by George Fry
However, his position was immediately given away by the man yelling into his megaphone.
“Follow the White Heathen!”
As the woman heard their approach, she realised she was trapped. Luckily she had the perfect move for the situation. The barrel of her gun widened, as she blasted the ground with a burst of glaring light that blinded the boys for a few seconds, giving her a head start with her escape.
“Fucking, cunt, cultists!” Drifter yelled.
As their sight returned, the two gave chase. With their superior speed, catching the woman should have been a cinch, but whenever they got close, she would unleash another flashbang to blind them. Even though his aura protected his eyes from such intense light, Drifter couldn’t help but flinch on reflex, it wasn’t a tactic he encountered very often.
The woman only ran a short distance, heading around the back of the car park. That’s where he said he’d meet her. The roof of the building, so he could see the results of his test. She didn’t understand why, but she owed him after what he did.
Once she climbed in, the entrance and all other openings were sealed by a swarm of chains, bursting out of the ground. They were the same unbreakable chains Drifter had encountered before.
They may not have seen her, but it was obvious she was hiding in the car park. Drifter tried to force his way through, but the chains were impenetrable and he was afraid the sheer force of his power may accidentally topple the building, and even he wasn’t going to be that unnecessarily reckless.
“Dude, you know that girl?” Dale asked.
“Yeah. I take it you saw here unique firearm?”
“That thing’s definitely demonic, right?”
“Obviously.”
“You cannot escape us, heathen!” The acolyte cried, still commanding his followers.
Dale was bemused by their sudden appearance.
“Are those guys still here?”
“Sadly.”
“You’ve made a lot of friends today.”
“Forget them, if we can’t get inside, we’ll just have to jump to the top floor.”
Dale rushed ahead while Drifter paused for a moment, before strolling around the building. He casually took his time climbing the stairs to the roof, as he heard gunshots being fired from above.
Upon his arrival, Dale was already engaged in battle with the woman, weaving effortlessly between her bullets. It was impressive how quickly he had grown accustomed to his powers, he was practically using her for dodging practice.
She noticed Drifter enter the scene and immediately ceased fire.
“What kind of freaks are you two, anyway!? You can’t be human!”
“You have a fucking magic gun.” Drifter retorted.
“Don’t make me flashbang you again.”
“If you did that to Dale you might actually hit him.”
Frustrated by Drifter’s mockery, the woman fired off another flash of light, blinding the boys, before unloading a hailstorm of bullets through the light where Drifter stood. However, even though her aim was spot on, there was no sound of impact from her energy bullets, like they disintegrated before hitting their mark.
Once the light dimmed, she clearly saw that Drifter’s aura fizzled out the bullets, they were simply too weak to penetrate his defenses.
This only meant one thing. She needed something bigger.
Before Drifter had a chance to taunt her further, the woman lifted her gun onto her shoulder, transforming it into a rocket launcher.
“Let’s see you stop this one.”
Shocked by her sudden escalation, Drifter braced himself as the rocket soared towards him, exploding in a burst of smoke. Of course, even that wasn’t enough to deal any real damage, all she accomplished was nudging him slightly out of position.
“You can’t be serious... “ The woman bemoaned. “You should be seeing stars after a blast that hard, but you’re not even fazed.”
Drifter dusted himself off, satisfied that his demonstration showcased just how outclassed she actually was.
“Alright, Locke. You’ve had your fun, now get your arse out here!”
As if on command, a bright light tore through reality, as the sound of clanking chains rang out from the portal, with the bound demon emerging from the other side.
“Did the large chains give me away?”
“Cut the shit. What’s with the girl and her magic gun?”
Locke’s single, azure eye, the only part of him still visible, looked over at the woman.
“Amanda, I take it the results of the test were as predicted.”
“If you mean my attacks didn’t do jackshit, then yeah.” She groaned.
“I see… well, no harm in trying.”
Drifter was left puzzled by his response.
“What the hell were you trying to accomplish?”
“I was curious to see just how much power you could draw out of the sword.”
“Well, it’s a lot. Now bugger off.”
“Wait, was that it?” Amanda asked.
“This was just an experiment, not just on Drifter, but on you as well. As thanks, you can keep the weapon.”
“You helped me, just for that? Aren't you gonna take my soul, or something?”
“Oh please. Don’t be so cliche. As if I’d even have a use for human souls to begin with.”
“What about their souls?” Drifter pointed out.
Locke looked down upon the acolytes surrounding the building, still chanting their same tired mantra.
“So, that’s where that noise was coming from.”
“They worship you, for some reason. All your kind. They think you're here to save them, from… something…?”
Giving the angry mob a hard analysis, Locke was unimpressed.
“Mindless sycophants. Siding themselves with whomever has the greater power, immediately handing them their free will. They lump praise upon demonkind, all in a vain attempt at survival, in the hopes their all powerful masters do not do to them, what they have done to the rest of their kind.
To prove their loyalty, they rally others to their cause and attack anyone who opposes them, all to secure their positions in their clique. They may seem dedicated and determined, but in truth, they’re just desperate. Helpless to stop the oncoming disaster, fighting their own people in the hopes their enemies will spare them.
This self serving and traitorous behaviour is exactly why the Demon World fell. They may act strong now, but in the face of true adversity, they’ll fold, betray, scatter and eventually die.”
“I wasn’t expecting an essay...” Drifter responded.
“And, here he comes.”
A portal suddenly flashed open above them as a large, black, chimera demon fell from the sky and crashed into the road, inches away from the acolytes, who looked on in stunned silence.
“He looks just like the big bastard from a few days ago.” Dale realised.
“Did you just summon that thing?” Drifter questioned.
“Ever since his brother was defeated, he has been aching to avenge him, so I may have pointed him in the right direction.” Locke replied.
The acolytes looked up to the large demon in awestruck silence, before one of them proclaimed:
“Our prayers have been answered!”
“He can slay the White Heathen!”
“He will lead us to the new world!”
“SILENCE!” The monster decreed. “Where is the one wielding the sword of legend!?”
The acolytes quietly pointed to the roof of the building, where the demon focused his attention.
“Human! You cannot hide! I can smell you! Step down here and fight me, or the hooded ones lives are forfeit!”
Drifter snickered. “Win-win for me then.”
“You’re not seriously going to let them die, are you?” Dale asked in disbelief.
“Well....”
“What!? No! It’s not their fault they’re stupid!”
“Then you save them.”
“Fuck you, I will!”
Dale leapt off the building, ready to confront the hulking beast.
“I should go help him.” Amanda added, heading for the stairs.
“Wait, why?”
“Situation’s changed!”
Drifter and Locke were left alone on the rooftop, to watch as their associates went into battle.
“So….” Drifter awkwardly asked.
“How’s Catherine?”
Locke didn’t answer, choosing to watch over the fight instead.
Annoyed by his silence, Drifter picked up a pebble and lobbed it at, what he assumed was Locke’s head area.
“Don’t do that.” Locke replied.
“Got your attention didn’t it?”
“Catherine’s well being is none of your concern.”
Drifter threw another pebble, aiming for Locke’s eye, but a stray chain swatted it away.
“Damn, almost.”
“Now you’re just being childish.”
“What’s your deal Locke?” Drifter asked, throwing another pebble.
“If you want my sword, then come take it already.”
“Now is not the time. Once his men have headed to the south island, there will be no interference.”
“What’s heading south? Interference from who?”
“It’s nothing you need to worry about.”
Drifter threw a few more pebbles, but Locke refused to divulge any further.
“Twat...”
“Alright you giant fuck!” Dale cried. “Let’s go!”
“So… he refuses to fight me.” The demon was not pleased by this turn of events. “In that case, I shall make this quick.”
The demon opened it’s gaping, lion mouth as it crackled with violet lightning, merging his power into a shocking orb in his mouth, that grew larger by the second.
Realising the attack was far too large for a single target, Dale immediately yelled at the acolytes.
“What are you still doing here, you idiots!? Fucking run!”
The acolytes refused, believing the demon had come to slay their enemies. They had the utmost faith that they would be spared from the slaughter. They were beyond reasoning. Dale had no choice but to leap into action.
He rushed over to the demon and leapt towards its face, uppercutting its mouth closed, to seal off his attack. He then, quickly landed on the monster’s protruding snout and held his lower jaw, heaving his mouth shut to prevent him from launching his attack.
“Try firing that shit now, you… bigger… bastard…”
However, there was a fatal flaw in Dale’s plan, the monster still had two arms free. As the Bigger Bastard swung its mighty fist toward Dale, he could do nothing but hold its mouth shut for as long as he could before he was inevitably launched from the demon’s face and sent straight into the concrete.
“NO! STOP!” Dale cried.
He picked himself up, but the monster cared not for his pleas, as he prepared a blast that would tear through the crowd like an oncoming train.
Just as he was about to fire, a blast of light shot into the demon’s face, causing it to reel backwards, firing the blast over the crowd and through the car park. The attack soared into the sky and exploded, as part of the building began to collapse.
“And down she goes…” Drifter quipped as he leapt from the falling debris.
As if in sync, Locke leapt with him. Both of their jumps had the same trajectory and they both landed in the field on other side of the road, at the exact same distance.
As chunks of the building fell over the acolytes, Dale could only watch in horror. In the few seconds he had, he was only able to save one person. He dashed full throttle, and without thinking, grabbed Amanda by the arm and yanked her out of danger.
While some acolytes had the foresight to escape, others caught in the middle weren’t so lucky and met a bloody end, crushed to death under the weight falling concrete, as their screaming suddenly went silent.
“Why did you save me!?” Amanda cried.
“I don’t know! I had to save someone!” Dale responded.
“Well… thanks. Guess I owe you now.”
“This isn’t the time for that!” The two looked over at the carnage left behind by the Bigger Bastard’s single assault.
“Christ… I need to stop this, now!”
“We’ve got to stop this now.” Amanda insisted.
“Wait, you’re helping?”
“To be honest, I’m not really a fan of demons myself.”
“Cover me!”
Dale dashed in as Amanda backed him up with a storm of bullets beating down on the demon’s back.
The Bigger Bastard turned around, covering his face with his hand, slightly agitated by the pellets pelting him.
“What is this nuisance?”
Dale swooped in undetected and slashed through the demon’s chest with a solid uppercut. However, like his brother, the Bigger Bastard was covered in a thick, stone hide, protecting his skin. Dale merely left a scar on his armour, leaving the demon unharmed.
"Do all of you fuckers have armour!?"
Embarrassed by his weak slash, the demon grabbed Dale out of the air, ready to crush him with his massive hand. Amanda took action and fired a rocket at the demon’s cut armour, the explosion successfully winding it momentarily, freeing Dale from its grasp.
As he was about to make his escape, the demon thrusted its fist forward, crashing into Dale and sending him flying into the field. Any normal human would have been killed by such force, but Dale’s powers kept him from crossing over, instead leaving him lying on the ground in agony by Drifter’s feet.
“You okay, retard?” He asked.
“Yeah, once the feeling in my legs returns.” Dale responded.
The Bigger Bastard was pleased to see that his real opponent was about to step in.
“Now that I’ve defeated your underlings, you’ve finally decided to show yourself, human?”
“They’re not my underlings, they’re just idiots.”
“Either way, I can finally pay you back for killing my brother and humiliating my kind.”
“Whatever… just do your thing already.”
The demon charged up his mouth blast again, but instead of stopping it, Drifter merely waited for it to fire, without a hint of fear.
He pointed out his finger, as the demon fired a blast the size of a house. It ignited the grass as it flew by, but Drifter was hardly impressed with the demon’s technique.
“You’ve got it all wrong. It’s not the size of your energy attacks that matters, it’s the density.”
He fired a glimmering speck of light that collided with the massive violet spark bolt. Despite its miniscule size, it stopped the blast dead in its tracks. The Bigger Bastard couldn’t believe what he was seeing, from his perspective it looked as if his attack had just grinded to a halt without explanation.
Soon, the demon’s energy burst, giving way under the pressure of the tiny speck, until it dissipated, allowing the speck to pass through unscathed. It flew over to the demon where it detonated with a blast so intense it shattered his black armour, carrying the two storey tall monster into the rubble behind him, burying him along with the people he killed.
“All bark and no bite, as usual.”
Drifter didn’t even bother to check the body.
“That was amazing.” Amanda exclaimed.
“Gee wiz, Drifter. I hope I get to grow up as big and strong as you one day.” Dale sarcastically added, before a pebble was tossed in his face.
“Hey, I’m sorry about attacking you earlier. I just owed that Locke guy a favour.” Amanda apologised.
“Whatever.” Drifter replied. “Just get… Goddammit!”
“What!?”
“Locke buggered off!”
Indeed, Locke completely disappeared without a trace.
“What was the point of all that?” Dale wondered.
Even Drifter couldn’t answer that question, b
ut he speculated Locke simply acted on a whim.
Not wanting to let an opportunity slip by, Amanda quickly asked about a problem that was deeply concerning her.
“Before you fellas leave, could you help a gal out?”
“No.” Drifter replied.
“Oh, I think you’ll be interested in this. It’s about that cult.”
“Why would I care about a bunch of crazy people?”
“Because, their base of operation is near here. How do you think they managed to rally so many protesters so fast?”
“I’m not interested in human problems.”
“What if they aren’t human?”
“What?"
“I was a part of that cult for a short while. When I arrived here from the States, they told me I had to join them to avoid being targeted by demons, but ironically it was a demon who saved me from them.”
“And that demon was?”
“Locke.”
“What the fuck? Why?”
“Well, if you come with me, maybe you’ll find out.”
Drifter thought about it for a second.
“Fuck it, whatever...”
Chapter 9: The Cult of Daemonism
✽✽✽
“I heard about how bad the demon problem had gotten over in the UK, but I didn’t really understand how bad it really was until I experienced it myself.” Amanda explained.
“What the fuck possessed you to come all the way over here from the States?” Drifter asked.
“I don't... I mean I do... have family... over here, I mean. A sister. She’s a college student and I... came to visit her.”
“Don’t you have your own demon problems to deal with?”
“Occasionally... it ain’t nearly as bad as what you guys are dealing with. Just look around.”
The group stopped to examine the cold, empty street.
“It’s early evening and everything's already closed, not a single car on the road and the only people out here is the occasional cop. We’re not too far from the mall, but this place is empty already.”
“If you came here to look for your sister, then why did you join a crazy cult?” Dale questioned.
“That’s where I found her. She said she found a group of people who would keep her safe and told me to get in contact with them as soon as possible, for my own protection. I didn’t really believe it myself, but once I arrived, I figured I’d go to one of their meetings with her, but it didn’t go so well.”