Between Armageddon & a Hard Place Pt. 02

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Sam growled again for the second time today, and it wasn't of passion, which annoyed her even more. This letter wasn't funny, sure she was practically immortal but that damned wizard tricked her into what she was now. She didn't love sex like most women, yet the act itself was pleasurable, but needed it to survive. Sam ripped open the letter and started to read the flowing script. The letter was insane, or the author was on the cusp of insanity, but she knew who the author was before finishing. As she read the letter talking about his flight from hell with the aforementioned stone, and how proud he was of her survival through the millennia, he wanted to make it right between them, and after their meeting they would never need to see each other again. An address was left on the bottom of the letter, this was probably his hope she would arrive to the conclusion that he did his twisted mind, and that was she would forgive him, and not kill him on their next meeting if he promised her to set things right.

This was going to be dealt within her own time later, for now she was hungry, and the museum cafeteria food wasn't what she wanted she wanted to eat alone, or at least with friends she could talk to, and anywhere but here would be good. One of the few places she knew she would be left alone was Damien's. It was neutral ground for people like her, or people which knew of the other parts of life that mere mortals knew nothing of. She and Damien had fling for a while, but when he "died" it had to end, so they were friends in this lifetime.

Thankfully Damien's was close enough to walk to, which with some forward thinking on her part was set up a long time ago. She owned the property that Damien's resided in, so when Damien came into town looking for a place to crash, she was assured he was situated close to her so she could keep an eye on him, for although friends he liked her didn't cater to either side, but unlike her found himself in more trouble than he could handle sometimes.

Damien was different though, although he was not cursed like Sam to roam the Earth for all eternity, he was immortal in another sense. He was dead, he didn't breathe and didn't have a heartbeat, and didn't need to eat food, although he found if he wanted to be presentable to most of humanity, it was a good idea to keep those things in proper order. Damien died around 1240 in combat, but for some reason death never got around to take him. Sam guessed death's quota was filled that day, so Damien has been living in his body since then, his biggest complaint though about being dead was that he sometimes had to remind his body how some parts of him actually functioned.

He had a lanky build, but was unnaturally strong for his physical structure. His hair either a mix between an Auburn and red, depending on the season, was about mid back length, normally in a pony tail. He had a kind face, or at least as kind as one that someone who was dead could muster at times, he was never afraid to smile; it just didn't come often because of the type of people he catered to in the pub. His normal garb was a tux, or a very attractive silk suit either black, red, or a mix of both together. He was normally seen wearing glasses, and having a cane in hand somewhere along his body.

With the ability of the building Damien had become wealthy this lifetime, and didn't have any fear of flaunting it either. It was one of his vices, since his life was taken from him at a somewhat young age it was very hard for him not to show his wealth when he had any since it was rare for him to ever stay one place for long, and because he never knew the lap of luxury that most royalty did during his lifetime either.

Damien realized when he awoke from being what he would conceder being dead, was being buried way back then that he was still in his own body, and quite alive. He was a prince, and because of that he was to be given a proper burial, which for his family customs meant burying the body, in a coffin, and lets be realistic, he didn't want to be buried, at least since he realized then he was alive to whatever extent that was he couldn't tell cause it was dark in the coffin.

Damien forced the coffin door open and realized he interrupted the priest's eulogy, and from that point forward Damien liked to say he raided the coffers, for just as he arose and started to get out of the coffin his mother feinted, his father attempted to kill him after the priest claimed Damien's body was possessed by the devil, and had holy water thrown at him to no prevail, but that wasn't saying the priest didn't try, for the next instance as Damien finally got the water out of his face the priest and has father both were coming to assure Damien stayed dead this time, Damien's father with a sword, and the priest with a steak and hammer. Damien never did figure out where the priest did hide those things. Damien ran out of the church, grabbed the closest horse, rode to the castle, and got whatever equipment he could, and this was all while chaos trailed in his wake, for a dead prince is not supposed to be back among the living. Damien went to the castle's coffers, grabbed two medium sized bags of gold, went to the throne room and grabbed his father's crown went down to the castle's stables and grabbed his father's prized war steed and bolted out of the castle like a thief in the night. Well maybe not the night as Damien would say, but a bat out of hell would be more suited, for it took two weeks to loose his father and the hunting party.

Sam found Damien a while later not only scared, but not coping to immortality all that well, with a little bit of help from her, and some time, they had become good friends, and nearly inseparable allies. What attracted Sam to Damien were his eyes, and the lack of real body temperature. Damien's eyes after coming back to life looked like black star sapphires, they intrigued her, and have even till today, Damien had no clue why they are as they are, but as long as he can see out of them, he would like to keep them intact. It is another mystery that can't be explained.

Chapter 4: Damien's

Damien's is where the innocent that entered almost never stayed that way when they left. It is where a person's desires, or needs can and normally are met no matter what they are, and that includes the ones that don't even know what their deepest or darkest desires are. Through some unique magic the building was much larger than the outside, and the rooms in the upper hallways seemed to continue longer than what was physically possible, and through these rooms any person could find what their innermost desires required to be fulfilled. That is if Damien's could be found at all, for it was one of those buildings that unless you knew it was there, would never be seen. This was probably because of magic too, but Damien never acknowledged it or not.

As Sam reached the building she noticed an old pub sign with the words Damien's written across it, a beer flagon and a roasted pig's leg on a silver platter underneath it. On the archway frame in a language long forgotten, at least by mortal man was etched, "Those who pass this archway leave all grudges behind, for thou enters neutral ground, and three fold will ye receive in punishment for placing unwanted harm against another within." The outside of the building is made of sandstone, and has engravings of magical wards all through the building. It was a fortress for all intended purposes when Armageddon came, this place would be the magical equivalent of a bomb shelter on steroids.

Sam's hand reached for the door, and it opened on its own. This was a trick Damien liked playing on people it made the building seem more alive than it really was. Sam heard unusual sounds coming from within, and smells that normally didn't creep through the doorway till midnight. The place was packed, but it was only noon, and it usually didn't get packed till at least 8:00 at night. "What the hell is happening." Thought Sam as she slowly touched the door and opened it wider so she could enter.

As Sam entered the room slowly became quiet, and just as slowly all eyes went to her as her body entered the doorway. Although she was known there, this had never happened to her, even when she came in there for a stud to find for the night, this unnerved her. Damien pushed through the now nearly silent crowd ashen faced and pulled at her to his office.

Just as they entered Damien's office, Damien asked, "What the hell are you doing here, you know you are marked for extermination? Half the people here are bounty hunters, or worse, looking to fill their pockets with gold by taking you in, dead or alive...and by the sounds of it preferably dead. This was probably the worst time for you to come here, most of the bounty hunters aren't lightweights either, they scare even me, and you normally know the type we get here too."

Sam looked around the room, and many wards were glowing brightly. Damien's office was a lot like Sam's except he had a full knight in armor on top of a horse in the same style armor in the room. The knight with a crown on his head was holding a javelin and both knight and horse looked as if they were in mid joust. The armor of you looked behind that it had holes where arrows punctured the armor and killed its wearer. Sam smiled realizing how much alike they were, although he was technically royalty, and she was a commoner.

Just as Sam was planning to answer him, the door slammed open, Damien was thrown to the side, where she heard a crunch and a sickening impaling sound. As Sam was ready to go into a defensive posture lighting bolts struck from the defensive carvings around the room struck whatever was in the entrance way. "Sonuvabitch!" Yelled Damien, "You know how long it will take me to heal; I'm dead for God's sake!" Sam laughed, she knew whatever was at the doorway when the lighting struck was deader that Damien, and helped him down as she let her defenses down and helped Damien down from the javelin.

"That wasn't the welcome I was expecting my slut." Said the voice in the doorway as Damien's feet touched the ground. Sam froze and slowly turned around; she saw the old wizard at the entranceway grinning an evil and malicious smile.

"You dammed.... Said Sam as her clothes ripped from her body as she lost control of her rage and her wrath transformed her physical body into a she-demon which launched herself towards the wizard, not caring or thinking about if she lived or not.

Sam don't!" Was Damien's response to her quick reactions as he was let go by Sam.

Sam stopped in mid air, not by her own volition, "We...I mean I can't have our little friend hurt, now can we Damien?" The old wizard asked looking at Damien. Sam was hissing and struggling against her invisible bonds.

"Now, now...Sam is it what you go by now? All I wanted to do was to talk, and you attacked us...me." Sorry with the power the gem gives me, and whom it holds inside, I am not together as we...I should be. Eventually, you will have to stop us." Said the wizard flatly"

Sam looked at Meldrich and realized that time and hell have not treated him as well as most immortals or creatures of suspected immortality has fared. His once jeweled and rune scribed clothes were burned and tattered, his beard once white and pure were bare in some places and ragged it others, the white was still there, but it didn't shine as much as she remembered it. His hat was also gone, but his staff, the simple wooden one was replaced by a black staff with a blood red gem on the tip, and it ebbed and flowed with power circling it, and occasionally the head and arm of the wizard himself.

The once fat face of Meldrich was drawn, and haggard his breathing was ragged as well, his eyes on first glance were sunken in, then Sam did a double take, and realized his eyes were sympathetic, and almost pleading begging for help without saying a word, then in the next instant they became hardened as he walked to her. "Such a pretty specimen." Said Meldrich as he went over her shoulder to her back with his hand. Sam's tail was twitching with anger and annoyance, but it was barely visible to the wizard, her body started to react against her will though. "Ever wonder why your body is more responsive and out of control more than normal?" Asked Meldrich as his hand went between Sam's ass and gently caressed her pussy.

Sam against her will tensed up, and her nipples hardened. Meldrich took his hand away and gently placed his cum coated fingers under Sam's nose, Sam moaned involuntarily then quickly stopped as she realized what she was doing. "Meet me where I requested and then things will be explained there." Said Meldrich. He rose a hand, and Damien rose in the air and his wounded chest was healed from the inside out. "I will be at the meeting place in five hours, meet me there or your life will be more forfeit that it already is." Meldrich disappeared from the room and all was quiet for a minute.

"Well that answers almost nothing, what the hell is happening Sam?" Asked Damien.

"I don't know, but he wasn't himself that was obvious. Now I got to get going to open a museum wing and to this meeting, you know whom to call if I don't appear in a few hours after the meeting." Said Sam.

"But." Said Damien.

"No buts." Said Sam sternly as she walked out of the door grabbing a cloak and wrapped it around her body as she changed back to her form in this lifetime.

Damien shook his head then remembered in shock that Sam was waking into a viper's den below. As he placed his hand on the door, the floor shook, and the sound of thunder echoed through the halls as something down stairs was happening. Damien flew down the stairs to the balcony that overlooked the floor below. Damien made out in the middle of a circle of people Sam transformed back into the she-demon form, the cloak ripped in a few places, blood going down her right leg, and snarling as she stood hunched over several bodies under her feet. Damien noticed that there was smoke coming from the bodies, and the look of anger was still in their faces. His wards have done their jobs just as they were meant to.

Just as Damien was ready to say something in hoping to break the stalemate and regain peace in the room one person in the crowd screamed what sounded like a battle cry, and lurched forward. The rest of the circle through reaction did the same. Sam was lost to Damien's sight, but it looked like Thor the God of lightning decided to have a tempter tantrum in his pub. Lightning bots struck the mass of people swarming to Sam, and was thrown backwards as the lightning hit them from every direction.

When the smoke cleared Sam was clasped hand in hand with what only could be considered a giant, or at least a giant half-breed. Sam was on her knees as the giant's hands were clasped around her own, and Sam's hands were being crushed as the giant was grinning downwards in triumph.

The creature or half-giant was not as large as a normal giant but still had many of its traits, the size and girth being the most evident. Half-Giants more than giants normally don't show their face in civilization for their looks and abnormal size makes them prime targets for any person willing to get fame added to their name. That and that half-giant is normally shunned by humans and giants alike, seeing one in public is rare. This half-giant was the stereotypical looking dullard, but looking more closely some people may see that this one seemed to have the above normal intelligence that giants normally aren't graced with, which meant that in a human's level of intelligence this being had the intelligence of anywhere between a 7 to 10 year old. The clothes this half-giant was wearing was seared, it looked as if it were unfazed by the original lightning strike, and was willing to take more. The pants were the only thing recognizable, they were made of a heavy leather which looked like a mix between old elephant skin and dragon hide. The smell coming from this creature wasn't much better either, it was either the mix of charred flesh, or bad body odor, either way how Sam was dealing with the smell was well beyond what Damien even was willing to think about then.

The half-giant stretched out Sam's arms and heard her scream in panic and pain as the half-giant's mouth went to Sam's neck and bit down. A massive arch of electricity from the runes went through the giant and Sam simultaneously. Both the half-giant and Sam collapsed in a smoldering heap; the aroma of charred flesh fumigated the air as Damien ran down the stairs.

"Shit! Shit! Shit! Shit!" Was all that was heard as Damien ran down the stairs and stood in front of the two bodies, Damien lifted with great effort the half-giant off Sam's body. Sam was bleeding profusely, smoke pouring from her mouth and eyes, and wasn't breathing or had a noticeable pulse. Sam was for all intended purposes dead.

"So much for the wing opening." Said Damien smirking.

All the sudden a flash of light blinded the area, and a voice from the light bellowed, "What the hell happened!"

Just as Damien was going to answer Sam groaned, Damien shook Sam in complete shock that she was somehow alive. "Sam get up, hell get healing; I can't stop the bleeding!" Said Damien in a slight panic.

As Sam's eyes shot open, her hand closed fisted connected with Damien's jaw and dislocated it. Damien grabbed Sam's wrists and pinned them above her head, and held on for dear life as Sam was struggling under him. Damien looked at the figure that arrived and realized it was a wizard from the Magic Council, "Ne lus hap wi deic." Said Damien, trying to control Sam with all his might, and his jaw still attached by flesh only to his face.

The wizard raised his hand, and Damien realized Sam stopped struggling under him. When he looked at her, she was asleep. AS Damien got up he grabbed his jaw and with a sickening squelch and a pop Damien's jaw was put back into its socket. The wizard asked, "Now what did you say?" Damien glowered at the wizard and said, "I asked, could you help me. It is hard to talk with a dislocated jaw, and a person struggling underneath you, you know. By the way, what is happening here, why is there a bounty on her head? I don't really like cleaning up a mess like this, you know the mortals don't understand stuff like this, and it is such a pain in the ass getting rid of the bodies."

The wizard stepped over several bodies and looked at Sam, "The new dukes of hell put the bounty on her head, for she is the only one that could stop Armageddon, and they don't want that to happen." Damien noticed Sam was healing and transforming back to her old body again. This time clothes like the one she wore before coming to the pub were materializing around her body again. "So what happened again, I thought this place was neutral ground?" Said the council wizard. Damien said, "It is, if you haven't noticed yet the clientele weren't around from here, or is your vast knowledge only in magic, and not used for observation? Damned wizards have no street smarts sometimes." The wizard ignored the pot shot and stated with a frown as he looked around, "Well we will clear this up, but keep her safe." Damien was ready to say something but realized the wizard was already gone.

Sam awoke and jumped up staring at Damien. Damien just shook his head and told Sam, "Leave, and go open your wing, I'll explain everything later with what happened." Sam would argue, but Damien walked away sighing and slumping his shoulders as he looked at the mess he had to clean up. Sam shook her head, all she wanted to do was to get away from everything for a while but all she had ended up going to was from one mess to another, and no one was willing to give her a straight answer on what was happening. The fact was she knew less after leaving Damien's than she knew coming in, and it wasn't a feeling she liked having.