Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Von Gosling’s last living memory was a vivid one.

The rain had never felt so piercing on his skin, the lightning so bright, the thunder so loud. He was all too aware of everything happening, and yet he also felt afloat, as if in a dream-like state.

Something about bleeding out on the ground gave him this feeling, he supposed.

"And so, the cat finally catches the mouse."

The fourteenth Count of Duckula mocked, standing over Von Gosling's shivering form. As much as he was fighting, clinging to life, even Gosling could tell he wasn't going to make it through the night alive. He simply stared up at the Count, glowering weakly.

"How many years has it been that you've tried to apprehend me, hunter?" He continued. "Not many in the span of my lifetime, but far too many wasted years for yours. And what was it for? You've lost, and you've wasted so many of your precious years trying to apprehend me, only for it to come to this. How... unfortunate ."

"Gh... gottverdammt. " Gosling finally hissed out as the Count snickered. "I will not... allow my death to be in vain! May it be the last thing I do, I will assure my descendants never make the same mistakes I have!"

The Count strode forward and pressed two fingers against Gosling's neck, much to his disdain. "Mm... quite late for that now, isn't it, Doctor? Based on your current vitals, you won't last longer than a few more minutes. Alas, I must admit I'm curious- what might that mistake be?"

"Trifling with your kind was the worst mistake... I've ever made. I hate to admit it, but you are correct, Count. I have wasted too much of my life in pursuit of justice... and I hadn't even taken this job of my own accord." Gosling sucked in a breath with a hiss, his sides aching and his vision dimming. "I was... I was naïve and so, so foolish."

"Heh, you're quite amusing, Dr. Von Gosling, even up to your... untimely death . I almost feel sorry for you. But then again," The Count licked across the front of his sharp teeth. "I will enjoy feasting on your blood far too much to care." 

A beat of silence, only accented by the falling rain and the rumble of thunder.

Finally, Gosling clears his throat before giving a hoarse rebuttal. "... No. There is one thing you are forgetting, villain."

The Count cackled. "Is there? Enlighten me, Doctor. What am I forgetting, exactly?"

Von Gosling grinned weakly, pointing towards the horizon behind the vampire. For a moment, Gosling saw fear in the Count's eyes for the first time this encounter- fear that he really did miscalculate. The vampire whipped around, prepared to scream in anguish as the sun renders him a pile of dust as the first rays of dawn shine over the horizon.

But that moment doesn’t arrive. The rain continued to fall. The sun refused to rise.

The vampire exhaled. "Pah, clever. You almost got me with that on-"

Before the Count finishes his sentence, Von Gosling yanked Count Duckula back by his cape.

It all happened so quickly. One second, the Count had lost his balance.

The next, he felt a sharp pain in his chest as something was lodged through it.

A wooden stake.

Energy weakened further, Gosling let go, allowing the Count to stumble forward. The mallard looked down at his chest, then back at the Doctor.

His form began to crumble as he snarled. "..Hehe. Well played, Doctor. But unlike you, Gosling... my legacy will surpass my death."

With that, the infamous fourteenth Count crumbled into nothing but ashes, which matted against the grass as the rain slowed to a drizzle.

Letting out a shaky breath, and then another, Dr. Von Gosling felt relief. The beast plaguing his life was vanquished, dead as the undead can be.

... And yet, his words rang through Gosling's head as he felt his heart rate slow.

"My legacy will surpass my death."

The Counts of the House of Duckula would live on far past his death. This fact could not be denied. How he wanted to will himself to get up and walk home, to live past this event to warn his kin.

The last thing he remembered was the Sun. It barely peeked over the horizon- nothing but a glimpse of light and the slight coloring of the sky in pinks and oranges. Yet, Gosling vividly remembers the warmth. He was so, so cold, and as he lay down to rest, he saw the light and felt the slightest warmth reach his feathers.

A glimpse of light.

Then there was darkness.

Chapter Text

You can imagine the confusion Gosling felt when he opened his eyes again.

The pounding in his head and the mild ringing in his ears died with him, but they came back slowly after what could have been about two minutes or two hundred years.

(The truth was the latter.)

Disoriented, he sat up, clutching his head. "I don't understand..." He mumbled. "How am I still alive after that..?"

One look down at his hands told him the truth- there was a transparency to them. "Ah. So I am not."

Taking a deep breath, Gosling stood up, looking around the area. He appeared to be in the same place he was when he died, but something felt strangely off.

“What I don’t understand now ,” He thought aloud to himself, “Is why I am here. Am I meant to wander the earth for the rest of eternity? What a fate…”

Just then, he noticed something out of the corner of his eye. Turning around, he could now see that it was a massive dirigible, parked next to a cave on the mountainside. He could hear the sound of someone talking coming from inside.

Curiosity piqued, Gosling decided to investigate.

As he got closer to the cave, he could here what the person inside was saying more clearly. A German, like himself. "Now, let's see- ah-hah! There! Mein greatest work yet! Now if I can just.. Heinrich! Heinrich! Ach, where has that boy run off to? Always out when I need him!"

Peeking into the cave, Gosling sees that the person inside is completely alone, standing amidst chemistry sets and blueprints. "Wouldn't hurt to get a closer look, would it? I am dead after all- I'm not sure he would even notice me." Gosling reasoned out to himself.

Upon closer inspection, Gosling could tell that this goose was... thoroughly sleep deprived. At the very least, he was overworking himself with whatever silly project he was getting at.

Just as he was about to get closer, the inventor turned around. "Ah, Heinrich! There you are! I was just about to-"

Up to this point, Goosewing hadn't made eye-contact with Gosling. When he did, however, he let out a high pitched scream. "Schinken und Käse-! A spectre!"

Startled, Gosling hopped back, as did the inventor. "You... can see me?" Gosling whispered.

The inventor, still frightened, continued to ramble without answering his question. "Help! Spirit! Why have you come to haunt me?!"

"Get a hold of yourself, boy!" Gosling hissed, shutting the inventor up. He took a breath before continuing. "Better. Tut mir leid, that may have come off as... harsh. I am not here to haunt you, I have just woken up in the area and I am just as surprised as you are." 

"Phew, well... you gave me quite the scare, that is for sure." The inventor said, after regaining most of his composure. 'But ah... who are you?"

"I am Dr. Casimir Von Gosling. And who, if I may ask, might you be?"

The inventor's eyes lit up as Gosling said this. "Why- this is incredible! You truly are Dr. Von Gosling??"

Gosling cocked his head. "Eh? Yes, I am he... have you... heard of me before?"

The inventor cackled. "Heard of you? Why, I own your diary! I am your great nephew, for I am Dr. Otto Von Goosewing, greatest wampire hunter in the world!"

"...What?"

"This is great news! Mein own great uncle, a fellow wampire hunter, returned to the realm of the living! I have so much to be telling you!"

As Dr. Von Goosewing prattled on about his life and accomplishments, Gosling stared blankly at him, taking everything in at once.

Casimir was only a vampire hunter by technicality- he was only successful in killing one (albeit at the cost of his life) and didn't plan on making it a full-time job. It was one taken on out of necessity that, in his opinion, went too far.

From what he did gather from Goosewing, much to his despair, this unfortunate 'vampire hunting' hobby Gosling had picked up had become a family business of sorts ever since he died.

It made Gosling horribly upset.

He doesn't regret killing Count Duckula XIV- someone had to, lest the vampire continued to terrorize the village. But still, this fate of endlessly chasing a creature of the night before succumbing to a horrible death...

It wasn't something he wanted anyone to go through, but most importantly his own family.

"If I am back only to stop the madness that is my family 'legacy', then so be it."

"Ah- but I'm.. I'm getting ahead of myself! There is a wampire to be stopped yet!"

Gosling was abruptly snapped out of his thoughts when the hunter spoke again. Before he could inquire, Goosewing continued.

"Mein great plan- the one I had been concocting right before you arrived- is practically finished, and I must be headed off to Castle Duckula at once to destroy the foul fiend once and for all! Come along, Uncle!" He exclaimed triumphantly, rushing out of the cave with a weapon of sorts in his arms.

With not enough time to react, he followed after. "I- du großer Gott- wait!"

Despite wanting to tell Goosewing to stop, to turn around and give up on this pointless endeavor, he knew there was no reasoning with this man. Not then. He recognized the hunter's face- it is one he had seen on himself a long, long time ago.

Unrelenting determination.

Gosling hadn't wanted to become a vampire hunter.

But when he had first heard the news that the Count had somehow lived after he had shot a stake at him, he felt something new inside of him. A rush, much like euphoria but only much more potent.

Despite his initial hesitance, this new feeling kept pushing him higher and higher, if only in an attempt to reach his enemy. Always so close, always just out of his reach.

It both fueled his drive further and made him painfully desperate.

It was only on the fateful night of his death that the realization caught up to him. That he had won, yes, but at what cost?

That was not something he wanted his nephew to go through with. Despite the man being far past the point of 'young adult' (if Gosling had to guess, he was probably younger than Goosewing, at least going by his age when he died), he was very excitable and naïve.

Goosewing reminded him so much of his younger self. He does not have to die to see his error.

Gosling would make sure of it.

Gosling had been stuck in his thoughts for so long that he hadn't been quite aware of the passage of time. When he finally did stop brooding, he realized just how close the dirigible was to the castle that haunted his nightmares.

They were so close, in fact, that they were touching down near the grounds.

Castle Duckula. Its been centuries, but his presence there burns fresh in his memory. "Scheiße", he whispers harshly under his breath.

It would appear it was time to face his fears. The reincarnation of his most hated nemesis.

He wasn't ready.

Chapter Text

"I understand your eagerness, boy, but is entering through the front door really the best you can come up with??"

Gosling hissed at his ambitious nephew as he pulled out some tools off to the side of the castle’s entrance.

"Pah! You lack faith in me, uncle!"

" YES , because it appears to me that you forget I have also made these amateur mistakes before you, dummkopf!"

Goosewing rolled his eyes. “Believe me, this time I will stop the wretched beast for sure! I have been studying the wampire’s routine, und I am well aware of what I need to do!”

“...That being..?”

“Simple! As you can clearly see, I am currently disguised as a house inspector, here to examine the structural integrity of the castle.” He gestures to his getup- it consisted of a simple outfit and a hard hat, along with a painfully obviously fake mustache. “However, what I will actually be doing is setting a series of mein Dr. von Goosewing patent pending wampire catching traps! The Count will be none the wiser as he leads me into his home, und directly to his demise!” He finishes proudly.

“This is…” Gosling started, thinking about how he should respond to the plan. A horribly stupid idea, he thought, but decided to take a different approach. “... Are you quite sure this will work?”

“Oh ja! This would not be the first time I’ve done this!”

“Oh, I’m sure of it,” Gosling deadpans under his breath.

“It’s foolproof! Sheer genius!”

Gosling sighs. “And you’re positive there’s nothing I can do to make you reconsider this? Or at the very least have you consider something more… realistic??”

“Absolutely positive! To destroy the beast is to outwit him in a way he will never see coming! This plan cannot fail!” With a huff, Goosewing turned back to the door and rapped on it a couple times.

Through the door, the sound of heavy footsteps could be hear approaching, accompanied by a muffled voice proclaiming “I’ll get it!”

Gosling paused. “ Where have I heard that before….?”

After a moment of deja vu, Gosling was struck with sudden recognition. He knew exactly what was about to happen.

"Back away from the door!" 

"What was that, Uncl-"

CRASH-!

Where once there stood a wall next to the door, now stood a sizable hen among a pile of debris.

“Ooh,” She speaks. “Now ‘ow did that ‘appen?”

Goosewing- who had been knocked to his feet- coughed and sputtered, fanning the dust away from his face. “Gee, I am… always forgetting about her… ah-!” He suddenly remembered the task at hand, quickly scrambling to his feet. “Yes! I am one Alphonse Van… er, ah, Greylag!”

(Gosling notes in his head to mention to his great nephew that he should either come up with a name beforehand, or not make one up at all.)

“I was hoping I could be speaking to the owner of this castle about the job I am here to perform, ja?” 

Before the hen can respond, a new (yet familiar) voice calls from within the castle. “Nanny, how many times have we had to tell you to use the DOOR? It’s no use, it’s just no use… oh, who is it?”

“It’s a Mister Alphonse van-er-uh Greylag! He says ‘e wants to ‘ave a word with you about the castle!” Nanny responds back cheerfully.

“A word about th- be right there, Nanny!”

While this exchange was going on, Gosling’s long-dormant heart seemed to pound in his ears. It was slightly different- younger, perhaps, either literally or in manner- but he knew that voice all too well. Up till this point, Gosling had been barely calming his nerves at the idea of seeing the man that led him to his untimely death- or at least the reincarnation of him- but now that it was actually going to happen…

Despite understanding that he was invisible to everyone but his nephew, his first response was to duck out of sight and wait with bated breath for the Count to arrive.

And so he did.

A duck appeared at the door after a moment- and he was CERTAINLY the Count- but… something about him… underwhelmed von Gosling.

Appearance-wise, there were definitely similarities between the Count Duckula he’d known and this new Count. Their hair had been styled similarly, and they had a very similar style of dress. But there was so much that was innately unique about this one. Maybe it was the angle he was viewing him from, but the Count appeared to have fangs so small they would be rendered useless, or none at all.

It was all so peculiar to him.

“Uh, hello Mister- what did Nanny say- van-er-uh Greylag. What brings you to our humble abode?”

Goosewing either ignored the blatant misunderstanding of his falsified name or didn’t notice it altogether, tipping his hard hat to the Count. “Yes, hello! I was sent here to run a full inspection on this here castle. May I come in?”

Count Duckula blinks. “You’re… you’re a house inspector?” Goosewing nods. The Count sucked in a breath, running a hand through his hair. “A house inspector… here. Now. A h- Igor! IIIGOR!!” The Count whips around, yelling into the depths of the castle before slamming the door.

Despite this, there was still a very large hole in the wall from where Nanny entered and left, and the following exchange was very easily heard and witnessed.

“IGOR! This is- well, this is just a disaster! A catastrophy!”

“I beg your pardon, milord?”

“ ‘I beg your pardon milord’ indeed! You’d better start begging-! I mean look at this place, it’s a dump, an unsalvagable mess- if you’d given me some notice ahead of time I could’ve tried to spruce the old place up or something!”

“I was not aware we would be having company today, much less that of an inspector, milord.”

“Wh- you weren’t?”

Igor shook his head.

“Well, that’s… that’s no excuse.”

Gosling was almost amused by these antics, before remembering that this duck has killed him and many people before (and presumably after) him. 

The Count huffs, before returning to open the door. “Sorry about that. Do come in, Mister Greylag.” He gestures for Goosewing to enter the castle. “And uh, hehehe, mind the rubble.”

“Much obliged, sir.” Goosewing turns to look over at Gosling, snickers, and walks into the castle after the Count.

With those two gone, Gosling is left alone with just his thoughts, if only for the moment.

He still doesn’t know what to make of all of this. His better judgement tells him to keep his guard up, that this is in fact the beast that has destroyed the lives of many, including his own- and clearly was still something to fear, considering the fact that his great nephew was still in pursuit of him.

And yet… something was different about this Count. He couldn’t make heads or tails of it, but if the Count was truly feigning innocence as a means to lull people into a false sense of security, he was certainly better at it than the Fourteenth Count.

“Only one way to know for sure,” Gosling thought to himself.

Mind made up, he drifted into Castle Duckula for the first time in centuries , off to hopefully gain an understanding of what he’s missed… 

… and, more importantly, keep his nephew from falling into a vampire’s trap.

Chapter Text

Passing the threshold of the castle, Gosling took in the state of the old place and marveled for a moment.

Cobwebs decorated the crevices and corners, the furniture was worn down and aged, and he swore he could almost make out a specific pattern of wear in the stone- a path of sorts- from these floors being traversed over and over again over the course of centuries.

He let out a breath he hadn’t been aware he was holding. It was comforting, in a dark sort of way, to know that this dreadful castle hadn't changed much since the last time he was capable of stepping through its doors.

Distant voices from slightly further into the castle brought him back to the present. He followed the sound to find his nephew and the Count walking through a corridor.

“This way, Inspector! I thought we might start with the best room in the castle- that being the kitchen!” The vampire chuckled, leading the hunter into a quaint dining area.

“Ah, ja , thank you!” Goosewing nodded, looking around the room, pretending to inspect it. “ Mmhmm ... yep… this castle will need a lot of inspecting.”

“Well then! I'll leave you to it, while I… tidy up my room some, eheh .”

Not waiting for a reply back, the Count skidded out of the room in a hurry.

Only once Duckula was gone did Gosling enter the room.

“ Strange ,” He commented aloud, earning a shout of surprise from his nephew.

“Ah! Oh ! It's… it's just you, Uncle.” Goosewing sighed. “For a moment, I was forgetting you were here.”

“Apologies,” Gosling said absentmindedly, looking back at the door frame the Count left from. “This Duckula is certainly… different , from the vampire I knew. I don't trust him.”

“And a good thing, too! The foul creature knows nothing but deceit!” Goosewing said, pulling mechanical parts out of a bag and assembling them.

“You're right. Who can know what the vampire is doing right now…” Gosling started, but trailed off as he came to a realization. “... Ah. I can know.” He turned back to Goosewing. “I will keep watch of the vampire and warn you of any traps he may lay for you .”

Goosewing grinned. “Excellent! With our combined genius, my plan cannot possibly fail! DUCKULA, YOU FIEND ! I WILL-”

“Shh- shh!! Would you keep your voice down, or would you like him to come back up here and kill you?!” Gosling whisper-shouted.

“-Ooh, right , heheh. Silly old Goosewing.” The hunter giggled to himself, before getting back to work.

Gosling gave his great nephew one last nervous glance before exiting the room, guided by the sound of the Count’s voice.

The sound eventually lead him to a large hallway, where the vampire was frantically running back and forth as his butler watched.

“Ohh, what are we going to DO, Igor, what are we going to DO ?!” Duckula wailed.

“I haven't a clue, Milord. I rather like the state of the castle as it were.”

“You- Igor, this place is a wreck! The whole castle is covered in cobwebs, the floorboards all creak, I’m certain we haven't paid a single bill in years-!”

“ Precisely . A perfectly gloomy environment.” Igor snickered.

“We don't have nearly enough time to fix it all now, we’ll just have to keep the house inspector out of the areas of the castle that are completely falling apart. NANNY!”

“Coming, Duckyboos!” The hen’s voice rang out from another room. The Count, realizing his mistake, attempted fruitlessly to backpedal.

“No, no no Nanny, don’t -”

CRASH!

… Far too late for that now. Nanny stood before him, a hole created in the wall of the hallway.

“Ooh, whatever is the matter, young master?” She questioned.

The Count stood there, defeated. “... Igor, make sure this hallway is not one of the areas Mister Greylag walks through.”

“Certainly, Milord.”

“I’m off to check up on the inspector. You two… just don't break anything else, will you?” With that, Duckula rushed back out of the hallway, in search of the inspector. Lagging behind, Gosling rushed after him.

Duckula (tailed unknowingly by Gosling) eventually tracked the house inspector down to a room off to the side of the entrance on the ground floor, where Gosling again ducked out of sight. He sighed- judging by the visible lack of supplies in his nephew's bag, he could assume most of the traps had been laid, if not all.

“Ah! There you are, Mister Greylag! How's everything coming along in here?” Duckula greeted.

“So far, all is appearing to be up to code,” The hunter lied, “But ah, there is one thing I should be mentioning.”

“ Oh no- I mean, yes? ”

Goosewing gestured towards the ground in front of him. “The flooring, here. It is seeming to be not up to safety codes. Would you kindly step on the marked area to ensure that it is safe?”

Gosling peered down at the floor and…

Oh.

Oh Gott im Himmel , he couldn't be serious.

On the floor between Duckula and Goosewing was a very obvious looking pressure plate, barely blended in with the wooden flooring. And if the giant pressure plate was not a clear enough red flag to the Count as it was, it also had a giant red X mark painted over it.

There was no possible way the vampire would fall for this. For Christ’s sake, children wouldn't fall for this! This plan was as good as-

“Sure thing, inspector!” Duckula chirped, stepping directly onto the X mark. Only… nothing happened. This seemed to please the Count, but Goosewing frowned at the lack of a reaction from the trap.

“Ah. Well . Hm .” He pondered out loud. “I am certain there was something with this spot. Perhaps you should walk over it again .”

The duck obliged, not just walking back over it, but hopping on and off of it a few times. “Hehe- hey, this is kinda fun!” He laughed, jumping back and forth as if it were a game.

Thoroughly annoyed and confused, Goosewing shooed the vampire to the side. “Enough! Allow me !”

It was then that Goosewing himself stepped onto the plate and began repeatedly jumping up and down. “Why! Won't! You! Work! Stupid! Machine-!”

Of course, at that moment a mechanical click was heard, and in an instant, a net fell from the ceiling and trapped a startled Goosewing. A moment after, a stake flew towards him from a mechanism on the other side of the room. It didn't hit him, thankfully, but looped through the net’s holes, sending it flying with the hunter inside of it, pinning itself against the opposite wall.

In the midst of the calamity, Goosewing’s shoddy disguise had fallen apart, exposing him to the Count.

“What the- Von Goosewing?! ”

It truly surprised Gosling that the Count sounded this shocked at the reveal.

“ Gottverdammt! Fooled yet again!” The now disguiseless doctor cursed.

“I don't want to hear this from you right now, Goosewing! Just look at what you've done to this part of the castle alone ! Now if a real inspector comes along-!” The vampire screams into his hands.

As the Count spoke, the doctor had managed to wedge the stake out of the wall, freeing himself. He quickly dusted himself off and made a beeline for the door. Before making his exit, he looked back at the Count. “You may have bested me today , but I, Dr. von Goosewing, greatest wampire hunter in the world , will return to-”

“OUT!!” Was all Duckula had to say before the doctor finally fled the castle. Once he was gone, he groaned. “Unbelievable! The nerve of that guy!” Looking to Goosewing’s failed vampire trap, he resigned himself to picking up the pieces.

Meanwhile, Gosling stood back, slack jawed, for the vast majority of that interaction.

He had meant to follow Otto when it was over, he really had, but he just had to take a moment to… truly process all of that.

Whatever he was expecting from both the most current Count Duckula as well as his own descendants, this was… decidedly not it.

Of course, Gosling was relieved his nephew survived an encounter with the Count, but then again… how did he survive?

It seemed to him that Otto was a very scatterbrained individual, judging by the complexity of his plan (or lack thereof). Gosling knew the Count, and he had encountered him on many occasions. Up until the confrontation that took his life, many of their encounters had been life endangering. But this Count… he hadn’t even attempted to attack the vampire hunter as far as he could tell. Was it all part of a bigger scheme? Or perhaps… just perhaps…

It wasn’t worth dwelling on just standing there, Gosling decided. He would make his way back to his nephew later.

He needed to investigate the castle for himself.

-

It wasn’t much help checking the dungeon, he found. It appeared to have not been in use for some time, which only made him more curious. The same went for any weapons in the cellar- they all appeared to have a thick layer of dust over them. Well, most things in the castle had a layer of dust over them, but these were exceptionally so. He hadn’t even seen a coffin that looked like it was in use as of late.

Back in his day, he had snuck into the castle on several occasions in his attempt to slay the vampire, and he was unnerved to think he had grown accustomed to the sight of cadavers drained of their blood. But every sign of life that had once graced these rooms are reduced to dust and bone, likely too old for this new Count. But it just… didn’t make sense for a Count Duckula to not have victims. Perhaps he fed solely outside of the castle walls?

“Perhaps,” He thought with growing horror, “He eats his victims, bone and all. Mein Gott…”

If that DID turn out to be the case, his nephew had a lot more to worry about than he thought, and he’d be sure to commend him for his bravery when he saw him again. But for now, he would continue his search.

He suddenly heard a loud bang upstairs, followed by the sounds of one very angry Count upstairs yelling to his servants. He quickly headed up that way, if only to stand outside and listen in.

“Are you quite alright, Milord?” Igor asked tentatively.

“Am I alright?! LOOK AT WHAT THAT LUNATIC'S DONE!” Duckula cried.

Peering in, Gosling sees the Count’s servants sitting around a small table in the kitchen, looking over at the Count with concern. A mechanical device sits inside the open fridge Duckula stands in front of, and across the room from the fridge, a wooden stake was wedged in the wall. It appeared that another one of Goosewing’s traps had gone off.

“If I hadn’t been distracted by Nanny, I mean, who KNOWS what would’ve happened!” The Count huffed, looking back to the fridge and groaning. “And wouldja look at that, he even took out the broccoli sandwich I had saved for later to make room for this big thing!” He grabbed the machine and chucked it into a nearby trash bin.

Nanny tsked. “It ain’t right, leavin’ an ‘ole in the wall like that.”

“ Yes , Nanny, because the hole is the biggest concern here,” Duckula groaned.

“Not as if you would have any experience with leaving holes in walls, would you, Nanny?” Igor quips, chuckling to himself.

“I should say not, Mister Igor!” The hen counters.

Glancing back at the Count, Igor sighed. “Milord, I still don’t understand why you haven’t gotten rid of the doctor by now. The von Goosewing line have opposed the Duckulas for centuries, and yet you are the first to do nothing to oppose the hunter in kind. Surely you are aware he seeks to destroy you by now.” 

“I’d certainly like to get rid of him sometimes,” Duckula notes, grabbing what appears to be the ingredients to make a new sandwich.

“Then consider it,” Igor drawled, “ Perhaps… ending the doctor for good … sinking your fangs into his neck and draining him of his-”

“That’s enough , Igor, that's enough ! If you’re going to do this, do it somewhere else in the castle and leave me to eat my sandwich in peace!”

“Oh, very well , Master.” Igor grumbles, standing up and walking out of the kitchen, passing Gosling by.

As the vulture passed him, Gosling looked back at the vampire duck with utter perplexment. That conversation did nothing to help him, only leaving him with MORE questions.

He carried on, continuing to search the castle for something to report back with. He’d left Otto alone for long enough, he’d like to have something worth mentioning when he got back to him.

Drifting around, he stumbled across a set of stairs leading upwards, and realized in all his time sneaking into the castle while alive, he had never been on the third floor. Granted, he didn’t need to be there, when the Count Duckula of his century spent most of his time on the lower floors, but it did make him curious. Could that be where the new Count’s secrets lie?

He made his way up, and his eyes were drawn to one room at the end of the long hallway in front of him. The door was cracked open only slightly- not enough to see much of what was inside without going in, and more than enough to fuel his curiosity further as he glided over to it.

Opening the door, he was surprised to find what looked like a bedroom. No, it was a bedroom. A fairly normal looking one at that.

A bed sat in the center of the room. The sheets weren't very orderly, as though someone stumbled out of bed and haphazardly fixed the sheets on the way out. A stuffed bear was placed atop the bed, it being the only purposefully placed object on it.

A small desk was located on the far side of the room. Not much was on it, save for a harmonica and a few notes with various scribbles saying things like “HOW TO GET RICH QUICK!”.

Just as he was about to disregard the desk, his eyes wandered to a small shelf built into the desk. Inside, there was one book with “DIARY” engraved into the side.

Now, it wasn't like him to pry into something like that, but if he looked for a name written inside the cover, perhaps he could clarify who's room this was. Tentatively, he reached for the book…

“GOOSEWING?!”

Gosling yelped, whipping around immediately. There stood the vampire Count he feared so much.

And he was looking directly at him .

"You…” He stared wide-eyed at the vampire, frozen. “I… I don't understand, you can see me too??" He whispered hoarsely.

"What do you mean can I see you -?? of course I can see you Von Goosewing, now I thought I told you to get out of my- my- my- wait a minute. Wait a min-ute." The Count paused, looking him up and down. "... You... are not Dr. Von Goosewing."

He regained his composure, narrowing his eyes. "I am not."

The Count's eyes widened. "You're also floating ."

"That, I am." Gosling cleared his throat. "I am the doctor's great uncle, Dr. Casimir von Gosling, and I have returned from death to protect my great nephew from falling prey to your kind, Count . ” 

“...You're a ghost.” The Count seemed to gloss over all other details.

“ J-ja? I feel that much is obvious now.”

They stood across from each other in stunned silence for a moment.

"... Well, why didn’t you just say so?” The Count said simply, before promptly fainting, hitting the floor with a thud .

Gosling hovered over the Count's body for a moment. He certainly wasn't expecting that .

...Scheiße.