Venatores Mali: Anima

Five: Anima

  Quintin Fortune

  Copyright 2015 Quintin Fortune

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  30th Oct-17:47

  Zionus' Office

  Zionus sat in his office chair, staring at the Tower of Tears as the sun set upon the city. He was going over a list of the object that were taken. The Tome of Blood. The Heart of the Alpha Male. The Sapphire of the Sea. Not known to be powerful artifacts. Combined and they would be completely useless. 'So why were they taken, he questioned.

  The doors to his office were kicked in. Lady Grey walked in, dragging someone with her. It was a man that was beaten almost to the brink of death. “Sir,” she growled. “I found one of the culprits.”

  “One,” he questioned.

  “It's complicated,” Grey said. She threw the man into one of the chairs, upside down. “Talk,” she ordered.

  The man started gasping for air. Zionus made a lifting motion with his hand, and the man was lifted out of the seat and suspended in the air. “Well?”

  “I can't say,” he gasped. “You don't know what he'll do...to me.”

  “As long as you are in this building, the only one who can do real harm to you is me,” he threatened. “And believe me, he cannot make you suffer as I can.”

  The man shook his head. “No. No I won't.” Lady Grey grabbed the man's leg. Zionus released his grip, and she slammed him back into the chair. She broke out her rifle and aimed it at his heart.

  “Here's the deal: I kill you, Zionus brings you back. We repeat this until you decide to tell us what you know.” The man looked over at Zionus. The leader merely stared back at him.

  “She can't,” he stammered. “You won't let her...?” She fired a bullet into his chest. Zionus snapped his finger. The man took a giant breath. He looked up in horror.

  “Talk,” she barked.

  “Okay! Okay. Agonil wants several components to make some sort of spell, but that's all I know,” the man exclaimed. “Please don't shoot me again.”

  Lady Grey pulled her gun away and sucked some air through her teeth.

  “What components,” Zionus questioned.

  The man gulped hard. “The heart of an alpha male, the blood of a djinn, the brain of a madman. The...the soul of a saint, and a physical representative of the five elements.”

  Lady Grey turned to Zionus. “We didn't have half of those things,” she remarked.

  “He could have been collecting those items before we knew anything was going on,” the leader stated.

  Neither one paid much attention as the traitor was suddenly devoid of life.

  “The items I can understand, but what would the Tome of Blood have to do with all of this,” Grey asked.

  “I cannot say, but it means we might need to gather the rest of the Hunters,” he remarked, preparing to leave. He grabbed his trench coat from off his chair and started to walk out. Lady Grey kept in step.

  “What about the traitor,” she questioned.

  Zionus waved his hand. “What traitor?”

  She paused. She felt like something had gone missing in her mind. She turned back, thinking she forgot something in the office, only to see it empty. She snorted air through her nose before catching up with him.

  30th Oct-19:00

  Grand Foyer

  Zionus stood at the top of the staircase, looking down at the two dozen men, women and creatures that have joined him in this crusade. In front of all of them stood Genia Lee, Frank Rush, and Lady Grey, the first three people to join him in this battle. Genia followed her heart, Frank followed his sense of honor to friendship, and Grey by sense of duty. One day, he will tell them how he feels, but not today. “Hunters,” he called out. “We have a Priority One situation. We have learned that Agonil and the Ombra are planning something. We do not know what it is, but the sooner we stop them, the easier it will be.”

  “What if they're just planning a surprise party for us,” Frank asked. Grey smacked him on the back of the head. He rubbed his head and glared at her.

  Zionus ignored him and continued. “Some of you have battled Ombra before. Other have not. It will not be an easy fight, but it is one we must take all the same.” He started to walk down the stairs to them. “I wound not ask you to take part in this battle if you do not wish too. Once we are inside the Tower, I may not be able to bring you back, and I cannot guarantee the my magic will even work inside.”

  He looked around at the crowd as he took the final steps to stand before them. Frank and Genia looked back at the crowd.

  “I think we're all in Honey,” Genia replied. “You haven't misled us yet.”

  “Understood,” he remarked. “I will be dividing you up into teams of four. Each team will be set down in a certain location around the Tower. Each will have a team leader that I will communicate with during the battle. Once I bring down the ward that is protecting the Tower, we all strike at once.”

  He looked around the room at them. “This is the battle you have all been training for. We will bring an end to Agonil's reign of terror and make this city safe once again.”

  The Hunters quickly rallied to his speech. They began to prepare for the upcoming battle. The three other core members stood behind him, ready for their orders. “So which teams will we be leading,” Frank asked.

  He looked over his shoulder at them. “You three will be with me,” he stated. “He will not be alone, and if he is planning what I think he is planning, I will need you three there alongside me.”

  “What do you think he's planning,” Genia questioned.

  “A resurrection of someone that should stay dead.”

  30th Oct-22:03

  Tower of Tears

  After taking his time to make sure all units were in place and undetected, Zionus and the rest of the original Hunters teleported in front of the giant cast iron gates that led into the Tower. Zionus had with him a broadsword with a demon's head for the guard and a closed eye on the pommel. Genia was dressed in a sort of flexible battle armor that would protect her from most physical and magical attacks. Frank was already in his Vendetta armor, the various gems glowing with power. Lady Grey was in her normal attire of a buttoned-up gray long coat and large brim hat.

  “Vendetta, stand before the doors” he ordered. He stood between Zionus and the cast iron doors. “Direct all power to your gauntlets.” The gems on the tops of his hands began to burn bright with energy. “On my command, fire a continuous beam at the exact center of the doors.” He stood behind the armor and laid his hands upon his back, right between the shoulder blades. “Fire.”

  The beams shot out from the gauntlets, hitting a magical shield that clung to the Tower. Zionus began to glow, then that energy flowed from him into Vendetta. The beams became stronger. Another flow of energy moved from Zionus to Vendetta, and the beam became stronger still. One last exchange, and the beams were able to break the shield. The power of the broken spell feel away and dissipated.

  'Now,' he psychically announced. All around the Tower, the sounds of stones being broken echoed across the night sky. Vendetta's beams slammed into the cast iron doors and sent them flying into the Tower. Zionus was first in, investigating the area. Genia and Grey came in behind him, guns drawn. Vendetta took up the rear, his visor glowing red.

  “Looks abandoned,” Grey noted, looking around at the empty, run down mess of an entrance that was once a museum lobby.

  “This is merely an illusion,” he responded. He waved his hand, and
the view faded away to show a massive battle between demonized humans and a few of the units that had broke in at the ground level. One of the demonic men noticed them, and charged to attack. Zionus swung his sword, and the creature was cleaved in two before anyone could move.

  A few more demonic men tried to attack them, but Genia and Grey quickly shot them down. One was about to pounce on Megyn far off across the room, but Vendetta fired off a blast and disintegrated it.

  “The teams will take care of these,” Zionus stated. “Our target lies in the rooms above.”

  They made their way to the upper floors, only to be greeted by a shotgun blast mere inches from the doorway. Lady Grey quickly ducked to the far side of the doorway while Genia took the one closer to them. “Did you get a good look at the attacker,” Genia asked.

  “Yes,” Grey grumbled. “It's some clown.”

  “This is no time for insults,” Genia stated.

  “It wasn't,” Grey defended. “It's a man in clown makeup.” She peeked around the corner, then ducked back just as another shotgun blast took off a few chunks of stone from the doorway. “A big man. With crusty clown makeup.”

  “Bobo knows you're there,” a joyful voice called out. “Bobo just wants to play.”

  Grey looked around the corner again. “I'll give you some cover fire,” she declared.

  “Are you sure,” Genia asked.

  Grey nodded briskly.

  Genia looked back to