Ch. 11 Traps, Big Cheese, Supply & Demand

Calvin looked around the small house, and noticed a staircase in the back of the room.
"Lilith, over here!" Calvin yelled, and ran up the stairs. The second floor was a small storage room, with a large window overlooking the front of the house. Calvin looked out, and saw three men in dirty clothing outside. Two were carrying axes, and the third was carrying a pitchfork.
"Schauen Sie, im Fenster an!" One of the men outside yelled, and then threw his axe. Calvin jumped back from the window, bumping into Lilith as she made it to the top of the staircase. The axe broke through the window and clattered to the floor. Calvin moved back to the window, and aimed his Desert Eagle out. He fired a few rounds, and took out the man holding the pitchfork. He fell, and started to dissolve. The man who threw his axe ran over to his fallen companion and picked up his pitchfork, as the other man threw his axe. Calvin ducked below the window frame, and Lilith pressed up against a side wall, as the axe flew through the window and embedded itself in the opposite wall. Lilith then looked over at Calvin and smirked.
"I'll be right back." she said, and then jumped out the window. As she fell, she shot at the man who threw the axe, killing him. When she landed, she shot at the other man, scoring a shot to the forehead. He dropped the pitchfork and brought his hands up to his face, screaming. Lilith shot him again, and he fell. Calvin ran out of the house as the two corpses started to dissolve.
"That was a bit much, don't you think?" Calvin asked.
"Well, they're dead, and that's what matters." Lilith said, smirking. The two then continued on down the path. After a few minutes, Lilith stopped.
"What's wrong?" Calvin asked.
"Shh, be quiet for a little bit." Lilith said. She cocked her head at an odd angle, then walked off the path.
"What's going on?" Calvin asked, and followed her.
"There's some animal over here, it sounds like it's in pain." Lilith said. A few minutes later they came across a wolf. It's leg was caught in a bear trap. Lilith calmly walker forward and started to pet it. "Shh, it's okay, we'll get you out of here. Calvin, see if you can get that bear trap open." Lilith said. Calvin crouched next to the trap, and started to pry it apart. It took a few moments, but the trap was finally open far enough for the wolf to pull it's leg out. It hobbled off quickly, and looked back at the two, before hobbling off farther in the woods.
"I wonder why there's a trap here." Calvin said. He then looked around, and noticed that they were surrounded by untripped bear traps. He also noticed there were a few tripwire bombs stretched between the trees. "Oh shit." Calvin sighed.
"I guess that means were getting closer to whatever they're trying to hide." Lilith said, smirking.
"Hm, then we should keep going." Calvin said. The two continued on, though much more slowly.

About a half hour later...

After passing through woods and a large strange gate, the two had ended up on the outskirts of a small village. From what Calvin and Lilith could see, it was sparsely populated.
"Well, what's the plan of action?" Lilith asked.
"It'll probably be our best bet to get through here unnoticed, so I say we sneak through on the left side of the village, using that path." Calvin said, pointing to a small trail. Calvin crouched, and silently moved forward. Lilith quickly followed behind. Unfortunately, the trail ended near a small house.
"Ein Aussenstehender!" a voice yelled out. The two looked over and saw a villager pointing in their direction. The other villagers immediately stopped what they were doing, and started to head for them.
"Shit!" Calvin yelled. Lilith ran up the small house and broke through the window.
"Quick, over here!" She yelled. Calvin ran over and she quickly pulled him inside. The inside of the house was practically bare, there were a few shelves, chests, and a table, but other than that it was empty. Lilith immediately went over to a large shelf and started to shove it in front of the window. "Calvin, block the door!" she yelled. He nodded and started moving a chest in front of the door. Once they were done, they moved upstairs to find two more windows, and a shotgun laying on a shelf. Lilith grabbed the shotgun, and broke one of the windows. Calvin looked out the other window, and saw more villagers gathering around the door. He then heard a buzzing sound, and saw a large man with a burlap sack over his head wielding a chainsaw.
"Lilith, things just got more complicated!" Calvin yelled. He turned around, and saw Lilith outside of the window, upside down.
"Hurry, we'll be safer if we're on the roof!" Lilith said. Calvin ran over and started to climb out of the window. Lilith grabbed his arms and pulled him up onto the slanted roof. Calvin looked around and saw a large amount of villagers swarming around the house, the buzz of the chainsaw was even louder. There was a loud thunk sound, and Lilith saw the end of a ladder resting on the edge of the roof. She immediately knocked it over. "Looks like we might not be so safe up here." Lilith said. Calvin unholstered his Desert Eagle and started to fire at the villagers.
"Yeah, and I doubt we have enough ammo for all of them." Calvin replied. At that moment, a loud bell rang out, coming from the church off in the distance. The mass of villagers stopped attacking, and slowly filed into a strange, large building. There were loud murmurs coming from all of them, and a few started to chant "Balthazar".
"Kind of an odd time to have mass, don't you think?" Lilith asked.
"Whatever, I'm not complaining." Calvin said. Once the villagers cleared out, the two got off of the roof, and moved on.

Calvin and Lilith checked the rest of the village, and other than a little ammunition, a leather strap which Lilith used to tie the shotgun to her side, and some possibly valuable trinkets, there wasn't much. They then continued on, and found themselves near a large barn to their right and a small building to their left. Calvin continued walking, but Lilith stopped him.

"What is it?" Calvin asked.

"Do you hear that?" Lilith said. Calvin listened carefully, and faintly heard the sounds of someone walking on a wooden floor. Lilith pulled out her USP and took a few quiet steps forward. Calvin followed suit and stayed close behind her. Inside the barn were two villagers, moving bales of hay to the upper loft. In the small building (which appeared to be a stable), there was a villager feeding a few cows. The path they were on ran between both buildings to the other side of the barn.

"Think it's possible to get through here without being seen?" Lilith asked.

"Maybe, it all depends if there are any villagers on the other side." Calvin said. Lilith smiled.

"Well, I can find out in a moment." she said. Her wings appeared, and she silently shot into the air. Calvin looked up and saw her hovering, about one hundred feet in the air, before slowly and silently swooping down. She landed, and here wings stretched out wide, easily reaching a twelve foot span. "Ahh, they've been hidden too long. I think i'll keep them out for now." she said.

"So... why don't you just carry me and fly over this whole mess?" Calvin asked. Lilith frowned slightly.

"That would require a bit of energy, and right now, I feel like conserving that for an emergency." she said
"Well, I'm sure if we called back to the base, they could help us find some rations." Calvin said. Lilith chuckled.

"That would only help half way. Flying requires two kinds of energy, and I doubt you would be willing to let me take your energy for transportation." Lilith said.

"Oh, yeah, I didn't think of that." Calvin said sheepishly. Lilith smirked.

"Well, I forgive you, it's not every day you deal with a succubus." she said.

"Yeah, i've only had to deal with aliens." Calvin said, grinning.

"Heh, yeah. Anyway, the other side looked clear, so if we move quickly down the path we shouldn't be seen." Lilith said. The two then silently moved down the path to the next gate. It was a narrow path winding downwards, on either side were cliff walls, reaching about twenty feet in the air. Calvin and Lilith slowly walked through.

"So, how do you..." Calvin started to ask.

"Take energy?" Lilith finished. Calvin nodded. "Well, there are a few ways. One is through normal physical contact, holding hands or touching someone's face. It requires a lot of concentration and time, and is rarely used. Then there is the vampiric way, biting into the neck. It's works quickly, but depending on the person, I might use mouthwash afterwards. There is kissing, it works about the same as biting, but it's a bit unappealing to me to kiss my target, usually because they are pretty nasty. Finally, there's...well, what succubus's are known for. It's the fastest way to get energy, and depending on the succubus, is the most used method. And before you ask, I have NOT, I'm still 'Pure', and plan on staying that way until I meet the right guy." Lilith explained.

"What about taking souls? Isn't that what your kind is famous for?" Calvin asked.

"Oh, we do that too. We do the same methods, we just focus more on the spiritual energies than the physical ones. When a succubus or incubus becomes old enough, we get a soul quota we need to meet every month for Nidheg. The actual quota number depends on age, experience, where we currently live, and a few other factors." Lilith continued.

"That sounds...like a normal job almost." Calvin said.

"In a way it is. We go after some pretty evil people, but unfortunately, we can't get them all. At least the Shinigami's job is easier, they just have to be on site when a death occurs." Lilith continued.

"Shinigami?" Calvin asked.

"Shinigami are what you know as..." Lilith started.

"Schnell, lässt fallen den Feldstein, sind sie hier!" a voice yelled above. Calvin and Lilith looked up and saw three villagers pushing a boulder over the edge of the cliff. The two started to run down the path, the boulder crashing and rolling down after them. The path took a turn into a tunnel, and the two ran in, as the boulder tumbled and crashed at the entrance, blocking it.

"Well shit, isn't that convenient?" Lilith said.

"Let's just keep going, I'm sure we'll find a way around soon." Calvin said. They exited the tunnel, and found themselves in a lightly wooded area with a two small buildings, and a somewhat larger building. Stretched between a few of the trees were explosive wire traps, and on the ground were a few bear traps. They easily avoided the traps, and checked the small buildings. The only thing they could find was a small amount of .50 caliber rounds for Calvin's Desert Eagle, .45 caliber hollow points for Lilith's USP, and a box 12-gauge shells for the shotgun Lilith took (which upon further examination, was a Benelli Nova Tactical). The two then headed for the larger building. As soon as they entered, they heard a strange thumping sound resonating through the building. Just like the outside, the building was littered with explosive wire traps and bear traps, but were easily avoidable. However, the building seemed empty. The two entered a large living room, and met a dead end.

"Well what the hell, where is that noise coming from?" Lilith said. She started to leave the room, but Calvin stopped her.

"Hold on a second." Calvin said. He didn't know why, but he knew there was something odd about the single bookcase in the room. After a quick investigation, Calvin moved to the side of the case and started to push. The case slowly moved, and behind it was another hall.

"How in the world did you know about that?" Lilith asked, stunned.

"I really have no idea. It's that Deja Vu thing again, I feel like I've done this already." Calvin said. The two moved down the hall, and entered a room with a large closet. The doors shook, and the whole closet rocked slightly.

"Looks like we found the source of the noise." Calvin said quietly. The two moved to either side of the closet, and unholstered their firearms. Calvin moved his hand to the lock, and looked over at Lilith. She nodded, and Calvin opened the closet. Out fell a man, who was tied up, with his mouth taped shut. Lilith ripped the tape off of his mouth.

"Ow, a little rough, ja? Are you like them?" The man said, then asked.

"Nope. Are you?" Calvin asked.

"No. Quick question, either of you got a cigarette?" the man said. Calvin shook his head.

"Sorry, I don't smoke." Lilith responded. There were sudden heavy footfalls, as a large, bald, bearded man in an overcoat, flanked on either side by villagers, entered the room.

"Shit, it's the head honcho." The man said.

"Huh?" Lilith said. In an effort to surprise him, Calvin ran forward and jumped, aiming a kick at the large man's head. The man grabbed Calvin's foot, and threw him back, hitting Lilith. Calvin was knocked out instantly, and Lilith's head struck the back of the wall. Her vision blurred, and as she slowly lost consciousness, she saw the large man move aside, as a purple robed figure moved out from behind him.

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Later

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"I hope that you enjoy this little...'Gift'...that we are pleased to present you with." Calvin heard a voice say faintly. A few moments later, he felt a pin prick in his neck, followed by a strange lump moving down from the pin prick.

Calvin awoke with a start, and tried to stand up. He found this to be extremely difficult, and looked around. His arms were bound at his sides, and he was chained around something. He craned his neck around, and saw that he was chained to the strange man that Lilith and himself freed earlier. Looking around again, he saw Lilith was unconscious in one corner of the small room they were in, heavily bound with chains and heavy weights. Calvin groaned, and shuffled around, poking his elbows into the strange man's back.

"Hey, wake up. Wake up, damn it!" Calvin said loudly. The man groaned and stirred.

"Ja ja ja, ugh, out of the frying pan and into the fire." The man said quietly.

"I'm not sure how long you've been here, but is there anything you can tell me about the Lunarium here?" Calvin asked.

"Not from around here, ja? What brings you to this god forsaken island?" the man asked.

"My name is...Dokuja. Over there is Anam." Calvin said, motioning to Lilith with his head. "We came here to take down Balthazar, but an important member of our group was kidnapped by the Lunarium, and now we're looking for her."

"What, you think you're some kind of civil hero?" the man asked.

"Not really." Calvin said.

"Well let me guess. The girl you're looking for...does she have bright blue hair and striking pink eyes?" The man said.

"That's way too good for a guess. Care to explain?" Calvin said.

"I can read minds... just kidding. I overheard a few of the villagers talking, they said she was locked in a church." the man said.

"Alright. So who might you be?" Calvin asked.

"Ich heisse Franz. I used to live on this island, before Balthazar came and took over. I fled, and eventually came back to help the Black Widows. Didn't do much good, I was caught a few days later. Somehow they can tell if you're one of them or not." the man, now known as Franz, said. At that moment, there was a loud creak, and a scraping sound. Calvin looked over and saw a villager enter the room, dragging a large ax behind him. "Sheisst! Do something!" Franz said. The villager raised the ax, and swung it down. Calvin pulled away from Franz, and the ax broke the chain that bound the two together. Calvin scooted away, and quickly reached for his Desert Eagle. Surprisingly, it had not been taken away. Calvin pulled it out and shot the villager a few times in the chest. The villager fell and dissolved on the floor. Calvin reholstered the Desert Eagle, moved over to Lilith, and started to shake her.

"Hey, wake up!" Calvin yelled. Lilith shuffled, and slowly opened her eyes.

"What the hell happened?" she asked.

"I'm not sure, but we got another person to help us." Calvin said quietly. He looked over where Franz was, but he had slipped out during the fight. "Or not. Hold on, let me grab something to break those with." he said, looking at the massive amount of chains and weights that held Lilith down. He got up and started to move towards the ax.

"Don't worry, I can handle this." Lilith said. She closed her eyes, and a reddish black aura surrounded her. The chains and weights started to glow, and crumbled.

"Wow, nifty." Calvin said. Lilith brushed herself off, checked to make sure nothing was taken from her (oddly enough, nothing was), and smirked.

"Lets get going, shall we?" she said. They exited the small room, which led to a narrow hallway. At the other end was a small window. As they neared it, a strange man in a black hood, wearing a dark purple handkerchief over the lower part of his face, looked in.

"Hello strangers. Meet me outside, I've got something that might interest ya." he said, and walked off.

"That was...odd." Calvin said.

"Think we can trust him?" Lilith asked.

"Maybe." Calvin said. He unholstered his Desert Eagle and reloaded it. "I'd have your pistol out just in case." The two exited the building, and moved around to where the window was. They saw the man leaning against the building, wearing a large black overcoat, with a large pack next to him. As they got closer, the man kicked the side of his pack, and it unfurled, displaying a large assortment of guns, ammuntion, medical supplies, and different tools. He opened the side of his overcoat, displaying even more guns and ammunition.

"As I said earlier, strangers, I have a few things that might interest ya. Care to do business?" The man said.

"Business sounds good. But why are you out here?" Calvin asked.

"I knew that the Black Widows would eventually send someone in to take care of Balthazar, and I saw an opportunity to make a little cash. There are many infected villagers on this island, some more dangerous than others, and I have the necessary tools to deal with them. I can provide with new guns, augment and improve what guns you have, give you medicinal and food supplies, even provide you a map of the area. I'm just a merchant waiting for my customer." the man, now know as the merchant, said.

"I see. But how were you able to live out here this long, and not become one of them?" Calvin asked.

"I have many places on this island they don't know about, and I don't drink water." The merchant said, chuckling, as he pulled out a bottle of rum, shaking it slowly. "So now, what can I do for ya?"

"You said something about augmenting guns..." Calvin said. Lilith nodded, smirking.

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Authors Note: Sorry it took so long for a new chapter, College has been rough. I'm hoping to get more chapters up sooner, though.