"Not from what I've seen so far," Soma answered. Even in the chill wind, he seemed perfectly comfortable. "I guess it's been here for a while, but I never saw it until I came out here."

"Be careful, Soma!" Yoko called as Matt was the last one to leave.

"I will," Soma said, raising his arm in recognition without turning around.

Matt closed the door and pulled on it to make sure it was totally locked. "DAMN, it's cold out here!" he snapped. "That's it, time for winter gear."

"We're just headed for the castle, Matt," Alasea said. "We can change once we get inside there."

"Speaking of in there, any changes, Ileyna?" R.D. asked.

"They're still moving around, but not very far. They're sticking close to each other," came the reply.

"We might be better off if we could separate the two of them," R.D. murmured. "We don't need a repeat of Prometheus and Pandora."

"Well, I'M getting a coat," Matt said, already rifling through his pack. "You want one too, Helena?"

"Okay." Matt tossed her the ugly blue coat, and she caught it with the undersides of her arms. Her wings and claws disappeared into her body with audible cracks and she slung the coat on.

"Looks like you've gotten more experience with your powers," Soma remarked.

"Yeah." Helena zipped up. "It was tough at first, but now it's a lot easier to control."

Hugo turned back towards the group, after studying the road ahead. "All right, let's go. Keep it together. I want you to watch the roofs in case someone gets the drop on us."

"Already ahead of you, chief," R.D. said as he looked out over the rooftops.

"Do you want me to check out the roofs?" Ileyna asked, looking at the others.

"Don't," Alasea said. "Your powers will give us away to anyone in the castle. That aura of yours is too bright."

"Just stay on guard," Hugo said. "Come on."

They stayed close together like a pack of deer. Fortunately, no more enemies sprung forth to attack as they made their way to the castle proper. Soon they reached the drawbridge, which had helpfully already been lowered through some complex gear system on the edges of the gate. They could see a small courtyard ahead, and from there, stairs leading up to battlements and other towers.

"So far, so good," Matt remarked. Naturally, this comment was immediately nullified when, from a sudden stream of darkness, massive wolves emerged from the ground, eyes burning red. "Ah, damn it."

"R.D.'s right, you really DO keep getting us into trouble," Helena said.

"Thanks for putting your two cents in, Helena."

"Just retreat into the castle!" R.D. told the others as he drew upon Lumiya's power. He thrust a hand forward, and a blazing fireball tore through the air at the nearest wolven demon. It howled as the fireball crashed into it and ignited its fur, burning it.

Soma and Matt made their point with a swish of fireballs aimed at the wolves, then bolted into the castle as well, right behind the others. The wolves hit by those fireballs caught aflame and were reduced to dust, but still others followed with leaping pounces.

As they ran into the castle's courtyard, R.D. halted at the drawbridge, forming a sphere of water between his hands. Twisting about, he flung the sphere at the pursuing creatures. The Flood Zone exploded, sending a tidal wave of water across the drawbridge and washing the creatures back. Spotting the mechanism holding the bridge on the floor, he stomped it and caused the drawbridge to be pulled up, separating them from the wolves.

"That'll keep them out for a bit," he said as he rejoined the others.

"So, it's not the old castle, and yet it works exactly like the old castle," Matt remarked.

Soma shrugged. "Not my fault. The cult populated it with demons."

Yeah, that sounded like someone a jerkass cult would do. Matt looked up at the battlements, noticing the moon observing them from the sky. "Well, Ileyna, guess you're leading the way as usual."

"Right!" Ileyna said with a nod, turning about. She closed her eyes briefly, and her hair flashed blue once again as a chime rang in the air.

"Got'em," she said as she opened her eyes. "They're a few floors above us."

Alasea hauled open the door leading into the castle proper, and they found themselves in a long, elegant hall more suited for a manor than a castle.

"... this place better not be mix-and-match," R.D. muttered as he stepped inside. It was much warmer in here.

NOW it was hot again. Flip-flop temperatures always sucked. Matt and Helena both stripped off their coats, and Matt shoved them into the pack as a jumbled mound of fat fabric.

"This place is probably like the other castle, if there's demons crawling around it," Hugo said. "Stay alert."

"We know, Hugo," Helena sighed.

They moved down the hall, cautious. Support beams with curling designs seemed to hold up the roof, and the walls were lined with bright torches to illuminate their way. Knights flanked these torches, their empty shells observing them as they walked past.

As they walked, R.D. drew one of his Phase Blades and activated it, causing its blade to shoot out with a sharp cutting sound. As they passed each armor suit, he tapped the tip of its blade against each one.

"What are you doing?" Alasea asked, watching the unusual behavior.

"Seeing if any of these are enchanted to come alive," he replied. He continued testing the empty suits, but so far, none of them had retaliated against his tapping.

"Right," Alasea said, turning back. "Me and Helena need to find a decent place to change out of these dresses. Its hard to fight hand-to-hand in these things."

They DID kind of leave at a moment's notice. "There's a room up there," Matt said, pointing at a closed door ahead. "Let's see if that's safe."

As they approached the door, they could heard the monotone roar of a vaccum cleaner on the other side. At Matt's cue, they flattened against the walls next to the door. Soma reached out and slowly turned the knob before, with a nod from Matt, he forced it open and they leapt into the doorway, powers crackling.

A lady in a pink, frilled maid's outfit yelped in surprise, her back landing against the bookshelves crammed with books. "Oh, my!" she said, switching off the vaccum cleaner - a rolling model with a long hose attached to the end. "Please don't startle me like that!"

Huh. "Are there supposed to be people in this castle, Soma?" R.D. asked, looking surprised at the discovery of the maid.

Wait a minute, Alasea thought, her eyes narrowing as she took in the details of the newcomer. There was that weird feeling about her, very much like when they had first met Arikado...

Edited by RisingDragon on May 23, 2010 at 11:12:54.

"Not that I know of," Soma said, still keeping his hand aflame.

The maid humphed. "Well, this castle certainly isn't empty! Next time you should really do your research."

"Then what are you doing here by yourself?" Hugo asked. "Your courtyard was filled with demonic wolves who attacked us. Don't tell me you didn't notice that."

"They don't bother me," the maid said. She bent down to pick up the hose, then stopped, wagging her finger. "Wait a minute...aren't you supposed to be Celia's guests?"

"Who?" R.D. asked. That name hadn't come up in any talk so far.

"Celia Fortner," the maid repeated. "The master of this place."

To Matt's surprise, Helena nailed it first. "Does she have two...assosciates with her?"

"Uh huh!" The maid held up two fingers, counting them off as she recalled each name. "There's Dario Bossi and Dimitri Blinov. Actually, Dimitri likes to read in here, so that's why I'm cleaning it."

"Sounds like we have our candidates," Soma said. "Let's go."

"Well... that was weird," R.D. commented after they closed the door.

"I'll say," Alasea said. "Still... she was pretty nice for a demon."

"Wait, that was a demon?" Matt asked. "She looked like a normal human to me."

"She was totally a demon," Helena said. "I haven't done this before and even I knew that."

Well, at least they had managed to avoid a fight, whatever she was. Now...Dimitri and Dario. Those were the ones they definitely needed to take down. Hopefully that wouldn't be too hard.

"We still need a place to change," Helena said, interrupting Matt's thoughts.

"Well, look for a bathroom or something," Matt remarked. "I don't know."

(OOC: Apparently his name is spelled Dmitrii... weird-ass spelling.)

It wasn't long before they found a suitably empty room, and the rest of the group got their chance to change out of the Hyrulean outfits and into their regular clothing. "Try not to walk in on me this time," Alasea said scathingly to R.D. as she stepped past him into the room and closed the door.

R.D. sighed exasperatedly as he, Matt, Soma, and Hugo waited for the girls to change. "I'm never going to live that one down, am I?" he muttered.

"Far as I'm concerned, it ain't your fault." Matt noisily crunched on a spare energy bar. "But I guess I can't do anything about that."

Minutes later, they were all changed and could move on with their quest.

"Well, with that encounter with the maid back there, I think I can track down Arikado," Alasea informed them as they moved. "Their auras were similar enough... though that makes me kinda concerned with the implications that leaves Arikado in."

Soma's frown deepened. "Well, actually...about Arikado..."

A voice spoke behind the group. "Soma."

Matt jumped in surprise, swishing about to reveal none other than Genya Arikado. "WHY DO YOU KEEP DOING THAT."



"I see you've reunited with your friends from Dracula's castle," Arikado said, once again ignoring Matt. "That's good. You're going to need help dealing with the candidates, if you're insistent on stopping them."

Hugo stepped forward. "You already know about the Essence, then."

"Yes." As always, Arikado had an unearthly talent for standing stone-rigid. "The candidates were already formidable. This 'Omega Essence' they have will make them even more of a problem."

"Well, we'll just have to make do," Matt said. "We've faced tough odds before."

"Celia Fortner is no fool," Arikado replied. "She will do whatever it takes to slow you down. Be cautious."

The others also whirled around in startled surprise at Arikado's presence--Ileyna practically shrieked and darted until she was behind Alasea, gripping at her capri pants.

"There's way too much deja vu here," the teenage girl muttered, putting a hand over her heart as she willed it to slow. That weird feeling around Arikado was back, and now that Alasea was practiced in magic and the arcane, the feeling was even more acute--the man seemed to be suppressing his power, whatever it was.

After hearing the man's words, R.D. nodded. "You're right. We've fought people like Dmitrii and Dario before. Prometheus and Pandora... they had their own natural powers supplemented by the Omega Essence. We got our asses kicked. And they didn't even have support from other people..."

"Which is REALLY unfair when you think about it," Matt said. "We're, like, seven people. You'd think we could handle it better."

"That is why I came to give you some assistance," Arikado said. He made a simple gesture, and familiar sparkles of light trailed between his fingers until expanding in a flash, revealing a glistening longsword floating in midair.

Soma gasped. "Claimh Solais!"

"I decided it would be best for you to wield the blade again," Arikado said, watching Soma grasp the weapon's handle. "I don't know if it will have any special effect against the Omega Essence, but it will serve you well like the last time you used it."

"That is a fine sword," R.D. noted, looking over the blade appreciatively.

"I'll say," Alasea said, also looking over the blade. She was much more aware of the magic running through the weapon--it was intense. Easily more of a match than her own Megami Tsurugi.

Soma hefted the longsword like a steel feather. "Thanks, Arikado."

"Got anything else for us?" Hugo asked.

"No," Arikado said. "You must rely on your own strength from here on out. I will do what I can to prevent Celia Fortner from interfering."

R.D. nodded; that was fine with him. "We've got pretty much everything we need, we just need to figure out a plan on how to beat these guys."

"I dunno," Matt said, "I thought 'shoot them until they fall down' was a solid tactic." Usually worked!

"Now go," Arikado said before anyone could get in another word over Matt. "Do not hesitate."

Soma nodded smoothly. "We won't. Thanks again." Arikado didn't reply, but simply turned around and began walking down the hall, his fine shoes clicking against the smooth marble floor.

"... just who is that man, anyway?" Alasea asked when he was gone. "That power he's holding back... its disturbing."

"What do you mean?" R.D. asked, looking at the girl. She didn't meet his gaze, instead opting to continue looking down the hall Arikado departed from.

"He's suppressing his power," she said. "And that power... I don't know how to describe it. But it makes me nervous."