RPG Shinigami Dance

[2010DigitalBoy]

Darker Than Black

"Wow. I never would have thought I'd see this in my life." Joe stared dumbfounded at the now-changed Aeru who wore the same dress as Neviril, in perfect contrast to her regular attire.

"I think it looks nice on her," Neviril said without thinking. Realizing what she'd said, she put her hand over her mouth in surprise.

"You sure are weird," Joe replied, monotone.

"I like it myself," Aeru chimed with a bright smile.

"Yeah, well you're weird, too. Being so calm about this-"

"Neviril," Aeru cut him off, "this mansion belongs to The Count, doesn't it?"

"Ah... y-you already knew?" Wait, so the shinigami already know about us?! Neviril was dumbfounded.

"Can you take me to speak with him?" After a moment of panicky unsure thoughts, Neviril agreed to lead the young shinigami to the throne room of the count. After the ascent of a second flight of stairs to the building's third floor, the trio stood before a massive double-door which was gaudily decorated.

"Talk about overdoing it..." Joe muttered under his breath. Neviril stepped forward and gave the door a few knocks.

"Come in..."

All on it's own, the doors slowly began to open inward. The inside of the room was a complete void of darkness - a synthetic darkness deeper than any natural dark. A human would be driven insane at the mere sight of it. The eyes of a vampire or spiritual being, though, pierced it with ease. Laying with one knee bent on his extravagant bed; his long hair falling about his face which wore a short, pointed beard; was the count.

"Aeru..." his voice was deep and charismatic.

"The Count. We meet again." Aeru smirked as a memory flashed in her mind following her words. She began to stride forward into the massive room.

"Indeed we do. I'm impressed you managed to break from the seal placed on you so easily. I didn't think you'd be able to concentrate over your raging emotions."

"How long has it been now, Count? You no longer know me. Your expectations ought to be off a little, don't you think?" Neviril and Joe both quickly realized how out of place they felt in this conversation as they stopped some distance behind Aeru.

"You are correct. I should have prepared better for using you in my plans, but honestly, I doubt I could have predicted you'd change so much in such a short time." By now, Aeru was standing at the foot of The Count's bed.

With a sudden flash of movement she leapt from the floor into the air above The Count, her scythe already materialized into attack position. She immediately hacked it through the air, barely missing as the count rolled out of the way. The blade cut through the pillow and deep into the mattress.

"Ah!" Joe and Neviril both cried in shock. The Count landed gracefully on the floor as feathers scattered into the air, but there was little time for admiration. As soon as she landed, Aeru shot toward the older vampire once more, carving the air before her viciously. Once more, it was a miss, and the Count easily dodged the next few attacks as if he were using no effort.

Aeru wore a look of absolute hatred on her face tat Joe had never seen before. It terrified him. What on earth is the relationship between these two?! Aeru's scythe was headed straight for The Count's neck when suddenly he disappeared, reappearing instantly behind her with his arm wrapped around her neck.

"Not bad..."

"BASTARD!" She spat. Aeru threw the count off and twirled in a full circle with the scythe outstretched. The Count easily hopped onto the blade of the scythe and jumped backward through the air to the other side of the room, past the bed.

"Maybe I didn't underestimate your hatred after all. I can't have you attacking me and messing up my room like this, though. I don't intend to kill you, so I'd prefer you simply submit and spare us both the triviality of fighting."

<"URUSAI!!!"> Aeru once more took to the air in jumping. While she flew, a snap of The Count's fingers shot through the air.

"Neviril!" The vampire girl snapped out of her stupor and recognized that The Count was being attacked. With lightning speed, she dashed in front of him to receive the blow. Aeru's blade froze just before cleaving into Neviril's shoulder while she landed.

"MOVE!" Aeru demanded.

"I can't! I am The Count's servant. It is my duty to protect him!" She cried, waveringly. Behind her, The Count smiled devilishly. Aeru growled.

"What will you do, shinigami?" for a moment, Aeru stared at him with eyes full of hatred while he grinned away. With a yell, she threw her scythe across the room, letting it slide across the floor and crash against the wall, de-materializing. She stormed out of the room, furious, with Joe following closely. Neviril stared out the door with fright.

The Count's hand came to rest on her shoulder. "Don't worry..." he assured her, "I don't intend to hurt your new friend. Why don't you go see if she's okay?" After a moment's hesitation, Neviril ran out of the room as well. Behind her, the giant doors closed on their own.

The count turned to face his ruined bed. He smiled wickedly. "Hehehehehe... HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!!!"

Edited January 24, 2016 by Allamorph

[SunfallE]

Tales To Be Told

Ruby and Nall had only been back for a few minutes from their excursion to the cafe when Lucia felt the unmistakable presence of both Nathan and Adrian coming in quickly. She was not surprised that Isen was not with Nathan but Astera? It was unusual for her to not be with Adrian.

"Where's Astera?" Lucia asked, wondering what could have resulted in her being seperated from Adrian.

"Nathan decided we needed to visit someone before we came here," He shot a slightly annoyed look in Nathan's direction, but Nathan just ignored it. "Isen and Astera are looking into the clue, though by now they are probably back at Nathan's place."

Lucia turned to Nathan, her expression, one questioning as to who they could have visited at a time like this. Her gaze caught his and a moment later Nathan just shrugged, and gave her one of those amused grins he was fond of.

"Perhaps it would be better if you told us what you have learned first." He suggested as Lucia assumed a formal stance, folding her arms across her chest as she first gave him a measuring glance and then turned to Adrian again.

"Don't look at me!" Adrian exclaimed, "I'm not the one with acquaintances who are vampires!"

Vampires? Lucia shoved the though aside. "Funny you should mention the vampires, four of them attempted to force Alex and I to go and meet someone they called the Count, they implied that one of us was their guest." She looked back at Nathan to see that his expression had become neutral.

"I see." Nathan said evenly, all traces of humor gone.

"That's not all," Lucia continued. "Once they had been dealt with, Alex and I hacked into the military's databases. We found a file on a Count who they believe is living in a mansion just outside the woods next to the north side of the town. It's suppose to be along the seashore."

"Victor told us the same thing." Adrian explained. With a sigh he shook his head impatiently. "Instead of wasting our time here we should go and check out the mansion. After we pick up Astera of course." He looked straight at Lucia, as if daring her to say something about picking Astera up first.

"What about Shalua? Did you find out if she got one of the letters too?" Alex asked.

Adrian's expression darkened a bit but whatever he was going to say, he kept it in. "I have no idea if she got a letter or not. I did sense her presence so she was not the one kidnapped."

"All right then, first we'll stop at Nathan's place and then we'll go and check out this mansion. Agreed?" Lucia looked to each of them, waiting until all of them nodded or verbalized their agreement.

Then without a word she took off, the others following suite. She slowed slightly, giving Nathan the lead since it was his place they were headed for and then she fell into place, slightly behind him and to the left. Adrian and Alex were over to the right of Nathan. They were almost there when Lucia caught the edge of a conversation between Alex and Adrian.

"Since when did you know how to hack into military databases?" Adrian was saying. Without realizing she was doing so, Lucia moved a bit to better hear what they were saying.

"I don't know how, Lucia did it. All I did was pay for the session to use the computer at the cafe." Alex replied. "You know how she is, any time you pry about her stuff she either ignores you or tells you to drop it." He sighed a bit. "I wish I knew how she did it."

"Humph!" Nall snorted. "You'd just use it to hack into the computers of the producers who make those shows you like."

"I would not!" Alex protested. But Nall just laughed at him as they continued on their way towards Nathan's place.

 

Edited January 24, 2016 by Allamorph

[2010DigitalBoy]

 

7,925. Sterling Clear Vacant Ice

 

Dark room. Single large bed. Dresser adorned by giant mirror. Angry girl in all black, wiping tears from her eyes. Another girl in all black worried with her hand on the first girl's shoulder. A flying cat too scared to pry. A closed door. An echo.

Wipe, wipe

*silence*

<"Doumo arigatou gozaimasu..."> she mutters as she calms down.

*silence*

"Tell me..." her tears are dry, and so she asks the worried girl, "How much do you know about the Count?"

Though she does worry, the girl smiles when she thinks of her master. It is a smile that one could only wear for thoughts of pure bliss.

"About ten years ago... is when I first met the Count," she began. "The sky was still red with the embers of my own home which burned to the ground. There was no way I should have been able to live after my parents and home were all gone. Especially having seen my mother's death with my own eyes when she was crushed under a fallen piece of the ceiling." Even as she calmly detailed such a horrifying incident, Neviril didn't loose her smile.

"I don't remember anything that happened between running through the flames and the Count's face. I think that I must have lost my mind immediately or maybe just broken down and hadn't stopped running. I only remember that I was curled up in an alley that was dark except for the light of the flaming sky. I remember the Count's kind face and war embrace. In his big arms he lifted me like he was cradling a baby. I remember his gentle lips... as he kissed my neck...."

"I see..." Aeru knew she wasn't likely to get any useful information from this girl who knew the Count only as a savior. Once more there was a brief silence before Neviril's head poked up next to Aeru.

"Aeru... do you hate the Count?" Instantly Aeru's face turned sour as she took a moment to formulate her answer.

"It isn't merely that I hate him. As a shinigami, it is part of my job to look at vampires as a threat. Most of my coworkers would attack a vampire on sight. Some would even hunt for them. But that is not my way of thinking. I have turned a blind eye to the vampire race for over 200 years. The reason I am against the Count is a reason all my own..."

Neviril turned her eyes down. It was apparent that Aeru had no intent of speaking of it anymore. Whatever her grudge, it was something that she harbored on her own and wouldn't impose on anyone else. Still, could Neviril be friends with someone who opposed her own master?

"Aeru." It was Joe. Neviril had forgotten that Aeru's most trusted companion was on the same path of discovery as herself. "I think it's time you told me what's going on." The cat was dead serious. The young shinigami only turned her head away with tears in her eyes.

"Aeru! I've been with you for over 50 years now. You have always been childish to the point of irritation. You dance around everywhere you go, play with children, and laugh like a little girl. You're a crybaby, though with a strong heart that never forgets her duty or gives up. I have come to love you for all of those things, and I never want or expect you to change.

Right now, you are not the Aeru I know. She wouldn't keep secrets from her friends, and she wouldn't run away from her problems. now, I think it's time you explained to us exactly what's happening."

This time, the silence was the longest it had been yet. Both Joe and Neviril felt ready to explode with the tension.

"Alright...

...I'll tell you everything..."
 

 

Edited January 24, 2016 by Allamorph

[Aberinkula]

OoC I hope you don't mind me popping in guys, it's about time I made my role bigger.

Fragment Zeta: Donner Party for 6?

Shalua gripped her scythe with both fear and embarrassment. She didn't know what to say. As she was about to murmer her problems, a strange yet familiar energy was making its way towards Shalua, Mike and Yutuko. It felt like another Shinigami was near. Not one person, but about 4 people.

"Umm, Tuko, we need to go. thanks for the help so far Mike, but you better get going. Uhhh, I have a soul to depart." Shlaua excused.

Mike just sighed. "Well, I'll see you around then. Better if you two went alone. It is your mission after all." Mke waved to Shlaua, she waved abck. A few seconds later, Mike was gone.

"So, Shalua are we going?" Yutuko asked. She flapped her arms, and flew onto Shalua's shoulder. she preened her feathers qucikly and setteld down.

"No Tuko, we have to see a few people first." Shalua said happily. She went from nervous wreck to happy-go-lucky gal, in only a minute. That was likely of her though. But Tuko knew that after Shalua was nice, watch out, because she could become a *****.


A few mintues later, Shalua was overhead of 4 Shinigami, who were walking who knows where. "Hey, you guys. Are you on the search for some kidnapped Shinigami?" Shalua asked.

Lucia looked up to the sky. "Who are you?" Lucia asked. Shlaua sighed and grunted.

"My name's Shalua. So answer me, are you looking for the Vampires?"

"Yes we are. We were just heading over to Nathan's place." Lucia replied back. "Anyway, we were just talking about a Shinigami named Shalua. So you got the letter too, I suppose?"

"Yes, I did. So does that mean, we have to work together?" Shalua asked smiling a devious smile.

"Well, we were probably bound to meet up sometime, so if you want you can come along." Alex said. Shlaua noddded and lowered herself onto the ground.

"Guess that means we're a team."

OOC: Sorry if I didn't get the personaity right. Tell me if there are any problem I should fix

~~~

Edited January 24, 2016 by Allamorph

[Horendithas]

Enjoy The Silence

Adrian just kept his mouth shut when Shalua showed up. Coldly withdrawing into himself and putting a slight distance between him and the others. Maybe it would be better if I go on my own to the mansion? But he brushed the thought aside as the others waited briefly while he picked up Astera who immediately perched on his left shoulder and brightly chatted about all that her and Isen had found in regards to the clue. And then just as he figured he would, once Nathan was done talking with Isen, they left. Though Isen did not come, something that did not surprise Adrian, he knew that those two had a different relationship.

It was the same for him and Astera, their relationship was different. Though as to what that difference was... Well it was no one's business and letting the others think whatever they wanted was fine by Adrian. He knew perfectly well that other Shinigami had the wrong idea as to why he pretty much never left her behind. It was a measure of the regard he had for Nathan that he even allowed Astera to stay behind in the first place. Though Nathan did not know it. Adrian pulled his thoughts back to their present task. Aeru... though that too presented yet another problem.

Then as only a Shinigami could, once Nathan and Adrian were back with the others, they took to the air and swiftly flew to the mansion that was suppose to be located along the seashore. The stars were clear and bright once they were clear of the city and flying above the tree tops of the forest. The first hint of the nearly full moon was just starting to rise as they finally came within sight of the building where the Count was suppose to be living. Just before they would have arrived, as one they stopped looking at one another.

"The only question now is do we split up or do we stick together?" Adrian looked at each one, even Shalua who was being unusually quiet considering how irritating she could truly be.

"I don't think it makes a difference really," Lucia observed. "I can already sense that there are vampires in that mansion so I am sure they can sense us as well. It's better to go as one, at least initially."

"Works for me." Adrian said with a shrug, he turned without waiting for the others to respond and flew to the grand steps leading to the entrance of the huge mansion. Moments later the rest of them landed next to him. He was considering whether to simply go through the door or not when with a slight squeak from the hinges the door opened to reveal the blonde woman who he had run into earlier.

"We've been waiting for you... Shinigami..." She said with a mocking bow. Behind her, the huge hallway was lined with what had to be the servants of the Count, all of them children, dressed in black dresses and standing along the walls, their heads slightly bowed as if they were important guests to be greeted.

What kind of nonsense is this? Adrian wondered. Does the Count really think that we would hesitate to send children on to the next life? Without meaning to Adrian tensed and then paused at a tiny shake from Nathan. Adrian forced himself to relax.

"Then you know why we are here," Adrian said coldly. "Return Aeru immediately."

The blonde vampire bowed deeply and then spoke once again. "The Count is waiting to speak to you on this matter, if you would come this way please?" She turned, half raised from her bow to see what their response would be.

"Fine." Adrian snapped a bit, ignoring the amused grin on her face as she straightened and turned her back on them to lead the way down the long hallway. Adrian tried to ignore the children who were standing along the hallway, their heads slightly bowed.

Damn vampire, using children to further his goals and as a shield to hide behind. The further they went, the more he fumed, eager for the chance to put an end to the Count. Even if he had not kidnapped Aeru, he was still a vampire and needed to be sent to the next phase of life.

Then finally they came to a huge set of double doors that two children opened wide upon their arrival, while the blonde stood just to the left and bowed, indicating they should go in first. And though Adrian and the others were sure it was most likely a trap they entered the massive room, ignoring the sound of the huge doors closing behind them. As one they turned their attention to the person lounging in a massive chair at the end of the huge room.

Aeru was no where to be seen and the man with long hair and a short beard was appraising all of them with a satisfied grin on his face. It was without a doubt the Count himself. Just what is he planning? Adrian wondered as he looked to Nathan and with a tiny nod of his head indicated that he should speak for the group.

 

Edited January 24, 2016 by Allamorph

[2010DigitalBoy]

The Shinigami all looked straight ahead at the count through the blinding darkness of the massive room. His smile made no attempt to hide his ecstatic cunning. The tall, handsome man rose to his feet slowly. At his sides, his elbows were bent in a gesture as if he were welcoming his guests. With a deep, cold, and dignified voice he called out.

"Shinigami! Welcome to Purgatory!"

The moment the words had left his lips, all of the shinigami except for Alex suddenly disappeared.

"W-what the hell?!" Alex jumped. The had vanished just like that! What was going on?!

"Allow me to explain." The Count began. He still spoke as if talking to a group of people. Maybe the others can hear him as well?

"The moment you stepped through the front door of my mansion, you were each tied to a different parallel universe. All of you are in the same place you were before, but each alone in his or her own universe. Said universe is no bigger than my mansion itself - there is no way to escape. I have literally trapped each of you in an eternal grave. However, I'm in favor of being fair. Therefor, somewhere in this mansion there is a tool to free you from this prison. On the flip side, the mansion is full of deadly traps and is far larger than outside appearances lead you to believe.

I'm terribly sorry that this is not what you came to my mansion intending to do, but I planned all of this from the start. Have a nice hunt. Just try not to spend an eternity in your search! HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!" And with that, the Count and his laughter faded off.

Edited January 24, 2016 by Allamorph

[Rachmaninoff]

Alex froze, shocked at the suddenly disappearance of the other Shinigami, barely hearing what the Count was saying. H..How did he do that? He could feel Nall tensing on his right shoulder, digging in with his claws as he stiffened in anger. He tied each of us to a different parallel universe? But if that's the case, why can't I feel the others? Even if seperated in such a manner, surely he would still sense them, Shinigami by nature were of this world and yet not of this world, already co-existing in more than one reality. Is this what he did to Aeru? Trap her in a parallel universe as well?

He took a cautious step backwards, calling forth his scythe, which to his utter relief settled into his right hand. Traps? A tool for getting free? Eternal grave? Hell! Alex couldn't help but shiver a bit once the Count had vanished, leaving him alone in the eternal darkness of the massive room. He turned around cautiously, holding his scythe ready, but there was no one there. It was empty and dark, though the darkness did not bother him, he could see as clearly as if it were the brightest of days.

"I can't sense the others!" Nall cried. "I can't sense any of the vampires either Alex! What are we going to do?" He dug his claws even deeper into Alex's shoulder, tearing the material of his shirt a tiny bit.

"I don't know Nall." Alex said through clenched teeth. He shivered again as a strange feeling came over him, making him hesitate over leaving the room to try and find the tool. What's the matter with me? He started to get irritated at the irrational fear? He froze again. Is this what fear feels like? Annoyed he forced himself to do as he always would have, simply stride over to the door and open it.

Everything looked the same, except for being completely empty, the servants were gone. I wonder if what he said is true, about not being able to leave? Alex decided to test it, heading back down the hall way towards the front door. Determined to simply find the way out and then see if he could sense the others. But he had barely taken a step into the final stretch before the doors when a slight noise warned him of something swiftly coming in from the right.

Instinctively he blocked with his scythe, stopping what could only be a circular blade as it shot across the hallway. It shattered upon contact, sending shards of the razor sharp blade flying.

"Damn vampire!" Nall growled. "Alex, perhaps it would be better if we look for the others first instead of trying to get to the doors."

"I doubt the rest of the mansion is free of traps Nall." Alex said irritably. "We have to get outside so we can sense the others and help them get out!" Frustrated he fought his way to the front door, using his unnatural speed as a Shinigami to block and shatter each bade that spun towards him, swiftly leaping over others that he could not block when more than one came flying towards him.

"Now well see about being stuck here." Alex said firmly even as he reached for the front doors to open them.

"Wait!" Nall called out. "What if the door is a trap?" But it was too late, Alex had already touched the door. Instantly a purplish black energy sent both of them flying to slam hard into the cold floor.

"Ugh.." Alex groaned as he sat up. "Are you alright Nall?" He turned to check on Nall who was getting up and shaking his head. Gently he reached over and picked him up.

"I'm fine Alex," He gave him an chagrined look. "I should have said something sooner."

Alex just got up off the floor, "I guess we're going to have to hunt for that tool." Alex glanced back at the door as Nall settled back onto his shoulder, then he turned and faced the hallway leading back into the mansion. Great, now what do I do? He couldn't stop yet another shiver as he readied his scythe and started back towards the huge room where the Count had been.

Edited January 24, 2016 by Allamorph

[Horendithas]

Whatever Nathan would have said, he did not get the chance to say it. The Count took the initiative, his expression taking on an almost demonic glee as he stood up and declared:

"Shinigami! Welcome to Purgatory!"

Astera gave out a tiny little gasp of surprise when everyone vanished, leaving them alone with the Count. What kind of trickery is this? Instantly Adrian tensed, calling forth his scythes and then taking a defensive stance with the one in his left hand angled to shield while the one in his right he held to the side, poised to strike.

But the Count continued talking as if everyone was still there, which made no sense. He could not detect anyone other than himself, Astera and the Count. What? He couldn't sense the other vampires either! Was this one of the traps he spoke of? Making it impossible for him to tell where they were? We'll see about that. He thought grimly, ignoring his words about a parallel universe as well as the advice that there would be a tool to allow them to escape.

Instead at the precise moment the Count began to laugh, throwing his head back a bit and thus his gaze off of Adrian and Astera... Adrian launched himself towards him with blinding speed. But the Count was not so easily caught off guard, he vanished into the darkness right before Adrian would have struck. Adrian snarled in anger as his downward strike instead tore through the chair the count had been sitting on, cleaving it in two. Damn!

"Coward." Adrian spat as he turned around and surveyed the room. Now the only one he could sense was himself and Astera.

"What are we going to do Adrian?" Astera piped up. "I can't feel anything at all! Do you think the others are alright?"

"We'll deal with the Count. Once he's dead this trick of his will most likely vanish." Adrian said even as he strode boldly across the floor and back to the doors. He did not bother to ghost through or open the doors directly, instead, with a combination horizontal and vertical slice he tore the doors off their hinges sending them crashing into the far wall of the hallway. He ignored Astera's question as to whether or not the others were alright or not.

"Adrian! Please! Calm down." Astera pipped up, she shivered a bit, worried that he was so angry. She didn't like it when things upset Adrian.

"I will Astera, once I've dealt with the Count." He assured her. Then he immediately took off heading deeper into the mansion, intending to find the room where the Count would be located. The other vampires did not matter, at least not yet. He would take care of them after he dealt with the Count.

It had been a long time since he had needed two scythes and for a while he had toyed with the idea of switching back to one, but now as he encountered the lethal traps the Count spoke of he was glad that he had not. Even if spinning blades and projectiles were primitive and easy to counter, for a Shinigami that is. And though normally such a thing would not be able to harm one such as he, Adrian wasn't going to test it just to find out. He went from room to room, hunting for something, anything that would tell him where to look next.

Adrian was not amused when they encounter a pack of wolves that had been driven insane by some dark magic and set loose. Even if it was a simple matter to put them out of their misery by virtue of the purifying flames he could feel Astera's anger at what the Count or someone else had done to them. And yet, at the same time there was something about them that did not feel real. Adrian shook the feeling off as he explored yet another large bedroom, hunting for not only the Count but for any clue that would lead them out of the trap they had been caught in. He was about to leave to head for the next room when Astera spoke.

"Adrian! Look!" She cried, pointing to a tall mirror on the far wall, she stood up on his shoulder excitedly as he approached the mirror. "It's Aeru! She's alright! But why is she in the mirror?"

As if she could hear Astera, Aeru turned from her position inside the mirror and faced the two of them, her eyes widening in surprise as she looked at the two of them.

"Adrian? Astera? Is that really you?"

OCC: Tag, DB

Edited January 24, 2016 by Allamorph

[SunfallE]

"Well, this is unexpected." Lucia observed calmly. "Theoretically the Count should not have been able to do what he just did." She pulled out her communicator and attempted to contact someone with it, but not only was there no reply, there was also no connection to anything at all. Not even the normal transmissions that she could tap into whenever she wished. That can't be right.

"Lucia!" Ruby said shrilly as she took off and flew around the room a bit before returning to hover in front of Lucia. "We don't have time for theories! We need to find the others!"

Lucia just absentmindedly reached up and scratched Ruby's ears when she landed back on her right shoulder. "I know that Ruby, but think about what I'm saying here, even if the Count managed to somehow tap into one alternate reality, he should not have been able to tap into five. And to limit the size of the parallel universes to his own mansion? And then block us from sensing one another?" She shook her head as she put the communicator away and left the room, heading out into the hallway.

"You know as well as I do Ruby, even if I could not sense the others, you, by the very nature of what you are and your own power to break barriers should." Lucia randomly picked a direction to take still lost in thought. "The fact that you too cannot sense them tells me that what the Count is claiming must on some level be false."

"Well, yeah, but I'm not sure this is another universe, it feels wrong!" She wailed. "It's like someone turned all the lights off, if I tried to change and use my fire, there's no telling what would happen." Ruby hunched down miserably. "I'm sorry Lucia, until you know more... I'm useless."

"It won't hurt for us to explore a bit before we take that course, we can't risk damaging the universe that the others are in." Lucia reasoned even as a slight shift in the air alerted her to trouble. She called her scythe to her left hand, reaching up with her right to grasp it firmly, holding it in front of her as she continued.

"Lucia!" Ruby hissed in warning as a shadow detached itself from the wall and moved to the middle of the hallway, blocking their path.

Lucia halted, unsure as to what they were facing. Even though it was less than ten feet away, it was as if it did not exist as she could not sense anything from it at all. Is it even real? She stepped back with her right foot and braced herself. She was wondering what to do when with a shriek it launched itself at her, it's shadowy arms reaching out to grab her.

She waited until the last moment and shifted to the left, swinging with her scythe. She hit it with a glancing blow on the right and was startled by sparks flying from the contact as her scythe cut into its side. But other than to shriek in pain and pull away to give itself a moment to pull it's side back together, nothing happened.

"It's a wraith!" Ruby cried in recognition! "You'll have to purify it!"

"I know." Lucia said even as she called on her own fire, holding it ready for the right moment. It was not as powerful as Ruby's and required her to get much closer than she would have liked. Normally she would not have worried about it, but now? Was it possible that like the vampires it too could harm her? But even more importantly, how had the Count even managed to find one? Creatures such as the Wraith had been dealt with centuries ago! What is going on here?

Edited January 24, 2016 by Allamorph

[2010DigitalBoy]

"I see..." Joe trailed off after Aeru finished her story. He and Neviril stood with their heads turned down while Aeru was leaning against the dresser with the mirror on top. Neviril started,

"B...but..."

"Don't worry about it," Aeru interrupted, her voice now calm, and a light smile returning to her face. "I can still smile, see? So it's not that bad. When I saw his face, I just..." Suddenly a voice cut the air from behind her.

"It's Aeru! She's alright! But why is she in the mirror?"

As if she could hear Astera, Aeru turned from her position inside the mirror and faced the two of them, her eyes widening in surprise as she looked at the two of them.

"Adrian? Astera? Is that really you?"

Astera flew through the mirror-window and floated in front of Aeru's face. "I'm so glad you're okay!" She chimed.

"I'm glad to see you, too!" Aeru laughed, but stopped a second later, seeing Adrian on the other side of the mirror-window. As always, he wore a serious expression and seemed more than a little annoyed. That isn't hat Aeru was seeing, though, as her cheeks turned bright pink and her face brightened up.

"Adrian, you came to save me!" She cooed. Adrian flinched.

"Eh?!" Before he could retort, the young shinigami leapt up onto the dresser and bounced clear through Astera and the mirror-window into Adrian's chest.

"I'm so happy!" She sang as she rubbed her face into his chest. For a brief moment, Adrian was dumbfounded with rage, then with an explosion of anger screamed,

"GET THE HELL OFF OF ME!" To which Aeru recoiled with teary eyes.

"Adrian!" Astera called as she came to his side, "Don't be so mean, she's been through a lot!" Joe and Neviril climbed through the mirror as well.

"Like I haven't?! This is no time to be acting like children, we need to find a way out of here so I can tear the Count in half!" Neviril gasped at this violent remark, bringing Adrian's attention to her. "Another damn vampire? Good. I've been looking forward to getting to kill one of you!" Adrian materialized one of his scythes and pointed it at Neviril, who only cringed in fear.

"Don't!" Aeru cried, jumping out in front of the vampire girl, scythe ready. Astera yelled,

"STOP IT! We're never going to get anywhere fighting amongst ourselves!"

"She's not one of us, she's a damn vampire!"

"You don't have to kill her, the exit's right there, Adrian! Come on! Leave them alone!"

"...actually..." This time it was Joe who spoke up. Attention on all sides was turned to where there was once a hole in the wall. Rather than a mirror-window, there was merely a window on the wall. Joe pawed at it to make sure; it was solid. Adrian retracted his scythe.

"Feh. Figures..." He turned on his way out of the room.

"Adrian..." Astera followed worriedly behind him. When he reached the door, his fist cracked against it with booming force, shattering the door into tiny fragments that few out into the hall. He took a step through the door before Aeru's voice cut in.

"Adrian!" It was worried, yet fierce. Adrian stopped for a moment and turned his head.

"If you follow me, you'd better stay a damn good distance back."

Edited January 24, 2016 by Allamorph

[Rachmaninoff]

It felt like he had been trapped in the mansion forever, even though he knew that was not the case. So far, all that he had explored had been useless as no clues or means to escape had been found. Other than himself and Nall... Alex simply could not sense anything, not even other creatures until he was right upon them. At first him and Nall had talked extensively about what was going on as well as possible things that could be the cause until finally, they both fell quiet, traveling in silence.

How will we get out of this place? Alex wondered for what seemed like the thousandth time. Anything that looks like it leads out is blocked by that black energy that was sealing the front doors. Is it the edge of the parallel Dimension Nall and I are in? Alex couldn't help but wonder if the Count had trapped others in this place, though until Aeru had been kidnapped he had not heard of any other Shinigami going missing.

"Alex," Nall finally spoke up, breaking the silence. "We need to think of something instead of wandering aimlessly. Even if he trapped us in a parallel universe it can't possibly be as big as a real one."

"You're right, we should search each level, one by one. It shouldn't take too long to comb this place." Alex chuckled a bit nervously. "At least we don't need food or sleep."

"Humph! Even so..." Nall sighed. "If I'd known we were going to get stuck in a parallel universe... I would have eaten more fish at the cafe."

Alex just laughed as he located a set of stairs heading down into what had to be the basement of the mansion. Like the rest of the place, it too was in darkness, though it mattered not as he could see just fine. Though what he did see was rather chilling when he got to the bottom of the stairs. The first room was massive and clearly meant for storing wines and other foods, but when he went through a double set of doors on the far side...

"Hell!" He exclaimed when he realized that what he was seeing was a medieval dungeon. The first room full of ancient torture devices and though there were none who were living, there were human skeletons in most if not all of the cells.

"That Count needs to die!" Nall hissed, furious at what they had found. "Torturing humans and locking them up like this! It's wrong!" He took off and flew around, peeking into the cells, one by one.

"Oh Alex," He said sadly as he settled back down on his left shoulder. "Some of them are children!"

Alex started to reply and halted at the sound of something coming from behind yet another set of double doors at the far end. Instantly he called forth his scythe and then headed for the doors, determined to find out what was going on. Without hesitation he opened the doors and entered the room.

It was a huge circular room much in the way an arena for fighting was. With a loud boom the doors behind him slammed shut. Startled, Alex whirled around reaching for the doors only to be thrown to the cold stone floor as once again he was hit by the purplish black energy that had sealed the front doors.

"Ugh... Not again." Alex groaned as he got up off the floor. He was getting up when a rasping grinding sound came from behind him.

"Alex!" Nall cried out in alarm. "It's a trap!"

Grimly Alex got up and faced what was before them as it slowly phased into existence. It was a skeleton dragon, easily as large as Nall when he was in his other form. Alex and Nall looked at one another and then without a word Nall took off and shimmered, transforming into his full form.

"Be careful Alex," Nall cautioned him in his now deeper voice as he too took up a defensive stance. "There's no telling what his flames will do to you."

Alex just nodded, watching the undead dragon with caution. This is going to get interesting. I wonder where the Count found it? Then there was no more time to think as the dragon attacked, spewing a dark type of flame in Alex's direction. Effortlessly he dodged to the right even as Nall attacked with his purifying flames, knocking the dragon backwards.

Instantly Alex was upon it, striking downward towards it's forehead, but for something so big it was quick, shifting to avoid the blow and striking with it's front arm, catching Alex on the right side. The force of the blow sent him sprawling to the floor. But within seconds he rolled to avoid the dragon's downward strike and then he was up on his feet, cautiously looking for another opening as Nall continued to strike with his own flames.

As the battle continued, now more than ever Alex was glad he was not human. If it was difficult as a Shinigami, there was no way a mere mortal could survive. Together him and Nall continued to fight the undead dragon, slowly wearing it down until finally with a strike of his flames sending it into the wall, Alex moved in and swiftly took it's head off with a single horizontal blow with his scythe. He called on his own purifying flames as he struck the head, turning it to ashes. Moments later the body crumbled into dust.

Alex breathed a sigh of relief. "Lets get out of here Nall." He turned and headed for the doors, smiling slightly as Nall once again took his place on his left shoulder. Once again his smaller cat like form. With the undead dragon dealt with, the energy sealing the doors was gone. Alex opened the doors and left, heading back towards the first level of the mansion.

Edited January 24, 2016 by Allamorph

[SunfallE]

Lucia had dealt with the Wraith, but still she could not get the encounter out of her mind. Everything that had happened since they entered the mansion and the Count had trapped them in the parallel universe's did not make sense. It was nagging at her that logically she could not put the puzzle together as to what was happening. Unlike the other Shinigami who relied a bit on human technology she had always taken her own route, giving her access to information and methods that were more advanced than what the humans used. And yet, even with that edge she could not figure out what the Count had done.

There has to be some form of deception going on here. She thought as her and Ruby continued to hunt for a way out of the mansion. If we are in a parallel universe, Ruby would be able to shatter the barriers between them. But according to Ruby, it didn't feel like a true parallel universe and if by some chance they were wrong, they couldn't afford to take the risk. Ruby had expressed the concern that attempting to break through could result in destroying whatever reality they were trapped in. Is that what the Count is trying to get us to do? To panic and destroy ourselves as we attempt to escape?

"I've been thinking Lucia," Ruby spoke up. "Wraiths have been gone for centuries right? What if we aren't trapped in parallel universe's but instead in different times? It would explain why we can't sense the others."

Lucia came to a stop, hovering in front of of a huge set of double doors that led into a massive dinning room. "It would also explain why we can't leave the mansion as well." Lucia reached up with her right hand, grasping her chin in thought. "If we really were sent to a different time it would explain the distortion energy that we detected sealing us in this place, such a thing would serve to not only keep us in this time, but place us in a type of time loop if you will. You and I would be unaffected but this place would not."

"If that's the case, then no matter how many times we destroy a trap or take care of a Wraith..." Ruby trailed off.

"Exactly, once the loop started again everything would be as it was when we first arrived. Except for us so our interaction with each danger would be different by virtue of not coming to it in the same context as the first time." Lucia turned to Ruby and smiled for the first time since they found themselves trapped in the parallel dimension.

"We should head back to where the Wraith was to test this theory, if you're right... It will make our search that much easier." Lucia was about to turn to head back to where the Wraith had been when a loud cry from behind the doors in the dinning room sounded. Instantly Lucia called forth her scythe as she turned to face the doors, slowly stepping back as she did so.

"I can sense them this time." Ruby whispered. "There are four Wraiths in there! Lucia! They're coming!"

A split second later the doors to the dinning room flew towards Lucia as the Wraiths behind them smashed through. With a half twirl Lucia swung her scythe, cutting the pieces that flew towards her in half. She did not wait to see where the pieces went, Lucia instantly rushed the closest one, her right hand extended as she glided forward and grasped it by the neck. Blue fire exploded from her hand and ran through the creature, turning it to ash even as she half stepped back on her left foot, swinging horizontally with her left hand, cutting the air with her scythe, forcing the other three to move back out of range.

"Behind you Lucia!" Ruby screamed in warning, even as Lucia was already taking off into the air, angling backwards as she flipped in mid air, slashing at a Wraith as she came down to land on her feet. With the three rushing her she crouched a bit and then launched herself between the closest two, cutting the one to her left nearly in half, while catching the second one with her right hand, this time, instead of grabbing it by the throat she used the purifying fire to send it slamming into a wall.

She ignored the other two in favor of rushing the one that had hit the wall, pinning it in place as she purified it as well. Then a slight hint of movement that warned her they were behind her and she threw herself to the left, but not in time to avoid a glancing blow from behind. Thrown off balance Lucia was knocked into a side door leading out of the mansion. To her surprise the energy that was sealing the mansion struck, sending her flying to land hard on the floor.

"Lucia!" Ruby screamed as heedless to the danger to herself she flew in and scratched at the two remaining Wraiths, barely avoiding being caught herself by their outstretched hands. It wasn't much, but it was enough that Lucia was back on her feet, her scythe in hand.

Cautiously Lucia circled them a bit, moving to get away from the outer walls of the mansion. I can't afford to accidentally get hit by that energy again. She thought. She had known it was there, but she had not expected it to physically react with her in that manner. Nor had she expected it to hurt either.

The wraiths did not give her the chance to get free, as one they rushed her, catching Lucia before she could get out of the way. They were shoving her back towards the door in an effort to pin her in place. Lucia abandoned her scythe allowing it to disappear and instead called her purifying fire forth, ignoring the pain of the Wraith's grasp as she sent it running through her body and into both of them.

At the same moment they crumbled into ash, she hit the outer wall and once again was thrown to the floor by the energy. Damn... That hurt. Lucia thought as she slowly got up.

"Lucia! Are you alright?" Ruby said as she settled on her right shoulder.

"Yes, I am." She took a deep breath. "Thank you." Lucia said simply, knowing that Ruby would know what she meant. Then with another deep breath and an inward sigh she headed for where the first wraith had been. We need to figure this out before someone gets hurt.

Edited January 24, 2016 by Allamorph

[Horendithas]

Astera was worried as they continued through the mansion looking for either the Count or a way out of the trap they were in. The trap was a problem, but even more so was how Adrian was behaving. It was not like him to be quite so forceful and angry. Even if Aeru annoyed him, usually he just ignored her to a certain extent. Now as she sat perched as she always did on Adrian's shoulder, Astera couldn't help but cast the occasional glance back at Aeru, Joe and the young vampire Neviril. Just as Adrian had warned they were keeping back and merely following along. Oh he's going to be annoyed if I say something, but we can't be angry with each other!

"Adrian," Astera said softly in a voice only loud enough for him to hear her. "What's wrong with you?" She faltered when Adrian shot her an annoyed glance before turning his attention back to the flight of stairs they were climbing up.

"Adrian! I'm serious! Even if you don't care for Aeru, you've never been so abrupt with her before. I'm worried." Astera fell silent since she could tell that Adrian was not interested in talking about it. Still... There was something about the place they were in that was affecting them, of that she was positive, though she couldn't tell what it was.

Adrian ignored Astera, or rather he did not respond to what she said. Because on some level he was wondering the same thing. Sure Aeru was annoying but Astera was correct, usually he just avoided her instead of snapping at her like that. But when that little fool came flying though the mirror, the link to the universe that they were from had been shattered. And all that idiot could think about was some silly notion that he had come to rescue her. She was lucky that all he did was simply yell at her.

He sighed inwardly, disgusted with how things had turned out. On some level it was true, he had come to rescue her, but only because he wanted the chance to deal with the Vampires, not out of any feelings towards her. Order or not, he wouldn't have come if he didn't want to and now thanks to Aeru's stupidity it was likely that they really were trapped in the parallel universe for all eternity.

And for some reason... It infuriated him to no end. He was here to deal with the vampires, not wander in some mansion forever. Adrian tried to calm down, but the more he thought about it the angrier he became and when they came upon what had to be a horde of Ghoul's, he was more than willing to oblige them. Adrian just snickered as he counted close to thirty of the undead creatures as they came out of the shadows, moving towards the group. Well now. Adrian thought with grim satisfaction as he called forth his scythes. If the Count thinks something like this is enough to stop me... He is sadly mistaken

"Stay back." He cautioned the others even as he readied himself, sending the blue flames of purification running down his blades. Adrian ignored Neviril startled gasp as he launched himself without warning and then just as he was almost upon the Ghoul's he spun, his scythes extended, neatly cutting those that were the closet in half.

As if in a trance he then back flipped out of range of the others that reached for him and then repeated the same move yet again, swiftly launching himself towards the next group and stepping on his left foot to initial a full spin with the scythes extended.

In no time all of them had been purified as Adrian then went around and touched each one with the end of his scythe to finish the job. He looked around to make sure there were no more and then relinquished his scythes and faced the others. Only then did he realize that none of them had ever seen him actually put his scythes to use in such a ruthless manner. Other than Astera that is, once Adrian was done she simply settled back down on his shoulder. But the others, even Aeru seemed shocked.

"What are you staring at?" He growled at them, causing Neviril to jump. "Move it!" Then he turned and headed down the hallway, not bothering to look and see if the others were following him.

Edited January 24, 2016 by Allamorph

[Allamorph]

Nathan stood in the center of the hall, motionless, his eyes closed. His right hand hovered inches from his scythe, holding back the corner of his blazer, where it had reflexively snapped to the instant his companions had vanished. His entire body was relaxed; if anything in the hall so much as moved, Nathan would kill it immediately.

An alternate dimension? Nathan doubted the possibility. He had done interdimensional traveling before, and he knew what the process felt like. No matter the method, nor who might be initiating it, he had always been struck by the sensation of glass shattering around him, enveloping him in a liquid so cold it would unfailingly cause him to snap his eyes open and suck his breath in. There had been no such sensation this time.

This time it was as if a heavy shroud had been suddenly cast over his mind, dulling his senses, cutting his spirit off from the rest of the world.

But what had caused it? Just has he had felt no evidence of spatial travel, so he had not even noticed the incoming trap. If he had, he most certainly would have attempted to counteract it. He had had no such chance, though. It had just happened; no warning, no danger signals, no nothing. Nathan racked his brains for something, anything that fit the situation, but every trick or spell he knew of could be reversed if halted quickly enough.

The more he thought about it, the less he was certain when he'd first felt the sudden change. Suspicious, he cycled backward in his mind to the point just after he'd finished his conversation with his familiar. Nothing had been out of the ordinary...and then there was their flight; that was clean...they'd arrived at the Count's estate without incident....a blond woman had ushered them inside, past rows of little vampire children......wait....

–Oh, clever.

He couldn't remember how many children had been in the hallway. How many pairs had they passed on the way in? Had there been forty? Or only four? Come to think of it, that woman had flashed a peculiar smile when Adrian had accepted the invitation into the manor. Could that be it? Could they really have...?

They had, hadn't they? They'd walked straight into it. It hadn't been the anteroom where the trap had been activated, it had been the hallway; and it wasn't that he had stopped feeling his companions all of a sudden, it was that the sensory deprivation had been a gradual process. Because he had still been able to see the others, he hadn't been thinking about feeling them, taking their presence for granted, and it was when they had vanished that he?d first realized the trap.

His arm relaxed, and his blazer fell back into place. Things made a bit more sense now, he decided. There were no parallel universes here; there were no alternate realities, no 'purgatories'. It was all much simpler.

He looked up as the shadowy form of a Wraith began to ooze its way out of one of the walls. Nathan watched it calmly, sizing up its intentions, evenly returning its soulless stare though he could not see its eyes. It seemed he?d be getting the chance to test his theory rather quickly.

Free of the wall, the Wraith appeared to pause and study the shinigami in return. Part of its form tilted slightly to one side, almost as if it were puzzled by Nathan's nonchalance. It shifted forward and emitted a sharp, tentative screech, then fell back and studied Nathan a moment more. Gaining no discernible reaction, it screeched again and charged, the shadows of its body roiling in anticipation.

Nathan?s gaze dropped. "Bull," he said quietly.

The Wraith passed straight through him.

It was an illusion: this realm of the bizarre, the creatures it contained, the room he was standing in; even the Count hadn't truly been before them, though Nathan didn't doubt the vampire's existence. In fact, he had to give the man a fair bit of credit, since the beauty and the danger of the illusion lay in that it was rooted in the real.

He could feel it now. The air was thick with it; it bore heavily down on him as it strove with his spirit, willing his senses to submit to the lie that it whispered to his mind. Despite his knowledge of its presence, he couldn't completely break free of its grip, and though the furious screams of the Wraith had all but faded, the walls of the mansion remained. He needed to find the others.

Closing his eyes again, he focused on tuning out the persuasive ministrations of the illusion, extending his senses in search of his companions. It was difficult, and fighting off the illusion cost him a considerable force of will, but at last he managed it, picking them up as little more than bare flickers on the fringes of his mind. They were all fighting, striking at shadows, unaware of the shroud that had been pulled over their eyes. He sensed their confusion, their fear at the sudden isolation. He had to reach them. He had to reunite them.

Drawing on his reserves of power, he stilled himself, using all of his focus to hold the illusion at bay. His mouth opened, and his voice rose in a chant, his power letting it cut through the incessant noise of the illusion as he directed it to find his friends.

He hoped they remembered the old ways.



----------
OOC: All right, Rach. Your ball.

Edited January 24, 2016 by Allamorph

[Rachmaninoff]

Dies iræ! dies illa

It didn't take Alex and Nall all that long to get back to the main level of the mansion. Once the undead dragon had been dealt with, there was nothing else in the cellar or the dungeon to be dealt with. The mansion however, as large as it was, would take a while to fully explore.

Solvet sæclum in favilla

It was only a mere whisper of power or rather stillness in the air that Alex felt as the door to the cellar closed behind him, but before he even knew what it was or just what he had felt, Alex came to a standstill. His senses reaching out for the familiar thread he had just sensed as he closed his eyes.

Teste David cum Sibylla!

It was incomplete, but there was no mistaking a part of the grand hymn of the Shinigami! He could not tell who or what, but someone or something was calling upon the power of the song. Without even giving it a thought he stilled his own mind and hesitantly took up the chant.

Quantus tremor est futurus

Like shadows fleeing from the light, Alex could feel something pulling back, giving way. A sense of completeness filled his soul, chasing away the fear and doubts that he still harbored. Encouraged by the familiar feeling of oneness that only a Shinigami could feel, his voice grew stronger, more determined.

Quando judex est venturus

Nathan! He could sense him again! He's the one who's trying to reach the rest of us! So we aren't separated after all! Alex didn't know just what had happened yet, but if Nathan was calling to him and the others in this manner...

Cuncta stricte discussurus!

Alex could feel the shadows of what had to be an illusion beginning to lift as every one of them upon feeling the stirrings of the old ways took up the chant. Adrian, Lucia, Shalua and even Aeru! Their voices lending power to the grand hymn of the Shinigami, cutting through the illusion that the Count had trapped them in.

But it was not enough, though Alex could feel the connection between them that he had thought was missing, the illusion still hovered hatefully just beyond the reach of the hymn's power. Waiting to entrap them once more. Without the rest of the Shinigami, we can't draw on the full power of the chant!

They were reunited in spirit but still kept apart by the power of the trap the Count had cast. A glimmer of an idea began to form as they began to come to the close of the hymn uniting them once again. If he was correct, there was a way to dispel the illusion holding their minds in shadow.

Lacrymosa dies illa

It would take more than an illusion tied to his senses to stop him from destroying it. If they could not call upon the full power of the Shinigami, then they would have to work around it.

Qua resurget ex favilla

Nathan had grounded them back into reality and he would use that reality as a bridge to strike at the powerful spell keeping them from stopping the Count.

Iudicantus homo reus

It was time to make that reality permanent as it should be. But to do that, Alex would need to do more than just a chant. He needed the music as well, even if he could not call upon it's completed form.

Huic ergo parce, Deus

Alex pulled out the small instrument that he carried with him everywhere. It was not capable of playing the grand hymn of the Shinigami in it's fullest extent, but that did not matter.

Pie Iesu Domine

It could and would serve as a guide for him to tap into the power needed to shatter the illusion for good. He readied himself as the final verse came to a close.

Dona eis requiem. Amen

Then before the thread tying them together once again could fade he began to play his Ocarina. It was far from being close to the original hymn, but no mortal instrument was capable of such a feat. But just as he had thought, he felt himself sink deep into the trance needed to draw upon the power to finally destroy the illusion. Then once he was there, as he settled fully into the trance, Alex lowered the Ocarina and began the next part of the grand hymn of the Shinigami.

Domine Iesu Christe, Rex gloriae, libera

With each word the power grew, running down the lines tying each of them together. Alex could feel it building, waiting for him to set it free. He could sense that breaking the illusion at this point was possible, but he wanted more, needed more. He was going to make sure that once dispelled it could not be rebuilt so easily.

Alex sent the call to each one, tying their power into what he was doing, adding more strength behind his own. Then when it was ready and he finally came to the last bit. Without hesitation he set it loose.

Fac eas, Domine, de morte transire ad vitam

With a mental snap the illusion broke, shattering into tiny pieces like so many shards of glass before finally fading away. Once again he could feel everyone who had come to the mansion. Nathan, Adrian, Shalua, Lucia, Aeru and their familiars as well. But more importantly, he could also feel the vampires as well.

"Alex!" Nall started to say.

"I know. We need to find the others and take care of the Count once and for all."

The closest one was Lucia and Ruby, the others though still in the mansion, were further away. Especially Adrian and Aeru as it felt like they were in a higher level of the mansion. With renewed confidence Alex immediately headed towards Lucia's and Ruby's location.

Edited January 24, 2016 by Allamorph

[SunfallE]

"Lucia!" Ruby called out excitedly as the illusion was broken and faded away. "Everyone is here! Even Aeru!"

Lucia just smiled as she waited for Alex and Nall as she could clearly sense them coming in her direction. Now that the spell had been broken they could finally do what they came here to do. And though their orders had said nothing about the Count, if he was capable of weaving such a powerful spell, leaving him alive would be sheer foolishness. After what had just happened it was clear that the information that he intended to do away with the Shinigami was accurate. Not that she had doubted that, only his ability to actually do so.

The only thing that still troubled her was the presence of the distortion field she had detected earlier along the outer walls of the mansion. It was still present, keeping them locked within the mansion, indicating that the illusion was but one of probably many traps. We were foolish, blindly assuming our superiority over vampires. It was a mistake she would not make again.

She turned at the sound of Alex and Nall entering the hallway outside the dinning room doors, doors that in spite of her battle with the wraiths was intact. Indicating that though the illusion was real on some level, it still had been nothing more than an illusion. A very dangerous one at that.

"Lucia! Ruby!" Alex called out as he joined them. "Your alright!" He came to a halt just in front of the two, smiling broadly.

"Of course, thanks to Nathan and then your efforts in using what you could of the Grand Hymn." Lucia turned and started heading towards Nathan who was now the closest one of the Shinigami in the mansion.

"The distortion field sealing us in this place however is not gone. We would do best to regroup and then deal with the Count." She continued along the hallway ignoring the presence of the vampires who were but children and scattered as she approached. They were not the real threat, though they would need to be dealt with.

"Also, haven't you noticed that even though the illusion is gone, the Count's presence is still hidden? After what happened we would be wise to not be so overconfident and foolish as to think that the illusion is the only danger here."

Alex gave off a nervous laugh. "I know Lucia and trust me I won't."

Lucia just shrugged as she continued on her way, now lost in the thought of what they would need to do to dispel the barrier around the mansion itself. Though in a way, so long as the Count was inside, breaking it did not matter, dealing with him did.

Edited January 24, 2016 by Allamorph

[Allamorph]

I don’t know what to think of you sometimes.

*chuckle*

I’m serious! I mean, you’re like a gigantic frikkin’ sonar dish, man – you know that? Anything changes around here, you pick it up.

Oh, come on. I do not.

Darn well near! You probably know what I ate this morning, or even if I ate at all. I bet if a dust speck moved in Australia you’d know about it—and why, too.

Now you’re just being ridiculous.

I don’t care. You’re still bizarre.

 

Nathan opened his eyes again, quietly intoning a brief alleluia. Now that the anomaly had been dispelled, he felt as if he could actually get something done. He had to remember to thank Alex when he got the chance. The boy had picked up on Nathan’s intent flawlessly; Nathan couldn’t have asked for any better. He was also very grateful for Alex’s quick decision to become the Canter, since Nathan had almost exhausted himself with the initial hymn call and would have had barely enough energy left to break even his own illusion, to say nothing of the others, for whom it would have been much more important.

-------------------

He was surprised at the sudden memory…but not unpleasantly so. Good old Trey. Nathan honestly missed his old brother-in-arms, from way back before his reassignation to the city. He had been one of the few people Nathan had known who could find humor—true humor, and not the ironic, sardonic, wry, or other wise manufactured kind—in any and every situation. Only in open combat had Trey’s joyful smile left his face, replaced at those times by an expression of righteous fury. Nathan had always envied him that: the ability to separate himself from conflict in the heat of the moment, to feel no hatred for his enemy. Nathan could never do the same; his fighting, his killing, was personal in every aspect, and he was intimately familiar with the exhilarating thrill of the battle.

-------------------

A quick mental probe confirmed what the Count had said about the size of his mansion. It was a weak probe, but Nathan still couldn’t get a definite fix on his relative position, his senses sliding along some kind of amorphous texture that made judging distance impossible.

“So it is bigger on the inside,” he told himself. This was going to make things interesting. The shinigami turned his attention to the room, the only thing that he could currently gather information on.

-------------------

Different times made for different friends and tighter friendships, and the two Reapers had supported each other on numerous occasions back then. Nathan hadn’t quite figured out why Trey had stuck with him for so long; if Nathan hadn’t technically been the elder, Trey would have been his mentor. Certainly Trey had felt older, despite his youthful demeanor and his lighthearted speech, in which he constantly used references to things that hadn’t yet occurred in the living’s time.

For Nathan’s part, he’d enjoyed being with Trey because the man had a mind as fast as his own, if not faster. It was such a strange sensation, being out-thought and left dumbfounded in the middle of a conversation, with no way to recover one’s head except to change topics. Sometimes their conversations had more resembled duels, both of them shooting off quick-fire responses as fast as the other could finish a sentence, invariably leaving anyone else anyone else nearby with a spinning head, and occasionally with those ridiculously amusing chibi swirly-eyes as well.

-------------------

With his senses now clear of the numbing illusion, Nathan saw that he was standing in a well-executed replica of a Gothic throne room, with two rows of stone columns marching down the hall to the dais that the Count’s chair rested on. Various finely-woven tapestries decorated the walls at even intervals; Nathan admired them, but saw nothing worth permanently noting about them.

On either side of the dais were two inconspicuous doors leading off to the left and right. Since the shinigami had entered through the large double doors behind him, it seemed only natural to investigate in the other direction. The thought occurred to Nathan that perhaps the Count intended for him to proceed in this manner, but he immediately dismissed the logic as circular and therefore unbeneficial to anything.

As he started towards the other side of the hall, his hands thrust casually into his pockets, he felt quickly for Aeru’s presence, since she was, after all, the reason they were here. He was surprised to find her mobile, and even more so that she was in Adrian’s company–along with a vampire, ironically enough.

“Well,” he said to no one in particular. “That was easy.” He grinned, making a mental note to rag on Adrian for not killing the vampire on sight.

-----------

OOC: Frikkin' midterms. Eat up all my time.

Edited January 24, 2016 by Allamorph

[Horendithas]

Adrian resisted the urge to smash a hole through the nearest wall when the illusion that they had been trapped in shattered. As if sensing how furious he was Astera simply stayed quiet, saying nothing. It wasn't that Adrian considered himself above such traps or that he shouldn't have fallen for it. No it was that he hated deception. A trick to get rid of them instead of having the courage to face them directly. But even though he could now sense the others as well as the fact that they were still trapped in the mansion, he could not sense the other Vampires.

"Halt." Adrian turned to face Neviril, calling forth his scythe in his left hand and pointing it at her neck, mere inches away from her skin.

Aeru moved to intercept but Adrian blocked her path with his other scythe, shaking his head to indicate that she had better stay out of it.

"Don't force me to deal with you as well Aeru," He gave her a look of disgust. "You're a Shinigami, not Neviril's protector. You may have lost sight of your responsibilities but I have not."

"But, it's not..." Aeru started to protest but Adrian cut her off.

"What? Her fault? It's the same with any human when they die Aeru, the moment the Count turned her into a Vampire is the day she died. Never forget that. Now stop being an idiot, I'm not going to send Neviril on her way just yet." He lowered his scythe and turned back to Neviril who had frozen in place.

"Where is the Count located? Even if you don't know where your Master is, you must know which chambers are his."

Neviril, looked nervously at Aeru and then back and Adrian. "But, it's my job to protect the Count."

"It's really simple Neviril, either you take us to his inner chambers or I'll send you on your way and find it myself. Either way you are going to be sent to the next life, you can wait until after you see your Master one last time or you can go now. The choice is yours."

"Adrian!" Aeru protested.

"Astera," He nodded to her and she took off and went over to chat with Neviril for a moment. Then he turned to face Aeru, letting the fury he felt show as he approached her, stopping only when he was close enough that he was looking down at her.

"If you really have that much trouble accepting that others need to be sent on their way Aeru, then why the hell are you still working as a Shinigami? If you can't follow through on your job, you're useless." Adrian ignored her tearful look and pained expression.

"This isn't about fair, it isn't about being nice. It's about maintaining the balance of life instead of allowing abominations like the Count to continue." He leaned down a bit, pinning her in place with his gaze. "If you can't accept that then you need to get the hell out of my way or I'll send you to the next life along with that Vampire." He finished coldly. Adrian turned back to face Astera when she spoke up, interrupting his discussion with Aeru.

"Adrian!" Astera said brightly. "Neviril will take us to where the Count's main chamber is! She says we need to head back to where we first met him."

"Fine, lead the way Neviril." Adrian indicated as Astera flew back over to settle down on his shoulder. He did not bother to look back and see if Aeru followed them or not.

Edited January 24, 2016 by Allamorph

[Rachmaninoff]

Alex hurried to keep up with Lucia who was heading back towards the main room where they had first met the Count. As he watched the vampire children scatter and flee from their presence he couldn't help but feel just a tiny bit sorry for them. Not that it would stop him from sending them to the next phase, but rather that instead of being allowed to continue on with the rest of humanity, they had been wrongfully stripped of the right to die. The Vampires, at least those who were older, did not and would not understand that moving on was where they truly wanted to be.

Instead they clung to the illusion of immortal life, not realizing that their time on Earth was but one step in the journey known as life. Alex of course understood it, but as a Shinigami, it was expected. One could not be one otherwise. Though sometimes he kind of wished he could explain, but at the same time he knew why he could not. Humans were not ready for that knowledge, they were too primitive to understand it fully. Much in the same way they could not grasp the Grand Hymn of the Shinigami. All one had to do was listen to their attempts to recreate what they had caught a glimpse of to realize how limited their understanding really was.

He was following along when something caught his attention. "Uh Lucia," He said, even as he halted briefly while she pulled out her Crystal Communicator and did something. Though he could not see just what she was up to.

"Shalua will have to wait. I don't know how she got herself trapped, but until we get that barrier taken care of, we can't get to her." Lucia closed her communicator and tucked it away in her tunic.

"With the illusion shattered she'll be fine where she is." Lucia started heading towards the main room again.

"Well yeah, but still, she'll be cranky as hell when she realizes that we didn't come for her." Alex pointed out.

"Well that's just too bad!" Ruby said with a disdainful flip. "It's her own fault for getting caught in a trap like that."

"Don't be such a dork Ruby." Nall piped up. "It's not like any of us realized it was an illusion either." Nall ignored Ruby's indignant snort.

"Why don't you save the bickering for later." A cold voice spoke up as Adrian came around the corner, just as they were about to open the doors to the main room where the Count had been. He was closely followed by Aeru and what appeared to be a little Vampire girl.

"Adrian." Lucia nodded. "Shalua, for the moment is stuck behind part of the barrier keeping us within the mansion, since we do not have the means to remove the barrier yet, Alex and I are heading to join Nathan who seems to be heading towards where the Count is. Though I cannot sense him so I am not certain of this."

Adrian just spared her a short glance before opening the doors and walking inside. "I'm well aware of that, if this vampire is telling the truth then the only way to get to the inner most chamber is through the door to the right of the throne."

"Why would I lie?" Neviril said timidly. "The Count is here, can't you feel his presence?" She seemed puzzled as the group walked towards the door on the right side of the throne.

"Of course we can't." Alex explained. "You are tied to him where we are not. Normally we can sense him but this place isn't exactly normal." He turned to Aeru, "You seem to be alright, you weren't hurt were you?"

Aeru shook her head. "No, I'm fine."

"Well it's about time you all caught up." A voice chided them from the darkness as they entered the other room. As one they turned to see Nathan who was patiently waiting for them.

Edited January 24, 2016 by Allamorph

[Allamorph]

Tangent: Little Cat Feet

The city the shinigami watched over was a modest one, respectable in size, easily claiming seven-hundred thousand, its streets almost constantly bustling—choked at times, especially around noon—with its busy occupants. The city?s several renowned tourist attractions and large shopping centers added to the flow, contributing the most on holidays, as would be expected, and so the city's utility departments were designed to handle quite the load.

At the urging of economic and demographic advisors, the city's entire water system facilities had been relocated several years ago to what was now a location about four and a half miles outside the current city limits, abutting the river whose path curved around the city on its way to the sea. Later, the board initiated work on a new electric plant that would take advantage of the location, centralizing the city?s utilities while simultaneously providing a much cheaper source of power, which up until that point had been supplied by a plant some several hundred miles away.

Though the power station was as yet a few months from completion, the current compound still occupied a sprawling territory along the riverbank, stretching for at least three city blocks in any direction. Though it possessed little in the way of height?the tallest point would be the control booth atop the soon-to-be finished dam?it was still impressive to look at, particularly from the hilly region to the plant?s south.

If she hadn't been focused on her descent, Isen would have felt the same. She would have preferred, of course, to have simply entered the complex from the simplicity of the sky, but Nathan had been adamant about his instructions being followed precisely as given, and when he got into that mood she didn't even think about arguing. He had covered himself well during their hasty exchange, but she had easily seen that he had been very tense and very agitated about something, worse than back in their apartment. She hadn't seen him that affected since well before their relocation, right after....

Once on level ground, she headed for the nearest corner of the facility, where the sewer pipes ran into the river. Her eyes darted rapidly from side to side, anxious to catch any possible watchers. Again she was going against her natural instinct, but Nathan had insisted that she was less likely to draw suspicion while corporeal, should she be noticed. This directive had made even less sense than his first command, but like before she obeyed. Not without question, but that was his fault for not answering them beforehand.

As her trek led her in range of the perimeter security cameras, she unconsciously quickened her pace. She was not used to being seen in such situations, and she sent several virulent thoughts in the direction of her companion's aura, which she could still vaguely feel. It made her feel slightly better; Isen made a mental note to give Nathan a piece of her mind afterwards, and she smiled at the thought. It was not a very pleasant smile, and on a cat it looked downright evil.

She reached the river and approached the entrance to the nearest pipe, discarding her tangibility as soon as she?d rounded the corner. It wasn't the one she cared about; her objective was the second to last pipe, which she flew slowly off towards. She'd made doubly certain which one she?d needed to access after Nathan had told her what part of the city he was interested in. She wanted to spend no more time on this jaunt than absolutely necessary, and if that meant a bit of out-of-the-way research, then so be it.

Isen was quite glad that she hadn't been told to keep her body while on this leg of the excursion. Spirits? bodies did not directly interact with the living environment unless they willed otherwise, and an ethereal nose picked up no scents. Isen didn't want to know what her surroundings smelled like.

She reached her goal with barely a glance down any of the other sewer lines and, still uncertain why she was doing it, floated inside to begin the long, tedious navigation back towards the city.

Edited January 24, 2016 by Allamorph

[SunfallE]

Nathan moved from his position of leaning slightly against the wall, his hands neatly tucked into his pockets, his face wearing his usual grin of amusement. Within two steps towards the group his hands were back out at his sides and his expression though more serious still one of being amused at something only he knew of.

"So we have a vampire here, interesting." Nathan's tone of voice seemed more amused than anything else and the slight glance he sent in Adrian's direction was ignored.

Lucia chose to ignore it. "That's correct, it seems that she knows how to get into the Count's personal chambers."

"Really? Well then lets get going." Nathan's stance became just a bit more serious.

Neviril just looked at all the Shinigami surrounding her, intimidated by their presence. Was it really all right for her to let them in? It was her job to protect the count wasn't it? Why would he have granted her eternal life if it was wrong?

"Neviril," Astera said as she flew over and sat on her shoulder. "It's okay, the Count doesn't understand why you must move on, don't you want to see your parents again? Don't you want him to be reunited with his own family too?"

"I..."

"Just open it or I'll do it for you." Adrian finally snapped at her. Ignoring Astera's reproachful look.

She didn't respond but instead turned and while clenching her eyes tightly shut she reached up and touched the far wall. Red lettering spread from where her hand made contact and spread out until a doorway was revealed and then vanished, leaving a corridor leading further into the mansion.

Without hesitation the Shinigami entered the corridor but before they had taken more than a few steps the path behind them vanished and they found themselves in a huge circular room, easily hundreds of feet in diameter.

"Alex!" Nall cried out.

"I know Nall. Just like before with the undead dragon." He called forth his scythe and took up a guarded stance.

"I don't understand!" Neviril turned to try and leave but this time touching the wall had no result. "How did we end up here?"

"What do you mean by here?" Nathan asked her calmly, ignoring Adrian's look of fury and Aeru's attempts to stand between everyone else and the little vampire.

She looked down at the floor, "This is the Count's personal?" She choked and couldn't continue, but then she looked back up, ignoring the Shinigami. "Please Master! I didn't mean to! Please don't punish me!" Neviril collapsed and started to cry.

Lucia was wondering what in the world was going on when she felt a stirring of power, all of them did, causing them to turn and watch as the same monsters they had faced in the mansion appeared. Curious, Lucia pulled out her Crystal Communicator and checked something, then grimly she snapped it shut and put it away.

"This is no illusion this time. I would surmise that this is a combination punishment zone for vampires who displease the Count as well as a means to deal with any humans who would attempt to stop him as well." Lucia summoned her scythe.

"We will not be able to leave this place until they are dealt with. Also, they feed upon each other, if we do not manage to purify all of them within a certain time frame they will continue to rise again and again."

Adrian just chuckled, calling forth his twin scythes. "Fine by me."

All of them, except for Nathan who was calmly watching what was before him, readied themselves to deal with the monsters that were gathering in the center of the room. He was too busy watching them as well as observing the room they were in.

"I suggest you protect the vampire for the moment Aeru," Lucia commanded. "It is possible we will need her to progress once we've taken care of this."

"Okay." Aeru said even as she moved to stand between Neviril and the monsters that had appeared, an undead dragon, easily over a dozen wraiths and a few other creatures as well.

Adrian scowled but Lucia ignored it, keeping her attention on the monsters who were looking in their direction. Then after glancing briefly at Alex and nodding to him, she moved off to the left on her own to approach the monsters at a different location, while Alex moved to the right. There was no need to speak to Ruby, she would know what to do when the time came. Though she wondered what Nathan was doing since a brief glance showed him to still be deep in thought.

Edited January 24, 2016 by Allamorph

[Horendithas]

Adrian was calculating just what would be required to deal with the monsters in the most timely and efficient manner. If Lucia had said they were tied to one another and had to be dispatched quickly, then he would do best to follow her advice. In all the time that he had known her, she had never been wrong about something like this.

"It's alright Neviril." Aeru was saying behind them. "Your master is not angry with you."

"How do you know that?" Neviril said tearfully.

"Because it was our presence that triggered the trap, I'm sure of it. So stop crying okay?" Aeru reassured her.

Adrian tuned them out, sickened by the conversation. Even if Aeru was correct, there was no point in socializing with vampires. They could not co-exist, it was that simple. He spared a brief glance in Nathan's direction but he was still watching everything carefully. It was a stance that Adrian recognized, for all that Nathan appeared relaxed and carefree, he was never simply standing there.

He turned back to see that Lucia was far over to the left and Alex over to the right. With the illusion gone, it was a simple matter to tune into each other to know when to strike and where. And though Lucia and Alex probably didn't understand why Nathan seemed to be holding back, Adrian knew better. Nathan was simply waiting for the right moment.

"I'm ready Adrian." Astera said calmly as he started to walk towards the center of the room.

"No Astera, now is not the time. I need you to keep an eye on that little vampire girl instead." He replied, taking in her look of disappointment.

"Okay," She looked to the side and sighed. "I understand." Astera took off and flew directly to Neviril.

Adrian just smiled to himself once she was gone. Then he turned his attention to the monsters in front of them. The one that was going to be more difficult would be the undead dragon. It's massive size was not only misleading but dangerous as well. It's own flames were harmful, even to a Shinigami. He doubted that the others understood the danger, other than perhaps Nathan.

"Leave the dragon to me and stay clear of it's flames." He told the others, even as he called forth the blue flames of purification, sending them down the blades of his scythes.

He did not wait for the others to answer, instead he launched himself in the direction of the dragon, ducking to avoid the black flames it spewed in his direction. With a laugh he slammed his blades into the wraiths in his way, sending them flying. Then with yet another tiny push on the floor he pushed off again and came in under the dragon's head to slam the left blade into it's chin causing it's head to snap back while he slammed the right one into it's chest. Together the twin blows sent the dragon flying.

With a devilish grin Adrian launched himself towards the dragon to strike again before it even landed. This time he caught it in the stomach with both blades, the horrible rasp of steel on bone echoing through the chamber as the force of the blow resulted in it being thrown into the wall with a crunch of bones cracking.

Before it could even move an inch Adrian was on it again, this time sending his left blade deep into the skeleton dragon's skull, pinning it to the wall as the other blade severed it's head from the rest of its body. As the body of the dragon began to crumble to ashes, Adrian sent the flames of purification running though it's head, turning it to ash as well. Then with a smooth motion he pulled the scythes free and turned to see how the others were faring.

Edited January 24, 2016 by Allamorph

[Allamorph]

The blue shinigami sauntered casually over to Aeru and the petite vampiress, still engrossed with the new arena.

“Hey,” he started, placing his hand on Aeru’s shoulder. “You look like you could use some stress relief. How about you let me look after your little friend there while you go fight?”

Aeru hesitated, looking slightly confused.

“But–”

Nathan smiled at her. “Don’t worry,” he said soothingly. “She’ll be fine.” He looked up again at the growing throng of foul creatures. “After all,” he added, “I’m not that heartless.”

Aeru glanced back at Nevril, still wavering; Nathan’s gaze drifted to Joe, who returned it searchingly.

“Trust me,” mouthed Nathan. After a second, the cat nodded and flew over to his companion, hovering by her head.

“Let’s go, Aeru,” he agreed. “The more people we have fighting these things off, the faster we can keep moving.”

“All right,” Aeru finally consented with a sigh. “It’s okay,” she told Nevril. “Nathan will take care of you for now.” She glanced worriedly at Nathan again, who smiled again, and then she and her familiar took off towards Lucia and Alex, who by now were locked in combat.

The little vampire shrank away at Nathan’s approach. Sensing she might actually take flight, he cleared the distance between them in two strides; already Wraiths and Shades—the Wraith’s older, stronger relative, capable of assuming bestial forms—were appearing on all sides, their murky bodies seemingly absorbing light from the room. Nathan doubted Lucia had anticipated that they would have spawned so quickly, and he turned in a half-circle, drawing Nevril firmly in front of him.

“I think it’d be better for you to stay with me for the moment,” he advised.

Nevril sent her new ward a timid look. “You – you don’t want to kill me?” she asked, a fearful tremor in her voice.

“Well, of course I do,” answered Nathan happily. “In fact, I’d probably want to finish you off even more than Mr. Grouchy over there does. But like I said….” he flexed his elbows “…I’m not heartless, and someone around here thinks you’re still of use. So just rest easy.”

A Wraith charged from his left, and he threw up his hand towards it, his first two fingers extending into a false gun. Three tiny darts of blue flame leapt from its tip and ripped through the Wraith’s body; the creature disintegrated into ash.

“They can’t touch me,” he told Nevril, as a swarm of the enraged creatures started to descend on them. “What have you got to worry about?”

He began to move his arms in quick, rigid patterns around his body, locking into each position for a bare instant and moving with familiar precision to the next and the next, the rest of him remaining utterly motionless. Blue fire streamed from his fingertips like bullets, shredding the vaporous onslaught one after another. His eyes followed none of his movements, still searching over the surface of the room.

“Come on,” he whispered to himself. “Just give me something.”

His head jerked up in time to see a Shade plunging straight down at him. “Move!” he shouted, shoving Nevril roughly forward and dashing to one side. The Shade crashed into the floor, and Nathan riddled it with fire.

Unprepared for the sudden thrust, Nevril shrieked and stumbled ahead. A raised stone caught her toe, and she pitched to the floor.

Four small circles of red letters appeared where her right hand had touched.

Nathan was on her instantly, scooping her up with his left arm. “Interesting,” he murmured in her ear. “I thought as much. It seems someone was right; thank you, little one.” He sprinted forward, clearing his path with a spray of fiery ammunition.

“Now,” he told her, as he ran straight up the wall, “time to find the other keys. Hang on.”

Edited January 24, 2016 by Allamorph

[Rachmaninoff]

"You've got to be kidding me." Alex muttered under his breath as he watched Adrian take care of the undead dragon in less than a minute. But Nall just laughed at him as he took off and changed into his full form.

"Perhaps you should have spent more time honing your own skills instead of playing video games or watching those silly shows the humans make." He teased Alex.

"Don't be absurd Nall," Alex replied as he dispatched a wraith that got past Nall's flames. "No one ever said anything about needing to know how to fight."

"True, and for most Shinigami it is instinctive, and for others..." Nall just favored both Adrian and Nathan with a side glance before giving the fight his full attention. "Lets just say that they have their reasons."

Alex glared a bit at Nall, "I hate it when you do that, dance around the fact that you know far more than you're willing to let on to." He paused for a moment to dispatch yet another wave of wraiths that attempted to take out him and Nall.

"What the hell is going on here? These things are spawning so quickly! At this rate we'll never get rid of them!"

For every one that Alex dispatched, two more appeared, if not for Nall taking out waves of them at a time, they would have already been overrun, even with Adrian's unnatural speed with which he was dealing with the undead dragon each time it reappeared. His next slash brought him back to back with the tiny Aeru and her familiar who had joined in the fight.

"What are you doing? You're suppose to be watching the little vampire girl!" Alex cried.

"Nathan is taking care of her!" Aeru replied as she took to the air and with a graceful back flip and took out a set of wraiths dropping from the ceiling and then turned at Joe's sharp warning to clobber another one that was coming up from the floor just behind her.

Alex spared a quick glance in Nathan's direction to see him actively keeping more of the creatures away from the little vampire girl and Astera who was clinging to her shoulder. Quickly he turned his attention back to the monsters before them and to what Lucia, Ruby and the others were up to.

"Lucia!" Alex cried out. "What's going on?"

"Some outside source is feeding them. There has to be some way to severe that connection." She called back even as she sent a wave of flames from the palm of her hand, turning the wraiths coming towards her to ashes.

"I'm searching for it right now!" Lucia finished as she looked at her crystal communicator, checking the readout.

Alex wanted to tell her to hurry, but instead started working his way towards her location, thinking it was best to keep the creatures away from her while she searched for whatever it was that was feeding the creatures unnatural spawning rate. What kind of punishment zone is this? No human could ever hope to survive more than but a moment in a place like this. Or vampire for that matter.

Edited January 24, 2016 by Allamorph

[Allamorph]

"Two."

Nathan spun tightly out of his short glide, pulling his feet under him as he sped sideways along the arena's wall, the stone where he had brushed Nevril's hand now glowing with red letters. He felt a mild twinge of guilt at using the little creature in such a distressing manner with no warning at all, but he could afford to apologize later. Right now they had to get out of this trap and cut off the snake's head. Once that was done, the rest of the situation would take care of itself.

He saw the cleverly-camouflaged stone pattern approaching below him and steered sharply towards it, dropping into another short glide so that Nevril's hand trailed just above the wall.

"Three."

A tiny squawk made him glance back for a split second. Adrian's little Astera was charging after him with a ferocious glint in her eye.

"Nathan!" she screeched shrilly. "Watch what you're doing!"

Nathan grinned. She must have been clinging on to Nevril's shoulder without his noticing, and that last spinning pass had probably knocked her off. He looked forward again, firing at the Wraiths pulling free of the wall, keeping his path clear.

"Well," he called back to her, "that's what you get for chasing gingerbread men." He laughed with excitement. "Catch me if you can!"

He rolled forward, twisting to the reverse as his feet touched down, and as Nevril began to scream, he kicked off the wall, rocketing towards the center of the ceiling. The stone beneath his feet cracked at the impact.

–Interesting.

More Wraiths were closing in on him; he threw himself into a tight corkscrew, spraying bullets of blue fire in all directions as he flew towards key number four.

-------------------

OOC: Just a quick progress post, and a chance to terrify Nevril a little more.

 

Edited January 24, 2016 by Allamorph