Redlands

"Unto a new world again, floating in the skies with the lands under me

Now let me find a friend, for this life's a misery until death is over me"

Within the cabin of the huge galleon Revenge, a man was seating at the table. His jade like skin conflicted the dark room, where he was in. His soft hands danced unto the paper before him, like shooting stars in the dark of night, the lines his pen made arched over the pages.

The man in description is non other than the bloody lord Dracula, the vampire count. His wavy hair was running all over while the opened-window in front of him tried to give way for the light to see his strange beauty, but still to no avail as darkness was his friend. Although, the count has the overwhelming power over immortality, darkness, and even the soul, he felt lonely. For who can understand such a man as there's no one who can keep him company. His bishops may act as friends but they will never see him as an equal, the loneliest of men, the dreadful fiend.

"My Lord, we are nearing the mountains."

A sweet small voice distorted the tranquil environment as a wavy figure appeared out of nowhere. Her sharp eyes and youthful face fought off the mood where the great count was in, as she took the place of the light in this dark world.

"Alright, lead the way, and release the maids."

"Yes, my Lord."

After that simple exchange of words Dracula and the woman started to weave through the closed space, without uttering a single word they started to walk untoward the wooden door that's standing unhindered, imposing it's futile existence before the lord of death.

A crack, then the two overlords went unto the world outside giving everyone the privileged to glanced upon their immortal bodies.The sun even started to embrace the beings as if they were it's children, unusually even nature itself gave way for such noble monsters to exist. The crowd before them bowed down, but their respect was not to the two of them, but only for the one who stands at the pinnacle of their world, their King, the monarch of death, Dracula.

Unknowingly even the woman behind the person bowed down lower than the others, for her respect on the person was greater than everyone in the room. She still couldn't forget the man who went in her troubled times, the one who promised eternity to her, although her act of death deceived the whole world, it was only a diversion of the alluring temptation of endless youth, and the great adventure ahead with the one who even the great Dragon from the East serves, in exchange for revenge.

***************

"So? This is like the Himalayas?"

"I believe so, my Lord."

The cloaked man answered the inquiry in a tone that says how much he treasured the man's presence, for death was inevitable for such rat as he is, they might have been honored by the authors and the storytellers, but a life of debauchery and treachery is what piracy is really made of. Although he was at the peak of the craft, the best of the best, but still he knew that death is just knocking on the door, waiting for the right time.

But at that moment when he thought the end is near, the same man appeared out of nowhere, promised him eternity and not just a futile one pledged by the corrupt church, and a constructed savior. It was a real one, for before the man even said those words, he embraced a cannon ball in front of him, and not a speck of that metal sphere can be found, but what can be seen is that man standing there as if the biggest of the hot weapons is just a stone throw from a two year old kid. Such magnanimity of power that the world can never seen.

The group of beautiful undead was standing at the quarter deck of the galleon Revenge. This time they were no longer cloaked as their previous appearance, but now they were revealed as their real figures. Three men and three women, six bishops signifying the balance that this team needed. Three of them were wearing heavy armors while the other three were clad in cloths like nobles of the medieval era. The legends that once rock the world in their lifetimes are now in a new direction to bring a tide of development or destruction, war or peace unto the unfamiliar world they are now in.

"Blackbeard, what's our distance?"

"We're still a few minutes away from the peak my Lord."

"Catherine, send out your maids after the shields are gone."

"As you wish, my Lord."

**************

'The sky is white as always.' the black crow sighs.

The misty skies of the white capped mountains covered the wonder like a fragile child. It's a usual day for a little crow on these mountain range. Standing here may get you some credit as a human, but being a bird that wakes up and sleeps on these peaks everything's just ordinary.

Suddenly, the mist surrounding the cliff where that bird was sitting upon opened up a spherical space that has nothing in it, followed by three similar voids, and for a puny little bird what on earth are these things? Nothing, for they contain nothing, but as the little nestling tried to dismiss the phenomenon a purple light suddenly radiated within the empty spaces as huge wooden structure emanating the essence of death appeared, but they didn't move for even a little and just stood there, as solid as the mountains underneath.

"Maids, go and scatter!"

Immediately as if the world was ending a loud shout echoed away from the top of the structure as hundreds of wraiths-like beings with the appearance of beautiful ladies flew off, and an eerie aura crippled the bird and the whole mountain.

************

Basically, the wooden structures that appeared out of nothing are the four ships in the fleet of Death being lead by the flagship Revenge, and atop that massive vessels are the death walkers, the pirates of hell.

Dracula and his bishops were still standing at quarter deck of the galleon, although the count was acting relaxed and lazy but the bishops didn't. They stood there with self-imposing auras of doom, a warrior, a knight, a wizard, a noble, a hunter and a pirate. Six peculiar entities of various personalities and distinctive faces and structures echoed the glories that their past holds.

"Catherine, what can you see?"

"Nothing as of now my Lord, just the rocky steep and the misty air."

"Keep doing that, while I'll just go inside the cabin and write some more."

"Yes, my Lord..."

But even before the Vampire Count could step his foot, a worried face painted on the girl named Catherine, as she stopped her lord's actions with a huge shout.

"Oh, Wait! My Lord, forgive my imprudence, but I saw something."

"What is it?"

Not even minding the raised voice, the young man talked in a behaved manner as still as the quite rivers on a summer night, silent but gushing with force.

"I'm sorry my Lord, but I can't seem to describe it."

"What do you mean?"

"The lands on the other side of the mountain, they're...."

"They're what?"

"They're covered in a red mist."

"Huh?"

A bout of words erupted as the inquisitive man tried to fill his mind with with the right answers, but at the end of the road it was him who got himself stuck with his curiosity going on another level. The young man tried to move towards where the Knight Charon is holding the wheel to try and use his senses to gleam upon the red lands, where his new adventures are kept, but to no avail as the mist are still covering the mountains with extreme care.

"That's it! We'll go there and explore this new place!"

"Yes, my Lord!"

The young man proclaimed, and the six bishops didn't even utter a complain. Their mouths shouted words of affirmation, as they themselves are curious for this new world, the new place they are summoned to, to which new destinies will unfold. As for the bird and the mountain they're still dying in the presence of such kings.