Reality Fix - Lucifer's Crown
Page 21
distance and started shooting fireballs and lightning at the boy. Peter easily swept these aside with his sword and ran towards Belial, who cast a spell, splitting the ground from under Peter. Peter jumped to the side and glared at Belial.
"Boy, you are no match for m…"
Before he could finish his sentence Peter had ran towards him at an unheard of speed and plunged his blade into Belial's heart.
"You talk too much," Peter said, wiping the blood off his blade.
The demons retreated in fear, the death of their Commander, and Peter's glare, too much for them to handle.
"How much longer?" Thomas asked Hearthoff.
"Almost there," Hearthoff said wearily, wiping the sweat off his brow.
Just then, a huge sound was heard beyond the portal, a rhythmic 'thump thump' and the corpses lining the portal were pushed aside. A gigantic crocodile-like demon entered, and ran towards the boys, swinging its tale from side to side. Impact craters were formed wherever its feet touched the ground.
"Lads, run. Run like the wind. Get away. That's Leviathan. You're no match for it." Hearthoff shouted agitatedly.
"We can't. Not until you close the portal," Thomas said and ran towards Leviathan, along with Peter. They were thrown back easily, swatted away like flies. They charged again and again but were thrown back each time. Leviathan charged, knocking the two boys back by at least a mile. It then headed towards Hearthoff, who was still working his magic on the portal.
A cloud zipped by overhead, and stood still over Hearthoff. Fireballs and lightening were thrown at Leviathan rapidly from above, forcing him back to the portal. And just in time, for the portal closed as soon as Leviathan was pushed through it. Hearthoff wiped the sweat off his brow and sat on the ground, fatigue dulling his senses.
"Looks like we came right in the nick of time," said Mary, looking at the carnage below her.
He-Xiangu nodded, while she levitated Hearthoff onto the cloud, "now let's go pick up the boys."
"And Snow White," Mary added, "I saw her down there somewhere."
The Khan Demands a Bedtime Story
"I must have Scheherazade's stories," Genghis Khan said to his General, "I must; I must; I must." The General, who was new and not used to the Khan's tantrums, tried calming him down.
"But my Lord, she has escaped with those demons. We cannot find her, and even if we did, they would slaughter us," the General said reasonably to the Khan.
"I don't care what you do General. Find her and bring her to me or it will be your head!" Genghis Khan squealed.
The general saluted and walked out smartly. It wasn't easy being Genghis Khan's General. First, the Khan had demanded lollypops which could only be gotten far, far away on the other side of the world. It had been an arduous journey but the General had succeeded in fulfilling his mission. And now the Khan demanded this… The General toyed with the idea of running away. But he couldn't do that. His parents and grand parents had served the Khan. It was family tradition to serve the boy. What would they say if he left? Nothing good, definitely.
The General dispatched his scouts to find the elusive Scheherazade and went to his tent to reflect on death and mortality, something people often did in the Aftelife.
The Final Confrontation
So, Jady old boy," Hearthoff grinned, "looks like we solved you're little problem for you."
"You're usefulness, as always, compensates for your incivility," the Jade Emperor smiled. "Tell me, what would you have as a reward?"
"I can't think of anything right now," Hearthoff said scratching his head, "but when I do I'll let you know."
"Very well," said the Jade Emperor.
"Reality has healed itself. You should be able to easily vanquish any demons that are still skulking around."
"Yes," said the Jade Emperor, "now if you will excuse me" he said dismissing them, "I have towers of paperwork to attend to."
"Umm… Your Highness" said Peter, bowing his head, "if it's not too much trouble, could I have a pair of knitting needles and some yarn?"
"It shall be seen to," said the Jade Emperor, brushing him away.
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Hearthoff and our four heroes, the Eight Immortals, Guan Yu, Shorty and Akio gathered in a chamber to discuss what they would do next.
"Now that Reality has healed itself can we go home?" asked Thomas. "I miss my valet." Thomas brushed some dirt off his coat and looked at Hearthoff sorrowfully.
"Not just yet," said Hearthoff. "There is still Akio's matter to attend to.Uso…"
"I think I should be able to deal with it on my own. You needn't come," said Akio, gazing out the window.
"No lad. I think you will need all the help you can get. I sense a tremendous power at work there."
"The Midgard Serpent? He updated his facebook status a while ago, saying that he was conquering Da Kapital."
Hearthoff nodded. "My adversary waits for me to attack. And so I shall!"
Shorty looked at Akio. "Boy, trust me. You will need our help."
He-Xiangu looked at Akio determinedly. "I shall come too."
"And me, I haven't had a good fight yet," said Guan Yu.
"And us. We've been getting a little bored too," said Lu Dongbin, speaking for the rest of the eight immortals.
"All the world's a stage and I haven't even had the chance to perform a soliloquy yet," Cao-Guojiu said. "You'd better not try to leave us out of this," he said turning to Akio.
"To err on the side of caution is not to err at all," said Han Xiangzi nodding wisely.
"Very well, you may all accompany me," Akio gave in.
Peter meanwhile was trying to knit a sweater with the needles and maroon yarn, that had been given to him by one of the palace servants.
"That's not the way you do it," said Mary looking at Peter's dismal looking network of wool, "Here, let me show you."
Peter nodded and sat quietly, grinning and blushing, like he'd never stop, while Mary demonstrated how to knit a sweater.
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"Hey, you know something? That ball of yarn they gave me at the palace is magical. It never gets any smaller," Peter said, looking at Hearthoff.
"Concentrate on the problem at hand, lad," said Hearthoff gazing at the multitudes of troops that had gathered outside the city walls of Da Kapital. "The Midgard Serpent is mine," said Hearthoff, pointing with his hammer at the pale figure dressed in black, that was at the head of the troops.
"I'll swat that fly thing," said Peter, pointing at Beelzebub.
"Sayonara," chanted Akio with a mad look in his eyes.
"We'll take the rest," Lu Dongbin said.
He-Xinagu looked at Akio. "Be careful," she said quietly, grasping his hand.
Akio nodded and waited for the battle to commence.
A horn sounded in the distance and a mass of enemy troops charged. Hearthoff and the rest ran to meet them, weapons raised.
"I knew you'd find me Hearthoff," said the Midgard Serpent, once they were close enough.
"You shall soon wish I hadn't," roared Hearthoff. His hammer crashed against the Serpent's raised arm, but the Serpent didn't even flinch at the tremendous force. He scratched Hearthoff across the face with his sharpened nails (yes, he had nails. He manicured them everyday). Hearthoff jumped back to wipe the blood off his face, momentarily blinded.
Meanwhile, Peter was having trouble with Beelzebub. No matter how fast he was, Beelzebub was faster. Beelzebub lunged at Peter with his lance, leaving him a bloody mess. Just as Beelzebub was about to lunge at Peter's heart Thomas jumped in and parried the blow. Together, they drove Beelzebub back, but they still only managed to hold their own. The fight became an intricate dance that could only be observed by the sharpest of eyes.
On the rest of the battlefield, the Eight Immortals were wreaking destruction on the enemy troops. Cao-Guojiu's theatrics, Han-Xiangzi's brain numbing wisdom, Lu-Dongbing's magical sword, Lan-Caihe's drunken kung fu, Li-Tieguai's iron crutch of destru
ction, He-Xiangu's chi kung arts, Zhong-Liquan's chemical warfare, Zhong –Guolao's origami skills and Guan Yu's martial skills quickly dispatched their enemies to the after Afterlife. Mary and Anne's fireballs wreaked massive destruction as well.
Goodbye Sayonara
Akio, meanwhile, hunted for Sayonara. "Where is he?" Akio yelled in frustration. His search took him into the castle, killing anyone who stood in his way. He found Sayonara in the stables loading a horse with two bags full of gold. "Sayonara, my name is Akio. You're life ends here!"
Sayonara let the bags he was trying to load fall onto the ground. "Akio? I thought you were dead. Well, I can soon remedy that mistake."
Each fell into their fighting stance ready to strike, like vipers coiled for a strike. They circled, waiting for the other to make a move. Sayonara struck, testing Akio's defence, and was easily blocked each time. Akio struck in turn and was parried in turn. They tested each other like this for some time. And then Akio bellowed in rage and shouted, "For my father," and in a whirlpool of action parried Sayonara's lunge, kicked his side and cut off his fighting arm in one clean move, too intent on killing his nemesis to call out the names of his moves(sacrilege!). "Yield," he shouted, putting his blade against Sayonara's throat.
Sayonara got to his knees and said feebly, "I beg for mercy. Ask what you will of me, just let me live."
"Very well," said Akio. "Leave, and run as far away as you can. If I ever see your face again I shall kill you."
Sayonara nodded and ran to his horse kicking the bags aside.
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"So you did it," said He- Xiangu walking into the stable. "You found your