by Jacob Spadt
It continued this rhythmic but not consecutive pattern. I gazed into the moonlit night, reaching out with my mind as well as my ears to find the source. Something caught my eye. In the distance coming down an incline, a summoner daemon approached. These were particular nasty daemons. I had faced these once. It moved towards something...clueless to my presence. My senses still could not pinpoint the sound.
I turned on my cloaking and moved slow, trying to get a better vantage point that offered me more information on what approached. My path took me to more difficult terrain. Stepping around in this area created more noise as the leaves crunched with every step. I moved slowly, very slowly to avoid detection. My footfalls still made noise no matter how slow I moved, but moving was necessary.
A desired vantage point was only a few more steps away. I steadied myself and watched. My instincts told me to wait, but the desire to kill it before it could summon more of his minions was strong. It became harder and harder to resist attacking them...so I entered a waking meditation to check my urge. With steady breathing and focus the urge fell into check.
Patience Tathlyn, patience.
I remained hidden and watched. To my horror, my breath created trace amounts of steam in the night air. My cloaking did not extend out far. I prayed that this did not give away my position. It would be embarrassing to fail a mission based on it being so cold and having a dire need to breathe. My focus shifted to slower breaths making them longer and deeper. Only time would tell if they would find me or not. The sound came from the direction opposite the daemon. I closed my eyes and listened, reaching out with my senses.
After mere moments, my senses pointed my internal energy and it was definitely towards the summoner but off to the left. Still unable to see anything, I began to feel crazy knowing there was something there and having no idea what it was. I decided to stay cloaked and swing wide around the area the sound was coming from. Moving in and around some of the larger boulders and rocks, I kept my eyes on the direction the summoner came from. It was tall enough that he stood out.
I fought a wounded summoner some time ago and he was still tough enough. Some beasts and monsters are stronger right before they die. This type of daemon killed angels even when outnumbered. It was not very hard to remember that encounter. My father Nathanael (back then he was simply Master) and I had waded in to a group of daemons not knowing there was a summoner around the corner. The smaller ones died quickly, which was normal. Suddenly there it was. I saw Nathanael engage it full on and scored some critical shots before the monster rag dolled him. A series of fast blows to his head and torso and down he went. He did not move and I feared he was dead. Had we prepared, the fight would have been much different. But not knowing the summoner was there, or how tough they were, was a factor we had not considered.
I knew for a fact that Nathanael had bested two summoners before. They were harder to beat than the big six-legged ones with four wings that spit me out like a spit wad. I still shuddered at being in the beast’s mouth. This one was smaller by far but still twice my size. It was faster and used a huge crooked sword that had an eerie green glow to it. The wounded one came at me right away after it appeared to kill Nathanael. Logic did not guide my hand. I came off a high guard like a giant scorpion’s tail.
My motions were a blur to me that day, and I got a lucky shot in. Tactics did not win the day. I went from high to low in my stance and apparently that threw the daemon off. It also misjudged and both of my swords found its abdomen, right under the armor plate. They bit flesh and sunk to the hilt as I turned the energy on and yanked them free. They might be immune to fire on the outside, but on the inside, it was still flesh and my blades cooked its insides like they were sausages. Soft flesh boiled internally in seconds and burst the abdomen cavity. Entrails covered the area, me included. I wondered if I would ever get used to that.
When I turned around, Master was sitting up and shaking his head to get the blood out of his eyes. I was overjoyed at the sight of him looking well and felt a bit stupid that it happened. With our skill levels being equal now, the only thing that separated us was he had more experience of course. Creativity was the answer. This day, we simply got jumped and lucky all in the same time. Father was surprised by my victory and thankful that I had paid attention and did not freeze up when he went down. That is something that happens to most students when their Master falls before them. I went the other direction and became positively enraged, slaying my enemy.
The truth was, I lost it...and that is not how a warrior acts.
My rage allowed me to strike my target, but skill did more than imagined.
As my mind returned to the present, I promised myself the terms of engagement would be of my choosing. Summoner daemons were quite disgusting…with no obvious gender whatsoever. There was no reproduction. They created another of themselves over time. Thankfully, this gestation cycle was long, for these things were the toughest.
It stood nearly twelve feet tall, had the normal number of arms and legs but three wings. The third wing extended to help them turn tighter and was smaller but articulated. It had spines that could extend on every one of its joint that moved and some in places that did not retract. Attacking one of these things head on was normally suicide. Nathanael never had time to go over the tactics I needed to defeat one when the win merited on luck. The only thing he said when I was helping him off the ground was a good strike to a shoulder area reduced its effectiveness.
In hindsight, that was cryptic advice.
As it approached, the first thing I noticed was the armored carapace on its shoulders. I did not remember seeing that on one we killed. This one was definitely nastier. The fear it emanated washed over me. Serenity and balance replaced the desire to unleash on this abomination without the benefit of tactics. Normally I had the urge to charge right into the fray, but as it stopped and chuckled, I was totally calm. It seemed to be very pleased with itself at this moment. It began to wave its arms around. Energy began to coalesce in front of it and I felt strange. Suddenly, a small twinge got my attention.
The last time I felt this was…wait....
I never got an answer out of my father regarding this feeling. In fact, every time I brought it up, he changed the subject. Being so tired of asking him, eventually I forgot and the question slipped away. It was just a twinge, but the lingering feeling was there. I had no idea what was going to transpire or how, simply that a summoner had come. There was a pinching sensation in my mind that ran up from my core.
Ignoring it, I moved my position further right of this ugly daemon. Sure, they were all disgusting to look at, but this one was grotesque. My cloaking held, for it would have seen me without it. As my vantage point changed, there was something shimmering in front of the beast. A faint line hung in the air about eight feet off the ground. It looked almost like string that danced as it fluxed. There was a black tinge to it, but it was opaque. Swinging even wider brought it now into full view. It hit me like a ton of boulders falling on my head like in the cartoons.
This was a portal, or the starting of one.
How could it open from here? I had a ton of questions that no one could answer up to this point when I watched the daemon start to move his hands and arms in certain motions, tracing symbol in the air. As I watched, those armored plates over the shoulders lifted up and energy that looked almost like smoke reached out and took a hold of the portal. It stretched slightly. The daemon made some sort of sound and out from under those plates flew a bunch of smaller daemons different from a normal locust daemon emerged. They appeared and started to grow, making these horrible screeching sounds. A chorus of daemonic language echoed in my ears and it began to hurt. The pain grew. The summoner began to glow. He started to shift back and forth like he was there one second, then gone, then back again.
I stood in amazement and wonder at what it had done and what it was about to do. Suddenly the frequency of this shifting increased in speed and started to make a whirring sound like a flu
tter. There was a flash. When my eyes finally adjusted, two began to phase in behind it. A curse came out of my mouth. For a second, I thought the smaller ones might have heard me. They were growing rapidly and flitting about. I finally had an answer.
This is how they worked!
“How do I stop this?” ran through my mind. This was not good when it was just one of them. Now two more of them gaited in. The smaller ones were almost full size now. I analyzed the situation. Nothing came to mind. Uncertainty flowed to all corners of my thoughts. What if this was another attempt to gain access to the City? The two new summoners finally solidified.
I cursed again. Father held something back. I thought of calling to him mentally but knew this was mine alone to handle.
Great. Taking one was hard enough, now there were three.
Now the trio of them started the process of stretching the portal open. The same thing happened as before. They opened up those plates on their shoulders and tendrils of energy shot out but instead of connecting to the gate, they connected to the one standing in front connected to the portal already. The tendrils attached and something new unfolded. First thing was all of a sudden the smaller daemons started to kill each other. Ichor flew everywhere and the portal open about an inch. The main summoner was now iridescent. I could see his form still but it was almost fully opaque and the energy drained from it into the two behind him. They in turn had a bunch of tiny little daemons erupt from the same areas as the shoulder plates had covered. They both began to chant something and energy began to build even higher. My stomach was upset. I started to wince a bit but could not take my eyes of this event. I had to learn everything I could.
Those two began to glow and the process repeated. The smaller daemons all began to slaughter themselves and the two newcomers phased in and out for seconds before a major shift, but this time it was four. Tendrils came out as they solidified and the plates opened up to release the next group of small daemons. This process seemed to be repeating itself about every ten to fifteen count and I started to do the math. Soon there would be more than I could imagine.
I looked down at my swords, already in my hands without even a thought. The incredible feeling from holding them made me smile. Confidence to take the whole host on by myself became a reality even though Malnuras’s death shook me at the time. Reflecting, this event travelled across all my training making me realize one thing.
Everything happens for a reason and becomes a lesson.
The voices came into my head. Without even thinking about it, I responded internally.
There are now seven Summoners.
Remember the wall!
There is something was to be said for being a smart tactician and I was learning and processing every second this new information. My thoughts consumed me for a second and I tried to remember everything that happened on the wall. I ran over lesson after lesson in my mind as fast as my brain would let me review. The words he said about the shoulders. Those huge plates were like a breastplate on a warrior only ten times as thick. I looked at my swords. Even on a good day, piercing that kind of armored covering straight on would be difficult.
Then I remembered the flames. They could carve deeper. My mind finally opened fully. The last one cooked like a lobster.
I smiled. I could do this.
Energy rolled into the area from all around. My insides twisted in agony. It was hard to stand. The seven from before glowed bright, connected with each other. There was a flash and I expected to see fifteen if the ratio held true. To my horror, I was both right and wrong. My eyes fought to adjust. Standing behind the summoners was one of the big ones with four wings and six legs. I knew I could not take the summoners, the minions, and one of these big nasty dragon-like daemons. Whatever happened, the battlefield could not stay the way it was, so I watched the scene as it unfolded in front of me.
This changed everything.
Right after the dragon-daemon arrived, it did something I did not expect. I assumed some sort of stance and began to grunt and roll its abdomen. The dark colored flesh rippled like a wave. This went on for moments and was followed a shower of fluids that exploded from the belly of the beast. It went everywhere and it stunk. In this fluid, there were dozens of the flyers lying scattered over the area. They began to move. The summoners glowed even brighter.
I lost count of the bodies that were starting to stir in the horrible fluid when it hit me. That was the faint smell I had been dealing with all three days except this was so putrid that my stomach turned several times. My seasoned skill in slaying these creatures by the hundreds and their ichor covering me is the only thing that kept me from making noise by donating my stomach to the ground.
I was hurting. This was worse than the day at the portal. The smell reached right inside and grabbed me by the base of my spine. I was pinned in place. It took sheer willpower to stand. The medium daemons now stood and began moving around. It was some sort of embryonic fluid. This rotted the ground just like negative energy itself in physical form. Disgust turned to anger.
The medium daemons then took to the air, swirling in a chaotic formation like bees around the big one. They gained speed and maneuvered around. I glanced at the portal. It was now more than five feet across and growing. I was in trouble.
I predicted, if they killed the big one, it would open the portal the rest of the way and complete the ritual. My pain leveled off. My arms felt weighted as if held down by chains. I felt hopeless as if about to fail. I had to act...I needed to act. This had to stop. I needed my blood lust. Where was it? I had to break the hold this weakness had on me. I wanted to cry out but doing so would get me killed. My own teeth dug into my tongue and crimson began to flow.
My arms shook. My legs felt like roots not wanting to break free of the ground. Yet I lifted them…one step forward…two steps…then five. Sheer force of will was moving my feet. I could hear Father’s words ringing in my mind. Slow motion took over. The flying host of hundreds was in a passing formation and was about to open up the big female that birthed them. I heard the words in my mind.
“You have to hit them in the shoulder!”
Looking at the closest Summoners, I realized something. The plates lifted and the tendrils of energy came from the exposed area. I could see strange looking flesh in a hive like formation with little honeycomb patterns. There were tendons and strange looking organs. It really was vulnerable there. There was no protection with it lifted.
My feet left the ground ten paces away. Momentum carried me across the forty feet. Swords were out wide; this exposed area was my target. There was enough of the creature still in phase and my swords found their mark. My blades bit flesh right under the open plates on both sides. A blinding flash erupted.
Time exploded.
A crack like thunder deafened my ears. I was already flying off some direction, blinded. My skin was of fire. Nerves head to toe felt the impact. A vortex swirled and pulled me towards where the portal was forming. Seeing through the flying debris was difficult but I managed to see the seven summoners were gone, probably consumed right away and many of the flyers were gone.
Impact!
Hitting hard, my body tumbled across the rocky surface before taking a knee. The maelstrom of energy tore at me for several more seconds before it died to a lulling wind. Dust filled the air. I could barely see anything. The vile dirt, muddied by the daemon fluid, got in my mouth. My teeth were caked Gagging was breathing. A large shadow in front of me...that I thought was the coalescing of the dust into a small vortex...now went up in to the air like a small tornado.
Reduces its effectiveness? That is funny.
Did the summoner daemon best father that day, or did father fake it so he could see my response in dealing with something that he knew would be a challenge? All I could do was laugh while the earth fell all around me.
The wind slowed. All the dust and dirt fell to the ground.
Debris continued to rain down, taking most of the darkness out of the a
ir. I realized the shadow was not the dust or dirt. It was the flyers coming right at me with a big six-legged dragon daemon in a full run as they swarmed around, blotting the large one out. I could hear their teeth chattering with excitement and their guttural speech sounded like a daemonic chorus, only it was every musical key all at once. Almost like the sound of bees coming.
Bees would be nice compared to this mess.
Since I had learned to fight, a certain amount of refinement came with the power. The knowledge of one’s achievement makes one think almost like a scholar or in a similar fashion. It dawned on me that facing such odds was fool hardy. Standing upon the walls of Heaven I saw millions, but I stood with angels that numbered as many. The word escaped my lips and the first wave came in high and from the right. I could not count the incoming horde, for its number defied logic and blotted out the bright moon.
“Shit!”
I happened to glance behind me at the portal. It remained, but reduced back to a rift. Then it began to grow again. The fabric flexed and flapped like a sail on a ship getting wider and wider, moving faster and faster. I could see movement on the other side. Light started to pour through and bathed the area in a warm hue...much like the unnatural light of a florescent bulb might cast in a room. A white room now, sparsely decorated came to view.
The horde flew back a thousand feet or more by the vortex and was still dozens of moments out. I took my eyes off them to afford a better look inside the rift, as this was a unique opportunity. I peeked in a little further and, to my horror, found a hospital. There was an occupied gurney there.
Fury hit me. They were going to attack a helpless place. Instinct told me to close this portal and face my greatest battle. Time was running out. The sky was now black, for there were so many incoming flyers that it blotted out the moon completely as they came. There was not enough time on this side to close it from here and defend myself at the same time. I knew what needed doing. I had seen the horde at Heaven’s walls. I had estimated millions of legions there in the siege. This number that came at me was only a fraction of that army, but who knows what I could not see. This was a force meant to establish a beachhead on Earth. The assault on Heaven had, once again, been the distraction.