Numbers of the Night

The Count

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Chapter 6

The belt's second tube now showed a double snakehead on its stopper, with the marble 2 shrunken inside. Mr. Grimness found himself standing next to a cold stone wall in the Count's castle. He recognized the cold gray bricks forming the wall behind him, for there was a black bat logo on the wall close to the area's entrance behind where he stood. Yes, this was the ghostly gallery where the Count kept the portraits of his noble ancestors. Sections of the long-spanning wall were interrupted by semicircular windowholes, covered by aged brown shutters. The shutters opened and closed on their own, as if moved by the incorporial wind, lending a sense of creepyness to the corridor. Now Edward knew why the Count liked this particular area of the castle, what with the chilled night air blowing in through the sometimes opening shutters.

Was it really that late? Mr. Grimness hadn't noticed the passing of time after starting on his mission, but the hours did indeed fly away during the first two legs of his race to recover the master's precious marble numbers. Then again, for some reason, it seemed as if the nighttime world had taken this particular portion of the castle into its secret society, clinging to the edges of the outer wall and blanketing the horizon in its inky sea where a few shining stars were still visible in the distance.

Mr. Grimness began his trek across the blood red carpeted floor of the corridor, mindful of any little traps that may happen to come his way. Soon enough, he felt an unnatural stare peering at him from each painting he neared. These were the Count von Count's family members, and yet, he couldn't shake the feeling they were watching him making sure he didn't break his promise to their digitmaniac descendant. "It's probably nothing" Edward muttered to himself, but then the shutters started opening. And that's when he noticed the Bat-Orbs had returned. They flew overhead dropping their payload, coming in in greater numbers now than before from the outer nocturnal shell. These little hazards were easily dodged or destroyed, not so the other inhabitants of the corridor. Here were the little critters known as DeadHeads, owing to their resemblance to walking headstones. The little ghouls had that familiar stone marker in lue of heads, along with gray-brownish gloves, walking upright on their gray-brownish bootlike feet. These guys lay dormant along the carpet's path. They only rose from the ground as Edward approached. That was when they were vulnerable to shots from the trusted cannon of our hero, though marching straight to their doom. More Bat-Orbs kept flying in through the window spaces, delaying Edward's forward progress, but he made it to the short set of steps granting him access to the next section.

This part of the corridor, at a higher level than the one before it, still had the same red carpeting and the eerie stares from the paintings behind him. Mr. Grimness still had to fend off some Deadheads while walking towards his ultimate goal. There were still bats flying into the hallway through the windows, but these were different than the ones before. Ghost Bats made their presence known, throwing out a short-linked chain from their translucent wings from time to time. Another obstacle to contend with were the Axe Knights, standing in between every other post after a window and portrait of the vampires of yore. Empty suits of armor stayed where they were, hidden in the darkness of the cold wall's niches. These particular knights had an ancient axe in the clutch of their greased gauntlets, ready to swing down upon unsuspecting passers-by. And what was worse, the carpet sections moved slowly onwards, as if they were connected to each other in a conveyor belt spanning the length of the floor. The axes were easy enough to avoid, just a jump backwards and then time another jump to move from one section of the carpet to the next. At the end of the path, the last set of steps were accessible to reach another portion of the gallery.

Gearing up for combat, Mr. Grimness used these enemies to replenish the ebb and flow of his bat-blaster's readout. Deadheads weren't a bother, and the Axe Knights kept missing their mark. One last batch of bats were swooping down through the narrow walkway now, Moon Bats. These little bats had their head and wings sticking out of a corpulent silver yellow sphere, raining down a momentary moonbeam at random targets. When the ride was over, Edward reached the creaking door and prepared himself for the next boss battle. Thanks to the bats, his meter had been filled up to the brim.

Once inside, the soft violins he had been hearing throughout the halls picked up a little and Edward's attention was directed to two white pillars standing solemnly on both sides of the room. "Well, now what" was his question, quickly answered by a voice that came from nowhere in particular. "mmm, nice night for a spook, isn't it?" was the next line he heard from Phantom-3. This glamorous ghoul had soft grayish skin, concealed from sight by her midnight black cloak. She had a full head of blackened gray hair hanging down near her face, glowing pink eyes, a female's face, and a spooky smile. Her arms were long and slender, pointed by her coal gray fingernails. The cloak ended in a skirt flapping in the wind entering the room from the open shutters, and was that... her bare gleaming gray leg? Surely, this was another Counting Creature that Edward could learn to like. But then the fight started and all bets were off.

Phantom-3 uttered her lines: "See you later" and with that she disappeared. Edward was dumbfounded, she was just here and now... He heard her voice call out "Boo!" and felt the blast of candle light hit him squarely in the sides. Doubling over, Edward almost fell to the ground but he knew what to do. "Bat-Vision Off. There, now we're back to an even playing field, we're both as blind as bats in the dark."

He quietly moved over to his position behind the prominent pillars, waiting for the fright moment. Pressing the button with the double snakehead, he was armed and ready to pounce. Relying on his instincts, he tried to sense when Phantom-3 was near to him so he could get the jump on her. The open shutters were the clue he needed, lifting her skirt as she passed by revealing that gleaming leg of hers. "Double Serpent Strike!" yelled Edward and quickly slammed down upon the ghoul with the force of the two snake fangs at the tips of both his cannon and staff. This went on for a while, shifting from pillar to pillar, until the spook couldn't continue and her leg was the only visible remains on the floor near the windy window. Of course, due to the nature of his eyesight, Edward hadn't noticed the battle had ended. It wasn't until a storm cloud glided to where he was and let the marble number 3 fall into his hands did he know that it was over.
 

TogetherAgain

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<*shiver*>
I love it, Count! It's creepy and gives me the chills, but it's the kind of creepy-chill-inducing that I just LOVE. And believe me, that's a very difficult level. It takes quite a bit to make me enjoy getting the chills. And yet you do it so well!
I like the bit about neither side being able to see, and not knowing that the battle was over. It adds an element of... of reality, I guess, something I can somewhat relate to. My eye sight isn't too terrible, but I can't leave the house (or sit at my computer) without wearing glasses or contacts. So I guess... yeah, that struck me. Keep it up, I love it!
 

The Count

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Thanks guys, but where's Bo gotten to now?

Oh well, glad others are liking the story too. Not sure when next chapter will be up, gotta think about the environment and little spooks haunting the halls. Not to mention I need a good simple codename-type name for a certain pumpkin-headed patroller native to Old New York, when it was called New Amsterdam.
Talk to you guys soon.
 

The Count

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New Chapter! Please LMK if you like it and if the story should continue.


Chapter 7

When Edward Grimness appeared at the next location, he quickly reactivated his bat-vision device. After all, there was no need to keep it turned off now. A quick check of his belt told him that another stopper bore a hooded black blanket. This also told him that a shrunken marble 3 must be inside that particular tube. "Well, what now?" wondered Edward aloud as the sprawling lane opened up in front of him. The late hours of the night were giving way to a slowly creeping dawn. The faint orange light could be seen painting the horizon of the landscape ahead of his gaze. He stood in what looked like a horse racing track, rounding about on itself with cobblestones inlaid all along the ground. Trees protected wandering wayfarers thanks to their leafy branches, tinted ever so slightly by the orange hues of the encroaching morning.

Mr. Grimness set out on his path, knowing that it would be a circular pathway leading to this area's boss battle. His old friends, the Axe Knights were back nestled at intervals along the fenceposts along the stable walls. He let these knights swing their axes downwards with no worries, this time he could merely step back and then walk forward during the upwards-recoiling motion of the armor's blade. And what was more, he could either blast them away or just keep going onwards to find...

Pumpkin Patches! A section of the stable littered with fat smiling pumpkins. These opened their tops and fired promptly thanks to the pea shooters inside. Edward weaved his way across, picking up energy pills after clearing the pumpkin blockin his movements. Steed Knights were also numerous in this area of the castle, mechanical mares made up only by their hovering heads. The horse heads let loose a short spout of steam from their nostrils before charging straight ahead. Mr. Grimness had to choose, either blast them where he stood or jump over them and move on. Whatever it was to be, he knew he needed to act fast as the first horse came galloping towards him. Deciding upon the best course of action, he charged the cannon jumping to avoid the collision then turning to fire upon one, and then the next knight he saw.

As he approached the midway point of the track, Edward noticed a lone pumpkin standing guard. This pumpkin toll presented its arms and soon met its end from a bat-blaster blast. Now it was time for a leisurely stroll down the bridgeway, or so he thought. Steed Knights would make sure this was no free pass though. Weighing his options, Edward knew he couldn't jump over the hovering horses this time, he might fall into the waters below the bridge and have to start this walk all over again. No, he looked at his belt and was reminded of his successes. Yes, he pressed the taxi cab button and those hubcapped wheels appeared once more at his feet. "Let's roll" was all he said as the Steed Knights came at him one by one. This time, those mechanical mares met their match, as Mr. Grimness steamrolled them out of the way crossing the span in no time flat. Switching from the treads back to his normal cannon, he promptly rid the field of the second pumpkin toll. "Hmm, might need a life or weapon energy pill or two soon. Wonder if there are nice little enemies to shoot down." And lo and behold, his wish was granted. Pumpkin Patches followed by a row of Axe Knights lined the stable's looping lane. This served to refill all his meters while continuing on his mission. And then, a second Pumpkin Patch. This was welcomed by Edward who needed a rest. Ducking out of the way from an occasional Leaf Thrower, our hero moved swiftly past the remaining electronic equestrian guards. One last Pumpkin Patch to refill his life energies, and then the walkway went inwards as he found that familiar creaking door. Walking straight into the boss battle, he knew what to expect.

He was met immediately by March-4, mounted on his black steed. This Counting Creature was a true soul of the land of New York, immortalized in his own fictional account. He had his body completely clad in blacks and browns, from his gloves to his pants and boots, to the vest and coat with a folded neck, to the cape streaming in the light morning air behind him. Besides the black steed, this boss had a shining sword hanging from his side and... a flaming orange pumpkin as his head! This was indeed who Edward thought it to be, the Headless Horseman! "Prepare yourself for battle!" exclaimed March-4 and then promptly marched forth with his sword drawn out to strike the man determined to win back the Count's castle. Edward was calm though, jumping out of the way as he formulated a strategem before March-4 turned around for another pass. Edward shouted: "Phantom Cloak!" and then vanished before taking his position. Knowing that he needed an additional shot from his cannon, he charged it to deliver a full-powered blast when ready. Then, he snuck around so as to be located directly behind the horseman. "Hate to do this to you buddy, but..." muttered Edward as he let loose the fury of his cannon's surging candle light aimed at the Counting Creature's back. This only served to enfuriate March-4, vowing to have his revenge. Soon after, he was removing his head from the space in the neck of his coat and flinging it like an exploding bomb wherever he wanted. Mr. Grimness tried to avoid these rolling pumpkins, concealed from sight all the while. If the pumpkin was still lying on the floor, the horseman picked it up when he turned, only to throw it out at his enemy again. This lastedseveral rounds, until the grim galloping ghost could take it no more. His body had no more energy to sustain his appearance, leaving behind only the burned-out shell of a once bright gourd seated at the saddle of a stopped cybernetic steed. The storm cloud came close to Edward so he could grasp its marble number 4, and then teleported himself out of there en route to his next stop on his quest.
 

RedDragon

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Fantastic, you never cease to amaze me. I Want More! Keep It Coming!
 

RedDragon

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Come on man I'm serious. I WANT MORE,man, MORE!
 

TogetherAgain

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Alright Count, this is a more than long enough break. Now give us more. Come on now, you didn't think I'd let you get away with forgetting this, did you? Now post some more story, please. Pretty please. Oh don't make me beg you.
PLEASE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
 

The Count

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Ah... some good old-fashioned nagging from the readers. Well, I've been taking care of a few other things. Need some time to "plot" the next chapter and see how it "grows" in my mind.
But at least I have the finale in my mind, a happy ending for all while leaving a plot hole wide enough for as many semi truck sequels to chuck on through.

Gonna "leaf" you guys for now, but I'll probably be back once the chapter's taken "root".
 
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