The brightness had diminished, but not entirely disappeared. A faint white luminescence still enveloped the figure of The Bright One as they floated gently down to touch the ground.
The feeling of cold seemed to have subsided, but the atmosphere was still strained. There was a growing tension emanating from the remaining conscious soldiers, who waited with weapons in hand for the slightest sign of attack. Wednesday, Enid and the others also gradually stood up, not taking their eyes off the newly-appeared enemy for a second.
The silence was finally broken by The Bright One. The intruder had remained motionless and silent for a few moments before proceeding to stretch, like someone waking up after a long sleep or like an athlete doing a post-exercise warm-up. They rolled their neck, as if wanting to crackle their vertebrae before finally turning their attention back to Wednesday and the others after letting out a grunt of satisfaction.
"Phew! Sorry!" they said, with an almost jovial tone in their distorted voice, "The truth is that it's been quite a while since I've personally traveled to another universe, I must be a bit out of practice... But it was worth it! It's a pleasure to finally get to see you live! Especially you three, Wednesday, I hope we can…"
"Ahem."
A throat clearing interrupted the armored intruder. Larissa Weems stepped forward, until she stood in front of The Bright One, though at a reasonable distance.
"The entity of unknown origin known as The Bright One is an unauthorized presence in this reality. I, Larissa Weems, Director of the Nevermore Society and custodian of the Treaties of the Fae Nations, urge you to leave this universe and return to your reality of origin or nearest dimensional plane of convenience."
The Bright One stared at the director of Nevermore, dumbfounded. They began to clap their hands slowly, with a metallic clang, "Holy fuck... blessed brass balls. Does that bureaucratic bullshit ever work?"
"You'd be surprised how much," Weems said, with a sneer, "Now begone. That wasn't a request."
"And if I don't obey?"
"You'll have to face the consequences."
"Ooooh, consequences" The Bright One said. The joviality hadn't disappeared from their voice but now there was something else, something dangerous in their words, "It's been a long time since I've heard that phrase."
It was like a flicker, a blink, there would be no other way to describe it. But in an instant, The Bright One went from standing in front of Weems a dozen feet away to standing right next to the tall woman. And, to the horror of everyone present, with their arm through the Nevermore director's chest as if her torso was butter and their armor was a hot knife. There was no blood, only a smell of burning flesh from the instantly cauterized wound.
Larissa Weems didn't even get to feel the pain, just a disconcerting feeling of emptiness and a haze falling over her sight. The last thing she was aware of was The Bright One's voice whispering in one of her ears with insulting sweetness.
"I love the consequences."
The events rushed after that, everything became chaotic. There were no screams of rage or pain, but the anger could be felt as something almost tangible in the pulses of reddish energy that rocketed from Agent A's hands. The magic flew until it slammed into The Bright One's arms, lifting them high and immobilizing the armored figure as they crystallized into shackle-like constructs of solid light. At the same time, the soldiers proceeded to open fire on the murderer.
As the attack began, a still transformed Enid had instinctively positioned herself in front of Wednesday to shield her. The Addams thus had to watch what was happening by peeking out from behind an eight-foot-tall lycanthrope. She could see how the bullets barely had any effect on The Bright One. Those projectiles that came from the front or the sides disintegrated in the luminous aura before they could even make a direct hit. On the other hand, bullets that hit the back and rear of the body did land, but caused zero damage as they ricocheted off the murderer's armor.
They seem to follow a similar approach to the Shadow Hyde, The Addams thought, The attacks they perceive are neutralized by their aura, but those they don't see coming do hit them, but they compensate with their armor.
With a wave of their hands and a twist of their wrists The Bright One freed themselves from their shackles. These dispersed into wisps of crimson energy that proceeded to be absorbed by the white armor. At the same time, a call echoed above the din of gunfire.
"Tay, wait!" exclaimed Pup.
Taylor Galpin, the Hyde, her patience had been hanging by a thin thread for some time now. The fully transformed creature felt the urge to stop short at the sound of the voice of the one who had become her mistress, but she couldn't have stopped even if she wanted to. Not when she was in mid-air, leaping through the crossfire and ready to strike at The Bright One to skewer them with her claws.
Had her attack been one hundred percent by surprise she might have had some success, but the armor-clad figure saw her coming. Despite the size difference, The Bright One intercepted Taylor, pinning the Hyde's arms and holding her claws away in a clearly supernatural show of brute strength.
"Oh, what a beautiful vermin!" they exclaimed, "And what big eyes you have!"
As her only response Taylor let out a frustrated roar against the killer's face, splattering the visor of their helmet with spit. Had the face been visible, everyone would have been able to see a scowl on The Bright One's features.
"And very rude, like all vermin," they said in a low voice, raising Taylor above themselves before tossing her into the air like a ragdoll against one of the lines of soldiers, knocking them down. Immediately, they raised one of their hands and a cloud of darkness began to form around their clenched fist. Three... no, four globes of pure pitch blackness materialized in the air, growing in a matter of seconds.
"Let's let the vermin and the little soldiers play with other vermin, shall we?"
The globes of darkness burst into clouds of black smoke, giving way to the presence of four newly formed Shadow Hydes, roaring ghostly. One ran towards Taylor, two others towards the soldiers, and the fourth and final one intercepted Saint-Clair as she was about to pounce on The Bright One's back.
Enid made a feint to join the fray, but Wednesday grabbed one of her hands. The she-wolf turned to her, quizzical, concern clear on her lupine face.
"Weds, what...?"
"Watch," Wednesday said, "They're purposely leaving gaps. They want us to attack."
"They want you Wednesdays to attack," said Theo, "Probably to get you in range and capture you all in one move. Enid, the other beasties and Dora and I are of no interest to them. If we're going to confront them we should be the vanguard."
"They will have no hesitation in killing any of you," Enid observed, worried.
"It's a good thing we won't have any qualms about killing them either," Woe said, readying a bolt on her crossbow.
Wednesday remained silent, watching the fray. Manifesting the Shadow Hyde seemed to have taken a visible toll on the armored fiend. The Bright One's movements, dealing with the onslaught of the transformed Taylor, Saint-Clair and Agent A's energy blasts were still formidable, but somewhat slower.
And even with that, The Addams couldn't see a positive resolution to it. She closed her eyes for a moment, frustrated and almost wishing she had one of her visions, which had been conspicuously absent since they had started jumping between dimensions. Out of sheer pragmatism, it was becoming increasingly clear to her that there was only one way out.
The situation was not ideal. Not by a long shot. Leaving these people to their fate felt unworthy, but…
"We have to lure Galpin back here. The same with Saint-Clair. Enid, Dora, try to help them, cover them so we can regroup in one position and get out of here. Theo, use your lightning as a distraction. We can't win in this confrontation."
The two lycanthropes nodded, ready to do their part. Although Dora could not transform without the full moon, she had enough ability as a werewolf and as an Addams to assist Enid.
With Enid and Dora racing to confront the Shadow Hydes, Woe turned to Wednesday. She looked at her with an indecipherable expression, "Shall we retreat then?"
"As bitter as it is to admit, yes. And in case things go awry we should minimize the risks," Wednesday said, as she pulled off her dimension jump ring and offered it to Woe, "Always stay by Pup's side. The moment you put on the ring you will have instant knowledge of how to use it and you can return to your dimension or mine, given your previous presence there in the past. Regroup at my Mansion and rendezvous with Grandmama."
"And what about you?" asked Theo.
"I'll be next to Enid," Wednesday replied, unsheathing her saber, "And Enid still has her ring."
It was true. One thing they had noticed was that the thin metal ring never disappeared from the lycanthrope's finger even when fully transformed, apparently changing size to match the transformations of its wearer's body. Eudora Addams had clearly thought of even the smallest detail.
It was at that moment that another fighter entered the fray.
Yoko Tanaka was ashamed to have fallen unconscious by that insane explosion of light, as if she were a newborn vampire. Waking up to find the hangar turned into a battlefield, her wife in the middle of it, and their boss and mentor dead was as unpleasant as it was disconcerting.
At first she was overcome with a deep sadness. Larissa's heartbeat had been one of those constant and comfortable background noises in the last decades of her life. She had lost and missed too many friends' heartbeats over the years to be able to afford to lose another. So sadness gave way to a homicidal rage that led Tanaka to launch headlong against that monster in white armor that shone like a false sun.
The other combatants watched as a cloud of bloody shadows and bats swarmed around The Bright One, lifting them into the air like a doll and whirling around them with increasing intensity like a tornado of vampiric rage. Cuts and marks of varying depth began to appear on the armor, showing visible signs of damage for the first time.
All activity stopped for a moment. Even the Shadow Hydes seemed to be transfixed, observing the new twist in the situation.
And unthinkably, The Bright One began to laugh.
"Ha ha ha! Yoko! It's always nice to meet one of you!" they exclaimed.
The figure in armor raised their arms through the maelstrom of smoke, shadows and bats that constantly surrounded and filled them with slashes. They raised their arms and suddenly…
There was a pulse of pure magical power. An almost invisible wave of energy reverberated through the air, like a sonic boom and suddenly Yoko found herself materializing against her will, her vampiric face full of fury and bewilderment at the situation, with her head being held by The Bright One's gloved hands.
Yoko grabbed at the murderer's forearms. The claws on her hands were not as sharp and powerful as those of a lycanthrope, but they were not to be underestimated. And yet, it seemed that she now failed to inflict more damage on her opponent's armor.
"I see your attacks coming now, dear leech," said The Bright One, "Transforming into something incorporeal like that... Mmm, you're older than most of your other iterations. That's very interesting. Well, it would be under other circumstances."
"Going... to... kill you...," the vampire mumbled. Talking was difficult when two hands held your head and seemed to squeeze your skull with increasing force.
A dry laugh escaped from The Bright One, "Oh, Yoko..., my dear… No."
The armor began to glow. An intense, blinding light. Burning. Despite trying to restrain herself from giving her enemy the satisfaction, Yoko Tanaka couldn't help but scream.
The Bright One's voice echoed through the place, jovial and cruel, fused with rising laughter.
"Taste the sun!"
And they burst into a flare of white light. Only for a split second, that was all.
When the eyes of those present managed to be able to see clearly again, the first thing they perceived was The Bright One, still floating in the air and still holding Yoko Tanaka's body by the head. But the vampire had turned full gray: her skin, her hair, her clothes. Like a statue.
A statue of ash that began to dissolve into a cloud until finally the only remnants left of her were the smudges on her killer's hands.
She had died instantly, with no more pain to add to the one already experienced. That it was so quick in the end was the only bitter mercy she had been granted.
The Bright One rubbed their hands together, shaking off the remnants of ash in a monstrously casual gesture.
And this time, Agent A did scream.
NOTES
Well, I warned you. We're fucked. RIP Director Weems and Yoko 😟
I really have a hard time writing action or combat scenes with multiple contenders. Especially when they are so chaotic. I am not entirely satisfied with this chapter so I don't rule out future revisions, but for the moment the story must go on. This is already technically a first half of an initially much longer chapter that I decided to cut and split into two. I think I'll try to polish the next half better.
PD: If I've done my maths right, this chapter will take Kooky Spooky past Altogether Ooky in word count but not yet in number of chapters.
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