- 40 -

If not for his own brilliance, Gamal would have worried about how perfectly everything was falling into place. Sure, he hadn't expected the meal boy to see the little mess he had made in his room, but that gave him one more game piece to play with. With the body dressed up like a succubus' victim he had all the justification he needed to give little Lilith a visit.

Of course, it was best not to waste time. That's why he set out for her room as soon as he left the morgue. Lilith was going to look so good locked in a cage in his room. Luckily he had already emptied one out in the cargo hold. He wouldn't even need to clean it out; let the succubus sleep in bird shit, it's not like it deserved better.

He couldn't wait. Once he had it behind lock and key, everyone would thank him for it. Cheer his name and shower him with coin. Well, except for Pandora, of course. She would come try to free it.

A smile twisted across his lips. Please God, let her try. That was exactly what he wanted to happen. Killing that bitch without getting caught would be difficult, maybe impossible. But if she was trying to unleash a caged youkai on the passengers... An unfortunate tragedy to be sure, but it had to be done. The two had shared a room, the succubus had plenty of time to make the poor woman her thrall. The excuse wrote itself.

Laughter quaked from the pit of his stomach.

All of his problems solved at once. Or at least, most of them. He would still need to find and kill the kotengu. That part would be easy enough; it could wait until after he had Lilith captured and Pandora dead.

For now, he needed to keep focus. He had been watching those two close enough to know their room was on B deck. He looked down the long featureless hallway. If memory served, the door to the main stairway was nearby. He carefully studied each plaque as he passed numerous identical white doors. It didn't take long to find the entrance he was searching for. Pulling the door open, his eyes fixed on a large black mass. A massive black eye turned to meet his. So much for focusing on Pandora and Lilith.

When you speak of the devil he appears.

Gamal stood stone still, not wanting to provoke an attack. When the fight started, it would be at his discretion. Before proceeding, he wanted to examine the beast. The bastard was big, but not full; it's body beginning to waste away beneath it's dull feathers. It's beak showed signs of layers cracking and peeling away.

Who knows how long it was deprived meals in transport. It could have been weeks. Even after he released it from it's cage, one hunter or another had interrupted it each time it attempted to feed. It was malnourished. Weak. Still a threat for the average hunter, but there was nothing average about him.

He took hold of the doorknob and swept the door back into place. The hinges creaked at the slow methodical movement. Once the opening was only a thin crack, he jerked the door to the side, ripping it from the frame. Splinters rained in on the kotengu, causing the beast to recoil. In the span of that single involuntary reaction, Gamal grasped his makeshift weapon tight and rushed forward.

There was a loud crack as the door shattered over the youkai's body. A pained caw followed so quickly behind that it beat out even the echo of the splintering wood reverberating through the stairwell. A vicious strike that only bought Gamal the creatures malice.

The kotengu rose from it's hunch, seemingly unfazed by the blow. It towered above him, starring down with venom in it's eyes. A dull pain exploded at Gamal's ribcage, then gravity shifted. A dozen stairs passed him by in an instant, but his body didn't touch a single one. Instead, it waited to make contact with the wall at the bottom of the stairwell, and then, once gravity returned to normal, the floor. His mind spun and he dragged himself to his feet. All he knew was that fucker had thrown him down the stairs.

It would pay.

He looked up just in time to see the creature gliding down at him. He tumbled to the side, a dull thud sounding from where he stood seconds before. Debris bounced off his back as a cloud of dust blew past, coating the fur on his arms. He turned to find the bird struggling to rip it's beak from the plaster. Behind it, a door labeled, plunge bath.

Gamal tensed his legs, then burst forward, ramming his shoulder into the immobilized bird. The blow freed the creature, then carried it forward through the door in a shower of splintered wood and lost feathers. They landed side by side, his shoulder bouncing off the hard tile. The jolt blurred his vision and, lacking sight, the burning odor of chlorine overwhelmed his senses. When his eyes refocused he was met with a large open space. Bare steel walls marked its perimeter, each one roughly six feet from the edge of the large pool of water at the room's center.

This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience.

But where was the youkai?

He caught sight of it in the form of a dark blur before it pinned him to the ground. A moist burning flowed across his shoulders as the youkai's talons dug in. His fingers tensed against the sudden pain. He fought against their attempts to coil into tight fists, instead pressing his hands flat against the ground for stability. Drawing in his legs, he channeled all the strength he had and kicked up into the birds midsection. The kotengu let out a gasping squawk as it rose into the air.

What's the matter, you bastard? Scared now that you're not flying under your own power?

The youkai flipped forward, arcing through the air until it's back smacked flat against the water. The splash echoed through the room and sent mist falling down on Gamal. He pushed himself to his feet and turned back to the youkai. Blood streamed down his arms and dripped from the tips of his fingers. He needed healing blood, but that was fine; the fight was over. The kotengu flailed and thrashed, struggling to stay above the surface. It would drown soon enough.

Gamal's attention drifted around the room, looking for something to wrap his wounds. Surely a pool would have a towel or two strewn about. He found a neat stack atop a nearby bench, only slightly damp from the youkai's involuntary cannonball. He used the cloth to dress his wounds, then turned back to the pool.

"You have more fight in you than I thought," he muttered.

The bird had managed to flail its way across the pool and reach the far edge. He thought it would sink like a stone and die, but here it was pulling itself up onto the tile. Of course, he couldn't let it crawl all the way out. He would smash it's head under his boot before it pulled itself up. He burst forward, but a puddle stole his footing from beneath him. He slipped, then stumbled.

I won't let that thing make a fool of me.

He caught his fall with his arms, then pushed himself forward, regaining his balance. He only spared a glance at the creature as he ran. It was almost out now. He pushed his legs harder; he needed to be there first, but the path around the edge of the pool was indirect. By the time he rounded the last corner it was too late. The youkai stood before him, shaking like a wet dog.

Gamal winced as the spray hit his eyes. By the time he wiped it away, the creature had taken flight. He rushed forward, but before he could even get close it had moved out over the water, hovering out of reach.

"Fuck!"

His chance to end things quickly had passed. Without a gun, he didn't have much chance of killing it while it flew above the pool. Maybe he could find something to throw, but turning his back would be an invitation for the creature to attack. Was that the best solution? Simply grit his teeth and bear the damage?

Each beat of the beasts massive wings sent the water below rippling and spraying. Gamal smiled. The splashes gave him an idea. I didn't graft a minotaur's arms for show. He reared his hand back, curling his fingers into a tight fist. There was an explosion of stolen muscle. In an instant, his fist struck the waters surface, scattering droplets into a wall of water.

The attack was a stroke of genius. The wave would knock the youkai back into the pool where, this time, it would drown. Even if he had to jump in and hold the bastards head below the water. Any second, he would hear the splashing start as the creature struggle to stay afloat.

Silence.

Where was it? The sound of that thing drowning should be echoing all around him, but there was nothing. The wall of water faded to mist and the pool came into clear view once again. It was empty. Gamal's eyes darted up, but it was too late. The beast's foot swept across the back of his head, flashing his vision white.

Sound distorted and rushed away. A deep breath set an excruciating fire in his chest. His eyes shot open and the world was crystal blue. His body burst to life, reacting to the realization that he had been knocked into the pool. Fresh air hit his lungs in desperate gasps once he breached the surface, but the youkai didn't plan to let him catch his breath.

Gamal managed to slip back below the water, narrowly avoiding a strike from the creatures beak. Each new attempt at air was met in kind with another piercing blow. If something didn't change Gamal was going to drown. He was in over his head. He couldn't fight in the water, and had no way to get out. And worse, he was running short on air. He rolled over, turning his attention to the pool floor. There was one thing left that could even the odds. If the water put him at a disadvantage, he just needed to be rid of it.

He swam to the bottom. There would be a drain somewhere, but even if there was a way to open it from below the water, he didn't have time to look. No, he would create his own. Gamal steadied his mind for the attempt. Resistance from the water would rob each of his strikes of most of their power, and he only had so much oxygen to work with. For any human, what he was planning was impossible. But that's why he had taken the arms of a monster.

The water turned white as he struck the floor. He could feel the power drained from his blow as it traveled, but he still waited for the turbulence to clear. When it did, the pool bottom was unharmed. He needed to try harder. He sent another punch into the ground and waited for the water to clear.

A crack had formed in the liner.

With his next strike he heard metal groan. It was close. Another strike and the unmistakable sound of suction. He could feel the gentle pull guiding his body down toward the crack he had formed. It allowed him to plant his feet and ready one more blow. His final punch was met with a loud crack and the rush of water. It pulled down on him, attempting to suck him through the gap he had formed.

He locked his legs and held strong, waiting for the contents of the pool to drain past. Once the water level dipped below his head, he took a much needed breath then immediately scanned the area. He had lost track of the youkai while submerged; it could be anywhere, waiting to strike.

His search came up empty. He waited until the water had drained fully, but still no attack came. He crept to the edge of the pool and peaked his head above the lip. The youkai was nowhere to be found. He pulled himself up onto the tile and scanned the room. There were clear signs of a fight: blood, feathers, crumbled walls, and shattered doors. Not to mention the empty pool. But no sign of the monster. It had fled.

He had failed to kill it.

But maybe he hadn't come up completely empty handed. He had the perfect scene to explain away a death. Apprehending little Lilith could wait for now, he needed to move a body.