Castlevania Fan Fiction ❯ The Banished ❯ The Banished - Chapter 2 ( Chapter 2 )

[ X - Adult: No readers under 18. Contains Graphic Adult Themes/Extreme violence. ]

The Banished Alucard x Richter Belmont

Chapter II

By S. Krause & W.D.

Boring legal stuff etc:

CastleVania and its characters are property of Konami games. I did not create any of the main characters in this fiction and therefore make no claims of ownership. This fiction was written solely for my enjoyment and in no way reflects the actual story-line of the CastleVania series or the true personalities of the characters. And last but not least, I do not, in any way, make any money from this!

NOTES

Sources: Castlevania: Symphony of the Night, Dracula X: Rondo of Blood, and Castlevania 3: Dracula's Curse

"Trevor Belmont" from Castlevania 3 is known as "Ralph C. Belmont" in the JP version of Castlevania 3.

Thumbnail graphic by Lara Yokoshima

A dhampir is a child born from the union of a human and a vampire.

WARNING – This story contains homosexual material. If this sort of thing offends you then PLEASE DO NOT READ IT!

Thoughts are written in ITALICS

#II#

Richter breathed a sigh of relief as the warm water crept just above his waist. The ache in his legs and back from traveling all day began to diminish as the water cleansed his naked body. He looked up into the orange, evening sky; watching as it slowly grew darker while the final hour of daylight progressed.

While he was uncertain where he was going, Richter knew the ridiculous stories of him becoming an inhuman servant of darkness would spread quickly. It would likely be a great deal of time before he would be permitted to set foot in any nearby town again.

The hunter studied his surroundings as he relaxed; the high hills and forest, which surrounded the small body of water, were indeed sights to behold- but it was something else that had caught his attention.

An odd, unnatural looking cloud was floating at the opposite side of the pond just several feet above the water. The small mass of fog and mist seemed to be shrinking in size but becoming thicker and less transparent.

The vampire hunter could immediately sense the presence of his natural enemy as the hazy mass began to morph into a man-like form. He knelt down in the water, submerging all but the top of his head and silently watched a figure begin to emerge from the remains of the mists.

Alucard stood still atop the surface of the water as the last of his foggy transformation dissipated behind him. After only a few moments he spotted the human hiding beneath the water at the other side of the pond.

The dhampir's movements quickly turned into a blurred sprint as he headed towards his prey. He ran unhindered atop the surface of the water as if it were solid ground beneath his feet.

The quickly approaching creature was now fully recognizable to Richter, but the hunter's instincts urged him to defend himself nevertheless.

Alucard reached out, preparing to snatch the human hiding beneath the pond but was caught off guard when a large splash was thrown in his face.

Richter used that moment of vulnerability to leap from the water and tackle his attacker.

Both men crashed back into the pond with a thunderous splash as Richter pounced on the dhampir.

Alucard hissed as he struggled with the naked human in the shallow pond. Thanks in part to his uncanny strength, he soon gained the upper hand and managed to throw the bold human clear out of the water and onto the shore. He quickly stumbled out of the pond, shaking his head rapidly in an effort to dry his soaked mess of hair as he prepared to feed at long last.

Richter laid face down, helpless on the ground. He struggled, but managed to look up at half-blood. Alucard's usually golden eyes were now a murky shade of gray and the normally small, concealed fangs were bared and prepared for use.

"Alucard!" Richter protested. "Stop!"

"Richter?" The other man's blood-lust quickly began to diminish.

He froze, half shocked by the mortal's plea and by his own lack of self-control. His eyes returned to their usual golden shade and his fangs became less obvious as he looked down on Richter's battered, naked body.

Angry with himself for falling victim to his own dark instincts, Alucard fled into the nearby woodland.

###

Richter stared blankly into the campfire as he swallowed the last of his soup. The struggle with Alucard that had occurred earlier replayed in his mind. Somehow, he had been able to sense the conflict within the dhampir. He had felt Alucard's own self-hatred when he realized that he had given in to his own dark instincts.

"A tortured human and a creature of the night sharing the same soul," Richter whispered softly. He settled into the sleeping space that he had prepared earlier and tried to get comfortable.

The hunter rolled over onto his back to gaze up at the stars while planning for the next day. Once again however, he found his thoughts straying back to his struggle with the dhampir. He pictured Alucard in his mind, emerging from the pond after he had tossed Richter on shore. That impossibly pale blond hair was drenched with water and stuck to parts of the dhampir's face. The elaborate clothes that Alucard wore were soaked and clung to the lithe body beneath them. He had then looked down at Richter- his small fangs bared and a predatory glare in his eyes.

A shiver ran down Richter's spine as he remembered that hungry, possessive glare. He had been lying naked and helpless on the ground, completely vulnerable to the half-blood. He found that whenever he looked back on that moment it gave him a strange yet pleasant thrill.

Goosebumps crept across the vampire hunter's flesh as the scenario unfolded in his mind again, quickly drowning him in a daydream. Unbidden, Richter's quickly rid himself of his shirt. The hunter gasped softly as the night air came into contact with his exposed chest; he was starting to feel strangely hot all over.

Richter started to breathe heavily as evidence of his arousal began to stir between his legs.

"Alucard," he whispered under his heavy breath, "what… what have you done…to… me?"

###

Alucard watched the hunter from the shadows of the forest as he lay down to sleep. His golden eyes widened as Richter removed his shirt, exposing the powerful body to the other man's eyes. He had seen him unclothed earlier, but his mind had been too preoccupied with blood-lust to truly appreciate the sight. The nearby campfire illuminated the hunter's smooth skin and impressive physique with a wondrous orange glow.

He had only intended to observe Richter for a few minutes, just to make sure that the mortal had truly escaped their earlier encounter unscathed. The dhampir soon learned however, that the more he watched this man, the harder it became to tear his eyes away.

He listened intently when Richter began to speak, his eyes still eagerly watching the hunter.

"Aaa… Alucard,"he heard the hunter breathe.

After hesitating for a moment, Alucard finally summoned the willpower to force his eyes away. With his mind and heart heavy with guilt he ceased his spying and slid back into the shadow of the forest.

###

Richter closed his eyes and took a deep breath. Within a few minutes he was able to rein in his hormones and keep his thoughts from wandering too far into forbidden territory. But even as the strange thrill that had fallen upon him gradually subsided he could not stop his mind from dwelling on thoughts of Alucard.

Despite his frustration, Richter did his best to focus on going to sleep.

###

The bright morning sun illuminated Alucard's golden eyes as he stared angrily at clear sky. Although the brilliant sphere would turn away a true vampire, his half-human heritage saved him from such things. He wanted to burn the images of Richter Belmont from his mind. He briefly considered blinding himself by staring directly at the distant star so he would never again be able to lay his eyes on Richter, but knew it would be futile.

"Adrian Fahrenheit Tepes," he whispered, addressing himself by his true name, "You have sinned yet again. You have tainted the mind of one of the purest mortals."

The half-vampire eased his body down to sit on the ground and leaned his back against a nearby tree. The corpse of a small animal, which had been completely drained earlier that morning by the dhampir, sat lifeless on the ground next to him.

"If I remain awake," he said softly, "the corpse at my feet next time may very well be that of a man."

The morning sunlight was indeed quite a sight and it was a welcome change from the dark, dreary surroundings that Alucard had become used to.

I wonder- have I ever slept without shelter beneath the sun?

###

Richter sliced through the mass of waist-high weeds with his dagger. The small blade made it easy for the vampire hunter to create a path as he traveled through the thick forest. He did not know exactly where he was going, but he felt compelled to venture into the woods. The forgotten forest itself seemed to beckon him, urging him to travel further within.

The thick woodland thinned out a bit as he emerged from the path of destroyed weeds and dead grass. Ancient trees stood everywhere in front of him, but they were spread far enough apart to allow the sunlight to illuminate the area. Richter speculated that he was now in the oldest portion of the forest. The massive size of the nearby trees suggested that they were at least several hundred years old. The hunter halted his steps suddenly, sensing something strange nearby.

"I sense," he whispered softly, "…death."

It only took Richter a few more steps before his premonitions were proven to be correct. Several small animal corpses littered the ground in front of him. Judging by the lack of decay it appeared that the small creatures had been killed just recently.

The hunter made a quick visual scan of the area, finding a few more animal corpses but little else of interest. His searching eyes then fell on something quite out of place; not far off in the distance, he could see what resembled a human figure sitting on the ground slouched against a particularly large tree.

Richter stalked closer, his feet kicking dead leaves and dirt aside as he hurried to the side of the motionless figure. His instincts already told him what it was that he would find, but the sight itself still managed to surprise him.

Alucard remained still, appearing asleep and oblivious to Richter's presence. The hunter stared with wonder at the dhampir on the ground below. That smooth, pale face was calm, and the half-blood appeared to be at peace as he slept under the rays of the afternoon sunlight.

It was this first time Richter had ever encountered the dhampir in such revealing daylight, and he looked even more impressive to the hunter now than before. He decided that it would be best for him to leave him to rest, but just before he turned to walk away Alucard's pale eyelids snapped open.

For a brief moment, Richter noticed Alucard's golden eyes widen a bit with surprise, but then his face quickly returned to its usual unreadable expression.

"Belmont…" Alucard said calmly, "what are you doing here?"

The dhampir breathed a soft sigh frustration when the human did not answer his question.

These chance meetings of ours are becoming rather difficult… especially after…

Alucard forced his memories of the previous night away before they could actually surface.

Thinking about such things now will only complicate this…

The hunter folded his arms over his chest and smirked as he spoke. "I am a vampire hunter."

The younger man then noticed Alucard frown; apparently dissatisfied with his answer.

"And now that you have hunted me down," Alucard replied, "what do you intend to do?"

Richter stared at the pale creature in front of him. Indeed; what would he do?

Golden eyes gazed back at the human curiously when he did not answer.

"Belmont?" Alucard asked. "Did you not hear me?"

"Perhaps," Richter finally replied, "I have other reasons for hunting you."

The simple statement alarmed the half-blood; the sinful images that the suggestion provoked came to his mind a little too easily.

"I have been thinking about things Alucard," the hunter explained somewhat hesitantly. "About things that I would have considered sinful in the past, but I cannot help it. My stay in that castle may have affected me in ways that I was not even aware of until recently."

A look of guilt marked the dhampir's face. "Tell me Richter, what has forced you from your home?"

The hunter narrowed his eyes for a moment as he considered the question.

"I was banished. The decision was made that I could not be trusted after my return from Castlevania."

"I am to blame for your expulsion." Alucard disagreed softly.

Richter studied the dhampir's unreadable face, truly perplexed by his last statement. "What?"

"Just my presence," the half-blood quickly explained, "is the entire reason that those close to you fear you."

Belmont shook his head with disapproval. "That is nonsense, the very..."

"Do not be foolish Richter," Alucard interrupted, his voice growing louder as he spoke. "The only thing the people of your homeland fear more than me is my father! Do you not understand? You only jeopardize your own welfare by associating yourself with me!"

Richter tried respond, but was again cut off by the dhampir before he could even utter a word.

"Look around you, Belmont!" Alucard said darkly. "Do you not see the small corpses littering the ground? You are fortunate that you are not among them, especially considering our unfortunate meeting at the pond."

"You will not frighten me away as you did my predecessor," Richter replied sternly. "Trevor described you in his journal perfectly- A conflicted man who was his own worst enemy."

The hunter paused as he tried to recall the writings of his ancestor.

"A man who tries to scare off those who get too close," he continued, "for fear of how they may react to his true nature."

The dhampir's eyes went wide when Richter's recollection of Trevor's words reached his ears. His eyes met the human's with a sharp, golden stare.

"You cared about him a great deal didn't you?" Richter finally asked, breaking the silence.

Alucard quickly looked to the ground to hide his expression, even though he knew it was too late. "Despite my efforts, it seems that he saw through me. I thought that once we parted ways, I would forget…"

The dhampir stopped in mid-sentence for a moment before starting again, "But it did not happen that way. The fact that he was not afraid or even skeptical of me..."

Richter looked at the creature before him, a bit unsure if he should even say anything at all. "He searched for you on occasion, even after the incident at the castle, but he obviously never found you."

Despite his best efforts to restrain it, a single tear fell from Alucard's right eye and left a narrow, wet streak on his pale face.

Richter risked extending his arm to place a hand on the half-blood's shoulder and breathed a sigh of relief when Alucard did not pull away. "You are not the reason I was banished Alucard, Shaft is to blame as he was the one controlling me. The people are just too blinded by religious tales and fear to realize that, even with your vampire bloodline, your actions were in their best interest."

Alucard slowly looked up at the Belmont, no longer bothering to mask his emotions from the hunter.

"I understand their reaction Richter," the dhampir whispered, "after all part of me is human… the best part."

The vampire hunter had a response ready, but before it reached his lips Alucard leaned forward to rest his forehead on his shoulder as a second tear fell from his eyes. Richter remained silent and simply moved his hand to the back of the half-blood's head. He hoped the simple gesture would be comforting and make the situation less awkward for both of them.

#E#