Enid rubbed her face and looked between Hazel, Helen and Cindie. Then out into the darkness. Hazel looked at her mother and uncrossed her arms.

“Do we know what it is?”

“I have no idea. Do the spirits have anything to say on it?”

Hazel closed her eyes and started chanting in holding her hands palm up. The air shimmered around her. When she opened her eyes, they glowed with an eerie silver light, the air currents swirled around the barn.

“Mother of Spirits I am the West Wind. You seek the pit. It is a boil on the earth mother. To find that which you seek it must be sealed.”

Enid blinked. Helen grabbed her mother’s arm.

“What is happening? That’s never happened before.”

Enid held up her hand and looked at Hazel/West Wind.

“Why do you speak to me directly?”

“There is much to share, and time is short. One of the godling’s is there. If the tainted ones succeed the gates to the pits will be torn asunder.”

“What are we facing my child?”

“Mother you face two elder tainted ones and an emissary from the betrayer.”

“And I need to seal some portal?”

“Only you can seal it permanently. Like you did for your mother.”

Enid nodded.

“Got you. Two Pugmentia and a Demon. And its presence is masking the Fallen one I hunt. Seal it with Atlantean magic.”

“No mother, seal it with the power of creation.”

Enid blinked.

“What are you talking about?”

“I have said too much. I’m being pulled back by the greater ones.”

Hazel blinked and looked around.

“Sorry mom, didn’t get anything…why are you all staring at me like that?”

Helen hugged her sister tightly.

“I’m glad you came back.”

Hazel struggled out of the young vampires bearhug. And gave her an annoyed look.

“What are you talking about?”

Enid waved her hand dismissively.

“Later. Don’t know what the fuck it was talking about.”

“What is it Mom?”

Hazel’s voice was starting to crack at this point.

“You got possessed by a spirit hon. It told us what we need to do. Holo-webs up, we need to make our way to the mine.”

Enid ripped her dress off which left her wearing just her Atlantean armor. She pulled a pistol out of her bag. She pulled out the magazine. Then popped the round she had chambered out and scooped it up off the ground. She replaced the magazine and chambered a round with another one from the bag. It was her second to last magazine of blessed rounds. Cindie watched her.

“That is unlike any handgun I’ve ever seen.”

“You haven’t seen anything yet.”

Enid pulled out another gun, this one was built to be used by a full conversion cyborg in the 29th century, but a vampire with sufficient strength could use it just as easily. She slung the railgun over her shoulder after loading a magazine. Helen and Cindie were both staring at her now.

“Mother what good is that going to do against vampires and a demon?”

“Morpho-fluidic silver tip, magnetic core. It will hit them. The silver will be injected and the rest of the slug will impact into a wall leaving nothing traceable to the future behind.”

“Say what now?”

“Never mind. Just trust me, it’s going to work.”

“Alright dresses off, holo-webs up. We got a fight on our hands tonight.”

Enid motioned the group forward and tapped her neck and shimmered out of existence. The camo would flicker but with it being so dark they would not likely catch on. She knew the others were near. When they arrived at the mine Enid spoke.

“Hazel, Helen, guard the tunnel with holo-web’s up. Cindie you’re with me. I’m going to be cloaked with the holo-web. They might be able to see through our normal tricks if they’re elders but not the holo-web. Cindie I’m sorry to say you’re the diversion. You’ll hear this when I’m taking my shot.”

She flicked on the rail gun and it hummed as it came to life.

“That’s your signal to attack the Pugmentia on the left. I’ll take the Pugmentia closest to the right. Just do your Seer spiel ask for them to surrender while I get positioned. Do not waste blood the Demon is going to be the dangerous one. And I may have to go full…well me and if you see it don’t be shocked. Err, do you know how to use a gun?”

Cindie nodded.

“Yes I do.”

Enid handed her the pistol that was loaded with blessed rounds. She pointed to a switch on the side of the gun.

“Safety. If you flip it forward its live. Don’t waste bullets, I only have fourteen left.”

“Yes milady.”

Enid tapped her holo-web and vanished. She took up a position a few feet back and to the left of Cindie and followed her in. The wood that had been blocking the passage was charred and broken from the earlier explosion. Cindie crawled over the pile and down the slope of the winding tunnel. The pair could hear voices ahead. One of them they both recognized as Neffi’s.

“You will fail, the emperor will have already sent my mother to find me. When she arrives she will drain your souls. She doesn’t need her powers to kill you.”

The was a slap.

“Silence woman. You lot should have learned your place, Imperial Blood or not.”

Enid’s felt her fangs extending at the words. She took a deep breath to maintain her calm. Another voice, this one sounded almost serpent like, spoke.

“We are planning on it. She will bring back up and then we shall use them to sacrifice and open the gateway and then your mother will have her long-delayed audience with the Lightbringer.”

Cindie rounded the bend and as she entered the room she collapsed in front of Enid. Her sword and the gun falling to the ground. She struggled to move but could not. Enid saw who was speaking it was a demon with a serpent like face. He let out a laugh.

“Our web has caught another fly.”

Enid frowned and stayed back taking aim at the torso of the closet Pugmentia. She flipped the switch on her rail gun. The target and his companion, both men, she guessed one of the Muslim bloodlines of vampires, based on the beards and skin tone held their ears.

“What is that infernal noise?”

Enid pulled the trigger the slug hit him in the chest. The outer shell hit the demon sent it flying backwards into the wall. The eldest looking of the two Pugmentia started tearing at his chest and screaming as the silver burned him up from the inside. He collapsed his chest cavity completely charred and his heart destroyed. The other Pugmentia was looking around howling.

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“I will kill you!”

Enid pulled her trigger again. The remaining Pugmentia did the same thing as his elder trying to claw the silver out but his chest melted. Enid reached out her hand and it glowed blue under the holo-web. The pistol full of blessed rounds flew to her hand. The Demon clawed his way up on the alter he had Neffi chained to.

“Show yourself coward!”

Enid tapped her necklace and the hologram cloaking her existence vanished. The demon hissed and started to approach. Enid shot him in the shoulder that hadn’t taken the railgun round. The wound started hissing and white fire flared from hit the demon howled in pain leaning on the alter with its other arm that had finished healing. Enid wagged a finger on her free hand.

“I think you should stay right where you are. Looks like your trick has a radius and I’m not feeling like being in it. It would mean my true form would show up and neither of us would like that.”

The demon hissed and leaped over the alter Enid took her shot the bullet whizzed by the demon’s head. She felt all the energy leave her vampiric body. She collapsed immediately. She couldn’t even shift into her true form at that point. It is like she was cut off from her blood and the rest of creation. Even as a mortal she was never this weak.

“Hazel help! Hybrid…”

She was gasping for breath to speak now. The demon screeched as it pulled the blessed bullet from this shoulder. He threw it aside and strolled over to the pair of vampires grabbing them by one leg each and dragged them to the altar.

“You aren’t as smart, or troublesome as I was led to believe Enid Aurelius.”

He hefted Cindie onto the alter and started hooking chains over her. Cindie didn’t even have the strength to struggle. Enid reached up towards her Seers then her hand fell. She couldn’t even speak at this point. The demon chuckled.

“It was all to easy to lure you here. Perhaps I should see if any other would-be rescuers come. They can be witness to my lord’s army invading this realm.”

The demon walked around Enid looking down at her face up and motionless form.

“The greatest demon hunter laid low by a lowly dreg. You probably don’t know this but each of us demons has our own little special ability. Once the lord found out mine he sent me here to capture you. And now you are going to raise my station. What should we do with you powerless in my presence? Should I see what is in this black body wrap?”

He crouched down his lizard like tail slapping the worked stone of the mine floor. He had his back to the entrance. His long tongue darted out licking Enid’s cheek. She was so weak she couldn’t even flinch away. He started tugging at the collar of the Atlantean armor but could not get it apart. Enid could tell it was losing charge rapidly and it would rip eventually. The demon’s aura seemed to be stopping it from even giving her enough strength to move.

“Interesting material. Perhaps I shall keep it for myself once you are chained naked at my lord’s feet.”

His four fingered scaled hand slid along Enid’s chest. She wanted to rip him to shreds but was still powerless. Neither of the two saw the eight-foot silver furred werewolf show up at the entrance of the cave. Hazel howled a war cry. She lunged at the hunched over demon who had no chance to react before her massive claws tore through his back shredding his spine and spraying the stone floor with his wretched blood. As he spun and was falling her second claw swiped across his face and chest leaving smoking wounds. He howled in pain and collapsed on his back unmoving. Barely able to gasp in air. Hazel howled again and closed her clawed fist and punched him in the face until he blacked out. The oppressive aura he had been exuding evaporated and Enid sat up after several seconds. The pair of vampires on the alter snapped their chains with some effort. Cindie and Neffi hugged each other tightly. Enid was almost hyperventilating. She took control of her breathing, stood up and kicked the demon with her full vampiric strength sending him flying into the wall shattering several more of his bones. He was breathing raggedly and still unconscious. Hazel shifted down to her fifteen-year-old human form and hugged her mother tightly. Enid hugged her back and patted her back.

“I’m sorry it took so long mother.”

“It wasn’t your fault it was mine; I should have brought you with us in the first place.”

Hazel broke the embrace and picked up her mother’s discarded pistol and started walking towards the Demon.

“What are you doing?”

“Finishing him off.”

“No! That will just send him back to hell and he can come back here. He’s too dangerous. We need a more permanent solution.”

“How, we don’t have a soul blade.”

“We have to open the gate and toss him in and shoot him from outside it then seal it up again.”

“Open the gate? Mom did you hit your head? We just stopped him from doing that!”

“It’s the only way to be sure. Put the gun on the alter. And get Neffi and Cindie out of here.”

“It wasn’t sealed right whenever it was created, its better if I rebuild it from scratch anyway.”

“You sound like you’re trying to convince yourself of that mom. Besides how are you going to do that? Don’t you need sacrifices?”

Enid closed her eyes and let her true form out. Cindie and Neffi stumbled backwards from her. Hazel shook her head at her mother and put the gun full of blessed bullets on the altar and tugged the two stunned vampires with her.

“I think I can handle it.”

“This is a dumb idea mom.”

“Get your ass out of here. I have no idea what is going to try and come through it. But an Archangel should probably scare them away.”

Enid grabbed the demon by his foot and dragged him with her behind him by his leg like he had done to her. He was beginning to stir. His ragged breathing quickened as he looked up at Enid’s angelic form with wide eyes.

“You’ll forgive me if I don’t grope you while you’re paralyzed, you’re not my type, you sick disgusting thing.”

“What…what are you going to do with me?”

Enid quirked her head and glanced down at him and pointed her staff at the runed obsidian wall and started channeling energy into it. She picked up the pistol with her free hand. The barrier shattered.

“I’m opening the gate like you wanted. Why do you look so worried?”

“You…you scarred the lord, killed several of his generals and his pet hell hounds…he was not kind to the one who brought your gift.”

“Oh, don’t worry no gift this time.”

The demon looked relieved until Enid opened her vast wings and flapped them sending him flying through the portal. Enid then put two in his chest. He began screeching as the blessed bullets burned him from the inside out. She put a last bullet in his head. In the distance she could see an army marching through an endless obsidian field. At its head was the handsomest man she had ever seen with her eyes save for the charred and burned flesh on his right side. He had his white feathered wings spread. He had look of triumph about him until he saw what was standing on the other side of the gateway. Enid smiled at him, she took a pot shot with her holy pistol hitting him in the knee. She laughed dropped the gun and raised newly freed palm towards the gateway and started chanting in Atlantean. Purple, blue, green and green veins appeared in her hand and the obsidian wall started to reform. The army had slowed as their leader collapsed unable to walk with the bullet wound burning his knee from the inside out. There was flash of white light and vines snaked their way through the cracks in the cover stone it shifted from obsidian to a pure white stone and blue runes covered its surface. She felt no pain, no weakness. The veins vanished from her hand, and she was once again engulfed by the darkness of the cave. She looked at her unblemished hand.

That’s odd.

She examined the white cover stone thick vines grew around it’s edges seemingly ignoring the impossibility of it in a mine shaft. It had no signs or marks on it. She reached out and as her fingers touched the smooth polished stone blue runes flared to life. They were in Atlantean and read: Let no being mortal or immortal pass this barrier, Glory to the Creator and his host. She let her hand fall to her side the runes faded.

Enid looked at the edge of the white stone it had merged flawlessly with the stone of the mine shaft. She also noticed deposits of an odd mineral as she inspected the wall and it dawned on her what it might be. She pulled out her Geiger counter and it jumped to life. She slipped it back into her back and stepped back from it with a frown. The radiation was causing the boil. She could do nothing about that. She reached down and picked up her gun

She walked to the edge of the chamber and pointed her staff at the altar unleashing a beam of pure divine energy. The alter shattered with a brilliant flash. She pointed her staff at the cavern’s roof and started blasting at random spots. The entire thing collapsed covering her in a wash of rock shrapnel and dust. She walked out to the end of the tunnel and motioned for the gathered women to do the same. She repeated her actions collapsing the side shaft.

She held up her hand and started chanting. Her palm started to glow as blue veins spread through it. Chunks of fallen debris and rocks hovered by the entrance and with a flash they fused creating a solid wall. She glanced at the group.

“Someone get me some paint so I can mark this as a natural gas pocket.”

Hazel ran off and came back with paint from the storeroom. Enid matched the other warning signs she had seen posted on the wall and marked it with a big red painted x with the word gas painted underneath. She sealed the paint and offered it back to Hazel who ran off with it. She closed her eyes and opened them again she took a deep breath and turned to the two Seers who had been staring at her the whole time. She smiled at them and leaned on her staff.

“I guess you have questions…”

Cindie stared up at her face. Enid flicked her wings absently. The annoyance she was experiencing was likely obvious on her face as Neffi looked away from her gaze. Enid signed again.

“Sorry, this is just a conversation I hate having. Ask your questions.”

“Who are you?”

“I’m still the Enid you knew, I’m just…extra now.”

“Where is your sword?”

“I sacrificed it to destroy the Black Son-Lucius.”

“What are you?”

“I’m the highest among God’s host of angels. I am the Archangel of the Universe. Or so he tells me.”

“Where you always that?”

“I guess. Look there are some answers I just don’t have.”

Enid forced her form to collapse into her old face. She couldn’t quite call it her face anymore since she knew the angel was her true form. Neffi gasped audibly when she saw her creator’s face. She wrapped her arms around her second mother and hugged her tightly. Enid hugged her back patting her back.

“I’ve just changed the timeline keeping you alive. I’ve been tasked with fixing it, not damaging it, you can’t stay here.”

The pair both nodded.

So glad they both have the gift, it made this way easier than it could have been.

Enid ran her hand through her tangled hair.

“We still have no clue where the fallen angel is.”

Enid looked towards the entrance of the mine when she heard footsteps. Hazel came around the corner and she frowned shaking her head at her mother.

“What’s wrong?”

“The sheriff is looking all over for you. His daughters are missing.”