Full Summary:
"I have returned," the Ancient spat, "And I shall reap my vengeance."
Reality is unstable. As the walls of the Universe slowly collapse, magic becomes more powerful and corrupt than ever. Sorcerers are going mad with power, going on mad killing sprees and trying to overrun the Sanctuary. Then there's the small mater of a living Ancient escaping through the dimensions, seeking vengeance upon the world for its 'false' imprisonment. Look's like it's going to be one of those days…
A/N: I own none of the rights to Skulduggery Pleasant. All characters except my own are the intellectual property of Derek Landy. Also, on a more light topic, please read and review my first fan fiction.
Skulduggery Pleasant hurtled into the wall, getting up slowly with a groan. Valkyrie Cain cursed.
"Skulduggery", Valkyrie said, alarmed, "Please tell me that you have a plan for dealing with this guy?"
"Yes," Skulduggery's smooth as velvet voice replied, "Hit him before he hits us."
"That's your plan?" Valkyrie said incredulously.
"Sometimes, the most effective plans are the most simplistic."
"I can't believe that some people consider you a genius."
"Understandable. I do seem to have that effect of the dim-witted."
"I used to think that about you."
"Oh. In that case, I only have that effect on the pretty."
"Damn right you do."
Valkyrie looked up and eyed their enemy. His name was Gravis Pyre, wanted in four countries for the brutal member of council members, manslaughter, and as Skulduggery persisted in pointing out, littering. The Sanctuary had provided reports of the magical signature tripling in Gravis Pyre, a man that they described as silent, small and very composed working in the German Sanctuary. Looking at him now, Erskine Ravel had gotten the report very wrong. He was massive. He towered over them, his muscles bulging out of the plain leather coat he wore. His chest was grand, his build adding a hefty air of importance to his demeanor. He wore a metal contraption strapped to his chest, the rustic device wheezing loudly as he breathed in and out of the respirator connecting the device to his mouth. It reminded Valkyrie way too much of a Nazi.
"You have made a grave mistake Skeleton," he said, his voice raspy and thick with a German accent, "All I wanted to do was roam around, see the magnificent rain that Ireland has to offer and murder some people in cold blood. Is that really too much to ask?
"We do have some magnificent rain," Skulduggery agreed, "But I'm afraid that you're under arrest, where you will be confiscated into a nice warm cell and given a strict talk about recycling."
Pyre snorted. "You have a death wish Skeleton."
"If you haven't noticed, I'm already dead. I suppose that your eyesight must be as inconspicuous as the size of your ears."
Pyre roared, closing the gap between himself and Skulduggery in moments. Valkyrie noticed that Pyre was concentrating mainly on Skulduggery, so she slowly placed herself in position.
Meanwhile, Skulduggery was barely dodging the onslaught. No-matter how bulky Pyre was, he had the grace and co-ordination of a cat. Skulduggery figured out his attacking pattern: Two jabs to the ribs and then an Earth shattering uppercut. Skulduggery dodged the uppercut, and then went into motion. Pyre reeled back in shock as Skulduggery began his counterattack, attacking Pyre in a seemingly random assortment of attacks that were linked quite closely. Pyre dodged a punch, grabbing Skulduggery and throwing him over his shoulder. Skulduggery spun in the air, his foot sticking out and smashing into Pyre's back. Pyre simply growled, reeling around with a massive kick. Skulduggery yelled in pain as the kick connected directly with his ribs, and went down. Pyre went into attack Skulduggery again, but then Valkyrie sent a wave of shadow hurtling into the unsuspecting man.
Valkyrie cursed. She knew as soon as the wave had been unleashed that she had timed the surprise attack wrong. Skulduggery had taught her that a well-timed surprise attack would dishevel even the mightiest of opponents. Unfortunately, she had panicked. Now, the massive man would have a simple bruise and all of his anger would be centered on her.
She tried again, sending multiple spears of shadow at him. He dodged them all, his blood red eyes boring into her soul. She dispelled the sensation, and threw a fireball at Pyre. Pyre merely laughed, letting the fire hit his skin and dissipate upon contact. Valkyrie cursed, knowing she was out of tricks and way out of her depth.
"You are too much of a thorn in my side little girl." He said menacingly, grabbing her by the neck and slamming her into the wall.
"Then you're really going to hate me." Skulduggery said, splaying his fingers. Pyre felt the oxygen to his respirator fade, and began to panic. He let go out of Valkyrie, who could still see stars in her eyes, and charged at Skulduggery. Skulduggery let go of the air, sidestepping the enraged man and slamming his elbow into Pyre's ribs. Pyre let out a rattling wheeze as he felt the last reserves of his oxygen leave him. Lungs burning, his vision blacked out until he lay collapsed on the road.
"That was fun." Valkyrie muttered darkly, taking long deep breaths. Skulduggery looked at her inquisitively.
"That's not the word I would use to describe it," he replied, "I think I have some broken ribs."
"I'm lucky you arrived. I thought that Darquesse would make a reappearance."
Skulduggery moved in and hugged Valkyrie tightly, grimacing from the pain. She felt her heartbeat quicken, as she literally melted in the hug. Lately, she had noticed little things when it came to her dealing with Skulduggery. She could only come to one conclusion. She had fallen in love with a Skeleton.
"I promised you that I'd find a way to deal with her," he said comfortingly, "And I will. But first we need to deal with the present situation at hand."
Valkyrie frowned as he let go of the hug, but covered it with a cough. Skulduggery opened the phone and made a phone call to Ghastly about Pyre. As he did, Valkyrie leant against the Bentley and started to think about the situation they had been placed in. Around about a month ago, Sorcerer's had been developing strange and unusual powers to add to their own. An Elemental would find themselves with the ability to turn invisible, or a Bone-Breaker would find themselves with the ability to heal. Small, miracle gifts that no-body paid any attention to. That was, until the murder's started. Normal, completely loyal sorcerers would become corrupt and go on vast killing sprees that not only endangered other sorcerers, but also threaten to reveal magic to the mortal community. It turned out that the magic in the 'infected' sorcerer, as was the commonly referred term, was multiplied by the link to their true names expanding to great lengths. It was not a good situation to be in, and the Elder's were panicking. Valkyrie had never seen Ghastly to intolerable, Madam Mist so uncomposed and Erskine Ravel so…boring. The current situation had been taking a great toll on the magical community and the nerves of everyone that had to deal with the problem. Scrutinous and Tipstaff were constantly working, as were Skulduggery and Valkyrie. Valkyrie hadn't slept in a total of 8 days: all thanks to Cassandra Pharos who had tattooed a magical symbol that allowed her to stay awake for long periods of time on her left collarbone. Skulduggery had been against it, but even he had to concede that Valkyrie was no longer a child. Being 19, she was more than capable of making her own choices. The sound of some one clearing their throat woke her out of her thoughts. She looked up to see Skulduggery standing there.
"Ghastly has sent a group of Cleavers to arrest Pyre. I was going to interrogate him, but he remains stubbornly unconscious."
"As most people who are beaten within an inch of their lives are."
"Nonsense Valkyrie. I highly doubt we could have done that without the aid of a few bullets. And the revolver is at home."
"Speaking of bullets, you never gave me that weapon you promised me."
"I gave you the stick," Skulduggery reminded, "And if I recall you seemed to be amused by it."
"I thought it was a joke. You gave me a stick, wrapped up in a bow."
"It was revenge for the Hairbrush."
"That was a thoughtful gift! It was both amusing and thoughtful."
"A hairbrush, Valkyrie."
"Okay, maybe more amusing than thoughtful."
"My case rests."
"No. My gift was thoughtful. I was joking when I asked for a stick; I could've easily picked one up from the park, so the point of actually wanting one was pretty void.
"Ah, but you didn't tell me this, which makes you the guilty one in this situation. So, what we have deducted from this conversation is that I am always right."
"You're such a goon."
"I try my best."
Valkyrie looked up at the night sky, sighing as she did so. The bags under her eyes were visible from miles away. She was sure that she looked dreadful. She took a deep breath, carefully watching the cold air.
"So, is it safe to just leave him here?" She asked finally, wanting to change the subject. Skulduggery nodded.
"He's magically bound, and while those muscles he has may be from training, his enhanced strength came from his magic. He wouldn't be able to break out of those shackles if his life depended on it."
"Good. I hope the Cleavers give him a rough time."
"My my Valkyrie, such morbid thoughts for such a young person."
"I learnt from the best."
"Ah. Fletcher then."
Valkyrie laughed. "Yeah, whatever you say. So, I think we should go back to Nye and get him to check our injuries. He may be a monster, but he does know what he's doing. So I think that-"
Skulduggery conceded her points, before interrupting.
"We can't go the Infirmary just yet. Ghastly's given us one more mission to do before I can rest these weary bones."
"Joy oh Joy. He does realize that we are detectives, and not slave drivers right?"
"Desperate times call for desperate measures. He believes that we might have found the reason why these sorcerers are gaining so much power."
Valkyrie was both ecstatic and disappointed. She wanted to rest, even if it was just for a few hours while Skulduggery's injuries healed, but then they would have to work harder to make up on lost time. Then again, if they found out the problem now they could effectively deal with it, but that would result in more tiresome nights. No matter how many ways she looked at it, she knew that she would be loosing out somehow.
"I just want to rest Skulduggery." She told him honestly, slowly looking up at him. Skulduggery looked at her weary face, and felt something thump in his chest. He shook his head, wondering what was going on. He had never felt anything like that before. He reasoned that he must have been fatigued.
"I know Valkyrie," he replied, sounding equally tired as her, "But we need to deal with this problem. You know what they say, Patience is a Virtue."
"Patience is overrated."
"Then think of it as a favour."
"Favours are overrated as well."
"A proposal?"
"Just as overrated."
"Fine. Think of it as a challenge."
Valkyrie managed a small smile. "Now you're speaking my language."
Aranmore Farm. Valkyrie despised this place. Her Necromancer ring drank in the death, making her feel bloated and uneasy. There was so much of it: she could almost taste the death and decay on her tongue. It was not a pleasant feeling by any means.
"Kind of peaceful when the Diablerie aren't running around trying to kill us all." Skulduggery said.
Valkyrie watched the trees sway silently and heard the piercing scream of the Faceless Ones enter her mind.
"I can feel the death." She said slowly, snapping out of her thoughts. She heard Darquesse laugh in the back of her mind. She could feel Darquesse yearning to test herself against the dark gods. She prayed it would never happen.
"Unfortunately, that may be a little side-effect of your Necromancer Powers. Just hold tight."
"Believe me Skulduggery, a little death is not going to stop me."
"This is more than a little Valkyrie."
"Point conceded."
The walked behind the house, observing the now quiet area. No-body had even bothered to go looking for 'Paddy.' He had no close friends as such, and the farm was out in an isolated area where the remote few knew about. Skulduggery looked closely at the marks in the Earth, the marks caused by his own legs as he was dragged into the portal. Dragged into hell. He felt his fists clench, but calmed himself. Now was not the time to be making mistakes. Valkyrie, however, was concentrating on something completely different. She was looking closely at the area where the portal had been opened all those years ago. She was looking at that blank space and staring at it.
Because it was cracked.
It was no exaggeration. The air, the trees, the ground, all cracked like glass. Skulduggery looked at in it awe.
"That's not something you see everyday." He said quietly, looking suspiciously at the cracks that seemed to affect the area. It was impossible…but it was right in front of him.
"What is it?" Valkyrie asked, stepping forward and touching the cracks. They were solid. She circled it, seeing that the crack was actually only in one spot. It was three dimensional, and cracked as if the air had been unable to take a punch. Skulduggery sighed.
"A crack."
"I know that. I also know that it's impossible. Skulduggery, how can something crack when there is no solid object?"
Skulduggery remained silent, wrapped up in his thoughts. When he did speak, it was uncharacteristically quiet.
"Remember when Finbar told us about the portal. It was a portal to another Universe. Basically a door. A very complicated door that could only be opened when fanatical conspirers take insane to the next level. Anyway, think of a house. Why do people enter through the doors?"
An idea dawned of Valkyrie's mind. "Because there is no other way in."
"Exactly," Skulduggery said, "Well, that's the general idea until we blast a whole in the wall. But there must be some kind of wall keeping the Faceless Ones, and any other evil creatures, out of our Universe. But…walls can be blown open. Oh hell…I think that something is forcing the walls apart."
Valkyrie noticed that the crack seemed to expand, barely one centimeter, but that was never a good sign. You don't wait to see how much a snake coils before it bites you. It was then the Valkyrie heard the whispers. She whirled her head around violently, and without giving it a second thought touched the crack. One single thought flooded her mind, causing her immense pain as she slumped to the floor.
"I am free." She said, tears cascading down her eyes as the excruciating pain faded, and she blacked out. Whatever had entered her mind had completely overridden Darquesse and forced itself straight into the pain centre of her brain. Skulduggery picked her up, slowly lying her down in the backseat of the Bentley. He pondered the words she had said; feeling a sense of dread wash over him. Whatever had forced its way to our reality was now breaking down the walls. Because of this, any creature could be able to enter…even the Faceless Ones. Skulduggery grunted in annoyance. Whatever was happening, they had to stop the thing that was powerful enough to break down the walls of reality…the stop the Faceless Ones from invading. He made a phone call to Ghastly.
"You are not going to like what you're about to hear."
Well, what do you think? I hope that it was a good effort for my first fan fiction. I really don't know if I should continue it though. Please, review and tell me if I should. I'm really not confident about writing, and if it's a complete failure I'd rather it be off this website. Anyway, constructive criticism would be much obliged.