The Hellhound comes home

[Angel Of Death]

that's okay..no worries about it..
personal issues are more important than this

[Shadow Hound]

Hey guys im gonna try to post my new one shot either a little later or tomorrow. At the moment I'm not feeling too good. Sorry again for the delay in posts. Just a lot of stuff getting in my way it seems
But we'll see what happens a little later. Who knows
-Amari the hellhound

[Scarletvixen]

hugs to you i cant wait

[Shadow Hound]

Okay so I took some medicine and rested a little and I think I feel okay enough to post this. This one kinda ends abruptly, but I'm sure you guys can guess what happens. Well, hope you like it

A Question of Trust
By: Shadow Hound

The smell of herbal tea brought Ox back to the present. He'd spent most of the night reading the histories, he practically forgot to sleep.
"Must be Shena" the minotaur rose from the table and quietly made his way into the kitchen.
There he spotted his Tamer making her own special tea. She didn't turn to face him right away. He'd been quiet, but the young psychic felt his presence like a fire in her blood.
"You didn't come to bed last night" she said still not facing him, "I missed you".
"Was catching up on some reading. Must've gotten too into it".
Shena turned with her cup of tea, giving Ox a sleepy smile. "Must've been a good book".
"A dose of history never harmed anyone" Ox shrugged a little.
"History? Huh...you don't strike me as a guy who'd be remotely interested in the past".
"Those who do not learn from the past are doomed to repeat it".
"Well look at you being all philosophical and stuff" Shena's smile didn't fade as she sipped her tea.
"It isn't really philosophical. More like common sense, which unfortunately isn't all that common".
"I agree. So anyway, what kind of history were you looking at?"
"Just some stuff from home".
"Get out! You brought books from your world?!".
"Sure did. Used to be more of a fighter than a thinker, but time tends to humble the mighty".
"Can I read them?!"
"They're in our language".
"Well then" Shena swept past him and took a place at the table, "You can just read 'em to me".
"Not sure if Lordi would like that too much. I will be honest though, it's rather tempt-Don't look at me like that Shena, damn it! I know what you're trying to do!".
Shena was giving him one of her special sweet smiles. It was the kind of smile that usually turned the minotaur's heart to mush, but it would have no such effect this morning, not with all the things that had been on his mind lately. Ox growled and shook his head.
"Stop it, Shena. I'm serious, I don't know how he'd react to a human knowing our histories".
Shena pouted. "What's the harm? I mean, if I'm gonna be a part of that world, don't I need to know something about it?"
"First of all, that's still in question. Second, as it stands, no. No you don't. Try to understand, Shena. Just some things are best left unsaid".
The psychic frowned. "You don't trust me".
"Oh don't even get me started, Shena Lee Torrent! You didn't tell us about your visions of Phobos or his tracking stone-"
"You lying son of a...you said you wouldn't hold that against me!"
"I don't" his calm demeanor was aggravating at best.
"You just did! I had my reasons, you know. Would any of you had believed me if I told you before I did?!"
Ox leaned against the kitchen doorway, arms folded over his chest. "I would've...and we both know that".
Shena sighed. "And what would you have done?"
"I wouldn't have let anyone try to kill him, much less myself. That's for damn sure".
When Shena didn't respond, Ox growled and moved closer to her. Shena jumped when one of his fists hit a wall inches away from her head.
"What the hell?!" she stood now a few feet from him with the table between them, her tea forgotten and her eyes wide with fear.
"I could ask you the same question, Shena. What the hell is going on with us?!"
"What...what do you mean?" her voice went quiet with concern as the fear in her eyes faded. She knew that Ox would tear his own arm off before hurting her, but still...
"We don't trust each other anymore, Shena. I'm beginning to wonder if I made the right choice in a tamer and quite possibly a lover".
Shena couldn't believe what she was hearing. Did Ox really have so little faith in her? Was this really over a simple vision? She had a feeling that it wasn't. Ox was too complex to let something like that bother him, which was one of the things that made her love him. Yeah, no matter how annoying it was, it kept her on edge. He was definitely a bull, with all his strength and unpredictability.
"How long have you felt like this?! And don't you dare lie to me!" she asked.
"Shena-"
"How long, Ox?!"
"I've...I've had doubts from the get-go".
The psychic's eyes went wide again as Ox looked away from her. She wasn't sure what to say. What could she say? What exactly was she supposed to say or even do? She shook her head snapping out of her thoughts.
"Why?" was all she could manage to ask.
"Why what?"
"Why all of this then? Why did you tell me all those things and not even mean them? I thought you were different, Asterion".
When she used his true name, he knew things were serious. "Not mean them? Shena, I've meant every word, the good and the bad".
"Why have you never had faith in me?"
"This isn't just about you!" Ox growled, "It's not about you, or me, but us! It's...this!"
"Okay, let me rephrase that, then why have you never had fain in us? You know for a damn fact I love you".
Ox was thankful no one else was up to hear all this. This was between them and them alone. Only Shena needed to see him like this, in a state of doubt.
"You may now but damn it Shena...we're too different. Look, you're human. You have a chance to live an ordinary life, to have a nice home with a good husband and you can even have kids. I...we can't do that, Shena. Of all the humans here in the group, you're the one with the most to lose".
When Ox looked, Shena had a displeased expression with her arms folded over her chest. She had an eyebrow quizzically raised.
"Are you done?" she asked, "Don't you walk away! And don't you dare say you weren't going to 'cause it was a thought! You think you can freak out on me, say all that and not let me say what I think?! Fuck that!"
When Shena also cursed like that, it was another sign she was being serious. She was furious now. Ox breathed deep and prepared for the worst, ready to take whatever emotional or mental beat down that was about to come.
"Look, I'm a grown damn woman and I can make my own choices. What do I really have to lose? My family's fortune? My brothers can inherit that mess. My family? Please, all they want me to do now is fit in with their definition of normal, and since they know about you they know that's not possible. But you know that's not what I want".
"And what is it you want?" Ox dared to ask, not taking his eyes off of her.
Shena stepped over to her partner, her heart pounding but eyes and expression soft. The anger melted away to love in a way that kept Ox amazed. With that, his soft growls turned into an almost purr like sound. Shena put his arms around her and tugged him down lightly until her lips met his mouth. Sure the kiss was awkward to say the least, but it set the minotaur's heart alight. With Shena in his arms, his doubts started to fade. She loved him and he knew that now. He felt a light hint of shame at doubting her.
"You listen to me, Ox. Losing you would be the greatest loss I'd ever face" she caressed his face as they parted, "What do I have to do to prove that?"
"Shena, you don't have to do anything".
"Well, apparently I do. I don't want you doubting us like this again".
"I won't. I'm sorry that I did. It's just...I'm not so sure of myself even".
"Then let me help. It hurts to see you so upset like that. Hm..." an idea struck Shena and she smiled, "Meet me upstairs in the bedroom in ten minutes...We'll have to be quiet though so to not wake the others".
Ox's jaw nearly hit the floor. "Shena, you're not serious?!"
Shena kissed his cheek. "Shhh...just trust me. You're all I want and I've never, ever been more sure of anything. See you in a few"
The psychic gave him one last very seductive smile and went upstairs, leaving Ox shocked and even pleasantly surprised.
"Now about the hole in the wall...."

lol I had to add that last line. Originally it was gonna be Kalma yelling "Who the fuck did that?!" like hours after it happened but eh, I could save that for another time I guess. So yeah...you can' probably guess what just happened. Moving along, cause I'm not going into details about that particular subject, this one shot takes place after the second and just before the third monster tamers. Next one shot will probably be about Kita and Bella. They're not hooking up, nope. I got a much more interesting, more wtf kinda pairing for Kita. But don't worry, I'll find a way to make it make sense. It's gonna be more like a family reunion kinda thing. Scarlet Vixen, you already know what it is and it's gonna leave you guys laughing
-Amari the Hellhound

[Angel Of Death]

this was really nice to read and the end, well...I know what happens, not so hard to guess

[Shadow Hound]

AOD: Lol good
Hm...shocked Scarlet didn't leave me a comment. Oh well. Anyway, I know I promised you guys a Bella and Kita fic and trust me, it's in the works, but I got some inspiration to do another one shot based on a song called Broken Crown by Mumford and Sons. I've had it stuck in my head along with a plot bunny that won't leave me alone until I write and post it here. I'll work on it more tomorrow and see about posting tomorrow night if I have time. Sorry for no update today guys, but maybe tomorrow I'll post a mini comedy shot ^^
-Amari the Hellhound

[Angel Of Death]

you really don't have to say sorry for not posting sometimes you just don't have the time to work on the story so no worries

[Shadow Hound]

I'm working on it as we speak. Its gonna be a difficult one as I kinda changed it a little bit. It was gonna be Kalma centric after what happened in my prequel but I listened to the song more and I realized oh crap this sounds more like, surprisingly, like how I imagine Mana to be. And so yeah its gonna be my first mana centric songfic. Wish me luck cause its gonna be a hard one I think
-Amari the hellhound

[Angel Of Death]

you will do just fine

[Shadow Hound]

Okay guys so I kept you waiting long enough I think. Granted the story isn't technically done on paper, so I'll just have to finish it on here. I also have some other great news: I'm trying to take up guitar again, but on the flip side it's easier said than done. I'll keep you guys updated on that as I post more stuff. Anyway, on to the story

Broken Crown
By: Shadow Hound

Touch my mouth,
And hold my tongue.
I'll never be,
Your chosen one...

He kept his place in central park. Where else could he go? He almost killed a Tamer, a potential savior of this world. A world he once lived in. At the thought, Mana tightened his grip on the ring that contained his power stone, or as the humans called it, his Tracking Stone.
Looking over all that had happened, Mana found himself regretting nothing. Well, except losing the one who had, once upon a time, mattered most. He stared out at the snowy fields, struggling with something he couldn't name. It was a constant fight, and the poor man inside could never win against the might of the monster he had become. It was a terrible existence, and it hurt. It hurt to remember, to even try to get a snippet of a memory.

I'll be home,
Safe and tucked away.
Well you can't tempt me,
If I don't see the day...

"Theia..." he muttered with a sigh.
His tamer, like all of his female descendants, were named after her. But in his mind, they were merely copies. None of them would ever rival the original. HIS Theia.
It was his fault she had died. If he had never met her, none of that would've happened. But then, would all this be happening now if he hadn't? Mana found himself doubting it. This world, he'd once been a part of it, he remembered. So many centuries ago...too many to hardly remember. And now it was in danger.
But could he save it? Was it even worth saving anymore? It hadn't been back all those centuries ago. Times had changed, but human nature hadn't. If Kalmaged didn't destroy them, humanity would inevitably destroy itself with its savagery. It'd been a lesson he learned too long ago.

The pull on my flesh,
Was just too strong.
Stifled the choice,
And the air in my lungs...

He remembered that he woke in her hut to the smell of candles and mint. Ah yes, mint. He remembered it was her favorite scent. His head hurt at the memory, as he struggled with it. Mana remembered wanting to hate her, wanting to condemn her, burn her as a witch.
He remembered the dagger, long and silver and sharp. He remembered how tempting it had been. She was vulnerable in her sleep, and all it would've taken was a single slit as she slept.
Mana, no, Simon Hatcher, had hesitated.
The clang of the silver brought him out of his reverie long enough to realize the ring was sinking into the skin on his palm. Mana opened his hand and the ring made its way back to the surface, covered in what looked like black blood. He watched in slight awe as the blood retreated, leaving the ring clean as the day it had been forged.
"Theia..." all he could bring himself to say was her name.
He remembered green eyes wide with fear and the dagger leaving a burn on his hand. She had disarmed him with nothing but her eyes.
"Incredible" he had said but remembered thinking: "Beautiful".

Better not,
To breathe than to breathe a lie.
'Cause when I open my body,
I breathe a lie...

One thing had led to another.
It'd started out a shaky alliance. Turned into an understanding. Then it blossomed into friendship. And somehow, by some miracle, it had turned into love. He had tried to fight it. He tried to keep that heart locked away. But it wanted what it wanted, and no man could deny his heart's one desire. No man could escape his fate. And it seemed this witch would be the death of him.
What it wanted, what it needed, was her.
"Theia..." he shook his head clenching his free fist in either sadness or anger, he wasn't sure which.

I will not speak of your sin.
There was a way out for him.
The mirror shows not,
Your values are all shot...

He remembered berating himself harshly. He asked how had this happened, and with a witch on top of that! Mana remembered Simon hating himself. He had strayed. The man was a hypocrite, a liar.
"Heretic!" Mana hissed, his mandibles flaring all the while.
Still though, he didn't feel an ounce of regret. Why?! He should've. Theia had ruined, wrecked him. She had torn his soul apart and now here he was.
He wanted to hate her.
That darling.
That monster.
That angel.
That demon...
"Heretic! Liar!"

But oh,
My heart,
was flawed.
I knew my weakness...

Mana shook his head, a breeze calming his anger. What was he so angry about? Already he'd forgotten. He looked around, as if waking from a dream.
"This isn't a dream. Or if it is, it is a nightmare" he growled, "A never ending nightmare".
He looked back down at the ring, the stone barely visible in the darkness. But Mana felt its power. It burned, like the blade he'd used to try to kill a witch once...

So hold,
My hand.
Consign me not to darkness...

Then he remembered again. "Theia..."
His Tamer.
His lover.
He didn't know which to reside with. What could he do? Returning to the Tamers would cause only trouble. But if he stayed out here, Mana was sure he would go mad. Well, as if he wasn't already. Once again it was a question of whether or not he wanted to save a world that he felt didn't deserve it.
A world that had spurned and rejected him. It had been a world of fear. Fear it was that he strived to destroy. Fear and sin. But now what he had once sought to eliminate, he now incited.
"Hypocrite..."

So crawl on my belly 'til the sun goes down.
I'll never wear your broken crown.
I took the road,
And I fucked it all away...

A crunch in the snow set his senses on high alert. He turned quickly, one of his arms elongating into a mantis like claw.
"Easy!" a voice called, "It's just me".
Standing there in the snow in a read coat with matching boots and a hat was his tamer. Mana calmed himself, allowing his arm to return to normal.
"Theia..." god how many times had he said that name tonight, "You'll catch your death out here".
"I can say the same about you".
"Why are you here?"
"Lordi thought it'd be best if I came to talk to you. This was where you were hiding out before. So...here I am".
"What do you want?"
"For you to come back to the funeral home".
"Fat chance".
"Why's that?"
"Why should I save a world that wants nothing to do with me?"

Now in this twilight,
How dare you speak in grace!

Theia closed her eyes and shook her head with a sigh. "I would've asked myself that too. All my family has ever done is live life as hermits. The world probably didn't even know about us. Hell I'm shocked Shena was even able to find anything about us, much less about you".
Mana looked at her suspiciously. "As hermits? Why?"
"Because that's how she lived. Theia, your Theia".
"Because she was a witch".
"Witch is a harsh word to use for a woman you loved".
"Love".
"what?"
"I haven't stopped loving her. Chances are, I never will. But it's a shame...I can feel my memories of her fading away with the centuries".
Theia gave him a sympathetic look. "I'm sorry. I can't imagine what that's like. Maddening I'm sure".
"Ha! Mad?! I'm already there. Some will speculate I always have been".
The red clad tamer shrugged. "Maybe. Maybe there's a madness in me too. But look, you can't solve all this by yourself".

So crawl on my belly 'til the sun goes down.
I'll never wear your broken crown.
I took the road,
And I fucked it all away!

"And teaming up with you and them...that can?"
"It's better than being alone I suppose".
"It's better to be alone. When you're alone nothing can hurt you. No one can touch you. You're your very own worst fear".
"But nobody should have to live like that. I'm sure if we talk to Shena she can help with your memory issues. I mean seriously, of all the Tamers, I think she's the go to girl for these kinds of things".
"Her partner would never let me anywhere near her".
"Ha! If I'm there and have something to do with it, Ox won't have a choice. Simon-"
"Mana. Simon died centuries ago".
"Mana...Look, you're more than just my partner. You're my family. In fact you're the only family I have left. Don't save this world for anything if that's what you want. But this is my home, and I'll be damned a thousand times if I'm gonna let some weak time traveling self copying sorcerer take it from me!" Theia turned and faced her ancestor, "We have to fight this. Please Mana, I can't do this alone. Don't do it for everyone else. You may think humanity isn't worth saving, but aren't I, the last of your bloodline, aren't I worth saving?"

Now in this twilight,
how dare you speak in grace!

She was his only family left. He was all she had. And now she was putting him on the spot, and it made Mana rather uncomfortable. She was human, but she shared his blood. She was a part of the race that hated him, and yet she still called him family. It was a hard decision to make. She was offering her hand, to help him with his memories and his madness. But he had nothing to give her.
"What do you want in exchange for your help?" he asked finally.
Theia looked at him confused. "I don't want anything from you. You're my family. I'm helping you because that's what family does. You may be my like what, a million times great grandfather, but still...I'm not leaving unless you come back with me. I don't wanna be alone, and I don't wanna watch this world fall apart knowing that I could've done something about it. Without you, I can't do anything. Thousands of innocents will die unless we stand together against Kalmaged".
"What innocents?! Humanity is not innocent, it never was! I don't know where you get that idea, you naive child!"
"I am not a child! But you know who is an innocent?! That little girl Clarissa! Her family was brutally murdered by Kalmaged's Icari. And then Jane killed her own parents, Clarissa's aunt and uncle, which left that poor girl with nothing! And what has she done, at eight years old, to deserve that?!"
"I never said she did!".
"But by standing here and doing nothing, that somehow makes it better?! I will not be made out into a coward because you're too scared to fight for a world that was once yours!".
"And now it no longer is".
"You're a coward".
"I'm honest is what I am. Humanity will eventually destroy itself. Why wait for that?".
"Because not everyone's bad".
"Yes they are".
"I'm not, and neither are the tamers. Shena's not even pissed about what you did. She understood that you did what you had to do".

So crawl on my belly 'til the sun goes down.
I'll never wear your broken crown.
I can take the road,
And I can fuck it all away...

Mana growled and looked away from her. This was his only chance. He needed his memories back, in their entirety. He didn't want to be at war with himself anymore. But going back would mean fighting for a race he didn't care about, something that not even his final descendant could change. She didn't understand, but perhaps he could make her. Mana looked around and seemed to take her words into consideration, along with the drive to prove her wrong.
"I'll go back with you" he decided, "But you'll soon see. Not everyone is how you believe they are".
"Thank you. Now c'mon, it's late and I'm cold. Clarissa will be expecting me back soon" Theia brushed past him but stopped right when she was in front of him. The tamer turned and looked at him, "Thank you".
Theia walked on. Mana hesitated a little before finally going after her.
"In this twilight, our choices seal our fate..."

So what'd you think? Not bad for my first Mana centric story. See, his issue is that he was nearly dead when he chose to become a monster, and so he's just barely holding on to his humanity while the monster side is eating at what's left of him. Simon Hatcher, in case you guys forgot, was the human name I came up with for him. I don't own the song Broken Crown. That' belongs to the band Mumford and Sons. Hope you guys liked it. I'd appreciate comments, reviews, whatever. Have fun
-Amari the Hellhound

[Angel Of Death]

that was really nice to read
poor Mana, he really doesn't have it easy..

[Shadow Hound]

He really doesn't have it easy. But it'll get better for him when he's with the Tamers. Speaking of which I do plan to continue and possibly even finish MT3 I just have to find the notebook that I had the rest of the story written in and I'll go ahead and continue it And on top of that I've got plans for the fourth Monster Tamers . I have two working titles in mind. Either A Twist in Time or, if I decide to put Amari in it, Return of the Hellhound. I'll see about finding the notebook and hopefully will start posting sometime this upcoming week.
-Amari the hellhound

[Angel Of Death]

oh, that sounds really nice...can't wait to read it

[Shadow Hound]

Okay guys so I have a little bit of time and I managed to finish a new chapter of Monster Tamers 3 Yay ^^ I've already started writing the next chapter and hopefully I'll be able to update once a week.
As for my self teaching guitar lesson things, well, I'm relearning tabs and stuff from a book lol It's murder on my fingers but hopefully it'll be well worth it.
On to the story!

Monster Tamers 3. Heart of Darkness
Chapter 14. One Step at a Time

The problem with Clarissa's power was obvious, but if harnessed the right way, it could prove invaluable. Skyler knew the girl would need a lot of training. Lordi could sense his tamer's contemplation.
Control may come with time. I know for you it did.
"None of us can even get close to her without being drained. Training her will be next to impossible".
Doesn't help that even Phobos is effected by her.
"Now to that I can partially agree. At least now he isn't scaring people".
Good. That's OUR job anyway.
Skyler laughed, but then felt something wasn't quite right with their connection. Instinct told her that Lordi was keeping something from her. She didn't like that, not at all.
"What's wrong?" she asked.
There's something else about Clarissa. Something not exactly unusual, but something she doesn't know. And I'm not sure if it'd be right of us to tell her. She might be too young to understand.
"What is it?"
There's a connection between her and Jane.
"Jane? What kind of connection are we talking about? We both know they're familiar with Phobos".
But it's not Phobos that binds them, Skyler. It's blood. Clarissa is related to Jane.
"What?!" Skyler shot up, "How?!"
They're cousins.
"And they don't know?! Well, don't you think we should tell them?!"
Not at this point. Jane has yet to forgive Phobos for his past deeds. I was thinking-
"Uh oh".
Hush, Skyler. At any rate, Maybe because of this blood tie, Jane might be immune to her ability.
Skyler looked thoughtful for a moment. "It seems plausible. But what if they start asking questions?"
We'll tell them we'll look into reasons. To make this more believable we need to keep this to ourselves.
"And what about Shena? What if it turns out she already knows?"
It's just a chance we'll have to take. Though that's a point, given her habit of hiding things from us...
"Maybe she was scared".
Of?
"Now of that I'm not sure. Maybe she thought we'd reject Phobos and try to kill him anyway".
But think about it, would she be that mistrusting of us? Yeah, she has trust issues but I didn't think she'd hide that. Especially not given the stone's power...and who it once belonged to...
"What are you talking about?"
Nothing, just thinking...
"Look, Shena's unpredictable. If there's anything I've learned from all this, that's one of a lot of things".

Another knock came to Izzy's door after Awa left. The hair on his neck stood on end and the young spellcaster knew who it was. He opened the door a crack to see Phobos. Izzy groaned.
"What do you want?"
"I'll speak plainly. A time travel spell".
Izzy went wide eyed. "No! Even if I did have one!" he went to slam the door shut but Phobos stopped it with his arm.
"Oh, but you do, Izariel".
"It's not mine to give. It's Awa's. Why do you want it?"
"Perhaps I should come in to discuss-"
"Hell no! Stay out of my space and answer my question".
"I'm trying to help Kalma and Lauren".
"Oh so you're meddling?"
"No! I'm...helping. See, Kalma likes Lauren, but she has feelings for me. Lauren only sees him as a dead man".
"And that's their problem not yours".
"But what if she saw him as more than that?"
"Phobos, look, it's not gonna help. Not to mention that if you did what I think you're gonna do, it could alter things drastically. You'd be more harmful than helpful. There's a reason Awa keeps that spell hidden".
"I'll tell you what. I'll make you a deal".
"Yeah, like you have anything I could want".
"I know how we can save Shena. No exorcism necessary".
"What do you mean?"
"She was tracking him, when she wasn't supposed to be".
"What?"
Phobos rolled his eyes. "Give me what I want Izariel and I'll tell you everything you wanna know".
"If this is your idea of a joke, it's not funny".
"Not joking. I know someone who's apparently in contact with our clever little friend. I don't know exactly if we can trust her, but we don't have much of a choice in the matter".
Izzy looked down thoughtfully. "You drive a hard bargain. What do you know?"
"I knew you were reasonable. Theia has to do the tracking ritual, not Shena. I'm assuming it's because she's his blood relative that Mana's curse won't affect her".
"Huh...well ain't that something...look I really don't think you should do this. If it ends badly, it could have serious repercussions. Especially if Lauren gets killed".
"She won't die. She'll have someone protecting her. And besides, sometimes in order to truly live one has to experience death".
"And that means?"
"All in good time. Now...I need the spell as promised".
Izzy turned to close the door but Phobos put a hand on Izzy's head. The young tamer felt a sense of cold dread go through him as Phobos used his tracking stone to put him in the world of his nightmare. It was in this state that Phobos discovered what he sought.
"Awa...I always knew you were clever. Hiding your deepest spell within your own student...But fear overrides all else" with the spell in mind, Phobos released Izzy and the tamer fell to the floor.
"Thank you Izariel, it's always a pleasure".

And what exactly does Phobos plan to do with the spell? Well, you'll see sooner or later Anyway, hope you guys liked this ^^ Comments are welcome
-Amari the Hellhound

[Scarletvixen]

I bet i can guess hehe^^

[Angel Of Death]

I think I can guess too..
but it's surely not nice how Phobos found the spell!! Poor Izzy..

[Shadow Hound]

I knew I shouldn't have written who did it in that one shot lol. But at any rate I got the next chapter done and im doing something ive never done and its probably gonna be super time consuming and kill my thumbs: im gonna update monster tamers via my phone since my phone has internet access obviously. I just wont be able to do all the italics and stuff cause I dont know how to do that over mobile. Well, here we go.

Monster Tamers 3: Heart of Darkness
Chapter 15. Torn to Pieces

When Bella woke the next morning she wasn't a happy camper. Kita was nowhere to be found, and when she found out why she wanted to hide. On the nightstand by her bed he left a short letter for his tamer.
Dear Bells,
Well by now you've probably caught on that I'm not here. I wanted to tell you Bella, I really did, but I know if I did you would try to get me to stay. Sad thing is you'd probably succeed. But I'll save that for when I get back.
I had to leave Bells. I'm so sorry, but there's someone I have to find. I am not abandoning you in any sense of the word. I'll be back before you know it, I promise. I'll always come back and I'll always find you. I left something for you in the nightstand. If you ever get upset or feel alone give it a listen.
Love ya lots,
Kita

Bella read the letter and immediately felt the hurt rush in. She crumpled the letter and threw it across the room. Her eyes stung with tears as she slammed the door to her room shut.
Everyone downstairs cringed at the sound.
"Well she knows now" Amen looked grim.
"Poor thing. I can't believe he'd leave her like that" Angel sighed.
"He had his reasons" Awa told them, "besides he'll be back".
"When?" Skyler asked.
"Soon. I can't say precisely when but soon".
"I hope so. With all thats happened recently, we may need him soon" Lordi added.
"Guys!" Izzy came running downstairs, "I know how we can help Shena!"
"How?" Lordi stood and turned toward the spellcaster.
"It's Theia! She has to do shena's tracking ritual!".
"Does she even know how to do it?" Jane asked.
"No" Lauren shook her head, "but we can teach her can't we?"
"It's plausible" Awa shrugged slightly.
"Then what are we waiting for?! Personally I'd rather find this asshole and bring him here" Jane stood.
"There lies the problem" Otus, calm as ever, stated, "We need to track him in order to find him"
"What's going on?" Theia came downstairs with Clarissa in her arms.
"Phobos told me how to track Mana" Izzy told her.
The little girl smiled and practically jumped out of Theia's arms.
"How are we gonna catch the buggy man?" She asked.
"Theia has to do Shena's tracking ritual".
"But I dont know how to do it" Theia objected, "and on top of that I don't have the same powers as she does. I dont think it would work".
Izzy paled. "Which means....that lying son of a bitch!" He thought.
"Ah crap that's right! We still dont know what your power is yet!" Skyler facepalmed, "so what, it's a dead end?!"
"What you folks need is a hunter" Jane smiled, "Thankfully you have one. And every good hunter knows the best thing to do when you start a hunt is to learn all about your prey. So Theia, spill the beans".
Theia told them all she knew. From Simon Hatcher's brutal ways to his meeting the witch who changed his ways to his inevitable excommunication and death. No one dared to interrupt and Jane listened intently.
"So he was human once. What'd he do to become a monster?" The hunter asked.
"Sold his soul with his dying breath. Its said it was some kind of demon. He wanted to save Theia, but...but he failed and he was pretty much forced to watch her burn".
"And where exactly did this take place?"
"My family's Norwegian, but wd came to America a few centuries ago".
Jane paced thoughtfully. "So where was Theia burned?"
"Norway I'd imagine cause it was back in thr early centuries, like the twelfth I think".
"Of course" Jane rolled her eyes, "one would think he would've followed you".
"Not really if you think about it" Ox interfered, "He died believing they'd kill Theia while she was still with child. There was no way he could've known otherwise according to Shena's vision".
"So then we know where we're going" Skyler concluded.
"Hold it" Kalma interjected, "first off there are no tears in the veil between world's in Norway. If we were to use our tracking stones to get there we'd create one which could potentially be used by our enemies".
"Well can't we just fix it when we get back? They usually seal themselves after we use them, right?"
"True" Kalma shrugged, "but it would still be wise if only a few of us went so that when we do get back we can seal it together. The smaller the group, the smaller the tear and the easier said tear will be fixed".
"Well dang...why didn't we just do that before?" Angel asked, "I mean if it's easier-"
"Because it's more time consuming since there were fewer of us. Kalma I don't say this often but you're a damn genius" Amen leaned back in his chair.
"And having two separate groups in different places could work to our advantage in another way. The group here can seal any additional tears here in the states while we're in Norway. And of course someone's gotta keep an eye on Shena and Bella" Theia added.
"So for sure we're going to Norway?" Lauren asked.
"Some of us".
"I'll stay" Izzy volunteered, "Bella's my sister and my responsibility".
Awa agreed to stay. By the end of the discussion, Bella, Izzy, Awa, Ox, Phobos and Clarissa decided to stay. Theia, Skyler, Lordi, Amen, Angel, Jane, Otus, Lauren and Kalma chose to go to Norway.
"Rest up guys. Come tomorrow, we got a bug to catch" Skyler said determined.

Yay I succeeded! Now I can work on the next chapter reviews are welcome ^^
-Amari the Hellhound

[Angel Of Death]

so a part will go to Norway...I'm curious what will happen there

[Shadow Hound]

Oh it's gonna get good
I'll probably be updating tomorrow, or later when I have more of the chapter written but I wanted to share this with you guys. So I'm trying to play guitar again, and I've been working on learning tabs recently. See, I'm teaching myself out of a book and I thought you were supposed to read tabs left to right and it sounded wrong so I was like "what am I doing wrong?" I go back and reread the chapter I'm getting my lesson from...and it turns out I was reading them wrong! You're supposed to read 'em backwards, right to left! So now I gotta retrain my fingers and my brain and everything else to do that...but it does sound a lot better. So I guess these people do know what they're talking about. You win this time, guitar book...this time
I'm sorry I know you guys were expecting an update, but I thought that was so funny and I wanted to share it with you guys. I'm such a dork. Amen may as well have come out of his tomb and bopped me on the head saying "NO! You're reading them wrong!"
Again sorry guys but I just couldn't resist.
-Amari the Hellhound

[Angel Of Death]

starting to play an instrument yourself is never easy I think..but now you figured out how to read it, now things will go more easily

[Shadow Hound]

Okay guys I'm back with another update mostly on my story. My guitar lesson didn't go as well as I hoped it would because I didn't get home til a little later than I probably should've. Not to mention, I found my pick and so I have to get into the habit of using it. And now that I know how to read tabs, I'm starting to wonder how the heck does anyone with short fingers know how to do this?! It's like finger murder I tell ya! Oh my god, I'm murdering my fingers Anyway, enough about that. I'll go ahead and give you guys what you came here for
This chapter for once isn't named for a song.

Monster Tamers 3: Heart of Darkness
Chapter 16. Mana Rising

The group practically landed on each other as they each fell through the portal. Amen and Angel were the only ones to actually land on their feet, and even Angel had a little difficulty given the snow and icy conditions.
"God, we really should work on these landings" Skyler stood, brushing loose snow off herself.
"Yeah, I think that about killed my back" Lauren took Kalma's hand and he helped her up.
"Yep, falls will do the trick. Thankfully we don't have to worry about that" the zombie looked around, "God damn, this feels like home almost".
"Where are we anyway?" Theia looked around as well.
They seemed to be in the middle of a snowy coniferous forest somewhere. Silence reigned and the air felt so thick and suffocated. It put the monsters and their tamers in a state of unease. They kept close together. Kalma looked around suspiciously.
"God I hear nothing! We're like in the middle of buttfuck nowhere!"
"You mean Egypt, like-" Skyler stopped when she caught Amen glaring at her with a hint of confusion, "It's just a silly phrase for being lost. No need to get your bandages in a bunch, mister hard ass".
Before the situation could escalate, the group heard what seemed to be a recorded version of Amen's Lament to Ra. Everyone slowly turned and awkwardly stared at Angel, who looked slightly embarrassed.
"What?" she said, "It's my cell ph-Holy crap! We seriously have service here?!"
Angel whipped the phone and was surprised to see it was Izzy calling.
"It's Izzy!" Angel answered, "Hey!"
"Holy crap, you guys have service?!"
Angel put it on speaker. "That's what I just said, and obviously, yeah, we do!"
"Can you figure out where we're at?!" Jane asked, "If we have service, we're probably close to civilization somewhere".
"I was kinda hoping you guys could tell me where you're at. I'd assume the portal worked, but I have no clue where you are" Izzy said.
"Oh, fan-frikkin-tastic! Not even the others can tell us where we're at!" Skyler groaned.
"God, this is like the beginning of Pirates of the Carribean Three! We're in a snowy, forest version of Davy Jones' locker. It's like there's a forest, we don't know what's happening and we're licking turtles here!" Lauren exclaimed.
Izzy didn't say anything for a minute. "Wait, you guys are licking turtles? Should I be worried?"
"Oh yes Izzy, we're totally licking sea turtles in the middle of the woods in winter! M-O-R-O-N!" Angel rolled her eyes.
"Well damn-"
"Why'd you call, Izzy?"
"Like I said I just wanted to make sure you guys made it through okay-"
"My leg!" Lauren yelled as if she'd been hurt, which she wasn't.
"Lauren, please...SHUT UP!" they all yelled at her together.
"Uh guys, don't look now, but I think we've got company" Jane picked up a long, ebony black feather.
Otus looked it over. "Oh no...not the Icari again!"
"Wait, didn't we destroy them?" Izzy asked.
"A small army perhaps, but not all" Lordi answered, "Skyler, my little fireball, start drawing. We're gonna need weapons".
Skyler was already sitting up against a tree with her drawing pad and pencils. "I'm one step ahead of you guys. I already got some drawn for when we need 'em".
"Thanks Sky, you keep doing your thing. Otus, do you know how to track them?"
"Heck yeah!" Jane answered before her partner could, "I could probably hear one sneeze from a mile off if they ever did".
"Cocky as ever" Kalma rolled his eyes at the thought, "Now I know what Ox had to go through with me".
Jane and Otus ventured a little further into the woods, scouting for Icari. By the looks of things, they hadn't actually been around in a while. The feather was a stray one most likely. Still, even with that knowledge, it did nothing to ease Jane's mind in the slightest.
"Why would they even be here?" the hunter wondered aloud, "It makes no sense".
They seem almost desperate to finish us off now. Otus explained at a distance. A tamable monster without his partner is a weakened one at best.
"So they're trying to kill Mana, not us?"
Well I wouldn't rule that out just yet either. For all we know we could be falling into a trap they've set up. Otus reappeared at her side, "They could be using Mana as bait for us".
"I thought about that too. We should probably tell the others".
"Well yeah, but-"
"Shhh! Do you hear that?" Jane asked.
"Hear what?"
"It's like...buzzing. Isn't it too cold for insects? Unless...SHIT! We need to get back-"
She was cut off by even more loud buzzing. Out of the snow and shadows of the trees, they saw him. Mana found his newest prey...

Next chapter will feature an awesome fight scene Hopefully it'll be awesome. I'm not good at fight scenes. Anyway, hope you guys liked this
-Amari The Hellhound

[Angel Of Death]

oh..that end doesn't look so good..but it's good they found him, I guess..

[Shadow Hound]

Lol more like he found them
Here's a new chapter for you guys ^^ hope you like it. Had a stressful day but thats not gonna stop me from posting

Monster Tamers 3: Heart of Darkness
Chapter 17. Monster is My Name

"Jane! Jane get back! He's too powerful for you!"
The hunter ignored her partner's warning and charged at the insectoman. Mana held out his arm and Otus watched in horror as it turned into a mantis like claw. He struck fierce and fast, catching, twisting, and eventually breaking Jane's arm. The young tamer screamed in pain and Otus sprinted into action. The butcher's usual noose turned into a long silver blade and just before Mana could cause any permanent damage, Otus cut off the offending limb. Mana hissed in pain and shuffled backwards. Otus kept his place in front of Jane, hellbent on keeping her safe. Otus hissed, revealing his now fanged teeth. They looked on in shock as Mana's arm regenerated from what looked like a swarm of black and green flies.
"Oh god" Jane moaned holding her broken arm, "We're gonna get our asses kicked here!".
"Go get the others" Otus instructed, "I'll hold him off".
"I'm not leaving you with him! Are you nuts?!"
"Well I am your partner after-Oh Shit!" Mana sped toward the pair and lunged at Otus with the same mantis like claw, but it was much harder this time.
"Jane, I'm serious! Go get the others!"
The tamer didn't need to be told again. As the two monsters clashed, Jane struggled to get herself back to the group. Thankfully, they were already searching for her.
"What happened?!" Lordi demanded.
"It's him! It's Mana!" Jane seemed to almost panic, "Otus is facing him alone!"
"Shit! Skyler!"
"I'm on it!" Skyler focused her power on the drawing of his axe and when everyone looked it had materialized into his hand.
"Wait, you aren't gonna kill him, are you?" Theia asked, worried now.
"No, he needs to be subdued though. So, we will need to kick his ass".
Amen turned to Angel. "We might need a boost".
"I'll see what I can do" she nodded lightly.
"Thanks sweetie" Amen kissed her head, "We'll be back, we're gonna kick some ass and hopefully save the world".
All the while, Lauren was calling upon the spirits of those who had died in this area. To her surprise there weren't too many of them, but it would be enough to keep herself and Kalma energized hopefully.
"Theia, get Jane to safety. If he broke her arm, she won't be able to fight. God knows what he can do to the rest of you".
"We're not going anywhere" Skyler countered.
"We're tamers and we stick together to the end" Angel added.
"Damn right" Lauren agreed.
Theia for her part helped Jane to get a little distance away. But there was no way she was going to leave them to fight. She was kin to this monster, making this her fight as well. Possibly making it even more personal to her than the others. She couldn't, wouldn't leave them.
"Stay here. I'm going to help them".
"Wait!" Jane pulled out one of her daggers, "Take this. It might come in handy".
"Thanks" Theia took it and followed the groups footprints out to the battlefield.
"Don't worry, Simon...I'm coming".

"Otus! We made it!" Skyler called as she and the others emerged.
"'Bout damn time! Been getting my ass kicked here!"
"Well damn, we had to get Jane to safety-"
Amen was cut off as Kalma was thrown with deadly force, breaking several trees and sending snow up in a frenzy. Angel's palms glowed and Amen and Lordi's appearances changed. Amen's usual golden-tan bandages turned gray and tattered. An intricate silver sickle-sword appeared in his hand, Skyler's very own creation.
Amen looked it over and decided he liked the weapon. "Sweet, now let's kick some ass".
Lordi hadn't changed much himself, but he definitely felt stronger. He growled, revealing sharp, almost panther like fangs. His claws, like almost the rest of him, turned jet black. His eyes turned a deeper shade of scarlet red.
Mana however didn't really seem to care too much for their transformations, and certainly wasn't intimidated by them. He turned both his arms into mantis claws and snapped them, daring his opponents to make a move. Amen charged first, but Mana was quick. In a stunning movement, he moved out of Amen's way at shocking speed. Out of his shoulder blades grew what appeared to be dragonfly like wings. The mummy slid down a small icy slope but stopped himself before he entirely lost balance. He was quick enough to parry Mana's would've been choke hold.
With surprising strength, the insectoman practically ripped the weapon from Amen's hands and kneed him in the stomach several times. When he was down enough, Mana kicked him down the hill, sending Amen crashing into a large boulder. He laid unconscious at the base of it.
"Amen!" Angel screamed and ran to help her partner, but Mana caught her by the hair.
"Angel!" Skyler gasped in terror.
Lordi sprang into action. No tamer was going to get hurt if he could help it. The demontroll charged at Mana as he raised a mantis claw to strike Angel in the neck. Mana sensed this and glared at his new opponent. He dropped the tamer into the snow and Angel practically rolled down to Amen's side.
"Are you okay?" she asked.
Amen moaned, shifting back to his previous form. "I was...I was more worried about you. Ugh, my head".
Meanwhile Mana stood off against Lordi, Otus, and Kalma. All three of which protectively stood with Skyler and Lauren. Lordi Snarled, realizing Mana's true intentions had been to kill the tamers, but not them.
"Ruthless...why go so far to destroy a world you once had a place in?" he asked.
"A place? Please demon. This world never had a place for me. As you can see, I was meant for far more important things".
The three monsters attacked together, but Mana turned himself into a swarm of flies and attacked all three of them at once. Temporarily blinded and possibly poisoned, they couldn't see the Pale Pastor had reformed behind them, in front of the two remaining tamers. He eyed Skyler first.
"The power of creation should belong to only one being, and you certainly aren't it. And you" he looked disdainfully at Lauren, "A great darkness dwells above you, as it once did for your miserable family. Witches, the whole lot of them, speaking and controlling dead things. But you...you're something different. You may as well be the whore of Babylon".
Lauren raised an eyebrow. "Okay, I know this fool did not just call me a whore!"
Mana raised a mantis claw to strike her but was cut off when Kalma's fist met his face, knocking him into the snow. Before Mana could get up though, Kalma's shotgun was right between his eyes.
"You just messed with the wrong tamer, you bug eyed bastard! Partner or not, threaten my girl again and I'll blow your damn brains out!"
"You'll do no such thing!" Theia suddenly burst on the scene.
Mana turned his head toward the direction of the new voice. His eyes widened with surprise as he caught sight of the young woman in red.
"Theia...my....my Theia!"

That was probably one of my hardest chapters to write in this series thus far. Anyway, hope you guys liked it. I'll have another update within the next few days.
As far as my guitar lesson went, it was a little short today too cause I was tired when I got home and I was really forcing myself to practice. I've started on a new set of tabs to try to change things up, but it really seems my heart wasn't in it today. Maybe tomorrow will be better.
-Amari the Hellhound

[Scarletvixen]

omg hug them all I love this chapter but i cant wait for more i love reading what you write

[Angel Of Death]

wow, Mana seems to be quite strong..he can easily kill them all
nicely written