Let Darkness Come

[Dr. McNinja]

"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.