#9 - Tapping the Vein, Part Five

by Des Davies

Previously... the Seekers in New Orleans have defeated the cult, but not before the ritual was completed. A portal is opening, and something monstrous is trying to come through. Blaze tackles the Zarathos-possessed Hulk, while Jennifer Kale calls in help.

"Better than I could have hoped for," Zarathos said, from the possessed form of the Hulk.

Noble Kale did not bother to respond. He simply walked towards his eternal enemy, his mystical chain uncoiling from around his wrist.

"Back to playing the strong silent type again?"

There was a nasty, viscous edge to the words. Zarathos ignored the others and stepped forward. The chain lanced out, aiming for the Hulk's skull-faced head, but Zarathos got his hand up in time to catch it. He could feel it burn against the flesh. The pain turned into agony as the flesh healed, only to be burned again. Over and over. He ignored it, and yanked on the chain.

Some of the Hulk's finer control of his body was evading Zarathos, but the strength, that was something he knew how to use. Even braced, Noble, was not expecting the power, and was pulled forward. Not to be outdone, he surged into it, and snapped his arm up, and then down. The motion was transferred down the slack in the chain, and it whipped up and smacked Zarathos across the nose. It was his turn to stumble backwards, dropping the chain.

He straightened in time to catch two attacks together. Blaze had unleashed the power of his shotgun, catching Zarathos in the chest, while Ghost Rider smashed his chain covered hand into the demon's face. The pain kept Zarathos off balance, and Noble slammed a fist into the Hulk's side, twisting him, before crashing his other into the monster's jaw.

As the Hulk spun from the force, Noble un-wrapped a length of his chain once more from one hand, and wrapped it around the other. In a blur, he slid the length tying his hands together over the Hulk's head and down to his throat. It was a struggle to accomplish. Even though Noble was tall, he was still dwarfed by the Hulk and he now found himself hanging from the monster's back, his chain pulled tight around it's neck.

Another burst of Hellfire smacked into the Hulk's chest, making him roar from the combined pain of that and the chain against his neck. Noble held on, looking for all-the world like a rider trying to break an enormous bull.

A third attack joined the first two, as the asphalt beneath the Hulk's feet writhed and began to rise, twisting and wrapping around the monster's legs.

Blaze glanced over to see Magick closing in on the battle. He turned his attention back to the fight and let off another blast. It was now like hitting the side of a barn door.

"Where's Jen?" he barked.

"New Orleans. She was needed there."

"She was needed here too," he snarled back at her.

"That's why you got me. How do we stop him?"

"We've got to force him out of the body."

"Any idea how?"

The conversation was stopped short as the Hulk flexed his mighty legs and shattered the asphalt prison trapping his legs. He made a grab for the chain but the pain was too much, so instead he tried to grab the spirit of vengeance. Ghost Rider drove his knees into the monster's back and tugged harder on the chain. Even the Hulk needed to breathe, he thought.

Zarathos twisted and spun. Then he threw himself backwards to the ground, trapping Noble between himself and the ground. With a savage twist he turned until the two skull-faced beings were face to face.

"Now. You. Die," Zarathos grated out as he brought huge fists down on each side of the Rider's head.

His grip loosened on the chain, but he did not let go. A second blow, caused him to change his mind. The chain wound itself off his left hand, and he drew his right back and smashed it into the Hulk's throat.

Zarathos gasped, but instead of scrambling away he drove his head into Ghost Rider's face. The sound of bone cracking split the night.

Before either could get another blow in, an unseen figure intervened. The ghostly form of John Kowalski dove into the body of the Hulk. The monster gave off a cry of rage that shook the air as he rolled off Noble, his hands smacking at his head.

"Do something," Blaze shouted at Magick.

She stepped forward and brought the flat of the Soul Sword's blade down across the possessed monster's head. As she did so, she sent a powerful twist of magic down the blade and into the creature. It was only the mystic nature of the blade that helped the magic cut through Zarathos' own defense.

His struggles slowed, and then stopped, his eyes rolled up into his head. Then his eyes closed. In moments, where the monster had been, with a skull burning with flame, lay the skinny form of Bruce Banner.

Jennifer Kale stepped through the portal Magick had created to switch the two groups. The metallic smell in the air made her nose hurt. It seemed to cut into her. She glanced around, taking in the bodies, and the other Seekers. She nodded to Blade and Drake, then looked up. She had been avoiding that, not really wanting to see what had been summoned.

She wished that she had not and quickly pulled her gaze away. The tentacled, many-eyed monstrosity that was getting closer by the moment, pulled at her sanity.

"Where's the spell caster?" she shouted over the building roar of wind, and screeching that ripped at the nerves.

Moon Knight gestured at the altar, where a tall, wild-haired man was laying.

"He's not dead?" he asked in concern as she moved toward him.

"No. Can you reverse this?"

"Yes. But not before that gets close enough to start infecting things." She took a deep breath, through her mouth, and gave out orders. "Moon Knight, you have to keep anything from distracting me. The rest of you have to put down anything that it infects. It'll go for the dead bodies first, then for you. If something, or one, gets infected, it has to be burned. These are not normal vampires. Burning or cutting off the heads are the only things that will work."

While she talked she started to work. She pulled the man off the altar, dumping him unceremoniously to the ground. Seeing the mess of blood, and other things, on the altar, she wished to clean it, but knew that would not work. Instead she gritted her teeth, and stuck her fingers into the mess. Then she began to draw a series of interlinked circles, followed by symbols.

She ignored the grunts, and noises that were coming from around her. The intelligence's magic was being felt as the dead bodies started to come to life. The smell of burning flesh soon started to cloy the air, making it harder to breathe, but she worked quickly to complete the circles. She had only seen this spell once, several years before, but it came back to her now, clearly. If she had had time, she would have thanked her old tutor.

She let her attention wander for a moment when she heard a grunt of pain. Drake had taken a blow to the ribs, but Blade was there, twisting and cutting at the newly born vampire.

She started the incantation. Grabbing the man who had cast the original ritual and dragging him upwards. She was careful not to erase any of the symbols she had drawn, but held his limp hand ready for the final step.

As she spoke the final phrase, a huge, wet, slime-covered tentacle wrapped itself around her waist and tugged. She screamed at the pain, as the bones contracted. She was twenty feet in the air in an instant, the body of the original spell caster falling back to the floor.

She could hear Moon Knight ordering Firestar to help her, but she screamed at him.

"His hand! Put his hand in the circle!"

Moon Knight grabbed the man, who was starting to awaken and dragged him to the altar again. He ignored his feeble struggles. Without thinking he slapped the man's hand into the one circle that was empty. The result was a huge explosion as the portal snapped shut. The force was enough to bring the remainder of the house down on them.

Next: The aftermath. Did they manage to purge Zarathos from the Hulk? Did the Seekers survive the collapse of the house?

To be continued...