The Assassin and the Knight

by Rick Bonogofsky

  Zhun began to pace, trying to make sense of it all. “Wait…” she whispered. “Computer!”

  “Yes, Zhun?” came the automated response.

  “Identify the three people in this room.”

  There was a silence as the computer scanned the hall. “Kizrack, male imp - a small demon, archaically a familiar for witches and wizards. Zhun, female bakeneko - a type of yokai, or animal imbued with supernatural spirit. Adrian, male of unknown species, formerly a cambion - the offspring of a demon and a human.”

  Zhun stared into space, completely at a loss. “What?”

  “Adrian’s physiology is unknown,” the computer stated. “There is no record of it in the database.”

  “We have an incomplete database,” Kizrack muttered. “Not the way I wanted to find that out.”

  “How is he unknown?” Zhun demanded. “What is he, if he’s not a demon?”

  “Scans indicate a trace of angelic metal in Adrian’s system, mixing with his DNA, thus altering his genetic makeup.”

  “Wait, what?” Kizrack said. “How is the metal altering his DNA? Angel metal kills demons, it doesn’t mutate them. Computer, give us a medical examination room.” At the imp’s orders, the training hall shifted into a lab, complete with an exam table and brighter lights. Kizrack used a levitation spell to lift Adrian’s corpse onto the table. Zhun gingerly picked up the severed arm and placed it on the table. Black flakes of charred skin fell off in pieces, revealing the ruined flesh beneath.

  “Will he come back to us?” Zhun asked.

  “I’m not sure,” Kizrack replies somberly. “All we can do is hope that whatever brought him back last time will do it again.”

  Zhun sighed, stroking Adrian’s hair. “He better. Or I’ll kill him.”

  “Computer, scan Adrian again. Give us some idea of what’s going on here.”

  There was a moment of silence, then, “A shard of metal was left in Adrian’s sternum, infecting the marrow in the bone. That infection spread through his body and merged with his DNA. However, the DNA is still predominantly demon, but now with traces of some unknown genealogy. It appears his DNA was not entirely demon to begin with, as there are hints of human DNA mixed in. That, on top of faint radiation poisoning, seems to have responded to the metal’s properties. His entire genetic makeup has been altered into something completely new.”

  “Okay… Well that’s certainly not what we were expecting,” Zhun stated.

  “Synapses are firing,” the computer said suddenly. “Brain activity is increasing.”

  Zhun and Kizrack looked at each other in surprise, then stared at Adrian. His eyelids fluttered open and he coughed up a chunk of dried blood and phlegm. His right shoulder shifted, and it took Zhun a moment to realize he was trying to raise his arm.

  “Zhun?” Adrian wheezed.

  “Yes, Adrian, I’m here.”

  Adrian lifted his left hand to stroke her face. “Did I die again?”

  Zhun chuckled, but there were tears in her eyes. “Yes, boss, it appears you did.”

  “Fuck…” With that, he fell unconscious. His breathing regained a steady pace, allowing his assassins to let out a sigh of relief.

  “We should get him to the infirmary,” Kizrack stated quietly.

  Zhun shook her head. “No, he’ll be fine. We need to get him to his bed so he can get some proper rest.”

  “Fine. We also need to see if we can reattach his arm.”

  “It won’t grow back? I’ve seen him regrow bits of himself before.”

  “A finger or three, maybe. Not an entire limb. Besides, now that he’s no longer a full demon, who knows what will happen to him. He may have to be much more careful in the future.”

  “Yes…” Zhun deadpanned, “or he may die and wake up again.”

  Kizrack gave her a disparaging look. “You make jokes, but that may actually happen. Who knows what he’s susceptible to now? You heard the computer. He’s no longer fully demon. For all we know, he could be dying very slowly, and he may stay that way once it kicks in.”

  “You’re right,” Zhun said at length. “We need to keep an eye on him to make sure he doesn’t get any worse.”

  Kizrack nodded, levitating Adrian and his severed arm once again. He terminated the computer program and the room sank into darkness as they left. Once back in the main headquarters, Kizrack and Zhun placed Adrian in his bed and took his arm to the infirmary for further study. After hours of examination, Kizrack called Zhun back to his side.

  “Seems I was right,” he explained, peeling back a layer of burned skin. “It was his magic that caused this. He must have summoned a fireball and it failed him, turning against him since he’s not a demon.”

  “At least he was never fully reliant on his magic,” Zhun said.

  “Wasn’t he, though? He used it to get around. He used it to protect himself in battle. He even used it to sneak around the place better. No one is that quiet. Not naturally, anyway.”

  “I am,” Zhun pouted.

  “You’re a cat,” Kizrack countered.

  Zhun quieted, knowing the imp was only trying to appease her. Plus he was right. Adrian used his magic more than most. He was not as talented as most demons when it came to magic, but he still had some ability, thanks to his father.

  “We need to find a way to reattach his arm,” Kizrack said to himself.

  “All this talk of magic makes me think we should use magic,” Zhun muttered under her breath.

  “Sarcasm won’t help. Besides, it’s the boss’s job to be a smartass, not yours. We can’t use demon magic to do it, though. That’ll just kill him all over again.”

  “It’s a bit uncouth, but what about human magic?” Zhun implored.

  “Could work. Humans are crafty. They created necromancy. Actually, that may work! We can use necromancy to reanimate the limb, and get a healer to reattach it!”

  “Preferably not in that order.”

  “Well, obviously. Now we just need to find someone to do that for us.”

  “Which means we go back to Earth, nab a human wizard, and bring him back here?” Zhun asked, her voice dripping with sarcasm.

  “Exactly,” Kizrack affirmed. “I don’t like it any more than you do. How are we going to go about finding one, though?”

  “I don’t know, Kizrack,” Zhun sighed. “As much as I want Adrian whole again, I don’t think we should be focusing on this right now. We still have the invasion to coordinate, and get Vincent back here. We can deal with fixing our boss after that. Now that I know he’s going to be mostly okay, I’m not as worried as I was before.”

  “You’re right. Still I’m going to send some scouts out to Earth to find us a wizard. I’d like to have good news for everyone all at once.”

  Zhun left the room, hiding her true feelings from Kizrack. What if Adrian never recovered? What if he did, but he was no longer the same man she had fallen for all those years ago? What if he steadily got worse and kept dying, only to get even worse upon waking up? She forced the thoughts aside so she could focus on her duties. No matter what happened to Adrian, she was determined to not let him down. She would get his brother back, with or without him.

  Adrian awoke hours later feeling groggy and disoriented. He tried to roll out of bed, but remembered he had no right arm with which to push himself up. He shifted his left arm over to push himself out of bed, and sat at the edge for several minutes. He brought his hand up to wipe at his eyes, and was almost confused when only one came up. He could swear that he could still feel the severed limb, but logically, he knew it wasn’t there. It felt as if it was asleep and the circulation has just begun once again. It was actually almost a pleasant, painless feeling. He felt as if his arm was suspended, almost as if it was weightless. But as time went on, it felt as if it was progressively bound tighter and tighter, to the point of excruciating pain. Adrian tried to block out the pain with a meditation technique he had learned years ago, but it was too much to ignore. Eventually, the pain began
to subside to the point of tolerance, but the feeling of the phantom limb still lingered.

  “Son of a bitch…” Adrian breathed, rubbing at the stump with his remaining hand. “What the hell am I gonna do now? I’m in no shape to help the team like this…” He stood up, but nearly fell to the side. With his center of gravity shifted to the left, he had to compensate. His quick reflexes kept him upright. It did nothing to help his mood, however. His initial depression turned to frustration, and he gritted his teeth against the wave of anger that assailed him. He lashed out, punching the wall and shattering a portion of the obsidian. Feeling no pain in his hand, Adrian was surprised. He had never exhibited that level of strength before. He stared at his hand in disbelief, then looked at the ruined part of the wall. The obsidian was shattered around the point of impact and long cracks seemed to threaten to cause a collapse.

  “What in the hell is going on with me?” Adrian asked aloud. He could see no reason why he would be so much stronger physically than he ever had been, other than the fact that whatever was bringing him back to life was altering his abilities somehow. His magic no longer heeded his command, and he had more strength than ever before, but he was fearful that something was very wrong. Nothing he had seen in his life could possibly explain what was going on. Adrian flexed his hand and shook his head. He figured there was no reason to stand around and ponder what he could not understand. Sitting on the edge of his bed once more, Adrian reached for his sword, which stood propped against the nightstand. He ran his hand over the blade, feeling every imperfection, every jagged edge. This sword had been with him since he was twelve years old. It was his oldest companion, and the one thing he trusted more than anything else, and it was made from a drop of his own blood. This sword was as much a part of him as he was a part of it. He felt the leather wrapped grip, soft and worn from decades of use. The comfort it once gave was now gone, replaced by a sense of something wrong. Adrian knew his magic was of no use to him, and he was beginning to wonder if the same was happening with his sword. It was created by the same magic that he was now unable to use without killing himself.

  “Seems you’re just a regular weapon now, huh?” Adrian sighed. He set his sword aside and looked around his room. He spotted an extra belt hanging on one wall and started rearranging how the sword would hang at his side. Instead of being buckled around his waist, he slung the belt over his shoulder, and buckled the smaller belt around his right thigh, offering much more stability. Without being able to brace the sheath with his other hand, Adrian would have to rely on the smaller belt to be in place to keep the whole apparatus from moving.

  “I suppose that’ll have to do, then,” Adrian said, looking over his work. It was shoddy, and would have been anyway even if he had the use of both hands, but it worked. He tested it out a few times just to be sure. Satisfied that the whole thing would not fall apart on him, Adrian walked around the headquarters, acclimatizing himself to the new situation. Having only one arm and a sword on the opposite hip was difficult to get used to, but he was determined to try.

  In the main room of the assassin headquarters, Adrian noticed something on Kizrack’s desk. It was his burned severed arm. Next to it was a note addressed to him. Adrian gingerly picked it up and started reading.

  Boss,

  We’re off to finish the mission. In the meantime,

  I have some scouts on Earth looking for any

  necromancers or healers who can reattach your

  arm. I’ve put a stasis spell on it for now, but that

  won’t last forever. Get some rest. Your team has

  the mission well under control.

  -K

  Adrian set the note down and looked at his arm again. He chewed his lip in contemplation, weighing his options. While he wanted to help in the effort to get his brother back, he knew he would only be a liability. On the other hand, if he could find a human wizard faster than his scouts could, he could have his arm reattached and get back to the fight that much sooner. With his sword arm back in place, he could face the vampires and help his team. Adrian nodded to himself, steeling his waning courage against the task at hand. He turned the note over, took a quill from Kizrack’s desk, and wrote his lieutenant a note of his own.

  Kizrack,

  I’m not waiting for the scouts this time. I’m going

  to find someone who can help me on my own. You

  know the plan. Get my brother back. If I’m not

  back within a few months, come looking for me.

  I’ll see you when I get back. Hopefully there’s still

  a vampire or two left for me to kill. Tell Zhun

  not to come after me, no matter how hard she hits

  you. I’m proud of all of you. Keep up the good work.

  Adrian

  Satisfied, Adrian set his note on the desk and took a large satchel from the nearby closet. He stuffed his arm into the bag, closed the flap, and wrapped himself in a cloak. Remembering the failure of his spells, Adrian knew he would have to sneak out of the kingdom the hard way, using the tunnels that connected Hell to Earth. He did not like the plan nearly as well as simply teleporting to a safe house on Earth, but he had no other choice. All it would take was one failed teleport, and Adrian could potentially be trapped in stone or left floating in space. He knew the risks of being captured on the way out. At the worst, he would be killed on sight without having the chance to identify himself. Then again, he could be revealed and his father would find out he was alive after all, thus removing the possibility of him getting to Earth to find a wizard to reattach his arm. Either way, no good would come of it.

  Adrian left his headquarters and snuck through the secret tunnels leading out of the castle. He made his way stealthily down one of the enormous chains anchoring the tower to the volcano, and down the far slope, away from any potential onlookers. When he was finally at the base of the fiery mountain, he slunk off toward the tunnels where he and Vincent had fought off the vampires. It seemed like a lifetime ago to Adrian, but he kept his thoughts focused on his destination. Any distractions now would only cause him to falter, something he could not afford to do.

  CHAPTER SIXTEEN

  Ibsen pressed a blinking button on his phone. Several voicemails had been left for him while he was away, tending to the various responsibilities he had as the head of a multi-national corporation. The messages were mostly mundane in nature, having little to do with anything he particularly cared for. Then, one message snared his attention.

  “Sir,” came the voice of one of his scientists over the speaker, “you’re going to want to come down here as soon as possible. We’ve figured it out!”

  The ancient vampire deleted the message, getting rid of the annoying blinking light, and rose from his desk. His nerves were on edge, but he remained calm and focused as he left his office, walked past his secretary, and entered his private elevator. He pressed the button that would take him down to the labs. When the elevator doors reopened, Ibsen stepped forth into the labs and was greeted by Walter.

  “Welcome, sir,” Walter beamed. “We’ve had a breakthrough in our little project.” He led Ibsen through the labs and into the containment area designated for the experiments. They came to a window looking into a darkened room. Walter flipped a switch and the room was lit by a soft white glow. Inside, sitting at a table in the middle of the room, was what looked like a human woman. Her skin was as pale as alabaster, a sharp contrast to her ebon hair. She was dressed in a medical gown, and her hands were folded peacefully on the table. Her green eyes looked about the room as if bored.

  “What is this?” Ibsen demanded. As he spoke, the woman’s head whipped around, staring the vampire lord in the eyes through the one way mirror.

  “”She’s quite the specimen, yes?” Walter asked misunderstanding Ibsen’s ire for excitement. “We’re still not entirely sure what she is really capable of yet, but we’re all pretty excited to find out.”

  “You idiot,” Ibsen hissed. “Why did you do
this?”

  Walter, finally realizing the vampire lord’s displeasure, stammered out a confused response.

  Ibsen grabbed him by the collar and pushed him against the wall. “Why does she look like that? Why does she look like my daughter?”

  Fear and realization mixed in Walter’s eyes, and he held as still as possible to avoid further provoking Ibsen. “We used the DNA sample you gave us. Whatever physical traits she has are purely a gamble. No one here knew your daughter, how could we know?”

  Ibsen relaxed his grip enough for Walter to wriggle free. He processed the information and took several deep breaths. Being as old and successful as he was, he knew better than to allow his emotions to run away with him. He looked again at the chimeric creature in the room, who had been watching him through the glass with a keen eye.

  “She is certainly beautiful,” Ibsen admitted, allowing some small measure of gladness at seeing his long lost daughter’s face again, even if it belonged to someone else entirely. It became clear that the woman could indeed understand what was being said, because she smiled upon hearing she was beautiful. Her smile was what struck Ibsen the most. It was sweet, innocent, and so much like his daughter’s. The only difference being her grin contained a set of vampiric fangs. “Tell me what you have done. How did you succeed after all this time?”

  Walter smoothed his shirt and offered a cautious smile, leading Ibsen away. “First, we wanted to use vampire and werewolf DNA to create the perfect hunter. Well, when that kept going south on us, we introduced some radiation to help us out. That only worked for a little while, until the radiation killed the subjects or left them too mutated to function at all. So, we decided to try out some of the demon blood we had mixed up a while back. All that did was turn the subjects into full-blown demons. They were useless due to the radiation, so we got rid of them. Then, we had an idea. Why not use the demon blood in conjunction with the newly acquired angel blood to create something altogether unique? Mix in the previous attempts with the vampire and werewolf blood, and we get something really neat. Trouble was, none of it seemed to actually hold, so we tried infusing it all with low levels of radiation, like before. This time, it held. The combined resilience of angel and demon DNA, plus the tenacity for animalistic survival granted it by the werewolf and vampire DNA allowed our subject to grow strong. Thus, we were given our beautiful little chimera in the room there.”