“So do you know why the Medic gave himself up to save me?”
“I’m guessing Shadow needs our help.”
“Excuse me? Our help? Shadow needs my help. How do I know you aren’t going to try to turn me in again?
“Think about it. My father was carrying around a book of healing written by an archangel. I’m just as guilty as the rest of you. If my father taught me anything using that book as a reference...”
The idea seemed to bother Muan. He was obviously still very conflicted about his father’s recent revelation in the courts of Asmodeus.
“Look, little guy, you need to make a choice. I freaked out the first time Shadow used an angel’s blade in the labyrinth. I decided to stick with him, no matter what he does. We don’t have much time, Muan. Where do your loyalties lie? Are they with Shadow?”
Muan considered the question for a moment, slowly stroking his chin. Leech exhaled, expressing his impatience.
“Lilith knows about the weapon as well?”
“Yes. She even held it a while ago.”
“Does General Cain know?”
“I have no idea. It doesn’t really matter. I didn’t ask if you were loyal to your department or loyal to General Cain. I asked if you were loyal to Shadow. That’s the only loyalty you need to be concerned with right now because if three major demons are after him, it’s up to us to go protect him.”
“I...”
Muan continued to stroke his chin. Leech was about to turn and leave when Muan finally came to his conclusion.
“I’m with the three of you. Shadow, Lilith... and even you, Leech. You’ve slaughtered every opponent we’ve faced so far, so I think it’s time I follow your lead.”
“Which means we find Shadow and Lilith. If we have to fight major demons... promise me you won’t run.”
“I won’t run if you don’t.”
Leech nodded and the two demons ran towards the exit.
CHAPTER 36
Shadow’s new steed erupted in flames. Shadow gave a confused look at Gangrene.
“That’s what he’s like, Lord Shadow. If he has selected you to be his new rider, the flames won’t harm you.”
Shadow exhaled loudly.
“I don’t have time for this shit.”
Shadow put his hand on the horse’s neck. The flames were warm, but they didn’t burn him.
“Good. I would hate to kill Abigor’s horse. I’m glad you decided to see sense um...”
Shadow looked at Gangrene again. Gangrene just shrugged.
“I have no idea what its name is.”
“So why did all of you follow Abigor? Do you agree that he should be the major demon of murder?”
“Nope. Most of us are loyal to General Cain.”
“Then explain to me why all of you followed him.”
“Fear plus the fact that none of us could kill him.”
“I’m a minor demon. Why are all of you following me?”
“Same reason, I imagine. With you commanding this legion, however, we have the added bonus of...”
“Of what?”
“Not being commanded by a...”
“Gangrene?”
“Not being commanded by a vain dumbass. There... I said it. We all know General Cain would have kicked Abigor’s ass and that’s why he waited until a war to rebel.”
Shadow smiled.
“I want you to carry Abigor’s head and his spear.”
“The honor should not be mine, Lord Shadow. I’m a demon-in-training and I can’t wield a middle demon’s weapon.”
“I’m not giving it to you. You’re just carrying it for now.”
Shadow put the spear and Abigor’s head in Gangrene’s hands and then mounted Abigor’s horse. He had two demons place Lilith behind him on his new mount and then turned to face his new army.
“I know most of you didn’t want to follow Abigor out here into the desert. Is anyone still loyal to your former leader?”
Shadow’s question was met by silence.
“Good. I am in command of this army now. I expect my uncle to give me Abigor’s middle demon position upon our return. All of you are offered a complete pardon; I just need you to follow me into battle. As you all know, three of the major demons are trying to overthrow General Cain, General Baal, and General Leviathan to consolidate power in Hell. As far as I’m concerned, Lucian, Vixen, and Asmodeus are all traitors. So now I need to know... will you help me kill the traitors?”
Shadow’s question this time was met by a deafening roar.
“Then sharpen your weapons, cast your spells, and prepare your poisons. We will show the traitors what it means to be truly damned!”
Shadow’s horse reared up on his hind legs, turned, and sprinted off into the desert with Shadow’s legion following at a sprint.
“General Cain, we can’t hold on much longer. Lucian is calling you out. We can’t wait for your nephew. Maybe we should...”
Cain swung his scythe in an arc and sliced four demons in half.
“Shadow will be here soon. Shut the hell up and fight. Leave the battle plans to me and have some goddamn faith in your commander.”
As Cain continued to decimate demons in large numbers, a small demon appeared next to him and bowed.
“Abigor’s army approaches, General Cain. We can’t send anyone to meet them, but the commander of the legion is riding Abigor’s steed, so that likely means...”
“You have no idea what it means. Speculation is useless. If Abigor is still leading that army, I can spare five minutes to slaughter them all myself. I still don’t believe my nephew failed me.”
“But General...”
“Shut the fuck up and get back to fighting.”
“I’m a messenger demon-in-training, General.”
Cain pulled a knife from his belt and put it in the messenger’s hands.
“Now you’re a messenger demon-in-training with a knife. Do I need to show you how to use it or can you go be useful?”
The messenger demon looked at the knife and looked very unsure of himself. Without warning, he ran into the fray, screaming, and started stabbing at enemies. Cain watched him kill three demons before he laughed and went to go meet the approaching legion.
“Lord Shadow, someone is approaching from the battlefield.”
Shadow looked in the direction that the demon was pointing but he couldn’t tell who it was because the dust was still blowing violently, even at the very edge of the desert. As the demon came into view, Shadow recognized his grinning uncle, General Cain, with his scythe resting over one shoulder. When Cain saw his nephew, Shadow, was the rider on Abigor’s horse, he smiled and sighed in relief.
“Did you kill Abigor?”
Shadow looked back into the ranks of his army.
“Gangrene!”
Gangrene stumbled forward and held the head of Abigor in the air with one hand and his spear in the other. Cain took both items and impaled Abigor’s head with the spear.
“You always were a cowardly little son of a bitch. I’m sorry I had to send my nephew, because I would have liked to murder you myself.”
Cain handed the spear, with Abigor’s head still very near the top, back to Shadow. Cain removed a ring with a black skull on it from his hand and gave it to his nephew. Shadow removed his gauntlet and placed the new symbol of power on his ring finger.
“It looks like Shadow has already taken command of this legion. I just want to make it official. My nephew will become the middle demon of war, the position previously held by the traitorous head on a stick.”
Cain disappeared in black flames and reappeared on the battlefield, ready to find Lucian.
After being stabbed at the courthouse, Malphas laid on the floor unconscious until everyone had left the room. When he finally awoke, he felt his side. The wound wasn’t deep. The dagger was coated with something and, knowing the reputation of Bifrons, it was probably poison of some kind. Malphas got to his feet, cursed the minor demon that had outsma
rted him, and returned to his army on the battlefield. He marched his legion to join in with Asmodeus, who looked fairly angry to see him, or maybe he was just nauseous. Malphas could never really tell with Asmodeus, as he was so large it was hard to read his facial expressions as anything other than blob-like.
“Are you finally ready to contribute to the war that the rest of us have been fighting for hours now?”
“Sorry, General Asmodeus. I’m not sure what was on that dagger, but it was unlike anything I’ve had run through my veins before. It won’t happen again.”
“Of course it won’t. The Medic is being escorted to the lowest circle of Hell as we speak. Cain made his little nephew a middle demon after he killed Abigor. Our plan to get one of Cain’s legions to turn on him is dead. Are you ready to redeem yourself, Malphas?”
“Give me a command, General.”
“Kill Shadow’s legion and then bring me Shadow’s head.”
“Done. I will return when Shadow is dead.”
The army of Malphas parted as Shadow entered into their midst to speak with their commander. Shadow’s army was nowhere in sight. Shadow looked at the army of Malphas and noticed that in addition to regular minor demons and demons-in-training, Malphas commanded some of the large blob-like creatures that resembled Asmodeus. No wonder there was a soul shortage in Hell. These guys were clearly eating more than their share.
“Malphas!”
Malphas walked into the center of his legion. Shadow couldn’t help but remember the fight he had just won with Abigor and a slight amount of doubt crept into his thoughts. After all, he wouldn’t have won that fight without Lilith.
“What do you want, Shadow?”
“A one on one fight. Winner gets both armies.”
Malphas laughed, as did his entire legion of demons.
“Why on earth would I do that? You walked into my camp and basically surrounded yourself. There’s no reason for me to play fair now.”
“Why don’t I give you a very good reason to accept my challenge?”
Shadow whistled loudly and his army surrounded the army of Malphas. Shadow held up his hand, ready to give the signal should Malphas refuse his terms.
“So if I don’t agree, your army will kill mine but I could still kill you.”
“I doubt it.”
“Look at this demon, he’s a middle demon of war for all of five minutes and he thinks he can kill me!”
The army of Malphas gave a half-hearted laugh, many of them were now facing their weapons outward at the army of Shadow. Malphas didn’t appreciate the lackluster response.
“Alright then, Shadow. I accept your terms.”
Malphas was at Shadow’s side within seconds and he pressed two fingers to his forehead. Shadow’s mind became foggy and he began to visualize things that horrified him. His father being tormented in the lowest circles of Hell and his constant cry of pain. His mother being beaten to death by demons that had broken into their house while Shadow looked on, unable to intervene. Finally, an image rested in his mind of Leech and Lilith hanging from ropes tied to the gallows. Shadow was able to remind himself that it wasn’t real and expel the images from his mind. He activated the invisibility he had stolen from Abigor and rolled to the right.
Malphas searched frantically for where Shadow had disappeared to, but he couldn’t see him anywhere. He grinned, as Shadow’s new power finally dawned on him.
“Abigor’s ring of invisibility. It won’t save you, Shadow, now that I’ve entered your mind.”
While Shadow knew that Malphas still couldn’t see him, he brought his fingers to his temples and Shadow could feel his thoughts being manipulated. Suddenly, Leech was standing next to Malphas and looking like he wanted to rip Shadow in half.
“Leech, what are you doing here?”
“I’m not really here, Shadow. You left me to die on earth. Muan stabbed me in the back as soon as you left.”
“That’s not... I don’t believe that... No. That’s not true. Leech is still alive.”
“I would still be alive if you could occasionally put aside your ambition and do what’s right for your friends. Lilith is dead now too. You failed us both, Shadow.”
Shadow shook his head and rubbed his eyes when Lilith appeared next to Leech. There was no way she had died; the nephilim had promised that she would live. As Lilith was about to speak, Shadow swung his blade through both Leech and Lilith. They disappeared. Even though he knew that it was all in his mind, Shadow continued to have a hard time reminding himself of that. He looked over at Malphas. Malphas was concentrating on something that was straining his powers to their limits. Shadow walked towards him and was about to end his life, when Shadow’s father appeared in front of him.
CHAPTER 37
“Dad you... can’t be here...”
The demon in front of him barely resembled the father he remembered. He had piercing red eyes that looked like they had seen more than they could handle. What remained of his clothing was a dark black and it seemed like blood poured in an unceasing torrent from a number of wounds. Instead of standing, he was on his knees. Abaddon was broken beyond anything Shadow had ever seen.
“Why haven’t you come for me, my son?”
“I’m... I’m not powerful enough yet. I would never make it down there.”
“So I’m left to my fate while you run around climbing the ranks of Hell? I’m tormented night and day, Shadow. They only keep me alive to the point that I can continue to bear their torment. Why won’t you try to save me?”
“If I tried to get you out of there, even with my army, they would kill me. I haven’t forgotten and I will get you out... I just can’t do it yet.”
Abaddon looked at his son with loathing.
“No, you’re strong enough now. You’ve just decided that other things are more important. You’re more concerned in defending your uncle in the war he started. There will always be wars and bloodshed in Hell. You need to ignore it and march with your army on the lowest circle of Hell to free me.”
“I can’t...”
“No, you won’t. You don’t deserve the middle demon position that Cain gave you. He did it to distract you. Middle demon of war? That means he can drag you in every time he starts a fight with the other major demons. You’ll be endlessly fighting, but never to save your father.”
Shadow was on the verge of tears, but he finally summoned the strength to say what he had wanted to say for a long time.
“You know, Dad, you may not be a traitor to evil, the darkness, or the demons of Hell, but you’re a traitor to me. I’m your only son and it’s clear now that I never really mattered to you. You were too busy visiting the angels and trying to find out who you were to realize that you were abandoning me in the process. You definitely don’t deserve the torture you’re receiving, but you have NO goddamn right to tell me where my loyalties should lie. You have NO right to tell me when I need to get you out of the mess that you got YOURSELF into! I will come when I am strong enough to free you and you will simply have to endure until then.”
Abaddon bowed his head.
“I’m ashamed of you, Shadow.”
Shadow rushed forward to attack the demon in front of him. Father or not, he couldn’t tolerate his presence any longer. Before he made it to Abaddon, however, he tripped over something. When he got back up and looked at what had tripped him, he saw Malphas sweating blood on the ground. Conjuring Abaddon had been a little too much for even him to endure. Shadow took the spear of Abigor and stabbed it down through Malphas’ back. The demon struggled for a moment and then settled into his death. The conjured image of Abaddon disappeared. Shadow fell to one knee, panicking but taking solace in the fact that his mind was now clear.
His respite was brief. Without any attempt on Shadow’s part to summon it, the rage monster emerged from within. Both armies, Shadow’s and Malphas’ fell back and cowered in fear. Some of the demons even turned and ran. The creature was slightly tinged now with the colors of Abigor i
nstead of the pure black that it had been before. It quickly found its target. Malphas was dead, but he was still a middle demon that could be consumed for additional power. The rage monster reached down and pulled up Malphas’ corpse with a fist full of sand. The creature quickly swallowed Malphas’ corpse whole and then turned back into Shadow, who was still on one knee. He stood to address his legions.
“I don’t have time to draw this out. It’s time to join this war. No more distractions. If you still claim loyalty to Malphas, come forward so that we can kill you.”
Several demons turned and ran. They were caught by Shadow’s army and immediately put down. None of the large blob-like demons tried to leave. Most of them still seemed confused as to what had happened.
“We’re going to fight the forces of Vixen, Lucian, and Asmodeus now. If any of you think of betraying me, I want you to remember what happened to Abigor and then to Malphas. I will not be stabbed in the back by any of you. I’m going to fight my way directly to the major demons that stepped beyond their rights to rule and put them down. Understood?”
Silence. Dead silence. They all feared him too much to speak. Gangrene stepped forward and spoke for the armies.
“Understood, Lord Shadow. It will be our genuine honor to serve the most terrifying demon we’ve ever met.”
Gangrene’s words seemed to shock many of the demons back to their senses. They nodded their assent and mumbled in the affirmative to Shadow’s remarks. Shadow saw that Lilith had started to recover, as she was now sitting on his steed instead of lying across it in unconsciousness. Shadow made his way over to her and rested his hand on his horse’s neck.
“Catch the fight?”
“Only the ending. You need to stop going psycho at the end of fights.”
“It works. Don’t fix what isn’t broken.”
“Did you even bring it out this time or did that creature come out on its own?”
“Remember who you’re talking to.”
Shadow hadn’t completely unwound from all the anger and rage.
“...I thought I was talking to a friend. Was I wrong?”
Minor Demons Page 22