Dragon Realm Cypress

Elucard and Wiccer stalked silently through the great halls of the Lost Dawns castle. Although Elucard had passed through these halls many times before as ARO security, he recalled the time that he killed Koda’s father, the late King Jaelyn, and how even after that he was able to gain Koda’s trust. Now he was about to murder another member of the king’s family, and the thought of this second betrayal made him uneasy, however he knew that certain sacrifices had to be made for the greater good.

How can I call Koda my friend when all I do is hurt him?

It was a question Elucard continued to ask himself every day since first he donned the fox mask. A mask that represented a darker side of him, a side he had not confronted since leaving the Black Rabbit life. Confliction. Anger. Turmoil. Each raged within him like a hurricane. He had crammed these furious emotions into his subconscious, and at any moment they could explode like a bomb. However, he had a job to do.

Wiccer leaned against a wall and peeked around the corner. Four heavily armored guards were posted outside Tull’s chamber and two more patrolled down the hallway.

“Tull usually only has two guards outside his door,” Wiccer whispered, “Why the increase in security?”

Elucard attached his climbing claws to his hand. “Because we’ve been betrayed by one of our own.”

Elucard made his way up the stone wall and into the ceiling while Wiccer followed closely behind. Together, they clung to the surface and jumped nimbly to the chandeliers until they were directly above the watchmen. Elucard signaled his plan to Wiccer.

“Drop onto the center guards and then take out the two men next to them. Sneak up to the patrollers and finish them.”

“No one dies tonight, Elucard,” ordered Wiccer. He waited for the former Rabbit to nod before the two carried out their plan. Wiccer fell silently into the guard’s shoulders. The guard fell flat onto the ground; unconscious.

Wiccer swiftly turned his attention to the neighboring guard chucking blinding power into his eyes. A swift kick sent him backwards in a heavy crash; unconscious.

As the patrolling guards veered around the corner, Wiccer and Elucard were ready to pounce. They swept at the guards’ legs, tripping them backwards. In unison, Wiccer and Elucard vaulted onto the guard’s chests and pierced their necks with needles coated with a sleeping agent; unconscious.

Elucard listened for the footsteps of any reinforcements. Satisfied that none were coming, he moved to Tull’s door. He tried to push it forward, but found it wouldn’t budge.

“It’s locked.” Elucard knelt down to the level of the key hole and pulled out a set of lockpicks. “This is no coincidence, Wiccer.”

“No, I don’t think so. Tull was tipped off,” said Wiccer.

The door’s lock clicked open. The two Ghost Foxes crept inside and snuck to Tull’s bed. Elucard, with a dagger raised, pulled away the blanket. The bed was empty!

“He’s not he-” Elucard rolled to the side as Blayvaar charged from behind, his sword raised.

Wiccer snatched Blayvaar’s wrist, pulling him towards him, and then kicked him in the gut.

Blayvaar stumbled backwards, groaning in pain. Elucard, taking advantage of his enemy’s opening, leapt into the air and whipped his leg into Blayvaar’s face with a spinning crescent kick.

Blayvaar tripped over a chair and crashed to the ground.

Elucard grabbed him by the collar and flung him through a writing desk. He took hold of him again and smashed him through a standing mirror. Blayvaar laid motionless on the ground.

“Tie him to the chair, Wiccer.” Elucard adjusted his cloak and wiped dust from his shoulder. “He has some explaining to do.”

“What do you plan on doing?” He overturned a chair and dragged Blayvaar to it. He then stripped the bed sheets into long strips, proceeding to tie Blayvaar’s hands behind his chair's back.

Elucard smacked Blayvaar awake.

“Elucard. No one dies tonight,” Wiccer ordered his sergeant once again.

Elucard growled and smacked Blayvaar savagely with the back of his hand.

Blayvaar gurgled awake. His head rolled side to side and backwards before realizing where he was. He struggled against his bonds and gnashed his teeth. “Let me go, Elucard. I didn’t tell anyone your identities, just that the Ghost Fox clan planned an assassination attempt on Tull.”

Elucard grabbed a tuft of Blayvaar’s hair and pulled back his head. “Where is he? Where is

Tull?”

Blayvaar wrenched his neck in pain. “You’ve lost control, Elucard!”

Elucard slugged his fist across his prisoner’s jaw. “Trust me, I’m still in control.”

“Elucard!” Wiccer caught Elucard’s wrist in mid swing of another punch. “He’s one of us.

Not some terrorist you can torture.”

Elucard yanked himself free. “One of us? This scum betrayed us! He’s no better than a Rabbit at this point.”

Blayvaar lifted his head, Blood oozed from his nose and mouth. “You hear him captain? He’s lost it! This mission is FUBAR!”

Elucard reeled back around and backhanded Blayvaar again, nearly topping him over. “Shut up!” He turned back to Wiccer. “We can still save this mission. We are so close to finding what Inle has gotten himself into. Blayvaar is between us and the fate of this city… maybe the realm.”

Wiccer looked at Blayvaar’s beaten face. He didn’t like the dark turn that the Ghost Fox had

led him down, but his gut told him Elucard was right. Blayvaar did betray them. He had turned against ARO. Wiccer patted Elucard’s shoulder. “I trust you to do the right thing, Elucard. Find out the information, but don’t kill him. No one dies tonight.”

Elucard bowed to Wiccer and turned back to Blayvaar. He slid out one of the thief’s daggers and slowly grazed Blayvaar’s cheek. “We are about to go down a road you won’t mentally recover from,” he whispered, “Tell me what I need to know.”

Blayvaar shivered his seat. “You’ve gone mad, Elucard!”

“Oh, we haven’t reached madness yet.”

***

Elucard kicked open the tower door, the bodies of half a dozen guards strewn on the ground behind him. Inside, Elisa – loyal to ARO and the king as ever – brandished her sword, Tull cowered behind her.

Wiccer dashed at his friend, deflecting an attack and stabbing through her shoulder. Elisa clutched her wound and dropped her weapon. Wiccer whacked the blunt side of his sword across Elisa’s skull. “I’m sorry, I wish it hadn’t come to this,” He whispered to Elisa’s unconscious body.

Elucard edged towards Tull. Blood stained his coat, gloves and mask. A darkness settled in his eyes. A darkness he had not felt since he murdered his own friends as a Black Rabbit all those years ago. A darkness he strangely welcomed, like an old friend he had not seen for many years. He smiled underneath his mask.

He was quiet when he slid out his sword. Cold. Unfeeling. A Black Rabbit once more.

Tull backed into the wall, slipping his feet, attempting to meld into the stone.

“No one dies tonight, not even Tull.”

Elucard narrowed his eyes, but nodded. He pointed his blade at Tull’s chest. “Advisor Tull. A message from the people.”

Tull eyed the blade, raising his sight until it met Elucard’s.

“We are in control.” Elucard drove his blade forth. An agonizing scream echoed through the castle.

No one dies tonight.