I took an uneasy step back. This
wasn't my Toby. It was a pod person and he didn't have any TS- in
his system, and I just knew he would shred me. When Jared's
commandos had rescued us, they had taken the clone instead of the
real Toby. No, it was well before that. The syringe my clone had
given me hadn't been TS-1138; it was probably just a mild sedative.
I remembered the gold cross dangling from his throat that first
appeared the night of the raid on the Vampire nest. He had been
replaced then. How did I not see it? I had been
betrayed from the very beginning.Toby's behavior had
changed
drastically, but I hadn't seen it. They shot him on purpose during the raid to gain my sympathy. Lucas hadn't abducted me out of my apartment; Toby had given me to him. For every step forward I made in the investigation, he had somehow taken us two steps back. Toby was Chithula's inside man. The whole time, this whole investigation, my partner, the one person I trusted, was a copy. He lurched toward me as the transformation took him. His hands became massive weapons with three inch claws while his mouth altered into a muzzle full of razor-sharp teeth. Hitting me full force, we fell back to the floor. He snapped at my throat barely missing as I held him back. Pulling away, his lips drew into a terrible sneer as he let out a guttural growl. I threw a nearly ineffective punch into his nose, but realized the transformation had healed the break. Snapping my own claws out, I jabbed my hand into the soft flesh of his belly and pulled as hard as I could. Hot blood spilled onto me as I tore him open. As his flesh and muscles ripped, my claws hit the bony Maryut exoskeleton beneath. Toby snapped his mouth around my arm in retaliation and bit hard. I felt my skin and muscles tear and rip under the force as his teeth hit bone. Yelping, I slapped my opposite hand to his face and dug my claw into his eye. Puncturing the organ, I watched yellowish goo mixed with blood burst free.
The Werewolf roared and reared back with his hand over his eye. Rolling forward, I dropped my shoulder and shot up like a piston. The force of the blow knocked Toby backwards onto the floor and brought me to my feet.
Trolls surrounded us, but kept their distance. I think they were more interested in watching a Vampire and Werewolf battle than stopping us. Hooting and cheering, they wanted a fight to the death. And that's apparently what they were going to get. Toby wasn't interested in capturing me anymore. He was going to kill me.
Ignoring the newly gathered crowd, I turned and spotted my weapon. I hoped with Lucas dead, it would work again. There was only one way to find out. I charged for it, but the Werewolf hit me squarely in the back just as my fingers brushed the metal. I felt bits of concrete explode around us as we impacted, then his teeth digging into my back. He shook me hard while his claws tore into my sides. Pushing off the floor with every ounce of strength I had left, I then spun and slammed Toby repeatedly into the concrete. I heard bones crack under the force, but it simply wasn't enough. If a Vampire is built like a sports car for speed and power, then a Werewolf is a tank. As his teeth cracked several of my ribs, I stumbled forward.
I was going to die.
Then I saw him.
Atop the machinery like a samurai warrior, Karl the Goblin was ready for battle. The ball Lucas had contained him in had apparently burst when I killed the Warlock. He stood with a long rod of metal in his hand that I hoped to God was silver. Holding it like a bo staff, he spun it around his body in a display of
drastically, but I hadn't seen it. They shot him on purpose during the raid to gain my sympathy. Lucas hadn't abducted me out of my apartment; Toby had given me to him. For every step forward I made in the investigation, he had somehow taken us two steps back. Toby was Chithula's inside man. The whole time, this whole investigation, my partner, the one person I trusted, was a copy. He lurched toward me as the transformation took him. His hands became massive weapons with three inch claws while his mouth altered into a muzzle full of razor-sharp teeth. Hitting me full force, we fell back to the floor. He snapped at my throat barely missing as I held him back. Pulling away, his lips drew into a terrible sneer as he let out a guttural growl. I threw a nearly ineffective punch into his nose, but realized the transformation had healed the break. Snapping my own claws out, I jabbed my hand into the soft flesh of his belly and pulled as hard as I could. Hot blood spilled onto me as I tore him open. As his flesh and muscles ripped, my claws hit the bony Maryut exoskeleton beneath. Toby snapped his mouth around my arm in retaliation and bit hard. I felt my skin and muscles tear and rip under the force as his teeth hit bone. Yelping, I slapped my opposite hand to his face and dug my claw into his eye. Puncturing the organ, I watched yellowish goo mixed with blood burst free.
The Werewolf roared and reared back with his hand over his eye. Rolling forward, I dropped my shoulder and shot up like a piston. The force of the blow knocked Toby backwards onto the floor and brought me to my feet.
Trolls surrounded us, but kept their distance. I think they were more interested in watching a Vampire and Werewolf battle than stopping us. Hooting and cheering, they wanted a fight to the death. And that's apparently what they were going to get. Toby wasn't interested in capturing me anymore. He was going to kill me.
Ignoring the newly gathered crowd, I turned and spotted my weapon. I hoped with Lucas dead, it would work again. There was only one way to find out. I charged for it, but the Werewolf hit me squarely in the back just as my fingers brushed the metal. I felt bits of concrete explode around us as we impacted, then his teeth digging into my back. He shook me hard while his claws tore into my sides. Pushing off the floor with every ounce of strength I had left, I then spun and slammed Toby repeatedly into the concrete. I heard bones crack under the force, but it simply wasn't enough. If a Vampire is built like a sports car for speed and power, then a Werewolf is a tank. As his teeth cracked several of my ribs, I stumbled forward.
I was going to die.
Then I saw him.
Atop the machinery like a samurai warrior, Karl the Goblin was ready for battle. The ball Lucas had contained him in had apparently burst when I killed the Warlock. He stood with a long rod of metal in his hand that I hoped to God was silver. Holding it like a bo staff, he spun it around his body in a display of