And the Stalking was Hung Ch. 03

With my sword and its silver runes in one hand and the silver stiletto in the other hand, maybe I'd be able to either keep it at bay or hurt it enough for it to want to Depart all on its' own. Maybe I'd even get lucky and hit something vital before it ripped out all of my own internal organs and turned me into a rather messy (and incomplete) jigsaw puzzle.

The last battle dance didn't start terribly auspiciously. The Stalker got in the first strike and damn near tore my own left arm off. My suits protective armor spells just barely held, but another strike on that side could be fatal. A swift sword strike of my own drew blood along its side, but was hardly mortal.

We circled each other in slight grudging respect for the others skills and each waited for the other to make the first and fatal strike. I was mentally exhausted and scared half out of my mind, but the Stalker was badly hurt, perhaps very badly. The twelve silver bullets inside it were slowly sapping its strength and weakening its connection with the Shadow Realm. It would be moving a little slower perhaps now, its wounds sapping its strength and blinding speed. If I could make one good telling blow, the contest might be decided.

The Stalker made its move first. They're smart bastards, not just cunning. They've made it to the top of their food chain by out thinking and out fighting everything else around them. In this instance, the Stalker completely out thought me. He (well it was raping Gloria's mangled body with something rather large and menacing) feigned a stumble to his left, then easily dodged my mistimed frantic sword swing and moved in close to gut me.

I hadn't a prayer… until the sun came out from behind the storm clouds at that moment for just a nanosecond, long enough for him to raise his good arm to protect his eyes instead of slicing through my gut, which left his chest open for a massive sword thrust. I plunged the sword forward so hard that we tumbled together against the brick chimney as my sword emerged out the Stalker's back and imbedded itself into the brickwork of the chimney.

Still entwined together I used my last strength to impale him through the throat with the silver stiletto with my other hand while his razor sharp claws ravaged my back. I hadn't the strength left to withdraw my weapons and suddenly the bloody snow at my feet seemed like the perfect place to take a very long rest.

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CHAPTER 4

At first I thought I was dead, but everything hurt just too much for that notion to be believable. I cracked open an eyelid expecting to see my death blow incoming, but instead everything seemed peaceful and quiet. I had run my silver runed sword so hard through the Stalker's upper chest that he was now solidly affixed to the side of the chimney and couldn't break himself free. The silver stiletto had also impaled the creature firmly into the brick as well. Major silver poisoning was now wrecking his system and his power was rapidly evaporating. The creature had visibly shrunk enough that its powerful legs could no longer reach the ground as it now hung trapped against the chimney.

I was nearly as helpless at its feet, but I was just out of reach of the pinned monster… and safe.

I should have completed the rite of Banishment at once, but I couldn't resist one final taunt of my defeated foe before his forcible return to his own home. In one of my vest pockets I keep a couple of very old medieval English silver pennies. I use these occasionally at a funeral for a friend or colleague, placing a silver penny in the dead person's mouth so that they will have the means to pay Charon, the Ferryman, in the unlikely event that their paths should cross in the afterlife. Ok, it's very unlikely, but one never knows and it never doesn't hurt to be prepared for everything.

Dodging one last feeble swipe at me, I pried the Stalker's huge fanged jaws open and chucked the coin deep into his mouth before uttering the Command of Banishment with a confidence and firmness that belied how little strength I actually had left. That he was extremely unhappy was a severe understatement, but he was very obliging and Departed anyway. Good. I didn't have anything like the energy to repeat it all over again. Besides, silver is expensive – almost as expensive as gold these days and really old good silver coins are really worth their weight in gold.

Properly Banished, it would probably be at least a hundred years before the bastard will be able to return and go hunting for me out of revenge. It was even more likely that after returning home severely weakened from being slain and Banished, that it would be very unlikely to remain for long at the top of their food chain. Failure is certainly not rewarded in any of the darker Planes of existence and the strong most very definitely prey upon the weaker.

The husk shells of the five Snow Hulks and the Stalker remained. The BMA would undoubtedly want to take a look at the scene and they probably weren't too far away, as the approaching sirens of a government Flyvr grew closer. You can't battle a Major Visitor and a truckload of lesser ones without setting off some sort of alarm somewhere. They'd be ready for battle, but probably they'll be happier just handling the after action cleanup and paperwork instead.

Speaking of cleanup, I decided to stagger upstairs one last time before the smart boys in the cute red dresses showed up to steal all of the glory, and handed Donald, who miraculously was still waiting in the car like a good boy, a few last minute souvenirs and a parting gift for the winning contestant, me.

And the Stalker was hung from the chimney with care… A Merry Christmas present to the BMA from the Zyphyr.

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