Archive of Our Own

The Dark Priest never left, but the Succubus was expected to come here and coordinate their plan, she had come bearing great news, although Shaft was already aware that the possession spell was successful, and the next step was to be executed.

The cobwebs which filled every corner of this worn-down home disgusted the Succubus, she wondered why must their cover building be so downright unsightly, like nothing had been touched in years. The Succubus paused at the top of the basement, before guiding herself down the steps slowly with her candle. At least the basement was picked up, free of any broken-down furniture. Honestly, did they really find that necessary.

Approaching the hidden entrance, the Succubus lifted the large tapestry aside, opened up the small door, and droped the tapestry behind her as she walked through carefully. The space beyond the door was not as cramped, well lit and finely decorated. Armed guards nodded to the woman as she passed them down the large corridor which led to the main room of the hidden building.

As far as she understood, Dracula's cult bought this home on the very outskirts of the city once they found out Richter had escaped here, although how they constructed an underground liar in less than even one year was beyond her. The home looked ages old, and the hidden section, which was apparently new, even older.

Something about this Dark Priest felt all-knowing and ancient like Dracula himself, like Shaft was a vampire too and lives across more than a few dimensions. Although, he had no fangs that she could see, and still seemed to need sleep and to eat real food.. Something about the newly built yet completely decrepit home made her wonder if it was even worth questioning.

At the end of the corridor there was a large door, she knew to knock three times exactly and wait. Silently a minute went by, she had lifted her arm to knock again but the door opened, and she jumped in place at the priest's timing.

"Well-! Hello, then."

Shaft was silent, but he held the door open and moved aside as if to welcome her in; she walked in and sat at the near end of a large table with two seats on either side. There was a desk at the far end of the room which the Priest had walked to, gathering some books and papers.

"So, you had the spell placed. I could feel the attachment right away, the energy was intense"

The emphasis made her laugh to herself, remembering the illusion she crafted, and how well she must have crafted it to evoke such power from Richter, that Shaft could feel it remotely.

"Yes, I think it's safe to say your plan was a success.. I just have to ask, how did you know all of that? About 'Annette', and the church, and how to get at Richter's feelings.. How do you know so much about her?"

Shaft was silent, placing the books onto the table, and smiling slowly before taking a seat, making eye contact with the Succubus as she waited for an answer, she raises her eyebrows as he continued to not speak, smile growing as he chuckled quietly. It was odd to see the priest so thoroughly amused about this, as the Succubus remembered what he had told her about Richter, and what Richter had said about herself.

"Were you.. What kind of Priest are you? Did you cause her pain?"

Shaft stifled his amusement.

"Well, I can't take credit for everything.. The church is simply an abusive institution, and my part in that was to make the Belmont realize this. So soon they forgot about Trevor and the Belmonts before him, their treatment.."

The Succubus listened attentively.

"When the church went too far and provoked Dracula's fury by murdering Lisa, they realized they needed power on their side too, and suddenly made an exception to their persecution of supernaturality when Trevor Belmont stopped him.."

Shaft continued to speak and began to spread out his books and papers.

"But yes.. I did make myself among their ranks, once I joined our Dark Lord, we realized there needed to be an end to their alliance with the Belmonts. I was a spy, I searched for any kind of weakness."

The Dark Priest sifted through the pages.

"Of course, their weakness was the very thing that caused their predicament with our Dark Lord, and that is prejudice."

As the Succubus listened, she started to think about Richter.

"Juste Belmont was the first who I attempted to sway onto our side.. Though I was far less powerful at the time, the spell I had constructed failed, and the plan itself was not well conceived.. But."

Shaft looked up at the Succubus again, returning eye contact.

"I stuck around the church to see how the next Belmont would fare. It was interesting, because it seemed Juste had realized the church's rule over the Belmonts; after he and his companions thwarted my plan, he quickly experienced a failed marriage and moved away! Hah!"

Never had a range of emotion been so present in Shaft.

"I wondered whether a new Belmont would come at all, the church worried they had lost their alliance, and that Juste would turn to a life of homosexuality."

The Succubus chuckled, thinking good for him.

"However, once the church had caught wind of Juste having a child, they demanded a meeting. The child was a whole ten years old, and very unmannered, they claimed the child was baptized and that they attended church every week, but the child hardly knew how to pray!"

She had a feeling this was Richter.

"Once this new Belmont had arrived, they were put to work in training him. It was a lot more work than the Belmonts before, they even baptized him a second time, worried that his soul had been tainted, evidenced by the misbehavior. There may have been times where I influenced their treatment of the Belmont.."

The self-importance in Shaft's tone starkly contrasted his usual flat tone and standoffish nature.

"It really wasn't hard, there is a lot about Richter which the church would have felt the need to correct, they just needed to be made aware.. I made it impossible for the Belmont to keep a secret, the church was convinced they must keep this one tightly leashed."

The Succubus began to feel emotional as Shaft laughed some more, she was creeped out as he continued to boast. How could he look such pain in the face and refuse to see that it's the same.

Shaft had stopped and looked at the Succubus as he could see the thoughts in her expression, his face hardening.

"My faith in our Dark Lord is unwavering. Look at me that way all you want, but you swore fealty, too. Richter has broken the alliance, this is what we have needed. This plan was decades in the making, you understand? Were you not proud of how successfully you've manipulated him as well-"

"Quiet down. I understand, okay.. I know you're a priest but there's really no need to preach to me.."

Shaft's expression turned cold again, realizing that his boast was uncharacteristic.

"Are you sure Richter will join our side. It's been a few days, what's going on out there. We must move forward with the plan, and we mustn't fail."

"Yes, I'm sure.. It's an impressive show you've had me put on, although any attempts at seduction were lost on her, you were right that Richter is selfless for women. Such a savior complex.."

The Succubus tried not to think of Richter fondly.

"I don't think she'll be going anywhere, it's almost cute how devoted Richter has become to our little cause."

Shaft focused again on the books and papers in front of him.

"That's good.. Now, how do you think Richter would respond to a deal with the devil.."

The final step before Castlevania could be returned to them. The Succubus looked up in thought.

"Well.. Richter is ready to take the fight to them, at least; she talks about defeating them and bringing peace to the oppressed and an end to their rule a lot, we just need her to see Dracula as a feasible option.. Since the possession spell has been placed, Richter has adjusted well into this 'new life', as she called it, so it shouldn't be too hard to take it further yet."

It still felt weird for her to speak of a person as if they're simply to be used, but the Dark Priest felt no hesitation as he smiled surely.

"That's good, if we can frame this just right, that Belmont's enhanced volatile nature will land him on our side, we can make him forget about morality, make him blind to what he's really accomplishing.."

The Succubus thought to herself, is this not already what the church has done to Richter; she felt guilty as she remembered the lies of freedom and liberation which she spoke to Richter in her vulnerable state, in order to successfully manipulate her. However, this is what a Succubus does.

"Will you come up with an angle.. What should I do to convince her on my end."

The Dark Priest looked deep in thought but had a plan at the ready.

"Tell Richter that you heard of a way to solve this, a way to fight back against the church, be vague. In three days you will bring him here, to this room, and we will make a deal. In two days you tell Richter, before then just keep building his trust, make him forget about what freedom would really feel like, make him lose sight."

The Succubus didn't like all the guilt this was giving her, the way Shaft looked at her with conviction, this obsession with controlling Richter was unsettling. Standing up, the Succubus nodded, expressing that she will carry out his plan.

"See you in three days, then."

Shaft nodded, not paying attention as he began to write something on the papers he had gathered. The Succubus was happy to be leaving.

"Close the door."

The woman closed the door and made her way toward exiting this place. No one talks about how as Dracula's minion, you still have feelings about what you're doing. The only difference between being a minion of Dracula and a minion of the church is that Dracula binds you.

The Succubus no longer had any choice in the part she had to play, but it was hard to ignore how it was making her feel, and it was hard not to think of Richter, who still has a say in the path she can take. Although, probably not for long.

As she walked down the dark streets of the city to return to the charade she was to play, secretly the woman hoped that trapping Richter's fate meant her own fate wouldn't be lived alone.