7. Monsters Looking For Monsters

Max sat in the police room just waiting. He and his crew had been stopped from getting on their flight and asked a thousand and one questions. All the pottery and other items they had collected were taken which he thought was a bunch of bullshit since their permits were on the up and up. They had been hired to find out about the myths and go down into that cave. Hired and paid a lot of money and now they were sitting here being detained. There was one man he’d seen moving around talking to people asking questions that instantly set off his alarm bells.

Max weighed about a hundred and ninety pounds, and was built like a runner and he could run damn fast. You had to sometimes, he could fight too. Learned that the hard way while doing this cloak and dagger job. Had met plenty of unsavory people in this world. He trusted Tamara with the things he found. She was more family to him than friend, and while he didn’t share all of her views he did share a great many. He believed in beings other than humans because he was one. He’d just never told Tamara. Looking at the man walking into his room now, he believed him not human. The energy around him said so, and Max was good at reading energy. Max had more going for him than being inhuman too. 

“Hello elf.” The man said, and Max narrowed his gaze. He was nearly full blooded elf and he didn’t know how this man picked it up right away. No one else did, he didn’t have pointed ears or fair features like some. His hair was dark and his eyes a light copper brown. His nose was a bit more pointed and his body lithe like they were. His body and muscles built for dexterity and speed rather than brute strength.

“Who are you?” Max asked and couldn’t quite pick up on his scent like he was masking it. Max had grown up in the mortal world. He was part of a group of mortal elves and they lived just slightly longer than a human. Which meant he only knew about this world and clearly this thing wasn’t part of it. Again the energy told him that.

“I believe you have something that belongs to me.” He stated and pulled out the chair there. He heard the man say he was a detective outside. Max doubted that very much. Clearly whatever sway or magic he had let him into the police station. 

“Look all my papers are legal and legit. So I don’t know why I’m being held here.” Max wasn’t going to tell this man anything. 

“I know they are and frankly I don’t give a fuck about what they took from you or if you go home. I’m interested in a black slab of stone with gold writing on it. I want to know where you sent it and I want to know now. I have watched every archeological did in this region for a long time. You have what is mine.” Max gave him a confused look which he pulled off rather well and tossed his hands up.

“What the hell man. I don’t know about a black stone, did you look in the damn pottery we had? It could be in there.” Max had been at this a while and he could see this man thought for a moment trying to decide if he was lying or not but seemed to decide that he was.

“This slab was large, don’t lie to me elf I know you brought it out with others. You sent it somewhere that no one seems to have a record for. I have also found out you work with magical and cursed items plenty. So where is it? I have been watching groups like you waiting for one of you to find it. Before Jormungand did.” Max eyed him.

“First off, why do you keep calling me elf? Number two if you know that, then you know that such items can act of their own accord. I don’t remember moving a black slab so maybe whoever put what you are looking for down there doesn’t want people to know about it. Placed a forgetful charm on it.” Max logged away all the man was saying. He was also trying to figure out what he was, because Max was pretty darn sure it wasn’t human.

“Two outside of your team confirmed they saw you loading it into a cargo van.” 

“So, cursed items sometimes have to be touched to activate. You’re barking up the wrong tree here. I don’t know.” Max knew he was playing his card well. Acting it just right and so would his colleagues. They all agreed on stories to use and say and if something like this happened. They always fell in with the forgetful charm. Usually worked too.

The man was burly and tall, his hair tied at the back of his head which was a charcoal black as were his eyes. There was a hint of smoke in the room like charred wood. He was wearing a necklace that Max instantly knew was a charm, just not sure what. The symbol said shrinking charm to him, but what would the man need that?

“I’m not fucking around with you.” He said leaning forward and in this small station Max knew they weren’t being recorded. The man grabbed the front of Max’s shirt and pulled him forward. Max leaned back hating the smell of his breath. “I want that tomb, and I will kill anyone that gets in my way. The sword and the wolf are mine, now tell me where you sent it before I rip your fucking head off.” 

“Sorry I don’t remember.” Max answered and took his best course of action. He reached forward and ripped the medallion off. Instantly a change happened and Max went back into the wall. The man grew in height instantly. Max knew it, it hit him when he was in the man’s field of energy. He was a giant and if the research Tamara and he had done was right this was Surt. Had to be, who else would be looking for what they found? He just hadn’t believed it until now. God what had he sent to Tamara? Why hadn’t he been more careful? He never thought this legend from a millenia ago was even real!

Max leapt up and onto his feet as the giant grew and destroyed the ceiling. Max ran and maneuvered around the debris raining upon them. He ran like an expert at parkour and missed a huge hand that swiped for him. He was out of the building then in the chaos and knew if that thing caught him it would literally rip his head off or eat him. Giants were typically brutal beings with little mercy and he needed to get to Tamara. His last email to her he hadn’t thought this kind of trouble. He’d never come across someone from one of the nine realms before even if his people had descended from them. 

It was easy for him to run and fast, practically a blur and was lost in the city before the giant could locate him again. No doubt he’d have his amulet back on shortly and humans would make up some story about how a gas leak made the station explode. He knew that his team members would get out of there as well. There wasn’t that much destruction so he knew that they weren’t dead. Now he needed to find a way out and he didn’t think the giant was working on his own either. He prayed like hell to his ancestors that Tamara had not found a way to open the tomb.