Fan Fiction ❯ A Raven's Cry ❯ Backstory and Ulrich ( Chapter 40 )

A/N: Seems like a long time since I last updated. Finals stink. In any case, updates should come more rapidly now that I'm on break.

A Raven’s Cry

Chapter 40

Gar pushed his empty plate away from the edge of the table and leaned back in his seat. He looked around the crowded table, both teams were eating together, and though he didn’t eat, Jacob was also there.
During a lull in the conversation, Gar spoke. “Hey Alex.”
“Yeah?”
“Why did you go into vampire hunting?” Gar's question was followed by a tense silence. The members of his team froze, forks halfway to their mouths, or resting on their plates. After a moment, Alex simply stood and walked out of the room without answering. In the ensuing silence, Gar spoke up again, "I'm guessing that that's a tender subject."
“Indeed.” Jacob deadpanned. He leaned back in his seat, resting his folded hands on the table, “It is a very painful story for him.” He looked from Fury to Ghost, “We’ve all picked up bits and pieces of it over the years that we’ve been working with him. He used to drink, heavily. He would get to a point where he would begin talking about it.”
“Should you be telling us this?” Robin asked.
Jacob looked back to his two teammates, who both nodded. “It may be important to know, his purpose is a quest for vengeance. At times, his judgment may become clouded.”
Jacob paused, seemingly considering his story. “About twenty five years ago, Alex’s sister began to study the occult. The occult is a very dangerous thing, there is great danger involved in much of what it teaches.
“Eventually, she decided to summon a demon. She had acquired a fascination for vampires, so she decided to summon the Night Lord, the demon who created them.
“Alex attempted to talk her out of it, but she refused to listen. Eventually, they got into a fight. Alex’s sister left angry and he did not hear from her for a week.
“After that week, Alex received a call at his detective agency. It was his sister, panicked, terrified. She was babbling into the phone about a demon, about it changing. He rushed to her home, but when he arrived,” Jacob paused and slowly shook his head, “She was gone.”
“You mean the demon killed her?” asked Cyborg
“Maybe, probably. There had been a fight, but there was no body either. That phone call was the last he has heard of her in the last twenty years or so.”
“Who was she?” Starfire asked.
“He will not speak her name. He has not forgiven himself for all that was said in their fight.”
“So he’s hunting vampires to get back at the Night Lord?” Robin questioned.
“That’s what it started as. Now he’s come to realize that demons have no loyalty. The Night Lord cares not for vampires, and they care not for him. Sometimes I think that he continues because it has become habit for him."

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Gar stared out over the building tops, his sensitive nose trying to pick out the unique scent of the undead. So far the patrol had been quiet, and dawn was only an hour away. He pulled his communicator off of his belt and depressed the talk button, "Hey, Fury, how're thing's going on your end?"
"Quiet, it's kinda weird actually."
"Think somethin' scared 'em off?"
Fury seemed to consider this, "Nah, I've never seen a vamp scared away from a hunt. Wait where you are, I'm heading for your location."
"We can cover the city quicker if we stay apart."
"No. Something’s not right. I've got your scent, I'll be at your position in a few minutes."
"Right." Gar clipped his communicator back onto his belt and turned to stare out over the city. Facing into the wind, he was carried a myriad of scents from the city, from which he could pick out over a hundred separate scents, but not the one that he searched for, the scent of the undead was not to be found.
Gar stiffened when he felt hot breath on his ear, and a deep, guttural voice spoke, “When you face into the wind, you’re blind to everything behind you. Scents, sounds, everything is carried away from you.”
Gar spun, but a hand clamped around his wrist and he found himself thrown across the rooftop. "Thanks I'll have to remember that." Gar pulled himself to his feet and quickly shifted into his were form. "Look's like I will have a little fun tonight."
"You don't have your mate here to help you."
"I won't need her." He started to leap at the larger werewolf, but dropped to the roof top, intense pain ripping through his stomach, like a giant hand had grabbed him around the stomach and squeezed.
"Not feeling well?"
Gar looked up and realized that he had changed back to his normal form. The pain faded as suddenly as it arrived and he stood. "I'm fine." In truth, he was beginning to panic. The pain had been cut off when his link with Raven had vanished.
"I can smell your fear." Gar was forced to dodge to the side as the larger werewolf slashed both claws downward. "You're gonna fall tonight."
Gar retreated back to the edge of the building and shifted into his were form again. He crouched down and brandished his claws, "Bring it." he snarled.
The werewolf dove at Gar, who simply stepped to the side allowing it to fly over the edge of the building. Gar grinned, but the smile dropped when he saw the claws gripping the edge of the building. "I thought that was too..." He was cut off when his link with Raven reopened, sending him another wave of pain and dropping him to his knees.
The werewolf shot up to the roof and gloated over Gar, "Something is wrong with you." He grabbed Gar's collar and picked him up, "You can't even keep your form." Gar didn't reply, he simply glared at the werewolf. "I suppose you should know the name of your killer." He lifted Gar to eye level, "The name's Ulrich."
"You know what?" Gar asked with a smirk.
"No, what?"
"When you face into the wind, you're blind to everything behind you."
The werewolf's eyes widened an instant before claws clamped down on his shoulders, causing him to drop Gar into an unceremonious heap, and he was thrown to the edge of the roof. Fury turned to Gar, "You okay?"
Gar nodded as he pulled himself to his feet, "He's still on his feet too."
Fury turned to see Ulrich standing and shaking his head. "You're right, I got too wrapped up in one target, and didn't see the other one sneaking up on me." He stretched his back, eliciting several loud pops, "I won't make that mistake again."
He took off full tilt at both of the team mates, claws spread wide in order to catch both of them at once. Fury and Gar dove in opposite directions, Gar shifting into his were form. They fell on Ulrich from both sides, trying to land a hit that would at least disable him. Gar was soon out of the fight, his arms wrapped around his abdomen.
Fury squared off against Ulrich on her own. Claws flashed from both sides blocking and landing blows. Fury was finally able to land a kick in the middle of his chest, throwing him back hard. Ulrich picked himself up with a grin at Fury, who was holding one arm and bleeding from several deep cuts. "You're not fairing well, are you? And that little shapeshifter's no help at all."
Gar sat up and held up his communicator, "There's one thing I can do, I can call in the cavalry."
A dark form shot up from below the building and landed easily, a long dark coat fluttering around him, Jacob. “Having fun are we?"
Ulrich’s grin widened, "More lambs to the slaughter." He threw himself at Jacob with blinding speed.
Jacob sidestepped easily and sent Ulrich to the ground with a hand to the middle of his back. "You'll have to do better than that."
Ulrich leapt to his feet and rounded on Jacob with extended claws, only to have his arm caught and twisted with a sickening pop. Ulrich let out a howl of pain and staggered away, clutching his arm hanging at an odd angle.
"Leave, now. I really don't want to kill you."
Ulrich snarled before he turned and jumped off the nearest edge.
Once Ulrich was gone, Jacob turned to Fury, "Will you be okay?"
"I think so." Fury changed back into her human form and sank to the rooftop next to Gar. "I just need a rest."
"Let's get you back to the tower first." He knelt next to Fury and scooped her up. "Gar, what about you?"
Gar stood. For now the pain was gone. "I think I need to go to Azerath, I think something's wrong with Raven."