You enter the next room and it feels cold here and the air moves about like the is a breeze.
You hear a voice like a whisper but see no creature in the room.
Humans? I sense that you are warriors but you are unlike any I have faced. My name is Nicoramus, I too am a warrior. A hero once, now a slave. My new master bids me to capture the strongest among you. Reveal yourself and I will fight you and spare the rest."
Roy enters with the others, shotgun in hand with his Remington slung over his shoulder. He shakes his head and continues sweeping the room when Sir Urik disappears. He stacks up on the door with the others, and enters the room with the gun raised, ready to fire. He drops it for a moment at the voice, but raises it again, continuing to sweep the room while aiming down the iron sights.
"We're not playing games. Don't fall for anything," Roy whispers to the others.
I have been working out, but I don't want to fight some fanged a*+++&@ because I moved up in weights... Wait this guy used to be a hero? Where are you from Nico?
Xannder says full of himself.
"Yeah, Nico, I'm pretty sure nobody's taking you up on that one. Go ahead and show yourself so we can put you down and get on with the main event."
"Yeah, don't get us wrong. The thought of a fair fight with a bloodsucker is pretty hilarious. But mostly, I think we're all pretty comfortable with just killing you," Dom said as he looked around the room with his rifle.
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"Though personally I'd prefer your release but that's not liable to be on the table"
"A bloodsucker?!? Don't insult me! I am a noble warrior of the elemental plane of air!" he says sounding upset.
He dispels his invisibility revealing himself.
"Unfortunately young mortal only by recovering my oathstone from the shadow demon Lucian could I be freed. If that were to happen I would be deeply grateful to you and would gladly follow your commands. I would even grant you a single wish."
"Gladly, simply leave us alone until then and we will gladly free you"
"You would face a shadow demon for my freedom young mortal? I admire your courage thought I believe it is mostly out of ignorance...Very well...I will obverse you for a time to determine your strength and if you happen upon my master during that time I will do my best to remain hidden and not to assist thought I am bound to obey if he calls for me." he takes a bow vanishing once more.
"I like to go one step at a time, though is there a way you could busy yourself with some task where you can't hear him?"
Alisha nods to the Djinn and says, "Indeed great Djinn we shall do our best to free you from the powers that bind you. No one deserves to be a slave."
After he leaves she looks to the others
"Let us continue shall we? This vampire and his evil minions must be stopped lest more will suffer at his hands."
That went better than he thought. Jim thought to himself. He certainly wasn't going to volunteer to fight one-on-one with something invisible. He couldn't think of anything helpful to add, so he readied to move when the train leaves.
Joey chuckles and nods. "Verily!" He looks at Xannder. "You still in front, bud?"
Dude, are we just going to ignore the fact that a Genie is asking us to take down Jafar to get his lamp back for him? WTF is a Shadow Demon? Should I be worried about running into a seriously upset Gilbert Gottfried while we're down here? I mean, if you guys think this is normal; we can press on... But, seriously this is way past ridiculous at this point.
Xannder blurts out not even thinking. He lets out a sigh and looks around the room for an exit.
Maybe Sir Helsing will be able to help us find Shazam's magic stone thing after we finish killing Dracula. Magic lady, what can you tell us about Shadow Demons?
You continue on and enter a long dark hallway, a fog clings to the floor obscuring anything below 3 feet. A figure bearing a torch comes your way mumbling to himself. As he gets closer you realize its a very old man wearing a worn and dusty suit like a butler.
He looks at you and says "What are you doing down here? Shouldn't you be in the south tower? That's were the guest quarters are! Master said that's were you'd be staying. You'd best be getting there or old Cyrus will get the blame! Come now follow me..." without waiting he turns about and starts walking.
Hey look guys, it's Alfred. Looks like there might be dinner plans in our future!
Xannder says, chuckling.
Dude, are we just going to ignore the fact that a Genie is asking us to take down Jafar to get his lamp back for him? WTF is a Shadow Demon? Should I be worried about running into a seriously upset Gilbert Gottfried while we're down here? I mean, if you guys think this is normal; we can press on... But, seriously this is way past ridiculous at this point.
Joey shrugs. "We're hunting a vampire to save a bunch of werewolves. We shot a dragon. I'm all the way on board the ridiculous train now. Just go with the flow, it's easier that way."
When the servant offers to lead them, Joey nudges Xannder in the man's direction. "Hey, the guy's not going to fall into any traps, at least," he whispers.
Jim concurs with Joey trying to stay frosty in the craziness.
"Shadow Demons hate light. So there's some truth in advertising there. I've heard that they can create darkness and possess their victims. And while they're in a host they're not susceptible to light."
Dom sighed.
"I don't know how to exorcise a shadow demon. So the bottom line is that we might have to kill its host first."
***
When they were confronted with the butler, Cyrus, Dom felt his jaw clenched. He wondered if the man worked for the vampire willingly, or if he was just another slave to its will.
He made a mental note to himself to piss on the Vampire's ashes when they were done with him.
"Lead the way," he tells Cyrus.
He keeps an eye out for danger along the way.
Good call Joey... None of you are secretly Admiral Akbar right?
Xannder chuckles to himself.
Let's just hope that the food is good. I am not sure what vampires eat, but I am guessing it's not pizza.
You leave the hallway and arrive to a large chamber intersection that goes four ways you notice scarring on the walls and dried blood that would indicate a battle was fought here.
"Oh but those were some tough ones!" says the butler "came to kill the master they did! In the end he gathered his forces to stomp them here...I think he kept the head of their leader as a trophy...I am wishing I had kept something to remember them also but he had the bodies interred in the crypt before I could collect a souvenir. It's the one with the inscription "Let these remind those who would defy the masters will of what fate awaits them." I'd go get a little something now but I'm too scared to go down there..."
The butler goes to the door to the west and opens it. In the room beyond are several doors going into different rooms. And several strange creatures.
These are half alive and half dead, split right down the middle running from the tip of it's skull to the groin. One side is boiling churning flesh and the other is just bones. The butler ignores them and they ignore him as he walks in but as they notice you they turn to move towards you.
We will say you all beat them. Go ahead and post your actions for round 1.
They are 20 feet away.
Jim strains to listen to the crazy butler when he see the strange creatures. Assessing that they are not vampires, he drops his Mossberg for it to swing on its shoulder strap. He readies his H&K G3A4 from its shoulder sling and sprays them with bullets. Most of the bullets go wide.
Alisha not wanting to waste her crossbow bolts on non-vampires, fires a shot with her pistol at the creatures while moving back from them.
Xannder pulls out his pistol and prepares to fire at any that get within 30 feet.
Uh, Jeeves, is this how the master treats his guests?
"Hey, Cyrus! You want us to kill the master's pets here?" With loads of ammo for his shotgun, Joey goes ahead and raises his shotgun to fire at the nearest of the strange half-and-half monsters.
But his bravado must be mostly show, because the big man barely manages not to blow off his own foot as he accidentally triggers a blast before the weapon is pointed at the monster.
"So then, how do you figure the army of weres and agents are doing"
He says taking careful aim at the creatures.
missing Dom and Roy
One of the creature took 21 damage and is still standing and the other two took 2.
That's a great question, I hope they are faring better than us!
Dom is about to fire one of the white phosphorous rounds, thinks better of it. And then drops the rifle. He moves toward one of the creatures and strikes him with the magic sword.
Striking the closest more injured creature Dom manages to bring it down.
Dom smiles as the creature drops to the ground at his feet. He took a moment to study it.
At first glance the creature appears to be half-zombie half skeleton but you realize that the flesh half is in fact still alive and not rotting. In fact it seems the flesh half is supercharged with life. What exactly that means you cant be sure.
One lumbers forward and attacks Dom
The other comes forward and attacks Joey
Your go again.
Alisha takes another shot with the pistol at one of the Half-Zombie monsters.
Attack
Damage
Not ready to fire into melee, Jim moves besides Joey and tries to crack the thing with his rifle butt.
Joey pushes away from the monster and shoots it point blank.
Having spent the last few seconds studying the creatures his shots fire as true as his skill will allow
You managed to take down both the remaining creatures.
"What a mess...Old Cyrus is going to have to clean that up too...Well at least you're not dead. The master is displeased when guest get killed without him ordering it and old Cyrus might get the blame if you died."
"So next time maybe you should tell the monsters to not try to eat us, Cyrus. That way you won't have to clean up the remains when we kill them." Joey quickly ejected his shotgun's magazine and reloaded it, then popped it back in.
Jim wipes off the goo from his rifle butt and loads a fresh magazine into his rifle. He slaps it in with a confident smile.
Dom bandages himself up a bit and gives Cyrus the finger when he isn't looking.
John replaces the spent shots in his magazines and polishes his guns with any remaining time.
Alisha puts away her gun and looks to Cyrus, "For a master of the undead, your master sure likes to hide himself. How about we end all this hiding b*+#!@%~ and you take us to see the master as we have much to resolve."
Xannder looks over the wound that Dom took and tries to patch it up while they are moving.
Try not to put your arm in their mouth next time bud. Good job Jeeves. Got any other surprises intended to kill us?
Soon after Xannder bandages Dom the eastern door of the intersection opens and a man comes in. He seems young and is dressed like a noblemen from the medieval ages. "What's this commotion?!?" he says and he looks down at the destroyed creatures. "More intruders! DON'T YOU MORTALS EVER LEARN" he says frustrated. The shadows grow all around him and you can guess that you have found your shadow demon.
Go ahead and post he will go after.
Dom rolled his eyes at the Demon and opened fire from his rifle.
"You guys have a funny definition of 'house guest'."
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Xannder looks at the man quizzically and says.
Hey man we are invited guests, just ask Alfred here. /unfortunately these things did not get the memo and managed to take a chunk out of my friends arm here...
Seeing that he is not being very convincing, he fires a shot at the creatures head with his pistol.