The lights flickered all of a sudden. At the end of the hallway darkness had fallen and the lamps turned off. Sebastian frowned, something very strange was happening. He slowly walked towards the darkest part of the hallway as the lamps that were still on kept flickering. He could hear something like a breath coming from there, a little growl. Sebastian clutched his fists getting ready for whatever was hiding there.
As closer as he got that breathily growl was becoming louder. The lights suddenly turned off. There was a black mass lingering at the end of the hallway, like a black smoky cloud. Sebastian could smell burned, it smelled awful as if somebody or something had caught on fire. Sebastian kept going the darkness growing. His hands started to sweat and his heart was beating faster and faster the closer he got. He had a very bad feeling about this.
He heard the armour of the general clank. He looked behind him to see the helmet roll down his feet. Sebastian made a nervous smile. It was the first time in years he got so angsts and so scared. He usually wasn't frightened very easily, though he could name a few people who send shivers down his spine. This time it was all different. Fear took over him and he'd lie if he said he wasn't shaking. He didn't want to look up, he didn't want to see what was standing there. He didn't want to get in to the darkness. He wanted to run away from here and in to a place with lots and lots of people. But his feet were frozen he couldn't even feel his legs not to say move them. His heart was drumming in his chest it almost popped out. He slowly looked up and grinned frightened.
There was a man standing there, half necked from the waist up, blood all over him. He was crouching and looking tired and weary. He lifted his head up and opened his mouth. A swarm of black flies flew out.
Sebastian didn't realize he was holding his breath all this time until his chest started feeling heavy. His eyes flared bloody red and they were glowing in the darkness. With a sweep of his hand the flies burned in mid-air turning to crisp. The man closed his mouth and stared at Sebastian with his hollow eyes full of hatred. Sebastian lifted his arm up and fire blazed in his palm. The man grinned looking behind Sebastian and Sebastian felt chills down his spine. He slowly turned around, the fire in his palm died out.
Something was coming out of the mass. From the darkness a hand came out, a bony hand with long fingers and black claws. It was dripping with a black ooze as if the mass had materialized in to liquid. The hand touched Sebastian's neck with the tip of its claw and he quickly jumped back. The thing was climbing out, one leg after the other and hands front like a zombie. The skin was wrapped around the bones and there were no muscles no meat nothing. Just dry skin and bones. It had a crooked figure and the spine was arched in to a hump. The head was long it had no eyes just two black lines that were sewn together. The mouth was filled with spiky teeth and its tongue was long and dripping with saliva. The arms and legs were unnaturally long, it looked like a humanoid spider and it even walked like one. The creature opened its mouth releasing a fowl breath and a hiss.
Sebastian smiled nervously. He made a step back accidentally tripping over the helmet at his feet and falling down. He crawled on the red carpet, his limps numb his strength gone. His body refused to follow his mind telling him to get the hell out of there. He touched something with his back, it was that man. Sebastian didn't even glance back, his eyes were locked on the infernal creature coming out of the darkness.
The man grabbed Sebastian's neck and he started choking him. Sebastian tried to release himself form the man's grip but he was too strong. Sebastian's hand started to burn but he couldn't burn the spirit's flesh because he had none. The creature was coming closer and closer, the man was only holding Sebastian for the thing to take him.
Sebastian closed his eyes thinking this was the end of him. He couldn't believe how weak he had appeared in the end and diffidently didn't want to die like this. He survived so many things, wars, battles, betrayals, conflicts, famine. He was tied for years on a stupid rock with venom been spat in his face. No, he couldn't go out like an old washout diva. He had to get up, he had to fight.
Sebastian yelled and his entire body flared in to flames. The spirit let him go, tripping back. The creature hid it's face as if it could see the light of the flames. Sebastian jumped up and raised his arms, consecrating the fire in his two opened palms and he shot.
Scarlet smelled smoke coming from the open window. She quickly got up and looked outside. She didn't see anything peculiar, everything was calm and peaceful. Yet the stench of smoke still lingered. Scarlet closed her eyes and listened. She heard the people next door talking and laughing. She heard the servants in the kitchen washing dishes and preparing tonight's dinner. She heard music from the ballroom and dancing feet. She heard people gossiping, flirting and whispering. She heard the raven fly and the clouds moving on the sky.
Scarlet focused on the smoke and tried to follow the smell with her mind and hearing. She heard someone been chocked and cursing at the same time. It was Sebastian or at least it sounded like him. Scarlet grabbed her sword and went for the door. She stopped before turning the knob. It would've been awkward if people saw her carrying a big sword with her so she decided to go from the rooftops. She took the scabbard with her and sheathed the sword. She climbed out the window and followed Sebastian's voice across the floors.
The girl was distracted. On the third floor the lights had been turned off. Something was set ablaze a fire of some sort burning in the darkness. Mavis found her chance to strike now that the girl's focus was off her. She run quickly like the wind, by taking the wind's power in to her and giving her great speed. She took a leap reaching the girl. The girl stared at her, her mouth opened in to a silent scream. Mavis grabbed the girl's head and pressed it with her fingertips. The girl's body turned grey and dropped to ash. The music box fell on the girl's ashes it opened up and started playing. Mavis stepped on the box breaking it to pieces.
She wiped her hands and turned towards the Hotel. The fire was dying out and since the fire-alarms weren't turning on it meant the fire was made of magic. Magic used different particles to manifest. In this case fire made of magic couldn't be detected by the fire alarms. The girl in the garden was only a distraction. The true threat was inside the Hotel.
The creature tossed Sebastian across the room. He fell on the armours and collapsed with them. He kicked and pushed a breast-plate off him and tried to get up, before slipping on one of the kneecaps and falling down again. He smirked, wiping a string of blood running down his chin.
The creature walked closer to him, gripping on the walls with its long arms to push its self forward. It could barely fit in the hallway, though the hallways were big enough for a horse to pass through. Sebastian got up, spat fire from his hands but the creature didn't flinch. It was becoming invulnerable.
It seemed that Sebastian had to get used to the idea that he was a goner. That this was the end of him and he hated it. He absolutely despised the idea. Who was going to take care of the wolf in the basement when he was gone?
'Did anyone told you, you look like Venom from Spiderman?' Sebastian laughed. The creature used its arm like a whip and hit Sebastian in the face making him stumble back. 'Why aren't you dead Grendel?' Sebastian hissed. The creature cried as if in pain and launched at Sebastian.
Sebastian tried to dodge it but the creature was taking too much space and the armours didn't make things easier. There was not enough room to move, not with that thing in here and let's not forget he spirit who had the habit of chocking and was with Grendel's side for some reason, moving like a rat around Sebastian trying to make him suffocate.
Sebastian hit one of the walls as the creature jumped through the hallway, squeezing him back. The spirit came out of the wall gripping Sebastian's neck again. He even tried to bit his shoulder with its rotting teeth. This spirit was familiar, Sebastian was sure he had seen him at one point in his life. The creature turned around angrily and saw Sebastian pinned on the wall. It seemed like it was smiling, though the length of its mouth made it difficult to tell if it was smiling or if it just had big mouth.
The creature slowly walked to him. It only made a few steps and there it was in Sebastian's face. Sebastian grinned, still nervous and scared. He couldn't count the times he escaped death, they were countless. Yet this time it seemed like his luck had finally run out. Who would've thought that this great figure from antiquity would go down, not in a blaze of glory but in the hands of Grendel and her ghost friend? Sebastian almost laughed.
'Thor would definitely laugh his heart out if he saw me.' Sebastian mumbled.
The window crashed and Scarlet rolled on the floor with her sword out. The creature turned to her and Scarlet was on her feet running straight at it, sword up high. The creature didn't even had time to move when Scarlet's cursed sword fell up on its back wounding it. The flesh burned and the creature screamed in terrible agony.
'It was about time.' Sebastian muttered.
Scarlet's face had changed, black veins popped out around her darkening eyes and cheeks, her white fangs grew longer and larger and she growled like a beast.
The creature touched it's back as smoke rose out of the wound. The blood was thick and black and it smelled even afoul than the creature's breath. The creature was furious now, it had two to deal with. The spirit kept holding on Sebastian while Scarlet stood in the middle of the hallway facing the creature. Grendel let out a shrieking roar and Scarlet charged. With quick moves, she cut the creature's flesh multiple times but the skin was too thick for the sword's blade to pass through it. The more Scarlet cut Grendel, the quicker the wounds were healing. Grendel was becoming immune to Scarlet's cursed sword.
Scarlet jumped back breathless, eyes locked on the creature. It should've been dead and bleeding by now but as it seemed Scarlet did no harm to it. Grendel was still holding on perfectly well and it was becoming even stronger.
'We have to run.' Scarlet said.
'Are you insane we can't have that thing running free in the Hotel.' Sebastian protested.
'Are you stupid or what?' Scarlet got angry with him. 'I can't fight it.'
'Yes, you can. You're a bloody vampire.'
Scarlet pressed her lips in to a thin line angrily. She couldn't argue with him not now, not while there was a monster on the loose.
'You have to stop it.'
'Me?'
'Yes you. As you may see I'm a bit busy right now.' Sebastian said.
Scarlet relaxed her breathing. All she had was her cursed sword, she killed the dead with it, vampires, werewolves she killed many creatures with this sword and yet it was no match against the Grendel monster.
'Bite it.' Sebastian yelled as the creature made its move again running slowly against Scarlet.
'What?'
'Bite it.'
'Are you serious? If it's immune to the sword then it's immune to a vampire's bite.'
'You lose nothing if you try.'
'As if I'll bite that thing.' Scarlet raised her sword and blocked Grendel's fist.
She managed to make a deep wound on its wrist and forced Grendel to jump back. Grendel took its crooked arm hanging carelessly and put it back in its place. The wound soon healed and that was when Scarlet knew it was a waste of time to keep cutting the creature. The sword didn't work, it only worked on the damned not on things made by gods. All she could do now was take Sebastian and run the hell out of here. But what of all the people and their friends, they couldn't simply leave them.
'We have to go.' She said giving no further thought. 'We have to leave, call for help.'
'From who?' Sebastian's hands started burning again, his flame was back. He touched the man's head and he screamed as the flames surrounded him. He let Sebastian go and fell behind disappearing in to the wall. Sebastian fixed his tie and vest, he wasn't going to let that monster terrorize him any longer.
'Solas.' A voice sounded and the lamps turned on.
The creature made an awful cry and tried to merge back in the darkness. But Mavis was there and she was quick like the wind once again, running up the stairs and in to the hallway. Sebastian and Scarlet turned towards her. Mavis stopped releasing a small amount of her energy, enough to weaken the creature and bring a terrible headache to Sebastian and Scarlet. The two fell on their knees holding their heads. It was as if gravity had suddenly increased and it was pulling them down to the ground like magnet.
Sebastian tried to focus but it was difficult, the head ache was unbearable and he felt as if his head was going to split opened. Scarlet was already down, and unconscious, bleeding from her nose, the sword fallen beside her was vibrating as if it too could feel Mavis's energy release.
Mavis walked pass them. Grendel couldn't concentrate either. It might've been immune to certain attacks but it wasn't immune to a warlock. No matter how hard it tried it couldn't resist it nor grow used to it. Mavis's magic was too powerful and she only used ten percent of it. Enough to stop the creature and enough not to set on the alarms of the hotel and summon all the witches and the vampires here. She also put a restricting barrier around the third floor, just in case her magic leaks, it would be stopped and nobody will sense anything. Thankfully nobody was in the rooms and she could go out of control if she had too without having any side casualties.
Mavis clutched her fist, one hand spread opened on the stone wall, devouring the power of the stone in to her making her fist solid, hard and strong. She started running, she practically flew above the ground. She charged at the creature, her arm up, shoulder high, her fist clutched tightly. She arched her body, pulled her fist back and launched a punch in to Grendel's face. Grendel fell back its face smashed against Mavis's fist. Blood splattered on the walls, along with broken teeth, bones and flesh. All that was left of Grendel's head was the jaw but the creature was still alive and kicking. Disoriented but still alive. Its face started reconstructing a minute after. The bone filled in like a puzzle. The skin grew and soon a new face was forming.
Mavis turned to the darkness, the black mass behind Grendel. It was the main source of the creature's energy. Mavis clutched her fist and a beam of golden light exploded with in it like the power of a thousand suns.
Sebastian's jaw dropped while watching Mavis use that magic. The first thought in his head was that she was some kind of a god. There was no other explanation on how that woman had so much power in her. Only gods could do magic like that, draw magic from objects then use it as their own, release so much spiritual energy that made people crumble and fall on their knees. What else could she be? If not a god then…
'Oh shit…' Sebastian muttered sitting down unable to do anything but watch Mavis taking down Grendel.
Mavis clenched her teeth and tossed her arm front toward the creature. The beam pierced though the creature's chest and launched in to the dark mass behind it. The light acted like a parasite, eating and burning Grendel's flesh turning it to ash, then moving to the darkness devouring it. It made a hole in its canter and the darkness was dissolving fast. The creature cried in agony holding its head and screaming in pain. The light was tearing it apart eating its flesh, bones and innards. Before it completely collapsed, before the light had eaten the creature almost entirely, for one last time it raised a trembling hand, a call out for mercy. The sewn eyes opened and tears fell. It was crying, Grendel was still human inside but it was too late, the light had taken i's life and the source of its power leaving nothing but ash in their place.
Mavis relaxed. She decreased her spiritual energy to almost zero percent and she felt like human. She took down the barrier and the hallways got fixed from all the holes and the battle signs as soon as it dropped. Mavis stood there silently, listening, feeling, sensing. The energies had calmed down, there was but a faint trace of what was here still lingering in the air. But something felt off.
Sebastian got up, his hair was a mess and so was he. Scarlet was slowly coming back from her slumber. She sat back, her head feeling heavier than normal. She had to use her sword to support herself and back on her feet. She felt like she was on a ship caught in storm. Mavis's release was too much for her to take and it will surely give her side effect for the rest of the evening.
'Thanks.' Sebastian said.
'It's not over yet.' Mavis said emotionally blank.
She wasn't even tired, neither was she moved by Grendel's last act for mercy. She was cold and stoic and emotionless. Her eyes didn't have the slightest sympathy for anyone. The entire world could burn and she won't even blink. Only one certain species in the world was so empty and Sebastian cursed himself for crossing paths with them, those infernal primitive creatures who hide underground like moles.
'For now, it is.' Sebastian insisted. 'Listen, whatever happens here it's my problem not yours, so you can keep your little warlock hands out of my business.'
Mavis narrowed her eyes and Sebastian found it a good time to shut up and stop been a smart ass.
'Thanks very much. We really appreciate it.' Sebastian smiled.
Mavis stood there silently. She was sure there was something strange going on with the butler. He definitely wasn't who he said he was, yet she couldn't put her mind to tell what he reminded her of. Mavis quietly left the floor not wanting to make any more commotion. After all, the butler had one things right: it was their problem not hers. She'd better stay out of it before anyone else finds out about her.
As soon as Mavis left Sebastian finally was able to breathe. He glanced at Scarlet wearing her I-don't-approve face. But Scarlet could easily be dealt with, he had more bigger problems than her. Sebastian fixed his vest and tie and lastly put his messy hair back together.
'Shall we go?' he said and Scarlet kept glaring at him still not approving. 'What?' Sebastian roared behind his teeth.
Suddenly a female voice sounded, a scream. Sebastian and Scarlet quickly jumped out of the window not wanting to waste any more precious time, afraid the Grendel had come back. They went around the Hotel to find a shaking woman, kneeling down and staring up while holding her mouth and crying.
Sebastian cursed under his breath, watching the magician hang from the window, lifeless, his legs daggling feet above the ground.
