Part 6: The Save Room.

Vishno:
Well this is more than just a coincidence. I am very pleased to meet you but, do you mind telling me what you are doing here?

Just as she was about to answer a creaking sound made them both turn around. As they did, the drawbridge had begun to slowly drop down; Vishno began to wonder if it dropped down because of Sarah's arrival or because of a different reason. Sara however, thought that this had to be a trap of some sort.

Vishno & Sarah together:
Listen, I…

Sarah giggled while Vishno rolled his eyes to try to avoid the embarrassment. She reminded him of someone he once knew but, knowing Rowan was here made him focus on his mission. He then figured he should let the lady speak first. Sarah smiles and notices Vishno encouraging her to speak before he did so again.

Sarah:
I’m sorry; I was just going to ask you about this castle.
Vishno:
That’s fine; I was just going to ask you the same thing anyway. Somehow I think you know as much about this castle as I do. Am I wrong to assume this?
Sarah:
Not at all. I do think we should be careful though. Don’t you find odd that the drawbridge came down just after my arrival?
Vishno:
Yes, now that you mention it I am thinking someone has been waiting for you. But what else can we do?
Sarah:
Yes, I believe this to be a trap but I can not afford to walk away now. I am sure that whoever attacked my family is here and maybe I can also find a cure for their illness.
Vishno:
That sounds awful. If you allow me I am willing to help you in any way possible.
Sarah:
Thank you. Now, shall we? *She says as she points to the opened drawbridge.*
Vishno:
After you my lady.
Sarah:
Why thank you kind sir. (She smiles briefly as she walks into the glass corridor.)

As Sarah stepped inside she looked through the glass while headed for the castle. The outside garden looked magnificent and scary at the same time. While she continued forward she noticed things and plants moving around in the garden. She wondered what could possibly be moving out there at this time of night. Vishno saw it too and his chakram began to glow a very pale red. This meant to him that there was danger close by but nothing to be concerned about. After a moment they finally reached the main gates so they pushed them open to reveal the great hall. Sara is overwhelmed by its beauty; she never expected to see so many expensive things in one place. She then noticed the red door with the markings on it and pondered what could lay behind it. Overtaken by her curiosity, she made her way up the left staircase to examine the markings closely. Vishno noticed and followed her as he immediately recognized the markings on the door.

Vishno:
Sarah, have you ever seen any of those symbols before?
Sarah:
Absolutely not, why do you ask?
Vishno:
I just recognized them; some of them are Celtic while others are used by the Catholic Church. For example, this white lily here is a symbol of resurrection. The sun in the middle has Greek letters; iota, eta and sigma which are the first 3 letters of the Greek word for Jesus. And look over here, the image shown to the right of it is one of many representations of the Celtic Tree of Life. The Tree was a central part of early Celtic spirituality.
Sarah:
And that means what exactly?
Vishno:
Well, to the Celts, the tree was a source of basic sustenance - a bearer of food, a provider of shelter and fuel for cooking and warmth. Without trees, life would have been extraordinarily difficult for them. And look at the symbol right above the sun; it looks like a Triquetra or Triqueta.
Sarah:
I'm sorry; I don't believe I know what that is.
Vishno:
It is most commonly a symbol of the Holy Trinity; Father, son, Holy Spirit, you know. It is used by the Celtic Christian Church. You see, this symbol predates Christianity and was likely a Celtic symbol of the triple Goddess, and in the North, a symbol of the god Odin. Triplicities were common symbols in Celtic myth and legend, one of the possible reasons Christian beliefs were so easily adopted by the Celtic people. But I should stop, I’m probably boring you with this kind of thing.
Sarah:
Not at all; but please tell me, how do you know so much about this anyway?
Vishno:
My mother taught me quite a lot about symbols just like her parents did to her. For my family, white magic and religion are a big part of life.
Sarah:
I see... Listen, this is very interesting and all but don’t you think we should open this door and find out why it has all of these markings on it?
Vishno:
Sure, I was just about to suggest that. Let’s open it.

They opened the door to reveal a rather small room behind it. The room was about the size of an average bedroom and it measured at around three by three meters. It was also quite high at about 4 meters from floor to ceiling. Having no windows, it would have been dark if not for the average looking candles inside it and a small pyre lit in the hands of a large statue right in front of them. The large statue had been placed at the other end of the room and it bore some resemblance to the Virgin Mary. The other two statues looked like angels of some sort and were located to the sides of the room. They were both about one meter tall and were placed on top of pedestals about one and a half meters tall. The room had a faint smell of incense and myrrh so it soothed whoever sat foot in there. As they entered the room, Sara, who was rather fatigued by walking all the way there, was now refreshed and ready for more.

Sarah:
You know Vishno, I no longer feel tired from the trip over here. Could this room have anything to do with that?
Vishno:
I believe so yes. That must be why the room’s door has all of those symbols on it. It must have been conditioned for the purpose of healing whoever walks in. This castle looks very old so whoever built it must have been in quite a few battles. He or, she, must have had a great need for a room such as this.
Sarah:
Well this is all very interesting and everything but we have to move on and find the one who attacked my parents. They do not have much time.
Vishno:
Yes you are right, let’s get out of here and search the castle.

They stepped out the “safe” room and into the great hall. They noticed many doors there but had no idea which one to try next. Sarah took the initiative and walked towards the set of doors leading to the throne room. As she tried to open them she discovered they would not even budge. Disappointed, she mumbled something not even Vishno could understand and returned to the marked door where Vishno pondered their next move. But before they could do anything else, Death appeared as if out of nowhere...


Death:
It would be wise of you to take the door in the middle of the staircases if you wish to continue your search. (Just as death said that, it disappeared.)

End Part 6.

Part 7: Castle’s Armory.

Sarah and Vishno were left baffled by death’s appearance. Should they have trusted its words? Seeing as time was running out, Sarah figured she had no other choice; she began to walk down the stairs. As she did, Vishno wondered about death’s visit himself. If this was a trap, who was it meant for? The obvious choice was the girl since the drawbridge opened as soon as she had arrived. After all, why would anyone want to set him up here? Figuring this was most likely a trap for the young lady, he rushed down the stairs to catch up to her.

Vishno:
Sarah, wait... You should not do this alone. Let me help you.
Sarah:
Very well then; but do keep up with me please. The last thing I want is to fail on my mission and time is running out. Let us go in the direction we were told.
Vishno:
As you wish my lady. I just hope we're not going about this the wrong way by trusting that... thing.

Sarah opened the door leading to the Castle’s Armory. After opening the door they discovered a room full of swords. They were all displayed on racks set up against each wall. Each sword seemed different, some even looked rusted and unusable but, there was one that stood out for Sarah. This sword had a green circular handle, as well as a yellow and red circle on the bottom of it resembling an eye. She could see that the blade wasn't made from any ordinary metal as it shined in a most peculiar manner. Vishno was almost at the other door when he noticed that Sarah had stopped to observe that sword. Thinking she wouldn’t stop for anything because of her brother, he realized this particular sword had a strange hold over people. Having heard tales of how some weapons could be used to have adverse effects on their users, he felt compelled to stop her from keeping that sword. Some weapons had been used to destroy the user from within; others were embedded with curses. These curses ranged from causing the user be weak against certain enemy attacks, to other status afflictions as well. Knowing this, Vishno checked his chakram. As soon as he did his fears were confirmed; the chakram glowed in a bright red light. Knowing this meant danger, he quickly stepped in front of Sarah and knocked the sword out of her hand.

Sarah:
Why did you do that for!?
Vishno:
We have to ignore these weapons Sarah. Your brother’s life depends upon this.
Sarah (coming to her senses):
You’re right. I don’t know what came over me... how did you know?
Vishno:
My chakram warned me about nearby danger so I assumed it came from these weapons and, by the look of things that sword had you in some sort of trance.
Sarah:
Thank you Vishno. (It was then that she noticed the weapon on his belt) What’s that?
Vishno:
Oh this... This is my holy chakram. My mother gave it to me before I left town. It has the ability of healing me as well as warning me of all sorts of possible dangers. Its most useful ability is to hunt down vampires on its own. It can also hunt down other kinds of enemies but I have to concentrate for a few moments in order for that to happen.
Sarah:
Wow I... I had no idea. I only have this whip but I trust it with my life. It is my father’s whip and it still has certain elemental properties. But enough about that, we need to move on.
Vishno:
Indeed, just remember to ignore anything we see in these rooms.

Sarah nodded as they both moved on to the next room. The sword Sarah had picked up, vanished into thin air. The next room was a rather large quadrangular room filled with all sorts of armor. They had to take a right to get to the door leading to the other room. This one was full of shields and the door leading to yet another room was on their left so they quickly went through it. In this room however, not only it had plenty of battle boots but, it also had chunks of bones all scattered across the floor. As soon as Sarah and Vishno step forward they were forced to come to an immediate stop as they heard some creaking sounds. Vishno’s chakram began to glow a crimson red. He quickly grabbed it with his right hand and prepared himself for a fight. Sarah saw this and also took out her whip. The sounds were coming from the bones as they came together to form skeletons.

Sarah:
Has anything like this happened to you before?
Vishno:
Too many times to count I’m afraid.
Sarah:
So we just have to fight right?
Vishno:
If you can distract them for a few seconds, I can make use of my chakram to defeat them more easily and save us some time in the long run. What do you say?
Sarah:
Consider it done. Now, if I could only remember how to use the fire properties of this whip... ah yes, that’s the way! (Sarah said as the vampire killer whip changed color and tiny flames spouted from its tip.) Let me know as soon as you’re ready Vishno.
Vishno:
Of course!

As Sarah began taking down some skeletons, Vishno started to concentrate. Skeletons on her left started to throw bones at her while skeletons on her right see Vishno and threw bones at him. Sarah dodged and covered Vishno by whipping away the bones. These crumbled to ashes as they were weak against the fire element. Sarah noticed and quickly got back on her feet but as she did, all of the skeletons grabbed some of their own ribs and tossed them over their heads in Sarah’s direction. Sarah whipped most of them away as she advanced towards two of the skeletons on her right. She made some combination moves so that the whip’s cracks protected her from the skeleton’s attacks. Since the skeletons are quite slow, she managed to get through their attacks without even breaking a sweat. By that time, Vishno was ready and he let Sarah know right away.

Vishno:
Sarah, Get down!

Sarah ducked as the chakram flew towards the foes and dispatched them all in seconds. As they crumbled away Sarah leapt back near to Vishno and saw how the holy weapon returned to its master. It was no longer glowing red at that point.

Sarah:
How did you manage to catch that without having your hand sliced off?
Vishno:
My chakram and I are in constant communication, especially when we’re apart. It lets me know the exact moment in which to raise my hand to catch it so that I can avoid the sharp edges. There’s more to my chakram than meets the eye, but for now we should go find your brother.
Sarah:
You’re right. Let’s keep moving.

They went straight through to the next room. This room had stones used for sharpening swords and similar weapons. Also, this very room had even more bones scattered on the floor but, these bones were red. Sarah and Vishno noticed this before they heard the usual bone crackling noises, Vishno’s chakram glowed red again and they prepared for battle. Sarah noticed for the first time the glow on Vishno’s weapon, but she figured she could always ask later. As they expected, the red bones came together to form creepy looking red skeletons. These skeletons looked even tougher than the ones they faced before, but Vishno was not impressed. With his chakram now targeting skeletons on its own, he threw it at the enemies. The chakram flew in their direction and before they could throw a single bone, it sliced each of them as if they were nothing. Vishno caught his holy weapon as it returned and Sarah nodded to him to indicate they should keep moving. As they began to run however, the skeletons that were just destroyed pulled themselves back together. Both stopped in their tracks as they were attacked by the red skeletons. Sarah took out her whip once more as Vishno tackled a skeleton against a wall. With his chakram still in hand, Vishno slashed away at the nearest skeletons, but after some time they got back up again. Sarah kept whipping away, and despite the fact that her foes were rather slow, she had a hard time keeping them at bay.

End part 7.

Part 8: The Mysterious Creature (First boss fight)

Sarah:
How can we beat something that won’t stay down?
Vishno:
I think I have an idea. Get your skeletons over this way!
Sarah:
You got it!

As Sarah tried to herd the skeletons close to Vishno, a strange watery substance appeared from under the door. This door lead to the next part of the castle, the catacombs. As Sarah pushed the skeletons towards Vishno’s direction, He managed to get close to one of the sharpening stones in the middle of the room. Since the skeletons attacking him were spread out he had to get them close together. To this end, he makes his chakram glow white as if he wanted to light up a room. This also imbues it with a holy aura the skeletons can see. Two of them seemed surprised by this while the rest got frightened by it. Vishno was counting on this as he waved his holy weapon in the direction of the frightened skeletons. As a result, they get close together and look at each other. Seeming to agree on something, they began to form something of a human pyramid by joining together. By that time Sarah had gotten all of her skeletons close to the others. Vishno saw it and he sent his chakram flying into the foes. The enemies were all crushed to bits as Vishno yelled instructions to Sarah.

Vishno:
Now is our chance! Grab a few of the stones lying on the ground and put them on top of the pile of bones.
Sarah:
Understood...

As Sarah put the biggest rocks she could lift on top of the twitching bones, Vishno did the same and in no time they covered all of them. By the time the skeletons were supposed to get up, they simply could not reform themselves. Vishno’s idea had worked! But alas, his chakram began to glow a crimson red again. Both he and Sarah noticed so they looked at their surroundings to see where the danger might be coming from. Sarah was the first to set eyes upon a big bat-like creature on the ceiling. She is left motionless as she had no idea there could be a bat that size. Vishno suddenly realized that Sarah wasn’t moving or saying anything so he turned around to see what had her in such a state of shock. Seeing nothing, he looked up and saw the big baddie staring at them; but how could a bat have sight? It seemed as it was waiting for both victims to look at it to attack. Before Vishno could even start to concentrate, the bat swooped down at them with precision but they both crouched and rolled fast enough to avoid its attack. As Vishno began to concentrate for a lighting spell, Sarah finally spoke.

Sarah:
What is that thing? Do you have any ideas on how to fight it?
Vishno (still concentrating, whispers back to Sarah):
I’m hoping that a flying creature such as a bat would have a disadvantage against the lightning element. Can your whip handle that element?
Sarah:
As a matter of fact yes, it can also bring out sparks through its tip. My father taught me how to do this some time ago.
Vishno:
Good. Then we must act together in a combination attack to take it out. I’ll send it close to you so you can deal the final blow. Just be ready in case things don’t go as planned.
Sarah:
I’ll be ready.

As Vishno fired a lightning bolt spell from his index finger at the giant bat, Sarah prepared her whip. While avoiding the lightning bolt spell, the bat kept itself at a safe distance from Sarah and her whip. It only took a few seconds for Sarah to change the properties of her whip to lightning; it finally charged up and sparks started flying in all directions from its tip. Seeing as the creature was quite fast, Vishno decided to try and predict where it would be as it flew around the room. He stroke the ceiling time and time again but the bat seemed to predict his every move as well. Tired of this, he simply threw his holy weapon at the giant bat. The chakram flew towards the bat flying near the ceiling but failed to hit it. After crashing into the wall it fell to the ground near Vishno. This shocked him as his holy weapon never missed when it came to bats or vampires. He then figured that this thing they were fighting must not have been an actual bat. The shock almost cost him his life as the foe came swooping in to bite Vishno on the neck. Barely missing its target, it flew back up near the ceiling as Vishno picked up his weapon and began to concentrate yet again. This time, it was not to cast a spell but to make his chakram target this new enemy; whatever it was. Sarah on the other hand was ready but could not get a clear shot at the bat. Seeing that Vishno might be in over his head trying to get this creature near her, she decided to help by knocking the bat out of balance. She picked up one of the stones lying around on the floor as the monster flew out of Vishno’s reach and close to Sarah’s location. It emitted some odd sound waves towards Sarah while Vishno finished concentrating and threw his chakram at the creature yet again. Before Vishno could even throw his weapon however, the sound waves launched by the bat reached the Belmont girl and she was thrown off balance herself, causing her to drop the stone in her hand. While Sarah tries to recover from the confusion, the holy chakram reached the bat and severely wounded one of its wings. This caused it to drop like a rock on top of Sarah but not before Vishno threw himself in her direction to get her out of the way. By this time, Sarah was back to normal and as they turned to look at their foe, they were surprised yet again at what they saw. The bat transformed into a wolf right before their eyes. The wolf didn’t seem hurt but it definitely looked angry as it showed its fangs to both opponents. Before they got a chance to do anything, the wolf attacked first by leaping in their direction as if ready to rip them apart. Both Sarah and Vishno barely escaped the wolf’s wrath by rolling in a different direction. As they did, Vishno threw his chakram at the enemy while Sarah lashed at it with her whip. The wolf didn’t even flinch as it dodged not only Vishno’s weapon but, Sarah’s whip as well. The chakram failed to home in on the target but this time, managed to return to Vishno’s hand. Vishno of course, was left amazed by the fact that this creature had managed to avoid his holy weapon not once, but twice. As they kept dodging the wolf’s ram attacks Sarah kept trying to hit it with her whip but to no avail. The wolf was faster than she was and it would not let either opponent to let down his or her guard as it attacked them in what seemed to be some sort of sequence.

Vishno (thinking):
I don’t understand. How can this thing avoid my chakram two times? Once it locks on to a target, there’s no avoiding it because the souls in my weapon can sense and track it. There’s just no way this could be happening unless... Of course; there must be more to this creature than meets the eye... Still, how can we beat it? One of us may have to distract it somehow. But how can I tell Sarah without making our intentions obvious to our enemy? Hmm... I know! It’s attacking in a sequence right now so if I manage to grab him when it gets close to me, maybe Sarah can get a clear shot even if she hits me as well.

As predicted, Sarah dodged the wolf's attack while failing to hit it. Vishno in the mean time, prepared for the worse. He knew that right after an attack to Sarah the wolf would come after him so he had to be ready for it. Exactly as he planned, the wolf opened its fangs and aimed for Vishno but, that time he was ready and dodged in a different way. He actually just jumped and grabbed the wolf while it was making a turn to attack Sarah yet again. Sarah saw Vishno holding on to the wolf in a way that it couldn’t bite Vishno to free itself. It was at that moment when he shouted some instructions her way.

Vishno:
Sarah! Now is your chance! I’m slowing the wolf down so you can hit it. Do it now!
Sarah:
But I'll hit you as well, I can’t do it.
Vishno:
You must! It’s the only way. Do not worry about me and just do it. For your brother’s sake, do it!
Sarah:
This... this doesn’t feel right but I'll trust you.

As Sarah cracked her whip on both the wolf and her friend, she closed her eyes. Both Vishno and the creature were sent flying into different directions and were left badly damaged by the discharge. Vishno could barely speak but he still managed to instruct Sarah to deal the final blow on the wolf. She didn’t even notice his chakram glowing white at that time because she moved in on the wolf to deal the final blow. Just before she could lash away at their enemy however, the wolf changed shape yet again. This time it turned into an ox and though it seemed damaged, it rushed into the door leading to the catacombs. By breaking the door to a million pieces, it managed to escape before Sarah could do any more damage.

End part 8.

Part 9: The Sub Weapons.

Sarah tried in vain to stop the foe from leaving but failed. Frustrated she frowned but at the same time, she remembered about Vishno and how badly wounded he might have been. Without even thinking, she opened her bag and took out one of the potions. She turned around to look for Vishno but he was already getting up. Surprised and at the same time relieved that her friend no longer seemed to be wounded, she approached Vishno and with a calm voice she asked him how he was doing. She also noticed his holy weapon as its white glow dimmed down to nothing.

Sarah:
Are you still hurt Vishno?
Vishno:
Don’t worry about me Sarah, I’m fine now.
Sarah:
Are you sure? I have some potions with me in case you require any.
Vishno:
Save your potions for when you really need them. My chakram can heal me better than any potion can.
Sarah:
That is amazing and I’m glad to hear it, but the monster just fled and we still have no idea where my brother is being held.
Vishno:
We might as well follow that creature into whatever place it went. I have a feeling that’s the only way we can find your brother.
Sarah:
What are we waiting for then?
Vishno:
After you my lady.
Sarah:
Thank you.

As they went through the door, they discovered a long staircase going down in a spiral. All the previous rooms in the armory had been kept lit by torches. This staircase however, had small candles lined up all the way down on both sides of it. Each of them was one meter apart from the other and they all flickered in an odd way. Both Sarah and Vishno thought this was rather strange but didn’t give it much thought. As they made their way down the stairs, they also started a conversation.

Vishno:
Shouldn’t we be running down these steps?
Sarah:
I don’t want to risk tripping and falling. That is the last thing we need.
Vishno:
Good point, since we don’t know how far these stairs go it is better to take things slow rather than risk loosing more time if we get hurt needlessly.
Sarah:
Exactly.
Vishno:
So, do you mind if we take this time to get to know more about each other?
Sarah:
No, I don’t mind at all. As a matter of fact I have a question for you.
Vishno:
Go ahead.
Sarah:
How does that weapon of yours work? I saw it can follow whatever you throw it at. How is that even possible?
Vishno:
To make a long story short, it was made centuries ago and given magical properties. I’m told that almost every generation in my family has died while in possession of this chakram so they are given a choice. The user can add his or her soul to the weapon to make its holy power even stronger; or one can decide not to and hope for reincarnation or something else. This depends on the beliefs of the user as well of course.
Sarah:
You mean to tell me that there are human souls trapped inside that thing?
Vishno:
No, don’t misunderstand, this weapon has a collective of souls. The souls inside it are not trapped at all. You see, each of them have willingly joined the chakram to prevent premature deaths from happening in my family.
Sarah:
And how has that worked out so far?
Vishno:
It seems to have worked well apparently. My mother for example, lived her whole life without fear thanks to the help provided by it. Unlike some of my forefathers, she managed to hand down this weapon to me instead of giving it away as an inheritance.
Sarah:
That sounds great; but how does the weapon know who to protect?
Vishno:
First you need to become the chakram’s user and you can only become one by being a member of my family. As soon as you become its user you get a mental connection to it and it recognizes you as its protégé. The details can be a bit complicated but this is pretty much how it works.
Sarah:
I saw it change color before we faced the red skeletons. Does it always change colors like that?
Vishno:
Yes it does. It can change colors depending on the situation. The red color you saw for example, is a sign of danger. The brighter the color, the closer the danger is or the sooner it is about to happen. There are other colors but the most important you should know about right now are white, orange and gray. When it glows white then it is most likely because it is attempting to heal me of either physical damage or some other affliction I may not be aware of. I can also make it glow white to act as a torch to light up very dark places. It only glows grey if it needs recharging. After absorbing the energy of a few downed opponents it can recharge. While it is in need of recharge, only a couple of colors can work. Orange is one of these colors and it is used usually when I need to find a safe place or a healing item of some sort. In fact, there are many other things my weapon can do but I am still learning about them myself.
Sarah:
And there are more colors you say?
Vishno:
Yes but they are not as important. So, can I ask you something?
Sarah:
Anything!
Vishno:
What’s the story on that whip of yours? Can it handle a few more elements?
Sarah:
My father told me he got it from a friend he met before I was born. I think his name was Gandolfi. And no, there is only one more element it can handle and it is ice. My father didn’t know it at the time but with each elemental demon he defeated the whip gained more power. He hasn’t used it in a long time and now that my family is in trouble it is up to me to wield it. Even though my father made me practice with it long ago, I still feel I have a lot to learn about it.
Vishno:
Listen Sarah; for what it is worth, you seemed like an expert with it back there.
Sarah:
Please! I’m far from that at all.
Vishno:
I mean it. You literally took my breath away when you stroke both me and the wolf. You have very good skills. Your father must be very proud of you.
Sarah:
Thank you. Even though my father is not much for sharing his feelings, you could be right to say that. How about your father? Is he proud of the man you have become?
Vishno:
As a matter of fact, I have never even met my father. My mother told me he was a vampire hunter and that he left me a couple of weapons but that’s about it. I have been searching for him ever since I left home and the only one who could provide me with answers is a vampire who I know happens to be here.
Sarah:
Do you happen to know the name of this vampire?
Vishno:
Yes, his name is Joachim. I was told that he may hold a clue to my father’s whereabouts. I am also looking for another vampire who came here. He goes by the name of Rowan; I was hired to destroy him you see.
Sarah:
So we’re both looking for someone here. Hmm, what a coincidence...
Vishno:
I don’t believe in coincidences. I think we were destined to come here.
Sarah:
I wouldn’t have figured you for a man who believes in destiny. I happen to believe we each make our own fate.
Vishno:
Ah, but you forget that we are not alone in this world. Each person tries his or her best to make their own fate as well and many of them try to run the fates of others in the process. So even if you do your best to make your own destiny others may have a plan that could affect the outcome of your own altogether; whether they want to or not. That, my friend, is what I call fate.
Sarah:
I’ve... never thought about it that way. Hmm, you make an interesting point. It is definitely something to think about.
Vishno:
Look, we seem to be approaching the end of this stairway. Why don’t you show me how your whip handles ice before we move on to the next room?
Sarah:
Sure. Watch closely...

As Sarah took her whip out she also put out one of the candles that kept the staircase lit without noticing. They both noticed however, that some sort of heart fell out of the puff of smoke left from the disappearance of the candle. As Sarah reached for it though, her dagger began to glow. They looked at each other and couldn’t seem to make sense of things. Vishno decided to test out a theory by taking out a candle next to him with his chakram. That candle however, dropped a gold coin instead of a heart. Baffled by this, they each began to take out a few more candles. Each candle that Sarah took out produced a heart, while each candle that Vishno put out produced a gold coin. While Vishno took all 8 coins, Sarah took only a few of the hearts. Suddenly, as Sarah took out the last candle in the staircase, everything went dark as there was nothing else to light their way. However, a heart did not fall out of the last candle as expected. That time she saw a glowing cross on the floor. Its faint glow barely allowed them to see the cross itself. Vishno made his chakram glow white in order to help them have a better look of their surroundings. Sarah grabbed the cross as Vishno opened the door to the next room. Oddly enough, the dagger she carried was replaced by the cross as the dagger she had in her possession laid near the wall behind her. Vishno noticed and as he went back to pick it up; it was no longer glowing while in his possession.

End Part 9.

Part 10: Enter The Catacombs.

They entered the room ahead and saw a rather big room. Pedestals on fire kept the surroundings lit, as well as a few torches on the walls. But the room was not empty, as monsters awaited their arrival. They could not have been seen clearly as they were made of the mud covering most parts of the floor. The walls also had holes in them and inside most of them, skeletal remains could be seen. There were also a couple of bats hanging from the ceiling but the threat level they posed was not as high. Before entering the room, Vishno quietly advised Sarah to change the properties of her whip to ice. As soon as she did they proceeded into the room. Vishno’s chakram again started to glow red, just as Vishno imagined it would. But before he or Sarah could see where the enemies were, they rose from the ground and threw mud at them. Sarah got hit with a full blast on her chest and arm, throwing her off balance and causing her to fall on the mud covered floor. This also stunned her for quite some time. Vishno managed to avert most of the mud but got hit as well. Since this wasn’t enough mud to incapacitate him, he began to concentrate for his holy weapon to target this new enemy. Right before he could do this however, the bats on the ceiling threw themselves at him. Vishno reacted quickly thanks to his chakram so he threw it at the bats. The bats were no problem for Vishno’s weapon as they were cut in half in no time. By the time the chakram was making its return trip to Vishno, the mud monsters had already attacked again. Sarah, still stunned by the first attack, got hit with more mud on her abdomen and legs and couldn’t recover. Vishno barely managed to escape their attack yet again. Seeing as Sarah had no chance of fighting in her condition, he figured his best bet was to somehow get his holy weapon to her so she could regain her form. To this end he did a back leap; getting what little mud he had on him off as well as getting some distance between himself and the monsters at the same time. Before the mud men creatures were ready to attack them yet again, Vishno had already caught his chakram. He quickly ran over to Sarah and made her hold his weapon in her hand. As it began to glow a gentle white, he stepped between her and the monsters to serve as a shield from their attacks on Sarah. Far from being defenseless, Vishno began to concentrate for a quick lightning attack. By the time he was ready to unleash it, the mud monsters had already launched an attack. He barely managed to cast his spell on the nearest creature just as he got hit by their attack. But alas! Vishno’s lightning attack did nothing to the foe. By that time Sarah had already recovered thanks to the chakram but Vishno was suffering the effects of the mud attacks. Seeing her friend was in trouble she placed his holy weapon back in his hand while kneeling behind him. Vishno came to his senses and whispered to Sarah his thoughts on how their foes may have a weakness against cold. Before the mud creatures could attack them again, she quickly got on her feet and lashed her whip at the nearest one several times. The monster turned into chunks of ice after a few hits of the whip. This didn’t deter the other mud creature from advancing at them and unleashing another attack. Sarah quickly rolled and dodged before replying with a well placed whip attack. The monster was split in half but both parts kept advancing. Sarah had to get back on her feet as quickly as she could and attack again. After a few moments Vishno was back to normal, but the enemies had already been defeated. Even though the mud monsters were nothing more than chunks of ice, Vishno knew they didn’t have much time before the ice melted and the enemies returned to normal. Sarah picked up on that quickly so Vishno didn’t have to say a thing. They entered the next room and though it looked much like the previous one, it didn’t have any monsters or danger inside; or so they thought. After stepping in, Vishno triggered a trap on the floor. What seemed to be a peaceful room was nothing of the sort. Dozens of arrows were shot out of the holes in the walls and flew over their heads as Vishno protected Sarah by tackling her to the ground. After getting back on their feet, Sarah tried to thank Vishno for what he just did for her; just before she did that however, he placed his finger over her lips and simply nodded. She understood what he tried to say with this and said nothing more. After getting past the next door they saw a similar room as the one with the mud creatures but with a few differences. There was no mud in this place and there were two doors to choose from. One door however, was exactly the same the safe room had. That is to say, it was also red with the same holy markings on it. Feeling quite tired, they looked at each other and without having the need to say a word, directed their steps towards the red door. After having had a few relaxing moments in this new safe room, they headed for the door leading to the next area. Before going through the door though, Vishno thought it would be interesting to see what would happen if he destroyed one of the pedestals lighting the room they were in. Instead of a gold coin or two like he expected, a big heart fell out of the puff of smoke and pieces of stone that made up the pedestal. As soon as he grabbed it, the dagger he was carrying began to glow. He though this was rather strange so he turned to Sarah and asked her about it.

Vishno:
Sarah… Could you please tell me where you got this dagger from?
Sarah:
My father has had it for a long time now. He told me he had it even before he went inside a castle much like this one years ago.
Vishno:
Well, if it is just an ordinary dagger, this place must have a strange effect on weapons such as this. Just look at the cross you picked up a while earlier. It’s still glowing and as soon as I picked up this heart your dagger started to glow. Should I keep it for you?
Sarah (smiling):
I don’t know if it holds any sentimental value for my father as he has never mentioned anything. I do know however, that this dagger has been in my family for quite a long time so I shouldn’t loose it. Since I can’t seem to carry this cross and that dagger at the same time, maybe you should hold on to it for now. Just don’t loose it, all right?
Vishno (smiling back at Sarah):
Very well then... I will guard it with my life.

Feeling now somewhat closer as friends more than just allies in this fight, they opened the door to the next room. But not before Vishno and Sarah both took out a few pedestals to get more hearts. The next area was rather larger than the previous ones, but neither Sarah nor Vishno could tell exactly how much because it had no light sources. Vishno had to light up the room by making his chakram glow a bright white. This caused Rowan to suddenly emerge from the shadows. He felt rather weak as well because the holy weapon also had limited sun-like properties. Another fight was about to brew...

End part 10.