~ Palms, Los Angeles ~
- August 13, 9h06 -
A sparkling fiery orange portal opens in an empty alley, two men pass through it and step into the damp street.
The first rays of the sun hit the two men in the faces and reveal Alastair followed by Dave.
" I hate this city. " Alastair says and he hurriedly walks out of the stinking alley.
" Didn't you grow up here ? " Dave quip back with a curious face deformed by a grimace because of the smell coming from the small street they appeared in.
" This is exactly why I hates it. Too many bad memories link to this place. Anyway come on. " Alastair explain with a closed expression and he make it clear that he won't reveal more on the subject.
Waving his left hand where he wears his sling ring in a particular and complex set of motions, a ripple in space is created and a gateway made of mirrors appear in front of Alastair and Dave before, both of them walk in it and look as if they're swallowed in the distortion.
A few minutes later, the duo of sorcerers reach their destination. A white house surrounded by a well-kept garden filled with red roses and other colorful flowers.
Positioned at the entrance, a cop with a pale complexion looks horrified and elsewhere, lost in his mind. Alastair and Dave exchanges a concerned look then they enter the house with none of the cops watching the perimeter seeing or even suspecting their presence due to the nature of the mirror dimension.
Examining the house, they arrives in the living room, Alastair watch curiously the little figurines of dinosaurs displayed on a shelve, above it another shelve is packed with books on subjects related to prehistoric Era.
" Who was he ? A 39 years old overweight child ? " he says playfully to his older partner and friend.
" Tsk.. Be respectful Al, this isn't the place and time to joke around. " Dave quips back severely while walking towards the kitchen closed door. " I think it is where it happened. " he adds when he's in front of the door.
" Whoa ! You're sharp. " Alastair coming to his side says sarcastically as he points his finger at the banner plated on the door.
Dave cast an annoyed look at him before he roughly pushes him forward forcing him to exit the mirror dimension then he follow behind as well. He ignores the complain of Alastair and opens the door, deliberately slowly to offers the both of them the time to mentally prepare.
Stepping inside the kitchen, both of them stay silent. The two body disposed in a macabre setting immediately grabs their attention. A larger as well as a smaller one.
" Whatever did this.. Is evil. " Alastair says with a shaken voice, crouching down he observe the small marks that littered the torso of the smallest body.
The more experienced sorcerer, Dave, continues to search the kitchen for clues. He notice scratch mark on the tiles floor hidden under copious amount of dry blood but what really draws his attention is the bloody footprints that indicates that someone was seating on the chair.
" I think the mother was there.. " he says more to himself than for his partner benefit. " You've got something Al ? " he adds while he looks everywhere but at the bodies.
" Mystic runes scarified in the kid's skin, I don't know what there meant to do or even their origin, he also have been mutilated, dismanbered, his limbs dispose in à modified pentagram. As for the man he's barely recognizable from the pictures in the living room, it's like his skull has been opened and emptied and his throat ripped by tooth. " Alastair explain without much success in masking the disgust the scene evokes in him.
Dave finally dare gaze at the bodies, he tries to appear confident but the reality is that he's never seen anything quite like that before. The missions he did for the Order were less, brutal, the truth is that despite the years he have over Will he's not a lot more experienced.
" Why ? " Alastair stands up from his crouching position and asks while staring at him almost desperately.
" Why what ? " Dave retort calmly.
" Why they do this ? This violence and utter contempt for life, why ? " Alastair precise his question and long seconds of heavy silence follows.
" I-I honestly don't know. They're malevolent entities Alastair. They feast on negative emotions, on despair and suffering. Seeking any goodness in them is madness, many student of the mystic arts fell prey out of their own blindness, thinking they could control or bargain with extra-dimensional entities. " Dave responds after carefully thinking about the question. He offered his own insight and opinion as well as a reminder but he can see that it didn't satisfy Alastair.
" We saw everything we needed. It's time to go back and reports our findings to the Ancient One. " Dave says and start to walks toward the door.
" Wait ! I'm not finished. " Alastair exclaims then he clap his hands before moving them over his eyes.
" Where did you find this spell ? In the Liber Infinatas grimoire ? " Dave asks curiously as he sees two yellow triangular mandala appear in front of Alastair's eyes.
" Hum... No, I, I used an already existing spell made to augment eyesight, I tweaked it a little to shows one or two more spectrums. " Alastair answers with a mixed tone of pride and embarrassment before something suddenly comes up a meter away from the bodies.
" It's faint but it's there. " He says to Dave who can't see the small thread of energy glowing purple. " It's the same. " he adds confidently.
" You're sure ? " Dave insist and earn himself a furrowed brown.
" I've been in contact with this energy before, so I think I'll know if it wasn't. " Alastair answers frustratingly. " I'm not some amateurish idiot Dave. " he says just after.
" And I'm not implying it... But you have to admit that you aren't a master either. " Dave begins on a good note but ends up taunting him good heartedly.
" We can leave now. " Alastair says while ignoring the humorous jab expect a small amused smile.
" We nead to take the body. " Dave says then adds hesitantly " The kid's. "
~ London, England ~
" Father what are we doing here ? We should be killing, maiming, eating, but we're here doing nothing ! " Delilah deformed voice echoes once more in the empty apartment and Howard have to resist the urge to smite the possessed woman.
" You're pathetic, look at the state of your host. " he says while pointing at her decomposing body, small patches of skin are falling from her face and her arms, her eyes are glassy and tufts of her black hair fall as soon as she pull on them.
" It's because of your powerful essence father, it is too much for a pitiful mortal human body so much that it becomes corrosive, eating away at my flesh and bones from the inside. " Hastur occupying the body of the past Delilah answers diligently while lowering his head in front of its master like a dog would.
" Am I supposed to feel compassion for you Hastur ? Do not forget, you are a tool, an object. My instrument on this plane to mold and do as I please when I order it. " Howard responds, his voice low and glacial and his eyes barely glancing at Hastur revealing how worthless he consider it.
" Of course not father, I am merely informing because I worry the same could apply to your meat bag... Isn't it certain that this weak envelope will fail to contain you for a long period of time ? " Hastur asks cunningly, his nature pushing him to find a angle, a weakness to exploit.
" Your kind is really funny, insects hungry for blood. I wonder if you aren't even more miserable than the human. " Howard says before focusing his attention on what's happening outside the window.
" Fa- " Hastur's mouth is silenced by menacing eyes of Howard.
Below the apartment on the other side of the street large and ancient building stand anonymously among the Londoner population. A clever application of protective spells, concealment and even one that act on the subconscious to repel the over curious. At the top of the white building a rond stained glass offer an excellent view on the whole street.
" Take your dose before we walk in. " Howard says then lift his finger, a familiar extremely small ball of purple energy manifest above his thin finger.
As the previous night, Hastur have no choice but to bitterly swallow it despite the horrible burning sensation it causes in Delilah body and that he's forced to feel.
" Good demon. Now I want you to go down the stairs, walk across the street approach the door and knock. " Howard orders then silently dissappear from the empty apartment.
Hastur limps to the door passing by the bathroom, in the bathtub the still hot bodies of the neighbors are piled up, their skulls open.
Descending the stairs, he goes outside and walks to his goal, the passer-by looks discretely, shocked by what they're seeing.
" He ! Moves out' the way ! " A man riding a bike shout angrily and takes a sharp turn to avoid Hastur.
Hastur hit the doors with closed fist, the seemingly weak and defenseless body vanishes to let its place to the entity inside whose strength is inhuman, the door seals cracks but Hastur refrain to not break the flimsy door.
A short and muscular man in a yellow tunic opens and look at the source of the panic inside the sanctum. It only takes him a few seconds to recognize the threat standing innocently in front of him, unfortunately for him it's too late.
One hand grip his head from behind and black brambles with purple thorns comes out of his mouth before rolling around his throat then piercing him all over. His paralyzed but alive body fall limply on the marble floor and continues to twitch for a moment before stopping all motions. Budding reddish flowers grows on the brambles and recovers him. A perversion of the natural process that fills Howard with cruel satisfaction.
" What are you waiting for ? An invitation ? " Howard says with a bloodthirsty smile, his hands still dripping blood and a few blond hair stuck under his nails. He don't wait for Hastur and directly climb the stairs leading to a large hall housing magical artefacts in glass cubes.
" Not a bad collection.. It's crutches for the incapable but some are interesting. " Howard muse out loud as he inspect the artefacts and easily divine their uses with a glance.
Suspended at the high ceiling, hand made chandeliers hang and lighten up the large hall.
" Where are all the yellow meat bag ? " Hastur asks while looking around uneasily.
" I would say... All around us. " he answers with an eager, almost impatient smirk adorning his face.
Suddenly two sorcerer and a sorceress exit the mirror dimension and takes position around them. Dozens of red bands snaps at incredible speed towards Howard, the Crimson bands of Cyttorak Howard's notices before he makes a delicate and small movement with his left fingers that transformed the reddish bands into long and lethal snakes armed with poisonous fangs.
Fortunately for the sorcerer who cast the spell, his companions covers him
" By the Omnipotent Oshtur ! " the incantations is followed by a sharp blade of wind that decapitated the many heads of the snake mid air but another slight movement and the falling heads changes to ball of fires that melt the surrounding glass cubes containing artefacts.
The rapidly approaching ball as hot as the sun are met by a circular portal which gives directly onto an immense expanse of water. The sorceress who opened the portal close it before any steam can invade the hall, she makes eye contact with the two other sorcerer when she sees a shadow rising beside one of them.
" Chri- " As she prepare to warn him the floor in front her changes to a sharp point that pierces her body right through before she can react.
" Huh.. 4/10, it really lacked grandiosity. " Howard's comment is the last words she hears. " Stay put Hastur I want to play a little bit. " he says to his thing who hides back in the shadow and doesn't kill the sorcerer named Christian.
" What are you seeking in this sanctum monster ! " Christian one of the two last standing brave sorcerer rages while the other, Charles opt for grabbing one of the artefact that got knocked by the combat.
" Nothing, I just wanted to destroy the lifes of the first unlucky guys I cross today. " Howard responds with a deceptively kind face, his answer only provoking more anger in Christian who raises his arms.
A blue tainted mandala form in front of him and from it long shards of ice emerge, Icy Tendrils Of Ikthalon isn't a spell designed for the offensive but Christian like all adeptes of the mystic arts got a trick or two in his belt.
Hundreds of shards are propulsed at Howard, like a surge the objects around are reduced to pieces, wood, glass as well as bits of metal merge among the shards that rush in his direction.
Howard turns on himself while moving his arms as skillfully as a conductor, like musicians the surge follows the rhythm and draws an arc around him, gradually he transforms all the debris into water then compress it in a jet which goes straight back towards Christian.
" Shield Of The Seraphim ! " He exclaims and à silvery dome composed of numerous small mandala surround him protecting him against the dangerous water jet. The shield tremble when the force of the water fully impact it, it holds the shock however it also drains a lot of Christian's strength. The sturdy walls tremble and the chandeliers threaten to fall on them, the assault come to an end a few seconds later that seems an eternity to him.
Several centimeters of water now covers the floor damping the brown leather shoes of Howard. Vainly he looks over himself to makes sure his black suit is clean.
" It's becoming a tad bit too long, don't you think friends ? " Howard says dramatically.
Charles uses the opportunity to makes signs to Christian.
" Winds Of Wattomb ! " Christian cast the spell and begins to float above the floor level. Sweat is rolling down his temples and it's apparent that he's exhausted.
Charles jumps from behind one of the still intact furniture and he's floating as well, he have in his hand a strange medallion that allows one's to increase the power of their spells if they wear it.
" Bolts Of Bedevilment ! " Blast of electricity shots at the water and electrify it.
But once again Howard have the perfect counter, as if gravity itself loosen its hold on him he levitate and goes up without any hindrance, a quick rotation and his feet touch the ceiling.
Standing on the ceilling as if he were on the ground, Howard's face change to a colder, harsher expression.
" Hastur get rid of our friend Christian. " He orders to the ever listening shadow who without waiting jumps on the flying and kills him brutally with the help of his appendages then crashes in the water paralyzing Hastur and provocking uncontrollable spams in every limbs.
Still standing on the ceiling, Howard stretches his arms parallel to his body, Charles watch him with suspension but he's surprises when his own arms replicate the gestures.
" What was it ? By the omnipotent me ? " Howard says mockingly while putting his hand around his neck, the sorcerer below forced to mimic him.
' Do it. Do it. Do it. Do it. Do it. They're all dead. Do it. Do it. Do it. Christian. Sarah. Dad. Do it. Do it. Do it. Free yourself. ' Charles can't help to but listen to the voice who's infiltred his mind. He can't shut them out, can't lower their intensity, 20 seconds is all it took for him to stop dissociating his own thoughts from the others.
" By the Omnipotent Oshtur.." He whisper before one minute can end.