Legacies

by Patrick Stewart

  He remained on the floor, weakened.

  Martial watched him, a glint in his eyes. The Legacy was enjoying this, tormenting the demon, torturing him. He could have finished him off with a kick to the head, but he waited for the demon to climb to his feet. The roaring around them, the howling, the hissing, it began to die down as the demon did not climb to his feet.

  Martial rested his hands on his knees, bringing his face close to the demon. “Come on. You can’t be done already? Big fella like you, surely you’ve got more?”

  “He’s enjoying this,” Michelle whispered, her back still pressed against Cassie’s.

  Martial was enjoying tormenting the demon.

  There was glee written all over his face as the stared down at the demon. And then, Martial reached forward and pressed his finger against the demon’s forehead, the exact spot that was splattered with blood where the horn formerly protruded from.

  His fingers pressed through with ease, as if he were pushing his fingers into a cake, and not a demon’s skull.

  Martial had punched his way through the bone.

  No wonder the demon couldn’t get back up. He had little fight left in him. He did have enough to scream out in agony. As Martial’s fingers pressed deeper, the screams came to an end. The demon’s body slumped.

  There was silence all around them. The demons no longer growled or hissed. They no longer leered at the girls. They stared at the demon on the ground, his head punched in by a human.

  The silence was broken by the sounds of a slow clap. Cassie turned her head towards the demon that stepped out from the crowd. He was tall, at roughly six and a half feet, he was the same height as Martial.

  He had the same body type too, muscular, but not ridiculously bulged. The demon had red skin and wore a long black jacket. He had a presence about him, a literal heat that radiated from his body. Cassie felt it against her skin as the demon approached them.

  “You’ve got my attention. What is it you want?” the demon asked, his voice deep, like a low rumbling growl.

  “If I win, you die, your men leave. If you win, I die, you get to keep my girls,” Martial replied. “A duel to the death, like they do in Hell.”

  “What do you know about Hell?”

  “A lot actually. Me and Satan-”

  “You dare take his name?”

  “Sure. We go way back. I wouldn’t say we were friends, cuz you know… Satan’s an evil murdering asshole.”

  Cassie gulped nervously, her chest beating so hard, she was sure it was going to explode. “What is wrong with him?” she muttered, feeling a little faint.

  “Maybe his filter is broken…” Michelle replied equally weakly. “Maybe he’s drunk.”

  It was a combination of both, Cassie decided.

  “So what do you say.” Martial asked, smiling widely and completely missing the mood of the crowd. Every demon stared at him, anger in their eyes, their faces stony, some bared shark-like teeth.

  The demon stared at the girls, taking them in for the first time. Cassie felt naked as his eyes swept across her body. His eyes seemed powerful enough to see through her clothes. He had no pupil, no iris. All he had were two balls of black.

  “You will die for taking our lord’s name,” the demon said.

  The demon threw off his long black coat. Underneath, he wore a leather vest. By his waist, he had two swords. The blades were a black Cassie had never seen before. It was like a pool of ink, like she could press her fingers, and they would penetrate the metal. But she knew that wouldn’t be the case. She knew the blades would be strong.

  And then, something even more frightening happened.

  The demon began to grow in size.

  It began with his back. It rose up hunched. His arms were the next to expand before his legs grew longer. And then, his chest puffed, and as he stood straight, his back was no longer hunched. The demon had grown in size by two feet. He towered over every other demon and over Martial.

  “Are you… are you Satan?” Cassie asked, horrified.

  The demon tilted his head back and roared in laughter. Ignoring her, he turned to Martial. “Your pathetic Legacy girls think I’m Satan. This is what the best of the humans have to offer? We should have ruled this land a thousand years ago.”

  “But you didn’t,” Martial said. “Because a thousand years ago, you were afraid of God. And Satan was locked up in a hole, wasn’t he?”

  The Legacy was still calm, and Cassie couldn’t understand how he remained so calm. She wasn’t sure if it was because he was confident in his own abilities, or if it was because Martial just didn’t care. He drank all the time, mentioned Satan’s name like he was an acquaintance and not lord of the demons. He walked into the demon camp all by himself, then got into a fist fight with a demon, eventually smashing the demon’s skull.

  Was he crazy, or was he just really that good?

  “You talk of things you know little of, human,” the demon said. “I will accept your challenge. We will duel to the death. If you win, the demons will leave this area, never to return. When I win, I will have your women tonight. Tomorrow, I will ride past the hills and burn the human settlement to the ground. I will kill every man, woman, and child in that town as punishment for daring to send you, a filthy drunk who dares take our lord’s name.”

  “If you win,” Martial said. He pulled out his sword and held it before him, smiling. “You’ll do all of that if you win,” he repeated.

  “How is he so calm?” Michelle muttered, her back pressed against Cassie’s. “I think I’m going to faint.”

  Cassie could feel Michelle’s body press against hers, slumped as the girl’s knees weakened in fear. She wished she could be as calm as Martial appeared to be in that moment, standing before a demon that had grown in size, a demon that literally radiated power.

  Despite her reservations about him, his methods, his drinking and womanising habits, as he stood and faced the demon, he was her dream of what a Legacy was all about.

  Calm in the face of overwhelming force and inevitable death.

  The duel began.

  The demon charged. His black sword shimmered in the evening light. He moved with a speed that belied his size. He was upon Martial in the blink of an eye. His sword swung across, aiming to decapitate the Legacy.

  Martial raised his own sword and blocked it just in time. But the strength behind the demon’s strike caused him to stumble back. There was surprise in his eyes, but he had little time to adjust. The demon continued with the offensive. Their swords clashed. Martial moved back as their swords clashed.

  And then it happened.

  The demon struck to the left, then spun around and struck to the right, both were blocked by Martial. As the demon jabbed at the Legacy’s chest, Martial turned sideways to move out of the way. Before he had a chance to press his advantage, the demon’s left hand burned red.

  Literal fire.

  He punched Martial on the face.

  Martial staggered back, his eyes wide, he blinked rapidly before he fell back and hit the ground.

  “Filthy human,” the demon roared. “You dared think yourself equal to me? Do you know who I am?”

  The demon towered over Martial, but rather than drive his sword into the Legacy’s chest, his left hand still burning flames, he wrapped it around Martial’s neck and picked him up, dangling his feet off the ground.

  Martial still had his sword in hand, and he made an attempt to slice the demon’s arm off. But it was blocked by the black blade before the demon used the sword to strike Martial’s right wrist. While it didn’t slice it off, it was a nasty cut and blood gushed out.

  The sword fell from Martial’s hand. His eyes bulging, his face began to pale. The skin around his neck began to darken as the faint smell of burning flesh began to fill the air.

  It was a horrible way to die. Nobody deserved a death like that, being strangled and burned at the same time. Cassie took hesitant steps towards the demon, her eyes on those surroundi
ng her.

  The rules of the duel hadn’t been stated but she knew interfering would result in the demons that surrounded them jumping on her and Michelle, possibly gang-raping her before murdering them.

  But at this point, could it get any worse?

  As she broke into a run, the demon turned, his hand still around Martial’s throat, he threw him at her, much like someone would toss a sack full of cotton.

  Except, Martial weighed over a hundred kilograms. And he struck her like a ton. As his body slammed into her, she fell back onto the ground, his heavy body resting on hers. Their faces inches away from each other’s, he smiled down at her, though his eyes were barely open.

  “How’s it going?” he asked.

  “Horribly, I would say.”

  Though her head ached from having hit the ground, she ignored the pain and focused on Martial. The skin around his neck was red and partially burnt. It should have been worse, but he was a Legacy. They had extraordinary healing abilities, evident from how quickly the cut on his wrist had begun to heal.

  “Are you okay?”

  “I’m fine,” Martial said. He closed his eyes and his head rested on her chest, on her breasts. He breathed her in and opened his eyes. “Don’t worry, I won’t let the big bad demon hurt you.”

  The big bad demon came up behind Martial. He leant down and grabbed the Legacy by the neck. As he did, Martial smiled at Cassie. His hand rested on her jeans at her waist before it moved to her left. He grabbed her sword just as the demon lifted him up by the scruff of his neck.

  “You’re going to experience pain like never before, Legacy,” the demon said. “Before I’m done with you, you’re going to beg me to kill you, to end it all.”

  “You talk too much,” Martial said.

  He slammed his left elbow against the demon’s face. It was a hard strike, the force of a Legacy behind him. The demon dropped him. Martial turned and with Cassie’s sword in hand, he drove it into the demon’s chest. He pushed it all the way in until the cross guard pressed against the demon’s chest.

  Martial pulled the sword out and stepped back. The demon dropped to his knees before he hunched over, hands pressed down to support him from falling over. His body heaved as he breathed in noisily. His body began to transform, it began to shrink until he was six and a half foot once more.

  No longer able to stay on his hands and knees, the demon tilted to his left and hit the ground. He rolled onto his back and stared up at the now almost dark sky.

  Martial walked over to him and pressed his foot down on his chest. The demon growled in response. But it was a weak growl. He was nearing the end of his life.

  “Any last words?” Martial asked.

  “You will die, all of you. You will die before Satan, our lord and saviour.”

  Martial sighed. “Satan’s dead, asshole. When will you stupid fucking demon pieces of shit understand that both God and Satan are gone, along with that psychotic sister of his.”

  There was blood on the demon’s lips as he spread them into a smile. That smile turned into laughter, which then turned into a horrible and bloody cough. When the cough came to an eventual end, the demon’s body became still.

  His last words before the life left his eyes were, “Satan, our lord and saviour, has returned.”

  Chapter 6

  Cassie couldn’t believe it had actually worked. Martial killed the demon leader, and after that, the rest of the demons kept the word of their leader. They packed their tents and fled north, up the mountains and back into demon territory.

  She was overjoyed. Their settlement was saved, and more than that, she wasn’t going to be taken as spoils of war, a piece of meat for demons to enjoy, to pass around, to humiliate.

  After the demons had left, both Cassie and Michelle rushed up to Martial. They wrapped their arms around him, holding him tight. Michelle kissed him on the lips, which made Cassie raise an eyebrow. The girl hadn’t ever shown any interest in men before.

  Not that she was jealous.

  It wasn’t like they were in a relationship.

  Cassie was straight, mostly.

  She fancied men, though she could appreciate the beauty in women. Who couldn’t? The luscious breasts, the soft lips, the curves of the waist, the slender legs, the full hair. Cassie had made out with Michelle in the past, usually after a few drinks, with both girls becoming more aware of how lonely they were, they found comfort in each other’s arms.

  But for Cassie, it was strictly something she did when she was a little tipsy.

  So she shouldn’t have been jealous when Michelle pressed her lips against Martial’s when she jutted her chest forward, pressing her breasts against him, as she lifted a leg and wrapped it around his.

  But she was just a little jealous.

  And she didn’t know if she was jealous because she liked Michelle, or because she wanted Martial…

  If it were the latter, she would have to quickly discard those feelings of jealously.

  Martial had been right about somethings, when he had spoken of Legacies, especially those that were strong and powerful and had many apprentices, they did not settle for one woman. They had many women, a harem of beautiful apprentices to do with as they pleased.

  And Cassie wanted Martial to be her master, to teach and train her, to give her purpose, to take her with him as he left this little settlement.

  Her faint feelings of jealously faded away, replaced by joy as she hugged him.

  But as she hugged Martial, she noted how stiff his body was. And when Michelle kissed him on the lips, he barely noticed. The demons had packed away and left, leaving behind the body of their leader. Martial continued to stare at the demon, a distant look in his eyes.

  As the sun set, Cassie placed her arm around Martial’s and gently led him towards the charred fields and their waiting horses.

  He didn’t resist, but he was quiet.

  Which was unusual.

  He’d won.

  He should have been jubilant, he should have been bragging about how amazing he was, and he would have been allowed the right to do that.

  But he did none of that.

  As they rode back, they came across the men from the settlement. They cheered when they heard of what had happened. Many looked visibly relieved after learning they no longer needed to fight the demons. They shouted Martial’s name and clapped him on the back. And all the while, Martial remained silent.

  When they made it back to the settlement, news was sent ahead of their victory. The people came out in the streets. Women threw flowers at them, children started songs in Martial’s name. He was led to the pub, where he would be staying the night.

  The pub was full, and Cassie and Michelle struggled to find a space to sit. In the end, they found a tight spot in the corner. No one paid them any attention as they sat with their drinks. All eyes were on Martial. He was getting back to his old self now, after having had a drink. Mila, a beautiful girl with long hair and a curvy ass sat on his lap, laughing away as Martial told the story of how he defeated the demons.

  “He’s back to his old self now,” Michelle said sullenly, a longing look in her eyes.

  “Yeah… he is,” Cassie replied. “What do you think it was? Why wasn’t he happy after he killed the demon?”

  Michelle took a sip of her drink. “It happened right after he said-” she stopped herself from saying the word Satan. “After he said the demons’ lord and God were both dead. He said something about the demon lord having a sister too.”

  Cassie had heard that. Martial spoke the words like it were a truth. She knew plenty about stuff like that, when men were telling the truth, or were just saying what they thought she wanted to hear. It was an instinct of hers, one she’d never been wrong about.

  Martial really thought Satan was dead, along with God. He also believed Satan had a sister. The demon was telling the truth too. Or, at least he believed he was telling the truth. Satan was back… did that mean he was gone for a while?
r />   “When are we going to do it?” Michelle asked.

  “Tomorrow morning, we’ll go into his room and ask him.”

  “What if he says no?”

  “He won’t. We’re far too beautiful for anyone to turn down,” Cassie said.

  Chapter 7

  Martial woke the next morning with a banging headache. It had been a while since he’d last woken up with a hangover. Over the years, his body had become accustomed to drinking. He must have drunk a fuck ton to be feeling like this.

  Martial had needed the extra drinks.

  The fight with the demon hadn’t gone exactly to plan. He loved pain as much as any other tortured soul, but he didn’t want to literally get the shit kicked out of him. His neck was still sore from the burn marks, though the skin had healed completely.

  The demon was much stronger than he imagined it would be. He was stronger than any demon Martial had fought in the last decade. The demon was fresh out of Hell. He could smell it on him, that musty burning heat. He was telling the truth too. At least, he believed in what he was saying, that Satan was back.

  It wasn’t the first time Martial had met a demon that had said something along those lines, that Satan was back, that they were working for Satan, and killing them would offend Satan. The fear of reprisals from Satan himself would deter most humans, but if they knew Martial at all, they would know that he would go out of his way to offend Satan.

  But it wasn’t true.

  It couldn’t be.

  Satan was dead.

  Had been for hundreds of years.

  Martial turned his thoughts away from the previous evening and turned his attention to the previous night. Namely, Mila. She was in bed with him, naked. She had the juiciest ass Martial had seen in years. He lifted the cover and stared down at it now. Perfectly round lumps of flesh.

  Martial couldn’t resist.

  He gave it a hard spank.

  Mila’s eyes jolted open. “Oww,” she mumbled.

  Martial spanked it again before his hand rested on her ass. His fingers dug into the soft flesh. “Morning sunshine.”