*I apologize to anyone following this story for the prolonged wait, life has been crazy and I just haven't had the time to get to it.
Part 3
Dresden:
Working with a team isn't always easy. Sometimes personalities clash, other times you're fighting a demon and you were sure nothing you could do would make any difference and you all would most certainly die a horrible bloody death. Well, this happened to be one of those latter scenarios. So what do we do? Well I, Harry Blackstone Copperfield Dresden had the bright idea of summoning Sanya, Knight of the Cross and all around badass Russian to help us out. Couldn't hurt right? But as we approach the only church in this backwoods, mountain town and I felt the waves of energy radiating from this place I wasn't sure if even that would help. I suppose this was as good a day to die as any.
Constantine and I managed to summon Sanya on the fly and naturally he was all up for fighting an otherworldly abomination. I was really wishing I had brought my staff, but regrettably I had left it in the beetle back in New York. I did have my blasting rod, shield bracelet, cane sword, and of course my faithful duster. If things got real sticky I could always tap into the power afforded me by my mantle of the Winter Knight. I hesitate to let too much hope creep in...but we might just be alright.
Constantine:
Bodies littered the grounds surrounding the church. I had seen plenty of dead bodies though. It was tragic, but what concerned me more was the aura surrounding this place. You didn't even need to use the sight to see it. Either this place was a natural well of mystical activity or this "Abraxas" was far more powerful than I had considered.
Dresden had sent his friend Sanya with me to come in through the back while he and Papa Bear Bishop went in the front. I was going to attempt to come up with a spell to send this demon back to wherever it came from while, hopefully the rest of my party could run interference long enough for me to banish him. Having a Knight of the Cross on our side definitely gave us a little advantage... We would soon find out if it was enough. I could hear that they had just burst through the front door and that was our queue to ease in through the back. I had a incantation in my head and at the ready as Sanya crept in beside me.
Raine:
Dresden and I busted in through the front door, for equal parts distraction and blitzkrieg. We charged in with blinding speed and while I sent blades of kinetic energy soaring in Abraxas' direction in, Dresden presumably as a distraction kicked a church pew towards the demon and with a robust "FUEGO" launched basically a lance of white hot flame right between Abraxas' eyes.
The plan was to level long distance attacks at him long enough for Constantine to send him back to his own realm. We stuck to that plan pretty well too, I was flinging blades of kinetic energy right and left and Dresden alternated between flaming lances and spikes of ice. We had a nice rhythm going too, until I saw Krystals' body lying in a church pew off to the side of Abraxas crumpled up like a piece of old homework. It's fair to say that I may have lost my composure.
Dresden:
I hated using the abilities that came along with the mantle of the Winter Knight, but considering the circumstances it seemed justified. Using the power of the Winter Court helped me focus my abilities and gave me a bit more fire power. Bishop and I we're presenting a decent front line assault when he saw someone in the corner of the room. It was a girl, and she looked like she may have been quite beautiful at one point. That was when our plan got shot to shit.
Raine:
If someone decided to say that I had let my self control slip, I would have to agree with them. I saw her body laying there and lost it. In a fit of rage with claws and teeth barred I lunged at Abraxas and began gnawing and slashing his throat. He was unamused.
"ENOUGH!" He shouted rattling the windows of the church. With the slightest wave of his hand he pinned Dresden and I to the floor. "I've entertained you mortals long enough." With another small gesture he pulls Constantine and Sanya from behind the door they were hiding behind and pinned them to a wall as well. I could move little more than my lips. It was as if gravity had been cranked up from 1 to 11 and shot directly at us. It didn't seem like we were going anywhere.
Constantine:
I had been chanting an incantation to banish "Abraxas" for a solid minute and a half when Sanya and I were yanked from our hiding spot via some unseen tether. I didn't like it, and I didn't want to admit it, but that pointed to one likely outcome. He was not a demon, but quite possibly an Old One or at the very least a powerful outsider. If so that was bad news.
There wasn't a whole lot we could do, but we would definitely needed to bide our time and make whatever moves we could swiftly and efficiently. Basically we were fucked.
I was going to try to come up with some kind of plan when a sharp, penetrating pain shot through my head like millions of white hot needles riding on the back of a lightning bolt. I was struggling to form even the most basic of thoughts, so my plan wasn't gaining too much traction.
Abraxas:
"It is pointless to try to resist. Addressing you is but a formality, so take heed of my words. The Outsiders and the Old Ones are coming...this night I have made a sacrifice on your behalf to give those that survive a fighting chance. I have broken the barriers separating the realms of existence allowing your sparks to consolidate and giving you the power to fight back."
Dresden:
"What do you mean? This doesn't make any sense." It was hard to even think with him stabbing around in my head, but aside from the pain I just felt helpless to do anything against such overwhelming power. As soon as it seemed like he was going to loosen his grip on our minds, he twisted the screws that much harder.
Abraxas:
"I am not your ally, but your success will be my success. I don't intend to unbalance the scales, but to introduce a fair amount of chaos. The thing about chaos though, is that it's fair. I only hope you will be ready when the time comes. Good luck wizards."
Constantine:
"Wait! Before you go, who are you?!"
The bugger had the most grotesque smile on his face that showed glee atop a foundation of rage. After seeing that I wasn't sure I wanted to know.
Abraxas:
"You won't have heard of me...I am the unseen soldier, I am He Who Walks Within." And without another word the being we knew as Abraxas vanished.
Raine:
Well Abraxas or "He Who Walks Within" was gone, but I could still feel his touch inside my head. I worried that I would never not feel him. But at least I could move now. My whole body was weak and I had difficulty getting to my feet.
Dresden:
"Well boys...that was a real shit show." My body was weak as I tried to get my bearings and my mind was reeling. "I don't imagine any of you have any idea how to proceed." Before anyone had a chance to respond there was a palpable environmental shift. The energy in the air was all wrong. It wasn't long at all before there was a visible energy shift, well visible to anyone with the sight. There were tendrils of energy reaching out from the earth and stretching indefinitely. "This case just got a whole lot more interesting," I say aloud to my companions who did naught but nod in agreement. I felt quite odd as I stared at the threads of energy reaching out into the beyond. I felt confused, and nervous, but more odd than that...I felt a power within me that wasn't there before. I wasn't sure what exactly Abraxas had initiated, but I was certain our partnership was going to last longer than we planned.