novelraw Chapter 153: Monster Metropolis
Chapter 153: Monster Metropolis
..........
Third World P.O.V.
Monster Metropolis
Selene jumps from rooftop to rooftop with the ease of a normal person skipping on solid ground. It is quick, methodical, silent, and almost invisible… A creature of the darkness, almost blending in with the environment.
Even in a city of monsters with superhuman senses, she remains unseen by everyone below her.
At this point, Selene is more than the vampire she was in the past. The reason can be simplified by one simple fact… Hector likes her.
Thanks to his research and his powers, Hector is now able to bestow power-ups to his subordinates. He obviously will not give this gift to everyone; they need to pass through his scrutiny, proving their abilities and trustworthiness.
It is no surprise to anyone that the first people to go through his procedure are the ones in his inner circle, and he showed no hurry to extend the gift to anyone else.
Except Selene. She was the first, and only one, in this second generation of augmented members of the SCP.
Half of the reason is because of her vampiric physiology and his curiosity. He wanted to test the procedure on more than humans, and he coincidentally had the Stone Mask from the Jojo world to try to add more vampiric abilities to her arsenal.Thanks to that, he made her go through a two-step procedure, first to see if he could alter her vampiric abilities, and then he bestowed her the standard upgrades to her body, powers, and even got rid of her inherent weakness.
And the other half is just because Hector likes her. It is childish, and not because he has some old crush from when he watched the Underworld movies, no… It is because he thinks she is cool.
It is the same thing with Saeko and even Gigantomachia. He looks at them and thinks: "I can help them be better and cooler". It is childish because it is like a guy who acquired a character in a game and spends a lot of resources to upgrade it, buying the specific items and consumables just because he likes the aesthetic of the character or the personality.
Well, in some way, taking into consideration his power, it is exactly what he does. It is pretty much like this that Gacha games work. That is the true essence of his power… Hector was just much more of a greedy and individualistic person to use the Essence of Gacha to power himself instead of as intended.
But now that he is in a comfortable level of power, and the Essence still has to catch up with the strength he acquired through other means, he can use his spare resources on his subordinates.
And again… Selene was already cool, but he wants to turn her into a super badass, no-weakness hunter vampire.
It is childish… but that is how he is.
That is the reason her powerset is heavily inclined to assist her in pursuing and killing her prey. Hector always respects the wishes of his people and prizes compatibility over anything else. He would not make Saeko use guns(Even if he thinks it would be pretty funny if she did the same as Isshin, the Glock Saint) or make Gigantomachia use some over-complicated mind power.
That is in view of the fact that he likes keeping things in theme because it is his style… and again, because it is cool.
In his eyes, it would be a crime to do something like changing Selene's vampire aesthetic or Saeko's samurai one.
He likes Selene's character so much and is so invested in it that he went as far as giving her a copy of one of his favorites and most useful powers… Search.
That is why she was not in a hurry to follow Morbius. He could never escape her.
Her eyes are locked on the source of light on the outskirts of Monster Metropolis. Morbius already stopped moving, so he must have arrived at his haven, his base.
Monster Metropolis is big, and many monsters like big spaces to stay alone instead of congregating in the center. They can also move pretty fast. So there are obviously some big empty areas. The concept of time is also different from that of those long-lived races, so Selene is not surprised to discover that Morbius must be squatting on someone's abandoned home.
It is a dark, rocky terrain, a little adjacent to the homes of the few vampires that live in Monster Metropolis. Sharp and pointy stalactites and stalagmites create a very inhospitable terrain.
There is no sign of life, but Selene trusts her new power and approaches Morbius' beacon in her field of vision. And there it is… After a particular terrain that looks more like a forest of rocks, she enters civilization again, a place filled with the tubes that run through all of the Monster Metropolis.
"So this is how he moves around without being noticed… he uses this piping system." She is not overly familiar with this choice of architecture, but apparently it is the way to transport water, air, food, and even people between the metropolis and other places, including the surface.
After all, this place is many miles beneath the surface, almost neighbors of the moloids of the Mole Man. So all those tubes must be a way to keep the temperature and pressure pleasant to the inhabitants. It can also be used to transport commodities from the surface.
Even if they are monsters that can survive in harsh environments, it doesn't mean they don't want the comforts that even humans have.
"I thought they would have magic to do something like this…" Selene comments under her breath, unaware that her view of this world is a little skewed because of her proximity to Hector.
Sorcerers are rare among the monsters, and the convenient spells that she imagines they could use in this situation would be rare even among sorcerers, like Teleportation. Not even Shiklah, who is a magic-type succubus, can use teleportation.
Most monsters are simply content in having ways to move quickly by themselves, like turning into mist. None of them would try to study or get good at something like Portal Creation just to increase their peers' quality of life.
And no need to talk about spells linked with nature and food creation, so that they could produce down there and be self-sufficient. They would rather let their subordinates/puppets/pawns be troubled with that on the surface and send what they need down here.
Selene starts moving more slowly, her boots firmly planted on the giant tubes, even though she is walking vertically to the ground. It doesn't take long for them to find a space between the tubes that opens to a cave.
She barely entered, and she already noticed the signs that someone lived here.
Michael Morbius is not subtle; he didn't erase footprints or cover any other tracks. She doesn't even need to go deep before finding some discarded objects on the ground.
Selene crouches down and grabs a piece of glass…
"Chemicals…" She sniffs it. "Probably stolen… He really wants to find a cure."
Carefully, she walks through the cave, looking at the tubes around her going in and out of the walls, till she finally arrives at the obvious hideout.
It is an open area, with a view to the whole Monster Metropolis, being shielded equally by rocks and the tubes. Looking around from behind a rock, she can see the attempts to make this makeshift cave a laboratory.
There are tables with papers, laboratory glassware, microscopes, dissected monsters, open suitcases, colorful liquids being boiled with Bunsen burners, a more even wall being used as a blackboard…
Because of the simple layout, it is easy to spot Morbius, sitting on a makeshift chair on the corner. He appears to be trying to recover from the damage inflicted by the UV light by drinking from a container with blood.
No doubt something he kept after capturing one of his victims.
Click
Selene finally steps from the darkness and points her gun at him.
"Don't move." She says coldly before Morbius can try to run away "I just want to talk."
It seems Selene is not that good with diplomacy.
Even Morbius has to scoff at that.
"And… you point… your gun… first…" His voice is still raspy and dragged as if it's hard to make his tongue work the way he wants.
"Just a precaution, Michael Morbius." She answers with a flat tone
"!!" Saying his name has the expected reaction "How… do you…?"
"I have my means. Just for you to know that my words have weight, so hear attentively what I am about to say…" Selene speaks seriously while still pointing her gun, ready to shoot Morbius' limbs to stop him from fleeing. "...I can help you."
"..." Morbius narrows his eyes at her, untrusting but still listening.
"You are a recently turned vampire, searching for the cure, right?" She continues
"..."
"You will have better chances if you put your trust in me."
"I prefer… to trust.. my own… abilities…" Morbius replies defensively
Selene can't help but mentally scoff at hearing that; this is exactly how Hector predicted. Smart people around here have a useless sense of pride and individualism.
"And how far did that take you?" She says in a slightly mocking tone, even though her voice is pretty flat
"..."
"If you are as smart as you think you are, and you haven't been consumed by a bestial nature, you must have deduced that I am much more experienced in this vampire business. And that I also have the resources and a huge backer." She shakes her guns up and down to illustrate that.
"..." Morbius remains silent
"..." Selene is frowning now.
In her mind, she already said more than necessary to convince anyone. It doesn't make sense that he is unwilling till now.
She is still reluctant to use Eidolon's name, feeling that it would be considered a failure. As she was about to say something more, her head suddenly whips to the side…
"Someone is here…" She warns Morbius. The other vampire also pays attention just in time…
BlamBlamBlamBlam
Bullets fly in their direction, Morbius moves out of the way quickly, but Selene simply uses her own gun to deflect one and moves her head out of the way to dodge the other.
In the next instant, someone dashed at her with incredible speed and attacked her with a weapon…a katana.
"You again…" She pulls another gun and makes an X to block the katana.
Blade, the vampire hunter, holds his katana with one hand while slowly removing the other from his back.
The two exchange looks through Selene's mask and Blade's sunglasses
"Oh, aren't you Eidolon's vampire pet?" He says with a casual tone
Selene does not appear to get angry at the provocation. "Yes." She answers flatly "And what are you doing here?"
"What do you think? I am a vampire hunter… You only have one chance to guess."
"You are gonna leave disappointed if your target is the two of us."
"Gonna get in my way, eh?"
"You are the one getting in my way."
Blade attacks her with his free hand. Selene throws her hand in the air to push his other katana away and steps back to avoid his swing. His katana passes just a few millimeters away from her black corset.
She already goes for a counterattack, delivering a spinning kick with her right leg.
Blade puts his two arms and katanas to defend himself, but Selene doesn't hesitate, even seeing that…
Her reinforced boots hit the blades, leaving not even a scratch on them…
It was already said… Hector likes Selene. So he had no problem in giving her some vibranium-woven boots.
Blade is about to fall victim to Hector's shameless favoritism. Not only have his blades proven useless…
Boom
The kick sent him flying violently at the wall, creating a hole through which he disappeared halfway inside.
"It will be different from last time." Selene says simply, lowering her leg to the ground.
"Damn…" Blade emerges from the hole, bruised and filled with dust. "What did that guy feed you? Don't tell me that is humans…" He says sarcastically
Selene doesn't deign to give him an answer.
"Last chance to walk away…" Selene says with a flat voice "If you think for a moment, you must understand that you are doing a lot of nothing here."
"I don't know about that… I am hunting a dangerous vampire, you know? And you're covering for him." Blade rolls his shoulders and lets his trenchcoat fall from them.
Selene sighs loudly "Fine… I will stop talking if you are not gonna listen."
The two get ready and advance toward each other at the same time.
...............
In the center of Monster Metropolis, there is a castle.
It is the oldest structure and is evident because of the design, something that came straight from medieval times. The buildings around start getting more and more modern the more it moves away from the center.
Obviously, if someone pays attention, they would notice modern additions even in those old structures. That is all because the queen of Monster Metropolis is a progressive person who keeps up with the advancement of humanity and always tries to implement them in her city.
The Ruler of Monster Metropolis, the Succubus Queen Shiklah, is right now in her throne room in the midst of an audience.
As expected, she is a beautiful woman with only slightly inhuman features, like the pinkish skin with purple markings, horns, yellow irises, and sharp teeth.
Beyond that, she looks like a normal 5'8" woman with black hair. Well, not "normal" per se… She has a very fit body, with big breasts, wide hips, and a perky ass. Shiklah is not a succubus for nothing.
But right now her pretty face is showing a bored expression while resting on her hand, her dark lips scowling a little, eyes distracted while she feeds her pet mini-dragon, Bug.
The reason for her state is at the base of her throne, a vampire envoy that came with a proposal that she is not even listening to anymore.
"What kind of name is Joshua?" She suddenly says, interrupting the vampire that was, at this point, monologuing.
"Excuse me?" The bald nosferatu-like vampire pauses
"You said your name was Joshua… Really? Joshua? For how long have you been a vampire? Since last year?" Shiklah comments while ignoring him
"N-No… I am an old, alive for more than…"
"Joshua… Joshua…" She tries to taste the name "No. It really does not work. A vampire shouldn't be called Joshua. No one will respect you if you are named Joshua."
"I-I never had a problem with that…" The vampire named Joshua is nervous
"You should get an old, powerful, and impactful name. Like Alexander, Elijah… They need to be a little different too… Short names have some impact, right? Like Vlad… Powerful…Victor. Victor has a certain strength when you say it… vicTOR. Hector is the same. Heitor. Arthur is similar, but too much of a good guy name…"
"..." Joshua can only stay with his mouth open while the queen starts talking, ignoring him completely. "I'm so-sorry, but I think we have a more pressing issue to discuss beyond my name." He musters his courage to say that
"..." Shiklah immediately stops talking and starts staring at him.
From her vantage point, she is really looking down on him with an unsettling gaze, letting him squirm in the silence.
She is doing it on purpose. The truth is that Joshua here came with a ludicrous proposal, a marriage between her and his master. And his master is Count Dracula himself.
She would need to be a fool to accept that. She protected her sovereignty for centuries, and she will die before giving it to the vampires like that.
Obviously, her cunning mind is already thinking in ways to use this to her advantage. Being a succubus, theoretically, it would not be hard to plot against Dracula and put a leash on him… Theoretically.
But the man himself made the proposal, so he obviously is not fearing the influence she will have over him because of what he has between his legs.
Or he is a very confident fool, or he has a plan on his own.
Shiklah prefers not to underestimate her enemies. Yes, she is considering Dracula her enemy even if he came with a friendly proposal. She noticed the underlying threat and the forceful proposal, even if they are veiled with Joshua's submissive way of talking.
She finally speaks again.
"Joshua… Pfft… Ahem Joshua, I am not entirely against the proposal." She is not lying, even if she is omitting her true thoughts "But you see… I feel that it lacks some… sincerity from your side." She smiles sweetly.
"Sincerity?"
"Yes. Look… Where is Dracula? Does he can't even come to court the woman he wants as a bride?" She hides a smirk, knowing very well Dracula's way of courting women. He kidnaps them. So, asking him to do something as simple as being normal can already be considered too much.
"Ahm… Ehh…" Joshua's nervousness is proof enough.
He doesn't have words to rebut her completely normal request, beyond admitting that his master is a brute that see women as objects. And that wouldn't simply confirm that he does not plan to "share power" in this political marriage?
'What a load of bullshit about bringing peace and prosperity among the monsters…' She rolls her eyes internally, remembering the last words Joshua said before zoning out.
She will not push too much and expose that, though. Even if she has the upper hand in this talk. It is meaningless to win an argument against a lackey. Shiklah will instead try to gain time to make her own investigation on this matter.
The truth is, this whole thing caught her a little off guard. She never expected such a proposal, coming from Dracula, directly, of all things. She had some vampire suitors in the past, but none were on her level, so she always rejected them after playing with them a little.
Dracula is obviously different.
There are talks about such a union between the two, but it never came from either of the main parties, just from people on the sidelines with their suppositions.
She giggles to disperse the tension "Just get back with a message… I want to see him." She extends her hand to Joshua. "Meeting my possible future husband before tying the knot… is not that unreasonable, right?"
"...right." Joshua replies weakly, knowing very well that his eccentric master could very well take offense at that.
'...why it seems he is more interested in this union than Dracula himself?" Shiklah narrows her eyes
At that moment, a succubus subordinate of Shiklah suddenly walks into the room and sends her a telepathic message.
The Queen of the Succubi's eyes change before she immediately stands up and starts walking away without saying another word.
"Queen Shiklah!" Joshua shouts, but she is already jumping out the window, purple mist around her as she starts moving quickly through the rooftops. Joshua and others immediately follow her.
.............
Miles above Monster Metropolis is Manhattan.
The people living in one of the most populated areas of the world are completely unaware that beneath them lives a city of monsters.
To be fair, beneath them, there is much more than that, like the morlocks, moloids, and many other creatures that they would lump together in the "Monster" category without a second thought.
It is night now, the moment that criminals decide to act, trying to use the veil of darkness to increase their chances of success, even if just for a little.
One of those criminals is no other than Black Cat, who, as her luck would have it, is being chased by another group of criminals. Not that luck is the only factor here, after all, it was her actions that led her to find herself in this situation.
She was chased by a group of men till she was cornered by them in one of the floors of their hideouts.
"Give it back, thief!" One of them points at her while the rest surround the perimeter.
"Give what? I have no idea of what you are talking about…" She plays dumb, showing casual confidence while shrugging her shoulders
"The flash drive! We know you stole it!" Another criminal shouts
"You have no idea from whom you are stealing, bitch." Another spits "The new boss is a scary motherfucker."
"Seriously, guys. Trying to scare me? Me?" She scoffs and even makes a show of throwing her hair. "Do you know with whom you are talking?" She huffs, annoyed, acting like a spoiled woman who feels entitled to some V.I.P. treatments after arriving somewhere.
"..." The criminals look at each other.
They are not that dumb, so their brains caught up with her attitude and words, and associated that with a certain rumor…
Words in the street that Black Cat is Eidolon's girl.
Just a little rumor that was never confirmed, but that is the juicy ones that people love to spread. It also does not help that it makes sense.
Some of the arguments that people use to defend this line of thought stem from small things, like the fact that the two use similar color schemes, to a stronger one like the fact that Black Cat is still free to go around even while committing crimes. That one time he saved her from falling from a building, and that time he arrived to save her from a similar situation to this one, also reinforced this theory.
Again, it was never confirmed, but so many things point to this being true, and people like to feel smart about figuring this out, so they truly believe it.
And now she is implicitly confirming it.
It is not for nothing that the criminals paused and looked at each other with unsure gazes.
"What are you trying to say?" One of the guys narrows her eyes at her, probing.
"Hmpf, exactly what you are thinking…" She looks at her nails with an unworried expression
"I think you are full of shit…" The guy is not that easily convinced.
There are many supporting arguments to this little rumor; there are also counterarguments. Some say that Eidolon is too much of an upright guy to get involved with a criminal; others say that he doesn't care about women in general…
The strongest one is also the fact thatBlack Cat is going around committing crimes. Shouldn't he stop and convince her to stop? Why would she steal if she had Eidolon as a boyfriend?
"Hahaha! Then go ahead and try to do something to me, dude. I really don't want to alert him because I have been a bad girl tonight, but my loss will be a scolding, and you will be in jail…" She laughs "...or worse."
"..."
"If we reached an understanding, I am going now. Have a good day of work, boys." Black Cat starts walking away.
But she was stopped by the one that seems to be the leader, raising his gun at her. The others are still a little hesitant, but this guy has serious eyes.
"What? Are you really gonna do it?" She frowns "Then do it already and don't waste my time…" She bluffs
She is scared of being shot, but that's a bet she is willing to make. Not that she has any other option in this situation beyond using Eidolon's reputation.
And she is not gonna lie… it is kinda exciting… Gambling with her life in line. She is an adrenaline junkie through and through.
"..." Despite her words, the criminal doesn't do anything. He does not shoot or make way for her to pass.
"So…?" She leans her head forward to urge him "Don't waste our time."
"Give the flash drive back to us, and we will let you go unharmed." The leader says. His words don't change much, but anyone would be able to notice how the aggression is all gone.
He went full diplomatic now.
Black Cat obviously noticed that. Her eyebrows shot up before she simply says "Hell no."
"You..!!! "The guy grits his teeth. "You are pushing!"
"And what are you gonna do about this, huh?" She speaks in a mocking tone
"Maybe you are lying! Why wouldn't it be here by now then?" The guy pushes too
Black Cat laughs confidently "Hehe. He is obviously busy, maybe he is out of the country, or even the planet… But even if by some miracle you have the chance to hurt me before he arrives, that would leave you with a very angry Eidolon looking for revenge." She crosses her arms. "Take your loss and go home."
The leader seems to wrestle with the choice, his face morphing while he thinks about what to do…
He can't simply go back with empty hands without even putting in an effort, but at the same time, pushing now and being wrong would be the stupidest thing in the world.
The place falls silent while everyone waits for him to decide.
None of the other criminals wants to bear the responsibility, and Black Cat doesn't have any sway beyond what she already said. So it is all in his hands.
In the end, he talked too long, and the universe made a choice for him…
CrashCrash
Suddenly, the windows broke, and two figures jumped inside the building.
When they land, it is possible to identify that there are two males with different statures, one more slim while the other is incredibly muscular, but the two are incredibly fit in their own way.
The two are no other than Matt Murdock as Daredevil and Luke Cage as Power Man. They are wearing their vigilant uniforms, the first with his red full-body suit that resembles a devil, and the other with a more common yellow shirt and black pants.
Despite not being as flashy and hero-like, Luke's uniform is no less impressive because it was made by Eidolon for the guy.
"Eh?" Both Black Cat and the criminals show confused faces.
But Daredevil and Power Man don't share their surprise, and immediately get to work to beat the bad guys with guns.
The duo made quick work of the criminals, even when they started reacting. Luke is immune to anything they can throw at him, and Matt is simply too good a fighter to give them a chance to shoot him.
It doesn't even take two minutes for every criminal to be on the ground unconscious, or groaning in pain…
"What the hell…" Black Cat's confused tone breaks the silence
"Why do I feel that you look… disappointed in being saved?" Daredevil puts away his modified batons and tilts his head at her.
"Well… I was expecting another hero to save me…" She rolls her hair on her finger. "But thanks, I guess…"
Luke shakes his head in amusement, his fists on his hips. "Sorry for not being an Avenger or Eidolon." He jokes
"Ah c'mon, guys. I already said thank you. And it is more like… how did you notice that I am in trouble here? This is more of an Eidolon thing, you know?" She replies
"I also have very good senses." Daredevil says mysteriously
"And I can't be at your back and call all the time…" Suddenly, a fourth voice echoes in the precinct.
"!!!!"
The three turned their head fast to see Eidolon himself standing above one of the criminals.
'This is one of Johan's people…' He notices 'I will not apprehend them.'
"Where are you, dude? I almost died!" Black Cat puts an act of a wronged damsel.
"I was busy saving an orphanage from a fire." Eidolon turns and says in a deadpan voice
"... you're joking? Is it like a 'cat in the tree' scenario?" Luke asks because it sounds like a lie that he has ready to tell just to mess with people.
"Nope. See, I even got some candy from the kids." He shows his hand from beneath his mantle, and between his fingers there are four lollipops. "Here." Eidolon then gives one for each of them and keeps the fourth one.
"..." Luke, Matt, and Felicia stare at it for a good second.
"I don't like the yellow one…" Luke finally comments
"We can trade." Daredevil offers with a smile, giving Luke the red one.
Felicia sinks the lollipop in her cleavage before leaning on Eidolon(making sure that he saw her doing that), "I am sure I could have rewarded you better~" She whispers sultrily
"It is okay… I like the green ones too." Eidolon replies with a deadpan voice while showing his lollipop.
"..." Felicia gives him a death stare.
"By the way, you should be careful while using my name as a shield. One day you are gonna meet a crazy person, or someone that wants to hurt me, and then you are dead…" Eidolon speaks"I already told you that sometimes I am away, out of the world, so I can't save you all the time."
"Hmpf, so you knew the situation I was in and didn't come to help…" She pouts while crossing her arms
"I can't be caught helping you at any small inconvenience." He replies calmly
"Cold as ever, huh?" She plays angrily before smirking. Then she moves Luke and Matt. "Luckily, I had those strong man to help me~" She says while putting her hand on their shoulders.
"Good for you." Eidolon answers distractedly, suddenly looking down. "Bye then, I am taking the flash drive, by the way." He says, showing that at some point, he stole the flash drive she stole
"What!?" Felicia shouts in indignation, but he already sunk into the ground without hesitation. "That guy!" She is almost gritting her teeth
"..." Luke and Matt slowly move away from her.
"Just for you to know, lady. I prefer not to get dragged in whatever this is…" Luke says while waving his hands around the place "I am trying to get together a very complicated girl myself already. I don't want more trouble, especially with one of the few people in the world who can fold my clothes with me still inside." He chuckles
"Idem." Matt nods "Not the part that I am trying to get a lady… just the one about trying not to be folded by Eidolon."
Felicia sighs loudly while facepalming "Haah~, I fucked up… I just set myself back six months with this shit…"
"..." Luke and Matt stare at each other. Well, Luke turns to look at Matt, and Matt does the same head movement.
"Can you believe that guy? He is unflippable!" She turns to them
Luke then coughs in his hand before speaking "Well, if you want some male perspective on this… I don't think it's a good idea to try to make a guy jealous. I mean, in a lesser man, you are only gonna incite anger and insecurity… and in aself-respecting guy, he will just lose his trust in you and walk away eventually."
"True…" Matt nods "Playing stupid games…"
"..." Felicia turns to them before sighing loudly "Tsk, I know. Now is wait till I meet him by chance and try to clear the air." She groans in frustration "Why do I do this to myself?!?"
"..." Once again, Luke and Matt 'exchange' glances.
"Anyway, I am going… Today was a disaster; I even lost my haul. I am gonna sleep early to start a new day as fast as possible." Felicia straightens herself and starts walking away. "Bye, boys. Thanks for the help again… good luck with your complicated lady, dude." She waves at them and then points at Luke.
"Thanks." He says "Good luck with your… with Eidolon too."
"Bye." Matt also waves
She disappears by jumping out the window, and then the two remain in silence for some time.
"Women, am I right?" It is awkward, so Luke tries to say something to break the ice.
"You tell me…" Matt scoffs.
Then, after some seconds, the two laugh.
..............
Some minutes back in time, down in Monster Metropolis, the fight between Selene and Blade was heating up.
Unfortunately for Blade, it is not going in the way he envisioned.
Blade is a strong and fast person; he needs to be if he wants to fight vampires, even if he wants to explore their weakness that he doesn't share.
He is strong enough to flip cars easily and move faster than the normal eye can see, and durable to a fault, too…
But Selene has beaten him in all those aspects.
The two move around, leaving behind blurs and lines while crashing multiple times. Every time Blade attacks, it seems futile. Selene always dodges or simply parries with her guns.
He is also successful in keeping himself from being shot by her bullets, but she is more than capable of getting him with punches or kicks.
The cave where Morbius lived was too small for their fight, and they moved outside. They dashed through the rock walls, running through the tubes and bouncing on the stalactites… Sparks flying when bullets and katanas meet, small shockwaves are emitted when they hit each other.
At some point, this level of commotion can't stay hidden for long.
That is when Shiklah's people discovered them, and the queen herself made a move.
With her speed, Shiklah arrived in no time and landed on the conglomerate of tubes. Her arrival made the two combatants stop fighting, creating an impasse…
'Things are getting out of control…' Selene clicks her tongue.
"What is happening here?" Shiklah says, her voice strong. "Fights are prohibited in my dominion without prior warning."
While she is saying that, a group of people lands beside and behind her.
Joshua, the vampire, is between them, but so are the most varied types of monsters, like other succubi, mummies, and even a centaur and a minotaur.
"Well, well… If isn't it Blade... I would ask what brings you here to my humble city, but it is not hard to guess…" Shiklah smiles while looking at the vampire hunter. "And who is the hot thing? The vampire you are hunting? Or is this some lovers' spat? Hehe~" She turns to stare at Selene.
Everyone has good eyes, so they can see the state where the fighters are and judge that Blade is losing.
"This is none of your business, Shiklah." Blade says without missing a beat
Joshua also goes to speak "If it isn't the vampire hunter… You don't look so good… That can be a good opportunity to bring a gift to my master…"
"Shut up, fucker." Blade sneers at Joshua "A dog like you is barking at the wrong tree."
The tension escalates between Blade and Joshua's retinue of vampires, but Shiklah raises a hand to stop before someone makes the first move.
"Let's keep the heat down, boys." She says with a friendly smile. "Now, why doesn't someone explain to me what happened here?"
"It is none of your business." Blade retorts
"..." Selene remains silent
"If it is happening in my city, then it is my business." Shiklah looks around to try to figure things out "Hmm… I can feel another lifeforce close by…" Her eyes shine while darting in all directions.
Suddenly, she pushes her hand in a direction, and a purple fire is emitted from her palm. If Hector were here, he would be slightly surprised that this is a type of Hellfire, similar to the one that Satana and the other demons used, but especially Satana's.
It seems Shiklah is not only part of the Magical World, but also has a foot in Hell, too. More than a monster, she has a little of a demon, at least.
The place where she aims is a dark spot between two tubes that cross each other. The moment the purple ball of fire approached, the shadows of the tubes moved unnaturally, and a figure emerged, involved in a dark smoke.
"Aah~ I see, I don't recognize this one, so this must be the vampire that was causing problems recently." Shiklah smiles predatorily while watching Morbius descend in one of the tubes. "Unless this is one of yours, Joshua…" She gives the nosferatu a side glance
"Of course not. I have never seen that man in my life." But Joshua denies that notion instantly
"Is that so? Your sunken faces are similar, but I guess he has too much hair…" Shiklah jokes.
"We can finally put an end to this…" A subordinate minotaur of Shiklah starts stepping forward, and before the queen herself can stop him, Selene steps forward.
"I can't allow anyone to touch him." Selene says while standing in front of Morbius.
"Oh…" Shiklah's eyebrows rise. "And what is he to you? I can tell that you are also a vampire by your aura… So is he your lover? brother?"
"He is an order…" Selene replies calmly
"Excuse me?" Shiklah tilts her head, confused
"..." Even Morbius and Blade are looking at her
"I have been ordered to keep him safe until I have a clear answer." Selene continues in a tone that leaves no room for discussion.
"..." Shiklah stares at her for some time before she starts laughing "Hahahahahaha!" It is a casual laugh that slowly devolves into one of mockery and even a little anger. "What in the name of Hell are you talking about, girl? Your orders mean nothing down here. Here, I am the Queen! So if I want to kill your little friend, there is nothing that can stop me from having him dead."
Selene is not fazed, not even a bit. "I can't allow that." She says, hands moving to her waist.
"Allow? Allow!?!" Shiklah frowns deeply. "I am the one who allows around here. I don't know who your master is, but he has no power down here!" Shiklah's powers flare, a purple flame surrounding her fists while her eyes shine.
She is relatively a laidback ruler, but she can't keep acting this way when someone is so blatantly challenging her authority in front of so many people.
Selene is forcing her hand.
"...did you make that reference on purpose?"
Everyone pauses. Not because of the words that are spoken in a very casual tone, and don't even appear to make sense.
They paused because a new presence suddenly appeared, a presence capable of encompassing the whole area. It comes from all directions and at the same time from nowhere. No one is able to pinpoint where this pressure is coming from, and this only increases their dread.
Thankfully, they are not forced to be in that state for long.
Selene's shadow suddenly changes, moving and growing unnaturally till it acts like a puddle of dark liquid, and from there, someone starts emerging.
Hector debated for an instant how he should appear. Ignoring the theatrics, he decided to just come as Eidolon and not hide Selene's connection with his hero persona. After all, Blade already knows of this.
So it's better hide the fact that he creates a lot of personas than the connection between Eidolon and Selene.
Eidolon then slowly emerges from the puddle. He has all eyes on him, while he also analyzes everyone.
"Sorry for the intrusion." He says politely, but his posture screams that he doesn't care. "And also sorry for the trouble, but I will be taking him with me." He points a thumb at Morbius. Once again, his words are polite, but he is really leaving no room to discursion.
Shiklah narrows her eyes seriously. Despite living down here, she still keeps in contact with the surface, so she knows who Eidolon is. Amidst the many stories, one stands out the most… He fought Thor to a standstill.
Everyone from the Magical Side of the world knows how strong a god is… Example: The common minotaurs are just minor versions of the Original one, and they are powerhouses among the monsters, but much weaker than the First.
Even this first one is no equal to a demigod of the Greek Pantheon, so… If right now, in front of them, there is a guy who is as strong as Thor, one of the strongest gods…
They have no chance against him.
Shiklah can only remain silent to save face, trying to avoid acting subservient to the guy in front of her people.
"Hey! Do you think you can do whatever you want around here?!" But one of her people, a minotaur of all people, speaks up.
"..." Shiklah doesn't stop him, even if she knows that the minotaur could very well be walking to his death.
They are monsters. She doesn't have a problem in using the stupid minotaur as a sacrificial pawn to stop the others from doing anything stupid.
Eidolon stares at the minotaur for a long time, letting the silence stretch. The pressure oozing from his body concentrates in the half-man, half-bull creature.
"I will give you two chances… the first is to just step back, and everything will go well." The hero says calmly
The minotaur huffs, hot air leaving his nostrils as he steps forward. Anyone here was able to see him trembling because of the pressure, but he still acted tough, really stubborn like a bull.
He, at least, gets some courage and finally stands directly in front of Eidolon. The minotaur is double his size, much wider.
"..." The hero is unfazed, though. Keeping his gaze steady ahead, not even looking up to meet the minotaur's eyes
"Listen here, human." The minotaur looks down on Eidolon. "You all can be numerous up there, but we are still the predators of your race. If we want-"
"I don't like that." Eidolon interrupts with a flat voice
"What? You don't have a choic-" The minotaur tries to say, but the hero interrupts again
"Is violence an acceptable way to get my point across down here?" He asks no one in particular.
"Yes." But Selene answers with a nod.
"Good…" Then he finally addresses the Minotaur "Here goes your last chance."
WhooshBuchi
"!!!!!"
All the monsters present have some degree of super-senses, and they are only able to see a blur and suddenly the Minotaur's torso disappeared in a cloud of red mist.
ThudThud
His head then falls to the ground, and a second later, his legs that are still standing follow suit.
If everyone had a foreboding sense while looking at Eidolon, now they are filled with fear, their instincts screaming to them to just get away from him as fast as possible.
And that is not even the most shocking part…
A second later, the red mist starts coalescing back like time is rewound and reforms the minotaur body, the head flying to its rightful place, and the monster gasps for air.
Now the minotaur is on all fours at his feet, and he looks up to see Eidolon standing there, looking taller than life itself.
"Our eyes finally met… Isn't this the most natural way?" The hero says while looking down on the minotaur.
The monster is sweating bullets, trembling… Eidolon's shining eyes on his obscured face are simply too terrifying, especially after going through a death experience.
"I made sure to restore your body before your soul leaves… But that was your second and last chance. You don't have them anymore…" He puts his hand on the minotaur's shoulder and pats him like he is an animal. "So, are you gonna step back now?" His voice is eerily calm
"..." What more can the minotaur do?
At this point, he doesn't even have the courage to stand up and turn around to walk back; he simply crawls backwards on all fours, without daring to turn his back to Eidolon.
"I am glad that we are finally on the same frequency." The hero says to everyone, his voice destroying the deafening silence. "I will use the opportunity to say that certain things are gonna change from now on, a new set of rules that I will impose…"
His eyes narrowed into two dangerous crescents. "Please pay attention, it is regarding your survival."
..........
A.N.:Hello there.
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