Before Simon Belmont entered Death’s Lair, other heroes had challenged the Grim Reaper and lost their lives. These are their tales.
Note: I believe this was the last entry on FF.Net and was supposed to signify a return to the fanfic fold… that didn’t quite pan out openly, at least. A couple minor edits and fixes were made to the text, but for the most part, it’s presented as is.
Disclaimer: The author acknowledges that Castlevania and all related characters are owned by Konami and not the author. A couple characters featured here are original creations of the author.
-o-
Few had ever made it here. The dungeons of the monstrous structure known as Castlevania is the most dangerous of the castle areas and those who somehow managed to make it there has never been able to leave this place alive. Some might surmise the downfall come from the constantly-reviving blood skeletons and the heavy-armored axe knights. Others tell stories of death traps and floating heads which bring with an unbeatable plague upon trespassers.
However, few can say the real source of this area’s dangerous reputation is its dungeon master. A feared creature known by many names including Death, the Grim Reaper and many others, those who have encountered are said to have never returned from the encounter alive or at least with their living souls intact. It is said that his powers eclipse those of the Count himself, who commands the forces of darkness from the sanctuary and safety of his keep high above the castle.
The Reaper’s origins have been lost in history and thus many societies and clergies aware of his existence will often spin many tales of how he came to be.
-o-
Two days after his twenty-first birthday, a young swordsman simply known as “Benedict” entered the demonic Castlevania through a secret route only he knew of. He knew the day would come when he would have to venture into the mysterious castle in order to find an ancient family relic that was lost within these walls. Benedict had trained mightily for this moment.
Through the secret corridor, Benedict emerged within the castle’s dungeons. Much to his surprise, the castle was void of any guards or powerful deziens. Sensing a trap at hand, Benedict ventured forth cautiously. Along the way, he managed to run into a couple of living skeletons who tossed their bones at Benedict, but they were easily dispatched with a quick sword swipe. Undaunted, Benedict proceeded forward.
Eventually, Benedict’s path would lead him to an art gallery. One look at the paintings on display showed that the owner of this castle was a big fan of death and destruction, as they proudly displayed images of carnage and violence captured with such vividness that Benedict fought the urge to vomit. Just as he was having second thoughts, he saw a massive cloaked figure emerge before him. It was the most awesome sight Benedict had ever witnessed, but also the most frightening.
Benedict maintained his physical composure, which allowed him to hide the intense fear that had suddenly claimed his very being as he saw this cloaked specter of death descend from the darkness above the room. He looked at the creature’s hate-filled eyes, his tattered robes, and his long bloodied scythe. Benedict shook aside the feelings of fear and brandished his sword, then waited for the first move to be made. The Reaper simply floated away while Benedict
It seemed like an onslaught of sickles flying at him at first, but Benedict knew the Reaper would only send three or four sickles at a time. Wiping out the projectiles with his sword, he began to pull out some throwing knives and toss them at the Reaper wherever he was at. Some missed their mark and the ones that landed on the Reaper were of little to no consequence. Nonetheless, Benedict continued this tactic which had allowed him to survive the battle thus far.
Until he reached for another set of knives and discovered he had exhausted his entire stock. Benedict scuttled through his equipment for anything that could be used as a long range weapon, but to no avail. In his one moment of uncertainty, he did not notice the overhead swing of the Reaper’s scythe until he saw the curved blade wrap around his neck and…
-o-
Three days later…
The wizard Lockley had stumbled across this dingy dungeon by accident. Finding a means to Castlevania without getting spotted, he had found a cavern which supposedly lead to the castle’s courtyard. Unfortunately, he was sidetracked by a vampire bat and fell into a chasm. Lockley had thought his end was near but ended up falling into an elaborate art gallery through one of the chamber holes that had adorned the walls.
Recovering from his fall, Lockley turned to find axe knights positioned at the far end of the hall. Fortunately for him, these heavy-armored soldiers of darkness were looking the other direction and did not hear the crash landing that Lockley had caused. He preferred to keep from starting a conflict, but just to be safe, he casted an ice spell on the knights, summoning a sheet of ice that enveloped the unsuspecting guards. The ice would wear off, but it gave Lockley enough time to move out of sight.
Before long, he saw his path end with a door in an elaborate yet ruined chamber. The door behind shut closed and Lockley found himself trapped. He looked around to find a coffin, but the room was completely empty… save for himself and the ragged cloaked figure in the Reaper who floated before him. Lockley looked up at this creature and felt its immense power and authority. Folding his arms together, he approached the Reaper.
“Um… are you the Count?” he asked, although in truth he knew who the Reaper was.
The Reaper shook his head, responding negatively.
The wizard rubbed his chin slightly before asking, “Can you take me to him please? I’m under business to kill him.”
Again, the Reaper shook his head. A slight audible roar came from his mouth even though it did not move.
Lockley sighed. “Fine, then. I’ll just have to give this to you.”
On cue, Lockley extended his arms out and opened his cloaked, spewing forth a flurry of flames which caught the Reaper offguard momentarily. With the distraction in place, Lockley move his arms towards the foul creature and summoned lightning bolts to be shot from his fingertips. The Reaper barely shook off the flames when he was suddenly within the lightning’s grasp.
Lockley seemed confident and almost excited as he watched the bolts of lightning strike against the Reaper. Before long, the bolts vanished as quickly as they appeared and Death regained his composure. Lockley attempted another spell and extended his hands forward, but before he could begin the incantation, the Reaper swung his mighty scythe at the old wizard. While the blade missed his marked, the wooden handle had collided with Lockley’s wrists. Lockley gasped in shock as the magic he had been building spilled uncontrollably from his hands and enveloped his body in green mist. When the mist cleared, Lockley was no longer a living being, but instead was a stone statue. Death studied the statue for a moment before shattering it with his weapon. Another challenger slain.
-o-
Another week had passed by since the wizard’s untimely demise and already Death was facing yet another challenger; a nameless barbarian from a far off land who had intended to defeat the Count and lay claim to his throne. Unlike the previous two victims, however, the barbarian posed a great challenge and the Reaper was finding himself to be outmatched. He was fortunate that his scythe was able to hold up against the thunderous blows of his blade, for any lesser weapon would have been shattered. Tiring of the constant blocking, the warrior thrust his foot into the chest of the Reaper, knocking the demon back against the wall.
The warrior grinned as he looked upon the struggling creature. He found it hard to believe that other travelers fell before the Reaper while he was having an easy time. It was the very arrogance of the warrior that gave the Reaper the opening he needed. With a mere thought, twelve small sickles formed around the warrior and almost instantly flew at him. The warrior was able to shatter eight of them, but when one had managed to dig deep into the muscle of his leg, all strength was lost. The rest of them merely scratched him, but the wounds created were starting flow with life-giving blood.
The warrior dropped to his knees in agony. He looked up as Death towered over him. As quickly as it had begun, the battle had ended and the warrior was now on the verge of defeat. No words were spoken as the Reaper raised the scythe overhead and the warrior closed his eyes as he felt the blade cutting through the air as it made its way to his very skull.
And then everything went black… and silent.
-o-
Two weeks have passed since the nameless warrior’s timeless demise and the Reaper would once again find another interloper in his lair. Unlike the previous pieces of meat he had disposed of, he watched this warrior with great interest. For unlike the previous interlopers who had discovered hidden routes of entering this place, this newcomer went in through the front door and laid out a path of destruction in his wake. A young man with a well-built physique, flowing blond hair, and an uncanny master of the chain whip at his hand, he had been able to dispatch the Mummies and the powerful Creature with relative ease. No doubt the Reaper believed this to be a true challenge.
After a perilous journey through the dungeons and torture chambers of Castlevania, vampire hunter Simon Belmont was mere moments away from the clock tower adjacent to the castle keep where the evil Count laid in waiting. As he looked around, he saw the scattered bones and rotting corpses of previous warriors who had ventured through here. Some looked familiar while others did not. What foul being would cause all this death and destruction?
Unphased by what he had seen, Belmont ventured forth until he entered a large art gallery. He had glanced at the various art pieces and merely scoffed. While gruesomely vivid in their portrayal, the intended affect was lost on Belmont, who had spent the past two hours marching through the castle halls fighting the Count’s minions. Even on his way here after defeating the Creature, Simon had to endure against an aggressive group of skeletons, axe knights, and Bone Pillars. Nonetheless, he prevailed.
Finally, Belmont reached the last leg of the gallery; the massive chamber where the final door laid waiting for him. Behind this door, according to Belmont’s map of the castle, was the bridge leading to the clock tower and, of course, to the Count’s keep. However, before Simon could get very far, he was met with the specter of death himself. The tattered robes, fleshless glaze of death, and bloodied sickle had instilled fear in many warriors who had passed through his chamber and all were met with a quick but painful death.
Unlike many others who had passed before him, Belmont was ready as he had the experiences of his family ancestry to fall back upon. He had read of this beast in family diaries and scriptures, who had described the Reaper with such vivid detail that Simon could practically envisioned the creature beforehand. With a quick gesture, he tossed out a flask of holy liquid and watched as the container shattered, spilling its contents over the Reaper. The creature screamed in agony as the purifying affects of the holy liquid began to burn his already tattered cloak and draining his very life force. It took a few moments before the affects of the liquid wore off, but a few moments were all that Belmont really needed.
Picking up a stray boomerang, he tossed it at the flailing Reaper, hitting him across his cloaked head. Next, Belmont rolled towards an axe and hurled it at the Master of Death. The Reaper attempted to block the weapon with his scythe, but his powers were so drained that the axe managed to split the scythe in half, thus eliminating his ability to summon the flying sickles which had tormented his previous oppressors.
Sensing the battle nearly over, Belmont brandished his Vampire Killer whip and ran at the Reaper. With a quick and mighty snap of the chained weapon, he knocked down the cloaked specter and watched as he began to shift between dimensions. Being the heroic figure that he is, Belmont helped out by tossing another flask of the holy liquid, which caused the Reaper to erupt in flames and eventually vanish from this realm. The battle was over and the Reaper was gone… for the moment.
With one more master villain stricken from his path. Belmont smiled and continued on his way. The last leg of his quest was just ahead…
THE END
dtm666 