The Castle (IC) [M] {04}

[Gareeku]

And so Gareeku ran with the others, keeping with Aisha as they dashed to get to somewhere comparatively safe. Though he was not as light as someone like Aisha, what with feline reflexes generally being somewhat more agile than canine reflexes, this did not stop the wolf from keeping perfect pace with Aisha. Even he could be fast when he wanted to.

It was then, however, that Aisha slowed down somewhat, having noticed something shimmering in some upcoming rubble off to the side. Gareeku had noticed it too, keeping his pace steady while he waiting for her to catch up. And catch up she did, along with her sword that she had claimed while in this cursed building.

"Always nice to have a souvenir..." The wolf commented to Aisha with a smirk as they ran. "Makes me regretful I didn't pick something up myself...I don't think a piece of rubble would suffice somehow..."

[Aisha deCabre]

As Aisha ran, she continually made sure that nobody had stopped in their tracks...though catching a glimpse of Rynkura flying overhead, she had no worry of that.  It was all a matter of getting out and fast...although seeing the various hallways of the castle's interior falling apart, all the places they've been...it seemed rather sad to see it fading before their eyes.

She was brought out of that train of thought however at Gareeku's words, regarding the sword she grabbed...and the fact that not everyone would be leaving with something to remember the adventure by.

The panthress grinned back, a little out-of-breath as she kept running and leaping over various obstacles and looked for any sign of an exit.  "Heh, perhaps not, amigo.  Most of us seem to be taking something from this place...but you have the memories to take away, of more worth than this weapon or anything else, as do I."

Her smirk turned into a smile of genuine warmth; perhaps a little out-of-place on her exhausted features, but it was there nonetheless.  "If it's not too much for me to admit right now...the ones in which we fought together would be my personal favorites."

[Boog]

A piece of falling masonry removed the Keaton Mockery from their midst, the others not slowing down for a second.
"Heartwarming," The Mel-Thing hissed, keeping pace with the rest of them as best she could; the corridors being too narrow to fly in. "Can we save it until we're not about to be killed?" The knot of flesh the replica had in place of a head twisted briefly into Mel's features, sneering, "I'd appreciate it."
"Save it." The Gareeku Mockery panted out breathlessly, "Just keep..."
There was a roar down the corridors of the castle. An appallingly familiar one. Coupled with the voice of a girl Jeremiah remembered from the floor of a chapel, what seemed like ages ago. There was a blast of heat as something approached from behind them...
Jeremiah swore. Sometimes that was just all there was to do.

--

Ours! OURS damn you! We were close! We were this close, you ungrateful little BEAST Ketefe's interloper railed against the confines of her skull but seemed to be losing its grip, somehow, as if it was being naturally drawn to something outside her mind. No! NO!

[Aisha deCabre]

The masonry falling around them...the rush, the sounds, the intense heat and the roaring...one could have sworn that the group picked up the pace much faster.  In fact they had, as they passed through so many passages in the labyrinthine halls that reminded them so much of the past goings-on of the past few days.  Rynkura was forced out of the air above and ran with the group, wings clutched tightly against her body as she had little room to replace her jewel-embedded sleeves yet.  Whenever something was about to hit another one of the group members, she quickly cast a barrier over their heads so that the rocks bounced away.  But if they didn't leave soon, not even her magic could save them from having an entire castle burying them alive...

Aisha, meanwhile, hadn't waited for an answer to her statement...as the fake-Mel had said, that moment just wasn't the time for relief, celebration, or dwelling over memories.  She berated herself for losing her focus.  They had to find the exit first, and then, perhaps...

"...The foyer!" Rynkura had shouted, hopefully loud enough for the group to be heard.  "I see the doors!"

It was those words that the group had been waiting for.  Finally, they were leaving.  Finally, everything was being left behind.

Finally...

Someone had shoved the door open with their weight.  The warm, blinding rays of the dawn sun were upon their faces.  And behind them, Castle Caeruleus was ever the faster falling out of existence...or so it sounded.

[Mel Dragonkitty]

Mel wasn't sure if her transport spell was simply flawed or if the hellish atmosphere was taking control but the sled of magic containing the injured wolf seemed determined to hang up on every piece of rubble and try to skitter down every dead end. It was hard work keeping up with the others. It didn't help that the rubble was coming down and she had to dodge it as well. Dragon hide might be nearly impossible to cut but it didn't stop bruises and broken bones. It seemed like an eternity before she heard Rynkura announce that the doors were in sight.

[Gareeku]

The hallways seemed endless. Gareeku had started to wonder if they were going to even make it out at this rate. there just seemed to be no end in sight. Things were made more desparate when behind them came a roar, followed by the onset of heat fastly growing in intensity from behind. Yep, things were definitely worse.

It was then, however, that Gareeku's eyes saw the one beacon of hope, of escape; the castle's foyer, and with it, the doors. This was it. It was over. This was confirmed as the wolf and the others rushed through and to the outside, the fresh air hitting his face, the warmth of the sun reassuringly flowing down onto him...

[Sunblink]

Running was becoming nearly impossible; Keaton was intoxicated on a poisonous cocktail of adrenaline and exhaustion. Most of her companions were a few feet ahead of her; a disturbing distance given her panic and the urgency of the situation. A few times, she felt like collapsing and remaining in that state of futility, but that wasn't an option, not unless she wanted to perish along with the castle. At least blood loss wasn't bothering her anymore, and was no more of an impediment than the torturous aching and burning of her legs. It remained that way for a while - the excruciation was just an inconvenience, compared to the grander repercussions of delay, until she could no longer ignore her fatigue.

"GUYS! Guys, wait!" Keaton shouted uselessly, her voice disappearing beneath the uproarious crumbling and quaking of the tremendous structure around them.

Somewhere nearby, a marble pillar, formerly impregnable, ruptured from the roof. Keaton had to leap to the side and stagger backward in order to avoid the massive chunk of ceiling that fell where she once stood. Suffocating plumes of smoke mushroomed from the splintered wreck; swiping and clawing away the encroaching dust, she bounded over one of the broken chunks of mildewed marble with a clumsy maneuver. Despite this impressive recovery, she was still lagging behind her less encumbered partners.

'Fucking hell! Fucking hell!' Keaton's mind-voice was wrathful and angry and cursing, like every invisible syllable contained a pound of acid. Keaton felt like her vision was tunneling, and would have anticipated another panic attack if she didn't beat herself out of her furious reticence.

She didn't know what to do, but she couldn't rely on herself physically to accomplish her task. Keaton pervaded her influence to the following shadows, rapidly expanding as darkness began to swallow the castle. The darkness was invigorating. It was exhilarating. Like how she created the web that saved her life when she was thrown out of the castle window, she summoned a swarm of blackened mist and leaping, jagged tendrils of solid black ink that closed around her wings. She kept running even as she dedicated part of her concentration to weaving together what she wanted, out of her sight. Her wings were completely encapsulated in a virtual shell of membranous black, enormous and gnarled and curled like abstract bat-wings; much larger, more capable than her original set, they would probably enable flight if she had the strength to use them.

If I can run, I can fly, right? Keaton reasoned hastily. The only answer she received was the rumbling of the buckling castle. Once she was certain that the muscle of her wings had effectively materialized, she experimented by flapping them. Dust and crumbs of mortar swirled around the room from the breeze she was stirring up in the midst of her pace. Her boots clapped against the ground as she pushed herself harder -

- and eventually she was gliding at a rapid pace, accelerated by a low-level wind magic spell. Once she was off the ground, she didn't need to really lift her wings anymore - she just needed to renew that spell every so often. Light was breaking through the entrance far ahead, and with a look of almost insane triumph and relief on her face, Keaton soared out of the castle as the doors were smashed open.

[Boog]

Jeremiah clung to Mel, still in full dragonic form as she carried him and the others out of the building. Flames licked at her heels as she brought up the rear, and something TERRIBLE howled with fury in a thousand voices behind them. Torrents of fire flicked from upper windows. One of them the frog recognized as the one he'd spent the night in. Things attempting or failing to escape, old curses and monsters and all the other legends wrapped up in the haunted edifice could be seen, trying to leap out windows or succumbing along with the crumbling castle.
Something in Ketefe's head howled in fury and faded, plummeting away for the last time. In Jeremiah's skull the Lunacy laughed louder. Deep down in the corridor they'd left one could almost see a pure white ferret, riding a beast of flame behind them. Of course, she was far too far away for one to say for certain it was poor Gina or that the look on her face was twisted into some determined mask. One wouldn't even have the time to squint and check before even the corridor that had taken them to safety crumbled. Soon little stood of the tower but the rubble of the outer walls, a door, and a pit leading deep into the earth.
The mockeries didn't stay long. They looked over the castle once and walked into the forest, off to contribute to the world's mythology in their own manner for a time.
Jeremiah simply fell out of Mel's grip and dragged himself over to the nearby bushes. It had been a hectic and jarring flight to escape, and was probably a bit more than his constitution had been ready to handle. Thus, the somberness of the moment was only slightly disturbed by the sounds of his retching.
Oh gods, what, what just, urgh gods...
... Broken.
We are safe.
We are rich.
We are in control again.
No, no, and no. We aren't. We never are.
HehaheeehaahahaheheahahahAHA!

[Mel Dragonkitty]

Mel passed through the blue-painted front doors and kept going. She moved down the walkway until she had passed through the large gates that had denied their original entrance. Even they, so far from the hellgate, were succumbing to the taint and were now rusted and collapsed. Only when she was beyond the gates which defined the castle's boundaries did the air seem to clear and the defiled magic lose it's grasp upon them. After a moment to catch her breath she turned to look at the rubble that had once been a building and ask, "Did everyone manage to make it out?" She shook her head a little, there was little hope of survival for anyone who hadn't.

[Angel]

Ketefe sprinted through the building, paying little attention to anything but that which was right in front of her and that which was in her head. She growled furiously as the demon clawed at her mind, frantic as it was losing its grip. She wasn't about to get an exorcism done, and she refused to take the thing out with her. When she saw the light ahead, she stared into it full force and thought as powerfully as she could:

You aren't welcome here anymore! You never were! You've caused me pain, you nearly killed myself and the others, and now you're going back on your word?! We have a DEAL! And it still stands! I refuse to let you control me ever again! Now GET OUT!

And as she thought these words, the doors were broken open, and the cat flung herself into the light and onto the ground. She was still bruised and cut up, her fur was dirty, and she'd seen people die and come back to life around her. But she was safe. She slowly stood and gazed around once, seeing Mel, Rynkura, Jeremiah, Keaton, a still-unconscious Cog, and Aisha and Gareeku - all in about the same condition as her, but all alive, and all out of Hell. Suddenly, Ketefe's exhaustion started to catch up with her, her near-constant adrenaline rush from earlier fading. She walked slowly down the walkway and to a grassy spot, pulling her sheathed sword off her back and dropping it on the ground. Not caring the least about what time it was, she curled up, propping her head on the blanketed sword, and her eyes closed.

The last thing she heard before falling asleep was a howl of anguish, as the demon faded away completely at last.

[Aisha deCabre]

Aisha landed on her stomach in the grass, still soaked with dew, supported by her arms.  Behind and beside her she could hear and feel the impact that each body belonging to her friends took as they too jumped and rushed out of the way.

And above, the castle was ablaze and crumbling, and they were watching until nothing was left but a hole in the ground and the ruins of a once-proud building, long lost and forgotten, now succumbed to history and to the most unnatural of forces.  Memories rushed back to the panthress of the battles fought and the good times had, however few there might have been.  She stayed silent and thoughtful, fingering the speed charm around her neck and sitting upon what had been the courtyard...and behind sat the remains of the gate and shrubbery that she, Gareeku, and Mel sneaked through from the very beginning.

Rynkura meanwhile had landed hard on the lawn, using her wings and staff for leverage.  She too was out of words as the castle virtually disappeared.

But finally she let out a sigh, just as she heard Mel ask everyone if they had gotten out safely.  "I believe we're all okay," the Healer answered and stood up straight, taking out her jeweled sleeves and replacing them on her arms.  The striped wings on her back vanished as a result.  "If a little bruised, but if that is the worst of the injuries, we should all be very, very lucky."

Looking at the ruins, Rynkura couldn't help but feel...responsible.  Her imprisonment taught her that the giant demon deserved it all, and what history of the place she knew was off her shoulders.  But that didn't mean that everyone who was there needed to be a victim.  From Sebastian, to their missing comrades.  She placed two fingers to her heart in a brief stance of prayer, and then turned to the others.  "So...what shall we do now, and where shall we go?  Unless there is any reason to say so, my business is done here."

Aisha glanced up at the Mistress, then down to her replaced right arm.  She hadn't a chance to thank the Mockeries before they left, but she figured they must have known.  "...Well, first, I think I might try to find some better clothes," she said with a chuckle, indicating her tattered trousers and shirtless form, save for the strips of cloth binding her chest.  "And then...I guess..."

The panthress looked unsure, biting her lip.  "I don't know.  I accomplished one of my life's goals.  The next would be finding my brother...but until I know where to start, I guess I have a vacation to take...back home."

Rynkura spared a little smile, and then nodded while standing at the gates.  "Then I shall wait for you, chica, once you compose yourself.  As for the rest of us..." her eyes passed over each of the adventurers in turn, and finally settled on the unconscious Cogidubnus in the ice dragon's protection, wondering.  And Aisha still sat in the grass, sorting out every event that had gone on in her mind...simply waiting.

[Mel Dragonkitty]

Mel looked around and it appeared that everyone who had survived past the fight in hell had survived the collapse of the building. She was quiet for a moment remembering those that hadn't before focusing on the one whose fate was not yet decided. "I believe that Cog needs far more care than can be obtained anywhere nearby. Unless someone has another suggestion I think the hospital in my home city is his best choice." She paused for a moment and looked at everyone one more time. "Thank you for an interesting few days, for rescuing me and amusing me and everything in-between." After digging for a moment in her pouch of endless items she pulled out a handful of small coin-like charms made of clear crystal with a design of a wing and snowflakes somehow magically suspended within. Each person got a hug or handshake as appropriate to their nature and one of the little charms. "If you ever have the notion to visit the chilly end of dragon territory that will get you past the guardians."

With that the dragon set about making Cog's hastily and haphazardly created bubble of magic secure enough to survive a teleportation spell.

[Gareeku]

Falling to his hands and knees initally once he and the others were away from the castle, Gareeku got back to his knee and turned to look at the castle crumble and implode, saying nothing as he stood there, eyes fixed on the crumbling building before them. Once the building was no more, the wolf remembered the mockeries, looking from left to right to see if he could spot them, but to no avail. They had disappeared.

Choosing to forget them for now, the white lupine turned to the others, hearing Rynkura and Aisha speak in particular.
"A new attire would be the priority on my list" he commented, referring to the fact that the outfit he had on, or what was left of it, was in tatters. "Though what I shall do afterwards I do not know, but I suspect trouble will have a way of finding me. It usually does."

No sooner had Gareeku finished had Mel given him one of the crystal coin-like charms. Looking at it in his hand, the wolf smiled slightly.
"Thank you. I shall be sure to take you up on that offer. Be sure to give Cog my regards. I'm confident he'll in the best hands." he said as he put the small charm away in his pouch.

[Aisha deCabre]

Rynkura stood patiently near the gateway to what was once a grand courtyard, watching as the adventurers said their goodbyes.  Certainly it felt like only yesterday, rather than a few days, since the healer arrived at the Castle to be greeted by the rather unique bunch.  Not to mention having had to heal the dragon.  She was now passing out charms, voicing her intent to take Sir Mithlome back to her own realm for professional healing.  The tigress nodded in assent as she accepted the charm and returned Mel's hug.  "I am quite confident that the dragons can take care of him more than even I ever could.  Fare thee well, Lady Icewing, I shall keep this invitation in mind for someday.  As I extend the invitation to visit my monastery and healer's school in the Shadowed Depths."  The angel looked around at those who were left, and decided to reach into her own pack and forge a gift of her own for everyone.  "All of you are welcome."

Meanwhile, Aisha chuckled as she heard Gareeku's assent, that his situation was rather similar to hers.  Her eyes also caught the shining pendent given to her by Mel, and the black jaguar considered herself honored...not to mention very interested...at the thought of visiting a dragon's kingdom.  If it was anything like Icarus Stormclaw's kingdom was once...

"Give my regards to Cog as well, when he's well again, amiga," the huntress said as she stood up from the grass, having finally gathered her breath and her wits.  She straightened herself out and went around to shake hands with the others in farewell...Mel, Jeremiah, Ketefe...everyone.  "It'll be nice if I see any one of you whenever I go traveling again.  I wish I had anything to give you guys other than my best wishes."

When finally she rounded back to Gareeku and took his hand, Aisha found herself hesitant to say goodbye, even for a little while.  The wolf had been one of her greatest friends since a long time, and a great ally since the whole ordeal started.  He helped to keep her alive and had lent his strength when she herself felt weak, and was more than happy to fight by his side when he too needed her.  And thus she felt closer to him than ever before...she had her thanks to give at the very least, and finally, it was an opportune as ever a time to do so.

She shook her head and snorted, a little unsure of what to say.  "Damn it all, I'm no good at these kinds of silly, sappy goodbyes, Gareeku, but..." she embraced him tightly, looking for all the world like one friend saying farewell to another...yet her next words were whispered and soft.  "You don't have to come with us now if you don't want to.  But, if you ever have nowhere else to go...there will always be a place for you at the monastery.  Not just at the Mistress's invitation, but also at mine.  And should our paths diverge here, I hope we meet again, sooner than later...and I wish you the best of luck.  And thank you again, with the sincerity of my life and...well, my heart."

After a moment or two, Aisha broke the embrace and gave Gareeku a lingering kiss on the cheek, also leaving him with a warm meaningful smile.  Then, she turned slowly to rejoin Rynkura.

The tigress meanwhile had given everyone a cloak, each with different colors to their liking, with the Mayan-pattern markings of the healers in her trade etched upon them as a parting gift.  She gave Gareeku one second-to-last, the same brown shade as the one he lost, with a polite bow of the head and a smile of her own added.  Finally, she put one more around Aisha's shoulders...the same shade of red as her old one.  "Whenever you are ready, child," she told the jaguar.

And indeed when they were ready, the road opened ahead of them, along with whatever else would come on the way home.