information on a more personal level. Baron made good work of finding out several interesting things suitable for blackmail on some of these new members, and she was going to make good use of it to gain their attention if she needed to go down that road to start with. She also needed more information on these randomized attacks, too. No matter how many times she had gone over the points of attack, she couldn't make any true sense out of it. This new enemy was incredibly strategic. It's as if they're purposely confusing everyone, even herself, so they can exploit the vampire hunters' weakness.

Wait! Integra thought. What if...? That woman Alucard claimed to have seen twice... She's always there before we act and always takes care of the vampires attacking the city. After she handles the lead vampire, the attacks just stop and mobilize somewhere else. Maybe...

"Baron..." Integra started, thinking about the words to say to the butler. "I need you to ask Alucard about this vampire hunter he keeps seeing. He seems to trust y - "

"Before you continue any further, Sir Integra, I will have to correct you on that statement," Baron swiftly interrupted, moving the tray towards the door. "Alucard does not trust me. He merely sees me as his plaything. What you're trying to say is he has some level of respect towards me. The day he leaves you in my care for protection against an opponent that you can't handle alone and he can't save you from in time is the day he will trust me. Him speaking to me involves a different matter entirely. He's using these conversations as a way to provoke me into doing what he pleases. Usually to appease his desire to fight or for some sort of entertainment."

Integra chuckled lightly at this, now understanding the relationship. It was just like Alucard to tease others. It made perfect sense! Baron hardly responds to teasing from others, so Alucard finds any way possible to get him to respond. Pfft, that's actually rather cute of him - dare she say it. Integra then joked, "I think he has a crush on you then, Mr. vanGouge."

"He's gonna have to take one for the team then!" Baron replied, standing at the doorway to await further instructions. He was no longer smiling with that gentleman's grace anymore. He furrowed his brows then said, "I'm not having a vampire's cock up my ass."

"What will you do if that is what he truly wants?" Integra teased, smiling mischievously.

"I'm buyin' a plane the fuck outta here!"

Integra's lip curled in a sort of evil smirk, but she was really just trying to hold in her laughter at the butler's outburst. She then continued, wanting to see more of his reactions and hear more of his rantings, "That will leave your children unprotected, though. Danny is still a young, fresh girl, and Joshua is every young girl's dream man. You can't possibly leave them to the hands of Hellsing while you're running from a horny vamp."

"Tch, clearly you know very little of me and my role as a father. By the time I'm on the fucking plane, they're already across the country."

"So, you'll save them first before you leave? Isn't that like taking one for the team?"

"More like a precaution."

"What about your other daughter, Len?" Integra then asked, crossing one leg over the other as she adjusted in her chair. "Suppose she comes here thinking you're still working here. You're going to leave her here?"

Baron's eyes narrowed, uncharacteristically venomously. It frightened Integra a bit but this wasn't a threatening glare. He was truly serious about hurting someone behind that hot gaze. He stalked toward Integra until he was hovering above her desk and stooped down to get close enough to her face that she could feel his breathing. He then hissed, "Is this your way of provoking me to do something you want, Integra?"

"Well, I only wanted to see your emotions," Integra explained, not realizing just how close their lips were. She looked at his lips then suddenly felt her throat dry immensely. She swallowed a bit, perking Baron's interest slightly as he rose a brow, and then said, "They only seem to come out when your children are involved."

"I see. Then, pardon me, sir," Baron said, swiftly turning away from Integra. "I have some vampires to feed."

Integra felt a bit guilty for making Baron angry. He was a nice person. She tried to compliment him by saying, "You're a wonderful father, Baron. Your children are very lucky to have you guide them."

Baron stopped in his tracks, letting out a bitter chuckle. He turned to Integra and produced one of the softest, breath-taking smiles she had ever seen. He said kindly, "Thank you."