A Van Helsing Perspective

You must have been about four or five the very first time you heard about him. Much too old for fairy tales about Big Bad Wolves or witches who eat wandering children that stroll by her cottage, your great-grandfather decides to tell you a different story as he tucks you into bed that night. A story of a terrifying beast of a man, with dark magical abilities and an insatiable appetite that consisted of human blood. Your eyes widen involuntarily he tells you that the man is an immortal creature called a vampire, who is known far and wide as the infamous Count Dracula. At first, you don't know what to make of him - or what he's counting for that matter - but you do know that he is evil and must be ridden of his presence in the world. Thankfully, your great-grandfather enlightens you to some rather pleasing news. Because, despite your diminutive stature and less-than-threatening appearance now, in the future you were destined to be a great monster hunter, just like great-grandfather was. For it was the Van Helsing legacy to enter a life-long commitment to destroy the evil vampire that was Dracula. Any other child might be frightened to hear such a thing expected of them, but you take it in stride, and already begin plotting ideas in your head for how to make him have a permanent stay in his coffin. It's a thought that puts a smile onto your lips as you drift off into sleep that night, and dream for the first time in your life about killing Dracula.

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Week after week, month after month, and year upon year, you train.

You take up karate in your youth, easily mastering the judo-like moves and pretending that the boards you smash through are his face. Along with martial arts, you master the skills of archery, shooting, and knife-throwing in your teenage years and beyond. Handling deadly weaponry like harpoons, spears, and all sorts of guns varying in size and shape now come second nature, and you hardly miss a target - moving, or not.

Your great-grandfather is impressed with your improvement, and one day entrusts you to his plan. Upon hearing it, you must admit it is pretty good. For somewhere deep beneath the seemingly-serene waves of the ocean was a terrible instrument of destruction that was so powerful, it succeeded in eliminating a whole city of monsters. He was eager to find it, lure the monsters with an enjoyable cruise on their boat, and then watch as they were destroyed in their final destination. You nod in approval when he is done explaining, and the work starts. His job is to pinpoint the location of Atlantis's lost City and arrange the cruise bookings once found. Your job is to refine your training, and truly learn how to captain the Legacy. With everything you had to learn, it really is no problem at all. You even get some practice captaining for human cruises with much success. Then one day, as you throw knives at a worned poster of Dracula, your great-grandfather bursts into the room and announces that the commercial for the cruise has aired to monster audiences all over the world - Transylvania, included. In response, you throw your knife at the poster with more force and grin. The blade lands a direct hit in the forehead.

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Finally, after decades of planning and careful preparations, the plan is put into action. Scores of monsters clamored aboard the Legacy that warm summer night, their growls and roars of excitement ringing in the air. You make your presence known once everyone is settled on the deck, greeting them all with an act of great enthusiasm. It works, you think, as no one suspects a thing from your convincing behavior. It is when you start strolling casually on the deck waving to the newcomers that you see him, and there is no doubt in your mind that it is the dreaded vampire your great-grandfather is after. He's just as terrible as you were told, with a whitewashed excuse for skin and sharp, ivory fangs that poke out noticeably from the inside of his mouth. Hmph. So this is the great Count Dracula? you think, as you are reluctantly doing your best to sound as welcoming as possible. Him and his foul friends didn't deserve such cordiality. It disgusts you to think that he is probably salivating just imagining the many different ways to sink his teeth into your neck. You try not to let it bother you, though. Because in the end, you know his days - along with every other monster aboard the Legacy - are numbered.