Chapter 6

Convergence

                For Charlie Belmond, life on the road has become the only life that he can remember, isolated, a lonely traveler, nameless and faceless to most those he meets. Having come face to face with others in ‘the life’ was an uplifting event. Maybe, somewhere this is a better life out then then stalking the night, passing holy judgment on monster, stealing to eat.

                Gas in his tank, fresh rations in his saddlebags, and a shower latter Charlie saddles up and is back on the highway. The man-eating bird still in his iron-sight. Souleater guiding his travel, quickly Belmond finds the freshest mess left for him on the side of the street.

                A truck half submerged in loose sand, old and gray with a rhino cage retrofitted to the frontend. Much of a corpse sprawled across the hood, the ribcage pulled outwards to exposed the soft innards. Dessert scavengers having only found the body as Belmond has. Charlie is getting closer, he can’t be much more than a few hours behind his pray now.

                The corpse is gripping a navy pistol, there is a box of shell casings on the ground around the body. Charlie examines one of the bullets finding incantation markers on the round. He knows at once what that means. These are Hex Rounds, this wasn’t a planned encounter like the last, this man was a hunter and he had been fallowing Charlie, chasing the same pray.

                There is a book in the front pocket of the hunter. The hunter’s journal, the record of everything he has hunted, notes on everything he learned about monster, the way they behave around each other, around humans. When a hunter dies they can only hope one of their brothers finds their book and fills in the last pages for them.

the Standard operating procedure upon finding a dead hunter is something every hunter knows, you find one of your own dead, you take as much of their gear as you can carry then burn the body. After all there is no telling what evil they have encountered and whether or not it is contagious. Furthermore, take the hunter’s knife (or whatever melee weapon they have on them) and use it to chop of the head of the next monster you meet. Hunters tend to be vindictive that way.

Charlie starts prepping the body of the dead hunter for its ‘final rights’ it cost him an hour but it is the right thing to do. Charlie sort through the tools the hunter had in his truck, mostly knives, an axe, a pick, a long rifle and a few boxes of ammo, a keg of black powder and four pints of lighter fluid, finally a pound of blessed salt.  The hunter has no ID, they seldom do these day. Most hunters never plan on going home.

Once everything is in place Charlie stokes the body with lighter fluid and produces form his bag a book or rituals from the Church of Dike. As he starts the prayer to send the hunter into the next world. Souleater springs to life shouting at Charlie to move.

 Charlie has learned to trust Souleater, the magic whip protects Charlie, it has learned from generations of failure. Every one of the Souleaters  houses the memories of all of its dead owners. Part of the Souleater’s curse is that once you have wielded the whip one gains extraordinary power, but in return one denounces the right to true death and the creatures of the night will hunt souleater till the end of time. To brake the chain and free those trapped within the cursed whip Souleater’s owner must find the one whom crafted Souleater and slay them.

Charlie dives to the right hiding behind the wracked truck. A blue electric flame spits form the ground where Charlie had been then the echo of a gunshot becomes addible. The psionic guns owned by David Jazzman have that effect. The shots are comprised of Psychokinetic energy, they don’t kill, but they do cripple.

Jazzman stands on the other side of the truck calling over “Jesus Christ, You are real.  Honestly I was starting to think that you where some form of phantom, a beast or memory from a past life encroaching on the local presentation of timespace.” Jazzman hold a pistol in one hand sparking with lighting, his demon sword in the other. “I went out looking for you, you know.”

“David?” Charlie yells

“Charlie.” Jazzman replies

“what are you doing?” Charlie ask

“I was considering kicking your ass.” Jazzman starts to walk around one side of the truck moving towards Charlie.

“would hardly be a fair fight. I’m not all juiced up on soul sauce right now.” Charlie crouches and crawls off to the opposing side to stay ahead of Jazzmen.

“the way von Richton tells it, you have the stranght of ten or more men. That would make you about as strong as a demon prince even without your warlock power.” Jazzmen jumps around the truce to ambush Charlie but fails to spot him.

“I don’t know any von Richton’s?” Charlie explains.

“Charlie.” Jazzman looks about “there are bounty hunters looking for you. They are going to kill you and take Souleater for themselves. But maybe I can protect you, if you are willing to put on a little show for them.”

Charlie crawls out of hiding and jumps to his feet, he pulls his hunting knife from his shoulder strap and spine around the corner to meet Jazzmen face to face. Jazzmen turns to face Charlie and meets him with a wing block, the two of them get their arms tied together and Jazzman forces Charlie to one side sliming both of them against the side of the truck. Charlie smiles “Im willing to hear you out on this.”

***

Battered and broken, Joe Dove is returned to the Watcher’s Estate, he is found lying, bleeding, on the doorsteps by Amarant Springfield. The halfling elf-boy whisk Joe into the bunkers beneath the manner then to the infirmary. It is hours before Joe becomes responsive. When atlast he is awake von Richton is sitting at his bedside, Springfield is sitting at a nearby computer watching Joe as well.

Joe is filled with anger as he hisses and snarls at his pain. Joe needs only a moment to peace together what happened, Joe yells over to Springfield “status report.”

Springfield looks up from his desk “tissue damage around kidney and stomach, creaked cartilage along sternum, left leg needed to be reset. Good news is that is the same lag you broke last time so recovery should be easy seeing that you already had rebuilt that side of your body once.”

“Joe.” Von Richton’s voice is soft and maternal “I can’t keep letting you do this. I need you to relinquish your post.”

“Like hell.” Joe looks over to Springfield “Get me vertical. I need to be back in the fight ASAHP.”

Von Richton places a hand on joe to hold him still as he tries to stand up “You are going to die if you try getting up now.”

Joe grins in frustration “then I die fighting.”

Von Richton’s voice goes cold “you are no use to me in this shape. Springfield! Tie Joe up if you have to. He stays here till he is healthy enough to travel.”

Joe finds himself at the crossroad of historical pain and desperate lament “you can’t sideline me. This is my fight! I kill the devil! That is how this all ends!”

“Joe!” von Richton orders his silence “we lost El Driver and Lances Jacob in an attack on the compound last night. We have nothing anymore. Nothing but the hope that Blake and his team bring back the artifacts you requested and you can pull of a ‘nuclear’ spell to frighten Cravixs away.”

Joe grins “Frightening was never the plan. If we can’t win, I will take a stalemate over a loss.”

Springfield looks shocked as he overhears the conversation “mutual assured destruction?”

Joe nods “harvest enough divinity to blow up the planet in the monster’s mouth.”

Springfield seems frightened “that does nothing to protect us!”

 “true. But that’s not for our benefit. We sacrifice our lives to deal a deadly blow and save the rest of the cosmos from evil.” Joe lays back his strength running out. That was the plan from the word go. Just because you can’t win doesn’t mean you have to lose. The gravity of that revelation drives Springfield to shocked silence. Joe and von Richton sit in somber reflection, for them this option was always well known as ‘The Final Attack’. Send everyone to hell to save them from damnation.

Von Richton’s phone rings breaking the silence. Von Richton picks up “Tell me you have good news for me Mr. Blake” gunfire echoes behind Blake as if he had been calling from trench back in world war one.

“Not so much!” Blake shouts.

***

                David Jazzman’s plan is madness. Pit Hunters and Watches in direct conflict with each other. Blake and Marin are two of the biggest guns the von Richton’s have. If they can be taken of the pitcher it will give the two of them a good deal of breathing room. Jazzman send Belmond back to Brook’s bar, has him hire five Hunters dumb enough to pick a fight with a Juon. That part is surprisingly easy, when Lances Jacob described monster Hunters and God’s madmen he was more right then he knew.

                Step two is to lead the Hunters to the Watchers, make sure Marin gets a good look at Charlie. The lot of them are going to fight. As the group is distracted fighting with the Hunters, David is going to disable their mobile battle station. Once that’s done David will attack Charlie, Belmond will retreat, David will lay chase. With some luck Milli will work out what is going on and fallow as well. In a perfect world no one would get hurt, the Watchers and Hunters flaunt around for a time then everyone slips into the shadows, the hunters know Jazzmen is one of them and the Watchers believe he is still one their side. But when you have 2 groups of trained killers squaring off there is a good chance of things going sideways

                The Hunters that take up the Job are Donavan ‘Twilight’ Knightly, the name called Neko, Brook Milady herself, a retiered cop named Emmit Sunderland, and a girl that looks like a Chinese punk rocker calling herself Kasaragi. The hunters gather and plan their attack. Donavan buddies up with Neko in Donavan’s 1979 Mustang, Kasaragi in Sunderland’s 1988 Ford Ranger, Brook flies solo in a 98 Dodge Neon, Belmond rides into battle on his Davison.

                To those that have tape players Donavan hands out bootlegged copies of ‘The Oz Man Cometh’ and has everyone que up the song ‘War Pigs’ by ‘Black Sabbath, with instruction to start playing as the charge starts. Just a touch of psychological warfare from the man that was a school teacher.

***

                With Milli and David MIA Charlit, Marin and Blake pile into the RV they rented for the job. Blake is back to his compulsive writing. Charlit sits in the passenger seat shuffling through ever comically growing mountain of note, photo’s, hypothesis, maps, and greegree’s they have picked up will driving. Marin drives.

                Blake picks up his phone as they are on the road, he tries placing  a call to David. The call goes to voicemail on the first ring. Blake calls up to the others “David has gone silent.”

                Marin grunts, “never put your trust in a Nephilim. Try Malagaurd.”

                Blake places the call. This time he gets a reply. “Special agent Malagaurd.” Milli says as she picks up.”

                Blake calls over “Got her.” He speaks into the phone “Milli what is your position?”

                “Vertical.” Milli’s joke is dry but honest.

                “Do you have David?”

                “his movements are erratic. I lost sight of him outside Las Cruces. Attempting to reestablish contact.” Milli explain.

                Blake nods “O.k. I will forward the info to von Richton.” Blake thinks aloud “Las Cruces? Have I been there before? Name sounds…”

                Milli cuts in “Copy. Singing off.”

                Even on this most remote of dessert roads a truck speeds around the RV. Charlit’s antenna spark as she feels somthig nearby. Charlit quckly turns to Marin “Get down!” she has barly finished the statement before bullets start flying in throw she passenger side door. Charlit takes a shot to the arm and falls out of her chair.

                A voices comes over Blake’s phone “Tell me you have good news for me Mr. Blake”

                Automatic fire starts pounding against the back of the Winnebago “Not so much.” Blake lays on the floor of the wagon to get under the fire.

                Marin lowers herself in her set slightly “Charlit, report.”

                Charlit fights the hysteria of pain to reply “well I have been shot.”

                Marin calls over to Blake “Fealed dress Charlit’s wounds.”                                                                             

                Von Richton shouts to Blake “Delay that order. Blake open the door to the van and turn on the camera on your phone. I will start offering tactical advice.”

                Blake points at his phone as if it was a person and angrily calls out “you understand we are being shot at, right?”

                Von Richton is calm and commanding “Blake you are a Juon, bullets can’t kill you. We in fact have yet to discover a dependable way to till your kind.”

                “It has to be really nice to be able to say that will sitting in an arm chair.” Blake jokes as he moves to the door to fallow orders.

                Von Richton explains “I am in fact not in my chair, I am in the infirmary”

                 The side door drops open to reveal a high power muscle car alongside them, the driver pointing a police issue berretta out the window. Blake suffers two shots from the gun and is only momentarily pushed back. The driver shouts out to the man alongside him “found the Juon, you’re up Neko!”

                Von Richton speaks as Blake records the events on his phone “I am beginning to send files to your phone as we speak. The hefty man in the car alongside you with the ‘Dry Duck’ coat is Professor Donavan Knightly, graduated class of 92 from W.S.U., has a doctorate in sociology and a bachelors in philosophy and theology. He was being investigated for sexual misconduct in 99. Case was dropped when the prosecutor transformed into a tarantula and eat the head of her client. Donavan vanished from the grid after that.”

                “The man with the Terminator glasses and hooded sweeter in the passenger seat is an assassin for the Seranui family. His code name is Neko. He claims responsibility for 3 high profile hits. Details are unclear”

                The muscle car pushes up against the side of the RV. A chopper style bike swerves around the clashing vehicles. Von Richton shouts into the Phone. “That is Charlie Belmond!” the machinegun fire picks up again, Blake’s phone is knocked out of his hand by a shot grazing his wrist.

                Blake grips the sides of the RV to hold his balances “is that a Chicago Typewriter?”

                Marin checks her mirrors right before the get shot out “Thompson SMG? 725 RPM, 270mm barrel, 5 kg. No, that is a TA51-00-D, the 51 is twice the weight, didn’t go into production till years later, easy mistake to make though. I have one of each. Firearms are a passion of mine. Looks like the one our friend behind us has is a reperduction modal…”

                The rear hatch of the truck head of them drops open Marin looks shocked “And that is a Panzerbuchse-39.” A oriental girl arms the weapon.

                 Blake looks over to see what Marin is pointing out “Well armed for being non-government- affiliated.”

                A shot hits the RV, the engine block shatters and the van cost to a stop. The girl with the anti-tank gun pulls back the bolt to ready another shot. In a token display of affection Marin jumps from her set to lay across Charlit covering her as from the heavy artillery round.

                When Blake looks back to Donavan’s car Neko has climbed onto the roof, Neko leaps into the RV punching daggers in hand, Neko tackles Blake driving the spire like daggers he wields into Blake’s chest. Blake rolls around on the ground with Neko. Blake feels the should be fettle blow but keeps fighting, sand spilling from the puncture.

                Neko leaves his first two knives in Blake’s chest as he pulls out another set from his belt. One knife finds Blakes elbow crippling his arm, the other is aimed to slide into Blakes ear but Blake leans off to the side catching to the side of the neck instead. That strike draws blood, real blood, the magic that heals Blake seems to need time to repair damage to the neck.  Neko surmises that this should mean a blow to the head with sufficant force should slay the monster.

                Neko straddles Blake drawing a hatchet from inside his pullover. Blake gathers his supernatural power and thrust his good arm up launching an invisible blast of energy into Neko, Neko topples backwards out of the RV.

                Blake lays still a moment to catch his breath and let himself start to recover. Marin will have no of that, Marin jumps to her feet proclaiming “We need to press our advantage.” Marin slides over to her backpack, she pulls out a set of guns, one a pistal that has been modified to fire shotgun slugs the other a traditional .50 magnum. “on your feet Blake. I will not let you die a coward.” She looks to her partner as she loads her guns. “should I die before you, fill my eyes with silver so I need not enter the next life naked.”

                The hunters wrap round the RV like a native tribe herding the beast of their hunger. The door to the wagon opens one last time as the standoff begins. Marin steps down clinching her two guns, Brook stops her car and steps out, SMG in hand, Donavan and Neko hide behind their car armed with pistol and knife, Sunderland pulls over his truck, Kasaragi jumps out the back holding the anti-tank gun. Belmond stops his bike and takes off his sunglasses to let himself be seen by Marin.

                The situation is impossible. Not even with her superhuman reflexes can Marin hope to score six kill shots before one of them can counterattack. Marin may be a monster but Faykin are no harder to kill them humans, one bullet from any one of their guns will be enough to take her out. But Marin is still a warrior. She will die a death worth remembering.   Marin takes one last breath as she slides back a foot to stabilize herself, she pivots sideways to lock her gaze of the Belmond. ‘Belmond son of Belmond will be in hell before me.’

                Like a cursed angel David Jazzman burst out of the darkness, sliding between two cars pushing the hunters aside as he slides between Marin and the other hunters protecting her. Marin offers Jazzman a questioning glance. Jazzman remains cold, the man called Devil pulls out one of his guns and turns to the other hunters. A volley of fire forces the hunters to scatter.

                Shockingly easily David Jazzman creates confusion and chaos as he whips his Jet Bike around then charges into the attacking group of hunters. Blake has just recovered from the last blow he suffered and found his feet by the time the hunters have begun their retreat.

                Belmond is the last to brake formation, he mounts his bike places his glasses back on as he takes off to the north. Jazzman opens the throttle on his bike chase after the legendary hunter. Blake looks to Marin as they suddenly find themselves in relative silences. “Jazzman helped us?”

                Marin looks unsure. “we were out maneuvered, outnumbered and out gunned. The hunters held their fire waiting for Jazzman. Blake, give me your phone.” Marin orders. Blake feels around his pockets then looks back up the road remember having been shot across the arm.

***

                It is a long ride back to Las Cruces, to ‘Devil’s Antiques’ but Charlie remembers the way. The two pull over their Bikes, Charlie runs up to Jazzman and hugs him with a hoot and a haler. Jazzman seems far less impressed by their little show.

                David produces form his coat a cream colored folder, “this is von Richton’s flight path. I don’t know what she is doing, but I get the feeling we aren’t going to like it if she finishes whatever necromancy she has planned.” Jazzman unlocks his shop then freezes sniffing the air “do you smell something?” Jazzman pulls out one of his pistols readying it. “Milli wasn’t with Marin and Blake…” David whispers to himself.

                Charlie pulls out his whip lowering it to one side as he fallows David inside. The door is cracked open, David steps in, he looks left scanning his shop, then starts to turn to the right. Then, Thwack! David is struck form the side. the man called Devil falls to the ground in a heap, all his superhuman power compromised by a slap to the head.

Charlie rushes forward to assist David, Belmond finds himself face to face with “RONA” Milli Malagaurd’s alien rifle. Charlie freezes in place as Milli addresses him “Take one more step Charlie and we are going to see what happens when the human body is exposed to ten billion megajoules per second of ionized radiation.”

Charlie puts his hands up in surrender “I’m not a hundered percent on this but I think if yoou fire that thing it will atomize me.”