The Last Hunter
patreon
Legacy of Evil: Aim for the Heart
🕑 Added 2024-04-11 01:34:58 +0000 UTCThe Naagloshii roared and smashed Conan through the table with a shattering crash that would have done the same to any human caught in it. Conan growled, snapping and slashing as the damage was mitigated by my own swift actions, as a shimmering set of armor gleamed into view from my spellwork as he kicked out with clawed feet into its throat, causing it to stumble back enough he could scramble out of the way and come back for more. All the while, the woman who had helped us continue to sing and dance, the sounds of bells ringing around her feet and wrists as it seemed to affect the creature, enough to make it try to target her again only to be stymied by Conan or myself.
As it turns out, no matter how much of a monster you make yourself, few can ignore an angry werewolf leaping on your face and ripping out whatever chunks he can claw.
Not that we were having it all our way. Fighting the Naagloshii was like fighting smoke, its form adapting to whatever we threw at it, as evidenced by Conan's near miss as the bear head shifted to a giant snapping turtle, clamping down and almost cutting off Conan's arm if he hadn't interposed his silver one in time. The armored scales and shell likewise withstood the swift explosive spells I kept attacking with, so I opted to transfigure something else instead.
And the silver arm developed spikes that jutted out, stabbing as the creature roared and let go in pain, allowing Conan to break free. As we fought, I tried to think about our options and what we had. If we were simply stalling for time for MACUSA forces to come, then our victory would have been assured. As it was, we were actively fighting against the clock here. There wasn't just one of these things after all, there were two and the longer we fought here, the more the second would have time to do what it wanted. That was simply not an option.
I mentioned Fiendfyre before, but that would be too damaging to the surroundings and certainly not with Conan in the way, forced to keep away the creature from our ally. The Killing Curse was far too slow. Too many lives, absorbed into the creature over its long period of abnormal life. We needed a plan, something that would stop it in its tracks immediately as I tried for a body bind as powerful as I could make it.
It shattered it in a minute, sprouting off multiple snake heads around its neck as they hissed and struck out which gave me an idea. A horrible, horrible idea but an idea, nonetheless.
I flicked my wand to a lasso on the wall, flying it to my hand to the incredulous expression of the Shaman. As I pointed my wand at it, I enunciated as clearly as I could-I needed this to be perfect, for nothing to go wrong. I'd only get one shot at this after all, the risk to innocents being incredibly high if I failed.
"Portus."
And inhaling, I yelled out. "CONAN! GET AWAY FROM IT, LEAD IT TO ME!"
To his credit, Conan didn't even question it as he burst out, bloodied and running my way on all fours as the serpents came after him. Multiple eyes opening along their bodies, inside their maw as they grew wide in an attempt to swallow him whole as another went for the shaman.
I flung the lasso.
And with a lurch, we vanished from the rotunda.
=====
We tumbled one and all, onto wet stone. I heard the shaman gasp and felt terrified-she wasn't meant to be here. I immediately went to her side, helping her up as on the opposite, the Naagloshii growled and rose before pausing. In its horrible, eldritch form there was a touch of intrigue as it looked all around it, from one end to the other before forming something akin to a human mouth as it spoke.
"Wizard. Where have you taken us?"
I panted, grinned and rose to my feet as I spoke.
"To a sanctum of secrets."
Around us, pillars were carved with the images of serpents of all sorts and descriptions. All of it, loomed over by the statue of a wild-haired wizard extending his hand over the chamber as the Naagloshii looked on with interest, acute and focused. The Shaman gasped and spoke, horrified to me.
"What have you done? My connections, my power-it's gone." The Naagloshii breathed deep, letting out a booming laugh as its eyes focused on me.
"I sense the power here. A core of pure creation, from which I can feed and truly rise ahead of schedule. You have my gratitude and thanks for that, Wizard. In return, you shall be forever a part of me." It took its time stalking forward, why wouldn't it? As far as it was concerned, I had just removed the worse threat to it in switching locations as it kept gloating.
"The secrets we shall share together, till all is dust and red."
"Ah." I said with regret, as I backed up and kept the shaman behind me. "I thought we might hit that snag."
"Snag?" If anything, its tone insofar as I could tell seemed more amused as it began to shift the serpent heads into those of leeches, opening and closing in anticipation.
"I see no snag."
I smiled and flicked my eyes behind it to the statue. And in a hissing, strange language I called out.
"Speak to me Salazar Slytherin, greatest of the Hogwarts Four."
The stone mouth began to open. The Naagloshii paused and began forming eyes, fixed upon the mouth in confusion.
I took the shaman and blocked her view with my arm. "Don't look!"
There was a hissing sound, followed by a wild scream that once more, sounded like an entire herd of beasts being roasted alive and then a sudden clatter and collapse. Followed by the sound of scales on stone as the shaman gasped.
I glanced down, saw as the body of the Basilisk slithered on around us, the creature curious and evaluating before it paused and spoke.
"The abomination is dead. Who are my next targets?"
I froze. Instructing the Shaman to keep her eyes closed, I rose up and spoke with my own likewise closed.
"You remember me?"
The Basilisk seemed almost amused. "I have not forgotten your scent, strange as it is. What new enemies of Hogwarts lie before me to slaughter?" I opened my mouth, paused and then considered before I finally spoke. ".... None in this chamber. Sheath your eyes."
The Basilisk hissed and spoke. "It is done." I opened my eyes and almost had a heart attack, looking directly into the gaze of an adult Basilisk.
It looked more or less like the movie version, save it was far longer in length though the dimensions were right enough. Over its golden eyes, a thin membrane had closed over it, serpentine patience and intelligence reflected in those eyes as it looked at me. For a moment, we just stared before I let out a sigh and nodded to it before speaking.
"Thank you. I'll likely be sending another one your way. Will you be ready?"
The Basilisk seemed grimly amused. "This is what I was born for, Caller. No enemy of Hogwarts or the Masters heirs will leave my presence alive."
"Thank you. In twenty-four hours if it does not appear, then return to the mouth and sleep once more till called." I said again and the Basilisk slithered off to the statue, coiling around its legs as it rested its head on its body in preparation. As it did, I saw the aftermath of the Naagloshii.
Bones littered the floor, a black slick pooling and leaking into the water. Mostly human, but a good portion of them from creatures familiar to me and many that were not, all presumably native to the North American continent. The Naagloshii was very old, and the fact this little stunt worked was in no way, a comfort to me. If that portkey had failed or Hogwarts defenses had shunted it elsewhere, I could have unleashed it upon a school full of students.
.... Not that, that was new to me. I stared at the Basilisk, who seemed content to rest where it was before sighing as I grabbed the lasso, cleaned it and went back to the Shaman who opened her eyes and stared at me with shock. "Wakama Nagi. You can speak to Brother Serpent. No wonder you had no fear. Is this your sanctum?"
"Sort of." I replied before adding. "Anyway, let's get back. Conan is going to be worried." She nodded, her expression clouded as she added. "Big Brother likewise as well."
And as we grabbed the lasso and vanished, we came to the following. Wands, all pointing at us though with remarkable trigger discipline as the grim, mundane suit-clad Aurors of MACUSA met us in the rotunda as a relieved voice cried out.
"TOM! YOU'RE BACK!"
I turned and blinked. Conan was still in werewolf form, looking annoyed as he sat in a circle of many, many pointed wands as he added with a growl. "Please tell these people I am not going to eat them. I'd choke." He chuckled, I smiled and then their commander stepped forward with an unfriendly air about him. Dressed in a rumbled raincoat over his suit, beneath the fedora he growled a shade less animalistic than Conan as he flashed a badge.
"Captain Scipio Carneirus. Two of our department came running in with a wounded wizard, told stories about some magical beast. Doesn't seem to be the werewolf. Where is it?"
"There's two of them. One I killed, the other is currently overlooking the desecration and genocide of a local tribe of Lakota." I said back in clipped tones as he nodded, glanced at me, the much-relieved looking Shaman after she heard Clint was safe and Conan, still in werewolf form and waiting patiently before he made a choice. Looking back at me, he spoke. "Tactics?"
"Fire, lots of it. Whatever you have to drain its life faster, it's something of a life devouring monstrosity and can take human form." I said swiftly as he nodded once before speaking. "Our department has some experience with this. We'll deal with it, in the meantime though? You three stay right here, till we have ourselves a little talk." I opened my mouth to protest and he held up a hand, looking me in the eye as he spoke.
"You may be a good wizard, hell even a great one. But this is now a MACUSA operation. Seeing as it's our blunder that started this, we need to be seen fixing it. It's just politics."
I closed my mouth. That was far more candid than I expected from any body of government as he looked at me, waiting. Deciding in the end, I gave a nod and spoke. "Any chance we could get some food and drink at least? And a healer, this woman has a broken arm."
He nodded, Captain Carneirus looking briefly relieved before he spoke. "Yeah, we can do that." He turned, began barking orders and as he did, the shaman hissed at me as thunder rumbled overhead.
"Why did you do that?! Only we can stop this thing, your guardian-"
"-Is not a topic for open conversation." I said firmly interrupting before adding. "Also, he's right. As it is, there's too much of a gap between what should be and what is. If things are to be fixed for the better, it has to be done by the people who will be here long after the heroes of the story move on." Conan, glancing at me as we sat together let out a faint growl.
"That entirely depends on whether or not this auror captain can actually pull this off." I looked off in the distance, at the man barking orders before vanishing with the rest to fight before chuckling. ".... Somehow, I got a feeling about him."
Conan nodded, content as he let out a huff. "Well good, because I'm starving. Er.... Also, I think I'm also stuck in this form."
We laughed a little at that, before a question raised a hand in my mind and I turned to the Shaman. "Hey, what's your name anyway?"
The look of incredulity was priceless.
=====
They dealt with it, in the end. A bit anti-climatic, even sterile but the fact MACUSA aurors were working with the local Lakota tribes to kill a monster serial killer was quite a morale booster for the region. The tribe gained some good attention, the aurors were seen visibly correcting the injustice one of their own had wrought. Beyond that however, that was all the truth that would come from it. No one would know about the fact that one of the Naagloshii was the former Mrs. Slade, nor the reasons why Jeff did what he did. As far as I and the others I convinced was concerned, the dead were dead and their secrets would perish with them. A final specter, someday lost in time and distorted as new stories replaced them of the nightmare stopped by the two forces that banded together.
As a footnote, I was barely in it. Captain Carneirus took the credit, and I was just one of those people who wandered in, which was a little amusing to me. In the end, I would be an enigma as far as the wider world were concerned. Little more than an unsolved riddle, as to why I was there at the right place, at the right time.
About a week after, I would be sitting on one of the Greyback Caravan wagon steps as Conan, back to normal said cheerfully as he looked over my shoulder at what I was sketching as he put down my annotated notes of the little adventures thus far.
"Did I really look like that?"
The sounds of tag echoed around us as I lazily waved my wand and prevented two of the children-Fenrir and an unknown Lakota girl from falling to harm as a Blackwater wizard boy yelped as he avoided water spurts from the toy wands of more children as the chaos continued. But I was content, the ends in which things had ended up all the better now as tribe, caravan and townstead mingled and actually spoke to each other rather than away to each other. In the distance, I saw Clint with a new silver leg and arm being fussed over by his new wife, the couple surrounded by the rest of the wedding guests as Conan and I babysat the majority of children.
"More or less." I said as Conan chuckled and handed over the papers as he spoke. "At any rate, it is an interesting adventure. Is it meant to be part of private memoirs or something else?"
"I was considering publishing it." I admitted as I added. "I doubt I will though. Some things like the Chamber of Secrets is far too dangerous to remain public knowledge."
"Yes, a Basilisk in your pocket does tend to do that." Agreed Conan as he sighed out, staring at the children at play before he continued. "So, I spoke to mother. She has made the choice for us to settle here, at least to start. A place in which we may have more solid homes as well as aid in mastering our wolf sides has been quite alluring for many of us."
"And with the goodwill of the locals from Slade's family and friends as well as the tribe, you'll not want for good neighbors." He nodded, smiling as he added with acute insight. "I was going to offer you a place here as well, but you have plan's my friend, do you not?" I was quiet. For a moment, there was only the sound of the wedding party and the children before I finally spoke.
"I do. I can stay at least till the end of the year, help your people get established but beyond that, I will be wandering again." Conan nodded in understanding, the Romani speaking with experience.
"There are many reasons to wander and crosses we bear, that drive us from place to place. To travel as well is to eliminate prejudice, to see the world from another's eyes and embrace what makes them so great. But do not let it be your perceived punishment." He added, somber now as he continued.
"Because no matter where you go, or what you do? At the end of the day, there will always be a room for you. Hot food, warm clothing and companionship among us. You are a true friend of our clan and this, I promise you shall always be." I nodded, unable to say anything for fear of bawling and perhaps sensing it, he smiled and flicked his eyes to the side as he plucked my notes and set them safely out of the way. "But for now? Now is not the time for introspection. It is a time for life!"
And I was hit by six streams of water, causing me to sputter in surprise. With toy wands, Fenrir and his friends had snuck up on me and hit me with water spells, all of em wearing grins as I smiled and took up my wand before flourishing it as a much, much larger stream of water appeared over my head. With delighted screams, the kids ran in all directions and I laughed before chasing them-but not too fast, as I just let myself go, at least for today.
Conan was right.
Life was for the living. There was time enough for the rest. When I finally left in winter, it was with heartfelt thanks and I admit, I actually did cry a little before I apparated away. Bittersweet and thankful, because I knew no matter how far I went, or how long I was gone? I'd always have a place there.
And so, as Christmas rolled around, I decided that I'd like a place with a bit more heat to it. I had enough of snow, at least for now.
Thinking back, had I known what awaited me in that particular land? I might have followed my first instinct and went to Egypt instead.
