Crimson Claws & Fangs ch.17

     Just as the sun is starting to peak over the horizon Ananth drops peter on the roof of Fontaine’s building. Ananth lands and changes her shape into that of an attractive Egyptian woman with long curly black hair. Fontaine sets down his two minions and lands himself nearby.

 

    Peter turns to Ananth, “thanks for the rescue, but I really must be returning to my order and my sacred mission now.”

 

    Ananth looks at him saying, “Why the hurry? Why not join us? We have a mutual enemy after all, the HEP.

 

   “So,” says Peter, “a war between werewolves and vampire is real? I thought that was just in the movies.”

 

 

   “No,” she says, “They are not werewolves. The HEP is run by only one of those you call Dire. However there are others of their species which may interfere as well. They seek the one you are looking for as well, to join them in their numbers. You could search and search forever and never find her as a result. With our connections on the other hand we could find her quickly.”

 

    With a shark toothed smirk she continued, “Besides you wouldn’t be the first ex-member of the Order of the Knights of the Golden Cross to join us.”

 

    Peter clearly confused simply asks, “who?”

 

    In this moment he see Ananth look to the door to the roof as it opens. Fontaine and his two minions enter the building as a tall pale woman in a business suit and long straight black hair joins them on the roof. Peter notices that the large ugly vampire despite retracting its wings has just been standing there behind Ananth, and isn’t leaving with the rest.

 

    The new woman says, “In a moment, human, you will see what Ananth means.”

 

    The woman points at the sun as its rays illuminate the roof top. Peter looks on as the ugly vampire bends over in pain as its features smooth over into a man; its clothing strangely shrinking to match is diminishing shape as well.

 

   “Special cloths for shape shifters.” Says Ananth to answer Peter’s odd nitpicking thought given the circumstances.

 

   The pale woman says, “My kind, the Lit, as well as Ananth’s kind, the Doh-Rong, along with others are un-harmed by the sun, while most vampires are killed or severely harmed by it.”

 

   She points to the man starting to stand, “his kind for example, the Toori-ma, are large demonic monsters by night, and immortal cursed humans by day.”

 

   Peter sees the man’s face and can’t believe his eyes. “This guy looks just like Mike King.” He thinks.

 

   “Long time no see Brother Peter Jones.” Says Mike.

 

    “you can’t be Mike.” Peter says back, “Mike King is dead.”

 

   “Oh its me.” says Mike

 

   “Impossible” replies Peter in disbelief, “we recovered your charred corpse from the ruins. We buried you in the new cemetery in Pine Ridge.”

 

   “All I remember,” he says back, “is that I was face to face with those two monsters Versa and Rhuen, then there was a bright flash of light. I woke up in a very dark place trapped in a blue pillar of light. I was kept there for a whole year by Rhuen till he dumped me back in the real world, and with this fucked up curse on top of it.”

 

   Ananth speaks to Peter, “that is well with-in Rhuen’s abilities. He wasn’t called the ruler of the underworld and the god of darkness in ancient times for nothing.”

 

   Mike looks at Ananth, “so he is a devil.”

 

   “No,” says the Pale woman who had been watching their conversation with interest, “he is much stronger than a devil. But let’s not speak of him anymore, for names can attract their owners on the night air.”

 

   “who are you?” asks Peter abruptly.

 

   “Now you should have already guessed that, I am Litmet.”

 

   They all head inside, while alone in the hall, as the others had headed off to find Peter some lodging, Mike says to Peter, “So, I was buried in Pine Ridge?”

 

   “yeah,” says Peter awkwardly, “In the new cemetery after they moved the old one out from behind the church.”

 

   “why’d they move the cemetery?”

 

   “After that monster bitch Samantha killed my father and grandfather I put out an arrest warrant for her. We searched the mountain and found some gold mines. They must have been where that Dire was getting the gold she was using at the Gas Station. Because they were in the town limits of Pine Ridge the town got owner ship of them and used the money to make a hotel on the hill after tearing down the already mostly demolished church. So yeah they moved the cemetery to the new church location closer in town.”

 

    At this time Litmet comes down the hall holding the key to Peter’s accommodations in the building. With a smile on her face she says to Peter, “I think perhaps there is a way for you to get this were-dire you seek sooner than you might have thought.”