Death's Stigma (NanoWriMo14)

Chapter 20

"Oh, this is going to suck." Grim said. He opened the armory door and stepped into the main room.

"Grim!" The girls yelled. They hugged him and Selena said.

"Good to see you Grim."

"Good to see you too. I told you guys to get out of the city."

"We need your help."

"With what?"

"Hunting Nadia and Myst. Grab Katie and lets go find them."

Grim sighed and gestured for Nadia to step into the room.

"I already did."

Ryan didn't say anything. Her face was stern and she stepped towards Nadia. Grim put his hand in front of her.

"Lets just relax for a second, we can work this out."

"What happened to you?" Selena asked.

Grim relized he was using his right hand and the black fingers were in view.

"That is a really long story. Ryan you can't touch her." Grim said.

"Why the hell not?"

"She's my partner."

"What about Katie?" She said outraged.

"Dead. She died saving me from a demon."

"So naturally you choose a murdering psychopath as your partner."

"I said leave her alone." Grim said lowering his voice. "She was possessed by Skyra."

"She still killed Elizabeth."

"Do you blame the killer or the weapon they used? Nadia was being manipulated. You want someone to blame, blame Skyra."

"Grim, I will go through you if I have to."

"No you're not. It's you versus a Reaper alone." She was shocked.

"You became a Reaper."

"Yes and Nadia is with me."

"Ryan I..." Nadia started to say.

"No, you don't get to apologize." Ryan snapped. Grim ignored her and turned around.

"We got work to do." Grim said. Nadia transformed and he placed her on his back.

"Wait Grim." Selena said.

"I can't help you find Myst."

"The binding circle, you have her trapped don't you."

"More or less."

"It was good to see both of you." She said.

Grim hugged her and left the sanctuary. He blurred up a building past the smoking garden trying not to look at it. He ran across the rooftops and looked down at the ruins of the elementary school. Reflective mirror like spikes had torn through the building. He jumped down and looked around.

"And what do you think you're doing Grim."

"Considering the score card you guys should stop being so condescending." Grim said turning around. He almost didn't recognize the demon standing before him. "Fulcrim, suprised to see you."

He had become more human like and stood on two legs instead of being hunched over on all fours.

"Figured you would have gotten yourself killed by now."

"Still kicking." Grim said. "This isn't a friendly chat so why are you here?"

"Stay clear of that place, Skyra's kid has taken the place over."

"I can handle it."

"Grim they call it the Reaper Eater. That demons has killed more Reapers alone than even Skyra. She worms her way into your head. I recommend you head over to the business district. Some intresting things flying around those parts."

Grim turned to ask him something else but he was gone. He turned away from the school towards the skyscrapers downtown. A circle of ravens flew around the radio antenna at the top of the city broadcast tower.

"Maybe we should be semi-stealthy this time." Myst said.

"And why would I do that?" He asked looking up the glass sided building.

"If you haven't noticed the enemy just keep getting stronger. Next time you might lose more than a few fingers."

"Again, why would I bother with something like stealth. Notice the oversized blade stuck to a giant stick on my back, not very discreet if you know what I mean."

"The oversized stick can hear you and I agree with Myst on this one." Nadia responded.

"Look, I'm not going to sneak through a giant fucking tower. That could take hours versus two minutes to blur up the side of this tower."

"It's like talking to a brick wall with you." Myst said.

Grim grinned and launched up the side of the building. The power surging through him felt limitless as he flipped onto the top of the building drawing Nadia. Cables and scraps of metal decorated the roof. A massive shadow loomed above Grim. A claw snatched him into the air something smashed against his head. The world blackened and he passed out.

...

Grim's vision slowly came into focus. He was in a stone room with no windows or doors. Nadia was laying on the ground next to him.

"I'm going to be the bigger person and not rub this in your face." Myst gloated.

"Okay, maybe running straight into battle isn't the most subtle of attacks." He picked up Nadia and gripped her losely with one hand. "You with me partner."

"Yeah, but maybe this time you should listen to the ghost and the stick."

"I'm never going to hear the end of that am I."

"No."

Grim sighed and looked around the room. He scaled over his fist and slammed it into a wall with a strange discoloration. It crumbled and Grim grabbed whatever was on the other side. A humanoid raven creature struggled in his grip. He snapped its neck and brushed dust off of him.

On the other side of the wall was open sky. A stone barricade formed a circle with a few catwalks for a floor. Dozens of nests lined the walls filled with cawing birds. When Grim heard a deep chuckle he slackened his grip on Nadia and prepared for a monolog.

Hey guys, sorry this update took so long. I wanted to thank KHMaster101 and DanteCooperDaFirenze for the support when I first started writting this. As always make sure you leave a comment and tell me what you think..