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Summary: The Girls Finally make their escape from Dracula's Tower.
Date: May 19, 2012
Log Title: Escape From Dracula's Tower
Rating: R
This scene runs simultaneously with The Rescue From Dracula's Tower
Romania - Tower - Top Floor
Grandeur is one word that can be used to describe the rectangular room. A large crystal and gold chandelier hangs from the middle of the high ceiling with long white tapered candles that always stay lit without ever needing to be replaced. Four smaller chandeliers hang from each corner to provide more light and accent the larger one. The high ceiling is nothing shy of magnificent, with gilded molding to accent to the white designs and intricate patterns that almost give it layers.
The walls are all white with golden trip and design which accents the ceiling. A large mirror with a grandiose gilded frame sits above a magnificent marble fireplace that is always lit with a comforting fire, which provides the perfect amount of warmth. Two large couches sit around a marble toped tabled and a few chairs sit on the sides of the couches to be pulled up around the table. On the mantle of the fireplace is a clock that doesn't seem to work, a few small statues and candelabras.
Across from the large fireplace are two large glass doors that lead out to a balcony which hangs over a large water fall. Looking down it's easy to tell the tower is high up in the air and there is at least five hundred feet between the balcony and bottom of the waterfall. The red moon can be seen in the night sky shining down on the tower as it seems to be perpetually night.
Along one side wall two mirrors hang with gilded frames and in front of each is table a with lit candelabra in the center to help provide the brightness in the room. In between the mirrors is large painting of an old fashioned, pale looking male with dark hair and a pale face that hangs over an elegant lit fireplace. On the opposite wall it is covered will books from floor to ceiling along with a small rolling ladder attached to the shelves to reach the harder to find books. It seems like almost any book you wish to read is there.
Two large doors sit on each side of the large fireplace with mirrors set into their doors. One door leads to the hallway where the bed chambers are and the other to the bathroom. The bathroom has a large circular tub built into the floor with many taps around it that provide bubbles, scents and water in the perfect temperature. Golden lamps hang from the walls and there are fluffy towels off to the sides.
Geoffrey hasn't been seen in almost a week which might explain the delay in escape, and also in the delay of Evelyn return from her new living quarters. So it might be a sort of surprise when Evelyn returns, escorted by Igor who was down their earlier to escort her back upstairs. As soon as they're upstairs the disfigured man starts heading down the hallway. "Misthretheth Rathmi and Jill, I hath a letter for you." He calls out almost urgently.
Rashmi blinks, looking up from her papers. Frowning in puzzlement, she sets them aside, getting up quickly from her chair and hurrying towards Igor. "…What is it, Igor? Something wrong?"
Sophie looks up as well; or rather, tilts her head towards the sound. Her finger pauses in place in the braille book she is reading, and she perks her eyebrows upwards, quietly waiting to find out what is going on.
Kalindi closes her own book, tilting her head slightly when she hears Igor's voice. She too stays silent, but uncrosses her legs and looks towards Rashmi for a few moments with a bit of a curious expression.
Dashenka hasn't heard the sound of Igor in quite a while, so when the sound of his urgent voice reaches her room, Dashenka pokes her head out. Seeing that a lot of the other girls are beginning to gather, she comes out of her room to join them.
Jill rises from a crouch near Sophie's chair, eyebrows knit in confusion and concern. "A letter? For us?" They've never received letters before. Her fingertips trail away from the blind girl's shoulder as she totters after Rashmi.
If it weren't for the limited number of people it could be following along those assembled might not even recognise Evelyn. Her time spent away has evidently not been filled with delights judging by the shocking amount of weight she's lost and her ragged clothing which seems to have been bulked out with strips of assorted cloth. "Ahhh so warm," she murmurs as her eyes flick wildly around the room. "Warm and quiet. No screaming hehe…" She tails off with quiet giggles.
The letter is handed to Jill and Rashmi and it's written in the scrawl of someone wrote the letter left handed when they're obviously not. "I can't get up there to get you all out." The letter reads. "My father is quite angry with what I have done and made it so I can't get up there. I have gotten Igor to help and he will give you what you need to escape. Igor, give them what you use to teleport up and down, why are you writing that part? Nevermind, tell them, be careful and get out as quickly as possible. Geoffrey. End letter." Once the letter is read he hands them a metal disc with runes inscribed all of over it. "I will thow you the corror of the room you need to thand and just think down and you thall go down. If you are all holding handth it will teleport you all."
Rashmi blinks sharply, worry snapping instantly to her game face. "…All right. Give me one second…" And with that, she hurries over to her stack of papers, separating them into three smaller stacks. "Here… The map of the tower Geoffrey gave me, and as much as he could tell me about the guards. Jill, Kalindi and I will have one. If we get separated, I want Kalindi to watch Sophie, Dashenka look out for Evelyn, and Jill and I will stick together. Now c'mon, everybody…" Drawing herself up, she takes in a deep breath, the corner of her mouth crooking upward. "…We're going home."
Sophie's brow furrows, and she gently closes the book. The volume, a copy of 'Le Fantme de l'Opra', is set aside, before the blind girl flicks her wrist and snaps her cane out to full length in front of her. She sweeps the floor around her as she stands, and brushes her hair back out of her face. "But… we have not gotten our powers back," she murmurs. "If we run into trouble, how are we to defend ourselves? …If only this had happened while I could still see, I…" She swallows noisily, and clasps both hands around her cane. "I don't know what to do," she whispers.
Kalindi seems rather surprised by the speech from Rashmi and then nods. She holds onto the book for the time being and then nods, "This sounds like a plan. I am glad to be heading to home, let me know anything that I might do to help. I will keep my eyes on everything." She looks towards Sophie and then notes, "Sophie, will you hold my hand? I think it will be easier this way, yes? I will protect you if there is trouble. Do not worry. Rashmi is a very smart person."
"Is good," Dashenka breathes with relief. "Only so much reading I can stand. Must change first…" she says, and then quickly disappears back to her room. It takes her a few minutes for her to change out of some comfortable looking pajamas, and into an equally looking comfortable looking pair of oversized overalls that she had Igor get her during one of his clothing shopping runs. Before she emerges from her room, however, there's a theraputic scream of rage, and a loud crash. When she does emerge she's got one of the bedposts resting on her shoulder like an oversized, gilded club that was clearly broken off from her bed. "Am good now."
The blonde vampire is taken aback by the suddenness of the escape plan, and judging by Igor's demeanor, its urgency. Jill briefly fumbles with the sheaf of papers thrust at her, but rolls them into a tight bundle for safekeeping. She looks pale, paler than usual, licking her lips nervously. She moves in a hurry, a literal blur back toward the bedchambers and back, returning with a coffee-brown leather case in a distinctive violin shape and a leather belt with pyramidal studs in a punk fashion. Fastening the belt through the violin case's handle, she wears it like a bandolier. "This is it," she murmurs with a look of troubled anticipation, flipping over one of the beautifully woodworked chairs and dashing it against the floor. The remains of the legs and spars are about forearm-length, and she chooses those with sharper points. Holding them out for whoever wants one, she clarifies with some trepidation, "Stakes."
Evelyn drifts towards the fireplace and hunches down, so intent on the fire she misses entirely Jill's display of celerity. "Does it really matter if we can't defend ourselves?" she muses. "Anything is better than becoming a vampire bride if Dracula's ex's are anything to go by. Can I change into something a little… cleaner before we go? Or else the werewolves will smell us coming from a mile away. Food would be nice too, besides it's traditional for the condemned to have a last meal."
"No time to eat, Evelyn… We'll have whatever you want back at the mansion, I promise." Looking around at the assembled girls, she gently takes one of the stakes. "This is what we do, Sophie; we run. We avoid fights whenever possible, and when it's not, we try to just give ourselves some room. And if we *do* get our powers back… Let 'em have it, hard enough to clear a path. Now… the wolves aren't going to be a problem. The Gargoyles, probably. The dragon… not so much, if we can get a bright enough light. Leave the thugs to Dashenka and I. Evelyn… Once you've changed, wrap those clothes around one of Jill's stakes. The ghosts don't like fire. Okay?"
"If we can get our powers back… I think perhaps, I can create light. I was trying to before we were taken." Sophie reaches out into the air with her left hand, extended in the direction where she heard Kalindi's voice. "Thank you, Kalindi… please, I will stay close with you, si?" S he pauses, and bobs her head in Jill's general direction. "Give me on, please," she adds. "I would rather fight to defend myself, than simply die. And… Evelyn? Please, do not think this way. We will live. Si? All of us will escape."
Kalindi takes Sophie's hand without much thought to it, giving a soft squeeze in an attempt to be comforting. She nods towards Rashmi and Jill, taking a stake and slipping it through her belt, and offering another to Sophie. "Here you are, I will let you know if you will be needing to use it. Keep it close." She says to Rashmi, "I will remember this, and I will try to find the thing that is neutralizing our powers. I have been working on this."
"New clothes will not throw off scent to wolves," says Dashenka, not unkindly. "At least, it would not for bear. And wolves have better smell than bear, da?" Now that things are starting to happen, she's no longer sulking, but she does give Jill a worried look.
Stakes distributed until she's empty-handed, Jill balls her fists at her sides so tightly her knuckles pop. Though her nervous tension and fear are plain, she's not breathing hard. She's not breathing at all. With a cat-like gleam from the firelight, red eyes stare at nothing in particular. Her expression is remarkably like someone trying not to vomit.
Evelyn glances back and hisses. "I've been living off rotten scraps for…" she blinks. "Since… the meal.. whenever that was? I need to eat /something/ or I'll struggle to walk let alone run. Oh and it's not neutralizing our powers entirely, I got my tail back." She bursts into another bout of wild giggling and then drifts into her old room in search of something cleaner to wear and hopefully for the little plate of nibbles which refills itself. After a while she returns in a moderately formal dress, with big slashes down the sides to let her run. "I know all about animal senses of smell, but to be honest I'd have made up just about any lie if it meant clean clothing." Although for all that she's changed most of her clothes her feet are still wrapped up in rags.
Igor looks at the girls. "I mutht thay here while you go down. I only have the one devithe and you all need to go. I will be thaff here." He says with a bow. "I have alwayth liked Mather Geoffrey better." He says as almost to explain why he's listening to Geoffrey over Dracula at the moment.
Romania - Tower - Seventh Floor
The unnatural cold in the room penetrates to the core and your breath is visible as you exhale. There's a light frost over almost everything in the room. Three beds, each with a portrait of a beautiful woman above it, sit in the room. The sheets and pillows are in a tattered disarray and it doesn't look like anyone has slept in the beds, let alone live in the room. Frames of empty mirrors hang on the wall and the shattered glass covers the floor, your feat crunching the glass as one walks. The moon shines through a few glass windows to serve as the only light in the tattered bedchamber. The moans, cries, screams and wails of women can be heard ever so faintly on the wind. Through another wooden door a set of stone steps leads the way up.
The dark room has an unnatural chill about it and as soon as the door creaks open there's the high pitched scream of a woman which is quickly joined in by two more voices which are equally ear piercing and unnatural sounding as the first. Rashmi would recognize the three ghostly women as the ones who kidnapped her all those months ago. "You shall not steal our husband!" They shriek angerly.
"Go go GO!" Rashmi cries to the others, pulling on Jill's hand and moving back herself, attempting to reverse the order of the line. "We're *not* stealing your husband! We're leaving, just us! You can *have* your husband!"
The blind girl hugs close to Kalindi, frantically waving her cane across the ground in front of her. "Talk to me, Kalindi," she urges, "Please, tell me what is in front so I do not trip over it!" The stake Jill provided is tucked into a silk belt of courts incorporated into her dress, where it worries the fabric. Sophie rushes along at whatever pace the hindi girl sets, though the way she breathes quickly and the sweat forming on her brow give away quiet plainly how stressful this notion is. "I don't want your husband!" she calls out, urging a measure of steel into her voice, "You can keep him!"
Kalindi tugs on Sophie's hand and says, calmly describing the scene for the blind girl, "Well, there are some wights, but we are avoiding them. If you walk with me, there is nothing in the way, just walk quickly. Oh, and here, one moment, raise your foot, yes?" She speaks as clearly as she can with her accent and says to the wights, "You may be assured, the only people we are stealing is ourselves. I cannot lie."
Dashenka doesn't have to be told twice. She hustles forward as fast as she can, considering the speed of the other girls, all the while gripping her makeshift club. Her face is a mask of grim determination, looking like she's ready to swing at anything that may pop out and attack them.
Despite the dimness, Jill can see just fine, though this is to her detriment. She balks, even as Rashmi grabs her hand, simply staring first at the room then at the three women. As the escapees begin to cross the room, Jill's upper lip draws back to expose fangs, an actual warning *hiss* escaping her in the face of the three brides. Putting herself as much between them and the others, Jill guides Rashmi like a dance partner and makes room for Evelyn to pass behind her, turning slowly to never put her back to the other vampires. Her hand is squeezing tightly, painfully. "Keep going!" she urges.
Evelyn adopts a malicious smile, keeping one of the two burning torches she made up from her hold dress between herself and the ghosts and trying to hold the other against anything which might burn as she crosses the room. Taking special care not to step on any of the bigger shards of glass. "Did you miss me ladies? I'm just tidying up after myself, so don't mind me. Gosh this place really does look even more /dire/ with a little light, perhaps if you were a little more houseproud you wouldn't have been /divorced/. Anyway must dash, enjoy your eternal damnation."
As the girls start to rush across the room, the wights fly towards them with howls of anger. One of them flies at Kalindi and Sophie, making to swipe at Sophie's chest. If hit there will be no physical injury but the feeling of her life force being slowly drained will be felt. The second undead wife goes for Dahskena, going to rake at her with the same draining claws that attempt to hit Sophie. The third ex-wife reacts to Jill's hiss and hisses back at her. "You're the one whose replacing me!" She yells in horror as flies in to try to claw Jill's face but with the lack of life force, there isn't much done to her at the moment.
"There is NO TIME FOR THIS!" Taking Evelyn by one shoulder, attempting to push the rest of the girls down the hall, the redhead clearly wants to get the escape well underway. "Go go go! Run! We are *leaving!* GO!!"
Sophie can't see the wights coming; and in spite of a last-minute tug from Kalindi, the blind girl finds herself touched by the former bride's outstretched hand. The blind girl's complexion turns quite white, and she gasps aloud; Kalindi would feel the blond girl's hand tighten in shock around her fingers. "Stop it," she gasps, as she stumbles, and but or Kalindi's support, nearly falls to her knees. "Stop— In the name of God!" she breathes, forcing herself back up to her feet. "Begone from this place!" She abruptly snaps her cane down into itself and pulls the stake Jill provided from the silk belt incorporated into her dress; she holds the two up together, perpendicular to each other, in the shape of a rough cross. "You have no power over me!" she asserts, even as her knees tremble. "Flee!"
Kalindi glances back at Sophie and pulls again after Sophie uses her cross and says, "We are moving away fast now, I will tell you if you need to jump, I am sorry that it touched you, but we have to go. I know it is pain, but you will be home soon." As she speaks, she moves Sophie as quickly as possible towards the exit of the room without much regard to herself, just regard for making sure on everyone getting through.
Dashenka swings her makeshift club at the wight in such a way that would make a professional baseball player proud. However good her form and power is, however, it passes right through the ex-wife of Dracula and ends up spinning the girl around in a clumsy pirouette. When the wight's claws rake her, she shudders in shock, and nearly goes to one knee, but she never stops moving. Stumbling forward a few more steps once she gets herself turned around in the right direction she roars, "We do not have time for this!" and with that she rushes forward and hauls Sophie off her feet and over her shoulder so she can sprint to the door. "BEGI, BEGI!"
Jill's free hand touches her cheek where the bride's claws should have struck, but there's no blood, no damage. Not even any pain. "Get lost!" she barks and flails an arm in a backhand as if to strike one, but doesn't connect. The blonde pushes on, taking the rearguard position.
Evelyn flings one of the torches into the pile of rags she used as her bed, then scratches at Rashmi's fingers with her nails. "LET GO," she howls bucking, squirming and hissing until she gets loose. If released she'll make her way across as quickly as she can, waving the remaining torch to ward off wights. Of course if Rashmi really wants to keep hold she'll find Evelyn isn't quite strong enough to break free (thanks to weeks of starvation) but then of course she'll be somewhat harder to move quickly.
The makeshift cross from Sophie does nothing to repel the wight, the power of Christ does not compel her but the fire from the sudden pile of rags ablaze the three ghostly wives of Dracula all scream out a wail of fear. "Nooooooo! Stooooop the fire! Put it out! Put it out!" They scream as they fly up to the ceiling away from the flames, allowing the girls to successfully leave the room without further injury.
"Oh thank God," Rashmi breathes, hurriedly taking her hand off Evelyn. "Thank you, Evelyn… now can we go after Dashenka, please? We still have quite a few floors left to run through…" Urging the rest of the girls on, Rashmi makes for the stairs, leaving the spirits to panic over the fire.
Well. God will provide. If not direct intervention, then a fire will suffice, it seems. Meanwhile, Sophie finds herself whisked off her feet; she shrieks, and nearly drops both cane and stake in the process, though thankfully she finds enough presence of mind to keep ahold of both. She flails desperately, and thumps her feet against Dash's chest a couple of times, until she hears the Russian woman's voice, and she settles down. "Sorry, Dashenka," she breathes, even while getting bounced about on her companion's shoulder. "Didn't realize that was you."
Kalindi nods at Rashmi and runs after the others to get down to the next floor, keeping by Dashenka and Sophie in order to keep with her walking buddy. She ignores the wights and now holds the book closer to her chest to allow for faster movement, grimacing, and commenting more to herself than anyone, "This seems a very cruel fate for ex wives…" To Dashenka, "I can help her forward if you would like to lighten what you are carrying."
"I am good," huffs the large Russian girl as she makes her way down the next flight of stairs. "We will be faster this way. Not to be meaning offence to you, Sohpie," she says apologetically.
When everyone is past the threshold, Jill puts her shoulder against the door to slam it closed behind them, shutting the wights in with their burning bed linens. "They weren't so tough," Jill breathes out, taking her hand away from her face. "Didn't even hurt." After only a brief moment of holding the door to make sure nothing will follow them, she starts down the stairs after the others. "One down, how many to go?"
Evelyn stops yelling immediately when the wights show fear and even speeds up a little, although she seems to be struggling to manage a full sprint. "Sweet music to my ears," she murmurs, pausing in the doorway and shivering. "Rashmi, take this off me please…" she pleads holding the only remaining torch out with shaking hands. "I don't think I can trust myself not to… well… try burn Dracula's house down."
Romania - Tower - Sixth Floor
Once the force field is passed through the room has a unnatural chill about it, a chill that seems sink beyond the bones and into the soul, your breath is exhaled out in visible puffs of air. Sporadically along the cylindrical walls in iron sconces are blue flames, which are cold to the touch, that seem to bring an eerie light to the room. In alcoves along the wall five open coffins rest. Lying inside each coffin is a skeleton in full armour with a shield and sword resting on top of them. The faint, but constant, sound of a multiple heartbeats can be heard, and felt, pulsating in the room. A wooden door set in the wall opens to reveal a staircase up to the next floor of the tower.
When the six girls walk through to the next room it's quiet except for the pulsing of multiple heartbeats. A sense of recognition might course through Kalindi as those skeletons lying in the coffins are the ones she fought so long ago. By each coffin in a small alcolve in the wall is a bottle with something glowing blue inside of it, the light pulsing in time with the thrums. On the other side of the room isn't a door but a sort of force field blocking the way.
"*Damn* it," Rashmi breathes, skidding to a halt at the sight of the forcefield. Frowning deeply, she flips through her notes, trying to figure out if its secret was divulged, and if so where she wrote it down. "…Um. Dashenka? I think this is gonna be your show… These are those skeleton knights, and um… Well, they're pretty good at putting themselves back together. Now *where* was that stupid page…?"
"It is quite alright," Sophie breathes, as she continues to be carried about like a sack of potatoes. "Necessity is a greater worry than dignity. Only…" She pauses, and ahems softly. "I like you, but please, put me down now, si?" The blind girl stretches out her feet, preparing to find the floor. "It sounds like you will be needing both hands in any case."
Dashenka comes to a stop and gently puts Sophie down. She takes a few moments to catch her breath as she looks about the room. Clutching her makeshift club she lifts it again, getting ready to swing it at the skeletons should they decide to animate and come after her. Only… she tilts her head curiously. "What is noise?"
Kalindi raises her eyebrows at seeing the skeleton knights, "I will like to have their sword and shield. I am /very/ handy with a sword and shield. The bottles there, those I think are their phylacteries. If we destroy them, we may destroy the knights, yes? Then we may work on force field." Kalindi moves fast forward to do precisely that, before the skeletons get too active, to test her theory.
"Crap," Jill groans while keeping her voice quiet for fear of waking the dead, shoulders tense as she presses herself against the wall to be as far away from the coffins as possible. "Anybody play Dungeons and Dragons? What works on skeletons?" She shoots a disbelieving look at Kalindi. "Smash the glowy things? Is that really a good idea?"
Evelyn giggles. "What's the worst that could happen? We'll get kidnapped by an unholy terror who wants to kill us all?" she asks, leaning back where her lack of combat experience won't put anyone else at risk.
Their voices cause the skeletons to stir and slowly they start to rise out of the grave, the cracking of bone loud as they animate from their rest. When Kalindi dashes forward and smashes the phylacterey of one there's an airy yet horse scream from the bottle as one of the skeletons crumbles and then disintegrates to dust, armour and weapons staying behind. The other four though are climbing out of their coffins in preparation to attack.
"…Yes," Rashmi says faintly, watching Kalindi take out one of the knights with seemingly little trouble. "…Yes, in fact I do think that's a good idea."
Sophie sighs in relief as her feet find the floro once again, and she pulls her cane out to full length once more. She sweeps the end around her feet, and holds the stake firmly in her left hand, for all the good it doesn't seem likely to do. "I'll stay here," she suggests, if a bit uncertainly. "But… get me a sword also, if you can? I have been learning to fence." SHe holdsthe cane up in the air in front of her, and flicks it about, trying to keep herself aware enough to hopefully know if anything boney tries to jump her.
Kalindi grins as one of the skeletons disintegrates, deftly picking up a sword and shield, as if she is quite in her element now, quickly slashing with her sword to try and destroy one more of the phylacteries, and, should a knight attack her, she tries to use her shield to redirect its blow into another bottle, using the skills she picked up from being one of the Taskmaster's favorite pupils. "I think this round is a little more fair, yes, skeletons?"
Dashenka seeing that what Kalindi did actually worked, Dashenka lets out a mighty battle cry, "Yesh'te stolbik krovati, lokhi skelet!" and rushes to another one of the phylacteries hoping to get there and smash it before they manage to actually get out of their coffins.
"Point taken! Smashing's good!" The blonde vampire slips sinuously away from the wall, skirting around the edge of the room at high speed to keep from getting between any of the weapon wielders and their targets. Her feet hardly touch the floor, in fact they don't at all. She tosses the first bottle in a slow lob so she's able to catch it again by the time she reaches the second, throwing both down to the floor as hard as she can.
Evelyn hangs back, still clutching the torch which she has unwisely been left in charge of. "I really do think Dracula would have been better served kidnapping some interior decorators…"
The Skeletons barely have time to form up once they're out of the coffins when all four of the bottles are destroyed, each with a scream, and the Death Knight crumbles to dust leaving behind only weapons. The force field is easy enough to pass through, but trying to get through it from the other side is impossible. Gathering what weapons they can the girls head down to the next floor.
Romania - Tower - Fifth Floor
At the top of the ladder leading from the fifth floor to the sixth floor, a shimmering sort of force field stands between the two floors which is easy enough to pass through. Once through the force filed the heat in the room is almost unbearable. The cylindrical room is about twenty feet in height and there is a large part of the wall that is missing, replaced with the same force field over the entrance. In the middle of the floor a large black dragon lays sleeping amidst a pile of treasure. Gold, jewels, silver, swords, armour, paintings, expensive looking clothing and other riches make up the dragons bed. Puffs of smoke exit the nostrils of the sleeping giant as he sleeps. On the walls are all sorts of runes and sigils pulsating with a faint red glow. On the opposite wall from the where one enters is another tall ladder that leads to a force field that is just as easy to pass through.
Kalindi gets a sword to bring it to Sophie, putting her hand on Sophie's to help her grasp it before saying, "I will point you in the right direction." She runs down the stairs to the next floor down. Upon spotting the dragon, she grimaces before looking towards the runes that are about. She whispers, "The runes, they are a kind of barrier. I am not understanding it exactly… Let me think…" She opens her book, flicking through pages to try and gain more information. She does it as quietly as possible.
"Here Evelyn," Rashmi says gently as they make their way out. "How about you give me the fire, like you said… And you take this shield?" Passing the shield over, she pauses, eyes skipping over the treasure, paintings, and whatnot, and seems to wilt a bit. "Dammit dammit dammit dammit… Okay. Okay. Bright light, and belly. Those are his weaknesses…"
Sophie pages, "Kalindi told me she was trying to break down whatever it was preventing us from using our powers and such. Has she been having any success? if Sophie tried using her abilities, would anything work, or would it still be about as effective as a screen door on a submarine? :3" to you.
Sophie accepts the sword from Kalindi, and grasps it in her right hand after shifting her cane to her left. "Si," she replies, in answer to the hindi girl's instructions. "Thank you, Kalindi." She snaps her can into itslef and tucks it down her sleeve, so she may hang on to Kalindi's arm as the organized act of fleeing continues; meanwhile she uses the sword as another cane, sweeping the point across the ground in front of her; at least until they enter the room with the dragon. "…Light? Belly?" She pauses, and coughs softly. "Someone, please tell me what we are facing?"
Dashenka's knuckles go white as the grip around her club tightens at the sight of the dragon. "Yebla drakona," she mutters under her breath. Then, at Sophie's question, she translates. "A fucking dragon. This is the one that killed my GTO."
"So…" the group's vampire begins hesitantly and in a quiet voice. "I'm guessing we don't have any bright lights. You think a torch will do it? Or are dragons not afraid of fire?" Jill edges closer to Kalindi to peer at the book, wincing at the slight sound every footstep makes. "Can we skip this one?"
Evelyn hands Rashmi the torch without thinking. "Maybe you could reflect light from the shields and bang things against them, like in that movie with the dragons…. Or break some runes and let it out, bet that'd distract everything else from our escape attempt." The ideas seem to cost Evelyn more than they should and she sighs, then crouches down mumbling to herself in a jumbled nonsense mix of languages.
The dragon starts to stir and opens one eye looking at the group before closing it again. There's the few seconds that one might thing they're safe and being ignored but within moments the dragon opens her eye again and there's a roar of annoyance that spills out of the mouth as she raises his head up high. There isn't much room to fly so she starts to stand up on her feet so she can turn towards the girls.
"Oh… *shit,*" Rashmi mutters, eyes widening as the dragon turns to face them. "…I think we might not be able to skip it… But let's try. Go. Gogogogo!" Chivvying the girls behind as the dragon turns, she tries very hard to keep everyone behind the dragon's tail and out of eyesight.'
When the dragon looks up, Kalindi puts the book back down and readies her weapon and shield just in case, glancing about at the wards and up towards the dragon before looking at Rashmi and saying, "Ah, dragons I do not know much about…" She guides Sophie's hand to her own shoulder and says, "/Run/, grasp my shoulder, /run/," before she follows her own advice.
Sophie gasps loudly, though her panic levels off as Kalindi takes her hand. She grabs the other girl's upper arm and clings tightly, while holding on just as desperately to the sword in her right hand. "OPkay!" she squeaks, as she runs, as fast as she dares; she certainly will not be winning any sprinting medals, but her feet fly across the ground nonetheless. She gives up all pretense of using the sword as a cane and simply holds it out to her side so as not to trip on it, as she trusts Kalindi entirely to steer her clear of any obstacles.
Dashenka grabs Evelyn by the shirt and drags her along while the large Russian runs full tilt towards the other side, cursing all the while in her native language.
"Go *where*?!" Jill blurts. Clutching the violin case protectively to her chest, she just puts her head down and blindly follows the others, running at an appreciable but only human speed.
It's quickly realized that there is now easy way out. It seems like the force fields are there to keep something -in-, this dragon, and the girls are now stuck inside with the dragon. Though luck is on their side, there's a pulse throughout the castle and all the girls will feel a slight tingling sensation as their powers return to them. Evelyn instantly turns into a Margay and huddles in the corner. The dragon though, the influx of powers hasn't seemed to do anything to affect it, it's still angry and the dragon lifts a clawed foot up and brings it swiping down on Rashmi.
Rashmi shrieks, diving to one side and rolling away from the descending talon. As she comes to a halt, she pauses, blinking in confusion, then looks above her… at the half-dozen faintly glowing blue spheres, orbiting lazily over her position. "…O… kay then! We have our powers back, it looks like." Hauling herself to her feet, she scoops Evelyn up, glaring up at the tremendous dragon. "Sophie! We need *light!*"
Sophie grinds to a halt, upon feeling the tingling sensation. She drops the sword, which clatters to the stone floor with a noisy clang, as the blind girl releases Kalindi's arm. She drops to one knee, and clutches one hand over her chest, right where a diffuse light from a source beneath her skin shines once more. "My Dios," she gasps, and her face contorts in pain for a few brief, agonizing seconds; but then it passes, "…Gracias," she gasps. "Then, shield your eyes," she declares, as she pats for her sword, and grasps it once more as she rises. "For, as God said on the first day;" and as she speaks, her skin takes on a soft, warming glow, "LET THERE BE LIGHT!" She raises both hands, and her entire body is lost to view as she erupts into luminescence, casting brilliance to match the light of full noon in all directions.
Powers restored, Kalindi grins wickedly, her eyes flashing black, shining with such pure darkness that they pull the light out of the air around them. "This is what we call good timing, yes?" The young woman touches the gold and the treasure horde just becomes a series of spikes, spearing up towards the dragon's underbelly to try and spear it while the light distracts it. "You will /not/ do any of us harm!" While most of the gold does that, the gold she is touching snakes around her body and forms a form fitting armour, including spiky shoulderguards, cape, and a helmet that covers all but her eyes. A thin layer also extends to coat her weapon and shield.
Dashenka is too busy shifting into seven and a half feet of pure arctic fury to shield her eyes. It's now apparent why the girl decided to leave with nothing but a t-shirt and a pair of oversized overalls, so she won't be naked when she finally is able to shift. She's about to rush in and see if she can take a swipe out of the dragon when Kali does her thing, causing her to stop short lest she get impaled herself.
"Whoa!" Jill skids to a halt so fast she stumbles and falls to one knee, shading her eyes from the starburst of light. A pained groan escapes her lips and she turns away from Sophie even though her forearm is pressed tightly to her brow.
The light causes the dragon to recoil and the golden spikes of Kalindi's strike true to the dragon's underbelly. Blood spills from the wounds as the dragon lets out a might roar and falls over.
Shortly after there's a flash of blue as Connor, Hosea and Franky teleport into the room in time to see the dragon fall over dead. As soon as it falls over there's a loud crack of thunder followed by a bright flash of lightening. The dragon fades into dust but the force fields remain up, trapping those inside the room, inside.
From somewhere unknown Toccata and Fugue in d minor seems to start playing as a mist rolls into the room. In the center rises up a black mist which quickly forms into none other than Count Dracula. "You have bested my knights, killed my dragon, freed my son from his punishment and tested my patience. I will no longer tolerate this." At rapid speed he runs towards Dashkena to swipe at her the sharp talons that are his finger nails.
"TRAVIS! Connor! …..*Franky?!*" Torn between delight, relief, and pure bemusement, Rashmi pelts toward the new group as the draghon falls. When the Toccata kicks in though, she skids to a halt, unable to suppress a terrified squeak as the mist begins to roll in. Drawing herself up, she turns to face Dracula, glancing around herself as the Lord of the Vampires lists off the group's crimes. "I *told* you you were making a mistake!" she cries, launching all six orbs in a likely vain to intercept Dracula. Some things are simply too fast to properly track.
Kalindi looks towards Count Dracula as he appears and scowls, "I come from a royal and powerful family as well, and if our families /were/ to merge we would be awesomely powerful." She draws the stake from her belt, and it seems to flow through the gold to form the tip of her blade, "But you /insult/ me and mine by taking me against my will, instead of extending an invitation, which I would have accepted, and /trapping/ me in your home away from those I love. Your hospitality is lacking. It is insulting." She dashes towards Dracula to attempt to drive the blade-stake at him, "You are not the only one whose patience has been /tried/!"
"Umm… hey." And watching the girls run in to go for a curbstomp with a vengeance, Connor turns and holds out both hands, and then brings them close together, beginning to spin up a portal. Something he hasn't done in a long time, "You… ahhh… lemme know when you're done." Once the energy begins to form in his hands, he holds it in one while he gets his phone from his pocket, and connects to the feed from the Blackbird. Getting an external camera view from the jet, he get into the second stage of exitting this whole thing, by adding with an almost relieved tone, "Robyn's baking cupcakes… we don't want to take too long curbstomping the Dark Lord."
The brilliance streaming off of Sophie dims upon the deathknell of the dragon, fading to a level where she still illuminates the room, but can be seen herself without it being painful to look at her. "Tried your patience? Your patience!?" Sophie shifts her grip on her purloined sword, tapping the ground with it, while raising her left hand and clenching her fist around a brilliant, angry white light. "You dangle before me that which I cannot have, while taking away that which I truely desire, and claim to be hospitable?" She thrusts her hand forwards, and with the sound of metal fingernails on a chalkboard lets fly with a howling neutron blast, aiming to catch Dracula on his way to Dashenka, based on what she can hear of everyone's positions; though like Rashmi, she's likely not near fast enough to catch that. "Come to me if you are wounded!" she calls to everyone else.
If anybody can take the brunt of a vampire attack, it would probably be Dashenka in her enraged Polar Bear form. They're not known for their speed, but their tough hide and dense muscle mass makes Polar Bears tough suckers. She isn't fast enough to get out of the way, but her hide is thick enough that the rents in her skin from Dracula's attack look worse than they actually are, red blood welling out in sharp contrast to her white fur. The Polar Bear girl roars in pain and anger and, seeing that everybody's converging on him, reaches out to grab the vampire by the arm to keep him put. Wouldn't want him doing anything silly like dodging all these attacks.
Franky steps through the portal and looks around, frowning that the dragon is already down. "Awww…" He then hears the music and sees the new arrival. Electricity crackles from the metal studs in his neck as he arms turn to a silvery liquid metal. "Get de girlz end get zem out of here, hy vill keep him buzy.." His fists and forearms enlarge till they're almost as big around as beer kegs, the silvery metal hardens into some kind of steel. Large crosses raise from the surface to run the full length and lettering appears across the front of his fists like those junky rings rapper wear, the right hand having 'Ave' and the left 'Maria'. He begins to advance. It's Franky Stein and Dracula… time for a Monster Mash.
"Connor?" Eyes still dancing with spots from Sophie's light-glare, Jill tries to blink them away. She rises shakily, a brown leather violin case dangling at her hip from a leather belt around her torso. "The hell are you doing here? Get out! Run! Take the others and go!" Despite the obvious return of everyone's powers, she has yet to go blue and see-through. She waves her arms in a vain attempt to garner more attention. "Don't fight! Just run!!"
The moment Hosea sees Sophie and the other girls, his heart lightens. They are alive. Kalindi's presence isn't something that he expected to see, but another matter for another day. The presence of Dracula brings him back to the task at hand. His torch is dropped to the ground. The spear is follows suit, clattering as the wood and steel hit the hard floor.
Fingers slide to his thigh, pulling one of his silver stakes gently from its storage. It twirls in his fingers for a moment, the light glinting across the silver as he narrows dark brown eyes. The Nigerian weapon watches as the vampire lord engages the others, eyes on the hips for movement habits. He knows that this is no ordinary combatant, but there are certain rules that apply to the movement of any humanoid figure. The charge against Dashenka, Rashmi's orbs flinging through the air at him on top of that. Three steps to the right, the stake still twirling in his hand. Kalindi's dash forward is read and Hosea still waits. Patience. He has been patient for nearly three months, and the moment to slay the beast has come. He most definitely doesn't want to get in the way of Franky. He gauges for just the perfect —
Now.
Hosea takes a step forward, cold and calculated, yet with the full force of his fury behind him, and teleports mid stab behind Dracula, stake headed straight for his cold heart, and then a twist.
Dracula uses his super speed to dodge the orbs from Rashmi but one catches him and throws him off a bit, then there's the neuron blast that he has to worry about which he just manages dodge but when Franky comes in, it's a full out brawl between the two, exchanges punches, kicks and other things and it seems like Franky is wearing the monster down. When Dashenka joins the fray she only assists in keeping Dracula still long enough for Kalindi with her wooden steak to strike true into the heart of of the Vampire. There's a cry from Dracula as he's stopped cold. "You..will all pay for…" But he doesn't have time to finish speaking as a second stake is into him from Hosea and the vampire falls to the ground in a seemingly dead state.
As Dracula 'dies' there's a surge of energy that seems to flood from him to Kalindi as she was the first one to stake him and all the secrets of the tower are now known to her, a long with the knowledge that she is the new owner of the tower and it will answer to her every command.
There is a long moment of silence, as Dracula slumps to the ground, Rashmi's eyes wide and frightened; despite all the power arrayed before Dracula, there was a small part of her that still thought they were simply going to stage a fighting retreat. Shaking her head, she approaches the combatants, Franky first. "Franky… *thank* you… Thank you for coming all this way…" The patchwork giant is given a tight, unself-conscious hug, and an on-tiptoe kiss on the cheek. Moving on to Connor, she favors her friend with a likewise tight hug, and finally manages a sigh of true relief. "*Thank you,*" she whispers, sniffling back the tears that threaten to fall. "Let's get everyone home, okay? Cupcakes sounds… *really* good right now."
Kalindi shudders softly at the flood of energy, and the armored girl takes a knee for a moment. She blinks a few times and her armor retracts, forming the shape of a backpack and she drops the weapons, looks up at the speared dragon, and then grabs the book. "Thank you, to all of you. Thank you very much, I am indebted…" She nods to Connor, Franky and then, after a moment's hesitation, Hosea. The glow from her eyes fade and she looks around the room with a kind of overwhelmed expression. "I think I would like a cupcake, if I can have one, yes? I will not stay, I will be wanting to visit my girlfriend. She must be worried."
The hug from Rashmi startles Connor from his concentration so that the energy ball needed to generate the portal to get everyone back to the Blackbird just falls kind of carelessly from his hand, "Oh…Yeah, you're wel-" And he's cut off as there's the sudden blast of energy as the mote of light spins out into a six foot wide disc of blue-green energy. And unfortunately, Rashmi falls right down through it with a surprised squeak. But he just stands on it fine… "Oops. Ride's ready." And does he ever look embarrassed about it, "Just… jump in. It's like a pool. Only with alternate reality visions of your life."
Hosea watches as Dracula falls at his feet, but doesn't dwell on the villain's death, he's just another body now. He has no interest in secrets of the tower; Kalindi might as well have them, for he would not have done anything with them. To her he gives an understanding nod, void of his previous spite toward her. "I think you should join us," he declares to her, intent on being the first to invite her to join them. He sees the look on Rashmi's face at the sight of Dracula's death, but while she may have been surprised, it was exactly the conclusion that the African warrior had desired and expected. He doesn't reveal the keystone, instead choosing to keep it to himself for the time until he can decide what should be done with it.
He then quickly goes to Sophie's side, large hands colder than normal, but familiar to be certain, from iron to down the moment he touches her. "Sophie, you are safe," he states, wrapping himself around her in a massive embrace. "I am sorry dat it took me so long to come for you, but I am overjoyed dat God has protected you." For someone such a tough weapon, it is now that warm tears begin to crawl down his face, dripping down onto Sophie's blond head.
A paw reaches up to her chest after Dracula goes down, gingerly touching the gashes in her skin. "Tsk," Dashenka says, "This will be hurting in a minute or two." Already the blood is beginning to clot, which slows down how much it's leaking, but unlike other ferals she isn't blessed with regenerative healing. She looks up just in time to see Rashmi disappear into the portal that is laying on the ground, and blinks. "That is way back to New York, da?" she asks Conner, and when it's confirmed she doesn't waste any time in jumping down after her. But not before she spits on the corpse of the master vampire.
Franky smiles wide as Dracula finally falls, anyone watching would already see any wounds Franky took are starting to heal. His arms return to normal and he looks around as friends are reunited. He blush at the hug and kiss from Rashmi and as she goes to Connor he looks around and hmmms. Walking to the dead Dragon he grabs a pair of the gold spikes kalindi formed to kill it and breaks them off from the rest of the reshaped metal, pulling them from the corpse and taking them with him. "Ooooo Cupcakes!" He jumps into the black disk and vanishes.
As Hosea comes close, Sophie's breath catches in her throat; the white light fades from her hand, as does the glow suffusing her skin; leaving her as she was before, with just a small beacon of light beneath her throat. She gasps as the tall Nigerian reaches her, and as his hands wrap around her she nigh throws herself against his chest. "Hosea!" she declares in palpable relief. She holds one hand to his shoulder, while the other wraps around his back, still clutching the sword as if she didn't realize she still has it. The blind girl tucks her head under Hosea's chin, and where Rashmi might be holding back emotion, Sophie fails to duplicate the feat. She weeps openly, tears streaking down her face as she trembles. She remains like this until the time comes to enter the portal, whereupon she shifts to cling to Hosea's arm. "If anyone is wounded," she murmurs, straightening her back and putting on a brave face, "Bring them to me… I… will heal them." And with that, the pair disappear into the
into the portal.
Knees wobbly, Jill sags but manages not to fall by catching a hand against the wall. She's silent as she looks to the body of the fallen lord of vampires, stunned and vaguely sad. Her ruby red eyes drift from him- from his staked corpse to her hands, turning them over slowly and inspecting them with the same troubled look of disquiet. Whatever she was looking for, she did not find in them. Her tongue moves gently across her teeth behind lips tightly closed. The girl's own tears might be easily mistaken for the relief and joy of reunion of the others but for the softly murmured lament from a throat choked with the bitter taste of hope denied. "… fuck," the vampire girl breathes and drops into the portal after the others.
Now that things have seemed to settled down, Geoffrey and Travis come to join the group. Travis goes over to Rashmi and holds her in a tight hug whispering "I love you." To her. "Time to get you home." He says releasing the hug but always keeping one of his six arms around her as if he's afraid that if he lets go, he'll lose her again.
Before the girls leave, Geoffrey approaches them to apologize and thank them for all his help. "I'll be able get away from this place and I'll be free from him till the next asshole decides to bring him back. For now, I'm just going to lay low for a bit. I just would like to give you all something for your troubles." He first approaches Rashmi and waves a hand to pull something out of think air. "I have all of my magic back." He says with a toothy grin. "This is a tonic." He says handing her a bottle. "It'll help grow your hair back, within a few months it'll be a long as my father made it. That's if you wish to use it." He then goes to Kalindi. "There's a library here with a bunch of spell books seeing that the tower is now yours, and Igor will answer to your command, I'm sure there is a lot you can learn here. c. Now Dashenka. The car lover."
He says as he pulls a lumpy envelop out of thin air. "Inside there are keys, the deed and address of where you'll find your replacement car, a '71 Cuda Hemi convertible." Turning to Sophie, Geoffrey ponders for a moment. "I wish I could give you your vision back but I can't do that, just limited spells like my father did. Insteadc" A metal box is pulled out of the air and handed to Sophie, it's quite heavy. "The box is made of lead because my father and I can't touch what's inside, but it's a powerful item. It's a crucifix that belonged to Pope Pius IX. May it protect you." He says to her before turning to Evelyn, whose still a Margay. "When she's more coherent, give her this." He pulls a box out of the air and hands it to one of the girls. "Inside is an old and antique camera, I thought she'd might like it."
Turning towards Jill, Geoffrey gives her an awkward hug. "I'm sorry, there's nothing I can give you to make up for what happened. When I think of a way to apologize properly, I'll find you. In the meantime, the violin is yours to keep." He turns to Connor and offers a hand shake. "See them home safe. I must be off." He says as he launches himself to the sky to get away from the place.
