"Remember this though, if you promise to pledge yourself to the young master, Hela will help you." Forseti assured them when he noticed their anxious looks. You would know how important this was to them once you observed Alucard. Even the carefree blood prince had the same look of anxiety on his face. It showed just how much this meant to them.
The eyes of the four lit up at the same time. If previously they looked like men forced to wander a desert for many days without any water, they now looked like they had come across an oasis and were eager for a drink of the lifesaving resource.
"We pledge our loyalty to the one who remains hidden" Dracula promised, his voice filled with the unwavering spirit of one determined to do all it takes to succeed.
"We pledge our loyalty to the one who remains hidden" After Dracula's promise came Alucard's. His voice was filled with the same amount of determination his father's.
"We pledge our loyalty to the one who remains hidden"
"We pledge our loyalty to the one who remains hidden"
Lilith and Vlad pledged themselves following Alucard's promise to give up his freedom. Lilith went first, then Vlad followed. The pledges were offered in order of rank.
"We pledge our loyalty to the one who remains hidden" Dracula pledged once again after the others were done. If he was pledging for himself initially, this time he was pledging on behalf of his people. He was essentially promising that once they were resurrected, their lives belonged the one to whom they had been promised.
Thor nodded satisfactorily after they had ended their pledges. Their pledge was addressed to the 'one who remains hidden' because they had no idea who they were promising their services to. In the 1st heaven, this was an extremely rare pledge. This was because no one will give their lives into the hands of someone they hadn't met. Only the truly desperate were willing to take this kind of oath. And there was no way they could go back on their word. This was because they needed the help of the gods of Asgard. And before their request would be granted, they would have to sign a soul contract so that both sides would keep their end of the agreement.
Hela was powerful, but she had one weakness. This was a weakness known only to a few high gods of Asgard, and the spider god Ananse. Although many thought Hela was heartless and immovable, she wasn't really one devoid of love. It was because of love that she was loyal to Asgard. And it was because of love that she couldn't betray her brothers. This was why she was the most miserable of all the gods, for the two groups were on opposing sides. Love was her weakness, which was why Ananse had stated in his letter that the vampires swear an oath that they would serve the 'young master'. Her reasoning was simple. Although the young master hadn't met Hela, she had met him. And she loved the boy. Hela had watched the boy grow from afar, and she still did. She adored her nephew, and it was because of the unconditional love she had for the boy that Ananse had made such a proposal. This was because the 'young master' was going to need all the help he could get. The addition of an army born from a race who were almost unkillable will be a great addition- a great boon if you must- to his strength. This would make it almost impossible for Hela to reject their request. She wasn't going to do it for them. After all, she didn't know them. And if she did remember them, it surely wasn't anything good. They had killed Asgardians after all. She would rather kill them than help them. But in this case, the favour wasn't for them. It was for her young master.
"Then consider your request granted. Come, you must follow us for a few years until we finish up with our search. Then we'd help you with your injuries. And after everything is dealt with, we'd see Hela." Thor explained as he picked up Mjolnir. "Sorry for calling you here for no reason partner. You should take your leave now." Once he finished his words he tossed Mjolnir into the sky and out of the planet. As for where the hammer was going, it was definitely Asgard.
"It is no problem at all. My injury has stayed with me for several years now. A few more will make no difference. And we would wait even longer if that was all it took to get our people back." Dracula lightly stated. He wasn't merely speaking. He was sincere with his speech. A few more years was nothing to ascenders like himself. They could easily handle an exploration if the end result was the resurgence of their almost extinct race.
"Great. Let us leave then." Thor smiled at the response of Dracula and bent to pick up his unconscious warriors. He picked up the huge men like they were pieces of paper and hoisted them unto his shoulders. He walked away after doing this, with Forseti walking right beside him. The god of justice didn't even offer to carry one of the men. He knew that to Thor, they weighed nothing. As such, his help wasn't really needed.
"Alright" Dracula followed behind the two gods, his people following his lead. Alucard didn't immediately follow them though. He stretched out his hand towards the corner of the destroyed mountain. A blood coloured stone flew towards his outstretched arm at amazing speed. After catching this object, he finally walked off. As he did, he couldn't help but wonder, "Who is this person we have sworn ourselves to? Forseti called him their young master. As far as I know, the Asgardians have no such character. The one truly qualified to be called their young master is Thor, but it is obvious that this has nothing to do with him. It is already a headache to deal with Hela. Now we have a master we don't know."
He rubbed his head exhaustedly as he followed his people, all the while wondering who it was they were supposed to protect. As if hearing his thoughts, Dracula asked the same question,
"Who is it that we are sworn to? We do deserve to know this much, don't we?"
Forseti glanced at Thor, seeking his opinion. The older god nodded his head in approval, allowing the god of justice to reply thus, "His name is Mane. He is the son of the Brute King, an ascender on par with Thor."
Dracula was surprised to hear this. They had been hidden for so long that they didn't know much about the current universe. His surprise wasn't because there was someone strong enough to rival an Asgardian Origin Battle God. He was astonished because such an identity didn't give their new master enough qualifications to have the Asgardians cherish him so. However, his doubts were quickly cleared by Thor's words
"He is my grandson. And the great grandson of Odin himself."
If Mane knew that his family was doing so much for him without his knowledge, he would be touched. And he would surely be happy to know that there was an army being built up for him. An army of bloodsuckers.