Scene #1530: Orphen's Vampire Adventure

Owner	Pose
Dracula Vlad Tepes	Castlevania stands as a constant stain on the Great Mountains. No matter the time of day in that region, the space around the castle is always cursed into endless night. A red moon hangs in the starless sky, shining down on twisted towers and ramparts and providing an eerie light to the foreboding scene. A high wall surrounds the castle, and a deep, broad moat beyond filled with churning and nameless things, but none of those will be an issue. Almost as if in mocking challenge, Castlevania's drawbridge is always lowered, welcoming any visitors to come onto its grounds and undoubtedly meet their demise. The courtyard itself is mostly empty. Scraps of grass fill the space between the outer wall and the entrance, whose large double doors also stand open and inviting to lead into a hallway decorated by scarlet carpets on the floor and candelabra on the walls. The castle is strangely silent, but the looming towers almost seem to stand as slumbering predators themselves. It's not as if there are people in the windows or perched on the rooftops, no; the castle /itself/ seems to be a living creature, temporarily and warily allowing any trespass onto its grounds while constantly watching, waiting...
Orphen	It'll surely be one of those nights. This castle is bristling with magic... what kind of castle can shroud an area in perpetual night? When he agreed to take this job, he assumed a few things would be off, but already this castle is looking to be more than a little haunted. Still, it was greatly downplayed to him, so he didn't do much research. This is supposed to be a simple smash and grab. That's what he was told, at least. But still... this place gives off some seriously bad vibes. So when Kyra arrives, he's already taken the sword, swinging and testing it, even tossing it into the air and effortlessly catching the thing. "You're not coming in with me. You'll stay out here. Consider it a lesson." he says as he stares beyond the drawbridge. "There will be times where you need to listen to me, no matter how you feel, because the situation could be more dangerous than I'm willing to risk with you. Understand?"
Kyra Hyral	"I'm NOT?" In response to the news that she'd be staying outside, Kyra unleashes the ultimate teenaged schoolgirl weapon: pouting. She pouts really hard at Orphen. "But I have experience in dungeons! I've got a C-class license and everything! And really, look at this place, it's not somewhere you should go in alone." She crosses her arms over her chest, looking incredibly put out, though seemingly listening to him. "Alright, I understand, but tell me you've got an emergency teleport or something to get yourself out if things go bad."
Orphen	"I was told this place isn't a big deal, but don't worry, I'll keep in contact over the radio if anything goes bad." Orphen then starts to head in, carrying his sword with no scabbard or anything. At first glance he seems like an ill-equipped adventurer, but he obviously seems to speak as if he knows what he's doing. "Besides, I need you out here in case this place is magical in a way that skews my perception of time." That's the last thing he says in person, before heading across the bridge.
Dracula Vlad Tepes	Orphen's journey into the castle is relatively easy. If he were told that the job would barely require much effort, it certainly seems like that's the case: in the long path to the Alchemy Laboratory, he only has to deal with a few odd skeletons and shambling zombies. Not much more than anyone else could manage, really, as they go down in only a few strikes as if they're barely held together. By the time the laboratory is reached, however, things change dramatically. The marbled halls are far brighter than the dark rooms of the entryway. Giant vats of blood reach from the floor to the ceiling, and tables hold scattered equipment that ranges from the scientific to the magical to somewhere in between. They're all in use, too, for the laboratory is a bustling place, filled with demons of all shapes and sizes. Many with blue skin, curling horns, batlike wings, and goat's hooves; others that tower almost to the ceiling with long necks and hearts like furnaces that glow through their skin; still others as small as a child, fluttering in flocks on leathery wings and brandishing pitchforks that they occasionally use to harass their more studious fellows. Here, something made of human bones twisted into a spiderlike form crawls across the ceiling; there, a single large eyeball trailing a green tail bobs through the air like a balloon. It's packed with strong demons and bustling from wall to wall, but at least many of them seem distracted. If Orphen is careful, he just might be able to sneak past several of them...or he could always go the direct route. Somewhere, deeper in the laboratory, something emits a low, ground-shaking bellow.
Orphen	By this point, Orphen is dual wielding. In his right hand is his generic adventuring sword, in the left is a simple Red Rust that he picked up from a skeleton. But now, this... this is something else. He definitely tries to sneak, ducking behind huge vials as he looks around, trying to find clues to the direction he might find the blood alchemy research. Occasionally he has to duck under a table. It's true that he could fight, but if -this- much is out here, who knows what's deeper. He's definitely demanding a higher fee when he escapes. Regardless, he only heads deeper into the lab, watching where some of the more intelligent demons seem to go, the ones who appear to be doing research. Finding one worth tailing seems to be a good bet in this place.
Dracula Vlad Tepes	"...and if you interrupt this ritual /one more time/, I swear Gergoth's..." "...so you obviously messed up the amount of charcoal to use in the..." "...and what the hell are you going to use fifty pounds of gold for /anyway/...?" Yes, the demons are far too involved in their own experiments and making sure they don't mess up one anothers' experiments to notice Orphen stealthing behind various pieces of the environment. It's hard to notice anyone who looks particularly important, though. While the specific species of demons are easy to make out, they all look extremely similar in those groups. One would think that leadership among demons would look particularly striking, but there isn't anyone like that here right now. There is, however, a room off to the side that seems to contain some sort of minor library or research section. There are plenty of books and papers, at least, though at the same time, Orphen would have to go through a particularly open space to get there. The demons are distracted, yes, but /how/ distracted is debateable. Until one of them finds his experiment tampered with to the point that it violently explodes, setting both him and the table he was working on ablaze. Several of his neighbors are more concerned with the fact that this accident has set /their/ work on fire than his fate, but either way, it's definitely a major and convenient distraction. The rumbling in the floor is getting strangely close, however. It's a steady beat, like footsteps, though moving past where Orphen is. It's definitely below him, whatever or wherever it is.
Orphen	Orphen whispers, aiming his hand at the already existing flame after sliding the Red Rust into his belt. "I Summon Thee, Element of Fire." Since he's speaking so lowly and not particularly forcefully, his spell mostly serves to spread the fire a little more quickly. Best to make sure it's a sufficient distraction. That's when he makes a run for it. He's a -very- fast runner, but he's trying to keep his eyes open for traps as well. This seems like the kind of place that could have traps. But the library, if he could just make it before any of these things see... surely the library is quiet and not full of monsters.
Dracula Vlad Tepes	The fire spreads more and more. No doubt the alchemical properties of those experiments are helping, along with Orphen's intervention. The demons are even starting to say something about it being /alive/, but whether it is or isn't doesn't seem to be Orphen's concern right now. What matters most is the side room, and it really does seem like he's going to have a clean break to it. Until the floor beneath him explodes just seconds before he reaches the doorway. Marble shards and chunks go flying. Dust rolls into the air, carrying with it a sickly-sweet odor of rotten flesh. The cause of the shattering doesn't even spare a moment before it comes through the hole, smashing its head against the marble floor as if to try and drag itself out. It's a disgusting thing, slightly larger than an elephant, and with a leathery hide to match. Its head has at least partially decayed, with its cheeks frayed and lips pulled back to bare glaring red gums and flat teeth. The hollow sockets of its eyes are only slightly covered by the strips that remain of its eyelids, and as it drags itself out of the hole by chomping on the floor and pulling itself with its teeth, the rest comes into view. A stocky body, a hollowed-out chest cavity and exposed ribs, two thick, stocky legs decorated by heavy golden shackles. It's clearly a creature of brute strength, as if breaking through from the lower floor weren't enough of a sign of that. The creature, Gergoth, is slow to awkwardly pull itself free, but in the process of its struggles, ropes of muscle tissue, sinews, and inner organs lash out from its chest cavity to coil around Orphen and drag him inside.
Orphen	"What the -hell-?!" Orphen quickly jumps back, staring up at the creature. That is definitely -not- a monster that intends to simply talk things through. Monsters don't break through floors to talk things through. "HURL, The Hammer of Gods!" He holds his free hand out toward the creature, and an invisible circular mass of force descends from above, trying to smash it back down into the hole with an insane amount of crushing force. But for something like that... that might just piss it off. When organs start coming at him, he tries to cut them away with that generic adventuring sword of his, but eventually he's grabbed, getting dragged closer and closer... "What the hell is this thing..." he asks himself, trying to analyze, trying to get some kind of read on its weaknesses. But what seems like the greatest weakness, the front, seems to be a perfectly good weapon instead. This thing makes no sense! "I Dance, Through the Dimensions!" He vanishes, and the coiled tissue goes with him. When he appears again, he's further back, now right in front of one of those large blood tubes. "Are you intelligent? Will your master be happy if I break this thing?" he asks, tapping the butt of his sword against the tube as he tries to shake tissue from his body, hoping to god it's not still alive enough to continue pulling him.
Dracula Vlad Tepes	The hammer slams right on top of the creature, smashing it back somewhat into its hole with a pained bellow. Only somewhat, however: Gergoth is a creature whose strength is only matched by its insanity, and the ravenous abomination resists being held off very much. Blood spurts from the assorted tissue Orphen cuts away, but Gergoth is ravenous. It's only when he teleports away that he's free, and fortunately, whatever tissues are still clinging to him aren't alive anymore. Gergoth itself is still very much alive, too, and it drags itself free from the hole in the time Orphen is asking it questions. The creature doesn't seem interested in responding at all, at least not with words. Yes, it rears up and opens its mouth, the skin on its head pulling back almost to its neck to bare glaring muscle and fat, but that's not to speak. Instead, it's to gather glowing blue energy between its mouth, the only warning Orphen gets before a large, powerful beam of energy is blasted straight for him. The vat will be shattered, spilling gallons of blood across the pristine marble floor. The demons are now far more distracted with Gergoth's rampage than the fire at this point. That's probably enough of an answer for Orphen's question, at least.
Orphen	"Crap! It's magic. Of -course- it's magic." Orphen slides the remaining sword into his belt as well, holding both hands out. "Forge, the Armor of Light!" That's when a dome of light forms around the general vacinity of his body. He tries to push against the creature's energy, but soon he can't hold it up and he's pushed back, smashing into multiple alchemy tables. He groans, clothing cinged, pulling glass from his arms. He slowly pulls himself back up, looking over himself. "I can still move, I can do this. I can't screw around with this thing..." He takes a deep breath, largely ignoring the demons around him if they aren't going to attack him. "I Call Thee, Sisters of Explosion!" He thrusts his hand out, releasing blue balls of energy. Then they just begin to explode in a chain around the beast. That's when he starts to run forward, drawing both swords. "I need to get the hell out of this place. There's no way -that's- the strongest thing in this castle. I Call Thee, Heavenly Jump!" He leaps into the air, -high- into the air, trying to get a vantage point above the monster. Then he tosses the generic steel sword with an incredible amount of force, aiming to get it lodged into its head. He knows this won't be a killing blow, it seems more like he's trying to set something up.
Dracula Vlad Tepes	The demons are far more concerned with getting out of Gergoth's way than they are with attacking the intruder. Orphen isn't the first one to run afoul of the twisted beast, and most who do find themselves messily consumed. Or maybe that's not quite the right word: Gergoth is still a herbivore, after all, so they're mostly ground up to be killed rather than to serve any nourishment. Once the laser's success is made clear, Gergoth closes its maw and allows the skin to pull back over its head again. Heavy stomps carry it across the floor, splashing alchemically-made blood with each ground-shaking step as it steadily pursues Orphen to where he landed. It seems content to make its approach slow and menacing...until Orphen counterattacks again. Energy explodes around it, blasting against its tough hide and making the creature lumber back in pain for several steps. It's enough of an opening for Orphen to rush forward and leap into the air before Gergoth has recovered, and when it does, it quickly lifts its head to trace his path. Whatever it intends to do, however, is interrupted: his sword quickly lodges itself in the creature's forehead, and it releases another tremendous roar of pain. This time, however, its mouth opens wide enough to push back the skin again, in the process cutting through it even further as it passes through the sword, until that glaring red skull lies wide open where it expects Orphen to land in a few scant moments!
Orphen	The next few moments have to be perfectly timed, at least if he wants to avoid getting eaten. "Enter My Arms, Nera!" While it's impossible to actually see, the air significantly thickens around his body, causing his fall to become feather-like. This is just to slow things down a bit, for the actual plan. "I don't know who owns the twisted crap in this castle, but I've had enough!" "I Call Thee, Scream of Death!" He points a single index finger at the sword, and a powerful bolt of electricity strikes out toward the hilt, trying to use the metal inside the creature's skull to conduct directly into its brain.
Dracula Vlad Tepes	Orphen's strangely slow descent doesn't go unnoticed by Gergoth. The creature seems ready for him to fall into its mouth, but when it notices that he's slowing down, it grows impatient. Its legs bend only briefly to prepare before it leaps up to snap its jaws around Orphen and bring it down much more directly. Except those jaws don't close around him. Lightning strikes and jolts through the sword still embedded in Gergoth's head to blast through the rest of its body, though most importantly, its brain. Its form flashes and steams: no doubt its head crashes into the ceiling and Orphen possibly finds himself surrounded by the abomination's mouth, but it doesn't consume him. It instead slams into the blood-soaked tiles below, crashing down onto its side with an impact that shakes items off tables and knocks books and vials out of shelves. ...and it's still not done. Maybe it's just too determined to go down easily, but after only lying prone for a few moments, Gergoth starts wearily and dazedly straining to roll back onto its feet again. It's going to take a bit, though, and the demons have mostly cleared out of the laboratory in a panic. Orphen then has a choice: either he can run out of the lab and leave Castlevania, or try to go to the side room again and see if he can nab those notes he was sent here for, risking Gergoth getting back up again in the process. Either way, he'd better make that decision quickly.
Orphen	After all of this, Orphen isn't leaving empty handed, hell no! He quickly stands, blood stained both from his own blood and the floor. There's money to be made here, and the books are -right there-. It can't be that hard to find an alchemy book... He looks back as he runs, perhaps in consideration of trying to finish it off. "Need to conserve stamina, who knows what else is in this place... Heal, the Scar of the Glowing Sun." He holds his hand over the deeper bleeding wounds, trying to stop the blood loss on the worst of them. But then he stops, trying not to use all of his energy on that. He'll just have to deal with some pains. Passing out from blood loss is the more pressing concern he needed to take care of. Right now, on to the library. He'll deal with that creature if it comes to that, hopefully...
Dracula Vlad Tepes	Fortunately, it's not so much a library as a collection of writings on alchemy. They're neatly sorted, too, no doubt to help some of the less apt demons figure out what they're looking for. Sections on transmutation of metals, infusions of supernatural properties - ah, there, a section devoted to blood production with several papers contained in it. It should be a simple matter of just pulling those off the shelves and running out... "Well," a sinister voice rumbles behind Orphen, "you made quite a bit more progress than I expected. I'm impressed." Orphen may have noticed the dark mist starting to roll around his feet when the papers were found. That's the only real warning he gets as to Dracula's abrupt appearance in the doorway, standing taller than any normal man in fine robes of black and scarlet. An amused smirk plays over his features as he stands there, his arms folded behind his back. "So," he continues, staring down at Orphen with eyes like embers, "you snuck into my castle, spoke so loudly about it on the broadband, and managed to temporarily hold off the guard I sent for you. And all for...what, exactly? Some of my research, from the look of things? Who exactly /are/ you?" His voice is strangely casual, but there's something about it that adds a low tone of menace to everything he says. Like a dragon is contained just below the surface, barely restrained by the visage of a man.
Orphen	Orphen slowly turns around, still trying to catch his breath after such an intense fight. "I was told this place would be abandoned, just some undead here and there. Instead I run into all of this crap. I'm not leaving empty handed, I'm taking what I came for and I'm selling it for far more than I'd have gotten from the bastards who tried to rip me off." He drops the Red Dust, cracking his knuckles as he suddenly goes on guard. "I'm here for the alchemy formula for blood creation, that's what I was hired to do. My name's Orphen. Who the hell are you supposed to be? Dracula or something?"
Dracula Vlad Tepes	"Yes, actually." Dracula's grin grows wider, sharpened fangs glinting in the candlelight of the room. One arm comes around to gesture off to his side, the motion sweeping his bloody cape out behind him in the process. "Lord Dracula Vlad Tepes. The Lord of Darkness, ruler of Castlevania, and the current Field Marshal of the Confederacy." And that arm sweeps low, leading into a flourishing bow at the waist. "At your service, /Orphen/." The towering vampire is quick to straighten up again, however, and return his burning gaze to Orphen. "So some /fool/ told you this place was abandoned, or at least only inhabited by some crawling, fragile little things you could plow through to claim your prize. Someone either wanted you dead or didn't want you shrinking from sticking your nose into a den of demons." Dracula's eyes narrow faintly as he steps closer to Orphen, still fixing him under that predatory stare. "Who was it, then? Maybe that sentimental fool, Brauner? Carmilla and Olrox certainly wouldn't have bothered." It seems he's talking more to himself than to Orphen, though, because he quickly follows through with a dismissive wave of his hand. "Ah, it hardly matters. Whoever it is must be too starving or lazy to do any real work themselves. The only question, then, is what to do with /you/." Gergoth seems to be getting to its feet finally, though it's not exactly in a position to be aggressive just yet. Dracula stops a few paces from Orphen and continues to stare in idle planning, lifting one hand to stroke his beard as he considers the situation. Has he blinked during this whole exchange? "Well...I think you're quite fortunate, because I find myself feeling merciful tonight. Go on, take the papers. It's information I can easily jot back down myself overnight. And even if whatever blundering fool you sell it to gets his hands on it, there's still the question of whether he's competent enough with alchemy to go through the many delicate procedures required to create something palatable and nourishing to his kind, not to mention the reagents required for it. Hardly any sort of threat to me, really." That smirk returns, Dracula's fanged smile showing bright as he steps aside and gestures for Orphen to walk out. Gergoth is still looking around and trying to get its footing, but Dracula dismisses any possible concerns about it. "Go on, don't worry about him. Gergoth is under my control, and he won't attack you so long as you make your way straight back from where you came."
Orphen	"I have no idea who they were, just some vampires who decided to hire me. I charged them a pretty small fee for what they were asking. Obviously they misled me on purpose. But... literally Dracula, and the, what, leader of the Confederacy? Yeah, I'm not getting paid nearly enough for this." Orphen walks over to the papers, apparently taking Dracula on his word for the moment. He gathers the papers up, then starts to head for the exit of the room. "For all I know, maybe they're just poor and want to get their act together. Or maybe they really are sketchy. All I know is, I'm selling this information to someone who'll give me money that's actually worth the danger level of this job." He looks back at the man, then shakes his head. "Don't worry, I won't be back. Unless I get paid enough to actually try and fight you. But I doubt anyone who wants it badly enough can afford that."
Dracula Vlad Tepes	Dracula continues to watch as Orphen gathers up the papers and walks off, staring like a hawk perched above a rabbit. He doesn't make any motion to stop Orphen, however: he's a man of his word, and he's given the man free passage out of his keep, so long as he doesn't go snooping around other parts of the castle. But, somehow, Dracula doesn't expect that he'll do something like that at this point. "You might be surprised," the vampire lord replies with a low chuckle. "My enemies are many, and their capabilities are broad. I'm sure /someone/ would be eager to pay you to get me out of the way. Of course...the question then is whether you /could/." His smirk lessens somewhat, at least enough to hide his sharp fangs under his haughty confidence. "You're skilled, Orphen. Maybe you should consider putting that to actual use in the future, aside from stealing papers and formulas. I may even have something just for that." Another low, menacing chuckle rises from him. Before he says anything else, however, his form disperses into a dark mist that crawls down the hole Gergoth burst from, carrying with it his fading laughter. "But that will be something for another time. Have a good evening, Orphen. I'm sure we'll be seeing each other soon enough." The way out is clear, save for the excessive amounts of blood coating the floor. Gergoth growls once at Orphen, but storms off instead of assaulting him again. That beast is resiliant, but at least it follows Dracula's orders.
Orphen	When Orphen's finally out, he's completely without a sword, and covered in blood. Both his and the strange alchemy blood. But in his hands he has a bunch of rolled up papers. "I got what I came for. Let's get the hell out of here, then we can work on healing me. I'd rather not stick around a place where a guy willingly lives with a bunch of horrible nightmarish crap and keeps an undead elephant dinosaur in his basement."
Kyra Hyral	"Or, you know, hang around where the 'fed leader lives. He might call in other 'feds too." Kyra pipes up, noticing that the sword she brought earlier is gone. No skin off her back, though, it was a perfectly ordinary longsword. As he speaks and they move, Kyra lets out a 'tch' and pulls a golden rifle off of her back. "I can work on healing you /now/ if you want. I've got a new gun to play with...unless you mean you want me to use that one spell on you?"
Kyra Hyral	"Or, you know, hang around where the 'fed leader lives. He might call in other 'feds too." Kyra pipes up, noticing that the sword she brought earlier is gone. No skin off her back, though, it was a perfectly ordinary longsword. As he speaks and they move, Kyra lets out a 'tch' and pulls a golden rifle off of her back. "I can work on healing you /now/ if you want. I've got a new gun to play with...unless you mean you want me to use that one spell on you?"
Orphen	"It'll be good practice, and I don't want you practicing around here. I don't even want to -be- around here. If you saw what I saw, you'd want to get as far away from this place as possible. And I'm exhausted, I had to use a ton of big spells all at once and that thing hit me with a huge energy attack. I wasn't prepared at all for something like that." Orphen grumps a bit, looking back at the castle as they walk. "Maybe I'll end up back here again, but for tonight, I want a hot spring."
Kyra Hyral	"Tell me about it on the way, then." Kyra stows the rifle-the Aurumal Autodoc behind her again. "And let's get as far, far, far away from this place as possible before we attract a Lute or something ELSE awful." Before she goes entirely, though, Kyra turns around to Castlevania, takes out her phone, and takes a picture of the imposing-looking castle. "By the way, maybe you should consider hooking up with the Syndicate."
Orphen	"It's been suggested. But I don't know those guys, so we'll see." Orphen was just talking into a little rectangle of light, almost like a phone. Then he brushes his hands as they head to less hellish regions. "I just made a 600,000 credit deal. I'll buy all my students something nice. Let's go."