Log: Rescuing the Count
The Adventure Continues!
Thu Jul 30 11:47:01 2009
It is a dark and stormy night...
A spectral wind stirs Taleyn's environs, lifting her long hair and fluttering it about her shoulders like a billowing cloak, while her warm brown eyes take on a corpselike icy grey hue.
Kincaid sits in a fire lit reading room. Settled in a comfy lounge chair with a book. A few candle lanterns dot the room and a large stuffed silver back gurilla has been posted in the corner for decoration.
The book is lonely, for Kincaid cannot read it!
It is also upside down but he does not seem to notice that either.
Taleyn BURSTS in to shatter the peace of the reading room. "KINCAID!!!! Trouble-- Only SHHHHH, don't let anyone know we know there's trouble! NO TIME TO EXPLAIN! Just quickly-- start knotting together the bed sheets!"
Kincaid jumps out of his chair! The book goes flying! "Ahh!" He blurts out with a brief look of panic. Grabbing at his heart when he realizes its Taleyn, "Oberon's Beard Taleyn! You scared the..." Shaking off the initial shock of her arrival, "Wait? Did you say .. Trouble?"
"Trouble," Beatrice confirms from the doorway. "Vladimir must be at his wit's end with this 'nephew' -- who was right, by the by, about the far end of this hallway. I am not sure *what* was quartered down there, but they tore it up but good."
Taleyn steps out of the way for Beatrice to enter, seemingly completely oblivious to having just scares the Unicorn-droppings out of Kincaid. "I think our best lead thus far is that mausoleum outside. We've got to slip out of here unnoticed and go investigate! Hence the bedsheets. Getting out the door will be impossible without alerting Gheorghe."
Beatrice lifts her brows, "Mausoleum? What's all this?"
Beatrice helpfully retrieves Kincaid's book for him while Taleyn explains. She doesn't return it to him, however, but reunites it with the side-table.
Taleyn explains, "We talked to the servants-- got the note that one girl was trying to pass me! It seems she's not really a servant but maybe one of the guests from the wrecked hall! Some of the note was burned, so we only saw most of what she was trying to tell us. Anyway, apparently Vlaad and Gheorghe went walking toward the old mausoleum in the garden, and the Count hasn't been seen since!" She bounces agitatedly. "We've got to help him. Scott is going to distract Gheorghe while we all investigate!"
Beatrice frowns a little, "Where is that servant now?"
Taleyn shrugs. "Kitchen, maybe?"
Kincaid frowns a touch, skeptical, "The Count was taken down or done something to by this Gheorghe?" Shaking his head a little, "His nephew seemed nice enough. Perhaps there is some sort of misunderstanding?" He suggests, "We've a;; seen how strange this place can be."
Beatrice is contemplating Taleyn somewhat thoughtfully. "Bedsheets," she repeats the word.
Scott stands with his arms crossed over his chest. "I think distracting the young lord would be moot at this point." He glances off to the side with a frown.
Taleyn nods to Beatrice as though it were the most coldly logical, well-thought-out plan ever conceived in Castle Chudders... which, might in fact be the case, knowing this place. She nods to Scott as well. "You're right. Let's stay together so we can do more damage."
Beatrice suggests, "I do have... rope." She might have been somewhat reluctant to mention, as Taleyn did seem wedded to this bedsheets idea, but sometimes the girl just needs her hopes crushed, alas. "And there's a rather large tree beyond the balcony of mine and the prince's room I... believe... is not bad for climbing up and down."
Taleyn slumps a bit, hearing of the rope. Alas, no bedsheets, YET AGAIN! Ah, well, there's always next time, and she brightens, ever-resilient! "Lovely!" she chirps, then looks around at the others. "Let's all make our way there, then-- and... if you hear any strange noises, be sure to scream-- I mean, er, alert the rest of us."
"Mmm," Beatrice says, leading the way across the hall to the bedroom shared by herself and Benedict. It is large, of course, and well-appointed. It might even be set aside for Benedict's personal, recurring use. The bed has not been slept in, or even rumpled.
Scott takes off his jacket and then rips the frills off his shirt. He flexes faintly. "Much better." He looks at each person in turn, smiles, then turns to follow Beatrice.
It is as the others are following her that the distant sound of footsteps can be heard on the stairs. It is undoubtably Gheorghe. This is made obvious because he's singing to himself in an eerily sibilant voice a song some may recognize as, "It's Nice to Have a Man Around the House."
Kincaid chuckles and rubs the back of his neck, "Alright. So we..." Glancing to the hallway. "Um...?" Flickering a look tween Beatrice and Taleyn for direction.
Taleyn grins approvingly at Scott's sensible adaptation of the clothing at hand! She, herself, looks to be growing attached to her outfit-- who knows, it might show up at the next Royal Court! But then--! The terrifying sound of Gheorghe's singing filters through the air, and she freezes in shock and horror. How he is butchering that tune!!!!! She takes a deep breath to scream, B-movie-style!!!!!
Beatrice urges both Kincaid and Taleyn on with a matter-of-fact, "Shh," and she shuts the door to the hallway after she's gotten the last of her ducklings in. This is good, as the sound of the singing outside the door can be heard getting closer. "Oh, a house is just a house without a MAAAAN, he's an necessary EVIL in your plan...." Gheorghe sounds to be heading on down the hallway, in the general direction of Scott's door.
Beatrice urges the rest of them at the balcony outside the French doors, and indicates her pack, where the rope is.
Kincaid creeps out onto the balcony, whsipering in a low voice, "I'll go first." Wrapping the rope about his waist and securing it in a tightknot. He turns the expectingly to the others, waiting for them to lower him down.
Scott frowns deeply after seeing were the guy was headed. Aaaand he wanted out now more than ever. He looks over the balcony, briefly considering jumping down.
It's a pretty long drop. Also: there is still a raging electrical storm. A good jump may get someone into the tree without need of rope.
Taleyn gets mercifullly urged inside Beatrice's room before she can cut loose with an unfortunately-timed Janet Leigh impression. She takes a deep breath. "So sorry-- Castle Chudevic seems to affect me strangely." She peers down at their situation. "All right-- I'll go after Kincaid... it's probably best for me to leave the building expeditiously."
Beatrice asks Taleyn in an undertone, "Will we have to lower you?" A gentle nod at the noodle-arm.
From down the hall floats the sound of *knock* *knock* *knock* at a door somewhere on the opposite side of the hallway, and Gheorghe's attempt at a 'low' trill, "Yoo-HOOOO...."
Scott cringes.
Kincaid climbs up on the rail of the balcony and freezes. "Okay, I can do this." He reassures himself, "Whats the worst that could happen?" Which could be a number of things actually. But at least he might not be able to see it happening. "Ready when you all are."
Beatrice urges Kincaid, "Go! Mind the bottom."
Taleyn bites her lip and looks down at her arm. "No, I've got it!" and with a grin, she whips off her white silk sash. "I'll loop it 'round the rope and hold it in my left hand to make a controlled slide of it!"
"Yes, yes," Beatrice urges, "Just go, the lot of you. I'm going to hang back a bit and cover for you, but you need to all get out of the room first. I know where the Mausaleum is -- I will attempt to catch you up."
Beatrice adds, "Also I shall send word to my prince, but I doubt he'll be able to get back before morning."
Kincaid hops over the balcony and with a steadying breath begins to drop down. Disappearing from time to time, until he passes a window shedding a little light. Once he reaches the bottom, he unfastens the rope and gives it a tug, to alert the others he is down.
Taleyn says, "Where /is/ our Prince?"
Scott keeps glancing back towards the door. "Forget the Prince. Get down the stupid rope!" He growls.
Taleyn says oops, as it becomes her turn. She moves up to the harness, gets in, loops the sash appropriately, grins wickedly at Scott, then, WHOOSH! Down she goes.
Scott hops up onto the balcony, winks at Beatrice and then slides down the rope himself, silently wishing the woman luck. Dealing with Gheorghe, she's gonna need it.
Beatrice says only, "On an errand." She probably knows the details, but is urging them to hurry out the balcony with a gesture.
Down the hall comes the sound of another knock knock knock. "Scoooooott....? " a pause, "Lord Scott...? I brought that CLOTHING," his helpless self-directed giggling ensues, "I mentioned."
Beatrice shuts the French doors then, and can just be seen through the pelting rain turning to deal with her own bedroom door.
---
Outside, there is driving rain. Also: it is chilly. Also: there is booming thunder. Very little light spills out of the castle that reaches more than a few yards from the walls themselves.
Kincaid wipes back his short wet red hair, mumbling something about a rain coat. "Alright. Where is this masuleam?"
"Ugh," Taleyn says as she searches through the pockets of her coat in hopes of finding something useful in the rain or wet. She pulls out a pair of black evening gloves and three crystal spheres. "Huh," she murmurs, "No help there." She looks up. "Mausoleum is that way, though," she points. "Let's go."
Scott shakes his head, though it doesn't help his waterlogged hair, which hangs in his face. "Go ahead, I'm right behind you."
Taleyn turns on her Feldane Sight once more, making the temperature palpably miserable for anyone standing too close to her in this rain. She says, "Come on, Kincaid-- you can look for the stonework. It's unmistakable."
Periodically, lightening rips through the air at a terrifying pace, and indeed, the mausoleum can be made out against the storm-light skies in the direction Taleyn has pointed. It is within the grounds, and therefore within the general outer walls of the castle. The entrance seems to face away from the castle, and the building half-vanishes into the mountain on which the castle is built.
Scott shivers slightly when Taleyn does that Feldane Sight thing. "I really wish I was wearing fur right now." He murmurs as he walks along with them both of them.
Kincaid shivers a bit as the tempeture around Taleyn drops, "Or a nice warm trench coat." His steps are unsure at times but straighten out as the come upon the mausoleum, "Alright. Knowing the count and the castle, my money is on some secret door or something like that. Should be able to identify it, I hope."
The mausoleum has doors. They are large and stone and obvious. Of course, this does not promise that they are safe.
Taleyn regards them. "Um... I suppose we could knock."
There are even handles.
Scott says, "Or..you know..just open it." Scott steps up to the doors and tests them by pulling on them. "Hmm."
Taleyn peers. "Maybe we should all pull together."
Kincaid says, "And what? Hope someone in there opens up and invites us in?" Torn tween chuckling and the worry that indeed something or someone might just open up those doors if they do knock. "What do you think Scott?"
There is the sound of stone moving - because it is. Scott's strength is enough to get the massive doors moving outwards. Then they start falling, because someone has damaged the hinges!
Taleyn gasps and dodges out of the way of the falling doors!
Scott hisses. "Look out!" As he tries to dodge.
Kincaid glances up as the door begins to fall, "Oh shh..." Diving to the side, just barly escaping the stone slabs.
*Booom* -"it."
(Over in the castle, Gheorghe is probably finding out around now that Scott is playing hard to get.)
Scott gets back up to his feet after the door falls. He offers one hand to Taleyn and the other to Kincaid to help them up.
Taleyn winces at the huge boom and lets Scott pull her up. "Inside, quickly."
Inside, rather than the expected coffins, is an altar, which has been pulled aside to reveal a staircase going down. The altar has engraved on it 'TO WHOM IT MAY CONCERN'.
Thoughtfully, someone has recently put oil lamps on all of the hooks here, and there are plenty of hooks.
Kincaid coughs a little, wet dust and dirt cling to his wet form. "Thanks." Accepting Scott's hand and following Taleyn's lead. The alter gets a curious look from the knight. "Alters are never a good sign in my experience."
"Um. Huh," Taleyn remarks. "Down it is, then? One of us ought to stay up to guard the entrance," but she looks at it dubiously. Not even a Feldane wants to be left alone up here!
It's spooky here.
There are... no dead people.
No doubt there will soon be a Gheorghiiiiiiie coming to 'investigate' the 'entrance'.
Taleyn says, "..........Or, we could just take our chances with finding a secret passage to get us out!" This thought seems to hold much more appeal."
Scott frowns. "I guess I can do it. But I like the idea of us all going down much better."
Kincaid shakes his head, "I've seen the count in action. If this Gheorge did manage to do something to him. Then its best we all stick together." Nodding then in agreement with the other two, "Lets move and quick. Doubt they will have thought that to be thunder echoing off the mountain."
Taleyn nodnodnods her agreement! Two big strong burly types are far better for protection against No Dead People than one, after all!
Helpfully, lightning illuminates the discussion they are having.
Taleyn plunges ahead-- and down!
Scott rips off a piece of lace from his shirt and uses it to tie his hair back as he goes down the stairs with Taleyn and Kincaid.
RPG: Taleyn challenges a difficulty of 9, using her Grace and SKL-EM. Taleyn succeeds.
RPG: Scott challenges a difficulty of 9, using his Grace. Scott almost succeeds.
RPG: Kincaid challenges a difficulty of 9, using his Grace. Kincaid almost succeeds.
Down the stairs they go, and as Kincaid and Scott together step on one, it gives way, with a 'click' and there is a round of hollow rumbling up above.
Kincaid looks over his shoulder, never mind the finger pointing at Scott, in case Taleyn looks back and wonders who set off the trap.
Skulls. Dozens of them. No, hundreds. They boing and bounce and clatter. They would be no problem, but for the fact that someone has put cannonballs in there as well. Someone who is the sort of person who chips away at stone hinges, probably.
And other than clatter and bounce, what they mostly do is fall down the stairs.
Taleyn is clearly jumpy-- in fact, at the first rumblings of trouble, she jumps straight up into the air! Now she has a skull hat, and almost immediately thereafter, she acquires skull shoes, and some new skull dance-steps for slipping downwards.
Some of the skulls are definitely plastic. Some still reek of the grave. But who has time to stop and ask, when they are being bombarded?
Kincaid tries to out run the bouncing cannonball wave of skulls and it looks like he will until the wave crashes upon his feet. The knight loses his footing quickly and gets washed down the hall with a mumbling chorus of "Oh! Ow! Ah!"
Taleyn manages to stay on top of the pile thanks to some skull body-surfing, but she, too, is swept along by the wave.
There are also marbles, just in case anyone tries to dodge the big ones. Whoever thought this up must be wrong in the head. But at least it is a fast way down, and that might count if Gheorghe is now playing hide and seek.
Scott points at Kincaid around the time that he points back at him. But when the skulls start coming down he takes off at a run, but he is overtaken and tumbles the rest of the way down. After it's all over a weak sound can be heard from underneath the skulls. "I'm okay.."
The big pile of skulls and cannonballs and marbles (none of them rare finds, alas) has wound up nearly filling a corridor, because another door is closed at the bottom. This one looks like it should push open easily, if only a metal bar were taken off.
Taleyn has to swim through the skulls to propel herself the rest of the way toward the door. "Everyone all right down there? Anyone... see a way in, by some miracle?"
The metal bar is on this side. But it's alright, Taleyn is female, and this is Chudevic Land.
Taleyn's nonexistent bosom heaves.
Kincaid pulls himself up from a pile of skulls looking rather unpleased by the fact tommorow he will be covered in bruises. "Yes. Think so." Rubbing his head were one cannon ball bounced off of, he has not however, noticed the door just yet.
Scott's hand shoots out of the skulls, like a zombie coming back from the grave. A couple minutes later, he pulls himself out with a groan. "Yeah."
Taleyn shakes a skull out of her hair and gestures to the door. "Better break it down-- just in case."
Kincaid head bobbles a bit as he shakes off the head wound. But even though he realizes there is a door with a metal bar attached to it, he hesitates. For fear of more skulls perhaps.
Scott growls. "You do it this time. If the stairs were booby trapped the door is too. You're faster than us." He guestures to Taleyn.
Kincaid eyes Taleyn and grins, "Stand back. We wouldn't want the lady to get hurt now would we Scott?" Moving to the metal bar.
Scott chuckles. "I suppose not. Might get into all kinds of trouble." He steps in front of Taleyn to shield her with his body, should something go wrong.
Taleyn shoots Kincaid a look of utter disgust, but there is humor in it, too. Perhaps she's merely waiting for that booby-trap Scott postulated to spring on Kincaid!
Kincaid holds his smile and then says a silent prayer. 'Please, please, please don't be another trap', with that, he pulls the bar up and pushes the door.
Just to keep them on their toes, the door is not trapped, although it opens to just the pressure of the skulls which pile down, and then there is echoing silence. A neat trick of physics, that.
Taleyn, having surfed the skull pile on down, peers into the space beyond the door from her space behind Scott.
Inside, there are no lanterns, but there is enough light from the door to see by, once eyes are adjusted. This is a room with earth walls, bolstered here and there with pit props. Pinned to one of the props, like a giant and very well-dressed butterfly, is a man in full evening dress. He has bled very little, so perhaps he was killed instantly. Yet he is not sagging - and as the door opens he looks up. "Good evening," he says in a weak voice, "I apologise for not greeting your arrival. A little... held up." He has the timing that Gheorghe lacks.
Kincaid asks, "Count? is that you?" Entering the room to make way for Taleyn and Scott.
Taleyn actually laughs at his joke-- perhaps it is merely her relief in seeing him aliv-- er, not-exactly-undead -- um, capable of speech!
Vladimir coughs, and then says, "Please do not stand on ceremony. Call me Vlaadimirr." There is blood on his chin now, and his voice is weakening.
Scott peers into the room himself. He moves to cross the threshold, but decides not to. "This is the Count..." He looks between Taleyn and Kincaid. "What do you think?"
Vladimir gives Scott a smile that would have white teeth, were they not smeared with red from his own blood supply.
A whisper comes whipping down the drafty corridors, storm-driven, reaching all the companions (save the count) at once: I delayed him as long as I could, but I suspect he's gone to investigate. I am going to try to take him from behind.
It is a /very/ big stake, that holds him to the wall. The sort of stake that only a practical joker who goes around matching cannonballs with plastic skulls could think of using.
Taleyn nods to Scott. "It's him, all right! Count Vlaadimirr, meet Scott Shadowdancer!" She runs toward the Count to try to get him down from there, heedless of any potential traps. (This is Castle Chudevic, after all. She might even break a heel.) She pulls up short of her goal, however, to wince at Beatrice's phrasing!
Count Chudevic gasps, "I think the trap is now disarmed. I pulled the lever... marked 'do not pull this lever'..."
Skulls and marbles are all over the floor, but Taleyn is nimble.
A few heartbeats after the whisper whips down the corridor, Gheorghe's voice can be heard, "Oh Scooooott? You didn't leave the CASTLE did you? You are a VERY LARGE MAN but that might not be WIIIIISE. I hope nobody is SNooooooping....."
Kincaid looks back down the hallway. Despite being crippled by limited sight, he seems ready enough to play guard. "Hurry Taleyn." he encourages in a low whisper but when Gheorge's voice rings down the hallway, he freezes, hand fixed to a knife resting at his side.
Vladimir snarls like a wolf maddened with pain, on hearing Gheorghe's voice. But he cannot get off his pin.
Taleyn is an expert on the Undead, but cartoon stakes are not her forte. Plus she only has the one functioning arm and all. "Someone help me pull him down!"
The voice comes again, "It is only VERY RUDE GUESTS who go poking their NOSIES in where they are NOT INVITED."
Taleyn sniffs imperiously. "That is where Gheorghe and the Count differ-- Vlaadimirr lets us poke our nosies wherever we like!"
Vladimir mutters, "Charrrrmed, I'm sure!"
Scott runs over to the Count, places a hand on the stake and heaves backwards as hard as he can.
Taleyn steadies Vlaad while Scott tugs.
Even for Scott's size, he will need two hands. Vladimir should not be alive, if he truly is!
Scott pauses, uses both hands this time, and sets his feet. Then he pulls again.
"Because..." the semi-hysterical voice is heard. "I DO NOT LIKE RUDE PEOPLE.... or people who PATRONISE ME... I think I would rather have my REAL FRIENDS BACK AGAIN." A pause, and then more of his hysterical giggling, "Yes. My REAL FRIENDS are VERY NEARBY."
Vladimir mutters to Taleyn, "His real friends are really rather dull and banal. I'm so sorry to expose you to them." His nails dig into the stake, without breaking, but without making much mark.
Kincaid lips twist with a worried brow, then with an idea he says in a very low whisper. "Scott. Tell him you knew he would find you and that you wanted to find a place where you two could be alone together."
Kincaid also slips to the side of the door, readying himself to suprise any unwanted friends of Gheorge or Gheorge himself.
RPG: Scott challenges a difficulty of 9, using his Force and PHY-ST. Scott almost succeeds.
Vladimir does not scream, but that might be because he has passed out gracefully, into Taleyn's arm.
There is a sound of rolling marbles and disturbed skulls, but nobody comes down the passage after them. Who can be seen.
RPG: Taleyn challenges a difficulty of 9, using her Wits and SKL-GU. Taleyn succeeds.
"Oh...... Boooyyyyyyyys," can be heard, a tinsy bit more distantly.
Kincaid wrinkles his nose. "More." He signals Scott. Encouraging the bait for his plan to magically become more alluring in hopes of escaping a larger conflict. Or at least controling it at the begining.
Taleyn thinks on the Vlad On The Stake problem while Scott engages Gheorghe. Ultimately she decides the stake is too much for her to handle, but she might be able to lift Vlad off the stake instead. This she tries, carefully, gripping the part of the stake that protrudes through the Count's back with her feet, and heaving his unconscious body upward. He comes free.
Vladimir gets blood on Taleyn. Rude of him.
"SCOTT IS THAT YOU?!" Gheorghe giggles with mounting hysteria. "I hope you have not been SNOOPING. I am BRINGING MY FRIENDS! They will be here--- AUGH!"
The wind howls. The winds pick up. The rain pelts. There is no sound from Gheorghe.
Taleyn continues to hold Vlaadimir's unconscious form there next to her, and silently draws her... crystal sphere. She sighs and puts it back in her pocket. "Right," she whispers, "Could someone with two arms carry him?"
Beatrice's whisper comes on a ferocious wind that whistles down the passageway. "I got him, but there's--"
Scott walks over and tosses the Count over his shoulder. "I think now would be a good time to leave. Does anyone disagree?"
Kincaid nods, "Good work." Taking to spring back into the hallway. Alas, he slowed by skulls somewhat but that does ont deter him from taking point.
Taleyn clearly agrees! She does the Skull-and-Marble Dance up the stairs!
---
The doors of the mausoleum are still off their hinges and on the ground, which lends them a clear view of the dark gardens. A ghastly, pale figures appears just in view. The specter of the night has flowing hair lit by the lightening, arms raised with blades glistening at the ends of them, with the wind tossing her loosened hair and rain-drenched clothing.
Taleyn's shrill scream pierces the night!
It is Beatrice.
"Deeemooons," she shouts as she races in their direction, though not so much into the Mausoleum so much as from one side of it towards the other.
Kincaid pauses in mid stride and with his off hand picks up a cannonball skull, "Deamons?" Those creepy green eyes focused past Beatrice in case anything is biting at her heels.
Taleyn sighs, "Demons. Why did it have to be demons?"
Scott looks a little confused, but that doesn't stop his feet from moving. He heads straight for the door to the masuoleum with the Count over his shoulder. He murmurs, "Demons? Is that better or worse than werewolf?"
Way off behind Beatrice are several figures who can not be made out well at all what with the dark and the storm.
Way off behind Beatrice are several figures who can not be made out well at all what with the dark and the storm.
Taleyn remarks, "Depends on what you want to use them for."
Taleyn grabs a cannonball on her way out.
Beatrice gets around the far side of the mausoleum, and rests with her back against it. A bit wounded, her bosom heaves. It is (particularly in this corset) considerably less nonexistent than Taleyn's. "I think it's his dashed sybaritic cronies," heave, "They came out of the woods," heave, "With horns. I tried to find," heave, "Marielena but nobody was sure..."
The figures can be seen in closer now. They are a gaggle of young men with elfin-sharp features, horns, red eyes, and ripped up party-boy clothing of fine silk and velvet. They are running with preternatural speed and looks of mad glee on their features.
Scott stands there with the Count on his shoulder. He takes a moment to appreciate Beatrice's heaving, but his eyes then move towards the so called demons. He hmms faintly.
Beatrice seems to have mastered her breathing, then catches sight of Scott's baggage. "Oh, Count Vladimir. I ~am~ releived."
Kincaid cants his head, "Marielena?" His eyes turn to Beatrice, "That the servant who is not really a servant?" Looking back to the fountain and demons, "And why do you suppose they arn't charging in here?"
Vladimir gurgles his greeting to Beatrice.
"I think," Beatrice starts to say, but before she can say it, the demons have circled the fountain, sniffing, sniffing... then as one, they turn towards the mausoleum. One in a blood-stained, ruined green embroidered waistcoat lets out a low, mad cackle. Another in a filthy maroon velvet smoking jacket shouts, "The rude friends!" Still another, this one bear-chested but still wearing too-tight blue velvet pants points and shouts, "GET THEM."
Scott offers. "Kincaid, maybe you should take the Count. If this gets ugly, maybe I should have my game face on, you know?"
The gaggle of demon party boys rush as one towards our heroes! They have claws instead of fingernails and are all laughing madly as they run.
Taleyn stands, carefully watching the onrushing horde. Then she takes careful aim...
RPG: Taleyn challenges a difficulty of 10, using her Grace and SKL-AR. Taleyn succeeds.
RPG: Beatrice challenges a difficulty of 10, using her Wits and SKL-AR. Beatrice succeeds.
RPG: Scott challenges a difficulty of 9, using his Force and PHY-ST. Scott almost succeeds.
Taleyn bowls her cannonball at the enemy, going for a strike!
Kincaid sighs and releases the dagger's handle, "Alright. Hand him over." The cannonball skull is dropped as well. Relieving Scott of the unconscious Count. "Now, go kick some ass." He winks at the weir.
Vladimir mutters to Kincaid, "Just put me down next to Gyorg, I'll be /fine/." He is only semi lucid.
Scott grins at Kincaid and then takes on a look of concentration. His body begins to undergo a transformation, bones crackling and popping as they move into a new configuration. Hair sprouts on his face as his ears elongate, he falls forwards onto his hands and knees.
Beatrice's sword and dagger are out. She has found her breath enough to let out a great, fearsome WHOOOP as she rounds the corner to meet the enemy. Somewhere overhead, her shout is answered by the screech of an owl.
There are about a dozen of the demon party-boys, and they are running in a disorganized mess. The canonball finds an excellent vantage, though, knocking over one in the lead so that he trips over a nearest companion and then then the two fellows just to his left also trip over the canonbal.... that is four down who will take a while to right themselves!
Kincaid pulls the count back down the stairs and a bit down the hallway. Hiding and trying to put the count out of the sight of hungry crazed demons. Once down there though, he stands ready near the stairs, in case the enemy slips by the heroes up top.
But the clubs are now split, so they will require a different approach.
There are still eight angry, rushing badly-dressed demon-fops closing with the group and close they do! Now it is all going to be close-in fighting against claws, teeth and brute, inhuman strength.
Scott completes his trasnformation and growls low, leaping out at the nearest demon he can find. He clamps down with his jaws, but find only air as the demon seems to anticipate his attack and dance out of his way.
"You were mean to GHEORGHE!" snarls embroidered vest as he goes for Tally.
"Those who don't revel with us FALL BEFORE US," shouts blue paste-on velvet pants, going for Scott with a few more behind him.
"Poseurs," accuses smoking jacket, facing off against Beatrice.
Taleyn might be in trouble-- she isn't wearing her sword! She uses some hot dance moves to spin out of the partyboi's way, then reaches into her dinner attire, and pulls out... her SPARE KNIFE!!! It is a thing of mystery and legend, only revealed in the direst of circumstances, of which Demon-fops definitely qualifies. She springs into action with cold- well, actually, rather warm-- steel!
RPG: Taleyn declares that she owns this token:
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Author: Taleyn Held By: Taleyn
Date: Sun Jul 27 13:40:59 2008 Focus: 0
Title: Hidden Knife
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Token Description
Taleyn has a knife hidden on her person, for when she wears slinky eveningwear. Where? Mind your own business!
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Beatrice's own weapons seem to consist of her silver long knife and a dagger that is slim, small and... was probably hidden on her person. Still, she doesn't rely on them solely, as is proven when she gets Smoking Jacket with a particularly vicious roundhouse kick to his groin. It's the demon-boy behind him with the gold lame dinner suit (and no shirt) who gets the long-knife across his face and his near neighbor, bedraggled peacock feather-adored dressing robe who loses his hand to the dagger.
Scott goes into a dance with the demon he's facing. He snaps at his leg, but the monster moves, when the monster swings at him, he hops out of the way. Neither of them were gaining any ground or losing any. Total stalemate.
Skipping through the battle and down the stairs, a broken horned well dressed demon poses with a bit of suprise finding Kincaid waiting for him. "Oh Hellll -O!" Offering the knight a bow, "Be a good boy and hand over the count and I'll disembowl you last. A generous offer don't you think?"
"Very generous." Kincaid agrees, "But one I am not likely to accept. And As I doubt you'll surrendor?" He asks, he and the demon already aware of the answer to that question. "Then.. we have but few options." Shaking his head, Kincaid quickdraws his knife and launches it at the demon.
RPG: Kincaid challenges a difficulty of 9, using his Force. Kincaid succeeds.
Taleyn makes headway against her foes, but it's slow, since with her small blade, she has to aim for vitals. Eyeballs, throatnotches, cufflinks...
"THAT WAS MY FAVORITE PAIR OF CUFFLINKS, YOU TART!," howls one of the revelers on Taleyn as is diamond studs go scattering. This just leaves him in in a (drenched, stained) billowing shell-pink evening shirt. And what remains of his pants.
Taleyn whirls around to change her strategy-- she starts specifically targetting lovely and expensive-looking ACCESSORIES!!!
Kincaid's dagger lands square into the Demons head. But the enemy does not go down, rather it pulls out the dagger, "Why is it my dinners so often try to fight back?" It wonders. Kincaid makes a annoyed face but doesn't answer, he only charges the demon. Even though he is at a disadvantage.
Beatrice shoves slashed-face back on one of his friends and clenches her dagger in her teeth so she can catch the clawed hands of Smoking Jacket as he comes back for more. Spitting the dagger back into her own hand, fast as lightening, she delivers a cut with her long-knife across *his* groin saying, "She is not a tart." A kick to gold lame as he struggles up again, "And *I* am not a poseur," back to Smoking Jacket to make sure he's finished off with a powerful kick to the head, "But YOU are all fashion victims."
The Revealer smiles at Scott. "Here, puppy.." Which does nothing but piss him off. He growls. "I'm gonna bite your ass off for that..." He roars and leaps at the thing again, which simply dances out of his reach. He howls a little in frustration.
RPG: Eva challenges a difficulty of 9, using her Wits and the gifts SKL-AR PHY-ST. Eva almost succeeds.
Taleyn ruins a perfectly /splendid/ diamond-studded watch fob, a lavender silk tophat, a gold lame' waistcoat, and a flamboyantly-paisleyed ascot tacked with a winking opal! As she spins, she snicks off all the brass buttons from a white Monte Carlo dinner jacket, slices off a scarlet opera scarf, and completely destroys a satin and lace sleeve garter with the words "Get It Here" embroidered in Gothic script."
There are howls of protests from the revelers who are being de-fripperized by Taleyn. The shove each other out of the way try to get at her with their claws...
The reveler who has just danced out of Scott's reach whirls and taunts, "A ~werewolf~. How declasse. Darling, you touch these pants and you are dead meat. Of course, you are dead meat ANYWAY!" and he cackles that ethereal cackle heard from this group earlier as he tries to catch the weir with his claws.
Scott made a threat and very soon made good on it. The frop he had been dancing around with made a mistake, and Scott moves in for the strike. He sinks his teeth right into the thing's butt and rips away, literally biting it's butt off. He immediately spits it out and runs for the fountain. He dunks his head in and washes out his mouth while gurgling slightly. He lifts his head out and shakes it. "Dreadful..." He comments.
The accusation of 'fashion victim' seems to be all Smoking Jacket's cronies needed to renew the fervor of their attack against Beatrice. Of course, the harder they come... she uses their momentum against them, and manages to get two of them to head-butt one another so that they fall backwards in nearly-identical sprawls.
Taleyn holds them off with a knife and a prayer! What she /really/ needs is a sword, though, and she looks around for a longer blade. AHA!!! THERE! It's... a tree branch. Fine-- a club, then! She slings it about, clubbing her attackers and getting them just *filthy!*
From down the stairs comes screams of fury and clanging of two engaged in an intense battle ontop of a cannonball skulls!
Eva is currently a bit to side, dancing an elegant and swift dance around one guy, redesigning his outfit with precise slashes of her two dark blades. She doesn't look amused, but he is in actual pain, screaming with each slash at his posh outfit.
Vladimir is trying to crawl out of the way of the fight on the skulls, and although semi-conscious is doing his best to get upwards.
The four who were knocked over by the bowling earlier have gotten back to their feet and are now rushing the group with renewed vigor! Just on time, too, as Beatrice was out of opponents.
Beatrice will have to make do with just three of them. Because one of them is pounced by Scott.
Meanwhile, the storm rages on, lightening striking a nearby tree, which burns half-heartedly. This has the unexpected benefit of shedding a little additional light on the situation.
Taleyn, in the course of beating off attackers, discovers her tree branch is nice and whippy, so she uses it as a whip, all the more efficiently causing welts on skin and rips in finery!
Eva grins and slips off with a remarkable speed and accuracy, slashing off a sleeve! "WAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!" cries the enemy. She gives him time to cherish the pain then attacks his! oh no! haircut!!!
Powerful winds lift Beatrice's soaked hair in a glorious array of old-gold curls as she fights on. A firm stab of her long-knife has one of the bowling pin boys down on his knees before her... just as the same wind also whips under her skirts and -- woops! No one else can see anything, but he cackles as she shoves her skirt firmly back down with one hand and kicks him under the chin with her opposite leg. Down he goes.
Scott rolls on the groud for a moment and them pops back up to his four legs. He shows rows of teeth as he growls, water sliding down his dark brown coat. He circles around the revealer with the blue-velvet. He rushes to the right and then feints, sliding over to his left. He twists his body around like only a wolf can and bites his square in the ass. Scott latches on and holds, still growling.
From the stairs, steps up a bloody but barly standing...Demon. A skull has been imprinted on the side of his face, he is missing the bottom half of his left arm is missing, and staring off with a hundred yard stare, he mumbles his final words. "What a man!" Collapsing then!
Kincaid steps up the stairs, not looking terribly wounded but carrying all the marks of a tough fight. His jacket has been destroyed or left behind and it seems during the fight he reclaimed his dagger, now held in his right hand.
Vladimir comes up the stairs after Kincaid, and then remembers he should be fainting, and does so, after a sneaky look around.
Taleyn is down to a stump of a stick, having left the whippy parts of the tree branch in the now-ruined coiffures of demon-fops. She brings it down with a powerful *CRACK* onto the skull of a particularly well-dressed hellboi in thigh-high platform boots of fire engine red patent leather. She looks around for any more opponents, and finding herself triumphant, she twirls the stick in the air like a baton.
Beatrice slices a ponytail off her last opponent with her longknife, and while he's turning in a half-circle of rage and distress trying to see the back of his own head, she gives him a hard punch in the chest. He goes down, chest heaving hard. With a satisfied nod, Beatrice kicks the last of Smoking-Jacket's crew who looked in danger of getting back up again, then looks around to take stock.
Vladimir is splayed delicately upon the floor of the crypt, one pale hand at his brow, eyes fluttering.
Eva grins as the boy she fought falls on his knees, weeping like a child over his dead limp tress. Maybe he's stronger than her, but ninja uses psychological approach well. She can't seem to bring herself to kill him out of his misery.
"Oh goodness, Vladimir!" Beatrice hurries gets over to his side.
Taleyn rushes with a cry to the Count's side as Beatrice does.
Vladimir has a hole in his chest about the right size to put a cannon-ball through.
Scott lets go of blue velvet's butt and then rips out a chunck of his calf. Then does the same thing to the other. After the demon falls, he rips out his throat with his teeth. After that, he looks around, breathing hard and growling faintly. After hearing Beatrice say something about Vladimir, he begins to lope over towards that way.
Kincaid flickes his attention over the crowd of heroes and demons. But alas, he only sees undistinguished figures, growing out from the green colors of stone to blue shapes of people dancing and attacking each other. A curse falls under his breath. Useless. He stays at the stairs, not daring to risk attacking the wrong person or putting himself in a bad situation.
Vladimir says something in his native Carpanian. To those who understands, it translates as, "My, what a long time I have slept!" Given the nature of his chest wound he should not be speaking at all, but he does so. His eyelids flutter open.
Taleyn grits her teeth and forces herself to ignore the hole in Vlad's chest. She beams at the Count. "I'm so glad you're all right," she forces out.
"Shhh, quiet," Beatrice urges the count, checking his vitals. "Kincaid..." she turns, "Kincaid, are you in there?"
Privately, to Beatrice, Vladimir has no discernable pulse, and he is not breathing very much. For him, that is probably normal.
The party boy demons are now all either dead (a few) or incapacitated (most). The rain is slacking off.
Beatrice looks at Taleyn, "Is he dying?"
Eva keeps her sniffling man of fashion manlyness in the corner.
Taleyn takes a breath to answer Beatrice, then blows it out again. "He's... he's... /Vlad/," she finally declares.
Kincaid wipes off some blood that is not his own from his forhead, "I am here." Coming out from aside the mausoleum.
Beatrice takes this at least to mean 'no more than usual'. She nods smartly. "Oh good, there you are... let's get him back to the castle, and get these... people... tied up before they come to. Then we still need to find Marielana."
The dramatic rain stops pelting down quite so violently.
Vladimir tells Beatrice, "There is no call for bondage, madam. They have offended me, and they will not escape."
Beatrice glances back at the fountain, which can now be made out a bit, with the 'nephew' tied to it. "And Gheorghe? Shall we leave him where he is?"
Vladimir says, "Will you be wanting your rope back?"
Beatrice considers that, then shakes her head. "I have a spare."
Vladimir says, "Then he will stay where he is until he dies."
Scott offers about Gheorghe. "I can eat him for you." But he's only half serious.
Eva looks at the host's hole. Headtilts.
Kincaid wonders, more to himself, "Marielana?" But with a shrug, he moves to Vlad, "Need a hand back to the castle?"
Gheorghe is just groaning into consciousness, over by the fountain.
Vladimir tells Scott, "Thank you, but I can also, and he should spend his time reflecting on the error of his ways. Would someone help me to stand, do you think? Flying in a wind like this will be difficult."
Vladimir looks at Kincaid, for that help.
Taleyn smiles and steps out of the way of the helping, looking around brightly at a job well done by all!
Taleyn might well be thinking, 'Hooray, property damage!'
Scott shakes himself, sending water spraying out everywhere. He then heads towards the castle with a slow walk.
Beatrice says, "Yes, do please, Kincaid," as it's unlikely he can see Vladimir's look.
The tree has largely stopped burning, and is mostly intact. It was one of the uglier trees, anyway.
Beatrice stands, and brushes her bedraggled and soaking skirts down, and tries to make sure no more flesh is being revealed up top than absolutely necessary. "Well," she says, pushing her hair back, "Job well done, all."
Eva slips her swords into their sheaths and yawns.
Kincaid nods and just happens to be by Vlad's side, "Lets get you inside then." Turning up a grin to the others, "Indeed. Think this is cause for a little celebration?"
Taleyn murmurs, "A white dress in the rain, Ma'am? Here, take my-- rather fabulous coat." She removes her outer garment and gallantly offers it to Beatrice.
Beatrice echoes Eva's yawn. "Perhaps after a -- oh, thank you, Taleyn -- a good nap."
Beatrice doesn't look quite ready to fall over yet. She does try on Taleyn's coat.
Kincaid wolf whistles.
Beatrice's dress has managed to retain its opacity.
Taleyn says, "Stunning, Ma'am!"
Vladimir lets Kincaid help him up. "I do hope that unseemly noise is not the return of the foe!"
"Mm," Beatrice says, noting that her wrists are entirely poking out of the coat's sleeves.
Taleyn beams and escorts the others back to the Castle for a pincer assault on some sleep!
Vladimir stays outside, claiming he wishes to enjoy the weather. He looks hungry.
Scott growls. "Celebration. Good. Less lace on the clothes this time, though." He grumbles as he follows along.
"...I will note, Taleyn, that apart from dress uniforms, trousers are never acceptable dinner attire for a lady," Beatrice murmurs as they head back to the castle.
Taleyn beams, and converses chipperly, "Now it shall have to be a goal of mine to find the Shadow where it's just the opposite, Ma'am!"
Kincaid leaves the count where wishes, "We will see you shortly or on the morrow I hope." Catching up to the others, "Might be able to help with that." Turning up a smile, "Ever fancy a trip to Earth Tally?"
Taleyn's brow crinkles. "/Urth?/ What kind of a name for a world is /that?/"
Scott comments from below the two of them. "I've never heard of it."
Beatrice heads inside, via a door this time.
Taleyn goes in... to put on a dress.
Scott goes in to change back and put on something similar to what he had on before. Secretly, it wasn't all /that/ bad.
Eva goes in, looking like this whole mess is just too horrid for her.
Benedict is inside, in the great hall, waiting for dinner.
Taleyn zips up to the rooms before Benedict sees her!
Benedict looks at the crew, considers a moment, and then sighs slightly, as if /he/ was here on time and doesn't understand why others are late. But he lets them pass.
Kincaid says, "Aye, Urth." That smile turning to a grin, "Marvelous shadow, very high tech. And..." But everyone is heading off. So he too meanders off to his room to change too.
Benedict does watch Beatrice, of course.
Privately, to Beatrice, Benedict's look is slightly hopeful. It also says that he has done what he was doing.
Scott watches Beatrice, too, just more discreetly. Feigns indifference.
Eva changes into glittery slick gown that looks fit for a singer wrapped up in smoke of a cabaret club. Red. Glitter. And ninja face. She's dead serious about it. And swords are in her hands.
Beatrice's expression lights subtly. "My prince," she greets, and goes to greet him with a kiss on his cheek as if she were not damp, wearing an ill-fitting coat over a sopping wet white dress, and weren't still holding a silver long knife. (The dagger was discreetly put away... somewhere.)
Benedict asks, apparently seriously, "An evening constitutional?"
Beatrice explains, "It seems Gheorghe had locked Vladimir in a crypt, and kept a pack of... " she has no words, "Young men with horns about for when the guests vexed him. It's all taken care of. Vladimir will be in after he's... enjoyed the weather, so he tells us."
Benedict grimaces politely, as if pretending to be unaware of how the enjoyment might be going for others. "I had been meaning to talk to him about his collection of snack food. He's out of chocolate-covered locusts." His voice is almost foppish, very upper-class.
Beatrice takes Benedict's arm, which might render it slightly damp. "Tell me about it on the way up the stairs?" She suggests. "I believe there's some fresh things laid out so perhaps he's saved them up."
Benedict escorts Beatrice away - lucky man. "Good for salt balance, and also a good source of slow-release energy."
Eva leans on the table and looks ready to fall asleep right there.
Thu Jul 30 11:47:01 2009
It is a dark and stormy night...
A spectral wind stirs Taleyn's environs, lifting her long hair and fluttering it about her shoulders like a billowing cloak, while her warm brown eyes take on a corpselike icy grey hue.
Kincaid sits in a fire lit reading room. Settled in a comfy lounge chair with a book. A few candle lanterns dot the room and a large stuffed silver back gurilla has been posted in the corner for decoration.
The book is lonely, for Kincaid cannot read it!
It is also upside down but he does not seem to notice that either.
Taleyn BURSTS in to shatter the peace of the reading room. "KINCAID!!!! Trouble-- Only SHHHHH, don't let anyone know we know there's trouble! NO TIME TO EXPLAIN! Just quickly-- start knotting together the bed sheets!"
Kincaid jumps out of his chair! The book goes flying! "Ahh!" He blurts out with a brief look of panic. Grabbing at his heart when he realizes its Taleyn, "Oberon's Beard Taleyn! You scared the..." Shaking off the initial shock of her arrival, "Wait? Did you say .. Trouble?"
"Trouble," Beatrice confirms from the doorway. "Vladimir must be at his wit's end with this 'nephew' -- who was right, by the by, about the far end of this hallway. I am not sure *what* was quartered down there, but they tore it up but good."
Taleyn steps out of the way for Beatrice to enter, seemingly completely oblivious to having just scares the Unicorn-droppings out of Kincaid. "I think our best lead thus far is that mausoleum outside. We've got to slip out of here unnoticed and go investigate! Hence the bedsheets. Getting out the door will be impossible without alerting Gheorghe."
Beatrice lifts her brows, "Mausoleum? What's all this?"
Beatrice helpfully retrieves Kincaid's book for him while Taleyn explains. She doesn't return it to him, however, but reunites it with the side-table.
Taleyn explains, "We talked to the servants-- got the note that one girl was trying to pass me! It seems she's not really a servant but maybe one of the guests from the wrecked hall! Some of the note was burned, so we only saw most of what she was trying to tell us. Anyway, apparently Vlaad and Gheorghe went walking toward the old mausoleum in the garden, and the Count hasn't been seen since!" She bounces agitatedly. "We've got to help him. Scott is going to distract Gheorghe while we all investigate!"
Beatrice frowns a little, "Where is that servant now?"
Taleyn shrugs. "Kitchen, maybe?"
Kincaid frowns a touch, skeptical, "The Count was taken down or done something to by this Gheorghe?" Shaking his head a little, "His nephew seemed nice enough. Perhaps there is some sort of misunderstanding?" He suggests, "We've a;; seen how strange this place can be."
Beatrice is contemplating Taleyn somewhat thoughtfully. "Bedsheets," she repeats the word.
Scott stands with his arms crossed over his chest. "I think distracting the young lord would be moot at this point." He glances off to the side with a frown.
Taleyn nods to Beatrice as though it were the most coldly logical, well-thought-out plan ever conceived in Castle Chudders... which, might in fact be the case, knowing this place. She nods to Scott as well. "You're right. Let's stay together so we can do more damage."
Beatrice suggests, "I do have... rope." She might have been somewhat reluctant to mention, as Taleyn did seem wedded to this bedsheets idea, but sometimes the girl just needs her hopes crushed, alas. "And there's a rather large tree beyond the balcony of mine and the prince's room I... believe... is not bad for climbing up and down."
Taleyn slumps a bit, hearing of the rope. Alas, no bedsheets, YET AGAIN! Ah, well, there's always next time, and she brightens, ever-resilient! "Lovely!" she chirps, then looks around at the others. "Let's all make our way there, then-- and... if you hear any strange noises, be sure to scream-- I mean, er, alert the rest of us."
"Mmm," Beatrice says, leading the way across the hall to the bedroom shared by herself and Benedict. It is large, of course, and well-appointed. It might even be set aside for Benedict's personal, recurring use. The bed has not been slept in, or even rumpled.
Scott takes off his jacket and then rips the frills off his shirt. He flexes faintly. "Much better." He looks at each person in turn, smiles, then turns to follow Beatrice.
It is as the others are following her that the distant sound of footsteps can be heard on the stairs. It is undoubtably Gheorghe. This is made obvious because he's singing to himself in an eerily sibilant voice a song some may recognize as, "It's Nice to Have a Man Around the House."
Kincaid chuckles and rubs the back of his neck, "Alright. So we..." Glancing to the hallway. "Um...?" Flickering a look tween Beatrice and Taleyn for direction.
Taleyn grins approvingly at Scott's sensible adaptation of the clothing at hand! She, herself, looks to be growing attached to her outfit-- who knows, it might show up at the next Royal Court! But then--! The terrifying sound of Gheorghe's singing filters through the air, and she freezes in shock and horror. How he is butchering that tune!!!!! She takes a deep breath to scream, B-movie-style!!!!!
Beatrice urges both Kincaid and Taleyn on with a matter-of-fact, "Shh," and she shuts the door to the hallway after she's gotten the last of her ducklings in. This is good, as the sound of the singing outside the door can be heard getting closer. "Oh, a house is just a house without a MAAAAN, he's an necessary EVIL in your plan...." Gheorghe sounds to be heading on down the hallway, in the general direction of Scott's door.
Beatrice urges the rest of them at the balcony outside the French doors, and indicates her pack, where the rope is.
Kincaid creeps out onto the balcony, whsipering in a low voice, "I'll go first." Wrapping the rope about his waist and securing it in a tightknot. He turns the expectingly to the others, waiting for them to lower him down.
Scott frowns deeply after seeing were the guy was headed. Aaaand he wanted out now more than ever. He looks over the balcony, briefly considering jumping down.
It's a pretty long drop. Also: there is still a raging electrical storm. A good jump may get someone into the tree without need of rope.
Taleyn gets mercifullly urged inside Beatrice's room before she can cut loose with an unfortunately-timed Janet Leigh impression. She takes a deep breath. "So sorry-- Castle Chudevic seems to affect me strangely." She peers down at their situation. "All right-- I'll go after Kincaid... it's probably best for me to leave the building expeditiously."
Beatrice asks Taleyn in an undertone, "Will we have to lower you?" A gentle nod at the noodle-arm.
From down the hall floats the sound of *knock* *knock* *knock* at a door somewhere on the opposite side of the hallway, and Gheorghe's attempt at a 'low' trill, "Yoo-HOOOO...."
Scott cringes.
Kincaid climbs up on the rail of the balcony and freezes. "Okay, I can do this." He reassures himself, "Whats the worst that could happen?" Which could be a number of things actually. But at least he might not be able to see it happening. "Ready when you all are."
Beatrice urges Kincaid, "Go! Mind the bottom."
Taleyn bites her lip and looks down at her arm. "No, I've got it!" and with a grin, she whips off her white silk sash. "I'll loop it 'round the rope and hold it in my left hand to make a controlled slide of it!"
"Yes, yes," Beatrice urges, "Just go, the lot of you. I'm going to hang back a bit and cover for you, but you need to all get out of the room first. I know where the Mausaleum is -- I will attempt to catch you up."
Beatrice adds, "Also I shall send word to my prince, but I doubt he'll be able to get back before morning."
Kincaid hops over the balcony and with a steadying breath begins to drop down. Disappearing from time to time, until he passes a window shedding a little light. Once he reaches the bottom, he unfastens the rope and gives it a tug, to alert the others he is down.
Taleyn says, "Where /is/ our Prince?"
Scott keeps glancing back towards the door. "Forget the Prince. Get down the stupid rope!" He growls.
Taleyn says oops, as it becomes her turn. She moves up to the harness, gets in, loops the sash appropriately, grins wickedly at Scott, then, WHOOSH! Down she goes.
Scott hops up onto the balcony, winks at Beatrice and then slides down the rope himself, silently wishing the woman luck. Dealing with Gheorghe, she's gonna need it.
Beatrice says only, "On an errand." She probably knows the details, but is urging them to hurry out the balcony with a gesture.
Down the hall comes the sound of another knock knock knock. "Scoooooott....? " a pause, "Lord Scott...? I brought that CLOTHING," his helpless self-directed giggling ensues, "I mentioned."
Beatrice shuts the French doors then, and can just be seen through the pelting rain turning to deal with her own bedroom door.
---
Outside, there is driving rain. Also: it is chilly. Also: there is booming thunder. Very little light spills out of the castle that reaches more than a few yards from the walls themselves.
Kincaid wipes back his short wet red hair, mumbling something about a rain coat. "Alright. Where is this masuleam?"
"Ugh," Taleyn says as she searches through the pockets of her coat in hopes of finding something useful in the rain or wet. She pulls out a pair of black evening gloves and three crystal spheres. "Huh," she murmurs, "No help there." She looks up. "Mausoleum is that way, though," she points. "Let's go."
Scott shakes his head, though it doesn't help his waterlogged hair, which hangs in his face. "Go ahead, I'm right behind you."
Taleyn turns on her Feldane Sight once more, making the temperature palpably miserable for anyone standing too close to her in this rain. She says, "Come on, Kincaid-- you can look for the stonework. It's unmistakable."
Periodically, lightening rips through the air at a terrifying pace, and indeed, the mausoleum can be made out against the storm-light skies in the direction Taleyn has pointed. It is within the grounds, and therefore within the general outer walls of the castle. The entrance seems to face away from the castle, and the building half-vanishes into the mountain on which the castle is built.
Scott shivers slightly when Taleyn does that Feldane Sight thing. "I really wish I was wearing fur right now." He murmurs as he walks along with them both of them.
Kincaid shivers a bit as the tempeture around Taleyn drops, "Or a nice warm trench coat." His steps are unsure at times but straighten out as the come upon the mausoleum, "Alright. Knowing the count and the castle, my money is on some secret door or something like that. Should be able to identify it, I hope."
The mausoleum has doors. They are large and stone and obvious. Of course, this does not promise that they are safe.
Taleyn regards them. "Um... I suppose we could knock."
There are even handles.
Scott says, "Or..you know..just open it." Scott steps up to the doors and tests them by pulling on them. "Hmm."
Taleyn peers. "Maybe we should all pull together."
Kincaid says, "And what? Hope someone in there opens up and invites us in?" Torn tween chuckling and the worry that indeed something or someone might just open up those doors if they do knock. "What do you think Scott?"
There is the sound of stone moving - because it is. Scott's strength is enough to get the massive doors moving outwards. Then they start falling, because someone has damaged the hinges!
Taleyn gasps and dodges out of the way of the falling doors!
Scott hisses. "Look out!" As he tries to dodge.
Kincaid glances up as the door begins to fall, "Oh shh..." Diving to the side, just barly escaping the stone slabs.
*Booom* -"it."
(Over in the castle, Gheorghe is probably finding out around now that Scott is playing hard to get.)
Scott gets back up to his feet after the door falls. He offers one hand to Taleyn and the other to Kincaid to help them up.
Taleyn winces at the huge boom and lets Scott pull her up. "Inside, quickly."
Inside, rather than the expected coffins, is an altar, which has been pulled aside to reveal a staircase going down. The altar has engraved on it 'TO WHOM IT MAY CONCERN'.
Thoughtfully, someone has recently put oil lamps on all of the hooks here, and there are plenty of hooks.
Kincaid coughs a little, wet dust and dirt cling to his wet form. "Thanks." Accepting Scott's hand and following Taleyn's lead. The alter gets a curious look from the knight. "Alters are never a good sign in my experience."
"Um. Huh," Taleyn remarks. "Down it is, then? One of us ought to stay up to guard the entrance," but she looks at it dubiously. Not even a Feldane wants to be left alone up here!
It's spooky here.
There are... no dead people.
No doubt there will soon be a Gheorghiiiiiiie coming to 'investigate' the 'entrance'.
Taleyn says, "..........Or, we could just take our chances with finding a secret passage to get us out!" This thought seems to hold much more appeal."
Scott frowns. "I guess I can do it. But I like the idea of us all going down much better."
Kincaid shakes his head, "I've seen the count in action. If this Gheorge did manage to do something to him. Then its best we all stick together." Nodding then in agreement with the other two, "Lets move and quick. Doubt they will have thought that to be thunder echoing off the mountain."
Taleyn nodnodnods her agreement! Two big strong burly types are far better for protection against No Dead People than one, after all!
Helpfully, lightning illuminates the discussion they are having.
Taleyn plunges ahead-- and down!
Scott rips off a piece of lace from his shirt and uses it to tie his hair back as he goes down the stairs with Taleyn and Kincaid.
RPG: Taleyn challenges a difficulty of 9, using her Grace and SKL-EM. Taleyn succeeds.
RPG: Scott challenges a difficulty of 9, using his Grace. Scott almost succeeds.
RPG: Kincaid challenges a difficulty of 9, using his Grace. Kincaid almost succeeds.
Down the stairs they go, and as Kincaid and Scott together step on one, it gives way, with a 'click' and there is a round of hollow rumbling up above.
Kincaid looks over his shoulder, never mind the finger pointing at Scott, in case Taleyn looks back and wonders who set off the trap.
Skulls. Dozens of them. No, hundreds. They boing and bounce and clatter. They would be no problem, but for the fact that someone has put cannonballs in there as well. Someone who is the sort of person who chips away at stone hinges, probably.
And other than clatter and bounce, what they mostly do is fall down the stairs.
Taleyn is clearly jumpy-- in fact, at the first rumblings of trouble, she jumps straight up into the air! Now she has a skull hat, and almost immediately thereafter, she acquires skull shoes, and some new skull dance-steps for slipping downwards.
Some of the skulls are definitely plastic. Some still reek of the grave. But who has time to stop and ask, when they are being bombarded?
Kincaid tries to out run the bouncing cannonball wave of skulls and it looks like he will until the wave crashes upon his feet. The knight loses his footing quickly and gets washed down the hall with a mumbling chorus of "Oh! Ow! Ah!"
Taleyn manages to stay on top of the pile thanks to some skull body-surfing, but she, too, is swept along by the wave.
There are also marbles, just in case anyone tries to dodge the big ones. Whoever thought this up must be wrong in the head. But at least it is a fast way down, and that might count if Gheorghe is now playing hide and seek.
Scott points at Kincaid around the time that he points back at him. But when the skulls start coming down he takes off at a run, but he is overtaken and tumbles the rest of the way down. After it's all over a weak sound can be heard from underneath the skulls. "I'm okay.."
The big pile of skulls and cannonballs and marbles (none of them rare finds, alas) has wound up nearly filling a corridor, because another door is closed at the bottom. This one looks like it should push open easily, if only a metal bar were taken off.
Taleyn has to swim through the skulls to propel herself the rest of the way toward the door. "Everyone all right down there? Anyone... see a way in, by some miracle?"
The metal bar is on this side. But it's alright, Taleyn is female, and this is Chudevic Land.
Taleyn's nonexistent bosom heaves.
Kincaid pulls himself up from a pile of skulls looking rather unpleased by the fact tommorow he will be covered in bruises. "Yes. Think so." Rubbing his head were one cannon ball bounced off of, he has not however, noticed the door just yet.
Scott's hand shoots out of the skulls, like a zombie coming back from the grave. A couple minutes later, he pulls himself out with a groan. "Yeah."
Taleyn shakes a skull out of her hair and gestures to the door. "Better break it down-- just in case."
Kincaid head bobbles a bit as he shakes off the head wound. But even though he realizes there is a door with a metal bar attached to it, he hesitates. For fear of more skulls perhaps.
Scott growls. "You do it this time. If the stairs were booby trapped the door is too. You're faster than us." He guestures to Taleyn.
Kincaid eyes Taleyn and grins, "Stand back. We wouldn't want the lady to get hurt now would we Scott?" Moving to the metal bar.
Scott chuckles. "I suppose not. Might get into all kinds of trouble." He steps in front of Taleyn to shield her with his body, should something go wrong.
Taleyn shoots Kincaid a look of utter disgust, but there is humor in it, too. Perhaps she's merely waiting for that booby-trap Scott postulated to spring on Kincaid!
Kincaid holds his smile and then says a silent prayer. 'Please, please, please don't be another trap', with that, he pulls the bar up and pushes the door.
Just to keep them on their toes, the door is not trapped, although it opens to just the pressure of the skulls which pile down, and then there is echoing silence. A neat trick of physics, that.
Taleyn, having surfed the skull pile on down, peers into the space beyond the door from her space behind Scott.
Inside, there are no lanterns, but there is enough light from the door to see by, once eyes are adjusted. This is a room with earth walls, bolstered here and there with pit props. Pinned to one of the props, like a giant and very well-dressed butterfly, is a man in full evening dress. He has bled very little, so perhaps he was killed instantly. Yet he is not sagging - and as the door opens he looks up. "Good evening," he says in a weak voice, "I apologise for not greeting your arrival. A little... held up." He has the timing that Gheorghe lacks.
Kincaid asks, "Count? is that you?" Entering the room to make way for Taleyn and Scott.
Taleyn actually laughs at his joke-- perhaps it is merely her relief in seeing him aliv-- er, not-exactly-undead -- um, capable of speech!
Vladimir coughs, and then says, "Please do not stand on ceremony. Call me Vlaadimirr." There is blood on his chin now, and his voice is weakening.
Scott peers into the room himself. He moves to cross the threshold, but decides not to. "This is the Count..." He looks between Taleyn and Kincaid. "What do you think?"
Vladimir gives Scott a smile that would have white teeth, were they not smeared with red from his own blood supply.
A whisper comes whipping down the drafty corridors, storm-driven, reaching all the companions (save the count) at once: I delayed him as long as I could, but I suspect he's gone to investigate. I am going to try to take him from behind.
It is a /very/ big stake, that holds him to the wall. The sort of stake that only a practical joker who goes around matching cannonballs with plastic skulls could think of using.
Taleyn nods to Scott. "It's him, all right! Count Vlaadimirr, meet Scott Shadowdancer!" She runs toward the Count to try to get him down from there, heedless of any potential traps. (This is Castle Chudevic, after all. She might even break a heel.) She pulls up short of her goal, however, to wince at Beatrice's phrasing!
Count Chudevic gasps, "I think the trap is now disarmed. I pulled the lever... marked 'do not pull this lever'..."
Skulls and marbles are all over the floor, but Taleyn is nimble.
A few heartbeats after the whisper whips down the corridor, Gheorghe's voice can be heard, "Oh Scooooott? You didn't leave the CASTLE did you? You are a VERY LARGE MAN but that might not be WIIIIISE. I hope nobody is SNooooooping....."
Kincaid looks back down the hallway. Despite being crippled by limited sight, he seems ready enough to play guard. "Hurry Taleyn." he encourages in a low whisper but when Gheorge's voice rings down the hallway, he freezes, hand fixed to a knife resting at his side.
Vladimir snarls like a wolf maddened with pain, on hearing Gheorghe's voice. But he cannot get off his pin.
Taleyn is an expert on the Undead, but cartoon stakes are not her forte. Plus she only has the one functioning arm and all. "Someone help me pull him down!"
The voice comes again, "It is only VERY RUDE GUESTS who go poking their NOSIES in where they are NOT INVITED."
Taleyn sniffs imperiously. "That is where Gheorghe and the Count differ-- Vlaadimirr lets us poke our nosies wherever we like!"
Vladimir mutters, "Charrrrmed, I'm sure!"
Scott runs over to the Count, places a hand on the stake and heaves backwards as hard as he can.
Taleyn steadies Vlaad while Scott tugs.
Even for Scott's size, he will need two hands. Vladimir should not be alive, if he truly is!
Scott pauses, uses both hands this time, and sets his feet. Then he pulls again.
"Because..." the semi-hysterical voice is heard. "I DO NOT LIKE RUDE PEOPLE.... or people who PATRONISE ME... I think I would rather have my REAL FRIENDS BACK AGAIN." A pause, and then more of his hysterical giggling, "Yes. My REAL FRIENDS are VERY NEARBY."
Vladimir mutters to Taleyn, "His real friends are really rather dull and banal. I'm so sorry to expose you to them." His nails dig into the stake, without breaking, but without making much mark.
Kincaid lips twist with a worried brow, then with an idea he says in a very low whisper. "Scott. Tell him you knew he would find you and that you wanted to find a place where you two could be alone together."
Kincaid also slips to the side of the door, readying himself to suprise any unwanted friends of Gheorge or Gheorge himself.
RPG: Scott challenges a difficulty of 9, using his Force and PHY-ST. Scott almost succeeds.
Vladimir does not scream, but that might be because he has passed out gracefully, into Taleyn's arm.
There is a sound of rolling marbles and disturbed skulls, but nobody comes down the passage after them. Who can be seen.
RPG: Taleyn challenges a difficulty of 9, using her Wits and SKL-GU. Taleyn succeeds.
"Oh...... Boooyyyyyyyys," can be heard, a tinsy bit more distantly.
Kincaid wrinkles his nose. "More." He signals Scott. Encouraging the bait for his plan to magically become more alluring in hopes of escaping a larger conflict. Or at least controling it at the begining.
Taleyn thinks on the Vlad On The Stake problem while Scott engages Gheorghe. Ultimately she decides the stake is too much for her to handle, but she might be able to lift Vlad off the stake instead. This she tries, carefully, gripping the part of the stake that protrudes through the Count's back with her feet, and heaving his unconscious body upward. He comes free.
Vladimir gets blood on Taleyn. Rude of him.
"SCOTT IS THAT YOU?!" Gheorghe giggles with mounting hysteria. "I hope you have not been SNOOPING. I am BRINGING MY FRIENDS! They will be here--- AUGH!"
The wind howls. The winds pick up. The rain pelts. There is no sound from Gheorghe.
Taleyn continues to hold Vlaadimir's unconscious form there next to her, and silently draws her... crystal sphere. She sighs and puts it back in her pocket. "Right," she whispers, "Could someone with two arms carry him?"
Beatrice's whisper comes on a ferocious wind that whistles down the passageway. "I got him, but there's--"
Scott walks over and tosses the Count over his shoulder. "I think now would be a good time to leave. Does anyone disagree?"
Kincaid nods, "Good work." Taking to spring back into the hallway. Alas, he slowed by skulls somewhat but that does ont deter him from taking point.
Taleyn clearly agrees! She does the Skull-and-Marble Dance up the stairs!
---
The doors of the mausoleum are still off their hinges and on the ground, which lends them a clear view of the dark gardens. A ghastly, pale figures appears just in view. The specter of the night has flowing hair lit by the lightening, arms raised with blades glistening at the ends of them, with the wind tossing her loosened hair and rain-drenched clothing.
Taleyn's shrill scream pierces the night!
It is Beatrice.
"Deeemooons," she shouts as she races in their direction, though not so much into the Mausoleum so much as from one side of it towards the other.
Kincaid pauses in mid stride and with his off hand picks up a cannonball skull, "Deamons?" Those creepy green eyes focused past Beatrice in case anything is biting at her heels.
Taleyn sighs, "Demons. Why did it have to be demons?"
Scott looks a little confused, but that doesn't stop his feet from moving. He heads straight for the door to the masuoleum with the Count over his shoulder. He murmurs, "Demons? Is that better or worse than werewolf?"
Way off behind Beatrice are several figures who can not be made out well at all what with the dark and the storm.
Way off behind Beatrice are several figures who can not be made out well at all what with the dark and the storm.
Taleyn remarks, "Depends on what you want to use them for."
Taleyn grabs a cannonball on her way out.
Beatrice gets around the far side of the mausoleum, and rests with her back against it. A bit wounded, her bosom heaves. It is (particularly in this corset) considerably less nonexistent than Taleyn's. "I think it's his dashed sybaritic cronies," heave, "They came out of the woods," heave, "With horns. I tried to find," heave, "Marielena but nobody was sure..."
The figures can be seen in closer now. They are a gaggle of young men with elfin-sharp features, horns, red eyes, and ripped up party-boy clothing of fine silk and velvet. They are running with preternatural speed and looks of mad glee on their features.
Scott stands there with the Count on his shoulder. He takes a moment to appreciate Beatrice's heaving, but his eyes then move towards the so called demons. He hmms faintly.
Beatrice seems to have mastered her breathing, then catches sight of Scott's baggage. "Oh, Count Vladimir. I ~am~ releived."
Kincaid cants his head, "Marielena?" His eyes turn to Beatrice, "That the servant who is not really a servant?" Looking back to the fountain and demons, "And why do you suppose they arn't charging in here?"
Vladimir gurgles his greeting to Beatrice.
"I think," Beatrice starts to say, but before she can say it, the demons have circled the fountain, sniffing, sniffing... then as one, they turn towards the mausoleum. One in a blood-stained, ruined green embroidered waistcoat lets out a low, mad cackle. Another in a filthy maroon velvet smoking jacket shouts, "The rude friends!" Still another, this one bear-chested but still wearing too-tight blue velvet pants points and shouts, "GET THEM."
Scott offers. "Kincaid, maybe you should take the Count. If this gets ugly, maybe I should have my game face on, you know?"
The gaggle of demon party boys rush as one towards our heroes! They have claws instead of fingernails and are all laughing madly as they run.
Taleyn stands, carefully watching the onrushing horde. Then she takes careful aim...
RPG: Taleyn challenges a difficulty of 10, using her Grace and SKL-AR. Taleyn succeeds.
RPG: Beatrice challenges a difficulty of 10, using her Wits and SKL-AR. Beatrice succeeds.
RPG: Scott challenges a difficulty of 9, using his Force and PHY-ST. Scott almost succeeds.
Taleyn bowls her cannonball at the enemy, going for a strike!
Kincaid sighs and releases the dagger's handle, "Alright. Hand him over." The cannonball skull is dropped as well. Relieving Scott of the unconscious Count. "Now, go kick some ass." He winks at the weir.
Vladimir mutters to Kincaid, "Just put me down next to Gyorg, I'll be /fine/." He is only semi lucid.
Scott grins at Kincaid and then takes on a look of concentration. His body begins to undergo a transformation, bones crackling and popping as they move into a new configuration. Hair sprouts on his face as his ears elongate, he falls forwards onto his hands and knees.
Beatrice's sword and dagger are out. She has found her breath enough to let out a great, fearsome WHOOOP as she rounds the corner to meet the enemy. Somewhere overhead, her shout is answered by the screech of an owl.
There are about a dozen of the demon party-boys, and they are running in a disorganized mess. The canonball finds an excellent vantage, though, knocking over one in the lead so that he trips over a nearest companion and then then the two fellows just to his left also trip over the canonbal.... that is four down who will take a while to right themselves!
Kincaid pulls the count back down the stairs and a bit down the hallway. Hiding and trying to put the count out of the sight of hungry crazed demons. Once down there though, he stands ready near the stairs, in case the enemy slips by the heroes up top.
But the clubs are now split, so they will require a different approach.
There are still eight angry, rushing badly-dressed demon-fops closing with the group and close they do! Now it is all going to be close-in fighting against claws, teeth and brute, inhuman strength.
Scott completes his trasnformation and growls low, leaping out at the nearest demon he can find. He clamps down with his jaws, but find only air as the demon seems to anticipate his attack and dance out of his way.
"You were mean to GHEORGHE!" snarls embroidered vest as he goes for Tally.
"Those who don't revel with us FALL BEFORE US," shouts blue paste-on velvet pants, going for Scott with a few more behind him.
"Poseurs," accuses smoking jacket, facing off against Beatrice.
Taleyn might be in trouble-- she isn't wearing her sword! She uses some hot dance moves to spin out of the partyboi's way, then reaches into her dinner attire, and pulls out... her SPARE KNIFE!!! It is a thing of mystery and legend, only revealed in the direst of circumstances, of which Demon-fops definitely qualifies. She springs into action with cold- well, actually, rather warm-- steel!
RPG: Taleyn declares that she owns this token:
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Author: Taleyn Held By: Taleyn
Date: Sun Jul 27 13:40:59 2008 Focus: 0
Title: Hidden Knife
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Token Description
Taleyn has a knife hidden on her person, for when she wears slinky eveningwear. Where? Mind your own business!
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Beatrice's own weapons seem to consist of her silver long knife and a dagger that is slim, small and... was probably hidden on her person. Still, she doesn't rely on them solely, as is proven when she gets Smoking Jacket with a particularly vicious roundhouse kick to his groin. It's the demon-boy behind him with the gold lame dinner suit (and no shirt) who gets the long-knife across his face and his near neighbor, bedraggled peacock feather-adored dressing robe who loses his hand to the dagger.
Scott goes into a dance with the demon he's facing. He snaps at his leg, but the monster moves, when the monster swings at him, he hops out of the way. Neither of them were gaining any ground or losing any. Total stalemate.
Skipping through the battle and down the stairs, a broken horned well dressed demon poses with a bit of suprise finding Kincaid waiting for him. "Oh Hellll -O!" Offering the knight a bow, "Be a good boy and hand over the count and I'll disembowl you last. A generous offer don't you think?"
"Very generous." Kincaid agrees, "But one I am not likely to accept. And As I doubt you'll surrendor?" He asks, he and the demon already aware of the answer to that question. "Then.. we have but few options." Shaking his head, Kincaid quickdraws his knife and launches it at the demon.
RPG: Kincaid challenges a difficulty of 9, using his Force. Kincaid succeeds.
Taleyn makes headway against her foes, but it's slow, since with her small blade, she has to aim for vitals. Eyeballs, throatnotches, cufflinks...
"THAT WAS MY FAVORITE PAIR OF CUFFLINKS, YOU TART!," howls one of the revelers on Taleyn as is diamond studs go scattering. This just leaves him in in a (drenched, stained) billowing shell-pink evening shirt. And what remains of his pants.
Taleyn whirls around to change her strategy-- she starts specifically targetting lovely and expensive-looking ACCESSORIES!!!
Kincaid's dagger lands square into the Demons head. But the enemy does not go down, rather it pulls out the dagger, "Why is it my dinners so often try to fight back?" It wonders. Kincaid makes a annoyed face but doesn't answer, he only charges the demon. Even though he is at a disadvantage.
Beatrice shoves slashed-face back on one of his friends and clenches her dagger in her teeth so she can catch the clawed hands of Smoking Jacket as he comes back for more. Spitting the dagger back into her own hand, fast as lightening, she delivers a cut with her long-knife across *his* groin saying, "She is not a tart." A kick to gold lame as he struggles up again, "And *I* am not a poseur," back to Smoking Jacket to make sure he's finished off with a powerful kick to the head, "But YOU are all fashion victims."
The Revealer smiles at Scott. "Here, puppy.." Which does nothing but piss him off. He growls. "I'm gonna bite your ass off for that..." He roars and leaps at the thing again, which simply dances out of his reach. He howls a little in frustration.
RPG: Eva challenges a difficulty of 9, using her Wits and the gifts SKL-AR PHY-ST. Eva almost succeeds.
Taleyn ruins a perfectly /splendid/ diamond-studded watch fob, a lavender silk tophat, a gold lame' waistcoat, and a flamboyantly-paisleyed ascot tacked with a winking opal! As she spins, she snicks off all the brass buttons from a white Monte Carlo dinner jacket, slices off a scarlet opera scarf, and completely destroys a satin and lace sleeve garter with the words "Get It Here" embroidered in Gothic script."
There are howls of protests from the revelers who are being de-fripperized by Taleyn. The shove each other out of the way try to get at her with their claws...
The reveler who has just danced out of Scott's reach whirls and taunts, "A ~werewolf~. How declasse. Darling, you touch these pants and you are dead meat. Of course, you are dead meat ANYWAY!" and he cackles that ethereal cackle heard from this group earlier as he tries to catch the weir with his claws.
Scott made a threat and very soon made good on it. The frop he had been dancing around with made a mistake, and Scott moves in for the strike. He sinks his teeth right into the thing's butt and rips away, literally biting it's butt off. He immediately spits it out and runs for the fountain. He dunks his head in and washes out his mouth while gurgling slightly. He lifts his head out and shakes it. "Dreadful..." He comments.
The accusation of 'fashion victim' seems to be all Smoking Jacket's cronies needed to renew the fervor of their attack against Beatrice. Of course, the harder they come... she uses their momentum against them, and manages to get two of them to head-butt one another so that they fall backwards in nearly-identical sprawls.
Taleyn holds them off with a knife and a prayer! What she /really/ needs is a sword, though, and she looks around for a longer blade. AHA!!! THERE! It's... a tree branch. Fine-- a club, then! She slings it about, clubbing her attackers and getting them just *filthy!*
From down the stairs comes screams of fury and clanging of two engaged in an intense battle ontop of a cannonball skulls!
Eva is currently a bit to side, dancing an elegant and swift dance around one guy, redesigning his outfit with precise slashes of her two dark blades. She doesn't look amused, but he is in actual pain, screaming with each slash at his posh outfit.
Vladimir is trying to crawl out of the way of the fight on the skulls, and although semi-conscious is doing his best to get upwards.
The four who were knocked over by the bowling earlier have gotten back to their feet and are now rushing the group with renewed vigor! Just on time, too, as Beatrice was out of opponents.
Beatrice will have to make do with just three of them. Because one of them is pounced by Scott.
Meanwhile, the storm rages on, lightening striking a nearby tree, which burns half-heartedly. This has the unexpected benefit of shedding a little additional light on the situation.
Taleyn, in the course of beating off attackers, discovers her tree branch is nice and whippy, so she uses it as a whip, all the more efficiently causing welts on skin and rips in finery!
Eva grins and slips off with a remarkable speed and accuracy, slashing off a sleeve! "WAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!" cries the enemy. She gives him time to cherish the pain then attacks his! oh no! haircut!!!
Powerful winds lift Beatrice's soaked hair in a glorious array of old-gold curls as she fights on. A firm stab of her long-knife has one of the bowling pin boys down on his knees before her... just as the same wind also whips under her skirts and -- woops! No one else can see anything, but he cackles as she shoves her skirt firmly back down with one hand and kicks him under the chin with her opposite leg. Down he goes.
Scott rolls on the groud for a moment and them pops back up to his four legs. He shows rows of teeth as he growls, water sliding down his dark brown coat. He circles around the revealer with the blue-velvet. He rushes to the right and then feints, sliding over to his left. He twists his body around like only a wolf can and bites his square in the ass. Scott latches on and holds, still growling.
From the stairs, steps up a bloody but barly standing...Demon. A skull has been imprinted on the side of his face, he is missing the bottom half of his left arm is missing, and staring off with a hundred yard stare, he mumbles his final words. "What a man!" Collapsing then!
Kincaid steps up the stairs, not looking terribly wounded but carrying all the marks of a tough fight. His jacket has been destroyed or left behind and it seems during the fight he reclaimed his dagger, now held in his right hand.
Vladimir comes up the stairs after Kincaid, and then remembers he should be fainting, and does so, after a sneaky look around.
Taleyn is down to a stump of a stick, having left the whippy parts of the tree branch in the now-ruined coiffures of demon-fops. She brings it down with a powerful *CRACK* onto the skull of a particularly well-dressed hellboi in thigh-high platform boots of fire engine red patent leather. She looks around for any more opponents, and finding herself triumphant, she twirls the stick in the air like a baton.
Beatrice slices a ponytail off her last opponent with her longknife, and while he's turning in a half-circle of rage and distress trying to see the back of his own head, she gives him a hard punch in the chest. He goes down, chest heaving hard. With a satisfied nod, Beatrice kicks the last of Smoking-Jacket's crew who looked in danger of getting back up again, then looks around to take stock.
Vladimir is splayed delicately upon the floor of the crypt, one pale hand at his brow, eyes fluttering.
Eva grins as the boy she fought falls on his knees, weeping like a child over his dead limp tress. Maybe he's stronger than her, but ninja uses psychological approach well. She can't seem to bring herself to kill him out of his misery.
"Oh goodness, Vladimir!" Beatrice hurries gets over to his side.
Taleyn rushes with a cry to the Count's side as Beatrice does.
Vladimir has a hole in his chest about the right size to put a cannon-ball through.
Scott lets go of blue velvet's butt and then rips out a chunck of his calf. Then does the same thing to the other. After the demon falls, he rips out his throat with his teeth. After that, he looks around, breathing hard and growling faintly. After hearing Beatrice say something about Vladimir, he begins to lope over towards that way.
Kincaid flickes his attention over the crowd of heroes and demons. But alas, he only sees undistinguished figures, growing out from the green colors of stone to blue shapes of people dancing and attacking each other. A curse falls under his breath. Useless. He stays at the stairs, not daring to risk attacking the wrong person or putting himself in a bad situation.
Vladimir says something in his native Carpanian. To those who understands, it translates as, "My, what a long time I have slept!" Given the nature of his chest wound he should not be speaking at all, but he does so. His eyelids flutter open.
Taleyn grits her teeth and forces herself to ignore the hole in Vlad's chest. She beams at the Count. "I'm so glad you're all right," she forces out.
"Shhh, quiet," Beatrice urges the count, checking his vitals. "Kincaid..." she turns, "Kincaid, are you in there?"
Privately, to Beatrice, Vladimir has no discernable pulse, and he is not breathing very much. For him, that is probably normal.
The party boy demons are now all either dead (a few) or incapacitated (most). The rain is slacking off.
Beatrice looks at Taleyn, "Is he dying?"
Eva keeps her sniffling man of fashion manlyness in the corner.
Taleyn takes a breath to answer Beatrice, then blows it out again. "He's... he's... /Vlad/," she finally declares.
Kincaid wipes off some blood that is not his own from his forhead, "I am here." Coming out from aside the mausoleum.
Beatrice takes this at least to mean 'no more than usual'. She nods smartly. "Oh good, there you are... let's get him back to the castle, and get these... people... tied up before they come to. Then we still need to find Marielana."
The dramatic rain stops pelting down quite so violently.
Vladimir tells Beatrice, "There is no call for bondage, madam. They have offended me, and they will not escape."
Beatrice glances back at the fountain, which can now be made out a bit, with the 'nephew' tied to it. "And Gheorghe? Shall we leave him where he is?"
Vladimir says, "Will you be wanting your rope back?"
Beatrice considers that, then shakes her head. "I have a spare."
Vladimir says, "Then he will stay where he is until he dies."
Scott offers about Gheorghe. "I can eat him for you." But he's only half serious.
Eva looks at the host's hole. Headtilts.
Kincaid wonders, more to himself, "Marielana?" But with a shrug, he moves to Vlad, "Need a hand back to the castle?"
Gheorghe is just groaning into consciousness, over by the fountain.
Vladimir tells Scott, "Thank you, but I can also, and he should spend his time reflecting on the error of his ways. Would someone help me to stand, do you think? Flying in a wind like this will be difficult."
Vladimir looks at Kincaid, for that help.
Taleyn smiles and steps out of the way of the helping, looking around brightly at a job well done by all!
Taleyn might well be thinking, 'Hooray, property damage!'
Scott shakes himself, sending water spraying out everywhere. He then heads towards the castle with a slow walk.
Beatrice says, "Yes, do please, Kincaid," as it's unlikely he can see Vladimir's look.
The tree has largely stopped burning, and is mostly intact. It was one of the uglier trees, anyway.
Beatrice stands, and brushes her bedraggled and soaking skirts down, and tries to make sure no more flesh is being revealed up top than absolutely necessary. "Well," she says, pushing her hair back, "Job well done, all."
Eva slips her swords into their sheaths and yawns.
Kincaid nods and just happens to be by Vlad's side, "Lets get you inside then." Turning up a grin to the others, "Indeed. Think this is cause for a little celebration?"
Taleyn murmurs, "A white dress in the rain, Ma'am? Here, take my-- rather fabulous coat." She removes her outer garment and gallantly offers it to Beatrice.
Beatrice echoes Eva's yawn. "Perhaps after a -- oh, thank you, Taleyn -- a good nap."
Beatrice doesn't look quite ready to fall over yet. She does try on Taleyn's coat.
Kincaid wolf whistles.
Beatrice's dress has managed to retain its opacity.
Taleyn says, "Stunning, Ma'am!"
Vladimir lets Kincaid help him up. "I do hope that unseemly noise is not the return of the foe!"
"Mm," Beatrice says, noting that her wrists are entirely poking out of the coat's sleeves.
Taleyn beams and escorts the others back to the Castle for a pincer assault on some sleep!
Vladimir stays outside, claiming he wishes to enjoy the weather. He looks hungry.
Scott growls. "Celebration. Good. Less lace on the clothes this time, though." He grumbles as he follows along.
"...I will note, Taleyn, that apart from dress uniforms, trousers are never acceptable dinner attire for a lady," Beatrice murmurs as they head back to the castle.
Taleyn beams, and converses chipperly, "Now it shall have to be a goal of mine to find the Shadow where it's just the opposite, Ma'am!"
Kincaid leaves the count where wishes, "We will see you shortly or on the morrow I hope." Catching up to the others, "Might be able to help with that." Turning up a smile, "Ever fancy a trip to Earth Tally?"
Taleyn's brow crinkles. "/Urth?/ What kind of a name for a world is /that?/"
Scott comments from below the two of them. "I've never heard of it."
Beatrice heads inside, via a door this time.
Taleyn goes in... to put on a dress.
Scott goes in to change back and put on something similar to what he had on before. Secretly, it wasn't all /that/ bad.
Eva goes in, looking like this whole mess is just too horrid for her.
Benedict is inside, in the great hall, waiting for dinner.
Taleyn zips up to the rooms before Benedict sees her!
Benedict looks at the crew, considers a moment, and then sighs slightly, as if /he/ was here on time and doesn't understand why others are late. But he lets them pass.
Kincaid says, "Aye, Urth." That smile turning to a grin, "Marvelous shadow, very high tech. And..." But everyone is heading off. So he too meanders off to his room to change too.
Benedict does watch Beatrice, of course.
Privately, to Beatrice, Benedict's look is slightly hopeful. It also says that he has done what he was doing.
Scott watches Beatrice, too, just more discreetly. Feigns indifference.
Eva changes into glittery slick gown that looks fit for a singer wrapped up in smoke of a cabaret club. Red. Glitter. And ninja face. She's dead serious about it. And swords are in her hands.
Beatrice's expression lights subtly. "My prince," she greets, and goes to greet him with a kiss on his cheek as if she were not damp, wearing an ill-fitting coat over a sopping wet white dress, and weren't still holding a silver long knife. (The dagger was discreetly put away... somewhere.)
Benedict asks, apparently seriously, "An evening constitutional?"
Beatrice explains, "It seems Gheorghe had locked Vladimir in a crypt, and kept a pack of... " she has no words, "Young men with horns about for when the guests vexed him. It's all taken care of. Vladimir will be in after he's... enjoyed the weather, so he tells us."
Benedict grimaces politely, as if pretending to be unaware of how the enjoyment might be going for others. "I had been meaning to talk to him about his collection of snack food. He's out of chocolate-covered locusts." His voice is almost foppish, very upper-class.
Beatrice takes Benedict's arm, which might render it slightly damp. "Tell me about it on the way up the stairs?" She suggests. "I believe there's some fresh things laid out so perhaps he's saved them up."
Benedict escorts Beatrice away - lucky man. "Good for salt balance, and also a good source of slow-release energy."
Eva leans on the table and looks ready to fall asleep right there.