The Last Hunter
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Legacy of Evil: Showdown at high Moon
🕑 Added 2024-04-11 01:33:46 +0000 UTCThe cry echoed behind us. Conan, spurred on by a healthy survival instinct flung Clint over his shoulder and began running faster as he yelled behind at me. "FIENDFYRE WOULD BE VERY NICE ABOUT NOW!"
"I CAN'T BURN IT HERE, THE ENTIRE PLACE WOULD COLLAPSE!" I yelled back as I pumped my arms and ran like my life depended on it. I spun on my heel, wand out as I pointed back at what awaited if we slowed down. "AVADA KEDAVERA!"
Green lightning arced out and slammed into the creature.
Of Mrs. Slade there was little to denote her now. It looked like an oil slick turned into a sentient monster, one that moved and crawled by producing a number of appendages, mostly human like some nightmarish centipede. Large as an RV trailer, numerous heads popping out of the rolling mass from human to beasts, all screaming at once as from dark faces, red eyes glowed as the Skinwalker rushed for us. Hitting it with the Killing Curse slowed it down and as it did, I saw corpses of beasts flop out from the mass, bones scattered in its wake as I grimaced and kept running.
So that wasn't going to work, good to know. Whatever this thing was, it seemed to draw power from life it absorbed into the whole.
And this one had been feeding a long, long time. Ahead of me, Conan roared and kicked a cell door where the two wizards we knocked out were. Yelling back at me, he cried out.
"SLOW IT DOWN!"
I turned back, grim as I began twitching my hand and manipulating silently with my wand. Stone spikes jutted out from the floor, walls and ceiling. Pipes creaked and twisted, unleashing their watery payload as I aimed them all at the creature, hoping to push it back. Finally, I added to it all by striking the water flow as I let out a cry, shielding my eyes as lightning arced and electrified the water as I pumped as much power as I could. I was rewarded with a scream, a howl of pain as a scent of roasting meat followed with a fouler air, before a moment later the creature burst through.
A swarm of blackened rats hissed and chittered, mingled with snakes, centipedes and other vermin as they simply flowed around the spikes I produced and forced their way via sheer numbers through the water.
I immediately let off a number of bombarda spells, detonating rapid-casting spells as I kept running backwards before yelling. "THAT'S ALL THE TIME I GOT!"
And I flicked my wand, rattling the bricks in the side to craft a wall in a small hope that it'd keep the thing back at least for a time.
That hope lasted about as long as my faith in Rowlings lore as the bricks shattered, bone-white tusks smashing the wall down as what looked like a shaggy elephant head envisioned by some heavy metal album let out a trumpeting roar before exploding into the vermin swarm once again, pouring out through the hole as I turned and fled.
Passing by Conan, I spoke rapidly. "Must go faster."
"FIENDFYRE SOUNDS VERY GOOD RIGHT ABOUT NOW!" Yelled Conan as I yelled back. "IF I FAIL TO GET EVEN ONE BIT, THEN THIS STARTS ALL OVER AGAIN! OUT IN THE OPEN, QUICKLY!"
We ran to the elevator, the nightmare behind us howling as it struggled to keep up. As we came to it, Conan began pressing the button rapidly before growling as he slung one of the wizards he was still carrying over his shoulder to the other, using his silver arm to rip open the door. I stared up into the shafts, glancing between as I tried to think. Two elevators, alternating pullies-aha.
"GRAB A CABLE, HOLD TIGHT!" Conan leaped at my word, gripping with the silver arm as I leaped and grabbed him. Through the broken elevator door, we saw in the distance the creature surging our way as I pointed my wand at the cable. Conan's eyes grew wide and then alarmed as I cried out.
"DIFFENDO MAXIMUS!"
Like a shotgun blast, my wand echoed and snapped the cable, sending us flying rapidly up past the numerous floors.
"AHHHHHHHHH!" Conan screamed.
"AHHHHHHHHH!" I yelled.
"AAAHHHHHHH!" Screamed our two guests, suddenly awake and plummeting upward. The floors passed by in a blur, as a pleasant sounding voice echoed and cut off as we kept going.
"Now approaching records- Now approaching Living Quarters- Now approaching Canteen- Now-now-now-now-"
"TOM!" Conan yelled, anxiety in his voice as I yelled back. "I SEE IT!"
The ceiling was becoming far closer than I felt comfortable with, and I had to time it right. And if I failed... Well, that'd be an amusing end in a morbid kind of way. I could only imagine what my headstone would say. 'Here lies Tom Riddle. He-Who-Has-Become-Flattened-By-Life.' Hmm, maybe not. It needed a bit more zing-.
"TOM, I SWEAR TO GOD, I WILL HAUNT YOU FOREVER IF YOU DAYDREAM NOW!" I snapped out of it and cried out, pointing my wand.
"IMMOBILUS!" And in a flash, we were all floating in midair. Conan had let go of the cable and we watched as it slunked out, the sound of a crash down below telling us the fate of our counter-weight as Conan said nervously. ".... Do you think that got it?"
A roar of the legion echoed below us, and I grimaced. "Not even a little."
"Now approaching, the Rotunda. Thank you for visiting MACUSA Sherrif outpost 6." Came the pleasant voice. The elevator doors opened and with a flick, I floated all four of us into the main floor as we all dropped and in our own way, began worshipping the ground after our last bit. One of the wizards, the one who squealed looked terrified to the elevator shaft as he spoke. "What did you folks unleash?!"
"Not us." Conan grunted as he added. "Ask your sheriff. Tom, what now?" Another roar echoed and I scowled and flicked my wand, to the flinch of both wizards before they realized I had released them. Rummaging for their wands, I returned them as I spoke swiftly. "There is an XXXXX classified magical beast down there, which feeds on people. How many are in the building?"
They looked briefly confused before I snapped out. "How many?!" The talkative one flinched, before speaking rapidly. "Just seven of us! Me, Jones here. and five of the secretaries."
"Any house elves?" I added and he looked confused before nodding rapidly. "Y-yeah, two. Why-"
"Call them here, NOW!" I roared and he immediately snapped to attention, as Jones took his wand and glanced over the elevator side.
"Spike, Shank! C'mere!" There was a crack of displaced air, two house elves appearing and both of them armed for battle. Clad in what looked like makeshift armor of pots and pans, both were holding cleavers with disturbing expertise as the older among them cried out. "Misters Sandy, there is a creature messing up the outpost! And-"
"Never mind that." I said impatiently before pointing to them. "Find every person in the outpost, get them to safety out of it. Avoid the black creature, if you see anybody it infects-try to help them if you can." I said with a grimace before adding. "Do it now!"
"What he said!" Sandy said swiftly and the house elves vanished. I breathed out a sigh of relief. Relief swiftly dashed as Jones began casting, spell after spell firing down as he yelled. "ITS COMING UP!"
Conan growled, his eyes seemingly glowing as his fingers began twitching, his attention fixated on the elevator doors, even as he shifted the unconscious Clint on his shoulder which Sandy suddenly seemed to realize.
"Merlin's tit, is that the Slade boy-"
"Not now! You two!" I pointed to Sandy and Jones, gesturing to Clint as I looked around-aha.
Like the Ministry in England, there were also a number of fireplaces here as well for floo transport. Perfect. I turned to them again as I spoke. "Take the boy, go to MACUSA HQ. Tell them to prepare for scorched earth tactics and get him treatment. Can you do it?" Jones would step back, making a gesture as he welded the elevator doors shut in an attempt to buy time before turning as he cried out. "Yeah! We'll get a posse rounded up, if we have to light a fire under their asses ourselves! C'mon Sandy!"
And both wizards rushed off and to my relief, took Clint with them as in a swirl of green fire, they vanished.
I breathed out and prepared myself only to pause as I realized Conan wasn't moving as I spoke. "Conan. You need to get to safety." He snorted and glanced at me as he spoke. "And leave you alone? Not a chance."
I admit, I was touched by the gesture. A squib, facing a creature that had terrified many before. And he wouldn't budge. I couldn't help my smile as I turned to the elevator doors and glanced about, trying to see what kind of resources we could use here.
In a calmer circumstance, I might have enjoyed sight-seeing in this place. The walls, a testament to the history of this place were constructed from aged bricks and rough-hewn timber. Adorning them were a number of wizarding landscape portraits, featuring a much more fantastical version of the wild west. Cowboys on broomsticks, herds of strange magical creatures, some kind of ceremony where a large, dark-skinned man slammed a hammer on a golden nail on a railroad track inspired more questions than answers at the time.
Scattered throughout the rotunda are weathered leather armchairs and wooden tables, each bearing the marks of countless gatherings. The trophies on the walls from animal skulls to various equipment all seem to have tales of their own.
A spiral staircase gracefully ascends to an upper level, where I presume the owlery was-currently empty. And finally, a skylight in which only darkness greeted us. All in all, not much we could do.
Conan sighed with regret, and I glanced at him as he spoke. "I miss my gun. A shame we couldn't stop by and snag it."
"Anti-apparition charms are still active. Otherwise, I'd pop in real fast and see what I could do." I said offhand, with the same regret as I added. "Also, I think the elevators broken." He threw me an incredulous look before he began to snicker. I started to guffaw.
The next thing I knew, the both of us were laughing like jackasses as the creature howled and was a lot closer now. Conan wiped a tear from his face, before speaking.
"Ah well. It has been a good life."
"Don't count us out just yet." I said as I looked to the doors, as something slammed against it before adding. "Who knows, we might just get a hail mary of our own."
The doors slammed open. Conan grabbed a chair, broke it over his knee and idly swung one of the chair legs experimentally before nodding in satisfaction. I narrowed my eyes, preparing to duel as the creature surged in-and froze, as the screech of an owl filled the air.
A barn owl flew down, circling the rotunda before moving to dive before us as midway it transformed into a very familiar looking woman.
A Lakota, panting and looking ragged. One of her arms had been patched up, her expression was a black one. But I knew her. Aloud, I cried out.
"You're the woman from my dream!"
Conan threw me a worried look and I flushed. "Not like that! I'll tell you later."
The Naagloshii had frozen in place. Eyes, from what seemed like every representation of the animal kingdom peered at her from the darkness that was its bodily form. In contrast, the woman who had asked me to save them in my dream took a deep breath as she reached for a pouch on her belt. Pouring out dirt, she rubbed it between her palms as a tension seemed to fill the air. And in a voice that didn't waver, she raised her head and spoke.
"Mother Earth says you have no place here." The sound of thunder rumbled in the air, as she smirked and added. "Big Brother says you've become uglier. You have endured for far too long and it is time you leave."
To my horror and that of Conan, the creature before us suddenly spoke-hateful, echoing and layered over with numerous voices. Men, women, children alike as it retorted.
"The greatest of your dying peoples Spirit Callers tried and failed. You yourself, could not save your mate from me. I do not fear you."
"I am not them. And I am no longer alone either." She retorted as her fingers flexed and she added. "Broken Serpent and Silver Wolf stand with me. Where are your brothers, old monster?"
The creature loomed and began to expand and grow. From its amorphous blob, it started to grow thicker. Appendages, a bodily form as it began to resemble a bear the size of an elephant as it growled.
"You are a mere initiate in the Blessed Way. Your faith is lacking. You have no power over me."
"Oh, you think I'm planning to banish you." She said with a laugh as she suddenly glared.
"I'm afraid we're long past that option now."
And with a sudden cry, she began to move in a circular dance, singing in her native tongue. The Naagloshii roared and charged, only to freeze in its tracks as it slammed into the empowered shield charm I produced.
And with a cry, the woman flung her arms upward to the heavens as the clouds parted up above.
And the moonlight shone down through the skylight. Conan twitched and began to shudder, letting out a growl that began to grow deeper. The Naagloshii roared and began slamming its paws down upon the shield, prompting me to wince as I kept reinforcing it.
And a few seconds later before I could do no more, there was a dark blur and the bear-form was actually knocked back as Conan rose up in turn and roared a challenge.
This was no wimpy, hairless beast of the movies. It was a primal creature, bipedal and shaggy with healthy looking black fur. It stood at a height to match a grizzly bear in its prime, with arms built like a gorilla and claws that left marks upon the floor. With a silvery arm to match, Conan seemed to examine both his hands, let out a wolfish grin and with a howl, ran over the floor as the bear-form of the Naagloshii roared and charged back.
And just like that, our battle began in earnest.
