The Castle (Rebma, for the heck of it, but don't hesitate!)

[Stygian]

The horrid lizard-like thing shrieked out in pain for just an instant before it toppled on the floor and began crumbling into ashen pieces. Smoke trailed from the edge of Cogidubnus' sword, pieces of the creature's fiery blood stiffened to little flakes singling off it.
   That was when the beast next to Cog decided to turn and repay him dearly for his earlier cut. It twisted around roaring, turning on the spot, opening its wicked maw and stretching out its claws before it as it practically leapt to face him. It seemed to be taking on a more humanoid shape somehow, perhaps to fit the conditions of the cramped corridor, or perhaps just in a parodic mockery of Cog himself. Its swipe was uncannily fast, and over the dead body of the salamander the wolf could see another creature, this one some sort of chimaeric beast sporting two ram-like horned heads, closing on him. It was precisely the kind of situation that he had difficulties with; multiple enemies from multiple directions, all at the same time. His hat cried out in fear, and in the corner of his eye he could see black claws heading for him. He was bringing up his sword, but he had no hope of avoiding the hit.
   Then, the claws stopped mid-air, and dark red blood splattered as a visceral, slicing sound was heard and the wolf-creature's forearm was abruptly separated from it. The Fenris didn't have much time to howl out before it was slammed against the wall, pinned and held.
   "Bad dog!" Sebastian snarled, a wicked smile on his face. His teeth and the flesh in his mouth had turned a glistening black, and he flashed a long, pointed black tongue over greying, ashen lips. His right arm had ripped off the cloth of his white shirt, and the skin on it had all but cracked and fallen off, darkness seeping forth from within. His right hand, almost taloned now, held the Fenris' throat in an iron grip, its thrashings shaking but not moving him.
   "You wait for your turn!"
   There was a veritable shower of blood as the bat ripped its throat out, the thing's growls and screams dying out in a wet gurgle. It fell to the floor with a heavy thud, and he turned, directing his attention down the corridor. His shirt and vest were ripped into shreds as the same darkness that enveloped his arm spread up all over his torso. It seethed and snaked, slithering all around him, but Cog thought he could see most of it congregating to his back, much of it taking on a pair of almost solid shapes...
   Stygian didn't care whether if he was giving away too much right then. These people were trapped like him, and if they all had to fight their way out, then he would have to spill at least some eventually. Better then to have fun while he could, he thought.
   The chimera before them hesitated only a second before it leapt, a companion to it with a more serpentine appearance and long, raking claws running up just beside and behind it. Stygian took a step to the side to get past Cogidubnus, and just looked at the ram-headed beast came for him.
   At the very last second, the shadows beneath the bat moved, and something made entirely of darkness whipped up from the floor, like a huge black whip. That slashing sound came again, and then Sebastian moved forward as three sloppy bits of chimera tumbled down practically right at him and Cog. He dashed forward, the darkness from his back forming more whips and claws and ripping into the other creature before he even reached it. It smashed into the wall before him, and just a second of a shriek reached their ears before it was drowned in the sound of flesh tearing and bones cracking.
   The lashing tentacles receded onto the bat's back, and he turned his head to eye Cog for just a second. His shape, mainly his arms and the lower part of his face, was soaked in deep, deep dripping red.
   "Fight...!" he said, the word barely audible for the slithering, deep growl of his voice. Then, he turned, and launched deeper into the darkness.

[Gareeku]

Watching the others deal with the wolf-like creature and the lizard, Gareeku raised an eyebrow as Stygian finished off the Fenris.
"Most impressive." the wolf commented with a smirk, before ceasing to lean on the wall, standing up straight and walking into the hallway a little as he unsheathed his katana once more. He was itching to have a fight; seeing Stygian and Cogi defeat the creatures only reincofrced this feeling. "At least leave me a little something to have some fun with."

[Aisha deCabre]

Aisha had been standing off to the side for a while, moving with the others up to the entrance of the corridor, where the shadows shifted...the growling was getting louder...and finally the beasts had made themselves known.  With a slight hiss of her own, she took the sword from her belt again, preparing to use it if need be...but Sebastian and Cogi had gotten there first, and she lowered it with a smirk.  First come, first serve.

Instead she was near where the others hung back, curiously watching the ferret woman as suddenly she had seemed to come to life again.  Her thought was the same as Gareeku's, after having listened to what Mel had diagnosed about her...she was the possessed one.  Who knew if there was really any help left for that one...but everyone else was still alive, for the time being, and she intended to keep it that way.

Her head swiveled as she saw Sebastian use the shadows to his advantage once more, taking out the Fenris, and then dashing off.  The way Cogi had dispatched of the lizard was as much impressive as well.  With a grin, she watched as the hallway was open once more, the sword still drawn and ready as she too slowly made her way across towards it, though she kept an eye on where Mel was, as well as the others behind.  "I hope this doesn't turn out to be a gauntlet of demons..." she hummed...a part of her hoped it was, itching for as much of a fight, but there was the others who weren't as prone to be warriors to think about...

[Stygian]

Just then, a torrent of large bats came storming down the corridor and a pair of upper doors in the library. They shrieked and tore through the air in a blood-crazed frenzy, leathery wings beating, teeth and claws ripping and eyes gleaming. Like a black shroud, they descended upon the adventurers.
   The bats were far from all there was to it though. Chilling laughter filled the library as a trio of wraiths slipped in through the walls, flashing long claws. And outside, coming from the corridors to the sides, more beasts growled as they leapt for the two wolves standing there. Cog just saw the glinting of teeth before another Chimaera loped through the bats, while Gareeku was beset from the side by some sort of dark gryphon-like monster, easily the size of one of the Fenris and swiping out with wings and leathery arms with talons the size of kitchen knives, aiming for his head.

[Sunblink]

She all but collapsed as the doors creaked open.

The moment the doors parted so much as a few feet, allowing entry—uncomfortable, unwelcoming entry, but entry and a viable opportunity nonetheless—Keaton shoved herself through the steadily closing space, head-wings and back-wings drooping like wilting plants atop her scalp and shoulder-blades. Brown eyes, one colorblind, the other untainted, glazed unfocusedly even as she struggled to her feet. Straining against the blurring haze that clouded her vision, she surveyed her surroundings.

A macabre place this was, but her quickly deteriorating vision ripped away the more meticulous details of the room, swirling like rippling, melting watercolors. What a place to choose as sanctuary, she thought sardonically, finally succeeding in lifting her body just enough to get to her feet. Not too long ago had she been attacked by a group of Adventurers, nearly defeating her and beating her within an inch of her life. A long gash sloping along her side was evidence of that skirmish, as well as the pair of perforations in her back from where two of their arrows had struck her. They were purely superficial, but they would likely get infected if they were left untended.

What was really an endangerment to her life was the laceration cleaving her side. Keaton had arrived at the castle in hopes of finding an abandoned place to rest, to recover from her battles and hide the best she could, as she didn't trust the Beings in this area enough to heal herself for her. Soon after she entered this area had she realized that her pride would likely cost her her life, especially as she slouched against the wall, clutching her head with her free, bloodied hand.

Sounds. Unfamiliar sounds. Keaton's ear twitched attentively, swiveling upright to capture the source of the noise. They were distant, but audible enough for her to hear. Someone—or something was here? This place seemed abandoned enough. Her first instinct was to wander in the direction of the increasingly deafening screeching sounds, but another part of her protested: it could be more Adventurers and she was hardly in the condition to fight more. Eventually, her survival instincts won out: she needed help and maybe the people here would offer it.

Gouts of syrupy blood slipped and dribbled down from her fingers, staining the lurid yellow-black fur on her hands in thick, ichorous patches. Walking was becoming more and more exhausting, what little stamina Keaton possessed in her reserves wearing thin as she ventured deeper within the innards of the castle.

~Keaton the Black Jackal

[Mel Dragonkitty]

Mel heard the bats before she saw them but their size and number was still a surprise as they poured into the library. Most of the party was in or near the corridor, it was just her and the injured left in the center of the room. "Down. Under a table," she told Jeremiah, a touch of command in her voice to speed him along. Mindful that the injured frog would probably be more susceptible to cold than most her first response was air. A blast of wind into the main mass swooping beasts sent them up, smashing into the ceiling four stories above hard enough to crack both bones and plaster. Hopefully the mural wasn't by anyone too famous.

[Stygian]

The jackal had not gone very far past the main entry, not so much as two rooms and one corridor in fact, before she turned on another hallway, following the sounds, and a flurry of little winged monsters flew past her, very nearly knocking her to the floor. She managed to steady herself against the wall though, and the beasts flew past her with manic shrieks, apparrently heading somewhere else.
   That's when she heard a growl from the darkness to her side, and looking, she could see a pair of gleaming red eyes, glowing of what little light there was to reflect, slowly made their way against her. The long, wicked fangs of a Fenris came into view from out of the shadows, the thing pacing slowly, sizing her up with a malicious, greedy look. It snapped its jaws at her, almost forming them into a smile it seemed, before it tensed its hind legs, preparing to leap...
   Then something struck out from the dark, and most of the vile wulven's head was torn right off its neck. It shook, and then slumped to the floor, its lower jaw still hanging off some sinews from its throat. As its carcass started turning to ash, Keaton could hear slow steps. A figure walked into view over the fiend, shadows slipping off him like smoke.
   He was tall, athletic and strongly built, with pale blond fur and similarly coloured straight hair that fell to just around the base of his neck, a pair of pointed ears parting it. Save for his pants, he only seemed to wear shoes and black wrappings that seemed to finish up doing themselves over part of his long, muscular arms. Keaton thought she could see black lines, like cracks, just closing and fading into the fur and skin over his shaped chest and around his dark eyes that looked out from a sharp face under his parted hair.
   "My... another soul come to join the damned? This place is getting awfully crowded..." he said in a low, smooth voice, black eyes fixing on hers. "Kära syster, hej, svara inte nej..."* he hummed in a little tune, and then chuckled.

   The bats were easily cleared by Mel's blast, even though the windows strained dangerously, and even one of the wraiths was swooped up somehow by the magic wind. Yet, the other two did not mind much. Cackling, they sped for her, stretching out their talons and giving the impression of some sort of horrid robed medical assistants set upon using a whole new batch of surgical tools and specimens to have a time.

*(Dear sister, hey, don't say no...)

[Sunblink]

Too preoccupied with her own wandering, Keaton had realized the incoming winged creatures a moment too late--they barreled right past her in a rush of leathery wings, the jackal swaying and staggering dangerously on her heels as she struggled to maintain what little balance she had. "F--" she stopped herself just in time, her hand quickly returning to her side as she collapsed against the wall. Craning her head over her shoulder, she watched the creatures fly further and further away, soon disappearing behind the wall of fog that was encroaching upon her vision.

It certainly looked like the people in the other rooms weren't the only ones here, she realized somewhat begrudgingly. Who knew how many other godforsaken beasts there were out here? It was best she remained on her guard. Grunting, she removed her hand from her gash, absent-mindedly ignoring the blood on it as she gripped the handle of her Morningstar.

A sudden, guttural growl. Keaton nearly jumped out of her skin, whirling around--and nearly pivoting off of her heels--to face the glowing eyes, seemingly hovering on their own in the atramentous umbrage. Ears plastering flat against her skull, Keaton backed slowly away from the eyes, the red glow reflected in her eyes--

--and then a pair of daggered fangs leapt out from the darkness, snapping its jaws at her just as soon as it revealed itself. Yelping, Keaton staggered back, trying to lift her weapon to defend herself--

She apparently didn't need to, however, because a moment later it was dead with a sudden severing of the muscles and sinew and bone. Staring at the slowly disintegrating corpse in a mixture of disbelief and relief, the jackal-succubus was once more drawn to the sound of heavy footsteps, her eyes darting over to face the... man (she wasn't sure whether or not to consider him one, because of the crack-like black lines she noticed trailing along his body) approaching her.

Keaton looked apprehensive, maybe even slightly mad, her pupils dilated and her hair disheveled like a moptop of dirty blonde between her unconcealed head-wings and ears. Still keeping a ready grip on her weapon and ignoring the throbbing, irritating pain generating from the gash, she hefted Catastrophe up, body shaking. Maybe this wasn't the proper way to treat someone who supposedly rescued her, but she wasn't exactly the most trusting of people--especially not in this atmosphere.

"Who are you?" she demanded, trying to keep her shuddering under control--couldn't let her fear show, never--as her muscles tightened, "You... did you kill that thing? Did you just save me?" Despite this slow realization, she didn't relax in the slightest. "Are you one of them? Are you?"

She probably wasn't making any sense, but the blood loss was getting to her, draining as quickly from her veins as the color from her knuckles and the glassy gaze in her eyes. His sudden chanting only made her feel even more tense, her body quaking with every heavy breath.

~Keaton the Black Jackal

[Gareeku]

As Gareeku held his blade, he grimaced as Stygian rushed into the darkness.
"Huh. Show off..." he grumbled, before hearing movement to side. Acting almost instinctively, the wold raised his blade in an upward slash, deflecting the creature's talons. A calm yet focussed expression remained on Gareeku's face through his movements, before moving in a forcing his blade through the gut of the creature, before slicing upwards, the glowing blade ripping through the creature's torso and head.

As the blood on his blade was seemingly vapourised by the glow of light that surrounded the sword, Gareeku looked up.
"We have a new arrival." he muttered, being able to sense Keaton's soul. "She seems injured, however."

[Cogidubnus]

Cog grinned at Stygian and wiped some blood off of his jacket. "Clothing can clean, but only blood can wash out blood, yes?" he said, almost laughing and stepping easily to the side of the new Chimera. One of the creature's heads descended towards him, and Cog made yet another sweeping sidestep, avoiding both claws and fangs before grasping his blade in both hands. As the head descended for him once more, he quite easily swung one foot behind him, and as the jaw almost snapped at his face, mere inches from death, he stepped back into his stance, and again, swung down, hard. There was an audible crack as the blade cleft into the bones of one of the head, and he gripped the back edge of the sword as he cut his way out, stepping closer to the other head, and brought the sword back in a vicious upwards cut, severing the neck. He stepped out of the way of the fountain of blood, and swung the blade in a wide arc, spattering the walls and cleaning the blade in a swipe.

[Prof B Hunnydew]

The tan furred Cat-girl (PBH), not finding a door or lever to the library, followed the narrow tunnel back down to a small room some ways down.  In here, she found a small loose rock in to wall that does click.. a door opened into a basement/storage room.. with many wine bottles, barrels and wood crates lined the walls (most are open and empty)..the heavy dust on the floor showed no boot or paws prints, not even any small mice trails.  There a ladder going up to the next level.  She stepped into the basement and then floor clicked and the door in the wall closed leaving no apparent lever or switch for it on this side.  The only light is from her glowing sphere of a light spell and dead silence is all she hears around her.

PBH

[Mel Dragonkitty]

Mel heard the crazed laughter before she spotted the wraiths. The further one she sprayed with ice daggers. She judged the closer one too near for the daggers to have enough momentum to bother. The looped silver wand she was still carrying began glowing blue-white, the handle lengthening until it was more a staff than a wand. Mel swung at the wraith. She had no quarterstaff skill and used it merely as a club but it was her experience that at least half of the things she'd run across disliked a light-magic enhanced thump to the head.

[Boog]

When Mel said that Gina couldn't be helped, it took Jeremiah a couple seconds to believe her.
"She... What?" The frog was at a loss for words, "But, we went and rescued her, and... You..." he sighed and looked away. Just another poor little being girl who got in the way of some big, scary creature, a little voice in the back of his head said cynically. Jeremiah wasn't sure whether it was his curse again or him.
Then, of course, all hell broke lose.
Not needing to be told twice, Jeremiah scurried under the table, bringing the now once again concious ferret with him. Huddling under there, he (this time slightly more carefully) dropped the ferret on the floor and flexed his fingers, readying a few spells should anyone take notice of him.
"Alright," he muttered, half to himself and half to whatever was talking through Gina now, "What the hell's going on now?"

[Stygian]

The bat stopped, and looked Keaton over very hard. His nostrils twitched, and from the way that he eyed her side it was plain to see that the smell of blood excited him. Still, he stayed at a set distance, even if he began to move a bit to the side. Now that he was out of the shadows, the jackal could see the blood soiling the near-white fur on his hands, and how the tips of his fingers were still blackened, claws glinting.
   "I killed that thing, yes. The definition of 'them' is a bit hazy, so I can't answer that. And yes, I did save you," he said, his voice unchanging, unlike his face. He took just one slow step closer to her, carefully so as not to alarm.
   In his mind, Stygian was going over the situation over and over again. She couldn't sense the slightest hint of either emotion or thoughts from him, which was a good thing. Still rushing from the fighting and going on the smell of her wound and the feeling of cubi to her, half of his mind was telling him to take the shot and score another meal right there and then. The other half was cursing him for being an idiot and just standing there, when he ought to head back and take care of the real business.
   In the end, and much like usual, neither of these sides won out when he actually considered things.
   "I won't hurt you," he said, stepping closer. He quickly licked off a small patch of blood on his upper lip, and looked down at the jackal. "You look like you could use some attention."
   Slowly, he reached out a large, open palm for her.
   "If I may?"

   The horrid gryphon reared back with a screech, and then fell forward, its broken body landing heavily against Gareeku. Its feathers fell as it began to burn and crumble much like the other creatures of the house seemed to do. The Chimera that Cog had taken on, once liberated of the cruel drive of both its heads, shook and twisted, and then fell to the side on the floor, laying still at last.
   Still, the monsters were not at an end yet. Another Fenris and a wraith carrying a scythe came up on the side against Gareeku. The darkness down the main hallway was luckily empty, but it seemed much a calm before the storm in this case.

   One ice shard or three the wraith might have been able to avoid, but not the hail of them that now tore into the mask that held it to this world. It cried out, and evaporated before its voice had even stopped echoing. The other one was not so easily dealt with though, as it deftly avoided Mel's blade and swept out at her, passing her and raking its claws over her side. The chill she felt from the wounds had nothing to do with temperature, and the thing laughed out again at getting a taste of her, swooping around for another attack. Even worse, the one which had been flung into the roof now descended, shrieking furiously behind a cracked mask and holding a rusty, black sword, aiming for Mel's head...

   Underneath the table, the ferret once again changed personalities. The voice that crossed her lips now was that of a young boy, surely no older than fourteen.
   "Oh, please, please, please don't come...! Please...! I didn't mean...! I'm scared!" she said, getting up and holding Jeremiah and shaking in fear. "Oh, god...! I'm sorry...!"

   And somewhere off, away into the basement under the commons and the kitchens, a cat-girl was assaulted by a rush of bloodthirsty bats, scared away from the main battle and seeking other prey.

[Aisha deCabre]

Aisha had growled suddenly with surprise as the bats literally flung themselves into the room against the rest of the adventurers...deciding at all costs to stay back and protect those who would be otherwise vulnerable to such attacks, the panthress raised her new sword against the bats that had flown against her, feeling again the slight sting in her palm as it was swung.  She hadn't downed more than a few of them, however, before Mel's spell had taken them all out.

But now it was just a frenzy.  Demons in the hallway, quickly trying to move against the wolves...she could hear shrieks and growling from in the darkness.  But Aisha backed away into the library...she knew that Gareeku could handle himself, and as Cogi had come back alive, she figured he could too.  She grimaced upon watching the wraiths diving straight for Mel...the panther had to give her credit, the way she handled ice was more than impressive.  But she was outnumbered.

With a quick glance at her own blade, starting to lance with fire, Aisha grinned.  They can't stand against two extreme elements, here's for hoping.  Just as one of them was rushing straight for Mel, the huntress raced to try cutting it off, if not try to cut down one of the others that were in her way...

[Sunblink]

Keaton stiffened as the bat-man's eyes ventured over her, apparently absorbing every detail about her, perhaps in return of her own scrutinization. Losing energy fast, she would've said a snappy comment such as "What're you looking at?" or "Never seen a lady before, bat boy?" if it weren't for her quickly-evaporating strength. Instead, all Keaton could do was glare weakly at him and try and tighten her grip on her weapon, although the joints of her fingers were beginning to ache from the sheer force behind her hands.

If she were in any coherent condition, she would've been reasonably impressed about the man's slaying skills and how efficently he disposed of the beast that had accosted her before. She also would've elaborated upon who 'they' were--the Adventurers, or more of those monsters--but her mind wasn't in the right place, too dazed for her to really comprehend her own words. What further increased her heightened apprehension was the blood caking his hands and melanoid fingertips, and how he seemed to look at her. Like he was sizing up a potential meal.

And it scared her to think that she might not put up a decent fight if he happened to be considering her as a midnight snack.

As he took a step forward, Keaton inched her way back a centimeter, bare feet scooting along the ground with a neat squeak. At first, Keaton wasn't sure if that utterance came from her, or from the friction of her feet against the floor. Once more, she opened her mouth to say something sardonic, but she stopped short as her blood loss barreled right into her, reminding her painfully of the situation and how close she was to death.

She looked down at one of her hands as it released her weapon, leaving an inky handprint of sanguine on the length of the mace, only for it to seemingly dissolve as though it were swallowed up by its surface. "..." Keaton stared at the blood coating the black palm of her hand for a moment, before she glanced wearily up at Stygian.

"Yeah," she croaked, "I do. Go ahead."

~Keaton the Black Jackal

[Prof B Hunnydew]

Hearing the bat rushing down to meet her, PBH grabbed a small wood box about the twice the size of her head.  Using the box as shield over her head, she chargers up the step ladder into the kitchen as the bats engulfed the basement.  Quickly throwing the box off her head, she searched and finds a trap door that closed off the basement.  She slammed it shut, and locked the bolt...Still some bats have escape with her or never make into the basement.  Using a flaming paws spell, she pulled and fried the suckers off her.. As the catgirl with fae antenna ran away from the remain bats into the servant's dining hall ..

PBH

[Stygian]

The bat smiled, not entirely coldly, and took that last step, easily sweeping the jackal up into his arms in a smooth move, and turning back to the hallway. He started walking, carrying her as if she had little weight at all, his eyes beginning to seethe again as they left the candlelight of the room down the hall and made for that of the library some distance up ahead. Keaton thought she could actually hear as the skin around his eyes and on his arms began to crack and turn ashen. It was a low, seething sound, like a coal burning or sand moving on sand.
   "By the way," he said, making conversation as if nothing at all were happening right then without looking at her. "I'm Sebastian. Sebastian Don'Chel. Who do I owe the honors?" He didn't really expect an answer, seeing as she seemed on the verge of passing out, but it seemed like the thing to say. He was distracted for a moment as another pair of those hellborn hounds turned against them with a pair of snarls and tried to leap for them. He didn't stop walking, the blackness under his skin just spread more over his neck and back, much of it taking on wing-like shapes again, and the wulven were torn to pieces by darkness come alive. They closed steadily on the library.

   The wraith, caught up as it were in its lust for Mel's life, didn't notice Aisha's flaming sword in time, and was quickly dispatched by a lash of fire that lit up the library walls. One still remained though, crazed and wild for their souls, unknowing anything but the need to end its pain by devouring them...
   Screeching, the ghast headed straight for the wounded Mel, wanting for her death.

[Sunblink]

Before Keaton could protest or react in any way, she found herself whisked into Stygian's arms almost as though she were as light as a feather. Nearly dropping her mace in shock, Keaton spasmed once, but did nothing else except for blink in confusion: she was too exhausted to do anything else, even frown. Although slightly uncomfortable due to her wings' positioning, she managed to allow her body to relax just enough, the hand holding her mace dangling pendulously beneath her.

"Eh?" she nearly missed Stygian's introduction, her ears lifting only a centimeter before she let them fall back again. The sizzling of his body radiated eerily, disturbingly, in her ears for that moment they rose, her eyes tracing his arms almost nervously, as though she expected for them to fall apart at any second. "...Keaton."

That was the only thing she said. She never gave out her real name, not even to her most entrusted confidants, and the very few who knew her name were encouraged strongly to call her otherwise, even if it were derogatory. Anything but her real name. The haze had reached a nearly blinding pitch, her body growing colder and colder, even as the low growling of the hellhounds reached her shaking ears. Was the whole castle inhabited by creatures like this? Before it would've been a casual thought, but in her weakened state she couldn't help but feel scared, something she would never admit to under slow torture.

The hellhounds were instantly torn asunder the moment her eyes drifted back over to them, her partially-blank eye nearly stark white. Groaning once, Keaton's eyes widened at the sight of this, her mind reeled as it struggled to register the gruesome sight--

--and then she passed out as the blood loss finally claimed her.

~Keaton the Black Jackal

[Mel Dragonkitty]

Mel let out a snarl that definitely wasn't feline as the tainted claws slid across her ribs. With her tough hide she wasn't used to being cut so the sensation was as startling as it was painful. Then she found herself jumping backwards, as much away from Aisha's flame as the wraith. The she made a second jump as a rusty sword swished past her head. Another wraith hit the ground in front of her. She needed distance if she was going to use magic and jumping wasn't gaining enough space, particularly not with furniture everywhere. With a soft curse in her native tongue over even the partial loss of her disguise she went up, her wings unfurling and with a strong beat popping her up past the first balconies. Now all she needed was a clear shot at her target to puncture it with her ice shards. She owed it for the cut it's kin gave her and could feel angry wisps of icy fog dancing on her skin as she pulled up her magic.

[Boog]

Jeremiah glanced down at 'Gina' in surprise and put one arm around her (or whatever the proper pronoun for far too many personae at once is). The voice sort of reminded him of his little brother, back when both he and said sibling were younger.
"Shh, nothing bad's going to get you. Just calm down..." And stick around awhile. Scared kid is preferable to jerk any day.

[Stygian]

The ghost howled, trying to push through the storm using its sword and sheer force, and failing. Its already damaged mask broke with a porcelain crack, and the outline of the darkness beneath its "robes" evaporating amid the shards of ice. Its sword fell, breaking asunder and already beginning to rust away as it hit the floor.
   Then, a sharp pain from her side made Mel's wings twitch. The wounds from the former wraith's claws were visibly blackening on her side, very quickly, like frostbite finding its way outward. She would not be able to fly for much longer, as her strength was being sapped...

   The ferret stopped shaking and crying, calming down and just making a little whimper at the roar and the flash from Aisha's sword outside.
   Then, she went still. And then Jeremiah could feel her beginning to move again... though a bit oddly...
   "Yeah... It's allright, Snow... hehe..." she resumed, this time in an older, and much, much more lurid male voice, perhaps around eighteen or nineteen, and smooth and beautiful. "It's nothing to worry about... I'll take care..."
   It took a moment, but then the frog realized she was copping a feel on him.

   From the main corridor, Stygian slowly emerged from the shadows, whipping off the remnants of a dark gryphon's wing and shoulder from his own blackened wings, and drawing in his darkness, slowly reassuming a normal form. In his hands, he still held Keaton, having moved his arm a bit to support her neck and head better. He glanced over Gareeku and Cogidubnus while hastily making his way into the library, intent to see Mel.

[Boog]

Had to go and jynx it, didn't I?
"Well, that was a new and interesting kind of confusing and awkward," said Jeremiah, putting his hands on 'Gina''s (Gino?) shoulders and pushing him/her out to arms length, "Sorry, I'm rather big on the whole 'not being groped by random people' thing. That right there would require a good twenty drink minimum. Dammit, can't any of you ever stick around long enough to get me some coherent answers?"

[Mel Dragonkitty]

Mel landed while she could still land and not fall from the air. She folded her wings back into her disguise, hoping Aisha thought they were just another magic spell. She stumbled into a table and caught herself up on it, holding onto her side. She hoped the others could take care of the monster menagerie because it was taking all her concentration to slow the taint overtaking her.

[Aisha deCabre]

The fire burned as much in Aisha's eyes as it did from her weapon, the bright illumination having made them shine for the moment in the otherwise dark library, as she watched the flames overtake the wraith.  Once again, after recovering from the swing, the panther was quite impressed and even just a little intimidated by the blade's power, having felt the heat near her hands.  She made an apologetic grin to Mel, whom she tried to avoid hitting, but was taken aback by the wings that she had sprouted to get away from the fight.

Her eyes narrowing briefly, the panther returned to the fight.  A mystery that perhaps will be saved for later, she thought, watching as the remaining wraith tried in futility to cut through the severe blast, only to be thrown straight back to the floor.  She came up and, while she had the chance, took the sword's handle in both hands and drove the blade into the creature's body, making very sure that it would be quite dead.

With a deep sigh, Aisha looked up at Mel, who looked as normal as before...but also looked to be in a bit of pain.  "Are you okay...?" she started, only to glance up as she heard walking through the corridor, and the owner of the footsteps appearing soon after.  She tilted her head.  "What the...another injured?" she asked incredulously, carefully replacing the sword.

[Stygian]

Sebastian carried Keaton inside, his eyes scanning for Mel, only to find her injured herself, and apparrently from one of the wraiths, he could judge once he got close enough to feel and smell it. He looked at Aisha, his face now completely devoid of leering or wicked smiles, something they had not seen before. He spoke quite seriously.
   "I found her in the hallway. I don't know whether this was Sa..."
   His sentence was cut short as a curved, rusted blade drove through his neck, ending his words in a gurgle and a hack. A wraith had come diving right out of the wall at him, and it laughed, two of its companions joining it with claws and some sort of half-moon shaped sickling blades. He almost dropped the jackal, but then, with a furious look, he turned a bit, and a black, whipping something crushed the mask of the creature that had stabbed him. The other two moved in closer though...

[Mel Dragonkitty]

Mel was startled far enough out of her concentration by Aisha speaking that she opened her eyes. She was only slowing the taint, not stopping it. Before she could answer Aisha, Sebastian appeared with another stranger, a badly injured one. Before he could explain who she was yet more wraiths appeared, the first stabbing into Sebastian's neck. This only seemed to irritate him. "Aisha, be careful. Don't let them touch you," she warned, her hand over the growing blackness on her side.

[Aisha deCabre]

Listening to Sebastian, while glancing curiously at the female in his arms, Aisha breathed a light sigh and reached behind her on the right side of her belt, where she kept another accessory that was always of use in such situations.  But as soon as the panther had grabbed it, she jumped back in surprise, watching as more wraiths appeared from behind the bat...or were they the same ones?

Growling in slight frustration, she brought out the accessory, which was a bracer that was designed in a golden-silver hue and glowing softly...another item enchanted with light.  She put the thing in her left hand while her right drew the sword again, upon seeing two of them come closer.  "How many of these are there?" Aisha snarled.

She turned toward Sebastian, about to say something, when Mel caught her eye first.  She noticed how the wound was getting worse, the blackness spreading quickly...her eyes narrowed, switching back and forth between the injured girl and her comrade...the invalid's injuries were more extensive, but what good would the magic do?  Relying on quick instinct, she dove for Mel and aimed to snap the bracer around her wrist.  "It's okay, it's light-enchanted, it'll keep that thing from spreading," she said hurriedly, also hoping that what she said indeed had truth to it.  She didn't exactly like the powers that the castle held within...

Then, with a grunt, she raised the blade and sped towards one of the wraiths who dared descend upon them...

[Cogidubnus]

 Cog spat some blood and stepped wetly through a length of carpet, approaching the Fenris that was facing Gareeku, and giving the fellow wolf a nod. "I think I can kill the dog. Your sword can touch the wraith." he said, before sheathing his own. Steel would be inadequate here.
He'd have to kill the dog this time. Crushing it's torso wouldn't do, and breaking the legs left a whole mouthful of fangs. He backed away and began to focus his mind again, letting the energies of his body flow, and he set himself in a deep stance, the wet carpet underneath his squishing as he moved. The dog growled, and Cog snarled back, rearing back with a fist and striking, and invisible wave of force ripping the carpet underneath him and leaving a trail, aimed straight at the head of the demonic animal. It was a bone-crushing blow, and with luck, the creature would die after it's skull imploded.

[Stygian]

The Fenris saw Cogidubnus coming, but his speed meant that it did not have time to do more than start to move to the side. In fact, that might have been what killed the creature definitely, because when the hit impacted with the side of its face, the shock traveled down the rest of its body like a whiplash. The Fenris looked as if it slammed into Cog's fist when it moved, and then just abruptly stopped, twisting its back and then falling down on the spot. Out of sheer malicious will it managed to draw two breaths like that, before dying and starting to crumble.

   When the bracer slapped around Mel's wrist, it became noticeably easier for her to fight back the infection stemming from the wound. It actually began to recede, ever so slowly. Yet still, there was still the looming threat of the wraiths. Aisha faced the one coming directly from the side, raising her sword, and it was as if the thing actually hesitated to face her. It would not have time to attack her though.
   The other wraith was coming from a bit further away to the side, its claws reaching greedily for the panthress. That one did not hesitate. As if in slow-motion, Stygian could see the things closing with her, and his still blackened eyes narrowed. If she did not get both in the first attack...
   Behind him, darkness assembled. But he did not think that he would be able to stop that thing before it cut her...