10. Unexpected Help: Alex

CHAPTER 10

UNEXPECTED HELP

ALEX

T his had devolved into a scene straight out of a nightmare. Alex ducked as a spear whistled past his ear, embedding itself in the plush velvet seat behind him. He'd seen some shit in his millennia as lord of the Underworld, but this? This was a whole new level of crazy.

"Zac, I told you to stay back!" Alex growled into his comm, spotting the teenager weaving through the chaos, his hands glowing with barely contained hemomancy. "This isn't a game!"

"I can help!" Zac's voice crackled back, determination evident even through the static. "You need everyone you can get!"

Alex cursed under his breath. The kid wasn't wrong, but the thought of Zac in danger made his ancient heart clench. "Fine," he barked, "but you stay close to Gabe. And if I tell you to run, you run. Got it?"

"Got it!" Zac's reply was almost gleeful, which did nothing to ease Alex's nerves.

An axe nearly came down on him in a wicked arc. Alex sidestepped, years of combat experience making the move almost instinctive. His fist, wreathed in shadowy energy, connected with the undead warrior's jaw. The creature's head snapped back, bones cracking with a satisfying crunch .

"Olivia!" Alex shouted, spotting a frost giant lumbering towards a group of terrified civilians. "We've got big, blue, and ugly at two o'clock!"

Olivia's response was a fireball that sailed over Alex's head, exploding against the frost giant's chest. The creature roared in pain and anger, its icy skin hissing and melting under the assault.

Alex allowed himself a grim smile. His team might be outnumbered and out of their depth, but damn if they weren't putting up one hell of a fight.

A brilliant arrow of light streaked past Alex, finding its mark in the eye of an approaching frost giant. The creature bellowed in pain, staggering backward. Alex turned to see Eryx, bow raised, already nocking another shimmering arrow.

"Nice shot!" Alex called out, unable to keep the pride from his voice.

Eryx flashed him a quick grin before loosing another arrow into the fray. "Guess those archery lessons from Ari paid off!"

A battle cry drew Alex's attention. He turned to see the warrior maiden diving towards Zac, her spear aimed at the teenager's heart. Time seemed to slow as Alex's protective instincts kicked into overdrive.

"Zac!" he roared, shadows coalescing around him as he prepared to leap into action.

But before he could move, a tendril of blood shot out from Zac's outstretched hand, wrapping around the spear and yanking it off course. The warrior maiden tumbled through the air, crashing into the ground.

Alex's relief was short-lived as he spotted Gabe struggling to maintain a protective ward around a cluster of civilians. The witch's face was pale with exertion, sweat beading on his brow as he chanted in a language that made reality itself shudder.

"Marcus!" Alex called out. "Get those people out of here! Gabe can't hold that ward forever!"

Marcus blurred into action, his superhuman speed allowing him to ferry the civilians to safety in the blink of an eye. But for every person they saved, it seemed like two more mythical creatures appeared to take their place.

As Alex waded back into the fray, his fists connecting with undead flesh and his shadows lashing out at creatures of legend, he couldn't help but feel a twinge of excitement. For all the danger, for all the absurdity of the situation, there was a part of him - the part that had grown restless in the relative peace of recent years - that reveled in this chaotic dance of combat.

But with that excitement came a heavy sense of responsibility. These were his people now. Not subjects to be ruled, but family to be protected. Every civilian in danger, every teammate at risk, was a personal failure in Alex's eyes.

A particularly massive frost giant shrugged off Olivia's flames, its footsteps shaking the foundation of the building as it advanced. Alex gritted his teeth, preparing to face the behemoth head-on.

"Alex!" Eryx's voice cut through the din of battle. "I've got your back!"

A volley of light arrows arced over Alex's head, peppering the frost giant's face and chest. The creature roared in pain, momentarily blinded, giving Alex the opening he needed.

With a battle cry that would have made Ares proud, Alex charged. Shadows swirled around his fists as he unleashed a flurry of blows on the staggering giant. Each punch landed with the force of a freight train, cracking the creature's icy hide and sending shards of frost flying.

As the giant toppled, Alex turned to nod his thanks to Eryx. The sight that greeted him made his blood run cold. A group of draugr had flanked Eryx, cutting him off from the rest of the team. The young Shadowguard was holding his own, his bow a blur of motion as he fired arrow after arrow, but he was outnumbered and running out of room.

Alex didn't think; he acted. Shadows enveloped him as he shadow-traveled, reappearing at Eryx's side in an instant. Back-to-back, they faced the encroaching horde.

"Just like old times, huh?" Eryx quipped, loosing another arrow into the skull of an approaching draugr.

Alex snorted, his fists already connecting with undead flesh. "If these were the old times, I'd be sitting on a throne watching other people do the fighting."

Their banter was cut short as a new wave of creatures surged forward. Alex lost himself in the rhythm of combat, his world narrowing to the next punch, the next dodge, the steady presence of Eryx at his back. They moved in perfect sync, years of training and shared battles evident in every fluid motion.

As they fought, Alex's keen eyes scanned the battlefield, assessing the situation. Olivia was holding her own against a pair of frost giants, her flames melting their icy armor. Gabe had managed to trap a group of maidens in a shimmering magical net, while Marcus zipped around the edges of the fight, picking off stragglers and rescuing any civilians they'd missed in the initial evacuation.

Zac stood at the center of a whirlwind of blood, his face a mask of concentration as he used his hemomancy to hold back a surge of draugr. The display of power was impressive, but Alex could see the strain it was putting on the boy.

"Eryx," Alex grunted, ducking under a draugr's wild swing, "we need to end this soon. The kid can't keep this up much longer."

Eryx nodded, understanding immediately. "I've got an idea, but it's risky. Cover me?"

Without waiting for a response, Eryx broke away, sprinting towards the stage. Alex cursed under his breath but followed, his shadows lashing out to clear a path through the mythical horde.

As they reached the stage, Alex saw a figure striding calmly through the chaos. His eyes widened in disbelief. It was Eryx's manager, looking for all the world like he was taking a leisurely stroll through the park rather than navigating a battlefield of mythic proportions.

"Brad?" Alex called out, his voice a mixture of confusion and warning. "What the hell are you doing? Get to safety!"

Brad turned to him, a smile playing at the corners of his mouth that sent a shiver down Alex's spine. There was something in that smile, something ancient and powerful that set off every divine alarm bell in Alex's head.

"Oh, Alex," Brad said, his voice carrying easily over the din of battle. "I think it's time I lent a hand, don't you?"

With a gesture that seemed to tear at the very fabric of reality, Brad summoned forth tendrils of energy that defied description. They writhed and pulsed with colors Alex's mind could barely comprehend, lashing out at the mythical creatures with devastating effect.

As a winged maiden dive-bombed then, Brad simply raised an eyebrow. The warrior maiden froze mid-air, her expression one of abject terror, before being flung across the room as if swatted by an invisible hand.

"Well," Alex muttered to himself, shadows still swirling around him, "this just got a whole lot more interesting."

He watched as Brad waded into the thick of the fight, cosmic energies swirling around him like a maelstrom. The mythical creatures fell before him like wheat before a scythe, their legendary might seeming insignificant in the face of whatever power Brad wielded.

For a moment, Alex felt a twinge of his old godly pride. Who was this upstart, this hidden power that dared to outshine the former lord of the Underworld? But he pushed the feeling aside. Right now, they needed all the help they could get.

"Eryx!" Alex shouted, never taking his eyes off Brad. "Whatever you're planning, do it now! Olivia, Gabe, focus on protecting the civilians! Zac, fall back to Marcus and Lucas! Everyone else, push these bastards back towards the stage!"

As the team rallied around him, following his commands with practiced efficiency, Alex allowed himself a grim smile. This wasn't how he'd planned to spend his evening, but damn if it wasn't turning out to be one hell of a show.

Brad raised his hands, and the world seemed to bend. Reality itself warped around him, cosmic energies swirling in patterns that made Alex's immortal eyes water. A group of charging frost giants found themselves suddenly untethered from gravity, flailing helplessly in midair before being hurled across the concert hall like oversized, icy bowling pins.

Across the battlefield, Eryx's eyes met Alex's, a silent exchange of "Did you know about this?" and "Hell no" passing between them. The distraction cost Eryx, a blade slicing a thin line across his cheek before he could bring his light bow to bear.

Alex's protective instincts flared, shadows coalescing around him as he prepared to shadow-travel to Eryx's side. But Brad was already there, moving with impossible speed. The manager - if that's what he really was - casually backhanded the draugr, sending it flying across the room with bone-shattering force.

"You alright there, kiddo?" Brad asked Eryx, his tone infuriatingly nonchalant given the circumstances. "Might want to keep your head in the game. Lots of nasties about."

Eryx's reply was lost in the renewed chaos of battle, but Alex could read the confusion and wariness in his partner's body language.

As Brad waded deeper into the fray, his cosmic powers making short work of creatures that had given the Shadowguards fits, Alex's mind raced. Who the hell was this guy? Or more accurately, what was he? In all his millennia, Alex had never encountered power quite like this. It was old, older even than the Titans, and it set every divine instinct he had on high alert.

"Alex!" Olivia's voice cut through his musings. "A little help here?"

Alex shadow-traveled to her side. His fists, wreathed in Underworld energy, made short work of the undead warriors .

"Thanks, boss," Olivia panted, flames still dancing around her fingertips. "So, uh, what's the deal with Mr. GQ over there? Since when can Eryx's manager do that?"

"Your guess is as good as mine," Alex grunted, his eyes never leaving Brad as he casually disassembled a frost giant with terrifying efficiency. "But right now, we've got bigger problems. Can you keep these ice cubes off our backs while we regroup?"

Olivia's grin was fierce. "You got it. One bonfire, coming right up."

As she unleashed a torrent of flames that would have made Hephaestus proud, Alex gathered the rest of the team. They formed a tight circle, backs to each other, creating a small island of relative calm in the sea mayhem.

"Alright, people," Alex's voice was low and urgent. "I know we've got questions, but they'll have to wait. Right now, we need to end this fight before any more civilians get hurt. Ideas?"

"We could try to open a portal," Gabe suggested, his hands weaving intricate patterns as he maintained a protective barrier around them. "Send these ugly bastards back where they came from."

Marcus shook his head, his usual jovial demeanor replaced by grim determination. "Too risky. We don't know what else might come through. Besides, I don't think Norse myths work that way."

"What about Brad?" Eryx's voice was tight with tension. "He seems to know what he's doing. Maybe he has a way to banish them?"

Alex felt a surge of irrational anger at the suggestion. It was one thing to accept help in the heat of battle, but actively seeking it from someone - something - they knew nothing about? That didn't sit right with the former Lord of the Underworld.

"We can't trust him," Alex growled. "We don't know who or what he is, or what his agenda might be. For all we know, he could be behind this whole mess."

"But he's helping us," Zac chimed in, his young face streaked with sweat and what Alex really hoped wasn't blood. "And we're kind of getting our butts kicked here."

"You know," Brad said conversationally, as if he weren't in the middle of incapacitating a winged-maiden with his bare hands, "I can hear you. Immortal hearing and all that. And while I appreciate the healthy skepticism, we really should focus on the task at hand. I promise to submit to a full interrogation later, if you'd like."

Alex's jaw clenched so hard he thought his teeth might crack. An immortal. Go figure though it makes proper sense.

But as he looked around at his team - at Eryx's torn expression, Olivia's dwindling flames, Gabe's straining magic, Marcus's barely-contained nervous energy, and Zac's determined but frightened eyes - Alex knew he had to swallow that pride. They were outmatched, outnumbered, and running out of options.

"Shadowguards!" Alex roared, shadows swirling around him like a living cloak. "Fall back to the stage! Defensive formation Delta!"

His team responded with practiced precision, but Alex could see the strain on their faces. Olivia's flames, once roaring infernos, had dwindled to sputtering embers. Gabe's magical shields flickered and wavered under the onslaught. Even Marcus, with his superhuman speed, was moving a fraction slower, fatigue evident in every line of his body.

Alex's eyes sought out Eryx, relief flooding through him as he saw his partner still standing, bow blazing with divine light as he loosed arrow after arrow into the advancing horde. But there was a tightness around Eryx's eyes, a tension in his shoulders that spoke of rapidly depleting reserves.

Where was Zac? Panic gripped Alex's heart until he spotted the teenager, hemomancy swirling around him in a crimson tornado as he held off a group of draugr. The kid was holding his own, but for how long?

"Brad!" Alex shouted, ducking under the swing of a frost giant's massive axe. "You seem to know what's going on here. Any bright ideas on how to send these bastards back where they came from?"

"Okay," Brad panted, his usual smooth demeanor cracking. "These creatures, they're drawing power from somewhere. Something's amplifying their strength, making them resistant to my influence."

The admission sent a chill down Alex's spine. If Brad, with all his mysterious cosmic power, was struggling, what hope did they have?

A scream of pain cut through Alex's moment of doubt. He turned to see Olivia on the ground, a frost giant's icy blade protruding from her shoulder. Marcus was there in a flash, dragging her to safety, but the damage was done. They were down a heavy hitter.

"Gabe!" Alex called out. "Get Olivia behind your shields! Eryx, cover them!"

As Eryx's arrows of light peppered the advancing monsters, buying time for Gabe to pull Olivia to relative safety, Alex felt a growing sense of desperation. They were losing ground, fast. Even Brad, for all his power, was being pushed back, his cosmic blasts seeming to have less and less effect on the creatures.

"You know," Brad said, his voice regaining some of its usual swagger, "I'm beginning to see why the kid likes you so much."

Before Alex could respond, a battle cry rang out across the hall. He turned to see Eryx, bow blazing brighter than ever, loosing a volley of arrows that drove back the advancing draugr. Zac was at his side, blood magic swirling around them both in a protective cocoon.

"We're not done yet," Eryx called out, determination etched in every line of his face. "Whatever you two are planning, do it fast!"

Alex looked at Brad, a silent question passing between them. Brad nodded, a grin spreading across his face that was equal parts terrifying and reassuring.

"Alright, ladies and gentlemen," Brad announced, his voice carrying easily over the din of battle. "It's time for the grand finale. Shadowguards, to me! And you," he pointed at the maiden swooping overhead, "I think it's time we had a little chat about who's really on whose side here."

As the team rallied around them, battered but unbroken, Brad stepped forward. His form seemed to shimmer and grow, power radiating off him in waves that made the air itself vibrate.

"In the name of Yggdrasil and all the Nine Worlds," Brad's voice boomed, no longer just the smooth tones of a music manager but something ancient and powerful, "I command you to cease this senseless violence!"

The effect was immediate and stunning. The creatures faltered, confusion replacing bloodlust in their eyes. The maidens pulled up short, weapons lowering as they stared at Brad in dawning recognition.

"It cannot be," one of the warrior maidens breathed, her voice a mix of awe and disbelief. "Lord Bragi? Is it truly you?"

Alex's jaw dropped. Bragi? The Norse god of poetry and music? He turned to Brad - no, Bragi - with a look that promised a very long, very detailed conversation in the near future.

Brad smiled, the expression somehow both kind and terrible. "Indeed it is, my dear Svanhild. And I think it's high time we discussed who has led you so far astray."

A Valkyrie he thought. As the god began to converse with the Valkyries in a language that made Alex's immortal ears ring, the rest of the creatures seemed to lose their will to fight. The frost giants lumbered to a halt, the draugr crumbled to dust, and even the massive wolf whined and backed away.

Alex took a moment to check on his team. Olivia was pale but conscious, Gabe supporting her as Marcus hovered nearby. Eryx and Zac made their way over, both looking worse for wear but alive.

"Everyone okay?" Alex asked, his gruff tone barely hiding his relief .

Eryx nodded, reaching out to squeeze Alex's hand. "We're alright. But Alex did he just say he's an immortal?"

"Yeah," Alex sighed. "Looks like we've got a lot to talk about."

Zac, his face streaked with dirt and what Alex really hoped wasn't blood, summed it up best: "Your manager's a god? That's hardcore."

Despite everything - the battle, the revelations, the bone-deep exhaustion - Alex found himself chuckling. Leave it to a teenager to put things in perspective.

As the last of the mythological beings faded away, banished back to whatever realm they'd come from, Brad turned back to the Shadowguards. His form had settled back into the more familiar appearance of Brad, though there was no hiding the divine power that radiated from him now.

"Well," Brad said, straightening his miraculously intact tie, "I suppose I owe you all an explanation."

Alex stepped forward, placing himself slightly in front of his team in a protective stance that was as instinctive as breathing. "Yeah," he growled, shadows still swirling around his clenched fists. "You could say that. Starting with why the hell a Norse god has been masquerading as a music manager, and what exactly you know about the Order."