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[Qu33n0f1c3]

Eugene had been laid out on a flat wooden frame, whose surface was padded by layers of old blankets and towels.

A tiny creature, female, humanoid, with wings like a butterfly sat perched atop one of the knobs at the end of the table. She had been flying about, casting her magic in small areas as needed, but it was her turn for a break so that the other medics could take care of the larger burns.

A male demon stood over Eugene currently, his eyes closed, silently mouthing the words to a healing spell as he held his hands over Eugene's abdomen.

Two others, female, stood off a ways at alchemy stands, grinding down roots and vegetation to create various medicines and antidotes for Eugene's ailing.

Of course, he had long since been given a potent dose of anti-venom to counteract the arachne venom. It paid to have a handful of the monsters living in the gardens to milk now and again.

Not far from where Eugene was being "operated on", Sylvia stood at another table with a heap of his belongings. What little was left of his clothes--as he was now currently naked on the table--was piled up by the wall, and the contents of his bag had been dumped onto the surface and was being looked through with curious scrutiny.

One other being occupied the infirmary. The lord of the castle stood at the base of Eugene's "bed". He was in his usual garb, aristocratic and old fashioned garments and a long, flowing black cloak. His hair was light and curly as ever, framing his face and cascading down his back. He silently observed Eugene while the demons were at work, his searching gaze running up and down the marks on Eugene's arms.

Eugene himself seemed to be stirring far more than he had been. The anti-venom and the demon's holy magic seemed to be taking effect at long last.

[Aether Engine]

Eugene had been traveling light it seemed, carrying only one extra change of cloths. He had carried some essentials for traveling in the country, his belongings including an English-to-Romanian  dictionary, with a few stacks of vocabulary flashcards. A bag of beef jerky and a candy bar were stuffed away along with a water bottle, emergency provisions presumably. He had his phone in his pants pocket, his wallet in the other with a modest allowance of lei within it, his driver's license there as well. His Canadian passport also offered double assurance of his identity.

The more personal possessions were a bit more interesting. A small plastic jar filled with a sort of ink was wrapped up with some writing utensils, and a cloth of some sorts. There was a binder inside inside his bag simply labelled “Geneology Project”. Opening up to the first page showed a rough, scrapbook-like attempt at tracing Eugene's Lineage, showing the names and pictures of Eugene and his siblings at the bottom, with parents and older relatives further up. Pictures became scarcer the further up and older the ancestry was traced, naturally in line with with the invention and rise of photography. After that point it was a matter of the occasional painted portrait. What become apparent though, was a fixation on one particular ancestor from Eugene's mother's side. A woman simply named Shanoa, who seemed to have no further ancestry. And looking at her picture, one could perhaps see why.

Behind the bound papers was a large printed copy of the picture. From the look of it, the original picture was monochromatic, drawn in charcoal or pencil. Whoever the artist was, it was drawn with great and careful detail. From the waist up, A woman with long dark hair staring sternly at the viewer. In the ¾ view of the picture, the detail of a glyph slot with a spell patterned into it could be seen well on her shoulder. It was not exact, but the symbol within was recognizable as being the same as the lightning glyph on Eugene's arm.

Beyond that picture was a notebook, filled with pages that alternated between ruled and gridded. Much of it was focused on trying to figure out glyphs, various notes written out in English, diagrams attempting figuring out what exactly the nature of the glyphs were. Even a few journal entries about Eugene's experiences with trying to figure the glyphs out. It seemed he only had knowledge of the rapier and lightning glyphs that he had on his arms.


And of course, there was the matter of Eugene himself. He did not know when exactly he passed out. He just remembered being carried along by Sylvia and then... somewhere amidst the pain and cold, he just gave up and drifted away.

Out of some miracle, it seemed he was still alive. There was still an aching in his body from what he had sustained, but he was better overall. His eyes started to open, staring half-closed up at the ceiling. What was happening? Where was he? He was vaguely aware of a strange sensation around his stomach.

“What?” he mumbled.

He tried to sit himself up, but the aching sensation he felt quickly discouraged such action. He knew he briefly saw some people in his attempt. Someone was saying something in words he could not understand...

“Where am I?” he wondered in English. Eventually it occurred to him to try something else, and repeated the question in somewhat stilted Romanian “Where am I?”

[Qu33n0f1c3]

The demon pumping his healing magic into Eugene's body grunted irritably when the man tried to sit up and began to speak.

"Silence," he snapped, closing his eyes tighter and focusing more concentrated.

Sylvia glanced their way, but only briefly, before turning her gaze back to the sketch book, which she held in her human hands. She had reverted to keep from damaging Eugene's goods.

Holding open a page, she stepped up beside Alucard and nudged his arm. He turned to her, and when she nodded toward the image, he looked more closely.

Alucard made a short "Hmm," sound, then looked back to Eugene, who was quickly regaining his energy. He would soon be well enough to sit up and take a good look around. There was no use ignoring his questions now. More would come. It was a certainty.

"Do not fear, human," Alucard said slowly, speaking Eugene's native tongue for the sake of his mental health. "You are no longer in danger."

[Aether Engine]

Eugene heard someone speak quickly and sharply, though it was not an answer. He started to worry until another voice spoke.

Someone here knew English? Thank goodness, that certainly made things easier. The speaker's voice seemed reassuring, but there was a detail in the words that stuck out and caused some worry. Specifically being addressed as human. And this person's English sounded smooth enough to suggest it was not just a misunderstanding of proper vocabulary. He was specifically being addressed as human... did that mean this guy was not human? Was he some sort of monster? A friendly one hopefully, like Sylvia, or that werecat he encountered when he first entered the region.

And of course, there was still the thought of what was happening at all. It had taken so long, many months of investigating the glyphs to get used to the idea of just magic being possible. He remembered finding that picture... Shanoa. Seeing her bare those glyphs on her shoulders. Those things he had dismissed as being meaningless remnants of his misguided youth

But in the end, he discovered that magic was real, could happen. But even that had mixed feelings for him, as could be seen in his journal entries on trying to work with the glyphs. The first time he successfully manifested a rapier, he almost immediately passed out from the strain on his untrained body. The only reason he even realized he succeeded was because of his few moments of consciousness before hitting the floor. He tried it a few more times, getting better at it, but it was always after long bouts of worrying and debating with himself. A battle between his curiosity and sense of self-preservation. That draining sensation he felt when creating the rapier always freaked him out.

And now, in the past few days, he learned there was more than magic. He was practically in another world of beasts. He was not just messing around with some magic glyphs anymore, he was encountering beings that sought to kill him and eat him.

With his mind becoming clearer as he woke up more, the worry only increased, along with his heartrate. Calm voice speaking to him or not.

“C-could you please tell me where I am? What exactly is happening? Why do I feel weird?" There was no doubt of the fear in his voice.

[Qu33n0f1c3]

Of course Eugene was launching into a mile-a-minute question-a-thon. That was just like him, and as usual, Sylvia just rolled her eyes. Predictability on both parties.

"Do not indulge him, Master," Sylvia spoke in Romanian to Alucard, who briefly glanced her way. "He is hungry for knowledge, but he will hurt himself if he learns too much too fast."

Alucard cleared his throat. "Please, relax. Fear radiates from your pores. Such pheromones filtering through the castle walls could be troublesome."

Eugene's healer sent both Sylvia and Alucard death glares. If there was one thing that could be said of the demon, it was that he was unafraid of authority. As far as he was concerned, he was authority. Alucard needed him around. Being an adept mage had perks.

"All you need to know right now," Alucard said despite the healer's protests, "is that you are safe, and that soon you will be as well off as you were before you expended your mana and fell to those monsters."

"Boss, I don't think he knows what mana is, you're gonna hurt his head," Sylvia said.

Alucard merely cracked a slight smile.

[Aether Engine]

Pheromones? What? Wait. Did he mean things that could smell his fear? That did not really make Eugene feel any better.

Still, he thought he heard Sylvia's voice. So she was here then. Right, she had been dragging him along somewhere. She seemed rather testy with him before, but it seemed he made a good enough impression to get him to... wherever this was. Well, at least this guy who was talking between them sounded like he meant no harm. Even if the mention of pheromones seemed a bit foreboding. Any hospitality was appreciated after all he had been through.

“Mana?” Eugene wondered. One of the demon's eyes twitched at this additional talk.

Mana... Eugene tried to think about that. His brow furrowed as he thought long and hard about it. His first thought was stuff like magic points from games he had played, though the real world spiritual definitions and analogies also came to mind. A sort of force that embodied a person. Aether. Quintessense. Chi. Life force. The stuff one's spirit is made of.

“So... It's my soul right? Mana? That's where the magic comes from?”

[Qu33n0f1c3]

"Do you see?" Sylvia hissed. "Now he's curious. You've fed into the fire."

"There is nothing wrong with that," Alucard replied to her. "Though perhaps waiting to speak further on the subject should wait."

The healing demon stepped back, sufficiently satisfied with his work, though he swore to himself he could have done better if these annoying gnats had not been standing over him.

Alucard cleared his throat and spoke in English, "Ah, not quite . . . but you will have plenty of time to learn about it when you are well. Take my hand. Sit yourself up. You must consume an antidote my alchemists have created for you."

Alucard offered Eugene his gloved hand, curious to see what sort of strength he had recovered.

[Aether Engine]

Feeling the stranger's hand on his, Eugene tried getting a grip on it. He found himself being very aware of a stiffness in his hand. It did not feel painful as before, but it was still a distracting sensation. The stiff made a getting a grip a somewhat slow process, in other parts of the body too. As Eugene brought his other arm behind him to brace myself as he sat up, there was a stiffness in there too. His eyesight blurred a bit, feeling a bit dizzy at finally sitting upright. He groaned a bit as he regained his senses.

Eventually his eyes refocused, settling on the stranger. A man dressed in a posh, anachronistic garb. And did he look a bit pale, or was that just the lighting? Blinking a few times, Eugene closed his eyes and tried to rub the sleep from his eyes. When he reopened them, he found he was looking down over himself. And his eyes went wider when he realized that he seemed to be wearing... nothing. Absolutely nothing.

Feeling alert, he retracted his grip from the other man, his legs folding as he curled up and tried to cover his crotch with a speed that caused some distress in his still recovering body.

“Where are my clothes?!”

[Qu33n0f1c3]

Alucard observed Eugene's modest response without much on way of response himself. As far as he was concerned, Eugene was being imperfectly human, as they all were, in worrying about his state of dress.

"Your clothes--what little is left of them--were soaked through with poison, and we're removed from your body for your own safety and ours prior to your procedure."

Sylvia, on the other hand, took more pleasure in Eugene's alarm, though she was equally as perplexed by his attempts to cover up. She went naked in wolf form all the time!

"Don't worry kid," she said to Eugene, "Alucard is practically asexual. Not even the succubi do much for him. No need to worry about him seeing anything. No need to worry about me, either. I'm not easy to impress."

Ignoring her, not even bothering to roll his eyes, Alucard stated simply, " After you have had your antidote we will take you to be outfitted in new clothes."

[Aether Engine]

Eugene was uncertain of what to do at first. Lacking any sort of clothing felt incredibly compromising, especially after his experiences in the past few days. He sat there, unsure of what exactly to do. And there was the name that Sylvia brought up. Alucard... Wait, he remembered her bringing up the name before. Eugene brought up a hand, holding his head as he tried to think. The lord of the castle, Dracula's son if he recalled correctly? So he was in the presence of a vampire lord?

Achievement Unlocked, you've successfully run into both fur and fang while naked, his thoughts mockingly congratulated.

Even with the claim of apathy about his nudity, it didn't stop the feelings of shame and fear. And there was that name in itself, Alucard... Eugene felt like he should have recognized it, like he had heard it before. And all the same, Eugene was beginning to wonder how exactly this all worked. What were werewolves and vampires really like? There were dozens of variations and interpretations of how either monster functioned in fiction, from Bram Stoker to Buffy, which one was real? Were any of them real? Years of being a nerd for the supernatural only amounted to more questions about this whole scenario.

After a few moments of sitting there, naked, the reality of the situation was inescapably returned to him as he glanced back at Alucard and Sylvia. They may be monsters, but they seemed sure he needed that antidote. If they wanted to do anything horrible, they probably would have already done it. And looking at his arms, it looked like his glyph spells were still intact in the slots. So, Eugene slowly slipped off the bed, though he still kept his junk covered with one hand. His legs still felt weird, but at least he felt he could walk, as uncomfortable as it may be.

“Alright. So, I need an antidote then?”

[Qu33n0f1c3]

Sylvia held a steady smirk. She couldn't help it, the way Eugene was covering himself was just funny, as though his front parts were somehow worse than his exposed behind.

Never-the-less, she started toward the alchemists when Alucard nodded to her, signifying it was time to retrieve and administer the antidote.

"It's an anti-venom created from a potent mix of herbs and venom from some arachne who live in the hanging gardens at ground level of the castle," Alucard explained. "You needn't fear them if you happen upon them slumbering down below. All the monsters who currently reside here are tame to guests."

The alchemists passed on a steaming cup of brown liquid to Sylvia, who carefully brought it toward Eugene. "Careful, it's hot," she said, holding it out to him in offering.

"You should drink it quickly or it may spoil," Alucard said. "It is bitter, for certain, but consuming it within five minutes of brewing will provide the best protection against the antigens attacking your immune system."

[Aether Engine]

Eugene experienced a fresh shot of fear, getting goosebumps as Alucard gave mention of more of those spider creatures being in the castle. Those things could be tamed? After that encounter, Eugene couldn't imagine facing one of those without an immediate response to either run away away or kill it.

Moving on from that, Eugene gingerly took the cup and looked at the contents. The muddy brown color was not promising, and the smell was not encouraging either. It reminded Eugene of something he once left in the fridge well longer than he should have, a pungent, sharp smell that his senses immediately filed under “do not consume”. Still, that expectant look he was getting from Alucard suggested he better drink the stuff quickly. Bringing it to his lips, Eugene took a gulp.

His reaction was immediate. Eugene's eyes clenched shut at the extraordinarily strong, bitter taste, a pained groan vibrating in his throat. In th moment, he forgot his shame and brought his hand up to rub at his throat which was clenching up at the taste of the stuff. With great effort, despite the taste and heat, he managed to swallow the small gulp of antidote. His tongue stuck out of his open mouth, as though something in the air, would rinse the horrible taste from his mouth. As he took in another gulp, he experienced the reaction again. Not quite as strong as the first time, since he knew what was coming, but it still felt terrible to put in his mouth. He looked down at the cup. Still plenty of the foul fluid remaining. Great.

“It may be best if you just drink it all at once,” one of the alchemists recommended.

Eugene looked at the alchemist before reconsidering the antidote. It was probably true. He needed to chug the stuff, not give it enough time to settle on his tongue.

“Down the hatch,” he finally muttered, after giving it a think. Raising the cup up, he started chugging the remaining contents.

Of course, he could still taste it, but he tried his best to get it past his taste buds. After managing to down the entire the cup. Eugene was left leaning over a table, still gagging and coughing. A belch or two rumbled in his throat.

[Qu33n0f1c3]

Sylvia was somewhat disappointed that one of the alchemists had told Eugene to drink all of the potion at once. She was rather enjoying seeing him flounder trying to choke it down.

At least seeing him hunched over a nearby table choking on the stuff was amusing in and of itself. It reminded her of a were beast that had just returned to being human after an early transformation. They almost always ended up dazed, naked, and fighting to get the sour taste of blood out of their mouths.

And of course, she had been there before herself. She felt entitled to find the situation amusing, as horrid as it was to have gone through on her own.

"What do you want me to do with his things?" Sylvia asked Alucard, positioning herself between the items on the nearby cot and her master.

"Pack them away for now. We'll have them sent to his room."

"You don't want to confiscate anything?" Sylvia's hand twitched toward the photo album, where the pictures of Shanoa and the glyphs had been kept.

"It won't be necessary," Alucard stated. He was unconcerned about Eugene running off. Even if he did, he was not their prisoner. He was free to go if he wished, though it would be most unwise.

The healing demon had retreated for a moment, and now returned with a pair of loose sweat pants with a draw string and an over sized t-shirt.

"Garb yourself," he said to Eugene, holding them out to the human with his arms outstretched, like he didn't want to have to get close to him again unless it were absolutely necessary.

[Aether Engine]

Eugene stood there, coughing, breathing deeply. He could not understand what he heard as Sylvia and Alucard conversed, unable to concentrate his understanding of Romanian as recovered from swallowing the horrible stuff. The taste of the alchemical concoction continued to persist on his tongue, refusing to go away. Putting a hand on his stomach, he swore he could feel the hot fluid as it traveled along his digestive tract. He really hoped it would be worth it.

When the demon offered him a set of cloths, Eugene gladly took them, glad to have just about anything to cover up his naked body. The demon retreated back from the human, having done what he needed. Eugene immediately set about trying to get the pants on first, though he still felt a bit creaky from his recovery. As he slipped the clothes on, he started to realize that he was feeling warm, the feeling spreading through his body. Was that the medicine at work?

With his private bits finally covered, Eugene turned around, leaning back on the table behind him for support. Not that he wasn't so worried about his state of dress, he could be bothered to take in more of what was around him, and notice other things. Like his belongings strewn out on the table. He would have demanded to know what they thought they were doing, looking through his stuff without his permission, but he knew he was not in any position to be indignant. Instead, he went with a more inoffensive question.

“So... uh... what's next?”

[Qu33n0f1c3]

Sylvia's tail would have swished impatiently if she'd had it, partly because of the time Eugene was taking to ready himself, but mostly because she knew her purpose was soon to come to an end. She'd brought Eugene to Alucard. She'd helped save his hide. Now she wouldn't be needed anymore. Left to bring his stuff to a bedroom and be dismissed. She wished she had a bigger role to play, but she did not, and it left her bitter.

"We walk," Alucard stated, simple as that, in response to Eugene's question. "Are you hungry? I can have a meal fashioned for you if you'd like."

Sylvia gathered up the remaining things and slipped them back into Eugene's bag. "I'll go ahead and put these away for ya . . . Lord Alucard will show you to your room when he's done with you."