Scarstooth was engulfed in flames. The quiet fishing community had descended into chaos and bloodshed that was almost unseen in the modern age. The cold winter night had lost its bite as the raging infernos continued to sweep through the hamlet.
Even after all these years Phi still remembered the streets of his hometown, his feet recognized each stone as he traced a path to the seawall. Every fiber of his being demanded he run, to leave the villagers to their fate like they had left his father to his. But even before Myrine begged him to help he felt it in his heart that he had to protect those in need. More than his father’s teachings or the All Mother’s gospel; it just felt like the right thing to do.
He turned his senses to the child in his arms, the poor thing was terrified of him as she shivered in the winter air. Fel had been clear that the masked mercenaries would be after any girl around Myrine’s age. Anyone that could be the right age to be the All Mother’s new host. Phi was still struggling with the thought that their mission was to save his maker; the idea that the girl in his arms could be the new vessel for his God was enough to shake him to his core. How could someone so small and frail house such power? He wondered.
Fel for their part was somewhere else in the town looking for anyone else that might be the host.
A sharp pain bit into his leg as a bullet pierced his flesh and broke his tibia. Allowing his senses to expand once more he felt the attacker hiding in the second story window to his left. Myrine cried out in surprise, but Phi simply held a finger to ask her to wait a moment. With his free hand he reached into his mouth and pulled out a handful of his teeth. When the gunman popped his head out the window to look, Phi tossed his teeth with a quick snap of his wrist. The teeth sank into the man’s flesh as the hollow fangs siphoned the man’s blood from his body.
A river of crimson flowed from the window and into Phi’s injured leg as his bone and flesh reknit itself.
“What are you?” Myrine whispered. The fear in her voice was clear as a summer day. It was a common reaction to seeing Phi’s cursed powers. A byproduct from his taboo birth.
Phi continued making his way through the street as he answered. “My parents were Tideborn and Sangunite. Their unholy union brought me into this world against the All Mother’s wishes.” He said plainly.
“I thought Hybrids hated the Gods?”
“On the contrary, most of us still hold our blessed makers in high regard. Few of us however can hold onto our sanity after our powers manifest, in those cases the only mercy is to grant us a quick death. I was fortunate to hold onto my faith and my mind-” Phi paused as he launched his hook towards a hiding man that was waiting to strike from a nearby alley. The hook landed in the masked man’s shoulder as Phi dragged him out into the street before flicking the hook to dislodge it before bringing it back down to cave his skull in.
“Where was I?” Phi asked without breaking his stride. “Right. Since my mind is intact I have devoted myself to the All Mother’s teachings in the hopes that she will grant me a proper death in her service.” He said as he had done many times before.
Myrine’s face was still pale from the casual carnage that she was witnessing. “You want to die?”
Phi cocked his head as he paused. The answer should have been easy to give but for some reason he couldn’t bring himself to say the words. “I-”
Once again he was interrupted but this time by a nearby puddle forming into a spear. Phi twisted his body to protect Myrine as the spear pierced through his back and out of his chest. He coughed blood as he felt one of his lungs deflate inside of him. His mind wandered in that moment, he remembered his childhood before his transformation, back then he couldn’t feel his organs, but since that day he had a complete awareness of his body.
The Tideborn assassin was still only half formed as Phi twisted his torso, the man was dragged by his spear as his lower body trailed behind him as a trickle of water in the air. Phi wiped his freehand along the bloody spear as he threw his own blood into the flowing water. A moment later the man had reformed but it was too late. It was a trifle thing to will his blood to rampage inside of the man’s body. Arteries were severed, muscles were shredded, and nerves were ravaged as the man cried out in pain as he released his grip on the spear. Phi turned to face the writhing man as he put him out of his misery with a swift kick to the neck.
“How are you still alive!” Myrine cried as she stared at the dripping spear tip that was uncomfortably close to her.
He placed the girl on her feet as he felt his body preparing to go into shock. With a thought he compelled his body to disassemble as he shifted into a pool of blood, a split second later he reformed again. The spear clattered to the ground below him as he showed the healed wound on his chest. “As long as I have a supply of fresh blood, killing me is not an easy task.”
Myrine took a shaking step backwards. “You-you’re a monster-.'' She stuttered.
“I know.”
Phi reached a hand out to Myrine. “But I promised you I would help save your people. And I don’t break my promises.”
The shaking girl seemed to steel herself as she nodded. She accepted Phi’s hand as he lifted her once more. “These mercenaries are becoming more brazen. We have to quicken our pace.” He lowered himself as he readied to break into a full sprint. “Hold on.”
Myrine wrapped her arms around Phi’s neck as he willed his muscles to go beyond their normal limit. With a sudden explosion of speed he tore down the street in a low sprint, the chains embedded in his back rattling loudly as he expanded his senses as far as he could.
He could see the masked Trest man trying to burrow through the earth with his gift to surprise Phi, he could feel the muscles of the bowman’s fingers as he loosed his notched arrow that was aimed at Phi’s heart. More still, he could feel the blood in Myrine as it flowed through her body, somewhere inside of him the hunger gnawed at his will. It was never sated, always demanding he devour more and more in the fruitless attempt to finally feel whole. Phi would not break though, he could not. His father had taught him the value of a life, and while he would gladly take others if it meant protecting the innocent, he would never allow himself to fall to such a low; lest he truly become the monster everyone feared him to be.
Phi dropped a chain to drag along the ground as he leapt and twisted to avoid the arrow. He couldn’t see the arrow itself, but he could feel Myrine tracking it with her eyes. That was enough. The arrow flew wide as the Trest man burst from the ground right where Phi had been a moment before. The trailing chain sank into the base of his neck as Phi dragged him along the stones as he ran.
Trest men had stone for skin, so he wouldn’t die from being scraped along the cobblestones; no that happened when Phi weaved between a lamppost and smashed the masked killer against the metal pole with enough force to tear him in half.
After pulling his hook free Phi continued his charge. He was nearing the seawall.
Ahead was a group of masked men attacking a large structure. Phi tried to recall what that building was, he seemed to remember it being the town hall. As he drew closer he sensed the full numbers at play here. There were simply too many of the mercenaries for him to fend off while protecting Myrine. Judging by their focus it would seem that the town hall was acting as the last stand for the townsfolk. Phi continued his charge as he shielded Myrine.
Phi thundered through the town square as the masked attackers shouted in surprise at his sudden appearance. They had just enough time to wildly shoot at his back before Phi got within range of sensing the town hall. Inside he could feel over a hundred people huddled in fear. They were barricading the doors and windows, but a small group of the attackers had managed to break down a side door and were about to massacre the people inside.
Turning slightly, Phi made his way to the side door as he leapt up the small flight of stairs in a single bound. There he found the enemy with their backs to him. It wasn’t honorable, but he could feel them killing the people inside. With a series of palm strikes he shattered the spines of two of the assailants before sinking his cavernous mouth around the neck of another of the attackers. He pulled his mouth away and the poor woman’s head lolled to the side by the few loose tendons that were left attached. The last attacker turned to regard the towering Phi as the blood drained from his face. If it wasn’t for the dead man he had just run through, Phi might have been inclined to spare him. Instead he reached out and broke the man’s neck mercifully.
The townsfolk were hysterical as they tried to back away from Phi. He couldn’t risk them leaving the building and being slaughtered, he had to settle them somehow. Before he could speak Myrine cried out above the noise, her voice reverberating oddly in the vaulted building. “Stop! This man is here to save us!” She yelled.
A wave rippled through the crowd as the panic seemed to ebb away. Phi could sense fear in people by how their bodies reacted, but the townsfolks’ fear disappeared without warning. Phi didn’t have time to ponder this before a woman approached wielding a massive weapon in her hands, judging by the bloodstains along the blade it was an axe of sorts.
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Phi realized who the woman was before she spoke. There was no way he could forget the stench of the person who was there on the night his father had died.
“Myrine! Get away from that-” The words died in her throat as she dropped the axe. “No, you can’t be.”
Phi dropped Myrine as he stepped forward to tower over the wretched woman. He leaned in as the blood vessels in his useless eyes burst one by one. “Martha.” The words came out of his gills in a horrid whisper that spread over the crowd. Every single cell in his body cried out for vengeance. This woman had helped kill his father, but more than the rest of the villagers present that night she had been someone he had trusted.
A part of him had thought he had moved on from his past, that he had found peace. It was amazing what coming face to face with one's trauma could do to a person’s self enlightenment.
Martha was paralyzed by fear. “I’m sorry.” She muttered between her clacking teeth.
Suddenly Phi felt something tugging at his arm as Myrine yelled. “Sir Phi! Please, stop this!” Something in the small girl's voice seeped into Phi’s brain like a splash of cold water, but it was futile before his rage. He had trained his whole adult life to keep his impulses in check, but now that he stood before the person he hated most he found himself throwing his self control to the wind.
Taking another step forward Phi bumped his leg into the axe. He cast a quick glance to the weapon to sidestep it. Until he sensed something he had thought lost. There hanging from the hilt of the axe was a holy symbol, while fresh blood covered it now, it couldn’t hide the old stains underneath. Phi’s entire perception was drawn to that blood.
It was his father Herschel’s scent.
The rage was lost as Phi reached a trembling finger down to brush against the symbol. He could never forget the feel of the pendant, his father had let him play with it almost every day of his youth. The rage evaporated as memories of his father’s laughter washed over him.
A hand came to rest on his own as he gently caressed the weathered symbol. Myrine spoke softly. “Sir Phi?”
“This was my father’s. I thought it had been lost forever.” Phi whispered gently.
Martha cleared her throat. “I- I came back the next morning and found it. I wanted to… I didn’t want to forget what I had done to him.” She placed a shaking hand on Phi’s. “I’m sorry.”
Phi took a deep breath as he expanded his senses. Outside the attackers were gathering for one final push, and he still had a promise to keep. Pulling back his hand, he turned as he made his way to the broken door.
“Where are you going?” Myrine asked.
“To keep my word.”
Without waiting for a response Phi drew all of the blood from the dead mercenaries that littered the floor, the flood of crimson wrapped around his body as he willed it to solidify into a jagged suit of armor before leaping out into the town square.
One of the masked attackers shouted in alarm, but his screaming was cut short as his head was relieved from his shoulder with a swing of Phi’s hook. Another hook lashed out and tore through flesh and steel as two more wretches were struck down. A hail of gunfire crashed into Phi as he advanced. The blood armor was just soft enough to absorb the force of the bullets as they fell to the ground harmlessly.
Phi leapt forward as he lashed out with claw and steel. The square was drenched in the blood of the unworthy as he took on the role of the All Mother’s executioner. All the while he recited the holy words from her teachings. Driving a final sermon into the foul hearts of those that had strayed from her light.
The air shifted as a new squad of masked mercenaries approached. While the rest had seemed disorganized, this new group carried themselves with purpose. Though from the blood on their clothing they seemed to be wearing outlandish outfits. They were led by an unmasked man that sized up the town square with a confident smile.
“It would see that our new recruits weren’t up to the challenge.” The man spoke of his subordinates death with a bravado and ease that annoyed Phi. “I’ve heard about you from our employer, they said to give you this.” The man threw something at Phi as a dagger struck him in the shoulder. “A gift from the Doctor, specially made for you.” The man took a step back as he held his arms wide. “Now, let’s see if you can handle my deadly sins without your powers.” Wonderful. They had silly names to match their silly looks.
A pair stepped forward, they seemed to mirror one another. The two prattled on about something or another, but Phi was in no mood to listen to a monologue.
Phi tossed a nearby body at the pair as he infused some of his blood inside of the cadaver. The larger of the pair pulled out a bulky gun that hung from his shoulder and shot the corpse mid flight. The weapon must have been old world tech as it launched a small exploding round into the body before detonating it. The two smirked as the charred remains of the corpse rained down on them.
One of the droplets landed on the larger fellows neck. Phi controlled it as it found a small nick in the man’s throat from an earlier injury, the blood drop poured inside and began its journey into the man’s brain.
The man jerked as he turned his rifle on his twin. He grunted in surprise as he pulled the trigger point blank. The smaller of the two took the round in her chest as the explosion killed her instantly. The other masked mercs each took a step back as their ally swiveled to face them. He screamed for his body to listen but Phi was the one pulling the strings now.
The leader of the masked idiots stared dumbfounded. “But, the poison! How are you using your powers?” Phi didn’t have time to entertain the fool.
Round after round fired into the other masked fools as they leapt for cover. The stoic leader’s smug smile vanished as his left arm was obliterated by a stray shell. After a moment one of the others managed to land the killing blow on the rampaging puppet. By then it was too late.
Phi had used the chance to clear the distance as he killed two more of the ‘sins’ with his hooks. Another he struck in the chest with enough force to stop their heart, the last two wailed as they fired their ancient weapons at Phi. Having been in his fair share of fights, Phi was familiar with the speed of bullets and arrows, what struck him in the chest was neither. Holes of singed flesh appeared as soon as the pair of attackers pulled their triggers. It told him that he was dealing with plasma weapons.
As far as weapons went they were by far the worst for Phi to go up against. They struck at nearly the speed of light, they bore clean through his armor and flesh with ease, and worst yet they cauterized the wounds. Without blood flow he couldn’t repair his injuries without completely shifting into his blood form, an act that would leave him vulnerable.
For the first time that night Phi felt a sliver of doubt, as powerful as his cursed powers were they had their weaknesses and his options were dwindling fast. He tried to think of a way to fight back but with each second another hole seared through him.
Just as he readied himself for a final desperate attack he heard the crack of a whip. The last two ‘sins’ fell to the ground, their decapitated heads landing a moment later.
“Looks like I made it in the nick of time.” The voice was a mixture of cadences, combining the softness of a woman and the gravitas of a man.
Phi smiled weakly. “You have my thanks Fel.”
They waltzed through the blood soaked square with their usual confidant grace. Despite their waning health lately they still exuded a pressure that was unlike anything Phi had seen.
They turned their androgynous face to the leader of the masked mercs. “Do you want to do the honors?”
“You’re too kind Fel, but this one was saying something about their employer and some ‘Doctor’.”
“Oh?” Fel said, raising an eyebrow. They turned to face the man that was currently fleeing. With a flash they retrieved their whip from their belt and had already launched it at the retreating man. Phi didn’t bother to try and follow Fel’s movements anymore, they were simply too quick for his perception.
The whip cracked as it wrapped around the man's shin, the barbed hooks sank into the flesh as Fel pulled the man back with a gentle tug. Gentle for them anyways. The man was sent tumbling across the cobblestones as his bones broke from the force until they were laid at Fel’s feet. With glowing green eyes Fel regarded the sniveling man.
“Please, we were just following orders!” The man pleaded.
“Who hired you?” Phi asked after taking a moment to shift to heal his wounds.
“I only know my handler, they were some cult or something, but they paid almost ten times our usual. The guy's name was Domanic Yevon.”
Phi and Fel shared a look. Well. This was easier than usual.
The thought didn’t last long as an arrow struck the leader in the face just under the eye. Turning towards the town hall they saw a random man with a crossbow cheering as though he had just single handedly won a war. The pair sighed as they looked at the corpse.
“So much for that.” Fel said with a chuckle.
As the sounds of battle ceased the townsfolk began to pour out of the large building to survey what remained of their home. Fel and Phi scanned the crowd for who they were looking for. Though at this point Phi had his money on a certain young lady.
Martha and Myrine approached as they took in the aftermath of the battle. Fel turned to regard Myrine as they let out a shuddering breath. “Yep. That’s her alright.”
“How can you be sure?” Phi said as he poked and prodded his shoulder where he had been stabbed. The man had mentioned some poison, but as far as Phi could tell he felt fine. Perhaps their employer had misled them.
Fel narrowed their eyes as if they were staring at the midday sun. “Trust me. It’s hard to miss with my second sight.”
Martha looked from Phi to Fel. “Thank you. If you hadn’t been here I don’t know if anyone would have survived.” She shifted uncomfortably. “That begs the question, what brought you all the way out here in the first place?”
The pair pointed behind Martha at the frail child huddled behind her as they spoke in unison. “Her.”
