Zero was travelling slowly but carefully down on of the side passage ways when she stopped and looked up, she could see a two little green signs that were fused into the cavern walls. She had left the facility some time ago, she knew the place better than she would care to admit, and with Sparks help with jump starting any blockages it took them only a month to reach the second level.

With a playful tone in her voice, "Hey Sparks, can you help a girl out?" She pointed towards the signs. Sparks floated up the passage way. A blue light casted out from one of Sparks ports, and it passed over the signage. Once it was finished scanning the signage it project three works: Burrard, Marine Building. "Good Sparky," Zero smiled up at her little companion. "I think we are making good head way."

"Beep," and Sparks zip and sapped around Zero's hips in a perfect three hundred and sixty degree circle.

"Well, let us see where this will take us."

They travelled down the hall about five or six meters, when they came to a strange opening. In the back of Zero's mechanical mind, she felt like she remembered something. She turned to her right, and looked at the stone in front of here. The only light in these dark passageways coming from her flashlights, one on her left shoulder, and it was about four centimeters across and three centimeters in height but it was highly effective. She had a more direct flashlight that she could summon out of her right wrist, and it wasn't as powerful but she could use it to a higher degree of acracy. As she looked at the stone wall, she felt a pull. Zero reached out, her steal fingertips finding small grooves in the stone wall.

A low and long beep came from Sparks.

"Right there is something here."

Sparks nodded up in down, and it felt like even a smile could have formed, if it had a mouth.

"Okay, stand back little guy." Sparks zipped behind her, his little right angle triangle shaped fins on top of it head shifting back, like a cats ears waiting for an attack. Zero began to charge up her power reserves, focusing her mana into her left leg. She shifted her beautifully slender body as graceful as a dancer. He left leg arced, and swung in a elegant and refined movement behind her. Her right leg, shifting in front. She raised her arms, as if she was a boxer, and about to unleash a fury of blows. She began to bounce up and down on her tie toes, shifting her weight from her back foot to the front. Once she was happy with the amount of power stored up in her legs, she snapped into action. All her movements were over in a flash. The whole process only took seconds, but it was an action of pure sophistication.

As her bare metal foot connected to the stone, she freed the magic. An explosion of stone cascaded around her. It created a doorway, and opening up what she thought would have been a cavern hidden to the ages by the shifting stone, but it wasn't. It was what looked to be a man made doorway. She was stunned by her discovery.

Sparks zip up onto her shoulder and let out a short little, "Whooo."

Zero reached up and patted her little friend on its head. "I know. I wasn't expecting to find French Art Decoratifs down here. The portal for the door way stood about three stories tall. The arch of the portal seemed to have once been a simple but defined brass. "Sparks can you give us a little light maybe?"

"Brrrr-Zip," It flew up towards the top right. A few blue light scans later, and it pulled out a small blow torch. Crash. A metal plate fell from the roof of the arch. Zero lost sight of Sparks for a moment as it flew inside the wires. She could her a few zaps and zips from what she could only guess was electricity. Then the massive light blup above Zeros head turned on, and Sparks shot down towards Zero. She opened up her arms, and the little bot flew between her breasts and snuggled in.

"What would I do without your help." The little helper seemed to purr in happiness.

In the limited light of the ancient technology, she could make out an array of animals. There must have been what was once called an "Canadian Goose" that she could make out. At least that was what her limited records told her about before. She could also make out a breathless sun. She walked closer to the wall and scanned the door away. She could see a mass of skillfully craved marine life in an intricate pattern. She could make out things such as crabs and lobsters.

Zero snapped her fingers. "Marine building Sparks. We found some old ocean building. Let's see if we can enter this grand entrance."

The meter a cross pool of blood, which Jeremy had stepped in while casting his light spell, began to grow larger with each passing second. The others formed a semicircle around the pool, their backsides facing the now sealed door.

Jeremy began to pull back, out of the expanding pool of gore and blood, but his right foot wouldn't shift, as he tried to face the others. Fear began to spread across his face. He pulled and pulled. But his right foot wouldn't move. Panic started to escalate as the blood seemed to rise about bottom of his boots.

"Get back you fool," Ulrok barked, the fear seemed to be spreading to him as well.

"What do you think I have been trying to do? It isn't like I am relaxing on a sunny beach, right?"

The Storyteller reached out with his left arm, spreading his fingers wide, and began to chant. Jeremy felt a wave of strength and power fill his limps and he began to pull more, his foot shifted an inch back. However, this victor was short lived as a hand, which seemed to be made of the very blood he was standing on formed out of the pool, and grab his ankle, and began to pull him towards the center. Jeremy let out a scream of pain and shock as this monster took hold of him.

"What the nine hells is that?"

"I have never even hear of a monster blood hand before, it be best to stay out of the blood. Quick boy, take hold." Ulrok toss Jeremy a rope, he snatched it out of the air and began to wrap it around his waste, the Ulrok tied it off to the post behind him, and began to pull. The muscles of his whole body seemed to shake as he pulled and pulled, but Jeremy didn't shift back or forward. It seemed like he was in the middle of a tug-o-war, and Jeremy was the rope.

As Ulrok passed Jeremy the rope, Drovic began to move westward around the circle. Drovic knew a little of blood magic. It was a rare power, but one that could save thousands of lives or snuff them out as candles in a tropical storm. He had never seen it himself, but he didn't want to personally find out what it could do to him, but he did notice a change happening. He needed to get closer to see.

Rebecca moved towards the left of Jeremy, just barely missing the blood. She pulled one of her arrows. She felt her heart started to race. A thousand thoughts began to race, and each one smashed into her heart. Was her blood on fire, she thought to herself for a moment. Why was she feeling this fear. Would she be feeling as frantic if it was Ulrok trapped in this rotting pool of blood.

"Get a hold of yourself, Becca." She whispered to herself. She took in a deep breath. The edges of her cleavage pressing again her bow string. Her red lips, a breath away from the arrow shaft. Snap! She fired her arrow. She didn't blink, she wanted the arrow fly towards the hand, as if it was in slow motion. It connected. The arrow head, with all its deadly force and iron worked point, splattered the hand. Ulrok pulled, Jeremy held on, but feel onto his back, and left a blood smear across the floor. He was freed.

Kalven wasn't idle either. He reach acted with all haste. Taking hold of a green slender vile, Kalven arched his shot, and lobbed it up in a perfect 45 degree angle. The vile, about to land in the middle of the blood pool. He held his breath. A pause. He felt a fear seep into him, just for a second or two before the glass would land into the grotesque fluid, fear. What if the glass doesn't break. Time seemed to speed up again, the glass sunk into fluid. "Breath," Kalven stated to no one.

BOOM.

A small explosion racked the barn. The force pushed the blood up and out, causing it to rain the sticky, warm, juices down upon everything and every one.

Jeremy, rolled over, pushed himself up to his butt and shuffled back. The cold stone felt reassuring under his bloody hands. He reached forward, and grasped his ankle where the blood hand had grabbed him. He closes his eyes, and like with the light spell, he called on him mana.

"By the graces above, no one heals themselves by doing harm to another. Light-Heal"

He began to glow for a brief second. The damage to his ankle healing as if it never happened. Jeremy jumped to his feet, and pulled out his short sword.

"I see the magic lessons weren't wasted on you, my boy." The old wizard cheerfully smiled, about to walk over to the brave fighter.

"Stop you, you idiots!" Drovic screamed from the far side of the barn. He was bent over what looked like a bowl in the floor. Everyone froze. They began to look around, and it was hard to tell at first, but in the shadows and light reflexed from the mirrors, they noticed. The blood began to form round small balls barely a millimeter in diameter, and the slowly began to roll towards the bowl that Drovic was examining.

"What magic is this," Kalven stated firmly but without emotion towards Drovic. He moved his boot to crush one of the blood-balls, as his boot settled down upon the ball, a spike shot up and through his boot and all. It was a thin spike, but it was made from blood. Jeremy, thought it looked as if it was a blade made of some red stone if he didn't know any better. Kalven screamed in rage, and tried to dislodge the spike from his foot.

The Storyteller looked down towards the spike, and chanted, "If there is truly any magic in the world, it is contained within the life force of water. Liquify." The blood was forced to loose shape, and the small ball of blood began to roll back towards the bowl.

"We got to get out of her," Rebecca called out, "This isn't going to end well."

A little girl voice calls out in a soft whisper, "father, I can't see you. Where are you." The voice seems to bounce off the walls, getting softer and and softer but continuous. All the blood centered itself now in the center of the room. Drovic talking to himself about needing to stop this now, started to climb up into the rafters of the barn.

Everyone, besides Drovic, dropped their packs in front of the barn doors, and prepared themselves of the attack that was going to come. The whisper was now just one word, "Help." Drovic listen carefully, and it was odd for him, he felt something more than his desire to live. He could feel a fraction of pain that the voice had felt. It was almost like he knew the voice. For Jeremy, as he stood there covered in blood, blade in one hand, his other reached out, ready to cast a spell.

A ripple crossed the pool of blood, and the colour of the fluid seemed to the adventures to shift and start to become more of an inky blackness, with small red highlights mixed in. A deep voice, a mix of heavy base and a young women's voice spoke to the adventures.

"You will not leave this place. I will add your life blood to my own. I will drink you drive, and leave your bodies a withered husk. The door way will always remind closed to you."

Jeremy snapped into reaching, casting a small fire ball from his hand, "Dragon's fire, heavens might, you face my wrap. Inner Fire!" The flames shot into the pool, and were snuffed out. A chilling laugh began to echo around the room. A head began to form from the blood. It had two large centered horns in the middle of hits head, with two smaller ones cresting the remainder of the skull. There was no flesh on the skull, and it was not the skull of a man. It was almost insect like, with large mandibles and massive eyes sockets that were hollow.

It slowly began to rise from the pool, "Wait, it isn't coming out of the blood, it is the blood," Rebecca stated as she fired an arrow aimed for the right eye socket.