"Bartham Keep castle, I expected it to be... umm..."
What could he say?
It is a massive gothic castle sitting in the middle of nowhere surrounded by snowy hills and trees, the home of a vampire who claims to be the mistress of this place. And most importantly, the home of Alucard; the infamous vampire mistress that is rumored to be brutal, vicious and a dangerous monster, having slayed countless people in this world and much more.
Standing there in the snowy hill using binoculars was young man named Puncher, wearing steel armor painted in red to signify his allegiance to one of the most infamous and controversial faction known across the wasteland. A name that strikes fear in the heart of many people and causes them to pray to their god for protection against this unknown group: The Order of Solomon.
Holy templars of religious order that has dedicated its existence to exterminating any kind of supernatural creatures, including mutants and witches, believing that these beings are tainted by unforgivable sin. It was believed that all those who are not human should be destroyed with or without trial.
They are God's soldiers, claiming that they are chosen by the lord himself to purge the world of evils, protecting mankind from the demons, abominations and monsters. As righteous as their cause is, many see them as thugs that oppress any creature they encounter, whether human or not, for their conviction is so strong that they would kill anyone that defies them.
Yet, no one outside of their faction understand the necessary to protect humanity from such threats. They have fought to preserve their species and serve God's will, all while condemning any other creatures as unholy abominations, exterminating them from this world with no regard of their lives. How many times they had killed mutants, undead and countless of other supernatural beings are unknown, but they have committed atrocities like no other.
It is for the greater good, their leaders would say, justifying their actions as they claim to have seen the light of God himself. And in his eyes, they are righteous and just from the horrors they have to face from doing their duty. To them, it is the will of God that these creatures should be destroyed so that humanity may live in peace and harmony with one another. And if such creatures should defy this holy calling and stand against them; then they shall be defeated and slain, regardless of whether they are supernatural or not.
"Ordinary?" Said a gravelly voice of matured man, "I think not, for the one that lives there is no ordinary person," stating in certain tone of his, resulting Puncher to turn around, seeing his expeditionary leader to commit siege against the castle to slay whatever beasts that lay inside. Duncan Cray; having known nothing but bloodshed and death all his life, his battle scars are clear evidence of this as his bald head is completely covered in them with one other eye blind from the sight, a patch of flesh was also apparent from having been burned out from his face.
"Sir," the young man speak up, bowing his head to him, "I am not certain if it is wise to attack at this time," thinking that Alucard will be more than a challenge to fight at this moment, "wouldn't it be better if we do this during the morning? I heard vampires are weak to the sun, aren't they?" His leader let out a small laugh from hearing this statement.
Scratching his head while chuckling, "not so sure about that, vampires who lived for extremely long time will develop resistances and abilities as they grew older. They will continue to do so until the end of time, unless there is something that can kill them for good," he adds with deep voice. It is no secret that vampires are some of the strongest creatures in this world, if not the strongest and many even fears them as apex predators.
While new, fresh vampires are easy to kill; the ones who lived for more than hundreds of years have grown new heights in their power. Not only do they lost their humanity but also the very spirit they call a soul; and no mortal being can kill them unless it is by something very powerful. "Alucard is an ancient vampire, so to speak, even I am not sure what will happen if we attack her now," the leader explained to his follower, showing concern to his well-being.
The two have known each other for some time now, seeing him as a mentor and someone to look up to. They have fought thin and thick together, sharing a strong bond of camaraderie that are unbreakable. Believing their organization is doing the right thing, their leader has been nothing but generous to them, as well as himself, even if it means to risk their lives on the line for a greater good.
Puncher's chest tightens from hearing his words, "if she is that dangerous, why are we even doing this in the first place?" Questioning him, "I do not want to disrespect you or the order, but what if we fail? You have lost your eye," mentioning how he has been wounded by ancient vampire in their last encounter, the very one that left him blind from his sight.
Duncan sigh in response to his question, "I have thought about this already," calm expression as he walk towards the young man, "this is a mission that we are tasked to do," explaining that he has a good reason for doing this, "and it is a task that was ordered by the will of the order. We cannot fail or disobey," showing great conviction in his eyes.
Puncher frowns from hearing this statement, knowing full well what would happen if they fail their mission. There is no room for errors here, especially belonging to dreaded organization. When their superiors give them orders, they expect nothing but complete obedience and unquestionable loyalty from their older members.
Glancing at his leader's side, several men and women wearing concealed red armor calmly moved around the spacious camp, speaking and laughing among themselves as they sat around a fire to keep warm from the cold air. Some of them have been with him since the beginning, some even younger than him while others much older.
And although they may be thugs and thieves, they are still human beings, people with hopes and dreams. The same way he is, a man who wishes to bring order and justice in this wasteland; the only difference is that they believe their cause in truly protecting mankind from the dangers of the world.
No matter how corrupted his organization is, what stands from annihilation and disorder is the knights of Solomon. Necessary evil to maintain balance in this cruel world, it is their duty to eliminate the ungodly threats to their race and livelihood. Even if they have to commit atrocities to achieve their goals, it is still for the greater good of humanity.
Studying closely of Puncher's soft gaze, Duncan sighed pitiful from what the boy is thinking, "you are worried about them," assuming that he is concerned about his men, "when we are sent out in this world, there is nothing but battlefield and death," telling him with certain tone, "it is the life we have chosen to live, so I will not allow you to dishonor us," determined expression as he continue.
"If you fear for their lives, I will not fault you," seeing how the boy flinches from his statement, "I understand how it feels to be worried about someone," adding more words of wisdom to him, "however, they have duty and if killed on this mission; then our deaths will be remembered as martyrs for the order," reassuring the boy that their deaths would not be in vain.
"This is their mission to do," looking at at the castle while still showing his stoic expression, "their mission to die on the line," he states, "doing what we do is to serve the order and nothing more," no emotion as he kept his gaze at the castle, "it is for the greater good, boy. We must protect mankind from all threats that lurks in this world," mentioning how the great deal of creatures are violent and uncivilized beings who only see them as an easy target to prey on.
Puncher shift his gaze at him again, still frowning from his words before nodding in agreement of his statement, "you are right," admitting that he is correct about their duty. There is no room for hesitation here, everything they do is for the greater good of humanity. It is for their survival as well as their lives and their very soul.
It is their duty after all, the life they have chosen to live; that is what they are doing right now. This is the life they chose to live, not only for themselves but for the sake of humanity and everyone they know. "We must do this," Puncher says to convince himself in his own words, seeing the will of God.
Seeing how the boy is becoming confident again, Duncan nods in approval, smiling from the act, "that is right," pleased to see his decision, "let us enjoy our remaining time, we don't know who is going to die and who is going to survive," telling him with truth. There is no guarantee that they will survive this mission, and not only that; their lives could be cut short from this world just like what happened to his comrades in the past.
Many people will die or survive with wide array of injuries and wounds, it is part of the cycle in being soldier. Some will die from blood loss, others from infections, and there are even those that are unlucky enough to die from natural causes. There is no telling who will live or die on this mission, for they will all die if God wishes it so.
Giving a small laugh, Duncan glance at the boy's nervous expression as he crack his own knuckles before giving him a pat on the back, "don't worry, boy," still smiling from seeing him like this, "we are soldiers of the order," repeating what he said to him before, "no matter how dangerous this mission is, we will all fight as one and emerge victorious," mentioning that they will triumph over any obstacle before them.
The young man look down and smiled from hearing this statement of his leader, knowing full well what he means by this. No matter what happens, they will all fight as one; their mission is to protect humanity. In the end, even if they die; it is all for the greater good of mankind. No matter how gruesome or frightening this task may be, they will do it with courage and conviction. Knowing what could happen to them on this mission, they will not fear death nor fear the life that awaits them in this world.
That is what they are fighting for, and if it means to sacrifice themselves for the greater good; then so be it. That is what they have chosen to do, and that is the life they have chosen to live, their duty as soldiers of Solomon. Everything they do is for the greater good of humanity. As long as their cause is just and righteous, no matter how painful or dark their mission may be, they will do it with honor and courage.
Both of them keep telling that to themselves, trying to convince themselves that this is the only way to justify the choices they have made, to justify the cruelty they have done to survive in this cruel world. And with great conviction, Puncher look at his leader, looking at the brave man who shows no fear in the face of death, giving him a nod in respect and determination before speaking up, "yes, sir," ready to face whatever that may come.
Seeing his expression, Duncan nodded with respect, "good," pleased to see him like this again, "let us wait until the time is right," reminding him that it is only a matter of time before they finally make their move. "treasure our time together while you can," hinting to the boy that this may be their last day together. After all, they will not know who will survive this mission until the time comes.
