Domestic Disturbance

[Silver]

Hellfire Mansion- time to get serious!

:: This place had once been fun and full of intrigue, now it was unfamiliar and quite unappealing. Inside, they were greeted by a strange woman's voice. She sounded quite manic. One moment laughing, the next sounding like a malevolent ghostly presence. Soon, they were being closed in on by ZOMBIES. Bretta's own inate nature as a dark faerie suddenly began to take over as she no longer wished to be hemed in by the close quaters. But Alec helped calm & stabilize her...ALL of them as Domino marshalled their forces. With the first wave of creatures down....::


::GASP!:: LOOK! :ointing at the creatures crawling in from the blown out windows::


:: The eerily glowing leeches completely grossed Bretta out. Domino was leading them to disaster and while Bretta herself had been unerestimated more than once by the steely, surly mutant, the dark faerie was not about to become worm ...OR leech food tonight!::

Oh this is NOT what I signed up for!

:: She caught sight of one of the crimson heads that came CHARGING for her, snarling and growling. Her green eyes widen as she fixates on the grotesque creature rushing at her as if it heard a dinner bell ringing::

NOT...AT..ALL!

:: A flurry of purple orbs swirls around her back as her wings manifest with sparkling effect and without wasting another moment she grabs Alec by the hand and takes flight, evading the charging monster! Now in the air, she felt much better and let out out of taunting laugh as the creature was too dumb to know what happened or what was coming for it NOW...::

Daniel watched as Archer cast out his left, sending a sub zero blast STRAIGHT at the Crimson Heads that were attacking Bretta and Alec while using his other hand to crystalize the floor in a straight pattern right in front of him until it reached the Crimson Head that was going for Maxine. The floor beneath The Crimson Head would become INCREDIBLY cold and slippery, and because of the general physical makeup of the beast, should it hit a floor that cold, pieces were SURE to get stuck altogether to the ice.

Get clear Alec!

:: swooping down and setting him down on the ground, she remains airborne and looks at the zombie that Archer hand frozen with his sub zero blast as well as the one that was going after Domino now stuck to the floor::

Allow me!

:: now hovering in an upright position, Silver extend her arms, igniting her faerie magick. Chimes sound off as glowing, purpled hued dark lightning BLASTS from her out stretched hands. The first bolt strikes the frozen zombie with shattering force, leaving it a pile of frozen chunks on the floor. the second dark lightning blast hits the other zombie and causes it to seize and spasm before blowing up in a flury of dark purple orbs and flash of light. By this time, Lord Ravena had reduced that eerie, gross "tidal wave" of leeches to nothing but ASH!::

:: landing with finesse, Silver smirks a bit as she looks at Domino, who had been saved by an unexpected, but no less clever combination and team work from people she had routinely underestimated::

You're welcome, Maxie. Lead on!

:: Bretta says in a sing song voice as her wings sparkle and fade away and returns to Alec's side::

 

[Seer]

More bio terror in the Mansion

<< Their unseen assailant was starting to get to Domino where it counted, her MIND...her SPIRIT. Just as the woman had engaged in psychological warfare against the Six before finally confronting them directly, she was now pulling Domino ALL in the way in without any room for hesitation or changing course on Domino's part.>>

<< The powerful violation of the laws of nature and the level of BIO TERRORISM that was being unleashed against the group began to ring bells with Lord Ravena, who was beginning to suspect who was actually behind it....impossible as that should have been. But in his travels, in his own LIFE, he knew that "impossible" was relative and sometimes it was just a matter of "taking a little longer" for it to occurr!>>

<< The group survived the more aggressive wave of bio terror that Viper unleashed upon them, but it was not over, not by a longshot!>>


--------------------------------------

<< Juliette managed to dispatch the web spinners that had attacked her.>>

<< As she collected herself, lightning flashed and strobed outside and thunder rolled. She STILL did not have a clear sense of just how things had changed in the mansion, BUT her vampire senses were definitely ringing haywire because most of the people in the mansion were now DEAD, yet they continued to WALK. They weren't "undead" like HER, they were something all together different.>>

<< She was about to find out up close and personal. A large object came CRASHING through the window. A devil dog! It was now bearing its fangs and began a full on charge for Juliette. Even as she took two steps back, preparing to deal with the dog, she'd become aware of another problem in the hall just outside the door of the room she was in. The hallway was now filled with zombies . All of them wearing various outfits indicating they were either members or staff at the club...WERE. NOW they were bio hazards and while she was undead, there was no telling WHAT exposure to the virus that had turned THEM into zombies would do to HER!>>

<< they were all closing in in her! her would detect sounds of power signatures being discharged elsewhere in the mansion. Those of Lord Ravena, Avalanche and Silver. They were also in a tight situation, fighting their way through.>>

<< Juliette needed to get clear of the creatures closing in on her and move on, it was obviously now that something was amiss in the mansion.>>

<< To the matter at hand though, even as the zombies close the distance between themselves and their quarry, the devil dog LEAPS into the air, intending to take Juliette's head off.>>

----------------------------------------------------

<< In the catacombs below>>

<< Viper laughs with glee as the Hunters rip and claw at Zodiac>>

Viper: You thought YOU were in control? WRONG!

<< already posed and aiming,>>

Viper: I rule ALL that I see and NO ONE stops me from getting MY WAY!

<< With Zodiac's chest area exposed while he struggles with the creatures, Viper makes a bad situation even worse for him as she FIRES a venom blast at his chest, intending to blow him WIDE OPEN for the Hunters to completely gut!>>


--------------------------------------------

<< Back on the main floor>>

<< the group moves, staying together with Domino leading, Silver providing cover and long range strikes against the slow moving zombies, while Lord Ravena and Avalanche bring up the rear, beating back more crimson heads that attempted to pursue the group. Discord keeps the group energized with a steady but strong empathic support, allowing them all to focus their moves and not give in to the urge to OVERDO IT. With no way of knowing who is creating these creatures of how many there are...they can't afford to over exert themselves too soon.>>

<< even as Rebecca watches the scenes unfold, if she was worried that Viper personally engaging Zodiac would allow the advancing group more opportunity, she would soon find that wasn't the case. Not just yet anyway.>>

<< the group covers a surprising amount of ground, having adjusted to the bio hazards they've been confronted with so far. But as they begin to reach the double doors that Domino had walked through a night earlier when she murdered nearly every one in attendance, they noticed how they had encountered less and less in the way of bio hazards.>>

<< there was a reason for that...and as lightning strobed outside, this made itself explosively apparent>>

<< The doors EXPLODE OUT off their hinges and inside the dark great room, briefly illuminated by the lightning outside, there stands a TYRANT!!!! >>

<< This creature was MASSIVE, DWARFING ALL of the group in attendance. It
was IMMUNE to any medium & low powered conventional weapons and artillery, as well as temperature extremes. It possessed a higher level of intelligence than any other bio hazard they had encountered thus far and was fully capable of pursuing/hunting its prey with ruthless focus and his strength? Well it was easily capable of tearing the entire mansion apart with it's bare hands to say the least.

Despite it's massive size, it moved with the speed of an olympic athlete, as evidence when he CHARGED for and BARRELED INTO the group with only Silver NARROWING evading his head on assault as she took to the air.>>

<< His head on blow SCATTERS the others to various points in the immediate entry of the great room, leaving Lord Ravena, who's magick shields afforded him SOME protection against the brutal physical assault, by the doorway. HE would notice that a group of zombies was now closing in from the hallway and retreat was no longer an option.>>

<< The Tyrant was IMMEDIATELY upon Domino, SLAMMING his foot down and sending a wave of force across the floor that knocks the wind out of her and knocks her back down like she was a bowling pin. If it grabs hold of her , it will waste no time PEELING her armour off and then painfully extract her from it and rip her apart if Would she, even with Silver, Avalanche, Ravena and Discord's help, have ANY chance against this creature? They could certainly use some help, but would even Juliette's presence turn the tide of this terrifying battle that was about to ensue?>>

<< We shall watch and see>>

 

[Domino]

Into The Great Hall....

:: Thanks to the quick and combined movements of Silver, Discord and Avalanche as SOON as Maxine turned on her heels ready to face her assailant, the group had dispatched them. With a heaving in her chest she looked at the group around her, somewhat surprised by their own capabilities to work as a team...something Domino herself was not the best out. And yet here she was, leading a group of people into battle. As a woman who had learned a long time ago to take care of herself and the very, very few people she trusted, the role of leader was somewhat uncomfortable. She was going through a personal battle within; trying to rationalize her past with the woman she wanted to be. If she could survive tonight, if she could finally take down the last of the people who created her...who created these other monsters she could actually have a shot at freedom. Flashes of murdering her father, of slicing through each member of The Supreme Council raced through her head with intensity. ::

"Ugh...Stay on COURSE, Maxine!"

:: Her head was a swarm of thoughts, and though she was a highly intelligent woman capable of running hundreds of scenarios in her head at once, there was something different about tonight. She was a different person now than when she walked through the doors two days ago. All of the things that made her an absolute predator and monster to many were still there, but there was a spark of humanity within her that had begun to burn. She looked at all of these bio hazards, these horribly mutated creatures and part of her wanted to fall apart...cry for her "brothers and sisters"..but another part of her, the part of her that so unwaiveringly like her father told her that this was her destiny. ::

The Night of Jean Luc Dupont's Murder

:: Maxine can be seen in the study of the Dupont Mansion in France. Her hands are gripped TIGHTLY around chains that BIND Jean Luc Dupont's neck, threatenting to choke him before decapitating him altogether. He speaks with baited and weak breath. ::

"Monsters come in all shapes and sizes, Maxine...shades of light and dark. One man's dream is another's nightmare. Some may look at the work we do and call us these insignificant, meaningless adjectives in an effort to throw us off our path. As much as you may HATE me...Our destiny...is intertwined. Even if you buy your freedom tonight...the blood that courses through you...the virus...THAT I [coughing] put into..will always be there!"

:: Domino grips TIGHTLY as blood begans to trickle down from the silver chains. Her face contorts in horror as tears stream down her face. ::

"Shut the FUCK UP! I'm NOTHING like you! I never will be!"

:: Jean Luc's eyes begin to somewhat flicker in and out of conscious as the chains begin to work their way INTO his neck. ::

"You...Maxine...are my greatest creation. You don't see it yet...but you WILL continue the work. Everyday you live, every breath you BREATHE continues the work...Soon...they will find you, and they will show you your TRUE path...and you will accept...not because you have to...but because you WANT TO...Your destiny lies with Mys--"

<< CRACK >>

:: The gross sound of metal digging it's way through flesh and snapping bone can be heard as Maxine digs the chains through his neck, decapitating her father with great ease as his head rolls onto the floor. ::

<< FLASH! >>

:: Maxine snapped back into reality as she looked at the others, particularly at Silver. ::

"Thanks for the assist..."

:: Quickly glancing at the others as she motioned with her hands to move forward ::

"Let's move on...and quickly!"

:: The haunting voice of the mystery woman in the mansion was on Maxine's mind as she ushered the group forward, covering quite a bit of ground quickly, thanks to the bolstering efforts of Daniel Reed. Soon, Maxine had led the group towards the entrance of the Great Hall, where she had recently slaughtered The Supreme Council. Her sense immediately ignited a sense of warning. She tried to get a quick handle on the situation. ::

"MOVE! SCATTER! NOW!"

<< there was a reason for that...and as lightning strobed outside, this made itself explosively apparent>>

<< The doors EXPLODE OUT off their hinges and inside the dark great room, briefly illuminated by the lightning outside, there stands a TYRANT!!!! >>

<< This creature was MASSIVE, DWARFING ALL of the group in attendance. It
was IMMUNE to any medium & low powered conventional weapons and artillery, as well as temperature extremes. It possessed a higher level of intelligence than any other bio hazard they had encountered thus far and was fully capable of pursuing/hunting its prey with ruthless focus and his strength? Well it was easily capable of tearing the entire mansion apart with it's bare hands to say the least.

Despite it's massive size, it moved with the speed of an olympic athlete, as evidence when he CHARGED for and BARRELED INTO the group with only Silver NARROWING evading his head on assault as she took to the air.>>

:: Domino was BLASTED to the side with incredible speed and force, a speed and force that would cause a woman with the strength and durability of Maxine HERSELF to be thrown off course, spinning to the side and stumbling back, but maintaining her battle stance. This...CREATURE was incredibly foreboding and FAST MOVING..and obviously VERY strong. She needed to come up with something. ::

<< The Tyrant was IMMEDIATELY upon Domino, SLAMMING his foot down and sending a wave of force across the floor that knocks the wind out of her and knocks her back down like she was a bowling pin. If it grabs hold of her , it will waste no time PEELING her armour off and then painfully extract her from it and rip her apart if Would she, even with Silver, Avalanche, Ravena and Discord's help, have ANY chance against this creature? They could certainly use some help, but would even Juliette's presence turn the tide of this terrifying battle that was about to ensue?>>

:: Maxine is BLASTED back by the sheer force of the creature and knocked off of her feet. Quicksilver like swirls began to cover her face and exposed hands as the clicking and sheen of techno organic steel can be seen manifested all over her body as she rises to her feet. She has no time to waste. Maxine looks over to Silver, Alec and Archer for a split second. ::

"BLAST IT WITH ALL YOU GOT! Don't worry if you HIT me..I can take it!"

:: Domino IMMEDIATELY charged the Tyrant head on, her own incredible speed and agility appeared to give her a ripple like effect as she moved. Tyrant may have been big and scary, but that was a weakness in and of itself. She was for more nimble and their reaction times seemed on par with each other. She had called for the big blasts from the others because she wanted to see it's weaknesses. If it shrugged off Archer's ice, she would know her heat would be nothing for it, and if he could survive a dark lightning blast, she would know that magick would be of no help to her. Sometimes, the only option you have is to physically BEAT the ever loving hell out something. ::

<< WHOOSH! >>

:: With incredible speed, Maxine used this inertia to run up the side of the wall next to the Tyrant as she cast out her right hand. A contorting and almost bone breaking sound good be heard as the bones in Maxine's hand broke and shifted and molded, all still covered with the brilliant shine of techno organic steel. In a few fleeting seconds, Maxine's arm had shifted from it's HUMAN shape to that of a VERY large, mechanical looking drill, a side effect of her virus exposure, she was able to manipulate her form in a NUMBER of ways. With a great amount of strength she BARRELED the drill straight for the chest of the tyrant. Though the tyrant may have been incredibly durable, Maxine HERSELF was incredibly durable and resistant to temperature extremes as WELL and she had overwhelming physical strength to back it up. She may have not been executing a KILL move, but with these two incredible forces colliding, she would most certainly be able to bring the HURT. ::

:: Still, the words of the mystery woman rang in her head. ::

 

[Avalanche]

The Hellfire Estate - The Great Hall

Archer watched with stark determination as his move along with Bretta and Ravena's amazing efforts had stopped the Crimson Heads altogether.

"And that was Round TWO...."

As Maxine led the group forward he couldn't help but feel a little nervous. Whoever the woman was that was leading this assault had obviously thrown the mutant off course, and Archer was beginning to worry if Maxine was truly capable of leading them where they needed to go.

Not only that but Archer had concerns of his own about just who was now in The Hellfire Estate, poised and ready to attack. He had murdered a member of The White Court, and The Red Queen had put a hit out on him. Juliette had promised him the keys to the kingdom, and in her death had left him with his hands in the proverbial cookie jar. Liam wanted him dead and so did Rebecca. Outside of Maxine, Archer had a bigger target than anybody else in the group.

For awhile they traveled with little to no interference which was never a good sign. This meant they were being lead somewhere, and not by Maxine. Soon all would be revealed as they made their way towards the Great Hall. Immediately he saw Maxine's neck muscles tense up but it was too late.

Maxine: "SCATTER!"

<< BAM! >>

The group was met with a full on assault as the tyrant barreled into the group, scattering them like dry leaves, only Bretta managed to escape much of the brunt of the attack. Archer was blasted back against a wall as he greeted it with a thud before sliding down quickly.

"Ughh...bloody wanker...."

With furious motion the Tyrant moved directly towards Maxine, and it became clear to Archer that this beast meant to take HER down...any subsequent deaths would merely be an added bonus. Maxine called both Bretta and Archer to blast the beast with all that they had. From the corner of his eye, he began to see the swarm of zombies making their way towards the Great Hall.

"It's showtime, Silver!"

Clapping his hands together, Archer ignited a CRYO BLAST, a focused and incredibly concussive cold blast that had the potential to freeze even large bodies of salt water and negate thermal energies including geo thermal energy, since his power involved him being able to lower thermal energy temperature to create the feats he did. It was the coldest temperature he could muster and directed it STRAIGHT at the furious mass that was Maxine and the Tyrant. Looking around him the walls of The Great Hall began to crystalize, dancing along the wooden walls of the hall, as the temperature around him began to drop by the sheer temperature of the beam. If he made contact with either, even with their temperature guards in place, they could most CERTAINLY go into shock or at the very least it could slow their movement. He eyed Ravena.

"Lord...The zombies! We need to keep them back. We HAVE to look out for Maxine. I will NOT lose another member of The Black Court! NOT TONIGHT!"

With all of his might he CONTINUED to blast the beam at the epicenter of the battle, hoping that Silver would come in with some type of move to buy them more time to escape. Each wave had gotten progressively worse and everybody would need to act fast if they wanted to get out of this alive.

A heavy snow like residue began to fall heavily in the area around him as he focused his blast

 

[Silver]

Showtime

:: They moved along. Bretta couldn't help but have doubts about all of this. Following a woman who not so long ago had been most unkind and even brutal in her treatment and now they were supposed to believe in the logic or strategy of working with HER to usher in a stronger, more profitable Hellfire Club?::


:: The deeper in they went, the more Bretta thought about taking flight and just leaving ALL of this, after all, it wasn't as though she didn't have a life or structure that could occupy her life outsie of this place and in the end, Domino could betray them all anyway. She still didnt like OR trust that woman::


::But here she was, getting wrapped up in her thoughts, not noticing that they werent encountering as many creatures as they had earlier.::



What...

<< The doors EXPLODE OUT off their hinges and inside the dark great room, briefly illuminated by the lightning outside, there stands a TYRANT!!!! >>

SHARDS! What is THAT!?

:: She shrieked as her eyes widened with shock::

<< This creature was MASSIVE, DWARFING ALL of the group in attendance. It was IMMUNE to any medium & low powered conventional weapons and artillery, as well as temperature extremes. It possessed a higher level of intelligence than any other bio hazard they had encountered thus far and was fully capable of pursuing/hunting its prey with ruthless focus and his strength? Well it was easily capable of tearing the entire mansion apart with it's bare hands to say the least.>>

As opposed to anything ELSE we've seen this evening!?

MOVE! SCATTER! NOW!

Despite it's massive size, it moved with the speed of an olympic athlete, as evidence when he CHARGED....

::GASP!::

:: Silver's wings manifest in a sparkling flurry of purple orbs as she immediately takes to the air using more of her super speed than before::

<<...and BARRELED INTO the group with only Silver NARROWING evading his head on assault as she took to the air.>>

:: the massive rush of air from the Tyrant's mad dash washed over Silver as her wings moved rapidly to counter the force and keep her steady::

Oh...WOW

:: Her mind raced. What to do! WHAT TO DO!?::

:: But Silver was in a relatively advantageous position, given that she could fly...AND CHANGE size. Still, her ability to evade him wouldnt be tested just yet as the creature was clearly after Domino and Bretta was not at ALL ashamed at the feeling of SATISFACTION she had at seeing Domino now looking like a rag doll as the creature knocked her down not once...but TWICE::

Hmph...flat on her back AGAIN just where she belongs! bet THAT will knock some of the wind out of HER sails. Pompous, arrogant COW! It would serve her RIGHT if we let that thing FLATTEN her!

:: She has no time to waste. Maxine looks over to Silver, Alec and Archer for a split second. ::

"BLAST IT WITH ALL YOU GOT! Don't worry if you HIT me..I can take it!"

::Silver makes one quick circular pass around the creature and Maxine to get a better appreciation of his size and stature. Something THIS big would require a POWERFUL blast. She'd need to get focused and with Discord providing them with psychic and empathic reserves, she'd have that.::

"It's showtime, Silver!"

:: Well, there was no backing out now and Archer had saved her earlier, She couldn't leave him to fend against that gigantic creature alone! His attack is almost ART IN MOTION, which Bretta can appreciate. Now she must add her bit in!::

:: she now hovers at a 12 o'clock to Avalanche's 6 o'clock. inhaling deeply, she pulls her arms back and up, clasping her hands together into one tight fist and then thrusting it out toward the creature::

HAH!!!

:: Her eyes are now glowing solid white and her clasped hands are surrounded by a jagged purple glowing halo of magick::


::CRACK.....KRAKOOM!::

:: Fueled by her emotions, which are being bolstered by Discord, Silver fires a massive broad blast of purple dark lightning against the creature that makes mother nature OUTSIDE take notice. The massive, jagged blast of dark lightning would not only hit the creature, but also anything or anyONE in close proximity to him, namely Domino...but the woman HAD to have known that, otherwise she wouldn't have called for them to fire upon it with her being eye to eye with it!::

 

[Lord Ravena]

The children began to work as a group, dispatching the rabble as they moved ahead. It was obvious that this was being orchestrated, but sometimes there was an advantage to taking whatever came to you. In this case, each encounter made them all the more deadly as a GROUP.

The entered the Great Chamber where stood...a TYRANT. Lord Ravena knew full well what in was, and he knew how dangerous a beast it could be. It charged them and even HE slid back a few feet, by the door. Outside of it, he could smell the approach of the stricken. He heard the urgency in Archer's voice.

"Lord...The zombies! We need to keep them back. We HAVE to look out for Maxine. I will NOT lose another member of The Black Court! NOT TONIGHT!"

Nodding, Lord Raven touches the four corners of the door...and it disappears. In fact, all entrances do. He has sealed them inside with this THING, and it was now kill or be killed.

Turning, the Lion of New Anatolia can now focus his attention on the matter at hand. The Black Knight was brave and durable, to be sure, but he felt it unnecessary for her to take such punishment. With a wave of his hand, a discordant tone could be heard (something familiar with childhood?) and a sphere opens up, taking Domino away from harm and leaving the beast to take the brunt of the attacks leveled by Archer and Bretta.

Stepping forward, magics began to swirl about the Dark Lord until they formed a black eldritch armor. In Lord Ravena's right hand appeared a great Trident. In a swirl of magic Lord Ravena began a teleportative dance. Everywhere the Tyrant turned, he evaded, teleported and stabbed the beast with the Trident. Yet even under this onslaught he was making little headway as the beast seemed to regenerate nearly as fast as he damaged it. After a time he appeared in front of it and focused a HUGE dark eldrich blast, managing to stagger even this beast. Laughing, he called to the team.

He can be killed, like anything else! Surround and bombard! Give him no respite.

In spite of the danger even to himself, Lord Ravena was having a MARVELOUS TIME. He roared as he kept up the magical onslaught and tired to keep the beast away from the others.

 

[Seer]

Hyperdrive

<< He was stomping toward Avalanche...intending to PULP him with one blow but Avalanche kept pouring it on. Then Silver added her punishment in.>>

<< He stopped and doubled over...before violently lurching back and began to seize and then ROAR as he was bombarded from one side by Avalanche and the other by Silver.>>

<< NO human, and FEW MUTANTS or other super powered beings would even be ALIVE right now, much less conscious and standing under this brutal two edged assault! But Bio Hazards of a high order like this were BEYOND the trappings of conventional mortal weaknesses and could take levels of punishment that would destroy most biological beings or even entire physical scrutures. Still, the Tyrant didn't fall! the creature began to GLOW, showing signs that his massive physical body might be on the verge of MUTATING.>>

<< Finally, the combined forces of Silver and Avalanche's attacks prooved to be too much for the area AROUND The Tyrant as an explosion sent sent the Tyrant rolling a few feet across the floor! >>

<< Domino, his ultimate target, was not like most of his prey...SHE would fight back and seeing the opportunity, she took it, even as the Tyrant was already getting back on his feet and growling with anger. >>

With incredible speed, Maxine used this inertia to run up the side of the wall next to the Tyrant as she cast out her right hand. A contorting and almost bone breaking sound good be heard as the bones in Maxine's hand broke and shifted and molded, all still covered with the brilliant shine of techno organic steel. In a few fleeting seconds, Maxine's arm had shifted from it's HUMAN shape to that of a VERY large, mechanical looking drill, a side effect of her virus exposure, she was able to manipulate her form in a NUMBER of ways. With a great amount of strength she BARRELED the drill straight for the chest of the tyrant. Though the tyrant may have been incredibly durable, Maxine HERSELF was incredibly durable and resistant to temperature extremes as WELL and she had overwhelming physical strength to back it up. She may have not been executing a KILL move, but with these two incredible forces colliding, she would most certainly be able to bring the HURT. ::

:: Still, the words of the mystery woman rang in her head. ::

<< The Tyrant zeroes in on her, watching her with his glowing red eyes and it prepares to SMASH her through the wall, when she finally lashes out at him with a savage attack causing him to stagger back but before she can disengage herself, he GRABS ON to her with one of his massive hands and begins TIGHTENING his grip with increasing pressure. Anyone else by now would have passed out. A moment after THAT, their rib cage would be cracking and their blood vessels busting. Domino cannot escape his grab as he pulls her in closer...allowing her drill to push in DEEPER as his toxic bodily fluids spill out. He's about to BITE HER HEAD OFF, LITTERALLY>>

<< But before that can happen, his body begins to convulse and he actually deviates from his initial course to BITE OFF Domino's head and he DROPS her as he roars with PAIN!?>>

<< The gaping hole in his chest begins close but from his BACK...four LARGE tentacles (possessing the same bio luminescent quality of the leeches) sprout. His BODY GROWS in size and BURSTS out of its garment. he is now a HULKING monster and BERSERK with RAGE. >>

<< The tentacles snap and WHIP out, SMACKING Avalanche and Silver down with brutal force. Alec and Discord, who had not earned the creature's full attention yet, are able to see to those two. And now, The Tyrant looks down at Domino, bringing his fists up, about to SLAM them down on her directly with the force beyond that of a pile driver!>>

<< But before that happens>>

Turning, the Lion of New Anatolia can now focus his attention on the matter at hand. The Black Knight was brave and durable, to be sure, but he felt it unnecessary for her to take such punishment. With a wave of his hand, a discordant tone could be heard (something familiar with childhood?) and a sphere opens up, taking Domino away from harm and leaving the beast to take the brunt of the attacks leveled by Archer and Bretta.

Stepping forward, magics began to swirl about the Dark Lord until they formed a black eldritch armor. In Lord Ravena's right hand appeared a great Trident. In a swirl of magic Lord Ravena began a teleportative dance. Everywhere the Tyrant turned, he evaded, teleported and stabbed the beast with the Trident. Yet even under this onslaught he was making little headway as the beast seemed to regenerate nearly as fast as he damaged it. After a time he appeared in front of it and focused a HUGE dark eldrich blast, managing to stagger even this beast. Laughing, he called to the team.

He can be killed, like anything else! Surround and bombard! Give him no respite.

In spite of the danger even to himself, Lord Ravena was having a MARVELOUS TIME. He roared as he kept up the magical onslaught and tired to keep the beast away from the others.

<< The mysterious magick user may have spoken too soon. Other powerful magick users have faced high level bio hazards in this world, and learned the HARD WAY that they are often the ones MOST vulnerable to the most unexpected attacks>>

<< Even as the mage delivers an ongoing attack, after several moves, he is CAUGHT and ENSNARED by not one, but TWO of the glowing tentacles now flowing from the creature's back and as soon as Lord Ravena is caught, the tentacles begin to DRAIN HIM of his energy, his very life glow. >>

<< Now it was DOMINO who was duty bound to return the favor that was shown her by Lord Ravena.>>

<< The creature was in a far more powerful form, but ALSO in a more UNSTABLE form. Silver and Avalanche's attacks had painfully slowed it down and pushed it toward further mutation but it was Domino's savage, flesh rending assault that brought about the mutation as the virus sought to repair the massive tissue damage she caused.>>

<< THe virus was now in hyperdrive and Ravena had added to the stress it was under, but now the creature was DRAINING Ravena of his very mana (similar to what Kyle Kyle had done to Spellbinder in Arklay) >>

 

[Domino]

Go To HELL!

:: Maxine's teeth gritted in bitter rage as she used her strength to continue to grind deeper and deeper into the Tyrant. Her once silver eyes now a blood curdling shade of red. She is razor focused on him. ::

"Just a little bit longer...dig DEEP! Kill this BEAST!"

:: All at once she is THROTTLED as she feels the incredibly suffocating hand of the Tyrant wrap around her body with an incredible amount of pressure. Her wild red eyes widen as she cries out in pain. Closer and closer he pulls her in, the smell of his putrid breath and mouth dripping with unknown thick consistency liquids. She can feel the heat of his mouth as she pulled closer and closer in, but she knows she must STAY her current course if she wishes to kill him. Maxine has no choice but to FIGHT. Her head enters his MOUTH as she presses even DEEPER with her drilled hand. ::

"AAAAGGHHHH!!"

:: In a second the Tyrant DROPS her as he screams out in pain as Maxine begins to become covered in what can be described as bodily fluid as the bio hazard roars out. She takes a quick second to regroup, immediately on her feet as she watches with horror what is about to happen in front of her. ::

<< The gaping hole in his chest begins close but from his BACK...four LARGE tentacles (possessing the same bio luminescent quality of the leeches) sprout. His BODY GROWS in size and BURSTS out of its garment. he is now a HULKING monster and BERSERK with RAGE. >>

<< The tentacles snap and WHIP out, SMACKING Avalanche and Silver down with brutal force. Alec and Discord, who had not earned the creature's full attention yet, are able to see to those two. And now, The Tyrant looks down at Domino, bringing his fists up, about to SLAM them down on her directly with the force beyond that of a pile driver!>>

<< But before that happens>>

:: Her head is REALING with pain and her body feels weak, but she is The Black Knight, and she knows not how to stop, only how to fight and only how to win. She REFUSES to allow herself to fall victim this early in the night. Her composure and her strength of will is nearly indomitable and as the Tyrant lifts his FISTS up, Maxine is poised and ready to attack...until... ::

Turning, the Lion of New Anatolia can now focus his attention on the matter at hand. The Black Knight was brave and durable, to be sure, but he felt it unnecessary for her to take such punishment. With a wave of his hand, a discordant tone could be heard (something familiar with childhood?) and a sphere opens up, taking Domino away from harm and leaving the beast to take the brunt of the attacks leveled by Archer and Bretta.

Stepping forward, magics began to swirl about the Dark Lord until they formed a black eldritch armor. In Lord Ravena's right hand appeared a great Trident. In a swirl of magic Lord Ravena began a teleportative dance. Everywhere the Tyrant turned, he evaded, teleported and stabbed the beast with the Trident. Yet even under this onslaught he was making little headway as the beast seemed to regenerate nearly as fast as he damaged it. After a time he appeared in front of it and focused a HUGE dark eldrich blast, managing to stagger even this beast. Laughing, he called to the team.

He can be killed, like anything else! Surround and bombard! Give him no respite.

In spite of the danger even to himself, Lord Ravena was having a MARVELOUS TIME. He roared as he kept up the magical onslaught and tired to keep the beast away from the others.

"God Dammit, Ravena! Stand down!"

:: She thinks to herself, running on complete adrenaline. Not focused on her fears, not focused on her impending death, only focused on the death of this horrendous creature at her hands. ::

<< The mysterious magick user may have spoken too soon. Other powerful magick users have faced high level bio hazards in this world, and learned the HARD WAY that they are often the ones MOST vulnerable to the most unexpected attacks>>

<< Even as the mage delivers an ongoing attack, after several moves, he is CAUGHT and ENSNARED by not one, but TWO of the glowing tentacles now flowing from the creature's back and as soon as Lord Ravena is caught, the tentacles begin to DRAIN HIM of his energy, his very life glow. >>

<< Now it was DOMINO who was duty bound to return the favor that was shown her by Lord Ravena.>>

<< The creature was in a far more powerful form, but ALSO in a more UNSTABLE form. Silver and Avalanche's attacks had painfully slowed it down and pushed it toward further mutation but it was Domino's savage, flesh rending assault that brought about the mutation as the virus sought to repair the massive tissue damage she caused.>>

<< THe virus was now in hyperdrive and Ravena had added to the stress it was under, but now the creature was DRAINING Ravena of his very mana (similar to what Kyle Kyle had done to Spellbinder in Arklay) >>

:: Now her strongest ally was captured and after everything he had offered her, she knew that she could not let him die in order for her to live. She had caused the mutation in the Tyrant, but she was not about her wits. Every blow she struck she had accounted for, every grip of his hand she was testing his strength. She had noticed that the Tyrant, while very well versed in hunting it's prey was very one track minded. When Archer had attacked, he went immediately for the man. When Silver had attacked, the same thing and now here with Lord Ravena. Flexing her muscles her ARMOR began to shed from her body in seconds, leaving her only in a black sports bra and shorts. ::

"NOT TONIGHT! I'll KILL YOU!"

:: To Archer and Bretta ::

"AGAIN WITH THE BLASTS! DON'T STOP UNTIL THAT THING ISN'T MOVING! AIM STRAIGHT FOR THE TENTACLES!"

:: As the two began their brutal spot, Maxine SPRUNG into action, LEAPING into the air delivering a SNAP KICK to The Tyrant's face. Once she connected with the ground, her hands became enveloped with bright red halos of energy, a stark and beautiful contrast to her techno organic steel coated skin. She didn't like to admit it, but this thing was STRONGER than her, and Maxine could have probably gotten hit by a freight train and still survived, but she DID noticed a weakness in terms of it's physiology...it's HEAD. For such a HULKING AND GIANT body, with muscles that looked foreboding and satanic...it's head was normal size and the way that it acted led her to believe that while it was SMARTER than the Crimson Heads, it was not incredibly protected. ::

"Here goes NOTHING!"

:: Maxine lept up once more as she grabbed onto the hulking neck of the beast with one hand. As the Tyrant became confused as to which target to acquire, she took her left hand and JAMMED IT into the mouth of the beast, and pushed through the soft tissue on the roof of it's mouth while enacting her ability to decompose organic matter through her touch. She had wrapped her legs around the tyrant and was holding on for DEAR LIFE as he channeled ALL of her energy into decomposing the tyrant from the head out, much in the way she had done to Juliette earlier. The longer she held on and the FASTER she got to the Tyrant's brain, the sooner this would all be over. If it was DEAD it COULDN'T mutate and since a hole to the CHEST didn't seem to work, a HOLE IN THE HEAD would have to do. Still, she was exerting ALL of her force and if she didn't come through SOON, she would be unconscious and EVERYBODY in the room would DIE! ::

 

[Liam Forbes]

Viper: I am BEYOND anyone else you've ever dealt with, foolish man!

(Chuckling) "I doubt that very much."

Viper: I don't work with common rabble [Domino]. And There will be no surrender. (There was some growling and hissing that could be heard in the background, echoing throughout the catacombs) I RULE HERE and YOU will be the one to FALL!

"Somebody lied to YOU, lass."

Something jumped on his back, heavy and awkward and violently thrashing at his back. It climbed over his shoulder and attacked his chest, shredding his shirt to reveal his 'armor' vest underneath. It fit like a second skin, and offered a great deal of protection.

Too bad Cassadine is dead now, or I'd call and give him my regards..... this suit is worth every Euro!

Liam slapped the creature in the face with his 'star', knocking its head clean off, spraying the wall with gore as the orb exploded and made minced meat of the creature's brains.

Viper hit him in the chest with some kind of blast. Blasting him back against the wall, It felt like a sledgehammer but splashed all over him, burning his exposed skin like acid.

He reached out towards her, attacking her without hesitation, splitting apart her very atoms, forcing a disintegration of her cells. It started with her skin, but within seconds would flay her alive. He could reach bone before she even made it back out of the room. He was done wasting time. If she couldn't deliver Domino or Juliette then he needed her dead so he could tend to his acid burns and find his princess.

 

[Viper]

In the Catacombs

[ Viper stood posed as he dispatched the hunters. The man handled himself well in a crisis. Rebecca had advised that he was very resourceful and not easily shaken. He dispatched the creatures just in time to take a venom blast to the chest, but it was not a full powered one. He hit the wall...but he was not down for the count]

Good. I LIKE prey that FIGHTS.

[Viper licked her red, glossed lips as she eyed Zodiac like he was something good to EAT.]

[ Her wicked smirk melted into a look of grim focus and as she prepared to attack him AGAIN...]

He reached out towards her, attacking her without hesitation, splitting apart her very atoms, forcing a disintegration of her cells.

What....what is THIS!?

[FLASH!]

<< A view of Viper's "blood" flow and cells can be seen. Her physiology is far beyond that of a normal baseline human or even most mutants and due to the fact that her cells, her genetic struture is bonded with the T-Veronica Virus, a DESIGNER strain of the original T-Virus.>>

[ Viper falters...then SUMBLES, contracting as she exhales with SHOCK]

What...are you DOING...YOU....CAN'T DO THIS TO ME

It started with her skin, but within seconds would flay her alive. He could reach bone before she even made it back out of the room. He was done wasting time. If she couldn't deliver Domino or Juliette then he needed her dead so he could tend to his acid burns and find his princess.

ACKKKKKK!!!

[ She staggers backward, her hands grasping at her head and her voice, normally accented with a haunting resonance, sounds rather warped as she yells with ....PAIN!?]


[ he was attempting to make her discorporate...and for a MOMENT...it seemed he was succeeding, as her skin actually began to RIPPLE and FLOW AWAY, "holes" of muscle and bone began to show around her body, exposing layers of her body at various points and then her face began to swell and PULSE. Her body, down to the molecular level was reacting to the attack as most any other one...at FIRST]

Fuh....FOOL...I am...no...no mere MORTAL!


[ For a terrifying moment,She LOOKED as if she would lose cohesion, her skin, layer after layer would literally recede from various parts of her body and it was grotesque. She began convulsing...as she heaved and sounded as if she'd begin coughing/vomiting out her insides]

[FLASH!]

<< Her body's genetic code begins to REASSERT ITSELF as the T-VERONICA virus, bonded with her on a cellular and molecular levels begins to REPAIR and REGENERATE her cells in a rapid, cascade effect. For everyone he pulls apart, the virus REGENERATES. She begins glow as she RECOVERS her full physical form and beauty, restored to full levels>>

[ She cracks her neck from one side to the other and looks upon Zodiac with UTTER contempt]


What a NASTY man you are. To try to RUIN my BEAUTIFUL, PERFECT BODY that way!?


[In a movement so fast, she is a BLUR to the naked eye, she is instantly upon Zodiac, grabbing him by the neck and SLAMMING him into the wall, holding him OFF the floor]

You sought to literally pull me apart! Cause me to discorporate!

I COULD return the favor...I could BURN YOUR FACE OFF with acid FIRE right now...

[Using her super strength, she begins tightening her grip around his neck]

I could SNAP your neck 5 times before you drew your last breath...and I could FOLD YOU into a PRETZEL.

Don't you see?

[ Tilting her head to the side]

I am BETTER than you. In EVERY WAY!

You DARED to defile my body! It's ONLY FAIR that I RETURN THE FAVOR!

[ Suddenly, she PULLS Zodiac into a CONSTRICTING embrace and KISSES him on the mouth. As she does so, she unleashes the EBOLA VIRUS, specifically the Ebola hemorrhagic fever, into his body and ACCELERATES its activity in his body.]

[Fever, sore throat, muscle pain and a splitting headache are the FIRST WAVE of symptoms, MAGNIFIED to crippling levels.]

Let's see if YOU can give as good as you GET.

[ She drops him to the floor and KICKS him in the stomach. His nose begins to bleed. Soon his liver and kidneys will begin to fail, and after that, he will begin to hemorrahage internally ]

Your body will fail you. You will be racked with pain...you will bleed...and You will soon be DEAD but you will NOT have the PRIVILEGE of SERVING ME as a bio hazard.

[ Standing over him as she kicks him once more]

You will be cleared away, as nature clears away the dead wood...and the genetically INFERIOR.

You thought you would beat me?!

[ She throws her head back and laughs maniacally before suddenly snapping back into a serious, cold, grim countenance]

You stood against me...now you will DIE.

[ Stepping over him, she exits the dungeon, disappearing into the dark hall of the catacombs]


And now to find that annoying little POLYP, DOMINO and CRUSH HER!

 

[Seer]

the gory end...or is it?

<< It is a considerable amount of time before the skulls of Avalanche and Silver settle from the brutal SLAP DOWN they received from the tentacles of the monstrous, mutated Tyrant.>>

<< Discord, using his powers to their fullest measure, actually indirectly aids their BODIES in recovery, as he scales back the emotional feedback of PAIN and helps to calm them and steady them, for they are soon called BACK into this brutal battle by Domino.>>

<< A lingering view of Lord Ravena.>>

<< The mysterious mage has secrets to rival Domino's, including his true lineage. Too bad for him, he doesnt know that magick users often have the HARDEST TIME with bio hazards. The ENERGY that magick users channel, specifically the ones that MANY bio hazards were created to combat, is quite appealing as a source of NOURISHMENT to a variety of these creatures.>>

<<FLASH!>>

<<ARKLAY MANSION!>>

<< Images of a MONSTROUS creature [Kyle Kelly] lunging, attacking BEATING DOWN on...>>

FLASH!

<< the view CHANGES from Kyles to...>>

<< A woman with blonde hair and violet eyes...a profile Ravena has seen BEFORE...she's already SHAKEN and WEAKENED from being ATTACKED by the TENTACLES that sprouted from Kyle's back. She STRUGGLES to maintain her magick SHEILDS, protecting her friends, her team mates, her FAMILY from the monster that seeks to CRUSH them all. With each BLOW he delivers to her shield, the PAIN shoots through her body, until she finally SCREAMS as her shield SHATTERS. CHIMES sound off.>>

<< The power and vitality LEAVE him in a way he could not have expected. HE was accustomed to draining others...not the other way around..>>

<< But Domino launched herself at the creature , calling for Silver and Avalanche to back her play and while the creature was only SLOWED by their blasts this time, it's is enough for Ravena to be DROPPED from it's grip.>>

<< Now he has a moment to recover, as well as ponder an apparent limit he did not anticipate before. >>

As the two began their brutal spot, Maxine SPRUNG into action, LEAPING into the air delivering a SNAP KICK to The Tyrant's face. Once she connected with the ground, her hands became enveloped with bright red halos of energy, a stark and beautiful contrast to her techno organic steel coated skin. She didn't like to admit it, but this thing was STRONGER than her, and Maxine could have probably gotten hit by a freight train and still survived, but she DID noticed a weakness in terms of it's physiology...it's HEAD. For such a HULKING AND GIANT body, with muscles that looked foreboding and satanic...it's head was normal size and the way that it acted led her to believe that while it was SMARTER than the Crimson Heads, it was not incredibly protected. ::

"Here goes NOTHING!"

:: Maxine lept up once more as she grabbed onto the hulking neck of the beast with one hand. As the Tyrant became confused as to which target to acquire, she took her left hand and JAMMED IT into the mouth of the beast, and pushed through the soft tissue on the roof of it's mouth while enacting her ability to decompose organic matter through her touch. She had wrapped her legs around the tyrant and was holding on for DEAR LIFE as he channeled ALL of her energy into decomposing the tyrant from the head out, much in the way she had done to Juliette earlier. The longer she held on and the FASTER she got to the Tyrant's brain, the sooner this would all be over. If it was DEAD it COULDN'T mutate and since a hole to the CHEST didn't seem to work, a HOLE IN THE HEAD would have to do. Still, she was exerting ALL of her force and if she didn't come through SOON, she would be unconscious and EVERYBODY in the room would DIE! ::

<< Domino takes a TERRIBLE risk, but in the end, her battle savvy and savage instinct bring her a hard fought VICTORY as the creature's ROAR is cut short by a sickening sound, the creature's face began to ERODE & fall away, revealing an oddly shapped skull, but soon, even THAT begins to degrade, turning to dust that flies away leaving the creature's pulsating brain exposed as the process of decay repeats itself. It's a truly gruesome display, one that is put to an end when the creature's BODY, no longer in control of itself, swells...seemingly on the verge of some horrific new mutation but then from the stress of being in hyperdrive for so long, the body simply EXPLODES , leaving Domino on the floor several feet away, ALIVE but definitely battle worn>>



<< Domino doesn't know it, but in many ways, this is her "coming out party!">>

<< FLASH!>>

<< Rapid montage of KYLE KELLY. PATRICK PHILLIPS (The Super Soldier). HALEIGH DAVIDOFF (Black Widow). SHARON KELLY (Silver Swan). JESSICA MARCUS (Viper).>>

<< The power that she channels, comes from a line sired by an entity who's pieces havent been scattered FAR ENOUGH.>>

<< She doesnt know it yet, but she's apart of a perverse, tragic, yet POWERFUL "Family". Destiny fullfilled? Or "FAMILY" reunion... in her quest to reclaim what she thinks is her's tonight, she's going to get far more than she bargained for.>>

<< As they ALL struggle to compose themselves, there's no way they can know what...or WHO is next.>>

<< But for now, they have a precious respite.>>

 

[Duke]

The Hellfire Estate - Great Hall

Alec held his athame a little tighter as he killed yet ANOTHER creature. He didn’t know what it was and, truth be told, he didn’t care. It seemed like him and his team has been killing creatures right, left, and center for HOURS. The creatures all blurred together after awhile. When he entered the armoury, he didn’t expect Lord Ravena to present him with his athame. Being Ravena, he didn’t say a damn thing, just went and handed it to him. He shook his head and killed another creature. He managed to help aid his team using his telekinesis here and there as well.

Bloody, bloody, PONCES.

He sighed as TWO creatures came at him and he quickly dispatched those before Bretta came and saved him by using her faerie wings and ‘flying’ him to safety. He was proud of Bretta for stepping up and letting her instincts as a dark faerie shine. She was beautiful, powerful, and a force to be reckoned with. He was a bit nervous for her as well, knowing that sooner or later she WOULD have to face Rebecca. He hoped that she would still have her confidence about her.

Bretta had set him down where he was relatively safe…but not for long as he got it into his head that he would ‘glamour’ himself as one of the creatures so he could get an ‘in’ with them as one of their own. It would’ve worked too if that bloody REED hadn’t mistaken him for an ACTUAL creature and tried to kill him! He glared at Discord once he was back in his own form before an ominous sound rang out.

SHARDS! What IS THAT?!

“As opposed to anything ELSE we’ve seen this evening!?”

He managed to get that out before a TYRANT barrelled itself into the group, sending him FLYNG across the floor into a small alcove where he watched the rest of his team fight for their lives against it. His athame would be of no use against THIS creature! He watched the fight unfold, wishing he had more to offer the team.

*cheers*: “Come on, Maxine!”

Finally the thing was gone. He caught his breath and tentatively made his way to his group, offering a hand to Maxine to help her up.

“Well. That was some party, innit?”

He smiled softly at Bretta and the others. He nodded in Archer’s direction.

“Good show, mate.”

 

[Lord Ravena]

Trapped. At least for the moment. He did not fear death, but he realized that his manner of attack was erroneous at best.

The tentacles of the beast shot out, encircling him. His eldritch armor began to fade as he was being...DRAINED of magical energies!? He pushed his own considerable strength against the cords, but he was currently held fast. He prepared to escape an different way when he saw Domino make her move.

Bold choice, child

Lord Ravena decided to stay in the grasp of the creature as long as he could so as to prevent it from counterattacking Domino with those damnable tentacles. As he was released from the now-pained beasts grasp, he held onto the tentacles, bracing the monster in place as Domino dealt with him.

As the creature expired, Lord Ravena realized that his ward on the doors had faded, and zombies were noticing them. They FINALLY had a respite, and now these damnable things?! NO.

ATTEND ME! GUARDS!

Throwing open a portal to New Anatolia, 12 armored soldiers came streaming through. But one could tell by the way they moved, these were no mere human soldiers. There were...something ELSE entirely. The immediately barred the group from the oncoming horde.

Leave none of these abominations standing. Stay armored. Move quickly!!

A dozen whirling dervishes of true undead began to shoot zombies in the head or cut them down with any number of bladed weapons.

Now...where were we?

Lord Ravena produced his pitch black crystal ball, peering inside...

 

[Silver]

The Hellfire Estate - Great Hall

:: Her head finally stopped ringing. Bretta gave a big sigh when it was all over…at least for the time being. She HOPED. It had been one HELL of a night. She wasn’t used to fighting this hard before and yet…she really, REALLY, enjoyed it. Her entire being was buzzing with energy and her green eyes were sparkling with excitement. She turned to Archer and offered her hand. ::

“We did it!!”

:: She gave him a high five…and then spotted zombies. ::

“Look!”

:: She pointed, but just as quickly as she noticed them, Ravena’s soldiers quickly came and dispatched them. She looked bewildered for a second before turning back to her team. Alec joined them, offering her a small smile before helping Maxine up. Bretta gave him a tiny smile. What Daniel had told her back in New Anatolia about Alec made her somewhat confused. She didn’t know what to think or feel. She had no idea that he had feelings for her…and she didn’t know if she reciprocated them. Sure, he helped calm and stabilize her but he never EVER gave a hint as to what he was feeling. It was just casual sex. ::

No time to think about THAT right now, chickie. Keep the focus on what’s at hand.

:: She smoothed down her costume and walked over to Maxine. She didn’t trust the girl ONE IOTA. Her purple wings fluttered as she walked. ::

“So now what…” *mockingly*: “O Great Leader?”

:: She was somewhat perturbed that the Black Knight was still alive. It was cruel of her, but Bretta had been hoping that the last attack would’ve been Maxine’s FINAL one. ::

 

[Domino]

The Hellfire Estate - The Great Hall

"Die...already.....you son. of. a. BITCH!"

:: Maxine was beginning to lose consciousness at this point, but her grip remained strong on the Tyrant. She had never attempt to dissolve something who's makeup was quite like this beast and it was certainly taking a toll on her body. She had been giving nothing but her A game since she stepped foot back in the mansion and while she incredibly durable and resourceful, even she had her limits. Limits that were being pushed. ::

"ROAAAARRRRR!!!"

:: She watched as Lord Ravena was dropped by the tyrant and she thanked the universe silently. Dust begins to fly all around her body as the face of the Tyrant begins to completely erode, her hand elbow deep in his head at this point. She's close and she can feel it, but she can't afford to get cocky. Not now. ::

"You've GOT IT!"

:: The explosion of the Tyrant was massive as it knocked Domino to the floor, causing her to slide several feet back in a huff and slump. She has succeeded, but there is so much more battle to fight, and no time to rest. She immediately tries to get to her feet but finds herself unable to, due to a mixture of battle fatigue and strain. She allows herself a few moments to gain her composure. ::

:: Soon, Lord Ravena had summoned his attendants from New Anatolia as they began going to work on the zombies that were quickly making their way towards the group. Maxine let out a sigh of relief as the others began to recoup from their battle wounds. ::

Bretta: "So now what... *mockingly* Oh, Great Leader?"

:: Maxine rose to her feet with help from Duke as she gripped his hand tightly, a silent thank you for his effort. This dark faerie, however was getting on Maxine's last nerves. She was quite mouthy for somebody who had nearly been made lunch meat by The Black Knight several times in the last forty eight hours. ::

"Bretta, if you feel my battle instincts are not up to snuff, then by all means, LEAD the way. I'll make sure to turn a blind eye to the next bio hazard that wants to turn your body into string cheese."

:: She walked past The Red Princess, barely regarding her as she went. ::

"By the way, thank you for the assist...and you're WELCOME for still being alive."

:: Maxine turned to Lord Ravena. ::

"We are near The Great Hall..My feeling is that whatever is after us, is down in the catacombs. It's a labrynth down there...plenty of places to hide and plenty of places to divide and conquer us. Tell me...what do you see in your crystal ball?"

 

[Chameleon]

The White Queen's Lament

On the upper levels of The Hellfire Estate, the mansion was divided into wings for each court. What were once thriving and inviting spaces now appeared desolate and haunted. As horrifying screams and growls of the bio hazards below filled the area, the jarring sound of a beautiful song could be heard from far down the hall of The White Wing. It was the sound of a music box and it was coming from The White Queen's Chambers.

As Camille Rowe sat in front of her vanity, the little music box to her left continued to play a beautifully haunting tune as a tiny ballerina figurine spun around in unison with the music. The White Queen eyed herself for a moment before opening another decorative box to her right containing a cornucopia of assorted pills of various colors. She settled for a white one of course and plopped it into her mouth promptly, taking a sip of cool water to swallow it down. Her gaze shifted to the ballerina spinning around. Tiny, fragile and beautiful, just as she had been.

"Those days are long behind you now, Camille..."

She thought to herself. Camille had lived for many years as the prima ballerina to a prominent French Ballet Company. She was known for her ability to throw herself into her roles, to truly give everything she had with each dance, seeming to "transform" into each character she played. What the general public didn't know was that this had come as a side effect of her ability to shift into whatever shape she desired. And she was good at it too. There were plenty of shapeshifters in the world, but too many of them had tells, things that gave their true identity away. Not Camille. She was a star. She had been able to transform beyond genetics. When she took another form, she BECAME it. It was one of the reasons that Liam had been so interested in her when they first met years ago at one of her shows.

Camille's gaze reached a picture on her vanity of Liam and herself, many years ago at insert whatever important gala here. She remembered she thought she was happy then. That by his side was was where she was supposed to be. He had groomed her and trained her. From White Bishop to White Rook to White Queen. But after spending most of her life and her work in the Hellfire Club being somebody else in order to gather information, it had left her not knowing at all who she really was. At least that's what her psychiatrist said. Before she fucked him, killed him and stole his prescription pad.

As she began to question her own identity, a woman arrived in The Hellfire Club that had over two hundred years to figure herself out; Juliette De La Creaux. From the moment Liam laid his eyes on her, Camille no longer existed. And not a day went by where Camille didn't want to bludgeon the vampire and paint the walls with her blood. But she was a woman of honor. Or at least she had been. When the cats away, the mice will play and with Liam utterly preoccupied with his latest progeny, Camille began to search for companionship in other areas. It wasn't long before Rebecca had honed in on Camille's weakness and the two began working together. Rebecca had showed Camille ways to get power that she didn't realize she had. She was really the one who taught Camille all that being a Queen in The Hellfire Club had to offer. Even sobriety; a trait that Camille did not want any part of. She had resolved herself to be numb a very long time ago after her dreams of super stardom had been cut short.

Still, she learned a thing or two from Rebecca and she soon began building allies in her court, the most important of them being Heidi Scarborough. Heidi had been an updated version of Camille herself. Both raised with money, both absolutely spoiled by their families, and both with a capacity for depravity that could make your toes curl up. She truly loved Heidi and felt incredibly paternal over her. She had to, of course, after what The Hellfire Club had done to her family, something that Camille was actually thankful that Heidi never found out about while she was alive.

"Rest in Peace, my dear...sweet girl..."

The music box had finished it's song. The ballerina was frozen in time and Camille couldn't help but feel as if the ballerina was some how mocking the way that Camille felt inside. Mindlessly, The White Queen reached for another pill and took it effortlessly.

"I guess it's time to play my part...."

Part of Camille's ability that made her so interesting was that she was no simply able to shift into human forms, but of anything her heart could so desire. Animal, Vegetable, Mineral. You get the point. When Rebecca appeared to her at The White Court Citadel, Camille had sprung into action, returning to the estate immediately.

She had been there as a fly on the wall while Maxine Dupont tortured Bretta and killed Juliette. She had been there as a candle on the mantle during Archer and Duke's battle in The Black Wing. She had been when Juliette and Liam spoke of their plans after she murdered Camille's lifeline to the world of prescription drugs. There was much that Camille knew and in this respect her heavily medicated state helped her conceal all emotion and thought. She was able to remain cool headed in front of Liam as he spoke lies to her and she had been able to work flawlessly with Rebecca for quite some time now, without anybody being wiser, and more than ANYBODY on the courts, she knew where the bodies were buried, why they were there and more often than not, she had a shovel in hand.

People had spent years underestimating her due to her "hobbies" but Camille was about to show the courts just how grave a mistake they had made, and she really had no other option. For as little as it seemed she cared about those around her, she did believe in what Rebecca was doing. She knew the world would never accept people like them, and Camille was just as resolved to lock the entire human race away before they ever got the chance to lock HER away. She gripped her fist as she SMASHED the music box on the table, crushing it with little effort.

Her form began to flicker and shift with great speed until she appeared somewhat as a blur. She began to shift and merge and change all within in a second until the reflection of Liam, The White King appeared before her in the mirror. With a smile, she cracked her neck and left her room.

Within seconds she appeared before the members of The White Court as Liam, though she was sure to appear battle worn and wounded, stumbling, out of breath, but with that same stink of entitlement Liam always carried with him when he went.

In the doorway, the members of The White Guard would gasp with shock and disbelief.

"Maxine...Dupont...is near the Great Hall....bring her to me alive.....NOW!!!!!!!"

The members of The White Guard did not hesitate in merging towards action as they grabbed various weaponry as they began to file out off the catacombs and up to the main levels of The Hellfire Estate, charged and ready to capture The Black Knight for their King. Camille smirked.

"I wonder if they would rally the same for their QUEEN...."

She made her way down the halls of the catacombs to where Liam was held just AFTER Viper had left him to die. As Liam screamed out in pain, Camille walked over to him and JABBED him in the chest with a shot of adrenaline. At first Liam's eyes went white at the sight of seeing HIMSELF in front of him, but the adrenaline left him no time to consider what was going on. She knew he possessed the ability to come back from the attack Viper had given him, but she figured a little shock to his system would speed up the process.

As Liam began to "put himself back together", Camille reappeared in her own form as she stood over him with a psychotic curiousity. She did not help them, she merely stood there.

"You have been given a lifeline, Liam. As we speak The White Guard is on their way to capture Maxine Dupont before that Lisa Frank inspired psycopath has a chance to get to her. I have ignored your plans to dethrone me for quite some time. I have said nothing...and I have not laid a hand on you. Despite what may transpire within these walls tonight...you OWE me...."

[leaning in]

"Kill The Black Knight and stop this foolishness. Fall in line with the new regime or you will perish. Your ace in the hole has been GUTTED. Your Princess is dead and you are out of options..."

With a THUMP! She KNOCKED him in the side of the head with a large candlestick that lay in the fray from the fallout between Juliette and Maxine earlier as he was once again knocked out cold. He wouldn't remain unconscious for long. Perhaps long enough to wake up, storm the Great Hall and capture The Black Knight once and for all. She turned to the left as she noticed Ben unconscious on the floor. Grabbing him by the feet she began to drag him out of the room with her.

Her voice could be heard down the hall as she left him alone to his own devices.

"Long live The Queen..."

Camille's form disappeared down the halls as she prepared to move onto the next step of her plan.

 

[Liam Forbes]

He was shocked, and impressed, to see the woman come back from an attack that had killed many. She was on him in an instant with strength that far surpassed his own. He struggled for breath, but couldn't fight an amazed smirk.

She inexplicably laid a kiss on him, then let him fall to the floor and kicked him while he was down. He tried to get up, but something washed over him, an immense headache, a fever and chill at the same time. His body ached, his nose bled.

She was talking, but he could hardly pay attention to anything except the pain. She walked out and left him there, writhing on the cold stone floor.

It was some kind of virus. He was acutely aware of it coursing through his veins. He coughed, sputtered, and heaved. Systematically, he focused on the blood his heart was pumping. He isolated the viral cells and began converting them to pure energy, causing his veins to glow a red-orange color through his skin. Sweat covered his skin. The glow of his veins spread slowly from his chest outward, down his left arm, up his neck, and so on. It was possible to see the path of blood flow through his body. He rolled into his back, straining to overcome the sickness. Shutting his eyes, he growled in pain.

He felt a pinch in the center of his chest, and his eyes snapped open to see Camille. A large syringe was sticking out of his chest, and she was pushing some liquid through the needle. He felt suddenly electrified.

Camille: You have been given a lifeline, Liam. As we speak The White Guard is on their way to capture Maxine Dupont before that Lisa Frank inspired psycopath has a chance to get to her. I have ignored your plans to dethrone me for quite some time. I have said nothing...and I have not laid a hand on you. Despite what may transpire within these walls tonight...you OWE me....

He shook his head, wiping the blood from his nose with his tattered sleeve. Camille had one been destined for greatness. She had squandered her potential and sunken into jealous instability. There was little left of what Camille had one been, only a dead, numb look in her eyes.

He pulled the shreds of his shirt off, revealing his vest style armor, uncovering the glowing network of his veins.

Camille: Kill The Black Knight and stop this foolishness. Fall in line with the new regime or you will perish. Your ace in the hole has been GUTTED. Your Princess is dead and you are out of options...

"You've made a mistake, Cami. You picked the wrong side. Rebecca cannot be trusted! You killed the wrong Queen--"

She clubbed him with something and knocked him clean out.

**************

He woke to a man kneeling over him, calling his name over and over. He was surrounded by a small group of men who looked like they'd survived the apocalypse. Liam sat up, touching the side of his head gently, finding blood. He asked about Ben, only to be told Ben was gone. The only thing left where his body had been were drag marks. The leader of the rag tag group around him reported that they had escaped their level, and gone to the surface, only to find a battle raging. They'd spotted their target but after recon, decided to regroup with Liam. There had been no sign of Juliette. Liam scowled as he got to his feet.

 

[Crimson]

From A Distance...

From behind the many screens of her makeshift control room in the lower levels of The Hellfire Estate, Rebecca watched with both awe and terror at the bio hazards Jessica was able to cast upon the group. Each one more horrendous than the next, but none more terrifying than the raven haired woman next to her. Manipulating Jessica into rage had been an easy task, but The Red Queen knew it would be a task to keep Jessica on her side. She was very child like in her decision making process and the smallest word from the other side could send Viper on a path of destruction towards Rebecca. She only hoped that Jessica would tear through the others before they got a chance to get in her ear.

"It appears my American comrade has made good on her word...this gift is more than worth it's weight in gold..."

As Jessica stormed out of The Warm Room to eviscerate Liam, Rebecca remained in the room to watch the carnage unfold between Maxine and the tyrant from the giant plasma screens in front of her. Much to her dismay, The Black Knight had managed to survive the attack and soon Lord Ravena had summoned his forces to fight back the zombie herd, not knowing that Juliette was on the other side attempting to reunite with her friends and carry out her plans for revolution.

Thinking quickly, Rebecca pressed a few buttons on the control panel in front of her, activating the Labrynth protocol the Hellfire Estate had. In seconds, the walls began to shift around Juliette until soon a wall separated the vampire from her team. The more she attempted to find The Great Hall, the more she would become lost; a security protocol created by Jean Luc Dupont as a way to keep things hidden well within The Hellfire Estate. The program analyzed the movements of the person and reacted accordingly. All in all, Juliette would be hard pressed to get out of this anytime soon, which is what Rebecca was hoping for. As long as she could keep Juliette away from Maxine and hidden from Liam, she would be able to dispatch all of them a lot easier. For now, Rebecca needed to attend to other things.

Leaving her post in the Control Room she made her way through the mansion, using a series of secret passages and doors before winding up in her private chambers. She was greeted by Camille Rowe and a passed out Ben to which Rebecca smiled as she took a seat down on one of the fainting couches at the foot of her bed. She clacked her crimson red finger nails on the arm rest.

"Well...things appear to be going okay on my end. I'll say one thing, seeing what those Americans were up to after all this time really puts things into perspective. Meridian Industries could be doing a LOT better...and hopefully after tonight they will..."

She watched as Camille slumped Ben's body to the side and took a seat opposite to her. Ben was still very much alive, just incapacitated at the moment thanks to Viper's attack earlier.

Camille: "Things are well on my end as well...Liam will be on his way soon to take care of Maxine for us...and he doesn't know that Juliette is alive..."

Rebecca smiled.

"How beautifully poetic. No offense dear, but it seems to be in Liam's character to not know those in his court are ALIVE. But soon that won't matter. Liam and The White Guard will storm the area by the Great Hall any minute now...and hopefully he will destroy a few of the MINOR characters in this novella...Maxine is weak at this point...Jessica Marcus has made sure of that. They won't be able to fight off Liam and his men for long, and once Liam realizes the fatal flaw in capturing a woman like Maxine it will be too late..."

Camille paused for a minute before cocking her head to the side.

Camille: [blankly] "And Maxine will end up taking care of Liam for us..."

Rebecca nodded.

"Or who knows...maybe the old bastard has it in him to take down The Black Knight. Either way, whoever walks out of that room will not survive our Viper. [looking down at her watch] We are running out of time...."

[looking at Ben's unconscious body]

"Bring him to The Great Hall with us...I have an idea..."

And with that Rebecca and Camille moved through the hidden system of passages within The Hellfire Estate until they reached The Great Hall, where the "rebels" were just behind the door. It was nearly showtime. A moment that Rebecca had waited for...for QUITE some time.

 

[Seer]

The End is Near...

<< So many moving pieces filled the Hellfire Estate. From the former members of The Supreme Council killed by Domino and turned bio-hazard by Viper, to the few faces who had decided to stay and fight for what they thought the future of The Hellfire Club in Europe should be. The club had seen it's share of power struggles over the year, but nothing had matched the horrific and violent nature of this brewing revolution. So many lives had been lost, The Supreme Council destroyed and anybody left standing once the dust settled would essentially be starting The Hellfire Club over from scratch. Crimson had been working tirelessly since the death of Jean Luc Dupont to attempt to bring the club to the level that the American branch achieved so many years ago. She had come close in her experimentation trials and if the night went her way, she would no longer have to do her work in the shadows. She could rule the courts and propose an agenda that she believed would give them, and more importantly her, the power she deserved. On the other side, The Duchess had long been planning to rearrange the balance of power within The Hellfire Club. She saw a future where the club was ruled fairly, and where the people in power were not just figureheads but LEADERS. She had managed to convince many of her message, like Avalanche, Duke, Silver and Discord, and she had the backing of Lord Ravena himself. It would have seemed that Juliette De La Creaux would have this power shift in the palm of her hand, but she had soon found out just how many moving parts and delicate alliances there were in The Hellfire Club. And she had not been anticipating The Black Knight. >>

<< Speaking of The Black Knight, Maxine Dupont seemed to be on a journey ever since she stepped foot in The Hellfire Estate. She had originally come to sniff out who murdered Evelyn Pierce and stayed once she figured out what was being planned. But her destiny did not seem to lie within the confines of this small branch of The Hellfire Club as she was about to face somebody who was deeply tied to her own "lineage" and be faced with her own mortality. For as much damage as she had done since arriving several days, she was about to get back sevenfold. >>

<<Meanwhile...Near The Great Hall....>>

<< The unlikely team had taken quite a beating. Thanks to the combined efforts of Archer & Bretta, along with one hell of a fight from Maxine, the group was now taking precious time...time that they NEEDED to recover and regroup. Unfortunately for them, their respite would be brief. >>

<< From down the opposite side of the hall, the stomping of feet could be heard along with frenetic voices that seemed to be chanting something vaguely familiar. As the thundering footsteps grew closer and closer, figures began to be seen from out of nowhere, popping out of various hidden passages and hallways within the Estate. The mighty men and women attacked the group, storming them completely and overwhelming them as the flash of their white armor flashed against their metal weapons. This was The White Guard...and they were coming for MAXINE! >>

<< From behind the doors of The Great Hall >>

<< Camille and Rebecca waited patiently as they watched the battle between The White Guard and The Hellions from behind the keyhole of The Great Hall. Rebecca turned to Camille and nodded with approval. >>

<< In the midst of the battle, Camille managed to slip into the scene unnoticed, with everybody busy fighting for their lives as she made her way behind Daniel Reed who seemed to be very focused on maintaining and bolstering the group with his powers. She leaned in and whispered to the empath with her pale painted lips. >>

"Goodnight, Daniel..."

<< BAM! >>

<< With incredible force and ease, Camille lifted her hands and crushed her fist against the back of Daniel's head, knocking him out cold. Once she was sure Daniel was down for the count she dragged his body and threw him into The Great Hall towards Rebecca. >>

Rebecca: Good girl...now get them in here!

<< Camille's form began to flicker and blur for a few moments as she shifted into the form of Daniel Reed herself and headed back out into the fray of the battle. A wolf now among the sheep. >>

<< Meanwhile >>

<< The White Guard seemed to be playing particular attention to Maxine Dupont as Liam soon made his presence known among the group. The men began to flank Domino, completely capturing her in a circle. The Black Knight was incredibly weak from the amount of power she had to use on the Tyrant...but at least then she had backup. The White Guard had stormed the group so immeasurably, that there was NOBODY who was not in the midst of their own personal battle against them. She was alone and cut off from help that she desperately needed. >>

Liam: "You have much to answer for, Maxine Dupont...You have crossed the line in a way that I cannot ALLOW!"

<< He SLAMMED his fist into her face as she flew back several feet, stammering on her feet for a few moments. >>

Maxine: "I don't believe in lines, Liam..."

[she spits blood from her mouth]

Maxine: "And I don't know who you woke up this morning thinking you were..but NOBODY "allows" me to do anything! Don't FORGET who's HOUSE you're standing in!"

<< The Black Knight counters with an equally brutal uppercut to Liam's face as their sparring continues. >>

<< Soon however...after countless rounds of back and forth, the sheer number of men surrounding Maxine becomes too much for her to handle. And with the others becoming overwhelmed, Liam takes his moment and renders Maxine UNCONSCIOUS...a feat not readily executed by many people she's faced. The White Guard swarms her body and lifts her up from the ground and begins to carry her away. The White Guard does NOT stop their assault of the others. >>

<< Camille calls to the group as Daniel Reed. >>

Camille: [as Daniel] "HURRY! In The Great Hall! Archer can seal the door with his power! We have to get out of here! Come ON!"

<< The group began to fight their way towards the doors of The Great Hall slowly but surely as Silver and Archer combine their powers to create a strong enough forcefield to keep the group back. As "Daniel" opened the doors for the group, they soon all began to pile in one by one as they slammed the door shut, each huddling behind it and using all their strength to keep The White Guard from breaking through. >>

Silver: "Archer! Seal the door! We don't have much time!"

Avalanche: "I'm on it!"

<< Using his ice powers, Archer was able to seal the door in a thick and incredibly durable seal of ice. Ice so strong that it would take The White Guard QUITE some time to break through...time they did not have. Soon, the pounding on the door began to subside as everybody took a sigh of relief. >>

Silver: "Well THAT was a close one..."

Duke: "They got Maxine though! We have to get her..."

Silver: "Who says we HAVE to? They got what they wanted...they'll probably leave us alone now. At least give us time to plan our next move.

Avalanche: "We don't have much time. Maxine is our only hope against those bio-hazards. Without her, we are basically sitting ducks...ripe for the picking..."

<< BANG! >>

<< The Whoosh! of a bullet and gunfire could be heard as Silver, Duke and Lord Ravena stepped back in HORROR as they watched a bullet zoom straight through Archer's chest and against the opposit wall. Archer's mouth began to pool with blood as he dropped to his knees before passing out completely. >>

Camille: "That?! Was for Heidi..."

<< The group looks confused as the man holding the gun, Daniel Reed began to shift and flicker before their eyes, becoming a blur before shifting into the form of The White Queen herself. >>

Camille: "You children have made MORE than enough mess of the courts for one weekend...That stops now..Rebecca?! Our guests have arrived...."

<< As The White Queen continued to point the gun straight at the group, all of the lights in The Great Hall began to turn on in waves throughout the area. The room was decorated with the bodies of The Supreme Council that Jessica had decided NOT to turn into bio-hazards. Blood was splashed across the walls like splatter paint and various pieces of once fine furniture had been destroyed. It was a truly grizzly scene highlighted the brutal nature of Maxine Dupont. Atop a staircase in the Great Hall stood The Red Queen. Her Crimson nails clacked for a moment against the bannister as she made her way down the staircase, the bottom of her dress barely sweeping the bottom of the steps as she went. >>

Rebecca: "Perfect...Thank You Camille! You're just in time to meet my new pet! Come on, Ben..don't keep your QUEEN waiting!"

<< The group would notice a glowing crimson red chain of shroud energy extending from her right hand that drifted down the hall and around the corner. Giving the chain a firm YANK, the chain flowed through the air before pulling on a tight collar composed of the same shroud energy. This collar was around the neck of Benjamin Buckingham aka Phoenix...The White Rook and the same man that Jessica had rendered unconscious during her first altercation with Liam. This wasn't the Benjamin that many in the group remembered meeting over the years...this Benjamin...had been INFECTED. His body looked bloated and his mouth began near the top of his head, with needle like teeth and an esophagus where his neck had been. He had been turned into an Ooze, a creature from Meridian Industries that Rebecca had succeeded in creating during her work with the T-Virus. These monsters were known for showing up in suprising places due to their unique body composition. They did not eat flesh so much as they drank blood to replenish the fluids in their body and they moved with instinctual hunger. Ben had not been completely turned, rather he still looked somewhat like himself. >>

Rebecca: "That's a good boy, Benjamin..."

<< The man growled with incredible volume and strength as he snarled his way down the stairs before stopping at the bottom of the staircase with Rebecca and waiting, much like an obedient dog might. >>

Rebecca: "Don't be rude!"

<< She SMACKED him on the head. >>

Rebecca: "GREET OUR GUESTS!"

<< Those words seemed to drive Benjamin CRAZY as he flew high into the air and extended his hands and clapping them together. All at once the Great Hall began to light on FIRE; the curtains, the furniture, the dead bodies all ablaze as flames RIPPED through the floor with great speed and force. He may have been a bio-hazard, but before that Benjamin had been a pyromancer. Rebecca's eyes lit up as she watched him. >>

"RAAWWWRRR!!!"

<< Benjamin HISSED with rage as he swooped down on the group, attacking Bretta and Duke outright attempting to grab hold of them and begin DRINKING their blood. Noticing this opportunity, Camille took aim yet again, this time FIRING a shot right at Duke's kneecap, causing blood to squirt from his kneecap as he winced in pain, and she quickly followed suit with a shot to Silver's right shoulder. >>

Camille: "That's not all we've got for you tonight, my dears...There's MORE!"

<< The bodies of those who remained from The Supreme Council Massacre began to RISE, encased in flames but INFECTED. They began to move with greater than expected speed as zombies from all over the room began to rise and linger towards the group. With all of the flames and Benjamin after the group...they would be HARD pressed to get out of this attack alive..and they ALSO had Archer and Daniel's unconscious bodies to worry about...if they were bitten...they would TURN. >>

<< Camille turned to Lord Ravena with a smile, as she pulled a small vial out of her pocket. >>

"And just to ensure there's no funny business from YOU.."

<< She SMASHED the vial on the ground as a familiar and debilitating scent began to fill the room. It hit Lord Ravena immediately as he suddenly found it incredibly hard to breathe. He would soon realize that these horrible fumes were from none other than The Black Lotus Flower, one of the only things that could incapacitate a magick user of his level. Camille cracked a smile as she watched Lord Ravena fall to his knees. She aimed her gun to shoot. A kill shot to the head. >>


<< Meanwhile, In The Catacombs of The Hellfire Estate...>>

<< Maxine was waning in and out of consciousness as her eyes began to make out just exactly where she was. She knew she was bound by a considerable amount of chains and she knew she was underground. As her eyes began to adjust to her surroundings, she realized she was in the same room and nearly in the same position that Juliette was when she had "killed" the vampire only hours earlier. She began to fight against the chains and although she made little progress, she knew she was too weak at the moment to get out of her situation. >>

"Oh Goddammit! Get me OUT of HERE!!!"

<< She didn't say it outloud but she was worried that in her current state, she would be a sitting duck for the woman who had called her out over the sound systems earlier. If she wanted a fight, Maxine would give her a fight..but she wanted that fight to be FAIR. She continued to struggle until she heard Liam's voice fill the area. >>

Liam: "Well good morning, Maxine..."

<< Elsewhere in The Estate... >>

<< The Duchess was growing tired of the dead ends she kept finding thanks to the Labrynth protocol that had been enacted when she attempted to reunite with her group. Everywhere she went led to nowhere. After what seemed like an incredible amount of time, Juliette could hear and furthermore she could SMELL the rumblings of battle and men making their way to the catacombs of the estate. As she followed their scents she remembered that there were OTHER ways to get where she needed to go. She decided this time..to go down, as she used one of the many secret panels and passages in the estate to do so. Climbing down a ladder, she landed in the catacombs with a thud. >>

<< She could hear Liam's voice in the distance. Thanks to her power update from Lord Ravena...The White King only SOUNDED close. He was quite a way's away...and Juliette could smell Maxine...if she didn't reach BOTH of them in time...one or BOTH of them could be dead. >>

<< And So We Watch! >>

 

[Duke]

The Hellfire Estate - Great Hall

Alec enjoyed a quiet moment with his team. After Bretta and Maxine’s exchange, he took it upon himself to separate the two and guided Bretta away from The Black Knight. He leaned closer to the dark faerie.

“Careful, Bretta. We still need her…”

Bretta: *ornery*: “WE need her..!?”

“Yes…WE do. She’s the only one who can lead us through this horror show…”

He watched as Bretta stuck out her lower lip in a pout. He sighed, frustrated at the girl. He understood Bretta’s feelings towards Maxine; in fact, he even shared some of them. Still, he knew well enough to pick his battles.

Bretta: *irritated*: “FINE.”

Alec watched her walk away and shook his head. He was about to go after her when he heard footsteps followed by voices.

Bloody HELL…

Soon people began popping up from out of NOWHERE hellbent on going for Maxine!! He sighed in frustration before jumping into the fray, using his athame right, left, and center. Soon he began to get into the swing of things, until he caught sight of Liam, The White King, and Maxine going at it until Liam OVERPOWERED her!

Wait…WHAT?!

He watched in awe at the scene before him. His jaw was slack. He couldn’t believe what he saw. Finally, he heard Daniel Reed.

"HURRY! In The Great Hall! Archer can seal the door with his power! We have to get out of here! Come ON!"

He didn’t need to be told twice. He ran with all of his might and watched as Bretta and Archer formed some kind of forcefield to drive back the White Guard.

They make a great team…

Bretta: “Archer! Seal the door! We don’t have much time!”

Archer: "I'm on it!"

Alec watched as Archer did his thing. He was breathing hard.

Bretta: "Well THAT was a close one..."

"They got Maxine though! We have to get her..."

Bretta: "Who says we HAVE to? They got what they wanted...they'll probably leave us alone now. At least give us time to plan our next move.

Archer: "We don't have much time. Maxine is our only hope against those bio-hazards. Without her, we are basically sitting ducks...ripe for the picking..."

*sarcastically*: “Well, aren’t YOU just full of joy and happiness tonight?”

He JUMPED when a gunshot rang out…and watched as a bullet tore a hole in ARCHER’S chest!

“Use your ice to clot-!“

He stopped talking when Archer passed out completely.

“Never mind.”

”That?! Was for Heidi…”

Alec, Bretta, and Ravena watched as “Daniel” turned into the lovely Camille Rowe!!

“Oh, for FUCK’S sake…”

"You children have made MORE than enough mess of the courts for one weekend...That stops now..Rebecca?! Our guests have arrived...."

REBECCA?!

He immediately went to Bretta’s side where the faerie took his hand. He looked all around the room, checking out the latest redecorating trend…and he just couldn’t help himself.

“You know, I think you need to get a new decorator…”

Camille: “Shut UP, Rook!”

Rebecca: "Perfect...Thank You Camille! You're just in time to meet my new pet! Come on, Ben..don't keep your QUEEN waiting!"

Alec felt a pang of regret when he spotted Benjamin. He and Buckingham got on pretty well. There was many a night where the two Rooks had plenty of crazy parties and fun times. He looked sideways at Bretta, who had a look of complete horror on her face.

Rebecca: "That's a good boy, Benjamin..."

Alec shuddered at the horrible sound Buckingham made.

Rebecca: "Don't be rude!"

Rebecca "GREET OUR GUESTS!"

"RAAWWWRRR!!!"

Alec yelped and used his telekinesis to MOVE the man-beast a few metres away, whereas Bretta then used her dark lightning to send him flying into the curtains where he was ENGULFED by flames! They couldn’t exactly celebrate as the White BITCH shot him in the kneecap, sending him sprawling onto the floor! Bretta, luckily, was shot in the shoulder. It was painful, but Bretta could deal with it. He slid his athame towards her on the ground.

*wincing*: “Take it, love!”

Camille: "That's not all we've got for you tonight, my dears...There's MORE!"

*wincing*: “Oh, love, you REALLY shouldn’t have…”

He watched as Bretta went to work, dispatching bodies left, right, and center. Alec was so focused on helping Bretta via his telekinesis, he barely heard Camille talking to Ravena, but then, he figured the good lord could handle himself.

“Come ON, Bretta! You can do this!”

He tried to move but the shot to his kneecap was precise, and he was in great pain.