Welcome back to another exciting episode of Grá, Dílseacht, Cairdeas, translated as Love, Loyalty, and Friendship. Note to the audience: The author cannot pronounce the title so, don't feel bad if you can't either. Please remember to keep all hands, arms, legs, and any extra appendages such as wings, tentacles, tails, and antennae inside the vehicle at all times while the ride is in motion. Thank you. This is an updated version now featuring coffee fueled page breaks, for when you're just not crazy enough!
Note: Yes, the Author has had too much coffee.
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Mavis tumbled through a void of pitch black and landed face first on a plain of hot burning sand. She groaned in pain as the world spun around her in a swirling mass of gold and sunlight. She instinctively shielded herself but found that the light did not burn her. The spinning slowly ceased and the world solidified around the young Vampiress. She found herself in the midst of a vast desert. She spun around slowly and found an endless expanse of burning hot sand in every direction.
"Where am I?" She asked, confused.
She had been in the Hotel and her father had been possessed by a Vour. The last thing she remembered was running forward to grab his hand before the ground crumbled beneath her feet. She clutched the sides of her head as she tried desperately to remember how she could have gotten here and why the sunlight wasn't burning her.
"You really are your father's daughter." Inmoon's thickly accented voice sounded behind her.
Mavis whirled around and found herself faced with blurry, swirling hues of silver and purple. She watched the mass solidify before her and give shape to the massive form of a silver wolf. The eyes were her own bright purple but she towered over Mavis' head, as tall as Dracula on all fours. She had seven tails and massive claws. Her snout was skeletal and revealed a jaw full of thick long teeth. Runes and writing glowed purple all along her massive form and were like no language Mavis had ever seen. They were something akin to intricate circles, looping together and overlapping. Some almost looked like the cogs of a clock and others looked like elegant swirls and everything meshed together to form a single complicated rune. Inmoon's form had one rune placed on her forehead between the eyes, more running up and down all four legs, one in the center of her chest, a line of them starting between her ears and running to the base of her tails, and one rune on the end of each of her seven tails.
"Inmoon?" Mavis asked in a shaky voice.
"Yes. Sorry if my form is frightening to you but it is my strongest and most fearsome. It is needed to traverse the fearscape."
"Fearscape?"
"You have entered your father's fearscape Mavis. Somewhere in here your father is trapped. The Vour has constructed a world of his worst fears and we must fight our way through to find him and bring him out. There will be one token for every level of the fearscape. We must find these tokens. They are pieces of your father's psyche. Though it has only been a few minutes in reality, he has been trapped here many years. His mind is fragmenting and he leaves a piece of himself on each level as he goes deeper and deeper. You must be prepared for the horror you are to face here. You must keep your head and continue no matter what you see."
Mavis nodded before responding. "Have you been here before?"
"Yes." Inmoon nodded. "But it has been countless years since I have seen Vlad's fearscape. Much has happened since then. I do not know what we may face in here."
Mavis nodded again before turning around and looking closely at everything around her. There must be some clue that she hadn't seen yet. There must be something to lead her through. She squinted against the near blinding light of the desert sun and saw a vague shape in the distance. She set off toward it and Inmoon followed.
Mavis quickly discovered that the normal rules did not apply here. She glanced away from the shape on the horizon and it was replaced by a large sand dune. She climbed the sand dune and in the valley beneath the once small shape was revealed in full detail. She gasped and gagged at the smell that permeated the valley beneath her.
A great serpent lay in the sand in a massive red pool of putrid blood. It was split from chin to tail and its guts decorated the lands before Mavis. It's thick ribs were splayed out in a mockery of a bird's spread wings. Someone or something had spread the serpent's organs and intestine in front of it's splayed belly. It's mouth was open in an agonized scream and it's once gentle teal eyes were soulless and dead. There were two fins on either side of its jaw and a long dorsal fin running down its back, akin to Lorelay's own beautiful fins. Its tail ended in a large rudder fin and atop its head was a massive crest.
It was a creature born of water, what was its corpse doing in the desert?
Inmoon visibly winced by her side and Mavis gagged again at the smell of the creature's rotting flesh.
"We should keep moving." Inmoon deadpanned.
"What is it?" Mavis asked as she stood and gazed upon the ruined form of the once great serpent.
The only answer she received was silence.
She steadied herself and made her way into the carnage below. She shuddered at the first squelch of coagulated blood beneath her feet. The stench of decay was all around her and her head spun with it. She could feel meat squishing beneath her shoes as she walked and that loud squelch sounded with every step they took. There were so many flies that Mavis could barely see through the swarm. The buzzing became all she could hear as she swatted them away from her eyes, nose, and mouth when they tried to crawl in.
She yelped in pain as they began to bite her where they landed. She heard Inmoon behind her in a similar struggle. A great roar struck her back and knocked her into the blood and gore beneath her as the cloud of flies parted. She vomited as her hand landed in a pile of mutilated flesh. Inmoon's teeth came down on her collar and lifted her from the mess upon the ground. She stood on shaky legs and followed Inmoon as she moved on.
There was a set of bloody footprints in the sand that lead away from the grisly scene and the pair followed them into the vastness of the desert again. The heat of the sun felt just as real as it would have outside the fearscape, and Mavis found herself wiping the sweat from her brow and battling her thirst. The air before them wiggled and waved in a desert mirage and the closer they crept the more a scene began to emerge.
Out of the writhing air came a cliff, gazing down upon an ancient Egyptian city. As Mavis drew closer she saw a single woman standing upon the cliff with her back to them and gazing out upon the valley below. Mavis could see the Nile river running red with blood and all around the base of the cliff were corpses. The landscape beneath them was spattered with red and the figure looked upon it all with great pride.
She was the most beautiful woman that Mavis had ever seen. Her skin was a soft golden brown and flawless. Her shimmering black hair reached down to her mid-back and swayed lazily in the breeze. In the distance was a city and at its center stood a huge pyramid. Atop the pyramid crouched a white wolf, great and terrible to behold. It lifted its head and sent forth a blood curdling howl that drew all manner of beasts to it. A swarm of crows ascended from the city and circled above the massive wolf.
Inmoon came to a dead halt beside Mavis and the Vampiress turned to see the Werewolf's hackles raise into fierce silver spikes on her back. A shudder ran through Mavis at the thought of what those spikes could do in battle. She turned back around to face the woman upon the cliff. The picture before Mavis was as serene as it was horrifying. She found herself drawn to the woman before her and without thinking took a step forward. Mavis was granted a perfect view of her form as the mysterious woman stood sideways on the cliff, her head turned to survey the lands below.
She was dressed in a beautiful white gown that stopped at her ankles. There was a red sash tied loosely at her waist, wrapping around twice before the loose ends trailed down her belly, ending mid-thigh. A pair of wings stretched out from her back and the feathers shone brilliantly in the sunlight. From her wings seeped streams of jet black smoke that swirled and danced around her form before dissipating. Her chest held a magnificent golden crest with a ruby scarab in the center. Upon her head sat a crown that wrapped around her forehead and descended past her ears in three connecting plates. At the very top of her head the crown moved smoothly into a curving vase. She was a glorious sight.
The moment Mavis moved toward her the woman's eyes flashed a deep crimson and her gaze landed upon the approaching form of the Vampiress.
"This is not the end of us." She hissed as she turned toward Mavis. "I will have my reign."
It was not a woman that turned to face Mavis but a Vampire as well. She spread her wings and rose upon the cloud of blackness they created. Her lips melted away and jaw dropped to show a wide mouth full of wicked teeth. Her fingers lengthened and sharpened into talons. It was impossible to tell where flesh ended and claw began.
"You cannot escape this dearest!" She shrieked. "You will never be free of us!"
Mavis let out a startled yell before turning tail and running. She followed the cliff side with Inmoon as the woman's screaming followed them on the wind. A shadow rose above them and suddenly Inmoon was gone. She looked to the sky and saw the woman clutching Inmoon by the throat. Inmoon wrapped her paws around her neck and pulled her forward. Inmoon's bony snout closed on the woman's face and she howled in pain as she released the wolf. Inmoon landed nimbly on her feet and blood dappled the fur on her neck.
Mavis shuddered as she heard the great white beast howl upon the pyramid again and she urged her feet to move faster. Ahead she saw a fallen tower that acted as a perfect bridge into the valley below and across the blood filled Nile River. She ran across the pillar and through the vast field of dead bodies. Even as she ran, the corpses began to move. They writhed upon the ground and gurgled words drowned in crimson bubbles. They screamed and moaned and asked why she had let this happen. They called her a fool, they called her blind. They cursed her very existence and damned her to a life of torment for the death she had wrought.
Mavis cried out in fear as one of the bodies grabbed her ankle and she tumbled down into the flood of corpses.
"Why?" They gurgled. "Why did you not die with us?"
Mavis gave an angry yell and shoved the bodies off of her. She screamed again as a searing pain ripped through her shin and she turned to see a baby biting deep into her leg. It's dead little eyes bore into her soul and she felt a great agony like none before rise up in her being. She wailed to the darkening sky as the babe snarled and dug its mangled little fangs into her flesh again. It hissed and revealed a mouth, black and swollen with decay.
"Mavis!" Spirit's voice echoed. "Gather yourself! You are connecting with your father! Your mind will not take it! Sever the bond! NOW!"
Mavis shook her head and kicked the child away and watched it right itself instantly and lunge forward again. She rose as quickly as she could and limped toward the city. She pushed away all emotions as they rose to the surface and focused solely on reaching the city before her.
She heard the deafening screech of the strange woman behind her mingled with Inmoon's ferocious roars. She limped past the massive gates of smooth alabaster stone and continued through the streets, littered still with the taunting corpses. She came to a sudden stop and fell to the ground as the massive form of the white wolf landed before her. It stood upon two legs and was taller than her father. It opened its great maw and a roar tore its way from the beast's throat. It wore no clothing and stared at Mavis with bloodthirsty golden eyes.
Mavis leaped to her feet and ran. She knew in her heart that she could not face this enemy. The beast followed close behind and was slowly gaining on her. She turned her head to see it closing in and she did the only thing she could think of. She grabbed a rock from the rubble, turned, and smashed in the beast's skull. She winced as she felt the crunch of bone beneath her hands and a warm splatter hit her cheeks. She looked down and already saw the wolf's flesh knitting together. She dropped the stone and ran.
She met again with Inmoon who was covered in dust and gore. The two ran side by side toward the great pyramid at the city's center. The moment they crossed the threshold the groaning from the corpses, the roaring of the beast, and the screaming of the woman stopped and all became deathly silent.
Mavis took a moment to regain her breath before looking around the ruins she stood in. The paintings upon the wall were cracked and faded. They depicted a man in opulent Egyptian garb with a golden falcon's head that covered most of his face. The eyes were holes that allowed the man beneath to see and the falcon's beak dipped down to cover his nose. Golden feathers trailed down and framed his jaw and cheeks. She saw a painting of this man standing atop the ruined pyramid, wings spread wide and a long bone tail writhing behind him. His arms lifted toward the sky and parted the black clouds above him to make way for the sun. From the positioning of it and the design of his headdress it almost looked like he was wearing the sun on his crown.
She knew those wings, and she knew that tail. She gasped as she realized that the man in the paintings was her father. He looked so regal but so much colder than what she knew of him. He looked like a vengeful god as apposed to the loving father she had known all her life. She saw crumbled pictures of ancient battles passed that showed her gentle, caring father amidst a field of slain enemies and his bare chest covered in gore as he stood proudly amongst his victory.
In her heart, Mavis began to understand why he kept such secrets.
She looked around the desecrated temple that lay within the pyramid and found two thrones waiting on the opposite side of the room. She felt drawn to them and made her way over. She walked passed Inmoon who stood staring at everything around her and looked lost somehow and overcome by grief.
Mavis took a deep breath and stepped over the rubble to stand beneath the two thrones. Both were once glorious creations but had now fallen into ruin. The one on the right stood tall. The stone was worn, the paint faded, and the metal tarnished. Upon the top of the throne she saw the Falcon headed crown but there was a new addition to it. A large disc made of a shining crystal like nothing Mavis had ever seen before was attached to the top with two hooded cobra's on either side fixing it to the rest of the headdress. She swallowed hard at the sight and turned her gaze to the crumbled throne on the left.
It was broken to pieces and only the seat itself remained. A gleam caught Mavis' eye and she looked closer. Resting in the seat of the destroyed throne was her father's wedding ring. She gasped and reached a shaking hand out. She hesitated for but a moment before snatching it from the seat and pocketing the precious item.
The moment the ring touched her hand six roars sounded from outside that shook the very foundations of the temple. She shouted at Inmoon and the two ran back outside and into the city streets. She could feel the presence of the white beast behind them and hear the horrid screaming of the woman. All around the two of them rose shadows of great creatures of myth and legend. Voices, deep and powerful arose on the wind and boomed curses. They swore vengeance, they swore destruction, they swore death. Mavis heard Inmoon's voice rise in an anguished scream that told of such pain that Mavis nearly fell to the ground hearing it.
Ahead of the pair loomed the form of the Sphinx of Giza. Mavis knew somehow that was where they needed to go and ran for all she was worth. She blocked out Inmoon's voice as the wolf screamed again. The chest of the stone Sphinx was split open to reveal a long hallway, illuminated by the torches that ran along it. Mavis ran down the hallway and the creatures were left outside to wail their torments to the empty lands in which they now dwelled.
The hallway let out into a circular room at the center of the Sphinx. Mavis stood in the center and looked around but could find no door other than the one she entered through. Inmoon leaped through the door and landed in the center next to Mavis. She breathed deep and exhaled in a quick snort. Her head moved from side to side as she scanned the chamber.
The room shook and suddenly the floor was moving beneath them. It descended and carried the pair down into the depths of the hidden chamber. As darkness took Mavis' sight from her she could barely hear a faint tune ringing through the air. The farther the stone elevator dropped, the louder the music became. She nibbled her bottom lip in anxiety and nearly hit the floor when the whole thing came to a grinding halt.
There was a loud ding and a set of elevator doors slid open and Mavis gaped in horror at the bloodstained hallways of Hotel Transylvania.
"We have reached the second level." Inmoon said breathlessly. "Things will get more challenging now."
Mavis took a deep breath before stepping over the threshold and into the second level of her father's fearscape.
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TA-DA! First level of the feasrscape. Going to do my best to outdo myself on the next one. I'm a competitive little bastard, so I think I actually might succeed. This is why the story is in the horror genre. Give me feedback please! Notice anything wrong? Tell me please! Any plot holes I need to fix? Come on! My kingdom for reviews! Also, this has officially been dubbed, the Pillarverse if you think you have a good feel for my OC's feel free to write with them! I'm having far too much fun writing with them and I want you guys to have fun with them too! Feel free to slash the hell out of them too if you want, we're already doing that! Lol my cousin is a hopeless Vladiore fangirl.