The Dark Goddess

Chapter 29

Ami could almost taste the storm in her mouth from the moment they landed on the open top floor amongst the gargoyle hexagon doorway opened through Mariam’s portal spell.

The very air seemed electric, she should know, she was a storm goddess or at least the daughter of one (from her studies she was fairly sure that the goddess that was her birth mother was associated with storms, taking into account the encounters she has had with her).

She said as much to the group trying to warn them in the process as they came down from the roof access and through the hallway to the elevator and down to the ground floor then finally outside on the streets.

She kept trying to explain the feeling she was having, a foreboding feeling, something that was seriously unsettling to her.

But Sidat with his thick Indian accent - that somehow made him really cool - only pointed out that it was normal for a “newbie” to feel like that on the first mission, he also reassured her that since she was with seniors on this one then she will be fine, Ami did not seem reassured though.

As they walked down the street towards the safe house though the feeling only got worse, even the hair on the back of her neck started on end.

She wanted to talk again but this time she noticed even Alec was getting cautious as he slowed the group’s pace of advancement as they moved ahead.

“Is it just me or are there really few people moving around and even fewer cars” Mariam pointed out an obvious fact to that the group had all noticed.

“Yeah, weird uhn, for even this time of the day” Sidat answered.

“Guys, that feeling earlier on the roof, it had actually gotten worse down here” Ami quickly pointed out once again.

“Ok, we need to get more cautious from here on out, humans can't see most of the things we see and do but they have just the same instinct to stay away from danger, so umm we should split into two, Mariam and Sidat should take the right side of the street , the rest of us will go around the back through the alley on the left, and please there should be no unnecessary risks taken till we get to the safe house” Alec said.

There were no arguments from all around, not even from Mariam because by now they were all feeling that sense of impending doom.

Alec moved in front of Ami’s group while Ami and Kyle walked side by side.

Looking at Alec from the back, Ami got envious, of nothing else but the gleaming war axe strapped to his back.

The Axe had a silver and stark black blade on one side and on the other blade was bronze and gold, each on opposite sides of the blade and the handle was made of ancient oak, from where she was, she could still make out the runes inscribed on the oak.

If it had been a few months back, Ami would have had tons of questions concerning the axe and that was even if she had been interested in it (which she really doubted).

But now, Ami could all by herself analyze and decipher the weapon. She knew the silver was Aegean silver: the rarest and most potent silver in the world, she knew as well that the stark black was Styx obsidian from the river Styx in the underworld, the bronze was celestial bronze, the most quality bronze ever even used by the gods in the making of their weapons and all, and the gold was imperial gold, the richest mineral ever.

She wished she could have such assortment of precious quality materials like that in her possession to make such a weapon or any other weapon.

But she knew that for Alec to have acquired all that must have not been one small or easy feat, he must have earned them ten times over.

Ami reached back to touch the twin swords strapped to her own back, they had been given actual weapons for this mission, unlike the blunts and blanks they use for games, events and challenges at Haven, these were deadly sharp and potent.

She knew she was going to have to work really hard if she was ever going to get to Alec’s stage, trusted enough to lead a high priority mission and allowed to carry a weapon so deadly it could even kill a god for a while.

Ami glanced towards Kyle beside her and saw he had his hands on his double long daggers as well, she figured that she must have sent the wrong signal to him by touching her own swords.

She relaxed and gave him the ok sign after which he relaxed a but as well but he still hung his hands close to the daggers at his hips.

The group got to the safe house and regrouped as five, the safe house looked very ordinary just like the houses beside it.

What was different was the method of opening the door, Alec only just placed his hands on the door with his Haven tag on it.

Ami could feel rather than hear huge metal grating against each other from the back of the door as the security measures gave way, then slowly the door open.

The sight that welcomed the group as they entered was revolting in every sense, everything indoors was displaced, scattered, in shambles, broken, unbalanced.

There were scorch marks about on the walls, floors, and part of the displaced tables and chairs, there were claw marks here and there as well, as well as punctures and holes, worse was the blood splattered all about.

“Ami, stay at the corridor outside and keep watch, be our lookout” Alec said for which Ami couldn’t be so grateful for, she couldn’t bear the sight, smell and situation indoors.

When she got outside, she actually had to gasp for air and tried not retch, she felt feverish for a moment then calmed down.

‘Just relax girl, you are here for a job, just do it’ she said to herself to calm herself, then she got on duty and scanned about keeping watch.

Indoors though, the guys were having it bad at what they found, Mariam couldn’t help but shed a few tears, everyone here had lost their lives, all because they were trying to live their life, trying to survive in a harsh world that rarely ever accepted them.

As the feeling of sadness and mourning flowed it turned into anger and resentment at those who did it, they worked fast to search and gather all info and useful materials that they could.

Ami suddenly burst back in “Something is coming our way fast!” she alerted everyone and then, with even more urgency they all finished up in a hurry and exited the building in the nick of time before an incoming fiery projectile crashed into the safe house setting it ablaze after an explosion.

The impact from the explosion threw everyone off balance and they all landed flat on the floor, and as they regained their composure and started to get up, they discovered that they had been surrounded by an assortment of unknown beings not unlike monsters as their countenance oozed of menace.

Ami identified some angry storm spirits that the Greeks called venti, a couple of demon-like folks with clawed hands and legs and barbed tails and as well she saw some earthborn monsters, some with four hands some with more, some with two heads as well.

Ami immediately unsheathed her swords almost the same time as the others in the group did and at once they formed the kite formation that Alec had given putting Mariam with her two hunting knives in the center, Alec brought his battle axe forth as he took point, Ami was on the left facing the left and Kyle on the right facing the right with his double long daggers while Sidat had a curved broadsword as he faced the back.

Right before the battle started, Ami decided right then that no matter what, she wasn’t going to die there. Then she activated her powers with a soft boom, a loud whoosh and a silent ripping sound as she and the others charged into battle.