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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Silver Moon" data-source="post: 4100680" data-attributes="member: 8530">Chapter Two-hundred-seventy-eight, “To the Safe House”, Thursday, June 22nd , 12:30 A.M. When Nanuet finally comes out of his trance he says, "It's a trap. They are in the building that Father Harbrace and I destroyed vampires and a coffin in before. Both of the workmen who took the crate from the train are vampires. When they reached the house they fed off the other two who Turner took control of but not enough to kill them. Those two victims and Mrs. Parker are still unconscious and tied to chairs in the main interior room of the building. The vampires are both now in bat form and waiting for our arrival up in the room's rafters. Maska is in the far corner of the room still invisible, she does not believe that the vampires are aware of her yet." Kate says, "They'll expect us to be surprised, so our real advantage will be in preparation. I don't think we've really faced two, fully awake and aware before. I have a cantrip, meant to harm undead that I can use twice. After that just my own magic missile spells, a grease spell, and my wand," Kate said, keeping her voice low so the driver wouldn't be able to hear. “Fire might be our best friend here." She looked over at the blanket wrapped shotgun. "Turner's hand was in a lot of things back in Promise City," she mused. "I wonder if that shotgun is magical?" She quickly and quietly cast a detect magic to find out. Ruby states, "I-I don't feel like I could cast my most powerful spells right now. I could cast a diversion or do you think sleep would work? Or I could try to daze them." Kate was listening to Ruby as she studied the shotgun. Kate says, "I don't think sleep will work on vampires, since they don't so much sleep like we do. I've just stayed away from even trying it. I don't know about daze," she said honestly. Kate completes the spell, stating "The ammunition for the shotgun is magical. I'm hoping, at least, that they are those pyrotechnic shells like the Cowboy gang was using. The other option I can think of is it was designed to knock out mortals so the vampires could feed on them at leisure. I still think we should try it." Nanuet says, "Believe it or not, I haven't cast a spell yet today and have some things that might help." Ruby interrupts him, "What if we just surprise them and get them both in the shotgun blast? Do either of you vampire hunters," she looks at Nanuet and Kate, "Think that would take them out in one shot?" Kate says, "It's possible, but I'd prefer not to count on it. Assuming those rounds are pyrotechnic is a big assumption. We also don't know how large the room is, or how far apart the creatures will be waiting in their bat forms. Nanuet, as long as we have the time to prepare anything you can cast on us is appreciated. Although we'll want to wait until we're close, or even just outside the room so we can get the most time out of the spells as possible." Ruby suggests, "Maybe we should just each throw whatever we can at all of them. Hopefully we will have the element of surprise." She twirls the rose slowly in her hand. "We need to send George a telegram, tell him where we are so he can come and get us." Kate says, "We can take the train back to him just as quickly as he could come to us. Grandfather and I at least, and hopefully you too, should be on a train to Philadelphia before dawn. The Arch-Bishop might be able to help you. I hate to say it, but I don't think there's a whole lot we can plan. We know the creatures are there, we'll want to concentrate on one at a time if we can." "But Kate, I want him here." Ruby leans her head back and closes her eyes. "He can meet us in Philadelphia, I don't care. Once Mr. G. feels better you're going to leave anyway and I don't want to be alone." Kate replies, "I don't object to telegramming him, honey. I do expect Mr. Gonzales to take us all back to Rochester before we go anywhere else.” Gonzales replies, "Until I am healed I won't be transporting anybody, and even then there is a weight limit which limits the number of people so I would not be able to bring all of us." Kate says, "I'm sorry, I was leaving things out again. I meant after we get to Philadelphia and the Arch-Bishop can heal the vampire's damage. But there is still the weight problem. But that is all for after we get Mrs. Parker back. Either way, by tomorrow evening is the latest I can be leaving for home. Ginnie needs me, the school needs me, the town council will have discussed what to do about schools today and I wasn't there. If you plan to stay in Rochester for some time before you come home, then I'm sure we can come back again. After the newly betrothed have had some time alone," she said and squeezed Ruby's arm. "I-I don't know what to do. Maybe I should go home with you two," Ruby says, slowly spinning the diamond ring around her finger. "I just can't think right now, I'm so tired..." She pauses then sighs, "I want George to be safe. But at the same time I want him here with me. I just want him here." Kate says, "You don't have to decide right now. After we get your Grandmother you can wire him and tell him we're going to Philadelphia, and then we'll head back to Rochester. You'll have plenty of time to think it over. Let's just get through the next hour." The old wizard Gonzales says, "I am almost out of resources, but I do have one spell left that should allow us to get the jump on them. It's a different kind of invisibility. We'd have to be within ten feet of each other; if you move farther out you become visible. And if you attack you become visible, but no one else does. Only if I attack would the spell end, and quite frankly, I‘m still physically not quite up to participating in a physical battle." Kate added, "We could either try to get the prisoners untied, or use our surprise to try to focus on one and kill it before the second even knew we were there. Both if they aren't that observant." Ruby nods, although the thought doesn't leave her mind. There wasn't much she could do about the vampires, being in the state she was in anyway. She closes her eyes and hopes someone else comes up with a brilliant plan. Kate kept hold of Ruby's hand, remembering the day she had nearly died not so long ago. She hadn't told Ruby about that experience; ever since she'd become pregnant they had locked horns over what Kate should and shouldn't be doing. They didn't even really disagree; Kate just felt her knowledge and skills gave her a responsibility beyond those she would have chosen to bear. Now it was her responsibility to make sure they were well prepared before they walked into this. "So we can all enter the room together, unseen. What I would like to do than is have someone cut the prisoners free. Maska said they are unconscious and bound, so even if we get them free we are probably going to have to kill the vampires in order to get them out. If we cut the ropes in places the bats above won't see, we can at least get them free so if they wake they can try to escape. I favor trying to take one out, all of us together while we're still invisible. After that we will all be seen, but I hope we could at least have killed that vampire so we'll only have to deal with one. Can we get stakes from somewhere? And can anyone think of any ways to set the creatures on fire? Proffesuer Amie, since you are nearly depleted, would you like to carry the shotgun? I've actually never seen you shoot." Ruby doesn't open her eyes but responds anyway. "I'm pretty good with the gun Kate, although I'm not certain how me not feeling well will affect my shooting. Plus I don't think I'll have any spells that would really help much, just small things for distraction. As for fire, if the bullets in the gun don't do that I don't know what to do short of dousing them with alcohol and lighting a match." "Burning alcohol has crossed my mind," Kate said dryly. "What kind of distractions can you create?" Ruby sighs. "Just little lights or a shady looking form of a human. The human looking thing can actually go minor tasks. Or I can also do the same spell you can, the one that does minor stuff." Nanuet finally speaks up after a long pondering silence. "I haven't used any of my spells today. I have a few that might be useful. I can give us all the blessing of the gods giving us their favor to a small degree, I can hide up to three of us from the undead for about half an hour or until you attack them. We wouldn't have to stay together but it would only hide us from undead creatures. I can also detect their presence and if I concentrate then I should be able to pinpoint their location. I have a light spell as well that might help to keep them at bay. Lastly, if I have the chance I can consecrate the area which will take some of their strength away. Those are some options, using all those prayers would sap my strength significantly and asking that many favors of the gods all at once may have some odd results, but those are the most useful prayers I have.” Ruby says, "Perhaps we don't use all of them, just some of them." She finally opens her eyes and gazes upon their ragtag group. "You are the strongest one here and we need you to stay that way." Kate hesitated, trying ot fit all the puzzle pieces into place. "We have a lot of abilities for stealth, but they all end as soon as we make a move against the creatures. We can free but not move the prisoners without them seeing, and since it's night they can follow us." She paused again. "I don't like not knowing what odd results are, and we don't want to exhaust you, Nanuet. I think we should use our teacher's invisibility spell, if only because it will conceal us all and save Nanuet's energy. While we're outside the room it would be good if Nanuet an pinpoint the creatures for us. Then we could decide which to attack first. I still favor trying to take one out before we try to kill the other. The light spell might be good to use then, even if it only distracts or blinds them momentarily. The hostages are unconscious, so killing the vampires is probably not optional." Ruby states, "As soon as we open the door they will know something is going on so we should use Mr. G's spell. The unseen servant can either be used as a decoy, we send it in to the other side if the room to pick something up and distract them or perhaps we can be the distraction and the servant can untie the prisoners. Mr. Gonzales, do you think the spell can work that way?” He replies, “The servant cannot lift anything heavy, and creating the distraction still costs us the element of surprise. It could untie the prisoners provided that I remain within range of the servant and also in line-of-sight so that I can focus on its actions.” Ruby suggests, “I can cast the lights on the other side of the room. It's only going to give us moments of distraction but hopefully we won't need more than that." Kate replies, "That's good, Ruby. If we can keep them wondering what's really going on, and where the danger is coming from that's a big advantage. Can your spell really untie them? I'd almost say it's more valuable as a distraction. Light spells near it could make it look like it's a threat as well." Ruby says, "So maybe I could cast the dancing lights outside the room and when the door opens, we'll be invisible, but I can move them across the room so the creatures attention goes with it?" Kate says, "Grandfather, if you cast the invisibility, and then work on getting the prisoners untied, Ruby, Nanuet, and I can then work on taking out the first vampire. You'll remain hidden and the creatures will be distracted from you. If they both come down after us, Ruby can cast her spell to draw one away from us. I hate to ask it, but does anyone have a stake? Or any kind of pointed wood?" Ruby says, "Obviously I don't. When we get to our destination we might have to break a chair or something." Nanuet says, "I have arrows, which are wooden, but the tips are not. I'm uncertain if they will work. I can also enchant someone's weapon slightly for a short duration. It couldn't hurt." Ruby asks, "Who's got a weapon? I don't have anything... except for some small spells and maybe the shotgun if Mr. G. doesn't take it." Kate says, "I have my derringer, but it would be next to useless against these creatures, even enchanted. I'd rather see you use the spells to enchant a stake, Nanuet. Although a stake that strikes in the right spot doesn't really need the help." Nanuet picks up a new communication from Maska. He relays it to the group stating, "Maska indicates that she moved only slightly and both of the vampires reacted, flying around the room apparently searching." Gonzales says, "Ah yes, it is the bat form. Bats use both their eyes and ears to see in the dark. The invisibility spell would mask your wolf from their vision but not from their incredible sense of being able to hear sound waves and discern a shape from that. Please tell her to remain perfectly still until we are present. Thankfully they aren't real bats or they would have found her from even that slight movement, but they are still thinking like humans, still relying more on what they see than what they hear." Kate states, "That also means that they are going to know about where we are even with the invisibility spell up. It makes it that much more important to know where they are before we enter the room, and take them out quickly. Instead of using the spell to locate them, I'd say let's just have Maska pass that on to Nanuet. We could use that blessing from him instead." Nanuet talks as he rummages through his bags. "I still believe my hide from undead prayer should help us. Are they not still undead even in bat form?" He smiles as he pulls his hand out of his pouch. "I thought I still had a few of these" he says, opening his hand to reveal four exploding rounds of ammunition. "They might come in handy." "Nanuet, I could kiss you," Kate said with a laugh. "Will those fit the shotgun? They're too big for the derringer. Your hiding prayer would work, but it will leave one of us still visible. Perhaps we should give the shotgun to whomever doesn't get the spell. When we open the door they'd be visible and draw the bats attention. They could then fire one of those shells at them while the rest of us get into the room and make our own attacks. What do you think?" Nanuet replies, "I had become so accustomed to using John Harbrace's equipment that I forgot what resources of my own that I had. I have a rifle, and we have the shotgun. I am sure they would fit one or the other. Your plan is sound. I can cast hide undead on you three and then take the gun myself and try to draw them off so you can free the others." Ruby says, "I'll open the door Nanuet so you can run in and distract them with your rifle. That way the path will be clear for us to get inside invisibly. And Kate and Mr. G. can try to untie Nana and the others. I'll take the shotgun and try to cover Nanuet if there is a problem." Kate says, "Even if we can free them, we won't be able to get them out of the room since they're unconscious. I certainly can't carry any of them. The three of us who are invisible should get to good spots and then help you if you need help. If you're doing alright, we can try to get the prisoners untied." Ruby says, "Maybe they'll wake up when they are untied?" Kate says, "That sounds good, Ruby. Will those shells fit both guns? If they will you could both have two of the incendiary rounds. You could both attack the creatures and Mr. Gonzales and I could work on freeing our prisoners." Ruby laughs. "I guess I learned something from Jake... you need different ammunition for shotguns and rifles. I'll just take my chance with whatever magical ammunition is in the shotgun and let Nanuet rely on his exploding bullets for his rifle." Nanuet says, "It shouldn't be too hard to drag them out, but hopefully I can destroy them and we won't have to worry." Kate shrugged, a bit embarrassed. "I was never a very good student when it came to shooting. So it comes down to us getting close to the room, Nanuet praying for a blessing for us and then making us invisible to the creatures. Maska lets him know where they are and he tries to take them out with the shots while the rest of us get into the room and at least try to get the prisoners untied, aware that we must give that up to help fight if necessary. The blasts from those shells are pretty serious if I remember. I'd try to hit one while they are close together. The fire should hurt both. Grandfather, I'll give you the wand. I have spells left to work with." "Sounds like a good plan." Ruby sighs. "I'm ready to get this over with. I hope we're almost there. I really would like to get some sleep." Maska communicates back to Nanuet that the bats have both gone back to their former perches on the ceiling beams at the northeast and northwest corners of the room, the doors to the room being in the center of the east and south walls with Maska currently just the one to the south. Nanuet relays Maska's information to the group. "We should probably go in the south door since that is furthest from where the bats are. Just before we are ready to go in I'll cast hide from undead and bless."</blockquote>

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