Grimm's Reapers: Volume 1-4

by Jack Crosby

  “Jacar!” He didn’t stop running, but he did turn his head slightly. “About fifty feet in front of us is a pile of rock! When you run by, hit it as hard as you can!”

  “What about you two?”

  “Trust me, I got Jecella and I!”

  Jacar put his head down and as he approached the cluster of rocks, he performed the most acrobatic kick I’d ever seen to the weak point at the bottom. As the rocks began to fall, I grabbed Jecella around the waist with my left hand and with my right, ignited my chain.

  In a move that’d make any stunt man proud, I snapped it out around the falling rock and on to a ledge. Using our momentum, I swung around, only taking a few hits to the shoulder as we flew around the falling trap. We made it safely, but the spiders weren’t so lucky. The ones who didn’t scamper off the side were crushed. The squelching sound they made as the rocks rolled over them was oddly satisfying.

  Tiberius and Jacar made it to where we were huffing and puffing. “Well done Death! That was quick thinking!”

  “My children!!!” It was like a clicking, high pitched squeal.

  “Oh shit guys…”

  From above us, a very dark shape rose from the side of the mountain. Eyes, many many eyes, opened up and glared at us with hatred. “How dare you kill me children!”

  A leg crashed into the ledge we were standing on. The four of us dove inwards, just missing being knocked off the mountain. There was going to be no reasoning with this creature, only a fight to the death (I get a dime for each pun I use if you must know. And no you can’t have any). Not waiting for anyone else, I got Leviathan out and ran up to meet my foe.

  The spider queen shot out some sort of sticky venom towards me. It missed, but it was clear where it landed that getting hit wasn’t an option. The rock dissolved on contact and fell away. With one of my chain, I lashed out at the closest leg and my strike was true.

  With my chain wrapped around, I pulled with everything I had to bring the creature off balance. It was a lot stronger than me and with a quick jerk, sent me airborne. Adjusting in midair, I landed a few feet away. “Hello bitch!”

  Pinchers tried to slice me in two, causing me to roll under the lightning fast attack. I saw her exposed underbelly and with my scythe, cut a slit in what I could reach. That earned me a spider leg to the gut. The blow was so hard that all the air inside me was expelled like a balloon. Even worse was I dropped Leviathan.

  The spider was reeling from the damage I’d inflicted, but I was in no shape to follow up. I tried to pull myself together and grab my scythe only to find a friendly face. “You fool! What do you think you were doing?”

  “No time for arguments Jecella! You can yell at me later!”

  I heard one of the spider’s pinchers hitting metal. Jacar was dueling the creature while Tiberius was running around the back four legs snapping at them. He got one good, but the spider was fast and hit him at the same time. He hit the rock behind us hard, but he wasn’t dead.

  With my scythe back in my hand, I rushed to join Jacar. He had to break off his attack when a glob of the spider’s venom shot out, leaving me to face the creature alone. Both pinchers hit me at the same time, cutting into my shoulders.

  Gritting down, I forced my arms up and pushed forward, causing the sharp objects to break out the back of my shoulder blades. The pain was nothing to the excitement I felt at being tested once again. With a primal yell, I wrapped one of my chains around my hand and delivered punch after punch to the spider’s eyes. She tried to pull back, but I was stuck.

  As she reared up, Jecella’s whip wrapped around my body and she yanked me free from the spider. Blood was pouring from my wounds, but I didn’t care. Back on the ground with the spider in a prone position, I went for the kill. With Leviathan begging for more destruction, I resumed my attack from earlier, adding to the open wound on the spider’s belly.

  I felt the creature’s life end as I ripped a gash all along the abdomen. Greenish colored ooze flowed freely from the massive tear, only stopping when the spider’s dead carcass fell over the side of the mountain to the empty field below. It hit a few spots along the way, taking some of its babies with it into oblivion. As the corpse hit the floor at the speed it was going, the legs popped off sending the greenish blood of the creature everywhere.

  Jacar was attending Tiberius when Jecella ran over to me. “We need to clean these wounds immediately! Who the fuck knows what infection or poison is inside you!”

  “Ahh take it easy babe. I feel…” I was going to say fine, but I didn’t. My eyes lost focus and I felt a heat building up inside me. I reached up and grabbed the Lust demon, but I couldn’t keep my grip. “Jecella, something’s wrong with me…”

  I lost balance, tumbling to the ground. As my vision went dark, I started vomiting everywhere. Their voices didn’t make any sense and the heat was replaced by a cold, a cold from deep within.

  “I think I’m going to die…”

  And then there was nothing.

  Chapter 17 – How Low Can You Go in Limbo?

  “My head…”

  I felt like I’d been run over by a very large, spider shaped truck. I expected to be fawned over by Jecella, or at the very least to be mocked by Tiberius and Jacar. But there was only silence. As my brain cleared and my eyes focused, I took notice that I wasn’t where I was supposed to be.

  “Ahh shit.”

  “You can say that again you good lookin’ piece of shit.”

  That gnarled old voice brought a smile to my face. Turning around, “Azrael! I’d say I’m happy to see you, but then I’d just be lying!”

  The angel looked way different than the last time I saw him. Gone was the biker get up and in its place was a white suit. His large wings were spread out behind his back. Even in this new get up, the crotchety old angel I knew was there. “It’s ironic that the two of us would meet here for the last time.”

  “What’re you rambling about? And why are you dressed to the nines?”

  “I was killed in Tartarus Death. I’ve been waiting here in Limbo for you.”

  It took a moment for me to process what he just said. “You died?”

  “Aye. That idiot Dante led us right into a slaughter. We fought well my friend, taking a number of Abaddon’s hunt with us. In the end it was all for naught. The nightmare was just too strong. I sacrificed myself in combat with him so the others would get away.”

  I slammed a fist into my palm. “Why would he not listen to reason?! We warned him this would happen!” I was doing my damndest to hold back my tears at the fact Azrael would be moving on.

  Azrael put an arm around me. “Your anger at Dante is justified, but don’t mourn for me. I lived a good life.” He jabbed a finger into my chest. “You still have a chance to right this whole situation.”

  His meaty fat finger hurt. As I was rubbing the spot he hit me, “Newsflash, if I’m here, I’m probably about to join you on the other side.”

  “You came real close you stupid son of a bitch! Impaling yourself on the Hell Spider’s queen pinchers was pretty stupid, but it won’t be fatal.”

  I guess that was good news. “So if I’m still alive, why am I here?”

  “Even an immortal needs advice. You more than most actually…” He then laughed at the obvious annoyed look on my face. “C’mon Sally, don’t get your panties in a twist. You know better than most you’re still just a child trapped in a powerful body.”

  I probably didn’t help matters by pouting and crossing my arms. I shook it off and tried to play it cool. “Hey, I do my job and I do it well. What more could anyone ask of me?”

  “I would say stop screwing everything with a hole but I doubt that’ll happen.”

  I swallowed hard. “You know about that?”

  Again with the deep, hearty laugh. “Your actions have consequences from the very top to the very bottom. Everyone knows you’ve got another kiddo on the way.” Then he muttered under his breathe, “I tried for years and this asshole gets both a L
ust demon and a Nyx knocked up…”

  “Okay so this isn’t exactly my best showing, but it’s not like I actively seek this situations out.”

  “Your reputation proceeds you! It’s not exactly a secret that women are your downfall. Thank the Almighty that the two you seeded turned out to be two decent ones.”

  He just referred to the Lust demon as a good one? “Even Jecella? I didn’t think that would go over well.”

  “The lines of good and evil aren’t always taken at face value, but right and wrong is. Not saying it was a wise decision, but keep that one close, got it?”

  I doubted Astrid would be as warmly accepting of that piece of advice, but that was a worry for another time. “My love life aside, it seems there’s a lot more we need to worry about.”

  “You’re right of course.” He opened his suit jacket and pulled out a small piece of paper. “Sorry, Michael didn’t trust me to get the message right so he wrote it down.”

  That sounded like the Arch Angel. “What words of wisdom does he have to pass on?”

  “Besides keeping your pecker in your pants?” That sounded more like the Azrael version. “Death, do not be discouraged by your journey so far. You have overcome two difficult obstacles with a third just on the horizon. Lucifer will be the most skilled opponent you will have faced, both in physical skill and metal focus. Stay true to your roots and you shall not fail.”

  “Whoa, Michael still has faith in me?”

  “We all do kid. Well my time is getting short here and you got more work to do.”

  I didn’t want to say goodbye to my friend, but I knew from my station that it was his time. “Before you go, can you tell me who opened the portal to Tartarus for you?”

  “I don’t know that I can…”

  **Khloros**

  It had been a few days since we saw Renee open the portal to Tartarus with Michael. She said when she returned she would give us the answers we needed. Death had given me the task of protecting Astrid and the unborn child. If this woman was a threat, I would end her life.

  As she walked down the path towards the small house, a feeling of déjà vu hit me. I could not tell why she was familiar, but something was eating at me about her.

  She approached me and slowly put her hand out. “Have you figured it out yet Khloros?”

  As her hand touched me, “No, it cannot be!”

  “I promise you that it is truly me. I don’t know how it happened, but here I am.”

  “Does Death know?”

  She shook her head. “The first time I saw him and Astrid together, it broke my heart. I always knew what we had been more fun than anything else, but he has a certain quality that makes you want to stick around, you know?”

  “I know that more than anyone.” I couldn’t help but laugh, because she was right. Death, even as annoying as he could be, could attract anyone to his cause. That was also bad, because he always ended up with different women and that got old quick. “I take it is no coincidence that you are in Mexico?”

  “No, I was posted here with one job. I have been chosen as the guardian angel for Death’s unborn child.”

  Irony was at its fullest here. “That cannot be a comfortable place for you.”

  “I have accepted my role in the universe Khloros. It’s a little known fact that Lust demons have a built in disposition towards motherhood. I refused to give Beelzebub any more children after the first abomination and I never had a chance with Death, so this is the next best thing.”

  Her words actually started to break my heart. “I am so sorry that things ended in Iran the way they did. We tried our best to get there…”

  “Say no more. Sabrina is an opponent that we all were never prepared for.”

  The door to the house opened, our voices must have found Astrid. She saw Renee and I talking and came over to join us. She too had been unsure of the woman after opening the portal. “Renee? Khloros? Is everything okay?”

  “Yes it is. She was just explaining some things to me that gives the situation much more clarity.”

  She coked her said to the side. “Oh? Does anyone care to share?”

  I looked at her and nudged her to tell her with my nose. “There is no harm is letting the cat out of the bag.” Her eyes opened wide. “Shit, he rubbed off on me with his dumb puns!”

  Astrid started giggling and I couldn’t help but snort, creating a little sandstorm. After a moment, Astrid looked at Renee with a whole new light. “Is it really you?”

  “Yeah, it is. Seeing as how Michael named me the guardian angel of Death’s kid, you can drop the Renee bit and just go back to calling me Roxanne.”

  Chapter 18 – Bonds are Formed

  I started waking up and I knew this time it was for realz yo. My shoulders felt as if they were on fire as well as too stiff to really move. I opened my eyes to Jecella lording over me. “Hey, who does a guy have to kill to get something to drink around here?”

  My coughing kinda muffled out my three companions voices, but the general idea was they were surprised I was still alive. Jacar put his head on my head, “His fever is breaking.”

  Jecella buried her head in my stomach. I felt wetness which meant she was probably crying. “We thought you were dead you jackass!” I think she was prepared to go on, but sobbing took over.

  Something started sniffing my head. “The poison is leaving his body. He should be fine before long.”

  “No matter, we stay here until he is in full health!” Uh oh, it appeared my Lust demon was taking over as the ‘wife’ figure down here. Maybe it was becoming a mother? “Until I say so, we do everything we can to keep him comfortable.”

  Jacar winked at me. “Of course my dear, we will make sure he’s okay before venturing on. What would you like us to do?”

  “Return to the spider’s lair and get us some more water.”

  Jacar smiled again politely and motioned for the wolf to follow him. “Let us go. It will give us a chance to stretch our legs Tiberius.”

  The two of them left the area we were set up at and headed up the trail. “The spider’s cave has fresh water?”

  “One of the few places in Hell that does it would seem. The three of us do not need any, but applying it to your wounds seems to help your body’s natural recovery.”

  My shoulders were wrapped in a weird black, wet substance. “What did you use for wrapping?”

  “Jacar skinned some of the flesh off the spider queen and brought it back up.”

  “That’s a long ways from here? How did he do it so quickly?”

  She placed the outside of her hand against my cheek. “Hmm, still a little warm. As for Jacar’s little adventure, it did take him a while to procure this.” Then something dawned on her. “Death, you have been on the brink of passing for at least two days, maybe more.”

  “Shit.” Two days, possibly longer? “Just how bad of shape was I in?”

  “Tiberius wanted to eat your remains. He claimed it would give him powers beyond our comprehension, but Jacar and I wouldn’t let him. About six hours ago you took a turn for the worse and we were prepared for that. But here you are, alive and kicking.”

  I felt awful, but at least I’d be going on, unlike Azrael who passed on. His final statement about not telling me who helped Michael open the portal to Tartarus bothered me. Just what was he hiding from me in his last moments?

  “Hey, are you okay? “

  Jecella brought me from my revere. “Sorry, a lot happened on my end too during this whole little escapade on my end too. I was just thinking about my time spent in Limbo.”

  “Bloody hell! You were all the way in Limbo? And you returned?”

  “It wasn’t my time apparently, but someone I was close to did move on. His death is bothering me.”

  She sat down beside me. “Who was it?”

  “The old angel Azrael. He died in Tartarus facing down Abaddon. I knew he was crazy, but this just proves he was one tough asshole.”

  Her eyes lit up.
“He faced Abaddon in single combat? My respect for the old angel has just jumped significantly!”

  “You have no idea how much he’d like to hear that. He had a thing for hot little bitches like you.”

  I knew from experience it was hard to make a Lust demon blush, but that accomplished it. “You speak highly of him. Rumors were he chose to live in exile like you on the human plane of Earth. I wonder why?”

  “He was one of the few who understood me. Some of us just like being lost in the shuffle, not an immortal creature that has all these powers. Honestly, Earth is one damn cool place to live.”

  She changed her red skin to a milkier complexion and her red eyes went a deep brown. “Would I fit in up there?”

  Looking at her brought back a lot of pain in the loss of Roxanne. “Yeah, I’d say you’d break a lot of hearts up there.”

  “If I come, it would be to live with you and your other. If she would allow me to join you.”

  Hehehe, I don’t know how Astrid would feel about that. “We’ve got a lot of work to do here before we can think about settling down on Earth.”

  I noticed even after I put a mellow end to the conversation that she didn’t change back into her more feral Lust demon form. I think she wanted to keep giving me a look at what all I could have.

  Thankfully Jacar and Tiberius returned with water shortly thereafter. The Pride and Lust demons worked together to take the old wrappings off. Before they administered new ones, Jacar looked over my wounds. “I think these will be fully healed soon. Amazing considering the number that spider did to you.”

  Jecella was a bit more nitpicky. “The wounds have closed and our scabbing up, but again, we should not rush it. Pandemonium is not a place to be less than your best.”

  “If it’s all copasetic with you guys, I’m going to take another nap. I’m feeling a bit tired.”

  Jecella cradled me in her arms. “Of course, rest while we watch over you.”

  ****

  I woke up to the feeling of someone running their hands through my hair. “That feels nice.”