Of course, creating Oricalchum was difficult, or so Christian had heard. The alloys necessary to create the metal were also difficult to find. That was why only the elite members of the Executioners, those who had earned great distinction, gained the right to wield a weapon forged from the unbreakable alloy. Christian, as the youngest member of the XIII, had been given four weapons made of the stuff: his guns and his swords.
Scuffing feet thudding across the floor alerted Christian to someone approaching him before a set of heeled leather boots entered his vision. He looked up to find a young woman staring at him, her dark eyes, hidden behind satiny black hair, were unreadable. Full bodied lips set upon a face of stunning femininity were turned downwards in a small frown. She did not look pleased by his presence, a fact that became enhanced when he noticed her crossed arms and cocked hips.
“What are you doing here?”
Her words may have helped as well.
“Clarissa told me to come here,” Christian answered.
“We do not appreciate your presence, Executioner.”
What a diplomatic response, Christian thought with frown. And they knew he was a former Executioner. That didn’t surprise him overly much. He’d never told anybody, but it had never been made a secret either. Though, since they hadn’t said anything until now, he was going under the assumption that they either hadn’t known or hadn’t cared until recently.
Christian decided not to be as tactful as this woman was. “I don’t really care. Lilith is out there, missing. She might be hurt, or worse, and if you think you’re going to stop me from finding her, then you’re sorely mistaken.”
The succubus, Kaylee, he thought her name was, hissed. “Do not take that tone with me, pig! You might think Clarissa’s acceptance of you grants some form of immunity, but none of us care for you. I’d suggest you be careful from now on, Executioner. This is a dangerous place for men.”
“Is that a threat?” asked Christian, standing up to his full height. He was a lot taller than this woman, standing over her by at least two heads. She didn’t seem to be intimidated, however, and tilted her head to glare right back at him.
Out of the corner of his eyes, Christian noticed that they were being surrounded. The other Succubus were standing around and behind the one hissing at him. They looked just as displeased by his presence as she was. The thought came a bit late, but he realized that this could get very ugly very quickly if he continued letting his emotions play him.
Fortunately for him, the door chose that moment to swing open. Andrew walked in, looking as big and bad as ever. His towering mass hunched under the door so he could get inside, then he stood to his full height, his head nearly cracking against the ceiling. Bright orbs of luminescent yellow peered out from underneath a messy fringe of untamable hair.
A second of silence elapsed.
“Clarissa asked me to take part in this mission.” His eyes locked on the group crowding around Christian. “I hope this isn’t a bad time.”
“Tch!” The confrontational succubus cast one last glare at Christian, said, “you got lucky,” and then swept herself away with long, slinking strides.
Christian sighed. “Thank you for that,” he said quietly as Andrew walked up. “That might have turned ugly if you hadn’t intervened.”
“You’re welcome.”
Christian eyed the other man. “I haven’t seen much of you lately.”
“That’s because you’ve been sulking,” Andrew said. Christian flinched. “And I’m not very welcome here, like you, so I mostly stick to my room or the hospital.”
“Catherine still hasn’t woken up yet?”
“No, she hasn’t,” he said, his head shaking, sending long, shaggy hair flying out in all directions. “According to Lean, the nurse taking care of her, Catherine suffered some serious trauma to the head. It knocked her cold. Combine that with her injuries and, well, you’ve got a ton of problems.”
“I suppose.”
Quiet descended for a second before Andrew brought up something Christian wished he would have left alone. “I heard what happened between you and Lilith. A few of the women in the hospital were talking about it.”
“Word gets around here fast,” Christian grunted.
“Look, try not to let it get you down too much. Couples argue. God knows my wife and I used to argue a lot.”
“Maybe,” Christian said softly, “but I don’t think most arguments end up quite like ours did. I said something really hurtful things, words that should never be uttered. If you’d have seen the look on her face...” He trailed off, ran a hand through his hair, and sighed. “I wouldn’t be surprised if she hated me for it.”
“You think you’re the only person who’s said shit they wished they could take back?” Andrew snorted with what sounded like amusement. “Kid, listen to me right now when I tell you that there are plenty of people in your shoes. Love hurts. It’s not all cotton candy and unicorns. It can be painful. You and your woman are going to argue, and it’s going to hurt. All you can do is realize you’ve done something wrong, apologize, and make it up to them.”
“I suppose you’re right.”
Unspoken by Christian was the silent “here’s to hoping I get the chance.”
***
Yellowstone National Park wasn’t just a big place. It contained constantly shifting terrain, sometimes rocky and mountainous, other times filled with forests and glades. There were several paths to follow, dozens, maybe even hundreds, but unless the trails were constantly maintained, travel became increasingly difficult.
Lilith was not using any path or trail as she ran through the woods, stumbling and tripping as her feet caught themselves on rocks and branches. Her left arm dangled uselessly at her side, blood pouring from a wound she had received when the pickup truck she had been in was crushed like a tin can by the creature now chasing her.
She didn’t know where Heather was. The last thing she had seen of the woman was her body getting thrown through the front windshield and disappearing down a rolling hill. She would have tried to find the woman, but not only did she not know where to start looking, she also didn’t know where she was.
And she was being chased.
A roar from behind her alerted Lilith to the beast closing in, the sound, a vicious, ear-splitting howl that made her bones rattle. Feet pounding behind her, shaking the earth and almost making her lose her balance let her know that the monster was getting closer. A cry escaped her lips as she tried to put on more speed.
Breathing was becoming a problem. Her lungs heaved but very little air was coming in. She just couldn’t breathe for some reason. And her vision was blurring. Something salty was stinging her eyes.
She ducked around a large tree twice as thick as she was tall. Her hope that it would buy her some time were shattered when the beast just plowed right through it. Splinters and wood chips were flung in all directions. Lilith could feel them hit her back, several of them sharp enough to penetrate her jacket and stab into her skin.
She cried out but continued to run. She didn’t know where she was going, and she didn’t care. She just had to get away from that monster. She needed to get away from it.
Her run took her all the way to a large body of water; Yellowstone Lake. She looked around frantically, searching for cover, for somewhere she could hide, but there was none to be had. Unless she wanted to get in the water, which would probably end with her drowning, she was trapped.
Another roar. The beast burst into the clearing. Lilith’s eyes, already wide, widened further. The monster before her was a massive creature that dominated her vision. It towered over her by at least a yard. It had a flat face, wide nostrils, and small eyes overshadowed by heavy brow ridges. Two tree trunk-like legs kept it standing, and its arms, like a gorilla, almost reached down to its knees. Thick muscles combined with a wave of rolling fat moved and shook. This thing had no modesty. It wasn’t even bothering to cover its dangly bits with something like a loin cloth.
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Its eyes zoned in on her. Another ear-splitting howl caused Lilith’s teeth to rattle as it bounded towards her with gigantic, lumbering footsteps. The earth shook and so did Lilith. Time seemed to slow down as the beast loomed closer. Lilith closed her eyes, tears streaming down her face.
“Lilith!”
***
Thanks to the massive network of security cameras populating Yellowstone National Park, finding the wreckage of the pick-up truck became a task in simplicity. Finding the people who were driving that truck was another matter entirely.
After being given the signal to move out, the Valkyries made their way out of the cave and to a garage built underneath a massive boulder. The boulder was fake, merely there to serve as a disguise for the storage shed that it truly was.
They rode on four wheelers and dirt bikes as opposed to the other off-road vehicles located there. Christian ended up having to share with Andrew, but that hardly mattered to him. They rode through the trees and around large rocky outcroppings, eventually finding their way to the crash site.
The car, a Ford puck-up, had seen better days. The entire left side was smashed in. Not just busted up, but literally crushed, the metal dented inwards like it had been hit by another car traveling at well over 75 miles per hour. It was also tipped over on its side. The trailer behind it had spilled over, its contents strewn about the ground.
The Valkyrie were all there, spread out, searching the area. They moved with tactical precision, eyes peeled and sharp. Somewhere in the distance, a howl went up.
“We found Heather!”
Christian followed the others. They passed trees and boulders and ran down a large hill, eventually making their way to where Heather lay.
The woman was in bad shape. She lay on her side, her body and limbs twisted, as if she had been tossed and just fallen that way. Blood pooled underneath her, a thickening vermilion puddle. Her hair was matted down with more ichor, showing that she had smacked her head rather hard on something, probably a rock.
All the members of the Valkyries rushed over to their leader, their faces etched with worry. They crowded around Heather, checking her pulse, making sure none of her limbs were broken, and then straightening her out and preparing her for transportation. Everything they did was methodical, efficient.
“Where’s Lilith?” Christian did not see her anywhere.
“Shut up, Executioner! Let us work,” the woman from before snarled at him.
“Screw you!” Christian snapped. “Andrew?”
Andrew, fur sprouting from his bipedal figure sniffed the air. His long muzzle took in several large inhalations of breath, twitching periodically. The muscles in his neck, covered in thick fur strained, and he twisted his torso several times, the muscles rippling underneath his shag carpet chest.
“I’ve got her scent,” he growled. Yellow eyes flickered toward him. “Follow me.”
Christian raced off, chasing after Andrew, who moved with surprising silence for someone so large. It was clear to him that the werewolf was not going anywhere near as fast as he could. He would have lost Christian in short order if he had. He traveled on swift feet, dashing between trees, ferns, and boulders, moving over hills and leaping across chasms. Christian followed as best he could, his swords clinking behind his back, ammunition clips clicking together.
It soon became clear that something had traveled this way. Trees were destroyed, literally shattered into splinters. Boulders were turned into nothing but rubble. There were large footprints on the ground, bigger than most what creatures could produce be they super natural or otherwise.
They burst into a clearing, Yellowstone Lake in front of them. Several yards away was Lilith, her back turned to them, and in front of her, charging forward like a raging bull, was a massive monster of lumbering meat and fat.
Shit! That’s a troll!
“Lilith!”
Christian dashed past Andrew, Gabriel and Phaneul in his hands. He took aim as he moved, fired as he ran. Sixteen bullets tore through the air, whizzing by the petrified Lilith. Most bounced harmlessly off the troll’s leathery skin. Very little could penetrate a troll’s skin. That stuff was like armor. However, one of Christian’s bullets found a target.
Blood spurted out of the creature’s left eye socket, causing it to let out a pained and angry roar. It stumbled, its left hand moving to its eye to stem the flow of blood.
Christian reached Lilith.
“Lilith! Lilith!”
The young woman’s head whipped toward him, hair flying about her, wild and chaotic. “C-Christian?” she stuttered in disbelief. Her eyes, wide with fright, stared at him, uncomprehending, like she couldn’t believe he was there.
“Get back!”
He moved to stand in front, protecting her from the towering mass of muscle and fat. His two guns began to chug, loud and thunderous in his ears. Christian aimed for the troll’s other eye, but while trolls are stupid, that didn’t mean they couldn’t learn. It used its hand to block the only eye it had left, grunting as the sharp metal balls hit its skin, but didn’t penetrate.
Christian clicked his tongue in frustration. Without Oricalchum bullets, he might as well be shooting the thing with paper projectiles. Troll hide might look like leather, but it was harder than brick. Only explosives, certain corrosive acids, and Oricalchum could penetrate that skin.
Close range combat it was.
With a hiss of steel, Christian’s blades were unsheathed. Michael, its black surface gleamed as the sun hit it. Rafael, the silver blade’s smooth and polished surface reflected everything around it, showing a distorted facsimile of their surroundings. He readied his blades.
Christian charged forward, blades in hand, rushing straight at the troll. The massive, lumbering beast saw him out of its good. It roared a challenge, one that Christian was more than willing to answer.
A large fist came down. Christian threw himself to the left, avoiding the hammer blow, which descended upon the earth with enough force to leave a crater. His world shook, and he stumbled, but he managed to turn his momentum into a roll, skipping back to his feet and charging at the fist before the troll could retract it from the ground.
A long line of blood was drawn from its forearm, dark, blackish blood that oozed, hissed, and steamed. Troll blood was highly corrosive. Just a drop was enough to burn a whole through a human skull. Christian watched as the blood ran into the ground, eating it apart like Pacman ate dots.
The troll roared, though whether in anger or agony Christian didn’t know. Probably both. His ears popped as its left hand swung out horizontally, a sweeping gesture with enough power behind it that Christian would have been sent dozens of yards back if it hit.
If it hit.
Christian dropped down to the ground, flat on his belly. A loud “whoosh” sounded overhead. He could feel his hair whipping around him. Then the fist was gone, passing over him, and Christian rose to his feet.
He dashed forward, his body low. He swung Michael forward, striking the troll in its fat belly. Its skin burst open like an overripe fruit. Black liquid, sizzling and viscous, poured from the wound in copious amounts. Christian hadn’t struck deep enough to cause the beast’s organs to spill, but the attack was still painful. The troll stumbled back, its roar strangled, its face twisted.
If Christian’s mind had been in better shape than it was now, perhaps what happened next wouldn’t have happened. One moment, he was charging in, pressing his attack and moving to open another deep furrow in the monster’s bellow, maybe even strike the killing blow. The next moment all the air in his lungs became compressed as something large and heavy smashed into his chest.
The sound of bones snapping was overpowered by the loud thud of a fist hitting his body and his anguished yelp. Seconds later, Christian was sent flying backwards, where he smacked against the ground and rolled along, hitting rocks and twigs in his wake.
He came to a stop, lying on his back, his mind in a daze and his chest feeling like a
professional sumo wrestler had just landed on him from fifteen stories up. Each breath wracked his body, causing sharp pains to pierce him like burning needles. He could feel fluids seeping into his lungs, sending him into a fit of coughing that hurt even more.
“Christian! Christian! Dammit! Let me go! I have to go to Christian!”
Someone was shouting. Lilith. Why was she still there?
“And what are you gonna do? Huh?” Andrew’s voice. Why hadn’t he taken her back to the enclave? It wouldn’t take much effort to toss her over his shoulder and haul it out of there. “Face it! You can’t do anything to help him.”
“Then you do something! You’re a werewolf, aren’t you? Help him!”
“I would if I could.” There was a grimace in his voice. “But I’m not strong. We werewolves are known for our speed, not our power. My claws would hardly leave a scratch on that thing. Maybe if I had a weapon, but...”
Words became garbled after that. His head was ringing. Christian realized he must have smacked his head against something when he’d taken that spill.
A face appeared at the edge of his vision. Large and flat and ugly. Thick green skin, like leather, did nothing to compliment the hideous visage. Wide nostrils flared, and ugly, rotted teeth were revealed over peeled back lips. It stared down at him, mouth opening in a loud roar that, for some reason, he could not hear. His hearing was vanishing, and his vision turning monochrome.
The beast raised its hands, and Christian knew that it would kill him. He wanted to struggle. He wanted to get up and fight, and yet, he just couldn’t find the energy within him to rise.
The troll brought its hands down.
And everything stopped.
Christian blinked. The hands, which had been clasped together to form a fleshy club, had ceased to move several feet above him. The troll’s face, its snarling visage, had likewise ceased to move.
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