Cafe Nightshade

[chewbacca71]

Benjamin

Benjamin is not suprised to see that Tony has joined the fray. He watches with satisfaction as Tony takes the axe and rips it through their opponents legs. Benjamin gets ready to wield another psycic blast when he sees that Zolt has taken a step closer to his father. Ben wonders what he has in mind.

 

[misterK]

Zolt

Zolt sees a blur go past him as Tony swings his axe at his father's legs. The blow is powerful and disorients Elkrom who falls on the ground, but Zolt knows that he will quickly be back on his feet. Now was the moment to act.

He takes a step closer, drawing in his power, leeching it from his companions in a forced yet not hostile manner. The power filling him is enormous and he can barely contain it, straining against the forces menacing to tear him apart to concentrate the energy in a fine needle-like point.

He then pushes it away from him, aimed at his father's forehead. Elkrom turns to look at his son and realises, too late, what is happening. He reflexively dresses up a mental shield to deflect the attack, but it is too little, too late.

The ray of energy pierces through the hastily raised defense, boring through Elkrom's forehead and into the receptacle of his power, of his immortality. Zolt's consciousness follows the thread and he finds himself inside his father's head.

He is momentarily disoriented, assailed from all side with images of blood, pain and destruction and disgust almost overwhelms him. Then he focuses on his task and brings all his power to bear on the object of his attack. The receptacle holds for a few seconds, then starts flying apart and finally disintegrates. Zolt manages to escape before his father's consciousness folds, trapping him in death and regains his body.

Zolt coldly watches as his father goes rigid, then limp, sliding on the floor like an empty husk.

 

[hybirdx]

"GENIA!!!!!!!!!!Come on! Where are you.... ?" Zerro looked around again, 'nothing.....' Zerro left the area to search for Genia else where 'I just hope that the walls don't get her...' What Zerro didn't know was what was following right behind him in stealth.

He then heard an howl "He must have found her!!!"

 

[chewbacca71]

Benjamin

Benjamin grabs Zolt as he begins to fall over in exhaustion. The force of his attack must have drained a lot of his energy. Benjamin gently lowered him to the ground. "Sit and regain your energy, we will need it where we are going. Tony, where did Zerro and Genia go? "

 

[hybirdx]

Zerro walked through hall seeing nothing but souls trapped within the walls 'Oh man... I thought this was bad, but this is An nightmare!' He walked for about a mile through the halls until it came to an end. Where he came to next was a little weird to him

"A stadium? The hell is wrong with this place!?! Huh?" One of the doors opened, showing one of the elephant Zerro had slaughtered, "You're kidding me.... what about the other door?"

As the second opened, zerro almost fainted seeing some one he hasn't seen in two-hundred years "The dark warriour..." The half beast had two blades on each arm, a small gun for an eye, and his armor was filled with spikes 'This is going to be good.... Now door number three."

The third door opened, but is was nothing. no bodie was there. "Uh................. Okay! WHat about four?" As the forth opened, Zerro didn't say anything but for one word "Genia!?!"

 

[princessa]

is it just me or does the size of this green glowy prison seem to be shrinking? hmm. uh oh.

a green tendril of light wraps around her ankle and starts tugging.

ow! that's hot!

zap!

the tendril disappears into a wisp of vapor.

all this magic is just taking away my energy. tired. so tired. wait! i wonder if the walls are alive...

aethene, uriel, mikaela... invito queste alimentazioni assegnare un trasferimento di energia...

a burst of energy infuses genia with power unimagined. she grows bigger and bigger as the life force of the prison drains into her mind. the glow of the green walls begin to diminish and fade into transparency.

 

[princessa]

genia

genia drifted as the power flowed in and surrounded her. she saw a tiny wolf figure yapping somewhere in her former prison.

prison! she laughed, that puny thing can't hold me anymore.

genia continued to grow larger and larger with the energy coursing through her mind. soon, she began to feel invincible. surely, no enemy could stand against all this power! meanwhile, the souls formerly trapped in the green walls shrieked with pain as their essence was absorbed as well. genia noticed a little toy figure of a dark warrior waving its blades around frantically. amused, she swatted the annoyance away and concentrated again on her magic.

prick!

she screamed as the needle-like blade plunged into her ankle. suddenly, the power within her found the outlet and began rushing out.

no! nooo! genia wailed as the energy left and started shrinking.

a mere trickle of power was still entering her, but more exited through the pinprick in her ankle. drained of all energy, she shattered into a thousand little pieces and floated among the other souls freed.

 

[princessa]

genia

a tiny genia figure spots zerro in a hall with many doors. she scampers back to the others and reveals the new discovery.

a thousand genia figures in purple silk nightshirts argue around the one who found the wereninja. several remember that he is a friend. others remember his ferocity in killing animals and fear him. most do not care and merely want out of this odd place for a forgotton reason. some of the genias are chosen to approach zerro for help.

 

[hybirdx]

"Wait... thats not Genia. Thats just a holo gram. I think" Zerro Jumped down to the areana, walked up to the Geania holo, and slow pushed his hand forward "Yep! Just a fake... maybe if I walk down this hall... I can find Genia!"

 

[princessa]

genia

two hundred tiny genia figures skip and hop towards the giant in the distance, giggling at their game.

"zerro!"
"zerro!"
"zerro!"
"zerro!"

a chorus of tinkling voices call for his attention, but zerro doesn't hear their call and continues to walk down the hall.

"well! i'll say!" one genia huffs.
"i'll get him!" another requests.
"no! i will!" yet another chimes.
"i will!"
"i will!"

several dozen genias begin climbing up the wereninja's leg.

 

[hybirdx]

As zerro walked down the hall, his ears pricked hearing something strange, like small Genia's calling out to him 'I must be worrying too much now! I better find her before I lose it!' Zerro walked further along the path before he stopped dead in his tracks. He looked down on his legh seeing a mess of 2 inch Genia's crawling up his leg "W- WHat the? AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAGH!!!!"

 

[Zircon]

Tony

I could see the tremendous exertion expended by Zolt. We’re all tired. Tired beyond the normal physicality. We’re tired mentally too. The axe sang as I swung it. It sliced through the hastily erected shield like paper. This enchanted axe had saved my butt again, as I knew that only it could penetrate that shield.

Now, The dried husk of Zolt’s father lay before us. And I laughed out loud. It startled Zolt, of course.

‘I’m sorry. But this is funny when I think back. It took the combined forces of us three to defeat your ‘old’ man. You’ve gotta to admit, that’s one helluva of fight. So, I’m laughing to be alive again. I’d thought we’re goners for sure…’

‘…Tony, where did Zerro and Genia go?’

I turned to pick up the orb still laughing. I turned it around, and upside down. And I concluded that I didn’t really want to jump in after them. It was bad enough of the outside, but inside… Well, the nasty Tasmanian Devils were still inside with them.

‘Genia got sucked into the orb. And Zerro jumped right after her. I don’t know about you, but I think he’s nuts. And she is even worse when she ignored all the warnings about the orb. I don’t know what is in there, and I’m really sure that I don’t want to find out. But I haven’t been listening to myself lately, so I’m inclined to jump in also.’

‘Guys, should we jump in after them? Or wait a while to regain our breath and strength? I’m sure Zerro can pretty much handle himself. And Genia, well, Genia is a woman. I’ve no idea what is inside of a woman’s head.’

 

[chewbacca71]

Benjamin

Benjamin looks over at Tony. "I think it is best if we stay out. Like you said Zerro and Genia should be able to help themselves. We need to conserve some strength. Plus, if those tasmanian devils get out of there, we will need to stop them. "

 

[Zircon]

Tony

‘You know what, Ben? I do believe that’s the best idea I’ve heard all day. I’ve already lost Chloë in these tunnels. I’m not sure whether she’s alive or dead. Zerro’s magic seems to be working. Best I let time work its magic as well.’

I looked at the orb once more. And continuously shaking my head at the pigheaded contriteness of the women folk kind. No wonder the book, ‘Men are from Mars, Women are from Venus’, sold so well. Perhaps I should get that book, and start reading. At least then, I should have an inkling what goes on in the female mind, so that I can prepare better in the future.

‘Did anyone of you remember to bring any water? I’m a bit thirsty, and I believe that you’re too. While Zerro and Genia are inside figuring out how to get out, why don’t we continue down these tunnels, and see if it leads to the outside. If you don’t have water, we can probably can find some Smirnoff Ice in here somewhere, since anything that is weird had already happened. Smirnoff Ice is not out of the question, right?’

I grinned at Ben and Zolt. So what if I used a little humor to lighten the atmosphere.

 

[chewbacca71]

Benjamin

"Smirnoff Ice? What is that ? I have been stuck in this Carnival for a long time. I am thirsty too, lets see if there is maybe a spring further along. "

 

[princessa]

genia

"help us! help us!" the tiny genias cry...

 

[hybirdx]

Zerro Crossed his arms and sighed "Let me guess... You tried to asorb energy from the walls?"

 

[princessa]

"me?" one genia queries.
"why would i do anything like that?" another blinks innocently at zerro.
"well, oops." a third genia smiles mishievously.

a genia steps up and shushes the rest.

"what can you do to put us back together, zerro?" she inquires seriously.

 

[hybirdx]

Zerro sighed, and walked over to a part of the wall. "Bring all the Genia's over here." Zerro said leaning over on the wall "Since this is the hot spot for your energy. I have an chance to put you back together, Yet I canot bring my self to the area wheare the other Genias are because it will weaken me."

 

[princessa]

"woohoo!" the genias cry.

some run scurrying off to find the others. soon, a flood of tiny genia figures appear and start climbing on zerro to make space for more.

"what now?" the genia spokesperson asks.

 

[hybirdx]

Zerro grumbled "ok get into a X shape, when You do that si down, and try not to move!"

 

[misterK]

Zolt

Still in a daze after his inhuman effort to defeat his own father, Zolt stumbles along, following the others down the dark corridors. 'The place reeks of madness,' he thinks to himself, taking in the twisted walls and uneven floor. 'What sort of creature has built this place anyway?'

He stops, leaning against the wall with his hand, catching his breath. Benjamin and Tony stop as well and gather around him, asking him if everything is alright. Zolt doesn't answer. A cold shiver runs up and down his spine and the hackles rise on the back of his neck. "It is near," he whispers. Then louder, "it is near."

Tony and Benjamin turn around, again, looking up and down the corridor, seeing nothing. "There's nothing here Zolt," Tony presses, "you must be mistaken." Benjamin has gone deadly quiet too. "I think he is right Tony," he says.

Suddenly the wall against which Zolt was leaning bursts out in a powerful explosion as two taloned hands pass through, grabbing Zolt in their grasp and pulling him back to the other side.

 

[hybirdx]

Zerro began to mumble some words, and a glow emited from his hands, but as soon as it touched the Genias, i u turned back to Zerro, making him fly back "Crap... the orbs energy is low... you'll have to stay here for a while...."

 

[Violent C]

Trevor

Trevor paused for a moment to catch his breath. It seemed aeons had passed since he had escaped the house of mirrors and he hadn't stopped moving since then. He knew the others had surely found their way to the Big Top by now, and he had no garantee the daemon hadn't already destroyed them and drank in their souls to further its own power.

He leaned back against a midway game until the ache in his lungs subsided, then continued onwards toward the Big Top. The time was drawing nigh. He had to be there for the final showdown between the army of miscreants and the daemon. A sense of urgency crept up on him, and broke into a sprint in hope that he could reach the Big Top in time. After the first hundred yards he realized it would be impossible to find his way past all of the sideshow attractions and midway games in time to confront the daemon. He reached to his left inside breast pocket and grasped his trusted tarot deck in his hand. Once again, as it had so many times in the past, the Joker's Deck would be his saving grace.

Riddle Box!

What lies within the Riddle Box?
Turn the crank and find your fate.

The Riddle Box appeared before him in a blinding flash of light. He turned the crank to the tune of the funeral march and waited for the creature within to appear. A deformed joker's head burst through the top of the box and grinned, revealing its rows upon rows of razor teeth. It flicked its serpent tounge at Trevor.

"What do you want now?"

"I want you to send me catacombs beneath the Big Top."

"Very well."

For the second time in (five? ten? fifty? he wasn't sure) hours, Trevor was sucked into the vortex of tortured souls within the Riddle Box. He fell past the ghosts of weeping, lamenting people that had sinned far too often in life. He mused that here, in death, it was so easy for them to repent. They always did, once they knew judgement was on it's way.

Before Trevor had a chance to consider the subject further, he was deep within the catacombs beneath the Big Top. The rank stench of death eminated from the halls, wafting around him until it seemed it would choke the very life from him. He doubled over and retched until the feeling of nausea passed. After he composed himself, he closed his eyes and focused on any forign auras in the catacombs. He was astonished to discover several very strong signatures and the sheer raw power of the daemon not too far away.

He grasped the dragon's head hilt he had retireved in his armoury and focused arcane energies through it, activating its true form. A tounge of blue flame shot forth from the dragon's mouth and took the form of a scimitar blade. His fully charged weapon in hand, Trevor dashed towards the daemon and prayed to the moon that he was not too late.

 

[chewbacca71]

Benjamin

Benjamin watched helplessly as Zolt was pulled into the wall. He tried to concentrate to locate the residual energy of the being that had taken ahold of Zolt. He turned to Tony. "Come on , I may not be able to take us through the walls , but I can follow this prey now that I have its scent. Benjamin closed his eyes as he got a fix on his quarry. "Lets go down this tunnel, the creature has gone to the north from here. "