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"Here There Be Vampires" A Promise City, Arizona Story Hour
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<blockquote data-quote="orchid blossom" data-source="post: 2819613" data-attributes="member: 12815"><p>They meet up with Nanuet, Minerva and Chester and they all walk over to the Saloon in silence. Ruby puts a finger to her lips indicating quiet as they all enter the Saloon.</p><p></p><p>Before entering the saloon Minerva communicates to Luna to stay outside and let them know if anyone is coming. She follows Ruby into the saloon making as little noise as possible. She grips her gun with the magical rounds in one hand while clutching the amulet that rests upon her bosom with the other.</p><p></p><p>* * *</p><p></p><p>The young chambermaid who was watching the desk during the early morning hours had received specific instructions from Nolan Edwards before he retired.</p><p></p><p>"If anyone leaves a message for me, you must wake me immediately. It is very important, more important than you know."</p><p></p><p>The young lady returned from making up a room and saw the note in the cubby for Nolan Edwards. Without speaking to Victor Bishop the young girl grabbed the note and ran up the stairs. She rapped loudly on the door and waited for an answer, but none was forthcoming. She waited only moments before using her key to unlock the door.</p><p></p><p>"Mr. Edwards, there is a message for you. I brought it up right away" the young woman says as she crossed the room towards the bed where Nolan Edwards was laying. She spoke again "Mr. Edwards, sir, a message" and then she reached out to shake him awake.</p><p></p><p>Victor Bishop heard a loud scream from upstairs in his hotel, and with the recent events he feared the worst. He grabbed the derringer he kept hidden behind the desk and moved rapidly up the stairs.</p><p></p><p>* * *</p><p></p><p>They moved quietly to where Jake waited behind the bar. The trap door was clear in the floor. Kate looked around behind the bar and noticed a few bottles with less than half the liquor left. She quietly pulled out the corks on three of them and stuffed a bandage inside. The cork was then replaced as far as it could be with the fabric hanging out and she picked them up and waited for the door to be open.</p><p></p><p>Ruby approaches Jake and smiles at him. "I guess everything was ok while I was gone. I just want to talk to you for a moment before we go down."</p><p></p><p>Ruby pulls Jake slightly away from the others. She reaches down her bodice and pulls an item out, her hand clenched tightly around it. She looks up at Jake with big, frightened eyes.</p><p></p><p>"Jake, you know I've been scared, I mean, I am scared. I know you are too," she says softly. "But you have been so brave..." She gulps, "I'm trying really hard to help, I have. And I'm ready to get this over with."</p><p></p><p>"But please," she pleads with him, "Please use this." She extends her clenched fist to Jake, a thin black leather cord hanging between her fingers.</p><p></p><p>"Let my love for you protect you and wear this."</p><p></p><p>"But... what about you? What..." Jake sees the look in her face, in her eyes and then just nods. He takes the cord and places it over his head after which he gives her a gentle kiss. "I have a feeling we will be going home soon," he adds with a confident smile.</p><p></p><p>Moving back to the door in the floor he whispers, "We should do ALL the checking of this door that we know how before we try to open it. Oh, and there is the little matter of how to open it without waking all the inhabitants of Hades." Jake takes a step back from the door to let the others see. As they begin to examine it he asks, "What about Edwards, did anyone find him?"</p><p></p><p>Kate shook her head. "I waited at the hotel this morning for quite a while. Mr. Bishop said he'd seen him earlier. I left him a note."</p><p></p><p>Ruby sighs then pulls herself up tall. She makes her way over to the trap door in the floor and begins working on it. "Getting the door open shouldn't be hard. We just remove the hinges."</p><p></p><p>She pulls out her masterly made tools as she looks the door over. Before touching it, she concentrates on it very hard, using her special skill to determine if there was magic on it.</p><p></p><p>Ruby concentrates for several moments as everyone stands silently nearby. The tension mounts as Ruby continues to focus but she eventually stands up and says "It's not magically warded or trapped as far as I can tell, just locked."</p><p></p><p>Next Ruby searches for traps and then she searches the lock. She tries to determine how easy it will be to remove the hinges if necessary. She believes that she can try and disengage the lock by slipping the tools between the seam of the floor and the door. The hinges would require either the proper tools or something to pry them off.</p><p></p><p>Ruby looks up at her friends. "Be prepared," she warns, and sets to disengaging the lock.</p><p></p><p>Kate managed to get one of the bottled to set in her pocket to free up one hand, and watched to see what would happen when the door opened.</p><p></p><p>Ruby works on the lock for what seems like an eternity, switching lock picks, trying various angles and techniques. After a minute she sighs "I can't get it, from this position there is no way for me to open the lock."</p><p></p><p>She adds, "Brute strength is our only option now. That means no surprise. But hopefully that monster is sleeping and won't know the difference."</p><p></p><p>"Nanuet and Chester, why don't the two of you pry the door open somehow?"</p><p></p><p>"I can try, but I am not the strongest one here" Nanuet says sheepishly.</p><p></p><p>"I know, that is why I said you AND Chester," Ruby says, laying a hand on his arm. "And it's ok, we can't all be perfect."</p><p></p><p>Nanuet chuckles a bit, glad for the light remark in spite of the prevailing mood. "OK then Ms. Perfect, why don't you go and bust the door down, or are you afraid you might get a sliver or break a nail?"</p><p></p><p>"Because everyone knows that lock picking is women's work and door busting is men's," Kate said with a nervous laugh.</p><p></p><p>"I didn't want to embarrass you," Ruby teases back.</p><p></p><p>Nanuet looks at the trap door with a puzzled look. "Well, I am not sure how I can break it in, I mean other than jumping up and down on it or kicking at it and I don't think that will do too much. There is nothing to pull on. Perhaps we can use something to pry it open?"</p><p></p><p>"Well I would have to disagree with you Senora Katherine as I believe that I may be the strongest one here," she chuckles. "But Nanuet is right there is nothing to grip it with. Perhaps there is something behind the bar here that will suffice as a lever," she says and searches behind the bar.</p><p></p><p>Ruby leans up against the bar as Minerva searches behind it. She considers taking a drink but knows she needs to be alert to get this over and behind her.</p><p></p><p>She looks around the empty room, wondering what happened in the Saloon for it to be left in such disarray. She shudders as her eyes wander over the spot she landed after being thrown by the monster.</p><p></p><p>Finally her musings rest on the trap door problem. Suddenly a new thought comes to her mind and she hurries into the room where she and Jake started their search, the stock room.</p><p></p><p>When she comes out she has a bunch of various tools in hand. "I think I might be able to get the hinges off with this stuff."</p><p></p><p>Ruby kneels next to the trap door and begins her next project, trying to remove the hinges.</p><p></p><p>Chester sets his rifle on the bar and rolls up his sleeves when Ruby comes back with the tools. "Aww. I was looking forward to smashing something. These vampires have got me all riled up. But you're the expert." He instead checks his rifle to make sure it's loaded with seven pyrotechnic cartridges.</p><p></p><p>Minerva searches behind the bar but is unable to find anything suitable to use as a lever. Ruby returns with the tools she has spotted in her earlier searching and sets to work removing the hinges. It takes her about 2 minutes before she is ready for the last step that will disable the hinges and allow them access to the basement. She realizes though that the lock is still engaged on the underside of the door opposite from where the hinges are and some noise will still be made when prying the door open.</p><p></p><p>"I don't think there is any way we can do this completely quietly" she says as she stands poised over the door ready to do the last bit.</p><p></p><p>"It's alright, Ruby. We're ready."</p><p></p><p>Ruby gives one final glance to her friends. "Ready?" she asks.</p><p></p><p>She finds solemn faces nodding in agreement, so she begins prying the door open.</p><p></p><p>With the hinges removed it is only a matter of pulling the door open. Ruby does so revealing a damp dark basement. There is little light, only what filters from the room above but the heroes can see that there is a low ceiling and what looks like what was once shelves that were used for storage. The basement is a fairly narrow long room that extends beyond the site of those posed above it.</p><p></p><p>A familiar voice is heard from beyond the area clearly in view.</p><p></p><p>"Pretty Constance, you shouldn't have come down here. Mr. Greely will be very, very angry." The sound of a shotgun being loaded can clearly be heard.</p><p></p><p>Ruby waves a hand back to the others. "Oh Thom," she whispers to him, trying to get a better view of where he is as she moves slowly forward, "I don't have a choice. You see, he is trying to kill me. And how can you and I be friends if I am dead?"</p><p></p><p>"If he will not listen to you, maybe he needs a nap?" Jake whispers to the group, "Or it could be a fine time for someone to be invisible."</p><p></p><p>"Maybe you should have said that before?" Ruby whispers back. "You want me to do that now?"</p><p></p><p>"Thom," she calls out, "Please come out where I can see you."</p><p></p><p>"No pretty Constance! If I see you any more then I will have to shoot you, Mr. Greely will make me shoot you. I don't want to shoot pretty Constance or her friends!" Thom says in an anguished voice.</p><p></p><p>Ruby stops short and stays where she is. "Alright Thom, we won't come any further." She raises a hand behind her motioning for her friends to stay put. "But before I leave, I want to say goodbye. I'd like to sing you a song as a thank you for being my friend."</p><p></p><p>Ruby begins singing in a soft voice, trying to lull Thom to magical sleep.</p><p></p><p><em>I know where I'm goin'</em></p><p><em>and I know who's goin' with me</em></p><p><em>I know who I love</em></p><p><em>and my dear knows who I'll marry.</em></p><p><em></em></p><p><em>I have stockings of silk</em></p><p><em>and shoes of bright green leather</em></p><p><em>Combs to buckle my hair</em></p><p><em>and a ring for every finger</em></p><p><em></em></p><p><em>O' feather beds are soft</em></p><p><em>and painted rooms are bonnie</em></p><p><em>But I would give them all</em></p><p><em>for my handsome winsome Thommy</em></p><p><em></em></p><p><em>Some say that he's poor,</em></p><p><em>but I say that he's bonnie</em></p><p><em>Fairest of them all</em></p><p><em>is my handsome winsome Thommy. </em></p><p></p><p>At the sound of the shotgun, Chester hesitates. His hand creeps toward his side where Shotgun Sally hit him with a blast months before. He shakes his head and picks up his Spencer. Ruby begins to sing and he waits for whatever she has planned to take effect.</p><p></p><p>Kate waited through Ruby's song, hoping it would work. She had not learned any spells that affected the mind herself. They had not worked on Ruby, and she suspected those whose mind's were already affected by one might be immune to an attempt from another.</p><p></p><p>Instead she had learned the magic missile spell, and one other. Enlarging Chester had made him able to use a weapon too large for him. She thought perhaps making someone small would make them less able. Kate strained her eyes, hoping Ruby's song worked but trying to see Thom just in case.</p><p></p><p>The wondrous sound of Ruby's voice fills the void of silence. Soon a loud thudding crash is heard from the darkness beyond as Thom falls to the ground, asleep. His weak will was easily overcome by Ruby's spell and he snores loudly from the floor of the basement.</p><p></p><p>Once the group posesses a light source the basement can be viewed. There is a low-ceilinged narrow room lined with shelves that were once used for storage but now lie bare as mildew and dampness have made them unable to bear a load of any significance. There are two doors at the back of this musty cellar, the one to the left the door lies open and there is a cot and table within but it is otherwise bare. The door to the right is closed.</p><p></p><p>Before going down stairs, Jake takes the hammer from the pile of tools and places it in his bag next to the stake.</p><p></p><p>Using the light from the lantern that Ruby had brought, Jake quickly removes any weapons from within reach of big Tom. He then removes a rope from his travel bag and cuts two pieces. Carefully, so he does not wake the large man, Jake binds his hands and feet. Jake looks over to Ruby and waves her over pointing to the rope. She quickly adjusts the knots while shaking her head, Jake only grins and shrugs.</p><p></p><p>Minerva climbs down through the trap door and is behind Ruby when Thom falls. "Wait! before we go on I want to pray for the gods protection from the evil that awaits us. My powers are limited so I will pray for Ruby, Chester and myself to be protected." Minerva raises her arms and prays for the gods to strengthen their will and protect them from the powers that lurk in darkness.</p><p></p><p>Kate cautiously followed the others down the basement stairs. "It's sure to get noisy once we open the other door," she said quietly. "It may wake him. I'll keep my eyes open and take care of it if he manages to break the ropes.</p><p></p><p>Just so you all know, I can do two of the damaging spells. After that I'm down to these bottles and my pistol. Well, I also have a spell to make someone smaller." She looked down at Thom. "But it seems that one won't be necessary. Are we ready?"</p><p></p><p>"Just about," Jake responds while changing the ammo in his fast draw Colt to Pierre’s enchanted rounds. </p><p></p><p>When he sees the sleeping Thom, Chester gives a low whistle. "That sorcery sure does come in handy, Ruby. I didn't fancy being shot with one of those again. How long is he going to be out?"</p><p></p><p>Ruby says, "Not long, only a few minutes." </p><p></p><p>Chester accepts the blessing from his goddess joyfully. "Thank you, Minerva. May Athena bless us all." He puts away the long rifle and draws his Remington because the space is cramped. In response to Kate's question Chester nods. "Ready as I'll ever be." He hefts his sixgun in his right hand and a wooden stake in the left. He asks Jake, "Do you think the door's rigged?"</p><p></p><p>"How in Hades do I know, Chet. Worth checking though. Ruby can you check it quick? Are you leading us in Deputy?" Jake asks as he starts changing the ammo in his long barrel to the pyrotechnic rounds.</p><p></p><p>Ruby focuses on the door. Ruby begins to check the door over for traps, but as soon as she gets close to the wooden door she is startled by a thumping sound which you all realize is coming from the other side. You hear unholy growls and barks as something tries to break through the wooden door and into the basement, whatever it is it sounds mad and hungry and the wooden door is beginning to splinter from its frenzied barrage.</p><p></p><p>Kate set down the bottle in her hand and got out her pistol. The first two bullets were the magical sleep rounds, followed by the magic weapon rounds. She took a deep breath and backed up a few steps, then waited for whatever was back there to come through the door.</p><p></p><p>At the angry sounds coming from the other side of the door, Chester drops the stake and draws his other sixgun. "Sounds like something ornery's back there."</p><p></p><p>Jake pulls out his sawed-off shot gun from under his duster and buttons it back up. He then drops the normal rounds on the ground, replacing them with two of the special acid shells. "Ruby darling, this would be a good time to get the heck out of the way. Chet, back me up!"</p><p></p><p>Once Ruby moves, Jake looks for an open spot in the door or crack large enough to point the barrels of his gun at whatever foul canine that was clawing and bursting its way through.</p><p></p><p>Minerva attempts to aim her gun around Ruby but there just isn't enough space to maneuver so she tries to stand out of the way and give Jake room to aim.</p><p></p><p>Ruby moves back, standing behind Jake, who had pushed his way in front of Minerva to give himself a clear shot.</p><p></p><p>Ruby takes a moment to pull out her own gun, then goes in Jake's bag and pulls a stake. She sticks it halfway down the back of her skirt but makes sure it is hidden by her shirt.</p><p></p><p>It took a few moments for Jake to get his duster buttoned and then to reload his weapon and get into place. Jake sees a crack that he thinks might be large enough to get a shot through. As he lifts the gun to aim the door bursts open and two huge dogs come bounding through. Jake manages to keep his feet but one of them knocks the shotgun out of his hand and onto the floor.</p><p></p><p>At such close range, Kate hoped it would be impossible to miss as she fired the first sleep round at the closest dog.</p><p></p><p>The dogs prove to be a tougher target than Kate expected with their agility and her shot, although it goes where it was aimed does not find a target on the other end.</p><p></p><p>Chester reacts and fires both Remingtons at the first dog. He hopes regular bullets will do the job.</p><p></p><p>"What a time to be a klutz," Jake mumbles and drops to the floor to grab the shotgun and to avoid being shot by his friends. Once he has the gun, he rolls on his back and shoots both rounds, one at each creature. "Bad dogs."</p><p></p><p>Ruby also fires, aiming at the dog closest to Jake.</p><p></p><p>Minerva aims her rifle which is loaded with the magic bullets and fires at the hairy beast.</p><p></p><p>Jake's shots both hit their intended marks and the dogs yelp in pain as the acid goes to work and their flesh begins to bubble and smoke. Ruby's aim could not be truer and she hits the one closest to her lover right in the head, which explodes from the impact showering Jake with the fragments. Minerva's gun apparently misfires as there is the sound of the shot being fired but the gun jerks violently from her hand and drops to the floor in a mangled mess.</p><p></p><p>"Meirda, I should have stuck with my Papa's rifle instead of this new fangled contraption. she curses and pulls out her pistol.</p><p></p><p>After shooting, Jake releases the shotgun, stays low and draws his dagger from his boot. </p><p></p><p>The magic missile indeed works well and hits the one beast that is still standing squarely, knocking him back. The creature is dazed by the acid that still eats away at it and the scorch mark from the magical bolt. It shakes its head and charges at Jake who remains on the ground. Jake stifles a scream as the canine sinks its namesake teeth deep into his leg and begins violently shaking its head back and forth rending the flesh.</p><p></p><p>Chester adjusts his aim and fires at the still-active dog, taking care not to hit Jake.</p><p></p><p>Kate quickly cast again, hoping her last missile spell would be enough to knock it down.</p><p></p><p>"EEwww," Ruby comments on her now blood and gore covered boyfriend. "Gross."</p><p></p><p>The next thing she knows the remaining creature is gnawing on her lover. She raises her gun and shouts "Go back to hell!" as she takes careful aim and shoots at it. Minerva also aims the barrel of her pistol at the dog and shoots.</p><p></p><p>Chester fires but he was taking too careful a shot and his aim is high. Kate's missile again flies true and strikes the enraged dog. At this point though the dog appears to be in a frenzy and does not loosen it's grip on Jake.</p><p></p><p>Ruby manages to easily get through the busted down door. She quickly puts her hand to her face and begins to gag at the terrible smell of dog feces in the area behind the door. That area turns to be a 5 foot wide hallway with brick walls. There is no light so she can see very little beyond the doorway without a light source.</p><p></p><p>Minerva's poor luck continues as her shot goes awry and fails to hit the dog that continues to work over Jake.</p><p></p><p>Out of offensive spells, Kate bent down and picked her pistol back up. She advanced the chamber and shot one of the magic weapon bullets at the dog. </p><p></p><p>Jake stabs skillfully at the dog with a well placed thrust. The dagger sinks deeply into the flesh of the dog and Jake can feel warm blood flowing out onto his hand and arm. The dog's grip finally weakens and it falls to the side a last whimper escaping its lips.</p><p></p><p>Chester recocks his sixguns and fires both at the dying animal. "Take that." He calls out, "Jake's hurt."</p><p></p><p>Quite angry at her miserable luck, Minerva unfurls her whip and slashes at the dog</p><p></p><p>"Do NOT worry about me, get Greely. Chet, there is a hammer in my bag there next to you."</p><p></p><p>"Jake!" Ruby rushes over to her fallen lover. "How bad is it baby?" She looks at him, concern on his face. "Someone watch the door!" she calls out.</p><p></p><p>Chester holsters his smoking weapons and grabs the hammer. Next he picks up the stake from where he dropped it. "Where is Edwards? We're going to need his expertise."</p><p></p><p>"I couldn't find him," Kate said. "I'll watch the door, someone heal Jake, we need him. My bandages aren't going to do enough."</p><p></p><p>Between Kate and Chester's shots and Minerva's lash with the whip the dog begins to look like a mangled mess. The sounds of battle are replaced by an eerie silence.</p><p></p><p>"I will probably never play the violin, but other than that I will heal." He gives her a smirk.</p><p></p><p>"Well he is not here so we will have to rely on our own wits and the mercy of the gods. Let's go." she says and strides toward the door with her pistol in one hand and her whip in the other.</p><p></p><p>Nanuet who had been watching the room above for any trouble now heads down the ladder to the room below. "I heard Jake was hurt. I can heal him, if he needs it."</p><p></p><p>"You aren't going to help Jake?" Ruby says, a bit annoyed. "How about you Nanuet, can you help him? Or should I do it?"</p><p></p><p>Chester says, "OK. We'll have to do the best we can, then. Nanuet, can you take care of Jake? I'm going in." Chester tucks the hammer into his belt and draws his sixgun. "I'm right behind you, Minerva."</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="orchid blossom, post: 2819613, member: 12815"] They meet up with Nanuet, Minerva and Chester and they all walk over to the Saloon in silence. Ruby puts a finger to her lips indicating quiet as they all enter the Saloon. Before entering the saloon Minerva communicates to Luna to stay outside and let them know if anyone is coming. She follows Ruby into the saloon making as little noise as possible. She grips her gun with the magical rounds in one hand while clutching the amulet that rests upon her bosom with the other. * * * The young chambermaid who was watching the desk during the early morning hours had received specific instructions from Nolan Edwards before he retired. "If anyone leaves a message for me, you must wake me immediately. It is very important, more important than you know." The young lady returned from making up a room and saw the note in the cubby for Nolan Edwards. Without speaking to Victor Bishop the young girl grabbed the note and ran up the stairs. She rapped loudly on the door and waited for an answer, but none was forthcoming. She waited only moments before using her key to unlock the door. "Mr. Edwards, there is a message for you. I brought it up right away" the young woman says as she crossed the room towards the bed where Nolan Edwards was laying. She spoke again "Mr. Edwards, sir, a message" and then she reached out to shake him awake. Victor Bishop heard a loud scream from upstairs in his hotel, and with the recent events he feared the worst. He grabbed the derringer he kept hidden behind the desk and moved rapidly up the stairs. * * * They moved quietly to where Jake waited behind the bar. The trap door was clear in the floor. Kate looked around behind the bar and noticed a few bottles with less than half the liquor left. She quietly pulled out the corks on three of them and stuffed a bandage inside. The cork was then replaced as far as it could be with the fabric hanging out and she picked them up and waited for the door to be open. Ruby approaches Jake and smiles at him. "I guess everything was ok while I was gone. I just want to talk to you for a moment before we go down." Ruby pulls Jake slightly away from the others. She reaches down her bodice and pulls an item out, her hand clenched tightly around it. She looks up at Jake with big, frightened eyes. "Jake, you know I've been scared, I mean, I am scared. I know you are too," she says softly. "But you have been so brave..." She gulps, "I'm trying really hard to help, I have. And I'm ready to get this over with." "But please," she pleads with him, "Please use this." She extends her clenched fist to Jake, a thin black leather cord hanging between her fingers. "Let my love for you protect you and wear this." "But... what about you? What..." Jake sees the look in her face, in her eyes and then just nods. He takes the cord and places it over his head after which he gives her a gentle kiss. "I have a feeling we will be going home soon," he adds with a confident smile. Moving back to the door in the floor he whispers, "We should do ALL the checking of this door that we know how before we try to open it. Oh, and there is the little matter of how to open it without waking all the inhabitants of Hades." Jake takes a step back from the door to let the others see. As they begin to examine it he asks, "What about Edwards, did anyone find him?" Kate shook her head. "I waited at the hotel this morning for quite a while. Mr. Bishop said he'd seen him earlier. I left him a note." Ruby sighs then pulls herself up tall. She makes her way over to the trap door in the floor and begins working on it. "Getting the door open shouldn't be hard. We just remove the hinges." She pulls out her masterly made tools as she looks the door over. Before touching it, she concentrates on it very hard, using her special skill to determine if there was magic on it. Ruby concentrates for several moments as everyone stands silently nearby. The tension mounts as Ruby continues to focus but she eventually stands up and says "It's not magically warded or trapped as far as I can tell, just locked." Next Ruby searches for traps and then she searches the lock. She tries to determine how easy it will be to remove the hinges if necessary. She believes that she can try and disengage the lock by slipping the tools between the seam of the floor and the door. The hinges would require either the proper tools or something to pry them off. Ruby looks up at her friends. "Be prepared," she warns, and sets to disengaging the lock. Kate managed to get one of the bottled to set in her pocket to free up one hand, and watched to see what would happen when the door opened. Ruby works on the lock for what seems like an eternity, switching lock picks, trying various angles and techniques. After a minute she sighs "I can't get it, from this position there is no way for me to open the lock." She adds, "Brute strength is our only option now. That means no surprise. But hopefully that monster is sleeping and won't know the difference." "Nanuet and Chester, why don't the two of you pry the door open somehow?" "I can try, but I am not the strongest one here" Nanuet says sheepishly. "I know, that is why I said you AND Chester," Ruby says, laying a hand on his arm. "And it's ok, we can't all be perfect." Nanuet chuckles a bit, glad for the light remark in spite of the prevailing mood. "OK then Ms. Perfect, why don't you go and bust the door down, or are you afraid you might get a sliver or break a nail?" "Because everyone knows that lock picking is women's work and door busting is men's," Kate said with a nervous laugh. "I didn't want to embarrass you," Ruby teases back. Nanuet looks at the trap door with a puzzled look. "Well, I am not sure how I can break it in, I mean other than jumping up and down on it or kicking at it and I don't think that will do too much. There is nothing to pull on. Perhaps we can use something to pry it open?" "Well I would have to disagree with you Senora Katherine as I believe that I may be the strongest one here," she chuckles. "But Nanuet is right there is nothing to grip it with. Perhaps there is something behind the bar here that will suffice as a lever," she says and searches behind the bar. Ruby leans up against the bar as Minerva searches behind it. She considers taking a drink but knows she needs to be alert to get this over and behind her. She looks around the empty room, wondering what happened in the Saloon for it to be left in such disarray. She shudders as her eyes wander over the spot she landed after being thrown by the monster. Finally her musings rest on the trap door problem. Suddenly a new thought comes to her mind and she hurries into the room where she and Jake started their search, the stock room. When she comes out she has a bunch of various tools in hand. "I think I might be able to get the hinges off with this stuff." Ruby kneels next to the trap door and begins her next project, trying to remove the hinges. Chester sets his rifle on the bar and rolls up his sleeves when Ruby comes back with the tools. "Aww. I was looking forward to smashing something. These vampires have got me all riled up. But you're the expert." He instead checks his rifle to make sure it's loaded with seven pyrotechnic cartridges. Minerva searches behind the bar but is unable to find anything suitable to use as a lever. Ruby returns with the tools she has spotted in her earlier searching and sets to work removing the hinges. It takes her about 2 minutes before she is ready for the last step that will disable the hinges and allow them access to the basement. She realizes though that the lock is still engaged on the underside of the door opposite from where the hinges are and some noise will still be made when prying the door open. "I don't think there is any way we can do this completely quietly" she says as she stands poised over the door ready to do the last bit. "It's alright, Ruby. We're ready." Ruby gives one final glance to her friends. "Ready?" she asks. She finds solemn faces nodding in agreement, so she begins prying the door open. With the hinges removed it is only a matter of pulling the door open. Ruby does so revealing a damp dark basement. There is little light, only what filters from the room above but the heroes can see that there is a low ceiling and what looks like what was once shelves that were used for storage. The basement is a fairly narrow long room that extends beyond the site of those posed above it. A familiar voice is heard from beyond the area clearly in view. "Pretty Constance, you shouldn't have come down here. Mr. Greely will be very, very angry." The sound of a shotgun being loaded can clearly be heard. Ruby waves a hand back to the others. "Oh Thom," she whispers to him, trying to get a better view of where he is as she moves slowly forward, "I don't have a choice. You see, he is trying to kill me. And how can you and I be friends if I am dead?" "If he will not listen to you, maybe he needs a nap?" Jake whispers to the group, "Or it could be a fine time for someone to be invisible." "Maybe you should have said that before?" Ruby whispers back. "You want me to do that now?" "Thom," she calls out, "Please come out where I can see you." "No pretty Constance! If I see you any more then I will have to shoot you, Mr. Greely will make me shoot you. I don't want to shoot pretty Constance or her friends!" Thom says in an anguished voice. Ruby stops short and stays where she is. "Alright Thom, we won't come any further." She raises a hand behind her motioning for her friends to stay put. "But before I leave, I want to say goodbye. I'd like to sing you a song as a thank you for being my friend." Ruby begins singing in a soft voice, trying to lull Thom to magical sleep. [i]I know where I'm goin' and I know who's goin' with me I know who I love and my dear knows who I'll marry. I have stockings of silk and shoes of bright green leather Combs to buckle my hair and a ring for every finger O' feather beds are soft and painted rooms are bonnie But I would give them all for my handsome winsome Thommy Some say that he's poor, but I say that he's bonnie Fairest of them all is my handsome winsome Thommy. [/i] At the sound of the shotgun, Chester hesitates. His hand creeps toward his side where Shotgun Sally hit him with a blast months before. He shakes his head and picks up his Spencer. Ruby begins to sing and he waits for whatever she has planned to take effect. Kate waited through Ruby's song, hoping it would work. She had not learned any spells that affected the mind herself. They had not worked on Ruby, and she suspected those whose mind's were already affected by one might be immune to an attempt from another. Instead she had learned the magic missile spell, and one other. Enlarging Chester had made him able to use a weapon too large for him. She thought perhaps making someone small would make them less able. Kate strained her eyes, hoping Ruby's song worked but trying to see Thom just in case. The wondrous sound of Ruby's voice fills the void of silence. Soon a loud thudding crash is heard from the darkness beyond as Thom falls to the ground, asleep. His weak will was easily overcome by Ruby's spell and he snores loudly from the floor of the basement. Once the group posesses a light source the basement can be viewed. There is a low-ceilinged narrow room lined with shelves that were once used for storage but now lie bare as mildew and dampness have made them unable to bear a load of any significance. There are two doors at the back of this musty cellar, the one to the left the door lies open and there is a cot and table within but it is otherwise bare. The door to the right is closed. Before going down stairs, Jake takes the hammer from the pile of tools and places it in his bag next to the stake. Using the light from the lantern that Ruby had brought, Jake quickly removes any weapons from within reach of big Tom. He then removes a rope from his travel bag and cuts two pieces. Carefully, so he does not wake the large man, Jake binds his hands and feet. Jake looks over to Ruby and waves her over pointing to the rope. She quickly adjusts the knots while shaking her head, Jake only grins and shrugs. Minerva climbs down through the trap door and is behind Ruby when Thom falls. "Wait! before we go on I want to pray for the gods protection from the evil that awaits us. My powers are limited so I will pray for Ruby, Chester and myself to be protected." Minerva raises her arms and prays for the gods to strengthen their will and protect them from the powers that lurk in darkness. Kate cautiously followed the others down the basement stairs. "It's sure to get noisy once we open the other door," she said quietly. "It may wake him. I'll keep my eyes open and take care of it if he manages to break the ropes. Just so you all know, I can do two of the damaging spells. After that I'm down to these bottles and my pistol. Well, I also have a spell to make someone smaller." She looked down at Thom. "But it seems that one won't be necessary. Are we ready?" "Just about," Jake responds while changing the ammo in his fast draw Colt to Pierre’s enchanted rounds. When he sees the sleeping Thom, Chester gives a low whistle. "That sorcery sure does come in handy, Ruby. I didn't fancy being shot with one of those again. How long is he going to be out?" Ruby says, "Not long, only a few minutes." Chester accepts the blessing from his goddess joyfully. "Thank you, Minerva. May Athena bless us all." He puts away the long rifle and draws his Remington because the space is cramped. In response to Kate's question Chester nods. "Ready as I'll ever be." He hefts his sixgun in his right hand and a wooden stake in the left. He asks Jake, "Do you think the door's rigged?" "How in Hades do I know, Chet. Worth checking though. Ruby can you check it quick? Are you leading us in Deputy?" Jake asks as he starts changing the ammo in his long barrel to the pyrotechnic rounds. Ruby focuses on the door. Ruby begins to check the door over for traps, but as soon as she gets close to the wooden door she is startled by a thumping sound which you all realize is coming from the other side. You hear unholy growls and barks as something tries to break through the wooden door and into the basement, whatever it is it sounds mad and hungry and the wooden door is beginning to splinter from its frenzied barrage. Kate set down the bottle in her hand and got out her pistol. The first two bullets were the magical sleep rounds, followed by the magic weapon rounds. She took a deep breath and backed up a few steps, then waited for whatever was back there to come through the door. At the angry sounds coming from the other side of the door, Chester drops the stake and draws his other sixgun. "Sounds like something ornery's back there." Jake pulls out his sawed-off shot gun from under his duster and buttons it back up. He then drops the normal rounds on the ground, replacing them with two of the special acid shells. "Ruby darling, this would be a good time to get the heck out of the way. Chet, back me up!" Once Ruby moves, Jake looks for an open spot in the door or crack large enough to point the barrels of his gun at whatever foul canine that was clawing and bursting its way through. Minerva attempts to aim her gun around Ruby but there just isn't enough space to maneuver so she tries to stand out of the way and give Jake room to aim. Ruby moves back, standing behind Jake, who had pushed his way in front of Minerva to give himself a clear shot. Ruby takes a moment to pull out her own gun, then goes in Jake's bag and pulls a stake. She sticks it halfway down the back of her skirt but makes sure it is hidden by her shirt. It took a few moments for Jake to get his duster buttoned and then to reload his weapon and get into place. Jake sees a crack that he thinks might be large enough to get a shot through. As he lifts the gun to aim the door bursts open and two huge dogs come bounding through. Jake manages to keep his feet but one of them knocks the shotgun out of his hand and onto the floor. At such close range, Kate hoped it would be impossible to miss as she fired the first sleep round at the closest dog. The dogs prove to be a tougher target than Kate expected with their agility and her shot, although it goes where it was aimed does not find a target on the other end. Chester reacts and fires both Remingtons at the first dog. He hopes regular bullets will do the job. "What a time to be a klutz," Jake mumbles and drops to the floor to grab the shotgun and to avoid being shot by his friends. Once he has the gun, he rolls on his back and shoots both rounds, one at each creature. "Bad dogs." Ruby also fires, aiming at the dog closest to Jake. Minerva aims her rifle which is loaded with the magic bullets and fires at the hairy beast. Jake's shots both hit their intended marks and the dogs yelp in pain as the acid goes to work and their flesh begins to bubble and smoke. Ruby's aim could not be truer and she hits the one closest to her lover right in the head, which explodes from the impact showering Jake with the fragments. Minerva's gun apparently misfires as there is the sound of the shot being fired but the gun jerks violently from her hand and drops to the floor in a mangled mess. "Meirda, I should have stuck with my Papa's rifle instead of this new fangled contraption. she curses and pulls out her pistol. After shooting, Jake releases the shotgun, stays low and draws his dagger from his boot. The magic missile indeed works well and hits the one beast that is still standing squarely, knocking him back. The creature is dazed by the acid that still eats away at it and the scorch mark from the magical bolt. It shakes its head and charges at Jake who remains on the ground. Jake stifles a scream as the canine sinks its namesake teeth deep into his leg and begins violently shaking its head back and forth rending the flesh. Chester adjusts his aim and fires at the still-active dog, taking care not to hit Jake. Kate quickly cast again, hoping her last missile spell would be enough to knock it down. "EEwww," Ruby comments on her now blood and gore covered boyfriend. "Gross." The next thing she knows the remaining creature is gnawing on her lover. She raises her gun and shouts "Go back to hell!" as she takes careful aim and shoots at it. Minerva also aims the barrel of her pistol at the dog and shoots. Chester fires but he was taking too careful a shot and his aim is high. Kate's missile again flies true and strikes the enraged dog. At this point though the dog appears to be in a frenzy and does not loosen it's grip on Jake. Ruby manages to easily get through the busted down door. She quickly puts her hand to her face and begins to gag at the terrible smell of dog feces in the area behind the door. That area turns to be a 5 foot wide hallway with brick walls. There is no light so she can see very little beyond the doorway without a light source. Minerva's poor luck continues as her shot goes awry and fails to hit the dog that continues to work over Jake. Out of offensive spells, Kate bent down and picked her pistol back up. She advanced the chamber and shot one of the magic weapon bullets at the dog. Jake stabs skillfully at the dog with a well placed thrust. The dagger sinks deeply into the flesh of the dog and Jake can feel warm blood flowing out onto his hand and arm. The dog's grip finally weakens and it falls to the side a last whimper escaping its lips. Chester recocks his sixguns and fires both at the dying animal. "Take that." He calls out, "Jake's hurt." Quite angry at her miserable luck, Minerva unfurls her whip and slashes at the dog "Do NOT worry about me, get Greely. Chet, there is a hammer in my bag there next to you." "Jake!" Ruby rushes over to her fallen lover. "How bad is it baby?" She looks at him, concern on his face. "Someone watch the door!" she calls out. Chester holsters his smoking weapons and grabs the hammer. Next he picks up the stake from where he dropped it. "Where is Edwards? We're going to need his expertise." "I couldn't find him," Kate said. "I'll watch the door, someone heal Jake, we need him. My bandages aren't going to do enough." Between Kate and Chester's shots and Minerva's lash with the whip the dog begins to look like a mangled mess. The sounds of battle are replaced by an eerie silence. "I will probably never play the violin, but other than that I will heal." He gives her a smirk. "Well he is not here so we will have to rely on our own wits and the mercy of the gods. Let's go." she says and strides toward the door with her pistol in one hand and her whip in the other. Nanuet who had been watching the room above for any trouble now heads down the ladder to the room below. "I heard Jake was hurt. I can heal him, if he needs it." "You aren't going to help Jake?" Ruby says, a bit annoyed. "How about you Nanuet, can you help him? Or should I do it?" Chester says, "OK. We'll have to do the best we can, then. Nanuet, can you take care of Jake? I'm going in." Chester tucks the hammer into his belt and draws his sixgun. "I'm right behind you, Minerva." [/QUOTE]
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"Here There Be Vampires" A Promise City, Arizona Story Hour
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