by Rory Surtain
We pushed our horses hard and had reached the outskirts of Stonnberg by the end of the second day. We took to training among ourselves each evening while we rested the horses. It helped ease our saddle-sore muscles and calmed the anxiety and anger that I felt. I was sure that I could kill any demon that we found in Lockrun, but I wouldn’t know the situation or how many we faced until we got much closer.
With such a small team, our battle plan for fighting a greater number of demons was sorted quickly. We defined three separate groups. Volk would anchor the line group with Hicks and Gunner to one side and the Martell brothers on the other. Sevin was better than advertised, and I could see how Hicks and Gunner both looked up to him for his skill. When placed between Volk and Sevin, Keil could hold his own. Raven and I paired off as the right flank aggressor pair. Yser and Andy took the left flank as a defender and decoy pair. Each small group would be responsible for its well-being and would operate as it saw fit, without the need for any orders once a fight began. As the aggressor group, Rae and I would target any alpha demons first. At the same time, our bodyguards would use their quickness on the left side of the line, drawing the attention of the enemy away from us. Of course, this would only work on an enemy party of suitably small size, probably not more than a dozen lesser demons at once.
Much to my relief, Raven showed masterful skill with her dark blade. Having Andarion the Blade as a godmother and Ylamil blood to protect had given her finely polished skills while growing up. She was able to go head to head with Andy or Yser during sparring sessions, and her half-blood stature gave her a small advantage in size and strength. I was hoping the elves’ ability to wield their black blades with two hands would offer them enough power to take down any demons they faced quickly. We emphasized the need to go for kills with every possible attack as a wounded demon was usually just as dangerous as a healthy one.
I had run my fighting doctrine past Sergeant Volk. He confirmed that Vigil Thorn used a similar style in the jungles of the East when facing small hordes, though with considerably more men. Knowing that my small team was under my protection, I had to be extremely careful about when and how we engaged.
We drove our horses harder. Four more days had brought us within a few miles of Lockrun, just as the sun was setting behind us. On two occasions during our ride eastward, we had met riders coming down the road from Lockrun with tragic tales of savagery. Just as I suspected, each told us of demons hunting in and around the city. Now, the far horizon pulsed with spots of evil, and there was an acrid scent of a fire burning in the distance. We pressed on, hoping to reach Lockrun before full dark.
To my dismay, we arrived to find the western gate fully open and no guard on duty. A massive fire burned off in the direction of the town square. A cloud of smoke and damnation filled the city. I could sense at least four demons moving inside the town’s walls, and the scent of human blood was everywhere. We dismounted and tied up our horses at the inner gatehouse. Then we shut and barred the gate. I wasn’t sure if the twenty-foot tall wooden walls would do much good in keeping out any more demons, but it might slow some of them down.
We stuck together as we delved into the hazy city, heading toward the central square. The dark hunters seemed to be gathered in that area, feeding off of the strong scent of fear and desolation. A large bonfire billowed up in the middle of the square casting a harsh light upon bodies and parts of bodies strewn everywhere. Dread blanketed everything.
Approaching the Mayor’s house on the edge of the square, we found the solid iron doors to his mansion locked tight. The nearby jailhouse was wholly dark, and something even darker crept across its roof on eight long, hairy legs. Pointing out the threat, I put Volk in charge of the Sentinels and Scouts and told him to secure this side of the square while the elves and I hunted the Hellions. A spider-demon crept toward the Sentinels, the fiend trying to remain hidden in the smoke and the shadows of the rooftop. Finally, it leaped off in their direction, landing a good ten feet short of Volk’s line. The dark elves were racing in behind it as Volk’s group advanced with shields raised to the threat. Axes and black blades took it apart as I drew Exile.
Right on cue, a second devil-spider emerged to the rear of Volk’s line. It had been tucked in behind the bonfire waiting for its partner to engage. Of all the lesser demons I’ve faced, the spiders are the deadliest. With cunning and a tendency to ambush, paired with speed, claws, teeth, and venom, they are incredibly lethal to anyone not prepared for them. This one was racing straight for the back of Sentinel Keil when I sheared off its four right legs, slowing its run in. The beast screeched in defiance, which was its last mistake. Volk turned first, then hesitated as Sevin stepped forward to plant his axe between the dozen or so eyes the fiend had pointed his brother’s way.
The blare of the demon cut off, but I could feel the terror spike around the square. Survivors would have heard it for blocks in every direction. I searched outward for the other beasts. Across the square stood the church and rectory. I could feel the pulse of panicked citizens within, people filled with terror, prey being stalked by two more hunters.
“Mott, see if you and Tappen can get someone to let you in to see the Mayor. Find out the situation and let them know that the Vigil has arrived,” I said. “Raven, come with me. We’ve got a pair of demon-wolves behind the church.”
I sent Andy and Yser to the left, around the church clockwise, while Raven and I went right. With Exile drawn, I raced Raven for the first corner of the building, tracking scents of musk and rotting flesh. We turned the corner in time to catch a wolf-beast tearing through a formerly robust wooden door on the side of the rectory. Screams sounded from inside the building as my broadsword removed its head. I hopped back, pulling Rae with me as the demon toppled and sprayed black blood all across the outer wall. No need to terrorize the locals any further with my usually morbid appearance. A second beast was lurking on the far side of the church, and I trusted Andy and Yser to take care of it.
Reaching through the remains of the door, I lifted the inside latch. I pulled Rae inside and locked the door the best I could. The church building and rectory were crowded with terrified women and children but empty of any more beasts. I heard a vicious snarl outside, one that suddenly went silent. Pausing, I was now sure that the town was cleared, at least for the moment.
“Pastor Riley! Sister Kay!” I called out in the dark, looking for someone familiar in the chaos of too many tears and fast-beating hearts. “Everyone be calm. The Vigil is here! The monsters are dead.”
A figure stood up in the middle of the room and carefully moved our way. It was Sister Kay. She carried the scent of smoke and uncontrolled fear. Even in the near darkness, I could see that her face was wet, and her body trembled. Rae and I stepped further into the gloom. I pointed Rae to a lamp on the wall.
“Did the Vigil arrive?” Kay asked, in a whisper of disbelief. “How did they get here so fast?”
“Sister Kay,” I said. “Are you alright?”
“No, none of us are whole anymore,” she sobbed. “Are you with the Vigil? How do you know my name?”
“I heard a call for help. I am Vigil Storm,” I replied, holding out my hand to her. “You are under my protection, all of you.”
Kay took my hand, her eyes searching intently in the semi-darkness.
“My friends call me Ara,” I said, as Raven finally managed to light the wall lamp.
Sister Kay allowed me to pull her close, and I held her quietly as the room resettled under the subdued light.
“I’m so sorry for not being here sooner to protect you. Where is Pastor Riley?” I asked. “We need to get that side door repaired.”
“He is in the basement with the injured.”
“I’ll go check on him. Please light some more lamps and start getting folks to the bathrooms. More than a few are gonna need to be cleaned up,” I suggested, knowing that a busy person had less chance to dwell on the horror.
“Raven, this is Sister Kay. She helped
raise me after my mother left. Rae, please call in Yser and Andy. The city is clear.”
Pastor Riley was overwhelmed with the many injured, most of which were town militia with severe, if not fatal, wounds. He plied ahead in the stifling and poorly lit basement. Yseria began helping with the wounded, and Andarion remained to guard the Church, even though I was sure that the city was safe for the time being. Raven accompanied me to the eastern gate. We got it closed and locked before returning to the square to meet with Volk and, hopefully, the Lord Mayor.
“Duncan is inside now with the Mayor.” Volk held his line outside the mansion.
“Okay, the town is now clear, and both the east and west gates are locked. The nearest demon is strangely holding its position a mile to the northeast. I plan to kill it tonight if it doesn’t move, or follow it home if it does,” I said.
Looking to Hicks, Gunner, and the Martells, “Mind dragging the demon carcasses into the fire before anyone sees them? Folks around here are completely undone, and a hairy twitching nightmare spider won’t help. And watch out for the venom dripping off their fangs.”
I walked over and rapped on the Mayor’s heavy steel door. Tappen opened it, directing Raven and me inside. The Mayor’s house smelled much the same as the church. It was packed tightly with terrified people, and I kept a lookout for any familiar faces in the dim light. There was one in particular that I needed to see before anything else. We headed to the Mayor’s meeting room, a place with a few not so fond memories. I asked Tappen to grab one of the Sentinels outside and collect all our horses from the western gate. The Mayor had stables nearby where they could be fed and watered.
“What’s the word, Sentinel-Scout Duncan?” I said as I walked into the crowded meeting room.
“Vigil Storm, please meet the Lord Mayor Ramsey.”
“Vigil Ara Storm,” I said, turning to meet his Lordship again.
Here was a man that had just seen his city plunged into uncontrolled chaos and fear, and he was just as helpless as the next person to do anything about it. The mansion was filled with haunted, desperate eyes, women and children on their last stop before insanity.
“Ara, well met. It’s been a nightmare,” was all he could say. I’ll give the Mayor credit. He didn’t even blink as he recognized me. He smelled of prey, fearful and shocked due to the traumatic events raging through his city.
“Mayor, your town is currently clear of any demons. We killed four hell beasts, two behind the church and two right outside your front door,” I said, intending to bring Duncan up to speed as well. “There are more demons farther to the northeast that we will deal with later tonight.”
Mayor Ramsey nodded, still buried in his grief.
“And how is your daughter, Mayor?” I asked, unable to think of anything else at that moment.
“I don’t know,” he stammered.
“What do you mean you don’t know?” I pressed.
“Well, she hasn’t spoken since the first attack four nights ago.”
“Only four nights ago?” I looked over at Mott. “Not six?”
He nodded. “The first demon came over the walls four days ago, just after midnight. The city militia was able to kill it, but only after a dozen citizens were lost. More Hellions have shown up every night since.”
“Mott, you are now in charge of the town militia and are authorized any resources needed to begin Lockrun’s defense and recovery,” I ordered. “There are two dead demons on the far side of the church. Please have them burned and send some folks to repair and reinforce the doors of the church.”
I looked back at Mayor Ramsey. He was in no condition to take charge.
“Mayor, please make sure that Sentinel-Scout Duncan has the help he needs. We’ll need you out and about at first light to help get the citizens back to living. But first, please show me where to find Cat.”
The Mayor led me into his rooms, with Raven following. Cat was asleep in his bed with one of the maidservants watching over her.
“The doctor couldn’t find anything wrong with her,” said the Mayor. “And she barely eats or drinks.”
I held Cat’s hand. She barely stirred at my touch.
“Had she complained of any bad dreams lately?” I had to ask. “Did she lose anyone close to her in the attacks?”
The Lord Mayor said, “A few bad nightmares a week ago, then nothing.”
“We’ve still got a busy night ahead of us. Will she be awake in the morning?”
“I’ll make sure to try and rouse her.”
Back outside, I let Volk know that Duncan would be in charge of the city’s recovery and defense until further notice. Volk was to make sure Mott was getting the support he needed and to check on the church while Raven and I were out hunting. The city of Lockrun was currently buried under an avalanche of terror and dread, and we needed to do everything in our power to dig them out alive. As it was, dark energy bled from the city’s walls, creating a beacon of fear that would attract every hungry demon in the area.
Raven and I slipped out the east gate about four hours before dawn and took off running northeast in search of our first target. It hadn’t moved one way or the other, strange for a Hell-beast with dinner pulsing in the distance. As the closest threat to Lockrun, the ant-demon’s life quickly ended with the assistance of Exile. The kill filled me with a fire that helped me pinpoint our next victim two miles farther out. There had to be a higher-order demon in the area with control.
Another fire-eyed ant-demon awaited us. I held back and let Raven take it on solo. I wanted to get a clear idea of the effectiveness of her black blade. The demon could fight on either two or four of its six legs. It was quicker on four but could tower over its opponent and attack with four claws when only standing on two. As part of a horde, it posed a serious threat, being strong enough to push through or over a Sentinel shield wall. As a single demon in the open, it was merely prey. As soon as it stood up on its back legs, Raven dove low and cleanly separated one of the supporting legs from its torso as she rolled past. The five-legged beast dropped down, and before it could turn to face her, she leveled a two-handed chop across its back half, crippling it entirely. The ant-beast continued to drag itself around, but with its head lowered and front claws keeping its balance, it was utterly defenseless to Raven’s final swing.
We had been heading steadily uphill all night. Three miles behind us now, low in its valley, the bonfire of Lockrun acted as a beacon. We pushed onward to the northeast in search of our final objective, concerned that the demonic activity around us had suddenly ceased. Another two miles into the foothills, we found the source.
Three boulders had been rolled perfectly into place such that they aligned directly with Lockrun and its pinpoint of burning light. Tucked in at the base of the last rock was a vent from Hell. The red heat glowed brightly to my eyesight as we approached the opening, and I could smell the demon tracks all around it. There was a dark void at the bottom of this pit. We’d found the source for the chaos and pain of Lockrun.
“What now?” Rae trembled. “We don’t know what’s in there.”
“Lesser demons. At least one Hell-knight to control them, but probably more. They’ve stopped their flow towards Lockrun. They must be waiting for us below. Want to go inside?” I asked, already knowing the answer.
I felt the dread in her reply.
“If we wait till morning, they’ll just have more demons down there waiting for us, won’t they?”
“Wait for a count of thirty,” I replied, dropping my pack. “I’ll go in first and draw their attention. Stay away from the Hell-knights if you can help it. They will probably remain passive unless you threaten the portal, and their heavy swords can cleave through anything. I prefer to save them for Fei-Krull.”
I dropped into the hole and started to shuffle down through a small tunnel, a passage not more than four feet tall. It wasn’t a long trip to the cavern below, maybe a hundred feet at a fairly steep angle. I relied on my talisman for a chance at sur
prising the enemy. As I rolled forward into a large Hell-cave, I drew Exile from the sling on my back. Blocking my path into the cave was a couple of bulky ant-demons. Behind them were a pair of fiendish wolf-men and a quartet of lovely lizard-men. And yes, tucked in an alcove at the back wall was an altar, a Hell portal, surrounded by five Hell-knights.
Feth.
First things first, Exile slashed through the head of the giant ant-beast on my left, and I vaulted its twitching corpse dashing for the nearest wolf-man. With their inhuman speed and razor-sharp claws, I viewed the hairy Hellions as the biggest threat on this side of the room. The second wolf-demon leaped at me just as my sword parted at the neck of the first. Momentarily committed, I could only appreciate the perfect timing of the other beast as my strong left vambrace absorbed the impact of its jaws. It shook its head and pulled, popping my left arm out of its shoulder socket. My glaive sliced its left arm off at the shoulder, but now I was more concerned about losing my own.
I had no choice but to relinquish Exile. Dropping the longer broadsword, I drew my knife and leaned in closer to the wolf-beast before it could tear my arm off. Fei-Krull bit into its skull with two fiery stabs, and suddenly I was free of its jaws. I stumbled backward and slammed into the near-molten wall at the rear of the cave.
Taking stock of the situation, I was pinned between two stout lizard-men and an eight-foot-tall fire-ant. Two more Hell-borne reptiles stood just a few steps back from the first pair, blocking my path to Exile.
Had I blacked out?
My left arm hung at my side, useless and numb. My right still gripped my fang-knife, and my hair was smoking. Leather doesn’t burn so easily, but hair does. Who knew? Twenty-nine? Thirty?
Suddenly, the ant on my right was two feet shorter, its head tumbling to the ground at my feet. Thirty.
I ducked left as the lizard kings adjusted to the new threat, swinging my fang into the neck of the leftmost creature. It screamed, and fire burst from its mouth, further scalding the already blackened wall. Fei-Krull punched another hole of orange light into the back of its skull, and I dodged forward, trying to collect my glaive from the cavern floor. With only one arm in play, I yearned for its better reach.
