Into the Void

[Redcap]

:: The Redcap growled hatefully in recognition of Fiona, and scurried down the path with impressive speed ::

[Rod Stafford]

Rod sprung into pursuit, sprinting as quickly as his legs could carry him. By the tone in her voice, he could tell Fiona wasn't going to let him get away easily, and she ran alongside him.

"Who is he?" he yelled.

He turned his attention back to the squat fellow, his distance from them growing, then his attention fixed on a trash can by the edge of the path. It toppled just in time to catch the dwarf's foot as he attempted to clear it and sent him stumbling. And with renewed vigor, he sprinted on.

[Fiona Devlin]

:: Fiona blurted her explanation as they sprinted ::

"Well, I spotted him at the Faire a few weeks back and I swore to Macushla it was a Redcap and she didn't believe me!!! Oh no, I know I bloody Redcap when I see one!! Just wait we get home tonight ... oooof!!!!"

:: She was tackled suddenly by something huge, black and furry. More of the creatures appeared. Werewolves. Bat eared with huge cheshire grins. Fiona had mentioned them to Rod in great detail. They were Black Spiral Dancers ::

[Rod Stafford]

When Fiona was attacked, Rod turned in time to see a similar black shape jump at him, but in the wrong direction. It crashed into a bush to his right. Two other beasts closed in on him now, slowly, their giant nostrils flaring. One was swiping at the air with its huge claws where his image stood refracted. The hulking black creature that had jumped Fiona was now wrestling with her lithe frame. Hidden, Rod discarded the bucket of chicken(a sound which distracted and dumbfounded one of the werewolves) and fumbled in his coat pocket for something.

[Fiona Devlin]

:: Fiona choked as she was lifted off the ground by her throat, and the lupine leered at her as it brought her face to face for what looked like a kiss ::

[Redcap]

:: The Redcap spied the abandoned bucket of num nums instantly, and hopped over to it. Sitting down, he ate gleefully as he watched his comrades surround their prey ::

[Rod Stafford]

From his coat pocket, Rod retrieved a cellphone and hammered a series of buttons on it. He ducked, one of the wolves had picked up his sent and it's enormous, spindly claws raked at the air where his head had been. He pressed another key and suddenly the looming black beast backed away, its hands clutching at it's pink, pointed ears. The other wolves nearby did the same. He dropped the light-refracting illusion and ran towards Fiona.

"Hold on! I'm coming!"

[Fiona Devlin]

:: Fiona coughed as the Spiral dropped her, and recovered quickly as the pack was briefly stunned by Rene's magick. Drawing her Jian from what seemed like thin air, she stood defensivley as the pack regrouped ::

"Stay close, Rene!!!"

[Rod Stafford]

"Are you okay?" he asked over his shoulder.

His eyes were trained on the demonic shapes with large glowing eyes now circling them amongst the trees. They drew close and the pale lamp light illuminated their hellish features; their jaws were huge, and saliva glistened on their jagged teeth, their fur bristled, as if electrically charged, and their long heavy arms were drawn back, ready to strike. Rod's heart pounded. Four of the beasts reared on their massive haunches, and pounced.

One fell flat on its face with a crunch, its hind paws never left the ground, and there it remained, perplexed and unable to lift itself up. Gravity all nonsense now, the second leapt with such force that it flew over their heads and smashed into a thick tree trunk. The third werewolf found its mark and sent Rod crashing to the ground under its mighty body.

[Fiona Devlin]

:: Fiona moved like a blur, slicing her attacker with a wicked cut. The beast howled in agony, blood burning from the wound as it hit the ground hard ::

[Redcap]

"KILL THEM!!!" yelled the Redcap as he shook a drumstick impatiently.

"REND THEIR FLESH!!!!"

"SHUCK THEIR BONES!!!"

"KIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIILL THEM!!!!"

[Rod Stafford]

The air rushed out of his lungs under the weight of the beast, its paws dug into his thighs and it rushed forward for his throat, its lethal jaws agape. There was a clunk as it's head collided with an invisible wall, angrily its jaws snapped, and saliva hung from thin air. For a moment, his eyes were level with the burning glow of the werewolf's eyes, and he cried out.

"Fiona!"

[Fiona Devlin]

:: Fiona ran over, grabbing the Black Spiral's bushy tail with her left hand. With a flick of the wrist, she cut it off. The beast yowled horribly and turned away from Rod ::

[Rod Stafford]

Regaining his composure, Rod scrambled to his feet, and found that he was tingling all over with adrenaline. Two werewolves had closed in on him, and snarled hideous smiles. An anger swelled inside of him, he crouched and picked up a stone the size of a marble from the edge of the path. The werewolves didn't attack, they relished the hunt. Rod pulled his arm back.

"Fetch, foul beast!"

He threw the stone at one of the creatures, it didn't flinch. Then its face twisted and it let out a breathless yelp of fright as the stone hit it with the force of a freight train, the werewolf was lifted from its feet and soared off. It split a tree upon impact and folded lifelessly to the floor. Having witnessed the demise of its companion, the second Dancer turned bloodthirsty eyes on Rod, and closed in.

[Redcap]

"FOOLS!!!"

:: The Redcap reached into his pocket and hurled a globe at them, the size of a christmas ornamant. It glowed brightly and expanded. Everything seemed to freeze into slow motion, then speed up rapidly again as more Black Spirals appeared. They were seized, and suddenly pulled into the Umbra ::

[Fiona Devlin]

:: Fiona's arms were pinned to her sides as she was taken by another Spiral, and reality melted away into a vast swirling mist as they rushed through to whatever awaited them on the other side ::

[Rod Stafford]

The pain from the sudden rush of wolves and their claws digging into his arms and shoulders slipped away as he was engulfed by a bright warmth. The light wrapped around him, and dispersed in every direction. He felt weightless and found himself soaring through an open space of endless shimmering colour. The wolves which tightly flanked him gave off a terrible radiance. A light-headedness overcame him and he quickly lost conciousness.

[Fiona Devlin]

:: They were taken to an umbral realm, crafted in the shape of a gothic castle. Rod was the first to regain consciousness, chained up against a wall. Fiona lay motionless on a stone table. Two Black Spirals had just begun tearing off her clothes ::

[Rod Stafford]

When he awoke, he was suprised to find his hands suspended above him. He tugged pitifully at his restraints. The room spun a little, he felt a little tipsy without having drunk, and he shook head. Then he noticed Fiona and the werewolves.

"Get away from her!" he shouted, hardly recognising his voice.

The stones seemed to glisten like they had tiny stars in them. His cry echoed near and far, and it sounded a little bit like he was underwater. Light poured into the room from inexplicable sources; shafts of rose and lemon and white light slashed this way and that. He was so suddenly enamoured by it all that he didn't noticed the beast bound over to him and when it struck him with the back of it's massive paw, the pain felt far away, and the blood in his mouth tasted like water. He half felt like he was floating but at the same time could feel the warm stone firmly beneath him.

"Fiona!"

[Redcap]

:: They finished tearing the last threads of clothing from Fiona's body, and were about to defile her before Rod's eyes when the Redcap entered the dungeon to stop them ::

"Out you mangy curs!" he shrieked, beating at them with a walking stick. "She's mine! Miiiiiine!!!"