“You’ll have to kill me first.”
“You do realize that your arms are still bound and that you’re a minor demon, right?”
“Then untie me and make it a fair fight.”
Malphas finally laughed.
“I’m a demon in the department of laziness and inaction. Why the fuck would I want this to be fair?”
Leech took one last look at the mourning Carlos, the mission he had failed, before Malphas delivered an elbow to Leech’s face and he blacked out.
CHAPTER 34
While Shadow wanted to see if Lilith was still alive, he knew he didn’t have time. He had to finish off Abigor and the poison wasn’t working fast enough. As he frantically searched for Abigor, he began to see slight glitches in the air. A moment that revealed Abigor’s armor, his hand, or his head. It seemed that the poison was finally starting to kick in and Abigor was having trouble keeping his cloak of invisibility going. Shadow moved in the general direction that Abigor had briefly appeared in. The next time Abigor appeared, Shadow brought down both his swords on the demon’s wrist and cleanly severed his hand from his arm. Abigor reappeared and howled in pain. Shadow had removed the hand with Abigor’s power rings. As the demons of Abigor’s army started to move in, Shadow turned into the rage creature that he had used in the death pit. Everyone froze in horror.
Shadow smiled. He reached down and ripped Abigor’s head clean off his body and then tossed his body in his mouth. He was able to hold his shadow monster form for another few seconds, long enough to digest what he had just swallowed, and then he turned back into his normal form and fell on the ground.
Abigor’s army was silent and completely stunned for several seconds. Then, one by one, they began to kneel and bow their heads to Shadow. When Shadow was finally able to get up, he ignored their pledge of allegiance to him. He scrambled as fast as he could to get to Lilith. The wound was bad and nothing had hemmed the flow of blood since she was hit.
“Does anyone know how we can save her? Do any of you have any medical knowledge?”
A demon dressed mostly in rags with bright green eyes approached and kneeled at Shadow’s side.
“My name is Gangrene, Lord Shadow, and I will attempt to save her if you command it.”
“Do it. Do we need to break the spear before we pull it out?”
“With all due respect, Lord Shadow, none of us are strong enough to break Abigor’s spear in half. Not even you.”
“Then what do you recommend?”
“Hold her and I’ll push it through. If we pull it back out the way it went in, it will become much worse than it is.”
Shadow took Lilith in his arms and restrained her so she wouldn’t move. Gangrene unwound the rags on his left arm and placed them in her mouth.
“We can’t have her biting down on her tongue. I’ll go on your command, Lord Shadow.”
Shadow looked down at Lilith. Her eyelids were beginning to flutter as if she was about to wake up.
“Now!”
Gangrene pushed the spear through Lilith’s hip. Lilith’s eyes flung wide open and her muffled scream was still loud enough to startle most of the demons in the vicinity. A minor demon rushed forward and touched Lilith in the center of her forehead. Her scream was cut short and her body went limp but her wound continued to bleed. Shadow placed a sword on the minor demon’s throat when another minor demon, who looked almost identical to the first, stepped forward.
“Forgive my brother, Shadow, but he simply put her to sleep to ease her pain. We can also stop the bleeding if it would please you.”
Gangrene had both hands holding the wound closed, but blood continued to seep out from both sides. Shadow realized that he had no choice but to trust the twin demons.
“Gangrene, step back. These two are going to stop the bleeding.”
As the two demons kneeled and began to attend to Lilith, Shadow motioned for Gangrene to join him.
“Who the fuck are those guys?”
“Hypnos and Thanatos. Sons of Samael.”
“I’ve never heard of Samael before. That sounds like the name of an angel.”
Gangrene shrugged.
“No one really knows who the parents of Samael are and I guess, with that in mind, no one really knows who Hypnos and Thanatos are truly loyal to. They hold minor powers over sleep and death.”
“Interesting. So they could be part angel and part demon?”
Gangrene’s eyes shifted nervously as if Shadow had said something incredibly blasphemous or foul.
“I really don’t know any more than I have told you, Lord Shadow.”
“Fine. Go and prepare the horse of Abigor. It’s mine now and I intend to ride it out of this desert.”
Gangrene bowed and ran off to ready the skeletal horse that previously belonged to Abigor. Shadow moved in closer to Lilith to observe the work of Hypnos and Thanatos. Hypnos saw Shadow watching them and stood so that he could talk to Shadow while Thanatos continued to work on Lilith. He was in some kind of trance and muttering words that Shadow didn’t understand.
“She’s going to be fine, Shadow. The bleeding has stopped, but she’ll pull through. It isn’t her time yet.”
“How do you know that? Are you healers?”
Hypnos grinned at the suggestion.
“Not at all. We just know one of the guys in charge of death and we asked that your friend not be taken yet. Normally, a blow like that would have killed her.”
“Why would you do that for me? I barely know you guys.”
“We’re a little more like you than you understand.”
“What do you mean?”
“I know what you are and where you came from.”
“I still don’t know what the hell you’re talking about.”
Hypnos sighed.
“Come on, Shadow. We know who Abaddon’s father is. How clearly do you want me to spell this out for you?”
Shadow looked around to make sure no one else was listening.
“So you’re... like me... and you were wandering the deserts with Abigor? Why?”
“Officially, we are minor demons. Unofficially, we come and go as we please. We joined up with Abigor not all that long ago because we knew you would seek him out and we figured it would be worthwhile to help one of our... own kind.”
Shadow checked again to make sure no one was around to hear what he was about to ask.
“So your father, Samael, is an angel?”
“No.”
“He’s a demon then?”
“No.”
“Then what the hell is he?”
“He’s our father.”
“Do I look like I’m fucking around right now? I want some goddamn answers!”
Hypnos grinned again.
“There’s no real word for what we are. We are a whisper, a myth, creatures that shouldn’t exist. Some saw my father as an archangel. Some call him an angel of death. Some call him a demon. All of those are partially true.”
“What about you and your brother? What do you call yourselves?”
“We are demons when it suits us. Truthfully, we lean a little more towards this realm than the heavens. In reality, we are a hybrid. The few of us that know of our true heritage are called nephilim. You are a nephilim, Shadow, son of Abaddon.”
“How do you know that I’m one of you? I only just heard the story myself not too long ago and I’m still not sure that I believe it.”
“Our father told us. We expected that we would be reviving you after your battle with Abigor. While most nephilim are stronger than demons or angels, we never expected you to kill a middle demon. Since we didn’t have to revive you, we decided to heal your friend instead.”
“What will you do after that? Will you help me fight the major demons that are trying to kill my uncle?”
“That is not our place. We knew you would be here so we came here to save a fellow nephilim. General Cain does not interest us. We will return to our father when Lilith revives. We only ca
me here to help because nephilim are drawn to other nephilim by blood. Since we came here to help you, good fortune will follow us.”
“There’s nothing I can say to convince you to stay? Maybe even bring your father along to help us fight?”
“With all due respect, Shadow, our father isn’t interested in these demon wars.”
Shadow realized he wasn’t going to win over Hypnos and Thanatos. He thought briefly about killing them both because if they went around saying that he was part angel, it could cause all sorts of problems. He decided against it since Hypnos had been very discreet and had shown no intention of revealing what he knew. The twins had also saved Lilith so he felt, to some small degree, that he owed them. Still, he decided he would see how tough the brothers were. Just a few more chess moves.
“I command an army now. What if I gave you a choice to fight for me or my army would kill you?”
Hypnos laughed.
“Well then, I guess you would get to meet my father. You’d see what he looked like, briefly, right before you died.”
“He’s that impressive of a fighter?”
“He is.”
“Well I have no intention of forcing you to stay. You’ve given me some valuable information and you saved Lilith. I’ll let you leave as soon as I’m convinced that Lilith will live.”
“A wise decision. We would hate to have to kill one of our own and then slaughter an army that he had just won.”
Hypnos grinned mischievously. He was either as skilled as he claimed or very good at playing his hand, because Shadow almost believed him. Thanatos finally ended his trance and motioned for Shadow to approach.
“She will live. Don’t forget this favor, Shadow, because there may come a time when our father calls on you to repay it.”
“I will remember this. The two of you can go once I confirm that she’s still breathing.”
Shadow held his cheek in front of Lilith’s mouth and he could feel her breath. When he looked up to dismiss Hypnos and Thanatos, they were already gone.
CHAPTER 35
When Leech finally awoke, he was in a prison cell. Malphas was leaning against a wall, smiling at him.
“Your trial starts in a few minutes. It’s pretty obvious what your sentence is going to be. You’ll join your arrogant asshole of a friend, Shadow, in the lowest circle of Hell. Shadow, Leech, and Abaddon... tormented for eternity.”
“Good. That will be a welcome reprieve from listening to smug dumbasses like you.”
Malphas looked like he was going to respond, but two large demons descended the stairs, unlocked his cell, and picked lifted him into the air by his arms. Malphas continued to grin at him as they carried him away.
Leech was carried into what looked like an earthly courtroom and placed in a small, open box. The demons that took him there shackled him to two metal half circles. In the judges seat was the most grotesque looking creature Leech had ever seen.
Asmodeus barely retained the ability to walk. There were rumors circulating that he had grown so large that he had to be carried by several demons for a time and Leech wondered if that wasn’t still true. He had two fierce looking eyes and sharp fang-like teeth but Leech had to admit that this was the weakest looking of all the major demons. After all, his rolls of fat had rolls of their own.
“What do we have today?”
Malphas stepped forward, still grinning. Leech could see Muan in attendance as well. He probably wanted to be here to testify against him after Malphas finished.
“General Asmodeus, this small demon was found wielding an angel’s blade. When I looked into his memories, I found that the sword actually belonged to...”
Malphas never finished the sentence. He fell over, bleeding from his side. The Medic stood behind him. The Medic paused for a brief moment when he saw Muan. He looked slightly confused, but then he shook it off. A quick shot to the chains that bound Leech severed one of the links. The Medic tossed the blade to Leech and Leech ran to the exit. It was blocked by the large demons that escorted him to the courtroom, but Leech was able to slide underneath them and continue running. Once the Medic saw that Leech had made it out, he turned back to Asmodeus.
“What Malphas was going to say is that the angel’s blade belongs to me.”
Asmodeus looked at the Medic and laughed.
“Why would I believe that a minor demon in the department of murder had the short blade of an angel in his possession?”
“Because that’s not the only relic of the heavens that I carry.”
The Medic opened a bag that he had brought with him and produced his copy of Healing in the Trenches of War by Gabriel. When he opened its pages, the book emitted a white light into the room. Asmodeus shielded his eyes.
“Blasphemy! Traitor! I sentence you to join Abaddon in the lowest circle of Hell! Guards!”
The two large demons confiscated the Medic’s book and then put him in shackles. Muan pulled his bone knives from the straps on his chest but the Medic shook his head.
“No, my son. Find Leech and help him get back to Shadow. Make amends for your betrayal.”
Muan stood there, deciding what to do. He looked, for a moment, like he might stay and fight but he ran out of the room to find Leech.
Leech looked over the corner at the monstrous demon guarding his armor and weapons. He still had the blade that the Medic had given him, but he doubted it would be very useful. He was about to run in and take his chances anyways when a voice approaching him from the hallway said his name.
“Leech...”
Leech saw Muan closing the distance between them and he started to formulate a plan. He could kill Muan and then use his weapons to make his way past the demon guarding his gear. Leech smiled. It was a great plan, mostly because it involved killing the little pygmy demon that had betrayed him.
“Leech, I’m just here to...”
Leech tossed his sword at Muan’s head. Muan was able to dodge it but it gave Leech the time he needed to close the distance between them, lift Muan into the air with one hand, and begin to choke him. Muan made several choking noises.
“What? I can’t hear you. I’m too busy not giving a fuck what you have to say.”
Muan continued to struggle to breathe. Though he regretted what he needed to do, he saw no other way. Muan grabbed Leech’s wrist and dug all of his fingernails in. Leech didn’t cry out, he just continued to hold Muan in the air and choke him.
“Pain isn’t going to stop me. I’m going to choke the life out of you for what you did.”
While Leech didn’t completely let go, his grip on Muan’s throat did loosen a little. It was enough to allow Muan to choke out a sentence.
“My father... just saved you...”
Leech raised both eyebrows in shock and then threw Muan on the ground.
“This better not be some kind of trick. You told me your father was named Bi... something or other.”
Muan sucked in several breaths of air and then stopped long enough to explain.
“Bifrons is my father’s name. He goes by the Medic. Where do you think I learned how to make poisons?”
“Interesting, but I’m still in this mess because of you.”
“Well I’m here to get you out of it then I’ll help you find your way back to Shadow.”
“Fine. I need to get my gear back so I don’t really have a choice. That doesn’t mean we’re ok though. This doesn’t even begin to pay me back for the shit you pulled on earth.”
“We can argue about you pulling an angel’s blade on an angel some other time. Right now, we need to focus on getting your gear so...”
Muan shoved Leech out into the hallway. The demon guarding the room with Leech’s gear looked confused for a minute and then slowly walked towards Leech. No weapons. No battle cry. The demon looked like he would simply end Leech’s life by sitting on him.
“Goddamn. Is anyone in Asmodeus’ department a normal size? I’m guessing there were three guards when you started but you got bor
ed and ate the other two.”
“Laugh it up you small, unarmed demon. You can’t get past me and I’m going to crush the life out of you.”
Leech looked around in a panic to see if Muan was actually going to help him. He saw no signs that he had so far until he realized that the large demon’s belly had been pierced by half a dozen small darts.
“He’s too big, Leech! I can’t bring him down!”
“How good is your aim?”
“Why?”
“Eyes.”
“He’s too tall and fat. I can’t get the angle right.”
Leech rolled his eyes and picked up Muan by the straps that crossed on his back.
“Aim. We probably won’t get a second chance.”
“I’m good. Go for it.”
Leech tossed Muan into the air. Muan took careful aim and shot two darts with precision. They landed in the obese demon’s eyes and he yelled out in pain. He clawed at his eyes and stomped around the hall. Dust started to fall from the ceiling and then stone and brick started to come crashing down as well.
“Muan, dagger.”
Muan placed one of his bone daggers in Leech’s hand. Leech ran to meet their large enemy. He stabbed and then climbed his way quickly up the demon’s large belly and then stabbed the dagger in the beast’s throat. He made a noise that reminded Leech of a deflating balloon and then he fell over on his back and convulsed for several minutes. Dust continued to settle, but the building no longer dropped pieces of the ceiling. Leech removed the darts from the demons’ eyes and the bone dagger from its throat. He tried to find the darts that had landed in its stomach but he could no longer find them. Leech decided they must have been swallowed up in the creature’s fat folds.
Leech dropped Muan’s darts and dagger at the massive creature’s feet and then found the keys to the locked room on his belt. Within a few minutes, Leech had completely retrieved all of his gear and weapons. Luckily, Shadow’s angel blade was with the rest of his gear. Any other department of demons likely would have destroyed it or sent it off elsewhere but not the department of inaction and laziness. Leech secured the angel’s blade on the back of his belt.
Minor Demons Page 21