A giant cat’s face with an overly round body, hundreds of thorns the color of fresh grass. At each red tip a sappy mixture bled out. Though it gave no indication of its potency, something told Nate that only a small amount would be enough to kill him. The giant swung its mane about allowing the red tips to lay flat hidden among the green of the scales.

  “I greet you, Nate of the family Cotten. My messenger has long acted beyond their duty. Take this message to them.”

  The voice boomed both soft and quiet whilst at the same time clapping louder than thunder. Each sound and syllable resounded throughout his mind, the air, and the land itself. Nate felt his head splitting, he couldn’t take these sound for much longer.

  “Your messenger? Who are you?”

  “My name is long since forgotten if it were ever known. Only the fae and faerie would have known. I once ruled the land beneath your body. One day I shall be all that remains or only a dream. Take my command, and heed it. My messenger shall bring back my domain, if they do not I shall render them low.”

  Nate grit his teeth at the pain. He knew that he wasn’t here in the physical sense. The pain was all too real to simply be a dream. If this had anything to do with what was happening then he would scrape at any assistance.

  “And what shall you give me in return for this service?” He shouted.

  “Ahhhh, humans. I forget that you always charge a price. Then a price you shall have. My blessing and a letter. You shall awake now. From my dream of old glory to your dream of nightmare.”

  As its words slowed and vanished into the air the world twisted. With fire and fury it was bathed. Charred blackened ground consumed the valley as the beast now was no longer the hills and valley. Its body hung slain by mighty hooks. The valley filled with oceans of its blood. People below drowned swallowed up in the viscous fluid.

  “He’s awake!” Mandy said.

  Nate awoke from the waking nightmare of the slain creature. The hallway buzzed as no time seemed to have passed. Reaching out he felt for his spirit house. Whilst in the dream he’d been completely cut off from it. He let out a sigh of relief when he found that it was still safely nestled away..

  The hallway was packed with everyone that he’d left behind in the hospital room. None had moved much from where they had been before his intrusion. Above the body of Chiron was strewn about tangled within rebar. Sitting up he checked his own body.

  “Don’t move yet you're hurt.” Mandy warned.

  “No, I don’t think I am. Not anymore than I already was.”

  Within his mind he called out to Boudica. The spirit responded weakly; her power had been tested to the extreme to defend him. He gave her the order to rest before turning his attention back to those present.

  “What’s going on?” He asked

  “My father attacked while we were heading for the morgue. Don’t worry, Karah got him.”

  She nodded over to Karah who still clutched Allison close to her chest. A conflicted face that Nate knew intimately looked between him and the girl. It was the one she would put on when she didn’t know how to feel about a person. Not in her survival of the fittest way but one where they were outside of what she was prepared to handle. The face she’d given him after they first fought.

  “He’s not dead yet. Lupita chewed him up last time.”

  “Shit, are you serious?” Karah asked.

  The Mayor's body was still in between the two sides. Knowing that whatever damage Karah had managed wouldn’t be enough Nate cast the Thorn Wood Snare onto his body. It was more controlled this time by the Dryad as she narrowed it to only lock down his body.

  Mandy helped him to his feet. The monster suspended above them gave out a soft groan. Nate could see the strands of spiritual energy snapping back into place leading out to its master. It would not be long before the beast once more began to rampage.

  Set to clean up before anything happened he attempted to call upon Lupita’s bite. The action failed as pain radiated out from his chest. Without the ability to stop it he threw up onto the ground. The hallway began to spin in his eyes.

  “Oh shit Dr.Mei we need you!” Mandy panicked.

  Nate could feel he’d used too much of his own spiritual energy. The battle with Hercules wouldn’t be considered all that taxing for him. The culprit was the enhanced, empowered bite spell. He’d used both spells at once layering them and forcing a fusion. In most circumstances it wasn’t something easily achieved.

  “It's spell sickness, everyone to the Morgue now before we get stopped again.” Dr. Mei ordered.

  They all rushed past the contained Mayor and slowly slipping corpse golem. Nate gave a brief glance up at the figure Jeb’s cold dead eyes staring back at him. He hadn’t deserved that. While looking at his face he noticed the eyes pop open. The condition he was in wouldn’t allow him anything fancy. The Dryads spell would last till the end of its duration. Any other spirit was likely outside of what he could handle.

  A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.

  Reaching up he used what small amount of power he had left to create a small band of shadow over its eyes. It would only buy them a moment but it was long enough for everyone to rush past him. They’d all noticed its movement and wouldn’t allow it to get ahead of them.

  Mandy attempted to pull him away but he couldn’t move. His mind was wavering as he kept the small tendril of power flowing into the spell on his skull. If he stopped paying attention for a moment it would break. The eyes were the window to the soul. Nate guessed that if Jeb saw them then Zeus would know.

  “Lupita carry her away.” Nate squeaked out.

  A full werewolf seven plus feet tall, a shimmering white and silver. Her teeth clamped down onto Mand’s hood. This was outside of using his own spirit energy as she’d had such a quasi-physical form when they formed their contract. The most stable point on her were the teeth which allowed her to influence the physical world.

  Nate stared up at the looming figure. One danger after another and he now was trapped. His legs began to tremble; he could feel that last strand slowly slipping away. He couldn’t look to check if anyone was left. Blood started to pour out from around his eyes.

  “Damn it, why do you have to be so good?”

  Nate’s vision was cut off as a small figure blurred up past him. Wind whipped and whistled out from around him. Karah was wrapped within a raging storm as a single punch landed squarely upon Jeb’s head. The flesh golem lurched and then with an impossibly loud pop split in half.

  Blood still flowing from his eyes he cut off the spell. Karah slowly floated down from above him flapping pieces of fabric like flesh swirled out along with her wind. She reached down toward Nate just as he fell to his knees. A tight embrace kept him from fully falling over.

  “Can’t have you look weak for the Punks. You got an image to think about, don’t you?” She whispered.

  Nate let her take on his body weight. There was no energy left for him to move, the act of staying awake was a miracle in its own right. Light bled down from the hole where the corpse golem once resided. The aftermath of the charge from before had left an open way to allow the glow of the moon.

  “You look as stunning as moonlight.”

  “The girl My lord there she is the corpse vault!”

  The mayor was only a head and a single hand. Within his paste-like state he’d found the way to form in a more specific way. All he needed to do was point the god in the right direction and he would take care of the rest.

  Allison was propped against the wall. Karah had placed her down to rescue Nate. He winced as he tried to get a better look but it was blocked. A burly man now stood in the hallway. Sculpted muscles that looked cut from marble protected by a metal cuirass. With a single hand he grabbed Allison by the collar hoisting her up onto his shoulder.

  “I apologize, my lord's command is law. You lot were not part of that law. So I shall leave in peace.”

  Nate struggled in Karah’s grasp but she didn’t let him go. It was not the rational part of her brain but instead the part that was the monster. This part of her screamed that to attack the man would be a death warrant. She would not let Nate die after everything they had been through.

  “Stop, you can’t have her.” Nate managed.

  “My lord is a man of power. If you desire the retrieval of the child then pray for more strength. It is the only law greater than any god.”

  The man moved to leave but the screaming voice of the Mayor brought him to a stop. He looked upon the man with disgust. Walking closer his foot wavered over his body for a moment before stomping down upon the thorn wood. For an instant he foot stuck but it was a fleeting thing.

  “That's right you can’t leave me. I’m Achilles, we are practically brothers.”

  “Silence worm. I only need you to bring me to Hercules. Else I would have ended your pathetic existence.”

  With his other hand he reached down and plucked the Mayor up. Floating upward he escaped through the open hole. Nate struggled, his hand reaching out in desperation struggling to cast magic any magic that might stop him. It was a fool's errand.

  His mind at last fell into inky blackness. It would not be till the next day that he would wake up.

  ***

  Wayne watched as Zeus was struck by his own built up magics. It was the perfect moment to counter attack. The magic circle under him finally flashed. Before he had used the power of the ScrapCrow necklace. The item had acted as a cover for what he was truly doing.

  Whirling engines filled the sky as he felt his control lock in. This was the point where Chiron was charged with power by Zeus. He was still in the start up process and couldn’t stop the monster. His heart went into his throat.

  Zeus from where he knelt cast his eyes down upon Wayne. He was done with this performance. He would not be a player within a farce such as this. Reaching out he pulled at the magic bound up in the sky. A whirlpool of clouds formed above them. It might set him back a few days but it was the better choice to make.

  At first it was a single arm, then ten, a hundred, and lastly thousands of palms covered the sky. An oppressive wave of power radiated out from the Hecatoncheire’s movement. Flesh formed upon its skeletal palms. Wayne looked angrily up at the sky.

  From behind the hospital at last his own trump card appeared. Painted white and red, a giant robot equal to the size of the hospital stepped out and over. The arms pulsed with power and shot up hundreds of punches into the sky. Each punch aimed at a palm.

  The world around each clash shook and rippled the air. Black streaks of empty void bled through as the power clashed. On the ground Wayne was not still. Each attack was his own, each movement his movement. A display of shadow boxing. His clothing allowed him maximum control over the MARK ONE.

  “Chiron? How did they do it? Oh ho ho. Leindas retrieve the vault and we shall go.”

  Upon Zeus’ command the spirit rocketed away. Wayne couldn’t cast any other magic or control anything outside of the MARK ONE. He watched as the spirit returned to its master's side, the bodies of its comrades clutched in its hands. Upon its shoulder he identified Allison. They had only met briefly but he still remembered her clearly.

  “Stop you bastarad!”

  As he turned his blows toward Zeus he neglected the sky and the palms slammed down pummeling the MARK ONE. With little choice he refocused on blocking the attacks. The god gave him a look of contempt. He would kill him if he had the option but maintaining the Hecatoncheires was too draining.

  “When we meet once more I shall end you foolish junior.”

  “And when I see you next time I’ll end what my student started. You piece of shit.”

  The fog and snow returned as Zeus and the palms shimmered before disappearing. Parts of the ScrapCrow lay upon the ground, the turbine twisted to a stop. Wayne was left standing below the MARK ONE. The sound of rushing wind heralded the call of the Grandmasters' arrival.