Chapter 21: Unseen vs Unnoticed

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Tyrell:

"Maelstrom!" Raven shouted, opening her hand as her undamaged sword flew out of its sheath and into her right palm.

Out of the bushes in front of us came a huge man in a ragged cloak. I had no time to get a good look at him before a blast of electric energy erupted from Raven's blades and flashed into him. All around I heard the ringing of swords being drawn and J-Star completely vanished from sight.

The speed with which all those violent actions occurred nearly set my head spinning. Still, if I would have been disappointed at not getting a good look at the thing that had crossed our path, then apparently I needed not to fret. The hood of the man's cloak had fallen from his head and the snow all around him had melted leaving wet and scorched grass around his feet, but he still stood. He had jagged teeth and ashen gray skin with orange hair that stood on end as he grinned down at us all.

"Monster I warn you," I heard as Thor slowly spoke up behind me. "One swing of my hammer, and you will be no more." he stood looking at the cloaked figure without flinching, without even reaching for his weapon- not that I was entirely sure I would know if he reached for his hammer in his cloaked form but I didn't think he did.

"Ya know, about that," the creature said. "Angelic threats lose their edge after you have already fought one and survived. That being said, I do need practice."

At times the creature's voice boomed, at other times it cracked, but always it sounded fake. Like someone was making a voice up. Nothing about this man seemed natural- but not unnatural in the way Thor appeared. Thor's true form, from what I saw of it, suggested a different nature entirely. This creature, whatever it was, seemed artificial. His gray skin looked almost painted, with tiny splotches of pink showing here and there on his hands and face. His hair was spiked but not in a fashion that couldn't have been styled. His teeth were sharp but looked broken instead of naturally so. He even had obviously dyed orange hair.

Somehow, this thing that looked and sounded so fake... something about it- it scared me so much more than anything I had seen today. Everything else was just strange, however behind those eyes, hidden behind strange green contacts, there was something everything else didn't show. Intent. Thor just was. Raven and Jessica had a problem. This thing looked like it was human once, but like it was changed and looking into those eyes somehow I knew, knowing nothing else, the one who changed this thing- was itself.

"So here's my deal," said the monster. "What I need from them- blood. What I need from you- practice. So then, my offer. Let us leave this place for a time and fight. Let us then come up with conditions in another place. If I win, you withdraw and let me do as I please. If you win, I withdraw and whatever these children choose to do with my DNA- I suppose I will have to find out. I'll give them one week- but it's not a permanent arrangement."

"I could just kill you now," said the angel, still not seeming to move, not even batting an eye. Dangerous as the creature seemed, with this self-assured angel on our side I felt safe as I could feel.

"I could just kill them." the creature boasted. "They could be ashes before you move."

"I'm faster than you know."

"Likewise."

"I'm only with these children because I choose to be. In the end, I could choose I don't care and that I just want to kill you. They are a bit of a burden."

"Bluffing?"

"Not sure myself. You seem unpleasant so I should like to kill you. I do know that to me, your threats are hollow as the void between stars. The lives of these creatures are like a breath to things like me, I've seen millions rise and fall. And you know by now that nothing in your arsenal will harm even a lock of my hair."

          

And well- that safe feeling was going away.

"You seemed to have a conscience before."

"I don't fight for heaven or hell, truth be told I saw the girl with the snake and saw a way to cure my boredom."

I whispered to Raven, "but really, he is bluffing, right?"

"I think he cares a little about us but you do remember we kinda compelled him to come with us, right?" she replied.

"Enough of this, you must care on some level, can we go?" asked the creature. "If for nothing else, I promise a fun fight." He grinned, his lips seeming to open an unnatural distance into his cheeks, like they were cut open.

The angel looked around at us. "Anyone going to try to force me to stay this time?" Yep- none of us were moving on that point.

"Three miles northwest of here, but you'll have to be patient while I-" but we never did find out why Thor would need to be patient as he took off into the air with no visible wings, shooting over the rest of us and grabbing the terrifying man, both of them shooting into the air.

As the pair ripped into the air, now as a pair appearing the size of a dime, a light shot out from the both of them, one so bright everyone in the group had to look away, vibrations tearing through all of us and shaking the ground.

I opened my eyes to notice I was now on my butt, looking up as the gray man slammed into the ground amongst our group. My heart beat faster and faster as I heard cracking and squelching noises as the man slowly stood up. I couldn't make out the gray man's form clearly, but upon impact, his body seemed to be crushed like anyone's would be. In seconds he stood before us with clothes a little more torn and abused, but his body was whole and unbruised.

The monster yelled into the air above us. "Don't tell me that was enough! C'mon, it wasn't even an atom bomb-" and with that, a fist slammed into the creature's face and sent him flying several feet.

Thor was standing over us, now appearing as a four-winged celestial again.

The man stood up, chuckling. "Yes well, I knew that wouldn't work. Just a little taste and- come come now- consent, please? You don't just give someone a ride."

Thor took out his hammer and swung it casually in the air, snarling as he spoke. "If you insist- can we leave now?"

"Oh you dreamboat, come get me tall, bright, and handsome!" The gray man threw out his arms this time as the angel flew at him and shot into the air once again with him. This time they took off without returning.

J-Star reappeared standing next to me. "Why do I suddenly have a really bad feeling?" she asked.

I looked at her nearly cross-eyed. "I mean- pretty sure the carrot top gave everyone the heebie-jeebies," I pointed out.

"He's gone now..." she started looking around while shivering. I admitted to myself that seeing her shiver when she and the other members of our group seemed to like wearing short sleeved tees in icy tundra was at least eye-catching. She wasn't responding to the cold that was for sure. Still- whatever that monster was shook me up pretty bad so what in the world gave her a "bad feeling" that everyone else wasn't already blindingly aware of?

She started scanning the snow-covered ground around us and the sparse forest to our right. "Something's here..."

Kyle pointed at a hill just ahead of the team. "The van is just over that hill- everyone make a break for it on my mark-"

I looked over at Raven to see her waving her working sword around, eyes wide. "BELAY THAT ORDER! Everyone get close now!" she shouted. "Something bad is near." Xao, Floreen and Kyle quickly huddled near her with myself and J-Star.

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