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

"Good that we checked, at least." He looks around. He sees pretty well in dim light, but this deep it's more than dim. He'll have to take Sora's word for it.

"We should get out of here before they manage to seal the wards again." Axel turns to face the way they came, but... It all looks the same. "... Do you remember the way out?"

Sora nods, turning to face Axel, then realizes that he probably can't see him. "Yeah," he answers, turning around and pointing. "Shouldn't take too long, I think."

Lightly, he takes Axel's arm and begins pulling him towards where he's pretty sure the exit is. The sooner they can get out of here, the better.

When someone touches his arm, he blinks, eyes glowing faintly even through the lids. He's about to smite when he realizes it's Sora. This place has him on edge; probably because of what happened last time.

"Good, 'cause I sure don't." He'll follow along, obediently, but... Sora will be able to feel, through his coat, his 'blood' pumping in his arm. It may not smell particularly good, but it's definitely there.

He can feel it, alright, and the only thing keeping him from losing it right now is that he can't smell it. Axel's 'blood' just smells like... nothing.

Axel could probably feel it too, how tense Sora is, how even through a light grip his muscles are straining and his knuckles are white. He's been on edge for days now, but he won't let himself hurt anyone else.

He doesn't say anything more, and doesn't let go of Axel until light begins to return and the sounds of the continuing battle reach their ears.

He can definitely tell his friend is tense, but Axel's not sure what to do about it. Feeding Sora's a risk, and he might react badly to Nobody blood anyway. It's not worth trying.

Instead, he just lifts his now-free hand to Sora's shoulder, and pauses a moment. "Are you gonna be ok to fight?"

Sora grins half-heartedly up at Axel, taking his hands back and digging them into his sides again. Honestly, he wasn't sure of the answer to that, but he had to try.

"Yup! I'll be fine."

"If you're sure." Sora doesn't sound sure, but Axel smiles at him anyway before wading back into the fray. "If everyone's out, we just need to fight our way through!"

"R-right!" Sora calls back, summoning the keyblade to hand and falling into a fighting stance. It was the least he could do to help.

With that said, Axel summons his chakrams, and the fight begins once more. He's glad he has someone he can trust to watch his back, it makes him feel that much safer. However, he is curious about one thing.

"Are you ok using that? I mean, light and all. Doesn't mix well with vampirism, does it?"

It does tingle in his hands, but it doesn't hurt. Not really, not the way Light would hurt. But he knows, can feel in his bones what could happen if he's not careful.

"It's fine, as long as I don't do any light spells."

No Light Barrier, no Spark, and definitely absolutely no Holy. Even Cure is more draining than usual. But he can handle it.

"Got it. Well, let's do this thing!"

As he speaks, he flicks his chakrams at a vampire. It's not a pretty sight, but as it was a starved neonate ravening towards Axel, it also isn't particularly gory. There's just no blood there.

"We've gotta get out before they call in elders or something!"

"Elders?"

Sora follows Axel's lead towards the exit, keyblade swinging. Out here, Axel's much more of an asset than Sora is right now, and mostly he's just bashing whatever the redhead misses.

... Which isn't much. Axel's been fighting with chakrams in some form or another for more than 10 years. These are faster targets than most and don't go down easy, though, so he's welcoming the help.

The exit is close, so close... And then they're out, out of the playpen. "Elders. Old vampires. Dangerous, they're very strong. We took one out last time, and they brought hell."

"You don't think they'd send them after us, do you?" Sora calls, right on the redhead's tail. It's much brighter out here, and Sora has to squint a little in the light, after being in semi-darkness for so long. He's completely disoriented, and in a reverse situation from earlier, completely reliant on Axel to lead him.

"Maybe, but not us personally. You're just a newbie vampire, and if that literal hellpit is any indication, they don't care much about you guys." He shrugs and keeps going, trying to remember the way he came. And not commenting that he, as a part-time mercenary, may be a more appealing target.

⇨ HELL

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