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#Post#: 165--------------------------------------------------
Black Ties: Part 3
DIR By: Gallowtree
Date: September 27, 2020, 7:00 pm
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3
“So I've got to ask...you must've got the long straw, right?”
The voice cut the tension, bringing a low growl from the Catman
as he pushed me onto my back and turned to address the speaker.
I rolled on to my side as the beast stepped forward in a
prowl...to face a man whose appearance was, well, odd. In
essence, my teammate Dante was a Gucci model who got lost and
joined the circus. He was good-looking, shaven close on his
head and sporting a well-maintained goatee that looked like a
modest sketch of facial hair. The odd bit was his choice of
clothing for late November – he wore a pair of khakis with a
designer coal-coloured shirt over an undershirt. He still wore
boots for walking through the snow, but Dante didn't feel the
cold (or so he said). At his side was a holstered pistol by his
left hand, and a length of chain by his right which clinked
lightly as he walked. Beneath his undershirt you could see what
looked like tattoos...except that these moved slightly depending
on his mood and...other factors.
Dante had the ill fortune to be on the street one night when a
rogue sorceror had gone out looking for a subject for his
experiments. One moment, Dante was club-cruising for tail, and
the next he was shackled to a table while a very nasty dabbler
in the black arts attempted some kind of demonic binding ritual,
and bingo! Dante is bonded to a demon who he has to fight for
control of his body with for the rest of his life. The White
Council intercepted the sorceror and beheaded him after a
lengthy interrogation, but they were left with a dilemma when
considering what to do with Dante – couldn't let him go, and
couldn't kill him on account of his innocence. So they threw
him in with us. After some modification, of course.
“I'm only askin' because you got the cat deal instead of the pig
deal, ya know?”
The Catman circled with Dante, who walked as if it was spring,
hands in his pockets and a quiet, knowing smile on his lips.
“I guess things are going to get ugly now, fella, and believe me
when I say that although I'd rather not let loose the dogs 'a
war, I'm pretty sure you're fixed for a fight and to that I'll
answer you, tooth for claw.”
The Catman hissed and crouched, ready to spring.
“Well, that's not friendly at all fella, not at all!”
Dante quickly had his chain in hand. The Catman made a leap to
gain ground against Dante, sailing in a graceful stride with
claws outstretched and fangs bared. I scrambled to get up,
feeling numb and oddly light-headed. I managed to get to my
knees as the cat finished its leap far too close to Dante. I
grinned, for although I was in poor condition, I had seen
Dante's act before, and Catman was in for a shock.
Dante swung the chain, which lengthened all of a sudden to lash
around Catman in several loops. The black pattern on Dante's
skin shifted wildly, and an evil grin took over his face as the
Catman crashed to the ground. Sometimes, the demon showed
through Dante like an evil night-light, and others he was
himself again. The power he drew from the demon gave it
purchase, and even though the Council had taken certain
precautions against total possession, excessive demonstrations
were a bad idea. Dante was hell on wheels on his own, pardon
the expression; the demon provided the magical muscle that he
lacked.
“Now you will behave, fella, you'll-”
Dante was interrupted as, shockingly, the Catman started hauling
himself up, thrashing at the chain around him.
“Max! Why isn't this thing freaking out about the iron? Aagh!”
The Catman was up now, and pulling Dante towards him. This was
all going to hell. I couldn't focus very well; my head was
still throbbing from the boot it had taken. Dante was
struggling to resist, the force of the beastman's pull causing
Dante to dig in like mad. His tattoos were twisting and
thrashing – it wasn't a good sign. If pushed too far, Dante
would have to give in to the demon to survive, and that could be
worse then the predicament we were in now. I had to act to try
and salvage this.
I raised my hand to draw in the kinetic energy, imagining the
lines of force around me as something tangible. I could feel a
major rush of pressure flow over me, making me want to vomit as
the wave hit my tender noggin. Sweat started to pour down my
back and my face as I pulled the power down to me, choosing to
focus it above the Catman. I curled my hand into a fist, and
brought it down in a swooping motion that sucked the kinetic
energy down like a waterfall. It kind of worked. The Catman
kind of bent sideways as the force hit it on the right side
entirely, and I heard something pop. The Catman yowled in pain
as it hit the ground, and Dante exhaled as the strain of his
struggles ceased.
The Catman's knee joint was cocked forward at an odd angle. It
yowled, lamenting the injury. It took one look at the leg as it
lay on the ground, and it's eyes rolled back into it's head. It
stopped doing anything then, and lay still. Passed out?
Really? Dante looked at me, and nodded at the beast. I sighed
and stooped, putting my fingers on it's jugular. It's pulse was
steady. I stood back up.
“It's out. Guess that saves some figuring on how to sedate it.”
“Oh yeah...that's great Max.”
Dante paced a little.
“What's the problem?”
He looked up at me, frowning.
“Later. Where the hell is Gage?”
I left it alone for now. Besides, the same question was on my
mind too. Then, another thought thrust its way up.
“Where's the other one?”
“Coming soon to a clearing near you, boys,” Gage said, stepping
from the shadow of the hedge.
Gage was a pretty, petite young woman with ginger hair and pale
skin. She was dressed in a short, black coat with fur lining
over a green hoodie, and black cargo pants. She had a bag full
of magic peraphenalia slung over one shoulder, and was resting a
small crowbar over the other. Gage was one the best magical
researchers I knew, and had a *ahem* versatile array of skills
from her previous career as a bank robber. Acrobatics,
lockpicking, and even some nasty little martial arts thrown
together into one package. The Council grabbed her after she
used some pretty high-profile magic to virtually empty one of
the big four banks downtown; you can't get a witchhunt together
without the witches, and we preferred people not believe we
exist. The Council had something over on each of us. Gage was
looking forward to either a lengthy prison sentence, or a snappy
execution. She was pretty smug now that she had landed on her
feet, though. It honked me off in no small way.
“Where the hell have you been? We could have used--”
She cut me off, smiling and signing us both to be quiet.
I sighed and folded my arms. Dante pulled the pistol from his
holster and pointed it at the head of the Catman. I could hear
heavy footfalls and an angry grunting coming up the path. It
appeared that Tuskboy was well on his way to answer the call of
his fallen companion. Gage put her bag down, and stood just to
one side with her hands wrapped around that crowbar. Oh shit.
I grabbed the stone and spoke.
“Iron doesn't work!”
Gage turned around with an “oh” expression. I jumped forward
just as Tuskboy was bearing down on her. There was no way I was
going to get there in time.
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