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+--- Thread: Let Darkness Come (/showthread.php?tid=4280)
Let Darkness Come - Dr. McNinja - 04-25-2016
Dr. McNinja's iPhone purred, searching for scraps of signal in this god-forsaken world. He was sitting by an abandoned campfire, Yoshi snoring gently nearby. He had long since given up on reigniting the ashy twigs, and instead resolved to sit through the cold night.
The Pale Moors. He'd never been here before. It was simply a delightful place. The area outside of the gate was a swamp, straight from the recipe: start with the stereotypical stink of eggs old enough to enjoy whiskey, and add the ominous gurgle from swamp gas that the muddy gunk rudely emitted. To top it off, sprinkle in a thick mist which limited your vision to arm's length and coated your face with uncomfortable humidity. And, of course, mix in the crowd of tiny flying insects, too small and fast to catch or identify. Dr. McNinja counted at least four diseases he could catch just from sitting here.
Even Yoshi, who could normally maintain a quick speed, was exhausted by the grueling quagmire surrounding them. The main path had disappeared about half a trek ago, so forfeit was not an option. Though, frankly, it never was from the beginning. Not when King Radical was involved.
Doc couldn't put his finger on it, but there was something very sinister about King Radical. He just knew that the man was planning on something. Something evil. Otherwise, he probably would have made a beeline for the forest paradise he called home; but he had to stop whatever plan Radical was cooking up.
He crossed his legs gingerly. He considered swapping out the white labcoat in favor of clothes that weren't so hard to keep clean. While it demonstrated his doctorates, it was not fit for adventuring. To at least keep it relatively clean, he had draped it carefully over a less soaked log.
Dr. McNinja straightened his back, let his eyes close, and began to hum.
Ever since he arrived in the Omniverse, Dr. McNinja lost many of his abilities. Of course, he regained some of it, and learned new ones. Like the chainsaw nunchucks - a fairly recently invented branch of ninjutsu, but very powerful. Only Mongo the Uberninja could wield it with any serious threat. And Mongo, well, he was an Uberninja.
Yet Doc's translation to this place cost him one ability which he sorely missed. Back home, Dr. McNinja could channel his life energy to shift parts of his body into an ethereal state. This technique allowed him to strike other ethereal beings, evil spirits like the ghost that stole his grandfather. The ghost that stole his name.
Patrick.
Doc felt the word roll in his mouth, leaving a sharp taste of copper. He was never really part of the family, and that was understandable. His disregard for his grandfather's orders led to John's death. And his lack of a first name strangely estranged him from his parents, which was a bizarre experience altogether. He didn't just lose his name, he lost the right to having one entirely. It was almost a relief to get his Ph.D.; at least now people had something to call him by.
"Damn," Doc muttered, "That was a while ago."
He pulled out his phone, finally getting connection. Doc was usually not this sentimental. Maybe this was some sort of psychic phenomenon about the place. Or maybe that was just the gross, foggy swampiness strangling his direct vicinity. The swamp was bubbling intensely, as if the swamp had been holding in a fart for about a week.
Nurse Matilda was right. This place was horrible. The entire Verse seemed more or less overrun by monsters. Which was, you know, charming. A harsh swamp area, filled with horror movie cliches. Just charming.
Dracula Castle was here, apparently. Doc frowned. This meant, he supposed, that this Dracula was probably not a resident of the Moon. He hoped that this didn't mean he had to kill more vampires. Well, okay, he sorta did. Well, okay, he definitely did.
But then... he read something disturbing.
Quote:"Travelers leaving Darkshire are advised not to eat or drink anything they find in the wildness and avoid any dense fog they may encounter, particularly around the abandoned city of Silent Hill in the mountains."
Doc looked up.
There was a thick fog everywhere.
"Oh no."
The swamp started bubbling even more.
"Oh come on."
Let Darkness Come #2 - Dr. McNinja - 04-27-2016
"Whyyyyy"
Dr. McNinja hopped backwards, drawing his katana and preparing himself for combat.
"Why does crap like this happen every single time I set out?"
A tuft of grimy hair swayed from under the swamp. As it slowly drift to the surface, the hair led to a rotten scalp, which led to a rotting head, which led- you get the point. Three humanoid sludges were now sidling towards the doctor.
"Ohhh," Doc muttered, "That's where the bubles are from. The bubbles are monster farts."
Bits of swamp oozed out of the large cavities in the figures. As the grime poured out, the good doctor whistled at Yoshi to wake her up. Noticing the monsters approaching them, Yoshi reeled backwards and screeched, groggily backing up. Doc twilred his katana apprehensively.
"You don't happen to be good guys, do you?"
The creatures were almost clear of the swamp. They moved hilariously slowly, but despite what appeared to be disintegrating flesh, gray from rigor mortis, the creatures moved deliberately.
"Okay, so you're mud zombies or something. That's fine. I can do mud zomb-"
"EEEEIIIAHHHH"
Dr. McNinja couldn't move. He was literally paralyzed. No matter how much he wanted to raise his katana and hack the mud zombies to all hell, he could not move a muscle. Yoshi seemed to suffer from the same effects: mid-screech, she was standing still, almost statuesque, mouth gaping. The zombies were now getting very close, maybe about a meter away. Dr. McNinja was screaming inside. He couldn't move at all. His brain felt disconnected from his body. His eyes started watering, maybe because he was scared, or maybe because he couldn't even blink. He was stuck there, helplessly watching these monsters approach to presumably eat him.
Doc's ears started ringing. The paralysis was somehow affecting his hearing. He was starting to become groggy, and it took all of his energy to just process his senses. His vision was cloudy, and his hands were falling asleep. He couldn't hear anything unless he focused on the sounds. Blood was building up in his temples, threatening to burst. Soon enough, Dr. McNinja could hear nothing but his own heartbeat.
Out of nowhere, something sharp cut through, the auditory equivalent of a longsword driving through whatever was blockading his eardrums, and popping them. As Doc collapsed in a cold sweat, he heard the sound of trumpets. They were playing, in unison, a three-note tune twice. Doc shut his eyes and his fingers quivered slightly upon his command. He could move again.
He looked up. The three zombies were paralyzed themselves, and were turning a sickly shade of blue. Doc smiled. "I love when ghosts turn blue."
Dr. McNinja lunged forward, driving his blade into the middle zombie's face, instantly killing it. The other two watched with their soulless, unmoving eyes as Doc used that zombie's shoulders to launch himself into the air, leaving the sword sheathed in its face.
"Oh, and uh..."
Doc pulled out four ninja stars from his coat pockets.
"You might feel a small pinch."
He threw them at the zombies, all four landing in the undead's scalps. Doc landed on his feet and pulled his chainsaw nunchucks basically out of nowhere. He gripped the handles tightly as they automatically started buzzing dangerously. Ever since he practiced using this thing, he never had the opportunity to properly use them.
Hell, what better time than the present?
The blue faded away, and the two remaining zombies' joints jerked stiffly into an assault position, as if they were undead automatons getting its joints oiled. One of them tried to claw at Doc from behind. Doc let go of the left saw, letting it swing in a deadly arc behind him, shredding off the arm. He caught the saw with the same hand, and thrust both into the other's head, completely ripping it apart. The one behind him was about to slash with the other arm, so Doc lightly hopped into the air, spinning the nunchucks, slashing the zombie four times.
"Rest in pieces," Doc muttered, putting away the nunchucks.
He carefully made his way to the zombie with his katana still stuck inside it. He pulled it out, cleaning off the indeterminate grossness with a handkerchief.
*clink*
Doc froze, this time voluntarily. His eyes shot to the right, searching his peripherals for the source of the noise. His instincts told him there was a group of people hiding in that direction, but his stunted abilities could only tell him so much.
So he just called out, "Well, feel free to come out whenever."
A small area shimmered as four figures magically appeared. They were wearing black cloaks that covered them head to toe. One of them was holding a large and formidable crossbow.
"Oh," Doc gulped, "Um... hi."
The man with the crossbow stepped forward. "Who are you?"
"I'm a traveler."
"How did you kill those Redeads?"
"Uh..." Doc paused to think. The Redeads, presumably were the screaming zombies. "I uh... cut them lots."
One of the spies started whispering to the crossbowman. "Captain, we cannot trust him. It takes at least two of our best men to kill one Redead. If he's one of them-"
"Peace, Gerard."
The captain scanned Dr. McNinja. "Are you a Prime?"
"Yeah," Doc scowled. "Will that be a problem?"
"That's up to you."
Dr. McNinja shrugged. "Were they yours?"
"The Redeads?" the captain laughed, "You must be new around here. Nobody can control the Redeads, except maybe the blasted Count himself."
"Count Dracul-"
"No!"
Doc seized his sword. The other three raised their own longswords. The captain briskly raised his hand, and his men slowly lowered their arms.
"My apologies," the captain whispered, "But it's important that we don't say his name."
Doc frowned. "What, like a 'He Who Shall Not Be Named' type thing?"
The captain paused. "I suppose so. Yes."
Dr. McNinja scanned them. Medieval longswords. Fighting zombies. Afraid of Dracula.
"Hang on," Doc scoffed, "Are you guys from Darkshire or whatever?"
The cloaked figures shuffled uncomfortably. The captain finally nodded to the others and removed his - actually, her cloak.
"I am Captain Lilian of Darkshire," she said, "And I'd very much appreciate your help with something."
RE: Let Darkness Come - Dr. McNinja - 05-01-2016
Dr. McNinja shivered as he trekked across the wetlands.
“Stupid mission… Stupid Dracula… Stupid swamp…”
He pulled at his labcoat, trying to wrap himself in it. The mist, while it didn’t have the same eerie effect as the one from earlier did, was still wet and cold, chilling his blood.
“This is stupid,” Doc grumbled.
***
“So you want me,” Doc scowled, “to infiltrate Drac- the Count’s castle, pretending to be one of his soldiers.”
“Well, you’d be disguised as a potential recruit,” Captain Lilian shrugged, “But yes.”
The scout team had led Dr. McNinja into one of their nearby outposts. As it turned out, Doc was getting dangerously close to the town of Silent Hill. Since Doc was now used to seeing fictional characters in-person, he was not alarmed to hear that.
What he was alarmed about was that he was being enlisted to go toe-to-toe with ol’ Drac again. And from what he had heard about the Omniverse’s Dracula, there would be no real Bruce Lee to help him get out of a sticky situation. It was just him against a bunch of vampires who may or may not share weaknesses with vampires in Doc’s world.
“But I just got here,” Doc whined, “And I have no idea how to fight the dude.”
“You’re also a Prime who just managed to slay three Redeads,” Lilian replied, “And you’re a ninja. You know stealth like we never could.”
“Yeah, but something tells me it’s not as simple as stabbing the Count in the face.”
“Well, you’re really out there to figure out what the situation is like,” Lilian explained, “We have no viable spies out there. Our troops are all more or less compromised, since a lot of their neighbors are now vampires. But a Prime, new in the area? You’re probably the most viable option we have.”
***
“So dumb.”
Dr. McNinja could see the castle now. It seemed to move forward through the fog, which swirled around it like a light ribbon floating away.
“So dumb.”
The vampiric vanguard fluttered out of nowhere. They were pale like paper, with reddish lips that looked like they took a shower with lipstick on. They were wearing black steel armor and carried various medieval weaponry. Doc was suddenly very aware of the stakes in his pocket. They snarled at him, sensing his pulse even from a distance. McNinja raised his hands.
“Take me to your leader?” he grimaced.
The vampires looked at each other warily, then turned to Doc again.
“Why?” one of them hissed.
“I… well…”
***
“And what do I say once I get there?”
“You were sent for,” one of Lilian’s soldiers announced, “by a ‘Mr. Alucard.’”
***
“Alucard, huh?” the guard hissed. “Right this way.”
The other vampires chuckled as their friend started creeping towards the castle. Doc followed suit, putting his hands on the back of his head.
“You must be Dr. McNinja,” the guard chuckled, “Mr. Alucard has been waiting for you.”
***
Lilian pulled out a scroll. “Our intel says that the Count is rallying his troops for… well, for something.”
“Something,” Doc repeated.
“We’re expecting the worst,” Lilian scowled, “But this means that you can more or less slip in among the crowd. Of course, you’re a Prime, so you wouldn’t exactly be anonymous, but I think it’ll be okay.”
***
“‘Not anonymous’,” Doc grumbled silently, “Damn vamps knew me by name.”
“Right this way, Doctor.”
McNinja scanned his surroundings. Dracula Castle was, well, pretty much the same as the one back home: a menacing Gothic structure. The black spires shot upwards until it disappeared into the fog, with some narrow windows that inexplicably glared at him with knowing eyes. Torches were placed on regular intervals around the castle, which served to light the walls; but frankly, Doc might have been less intimidated had the torches not been lit. A large wooden gate, reinforced with steel bindings and held by steel chains thicker than Doc himself, slowly lowered over what was apparently a moat filled with tons of probably human flesh. The black steel-and-brick towers stained with rust and presumably blood practically screamed, “This place is evil! Run away while you can!”
Doc and his vampire crossed the drawbridge, where Doc noticed that the nails fastening the iron bars appeared to be made of bones. Grimacing, he stepped into the threshold of Dracula’s castle. A dark hallway, barely lit, lined with skeletons wearing armor, greeted him.
Dr. McNinja exhaled in one last breath. It was possibly his last. The sheet-white vampires surrounding him smiled expectantly.
“I’m coming, I’m coming,” Doc mumbled.
“Sure, you are,” his tour guide cackled.
Before Doc could react, the vampire suddenly rushed him, smashing his head into the floor. Dr. McNinja pulled his sword, but his arm was seized by another guard. One of the vampires threw a bag over Doc’s head and another wrapped a chain around his arms. Doc was far from helpless, though. He jumped about five feet into the air, spinning and kicking blindly at what he hoped were vampire faces. When he landed, he rolled forward, and, still blind, managed to kick another in the face. He felt a sharp pain as a fist landed in his stomach, making Doc reel over.
“Stop.”
The voice brought chills to everyone in the hallway. Doc, on his knees, listened carefully. He heard some shuffling and raspy breaths growing distant. They were leaving.
With some effort, Doc managed to loosen the chain and threw off the bag over his head.
“Well, that’s just not fair.”
He was now in a completely different location from where he started, even though he could not have moved that far during the scuffle. But regardless, he had moved presumably to the center of the castle, because in front of him was someone familiar.
Count Dracula smiled. “Hello, Dr. McNinja.”
RE: Let Darkness Come - Dr. McNinja - 05-02-2016
"Whaaaat?" Doc exclaimed, "Alucard was Dracula all along?"
"Let's not play games, Doctor," the Count sighed, "You know who I am, and I know who you are."
Doc flexed his fingers nervously. "Yeah, well, wasn't hard to figure out. 'Alucard'? You didn't even try, you just reversed your name."
The Count flashed an amused smile. He more or less appeared as he normally did. A pitch black cloak covered his shoulders, draping over his armrests. Under it, he donned an equally black suit of armor. His skin, in direct contrast with his clothes, was chalk white.
His throne room was no less intimidating. There appeared to be more than a dozen of skeletal statues embedded into the wall.
"Are you here to kill me, Doctor?"
"I thought you heard," Doc said, slowly pacing the throne room, "I'm here to join your army."
"Ah, yes," Dracula said, casually checking his claw-like nails, "But your reputation precedes you. You are a fine physician. A formidable warrior. And supposedly, a famed vampire slayer."
Fuuuuuu-
"Yet, our transaction is not yet complete. While I am obviously... uncomfortable with your presence here, we have a common enemy." Dracula smiled. "I understand you have had many... disagreements with someone named 'King Radical'."
Doc flinched and scowled at the vampire.
"God, you have ears everywhere, don't you?"
Dracula chuckled. "I have reason to believe that this King Radical is, in fact, working together with the people of Darkshire."
Dr. McNinja scoffed and rolled his eyes. "So Radical doesn't want the Moors to be overrun by vampires," Doc shrugged, "Big whoop."
"Yet, as you are surely aware, Radical appears to have ulterior motives."
"And?"
Dracula snapped his fingers nonchalantly. One of his vampires stepped forward, holding a scrap of paper.
"This is a sketch that one of your agents acquired before she was compromised," the Count explained, "You may recognize the chest."
The vampire handed Doc the sketch. He warily held the scrap of paper and examined it. The chest in the sketch was the same one Radical was holding when he betrayed Doc back in Coruscant. He still had the burns and scars from the fight with that polar bear, and his shoulder was still sore from the bullet wound.
Dracula seemed to notice his discomfort.
"I imagine you are curious why exactly Radical carried through such endeavors for this chest," Dracula smirked, "And what exactly is inside."
Dr. McNinja recomposed himself and glared at the vampire king.
"Well?" Doc snapped, "What is it?"
"Ah, I shan't tell you that quite yet."
Doc drew his sword. "I thought we were done with the games."
"Oh, trust me, Doctor. I prize this particular intel," Dracula smiled, "And it seemed to me it is the only thing keeping me alive. Well, that and my army of nightmares. If you would recall the Redeads."
The grotesque sculptures around the room started shuddering, and their eyes glowed red. Doc panickedly scanned the room. Fifteen Redeads. No way out.
"After all, you've killed one of their brothers with that very blade, along with two others," Dracula sighed with boredom, "They'd very much like you to sheathe it."
The Redeads snarled at him. Doc gripped his katana, then shifted his stance. "Now you're threatening me?"
"Oh, rest assured, I consider you to be an ally out of necessity."
"We are not allies."
Dracula smirked. "Are you suggesting you will fight this King Radical and his allies of Darkshire... by yourself? Best of luck."
Doc grit his teeth, his jaw bulging a bit. He softened his stance and tensely sheathed his katana. Almost on cue, the Redead's eyes faded back into hollowness.
"You see, Doctor, I also feel a... distaste for Radical," Dracula sighed, "He has consistently proven himself to be an... issue. Which means we have a common enemy."
"What's he done to you that you hate him so much?"
Dracula let out a hearty laugh. "You're not one to judge."
"Answer the question."
Dracula scowled. "Within that chest is the key to a weapon. A weapon that threatens your life and mine. It is the weapon which can bring Radical's visions to fruition."
Dr. McNinja clenched his teeth.
"The key that King Radical has," Dracula continued, "leads to an Artefact."
RE: Let Darkness Come - Dr. McNinja - 05-06-2016
"An Artefact?" Doc shouted, marching rapidly towards the Count. "King Radical has an Artefact?"
"Compose yourself," Dracula boomed. Upon those words, the Redeads screamed in unison, freezing Doc on the spot. He felt his ribs clench, just like it did last time. It was as if some clawed hand had reached into his chest and squeezed his heart, denying circulation to the rest of his body.
"At least, our intel says he has a clue for how to acquire one," the Count continued, "And obviously that will cause difficulties for the both of us."
Dracula finally rose his skeletal throne, scowling as he stood.
"Of course, retrieving such a powerful weapon is no easy task. But if King Radical were to succeed, he could annihilate my forces. And whatever sinister plan he is concocting, it will become exponentially harder to stop."
Dracula approached him and leaned in close to whisper in Doc's ear.
"It would seem, Doctor, we have a common enemy."
Doc wanted to cut him down at that very moment. This was the King of Vampires, a species he hunted in college, one of the symptoms of the plague of magic that inflicted chaos and pain on him for his whole life. And he was asking for an alliance. But he was still paralyzed from the Redead scream, unable to even blink. Dracula grinned and returned to his throne, sitting down glumly.
"To join my army, bring two tributes. One must have the blood of an innocent, the other the head of an enemy soldier. Then vow your allegiance to me by letting my drink from your neck."
Dracula tapped his fingernails against the human skull adorning his throne's armrest.
"Obviously, you will object. I am an entity of evil, the monster which you must kill, the antagonist of this story. And I suppose there's no plausible way for me to change your mind. But that information is what you supposedly sought, and now you have it. Our transaction here is complete... if you so wish."
Dracula snapped his fingers. One of his vampire aides entered the room. The Count nodded at him, and he crossed the throne room, not once glancing at Doc. Covering every inch of himself in a cloak, the aide opened a window. Sunlight lightly crawled into the room, barely cutting through the fog. Dracula chuckled. "Victor will show you out."
Victor slung Doc's limp body over his shoulder and carried him towards the window. Doc tried to scream in defiance, but his face refused to move. Victor flung the paralyzed doctor out the window.
Doc, completely unable to move and falling from 5 stories high, watched the ground speed towards him, his terrified scream unable to escape his lungs.