Spell, Crook and Handle Pt. 06

Louis was so used to Gabrielle calling out orders that he followed without hesitation. He didn't draw his weapon he peered into the astral and saw what should have been obvious; the energy source was below them in the basement. He finished his sweep and met up with the girls by the door. He pointed down and they nodded. Jinx yanked the door open while Rumor entered first with Louis close behind her. They nearly slipped down the frost covered stairs but caution kept them from a nasty spill. The temperature dropped to subzero conditions by the time they reached the bottom of the stairs. Everything was layered in frost and a light dusting of snow. Louis could see the pitch black aura around the stone door.

"The lighter bricks, the power source is behind that," Louis said thru chattering teeth.

"How are we getting through that," Jinx asked.

"I left the battering ram in the Range Rover, any suggestions?" Rumor said drawing a runic dagger.

"Yeah, stay here," Louis said as he approached the far wall.

He shifted his body to compensate for the cold and with that distraction removed he strode over to the door. He didn't have this particular spell hanging so he traced the rune pattern on the stones and slowly invoked the spell as he backed away. He wove his hands in intricate patterns and focused the force of the spell on the stones. Once he was far enough back he spoke the last syllable and the bricks flew away from them as if struck by some invisible force.

"Impressive," Rumor said. "What do you call that one?"

"That ladies, is the Titan's Mattock," he said proudly. "...After you?"

"Such the gentleman," Jinx said as tossed two glow sticks into the gap.

The Inquisitors were armed identically with a gauss pistol in one hand and a knife in the other. Louis had combat spells at his fingertips. The Inquisitors led the way and Louis followed. The space beyond was a blasphemy of everything held sacred by life loving beings anywhere. It had been a massacre and the limit of the devastation was only left to the imagination of whatever entity performed these sacrifices. Most of the bodies were in parts while a scant few were mummified from the lack of oxygen and dry conditions. It was hard to make an accurate count but there were at least a hundred victims here.

The altar was a twisted piece of dark organically carved stone that stood twelve feet in height. Upon its gnarled surface were foul runes that coursed with a dark energy and the source of the malevolence here. Too late Louis returned his sight to the astral. Three beings guarded the altar and struck at the same instant. The psychic assault was precise and diabolical.

"Louis, wake up Louis," a voice said.

"Huh, what the hell just happened," Louis said as his vision focused.

"How many times did I warn you about that damn skateboard without a helmet?"

"Mom, what are you doing here mom," Louis asked as he got to his feet and looked around. "Wait, I was just in London."

"London, that's a good one," she laughed. "Come on in the water's great."

He was standing in the backyard of the Old House. The house he had been born and raised in before, before it had burned down. He looked over at the sunken pool and there was his mom in a bikini of all things. She looked good, real good! He walked over to the edge and she was treading water in the deep end of the pool. As he watched she reached down and tugged the bow that held on her bikini bottoms. The scissor action of her legs was enough to dislodge them and send them floating away.

"How clumsy of me," she purred. "It is just so damn hot out here today."

The top followed the bottom to the depths of the pool. Louis stared at his mother's naked form and felt his throat go dry. He dove into the water and damn it felt good. He came up right in front of her and she beckoned him with a finger. He swam over and her arms slipped around her neck. She closed her eyes as she kissed him. The hunger blossomed all-consuming and he kissed her back. Suddenly in dream fashion they were in the shallows of the pool. Mom was seated on the edge of the pool with her legs open to him.

"Come on and be mommy's big boy," she urged him. "Stick that massive cock of yours inside of me!"

He thrust in one brutal movement of his hips and impaled her. She cried out as he began moving. He had forgotten how wet and tight her cunt was. Louis hammered her for all he was worth. That's when something went dreadfully wrong. He felt the dark magic rise up but it was directed at him. His mother was trying to drain his life essence! Louis looked into her eyes and saw the black sclera with blazing red irises.

"DEMON," he roared. "Oh fucker you picked the wrong goddamn fight!"

Louis' own power rose up and shattered the demon's hold on him. For the second time in one day he brought the full and unrelenting power to bear on a sentient. This time it was some inhuman entity. He had no remorse about snuffing out its spark. The thing tried to break free but failed. Louis took it by the throat and squeezed. How dare you impersonate my mother! The thing shifted and squirmed but his grip trapped it no matter its form. The dark magic pierced it to the core and he fed to its last. The illusion shattered and Louis stood where he had before. A quick glance showed the two Inquisitors still trapped in their own nightmares. Louis did the only thing he could. He turned his full might upon the altar.

He called upon a spell to seek out the weakness in the construction. It took desperate seconds but in the end he found the shatter point. If he struck there with enough force he could destroy the altar utterly. As he brought the next spell into his mind the Inquisitors fell to the floor. They were still breathing so the other two demons had let go for a reason.

"Strike the mage," a booming voice called out. "Kill him... DESTROY HIM!"

The demons that had once only been on the astral plane drew on the power of the altar and physically manifested. To do this they possessed the bodies of the fallen. Darkling energy coursed into bones, sinew and flesh long dead. A legion of the undead rose up to stop Louis and the Inquisitors. As he shouted for them to get up he drew the gauss pistols. He targeted those bodies that were most intact. The impact of the rounds blew them to pieces and only then did he see the futility of his actions. The demons moved hands, legs, skulls and anything else that could attack. Jinx and Rumor slowly got their feet and cried out as they saw the moving mass of body limbs heading for them.

Louis holstered his pistols and began slinging spells at the altar. But whatever force had commanded the demons were shielding it. Bolts of force either bounced and ricochet off the barrier and struck the ceiling or walls. He cursed and tried to figure out a new strategy before they were overrun and torn apart. Rumor saved them when she reached under her shirt and revealed the holy relic hanging there. It shone like a beacon in that stygian darkness. The foremost of the demonic limbs lost mobility and for now they were kept at bay. Louis peered into the astral and the two remaining demons were gathered near the altar.

"This is bad," he said just as the bolt of hell fire lashed out and tossed him bodily against the wall.

"Louis!" Jinx screamed as she raced to his side. "He's out cold... oh god Rumor he's hurt... he needs a doctor!"

"Take out your relic and search him," Rumor ordered. "He might have a med kit on him or something. She is going to kill us if he dies! I will hold them off!"

Jinx checked the armored coat but only found clips for the gauss pistol. It wasn't until she searched his person that she found the syringe and two empty vials. She cursed but she saw that the impact with the wall had revealed a concealed compartment in the case. There were two full vials within. They weren't labeled so she shrugged and injected him with both.

"I found a syringe case and two vials," Jinx told Rumor. "I am injecting him with both. Oh shit he quit breathing! I am doing mouth to mouth."

"Damn it Louis, you better pull through," Rumor growled.

The Inquisitors and demons were at a standoff. The tension of the brewing conflict began to manifest in the atmosphere of the room. Dark and light began swirling around the other. A kind of mystic Yin-Yang formed in the center of the chamber. Jinx continued to give Louis mouth to mouth until he began breathing on his own. She watched as his head wound began closing on its own. What the hell was in those vials? Louis took a single deep breath and his eyes snapped open. His pupils were dilated and he slowly sat up.

"Louis, are you alright," Jinx asked as he slowly got to his feet.

"Yeah," he said. "I think I will be alright. That really fucking hurt!"

He stared at the growing darkness and suddenly his mind was ablaze with understanding, comprehension and he knew what to do. He turned to Jinx and snatched the relic from her neck. He took out one of his gauss pistols. He popped the clip and handed it to her.

"Hold this for a second," he said as he closed his fist over the relic.

"What are you going to do," Jinx asked as he began to sing.

The melody was soothing and drew power from itself and grew stronger. The light from the relic became sun bright but didn't hurt their eyes. Once the song was finished he opened his hand and the medallion was now an ornate metallic disk inscribed with prayers and infused with the power of Rome. He placed the relic into the clip and returned it to his pistol.

"You aren't doing what I think you are going to do," she asked and he smiled.

"Oh yes I am," he said as he took aim and invoked the shatter point spell once more. "Gotcha mother fucker!"

Louis fired and this time the unrelenting power of saint and technology merged to destroy a primordial darkness. The altar shattered and the demons and their master were sent screaming back to hell. Louis smiled, handed Jinx his pistol and collapsed. The darkness this time was absolute and perfect. When he fell there was not a single ripple in the astral. Louis found himself on a familiar ocean. Above him storm clouds and the storm struck without hesitation and without mercy. He watched as the thirty foot wave crested and fell upon him like god's own hammer. His body was forced beneath the surface of the sea and he sank like a rock.

'I deserve this,' he thought as he fell. 'I defiled a sacred relic. I murdered that girl in the jewelry store. I have fucked my mother, my sister and my aunt. I deserve whatever follows.'

'You are such a fucking martyr,' Yog-Sothoth whispered in his mind. 'Are you sure you aren't really a masochist in disguise? I mean really Louis, you have been given so many gifts and you still cling to tiny things like morality. I don't know of any other being with your potential that would see things the way you do.'

'Fine, what do you think I should do oh great and mighty Gate? You, who are eternal, dwell in the ever present past, present and future, what the fuck should I do?' Silence.

'You know, I will put it in terms even you can understand Louis. Get the fuck over it! Let go of all the bullshit and just fucking live! Go meet with Jon and settle things there. Sleep with Kat while it lasts. Go home and tag team that little trio of mom, aunt and sister. Then, when the dust settles, help Gabrielle raise your child.'

'Wait, she's pregnant,' Louis asked and there was only demonic laughter.

Louis opened his eyes and he was naked and in bed. He tried to move but his spine stung when he attempted it. He cursed and Feng was hovering over him. She had reverted to her Thorn aspect and was smiling from ear to ear.

"You still function," she said.

"Yeah, I am still alive," he replied. "It's good to see you too Feng."

"What do you need and I will fetch it," she said eagerly.

"Fresh coffee, a straw and a recap on what the hell happened."

"The ladies Rumor and Jinx are still here," Feng said. "They wanted to debrief you and give you your commendation."

"What fucking commendation," he asked once more trying to sit up and cursed again. "Fuck that hurts!"

"You are lucky to be alive," Kat said and it was obvious she had been crying and recently.

"I am fine, just a few bruises." Louis said.

"She's right," Rumor said. "If it hadn't been for Jinx and your little syringe kit you would have died."

"The syringe kit," Kat said. "Those vials were empty."

"The ones on top were," Jinx said grinning. "But not the ones in the hidden compartment, the force from hitting the wall dislodged the mechanism. I used both vials and here you are living and breathing."

Louis looked at Kat and she shrugged. The Inquisitors watched the silent exchange and waited for the explanation and it was amazing. Kat talked about their trip to Old Man Corvinus and their purchase of the kit on a whim. If it hadn't been for that Louis would have died from his injuries. What the hell had been in those vials? It was linked to Professor Griffon and his research. With the help of both Inquisitors, Louis was able to sit up. Feng returned with coffee and a straw. Louis had her add a search for a Professor Griffon at the end of the nineteenth century. He didn't feel any different besides the pain. When he asked Feng to display his x-rays she pointed out the damage to his spine. The doctors had done what they could but they were unsure about his long term prognosis. It was the nature of the beast.

"Spinal injuries are tricky," Feng said as he sipped his coffee through a straw. "The swelling could go down and you could be perfectly fine or well... we shall think positive."

"Yes we will," he said. "I will walk again."

"You give it to him," Jinx whispered.

"When he's ready," Rumor growled back.

"Enough already," Louis said glaring at them. "What is this commendation Feng mentioned?"

"Since I am the senior Inquisitor present it is my duty and honor to award you the Sicarius. It is the weapon of an Inquisitor. This one has been blessed by the Holy Father himself during the entire crafting process. He blessed the ore as it was melted down, the smith who forged the blade and a final blessing during the weapon's final cooling. May it serve you well."

"I don't know what to say," Louis said as he opened the box. "Why does Rome feel I deserve a commendation?"

"For your ingenuity in creating what is being called hallowed ammunition," Rumor replied. "Silver is all good but in situations such as what we faced something more is required. Your brilliance will save many lives. Now I have a question, what the hell was that thing in the basement?"

"I guess you could call it an astral anchor," Louis said. "All those people murdered created a kind of tear that manifested in the altar. It allowed them to charge it with negative energy so that they could eventually open a physical gate between the physical universe and..."

"Yikes," Jinx cried out. "I am glad you saved us Louis. I am in your debt."

"That makes two of us," Rumor added. "If you ever need anything, just uh ask."

There was a hungry look in Rumor's gaze and he was in too much pain to take her up on her splendid offer. So he turned his attention back to the Sicarius. The weapon was eighteen inches from tip to tang. The marbled pattern of the metal was gorgeous and the runes on the blade were a prayer against the forces of darkness. The silver and pearl grip was as lovely as it was functional. This was a soldier's blade built to kill. He felt a headache coming on and closed the box. The women left to let him rest. He closed his eyes and winced at the one two punch of back pain and growing migraine.

"Feng close the drapes, the light is hurting my eyes."

"Yes Master Louis," she replied. "Would you like anything before I leave?"

"Please get me a couple of bottles of water. I am really thirsty all of a sudden."

"They will be next to the bed when you need them," she said as he slipped into a troubled slumber.

Louis' pattern of sleep and consciousness were sporadic and in that time he drank all seven of the bottles of water Feng had provided. The bedside table had been replaced with a mini-fridge and stocked with water. So now there was a steady supply of fluids and this had an unavoidable consequence.

"Oh crap I need to piss," Louis said when next he awoke. "Shit... fuck... damn..."

He clenched his teeth and sat up. The pain that had kept him down for nearly forty eight hours was gone. There was no hint of it but the urging of his bladder was another matter entirely. He was up and heading for the bathroom in a flash. He was standing in front of the toilet and of course the lid was down. He reached out and his hand passed through the lid.

"What the holy hell is going on," he asked as he looked over his shoulder to see his prone form still in bed. "I am astral projected?"

The urge to piss disappeared and he walked over to his body. He looked down at the pain wracked features and grimaced. Damn that looked painful. There was no getting around it. He returned to his body and the moment he woke he shifted his form. The waves of pain lessened and as he had before he continued to shift from one form and sex to the other. Back and forth he went until he ended as fate would have it in the female albino form. While the pain was severely reduced his energy was spent. Louis closed 'his' eyes and slept.

"Master wake up," Feng whispered in his ear. "Hurry up Louis and wake your ass up!"

"Huh," he said opening his eyes. "Hey Feng what's up?"

"Change back... for the love of god change back! I can't keep the door closed much longer."

"Sorry," he said as he reverted to his male shape just as the door was forced open.

"Feng, are you malfunctioning?" Kat said as she glared at the A.I.

"I told her to keep the door closed," Louis said intervening. "If you want to blame somebody blame me."

Louis got up and finished what he had started earlier. The sound of him relieving his bladder and the resounding sigh of relief echoed from the bathroom. He sniffed his pits and wrinkled his nose. He started a shower and found three women in the bathroom glaring at him.

"What the hell, I stink to high heaven," he said. "You gonna draw lots for who helps me in the shower?"

"I will generate a random integer between one and ten the closest wins," Feng said.

"Three," Kat said.

"Nine," Jinx picked.

"Six," Rumor said shrugging.

"The number was seven," Feng announced. "Rumor has to decide if she wishes to... oh well... I will be outside." Rumor was stripping even as the others left. She climbed in behind Louis as he let the water wash away the funk.

"Damn it Feng you could have helped me out," Kat growled. "He doesn't even know her."

"I believe there is a high probability by the end of the shower he will."

Rumor took the loofa and washed Louis from head to toe. She didn't miss a spot and he admired her attention to detail. He rinsed off and felt remotely human after his ordeal in Bob's basement. He started laughing and Rumor looked at him and raised a curios eyebrow.

"What is so funny?"

"Bob's basement... you know Bob's Basement... sounds like an underground sex club."

"You are so bad," she replied.

"Let me show you how bad I can be," Louis moaned in her ear. "What...?"

"Is something wrong," Rumor asked watching as he turned his head as if listening for something.

"She is out there," Louis said. "I can hear her heartbeat. Man is she pissed."

"Wait, you can hear her heartbeat, over the water from in here?"

"Yeah, I can also hear those sighs of hers. Have you ever been with a girl before?" Louis asked and Rumor just giggled.

"Of course silly, I am an Inquisitor after all," she said smiling. "Go ahead, I don't mind."

Louis kissed her fiercely and left her hungry and breathless. Naked, he stalked out of the bathroom into the bedroom. Kat looked up surprised as her grabbed her by the hair and she moaned as he brought her up to her feet. He looked her in the eye and nodded. His hands tore her clothes to shreds and led her by the wrist into the shower. Rumor pulled Kat into the shower and they kissed. They were both moaning as their hands explored each other's bodies. Louis watched enjoying the view quite a bit. While Kat was the classic red haired Russian beauty, Rumor was the tall leggy European brunette. Louis shivered and slipped behind them as they continued to get to know each other. He let out a sigh as the hot water struck his back.