Welcome back to London

Black and white robed men and women were hanging around in a park, looking like they were ready to begin Halloween. Unsuspecting pedestrians would pass by them and assume as much but then again who else would be wearing long hooded robes and classic wizard gear on the last day of October?

The crowd had gathered in a circle with a large oak tree in the centre. The tree was nearly one hundred years old and many a couple had carved their names into its trunk, marking their image in history. However, there was something hidden amongst the names, just as old as the tree itself. It was a small crystal shape and encircling it was a name written in a lost language.

“Tonight, my brothers and sisters,” said the only one of the men in white, “we summon the first servant of our master. His strength will be added to ours and we will make his power our own.” The figure raised his wooden staff. “For our Lord and Master!”

“For the Ancient Ruler!” they cried, kneeling before the tree.

“I will now free his first Champion, the Frozen King of the Northern Stars. I call to you, come and serve you master with us!”

The man bit into his thumb then smeared the blood over the symbol on the tree and stepped back into the crowd as his followers began to chant the summons in ancient tongues.

The wind picked up as a white circle suddenly appeared around the base of the tree and then another appeared, connecting all the teens around the tree. The circles glowed brightly for a minute then faded away and the wind died down.

“Wow that was something, do you guys do birthday parties too?”

The confused cult turned to the source of the voice and saw a brunet haired girl leaning on a broom in a witch outfit with a large black cat sitting by her feet wearing a Sherlock Holmes hat.

“What are you doing here girl,” said the leader, “those who do not seek His guidance do not belong at this ceremony. You taint this sacred ground with your presence, leave now or else.”

The brunet rolled her eyes then made a gesture with her hand that clearly said “come at me”. One of the cultists charged forward but she easily steps sided them and then used her broom to knock some down. Keeping up her momentum, the girl moved swiftly through the crowd, either using the broom or her kicks to defeat them and soon ten cultists were laying on the ground either unconscious or to injured to move.

Before the brunet could pat herself on the back she was suddenly flung backwards into the air.

“Whoever you are girl, let me be the first to inform you that you're out of your league,” said the white robed cultist, his eyes glowing red. He twirled his staff in the air and sent another blast of air towards her.

When she landed back on the ground the girl slowly stood up and spat out something red from her mouth.

“The name's Sam, you prick, and you're the only one who's out of their league here.” Sam rolled up her sleeves, revealing twin glyphs on her arms, and yelled, “Barry, a little help would be nice.”

The glyphs transformed into a set of bronze gauntlets that covered her arm up to the elbow and they gave off a soft glow in the fading sunlight.

“Who's Barry? Your cat?” the cultist mocked.

“No,” said the 6-foot panther standing behind him, “her partner.”

The robed villain received a large punch to the face by the panther but he had managed to block the worst of the blow with his staff. The teen spun on the spot and hit the feline with the weighted end of his staff. Barry fell back onto his knee and spat out blood, his shocked expression was all that was needed for his partner to act. Sam clapped her hands together and sent a shockwave towards their adversary. The attack hit and the cultist was smacked back against the tree and he slid down to the roots.

“Had enough yet?” asked Sam as she approached him. The cultist suddenly leapt forward, swinging his staff towards her head but a bolt of lightning sent him back into the tree.

“Yeah, he's done,” said Barry, his open paw was stretched out towards Sam and he had sparks of static around his arm.

The cultist suddenly started laughing, his chest now a bloody mess and his weapon was in charred splinters.

“The darkness cannot be contained; you have only delayed his rising.”

Before the two warriors could stop him, the teen started chanting once more and the tree turned black, sending a shockwave towards them. The dead plant cracked open and a monstrous shade burst from it with a scream. The shade twisted and wrenched as it rose into the sky, the darkling’s summoner was laughing as he marvelled at his creation.

The shade suddenly dived down into the man's mouth and his body was engulfed in black flames. He charged forward again but another blast from Barry tore through his chest and the man fell to the ground, his body lifeless.

“Well, that was interesting,” said Barry, dusting of his paws. “Ow!” The bruise on his face still stung when he touched it.

“What's that stick made of?” Sam asked as she tied up the unconscious men and women on the ground.

Sam's gauntlets returned to the glyphs tattooed on her arms and she covered them with the long sleeves on her witch costume.

“Still working on that,” said Barry, returning to his cat form, “sorry about the costume though.”

The short skirt was torn and was splattered mud as well as her broom had been broken in two.

“And I spent so much on it,” groan Sam, “now it’s ruined.” She took out her phone and trace the transparent symbol on its screen with her thumb. The glyph pulsed twice then faded away and a wide-eyed imp's face was visible on the screen.

“Hey Jerry,” said Sam, “tell Archie that we've got a new bunch of crazies for you guys.”

Jerry nodded then said something in elvish.

“No, we're not,” said Barry, hopping onto Sam's shoulder's and looking at the screen, “if you want food then go ask Archie for money. We already late for the party as it is.”

Sam swiped her finger diagonally down the screen to end the call then walked to her car, Barry balanced on her shoulders. She was about to return her phone to her bag when the phone flashed and a reminder for a Halloween Party came through. Sam just silenced the alarm then climbed into the driver’s seat and started the engine.

Barry was laying down on the passenger seat, pawing at his light brown plaid hat.

“You okay?” asked Sam.

“Yeah,” said Barry, placing the hat back on his head, “just annoyed. The staff was probably Black Yew wood, the stuff hurts. How's Robin doing?”

“Speak of the devil,” said Sam as her friend's caller id popped up on screen. She tapped a button on the wheel then said, “Hey Robin, what's up?”

“Where are you? The party started nearly an hour ago, and I'm running out of excuses.”

“Two minutes away, I promise.” said Sam then she hung up the phone.

They turned into Robin's neighbourhood and parked on the side of the road. Barry had use his magic to repair Sam's costume so he was being carried in her arms all the way to the door while he slept off the exhaustion that followed.

“Remind me again why I had to come?” Barry asked, eyes barely open.

Loud music and cheering could be heard from the inside of house and before Sam could answer Barry's question the door burst open.

“It’s about time!” said Robin, she dressed up as Frankenstein's Bride, “aww Bartholomew looks so cute as Sherlock.”

Sam could feel her feline companion's hackles rise when his full name was spoken aloud and grinned, knowing that he had received his answer. They followed Robin inside and the bright party lights nearly blinded them when they entered the living room.

There were ghosts, goals, vampires and cats spread out across the living room and a lot more were in the backyard. Sam set Barry down by staircase then went off with Robin to enjoy herself. Barry, however, went up the stairs and settled down on the bed in Robin's room, preparing himself for a nice catnap.

***

Back in the park, a bit of fog had appeared around the area where the two mages had been fighting. For regular human beings, this mystic vapour compelled them not to come near but for the large winged creature landing by one of the fallen cultist, this meant it was time to get to work.

The beast was a Minotaur however the large bird wings that it possessed made it differ from its distant ancestors. The bull wore only short black trousers that covered his legs up until the steel greaves on his shins, stopping just above his hooves, with a long-striped cloth that hung from the buckle on the centre of his white linen belt. The emblem on the buckle was of a horned creature with its wings enfolding it like a bat about to take flight. On the bovine’s wrists were steel bands with large transparent oval stones. The minotaur’s bare chest had a triangle pointing downwards with a thick line just above the point, signifying him as an Earth combat mage.

“Alexander,” his deep throated bovine voice cut through the air like an axe, “show yourself.”

A large brown scorpion, at least a metre long, appeared from the thick fog, its armoured shell glinting silver in the half light. The insect's eyes glowed bright green then suddenly a young, dark skinned man with a scorpion’s tail knelt in its place, his eyes still glowing brightly and he was wearing a light-weight coloured armour, which was a dark shade of green, with a long dark cloak draped over his shoulders. The man rose from his kneeling position, the light fading from his eyes.

“Where is Alexander?” asked the bovine, his tone turning sharp, “he was supposed to meet me here.”

“Calm yourself Maximus,” said the mage as he walked towards the body at the tree trunk, “Alexander has been busy of late and I was sent in his stead.”

“Scorpius?” said Maximus, “How did you get into Europe without me knowing?”

Before Scorpius could say anything the bright blue moonlight suddenly went red. The crimson glow illuminated the park and gave it an eerie atmosphere. They both heard a voice rasp out from the corpse at the tree.

I rise once more, bathed in blood of the moon.

Before the two warriors could do anything more than blink, the tree turned black, sending a shockwave towards them. The dead plant cracked open and a monstrous shade burst from it with a scream.

Yet the scream wasn't the creature's, it was the charred corpse that was screaming and it writhed as black roots began to seep their way into and under his skin. The demonic shade quickly dived down into the body's mouth and it was engulfed in black flames. The roots were now dragging the blackened corpse into the cracked tree then the plant sealed him within itself.

Finally, I feast, at long last.

The symbol of the Guardian Order on Maximus's talisman pulsed with a copper light, indicating the dark power that this creature possessed. He summoned his weapon, a bronze mace, and the light from his talisman started spreading across Maximus’s body and his weapon. The bovine’s copper coloured aura shone brightly around him for a moment then faded from view as two great eagle wings appeared on Maximus’s back. Scorpius’s jade coloured aura did the same as he summoned twin jade gauntlets that looked like a scorpion’s pincers.

Ah, more sacrifices for me?  No, your auras smell like…Guardians.

The tree started to twist itself, its branches and roots wrapping together, until a four-legged form began to take shape. The two warriors watched in shock as the thing that was once a tree became a three-story tall beast, its green and brown body was made up of twisting vines, thick branches and entangled roots. A large bulge formed a horned feline head out of bark on the beast's shoulders and a long, snake like tail formed itself on the other end of its body. The stumps on the end of the two legs closest to the head became long, sharp claws and the other two legs formed hooves. The creature's eyes glowed with a violet light and a dark haze gathered in the titan’s outstretched hand, forming a solid black halberd. He looked down at the two warriors, a look of curiosity on his face.

A Guardian and a Magus. How interesting.

His words echoed inside their warriors’ heads, it was as if a low musical note had been struck on every syllable that the forest Titan pronounced.

Maximus spread his wings and took flight, aiming for the creature’s head, but he was swiped aside as one would a small fly. Maximus crashed down into the remains of the tree, his aura had been greatly diminished by the blow and now weakly flickered. Scorpius created a shield and was barely able to block the titan’s next attack, a punch that would have squashed him into the ground.

You show resilience young Magus, the creature said, standing up to his full height, I see that much has changed while I slept and thus I must recover the remainder of my powers, however your ally has failed stop me and now I AM FREE!

At the last word, a wave of dark energy decimated the area, Scorpius’s shield shattered and he and Maximus suddenly vanished in the rumble. Having defeated his foes, the Titan roared in triumph then transformed into a black fog and disappeared into the night.

***

I could feel a shift in my surroundings. Is that even possible? To feel something, anything while in Nothing? I like to think so.

It’s so cold here so maybe it’s not Nothing but maybe it’s just a place very close to it. A phrase from a good poem that Gabriel loved to say comes to mind whenever I try to think of where I am.

Do not go gentle into that good night,

Old age should burn and rave at close of day;

Rage, rage against the dying of the light.

I don't know why I just thought of him. I know that he is gone by now, because of me, because I didn't do all that I could to save him and now as penance I must spend my time here until God has deemed my punishment to be just. Nowadays, or what I think would pass for a day in this place, I have noticed that I can sense more of the outside world. My surroundings may never change but I know that my old home most likely has. It’s guardians now face a great threat, that much I can still feel, and I need to tell someone before it’s too late.

I can see something white, pulsing with a powerful energy. I reach for it, my hand slowly moving towards this new creature. It is feline in nature and I can see that seems to be dreaming something. I know that I must reach them so I call out, my words long and heavy against the stillness of my prison.

***

He has awakened.

Barry woke up to the sound of an unfamiliar voice but when the black tabby looked around him, no one was to be seen.

“That was weird,” he muttered to himself and stretched out on the bed. Suddenly the dark lines that intersected across his collar like circuits began to pulse with a white light.

“Maximus,” he whispered, receiving his instructor’s warning.

Barry quickly leapt onto the windowsill by the bed and looked towards the city, his eyes suddenly glowing white.

“Where are you?” he whispered into the night.

He was soaring through London, weaving through buildings and back alleys until he arrived at the park. What he saw was not appealing. The entire park had been turned from a lush green to a dull black and an immense crater lay in the park’s centre. Barry vaguely remembered hitting someone against a tree at the crater’s epicentre but a loud moan disrupted his thoughts. Barry moved toward the source and watched as Scorpius's shield burst through the debris, revealing the area where he and Maximus were but the bovine’s eye was closed and he was not moving.

Is he-? Barry was not able to even form the question in his mind as his spiritual projection moved towards his mentor.

“He is still breathing,” said Scorpius, kneeling beside them, “but the creature that attacked us was incredibly powerful. He is a creature of the forest, a fallen king of the night from an ancient civilisation. Summon more Guardians and then head it off before it reaches its target.”

Why?

“Because a very powerful creature, more so than titan we fought, was once sealed here. Bartholomew, if he is freed-”

All hell’s going to break loose?

“Hell, is going to look like a long-forgotten dream if that demon is freed.”

Barry nodded solemnly then his astral form dissipated into the night.

Barry blinked, his eyes returning to their light green hue, then ran downstairs to find Sam. He spotted her next to guys in an American Football jersey but she was too occupied to notice Barry sneak towards her bag and take out her phone.

Moving very carefully, Barry was able to pick up the phone and carry it back up to Robin's room then he placed his paw on the screen to contact HQ.

“Archie, you there?” he asked as the static on the screen momentarily went black before a spectacled panther’s face appeared.

“What's up Barry?” Archie asked.

“Give me everything that you have on a deity with nocturnal powers and maybe even feline in appearance.”

“Well there are about several thousand deities that fit that description. Looking for a lost girlfriend or something bro?”

“This is serious!” snapped Barry in a hushed whisper then he heard the voice speak again.

He is a god from a savage race, but they are not very old, the voice instructed, look for the god who uses the night as his realm.

 “Look for a Fallen One associated with the night, they might be Mayan or even Aztec. See if any of the Fallen One in those categories come up as still active.”

“Hmm,” said Archie, typing could be heard over the transmission, “I may have something, the system says that there is an Aztec god called Tezcatlipoca, he was the deity of jaguars, the night and sorcery. In the Ancient Journals, they say that he was cast out of the Order for refusing to retreat back to Old Lands with the others and was sealed about a hundred years ago.”

“By who?”

“By the gargoyles. Barry, this bloke is seriously dangerous, what are you up to?”

“Nothing.”

“Barry, even I can’t cover-up a second magical outburst like before, the council will know if you transform or create another glyph without Sam around. You’ll get in serious trouble if you’re found out mate again, and I mean even more than last time.”

“Let me worry about that,” said Barry, “just keep up the good work and let me fret about the big stuff.”

Barry then swiped his paw across the screen and watched the picture fade into the glyph on the phone’s screen. After removing the plaid coat around his body Barry stuck his head into Sam’s bag, pulling out an amber coloured gemstone then went down the stairs and out the door, leaving the rest of his costume on the bed.

***

It took the cat less than a minute to draw a circular glyph on the grass in Robin’s backyard, mostly because he burnt it into the lawn.

“Sorry Sam,” he said then he transformed into his warrior form with a flash of lightning. He took out his tonfa and sent a charge through it, increasing the weapon’s length by a full metre. He then stabbed the staff into the ground and the glyph suddenly burst into a brilliant white flame, bright blue symbols appeared as Barry started to chant. He had Sam’s talisman in his left paw and he held it in front of his face like one would a rosary, his chant causing it to glow with a gentle yellow colour. Barry’s own talisman, a large clear crystal embedded into a band on his arm, begun to glow with a strong white light while he chanted. 

Look for where the darkness lies

He opened his eyes and they glowed with a white light. Lightning flickered around Barry’s form as he searched for his prey. In his mind’s eye, he could see the city as if it were made up of millions of small lights, each varying in colour and form, and he saw a large dark fog eating all the lights that it touched making its way towards Big Ben.

It’s time to go

Again, Barry heard the voice but he did not know who it belonged to. The runes floating around him pulsed with a white light and spun around his form. Barry spread his white wings and prepared to take flight.

“Barry!”

He turned to see Sam standing by the door to the house but it was too late, the glyph’s white flame suddenly rose to engulf Barry’s form and then, as they faded, he was gone.

Barry reappeared on a rooftop in the middle of London and he looked eastward towards Big Ben to see the same dark fog envelope the city lights in the distance.

“Bring it on,” he said then his weapon returned to its correct size and a long blade extended from one end.

Channelling external mana through two talismans was risky but right now he wasn’t too concerned about it. Something, no someone, had warned him about this threat and he wasn’t going to let this thing hurt another human being.

“Ya just don’t listen do you kid?”

Barry turned the see Maximus, supported by Scorpius, suddenly appear from his own teleport glyph.

“How did you-?”

“Doesn’t matter. For now, what’s important is that we don’t rush into things half-cocked like, for instance, taking your partner’s talisman without her consent.”

“I figured it would give me a boost of power and it’s worked so far.”

“Oh really? Try draw me a glyph then.”

Barry raised his paw but the moment he tried using his magic a wave of vertigo hit him like a freight train. Barry stumbled forwards and Scorpius caught him just before he could fall.

“Here, let me help”. Scorpius’s aura glowed on his hands then he held onto Barry’s arm and an emerald light spread from Scorpius and through Barry. As Barry felt his vertigo fade he stood up then picked up his weapon.

“What happened?” he asked.

“Don’t worry you’re not ill or anything,” said Maximus, slowly getting to his feet, “You just tried to channel too much external mana at once kid, not smart so don’t try it again. Now, let’s focus on the dark fog causing all the humans to black out. We need to hit him with all the power we can manage. They’ll die by midnight if we don’t bring him down.”

“Then what are we waiting for?” said Barry, spreading his wings wide.

Their bright auras sprung into life and covered their bodies. Maximus’s copper wings spread wide and he took flight with Scorpius and Barry in tow, the former summoning a green glyph at his feet to levitate. They headed towards Big Ben and hovered at its base, watching the fog draw closer.

“Alright,” said Maximus, “the creature’s power will be greatly diminished here in the city because of the lights and the far proximity to nature. This could be our only chance to beat it.”

Scorpius summoned another glyph and expanded it around the three of them, causing their auras to shine brighter momentarily.

“That should even the odds a bit,” said the mage and two energy spheres appeared in his hands as he readied himself for a fight.

As the fog came closer, Barry gathered his energy into a small sphere the size of a football then he hurled it towards the black mist. The attack hit and sent a rippled of white electricity through the fog, dispelling it. Tezcatlipoca tried to reform his cloud but Maximus fired a scattered energy beam from his mace to separate the smoke again. Scorpius and Barry sent a huge blast of energy at the dissipating fog, trying to completely eradicate it, but the fog assembled itself once more when the beam faded. This time Tezcatlipoca quickly returned to his solid form and sent a torrent of sharp shadows towards his foes, forcing them to separate in order to dodge the attack.

You dare attack me, the fallen god’s voice echoed in their heads, I am a god. You have no chance of defeating me on this plane nor any other.

The titan sent another volley of shadows towards them but Scorpius created an energy shield to block the attack and Maximus roared out a challenge.

“Spirits of the Earth, arise!” he bellowed, and his aura solidifying into armour around his body. A dark jade coloured battle axe appeared in his free hand and Maximus’s eyes growled with a brilliant auburn light. Four bronze halos formed around Maximus’s body, the bovine’s talisman in the centre, and Maximus rose off the ground, rising higher and higher as the rings spun quickly around his body, making it look like he was levitating in the centre of a large bronze sphere.

The bovine roared again and the very earth rose around him, covering Maximus’s body until he was encased in a giant stone minotaur, the same height as that of the Fallen One.

Bronze coloured energy pulsed between the colossus’ shell like a circuit and the bull’s eyes glowed like Maximus’s had before then the giant minotaur surged forward and tackled Tezcatlipoca, its axe and mace glowing with Maximus’s power. Barry and Scorpius flew to the ground and carried several of the unconscious humans to safety while the two titans fought, smashing into each other with their weapons and fists held high.

“Maximus won’t be able to continue his Spiritual Ascendance in his current state for much longer, he’s still too weak from the titan’s earlier attack to use his full power,” said Scorpius, “and my spells won’t hold out against Tezcatlipoca’s attacks. We need to end this now.”

“What does he want anyway,” asked Barry, saving a sleeping homeless man from the falling rubble, “I mean what so special about Big Ben?”

“A powerful entity was once sealed here by the gargoyles,” explained Scorpius, “The entity was so powerful several gargoyles sacrificed themselves to help seal him away. Legend has it that the seal locked them forever in an eternal dance to the death, their battle was to continue until both their life forces were destroyed.”

“So, you’re telling me that there is a chance that there are gargoyles locked up in that thing?” asked Barry, looking up at the tower.

“No, the gargoyles themselves probably believed that their adversary was too powerful to be defeated that easily, the gargoyles that were placed with the beast are most likely long dead by now.”

Maximus’s animated earth colossus was barely holding off Tezcatlipoca’s attacks, the dark god’s halberd was chipping off several large chunks of the guardian’s stone avatar. Maximus swung low with his right fist and tried to hit the feline with an uppercut but the dark god merely stopped the punch with his free hand then struck the bovine in the face, shattering the stone colossus’ jaw.

Barry flew down and moved the remaining humans out of the way before Maximus’s large form crashed into the street, sending large chunks of stone scattering in several different places as the colossus broke apart.

Maximus himself lay in the middle of the rubble, the bovine’s aura now diminished and at the mercy of Tezcatlipoca. The jaguar-headed titan laughed at his victory as he raised his halberd.

You could never hope to beat me in my own realm, he said, my powers are too great for three mere guardians to destroy.

“Then how about four then?”

They all looked up to see a lone hooded figure crouching on the ledge in front of Big Ben’s clock face. When the figure removed his hood, Barry could see two large wolf ears poking out from the top of his head and the figure wielded two small iron scythes connected by a long black chain. The wolf-eared man wore no armour but Barry could feel the amount of magic power that he possessed and the cat was in awe.

The man leapt from the top of the clock tower and slammed into the centre of Tezcatlipoca’s chest, sending the god back a few steps. The man then leapt off the titan’s torso and landed on the street next to Maximus, then jumped into the air, scythes glowing with a sapphire hue. He sent one scythe shooting to the ground like rocket while he tightened his grip on the other.

“Come forth, power of the air,” the man’s voice rang loud and clear across the street while three blue rings covered his arm. His weapon’s chain grew impossibly long then went taunt as the scythe nearest to the ground hit the street and burrowed into the earth. The wolf man then threw the scythe in his hand forward, where it began to wrap its chain around Tezcatlipoca, binding the dark god. The weapon wrapped around Tezcatlipoca several times before the scythe returned to its master’s hand. The titan strained against the chain but, try as he might, he simply could not break it.

The wolf-eared man landed on the rooftop closest to Barry, gripping the chained scythe in both hands.

“Hey Scorpius, Barry,” the man said, his feet burrowing into the roof, “Sorry I'm late. We need a permanent solution for this beast and quickly.”

“Good to see you here Alexander,” said Scorpius, “Bartholomew, your element is light is it not?”

“Yes sir, but I doubt that’ll do us much good here. I’m nowhere near the same league as a Fallen.”

“That won’t be an issue, “said Alexander, “Scorpius and I can use our magic to amplify yours. All you have to do is make sure not to miss.”

The titan roared and renewed his efforts to break the chain. Barry flew up high and began to pool all his remaining energy into a small sphere in his hands. Alexander’s struggle with the dark god was leaving deep grooves in the roof and the Guardian was slowly being dragged towards the edge.

“It’s now or never mate!” he yelled, straining to keep the titan restrained.

“Protectors of Nature guide me,” chanted Scorpius, empowering himself.

Scorpius then summoned three massive jade coloured glyphs, all aligned in a row and aimed at Tezcatlipoca. Barry held Sam’s talisman in his right hand and clasped that same arm with his left hand, angling the talisman on his wrist so that it faced their opponent. Rain started to fall and the three warriors prepared themselves for what was to come.

“NOW!” said Alexander, releasing his chain. Barry fired a pure white beam of energy towards the Aztec deity and as it travelled through Scorpius’s glyphs it grew in size until the beam seemed to engulf the entire street. The dark god suddenly fired a dark blast of his own and for a moment their two opposing powers clashed between them, creating a large black and white sphere then a wave of some unseen force burst from within the orb. The shockwave sent everybody hurtling backwards and several windows from the nearby buildings shattered.

When Barry regained his balance, and was once again hovering lightly in the air, he saw that the dark god was gone and that a great crack now ran across the clock’s face.