Reunions (closed)

[Warhaven]

Previously, forces from around Earth and Warhaven gathered to take on a powerful Vampire Lord bent on destroying the world. Unknown to them all, a Temporal anomaly put the world into a stasis, now freed life begins again, and our hero's perilous assault on the castle of the Vampire Lord continues on.

OOC: Continuing at long last from this thread:

viewtopic.php?f=5&t=272153

[The Floor Kippers]

From stillness slowly came motion, like a record spinning up to speed.

The Shattered door of the castle, splintering around the Amoury, pieces of wood and metal spinning away slowly through the air, gradually speeding up. The occupants watched as, in defiance of the laws of probability, one of the shards of wood landed home and peireced the heart of a waiting vampire.

The battle raged on, the Order of the Sun ploughing slowly into the fray leaving the Earth Defence Forces to pulled any unconcious civillians out of harms way, St Ignis circled over the battle, his purifying fire raining down on the fight the streaks like shooting stars in the slow time.

Time resumed it's winged course and the Armory came to land in the entrance hall of the castle.

Three walls of dark magic, as dark as the souls of the damned blocked off the three passageways that lead away into this twisted structure of gothic horror.

Quintus sniffed deeply.

"Morgana," He said, "What do you smell?"

"Blood," She replied, "Very old blood."

"It stinks" He growled.

Morgana turned from him and looked out onto the walls of dark magic.

She took a deep breath and focused her mind.

"There are different dangers to each, but they all eventually lead deeper into the castle," She breathed, "Which shall it be, left, right or middle?"

[Warhaven]

"It would be too dangerous for us to split up, our numbers are too few," Wilhelm advised.

"I don't believe it particularly matters, so long as we reach our goal," Isran said, getting a sun-shaped shield and mace ready.

John walked up to the middle wall, quickly it began to flicker in the presence of his Aura. He concentrated his aura into his right fist and punched the wall, shattering the magic barrier.

"Then let's not waste time in frivolous debates, remember, Sam waits in Sanctuary for any innocents we might send him for protection. I am told he has it set to Daylight and had his brother William infuse the Light with his Holy power. Anathema to any dark thing that tries to get them back," John said, and proceeded to boldly stroll deeper into the castle.

"Watchout for traps young wolf, there's sure to be a few," Wilhelm advised John.

[The Floor Kippers]

"John, Wait!" Exclaimed Morgana. She grabbed him by the shoulder and pulled him back.

The strength and speed of her action caused John to slip backwards, one of his legs kicking out and sending his shoe flying off his foot.

"What was that about?" He asked Morgana curiously, lying on his back on the stone floor.

"Look," She said, pointing to where he had been about to walk.

His shoe hovered seven feet in the air, slowly turning as if hung by a wire. Then it began to vibrate, faster and faster, losing definition as their eyes struggled to keep up. With a flash of light the shoe burst into flame and a few moments later tore itself apart with a bang, scattering the surrounding area with bits of shoe.

"That was a magekiller trap," Pippa noticed, "Whoever's waiting for us, they know exactly who's coming to see them"

"Vampires have spies and ears everywhere," Quintus growled, "A Vampire Royal is no different."

[Warhaven]

"I did say to watch out for traps. Now, you remember "Hunter 100th special", when one of my predecessors fought Edgar the hyper-paranoid Vampire? I think one of those tricks ought to help a little here." Wilhelm said, and removed a gas canister from his coat.

"How paranoid was he?" Isran asked.

"You know how paranoid a regular Elder like the fellow we're after now is, right? Edgar was so paranoid he lived in utter solitude and ate the dead, wouldn't trust the living, or the undead. Had enough traps to catch even the greatest of Stealth Masters." Wilhelm said.

"Shame I am not of the same clan as Guin, or Violet, they can go intangible, like a ghost. My clan specializes in heightened senses and awareness." John said wistfully.

"Then prove it," Wilhelm said, spraying the canister down the hall. A thick bright pink cloud drifted down the hallway, any physical traps became coated in a layer of bright pink cotton, making it very visible and obvious.

"That just leaves magical traps I guess." Isran said.

[The Floor Kippers]

"Keep your wits about you," Quintus ordered as the group moved further into the castle.

There were several tricks and traps, collapsing floors, small mazes laced with psychoactive substances to confuse and trap the weak willed.

All were deftly dealt with by the team.

Their next deadly obstacle was a large room, cultivated and neat. artificial sunlight lit the room, a gravel path crossed the vast space twisting through the beds of flowers purple flowers and over a little stream up to the door on the far side.
Archways hung over the path with thing strips of grey metal hanging down like tinsel.

"Not much of a challenge is it?" Morgana mused, "Walk across a garden and-ahh!"

She snatched her hand away from the banister of the stairs leading down into the space before them. There was a mark on her hand where it had touched the grey metal that lined the rail.

"Nothing is as simple." Quintus replied, "Silver everywhere, and I'll bet a million dollarpounds that every plant in there is fully matured wolfsbane. Nobody start a fire"

[Warhaven]

"What we need, only Morgana can provide," Wilhelm said with certainty after a moment's thought.

"Do elaborate." Isran prompted.

"Morganna has The Deep Magic, the power that transcends normal magic. Altering Reality is easier for her than for a normal magic-user, like say Varence. If she were to impose her magic upon the silver railings, she could transmute them to something less sinister, like aluminum. The flowers, though pretty, are subject to Death the same as all things. A little death magic, and their all gone, alongside any threat they might pose. But first and most importantly, get rid of that artificial sunlight, it's a trap." Wilhelm said.

John cleared his throat and howled, spreading Anti-magic everywhere his voice did reach. Then he soundly kissed Morganna, removing her from his Anti-magic field.

[The Floor Kippers]

Morgana closed her eyes and concentrated.
The light dark suddenly, leaving the only light the aura surrounding Morgana. She pushed her hands forward and a ball of pure white light flowed from her hands, lighting the room up once again

The princess ran her hand above the railing, the metal losing it's glimmer and shine and becoming dull, she flicked her hand out and the same happened to the other metal in the room as it filled with the sound of rustling aluminium foil.

She steadied herself as she drew deeper, from a magic she seldom liked to use, a darker magic.

Ghostly smoke spread from her fingers and over the flowers. Like time sped up, the Wolf'sbane began to wilt and die, crumbling away to nothing.

The smoke dissapated and all that was left was the light.

Morgana sagged and let John take her weight while she recovered.

They shared a kiss, partly for John to re-establish his anti-magic feild, but it lingered longer than needed for that.

Quintus took the lead and strolled along the gravel path, brushing through the strips of aluminium foil.

The door on the otherside opened into a dark, dank castle courtyard. The stars above them twinkled in the cold air. The distanct sounds of the battle raging on outside the castle echioed down, along with the screeches of St Ignis's righteous fury as he swooped down on the old enemy.

"The Vampire royal will be in there, do you agree, Wilhelm?" Pippa asked, pointing at the tallest, most gothic tower in the castle, so tall it almost peirced the clouds.

[Warhaven]

"If he isn't I'll be surprised. Of course, there is the curious case of Nagemta, Queen of the Undermyre. She had a habit of dwelling in the lowest cavern or point in any given area." Wilhelm said.

"Yes, but as a group, Nobles think themselves above all others, their dwelling habits typically reflect that," Isran said.

"I'm guessing we're in for a fight or two on our way up the tower, possibly even an innocent or two to rescue," John said.

The three seemed ready to climb the tower and give the noble what for.

[The Floor Kippers]

"Vampires are such shocking egotists," Morgana commented.

"It's either them or cats," Quintus added.

On the far side of the court yard was a huge set of wooden and steel doors, medeival in design.

Quintus and Pippa cautiously put their ears to them.

"Vampire feeding hall," Quintus murmered.

"Maybe fifty high ranking vampires," Pippa continued, "Thirty victims. I'd say they'd worked their way through half of them by now."

"I concur, the stench of spoiled blood is ripe," Quintus agreed, "Five rows of ten each, sharing feeding. It's like the bad old days of Paris all over again."

"The Blood Massacre?" Pippa asked.

Quintus nodded, "I was there, fought that unwinnable battle."

"Wilhelm, you ready for a fight?" Pippa asked quietly, "Fifty unsuspecting leeches"

[Warhaven]

"Did you know I happen to have a Solar grenade primed and ready for throwing?" Wilhelm asked as a response, hefting a grenade that was harmless to all non-vampires, and extremely deadly to Vampires.

"Aww same some for me man" Isran joked, hefting his mace and shield into combat readiness.

"Open the doors, let's crash their lunch." John urged, claws out Aura minimized as most of it was channeled to his muscles.

[The Floor Kippers]

Pippa smiled, and Quintus grinned a wolfish grin that became literal as he shifted to his wolf form.

Morgana had mirrored John's change and stood ready besides him.

Silently Pippa counted down from three on her hands, and with Quintus, she threw open the doors on the unsuspecting vampires.

[Warhaven]

First came the Solar Grenade which plunked down among the startled vampires with a quiet clink. Suddenly it was as bright as noon, most of the vampires smart enough to find cover, but 20 piles of ash proved not all vampires were fast.

John moved in first tackling a rather burly vampire into a side room, and behind him came Isran who knocked another on the head with his mace, turning the vampire to Ash, as Isran's mace was sanctified by Omnisource. Wilhelm walked to the center of the room and leaped over the decapitated body of the burly vampire John had tackled earlier. A pair of twins came screeching out of hiding, Wilhelm flung them at Isran and John while Wilhelm checked the victims for any survivors that could be saved.

One impacted with Isran's shield causing a sphere of Holy Light to shine around the man, startling John who took a heavy blow to the gut. John's anti-magic field was weakening by the second! John recovered and ripped the heart of the vampire out of its chest staking it on a chair leg. Isran's second vampire meanwhile was on fire thanks to Isran's surprise light sphere. This vampire fell into the fireplace and continued to burn.

Wilhelm found one victim that could be saved, a young maiden yet untouched by the vampires. He fed her a special garlic potion from one pocket, then freed her.

"John send her to Sam in Sanctuary," Wilhelm commanded.

John let loose a bloody roar that froze three vampires out of fear nearby. Suddenly the maiden was gone, and John tackled the three frozen Vampires into a side room. Sounds of fighting could be heard while Isran got tripped by an unseen vampire and swung about him blindly with his mace.

"No more invisible bloodsuckers." Isran declared and smashed his mace onto his shield causing a burst of Light energy to force every Vampire in a 100-meter Radius to become Visible. Finding a trio of Vampires about to get him, Isran rolled out of the way and tripped one head first onto the table, ripping off a section he staked that one to the ground and bashed another into flames with his shield. The last he smashed with his mace.

This brought Isran and John together, neither of whom has a chance to say anything before five Vampires surrounded Wilhelm. Wilhelm grinned before the six blurred out of sight. This was because the six were moving too fast for normal eyesight to keep up with.

Wilhelm reached into a pocket and threw a green potion at one Vampire and everyone else could only watch as a half-melted Vampire stumbled out of Hyperspeed and melted into a pile of translucent goo. Two tried to grab him but dodging them he pulled an exploding Garlic bomb and stuffed it down the throat of a fourth Vampire. He grabbed a stake out of one pocket and staked the second vampire, the stake was double ended and so the third adorned the other side. At this point the fifth Vampire thought to escape and so flew off. Wilhelm grabbed his crossbow and shot an arrow into the rafters, the fifth Vampire falling to the floor dead with a look of shock in his eyes.

The trio looked to see how the other tree were doing with the other Vampires.

[The Floor Kippers]

Quintus charged into the fray moments after the Solar grenade exploded.

He caught a vampire in his jaws, and slammed him down onto one of the tables, the force breaking it and pericing the vampire's heart with the resulting shards.

Morgana dashed through the ranks of vampire, her claws turned to wood as she she slashed and stabbed at the bloodsuckers, using her magic to protect their victims and spirit them way to Sam

Pippa was something else, she moved through the vampires witha precision. Her gun up and ready, clean kills with carbon fibre tipped bullets delivered into the hearts of vampires

Quintus hearded two vampires into an oncoming blast of Solar Light from Morgana, but his momentary lapse in concentration gave another vampire a chance to leap onto his back.

It beared it's teeth and lunged for his neck, but before it had the chance to bite, it was felled by a shot from Pippa.

Morgana took a blow to the shoulder from another vampire, and fell to the ground, but she took it by comolete surprise when she blasted his head off while he loomed over her.

At last the last vampire fell, head torn from his shoulders by Quintus's jaws. He spat it onto the ground before it turned to dust in his mouth.

"That's all of them," He said, shifting back to human form.

"This way then," Pippa said, crossing the room towards a spiral staircase that lead up into the tower.

The stairs were steep and hard going, and the further up they went the less rooms branched off the staircase.

About 15 floors up, Pippa stopped.

"Listen," She said.

There was a faint roaring sound, like a crashing wave getting closer and closer.

Morgana looked at her feet and yepled, there was a thick red liquid trickling down the stairs around her feet, around everyone's feet, and the amount just kept increasing.

"Blood," Quintus announced, "And there's going to be a lot more of it. Everyone, hold on tight."

[Warhaven]

"It's a psychic attack, keep your wits about you," Wilhelm warned.

John grinned and concentrated, a finger to his third eye. His Aura shifted Psionic and blocked the blood entirely, then grew to encompass the group.

"Stay close to me and remember to thank Ordinatio for attempting to invade and take over all those years ago," John said, amused.

"Why, what did Mr. Lack-of-imagination do then that helps us now?" Isran asked.

"He tried to spread a psionic virus, it worked, but not quite like he wanted. As an after effect, the other young magekillers and I all universally gained the power to block Psionic attacks with our aura, of which a Psychic attack like this falls squarely within that domain." John said.

Indeed, as long as they stayed in his Aura, the blood could not touch them.

[The Floor Kippers]

The great wave of blood came rolling down the stairs towards them, and flowed around John's Protective aura harmlessly.

It filled the stairway tip to toe and wall to wall, all they could see around them was red for a solid few minutes.

Eventually the level began to fall and the with a sudden pop, the blood vanished.

"They know we're close," Pippa said as she continued, "That would have taken a lot of energy to generate."

There was a thunk as someone stood on a false step, followed a series of hidden gears and cogs working away.

"Run!" Pippa shouted, as she and the others began to hurry up the stairs.

The decison turned out to be a bad one, as a ceiling panels snapped open and bathed the team and the rest of the stairs they had to climb in a silvery white light.

John and Morgana would feel their skin start to itch, as their wolf sides began to pull on their mental chains any medication they had taken to moderate their condition would stsrt to be burned through as the power coursed through them.

Quintus meanwhile began to shake as the Wolf Spirit inside tried to force its way out.

"M-moooon light" He inadvertantly howled, his teeth shifting between human and canine and back again.

"C-concentrated like nothing I've felt before," Morgana shuddered.

They tried to press on further, but the battle between their two sides started to take a toll on them.

[Warhaven]

John snarled, as his wolf and human sides clashed. Isran looked on helplessly not sure what to do.

"Well, desperate times call for desperate measures," Wilhelm said and knelt down.

"Father of Eternal Darkness, hear my prayer. Light assaults us from above threatening to tear friends apart and create new foes. I beg your blessings, your unequaled might grant us the shield of Everlasting Night." Wilhelm prayed to Kajeenith.

The tower shook as The Void opened and swallowed the artificial moonlight, leaving the entire rest of the tower trapped in a night so dense only the light of Omnisource could pierce it. The group would find they could see as perfectly in Kajeenith's night as they could in afternoon light on a normal day.

The remaining vampires would find the tower utterly inescapable, as if it had been disconnected from reality.

Outside the tower, the combined armies and any loose defenders could only bear witness as The Void enveloped the tower.

[The Floor Kippers]

Morgana and Quintus returned fully to their human forms, and Morgana took a moment to compose herself

The stairs would eventually lead up to a small room that held nothing but an unassuming wooden door, flanked either side by grotesque ancient suits of armour.

Pippa make a quick visual examination of the door.

"Solidly built, Silver and Mistletoe wood woven in to the structure. even the most powerful destruction spell wouldn't shift that," She mused.

She gestured Morgana over who examined it using spell.

"Oh dear," She exalcimed, "Nobody touch that door, it's got all sort of nasty tricks thrown into it. The amount of anti-mage curses here is astonishing, let alone those that would kill any normal person. Darling could you check something for me?"

She gestured John over. When he examined the door, he would find it bristling with all sorts of partucularly nasty Anti-Magekiller traps and tricks

"There's got to be a way through," Quintus mused, searching around for any clues.

[Warhaven]

"We stand here long enough The Void will eat it and the rest of the tower," Wilhelm said. Almost as if to prove his point flakes peeled off the door and dissipated unto nothingness.

"But it is just wood, right? Flame, a bomb, I could batter it down with my shield." Isran offered.

"Did you miss the part where Silver was woven into the structure? You attack it, we got deadly splinters flying everywhere, including at us." John countered.

"Not, not if we shape the blast. There may be anti-magic on the door itself, but that doesn't mean magic cannot unlock the door. For example, if Morganna were to summon a boulder and shoot it at the door, once she summoned and shot the boulder, there would be no more magic to counter, all the magic would be at the beginning, out here, away from the door. Once Door meets Boulder, its pure non-magic physics from there. A fast enough projectile will make short work of that door." Wilhelm pointed out.

"Aha! like the spell Meteor!" John said, understanding.

Wilhelm pulled out a crystal and gazed into it while moving about the area focused on the door, always on the door. Suddenly the crystal wobbled and Wilhelm stopped.

"From this spot, aim at the door, make sure to use a high degree of velocity on the rock/meteor and everyone else get ready. If Morganna does as I have suggested not only will she take the door down, but she'll also hit an unusually strong vampire, possibly the noble we're after.

[The Floor Kippers]

Morgana took up a pose and began to charge up the blast. Just as she was about to launch it....

"Oh for goodness sake!" An ancient voice echoed all around them like an impetuous child, causing Morgana to lose her concentration and the attack fizzled out, "Just push one of the suits of armour over! Have none of you ever watched old horror movies?!"

Pippa examined one of the suits of amour gingerly, before giving it a cautious push. It tilted over on a hinge, pulling an unseen lock and the door swung open.

"Millenia of waiting and you all completely ruined the moment," The voice continued. The room inside was long, and candle lit. An ancient coffin stood on one side of the room, a stone fireplace on the other.

It was coming from a high backed armchair facing a window that, until recently, had held a perfect view of the battle.

Young Angela was chained to the wall like a dog, given scraps of food to subsist on all this time. She perked up when she saw her father.

"Daddy!" She cried out, "the vampire said he was going to-"

But she was cut off by a noise that only she, Quintus, Morgana and John could hear. One that almost hurt the older Lycanthropes, but was quite discomforting to Lycanthropes.

"Speak, Vampire," Pippa demanded as she made her way cautiously across the room, Morgana and Quintus checking for traps, "Name yourself."

"Why don't you get your dear pet Quintus to tell you," The voice in the chair responded, deep and ancient, "After all, we go back a very long way."

A look of terrified realisation cross Quintus' face as he heard the voice clearly for the first time.

"After all this time," He breathed, "It can't be"

"What's the matter?" Morgana asked.

"I'm the first Werewolf, the oldest, the elder," Quintus replied. "I thought we were fighting a royal vampire, but I was wrong. We're fighting more than that, Much more than that."

"I am Lord Sanguis. The First Vampire," The voice said almost in answer to Quintus, "And childhood friend to the one you know as Quintus, the one who betrayed me, and took the Wolf Spirit."

The vampire in the chair stood and stepped from it's shadow to reveal a child, maybe a handful of years older than Angela was.

"Hello again, Quintus," He said, smiling a fanged grin.

[Warhaven]

"I thought Cain was the first Vampire, cursed for betraying his brother Abel and committing the first murder," Isran said.

"In some universes, yes. Infinite Multi-verse, infinite possibilities after all. Sanguis, it's been at least three incarnations since our paths crossed, I had hoped this day would never arrive." Wilhelm said.

John meanwhile was rubbing his ears.

"So I guess this is the part where Quintus bends you over his shaggy knee and gives you a spanking for your misbehaviour then." John said, edging closer to Angela. His goal was to get close enough to send her to Sanctuary and thus out of harm's way.

"Doesn't matter what he was going to do at the moment either way. So long as The Void engulfs the tower, it comprises all of our Reality, as there is quite literally infinite nothingness beyond the tower.

The tower shook as The void consumed a bit more of the tower. Additionally everyone, even the Vampires would feel a momentarily sharp stinging pain across their entire nervous system, as if struck by a thousand swords. This pain was the result of The Void beginning to eat the people too. Time was ticking, and in the distance sat Kajeenith on his throne, watching, waiting, ready to consume the loser.

[The Floor Kippers]

"You, Mutt, John was it?" Lord Sanguis snapped, turning his head to look at John, "I see what you're doing. Take the girl, she has filled her role in this, I need her no more, she was merely bait for her father. As inconsequential as you are."

He turned to Wilhelm, "Ahh, yes, 1888, Stockholm, my those were wonderful days. And to think you thought I perished in that fire. Me! The oldest and strongest vampire in this universe!"

He looked to Morgana.

"I see the house of Lambert has tainted it's bloodline with mark of the wolf," He continued, "A real shame, the House Of Lambert has produced such rich vintages over the years."

He breezed past Pippa, not even deigning to acknowledge the Huntress.

He looked Isran up and down dissaprovingly.

"This is a very motley crew Quintus," He said, "Two Whelps, a foolish old man and a boyscout. You couldn't even muster up that big bird that's always on fire. You've fallen a very long way from the old days."

[Warhaven]

"Oh St. Ignis? He's outside the castle raining fire down on your forces." Isran said, not bothered by the boy scout comment.

John meanwhile picked Angela up and out of sheer courtesy went behind a pillar to open a portal to Sanctuary, so the holy light didn't hurt Sanguis. John and Angela disappeared into the light, and two somethings came out of the portal. One appeared to be John, and even to Sanguis's best senses, would appear in all ways to be john. The other vanished as if it were never there, the portal closing behind them.

"One can always hope. It appears certain that we will rectify that mistake here and now." Wilhelm said.

John meanwhile continued to stare Sanguis down, there was something unusually menacing about him that simply was not there earlier, but again, to everyone's senses, it was indeed John. In the Void, Kajeenith leaned forward with interest, clearly knowing what was up.

[The Floor Kippers]

"What's this all about," Quntius asked, "I know you, destroying the moon, taking over scandinavia, it's all a side show to you."

Pippa moved softly and silently behind Sanguis, carefully drawing out a small stake from her hip.

"It's quite simple," Lord Sanguis began, "You and I have unsettled matters between us. Once I knew you were still around, That I hadn't finished you off in Paris, I had to bring you back to me for one last final-"

He stopped, unnerved by John staring at him.

"Okay" He said angrily "Have I got a bone or a stick caught on me somewhere, stop star-"

He was cut off again as Pippa's stake peirced his torso, stagnant blood oozing from his mouth.

"A nice try, but you'll have to try harder than that," He hissed, grabbing Pippa by the collar and throwing her heavily at the coffin against the wall, which shattered on impact.

"I guess there's no time for polite conversation anymore," He snarled before letting out a bloodcurdling shriek.

Elite vampires began to slide out of the shadows and come upon the heros from all sides.

Quntis meanwhile leapt at Sanguis, becoming the elder-wolf as he jumped upon his foe.

[Warhaven]

As three were about to fall upon Morganna they spontaneously erupted into a shower of blood and guts, causing John to smile.

"That's my girl," John said appreciatively.

"Your girl?" Isran asked, confused, laying about him with his mace and shield.

"John doesn't have any daughters," Wilhelm said, equally confused.

John began to grow, both in height, and visually he began to grow darker, blacker, muscles growing and swelling. Three more vampires about to overwhelm Pippa also exploded into a shower of guts. This time they seemed to cover someone, a little taller than Angela had been. Someone with wings, and a tail.

"You see Vampire, you got the troops wrong thanks to a last-minute exchange," John said, his voice becoming gravelly. He punched one Vampire so hard it blew out the window and splattered across Kajeenith's forehead in the distance.

"2 Werewolves not three, The Great Hunter, The Leader of The Dawnguard, and then there's the two of us." The small person said with a familiar girl's voice.

"This War has my blessings, for it is my right to give them," Sam said, emerging from the illusion of John, and eviscerating five vampires with his wings.

"This Hunt will go well, for I am The Apex Predator of all three Multi-verses. Styx said, becoming visible.

"I'm guessing you didn't tell John," Isran said.

"He's in the sanctuary with Angela, and the only two ways anyone's going to get to the sanctuary is if they overpower me and force it open, or kill me and rip the keys from my soul," Sam confirmed.