If You're Going Through Hell
A/N: As always, I would love to hear your thoughts as the story progresses. Hopefully, if you've made it this far, you are enjoying it. Let me know!
Chapter 19: The Rage of the Fox
Fear rippled through the Pack like an electric current. Stiles, his expression one of pure horror, began backing away almost instantly. Scott and Derek remained in place, trying to position themselves between the Pack and the enemy, but their anxiety poured off them anyway. Isaac and Ethan seemed to be waging war within themselves, shifting between fear and anger. Aiden gave in to the fear completely, his face going pale as a ghost and his body visibly shaking. Noshiko remained the calmest of those who had encountered this foe before, though the werewolves could smell the fear she was trying to hide. For the rest who had never come face-to-face with the trickster spirit, (Jackson, Nolan, Brett, Lori, Theo) nervousness reigned supreme. Seeing the reactions of their friends was unnerving, to say the least, and the stories they had been told were all the warning they needed to know that this was not someone to mess with.
The man/creature watched them with a haunting intensity, laughing to himself as he stepped down from his pile of bodies to approach them. They, in turn, backed up a few steps, something he seemed to find even more amusing. As he came into the light, they were all able to get a proper look at him. He was dressed in a slightly charred old army jacket, his face and hands completely wrapped in gauze. The only exposed part of his body was the mouth: a mottled, black mess that showed firsthand the damage fire can do to a human body and a glimpse of the madness that lay beyond.
"Did you miss me, my sweet?" he asked, turning his head at an odd angle to face Noshiko Yukimura.
"I told you long ago to leave Rhys' body and memories alone. He does not deserve to be forced to do your bidding," she replied.
"Ahh, that you did. But, you see…it's just so much fun," the trickster said, spinning in a slow circle as he spoke. "It's so rare to find a good body that can strike fear into the hearts of mortals without having to even lift a finger. I just can't bear to part with it. Although…" he paused again, potentially to stare at Stiles, though it was hard to tell with his eyes covered by the bandages, "I could be persuaded to rejoin my last host. We had so much fun together, didn't we Stiles?"
"You leave him alone!" Scott interjected with a roar as Derek hunched down next to him, preparing to launch himself into battle.
"I'm…I'm stronger than that now. I won't let you into my head again, you monster," Stiles said, trying to keep his voice from shaking.
"Monster? Monster?! You cut me to the quick, Stiles," the Nogitsune replied, taking another menacing step forward but pausing at the growls he received from several of the wolves. "I'm no monster, I'm just a fun-loving chaos spirit." The creature laughed – a vile, hideous sound – before suddenly jerking his limbs at odd angles and transforming before their eyes into a mirror image of the one he was mocking. "There," Nogitsune said, the voice unmistakably Stiles', "perhaps your friends will prefer this look. After all, its what they are used to seeing when they look at me."
Most of the newcomers who had never faced this foe before watched the exchange in equal parts horror and wonder. Those who had faced him were in a combination of hatred, fear, and pain. Stiles went rigid at the transformation, even his scent shifting and fading as though he temporarily shut down. When he regained his senses, he was absolutely livid, shifting through his own transformation (into a demon) almost instantly and shouting with its deep, ferocious voice, "How dare you use my body like that! I will not be your puppet again! We beat you before and we will do it again!" He stomped forward towards the front of the group before the enemy spoke again, cutting him short.
"My, my, my," Nogitsune said cheerfully, seemingly giving the young man an appraising glance, "you have become quite the monstrous creature all on your own, haven't you? What you must have done to bind yourself to one of the creatures of the Underworld. It puts my work to shame. Surely you must see the irony, Stiles, of you possessing a demon."
There were a number of gasps rippling through the Pack. For some, who had only briefly heard the story of Stiles' demon half and how he came to possess it, doubts began to grow. Derek himself, though he knew more of this story than any of them, also found himself questioning. He won't talk about it, or give the details of what he did. And he refused to consider helping me to do it also. What did he do to take over that demon?
"Enough!" Noshiko shouted, stepping forward to place herself between the Pack and Nogitsune. "You used the name of my daughter to bring us here. What have you done with her?"
"The baby kitsune with no control? I haven't done anything with her. She is as lost to me as she is to you, I'm afraid," the Void-Stiles replied, taking too much pleasure in doing so. Noshiko tensed up at the response while Scott let out a low growl. "I simply noticed what that Underworld Teleportation thing was doing and used its riddles to bring you to me."
"What do you want with us?" Scott asked, his wolf form beginning to take over on its own.
"I thought we might play a little game," Nogitsune-Stiles answered with a grin. "We never finished the last one. Your ridiculous Divine Move does not count. So what do you say, Scotty? Care to finish what we started?"
"Don't do it, Scott!" Derek said, grabbing the alpha's shoulder, "don't play into his trap. We need to get out of here, find the others, that's what we need to finish."
"And how are you going to do that, sourwolf," their enemy interjected, causing several vicious snarls to be directed his way at the use of Stiles' nickname for Derek. "I have captured the Portcullis. There is no escape from this place unless you can defeat me. The only moves you can make on this board are to fight me or join me."
"I think we can take him," Brett interjected, feigning confidence. "There's 12 of us and 1 of him. I like those odds."
"He's right Scott," Nogitsune said, slinking closer to the alpha, his voice barely more than a whisper. "You'll never get this chance again. Think of it. The opportunity to avenge the deaths of your friends and make up for the harm done to the rest. I know how much you want that. Your pack will be stronger…safer…if you do it."
Scott dug his claws into his hands, drawing blood in his attempt to keep his emotions in check. He stared into the face of his best friend, twisted and deformed by the sick pleasure this creature drew from toying with them, and sighed. "No," he said quietly, his eyes never leaving the piercing gaze stolen from his friend, "I will not fight you."
Void-Stiles let out an angry shout, before straightening back up and chuckling to himself. "Oh Scott. Always trying to play the hero and the pacifist. You make it sound like I'm giving you a choice in the matter," he laughed again, his gaze scanning the Pack as a whole. Without warning, he lunged at Scott, knocking the Alpha to the ground with a firm grip around his neck before anyone had a chance to do anything. Isaac and Theo reacted first, grabbing the Stiles lookalike and pulling him off their leader with a heave. Nogitsune was still laughing as they did so. "There! Now that's more like it. Come on boys, let's have some fun!"
Scott jumped to his feet, rubbing his neck and coughing slightly as he regained composure. "No," he said again, more sternly than before. "I'm done here. We've beaten you once, we've already proven that you are no match for our Pack. We don't need any more senseless violence."
"Senseless? It's not senseless. It's delicious!" Void-Stiles replied, causing Demon-Stiles to gasp as realization hit him.
"That's what this is about? Your appetite for pain and chaos?" he mused, more a statement than a question.
"Indeed," was the reply. "In a way, I should be thanking you. I've never, in over a thousand years, been somewhere where there is so much strife for me to eat. To you this world may be hell, but to me its as close to heaven as we'll ever get."
"Then what do you need us for? If its all so great, why don't you just go out there and keep eating it up, or whatever it is you do?" Aiden asked, storming forward to stand directly in front of the creature still sandwiched between Isaac and Theo.
"I need you," Nogitsune replied, "the same way a gourmet restaurant needs to import exotic food. Your pain, all of your pack's pain, it was the best I've ever tasted, and I have sooo craved it since being locked away in that stupid box and then ending up down here. This world is great, a buffet feast of a sort, but I long for the delicious delicacies I got from you." He ended by licking his lips, giving Aiden a hungry stare.
"You're sick!" Aiden shouted, slamming his fist into Void-Stiles' face hard enough to knock him from Isaac and Theo's grip to land sprawled back on the ground. He simply laughed as he got back up, twisting his broken nose into place and wiping a smear of blood on his shirt.
"Yes!" He cried, "that's exactly what I want! Give me more!" Aiden lunged forward, but Ethan was there to cut him off, desperately holding his brother back.
"No, don't do it. Don't give in to him and let him take control," Ethan whispered into his twin's ear. "I lost you once. I can't bear losing you again." His eyes bristled with tears that he refused to let fall as he clung to his brother.
Void-Stiles closed his eyes, an expression of delight on his face. "Mmm, delicious," he moaned, "yes! That's what I want, that's what I've been missing."
"Umm guys," Nolan whispered from his usual spot behind Stiles, "who are they?" He pointed to six figures that had materialized in a circle around the group.
"Oni," Isaac breathed out, the word catching in his throat. Those who had encountered these creatures before instantly drew closer, forming a tight circle for protection.
"No, not again," Aiden whimpered, drawing Jackson and Ethan even closer to him.
"How dare you use my Oni again. This is not what they were created for. I will not tolerate your perversion of my powers any longer!" Noshiko cried out before diving directly at Void-Stiles, her katana waving wildly through the air as she did so.
A moment later, one of the Oni cut her off, its own blade meeting hers with a fierce clang a few inches from the trickster spirit's face. Void-Stiles stared at the exchange with a mad gleam in his eyes before throwing his head back and laughing hysterically. "Attack!" he cried out, once he regained his composure. He remained where he stood as the other five Oni dove forward, their blades attempting to cut through the Pack. The wolves jumped into action, shifting and meeting the attack head-on.
"How do we kill these things?" Theo cried out as he darted forward, sinking his claws into the arm of an Oni only to have the creature disappear and rematerialize behind him. The Oni swung its weapon down precariously close to Theo's head before it was caught in mid-air by Isaac, allowing Theo a moment to roll out of harm's way.
"You can't" Isaac grunted, straining to keep his hold on the Oni's blade without being injured by it. "The only thing that can kill them is being hit by silver."
"Seriously?" Theo asked, ramming his shoulder into the creature and knocking it back a few steps. The Oni remained silent, lunging forward to strike once more.
The Pack slowly began to spread out, their various battles gaining intensity quickly. In one corner of the field, Brett and Lori fought an Oni, the siblings using their knowledge of one another's moves and abilities to create a fearsome team and keep the creature from doing any real damage. A few yards away from them, Jackson and the twins were engaged in combat with two of the horrid things, with the twins' knowledge of one another's movements the only thing giving them a real edge to the battle. Derek, Scott, and Nolan fought another two Oni near the center of the field, though they were struggling far more than the others as the wolves did their best to protect the lone human while they fought. Demon-Stiles and Noshiko launched themselves directly at the Nogitsune and first Oni; theirs easily being the fiercest battle.
Though he looked like the very human, very easily injured Stiles, Nogitsune was a powerful adversary. Demon-Stiles, still enraged at seeing his face staring back at him from his enemy, fought with a ferocity that none of them had yet seen. But, it seemed, the two were evenly matched, neither managing to do any serious damage to the other. Noshiko continued fighting off the strongest of the Oni while occasionally throwing a few swings of her katana at Void-Stiles to help their Stiles gain an edge on him, but they remained unsuccessful.
"Jackson!" Ethan shouted as the battle raged on, "hold them off for just a moment. Aiden, we need to merge." The others didn't respond verbally, instead jumping into position. Jackson darted forward, placing himself between the twins and the Oni. Aiden grabbed onto Ethan's arm, merging their bodies into one whole. The result was not what they were hoping for though. The merged wolf grew to its usual height, but it was gangly, bones brittle and weak. One of the Oni was able to slip past Jackson's defenses, landing a solid punch to Voltron wolf's arm, shattering it and causing the wolf to howl in pain. The twins split apart, returning to their normal selves and allowing their injured arms to heal.
"Why didn't it work?" Aiden called out to his brother as he jumped back into battle to protect his potential future brother-in-law. "Why did we come out all deformed like that instead of stronger like usual?"
"I don't know," Ethan called back, also jumping into the fray to help the two men he loved most. "Unless…" he trailed off as he pummeled one of the Oni several times with his fists.
"Unless what?" Aiden asked as he jumped onto the back of the other Oni, holding it in place while Jackson clawed at it.
"We're not identical anymore," Ethan replied, his voice mournful and scared as he did so. "Because I lived for a couple more years after you died." The three lapsed into silence as they returned their complete attention to their fight.
"Lori, watch out!" Brett shouted as his sister ducked out of the way of a blade flying through the air. She cried out in pain for a moment as she rolled away from the Oni, a spot on her arm dripping blood.
"It's just a scratch, I'm fine!" she yelled before Brett could rejoin her. They were now on opposite sides of their attacker, and took advantage of it by charging at the Oni simultaneously. It vanished just before they could sink their claws into it, both jumping back before they accidentally hit one another and regaining their balance as the Oni's blade came swinging through the air directly at their heads.
"Scott, this isn't working," Derek said, his back to the alpha wolf as they fought their Oni. "We can't do anything to weaken or defeat these guys on our own. We need a better plan."
"I know, I know!" Scott called back, darting forward as Nolan managed to grab hold of the Oni's arm long enough to give Scott a good opening before being flung to the ground. They heard an audible snap, the wolves cringing as they turned to see Nolan clutching his ankle in agony on the ground a few feet away. "Nolan!" Scott shouted, somersaulting to stand over his injured packmate in order to protect him.
Noshiko watched all of this going on while maintaining her battle with the Oni and Nogitsune. "Stiles," she called out, catching both Demon and Void versions' attention in the process. "We need silver, or else we're going to lose your friends. Is there anyway you can get us some?"
Void-Stiles eyes' gleamed brightly at the pronouncement; he paused to take in the chaos going on around him. It was enough for Demon-Stiles to land a solid punch to his face and send him sprawling to the ground. "I don't know," he panted, "maybe. I won't be able to do that and continue fighting though."
"Do what you need to do, I'll handle these two," Noshiko replied, a faint aura of fire beginning to gleam around her as she turned and dashed forward, screaming as she swung her katana at the Oni.
-o-
Corey and Mason wended their way silently through the trees, ears listening for the slightest disturbance that might give away that someone was close to discovering them. They could still hear, off in the distance, the faint sounds of the hunters' outpost. The wailing siren cut out, leaving only the sounds of angry men and women and the occasional order given over the loudspeakers. The two hidden teens stuck close to the well-worn path, hoping their footprints would blend in with those of the ones who had trodden through here before. Apprehension and anxiety filled the air as they continued forward, hoping both to make it back to safety and not accidentally lead the danger to their hideout.
"This was a terrible idea," Corey groaned, jumping nearly a foot in the air when a nearby frog croaked.
"Hey, hey, Cor, come on, you need to calm down," Mason said, attempting to be soothing in spite of his own nervousness and fear.
"Calm down!" Corey whisper yelled, causing both of them to cringe. "We're going to die…again…before we've even been alive for a full day."
"No we're not," Mason replied, this time his voice laced with resolve and strength. "We have made it this far, and we are not going to fail. None of us are. You and I are going to make it back to that clearing, we're going to get this marker set up so that Nolan can come back, and then the rest of the Pack are all going to come join us and we are going to live happily ever after!"
Corey stared at him, dumbstruck by his outburst, before Mason reddened in embarrassment. "Happily ever after?" he asked, cheekily.
"You know what I mean," Mason said, turning to look down the path and avoiding his boyfriend's eyes. "This…this has to go right. After everything that's happened, everything we've been through. It just…it has to go right."
They both lapsed into silence for a moment, staring off into space and lost in thought. "You're right," Corey finally replied, breaking them both out of their reverie. "It's like Deaton and Scott used to say, things can't stay all good or all bad, they have to get back to the middle, that progression to the mean."
"It's actually regression to the mean," Mason said with a smirk.
"Whatever," Corey laughed slightly, leaning forward to plant a chaste kiss on his boyfriend's lips. "It means things have to eventually balance out, right?"
"Right."
"So then," Corey said, pausing again before continuing, "I guess…we need to do what we can to make that happen."
"Exactly. Are you ready to get moving again?" Mason asked, concern practically pouring off of him.
"I guess," Corey shrugged, "mostly I'm just ready for all of this to be over. I'm tired of running, and fighting, and being afraid." The two began to walk again, remaining in silence as they continued on down the path. The sounds of the outpost completely faded into the distance, replaced by the more calming and natural sounds of the forest around them.
It took them another half an hour, but they eventually reached the clearing that housed the Nemeton. With fierce determination, they managed to press through Stiles and Lydia's barrier, struggling not to give into the temptation to leave and do something else caused by the magic surrounding the encampment.
"Hey guys, we're back!" Corey called out to the silent campground cautiously. "Lydia? Mrs. McCall? Where are you?"
-o-
Noshiko let loose in a way she hadn't for centuries, the fox-fire teaming around her and pouring off in waves. It was an awesome sight to behold, though none of the others were able to spare more than a second or two to watch. She attacked the Oni and Nogitsune with a ferocity they could not match, driving them backwards towards the pile of bodies in the middle of the field. "You have caused so much pain, so much destruction. It is time for you to be finished once and for all!"
"And you think you are going to be the one to stop me?" Void-Stiles asked, laughing even as he was forced to duck away from her blade. "Look! You may have summoned me. You may have once imprisoned me. And you may have been part of that stupid charade that sent me here. But you cannot defeat me. Neither can Scott, or Derek, or Stiles the ridiculous demon. I will get what I want, and I will enjoy every…last…second…of it!"
"Oh, shut up you infernal creature!" she shouted once more, swinging the katana and nearly decapitating the Nogitsune before his Oni bodyguard could sweep in and parry the hit.
Meanwhile, Demon-Stiles flew towards Scott's group, landing in a heap next to the injured Nolan. "Are you ok?" he asked, placing a tentative hand on Nolan's ankle, which he immediately withdrew when the young man screamed in pain.
"I think…it's broken," Nolan panted, fighting back tears as he tried to keep from moving his leg. Scott and Derek did their best to fight off the two Oni surrounding them, but it was a struggle.
"I've only learned a couple of healing spells, and I've never actually done any of them, but if you want I could try to heal it for you," actual Stiles said, having shifted out of demon form and back to human.
"Yes, please!" Nolan cried, grabbing ahold of Stiles' arm and holding it fiercely.
"I'm going to need my arm to do it though," Stiles replied, looking down at the vice-like grip.
"Oh, sorry," Nolan said sheepishly, letting go and drawing in a deep breath as another wave of pain swept through him. Stiles waved it off before cracking his knuckles and settling down on the ground in front of the injured boy to reach out his hands and place them gently on the broken ankle. He said something that was completely unintelligible to the human and the wolves protecting them before his eyes glowed bright silver for a moment and his hands vibrated with a yellow light emanating from underneath them. Nolan yelped and jumped back, feeling like he had just touched a hot stovetop, before realizing that his ankle was no longer broken. "Wow," he said, holding his leg out and admiring Stiles' handiwork, "thank you!"
"You're welcome," Stiles replied, waving it off. "How does it feel?"
"It still hurts a bit," Nolan answered, tentatively getting to his feet, "but I can handle it."
"Good. Now, I need you to rejoin Scott and Derek in fighting these two Oni. I'm going to try to get us some weapons we can use against them, but it will probably take all of my concentration," Stiles said, repositioning himself so he sat cross-legged in the center of the fight.
"Does that mean you have a plan?" Derek asked, his voice coming out jagged through heavy breaths.
"Not really. I have no idea if this will actually work or not, but I have to try," Stiles answered, not bothering to look up at the wolf. Instead, he began drawing in the dirt on the ground, humming slightly to himself as Nolan rejoined the battle to help Derek gain the upper hand on his Oni.
"I believe in you, Stiles," Scott said from behind his best friend before letting out a roar and charging at his opponent.
"You've got us this far," Derek added, "I believe you can do it too, like that riddle earlier said."
"I hope you're right," Stiles muttered under his breath, "and I hope you're ok with what happens when its all over." He spared just a quick glance up at the three Packmates fighting around him, but none of them heard his comments. He let out a sigh, centering his mind, finished his drawings, and began to call on his Druid powers. He knew no spell that could magically give them the silver they needed, but perhaps he could find an alternative. He slowly drifted, lost in thought and absorbed by the power and connectedness he felt to the world (both that of the living and the dead). Stiles became so absorbed in what he was doing that he alone did not react when the ear-splitting scream echoed across the field.