Tulloch moor was the most wretched place in not only the Highlands, but all of Europe. It was more of a curse than a stretch of land. According to the legends it all began at some point in the 5th century when a visitor from another world named Ramelia arrived in Scotland. Ramelia came from a planet on the very outer edges of the universe, where the laws between nature and magic began to break down as a result of the universe coming to an end. According to Ramelia you could also see other realities and realms at night in the skies above, from the fires of the hellish realm, to the light of the heavens to the waters of the aqua realm.
Sadly Ramelia's planet was eventually consumed by the unnatural forces of this dark corner of creation. He fought for years, possibly centuries in a war to protect his home, but after his people were finally wiped out he fled across the universe. Ramelia never explained exactly what the terrors that destroyed his people were, but the spell he cast was designed to take him billions of light years, almost from one end of the universe to the other. Ramelia didn't even know which planet he was headed for, he just knew that it had to be as far away as possible. Due to our planet's unique magical constitution, Ramelia was ultimately drawn here, and to Scotland in particular again due to its strange mix of magics. Ramelia came to love both the earth and humanity and subsequently used his unique alien magical abilities to help the locals, hoping to save us from dark supernatural forces after failing his own world.
For a while he even became a local hero, with Tulloch Moor, the place Ramelia first landed in, also ironically becoming a sanctuary for the locals from other supernatural threats. Sadly however little did Ramelia know, a tiny piece of the same dark forces that had consumed his world survived in him and not only eventually took Ramelia over, but would through him curse the entire area of Tulloch Moor.
Thankfully Ramelia's lover, the witch named Driana was able to vanquish the possessed alien before he could spread the curse around the world. Tulloch Moor itself however remained permanently contaminated by Ramelia's power and eventually it was abandoned and closed off.
For the most part the locals and demons allowed it to fester for centuries, though every now and again foolish or bold witches and demons would visit the Moor to try and take control of its dark power, and whilst a few were able to harness fractions of its energy, most were consumed by the Moor and the strange creatures that came to emerge from it. Many kings and queens would also send criminals and convicts into the area as punishment. As a result of these incursions Tulloch Moor began to absorb some of the darkest magics of our world too, twisting it into even more of a nightmarish place.
After the existence of the supernatural was covered up by the demonic vandals who took over Europe from behind the scenes in the 12th century, Tulloch Moor was removed from all maps, with numerous glamour spells being placed around the area to divert people from it. (Even the vandals were scared of its power.) After the fall of the vandals in the 17th century, agents of Scathach were then placed there to stop any more demons or warlocks who were powerful enough to resist the glamour and foolish enough to enter. Scathach had succeeded in keeping any intruders out for centuries before the Blue Devil had arrived. (Though to be fair there weren't many creatures left who dared to enter the moor.)
The Blue Devil meanwhile was no fool, but somehow he was able to resist the moors' horrors and establish a base there, after easily dispatching the agents sent to guard it. Even for a being of his power, this seemed like an impossible task and Daniel Winn at first had trouble believing that the vampires had established a base in the Moor.
The vampire king also somehow placed a forcefield around the Moor, seemingly using its own magics to protect his base of operations, in actual fact Ramelia's old castle, which again had ironically served as a sanctuary for local peasants from monsters back in the day. The castle was guarded outside by three of the troll-like giant vampires (there had been a surviving colony of these beasts in South America that had been brought there by the local vampire king.)
Still even with the vampires mysterious mastery over the alien magics of the Moor many of the Devil's minions struggled to survive, with only the strongest living with their master. The vampires did have an advantage through their greater immunity to magic, but the creatures that had emerged in Tulloch Moor were easily capable of slaughtering many of the strongest vampires.
Deep within the castle meanwhile Lord McKensie had finished the ritual to summon forth the spirit of Bruce Norman using the remains of his corpse as an anchor to this world. Even for the vampires and the magics of Tulloch Moor, pulling Norman from the hell he had spent the last few decades in was next to impossible, but Lord McKensie just about managed it. He had no choice as the Blue Devil promised to throw him out into the Moor with no protection if he failed. In truth Lord McKensie despised the Blue Devil. Before the Devil returned he was effectively the king of the vampires throughout Scotland. He could have continued to enjoy his power and prestige, but his ambition and his fear had driven him to resurrect the Devil. Like all vampire kings he was scared that their kind would be exposed and wanted to take the fight to humanity first. McKensie genuinely believed that the Blue Devil would be their salvation as the myths had built him up to be over the millennia, but the true king of the vampires in Scotland had shown him nothing but disdain and cruelty since his resurrection. The Devil seemed to resent this pretender even more than his enemies in some respects, feeling that he was an insult to his legacy. Still Lord McKensie was an expert in the supernatural having the largest collection on the occult in Europe and therefore the Blue Devil needed him for now.
Aside from the Blue Devil and Lord McKensie, the male Frankenstein's Monster who was known simply as Percy was present. Percy had been a long time ally of McKensie, though it was only out of convenience and they both absolutely despised one another. The Blue Devil meanwhile had taken a liking to Percy, or as close to a liking as he could. It was really just that he was fascinated at how cruel his creator had been to inflict such an existence on someone.
Still Percy didn't mind being a mere curioso for the king of the vampires, as long as it gave him some position of authority.
"Shame. I was hoping you'd fail. It would have been fun to see you struggling out there. Not so tough when you're not backed up by twenty bloodsuckers, are you my Lord." Percy said mockingly as Norman's spirit began to stabilize.
"Don't act like you have anything worthwhile to contribute here. I was turned by my maker because she valued my intelligence, status and what I could do for our kind. You were made what you are as a punishment for being a waste of space." McKensie sneered back.
"Yes well my maker was one of the greatest men who ever lived and gifted me immortal life. Yours was a drunken peasant who probably thought you were somebody else. She had to if she told you, she made you for that reason. Or she was taking the piss." Percy replied.
The Blue Devil silenced them.
"You're both here on tolerance." The Blue Devil said in a voice so deep it almost shook the castle walls more than the horrors constantly clawing from outside.
"Now then. Onto business." The Devil said to Norman. "We don't know each other, but from what I've heard you've struck fear into my kind in a way few others have, though given the quality of my kind these days." The Blue Devil continued whilst looking at McKensie. "That's not saying much. Meanwhile I'm sure you'll have heard of me."
"Yes I have, Devil. I can't imagine why you sprung me from hell, but you might as well put me back there this instant as I have nothing to offer you." Norman said proudly.
"You'd rather go back to hell?" Percy asked.
"Don't be shocked. Most people would as opposed to having a conversation with you?" McKensie replied, only for the Blue Devil to give them both a glare.
"You two bit bloodsuckers have no idea who you're dealing with. I have not been as much of a victim as you think down there. A few little tricks, magics I remembered have allowed me to fight back at certain points." Norman tried to bluff, but the Blue Devil wasn't having any of it.
"I can see how they've hurt you. These fools can't, but me? I can see the scars burrowed deep into your soul. I don't doubt that maybe a few times you've been able to escape and fight, probably because they want you to think you have a chance, but you're not fooling me. You're a broken man." The Blue Devil said.
"If that's true, what do you think you can do to me those true demons haven't already?" Norman said back.
The Blue Devil smiled.
"Nothing. To you, but I realised what keeps a man who has lost everything like you going? The thought that his actions saved billions, that his suffering is somehow worth it for the greater good. So what if he were responsible for the death of innocents."
Two more vampires suddenly emerged carrying several innocent humans who had been brought here in a large wooden cage. The Blue Devil reached out to the youngest there, a boy no older than 18 and wrapped its clawed hands around his throat.
"What happens next is entirely up to you.These humans think they have come so far since I last walked the earth, but for all their new tricks and spells, they still rip apart so easily." The Blue Devil smiled.
Across the Highlands meanwhile Lam's craft soon arrived back at Scathach headquarters. Daniel however was not too happy to see the blue skinned alien.
"Where have you been?" Daniel barked furiously at Lam. Lindsey and even Carlene were shocked to see Daniel react that strongly.
Lam tried to explain his business in Camden, but Daniel wasn't hearing it. Clearly the pressure was getting to Daniel. All the cemeteries that the Scathach agents had been sent to had been filled with vampires hidden in the graves just like Achtor. The agents had endured dozens of casualties as a result.
It was Daniel's fault. He had completely underestimated the vampire's numbers and how well prepared they were.
"I'm sorry Lam, it's just that I'm not sure it will make much of a difference now. I'm not sure we have enough men to get into Tulloch Moor anymore, not that we ever did." Daniel responded.
"We'll have to ask her." Carlene interjected.
"No chance. Other than to frighten the odd tourist, she doesn't respond to anyone." Daniel said.
"Yes she does. She and Lam are tight. That's another reason I brought him here." Carlene responded.
"Who are you talking about? Lindsey asked."
"I believe you know her as the Loch Ness Monster or Nessie." Lam said to Lindsey.
A few months ago that would have shocked Lindsey. Now compared to what she had already seen it didn't seem that unreasonable. She had always hoped the Loch Ness monster was real when she was a little girl. She forced her family to go on many boat rides through the loch in the vain hope of spotting it. If only she could tell her parents now.
"It's true we do have history, but." Lam said.
"What?" Daniel asked.
"I haven't spoken to her in decades, and the last time I failed her. and whilst she didn't seem to blame me completely for what happened, I never wanted to test that theory." Lam explained.
"So you're afraid of her?" Elle said somewhat thoughtlessly. Carlene looked more offended than Lam did ironically, with the blue alien instead explaining calmly to Elle.
"The only thing I fear is letting someone down. Seeing those I failed to save. That's worse than any monster out there." Lam said back.
"Still you're right. I need to get over myself. Fact is we're in no position to cross Tulloch Moor without her." Lam admitted.
"Well if you can get her that would be great, you take Carlene for support in case Nessie isn't quite as forgiving as you think" Daniel said.
"Lindsey, Elle meanwhile I want you to accompany me to Loch Morlich with a few of the troops that aren't dealing with the graveyards. We've detected strange magical anomalies there just after you left, some of which match the eh shall we say unique properties of the moor." Daniel ordered
Carlene however again insisted on Lindsey coming with her. Lindsey was a little confused and Carlene said jokingly "you're a good listener, that's why darling" when she asked and Daniel after rolling his eyes took Carlene aside.
"We both know who that is right? I didn't recognise her at first, but after looking through her file well." Daniel said to her.
"Yes. I take it you were acquainted with her? Her older self saved me back when I was just a young bloodsucker in the 60s, and as you can imagine I'm just a little bit worried about anything happnen to her when she's a baby hunter now as it would wipe me from history. It was a very nasty death she saved me from by the way." Carlene explained.
"Oh trust me I know the importance of not messing around with the timeline better than anyone, and I understand your reservation but at the same time, how is she supposed to grow into this great hero if you keep coddling her?" Daniel asked.
"I'm hardly coddling her. I'm taking her into a cave with an angry Dinosaur." Carlene joked, though Daniel wasn't in the mood.
"I just don't think we should be taking her to face anything from the moor yet okay" Carlene said.
"Well sadly you may not have much of a choice as it looks like the magic of the moor is spilling out into the rest of the highlands, but I agree for now let's not throw her in the deep end if we can avoid it." Daniel replied.
On the moor meanwhile the Blue Devil had already butchered the boy, then his father, then his mother. Norman had tried to remain stoic. He had seen many people die and he knew whatever the Blue Devil wanted from him, he couldn't give in, but when the vile blue skinned creature picked out its next victim out of the cage. A young girl of only three, whose mother screamed out, Norman finally gave in.
"All right you've made your point." Norman said.
"What do you want?" He asked with regret.
"You know what. Why else would a vampire of all creatures spare your sorry soul from your deserved torment. The Scale of Khastran. My key to godhood. According to this miserable creature." The Devil said of Lord McKensie. "You were the last person to see it."
In spite of the Blue Devil's earlier threats Norman still did not answer, leading to the Blue Devil grabbing the little girl again.
"I hid it in the Forgyll Castle." Norman said whilst barely able to look at the vampire.
The Blue Devil then threw the child to the two vampires who had brought the cage there, who took her into a nearby room.
"You said." Norman screamed.
"Yes I said I wouldn't kill her, I didn't say they wouldn't." The Devil sneered.
The Devil was aware that Norman had most likely laid a trap for him in the castle.
"Now let's talk about any little surprises you'll have laid out for me in there?" The Devil asked.
Again he could see that Norman was hesitant but the sound of the girl screaming was enough to break him, and to his shame he told the Devil the secrets he needed.
"The castle is guarded by the spirits of some of the greatest warriors from all over Scotland who agreed to be bound there. The castle is a dumping ground for toxic and dangerous artifacts like the scale. They let me in to bury it, but your army of blood soaked cockroaches won't be able to get past them." Norman said confidently.
"I'm afraid he's right sire." Lord McKensie said sheepishly. "That castle has been abandoned for centuries. No man or demon dare go near it."
The Blue Devill grabbed Lord McKensie by his throat.
"Are you saying there is something out there worse than me? Something that I should be afraid of?"
"No you're lordship, this is your kingdom." Lord McKensie replied before the Devil threw him across the room.
The Devil ordered the girl to be brought back and placed into the cage. The vampire king however then demanded the cage be tossed out into Tulloch Moor. Norman again begged him not to and the Devil simply laughed.
"I'm giving them a sporting chance" he mocked before ordering several of his men to prepare for an assault on the castle.
"You need them as leverage." Norman protested only for the vampire to let him know he had dozens more cages.
"Of course I don't only have one. I believed I'd have to kill maybe a few cages worth of vermin before you did as I say. I overestimated how strong you would be." The Blue Devil sneered.
"Only you would view murdering people who can't fight back as strength. Even with all that power and centuries of existence and wisdom you're still utterly worthless." Norman replied.
The cage was pushed out of the castle into the wasteland of tulloch moor by two lowly vampires, though neither of them wanted to do it. Not out of decency but only because they didn't want to spend any time outside the castle. In many ways the Devil was tormenting them just as much. Lord McKensie was far from the only minion he treated with cruelty.
As soon as they got outside the vampire at the back of the cage was suddenly pulled from above by a mysterious force. The other vampire and the people in the cage looked up to see a large wolf-like creature biting the head off of the vampire before tossing it to the ground where its body crumbled to dust. It was a Wulver, a species of Werewolf unique to Scotland. The Wulvers were originally a clan of great warriors who after being infected by the curse of Lycanthrophy were able to harness its powers using some of Scotland's darkest magics (including some from the moor) to the point where they gained almost complete control over the wolf side and could morph whenever they wished. They were also believed to have used some magics dwelling at the bottom of Scotland's oceans to do so which also explained the Wulver's affinity for water. Sadly whatever secrets the original Wulvers had utilized they took to the grave with them, and the Wulvers could only spread their curse on through reproduction rather than infection. Finally as they used their powers for good, their kind had been hunted by other vampires and supernatural creatures until this was the last surviving member of seemingly their entire race in the early 21st century, a male named Alistair Thomas.
The wolf soon descended to confront the other vampire who stood his ground, though that may have been because the three giant vampires and several more lackeys emerged from the fog of Tulloch Moor around them. Alistair however didn't back down and instead lifted out a glowing device the size of a tennis ball which soon emitted a giant light that pulled Norman from the Blue Devil's twisted throne room and into the sphere. Norman was just as confused as the prisoners, and the wolf instantly reverted to his human form to try and calm them all down.
"Relax I'm not here to harm you, I'm" before the wolf could finish a dozen more vampires and even the Blue Devil himself descended from the hole created in his wall.
"I'm impressed you made it through the Moor. Not bad for a twisted caricature of a Lycan. Too bad you came all this way to die." The Blue Devil said. Suddenly however several winged creatures emerged from the sky above. They resembled metallic bats with blue glowing eyes and mouths filled with fire rather than teeth, whilst the surface of their stomachs were covered with bronze spikes which ejected from their bodies only to be instantly replaced. The monsters however were drawn to the vampires, with the Wulver's spell that freed Norman having also temporarily crippled the Blue Devil's protection of the castle, and the light having also helped draw more of the creatures there. The vampires would have their hands full for at least an hour before the field would repair itself.
The Wulver pulled the cage to safety as the monsters and the vampires fought it out, with the Blue Devil easily dominating most of the monsters that came near unlike many of his minions who were shredded. Up above Lord McKensie instantly fled and locked the door behind him leaving Percy exposed. Percy screamed and hit on the door with all his strength threatening that he would rip McKensie's head off for this. However when two new monsters crawled up the side of the castle and through the hole the Wulver had created in the wall, the bluster of his threats turned into genuine terror. He even started to beg Lord McKensie as the monsters came closer. These creatures known as the Darkhai were among the most feared in the moor. They were dark demonic spirits that would fuse themselves to their prey and literally eat their souls from inside in a slow agonizing process that took several months. Unlike other demons there was no force on the earth that could eject them from their victims bodies. Indeed the creatures themselves were seemingly indestructible, though they could still be repelled and imprisoned by powerful magics. Even worse, the Darkhai didn't always kill their victims. They could leave just enough of the soul behind for the person to still remain alive, but in a state of confusion and agony and finally they could fuse the same energy that made them indestructible into their victims bodies which would force them to live in eternal torment. These poor souls became Banshees, deranged and broken creatures that also polluted the moor and nearby highlands. Whilst they could not be killed, powerful magic could still bound and imprison them, but Percy had no access to it.
Worse, Percy was also an all you can eat buffet, as being made up from different body parts, he had elements from different souls in his body. Unlike the vampires who the Darkhai couldn't possess due to the curse of Khastran. He was an ideal prey for them. The creatures came within an inch of Percy who by this stage had curled up into a little ball crying before Lord McKensie opened the door and pulled his rival to safety. He hated having to rescue him, but he knew that the Blue Devil would make him suffer, again not out of loyalty to Percy but at the idea of McKensie defying him.
Still at the very least McKensie was so amused he could barely stop laughing. Percy meanwhile didn't even have time to make more empty threats before the Darkhai phased through the door forcing the monster to flee again.
Lam, Carlene and Lindsey arrived at Urquhart castle, with Lam's ship being shielded by magic to prevent anyone from seeing it. Lam had once made that mistake of not disguising his ship in the 19th century and it got him into quite a bit of trouble with his people. The trio (with Lam again being disguised under heavy clothes.) Made their way down a secret passage beneath the castle to a cave known simply as the lair of the monster.
For years it was where local witches and warriors would visit Nessie in order to gain her advice. Again however over the centuries she had gradually lost faith in humanity and begun to shun it.
Lam was clearly nervous as was Lindsey, though for different reasons. Lindsey could barely contain her excitement at finally seeing Nessie. Carlene noticed Lindsey's excitement and winked at her.
"I know that feeling darling. I can remember the first time I saw a Dinosaur. It wasn't a pleasant experience as it was a demonic Dinosaur, but even then I still couldn't believe what I was seeing. Made me feel like I was alive." Carlene said fondly.
"I have actually seen Dinosaurs before" Lindsey replied.
"Oh of course what am I thinking? You saw those Pteranodons?"
"Actually I meant in Galloway. We fought a T. rex. Also if Nessie is a Plesiosaurus like the legends say then she isn't a Dinosaur. In fact they weren't even closely related." Lindsey said which drew a somewhat confused look about Carlene.
"Eh sorry I just get a little bit particular when it comes to prehistoric creatures." Lindsey tried to explain, though Carlene wasn't surprised.
"You've had some life, or unlife from the sounds of things." Lindsey continued rather awkwardly to try and get the conversation back on track.
"Yeah about that, thanks for not being judgemental about the whole vampire thing. Most people tend to run a mile. To be fair though 99.9 percent of the time that's the proper reaction to meeting a vampire." Carlene said awkwardly.
"Well I admit I was a bit unsure about it, but in all fairness if the last few weeks have taught me anything it's to keep an open mind. Dinosaurs, vampires, aliens? Why not a friendly vampire I suppose?" Lindsey.
"Just remember though I am the exception darling" Carlene replied before Lam interrupted.
"Carlene, Lindsey, don't take this the wrong way, but please be quiet. Trust me it's better if you don't talk to Nessie, don't give her a chance to." Suddenly a massive serpentine neck emerged from the water in front of them. It must have been over twenty feet long and looked dark green in colour. Even with everything she had seen over the past few weeks it was still enough to shock Lindsey to the point where she could barely speak anyway, though incredibly enough the monster started to talk.
"Lam. I wish I could say it was good to see you, but I know you'd only contact me under the worst circumstances." The Plesiosaur-like creature said in a posh, almost regal voice.
"The Blue Devil is back. He has the soul of Bruce Norman and is searching for the scale of Khastran. I don't know what he wants with it, but he is hiding in Tulloch Moor." Lam explained.
"I know. Do you think anything can happen in Tulloch Moor without my knowing it?" She said sharply.
"Well why haven't you done anything about it then? The Nessie I knew." Lam said, only for Nessie to interrupt.
"The Nessie you knew spent too long focusing on the outside world, one that largely forgot her until that annoying Spicer couple from London blew the lid on it. I need to focus on my flock now." She said.
"What do you mean your flock" Lindsey said, almost surprised with herself she had asked with such confidence. Her childhood enthusiasm for the monster seemed to get the better of her.
The monster almost seemed to regonize Lindsey for a second before Carlene explained.
"There is more than one monster darling. Old Nessie here was imprisoned thousands of years ago, before recorded history as I recall by the gods themselves for taking the Dragons side in the war. Since then the prison she's been locked in has been used as a dumping ground for various other creatures and monsters, who are bound using the same magic of the gods. It's bigger on the inside making room for them. A full on pocket dimension in Loch Ness, though Nessie and the others can leave it and go into the Loch and nearby area if she wants but no further than that. Is that right." Carlene asked of the monster.
"You can leave long enough to help us through Tulloch Moor, you and any of the other monsters you choose." Lam said.
"Forget it. If it wasn't for you I wouldn't be bound here in the first place. You chose to free him instead of me, who could have freed the others. I owe it to them for trusting you" Nessie said angrily.
Lam didn't deny her accusations, but he still continued. "Your people won't survive either if the Blue Devil gets what he wants. You know that."
"Do I? He's a tin pot vampire king. I've seen hundreds of them come and go in the Highlands. He'll probably do something particularly nasty but I doubt it will be able to reach us." Nessie said confidently.
"He's dabbling with the Scale of Khastran. You know better than anyone that even the Gods who bound you feared Khastran. Do you want to take even the tiniest chance he could utilize that power?" Lam insisted.
Nessie was silent for a moment, before she reluctantly agreed to talk to her people after which she said would meet Lam here again. Lam thanked her though she didn't want to hear it. Just as they were about to leave, Lindsey against Lam's wise advice couldn't help but ask Nessie more about her life in the Loch. It was not every day she got to talk to a creature she had spent a good chunk of her childhood looking for after all.
"Hi sorry, I'm eh, a bit new to all this. It's a great honour to meet you, but I was just wondering, the other Loch Ness Monsters are they eh, Plesiosaurs too?" Lindsey asked.
The giant reptile almost appeared to smile before it roared and reached forward to grab Lindsey by the arm. It held her in a very gentle but firm way so as not to cut her with its sharp teeth and lifted her over twenty feet in the air before tossing her onto its back.
"Want to see?" Nessie laughed before descending back into the water with Lindsey on her back, against Lindsey's protests. Carlene instantly ran to try and help her but Lam stopped the vampire.
"Trust me Carlene, Lindsey will be fine. Nessie's just having fun." Lam assured.
"What do you mean? Carlene asked.
"She loves winding people up. Haven't you ever wondered why millions of people see Nessie every year, yet there's never been any proof? She does it on purpose, uses her magic to let some people see her and shield her from others. Some of them have even been in on it like that Surgeon. The Mr and Mrs Spicer incident was a genuine mistake, but well since then let's just say she's not wasted the opportunity to mess with some locals and tourists alike." Lam explained.
"She sounds like a bit of a bitch to be honest." Carlene said.
"Well I don't like to judge but." Lam replied as they waited patiently by the pool.
Beneath the waves of Loch Ness Nessie swam wildly with Lindsey holding on for dear life. She soon realised however she couldn't let go and strangely enough she could also breath and wasn't affected by the water at all. Nessie was literally holding her in place and shielding her with her magic. After a few minutes of swimming aimlessly (during which they passed the ruins of a viking ship whose occupants Nessie had devoured many centuries ago. They came to the bottom of the lake where the portal was though Lindsey couldn't see it. It almost looked as though Nessie were about to collide head first with the rocky terrain with Lindsey even letting out a scream before they suddenly emerged on the other side. It was another lake filled with all manner of strange creatures, including large Mosasaur like beasts, huge Ichthyosaurs, prehistoric whales, giant Eels, unusual forms of Sharks and what looked like a strange Elephantine creature with multiple tentacles instead of a trunk, as well as several gigantic Horse-like creatures. Regardless of whatever they were doing, the monsters all cleared a path for Nessie. Even those who dwarfed her, which let Lindsey know that Nessie was their queen. The Plesiosaur then swam to the top of this lake with Lindsey in tow. It was a completely different world above, with a red sky, a large jungle and huge Dinosaur-like creatures some of which were drinking by the lake, whilst others were scattered throughout the woods in herds. Lindsey also briefly saw a large Tyrannosaurus like creature battling with a Sauropod like Dinosaur, with the Tyrannosaurus ultimately triumphing before Nessie descended back beneath the waves with Lindsey and swam back to the portal, through to Loch Ness on the other side and back into the lair of the monster where it placed Lindsey back beside Carlene and Lam.
Lindsey was in a state of shock and Carlene pulled her into a comforting hug, "it's alright darling. Nessies a wanker. If she ever tries to do that again I'll make her extinct for a second time." Carlene said all the while the monster was snickering.
"That was, that was incredible" Lindsey said to Carlene and the monster's surprise.
"There was another universe with Dinosaurs at the bottom of Loch Ness. Can we explore it when this is all done?" Lindsey asked.
"I like her," Nessie said.
"Meet me in an hour in this cave." The monster continued before she descended back into the water.
Back on Tulloch Moor, Alistair had managed to flee from the vampire's lair whilst pulling the cage and carrying Bruce's spirit within the sphere. Whilst Bruce was a great man in many ways he was also guilty of the same prejudices as many other hunters and had trouble believing that any werewolf could truly be trusted.
Even after Alistair had fought off more horrors in the Moor, Bruce still assumed that he was simply saving the humans for himself. Alistair simply ignored him, hoping that his actions might finally convince the highlands legend that he wasn't there to hurt him.
Sadly Alistair's accomplice was not at the rendezvous point, the ruins of a small farm that was still haunted by the ghost of the farmer's daughter. How her spirit had survived for so long in the Moor nobody knew for sure. She was only 19 years old. The most accepted theory was that Ramelia was friends with her father (this is at least fact and is why their farm was allowed on his moor) and took her on as a daughter figure after her father died and even as the power corrupted him however he still cared for her enough to try and use his magic to protect her. Sadly the power was erratic and it failed to preserve her body, but her soul was trapped on the moor and cannot be banished. Tragically it seems Ramelia may have unknowingly condemned her to the worst hell on earth.
Whatever her origin she was best avoided. She only appeared at random points around the farm and would often walk around in a confused daze. The girl would also instantly be made more aware whenever anyone got near her. She did not appear to realise she was dead, but would scream out for someone to help her father, and if the unfortunate soul did not pull away instantly her magics could clamp down on the person without them even being aware in a matter of seconds and trap their soul in the moor, though they at least could be freed by the soul eaters in a way she couldn't. She never meant to trap anyone and would lose the memory of those she did trap when she returned to her daze, but whether it was through design or a clumsy attempt to protect someone he loved, Ramelia's magics had made her one of the worst horrors of the moor.
Despite the wolf's hesitation about staying here, his mentor still believed it was the safest place in the moor as none of the other creatures wanted to get near the girl and one misguided spirit was a lot easier to dodge than hundreds of monsters anywhere else. The wolf kept a close eye out for the ghost and even had to move the cage once when she appeared in the nearby field wandering aimlessly.
"The big bad wolf is afraid of a little ghost girl." Norman laughed from the sphere.
"Trust me if you knew what she was you'd be scared too," The wolf replied, before he noticed one of the people in the cage, a kindly old woman had caught the ghosts gaze and was reaching out to help her. The wolf quickly got in the way and pushed the cage as far away from the farm as he could, but as he got clear of the area, he noticed the old woman was no longer there. He turned around and saw her suddenly crawling along the moor towards the girl who now looked scared. He tried against his better judgement to run back but within a second the old woman vanished along with the girl. Norman could see the extent her loss affected the wolf and even offered his condolences, but Alistair said they needed to move on before she came back.
Up ahead the Wolf and the prisoners saw a forest quite unlike any other in the Highlands. Each branch on each tree within the forest contained a ghostly face screaming in agony. The trees were in fact demons and anyone who attempted to walk through them would be attacked by the demonic tree's mental powers, which trapped the victim in a nightmarish hallucination. The person could escape, but they had one hour to do so and required the most incredible strength to do so. If they failed their soul would be added to one of the branches.
The wolf obviously couldn't go this way, even though he would ironically be safe from trees that didn't snatch the souls of vampires or demons like him, there was no way he could protect the others. He was forced to go by the lagoon next to the forest but the Banshees lived there. Still as the ghost girl began to appear with the ghostly old woman beside her who looked just as lost, the wolf had no choice and they headed down the lagoon. It was eerily quiet but the Wolf could sense the presence of the Banshees. His advanced hearing could also allow him to pick up the sounds of their screams from within the lake itself.
Suddenly one of the people in the cage began to shake violently as their body twisted and formed into something else. The others were terrified and begged Alistair to release them. Before he could rip open the lock however the person changed into a very rare breed of vampire. They had obviously been infected back in the Blue Devil's castle with the prisoners being more than just a way to break Norman. They were both food and recruits for the Blue Devils army. The breed the prisoner changed into was known as a Stranva. It had an elongated tongue that could stretch to over 10 feet long and move like a whip, orange skin with suction cups scattered over its body, silver talons and a black shell on its back with spikes running down its spine and finally black eyes like a Shark. This breed was not only strong but largely feral too and they were known to feast on the flesh as well as blood of their victims.
The creature turned to the man nearest to it, a kindly old farmer and dug its slimy fingers into his chest. Within a matter of seconds it ripped his entire rib cage out. At the same time the bloodsuckers' long serpentine tongue thrashed around, slashing at others with the wounds it made burning and sizzling. It caught one unfortunate soul in the eye and another across the throat which proved to be a fatal wound. Once the cage was opened, the hostages ran in all directions and in the confusion the sphere containing Bruce's spirit fell on the ground and rolled towards the lake. As hard as it was to leave the prisoners, Alistair had to put Bruce's soul above theirs and jumped towards the sphere only narrowly managing to catch it in time. Had it rolled into the lake it would have been lost forever. The orange skinned vampire didn't waste the opportunity and wrapped its slimy, burning tongue around Alistair's neck. His skin began to sizzle as the beast's tongue literally burned its way through his throat. It was only the werewolf's healing factor that stopped it from burning through his neck completely, but even it couldn't hold out for much longer. Alistair however after morphing back into his wolf form was able to pull the tip of the vampire's tongue towards the lake which caused it to melt. The vampire released its grip, but Alistair held onto the tongue despite it burning his hands and swung the vampire into the lake where it dissolved completely. The lake was where the darkest magics of the Moor were concentrated. The reason the banshees gathered round it was the hope it could one day release them from their torment, but sadly even it could not destroy their souls. Still many of them rested within the lake all the same and as soon as the vampire melted the banshees were awoken. Over thirty of them emerged in front of the wolf who fled as fast as he could in the direction of the prisoners, but scores of Banshees had emerged from the other direction. They were all completely surrounded.
In Loch Morlich meanwhile Daniel Winn had discovered the source of the disturbance. A seemingly frail old man, who he found unconscious by the trees. Daniel and Elle and the few soldiers they had with them had been forced to cut off the entire area near the Loch as the magic from Tulloch Moor that had been brought here was erratic. Sadly one agent had been struck by it and though he wasn't killed it still infected him to such an extent he was rushed back to the emergency ward in their base. Worse the magic had also drawn many of the Blue Devils vampire thugs in the nearby area, though these were more low grade than the creatures he used to guard the tombs and for once the Scathach agents were able to deal with the vampires, with Elle in particular feeling more than a twinge of satisfaction after what happened in the graveyard at finally being able to fight back properly.
Daniel hoisted the old man up against a nearby tree gently and woke him.
"I, I, had to leave the, the banshees" the man said weakly.
"It's okay I'm not going to hurt you, I just need to know." Daniel tried to explain before the old man who appeared to regain control of himself pushed Daniel aside and started to chant a ritual. Two vampires attempted to attack him in, but Daniel disposed of one with a gun loaded with silver bullets, whilst the old man himself easily dispatched another with a stake through the heart being surprisingly swift and strong. Once the ritual was finished Alistair materialised in the middle of the forest, along with two of the prisoners he was holding onto (including the girl that the Blue Devil originally threatened ironically and her father) as well as the orb. They were all badly cut, with Alistair collapsing soon after. The old man then grabbed the orb and attempted to flee, but he was in turn set upon by four more vampires who this time managed to pin him to the ground. The Scatchach agents including Daniel dispatched them with the remaining bloodsuckers then fleeing. The old man had been knocked out and Daniel picked up the orb and to his shock saw the face of Bruce Norman within it, the greatest hunter of the highlands. Granted he had only seen his face in paintings and sculptures, but he knew it was him.
"I would rather you send me back to the hell I came from than put up with this nonsense" the voice said from the sphere much to Daniel's surprise.
"It is a great honour to meet your sir" Daniel said somewhat embarrassed.
"I'm afraid however we have some questions of our own" Daniel continued knowing he was in for a tough time ahead.