19

A tragic death amongst the group. Who is it?

As we depart for the Minotaurian city we are joined by Torcon, who wishes to join us and give the report to Silvermain personally.

"Gettin' back wit ye is gonna be tricky." Patrick says to Torcon, "I can be played off as a wee human, ye on tha other hand... Well ye have horns."

"Yea, I think planes are a no go on this one." Taylor starts," We'll have to find a boat or we're hoofin' it back to HQ." he finishes in laughter, "oh come on! That was a good one."

Lad, yer jokes, well they just plain suck." Patrick remarks

"Careful Patrick, that stalagmite over there kinda looks like a goal post. I might get the sudden urge to kick a field goal." Taylor grumbles

Saundra and I can't help but to smirk at the bickering pair. The Adults simply roll their eyes at the two.

 "What have I gotten myself into?" Torcon asks himself

"More than you know." Kara answers as we leave the tunnel and enter the maze of moving walls.

On our way out I notice the deep marks in the wall that I had made chasing Torcon and can't help but to smile.

Exiting the maze is fairly easy with Torcon guiding us out. With the moving walls I'm surprised we only hit one dead-end. Before we actually leave the maze Torcon puts on his cheap Minotaur costume. It's dusk by time we're completely out of it's stoney grasp.

We don't get more than ten yards out of the labyrinth before it happened. Ambush. A total of eight assailants that came out of nowhere and surrounded us. Most of their faces were familiar. Amongst the eight were Rain, Lotus, Azmodaus and her whip, Mammon wielding a pair of daggers, and a troll who's face I couldn't match to an identity.

Azmodaus steps forward and let her whip lashes fall free, the little blades clattering on the ground. "Hello Ivan. You've been a pain in our side for too long now."

"I guess I'm doing my job right then.” I retort, “Care to introduce me to your friends?”

“I don’t see the harm since you’re dying soon enough.” She gestures to a gargantuan figure with a reptilian head, “This is Amon.” She walks over to a short, fat man with a pair of goat legs who has a warhammer slung over his shoulder, “This is Belphegor. The Centor is Leviathan.” Next she points to the troll behind me, “And that is Beelzebub.”

The troll, Beelzebub, gets excited at the mention of his name. "It time? I eat them?" Beelzebub says in a high voice not suited to his body.

"No. Avengus wants Ivan alive. The others were ordered to be killed. You may eat them when they're dead."

"Goody goody!" Beelzebub claps, almost drooling now

I suddenly recall where I've seen the troll before, he was in the dream that I had of Avengus back in Ireland.

"The rest of the group you know." Azmodaus coos,"Now would you introduce me to your friends?"

"Sorry lady, I'm not that nice." I jeer then takes better look a the group surrounding us. Each was clad in the signature white and red Chaos Eclipse armor, though each had a different weapon. I did a quick analysis of our opponents and their weapons, then speak aloud to my group. "Torcon and Patrick, these are the Chaos Eclipse generals and a couple of nobodies."

Rain hisses at me for the nobody remark.

"Again with the hissing Rain? Really? Anyways Azmodaus is a Vampire, watch out for her whip."

"Clearly lad." Patrick pipes up, "Look, I appreciate the heads up but lemme put it this way. Beware of all weapons," then points to Amon, " he spits fire," then to Leviathan, "and his kicks'll take ye out. Watch out fer those an ye will live."

"Don't count on it." Mammon steps forward after realize Maurine isn't present, "You're outnumbered and overpowered."

The mostly full moon catches the corner of my eye. "Careful Mammon, there's a wall without a crater in it yet." I say with a toothy grin

Mammon quickly slinks behind Amon who pulls a battle ax from his back.

Sensing the obvious tension in the air everyone else readies their own weapons for the impending fight. Azmodaus flicks her whip on the ground, Mammon his bright and heavily gemmed daggers. Belphegor lazily lifts his hammer to a ready position as Beelzebubs stands up straight and pulls out a pair of scimitars from sheaths on his back. Amon simply twirls his ax in his hands with a malevolent smile. Leviathan holds a pair of serrated daggers at the ready, eyeing Patrick with envy. Lotus and Rain draw their weapons as well. A still early breeze blows as we wait for the first move to be made.

A fountain of flames shoot into the air before the hulking mound of scales charges us, causing us to scatter. I tumble onto the ground and roll just in time to avoid getting run through. I should've guessed I'd find Rain on the other side of the sword. Rain frees his blade of its earthen grip then lunges again. I curl my legs up to my face, dodging the attack again, and kick so I make contact with the side of his head. As Rain stumbles backwards in a daze I get up and flick a couple of shurikens at him. One misses him altogether while the other embeds itself in his left forearm. The sudden pain must've brought him out of it as he topples backwards clutching his arm, his sword clattering onto the ground. I advance him drawing my tanfa blades.

"Rain, Rain go away. You've pissed me of yet another day." I sing, twirling my blades. I stop them abruptly, poised to strike when something hits me in the gut. I'm sent airborne. I land hard, having the wind driven out of me. As I struggle to catch my breath I see Kara and Azmodaus and nearly get trampled by battle between Torcon and Amon. I look up in time to see in need to roll again. A hammer lands where my head was milliseconds ago. I stand and realize I dropped my tanfa swords when I got launched. Belphegor laughs slightly. He swings the hammer again with surprising speed for someone of his build. I sidestep and nearly avoid meeting the hammer again. I rip a shuriken off my belt and throw it at him.

Belphegor looks at where the star stabbed him. "Ouch." Then he looks at me, "Stop moving. You're a pain. Killing you is a pain. Yes, please stop moving."

"Sure thing big guy." I stop where I stand

Belphegor raises his hammer and swings towards me, "What a pain. Goodbye pain."

I roll between the legs of Belphegor, drawing a dagger as I roll. I land on one knee, turn and bury the six inch blade in his back. "Goodbye."

"What a pain." He grunts stumbling forward, trying to reach the knife in his back.

I take a moment to observe the other battles. Azmodaus and Kara were still at each other's throats. Torcon and Amon were still fighting one another adamantly. Taylor was busily blocking Beelzebub's scimitars, he's successfully cut of the tip of his remaining tusk. Leviathan is frantically trying to buck Patrick from his back. Daimian has taken on the task of battling his sister, Lotus. And Mammon was loutishly bartling Saundra. Rain was nowhere to be seen. Figuring that Belphegor was busy enough I run to help Saundra with Mammon. I never reach her though. I see Rain sneaking up behind Daimian. I yell to warn him of the approaching danger, but it was in vain. Before he had a chance to react Rain lunges, sending his silver through Daimian's lower back and up through his sternum. Daimian drops to his knees, unable to do anything but stare blankly at the blade protruding from his chest.

Everything seemed to stop momentarily. The only thing going was the shock, the pure horror, of seeing my friend,my mentor, and my father for the last few years fall down dead. Everything resumes, a fire roars to life in my belly and the shock I felt turns into something stronger, more powerful. Pure unbridled hatred. Taylor must've felt the same thing and acted before me. I turn to look and find him charging Rain with all his might but gets cut off by Lotus. I glance at his previous foe,Beelzebub, and see him stuck face down with his tusk fully embedded into the dirt, then at Rain who's cackling loudly. I start forward, walking at first then I don't know. One moment I'm a dozen yards away and the next I'm in Rain's face. I take a moment to look him over and find he's just a confused as I am. His laugh turns into a face of fear instantaneously. I'd changed. Before I could think I lunge a large hairy hand out and put a vice around his neck, lifting Rain off the ground. I turn and throw as hard as I can, sending rain soaring. I do that weird run again and appear where rain would have landed. I grab his head while he's still in the air and slam him into the ground before throwing him again. He hits the ground hard, rolling and bouncing a few meters before coming to a stop. I appear behind him as he struggles to get to his feet. He's managed to get ahold of his sword at some point, or maybe he never let go of it. Whatever the case I quickly grab ahold each arm and pull. His arms part from his body with little difficulty , causing Rain to start wailing loudly out of both pain and despair. The blood escaping from the spots where his arms once were quickly soaks his sides as he cries aloud. His loud, sorrowful wails assault my enhanced hearing. I lengthen my claws and send my hand through his chest, then I fling him away. Rain hits against a tree with a loud thud, breaking his back in several spots upon impact.

Lotus looked back at her dead apprentice for a fraction of a second, all that Taylor needs to put his sword through her neck. He pulls the blade and releases a torrent of blood. Lotus falls back making a gurgling sound as she cloaks to death. She lay on the ground, drowning in her own blood. Void of air or blood to the correct places she's dead in seconds.

I feel a throbbing sensation in my hand. I look down to see my hand ,dyed a deep crimson, clutching something and it is this something that was throbbing. Lifting my hand to get a better view I realize just what it is I'm holding. In my grip is the still beating heart of Rain. With a sudden sense of fury I crush the heart and release a deafening roar of victory, but at the same time of a deep sorrow.

The Chaos Eclipse generals flee but not from my roar, nor my forasity. I turn and see red and blue flashing lights racing towards us. I curse myself for not hearing the sirens sooner. A flash comes from a bush near us. I reach in and pull out a scrawny man with a camera who turns ashen grey at the sight of me up close. I take his camera and through is to the ground, shattering on impact. He whimpers as I drop him and turn to flee. I stop dead as I notice, for the first time, little red lights blinking from hiding places. We've been caught on tape, the cops are on their way,and Daimian has been killed. We are in serious trouble.

I'm back to my human form again and I'm running for my life despite being exhausted for the amount of energy my wolven form used up. Not to mention that I'm on the verge of puking my guts out because I've been caught on camera and surely the whole world will know of my existence. We  reach the beach and look for where to go next. There's a harbor far from where we are.

"We'll head for the harbor. From there we'll go to the mainland where we'll take a private jet back to the states." I instruct the others shakily

"Then what?" Taylor asks

"I don't know. We need to do this first though, because if that footage gets on the air not only will we be wanted for murder, we'll also get hunted and ,unless we're in the sky or at the Den, we're not safe. Lets get moving." I order

As we run I pull out my phone and hit the five on speed dial.

Raze picks up, "Hello?"

"Raze, it's Ivan. I need your help."

"Yeah? What's up?"

"No time for the full story. I need you to get a lycanthrope friendly pilot in Greece t the ATH airport with a jet ready to fly to Seattle then meet us with a car." I look back at the others, "scratch the car,bring the MRV." I request

"Okay, I'll get right on that."

"Thanks Raze,I owe you one."

"You owe me five actually." Raze jokes before hanging up

I tuck my phone away in my pocket and continue running for the ever nearing docks.

  There's a small building that served as a bar/bait shop for those that used the docks. There we're able to find someone to take a teacher, the mascot, and a few students back to the mainland. Patrick got stuck having to hide in one our back packs because he didn't fit any of the school spots other than maybe a janitor or the school shrink. After we get back to the mainland we take a cab back to the hotel to get our stuff and Daimian's, as to not raise any suspicions by just up and leaving someone. From there we hailed another cab and took that to the airport. Outside of the main entrance stood a man that held a sign that read Burgman and Co.

The man looked to be in his sixties with a short, stubby black beard with flecks of grey starting to show through. He was dressed like all the business people entering and exiting the airport.

"I'm Ivan Burgman." I say, walking up to the suited man

He smiles warmly, "Nice to meet you. Follow me to your plane, we'll be leaving immediately."