Minor Nephilim

by Randall Morris

  “Lucia told us not to. We’re just supposed to wait here until they tell us what to do. I like that plan.”

  Enyo rolled her eyes.

  “Oh of course we need to do what Lucia says.”

  “Don’t pretend like I’m the only one who sees it. She’s hot. I won’t apologize for saying that. Fade gets it.”

  Enyo turned to Fade. He shrugged.

  “That’s my brother’s girlfriend. I have no opinion. So we know what Ares thinks. What do you think, Enyo?”

  “I think we should go for it. Why not take the initiative? It’ll look a lot better if we bring back a dozen new nephilim with us to Necropolis. Waiting for orders is stupid.”

  Fade nodded.

  “Enyo gets it. Are you coming with us, Ares, or are you going to sit around and wait for orders?”

  Ares looked torn. He wanted to wait for orders, but he didn’t want to be excluded from taking credit for bringing back new nephilim to Necropolis. Unable to decide, Ares flipped a coin.

  “Heads I go with you. Tails I stay here.”

  He caught the coin and looked at it.

  “I guess I’m going with you.”

  Fade grinned.

  “Good. I’m sure it’ll go smoothly, but I’d rather have all three of us there in case it doesn’t. Everyone pack your weapons and gear. We’ll head out tomorrow.”

  When the three nephilim stepped out of the small nephilim outpost the following morning, Enyo checked her map.

  “I was a few miles northeast of here. They were living in a cave.”

  “Lead the way then, Enyo. Ares, keep up. No daydreaming. We need to get there with a reasonable amount of daylight left in case they want to come with us to the outpost for the night.”

  “I don’t daydream.”

  Fade and Enyo both laughed.

  “What? I don’t. Shut up!”

  “Fine. Well whatever you do that causes you to gaze off into the clouds and walk slower… don’t do that.”

  Enyo led them through the woods. They made great time and Enyo was pointing at the cave within an hour.

  “You’re sure about the numbers? There were a dozen?”

  “Pretty sure. It couldn’t have been much more than that. Fifteen at the most.”

  “Keep your weapons ready as a precaution. I don’t think we’ll need them, but roaming nephilim can be unpredictable.”

  A voice sailed down from the trees.

  “You’re right. You should keep your weapons ready, because we don’t appreciate being stalked and hunted. Especially by demons who think they can sneak up on us.”

  Fade looked up into the trees and saw a nephilim standing on one of the branches. Fade held up both hands.

  “You heard everything I said. I don’t think we’ll need our weapons. We aren’t here to hunt you and we aren’t demons. I’m Fade and these are my friends, Enyo and…”

  An arrow pierced Ares in the throat and he fell over. He was dead before he hit the ground. Enyo drew her weapon, but the nephilim in the tree jumped down and brought his sword into the top of her head. Fade started casting a spell and the nephilim who had spoken earlier put his sword in Fade’s mouth.

  “Finish the spell and the blade comes out the back of your head.”

  Fade held up both hands again. They gagged him and tied his hands behind his back.

  When Reaper made it to the outpost, he found that Fade, Ares, and Enyo were all gone. He made a mental note to kick their asses and lecture them on keeping someone at the outpost at all times. He was about to start looking for them when he noticed a note pinned to the door. He retrieved it.

  We have the three demons that used to live here. Two are dead. We still have one. A hundred gold coins will buy his freedom. We’ve marked our location on this map. Send one demon with the money or we’ll flee and kill him.

  -The Nephilim Freedom Fighters

  Reaper crumpled the note and looked at the map. The location they had marked wasn’t far. Reaper considered letting the nephilim council know, but decided it was a bad idea. They didn’t have much time. He considered telling Lucia, but decided against that as well. He checked the coin pouch on his belt. There was nowhere near 100 coins.

  “I guess we’ll have to do this the hard way.”

  Reaper briefly stepped inside the house at the outpost and sharpened his weapons. Weapons were his backup plan. When he found these “Nephilim Freedom Fighters,” he planned on burning them all to death. He ran out the door and started sprinting towards their location.

  CHAPTER 23

  Leech extended his hand to Bumalin and Bumalin shook it.

  “Welcome to Necropolis, Mind Thief. I guess Steam was convincing.”

  “Your memory was convincing, but I’ll admit that Steam was helpful when an Archangel attacked our camp.”

  “An Archangel? Which one? How did you get away?”

  “Steam can tell you about it later. I’m here to get a better look at the things in your memory. It almost seems like… you guys are accelerating the process of building an army.”

  “I’ll let Lilith tell you about the whore house. She runs it. I actually have a quick matter to attend to, but I’ll try to make it back in time to give you a tour of the nursery. If I’m not back, Lilith can show you around and answer any questions. I’ll make sure the defensive barriers are down long enough for you to see everything.”

  Bumalin opened his mouth to answer, but Leech was already jogging away.

  “Any questions before I show you around the whorehouse?”

  “Yes. I’m guessing you trained the demonesses in here, but how are you luring angels in?”

  Lilith laughed.

  “For all their pride and holiness, they really are quite easy to tempt. I spread the word discreetly that demoness whores were here. Angels are welcome and we’ll keep our mouths shut. It’s been working out so far. We charge a premium price so the angels never suspect our true purpose. The only problem is that demons want to come here, too. We don’t need more demons in Necropolis. I’m actually on the hunt to find some angels I can turn into whores to increase our output.”

  “So they’re pumping out babies? Powerful nephilim toddlers?”

  “Yup. The nursery has the most adorable collection of little nephilim toddlers and some are already manifesting powers.”

  “Interesting. So the balance of power could realistically shift and the angels and demons would have no clue how it happened. That’s a valuable secret.”

  “Leech wanted to assure you that we’ll be in a position to protect you. Necropolis is strong and we just have to repel anyone that attacks until the nephilim toddlers grow up. We can train them to be an army and then the nephilim will be in control.”

  Lilith saw Bumalin eying one of the demoness whores.

  “I can have that one make an exception for you if you want her, Bumalin.”

  “Not interested. Haven’t been interested in a long time. My heart gave way to my brain when… Never mind. I appreciate the offer, but that’s not why I’m here.”

  “Well just let me know if you change your mind.”

  An angel entered the whore house and put his hand on his sword when he saw Bumalin.

  “I was told this was an angels only establishment.”

  Lilith nodded.

  “This demon isn’t a customer. He works here. Don’t mind him. Take a menu. Pick the one you want and let Ruby at the counter know when you’re ready.”

  The angel eyed the menu hungrily. Lilith turned back to Bumalin.

  “You get the idea and you see how easy it is once we rope one in.”

  “How many angels are you pulling in here?”

  “About two or three a day. It works out nicely because we have to cycle out the demoness whores that get pregnant.”

  “You have enough whores to keep rotating like that? Every nine months?”

  “No, but we have a lot. Some came voluntarily for the money. Some we took as prisoners from nearby demon s
ettlements. Some just wandered to Necropolis because they had no other place to go.”

  “So some of them are slaves.”

  “Yes. They still get paid, though, and they have comfortable lives.”

  “I’m not sure how I feel about that. I think sometimes you nephilim forget that I’m a demon.”

  “Oh please. You’ve been beyond the control of demons for a long time. Don’t try to take a moral stand here, Bumalin. It doesn’t suit you.”

  “I can probably live with it. It’s just… surprising. Do me a favor though?”

  “Sure.”

  “Never let Coconut and Monkey know where this place is.”

  Lilith laughed and motioned for Bumalin to follow her outside. Lilith started walking down the path to the nursery and Bumalin followed.

  “This has to be an expensive operation. How does Leech fund it all?”

  “I’m not sure Leech would want me to tell you the answer to that.”

  “Oh right. So you don’t know. Makes sense. He probably doesn’t talk about that sort of thing with you.”

  “That might have worked when I was young, but you won’t trick me into revealing anything. I know the answer, but I don’t think it’s something you need to know. I think I’ve been very open about everything else so far, though.”

  Bumalin grinned.

  “You’re not the Lilith I remember. You’ve clearly gained some wisdom with age.”

  Lilith’s grin shifted to a frown.

  “Don’t you ever talk about my age! I will go to my grave as the hottest girl to ever walk the earth!”

  “There we go. That’s the Lilith I remember. Impulsive, vain, and crazy.”

  Lilith let out an exasperated breath and started walking quickly down the path towards the nursery. Bumalin had to jog to keep up. He decided to change the subject.

  “So what powers have the nephilim toddlers manifested so far?”

  “It’s only two of them and they’re the oldest. Terra and Pyro. I’d be happy to show you.”

  Lilith entered a small building and Bumalin followed. He immediately put both hands to his ears to muffle the sound. Nephilim toddlers were chasing other nephilim, screaming, crying, yelling, and fighting. A nephilim approached Lilith and handed one of the toddlers over to Lilith before offering a brief explanation. Lilith grinned and brought the toddler to Bumalin. Bumalin could tell Lilith was trying to say something, but Bumalin couldn’t hear. Lilith turned back to the nephilim toddlers, her eyes glowing with flames.

  “SHUT UP!”

  Silence. The nephilim toddlers stopped moving. Bumalin removed his hands from his ears.

  “Fucking noisy little bastards, aren’t they?”

  Lilith nodded.

  “I was trying to tell you that we have a third nephilim toddler that has manifested powers. This little girl.”

  “What power?”

  Lilith looked at the little girl and nodded. The small nephilim drew in a massive breath and screamed right in Bumalin’s face. Bumalin fell over, unconscious.

  “Bumalin?”

  Bumalin put his hand to his ear and felt blood.

  “What… the… fuck… was that?”

  “Oh I should have warned you. We’ve named that little girl Banshee. Guess what her power is?”

  “I know what her power is. Why in the hell didn’t you…”

  Bumalin saw that Lilith was smiling.

  “Revenge for what I said earlier. Got it. You’re definitely the same asshole Lilith that I remember.”

  Lilith handed Bumalin a rag and he wiped the blood from his ears.

  “Ready to see the other two?”

  “Sure. I’m hoping their names suit their powers? I don’t want another toddler to scream at me.”

  Lilith nodded.

  “Fire and earth powers. We actually name these little guys after they manifest powers. Banshee was just named today.”

  A nephilim escorted a small nephilim boy and girl to Lilith. They each hugged one of Lilith’s legs and looked at Bumalin with unease.

  “He’s a friend. We’re going to show him your powers. You guys ready for a little sparring?”

  The girl smiled and the boy nodded. The boy opened both of his palms and fire shot out that looked like knife blades.

  “So the boy’s Pyro and the girl must be…”

  Terra touched the floor and the room started to shake. Bumalin nodded.

  “Got it. Let’s see what they can do.”

  Pyro and Terra faced each other and started circling in opposite directions.

  CHAPTER 24

  “Once that nephilim makes it up here, you’re going to be fucked.”

  The angel carrying Nissa over his shoulder punched her hard in the ribs.

  “Shut up. He isn’t going to catch up.”

  Nissa ignored the pain in her ribs.

  “He can summon ice, you know. I saw him do it. He killed an entire scouting party of berserker demons. He was the one who summoned that massive wave of water to catch up to us. I imagine he’ll remove your head first.”

  The angel grinned.

  “Too much demon in you, mutt. You’re obviously lying. There are two hybrid rejects following us. One summoned ice and the other summoned the wave of water. You attribute too many powers to your boyfriend.”

  “Don’t call him my boyfriend. That’ll piss him off even more.”

  “Which one? The ice summoner or the wave rider?”

  “The ice summoner.”

  Nissa nearly admitted that she had no idea who had summoned the wave, but decided to keep that information to herself.

  “Have you made all the preparations you need to make before you die? I hope you don’t have any kids or a wife or…”

  The angel punched Nissa again in her ribs. This one knocked the wind out of her and she struggled to breathe.

  “Don’t threaten my family. Your boyfriend is an abomination and a mistake. He shouldn’t have ice powers. We were sent to hunt you all down and kill you. I may make an exception for you if you tell me where Leech the Angel Slayer is hiding. Instead of killing you, I’d be willing to sell you into slavery or give you to my daughter as a pet.”

  “Such horrible things for an angel to say. After Shade removes your head, I should cut out your tongue.”

  The angel heard something running close behind him and started sprinting faster. Nissa grinned.

  “He’s catching up. Say your final prayers, asshole.”

  Cerberus continued to increase in speed as Shade encouraged him to run faster. Backlash cast a spell that helped Cerberus run even faster. When they were almost in range of the angel carrying Nissa on his shoulder, two angels riding gryphons came at them from the side and tackled Cerberus. Cerberus let out a yelp as he came crashing to the ground. Shade and Bumalin were thrown into the air and landed hard on the ground. The gryphons lunged at Cerberus again but Backlash was quick enough to cast a spell and Cerberus levitated ten feet off the ground.

  “They’re trying to distract us. Run after her. I’ll take care of these two.”

  Shade nodded.

  “Don’t let them hurt my dog.”

  Backlash gently lowered Cerberus back to the ground and hopped on his back.

  “Your dog will be fine. Run, Shade. I got this.”

  Shade turned and followed the angel further up the mountain. Backlash turned to face his attackers.

  “I’ve been wondering… are all angels cowards? Are you guys just extra special pussies?”

  Both angels pointed their blades and their gryphons charged. Backlash snapped his fingers and two large boulders came rolling down the hill. They connected with and then crushed both gryphons. The angels leapt into the air and landed on their feet, gliding softly to the ground.

  “Alright, Cerberus. Which one do you want?”

  Two of Cerberus’s heads looked to the left and the other looked to the right.

  “Majority rules. You take the one on the left. I’ll get the one on
the right.”

  Cerberus lunged at the angel on the left. The angel tried to get out of the way, but wasn’t quick enough. Cerberus clamped down hard on the angel’s leg and the angel screamed. Cerberus proceeded to thrash him around like a rag doll. Backlash looked at the other angel.

  “We were sent here with a holy mission from the Archangel Gabriel. I will…”

  Backlash laughed.

  “You will end up as dog food like your buddy over there.”

  The other angel cried out as Cerberus ripped into his chest and started tearing chunks of flesh with all three mouths.

  “My dog has a crazy appetite.”

  The angel lunged and Backlash jumped out of the way. The angel’s attack grazed Backlash. It cut through his robe and left a small gash on his arm.

  “The righteous will always…”

  Backlash launched a torrent of water at the angel. The angel flew backwards and struggled to breathe. When the angel raised his hand to block the incoming stream of water, it suddenly stopped. The angel looked around briefly before he felt an arrow pierce his leg. He cried out, but quickly cut the arrow and removed it before quickly applying a makeshift bandage.

  “Where are you, foul creature? I will rid your kind from the face of the…”

  Backlash came up from behind the angel and cleanly sliced his throat. The last thing the angel heard was Backlash calling for Cerberus.

  “Here, buddy. I have another one for you.”

  Shade desperately hoped he would intercept the angel carrying Nissa before they reached the top of the mountain. He knew there was probably a small army of angels waiting to ambush them. They weren’t far from the top so he knew he needed to make a move soon.

  “Give her back to me and I’ll let you leave with your life.”

  The angel turned slightly to respond and Shade seized the opportunity. He aimed carefully and shot ice directly under the angel’s feet. The angel struggled to regain his balance and dropped Nissa in the process. Nissa nearly fell down the mountain, but Shade jumped and caught her. He set her down gently on the path before drawing his sword. The angel was back on his feet.