"My my, such bold words for a human," Katie commented with a raised eyebrow.
"Pop her like a bubble, mistress, I want to see her blood splatter everywhere," Tora said with a glare at Alyssa. Katie looked back to the struggling witch with a smug smile, her fingers flinching slightly causing the witch to let out a hoarse cry and look up with wide eyes. Alyssa felt a surge of searing hot energy flowing up through her body and into her head, her mind going blank as she felt like she was burning up from the inside. Being naturally immune to fire the sensation was both shocking and frightening to her, her voice falling quiet as she struggled to even cry out in pain.
"I don't see why you had trouble with this one, Tora dear, she seems rather weak," Katie said, tilting her head curiously.
"She used cheap tricks to elude me, my mistress, she's just a cowering rat that needs to be put down for good," Tora hissed with anger. Katie chuckled as she extended one finger out and held it against Alyssa’s forehead. A blue flame ignited at the tip and a burst of black electrical arcs raced around the witch as she screamed.
"Stop, don't hurt her!" Daniel shouted out.
"I said put her down now!" Triska yelled as she ran forward and swung with her blade. Katie's wing arched to the side and blocked the strike, the sword clashing against the upper spines of the wing as the demon merely glanced over to her. Triska growled as she struggled to push through, her sword's edge sparking while being held back with ease.
"Oh my, a human girl fighting to protect a witch? How very interesting, does this monster have some importance to you?" Katie asked curiously. She glanced to Squeak, who jumped a bit with a frustrated and fearful expression at being the demon's focus, then back to Triska.
"That's right, I remember you. You were the one that stood up for that ant girl when all the other humans were picking on her," she said with a smirk. Triska glanced to Squeak then back to Katie as the demon looked at her with an intrigued smile.
"Yes, I remember you now. Such fire in you, such loyalty to your friend, even though she's a monster who could steal away your male companion from you," she said glancing to Daniel.
"I'll show you fire if you don't put Alyssa down right now!" Triska yelled as she struggled to push back against the demon's wing. Katie chuckled in amusement as her tail whipped around and grabbed Alyssa by the neck, the witch screaming before falling limp in the tail's grip. Katie lowered her hand while her tail brought the witch back around behind her, the girl choking and kicking weakly as Tora glared at her. Triska yelled and swung at the demon again and again, the blade being blocked each time as the monster's wing arched and moved about effortlessly to stop the attack.
"Let her go right now! Let Alyssa go or I'll hack you into pieces!" Triska yelled out with fury. Katie smirked at the human with an amused expression then glanced back to Alyssa, the demon jerking the witch up a bit in the air as the girl kicked and choked loudly.
"You certainly are full of energy, girl, and all to save a monster. Not many of your kind would show such spirit like that," she said before looking back to Triska. Specca looked at Triska worriedly as Daniel was watching with frustration, knowing that he wouldn't be able to get anywhere near Alyssa to help her right now. Squeak watched as Alyssa kicked around while choking, the witch struggling to pry the tail off from around her neck. Tora looked at the struggling witch with a scowl then swung her staff, striking Alyssa in the face with a whack.
"Hold her up higher, I always wanted to break open a party favor," she said with a hiss. Katie laughed and dangled the choking witch up above the ground. Tora swung again and smacked the witch in the head with her staff, the bound girl crying out hoarsely as she struggled to pull the demon's tail off of her neck.
"Alyssa!" Daniel cried out.
"Let her go, you bitch!" Triska yelled as she swung at the demon again. Squeak narrowed her eyes and squeaked sternly, then rushed forward and struck down with her pickaxe. Katie reached out and caught the digging tool while looking at the ant girl with a calm smile, with Squeak staring with wide eyes as her attack was halted instantly.
"What's this? Somebody got a bit of a confidence boost, and here I thought you were going to soil yourself in fear of me," Katie jested. Squeak looked at her with discontent as she kept trying to push her digging tool down, squeaking with a stern tone. The demon smirked then shoved Squeak away with one hand, the ant girl skidding back only a few feet before running forward and striking down again. Katie looked at her curiously as she grabbed the strike, pushed Squeak back once more, then watched as the ant girl quickly regained her footing and ran forward again with another swing. Katie once again caught the digging tool and looked over the ant girl with a raised eyebrow.
"She's persistent, I'll give her that," she said simply. Her other wing snapped to the side and struck the ant girl across the face with a sharp swing. Squeak flew back into a tumble and collapsed down twitching a bit as her digging tool bounced nearby.
"Squeak!" Daniel cried out as he and Specca ran over to her, the two kneeling down next to the ant girl as she struggled to move.
"Oh my, are you alright?" Specca asked worriedly. Katie laughed with amusement at the sight, placing a hand at her hip while shaking her head with a raised eyebrow.
"She's still alive? Well, that girl certainly is stronger than I thought," she said with a smirk. Triska glanced over to her injured friend then growled loudly.
"Goddamn you!" she yelled with energy as she geared back for another swing of her sword. As she swung at the demon Katie grabbed Triska's hand and yanked her forward, the girl dropping her sword as the demon held her close. Triska looked at her with surprise as the monster's eyes emitted a faint greenish glow.
"Such energy in you, tell me, what's your name?" she asked she slipped her arm around Triska and held her close. Triska trembled as she struggled to move, her body seeming to be frozen in place. Her hand flinched as she stared at the demon, her breathing falling short as she couldn't look away.
'I can't move… I can't move my body, what the hell is this?'
Katie chuckled as she leaned in closer to her.
"You my dear are very fascinating. Such energy and passion, such a strong will to fight with no fear, you have a wondrous spirit within you," she said softly.
"What are you doing to Triska? Let her go!" Daniel yelled out looking over at seeing his other friend staring at the demon with a dazed look in her eye. Katie glanced to him with a sly smile then looked back into Triska's eyes.
"Triska, such a lovely name. You have so much potential inside of you. I can see it in your eyes, all that raw energy just waiting to be put to good use," she said with a gleam in her eye. Triska felt her mind starting to go hazy, her eyes feeling heavy while she felt weaker.
"Don't look into her eyes, get away from her!" Specca cried out as she held Squeak in her lap, the ant girl watching with a strained expression as Triska kept staring into the demon's eyes.
"What are you doing to her, let her go right now!" Daniel yelled out. Tora smacked Alyssa again with her staff then looked at Triska with a sly smile.
"Why, mistress, are you thinking of keeping this one?" she asked with a raised eyebrow. Katie chuckled and held Triska's chin up to her, the human breathing softly while in a trance.
"I was thinking about it actually, this girl seems like a promising one," she said softly. Triska tried to move, her body remaining unresponsive as she stood there with the demon. She couldn't look away from the succubus, her mind going blank as the demon held her.
"Stop… it," she breathed out. Katie leaned in closer to her and smiled gently, her warm breath being felt on the girl’s lips.
"Now now, my dear, just relax and embrace the-"
"Mistress, they're here!" Tora called out as she turned around and held her staff out with a glare. Katie slowly looked back to seeing Rulo, Sasha, and Daemon standing there staring at the succubus with cold expressions. Daniel and Specca looked over to them as Squeak started to slowly get up, being helped to
her feet by the human and nixie.
"Who are they?" Specca asked softly.
"More monsters," Daniel said as he saw the reptile girl holding her large broadsword while the orc was holding a giant stone hammer over her shoulder. The human was holding a sword in his hand while his cold blue eyes were locked onto the succubus.
"Running away from a true fight only to prey upon the weak, how disgraceful," Sasha hissed with narrowed eyes.
"What's wrong, we were too tough for you?" Rulo said with an oink. Katie smiled coldly as Tora narrowed her eyes at the trio. Alyssa slowly looked over to the newcomers with weary eyes then down to the side, seeing the broken blade of the Ashwood guard lying in the street. She slowly held a hand out towards it while she held the demon's tail with the other, choking quietly as she tried to focus her magic. The blade started to rattle and shift around slightly as the witch began to lose focus, her world fading to black as she couldn't breathe.
"Tora, my dear, would you be so kind as to do away with those three for me? Triska and I are just getting to know each other, and it would be so rude to just leave her be now," Katie said looking back towards the human girl. Triska wavered slightly as she kept staring at the demon in a trance. Tora struck her staff into the ground with a sharp thrust, the relic letting off a rippling wave of dark light through the street as the newcomers watched her carefully.
"You won't be getting in my mistress's way again," she said with discontent as the ground around her started to shift and move around slightly.
Alyssa's eyes rolled back as she started to fall limp, flinging her hand to the side causing the nearby broken blade to fly towards them in a wild spin. Katie looked over to see the piece of steel sparking as it spun around across the street before flying towards her. The group watched with surprise as the blade struck into the demon's thigh, the monster screaming as her wings flinched behind her. Her tail flailed about, throwing Alyssa over to the side and onto the street gasping for air. Tora looked back to the demon with wide eyes then to the blade.
"Mistress!" she cried out. Triska wavered a bit then fell back, collapsing down on the ground in a daze as the succubus was looking at the blade stuck in her leg. Katie growled furiously before looking over to Alyssa, the witch coughing and gasping for air behind her.
"You… little brat!" she roared as she aimed her hand down towards the girl, a dark purplish glow forming as Tora glared down at the witch. Alyssa coughed then looked up wearily as the dark light from the demon grew larger. Tora growled with anger then looked behind to seeing Sasha and Rulo dashing towards them with their weapons drawn. Tora waved her staff out as the two monster girls darted to either side, with Daemon charging forward with his sword held out. A distorted wave of energy clashed around his blade and flew past him as he braced from the attack, the human narrowing his eyes as the two other monster girls then dashed towards the witch from both sides. Tora growled then struck her staff into the street, causing a pulse of magic to ripple out as the ground shook. Black thorny vines whipped up around in front of her wildly through the cobblestones as the two monster girls charged forward, with Sasha using her broadsword and cleaving through them in one swing while Rulo smashed down with her hammer, causing the ground to crack apart and cave in slightly with the vines flailing around weakly. Tora stumbled back as she tried to balance herself while the ground under her cracked apart from the orc’s strike.
"End of the line!" Sasha yelled as she geared back her sword while running up towards the witch. Katie glanced over and then aimed her attack to the side, the blast of dark purple light streaking out towards the reptile girl. Sasha gasped and brought up her blade in front of her, the sword catching the attack just before it struck her. A bright flash of purple and red energy rippled out in front of the girl as she was sent tumbling back with a yell. Her sword bounced back a few times before striking into the ground as she rolled to a stop with smoke coming from her arms. Katie growled then looked over to seeing Daemon racing up towards them with his sword held down to the side. Tora aimed her staff towards him again as she focused her magic, this time with the human swiping his blade out in front of him. A shockwave of distorted energy rippled out from the blade as the ground carved apart in front of him towards the witch, the girl watching with surprise before being knocked back into Katie from the force of magic. The succubus stumbled a bit as she grabbed the blade lodged in her leg then yanked it out, growling while flinching in pain as blood dripped from her wound.
"He… deflected her magic," Specca said with wonder. She and Squeak looked over to see Alyssa slowly sitting up while Daniel looked over to see Triska gradually regaining her senses, the human girl blinking a few times as her world came into focus again.
"Wha… what happened?" she murmured as she started to look around. She looked up and saw Katie standing there with her wings arched out, the demon's tail whipping behind her as her leg was bleeding. The succubus tossed the bloodied blade to the side as she glared at Daemon who was racing towards her again, the human swinging his blade at her before the demon grabbed Tora and took off into the air. Daemon looked up towards her as the demon hovered above everybody, with Tora hopping onto her staff and sitting on it sideways while looking down at the boy with anger.
"Running away already? I thought you Darker Ones weren't such cowards," Daemon taunted with narrowed eyes. Triska looked at him with wonder then up as the succubus scowled at them. Katie clutched the artifact in her hand as she narrowed her eyes at the human, eyes that gave off a faint greenish hue briefly. Tora glanced over to see a large number of Ashwood guardians and humans with swords and hammers running through the street towards them. She then looked over down another street and saw a serpent flailing back and crashing into a building as arrows and spears were struck into it, with another large mob of humans and armed guards crowding around the fallen beast.
"Mistress, the humans have regained control in their city, they'll be here soon," she grunted with annoyance. Katie breathed out then glanced to Triska as the human was getting back to her feet.
"I see. I suppose I'll have to settle for just the artifact this time," she said with discontent.
Sasha got back to her feet holding her sword as Squeak ran over and helped Alyssa up, the witch using her staff to balance on as she looked up at the airborne monsters. Tora glared down at her then ran a thumb across her neck in a quick motion.
"Next time we meet, Alyssa," she hissed. Alyssa narrowed her eyes at the witch while Triska growled loudly at the succubus. Katie smirked as her wings flapped behind her, looking down at the human girl who was glaring at her with anger.
"It was so nice to have met you, Triska, I look forward to our next encounter. Please, take care of yourself until then, little kitten," she said with a wink.
"Little kitten?" Triska growled through bared teeth, her eyebrow twitching a bit as she shook with rage. She yelled and aimed her sword up at the demon.
"Who the hell are you calling little kitten? Get back down here so I can slaughter you!" she roared.
"Your friend has an anger problem, doesn't she?" Specca asked nervously.
"I'm going to hack you into goddamned pieces and throw each of those pieces into a fire then have Lucky piss on the ashes!" Triska yelled out with fury. Daniel blinked then shrugged slightly.
"Maybe a little bit," he said simply. Katie smiled amusingly down at the girl then looked to Daemon with a dull glare.
"And as for you, next time we meet I intend to finish our little dance," she said with a bite.
"Try not to disappoint me then," he said coldly. Katie scoffed at his words then looked over to seeing a large crowd of humans making their way through the streets towards them.
"Come, Tora, we're through here," she said with annoyance. Tora nodded as the two turned to fly away, glancing back to Alyssa with a glare before looking ahead. The two flew off over the city, with the demon's wings flapping effortlessly while the witch rode on her staff. Daniel and Specca walked over towards Triska as
she was watching the demon fly off with a glare still. She glanced over to her friend and smiled then looked at the other boy as he too was watching the succubus vanish in the distance.
"Who are you anyway?" Triska asked curiously. He didn't respond, rather kept looking off into the distance while Sasha and Rulo approached them.
"Sorry, master, we failed to stop them," Sasha said with remorse.
"I told you before, stop calling me that," he said calmly. Sasha twitched then nodded slowly.
"Right, sorry," she said softly.
"Master?" Specca asked looking at the reptile girl and orc. The two merely glanced to her then looked back at the human. Triska looked at them curiously then over to Specca.
"And who are you even?" she asked. Specca jumped a bit then smiled shyly at her.
"Oh, my name is Specca. I was assisting Daniel here at the library when… well…" she said before looking back at the destroyed library. Squeak and Alyssa walked over to them as Triska glanced to the remains of the library then over to Specca again. She then looked over to see Alyssa walking up to them and smiled a bit.
"Hey, are you alright?" she asked gently. Alyssa nodded while looking at her with wonder.
"You… you stood up to a Darker One for me," she said in disbelief. Triska smiled proudly and nodded.
"You bet, we're a team in this after all," she said with confidence. Alyssa looked at her for a moment then shook her head.
"What the hell is wrong with you, Triska? You can't attack a Darker One, are you out of your mind?" she yelled out. Triska jumped with surprise as Alyssa looked at her with discontent.
"What kind of guardian are you for Daniel when you go around fighting monsters that are clearly out of your league? Are you crazy, you can't fight a succubus! Are you trying to get yourself and Daniel killed?" Alyssa shouted.
"What the hell, Alyssa, I tried to help you when you were being beaten senseless by that other witch and you just yell at me for it? Show some goddamned gratitude," Triska demanded with annoyance.
chronicles of eden - act I Page 50
