Chapter 9 part 4
Well, at least he was being honest with us. But the fact that I would receive a commendation for contributing to this maniac's plan did not improve my morale, oddly enough. Don't get me wrong, I'm sure some people find the prospect of having their life force drained in order to create a vampire a very intriguing, even enjoyable idea. However, I have a low tolerance for having my life force drained, especially if its purpose is for ultimate world domination. I'm just conservative like that.
Not only that, but I could see some extreme flaws in Fleming's plan. And, feeling I had nothing to lose, I took the opportunity to point them out.
"...So, what happens when we run out of humans?"
Fleming frowned uncomprehendingly.
"Huh?"
"Well, according to the myths, humans are the natural food source of vampires. If, as you say, you plan on turning the whole human race into vampires, then what are they supposed to eat? I suppose they could feed on animals, but with that many of them in the world, and such a limited supply of animals to compensate, soon there'd be none left, and then they'd have to resort to us. How well have you thought this through? I mean, since you started this with the best interests of monsters at heart, to suddenly have your creations start depending on our blood to survive is kind of-"
"SHUT UP!" bellowed Fleming. "I'll worry about that when the time comes!"
Which was code for, 'I haven't thought about that possibility, but there's no way I'm going to admit it to you, annoying person who just made me look stupid'. I should know; I've used that code before.
It was at that point that I suddenly realized that the ropes, though unbreakable, were not un-slip-out-able. I figured this out by the fact that as I was shifting my hands, I suddenly found that my left thumb was free.
This is great!
Taking the opportunity, I began working on wiggling the rest of my hand out too. Meanwhile, Fleming made a gesture with the bandaged hand, wincing as he did so, and Jessup slowly went to his side. He handed over the splatter gun, and at Fleming's command, he lay down on the altar, hands folded across his chest. I almost felt sorry for him; he was about to be used to create a monster that would annihilate mankind, and he probably didn't even know what was happening. Then I remembered what he had almost done to Xen, and my pity instantly subsided. I went back to concentrating on freeing myself.
Over in the corner, Xen and Calla were not standing idly by, like you'd expect of damsels in distress (believe me, they are anything but). They were standing back to back, and trying to untie each other. Since nobody was taking any notice of them at the moment, now seemed as good a time as any. Needless to say, I did not draw Fleming's attention to the situation. Speak of the devil, he was now pulling a chain that opened a hole in his roof (with the ends of the lightning rods poking through), revealing that the storm had reached its height.
"Perfect conditions!" he cried enthusiastically. "A storm with thunder and lightning, yet on a night when the moon is full! An exact replication of the experiments of President Newman! Now to charge the spell with lightning, add my modifications, and then it will begin!"
Carefully, he levitated the spell into the air, until it was directly below the hole. Then there was a short wait, during which I was able to get my left hand all the way free. After that, it was a simple matter of pulling the loop of rope off my right wrist. But for the time being, just for a moment, I stayed where and how I was, with my hands behind me. I was idly curious as to what would happen.
Finally, I heard the sharp retort of lightning striking the rods (Two bolts at once, in almost the same place? That’s a coincidence that pretty much only ever occurs in the places where monsters live) and sizzling down, to hit the spell, which suddenly turned a brighter shade of green, and looked a lot healthier. Without needing any assistance from Fleming, the ball of light zoomed down, and hovered over the recumbent Jessup. Fleming stood by the altar's side, smiling with glee. Calla, now free of her ropes, started forward, but Xen grabbed her and held her back.
"No!" I heard her cry over a roar of thunder. "It could kill you if you went in there now! It's never a good idea to enter a pentacle when a spell's taking place!"
"But what do we do? He'll be killed!" Calla wailed.
Xen looked despairingly over at me. To her evident surprise, I smiled at her, and mouthed the words, "It'll be fine!" In all likelihood, she thought I was either trying to reassure her by lying through my teeth, or I had lost my mind.
The spell left the altar, and began circling the pentacle, testing it to make sure it was sound. It zoomed around the five points of the star, skimming the ground once in a while, reveling in its new life-and then it stopped. Fleming looked startled. He made as if to approach-and, remembering where he was, froze. He couldn't leave the pentagon that was the center of the star, because that would expose him to whatever damage the spell could inflict on him. The spell in question was hovering tentatively over one particular spot on the pentacle; if it had been alive, and given to emotions, I would have said that it was perturbed. If you looked closer, you would see why: there, marring the perfect chalk circle, were five drag marks, creating a small set of holes in the pentacle.
You forgot about my stumble earlier, didn't you? Well, believe it or not, even with my hands tied, I'm not that clumsy when the situation is serious. I'd remembered that you have to be careful with spells in pentacles; they are very delicate, and if the pentacles or spells are messed up even the tiniest bit, it can destroy the whole thing. I've even heard horror stories of screwed-up spells in pentacles turning on those who cast them, and obliterating them into nasty, slimy blobs of goo. While I didn't necessarily thoroughly wish that on Fleming, it would certainly make fixing this whole mess a lot easier.
Suddenly, the spell went berserk. It began leaping and jumping around the room, smashing into the walls (because of the flaw in the pentacle, it could leave), smacking into the ceiling and floor, just hitting everything it could-though, unfortunately, missing both the insane mage and the demon, but fortunately missing me and my companions. An utterly horrified Fleming tried to intervene, to use his magic to capture and subdue the spell, but to no avail. Old and senile as it was, it had soon beat itself to pieces of residue, lying here and there throughout the room. We all (except Jessup, who was still hypnotized) stared aghast at the remains of what had been one of the most controversial spells of our time. My historian's heart bled for it, and asked President Newman to forgive me for this desecration (though his soul, may it rest in peace, probably rejoiced at the destruction of his great folly).
"How could this happen?!" howled Fleming, clutching his hands to his head, wincing with pain because it involved moving his damaged arm and shoulder. "How?! What did I-"
He stopped, as his bulging eyes noticed the dragged-through part of the pentacle. Suddenly looking a little murderous, he turned to me, and looked down, seeing the white dusting of chalk on the claws of my left foot.
I shrugged and gave a sort of grin.
"Oops."
Fleming was not appeased.
"YOU!" he screeched. "YOU FILTHY, DESTRUCTIVE, SPELL-WRECKING _________________ INTERFERING ______________ LOUSY__________ SON OF ___!"
A lot of the vile epithets he cried out are ones I would rather not repeat. Let us just leave it at the fact that they were mostly very opprobrious remarks, some of which were not particularly realistic or anatomically possible. I noticed Calla wincing and covering her ears. Good, she was far too young to be hearing that kind of language. In fact, it was stuff that nobody should ever have to hear. I think it was about then that Fleming grabbed up one of the splatter guns and shot me.
Showing posts with label vampire. Show all posts
Showing posts with label vampire. Show all posts
Sunday, October 28, 2012
Wednesday, October 24, 2012
TANSTAV part 32
Chapter 9 part 3
I think he expected us to gasp in horror, or applaud him (though how we could do so tied up was beyond me), or something like that. Instead, Xen asked incredulously, "What?", Calla inquired, "Do they not exist?", and I said, "Dude, you are even crazier than Colin Newman."
(Colin Newman: our fourteenth president, and an alchemist. Was in charge at the same time as Abraham Lincoln was for the humans, though lasted a great deal longer than he. Nearly impeached in 1865 for trying to create zombies using the corpses of Civil War soldiers. Though in the name of science, his actions were voted to be unethical, as people thought it best to let the dead rest in peace. His wife finally persuaded him that what he was doing was a really bad idea. That, combined with the fact that his experiments nearly resulted in two of his children being electrocuted to death, caused him to suffer a nervous breakdown, and retire before he could begin his second term. Also passed two bills before leaving the presidency: one making necromancy illegal, the other allowing any monsters to do experiments with science and magic, as long as they were not harmful to other creatures. All in all, not a bad guy, but maybe too obsessed with dabbling in the secrets of life and death. Has his face on our five-dollar bill and penny.)
Fleming flushed with anger at my slight to his sanity.
"Newman was a coward and a failure! He didn't have the courage to press on with his work! I, however, shall succeed where he failed! For I have actually discovered the secret of instilling life in a dead man, and creating a vampire!"
Like any really psycho villain, Fleming could not resist the opportunity to tell us his evil plan, and how he had come to think of it, in complete graphic detail. Despite the precariousness of the situation, I found myself rolling my eyes. He continued, "It is fitting that you should mention him, actually. About a year ago, I was visiting his old house, and by chance, wound up in the attic. It was there, amongst the exhibits, that I discovered the original spell he had been using to try and give his creations life!"
He reached behind the altar, and withdrew a large, glowing ball of light. It was definitely magic, but it was the sorriest piece of magic I'd ever seen; a sickly shade of green, going black and white in some places, and barely with any glow to it at all.
"You'd think he'd want to reabsorb the energy he'd emitted doing that," I murmured.
"No," called Xen, "He didn't want that back in his body, he felt so guilty about what he'd done. It was part of the reason why it took him so long to recover from his breakdown."
"Huh. Wonder why he never destroyed it, then. And nobody noticed that you'd taken it?"
"Nobody. I used many concealment spells; you may have realized my great skill with them, Wormwood."
"Yeah, I did. But wasn't Newman trying to create zombies? Won't that mess with your idea?"
"Not at all! I'm going to adjust it to accommodate with my desires!"
It seemed like this guy had an answer for everything. He was still in a talking mood, which also seemed to be stalling him from his goal, so I finally asked the big question that had been gnawing at me: "Why, Fleming? What are you trying to prove?"
"Haven't you realized, Wormwood?" Fleming stared at me, his eyes protruding even more than usual. "I'm doing this for the benefit of monster kind! After this, we won't have to hide anymore, because the world will be populated by nothing but monsters!"
"Oh?" I glanced over at my comrades, who looked as shocked as I was. Even without looking in Calla's eyes, I could read her thoughts: this guy was a loony.
"Yes! When my vampire comes alive, he will feel a raging thirst for blood, and will go out into the world, drinking that of any human he sees; either they will die, or they will become vampires like himself. Then they will make more of their kind, and more, until soon, the entire world will be covered with vampires! Don't you see?" he pleaded (yes, that was the right word for it, oddly enough), "We won't need to hide! No more concealing ourselves from humans, because there will be no humans left! We shall be free!"
"Except for me, Xen, Calla, and these other nice people you're holding prisoner," I pointed out.
"Well, yes. In fact, because this spell is going to drain your life force to contribute to the creation of the vampire, it will undoubtedly kill you. But your cooperation will be duly noted, after I become supreme ruler of the world!"
I think he expected us to gasp in horror, or applaud him (though how we could do so tied up was beyond me), or something like that. Instead, Xen asked incredulously, "What?", Calla inquired, "Do they not exist?", and I said, "Dude, you are even crazier than Colin Newman."
(Colin Newman: our fourteenth president, and an alchemist. Was in charge at the same time as Abraham Lincoln was for the humans, though lasted a great deal longer than he. Nearly impeached in 1865 for trying to create zombies using the corpses of Civil War soldiers. Though in the name of science, his actions were voted to be unethical, as people thought it best to let the dead rest in peace. His wife finally persuaded him that what he was doing was a really bad idea. That, combined with the fact that his experiments nearly resulted in two of his children being electrocuted to death, caused him to suffer a nervous breakdown, and retire before he could begin his second term. Also passed two bills before leaving the presidency: one making necromancy illegal, the other allowing any monsters to do experiments with science and magic, as long as they were not harmful to other creatures. All in all, not a bad guy, but maybe too obsessed with dabbling in the secrets of life and death. Has his face on our five-dollar bill and penny.)
Fleming flushed with anger at my slight to his sanity.
"Newman was a coward and a failure! He didn't have the courage to press on with his work! I, however, shall succeed where he failed! For I have actually discovered the secret of instilling life in a dead man, and creating a vampire!"
Like any really psycho villain, Fleming could not resist the opportunity to tell us his evil plan, and how he had come to think of it, in complete graphic detail. Despite the precariousness of the situation, I found myself rolling my eyes. He continued, "It is fitting that you should mention him, actually. About a year ago, I was visiting his old house, and by chance, wound up in the attic. It was there, amongst the exhibits, that I discovered the original spell he had been using to try and give his creations life!"
He reached behind the altar, and withdrew a large, glowing ball of light. It was definitely magic, but it was the sorriest piece of magic I'd ever seen; a sickly shade of green, going black and white in some places, and barely with any glow to it at all.
"You'd think he'd want to reabsorb the energy he'd emitted doing that," I murmured.
"No," called Xen, "He didn't want that back in his body, he felt so guilty about what he'd done. It was part of the reason why it took him so long to recover from his breakdown."
"Huh. Wonder why he never destroyed it, then. And nobody noticed that you'd taken it?"
"Nobody. I used many concealment spells; you may have realized my great skill with them, Wormwood."
"Yeah, I did. But wasn't Newman trying to create zombies? Won't that mess with your idea?"
"Not at all! I'm going to adjust it to accommodate with my desires!"
It seemed like this guy had an answer for everything. He was still in a talking mood, which also seemed to be stalling him from his goal, so I finally asked the big question that had been gnawing at me: "Why, Fleming? What are you trying to prove?"
"Haven't you realized, Wormwood?" Fleming stared at me, his eyes protruding even more than usual. "I'm doing this for the benefit of monster kind! After this, we won't have to hide anymore, because the world will be populated by nothing but monsters!"
"Oh?" I glanced over at my comrades, who looked as shocked as I was. Even without looking in Calla's eyes, I could read her thoughts: this guy was a loony.
"Yes! When my vampire comes alive, he will feel a raging thirst for blood, and will go out into the world, drinking that of any human he sees; either they will die, or they will become vampires like himself. Then they will make more of their kind, and more, until soon, the entire world will be covered with vampires! Don't you see?" he pleaded (yes, that was the right word for it, oddly enough), "We won't need to hide! No more concealing ourselves from humans, because there will be no humans left! We shall be free!"
"Except for me, Xen, Calla, and these other nice people you're holding prisoner," I pointed out.
"Well, yes. In fact, because this spell is going to drain your life force to contribute to the creation of the vampire, it will undoubtedly kill you. But your cooperation will be duly noted, after I become supreme ruler of the world!"
Sunday, October 21, 2012
TANSTAV part 31
Chapter 9 part 2
I wasn't sure whether or not to be glad there was no one else around. Because on the one hand, it meant we were going into the lion's den unprotected, and nobody would know where we were; on the other hand, if there was anyone who happened to see us, and Fleming noticed, he would probably kill or capture them, too. So maybe it was for the best.
We were taken at gunpoint into his house (it looked like any other house on the street, except for the fact that it had two lightning rods instead of one-odd), and then had to stand against the wall in the hallway while Jessup tied our hands behind us, with enchanted unbreakable ropes. I hated feeling so helpless; it reminded me too much of back when I had been living with my parents, and at my father's mercy, so to speak. Stupid, stupid, stupid! Why hadn't I looked for the possibility of a trap?!
It's because you're too impulsive, Tristan, the nagging voice at the back of my head said. You need to learn to use your head for something other than to hold up your ears!
Shut up, I told it. This isn't helping.
Well, what do you want me to say?
I don't want you to say anything. Didn't you hear me just tell you to shut up?
At that moment, Jessup shoved me in the back with the gun, ending (temporarily) my internal conversation. Must have been very frustrating for him, having me within his grasp, and unable to do what he wanted to me, merely acting under the orders of a crazed mage. That is, if he was even aware of anything that was happening. You never can tell with hypnotized people.
The five of us left the hall, and entered the living room-only the living room was gone. The furniture had all been moved out, and the place was basically bare, except for what looked like a sacrificial altar in the center of the room, surrounded by five cages. Inside two of the cages were the senator, and the Fonin! Both of them looked the worse for wear; they had lost weight, and were distinctly shabby. They stood at the bars of their cages, staring woefully out at us. Two other cages contained a Ghul, and some small, strange, dark creatures of the phylum Annelida inside a glass container full of water. The fifth cage was empty. Something about their positioning made me wonder...I looked down, and saw that the cages were set at each of the points of a colossal star drawn by chalk, inside of a giant circle.
You have got to be kidding, I thought. This guy is using a pentacle!
(In magical jargon, a pentacle is a symbol of a star inside a circle, and apparently has magic properties. Can be used for summoning things, among other dark rituals. Very commonly used during the Renaissance and medieval ages. There has been some doubt as to their effectiveness, as they are very unwieldy objects.)
Fleming gestured to Jessup, who began leading Xen and Calla over to a wall by the side of the pentacle. Thinking maybe he'd forgotten me, I began to follow.
"Not you, Wormwood," said Fleming. "You come over here." He gestured to the fifth cage.
"What? Why me?"
"Why did you think I tried to kidnap your girlfriend?" he asked disdainfully.
"Uh, technically, she's not my girlfriend, and I assumed it was for whatever you were doing to the others," I replied. I was beginning to see where this was going.
Ignoring me, he continued, "It was to get to you. I needed you to complete this experiment, and knew you would do anything to keep her safe."
"Why couldn't you just use Xen?" I asked, staying where I was.
Looking impatient and annoyed, Fleming gestured to the cage imperiously with the splatter gun.
"I wasn't going to use her dirty half-breed blood! I need a full gargoyle, and you were the closest one available! Now get in the cage BEFORE I HAVE JESSUP BLOW HER AND THE GIRL'S BRAINS OUT!!!!"
I gritted my fangs at the slight to Xen's heritage, but I slowly went to the cage, stumbling a little on my way.
Once inside the cage (which he neglected to lock, probably because I was bound), I asked, "Before you do-whatever it is, can I ask what you are planning to do to us?"
Fleming grinned wickedly, taking the opportunity to rub his wounded side.
"You, my dear Wormwood, are going to be the final piece in this great revolution of mine. I now have the strength of a troll, the shapeshifting powers of a Fonin, the fangs and tracking ability of a Ghul, the near-impenetrable skin of a gargoyle, and the bloodthirstiness of leeches!"
"What about Jessup?" I asked, gesturing over to him with my head. He was still guarding the girls, his face still blank. You know, without his sardonic grin, he was a bit nicer-looking.
"The demon? I need his body."
I raised my eyebrow.
"Does that sound as disturbing to you two as it does to me?" I asked the girls. Xen nodded, while Calla just stood there, looking frightened.
Fleming glared at me.
"He is going to be the host."
"For what?"
"Using all six of you," he said, gesturing to my fellow prisoners and the demon, "I am going to create," his voice rose to an incredible pitch in his excitement, "A VAMPIRE!"
I wasn't sure whether or not to be glad there was no one else around. Because on the one hand, it meant we were going into the lion's den unprotected, and nobody would know where we were; on the other hand, if there was anyone who happened to see us, and Fleming noticed, he would probably kill or capture them, too. So maybe it was for the best.
We were taken at gunpoint into his house (it looked like any other house on the street, except for the fact that it had two lightning rods instead of one-odd), and then had to stand against the wall in the hallway while Jessup tied our hands behind us, with enchanted unbreakable ropes. I hated feeling so helpless; it reminded me too much of back when I had been living with my parents, and at my father's mercy, so to speak. Stupid, stupid, stupid! Why hadn't I looked for the possibility of a trap?!
It's because you're too impulsive, Tristan, the nagging voice at the back of my head said. You need to learn to use your head for something other than to hold up your ears!
Shut up, I told it. This isn't helping.
Well, what do you want me to say?
I don't want you to say anything. Didn't you hear me just tell you to shut up?
At that moment, Jessup shoved me in the back with the gun, ending (temporarily) my internal conversation. Must have been very frustrating for him, having me within his grasp, and unable to do what he wanted to me, merely acting under the orders of a crazed mage. That is, if he was even aware of anything that was happening. You never can tell with hypnotized people.
The five of us left the hall, and entered the living room-only the living room was gone. The furniture had all been moved out, and the place was basically bare, except for what looked like a sacrificial altar in the center of the room, surrounded by five cages. Inside two of the cages were the senator, and the Fonin! Both of them looked the worse for wear; they had lost weight, and were distinctly shabby. They stood at the bars of their cages, staring woefully out at us. Two other cages contained a Ghul, and some small, strange, dark creatures of the phylum Annelida inside a glass container full of water. The fifth cage was empty. Something about their positioning made me wonder...I looked down, and saw that the cages were set at each of the points of a colossal star drawn by chalk, inside of a giant circle.
You have got to be kidding, I thought. This guy is using a pentacle!
(In magical jargon, a pentacle is a symbol of a star inside a circle, and apparently has magic properties. Can be used for summoning things, among other dark rituals. Very commonly used during the Renaissance and medieval ages. There has been some doubt as to their effectiveness, as they are very unwieldy objects.)
Fleming gestured to Jessup, who began leading Xen and Calla over to a wall by the side of the pentacle. Thinking maybe he'd forgotten me, I began to follow.
"Not you, Wormwood," said Fleming. "You come over here." He gestured to the fifth cage.
"What? Why me?"
"Why did you think I tried to kidnap your girlfriend?" he asked disdainfully.
"Uh, technically, she's not my girlfriend, and I assumed it was for whatever you were doing to the others," I replied. I was beginning to see where this was going.
Ignoring me, he continued, "It was to get to you. I needed you to complete this experiment, and knew you would do anything to keep her safe."
"Why couldn't you just use Xen?" I asked, staying where I was.
Looking impatient and annoyed, Fleming gestured to the cage imperiously with the splatter gun.
"I wasn't going to use her dirty half-breed blood! I need a full gargoyle, and you were the closest one available! Now get in the cage BEFORE I HAVE JESSUP BLOW HER AND THE GIRL'S BRAINS OUT!!!!"
I gritted my fangs at the slight to Xen's heritage, but I slowly went to the cage, stumbling a little on my way.
Once inside the cage (which he neglected to lock, probably because I was bound), I asked, "Before you do-whatever it is, can I ask what you are planning to do to us?"
Fleming grinned wickedly, taking the opportunity to rub his wounded side.
"You, my dear Wormwood, are going to be the final piece in this great revolution of mine. I now have the strength of a troll, the shapeshifting powers of a Fonin, the fangs and tracking ability of a Ghul, the near-impenetrable skin of a gargoyle, and the bloodthirstiness of leeches!"
"What about Jessup?" I asked, gesturing over to him with my head. He was still guarding the girls, his face still blank. You know, without his sardonic grin, he was a bit nicer-looking.
"The demon? I need his body."
I raised my eyebrow.
"Does that sound as disturbing to you two as it does to me?" I asked the girls. Xen nodded, while Calla just stood there, looking frightened.
Fleming glared at me.
"He is going to be the host."
"For what?"
"Using all six of you," he said, gesturing to my fellow prisoners and the demon, "I am going to create," his voice rose to an incredible pitch in his excitement, "A VAMPIRE!"
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