A shrill noise rose—the cry of Yuki’s baby.

  “Shit, gotta run,” she said, darting back into the house.

  To my surprise, the attacks paused.

  I summoned my hunter sword, then glanced down at my yukata, and laughed.

  “What’s funny?” Koharu asked.

  “Just… I look ridiculous.”

  “Cute, I’d say,” she countered.

  Judging by Kinara’s grin, however, she agreed more with me.

  “What’s happening, Greg?” I called out.

  The secret door was still open, so I was able to hear him call back, “They… let off.”

  “Just like that…” I went to the door, trying to get a glance outside, and was glad to feel the warmth of Basty as he leaped up on my shoulder, preparing. Suiko floated up next to me, too, looking out the other window.

  Standing outside, that large monster with the woman on top had its back to us, just far enough off that it was mostly concealed by darkness. They seemed to be conferring with someone—the rusty knights, maybe?

  “These guys, who are they?” I asked.

  “We brought back a monster that looked a lot like them, actually,” Suiko said.

  Ahlaksiz nodded. “Could be they’re here for her. Some connection?”

  All the knights and the large monster suddenly turned and charged us!

  “Back,” I said, and shuffled away, sword raised.

  “I’ve got this,” Suiko said, and she floated through the front door.

  We were there, ready to open the door and run out to join the fight, when Suiko came flying through the window, in full, solid form. She landed with a grunt, glass tearing into her skin, kimono torn.

  Somehow, they had made her as if alive, and she was not in good shape.

  2

  “Suiko!” Ahlaksiz shouted, going to her side and cradling the woman. I was right there, having nearly forgotten that they had been close once.

  “They’re stronger than I imagined,” Suiko said.

  “I don’t understand.” Holding her, I was confused by how warm she was—how solid, without fault. So often when we’d touched, she had been able to connect to me, to even make herself solid, but it had always been different from this. Always less… alive.

  Ahlaksiz held her up, shaking her head. “The necromancer?”

  Suiko shook, met my gaze, and nodded.

  “How does that make sense?” I asked. “You were here, but you didn’t have a physical body.”

  “Suddenly the expert on necromancy?” Suiko asked. With another shudder, she shook her head. “I don’t get it either. But right now, what we need is some healing—get me into the back room with Chirop.”

  I nodded, turning to see Kinara hanging out by the door while Arturo worked with a large, turtle-looking monster to get a bookshelf in front of the broken window.

  “Boo,” a woman said, face appearing before a long, tendrilled arm slashed at Ahlaksiz and drew blood. Devasla attacked, slamming the arm against the wall and burning it; a howl sounded from outside, and the arm retreated. Before it could get in again, we had the bookshelf in place. All I’d been able to see of the woman was that she appeared to be Asian and had her hair up in buns. The one who had been riding the monster, I thought. Where was it now? And those rusty knights?

  “You motherfuckers,” I growled, going to the door, ready to get outside and kick some ass.

  “Let’s do it!” Devasla said.

  “No!” Suiko protested, Ahlaksiz on one side to hold her up, and Kinara on the other.

  “We can take them,” I countered, barely slowing as my hand reached for the doorknob.

  But no sooner had I touched the cold metal than I was thrown back, landing on the floor next to her. The others all turned to me, and at first, I didn’t understand why they were cringing and looking horrified.

  “Oh, shit,” Suiko muttered, and she eyed my team, then Ahlaksiz. “Where’s his protective stone?”

  “Good thinking,” Ahlaksiz replied, but looked to me, hopeful. My mind, however, was not about to be useful at that moment. My face was heavy, and reaching a hand up I could feel the mask firmly in place. Why it was heavier than before was beyond me.

  “No…” I muttered, but it was already taking over. A connection linked me to Lizzy, and a scream came from above. Another window crashed from that same direction, and ’a second later I was up, my hands gripping Koharu by the T-shirt she’d thrown on, darkness whipping around me.

  The thudding started from outside again, and this time the door burst open. Not that I was any help—in fact, my mind belonged to the man who stood visible behind his monsters and witch, there in his robe with staff in hand. Another woman rose behind him, runes glowing on her nude body, and I understood what needed to be done.

  I closed my hands around Koharu’s throat.

  “Ferris,” she managed, then Akame was there with me, laughing, holding her hands over mine, and Lizzy doing the same! Three sets of hands, squeezing the life out of Koharu.

  I was vaguely aware of others shouting, of the thudding of the building as the monster from outside entered, then of the explosive burst of energy as Devasla and this beast collided.

  All the while, Koharu lashed out at us, others trying to pull us away; in one instant I was myself, the next I was both Akame and Lizzy. Koharu’s strikes became weak, and finally, she started to go limp.

  “No!” I managed, and dug deep into my inner core, to that spiritual place where I knew this mask and the power of Akame couldn’t reach. She was thrown from me to one side, Lizzy to the other, and I pulled Koharu close, whispering, “I’m sorry,” over and over, before turning to take in the situation as I held her close. She was breathing, at least—not totally out.

  Devasla was going toe-to-toe with the insanely large monster. The thing was like a nude man with muscles that bulged as if about to explode from his skin, veins looking like snakes writhing across his body. Then there was the face, and that’s where all semblance of humanity vanished. No eyes or nose, but a mouth full of sharp claws. It’s head no longer glowed now that the witch’s hands weren’t in it. The creature seemed to be in berserk mode, the way it was spinning and lashing out without any real strategy to its attacks.

  That was where Devasla had the advantage. While she was quite the powerhouse, she never lost her mind. When a series of attacks nearly took her, she countered with a fiery blast that sent the beast howling in retreat, and I made my move.

  “Arturo, door!”

  “Shit,” he muttered, spinning looking for options. “I thought this was going to be all naked chicks and barbecues. You didn’t tell me about this part!”

  “Just block the damn door,” I countered, and staggered back to Kinara, hand on her shoulder. “Get out of here. Heal.”

  “But you—”

  “I’ll be fine.”

  I turned to look at Akame on the ground. A strange, shadowy woman, whose face I now noticed had a resemblance to the mask, with angled horns on top. She leered at me, and I said, “We don’t have time for you. Get out of here.”

  “Normally I’d say you have that power,” she replied, while sounds of fighting came from above. Another shout, another scream. She was up in a flash of darkness, moving over to me. “See, right now another force is empowering me.”

  I turned to the door, where Milrae charged forward to join Devasla in holding off those rusty knights. Up close, I saw only darkness in their faces, with eyes that glowed a faint red.

  For some reason, however, they were standing there and staring at us, not advancing further. It was like something else there was connecting us, like at that moment the fight was off, and we were all about to join forces for some great mission. Then the door started to move as if someone was reshaping it.

  Arturo returned then with a strong monster, one that resembled a black goat, and they had the fridge from the kitchen. They took out a part of the wall as they pushed through, then managed to tip it over and block half the door that way, while my team leaped back. Another monster appeared, clearly one of the new arrivals, and he touched the wall, causing it to extend out to join the other.

  That guy had a wood nymph look to him, and I felt a kinship because of my druid ability.

  “Nice work,” I said.

  The guy eyed me, then nodded toward the kitchen. “We came to show you something.”

  “We don’t have time,” I replied, glancing up as something broke.

  “For this, you might,” the wood nymph said as he stepped over.

  “What…?” I asked, eyes roaming over the two monster men as a winged woman stepped in from the kitchen to join them. She had purple skin, with two sets of horns on her head. More horns on the tips of her wings.

  It only hit me then that the woman very much resembled the gargoyles outside. “You’re one of them.”

  “I… don’t know,” the woman replied.

  Considering the situation, I took the gamble and shouted, “We’re not going to let you hurt her!”

  To my surprise, it worked. The sounds of fighting stopped.

  A voice called in, “Hurt her? What the hell are you talking about?”

  Footsteps sounded behind me; Jalee and her sister entered with a gargoyle held between them. She had her hands up, but I didn’t doubt her danger in the slightest.

  “She… said she only wanted to see you,” Jalee said.

  Fiare grunted, thrusting a horn from her arm into the gargoyle’s back. “I don’t trust her, but… what’re you shouting about?”

  “Her,” I said, stepping aside so they could all see the gargoyle who’d stepped out from the kitchen.

  The other tried to take a step forward, but Fiare kicked out her leg and held her to the ground.

  “I’m not…” the gargoyle said, only holding up her hands and looking at the other. “Is that you, Gloran?”

  “That… that is my name.” The one from the kitchen, Gloran, stepped forward, cocking her head. “Yenifer?”

  A large gargoyle stepped forward—three times as large as the others. This one was more monster than woman, muscles bulging from arms as large as three of my legs put together. She wore only a loin cloth, breasts on massive pecs exposed.

  They both ran to each other for an embrace, while the rest of us stood staring in confusion.

  “We wondered about you, but had no idea you’d gone to stone,” Yenifer said.

  “Ummm…?” I held out my hands, waiting for an explanation.

  “Don’t attack!” Yenifer shouted, calling to those outside. “They have Gloran, and she’s safe. Actually… might be friends?”

  She eyed me, then the others, before turning back to the gargoyle in her arms.

  “I think so,” Gloran replied. “They rescued me from some other world, brought me back here. I didn’t know where I was…”

  “You’re not a monster?” I asked.

  “Not like the others,” Gloran said.

  “And… you…?” I eyed the newcomer.

  “We sensed she was here, and knowing this is monster territory, only assumed.” Yenifer grimaced before touching her horns and calling out, “Stand down. We’re among friends. I think.”

  “Friendlies?” Devasla took a step toward her, eyes flaring bright.

  “It’s okay,” I said, hand up to calm her. “We should hear them out, at least.” Glancing around at the state of the place and fright there, I added, “Outside. But these two stay here as hostages.”

  Gloran didn’t seem to mind, but the other sneered. It took a moment, then she returned.

  “He agrees.”

  “His name?” I asked.

  She hesitated. “True name? Jericho, but we call him Jay for short.”

  3

  Stepping out into the night by myself was nerve-wracking, but I knew what I was capable of, if it came down to it. I also knew my team was waiting nearby. What worried me was the way they’d somehow activated the mask so that it, and Akame, almost took me over. That, and the fact that the monster thing was fucking terrifying—it knelt with the Asian witch’s hands in its head, as if she was calming it down, maybe?

  There were gargoyles around us, at least three that I could see. The man—Jericho, according to the gargoyle inside—stood with his staff at the ready.

  “What are you?” I asked. “A witch?”

  The man scoffed but gave me a slight bow. “Jericho. Just a man, as I would assume you are.”

  His voice indeed made him seem like any normal guy I might have met in college, and now that I was close, his face appeared young. Maybe a year or two younger than myself.

  I nodded, feeling very stupid in my small yukata in front of this guy. Sure, Greg and Arturo had seen me like this, but they at least knew my style, and Greg had lived in Japan. Then again, considering this guy was wearing a long robe and holding that staff, I had the feeling he got me.

  “So…?” He took a step back, the nude, rune-covered woman landing at his side. “What are you doing here, and why do you have our gargoyle?”

  “Your gargoyle?” I shook my head, intrigued by this guy and the team he traveled with. “I’m Ferris. This is my home, now, and we rescued her from the monster world.”

  “But you’re… human?” the man asked. He turned to the nude, rune-covered woman at his side, head cocked. “This making any sense to you?”

  “He’s human,” she agreed. “And needs to cover up.”

  “Listen…” he said, pulling back his robes to reveal scruffy brown hair. “We found a sign of one of ours here, and we’ve been aware of this place for a while. I see the monsters in there, so… have to wonder if maybe you’re covering for them? Maybe… their slave?”

  I adjusted my yukata. “We took over this compound from the monsters, as I said. Some of my team are monsters, but they’re not bad. And we rescued more, literally yesterday. Including the other gargoyle.”

  “Is that so…?”

  “It would explain why she suddenly showed up for us,” the rune lady said.

  Jericho glanced at her, then back my way. “At least the fact that you’re not staring at her gives me reason to believe your story—nudity isn’t something new for you if you’ve been around the monsters.”

  I nodded, eyes forward. “So, what now? Whose side are you on?”

  “Are there sides?”

  “Meaning, the humans? The monsters?”

  He ran a hand over his chin in thought. “I can tell you whose side I’m not on, and that’s the side of the witches.”

  “We fought them, too,” I said, grinning. Maybe this guy wasn’t so bad, though it was hard for me to so easily forget how they’d attacked us before bothering to knock and ask.

  “In that case,” he said, “why are we standing out here instead of heading inside to share a drink? I don’t suppose you have any Guinness? I’ve had a major craving for it for a while.”

  “Ah, no. I don’t think so, but we had a barbecue yesterday, and might have some leftover beers of some sort.”

  “And hotdogs? I’d kill for a hot dog!” He must have noticed my change in stance at those words because he shook his head and said, “Not literally, of course.”

  My eyes going from him to the gargoyles closing in, then the strange dog statue at his feet—which I hadn’t noticed before—I wasn’t exactly to the point of trusting them yet. Luckily for us, this compound had options.

  “Come on,” I said, glad it was warm out. “We have an outdoor area where I’d feel a bit safer for now. We can see about more hotdogs there, even get the grill up and running. Not like we have to worry about neighbors out here.”

  I went back to the door, pointing to the outdoor area to the left, and said, “We’ll meet you there.”

  They were talking heatedly, likely discussing my offer, so I waited until I saw them going before opening the door. I waved to my team, and said, “Some of you come with me, others stay here and be ready—in case. They seem like they’re on our side, but I want to be certain.”

  “You’re serious?” Devasla asked, looking quite pissed at the idea of us not tearing them limb from limb.

  “It’s not a bad idea to have friends like them.”

  She stared at me, frowned, then shook her head. “Wouldn’t it be more fun to just kill our enemies?”

  “If we know for sure they’re enemies, yes. But this time, that might not be the case.”

  She shrugged. “Sometimes, killing is fun.”

  “Fun.” I chuckled, shaking my head and walking off to gather everyone.

  We went out to discuss the situation with Jericho—while Greg went to find some hotdogs and beer. I opted for bringing Devasla, Milrae, Jalee, and her sister. Considering what had happened with Akame, I asked Bloodsong to see her in restraints, and to keep an eye on Lizzy.

  “Talk,” I said, trying to be tough.

  The man eyed me, taking in my team, and said, “We’ve been planning our attack on this compound for a while now, and when the surge of power showed, we knew it was time. Apparently, this isn’t the situation we expected.”

  “No,” I agreed. “This place has come under a change in ownership.”

  His eyes were assessing my team, including Fiare, who stood with Jalee, arms crossed, glaring.

  “I don’t understand,” he said, turning his gaze back to me. “What are you?”

  “What…?” I shook my head.

  “A Myth? Part of the Order? A monster in disguise?”

  I shook my head. “Just a guy who stumbled upon a new group of friends. Friends who aren’t the norm here on Earth. Seems you’re familiar with the concept.”

  “Except, my friends are from Earth. A long time ago, and they’ve gone through some changes.”

  An awkward silence settled there.

  “What now?” Jalee asked.

  “To be clear, we’re done fighting?” Fiare indicated the large gargoyle. “Because I wouldn’t mind a chance at her. Bet I could break those horns right off.”