"Annie," Connor stated. "You and Jolie free Misery. Bob...start smashing." Connor's three compatriots nodded, sprinting towards the waiting werewolves as the hunter glared at Henry Amberhill.
Annie Pendragon was surprised to have heard from Connor Moreland, but she should've realized by now, the Moreland family liked to stay one step ahead in dealing with the supernatural. When Connor explained to Annie that Lilith and her family were in danger, she came with him immediately. The same with Jolie and Bob, they weren't going to let down some of their best friends.
With Effie and the others preocxupied, Connor now glared at Henry Amberhill. The massive werewolf stood at a bit over seven feet, his muscles rippling under his fur. Henrys bad eye focused on the smaller Connor.
"You can't be serious," Henry chuckled, his voice gruff and animalistic. "Look at you! Even now I see you using that cane to support you. Face it, that artificial hip ain't gonna hold up in a street fight."
Taking a breath, Connor now activated Arion's armor. The magical dragon scale given to him decades ago by Spark's father covering his body in flexible, nearly impervious armor save his head. Flexing his hands and arms, Connor now detached his cane, holding a pair of escrima sticks.
"Cute trick," Henry scoffed. "Heard a rumor Arion passed his armor on to you. Seems like a waste though, handing a cripple a piece of gear like that." A growl now emanates from the massive werewolf, a wide maniacal smile forming on his lupine face.
"Gonna enjoy stripping that armor off your cold...lifeless....corpse."
"You talk too much," Connor grunted.
"Armor ain't gonna save ya," Henry growled. "Face it, I'm faster and stronger than you are."
While Connor was beginning his fight, at the same time, Annie and Jolie towards Misery. The dark wizard was trapped and the kitsune woman, Trisha, was holding her prisoner. Trisha knew facing the demon queen was not optional, so she went with fighting Jolie instead.
"Jolie, deal with the fox, I'll free Misery!" Annie shouted to her old friend as Jolie began fighting Trisha.
Jolie was surprised to find that the one tail kitsune woman was no slouch when it came to fighting and spells.
"Whoa lady, you are good, ever thought of ditching the dogs and coming to work for my coven?" Jolie asked impressed by the kitsune's limited magic skills.
"As tempting as that is..." Trisha said in-between punches and spells. "I must decline your offer. My....services....are towards Mr. Amberhil!" Trisha said as Jolie just shrugged.
While Annie and Jolie were helping out Misery, Bob was smashing any and all the werewolves he could.
"Wow, you guys all must really work out a lot!" Bob commented noting how strong the werewolf men were.
"You should see me!" Effie said grasping her hands around Bob's hands and trying to push him down as Effie headbutted Bob, but it didn't seem to do much damage.
"Oh, you're trying that old move? I've done that so many times I'm practically an expert at it. Like so...." Bob said as he slammed his head hard into Effie's hand pushing her back and releasing her grip on Bob's hands.
Effie didn't notice where she was going and stepped down hard on something as she looked down, her eyes went wide as she realized she had stepped on and crushed her own gun.
"EFFIE JR.! Look what you did, you made me crush my poor sweet baby!" Effie screamed as she began to furiously punching Bob who was able to put Effie into a headlock while she was trying to hit him in a furious rage.
"I'm sorry, I didn't mean for you to crush your....gun child, but you were hurting my friends and their daughters and I couldn't let you do that." Bob said as Effie was screaming furiously.
"I think it's time for you to go to sleep." Bob said as he pulled Effie's head back hard and Effie passed out.
"Oh my god, Bob, did you...did you kill her?" Lilith asked Bob in surprise as she was helping Alyssa to walk as her leg was badly hurt from Effie's earlier attack with her claws.
"Oh no, she's just asleep. When she wakes up though, she's probably going to be in a bad mood.
Annie held up her hands and recited a spell as her eyes glowed and the force field spell around Misery finally dropped and she was at last free from her prison. Misery immediately zoomed past Annie and Jolie and held Trisha up tightly by her neck.
"Beg....me....for....your....death." Misery said gripping her hand tightly around Trisha's throat.
"P....Pl....Plea....Please....." Trisha tried to say as Misery gripped her hand tighter around Trisha's neck.
Misery suddenly felt a hand on her shoulder. She turned around to see Alyssa touching her shoulder with Lilith holding her up as best as she could.
"Grandma....please don't do this....not to her." Alyssa begged her grandmother.
"But she....." Misery began to argue.
"She just kept you imprisoned." Lilith reminded her.
"Please grandma.......don't be a monster like Henry Amberhill." Alyssa begged her grandmother as some tears fell from her eyes.
Mary took off her 'Misery' mask before she looked at Trisha and dropped her to the ground.
"Never.....do that....again to me." Mary warned Trisha as she looked up at her frightened and unable to say any words a she nodded quickly and took some deep breaths.
Just as Lilith and Alyssa were making their way over to Misery, back over with Connor and Henry, Connor was about to reveal to Henry Amberhill some new tricks he had on him thanks to some help from a few good friends at S.P.E.A.R.
**********************************
2 days earlier
"Are you sure this will work?" Connor asked.
Dr. Ivy nodded, finishing the necessary adjustments to Connor's dragon scale armor. Over the years Connor, Alex, and Michelle remained on good terms. Despite the Moreland's issues with S.P.E.A.R, Connor held no ill will towards Dr. Ivy or Michelle. The pair, as he saw it, were victims of circumstance. During his recovery, Connor and Nat made it a point to try and make Alex and Michelle feel welcome in their group of friends.
"I'm positive Connor," Alex replied, as he adjusted the boosters to Connor's armor. "These jets should increase your speed and agility while in your armor."
"By how much?"
"I'd say 85% of what you had before your injury."
"It'll have to do," Connor murmured as he tested his movements. It had been years since he had worn Arion's armor. Following his hip replacement, Connor resigned himself to a supporting role with Caleb. He was grateful his brother included him in the Moreland family tradition, despite his limitations. Caleb's only condition, that Connor finish college.
Connor had done that, earning his Bachelor's degree and Masters in Engineering. Those degrees came in handy as he became the Moreland's resident tech expert. It also gave him a possible career to fall back on if he so choose. Still, despite being a hunter, doubts always swirled in Connor's mind.
The hip replacement greatly reduced Connor's mobility. Before the injury, Connor relied on his agility and skill. Afterwards, Connor was forced to rely on physical strength. Even then though, he would experience moments of pain if he pushed himself too hard. It made maneuvering in the field or in his own home difficult. He dare not share that information for fear of Caleb or his family worrying or even preventing him from doing what he loved. Still, every time he had to stop playing with his children do to pain, he could feel their eyes watching him.
"I should warn you though," Dr. Ivy continued. "The boosters will put a strain on your hips. If you push yourself too hard...you could end up needing another hip."
"I've been dealing with the pain for decades Alex," Connor stated, a small smirk spreading across his face. "And hey, I hear they're doing wonders with joint replacements now."
"Connor this is serious," Michelle said in concern. "Let me help you. I still have access to my Poison Lotus powers. I can even give Winery and Felicity a call. If you think Henry Amberhill is on the move, then let the werewolf princess and her bodyguard help you."
"I got to do this alone Michelle," Connor sighed. "Call it pride, but it's something I need to handle myself. Besides, I have a couple aces up my sleeve."
"Connor please don't let your pride get in the way," Michelle said in concern. "Henry Amberhill is a savage. Please, I don't want to tell Spark you didn't make it."
For a moment Connor was quiet before sighing. "If you don't hear from me in two days then call Winery and Felicity," he said, sliding a piece of paper with Eliana Hoti's address. "Use a portal and bring back up to this location. If things go as planned, you can take Henry into custody."
"And if they don't?"
"Then tell Spark I'm sorry," he said. "And make sure Rebecca and the others are safe."
***********************************
Two sets of booster rockets now sprang to life, confusing the massive werewolf. Jetting forward, Connor now delivered a thunderous roundhouse kick to the werewolf warlord, taking him by surprise. "Still think I'm too slow?"
Henry wiped his mouth, a soft chuckle emanating from his bloody lips. It appeared Connor had a few tricks up his sleeve. The hunter was using rocket boosters to increase his speed while coating his fists and feet in silver.
"Ain't you full of surprises," he smirked.
"Can't say the same about you," Connor taunted. "Show me what you got."
Henry snarled, rushing forward as he delivered vicious blows to Connor. Although the hunter was able to deflect the werewolves attacks, the blunt force of the blows shook Connor to his core. Already he could feel his body ache as the pair fought.
Henry's attacks were brutal and efficient, punches, slashes, and kicks landing on Connor's armor. Connor grunted, defending the attacks as best he could before countering. Even with the armor, Henry was stronger and faster. This fight would be one of attrition, all Connor could do was wear his opponent down.
Blocking yet another attack, Connor delivered a series of blows to Henry's midsection, concentrating on shots to the liver and solar plexus. He needed to wear down Henry's stamina before focusing on more brutal strikes. Blocking another below, Connor delivered a flurry of blows before striking Henry on the eyebrow.
"What was that? A love tap?" Henry laughed.
"Not exactly," Connor grinned. "It's the right kinda cut though...the kind that bleeds."
Henry wiped the wound, noticing the cut on his eyebrow wasn't healing. Connor had struck him with a silver coated escrima. Those wounds wouldn't heal for sometime, meaning his vision would be compromised. Snarling in anger, the werewolf lept forward, his brutality on full display.
Connor blocked, trying to keep up as the angry werewolf attacked. Henry, despite his vision being obscured, was a formidable fighter. The werewolves blows were vicious, small cracks appearing on Arion's armor as the werewolf slammed Connor into Rebecca's home and the ground. Already Connor's hips ached, his leg throbbing in pain and beginning to go numb. Activating the jets to create something distance, the hunter was surprised as Henry tore them from the armor.
"Let's see you hop around now," Henry snarled.
"Don't need to now," Connor grinned, delivering a series of blows to Henry's midsection as the werewolf lunged at him. The body shots were beginning to pay dividends, Henry's actions were slowing as he dealt with the damage to his body.
Once more the pair exchanged blows, Henry's attacks brutal and vicious, as Connor countered with precise blows. The armor was taking damage, yet Henry was slowly expanding too much stamina. Deflecting an attack, Connor focused on Henry's face and chest, delivering heavy and precise strikes. The werewolf howled as his nose broke, a torrent of blood streaming down his face.
Angrily Henry now placed Connor in a bear hug, squeezing the hunter to near bone breaking pressure. "You're past your prime hunter!"
Connor grunted, headbutting Henry before hoisting him into the air and slamming him to the ground. "And you're not too smart," he spat as Henry unsteadily rose to his feet.
Henry lunged once more, striking Connor with brutal blows as Connor countered with heavy strikes of his own to the werewolf's massive pectoral and deltoid muscles. Henry grunted in pain, swiping at Connor once more, only for Connor to strike with a precise series of attacks.
"Ya think that's going to stop me?" Henry laughed.
"No," Connor grinned through bloody teeth. "But the nerve bundle I just hit is going to make moving that arm a pain in the ass."
Henry scowled, glancing at his left arm. He could barely lift it now, the entire limb going numb. Roaring in anger, the werewolf attacked once more, striking Connor with blows that lifted the hunter into the air. Using his good arm, he now grabbed Connor's leg before slamming him into the ground.
Chuckling softly, Henry approached the fallen Connor as he moved into a mount position. "Any last words?"
"Yeah."
Connor now quickly lifted his legs, his hip and lower body throbbing as he wiggled out of a mount and placed Henry in a head scissor. Henry clawed at Connor's legs as the hunter began to choke him before grabbing the werewolves good arm.
"All your strength," Connor exclaimed. "All that skill, all that bravado, and no brains. You're about to learn why this fight was over, before it even started."
A loud snap now echoed through the woods as Connor snapped Henry's forearm and elbow. Quickly moving into a mount position, Connor delivered a series of heavy elbows to the werewolf's face, stunning him before moving towards Henry's leg. Placing the werewolf's leg in a heel hook, Connor jerked it backwards, dislocating the limb before once more raining punches down on Henry's face.
All eyes were now looking towards Connor. Mary, Lilith, Alyssa, and Jolie looked impressed while Trisha who was on the ground nearby gave a sigh of disappointment. Effie Amberhill was barely conscious enough to see her father on the ground some ways away. Finally Rebecca Redwood was helping her mother Eliana Hoti sit up and look in the direction of Connor Moreland as she gave a little smile at the sight in front of her.
Connor now tried to catch his breath, his body throbbing in pain as he slowly stood triumphant. Henry was barely conscious, the werewolf unable to move with three of his limbs effectively neutralized and useless. The fight was over, Connor had beaten the alpha in front of his pack.