Stone Soldier
Page 4
Huang looked from the Kappa back to Kenslir, stunned.
"Your servant is Nephilim, shenwu," Kenslir said. His face was fully mended now, and was returning to flesh tone once more. "The bastard offspring of a Fallen One and a mortal."
The Kappa was back on its feet now, shaking its head to clear it.
"No!" Huang screamed. "It is a demon of the water. It will kill-"
Kenslir leapt forward, covering the distance between him and the old sorcerer in one swift jump. He grabbed the old man by the throat, ending his speech.
"An xi!" Kenslir declared, telling the sorcerer goodbye as he snapped the wrinkled old neck.
The Kappa froze in place, dumbfounded.
As the sorcerer's body fell from his hand, Kenslir snagged the jade necklace Huang had been wearing.
"You are a bastard, aren't you?" Kenslir said to the creature in English.
The Kappa hissed and took a step forward.
Kenslir held the pendant high by the gold chain. "If you were a demon, this little trinket couldn't bind you. You're just another bastard, subject to the same rules as the rest of us."
He shook the pendant, feeling the shifting of weight within it. "That's your water inside, isn't it?"
The Kappa stopped and narrowed its eyes to thin slits. "What is your bidding... Master."
"So now you'll serve me?" Kenslir asked, not in the least surprised by the elemental's perfect english.
"You hold my water."
Kenslir jerked on the chain, causing the pendant to fly up- then closed his hand around it. Bright green light flared from his fist where he gripped the pendant. The Kappa immediately grimaced and grabbed its chest, dropping to one knee.
"I'm not really interested in a pet, demon," Kenslir said, striding slowly toward the beast as it contorted in pain.
The Kappa was struggling to rise from its knees, but instead collapsed further, one hand holding it up.
"You know, even if you weren't working for the communists, I think I'd still kill you," Kenslir said. He had reached the Kappa and stood before it.
The monster made one last try and lunged for the pendant in Kenslir's hand. He jerked his fist back and grabbed the beast by the wrist, twisting and applying pressure so that it could not break his grip.
"How many people have you killed in your life? How many have suffered as you moved from body to body?"
The Kappa hissed in reply, struggling against the pain wracking its body.
"You're not the first one of your kind I've ever met," Kenslir said. "You won't be the last."
He then rammed his fist forward, into the monster's chest. Flesh split, ribs exploded and organs burst as hand entered the creature's body. It came to a stop where the monster's heart had been. Then Kenslir crushed the glowing jade pendant in his hand.
His new body possessed the strength for this, where before he could not have done so. The jade shattered in his hand, exploding outwards- just like the Kappa.
It was a violent eruption of flesh and bone and blood, showering Kenslir and the surrounding area with effluvia. In a flash, the monster was obliterated.
Kenslir dropped the shards of the pendant from his hand and wiped gore from his face. He was surprised no more NVA had shown up. He guessed the others had run away into the jungle- no longer so brave without their sorcerer.
With the sorcerer gone, any spell masking the site from the astral plane would be broken. One of the ghost walker scouts would alert Command. Then it would only be a matter of hours before helicopters began arriving and Kenslir could return to Miami.
Then he'd get ready for his next mission. Wherever it might be.
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