#BattleTheBeast - Illusions

Year: 1928

Location: New York City, Flatiron building.

Alice entered the lobby of the Flatiron building walking through the revolving door with a deep sense of dread. She clutched the note in her left hand tightly, walking past the front desk, she stopped in front of the elevator. The operator turned to look at her with a stern face. Which floor, he asked in a monotone voice? Um, eleven, answered Alice.

Getting into the elevator, the operator closed the gate and locked it. Reaching over, he pulled the handle and the elevator started to rise. Alice stood behind the operator who showed no interest in her what so ever. Opening the note in her hand and reading it for the one hundredth time, she fought back tears and terror.

The instructions to meet Mr. Chatwin on the eleventh floor were written in blood. Quentin's blood. Alice's mind was wrought with emotions. Fear, anger, sadness and raw hatred swam about her mind under the pressure of many sleepless nights. Time travel had also taken its toll on her. She knew that there was little she could do in the face of such a great adversary. Having seen potential outcomes from visiting the oracle, she knew that at one time, she had actually become a niffin battling the beast and should she lose her composure, it could happen today, in this time, in which she did not belong.

The eleventh floor Miss, said the operator as the elevator came to a halt. The tall man opened the gate and motioned for Alice to get off. Alice walked off the elevator and stood silently for a moment, cold sweat forming on her brow.

She closed her eyes and thought for a moment while the elevator operator disappeared behind her, going back down to the lobby. Alice looked at the note again. Room twenty three that is where he has Quentin she thought to herself. Alice began walking down the hallway, counting the rooms as she passed. Room twenty three was the last room at the end of the hall, the door, painted red with gold numbering.

Alice stood in dead silence with her hand hovering over the door knob. This is it she thought to herself. Focusing her mind, she did her best to run over the entirety of the spells she had tried to memorize. She held her breath thinking about the advice of the oracle and scratched the tattoo where her demon lay inside her back. Would any of it be enough she thought?

Suddenly, the door opened a crack. Come inside, Miss Quinn, hissed a familiar voice...

Alice took a breath and stepped inside the room, the door closing and locking behind her. The room was circular, dimly lit, the walls painted black with red crown moldings and copper pillars attached to marble bases at eight points around the circle of the room.

In the center was a single chair. Sitting upon it, was Martin Chatwin. Good evening, Alice, so lovely to see you again, spoke the beast in a dark sarcastic tone. Alice just stared at the creature. Where is Quentin, she asked sternly. Oh come now, you will be able to see him, just give me what I have asked you and I will let you see him. You know I can't do that, she said with a quiver in her voice. Martin stared into her eyes for a moment, causing Alice to shiver. For a minute the beast was silent. A single moth floated from behind Alice and landed on her shoulder. Well, then I shall take it from you said Martin, standing up. Twisting his fingers at lightning speed, the beast sent a cloud of black crystals flying towards Alice, as they reached her, each crystal transformed into the shape of a wasp. They began attacking her.

Two of them stung her just under the side of her armpit. Alice gritted her teeth while she finished he counter spell which caused the remaining wasps to burst into a cloud of dust and fall to the floor. The Beast rushed forward towards her, his mouth opening wide revealing multiple rows of razor sharp teeth. Just before he made contact with her shoulder however, he froze.

Alice had prepared this spell in advance, a gift given to her by the oracle. Martin made ungodly sounds of anger while trying to move, his mouth open two feet by three feet, his demented eye's burning red like flame.

Not knowing how much time she had, the knelt down and released her demon, it screeching as it flowed like a black river from her back into the air. Alice spoke to the demon in an unknown language. Instantly it dove into the mouth of the beast, spiraling down into the throat and then belly of Martin Chatwin. As it did so, he broke free of Alice's spell. The beast moved forward a lightning pace, knocking Alice down and biting hard into the side where she had been stung by the wasps.

Alice screamed in pain, as the beast's teeth tore at her flesh. However, at the apex of his bite, Martin recoiled and released her. He moaned in apparent agony. Alice pushed herself against the wall and muttered a spell which began the process of the healing her wounds slowly, but surely.

The beast moaned and screeched and twisted his body into strange warped shapes as he struggled to deal with the demon eating away at his insides. Alice stood up and began moving her fingers, tears flowing from her eyes as she forced her tormented mind to focus. Her hands began to glow blue and she stopped in terror. She stood motionless for a moment as the blue flames faded. She almost initiated becoming a niffin, she was too distraught, to psychologically pressed.

Just then, Martin Chatwin struck her with a mighty blow as he writhed in pain and suffering, knocking her back against the wall. Alice pushed herself up from the floor and removed an astral blade she was given by Asmodeus in a lucid dream just a few days prior.

As the demon continued to torment the beast, Alice chanted a simple mantra, a command to the demon. Instantly the beast was forced into his normal size and slammed to the floor. Alice intoned the freezing spell once again and Martin froze on the floor, screaming. A cloud of moths burst forth from his esophagus filling the room.

Alice wasted no time; she raised the blade and did as instructed by Asmodeus, driving the bright purple electric flame of the blade into the chest of the beast. Martin screamed as the demon exited his mouth following the cloud of moths, the demon killing each of them as it disappeared having completed its task.

At first, Martin simply writhed on the floor, his face morphing and twisting along to the horrid sounds and screeching coming from his mouth. Suddenly, the beast's body stopped and lay flat twitching slightly, his eyes rolling back in his head. Alice sat back against the wall, watching in terror, not knowing if she was safe or merely on the verge of destruction.

And then, without warning, Martin's body stopped moving except for the mouth. It was trying to say something. Alice stood up hesitantly and prepared a spell as she walked over the body. Looking down she listened to the voice. Al... Ali... Alice. Alice, please. Alice's eyes bulged and she shook in terror. It was Quentin's voice coming from the body.

Just then the room filled with laughter. Alice looked around, terrified. A black cloud began to form above her and the body on the floor. Alice, please it's me spoke the body; Quentin. Alice burst into tears; she was wrought with too much emotion and exhaustion. As the black cloud formed into the shape of the beast, the body on the floor morphed into that of Quentin who lay shaking, a large wound in his chest where Alice had stabbed him. Alice fell to her knees and clutched Quentin.

Ignoring the beast behind her walking in a half circle, she started the healing spell she had used on herself earlier. That will not be necessary, said the beast grabbing Alice and throwing her across the room. Alice hit the wall hard and fell to the floor. Her vision was fractured and she was too dizzy to stand, she lay on the floor watching the beast stand above Quentin, laughing.

Martin Chatwin, kneeled down next to Quentin and put his hand over the wound in his chest, Quentin moaned in pain. Get the fuck away from him, Screamed Alice with the last of her energy watching helplessly! However, to her shock, she watched as the beast spoke a word, after which, the astral blade was removed from Quentin's chest and the wound from where it came, healed.

The beast instantly disappeared.

Alice, we must stop him, moaned Quentin clutching his chest.