Miri gazed down at Rhett, then at Christine. Was she really going to let her have him? If she had told the truth, there were more elves to be found. Why didn't she know? Everyone had turned on each other. Even her own mother tried to kill her.
Yet she felt at peace with them. She was good at hiding, but she definitely felt urges to kill before. Especially if an elf was trying to kill her. Were there others who weren't so violent?
All that mattered now was saving the town. Poppy had taken Ms. Preston and scouted ahead. The recently widowed woman was surprisingly resilient. After what had happened to her husband and young child, she was ready for some payback. She insisted on going.
Rhett and Cristine awoke. Their eyes were glassy. The encounter was simply an orgy to the humans, although they were healed and recharged. For the three elves, it was a bonding. It felt strange to know she could be read by them. They had each gained from the others. Whether it was complete, only time would tell. For now, it was simply enough to know they were more powerful.
All three of them sat up, startled. They each had seen Poppy's warning. The Upyr weren't attacking the town, they were headed to the house they were in. That wouldn't do. All three at once said, "It has to be the ranch. He can only be destroyed there."
Rhett looked at Miri. "Will it always be like this?"
Christine ribbed him. "I hope not. Get dressed."
"We don't have time," said Miri. "Outside now."
She waved a hand and some flimsy coverings appeared. Outside the door were three identical tanks, the Schwarzen Battle Jitneys. "Take separate paths to the ranch. Christine, try not to let them know we can do Pulchra."
They jumped in and sped off. Just before doing so, Christine cast a nifty spell that made the AA guns autofire and auto target. That would keep them busy.
The Upyr ignored the other two tanks and went after Rhett. They still thought he was the only danger. He intended to let them know he was.
Poppy was speeding towards them. The three tanks joined him and set fire to the blackening sky. The screams of the beasts were terrifying. Miri and Christine urged him to move on, but another colossal beast was headed towards them. He stepped out and cast a wave of Pulchra. They lesser Upyr dove in front, sacrificing themselves to save the large beast. He crawled up on the AA gun and tried to clear a path. It was no use. They knew he would take the beast down if they let up.
The colossus bore down on the vehicle with Poppy driving. He tried another Pulchra, but it hit a wall of suiciding Upyr. Just before Poppy's vehicle was crushed, a flash of light hit the colossus and severed it's head.
A scream of rage came from the distance. Miri had revealed that she could once again cast Pulchra. There were now two elves capable of killing the tall man's boy. Apparently, he wasn't happy about it.
That left Christine. She had to get to the cave. She stepped out of the tank and motioned Mrs. Preston down from Poppy's vehicle. "Drive," she said. "The gun will fire on its own."
"Christine!" He yelled at the same time as Miri. They knew her plan. Both bid her good luck. Rhett knew she felt his heart. Hopefully, it gave her strength.
She headed toward the cave. They knew he was there. Miri's blood made him a beacon. The tall man would be waiting as well. Christine was no match for him alone. Rhett wasn't sure the three of them together would be. Miri had said he couldn't be killed. Christine was going after the boy.
The remainder of the Upyr were headed to town. The tall man had split his forces. The number of Upyr he had was staggering. They had to have come from all over the world. Normally Upyr lived in hiding in very small groups. They would feed on humans infrequently. Livestock was their main diet. A group of Upyr could feed on cattle for years and never be noticed. Often the leader, who could look completely human, mixed with the humans of the village without being noticed.
The boy would be incredibly dangerous as a leader. He would eventually lead them all. He had to be dealt with now.
----------------
Poppy drove as fast as she could. The screams from the town were terrifying. Would anyone survive? The Upyr had to remember what happened a decade ago. Many of the town members had burned the ranch to the ground. Inside was the boy, going through the transformation. The vision still gave her nightmares.
The AA guns were incredible. Not only were they firing automatically, they targeted with amazing accuracy. The sky was black with the creatures, but the streets ran red with their blood.
A large group of townsfolk had holed up in a large bar. The windows were all blown out and guns were firing from every opening. She pulled up and let the AA guns do their job. Unlike the townsfolk, she had magical ammo that had been made unlimited by Miri. The Upyr fell in droves, bringing a cheer from those inside the bar. Poppy could see that most of the people inside had rid themselves of clothes. Were they going to have an orgy at the last minute? What was with this night and its orgies? She drove off to help another group holed up in the school.
A colossus was waiting for her. As the guns fired, the smaller flying Upyr would sacrifice themselves as a shield. The Colossus stood ready.
"Well shit," she thought. She didn't want to lose her vehicle. The colossus would toss it around like a toy. Things looked grim. If only she were an elf and had gained Pulchra from their session of moans and groans. If only she had gained....
The tank/truck stopped facing the creature. It immediately charged.
Poppy stepped out from behind it and a blinding flash of light followed her. It arced towards the Colossus, which turned and ran. The Upyr fled as well, screaming their painful scream as they flew away.
Miri flipped her hand. She had forgotten how much Pulchra burned. It felt great. "I figured you could use a hand," she said.
"Thanks" said Poppy. "I wish you could teach me that."
