Alterverse

by Keith B Darrell

  “I sense the others come from distant lands and even other realms, but you… You’re not of this reality.” Nemesis concentrated, attuning her divine senses to peruse each of her visitors more closely. “Offspring of a werewolf and a vampire; a bereaved demon from the depths of Hell; a disingenuous denizen of the Dreamscape; a deadly kunoichi; a kitsune; a dissimulating changeling; and most intriguing of all, a young hypnalis.” She turned her attention back to Alaric. “And you are…?”

  “Alaric, son of the trickster demon Lucifer and the witch Samantha Twitch, both of whom were abducted by the Dark Gods. I seek their return, and retribution against those who parted me from them.”

  Nemesis circled around Alaric examining him from head to toe. “You’re bold; some would say fearless to come to my temple and make such demands… Others would say fatuous.”

  “Not demands, for I know you dislike hubris and arrogance. I come before you as a devout worshipper beseeching you to grant me retribution.”

  “Against the Dark Gods? You’re asking me to go against my brothers and sisters merely because they separated you from your parents?”

  “The Dark Gods have done much worse than that, as you are aware. You know Asabi is from the previous reality, which means you know some or all of your siblings conspired to alter reality. I’m entreating you to fulfill your raison d'être. You are Nemesis, the goddess of retribution. You abhor hubris and arrogance, and punish those who upset the natural balance. Isn’t that precisely what your siblings have done? What could upset the natural balance more than re-creating reality? Could there possibly be a greater act of hubris and arrogance, even for the gods themselves? Many souls have been displaced by the realignment orchestrated by your siblings. They all cry out for retribution. They are your worshippers, Goddess. Hear their pleas.”

  Nemesis weighed his words. “You speak eloquently, young warlock. But then, as you admit, you’re the son of a beguiling trickster demon. You realize I could destroy all of you with a snap of my fingers?”

  Nitrate gulped, suddenly realizing the disadvantages of flesh and blood over dreamstuff. Sweat dripped from Asabi’s brow as the emere, sharing Nitrate’s disquietude, wondered if her divine mission was about to come to an abrupt end.

  “Of course,” Alaric said. “But you won’t.”

  “Oh?” Nemesis arched an eyebrow again. “For a callow youth, you display unusual aplomb."

  “The goddess of retribution acts from a sense of injustice and unfairness which means she must value justice and fairness above all else. Destroying us would be rewarding injustice, not to mention most unfair.”

  Nemesis nodded. “Ordinarily I restrict my dispensation of retribution to the affairs and actions of mortals but as you’ve pointed out, the transgressions of the gods are far more egregious and deserving of my attention. However, you’re asking me to make a great personal sacrifice. You must first prove yourselves worthy.”

  “How?” Alaric asked.

  Nemesis resumed her seat on her throne. “Trial by combat, of course. Prevail and you shall have earned my blessing. Fail and you will have proven yourselves unworthy by your actions and inconsequential by your deaths.” The goddess raised her hand and in response to her summons the doors at the other end of the throne room swung open, unleashing the Nagá serpent cult.

  As the robed cultists rushed into the room wielding their sinuous, trenchant blades, Asmodeus leapt into the oncoming throng engaging them in hand-to-hand combat. Nitrate used his emotive powers against the deadly cultists, releasing pheromones to manipulate their emotions, turning them against each other. Paranoia, fear, and anger spread through the cloaked figures causing them to fight among themselves. Kita transformed into her fox form and her bushy tail arched straight into the air splitting into nine tails, each discharging lightning bolts at the Nagá cultists. Katsumi cartwheeled into the cultists, disarming each one with whom she came into contact. The lissome kunoichi’s nimble hands and fists knocked the knives from their grasp faster than the eye could follow.

  “Let’s get them,” Ursula said to Quinn.

  “No,” Alaric said. “You two stay back with Asabi. We can handle this without putting you at risk.”

  “Aw, I was looking forward to kicking some snake worshipper butt,” Quinn said, secretly relieved.

  Alaric handed him the trident. “Here, hold this for me. Time to break out the spells Aunt Drusilla taught me; the ones she didn’t want Mom to overhear me learning.” He stepped into the fray, leaving an astonished Quinn Fenris staring at the legendary Devil's pitchfork in his hands.

  “Suffering wolfsbane!” Quinn exclaimed. “Now I can really kick some snake ass!”

  “Alaric said to watch it for him, not to use it,” Ursula said. “He told you they have the situation under control.”

  Quinn studied the trident. “But do you know how awesome this is? Do you expect me to stand here holding one of the most powerful weapons in the universe while everyone else is fighting?”

  “We don’t know anything about it. Maybe it takes time to replenish its energy and Alaric wants to save it in case he needs it later. Besides, you don’t even know how to use it.”

  Quinn frowned. “Of course I do. You just aim it and…” He ran his hand along the shaft. “There must be a button or something somewhere. Or maybe the batteries are dead.”

  Meanwhile, Alaric uttered an arcane incantation and the cultists nearest him melted into puddles of flesh and liquefied bone. He knew his mother wouldn’t approve of such magic, but her sister Drusilla had few scruples when it came to fighting for survival and she had taken it upon herself to ensure her nephew would be able to protect himself.

  From her throne, Nemesis observed the battle. She watched, as a taller, larger cloaked figure entered the throne room. The new arrival shed her cloak, like a snake exuviating its skin, as she revealed herself to be an adult hypnalis. Sensing another hypnalis’ presence, the pythonesque creature pivoted and launched herself toward Kaya, hissing while baring her massive fangs, dripping with venom.

  “This dinnae look good,” Síofra said.

  The ophidian creature bore a woman’s head atop a massive snake’s six-foot long body, which weaved sinuously through the mass of cultists and those fighting them until she was a mere foot from Kaya and Síofra. “Ssso, there existsss another hypnalisss in Ramnousss,” she hissed, speaking with a sibilant tongue.

  “Back off, ya slimy snake,” Síofra said. “Cannae ya see she’s just a wee lass?”

  The hypnalis raised the upper third of her body upright while the rest slithered on the ground behind her scabrous and scaly torso. “I am Tanith, high priestesss of the Nagá ssserpent cult of Ramnousss, guardian of the Temple of Nemesisss, and devoted acolyte of Nyx. I know a hypnalisss when I sssee one.” She hissed and more venom dripped from her deadly fangs.

  “That’s a nasty lisp ya’ve got there; ever consider a ssspeech therapist?” Síofra mocked the serpentine creature.

  Tanith flashed her enraged countenance at the changeling. “There can only be one hypnalisss in Ramnousss and I do not intend to allow my cultistsss to choossse their priestesss. The young one will die but firssst I will kill you for your effrontery.” With incredible swiftness, Tanith shot forward, wrapping her serpentine body around Síofra, entrapping the changeling. She opened her elongating jaws wide, gaping large enough to swallow Síofra whole. “A sssingle drop of my venom will paralyze you, yet you’ll remain alive asss you ssslide through my body while my digessstive juicccesss eat away your flesh like acccid.”

  “No!” Kaya screamed, her heart palpitating and sweat glistening on the tiny scales covering her scabrous body. “Leave my friend alone!” She became flushed and her skin tingled. Her vision blurred and her sense of smell intensified. Kaya felt her clothes slide off her body and she transformed into a girl with the body of a snake and lunged toward the larger snake-woman, baring her own fangs.

  Tanith flung Síofra to the ground and concentrated her attention o
n the new threat. The two snake-women interlocked in a bizarre embrace, their ophidian bodies entwined and their human heads facing each other, hissing and baring threatening fangs protruding from their jaws. “You have ssspirit and courage but you are a mere callow child while I have been a hypnalisss sssince the daysss of ancccient Phoenicccia .

  Kaya felt the life being squeezed out of her by the larger hypnalis. She was determined not to give in because she knew if she lost consciousness it would be the end, not only for her but for Síofra. Kaya gasped for air as Tanith constricted her pliable serpentine body around Kaya’s smaller form.

  “You fought valiantly and I will honor your life by consssuming you,” Tanith said, preparing to deliver the death blow to Kaya.

  Síofra crawled to the unconscious body of one of the cultists Katsumi had attacked. Beside her sprawled form lay her discarded kris, the sinuous dagger which, with its wavy curves carved throughout its blade, resembled a snake in motion when wielded. It was designed to symbolize the motion of the serpent: aggressive and deadly. It served as the symbol of the Nagá serpent cult and was said to also be a talisman of magical power. The changeling didn’t know any of that; she simply liked sharp knives.

  Síofra grabbed the kris and jumped atop Tanith’s back, wrapping her left arm around the snake-woman’s neck. “Ya promised tae kill me first.”

  “You are no challenge,” Tanith replied, still constricting the nearly unconscious Kaya. “You’re a mere mortal with no extraordinary powersss.”

  “’Tis true, I dinnae have any powers; unless ya count cruelty and depravity.” Síofra’s right hand glided across Tanith’s exposed throat as she gleefully sank the trenchant dagger into the hypnalis’ flesh, twisting the sinuous kris through bone and sinew until she had decapitated it. Tanith’s body writhed and its severed head let out a defiant cry, futilely refusing to die, until finally falling silent. Síofra held up the severed head she had sliced off, raising it by its hair to eye level. “As I was saying, never turn yar back on a changeling.” She tossed it aside, admiring the craftsmanship of the Nagá blade, and turned her attention to Tanith’s serpentine remains. “I could use a pair of snakeskin shoes… maybe a matching purse?” She glanced in Kaya’s direction. The Japanese girl had transformed back into human form, naked but breathing, undoubtedly recovering from her ordeal. Síofra decided to give the girl time to recuperate and focused her attention on how much material she would need to carve for her new wardrobe.

  At the sight of their decollated priestess, the remaining cultists fled. Nemesis rose from her throne and clapped. “An impressive display, young warlock.” She gestured at the pool of melted human flesh around Alaric’s feet. “And here I thought you were a mama’s boy; your demon side is stronger than it appears.”

  “We’ve passed your trial, Goddess,” Alaric said. “Will you aid us?”

  “I said I was impressed by how well you performed in the preliminary match. Now that you’ve had a sufficient warm-up, I trust you and your team are ready for the main event?”

  Kita sneered. “And they call me a trickster.”

  Asmodeus stepped over the bodies of cultists killed by Katsumi and himself. His three heads spoke in unison. “As a demon who has spent his entire existence in Hell I expect deceit from all I meet and I’m always prepared for battle. Bring it on.”

  “Deceit is my brother Apate’s forte,” the dark goddess said. “I’ve been completely honest, if not sufficiently candid for your understanding. I said trial by combat; I didn’t specify the number of rounds or combatants. But this next engagement shall be the final one in your test. I hardly need summon them: the Keres haunt battlefields, fighting like vultures over the dying. I’m sure the sight of the dead littering this battlefield will lead them directly to you and should work them up into quite a frenzy.”

  Quinn looked uneasily at his sister and then glanced at Alaric. “I think our mom wants us home early today to do some chores around the house,” he said tremulously.

  “Who are the Keres?” Asabi asked.

  Alaric looked at Asabi in surprise. “What a glorious world you must come from if the Keres are unknown there. Like Nemesis, the Keres are daughters of Nyx and sisters of the Moirae. They are even sometimes referred to as the ‘Death Fates.’”

  “Wait,” Asabi said. “I do recall an ancient legend. In my reality, they were female death spirits released from Pandora’s Box to plague mankind. But I’ve learned Pandora’s Box was really the Dark Dimension and when the Dark Gods were expelled back into their pocket universe, so were the Death Fates.”

  Alaric shook his head. “The Dark Gods were never banished in this reality. We’ve lived with the scourge of the Keres since the beginning of time. They’re drawn to major battles, like vultures. They crave blood like vampires, draining it from the wounded and the dying and, with the ferocity of a werewolf, ripping the soul from its mortally wounded body to send to the afterlife.”

  “But our battle has ended.” Asabi gestured to the remains of the dead cultists. “From what you describe, the Keres should drink their blood, tear their souls away, and leave.”

  Quinn frowned. “Ursula and I did a report on the Keres for Professor Eligos’ class. That’s how they should behave; but once they get into a feeding frenzy, they can’t stop. They’ll attack anything they see.”

  Alaric gazed up. The roof of the temple had disappeared and a swarm of inimical winged women was flying toward them. They were dressed in bloody garments and, as they neared, Alaric could see their sharp fangs and trenchant talons. “Lux!” he called out and in response to his incantation he was illuminated within a beam of light, leaving the other shrouded in darkness. “Go, all of you,” Alaric said. “This is more than you signed up for. This is my battle.”

  “Sounds good tae me,” Síofra said, preparing to leave.

  Kaya shook her head, indicating her resolve to stay through the end, whatever the outcome.

  “Ah, shite!” Síofra exclaimed. She glanced at Asabi, knowing the emere was the only one who could access the dimensional portal she would need to escape. “I suppose yar feeling suicidal taeday, as well?” She gripped the kris firmly. “Oh well. What the hell.”

  Asmodeus saw the sinuous dagger in her hand and gazed around the temple floor, picking up three more. The demon handed one to Asabi and the other to Nitrate. “Slash quickly and cut deeply.”

  Nitrate eyed the advancing horde. “There are too many. Hundreds, maybe a thousand. We’ll never defeat them all.”

  “No,” Asmodeus agreed, “but we’ll kill as many as we can before they kill us.”

  “Asabi, get them out of here,” Alaric said. “There’s no point in everyone dying. The Resistance must continue, even if it’s without me.”

  “I was told to protect you, so as far as I’m concerned, you are the Resistance. I must see my divine mission through, even if it means it’s God’s will I perish today by your side in this strange land.”

  The Keres descended, bloodlust in their eyes. They tore into the bodies of the cultists, sinking their fangs into them and sucking out every last drop of blood but rather than satiating them it only made them desire more. The growing throng of taloned death spirits turned their gaze to the youth bathed in magical luminescence. Then, the closest ones lunged at him.

  Without hesitation, Katsumi leapt to Alaric’s defense, her razor-sharp knives and throwing stars finding their deadly marks on a dozen Keres within seconds… Yet leaving hundreds more unscathed and closing in on the young warlock.

  “No!” Ursula cried, seeing Alaric in mortal peril. She morphed into a wolf, leaping into the fray. Horrified and concerned for his sister’s safety, Quinn transformed into a bat, swiftly flew ahead of her, and changed again, this time into a savage, bloodthirsty wereboy. The young werewolf’s mind was clouded by his transformation but he still retained enough of his intellect to realize he had to lash out with his trenchant claws and slash as many of the Keres as he could to protect his sister. Ursula,
in her wolf form, snarled at the Ker closest to Alaric and bit her in the leg, ripping the Ker’s sinew in her strong lupine jaw.

  Kita morphed back into her fox form with all nine tails discharging lightning bolts in every direction at the oncoming swarm of taloned Keres. Her mouth gaped open, releasing a fiery blaze of foxfire that consumed dozens of the death spirits. Nitrate and Asabi used the sinuous daggers Asmodeus had given them to slash at the Death Fates, while the tri-headed demon reached for the trident Quinn had discarded upon transforming into a bat. Asmodeus called out to Alaric and tossed him the trident.

  The Devil’s Pitchfork traveled unerringly from Asmodeus’ hand into Alaric’s grasp. The boy warlock closed his eyes and concentrated, focusing all of his mental energy into the trident. Its prongs crackled with daemonic energy, ejaculating it into an ever-expanding web encompassing all of the Keres. The Death Fates shrieked in agony as the web of daemonic energy released from the trident incinerated them.

  Alaric leaned against the pitchfork, emotionally and physically spent.

  “Bravo, young warlock,” Nemesis said. “I didn’t think it was possible to destroy the Keres, but you did it.”

  “We did it,” Alaric said. “We’re a team – even if I forgot that momentarily – and that’s how we’ll defeat the Dark Gods who oppose us.” He smiled at Katsumi, and then at Ursula, Quinn, and Kita who had morphed back into their human forms.

  Kaya approached Síofra, who was using the kris to extract the fangs of one of the Keres she had killed. “What are you doing?”

  “Salvage,” the changeling replied. “These fangs will make a lovely necklace tae gae with my new outfit.”

  “I would not have been able to give you my blessing had the Keres not been destroyed,” Nemesis said. “They’re close to our sisters, the Moirae, and it was the Moirae who altered fate and created this new reality.”

  “Why would the Moirae disregard and defile their sacred duty?” Asabi asked.

  “They did so at the behest of Destiny, and he in turn was co-opted by some of my siblings. Not all of the Dark Gods favored re-creating reality. As you correctly deduced, I find it to be an incredible act of hubris. But it was not my decision. Yet I agree justice demands retribution.” Nemesis took a ribbon from her hair and tied it around the trident’s shaft. “You may carry my ribbon into battle and with it my blessing, as well.”