Chapter 17

Here Comes the Bride

Without Chavese and without the map that Ryan still had with him, they tried to remember the way back to the chapel.

"The staircase the came out of Leif's room should lead back to the first floor, right?", Kevin asked.

"That's how we got there the first time, I think.", Ireena replied.

Rebecca and Travis both shrugged.

"Yeah. Leif's description involved going down one flight from where he was.", Anthony added.

"Right.", Rebecca said, slowly remembering. "So let's go."

Ireena closed the doors behind them as they headed to the stairs, hoping that no one would find Giselle until everything was over in the chapel. They walked down the stairs once more, counting the floors as they went, and came out on the ground floor. Then they took two right turns and walked through the Hall of Faith to the chapel. The corpse's head lay before the altar where Richard had left it. All was quiet except for the pounding rain on the roof of the chapel and lightning crackling off in the distance.

"We need to clean things up a bit", Ireena said.

"Richard gets to deal with the corpse.", Rebecca said.

Richard didn't feel sexist enough to say that cleaning up was women's work. Kevin spotted a candelabra on the altar just like the one in the King's and Queen's tomb. He took out the gemstone and placed it in the middle of the candelabra. Then he looked back at the entrances to the chapel and was pleased as he saw a shimmering blue wall appear in front of them all. Kevin took the stone back and placed it in a pocket that could be quickly reached.

"Okay, this is the bride's side.", Rebecca said pointing to the southern pews. "And that side is the groom's side." Rebecca stood near the altar. "I'm the bridesmaid.", she said. Then she looked back at Ireena who looked around and finally picked a spot near the main entrance.

"Who will be your best man, Richard?", Anthony asked.

"You.", Richard replied, trying to figure out how he got voted into being the groom.

"I guess that I'm the bouncer.", Travis said sheepishly.

Kevin handed the shotgun to Travis. He laughed in spite of himself. "A shotgun wedding.", he said with a smile.

"Yeah.", Travis said smiling. He put on his best southern drawl. "Ya dun got mah dawta preggers, city slicka. Nah ya gots ta marry er."

Kevin looked at Richard and wondered how it would come to be that Richard was the first among them to come close to getting hitched.

"This isn't going to be real, is it?", Richard asked.

Kevin looked at Ireena and then back at Richard. "Not on your life, bud.", he said quickly.

Rebecca spied a pipe organ in the corner. "Tony.", she began. "Didn't you play the organ at your father's second wedding?"

"Yeah, badly.", Anthony joked. " I'll see what I can fire up."

Travis shrugged and stepped into the best man position while Anthony turned towards the organ. Anthony took a seat in front of the large machine and started pumping the pedals and looking over the stops. He was more used to electric organs, and without a music book he was playing entirely by ear. Anthony tried a major chord and the organ screeched to life. The powerful sounds of the pipe shook the windows of the chapel.

Then Anthony heard something coming from down the hallway, they sounded like footsteps. Ireena heard it too. She peered back up the hallway. They were footsteps indeed, heavy, metallic, and all too familiar. Strahd's champion was approaching and approaching quickly. Ireena gasped and backed away from the doors, hurrying towards the altar.

Travis turned and looked up the hallway. "Not him again.", he moaned.

The big man headed back up the aisle to meet the guardian at the double doors. Rebecca moved around to the south side of the doors, hoping to get an open shot at the guardian's back.

"If I use the stone, we'll show our hand and we'll be trapped in here.", Kevin called out. "Richard, do you think you can take him?"

"I don't know. I'll tell you when I'm done!", Richard answered, heading for the doors.

"Tony!", Rebecca hollered. "We got trouble!"

Anthony was trying desperately to remember the bridal march. He looked over his shoulder and saw Travis and Richard engaged in a furious battle with the castle guardian. Rebecca was aiming her rifle at the suit of armor, trying to get a clear shot at it. The melee was fierce. Travis was using his shield to block the guardian's swings while Richard was jumping in and out striking back. Anthony stopped playing and got down from the organ. Then he realized that he had no idea what to do against the guardian.

Richard felt the same thing that Travis had talked about with his shield. The sword seemed to move on its own. He found himself making brilliant moves, but was dismayed that all of them were being blocked by the guardian's shield. But, unlike in the catacombs, Travis and Richard were holding their ground. Kevin remained near Ireena, holding her hand while being unable to do anything to assist his friends.

"Back off on three okay?", Rebecca hollered as she aimed her rifle. "One!...Two!..."

Travis got ready to take a big step backwards.

"Three!", Rebecca shouted.

Richard and Travis pulled back

"This wand kicks ass and you're gonna suck it.", Rebecca said quickly. "Gonna cut off your head and use it for a bucket."

Rebecca aimed her rifle at the suit of armor's back and pressed the gold symbol. A ray of golden light shot out of her wand and seared its way across the guardian's back. Seemingly enraged the guardian spun around to face her, revealing a deep gouge in its armor. Now it was clear that there was no one inside the suit.

Richard lunged forward to attack again. He brought his sword down across the guardian's back with a move that he saw while watching "Kill Bill Volume One". Guided by the spirit of Sergei the blow landed true, tearing a huge hole in the back of the suit of armor and ripping away part of one of its legs. Staggered, but not yet beaten, the guardian abandoned Travis and Richard and charged at Rebecca. It limped badly, but was still as fast as she was. Rebecca backed away quickly, but the guardian had her cornered. So she turned and ran for the nearest exit, the stairs that led to the catacombs. But instead of going down, she went up. The guardian clambered up the stairs after her. Alarmed by the turn of events, Travis charged up after them as fast as he could.

"Banz-eye, pil-grum!", Richard celebrated using his best John Wayne voice. Then he chased after Travis up the tower stairs.

Anthony watched them go, helplessly, hoping that they would survive.

"Oh no, Rebecca.", Ireena said quietly. Then she said a prayer to a god who Kevin didn't recognize.

Around and around Rebecca went up the tower, seeing not a single door, window, or landing.

"Not more fucking stairs.", Rebecca gasped as she climbed as fast as she had ever climbed stairs before. "These things better go somewhere."

The guardian limped up the stairs, keeping up with the frightened woman. Travis and Richard struggled behind it but kept pace. With her adrenaline pumping, and skipping every other step, Rebecca managed to keep just ahead of the murderous suit of armor. As she climbed she remembered Chavese's story about the tower and hoped that it was just a story. She didn't want to be trapped at the top of the tower alone against the thing, but as she rounded the final turn she realized that her worst fear had come true. There were no windows at the top of the tower, and no doors. There was only one other way out. The center of the tower was open, revealing a sheer drop of two hundred and fifty feet into the catacombs far below. Rebecca turned around and saw the suit of armor ten feet below her, ascending rapidly. Breathing heavily she backed away around the ledge surrounding the hole until she could go no further. At the top of the stairs the guardian paused, putting its shield between itself and Rebecca. Then it marched with grim determination towards the scared and totally exhausted young woman.

"Shit, shit, shit, shit, shit!", Rebecca hissed.

"I...always...hated...running!", Richard gasped as he climbed the stairs.

Travis could barely keep up the pace. He kept thinking about saving Rebecca, which gave him just enough strength to keep going all out.

Rebecca could hear Travis and Richard clambering up from down below, but they weren't going to get there in time. For a brief moment she considered jumping down the hole. At least then she could be sure that she would be dead and not end up as a zombie, or a Wight, whatever that was. Then she got one last good idea.

"You're not gonna win and you won't get admired.", Rebecca said quickly as she pressed the earth symbol on her wand. "Sorry motherfucker, your warranty's expired."

Rebecca dropped to the ledge as the guardian thrust its sword at her. She felt the wand humming once more. Then she reached out with the rifle and touched the end of the wand to the ledge between the guardian's feet. The ledge below the guardian suddenly disintegrated, just like the masonry wall for below. Like a stone the guardian started to fall, dropping its sword and desperately grasping at the walls. Just before it passed the point of no return the suit found a handhold. Rebecca looked over the side and saw the guardian hanging onto the bottom of the hole that she had made in the ledge.

"I don't fucking believe it!", Rebecca hissed.

What was worse was that the thing was starting to climb back up.

Richard passed Travis on the stairs and arrived at the top just before him. He looked around and saw the guardian hanging onto the ledge, several feet below him. Richard knelt down and took a swipe at the guardian's hand with his sword. The guardian tried to block with its shield but it was defenseless. Richard's blade sliced off the guardian's gauntlet, which fell down the hole, clattering off the walls. The guardian clung to the ledge with one hand. Amazingly it was still trying to claw its way back up.

"Finish it.", Rebecca said, egging Richard on.

"How?", Richard asked, pointing out that the guardian's other arm was covered by its shield. Then he got an idea.

The guardian crept up the wall, slowly getting its stump of an arm onto the ledge. Richard swung Sergei's sword at the guardian one last time. The blade arced downwards towards the thing's neck. In desperation the guardian blocked with its shield, deflecting the blow, but it couldn't keep its hold on the ledge as it did so. Richard, Travis, and Rebecca watched as the suit of armor fell into the darkness below. Then they heard a tremendous crash echoing back up from the bottom of the hole. It sounded like a car running into a brick wall at high speed. Then they heard nothing. Travis practically collapsed onto the stairs, breathing hard.

"You know it's going to be back, right?", Richard said as he looked down into the darkness.

"Yeah, as a toaster.", Rebecca replied.

"Let's get this over with before it can, um, recover or whatever it does.", Richard suggested.

"Yeah, you're right.", Rebecca said reluctantly. "Come on Travis. Time to go back down."

Travis grimaced and got back to his feet, again feeling bad for not being in good enough shape to climb the stairs faster.

"This hero shit sucks.", Richard moaned as the headed back down the stairs.

"Don't wuss out on us now.", Rebecca sniped.


Kevin looked up with a start as the sound of metal crashing into stone echoed through the halls. He swallowed hard, hoping that it meant something good. Then he wondered if it meant that he, Ireena, and Anthony were all alone against Strahd. Kevin looked down at the icon hanging around his neck and remembered what Ismark had told him, "Use your faith, and present it with conviction."

Yes, he'd done that. But it hadn't had much of an effect on the Zombie or Giselle when he did. He knew that it wasn't going to do anything against Strahd. He wondered if the icon was all that it was cracked up to be, but as much as he didn't want to admit it he knew that the reason the icon wasn't working was because he lacked faith. Kevin knew that he had doubts. Everyone did. But he was good at hiding them and did well to put up a good act to his professors and peers at Notre Dame. But now as he looked at the icon he realized that he couldn't just pretend to be faithful and make it work. He needed to have true faith.

Kevin searched his mind and remembered the source of his biggest doubt. He recalled the stories of the early Christians, the ones who were thrown to the lions and persecuted in Rome. He'd always admired then for their courage and faith. But when he imagined himself in their shoes, he wondered if he could bring himself to do the same thing. He could see giving his life to the church, as long as it was a long and comfortable life, but he knew that if the day ever came that he had to make the ultimate sacrifice, he didn't know if he could go through with it.

Ireena looked up, she heard footsteps coming down the stairs, light footsteps.

"You did it!", Ireena shouted as she saw the three haggard youths emerge from the stairwell.
Kevin sighed in relief. "Thank God...", he said, but stopped himself as he wondered whether God expected something in return.

"Are you hurt?", Ireena asked as she ran over to her friends.

Travis shook his head. He was too tired to say anything.

"If I have to climb one more stair...", Rebecca began to rant.

Anthony looked mighty pleased to them back safe as well. He turned back to the organ and played the six notes that inspire baseball fans to yell, "Charge!"

Travis smiled and both he and Rebecca leaned up against the wall to catch their breath. Richard simply slumped onto the floor.

"How did you...?", Ireena asked.

"We made it fall down the hole.", Rebecca explained, breathing heavily.

"The hole?", Ireena pressed her. Rebecca waited for a while to answer, trying to catch her breath.

"Down the middle shaft of the stairwell.", Richard said, answering for Rebecca.

Kevin remained where he was, watching his exhausted friends. "Strahd will certainly have heard that crash.", he warned them soberly.

"Yeah, we better find our places.", Travis shrugged.

"He's gonna be pissed.", Rebecca said, finally forming a smile. "We kicked that thing's ass."

Richard dragged himself up and wandered over to the altar. "How long have we been here?", he asked no one in particular.

"Too long.", Kevin answered.

Ireena's smile faded as the task yet ahead loomed large. She walked quietly towards the altar. Rebecca waited one more minute and then joined her.

Kevin ran a hand across the altar before him. "It's time we went home.", he said, hoping that somehow they would find a way.

"No time for your bachelor party.", Travis said as he took his place next to Richard.

"I could use a drink.", Richard replied.

With everyone in their places, Anthony warmed the organ up by playing the lead-in to "knocking at your back door" by Deep Purple, making only a few mistakes. The windows in the chapel shook as the mighty pipe organ filled the small room with music. Then Anthony transitioned to the bridal march, also making only a few mistakes. Rebecca smiled at the wrong notes and looked at Ireena who gave her back a strange look. Richard reflected that this was likely the closest to really getting married that he would ever get.

"And it's a lot closer than I want to get.", Richard thought to himself.

In his study on the third floor, Strahd couldn't believe his ears.

Kevin's eyes lingered on Ireena for a long moment as he gathered his thoughts. He remembered a time when he dreamed of standing in Richard's place. Some small voice at the back of his mind told him that it was something that would never be. Then he cleared his throat and began to speak loudly.

"Dearly beloved, we are gathered together here in the sight of God to join together this man and this woman in holy matrimony..."

Anthony faded the music out. He sat quietly at the organ and pulled out the stake that he had fashioned from the neck of Sergei's lute.

"...which is an honorable estate, instituted of God in Heaven, and into which holy estate these two persons present come now to be joined.", Kevin continued.

Travis and Rebecca looked over their shoulders to see if anyone was coming, but the hallway on the other side of the double doors was empty. Richard gripped his sword's handle nervously.

"It is not a thing to be entered lightly; but reverently, discreetly, advisedly, soberly, and in the fear of God.", Kevin spoke. His voice faltered somewhat. After a moment he continued.

"I do!", Richard blurted out. He hadn't been listening and he thought that he'd missed his cue.

Kevin scowled at him, then continued. "Therefore if any man can show any just cause, why these two may not lawfully be joined together, let him now speak, or else forever hold his peace."

At the famous phrase everyone turned and looked towards the double doors. No one was coming down the hall of faith, but then Kevin saw a figure emerge on the balcony above.

"Sergei!", a loud and angry voice bellowed from the balcony and echoed around the dark chapel. "How dare you take my beloved away from me!"

Kevin's heart pounded in his chest. He awaited the right moment to place the shielding gem into place.

"Out of respect for my family I did not destroy your body.", Strahd ranted. "But for this transgression I shall destroy your soul!"

Strahd was looking straight at Richard as he shouted down at him, and Richard remembered why he had second thoughts about playing the role of the groom. Rebecca turned and leveled her rifle at the vampire and Travis readied his shield. Then the vampire threw both of his hands up into the air and thrust them towards the group standing about the altar. A ball of fire appeared between his hands and began to grow in size and fury. Rebecca's eyes opened wide as she watched the glowing ball.

"Get out of the way!", Ireena shouted at her. Then she decided to just grab Rebecca and pull her away from the altar. Kevin followed, close behind them.

Richard pulled the sword and turned to face the vampire as Strahd unleashed his spell at the helpless young man. The ball of fire flew from his hands and bore down on Richard with the speed and force of a runaway train. Richard didn't know what to do. The only thing that he could think of was to raise his sword to deflect the ball.

Travis froze. He wanted to run in and help but he couldn't bring himself to move. That wasn't like him. He was never afraid. He used to be the defensive team captain on his high school football team. He was a true team leader and the other players all rallied around him. They admired his drive and dedication and how he feared no opponent. And when they faced the champions for the last three years in the playoffs, and everyone on the team was nervous and scared, it was Travis who inspired them and took away their fears. They played their hearts out that day. And even though their efforts fell short, they all felt proud of themselves and walked with their heads high ever after.

Travis was never afraid. Well, almost never. As he watched Richard facing off against Strahd one memory thrust itself into his mind, that of Jimmy Wilkins and the oncoming train. A memory that Travis was deeply ashamed of. In an instant he relived the moment.

Travis held the cord tightly. He looked down at Jimmy and scoffed. Jimmy held the other end of the cord, which was looped around the frame of the bridge. Jimmy was scared and his heart was pounding while Travis was calm and collected. Travis had done this before and Jimmy hadn't. Jimmy clutched at the cord with sweaty palms, nervously looking up the tracks for the east bound three-o-five.

Travis checked his watch. "Looks like it's a little late.", he said cavalierly, trying to make Jimmy more nervous. "Maybe the engineer is running it faster now to make up for lost time."

Jimmy said nothing. He only gulped and kept looking up the tracks. Travis admired Jimmy, well, as much as any jock could admire a nerd. Jimmy had guts. Jimmy stuck up for his fellow nerds. That was the reason that they picked on him more than the others. They knew that he would fight back, and embarrass himself in the process. So when one of the players told Jimmy that if he wanted to earn their respect that he should challenge Travis to a game of "Beat the Train", Jimmy did it. The others laughed, knowing that he would probably pee his pants when the train whistle blew. But Jimmy was determined to win respect for himself and all his fellow nerds.

The train whistle blew. Jimmy tightened his grip on the cord. Travis looked down at the thin, acne-faced teen. Jimmy hadn't peed his pants and he hadn't run away either. Travis smiled and admired the nerd even more. But he was still determined to beat him. After all, if he lost to Jimmy Wilkins, his teammates would never let him live it down.

The locomotive approached rapidly, belching smoke into the clear Kansas sky. Jimmy's head moved back and forth as he looked at the train, the end of the bridge, and at Travis. Travis was calm. He knew how long to wait. He knew how fast he could run. He knew that when the train was five seconds past the road where his teammates were waiting that it was time to run. Jimmy didn't have a clue. All he knew was that he was going to beat Travis no matter what it took, and that meant waiting one second longer before running.

The train passed the road. The engineer blew the whistle twice, signaling to the two crazy kids to get off the bridge, but both held fast. Travis counted silently to himself. Jimmy was sweating as the train bore down on them, but he waited, and waited, and waited for what seemed like an eternity. Travis was expecting him to let go, but Jimmy held firm. Travis had no time left. He had to go.

Travis squeezed the cord tightly and yanked hard on his end, pulling it out of Jimmy's hand, then he ran as fast as he could towards the train. Jimmy was right behind him, shouting at him that he had cheated. But Travis knew that it would be his word against Jimmy's and his teammates certainly weren't going to believe Jimmy. Besides, Travis thought grimly, Jimmy waited too long, and maybe he wouldn't be around to tell the tale.

Travis wasn't the fastest player on the football team, but no one his size and weight could beat him. Jimmy wasn't very athletic, but he'd always been a good sprinter. He just never wanted to be a jock and so he never tried out for the track team. But he would have made it if he had, and Travis realized it as Jimmy pulled even with him. Travis glanced over at the lanky nerd who looked like he was running for his life. Travis cursed and tried to go faster, but Jimmy pulled ahead. Travis began to feel guilty about cheating.

The train steamed ahead right at them. Travis could see that the engineer had slowed down for them, giving them more time than he was used to. They were both going to make it easily. But just as he got to the end of the bridge, Jimmy's foot caught a rock and he went tumbling down onto the tracks. Travis jogged past him and jumped off of the tracks. He turned around and looked at Jimmy, expecting him to get up in time, but he just lay there. He'd been knocked out by the fall.

Travis froze. The train was slowing down, but not enough to stop in time. Travis knew that he had just enough time to run out in front of the train and pull Jimmy to safety but for some reason he couldn't move. He just stood there, watching, as the train approached. In an instant it was too late. Jimmy's leg was lost. And Travis never got over the shame.

That night was the worst night in Travis' life, waiting at the hospital and hoping that the doctors could save Jimmy's leg. Alas they couldn't. Jimmy never told anyone what had happened, but that didn't make Travis feel any better. Travis knew the truth. He'd been afraid. He'd been selfish. And he'd let someone else suffer for something that he deserved to suffer for.

And so that night in the hospital, as he stood beside Jimmy who was half-asleep and half-awake after the operation, Travis promised him that he'd make up for what he'd done. He swore that if he ever had the chance to save someone's life, that he would do it, even if it meant losing his own.

The memory faded. Travis knew what he had to do.

The fate of the stand-in groom seemed sealed, but at the last possible moment Travis leaped in front of the flaming ball, catching it full force against his shield. The ball exploded on impact with thunderous force, sending orange and yellow flames everywhere and knocking everyone to the ground.

"Nice catch.", Richard said as he rolled on the ground, coughing. He'd lost the sword in the confusion and hastily tried to retrieve it.

For a long moment the sound of the explosion echoed around the small chapel. A cloud of smoke rose before the altar, obscuring Richard from view. As Rebecca, Kevin, and Ireena recovered their senses they saw Travis lying on the floor nearby motionless. His shield was blackened and smoking and half of it was no longer there. From the chest up the large young man's flesh was charred and burned.

"Travis!", Rebecca let out a tortured shriek. "Travis!" She ran over to her fallen friend. "No!", she moaned. "Nooooo!"

Travis' eyes flickered open. His breathing slowed down. He was dying. "Tell Jimmy that I kept my promise.", Travis said as he took one last look at Rebecca and closed his eyes.

"I will.", Rebecca answered with a whimper.

Kevin looked to Travis' fallen, scorched body and was seized with grief and rage. With purpose in his movements, he rushed to the candelabra and placed the gem in its place. Once again the blue field appeared before all the exits to the chapel. As the smoke cleared in front of the altar Kevin could see that Strahd was no longer on the balcony but was standing before the altar. In one hand the vampire was holding Sergei's sword which was sheathed in its scabbard. With the other hand he was grasping Richard by the neck, and had hoisted him far off the ground.

"Sergei, I will bury this sword and your ashes so deep inside the earth that no one will ever find them again!", Strahd screamed at the choking, dangling Richard.

"Kill me, asshole.", Richard said bravely as he struggled against the vampire's great strength. "I don't have a reason to live...and neither do you."

Kevin gripped the icon tightly and leaped over the altar. Finding a measure of courage in his pain and anger, he strode towards the fiend and shouted, "Let him go!"

As Kevin approached the vampire the icon around his neck glowed as brightly as it ever had. Seeing it, Strahd bared his fangs and hissed, but didn't let Richard go. The vampire was intent on crushing the life out of the young man.

"In the name of all that is holy, I command you! Release him, now!", Kevin shouted as he thrust the amulet toward the vampire. The icon glowed brighter and brighter. Strahd eyed it nervously as he squeezed Richard's neck even harder.

"Glack.", Richard gasped as his face turned bright red.

Anthony saw that it was time for action. He picked the stake out of his lap, and cupped it behind his wrist so that he could hide it from view. Then he quickly made his way around the chapel, trying to get around to Strahd's back side. Rebecca stood up and leveled her rifle at the vampire, she moved to her side but couldn't get a clear shot. There was no way to hit Strahd without hitting either Richard or Kevin. Ireena drew her bow and pointed an arrow at Strahd, but the look in her eyes said that she couldn't bring herself to shoot him.

Richard was losing consciousness. His last thought was a truly horrible one, that he would never see episode three of the Star Wars movies.

Strahd wasn't letting go. It was a test of faith and Kevin was failing. Part of him was holding back. He thought about his teachers and his studies, but nothing that they'd ever said to him made him truly believe. Then he thought about Irene and her fate if he was to fail. That moved something inside of him. He realized that faith wasn't about him, or God, or Jesus, or whether the Bible was true. Faith was giving yourself completely to a cause, and Irene's cause was one that he'd come to truly believe in.

A deathly calm fell over Kevin's features. He glared at Strahd and began to chant. As he spoke, righteous fury filled his voice, "Exorcizo te, omnis spiritus immunde, in nomine Dei Patris omnipotentis, et in noimine Jesu Christi Filii ejus..."

The icon glowed even more brightly as fear crossed Strahd's face.

"...Domini et Judicis nostri, et in virtute Spiritus Sancti, ut descedas ab hoc plasmate Dei, quod Dominus noster ad templum sanctum suum vocare dignatus est...", Kevin shouted in Latin as he walked slowly towards the vampyr. "...ut fiat templum Dei vivi, et Spiritus Sanctus habitet in eo. Per eumdem Christum Dominum nostrum, qui venturus est judicare vivos et mortuos, et saeculum per ignem!"

Then Kevin pressed the holy relic against Strahd's face. The flesh underneath the icon began to burn. Strahd let out a blood-curdling scream and reluctantly dropped Richard and the sword to the floor. Then Strahd put his hand over Kevin's face and summoned forth the vilest and most lethal spell that he knew. Kevin shrieked as his body wilted and began to die rapidly. Months, years, and decades took their toll all at once on the young man as he watched his hands become those of his grandfather. With one last groan, Kevin crumpled to the floor, his withered hands still clutching the icon.

Richard took a deep breath, then looked around for the sword once again. Strahd reached down to grab him once more.

"Mother-fucker!", Rebecca shouted. She saw that she now had a clear shot.

"A handful of hair gel and you're the main attraction.", Rebecca chanted. "Gonna light up your hair just like Michael Jackson."

Rebecca aimed the crosshairs of her scope at Strahd and pressed the fire symbol. A column of flames erupted from her wand and arced towards the vampire, engulfing his head and back in a mass of smoke and fire. Strahd bellowed a vile curse and spun around, tearing off his burning cloak and throwing it to the ground furiously. Quickly he uttered a few arcane words and the air about him began to crackle and hiss. The hair on Richard's arms stood straight up as powerful magic was summoned forth.

Pointing his hand at the wide-eyed woman crouching behind the pews, Strahd unleashed a bolt of lightning which spiraled around his arm, through the cold air of the chapel, and into Rebecca's chest. Sparks flew everywhere as the force of the charge threw Rebecca backwards over one row of pews and crashing into the next. Her rifle was flung through the air and clattered against the wall. Both the rifle and Rebecca lay motionless. Anthony ducked out of the way as Rebecca went crashing past him. For a moment he thought about running away, but then decided that he had to go through with his plan. He turned to face Strahd who was looking back in his general direction, but then he saw that Strahd was staring at Ireena, who was still pointing the arrow at his heart.

"Agree that you will be my wife and I shall spare the others.", the vampire said to Ireena.

Ireena looked around at the bodies of her dead friends. "Never!", she replied defiantly, but still did not loose the arrow.

Anthony decided to act, adjusting his grip on the stake for an overhand strike he charged hard at the vampire, letting out a scream. Strahd glanced at him, then lifted his hand and spoke a few magic words. Suddenly Anthony was frozen in place.

Richard groped around for the bottle of Robustum He pulled it out of his pocket and chugged the rest of it, getting it down despite its awful taste. As soon as the noxious brew hit his stomach he began to feel stronger again. He looked around and spotted the sword. Anthony struggled against the vampire's spell, but Strahd held him still almost effortlessly.

"Come to your senses, Tatyana. It is inevitable.", Strahd told the young woman, who resisted him defiantly.

Strahd pushed his hand towards Anthony and forced the young man backwards, pinning him against a wall.

"Tatyana. I love you more than any man ever could.", Strahd said passionately. "I have sacrificed so much for you."

Ireena's hands trembled as she heard the words. She knew that she couldn't kill Strahd. As much as she wanted to and as much as she hated him, he still had enough power over her to stop her from firing her bow. Tears came to her eyes as she realized that she was letting her friends down and that they'd died for nothing.

Richard picked up the sword, quietly. "I must be Aragorn this time, and not Isildur.", he thought to himself.

The wounded vampyr continued to plead with the object of his desire. "I can give you anything. Anything that you ask.", he said holding out his other hand. "Just take my hand."

Richard took a breath and unsheathed the sun sword.

Strahd quickly turned his head to look at Richard. "You!", he shouted.

"Yeah, me!", Richard replied as he tried to look menacing. With each passing moment he felt stronger and stronger, making his act look more convincing.

Strahd pointed his other arm at Richard and hissed a few magic words. The air around him began to crackle and hiss once more. But before Strahd could unleash another lightning bolt, Richard launched his attack. Wielding the glowing blade like a Jedi using his lightsaber, Richard lunged at the wounded vampire and thrust the sword right at Strahd's stomach. Strahd brought his arm down to block Richard's blade but was too late as the sword plunged deep into him.

Howling in pain Strahd shoved Richard backwards, who was strong enough to take the sword with him. The crackling about Strahd's hand faded rapidly and Anthony felt the force holding him back give way.

"We'll finish this another time.", Strahd gasped as he took a step towards the double doors, but then, to his horror, he saw the blue field and knew that he could no longer escape.

"We...will...fucking finish it...NOW!", Richard shouted as he held the sword before him like a Samurai warrior.

Both Anthony and Richard closed in on the wounded vampire who turned sideways to them both.

"I bet it hurts.", Richard said, mocking the vampire

Strahd began another vile chant. His eyes locked with Richard's. Anthony seized the opportunity to charge the vampire, raising the stake and driving it towards the vampires back. But instead of finding Strahd's heart, the stake burrowed into the vampire's side as he dodged out of the way of Richard's sword. Once again the magic he tried to summon fizzled and Strahd cursed the sword.

"I shall kill you both with my bare hands.", Strahd bellowed.

"Oh, look, the vampire is injured, Tony! I bet that hurts, man.", Richard shouted back. "Another day, another dollar, time to make this asshole holler!"

Anthony yanked the stake out of the vampire but dropped it to the floor in his haste. Strahd moved to block Richard's glowing blade once more but Richard was quicker and he buried Sergei's sword deep into the vampyr. Strahd screamed with agony and collapsed to the ground. Then Richard felt the vampire's body giving back no more resistance. Slowly Strahd dissolved into a dark cloud of vapor which floated above the chapel and then headed towards the stairs to the catacombs.