Right. So after another long abscence, I have posted a fanfic. This one I wrote for a school project, combining bits from all the books I was reading at the time. Ah, not much else to say, so I hope you enjoy it.

Oh, and a disclaimer: Cal and Niko Leandros belong to Rob Thurman, Dresden is property of Jim Butcher, while Shadow, Mr. Smith, and Mr. Alice belong to Neil Gaiman.

STRIKEFORCE

I usually don't feel jealous of knights in shining armor.

That's probably because I've never fallen for the myth of a perfect hero, a squeaky-clean can of tin atop a prissy horse. But let me tell you, there's one thing they have that I don't, and it isn't something like love. Even a half-monster like me has that.

No, it's the ability to stare into a mouth lined with razor-sharp teeth and an intent to kill, and not crap your pants.

Of course, you're probably wondering how I ended up in this mess, or even who I am. Well, I'll tell you, only because I want to delay my upcoming dragon fight as long as possible.

My name is Caliban Leandros, and I'm of the belief that there are way too many places to start stories. The beginning of my life, the beginning of this whole incident…for sake of time, I'll start on the road. My brother, Niko, and I were cruising down the Virginia countryside. If, of course, your definition of cruising meant driving a rust-infested Chevy through a flood's worth of rain on a mud road that may or may not actually be quicksand. Worst, there was no radio out here; while the usual music was crap, at least it was better than the constant pounding of rain.

Niko, of course, was perfectly fine with this. He kept his eyes on the road like a good boy, reciting meditation mantras under his breath. I had been trying to sleep in the back seat, seeing as I had nothing better to do, and almost got away with it before the car started making funny noises. You know, the kind that means the car's about to explode, everyone run for cover?

"Cyrano," I said, "I thought you said the next car wasn't going to be a deathtrap."

"And this is not. Death traps don't have warnings."

Right. This is coming from the Orderly Ninja himself. Everything was in perfect, immaculate condition; his weapons, his skills, his room…even his disgusting health food. But his car? I secretly suspect that Niko's cars are his outlets for all the grubbiness he misses out on.

Either way, I was up. I took a glance outside, which only had three colors; obnoxious green grass, demonic gray clouds, and shit brown mud. At least New York has some variety.

Let me clarify; New York is our usual stomping ground. My brother and I work with a few friends on various side-jobs, mostly involving the eradication of New York's finest beasts. Yes, they're everywhere; you just don't notice them. In our line of work, we do most of the fighting; Niko is the sword master, professional fighter, and could put both Bruce Lee and Chuck Norris to shame. Me? Let's just say I was half gun-slinging snarker, and half psychotic teleporting monster with a case of bloodlust. That is the Auphe half, and we don't talk about it.

Anyway, we were recently hired for an out-of-town mission by some guy called Mr. Alice. While we generally didn't take those up unless the fate of the world was at stake (aka our last road trip), Mr. Alice was willing to pay us a fair amount of cash. And by fair, I mean enough for me to drag my lazy ass out to Virginia to fight…ah…

"Say, Nik? What's our target again?

This is the other reason I sat in the back, because if I was up front, I would've earned a patented Niko Head Smack. Instead, I just earned a sigh.

"Did you pay no attention to our business negotiations?"

"Paying attention isn't my job, Cyrano. I do the killing."

"Your job should include both, Cal." And I suppose his job is making sure I remember that. "Either way, we were hired to assist in the suppression of Nidhoggr."

"Gesundheit."

"No Cal, that's what it's called." He paused for a moment, as the windshields decided to take a break. They'd been working overtime, so I couldn't blame them. "I was not informed exactly what this Nidhoggr is, though, or if it has any correlation with the beast of Norse legend."

Norse. I actually knew what that mythos was; that's the one with Thor and those other Viking guys. "So what is that…thing?"

"All I could find before we left was that Nidhoggr is a 'Dragon of Death' amongst the Norse. It apparently lives under the roots of the great tree Yggdrasil, and it's supposed to survive the apocalypse." Probably as an after-thought, he added, "It also has a taste for blood and corpses."

If I were any less manly, I would have shuddered. "Great. Dragons. Are our umbrellas flaming-crap proof?"

"Dragons don't…never mind." At this point, the rest of the Chevy decided that the windshield wipers had the right idea, and promptly sputtered to a pathetic halt. "I suppose we're walking."

I think the rain actually started pouring harder. "Sure? I don't think a dragon would fight in the rain…that would douse its fire, right?"

"Then that's all the more reason to fight it now." Niko grabbed a raincoat from the passenger's seat and slid it on. "Now get your gear from the trunk, and let's get moving."

By the time we got to the hill, I could've sworn I'd just trudged through a river. Everything from my knees down was caked in mud, and my hair was plastered to my face. The same went for Nik, but he pulled it off with the same flawless indifference he always does. I almost had time to be jealous.

Then I caught sight of what must've been Yggdrasil. Woah boy.

This wasn't just a big tree; it was THE big tree. A giant oak that dwarfed every skyscraper in New York, and with roots so large that they snaked through the bottom of the hill. I mean, is a tree that big even possible? You'd think a plane would've crashed into it by now, or some astronaut would see it from space, or something.

That wasn't the only thing on the hill. There was also a little cowboy, complete with a dark hat and a flowing duster. He was slowly circling the tree, occasionally tapping the trunk with a long staff.

"Who do you think that is?" I asked Nik, as I instinctively reached for my Desert Eagle. He simply glanced at the gun, probably deeming it overkill, and then at the figure.

"Three guesses," he said calmly. "That's either our target, the person we're supposed to assist…or a pagan druid."

"So foe, friend, or hippy. Got'cha." I checked to make sure my weapons were secure and loaded, and strode up the hill. I wasn't particularly thrilled to meet the cowboy, mind you; I just wanted to get out of the rain.

The cowboy was a lot taller in person; I guess standing next to a magic tree would make anyone look short. He was made of sharp features, but aside from the hat, duster, and staff, he looked pretty normal. He didn't even seem to notice us as he continued his trek, round and round the tree.

"Hey," I called to him, "You wouldn't know anything about a dragon here, would you?"

The cowboy came to an immediate halt, jerking around to face us. He looked genuinely surprised we were there.

"A dragon?" He asked.

"Indeed." This was Niko, who strode in behind me. "The dragon Nidhoggr. I don't suppose you're Mr. Smith, then?"

"No." he said, giving both of us an…odd look. It was like he was examining us, except that he purposefully avoided my eyes. Niko and I both have steely gray eyes; we're opposites in every other respect. Except that I didn't like this guy, and I bet Niko wasn't overly fond of him either.

"You wouldn't happen to know anything about this…dragon, either?" He eventually asked us.

"Only whatever the legends have right." Niko walked up to the tree, and I realized there were intricate white designs on the trunk. "This is your doing, I assume."

"It is." With a tip of the hat, he added, "Harry Dresden. The only wizard in Chicago's phonebook."

Now that was a laugh. Wizards. Now, I'd seen many things that most people think aren't true. Pucks, revenants, psychics, vampires…heck, my on-and-off girlfriend was a werewolf. But a wizard?

"Okay then Mr. Wizard, tell me; did Harry Potter get anything right?"

Dresden smirked and quietly shook his head. "Look kid. I'd love to explain, but I'm a bit busy. There's…something sealed inside this." He turned to the tree, his eyes climbing up the branches and into the sky. "It seems similar to something that attacked Chicago recently. I think they're connected."

"If it's what we're searching for, then the beast is most likely underground."

"Underground, eh?" Dresden tapped the ground with his cane, head tilted to the side. Reminded me of a dog, especially once he smiled. "It seems you're right. I should've started there." He turned to us and said, "Don't suppose I can convince you not to fight, now can I?"

"I don't know about you, but I'd like to get paid," I said. "Bring it." Niko said nothing; he just nodded in agreement.

"Stand back, then." We did so, and the tree still covered us from the rain. From where I was standing, I couldn't tell exactly what Dresden was doing, but I heard him muttering, louder and louder, words I couldn't understand. My first thought was that he really was nuts, but the runes started to glow about then, so I started thinking…oh shit.

Then the earth started to quake. It wasn't sudden; just slow shakes, one loping after the other. Yggdrasil's branches waved as if in the wind, leaves peacefully falling with the rain. I not-so-peacefully checked the Desert Eagle again, just to make sure everything was in place. Beside me, Niko drew his sword, a katana he'd been working with recently. I think his girlfriend got it for him as an apology, but I didn't ask.

Both Dresden and the quakes stopped for a moment, and I wondered if perhaps everything was done, no freaky dragons here, let's all go home.

Then a gigantic serpent burst out of the top of the tree, and came hurtling down toward us. It was a blur of black followed by falling branches, striking the ground just in front of us with its forepaws. Up close, it looked like a giant snake, but with limbs, and what I supposed were scales. Scales about the size of car doors. Suddenly, I thought that perhaps the Desert Eagle wasn't firepower enough. I should've brought a bazooka. Or a suitcase nuke. I've actually used a suitcase nuke before, but that's another matter entirely.

"That's Nidhoggr?" I asked. "Pleasant. Which end does the fire come out of?"

Turns out, the damn thing didn't need fire. It was so big, it could fight just by trying to squish us. It snaked around the tree like an oversized train, leaving us to run out of the way. I tried shooting it, but the bullet just bounced off. No, wait, I think it hit and just flattened.

"Dragon scales are resistant to most weapons, Cal," Niko informed me, blocking a giant claw from slashing his pretty face. "You have to look for a weak spot."

I, on the other hand, was dodging the tail, and I could see Dresden near the head. "And where the hell would that be, Cyrano?"

"If you actually paid attention…" Niko sidestepped an oncoming blow, and managed to wedge his katana between two of the beast's scales. The beast shrieked, but I think it was more pissed than hurt. "The eyes and underbelly usually work, but if you can find a hole in the scales, so much the better."

The eyes, eh? I could do that.

I ran under the tail as it struck the tree, making my way towards the dragon's hideous face. For the record, it made the Auphe –my psychotic monster side of the family- look like peppy beauty queens in comparison. It was snapping at Dresden, and apparently had already got a bite out of his arm, which he held to the side as it bled. For the record, Dresden was fighting back with flashes of light that seemed to stem from a silver medallion; it seemed to be doing more than my bullets, but not much.

Now, a few months ago, shooting ol' Nidhoggr in the eye wouldn't be too hard. Really. I'd just rip a hole in the fabric of space, using it to warp right over the dragon, and empty a clip into its face. That's no longer an option, especially since the ensuing berserker's high would be the least of my problems. So I needed another way up.

"Dresden!" I shouted. "Don't suppose you've got a spell or something that can get me up there?"

Nidhoggr tried biting him again, and he dodged by hitting the ground and rolling out of the way, barely getting to his feet in time to avoid being hit by the beast's swinging head. He managed a quick glance at me before the dragon swung again and knocked off his hat.

"I can do that. Hold still." In one fell swoop, he avoided a third swing, grabbed his hat, and shouted, "Vento Servitas!"

And I was up, propelled into the air by the wind itself. I flailed for a moment before getting a sense of my body, and finding myself juuuuust over the dragon's head. I took aim, and fired three rounds.

As they say, third bullet's the charm. It went straight through Nidhoggr's eye, and the sound it made was an inhuman shriek that threatened to rip my ears apart. I guess Niko was right about the weak spots.

Just one problem. I kept falling. In fact, before I could try another shot for the other eye, I landed on its back. Hard. Then I gracefully slid off, hitting the ground with a thud. As I wondered why the hell the world was spinning, I heard the clash of metal as a claw met Niko's katana and won. For his record, Niko doesn't scream. The new gash along his torso, cutting across old sacrificial scars, was proof enough of his loss.

Seconds later, the dragon was looming over me. It opened its mouth, and I caught a fresh glimpse of its teeth.

Happy? All caught up now? Good. Because now I'm about to be eaten. Of all the ways I've come close to dying –or the time I actually did die, but only for a few seconds- this is definitely one of the worst ways to go.

Suddenly, there are more gunshots. Nidhoggr glances up, momentarily distracted. I take this as my cue to clumsily get to my feet and run, not focusing on where I'm going, just running. I manage to glance behind me to see Niko and Dresden following suit, which makes me wonder…where the hell did the bullets come from?

I'm back in the rain, water beating my skull senseless. Also beating my mind senseless is the sight of a shiny black SUV at the bottom of the hill, with one man firing bullets out the window. A second man, tall and dark, exits the car and strides up the hill. He doesn't say a word as he passes. No one does.

The dragon screams, and starts slithering towards us. But this guy, he stands his ground, and the dragon just…stops. He stops for a moment, staring at the guy, and then he attacks. It's another fight, but unlike ours, it's…not a fight. I mean, it isn't just one thing trying to hit another, it's…like a dance, almost. Each strike complementing the other, to the point where I can't even describe it.

Somehow, Niko has gotten ahead of me, but I catch up. "What the fuck is going on?" I ask him, as we stare at the man and the dragon fighting. I notice the gash on Niko's torso, which he's already fixing up with bandages he must've kept in his coat.

"I'm not entirely sure," he admits.

At this point, the first man walks up to us, cool and slow. His face reminds me of a blade, and I can't tell where he's concealed his gun.

"It's hist'ry repeating itself, that's what. A hero on his quest, banishing monsters and the like. Problem is, we aren't sure what exactly his quest is." The man turns to us, and gives us a crooked smile. "Mr. Smith, they call me. That there's Shadow."

The dragon is still again, barely lifting its head off the ground. Shadow's just standing there, visibly panting and wounded. Part of me is surprised that he's lasted this long; the other tells me he's been through worse.

"It's the same every time," Mr. Smith continues. "Ever since we ended up in the states. These monsters, these freaks unable to go home…they fight 'im. And he somehow sends them back. Causes the cycle to change."

"Better than what I'd guess." Dresden's beside us now, tipping his hat up for a better view. "I saw him in Chicago, when the Chimera attacked. I thought he was controlling it, and followed it out here."

"No lad," Mr. Smith says. "Shadow was just trying to get home." The words sound like they should be said regretfully or something, but he says them with a straight face.

Somehow, I don't think I belong here. Like it's not my fight. Not that I'm complaining, because I hate wasting time on fights. I just hate wasting time on nothing even more.

My eyes catch Nidhoggr just as it moves, its giant form sliding against itself as it begins to slither up the tree. I think it's starting to fade, because one moment there's the rest of its body, but it disappears before my eyes. In a matter of seconds, it's gone, and Shadow is striding back towards us. I stare up at his face, and its tired, more tired than I've ever felt.

He stops a few feet from Mr. Smith, looming over all of us. "It's done," he says.

"Well, it's about bloody time. You have any idea where we're going next?"

"No."

Mr. Smith shakes his head, clicking his tongue against his teeth. "For shame, that. We'd best be off." He turns to Niko and adds, "Your pay will arrive soon. We didn't want to send it 'til we made sure you made it." Then he turns to Dresden. "No money for you, though. We don't pay freeloaders."

"I didn't come for the pay."

Mr. Smith shrugs, and climbs into the SUV. Shadow begins to follow, but before he can leave, I grab a hold of his sleeve. He simply stops and glances at me.

"Mind explaining what the fuck that was all about?" I ask. The idea of not knowing why I'm here is starting to get to me. The whole fight's getting to me. Perhaps I hit my head too hard on dragon.

Shadow's quiet for a moment, and then he tells me, "Someone needs to know who we are, and tell that we are here."

"Meaning?"

"…I'm not sure." He shakes his head. "Sorry."

Next thing I know, they're driving off, and we're just standing there in the pouring rain.

"'I'm not sure,'" I repeat, dragging my hair out of my face. "What a load of bull."

"I think he meant that someone had to see this happen," Niko explains, and I feel him wrap a bandage around my arm. "This fight couldn't just be forgotten. There had to be witnesses."

Of course, Niko has an answer for everything. He always does.

"Well, we saw it. What now?"

"Now we head home." Finishing his bandaging, Niko looks at the sopping mud road. "If I remember correctly, the nearest town is this way." This, and the fact that the Chevy was dead, meant…

"You mean we're walking? I just helped fight off a friggin' dragon, and you're making me walk?" I turn to Dresden. "You wouldn't happen to have a car, would you?"

"I'm afraid machines don't like me very much," he replies. "Mine died back in Tennessee." He walks into the road, boots squelching in the mud, and then he calls back to us, "Mind if I walk with you?"

"Not at all," Niko replies, following him. "In fact, I was wondering about…"

I don't catch their conversation, because I really don't care. Much as I envy knights in shining armor right now, at least I don't rust in the rain. I trudge along behind them, thinking. Thinking about what Shadow said, and the nagging feeling that, somehow, he was more than he seemed. Someone I should know about. And to boot, thinking about how all these other thoughts were a load of crap, and god, I hate the rain. I swear, the first dry place I find, I'm staying there until the rain lets up.

Once we're a mile or two away, I glance over my shoulder.

Yggdrasil was no longer on the hill. It was like it'd never been there.

But someone knows it was there.