Chapter 3: The Temple Pillar?

The darkness of the vast forest resided as nighttime continued. Lina felt the bat-like wings pull away from all around her, revealing two buildings next to them. The woman stepped forward and turned to look around. Only the starlight provided any glimmer of illumination. There were hints of hills in the vast distance and forests but little else. Upon closer inspection, Lina could tell that she was vastly elevated, almost as if she were standing on top of a mountain.

“Where are we?” Lina asked.

“One of our checkpoints for the Coalition of Mythics,” Annika said.

“The Coalition of Deities,” Helsing corrected her. “The name change isn’t official yet. Just because the Yuki joined us doesn’t mean that we change our names for their sake.”

Helsing walked forward ahead towards the single large door. Two red crystals lightly glimmered as he stood next to them.

“This is the Katshki Monastery in Georgia,” Helsing explained. “Do not wander too far from us. These buildings are on a pillar. Otherwise, it’s a 40-meter drop to the ground below.”

“You made this?” Lina asked as she stepped towards Annika.

“No. It was abandoned due to the war. So, we took it.”

“Perfect place for us to be isolated,” Annika remarked. “I can fly, and I have the perfect sniper’s post.”

Lina tried her best to remark upon the area. The church was quite small, almost the size of a large shed. There were hints of uncompleted sections of the structure with the possibility of fences that surrounded the perimeter. How such a building as this was ever built remains a mystery. If only she could see this place during the daytime. For now, the idea of isolation had given room for relief.

“I guess the ogres haven’t reached this far,” Lina said.

“They also hate climbing giant pillars,” Annika replied.

The door opened as Helsing stepped inside. The interior was big enough to handle Annika’s taller stature. Well-placed crystal lights illuminated the interior enough for Lina to see well. Upon entering, Lina noted that the church’s structure wasn’t that large. It had a single chamber big enough to house a single small table. The stone bricks gave the scent of old plaster. There was an altar in place, but there was also a set of stairs in the back that led to the lower floors.

“How did the priests ... monks ... get to here?” Lina asked.

“Humans always find a way. Hello,” an unknown female voice echoed in an English North American accent. Lina turned her head and remarked in surprise. The unidentified woman was an anthro bovine by appearance. She stood almost the same height as Annika. She had black and white spotted fur and stood on digitigrade legs. Her feet were hooves. She had black hair and horns on top of her head. She wore basic clothing that covered her chest and lower extremities, but she also had a revolver holster on one side and what looked like a tomahawk on the other. On her neck was some sort of pendant, but Lina couldn’t see well enough to understand what she was looking at.

“There she is,” Annika remarked with a smile. “Lina, this is Theo. Theo, this is Lina, mortal and only survivor from her unit.”

“ ... Hello,” Lina replied. She was greeted with a friendly smile. Unlike the darker tone of Helsing, Theo seemed a little more jovial despite her towering size. She took a few steps and extended her hand in greeting. The human woman extended her hand and felt it wrapped by four large fingers before Theo shook it. However, she was careful not to injure the more miniature human.

“It seems so much bigger inside,” Lina remarked, noting that the church was seemingly small on the outside.

“A lone mortal?” Theo commented. “Surely, you have a reason for bringing her here.”

“Well, Helsing needed a girlfriend,” Annika gestured to Helsing. Lina was waving her hands in dismissal at Theo. However, Helsing ignored the women’s responses. He turned to look at Theo.

“Where’s Lilith?” Helsing asked adamantly.

“Below,” Theo answered.

“Lina, I suggest you get a chance to meet the others. As for the rest of you, meeting in one hour.”

The man turned and headed towards the stairs. For a little while, Lina felt tempted to follow him, but maybe it was best to get to know the collection of odd individuals.

“Understood...,” Theo said with some reluctance. Her bovine eyes looked toward the small human.

“You’re ... a giant cow?” Lina asked.

“Minotaur,” she replied with the smallest hint of pride in her voice. “So, why did you get a mortal to join your cause?” Theo asked Annika. “Surely, you know that the great ones will get a little upset if we start bringing them to our little hideouts.”

“We couldn’t leave poor Lina to her fate,” Annika explained. “Helsing saved her from a group of ogres and,” the dragoness looked down at the human. “She helped us in gathering the samples that Helsing so desperately needed to get.”

“Am I in trouble?” Lina asked.

“No ... we would,” Theo commented.

“Annika told me a little bit about your Coalition ... of Mystics?”

“Mythics,” she corrected her. “We still call ourselves deities, but there’s so many of us in different ... makeups that we just call ourselves mythics, short for mythical. In the past, we sometimes called ourselves ‘immortal ones.’”

“And you have been hiding in human form?”

“Yes. It’s ... something that we don’t all agree with, but a philosophy that we stand by. Of course, with the whole war with the ogres, that rule is being tossed out the window. Still ... we can’t let humanity know too much about us.”

“Maybe it’s best if the humans do join forces,” Annika added.

Theo nodded. “Perhaps ... but if Helsing’s plan works, then it won’t be necessary.”

“What is his plan?” Lina asked.

The minotaur felt inclined to say, but she held back. “I think it will be easier with the meeting if he just tells you.”

Lina looked at the surrounding monastery. “How many of these bases do you have?”

“We have checkpoints scattered throughout Earth,” Annika answered. “Two in Europe alone, three in China, two in Japan, and so on. Only so many places for us to work from.”

“And only so many of us,” Theo added. She shook her head.

“How did we?” Lina shook her head. “How did we not know about you?”

“Me? Oh, you mean the mythics? It’s called ‘being hidden.’ We have different means to make sure humans don’t find out about us. But the ones that do learn about us often end up as our companions sworn to secrecy.”

“So, I’m not the first human to be working with you?”

“Far from it. Even the one that came up with the name for mythics was mortal. It’s ... too bad she passed on.”

“And ... you’re all gods?” Lina shook her head and smiled at the thought of it.

“Hmmm ... that’s up to you to decide on that. Characters from fables, deities, monsters, and foes alike, we do our best to work together for a common cause.”

“Magic exists ... I didn’t think it was possible.”

“A little bit of magic, a little bit of science, a little bit of ingenuity. The way things are going, even humanity will eventually match with what we have, given time.”

Lina was putting her hands to her head. “So many things to ask ... so many things to question about. It’s so ... overwhelming. I read my books about so many things, and there you are in the flesh. Am I dreaming, or is it a nightmare? Oh, mon Dieu...”

“Well, I can verify that you’re not a corpse,” Annika said with a smile. “Your reaction is normal. If anything, I’ve never met a human that didn’t pass out from seeing our real faces. Having you here may help raise our spirits some. Just ... try not to get on some of our bad sides. Some of us come from hellish environments or didn’t have a good upbringing, you know? Don’t let it get to you.”

“It’s ok,” Lina replied. “I know the rules. Besides ... better here than there.”

Annika turned her attention to Theo. “Hey, where is that best friend of yours?”

“Aritaaku is currently with Viktor and Moswen in Germany,” Theo said.

“Really?” Annika smiled. “You two have been inseparable since the Unut family joined the Coalition of Mythics. You two didn’t get into a fight, did you?”

Theo shook her head. “No. Lilith thought it might be best to rotate the groups around. I think she might be right. My friend is used to operating with me all the time. They should be back soon.”

“Germany is under complete control of the ogres,” Lina remarked.

“Yes, but we understand our risks. Right now, information is more important than anything. We might even need to question you on any information that we can gather.”

Lina shrugged. “I’ll tell you what I know, but you probably know more than me. Do you know the cause of the outbreak?”

“What made the humans turn into ogres? No, I don’t. Helsing and Lilith, however, are working on it.”

“It’s why we needed the blood samples,” Annika added.

“Is Helsing a vampire?”

“Hmm ... why don’t you ask him? He has a way of keeping to himself.”

“You mean you aren’t friends?”

“Not really. Just associates. Tonight, you actually seemed to break through to him. Go check up on him. Just watch out for Lilith. She ... might be a little grumpy if she sees you.”

Lina nodded her head. Her curiosity about this high, cramped outpost was starting to get to her. She left the two behind, walked past the table, and headed down the stairs. The construction of the place was somewhat haphazard. It was unknown if the original builders struggled to keep the location maintained or if the construction was ever completed. Understandably, it must have been challenging ever to build such a structure to begin with. The Christian iconography decorated the interior.

Lina reached the bottom floor. It consisted of what looked like a wine storage room. Large, corked wine barrels rested on the walls. However, this room was even bigger than the upper floor. Sets of laboratory equipment, microscopes, vials, mixing vaults, chemicals, and beds stuck out of something that should have been a simple storage area. Two of the three beds had the silhouette of a large body that rested upon them with bed sheets strewn entirely over them. Stored corpses? Lina didn’t know. However, the smell of the room still consisted of the same plaster and stone.

In the room were two standing individuals. One was, obviously, Helsing. The other was a winged woman. She had red hair, gray skin, and horns on her head. She had bat-like wings and wore a black dress that covered her breasts, stomach, and most of her legs. Both of them were focused on a table and talking to themselves, never noticing Lina’s arrival. The human woman couldn’t hear their lowered voices from the end of the stairs.

Lina froze as she looked at the beds. The other woman also spooked Lina. Was she a vampire? The wings were a dead giveaway. The human remained quiet, but she was closed in enough to listen in on the conversation.

“You bring a mortal to our base,” the winged woman whispered aggressively to Helsing.

“It’s none of your concern,” Helsing told her.

“And if she’s captured and turned into one of them? The ogres will know our hideout.”

“I’m aware of that.”

The winged woman turned her head. The hint of anger was present on her face. Her eyes even glowed red for a brief moment.

“All I ask, Lilith,” Helsing told her. “Is that you leave her be.”

“And the Greater Ones?” Lilith asked. “What do I tell them?”

“They don’t care. You know that they are busy enough as it is not to worry about her.”

Lilith had turned her head to look at the man. Her anger seemed to die down as her eyes turned back to normal. She nodded.

“I see...,” Lilith remarked. “You want a companion ... a pet. Just like ‘her.’”

Helsing ignored her comment. He lifted up a vial of blood and read the label on it. He uncorked it and began to sniff it.

“We’re ignoring our objective,” Helsing told her. “I’ve made my decision. Stay and help me or go upstairs and relax. You’ve been down here long enough as it is.”

“Ehhh...,” Lilith looked at Lina. She dumped any last ounce she had of her anger and proceeded to leave. Lilith wasn’t that tall, but the fact that she looked evil had a way of making Lina nervous as she walked past her. She never even bothered to look at the lone human as she walked upstairs, leaving Lina and Helsing alone.

“Done so quickly?” Helsing asked.

“What?” Lina asked.

“Your conversation upstairs.”

“I know enough...”

“Do you?”

Lina stepped past the set of beds. Her fingers touched the bed sheets, causing her to recoil her hand away in disgust.

“They’re dead if that’s worrying you,” Helsing remarked.

“It isn’t that,” Lina replied. She reached the table and folded her arms. “Is she ... a vampire?”

“Lilith is many things. A vampire ... yes, but your languages and its definitions make that classification difficult.”

“And you? You’re a vampire?”

He seemed to hesitate a little bit. “It’s as I said. Your definitions keep changing. Does that scare you?”

“I don’t know what to believe anymore. You killed those ogres, and I’m in your debt for doing that. Thank you.”

Helsing looked at the vial. He swished the contents around a little bit before he brought it to his lips. Before Lina knew it, she watched as he poured the blood into his mouth and swallowed it in a single gulp. It was enough to make Lina recoil a little bit.

“Eck...,” Lina reacted. The man ignored her reaction. He seemed focused on the taste and was concentrating. After a few seconds, he spoke.

“Subject 397,” Helsing said out loud. “Male, African ... Central African. Age 27. Ingested rotten pork and 3 pounds of human flesh before he expired. High concentration of lead poisoning. Submit for further evaluation.”

He placed the vial aside and started to jot down what he just said. Lina watched intently at what he was doing. He placed the clipboard aside and picked up the next filled vial.

“Why did you drink that?” Lina said. “That’s disgusting.”

“To you, it is,” Helsing replied. “It’s necessary.”

“You really are a vampire.”

“You still didn’t answer my question that I asked. Does it scare you?”

“Anytime I read about them, they were generally known to be evil ... that they desired to drink blood and hurt others.”

“Yet, you’re still alive. I’ve yet to inflict any physical harm on you.”

“I know. It’s just ... not what I expected.”

“There are many reasons why we don’t reveal ourselves to you, humans. Misconception, prejudice, and discrimination. They are still quite prevalent in your society.”

“But,” Lina shook her head. “That doesn’t seem fair. You have a ... team of different people, creatures ... working together.” Finally, she shook her head. “No, you don’t scare me.”

Lina had noted that Helsing’s reaction was to look back at his vials. His gloved hand tapped the table. He even adjusted his glasses as they slipped some from the ridge of his nose. The woman turned and looked upon the beds.

“Why are you doing all this?” Lina asked.

“What do you think I’m doing?” he replied.

“Recording information. Experimenting.”

“Are you a member of Outreach?” Helsing asked.

“Out ... reach?” Lina replied.

“Yes or no?”

“I don’t know who they are. What are they?”

Helsing was looking directly at her. His eyes glowed yellow. It was bright enough to see past the tinted glasses. For a moment, Lina felt her soul being probed. It was as if the contents of her body were displayed. It caused her to shake her head for a moment before the glow stopped.

“My apologies,” Helsing explained. “They’re an invasive conspirator group of mortal agents hellbent on revealing our identities ... Let’s say that I believe you.”

“What did you do?” she asked.

“Making sure you are what you say you are. It will never happen again, that I can promise you.”

Lina walked over to the beds. Her hand inched toward the white bed sheet and lifted it lightly. She regretted her action as she saw a plastic-enclosed sealed corpse of an ogre. She gave a disgusted look before dropping the sheet.

“She was one of the first ones,” Helsing commented.

“What?” Lina asked.

“What you’re looking at. She worked with the other transformed ogres when the outbreak occurred but was captured by one of our teams. But a few weeks ago, she tried to escape and was killed in the process. We kept her body preserved for further study. Her name was Nia.”

Helsing took another vial, uncorked it, and looked at the blood carefully. Lina winced some as the man took a deep swig of the contents before swallowing it. He began to concentrate.

“Subject 398,” Helsing said out loud. “Male, European ... Eastern Europe. Age 39. High Cholesterol content. Low vitamin count. Late generation ogre.”

He placed the vial aside and wrote the information on his clipboard.

“You’re able to tell all of that by the taste of their blood?” Lina asked.

“Yes,” Helsing replied. “Being what I am has its advantages. It may very well save humanity from becoming extinct.”

“So, she’s the first ogre?”

“What I know, yes. She’s the current first ogre that we have.”

“When?”

“Near the end of 2003.”

Lina held her hands out. “Nine years ago!?”

“Yes,” Helsing answered.

“We ... never heard of it.”

“I doubt you would. As you said, nine years ago, one of our teams stopped an attempted outbreak in Liberia. It was believed that a rogue mythic had poisoned the local water supply. He attempted to use the Civil War in Liberia to create an army of ogres. The water supply was cleansed, although ... there was one victim. A local village girl drank the water, and her body had mutated. A similar report from our team also showed that the rogue mythic had experimented with using his own army of humans as potential test subjects.”

“And your people never bothered to warn us about this?” She questioned him.

“It would have brought awareness of us or started a panic. Besides, you humans had more to worry about with your own conflicts than concern yourself with our matters. However, at the time, most of the Coalition had already agreed that any potential disaster had been averted. Years after the end of the Civil War, there were no further outbreaks or rogue mythics causing problems. If it concerns you, Lilith and I had our doubts about what happened in Liberia. Lilith had further suspicions that what happened in Liberia was just the Beta stage of the ogre mutagen. She was correct.”

“And now there are billions dead or turned into those things.”

“And there’s more to it. Thanks to your blood sample gatherings, I can further conclude that the actions in this are another rogue mythic, one that is so successful that he or she had managed to outmaneuver an entire collection of gods in one fell swoop.”

“What do you mean?”

“Because her taste is different,” Helsing gestured to the corpse of Nia. “Her blood is different, so slightly different but enough that I can pick it up. After nearly 400 different taste tests, one pattern does show up. There’s more to it, and I think that Lilith is somehow involved.”

“You think she betrayed you?”

Helsing shook his head. “Never. But I will need to finish testing the last of the samples. Go ahead and head upstairs. You will have more answers soon.”

“Fine...,” Lina remarked. She began to walk away, but she stopped to look back at him. “I ... want to learn more about you.”

“In due time,” Helsing said. His attention was focused on the table. The human woman proceeded to head upstairs. The very idea of this group of mythical beings knowing far more than humanity ever knew had sat in her mind like poison. At the same time, she felt the need to get some rest. For the first time ever, fatigue and tiredness had weighed on her body. She stopped moving and walked back down to talk to him.

“May I sleep down here?” She asked him.

“You may,” he said. He turned to look at her. For a little while, Lina could see that he was thinking. Finally, he gave a brief nod.

“How about this?” Helsing said as he turned his head back to the table. “I wouldn’t mind getting more time to evaluate my findings. Go and tell the others that the meeting will be postponed for three more hours.”

“I will. Just ... make sure to wake me up when it’s time.”

He said nothing else. Lina appreciated the gesture regardless. This was a long night, and she needed to get some rest and grieve a little bit as well. However, one thing that she could count on was that she knew that she was safe. Nothing else mattered but to learn more and more about her new companions and maybe, just maybe, be able to contribute to their cause...

“Abdelkader...,” Lina said waking herself. Her eyes opened. The room had remained dark, and her ass hurt from sitting on the cold stone floor. However, as she moved from the wall, she noticed that she felt somewhat rejuvenated.

She looked around. Helsing was still working at the table. It had been amazingly quiet, with only the hint of conversations that flooded from upstairs and possibly beyond that. Regardless, Lina leaned forward, grunting as she moved her rear end.

“Oww...,” the woman winced. Everything looked bigger from the floor, but Lina had to admit it was better than hiding in a closet in Paris.

“How long have I been asleep?” She asked.