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Linz ...which Mel noticed right away, but thankfully Wax didn't. Mel knew she had to keep him busy, and get him closer to the hyena, so she started to back toward the window. Just has she had suspected, he started inching closer. But instead of coming even closer, he went over to Linz and lifted her head. He reached into his pocket, pulled out a small shiny object, closed his fist on it, and when he opened it again, it was a sparkly powder. "What is that?" Mel asked, overcome with curiosity. "Nothing that concerns you anymore," Wax said with a grin. Mel knew she needed to get that pendant from Linz now, for her own good and everyone else's... |
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Nikki_Lynn ...Wax turned and glared at the laptop. At the same time, Jessie/Jostumal slipped around behind him, moving stealthily over to Jessie's discarded bag that lay on the bed. "Not a hoedown!" cried Wax, "Anything but a hoedown." He stormed over to the laptop, pain in his eyes. Wax grabbed the computer, tried to end the song, but he couldn't get past Jessie's password. Jessie/Jostumal, nosed around inside the bag, searching frantically, then pausing, finding what she needed. "What's wrong Wax?" said Mel, trying to keep his attention away from the hyena, "Don't you like hoedowns?" She teased him, provoked him with the tone of her voice. Wax growled, and flung the laptop against the wall, breaking it into several pieces. "Much better," he said. He turned around to reply to Mel, but suddenly found himself face to face with the hyena. An intricatly cut red crystal dangled from a thin chain clenched in its teeth. Mel stared at the hyena, not knowing what was going on. Wax backed up a step as the hyena snarled. Jessie peered through Jostumal's eyes, knowing that he had reason to be afraid, reason to fear both animal and crystal... |
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Mon Ryan, Nikki_Lynn, and Mon were consoling each other. They were also reassuring each other that Wayne and the others will be fine. "I hope so," said Nikki_Lynn, "I don't like seeing some one helpless." "Let's not think of the worst. Let's be optamistic," said Ryan to Nikki_Lynn with caring eyes. Mon put her hand on Nikki_Lynn's shoulder. "He's right, you know." "Okay," replied Nikki_Lynn, "I dunno how I'll do that, but I'll give it a shot." Ryan looked back at Wayne. He stared for a little, and hung his head. One of his best friends and co-worker did look helpless, but he cheered up so he wouldn't get the girls down. |
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Kath Wax and Jostumal circled each other warily, neither taking their eyes off the other. Wax's hand clenched convulsively over the powder he held in his hand as he searched for an opening, and found none. Jostumal snarled. Within him, Jessie fought down a growing sense of frustration. His defences were good. Very good. She kept probing, searching for any little crack she could find. Neither noticed Mel as she stealthily edged her way towards Linz's prone form. Mel kept glancing back at the combatants as she crouched down towards Linz. She licked her lips nervously, still not entirely certain what she would do next. Assuming this worked, of course. She bent her head down to Linz's ear. "I'm sorry, Linz, but I think you know why I need this. I'll give it back, I promise." Linz's hand was still clutched around the reclaimed pendant. Mel gingerly unfurled Linz's clenched fist and pulled it free. Her hands shook as she fastened it around her own neck. She stood and turned towards the other two. They were still circling one another, still unaware of her. They would be aware, though. Soon. It was very fortunate that that was what he did for a living. He took a deep breath and tried to calm his mind. Soon. "That came from the kitchen!" cried Dan. As one, they ran straight towards the sound, heedless of danger. What they saw made them wish they had stayed where they were. Trudie stood before them, raising her head and giggling as they entered the kitchen. Her transformed body bobbed back and forth, and her fanged mouth was stretched in an insane grimace. The once damaged tail she now sported had regrown. It was curled around Ben. Or, rather, it was curled around what was left of Ben. Mon screamed. "I think I'm going to be sick," gasped Greg. Holly turned away. "Oh, no, misssssy, I want you to ssssee thissss," hissed Trudie. "After all, in a way, it issss your fault I'm like thissss now. Not that I mind, really. I could get ussssed to thissss." She glanced over at Vorlen. "Thankssss for showing me a way into the real world. Assss your reward, you get to die quickly with the otherssss, insssstead of getting the traitor'ssss death you sssso richly desssserve. Assss for you, ssssweetie," she said, turning her gaze towards Holly, "I'm making an exsssception in your casssse. You get to die sssslow." "Great. Still on an ego trip," muttered Nikki_Lynn as she fought to keep her lunch down. It was their entire group against one, but that one had a decided advantange, and had turned from merely bratty to downright homicidal. Fighting back was not going to be easy. Unfortunately, there was no other option open to them. |
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Jessie Without her own body, she wasn't as pulled...but she still was. The force lurking within Jostumal not just within him, but connected by tendrils of her own spirit to the others. Which meant when Trudie's snack was discovered, the reverbrations through D'Shen and Vree hit her. Thankful for Jostumal's control of the body as the images ran through her mind. Starker things she'd seen, but it still made her recoil. Which was why she had to react quickly. Jostumal tossing his head to the side at her suggestion, the pendant that dangled from between strong jaws flying across the floor to Mel, her hand taking it in a tight grasp before placing it around her neck with Linz's pendant. Mel surprised at how warm it felt. Linz's pendant had felt reassuring, but this one glowed under her fingers. It hadn't for Justomal, but for her it did. Light playing over her fingers, dying as she was distracted from it by a loud thump. Because Wax's eyes had followed the necklace, allowing Jostumal to jump at him, jump on him, bodies flying back towards the floor, intention to knock him unconscious against the hard ceramic of the floor. As Jessie sought another form of release. The type, amusingly enough, often associated with rebirth and renewal. Flying from there. |
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Linz As Jostumal knocked Wax to the floor, the powder he held in his hand flew through the air and most of it landed on Linz and Mel. The rest glittering through the air as it landed glently on the floor. As Wax struggled to turn his head to look seeing where it landed, he smiled. He turned to the hyena on top of him and said, "There's nothing you can do now..." Mel shook her head, and Linz lifted her head with a vacant look on her face. "We're going to get out of here, and you will too..." Babs said. She had forgiven most of what happened to her, as she got an idea. "Do you still have the crystal rod?" She heard Wax say something to the effect of, "With Trudie, Linz and Mel, nothing can stop me now, the prophecy will never come true..." and she wondered what this meant as well... |
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Nikki_Lynn ...Trudie glared at the Brady Bunch. "You'll all pay," she hissed. She flicked her tail and tossed Ben's mangled corpse to the side of the room. Trudie lunged at Ryan first, hitting him in the chest, sending him flying across the room. Vorlen pulled the crystal rod out of his cloak, whispering to Mon how to use it. As Trudie turned around for another attack, Mon took the rod, and motioned to the other's to keep Trudie busy. Nikki_Lynn ran in front of Trudie as she was about to go after Ryan again. "Hey, Trudie!" she yelled, drawing her away from Ryan, "Over here!" Trudie glared at her, and move swiftly to redirect her attack. As Trudie slithered past, Mon touched the rod against her scaly back. Trudie howled, and collapsed to the floor, writhing in pain. "Run!" shouted Mon. The Brady Bunch wasted no time in obeying. Trudie thrashed about on the floor, screaming, but quickly recovered and retreated back against the wall. Mon, still in the room, held the rod before her, threateningly. "Mon," shouted Greg, "Get out of there!" Trudie coiled her tail around her body, looking for a weakness... |
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Jessie Trudie hissed at Mon where she stood over Ryan's body as he struggled to a seated position. "You think you can protect your precious Ryan?" Sibilants oozing out. From the door, Lionel shook his head. "I'm not leaving here." His hands glowing with an icy blue light for a moment before disappearing. Stepping casually in through the doorway. "Why do you want me?" quavered through his voice. "Why does she have to protect me of all of us?" Trudie's mouth gaping open at his words. "We can go behind. She won't expect it, not with the distractions here." Nikki_Lynn replying confidently, before turning to D'Shen. Eyes focused on that glittering form as she led that small group away. The rest of the group caught up in the scene before them, of Lionel inching forward. Except for one who caught Brad's motion out of the corner of her eye ... Maybe he'd realized she wasn't a mage and underestimated the power of one not born to those high magics. Or maybe he was still mistakenly thinking she was a fledgling mage like the others. No matter what though, he was doing it. And as he crowed his victory under the claws of a watchful, guarding hyena, she let the shred of her that remained with Jostumal smirk back. As the main part of her mind left to ride the flame. To hear as well Wax's words about her, Mel & Trudie. Realizing then what he'd done. Throwing their minds all under the same spell, trapping their two bodies so he could work on their minds later as he'd done with Trudie. Which meant they all had one thing in common. Linz's still unconscious state allowing her to step through the room. What she saw on one side was frightening; trudie's totally human form pale, totally faded, as she focused on the external world. The mist around her reflecting the scenes in real life, Linz recoiling at the battle being waged. And stepping further, until she saw a form flickering in and out of solidity here. Conscious and yet not. Linz reaching out to her, calling to her as she pulled that one's focus into this world. "Mel??" |
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Linz "Mel is that you?" Linz asked again. Afraid if she caught her attention she would have to remain here. "Yeah...it's...me..." she responded still flickering in and out of solidity. When she felt something on her back. "Don't move" said a squeaky voice behind her."How did you do his to me?" "Look, I didn't do it! It was Wax." Linz responded, wondering what Trudie could possibly have next to her back. "Look Trudie, our only chance out of here is Mel, and as much as I hate to admit it, or even THINK about it, the three of us will have to work together to get out of here." Trudie paused a second, let whatever it was on Linz's back drop and Linz turned around. Finally Trudie said "But after this we go back to hating each other, right?" "Of course!" Linz said as she and Trudie shook hands. "Good-bye Jess! There is no way you can get out of this one! And I will see you in a bit Mel, I have plans for you!" Wax said over an unseen PA system... |
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Nikki_Lynn ...Wayne watched helplessly from the recesses of Wax's subconcious. If only he could do something. That's when he caught sight of something. In the distance, a ball of energy, throbbing in time with the beating of Wax's heart. Wayne couldn't imagine what it was, but he decided to investigate... "What's going on?" asked Mel. Linz struggled to remember what she'd read earlier in her book. Something about barriers...Barriers between the physical and spiritual realms. The memory came flooding back. "Mel!" Linz cried, "The crystal! You have to use the crystal to return us to our bodies!" Mell looked at the crystal in her hand. "How?" she asked, holding it up in front of her eyes to study it. Suddenly, it began to glow. Mel stared through the facets of the gem at Linz and Trudie, watching as the shimmered out of sight. "Linz?!" Mel screamed. "I'm ok," said a voice from behind her. Linz picked herself up off the ground. "Where's Jessie?" "Right here," replied another voice. Jessie stood on the other side of the room, tenderly petting Jostumal. "But where's Trudie?" asked Linz... Lion grabbed her before she could try anything. "I never thought I'd say this," said Nikki_Lynn, "But I think I like this Trudie better that the snake version." "So does this mean Linz, Jess, and Mel...beat Wax?" asked Mon. They glanced over at Wax's unconcious body. "I dunno," said Nikki_Lynn, "But if they did, then Wayne's back in his body, and Wax is..." "Someone tie him up, just in case he comes to," said Lion. Ryan and Greg quickly retrieved a rope and complied. "Not so fast," said Brad. The group turned around, and saw Brad holding the crystal rod dangerously close to Mon's neck. "Brad?" cried Nikki_Lynn, "What are you doing?" Brad laughed maniacally... |
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Kathleen Suddenly, the body of Ben, began twitching even though he seemed to be dead. Or was he? Chris was the first to notice what was happening to Ben, Dan was crying himself silly because he was thinking that he lost one of his oldest friends. Chris pointed out to the others, "Hey, look at the mangled corpse. Something odd is happening to Ben." As Chris said those words, a magical transformation took place with Ben. His body began changing, everybody who was still in the kitchen stared at him. As the transformation was over, Ben stood up, his new figure was rather out of the world. He had become a man-lizard, his torso was the same as whatever he looked like before, and the rest was lizard - four legs, a tail, green and he had snake fangs. This was all caused from Trudi's attacked. Ben sneezed, "Whew, for a mintue there I thought I was a goner." Everyone stared and ran out of the room in fright. Ben didn't really know what was going on, until he bit himself with his fangs... |
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Nikki_Lynn As the group tried to exit the room, Brad stopped them, unexpectedly tapping Nikki_Lynn with the crystal rod. Nikki_Lynn dropped to her knees. "Brad!" Ryan cried, "How could you?" Suddenly, the air behind Brad began to distort and darken. And who should appear, but Wax! "Hello, Brady Bunch!" said Wax, "I see my new little servant is doing just what I told him too." "What did you do to Brad?" screammed Babs. "Oh, just a little spell," Wax replied, turning to Brad, "Finish then off, will you?" Brad advanced towards the group, a homicidal look in his eyes... "I don't know what that gas is," said Linz, "But I doubt it's anything good." "The mirror!" said Mel. The three girls ran to the mirror, but it's surface wouldn't change for them. "It figures," said Mel, "Wax isn't stupid. He knew we'd try that." "So how are we going to get out of here?" asked Linz. "Like this," Jessie replied, reaching into her bag... |
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Mon As Brad approached the Bunch, Ryan ran towards Nikki_Lynn. He took her pulse. It was faint and Ryan was scared she wouldn't come to for a while, possibly never. Wax cackled in the backround as Brad pointed the rod to Babs. Then, he swiftly moved it away, toying with all their minds, letting the anticipation build on who was going to die first. Mon stood forward. She kneeled down and whispered the Evil Brad that she will be the first to go "Go ahead Brad. I'll be the first. You can quench your thirst for blood with me first. You can either kill me first, then kill everyone else, and be a murderer, or leave as a man without a dead soul in here." Mon got these tactics from Shindlar's List. She hoped it worked like it did for Oskar. Brad quizically looked at her. He started to proceed towards her... |
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Babs "You're 'bravery' will not spare your friends," Brad said menacingly, "I have an unquenchable blood lust now, thanks to my master." He touched the end of the crystal rod to the base of Mon's neck, and she screamed from the pain, yet Brad did not pull away. Everyone just stood and watched in horror, the pain in Mon's scream terrifying. "Brad! You son of a--" Ryan charged at Brad, but Wax merely flicked his wrist and he went flying across the room. Finally, Brad pulled the rod away, and Mon collapsed to the floor. It didn't look as though she were breathing. She was very still, as though nothing were left inside her body. Was she dead? "Who's next?" Brad asked menacingly. Everyone made an unvoluntary step backwards. Wax and the 'possesed' Brad laughed meniacly. "That was really, really, really, wrong," Colin said, shivering, though trying to sound brave. Babs and Holly pulled back from the group a little bit. "Holly, you remember that Jack guy last summer?" Babs whispered, trying not to move her lips. "Yeah," Holly responded. "Cat fight time?" Babs whispered back. Holly grinned with the idea. "Yup." Just then, Babs stepped forward. "I...I'll go next," she said, acting the part of the martyr very well. Wax lifted his eyebrow. "Very well, proceed, Bradley." "Wait!" Holly shrieked as Brad stepped forward. He stopped and looked at her questioningly. "I will go next," she said. "Like hell!" Babs said, putting her hands on her hips. "I already claimed it!" "I'm going, Babs. I'm your older sister, and while Mom's not here, I'm in charge." "Oh, no you're not!" "Yes I am! I'm not gonna let you go, being all heroic, just to make yourself look good and so you can have some huge ego trip!" "Why you little--" Babs slapped Holly across the face. "I can't believe you!" Holly, shrieked, punching Babs in the stomache, a little too convincingly. Holly winced, but then recovered herself and went after Babs. The contestants and the rest of the Brady Bunch watched in awe as the two sisters faught it out. What they didn't realize was that the sisters were huge WWF fans, and knew how to fake a good punch. While Babs had Holly in a head lock, Holly caught the now concious Nikki-Lynn's eye, sending her a wink and a smile, and jerking her head towards Wax and Brad, who were also watching in shock. Nikk_Lynn got the message and began inching towards Brad and Wax, keeping her eye on the crystal rod... |
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Linz But she never got there. Wax seeing what she was doing moved around to the other side of Brad and grasped her wrist, and didn't let go. He must have squeezed her wrist because she winced, and started falling to the floor, her eyes closed, and Wax pulled her back up, her eyes fluttered open, and she had the same look in her eyes as Brad... "hmm that's funny, I was sure..." she finally said. "What's wrong?" Mel said. "I can't find it..." Linz finally sniffed the air that the gas was filling and got a worried look on her face. "We have to get out of here fast! The gas is poisonous, and I'm starting to get dizzy." "No need," Jess said as she pulled out a few little circular objects, "Filters." she said with a smile. They quickly put them on. "But Wax will be back soon to check to see if we're dead..." Mel said. "And to collect you," Jess said to Mel. "I can handle that, there is a death simulation spell in here, lasts 10 min...but it's very risky..." Linz trailed off. |