"...stoner guy dies first. Typical. Now will that trope just die already?"
Out came a statement uttered to no one else in particular, followed by the scritch-scratch sound of furious penciling. Covered in a cheap blanket for warmth, with a blizzard raging right outside the dorm, Krueger King continued his long upheld Saturday night tradition without skipping a beat.
Tonight, there were no friends to speak of, no parties to go to, and certainly no classwork to be done. Scratching his goatee out of habit, Krueger stifled a yawn as the movie kept playing on, and he tried his best to stay focused.
The sound of the howling wind outside was like a ghost beckoning Krueger to sleep, even as the clock inched closer to the early hours of dawn. But even as his mind begged for rest, he glanced up around his meager dorm room, eyeing the various movie posters he'd arrayed all around, then back at the stack of VHS tapes that he'd collected from various flea markets over the last year.
Just two more tapes, he muttered to himself. Two more, and he could finally rest.
Sleep wasn't going to help him if he ever wanted to take these things seriously.
Clive Barker didn't rest before writing Books of Blood, so why should he?
Still, even as he pushed the next tape in, Krueger's head swayed slightly as he yawned again. His eyes strained to stay open, so he ran his hands through his unkempt brown hair in a bid to stay awake.
His eyes went back down to the tape case on the floor, and already he was struggling to remember what he had just put into the VCR.
"...Vampire Girls from Venus." he said to himself, checking the back of the tape and trying to remember if he had accidentally bought a porno instead of another B-movie.
Eventually the tape slipped from his grasp, and Krueger's head swayed again.
A low hum entered his ears, and Krueger looked outside, wondering when the accursed snowfall would finally end.
His forehead pulsed. Krueger winced at the sudden sound in his ear, putting his hand up to stifle the pain.
Lack of sleep had finally hit him, he realized.
Only the sound didn't stop. It just got louder.
Krueger winced again, closing his eyes and keeping a tight grip on his pencil.
The sound boomed like an explosion this time, loud enough to wake the dead and everyone else.
Krueger nearly jumped. He opened his eyes, and was met with a face unlike anything he had ever seen outside of a film screen.
His dorm room was no more. The VHS player and small television screen, his movie posters, his mess of clothes and things, all gone. Instead, Krueger now sat in a chamber, inside a small circle of what appeared to be ornate chalk, still cross-legged as before.
Mere inches from his face was a girl. At least, she appeared to be a girl, though her skin was a pale complexion, like a blueberry that had been drained of almost all color. Her ears were impossibly long and akin to a bat's, though the right one appeared to be some sort of mechanical prosthetic.
But these details eventually escaped Krueger's notice, and his exhaustion vanished when the girl smiled and showed her teeth.
They were long and sharp. Longer than any wolf, and a distinctly pointed shape that nobody could ever mistake for anything else.
Her voice came out with laughter, as if she couldn't control a myriad of emotions in a single vulnerable moment.
"...you're...you're not Vlad are you?"
Krueger shook his head, completely and utterly confused. His hand stayed gripped on his pencil for dear life.
"No, I'm not. What the...what the hell is this? Who the hell are you? Where...where am I?"
Footsteps echoed above. The chamber he'd been transported to must have been underground, lit by naught but a few candles. The vampire girl looked up and then back to him, resignation overtaking her.
"It doesn't matter. I'm dead. And from what it looks like, so are you."
GRAVE GALAXY
EPISODE ONE: NO MORE MR. NICE GUY
In the dead of night, for the first time in many weeks, Lord Konrad Xecula found an elusive moment of freedom.
Alone in his study, without his daughter to worry over or his subjects to meander on, he dedicated himself to his personal writings. His pale blue fingers moved artfully in detailing the accounts of the past three months, as his mind replayed the events that had unfolded with perfect clarity.
Zylvania was not the same place he remembered it to be in his youth one hundred years ago. The Nine Houses always had their petty squabbles, but recent matters were something else entirely.
House Lezat pushed for the unthinkable: for the blood of dogs simply because they believed it was owed to them.
Only Konrad himself had staunchly disagreed with the notion.
Though they drank the blood of others to survive, he had always believed it was necessary evil of this world. He would not create more bloodshed for the sake of it, to appease those who never had enough to drink.
Konrad looked up ahead, towards the lit fireplace which crackled softly. Above it, the portrait of himself, his beloved Elise, and his precious Mina, remained stalwart and spotless.
Just staring at it reminded him of better days, of happier times and more peaceful memories.
What he might do to feel his Elise's cold touch just one more time.
A series of raps upon the ornate door into the study brought Konrad back to reality, as the voice of his servant Garrig came from the other side.
"My lord, apologies for the intrusion. There is a matter which requires your immediate attention."
Konrad sighed, putting down his ink quill and reaching for his night robe nearby.
"Come in, Garrig. I was merely reminiscing."
Garrig obliged, pushing open the door and standing at it's front dutifully. He was a vapish fellow, with a crooked sort of smile that was unbecoming of most of his servants. It made it appear as if he always sneering.
"What seems to be the problem?" Konrad asked, as Garrig stretched his arm out and led the way out of the study and towards the main foyer.
"A messenger from House Lezat, I believe. They asked for you urgently. Something about your daughter's coming of age…"
Konrad snorted through his black mustache. "Is this some sort of joke, Garrig? Mina has only just turned twenty-five. To me, still a child."
The lord's pace hurried as Garrig continued to explain, strangely undeterred as the approached the end of the hall.
"From what I understand, they believe some sort of union might allay your worries about their current political stance. It might be best for the House."
Konrad put a hand on his swaying robe and stopped in place. His eyes went cold as his pitch dropped.
"Do not tell me what is best for my House, Garrig. You have much to learn if you think things are as simple as marrying off my only daughter to those pretenders and their ilk."
The lord shook his head, already at his limit. "Let us just see this messenger and be done with it."
Garrig bowed curtly. "Of course, my lord. Right this way."
He allowed Konrad to pass through first, and didn't move an inch as the lord of House Xecula crossed the threshold into the main foyer.
Garrig simply stood in the shadow at the edge of the hall, his expression shifting as Konrad looked around, and then proceeded to call out into the empty hall.
"This is Lord Xecula. State your business quickly, please. I don't need more of my time wasted tonight."
Konrad held onto his robe, an unnatural chill beginning to creep down his spine. No answer came.
Something wasn't right.
A low growl emerged from the darkness, the unlit edge of the great foyer that candlelight could not reach. Konrad's grip on his robe tightened, as his free hand reached towards the stiletto hidden at his robe's hip.
The smell in the air was unmistakable. A shape taller than his own seven feet showed itself, bristling with fur and sleek muscle. It bared teeth far more adept at killing than his, and claws that could rake off his limbs before he could so much as swing.
The Canis stepped fully into the light, but prowled at the edge of Konrad's space, as if gauging his threat level.
He noticed she was female, and could clearly see the silver glint of a slake on her right index finger; a weapon of intertwined wood and metal that would end his immortal life the moment it pierced his heart.
But despite this, she did not attack. She barely seemed able to move any closer, as if she was trying her best to appear intimidating without having to actually engage in violence.
Konrad continued to reach for the stiletto, as his words did the rest.
"Are you here to kill me, dog?"
The Canis female growled louder now, refusing to answer in any comprehensible form. Her fingers tensed, and her stance changed as if ready to pounce.
"Ha, so you are! Well, what are you waiting for?" Konrad challenged now. His hand was gripped on the stiletto, made of pure silver, made if ever this day might come.
"I'm right here. Kill me if you can."
His eyes radiated pure malice, fangs bared as his hidden hand kept tight on the stiletto in his robe.
But the Canis did not move.
Instead, she bowed her head, and began to back away. Konrad barked with fervor in response.
"Coward! The whole horde of you! Nothing but cowards!"
Konrad sneered, power drunk for one moment as he finally revealed the silver stiletto.
"Begone from my home, and never show your wretched face here a-"
The last words never came, as a pain unknown to his one hundred and thirty years of life hit Konrad Xecula like a ton of bricks.
The attack came as one quick and clean stab, slicing right through his back, past his ribs, and right into his beating heart.
The sensation of splinters past his skin was unmistakable. Konrad's voice went from a bellow to a mere whisper, as Garrig leaned into his shoulder and pushed the wooden stake in deeper.
"Oh how long I have waited to shut your insufferable mouth, you prattling fool."
Konrad's grip loosened, and the silver stiletto dropped to the ground, clattering to the ground before eventually rolling towards a nearby doorway.
"Garrig..how...why?" Konrad asked, his voice weakening with each passing second.
Garrig sighed deeply. "House Lezat really is right about these dogs. They cannot be relied upon even to kill."
He gave a disappointed glare towards the still hesitant Canis female. "Disgusting animals."
His expression quickly shifted into a satisfied smile. "Though I must admit, this has been enjoyable. Don't worry, my lord. Mina will join you soon."
Konrad took one last glance up towards the ceiling, before Garrig pushed him forward, stake still lodged in his heart.
He fell down hard, breathing rapidly as the light of the great chandeliers above became dimmer and dimmer.
Shapes started to melt in his vision, as the Canis female finally approached his dying form, though she made no effort to scar him further.
Konrad was left staring at her lupine form before he felt his eyes slowly close, his beloved Elise and Mina in his last thoughts when the Unchosen End finally came for him.
When Mina heard her father's yelling in the foyer, she was surprised to see the single silver stiletto roll into her path as she approached from down the dark hall. She picked it up inquisitively, wondering over the necessity of such a thing.
Her book studying had been interrupted the moment he'd started shouting, and it was Mina's every intention to lecture him on giving her if only just one night of peace and quiet.
What she stumbled upon instead was the last thing in the world she ever wanted to see.
The sight of a monster towering over her father's fallen body. It was tall and lean, with sharp claws and a distinctively wolf-like appearance.
The Canis female didn't move a muscle as Mina watched her father's body turn to ash before her eyes, his night robe collapsing in on itself as his physical body was no more.
A loud gasp escaped her lips, one that she couldn't control even as she smacked her hands against her mouth.
Outside of her line of sight, Garrig heard her as clear as day. He nodded towards the Canis.
"Congratulations, dog. You've been given a second chance."
His eyes drifted towards the shuffle of Mina's steps as she began to run, silver stiletto in hand.
The Canis female simply said nothing as Garrig smiled.
"Make it quick."
Mina had never felt her heart beat so fast, never felt her cold blood pump so hard through her veins, never felt such a frozen chill of fear as she ran for dear life down the hall, the loping steps of the Canis monster not far behind.
As Father had explained long ago, there was no outrunning one of them. She was going to lose this race and pay for it with her life as he had.
Panic pulsed through her mind as she burst out of one of the mansion's back entrances. She could hear the slavering noise of a hungry beast not far behind.
The small work shed past Father's garden of ghost flowers was her only solace now.
With death on her heels, Mina didn't slow for a moment. She closed the shed only moments before she could hear the Canis burst through the same back door, splintering centuries-old wood in the process. Her hands reached down into the dirt floor, and with all her might, she pulled up the stone barrier that hid a long staircase beneath the earth.
What followed felt like a blur, as she dragged the stone piece back in place above her and descended into the pure darkness below.
Quiet as a corpse, the pitch black was no trouble to Zylvanian eyes, as Mina descended for what seemed like forever until finally coming upon her place of solace.
It was only when she was sure that she couldn't hear the noise of the Canis scratching at the ground or howling up above that she allowed herself to finally break.
Sitting in her special hiding spot, surrounded by books and other nick-nacks she had collected over the years, it took another minute before Mina Xecula finally started to cry.
It was a slow, quiet sob, but it was enough.
An hour later, when Mina had finally calmed down, what was once anguish transformed into pure desperation.
She had no chance of escape with that Canis prowling around the estate, that much was a certainty.
So rather than die of thirst down here, Mina did the only thing she could think of.
It had taken another hour or preparation, marking the ceremonial chalk as described in Rossov's Book of the Dead, making sure her intonation on the chant was just right, and offering a few drops of her own cold blood as some small sacrifice.
Her father would have probably admonished her for thinking such a thing was possible, for thinking she could actually summon the spirit of a Zylvanian hero who had been dead for thousands of years, who would then save her from her own impending doom.
So it was no huge surprise when the ritual did nothing, at least at first.
Mina sat on her knees, eyes closed as he quietly chanted the words of power and nothing came of it.
It was only when she finished the last words, content in her failure, did a blaring noise ring painfully in her mechano-ear.
Mina put a hand up to the pointed prosthetic, before the sound of ragged, unknown breathing prompted her to open her eyes.
What now sat in front of her something completely alien. Whatever he was, if she correctly surmised it was indeed a he, he was of a skin color that she had never seen on any being that walked upon the surface of Ligosi.
He was scrawny, and slightly shorter than her, with shaggy brown hair and a long goatee coming from his chin. His clothes were a strange sight; he was wearing some sort of pair of blue ceremonial pants, but they looked unfit for battle or for any sort of masquerade ball.
The peasant shawl he wore as a top seemed cheap and was inscribed with what had to be the image of some warrior god, who held up a large knife against some unfortunate sacrifice. In his hands he carried some sort of parchment and an unfamiliar wooden implement, which made Mina's heart skip if only for a moment.
Trying to take her mind off the thought of death, Mina Xecula made a nervous laugh, and smiled through her teeth.
"...you're not Vlad, are you?"
Face to face with a vampire girl, and now being told of his imminent death, Krueger King backed away on all fours, dropping the pencil and horror movie notes in the process.
Above ground, the shuffling footsteps continued, as the vampire girl seemed far more curious over Krueger's appearance more than anything else. She touched the laces on his sneakers, clearly astounded.
"...what are these strange shoes?" she said, snickering through her fangs in excitement.
Wakefulness came to Krueger quickly, as a million questions charged into his mind.
It seemed all of accumulated knowledge of horror movies might not be so useless after all. The first words that came out of Krueger's mouth flowed like water.
"You...you're a vampire. A real, actual vampire."
Mina raised an eyebrow. "Um, excuse me? What is a vampire?"
Krueger pointed towards his own teeth. "It's what you are. I mean your fangs...you're clearly a vampire. One of the undead."
A shiver grew on his back. He could see Mina's expression change and regretted his words instantly.
"Excuse me, but I'll have you know I am most certainly not undead. I am Mina Xecula, of the House of Xecula, of pure Zylvanian blood. Don't compare me to some Promethean whelps."
Krueger put a hand on his head, as the reality of the situation began to hit him harder with each second.
"Zylvanian...I...I literally have no idea what you're talking about. Where am I? Please, just tell me that at least."
Mina lowered her voice as she explained.
"You are a strange one. This is my secret place, but we are under my home. I'm hiding right now. There's a Canis up there trying to find me and kill me. It already killed my father. I thought I could summon someone to save me…"
"So you picked me." Krueger replied, understanding if only slightly more than before. "Good old lucky me."
The shuffling continued, until both Mina and Krueger could hear the heavy scraping sound of the stone barrier up above being lifted.
"Wait, what's a Canis?" Krueger whispered, as the noise continued and soon transitioned into the sound of someone slowly descending down stone steps.
"Well, they're big, and they've got fur and claws. They're afraid of this, I think…" Mina remarked, showing the silver stiletto to Krueger, the last parting gift before her father's demise.
Krueger shook his head in disbelief. "Werewolves. Are you kidding me right now? You're running from a goddamn werewolf!?"
Mina's voice erupted unexpectedly. "Hey, it killed my father! And it would have killed me! What else was I supposed to do?
The footsteps became quicker. Krueger's eyes went wide with fear.
"And now you've lead it right to us. Thanks a lot."
His gaze darted towards the stiletto, and with Mina briefly distracted, he snatched it out of her hands.
"Hey!" she began, but Krueger put his finger up to her lips.
"Quiet! You brought me into this insanity. This little thing right here, this is is our only chance. I saw An American Werewolf in London, and I'm pretty sure you haven't. So if you want to live, you better follow my lead."
Mina scowled, then relaxed and just nodded.
She followed Krueger's motions as he stood up, and the footsteps seemed only meters away now.
Stiletto poised in hand, Krueger waited to see a towering werewolf enter their midst, but was instead greeted with another monster entirely.
A tall and elegant Zylvanian with a crooked smile, pointed ears and a bald head made his appearance known almost immediately. Krueger was taken aback at the sight of him, if only because he looked exactly like Nosferatu.
"Mina! I did not mean to frighten you. I am so glad to see you safe."
Slowly, Mina walked past Krueger, her heartbeat finally slowing at the sight of a familiar face.
"Garrig...how...how did you find me here? This is m-"
"Your secret hideaway." Garrig finished. "I've always known about it. I just chose to allow you your privacy from your father. Who wouldn't want to be away from that man and his constant demands..."
"What do you want?" Krueger said with as much bravery as he could muster. "I'm not afraid to use this, bloodsucker!"
"Mina? What is this...thing? Some sort of...plaything of yours?" Garrig asked, confused at the mere sight of a being with such colorful and lively skin.
Mina looked back at Krueger, as if suddenly remembering his existence. "He's…"
"...what is your name anyway?"
Garrig shook his head. "Never mind. It's unimportant. Mina, I need you to come with me immediately. Your father has been attacked, by a Canis assassin."
Mina stepped forward, nearly touching Garrig's outstretched hand, when the details in her mind clicked, and she suddenly stopped. Behind her, Krueger's expression changed when he noticed that Garrig was holding something behind his back with his free hand.
"Hey...I don't like this. Something's not right…" he declared, as Mina's first question came tumbling out.
"Garrig. You...you watched him die. You watched him die like I did. Why didn't you do something?"
Garrig chuckled, his fangs showing for a brief moment. "Ah, yes. Yes, I did. I was the one who killed him after all."
Mina could only manage one word.
"What?"
A backhand slap stopped anything further, sending her sprawling into the summoning circle she had so painstakingly set up only a short time earlier.
"Stupid, willful girl. You can't even make anything easy, can you?" Garrig declared with obvious anger. "Oh, how I will be glad to be rid of you and you-"
Garrig's monologuing was interrupted as he winced slightly, looking to one side to see Krueger right beside him, and Konrad Xecula's silver stiletto jammed four inches deep into his right ear. Krueger attempted to push it in further, but all it took was another backhand slap from Garrig to send him flying backwards like a rag doll.
"Do you take me for a dog?" Garrig exclaimed victoriously. "As if any Zylvanian would be felled by common silver."
His eyes shifted. "I will enjoy tearing you apart first, mince-ling."
On the dirt floor of the chamber, Krueger's ears were ringing as sound lulled back and forth around him. He could feel blood dripping from his forehead where the vampire's long claws had cut, but it appeared he wasn't dead just yet. In the midst of the bloody haze, Krueger felt his fingers slip around a familiar object. An idea formed in his mind, just as he brought his gaze up to face Garrig.
All it took was one scent of fresh blood to change his expression entirely. Garrig's eyes widened at the aroma, and behind Krueger, even Mina had to look away as she felt herself suddenly salivating.
"...what is this fragrance?" Garrig asked, slowly approaching Krueger. His eyes glazed over with hunger, as he opened his mouth and displayed his fangs for all to see.
Krueger's breathing was hard, but somehow, he kept his composure.
"It's human blood. What, something new for a bloodsucker like you?"
Garrig's eyes grew wider at the mere word. "Human...what is a human? You are a most interesting subject, mince-ling. What fills you is rich and wonderful."
The Zylvanian's voice turned into a ghastly hiss.
"Perhaps tearing you apart can wait. I must have a taste."
In the next instant, his mouth widened like a snake's, before he roared like some hellish bat and moved like lightning.
Krueger's heart was hammering in his chest, and he felt ready to wet his jeans, but despite it all, he held tightly onto his dear pencil, jutting it in front of him above his midsection seconds before the Zylvanian pounced on him.
There was no struggle, and for a moment, Krueger assumed he was dead.
His eyes were shut tight in complete and total fear, and when he finally garnered the courage to open them, what he saw was Garrig's face frozen in place, moments before he would have bitten deep into Krueger's neck.
Krueger's right hand was slick with blood, his pencil pushed down to the very tip of the eraser and having cleanly punctured the Zylvanian's heart.
Mina finally acted before it could progress any further, pulling Garrig off of Krueger as the Zylvanian thrashed and contorted his limbs in agony.
Krueger and Mina simply watched and waited for him to finally stop, a mixture of fear and surprise keeping them in place.
Finally, Garrig let out a singular gasp, before his body simply vaporized from existence. Ash took its place, and like Konrad before, his clothes fell in upon themselves when met with empty space.
The bloody pencil clattered to the ground in the process, stopping right at Krueger's feet.
Mina could only look at the boy with pure astonishment.
"You killed him. You killed a Zylvanian. What...who are you?"
Krueger gave an exasperated sigh in response.
"Krueger. My name is Krueger King. And that was in self-defense, I'm calling it right now. It was obvious he was gonna kill both of us."
Mina glanced at his still bleeding forehead, and unconsciously licked her lips.
"Hey!" Krueger said out loud, grabbing for the pencil again. "Don't get any funny ideas!"
"Sorry, sorry." she apologized. "I can't help it."
Krueger shook his head as he finally stood up. "Yeah, vampire, I know. I've seen every version of Dracula. Gary Oldman is the best. Lugosi was overrated."
"I know not of vampires or this Dracula, but you...you know Ligosi, the name of our world. And you know of the only way to kill our kind…" Mina said, her expression changing as if some great revelation was descending upon her.
"That's what this place is called? Lugosi? You can't be serious." Krueger said with a tired chuckle, but Mina didn't laugh back.
"Please, I will explain what I can later. For now, we need to go. The Canis may eventually come back. Our best chance is to head for the woods. I know someone who will be able to help us." she said, as the gears clicked in Krueger's mind, and truth of the situation dawned upon him.
"...whatever you did to bring me here, I'm guessing...that's a one way thing, isn't it?"
Mina looked down sheepishly.
"It is. I'm sorry."
She clasped his hand in the next moment, her expression aglow with a hopeful smile.
"But I can see now that you are a great warrior, Krueger King. With you, I know I will be safe."
To that, Krueger didn't know what to say, but already he could feel his heart begin to climb up to his throat.
Mina's hands were as cold as a soda can, yet somehow, still soft and strangely comfortable.
"Uh, sure, whatever you say. Let's just get out of this place already. It's giving me the creeps."
He took one last glance at his horror movie notes on the ground, now splattered with the blood of a dead vampire.
It almost made Krueger chuckle, if not for the fact his heart was now beating a mile a minute as they ascended up the stony steps and into the dusky air above.
One look at the haunted forest up ahead, and Mina's reassuring fanged smile, was all Krueger needed to see that the long night had clearly only just begun.
