"Nice sword you've got there." One Niflhel said, pulling out his Uhyre key as he approached. "Where did trash like you steal it from? Terrorize!" Wings sprouted from the man's arms, his flesh graying and rotting as the bat creature transformed.
"It'll be a nice souvenir for the boss. Terrorize." Chunks of the mangy dog-like creature's fur slipped off as the other thug transformed.
Instead of replying, Johan kept his blade extended, waiting for his three opponents to make the first move. While the fox and dog creature moved to surround him, the bat monster took to the air, unleashing a shriek that made Johan instinctively flinch.
"Get him." The Niflhel jumped him at once.
Claws raked at Johan's face, hoping to gouge his eyes out. Only a quick raise of his sword deflected the fox monster's attack. The other aimed at Johan's midsection while he was distracted, his massive razor-sharp fangs missing by a hair as Johan pivoted away. He howled as the bat creature's claws swooped from the air and chunks of fur tore away from his back. Johan retaliated with a backward sword swipe, but the little guy was deceptively quick. Blood oozed from Johan's sword arm as the dog monster's fang bit into him, its grip like a vice.
"Nice going, Rev." The fox monster smirked as Johan struggled against his comrade's jaws, moving in for the kill. "We've got him pinned. Let's finish him."
"Oh crap!" Johan said, heart pounding in terror.
"You need to learn something, Johan." The fox bastard circled around him, taking his time killing his prey. "We Niflhel are predators, apex amongst this concrete jungle. And you are our prey, little piggy."
Johan seethed, refusing to be anyone's prey. The pain disappeared, replaced with blinding fury. The wolf monster flailed in sudden blind panic as Johan lifted him high before slamming him hard against Rev, who'd been ready to pounce.
A pained wheeze escaped the wolf monster's lips, forcing him to release his victim. Rev groaned, struggling to push away the larger Niflhel that'd landed on him.
"Bastard!" The bat monster slashed at Johan's face, his claws leaving red stains across his cheek. Victor took advantage of his opponent's distraction, slashing at Johan's blind side.
But time slowed as Johan's strange power manifested again, the monsters' future actions becoming plain. Victor crumpled as a fist slammed into the fox monster's ribs, an audible crack from the impact.
The wolf monster's legs wobbled as he struggled to stand, eyes fearful as Dillon's armlet shattered under Johan's foot. He retreated a step as the boar directed his ire toward him, only to regain his courage a moment later.
"Die!" Rev's claws lashed wildly at his opponent. But even without his predictions, Johan saw through his clumsy attack. Bone cracked as Johan's tusks made an ugly mess of Rev's uglier mug. The monster whimpered in pain, howling as Johan's blade cleaved through his Angra Armlet.
"What?!" The detransforming wolf monster grabbed at his chest, gasping for air. His fearful eyes rolled backward and he collapsed. Johan's eyes widened, unsure if the man was still breathing.
"Oh, crap!" The bat monster flew out of Johan's reach, not wanting a piece of his so-called weakling Jotnar anymore. He disappeared on the horizon, vanishing from sight.
Johan stared at his fist, awed by the power he possessed when he embraced the bestial nature of his new form. The strange prediction power had manifested again. He stared at a crow passing overhead, trying to predict its path. But his strange future sight never manifested, much to Johan's frustration. Did it only work on instinct? Whatever. A problem he'd solve later.
With the police station crawling with Niflhel, Johan feared he might arrive too late to help Yareli. After giving the fallen Rev another look, he charged toward his destination. He didn't check if the former wolf monster was alive. Some things were best left unknown.
---
The station was a terrible sight. Johan avoided glass as he explored the hallways, pausing when he stumbled across the bodies of older men who definitely weren't police officers. Johan's heart seized in his chest, horrified at such a terrible waste. He gripped his sword so hard, the metal squealed in protest. These brave men had sacrificed themselves to fight the Niflhel. Those monsters would pay dearly for this outrage.
The entire station was eerily quiet as Johan passed over more bodies—officers mangled by teeth and claw, the coppery scent of blood choking. The silence heightened Johan's nerves as he wandered the mazelike halls blind. He almost lost his footing when gunfire rang through the corridor. Johan blinked. Had something hit him?
"Monster!" a man yelled from behind the welcome desk. "You aren't getting any further." Johan blinked as another bullet struck his boar form's head.
"I'm a friend. I'm here to help!" A bullet between Johan's eyes was the man's response.
"I'm disengaging my Uhyre key. That should prove I'm not a Niflhel. They're my enemy too." Arms raised, Johan removed his key, transforming back to normal. He prayed this offer of trust wouldn't get him a bullet in the skull.
"Who are you?" The man was over sixty, keeping his rifle steady with a practiced skill. He pointed it toward Johan's head as he emerged from his hiding spot.
"Johan. I'm here to help."
The man scratched his balding scalp before nodding and lowering his weapon. "Sorry about that. You scared the daylights out of me. I thought I was a goner. Steal that thingamabob from the Niflhel? Good lad. Glad something's finally going our way. The name's Eldred Cornell."
"I'm looking for a girl in a biker suit. She's a friend. She's helping me fight the Niflhel."
"That crazy girl? Yeah, she rode a motorcycle through the building heading that way." Eldred pointed down a right hallway.
"Thanks." Johan sped off down a hall, weaving between desks that'd been used as makeshift barriers. Much to his surprise, the older man followed behind him.
"You can't come along. It's dangerous!"
"Young man, I've got my pride. In the old days, I worked as a beat cop. I'm not letting a civy fight those monsters alone." Eldred's face extended into a grim smile. "Besides, you'll need my help to navigate this building. I have an idea where your friend's at."
"Okay," Johan replied after some reluctance. "But I might not be capable of protecting you, old-timer."
Eldred snorted, snapping another clip into his rifle. "I'm not finished yet. Follow me."
They walked in silence, alert for any approaching trouble. Eldred eyed Johan's sheathed sword with a raised eyebrow but said nothing. His guide directed him around the elevators toward a nearby door leading to a staircase.
"I overheard the Niflhel talking about heading toward the back parking lot. They have several escape vehicles down there. It's on the bottom floor. If we hurry, we can catch up to them."
"Wait, escape? They've rescued their friends already?"
"Reinforcements will arrive soon. The governor has called up the army to help. We only need to stall them until they arrive. I'd be careful they don't confuse you for the Niflhel."
They dashed down the stairs, taking three at a time. Despite his advanced age, Eldred kept pace. Up ahead, they heard sounds of fighting. Johan's heart soared when he heard Yareli's familiar voice and increased his step.
"Hey, slow down," Eldred said behind him. "Rushing in will only get us killed." Johan paused at the door leading to the bottom floor and waited for his ally to catch up.
Johan heeded the older man's advice, peeking inside the door first. His heart pounded as he spotted Yareli and a Valkyrie surrounded by enemies. While many Niflhel had fallen, their great numbers seemed insurmountable. Both armored girls had taken a beating—the Valkyrie's armor crumbling in some places, one wing nothing but twisted metal. She used a broken lance to fend off her attackers, making them work hard for their apparent victory. He spotted several untransformed thugs watching from behind some cars—the Niflhel they'd come to rescue.
"Yareli, behind you!" Johan's heart almost leapt from his throat as Selim appeared from nowhere, kicking his friend through a nearby car.
As Yareli struggled to stand, another Niflhel—a hawk monster—swooped down toward her, raking her with his claws. Yareli stumbled, her legs losing all their remaining strength.
"So much for the great hero!" Selim leisurely strode toward Yareli, a spidery leg pointing its bladed edge at her throat.
Eldred watched the scene, terrified, unsure how they could turn the tide of this battle.
"Get ready," Johan whispered, unsheathing his weapon. He pointed toward the leader, his terrified ally nodding in understanding.
Keeping his steps as quiet as possible, Johan crept toward an optimal ambushing spot. Sweat made his key slippery as he palmed it tight, fearing even breathing too hard might alert his enemies. Rage bubbled beneath the surface as Selim stabbed a claw into his friend, enjoying torturing her. His hiss of anger caught the hawk monster's sharp hearing, its beady eye narrowing. Before the Niflhel could shout a warning, Eldred took the shot, hitting Selim's spider form right between the eyes.
"Huh?" While unharmed, the shot momentarily startled the Niflhel leader.
"Terrorize!" The concrete cracked under Johan's feet as his body mass increased tenfold, and he threw himself into the fray. Two Niflhel noticed the charge, moving in to intercede. They harried the boar monster, using their superior numbers to tear apart any possible defense. Red-hot pain scorched his midsection as the hawk monster's talons slashed into Johan's belly.
"Johan, eh?" Selim said, amused. "Seems you've toughened up. Pity it won't mean anything."
"Look out!" Yareli rushed to his rescue, switching her weapon to gun mode as she blasted a dog monster approaching Johan from behind. But her warning came too late.
Selim's mandibles sparked, pain lancing across Johan's arm as webbing constricted around it. His entire body jerked as countless volts of electricity surged through his system. His sword slipped from his numbed hand, clattering to the ground. Fear spiked into his heart as the hawk monster slunk toward him, its feverish eyes eager to gore the helpless Jotnar further. But the Niflhel didn't get a chance to finish his dirty deed—scorching holes burned in his chest as Yareli shot him point-blank.
"He used the same trick on me," Yareli said, taking a protective stand before her friend. "Give it a few minutes, and you'll be fine."
Blinded by fury at the dispatch of one of his minions, Selim engaged Fenrir toe-to-toe. Johan watched helplessly as Yareli struggled to defend against eight wild limbs that lashed out at her, each striking from an unpredictable angle. The Valkyrie tried to assist, but the other Niflhel kept her engaged.
An appendage broke past Fenrir's defenses, the impact crumpling a parked car. Her armor flashed, and her transformation failed. She collapsed in the remains of the battered vehicle, unmoving. The paralysis stunning Johan waned, but the hawk monster drove his legs out from under him before he could rush to Yareli's aid. Another Niflhel, a rhino monster, slammed his rock-hard fist into Johan's back, ensuring he stayed down.
"Finally, I can see your face, Racer Wolf. Who are you?" Selim said, standing over Yareli's prone form. He extended a limb and smashed her head against the ruined vehicle's windshield, shattering her helmet.
"What?" Selim retreated a step in shock, his black orb-like eyes widening to dinner plates. His Niflhel stopped whatever sick game they planned to play with Johan and stared in stunned amazement.
"What is she?" the Valkyrie said, breathless.
Johan used the distraction to stagger back to his feet, recovering his sword. The rhino monster howled as Johan severed the arm holding his Angra Armlet clean through the bone, viscous liquid sprouting from the bloody stump.
Selim ignored his minion's whimper of pain as his transformation failed, continuing to stare at Yareli's skeletal form. "Fascinating. Are you even human? And people call me a monster?"
"Bastard!" More Niflhel moved to block Johan's path. Eager to avenge their fallen comrade, they tore into the boar monster's body as he rushed to Yareli's side. But the bloody chunks torn from his flesh didn't matter. Johan would save his friend, even if it meant cutting down everyone in this room.
"Johan!" Yareli struggled to reinsert her Uhyre Key, but Selim kicked her Ragnadriver away.
"Enough of that. It's over, monster girl." Despite not possessing any facial features, hate emanated from her skeletal glare.
"Haken, how long until the army arrives?" Selim asked, his spider features grimacing as the hawk Niflhel's fragile bones crumpled under Johan, collapsing in a broken heap.
"Some time," the large man replied. "Our boys are harassing them, but we can't stay forever."
"Good, we can have some fun first." Selim's monstrous spider face turned cruel. "Monster girl can watch as we rip the life from her boyfriend here."
"No!" Horror and despair haunted Yareli's voice as she struggled to push herself up. Her body jolted as Selim laughed, pinning her with a leg.
Fire erupted in Johan's middle as a mangy dog monster dug deep into his already open, festering stomach wound, nearly gutting him. The bastard was careful to keep his wounds from being life-threatening. His vision blurred—he almost passed out from the pain. Johan felt his transformation slipping away, the Niflhel hurling insults as they beat him.
"Johan!" Was that his imagination, or were tears flowing from his friend's eyeholes? That was impossible. Skeletons didn't have tear ducts. In response, Selim's legs pressed her harder against the broken car's remains, but she only grunted, more concerned about her friend. She gasped in horror as Johan's transformation finally failed, the dog monster's claws grabbing the helpless Jotnar by the throat.
"You can't feel pain?" Selim said, irritated. "Whatever—Johan can feel pain for you both. Wrap it up, boys. Time is short." He eyed the Valkyrie, wondering if she'd intervene. His evil, bulbous spider eyes challenged her to try something foolish but heroic.
"Got it, Boss." Johan flailed, trying anything to free himself from the dog monster's impossible grip. But it proved fruitless—Johan turned blue as the monster stole his ability to breathe.
"No!" The sudden sharp loudness of Yareli's voice made everyone flinch. That single word had transformed her anguish into red-hot fury.
"I won't allow it!" Much to everyone's shock, a blow from Yareli's arm hurled the Niflhel leader aside like he weighed nothing. Yareli unleashed a roar of primal fury that seemed to shake the entire building. Her bleached white bones reddened, becoming the color of blood. Her bike suit snapped as her skeleton expanded, adopting a more beastly posture. Any human features of her skull vanished, becoming more canine in appearance. She hunched over as her spine extended, her arms nearly reaching the floor. Her black sockets seemed to stare into them. They looked hungry.
"Yareli?" Johan said, stunned.
"What is this?" The Niflhel backed away in fright as they faced a true predator—one eager for blood and vengeance. Yareli unleashed another primal roar before charging the monsters that dared hurt her friend.