[18th November 2010]

[Highlands, North of Fort William, United Kingdom]

"He just will not go down!" someone shouted in exasperation as the Erl-King...because some fucking idiot had made a pact with the godsdamned Erl-King and his Huntsmen...almost effortlessly smashed Superman, then Wonder Woman away like they were ragdolls. Our weapons had smashed through the Fey Hunters from the moment we'd gotten the Special Weapons for use against them crates opened, and us teleported here with them by Doctor Fate. That was a significant help in getting me and the others from across the country to the fight here in mere minutes; especially helpful since SHIELD and me had bad depleted any teleportation spell scrolls and items recently.

"Keep his Hunters away, that lot over there...open fire on them NOW!" I ordered to soldiers and hovering Green Lantern whose name I couldn't remember, nearby motioning at the various Fey remaining on the field as a ground thundered forward from further along the line. That done I pointed with my staff, chanting the words...before unleashing a concentrated fireball at the horse-fey with a snarl; joined in my attack by a beam of green light, an explosive arrow, and a hail of bullets. For a moment they charge was engulfed in flame...then they vanished like mist beneath the sun as the bullets, grenades, and explosive arrow blew them away...

Something like chime echoed in the air, and they were gone as the Erl-King glanced to the side as if seeking out a noise or smell...before nodding and calling his mount. Laser Beam eyes and green energy beams lashed out, but impact pointless due to the nature of the creature as its horse just...materialised , trotting towards it at and then as the being mounted it...was gone at the jerk of the reins...

As did all the other Fey of the Wild Hunt with a rumble of thunder through the valley. Gods-dammit but did I hate dealing with the Fey. On this world, or upon Faerun; I growled at the sudden confused silence the battlefield as the light of the blood-red sun began to eat away at the darkness and mist brought by the Erl-King and his war host's presence.

Battle, such as it had been, came to a sudden end as now only a handful of vampires remained upon the field...for a few more minutes as they were systematically gunned down now by the army, and myself and the other SHIELD members, now that they had nothing to distract us like the Fey. Fledglings at that it seemed to me, lesser Vampires that were basically stupid beyond hunger and hunt-cunning, and I incinerated one with magic and the returning sunlight after its leg was blown off by a British soldier nearby.

"Okay...could someone please explain what just happened? And...is it okay to...set them on fire like that?" M'gann asked uneasily as the column came to a stop, occasional bursts of gunfire echoing out, then dying down as the enemies left retreated back into the village. Of course it looked to her, and those confused, that I'd just incinerated someone...as had several others who'd killed these human looking undead in a rather ruthless method as the crimson shimmering sun descended in the sky. I resisted wincing at that as we'd have to clean out that village and the valley at night, against Vampires; fucking Joy.

"Yeah, could one of local poosers explain what in the name of Oa that was all about?" one of the alien Lanterns, that I vaguely recognised...Kilowog I think?...demanded as an informal huddle of sorts started to form up around the Doctor Fate. Mostly because Wonder Woman had made a beeline for him, meaning the Justice League had followed...and then the Green Lanterns, with myself and the currently available members of the Team standing nearby. I brought up the Irish Army uniform on myself with a spell, having it replace my skull mask and armour but retaining my staff for the combination of resting on and spell readiness. This was going to be long night after all.

"Well that was our friendly neighbours the Fey, off on a jolly hunt into the human lands for some reason looks like. Mostly likely a bad one, and something I'm not looking forward to seeing since they've got a number of vampires running around with them. Which almost never happens to my knowledge" I offered walking over and glancing around. The Demon Knight Etrigan was reverting to Jason Blood, soldiers were standing about uneasily, and whispered muttered had already started between. I turned to the nearest SHIELD soldier, Artemis's mother in fact despite the face-concealing mask "And get John wherever the fuck he's run off too if please?"

"I don't recognise those aliens? And are not vampires something from your fictional movies and literature?" Hawkwoman queried glancing around at those of the League that had arrived. No Batman sadly, nor Mister Zatara, Captain Atom, Flash, or Green Arrow...though the last was understandable if that whole Red Arrow-Cadmus rumour we'd heard about was true. Great and John wasn't here yet either, so it left me as the SHIELD rep along with Doctor Fate and Jason Blood. Thankfully Nabu decided to step in and explain some of the what, where, when to the League as he hovered down to stand on the ground between us all. The Green Lanterns present doing the same moments later as the defensive cordon formed up here at the head of the column.

"The Fey have many names and many different peoples of their kind, but they exist outside this plane on their beyond this one. And, unfortunately, they are wont to slake their instinct to hunt, or other purposes harder to grasp, upon this plane of existence. Too see so many though is a rather a concern as they are bound by ancient treaties with those of these lands. To have such a large Wild Hunt is a...surprise"

"Red Coloured Power Batteries, missing Lanterns, and an now an Extra-dimensional Incursion; the Guardians will just love to hear this..." one of the other Lanterns...a blonde haired elf-girl?...muttered before getting a glare and gesture to be quiet from the bulkier alien Green Lantern. I sighed, moving forward and motioning at my own teammates to follow and listen to the talk to come.

"Vamps invited them in I'd bet. Has to be, the undead and Fey almost never work together like that...and that was The Erl-King there. And he left because whatever the terms of his Pact were...got met, so he left because of that, not because we beat him or anything to that effect. Which, leaves the problem of..." I motioned at the valley before us, then up at the setting sun "...clearing down there in the darkness without the benefit of sunlight against a pack of misbegotten vamps and their Master. Something that will not be much fun I can guarantee you. Also...we need to check people for bites, it's not entirely infectious by nature, but we can't risk anyone turning a few hours, days, from now"

"Turning? Does this have something to do with the fact my ring keeps telling me there ain't nuffin down there in terms of life-forms...or anything really" I glanced at Doctor Fate, getting a faint nod, before I sighed again and starting to reply to the Green Lanterns query as I moved to sit on a large stone. At least the situation was contained I supposed...and I really needed a few days to relax and unwind after all this nonsense. First mind controlling alien starfish, then Red Lanterns, and now bloody Fey and bloodsuckers mucking about in the countryside doing gods knows what horrible things.

"Vampires are, at basic form, sentient Undead. Now how intelligent can range from that lot who attacked us with basic instinct guiding everything, but their Sire, the Master Vampire is usually disturbingly intelligent and generally controls the others like here and now. But they're not alive anymore in the general sense of the word, bodies animated by 'unnatural energies' as some describe them...still a bite can fester, and turn someone into one once they die, circumstances dependent. They feed on blood, human blood mostly, and those poor wretches we just fought I expect were the former population of the village or somewhere nearby. It's gonna be an absolute bitch digging them out of down there...and whatever they had that made them risk hiring the Fey of all creatures"

"Risk?" Wonder Woman asked calmly, forestalling something from Superman that I expected was about could be we save people who'd been vampirised, and the fact we'd just killed a dozen or more of them.

"The Fey are...strange; bizarre even, unknowable in their motives, and their morals and instincts most often aren't like ours. As we just saw here, unless you've the right tools to deal with them, they're incredibly tough, dangerous, and powerful. Their also profoundly literal sometimes in their dealings...which end really badly unless you are ready to think through the consequences of what you agree. Also, never, ever, accept a..."

I had to do the air-quotes hand gesture for emphasis "...gift from the Fey or their kind. They've two Courts, that we know off, Summer and Winter and their both not our friends let's say, and certainly not generous. They won't break their word, but they'll rule-lawyer everything and if there's an out...Gods help you. As Doctor Fate their bound treaties since the last wars between our races millennia ago, but there's always ways to invoke them. Hence, the Supernatural Hazards in the SHIELD acronym"

"Yes, and for the likes of these undead to risk dealing with such beings..." Jason Blood interjected striding forward beside Brendan Finn, who looked slightly amusing in that body armour "...means we must make haste and secure whatever it is that they were guarding so zealously. Vampires view humanity as cattle to be fed upon, but armed and dangerous cattle, so rarely risk such direct challenges as this for fear of Vampire Hunters such as ourselves descending upon them in force"

"Such as having captured two Green Power Rings?" Lantern...Kilowog rumbled unhappily, and I nodded as Doctor Fate replied. Even as he opened his mouth John came into sight, talking on his phone, with the senior British Army beside him doing likewise.

"Yes indeed, though it would potentially more dangerous if the creatures of the Feywild gained possession of such devices. They are Tools of Life and Will, and Vampires are creatures that reject such by the fundamentals of their very existence. No, it is most likely something else, and your comrades likely came upon their hidden goals and were attacked for the discovery. I would advise that we move upon this den of theirs with much haste and restore Order to the Chaos they have brought to these lands"

Constantine strolled forward "An' that's what the fella on the phone here is on about boys and girls, an' alien fella of gender I ain't sure of. We're gonna need Doctor Fate here to go collect some of the anti-vamp tools first, and then we're gonna sweep and clear this lovely scenic village of its bloodsuckin' community. And we roit loik the help of the Justice League in doin that..." he held out the phone "...so here's the Prime Minister wantin' ta talk to whichever one ye are in charge..."

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[ 49 Minutes and 16 Seconds]

['Farm' Building within Valley]

"Oh...God...I...think I'm going to be sick..." from a few people with a "Dear Hera" and lots of cursing came to my ears as my anger and disgust rose alongside complete shock. I could agree with the sentiment after, the scene before us was truly horrific...

This...this was problem.

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