by R C Knight
A horde of at least five hundred demons came around the curve in the road. Bishop knew they were in trouble as he looked over the group. Most of the larger demons were wearing armor, indicating they were near the top of the power totem pole. There were also smaller demons wearing armor, which was reserved for the Elites. They could compress their form down to the size of a regular human, which increased their strength tenfold. They could also change their appearance at will, allowing them to walk among humans without anyone knowing who they were.
Bishop looked around the area, he had picked this spot because it was perfect for an ambush. However, hills surrounded this side of the road, making an escape difficult. They needed to get to the other side of the road and retreat into the wood line. He looked up at the crumbling tower where Keira and Mikayla were hiding.
“What are you thinking?” Zane whispered to him.
“We need to get Keira and Mikayla and get to the wood line,” he whispered back. “Once we’re in the woods it will be easy to lose any demons that try to follow us.” Zane nodded as he looked at the approaching horde.
“There’s no way that they don’t know we’re here,” he responded. “We killed all of their scouts and their blood is everywhere.” Zane looked at his small group of men and wished that he had an army. “We’re going to need a distraction,” he responded, a grim look of determination on his face.
Bishop’s face paled. “That would be suicide.”
“Not if we do it properly,” he responded with confidence. “Liam, I need you to run up to the tower and have Keira wrap the last of her explosives together. She’ll need to figure out a way to shoot the explosives into the horde. Bring her and Mikayla back here once everything is set up. She’ll be shooting from here, not the tower.” Liam nodded, a look of determination on his face. “You three,” he pointed at Bishop, Jackson, and Riley, “will wait here. I am going to get the horde’s attention and keep them from getting any closer.”
“You can’t expect to keep them occupied by yourself,” Bishop whispered with a hiss. “This is insane!”
“I will not lose any more people!” Zane’s voice was powerful even though he spoke quietly. He looked around at his men, his eyes pleading with them. “I need you to do this for me. I will distract them and keep them away from here. Once Keira is ready, I need her to shoot the explosives into the horde. Once the explosion goes off, I want all of you to run to the wood line. Don’t worry about me. Don’t worry about the chests. Just get yourselves to safety.” He made eye contact with each of his men. “Do you understand me?” Zane looked at Bishop. “This is the only way any of us will survive. Do it for Mikayla.” Bishop nodded slowly; his eyes wide.
“Good.” Zane smacked Bishop’s shoulder. “Liam, you’re going to need to low crawl for a little bit, once you see me engage then you can get up and run. I’m going to crawl away from here so when they see me, they won’t see you guys as well.” The group nodded solemnly. “See you fuckers in hell.” Zane smiled darkly as he quickly crawled away.
Chapter Seven
Earth
This is fucking crazy, Zane thought as he low crawled through the dirt. He glanced over at the horde and watched as they slowly advanced. Well, let’s get this over with, he thought grimly as he stood up and pulled out his sword. He ran down the hill and stopped in the middle of the road.
“You fuckers looking for me?” he shouted. “I had a blast with your friends. Although I’m not gonna lie. They were kind of disappointing.” Zane smiled at the horde as they stopped and stared at him, unsure of what to do. “Do you want to join them?”
The demons looked back and forth between one another. It was clear they didn’t know how to react. “Charge you idiots!” A voice yelled from the back. Zane smiled as the small demons in front were startled. They looked at him, fear in their eyes as they started to charge.
Let the games begin, Zane thought as he ran towards the small group of demons that had charged forward. He gracefully turned to the side as one demon brought his sword down. With an elegant spin, he decapitated that demon along with two that were beside it. He laughed as he countered and attacked, killing demons left and right. His body was thrumming with adrenaline, his mind alive with the thrill of the fight.
“It’s just one man!” The voice yelled from the back. “Send in more!”
Zane examined the next group of demons. Interesting, he thought, they must be planning an attack somewhere. Otherwise they’d all come at me. The next group consisted of some larger demons, their horns about half a foot long. It was clear they were only sending in their expendable pawns. Oh, how they underestimate me, he thought with a laugh. He rolled to the side and took the first demon out at the knees. As he stood up the demons surrounded him, their faces filled with excitement. This will be fun.
~~~~
Keira had always thought of herself as a reasonable woman, but this was just insane. Liam had come barging in and briefly told them Zane’s plan. Mikayla and Liam were waiting by the door while she got her supplies together. She nodded at Liam as she strapped the last of the explosives onto the arrow. “Let’s go.”
They ran out of the tower and down to the pile of rocks the rest of the group was waiting at. Mikayla knelt by Bishop and grabbed onto his arm. “It’s going to be okay,” Bishop whispered as he grabbed her hand and pulled her down next to him. Keira looked out at the horde; she could see Zane fighting in the middle of a group of demons.
“Why aren’t they all attacking?” she wondered aloud.
“They probably want to conserve their forces,” Liam responded. “Which is a good thing, otherwise I don’t think Zane would’ve lasted this long.”
Keira nodded in agreement as she examined the placement of the horde. “Everyone, prepare to run.” She brought up her bow and nocked the arrow that had the explosives. The group pushed themselves up into a crouched position and waited. Keira took in a deep breath and calmed her mind. She released the arrow and watched it fly towards the horde. “Run!” she shouted at the group. They didn’t need to wait for the explosion, the horde was distracted enough as it was, and the sooner they got to the wood line, the better.
Their group took off at a dead sprint. The explosion went off as they made it to the road. Keira glanced over and saw the demons scatter in shock and confusion. She smiled as she ran, Zane can easily get away while they’re that distracted.
~~~~
Zane was thrown to the ground when the explosion went off. Fuck that was close! He looked around him and saw the demons start to scatter. He picked up his sword from where it had fallen when he was thrown forward. He began to engage any demon that ran by him. Just a little longer than I can leave. He let out a laugh as he fought, his sword seemed to dance through the air, delighted in the killing spree. He killed one demon after another, their black wisps filling the air around him. He took a second to glance behind him and saw his group make it into the wood line. Perfect, he thought, now to figure out how I’m going to leave. He examined his surroundings as he continued to fight. He couldn’t believe how easily he was killing these demons. It was clear they were keeping their best fighters away from the combat.
Zane started to walk backwards towards the wood line. He was surrounded by demons again and they moved with him. Hopefully he could get them far enough away from the main horde so he could slip away. The loud clang of steel on steel filled the air as Zane’s sword was stopped mid swing. His face filled with shock as he looked at the demon that had stopped him. A human sized demon wearing new armor was standing there with a smile. “This ends now!” he proclaimed. Fuck an Elite, Zane thought as he squared his stance.
“You underestimate me, demon.” He spat at the demon’s feet. The muscles in Zane’s arms began to strain. He took a step forward, causing the demon’s blade to get pushed back into his chest. With a powerful surge, Zane lifted the demon in the air and threw him into the crowd. He laughed as the crowd scattered and the Elite searched the ground for his swor
d. Zane pumped his arms and bounced on his feet. “Take your time,” he mocked the demon. “I’ve got all day to kill you.”
The Elite picked up his sword and examined Zane. “What are you?” he asked, a look of awe on his face.
“I am merely a human who is tired of you fuckers.” Zane responded, preparing for the attack.
“Impossible.” The Elite lunged forward, striking at Zane’s side. He quickly blocked the blow and countered, hitting the demon’s arm. The Elite turned around and glared at him. “No human could ever strike me!” he hissed as he moved to attack again. Zane leapt to the side and struck the demon’s back. A thin line of black blood formed along the Elite’s spine.
“You’ve never met a human like me,” Zane responded with a smirk. The Elite looked around at the circle of demons. With a single nod the group surged in at Zane, two of them grabbed his arms and pulled them behind his back.
“Well then, human,” the Elite mocked. “If you won’t tell me what you are, I’ll just have to torture it out of you.” Zane struggled against the hold of the demons. He knocked one of them to the ground, but another quickly took its place. A group of demons were holding onto his arms, making it impossible for him to get free. The Elite sheathed his sword and pulled out a small dagger. Its blade was as black as night and the edge had been serrated to cause extra damage. “Now, now,” the Elite drawled. “Where shall we begin?”
A flash of light illuminated the battlefield, temporarily blinding Zane and the demons. Thunder echoed throughout the hills as the light dissipated. Standing at the side of the road was a group of five people. All of them were wearing dark red leather and were armed with various weapons. Their presence brought an overwhelming sense of peace, completely opposite of the chaos that was currently unfolding.
The female at the front of the group began shouting orders as she pulled out her daggers. The light from her daggers was so bright it was almost blinding. Her face was full of excitement as she began to battle with the demons. She handled the battle like a dance, elegantly moving from one target to the next. Her companions drew their weapons and fought in a similar fashion. The lead female brought up her daggers, the dagger in her left-hand glowed silver and the one in her right was a deep blue. She laughed as she brought her daggers down on one of the Elites. Electricity crackled through the demon’s body, causing his body to tense and tremble. She twisted the blue dagger into the demon’s gut. Zane watched in fascination as the Elite’s body disintegrated.
Holy shit. These are angels.
~~~~
Aria’s excitement filled the air. She hadn’t expected to get to engage the enemy so soon. She laughed as she continued to fill her daggers with lightning and holy water. She had the strongest magick anyone had ever seen, and she enjoyed getting to finally use it to its full potential. She pointed her right dagger at the ground, willing the water to flow out of the dagger and onto the ground. A stream of water formed, coursing its way through the horde. Aria coursed more lightning into her left dagger. “Everyone stay away from the water,” she yelled at her team. She pointed her dagger at the water. The silver light intensified as she willed the lightning through her blade and towards the water. The lightning coursed through the water, electrocuting the demons in contact with it. She laughed as demons fell to the ground, their bodies twitching. Black wisps filled the air as the demons disintegrated and died.
Fear filled the demons’ eyes as they began to scatter. “Don’t let any get away!” Aria shouted at her group. Ryder and Kai ran off to the sides to keep the demons contained. Myra shot down any that got past them. Eliza stayed behind Myra, taking down any demons that tried to sneak up behind her. She looked around the battlefield, a huge smile on her face. She spotted a small group of demons by the wood line. They had formed a circle around something. Curiosity filled her mind as she started to fight her way towards the wood line.
~~~~
Zane couldn’t believe his eyes. Why the hell were angels here? He looked at the Elite and smiled. “Looks like this party is over.” With a surge of power, he broke his arms free from the demons holding him down. He picked up his sword and squared off with the Elite. “Let’s finish this.”
The Elite dropped his dagger and pulled out his sword. He jumped back and countered Zane’s attack. Zane rebounded quickly, spinning around, and striking the demon in the side. The Elite staggered to the side and tried to counter the attack. He swung his sword wildly, hoping he would hit something. Zane laughed as he watched the Elite. “What’s wrong? Have the angels scared you?” he mocked as he lunged forward. He struck the demon in the gut and pulled his sword up towards the demon’s head. “Well this was fun. But I’ve got somewhere to be.” He pulled out his sword and watched the demon’s body disappear into a black wisp.
He looked across the road where the angels had appeared. The lead female was making her way towards him. He felt a surge of power as her green eyes met his. She looked surprised to see him there, almost as if she knew who he was. Zane quickly glanced around, then turned and ran into the woods. He made his way to where they had left the chests. Only one chest remained, those fuckers, he thought as he approached the chest and opened the lid. The gold and gems shimmered from the light. Well at least they took the important chests, he thought as he picked up the chest and ran back towards the village.
Chapter Eight
Earth
Aria couldn’t believe her eyes as she watched the human male fight. It was obvious he was muscular by the way he lifted his two-handed sword and used it with ease. The way he moved reminded her of Raphael. But this human was too young to have ever known him, maybe he had been trained by someone who had worked with him? And why the hell was he out here by himself? The man looked in her direction and she froze as they made eye contact. She could sense his power, it radiated out of him in waves. It was so great, she doubted he even knew his full potential. Interesting, she thought as the man turned and ran off into the wood line.
The group of demons that had been surrounding the human began to scatter. Aria took off at a sprint, chasing the demons and killing them one by one. She looked around the battlefield as she stabbed the last demon in the chest. Her team had managed to kill the rest of them. The ground was slick with their black blood. “Status report!” she shouted towards her team. A chorus of “all good” responded to her.
Aria wiped the black blood from her daggers and returned them to their sheaths. She jogged over to Myra and Eliza, watching Ryder and Kai make their way over.
“Did you see that human?” Eliza asked in awe. “I didn’t realize they could fight like that.”
“They aren’t supposed to be able to do that,” Aria responded matter-of-factly. “There’s something different about that one.”
“I’d say!” Eliza giggled. “I wouldn’t mind finding out what makes him special.” Myra started to giggle with Eliza. Clearly both of them found that human attractive.
“Ugh,” she responded with disgust. “I swear you two would jump on anything with two legs and a decent body.” The girls started laughing hysterically. Ryder and Kai joined the group, black blood was dripping off their armor.
“What’s so funny?” Ryder asked as he looked at Myra and Eliza.
“These two.” Aria nodded in the girls’ direction. “Have a schoolgirl crush on that human. Apparently, his fighting skills have wooed them.” She sighed dramatically and rolled her eyes. Ryder and Kai began to laugh.
“Seriously?” Ryder scoffed. “All it takes is good fighting skills to get you two going?”
“Well then.” Kai pulled out his sword. “Why don’t you watch me fight?” He winked at Myra as he swung his sword around. Ryder took out his sword and joined in on the fun.
“Do you want to jump me now?” Ryder raised his eyebrows as he continued the play fight with Kai. Myra and Eliza stopped laughing and stared at the men like they were crazy. Aria shook her head, watching their antics in silence.
“Seriously?” Myra aske
d. “You think we’d want to bang either of you?” She and Eliza giggled as Ryder and Kai dropped their swords in defeat.
“Well,” Kai responded confidently. “It was worth a shot.” The guys sheathed their swords and looked at Aria. “What now?” Aria looked over her team then examined the battlefield. An idea struck her as her eyes fell on the wood line.
“The human fled into the wood line. According to the map there is a decent sized village that way. If anyone knows what’s going on with these demons, it will be that human.” Aria dropped her satchel on the ground and started rummaging through it. “Let’s all change and make our way there.”
~~~~
A million thoughts filled Zane’s mind as he walked back to the village. A horde that size was large enough to sack a city. If I look over our map maybe I can guess where they were going. And why have the angels showed up? Shit’s about to hit the fan and I don’t want to be here when it does. Hopefully our ambush will go unnoticed now... Zane couldn’t help but wonder what the hell they should do next. Leaving town as soon as possible was the obvious choice.
He stopped by a small cave roughly one mile outside of the village. He examined his surroundings carefully, making sure no one was around as he made his way inside. Roughly twenty feet into the cave was a patch of freshly turned dirt. A shovel was left leaning against the cave wall. Perfect. Zane smiled as he grabbed the shovel and dug next to the patch of dirt. He threw the chest into the hole then opened it. He couldn’t help but smile as he looked over the amount of gold and gems that filled the chest. He grabbed a handful and shoved it into a leather pouch. Zane closed the lid of the chest then unstrapped his sword and laid it in the hole. This was their usual routine; they didn’t want to draw attention to themselves after an ambush. He shoveled dirt over the hole and patted it down with his boots. We’ll be back soon, he thought as he walked out of the cave.