Abe stood with Liz and Hellboy outside the meeting room as Locke and Kate spoke privately regarding their mission. He hesitated in telling Hellboy and Liz about his interaction with Locke, more out of embarrassment than actual nervousness.
"I let him feed on me last night… When I woke up a bit ago after blacking out, he was holed up in his rooms, hostile barriers set so I couldn't even find out what was going on with him. Like He was tossing me aside…" Abe quieted, stiffening, realizing that the door had opened ever so quietly, Locke standing behind Kate, looking away as though he'd been guilty of something horrendous.
"That was to protect everyone, not just you." Kate stated flatly, Hellboy moving aside and glowering at both, though Locke's demeanor and appearance seemed to soften his expression. Watching him a moment, the three noticed some of Locke's feathers had visibly fallen out, mainly around where he'd been bitten by the Kelpie, and he still had near-white hair.
"Kate, I'm in enough control I can explain on the way, with daylight coming, I'll be fine until this is dealt with." Locke stopped her from continuing with her hostility; looking sadly to the other three, gaze ever so briefly resting on Abe, before stepping out and leading the group down the hall. Kate motioned for the three to follow, Hellboy shrugging and following Liz, who gladly separated Locke from Abe, who kept a distance as well.
"When I was fighting the Kelpie, something I had hoped wouldn't happen, did. I'm not really able to fully explain it other than the more Monstrous part of my vampirism is active, fighting my will and I'm doing what I can to keep it contained. I didn't want to risk harming anyone else, least of all you Abe, hence why I returned you to your tank after you blacked out." Locke paused, their group gathering on the lift platform and rising to ground level in silence a moment before continuing. He purposely left out his frustration, though the other three could sense he was a bit upset and uncomfortable, refusing to meet their gaze by looking anywhere but at any one of them.
"This has never happened before, though being without my wings for so long, unable to regenerate or even make use of most of my Vampiric abilities, I'm not surprised that I'm not only out of practise, but struggling to keep some level of normalcy especially with the stress I'm under." Locke explained, eyeing Abe at length, seeing that he hadn't been able to explain to the others the call from the Hellsing manor, sighing and briefly explained that the air-traffic reroutes were related to an incident in which his family was directly involved, and that it hinted that a war was about to begin with a faction of thought-dead Nazi terrorists. Hellboy tensed, narrowing his eyes at the mention of the group that had been responsible for his father's death and looking to Liz, who nodded at an unspoken question. Abe seemed unperturbed, having been in the room when Locke had spoken to his family retainer, before Locke had fed on him, Liz and Hellboy nudging him as though having expected him to tell them.
"He didn't have the chance to say anything, it happened just before he came in." Locke stated simply to keep Abe from having to explain anything to them, leading their group to their black SUV, Kate getting in the drivers' seat and starting the engine without a word, keys retrieved from the driver's seat sun visor. Hellboy looked around, frowning, seeing no other vehicles, no other agents, no escort and his weapons case mysteriously missing. Locke chuckled a bit, tired smile on his face and motioning to the large armoured case sitting on one of the back seats of the SUV.
"New storage case for you Red, it's magicked so it's bigger on the inside. Not quite a TARDIS, but you get the idea." Locke settled into the passenger's seat, carefully hiding his wings under his coat, though anyone looking at him could tell he remained uncomfortable despite, Hellboy chuckling at the reference to an old series he hadn't watched in years. Abe sat behind Kate, Liz next to Hellboy at the back, all three tense and unsure of whether they should say or do anything. Kate looked to Locke, then lightly reached over and punched his arm, earning her a slight jump and indignant glare.
"Tell them what's going on, will you? I'm driving." She pushed, the silence and obvious tense situation getting to her. Locke sighed, shifting slightly in his seat to be able to talk with the other Three more easily.
"Turns out Wendigos are still common around here, there's a half-dozen terrorizing a small suburb, several casualties already confirmed, a few more missing." Locke explained, sighing before continuing with something else seemingly unrelated. "Hey Red, how often have you seen region-specific creatures in completely different places? Like a Djinn in Italy or Tengu in Atlanta?" Locke asked, though knew Abe to be more able to answer such a question. Hellboy hummed a moment, scratching his chin before shaking his head.
"Come to think of it, no. Nothing really. Not until that Kelpie and her herd the other day." Hellboy raised a brow, Liz also seeming to pick up on Locke's chain of thought.
"Then how did they get there? There is no way they could've gotten overseas on their own." Liz frowned, looking to Abe and then to Locke. Abe seemed lost in thought, unreactive to the conversation.
"Exactly. Something is up, maybe it's related, maybe not. Whatever the reason, with my vampirism nearly taking over when I'm not paying attention or when it's dark, I don't know how well I can withstand anything right now. I need you three to keep an eye on me… Liz is most able to do damage though, and perhaps knock me out of it." Locke sighed, averting his gaze as Kate continued driving, the city blocks giving way to open fields, trees and forested areas before the flashing strobe lights of other BPRD vehicles up ahead could be seen mixed in with local police and emergency department vehicles. One rolled out of the way and an agent waved them through, the blockade to keep public out and to hopefully contain the Wendigo should they attempt to flee.
Abe had since snapped out of his quiet thought-process, having expected this to be a small event and easily contained. When the strobes caught his eye, he instantly realized that what the others had been talking about had been important, blushing lightly when he sensed Locke check on him, despite what had happened and how even he was frustrated for some unknown reason. Locke let him know they would talk later, frustration evident but still contained.
"Kate, I hope that cleanup was already called." Locke muttered after a bit, seeing blood smeared on buildings in crude glyphs, some he recognised and some he didn't, looking to Abe who nodded that he noticed them too. Kate didn't respond, pulling up to a church that had been painted with pentagrams with more glyphs and runes, a pale green glow emanating from inside. One other BPRD unit had motioned them toward it from up the block, the vehicle flashing its headlights as Locke stepped out and waved for them to go back to the perimeter line.
"That can't be good." Hellboy muttered, grabbing his new case and following as the rest piled out, Locke going up to a line drawn in the earth and carved through the cement, following it and noticing several points visible.
"I don't like this." Locke muttered, eyeing the circle and the houses around the building and across the street. Each seemed to have a different or number of repeating runes and designs, some obviously scrawled with barely-human taloned hands, one that caught his eye made him uneasy, but still turned to the Church and the circle that seemed to surround the building.
Abe strode up cautiously, Locke motioning for him to stay a bit back as he narrowed his eyes, grinned, and lifted his right sleeve, tapping his bracelet before kneeling down and gingerly pressing his right forefinger and thumb along the line. It glowed, and where the points had met it, drew the light along until it seemed to spark and fade, several outraged howls from inside announcing that their presence had been noticed.
"Way to go feathers, ring the doorbell next time, might be quieter." Hellboy chided, withdrawing the Samaritan and putting down the case. As he undid the second latch, the lid flipped up and over, the case sitting flat and several layers of folding drawers, labelled and easy to open, rising up and splaying out, trays and other small bits of equipment in the bottom, but brilliant light hiding any sight of the edges or bottom of the inside of the case. Hellboy took a moment to gape at the case, the contents far more than what he'd had available before, even able to tap on one spot that changed the contents and available ammunition to what he had for the Big Baby, which sat in a pocket magicked for it to be smaller and out of the way.
"Now that is a case! Feathers, how-"
"No time Red, we'll talk about specifics later!" Locke stood in a ready-stance, similar to a martial artist, wings up and spread, ready for their targets to emerge from inside the besmirched church, figures and glowing eyes peering from the windows. Abe quickly readied his own sidearm, Kate stepping back, hers also in her hands, slightly shaking as she watched the door suddenly heave outward, shattering as two large, almost werewolf-like creatures with extra-long fingers ending in talons nearly as long as a man's forearm, hooved feet, massive and expansive antlers ending in sharp points and slavering toothy maws barreled forth and targeted Locke.
Before Hellboy readied the Samaritan, Abe and Kate began to fire, Liz staying back with Hellboy to make sure she didn't overuse her abilities, or possibly catch Locke or Abe in the line of fire. Locke deftly dodged one, grasping the forearm of the other and using its momentum to spin it around himself and throw it at the other, both sent flying into a tree on the church lot. They hit the tree, one impaling the other with its antlers, the impaled one howling in rage before promptly turning to a cloud of glowing greenish smoke, which dissipated slowly. Locke and Abe exchanged a glance, Locke motioning inside before summoning up a partial barrier, the circular seals appearing around his right forearm and launching forward to hover before him, becoming a physical force to keep the charging Wendigo from getting too close.
"Red, we need to see what's going on inside. Come on!" Abe called, checking on Liz who nodded and kept an eye on Locke as Kate moved to the SUV and pulled out the large duffelbag that Locke used for his equipment. She dug into it and withdrew a wrapped sword, unsheathed it, and tossed the blade to Locke who caught it deftly with his left hand before dropping his right arm, the barrier suddenly dissipating. The Wendigo held fast by said barrier then stumbled and fell forward, Locke swiftly lopping off its head in a fluid upward motion, blood from the severed beasts head turning to dust and smoke, as its corpse followed suit like its comrade moments before.
Abe and Hellboy barreled up the stairs of the church, Abe much more cautiously as the shattered wood splinters littering the area would cause major problems to his feet, both pausing at the doorway as they took in the scene before them.
The pews had been destroyed and lined the walls and windows, smeared with blood and bits of flesh, a pile of reeking corpses, some in pieces, sat in the center of the room. Around this pile a pentagram had been drawn in blood, glowing lightly, within each point sat a Wendigo, each seeming to glow faintly with a green light, akin to the smoke that dissipated after the others had been vanquished, though these seemed to be more varied, their antlers varying in intricacy and form. Nearby, another much larger Wendigo rose, eyes glowing the same sickly green as the Avatar of Setesh, focusing on Abe.
"You." It snarled, voice dripping with malice and hate, its fellows raising their heads and turning glowing eyes of similar colour toward them, snarls revealing sharp and mismatched teeth.
Abe hesitated, something about these Wendigo was far too familiar; their sudden appearance and blatant disregard for secrecy so close to the BPRD, the colour of their eyes and strange similarity to the Avatar of Setesh, not to mention the use of glyphs and seals much like Lockes. They also sounded familiar, so much so it hurt Abe's head as he tried to piece everything together. He didn't even notice Locke, Liz and Kate flank either side of the door, Locke peering around and frowning. He snarled, tapped his bracelet and muttered something. Moments later, a blaze of blue-white flame announced the arrival of Aureiahnna, who alit upon Locke's shoulder as normal, hissed verbally and fluffed her feathers, eyes wide.
"How are they back? They were sealed and exiled!" Locke snarled, tense, left hand idly rubbing the right side of his midsection, where he had been injured in their battle with the Daemons when they had first encountered Locke. Abe noticed the motion and quickly moved back, frown deepening.
"Do you mean, the Daemons you sealed back in Canada, these are the same ones?! How did they get out?" Abe hissed, Hellboy quickly pulling the hammer on the Samaritan back, readying for the first charge.
*We are unsure. They were exiled, far more permanent than sealed. Unless they were returned to this plane by an entity as powerful as or stronger than Ashtareen, they should not have been able to return on their own.* Aureiahnna broadcast for all of them. Locke tightened his grip on his sword, eyes glowing lightly, Abe watching him and eyes widening when he noticed the barely-visible gold flecks in Lockes' eyes.
"Great, so how do we get rid of them this time?" Hellboy asked, the group ready as the largest Wendigo-Daemon directed her followers toward them. The five within the pentagram rising, much larger than the first two yet still not as large as their mistress, letting out bone-chilling howls and began to charge. Hellboy opened fire, Kate and Abe following suit, everyone dodging aside as all five charged the front of the church and broke through the walls and windows, the church front falling apart.
Locke managed to get Liz and Abe ensured Kate had managed to dodge most of the attack, Hellboy having gotten thrown and in the process of being attacked by two of the Wendigo, trading blows with his stone arm and occasionally firing a shot. The other three turned on Locke, Abe and Liz, Locke directing Kate back, Aureiahnna letting out a shriek as she flew down onto one of the Wendigo, raking her talons across its snout and drawing black blood that turned to greenish smoke before touching anything. Locke quickly went to help Abe and Liz, Liz stopping them from moving her.
"Liz, what?" Locke began, stopped by Abe, who cautiously lifted her shirt on her right side, a rod of what appeared to be rebar through her lower-right back and sticking out her front. She fought to keep calm, Locke quickly grabbing Abe's wrist to get his attention as his calm began to unravel.
"We need to get her up, help-"
"No Abe, go get Kate and get out behind something solid. I can help her with this." Locke smiled lightly, nodding at Abe. Aureiahnna seemed to understand Locke's intentions and returned to him, standing before him and Liz, between them and the Wendigo as Hellboy did his best to distract them all, attempting to see what had happened to Liz. Hellboy visibly became frustrated as Locke held Liz firmly, the Owl-like Phoenix daring a Wendigo to attempt to strike them with an angered shriek.
"Liz, hey, look at me." Locke whispered, managing to get the agonized young woman to look at him, frown on her face as he didn't seem concerned for her health.
"Can't you heal this? What about your-" Liz hissed, cut off by a sudden stab of pain from the metal rebar in her side. He shushed her, raising his right hand and lightly touching the small scar on her forehead.
Both were suddenly in her memories, seeing the day her flame killed her childhood bullies and set her on the path to the BPRD. Instead of levelling her block as she had as a child in the past, Locke dismissed the image of her home town, he kept her flame contained around her this time, showing Liz not to be afraid of it.
"This is a part of you. A gift that protects you even when you aren't asking it to, which is why when it activates, it destroys everything that could pose a threat." Her eyes widened as realization dawned on her, his smile warm and almost fatherly. "You can ask it to come, show it where you want it, who or what you see as a threat. It is a part of you, something that was perverted in the past by that horrible man Rasputin, but you have the strength and will to use it as it should be. To protect the innocent, the scared, yourself and your family." He explained, stepping within the circle of flames in her mindscape, gently touching her abdomen.
Liz smiled, nodding understandingly as he helped her feel that small flame hidden in her mind, the source of this power that she had been born with, which gladly leapt forward with her call. She opened her eyes, Locke helping her stand as Aureiahnna quickly hopped onto his shoulder.