Banquet of the Count

Chapter 8: Action

'So the Count is planning to use this twisted time of darkness at night to his advantage?'

'And what kind of a name is the "Banquet of Blood"?!'

'Emma!'

After Eli quickly filled in on what was happening with the Count and the brainwashed Survivors and Hunters, the team began to plan on what to do.

'Sorry,' Emma shrugged as she murmured sheepishly.

'The darkness of the monsters is strong, for Halloween is indeed near,' Hastur muttered. 'The undead ones like the ancient vampire of the Count are indeed at the peak of their power. And this corruption......'

'The darkness of the Count is slightly like the darkness of the Semi Hunters,' Fiona suddenly concluded. 'Controlling, unknown consciousness, and the pain that Eli mentioned... It's almost identical.'

'But the Count's darkness is definitely more powerful,' Emily added. 'Having the ability to completely corrupt and control both Survivors and Hunters, with the Count's soul itself residing in a Hunter's body......'

'We must stop him now,' Eli concluded, jumping to the obvious answer. 'Before the mass killing could begin.'

'One problem, Eli......' Yidhra pointed out. 'How are you going to turn back into your normal self?'

'My- oh gosh.'

Eli had nearly forgotten about the biggest problem that he himself was facing.

How in the world was he going to phase back into his usual self as the Seer?

'I'll just have to adapt to the changes that the Count's darkness might make on me if the killing begins,' Eli muttered, the fear rising in his soul once again. 'Even if there's a chance that I may fall into this darkness forever.'

'You- you're not saying-'

'There's a chance that death would be the end to all of this.'

Eli's weird purple eye looked deathly in the shadows of the underground room, the sentence he'd spoke bringing an eerie silence.

'I would have to stay here for some time,' Eli continued on. 'Just make sure that- that the killing doesn't get too severe. I think this may be a rather grave night.'

The team couldn't help but fall silent at Eli's pessimism. Never before had the Seer seem to be under such a large amount of darkness.

But Eli knew the reason all too well. He was the Dark Owl, the most uncontrollable Semi Hunter. He loses his conscious all too easily, and the moment that happens when they're against the Count...... There's a high chance that he may never be able to leave the dark side.

Most of all, his birthday is on Halloween, the Day of the Dead itself. Being born on such a day brings a greater amount of darkness to his soul.

All in all, Eli knew that if he was going to die anytime soon......

A loud bell sounded somewhere above ground. Eli knew that there was no time to waste.

'Get ready,' Eli murmured, his voice grave. 'I think this would be the start of it all.'

With that being said, the unwilling Huntsman walked up the many steps, his soul ready to embrace the monstrous things that await him.

______

The night was becoming darker and darker as the moon and the stars were blocked out by the shadowy, deathly clouds. Darkness and shadows swallowed the whole area as Eli and the others under the Count's darkness stood in the deathly garden, the dead leaves being scattered across the place as the cold wind continued to howl like a wolf.