The Castle [02] (Remba, but don't let it stop you)

[Mel Dragonkitty]

Mel had scuttled backwards at the first hints of flame from Sebastian's hand, watching the transformation from lifeless to... well whatever. She started back closer when he/she started trying to speak, until the booming crack of chamber's support giving away clarified Sebastian's warning. She had worried this would happen if the angel's influence was removed.

She ran for the exit, at the same time trying to locate everyone else and make sure they were up and moving. Everyone seemed to be, although she suspected that some of them were hurt enough they would need help before safety was reached.

With the floor and stairs crumbling to depths unknown wings were such a comforting thing to possess. In front of her the frog stumbled and she grabbed his elbow. "Bitch later, run now."

[Stygian]

"Get in line! We do too!" the frog and Mel heard a voice from down below, and then they felt something grab them and lift them away. The same happened to the feline and the ferret, as they were enveloped by tentacles of darkness, originating from Stygian who was now speeding upwards, slithering and climbing forth, the bat's true form having fully emerged and darkness flowing wildly from it.
  As the stairs crumbled beneath them, and the flames singed and roasted their fur and skin in a very, very lifelike manner, the adventurers only barely managed to throw themselves out of the crumbling archway into the open hall, before it collapsed behind them with a growling, vivid sound. But it wasn't over there. The alabaster columnades were drenched in reddish water, falling from a crackling sky filled with dark, churning clouds under a crimson heaven and between red bolts of lightning. The darkness on the sides was closing in, and the choir from before was half singing, half screaming, a dramatic crescendo in A minor that sounded like the perfect music to end a world to. Far up front, close but still all the way to the world's edge it seemed, was the gateway back into the castle, swirling like a vortex as it was slowly closing...
  "Mooove!" the bat roared, and threw herself against them, pushing them forward...

  Outside of the castle, for a few seconds, the sky turned red and the thundering storm seemed almost fiery, flashes of orange and blooded red around as lightning struck. The wind intensified, and doors swung open, gaping and showing the darkness inside that echoed of screams and crying voices.

[Rloa]

Kerag stares at the door "what the hell!" Kerag runs away and stares at the sky wonder what in the world did he do this time.

[Boog]

As Styg's torrent of tenticles carried Jeremiah and the others up the stairs, he mentally went over what had led up to this point. Fleeing the collapsing tomb of an angel, being buffeted by tangible darkness and being admonished by a rather rude white feline. He probably would have reached some important conclusions about his life, the direction it was going in, and possibly have taken up a career in adventuring if he'd had a handful more undisturbed seconds to mull it over. However, that's where the stairs ended and the running started up again. Ah well, epiphonies can wait.
"Thanks!" He yelped back as he sprinted across the room.

[Sunblink]

'Oh, you're not the only one who fucking hates this place.'

Swearing fitfully under her breath, Keaton raced among the group of adventurers, legs an ivory blur beneath her rapidly moving body as she struggled to keep up with her companions. Sable-streaked, pearlescent feathers spiraled behind her like milky, velveteen comets every time one of her strides grew heavier or the ground shook in an unpredictable jostle, vibrating the whole hallway.

Hellish tongues of flame leapt up from the earth beneath the crumbling stairs, lapping dangerously at the escaping troupe's bodies in writhing daggers. Seething and gripping the elaborately engraved handle of her mace a bit tighter, Keaton watched with horrified eyes as the entire room started to warp and convert into a vile counterpart of its former self, drowned in tainted sanguine. Distorted voices screeched in a frightening symphony of chanting and screaming in the background, complimenting the decaying state of the rapidly-collapsing world around them.

Up ahead, Keaton barely noticed the churning, twisting portal back into the castle and out of the hell they had been sealed into over the periphery of the frames of her glasses. Thank God. With a final roar from Stygian, he leapt at the group, shoving them forward collectively with bruising force...

~Keaton the Black Jackal

[Aisha deCabre]

Sweat flying from her face, Aisha leapt away from the flames threatening to lick at her feet, feeling the heat on her bare heels.  Yet she thought nothing of it and kept going, ever more determined to back to the surface...and even then, she grimaced at the sight before them and wanted to pause...so much red...she cringed from a fleeting, nameless memory and turned her frightened and adrenaline-soaked body to the portal, though the path beneath the feet of the adventurers all slowly seemed to crumble...

She barely heard Stygian's roaring, shadow-encompassed voice from behind, she was just reaching for the slowly slipping portal out of the nightmarish realm crumbling apart in a blaze of glory and pain.  Aisha felt the push from behind, and the panthress used the energy to make a desperate, muscle-bunched lunge from the flaming ground...she closed her eyes and felt the tingling again while passing through the other side, landing on the floor with her shoulder cushioning a hard fall.

[Gareeku]

Landing outside of the painting they had entered earlier, Gareeku fell to his knees as the fatigue obtained mostly from the blows dealt to him began to take effect.
"Well now...I think that's enough excitement for a while..." the wolf muttered in between pants and winces from the dull pains in his body.

[Mel Dragonkitty]

When the running and tossing about finally ended Mel found herself on her hands and knees on the floor below the gate painting which was no longer a gate. The painting was just a painting, the pigments running and smeared as if left in the rain. She looked around and everyone seemed to be present. She got to her feet and dusted herself off from the rock dust and soot of the collapse. "I read that House Caeruleus was known for throwing lavish entertainments, Sebastian. But I hope you don't feel compelled to top this last one any time soon."

Mel looked around at her companions, particularly the ones who had been in the forefront of the battle, "Who needs healing first?"

[Sunblink]

Breaking through the ephemeral threshold separating the entrance of the now-fading painting and the real world in a swirl of churning colors, Keaton went sailing somewhere over the fallen Gareeku, landing unceremoniously with a sickening thud against the tiled floor. Groaning and twitching on her aching side, trying to ignore the irritating pain in her shoulder, Keaton flared her feathered wings out as she drew herself up to her knees, rubbing her head with the heel of her palm.

"Owowowowow..." she moaned, ears flat and glassy eyes dazed. Burying her fingers in her disarrayed, ivory hair, Keaton shook her head, as though she were trying to banish the dizzying sensation that was clouding it. Looking rather grouchy behind a veil of askew hair, Keaton peered over her shoulder, watching the colors of the painting smear and run down its distorted surface in a waxy mix of fiery hues.

"Y'know what, Sebastian?" she asked, letting her head drop into her hands.

"I hate your castle too."

~Keaton the Black Jackal

[Prof B Hunnydew]

PBH finds herself on the floor breathing heavy in a heap with Gina on top of her, where the bat had deposited them..  She is too tried to move, but she watched the paint's gateway close from her position on the floor.. 

"Thanks, Sebastian..but can I barrow this floor space? I will be asleep if you need me." PBH says before she passes out. 

PBH

[Cogidubnus]

With a leap and a roll, Cog jumped through the portal from that world to the castle, and promptly rolled into rather old and very hard chess table. He lay there unceremoniously for a few seconds before lurching back to his feet and leaning against the wall, catching his breath. He laughed darkly at the other's comments.
"I still say burn the place."

[Boog]

His coat flapping dramatically, Jeremiah lunged through the painting before it closed. It probably would have been more impressive if he hadn't misjudged how high up the painting was. He got up and dusted himself off, looking at the ruined painting thoughtfully.
"You know, it looks better this way. Sort of a Dante meets Salvador Dali sort of thing. What do you guys think?" He grinned back to the others, "Hate it, love it, this place has some nice art."

[Gareeku]

Hearing the others' comments, Gareeku rolled his eyes somewhat, before slowly getting back onto his feet, albeit a little unsteadily.
"Well now...if everyone if quite done bitching..." he commented with a slight smirk as he looked at the others. Glancing over at Mel, the wolf knew she should concentrate on getting herself back to a reasonable condition before attempting to heal others. Besides, the members of the group appeared to be relatively alright, considering what had happened in the time they had stepped through the now-ruined painting portal.

"I don't know about you guys...but I'm starving..." Gareeku said, turning and walking a little unsteadily, using the wall as support as he looked at Sebastian. "Mind showing me where the kitchen is?"

[Stygian]

There was a last peel of thunder from the painting as the runny colours swirled and flowed in a vortex of red and black, growing still around the dark portal at the heart of it. With a scream and a last thrust, Stygian pushed through, throwing herself out in a burst of darkness through the portal just before it sealed shut, and rolled over the floor before slamming into a table. Her darkness began receding and she lay still, panting and watching them all with gleaming eyes.
  "Out of the question... we've dealt with it..." she said, and grunted, before her voice began turning normal again. "But we need to fix a few more things... like my back... ow..." She stood up, slowly returning to her ordinary shape, breathing heavily. She tried steadying herself against the table, but when the leg of it broke she stumbled against the railing of the stairs instead, and sighed.
  The painting had become solid and still again. Still it had turned into a very good, if dramatic piece. As if through a wet glass, one could see the hall, the columnades, the red sky and the shadows from out of which gleaming eyes peered, the shapes of the damned ones trapped there vaguely discernable. And at the heart of it all was the dark gate, cracked and absolutely black at its heart. But still, it was only a painting now, even if more lifelike than anything any artist could ever have created.
  "That one will hang in the library," the bat said.

[Aisha deCabre]

Aisha had her eyes closed for a while as she lay on the floor beneath the grand painting, recovering slowly from the experience that she and everyone else coming through had just had.  She felt everyone landing nearby, through vibrations in the floor from their feet and bodies.  The panthress opened an eye after counting them, and finding that the others were pretty much all there, if not a few having been carried.

She had to laugh at everyone's comments about the castle, for she certainly agreed herself...but it couldn't have been the place itself that had been so evil, but the angel...and she was gone.  Aisha slowly ordered herself on her feet, testing her sore leg and finding it still worked, and trying to fight through the fatigue while glancing at the painting, which had become solid and still again...though thoroughly changed.  It was barely believable to think that they had pretty much been in a hell bordered with a frame.

"Food?" she glanced at Gareeku with a shaky, rasping laugh, after composing herself.  "How can you think of...?"  That was when her stomach made a slight, barely audible grumble.  The panther pinned her ears.  "Never mind."

[Rloa]

Kerag makes sure his wings are hidden and walks back up to the door a little slowly make sure if anything decides to jump out and attack he can run full speed out of there he gets to the door and knocks on it and ask in a small voices "Is every ok in here?"

[Stygian]

The bat looked completely dumbfounded for a second at Gareeku's comment, and flicked her lengthened tail once. Then, she smiled. And slowly, she burst into hard and long laughter.
   It took a while, but she finally stopped, rubbed her temple, and surprisingly wrapped an arm around Gareeku's back and slapped him a bit on the shoulder.
   "You're okay, puppy. Heh. Adventurers..." she said, and chuckled some more. She began walking smoothly against the exit. "I doubt you'll find anything fresh in the kitchen. A decade does things to... well, everything. Except me, I hope..." She stopped in the doorway and looked back at them over her shoulder.
   "We could probably get some food quickly from town. I cam go and be back quickly. In the mean time, I think that it would be proper if our resident arcanists went and began working on countering the curses we still have left..."
   After the last comment, her eyes gleamed back at them, while she gave a sinister and meaningful look to Mel, Keaton... and Cogidubnus.

   The castle seemed still now. The dark, open windows were no longer threatening, the doors no longer like gates to some distant and frightening place. It was just the building in its imposing grandeur that was a bit threatening now. But it was open and empty. As were the front doors.

[Cogidubnus]

At Sebastian's words, Cog, who had been rather relived and calm at escaping the flames and fires of hell, suddenly remembered what he had done within those flames, and looked at his own hand, trembling. The memories of what he had done, been able to do while fighting the angel came back to him with startling speed. He slid down the wall, and sat roughly on the ground. As he stared at his hand, a spark suddenly jumped between the fingers, and he flinched violently.
"Dammit....why..." he said, pushing his shades up over his eyes with his other hand. Behind his shades, he seemed to merely become like a piece of stone for a moment, unmoving and silent. In his mind, he was teetering on the brink of exploding or imploding, desperately trying to think of some way to deny the lightning that now jumped from his hands. He had become everything he hated, and the sparks that now flowed from one finger to another condemned him. Arcane.
He did not cry, but rather began to laugh eerily, a mirthless laugh that died shortly after leaving his lips. He let his hand fall to his side. He was not all he hated yet, but this was a good first step, he thought bitterly.
"It makes perfect sense. If it were anyone else..." he said, suddenly laughing that eerie laugh again. "Anyone else..."

[Stygian]

Stygian eyed Cog while her face turned serious, even bitter, and her eyes narrowed. There was obviously something very wrong with that one. He would have to talk to these people some. They were interesting, and he was in their debt in a way, but if they were all to make this work out...
   "I can take a trip into town. Presuming it's still there, of course. But I think I remember..." the bat said, using the stolen memories from the ferret just a bit. "I have a lot of other things to catch up on as well, I think. And money won't be any problem." She looked at them all for a short moment. "Anyone else coming?" In truth she was hoping they weren't.

[Rloa]

Kerag slowly walks into to the castle and looks around with a little aw of the place. he didn't pay attion to his Surroundings

[Aisha deCabre]

Aisha leaned against a wall and sighed, listening to the conversations starting.  The others still looked winded and tired, and she looked over those who had still kept the curses of the spiders upon them.  Keaton...and now Cogi it seemed, from the look of irony he sported.  Let's hope this can be solved.

Glancing up on hearing the bat's inquiry to the group, Aisha glanced around for a second.  Getting out of the castle sounded a good prospect...but there was a factor that seemed to bind them in place.  She laughed.  "I dunno about the others, but I might stay for a bit, señora.  We've taken enough long walks."

[Mel Dragonkitty]

Mel looked around from staring at the remains of the gate. "I think I will stay here and heal those that need it." She looked deliberately at Gareeku who had flecks of blood on his muzzle where he had been coughing up blood. She suspected he was in need of quite immediate help and hoped he wouldn't deny it, although she suspected the pantheress would be her ally in convincing him.

[Stygian]

The bat flinched at the implications made by the word placed in Aisha's last statement. She frowned a bit with a sour look to her face, and snorted.
  "Solucionaremos esto sobre mi vuelta, niña. Por favor no intente y enfádeme. Incluso si esto tiene éxito, que no es probable, no estará bien para usted..."* she said, giving Aisha a little grin under that frown, and then turned to walk out, leaving the adventurers behind. "The kitchens should be at the centre of the bottom floor. It's big. You will find it," she spoke back to them, before her steps silenced and went away.

  The castle's interior, like its exterior, while magnificent and just as grand and dark as before, seemed much less living and hostile. The hallways were navigable now, the surroundings having returned to órder, and while there was still a bit of that haunted sensation now, it was distant and frightening more because of its strangeness rather than any evil or malice. All in all, it mostly just appeared to be an old, mysterious castle now. One with a history, and perhaps a few ghosts, but nothing that an adventurer couldn't handle.

  As Kerag walked further in, suddenly he became aware of steps from somwhere, though he couldn't immediately tell where before they were directly upon him. A figure turned around a corner just a few feet from him, heading against the entrance, a tall, beautiful female bat with pointed ears, pale blonde fur and quite manly clothes. She placed a pair of slim glasses on the bridge of her nose, just before looking at him and quirking an eyebrow at the newly arrived. She didn't look long though, just sighed and walked past him with a bland look to her face.
  "Two lefts and then a right. They're all there," she said, whatever that was supposed to mean.

* (Spanish: We will solve that upon my return, little girl. Please do not try and anger me. Even if it succeeds, which is not probable, it will not be good for you...)

[Rloa]

Kerag spins around his hand rises in the air with his index finger pointing to the celling and looks like he about to say something but what he was about to say just left his brain as quick as it came. Kerag just stood there feeling a bit numbed.

[Boog]

"Kitchens. Bottem floor. Right," Jeremiah snapped off a salute and a grin at Sebastionette as she left. Of course, the at-attention posture vanished as soon as it had appeared. He leaned against a nearby wall next to the painting and looked around.
"So, all for poking around this place some more for food. Or whatever food was preserved well enough to last the good umpty-thousand years it's been since people lived here..." He mentally went over a sort of checklist, gazing over the rest of the group. Gina's okay. Bambi's okay. Cog's gone all twitchy. Gareeku's had the crap kicked out of him. Aisha's been knocked around a bit. Snow-Leopard-whose-name-I-don't-know is ready to fix the above. Cubangel chick's still got her sense of humor. Tough guy... Will probably show up later, if I know this place.

[Sunblink]

Having climbed successfully to her feet once the stinging pain in her side had dulled to a few, minor throbs, Keaton checked over her body for any visible injuries. Since she didn't have the chance to participate in the match against the now dearly-departed archangel, there were none to be seen. It was likely, however, that a bruise would form in the place where her side had struck the floor.

Gathering up her mace, which had landed a good distance away, Keaton dusted herself off and folded her wings elegantly behind her. She had grown tolerant of their presence after going through such unbearable tribulations in the past day, as becoming an Angel--as much as she adamantly loathed the race--paled in comparison to being forced to remember the fate of her clan and family. At first, she felt like glaring at Gareeku for focusing on EATING of all things, but it appeared that Stygian approved of the idea.

Meanwhile, Cogidubnus, the one who had offered his words of wisdom before, seemed rather devastated by some apparent curse which had been inflicted upon him. Deep down, Keaton felt inexplicably concerned for someone who had been genuinely caring during her moment of despair for once, completely juxtaposing with her normally selfish nature.

"Hey..." she started slowly, "Are you--hey. Are you okay...?"

~Keaton the Black Jackal

[Aisha deCabre]

Aisha simply stood and listened to Sebastianette's retort with her arms crossed, a sort of blank look in her crimson gaze before the bat turned and walked away from them.  Her ears were kept pinned back to her skull at being referred to as a child, but a light smirk appeared on her face.  A remark with a polite title earns a threat in return?  For this place, that is not surprising at all.

The panthress sighed, deciding to stick around with the others until they were healed.  She sent a slight grin to Gareeku in particular, who as always looked a little more beat up than what was healthy.  She also kept in mind the direction of the kitchen.  Though the castle had lost most of its threatening air, there was still the feeling that lingered, the kind that the adventurers had only expected upon coming in the first place.  Haunted, abandoned, and devoid of vitality that ran on blood; only this motley group of adventurers and Creatures had that aspect.

And truth be told, even if the panthress wasn't easily creeped out on the overall feeling of the old castle, she still didn't feel like using much energy right away.

[Mel Dragonkitty]

Mel followed closely behind Gareeku as they made their way to the kitchen area. When they got there she told him, "Since we have a while to wait for Sebastian to return with food why don't I spend the time doing healings? I think you might be my first patient." She gestured to a rough dining area, obviously intended for servants, just off the main preparation room. "My office, sir."

[Cogidubnus]

Cog sat quietly as the others discussed food and the gathering thereof, not very hungry himself. He had a small grin on his face, and still let out a dry chuckle every moment or two. He knew he was overreacting, but he honestly didn't care. He'd walked through hell, and started exhibiting arcane abilities. He could freak out if he wanted to.
He looked up at Keaton from behind shaded lenses. His grin faded, and his eyes were wild beneath his glasses. "Oh, no, I'm not fine at all. But I will survive." he said, his grin returning. "One of life's ironies, you see! What I hate, I now do! Wretched man that I am, how glorious! Cogidubnus the Mage!" he said, the last line passing over his tongue like ash.

[Gareeku]

Making his way to the kitchen, Gareeku entered the room, looking around the place before deciding to sit down on one of the chairs at the kitchen table. It was then, however, that he heard a voice from behind. Looking round, the wolf found that Mel had entered after him. Hearing her request to heal him, he smiled slightly.
"Honestly, I'm fine. Go and see to the others first." he replied, wincing slightly from another shot of dull pain that made itself present.