Amber light shivers over glass racks and metal tables. Thadeus and Elizabeth face the sealed way forward, but Storm steps out from the vials, blocking the route deeper into the hidden network.
Storm
You keep showing up. I was hoping for a better crowd.
Thadeus Jovanović
You are in the way. Move and nobody gets hurt.
Storm
That is never how this ends with you. I am here for another fight, and I am not letting you reach the records below.
Behind her, the corridor back grinds tight with steel and stone. Ahead, the lab hums with chemicals and a broken-star doorframe, the only path toward the source of the route now standing between them and Storm.
Thadeus Jovanović
She is guarding the way down.
“Thadeus attempts to throw a bottle of holy water at Storm. When it crashes, it returns Storm to her natural form, not a doppelganger but as Thadeus first saw her. She shrieks in pain as this hits.”
SUCCESS (Legendary Agility, rolled +3)
Thadeus’s hand flicks out, and the bottle leaves his grip in a tight arc toward Storm’s chest.
Glass cracks on impact, holy water splashing across her black bodysuit and exposed skin in a sharp blue wash.
Storm
No, stop!
Storm folds around the hit with a raw shriek, her body snapping back into the woman Thadeus first saw, short red hair, black heels, the same dangerous shape now stripped of the copy’s smoothness.
A rack of vials rattles as she stumbles sideways, one hand clawing at the wet stain on her bodice while the lab glare catches her face in open pain.
The broken-star doorway behind her stands clear for a beat, and the blue-robed figure beyond it hesitates at the sound, giving Thadeus a narrow opening.
Thadeus Jovanović
That is the real Storm.
“Enraged, Storm attempts to throw a sweeping kick towards Thadeus. Elizabeth rushes and blocks the kick with knees, causing her to collapse to floor, catching her breath. Anger rising in his chest, Thadeus tackles Storm to the ground. Attempting to wriggle free, Storm cannot move.”
SUCCESS (Superb Strength, rolled -2)
Storm lunges with a sharp, off-balance kick, but Elizabeth drives in hard and catches it on her knees. The impact folds Storm down onto the stone, breath bursting out of her as the vials on the nearest rack clatter and sway.
Thadeus crashes into her a heartbeat later, weight and anger carrying him through the tackle. Storm hits the floor beneath him, pinned flat before she can twist free.
She writhes once, then loses the leverage, one heel scraping uselessly against the concrete. The holy water still darkens her black bodysuit, smoking faintly where it burned her.
Thadeus Jovanović
He has her down.
Elizabeth stays crouched beside them, one hand planted on the floor for balance, breathing hard after the block. The broken-star doorway ahead stays open for a thin, dangerous moment, and the blue-robed figure beyond it is still just a shadow in the lab glare.
Storm snarls from under Thadeus, trapped and furious, while the corridor behind them remains sealed tight. Somewhere past the lab, footsteps keep moving, and the window to follow is already starting to narrow.
“Storm weakly attempts to plead with Thadeus, "Let me go, I beg of you. I'll do whatever you, anything, anything.". Thadeus slams her hands into the floor, hard enough for her to moan in pain. Thadeus shouts, "That's enough! You had your chance, and you chose wrong." He turns to Elizabeth, "Are you alright?" Elizabeth, still panting, "Yeah...I'm okay, just catching...my breath." Thadeus lifts up Storm over his head, one hand on her chest, the other on her stomach, ready to throw her across the room.”
SUCCESS (Superb Strength, rolled +1)
Storm
Let me go, I beg of you. I’ll do anything.
Thadeus answers with force, slamming her hands flat into the stone until her voice breaks into a pained moan. The lab racks tremble, and the open doorway ahead keeps bleeding harsh light into the corridor.
Thadeus Jovanović
That's enough. You had your chance, and you chose wrong.
Thadeus Jovanović
Are you alright?
Elizabeth Bathory
Yeah... I’m okay, just catching my breath.
Thadeus hauls Storm up and over his head, one hand locked against her chest and the other under her ribs, then hurls her across the lab. She skids toward the far shelves, scattering dust, glass, and a few clipped folders from a lower cabinet as the footsteps beyond the doorway keep moving.
“Storm attempts to stand back up, but Elizabeth is faster. Grinning wildly, Elizabeth pierces Storm's chest with a clawed hand. Storm gasps at the puncture, looking down at her own chest, then Elizabeth, before Storm goes limp and the light in her eyes goes out, crashing to the floor.”
SUCCESS (Legendary Agility, rolled +1)
Storm claws at the floor for leverage, but Elizabeth is already there. Her hand punches through Storm’s chest in one clean, terrible motion.
Storm
Ah... no...
✓ Quest Accepted
Reach the inner sanctum