Everyone woke up the next morning before 10, and after washing up, we met downstairs. Alexei, who was feeling perfectly fine even after he downed 15 beers last night, made a light breakfast, and we ate in peace. I think Alexei noticed that something was up between Becca and I, because he had this huge grin on his face the entire morning, even going out of his way to leave the two of us alone. I wasn't sure if I should feel grateful that Alexei was being considerate, or annoyed that he's so hell-bent on hooking us up. But I guess it is true that I was starting to grow very fond of the girl.

Either way, when the three of us were all freshened up, I went over the plan for the coming raid on Frankenstein. Well, to be honest, with so little information to go on, my “plan” wasn't exactly the most sound thing in the world. Alexei had a vague idea of what the layout of Frankenstein's fortress, but his information was a tad out of date... fifty years out of date to be honest. With how often technology advances, it wouldn't be surprising if Frankenstein doubled the size of his place. We also had no idea what kind of defences were in place, what types of resistance we would face, and least of all, we didn't really have a good idea about where Frankenstein even had the damn pass. So, we were pretty much going blind here.

But it's a good thing that my company wasn't too worried about plans or anything like that. Becca seemed more than eager to go in guns – or sword in her case – blazing, and Alexei always enjoyed a hunt where the odds were against him. Although going in blind is generally a pretty bad idea, it's not the first time something like this has happened. Sure I don't like engaging in any conflict without the proper intel, but after realizing how hard getting all that information will take, I usually just skip that boring part and improvise as the situation goes. It's gotten me through a few hundred thousand years in Hell, and it'll probably be fine today as well... Probably.

“So,” I said, sipping on the coffee Becca made, “The plan is to just go in, take out anything that gets in our way, and figure out where the pass is, and take it. Don't even think about going in stealthily, there's basically no way of getting in there without Frankenstein noticing.”

“Right...” Becca said, with mild sarcasm in her voice, “That's not a plan, boss. That's like, just saying what we have to do. Do you even know where the stupid thing is?”

It's good to see that Becca was back to her old self, not letting last night's conversation affect her. But then again, having her back to how she normally is might no not necessarily be a good thing.

“Well, it's not something that would be kept in a vault.” I answered, “And it's probably something that Frankenstein uses often, so changes are it's close to him. Maybe in a bedroom, or on his person, or somewhere easily accessable.”

“Yeah, so you have no fucking idea where it is, boss.”

“Right.” I said, a little too seriously.

“So the real plan is to just go in, fuck shit up until we find Frankenstein, or the pass, or Frankenstein with the pass, and then book it out.”

“Exactly! That is exactly how a hunt should be!” Alexei exclaimed, joining in the conversation, “It's hardly a challenge if things are given to you on a plate, no?”

“Well, it's not like I'm complaining.” Becca said, gripping her new weapon, “If I get to try this baby out, then I'm a happy camper! Swordie has been teaching me like, a jillion different ways to cut shit up! And then he was bitching about being hungry or something, dunno what that part was about.”

“Are you sure you know how to use the sword, though, Becca?” I asked, a little concerned about the safety of Becca.

“Er, Swordie says that he'll help me out if things go real bad. Something about possessing me.”

I stared at her wide eyed, and said, “You're going to trust a strange, blood thirsty sword with your body... are you sure that's a good idea, Becca?”

She just shurgged, “Er, I'm working for a Demon, so I think I can take a few risks. And plus, I know you'll help me out of things really do go to shit, right boss?”

I smiled, and rubbed the top of Becca's head, “You know it, kiddo.”

“I'm not a kid!” She answered with a pout.

I chuckled a bit, and drank the last of the coffee, before saying, “Well then. Let's get this over with.”

Before the three of us went to the car, Becca said she had to change out of her current outfit, which was her normal kilt and t-shirt, and into something more appropriate. She pulled something out of her backpack, went back to the guest bedroom, and after a few minutes she was in a tight biker's outfit. Her numerous piercings were also removed, and she had her hair tied back in a neat little ponytail.

The tight pants and shirt, although very practical for combat, was also very distracting for the eyes. The leather clung to her body in all the right places, accenting her very generous curves. I think Becca noticed me staring at her a little, but instead of saying anything about it, she just smiled a wry smile, and pretended nothing happened. Alexei, on the other hand, couldn't help but chuckle when he saw our reactions, grinning like an idiot.

“Still think I'm a kid now?” Becca asked, her tone dangerous in many ways.

“No.” I sighed, admiring the girl, “I guess not.”

* * *

An hour and a bit later, we parked Alexei's ride a few hundred meters away from Frankenstein's huge private property, and prepared ourselves for the invasion. The place itself was secluded pretty far away from what normal people would consider civilization, near some farmland to the north, and a whole lot of forests everywhere else. The entrance itself was just a small, winding dirt road that was pretty easy to miss amid the tall trees that surrounded the place. As we walked closer towards the actual entrance, the ground was practically littered were “NO TRESPASSING” signs. Even though it was the middle of the day, the path was still obscured by the deep shadows of the massive trees and vegetation. Eerily, there was no wildlife to be found during our stroll, no birds chirping, no squirrels running about, and even the usually annoying mosquito and flies that plague the forest was missing.

A few minutes later, we arrived at the main gate that separated the outside world from Frankenstein's fortress. Fortress would definitely be the right word to describe the building in front of us. Although it wasn't gigantic, the building was certainly imposing. There's no mistake that this structure was built with siege in mind, with massive granite walls, dark tinted windows, and winding nature of its design all point to that nature.

“Be careful,” Alexei warned, gesturing towards the closed gate that separated the old road from the manor, “The second we pass the threshold, Frankenstein will be alerted of our presence. I can sense many wards and charms past the gate.”

“And those security cameras probably aren't just for decoration.” I added, noting the various high-tech cameras and sensors that were around the outside fence.

“Well,” Becca added with a shrug, “we weren't going for stealth anyway.”

She walked up calmly towards the solid metal gate, and with two quick swing of the Muramasa blade, she cleaved the gate in two. I was actually pretty surprised.

Becca casually walked in, looked back towards us and said, “You guys coming or what?”

Alexei laughed heartily, before running to join up with Becca, “Becca certainly knows how to have a good time. Like I said, Mark, she is definitely one to keep!”

“Yeah, yeah.” I muttered, before making my way to catch up to the other two.

I removed my own weapon from its sheath, and brandished the old sword. Becca noticed that I now had a weapon, curious as to where I got it, and I quickly explained to her about how it's normally invisible.

“That is so fucking cool!” She said, staring wide eyed at the sword, “Can I get a sweet invisible sheath as well?”

I shook my head and said, “I don't think they just make those.”

“Aw.” Becca responded, frowning.

“No worries, Becca, dear!” Alexei interjected, “A weapon like your needs to be taken care of, so I will gift you a wonderful sheath, crafted from the best master smiths around! Maybe as an early wedding present, eh?”

I just rolled my eyes at that remark.

“Really Alexei?” Becca said, practically beaming with joy, before quickly adding, “Er, assuming that I'll ever get married in the first place.”

Alexei turned towards me with a toothy grin, and said, “It's not a problem, Becca, and something tells me that you will eventually get married to a very good friend of mine.”

As the two of them chatted about potential designs, and magical enchantments, I noticed a glint of light in the corner of my vision, followed by a very rapid blur rapidly approaching Becca. The bullet, probably from a high calibre sniper rifle, was heading towards us at speed that would be impossible for a normal person to catch, but both Alexei and I took note of it immediately. With a swift movement, I intersected the projectile with the broad side of my sword. The lead shot disintegrated on impact.

“Woah.” Becca said, a little startled, “Thanks for the save, boss. Although Swordie said it wasn't needed. Said that he would have taken over and cleaved the thing in two. Er, but it's still sweet of you to do that though.”

“Think more sniper fire will come?” Alexei asked, looking around.

“Doubt it.” I answered, “Frankenstein is too practical for that. He won't waste resources one useless tactics.”

There was a mass of movement coming from within the courtyard, and in the distance I could just barely make out the shape of some sort of massive... thing. An experiment of Frankenstein's, no doubt. The thing itself was some kind of giant, grotesque mantis-like creature, made out of what I can only assume are corpses of various animals. When it got closer, I realized that the thing was bigger than I would have thought. It was easily 8 foot tall, and maybe twice as long, with its body shaped like a giant slug. However, unlike a slug, the thing did have a few dozen “legs”, if you can call it that. Attached to its torso were human hands, grouped together like a centipedes legs, and amazingly, those arm-legs were propelling the massive thing at incredible speeds. The body itself was a pulsating mass of muscle, and its massive front limbs had poorly sewn together blades attached. In the centre of the head was a huge maw the size of a large dinner plate, just like that of a leech. Razor sharp teeth were rotating in that spiral of a mouth, and on each side of its face were half a dozen beady little black eyes.

“That thing is fucking nasty, boss!” Becca exclaimed, as she started to bash the closest one with her sword, “Seriously, what the fuck!”

I noticed in the corner of my eye that Becca's body was emitting a faint green glow, and her normally calm aura was emitting a new pressure. It seems that the sword wasn't lying, it was taking over when Becca really needed it. I was initially worried that Becca was going to be taken over completely, but as I heard more and more cursing coming from her direction, I calmed down. Well, as calm as I could, given my own situation. I was, unfortunately, stuck face to unholy face with three of those mantis-leech-whatever-the-fuck-those-thing-are monsters. It could have been worse, I guess. I could be like Alexei, who had to take care of five of them.

I have to say, these things are damned tough. My first thought was to try to cleave through those nasty meat-claws of theirs, but when I tried it the impact was like hitting solid metal. The thing easily took my attack, even with my enhanced strength, and with a wide sweep of its arm, the thing sent me flying backwards.

I landed a little lopsided, but still on my feet. I didn't even get a chance to right myself before one of its buddies came at me on those freaky arm-legs. Off balance, I couldn't parry its huge bulk, so instead I summoned a massive fireball made from Hellfire, and sent it flying towards the monstrosity. It landed square in the middle of its stupid looking leech-face, and the fire did its work. I could smell the charring of flesh, and I was all but ready to face one of the other two monsters before I realized that the first guy was still fine.

Although Hellfire was great at buring anything it touches, it has to be readily replenished if you want said object to stay burning. Usually that's not a problem, since a fireball that size could disintegrate a pretty sizeable foe, but I really didn't expect the thing to regenerate. I saw the burned chunks of flesh fall off, replaced with new, pink skin. That was not good, this meant that I had to destroy it in one go, before it could heal.

The other two neared me as well, and I had to back up several steps to avoid being surrounded. Despite how big and clumsy these things looked, they were pretty nimble. I changed my tactics, realizing that I had to deal with them one at a time. Summoning more Hellfire, I made another fireball, but this time, I aimed it not to kill, but to buy me some time. I threw one at the eyes of the furthest creature, and another at the one to my left. My aim was true, and although the Hellfire really didn't do any damage, it did temporarily blind the two. To finish things off, I willed even more fire, drawing power from Lucifer's ring, and set the ground ablaze. Smoke was smothering the surrounding air, hopefully obscuring my movement even if the eyes of the creatures regenerate.

I drew in even more power, condensing the fire on my hand further and further until the beautiful Hellfire became Banefire. I felt my head strain with the effort. There wasn't much, but it was enough to coat the tip of my blade. I made a mad rush towards the nearest thing, and dodged its attempts to decapitate me. I got up and close to it, grounded myself, and with all the might that I could summon, I slammed the tip of my sword into its core.

The resistance I felt was insane. It was like trying to push a boulder through sludge. Eventually, however, I did manage to get my blade into its massive body. From there, I willed the Banefire at the tip to expand, to consume the very fabric of existence. The thing's body started to expand a little, as if it was trying desperately to heal itself, but everything that touched that fire inside was immediately consumed. Within a dozen seconds, the thing's stomach started to implode, and it stopped moving altogether.

I pulled the sword out without any resistance, and backed away from the other two who were still blinded. I felt my poor brain ache from the previous action, and I had to catch my breath before I face one of the other two. I took that opportunity to once again condense Banefire into the tip of my sword, and repeated the process with one of the stunned monstrosities. The feeling I had from using up so much energy was indescribable. My head felt like it was going to explode, with every pulse of my heart igniting a new sense of pain that I've never felt before. My body, in turn, was fatigued, and I had difficult even standing at that point.

I threw a measly amount of Hellfire to keep its eyes from regenerating, before backing away from the battle. I really couldn't force myself to exert that much Banefire to kill the thing. I all but slumped over from exhaustion, but I realized that Alexei and Becca were not faring much better than me.

On Alexei's side, there were already two corpses on the ground, felled in no doubt a violent manor. One of the bodies had a huge hole in its head, and its body was torn to shreds. The other looked perfectly fine, but upon a closer look, I could see that its body was caved in. Although the outer skin was undamaged, there must have been massive internal damage.

Right now, Alexei was battling it out with three of the creatures at once, bare handed. Well, technically his arms were more like shadowy extensions of his true body. Right now his entire form was little more than a massive black mist, and the only reason I knew it was him was from personal experience. I knew that Alexei did not need any weapon to be absolutely deadly, the wispy shadows that covered his body completely acted like portals to a different space. In that form, he is able to freely pass through solid matter. If he chose to solidify his form when he's inside something... well, that's where the fun starts.

But I also knew that in order for him to do that, it required an mind boggling amount of energy. He could not keep that form up for long, and if he starts to falter, then it could very well lead to his death. Although he didn't show it physically, I could tell that Alexei was starting to get tired. His movements have begun to get sluggish, imprecise; he really couldn't maintain fighting those things like that for much longer.

Becca, although facing better odds with just one creature, was also starting to show fatigue. I could see sweat dripping down her face, and her breathing was starting to become chaotic. The same green glow was there, but I doubt that even the sword spirit could surpass the limit of human endurance.

I wasn't really convinced that Becca could stand her ground at all, given just how tough those things were, but she seems to be doing fine. I realized that Becca – or the sword more accurately – wasn't aiming to actually kill it, since that is practically impossible for her right now, but rather, she was aiming to debilitate it. Her rapid sword swings were aimed perfectly at the things joints, its tendons and its muscles. Every swing, although not very effective with all things considered, did slice through. Each cut was not deep, but she was slicing at the same spots hundreds, if not thousands, of times.

Becca's foe was already at its limit of regeneration, as each cut took longer and longer to heal, and eventually, the thing stopped regenerating altogether. It was then that the green glow surrounding her body grew several times brighter, seeming to engulf her whole body, and with one final swing of the katana, Becca sliced the head right off the the thing's body.

Becca slumped down and sighed in relief, clearly exhausted.

Almost at the same time, Alexei slew another one of those things, but he was really struggling with the last two. The other creature that I blinded was perfectly fine by now, and it was slowly making their way towards Alexei, clearly intent to help finish the strongest out of us three.

Alexei, noticing this, started to back up towards us. Becca and I rushed in to help, but what we saw further up ahead made us realize something important. There was no way we were going to win. Because up ahead, there were more than 20 very familiar looking figures rushing towards us, scythe-hands at the ready.

Seeing the hopeless situation, I gathered up as much Hellfire as I could, and threw it towards the things that were approaching Alexei. My aim was terrible, but I wasn't really trying to be accurate. The fire exploded, and created the much needed smoke that obscured our figures.

“Ok,” I shouted, grabbing Alexei and booking it back towards the exit, “New plan: full fucking retreat!”

“Couldn't agree with you more, boss!” Becca answered, panting as she ran beside me.

“I hate to admit it,” Alexei said grudgingly as he turned back to his physical form, “but you are right. We shall go back, for now.”

And just like that, the three of us ran like we never ran before. It might have taken us 15 minutes to arrive at the gate, but it didn't take more than five to leave it. When we got to the car, everyone all but shoved themselves in, and I drove everyone back to Alexei's mansion in record time.