Stephan arrived at Glasgow a little bit after five PM, and he had time to kill, the renegade Agarthan he was in search of, could only be approached by night.
He walked silently and leisurely from the train station towards the east end of the city.
The later he would meet her, the better.
He stopped in front of every shop on the way, and it was not that he was window shopping, he had to report on the advancement of this world when he eventually went back home.
Nothing stated the kind of advancement a civilization had, more than its trade shops.
When technology reached a certain threshold, it would be available for cheap at small corner shops, when it was past this threshold, every shop would carry bits and pieces of it.
It was almost seven PM, and he thought that it was dark enough to seek his renegade target.
He passed the city proper and ventured into the surrounding countryside.
All he had to do was walk around, and she would eventually find him.
Well, the renegade would assault him, but he came prepared.
The moment he left the normal road and ventured deeper into the woods, he heard her chuckle.
Great, she was in one of her moods then. Stephan sighed and opened his umbrella.
A barrage of dirt, bits and pieces of dead trees, and some animal entrails fell on top of his head. This is why an umbrella was invaluable in such encounters. It rained this muck for about five minutes, then it stopped.
In last century, she could be found around Russia and the neighboring Slavic nations, but around the beginnings of the nineteenth century she moved to Scotland, nobody knew why.
He put down his umbrella, took a deep breath and held tight to the nearest tree trunk.
A powerful gust of wind, that smelled like festering blood assaulted him, increasing minute by minute its force.
He could do nothing but endure it till the end.
He didn’t know whether five minutes or five hours passed, but the winds pulled off.
He adjusted his three piece suit, his tie and swallowed.
He heard laughter coming from his east, north, and west. He planted his feet on the ground and bent his head.
A few seconds passed then tens of flaming skulls floated at him laughing as their jaws clicked to each laugh, eerily lighting the area in dancing lights.
He stood his place as the skulls taunted him, nabbed at the hems of his suit, and even took a occasional charge at his limbs.
He will need to heal after this all ends, maybe Violet can help.
The attack lasted the same five minutes as the others. His desired target, the renegade, had a thing for the number five.
After the floating skulls left, he quickly squatted on the ground, bent double on himself.
He took short fast breath until he heard the boom, then he held his breath and closed his eyes.
Something huge was coming from his east, pushing the trees apart on its way.
Seconds later he felt the breath of something or someone huge on his face, warm and humid, with the force of a steam engine.
The thing suddenly pushed him over, once , twice, and three times it rolled him like a ball.
Then his assailant roared a load and spittle infested breath at his face for some seconds.
He was about to scream for the need of air, he was an orange, and he could utilize oxygen better than any other human, but even he had his limits.
The sounds of tree crashing came back, and Stephan finally uncurled as he took a deep breath.
He laid flat on on his face on the forest floor and kept as silent as he could, this would be the last attack, and probably the most daunting.
Some seconds passed, but then he heard their hisses and started to feel them slithering on his body.
The snakes waved their tongues a his face, went under his arms and around his neck, but he kept still.
One curious snake crawled into his trousers’ left leg, then went out through the right one.another wrapped itself on his hand holding his umbrella and squeezed it for a few seconds.
He didn’t know whether they were five, fifty or five hundred snakes covering his entire prone form, but just as the five minutes passed, they just left.
He stood, patted and brushed his suit to make it as presentable as could be and waited.
Out of thin air, a hut materialized, standing on two chicken legs that burrowed deep into the earth.
Then the hut’s door opened, and raspy woman’s voice called from within, “Come in Stephan, join me for dinner.” Then the voice cackled for good measures.
He took a deep breath and stepped inside.
A hag of undeterminate age leaned by a huge coldauron, and gave him a toothless smile.
“Miss Yara, or would you prefer Baba Yaga?” He gave her a small bow.
“Whatever moves your fancies young delicous man.” She cackled.
“OK, you can lose the glamour, I know who you are.” He spoke calmly.
A shimmer like a wave of hot air passed over the body of the hag for a moment or two, and in her place stood a far younger woman with a mocking smile.
“What does an esteemed Agarthan like yourself, want with a rejected renegade like me?” She walked slowly around the hut as she talked.
“The one who banished you is here, and I need your help to bring him to justice.” Stephan found a nearly normal chair, pulled it, and sat.
“So, he is a renegade now.” She smiled a thin smile as a glow rose from her cheeks to her eyes. “Tell me more, Mr. Stephan.”
From Another World.
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The first part of this story is HERE, and the second part is HERE.
Be sure to check our books, The Green Boy, and Through The Storm.
You can also check other books by our authors like The Trinity’s Dream.