“Here?”  Dan asked looking at the abandoned shack in the middle of the woods.

“Yes I am sure.” Bastet responded with a nod. “I would know her smell anywhere.”  And Dan decided not to comment on how off putting that statement was.

“Isn't this a little to, I don't know cliche? ”  he said, it really was after all just an old cabin in the woods not far out of town.  Exactly the place you would expect a movie to have the crazy hang out.

“What do you mean?”  Bastet looked over at Dan and asked with a curious look in her eyes.

“Nothing, we don't have time for this really do we? Let's go.” Bastet nodded and lead the way down to the shack.  The three of them took up their position at either sides of the door, Dan removed the Khopesh from the ring that it hung in on his back, and stood ready.

They had no idea what they were going to see once that door opened but now was not the time to think about it.  With a mighty kick the old wooden door splintered open, leading into a single room building.

Inside was something he had expected to see, and prepared himself for, but once he had actually seen it he could not help but let his blood boil.  Sara was there, bound and shoved in the corner, there was blood where she had struggled against the coarse rope bonds, but with that seemed to be the only physical damage done to her.

There was a man standing in the middle of a pentagram of blood, where he had gotten the blood was a mystery to Dan, and one that he didn't want to solve right now.  The man had his back turned to them, with a hood up on his hoodie.

“You are saving me a lot of trouble coming here.”  he said, his voice had a strange sound to it, almost like it was two voices overlapped.  He reached up and dramatically pulled the hood down and turned around.  

He looked like a demon, twisted, sick, but still familiar.

He opened his mouth to speak more, but Dan lunged forward, lashing out with his foot, planting the heel of it in the man’s stomach. He tumbled backwards, smearing the blood on the floor and ruining the pentagram.

“That was not very nice, is this anyway to treat your teacher Dan?”  he said standing up and brushing himself off with a grin.

“That, Mr.Richardson was for Tessia, she thought you loved her, she was so happy, and then you just discarded her like so much trash.”  Dan said, he stood up he held the Khopesh aloft, pointing the recurved end at Mr.Richardson.  “And that was just the first, there will be many more before we even get to your transgressions committed here.”

“Hahahahahahahahaha!” Richardson laughed, “Good, good, I was worried you wouldn't struggle that would be no fun, I want to see you squirm and writhe in agony, but I must ask, how do you expect to go against a god?”

“You know what the funny thing is? I am married to a god, I also have stood against one before, the funny thing about them is they really are no different than people.”  Dan looked him over, the pale skin, the horn, the tattoos, and the glowing eyes, he was the very definition of ugly.

“Oh?” he smiled, and with a wave of his hand the pentagram sprung to life, the blood floated up into the air creating a red mist. “Let’s see how long you last.”  he smiled, Bastet looked between the demonic person in front of her and Sara, who was watching on with a look of horror and shock.

“Go,” Dan said, giving her the nodd, he knew what she was thinking, and he had to agree with her silent assessment of the situation, they needed to get Sara out of here.  Dan and Abby rushed forward, he attacked left with the khopesh, as Abyzou hooked right with her claws.

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Richardson smiled, revealing all of his sharp teeth. “Now this is unfair!”  he laughed as the two of them attacked him from either side at the same time.  He twisted to avoid the Khopesh and raised his hand and caught Abyzou’s hand in the palm of his own. “I wish you’d stop moving.”  he said a smile crossing his face.

And much to Dan’s surprise she actually froze in place.

He wasn't suppose to be able to do that, he wasn't supposed to be able to use the magic for anything other than destructive abilities, how was this possible?

“That took a lot more that I thought it would.” Richardson said, looking at the frozen Abyzou with surprise. “Oh well.”

Dan lept back and placed his back up against a wall.

This was bad, if he could control all of Amani’s magic like that…

“Where are you going?”  he asked, looking over at Dan, “I have yet to welcome you to my world.”  he said, and with a clap of his hands the walls of the shack fell down.  Outside there was not the woods they had first been in, but a smooth long beach with the waves calmly lapping at the shoreline.

The shack had entirely disappeared, leaving a startled Sara, Bastet and Dan.

“Welcome!” he said, throwing his arms open wide and laughing.

[Amani]

She carefully mixed the ingredients, it was ground into a sickly orange paste, all that was left was for it to be lit on fire and smeared on a blade.  

She closed her eyes, they would be killing an infinite amount of people.  A fact that weighed down on her very deeply. This was not the intended purpose of the flame, it was designed for deities and creatures of magic, if it had been used on a human it would have no strange effects, seeing as they do not have magic in their souls.

Others like her or gods or the Gallu however, they were tied to the Magic, if they were severed from it it would mean death, and seeing as they were not part of the natural cycle of reincarnation this was a permanent thing.

This was the first time that she knew about of a human being killed with one of these, normally it would have no effect but the death of that human, but with his soul tied to magic, it would eliminate his soul, and that was something all his different selves relied on.

A wise man had once said: “You do not have a soul.  You are a soul.  You have a body”

That was the truth to a Tee.

She bagged up the mixture, with a sigh, this was entirely her fault, no matter what the consequences were she would not allow Dan to shoulder them, these were hers and hers alone.

It was time to go, she looked at her hand at the seal, and to her fear found it wasn't glowing.  Her eyes opened wide, and snatching the pouch up she clapped her hands and appeared at the last known place they were.  It was a little shack, standing in the middle of the woods,

Running in she found she was alone in the wooden structure.  She could however feel the use of magic, and its application shocked her, he was not supposed to be able to use it that well…

He had ripped tem away to somewhere, and she had to find out where. She started to root around the building until she found a pile of notes, this is what she needed…

[Dan]

As Richardson stepped back the blade pulled free of Dan’s shoulder.  With a wince Dan looked down at it, blood was dripping down his arm staining the grey flannel shirt he was wearing a bright sticky red color.

Richardson licked the blood off of the blade and smiled. “Your blood tastes surprisingly delicious.”

“Thanks,” Dan grunted, repositioning himself with the blade.  He was covered in blood and scrapes, Bastet was likewise, in this world she could only rely on her physical attributes.

He ran forward, his feet digging into the sand of the beach, swinging with a sharp motion from the right, as Richardson moved to block Dan twisted his body, kicking the man in the side of the knee as hard as he could.  He heard the pop and saw the look of shock on the demon’s face as he fell.

Richardson went down to his knees, and the blade bit deep into his shoulder.  Black blood oozed out of the wound, a bitter smell permeated the air.  Dan pulled the blade free and moved to make another strike, but when the blade fell it was on empty air.

He got the feeling that he was in danger, and without thinking he threw himself to the side, rolling for all he was worth.

And just in time as well, as Richardson appeared behind where he was and stabbed into the now vacant air.

“Not bad,”  he said, rolling his injured shoulder, soon the wound closed however, and he looked back at Dan with a smile, “Not bad, but ultimately futile.”

Bastet stepped forward, she had numerous cuts and scrapes from the fight.  Dan stood up and placed a hand on her shoulder and pulled her back.  “Don’t.”  he said.

“I was not a goddess of war for nothing,”  she growled.

“I need you to protect Sara, I will hold him off.”

“You will die!”

“Have some faith in me.”  Dan smiled, “He wants to toy with me, not kill me right away, I am going to exploit that.” Dan said, he looked down at the arm that had been stabbed. “Damn what is with people stabbing me in the arm and shoulders?”  he sighed, and ignoring the pain he readied himself again.

All he had to do was hold him off until Amani showed up.