I turned to Naomi. “We can’t leave until I do something about those creatures out there that are preventing us from leaving. Will you be OK here for a moment?”
She glanced out the window behind me and shook her head. “No, we’re coming with you.”
“What are talking about? It is quite a drop from here!”
Naomi reached out and touched my shoulder. “We’ll make it down there, you just worry about yourself.”
Alexa perked up as she looked from me to her mother. “Are we going to fly again, Mama?”
Naomi nodded and put both arms around Alexa again before smiling down at her daughter. “Yes, dear, we’re going to fly again, but not too much this time, OK?”
Alexa bobbed her head and pumped her tiny fist. “Yay!”
Naomi shifted her gaze back to me. “Go now, we’ll follow behind you at a safe distance.”
I shook my head and decided to trust her judgment. I knew that she would never do anything that she would endanger Alexa.
Using my gloved hands, I cleared all of the sharp shards of glass from the opening of the window, pulling the curtains off the wall in the process. Once it was clear, I stepped up onto the windowsill, hunching my shoulders down to fit into the square opening, if barely.
Another violent explosion rocked the house as I prepared to jump by glancing to the ground beneath me. Unearthly screams of pain and terror accompanied the blast, giving me the impetus I needed to get going. I pushed myself forward, kicking out with my legs in an attempt to land standing up.
It worked, almost.
I landed on my backside with a tremendous thud in one of Ravyn’s favorite flower beds. I let go of the rucksack that had unbalanced my fall and started scrambling up to my feet amid of a shower of dirt and ruined petals. My actions became more urgent as I noticed two wolf-like shadows emerge from the bushes near where I had seen the line of figures holding up the shield in the Shadowland. It was all I could do to get Excalibur out and my feet set before they were upon me.
Apparently, the blade decided that these creatures, were worthy of taking on and guided my hand as I lashed out at the first of the attacking beasts. I felt the blade sink into it, but its weight bore the blade downward as the second beast launched itself into my chest, knocking back to the ground.
The creature snarled and snapped at my face, held back only by my left hand on its throat. I tried to wrest Excalibur from the first creature’s chest, but I lacked the leverage to yank it free while lying on my back, pinned down by the second.
I was just about to give up on pulling the sword free and taking the thing on with my hands when the creature, much to our mutual surprise, began to float above me, its paws flailing helplessly in an attempt to regain traction.
Naomi’s voice rang out from the shadows to my left, obviously straining with effort. “Now, Rusty! I can’t hold it for long, it’s too heavy!”
Using only my left hand, I heaved upwards and yanked at Excalibur with my right. The blade slipped free and slashed upwards across the throat of the still struggling second creature. Its lifeless body fell to the ground as I stood up.
Naomi stepped from the shadows, pale and sweaty with exhaustion, Alexa standing beside her.
Alexa was straining against Naomi’s hand, reaching toward the first dead creature. “Poor wolfies!”
“Hush, girl. These aren’t real wolves.” Naomi pulled her back gently.
“Follow me.” I waved at them to get behind me. “We need to get to the perimeter so I can get you guys to safety.”
I reached down and grabbed the rucksack with my left hand and brandished the glowing blade of Excalibur with my right as I began moving towards where I had seen the figures standing in the Shadowland.
Nothing else moved to attack us as we moved forward, so I was able to take a glance back towards the Coop. The building behind us was glowing orange from the flames that were now eating at the place from several locations inside. Smoke billowed upwards, disappearing in the night sky.
I wondered how this could be happening without any response from the Fire Department, but I had to push that thought away as we approached the perimeter. I felt, more than saw, the field of energy that had been set up by the man-sized creatures that I had seen earlier. There was no sign of them with my normal sight, so I shifted my vision to the Shadowland.
As my vision shifted, I found myself staring in the vacant, nearly lifeless eyes of a pale, naked creature that stood, unmoving, spread-eagle. Its long, thin arms stretched outward towards the outstretched arms of others just like it.
Looking into its face, I now recognized them for what they were…Drake had called these creatures Dream Weavers. They were another servant race of the An’girasii. They worked in groups of thirteen, using their powers from the Shadowland to create powerful, complex illusions in the ‘real’ world.
They apparently also had the ability to shut off my access to the Shadowland.
I lashed out with Excalibur towards the Dream Weaver immediately in front of me.
There was a tremendous amount of resistance, as if the illusory shield created by the Weavers was resisting the power of the blade. Sparks of magickal energy erupted as the blade fought its way through the shield and into abdomen of the Weaver.
The shower of sparks turned into an eruption of energy that must have flashed into the real world as well. The entire illusion that had been created by the Weavers crumbled in an explosion of energy that threw me back into normal vision again.
Alexa called out in appreciate surprise. “Oooh, fireworks!”
I sheathed Excalibur in one motion and reached out to Naomi. “Hold on! This is going to be rough!”
I called the Shadow and stepped from this former place of safety to another, Naomi and Alexa in tow…
Friday, July 06, 2007
Friday, June 29, 2007
Hell's Bells...Part 5
Ravyn turned to me, her rage burning brighter in her eyes than in her still flaming fist. “Rusty, take these two to Cerrydwen and come back as soon as you can.” She glanced back at Naomi, “You remember the emergency password don’t you, darling?”
Naomi nodded. “I do.”
“Good. When you get to Cerrydwen’s place, make sure you tell Rusty what they are, OK?”
Naomi nodded again as she stood up with Alexa before grabbing a small bag that she had managed to pack. “I’m ready.”
I turned back to Ravyn. “Are you going to be alright?”
She shrugged. “I’ll be alright so long as I know that these two are safe. If you hurry back, you can help me to save as many of the others as possible.” She glanced back down the hall before looking at me again. “Get these two to safety. We can’t let Alexa fall into the arms of these monsters.”
“I’ll be back.”
A tear rolled down Ravyn’s cheek as she turned away and stalked off to do battle. “Good.”
I sheathed Excalibur and picked up the rucksack that I had dropped earlier. I reached my left hand out toward Naomi. “Come on. Let’s get you two to Cerrydwen.”
As she and Alexa drew near, I focused my Will and summoned the Shadow.
Nothing happened.
“Shit.”
“What’s wrong, Daddy?”
I waved my free hand to silence the questions and tried again, this time though, I reached as deep inside of myself as possible, summoning all of Will. I would not, could not, be denied.
Except that I was. Again, nothing happened.
“What the fu…dge?” I looked at Naomi. “I think something is blocking me from calling the Shadow.”
Her eyes narrowed. “How can they do that?”
I shrugged. “I wish I knew…”
I was interrupted by an ear-piercing, unearthly scream of rage of fear that was itself interrupted by an explosion that rocked the foundations of the house. I held on to Naomi tightly as the floor buckled and lurched beneath us. For the briefest of moments there was a dead kind of silence, but that was soon shattered by the sounds of other battles being fought elsewhere in the house.
Once things stopped shaking, I slammed the door to the room shut and ran over to the shattered window to get a view of what was happening out there.
At first, I didn’t see anything out of the ordinary, which was strange in itself. Sensing that all was not as it seemed, I shifted my sight into the Shadowland. That’s when everything became a hell of a lot clearer and I became a hell of a lot more concerned.
In the Shadowland, I could see the ring of man-sized figures that stood stock still, arms extended towards each of their neighbors. Extending between them was a web of crackling energy that seemed to form a dome over the entire Phoenix Coop. I had no idea who or what these creatures were and how they were doing it, but they seemed to have created some kind of bubble that was meant to keep anyone from leaving the place, especially through the Shadowland…
Naomi nodded. “I do.”
“Good. When you get to Cerrydwen’s place, make sure you tell Rusty what they are, OK?”
Naomi nodded again as she stood up with Alexa before grabbing a small bag that she had managed to pack. “I’m ready.”
I turned back to Ravyn. “Are you going to be alright?”
She shrugged. “I’ll be alright so long as I know that these two are safe. If you hurry back, you can help me to save as many of the others as possible.” She glanced back down the hall before looking at me again. “Get these two to safety. We can’t let Alexa fall into the arms of these monsters.”
“I’ll be back.”
A tear rolled down Ravyn’s cheek as she turned away and stalked off to do battle. “Good.”
I sheathed Excalibur and picked up the rucksack that I had dropped earlier. I reached my left hand out toward Naomi. “Come on. Let’s get you two to Cerrydwen.”
As she and Alexa drew near, I focused my Will and summoned the Shadow.
Nothing happened.
“Shit.”
“What’s wrong, Daddy?”
I waved my free hand to silence the questions and tried again, this time though, I reached as deep inside of myself as possible, summoning all of Will. I would not, could not, be denied.
Except that I was. Again, nothing happened.
“What the fu…dge?” I looked at Naomi. “I think something is blocking me from calling the Shadow.”
Her eyes narrowed. “How can they do that?”
I shrugged. “I wish I knew…”
I was interrupted by an ear-piercing, unearthly scream of rage of fear that was itself interrupted by an explosion that rocked the foundations of the house. I held on to Naomi tightly as the floor buckled and lurched beneath us. For the briefest of moments there was a dead kind of silence, but that was soon shattered by the sounds of other battles being fought elsewhere in the house.
Once things stopped shaking, I slammed the door to the room shut and ran over to the shattered window to get a view of what was happening out there.
At first, I didn’t see anything out of the ordinary, which was strange in itself. Sensing that all was not as it seemed, I shifted my sight into the Shadowland. That’s when everything became a hell of a lot clearer and I became a hell of a lot more concerned.
In the Shadowland, I could see the ring of man-sized figures that stood stock still, arms extended towards each of their neighbors. Extending between them was a web of crackling energy that seemed to form a dome over the entire Phoenix Coop. I had no idea who or what these creatures were and how they were doing it, but they seemed to have created some kind of bubble that was meant to keep anyone from leaving the place, especially through the Shadowland…
Sunday, June 24, 2007
Hell's Bells...Part 4
I hefted the black rucksack over my left shoulder and drew Excalibur from its sheath. I then stepped into the hall, glancing back long enough to shout out to Ravyn. “Let’s get Naomi and move to the rally point!”
Clutching Alexa in her left arm and raising her now flaming right hand to shoulder height in front of her, she nodded, her jaw set in grim determination.
Most of the noise was coming from the first floor. It was an eclectic mix of screams, grunts, breaking glass and other clashing sounds. As I pushed past a door on my right to get towards Naomi’s room, the door was wrenched off its hinges by an implosion of some sort. I glanced back to see Ravyn staggered towards the gaping maw that was now the portal before she steadied herself and sent a bolt of a flame towards a target that I was too far away to see. The stream of curses that flew from her lips was only slightly less caustic than the flame bolt that she had hurled.
I stopped to see if she needed any help, but turned back around to press forward again when she waved me off with a resigned sigh. “Keep going. There’s no one to save in there.”
As I came to Naomi’s door, I paused long enough to hear the sounds of struggle coming from inside. I glanced back to Ravyn. “Trouble.” I took one half step back and kicked the door handle with my left boot and used the moment of coming down to slam my shoulder into it, splintering it into flying wooden shards.
I shrugged off the rucksack as I turned to face whatever it was that Naomi was struggling with, only find myself facing two identically dressed Naomi’s locked in a violent embrace that was causing them to crash into the battered furniture of the small room.
“Shit!”
The Naomi’s separated as I stood there cursing. The Naomi closest to me turned and moved towards me. “Oh, thank goodness you’re here Rusty! This creature came in took my shape! Kill it!”
The other Naomi sank back against the battered desk. She looked up at me and asked a simple question. “Is Alexa safe?”
The first Naomi turned her back to me, continuing to point at the second, shouting at me to kill the intruder, but it was too late.
I lashed out with Excalibur using all of my strength. The blade lashed out blindingly fast and sliced into the neck of the unsuspecting Doppelganger.
The head of the creature went spinning as a fountain of greenish black ichor leaped into the air, spraying all over me and the rucksack as the body collapsed in a heap next to me.
Naomi’s shoulders slumped. She was clearly exhausted from her struggle with the creature. She perked up though as Ravyn pushed into the room behind me, the wriggling Alexa still held to her left hip. “Alexa!”
“Mama!” Alexa slipped from Ravyn’s grasp and bounded over to her mother in three running steps, somehow avoiding all of the pooling ichor as she did so.
Naomi held our daughter tight for a single quiet moment before the reality of the situation caused Ravyn to clear her throat.
“We need to move. Others haven’t been as lucky as you, darling.”
Clutching Alexa in her left arm and raising her now flaming right hand to shoulder height in front of her, she nodded, her jaw set in grim determination.
Most of the noise was coming from the first floor. It was an eclectic mix of screams, grunts, breaking glass and other clashing sounds. As I pushed past a door on my right to get towards Naomi’s room, the door was wrenched off its hinges by an implosion of some sort. I glanced back to see Ravyn staggered towards the gaping maw that was now the portal before she steadied herself and sent a bolt of a flame towards a target that I was too far away to see. The stream of curses that flew from her lips was only slightly less caustic than the flame bolt that she had hurled.
I stopped to see if she needed any help, but turned back around to press forward again when she waved me off with a resigned sigh. “Keep going. There’s no one to save in there.”
As I came to Naomi’s door, I paused long enough to hear the sounds of struggle coming from inside. I glanced back to Ravyn. “Trouble.” I took one half step back and kicked the door handle with my left boot and used the moment of coming down to slam my shoulder into it, splintering it into flying wooden shards.
I shrugged off the rucksack as I turned to face whatever it was that Naomi was struggling with, only find myself facing two identically dressed Naomi’s locked in a violent embrace that was causing them to crash into the battered furniture of the small room.
“Shit!”
The Naomi’s separated as I stood there cursing. The Naomi closest to me turned and moved towards me. “Oh, thank goodness you’re here Rusty! This creature came in took my shape! Kill it!”
The other Naomi sank back against the battered desk. She looked up at me and asked a simple question. “Is Alexa safe?”
The first Naomi turned her back to me, continuing to point at the second, shouting at me to kill the intruder, but it was too late.
I lashed out with Excalibur using all of my strength. The blade lashed out blindingly fast and sliced into the neck of the unsuspecting Doppelganger.
The head of the creature went spinning as a fountain of greenish black ichor leaped into the air, spraying all over me and the rucksack as the body collapsed in a heap next to me.
Naomi’s shoulders slumped. She was clearly exhausted from her struggle with the creature. She perked up though as Ravyn pushed into the room behind me, the wriggling Alexa still held to her left hip. “Alexa!”
“Mama!” Alexa slipped from Ravyn’s grasp and bounded over to her mother in three running steps, somehow avoiding all of the pooling ichor as she did so.
Naomi held our daughter tight for a single quiet moment before the reality of the situation caused Ravyn to clear her throat.
“We need to move. Others haven’t been as lucky as you, darling.”
Wednesday, June 20, 2007
Hell's Bells...Part 3
“Yes, Sweetie, you’ll get a chance to ride on Betsy.” Ravyn looked up from Alexa to the disheveled Naomi. “Go get the things you’ll need for the next day or so. We need to get you two to the safe house. Don’t worry about getting dressed, there’s a full wardrobe for you there. I’ll watch her until you get ready.”
Naomi nodded glumly and shuffled off back towards her room.
Alexa bounded into Ravyn’s outstretched arms with a giggle and a flop of the raggedy stuffed bear.
I shifted my balance and spoke up. “What do you need me to do?”
Ravyn hugged Alexa, inhaling deeply of her essence before responding. “Stick by close by me until we see the girls off. We don’t know what we are facing just yet, and I want to make sure Alexa is safe.”
She sat back down at her desk and reached out to the business phone. She punched a couple of buttons, activating the intercom for the Coop. Her voice came through loud and clear over the hidden speakers in every room of the large house. “Attention this is a Code 3 emergency. Secure all doors and windows. Rally point is the Library in zero-five minutes. I repeat, this is a Code 3 emergency, rally to the Library in 5 minutes. This is not a drill people.”
I arched my brown and nodded. “I’m impressed.”
She shot me a sarcastic look. “Hey there, some of us actually make contingency plans for when things to go wrong instead of winging it.” She stood back up and pointed to behind the door. “Grab the bag behind that door, would ya?”
I turned, moved the door enough to see the black rucksack that I had never noticed before and reached for it, just in time to hear the glass breaking in several places around the house and the screams of shock and fear that accompanied those sounds…
Alexa’s voice cut through the other sounds. “They’re here!”
Ravyn’s curses were far more colorful and imaginative than mine were…
Naomi nodded glumly and shuffled off back towards her room.
Alexa bounded into Ravyn’s outstretched arms with a giggle and a flop of the raggedy stuffed bear.
I shifted my balance and spoke up. “What do you need me to do?”
Ravyn hugged Alexa, inhaling deeply of her essence before responding. “Stick by close by me until we see the girls off. We don’t know what we are facing just yet, and I want to make sure Alexa is safe.”
She sat back down at her desk and reached out to the business phone. She punched a couple of buttons, activating the intercom for the Coop. Her voice came through loud and clear over the hidden speakers in every room of the large house. “Attention this is a Code 3 emergency. Secure all doors and windows. Rally point is the Library in zero-five minutes. I repeat, this is a Code 3 emergency, rally to the Library in 5 minutes. This is not a drill people.”
I arched my brown and nodded. “I’m impressed.”
She shot me a sarcastic look. “Hey there, some of us actually make contingency plans for when things to go wrong instead of winging it.” She stood back up and pointed to behind the door. “Grab the bag behind that door, would ya?”
I turned, moved the door enough to see the black rucksack that I had never noticed before and reached for it, just in time to hear the glass breaking in several places around the house and the screams of shock and fear that accompanied those sounds…
Alexa’s voice cut through the other sounds. “They’re here!”
Ravyn’s curses were far more colorful and imaginative than mine were…
Monday, June 18, 2007
Hell's Bells...Part 2
The reunion of mother and daughter was all tears and hugs from mom and giggling laughter and ticklish hugs from daughter. Alexa had come alive as we neared Naomi’s room and erupted from my arms with bubbly exclamation of “Mama!” as she bounded towards the huddled, still sleepy form of Naomi.
Naomi gave me a teary-eyed glare over Alexa’s pig tails.
I held up my hands as I backed out of the room. “I’m back in control, Naomi. I’m sorry!”
Between my protestations and Alexa’s energetic, giggling hugs, her glare softened. She nodded before hugging her daughter back.
Ravyn touched my shoulder. “Let’s leave them alone, they’ll need to get some rest.”
I followed her back out into the hall and towards the small office that she kept at the Coop.
“So did you receive that package from Drake?”
Ravyn nodded as she settled behind her desk and pulled out a large yellow and red DHL box that rattled as she moved it. “Yes. I haven’t seen keys like this since I was a child.” She reached in and pulled out a large ring of skeleton keys, each one slightly different than the others.
I shook my head. “You wouldn’t believe where this stuff is hidden…”
“The Angel-people are coming.”
We both turned to look down at the small, figure of Alexa standing in her nightgown and bunny slippers, a teddy bear dangling from her left hand.
Ravyn was the first to recover. “What was that, Sweetheart?”
“The Angel-people are coming, soon.”
Naomi padded in behind Alexa, her hair unkempt and her face stained with tears. “She keeps repeating this phrase. She also insisted on coming and telling you herself. She refused to go to bed.”
“Auntie Ravyn, the Angel-people are coming. Can I ride on Betsy?”
I leaned forward. “Alexa, do you mean that the An’girasii are coming here soon?”
She nodded.
“How soon are they coming?”
“They are almost here. We need to go bye-bye. Can I ride on Betsy?”
Naomi gave me a teary-eyed glare over Alexa’s pig tails.
I held up my hands as I backed out of the room. “I’m back in control, Naomi. I’m sorry!”
Between my protestations and Alexa’s energetic, giggling hugs, her glare softened. She nodded before hugging her daughter back.
Ravyn touched my shoulder. “Let’s leave them alone, they’ll need to get some rest.”
I followed her back out into the hall and towards the small office that she kept at the Coop.
“So did you receive that package from Drake?”
Ravyn nodded as she settled behind her desk and pulled out a large yellow and red DHL box that rattled as she moved it. “Yes. I haven’t seen keys like this since I was a child.” She reached in and pulled out a large ring of skeleton keys, each one slightly different than the others.
I shook my head. “You wouldn’t believe where this stuff is hidden…”
“The Angel-people are coming.”
We both turned to look down at the small, figure of Alexa standing in her nightgown and bunny slippers, a teddy bear dangling from her left hand.
Ravyn was the first to recover. “What was that, Sweetheart?”
“The Angel-people are coming, soon.”
Naomi padded in behind Alexa, her hair unkempt and her face stained with tears. “She keeps repeating this phrase. She also insisted on coming and telling you herself. She refused to go to bed.”
“Auntie Ravyn, the Angel-people are coming. Can I ride on Betsy?”
I leaned forward. “Alexa, do you mean that the An’girasii are coming here soon?”
She nodded.
“How soon are they coming?”
“They are almost here. We need to go bye-bye. Can I ride on Betsy?”
Thursday, June 14, 2007
Hell's Bells...Part 1
I emerged from the Shadow and stepped into the library at the Coop with Alexa cradled in my arms, dead-to-the-world asleep.
I was met by the stern glare of Ravyn, her right hand held high with a ball of red and orange fire swirling around her clenched fist. “Is that you, Rusty?”
Hugging Alexa close to my chest, I nodded. “Yeah, it’s me, finally.”
“Sorry, but I need to be sure you are who you appear to be, Rusty. Look directly into my eyes.”
I looked up from the cherubic brown face of Alexa to meet Ravyn’s steely gaze. “Drake’s gone for good now. He had his little chat with Alexa.”
Ravyn’s face softened as she realized that I was telling the truth. “Thank the Goddess, it is you!” The fireball surrounding her fist died with a fizzle as she brought it down, still smoking, and moved to take Alexa from my arms.
“How long has it been since he took control?” I let my arms fall to the side as Alexa settled into her arms and nuzzled up against her neck, still asleep.
Ravyn shook her head. “I’m not sure, but it must be close to two months now.” She shifted Alexa into her left arm, brushing back Alexa’s dark, curly bangs from her forehead. “Naomi is going to be so relieved to know that she’s back safe and sound. What did Drake do with her and why did he have to take her like he did?”
I shrugged my shoulders. “Is Naomi OK?”
She nodded. “Yes, she’s been beside herself for days now, but she wasn’t harmed.”
“Good. Drake didn’t let me know what he was doing all of the time, so I’m not sure what happened when he came for Alexa, but he did let me experience his passing when he took her to the Tree.” I shook my head. “That was the weirdest thing to watch Drake bow down before my toddler of a daughter and pay his respects to her. It got even weirder when she acknowledged his respect and spoke to him in that same voice that she used back at Yule.”
“What did she say to him?”
“They spoke together for quite a while, but the main thing was that she thanked him for his service and then forgave him for everything that he had done to harm others.”
Ravyn looked incredulous. “She thanked Drake for his service? And she forgave him?”
I nodded. “Yep, and that’s what took the longest. He had left me in my body by that time and stood before her in pure Spirit form, looking almost exactly as he had when he was alive. She reached up with her little hands to his head bowed head and whispered name after name after name of all of the people that he hurt or killed throughout his miserable, long assed life and with each name, he became just a tiny bit lighter, more translucent. It must have taken days.”
She looked down into Alexa’s face before looking back up at me. “That must have been thousands of names…how did she know them all?”
“I have no idea. But I can tell you that it was a fucking who’s who of world history, that’s for sure. You have no idea how much of the history that we learn about in school was influenced by the people that Drake screwed with or outright killed.”
“I think I can believe it after all of the stuff he used your body to get stirred up. Rusty, you are not going to be able to show your face in public for quite some time—I’ve lost count of the number of different law enforcement agencies that have contacted me looking for you. I even had to send away the FBI students away from here after Agent Wilson called and told me that you had been declared a fugitive from justice and that you had made the Most Wanted list for a string of murders!”
“Shit! He let me see some of that stuff, but obviously not everything! He told me that he was taking down servants of the An’girasii.”
She pursed her lips and clucked her tongue. “That may well be what he was doing, but he has landed you in a lot of hot water in the process. Did you know that he took Dick Arnold?”
I stepped back at that. “No, I had no idea.”
She shook her head this time. “Well, you’ve got a lot of catching up to do, but not before we get this little girl back to her mot
I was met by the stern glare of Ravyn, her right hand held high with a ball of red and orange fire swirling around her clenched fist. “Is that you, Rusty?”
Hugging Alexa close to my chest, I nodded. “Yeah, it’s me, finally.”
“Sorry, but I need to be sure you are who you appear to be, Rusty. Look directly into my eyes.”
I looked up from the cherubic brown face of Alexa to meet Ravyn’s steely gaze. “Drake’s gone for good now. He had his little chat with Alexa.”
Ravyn’s face softened as she realized that I was telling the truth. “Thank the Goddess, it is you!” The fireball surrounding her fist died with a fizzle as she brought it down, still smoking, and moved to take Alexa from my arms.
“How long has it been since he took control?” I let my arms fall to the side as Alexa settled into her arms and nuzzled up against her neck, still asleep.
Ravyn shook her head. “I’m not sure, but it must be close to two months now.” She shifted Alexa into her left arm, brushing back Alexa’s dark, curly bangs from her forehead. “Naomi is going to be so relieved to know that she’s back safe and sound. What did Drake do with her and why did he have to take her like he did?”
I shrugged my shoulders. “Is Naomi OK?”
She nodded. “Yes, she’s been beside herself for days now, but she wasn’t harmed.”
“Good. Drake didn’t let me know what he was doing all of the time, so I’m not sure what happened when he came for Alexa, but he did let me experience his passing when he took her to the Tree.” I shook my head. “That was the weirdest thing to watch Drake bow down before my toddler of a daughter and pay his respects to her. It got even weirder when she acknowledged his respect and spoke to him in that same voice that she used back at Yule.”
“What did she say to him?”
“They spoke together for quite a while, but the main thing was that she thanked him for his service and then forgave him for everything that he had done to harm others.”
Ravyn looked incredulous. “She thanked Drake for his service? And she forgave him?”
I nodded. “Yep, and that’s what took the longest. He had left me in my body by that time and stood before her in pure Spirit form, looking almost exactly as he had when he was alive. She reached up with her little hands to his head bowed head and whispered name after name after name of all of the people that he hurt or killed throughout his miserable, long assed life and with each name, he became just a tiny bit lighter, more translucent. It must have taken days.”
She looked down into Alexa’s face before looking back up at me. “That must have been thousands of names…how did she know them all?”
“I have no idea. But I can tell you that it was a fucking who’s who of world history, that’s for sure. You have no idea how much of the history that we learn about in school was influenced by the people that Drake screwed with or outright killed.”
“I think I can believe it after all of the stuff he used your body to get stirred up. Rusty, you are not going to be able to show your face in public for quite some time—I’ve lost count of the number of different law enforcement agencies that have contacted me looking for you. I even had to send away the FBI students away from here after Agent Wilson called and told me that you had been declared a fugitive from justice and that you had made the Most Wanted list for a string of murders!”
“Shit! He let me see some of that stuff, but obviously not everything! He told me that he was taking down servants of the An’girasii.”
She pursed her lips and clucked her tongue. “That may well be what he was doing, but he has landed you in a lot of hot water in the process. Did you know that he took Dick Arnold?”
I stepped back at that. “No, I had no idea.”
She shook her head this time. “Well, you’ve got a lot of catching up to do, but not before we get this little girl back to her mot
Sunday, June 10, 2007
Meditation
This post has been much harder to write than I ever envisioned that it would be.
I had been looking forward to writing about the final and permanent demise of Drake Kampmann for years now. Now that I faced with writing about that very thing, I am filled with a profound sense of sadness and loss that I haven’t felt since my own father passed away twenty years ago.
For the better part of a decade I have both feared and hated Drake Kampmann. At first he was the aloof, mysterious director of the Omega Project—someone who first recruited me and then oversaw my participation in that project—my fate was literally in his hands, in more ways than I cared to consider.
There is absolutely no doubt in my mind that Drake was a ruthless, cold-hearted, evil sociopath who wouldn’t hesitate to kill someone if he thought that there was any advantage to him or his plans by doing so. He used everyone that he ever came into contact with, manipulating them into doing what he wanted done by telling half truths and outright lies. If he ever knew what it was to love another person, he had long allowed the memory of such love to slip from his memory.
So, why do I feel as conflicted by his passing as I do now?
That is hard question to answer.
In part, I think it is because so long as Drake was around, I had a focal point for my own fears and insecurities. He was easy to blame for whatever hardship I faced. If I had never met Drake, I felt like my marriage would have been as strong as it was before, and that I could have sat back, fat and happy, as I watched my kids grow up. I would have advanced easily within the Dearborn Hills Police Department and been getting closer and closer to a nice middle class retirement of watching baseball games and fishing on the weekends.
It is like there is this alternate reality out there—that if Drake had never come looking for me, all of this weird freaky shit would never have happened. People like Papa Locks and El Diablito would have never even existed. Magick would have remained a figment of my wife’s imagination. Monsters like Grendel, Ma Grendel, Doppelgangers, and Banes would have stayed as characters in someone else’s books.
But then I remember all of the wonderful people that I have met because of Drake and I marvel at how the universe works. I would have never met Ravyn Fyre, Jim, Cerrydwen and the Frau. I would have never had the chance to learn about all of the different paths between the worlds that John Red Bear taught me to explore.
If Drake hadn’t found me, would another man, another officer, been able to become the creature that I am now? Would that person have been able to break free from the flawed prison of the Omega Project Chakra yet remained in this world to take on Drake and his cohorts? Would that person have embraced the immortality and been satisfied to exist in that cold, dead shell of his own body? Would that person have become a willing, but less than capable servant, that the Omega Project seemed designed to create?
So much has happened since that time that Drake came to find me—a whole universe of magick and monsters and strange new worlds has been opened up to me to explore—that I cannot even comprehend what it is to be that ‘normal’ guy anymore, living out a quiet, suburban life in ignorant bliss.
As much as I was dragged kicking and screaming into this (un)dead existence, I now can’t imagine things being any different.
There is so much to tell about Drake’s passing and the things that he did while he had use of this body—the messes he made that I am still trying to clear up, the enemies that he tracked down and eliminated, and the gifts he left for me and the ORC’s, but that stuff will have to wait just a little bit longer. I have needed to take this time to contemplate what his passing has meant to me.
There is little enough time for reflection, however, as events have continued to take place. My next series of posts will focus on what has most recently taken place while we tried to recover and safeguard those things that Drake left for us, and what is taking place right now in the Shadows all around as the An’girasii have begun to make moves against us.
The story of Drake’s passing will be a story for another time, since it is one that is worth taking the time to tell well. He deserves at least that, if not much else.
I had been looking forward to writing about the final and permanent demise of Drake Kampmann for years now. Now that I faced with writing about that very thing, I am filled with a profound sense of sadness and loss that I haven’t felt since my own father passed away twenty years ago.
For the better part of a decade I have both feared and hated Drake Kampmann. At first he was the aloof, mysterious director of the Omega Project—someone who first recruited me and then oversaw my participation in that project—my fate was literally in his hands, in more ways than I cared to consider.
There is absolutely no doubt in my mind that Drake was a ruthless, cold-hearted, evil sociopath who wouldn’t hesitate to kill someone if he thought that there was any advantage to him or his plans by doing so. He used everyone that he ever came into contact with, manipulating them into doing what he wanted done by telling half truths and outright lies. If he ever knew what it was to love another person, he had long allowed the memory of such love to slip from his memory.
So, why do I feel as conflicted by his passing as I do now?
That is hard question to answer.
In part, I think it is because so long as Drake was around, I had a focal point for my own fears and insecurities. He was easy to blame for whatever hardship I faced. If I had never met Drake, I felt like my marriage would have been as strong as it was before, and that I could have sat back, fat and happy, as I watched my kids grow up. I would have advanced easily within the Dearborn Hills Police Department and been getting closer and closer to a nice middle class retirement of watching baseball games and fishing on the weekends.
It is like there is this alternate reality out there—that if Drake had never come looking for me, all of this weird freaky shit would never have happened. People like Papa Locks and El Diablito would have never even existed. Magick would have remained a figment of my wife’s imagination. Monsters like Grendel, Ma Grendel, Doppelgangers, and Banes would have stayed as characters in someone else’s books.
But then I remember all of the wonderful people that I have met because of Drake and I marvel at how the universe works. I would have never met Ravyn Fyre, Jim, Cerrydwen and the Frau. I would have never had the chance to learn about all of the different paths between the worlds that John Red Bear taught me to explore.
If Drake hadn’t found me, would another man, another officer, been able to become the creature that I am now? Would that person have been able to break free from the flawed prison of the Omega Project Chakra yet remained in this world to take on Drake and his cohorts? Would that person have embraced the immortality and been satisfied to exist in that cold, dead shell of his own body? Would that person have become a willing, but less than capable servant, that the Omega Project seemed designed to create?
So much has happened since that time that Drake came to find me—a whole universe of magick and monsters and strange new worlds has been opened up to me to explore—that I cannot even comprehend what it is to be that ‘normal’ guy anymore, living out a quiet, suburban life in ignorant bliss.
As much as I was dragged kicking and screaming into this (un)dead existence, I now can’t imagine things being any different.
There is so much to tell about Drake’s passing and the things that he did while he had use of this body—the messes he made that I am still trying to clear up, the enemies that he tracked down and eliminated, and the gifts he left for me and the ORC’s, but that stuff will have to wait just a little bit longer. I have needed to take this time to contemplate what his passing has meant to me.
There is little enough time for reflection, however, as events have continued to take place. My next series of posts will focus on what has most recently taken place while we tried to recover and safeguard those things that Drake left for us, and what is taking place right now in the Shadows all around as the An’girasii have begun to make moves against us.
The story of Drake’s passing will be a story for another time, since it is one that is worth taking the time to tell well. He deserves at least that, if not much else.
Monday, June 04, 2007
Saturday, June 02, 2007
I'mmm Baaaccckkk
Well, that was...uh...interesting.
Ravyn, I'll report for my ass kicking shortly, I'll bring along the information on that vault that Drake mentioned as well. It is in a very interesting location that will make for a good road trip.
Prof...I notice that the Tiger's are dropping like stones, we need to make a road trip to Cleveland to see if we can reverse their baseball mojo against the Tribe. Oh, and by the way, I do have those pass codes for the accounts that Drake mentioned.
I have been reading through all of the stuff that he left for me to read while trying to figure out how I straighten things out with the FBI and the various other agencies that now have me on their watchlists.
Let's just say that I was not very happy to give up the control that I did on that tanker, but it is now a lot quieter in my head. Bernstein is indeed gone, with all of his memories (except for those that I assimilated into my own memory-and those are bad enough). Drake also did a good job of smashing the reassembling consciousness of Ma Grendel--that entity has been smashed and scattered so thoroughly that it took a little bit of work to remember how to work with the Shadow again.
I am intend to have a fuller, more detailed post up about some of the aftermath of Drake's visit and his ultimate (and final) passing from this world and how that came to pass in the coming couple of days.
Thanks, as always, for your patience...
Ravyn, I'll report for my ass kicking shortly, I'll bring along the information on that vault that Drake mentioned as well. It is in a very interesting location that will make for a good road trip.
Prof...I notice that the Tiger's are dropping like stones, we need to make a road trip to Cleveland to see if we can reverse their baseball mojo against the Tribe. Oh, and by the way, I do have those pass codes for the accounts that Drake mentioned.
I have been reading through all of the stuff that he left for me to read while trying to figure out how I straighten things out with the FBI and the various other agencies that now have me on their watchlists.
Let's just say that I was not very happy to give up the control that I did on that tanker, but it is now a lot quieter in my head. Bernstein is indeed gone, with all of his memories (except for those that I assimilated into my own memory-and those are bad enough). Drake also did a good job of smashing the reassembling consciousness of Ma Grendel--that entity has been smashed and scattered so thoroughly that it took a little bit of work to remember how to work with the Shadow again.
I am intend to have a fuller, more detailed post up about some of the aftermath of Drake's visit and his ultimate (and final) passing from this world and how that came to pass in the coming couple of days.
Thanks, as always, for your patience...
Thursday, May 31, 2007
Sunday, May 27, 2007
Farewell Message
It is perhaps time to bid all of you a fond a farewell, as my work here is almost done.
It may seem like I have not done or said much here on this blog of Rusty’s, but you may rest assured that I have made very good use of the time that has been allotted to me in Rusty’s body.
I have spent much of the last few weeks (the exchange on the oil tanker happened quite some time ago) engaged in the writing and recording of several volumes of work that Rusty will have access to and will have control over. After our next exchange, I will no longer have the ability to provide him with the answers or assistance that I have since my ‘death’. What Rusty decides to do with this information is entirely up to him. Hopefully, he and his allies will come to realize that while my actions and many of my motivations appear to be evil and without remorse, that I have always acted in the best interests of humanity.
I have, however, been able to take care of some necessary business interests during my free time.
Since I am not the writer that Rusty is, I will just provide a brief summary of some of the things that Rusty will find that he has become involved with. It will be up to him to provide a more detailed account of these events, should he choose to do so:
Daniel Bernstein is no more. His betrayal of me and all that I have worked for was very nearly disastrous. Before he died, I did restore his memories to him so that he could try to explain himself. His pleadings were not nearly convincing enough. His body will never be recovered.
The Professor will soon be receiving a rather large envelope containing the account numbers and access codes to a number of my oldest, and largest, bank holdings in Switzerland. The information is encrypted, so Rusty will have to provide the keys to that encryption before the Professor will be able to access those monies. The resources in those accounts will be able to fund the activities of the ORC’s for generations to come.
Ravyn Fyre will also be receiving a package delivered by a special courier. That package will contain the keys and access codes to a vault where I have stored various artifacts, items, and tomes that I had created or have otherwise obtained throughout the millennia. She will be able to ask Rusty for the actual location of that vault. Zenny Al Farhan will be able to examine those items and determine if they will be of any assistance to the ORC cause. Ms. Fyre will have to take the responsibility for safeguarding those items that will be more dangerous than helpful, but I am confident in her ability to do so.
I have left a list of influential people for Rusty of those individuals who I believe to have already been replaced by Doppelgangers or who are in eminent danger of being targeted by them. I have taken the liberty of eliminating a couple of the less obvious ones for Rusty, but given how my style is completely different from his, he will have to deal with the consequences of my ‘interventions’ and figure out how to address the remaining individuals appropriately.
Rusty may also have to deal with the potential negative consequences of the ‘disappearance’ of a small number of urns from some rather prestigious museums and university research centers, especially if I failed to adequately disable all of the appropriate surveillance equipment. Those urns held beings that I don’t feel that Rusty and his allies were adequately prepared to deal with at this time. I have taken them and disposed of them for the time being. I have left Rusty an account of each of those beings in the event that my disposal of them wasn’t as permanent as I would have liked.
Finally, if all goes as I have planned, Rusty will return to the full control of his body and with some memory of the things that I have done with it while in the presence of his daughter. I have one final appointment to keep with Alexa. If she is truly the individual that I believe her to be, then I will be able to move on from this world, finally.
Rusty and his companions have seen glimpses of what she is potentially capable of doing, but I don’t think that they fully realize her importance just yet. The An’girasii will become of aware of her rather soon, which is why I have endowed all that I can into the hands of the ORC’s. Rusty and the ORC’s appear to be her best chance of growing into the catalyst for change that she has the potential to be. If I have succeeded, then in the next thousand years, humans will achieve the kind of transcendent awareness and enlightenment through her teachings that will eliminate the differences between Jews, Christians, Muslims, Buddhists, and Hindus. Instead there will be a new guiding force, more of a philosophy than a religion. It will perhaps be called Alexandrianism. And that will be what the An’girasii will be fighting so hard to prevent, for it is religion and all of its false teachings, false promises, and the excesses of the fundamentalists of each of the world’s major religions that the An’girasii use to prey upon humanity.
In this blog, through Rusty’s eyes, you have seen me as an evil, implacable foe willing to sacrifice innocent people to further my agenda. Much of what you have seen is entirely true. In taking on the foes that I have, in hunting them down as I had to do countless times over the millennia, I have had to do many evil things and sacrifice many innocent people. Finally though, I have a worthy successor, a man who, while deeply flawed, has proven himself capable to facing implacable evil and holding his own. Rusty has taken the tools that I endowed him with and grown into something stronger, yet more curious and more compassionate than I could ever be.
So, I leave you, and the rest of the world, in the hands of a naïve zombie with the powers of a demon but a heart of gold supported by a kooky cast of well-meaning misfits. It is the best I could do in the time allotted to me. I hope it is enough.
Drake
It may seem like I have not done or said much here on this blog of Rusty’s, but you may rest assured that I have made very good use of the time that has been allotted to me in Rusty’s body.
I have spent much of the last few weeks (the exchange on the oil tanker happened quite some time ago) engaged in the writing and recording of several volumes of work that Rusty will have access to and will have control over. After our next exchange, I will no longer have the ability to provide him with the answers or assistance that I have since my ‘death’. What Rusty decides to do with this information is entirely up to him. Hopefully, he and his allies will come to realize that while my actions and many of my motivations appear to be evil and without remorse, that I have always acted in the best interests of humanity.
I have, however, been able to take care of some necessary business interests during my free time.
Since I am not the writer that Rusty is, I will just provide a brief summary of some of the things that Rusty will find that he has become involved with. It will be up to him to provide a more detailed account of these events, should he choose to do so:
Daniel Bernstein is no more. His betrayal of me and all that I have worked for was very nearly disastrous. Before he died, I did restore his memories to him so that he could try to explain himself. His pleadings were not nearly convincing enough. His body will never be recovered.
The Professor will soon be receiving a rather large envelope containing the account numbers and access codes to a number of my oldest, and largest, bank holdings in Switzerland. The information is encrypted, so Rusty will have to provide the keys to that encryption before the Professor will be able to access those monies. The resources in those accounts will be able to fund the activities of the ORC’s for generations to come.
Ravyn Fyre will also be receiving a package delivered by a special courier. That package will contain the keys and access codes to a vault where I have stored various artifacts, items, and tomes that I had created or have otherwise obtained throughout the millennia. She will be able to ask Rusty for the actual location of that vault. Zenny Al Farhan will be able to examine those items and determine if they will be of any assistance to the ORC cause. Ms. Fyre will have to take the responsibility for safeguarding those items that will be more dangerous than helpful, but I am confident in her ability to do so.
I have left a list of influential people for Rusty of those individuals who I believe to have already been replaced by Doppelgangers or who are in eminent danger of being targeted by them. I have taken the liberty of eliminating a couple of the less obvious ones for Rusty, but given how my style is completely different from his, he will have to deal with the consequences of my ‘interventions’ and figure out how to address the remaining individuals appropriately.
Rusty may also have to deal with the potential negative consequences of the ‘disappearance’ of a small number of urns from some rather prestigious museums and university research centers, especially if I failed to adequately disable all of the appropriate surveillance equipment. Those urns held beings that I don’t feel that Rusty and his allies were adequately prepared to deal with at this time. I have taken them and disposed of them for the time being. I have left Rusty an account of each of those beings in the event that my disposal of them wasn’t as permanent as I would have liked.
Finally, if all goes as I have planned, Rusty will return to the full control of his body and with some memory of the things that I have done with it while in the presence of his daughter. I have one final appointment to keep with Alexa. If she is truly the individual that I believe her to be, then I will be able to move on from this world, finally.
Rusty and his companions have seen glimpses of what she is potentially capable of doing, but I don’t think that they fully realize her importance just yet. The An’girasii will become of aware of her rather soon, which is why I have endowed all that I can into the hands of the ORC’s. Rusty and the ORC’s appear to be her best chance of growing into the catalyst for change that she has the potential to be. If I have succeeded, then in the next thousand years, humans will achieve the kind of transcendent awareness and enlightenment through her teachings that will eliminate the differences between Jews, Christians, Muslims, Buddhists, and Hindus. Instead there will be a new guiding force, more of a philosophy than a religion. It will perhaps be called Alexandrianism. And that will be what the An’girasii will be fighting so hard to prevent, for it is religion and all of its false teachings, false promises, and the excesses of the fundamentalists of each of the world’s major religions that the An’girasii use to prey upon humanity.
In this blog, through Rusty’s eyes, you have seen me as an evil, implacable foe willing to sacrifice innocent people to further my agenda. Much of what you have seen is entirely true. In taking on the foes that I have, in hunting them down as I had to do countless times over the millennia, I have had to do many evil things and sacrifice many innocent people. Finally though, I have a worthy successor, a man who, while deeply flawed, has proven himself capable to facing implacable evil and holding his own. Rusty has taken the tools that I endowed him with and grown into something stronger, yet more curious and more compassionate than I could ever be.
So, I leave you, and the rest of the world, in the hands of a naïve zombie with the powers of a demon but a heart of gold supported by a kooky cast of well-meaning misfits. It is the best I could do in the time allotted to me. I hope it is enough.
Drake
Saturday, May 19, 2007
Anthraximander
Well, I suppose it is time to wrap up the events on the tanker.
You will have to pardon me if you find significant differences in the way that I tell this tale as opposed to how our dear Rusty would do so. He seems to have taken to this online journaling/writing business, while I write merely to convey information.
The Bane—an old foe that I have known since our run-ins during the Bronze Age in Ancient Greece as Anthraximander—was caught entirely flat-footed by our maneuver. Anthraximander had anticipated that he would be able to create problems for Rusty because of all of the vestiges of the Drashe’en that remained within the poor lad, but he had not anticipated that Rusty would be willing to surrender his body to me.
Before I could deal with my old foe, however, I had to regain control over the Drashe’en insurgency and put ‘Ma Grendel’ (that is a fabulous name for the old gal, if I don’t say so myself) back into place. It was easier for me that it was for Rusty simply because I am just as ruthless and evil as that old bitch ever was. In short order I used my Will to shatter her into the multitudes of shards that Rusty refers to as ‘the Voices’ and shove those pieces back into their appropriate places.
Anthraximander had stood there watching, assuming that his spell was working as planned on Rusty. Ever since I was very young, I have realized that my own ‘Spirit form’ (to use another Rusty-ism) is completely invisible to even the most powerful Casters, it is something that has served me very well over the millennia. Knowing that the Bane would be unable to discern that I was now in control over Rusty’s body, I staggered to my feet and acted as if I was moving to sit upon the throne of the dead that he had wanted Rusty to sit in.
One thing that I have tried to pass on to Rusty, especially in dealing with An’girasii and their servants and allies, is that it is useless to spend much time talking to them. Rusty always seems to find himself engaging in conversations with these creatures, which is completely useless. The one time he had success against a doppelganger was when he used that damn sword of his to lop its head off without any discussion or warning. These creatures use conversation, discussions, and speeches to measure up and then deceive their foes as their weave their own hidden spells to take advantage of their prey. The most effective way in dealing with these enemies is ruthless, merciless, and sudden violence.
Take our friend Anthraximander for an example.
He is rather typical for a Bane. Banes are creatures of almost pure Spirit. They don’t have physical bodies of their own, so they have to possess someone—usually just a normal person of any race or sex—and then consuming the victims’ own Spirit to fuel the transformation of that body into a form that the Bane perceives as having the maximum intimidation factor for other humans. The process of possessing, then molding and shaping that body takes several years at the minimum, and can take decades. By taking on forms that most humans see only in their nightmares and then surrounding themselves with a cadre of undead Reavers, all while wielding equal amounts of magick and fear Banes usually avoid any physical confrontations.
If Rusty had taken my advice from the beginning, he would never have listened to Anthraximander in the first place. He should have continued acting like the killing machine he was designed to be, and left the talking for another time. Instead, he treats these creatures like he’s a liberal social worker on a mission to solve all of the world’s ills.
I didn’t make that mistake. Before Anthraximander could figure out that his tightly woven spells were now useless, I barreled into him, snapping his staff like a twig with one blow. As the creature staggered back and stumbled, I wrapped my left arm around its head and dragged him down in a head lock.
He knew he was in trouble now as I felt the panic rise within him. His scrawny, pasty bald head was now uncovered, revealing the twisted, warped face of a once young Asian man. “What are you doing, Brother?”
I smiled. “You old fool, Anthraximander. You’re not dealing with the kid any more. I hope you didn’t invest too much time in this body, you fool, because you are about to lose it.”
“Only one human knows that name…it cannot be…”
I smiled again as I yanked the head off of its scrawny neck.
The Banes screamed in pain and defiance as its physical body collapsed in a heap. Its Spirit slipped from the body and gathered into a dark mist that hung in the air in front of me.
“How is this possible?”
I dropped the early bloodless head onto the floor and turned my back on the now virtually harmless mist before replying. “I am not inclined to aid you in answering that question, Anthraximander. But, while you search out a new body, you might contemplate what new tactics you and your kind will need to deal with the likes of me again. You caught the kid unaware this time, but that won’t happen again, I can promise you that. Now move along. I have things to do here.”
The black mist that was all that was left of the Bane gathered into a tight ball as I glanced back at it and passed through the hull of the ship into the daylight beyond.
Now that the Bane was physically destroyed, the band of Reavers that depended on its power would collapse back into lifelessness.
As the throne behind me melted into a pile of rotting body parts, I turned and stood over that damnable sword. I could feel its hatred radiating up at me. I couldn’t leave a sword like this laying on this ship would soon be swarming with disgusted sailors and Coast Guardsmen, so I knelt down and held Rusty’s gloved hand over the white hot hilt.
“Look, Blade. I know you detest me as much as I detest you. But let me pick you up long enough to sheath you in that place where Rusty has devised for you and then you can wait for him to return. I will not attempt to use you in any fashion.”
It relented for the brief moment that allowed me to pick it up and sheath it, allowing it to slip back into the Shadowland.
I left the cabin and headed to the helm of the ship, passing the bodies of the Reavers that now lay motionless where they had last stood.
Once at the helm, I pushed aside the slumped body of the Reaver that had been steering the ship and pulled back on the handle that controlled the speed of the engines. Slowly the ship began to stop its forward motion.
Last, I slipped back down to the deck long enough to find the flagpole and hoist the Coast Guard flag that Rusty had been given by that Commander.
I didn’t stick around to see the reaction of the assault teams.
You will have to pardon me if you find significant differences in the way that I tell this tale as opposed to how our dear Rusty would do so. He seems to have taken to this online journaling/writing business, while I write merely to convey information.
The Bane—an old foe that I have known since our run-ins during the Bronze Age in Ancient Greece as Anthraximander—was caught entirely flat-footed by our maneuver. Anthraximander had anticipated that he would be able to create problems for Rusty because of all of the vestiges of the Drashe’en that remained within the poor lad, but he had not anticipated that Rusty would be willing to surrender his body to me.
Before I could deal with my old foe, however, I had to regain control over the Drashe’en insurgency and put ‘Ma Grendel’ (that is a fabulous name for the old gal, if I don’t say so myself) back into place. It was easier for me that it was for Rusty simply because I am just as ruthless and evil as that old bitch ever was. In short order I used my Will to shatter her into the multitudes of shards that Rusty refers to as ‘the Voices’ and shove those pieces back into their appropriate places.
Anthraximander had stood there watching, assuming that his spell was working as planned on Rusty. Ever since I was very young, I have realized that my own ‘Spirit form’ (to use another Rusty-ism) is completely invisible to even the most powerful Casters, it is something that has served me very well over the millennia. Knowing that the Bane would be unable to discern that I was now in control over Rusty’s body, I staggered to my feet and acted as if I was moving to sit upon the throne of the dead that he had wanted Rusty to sit in.
One thing that I have tried to pass on to Rusty, especially in dealing with An’girasii and their servants and allies, is that it is useless to spend much time talking to them. Rusty always seems to find himself engaging in conversations with these creatures, which is completely useless. The one time he had success against a doppelganger was when he used that damn sword of his to lop its head off without any discussion or warning. These creatures use conversation, discussions, and speeches to measure up and then deceive their foes as their weave their own hidden spells to take advantage of their prey. The most effective way in dealing with these enemies is ruthless, merciless, and sudden violence.
Take our friend Anthraximander for an example.
He is rather typical for a Bane. Banes are creatures of almost pure Spirit. They don’t have physical bodies of their own, so they have to possess someone—usually just a normal person of any race or sex—and then consuming the victims’ own Spirit to fuel the transformation of that body into a form that the Bane perceives as having the maximum intimidation factor for other humans. The process of possessing, then molding and shaping that body takes several years at the minimum, and can take decades. By taking on forms that most humans see only in their nightmares and then surrounding themselves with a cadre of undead Reavers, all while wielding equal amounts of magick and fear Banes usually avoid any physical confrontations.
If Rusty had taken my advice from the beginning, he would never have listened to Anthraximander in the first place. He should have continued acting like the killing machine he was designed to be, and left the talking for another time. Instead, he treats these creatures like he’s a liberal social worker on a mission to solve all of the world’s ills.
I didn’t make that mistake. Before Anthraximander could figure out that his tightly woven spells were now useless, I barreled into him, snapping his staff like a twig with one blow. As the creature staggered back and stumbled, I wrapped my left arm around its head and dragged him down in a head lock.
He knew he was in trouble now as I felt the panic rise within him. His scrawny, pasty bald head was now uncovered, revealing the twisted, warped face of a once young Asian man. “What are you doing, Brother?”
I smiled. “You old fool, Anthraximander. You’re not dealing with the kid any more. I hope you didn’t invest too much time in this body, you fool, because you are about to lose it.”
“Only one human knows that name…it cannot be…”
I smiled again as I yanked the head off of its scrawny neck.
The Banes screamed in pain and defiance as its physical body collapsed in a heap. Its Spirit slipped from the body and gathered into a dark mist that hung in the air in front of me.
“How is this possible?”
I dropped the early bloodless head onto the floor and turned my back on the now virtually harmless mist before replying. “I am not inclined to aid you in answering that question, Anthraximander. But, while you search out a new body, you might contemplate what new tactics you and your kind will need to deal with the likes of me again. You caught the kid unaware this time, but that won’t happen again, I can promise you that. Now move along. I have things to do here.”
The black mist that was all that was left of the Bane gathered into a tight ball as I glanced back at it and passed through the hull of the ship into the daylight beyond.
Now that the Bane was physically destroyed, the band of Reavers that depended on its power would collapse back into lifelessness.
As the throne behind me melted into a pile of rotting body parts, I turned and stood over that damnable sword. I could feel its hatred radiating up at me. I couldn’t leave a sword like this laying on this ship would soon be swarming with disgusted sailors and Coast Guardsmen, so I knelt down and held Rusty’s gloved hand over the white hot hilt.
“Look, Blade. I know you detest me as much as I detest you. But let me pick you up long enough to sheath you in that place where Rusty has devised for you and then you can wait for him to return. I will not attempt to use you in any fashion.”
It relented for the brief moment that allowed me to pick it up and sheath it, allowing it to slip back into the Shadowland.
I left the cabin and headed to the helm of the ship, passing the bodies of the Reavers that now lay motionless where they had last stood.
Once at the helm, I pushed aside the slumped body of the Reaver that had been steering the ship and pulled back on the handle that controlled the speed of the engines. Slowly the ship began to stop its forward motion.
Last, I slipped back down to the deck long enough to find the flagpole and hoist the Coast Guard flag that Rusty had been given by that Commander.
I didn’t stick around to see the reaction of the assault teams.
Sunday, May 13, 2007
Under New Management
Now that Rusty is...indisposed...I may as well make my own stamp upon this place.
I will update events as often as it suits my purposes.
Feel free to make any comments you like, but I am not as forgiving as Rusty. Comment at your own risk.
I will update events as often as it suits my purposes.
Feel free to make any comments you like, but I am not as forgiving as Rusty. Comment at your own risk.
Saturday, May 12, 2007
Brother Mine...Part 3
“What the…?” Before I could complete that question I felt a surge of dark energy fueled by long-repressed rage and an aching hunger that threw me off balance. His offer triggered an unexpected resurgence from the residual consciousness of Ma Grendel and many of her less savory victims.
“Yeeessss…You are beginning to remember who and what you are, Master.” The creature leaned forward, bringing its cloaked head closer to loom over me, its own red eyes burning bright.
My vision blurred as I tried to regain my balance and strike at this thing with Excalibur. The sword became heavy and unwieldy though, straining my ability to keep it aloft, even with both hands grasping the hilt. Either the burden became too heavy, or the control over my hands became too weak, but the blade fell to the floor with a loud clang, dull and lifeless, no longer the glowing blade of vibrant energy that it had been not five minutes before.
“Take full control, Master. You are far too great to be ruled over by the weak spirit of a mere human. Rise up, restore yourself to your full glory!”
The creature inched ever closer as it wove the spell that seemed to be weakening my command over the darkness within my own body. I fell back against the still open door, trying every trick of Will that I had learned over the last year to regain even a modicum of control over the roiling forces of darkness and chaos that were striving with each other to take over my body.
Residual bits of Ma Grendel’s consciousness that I had sequestered far apart from each other began to coalesce back into a larger, more powerful and more willful entity as yet other remnants of other creatures began to reform themselves in order to strive for control over the newly available prize of my body.
I couldn’t pull my eyes away from the growing flames at the center of the Bane’s shadow enshrouded face, but no matter how bright those eyes became, nothing else of his face became visible.
I just barely noticed the thumping impact of my rear end hitting the ground. I had lost almost all control over the body that I was in.
The internal battle inside was now almost over, I felt Ma Grendel’s presence growing as she reabsorbed her many victims and took their power for herself. While still a mere shadow of what she had been when I had first battled her, I could tell that enough of her consciousness and her powers remained that she felt reborn, that she could regain all that was lost to her if she could only gain control over this body and sit on that foul throne.
Realizing that I could not now win against both the Bane and Ma Grendel’s resurgent shadow, I abandoned the fight over my body except for two areas. I focused instead on bringing my left hand up towards my chest. Slowly, in fits and starts, I was able to reach up and grab hold of the ring that dangled from the chain at my neck. Using the last ounce of strength I possessed, I did something I could never have before imagined doing.
“Drake,” I whispered, “I release you. Please help.”
I felt a cold, distant laugh. His voice was harsh. “So, Bones, you can’t handle a Bane? Why am I not surprised?”
I could only respond Spiritually, I no longer had control over any aspect of my body. “Drake, I can’t fight them both! I can’t let her loose again, not with this Bane helping her!”
His Spirit poured forth from the ring, overwhelming what little consciousness I still maintained as I felt myself being pushed into the ring he had just vacated.
“Now, my boy, you will experience what it is to feel completely helpless while someone else does what you are no longer capable of doing.”
Everything became dark and silent.
***
Oh, that was so painful. Bones has such a sappy writing style. Please don’t expect me to adapt to his style, I would rather present things in a more factual format. I don’t ‘feel’ things the way that poor sap did, so deal with it.
I must say though, I am very much enjoying this body of his. If he only realized how powerful he truly was, I would never have been given this opportunity to experience it.
So, you are probably wondering what happened on that ship?
Well, I will provide some details as to that soon. But I have a few more errands to run before I enlighten you folks. I have a few debts to repay.
“Yeeessss…You are beginning to remember who and what you are, Master.” The creature leaned forward, bringing its cloaked head closer to loom over me, its own red eyes burning bright.
My vision blurred as I tried to regain my balance and strike at this thing with Excalibur. The sword became heavy and unwieldy though, straining my ability to keep it aloft, even with both hands grasping the hilt. Either the burden became too heavy, or the control over my hands became too weak, but the blade fell to the floor with a loud clang, dull and lifeless, no longer the glowing blade of vibrant energy that it had been not five minutes before.
“Take full control, Master. You are far too great to be ruled over by the weak spirit of a mere human. Rise up, restore yourself to your full glory!”
The creature inched ever closer as it wove the spell that seemed to be weakening my command over the darkness within my own body. I fell back against the still open door, trying every trick of Will that I had learned over the last year to regain even a modicum of control over the roiling forces of darkness and chaos that were striving with each other to take over my body.
Residual bits of Ma Grendel’s consciousness that I had sequestered far apart from each other began to coalesce back into a larger, more powerful and more willful entity as yet other remnants of other creatures began to reform themselves in order to strive for control over the newly available prize of my body.
I couldn’t pull my eyes away from the growing flames at the center of the Bane’s shadow enshrouded face, but no matter how bright those eyes became, nothing else of his face became visible.
I just barely noticed the thumping impact of my rear end hitting the ground. I had lost almost all control over the body that I was in.
The internal battle inside was now almost over, I felt Ma Grendel’s presence growing as she reabsorbed her many victims and took their power for herself. While still a mere shadow of what she had been when I had first battled her, I could tell that enough of her consciousness and her powers remained that she felt reborn, that she could regain all that was lost to her if she could only gain control over this body and sit on that foul throne.
Realizing that I could not now win against both the Bane and Ma Grendel’s resurgent shadow, I abandoned the fight over my body except for two areas. I focused instead on bringing my left hand up towards my chest. Slowly, in fits and starts, I was able to reach up and grab hold of the ring that dangled from the chain at my neck. Using the last ounce of strength I possessed, I did something I could never have before imagined doing.
“Drake,” I whispered, “I release you. Please help.”
I felt a cold, distant laugh. His voice was harsh. “So, Bones, you can’t handle a Bane? Why am I not surprised?”
I could only respond Spiritually, I no longer had control over any aspect of my body. “Drake, I can’t fight them both! I can’t let her loose again, not with this Bane helping her!”
His Spirit poured forth from the ring, overwhelming what little consciousness I still maintained as I felt myself being pushed into the ring he had just vacated.
“Now, my boy, you will experience what it is to feel completely helpless while someone else does what you are no longer capable of doing.”
Everything became dark and silent.
***
Oh, that was so painful. Bones has such a sappy writing style. Please don’t expect me to adapt to his style, I would rather present things in a more factual format. I don’t ‘feel’ things the way that poor sap did, so deal with it.
I must say though, I am very much enjoying this body of his. If he only realized how powerful he truly was, I would never have been given this opportunity to experience it.
So, you are probably wondering what happened on that ship?
Well, I will provide some details as to that soon. But I have a few more errands to run before I enlighten you folks. I have a few debts to repay.
Monday, May 07, 2007
Brother Mine...Part 2
Hearing and feeling that voice caused something deep and dark within me to stir. That part of me wanted desperately to reach out to its kindred.
I had to stop for moment and focus my Will on tamping down those vestiges of Ma Grendel that wanted so desperately to be free once again.
I knew that the Bane would be able to hear my response using the same magick that it had used to project its own voice, so I didn’t bother to yell my response. “Unless you are prepared to surrender to my blade freely, Dark Brother, there will have to be further violence. Feel free to restrain your beasts for now, if you like, but I will be disposing of them shortly in any event.”
I got moving towards the wheelhouse again, swor held in my right hand at the ready position.
“Yes, that is the human in you speaking, Little Brother, but I am looking forward to showing you who you really are. I want to awaken the Drashe’en within. You will find me waiting for you in the captain’s quarters of this miserable vessel. The Reavers shall not molest you further.”
I didn’t bother to respond, but I also didn’t trust his word, so I kept the sword out and ready as I found the door that would lead me into whatever trap this creature had laid for me…
***
As I passed through the maze of passageways and portals of the crew quarters, I witnessed the carnage of the Reavers. Blackened, rotting body parts and sticky, fly infested pools of blood lay scattered throughout, each spot marking the place where one or more crewmembers had met their untimely deaths. For once, I was glad that I lacked the ability to smell. I could only imagine the stench of this place.
My ‘brother’ must have instructed his servants to stay away, because I only their shuffling steps and their garbled moans as they fled before me. Excalibur continued to glow and hum in my hand, it seemed as eager as I was to rid this ship of these pests.
I could feel the presence of the Bane as I moved deeper into the ship. That feeling manifested as a sort of cold tingling sensation that grew colder and stronger the closer I seemed to get to it. As that sensation grew stronger, the darks whispers within me clamored all the more to be heard.
“We hunger!”
“Feed us!”
“Let us answer the Call!”
Ignoring them, I came to one last door. It was closed, but I knew that the Bane waited on the other side. The cold was so intense, that I shivered out of instinct, though it did no good. I had no metabolism to jump start.
I reached out to turn the handle of the door, only to see the knob shift seemingly of its own accord. I resisted the urge to shift into Spirit Sight as the door opened, remembering how the Doppelganger on South Beach had blasted me with some sort of spell that had blinded me. I didn’t want to take that chance with this thing.
The room beyond the door was lit only by the pale sunlight that found a way to trickle through the porthole of a window. It may once have been a finely furnished room, but was now a disaster zone of mangled metal, smeared blood, and broken wood. In the corner farthest from the window, my nemesis sat waiting for me, his towering form seated on a makeshift throne made up of bloated, human corpses that had somehow been molded and twisted into shape. Across his knees lay the staff that I had seen in the blurry video image, while each hand rested on a vacant looking skull.
The voices inside of me were nearly ecstatic with renewed lust.
“Take him!”
“Feed us!”
“He must become one of us!”
I stepped into the room, sword held out in front of me with both hands.
The creature stood up, it was tall and spindly and would have banged its head on the ceiling of the chamber if it had stood to its full height instead of stooping its shoulders. It had to be at least eight feet tall, but was very thin.
Moving with a grace and speed that belied its gangly appearance, the creature slipped to the left of the throne and stooped to one knee, waving with the ebony staff in its right hand towards the throne.
“For you, Master. I am at your command.”
I had to stop for moment and focus my Will on tamping down those vestiges of Ma Grendel that wanted so desperately to be free once again.
I knew that the Bane would be able to hear my response using the same magick that it had used to project its own voice, so I didn’t bother to yell my response. “Unless you are prepared to surrender to my blade freely, Dark Brother, there will have to be further violence. Feel free to restrain your beasts for now, if you like, but I will be disposing of them shortly in any event.”
I got moving towards the wheelhouse again, swor held in my right hand at the ready position.
“Yes, that is the human in you speaking, Little Brother, but I am looking forward to showing you who you really are. I want to awaken the Drashe’en within. You will find me waiting for you in the captain’s quarters of this miserable vessel. The Reavers shall not molest you further.”
I didn’t bother to respond, but I also didn’t trust his word, so I kept the sword out and ready as I found the door that would lead me into whatever trap this creature had laid for me…
***
As I passed through the maze of passageways and portals of the crew quarters, I witnessed the carnage of the Reavers. Blackened, rotting body parts and sticky, fly infested pools of blood lay scattered throughout, each spot marking the place where one or more crewmembers had met their untimely deaths. For once, I was glad that I lacked the ability to smell. I could only imagine the stench of this place.
My ‘brother’ must have instructed his servants to stay away, because I only their shuffling steps and their garbled moans as they fled before me. Excalibur continued to glow and hum in my hand, it seemed as eager as I was to rid this ship of these pests.
I could feel the presence of the Bane as I moved deeper into the ship. That feeling manifested as a sort of cold tingling sensation that grew colder and stronger the closer I seemed to get to it. As that sensation grew stronger, the darks whispers within me clamored all the more to be heard.
“We hunger!”
“Feed us!”
“Let us answer the Call!”
Ignoring them, I came to one last door. It was closed, but I knew that the Bane waited on the other side. The cold was so intense, that I shivered out of instinct, though it did no good. I had no metabolism to jump start.
I reached out to turn the handle of the door, only to see the knob shift seemingly of its own accord. I resisted the urge to shift into Spirit Sight as the door opened, remembering how the Doppelganger on South Beach had blasted me with some sort of spell that had blinded me. I didn’t want to take that chance with this thing.
The room beyond the door was lit only by the pale sunlight that found a way to trickle through the porthole of a window. It may once have been a finely furnished room, but was now a disaster zone of mangled metal, smeared blood, and broken wood. In the corner farthest from the window, my nemesis sat waiting for me, his towering form seated on a makeshift throne made up of bloated, human corpses that had somehow been molded and twisted into shape. Across his knees lay the staff that I had seen in the blurry video image, while each hand rested on a vacant looking skull.
The voices inside of me were nearly ecstatic with renewed lust.
“Take him!”
“Feed us!”
“He must become one of us!”
I stepped into the room, sword held out in front of me with both hands.
The creature stood up, it was tall and spindly and would have banged its head on the ceiling of the chamber if it had stood to its full height instead of stooping its shoulders. It had to be at least eight feet tall, but was very thin.
Moving with a grace and speed that belied its gangly appearance, the creature slipped to the left of the throne and stooped to one knee, waving with the ebony staff in its right hand towards the throne.
“For you, Master. I am at your command.”
Wednesday, May 02, 2007
Brother Mine...Part 1
After what seemed an eternity of floating over the turbulent maelstrom that was the ocean in this place I spotted the tanker. It rode through the inky black waves, cutting a path straight towards the mainland. The deck of the vessel shimmered with a green, sparkling light that swirled and moved in malevolent waves of its own, passing around the shadowy figures that I assumed were the Reavers. The Bane was nowhere to be seen.
As I began to descend, I drew Excalibur and drew the Shadow close about so I could pass from this place to the mundane world. Just as I reached the edge of the strange sparkling light, I struck out with the blade. Excalibur glowed white hot as it cut into the spell that created that light and destroyed it in an explosion of light and force that blew me back with enough force to send me crashing against the rail of deck just as I transitioned between the two worlds.
Somehow, I had been able to retain a grip on the sword even as I struggled to regain my balance and stand up. The sword pulled my hand up into an overhead parry of the attack of the first Reaver, blocking the blow from a fire axe with a metallic clang.
I looked up into the vacant, soulless face of the former pirate. His right eye hung loose from his skull because the flesh surrounding it had long since rotted away. The tip of his nose was missing, leaving a gaping hole that showed a tangled mass of blackened cartilage and raw meat. The creature regarded me silently as he brought his axe back up for another powerful swing.
“Shit, and I here I thought I was pretty ugly.”
Sinking back against the railing, I parried the second blow with the sword again and reached out with my left hand to grab his rotting trousers and belt. In one swift move, I stood up while still holding the creatures clothing and hefted it up and over the railing behind me and into the ocean beyond.
Two more of the Reavers were coming towards me from the prow of the ship while a third clambered down onto the deck to my right from a ladder that led up towards the glass enclosed cockpit three stories above.
I turned to face the two since they were closer and moving faster. The larger of the two held a large spear like weapon in both hands with a long razor point on one end and a wickedly curved hook on the other end. The other Reaver held a pistol in its left hand and a cleaver in the other. It raised the pistol to take aim at me as the other slashed out with the hooked end of its weapon at my legs.
The muzzle of the gun flashed and a bullet slammed into my chest, but I was more worried about the hook sweeping towards leg. Excalibur flashed out and then down, slicing the right arm of the larger Reaver off at the elbow before slicing into the wooden haft of the weapon and sending the metallic hook flying to skitter across the deck. Another wicked slash sent the Reavers’ head spinning to join the hook as I turned and heaved the headless body into the smaller Reaver, disrupting his next shot.
Seeing an easy opportunity to take out the second Reaver, I gathered the Shadow and stepped through into the Shadowland. I passed around behind the foe as it tried to untangle itself from the still thrashing headless body of the other one, and returned to cleave it right down the middle. Both halves of that body and the headless body all collapsed into twitching heaps of tangled limbs and splattered gore.
Excalibur swung back up into a guard position as I stepped over the quivering mass of undead flesh and set myself to face the third Reaver that I had seen earlier. The only problem was that there was no other Reaver to fight.
Instead, a voice rode on the wind towards me, calling out in a grating, echoing whisper that still conveyed its message perfectly.
“Brother mine, I have recalled my Reavers. Surely there is no need for further violence?”
As I began to descend, I drew Excalibur and drew the Shadow close about so I could pass from this place to the mundane world. Just as I reached the edge of the strange sparkling light, I struck out with the blade. Excalibur glowed white hot as it cut into the spell that created that light and destroyed it in an explosion of light and force that blew me back with enough force to send me crashing against the rail of deck just as I transitioned between the two worlds.
Somehow, I had been able to retain a grip on the sword even as I struggled to regain my balance and stand up. The sword pulled my hand up into an overhead parry of the attack of the first Reaver, blocking the blow from a fire axe with a metallic clang.
I looked up into the vacant, soulless face of the former pirate. His right eye hung loose from his skull because the flesh surrounding it had long since rotted away. The tip of his nose was missing, leaving a gaping hole that showed a tangled mass of blackened cartilage and raw meat. The creature regarded me silently as he brought his axe back up for another powerful swing.
“Shit, and I here I thought I was pretty ugly.”
Sinking back against the railing, I parried the second blow with the sword again and reached out with my left hand to grab his rotting trousers and belt. In one swift move, I stood up while still holding the creatures clothing and hefted it up and over the railing behind me and into the ocean beyond.
Two more of the Reavers were coming towards me from the prow of the ship while a third clambered down onto the deck to my right from a ladder that led up towards the glass enclosed cockpit three stories above.
I turned to face the two since they were closer and moving faster. The larger of the two held a large spear like weapon in both hands with a long razor point on one end and a wickedly curved hook on the other end. The other Reaver held a pistol in its left hand and a cleaver in the other. It raised the pistol to take aim at me as the other slashed out with the hooked end of its weapon at my legs.
The muzzle of the gun flashed and a bullet slammed into my chest, but I was more worried about the hook sweeping towards leg. Excalibur flashed out and then down, slicing the right arm of the larger Reaver off at the elbow before slicing into the wooden haft of the weapon and sending the metallic hook flying to skitter across the deck. Another wicked slash sent the Reavers’ head spinning to join the hook as I turned and heaved the headless body into the smaller Reaver, disrupting his next shot.
Seeing an easy opportunity to take out the second Reaver, I gathered the Shadow and stepped through into the Shadowland. I passed around behind the foe as it tried to untangle itself from the still thrashing headless body of the other one, and returned to cleave it right down the middle. Both halves of that body and the headless body all collapsed into twitching heaps of tangled limbs and splattered gore.
Excalibur swung back up into a guard position as I stepped over the quivering mass of undead flesh and set myself to face the third Reaver that I had seen earlier. The only problem was that there was no other Reaver to fight.
Instead, a voice rode on the wind towards me, calling out in a grating, echoing whisper that still conveyed its message perfectly.
“Brother mine, I have recalled my Reavers. Surely there is no need for further violence?”
Thursday, April 19, 2007
Homeland Insecurity...Part 6
Stennos took less time than I thought he would need to recover from his. His face was still pale, but he straightened his uniform calmly as he picked up the stub of his cigar, tapped the pile of ashes from the end and took a long draw. He rubbed the end out in the ash tray and looked back up at me, his eyes narrowed.
“So, Agent Bones, what support do you need from me to end this incident your way?”
“I can get to the tanker, Commander, and I believe that I can neutralize the folks that have taken the thing over, but I’ve got no idea how to control a ship like that.” I pulled my phone from the pocket where I kept it. “If that creature on the ship doesn’t fry the circuits on my phone, I will call you to let you know when it will be safe for your people to come board the ship and take control of it.”
“And if your phone doesn’t survive, or you fail to neutralize the terrorists?”
I shrugged. “Do you have a flag I can use?”
He cocked his head. “What kind of flag?”
“Well, how about a Coast Guard flag, if you have a spare? I can raise that up the flagpole of the ship. That should serve to notify your cutters that the ship is safe for boarding. As to my failing to take the enemy out, well, then I guess your friends out there will have their chance to do what I fail to do.”
He sighed. “I was afraid that you would say that.” He moved over to a cabinet that stood next to the window and opened it. He reached in and took out a neatly folded piece of cloth. “Here is a Coast Guard flag. It is my personal flag, so I would certainly appreciate getting it back.” He walked over and set the flag into my outstretched hands. “You’ve shown me things that I never imagined were possible. I don’t know how you did that, or how you’ve come to have these strange abilities, but are sure that you can take on this whole task yourself?”
I took the carefully folded flag and tucked it into place inside my jacket. “Commander, I’ll do my best, I can guarantee that. As much as I might want to have some assistance from your people, I can’t in good conscience take anyone else with me on this mission. It is far too dangerous.”
He nodded. “OK, I’ll take care of my friends out there. How soon will you leave?”
I looked out the window into the bright California sunshine. I had dropped the Shadow covering from the windows upon our return. Everything looked so quiet and peaceful. “I should go soon. I want this over before the sun sets, one way or another.”
He extended his hand to me. I shook it, careful not to squeeze too hard. “Alright, Agent Bones, you take care out there. Good luck.”
“Thanks.”
I had to admire the man. He had just been taken on a tour of the Shadowland by a pasty-faced, zombie of a federal agent who he was now trusting to avert either a huge environmental disaster or a large scale terrorist attack on an area over which he had responsibility. I didn’t know too many other ‘normal’ people who could have taken all of this in stride as easily as he did. I had seen his Spirit when I first met him, and had decided that he was a strong soul who was also a trustworthy public servant, but I was still surprised to discover the depth of his strength.
He had turned to reach for the door. He stopped just short of opening it however as I called out to him.
“Commander Stennos.”
He turned back to look at me. “Yes, Agent Bones?”
I patted the outside of my jacket where I placed the flag. “I’ll make sure you get your flag back.”
He smiled. His complexion had returned to its normal hue. “I’ll hold you to that, Agent Bones.”
I pulled the Shadow close about and stepped back into the Shadowland.
“So, Agent Bones, what support do you need from me to end this incident your way?”
“I can get to the tanker, Commander, and I believe that I can neutralize the folks that have taken the thing over, but I’ve got no idea how to control a ship like that.” I pulled my phone from the pocket where I kept it. “If that creature on the ship doesn’t fry the circuits on my phone, I will call you to let you know when it will be safe for your people to come board the ship and take control of it.”
“And if your phone doesn’t survive, or you fail to neutralize the terrorists?”
I shrugged. “Do you have a flag I can use?”
He cocked his head. “What kind of flag?”
“Well, how about a Coast Guard flag, if you have a spare? I can raise that up the flagpole of the ship. That should serve to notify your cutters that the ship is safe for boarding. As to my failing to take the enemy out, well, then I guess your friends out there will have their chance to do what I fail to do.”
He sighed. “I was afraid that you would say that.” He moved over to a cabinet that stood next to the window and opened it. He reached in and took out a neatly folded piece of cloth. “Here is a Coast Guard flag. It is my personal flag, so I would certainly appreciate getting it back.” He walked over and set the flag into my outstretched hands. “You’ve shown me things that I never imagined were possible. I don’t know how you did that, or how you’ve come to have these strange abilities, but are sure that you can take on this whole task yourself?”
I took the carefully folded flag and tucked it into place inside my jacket. “Commander, I’ll do my best, I can guarantee that. As much as I might want to have some assistance from your people, I can’t in good conscience take anyone else with me on this mission. It is far too dangerous.”
He nodded. “OK, I’ll take care of my friends out there. How soon will you leave?”
I looked out the window into the bright California sunshine. I had dropped the Shadow covering from the windows upon our return. Everything looked so quiet and peaceful. “I should go soon. I want this over before the sun sets, one way or another.”
He extended his hand to me. I shook it, careful not to squeeze too hard. “Alright, Agent Bones, you take care out there. Good luck.”
“Thanks.”
I had to admire the man. He had just been taken on a tour of the Shadowland by a pasty-faced, zombie of a federal agent who he was now trusting to avert either a huge environmental disaster or a large scale terrorist attack on an area over which he had responsibility. I didn’t know too many other ‘normal’ people who could have taken all of this in stride as easily as he did. I had seen his Spirit when I first met him, and had decided that he was a strong soul who was also a trustworthy public servant, but I was still surprised to discover the depth of his strength.
He had turned to reach for the door. He stopped just short of opening it however as I called out to him.
“Commander Stennos.”
He turned back to look at me. “Yes, Agent Bones?”
I patted the outside of my jacket where I placed the flag. “I’ll make sure you get your flag back.”
He smiled. His complexion had returned to its normal hue. “I’ll hold you to that, Agent Bones.”
I pulled the Shadow close about and stepped back into the Shadowland.
Sunday, April 15, 2007
Homeland Insecurity...Part 5
Before Commander Stennos could reply, the tall man in the dark suit arched his eyebrow at me and spoke up. “This is a Homeland Security matter, Agent Bones, I’m not entirely sure that the Bureau should have been brought into this incident.”
I saw that this could quickly devolve into a pissing contest over turf, so I ignored the man and looked at Stennos square in the eye. “Commander Stennos, are you the current Incident Commander?”
Stennos nodded, obviously unsure of where I was going with that question. “I am. These folks are here to brief me on the assets and capabilities that their agencies can bring to bear on the situation, just as you are Agent Bones.”
I shook my head. “No, I’m not here for that.”
That set him back on his heels and seemed to raise the hackles of both of his companions. “What do you mean by that Agent Bones?”
I smiled, making sure to show my less than pearly whites and my blackened gums in the process, knowing how much that tended to unsettle folks. “I’m not here to advise you on anything, or to represent the Bureau in some multi-agency boondoggle. I’m here to solve your problem without blowing that ship up or otherwise causing an environmental disaster.”
That sent all three of them to sputtering. “Excuse me…” “And just how is that even possible?” “How could you…?”
I raised my pale, scarred left hand and waved them silent. “I am not at liberty to discuss my methods with just anyone. Commander, I’ll need to speak to you alone, if you would. The methods and means that I will be using to put an end to this crisis are Top Secret and can only be revealed to the Incident Commander on a need-to-know basis. So, Commander, do you have somewhere that we can speak in private?”
Stennos nodded and pointed the way to the door to his office, despite the sputtering objection of his advisors. “Right this way Agent Bones. I have yet to see any potential solution that doesn’t end in some sort of disaster, so if you have something that will prevent that, I’m all ears.”
I followed him into the well-appointed office that looked out over the Port of Long Beach. A dozen large container ships and the cranes that unloaded them could be seen from the large picture windows opposite his enormous redwood desk. He pulled the door shut behind us and bolted the lock into place. “I don’t see how you can really offer much of a solution to this crisis, Agent Bones, but I am more than thankful just to have a break from all of those nattering harpies out there.” He slid behind his desk and plopped down into the plush leather chair and opened the lid of cigar box. “Would you like a smoke?”
“No thanks, Commander. I haven’t been able to enjoy a smoke in years.”
He went through the ritual of preparing the cigar for smoking. He carefully broke the seal of the clear cellophane, pealed it off, and brought the cigar to his nose, giving it a good, long sniff to absorb the aroma of the raw tobacco. He looked back up at me, only to see me glancing out the window to the busy port outside.
“Thank you for allowing an old man his indulgence. But this situation is truly grave. So if you really do have a solution to this situation, I need to hear it soon.” He waved dismissively with the cigar at the door behind me to the conference room before bringing it back down and slicing one end of the cigar off. “Those harpies won’t give us much time before they insist on creating the largest oil spill in the history of California.”
I reached into the same pocket that contained my credentials and pulled out the small envelope that I had been saving for just this kind of situation. It had been given to me by Zulu after I had recovered from the incident involving Ma Grendel. It was sealed with the personal seal of the President of the United States. “Bones,” Zulu had said at the time, “this envelope contains evidence that you speak with the full faith and confidence of the President. Keep it with you at all times, but don’t use it unless it absolutely necessary.”
“Commander, you are about to hear some very strange claims come out of my mouth. I am also going to take you on a small demonstration of what I am going to claim to do, but this letter will serve as confirmation that I am not as crazy as all of this will sound. I would like you to open this letter and read the contents.”
He put down his lighter after getting the cigar lit and reached out to take the letter with his left hand. His eyes grew wide as he noted the seal on the flap. Without saying anything else, he picked up his letter opener and carefully slit the envelope open, pulling the parchment out.
His eyes grew even wider as read the document, his lips moving silently to form the words as he read them. He set the cigar down into the large, spotless glass ashtray and took the letter in both hands, bringing it closer to his nose.
He put the letter down on the desk as far away from him as he could reach, picked the cigar back up and took a couple of deep draughts on the thing. He finally looked back up at me.
“OK, Agent Bones, that’s the strongest letter of recommendation that I’ve ever seen. But I still don’t know how you will be able to help end this situation.”
I nodded. “I understand, Commander. I’m about to show you how I’ll be able to help, but you needed to see that first, for your own sanity, if nothing else.” I approached the large glass windows and passed my hand across them, from right to left. A curtain of Shadow fell across the windows, plunging the room into almost total darkness. By the time I finished, the only light in the room was coming from the red glow of his cigar, the blinking of the voice mail button on his desk phone, and my own red eyes.
“What the hell…?”
“Relax, Commander. I will turn on a light for you in a moment.”
Once the windows were obscured, I stepped up to the lamp that sat on his desk and pulled the string that caused the fluorescent light to flicker on.
“How did you do that?” He was pointing to black curtains of Shadow over the windows.
I shook my head. “You might as well save your questions until I’m done, Commander. Are you a religious man?”
He nodded. “I don’t know too many sailors who aren’t.”
“Very well then. What you are about to see and experience may well challenge some of your most dearly held religious beliefs, and for that I am sorry. It is not my intent, nor my desire, to bring about a crisis of faith for you, but I am going to have to show you some things that may spur one. If you would, please come over here. It would be best if you left the cigar in the ashtray.”
He complied, moving to stand right next to me as indicated.
“We’re going on a small trip. We’ll be back before your cigar burns out.” I placed my hand on his shoulder and squeezed gently, hoping to reassure him. He flinched at my touch. “You’ll be safe with me, but don’t try to leave my side.”
To his credit, he straightened out to his full stature and simply said “I’m ready, Agent Bones.”
I called the Shadow to envelop us and took him on a unique tour of his facility and the Port of Long Beach.
I saw that this could quickly devolve into a pissing contest over turf, so I ignored the man and looked at Stennos square in the eye. “Commander Stennos, are you the current Incident Commander?”
Stennos nodded, obviously unsure of where I was going with that question. “I am. These folks are here to brief me on the assets and capabilities that their agencies can bring to bear on the situation, just as you are Agent Bones.”
I shook my head. “No, I’m not here for that.”
That set him back on his heels and seemed to raise the hackles of both of his companions. “What do you mean by that Agent Bones?”
I smiled, making sure to show my less than pearly whites and my blackened gums in the process, knowing how much that tended to unsettle folks. “I’m not here to advise you on anything, or to represent the Bureau in some multi-agency boondoggle. I’m here to solve your problem without blowing that ship up or otherwise causing an environmental disaster.”
That sent all three of them to sputtering. “Excuse me…” “And just how is that even possible?” “How could you…?”
I raised my pale, scarred left hand and waved them silent. “I am not at liberty to discuss my methods with just anyone. Commander, I’ll need to speak to you alone, if you would. The methods and means that I will be using to put an end to this crisis are Top Secret and can only be revealed to the Incident Commander on a need-to-know basis. So, Commander, do you have somewhere that we can speak in private?”
Stennos nodded and pointed the way to the door to his office, despite the sputtering objection of his advisors. “Right this way Agent Bones. I have yet to see any potential solution that doesn’t end in some sort of disaster, so if you have something that will prevent that, I’m all ears.”
I followed him into the well-appointed office that looked out over the Port of Long Beach. A dozen large container ships and the cranes that unloaded them could be seen from the large picture windows opposite his enormous redwood desk. He pulled the door shut behind us and bolted the lock into place. “I don’t see how you can really offer much of a solution to this crisis, Agent Bones, but I am more than thankful just to have a break from all of those nattering harpies out there.” He slid behind his desk and plopped down into the plush leather chair and opened the lid of cigar box. “Would you like a smoke?”
“No thanks, Commander. I haven’t been able to enjoy a smoke in years.”
He went through the ritual of preparing the cigar for smoking. He carefully broke the seal of the clear cellophane, pealed it off, and brought the cigar to his nose, giving it a good, long sniff to absorb the aroma of the raw tobacco. He looked back up at me, only to see me glancing out the window to the busy port outside.
“Thank you for allowing an old man his indulgence. But this situation is truly grave. So if you really do have a solution to this situation, I need to hear it soon.” He waved dismissively with the cigar at the door behind me to the conference room before bringing it back down and slicing one end of the cigar off. “Those harpies won’t give us much time before they insist on creating the largest oil spill in the history of California.”
I reached into the same pocket that contained my credentials and pulled out the small envelope that I had been saving for just this kind of situation. It had been given to me by Zulu after I had recovered from the incident involving Ma Grendel. It was sealed with the personal seal of the President of the United States. “Bones,” Zulu had said at the time, “this envelope contains evidence that you speak with the full faith and confidence of the President. Keep it with you at all times, but don’t use it unless it absolutely necessary.”
“Commander, you are about to hear some very strange claims come out of my mouth. I am also going to take you on a small demonstration of what I am going to claim to do, but this letter will serve as confirmation that I am not as crazy as all of this will sound. I would like you to open this letter and read the contents.”
He put down his lighter after getting the cigar lit and reached out to take the letter with his left hand. His eyes grew wide as he noted the seal on the flap. Without saying anything else, he picked up his letter opener and carefully slit the envelope open, pulling the parchment out.
His eyes grew even wider as read the document, his lips moving silently to form the words as he read them. He set the cigar down into the large, spotless glass ashtray and took the letter in both hands, bringing it closer to his nose.
He put the letter down on the desk as far away from him as he could reach, picked the cigar back up and took a couple of deep draughts on the thing. He finally looked back up at me.
“OK, Agent Bones, that’s the strongest letter of recommendation that I’ve ever seen. But I still don’t know how you will be able to help end this situation.”
I nodded. “I understand, Commander. I’m about to show you how I’ll be able to help, but you needed to see that first, for your own sanity, if nothing else.” I approached the large glass windows and passed my hand across them, from right to left. A curtain of Shadow fell across the windows, plunging the room into almost total darkness. By the time I finished, the only light in the room was coming from the red glow of his cigar, the blinking of the voice mail button on his desk phone, and my own red eyes.
“What the hell…?”
“Relax, Commander. I will turn on a light for you in a moment.”
Once the windows were obscured, I stepped up to the lamp that sat on his desk and pulled the string that caused the fluorescent light to flicker on.
“How did you do that?” He was pointing to black curtains of Shadow over the windows.
I shook my head. “You might as well save your questions until I’m done, Commander. Are you a religious man?”
He nodded. “I don’t know too many sailors who aren’t.”
“Very well then. What you are about to see and experience may well challenge some of your most dearly held religious beliefs, and for that I am sorry. It is not my intent, nor my desire, to bring about a crisis of faith for you, but I am going to have to show you some things that may spur one. If you would, please come over here. It would be best if you left the cigar in the ashtray.”
He complied, moving to stand right next to me as indicated.
“We’re going on a small trip. We’ll be back before your cigar burns out.” I placed my hand on his shoulder and squeezed gently, hoping to reassure him. He flinched at my touch. “You’ll be safe with me, but don’t try to leave my side.”
To his credit, he straightened out to his full stature and simply said “I’m ready, Agent Bones.”
I called the Shadow to envelop us and took him on a unique tour of his facility and the Port of Long Beach.
Saturday, April 14, 2007
Homeland Insecurity...Part 4
I was glad that Commander Stennos was waiting for me on land. I emerged from the Shadowland and into a dark storage room at the Coast Guard station at Long Beach, California. I was kind of dreading the next trip that I would have to make through the Shadow, since it would necessarily involve trying to land precisely on a ship that was traveling across the ocean.
The open water was one of the most dangerous areas of the Shadowland. The creatures and entities that lurked within the chaotic, turbulent oceans and lakes of the Shadowland were very reminiscent of the monsters that ancient mapmakers drew along the edges of unknown waters. I had learned that lesson the hard way very early on, but that will be a story for another time.
Stepping up to the closed door of the storage room, I discovered that it was locked. I didn’t want to destroy the door, and I didn’t really want to emerge from the Shadow in full view of the maintenance crews working in the repair bay on the other side of the door, so I had to resort to another trick that I had learned recently.
I placed my hand over the lock and closed my eyes. I called upon the Shadow to coalesce inside the lock itself, filling the gaps that the key would, and turned the ShadowKey with a twist of the wrist. The lock clicked, allowing me to open the now unlocked door. I smiled as I did so. That was going to be a handy skill to have.
“Hey, who the hell are you and how did you get in there?”
I held up my empty hands to show that I wasn’t a threat to anyone. There were three fresh faced young men in their late teens or early twenties lined up next to the heavy set, older NCO with oil-darkened hands who had challenged me as soon as he saw me open the door.
“I’m sorry, I must have gotten lost.” I reached into my jacket pocket and pulled out my badge and credentials, flashing them with practiced ease. “I’m Special Agent Rusty Bones of the FBI, I’m looking for Commander Stennos.”
The NCO grunted, bobbed his head towards one of his young charges. “Johnson, escort this…agent…to the Commander’s office.” He picked up his wrench, shaking his head as he looked back to the disassembled boat motor laid out in pieces his workbench. “I don’t know how you ended up in that room, Mister, but I would appreciate it if you remain with Johnson here, he’ll make sure you get to the conference room with all of the other muckety-mucks.”
“I appreciate it. I’m not too familiar with your facility.”
I followed the shy young man as he led me through the warren of hallways, stairs and doors until I found myself in a large, airy conference room with several Coast Guard, Navy and Air Force officers joined by several other men and women in the professional attire of civilian officials.
Commander Stennos was a short, solid looking man with a balding pate, a broad, lined face, and the dark complexion of his Mediterranean heritage. He was speaking with a taller man in a dark suit and a female officer in Navy dress whites as I entered.
The room fell silent as I crossed the threshold, leaving the young mechanic to return to his tasks. I flashed my credentials again as I moved towards Commander Stennos. “Hello Commander, Agent Rusty Bones.”
His eyes narrowed as he glanced at my credentials and extended his right hand. “Agent Bones, I’m glad that you’re here. I don’t know how you got here so quickly, but you were true to your word.”
The Navy officer looked me up down disapprovingly. “Commander, didn’t you say this Agent was coming from Michigan?” She pursed her lips and furrowed her brow as she looked me in the eye. “How did you get here so quickly?”
I shrugged, knowing that none of these folks would believe me if I actually told them how. “I am from Michigan, but you happened to catch me out visiting a friend in LA. I was worried about traffic, which is why I asked for an hour.”
Stennos nodded. “You should have said something when we spoke. I could have sent a driver for you.”
I shot him a grin. “No worries. I’m here now. So are there any changes to the situation in the last hour?”
The open water was one of the most dangerous areas of the Shadowland. The creatures and entities that lurked within the chaotic, turbulent oceans and lakes of the Shadowland were very reminiscent of the monsters that ancient mapmakers drew along the edges of unknown waters. I had learned that lesson the hard way very early on, but that will be a story for another time.
Stepping up to the closed door of the storage room, I discovered that it was locked. I didn’t want to destroy the door, and I didn’t really want to emerge from the Shadow in full view of the maintenance crews working in the repair bay on the other side of the door, so I had to resort to another trick that I had learned recently.
I placed my hand over the lock and closed my eyes. I called upon the Shadow to coalesce inside the lock itself, filling the gaps that the key would, and turned the ShadowKey with a twist of the wrist. The lock clicked, allowing me to open the now unlocked door. I smiled as I did so. That was going to be a handy skill to have.
“Hey, who the hell are you and how did you get in there?”
I held up my empty hands to show that I wasn’t a threat to anyone. There were three fresh faced young men in their late teens or early twenties lined up next to the heavy set, older NCO with oil-darkened hands who had challenged me as soon as he saw me open the door.
“I’m sorry, I must have gotten lost.” I reached into my jacket pocket and pulled out my badge and credentials, flashing them with practiced ease. “I’m Special Agent Rusty Bones of the FBI, I’m looking for Commander Stennos.”
The NCO grunted, bobbed his head towards one of his young charges. “Johnson, escort this…agent…to the Commander’s office.” He picked up his wrench, shaking his head as he looked back to the disassembled boat motor laid out in pieces his workbench. “I don’t know how you ended up in that room, Mister, but I would appreciate it if you remain with Johnson here, he’ll make sure you get to the conference room with all of the other muckety-mucks.”
“I appreciate it. I’m not too familiar with your facility.”
I followed the shy young man as he led me through the warren of hallways, stairs and doors until I found myself in a large, airy conference room with several Coast Guard, Navy and Air Force officers joined by several other men and women in the professional attire of civilian officials.
Commander Stennos was a short, solid looking man with a balding pate, a broad, lined face, and the dark complexion of his Mediterranean heritage. He was speaking with a taller man in a dark suit and a female officer in Navy dress whites as I entered.
The room fell silent as I crossed the threshold, leaving the young mechanic to return to his tasks. I flashed my credentials again as I moved towards Commander Stennos. “Hello Commander, Agent Rusty Bones.”
His eyes narrowed as he glanced at my credentials and extended his right hand. “Agent Bones, I’m glad that you’re here. I don’t know how you got here so quickly, but you were true to your word.”
The Navy officer looked me up down disapprovingly. “Commander, didn’t you say this Agent was coming from Michigan?” She pursed her lips and furrowed her brow as she looked me in the eye. “How did you get here so quickly?”
I shrugged, knowing that none of these folks would believe me if I actually told them how. “I am from Michigan, but you happened to catch me out visiting a friend in LA. I was worried about traffic, which is why I asked for an hour.”
Stennos nodded. “You should have said something when we spoke. I could have sent a driver for you.”
I shot him a grin. “No worries. I’m here now. So are there any changes to the situation in the last hour?”
Sunday, April 08, 2007
Homeland Insecurity...Part 3
I closed down the SecureNet connection from my laptop and sat back, thinking.
I was obviously going to have to get on that damn ship, but how strong was that…creature…with the staff? Were those undead crewman zombies or were they some other kind of unknown undead creatures? What were these things doing on a tanker full of crude oil heading to the US?
As I tried to come up with some coherent answers to those questions, I remembered a snippet of the really long conversation that I had with Drake at Yggsdrasil this last time.
***
“My father and the rest of the An’girasii will not try to take direct control of any population, but with use their angelic image and the religious imagery of the people they are trying to fool in order to gain control of their hearts and minds.
“They have any number of very dark and evil looking servants who serve them in secret. The Doppelgangers are one example but there are others as well. It should be quite obvious by now how the Doppelgangers operate. But you haven’t yet seen the full arsenal of servants that the An’girasii have to call upon.”
“So why don’t you enlighten me then, Drake?”
He laughed. “Rusty, you have no idea how many of humanity’s nightmares are based in reality. The An’girasii have dozens of different orders of secret servants that they use to sow terror, chaos, and discord so that they can ‘ride’ in to save the day.”
“Such as?”
“Well, if you haven’t seen them already, you are likely to soon encounter the Banes and their servants the Reavers.”
“What the hell is a Bane?”
“The Banes are a race of foul creatures that have been some of the most reliable and predictable servants of the An’girasii over the eons. They are tall, thin creatures that cause disease and terror wherever they go. Many of the worst epidemics of disease in the history of human kind were caused by their activities. They are also Casters of tremendous power; each one would be a good rival of El Diablito on the scale of raw power, although their powers tend to be more focused darkness, shadow, deception and Necromancy. I have known some to have command over elemental powers such as water or air as well, but those are rare.
“The Banes have been dormant for quite some time. The last time I faced them was during the Black Death that ravaged Europe, but I have heard that some of them had gone to ground in very remote locations in Africa and Asia. Wherever the Banes show up, they are likely to be accompanied by a retinue of Reavers.”
“So what are these Reavers then?”
“Reavers are created by Banes from humans they come into contact with. They are usually low-life riffraff such as criminals, pirates, mercenaries, or other types of men who harbor a certain amount of evil within themselves. The Bane promises these men (very rarely will they be women) eternal life and power beyond their comprehension to serve them. They immediately gain an almost supernatural strength, the ability to ignore even grievous wounds, and the inability to experience pain. The longer they are around the Bane, however, the more of their life energy is consumed by the Bane. Almost all of them die within weeks, but then the Bane animates their bodies, calling forth other dark Spirits from beyond the veil to animate the corpses. They are then officially Reavers. The Spirits that are called to serve as Reavers are chaotic and evil in nature, reveling in death and destruction.”
“You know Drake, there’s something awful familiar about this who Bane and Reaver scheme. The Bane promises eternal life and power, eh? I seem to recall some similar discussions with you.”
“Bones, I did what I had to do. I make no claims to being a good person. If I hadn’t taken those actions, you wouldn’t be in the position that you are now in.”
“You prick. If you hadn’t created the Omega Project, none of this shit would have happened in the first damn place.”
“Sorry Bones. However much you might like to think so, I didn’t cause all of the woes of this world. Events have been in motion for hundreds of years, ever since I last helped to defeat the An’girasii. With the rapid changes in human society over the last couple of centuries, I knew that I would no longer be able to defeat the An’girasii and their servants again by myself. I needed allies who were strong enough to face these foes with or without me. The Omega Project accelerated things perhaps a little faster than I was prepared for, but now that I am unable to participate in the battle, you are here to fight in my place, with a set of allies (and even perhaps some enemies) who can help you in this fight.
“You have the strength of the Drashe’en flowing through you now, Bones. You have a body that is as indestructible as I once was, and you have the drive and enthusiasm for the fight that had been ebbing from me.
“Your charge that I had resorted to the tactics of my enemies is all too true. It is precisely that reason that I have fallen. I could not have won this coming battle. I don’t know for sure if you can either, but you and your allies will have a far better chance than I would have.”
That left me speechless for a moment.
“OK, so how do I defeat these creatures? Tell me everything that you can…”
***
“Damn, a Bane is on the move already.”
I reached down and picked up my cell phone. I clicked through the menu, found the last number that called me, and hit the call button.
“Hello, Commander Stennos? Yeah, this is Agent Bones. Tell me your location and I will be there within the hour. I think I might be the only one who can help you with this current situation.”
I was obviously going to have to get on that damn ship, but how strong was that…creature…with the staff? Were those undead crewman zombies or were they some other kind of unknown undead creatures? What were these things doing on a tanker full of crude oil heading to the US?
As I tried to come up with some coherent answers to those questions, I remembered a snippet of the really long conversation that I had with Drake at Yggsdrasil this last time.
***
“My father and the rest of the An’girasii will not try to take direct control of any population, but with use their angelic image and the religious imagery of the people they are trying to fool in order to gain control of their hearts and minds.
“They have any number of very dark and evil looking servants who serve them in secret. The Doppelgangers are one example but there are others as well. It should be quite obvious by now how the Doppelgangers operate. But you haven’t yet seen the full arsenal of servants that the An’girasii have to call upon.”
“So why don’t you enlighten me then, Drake?”
He laughed. “Rusty, you have no idea how many of humanity’s nightmares are based in reality. The An’girasii have dozens of different orders of secret servants that they use to sow terror, chaos, and discord so that they can ‘ride’ in to save the day.”
“Such as?”
“Well, if you haven’t seen them already, you are likely to soon encounter the Banes and their servants the Reavers.”
“What the hell is a Bane?”
“The Banes are a race of foul creatures that have been some of the most reliable and predictable servants of the An’girasii over the eons. They are tall, thin creatures that cause disease and terror wherever they go. Many of the worst epidemics of disease in the history of human kind were caused by their activities. They are also Casters of tremendous power; each one would be a good rival of El Diablito on the scale of raw power, although their powers tend to be more focused darkness, shadow, deception and Necromancy. I have known some to have command over elemental powers such as water or air as well, but those are rare.
“The Banes have been dormant for quite some time. The last time I faced them was during the Black Death that ravaged Europe, but I have heard that some of them had gone to ground in very remote locations in Africa and Asia. Wherever the Banes show up, they are likely to be accompanied by a retinue of Reavers.”
“So what are these Reavers then?”
“Reavers are created by Banes from humans they come into contact with. They are usually low-life riffraff such as criminals, pirates, mercenaries, or other types of men who harbor a certain amount of evil within themselves. The Bane promises these men (very rarely will they be women) eternal life and power beyond their comprehension to serve them. They immediately gain an almost supernatural strength, the ability to ignore even grievous wounds, and the inability to experience pain. The longer they are around the Bane, however, the more of their life energy is consumed by the Bane. Almost all of them die within weeks, but then the Bane animates their bodies, calling forth other dark Spirits from beyond the veil to animate the corpses. They are then officially Reavers. The Spirits that are called to serve as Reavers are chaotic and evil in nature, reveling in death and destruction.”
“You know Drake, there’s something awful familiar about this who Bane and Reaver scheme. The Bane promises eternal life and power, eh? I seem to recall some similar discussions with you.”
“Bones, I did what I had to do. I make no claims to being a good person. If I hadn’t taken those actions, you wouldn’t be in the position that you are now in.”
“You prick. If you hadn’t created the Omega Project, none of this shit would have happened in the first damn place.”
“Sorry Bones. However much you might like to think so, I didn’t cause all of the woes of this world. Events have been in motion for hundreds of years, ever since I last helped to defeat the An’girasii. With the rapid changes in human society over the last couple of centuries, I knew that I would no longer be able to defeat the An’girasii and their servants again by myself. I needed allies who were strong enough to face these foes with or without me. The Omega Project accelerated things perhaps a little faster than I was prepared for, but now that I am unable to participate in the battle, you are here to fight in my place, with a set of allies (and even perhaps some enemies) who can help you in this fight.
“You have the strength of the Drashe’en flowing through you now, Bones. You have a body that is as indestructible as I once was, and you have the drive and enthusiasm for the fight that had been ebbing from me.
“Your charge that I had resorted to the tactics of my enemies is all too true. It is precisely that reason that I have fallen. I could not have won this coming battle. I don’t know for sure if you can either, but you and your allies will have a far better chance than I would have.”
That left me speechless for a moment.
“OK, so how do I defeat these creatures? Tell me everything that you can…”
***
“Damn, a Bane is on the move already.”
I reached down and picked up my cell phone. I clicked through the menu, found the last number that called me, and hit the call button.
“Hello, Commander Stennos? Yeah, this is Agent Bones. Tell me your location and I will be there within the hour. I think I might be the only one who can help you with this current situation.”
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