by Grimm and The Eurostar
A few short hours earlier:
Redrum stood over the very same cliffside that his master would later fall over. He was dumping buckets of a reddish-brown liquid over the edge, screaming, "Redrum! Redrum!" the whole time. He picked up the last of his buckets and waddled off to return home, his mission completed. His master would be so proud.
Just minutes earlier:
During the fall, Grimm had managed to twist in midair so that he was on top of the pureblood vamp, lucky for the fact that the two of them had landed on top of a large rock that sat just beneath the surface of the water, stunning the vamp as the two continued their battle under the waves.
Grimm felt for sure that this time he had the advantage and was ready to finish his opponent, when he noticed the murkiness of the surrounding water. The reddish-brown liquid and small bits of something floating around. Chum! Oh my God, these bastards have chummed the water! The realization came just moments too late, as Grimm felt steel strong hands close around his neck, attempting to crush his windpipe. He was dragged backward off of the pureblood, who promptly swam to shore. He managed to turn just enough so that he could see the school of sharks rapidly approaching.
Now:
The pureblood made his way onto the shore, holding his ribs, which had been cracked when he hit the rock, that large oaf landing on top of him. Well, no matter, Gnaw and the sharks would soon take care of him.
He looked up and saw Fenris still locked in combat with the Beast and made his way over to aid the monster in killing the wolf. Struggling against the elements, he never noticed the figure watching him from behind.
Soon, he was at the great Beast's side, when something flung up and struck him in the face. It was his own red cloak, blinding him, flung about by the wind. He felt hot, nasty breath blowing down on top of him, and his words to Edulcore earlier came back to haunt him: Little Red Riding Hood? Lost on your way to grandma's house? ... There are wolves about, and they are hungry...
The pureblood gazed up into the maw of Fenris and screamed. Edulcore Ciccioto, the Raptor, watched from his vantage point as a slight smile creased his face.
Edulcore Cicciotto:
The water pours on me like painfully sharp needles. The wind is so strong I can stay upright only leaning on Ladnikia, which doesn't like to be used this way and protests, making my head ache.
At the flashes of the frequent lightning strikes, I see the Beast fighting endlessly with Fenris. No trace of either Grimm or the pureblood bastard.
Then, a figure steps out of the waves. Luckily, my teammate is safe.
No. He's not Grimm, it's the vampire. Really indestructible, as Dirk was saying. He's going straight toward the fight, ready to give the Beast his best aid.
I must go. I raise Ladnikia above me, and begin to stride toward the wind to get to Fenris, when under the white light of a lasting lighting, I see the big wolf eating him up, downing everything at one gulp.
How did the Beast call me? Red Riding Hood? An ironic way to die.
Then, I hear the scream. It's a scream of death from the vampire, while he's crushed by the long fangs of the werewolf. And soon, the call is answered, and five other red-dressed big vampires appear out of the darkness and begin to attack the big wolf.
I must help. I am alone, Grimm has disappeared into the waters, and although I am not sure that he died, nor if he CAN die, surely his axe this time will not arrive at the right time. Nor, as I hoped, my teammates have been able to find and destroy the purebloods.
I think that all will end here and now, on the battlefield.
Wotan, father, these deaths are for you!
I look at Fenris, the giant wolf that I will fight in the days of Ragnarok, whom today the Norns want me to help. I stroke my chin; the gray beard that in the days of my youth was red, calculating the distance that separates me from the five ice giants threatening the wolf. I take into account the velocity of the wind and then throw my hammer. Mjollnir shoots away in the black nothingness, but when the next lightning strikes the scene, I see in horror that one of the five beings is holding the hammer with his hands.
Nobody should be able to do that; only me, Donner of the Aesir, should be able to lift the wondrous Mjollnir. Yet the reality now is different, worse than I would have ever imagined.
So I run toward the fight, where Fenris bites wildly at a hellish Beast, and the five ice giants are trying to protect the Beast.
I jump over the giant wolf, berserk and enraged, and fight blindly at the giants. The giants are impervious to my punches and kicks, and soon my blood flows from my nose and from the many wounds inflicted upon my whole body.
The laugh of the giants fills the stormy air. If only I could see clearly my opponents. If only this storm could be stopped.
In a last burst of power, I leap at the giant holding my hammer. My grip closes around his neck. Promptly he kicks me away, but when I roll away over the ice plain, I have Mjollnir firmly in my hand.
I hit the hammer over the ground one, two, three times. I, Donner, command the storm to dissolve.
The clouds slow down, the rain stops, and soon the rays of the sun radiate over the battlefield. The giant seems caught by surprise, and they run away toward the caves' entrance at the base of the cliff.
I look at my hand. In my grip is Ladnikia. I feel her sardonic laugh resonating in my head. What... what happened?
I look at the sky. The last sun ray is swallowed by the reforming mantle of clouds, the wind takes speed, and the rain is back to pouring hard. The calm lasted for only a few minutes. But it was sufficient to made the vampires retreat.
I turn toward the Beast and Fenris locked in battle. Behind them, the ocean that has swallowed Grimm. But on the other side of the beach, there is the network of caves full of innocents. And the five uber-vampires are heading there.
I follow them.
The cavern was lit dimly. There were a lot of people there seeking refuge from the hurricane. The situation should have led to a lot of arguing, crying, and diffused unease, but luckily the earthbound angel, Tayden, was outdoing himself sending peaceful, calming thoughts to everybody.
There were a few wounded people. One, called Otto, was assisted by his niece Shirley, by her boyfriend Mick Harrison, and by Dr. Henry Quantos. Another wounded one was Danny Hearn, who seemed to be a little better and was talking quietly with his colleagues, Dirk Bell and Kristofer Schanz.
A few feet away, a beautiful girl in armor spoke with a big black man with a big weapon and with a man who sported strange, three-fingered hands.
This was the scene Edulcore Cicciotto, the Raptor, saw when he entered, returning to the cavern. And he didn't like it.
"Danny, Mick! Come here NOW!" he shouted, his right hand grabbing with rage the hilt of his sword.
"Euro, what's up?" asked Mick, while Danny silently joined the others, followed closely by Dirk Bell, who looked suspiciously at the newly arrived, sword-carrying hero.
"I asked you to find the six pureblood vampires," Cicciotto said in his usual Italian-accented English. "It seems you are too occupied to talk."
"Hey, look, what makes you think you can go around shouting orders at us, dickwad? Who do you think YOU ARE?" yelled Dirk Bell, pushing aside Danny with a showy gesture.
Cicciotto stepped right in front of the marksman. "First, I am the one that used to lead these men, and that brought the Revolutionaries to take down the whole of TriVext. Second, I didn't give any order. I asked nicely and suggest a way to stop the vampires. Instead, Grimm has disappeared in the ocean to fight one, while the other five were threatening Fenris."
"Wulf? What...?"
"I managed to have them back in the network of caves, but they will be back out there in mere minutes, if we don't stop them before."
Dirk was about to respond, but Danny silenced him with a meaningful glance. "Maybe it's best to follow his plan, Dirk. What was your idea, Ed?"
"Call the mentalist. He's the one that can sense the vampires."
"The mentalist? Phil? Where is he?"
In the meantime, the other members of MBL Consulting had gathered around Danny and the other three. They looked around, but there was no trace of the metahuman.
"I'm sure he was here not many minutes ago," whispered Mick. "He was with that girl with the big..." He stopped suddenly, seeing that Shirley was glaring at him. "...um... hair."
"Great," the Raptor said sarcastically. "Our best way to find those monsters is gone with his girlfriend. Fantastic. And you call yourself a professional team? There was much more professionalism back in the circus. No wonder Lance, Tobias, and Velo have chosen to leave!" shouted Edulcore while looking around at all of them.
Then he left the little group, heading straight toward the corner, where some of the wounded people were being assisted. Next to the winged bear, a girl with long auburn hair was softly speaking to him.
"Daniela. The MBL needs you," the eagle-like hero said emotionlessly.
"How can I help?"
"I need you to locate five powerful vampires that are hiding in these caverns. I know you can do it."
The eyes of the girl widened. "No. No, you can't ask me to do that. You don't know what a nightmare is in the mind of those beings. You can't ask me, after all that I have endured..."
"You are the only one who can do it. I am not asking you. I am ordering you."
Quickly, an expression of hate and anger passed over the pretty-looking face of the young girl. Then her look softened. "All right. I will do it."
"Good girl. Follow me." The warrior called the Raptor escorted the girl to the other heroes, and he addressed them, saying, "MBL, the hunt begins."