Castlevania Nocturne: A Guardian's Tale (Part 2)

A Nightmare Come Alive

Emma gripped the hilt of her sword  walking into the cellars. The place  crawled with night creatures, she could tell by the already  familiar  stench and the glow of her mother's staff. Where the hell are they? She wondered with a lingering growl in her throat. Vance perched on her shoulder in bat form after flapping around the room clicking his teeth to survey  the underground.

They're here all right.  Vance warned. Nineteen night creatures, three vampires, and a human. You better ready yourselves for a fight.

"We should ready ourselves for a quick escape." Tera warned after Emma conveyed Vance's survey.Her family kept close to her, weapons bared and senses alert.

"Not without saving Eduoard." Annette stated firmly.

"It might not be possible." Amalie warned "If we cannot save him, if he's truly gone...." She turned to Annette, her cape stirring the dust. "Do you really think you could kill him? He's someone you love. Even if he's become a monster?"

" He could never be a monster." Annette replied solemnly.

"So what will you do?" Richter asked.

Annette didn't have an answer. Amalie pushed Emma back with her hand, her staff gleaming like the midday sun. A night creature shambled at the other end of the room, snarling and growling unaware of the angel's deadly presence.

A  melancholy song resonated throughout the cellars, echoing off the walls and resounding in the hearts of the companions. "Oh my God..." Emma hissed. It's really him. Indeed, the night creature that remained Eduoard sung a lament at the request of the Dark Mage, stirring hope and despair in Annette's heart.

"Stay close to me!" Amalie barked from the approach of the shambling night creature, a multi-limbed humanoid figure with pallid  grey skin. "Stand down!" She struck down her staff. The  candles dimmed  and a rippling electrifying air coursed through the cellar, palpable to even Richter.
The  night creature hissed, backing away from the angel  like a lion from a tamer's whip. Richter took the chance and struck it back against the wall with the lash of the vampire killer, pinning it with his throwing knives as it wriggled and rasped unable to free itself.

"No! Annette!" Amalie screamed. "We must stay together!" She shrugged. "Damn it!" Ordering the group to follow her.

As they darted through the cellar's labyrinthine halls, they came upon night creatures at every other corner. The demons instinctively avoided Amalie but focused on the easier human targets.  Annette called upon the Orisha of the crossroads, gutting  them with the earthen spears. Maria summoned her beasts, even the Peluda, who clawed, bit and impaled night creatures apart. Tera utilized her elemental magic, freezing the hydro blast from a semiaquatic night creature and chilling its throat.

The humans aided one another, jumping to each other's defense and cutting down night creatures trying to kill them. With whip, magic, fang, claw, and spine, they proved an equal match to the demons of the dark cellar.

The immortals were of no exception, as the company moved deeper, the night creatures grew bolder,  ignoring their natural fear of Amalie and lunging at her, Emma, and Vance. Emma darted across the halls in her lighting flash slitting their throats with her sword and whistling it to the aid of her humans. Richter covered her back, cracking the whip and deterring a beast. Vance moved with equal speed, gouging his enemies with sharpened claws and biting their throats out. He hoped he would  have a better relationship with Tera after  ripping out the pumping  heart of a demon bearing down on her.

Amalie deterred more demons from approaching,  burning them back with holy flames and ordering them away with her divine voice. Those bold enough to ignore her were met with a beam through the chest or burned hides.