TSlice5Life
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First off; I want to apologize to those of you who happened to read the last chapter I "posted" of this series. It seems I must have posted it during editing, and the chapter was not ready to be put onto the site. It's fixed now, so feel free to go back and read the actual chapter as it was originally meant to be shown.
I will probably update this series on my Tumblr first and foremost; so a quick link to those interested in the newer chapters. Plus, there is also music linked in the thread to listen at points during the story; for ambiance and whatnot. Also worth noting is my thoughts on each chapter; extra tidbits I don't want to write down here.
http://cliched-syxx.tumblr.com
I will continue adding the chapters here as well; Tumblr is just easier for me to edit things in / blog on. So there will be a probable delay between updates.
- - - -
Back to the story though, our heroes have found a manor in the distance; belonging to an old family from centuries past. Fans of Castlevania lore should be interested in how everything will progress. But we won't know until we get there, will we? Enjoy.
:redstar: :feather:
Also, I would love to hear some feedback as to what you guys and gals out there think of the story thus far. Anything I could work on in future chapters? (Aside from more tickling, of course; which is a lot in the next chapter, and the main focus of Chapter VIII) :coolthumbup
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Chapter VI: Unpleasant Meetings
- -
The sound of bootsteps could be heard reverberating against the cold stone walls.
As Reinhardt continued to ascend the stairs, he could feel the air begin to change; it seemed to grow cooler with every step. Above him in the loft of the tower, he could hear the squeal of bats. He looked up as he continued on; their beady glowing eyes seemed to watch his every step as some of them fluttered their wings.
He sighed, seeing there was a large wooden door ahead. “Maybe the gate mechanism is up here. Not like I could mist through the gate anyway..” he thought. Once he arrived on the outside of the wall, he crossed the drawbridge into the inner wall. He hadn’t bothered to stop Cornell as he went into the western tower; maybe one of them would come across something pertinent in their searching. Reinhardt gripped the handle of the whip as he gently opened the door, looking out for danger before stepping forth. There was nothing save for two large gear mechanisms in the center of the large room.
Seeing no danger, he tucked the whip back into his pouch and walked over to the cogs, noticing a lever attached to a small pillar. The lever itself was slightly rusty, and in the “down” position. “This must be what controls the gate below. Might as well flip it up and see.” he thought, hefting the lever up. As the lever flipped up, he could hear a loud click sound below him as the cogs began to rotate; raising the gate on the first floor. A final crash could be heard as the gate ascended. Alongside the wall, a small grate opened and stairs led down towards the lower level.
He stepped out onto the staircase and looked down; seeing what appeared to be a dragon’s head sitting on a pillar in the center of the large area. “What the….?” he thought leaning over the rail to get a better look. It didn’t make any sort of movement; so Reinhardt slowly decended the stairs. He decided to see if it would attack; so he stopped to pick up a stone and threw it; the stone hitting it directly on top of it’s head.
Suddenly the head jerked in his direction and opened it’s mouth. A volley of fireballs flew from within as Reinhardt lept from the staircase. The volley peppered the wall where he was previously standing, as he withdrew his sword and ran behind a nearby wall. The dragon’s head turned to follow him; stopping at the point where he disappeared. Reinhardt edged to the other side, poking his head out to see why it had stopped. Luckily for him, the skull hadn’t noticed him yet; as it continued looking to where he last was. “Not that bright apparently…. That’s a plus for me.” he thought.
Reinhardt didn’t particularly feel like getting singed; let alone set on fire. He couls see another set of stairs leading down; directly behind the lone pillar. It’d be close, but he could make it if he ran. He took a deep breath and jetted out from behind the wall, jumping over fallen rubble as he darted past the skull. The demon quickly turned it self and began firing volleys of fireballs after him, each one narrowly avoiding him as they smacked into the wall with a flash. Just as he reached the stairs, he turned around to see the creature emit a wall of fire towards him. “Whoa!” he yelled, feeling the intesne heat as he dove down the staircase. He looked back up to see that the flames had charred the wall behind where he stood, moments before.
Continuing on, he made his wall back to the main gates; seeing they were both standing wide open. He figured Cornell might have made it back down here already, but he was nowhere to be found. Reinhard quickly checked outside, seeing no footprints to account for.
“Odd, I thought he would have made it back here by now; unless he already ran off ahead…” he thought, furrowing his brow. He crossed his arms and sighed, looking out at the darkening sky above. Lightning flashed and thunder could be heard off in the distance.
He wanted to continue on, but his instincts told him something was wrong. Reinhardt started off towards the western tower, opening the large door and stepping inside. Unlike the eastern tower, this one was in shambles. Most of the floor had collapsed, leaving a narrow path up the walls as the only route. From somewhere high in the loft, a few chunks of mortar fell down, clacking against the walls as they hit the bottom of the tower, some 30 feet below where he stood.
He cautiously peeked over the edge, unable to see the ground at all. “So… one slip and that’s it, huh? Can’t say I’m too surprised…” he muttered, shaking his head. He began walking along the path, looking up towards the top of the tower. Scattered around the path were a few of those dragon skulls he had encountered before; and a few bats flying about, but he wasn’t too worried about those. “The skulls on the otherhand….” he thought, grimacing.
As he was lost in thought, he neared one of the staricase arches as a large guillotine dropped from a slit above. Reinhardt froze at it smashed into the ground in front of him, slowly beginning to retract back above. He skirted underneath of it and jumped to the other side the stairwell; avoiding a large pit. He turned around in time to see the blade finish retracting. One of the tiles slowly began to raise as an audible snick could be heard. “Hmph… pressure plates. Nice try; but it’s going to take a little more than cheap tricks to do away with me.” he muttered aloud, running a hand through his spikey hair.
As Reinhardt continued on, he managed to subdue the bone dragons with a few well placed kicks; sending them tumbling down of the stairwell to the ground below. One of them had managed to singe part of his calf, thankfully his boot absorbed most of the blow. Standing before him now was a large gap in the stairwell; almost fifteen feet across. A large piller jutted out from the wall with large metal rings attached to the bottom. It looked almost like where prisoners would have been hung to die. Unfortunately, there was no other route to the door past the gap; as he eyed the rings and thought a moment. He pulled out the vampire killer and took a few steps back, getting into position to jump. His only chance was to grab hold of the rings with his whip and propel himself over the gap.
“I hope you’re watching out for me up there, Richter.”
Reinhardt dashed towards the edge and leapt; as he neared the rings, he managed to wrap the whip around one and propel himself across, tumbling across the ground as he landed. His boots came to a clatter against the bottom of the final set of stairs leading towards the door. With a groan, he got up, and stowed the whip; patting the dust and dirt off of himself. All of a sudden, he heard a rather large thud as the stone wall seemed to rumble. He turned towards the door and started up the stairs.
“Damn!” came a voice from the other side, followed by a deep roar, and then another crash.
Cornell!
Reinhardt ran to the door and tried the handle, but it wouldn’t open. He pushed against it and still it wouldn’t budge.
He could hear howls and roars on the other side.
Reinhardt took a step back and shoulder-tackled the door, but still it held.
He tried again, throwing his full weight into it and he could hear the wood begin to splinter and crack. He did it once more, hearing a loud crack as the door partially broke.
He gave it a solid kick and the door flew off the hinges, clattering to the ground. Reinhardt quickly stepped outside in time to see Cornell being backed into a corner by three large Cerberi. “What in God’s name…?” he thought, as the sound of the whip cracked throughout the stale air.
The demons attention turned towards Reinhardt as two of them broke away to confront this new intruder. Lightning flashed, illuminating the black sky as Reinhardt watched them draw near. The beasts were almost as tall as he was; their blood red eyes watching him as he took a few steps to the right. He lashed out at the closer of the two dogs and sliced into it’s front leg, almost cutting it to the bone. The creature let out a terrible howl as blood began pouring from the strike. As the creature fell on it’s knees, the other began to rush towards him, snapping at him with it’s powerful jaws.
He nimbly dodged the large creature as he lashed at it’s backside. The creature growled as the whip lashed into it; causing blood to trickle down it’s sides. The two dogs rushed at him for another strike. Meanwhile, Cornell was busy with the third Cerberi; jumping onto it’s massive frame as he began tearing into it’s back with his claws.
Reinhardt could hear the creature howl in fury and pain as Cornell continued to claw deeper and deeper, causing the blood to fly all around him. He soon jumped off, watching the demon stagger around in all of the lost vitality; collapsing against the wall. Reinhardt quickly rolled out of the way of another pass by the Cerberi with the hurt leg; he lashed and caught it’s rear leg, tripping the massive beast. He noticed he stood in front of the same type of mechanism as on the other tower; the second demon ran towards him.
He could feel the humid, breath on his chest as he slid to avoid it ramming him; narrowly avoiding the beast.
Two of the creature’s heads became stuck inside the mechanism; as it struggled and threatened to pull the whole contraption down to get free. Without hesitaion, Reinhardt drew his sword and ran at the demon dog, thrusting the blade into the side of it’s torso. The creature let out a gutteral cry as the blade punched a hole through it’s flesh; sending blood bubbling up from it’s throat. With a final spasm, the creature lay dead.
Reinhardt removed the sword and turned around to see the injured one rise again. It slowly turned towards Cornell and hobbled after him. Cornell’s right arm slowly began to rise behind him, almost as if he was preparing to throw a disc. His magical aura began concentrating at the tips of his fingers as he threw his hand forward, sending out a brilliant blue wave. The demon managed to duck, but still the wave ripped into the creature’s right head and torso, obliterating it as it continued on. The creature fell over, caught in the throngs of death spasms as it howled and whined.
Soon, it too succumbed to death; as the two looked over at the creature slumped against the wall.
Though it lost so much blood, the creature managed to stand on shaking legs, barely able to growl at the two of them. Reinhardt lashed out at the creature and wrapped the whip around it’s leg; pulling it to the ground with all of his strength. Cornell picked up Reinhardt’s sword as he rushed to the creature, driving the blade straight through it’s torso like the first one. The creature lay there dead; a quick and easy finish. Cornell pulled the sword out and flicked the blood off of it. The sword had a brilliant sheen to it, and was razor sharp. He looked to Reinhardt and tossed it over to him. He caught it and put it back into it’s sheath.
The heavens began to unleash a few droplets of rain, the droplets soon turning into torrents as the two made their way back to the main gates. When they finally got back, they were soaking wet. Cornell found a few logs tucked away next to one of the walls; soon making a small fire for them to dry off near. The two men sat in silence next to the roaring fire, watching the rain come down in sheets outside.
“So…” Reinhardt spoke, breaking the silence, “… Guess that means we’re even then.” he chuckled, looking over to Cornell. Cornell shook his head and chuckled as well; “I suppose it does. It’s a good thing you came when you did; I don’t think my powers would have been enough to keep all three of them at bay.” Reinhardt waved a dismissing hand, “Don’t worry about it; I wasn’t about to just up and leave knowing you were in trouble.” The two sat in silence once more as the rain began to lighten up. The crash of thunder flew through the sky as the two watched a bolt of lightning pierce through the dimming sky.
It would soon be dark in an about an hour or so. Cornell got up, and strode towards the gate leading outside. The rainstorm had almost ended, as a slow drizzle covered the forest. Off in the distance, Cornell noticed a figure shrouded in the light rain. He squinted and saw the figure pointing at him. He could barely make out the strange markings on his torso and arms….
Ortega!
Ortega motioned at Cornell and began to turn and walk away. Cornell dashed outside after him. “The bastard! You won’t get away this time, Ortega!” he thought as he ran off, unknowingly towards the manor off in the distance. Reinhardt watched as Cornell darted off; he too noticed the figure off in the distance. He stood as Cornell’s figure disappeared off into the rain; his eyes trailed the forest as he could make out an old manor off in the distance. He adjusted the frill of his jacket and set off into the rain once more, on the path taking him towards the front of the old manor. “Maybe whoever Cornell saw might have some information on what was going on around here…” Reinhardt thought; listening to the sloshing of his boots on the muddy ground. He continued, listening to the patter of rain splashing around him as he trudged on.
- -
Carrie jolted awake as a clap of thunder boomed overhead.
She slowly pulled her head off from Alexandria’s shoulder; who was still fast asleep. She wiped off a little bit of drool from her lips as she rubbed her eyes and stretched her legs out. It took her a minute to adjust to the setting afternoon sun, as she looked into the sky. The sky was black as lightning flashed across the sky; signaling that rain was probably imminent. She slowly rose to her feet and stretched once more; eliciting a long yawn. She looked over to the other two, still asleep; Henry laying on the ground and Alexandria against the tree. She bent down and gently rustled Alexandria awake before turning to Henry and doing the same. The two yawned and began to stretch. Henry slowly got up, attaching his helmet to his belt and checking the time on his pocketwatch. Just after five; they had been asleep for almost 9 hours.
He slowly stretched his arms and neck; feeling the refreshing crack of the bones. “Mhhuh…. Cair… pass me my.. boots.. would you..” Alexandria muttered, still half asleep.
Carrie looked over to Henry, who rolled his eyes and walked over in front of her. They both kneeled down in front of her, “Sure thing, Allie…” she replied, as she motioned for Henry to grab one of her ankles. “Oh… Alexandria? I need you to do me a favor…” Carrie gently cooed, watching the girl’s eyes begin to open slowly as she looked at the both of them.
“Mmm… what are…?” she asked, yawning deeply as the two grabbed hold of her ankles and lifted her feet off the ground. Before she could finish, Carrie added “I need you to wake up!” she shouted, as the two commenced running their fingers along the girl’s poor feet.
Alexandria tried to hold back her laughter as she desperately tried to pull her feet away from the two; but she was still too tired. She put her hands to her head and began to snicker as she opened her eyes, fully awake now. Carrie and Henry alternated between fast and slow tickling; moving from the bottoms of her heels to the middle of her insteps. She couldn’t hold back her laughter anymore, as she leaned back against the tree and started to cackle. “All RIHIHIHIGHT!! I’m awahahahake!!! I’m AWAHAHAAKEEE!!” she cried out, looking on as Henry found a particularly ticklish spot under the ball of her right foot. She could feel herself blushing as she watched him tickle her.
Carrie joined suit and began using her nails underneath the girl’s poor toes; sending her laughter to another level as she pounded her fists on the ground and continued to laugh. “Carrie, I don’t know if she’s completely awake yet… Maybe we should continue for a while longer, no?” Henry spoke, as he pinched around at the base of her toes. He noticed that her nails were painted a bright shade of red; it went well with her complexion and hair color. Alexandria looked up to see Henry staring down at her toes as he tickled her foot.
She wrapped her arms around her sides and continued laughing, screaming harder as the two traded feet and began scribbling down her soles. Carrie snickered; “Yes… I think that might be a good idea Henry. Maybe we should move to her sides next; that might motivate her into getting up sometime today.” she said as the two watched tears flow from Alexandria’s eyes.
“HAAHAHA,!!! NOHOHOO!! ANYHEHEETHING BUT MY SIHIHIIDEESSS!!” she screamed, finally pulling away from the two’s ticklish assault. She pulled her legs to her chest and continued to giggle, waiting for the two to strike. Henry and Carrie got up, setting her boots on the nearby stump as the two flashed each other a thumbs up. “Hehe… You two are mean. Just you wait… I’ll—”
—Something began to rise from beneath the ground nearby, stopping her mid-sentence.
It was a decayed hand.
A few feet behind them, something else began rising from beneath the ground; another arm.
All of a sudden, multiple bodies were starting to claw their way out of the ground. The first one now halfway out; they all could see it was a zombie. “Carrie, what’s going on here?!” Henry yelled, pulling out his gun, aiming it at the nearest one. “I don’t know Henry, they must be… they must be the under the spell of someone; I can feel an evil magic controlling them!” she replied, sending a glowing orb towards another rising up a few feet away. Alexandria stood up and stepped away as another hand shot up next to her.
She ran over to pick up her boots, only to have something grab hold of her ankle.
“Hey..AH!” she cried, as she fell to the ground, she could feel a sudden pain in her ankle as she winced and looked back. Another hand grabbed onto her leg as a zombie began using her to pull itself free.
It’s rotten breath was warm against her slender foot, as she tried to pull herself free. “Hey, let GO damn you!” she yelled, as it began coming closer to her. Henry turned around and saw what was happening, as he came over and stomped on it’s arms, freeing her leg.
He pointed the gun down and watched as the bullet punched a hole through it’s withered skull, turning it to slush as it hit the ground. He helped her up as Carrie fired another orb towards another zombie. “Are you alright?” he asked her, looking down at her foot. “I think… I think so…” she winced, trying to walk on it.
As she took a step, she winced at the pain as she fell against him.
“Ah! My ankle… I think I might have pulled a muscle when that thing grabbed me. I don’t think I can walk.” she looked up at Henry as he turned and fired at a nearby zombie. Slowly, the creatures were beginning to rise and shamble towards them; there were already almost eight making their way to the trio.
He holstered his gun and knelt down, motioning for her to get on his back. Carrie kept the creatures at bay while she got on. Wrapped her arms around his neck as Henry passed her boots to her. “Carrie, I’m going to carry Alexandria; you take lead and get us over to that manor, all right?” he spoke, kicking one of the creatures out of his way.
“Alright, follow me!” she yelled, blasting another creature down. The three made a run for it as the creatures shambled after them; more beginning to pop out of the ground around the path they ran down. Alexandria felt herself blushing again, as she looked into Henry’s solemn face. “I’m sorry Henry…” she muttered to him; “Hey… don’t worry about it; did you expect me to leave you behind there with those things? Besides—” he paused, pulling her legs tighter to him as they continued to run; hearing the clank of his helmet against his armor.
“… They probably would have tickled you silly before they gobbled you up.” he added, laughing as she lightly smacked him with one of her boots. “Ha. Ha. You’re hysterical; Henry.” “Hey, at least I’m honest—” he continued, looking up towards the hedgemaze nearby.
“Would you rather be tickled by a bunch of monsters, or by me?” he added with a grin. Alexandria suddenly went silent, as she buried her head into his shoulder, hiding her flushed cheeks. “If only you knew, Henry…” she thought as she bounced along on his back towards the manor…
- -
After a few more minutes of running, the trio soon making it towards one of the entrances to the hedge maze.
Henry set Alexandria on the ground as he caught his breath. Carrie sat against the hedge and let out an exasperated sigh; feeling raindrops splash onto her head. “Lovely….” she muttered, as the other two also began feeling the rain come down. Alexandria winced as she tried to wiggle the toes of her injured foot. The pain was less, but still lingering. She motioned for Henry to give her a hand up; and she tried to walk around.
She could barely make it a few steps before she had to sit back down once more. She crossed her injured leg and began rubbing her ankle, closing her eyes. Henry and Carrie watched on as a green aura began to eminate from her hands and continue to grow. “Restorative magic…? I thought she couldn’t use magic—”
The light began growing brighter, as she continued to massage her ankle for another minute. Not long after though, the light began to dim, as it faded out. She opened her eyes once again and noticed Henry and Carrie’s expressions. “….What? What’s wrong?” she asked. “Allie… how do you know about restorative magic; let alone know how to use it properly?” Carrie spoke, watching Alexandria lift her ankle into the air with ease. She continued, wiggling and flexing her toes as she moved it this way and that, “I met a cleric several years ago when I was living in another part of the country. She taught me how to focus my spirit into a healing aura. She also taught me a few other things; but my ability is very limited. It’s not as profound as yours is Cair.” she added, standing up and practicing a few kicks with her legs.
Henry stood there and watched her, impressed at her abilities. She looked over to him and flashed him a smile; turning around to stretch. Carrie looked over at Henry and noticed he was watching Alexandria go through the motions.
She stood up and walked over to him, whispering into his ear, “Hey, there’s plenty of time for that later.”
He snapped out of his trance and turned towards her, watching her giggle as he gave her an embarassed smile. “Yeah… you’re right.” he chuckled, turning towards the maze.
As Allie finished lacing her boots, she joined the other two as the three began walking the maze grounds. It was green and lush; full of roses growing out from the hedges. As they turned the first corner, they could see various flowers spottily dotting the underbrush as well. “It’s so fragrant in here…” Carrie muttered, stopping to sniff one of the blooming roses. The trickles of rain began to subside, as a light mist began to seep through the hedges. The three walked down a spiraling corridor, coming across an offshoot to their right. They took the path as a gentle wind blew through the corridors, scattering a few rose petals before them. Alexandria caught one of the petals as the two smelled the sweet fragrance in the air. They took the next left and came across a large, open area. Paths lead off in three directions as they stopped to decide where to go next. “We seem to be safe for the moment.” Henry noted, seeing the top of the manor in the distance.
He sighed and crossed his arms, deciding on the forward path to take as a large clap of thunder sounded overhead. They continued on, until they ran into a dead end. “Hey, what’s that?” Carrie spoke, pointing to a small hole at the base of the wall. She crouched down and looked at it; “I think I might be able to fit through here, but there’s no telling what’s on the other side.” Henry came over and looked down, noticing his armor was too bulky to fit through the small opening. “You two could fit through it, maybe even making it to the mansion. I’ll have to backtrack some to catch up, but at least you could see if anyone inside knows anything.”
Alexandria put an arm on her hip, and turned to Henry. “Henry… I don’t know about this; what if something happens to you? I mean, we haven’t run across anything yet, but that doesn’t mean there isn’t some sort of demon lurking within this maze….” she replied.
He patted his gun-belt. “Don’t worry about me, I’ll be ok. If anything happens, I’ll fire off a shot, and let you two know I’m in trouble. If you two hear it, you can scuttle through and meet me back in the four-way area. Ok?” The girls looked at each other, and slowly nodded to him. “Just be careful Henry—” Carrie spoke, putting a hand on his shoulder. Alexandria nodded and crawled through the hole. “Alright Cair, it’s safe.” and with that, Henry watched as Carrie made her way through as well. The mist began creeping in more, blanketing the ground around his feet. The sun was setting as well; maybe another thirty minutes or so left before the night settled in.
He put his helmet back on as he broke out into into a jog. He took the right path in the large area; continuing down a small corridor. Henry continued to traverse down different paths in the maze. About 15 minutes later, he came upon a small gated area. He walked around to the front and opened the gates; the gates squealed with age and rust as they settled open. There was a large oak tree with a hole on the front, along with a stone bench below. He walked towards the tree and noticed an envelope wedged inside the hole. Reaching in, he pulled it out and saw it seemed to be old; it was discolored from age and the elements. Opening it up, he pulled out a small bronze key with the inscription “Garden Chamber” etched onto it. A letter fell onto his lap as he unfolded it and began to read..
“ It has been four months exactly since that strange woman… (Actrise Fehlrey, I believe) came to visit. I learned of this from one of the youg maids after I returned from one of the nearby towns. Apparently Actrise talked to her about many things, particularly what she knew of my family’s old castle nearby. Lanette knows nothing outside from what I’ve told her; and apparently Actrise left soon afterwards. Lanette seems to have changed since their meeting. She was a kind and gentle woman before, but now she is spiteful, and full of lust. She goes off on the slightest whim and has even taken to injuring some of the servants around the house who don’t refer to her by title. I had a doctor visit, and he says he’s seen nothing like it; small bite marks across their necks and the color fading from their skin. Sometimes at night, I awake to find her missing from the bed; I can even hear laughter echoing from far off on the other side of the manor as I look around for her. I don’t know what’s going on, but am I to believe my wife is a Vampire? I don’t know what Actrise did to Lanette, but no longer is she the woman I once fell in love with. That woman seems to have been lost, never to return.
I managed to escape to one of the areas in the rose maze she has no idea about. Should anyone find this, please, find a way to stop Lanette. If I couldn’t make up for what my ancestors did generations ago; than let it be known that this is how I intend to now. The key will lead to the catacombs; it is but one of the entrances I have made. The catacombs lead below the manor; through the thick forests towards the large lake, where the old castle stands. I’ve done my best to make sure the Castle remained tucked away from society, but I have a feeling that something evil has already found it’s way inside… If this is the case, then may God have mercy upon us all.
~ Orion Bernhard”
Henry folded the letter back into the envelope, along with the key and placed it inside a pouch on his belt. He looked back towards the manor with concern.
He exited the enclosure and began running through the maze.
“Carrie! Alexandria!!” He shouted, waiting to hear if they were nearby. Nothing save for silence. He continued on, the rain beginning to fall once more; this time, more-so than before.
He un-holstered the gun and pointed it towards the sky, firing off a loud shot. Again he waited for a bit and nothing changed; save the fact he wasted a good shot. “They must be inside…” he thought. From somewhere off in the distance, he could hear something. Whatever it was, it sounded as if it was getting closer. He turned the corner and before him was a large corridor. He saw two creatures at the end of the corridor, turning to face him. Their yellow eyes illuminating from the dark mist before him. As they got closer, he could see they seemed to be statues of saint bernards; though how they were moving was beyond his knowing.
“No way… This can’t be happening.” he thought, raising the gun towards the creatures; feeling the splash of rain on his armor. They began to emit low, gutteral growls as they drew near. He fired off a shot towards one of them, hitting it squarely in the shoulder area. Pieces of the statue blew apart, and the creature fell to the ground. As the first creature fell to the ground, the second one began to run towards Henry; he fired again, hitting the creature in the leg as it blew to pieces.
Both creatures were unmoving; and he began running past them. As he turned the corner, he could see the first one beginning to rise slowly once more. “WHAT? This is crazy!!” he thought again, as he felt a chill run down his spine hearing the creatures howl once more. He heard the creatures thumping across the ground after him as he rounded another corner; finding the strenght to run even faster.
“Only have one more shot! Can’t afford to waste it now!” he thought. He continued running and took another right, down a spiraling set of turns. The dog’s remained behind him as he made it to a set of stairs leading up to a tower. He ran up the stair case and looked out over the maze. He could see torches illuminating a gate leading out of the maze straight ahead of him; somehow he overshot the side of the manor and had to go in through the back. The torches were struggling to stay lit in the increasing rain. As he turned around, he saw the dogs had made it to the top of the stairs, snarling at him as they readied to attack. The first came at him; he managed to dodge out of the way and shoot it in the torso, sending it flying into the railing and off the side.
The other one managed to pounce on him, sending him falling to the ground as it tried to sink it’s teeth into him. “Get off!! Begone with you, beast!” he screamed, as the creature slashed his arm with it’s claws. He winced as he felt blood rolling down his arm; he kicked the dog off of him and into the railing. He quickly turned and withdrew his sword, managing to get a wide arching slash in; sending pieces of it’s face everywhere as it crumpled to the ground.
He got up and hurried down the stairs before they could rise again. Clutching at his arm, he sprinted to the gate before him, holstering the gun; “Please don’t be locked!” he prayed. He threw his weight into the gate and it crashed open. He threw his sword to the ground, quickly turning and closed the gate. Off in the distance, he saw what was left of the two creatures running towards the gate. He locked it before backing up, expecting them to crash through, but they stopped and sat down in front of it.
They simply snarled at him as they waited for him to come back inside. “The magic animating them must only work inside the garden…”
Henry let out a sigh and picked up his sword; walking towards the staircase leading up to the back entrance to the manor. He leaned against the wall and examined the wound he got from the demon; it was already beginning to clot, but he needed to dress it. He pulled his helmet off and wiped the rain from his eyes. He took the gun cloth from his pouch and wrapped it around the wound, tying it snugly. It would have to do in the meantime, until he found the girls.
He would have to find someplace to reload it, but in the meantime, he would use the sword. As he replaced his helmet; he could feel a light sweat beginning to break out across his forehead. Grabbing the handle on the large door, he pushed it open. He cautiously began to go inside, waiting to find out what evils awaited him in the manor.
I will probably update this series on my Tumblr first and foremost; so a quick link to those interested in the newer chapters. Plus, there is also music linked in the thread to listen at points during the story; for ambiance and whatnot. Also worth noting is my thoughts on each chapter; extra tidbits I don't want to write down here.
http://cliched-syxx.tumblr.com
I will continue adding the chapters here as well; Tumblr is just easier for me to edit things in / blog on. So there will be a probable delay between updates.
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Back to the story though, our heroes have found a manor in the distance; belonging to an old family from centuries past. Fans of Castlevania lore should be interested in how everything will progress. But we won't know until we get there, will we? Enjoy.
:redstar: :feather:
Also, I would love to hear some feedback as to what you guys and gals out there think of the story thus far. Anything I could work on in future chapters? (Aside from more tickling, of course; which is a lot in the next chapter, and the main focus of Chapter VIII) :coolthumbup
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Chapter VI: Unpleasant Meetings
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The sound of bootsteps could be heard reverberating against the cold stone walls.
As Reinhardt continued to ascend the stairs, he could feel the air begin to change; it seemed to grow cooler with every step. Above him in the loft of the tower, he could hear the squeal of bats. He looked up as he continued on; their beady glowing eyes seemed to watch his every step as some of them fluttered their wings.
He sighed, seeing there was a large wooden door ahead. “Maybe the gate mechanism is up here. Not like I could mist through the gate anyway..” he thought. Once he arrived on the outside of the wall, he crossed the drawbridge into the inner wall. He hadn’t bothered to stop Cornell as he went into the western tower; maybe one of them would come across something pertinent in their searching. Reinhardt gripped the handle of the whip as he gently opened the door, looking out for danger before stepping forth. There was nothing save for two large gear mechanisms in the center of the large room.
Seeing no danger, he tucked the whip back into his pouch and walked over to the cogs, noticing a lever attached to a small pillar. The lever itself was slightly rusty, and in the “down” position. “This must be what controls the gate below. Might as well flip it up and see.” he thought, hefting the lever up. As the lever flipped up, he could hear a loud click sound below him as the cogs began to rotate; raising the gate on the first floor. A final crash could be heard as the gate ascended. Alongside the wall, a small grate opened and stairs led down towards the lower level.
He stepped out onto the staircase and looked down; seeing what appeared to be a dragon’s head sitting on a pillar in the center of the large area. “What the….?” he thought leaning over the rail to get a better look. It didn’t make any sort of movement; so Reinhardt slowly decended the stairs. He decided to see if it would attack; so he stopped to pick up a stone and threw it; the stone hitting it directly on top of it’s head.
Suddenly the head jerked in his direction and opened it’s mouth. A volley of fireballs flew from within as Reinhardt lept from the staircase. The volley peppered the wall where he was previously standing, as he withdrew his sword and ran behind a nearby wall. The dragon’s head turned to follow him; stopping at the point where he disappeared. Reinhardt edged to the other side, poking his head out to see why it had stopped. Luckily for him, the skull hadn’t noticed him yet; as it continued looking to where he last was. “Not that bright apparently…. That’s a plus for me.” he thought.
Reinhardt didn’t particularly feel like getting singed; let alone set on fire. He couls see another set of stairs leading down; directly behind the lone pillar. It’d be close, but he could make it if he ran. He took a deep breath and jetted out from behind the wall, jumping over fallen rubble as he darted past the skull. The demon quickly turned it self and began firing volleys of fireballs after him, each one narrowly avoiding him as they smacked into the wall with a flash. Just as he reached the stairs, he turned around to see the creature emit a wall of fire towards him. “Whoa!” he yelled, feeling the intesne heat as he dove down the staircase. He looked back up to see that the flames had charred the wall behind where he stood, moments before.
Continuing on, he made his wall back to the main gates; seeing they were both standing wide open. He figured Cornell might have made it back down here already, but he was nowhere to be found. Reinhard quickly checked outside, seeing no footprints to account for.
“Odd, I thought he would have made it back here by now; unless he already ran off ahead…” he thought, furrowing his brow. He crossed his arms and sighed, looking out at the darkening sky above. Lightning flashed and thunder could be heard off in the distance.
He wanted to continue on, but his instincts told him something was wrong. Reinhardt started off towards the western tower, opening the large door and stepping inside. Unlike the eastern tower, this one was in shambles. Most of the floor had collapsed, leaving a narrow path up the walls as the only route. From somewhere high in the loft, a few chunks of mortar fell down, clacking against the walls as they hit the bottom of the tower, some 30 feet below where he stood.
He cautiously peeked over the edge, unable to see the ground at all. “So… one slip and that’s it, huh? Can’t say I’m too surprised…” he muttered, shaking his head. He began walking along the path, looking up towards the top of the tower. Scattered around the path were a few of those dragon skulls he had encountered before; and a few bats flying about, but he wasn’t too worried about those. “The skulls on the otherhand….” he thought, grimacing.
As he was lost in thought, he neared one of the staricase arches as a large guillotine dropped from a slit above. Reinhardt froze at it smashed into the ground in front of him, slowly beginning to retract back above. He skirted underneath of it and jumped to the other side the stairwell; avoiding a large pit. He turned around in time to see the blade finish retracting. One of the tiles slowly began to raise as an audible snick could be heard. “Hmph… pressure plates. Nice try; but it’s going to take a little more than cheap tricks to do away with me.” he muttered aloud, running a hand through his spikey hair.
As Reinhardt continued on, he managed to subdue the bone dragons with a few well placed kicks; sending them tumbling down of the stairwell to the ground below. One of them had managed to singe part of his calf, thankfully his boot absorbed most of the blow. Standing before him now was a large gap in the stairwell; almost fifteen feet across. A large piller jutted out from the wall with large metal rings attached to the bottom. It looked almost like where prisoners would have been hung to die. Unfortunately, there was no other route to the door past the gap; as he eyed the rings and thought a moment. He pulled out the vampire killer and took a few steps back, getting into position to jump. His only chance was to grab hold of the rings with his whip and propel himself over the gap.
“I hope you’re watching out for me up there, Richter.”
Reinhardt dashed towards the edge and leapt; as he neared the rings, he managed to wrap the whip around one and propel himself across, tumbling across the ground as he landed. His boots came to a clatter against the bottom of the final set of stairs leading towards the door. With a groan, he got up, and stowed the whip; patting the dust and dirt off of himself. All of a sudden, he heard a rather large thud as the stone wall seemed to rumble. He turned towards the door and started up the stairs.
“Damn!” came a voice from the other side, followed by a deep roar, and then another crash.
Cornell!
Reinhardt ran to the door and tried the handle, but it wouldn’t open. He pushed against it and still it wouldn’t budge.
He could hear howls and roars on the other side.
Reinhardt took a step back and shoulder-tackled the door, but still it held.
He tried again, throwing his full weight into it and he could hear the wood begin to splinter and crack. He did it once more, hearing a loud crack as the door partially broke.
He gave it a solid kick and the door flew off the hinges, clattering to the ground. Reinhardt quickly stepped outside in time to see Cornell being backed into a corner by three large Cerberi. “What in God’s name…?” he thought, as the sound of the whip cracked throughout the stale air.
The demons attention turned towards Reinhardt as two of them broke away to confront this new intruder. Lightning flashed, illuminating the black sky as Reinhardt watched them draw near. The beasts were almost as tall as he was; their blood red eyes watching him as he took a few steps to the right. He lashed out at the closer of the two dogs and sliced into it’s front leg, almost cutting it to the bone. The creature let out a terrible howl as blood began pouring from the strike. As the creature fell on it’s knees, the other began to rush towards him, snapping at him with it’s powerful jaws.
He nimbly dodged the large creature as he lashed at it’s backside. The creature growled as the whip lashed into it; causing blood to trickle down it’s sides. The two dogs rushed at him for another strike. Meanwhile, Cornell was busy with the third Cerberi; jumping onto it’s massive frame as he began tearing into it’s back with his claws.
Reinhardt could hear the creature howl in fury and pain as Cornell continued to claw deeper and deeper, causing the blood to fly all around him. He soon jumped off, watching the demon stagger around in all of the lost vitality; collapsing against the wall. Reinhardt quickly rolled out of the way of another pass by the Cerberi with the hurt leg; he lashed and caught it’s rear leg, tripping the massive beast. He noticed he stood in front of the same type of mechanism as on the other tower; the second demon ran towards him.
He could feel the humid, breath on his chest as he slid to avoid it ramming him; narrowly avoiding the beast.
Two of the creature’s heads became stuck inside the mechanism; as it struggled and threatened to pull the whole contraption down to get free. Without hesitaion, Reinhardt drew his sword and ran at the demon dog, thrusting the blade into the side of it’s torso. The creature let out a gutteral cry as the blade punched a hole through it’s flesh; sending blood bubbling up from it’s throat. With a final spasm, the creature lay dead.
Reinhardt removed the sword and turned around to see the injured one rise again. It slowly turned towards Cornell and hobbled after him. Cornell’s right arm slowly began to rise behind him, almost as if he was preparing to throw a disc. His magical aura began concentrating at the tips of his fingers as he threw his hand forward, sending out a brilliant blue wave. The demon managed to duck, but still the wave ripped into the creature’s right head and torso, obliterating it as it continued on. The creature fell over, caught in the throngs of death spasms as it howled and whined.
Soon, it too succumbed to death; as the two looked over at the creature slumped against the wall.
Though it lost so much blood, the creature managed to stand on shaking legs, barely able to growl at the two of them. Reinhardt lashed out at the creature and wrapped the whip around it’s leg; pulling it to the ground with all of his strength. Cornell picked up Reinhardt’s sword as he rushed to the creature, driving the blade straight through it’s torso like the first one. The creature lay there dead; a quick and easy finish. Cornell pulled the sword out and flicked the blood off of it. The sword had a brilliant sheen to it, and was razor sharp. He looked to Reinhardt and tossed it over to him. He caught it and put it back into it’s sheath.
The heavens began to unleash a few droplets of rain, the droplets soon turning into torrents as the two made their way back to the main gates. When they finally got back, they were soaking wet. Cornell found a few logs tucked away next to one of the walls; soon making a small fire for them to dry off near. The two men sat in silence next to the roaring fire, watching the rain come down in sheets outside.
“So…” Reinhardt spoke, breaking the silence, “… Guess that means we’re even then.” he chuckled, looking over to Cornell. Cornell shook his head and chuckled as well; “I suppose it does. It’s a good thing you came when you did; I don’t think my powers would have been enough to keep all three of them at bay.” Reinhardt waved a dismissing hand, “Don’t worry about it; I wasn’t about to just up and leave knowing you were in trouble.” The two sat in silence once more as the rain began to lighten up. The crash of thunder flew through the sky as the two watched a bolt of lightning pierce through the dimming sky.
It would soon be dark in an about an hour or so. Cornell got up, and strode towards the gate leading outside. The rainstorm had almost ended, as a slow drizzle covered the forest. Off in the distance, Cornell noticed a figure shrouded in the light rain. He squinted and saw the figure pointing at him. He could barely make out the strange markings on his torso and arms….
Ortega!
Ortega motioned at Cornell and began to turn and walk away. Cornell dashed outside after him. “The bastard! You won’t get away this time, Ortega!” he thought as he ran off, unknowingly towards the manor off in the distance. Reinhardt watched as Cornell darted off; he too noticed the figure off in the distance. He stood as Cornell’s figure disappeared off into the rain; his eyes trailed the forest as he could make out an old manor off in the distance. He adjusted the frill of his jacket and set off into the rain once more, on the path taking him towards the front of the old manor. “Maybe whoever Cornell saw might have some information on what was going on around here…” Reinhardt thought; listening to the sloshing of his boots on the muddy ground. He continued, listening to the patter of rain splashing around him as he trudged on.
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Carrie jolted awake as a clap of thunder boomed overhead.
She slowly pulled her head off from Alexandria’s shoulder; who was still fast asleep. She wiped off a little bit of drool from her lips as she rubbed her eyes and stretched her legs out. It took her a minute to adjust to the setting afternoon sun, as she looked into the sky. The sky was black as lightning flashed across the sky; signaling that rain was probably imminent. She slowly rose to her feet and stretched once more; eliciting a long yawn. She looked over to the other two, still asleep; Henry laying on the ground and Alexandria against the tree. She bent down and gently rustled Alexandria awake before turning to Henry and doing the same. The two yawned and began to stretch. Henry slowly got up, attaching his helmet to his belt and checking the time on his pocketwatch. Just after five; they had been asleep for almost 9 hours.
He slowly stretched his arms and neck; feeling the refreshing crack of the bones. “Mhhuh…. Cair… pass me my.. boots.. would you..” Alexandria muttered, still half asleep.
Carrie looked over to Henry, who rolled his eyes and walked over in front of her. They both kneeled down in front of her, “Sure thing, Allie…” she replied, as she motioned for Henry to grab one of her ankles. “Oh… Alexandria? I need you to do me a favor…” Carrie gently cooed, watching the girl’s eyes begin to open slowly as she looked at the both of them.
“Mmm… what are…?” she asked, yawning deeply as the two grabbed hold of her ankles and lifted her feet off the ground. Before she could finish, Carrie added “I need you to wake up!” she shouted, as the two commenced running their fingers along the girl’s poor feet.
Alexandria tried to hold back her laughter as she desperately tried to pull her feet away from the two; but she was still too tired. She put her hands to her head and began to snicker as she opened her eyes, fully awake now. Carrie and Henry alternated between fast and slow tickling; moving from the bottoms of her heels to the middle of her insteps. She couldn’t hold back her laughter anymore, as she leaned back against the tree and started to cackle. “All RIHIHIHIGHT!! I’m awahahahake!!! I’m AWAHAHAAKEEE!!” she cried out, looking on as Henry found a particularly ticklish spot under the ball of her right foot. She could feel herself blushing as she watched him tickle her.
Carrie joined suit and began using her nails underneath the girl’s poor toes; sending her laughter to another level as she pounded her fists on the ground and continued to laugh. “Carrie, I don’t know if she’s completely awake yet… Maybe we should continue for a while longer, no?” Henry spoke, as he pinched around at the base of her toes. He noticed that her nails were painted a bright shade of red; it went well with her complexion and hair color. Alexandria looked up to see Henry staring down at her toes as he tickled her foot.
She wrapped her arms around her sides and continued laughing, screaming harder as the two traded feet and began scribbling down her soles. Carrie snickered; “Yes… I think that might be a good idea Henry. Maybe we should move to her sides next; that might motivate her into getting up sometime today.” she said as the two watched tears flow from Alexandria’s eyes.
“HAAHAHA,!!! NOHOHOO!! ANYHEHEETHING BUT MY SIHIHIIDEESSS!!” she screamed, finally pulling away from the two’s ticklish assault. She pulled her legs to her chest and continued to giggle, waiting for the two to strike. Henry and Carrie got up, setting her boots on the nearby stump as the two flashed each other a thumbs up. “Hehe… You two are mean. Just you wait… I’ll—”
—Something began to rise from beneath the ground nearby, stopping her mid-sentence.
It was a decayed hand.
A few feet behind them, something else began rising from beneath the ground; another arm.
All of a sudden, multiple bodies were starting to claw their way out of the ground. The first one now halfway out; they all could see it was a zombie. “Carrie, what’s going on here?!” Henry yelled, pulling out his gun, aiming it at the nearest one. “I don’t know Henry, they must be… they must be the under the spell of someone; I can feel an evil magic controlling them!” she replied, sending a glowing orb towards another rising up a few feet away. Alexandria stood up and stepped away as another hand shot up next to her.
She ran over to pick up her boots, only to have something grab hold of her ankle.
“Hey..AH!” she cried, as she fell to the ground, she could feel a sudden pain in her ankle as she winced and looked back. Another hand grabbed onto her leg as a zombie began using her to pull itself free.
It’s rotten breath was warm against her slender foot, as she tried to pull herself free. “Hey, let GO damn you!” she yelled, as it began coming closer to her. Henry turned around and saw what was happening, as he came over and stomped on it’s arms, freeing her leg.
He pointed the gun down and watched as the bullet punched a hole through it’s withered skull, turning it to slush as it hit the ground. He helped her up as Carrie fired another orb towards another zombie. “Are you alright?” he asked her, looking down at her foot. “I think… I think so…” she winced, trying to walk on it.
As she took a step, she winced at the pain as she fell against him.
“Ah! My ankle… I think I might have pulled a muscle when that thing grabbed me. I don’t think I can walk.” she looked up at Henry as he turned and fired at a nearby zombie. Slowly, the creatures were beginning to rise and shamble towards them; there were already almost eight making their way to the trio.
He holstered his gun and knelt down, motioning for her to get on his back. Carrie kept the creatures at bay while she got on. Wrapped her arms around his neck as Henry passed her boots to her. “Carrie, I’m going to carry Alexandria; you take lead and get us over to that manor, all right?” he spoke, kicking one of the creatures out of his way.
“Alright, follow me!” she yelled, blasting another creature down. The three made a run for it as the creatures shambled after them; more beginning to pop out of the ground around the path they ran down. Alexandria felt herself blushing again, as she looked into Henry’s solemn face. “I’m sorry Henry…” she muttered to him; “Hey… don’t worry about it; did you expect me to leave you behind there with those things? Besides—” he paused, pulling her legs tighter to him as they continued to run; hearing the clank of his helmet against his armor.
“… They probably would have tickled you silly before they gobbled you up.” he added, laughing as she lightly smacked him with one of her boots. “Ha. Ha. You’re hysterical; Henry.” “Hey, at least I’m honest—” he continued, looking up towards the hedgemaze nearby.
“Would you rather be tickled by a bunch of monsters, or by me?” he added with a grin. Alexandria suddenly went silent, as she buried her head into his shoulder, hiding her flushed cheeks. “If only you knew, Henry…” she thought as she bounced along on his back towards the manor…
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After a few more minutes of running, the trio soon making it towards one of the entrances to the hedge maze.
Henry set Alexandria on the ground as he caught his breath. Carrie sat against the hedge and let out an exasperated sigh; feeling raindrops splash onto her head. “Lovely….” she muttered, as the other two also began feeling the rain come down. Alexandria winced as she tried to wiggle the toes of her injured foot. The pain was less, but still lingering. She motioned for Henry to give her a hand up; and she tried to walk around.
She could barely make it a few steps before she had to sit back down once more. She crossed her injured leg and began rubbing her ankle, closing her eyes. Henry and Carrie watched on as a green aura began to eminate from her hands and continue to grow. “Restorative magic…? I thought she couldn’t use magic—”
The light began growing brighter, as she continued to massage her ankle for another minute. Not long after though, the light began to dim, as it faded out. She opened her eyes once again and noticed Henry and Carrie’s expressions. “….What? What’s wrong?” she asked. “Allie… how do you know about restorative magic; let alone know how to use it properly?” Carrie spoke, watching Alexandria lift her ankle into the air with ease. She continued, wiggling and flexing her toes as she moved it this way and that, “I met a cleric several years ago when I was living in another part of the country. She taught me how to focus my spirit into a healing aura. She also taught me a few other things; but my ability is very limited. It’s not as profound as yours is Cair.” she added, standing up and practicing a few kicks with her legs.
Henry stood there and watched her, impressed at her abilities. She looked over to him and flashed him a smile; turning around to stretch. Carrie looked over at Henry and noticed he was watching Alexandria go through the motions.
She stood up and walked over to him, whispering into his ear, “Hey, there’s plenty of time for that later.”
He snapped out of his trance and turned towards her, watching her giggle as he gave her an embarassed smile. “Yeah… you’re right.” he chuckled, turning towards the maze.
As Allie finished lacing her boots, she joined the other two as the three began walking the maze grounds. It was green and lush; full of roses growing out from the hedges. As they turned the first corner, they could see various flowers spottily dotting the underbrush as well. “It’s so fragrant in here…” Carrie muttered, stopping to sniff one of the blooming roses. The trickles of rain began to subside, as a light mist began to seep through the hedges. The three walked down a spiraling corridor, coming across an offshoot to their right. They took the path as a gentle wind blew through the corridors, scattering a few rose petals before them. Alexandria caught one of the petals as the two smelled the sweet fragrance in the air. They took the next left and came across a large, open area. Paths lead off in three directions as they stopped to decide where to go next. “We seem to be safe for the moment.” Henry noted, seeing the top of the manor in the distance.
He sighed and crossed his arms, deciding on the forward path to take as a large clap of thunder sounded overhead. They continued on, until they ran into a dead end. “Hey, what’s that?” Carrie spoke, pointing to a small hole at the base of the wall. She crouched down and looked at it; “I think I might be able to fit through here, but there’s no telling what’s on the other side.” Henry came over and looked down, noticing his armor was too bulky to fit through the small opening. “You two could fit through it, maybe even making it to the mansion. I’ll have to backtrack some to catch up, but at least you could see if anyone inside knows anything.”
Alexandria put an arm on her hip, and turned to Henry. “Henry… I don’t know about this; what if something happens to you? I mean, we haven’t run across anything yet, but that doesn’t mean there isn’t some sort of demon lurking within this maze….” she replied.
He patted his gun-belt. “Don’t worry about me, I’ll be ok. If anything happens, I’ll fire off a shot, and let you two know I’m in trouble. If you two hear it, you can scuttle through and meet me back in the four-way area. Ok?” The girls looked at each other, and slowly nodded to him. “Just be careful Henry—” Carrie spoke, putting a hand on his shoulder. Alexandria nodded and crawled through the hole. “Alright Cair, it’s safe.” and with that, Henry watched as Carrie made her way through as well. The mist began creeping in more, blanketing the ground around his feet. The sun was setting as well; maybe another thirty minutes or so left before the night settled in.
He put his helmet back on as he broke out into into a jog. He took the right path in the large area; continuing down a small corridor. Henry continued to traverse down different paths in the maze. About 15 minutes later, he came upon a small gated area. He walked around to the front and opened the gates; the gates squealed with age and rust as they settled open. There was a large oak tree with a hole on the front, along with a stone bench below. He walked towards the tree and noticed an envelope wedged inside the hole. Reaching in, he pulled it out and saw it seemed to be old; it was discolored from age and the elements. Opening it up, he pulled out a small bronze key with the inscription “Garden Chamber” etched onto it. A letter fell onto his lap as he unfolded it and began to read..
“ It has been four months exactly since that strange woman… (Actrise Fehlrey, I believe) came to visit. I learned of this from one of the youg maids after I returned from one of the nearby towns. Apparently Actrise talked to her about many things, particularly what she knew of my family’s old castle nearby. Lanette knows nothing outside from what I’ve told her; and apparently Actrise left soon afterwards. Lanette seems to have changed since their meeting. She was a kind and gentle woman before, but now she is spiteful, and full of lust. She goes off on the slightest whim and has even taken to injuring some of the servants around the house who don’t refer to her by title. I had a doctor visit, and he says he’s seen nothing like it; small bite marks across their necks and the color fading from their skin. Sometimes at night, I awake to find her missing from the bed; I can even hear laughter echoing from far off on the other side of the manor as I look around for her. I don’t know what’s going on, but am I to believe my wife is a Vampire? I don’t know what Actrise did to Lanette, but no longer is she the woman I once fell in love with. That woman seems to have been lost, never to return.
I managed to escape to one of the areas in the rose maze she has no idea about. Should anyone find this, please, find a way to stop Lanette. If I couldn’t make up for what my ancestors did generations ago; than let it be known that this is how I intend to now. The key will lead to the catacombs; it is but one of the entrances I have made. The catacombs lead below the manor; through the thick forests towards the large lake, where the old castle stands. I’ve done my best to make sure the Castle remained tucked away from society, but I have a feeling that something evil has already found it’s way inside… If this is the case, then may God have mercy upon us all.
~ Orion Bernhard”
Henry folded the letter back into the envelope, along with the key and placed it inside a pouch on his belt. He looked back towards the manor with concern.
He exited the enclosure and began running through the maze.
“Carrie! Alexandria!!” He shouted, waiting to hear if they were nearby. Nothing save for silence. He continued on, the rain beginning to fall once more; this time, more-so than before.
He un-holstered the gun and pointed it towards the sky, firing off a loud shot. Again he waited for a bit and nothing changed; save the fact he wasted a good shot. “They must be inside…” he thought. From somewhere off in the distance, he could hear something. Whatever it was, it sounded as if it was getting closer. He turned the corner and before him was a large corridor. He saw two creatures at the end of the corridor, turning to face him. Their yellow eyes illuminating from the dark mist before him. As they got closer, he could see they seemed to be statues of saint bernards; though how they were moving was beyond his knowing.
“No way… This can’t be happening.” he thought, raising the gun towards the creatures; feeling the splash of rain on his armor. They began to emit low, gutteral growls as they drew near. He fired off a shot towards one of them, hitting it squarely in the shoulder area. Pieces of the statue blew apart, and the creature fell to the ground. As the first creature fell to the ground, the second one began to run towards Henry; he fired again, hitting the creature in the leg as it blew to pieces.
Both creatures were unmoving; and he began running past them. As he turned the corner, he could see the first one beginning to rise slowly once more. “WHAT? This is crazy!!” he thought again, as he felt a chill run down his spine hearing the creatures howl once more. He heard the creatures thumping across the ground after him as he rounded another corner; finding the strenght to run even faster.
“Only have one more shot! Can’t afford to waste it now!” he thought. He continued running and took another right, down a spiraling set of turns. The dog’s remained behind him as he made it to a set of stairs leading up to a tower. He ran up the stair case and looked out over the maze. He could see torches illuminating a gate leading out of the maze straight ahead of him; somehow he overshot the side of the manor and had to go in through the back. The torches were struggling to stay lit in the increasing rain. As he turned around, he saw the dogs had made it to the top of the stairs, snarling at him as they readied to attack. The first came at him; he managed to dodge out of the way and shoot it in the torso, sending it flying into the railing and off the side.
The other one managed to pounce on him, sending him falling to the ground as it tried to sink it’s teeth into him. “Get off!! Begone with you, beast!” he screamed, as the creature slashed his arm with it’s claws. He winced as he felt blood rolling down his arm; he kicked the dog off of him and into the railing. He quickly turned and withdrew his sword, managing to get a wide arching slash in; sending pieces of it’s face everywhere as it crumpled to the ground.
He got up and hurried down the stairs before they could rise again. Clutching at his arm, he sprinted to the gate before him, holstering the gun; “Please don’t be locked!” he prayed. He threw his weight into the gate and it crashed open. He threw his sword to the ground, quickly turning and closed the gate. Off in the distance, he saw what was left of the two creatures running towards the gate. He locked it before backing up, expecting them to crash through, but they stopped and sat down in front of it.
They simply snarled at him as they waited for him to come back inside. “The magic animating them must only work inside the garden…”
Henry let out a sigh and picked up his sword; walking towards the staircase leading up to the back entrance to the manor. He leaned against the wall and examined the wound he got from the demon; it was already beginning to clot, but he needed to dress it. He pulled his helmet off and wiped the rain from his eyes. He took the gun cloth from his pouch and wrapped it around the wound, tying it snugly. It would have to do in the meantime, until he found the girls.
He would have to find someplace to reload it, but in the meantime, he would use the sword. As he replaced his helmet; he could feel a light sweat beginning to break out across his forehead. Grabbing the handle on the large door, he pushed it open. He cautiously began to go inside, waiting to find out what evils awaited him in the manor.
