“This will take you to a gate where you can reach Nuforsa’s lair. I will warn you, once you enter the spiritual realm, the demons will be alerted to your presence and be hunting you down. But you will have more power.”
“Then more demons will die,” I said.
I took one last breath before I went to the other side.
Guys, I’m coming for you.
Brady, I’m still pissed. But I guess I’ll save your ass this time.
And DJ. If you can control your shifting, you’d better wait until I’m done saving you.
I stepped through the portal, unholstered my guns, and quickly realized I wasn’t dropping them as long as I was in the spiritual realm.
Chapter 15
I was in a long chamber about thirty feet across and a hundred feet long leading to some stairs with torches on both sides and a red carpet on the ground, covering the black cobblestone. It would’ve been creepy enough just being here without any other elements.
Unfortunately, I did not get to enjoy the haunting scenery by myself.
Above me, bats of abnormal size, with bodies that looked like a child’s but with skulls and fangs, shrieked at me. Straight ahead, minotaurs with massive clubs and hammers pounded their weapons in their palms. And crawling above the minotaurs were spiders about the size of pickup trucks.
“Thanks for the welcoming party,” I said as I evaluated the number of enemies. “But this is a private date with Nuforsa, not a public dance.”
The bats shrieked and opened their wings. As if on cue, the spiders crawled along the ceiling and the minotaurs bellowed as they advanced. Two green statues of gargoyles rose up out of the ground, blocking the staircase.
“OK, fine, I’ll do a couple of tangos before I go. Save room for Jesus, though.”
I pointed Ebony and Ivory at the bats, unloading my magical blue blasts upon the demonic creatures. One of the minotaurs slammed his hammer into the ground, creating a ripple that I deftly jumped over. The spiders shot some sticky webbing at me, which I dodged. The whole time, my guns remained trained on the dozens of bats shrieking and advancing on me.
I strafed to the left as I took down the whole flock, making sure to dodge the spiders’ attacks and cognizant of the oncoming minotaurs. When one got too close, and I could practically taste the spittle from his roar, I quickly rolled to dodge an oncoming hammer that would have decapitated me. I thought of running toward the statues to give me the most room to work with, but being in the spiritual realm, I decided not to trust anything that popped up without warning.
Then another horde of bats swarmed down. I shot those down too. Then, after I’d slaughtered a couple of the spiders, more bats appeared. Every time it looked like I’d killed the bats, a couple dozen more appeared, replacing them.
It was only after I glanced at the ceiling that I realized there was a pitch-black hole they were coming out of, making their numbers virtually infinite.
Well, I did have infinite ammo. But I didn’t have infinite time. The more time I spent here, the less time I’d have to save the others—if Nuforsa hadn’t done something with them already. How could I…
The spiders.
“Hey, you eight-legged freaks!” I yelled to the giant, ugly mutants on the ceiling. “Spiderman can fight up close. Why can’t you guys?”
I got my wish. But I wish they hadn’t obeyed so dramatically, landing about five feet in front of me, blocking my view of the minotaurs and smashing a few bats that had flown just in front me. Those were my kills.
“Pathetic woman, talking to us like we’re the Earth spiders,” one of them said, his voice sounding like a broken speaker. “You will make a tasty snack for us!”
“Hey, give me a little credit here, I could be more filling with what I’ve got than a snack,” I said. “Unfortunately, I’ll take breakfast, because you’re about to be toast!”
I lined up my guns straight for one of them and aimed them at his eyes. I yanked on the trigger and nailed his eye. Blood and other liquids gushed out as the arachnid skittered across the floor uncontrollably. Taking advantage of my window, I mounted the beast, doing my best to ignore the disgusting hairy feeling of his cephalothorax, and aimed his webbing at the ceiling. I had to wait for the spider to lose control of that aspect of his body, so I took Ivory and unloaded a few rounds of encouragement. It did the trick, and now I was in a fair fight, a battle in which no one could replenish.
“Oh, wait, sorry, I don’t eat toast, too many carbs,” I said as I stood up on the back of the spider and unloaded more rounds into the back of its head, killing it. I rolled off it just as the other spider lunged on top, trying to pierce me with its sharp legs.
Unfortunately, I rolled right into the minotaur. I looked up and waved at him, and he responded by trying to slam his hammer into me. Only a roll to the side prevented me from turning into a spiritual pancake. That’s no way to introduce yourself to a lady.
Fortunately, the minotaur’s swing had been so heavy that he left himself open. I unloaded some rounds straight into his neck and stood up as he collapsed.
“Don’t be so forward, it’s fun playing innocent games,” I said as he choked and gurgled blood.
I turned my attention to the bats now, as I wanted to eliminate all of the aerial troubles in this dance. Fortunately, because they’d lost the one advantage they had in sheer numbers, it became more like playful target practice. As long as I was aware of the lone minotaur and spider, I wouldn’t have any problems dealing with the bats. And sure enough, within just a minute, I’d eliminated all of the bats, taking out the last one with my left eye closed because why not.
When it turned to dust, I turned to the minotaur and spider and raised my hands, as if in mock disbelief of my own abilities.
“You guys should just go talk to Nuforsa now, tell her that I’ve come to fucking kill her and she’s best running back to the feet of Mundus.”
The monsters let out guttural roars, but strangely, they did not move. Then their bodies became a hazy green color and I watched with a feeling that turned from confused to disturbed real fast as the two creatures merged. A blinding light forced a hand up to my face, and moments later, I saw that the minotaur and spider had merged into something that looked like the monster from the Predator movies with six arms and horns on its head.
“Ugh, I just wanna say, this is so not a style upgrade,” I said. “You are one ugly motherfucker.”
“And you are dead meat,” the creature said in a voice I barely recognized as English. “Come, pretty Sonya. Give me your flesh and blood!”
“Yeah, I don’t think so,” I said as I raised my gun and fired it straight at the creature’s face.
But with humanely impossible speed, the six arms wrapped around the creature’s face, protecting it and deflecting the blue energy blasts into the surrounding walls.
“Hahahaha. You thought you could defeat me?! You’re pathetic, Sonya.”
There was something about the voice of this demon and the words that made it… familiar? I couldn’t quite pin it. The voice definitely wasn’t. But the way it spoke…
I fired more at it, and this time, the creature did not just block my attacks, it deflected them back at me. It took some quick sidestepping to avoid my blasts, and even then, I caught the outer reaches of one, burning my forearms as I held my hands up to my face. The creature charged at me, wielding a thick, double-sided hammer in one hand, a spiked wooden club in another, and four thick, calloused, muscular hands. Not knowing how the hell I was supposed to defend myself against a creature of Mundus’ nightmares, I chose to flee, dodging the creature as best as I could.
“Coward to the end,” the creature hissed. “You’re as weak as your brother and wanna-be lover, Sonya.”
Nuforsa. She’s controlling this thing.
I could feel my rage intensify as I no longer cared if the creature deflected my shots. It couldn’t possibly deflect every single thing I fired its way. Still running, still weaving and duck
ing as needed, I fired at every opportunity that I could, my rage seeming to charge the guns with even greater power. The blue blasts that came thickened and swelled as time passed. Still, the demon deflected everything I had, never once howling in pain.
“You cannot defeat this Arachtar,” the creature said. “Fall to your knees and beg for mercy before I give you to my master!”
“I don’t get on my knees for anyone,” I shouted as the cascade of blasts continued.
Weirdly, the rhythm of firing my gun, taunting Nuforsa, and running as needed allowed my mind to shift to a higher level of thinking. Ebony and Ivory could not pierce through this creature. Physically, I’d get broken into at least eight pieces in a millisecond if I tried to charge it.
Maybe Tyrus’ advice would come into play here? “Do not be afraid to turn to your base self.”
Yeah, a hell of a lot good that did me. I had no idea what that even meant. Base self? Like, turn off my mind? Go back to the basics? Ebony and Ivory were my basics! My living came off of trusting those guns and fighting on instinct.
No, gut feelings would not do the trick here. I had to think my way out of this one.
Where would a minotaur and a spider both be weak, susceptible to damage? Not the arms. Not anything the arms could cover. So what could the arms not cover that would be vulnerable? The back?
It seemed like at least a half decent place to start. But then there was the issue of getting to the back. There was no way I could maneuver my way past the creature.
But… what if I didn’t have to? Or rather, my body didn’t have to? What if I could teleport my guns, not through a portal, but with my magic?
There was no way the move would work in the real world. But in the spiritual world, I was learning that the rules didn’t quite carry over. Bullets became magical energy. Guns could stick to the wall and support human weight without falling. A demon bitch could keep the entire room blocked off except for surprise attacks. Demons could teleport.
I didn’t want to risk closing my eyes and teleporting out of control, winding up dead at the hands of this… this Arachtar, or whatever the hell it said it was. But I could practice on one of my guns. It was risky, trying to execute a move I’d never even thought of before, let alone practiced. I didn’t have a choice, though.
“Sonya! You will tire and you will die!” the creature roared, but I ignored it, so in tune with my own thoughts that the beast’s shouts became white noise to me. Once I had gotten enough space to risk it, I briefly closed my eyes, focused entirely on moving Ebony from my left hand to my left hip, and felt the surge of energy going through my arm.
A second later, the gun had disappeared from my hand. I felt something brush my left hip pocket, and when I reached down, there was Ebony. But something else had happened—I felt physically drained as if the magic spell had used sapped some of the reserves I had. I couldn’t practice again. I’d get one shot at this, and if it failed, I’d have to pray the beast tripped on itself.
“Sonya!!”
The monster was growing impatient. I told myself this was good, that it would be easier to trap. I had the upper edge mentally. I just couldn’t let the gap physically become a factor.
I lured the monster to a corner of the room, waiting as long as I could, taunting it to come and charge me. It did, rearing its hammer and slamming in the spot I was at moments ago. I darted away and turned around, hopeful for a free shot at the back, but the beast was too smart for normal human activity—it turned its body to me, leaving only one arm to grab the hammer behind it. When I reached the corner, I held out my hands.
“You got me, Nuforsa. You win.”
I closed my eyes as if accepting defeat. But in reality, I was concentrating on something else entirely. I wanted Ebony and Ivory to carry the power to blow a hole through that damn Arachtar. I only wanted to fire one shot, but I wanted that one shot to burst like a grenade launcher.
“Finally,” the monster said, walking toward me. “Unfortunately, your refusal to back down earlier means that your time with me will be much more painful than it could have been.”
I could feel the heat rising in my arms. Ebony and Ivory were both getting hot to the touch, already reaching painful levels. It felt remarkably similar to how the guns had felt in Nuforsa’s lair—perhaps she had charged them, knowing I would try and use them, but had them set to blow back on me.
“I like that you are accepting your defeat with grace. Perhaps I will make your torture quicker and have your soul a bit faster. Such a good little girl.”
Though I had my eyes closed, I could still “see” the beast approaching. It was only a matter of seconds now…
“But you’ve been too much of a bitch for me to—”
Now.
“AHHH!”
I screamed as I teleported the two guns behind the Arachtar’s head, yanking the triggers as two massive bursts of energy exploded into the back of the creature’s head. Not only did the monster’s face explode into a pile of blood and guts, so did most of its upper body. Both of us collapsed to our knees, the beast now just legs, hips, and the bloody remains of one set of arms. Ebony and Ivory tumbled to the ground, looking undamaged from my spell. The monster twitched on the ground before turning to dust.
I had succeeded. But the spell had taken too much out of me physically. I needed to rest, but I simply couldn’t. I had to trick my mind into thinking I wanted, not needed, to recover.
“Hahahaha.”
This time, there was no mistaking the voice. It was Nuforsa, though she didn’t seem to be in the room.
“You are starting to learn what powers you possess, Sonya,” she said, her voice grating to my ears. “It will make it most tragic, then, when you fall to me and I have to kill your brother as a result.”
“No!” I said, but my body didn’t want to go along with the energy behind the words.
“Oh, yes. In fact, I’m afraid to report that one of your friends has already fallen at my hands.”
No…
“Does it depress you, Sonya, to know that you are becoming more alone in this world by the minute? Or does it infuriate you, to remind you of the first time you had a comrade in the CIA die on the same mission you were on, and how you failed to protect him?”
“Shut up!”
Nuforsa instead laughed cruelly, bringing up more memories that I did not want to venture into.
“Show yourself, you fucking bitch!” I yelled, reminding myself to stay in control of my emotions but finding it more difficult to do so with every moment.
“Show myself? But I’m already visible. You just have to find me.”
As if on cue, the two statues violently swung to the sides of the chamber, shattering upon hitting the walls. The staircase awaited my ascent.
“I won’t make it too difficult for you. You’ve already impressed me enough defeating the Arachtar. Let’s see how you do in our reunion.”
I was so tired. I was so exhausted. My legs shook when I stood. I breathed like I’d just run a 24-hour race. That spell had taken far too much out of me, for it was just what Carsis and others had said—I didn’t know my power, but that meant when I used it, I didn’t know how to control it or myself. Every part of my body wanted to shut down.
No.
I was not going to let Nuforsa taunt me any further.
I grabbed Ebony and Ivory, still scalding hot, and placed them in my holsters. I made my way to the stairs, holding on to the railing as I climbed, Nuforsa’s laughter taunting me still. I muttered swears under my breath but eventually stopped. Swearing wasn’t going to beat her, and if I could conserve any energy, even just a sliver, I would.
When I came to the top, I recognized it as the place the two demons had captured me before bringing me to Nuforsa. But this time, I was alone.
Until the face of Nuforsa appeared on the doorway.
“You seem weak. That is unfortunate. You will not do well against me. But then again, I suppose you’ve always been weak,
haven’t you? Too weak to seek help when you needed it—”
“Enough!” I said.
Her words became a distant noise as I stumbled toward the door and kicked it open. Strangely enough, even now that I was here, I still saw nothing but pitch blackness. I unholstered Ebony and fired a shot, hoping the blue energy would light the way, but it only showed darkness far ahead. Knots formed in my stomach, but my gut still told me this was the right way.
I stepped forward and suddenly fell as if tumbling out of an airplane. Slowly, I began to see the world around me, surrounded in a deep, dark, blood red hue. Faces of the dying, the screaming, the tortured showed themselves to me, crying for my help. Hands reached out, begging for my mercy. Down below, a large lava pit appeared, but the pit was only a small part of what looked like rocky terrain. Demons flew in the area, and there were numerous portals around.
This is hell. The home of Nuforsa, Tyrus, Mundus, and every other demon I’ve encountered.
I thought about firing my guns but decided against fighting the entire forces of hell at this point. If Nuforsa had dragged me here, there was a reason for it—and that reason was to fight me by herself.
Even as I shot toward the ground, I felt I would survive the fall. I braced for impact, but I was able to stand as if I’d jumped off a single step of stairs in a private home. My legs still wobbled, but that was because of the fatigue from magic, not this fall.
Monsters with all sorts of horns, cuts, eyes, and teeth broached the surface of the lake. Demons continued flying in the sky. And then I heard Nuforsa’s laugh behind me.
I turned and saw the wicked demon leaning against a cavern wall, casually examining a gun.
“This was your brother’s,” she said. “Mighty fine for a human weapon.”
Then she tightened her grip and the gun dissolved into a million pieces.
“Come,” she said. “I await inside. Do not hesitate, or else what I have done to this gun, I will do to your friends.”
My anger was threatening to consume me once more, making me chaotic and uncontrollable during battle. But my anger and my goals aligned in this case, so I used the fuel for energy, finding reserves to keep pushing ahead and into the cavern. I came to a set of about a dozen stone, cracked steps, which I ascended without too much difficulty. I came upon a set of stone doors, each with the face of some unrecognizable demon which I shuddered at. A part of me honestly wondered if I put my hands on them if the demon would bite them off, so with a deep breath, I kicked open the door.
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