"Where are all these things coming from?" Hsien-Ko shouted as she
smacked another of the creatures away. What had originally been just one
had become over a dozen; they seemed to swarm out of the darkness.
"Better question: what are they?" Mei-Ling responded as she slashed another with her sword. These creatures were a total mystery to the two of them. And much to their shock, each time they knocked one down, it just got back up. There seemed no way to stop them.
"Sis, stand back!" Hsien-Ko shouted. Mei-Ling leapt away as Hsien-Ko produced her massive gong. She struck it full force, and the shockwave torn into the monsters like a tidal wave. They all leashed ear-shattering screams and collapsed to the ground. "Got em!" Hsien-Ko shouted, raising her arm in the air in victory.
"Don't be so sure..." Mei-Ling warned. As if summoned by her words, one of the creatures jumped back to its feet and launched itself at the both of them. Hsien-Ko knocked it away with ease. Mei-Ling meantime became aware of a tugging, and looked down at her feet. She screamed when she saw the creature, slashed in half at the waist, grabbing at her ankles.
"Join us," it moaned as he tried to get a hold of her, "Join us!"
"Get away from my sister!" Hsien-Ko shouted, kicking it square in the jaw. No sooner was this done, than a pair of rotting arms coiled around her and tried to drag her to the ground. Another creature pounced onto Mei- Ling. They swarmed all at once, covering the struggling sisters in a mass of decaying flesh.
Someone whistled.
The creatures paused in their frenzy and turned their heads. Standing ten feet away was a man. He was a strange looking fellow, even to the Darkstalker hunting sisters. The most unusual feature was his lack of one hand; in its place was a chainsaw, attached at his wrist.
"Hey," he shouted, giving a slight jerk of his head. "Lets go!"
Four of the creatures released their grip in Mei-Ling and Hsien-Ko, and charged at this stranger. He whipped a shotgun from its holster on his back and fired, tearing the head right off one creature. Its decapitated body ran around blindly, flailing its arms. The other three continued their attack. He leveled one across the face with a blow from the butt of the gun, another he hit hard in the gut with his foot, and the third cleanly tore apart with three slashes of the roaring chainsaw. Its severed limbs writhed on the ground till the blood drained away, and then rotted into the dirt in seconds. Another creature tried to grab him from behind, but was thrown back when he leveled the shotgun on his shoulder and fired straight into its face. A single slash separated its legs from its torso, and it also rotted in an instant.
"What are these things?" Hsien-Ko shouted as she struggled against them.
"Deadites!" the stranger shouted.
"They're what?" Mei-Ling screamed, thinking it was the most absurd sounding thing she had ever heard.
"You've got to dismember them!"
"What?" Hsien-Ko said, blanching at the thought.
"Tear em' up, chop them to pieces, whatever!" he replied.
Mei-Ling complied, and with several quick swipes of her sword she had cut a creature's arms and legs clean from its body in a spray of red mist. Hsien-Ko also followed suite, striking with a savage ferocity, tearing the creature's limb from limb. A few moments later, the fight was over, save for the smell of rotting flesh.
"Well...any fight you can walk away from I guess..." the stranger said between heavy breaths. A blue hand clapped over his wrist, it's remarkable strength keeping him from raising his chainsaw blade. A second hand wrapped its fingers around his throat and lifted him off the ground.
"Who are you? What do you know about those things?" Hsien-Ko demanded.
"Can't breath...choking..." he sputtered. She dropped him, and he scrambled back, raising up both his weapons, ready for more if he had to. "Is that how you show thank around here? And oh by the way, you're welcome." He sneered at the last part.
"He did aid us, sister." Mei-Ling said, placing a hand on Hsien-Ko's shoulder, signaling her to stand down. She turned to the stranger and addressed him calmly. "Whoever you are, we aren't your enemies," she explained slowly. "Now, who are you? And how did you know how to defeat those things?"
"Name's Ash" he said, holstering his shotgun. "And I've had some experience with deadites."
"Who the hell named them that?" Hsien-Ko said, her face contorting with distaste.
"Well...I did."
Morrigan smiled to herself. She looked at the carnage-taking place below. The zombie-like creatures had appeared out of nowhere, and were wasting no time in making a plague of themselves. If all this had been accomplished by the power of the book, who knew what else it could do?
"I think you've had you're fun, Morrigan. It's my turn."
Morrigan chuckled, not even bothering to turn around to face Lillith.
"I think not, Lillith dear" Morrigan said, placing the items back into the backpack. "This is no toy for your amusement. Little children shouldn't play with dangerous things."
A sharp kick in the spine knocked the wind out of Morrigan. She tumbled along the floor, but quickly regained herself, leaping back to her feet in a combat-ready stance. She narrowed her eyes at Lillith, who had picked up the backpack and was smiling mischievously at her counterpart.
"Thanks for the goodies, Morrigan." Lillith said, turning to take flight. Morrigan was on her in an instant; grabbing her ankle and yanking her down to the ground. Lillith rose and glowered at Morrigan. "So, it's a showdown you want, huh?"
"For the last time." Morrigan threw back. They circled for a moment, read for anything.
"Mind if a third player joins this game?" a high-pitched, buzzing voice said from nearby. They both swung around to see Q. Bee floating down onto the steeple with them. She placed her hands casually on her hips and leaned against the edge of the roof. "Or is this a two player only?"
"So, that's the whole story." Ash finished. He was seated on a large rock now, running his hand through his hair as he spoke. Hsien-Ko was leaning against another rock, her arms crossed over her chest. Mei-Ling paced back and forth as she listened to Ash's story. When he was done, she thought for a moment.
"This woman who took the book, can you describe her?"
"She was a really freaky looking chick. She was wearing this skintight outfit, and she had these huge wings coming off her back..."
"Did she have green hair?" Mei-Ling broke in.
"Yeah, how did you know?"
"Sounds like Morrigan Aensland." Hsienk-Ko added.
"You know her?" Ash said, rising to his feet.
"Sort of..." Hsien-Ko scoffed.
"Ash, this book, if it can do all you say it can...do you think it could retrieve a lost soul from the netherworld?"
"Uh...I don't know...I guess so...I've never thought about. Why?"
"Our mother's soul is lost. We've been trying for a long time to find it, so we can bring her back." Hsien-Ko answered.
"If we help you retrieve this book, do you think we could try?"
"I'm not sure..." Ash said, looking grim. "That thing shouldn't be used at all..."
"Then if we can find someone who knows how to use it? Someone who can control it?" Mei-Ling's voice grew hopeful.
"I guess. Yeah, I suppose." Mei-Ling and Hsien-Ko threw each other smiles, seeing perhaps a light at the end of the tunnel for them.
"Very well Ash, we shall help you find the Necronimicon. But if Morrigan is behind this, we may need some help. And I think I know just the people..."
"Better question: what are they?" Mei-Ling responded as she slashed another with her sword. These creatures were a total mystery to the two of them. And much to their shock, each time they knocked one down, it just got back up. There seemed no way to stop them.
"Sis, stand back!" Hsien-Ko shouted. Mei-Ling leapt away as Hsien-Ko produced her massive gong. She struck it full force, and the shockwave torn into the monsters like a tidal wave. They all leashed ear-shattering screams and collapsed to the ground. "Got em!" Hsien-Ko shouted, raising her arm in the air in victory.
"Don't be so sure..." Mei-Ling warned. As if summoned by her words, one of the creatures jumped back to its feet and launched itself at the both of them. Hsien-Ko knocked it away with ease. Mei-Ling meantime became aware of a tugging, and looked down at her feet. She screamed when she saw the creature, slashed in half at the waist, grabbing at her ankles.
"Join us," it moaned as he tried to get a hold of her, "Join us!"
"Get away from my sister!" Hsien-Ko shouted, kicking it square in the jaw. No sooner was this done, than a pair of rotting arms coiled around her and tried to drag her to the ground. Another creature pounced onto Mei- Ling. They swarmed all at once, covering the struggling sisters in a mass of decaying flesh.
Someone whistled.
The creatures paused in their frenzy and turned their heads. Standing ten feet away was a man. He was a strange looking fellow, even to the Darkstalker hunting sisters. The most unusual feature was his lack of one hand; in its place was a chainsaw, attached at his wrist.
"Hey," he shouted, giving a slight jerk of his head. "Lets go!"
Four of the creatures released their grip in Mei-Ling and Hsien-Ko, and charged at this stranger. He whipped a shotgun from its holster on his back and fired, tearing the head right off one creature. Its decapitated body ran around blindly, flailing its arms. The other three continued their attack. He leveled one across the face with a blow from the butt of the gun, another he hit hard in the gut with his foot, and the third cleanly tore apart with three slashes of the roaring chainsaw. Its severed limbs writhed on the ground till the blood drained away, and then rotted into the dirt in seconds. Another creature tried to grab him from behind, but was thrown back when he leveled the shotgun on his shoulder and fired straight into its face. A single slash separated its legs from its torso, and it also rotted in an instant.
"What are these things?" Hsien-Ko shouted as she struggled against them.
"Deadites!" the stranger shouted.
"They're what?" Mei-Ling screamed, thinking it was the most absurd sounding thing she had ever heard.
"You've got to dismember them!"
"What?" Hsien-Ko said, blanching at the thought.
"Tear em' up, chop them to pieces, whatever!" he replied.
Mei-Ling complied, and with several quick swipes of her sword she had cut a creature's arms and legs clean from its body in a spray of red mist. Hsien-Ko also followed suite, striking with a savage ferocity, tearing the creature's limb from limb. A few moments later, the fight was over, save for the smell of rotting flesh.
"Well...any fight you can walk away from I guess..." the stranger said between heavy breaths. A blue hand clapped over his wrist, it's remarkable strength keeping him from raising his chainsaw blade. A second hand wrapped its fingers around his throat and lifted him off the ground.
"Who are you? What do you know about those things?" Hsien-Ko demanded.
"Can't breath...choking..." he sputtered. She dropped him, and he scrambled back, raising up both his weapons, ready for more if he had to. "Is that how you show thank around here? And oh by the way, you're welcome." He sneered at the last part.
"He did aid us, sister." Mei-Ling said, placing a hand on Hsien-Ko's shoulder, signaling her to stand down. She turned to the stranger and addressed him calmly. "Whoever you are, we aren't your enemies," she explained slowly. "Now, who are you? And how did you know how to defeat those things?"
"Name's Ash" he said, holstering his shotgun. "And I've had some experience with deadites."
"Who the hell named them that?" Hsien-Ko said, her face contorting with distaste.
"Well...I did."
Morrigan smiled to herself. She looked at the carnage-taking place below. The zombie-like creatures had appeared out of nowhere, and were wasting no time in making a plague of themselves. If all this had been accomplished by the power of the book, who knew what else it could do?
"I think you've had you're fun, Morrigan. It's my turn."
Morrigan chuckled, not even bothering to turn around to face Lillith.
"I think not, Lillith dear" Morrigan said, placing the items back into the backpack. "This is no toy for your amusement. Little children shouldn't play with dangerous things."
A sharp kick in the spine knocked the wind out of Morrigan. She tumbled along the floor, but quickly regained herself, leaping back to her feet in a combat-ready stance. She narrowed her eyes at Lillith, who had picked up the backpack and was smiling mischievously at her counterpart.
"Thanks for the goodies, Morrigan." Lillith said, turning to take flight. Morrigan was on her in an instant; grabbing her ankle and yanking her down to the ground. Lillith rose and glowered at Morrigan. "So, it's a showdown you want, huh?"
"For the last time." Morrigan threw back. They circled for a moment, read for anything.
"Mind if a third player joins this game?" a high-pitched, buzzing voice said from nearby. They both swung around to see Q. Bee floating down onto the steeple with them. She placed her hands casually on her hips and leaned against the edge of the roof. "Or is this a two player only?"
"So, that's the whole story." Ash finished. He was seated on a large rock now, running his hand through his hair as he spoke. Hsien-Ko was leaning against another rock, her arms crossed over her chest. Mei-Ling paced back and forth as she listened to Ash's story. When he was done, she thought for a moment.
"This woman who took the book, can you describe her?"
"She was a really freaky looking chick. She was wearing this skintight outfit, and she had these huge wings coming off her back..."
"Did she have green hair?" Mei-Ling broke in.
"Yeah, how did you know?"
"Sounds like Morrigan Aensland." Hsienk-Ko added.
"You know her?" Ash said, rising to his feet.
"Sort of..." Hsien-Ko scoffed.
"Ash, this book, if it can do all you say it can...do you think it could retrieve a lost soul from the netherworld?"
"Uh...I don't know...I guess so...I've never thought about. Why?"
"Our mother's soul is lost. We've been trying for a long time to find it, so we can bring her back." Hsien-Ko answered.
"If we help you retrieve this book, do you think we could try?"
"I'm not sure..." Ash said, looking grim. "That thing shouldn't be used at all..."
"Then if we can find someone who knows how to use it? Someone who can control it?" Mei-Ling's voice grew hopeful.
"I guess. Yeah, I suppose." Mei-Ling and Hsien-Ko threw each other smiles, seeing perhaps a light at the end of the tunnel for them.
"Very well Ash, we shall help you find the Necronimicon. But if Morrigan is behind this, we may need some help. And I think I know just the people..."