It did not take long for the police and ambulances to arrive at their location given that a supposed federal agent has been attacked inside of their jurisdiction. Undue attention had always expedited local government response, after all.
Irwin had been wrapped, hooked up, and gently laid atop an ambulance before he could even say "Mommy".
"So... This is our serial killer? This guy?" The askance look Lieutenant Mercer gave amused Irwin as he sat at the back of the ambulance, hooked up to an IV bag and bandaged like an Egyptian mummy on vacation. "Four murders across five state lines in two weeks. This skinny, missing his fucking face 50-year-old guy?"
"Yes, lieutenant. It is him, all 5 foot 4 inches of him." Irwin steeled his gaze as he answered the cop.
Lieutenant Mercer stared at Irwin's cold and steely gaze before nodding in relief. "Well, thank God for you guys. I still couldn't believe that he did that, travelled and hunted his victims and set up that murder site all in a span of few days, a few hours at least." The cop shook his head.
"Well, he's dedicated, you know. At least we saved one of them..." Irwin trailed off as he pointed towards the sleeping Elaine on a journey.
"Yeah. Shame about her brother's though." Lieutenant Mercer remarked. "I'll get out of your hair now and let you rest. Thank you, Agent Bryce, for putting our county at ease and risking your life." He said with a sincerity which caused a smile to blossom on Irwin's face.
"You're welcome, it was literally our job," Irwin replied.
Lieutenant Mercer laughed as he nodded and walked off.
Removing the various fluids and towels off of him, Irwin trudged towards Elaine's ambulance as another police officer was taking down her statement to no avail. Her eyes were downcast and unfocused, fingers trembling in slight apprehension. She was there, yes, and she could hear them, but the trauma of a supernatural entity of chaos and evil boring down on her soul and control you had done irreparable damage to her psyche.
"Ma'am. Could you give us a moment?" Irwin smiled, motioning for the police officer to remove herself, which she did. He then sighed as he looked at her dirtied face, vomit and blood cached in her hair and clothes. "You summoned a demon into this world and made a deal with it. You unleashed its evil upon your customers in hopes of achieving what you deemed impossible. For that... I do not pity you." He said.
Irwin gently grabbed Elaine's chin and forced her to look at his blue eyes, a frown marring his face. "Your action, though not entirely your fault, caused the lives of four people. Dead and sacrificed for a cause that co-contradicts the natural order of life. All because you were weak and helpless because you could not stave off the hunger for fame and fortune that eludes you still. For that... I loathe you."
His eyes began glowing purple, hands inching deeper into her chin as magic swirled around the air before them. "Remember their names, Elaine Grimsby. Remember those who you killed. Their memories will haunt you forever, their screams will torture you in your sleep."
The glow grew darker, sinking deep into his eyes until the veins underneath his skin became visible, but before he could unleash the swirling arcane energy his body have willed forth, a shudder rocked his concentrated body. The readied magical energy immediately popped like a bubble, knocking the wind out of him and leaving him bereft of air. He staggered back, taking back his empty breath as he let go of Elaine's chin.
"Goddamnit!" He cursed, hunched down and arms on his knees as he gazed around the scene. Seeing none but a single confused paramedic looking before hastily returning to his work, Irwin palmed his face and steeled his mind. "What the fuck was that? Fuck!"
He looked towards Elaine, still not sure what took over him. Merely a sudden urge to punish her for her crimes, for the sins she had committed. Irwin knew the dangers of delving into witchcraft or any kind of magic, but his body suddenly demanding to mete out punishment was nowhere near the top of his list. He sighed once more, grabbing bottled water from a nearby paramedic and washing his face with it.
"I'm sorry for that." He apologized to Elaine whose face remained slack and dazed. "But... your mistake has killed people... even those of your brothers."
With that said, he trudged towards the previous ambulance he was treated in and grabbed his phone. It took a few moments before he found Garth's new number from the brand-new phone he had gifted the latter.
Ragged breath came out of the line as soon as Irwin placed the phone up to his ear. "Oh, hey. Sorry. I was just chasing something?"
"Hey, how are you doing? The witch?" Irwin asked, worried about Garth's panting.
"Oh, yeah, we're fine. She's in the back. We're a few blocks away. I'll just meet you at the highway."
Irwin sighed as he grasped the contract within his pant pockets. "Good. I'll be there in a few. Prepare for company."
●●●●●●
Magical contracts, in general, are fickle things. Some were created to enforce an order or to prolong cooperation, but there are those whose sole existence is to further the vile and putridity that taints humanity to their very core. There are, of course, also contracts that merely exist as a consequence of someone's action, neither good nor evil by virtue.
The blessed contracts by the Sabine high priests of Sancus, the god of oaths, are one example of a lawful contract as it enforces a trusted bond between the contractee and contractor, mostly through transparency and contingencies in the wording of the contract. While bargains and deals made through Crossroad demons are one instance of facetious and chaotic contracts that detract the value of society to mere short-termed pleasure and greed as the demons, a being of unpure soul, can see through a human's every desire, and, thus, can act upon it by offering their wants for their very lives.
Now that the moral aspect and general responsibility of magical contracts have been established, one must now know of contracts and their, perhaps, second most important aspect: Loopholes.
Now, a wordsmith or a poet would insist the penultimate aspect be the wording of the magical contract, but they are neither correct nor wrong. The wording of the contract, or how it is written and enforced, comes down to both the user's capability to bend the lines of morality and language to suit their needs and wants without breaking a single line within the parchment.
●●●●●●
Irwin does not know why, but the jittering of his knees never ceased as he drove towards their meeting point. Perhaps it was the anticipation of ending the hunt, ending the week-long drive around the country to catch the ever-elusive prey that preyed on the weak and gullible. Or, perhaps, it is because he is about to facilitate an exchange with a dangerous witch. He does not know. In fact, he does not want to know. As they say, ignorance is bliss.
"You can do this." He muttered as he stared at the mirror atop the car while Garth flagged him down the road and waved for him. "You can do this."
The car pulled up across the empty highway road with green pastures and sparse forest surrounding both sides. A large wooden fence enclosed the right pastures with a few cows and a small shed near the highway. On the adjacent roadside was the electric truck, scratched and dented at certain angles which might earn Irwin a few lectures from Archibald, but that does not matter right now. He has bigger matters to worry about.
He exited the car and limped towards the truck, nodding at Garth as he passed by the hunter and went straight into the trunk. "Where's the witch girl?" He asked as he opened the trunk, false bottom, and second false bottom to grab two plastic bags for the Flame Whip spell.
"Oh, she said she needed to pee, so I let her go around the fence for privacy." He answered. "The Witchcatcher won't like go haywire, right? From like urine?"
Irwin shook his head, grabbed a magazine filled with iron bullets and closed everything. "Reload your gun. Charlotte's mother will be coming for her daughter 'cause I made a deal with her. Unless anyone attacks anyone, do not fire your weapon. Understood? Unless anyone attacks anyone."
"Sure, but... Richard, what's happening?" Garth asked, concerned over his partner's solemn expression and stern tone. "I thought it's done?"
"Not yet," Irwin replied as he darted his eyes to the surrounding grasslands, wariness evident in his darkened and bloodshot eyes.
"Call back Charlotte." He ordered with greater intensity than usual for he knew he only had one chance to employ his trick.
Although Garth was worried about his partner's erratic behaviour and weakened demeanour, the gravity boring down on his employer's tone suggested the matter be ever so serious. He brought his fingers in his mouth before emitting a low whistle. "Charlotte. Come back here."
As soon as his words travelled the air, an irritated groan escaped the thick shrubbery that surrounded the farm shed. Clicking her tongue in anger, Charlotte stepped into the open and glared indignantly at the two hunters as the magic inscribed upon her metal collar forced her long legs to stride closer to her captors.
"Show me your hands. Come closer. Closer." Irwin began ord1ering the witch, motioning her forward in a strict manner until her rosy cheeks were mere inches away from his blue eyes. He scrutinized the woman's collars and their esoteric enchantments before making sure they would not come off in the slightest hint of roughness. "Good... Very good... Spin around." He ordered once more, which she obeyed.
Seeing the Witchcatcher in good condition, Irwin then moved forward as his lips graced Charlotte's tingly ears and began whispering to her. Charlotte tried to resist the sudden intrusion in her personal space but a simple "Stop" command settled her down, much to her dismay. Her eyes glossed over as his words reached her ears, head nodding in confirmation but a hint of desperation and reluctance tinging her green doe-y eyes as if to plead mercy to her other captor.
"Understood?" He asked expectantly, eyes glinting under the silvery glow of the moonlit sky. Seeing her nod, Irwin smiled before removing Erishkigal's amulet and placing it around her neck. "Do a good job, will you?"
Finishing his whispers, Irwin nodded to Garth and ordered him and the witch to stand by the side of the truck before silently retrieving the Horn Of Lost Souls from his Trade Counter.
In a flash, an elongated curved ivory hollow tusk appeared in his left hand. The edges of the tusk were decorated with crystalline gems that alternates between rubies and emeralds. Its gilded rim smelt of soot and ash with hints of blood that permeates the hollow insides. The very surface of the ivory horn had a slight yellowish colouration as shallow cracks ran around a large dark opal embedded within the relative centre of the horn.
After finishing his visual inspection of the artifact, Irwin winded his breath and blew into the smaller hole of the horn.
BOOM!
A deep gravitating bellow emerged from the horn as the winds picked up and sailed outwards, travelling farther and hitting both the humans and cars in the surrounding area. An almost imperceptible wave of energy pulsed throughout the surrounding farmlands as millions upon millions of microscopical information entered through his ear and then into his mind.
The soft howls of werewolves, the jolly cries of fairies, the exhausted huffs of wraiths, the ever-so-hitched breaths of a skulking spectre, all manner of supernatural entities were revealed before the mind and senses of Irwin Bellios as the deafening boom of the horn subsided, leaving those near him dazed and immobilized for but a few moments.
With not a moment to lose, Irwin scoured through the new set of information for any witches within the area of effect, disregarding the stinging pain he suffered from the large offset his brain could not properly digest. He heaved a sigh of relief when the only sign of witchcraft he found was the one he had captured.
"I'm going to assume you have some sort of communication device to call your mother? If so, do so." He turned towards Charlotte and ordered aa the horn in his hand began to crumble and disintegrate into ashes that soon drifted into the blustering winds.
Charlotte obeyed with an irritated huff, reaching into her hefty bosoms and retrieving a small earthen talisman that glowed with iridescent purple light.
Irwin groaned, training his gaze towards Garth. "You didn't check her for that stuff, bro?"
"What? Of course not. She's a lady. I'm a... gentleman." Garth reasoned out, a lush colouring his cheeks.
Charlotte scoffed, crossing her arms. "Some gentleman you are--"
"Shut the fuck up. And just do it." Irwin demanded, glaring at her.
The talisman broke easily at the middle, emitting a pale green smoke that permeated the form of Charlotte as the surrounding earthy and dirt-ridden smell of the farmlands began to be replaced by the sweet taste of lavender and mint; Signaling the arrival of Agatha.
A light cackle filled the road as the two hunters turned towards the source of the voice, revealing the curvaceous form of Agatha. Dressed in a mute green form-fitting long silk dress, with raven hair styled like a beehive, and a flawless neck adorned with a similar talisman which was broken by her daughter.
"Ah, finally. No longer bound by the demon. My gratitude." She said, sighing sultrily as he eyed Irwin admiringly before turning towards her bound daughter, "Oh, poor baby. What have they done to my poor darling? No need to worry for Mamma is here to rescue you."
Charlotte nearly broke to tears when she heard her mother's voice but a stern command from Irwin made her face slack in indifference. Agatha silently seethed when she saw her daughter turned mute and obedient by the men before her, thunder crackling in the nearby clouds as the sky slowly start to darken.
Irwin clicked his tongue as the angry witch glared at them before chortling in amusement, a smirk gracing his rather swollen lips. "Really? You're gonna play us like that when you almost let your daughter be killed because of a spell? Cut that shit off."
"I assure you... I do not know what you mean. I am merely a worried mother here to rescue her daughter." She said indignified before striding confidently towards Charlotte who wore an expression closely resembling that of a dog whose owners had come home after a long day.
Agatha's hands outstretched towards Irwin in a silent gesture before the latter nodded and took out a brass skeleton key and a rolled parchment tied with a silken cloth.
"Our part of the deal as stated in the contract. We will neither attack you with arcane spells nor hunter weapons while you free your daughter." He stated, placing the two items on her palms as she wade through the empty road, met only by the fierce winds of the countryside and the silent pleas of her daughter.
Agatha smiled adoringly at her nervous daughter, thoughts swirling at the breathing room and powerful spell she had recently acquired from the hunter as she disregarded her spawn's nervous twitch. "Do not worry, dear, this thing will come off in a jiffy." She soothed, cupping her daughter's rosy cheeks and hazing at her teary yet bloodshot eyes.
"I'm sorry, Mother," Charlotte spoke in a low whisper, much to Agatha's bewilderment.
"Do it," Irwin muttered, clearing Agatha's confusion much faster than she expected as Charlotte's tears fell on her cheeks while her hands suddenly shot up.
A deafening boom resounded across the farmlands as both cars exploded with torrential magic, their windows shattering amidst the glow of purple light that swirled across the darkening sky. The glass shards that remained of the windows began to fall down the paved road before a powerful gravitational tug forced them to shoot towards Agatha's back.
As hundreds of jagged-edged glass pierced and thrust into the pale skin of the older witch, her daughter, Charlotte, the cause of her pain, tearfully begged for her mother's mercy as her eyes glowed with purple energy. The swirling mass of arcane energy affected not only her face but her neck, as well, as a familiar amulet glowed top with a sickening green radiance.
The glimmering shards of glass, dampened by the crimson blood, were irradiated by the eery green energy from the ancient Mesopotamian amulet as the glass shards, under the shocked and betrayed gaze of Agatha carved themselves deeper into her back torso and legs.
A series of sickening crunches of bone, tendon, and muscles erupted within the very body of Agatha as every orifice in her body continued to bleed her dry. With one final push, Charlotte waved her hands back and summoned the glass shards towards her, leaving multiple exit wounds on her front torso and legs.
The first to buckle was her legs, bloodied and mangled like cheap pork, as her knees thud against the paved road. A disbelieving groan escaped her lips while her slacking gaze steadied on her daughter before a desperate cackle, throaty and raspy, filled the air.
"You... betrayed... me..." She muttered as the swirling chaos of jagged shards above her formed into three familiar spear, glimmering under the cover of the dark skies. "I... curse-" The spears pierced above her shoulder, through her torso, and exited out of her inner thighs before the curved edge of the spear met the concrete.
Agatha's eyes drooped down, tears welling under her emerald eyes, as the last remaining vestige of life within the witch's gaze, a spark of flame that once fought for the survival of her and her daughter's life, dissipated. Her body wavered under the light breeze before hitting the paved road.
●●●●●●
Seeing her mother's lifeless body hit the floor, Charlotte erupted into an unhinged bellow, pouring all her life's grievance onto the sight of her mother's withering gaze. The purple glow tinged with emerald wisps slowly intensified as the swirling mass of slowly subsiding torrential energy began to pick up once more. Arcane energy ripped into the space between her body, creating a field of magic that intensified her thunderous roar.
"Shut up," Irwin ordered. "Stop channelling magic."
No sooner did his orders enter her ears than the Witchcatcher emitted a sub-sonic pulse that nullified her magical output. The swirling mass of torrential energy burst like a bubble as the arcane energy field around her body dissipated into nothingness, returning to the very Earth it belonged to. The sickening green energy within the amulet disappeared, leaving her glowing purple eyes alone before that too vanished.
With both magic and her mother gone, Charlotte's mind began to unravel as silent tears threatened to flow down her face. Her gaze then turned towards her captor, anger and acceptance evident in her taut expression.
"Your job's down, Garth. Go home for a little while. I'll call you when I need you." Ordered Irwin, gaze never leaving the dead witch's body.
"T-That's it?" Garth ask, bewildered by the abrupt rejection. "I mean, what about her?" He pointed towards Charlotte.
Irwin turned his gaze towards the daughter, a frown on his face. "Leave me to her. Your money's on the account. I'll call you when I got another job."
Garth heaved a resigned sigh and nodded at his employer before striding towards the truck. "I'm gonna return the car to the manor-"
"Keep it," Irwin interjected. "We have many. Now, leave."
Without another word, Garth entered his car and drove off, leaving Irwin and Charlotte alone with a corpse in the middle of an empty highway.
"Give back the amulet."
His orders immediately came through as Charlotte begrudgingly walked towards him, stepping over the corpse of her mother while removing the amulet from her neck and placing it on Irwin's outstretched hands.
He rubbed the amulet against his clenched palms, feeling the warmth it radiated. It took him nearly the whole drive to figure out where that sudden mastery and enhancement of the Flame Whip came from and the only explanation he had was that the Entity took pity on his beaten ass and gave him a power-up or Erishkigal's amulet's special effects had affected his personal magic.
Both explanations came from the aspect of probability and, seeing as he was about to kill an old witch with no weapon nor the ability to actually do the deed, he needed to discern whether or not to gamble on the chances the spell enhancement will take effect once more.
Irwin donned the amulet, feeling the residual magical energy amidst the drifting winds of the highway. "You did well. Now place your mother's corpse inside the trunk of the car." He ordered after complimenting her actions.
Charlotte, renewed with blossoming dreadful acceptance, walked a bit faster before crouching down to Agatha's corpse as she caressed the latter's cold forehead and tucked in her dirtied mousey blonde hair. She looked toward her captor, silently pleading.
"You may speak a few words to her. No spells."
She nodded in relief, holding her mother in a warm embrace. "I-I'm sorry, Mamma. It was my fault. I never should have been cocky. I should have killed them both once Hendricks had the upper hand." She said hastily, fearing his captor would renege on his order. "I-I was a fool. I... I wished we just left for Prussia and never came here. I-I wish you never met the damn demon... I wish I was powerful enough to take care of you for once. I'll avenge you. I'll kill--"
"That's enough." Irwin interrupted, a chuckle escaping him as he heard her words. "You don't need to worry about killing me. By the way, most of my fight goes, a fucking werewolf will tear me through Sunday. Now, put the body on the trunk and get on the back." He said.
After a tearful goodbye to her mother and placing her softly inside the cramped trunk of the rented car, Charlotte entered the back of the car as Irwin started the engines. "Be grateful you're still alive. After all, I could kill you right here and right now." He threatened. "Now, smile for me because you'll be working for me from now on."