A Monster: Now and Forever (Razgriz x kuro_bara)

"Look, I just think that we may have two Spectres to deal with here. When I talked with Silus last night, he mentioned that Sharon and Ralston were partners during the Comstock Lode era. Sharon hedged a bet on trying to short sell and lost big during his bid as a senator. Ralston forced him to resign from the campaign because he pissed off the people. During his later years, he winds up dead after going for a swim. And he was no slouch as a swimmer. You don't think there's anything suspicious about that?" he then asked her, trying to get her to see what he was talking about.

Pulling out his cell, he then put a call in to Dan, asking him to look into what happened to the body of Ralston. A few moments later, Dan gave him the answer and after a brief thanks, he then hung up. "Ralston was cremated after the coroner examined him. I'm thinking that something of his is still here, but it's probably going to take me forever to find it. And the longer we don't burn whatever's keeping them here, the more aggressive Spectres get. You know how they operate, Alexis." He then chuckled and added, "And besides, I thought you wanted out of here. I'm basically giving you a free pass."

She heaved a sigh, he was right, of course. If it came down to splitting up or letting potentially two spectres wreak havoc on this town the choice was pretty obvious. "Fine..." She acquiesced, though she still had some concern over his plan. "At least I can get myself a half decent meal in San Fran." Alexis grouched, unfolding her arms.

After some a bit more discussion on the plan and a quick stop to gear up at the hotel, Alexis jacked a car and headed for the city. She couldn't shake the pit in her stomach that something was going to go whacky with this job but she trusted her fool partner to keep himself alive until she got back. The nearly five hour drive was uneventful and boring without someone to talk to and the radio reception was spotty.

Her first stop when she hit the city was getting some food that wasn't a burger. The greasy shit got real old real fast. With that out of the way, she checked into a cheap motel near the cemetery and waited for it to get dark. Spending the afternoon watching soap opera reruns and sipping something cold. She kept her phone nearby just in case Agnis needed to reach her but it never rang. After a long, boring day in the hotel she slipped out in the cool night air and headed for the cemetery with a small bag. It always amazed her how they could get in and out of place, dig up a pile of bones, light them on fire and slip away without ever being caught...though she suspected that the organization had some high up people in police forces around the world to make that type of information vanish. Grumbling to herself, Alexis set to work digging up the grave of one William Tang Sharon.

*Meanwhile*

Whilst the two hunters were busy going about their business, one particular employee of Comstock Mining was making a late night visit to investigate some concerns about faulty support structures. It was none other than Director of Safety Brett Harris, who was coming in to investigate some of the roof bolts. Comstock had recently adopted a design with some of their mines called room and pillar mining, where they would leave some of the stone as columns to help support the roof and prevent a cave-in. And like hell was he, with over thirty years of mining safety under his belt, going to let his workers get killed by poor reinforcement.

However, he had gotten word that the roof bolters did a piss-poor job, so he was called in. He thanked the lord that these new mine designs allowed for more adequate ventilation. And as he went about his business, bringing an inspector through, he noticed the weirdest thing: Some of the bolts were iced over...And then the unthinkable happened.

A loud explosion was heard just behind where he entered, and soon the bolts holding the unstable roof in place cracked and shattered. Within seconds, what seemed twenty tons of rock fell down, killing everyone inside. At the entrance, a single man - wearing a blue jumpsuit and yellow hardhat, both with 'Comstock' written on them - stood at the entrance, a detonator in his hand. Black slime oozed from his ears and nostrils. "Harris..." the man growled, before pulling a small pistol from his pocket, placing it to his temple and pulling the trigger. His form crumpled to the ground, the light fading from his eyes in an instant.

---------------------------------

A few hours later, Agnis was on the scene himself, dressed in his usual 'FBI' attire. "Agent Agnis" he said to the officer securing the scene, being let through. A mine collapse...And inside was the Director of Safety. How ironic. But what caught his attention was the only victim OUTSIDE the mine itself. Apparent suicide, even more so with the gun in his hand; it was still somewhat late evening, not quite night-time yet.

And when he approached the body, his mind instantly went into overdrive on what happened when he saw the black slime. "Ectoplasm" he muttered, kneeling down to get a better inspection: The Spectre possessed this man, made him bury his co-workers before killing himself. Of course, who knew if they were still alive in there. "We were too late" he then added under his breath; he looked down inside his coat pocket to see the EMF going off like crazy. Since there was nothing for him here, he made his way back to the Buick. A shame too, he really wanted to hear this guy talk.

"I'm going to find you, Ralston...If it's the last thing I do." Agnis muttered as he took his leave; he needed to find where - if anywhere - Ralston's possessions would be. Anything that had something to do with his personal life.

Grave digging alone was a major pain in the ass. After several hours of tossing dirt out of a hole Alexis finally reached the coffin. It was splintering with age and decay and the smelled of death. She wiped a hand across her forehead, smearing a the layer of dirt on her skin. With a small grunt, she leaned down and pried the lid off, wrinkling her nose at the smell. Didn't seem to matter how long she did this, or how long someone was in the ground she never got used to the smell.

Ensuring the bones were still present, she first sprinkled salt over the remains and then pulled out a small bottle of lighter fluid and splashed it over the remains. The butane covered up some of the scent of decay, finally she clambered out of the hole and stood looking down at it. Muttering a prayer under her breath she struck a match and tossed it into the grave. A first there was nothing, and then the fluid caught on fire with a whoosh.

The fire light cast eerie shadows around the grave, most would be easily spooked by the scene but it was one she had done dozens of times. She stood watching with a professional detachment, until the fire burned itself out and all that was left were a few charred bones. With a weary sigh she began covering up the grave, sometimes when they were in a hurry they would leave it but that drew attention that the Hunter's Guild had to cover up. This way in a few days grass would start sprouting over the up turned dirt but no one would really look too hard at some over turned dirt.

It was nearly five am when she trekked back to the hotel, took a long hot shower and collapsed into bed.

And while Alexis was finishing up playing grave-robber, Agnis was busy using the EMF to try and locate the spirit. He thought he was getting close at times, but then he would realize that he was near power lines or something else. And as the hours passed, he thought he might never catch a break.

That was, until a report about a home invasion came over the police scanner. The way the report was coming, the police couldn't make sense of just who it was, the dispatcher not taking it seriously and even hanging up. Even worse, it was at an address he was all too familiar with. "Guess spooky's feeling frisky tonight" Agnis muttered after cursing, turning his car around and heading towards the address mentioned.

At the home of Silus Morian, Agnis would soon find a scene of chaos: The windows were broken in, and the front door was virtually shattered. "Damn it" Agnis muttered as he rushed, a sawed-off shotgun loaded with 'salt shells' in one hand. "Silus! Silus! It's me, Agnis!" he shouted, to which he heard "Over here!" from one of the back rooms.

He ran back find Silus surrounded by a ring of salt, near a corner where the wind couldn't rush through and dissipate it. The man was shaking, lips quivering in fear. "Silus...Silus, what happened?" Agnis asked, and when Silus looked all he shouted was "Behind you!" And with trained reflexes, Agnis spun around and fired, making the intruder disappear in 'smoke'. Joining Silus in his safe zone, he then asked, "Silus...Tell me you didn't summon a spirit again for 'fun'..." Silus shook his head rapidly, "No! No..I don't know who that is."

Just then, the spirit reappeared, its form twitching as it stood outside the salt ring. "Definitely a Spectre...Wait...Ralston?" Agnis stuttered, realizing just who it was. "Morian...." Ralston muttered, rage lacing that singular word. "M...Me? What the hell did I do?" Silus asked, to which Ralston replied angrily, "Morian family orchestrated my death. Never made it in the papers. Said I died in an 'accident'. I seek revenge on those who sided with that traitorous bastard William".

"Well....More articulate for a Spectre than I would have realized" Agnis joked as he pulled out his cell and immediately dialed his partner, realizing that Silus might have something that belonged to the Spectre. The very something that bound him here. "Come on, Alexis...Pick up..." he pleaded, hearing the phone ring and ring. Hopefully she didn't crash out; they'd been running hard these last few days, and as light a sleeper as she was, she could sometimes be so heavy sleeping that not even a cannon would wake her up.

The soft buzz of her cell phone brought Alexis out of whatever pleasant dream she was having, growling she groped blindly in the direction of the irritating sound grabbing it and hitting the answer button. "Someone better have died." She snapped into the phone, not even bothering with a greeting. Only one person would be calling her right now and he better have a good reason for waking her up after making her spend all night grave digging.

"Well...It does involve someone dead." Agnis replied in a half-joking manner, adding "Just letting you know I found Ralston...Only thing is, he kind of found me too". Silus was freaking out, his voice audible in the background as he shouted in a shrill voice, "Why are you trying to be funny? A fucking Spectre is staring us in the face and you're cracking jokes?"

Agnis replied, "Calm down...Alexis, look, I'm in a bit of a bind here. Ralston's spirit has us pinned and I still can't find whatever's tying him here in Nevada." Silus had a surprised look on his face, "Wait...You mean William Chapman Ralston? He was in San Francisco nearly his entire life!" Agnis seemed dumbstruck, "Oh, you've be got to be...." before Silus interjected "No!" and grabbed the phone.

"Whoever this is, please, you gotta help us! Go to the Palace Hotel, it's on the southwest corner of New Montgomery and Market. On the first floor, find the Ralston Room. Rumor has it that Ralston often stayed there, and kept a journal hidden away there documenting Sharon's activities in case he tried to reneg on their arrangement."

"Wait, I remember that! I thought that hotel burned to the ground in 1906!" Agnis could be heard arguing, to which Silus replied, "They rebuilt it, but Ralston had a strongbox in a special compartment there...Or so the rumor has it".

Alexis listened to the pair bickering on the other end, but the moment Agnis gave her instructions she was already moving. Throwing on some clothing and grabbing her bag she immediately booked it for the hotel. She didn't even bother to acknowledge Agnis' request, simply clicked the phone off and shoved it in her coat pocket.

It took her a little bit to navigate her way to the hotel but once she was close it was hard to miss. It was a massive stone building, short for a hotel and lined with windows that appeared very close together. It had no balconies and from the outside did not appear to be very 'luxury' but a quick glance through the lobby doors told her she wouldn't be getting in there dressed as she was.

Chewing her lip she wandered around the side of the building. Hotel's like this would have a dedicated staff entrance, and all the staff would be in uniforms. If she could get her hands on one she would easily blend in. After a bit of searching she found a group of staff smoking out back. Three of them were clearly housekeepers, one looked to be a room attendant dressed in livery and a fifth was wearing a suit and tie, front desk probably. She approached the group and put a friendly smile on her face.

"Hey, sorry to be a pain, I just started here and I am totally lost." It was a bit of a gamble, if any of these people worked in a supervisory role they would immediately know she was lying. Hotel this big probably had crazy turnover and massive staff so her story would sound plausible to entry level workers.

"Oh my god, I bet Janet forgot she had a new girl starting again." One of the housekeepers rolled her eyes. "What department honey?" Alexis gave her an apologetic look, as if she were just too much trouble. "Oh housekeeping, but they haven't given me a uniform or anything yet." She explained. The three housekeepers started clucking like a bunch of hens about how their work place was going to hell. Eventually one of them elected to show her around, even giving her a uniform and touring her around the facilities. Afterwards she left Alexis in the break room to go find a manager. As soon as the woman was out of sight, Alexis booked it out of the back of house area and up the staff elevator to the floor where Ralston's suite was. She even managed to swipe the housekeepers key card to access all the rooms.

It took a bit of searching but eventually she found the room and slipped inside.

"Did she find it?" Silus asked, his eyes still fixed on Ralston's ghost as both of them stood in the ring of salt. Agnis had his shotgun at the ready, three more shots altogether. "Can you still see his ghost, genius? That means whatever she's looking for, she hasn't found it yet."

"But it's on the first floor! And aren't you guys supposed to be good at infiltration?" Silus then questioned again, to which Agnis replied, "Silus, you're a great friend and I love you dearly, but please shut up...Alexis will come through." Of course, Silus HAD said that it was only rumored. But then to make things, Ralston decided to try and bypass their salt line. All he needed was a small break...Any break and he could get through.

And to that, he first tried to dismount the picture hanging above the back wall; Agnis turned around and saw what he was trying to do. "Oh no, you don't, you son-of-a-bitch!" he shouted, firing off a round of salt and iron and making the Spectre vanish, but for how long, no one could say.

"Better hurry, Alexis...Can't hold him off forever" Agnis muttered as he scanned the room, looking for that bastard Ralston.

Alexis tore the suite apart looking for the damn lock box. Growling with frustration, she stood for a moment looking around at the room. It wasn't in any of the usual spots, no hidden nooks in the closet, no false back furniture. Scowling she stared at the floor, and almost immediately felt the urge to slap herself on the forehead. Dropping to her hands and knees she pulled back the carpet near the bed, running her fingers along the edges of several boards she eventually found one that was slightly raised. It took a bit of prying as it was warped with age, but it finally came loose uncovering a dusty lock box underneath.

She grabbed her cell and dialed Agnis, while it rang she set the box on the for and used her knife to pry the lid off. Inside was a collection of Ralston's belongings, papers etc. Not bothering to search through it she dumped some salt in, splashed it with some butane and tossed a match in. When Agnis finally answered she told him what was happening. "I got the box, salted and lit it up, now I gotta get outta here quick." She stated.

"I just hope you made sure to soak the hell out of it...Make sure you pull the fire alarm to cover your escape" he stated as he had picked up his phone when she called. He was about to congratulate her when he felt a nudge in his arm. Silus was frozen in fear, and when Agnis looked he saw why: That bastard Ralston had found an old set of bellows, and he was ready to use it.

"Oh, you've gotta be...." Agnis started to say, but a quick breath from the old air pump rapidly turned the salt barrier into just salt on the floor. And with that, Ralston dropped the bellows and started and started to rush Agnis; the Hunter barely recovered and fired another shot, making Ralston dissipate.

"Fucking hell...." he muttered as he scanned the room; before long, he heard a deep growling. Turning around, he saw Silus glaring angrily at him, black ooze coming from his ears. "Oh, shit..." he managed to get out before his former friend soon had his throat in a stranglehold. Agnis tried to fight him, but under a Spectre's possession, their vessels were insanely powerful, the spirit's hate and rage amplifying the attributes of whomever it chose as its meatsuit.

Stars began to dance behind Agnis' eyes, his breath in short gasps as he felt the oxygen being cut. Just like that though, the grip started to slacken, Silus' form twitching a bit at first, then spasming uncontrollably. In the next moment, Silus fell to the floor, screaming like a banshee and thrashing wildly. Before long, black smoke erupted from the man's mouth, Ralston's spectral entity re-emerging and covered in fire. "Noooo...NOOOOOOO!" he screamed before he vanished into oblivion, the last tie to the physical world severed.

It took both of them a minute to calm down, their breathing ragged for obvious reasons. "Hey...Alexis...I...I think you got him, haha...hahahaha" Agnis chuckled in relief, having found his phone once more; thank god that was over. "Silus...You alright?" he then asked, to which the humble man replied, "Yeah...Yeah, I'm good. Let's not do that ever again, OK?"

Agnis smiled, "No promises. Hunters tend to have some crazy shit happen around them." Just then, his phone received a message. One that he was sure Alexis was going to hate.

"New case. Withered body found in Las Vegas, Nevada. Likely Arachne activity. Report to site immediately with partner for debrief."

He then put himself back on the line with Alexis. "Hey babe....You're not going to like me for telling you this, but...." he then trailed off, before telling her about the message that he'd just received.

Alexis swore into the phone when Agnis relayed the message. Back to the fucking desert again and an Arachne, even better. She grumbled something semi incoherent about seeing him there and made her escape from the hotel. In the chaos of the fire alarm going off it was easy to slip out and make her way back to the car. If the case was involving an Arachne it was pretty serious, so she wasted no time in rushing back to Nevada to meet her partner at the designated location. Someday she would get a vacation...and stay in swanky hotels like the Palace...someday.

With that business now cleared up, Agnis made it his duty to inform each family of those lost that they had succeeded in identifying the perpetrator. And for everyone he talked to, that was more than enough. Alexis would be here soon enough, and when she arrived he would be finishing his last call. They had a spot to meet in, and it would be their own residence for the next few days: Like before it was a hotel, but this was a little more upscale than their last place. It was none other than the MGM Grand.

"Welcome to our home for the next few days." he then said to his partner as she pulled into the parking garage; normally, Hunters would have to find their own place. But since they were tracking an Arachne and after having dealt with a Spectre, their chapter Boss dipped into the surplus funds and purchased a two-week stay for the two of them. Besides, Alexis looked like she could use a little luxury. "Come on, let's go upstairs and unload our things. We got a busy schedule ahead of us."

Of course...He conveniently left out that he asked his boss to put them in a suite with some 'accommodations'. He figured Alexis might be pissed at having to drive to San Francisco and back. It took some convincing, but he knew she would appreciate where they were staying. He would keep it a surprise though, and let her see the room for herself.

Alexis stared up at the hotel with a look of pure happiness. Or at least as happy as she got. She was swearing or threatening Agnis, this was a good sign. The room they entered was clearly one of the higher end, it had a small sectional seating area and a large flat screen television, a huge king size bed and a surprisingly large bathroom. As they entered the room she tossed her bags on the floor, walked into the bathroom and made a small squeal of delight. Almost immediately after the sound of water filling the tub could be heard.

Agnis grinned as Alexis immediately set her stuff down, and even more when she discovered the bathroom. He couldn't help but chuckle as she started to fill the tub; not that he could blame her, she probably wanted this more badly than he could have ever imagined.

"I take it the room's to your liking, o' friend of mine?" he then asked her playfully from beyond the door, knowing better than to look in on her while she was getting ready for a bath.

"I'm never leaving." She called from the bathroom, the scent of something floral wafting out the door as the water was turned off. There was the soft sound of water sloshing as she lowered herself into the tub with a loud sigh of pleasure. "This is the best fucking decision head office has made in a long while. I don't care what we are hunting if I can soak in this tub." There was a few moments of silents as she relaxed in the steaming water. "Hey order us up some fancy drinks and some food Im starving!"

"Figured you'd say that" Agnis snickered; he was glad she was enjoying herself. Even if she never knew it was him that helped get this set up, it wouldn't matter. She was one of the most skilled Hunters he ever had the pleasure of working with, and with how much she put up with his 'wild goose' chasing, she deserved to be treated every once in a while.

"Your wish is my command, m'lady" he then replied playfully; getting on the phone, he dialed up the room service and looked through the menu placing an order. For Alexis, he ordered the roasted beef tenderloin with the sautéed fingerling potatoes and green beans, as well as some filet mignon medallions on a side plate that he was sure she would love, as well as having butter rolls. Though he would wonder about the tiramisu; well, it was sweet, at least. For himself, he got the chicken and mixed green salad with apple strudel for dessert. They had a bar in the room, stocked with all kinds of liquor and booze. But what he needed was champagne, so he ordered a bottle of Cristal.

That came up rather quickly; he imagined it would be a bit before their food arrived. Getting things ready, he then knocked on the door, "Alexis, might I interest you in a glass of bubbly to help you relax? And perhaps some company?"

Alexis let out a pleasurable sigh as she reclined in the massive tub. A dial near the tap allowed one to control the jets in the bath, which she turned on and closed her eyes, reveling in the feel of the jets against her sore muscles. She heard Agnis knock on the door and with an offer of booze and company. She couldn't help the small smirk that crossed her lips, he would never change. Alexis was never 100% sure where they stood as partners, and Agnis seemed determined to push the boundaries of their professional relationship.

"Come in." She called, draping one leg over the other. There was little to be seen of her aside from her exposed leg and head and shoulders. The rest of her was entirely obscured under an enormous pile of fragrant bubbles. She grinned at her partner as he came in, taking the offered glass. She sipped on the champagne, watching Agnis with a slightly devious look.

Agnis grinned as she allowed him, carrying the glasses in a pseudo-gentlemanly fashion. "One for m'lady" he offered in a horribly comic English accent. Honestly, he was just happy to see her relaxed, and seeing the lovely woman utterly pleased within the bubbling bath - even if the sight left much to the imagination - had him on cloud nine. Naturally, he was attracted to strong women and despite them being professionals...Didn't hurt to see how far he could take things.

She did say come in, but knowing what she could do to him if he made the wrong move, he knew better than to push the boundaries too much. He was just in a tank top and shorts at this point; nothing he really cared about getting wet if things came to it. It was here he sat on the edge of the hot tub next to her. "To a successful hunt, and a pleased partner" he then said, raising his glass in a toast.

With a rare, soft laugh she tapped her glass to his and took another sip. "You just gonna sit up there?" She inquired, head tilted to the side, a look of uncharacteristic innocence on her face. An innocent expression on Alexis was like wolf pretending to be a puppy. "Plenty of room in here." She added gesturing to the empty space beside her. The bath was designed with seat like sides that faced each other in the large oval. Her eyes were mischievous as she watched him.

"I might be crazy at times, but I know when to tread carefully" Agnis joked as he removed his shirt, leaving the nylon shorts on. Carefully, he made his way into the tub and sat on the seat right next to Alexis, letting out a sigh of relief as the warmth and force of the jets relaxed him. Taking another sip of his champagne, he then groaned and casually put an arm behind her, the limp resting on the tub side, "This is the life. Too bad we can't do this more often".

A small snicker bubbled out of her when he crawled into the tub with the shorts on. He did know her all to well. She let her head fall back against his arm and nodded. "Isn't that the truth." She muttered. "I know this all just to butter me up because this next hun is going to suck." She added, turning her to look at him. "But I'm finding it pretty hard to give a damn at the moment." Alexis grinned at her partner. "You did pretty good gettin us a place like this."

She was right on that account; Arachne were horribly tricky creatures. On top of being secretive, they could assume a human guise and while it was just one, they made it very convincing. And with all the advancements in clothing, they could easily hide any features that made them stick out.

"Oh? And what made you think it was me?" he then asked in a whispery voice with a sly grin of his own, putting his face a bit closer to hers and looking right into her eyes.

Alexis smirked at him, staring right back at her partner. "Because our boss doesn't splurge like this, or care how comfortable we are." She replied in smooth voice. "And..." She whispered, leaning a fraction of inch closer. "He isn't trying to seduce me."

She leaned back and finished off the last of her glass, waiting to see what Agnis would do.

Agnis' grin never faltered; he figured his ruse would be about as clever as a bandit sneaking in the middle of a spotlight. He could tell she was waiting for him to make a move. "Well, aren't we intuitive..." Agnis stated toyingly, getting slightly closer so that his breath could tickle her lips. "But if I was trying to seduce you, don't you think I'd be more...discreet?" he then asked playfully.