Dead and Horny

The Party

Cyrus closed his eyes and breathed in deeply through his nose, allowing the natural humidity of the island to flood through his sinuses. Memories of trips to Greece, South Africa, and even parts of the Philippines while hunting a rogue naga flitted behind his eyes, but he tuned them out. There was something about the scent of salt in the air that relaxed him, made him feel at ease. Maybe someday, if he lived long enough, he would retire off the coast and take up fishing. Or maybe even stand up paddleboarding. Whatever it was he decided on, it would be infinitely easier than tracking down and hunting cryptids.

He had stopped at the bottom of the boarding stairs, his hand on the rail. Behind him, he heard Amida clear his throat.

"I don't mean to rush you, Master Cyrus, but this box is getting heavy."

"My apologies." Cyrus moved to the side and watched Amida step off the stairs carrying a wooden crate. They had taken a private plane from Montana in the early hours, which also meant that they had brought some additional cargo that was due to arrive anyway. Inside the crate were replacement parts for a device meant to block sonar, which allowed the local mermaid colony to avoid detection by the navy.

Amida handed the crate over to a member of the Order wearing an aloha shirt and strings of wooden beads around his neck.

"I have a change of clothes for you," said the local, then set the crate in the passenger seat of an unmarked van parked on the tarmac. He opened the rear door and pulled out some plastic tubs. "You will fit in better in these, and it won't be so hot."

Tasia took her box and opened it, then let out a snort. "I can't remember the last time I wore so little," she declared.

"Then maybe you need to take more vacations," Cyrus told her, then picked up the tub with his name on it.

They had already tracked down Tristan Edge through the use of their psychic, and were planning to infiltrate a party he was throwing tonight at an estate he had rented for a porn shoot. It bothered him a bit that they were going in blind, but this was hardly the most dangerous mission he had been on.

That, and despite their difficulties with the succubus, Amida and Tasia were the best of their generation. They wouldn't be doing it alone either, and he waited for the rest of his team to receive their gear. Local support would be ready for them if they needed it, but the Hawaiian team's specialty was largely rooted in keeping the locals from harassing the cryptids who lived in the area.

He had a strong feeling that he would need the fighters he had brought. Tasia had stripped her clothes off already next to Amida, who was now also naked. Both of them put on clothes that made them look like tourists, though Tasia still carried a regal air about her. She was in a one-piece suit with cloth shorts, and she strapped her collapsed sword to her leg. The blade shimmered and disappeared under the simple glamour, and Amida slid his ten-inch wand into the pocket of his trunks, which were only a few inches deep at most.

They may look like beach bums in the making now, but the magical gear was top notch.

"Master, are you going to change?" asked someone behind him.

Cyrus smirked and stripped off his clothes. When his shirt came off, he heard everyone else go silent for a moment, most likely at the scars along his back. He pushed back the memory of a biting spider swarm and slid into a pair of cargo shorts with comfortable sandals beneath. He put on an aloha shirt of his own, then went through the pockets of his jacket to get everything he needed.

It was with a small amount of sadness that he watched them pack away his jacket. He couldn't remember the last time he had been without it, and it felt like it was somehow the last time he would ever see it.