lostcarnival | ⇨ HELL

Who: Vampire prisoners and rescue squad.
When: Evening Day 67 - Day 68
Where: Vampire Hell
What: The rescuers go to hell. Top levels are in approximate chronological order.
Warnings: Violence, torture, tryhard demons who aren't very creative.

RESCUE MISSION: HELL↴

The air smolders as you travel through the star-shaped portal the Ringmaster has opened - the gateway to the hell dimension that has taken so many if you. Ahead, you can see the grand entrance to Morningstar's fortress, a single point of civilization in the center of a barren, lava drenched hellscape. Of course, you won't be entering from the front. That would be stupid.

The Ringmaster's plan is simply in explanation but far more difficult in execution. Her instructions are that she will attack the fortress directly, and that the rescue team is to enter inconspicuously and rescue who they can while she engages Morningstar. She has provided you with silver weapons - daggers, swords, and some projectiles - which you may or may not choose to use. Shedding a trail of orange and green embers, the Ringmaster will sprout her dark, feathery wings and take to the air, leaving the rescuers to contemplate their instructions now that they've arrived.

The fortress is large, and as such there are many potential side entrances to find. It will take some doing, but the group will be able to accomplish it. Meanwhile, many of the vampires within will be distracted by the Ringmaster's now very audible arrival, and don't seem to be expecting a secondary attack. The initiative is yours, and the captives are there to be found... but will you succeed?

► GATEKEEPING: For those who don't trust their mettle enough to travel all the way to hell, there is an important job to be done back at the carnival. The Ringmaster's obsidian daggers have opened a portal there, but while the rescuers enter that portal must be protected - both to keep it from collapsing and stranding everyone there, and to prevent anything demonic from escaping onto the carnival grounds and causing havoc. If you need to take it easy but still want to help, this is a good place to be. It's also a good place for nervous hand-wringing about whether any of your friends will make it back alive.

► PLAYPEN: The cavernous pits where the neonate vampires are dumped, in order to engage in a survival of the fittest style battle royale where only the strongest and most cunning will emerge. Those that were turned during the masquerade were dropped down here a couple days ago, and so someone needs to go collect them. Try not to get eaten by the hordes of other starving neonate vampires down there while you're at it. Maybe you could even try to save some of them, if any seem worth redemption.

► CAPTIVES: While the supervisors were initially all caged together in large cell surrounded with a moat of lava, it seems that most of them have now been moved elsewhere. Where they have ended up is a puzzle you'll have to solve quickly - there are plenty of vampire sentries about to try to get in your way, and some of the prisoners may already be significantly worse for wear. If anyone has any powers that help them find people, this would be the time to use them.

► MINIBOSSES: Unfortunately, the enemies here aren't only capable of damaging the body, but the mind, too. In these particular cases, that corruption of the mind has been used pointedly to Morningstar's advantage - two of the carnival's most dangerous members have now been turned against it. If you want to get out of here alive, you'll have to go through them. If you're really lucky, you'll get them out alive, too.

► BOSS FIGHT: Before the rescuers and the rescued can escape, Lord Morningstar will arrive to corner them, with an entourage of elders. Let's hope that she gloats long enough for something to turn the tables.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

There's a huge blast of blue, screams of pain, and the barrier falls. A figure shrouded in blue flames runs into the playpen, knocking aside any starving neonates that are too driven by their hunger to think that it might be a bad idea to try to bite something on fire. With Kurikara in his right hand and a silver sword gifted by the Ringmaster in the other, he slashes aside a pair of young vampires who jump to attack him.

With his sword unsheathed, his true demonic form is revealed; with longer ears, horns made of fire, and blue flames all over his body. The blue markings he acquired at the Celebration grow to cover more of his skin as well.

"ALRIGHT CARNIVAL PEOPLE!" he calls out, "Time to get the hell out of here!"

And any other neonates that wanted to behave themselves... Rin supposed they could come too. Amongst the crowd, Rin spots a familiar face.

"... Sora?!"

Edited 2017-03-17 01:53 (UTC)

Of all the rescue situations Sora has imagined, his roommate busting in and being on fire was not one of them. He knew Rin had some powers, and wasn't entirely human, but he supposes he'd underestimated what that meant.

"Rin?"

Sora looks up and over some heads to see Rin looking at him. His keyblade is drawn, trying to take down as many rabit neonates as he can to clear the way. He's still wearing the same suit, but he's dirty and covered in blood and he's pretty sure it's been three days since he's eaten and boy can he hear Rin's heart pumping blood. Better not think about it.

It doesn't help that as literal Satan-spawn, Rin's powers resonate strongly with their current location. It would prove to be too much to handle after a while, but for now, Rin is still in control of himself. Barely. Honestly, he feels like he's trying to hold on to a tornado. But he's not going to let his friends see that he's straining.

"It is you! Damn... you got vamped for real dude?" Rin shakes his head. "I'd offer you a snack, but I need all my blood in my body. When we get back though, maybe, alright? I'm sure the Ringmaster has a plan to cure you all!"

Another starving Neonate jumps to attack Rin, and he points Kurikara at her, and she becomes immolated in blue flames as if doused in gasoline. "Geez! Behave yourselves, you're gonna get rescued!!"

"Yeah, I... kinda got caught off guard," Sora admits sheepishly. He watches with a cringe as Rin totally stabs that vampire girl. "No, it's okay! I don't want to take blood from anyone."

To be honest, he's feeling a little weak because of that, but he's refused to feed since the night of the masquerade. He refuses to hurt anyone else.

"How'd you guys get here, anyway?"

Eh, she'll probably be fine. Right? Sure. She's not even totally charred.

"It's fine. It happens to all of us. That place was...." Rin shakes his head again. "It messed with our heads! Definitely not at the top of our games."

Rin grins and jumps down into a fairly clear spot and draws a pentagram in flames on the ground. It's... sloppy, but it gets the idea across?

"The Ringmaster made a portal!"

"Yeah. I've never been anywhere like this," Sora answers, following Rin down to where he makes the pentagram. "It's almost like... it drains your energy, just by being here."

It wouldn't exactly be the first place he's gone to that's done that. He watches Rin draw, curious, and keeps an eye out for attackers.

"And what's that?"

"That's cause it's Gehenna. Or... well, Hell, I guess. Normal people ain't supposed to be here."

Not that... Sora was normal, anymore. But maybe because he was fighting so hard against his vampire side? Even Rin could feel the pull. Wouldn't it be so much easier just to give in? Just be the beast you were born to be...?

No, he couldn't let it take him. He had a job to do, still.

"This is a pentagram. It's... well, where I come from, it's associated with demons and Satan and stuff. When Tamers summon demons to help 'em out, their summoning circles have these in them! So I guess it's like... a portal? But instead of demons coming out, we all went in. .... Oh, I guess some little bat guys came out. I'll have to round those up when we get back."

"I see," Sora replies, not seeing at all. All of the words Rin just said sound like gibberish to him, and he can't tell if that's the exhaustion or if his roommate really is making no sense. He's vaguely aware that it's something to do with religion, but that sort of thing has never been his bag.

Still, he watches with interest as Rin continues to draw the circles and squiggles and such.

"So what are you gonna do with it?"

"Oh this one? Nuthin'," he says, drawing a line across the pentagram with his sword, effectively ruining it. Not that it was drawn well enough to do anything anyway. "I'm a real visual guy is all! ... Alright. I think it's time we blow this popsicle stand, what do you think?"

Sora wonders what the point was to drawing all that if Rin was just gonna erase it anyway, but he still nods eagerly at the suggestion. It'll be a relief to get out of this pit. The smell down here is revolting, a mix of stale air and congealed blood. Fresh air would be a relief.

"I would love that."

⇨ HELL

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