"Ready to fire," Bel said, in case he didn't already know that. "Remember our deal."
"I remember," Nigel said. "And I intend to honor it."
Garrett laughed. "I bet Bel made you promise to kill any demons you saw? It's all part of the standard Bel adventuring contract. My friend here was thrilled when killing you and her became a package deal. Shame about the elf, but she's collateral damage. I'm afraid the best I could do was make an agreement that we would spare Emma. After a fashion, at least. My father assures me that consent is entirely optional when creating a bond with an Inanna slut. Once bound they are eager to please."
"Fire," Nigel said.
The succubus spoke a word, and as if out of nowhere three giant furry figures with horns appeared in front of Garrett and the succubus. They were each about eight feet tall, and their fur was patchy and ragged looking, but the rest of them looked fit, with the build of a pro wrestler, only much taller. One of them took Bel's arrow in the shoulder, but didn't seem deeply bothered by it. A moment later the sky lit up with a fireball. The flame didn't seem to bother them at all, although Garrett cursed.
"They come from a much hotter place than that, elvish slut," Garrett yelled.
"Concentrate on the one Bel hit," Nigel yelled. If they did a little damage to each, they didn't stand a chance. They had to take the demons down one at a time, and they looked identical except for the arrow embedded in one.
The three figures advanced. Khoraja kept chanting. Emma, too, was casting a spell, even though no one had taken damage yet.
A bolt of freezing water hit the target Nigel had indicated. That seemed to bother it, but its health bar barely nudged downward. Another lit up white--Emma's spell--which bothered it more thank Khoraja's spell. Bel shot again and struck, pushing the demon's health bar into the yellow range. Nigel stepped forward to confront as many as possible. He hoped the others could do good damage, although with Khoraja's fireballs seemingly useless a lot depended on Emma and Bel. So far they hadn't slowed the demons down.
The three demons roared, sending a chill down Nigel's spine. His legs twitched as if he would run before he even consciously processed his desire to. Emma and Khoraja felt it too, apparently, breaking off their spell casting, and then starting again. The sound of their voices gave him courage. He pushed back the fear, which wasn't any more natural than his earlier lust for the succubus. Yeah, the three demons were scary, and yeah, the succubus was sexy. But he hadn't just been reacting to a sexy woman.
Another freezing water bolt hit, which made the one totter, and then a holy bolt caused it to fall down with a thud. It didn't move. Then the succubus and a big blue nasty were on Nigel, and he was helpless to stop the other demon. It swatted Khoraja, and she fell, her body instantly limp. He blocked a claw with a shield and glanced over that way, even though he knew he should focus straight ahead and just hope the girls could take care of themselves. Khoraja wasn't moving. Worse, or at least equally bad, Bel was running full tilt into the woods.
Maybe if we kill the succubus the summoned ones will disappear. They couldn't dish out enough damage to kill the big demons. He swung and sliced the left wing of the succubus, nearly shearing it.
Khoraja's body glowed, but Emma's heal didn't seem to have any effect at all. Then a demon was on him. "Defend yourself," he yelled, because if Emma kept healing she'd be a sitting duck for the demon that had knocked out Khoraja. He raised his shield and took a blow on it so hard his arm went numb. He stuck a sword in the other demon's groin, but the thrust barely dented the creature's thick hide.
Within seconds, it was over. The demon that had knocked out Khoraja picked up Emma and held her so she couldn't cast a spell. Then the other one gave him a hard clout to the head. The vision of Emma struggling was the last thing he saw before everything went black.
#
Garrett leaned over Nigel, his sword pressed to Nigel's throat. "I warned you," he said, his voice dripping with false sympathy. "You can't say that I didn't warn you."
Nigel looked up at him, catching his breath. Everything was still blurry. In the village, he'd had the orc they captured at the same disadvantage. Like the orc, he had no good options. He willed himself to relax and to breathe. If an opportunity presented itself, he wanted to be ready to take it. Even though it seemed hopeless, the best chance he had involved buying time. Maybe the demons weren't Garrett's loyal allies. Maybe a bear would come stumbling along. He needed to engage Garrett in conversation. "No, that's true. You did warn me. Although..."
"Although what," Garrett asked sharply, pressing the point of the sword further into Nigel's neck. The point really wasn't that sharp, but it was sharp enough to cut into Nigel's ability to breathe.
Which he hammed up. "C-c-can't... breathe," he said.
Garrett pulled the sword back a millimeter. "Although what?" he demanded.
Nigel didn't really have anything in mind, he just wanted to keep the conversation going, and he figured Garrett wouldn't kill him with an "although" hanging in the air. "Ask Emma," he said. His vision was clearing. Emma was tied up, helpless. Khoraja was motionless, in exactly the same position he'd seen her in last. The demon they had killed still lay still on the ground. The other two, however, were gone. They'd come out of nowhere, and vanished as easily, it seemed. It was just Garrett and the succubus. Nigel was helpless, but he wasn't without hope.
Garrett glared. "Emma? Darling?" The last word dripped with sarcasm, and he didn't take his eye off Nigel.
"Let him go," said Emma. "And I'll do whatever you want."
"You'll do whatever I want anyway," said Garrett. He looked at Nigel, and smiled. "Seems like she has quite a bit of affection for you. Which means, of course, that it's time for you to die. And I'm beginning to think you're just trying to stall."
"Why would I do that?" asked Nigel. Keep asking questions. He remembered that advice from a dating site. If you want to keep a conversation going, keep asking questions. If he survived this it would be the only thing of value from that website.
"Because you -- oof," said Garrett. An arrow hit him in the shoulder and stuck. He whirled, sword at the ready.
Another arrow bounced off his armor. A shape moved through the woods, scarcely more than a shadow. Bel.
Nigel's first instinct was to take advantage of Garrett's distraction, as if it were a momentary thing. But he'd seen Bel move in the village fight. She was quick. She could fire while on the move. And Garrett couldn't stay there guarding him and have any chance at survival as Bel shot him from a distance. Moving now would only make it harder for Bel to target.
The succubus hissed. "Kill the man," Garrett ordered, and charged.
That would be me. Nigel rolled to his right to grab his sword. He was bigger than the succubus, but she had nasty claws and a long prehensile tail. At least she couldn't fly, with one wing hanging limply to the side. He expected her to be on him immediately, but she hesitated and let him get to his feet. He'd damaged her once, and she didn't like her odds.
"Auuuughhh!" Garrett screamed, and fell over, an arrow embedded in his neck right between helmet and chest plate.
Apparently the succubus wasn't obligated to follow Garrett's orders, because she turned tail and ran. Another arrow came from the woods, burying itself in the demon's thigh. Black ichor dripped from the wound and hissed as it touched the cold ground, but it didn't measurably slow her.
Bel emerged from the woods, a new arrow notched in her bow in case a target were to emerge. She looked around pensively. "Sorry," she said.
"Good timing," Nigel responded, uninterested in a long apology or recriminations. "See to Khoraja's wounds, I'll release Emma," he said, and went to the blonde priestess. Bel could presumably do the bandage magic thing that Nigel still hadn't mastered. Nigel picked up Khoraja's dagger and hoped it had a good cutting edge. If not, he'd been good with knots in boy scouts. Trying to cut the ropes with a dull sword seemed like a recipe for disaster.
He leaned over Emma. "Stay still," h
e told her. He pushed the knife between her arm and the ropes and then jerked it back. The rope stretched and then gave. He cut her other arm free as well
"Legs," Emma said. She waited until Nigel moved there to shake the rope off her arms.
"She's dead," Bel announced. "I'm so very sorry." She was kneeling next to Khoraja, her hand on the unmoving mage's wrist, her mouth open in shock.
No. Emma gesticulated and chanted. Nigel wanted to rush to Khoraja, but freeing the healer would help more. He nicked his finger in his rush to cut Emma's legs free.
Khoraja's body glowed white with Emma's spell, but nothing else changed. She still lay there, still. Lifeless.
Khoraja was just a few feet away from Emma, who crawled over to the elven mage, ignoring her own wounds, and touched Khoraja's throat.
"I'm so sorry," Bel said, getting to her feet. "I couldn't help myself. I don't know what came over me." She looked mortified.
"Fear magic," Emma said. "No one is blaming you. Now be quiet."
Bel pressed her lips together and looked at Nigel with a question in her face. He didn't want to talk and distract Emma, so he moved over to where Bel stood and put a reassuring hand on her shoulder. Bel flinched, but didn't pull away. "Thank you," she mouthed, and then reached up, took hold of his wrist, and guided it gently away.
Khoraja glowed once, as Emma chanted. Then again.
"Why is she...?" Bel whispered to Nigel.
Emma turned her face towards Nigel and Bel. "Bel is right. She's dead. I have healed her wounds, and still she doesn't move. Without a horse we can't hope to get her to Alissandra in time."
"Use the amulet," said Nigel.
"I can only use it once," Emma said. "You'd better not die on me, or I won't forgive you."
Try very hard not to die. "Got it. Bring Khoraja back."
"It's a good wife, that resurrects her husband's lover," said Emma. "But she is my friend, too." Emma laid her hands on Khoraja's breasts.
"You two are married?" Bel asked.
Nigel wondered if groping Khoraja was precisely necessary. But he wouldn't object if it meant the elf was coming back. Emma stretched her body out on Khoraja's and kissed her deeply. The amulet dangled and nestled itself in Khoraja's cleavage. It glowed red, then pink, then white.
Khoraja didn't respond.
"It's not working," said Bel.
Nigel agreed, but didn't want to say it.
Emma rubbed her body against Khoraja, probing her mouth with her tongue. If Khoraja had been alive, it would have been sexy as hell to watch, but as it was, it was horrifying.
And then Khoraja's eyes fluttered. For a moment, she kissed Emma back. Then she pushed on Emma's shoulders, trying to get the priestess off her. Emma let Khoraja push her, rolling off even though Khoraja was too weak to move her.
The golden amulet had turned to ash and was crumbling, staining Emma's breasts with gray soot.
Khoraja smiled weakly. "No need to take advantage of me in my weakened state," she said to Emma.
"You know how my magic works," Emma said. "I wanted to give it the best chance I could."
Nigel knelt at her side, and Khoraja reached out for his hand. She nodded almost imperceptibly. "I... know, Emma. Thank you. I never was good at being grateful."
"You don't need to be grateful," Emma told her. She was weaving magic again.
Could she do more for Khoraja? Nigel had forgotten his own wounds.
Khoraja shuddered. "The darkness," she said.
As if in counterpoint to Khoraja's words, Nigel saw the white glow around him in his peripheral vision, and felt the soothing warmth of the heal spell. He felt almost completely better. Emma's heals of him were not wimpy now.
Bel, meanwhile, was also casting a spell. Everyone has a little magic except for me. He wasn't sure what effect it had, but he heard Emma say, "Thank you," before her own white light surrounded Bel.
My leadership almost cost Khoraja her life. Did cost her life. We were lucky to have a rez available. Can't afford to make another mistake. Nigel looked around, and saw Emma and Bel working with their knives, cutting out the tongues of the demon, chopping its tail, and breaking off his horns. Any doubt about the demon's gender vanished when Bel held up a part that definitely showed it was male.
Khoraja sat up. "The parts are worth lots of money in Lionguard."
"Should I salvage too?" Nigel asked.
Khoraja shook her head. "Let them handle the demon. They'll split the proceeds evenly -- word gets out about people who don't. But grab Garrett's gear. The armor will need to be adjusted to fit, but it's an upgrade. And the sword might be, too."
Nigel got the sword. It was better. He put Garrett's shoulder guards and thigh plates on, although the shoulder was an awkward fit. The hauberk didn't fit at all, and he couldn't even stuff it in his pack. He hid it in the bushes, so they could come back for it later. He went back to Khoraja.
"Help me up."
"Are you up to standing?"
"I'm almost okay," she said. "Just shaken. As if I had a nightmare. I feel like I lost sleep and I'm unsettled, but physically I'm fine."
Emma and Bel finished looting the demon bodies.
"We should follow the demon. It's wounded, and easy prey if we can catch up to it." Bel said. She looked to Nigel for confirmation. The women were all looking at him, waiting for directions. He realized that left on her own, Bel would have given chase immediately, and probably only her shame at running away restrained her.
"Let's track it," Nigel said, pointing to the black spots of ichor on the desert. "But be careful. We're not great at fighting demons, if they are all resistant to fire."
"Yeah, most of them are," said Bel. "Let's go."
From the sound of Bel's voice, she wanted to prove herself after running away. That might lead her to be foolhardy, but tracking the succubus might have the benefit of helping them find Deluca. Whether they were ready for such a fight, was another matter.
"Yeah." Nigel agreed. "Bel, you take point and track -- Khoraja and I will look out for an ambush. We want to see which way the succubus goes, because I suspect she's going back to Deluca, but we don't want to rush into another fight like that, so if I yell to retreat, everyone run. And Emma, if multiple people are injured, heal yourself first. If you go down, none of us are getting healed at all."
"And heal Nightwolf second," Khoraja said. "Your heals do the most good on him, and if we're fighting the way we should, he'll be taking most of the damage. If they get past him to me, I won't last long."
"I deserve to be lowest priority," said Bel, hanging her head. "I'm so sorry for running. I don't know what came over me. I've wanted to kill demons all my life and yet the first chance I get, I run for the woods. So if I get hit, I'll heal myself."
"We all felt the fear spell," Nigel said. "For whatever reason, the magic was more powerful on you. There's nothing to be ashamed about. We will leave no one to die." He didn't correct her about the lowest priority, because he suspected tactically she was right. She could move faster than Khoraja and dodge attacks better. "Can you heal other people, too?"
"A little. As a ranger I've learned a little druid magic, but I'm not great at it. My heals aren't nearly as effective as Emma's."
Nigel glanced at Khoraja, expecting her to make a disparaging comment about Emma's healing, but Khoraja said nothing.
"Let's go. Faster we get going, the more likely we'll keep up with the succubus."
Bel nodded, and without waiting for the others, moved forward. Nigel didn't know if Bel had any expert tracking skills as a ranger, but the succubus left a path that wasn't hard to follow. Every fifty feet there was a small spot like a miniature oil slick on the dry ground where the succubus' wound had dropped ichor from her body. Thicker than blood and had more surface tension, the substance absorbed into the ground slowly. The ichor hissed steam, making it even easier to spot.
Nigel wasn't sure what to make of Bel running away, but he sure as hell was grateful for her timely
return. And running didn't make her a coward. It just meant she didn't resist the demon's spell. If the other two girls held it against her, they were holding their tongues. Good. We need to be a team to survive.
No one said anything. Khoraja's eyes scanned the horizon, obviously nervous as the ichor-marked path led them between a pair of hills that would be perfect for an ambush. Emma, too, was wary. Since Khoraja was mostly watching to the right, Nigel kept an eye on the left, and behind. But no ambush came.
It was nearly an hour later when Bel held gestured them to join her. She had reached the top of a small hill which wasn't directly in line with the path the succubus had been following but provided a good vantage point. Nigel and the others caught up with her.
From the hill, they could see a tower on another, taller hill. It was nearly a half mile away, and nearly as formidable as the castle Windstar perpetually stood near. A thicket of scraggly trees extended behind the tower and to its left. The succubus was heading straight towards the tower. They were closer to her than she was to her destination. The distance between steaming drops of ichor had shrunk -- she was slowing down. "Stay here," Bel said, and ran forward.
"Idiot," Khoraja said, and moved to follow, but Nigel put out his hand to hold her back. She looked at him.
"Bel can handle a wounded one by herself," said Nigel. "And she needs to prove her bravery after what happened in the fight. Let her do it."
In fact, they would have just slowed her down. Nigel thought he might have been able to keep up without the armor he was wearing, but the heavy leather slowed him down some. Unless Khoraja and Emma had running skills he hadn't seen, they would lag behind. Bel was beautiful to watch in motion as she made time on the wounded succubus. She would intercept her well before she got to the tower.
Nigel crouched and told Emma and Khoraja to do the same so it would be harder for whoever or whatever occupied the tower to spot them.
Bel didn't fight fair. She got to within fifty yards of the succubus and pulled up. Drawing her bow, she took careful aim. The succubus saw her and tried to run faster, but it was wounded and tired. Bel chanted a quick spell, and the arrow glowed green. Bel's arrow hit her in the upper back, and the succubus fell and lay still. Warily, Bel advanced. When she got up to the prostrate demon, she pulled her dagger from her belt and plunged it into the monster's face.
Ascendant of Aldrya Page 16
