2016-10-31 - Bad Ending

It's one of those classic dark and stormy nights. For the Runaways, that menas costumes and trick or treating. For other guardians of the world, it is a time of caution and wariness, given the thin boundaries that exist on the realms of All Hallows Eve between this world and the ones that border it.

Along one dark San Francisco Street going candy gathering, the group of Runaways whom have braved through the growing fog in search of candy are undoubtedly one thing..

Lost.

Molly Hayes is walking around in a genuine princess outfit. Complete with princess hat and pink dress. Her business for today is candy, and business is good. She was going to be so hyper that normal hyperactivity would be considered sloth. Especially since she's been taking from the pumpkin bag even while trick or treating.

While he doesn't have the title Runaway or belong to that particular cool kids club, Constantine was a runaway as a brat so fate decreed that this is a place he aught to be tonight. Unlike most folks however, he knows exactly where he is. Standing on a corner smoking to suppress a migraine developing from the obscene magical energies in the air tonight. It's that time of the year again and he knows it. Maybe the migraine has nothing to do with his cigarete, but nevertheless it minimizes his attention to it.

He was truthfully waiting for the trolley to come in, fancying that ride over his usual cab trip. John is wondering presently if there isn't a breach nearby though, and if that's the case then the energies he senses are either a symptom or a prelude.

Mumbling to herself, Nico says something about GPS functions and lack of a good signal, though she's not actually holding a celphone. She most notably is dressed up for halloween, though she's ALWAYS kind of set for that. Today she has horns. Little bit of demon poking through, though she's a little annoyed that she keeps being told that she has an 'excellent demon costume' since most of what she's wearing is her normal stuff. "No 'smell my feet', Mol. Please, god."

Free candy, I mean, even Nico's on board for that so she's fairly good. Though she has this really creepy feeling going on tonight, like someone's looking over her shoulder.

Walking along with Molly is another young girl. Klara Prast has been called many things in her past...and one of them has been witch. Of course, being the old soul that she is (very old soul...you'll figure it out) and not without a sense of irony of her own, she is dressed for 'All Hallow's Eve'...as a classic witch. Complete with hat, black dress, and the broom, to boot. She blinks, as she looks up to Nico. "Why would one want to smell another's feet? I don't understand how that helps with the procurement of sweets."

Hovering in the air, out of sight and above the costumed throng, a certain raven-haired sorceress glides along. Halloween was always a tricky night for Raven....one of the few times she could feel somewhat 'normal', yet not because of the thin barrier between the natural and supernatural. And...tonight seems particularly on edge.

Chase is not entirely happy to be out Trick-or_treating. Sure, it makes Molly happy, and that scores a lot of points for it, but... there are other kinds of fun to be had an Halloween for a guy his age. But he hunkers along, playing up the cheesy werweolf outfit he has, with rubber ask and clawed gloves Molly Hayes looks up at Nico. "But it's part of the rules! We have to say 'Trick or Treat, smell my feet, give me something good too eat! If we don't say it, Klara won't know how Halloween is supposed to work!" she says as she takes out a candy apple and starts eating it. Then she starts talking again. "mgh bmgh mghg na. Mghgm gmgh igm mgmgh MGHG!" She points at Klara. "mghghw hgiwgmg."

Karolina Dean is mostly cheerfully going on along with the rest, having taken it upon herself to go over as a hippy then, and she's skipping a bit then as she walks with the others, "I swear ti's like really muggy tonight or something." Glancing down at Molly cheerfully, "And yes you are a Power Princess but please Molly let's not get hyped up and challenge the Leapfrog to a jumping contest okay?" The bright girl intones then, lightly glowing over as the group made their way along. She goes to flip her head up and then lets out a sigh, "Great.." There's droplets falling over from the sky. "Raining." The droplets are a little too dark to be rain..

FOr those getting a closer look at them, they would be solid red. Almost black. Raining down from the sky in a miasma of falling rivulets.

Blood. For the mystically inclined in the group, there would be a sudden sense of direction and focus for the mystical veil that had fallen to the background, a sudden pulsation and orientation that was almost impossible to not notice. Beating. The air itself vibrating like a plucked vein. A beacon. A dark beckoning.

Something wicked this way was coming.

Molly Hayes nods to herself as her logic was impeccable, taking another bite of the candy apple.

Constantine spies the kiddies wandering through the fog, grinning cheshire at the motley crew. He's no idea who they are, and in the midst of swirling magics there are only certain that stand out to him. Notably Raven, but he knows she isn't alone. None of them are at the top of his concern list, however. He notices the shape and direction that the dark energies are taking, takes a loooong drag on his cigarette. This would call for a new cigarette, may as well prepare for it. He begins preparing a simple defensive incantation silently, tracing it in the air with the eye of his dwindling cigarette. He keeps it low key, no need to draw unnecessary attention from people nearby.

Nico Minoru has had practice understanding Molly-speak. "I don't care what she needs to learn, I'll ..."and she trails off, her eyes drifting off to the right for no visible reason. Nico Minoru, losing a change for an easy snarky response? Must be serious. "I'll...is it raining blood?" She sticks out her tongue to taste, because someone's got to find out.

"Karo, can you have a shield ready? Just in case. Klara, why don't you and Molly check that next house, it's got candy bars I think."

Nico Minoru is not passing up candy bars for anything. Hell with that.

Molly Hayes doesn't need to be asked twice. She's already running for the next house, pulling Klara with her. "Cmon Klara!" she says, oblivious to any magical happenings that are ... well.. happening. Besides, raining blood on halloween? Just means someone's doing good special effects.

"But...I know about All Hallow's Eve, Molly. I...oh nevermind..." There is a soft laugh as Molly goes off being her usual Molly self, with Klara walking along outside. Whoever thought giving Molly a night to get all the sugar she wanted obviously did not think it through fully. Klara reaches up, as a drop falls into her outstretched palm. "Oh...it's raining? But....why...why does the rain look so...dark? Is...this because of what you call pollution?"

The question is quickly forgotten as Nico suggests to the girls to go hit up the next house for candy bars. Klara may be an anachronism, but even she knows the value of a good chocolate bar.

Meanwhile, Raven slowly descends, landing next to a certain chain-smoking Constantine. She doesn't announce her presence....she already knows he knew she was about. That magical sense works wonders. She does, however, speak. "You sense it, too." Not a question. A flat out statement. Oddly, the blood rain doesn't seem to spook the magic user. Funny, that one is.

There's a light giggle from Karolina, and she lets out a sigh, "Sure, I'll go ahead with them." At Nico's suggestion she gives a nod, and hr fingers went to float up then as a glowing shield went up and over the group as they darted along then through the mists of blood falling in the quest for candy.

THe magical pulsations of the air itself seemed to shimmer and then setteld to a steady beat. Being controlled.

Coming from the darkness on the street, ahead of the rushing Runaways was a tall man. Twisted, almost medieval looking, wearing heavy armor with epathulets over his shoulders, connected to a long flowing cloak made of shadow. Dark red, almost ruby armor. Warped and withered skin.

Fanged teeth.

http://vignette2.wikia.nocookie.net/marveldatabase/images/a/ab/Vlad_Dracula_(Earth-12131).png/revision/latest?cb=20151025035707

Molly Hayes looks at Klara. "What are you talking abo-oh my god you're bleeding! Wait no, I'm bleeding! Wait how would I be bleeding, when I'm... wait is that rain? Wooooah, they do great special effects at this house!" She calls to Nico. "NICO! DO YOU SEE THESE SPECIAL EFFECTS? They're.... okay they're not special effects, are they? Can you tell me they're special effects Nico?"

Molly sees the tall man coming towards them. "Nico can you tell me that's a special effects too? Please?"

Constantine is noted for not being bothered by such things, he earned the name Hellblazer. It isn't for his trademark chainsmoking. Drawing his jacket around him, he truthfully had barely noticed the change in weather over his migraine. He simply replies in nonplussed tones,"Aye, it be noted. There's trouble afoot outside the norm for this time o' year." He leaves it at that, his attentions being focused to discern a location. His cigarette is doused. Damn it all.

See, Nico would be firing a rocket launcher if she had one. So of course, she says to her Runaways, "Not a special effect. Chase? Tell me you brought the gloves somewhere in that get-up." She steps between what appears to be goddamn Dracula himself and her kids, and pulls out a knife from her purse. "Try not to die." The combat cry of the Runaways, so they know this isn't a halloween joke. Get your game on.

Chase looks up, and holds out one of his gloved hands, catching some of the odd rain, getting a better look. His voice sound s a little shakey as he comments, "Uh... I suddenly feel like I brought the wrong gloves."

Molly Hayes points. "AAAAAUGH! It's SLENDERMAN! CHASE! CHASE! IT'S SLENDERMAN! I TOLD YOU HE WAS REAL! I JUST DIDNT KNOW HE WORE ARMOR!" Apparently Molly doesnt know the difference between Slenderman and Dracula? Might be the whole lack of a cape that's doing it.

Long distance to Karolina Dean: Nico Minoru notes, I have literally put my body in the way of any attack Vlad tries on any of my kids until they pose going past me. From afar, Karolina Dean nodnods. Thanks. :) You paged Molly Hayes with 'Have we ever met a real vampire?' The sorceress glances over, as the costumed children (though Raven looks like she might be one of them) suddenly balk and seem to go on the defensive. Violet eyes shift from Nico, being a person Raven recognizes, to the figure in armor...a figure she most certainly recognizes. And...despite the shouting of a princess figure, Raven just shakes her head, commenting to herself (and to Constantine.)

"Dracula. Of course." A little sarcastic there for Raven...which is probably the first real emotion she let slip all night.

Klara blinks in surprise as Molly goes...well, ballistic. "What? That internet figure? It doesn't look like one to me. It looks more like a nosferatu to me." Leave it to Klara to throw out the antiquated naming. But wait....did Nico use the rally cry? All of a sudden, Klara looks nervous. She...really isn't much of a fighter.

The Vampire Lord known as Vlad Dracul smiles, even as the blood rain fell down, turning to a torrential downpour as he went to face the Runaways scrambling to meet him, "In that you are wrong, Childe. No one dies tonight. Instead I give you life everlasting."

A drawn dark bloodsaber is taken out, even as suddenly the forms of Runaways are met by a swarming legion of rats seeming to come from every gutter, sewer, and building in the dark alleyway racing towards them in near endless numbers.

"Accept my gift. The terror will pass, and you will never have to fear anything else." Dracula grinned as lightning flashed under a blood moon, and the howling of wolves filled the air. To Raven and Constantine, a sudden diving swarm of bats would rush then, seeming to come from the mists itself as if to answer rhetorically 'Who Else'.

Karolina went to dive, backing up towards Nico as she quickly tried to figure something to do, "Uh.. Molly, Smash!" Pointing at the advancing vampiric figure coming towards them as she glowed more brightly!

Molly Hayes looks at Klara. "I know monsters and that's definitely a slenderman! Look at how slender he is! It's not a...whatever you said." Molly then runs over to a parked car. "You just can't let him touch you according to the video game!" She then picks up the car and throws it at her incorrectly-identified monster.

Molly Hayes gahs! And rats! It's a slenderman with rats! And bats! He's not even behaving like a slenderman should! He's a slenderman that's really bad at being a slenderman!" she say as she climbs on top of the next car.

Chase is not going to face off with the lord of the undead in a rubber mask, so he pulls it off, his blond hair quickly turning red with the rain. The he flings off the right glove and brings hif fingers to his lips, letting out a shrill, loud whistle. it seems like an utterly ridiculous thing to do. But if Dracula's calling bats, Chase is calling something better. one dinosaur from the future comes charging up the block, chomping bats left an right along the way. it doesn't hurt matters that Old Lace has Chase's all-important backpack.. Sometimes paranoia pays off

"Vampire!"

Nico's voice echoes for an instant, before the swarm of rats comes boiling out of everywhere. Oh god, rats. She tries to knife one before it leaps onto her arm, biting. She screams, as another leaps onto her back, then two more. Nico is not a strong young lady, and in seconds she's dropped to her knees, with rats swarming her. Her pale skin doesn't look all that great, as she literally vanishes under a wave of biting rodents, a hand vanishing underneath, as her skin...bleeds.

The man in a trenchcoat is mildly annoyed. Some prick vampire lord shows up dousing his smokes in an obnoxious downpour, and now with the bats OH HELL NO! He and the official Bat don't play well together, and he doesn't have time for thousand year old posers bringing that sour puss to mind. John ducks the downward swoopers, tucking his head beneath his trench, bringing the collar up to make his own trademarked Bat-Shelter.

Johnny isn't blind to the danger to the kids, sword swinging people chasing kids with rat swarms isn't cool. He has a soft spot for kids, even ones with powers. It's game time. Tucking his hand inside his jacket, he retrieves a blade tucked in there.It resembles a kukri blade, and he cuts his palm on it while uttering,"Agni infernis..."

The words burst Constantine's flowing blood into magma, wreathing his hand in fire! He'll point it up at the bats descending on them where it sprays forth into the air, harmlessly away from the kids and surrounding homes but lethally at the bats around them! You paged Molly Hayes with 'It's Karo's pose, I think. We'll find out about the well aimed car soon.'

There is a shriek as Klara spies the rats. "No! No!! Go away!!!" As if drawn to her fright and coming to her aid, dandelion weeds sprout up around the girl. But...they do more than just sprout. They grow to an enormous size, encircling the frightened child, becoming effectively a living wall to shield her from the rats' assault. It isn't very combative, as it seems mostly an instinctive gesture. Done without thought.

Raven doesn't waste much time at all. As the bats start to swarm about her, she chants softly, her fingers weaving intricate runes of power within the air itself. Then, with a flick of her wrist, a blast of darkness spreads out from her outstretched hand, shoving the bats aside as if they were nothing to her. Of course, Raven does use the force push to guide the bats into the path of John's flame, because only thing better than a dead bat is a roasted dead bat.

While Raven works, an inky blackness separates from the sorceress, taking on a vague bird-like form as it flys over towards the rodent problem. It seems that the magess is going to handle two pests at once, as Raven's soul-self descends upon the rats in an effort to teleport them out of existence.

As Molly goes to launch the car through the air, Dracula -blurs-. The car impacts where he was with a loud, resounding CRUNCH and then Dracula is over in the midst of the Runaways as a long taloned hand goes to reach for Nico's neck, "You have something that belongs to me by right of Blood. I've wasted enough time through intermediaries pursuing it." His hand would glow, even as he would try and hold his hand if he could grab her about her throat then to lift her far up in the air as she bled, his other hand going up with the intent to latch and try and tether to yank the likely appearing Staff of One from her! Karolina would try and charge at him regardless, only to be swatted away hard and flung as the night grew loud with howls of wolves and swarming bats and rats charging the group!

The swarming furnace that Constantine had summoned would erupt over hte Bats, clearing the heavens in a shrieking frenzy then as they detonated like popcorn throughout the air then, falling to the ground then in a mass then of blasted magic, sizzling and smoking then and leaving craters almost like acid where they struck on the ground, the shrieks of pain and undeath filling the air as at least the night sky was cleared of one threat!

And as Klara's wall of wood made an effective shield between her and Dracula - giving Molly and Chase cover, or at least for Chase to go ahead and get his gauntlets to be fully ready! And as Raven's magic dueled with that of the summoned swarm of beasts by Dracula, the ground was as free as the night sky, sizzling corpses of rats joining bats then as the summoned beasts then were cleaned.

Dracula would still be intent on holding up Nico b the neck, "I've wanted such a thing as this for a long time. So wasteful. So much potential and yet used as a trinket. Your mother was such a failure, and you have been even moreso. Now give me back what is *MINE*." Assuming Nico was in the full power of his grip, his hypnotic haze and command would b etrying to strike her full force!

Constantine grunts in satisfaction at the charred meat falling from the sky, but his attention isn't there for long. He notes the armored vampire lord with Nico! Unacceptable, Johnny. He'll run through the puddles of scorched meat and blood to get to her, his bloody palm still wreathed in crimson flame from his still active eldritch power. He'll do his level best to put a stop to this.

If Dracula's attentions are focussed sufficiently, he'll try something vicious. Balling his burning fist to focus effort into amping his spell, he'll slam it into the vampire's back. Vampire's tend to be weak against fire and he'll give him plenty of it point blank,"Unhand her you shit sucking CUNT!"

While John charges Dracula from the front, Raven tries a little backhanded trick. The living shadow that is Raven's soul-self flickers and drifts away from the wooded wall that Klara erected. While the vampire lord is distracted, it looks as if the shadow is trying to embrace Nico. Quite possibly an effort to take her into itself to free her from the vampire's grasp and transport her to a more safe location....like next to Raven, if at all possible.

It takes some doing for Chase to get his backpack from the dinosaur while she is kicking and biting at the swarming rats, but he does manage it, and gives a little shout of triumph as he gets one of the Fistigons in place. At the same time, Old Lace is free to charge in to help Nico even as Chase gets the second Fistigon on. He taps his knuckles together like a boxersssetting the gloves on his hands, then spreads his palms. From his left hand, crackling lightning jumps, fallig like a nite over the wsarming rats even as the right glove generates a slowly growing ring of fire, spreading out from around Chase.

Nico can't help it. Once she bleeds, not heaven nor earth could stop the staff from emerging. ~When blood is shed...~ she says, her voice in the eldrich tones that herald magic, as her hands press against her chest to try vainly to try to keep it from giving up what is hidden.

Light bursts from a hole in her chest, as she intones, ~Let the Staff of One emerge-~ and a circular hoop about eight inches in diameter comes out of her heart, attached to what appears to be a six foot staff. Unable to completely fight off Dracula's gaze, her hands grasp the staff, and she is about to hand it over to him when like everything in the world attacks Him from all directions at once!

And she feels a dark, cradling hand like a raven's wings grasping her from behind, blocking the vision of those creepy, ancient eyes.

The manic midst of the melee is broken as it turns into a general brawl as the summoned minions are dispersed and dismembered. Constantine is charging in towards Dracula. Raven is blinking in midair, using the magic to try and teleport her pupil away. Nico is instinctively going to summon the Staff of One. And Dracula goes to yank it almost brutally from her hand then, hissing. "I said no one would die tonight, Childe."

"I lied."

Eyes glow red then as suddenly Chase charges in from the side, blasting him with fire as a setup to Constantine giving him a literal blessed uppercut of raw force. In that moment, his grip upon both NIco and the Staff of One is broken, Nico being teleported to a distance by Raven, the Staff of One clattering over along the ground to bounce and fall, wedged on the curb! "NO! Insipid VERMIN!" Klara is safe behind the wooden shield, and the setup is there for Molly to CLOBBER!

As Dracula is about to take the Staff, Raven is trying to teleport her away before that happens, and Chase is trying to play Street Fighter on Dracula's face, Molly gets off the car she was standing on to keep away from the rats, and smashes the Buick Skylark like a bat into Dracula. Because that's the weakness of vampires. Sunlight. Wooden stakes. Holy Water. Buick Skylarks.

Molly might be on to something. Let Blade know. *WHAM*! Any attempt that Dracula might, for the moment, make at commanding the enthralled Nico or making a grab for the staff is broken and he is slammed HARD over to the nearest building like a rocket as Molly has found a new way to make a Bat-Signal. (repose)

As intended, the form of Nico Minoru materializes next to Raven, deposited neatly by what seems to be Raven's own shadow before it melds back with Raven herself. The dark spellcaster is already chanting...a familiar spell for those that know of her. "Azarath, Metrion, Xinthos..." The Staff of One grows black, then a tug....as Raven's spell pulls on it, to deliver it to Nico. Then...with the bluntness and brevity that only Raven has, she turns to Nico and nods to Dracula.

"Deal with it."

Friendly little sorceress, isn't she?

Constantine sings to himself as Dracula go burning and battered knocked through the air by Molly,"An' he walked through rain an' he walked throooough the mud 'till he came to a place called Bucket of Blood...Stagger Lee..."

With that, Constantine turns his attention to Nico while they have a moment to breathe. He glances to Raven with a nod at her work with the staff and says,"Now for the mind control, see what we can do here ta make sure it ain't lingerin'." He dispels the flames around his hand as he glances to the others around him with an arched brow to ensure approval before going forth with two fingers to Nico's brow. Scanning for lingering Dracula influence.

Molly Hayes looks at what's happening. "Did we beat Slenderman?" She then looks at Constantine. Ew. He smells like cigarettes.

Nico's hand catches Constantine's wrist as he tries to touch her on the forehead. "Much as I appreciate the help, no touchie. No touchie.." She sounds like herself again, if she's quoting Emperor Kuzko. "He's a vampire, Molly. Get ready to throw something heavy. Karo, you got any sunlight in that glowey funtime you call a body? Mage guy, ring of fire. Chase, lightning if you got it." Then she steps back, seeing Raven behind her, and wields the Staff of One in both hands. "You don't get it tonight, Vlad! SUCK IT!"

And a howling vortex of wind appears at Dracula's feet, flashing with any energies added to it by her friends.

The impact in the wall slowly collapses in on itself as a bruised, battered, and bloody Dracula emerges from it. "Playful, aren't we? Just like your lovely grandmother was." Dracula's eyes blaze then with bemusement as he faces off with his interlocuters, licking a spec of blood from his hand, sword in front of him. "And why Constantine, aren't we playing against type? You're more the one to lure the children to their infernal damnation if left to your own devices." He grins. "So consider me assisting free of charge."

To the Runaways his hands would flare up, attempting to inspire great fear in the group of teenagers then..

Which duels with the blast of wind being blasted at it by Nico. The twin vortexes of the two magic wielders whom would summon the storms blasted, dueled, and stalemated, dancing in an inferno of magic and darkness, each giving unto it all..

Constantine snorts at Dracula as he's addressed, pulling out his playing cards from his pocket. He'll step away from the apparently A-OK Nico and pick a set from the deck, fanning them expertly before pocketting the box they came from before replying,"Vladdy boyo, you dunno me at all. Why don'tcha ask your elder wanker down under, The First, what happened to the batch o' kids he snatched up some years back courtesy of Nergal? Tip, they ain't down there no more so sod off."

He meanders over to Molly then, where John says,"That's a nice whollop you pack there, Princess. Me name's Constantine. John Constantine. An' I know where you can score lots o' chocolate an' cotton candy. All you gotta do is snatch up a car like you did a few minutes earlier, but this time I'll needs ya to toss it at'im. Are we game?"

Molly Hayes smiles happily - mainly because even though the guy smells like stinky cigarettes, he DID call her Princess. Plus he was offering her chocolate and cotton candy. And Cotton candy is basically just spun sugar. Which is like... the best kind of sugar. And Molly knows sugar. She nods, "Okay! Oh and my full superhero name is Princess Powerful!" she says before running to the nearest car. The 13 year old lifts it over her head like it was a beachball, and throws it. "It's Princess Powerful Time!" she yells, apparently deciding that this strategy required a battlecry.

The Hellblazer snaps the fingers of his free hand, igniting the fan of cards spontaneously! He grins roguishly at the Princess' enthusiasm and flicks the cards one after another in rapid succession at the flying car where the flames stick like napalm even as the cards themselves bounce off with ineffectual thunks. Napalm throwing cards! The car is on fire long before it reaches the vampire lord!

Nico Minoru is tied up with what appears to be a mage duel. She's holding her staff, which is basically a gigantic overpowered magical battery, and streaming power into the vortex which is..hopefully...going to handle Vladimir Dracul. Thing is, she's never DONE this before! "Um..."

THe car flies through the air, on fire. It blasts through then, hitting Dracula hard and BRUTALLY slamming him down then to the ground as Nico strains to keep the magic gust up. It smashes down upon him, collapsing as the vortex of hellfire burns up and through the air then!

There is quiet in the streets. The spell of blood has vanished, and the darkness is fading.

As her target stops fighting, Nico lowers her staff. She blinks, then says, "Halloween, gotta love it. Klara, stay in there a sec, just in case." The adrenaline buzz has her flagging a bit, as her hair refuses to stop sticking up. Too much energy in the air. She glances at Constantine, and frowns, then adds, "Thanks." Who is this guy, anyway?

Constantine is thrilled when the rain ends. Finally, smoke time! He pulls out his pack of cigarettes and goes to light up. It takes a few tries thanks to his damp zippo. Stupid vampire lords with their stupid blood rain. Taking a drag from his fresh cig to let out a victory exhale of smoke, he notes Nico's thanks and replies,"No prob. He was a puffed up asshole."

As for the deal with Molly, he calls to mind where the nearby Candy Palace is, best place to get cotton candy. Score! Yes he noticed that reaction to it.

And even as the unconscious Karolina went to start to stir over on the ground and Klara might perhaps be peeking up from behind her thorn-shield, and Chase would be looking around for spilled candy..

The blasting inferno would rage upwards as the charred not-quite-undead-yet Dracula would surge forth from the ashes. "I will /NOT/ be denied my prize b the likes of you whelps."

And he would blast at Nico with high speed, a literal blur as Constantine would be if interfering shoved aside as Dracula's hand would once again latch about NIco's throat as his hypnotic gaze would blast upon her again, with an aura of protection about them to keep the others from interfering.

"Mine," he says, forcing his will onto Nico's, to make her give up the staff. Not just physically, but her magical link to the power within.

Nico, terrified and brutalized and bleeding, realizes that she's losing. Also, that nobody is going to be able to save her this time, with the magical wall glowing about the pair. But not for him. No.

"Stop...Me..." she says, not to Dracula, but to the staff. The Staff of One, which can cast any spell in the universe. Once.

And suddenly, Dracula's spells stop. Everyone's spells stop. Magic stops, in Nico's vicinity, as an antimagic field drops into place, completely stopping it. And Nico drops to the ground, slamming there, as the staff protects its mistress. By turning them both to stone, no longer able to fear. Possibly ever again.

Karolina can only start to rise up then and looks around, "Whaa..?" Then she sees NIco, "Nico..!!" That's her BFF there! She goes to try and fly along, going to dart to her friend, "Wake up.. Wake up.." Then falls to her knees to start to cry..

Constantine narrows his gaze as he feels himself severed from the eldritch and arcane. His expression is suddenly concerned, an unusual one for him. Then again, anti magic fields are unusual. He sniffs and says with a puff of smoke,"This...is the shits. Not in a good way. I'll need a hand with this." He knits his brow and begins to plot. One hell of a curse, Johnny.