Welcome back to The Dark Order. Last time, Dracia and her team continued their southward journey, before getting caught in Caustic Bog. While Goldix and General Goldix were able to take out the tower, Dracia was hauled away on a cart bound for Darkblood's castle. So how will they escape this dire predicament? Read on to discover...
(Our story resumes with Doctor Destiny's cart of chemicals, currently parked outside what looks like a strange cavern, that appears to be made of living flesh and dripping with blood, with a familiar obsidian obelisk rising from the top of it. Right in front of this place, we see the not-so-good doctor discussing something with a crimson and black dragon with fangs even more prominent than Toxica's, wearing what looks like a suit and flowing cloak, but the cloak is actually his jet black wings.)
Nosferatu: (In a slight Hungarian accent) You had better have a good reason for coming here so early, Johnathon.
Doctor Destiny: I have a schedule to keep. And on it, seeing how breaking that spy Wasp is going.
Nosferatu: You know better than to lie to me, Johnathon. Or must I send you to Westenra for further... conditioning.
Doctor Destiny: I'm not lying, Lord Nosferatu. But there is more to the story.
Nosferatu: Tell me before I shove a stake into your heart.
Doctor Destiny: Lady Toxica captured the girl. I was supposed to bring her to the castle.
Nosferatu: Yet you bring her to me? What reasoning do you have to disobey a direct order from your betters, fool?!
Doctor Destiny: Figured I'd soften her up a bit for the Master.
Nosferatu: (Slapping Doctor Destiny) You dare insult the Master like that?! You clearly need further work done, Johnathon.
Doctor Destiny: (Realizing what he said) That's not the way I meant it!
Nosferatu: Your intention does not matter. Lord Darkblood would see it as an insult regardless. (Snaps his fingers, summoning for what look like a pair of frog demons) Take him to Westenra. He clearly needs another dose of conditioning. But tell her to make it a quick one, so he can get those chemicals to Lord Darkblood (Looking at the unconscious Dracia on Doctor Destiny's cart, before picking her up himself) However, I will hold onto you until he's ready to go again.
(Fast forward a few minutes as Dracia awakens bound to the walls of flesh, and upon realizing what it is, she starts freaking out because of just how disgusting it is before seeing the obelisk in the center, knowing they have to destroy it. But while struggling around, she sees Wasp, bound to a wall and looking way more mindless than she was faking earlier as devilish humming emerges, and then we see the source, not Nosferatu, but a dragoness clad in a white cloth kind of similar to a wedding gown stained with blood, with two bite marks in her neck, but the fanged face looks familiar to Dracia, probably because her face kind of looks like the figure's)
Dracia: Auntie Nyre?
Westenra: (With an alluring, almost hypnotic voice) No, no, little one. My name isn't Nyre. Not anymore. I am Westenra, mistress of the Cave of Flesh, second in command only to my lord Nosferatu.
Dracia: Nosferatu? Don't tell me that's Uncle Bloodtar!
Westenra: Bloodtar? He hasn't been called that in years. Not since we came together that is...
(Now we transition back to that same battle where Sizzle and Tundra were captured, but earlier into it and we see what started it, Darkblood and Wildblaze had captured his sisters, Ness and Nyre, engaged to Hydrar and Bloodtar respectively. As the battle progresses, Bloodtar is the closest to rescuing them when Shade calls retreat. Hydrar, ever the voice of reason between the two tries to convince his brother to retreat. But in an uncharacteristic move for the two, Bloodtar slashes Hydrar's face, leaving a hell of a scar as the Blood Dragon runs on to rescue Ness and Nyre, only to get himself curb-stomped by Tempest, not seeing the trap she was part of. Fast forward to a few minutes later and we see Darkblood is corrupting Bloodtar, much like the rest, but standing by Darkblood's side is a white gown clad Nyre, looking on in horror as her fiancé is corrupted. But as Bloodtar's transformation is completed, he sees Nyre and is overcome by what can only be described by a mixture of bloodlust and actual lust, but Nyre... she seems to be entranced by the look in Bloodtar's eyes.)
Darkblood: Rise... Nosferatu, and claim your prize...
(With the order from his master given, Nosferatu lunges forward and bites Nyre's neck a la Dracula, beginning her conversion into a being of the darkness.)
Westenra: We were wed upon my lord's return from his Conquest. Since then he has maintained this territory, enforcing the numbers of Lord Darkblood's harem and armies with his indominable will.
(Just as she starts talking about Nosferatu, he enters the room, with the frog creatures dragging Doctor Destiny behind them, kicking and screaming)
Westenra: Ah, my lord, we were just talking about you.
Nosferatu: All good things, I hope.
Westenra: (Seeing Doctor Destiny dragged off) Guessing he needs a bit of conditioning.
Nosferatu: (With an oddly sexual growl) Do your worst, beloved Westenra. But do be quick about it. He's got a transport to make for Lord Darkblood.
Westenra: Of course, my lord.
(As Westenra walks off, we see Nosferatu approach Dracia, attempt to stroke her chin only for Dracia to turn away in revulsion)
Dracia: Keep away from me!
Nosferatu: Ah, you have the same fire as Lady Wildblaze. You are almost certainly her child. And she would in any reality only breed with Lord Darkblood's counterpart. But fret not little one, you will join them soon enough.
Dracia: Like hell I'm joining this group!
Nosferatu: (With a vampiric hiss) My dear, you don't have much of a choice in the matter. (Gesturing to the now mindless Wasp) You will become one of us, or you will end up like her.
Dracia: How did this happen to you? What turned you into this monster?!
Nosferatu: Monster? Oh please my dear, the beings I've faced on Lord Darkblood's behalf were more monstrous than I.
Dracia: (Dumbfounded at this) Do you feel no remorse for those you've hurt?!
Nosferatu: That overly sympathetic fool you called your Uncle is gone, and has been replaced by someone of no remorse.
(Just as Nosferatu is about to tell that story, two more of those frog creatures emerge, dragging behind them someone unseen yet familiar)
Nosferatu: (Hearing their croaking) You had better have a good reason for interrupting my... (Seeing their prisoner) It cannot be. (In shock) Bind her. I must inform Lord Darkblood immediately!
(As Nosferatu runs off to do just that, the two frog creatures bind their target to the wall opposite Dracia, and as they leave, we see exactly who it is, it's Blaze)
Dracia: (Seeing it's Blaze) Mom!?
Blaze: (Seeing Dracia is here) Dracia! Oh, thank the Ancestors you're still alive!
Dracia: So Goldix was right! You're all here!
Blaze: Goldix found you already? Where is he then?
Dracia: Long story short, we got separated fighting an evil version of Aunt Sizzle.
Blaze: (Thinking about it) So this is what would have happened if I lost against Darkblood. Thank the Ancestors this isn't our reality. (Looking at the gem around her neck) If my shard wasn't out of charge, we'd be able to get out of here.
Dracia: Not entirely. Assuming Dad has one too, there's four shards, and Darkblood likely has the last one in his fortress. If we can get there, we can escape.
(At the mere mention of escape, Nosferatu returns)
Nosferatu: Don't even think of trying to escape. Nobody leaves this place unless I allow them too.
Blaze: If you think you can hold my daughter and I here like this, you're crazy!
Nosferatu: Those meddlers at the BPRD thought much the same when I came to conquer them...
(Now we flash back to see the BPRD headquarters in flames as Nosferatu fights his way through the group, and currently battling Abe Sapien head on, throwing him into the defeated corpses of Roger the Homunculus and Kate Corrigan.)
Nosferatu: Admit it, fish-man, you have lost.
Abe Sapien: You may have taken down the BPRD, but I will not fall, not to you and your master, not now, not ever.
Nosferatu: Ah, denial. A shame you've let it sour your blood.
?: Oh cut the crap will you?
(As Nosferatu is about to stab through Abe Sapien's chest, a giant stone fist punches him in the face, sending the vampiric dragon flying as he sees Hellboy is somehow back)
Nosferatu: How is this possible?! You were captured with the rest of the Republic! You're the portal to this place!
Hellboy: Luck ain't on your side, freak. Somehow your machine brought me back here. (Cracking his non-stone knuckles) Now get the hell off my world before I knock your sorry ass into next millennia.
Nosferatu: Your arrogance will be the end of you Anang Un Rama.
(With that, the two clash in a battle that quite literally brings the building down on top of them, highlights ranging from Nosferatu beating Hellboy over the head with his own severed Right Hand of Doom and Hellboy almost shooting off Nosferatu's arm with the Good Samaritan. But ultimately, as expected from this fight, Nosferatu is the one who emerges victorious from the rubble, carrying Hellboy's severed head, but we do see Abe Sapien running into the surrounding woods, likely looking for help as we return to the present)
Nosferatu: They fell all the same. And so will you if you even try to escape.
(As Nosferatu delivers his ultimatum, Westenra returns with Doctor Destiny, now looking as mindless as Wasp is.)
Westenra: For being the mental one here, the Doctor here broke the second I got into him. And probably a little too much.
Blaze: By the Ancestors. Nyre?!
Nosferatu: Silence! (To Westenra) Have him placed back on his cart. Prepare Wasp and the girl for transport to the palace. Umbra will decide if he's still useful.
Blaze: Like hell I'm letting Darkblood get anywhere near my daughter!
(With that, Blaze rips herself off the flesh walls and tackles Nosferatu to the ground, punching his face repeatedly as Dracia rips herself from the walls and is about to try and destroy the tower, before Westenra gets in the way. Not wanting to fight her, Dracia attempts to out run Westenra, but eventually realizes she must fight this vampiric dragoness resembling her aunt, ultimately winning, kicking Westenra into the tower, barely leaving a dent. However Blaze does put one heck of a dent into this tower, angrily throwing Nosferatu into the thing, causing the entire place to start collapsing.)
Blaze: Because of course that was the structural support column!
Dracia: Believe it or not, this is a great thing! I'll explain later, we've got to get out of here!
(And with that, mother and daughter flee the Caves of Flesh as the seemingly living location drops onto itself, before we transition into what looks like a land of bones, kind of like the Elephant Graveyard from The Lion King, where we see Sulfur and company trying to find Dracia.)
General Goldix: I don't get it, if my hypothesis was correct they would've dropped Dracia here!
Goldix: And what exactly made you think they'd be in a graveyard?
General Goldix: Darkblood leaves all the corpses of his reign here. That's the reason it's called the Soulless Boneyard. All of these bones are from people who defied him or any of his officers.
Mysterio: What about the Caves of Flesh? We passed them on the way here, why wouldn't they bring the girl there?
General Goldix: Knowing how many towers Dracia's taken down, they didn't want to risk her taking out another one.
(Just as the group keeps searching, some of the bones start rustling, sending everyone into attack mode as Dracia and Blaze emerge, stunning everyone)
Goldix: Mom!
(With that, Blaze reunites with her children in a joyful tear-filled embrace, most of the tears coming from Goldix, before seeing General Goldix and the rest of his group)
Jasper: Should we... give them some room?
General Goldix: You guys can. (Brushing a tear from his one good eye) I think I'm going to stay here a few minutes.
Blaze: (Realizing how awkward this was for them) Oh, sorry about that. I was just so happy to see both my children alive and well. Goldix, when did you get here?
Goldix: Couldn't have been more than a few hours ago.
Blaze: Any sign of Drago?
Goldix: Nothing. Not saying he isn't here, we probably just haven't run into him yet.
Blaze: (To General Goldix) I'm guessing you're the one leading the resistance.
General Goldix: You guess correctly.
Blaze: (Seeing there's only four people with him) Guessing things haven't been going so well.
General Goldix: On the contrary, since your girl came, we've been doing better than ever! Already she and her allies from your world have been responsible for taking out 8 of the towers holding Darkblood's castle aloft.
Dracia: Make that 9, the tower in the Caves of Flesh is down too, but that was mostly Mom.
Mysterio: Told you she was there.
General Goldix: That's great, but now we're at a dark point. We don't know where the last three towers actually are.
Cyrax: We are pretty close to Artisans Plains, maybe they've got more information by this point.
Captain Cold: Wouldn't they have called you then?
Blaze: (Seeing Captain Cold) Wait a second. Lenny?
Captain Cold: (Finally seeing Blaze) Whoa. It's like I'm looking at a ghost...
Blaze: The Rogues don't believe in ghosts, Lenny. You of all people should remember that.
General Goldix: As great as this reunion is, we seriously need to get moving. Artisans Plains is still a long way to the south, and I wouldn't be surprised if there were going to be Grublins popping up if we don't keep moving.
(With a nod of agreement from everyone, the group gets moving as our tale ends for today)
And that finishes off the ninth of the 12 towers. In case it wasn't obvious, I tried to fill Nosferatu's lair with as many Dracula references as I can, including the corrupted version of Nyre, one of Dragnarok's little sisters. Nyre married Bloodtar in the main timeline. So I figured I may as well explain what happened to her, turned into Nosferatu's bride Westenra, a name derived from Dracula's first victim when he arrives in England, Lucy Westenra, friend of Mina Harker, one of the protagonists. And of course Nosferatu's accent is based on Bela Lugosi, the Hungarian actor most associated with playing the Count, and actually my usual voice pick for Bloodtar. So, we're nearing Artisans Plains, but there's still three towers out there. We know one is in Darkblood's throne room, but what about the rest? And where is Dragnarok? Tune in next time to find out! Same time... same channel!