⇨ HELL

[ringleaders]

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.

Comments

[stillwinningthehardway]

Scout's eyes go wide and she reaches for the roll of heavy tape even as she sees Lambert's metal sword go flying. It gives her an idea. She bites off a strip and sticks it on the hilt of her lightsaber so that it's held in the "on" position, the blue blade humming and snarling against the air.

She draws it back, balancing the hilt on her hand, and throws her lightsaber with all she can muster and what little telekinetic gift she has, spinning in a disc up at the raised foot. While that's happening she has to hold still and focus on nothing but the blade and the target, trying to guide it along a good path.

[perverses]

With the elders hesitating and the more positive magic being thrown around, interfering, it's enough for Shima to shake off the previous command to submit. He'd been fighting it earlier, but not well enough to have kept from being forced to one knee. He won't get up, but he will pick his staff back up and mutter another verse — his own variety of spell — and jab it up into the air, aiming the black flame gathered at its end towards the approaching foot.

He won't throw it since he's pretty sure losing his only weapon in the lava would be a shitty plan, but he can send a massive gout of hellfire to accompany Lambert's silver sword and Scout's lightsaber up there.

[kingsroads]

Well alright! We're throwing things at the foot now! That's a wonderful plan and surely won't end up with everybody missing swords and lightsabers and what have you.

By now he's at Koel's side and gives the woman a smile that he hopes is reassuring but in reality is probably just a little bit tense. There's no way he'd be able to get them both out of here and not get smushed in time. So, Strange finishes casting his spell, gesturing at the ground in front of them.

A large section of rock shoots out from the ground, curving over their heads slightly. If the 'let's throw everything at the giant foot' plan doesn't work, perhaps he could magically maintain the overhang so that it at least keeps the two of them and any carnival members around them from being smushed. If not...well, it'll at least inconvenience the elder vampires a bit before they come to eat them.

[npcarnival]

It's exceptionally difficult to do damage to a being like Morningstar, within her own domain - but that doesn't mean an attack can't fucking sting. Like stepping on a tack, the silver sword pricks into her massive foot, that silver burning deep. She could have plowed her way through it, however, if it hadn't been for that beam of light and that black hellfire scorching the pads of her other foot.

It sends her stumbling back, swearing, one of her feet sinking into the pool of lava as she tries to right herself. Lava doesn't hurt her, of course, but the difference in level between one foot and the other sends her off balance - her massive steps will shake the ground. It takes her a few moments to set herself right, and the fury is palpable. Wings flaring even brighter, she makes a movement to charge back towards them - but as it turns out, she's too late.

It's in that moment that a massive black form swoops in through the crater-like opening of the room, screeching, its gargantuan wings dwarfing even Morningstar's true form in size. It's jaws have locked around her throat before she even has a chance to roar, the power of the beast's wings enough to send a violent flood of wind through the room, hauling the demon up into the air. It takes a few moments to make sense of what is being seen, but... is that a fucking dragon?

Morningstar manages to return the grapple in mid air as she takes flight, hissing out words of bitter satisfaction, blood pouring down her body like crimson lava.

"Finally, you challenge me face to face!" she says, digging her claws into the dragon's side. The dragon's wings beat again, sending out another roar of wind. Lines of orange light move up its wings in patterns, gradually shifting to a vibrant green.

"Careful what you wish for," the dragon growls, and the two of them plunge into the depths of the lava pool, savaging each other with their claws as they fall.

For a moment things are quiet. It will stretch into second, up towards a minute, the lava occasionally bubbling with the force of their struggle. Until, finally, it all stops.

The Elders are too shocked to act in the meantime, still fended off by the light. After about a minute and a half, the winner will emerge, their dark shape emerging through the lava, the molten liquid dripping down its black, shining scales.

The dragon will heave out a staggered breath, green fire licking its massive fangs. Within its jaws is the ravaged, grotesque form of a demon-sized heart.

A few moments later, the dragon will swallow it whole.

[whattaprick]

So much for that sword. Vesemir would probably have a conniption if he knew exactly how Lambert lost it, but then a dragon swoops in and derails that train of thought completely.

Lambert raises his arms to shield his face against the debris and hot air blown about by the sudden rush of wind. When giant bodies hit the lava and disappear, it's almost anti-climactic how deathly quiet it suddenly is, compared to the roar from earlier. It goes on long enough he can't help glancing at the elders still held back, hoping they don't get any ideas, because Lambert's down one silver sword and that would really suck.

But it's the dragon that emerges victorious, and if there was any doubt of her identity before? The way she consumes that heart gets rid of the last of it.

"Well," he says out loud, to nobody in particular. "Glad we didn't have to do that."

[amusicaladventure]

Ash let her music die out, took one deep breath, then turned to face the carnival members behind her.

"I guess that battle didn't... drag on."

[starseedling]

Steven is quick to make his shield get as big as he can manage, to ensure that the group avoids any of that lava splash back. The two giants fighting in front of them sure are kicking up a lot of it, and while it obviously does't hurt them, he's pretty sure lava is bad for most other people.

Some lava spray puddles off the front of his shield, but it isn't until the dragon finally emerges that he actually begins to lower his weapon, his whole body tense with apprehension. And then Ash says something ridiculous, and it draws a tension breaking laugh out of him.

"...Ha," he says, sweat dribbling from his hairline. This has been a long day.