Gerard’s group trusted in him. They saw him, at this point, as their only real hope. If there truly were plans in place to destroy the universe and end all life, the half-vampire who killed the first fallen angel and absorbed all of the powers of darkness without being corrupted by them would be the best chance of stopping those plans, after all. The group journeyed together through the rest of the castle. They came upon the throne room, and Gerard blasted it with all of the energy he had gathered. It stood firm. “It’s no good.”, the effeminate vampire said. “It’s a blood ward. Nobody with Lord Victor’s blood can get in or out. It’s a powerful one, too.” the group stood in a row, shoulder to shoulder, facing the door. Gerard stepped back and out of formation. “Guys, we have to try.”, he said softly. Everybody joined hands and launched a powerful magical assault on the door, but the blast simply bounced away from the barrier, taking out a nearby wall and exposing more of the ward around the room. Elsa knelt and opened up a terminal on her wrist, then faced it toward the barrier. “The ward has a bubble at the top.”, she said matter-of-factly. “The portal to Victor’s personal quarters…”, Gerard mused, “If we can get in there, we can teleport to the throne room!” He patted Elsa on the shoulder, and she smiled up at him.
As Sidney had mentioned earlier, Gerard was easily able to locate a hidden passageway that led to a steep and narrow staircase. The group proceeded up with care, and soon found themselves outside of the ward again. “So,” Zack sighed, “We can’t get in this way. We’ll have to find the quarters, like Gerard said.” The ward glowed fiercely bright and the ground shook violently, knocking the group onto their haunches. A shrill, piercing sound confirmed that the castle had launched another laser assault on the Earth below. Gerard punched the wall, then poked his head out into the open air to look down. In the time he and his group had been on their quest, the castle had floated upward, almost out of the Earth’s atmosphere. “We have to hurry.”, Gerard said flatly, “We’ll be in space soon, and most of the non-demon creatures in this castle need air. “So do we, dumbass.”, Zack chimed in. “Are you gonna be Mr. Selfish, or are you gonna have a bleeding heart?”, he spat. “Seriously,” Mary agreed, “Make up your mind.” Gerard nodded. “I did.” He slowly rose to his full height, and looked at the ward. “I do care about this universe, this world, and all its people. I care enough to lay down my life, and if that’s what it takes to stop this demon, I’ll do it. If that’s what it takes to stop the plan to exterminate all life, then so be it.” A single tear made its way down the effeminate vampire’s cheek. “That’s a beautiful notion, Gerard.” He sniffed, then nodded. “I am behind you to the end, my friend.” For the first time since the start of their adventures together, the whole group earnestly rallied around Gerard. They all knew that they had just watched him make his decision, even if his speech made it sound like he had felt that way since the day he was born. Now a paragon of justice and determination, Gerard glowed with a powerful golden light that filled the stairway. All of the glow over his body moved to focus on his right hand, and he laid it against the barrier. The entire castle shook. The five others stood close to Gerard, each touching his shoulders. The golden glow intensified until it was blinding. “For all the people of this world!”, Gerard screamed, “This barrier comes down now!” He removed the gauntlet over his right hand, and his bare fist flew true to its target. The fist screamed through the air like a hawk, and smashed into the barrier with overwhelming force. The golden glow focused on the impact spot, then exploded outward. The six fell backward, blasted off their feet by the sheer force behind their collective energies being focused into a single punch. When they got up, the barrier stood strong. They all gawked for a few seconds, flabbergasted. “What the ever loving FUCK?!”, Gerard screamed at the top of his lungs, breaking the silence.
Back in the fountain room, the six friends sat with their bare feet in the fountain, boots and shoes laying nearby. The healing waters coursed through all of their veins, restoring them and helping them to prepare for what they hoped would be their final battle. Sidney’s squat form sat in the middle of the fountain, propelled upward by a jet of water and suspended in place by all-too-perfect balance. “So…”, Sidney sighed from his place atop the fountain, “You wish to know another way to access the throne room.” Zack shot to his feet. “No, asshole, we want some pickled fish.”, he snarked. Unfazed, Sidney replied. “Sir Gerard is of royal blood. In fact, he was conceived in that chamber, and has some of his earliest memories there. Dig deep, and you may find the answer you seek.” “Oh, what kind of bullshit-”, Zack ranted. Gerard cut him off with a shushing sound. “He’s right, Zack. I know this castle, or at least parts of it, better than I think. Maybe I can use my new powers to help me.” Alicia nodded. “You can read minds now, right?” “Among other things.”, he replied. “Okay, then, turn it inward!” He mulled over her suggestion for a few seconds, then sat back down in the fountain and closed his eyes. A few seconds later, he gasped and snapped his eyes open. “I know where it is!”
The stench of all sorts of waste choked out the group’s collective attempts to breathe. Zack complained endlessly, Mary had put a magic bubble around her head, and everybody else pulled a face as they all walked. “You’re sure this is the only way to physically reach the room?”, Alicia said with her nose pinched. Gerard nodded. “If we try to blast the place open from above or from the sides, we risk damaging the portal inside, and that’s what we need.” The six followed Gerard’s gut and not much else as they dredged through the castle’s sewer system, knee-deep in God knows what.
After about an hour of mucking about in the sewers, the six came upon a single gold pipe hanging down among the rest. Mary raised a hand, and a mighty explosion shook the sewers. The pipe was ripped from its resting place, and the group emerged, letting the freely flowing water wash the funk off of them. After everybody was out of the sewer, they opened the bathroom door and stepped into a lavishly decorated master bedroom. A large ebony armoire sat at one end of the room, and though there could be no windows, there were curtains around the perimeter of the circular room. Fine gold leaf adorned everything in sight. A silk canopy lay over a massive bed, where a woman slept. As they all stepped further into the room, she slowly rose, her golden curls swinging down well below her breasts. She stepped off of the bed, and stood facing the group. Gerard gasped. “M-Mom?!”
No comments:
Post a Comment