genessia | Castlevania: Now with 100% less backtracking [OPEN] [Action]

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Castlevania: Now with 100% less backtracking [OPEN] [Action]

Ted donned his ill-used thinking cap. Where to find the madman's lab, with the prized elixir of life?

The skeletons might narrow it down to two fifths of Genessia: Fayren, and Everglade. And, Ted found, no matter how he mentally hemmed and hawed, he could not logically choose between them. Alchemy, necromancy, healing potions...either place could house them comfortably.

But if not mentally, perhaps emotionally? The laboratory he saw was, to make poor use of his vocabulary, creepy. A dirge from an organ would not be out of place. Put that way, it seemed right at home in Everglade. Fayren knew its share of the fantastic, true. But it seemed a sunnier, earthy, more wholesome thing. His journey's destination resonated most strongly with the dark, the old, and the spirits of Dickens.

So much for deduction. Now, Ted set upon Everglade, beating pavement, asking obvious questions. Have any witch brews made themselves especially pungent? Any mad scientist cackles roiling through the air? Did they know of a man with clothing as ornate as his heart was black? The night wore on, moon watching ominously overhead.

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"You are very cunning! I am sure of it!" She seemed confident in her conviction, even if Ted doubted himself. Besides, if what Koishi said was true, at least the two of them would have her strength to aid them in the castle. As well as the various things Tet bought as a precaution. Still, they only had so much. Hopefully he wouldn't be testing every floor tile with holy water or something equally silly.

Upon arrival Koishi, fortunately, wasn't as intimidated as Tet. She stared up at the castle with a mix of awe and wonder, her mouth open slightly. "It's bigger than Chireiden on the inside. Like the devil mansion back home. I don't know if the caslte is bigger than the devil mansion though..." She paused, glancing at Ted and he would feel a chilling wave of calm wash over him as the little psychic pushed back his fear. "Please don't be crackly and jagged. That wont help at all. We're going on an adventure! There isn't time to feel like that!"

She knew enough to stay quiet as Ted prayed, even if she wasn't familiar with the diety he was praying to. Father? If any part of Ted's family belonged to the gods then he was more important than she thought. Still, she bit her tongue. She didn't want to waver his confidence. She did smile as she saw the boots she gave him though. They would certainly help through any warmer areas.

"I'm ready Mister! This might be strange, but just keep walking." She zipped along behind him, remaining close. Placing a hand on his shoulder, she focused, the two of them vanishing from the perception of those around them. It was a strange sensation, but not too horrible. Hopefully this would get them inside without too much trouble... Maybe.

What odd feelings Ted experienced, both before and after the prayer. Truly, God worketh speedily, as he felt his courage eclipse his reluctance. "You're absolutely right, my dear. Let us take the prize, and rub his stupid face in it! Onward!"

And then he saw many shambling undead, moaning in the hallways. Good thing Ted wasn't afraid! Otherwise he might walk right back out that door. There must've been at least eighteen or so. The cloak seemed to do no good against them either; perhaps it was by smell? At least they moved sluggishly, giving Ted time to take out a revolver from his satchel. He looked toward Koishi, trying to wordlessly express whether she was prepared to do battle and hear some thunder.

Koishi blinked as they entered the castle, tilting her head, staring at the undead. "Huh... They're mindless. That's..." A pause. "Odd."

She frowned a little as Ted drew his revolver, the tendrils sliding from her sleeves a bit. "Poor things... They can't even think. Up and up then! Hold on Mister!" Without really asking permission, Koishi wrapped both arms around Ted's chest, tendrils sliding out and winding a couple times around his torso. Koishi shifted a little, and suddenly Ted was flying.

"Don't squirm too much Mister!" Fortunately the tentacles weren't slimy. They were actually very dry and the skin had a powdery, velvet-like texture to keep them from sticking to anything.

Within moments they had crossed the entire room, Koishi setting Tet down in front of the opposite door, the tendrils unwinding and retreating back into her sleeves. "Silly wobbly things~"

Ted was relieved that he wouldn't have to test his marksmanship; a mass of creatures that many would require either a lot of holy water or a lot of bullets. Much more efficient to...fly? He would have never have thought to ask. Those tentacles must be stronger than Koishi looked. This would come in handy to ascend the castle heights.

Once he'd been set down, he quickly open the door, and would drag Koishi behind it if she was having too much fun taunting the undead they'd left behind. After both of them were securely behind the wooden frame, he'd shut it. He briefly considered getting a chair and blocking the doorway like that, but on second thought, that'd be very rude if any of them came from behind.

"Let's hope the brutes don't know how to work a handle." He looked out. They were in a very peculiar room, indeed. As long as the hallway, but also deep. No sane castle, this. You could really hurt yourself if you fell down from here! What is this, a castle made for acrobats? Surveying the surroundings, it seemed they could either go forward, up, or down. "If I were a laboratory, where would I - OW!" A bone sailed through the air, bonking Ted's head. A mischievous skeleton was apparently taking himself apart just to get to them from another ledge ahead. It wound up, lobbing another arc.

Koishi slipped through the door quickly when it was opened. Truthfully she didn't like being around the mindless creatures either. "No I don't think they can. Thy're not very smart."

She stopped short on the other side, blinking and peeking over the edge. "Oh wow! That's a long fall Mister... Here..." She began rummaging in her pockets, eventually pulling out a little bronze pin shaped like a feathered wing. She pinned it to his shirt without asking.

"This is one of the flying pins for playing danmaku. I keep one with me so I can show people how it works and get them to come to Mister Stripe's school. You can float now. And if you have a hard time I can always help-" She paused, looking up at Ted as he was clonked in the head with a bone.

"Mister...? Are you okay- hey!" She zipped back a short ways, hovering in the air. A bone had hit her shoulder. "Oh! Bones!"

Koishi zipped down, leaving Ted on the ledge, her heavy boots coming down on the Skeleton's head, scattering it apart. She reached down and picked up a femur, snapping it in half and looking inside.

"Awww it's dry and dusty. No fun, no fun..."

Ted looked at the pin, delighted. "Why thank you, Koishi! My, what marvelous good fortune that you've joined me for this misadventure." He rubbed at his scalp. "Yes, I'll manage. Devilish thing must've known how important that train of thought was, to go after my noggin so. I'll be ready for the next one, mark my - oh." He looked as Koishi Mario'd their latest foe, snapping a bone a bit too easily for Ted's comfort. He might have to hang up the 'fairy' address for a while.

Well, at any rate the coast looked clear. He thought and paced with his new flight pin. "Oh, goodness! It's like I'm on the moon! Now, where was I? Ah yes, the alchemy lab. Hmm." He jumped and floated back and forth, getting his bearings. "I remember reading an old book once about a crazy old alchemist who brooded in his tower whenever he concocted his hermetic hysterics. The Parisians below him could see it for miles around, as it spewed out red smoke. Called it the 'witch's' tower, they did. Well, it wouldn't have done to build such a thing in one's basement; the fumes would gas up the rest of the house. Aha!" He tapped his palm with his fist. "The alchemist's lab must be above us, belching its noxious taint into the night air. Upwards and onwards!" He jumped up towards an opening above, hoping to catch on to a ledge and pull himself up. Success! He clambered up towards a new chamber, with a long hallway on the opposite of where they entered. Ted relished the chance to test the pin again, and leaped towards the other side, smoothly touch down on the opposite side of yet another long hallway.

Koishi tossed the bones to the side. no point in trying to eat them. Without marrow they would be rather hard to chew and tasteless. Oh well. She drifted up after Ted, far more steady in her flight. The spell on the pin was quite cheap after all.

"Be careful Mister!" She couldn't argue with the logic of the alchemy lab being above them. But it wouldn't be good if he rushed ahead like that. He would end up having all the fun without her! "Don't go too far, okay? I want to help!"

She caught up rather easily regardless, sliding down to hover next to him, her third eye drifting over and nudging his shoulder gently. "I'll just follow you, okay? I don't know what the lab looks like." Despite her previous display of strength she didn't seem any different. Perhaps the bones had just been that brittle? "I hope we find something more fun up ahead!"

"Must you tempt fate?" He grinned, opening the door. Looking out, he saw many skeletons, all upright, spaced evenly between each other. All of them had loosed their weapons, sending a hail of bones towards him. Ted slammed the door, with the cracking of bones sounding off behind the wooden barricade.

"That was your 'fun' just now, I believe. You must have trounced one of their friends just now, and despite their hollow grins, they are not pleased." Ted rustled in his pack, taking out the tin knight shield he had used for Halloween. Not especially sturdy, but it would do.

"Let's make a run for it. Should we stop to dismantle one, the others shall surely rain upon us. One bit of good news: being simple creatures, they aim only where one is, not where one will be. Oh, if only I had played basketball, I should know better how to weave between them. Well, it can't be helped. On the count of three. One, two..."

"Ohh! That DOES look fun!" Koishi just blinked though as Ted slammed the door, the expression on her face unchanging. She tilted her head a little bit. "They're just bones. Why are you so nervous? Do you not like bones? The ones thrown are kinda brittle and dry but they're not icky..."

She knocked gently on the shield that Ted took out. "You should face your fears Mister. The skeletons fall apart really easily. You should try ramming into them. Shields make good weapons too!" It would further his confidence too, but she didn't say that part out loud.

Either way she turned toward the door as he began counting down, rolling her shoulders and shaking her arms once, two tendrils sliding from each sleeve, coiled back and ready to strike. She had Ted's back in case anything bad happened.

Edited 2015-05-20 20:17 (UTC)

"Once boned, twice shy." He rubbed at his head, hoping it wouldn't leave a bump. "But you're right, my attitude is entirely unbecoming. We'll try things your way. It's a bold strategy, let's see how it works out for us." He counted, off, then went in, charging the first skeleton in range and battering it down.

***

While his shield looked to be in rough shape, and he had suffered a few scrapes and bruises, he surveyed the battleground, content to see the remains of their enemies scattered all around. While catching his breath, he took in the sights. Only one way to go: west.

The next room held the sounds of...vacuums, oddly enough. Though Ted didn't know it, these were all Persephone: demonic maids, with hoses attached to skull vacuums. Three of them, each on platforms overhead.

This time Ted did back out, though the cause of his fear was different. He was perfectly fine crushing any number of brittle skeletons, but these new foes were something at least resembling human. He had never taken a life, even if it was the life of a demon. Indeed, his encounter with Vyers and others like him made him very wary of it. Additionally, there could be no question that they were inhabitants of the castle. Their allegiance to the unholy site was out of the question, given the way they dutifully cleaned the same spot over and over. He'd even caught the sight of a knife garter, just like the one Sakuya had at the fair. What is it with maids and knives anyway?

"Koishi, can you obscure our presence as we make our ascent? I get the feeling those vile vacuumers won't be too pleased if we begin scuffing their floors."

Koishi stayed back for the most part and let Ted demolish the bone-throwing skeletons (though she did block a few bones from hitting him.) Once it was over she settled down next to him, the biggest smile on her face, tendrils sliding back up into her sleeves. For all of her oddities she was good at supporting him and watching his back

"That was really amazing Mister!" She spun in place once, drifting a little to one side, placing a hand on her head to keep her hat from falling.

When the door opened, Koishi paused at the unusual sound. She wasn't used to the sounds of modern cleaning equipment. "Wait here, okay Mister?" She glanced at Ted and then stepped forward, peeking out and up at the source of the noise. She let out a little gasp of surprise, or perhaps joy. "Maids! They're not normal maids though." She tilted her head and, without a second thought, floated up to where the maids were cleaning, third eye bobbing excitedly.

"Hello there!" She tipped her hat without a hint of fear. "My name is Koishi Komeiji. I'm a satori youkai." Her non human features were extremely obvious. "Miss I'm kind of hungry. You work here right? I'm kind of hungry. Can you make a snack? Don't worry. I wont step where you're cleaning."

The blue-haired maid tilted her head, peering at the one who so rudely interrupted the vacuuming that must never end. Well, this one wasn't wearing the proper dress. Kind enough to not dust up the floors by floating, but in all other respects, she bore the look of an intruder. And there's only one thing to do with trash that would dirty Lord Dracula's magnificent castle: dispose of them.

She performed a little curtsy, then ninja-flipped a few feet away, a burst of knives exploding from her thigh as she did so. She took a karate stance, then slowly edged toward Koishi, tensing her leg muscles for a front kick. The maid above them had noticed the going's on too, and pointed her vacuum at Koishi, using its demonic gust to both absorb her life energy, stun her in place, and take her hat, as well as any other clothes she hadn't securely fastened.

To Koishi's dismay, the only refreshments they had on hand were knuckle sandwiches. And buckets of pudding, but that was a fairly low drop chance.

Edited 2015-05-22 15:31 (UTC)

Koishi had been ready for hostility just in case. Sensing the maid's less than friendly intention, she used her powers to help misdirect the knives, stepping the other way, laughing. "Almost got me Miss! You'll have to try harder-"

The gust of wind certainly hit her though, blowing her hat off and sending her tumbling once in the air. She turned her attention upwards, zipping back and puffing out her cheeks. "You're blowing the dust around! Stop ittt!"

She tensed and began flying around the room before the maids could throw more knives. She laughed as she dodged more hits, flying up, down, around, giggling. "You're going to have to do better than that!"

Dropping down quickly to avoid another blast of wind, the little satori finally mounted a counter-attack, holding out her hands and summoning magical brambles under the maids to entangle them. They grew very quickly and were extremely strong. It would just take one grabbed ankle to let the thorn vines climb rapidly.

Well, darn. How do you kung fu someone that's a flyer? Leverage your skull hose, obviously. But wait, what's this? Naughty vines climbing towards that place? Scandalous! The maids knelt down, hands buried in their palms, as they softly wept at the exposure of their undergarments to such sorcery. Then they dispersed, lithe forms turning into rose petals, drifting away on the winds of pure embarrassment.

Ted couldn't restrain himself after hearing all that commotion. He barged in, viewing the knives that had embedded themselves in the walls. "That would explain the 'fwup fwup' I heard." He surveyed the room, seeing a displaced hat, three vines where the demonesses were, and the scent of rose. Koishi's work, clearly.

"I suppose that problem required a woman's touch." Ted didn't really wanna fight girls anyway.

Edited 2015-05-22 18:57 (UTC)

Koishi paused in her assault, tilting her head slightly as the maids dissolved into... rose petals? Several roses were blooming on the vines, yes, but she hadn't expected to be beaten to the floral-scented punch! Oh well. The brambles dissolved into crackling, glowing petals which dissipated after several moments, adding her own, slightly chillier rose scent to the air.

Well, at least the room smelled nice now.

Placing a hand on top of her head, Koishi looked around, blinking before her eyes landed on her hat. She touched down next to it, picking it up and replacing it on her head, taking a moment to adjust it so it properly protected her scar.

"I dunno. They just sort of disappeared when I tangled them up. I hope the thorns didn't hurt too much. Though they sparked and hummed a little warmly before they vanished. I dunno why." More of Koishi's riddle-speech. Well, at least they were gone now and the duo was free to press forward.

Two more ways to go: up, and to the left. "Up" revealed a singular room, with an altar in the middle, upon which stood a bucket of pudding. So that's where the maidens were keeping it. Carefully, Ted took it and handed it to Koishi, assuming she'd appreciate more than he. "Knowing this castle, it might be poisoned. Still, it smells nice; perhaps you might know more of its composition."

What was on the other end was their greatest challenge yet: Man Beast.

A hulking, trollish creature in black pants roared, and then brought his fists to the ground. Ted lost his balance, falling. The worst was yet to come, as the force of the blow sent loose rocks from the ceiling crashing down on them. Ted rolled out of the way, barely escaping. He got off his butt, and tried to think of a plan to beat the brute, warily eyeing the monster's movements.

Koishi took the pudding eagerly. She didn't wait, scooping off a good bit with a spoon and sticking it in her mouth. "Ah! Mister it's really good! I'll try to save you some, okay?" Another huge bite. It probably wouldn't last very long at this rate. At least it didn't seem to be poisoned. Or, at least, Koishi wasn't being affected by any poison. Either way the sweet zing seemed to have revitalized the little youkai somewhat. She was clearly more focused than she had been.

She trailed a short distance behind, more focused on her pudding than what was up ahead. She entered the chaimber just as the ceiling began to fall, Koishi yelping a bit and zipping to one side, a large rock clipping her knee and breaking skin. She flew back, pudding still balanced in one hand. "Wow! You're almost as large as Mister Big. Would you like some pudding too?"

She cringed a little as it focused on her, her third eye opening a fraction. "Not much going on up there, huh? Not even dropped. Absent to begin with." She extended her free hand and began her spellweaving.

She was focusing on defense before the attack this time. After all, the rocks and fists would both hurt a lot. And Ted was not as durable as she was. Her human companion would likely see the world shimmer a moment, his body protected by a layer of magic. It wouldn't really last more than a hit or two though.

"Be careful Mister, okay?"

Ted considered forgoing his cautionary ways to get some of those sweets himself. But alas, there were bosses to beat.

He took Koishi's advice completely to heart. He'd adopt the policy given in airplanes; secure your own mask first, then the little ones next to you. Koishi had assured him she'd take care of herself; it was up to Ted, then to take care of himself as best he could, with no concern for Koishi's welfare. Utter selfishness in the fight would be the order of the day, loathe as he was to abandon his usual nature.

Ted vowed not to be taken by surprise again. Unfortunately, this monster had a few of them. He walked towards them, uppercutting the rocks and sending them in arcs toward them. These were slower than the ones that fell, and Ted managed to evade them, slipping between them as he was backed into a wall. He took what time he could to draw his revolver. In preparation for what they might face, he had administered some holy water to each of the bullets he had prepared; 6 in the cylinder, and 6 in a speed loader. It was an easy target, so Ted let loose, one for each dodged rock thrust.

The surprise came when the lumbering creature leaped to the ceiling, ripped off a chunk, and launched it at them all in a motion that couldn't have taken longer than a second. Ted wasn't fast enough; lucky for him that the shield absorbed the blow. Okay, not complete selfishness: he thought a prayer of thanks for both the Lord and Koishi for sparing him. He unloaded the rest of the rounds, then decided that since the target were so huge, he didn't need both hands. He gripped the end of his bag with the free fingers in his right hand, and held it steady with the left. Any more rocks flung their way, he'd be ready for them.

Despite her focus and despite holding a literal bucket of pudding, Koishi still managed to dodge the rocks made airborne by the beast's uppercut. Giggling, she flipped in the air, actually kicking off a chunk of stone that would have otherwise hit her. She was having a blast. With all the danmaku she had participated in back home it would take a lot more than this to land a blow. Unfortunately, on the other side of the coin, this creature was extremely powerful. Simple vines would not be enough to hold it and she doubted her physical magic would be enough to disable it quickly, though the assumption was based upon previous experience with her opponents being extremely supernaturally tough.

She leaned forward, free hand charged with power, about to dash in or fire, but hesitated upon hearing the first gunshot. The sound had startled her and she was forced back and to the ground when the beast suddenly made a move. She realized what it was doing and wasn't quick enough to stop it from ripping off a chunk of the ceiling and throwing it at Ted. The shield shattered like glass as it was impacted, but the force of the magic successfully broke apart the stone and forced the larger chunks away. "Mister! Be careful!" That would have severely injured Ted without that shield.

Koishi wasn't smiling anymore.

She flicked her hand, the magic vanishing, the little satori quickly placing the bucket on the ground. Changing her focus to a very different kind of magic, Koishi raised her hands to her temples, closing her eyes and bowed her head. A lance of thought drove toward the beast, aiming for its head. The attack marked the spot it was goign to hit before being followed by a burning, jagged wave of mental energy. It would cause physical damage, but the main purpose of the attack was to break the mind, not the body.

The combined force of holy bullets and a psychic lance stopped the brute, for a moment. The beast lay in the middle, with Ted on his left, and Koishi on his right. It roared, a rim of shadow appearing around the outline of its form. Said form reduced in the twinkling of an eye to reveal a creature much more lithe and skinny, compared to the muscle-bound monster that had just assailed them. Indeed, its form was so agile and light that it hovered a few inches off the ground. At this size, even Ted might boast of being taller.

But they had other things to worry about rather than height, just then. In addition to forcing a transformation, Koishi's attack had disturbed what limited intelligence it had. The Man Beast lost all grasp of tactics, positioning, or even variation, instead performing the same action over and over until all threats were dead. Perhaps beyond.

It stuck one leg out and spun at incredible speeds. Wind, dust, and even the heavy rocks that littered the battlefield went on a journey, being tossed up everywhere. Out of reflex, Ted jumped away as one among many of the earthy merry-go-round swung by. In the heat of battle, he had forgotten all about the flight pin. It demanded remembrance now, as he found himself on the side of a wall, with reduced gravity slipping him slowly down. That's it, he thought. With the space-like gravity, he might just know a way to approach the mad whirlwind. Going horizontally, on land, was a hopeless gamble. Rocks were being replaced and redistributed with far too much velocity to make that even remotely safe. But above...he'd chance it.

Ted kicked off, performing his first wall jump. As he'd hoped, he had bounded across the room, specks of dirt being kicked up in his face as he went. He'd have one chance, before touching down on Koishi's side and being on dangerous ground. At the peak of his arc, when he was directly above the creature, he tipped his satchel towards it, loosing a great multitude of heavy objects. Old furniture, rocks, and even a broken car all made their way down. It was a gamble still; he hoped that Koishi would not be caught in Ted's junk avalanche. He'd have shouted his hare-brained scheme towards her, if he could, but the fierce winds emanating from their enemy rendered that impossible. But if these objects were heavy enough, and the winds not so fierce as they seemed, Ted might just manage to hoist their foe on his own petard.

Edited 2015-05-23 16:00 (UTC)

Koishi... Actually looked surprised when the beast changed shape, her frown temporarily dissolving into a look of mild surprise. Of all the things that could have happened, she was not expecting that. Fortunately she felt more confident her non-mental magic would work against this smaller form... If she could hit him. The beast was quick, and while she had dealt with plenty of quick opponents before, it was more the matter of she had to hit the creature WITHOUT hitting Ted.

She began summoning her thorns once more, weaving them around the creature as quickly as she could with little rhyme or reason. She wasn't trying to weave a net or entangle anything or even make them strong enough that they couldn't be smashed through. Such complexities would take precious moments and focus that she did not have while weaving to avoid the falling rocks. She just needed them there. A moment later roses began to bloom, bursting moments after they opened and sending stinging, exploding rose petals scattering around. Hopefully the creature was far gone enough to realize that it could easily take a few stinging blows and break through the weak magic as she readied a more powerful blow.

Fortunately she didn't have to. Seeing that Ted was intent on dropping various heavy objects, she made a split second decision, investing her magic into the vines, forcing more roses and stronger vines. She lifted off the ground and began rapidly backpedaling, thrusting both arms forward the moment Ted had cleared the creature. Quick as a whip she had created a sphere-like cage of tentacles which didn't hesitate to pluck Ted out of the air and pull him rapidly to safety.

The winds continued to swirl under the floral assault, as the Man Beast went like a top. As the vines increased in strength, the creatures speed decreased, and the motion of the rocks died down. The decrease in momentum and speed thanks to the constriction allowed Ted's weights to crush the monster, as if it they were in a Loony Tunes sketch. Though it should have occurred to him sooner, Ted worried whether his debris might merely add to the chaos, chipping in another chunk of dangers in the blender that might have torn them apart. Thankfully, Koishi's vines had slowed him down to make sure that the impact struck home.

The beast was dead, thank God. Ted was still a bit leery of tentacles, but he couldn't deny that they often came to him in his hour of need. He didn't say anything, instead intent on what happened next.

A click let them know that the door back out had unlocked. The principal feature, however, was a large red orb, almost as big as the larger form of their foe. It materialized, high and in the center, slowly descending. Ted was captivated, and went out silently to touch it. As he did, it dispersed, and both Ted and Koishi would find themselves completely revitalized.

"Could that have been the potion?" The color matched. A moment's thought corrected his course; no, it wasn't. They hadn't even seen the lab yet. Did that mean, then, that it was all for naught? This was the last room in this section of the castle. All new discoveries laid to the east of the second room, which contained the lone skeleton. It would seem Ted's initial suggestion, of going up, had been a danger and a waste of time.

"I owe you my thanks, and an apology Koishi. It would seem we've reached a dead-end." He took a deep breath, and sighed. Physically, he was refreshed. Emotionally? All over the place. He was eager to continue, having just felled a beast he had no right to. Angry, that the cruel lord had toyed with him with the extraneous architecture. "When I see that man, I'll wring his neck till it's as thin as the one on his precious potion!". And, finally, a little sorry. Ted wasn't too bright, but even he could sense that he might have been as much of a weight as the one that had flattened the beast. Koishi, he thought, might do better to go on alone, or even forfeit the adventure entirely.

At least, he resolved, he wouldn't allow her to go on alone. 'Stubborn' was the word for the day. No way would Ted let Dracula win, even if he had to endure entire days of roving beasts and rooms that led nowhere. Let him be fired from his job for missed work, he would still keep going. It'd be an insult to his partner if he allowed their investment, however unfruitful, to end here.

Koishi wasn't quite done. Releasing a bit more slack on one side, the little youkai turned her hand toward the mound of debris. The thorns responded in kind, snaking their way into the pile, wrapping around and through the various pieces, drawing them more tightly together. Yes, the creature was probably dead, but it never hurt to be too sure. After several moments the vines gradually started to dissolve, Koishi's tentacles releasing their grip. She could no longer sense the creature's mental presence.

Koishi, for the most part, was no worse for wear. The scrape on her knee had bled a little bit, but it was just a scrape. At worst it would be annoying later when it scabbed over considering its location. In fact, it looked partially healed already. Other than that she was a bit dusty, but it was nothing a hot bath later couldn't fix.

Koishi rolled her shoulders and stretched backwards some as the tentacles retracted back into her sleeves, making little internal adjustments to ensure they folded properly. It had been awhile since she had used them to this extent. She didn't seem all that concerned about the sphere, not objecting to him approaching or touching it, continuing to adjust herself and straighten her outfit as he spoke. All the while she allowed her calming influence to wash over her adventuring partner, pushing back some of his stress. Once they were mostly put away she walked over to her pudding bucket and picked it up. Some of it had spilled out but the fact it had fallen on its side had saved it from the flying debris. She took a moment to examine it again and nodded, satisfied it was still in tact.

She turned back toward Ted. "You need to be more careful mister, okay? You're a human and humans are very fragile and there is real danger here." It was a gentle scolding. "And you don't need to apologize for taking the wrong way. You couldn't have known and I'm having fun exploring with you. I am worried about your safety though. I'll do my very best to keep you safe but don't be afraid to take your time and be careful, okay?"

She drifted over next to him, her third eye closing completely once more. She offered him a spoonful of pudding. There was quite a bit left. It seemed not even Koishi could quickly eat an entire bucket of the stuff.

Ted smiled. "Hah, me careful? And you, delving into sweets from this of all places...fair enough." He took a bite anyway. As with all fairy tales, he knew that if he was going to play his part correctly, that meant doing what he was told. Even if it was by those who looked like children.

"Let's keep going then, just as we were. We'll search out this place's heights, looking for the lab." He lead back to their second room, and opened the door on the right to reveal another massive hallway, stretching wide before them to the east. It was here, Ted discovered, that the castle most definitely showed its taste for death. Not even unlife, just death. It was the least practical room Ted saw in any dwelling. Essentially, a sadistic obstacle course. It started easy, with a few platforms to navigate. Past that, a bit deadly. Fail a particular jump here, and you would land on some spikes. Worst of all was a rotating blade which covered the length of its entrance. No flying over this one. Indeed, it took Ted some hard looks before realizing that the only way through were hollow, toothless parts of the blade, surrounded by its sharper siblings. But for all that, Ted couldn't help having fun here, mostly due to Koishi's influence. If Dracula wanted to institute the world's deadliest jungle gym, Ted would play.

"But I really like sweets. And its a whole bucket!" It seemed that with the full closing of her eye once more she had regained her super cheerful attitude. "So you can have plenty too. Okay Mister?" She followed him, taking occasional bites and looking quite pleased with herself.

She did stop fully when the next room was revealed though, spoon hanging out of her mouth. She had never seen such an absurd place before. Pits on the ground? Why would anyone employ anything so silly? Oh yeah, not everyone could fly... She tipped her hat up, pulling the spoon from her mouth. "This is a silly place." Another bite of pudding. And then one more. "Not even the big red devil mansion was this silly. And that place had rooms and halls that changed size when you weren't looking." Even with the spinning blade in the air, Koishi was going to fly anyway. At the pace it was moving it wouldn't exactly be hard to get past. After all, dodging bullets was much harder than following along with the movements of a stationary object.

She shrugged and began drifting forward, placing the spoon back in her mouth and holding the bucket loosely. She looked slightly bored with the room even. After all, there wasn't anything to eat in it. Not even the corpses of freshly skewered victims on the spikes. Oh well.

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Boss monstah

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