chiv-id: Okay, for those of you who continued on to this chapter, you won't be disappointed! It's super long, so enjoy reading, 'kay?
Phi'Nadell: ...This is quite a sum of words.
chiv-id: Oh! Phi, God, you scared me for a second there! Jeez, assassins...
Hellboy: Hey, this the new girl?
chiv-id: Yup! And she's going to do the disclaimer!
Phi'Nadell: ...Do I just read this or...?
chiv-id: Yes, read that line right there.
Disclaimer: chiv-id doesn't own Hellboy, but she does own Phi'Nadell...was that all right?
chiv-id: Yeah, so just sit back and relax and read, begin!
I Hate Psychics
Chapter 1: Her Story
Little Phi'Nadell ran through the streets of the magical kingdom of the elves, chased by a group of elven children who threw rotten food at her. Her dark complexion often provoked such reactions, but she couldn't do anything about it. After all, because she was not pure elf, she was not considered to be the same status.
"Go away little freak," they taunted, "You are not us. You will never be us." Her tears blinded her glowing yellow eyes as she continued to run, the food staining her already dirtied tunic, a dirt brown that contrasted against her black skin.
"Please, 'tis not my fault," she pleaded, "I did not want to be so!"
"It is so!" they cried back as she turned around to face them, her crying face greeting their eager and bloodthirsty ones, "You were born and therefore it be your fault!" Phi'Nadell was born an impure Elf, half elf from her mother, Drizell, and half shape shifter from her father, Phra'Dhi. Drizell had once been a noble elf woman, a beautiful elven maiden with dazzling white hair and a slim shape that held reign over the trade and commerce sector of the kingdom. Phra'Dhi was a devilishly handsome black-skinned red haired shape shifter with entrancing yellow eyes, whose main occupation was rogue, lady's man, and merchant. Though the shape shifters were considered to be well-respected and allies with the elven community, it was thought of as an abomination to mix races (actually the elves consider it an abomination to mix their race with anyone's race except their own). When Drizell had looked into Phra'Dhi's own eyes and he into hers, though, something extraordinary happened: they fell in love. A forbidden romance blossomed between the two and, in time, a babe had been born. When the child was revealed, Drizell refused to give the name of the father, although it was quite obvious that it was a shape shifter who had conceived the infant. From there, Drizell was outcast, as was her child, and Phra'Dhi was distraught. When the elves had told the powerful merchant that they had executed her instead of throwing her away, he killed himself, and in turn, led to Drizell's own suicide. Not quite learning the truth of her heritage, Phi'Nadell, as named by her mother before she killed herself, eventually grew to fear the rest of the world and her appearance. Having to rely on her wit, as she didn't know she was half shape shifter, she learned to avoid her half-brethren and anyone else, stealing here and there, hiding in small places, growing up as a street rat.
"Away demon!" they shrieked, the elven children now picking up rocks and throwing them unmercifully at her, "Away!"
"Please, stop!" she cried, feeling the pain intensely on her back as she ran away again, "Why?!" Suddenly, she ran into something that made her nearly stop breathing. A tall elf noble looked down at her, his hair as white as hers and his face seemed to glow with warmth and open kindness. A crown that seemed to touch the sky and blot out the sun rested upon his head and the large robes he wore were white, orange, and red, indicating his high status. The children behind her grew silent and guiltily dropped the rocks as they stared.
"It's the king…" they whispered to each other, drawing back and then running away, having been caught at their detestable deed. The elven king, giving the group a cold look, looked down at the little half-breed girl who seemed even more afraid of this single elf then the rest of the children combined.
"And who are you, little one?" he asked in a soft voice, bending down so as not to scare her. She scrambled on her elbows to back up, scared. He held out a hand, a small smile on his lips as she blinked and her face changed to one of confusion. The king waited for a response, never moving from his spot and keeping that grandfatherly smile on his face. It calmed her considerably and she got up, sitting with her legs out as she extended her own hand to fit in his.
"Phi'Nadell," she whispered, "I am Phi'Nadell."
"Well, then Phi'Nadell," he chuckled softly, closing his hand around hers, "Would you like to come with me?"
"Where?" she asked suspiciously, and he chuckled again.
"To my palace," he said, pulling gently, "Where you will be safe, of course."
"…Why?" she asked, getting up as he pulled her to her feet.
"And what does this 'why' pertain to?" he asked in return.
"Why do you help me? I am nothing but a lowly freak," she said softly, not looking at him. He squeezed her hand and she looked up, tears shining on her face.
"I…feel that all creatures have a right to be treated equally," he explained as he walked along, shielding her from hateful eyes within his massive folds of his robes, "Take for example: us."
"'Us'…you mean you elves?" she asked.
"Yes, but I mean both you and me. You are also an elf, my dear, if you would have a mirror and see the trademark of our heritage: our ears," he said, pointing to his own pointed appendages, Phi'Nadell touching hers and feeling the pointed tips, "And we elves have been rulers of this world for billions and billions of years. Now, I suppose, we must give mankind a turn. After all, it is only fair because we had treated them as lowly as…well…I'm sure you get the idea."
"But…I have heard that humans are savage and turn their back on us magical ones," Phi'Nadell said, shown to be street smart, "Oh, I see it!" She quickly forgot the conversation as she looked upon the majestic towers and flying buttresses of the palace. Amazed and dazzled, she had to be pushed along by the king as she continued to lag to observe it. Never had she been in a place so grand!
"Father, father!" a small voice cried, a little elven girl running in her blue dress down the stairs to greet him, "There you are! I was afraid you had gotten lost amongst the crowd of our people again!" He chuckled and opened his robes a little to reveal Phi'Nadell, who shyly dove back in, hugging his side.
"Oh father, you did find her!" she exclaimed in relief, "I thought that she'd be stoned to death by those brutes. They should be ashamed!" The daughter of the king flew down and embraced Phi'Nadell, who didn't hug back and just stood there in shock.
"Hello, I am Princess Nuala," she said, "I have watched many of your endeavors from my window in the tower. I had feared that you would have been caught one day when you were stealing or by those elven children there. 'Twas only today that father finally took notice of you when I told him."
"…Thank you Princess Nuala," she said, the little half-breed bowing a little as Nuala released her. Nuala smiled and took little Phi'Nadell by the hand, running up to her room in the tower while the King laughed.
"Those two will grow close indeed," he guessed, walking away to attend more pressing matters. Meanwhile, Nuala had dragged Phi'Nadell to the glorious little bedroom which was so finely decorated and embroidered; the street rat could only gape.
"This is my room," Nuala said, then pointed to a door, "And this is the room I had secretly made for you. Father only knew about this today, but he approves." Phi'Nadell cautiously opened the door and was astounded. White ivory and black marble was the main theme, a black bedspread covering a large queen size bed, white pillows adorning the headboard. A small white couch with more lusciously soft and enormous black pillows surrounded it, as if prepared for a sleep over. A black marble vanity with white drawers sat off to the side, and a large window over looked the rest of the kingdom between the vanity and the bed.
"How…" Phi'Nadell was lost for words, covering her mouth with her hands.
"Do you like it?" Nuala asked and greeted by tears of joy as well as a flying hug, Phi'Nadell happy and grateful. It was then and there that the two began to become close friends. When Nuala began her studies, Phi'Nadell would always curiously peer over the educated girl's shoulders and try to be as scholarly as the royal girl. The king recognized this effort and proceeded to give Phi'Nadell lessons as well, which she took to like fish to bait. Her intelligence soon became equal to that of Nuala's but Phi'Nadell would refuse to go beyond Nuala's own lessons, purposely dumbing herself whenever Nuala would fall behind in her own studies. Phi'Nadell also became interested in martial arts and the techniques of fighting, the king giving Phi'Nadell lessons and courses in these areas as well. Soon, Phi'Nadell became one of the best warriors the king ever had, her body becoming toned and increasingly pleasing to the eye. As the two girls grew up, they became more and more beautiful. Phi'Nadell etched into her skin markings that would forever mark her as an accomplished assassin as well as the royal insignia onto her right shoulder, pledging her loyalty officially to the royal family. Phi'Nadell eventually learned of her heritage through the king's narration, the king asking her father's sister to teach her how to use her shape shifting powers, her aunt. Phra'Zhi was Phi'Nadell's aunt, a strict one who grew to love Phi'Nadell as her own child, and Phi'Nadell grew to feel as though Phra'Zhi was more of a mother than an aunt. They too became close to one another, but Nuala and the king took more precedence in Phi'Nadell's heart as it was them who had reared her in the beginning and helped her. Finally, when Phi'Nadell seemed an appropriate age, they decided to introduce her to the royal court.
"No, they will despise me," Phi'Nadell protested, "You know they will! Oh, please, let me stay shut within my own quarters! The solitude would be more gratifying then that of those noblemen and women breathing down my neck!"
"They will love you," Nuala assured her, "You've grown so much, and I doubt that they'll hate you."
"Oh, you don't know that!" Phi'Nadell cried, trying to get out of Nuala's grasp and shrug off the purple dress that blended with her skin, "Please! Let me go!"
"Phi'Nadell, enough of that," the king commanded, causing Phi'Nadell to freeze, "If they do taunt you, I will make sure that they will never walk within the boundaries of mine kingdom again. I promise you that."
"…To be true, I doubt that you can," Phi'Nadell whispered, "After all, it would damage your reputation to defend the likes of me…"
"Not at all," the king chuckled softly, taking her chin, "You've become a beautiful girl, my dear. I'd say that many would seek your hand if they did not know that it was I who held your parental consent for marriage." She blushed at that comment and the King chuckled again.
"Come now," he told them both, "You look lovely, my dears. And remember, if any elven man comes to ask for either of your hands, come to me and tell me. I will make sure that they'll be running with their tails between their legs."
"Father!" Nuala giggled, Phi'Nadell joining her as she couldn't contain it.
"All right, all right, now come along," the king said, "We have a court to attend to after all." Phi'Nadell smoothed the purple gown and sighed. She had a pleasing form, the dress being quite a bit different from Nuala's, as it fit her form more and wasn't as "poofy". Her long white hair was brushed and swept behind her ear, the front part of her hair braided and wrapped around her head like a wreath (think Zelda from Super Mario Bros. Brawl). The gown reached to the floor, flaring out a bit to give her a bit more mobility, it's style was spaghetti straps, two of them keeping the gown on her shoulders with several other straps were hanging off her shoulders to become ringlets. She wore gloves that reached up to her elbows and were fingerless. Nuala had a metallic blue gown that was more old-fashioned, in which the bottom bloomed out into ruffles and layers of material and silk. Phi'Nadell held Nuala's hand as they walked behind the king, through the hallways and finally to the court. The king went first, entering the room through the curtains, a large amount of applause greeting him.
"Fellow brethren of the court," he began, "I believe that you know that my daughter has finally reached the age of…nuptial consent…" More applause occurred.
"And this," he gestured to the party, "In essence, should be her introduction into society. However, it is also another's to step into the light. She is…different, but she has grown to be almost like a second daughter to me. So, without ado, let me introduce my daughter and…foster daughter, Nuala and Phi'Nadell." Nuala entered on the right of the king's throne, while Phi'Nadell entered on the left. Silence consumed the once clapping hands as they stared at Phi'Nadell, the beautiful ebony-colored girl whose markings stood out clearly in the light, her pretty amber eyes shyly peering up through long white eye lashes that fluttered every time she happened to blink. Nuala looked to Phi'Nadell, who shyly looked back, and walked forward, motioning for her to walk down with her. Both of the girls had a measure of grace, Nuala with royal boldness, Phi'Nadell with stealthy softness. As they descended and met at the bottom of the steps, none of the guests had moved, softly whispering among themselves.
"…Nuala," Phi'Nadell whispered, her voice soft and ashamed, "Now do you believe me?" Nuala looked at them then, her eyes glowing fiercely as she dared them to say anything about Phi'Nadell. Then, the unexpected happened: a smaller guest of the party, an elven boy who was a considerably younger than Phi'Nadell, approached her, emerging from the crowd. He made his way over to her, ignoring his mother's commanding eyes and evading her grasp. The elven boy reached into his pocket and produced a beautiful white lily, his face upturned to hers with dazed eyes.
"For you, miss," he spoke, holding out the flower to her, standing on his toes to reach her. Phi'Nadell was speechless, one hand over her heart, the other clutching the fabric of her dress at her hip. A soft and entrancing smile passed across her face, holding as she kneeled down gracefully and letting him put it in her hair.
"Thank you," she whispered to him, kissing his cheek, "A fair trade, wouldn't you agree?" The boy, his white marble face tinged with pink, nodded and smiled happily.
"Perhaps I could arrange a better trade," another guest said, an older elven boy stepping out, looking as if to be in his latter teens, "Freyer, come, mother is not happy." The young elven boy, Freyer, shuffled obediently to his brother's side, but smiled at Phi'Nadell before disappearing into the crowd again.
"I am Eramyr," the older elf said, "And, if I may, ask for your company?" Nuala beamed at the stunned Phi'Nadell, who could only nod at the handsome elf. When Eramyr extended his hand, Phi'Nadell lightly laid her own in his. He bowed slowly, Phi'Nadell curtsying to his pace, and then both rose back up. As if by magic, the tension was broken and the party commenced, other elven men coming over and talking to Nuala. Eramyr guided her over to a balcony, warding away any other suitors with a cold look.
"Are you all right? You seem very quiet," Eramyr asked, both of them resting on the balcony ledge.
"It's just all so…unexpected," she hesitantly explained.
"Oh? Why is that?"
"Surely you can see my…unusual characteristics…"
"Of course, but it only enhances your elegance."
"My elegance? Surely you jest."
"No, you may think it, but you are a rare jewel, a treasure. I see you as a beautiful young elven woman who is gentle and kind, shy and modest, traits that most elven girls feign, but you…you have a genuine aura that seems to radiate all of these things and more."
"And what would those 'other' things be?"
"That is a mystery I would like to solve myself," Eramyr turned to her and she to him, "One that I'm sure both of us would be interested in finding out…" Phi'Nadell blushed as she looked away for a moment, but Eramyr took her chin and lifted it up to look at him. Once that was done, he brushed the back of his knuckles across her cheek and she nearly melted at his touch. Never had she felt this kind of affection before, and it was overpowering to say the least. Her eyes closed and he smiled, turning his hand so that he could cup her face and she leaned into his palm.
"Eramyr!" hissed a voice, one that made both of them jump, "What are you doing?" A young elven maiden had her hands on her hips and was glaring at Eramyr, who guiltily smiled at her. She was older than Phi'Nadell, her curled platinum blonde hair, which would have looked wonderful at night in the light of the chandeliers, looked somewhat like greasy paper curls in the light of the sun. The female's body shape was very voluptuous, her enormous bosom heaving out as she continued to hold her outraged bent position.
"I leave you for a few moments and this is what you do?! Leave me for some half-breed wench!" she whispered heatedly at him, Phi'Nadell stiffening beside Eramyr. The elven man took offense and he stood in front of Phi'Nadell, as if trying to protect her from the female elf's hateful words.
"Seera, this is none of your concern!" he tried to keep his voice as low as possible, not wanting to alert the king nor any of the other guests of the drama, "Just because I had taken you here does not mean that we are bound!"
"Yes-it-does!" she emphasized each word as she stalked them, "Look at her! What does she possess that I do not? A larger bosom?! I think not. Perhaps a perfect white face? No, no, of course not! Or, or, yellow hair, which is rare, even among the most highly distinguished elven ladies of the court? No! No, no, no!"
"Seera, enough! You're upsetting her!" Eramyr scolded, looking over his shoulder at Phi'Nadell who looked down with resignation and despairing agreement.
"No! 'Tis not enough!" Seera seethed, pushing him away, "You foul creature! How dare you think that you, a lowly half-breed, could possibly enchant my Eramyr! I believe that you need a lesson in humility, maybe those stones weren't good enough to teach you that! You remember, don't you, all those years ago? You will never, never, be an elf, because as long as you have impure blood, you'll only be a freak!!" Eramyr was speechless, never had he seen Seera so hateful. Suddenly, something occurred to him, something very important: it was quiet. Not a voice was speaking inside the room, and when he turned slowly to look into it, he found dozens of eyes staring at him and the scene before him. The king himself seemed to be grasping the arms of the throne with increasing rage and agitation, his face hardened, no longer holding the grandfatherly aspect.
"Seera…" he whispered to her, Seera not paying attention, her pretty face contorted into an ugly grimace, "Apologize or-"
"Apologize or what? What, Eramyr? And for what? She doesn't deserve anything from me, especially an apology!" Seera turned on him, but she too found the eyes and their terrible gazes. She paled, her marble skin turning even whiter as she realized the king's furious eyes were pinned directly on her!
"I will not have my foster daughter talked to like that," he spoke in a dark tone that made her drop to the floor on the balcony.
"Oh, please, I didn't mean-if I had known-"
"Spare me the details Seera Fanghorn, you've done enough damage. Take her away. Eramyr…you may stay if you wish." The pleading in her eyes to Eramyr was not enough as she was dragged out, Eramyr only shaking his head in disbelief that Seera couldn't let go of the hate she had in her heart. He turned to look at Phi'Nadell only to find that she had fled the scene, her heart crushed by the encounter.
"Oh no," Nuala whispered, running after Phi'Nadell as she spied wisps of the purple gown slip through the curtains. She saw Phi'Nadell run through the hallways, run up the stairs and close the door to their rooms. Nuala sadly walked up to the stairs and opened it slowly, peering in and seeing Phi'Nadell lean against the door of her own room, shaking head. Depressed and tiredly, Phi'Nadell opened the door and shut it behind her, a few sobs coming through the thick door.
"Phi…" Nuala whispered, coming to the door. Suddenly, she heard singing, something she had never heard Phi'Nadell do. It was sad and yet, hopeful, as if she were only singing to raise her spirits. It was a human world song, but she didn't know where it came from and how Phi'Nadell came to learn it.
"…Teeeelllll…me liiieeesss…and I'll…come runnin'…IIIII…must've loooosssttt, my miiiiiinnnndd…" (1) came her voice, and Nuala couldn't help but admit that it was Phi'Nadell had a wonderful voice. Phi'Nadell was leaning against the door, singing the song that she had heard on chance when she had journeyed to the human world, chasing a fugitive. Thinking that it was fitting, she sang it, and it made her forget all of her troubles at once as she began.
"…That was beautiful," Nuala said loudly, scaring Phi'Nadell, "Where did you learn it?" Phi'Nadell didn't answer, but merely closed her mouth and hugged her knees like a child. Phi'Nadell had in fact learned it when she passed by a house that was watching a video, the song attracting her as she cleaned her blades of the blood from the fugitive. A child was sitting in front of a box of some sorts, watching something that was in it and listening to the song that it produced. Phi'Nadell was intrigued because of the sound of the song, so soulful and beautiful, despite being it being childish.
"I am sure that they are all waiting for you downstairs," Nuala said, dismissing her curiosity and bringing Phi'Nadell back to reality, "Surely you do not wish to keep them waiting, Phi."
"…Teeeelllll…me liiieeesss…" Phi'Nadell began in humor, Nuala shaking her head, "And I'll…come runnin'…"
"This isn't a lie."
"And that is why I'll not come running."
"Please, that girl will be dealt with…harshly, if I know anything of father."
"That would do nothing, except make him seem like a tyrant. And me…a selfish spoiled outcast who got lucky."
"Don't think of it! Don't you dare refer yourself to an outcast, because it is you who isolates yourself!
"For the better! I think of the king and you, I fear for your reputations if anyone knew that I was housed here, and now…because of that girl…my fears have come true."
"…It is that girl and her reputation that is soiled, not ours Phi'Nadell. Come out, I am sure that they will welcome you with open arms."
"…Now that, I can believe a lie," Phi'Nadell sighed, running an ebony hand through her white hair, "Still, even if they do not mock me openly-"
"Excuse me…" a new voice had entered the room and Phi'Nadell quickly shut her mouth. It was Eramyr.
"Yes, Eramyr, what is it?" Nuala asked, getting up from her kneeling position by the door.
"I've come to apologize for Seera's behavior," he told her, "She has been pestering me for months on end, and I finally gave in and took her with me here. Seera's only looked out for herself and believed that she would gain higher status, perhaps to that of a noble woman like yourself or Miss Nadell here."
"I could believe that," Nuala ground out, still angry at Seera for having driven off Phi'Nadell, "I'll have her thrown out of our Eden for upsetting Phi so!"
"'Phi?'" he said, "I see you two truly are close."
"Like blood sisters," Nuala said, "And like a sister, I am trying to get her out of her room so that she may enjoy the party. If you could persuade her perhaps…?"
"Miss Nadell, if you could come out, I would take you arm-in-arm and make sure no one would dare utter words as foul as Seera, I promise you that," he said, making Phi'Nadell put a hand to her mouth in wonder, "Miss Nadell?" The door opened slightly and Phi'Nadell walked out slowly, her amber eyes meeting his blue ones.
"Come, let us go back downstairs," Eramyr said, holding out his arm. Phi'Nadell hesitated before grasping the proffered arm and letting him lead her down back to the party where, indeed, everyone was waiting for her return. They clapped, making her blush and squeeze Eramyr's arm tighter.
"Phi'Nadell, there you are," the king said, standing up from his throne as she walked down arm in arm with Eramyr, "I suppose…you are going to ask for her hand?"
"Well, yes," Eramyr admitted hesitantly, "But I…if she does not wish to get married, I will not ask." This made Phi'Nadell look up at him in surprise.
"I mean, after all," Eramyr explained, "After what happened a little while ago, you deserve a choice." Phi'Nadell looked down and shook her head, showing that she didn't want to get married. Understanding her silent talk, Eramyr put a hand on hers and held onto her as they walked across the floor to stand on the same balcony. Though they never got married, the two became fast friends, Nuala and the king both approving of the friendship as long as nothing romantic happened between them. Eramyr, as one would have it, was actually a cousin of Phi'Nadell's, his mother being the sister of Drizell, Phi'Nadell's mother. Neither one knew until the king had delved into the matter, making Freyer Phi'Nadell's cousin as well. This broke the boy's heart, but enjoyed playing with his new cousin whenever they had the chance. Phi'Nadell never felt happier, but now only talked with her family or adopted family and very close friends, distrusted anyone else. However, a huge disruption in her life occurred on the day of her discovered birthday, on which the Prince Nuava, Nuala's estranged brother, came and attempted an assassination. Nuava, who's skills were known throughout the magical underworld, slew each and every one of the king's guards, though the king was hidden away in time and he survived. Nuala, fearing for Phi'Nadell's life, as she knew the assassin would swear to hunt Nuava down in the underworld and kill him, had quickly undertaken a grave measure: sending her to the human world and trapping her there. By enacting the very seal on Phi'Nadell's shoulder, she was able to prevent Phi'Nadell from ever returning to the magical underworld unless it was she who deactivated the seal.
"Nuala…why?" were Phi'Nadell's last words to her as a barrier was erected between the two, forever banishing the shape shifter elf. That was at least 4 years ago, and Phi'Nadell still brooded over the subject as she sat there at her human job, working as a relic caretaker. After the first month in the human world, Phi'Nadell had realized that she couldn't continue stealing food, hiding in abandoned buildings, or hunt down criminal magical underworld criminals every single night. So, she had developed an alias, transforming herself into Mera Gibbons, a 23-year old amnesia patient who started her life over and has yet to find her true past. Phi'Nadell considered it a bit troublesome to pretend that she wanted to know what her past was when she already knew it, however, it did give her an excuse to find a way back to her true home.
"Hey, Mera…Mera!" a voice snapped her back to reality, causing her to stand straight up in her seat, "Jeez, sorry, didn't mean ta scare ya like that, but you was zonin' outs again. As I was sayin', this one's a keepa', the crown of Bethlamora or whateva, pretty valuable, and it's gonna be auctioned off in a few days, so get its ready, will ya?"
"Yes, Hieman," she replied, frowning as she stared at the familiar artifact. She recognized as the same piece that was stolen about a few nights ago. Phi'Nadell had hunted down the worm creature criminal, as she was still able to glean off from her magical assassin necklace of reports about things stolen or felons escaped into the human world, and killed him, but couldn't find the crown anywhere. Realizing that it was now untouchable, as its presence would indeed be missed, she frowned.
"'Ey, Mera, don't have ta be formal or nothin'," the greasy boss said, "Call me Vinny, any time babe." He leaned on her desk as she sat back down, his smell appalling and making her mentally gag for a moment. However, she only waved a hand in front of her to ward him away.
"I am not 'babe'," she said disdainfully, "And no, I'm not going on a date with you either. Now, if you'll excuse me, I have to prep my 'guest'." Vinny pulled a sour face and left, shaking his head and mumbling something about dames.
"The crown of Bethalmora," she sighed, "I should have known that two-faced worm man would have sold it to buy some more dirt…crack heads, all of them!" (2) She set to carefully cleaning, as she would her own items, which is how she landed her job. They had admired her meticulous nature, despite her shady past, and offered her a job as the relic caretaker, although she hadn't really thought she'd be cleaning artifacts that were from her own home world. It took her at least an hour to clean off the grime from the worm man and the humans who handled it and grimaced. The crown of Bethlamora wasn't something to be handled by mere worms and men, but by royalty of the elven court, like the king…or Nuala…
"Nuala…" she said absentmindedly, sighing as she put it in its purple velveteen box and looked at the clock. It read about 6:00 PM, a good time to finish. Phi'Nadell, or 'Mera', walked out with the box and looked around for the curator, who was getting the auction room ready with the help of a few other people. Phi'Nadell suddenly felt the recognizable warmth right above her cleavage from her necklace and quickly shoved the box into the curator's hands, walking away without saying good-bye. Phi'Nadell walked to her apartment, her gait no longer that of a human's but of a customary and graceful assassin, her boots not making a sound. Reaching her apartment and going inside, she morphed into her normal appearance. Her blonde hair became stark white, her skin no longer ivory but ebony, and her eyes flashed changed from green to amber. Stripping down, Phi'Nadell quickly donned her assassin attire, a long black flowing cape that had a hood, her black wife beater and black bikini (the bottom part only), several pieces of silver armor that went around her shoulders, breast, and knees, black soft felt boots that made little noise along with her black gloves and scarf, her belt and tools, and lastly, her custom-made knives and broadsword. Pulling the wife beater part over her mouth and the scarf tightly around her neck, she checked her appearance and quickly opened the window, using the fire escape to get to the roof and check her necklace. Pure gold and with a clear piece of alls-mirror, a substance that all assassins use to observe their targets, it was Phi'Nadell's most prized possession. It told her of several maulings of underworld citizens, including elves, and now, the fugitive was in the human world, no doubt hunting poor defenseless humans now.
"A werewolf," she surmised, "A true beast, silver should tame it." She had several silver weapons within her mini arsenal belt, located on her waist. She drew out the silver-tipped claws and slipped the rings on her fingers, the claws gleaming in the moon light.
"A hunt then," Phi'Nadell said to herself, "Strange I should be chasing a werewolf…I suppose this one is from a guild, but why would it flee here?" Phi'Nadell jumped down to another building's roof top and quickly darted to the target's position, in a park where it seemed to indeed be attacking humans. She ran silently, darting from shadow to shadow, her assassin skills never dulling in the least since her arrival, the numerous magical criminals keeping her on her toes as they crossed constantly from her world to the human's. Phi'Nadell finally reached the park and was surprised to see the werewolf staring down one particular individual with a group standing behind them. However, she also noticed that the werewolf was not alone, already having conjured up a group of his own followers, three to be precise.
"All right mutt," said the unknown figure, raising up his gun, "I'll give ya three seconds to back down or I'm gonna have ta shoot ya. And trust me, these are pretty big bullets." The black male werewolf glared, his maw dripping with saliva as he bared his teeth and growled at the big man. The three beside him bristled considerably as they realized their leader's aggression and bared their teeth in turn. The man didn't seem too fazed by this, however, and pointed the gun right at the head of the leader.
"Red, I don't think that's a good idea," said one male from the group, stepping away and coming next to the male with the gun, "Werewolves are only immune to silver and-"
"If the bullets are big enough, I don't think that matters," 'Red' replied, "Besides Blue, don't you think you should stay outta this one? Liz, you too."
"Uh, uh H.B.," a female said, presumably Liz, "Even if fire isn't something that they're immune to, I'm pretty sure it'll hurt either way." A small bluish flame sprang from Liz's hands, surprising Phi'Nadell as Liz stepped forward, her pale skin glowing blue slightly from the light of the flame.
"Yeah, well, I think-" as 'Red' or 'H.B.' turned around to look at Liz the leader of the werewolf sprang at them, Liz throwing a fireball at it. Dodging, the werewolf attacked 'Red' and bit his arm, making him fall down. Shaking her head, Phi'Nadell ran towards the group, making sure she was unseen.
"Agh, back down Fido!" 'Red' grunted, actually pushing his arm into the werewolf's mouth in order to make sure it didn't get any closer. Phi'Nadell was again surprised and saw that the arm that 'Red' was using was actually made of stone! As told by his nickname, the man was actually red, from his head to his tail…tail?! Phi'Nadell had to take another look from her new hiding spot, seeing that the man was actually not as helpless as she thought. However, she did notice that the rest of the group was being stalked by the other three werewolves.
"Oh, this does not look good," Liz said, "Do any of you guys have silver bullets?" The rest of the group shook their heads, Liz giving a noise of frustration as the fire spread from her hands to her arms, trying to ward them away. The one called 'Blue' didn't seem like he'd be much help either as he was unarmed.
"Red, get your big red butt over here!" Liz yelled as one tried to attack, only to get his hair singed on his tail, making the wolf howl in pain before rolling to get the fire out. Once that was done, it seemed even angrier. Phi'Nadell had enough, she morphed into a creature she had happened upon one or two years ago: Sammael, the Desolate One. She gave a shriek as she jumped down from the tree, her claws actually silver because she morphed with them on. A black female werewolf gave whines of pain as Phi'Nadell jumped on her, bearing her into the ground. Phi'Nadell ripped into the back of the werewolf's neck with her teeth, tearing out the spine and rendering the werewolf helpless. Next, Phi'Nadell quickly ran and smashed into the brown male werewolf that was leaping towards the group with his maw wide open. Phi'Nadell clamped her jaw down on the werewolf's throat, silencing the whining by ripping out its throat. The last remaining werewolf was a grey male, afraid of Phi'Nadell as she gave another otherworldly shriek, its tail between its legs as it backed up. Before he could run away, however, she snapped out her tongue and wrapped it around the wolf's muzzle, making it give a noise of fear. She tugged and pulled, making him come to her. He tried in vain to dig in his claws and stop the movement, but ended up being dragged anyways. Phi'Nadell finally released it, but slashed its face with her claws, the silver gleaming talons of death making the werewolf howl as it burned his face, making him fall to the ground in writhing agony as the silver began to sink in and it bore into his face. She quickly ended his suffering by slashing his throat with a claw.
"Another Sammael?" 'Blue' wondered out loud, making her look at him. He seemed to regret it as he backed away further into the ring of people, but she didn't mind him, stalking towards the paralyzed female and killing her as well with a quick swipe to her neck. The three werewolves turned back into their human selves, making Phi'Nadell pity them all the more. Suddenly, she heard guns cocking and saw that the whole group had guns, all of them pointed at her. Phi'Nadell instead fled, right in 'Red's' direction, where they were forced to hold their fire. She stood right next to 'Red', who was still fighting the leading male werewolf, his black fur being ripped out by clumps as 'Red' kept on trying to pull him off of him.
'Just run, just run,' she told herself, not wanting to involve herself further. However, when she heard a cry of pain from 'Red', she looked back and regretted it. The werewolf was using his right clawed hand to keep his normal hand pinned to the ground, his jaw occupied with 'Red's' stone hand, using his back legs and left claw to rake the man beneath him, deep gouges forming on the red man's skin. She groaned mentally, instead giving the loudest shriek she had given yet, making the werewolf look at her. Phi'Nadell shrieked again, slamming her fist on the ground, sticking her chest out and looked the werewolf straight in the eye.
"What…what's happening?" asked Myers, staring at the confrontation as the werewolf merely jumped off of 'Red' and turned to face 'Sammael', "And didn't we kill that thing already?" Liz just shook her head.
"I don't know, but now I can get a clear shot," Liz said, "If H.B.'s wounded like that, the fire's really gonna hurt, even if he is fireproof." She prepared herself, but Abe put his hand out and she stopped, looking at him questioningly.
"Wait…I don't think he's in trouble," Abe said watching the two creatures stare each other down, "I think…I think Sammael is helping him."
"What? That doesn't make any sense, why would it do something like that? The Sammael we fought wouldn't do anything like this, it doesn't help people, it eats and kills people," Myers said with emphasis.
"Exactly, this is not the Sammael we know," Abe said, "In fact, I don't think that it is truly a Sammael at all." They watched as the black werewolf finally sprang forward, teeth open, and Phi'Nadell swinging out her bone claw, whipping it across the werewolf's face and dodging to the side as it landed just where she just was. He growled at her, glaring with his blood stained muzzle and his now broken jaw. Phi'Nadell stood up, the werewolf copying, and they circled each other, Phi'Nadell breaking the tension by swinging her bone claw again, the werewolf actually capturing it and barking at her. He grasped it firmly and swung her to his right, flinging Phi'Nadell into the ground.
'Damn, to be bested by a werewolf,' she thought in pain, popping her joints back in place, 'You'll not live another night, you wretched dog!' She snapped out her tongue and it wrapped around the werewolf's neck, making him drop her claw as she grabbed her tongue and pulled, wrenching him down onto the ground with her. His claws were pulling at the tongue around his neck, but she instead clamped her on jaw on his head, using her own claws to dig into his shoulders. This made the werewolf howl in pain as the silver-tipped claws began burning him slowly, one clawed hand making an effort to take her claws out of his shoulders, the other on her head, trying to pull her jaw off of him. Pulling and wrenching, a resounding crack was heard, the werewolf's whining instantly ceasing, then ripping and shredding, the werewolf's head came off in her mouth. As he turned back into a human, she spit out the head, the horrified look on the head of the black-haired Asian man scaring the group as it stopped at their feet.
"Oh crap," 'Red' said, being severely wounded, his gun a good distance away from his outstretched hand. However, she only looked at him and then walked on all fours slowly towards him. Liz was ready to blaze her and 'Red' put his stone arm in defense, but all she did was nose the gun, sniffing it curiously. She picked it up in her maw and dropped it near his hand, nosing the gun towards him until he hesitantly grasped it. That done, she mentally sighed and turned to leave, but felt a strange buzzing in the back of her head. On guard, she barricaded her thoughts before the buzzing could read them, and she looked at 'Blue' who frowned a bit, his outstretched hand blue on the outside, a mottle pink on the inside.
'I hate psychics,' she thought, snorting as she ran off, leaving the group in total wonderment, especially Abe who swore he could feel something sentient about her.
"What…the hell just happened?" Hellboy asked, Liz, Myers, and the rest of the FBI agents coming over to help him up and gather the dead bodies.
"I think we might have a friendly Hound of Destruction," Abe joked, the grey-blue creature disappearing in the shadows, "Whatever or whoever that was, was no enemy of ours. However, I think we should keep a close eye on him."
"I'm sorry, I'm confused, did that thing just play fetch?" asked Myers, the back of his hand over his nose as he gagged at the decapitated head, "With Hellboy's gun?"
"Seems as thought he was protecting him," Abe said, Hellboy raising an eye brow at him, "Strange, yes, but that's our business, isn't it?" A terrified scream along with a howl made them all cringe as the scream abruptly ended, several other screams erupting in the same vicinity.
"Well, looks like our work ain't done yet," Hellboy said, slapping a hand on Myers' shoulder, "Don't get too queasy, lots more where that came from." Gesturing to the decapitated head and several other naked and mauled bodies, Myers began to gag again, making Hellboy smirk while Liz put his normal arm over her shoulder. Abe sighed as several other agents, hearing Myers gag, began dry heaving at the stinking dead bodies. This was going to be a very long night for them…
chiv-id: Okay, so, if you saw the numbers one and two, I'm gonna explain them right now:
1) Yes, I pulled the song from 'Cats Don't Dance', I don't care what you say, that was a classic movie to me. And if you haven't watched it, do it now. Go on youtube and just watch it, I mean it.
2) I really did mean worm men, and yes, I made them addicted to dirt. Dirt is like crack to them, okay?
chiv-id: Everybody understand now? Please review!