23:10
In the bedroom, tension steadily escalated as the night unfolded. What started as mere confinement within the walls, or rather a room and a half, appeared inconsequential. Peter, Mary, and Dan huddled together on one side, where the queen-size bed had been pushed, growing increasingly uneasy after administering treatment to Chris. Painkillers brought some relief, yet they couldn't afford carelessness in their attempts to alleviate his suffering.
Meanwhile, Michael maintained an unwavering posture, gripping the revolver, attention fixated on the door. Beside him lay the charred remains of a dismembered corpse, emitting an unsettling aura. Since their entry into the room, Michael hadn't uttered a word or made the slightest movement for hours. His intense focus on the door surpassed the concentration most people ever witnessed, creating a disquieting atmosphere. Dan, in frustration, exacerbated the tension with subdued, discontented snubs.
And indeed, the incessant banging on the door persisted with as much intensity nearly three hours later as it did in the initial minute. The woman, purportedly a friend of Chris's daughter, initially appeared to be under the influence of substances. However, the question lingered: what could sustain her manic persistence for this extended duration? If she were to breach the door, would they witness Michael resorting to shooting her?
Compounding the unease in the room was the absence of cellphone service. Not a single device managed to establish a signal for calls or internet usage. Though Peter and Mary had some books in the bedside stands, the atmosphere discouraged anyone from seeking refuge in their inner worlds. On the contrary, there was a collective yearning for external contact – just the reassurance of the ability to reach someone beyond the confines of the room. The desire for an option to call the police loomed large, especially before the situation escalated into the chaos etched in their minds – the haunting scene outside the room just before the door sealed them off.
Had Peter, Mary, and Dan been privy to the ominous prelude of the night, they might have mustered the courage to voice their dissent to David and sought an exit through him, if necessary. Regrettably, the opportunity to steer clear of the impending chaos had slipped away. If altering the course of events were within their grasp, they would have prioritized preventing Michael from initiating the sequence of events that led to this turmoil.
However, in the inescapable present, they found solace in each other's company – Chris included. Since that spine-chilling cry or laughter, which had rattled them to their core, the entire building seemed to quiver every few minutes. Only two anchors maintained their equilibrium – Michael and the smoldering, dismembered corpse.
'Stay calm. Nothing will change if you let it consume you. You made your choices, and this is the reckoning. There's no Plan B, only Plan A, so I must place my trust in David. I have to trust David!' Michael affirmed to himself, the weight of the consequences bearing down on him. 'At this point, anything else would shatter my resolve. In stories, deviating from the script is considered bad writing, and only plot armor can save the protagonist. This. Is. Real! This is my life now! And the metaphorical script dictates trusting David and pulling the trigger when the door opens!'
…
"The Moon Seal Rune is unbreakable; it's ingrained into the very foundations of the building," David chuckled, casually leaning against the wall in the tenth-floor hallway.
A couple of hours earlier, tension had escalated after the Lycanders were forcefully pulled from the Terminal Dimension. A skirmish nearly erupted between them and the four members of the House of Dobroutes vying for control over their captive, David. From the Werewolves' perspective, the Moon Seal posed a significant challenge, particularly for the three Vampires among them. At dawn, the Moon Seal would project the sun, saturating the building with Solar Magick Ions. While for them, maintaining their humanoid beast form would become increasingly difficult, for the Vampires survival seemed implausible – fifteen seconds would mark their demise, reduced to ashes.
With the bounty secondary to their immediate survival, the Werewolves charged forward, noting the visibly weakened state of the Vampires and the distinct scent of Solar Magick Ions on their persons. As for the Daywalker Nāga, they recognized him as a formidable adversary. Yet, they also acknowledged his precarious situation, understanding that the more he engaged, the swifter his physical collapse would be.
Contrary to the Lycanders' meticulous calculations, the skirmish unfolded in a mere blink. As the two Werewolves and the Nāga, momentarily discarding David, lunged at each other, Colan swiftly navigated to the closest apartment and forcefully struck its glowing door.
A seismic shudder resonated throughout the building, freezing everyone in their tracks. All eyes converged on David, and, second only to Colan, the craftiness of the human dawned on five of the six monsters.
The conundrum became glaringly apparent – breaking the Mystic Integrity of the building was intertwined with breaking the Moon Seal Rune. It was a vicious cycle, leaving them in a precarious situation.
"Assuming David inscribed the Moon Seal Rune in the morning, though that's an unlikely scenario. He may have discovered the bounty first, but without scouting his rivals, he wouldn't have known what countermeasures to prepare. Consequently, the Rune's charge with Solar Magick Ions at sunset is likely at a low level. It's imperative for us all to collaborate and unravel it now before dawn triggers the Rune, subjecting us to the full force of the sun," Colan strategized.
"We'll survive," Sierra declared with unwavering certainty, her bone-chilling, beastly voice resonating with conviction.
Neither Sierra nor Colan broached the idea of fleeing through The Gray for two compelling reasons. Firstly, The Gray might be rigged with traps set by David. Secondly, David's unparalleled insight into the Terminal Dimension could be matched but not surpassed. Unfortunately, in such close proximity, he had no intention of granting access to anyone.
Fast forward to the present.
Despite the merciless beating that brought him to the brink of consciousness, particularly focusing on his head, David remained fully aware. Ramon and Sierra reverted to their human forms, while Taura, due to his unstable condition, transformed into a sickly-looking human. The group, now a mix of humans and three Vampires, scrutinized the Moon Seal Rune adorning the doors of the tenth-floor apartments. Being caught within the confines of the Rune meant their position was fixed, and moving up or down a floor posed the risk of triggering it.
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"The potency of the blood is overwhelming," Ramon remarked, his keen senses attuned to the glowing circular Rune on the Mir family's apartment door.
The six had already determined that David had employed blood to inscribe the Rune. While not the ideal ingredient, it was cost-effective. The sole predicament arose when they scoured the pockets of his trench coat, finding no vial, and realized his blood was just ordinary human blood.
Colan surmised that David had the ability to alter the properties of his blood, akin to how he manipulated the hue of his Magick. Yet, David's uncooperative nature persisted, and his human blood proved ineffective for the Rune, causing it to flare and reverberate through the entire building, much like their own blood.
"Nāga, how much of your blood can you spare?" Ramon inquired. "Though unstable, yours still ranks among the highest grades, at least for the brief duration it will last."
Colan interjected, rejecting the notion. "If it's a competition of blood, Taura would have to spill more than he can offer, and it's still doubtful whether it would be sufficient for the entire building." He spoke the truth, unwilling to sacrifice the formidable strength that Taura represented for their group. Capturing David was one thing; now, however, it seemed too late to reverse their course.
"His blood is the only one we haven't tested against the Rune," Ramon observed. "Nāga, you're already dead. While you're still alive, prove the tenacity of your kind. We may not be your allies, but to perish without a fight, not even against the Great Birds, would be a greater shame than failing to demonstrate your worth."
"My demise isn't certain," Taura countered. Approaching the door, he sliced his palm with a fingernail. Rather than the vibrant green blood typical of Nāgas, a sludgy, pale red substance oozed out, akin to his venom.
Smearing the Rune on the door, it emitted a radiant silvery light. Fumes wafted as the Nāga's blood evaporated, triggering a more violent tremor throughout the entire building than any previous attempts.
After a harrowing half-minute of shaking, the building finally stabilized.
"It can work," Sierra affirmed. "But we'll need more," she directed her gaze towards Taura.
"Indeed. Approximately two-thirds of what flows in his veins," David added, fanning the flames of urgency.
With purposeful steps, Sierra traversed the hallway to reach David, paying little heed to the Vampires surrounding her. She seized David by the throat, her grip unyielding. "Repeat what you said. Say anything," she calmly demanded. "And I won't just break more of your bones. I'll turn them to dust and proceed to rip your limbs apart. Do you understand?" She added quickly, "Oh, and indicate 'Yes' by blinking your eyes once since you're not permitted to speak."
David gazed down at Sierra, maintaining an eerie calmness that defied her expectations, and blinked once with a subtle smile.
Sierra emitted a low, growling sound, releasing her hold on him and allowing him to drop to the floor. She returned to Ramon's side with a leisurely walk.
"Strike her, Novak!" Colan urged, manipulating sound waves when Sierra's back was turned to them.
Caught off guard by the unexpected command, Novak froze. "I... I..." The man's eyes were watching them.
"You did well. Knowing to distinguish between what's right and your superior's command is a crucial quality not many of our kind possess."
"You were testing me? Now?!" Novak held back his anger.
"No," Colan asserted, his gaze fixed on the unfolding situation. "I was testing her. Their sense of smell is stronger than their hearing. At least in their human form, they can't hear us." Galeward, the third Vampire present, was now included in the conversation. "The way things are progressing, we won't be able to prevent the Rune from activating at dawn."
"What do you suggest?" Galeward inquired, his tone revealing a hint of concern.
"As David said," Colan began, his expression serious, "we must resort to force, even at the cost of compromising the Mystic Integrity of the building."
Galeward was about to voice his reservations when he comprehended why Colan had chosen this particular moment to speak. Since Sierra had forbidden David from communicating, even if the human could hear them, he wouldn't be able to dissuade the formidable woman from carrying out her threat before the Rune activated.
"The Rune will activate regardless," Colan continued. "We can make an attempt to leave the building now at maximum speed. It will trigger the Rune, but if we surrender David and the bounty and agree to relinquish Taura, the Lycanders won't pursue us. Alternatively, we can stay. Let Taura block the Lycanders as two of us counter as much of the Solar Magick Ions the Rune is charged with, while the third goes for the bounty."
"What if David left traps inside the apartment?" Galeward hesitated, still affected by the Solar Magic Ions he had been exposed to through David's cunning marbles.
"The Thrall would not still be shouting inside if there were traps," Colan confidently replied.
"At any rate, there should be nothing that can kill us inside if she's not dead," Novak reasoned.
"Then, who will it be?" Galeward inquired.
"Of course, the most capable in this situation," Colan said with a hint of smugness. "Relax, Galeward. I know that you're brave and would agree to be one of the two to block the Magic Ions. Your shadow could be the most effective means to cover whoever goes for the bounty. Nevertheless, it can also work the fastest for the assault. The light from the Rune will stretch your shadow. Without the Mystic Integrity of the building, not even if all of us work together to stop you, would we be able to prevent you from entering the apartment."
Galeward felt a wave of relief, though he resisted showing it. Revealing any sign of relief could attract the attention of the others and jeopardize the plan.
"The Adjudicator," the last and most significant challenge to the plan, was someone nobody wanted to provoke.
"Kill the bounty quickly, and the Adjudicator will accept the result with minor reprimanding," Colan suggested pragmatically.
"It would only be worth it if the value of the bounty is as David claims," Novak interjected, expressing mild discontent with enduring another dose of Solar Magick Ions himself.
"If this was an elaborate plan to eliminate a group of First Metamorphoses, David wouldn't be the man who succeeded in enraging our Lord," Colan responded, addressing every concern. Novak and Galeward hesitated to test the limits of his patience merely to ease their fears.
"I'm informing Taura. Prepare to act," Colan declared.
Taura traversed the hallway, coincidentally crossing paths with Sierra, as he heard Colan's instructions. If he had the time, as a part-Vampire, he could learn how to manipulate sound waves to reply. Fortunately, he was onboard with the plan, so there was nothing for him to add.
"I'll be in the rear, Novak at the front, and Galeward in the middle. When Taura turns around, transform!" Colan instructed, finalizing the preparations.
Taura, positioned merely a meter from Sierra, abruptly turned, capturing Ramon's attention. His transformation, hindered by his condition, lacked swiftness but carried an element of surprise. Witnessing Taura's shift, Ramon responded by initiating his own transformation, and Sierra swiftly followed suit upon seeing her partner.
On the opposite side of the hallway, Novak and Galeward morphed into two formidable Vampiric entities. Meanwhile, Colan, being the quickest to complete his immaculate transformation, pivoted toward the door behind him, shouting, "First Blood!"
Mid-transformation, Sierra and Ramon shared the same bewildering thought: 'What is he doing?!' Nevertheless, it proved impossible to halt Colan's determined actions.
A shiny red fang forcefully struck and pierced the center of the silver circle, depicting the Moon Seal Rune on the door. For five seconds – a duration during which everyone completed their transformation and Sierra and Ramon engaged in a physical standoff with Taura while Novak and Galeward patiently awaited the opportune moment – the Rune fluctuated around the fang, tiny currents dancing and expanding.
As the five seconds elapsed, the Rune dissipated, and a click reverberated through the hallway. Finally, the lock of one of the apartment doors released – the Moon Seal had barred all entrance doors in the building from both sides. A middle-aged man opened the door, grumbling to his wife that he had managed as "promised" and insisted she could stop trying to call the police. Huffing and puffing, he turned his head to the hallway, where three monstrous figures pivoted their heads toward him, and then everything vanished in a warm, blinding white light.