Quote from Arch-Angel

Anna seemed to think long and hard about Castros situation as he explained the removal of their bonds. "Well why didn't you say we didn't need a key? I know just the friend who is super good at everything magic and would be happy to help out any pals of mine. All you guys gotta do is help me get out of this little underground slice of home and she will gladly help us out!" Anna clapped her hands together, "and as for Mr Castro, Celestial can carry him!"

Anna smiled at the other three with hope and determination.

"For once in the last hour, we finally have a plan."

Timothy began to go towards the doorway.

"So, we going now or not?"

As Nocturn pulled back the cords of muscle, the resistance felt funny. Rather then feeling them rip in his hands, they writhed and retaliated. As if they were snakes, they wrapped around and restrained his hands and arms, binding them in place. Its arms morphed again, this time gaining a scaly hide and four thick digits tipped with long talons. It grabbed ahold of Nocturn's shoulders and began pulling.

Matthew sprinted around the beast, vaulting off the wall and heading for the left side of its face. As he flew he drew back for a punch, aiming at the biggest eye he could see. Out of the corner of his vision, he could see the beast's hands transforming again, and readied himself for evasive tactics. This also meant he saw Z-Dude's plight, but he quickly focused back on his target. A split second could give the enemy an advantage.

As Matthew's punch connected with the beast's helmet, he could feel a thin veil bend to his swing then it contracted, freezing over the beast's eye like a shell and the android's fist made contact with what felt like a ceramic plate. The monster pitched to the side and dragged Matthew against the wall as it swung Nocturn around, its claws digging deeper into the zombie's shoulders as it began to pry them off Nocturn's body.

Anna was getting excited again, "As long as Celestial and Castro are okay with it!" She was practically bouncing on her toes in anticipation as she laced her fingers. She gazed upon Castro and Celestial like a begging child.

The trapped magician shrugged the best he could. "I really couldn't care either way. Cept such close proximity to me, even with these restraints, I'm going to be sapping a good number of your years Celestial." Castro stared at the warlock. "You want to die young?"

Unable to feel much pain at all, Nocturn growled. He was also slightly disappointed at his ally's attacks or perhaps most of it were just due to their opponent's irritable nature. Either way, he'd need to trump the creature's strength. Using every ounce of viral strength and electrical shock to weaken the tendrils of flesh, the zombie of Lantern's Cross reached for the mask and plugged it into his face.

So you wish my power?

"As per the deal, Outsider," Nocturn replied plainly. "This is assisting me against the horror that is Abra."

Very well.

The mask ripples on the flesh part of Nocturn's face as transparent tendrils of phantasmal energy from it wrap around the man like a giant octopus. Within seconds, the zombie disappears into black smoke. The dark mist reforms beside Matthew, the silhouette it coalesces to mimics that of Nocturn but different in most every way. The metal that used to be rusted was now a pale sickly white, as if the metal had been plagued for eons. Black gashes line the body like scars, deep indents of slashes and wounds. His mechanical body, covered only by black shorts and a face devoid of all emotion save for three dark holes that parodied what eyes and a mouth were. Where his left arm would be, was encased in a ragged cloth and chain. The chain leads to his right arm, turning into a onyx black metal as it ends in a wickedly large and sharp hook.

Nocturn begins to speak, his voice is overlapped by the Beast behind the mask. "Your soul is mine!"

The beast that Nocturn became twirled his dark hook and swung it towards Darwin. Nocturn felt the absence of the familiar feeling of his virus. He was free but he exchanged it for a different curse.

Was he ever free?

"Okay, that works too." Celestial walked over to Castro and picked him up bridal-style. He felt it would be rude to throw him over his shoulder or something and piggy-back just didn't seem plausible with Castro's arms beging restrained. "Just try not to drain too much of my lifesource, okay?"

I suppose its soul will quench your hunger? Nocturn muttered. Perhaps the virus would be famished as well. Its blood would satiate my other curse.

"Matthew," the zombie bellowed. "Best we hunt the horror. This transformation requires sacrifice and I've marked that creature for the meal."

Nocturn charged, tracing the black hook onto the walls. Leaving deep marks for them to follow later if needed. Do you have a way to track the thing, Outsider?

"How delightful!" Turning on her heel back to Timothy, she put her hands on his shoulders and began to gently walk him towards the entrance. "Right this way now. We can't have our fearless leader straggling along in the back of the group. No sir, that just won't do!" Anna glanced back to make sure Celestial would follow along with Castro.

Quote from Arch-Angel

"How delightful!" Turning on her heel back to Timothy, she put her hands on his shoulders and began to gently walk him towards the entrance. "Right this way now. We can't have our fearless leader straggling along in the back of the group. No sir, that just won't do!" Anna glanced back to make sure Celestial would follow along with Castro.

"Well, I guess that makes sense."

He gently shook off the hands and kept walking(I has no guitar!)

"I'm alright though, no need for the hands."

With Castro in Celestial's arms, he followed Anna and Timothy. "So wha're we gonna do if we run into the monster? We have no way of fighting it and I'm pretty sure it'll be able to catch us if we try and run."

Matthew rolled quickly away from the beast, eyes alert for some sort of new shapeshifting thing. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Nocturn's transformation, but didn't say anything about it. As long as Nocturn was in control, everything was fine...well, Abra's version of fine anyways.

At Nocturn's mention of hunting the enemy, Matthew nodded. "I've got your back. Let's catch ourselves a kitty."

Its soul has a unique scent to it. You can see it. And true to the mask's words, Nocturn could see what looked like a thread of green string leading into the labryinth. The zombie followed the string until it went up and disappeared over the wall. However by then he could feel a faint aching in his stomach and could smell humans.

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As the four got ready to leave, Castro flinched, "Timothy get away from the door!" But too late as from the roof dropped a massive spider. It was covered in black armor and sported thick tuffs of bristly black fur. Set in its head was one large yellow reptilian eye and with a lunge forward, it grabbed Timothy in its mandibles and began climbing the walls again. "Fuck!" Castro snarled, he couldn't risk hitting the musician so had refrained from trying anything. "These walls are twenty feet high and the roof 10 feet higher than that. That thing must've climbed over to cut the time. So good news, it won't kill him immediately, bad news we don't know where he is!"

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However that turned out not to be an issue as Nocturn could sense the approach of the monster and another soul coming to the from above. Then the monster dropped the soul and Timothy landed at his feet, wrapped in webs and unconscious. The message was clear, Timothy's life for its own.