20 Chapter 19

I didn't know how the Director was able to recover from Hue's attack so quickly, and Fitzy still knocked out. I had forgotten that Hue had practiced electric magic. Apparently, so did the Director and Fitzy.

Still, I couldn't figure out how the Director was able to get up and attack. Fitzy was unconscious, with burns all over his body and face. Once I was able to put Fitzy on my back, the Director and his bodyguard skipped past us.

The two finally stopped and splashed into the water, sinking like rocks. Thankfully, I didn't need to retrieve them; the Director and his bodyguard surfaced. My attention went back to Hue and Mimiku.

"What is he doing?" I asked.

Hue cut himself and gave the fox a drink of his blood, and he was giving her something else.

"The tails?"

Yes, they were the tails that he had previously decapitated. Mimiku snatched the cup up and drank from it, tossing it away afterward. She then was consumed in a blaze of purple fire.

She immerged with black fur, long claws, and sharp fangs. Two horns grew on the top of her head that twisted and curves backward. On the top of her head, right in the middle of her horns, was a purple sphere.

Around her neck, appeared a large black and purple beaded necklace with nine beads in total. Mimiku's eyes blazed purple, and above her nine tails were nine orbs of unstable energy. There was that look on her face.

She was out for blood.

"We need to get out of here, like, yesterday. You brought the portal stone, yes?" growled the Director.

When did he get there?

"Yes, Sir!"

I pulled a gem from my pocket. The Director took the stone and broke it in his hand. A portal screamed open behind us, and its light illuminated us to the whole world.

Before I could see what happened next, my comrades and I were sucked into the portal and back into the safety of the shield.

~~~

The enemy had fled.

"You scared them away," I noted to Mimiku.

"It'll be alright. My time for revenge will come," she replied.

"How do you feel?"

"Rejuvenated," Mimiku purred, stretching her body.

Mimiku moved her body like something was putting clothes on her. A black dress with slits on the side, and on in the back, formed on her. The fox sighed a relief.

"So, what did I all miss?"

"What do you remember?"

"We were at that Amish farm, I was trying to protect you, and then nothing; not until that damn collar was cut off," Mimiku answer rubbing her neck.

"I was imprisoned for about six months. They beat the crap outta me, namely, the right hand, which I think is called Kesha," I recalled.

"Oh?"

"Mhmm, defiantly Emma's sister," I added.

"And how is it that we are on the waters of the port city that has raised its shield?" Mimiku continued.

"Long story," I sighed.

"It wouldn't happen to have anything to do with that devil, would it?"

I didn't answer but instead gave Mimiku a look that she understood.

"What did she offer you?"

"A world where I didn't have to hide what I am."

"And did you make a deal or pack?" Mimiku pressed.

"It's more like we have something in common and are trying to reach the same end," I replied.

I got up from squatting and stood next to my friend.

"And you're okay with this?"

"I tried to do everything right for so long. I did what I was told, I gave them everything that I could, and in the end, all I got in return was pain and exile," I answered.

"Are you alright with this?" I questioned.

I looked at Mimiku, who kept her gaze on the city.

"We have made a pack with the offering of blood and of the tails. You are my master and will go wherever you do," Mimiku stated.

"What about Nekko?"

There was a long pause.

"She's more than likely there waiting for the inevitable," I said.

"She did nothing to help free me, and I could ask you the same as Emma."

"I could say the same," I scoffed.

"What's the plan?" Mimiku broke off.

"It was to get you back, first of all, then take the city."

"Oh, is that all?" Mimiku retorted. "And how are we going to get inside the city the shield is up? I can't break that thing. It's powerful, far too powerful for even me. I don't think that the devil could break it."

"She can't. Jezebel said that the crystal was something not of this dimension. It's one of the reasons that she didn't want to attack this port," I noted.

"Again, how are we going to? What's the plan?"

"You know how to shut the shield off again?" I asked Mimiku.

There came another roar of thunder. I was about to protect us when Mimiku shot her eyes to the sky. The night light up in a blaze of fire.

"Pathetic," she grinned.

Mimiku folded her arms.

"The shield has a ring around it that anchors it to this realm. The ring had essentially an on/off switch, but only a paladin or templar can activate it."

"Oh, perfect," I chuckled.

I reached out my hands to the shield. My eyes turned black and skin white. From my hands, black smoke and green fire shot out and into the water.

Mimiku's ears turned to the left. I heard the whistling too. There were dozens of them, and from this distance, they appeared to be little needles. But the closer the needles came the shaper, the sound was.

Mimiku whipped a tail in front of her; an invisible wave lurched out, cutting the arrows down. They exploded in gold fire.

"They seem to have sent another to the slaughter," I called out, not breaking my consecration.

"I will take care of her, keep doing," Mimiku examined me for a moment, confused.

"Keep doing what you're doing," she repeated and shot off in the direction where the arrows came.

Nekko was out here, too far to see, but defiantly close enough to shoot at us. I focused harder, controlling my breathing. A stream of blood from both eyes rolled down my face.

All part of the ritual.

Then something caught my attention. At first, I didn't notice, but then clouds of breath puffed out of my mouth. My lungs were beginning to strain, and my breathing grew heavy.

"Come out, come out, where ever you are," I chimed.

My mouth chanted the spell, but my eyes scanned what they could around me.

She wouldn't attack from the back; she knows that I have a trap set.

"So where are you?"

A new sound came from above, the sound of glass snapping off. Looking up, I saw a volley of ice shards dropping on me. I had little to no time to react.

I danced around the water, trying to evade the ice. I was cut, slashed, and in some areas, gouged. In the end, a spear of ice stabbed through my leg from under the water.

Another and another penetrated my flesh, pinning me in place. The copper taste filled my mouth, and the horrible memories filled my mind. I focused in front of me.

There she stood in her full slick silver armor, spook mask, and both swords drawn was Emma Winters. A smile grew on my face, and the blood held in my mouth poured over my lips.

"There you are," I said, trying to move.

She walked confidently forward.

"Well, played having Nekko draw Mimiku away and leaving me open for attack," I commended.

She said nothing.

"What cat got your tongue? Or is it your sister?"

Emma stopped and pulled her mask off and threw it away. Her calico eyes were still as beautiful as I remembered, and the distaste of what she did to me still lingered.

"Eugene, I am here to stop you in any way," she announced.

"Oh, you're off to a good start," I interrupted.

"Why are you here?" she asked.

"To get Mimiku," I answered.

"Then why…"

"And to take the city for the forces of the seven hells to begin their invasion," I interrupted again.

A realization set on her.

"What? You thought I was just going to get Mimiku and go hide?"

"Please come back," Emma begged.

"No," I firmed said.

My smile disappeared, and for some reason, Emma looked shocked. Roaring laughter grew in my stomach. It started low, then it grew wildly out of control.

"That, that was your grand plan?" I howled.

Her mouth, that was hanging ajar, closed. Her eyes dimmed, and her lower lip twitched.

"I wouldn't ever want to come back." I raised my head and met her eyes. "I did everything to prove that I wasn't anything dangerous. What did I get in return?"

The anger was heavy on my lips.

"Hue…"

"I was beaten, tortured, discriminated just because of what I am!" I spat, having blood sputter out of my mouth.

"No one did anything to help me or to prove my innocence. Not even you!"

Emma's lips quivered uncontrollably.

"I was poisoned by Jezebel! She used my feelings of being hurt against you," Emma shot back.

"It doesn't matter!" I interjected, trying to break the ice spears.

"There is no place for me here. I will not rot in jail for eternity for being something I had no control over."

I started to twist, and the ice shattered. Emma had lost her concentration.

"I will make a world where I can live in, and you're not going to stop me!"

I transformed my face and teeth to that of the iconic vampire. Oddly, Emma didn't move from her place. That's when I noticed that her hand turned from palm facing down to facing up.

Ice pierced the entirety of my body. I went limp, and Emma's tears made the faintest drip, drip.

"I'm sorry, Eugene," she whispered.

I suddenly vanished from the staked position and emerged behind Emma. My arms wrapped tightly around her body, holding her fast in place. My fangs sank deep into her porcelain skin, and the rich elixir poured freely into my mouth.

The taste was delightful; however, Emma was screaming in suffering. I wasn't an actual vampire; therefore, her body didn't receive the numbing or the dopamine serum that would be injected with the bite.

With my wounds nearing completion, Emma's struggle began to turn weak. Even her ice powers faded away. This, unfortunately, was short-lived.

I was ripped apart from Emma by the heavily bloodied Nekko. She, herself, was having trouble keeping hold of Emma. Nekko cocked her head to the side and rolled it forward to avoid Mimiku's hand from decapitating it.

Mimiku missed, and Nekko took the opportunity to flee. In a blinding flash of light and fire, Emma and Nekko were gone.

"Well, that was fun," Mimiku cackled, dancing a little.

"You really let her have it," I said, standing back up.

"Yes, yes, I did, she deserved it," Mimiku replied happily.

"And it appears that you were having an intimate moment with Emma," Mimiku laughed.

I scoffed.

"She didn't give it her all. I think she felt more guilt than anything else."

"Did you get whatever you were doing done?" Mimiku brought up.

"Oh, yes."

"What was it exactly?"

"Way back when." I stretched an arm behind me. "When the Necromancer Plight was becoming a major problem, the paladins and the magi fought against them at this very spot."

"Yes, I know this," Mimiku agitated.

"Then you know that there are hundreds of thousands of the dead lying there, beginning to wake. The Paladins never came back to purify the land, but they did put a nice shiny shard to protect the port."

"And the dead are inside the shield," Mimiku smiled.

I tapped a finger on my nose.

"And most of the dead were paladins. We have a way to shut down the shield!" Mimiku realized.

"Once the shield is down, Jezebel with flood the beach with her army, and with our armies combined." I paused for a minute.

"You can change the world," Mimiku offered.

"Yes."