Conquest Of The Fallen: Dark Dominions

Chapter 143: The Curious Mr. Hyde

SPLIT FIVE WAYS, five million gold would see the friends get a cool mil each, but Rafel was not about to sell his find at the Eldritch Keep on the open market. The decision would eventually have to come down to a vote, which must be unanimous.

Nevertheless, should his friends' desire to sell and cash in, Rafel had the opinion to host an auction a lá a private soiree; where the true dark hearts would be present to bid on the arsenals and drive the price of the weapons even higher.

Silly rich kids didn't need the use of a Philistine [Goliath] javelin, nor an Atlantean harpoon, much less the famed warbands of Theseus. But they would just love to trump the other in bidding: an eternal narcissist's way of proving a point.

If the sale went, the friends could probably go home with twice that much of a million. If it did not sway with the votes, they'd still have a chuckload of precious old world artifacts in their keep. Rafel was especially looking forward to practicing with the Akkadian battle sickle he had been eyeing.

Either way, millions of gold or hard battle silver, a win was still a motherfucking win.

The Silver May: Lady Fairfield's pompous yacht had arrived the shores of the island with sat the Corynthian Academy for Witches [C. A. W] at late afternoon. Erika was the last to unboard; still lounging in the delightful spa room of the closed cabin quarters. The image of her in that hot room was x-rated.

Rosamunde and Ravenna sought to retire, taking different buggy rides to their Salem and Brightburn Halls respectively. Rafel was even now in the showers, half sunk into the alabaster tub.

His thoughts were interrupted by his roommate's shadow passing the glass doors of the bathroom.

Percival's golden hair, native to the House Imperia, gave him away, even before he swatted out with a bassy laugh to Rafel. "Scrubbing Rosamunde off you, are we?"

Rafel laughed back; his own voice came out muffled through the glass.

"If you were in, blondie, I'd drown you. You very well know I'd love to smell like that islandic girl all damn day. Now get your golden head outta my corner. Get! I'd love to enjoy my bubble bath without the interruption of nosy royals."

Percival laughed harder, but he left Rafel to his devices.

Frankly, the young man would always terrify him. He slept in the same room as the Apollyon: harbinger of doom, offspring of death, the Burning One. Israfel must have smelled his fear; because he did everything to keep Percival at ease. Percival knew this, and respected he even more for this.

In all his life, he knew only one [Rank A] demon prince who was this down to earth.

His Eminence, Israfel.

Percival fell on his layered bed of pristine sheets, in his own adjoining suite, busying himself with an assignment from his [Wind and Weathers] class, specific only to those of the Griffin Gold Arc, as he left his demonic roommate to his bath. But Rafel's quiet was not meant to be; and again interrupted by a sonorous, seductive purr.

[Ding!]

'Oh hell! Peitho, what is it?' Rafel pulled his head from under the lily water.

[Apollyon has not fulfilled Quest: Find a Hyde monster and slay?]

[Redemption points locked!]

[Prerogative to ascend locked!]

[Accessibility to Arcane Shop locked!]

[Boons of Harem—]

'I get the gist.' Rafel interrupted Peitho's sultry voice in his head. Sighing, he pulled himself out of the gigantic tub and grabbed the nearest bathrobe. Walking out, he sent via the mind link he shared with his [Bond] succubus, telepathically sharing with Aya: "We have a new quest, Naamah. Meet me by the courts of the Guild, under the gargoyle pavilions." Your journey continues with m v|l--NovelBin.net

Rafel was standing; waiting under a gilded arch, by a robust pillar ten minutes later, looking out into the orchards of green and apple red that dotted this side of campus.

The roads were lonely, the Guild empty behind, and early evening just hit the alpine horizon.

"Lord Master?" Aya appeared at his side.

Rafel turned with a smile; he took a moment to admire the Alexandrian-styled calico she was spotting. Underneath, tight pants fit her thighs and calves like a country girl's glove.

"Did you bring it?" he asked.

Aya unfolded a script from her decolletage. "Yep. A compiled list of everyone with the name, Hyde, or references to it. Mikhail had a vampire glamour the librarian to provide it. . .just like you asked."

She handed it over. Rafel perused on the names, reading aloud; only the surnames. "Hiddleston! Hildebrand! Heidfäan!" Rafel went back. "—this one," he pointed to the first name on the paper, "who is he?"

"Blu Hiddleston. He's the owner of the famous restaúrant, Spinazolla's," said Aya. "Do you reckon he's the Hyde monster in hiding?"

Rafel nodded. He didn't need to decipher shit. In matters of the paranormal, things were quite simple. It was all in the name. Look at his? Blüdthïrste!

His literal birth name was his blood ability. The same went for monsters—after all he was one.

And there was a hidden Hyde in Hiddleston.

"Come on." Rafel took Aya's hand, and led on to a blue carriage, with the winged Pegasus emblem of her Arc.

The Spinazolla restaúrant was quite full of patrons when Israfel pushed through the glass doors with Aya in tow. Many in the ornate booths turned to stare at the tall guy with the shocking ginger curls and his equally striking accomplice. Rafel ignored the looks and barreled across the smooth marble floors, through the Nubian savanna themes on show for the evening.

Rafel tore past the service area, utterly ignoring the OUT OF BOUNDS plaque overhead.

The house chef was instantly hot on his heels.

"Excuse me, sir, do you have a reservation? This area is restricted to employees only."

His diction was impeccable. When Rafel still didn't answer, the man clutched hard to his white.

"SIR?"

Rafel pointed to the steel door at the end. This area held slabs of beef hooked to the shiny ceiling for processing. "Where does that door lead to?"

The chef frowned. "Why the hell should I know?"

Rafel shared a look with Aya. She produced from her waist pocket a purse of gold coins and jammed it into the chef's open hands. "Talk!"

The man calmly removed his peaked cap and walked to the steel door in question. He lifted his hand to the shining panel on the left side. He drew a small rune into the mystic screen: a password, and the steel door parted with a flush hiss.

The chef inclined his head through the door. "It's the boss's office. He seldom comes out of it."

Aya placed another small bag weighing a chunk of Eldorian currency into the man's hand. "Keep watch," she said, before walking in after Rafel. The steel door shut quietly behind them.

In this new room, the first thing Rafel noticed were the dim lights; like you might find in a butcher's slaughterhouse, or a serial killer's lair. The flickers hit the white-washed walls eerily. Rafel heard grunts; crunching sounds. He started for it. Being a creature of darkness himself, he knew what to expect.

Someone. . .or something was eating.

Rafel pulled a bloodied hanging plastic curtain, and his amber eyes fell on a man with a shaved head. He was clothed in a very expensive tuxedoed suit. A penguin make. Cost a small fortune. He was crouched over, nimbling on something too hard to notice their presence.

Rafel turned a quizzical glance at Aya. She smiled like a cat.

She said, "Mr. Hyde, I presume?"

The suited man nearly fell over with the speed in which he turned. He struggled to wipe with the arm of his sleeve his mouth at the sound of her sudden voice, but there was no amount of white that could blot out blood.

It stained his lips and carnivorous teeth, and immaculate tux in dangerous splotches of white.

The bald man's eyes went huge.

"No need to hide the teeth, Mr. Hyde." Rafel uttered darkly.

The man calmly rose; he was a predator, accessing his hunters. His lips moved in ugly crimson pallor. "My name is Hiddleston. Blu Hiddleston. Not Hyde. And I have no idea what the fuck you are talking about."

Rafel chuckled wickedly. "We don't give a shit—as long as we know what the fuck WE are talking about."

"I—" Hiddleston began.

Aya scrunched her nose. "Oi! Would you quit it! Don't try to explain. Look at you with the bloody face. Clearly, you have been having the munchies on some poor human before we got in here."

The man's face blanched. "How...did you get in here?"

Aya clicked her fingers to get his attention; her ebony claws sounded like rattlesnake claps.

"Oi! You're not listening. We know what you are, HYDE! There's two of you in there, innit? The calm, collected owner of this fine establishment: Mr. Hiddleston.

And the other, a hideous creature of the roaming: A Hyde monster. Gone are the days of your predecessor, good ol' Dr. Jekyll. Now, you lot just do and be whoever you like.

Just look at you. . .claiming to be owner of a restaurant, while secretly devouring its stupid, rich-ass, unsuspecting patrons no less. How many kids have gone missing just outside your doors? Or on the dark alleys to their dorms?

Fifteen?

Fifty?"

Knowing it was caught red-handed—quite literally, the dual monster-man began to shiver. It abruptly upset his stomach, and Rafel and Aya watched stunned as the expensively dressed millionaire baron of the Spinazolla restaúrant chain, who wouldn't hurt a fly in public, the boss with a smile and heart of gold; he coughed up an ugly retch of green sludge.

There in his vomit, like resting slugs of a bullet, was the chewed remains of a human hand, complete with five fingers, and a staring orb of eye.

By the gods? Had the man gobbled the person whole?

"Well, well. Would you look at that?" Aya kicked the hand in the vomit pile. "You are on greedy eater, Mr. Hyde."

Rafel's eyes went to the large cooler in the corner. Silver streams of frost from the ice within climbed out in writhing cold vapor from the frozen lid. He said, "What's in the fridge?"

"None of your business," suited Mr. Hiddleston fired. "—and you made a very big mistake, you two, by coming in here."

Rafel rushed with a burst of [Wicked Swift] ability, blurring past the man to the coolant before he could stop him. Even Aya couldn't catch him the superspeed. Rafel kicked the cooler's lid open.

Three fresh heads stared up at him from the ice.