Encore

Tea

He and Sypha finally reach the upper section that hasn't - yet, at least - collapsed and pull themselves onto the stairs. Alucard lands effortlessly on the stone next to them, because he cheats.

When they reach the stone chute they slid in through, Alucard says, "This is clearly intended to funnel victims. It would be difficult to retreat, perhaps impossible if injured. It's so obviously a trap. I'm surprised anyone would willingly enter it, even with your preparations."

"Were none, all the rope's from the rest of the Speakers," Trevor promptly and shamelessly tattles. "Sypha just slid right in when she was trying to find you, no plan at all."

"I had a plan -"

"You did not!"

"- and you didn't use any ropes either," Sypha says.

"I didn't have rope. Plus I was going in blind because some people didn't tell me anything because someone else thought that was a good idea Sypha."

"But you knew that and you could've asked for rope this time, Belmont," Sypha retorts.

"It's not like I needed rope when I knew it was fine. I have a whip, and anyway, I'm great at climbing."

Alucard says, "You proved conclusively you are not."

"That doesn't count," Trevor says, "that was your fault for fucking up all the stonework here." Trevor pointedly climbs out and down the statues without using the rope while Alucard claims yet again none of it's his fault.

There's a grinding sound and he looks up to see Alucard has floated along the side of the wall to fiddle with the wing of one of the gargoyle statues, because he totally didn't build this yet he knows that, yeah right. There's now no sign of the hole they just left through beyond the dangling rope leading to where it was.

Hm. He looks at Sypha. She seems as surprised as him by this turn of events, so she's not the one who opened it up. So someone else really was here, Dracula or at least some servant of his. Turns out Trevor was completely and utterly right about this all being a trap for gullible people.

Alucard continues to ponder the statue for a bit, then deigns to float down.

"How do you fly?" Sypha asks. "I can't feel any air moving."

"This isn't flying. Are you familiar with lodestones, how they can push apart?" At Sypha's immediate nod, he continues, "It is a magical version of that repulsion, between myself and my surroundings. It only works in proximity to something else."

"It's a dhampir ability," Trevor adds.

"It's a vampire ability," Alucard corrects. "Dhampir grasp it far more easily, to my understanding. Like a lodestone, it works through harnessing a duality."

Sypha asks, "Because regular vampires start off human?"

"Yes."

Trevor says. "But I don't remember Dracula doing any of that and he can do tons of shit."

"He can," Alucard says. "I may be better at it."

Sypha says, "You're not sure?"

"He said I was better at it," Alucard says softly. "I may be."

"You probably are," Trevor says quickly. "It's in the book as a dhampir thing. Regular vampires are more like giant fleas, big on hopping around instead of hovering. At least while fighting." Maybe there was a lot of stuff vampires could do but just not well enough to try while dodging a whip.