I jump at Artuitus and shoot a small flame from the palm of my hand to burn the barrier.
I land on the edge of the opening. This startles Artuitus enough to make him fall off his seat.
"I think I'm in some position to be making demands," I state.
Artuitus stands. "You really want to see what I've been doing?" He smirks. "This is a good opportunity to show all of my friends where our efforts have gotten us," he states.
Utrix floats up through the opening to join us.
"I forgot you can fly… pretty unfair," I remark.
"I don't want to hear the guy who can burn everything, including magic, saying something is unfair," he snaps back.
Artuitus claps his hands to get everyone's attention. "If you would be so kind as to follow me," he says. He turns and makes his way to a door on the wall behind his chair.
The crowd doesn't move, so I decide to take the initiative and follow him. Utrix isn't far behind me.
Artuitus stops at the door. "I said, follow!" he booms.
The crowd scurries behind us upon hearing Artuitus's command. They seem to fear him; should we be wary of this man's ambitions as well?
Artuitus leads us through the door and up a long stairway. It's pretty dull, just walking up stone stairs. I think I'll take a little nap until we get to the top. I'm sure someone will wake me if I go the wrong way.
"Aryn!"
"Aryn!"
Something hits my face.
"Wake up, you damn idiot!"
I open my eyes to see a fist coming at me. It hits my nose.
"Are you awake now?" Utrix asks. "Can't believe you were actually sleeping." He smirks.
I look around. Seems we're outside now. "Is this where Artuitus wanted to take us?" I ask Utrix.
He shrugs. "I suppose… once we got on the balcony, he told us that we'll have to wait. That was a bit ago," he answers.
"Why'd you wake me before anything interesting happened?" I question.
Utrix sighs. "If I'm being honest… it's because I wanted someone to chat with," he admits.
I feel a killing intent fixated on me. I look over at the edge of the balcony and see Artuitus smiling at me.
"If you all would make your way over to the railing, you will bear witness to what we have created!" he exclaims.
We gather at the edge of the balcony; we're just staring at the city. Is this what he wanted to show us?
"For those of you who are unaware, we have been making an army of Chimeras," Artuitus states. "I would now like to show you all the progress we have made!" he rejoices.
Suddenly, there's inhuman screams and howls from below. He wouldn't, would he?
We all look down to see what's causing the noise. It's hard to make out, but a crowd of people seems to be rushing into the masses in the street.
Utrix grabs Artuitus by the neck. "Did you actually release Chimeras into the streets!?" he yells.
Artuitus chuckles. "Perhaps a few hundred or so that I had made," he answers.
The group of Chimeras continue to tear through the citizens in the streets.
"Aryn," I hear Barin call.
I turn. He's standing with Asteria and Isla. What're they doing here?
"What do you plan on doing now?" he asks.
"Should we not help the people down there?" Asteria asks.
"Even if we kill all of those horrendous Chimeras, we will still have to contend with the Senate and the drugs," Isla remarks.
The wails of the Chimeras stop.
I look over the balcony. The street is a river of blood. I'm pretty sure every citizen is dead; they wouldn't even have been able to fight back and survive.
"Seems that it is about time," Artuitus remarks.
He snaps his fingers, and everyone besides us fall to the ground in pain.
"Your usefulness for me has run out, so you can add to the fuel in death," Artuitus states.
Utrix leans Artuitus over the edge of the balcony.
"It is in your best interest to keep me alive," Artuitus claims. "Only I can stop the Chimeras from rampaging across the lands."
Utrix shoves him to the ground. "Why did you kill your own citizens!?" he shouts.
"For the contract," Artuitus coldly answers. His bloodlust overflows as a ghastly grin appears on his face. "I crave power… I want more power than any person has ever obtained. Even then, I would want more power," he claims with a crazed expression on his face. "The two strongest things to ever exist that we know of are the Celestials and the Devils. We have no means of communing with the Celestials, but if you spill enough blood in a sacrifice, you can summon a Devil!" he shouts.
He starts laughing hysterically as he stands.
The air turns heavy, and a murderous aura like I've never felt sets upon us. I feel suffocated by it. Is this what the presence of true evil feels like?
The girls have collapsed to the ground crying, their faces contorted with fear.
A dark shadow appears from nowhere in the air. It opens up and the murderous aura intensifies as the void gets larger.
Something steps forth from the darkness. I have no idea what I'm looking at, but I know I'm looking at death itself. My body wants to flee, but for some reason, I feel nothing but hatred for the thing I'm looking at.
It appears to be almost shadow-like. Its face is dark white. Its eyes are just black circles... darker than black, in fact. I can't tell if it has hair or horns on its head. Its body almost looks like a cloak of sorts.
"Devil," Artuitus addresses it. "I have summoned you to form a contract. Give me all your power, and I will give you everything in the world," he states.
So, this is a Devil? Can't say this is what I was expecting one to look like. Not that I ever gave it thought. But, with a presence like this thing is giving off, a Devil is the only thing it could be.
The Devil walks past us towards the edge of the balcony. It's like time froze as it passed; I couldn't move.
"Kekeke," the Devil laughs. "This is why I enjoy you, lowly creatures. The things you will do for your own greed never ceases to amuse me. Every now and then, one of you gets the idea to summon one of us, kekeke, and I am always more than happy to show up."
Artuitus approaches the Devil.
"Devil, form a contract with me," he demands.
The Devil smiles.
22
UTRIX
I can barely keep my wits about me with this thing in front of me. Who would have known that Devils actually existed? What should we do? The girls don't look like they can move. I wouldn't even begin to understand what the brothers will do. I want to say something, but I'm too afraid to move.
Why is it smiling after Consul Artuitus demanded it form a contract with him? Why is its smile so terrifying to look at?
The Devil sticks its hand out.
Consul Artuitus smiles and takes it.
"Kekeke, you foolish little creature," It remarks.
The shadow-like haze around the Devil wraps around Consul Artuitus, then pulls him into the Devil's body.
What just happened? Did the Devil absorb him? Did Artuitus make a contract with the Devil?
“Aryn, grab the girls and jump!" Barin yells.
My body moves on its own. Before I realize it, I've leaped from the balcony.
Barin and Aryn follow me down with Asteria and The Princess.
The further I fall, the more relieved I feel. That Devil truly terrified me. I'm happy to get as far away as possible.
I use my magic to land us safely onto the ground. The Chimeras really did massacre the city; the blood is almost to my ankles. We don't have time to mourn for them. We have to go warn Al of this. Shit, will the kingdom even be able to deal with a Devil? Would any kingdom be able to?
We start running down the street. The bloody remains of the citizens are sprawled everywhere. I actually think I prefer this scene over that Devil's smile.
Barin and Aryn slide to a stop in front of me. I try to stop but slip and fall from a
ll of the blood.
There's a horde of Chimeras staring at us. With Consul Artuitus dead, are they able to act on their own accord?
We stare at them as they stare at us, each waiting for the other side to move first. Then, seemingly all at once, each Chimera lets out an inhuman wail.
"There's no time for this shit!" Barin shouts.
He steps forward and raises his hand, getting ready to attack.
Suddenly, the blood on the street shoots upwards and skewers the Chimeras.
"Who caused this?" a voice questions from behind. The killing intent coming from the voice is sharp.
The old man from the inn stands in front of us.
"Who is responsible for this massacre?" he asks.
"Artuitus," Aryn answers.
The old man faces us. He's been crying. He tries to hide it with rage, but his eyes show his grief.
"Your daughter?" Aryn asks.
The old man shakes his head.
"Where's Artuitus at?" he asks.
"He got killed," Barin replies.
The sickly feeling from the Devil returns. The atmosphere becomes dense and cold.
"Now, why did you run away?" the Devil's voice echoes through the streets. "That really upset me." Its voice makes my body seize with fear. "Why would you hurt my feelings?" whispers in my ear.
My heart almost stops as a shadow wraps around my shoulder. The Devil is behind me. The shadow takes shape as fingers pinch my face. An arm wraps around my waist.
"There's no need to look so scared… we can all be friends," it sings.
I can only see the old man's face at the moment, his eyes wide with terror. "W-w-what are you?" he asks.
The Devil places its head on my shoulder. "Why do you all look so surprised?" it asks. "If you think about it… this world is already filled with Devils."
Aryn hands the girls to Barin. "When I give the cue, run," he states.
He faces the Devil and his presence is almost like it was at the academy, but more refined: like the point of a spear.
The Devil's murderous aura condenses around us. The tension is insufferable; I feel like I'm losing years off my life just being in the middle of them.
Something flashes past my eye, aiming for where the demon's head is.
A gust of air hits me as Aryn appears in front of me. Without wasting a moment, he yanks me forward towards the others.
Not a word was uttered, yet we all know: that was the signal to run.
The Devil appears like a shadow in front of us, followed by Aryn's foot to its neck.
The Devil dissipates. "My, my… you were actually trying to kill me, boy," it says.
A shadow appears in the air. "Strangely, you seem familiar to me?" the Devil remarks as its body appears.
"I told you to run when I gave the signal," Aryn states coldly.
"I don't know what that thing is, but do you intend on fighting such an evil thing by yourself kid?" the old man asks.
"At least until Barin can get the others to safety," Aryn answers.
Until Barin can get us three to safety? Does that mean he doesn't see the three of us as anything other than a burden? Though, do I even have the strength to fight that thing? Do I even have the courage to try and fight the Devil?
"I see," the old man says. "I couldn't do anything for my daughter. Now I see a young man who had to grow up killing people, about to risk his life fighting the embodiment of evil. The old should lead by example, so, I'll fight with you so that you can live," he remarks.
The old man joins Aryn's side.
"Kekeke!" the Devil laughs. "The embodiment of evil? The two of you living? You truly know nothing," it remarks.
The old man swipes his hand up, causing the blood in the street to surge towards the Devil. I see the Devil grin as the blood encloses him.
The Devil appears behind the old man instantaneously, only to be greeted with a kick from Aryn.
The Devil dissipates into the air, then immediately appears behind Aryn. Within the moment the Devil appears, Aryn dodges its attack and the old man shoots blood at it.
The Devil disappears yet again.
It's impossible to believe all of that happened before I even blinked. How are they reacting like that? What have they experienced to obtain this kind of foresight?
"Take the girls out of the city," Aryn commands.
If keeping Asteria and The Princess safe is the only thing I can do, I must not fail.
I turn and start running with Barin.
"Stop," the Devil commands.
The one word halts my process. I feel a chill to my bones.
"It would be no fun if you were to leave," the Devil says as it forms in the air. "You, strong one." It points at Aryn. "Tell me, how did you combine your body with a Devil?" it asks.
A Devil? Fused with Aryn's body? What does that even mean? Could something like that be possible?
"Don't know what you're talking about," Aryn replies.
"I see… well, I am sure you will tell me eventually," the Devil replies. "Until then, why not make things a bit more interesting?" it sings.
The dead Chimeras slowly rise from the ground. The bodies of the citizens, the ones mostly intact, start moving as well.
"Kekeke, surprised?" the Devil asks. "I will be nice and reveal some information. Unfortunately, I cannot tell you my name. Not that I do not want to, but the language of us Devils is incoherent to you lower creatures," it states. "My name would mean, 'He who lords over death' in your tongue. You may call me Az," it says as it bows.
Lords over death? I guess the corpses moving are to the Devil. Can he reanimate bodies?
"What do you want, Az?" Barin asks.
"Oh, nothing really… just want to cause some chaos," the Devil responds.
Asteria starts screaming and franticly thrashing around.
The Princess hops out of Barin's arm at the same time Asteria starts screaming. She walks over to and grabs Asteria's shoulders. Good, The Princess can look after Asteria now.
The Princess slaps Asteria. "Get a hold of yourself!" she shouts. "This is no time for us to act like this!"
Asteria calms down, so I let her go.
"You're right," she responds.
Good, everyone is responsive now. We need to come up with a plan on how to deal with the situation. Barin, The Princess, and the old man can use attacks that span a large area. Asteria is the healer, of course. Aryn will most likely charge into the crowd by himself. It'll be up to me to meld everything together and make the team function.
Barin lifts his hand towards the dead Chimeras. "Majestic Flames," he chants.
A massive wall of fire rolls towards the Chimeras, engulfing them.
"I don't have time to play your games," Barin states.
The raging fire dies down rather quick, revealing the charred remains of the corpses. A strong wind suddenly blows forth from Barin. The wind causes the corpses to scatter and fall apart as ash.
Well… that was anticlimactic. Is the real problem just the Devil itself?
"Kekeke!" the Devil bursts out laughing.
We turn our attentions towards the Devil; its murderous aura once again seeps from its body. The feeling from the Devil is different from when it first arrived. There's no malice; it's almost a joyful sensation that I'm feeling.
The Devil slowly lifts its hand in our direction. We all raise our guards at once. I say we raise our guards, but we actually get in a position to escape if need be.
The Devil moves its arm and points to our right.
I glance down the street… the corpses are standing! I quickly turn to face them, as do Asteria and The Princess.
"Kekeke," the Devil laughs. "Why so shocked when I told you my abilities?" it asks.
When did it mention its powers? When it raised the dead, Is that not its magic? But the corpses were utterly destroyed, by fire at that. Why have their bodies returned to their normal states?
Now that I look closer, there are more citizens
of the city mixed with the Chimera corpses.
"My name means 'He who lords over death.' I control what the perspective of death is," it states.
"You seem confused, so let me make it clear," it starts singing in a chilling tone. "I decide what is death, for those far and near. If you die, I will bring you back. Make you a puppet, make you attack. When I am around, the dead never truly die. They become my puppets for the rest of their lives." It stops singing.
The Devil's presence changes once again. This time, to how it was when it emerged into our world. That otherworldly malice, that feeling of something grasped around my heart.
This is genuine fear.
"I will not kill you all, but not right away," the Devil says. "You will fight these puppets until you tell me how you got a Devil to fuse with you. If you do die, well…you will come back," it states.
Aryn steps forward. "I don't know anything about fusing with a Devil. What I do know, is that that song really sucked," he snickers.
The Devil grins, then claps his hands.
The corpses let out screeches and wails as they charge towards us. Like the mindless corpses they are, they fall and clamber over each other. It looks more like a wave of flesh rolling towards us.
"Steel Storm," The Princess chants.
Her spell fills the sky with spears before hurtling down onto the oncoming corpses.
The old man creates a wave of blood that carries him and Aryn up towards the Devil.
Do they not intend on helping with the corpses? No, they plan on stopping the source of the corpses. Even if we destroy the corpses, the Devil can bring them back indefinitely from what it said.
It seems Barin and The Princess will handle the corpses, while Aryn and the old man try to kill the Devil… if they can even kill it. Asteria will provide support and healing. That leaves me with the position that I wanted, to make sure the pace of each fight favors our side.
Now that my head is focused on the battle, I no longer feel afraid of the Devil. It seems it was an initial shock from an incomprehensible being appearing before me.
My main worry is landing a hit on the Devil. From what I've seen, it can freely turn its body into a shadow of sorts to avoid physical damage. It also escaped from the old man's trap; maybe it can travel instantaneously as well? I should see whether or not I can manipulate the Devil's weight.
Avarice Twilight Page 22
