Semper Invictus Ch. 02 - Quartered

WARNING! WARNING! This story contains elements of Sci-Fi and Mature. If that bothers you to the point of distraction, please move on. You have been warned.

This story has actually been in the works for just over a year. After writing and rewriting many parts of it, I finally decided to set aside the minutiae and get it done. The title was inspired by the lyrics of "Ferrum Noricum" by Celtica -- Pipes Rock! Steve Iverson, the main character in this story, first appeared in "Wife and the Beast."

I would like to thank QuantumMechanic1957 and Kalimaxos for giving this a beta read, as well as those who have offered comments and constructive criticism on my previous stories.

For those who want to say this or that would never happen, remember this is my universe, a place where nearly anything can, and often does, happen. At least on paper...

And now, the disclaimers:

For those who want to say this or that would never happen, remember this is my universe, a place where nearly anything can, and often does, happen. At least on paper... In addition:

1. Characters in this story may participate in one or more of the following: Smoking, consumption of adult (meaning, alcoholic) beverages, utterance of profanities.
2. All sexual activity is between consenting adults 18 years of age or older.
3. Statements or views uttered by the fictional characters in this story do not necessarily reflect the views or opinions of the author.

Please refer to my profile for more on my personal policy regarding comments, feedback, follows, etc. (Yes, I DO moderate comments) And please remember, this is a work of fiction, not a docu-drama...

...

End of "Semper Invictus 01: Drawn"

"I remembered," she said quietly. "I remembered everything. The way you used to hold me. The way we made love to each other. I remembered how you held me even though I was old and wrinkled. I remembered telling you that you didn't have to, that I understood. But you said I am your wife, and you love me, no matter what. You held onto me, even as I took my last breath. You have no idea what that means to me."

She rolled over and looked at me, tears falling down her face.

"I missed you so much all those years you were gone. But I knew in my heart you were still alive. And you proved me right. And I promise I will stand at your side from now on. You are my husband. You always have been, and you always will be," she said. "For all time." She rolled on top of me, taking my cock in her hand. She stroked me with her hands until I got hard again.

"There was a day when we struck fear in our enemies," she said. "And together, we will do so again, my husband." She positioned herself above my hard cock and lowered herself on me. "Say it with me, Arte," she said, using the shortened version of my name the way Noei once did. "Declare it to the world!" I knew what she meant.

"SEMPER INVICTUS!" we declared together as we became one flesh.

...

And now, "Semper Invictus 02: Quartered"

Three months later:

The creatures considered each other as they stalked their prey. They had been told this convention was a target-rich environment, and their leaders had been right. There was plenty of available and willing female flesh on display here. They remained in the shadows, debating which female to occupy. There were other creatures like them here, but they were told to refrain from gathering in one place.

"They all look so... inviting," one creature said to the other.

"And tasty," the other replied. They laughed wickedly at that. Fortunately, the humans would not be able to hear them.

"There's one," the first creature said, looking at a curvy brunette in a short skirt. "And she's married."

"Even better," the second creature said. "That blonde over there looks to be a good choice as well."

"And she's married also. Seize the flesh," the first creature responded.

"I will," the second beast said before slithering alongside the unsuspecting blonde. "It's gonna be a hot time in town tonight."

"You know it," the first beast said before entering the married brunette.

...

The last three months had been very interesting ones. I had spent much of that time training Noei/Noemi on the equipment in the lab, and worked with her as much as possible in the gym. Her muscle memory was definitely there, although her muscle strength wasn't quite where it needed to be.

I knew that it was only a matter of time before she would be back in fighting shape, so that wasn't an issue. The issue at this juncture was reconciling the two personalities that seemed to occupy the same body.

On one hand was Noemi Schlager, a highly-educated 21^st century woman who loved watching Hallmark movies and tending to the plants she now had scattered about the large house. On the other was my wife, Noei -- a strong, Celtic woman from before what was now considered the "common era."

To give an example of the contrast between the two personalities, Noemi loved romantic movies and would often tear up while watching the men get on one knee to propose to their women. Noei, on the other hand, felt that no self-respecting man would ever get on his knees in supplication to a woman -- not even to beg her hand in marriage. To her, if a man wanted a woman, he simply needed to tell her. It was her decision to accept or not. This, of course, was largely due to the society where the two of us were raised.

Both personalities were a product of their upbringing and environment. I realized this early on, but never fully considered that both would exist in the same individual. At times, I found myself often wondering which personality I faced.

There was no doubt which personality came forward the day Derek Howe, her former boss, came to the house. We had just come out of the gym after a strenuous workout. She liked to wear her face paint when she trained, removing it afterward when she showered. We were on the ground floor of the house when we heard the doorbell ring.

Noei opened the door wearing her paint and her short robe with her hair pulled back and tied in a ponytail. Derek stood there, shocked, as he looked at her.

"Noemi, is that you?" he asked.

"What do you want?" she barked.

"We've been trying to get in touch with you for a while," he said. "Some questions have come up about the Silverman case. What is that on your face? What have you done with yourself?"

"I'm finding myself," she snapped. "Look, you ditched me, remember? Everything I had on the Silverman case is in my file. Now, leave. Before I get pissed off." Derek tried to push his way into the house.

"Noemi, if you're being abused, I need to know," he said. "What's going on here?"

"None of your damned business," she snarled. "Now GET OUT!" He recoiled from her and took note of the murderous look on her face and the fighting stance she had adopted. He finally backed out, holding up his hands.

"Alright, Noemi, I'm leaving," he finally said. "But if you need any help, you have my number."

"Oh, I have your number alright," she hissed. She slammed the door after he left.

"Are you okay?" I asked her.

"Yes, I'm fine," she said, wrapping her arms around me. "Now that you're with me." I held her for a few moments, but she broke out of my grasp. "If you'll excuse me, I really do have to take a shower."

"Of course," I said, watching her walk away with more than a little bit of concern.

Svan, my Errnocht counselor and benefactor, suggested I let her find her own compromise. He had always been right before, so I decided to accept his wisdom this time as well.

I was in the lab, going over my latest activity report to the Errnocht, when Noemi called out to me. She was watching something happen on the tracking monitor and wanted to alert me.

"Arte, there's something here I think you should see," she said, using the shortened version of my birth name. I walked to her and looked at the monitor. What I saw concerned me -- according to this, there were several creatures congregating at a downtown hotel.

"How many are you tracking?" I asked.

"It seems there are seven at the hotel," she said. "Have you ever seen this before?"

"No, I can't say that I have," I said. It was rare to see two creatures within a few miles of each other, but in all the years I had been tracking these things I had never seen so many concentrated at one place before. That's not exactly correct. There was one other time, but that was more than 70 years ago. "What's going on at that hotel, anyway?" She pulled up a website and we both read that a convention of real estate agents was taking place there.

"Are you going there?" she asked. I shook my head.

"No. There are too many of them, and that's far too public a venue," I said. "Any confrontation there would certainly attract local law enforcement, and that's the last thing we need. For now, tag those creatures and keep an eye out for them. I'll need to contact Svan." I went to the comm panel and made the connection.

"Steve, I was wondering when I would hear from you," he said when the connection was complete.

"Are you seeing this?" I asked.

"Yes," Svan said. "And for what it's worth, it's not just in your dimension. We're seeing this across the multiverse."

"Do you think this is coordinated?" I asked.

"It's difficult to say," he told us. "We have never known them to coordinate anything before, at least not to this extent. Until now, we've always believed they acted mostly on instinct. This is a whole new development. You're not planning to go after the whole bunch of them, are you?"

"No," I said. "Too many and too public. Too much of a chance that local LEOs will get involved. Right now, we're just tagging them. We'll keep an eye on their movements and see what they do."

"I think that's wise," Svan said. "We've heard from the others in your dimension, and they have reported the same activity. Like you, they've opted to monitor the situation for now."

"I'll keep you updated," I said.

"Yes, please do," Svan said before ending the connection.

"So, what do we do now?" Noemi asked.

"We watch... and wait," I told her.

...

Sharon Williams was feeling rather excited as she ground her body into the man dancing with her. This convention was a much-needed break from her rather dull, boring life at home. Married for five years to Ron, she had -- at least up until now -- been completely faithful and managed to brush off the many offers for illicit sex that had come her way.

But now, she felt her inhibitions slipping away. Watching the tall, handsome man eyeing her body as they danced, she had a wicked idea, and slipped her panties down her bare legs, making sure he got a good look at her trimmed bush and wet slit.

She handed the tiny undergarment to the man with a wicked smile and nearly came as he held them to his nose, inhaling her aroma. She had never done anything like this before, not even with her husband. But for some reason, she had an overwhelming, almost primal, urge to get naked and fuck. And she didn't care who she was with.

"What do you say we blow this joint and go upstairs?" she asked, her body overwhelmed with lust.

"But you're married," he said, holding her hand. Her smile widened.

"So what? You are too," she said, looking at his ring.

"So I am," he said, taking a glance at his ring. "What would your husband say?"

"Who cares? He's not here. You are. And I'm fucking horny as hell," she hissed.

"Well, then, let's go," he said, taking her hand. They left the dance floor and headed for the elevator that would take them upstairs. She began tearing at his clothes before they even got to the room. Once inside, they got naked and fell on the bed. All she wanted at that moment was cock.

After they finished, she ran a finger through her sopping wet pussy. She felt his cum running out of her and wondered if she would get pregnant. Oddly enough, she felt no guilt for what she had just done. For the first time since her wedding, a strange man's cock had filled her pussy with cum. She had even taken that cock into her mouth and swallowed his semen, something she hadn't even done with Ron.

"Wow," the man said. "That was fantastic. You must've really been horny."

"Yes, I was," she said. "By the way, you never told me your name."

"Jake," he said. "Jake Albertson. From New York."

"Well, Jake Albertson from New York, that was the best fuck I've had in a very long time," she said. "Think you have another one like that in you?"

"I think I can manage that," he said with a smile. As he pounded into her pussy yet again, she felt a strange warmth spread in her body. I could get used to this, she thought. And if Ron doesn't like it, that's just too bad.

...

"I've managed to identify the hosts for those creatures," Noemi said as I watched their movements on the monitor before me. She put seven pictures on the large monitors I had on the wall. All of them were very attractive women from around the country. I focused on a brunette who seemed to live closest to us -- Sharon Williams, a real estate agent who worked out of an office only 50 miles from our location.

"They're all married women," Noemi said. "Is that normal? Do they always go after women?"

"Not always," I said, glancing at the monitor on the wall where we had been monitoring the news from Ukraine.

"You think maybe Putin might be possessed by one of those things?" she asked.

"It's a possibility. It's happened before," I said.

"Oh? When?" she asked, shocked.

"During the Second World War," I said. "We got word that several of Hitler's closest lieutenants were occupied. We believed Hitler himself may have been occupied as well, but we were never able to get close enough to verify it." She looked at me, shocked.

"And you know this for a fact?" she asked. I nodded my head.

"Yes, but it's still classified by the Errnocht, so I can't get into it much beyond that," I said quietly before looking back at the seven pictures she had put up. "What can you tell me about this one?" I asked, pointing to Sharon. Noemi did a search and looked back up at me when she finished.

"Her name is Sharon Williams, but you already know that," Noemi said. "She has worked as a real estate agent for the last six years and has been married to Ronald Williams for five years. He is an investment banker and they currently have no children. Basically, they are your average married couple, at least for this time and place. Nothing about them seems to stand out. Are you planning to confront her first?"

"Possibly," I said. "She's the closest to us."

"I want to go with you when you do confront her," Noemi said.

"I do not think that would not be wise," I said.

"Why? You've been training me. I feel stronger than I have in a very long time. You and I have faced our enemies together before. And you know that I fear no man," she said.

"I know that. But these... things... aren't human. Simply put, you are not ready," I said.

"You know I can handle anything you can," she said. "I've proven that more than once," she added in a defensive tone.

"Come with me," I said, getting out of my seat.

"Where are we going?" she asked.

"To the gym," I said. Noemi followed as I walked to the gym. I went to a display case on the wall and opened it up. I looked at the collection of blades and found what I was looking for -- a razor-sharp Japanese katana blade. I pulled it out and handed it to her. She took it with a confused expression on her face. I pulled my shirt off and tossed it on the floor.

"Take my arm off, if you can," I said.

"What?" she asked.

"Do it. You know how to use that blade. Try to slice my arm off," I said. "I'll even stand perfectly still while you do. Come on. Do it!"

"But..."

"No buts! No hesitation! Swing the blade," I commanded. "And don't you dare hold back." Shaking her head, she took the sword and swung at my right arm. When it struck my arm, the blade quivered, then flew out of her hand and she fell backwards, landing on the floor. The sword clattered when it hit the floor of the gym, some 20 feet away. There was a red mark where the blade hit, but no other damage.

"For every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction," I said as I walked to her. I held out my hand and she took it. I pulled her up and she inspected my arm where the blade hit.

"Wh...What happened?" she asked. "That strike should've taken your arm off."

"And it would've if I hadn't been ready," I told her. "Let me explain. After I was recruited by the Errnocht, my body was changed. My skin was altered in such a way that it can sense and repel any attack against it. The more force that is applied, the stronger the reaction."

"But your skin doesn't feel that way to me," she said.

"No, because yours is the touch of a loving wife, not the assault of an enemy," I said. "Have you looked closely at the pictures I have captured of these beasts?"

"Not that closely," she said. "Why?" I walked to a computer monitor that sat on a desk by the wall. I pulled up a photo of a beast I had captured during a confrontation.

"Look at the tail," I said. "You see those spines on it?"

"Yes," she said.

"These creatures use those tails like a whip. Those spines are harder and sharper than that katana blade you just used," I said. "With that tail and those spines, these creatures can slice a man to ribbons in the blink of an eye. Unless, of course, that man is ready." Her face turned white as I spoke. "Like I said, you are not ready."

"Have you ever been hit by one of those things?" she asked.

"A few times," I said. "Knocked me on my ass and hurt like hell. The last time, I wore a jacket with Kevlar plates. Thing sliced through the Kevlar like a hot knife through butter. But never broke my skin."

"Oh my God," she said. "I'm so sorry, Arte. I had no idea. Can you forgive me for being so brash?"

"There's nothing to forgive," I told her with a smile. "You are a Celtic woman. Your blood is as hot and passionate today as it was 2,000 years ago. It's one of the reasons I fell in love with you. Never apologize for being who and what you are." She smiled back and her face turned red.

"But wouldn't this arm band protect me?" she asked. I shook my head.

"That only keeps the beast from entering your body. I have something similar in this ring," I said, holding up my right hand. "It doesn't prevent an assault, however."

"Couldn't something like that be given to everyone?" she asked.

"Not practical," I said. "There are some six billion people on this planet. Multiply that by the number of all the inhabited planets of all the dimensions in the multiverse. The Errnocht simply doesn't have the resources for something like that. They've also tried protecting large areas with a single unit, but that turned out to be disastrous."

"Oh? What happened?" she asked.

"Something went haywire. I'm not entirely certain what. At any rate, there's now one less version of Earth in the multiverse," I said.

"So how do you fight them?" she asked.

"The trick is to catch them by surprise, while they're still in their human host," I said. "As long as they occupy their host, they cannot bring their tail to bear. And a normal blade won't work on them."

"So what do you use?" she asked. I went to another table and picked up what looked like a long-handled screwdriver.

"This," I said. "The Errnocht call it a transector. Basically, it's an electronic sword. It's designed to kill the beast without permanently damaging the host. It works most of the time."

"Most of the time?" she asked. I pressed a button on the side of the handle and a "blade" appeared. Pressing another button, the "blade" appeared to erupt in flame.