Part 16: Death Attacks! (Fourth Boss Fight)

With whip on hand, Sarah stood her ground while Vishno prepared to use the lightning bolt spell. As they were, Death floated about the room keeping eye contact with its foes. Vishno tried to unleash the spell at Death but he got hit by Death just after he started. Death vanished just before the spell hit it so it made Sarah wonder if they had any chance of succeeding. Suddenly, as if out of nowhere, small floating scythes began to appear in the air. Some headed towards Sarah while others towards Vishno. The good news for both of them was that the scythes seemed to move around slowly so they had time to think. Sarah didn’t have many things to attack Death with but she certainly had the courage to face it. She jumped and threw a cross at it but instead of fading out like before, Death evaded it by moving aside. Just after Death moved though, Sarah managed to lash at it with her whip as soon as she landed. Death seemed to suffer damage but not as much as Sarah expected. She knew this fight was gonna be very tough so after performing some back flips she threw yet another cross at her opponent. At that moment, Vishno attacked Death from behind using a dagger but Death evaded that attack as well. Sensing that she wouldn’t be able to keep using crosses for long, she thought it would be best to smash some of the pedestals to stock up on more hearts. After destroying the one that was closest to her, she was surprised to see a big heart come out of it. Just after that, Sarah had to protect herself by using her whip against some scythes that finally caught up to her. After their destruction, a couple of them produced small hearts so she took them as well. Vishno also managed to destroy a couple of scythes that came too close but no hearts were produced. Things weren’t improving, as they took out one scythe, another one appeared to take its place. Sarah jumped sideways and threw another cross at Death but by the time she did so, the first cross she had thrown made its return trip towards Death, even though Death evaded the first cross again by moving side ways, the third one got it right in the chest. This left Death stunned for barely a few seconds so Sarah threw yet another cross at it. Just before this last cross hit Death, the second one got it in the back of its skull before disappearing. Vishno started to prepare for another lightning bolt spell while Sarah focused on dealing damage with her whip. After a few moments, Death began to look wounded and upset. Sarah thought it would be a good chance to finish the battle so she jumped and lashed at it once more but, before she could hit, Death vanished one more time. Both Vishno and Sarah were surprised to see this outcome. They never expected this fight to be easy. As they were about to leave however, the chandelier began to shake and some of the scrolls on the cases dropped to the floor. They turned to the center of the room and saw a translucent figure emerge from the ceiling. As it became denser, they saw it was Death again but it looked rather different then. Death had a very grim look as it was more than a simple skeletal figure wearing a robe. This time it had very long, black shredded robes that matched the night sky. Its eyes looked fiery, with red flames instead of blue. The thing that stood out the most however, was its scythe; as each end of the pole had a bladed scythe that reached out in the opposite direction. Sarah was surprised but she was also determined to win so she could get to her brother. She quickly lashed at Death but nothing happened, as its body seemed more transparent than before. Sarah was baffled by this as Death’s scythe was the only thing about her enemy that was not transparent. Sarah took a few steps back to think and as she did, she also looked around. The small scythes that were flying about in the room were gone and Death seemed to want to wait for her to make the next move. At that point, Sarah threw a cross at her opponent to test out a theory. She kept looking as Death didn’t even move to evade the cross as it went right through without causing any damage at all.

Vishno:
How are we supposed to fight if we can’t even hurt it?
Sarah:
I think I have an idea. Just prepare for an attack but wait for my signal.

As the cross she threw was making a return trip and about to hit Death’s scythe, Death moved it out of the way and attacked Sarah with it by launching it in her direction. Sarah barely dodged the huge scythe as it managed to cut her arm but only slightly. Sarah had things figured out by then.

Sarah:
Now Vishno!

Vishno attacked directly by tackling the scythe but was damaged in the process. As he fell to the center of the room, Sarah threw a couple more crosses at different points of the room. Death attacked Sarah again but that time she dodged and avoided damage. One of the crosses did hit Death’s scythe as Sarah turned towards Vishno, only to see he was left unconscious. This made things harder but she believed she could handle everything herself. As Death grabbed its scythe, Sarah prepared her whip to change its properties to fire. She wasn’t sure if it would pay off but it was her best bet. Death charged in her direction with full force but she jumped just in time and she managed to throw a cross in mid air. The cross flew straight towards the ground and into the scythe, causing more damage. Death turned and charged again as Sarah barely dodged and connected a whip attack at the scythe. Death was beginning to get irritated by this, as the opponent it was facing was far better than expected. Throwing its scythe at Sarah once more, Death tried to trick her. Sarah leaped back as she threw yet another cross to her right when, her enemy was right in front of her. That time however, she noticed that right after throwing it, the original cross in her belt had stopped glowing. She realized what that meant but she couldn’t stop focusing on the battle at hand. Death noticed her throwing the cross at an unusual direction but wasn’t concerned. The double scythe was on its way to its master when Death decided to finish the trap technique. As Sarah was about to make her way towards Death, it made a few small scythes appear again near her. These scythes were faster than the ones from before and they were aiming for Sarah’s feet. Sarah knew this and realized that her only option was to jump over them. As she did however, Death’s scythe nabbed her from behind in a nasty way. She wasn’t cut that time as what hit her was the hard pole that connected each blade. It began to damage her as it carried her closer to her opponent. Death was pleased as its trap had worked and Sarah was now incapacitated and trapped by a mysterious force.

Death:
Say your prayers child, nobody can save you now.
Sarah: (struggling)
I’m... no child. You won’t... be able to... ugh, defeat me.

Before Sarah, or anyone else for that matter, could do anything else; the cross she had thrown moments earlier came back, hitting Death’s scythe once more. This allowed Sarah to break free of the force holding her to the scythe. It also managed to stun Death for a few moments, moments Sarah took advantage off to deal one last blow against Death’s scythe. The fire must have done the trick as Death and its scythe vanished. All was quiet for a moment as Sarah quickly ran towards Vishno.

Sarah:
Vishno, are you all right? Speak to me!
Vishno: (waking up)
Huh? What happened?
Sarah:
Can you stand up? We need to get out of here.
Vishno:
Yes, I feel better now. Did you beat Death already?

Before Sarah had a chance to answer, the room began to shake more violently and, without warning, the wall on the west side of the room collapsed; as well as part of the ceiling. Having broken into the room through the ceiling, a huge monster stood in front of them. The moonlight allowed them to see that it was a spider like creature with a skull for a head; its legs were hideous abominations, as they seemed to be part arachnid and part scythes. Sarah was speechless, she never though she would have to fight against such a thing. She even wondered if this could also be Death, coming back to finish both of them. Vishno stood up, shaking his head after getting knocked to the ground. Once he focused, he whispered to Sarah that he would go behind their enemy and attack before it reached Sarah. She agreed and as soon as the spider began to advance in her direction, he went for it. Sarah had to maintain her position if their plan was going to succeed. Out of hearts, her only choice was her whip and she wasn’t sure if it would work against this thing. Suddenly, the spider leaped towards her but Vishno wasn’t ready yet. Sarah jumped backwards but couldn’t dodge in time and she got hurt by the huge spider’s body. She struggled to get out from under it but she wasn’t strong enough. Gasping for air, she barely managed to call out to Vishno who, walked over to her and smiled. She knew then that she had fallen into a trap. Anger fueled her strength as she managed to somehow slip out from the huge spider’s belly. Her body was swollen and she could hardly move. As she reached into her bag for a potion, Vishno took one from his pocket and said.

Vishno:
Looking for this?

End part 16.

Part 17: Vishno?

Sarah couldn’t believe her eyes. How could he do this after all they had been through? Still, she was having some strange feelings ever since they met up again.

Sarah:
Huh? (She said as she looked inside her bag.) How could you Vishno? I thought...
Vishno:
What? That we were allies? You silly girl... I suppose you could chalk this up to experience, but the thing is... you will not live long enough to get anymore experience.
Sarah: (Thinking)
This can’t be the end of me. I must find a way to...

As she was, trying to figure a way out of that awful situation, the cross she carried on her belt started to twinkle. Suddenly, images started to flash before her eyes and she knew what to do next. Vishno stepped back so Death could move in for the kill but before it could do so, Sarah grabbed her cross and used her accumulated energy to unleash a barrage of crosses all over the room. Both Death and Vishno got damaged by the attack but Death seemed to suffer more damage than Vishno as he ducked for cover. By the end of it, both Sarah and Death seemed to be unable to move as swiftly as before. Seeing that, Vishno leaped towards Sarah in an attempt to attack her but suddenly, a red light came from behind them, cutting Vishno in half. It was Vishno’s chakram! As both halves of the fake Vishno dropped to the floor, Sarah saw the real Vishno come out from behind the crumbled wall of the library. His chakram, having returned to him, still had a red glow as he moved towards the giant death spider. Hardly moving, Death swung one of its scythe arms at Vishno who simply evaded the attack and stroke Death down with his holy weapon. The battle was finally over as Death slowly disappeared engulfed in flames. Right after Death disappeared though, it left a mysterious red sphere that immediately flew into Sarah’s body. This not only seemed to replenish Sarah’s health, it also restored the energy she used to unleash the attack with her cross. Sarah was as amazed as she was relieved, she knew deep down that she could trust Vishno, or at least the real Vishno anyway. Vishno was also relieved to have found his friend in time. He reached into his counterpart’s pockets and retrieved the two potions he had stolen. He also stared at the copy for a few seconds. As he did so, the man on the floor started to return to his original form. Barely being able to speak, he let out a few words.

Fargo:
Master... I... have... failed... you...
Vishno: (Holding up Fargo by his neck)
Who sent you? Who is your master?

But Fargo could no longer speak, his life had ended and his eyes went blank. At the same time, Vishno’s chakram returned to normal.


Sarah:
Do not worry about the details, we will get to find out more soon enough.

As Vishno stepped closer to Sarah to return her potions, a white glowing circle appeared next to the only door in the room.

Sarah:
Thank you Vishno; for a moment there I thought that was the end. What happened to you and why did you end up outside of the castle?
Vishno:
It is a long story but I could tell you about it while we make our way back to the great hall. You would not believe what happened to me out there. By the way, did you know that Vishno over there was a fake earlier or did you notice when it was too late?
Sarah:
I am afraid I only realized it when it was nearly too late and I was close to being beaten. I did get a strange feeling because he never used his chakram and he did not want me to step into the safe room at the great hall. I should have known something was wrong but I did not.
Vishno: (smiling)
Do not beat yourself up Sarah. They already have done a good enough job as it is. At least now you know that nobody can use my chakram but me.
Sarah: (smiling back)
Yes, I suppose so. Look! Another circle has appeared. I think you should hold the long story for when we get out of here, and we step into the circle to return faster to the entrance.
Vishno:
I agree. There will be more than enough time for talking once we manage to get away from here; assuming we ever do so, of course.
Sarah:
Do not say that! I am sure we will get out just fine, just you wait and see.
Vishno:
Yes, you are right. There is no need to think this way right now. So, shall we?

Sarah nodded as they both stepped into the white circle, transporting them to the great hall in a matter of seconds. Meanwhile, Mathias and Death met up once more at a place far from the castle. Death reported the battle to Mathias as he merely listened to what his loyal servant had to say. Back in the great hall, Vishno stepped out of the safe room and was left feeling refreshed. Sarah was glad to have her friend back but now that they had returned to that place, she was left wondering how to open the remaining set of doors that were still locked. Vishno thought of this as well and rushed to the door to see if it, by chance, was open. Sarah followed him but after seeing him failing to open the door, she felt frustrated.

Sarah:
I do not understand... We have already searched the whole castle and, why are those doors still locked?
Vishno:
I know how you feel. When I was out there in the garden I tried looking for a key or, something to open these doors with but I could not find a darn thing.
Sarah:
I do not like this one bit. What if the lock on these doors is somehow opened by something we left in the library? You know... something we may have missed in our rush to get back here.
Vishno:
You may have a point there. It may also be possible that the lock on the doors responds only to a mystical item of some sort. Wait a second... remember the red orb that flew into you when I finished off Death?
Sarah:
Why, yes. I certainly do. Do you suppose..?
Vishno:
I think you should be the one to open the doors, yes.
Sarah:
Well then, let’s give it a try!

As soon as she stepped in front of the doors leading to the throne room, the red sphere came out of Sarah’s body and seemed to fuse with the doors, opening them all the way. Just before going through, she looked around and thought it would be a good idea to see if the candelabra to her right had any hidden items or hearts. Having seen her uncover a stake inside of it, Vishno decided to do the same on the candelabra to his left. It dropped a small white crystal but Vishno left it on the floor. Sarah however, took the stake from the floor and headed out towards the staircase leading to the throne room. The staircase was a complete work of art. A beautiful red carpet covered the steps all the way to a small tower containing the throne room. The whole staircase stretched for about one hundred meters long and along its railings, pedestals kept the way lit when there was no moon outside. The moon was fully covered at that time by dark clouds but the visibility was fine thanks to the light from the pedestals. Sarah was amazed by the view around them as things in the distance could be seen but, she had to stay focused on her mission. As they advanced, they took out only a few of the pedestals so they could obtain more hearts. In the midst of that though, Sarah remembered to ask Vishno about his whereabouts after they separated.


Sarah:
Vishno, since this is a long staircase and you mentioned something about the outside of the castle, could you tell me how you ended up there in the first place while we get to the top?
Vishno:
Yes of course. You see, when I got to the great hall I saw the doors at entrance wide open so I decided to take a look. Would you really like me to tell you the whole story?
Sarah (with a smile on her face):
Sure, tell me what happened to you. It seems we have time anyway.

End part 17.

Part 18: Alura Une.

Vishno:
It is quite funny actually; as soon as I stepped out I noticed that the glass walls alongside the entrance corridor were gone. As I noticed that however, the doors shut behind me so I could not return. I knew then it must have been some sort of trap to get us separated. Anyway, as I made my way deeper into the garden I found all sort of strange plants and monsters so I had to defend myself. After walking and fighting for some time, I came across a huge plant that had a woman’s figure inside of its center rose.
Sarah:
So the figure of a woman was in the rose? How big was it to begin with?
Vishno:
Just big enough rose to fit an average human inside of it.
Sarah:
Did the plant attack you straight away?
Vishno:
Not at first but it seemed to watch my every move as I kept my eyes on it.
Sarah:
What about the woman? Was it a plant like figure or was there someone trapped in there?
Vishno:
At first I had no idea. I can tell you that I did not like what she looked like when I got closer.
Sarah:
What do you mean by that?
Vishno:
Her skin looked like ours but somewhat different. It was only when I got close that I noticed she did not have a face. Other than that it was like seeing an average lady. The only thing I noticed at first was that she was not wearing anything.
Sarah:
Oh, I get it now! (She said as she gave Vishno a cynical glance.)
Vishno: (blushing)
Wait, it was nothing like that! I thought someone was in trouble so I rushed over there to help and that was when I noticed she did not have a face, or any clothes on for that matter.

Sarah then stopped climbing up the stairs and put her hands on her waist. Vishno noticed she had stopped but before he could say anything else, she spoke.

Sarah:
So are you saying a faceless, naked woman was in the middle of a huge plant? Are you expecting me to believe that she was not real?

Vishno also stopped in his tracks and backed a couple of steps to position himself in front of Sarah.

Vishno:
The female figure was real all right but it was not an actual human trapped or anything of the sort.
Sarah:
So what did you do?
Vishno:
As soon as I saw its roots come out from under me I knew I had to attack. With my chakram in hand I began to cut it down. Long story short, after I was through with it I heard a loud noise in the wall a few meters away and I went to investigate.
Sarah:
That is when you found me and that Vishno impostor, right?
Vishno:
Yes. My holy weapon indicated a friend in danger and as soon as I saw the hole in the wall I thought I would find you. As soon as I saw you dealing with two enemies and in your condition, I knew I had to do something. I am glad I was able to get there in time. But come on, we have to get going. Your brother must be close by.
Sarah:
Wait Vishno, do not take this the wrong way but, how do I make sure it is really you this time? And if so, how can I know for sure I can trust you?
Vishno:
Here, my chakram is unique in the world so you should know it is definitely me by seeing it glow. If we both hold on to it and it glows a gentle green, it means we can trust each other. What do you say? Are you willing to give it a try?
Sarah: (looking more calm)
Very well.
Vishno:
Be careful to grab it gently as its edges are very sharp.

Sarah nodded as Vishno handed his weapon over to Sarah who, reached for it and gently grabbed a hold of it. They were both glad to see it glow green and Sarah, feeling much better, continued climbing towards the throne room as Vishno did the same. As they reached another set of doors, they opened wide to reveal the Throne room. Just before they stepped inside, the moon reappeared from behind the clouds, making it easier to see the contents of the room. The throne room was very well decorated; tapestries and paintings adorned the walls while a huge chandelier adorned the ceiling. The candles in it were not lit so everything would have been dark inside if not from the moonlight going through the windows. They noticed a red carpet covering the entire floor and, at the far end of the room, a shield of arms hung on the wall. Right under it, they saw a beautifully adorned throne made of gold. To their right, they saw a divan with small blood stains on it. Nobody seemed to be in there at the time so they stepped in to see if they weren’t missing anything. As they did, the doors shut close, startling them while a laugh was heard all across the room. Sarah seemed to recognize it as she was paralyzed with fear. The fear that she might not be able to save her loved ones was tearing her up inside. Suddenly, a figure came out from behind the throne. It was Simon! Sarah’s little brother. Both Vishno and Sarah couldn’t speak so Simon did so before them.

Simon: (grinning)
What is the matter big sister? Cat got your tongue? Ha, ha, ha!
Sarah:
Wh... wha... What happened to you little brother? Y... you look, different.
Simon:
And I feel different as well. You have no idea how good it feels to be a vampire.
Sarah: (shocked)
Oh no! (She says as she begins to cry) I should have gotten here sooner! I ca not believe this has happened...
Simon:
Come now sister, do not be sad. This is the best thing that has ever happened to me. If you only knew the power I feel right now; the rush of fresh blood running through my veins.
Sarah:
Oh my God Simon... Do you fail to realize what has happened? How will you be able to come back home now? You have become what we despise so much. Who turned you into this abomination? Tell me!
Simon:
Tsk, tsk. I no longer have to listen to you dear sister. I am my own man now and neither you nor our parents can do anything about it.
Sarah:
But why? Why did you do this? Were we not happy as a family? Did I do something to make you want to change this badly?

Sarah then noticed a change in her brother’s expression. From joy to anger, Simon decided to let her sister know why he chose this path.

Simon:
Do you not understand it dear sister? I was doomed from the start. Ever since you began the training to become a vampire hunter, father dedicated more time for you than he did for me. I always felt neglected just because I was not first born. I always tried to make father proud but no matter what I did I always fell short. You may have not enjoyed some of the intense training exercises but I would have given anything to be in your position.
Sarah:
Why did you fail to tell us how you felt Simon? I would have...
Simon:
Would have what? None of you ever listened to me so why should I listen now?

End part 18.

Part 19: Simon Attacks! (Fifth boss fight)

It was beginning to seem clear to Sarah that this was not her brother anymore. Still, could there be a way to save her brother and get back in time to save her parents? Sunrise was only a couple of hours away and time was running out.

Sarah:
Simon, stop this at once! Do you not even care that our parents lay on their death bed as we speak?
Simon:
Why should I? With these new powers I can find a new family; one that will know how to appreciate me more than the lot of you.
Sarah:
Do not be a fool Simon, snap out of this and come home with me.
Simon:
Enough of this! I shall teach you not to meddle in my affairs.

Simon leaped all the way from the throne to a spot near where his sister and Vishno were. Vishno was about to begin concentration but Sarah stopped him.

Sarah:
Vishno, you stay out of this. This is MY battle, understand?
Vishno:
I understand completely and I shall not interfere.

As Vishno stepped back close to the entrance doors, Sarah prepared to defend herself. She might have not been willing to harm her brother but she couldn’t let herself be defeated now; not with the lives of her parents hanging in the balance. She was prepared to defeat her little brother if it came to that. After Simon landed, Sarah back flipped out of the way while keeping an eye on him. As she did, she lashed at his brother’s feet with her whip. It was then that she remembered she hadn’t changed the properties of her whip since her last battle. Flames rushed from the whip and into Simon’s feet. Even though not all vampires are weak against fire, Simon was showing an expression filled with pain as the flames touched him. Sarah, not wanting to inflict much damage on her brother just yet, quickly changed the properties of her whip to normal. While she was busy with that, Simon then decided to slide towards his sister in order to attack. Sarah got knocked down just as she got her whip back to normal; however, the damage she sustained was close to nothing. The amount of damage was of no concern to Simon as all he intended to do was knock his sister off her feet. Vishno seemed worried about Sarah but there was nothing he could do. He swore not to get involved and unless someone else interfered, he wasn’t about to break his promise. As the battle raged on, Simon punched his sister with enough force to rip her lower lip. If she hadn’t tried to avoid it he would have broken her nose instead. Sarah had to get back on her feet quickly but with her brother breathing down her neck it was easier said than done. As she could, she managed to scurry away and avoid further attacks. This caused her brother to express some amusement at her expense. Since he had usually seen his sister to be anything but powerless, this time she seemed helpless and it made him feel good. Anger showed in Vishno’s face as he had to remain still. He hated not being able to help Sarah in any way but he couldn’t break his promise either. Simon leaped onto his sister but she rolled away in the nick of time. Every time Simon attacked, Sarah merely dodged. After some time, he became angry at his sister’s attempts not to hurt him. Failing to land another hit time and time again, he stopped suddenly and began to stare at her.

Simon:
What do you think you are doing? You merely delay the inevitable, you know. If you do not stop playing around and fight me then our parents will die. Is that what you want?
Sarah: (In tears)
I... I can not believe you are saying that. (sobs) I promised father that I would get you back home alive.
Simon: (chuckling)
It would seem you can no longer fulfill that promise now, can you? Ha-ha!
Sarah:
I am sorry brother. (She said, as she stopped crying and turned her head away.) I see now that everything you were has been lost. I simply do not believe that I am about to ... (she sighed and turned with a determined look on her face to see her brother.) If you will not change your mind then you leave me no choice. Get ready!
Simon:
Now that is better... I need to show you how strong I have become.

They both charged at each other and exchanged blows. Sarah hit Simon in the stomach while Simon hit Sarah in the face. It seemed Simon received less damage but this didn’t make Sarah worry at all. After a few more blows dealt by each of them, Sarah wrapped her whip around her right hand and struck Simon on the chest. This made Simon yell out in pain as the Vampire Killer whip was at its strongest when in normal mode. Sarah then understood; it was not that his brother was weak against fire but rather, the whip was strong against vampires regardless of its properties. If she kept this up, she might had a chance at finishing the fight earlier, thus saving some precious time to help her folks. In the meantime, a set of eyes kept a close watch on what was going on in the throne room. Vishno’s chakram sensed another presence in the room but since it wasn’t anything to be concerned about, it did nothing at the time. Sarah was quick on her feet and Simon, even after having received that much damage, didn’t seem to be tired at all. Sarah was beginning to show signs of fatigue as she had skipped a full night’s rest. Sarah thought it was of no use to keep evading his brother’s attacks while she attacked. From that point on, she decided to keep close to him and take most direct hits so she could also land more effective ones with her whip. Simon of course, wasn’t about to stand somewhere and take the beating, he also kept a close distance to his sister and kept on hitting her. Even though most of his punches were now hitting their mark, Sarah wasn’t slowing down. She did seem tired but it wasn’t enough to slow her down apparently. Simon wasn’t evading his sister’s attacks either and didn’t seem to be slowing down much. Sarah thought for sure that if things kept the way they were going; her chances of saving her parents would diminish. She knew that if she wanted to stop her brother she would have to do something unexpected. Before she could figure out anything however, Simon decided to use one of his special moves. He leaped back as he placed his right hand in front of his sister and suddenly, without warning, she was pushed away with such force that she would have impacted the wall behind her if it hadn’t been for Vishno quickly coming to catch her. Simon was getting angry quickly as he saw what had transpired. Sarah was not pleased either but she realized that Vishno did not mean to interrupt the fight, he was merely helping her out. Sarah then remembered something about their childhood. She brushed her hair aside and, after nodding a thank you to Vishno, she took a few steps forward to try and speak to her brother.

Sarah:
Simon please, this can not really be you. Do you not remember the good times we used to have? I remember clearly when...
Simon:
Be silent! I see what you are trying to do sister and it will not work. Say your prayers because I have no problem in sending you to the afterlife.
Sarah:
Simon, listen to me! Do you not remember Sonja?

After hearing those words, Simon was stunned as if struck by lightning. He lowered his eyes to think about the person that once mattered to him the most. Sarah then kept on talking to see if she could make her brother go back to being himself.

Sarah:
Yes, you do remember her, do you not? I still remember when we first met her after she moved to our village. I even remember the first time you two went out alone.

But it was no use; she could clearly see that Simon was holding his head, trying to fight the memories of his humanity. She then understood that her little brother was never coming back. She had to act quickly as well, as she knew she wasn’t going to get another chance. She changed the properties of her whip to ice and, with as much speed as her feet allowed her; she rushed at her brother’s side and struck with an amazingly strong blow. Even though most of Simon’s body was frozen by it, he had finally come to his senses and still tried to attack his sister. Seeing the murderous glare in his eyes, Sarah pleaded God for forgiveness as she drove the stake into her brother’s heart.

End part 19.

Part 20: Joachim Attacks! (Final Boss fight)

As Sarah held on to her little brother, he slowly started to vanish, turning into bones and ashes. As he did though, the siblings managed to exchange a few last words.

Simon:
Sarah, please tell our parents that... I did not mean for any of this to happen.
Sarah: (in tears again)
Simon I... I feel so awful that you had to...
Simon:
No sister, do not be sad. Just know that I did not really mean those ugly things I said. I love you and our parents, never forget that... (He could not speak anymore as most of his body had turned to ashes at that point.)
Sarah:
Simon, Nooo! (Sarah tried to hold on to him but there was nothing to hold on to anymore.)

As the stake fell to the floor, Vishno took a few steps toward Sarah. He could only imagine the pain she was in as he had no siblings of his own; or at least, none that he was aware of. He tried to say something but he couldn’t think of anything to say. As they were, a sinister shadow appeared suddenly from behind the throne.

Joachim:
Well, well, well, what a touching moment. I would be in tears if it was not so pathetic.

Sarah’s expression then turned to anger; she couldn’t believe what she had just heard. How could someone be so heartless and insolent? She also felt the whip’s rage in her hand, it was as if the whip couldn’t wait to be used against whoever that was. As she stood up and turned around to face the throne, she tried to remain calm.

Sarah:
Who are you demon? How dare you speak that way to me and my brother?
Joachim:
My word, is that a proper way to address the lord of this castle? My name, you insolent little girl, is Joachim Armster. It was I who turned your brother into a vampire. Thanks to me he acquired more power than he ever dreamed of.

Sarah was astonished; she didn’t expect someone like that to simply come out and confess right away. Knowing this wasn’t going to be easy, she began to walk towards Joachim while preparing for battle. As she did so, Joachim merely sat on the throne waiting for her to come near. With a grin on his face, he couldn’t wait to tests his new powers.

Sarah:
You... you monster! How could you turn my brother into the likes of you! I shall never forgive you for this, never!
Joachim:
I must say I enjoyed your brother’s blood very much. But he seemed to enjoy being a vampire even more.
Sarah:
I am going to make you wish you never said those words to me. I will make sure this castle becomes your final resting place.

As Sarah jumped towards Joachim with her whip, he stood up and quickly vanished as Sarah landed in front of the throne to lash at the empty chair. He then reappeared behind her and launched three fireballs at her. Vishno saw this and threw his chakram at the fireballs but it only destroyed of two of them. Even though Sarah reacted quickly, the fireball still brushed her shoulder. Sarah changed the properties of her whip to lightning and jumped towards her opponent. As she hit Joachim’s body, she noticed he didn’t take any damage from her whip at all. She tried again but to no avail, Joachim vanished before she could strike a third time. Sarah tried to look everywhere for a hint of where he would reappear; finally, she saw a small flash of light near Vishno. As Vishno got out of the way, she changed the properties of her whip yet again to fire and, this time she aimed for Joachim’s head. This time it worked, as Joachim took damage from the attack at the same time he released more fireballs. Sarah quickly jumped over them and hit Joachim in the head again. As she landed, she prepared to attack again but Joachim vanished before she could do so. This time, he reappeared near the entrance and launched a huge circular flame towards Sarah and Vishno. Even though his chakram issued a warning, he wasn’t fast enough to evade it and was seriously burned; Sarah however, got out of the way in the nick of time. Vishno was badly wounded so he decided to stay out of the battle until his wounds healed. As he crawled near the divan, Sarah ran towards Joachim to attack once more but he vanished just before she got to his position. Getting annoyed by Joachim’s hit and run tactics, she started to think of a better strategy to fight him. Remembering that she got more hearts on her way over, she thought about using her glowing cross against Joachim but decided not to do so yet. She also noticed that after Joachim made his presence clear to them, the candles on the chandelier lit up; she counted ten candles on it. There was no more time to think as Joachim reappeared once more. This time he did so right behind Sarah and she was able to attack right away. As Joachim threw more fireballs at her, she used the floor to slide towards Joachim, evading the fireballs in the process. After evading them, she managed to jump and hit Joachim’s head twice. Seeing that his new teleport attack was not as effective as he thought, Joachim decided to use another one of his new powers to attack. After disappearing once more, he reappeared in the center of the room but, this time, transformed into a floating pile of skulls that seemed to regurgitate some kind of poisonous goop. Sarah was as amazed as she was disgusted. She never imagined she would have to get close to such a gross creature. That’s when she thought of using the cross to attack, as she didn’t have to get near it to deal some damage. As she changed the properties of her whip back to normal, she thought that she could somehow use one cross to put out all the candles in the chandelier if she threw it the right way. As she sent a cross on its way, Joachim floated his way towards Sarah closer and closer. She noticed that the foul creature coming at her could spit poison from its sides but not from the front so, if she tried to get around it, she would only end up getting hurt even sooner. Since the chandelier was in the center of the room and that’s where Joachim was, she had to somehow go over him if she wanted to pick up the hearts. That’s when an idea hit her! She remembered a technique she had just learned to take advantage of close quarter combat called “wall kicking”. It was a technique she learned from both of her parents and it seemed like a good idea to try here. So, as she threw a cross at the floating pile of skulls that was a couple of feet away, she leaped backwards towards the entrance and hit the doors with her feet; as she did so, she used her legs to jump and gain altitude. As Joachim kept on getting closer, she managed to jump over his hideous form and collect most of the hearts that were floating about in the center of the room. As she hit the floor, she noticed that the second cross she had thrown was just hitting her enemy for the second time, damaging it further. As Joachim slowly turned around, she also noticed that her cross was then glowing in two different colors; red and white. She realized that this could have been the chance she had been waiting for to finish this battle sooner. As the floating pile of skulls kept approaching, Sarah changed the properties of her whip to ice, in the hopes of stopping the creature in its tracks. But alas, Joachim’s form seemed to be immune to the icy properties of the whip. Seeing that she had to act quickly before she was cornered, she decided to find out what would happen if she grabbed her glowing cross and make good use of it. With all her insight and, just moments before her enemy could harm her, she unleashed a few huge flying crosses in a circle around her. This seemed to do the trick as Joachim was damaged greatly again and again until he disappeared. Sighing in relief, Sarah thought it was finally over until she noticed that the Vampire Killer whip still raged at something. While Vishno had almost recovered from his wounds, they spotted a huge figure rising from behind the throne. Sarah prepared for the worst, as she grabbed her whip tighter and tighter. The figure however, turned out to be Joachim’s shadow as he rose once more to attack them. This time, he had seven floating swords surrounding him and he looked rather different than when he first appeared before them; as he floated near the throne like a ghostly presence. Sarah was impressed, as she had never seen anyone use anything like floating weapons before. Vishno was fully healed by then and, after getting back on his feet, he rushed near Sarah so they could fight together.

Sarah:
Come on Vishno, let us finish this.
Vishno:
I am right with you Sarah.

Joachim realized that the powers he had gained from the castle had left him after he was badly beaten by Sarah’s crosses. He knew that the only way to get that power back was to kill them both. As he prepared to attack, Sarah and Vishno split up to attack from different sides. This battle was just starting to heat up, and nobody seemed to be willing to quit.

End part 20.