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Cody didn't like being on the water. He liked it even less when frog monsters had their teeth in his ribcage. Knocking the green, grimy assailant back into the empty captain's cabin with a swift elbow, he tightened his coat, fastening a buckle to temporarily stop the bleeding. These assaults were becoming so relentless he didn't have time to regenerate.
"Oh, fuck! Fuck!"
He leaped forward and stomped the creature's skull with a sickening crunch, staining the left side of the black puffer jacket he wore over his tank top crimson. The East River wasn't the cleanest, but he didn't expect literal cannibalistic amphibians to be behind the missing people at the harbor. As he ran across the starboard of the abandoned ship, he tried to remember what Iga said about these things. These were twisted things, called Grims. They used to play music or something, then they were driven out, now music gives them migraines- that's it, he had to play music, and loudly. Initially reaching for his phone, it was promptly knocked out of his hand by a larger, darker blue one. Think fast, Cody.
"Shit!"
He slid between the Grim's legs, slicing upwards with his sword. He'd been getting better at that with Ricky teaching him how to shift his weight with his sword so he could switch between one and two hands. A trail of entrails lay behind him, as he'd viciously gutted it's stomach without thinking. Doing his best to look away, he sprinted to port, picking up his phone once again. Three more now flanked him, varying shades of turquoise, snapping their heads left and right as their hind legs bent, almost ready to leap at him before-
"SMITE!"
Calling out the names of his attacks as he did wasn't a habit he grew out of, though. In an instant, a wave of sparks flew through the air from his sword after one wide slash, catching all three of the monsters mid-flight. Their bodies were charred to seafood crisps, though certainly not safe to eat. Gripping the railing, he caught his breath while checking his phone again. No signal. Nobody thought to provide cell service across the bridge? He groaned, placing it back in his pocket as more began to stumble from the stairs below deck. Guess he'd have to do this the old fashioned way. By himself, too. Readying his stance, he then heard a deep voice, rich with gravel, call out from behind him:
"Hey, loud kid. Duck."
A massive concrete fist reached across from his shoulder, and connected with the swarm leader's face, sending him tumbling back into his feral companions within a second. Cody turned around, just as startled as the monsters were, to witness a pair of piercing yellow eyes, stumps of excised horns, and thick sideburns on truly the biggest man Cody had ever seen. The biggest MORTAL, but even that was up for grabs. The figure looked at Cody like he was a loon for reacting in such a shocked manner, gesturing him forwards.
"Well, don't stop now."
Never in his life had Cody heard a command he wanted to obey, as a petulant 27 year old. He started swinging down the stairs, joined by this massive demon. At some point the stranger had pulled out a revolver about the size of Cody's arm and blasted one of the Grim's genitals off. Absolutely wicked. The adrenaline was starting to get to him as they delved past the fuselage, eventually going back to back as they were swarmed. He could hardly believed that he could keep up with the stranger. Once the ship was clear, Cody slumped onto the stairs, mumbling to the unknown ally who casually sat down next to him, initiating a conversation:
"Red guy, cover me in batter and fry me, I'm done."
"Eh, you'll live. You with GOS?"
"GOS?"
"Grammercy Occult Society. You a wizard?"
"Well, I contract, kind of a hero, I guess- wait, do I look like a wizard?"
"Not nearly smart enough to be one, since you went to an infestation this severe by yourself, but I didn't want to assume."
"Who are you with?"
"B.P.R.D. We were dealing with the umbra, and all sorts of other nasties while you were still in your diapers."
"I am still, like, relatively new to this, so cut me some slack, alright? I don't have an overpowered gauntlet like you."
"Judging by how you did with that sword, I'd say you don't need one."
"Wow, uh... thanks, man. Means a lot."
"Plus, you probably couldn't handle the Right Hand."
Cody's head immediately darted up at the accusation, though jestful, his pride was a little hurt by that.
"Give me, like, time to bulk up, and I'll totally be able to wear that."
"Sure. If you can pry it off my dead body."
"Oh, it's like, fused to you... I'm sorry about that."
"Don't be. I was born this way."
"That's uh, wow, so nobody GAVE you your power? You're like, HUGE, dude."
"Not that I know of. You trying to uh, ruh- damn, what do the kids call it these days?"
Cody paused, squinting for a second before he realized what the red man meant, beginning to blush profusely, laughing it off as if it were merely the cold making his face pink.
"Oh, rizz? No, uh, no, man, I'm not trying to, uh, rizz you up."
"Good. Hand's probably worn out for today anyways."
Cody audibly gulped, like a cartoon character, zipping up his jacket. The stranger raised a thick, blocky eyebrow in confusion, patting his back and thinking that the gulp was the sound of blood congealing.
"You alright there? One of those things bite you?"
"Oh, uh, thanks for asking, but it's healing, I can do that."
"Damn. Sturdier than you look. Well, I've gotta report this. Assuming you do, too."
As both of them stood up, the gaze of yellow eyes fully locked with Cody's hazel ones, the frigid winter air connecting these two wanderers of the night together.
"What's your name?"
"Call me Hellboy."