The music at the rave and the flashing lights made for a truly unique experience. There were 2 fog machines on either side. Everybody had a buzz and a partner it seemed. I glanced at my watch, only a quarter past eight. My date, Diana, grinded against my crotch and were it not for the class three Ifrit hovering close to the lights above the DJ, I would have gladly obliged her by burying my bone. I looked her very seriously in the eyes and motioned with my own to the Ifrit. Her cerulean eyes widened in terror. An Ifrit, if you were curious, is a powerful djinn that lives beneath the surface of the earth, usually in catacombs or caves away from humans.
Generally they keep to themselves. But the building where this was being held was an abandoned factory and they were in the basement where a giant hole had opened up and swallowed a bunch of workers. The hole connected to an ancient tunnel long forgotten. The music emanated down the hole and drew the beasts curiosity What drives people to party at destinations like this is beyond me.
A full-grown alpha is close to twelve feet tall with a thirty foot wingspan and weighs on average well over six hundred pounds. It is accompanied by lots of smoke, but due to the fog machines no one was the wiser. The tips of its horns smoldered with a fiery ember. It grinned, eyeing the people like a wolf eyes sheep. But this wolf could eat or kill every last one of the sheep and leave no survivors. “Diana go pull a fire alarm, I’m gonna handle this thing.” I looked at her with grim determination. “Be careful Al. I mean it!”
What this thing and Diana didn’t know about me was that I wasn’t exactly human either. My father was an Ifrit and my mother was a human. My mother was an ex marine exploring a cave she thought undiscovered, but that was because nobody who went in ever came back out. She barely escaped with her own life. But not without a mental scar. Remember my father is an Ifrit. I’ll spare you the details. You have an imagination. After that, she knew what was happening to her and that there was a good chance she wouldn’t survive the pregnancy. So she kept a journal documenting everything that had happened. She wrote down all of her training and anything else helpful she could in case she didn’t survive.
She didn’t by the way. But when she finally did have me she was in the company of those sympathetic to the situation.
The lights exploded, everyone screamed. The blaring music still played. My eyes adjusted instantly and I looked the creature in the eyes. A look of worry flashed over its face as it became aware that it was watched, but it was quickly replaced with a deadly grin. He descended down onto the DJ tearing him to shreds. Casualties happen. It made no difference to me. Everyone had very little chance of making it out if I couldn’t stop it.
Things like that used to really bother me. But after the fifty-fifth time it was just a drawback to the job. I flexed my hand as it shifted into a deadly claw and shot molten fire from the palm of my other hand at the feeding Ifrit. It looked up with headphones in its mouth just as the fire made contact, setting it ablaze. It howled in pain and leapt toward me, ignoring the fire. Good I thought, come closer. When it finally reached me slashed out with the claw, effectively dissecting the monster into a mess of pieces.
I looked around. Screeches were coming from the hole. More ifrits. S**t. I shouted at the top of my lungs. “Everybody get out now! Or you’re all gonna die!” They didn’t need much coaxing, but it shook the few paralyzed by fear into moving.
The ifrits appeared as decaying dogs engulfed in flames. They paused when they noticed me and one appearing to lead them stepped forth. “Leave half-breed. These humans are ours, as sanctioned by the tribunal. We have chosen to leave you alone because of your battle prowess against Worgo, one of our mightiest. Unless you want to perish with them I’d make haste.” I had a few seconds to decide. I motioned for Diana to come with me. They growled, causing her to break stride. “She stays. An even trade for Worgo, don’t you think?” They all smiled and descended upon her. My first step cracked the pavement from the amount of force I was putting down as I launched myself towards Diane.
Another detail missed by these guys is that I was way lighter and thus, faster than they were. To her it was all a blur with everything racing faster than her eyes could track. I scooped her up into my arms and leapt into the air once more; smashing through the windows above used for ventilation and out into the night. I didn’t stop running until I couldn’t feel the flames of the Ifrits on my back. Even then. I ran for five minutes more just to be safe. Once I knew I wasn’t being followed I made my way to a safe house.
When we got there she was sore from being in my arms so long that she had to stretch.
