Chapter 10 - What on earth ...?
Nuada was fuming while working on a replacement for Wink's lost arm. The damned demon almost killed his friend. While Wink was out of any danger and just needed some time to recover after the fight, the image of him stuck in the garbage dispenser was still haunting Nuada. That was too close. He could not bare to lose Wink too. Not after what happened in the last few days.
He knew that they might try to find him. He knew of the existence of Hellboy and the others in the organization that defended humans. The idea made him frown every time he thought about it. He knew about them and they didn't even know he existed, up until now. That used to give him an advantage, but now, the element of surprise was gone.
In the last months, since his return, he noticed their activity and watched them from the shadows, growing furious with their attitude. They defended the humans no matter what, never thinking that the beings they fought for might not deserve the effort.
The demon tried his best to fit in, but Nuada could see it was just in vain. He could not and would never be one of them. He tried to tell him that, in their brief reunion, and he knew he struck a chord.
The water creature that was always with the demon didn't seem as keen to blend in. He had to admit to himself that he appreciated the creature's habit of speaking only after thinking. That was a rare quality, regardless of the species. As for the third person in the group, she was human. A human that could burst into flames and scorch everything around, but still a human. She seemed to share a special bond with the demon, another thing that confused Nuada to no end. That type of relationship seemed ridiculous to him.
The frown on his face got deeper. The night before, he finally met the human-defending creatures face to face, as opponents. However, there was a new addition to the group. That woman...He never saw her before during his observations, and the worst thing was that he could not figure out what she was. He knew almost every creature that lived on this earth. During his exile, he traveled high and low, meeting other beings he knew about only from books or from his father. Even so, he could not pin the woman into a category.
The fangs and the colour of her eyes led him to think, in the first moment he saw her, that she was a vampire. However, that possibility was soon ruled out, when she broke the chain holding Wink. She used a special type of energy that was also unknown to him. Yet another reason to be frustrated.
Following that thought, he couldn't help to wonder why on earth she saved Wink from a certain death. And then her voice rang in his mind "I am not your enemy..."
Even the memory of her voice gave him chills. It was melodic, but frightening, like two different people whispering at the same time, the sounds combining to create one single otherworldly voice.
"Scared of what you don't know, prince?"
He actually growled at that memory. The fact that she picked up on that single moment when he felt a bit scared of her made him furious.
The growl startled Wink, who was resting in a corner of the underground room, on a pile of rags.
"I'm sorry to have disturbed you, my friend", said Nuada, while assessing the state of the troll.
"Are you feeling any better?"
Wink nodded and turned his eyes to the prince.
Nuada looked at him and gave a small smile. "Your new arm is almost done. I will be able to attach it soon. Seems like all the "junk" I keep around is useful after all", he smirked, looking at Wink.
Wink snorted in disbelief and almost rolled his eyes. He had told Nuada dozens of times that he should learn to throw some stuff away. The elf kept everything, making his underground shelter look like a storage room.
He guessed that, after years of wondering around, without a place to call home and with no possessions, the elf had a hard time re-adapting. His sense of property just went wild.
Wink got rid of some of the stuff from time to time, when Nuada wasn't around, and the elf didn't seem to notice, or he noticed and didn't mind. However, Wink knew better than to mess with Nuada's weapons or with the mechanical objects he forged.
He had to admit that, while not giving much patience to other beings, the prince had infinite amounts to spend on craftsmanship. His arm was proof. He lost the limb in a battle, long before he met Nuada, and the prince was the one who made his metallic arm, infusing it with magic, so the troll could control it. The arm he had just lost in the battle with the demon was only the last in a long series.
Nuada kept perfecting his creations. Fortunately, the prince had kept one of the previous prototypes, that only needed some adjustments.
Digging up one useful item would prove Nuada's point and would make the elf gloat for many months. So much for cleaning the place, the troll groaned.
Nuada heard his friend groan and looked towards him with an amused expression. He could guess what Wink was thinking about.
His work on the arm was finished and he was grateful that the troll had managed to distract him from his dark thoughts, even for a short while. However, as soon as he started to attach Wink's arm, the cursed images came back.
What on earth is that creature and where did she come from. Why is she with them and just how powerful is she. Is she a major threat? The damned creature managed to push me away but that is only because I was distracted and I had no idea what to expect. I cannot afford to make that mistake twice.
The more he thought about it, the clearer it seemed. He needed some research on the creature. Right now it had the upper hand on him, but he planned to turn the tables soon enough.
A.N. I want to thank you for the reviews. At first, I only wrote this for myself, driven by frustration. Yeah, I hated the ending of the movie that much! It left a bitter taste in my mouth, so I wanted to imagine my own story. I'm glad some other people find it worth reading.
Oh, and a special thanks to nekuranekomegami . You reviewed every chapter and really seem to love the story, so that alone makes it worth posting :D
The next chapter, another Nuada special, should arrive in a few days. Let me know what you think.