“Yeah, that would probably be best. Want me to get you some water or something before I jump in the shower?” I ask.
“I’m good; I’ll grab a bottle when the lights stop making me nauseous.” Jericho replies.
I grab a pair of sunglasses and a bottle of water, and set them on the table next to Jericho before walking off to the master bathroom to take a quick shower.
The sounds of Reyna moaning seep through the bathroom door as I pass by on my way to the master bedroom. In the mirror of the master bathroom, I notice that the Haglaz is on my shoulder blade as well; it’s almost as if the Haglaz penetrates through my chest. I also notice that my face has changed in the past year; my jawline has grown more defined and my cheeks are sharper… it actually looks like I’m in my twenties instead of in high school. I take a shower, get dressed in my battle gear, and head back out into the kitchen. Jericho is sitting at the table, looking like Ray Charles with those sunglasses on.
“Now all you need is a heroin addiction and a piano.” I say from across the table.
“Racist.” Jericho mumbles and we both laugh.
About forty-five minutes later, Jason and Reyna walk out of the bathroom and into the other guest bedroom; ten minutes after that, they both step out of the room fully equipped and ready to go. Reyna is trying to be professional, but her face is still a little flushed. Jason isn’t even trying to hide the ‘Hell Yeah!’ grin on his face, nor the bite marks on his neck. I think I’m starting to see how they ended up having sex in the first place.
“So, are we ready to go?” Reyna asks.
Chapter 8: Is a head really necessary?
After the black mist dissipates, I look up and see the black and green sky. It looks like different districts do have different colored skies after all, which is good because the cityscape looks identical to Adlivun.
“Okay, now we need to go to the building on the corner of 4th street and Kur, according to my mother’s information.” Jason informs us.
“Why didn’t we just port there?” Reyna asks.
“Because porting can be sensed by gods and certain magical items if it is done within about a mile of the god and/or item.” Jason explains.
“Yeah, having the element of surprise on our side would be nice. So why didn’t we do that last time?” I ask as we start walking.
“I didn’t know about it until my mother told me while you were unconscious.” Jason replies. So Hel must suspect that a god is behind this… as we are walking, I realize something.
“If we’re in the Babylonian district of the Underworld, why is everything in English?” I inquire.
“It’s not. Upon entering the Underworld, everyone is given the Gift of Tongues so that they read and hear things in their native language, even if something is written in ancient Sanskrit.” Jason answers.
About two miles later, we arrive outside of an unmarked building. We start scoping the place out from an alleyway across the road, and oddly enough, there are no guards.
“Is there a chance that your mother’s Intel was wrong?” I ask.
“Doubtful… you two stay here while I go check it out. If things get rough, I can always port out more easily without you two.” Jason says seriously.
“Be careful.” Reyna softly says.
Jason grins at her and runs toward the building. Something seems to be going on between them… an attachment that is more than just sex, that is.
“Hey, wha—” I start to ask before Jason’s swirl of black mist interrupts me.
“Okay, wow. First off, it’s clear; second, follow me… hey Cole? For that information probing thing that my mom was saying you could do, does that require the person to be alive… in the laxest of definitions?” Jason asks as we walk into the building.
This place looks like a furious version of me had already been here; blood is coating the walls, and most of the bodies aren’t even recognizable as bodies anymore. We walk to the back of the building where I see the most complete body we’ve come across, sitting on a golden throne.
“Or have an unexploded head?” Jason finishes as I realize that the guy on the throne must be Alam.
“Yeah, I’m pretty sure they need to have an intact head at the very least.” I answer.
“What could create this kind of destruction…? Besides Cole, that is.” Reyna says.
“Continue with Ahriman’s plan.”
“The Persian spirit of destruction. I’m really thankful that the fine art of the monologue wasn’t lost on Alam or I wouldn’t have any clue about Ahriman. You guys, this blood isn’t very old so we should probably leave before the auth—” I reply.
“FREEZE!” the authorities shout as a team of five guys storms in, armed with two FAMAS assault rifles, two Uzi submachine guns and a PKM light machine gun. I’m totally expecting to get shot again, but then Jason steps forward.
“Hi there, I’m Jason, Prince of Niflheim; is Nahid still in command of this unit?” Jason asks politely as he moves closer.
“Ugh! It just had to be him! Colonel: shoot him in the leg, but make it a grazing shot.” I hear through an earpiece from across the room as I twist my right ring and slash open my left palm in case things get complicated.
“Umm, ma’am? I’m almost positive that this is actually the prince of Niflheim and I can’t shoot him; it would be like shooting Tony Stark!” The Colonel whispers into his headset.
So Jason is known as a billionaire/ playboy/ philanthropist in the Underworld? Or a brilliant actor with a prior cocaine problem? My guess is the first one, as unlikely as the philanthropist part seems, because his possible cocaine problem is anything but prior.
“Colonel, what part of ‘shoot him’ don’t you understand?” the woman, whom I assume is Nahid, and probably Jason’s ex, says.
“Core concept?” the Colonel responds.
At this point, the entire team has taken a more relaxed position with the exception of one soldier with an Uzi who looks like he might be the ‘trigger happy’ type.
“AUGH! CORPORAL SHOOT THAT MAN!” Nahid shrieks in the earpiece of the ‘exception’ and he responds by snapping his Uzi up.
I’ve anticipated something like this, so I’m already flashing forward once I hear Nahid’s shrieking. I stick my left hand over the barrel, push some of my blood down the barrel, and solidify it into silicon carbide, before taking a step back.
“If you’re smart, you won’t fire that.” I warn him as he sneers and then pulls the trigger with the gun aimed at my stomach.
“I clearly warned him.” I say calmly with three guns trained on me while the corporal is on the ground, screaming and holding his hand.
“Sorry Nahid. Knowing Jason, he probably did something stupid and totally deserves a grazing shot to the leg, but I’m the reason he’s dead in the first place so I feel a bit protective of him.” I say loudly enough for her to hear through the headset.
“*Sigh*… Alright everybody, stand down. I’ll be there in about ten minutes.” Nahid says in everyone’s earpiece.
“Thanks for the assist with Nahid; I’m Saquib.” the Colonel says while sticking his hand out.
“No problem, I’m Cole. Won’t you be reprimanded for disobeying orders though?” I ask as a soldier injects something into Mr. trigger-happy.
“No, Nahid and I are both Colonels, it was just decided that she would coordinate the team while I would lead it in the field.” Saquib explains. Is it just me, or did Saquib appear to be slightly cross as he said that?
“So, what exactly happened here?” Saquib asks about five minutes later.
“As far as I can tell based on the destructive pattern, Ahriman came through here and killed everyone, including the only lead we had on an investigation regarding the increase in vampire combat abilities. Since Ahriman had some reason to kill our lead, he has now become that lead.” I explain.
“Well then, I’ve got good news: Ahriman is here in Irkalla. He came in this morning and is scheduled to return to Duzakh tomorrow.”
Saquib says.
“Thanks for the information.” I reply.
It looks like we will be planning for a raid tonight. An attractive Middle Eastern woman with short, spikey, black hair and brown eyes walks into the building wearing army green cargo pants and a black tank top; she’s the same body type as Sara, if you add two inches to Sara’s height.
“Is this the one?” Nahid asks Saquib while gesturing to me; he nods in response.
“Hmm, he’s cute…” Nahid says with a flat face and then a smile flashes across her face as she gets a devious glint in her eye. Thanks to Tia, I am rather familiar with this glint so I brace myself.
Nahid throws her punch toward my throat with a follow up to my solar plexus. She’s fast; without the glint that indicated her intentions, I never would have seen the first punch coming. She’s at least as quick as Tia and the ‘red’ vampires, but I’m still faster. My vision kicks in and I discover why she is so fast: Nahid is a demigod.
I block the punch to my throat, but I allow the shot to my solar plexus to connect so I can gauge her strength and enjoy the confusion on her face when she punches the ‘brick wall’ of my jacket. Both her strength and her resulting confusion are considerable. I unzip my jacket and shrug it off before slipping off my holster.
“I don’t want to have too much of an advantage.” I boast and Nahid smirks in response before engaging me again.
Based on the frequency of her attacks to my body’s major vulnerabilities, her use of her elbows and knees, and her use of pre-emptive strikes, I’d say she is most likely trained in Krav Maga. I continue to block and dodge as she presses her attacks with her men cheering her on. I’m in a bit of a rough situation. I can end this fight relatively easily because I have her beat in speed with an equal amount of strength and skill. I want to show her and her men that I’m not someone to mess with, but I don’t want to ruin the confidence that the soldiers have for her by destroying her outright. However, I also can’t throw the fight because I get the feeling that it would be a grave offence if I allow her to win.
I start slowing down and allow her punches to hit my face, but she catches on immediately. I watch as Nahid becomes angrier the more her strikes connect. Yeah, throwing the fight definitely won’t fly so I start striking back while avoiding her face and looking for a way to end this fight without harming her too much. She clocks me good with a powerful fist to my temple that allows me to see stars.
Nahid is following up with two more punches that will likely put me down so I duck down and to the right to deliver an accurate strike to her left ulnar nerve, her funny bone; I repeat for her right. With both arms immobilized momentarily, I sweep around behind her as she tries to throw her left knee into my groin. I squat down slightly and put her in a headlock while sweeping out her right leg. I straighten up while bending backwards to relieve some of the strain from her neck. She kicks back with her legs to try and get me in the balls, but I’m out of her range and she can’t do anything else offensively without her arms. I wait until Nahid’s eyes flutter closed as her body goes slack, and then I immediately let up on the chokehold and gently lower her to the ground.
“Wow… I’ve never seen anyone beat the Colonel before.” One of the soldiers whispers.
“That was quite impressive Cole; defeating a daughter Ereshkigal/Inanna’s War persona is no simple feat.” Saquib says.
Great, so I just possibly made an enemy of the Mesopotamian goddess of the underworld’s war persona, as well as the Mesopotamian goddess of fertility, which is the same goddess in some sources. I neglect to respond and just wait beside Nahid until she awakens about ten minutes later. She regards me with a look of disgust.
“Alright, let’s get moving.” Nahid orders and then exits the building with four soldiers following her; by the way Mr. trigger-happy is stumbling along, my guess is that he was injected with morphine.
“We should get a drink sometime. Here, I’ll write down the address of this great bar I know of that has this really interesting place across the street.” Saquib says as if he’s speaking in code while he writes down an address in a notebook that he pulled from his cargo pants. He rips out the paper and hands it to me.
“Be careful of Nahid. She is up to something.” is written underneath the address. Could Nahid be working with Ahriman?
“See you around, Cole.” Saquib says as he walks toward the entrance.
“Yeah, see you.” I respond.
“Ready to go you two?” I ask while turning towards Jason and Reyna. They both nod and Jason ports us back to Jericho’s place.
Chapter 9: It can’t be both!?
“Hey CT… uh, thanks for having my back, back there… you know that I don’t blame you for killing me, right?” Jason asks once we get back to Jericho’s.
“I know bro, but I’ll still always have your back!” and will probably always blame myself for your death.
“I’m going to try porting using my Haglaz to port back to Irkalla and scope this place out. What are you guys going to do?” I ask.
“We need to go report to my mother about Ahriman. How about we meet back here in about an hour?” Jason suggests.
“Sounds good; let’s get to work!” I say.
“Be careful CT, and make sure you port out of there if things get too heavy.” Jason says.
“No worries bro! See you guys later!” I tell them and port to the intersection that Jason ported us to in Irkalla. I look at the paper and see that the location that Saquib wrote down is on 16th and Kur, so I port across the street from Alam’s building and start walking.
I spend the majority of the next hour walking to my destination, but I finally reach what appears to be an abandon building. Saquib seemed like a pretty cool guy so I doubt he would send me on a frivolous trip as a prank. Maybe the building is supposed to look abandoned for stealth purposes? I guess I’ll go check it out. I can just say that a girl gave me the location and said a party was being held there if I get questioned by guards and I can always port out as a backup plan.
I walk up to the door, but I can’t see anything inside through the glass pane on the door. I pull on the handle and the door swings open so I step inside.
“Hello? Is Allison here? She said there was a party?” I ask the darkness, preparing my back story.
“Is anybody h—” I’m interrupted by a blunt force trauma to the base of my skull as an electrical current courses through me.
…
I awaken to find myself chained to the back wall of a concrete cell that is about 15’x15’ with a Plexiglas wall in front of me. It seems that I have been captured. How am I even thinking coherently? Isn’t being unconscious for longer than five minutes supposed to be evidence of brain bleeding or some other severe head injury?
(Yeah, it’s like super bad for you. That’s the reason you were unconscious for so long: I had to heal the bleeding in your brain)
“Well, thanks Airi, but where am I?”
“If Apep uses his magical gaze to hypnotize him then you will have a powerful warrior.” I hear Saquib’s voice say from about one hundred feet in front of me and twenty feet below; the cage must be on the second floor, or perhaps he’s in the basement. I now realize that Saquib was really the one I should have been watching out for. By telling me to be wary of Nahid, I subconsciously trusted Saquib when I had no reason to trust either of them.
“You did well. I was expecting that capturing The Faction’s Executioner would be more of a challenge than this… I will contact Apep and by tomorrow, we should have ourselves a powerful new weapon.” A second voice says that reminds me of the crunch of gravel; it’s just a hunch, but I’m willing to bet that’s Ahriman.
Apep was a giant snake in Egyptian mythology that constantly fought with Ra, the sun god. His characteristics were incorporated by Set, husband/brother to Nepthys, brother to Osiris, known for killing his brother and chopping up Osiris’s body. I think I just discovered who is behind all of this; now I just have to figure a way out of
here. I can’t touch my Haglaz with four shackles on each arm; maybe I can cut myself on the shackles?...no dice, I’m restrained too tightly and my wrists aren’t shackled so I can’t just rotate my wrist until it bleeds. The shackles seem to rely on the integrity of the chain to stay locked so if I can just break the chains…
“Are you alright?” I hear a feminine voice quietly ask from the corner. I turn my head towards her, but my shackled arm is blocking my vision so I can’t see her.
“Yes, thanks for asking. I’m Cole; how long have I been here?” I ask.
“I believe you have been here for about three hours. My name is Naia.” Naia says.
Jason and Reyna are probably freaking out already and they have no idea where I am.
“It’s nice to meet you, Naia. Why are you here?” I inquire.
“I do not know. I woke up here and all I could remember was my name…” Naia responds quietly.
“Haha I’ve been there! I had amnesia up until two days ago. Don’t worry Naia; I’m sure that your memories will return to you.” I say while trying to sound reassuring.
“Do you truly think so?” Naia quietly asks.
“Of course! And I’m sure it won’t require you to get stabbed in the stomach or be directly followed by the death of your… girlfriend…” I say, starting out lighthearted with my demeanor falling quickly.
“Cole?” Naia asks.
“It’s nothing… so how long have you been here?” I inquire.
“I have been here for quite some time… it has been really boring and all of the guards would pass by me as if I didn’t exist. I was beginning to believe that I was invisible until you responded to me.” Naia replies.
“Well it’s possible that you are invisible; I still haven’t seen you yet.” I point out.
“That is true isn’t it?” Naia says and then stands and walks into my field of vision; I’m pretty stunned by what I see.
First, I’d like to point out that she is dressed in black lace panties and nothing else. Is there some sort of unwritten rule about requiring various states of undress for girls locked in cages?
Feros and the Underworld Prince Page 4