The night seemed to shake as the Balor demon roared and launched himself into the sky. His dark form silhouetted against the night as he reached the apex of his flight. Then he was falling like a stone straight at Sir Aldin. The knight braced himself, lifting his shield above him, but he did not flinch away as the demon bore down upon him. The demon slammed into him, and the cloud of dust that rose from the battlefield covered them from sight. The demons started to laugh again as they ran forward to assault the castle’s walls. No one could have survived a blow like that. For now, it seemed that luck was on the demons’ side.
CHAPTER 2
NITRO
The van pulled to a stop in front of a decrepit office building in the warehouse sector of town. It didn’t look like much, but the locations the demons chose never did. I could already feel the pull of the portal, so this was definitely the right place. The last thing the demons would want was a building that people might notice or, even worse, actually use. No one was going to notice this shithole, especially not at three in the morning.
If anyone actually worked in this building, they wouldn’t be here now. The district didn’t really come alive until the deliveries started streaming in around four or five in the morning. So we had some time to work unnoticed. The fucking demons always liked to cut it close. They knew we cared more about being seen than we did about a few of them escaping. A quick look over at my team and I knew they were ready.
“All right, ladies and gents. We are going in fast and hard. Vanessa and Squigs, you got the roof. Taylor and Martin, you cover the lobby and head down. Thomas, you’re with me.”
I already knew Squigs didn’t like being on shit duty. The roof heading down was always the lightest load. Personally, I would have rather had him with me, but Thomas was a newbie, and Vanessa still needed some help. Taylor and Martin would be able to hold their own and provide backup wherever it was needed. I just hoped the new kid didn’t shit himself, because things were about to get real.
“We enter the building on my mark.” Everyone made eye contact with me. No one was scared, and everyone looked ready to kick some ass. “Let’s do this thing.”
The back doors to the van shot open, and the six of us piled out into the street. As soon as we were clear, the van took off. Jetson would be waiting for us a few blocks away in case we needed a quick extraction. Other than that, we were on our own.
I tapped my comm to make sure it was working. “Squigs, tell me when you’re in position.”
“You got it, Nitro.”
Man, I just couldn’t wait until we could give the rest of the crew nicknames. It was important to wait, though, because once you earned one, it was never going away. Not all of the nicknames ended up being flattering either. Once, I had been paired up with a guy named Beans. I didn’t get it until he let one rip. So the name was appropriate, but who the hell wanted to be known as Beans?
“Nitro, we are ready to breach on your signal.” Squigs’ voice crackled through my earpiece.
Shit, we were getting some interference from something. That was just what we needed. I was still damn impressed by how fast they made it to the top of the building. Maybe Vanessa really was coming along better than I gave her credit for. Six stories was no small feat for a newbie, and to do it that fast meant she had been paying attention. At least Squigs was in good company. I had to break in the new kid, again. Next mission Vanessa was coming with me; it was time that I got to evaluate her firsthand in a combat situation. See that, Adam, I’m a true professional. No reason to hate on me because of my flashy hair and award-winning smile.
Thomas almost walked past me. I threw an arm out, halting his progress. “This is important for you to remember, scrub. Stay behind me at all times. When I move, you move, and don’t die, all right?”
His throat bobbed as he swallowed his fear, and then he nodded once. Now the pressure was finally getting to him. The entire ride over, he had seemed jittery, almost beyond excited. We didn’t see that too often with first-timers unless they were just action junkies. So the fear he was showing now was good. I had been worried for a while that maybe they had stuck me with another loose cannon. Just because I like to play it hard and fast with the rules didn’t mean I wanted to throw my life away. Everyone freaked out a little during their first battle. It was a natural reaction. That was why the newbies always came with me. If they glitched and couldn’t move, I was pretty sure I could save their asses. I had only lost one this year; I’m pretty sure that was a record, and if it wasn’t, it should be.
“Hit it, Squigs.”
I heard the sound of metal tearing from down on the ground as he ripped the rooftop door from its hinges. Not the most subtle man on the planet, but the time for subtlety ended when we left the van. I started running forward. Thomas stayed right behind me. The other team moved into position behind him. They would be following us down, cleaning up anything I left behind unless Squigs called for backup.
My gift came to life in my hands, and I cast a wall of dense air out in front of us. It ripped through the double glass doors, shattering them as they hit the floor. A man walked around the desk, and I gathered the broken shards of glass in the air and sent them toward him. He fell to the ground, black blood pouring from his wounds.
My sword rang out in the now silent space as I pulled it from its sheath on my belt. The edges of the blade glowed white for a moment, and then I plunged it into the demon's body. His body started to convulse, and then I swiped the blade through the creature's neck, severing its head. I hated the ones wearing meat suits. When they pretended to be human, it offended me. Our first demon of the night was dead. I looked at Thomas. “See, kid? It’s not that bad.”
Then we were running again. A brutal kick ripped the door to the stairwell off its hinges and sent it flying down the stairs. I leaped over the railing at the intersection, avoiding the tangled mess. Thomas stayed right behind me. Our other team split off at the first sublevel, while Thomas and I continued down to the basement. We hadn’t run into any real resistance yet, and that was starting to worry me.
“Squigs, how you doing?”
“Two floors down and nothing.”
Where the hell were they? I could still feel the pull of the portal, but this wasn’t right. The building should be crawling with demons. They would never leave a portal unguarded. They needed it to stay open as long as possible. Maybe they were trying a new tactic. Whatever it was, I didn’t like it.
“Stay frosty, Thomas. Something isn’t right.”
“You got it, Nitro.”
We hit the door to sub-basement level four without running into anyone. The pull of power on this floor was almost too much to stand. The greasy blackness of the demon magic made my skin crawl. I didn’t want to be down here any longer than I had to be, but I couldn’t shake the feeling that I was walking into a trap.
“We’re going to do this a little different. I want you to hang back by the door, and I’ll call you if I need help.” The kid hit me with the puppy dog eyes. “Don’t look at me like that, kid. Something isn’t right with this run. I’m not pulling you into a trap you aren’t ready for yet, because that could get both of us killed.”
“Whatever you say, Nitro.” More of the puppy dog eyes. “Just call me if everything looks normal.”
Nothing about this was fucking normal. Demons should have been charging us, trying to rip our faces off, and instead, we got an unguarded building. It didn’t sit right in my stomach, and the newbie wasn’t getting killed on my watch if I could help it. There was nothing to do now but go for it. I kicked the door open and ran into the room.
Two steps into the room and I knew I made a huge mistake. I turned toward Thomas as the door swung shut, and screamed, “Get everyone out now.” I hoped that he could hear me. The door closed, and I was sealed inside of the room with an archfiend. I hadn’t expected to die today, but if this fucker thought I was going down without a fight, he was in for a surprise.
It felt as if I
was on the same plane of reality, which was good. That meant there was a chance that I could get out of here alive. The bad news was I was pretty sure I wasn’t in the same building, and that meant I could be anywhere. No backup, and my comms had fried on the way through the portal. Now I was facing one of the most dangerous demons on the planet cut off from my team. The chances of me surviving weren’t the greatest. The weight of my sword in my hand reassured me slightly. The sword’s edges glowed with a dull white light. Bring it.
The archfiend walked forward, straightening the lapels of his coat as he came. He stopped three feet away. He was unarmed, so maybe I had a chance if I acted quickly. He didn’t look like anything special. He was five nine, give or take an inch, and looked to be in decent shape. Black hair, blacker eyes, and a smug smile I would love to wipe off his perfectly sculpted face. The black eyes gave him away, but that could have been any demon. What really set him apart was the power I could feel radiating off of him. His power crashed into me like rolling waves into the rocky shore. My hand twitched. I was ready for action, and then my hand slowly fell to the side as the fiend started to speak.
“If it isn’t the infamous Nitro, or would you prefer that I use your given name?”
I wondered if he actually knew my given name, but chances were if he offered, he did. I’d prefer to stay a little less friendly. “Nitro’s fine.”
“Why don’t you put the blade away so we can talk like gentlemen?”
My hand twitched again. Damn, this guy was powerful, but I wasn’t that weak-willed. Pulling on my power, I increased my personal shield, pushing the demon from my mind. “I’m good, thanks.”
“Well, if you insist on being petty, it’s only fair that I join you.”
Out of nowhere, a hilt appeared in the demon’s hand. Fire and darkness unfolded from it until there was a perfect black blade inscribed with red runes in his hand. His blade seemed to suck the light in from the air around it. The polar opposite of what mine did.
“You see, Nitro, you and your team have been causing some problems for us. My associates and I would appreciate it if you stopped being a problem and started being part of the solution.”
“Are you really offering me a job right now?”
“Why not? The pay is better, we have all kinds of fringe benefits, and you get to be on the side of the winning team.”
“As flattering as that sounds, I’m afraid I am going to have to decline.”
“Pity, I hate to see such talent go to waste. You could have been glorious.”
I brought my blade up, and the archfiend did the same. We moved in a slow circle, each of us looking for a hole in the other’s defenses. I’d never been one for the patient approach—normally being slightly reckless served me well—but seeing where I ended up today, I might have to reevaluate. Screw it.
I launched my first attack at the archfiend. He brought his sword up in time and easily deflected the blow to the side. He came back at me with a series of thrusts that I deflected and countered. It was almost as if we were dancing. Each movement I made corresponded with the opposite from him.
“You seem to still have me at a disadvantage,” I said, blocking another quick thrust.
“How so?”
“You know my name, but I don’t know yours.”
Our blades came together, and we crashed into each other, each of us grabbing the other's wrist as the blades ground against each other. He smiled as he looked into my eyes. It was hard to tell just what was off about his face, but it screamed not human. Every now and then, I seemed to get flashes of the demon inside.
He pushed me back and spoke. “On this side of the veil, they call me Ryan.”
I charged at him, unleashing a barrage of kicks while I kept my blade coming in from different angles. He deflected each strike as if he knew they were coming. “Ryan isn’t such an intimidating name.” He dashed forward almost faster than I could follow. I managed to block two of the three strikes, but the third managed to break through my defense, and I had to grit my teeth against the pain as his blade found a home in my left shoulder.
The arm fell limp at my side, and I called on my gift to heal it while I blocked three more rapid swings. The bleeding slowly stopped, and I felt the feeling return to my fingers. When I could make a fist again, I stopped the magic. I might need the extra power to get out of here.
“Now that wasn’t very sporting, was it?” Ryan said with a pout.
“I tend to err on the side of using whatever keeps me alive the longest.”
“Frankly, I expected more from you. It seems your reputation has been greatly exaggerated.”
I lunged forward, striking out with everything I had. Ryan moved backward in controlled steps. He had an answer for everything I threw at him. Finally, in frustration, I called on my gift and augmented my strength and speed. He still managed to match every single strike blow for blow. When I tried to lash out with a bolt of fire, he easily knocked it to the side. Slowly, I could see that he had grown tired of the game. Like a cat that had finally grown bored of swatting at the mouse. He came at me then, and I turned to run.
I made it exactly three steps before I froze in mid-stride. What the fuck? I called on my gift and covered the air around me in flames. I still couldn’t move. I started searching for his power. When I found it, I broke one of the tendrils holding me in place, but it was quickly replaced by a new one. Slowly, I rose a foot or so off the ground, and Ryan turned me around to face him.
“That was a pretty good match. In fact, it’s best I’ve had in years. Most of your kind turns to run or drops to their knees and begs. Such pathetic creatures the saviors of humanity have become.”
I spat at him. It missed, but the intent wasn’t missed. Ryan’s eyes flashed red for a moment before he continued to speak.
“I have some questions that I need answered.”
“Fuck off and die.”
“I was hoping you would say something like that. The way you creatures use your words has always astounded me. No two of you are alike when put into the same situation. Unfortunately, you all tend to break in the same way, making it slightly less rewarding.”
“I’m happy to disappoint.”
Two men walked into the room from behind me and sat a chair down. Ryan’s power forced me into the chair. The two men moved back a few feet from me and held their place. “What’s with the two clowns? Worried I might break free?”
“Actually, I think they were worried about getting blood on their shoes. I hate to admit this, but when it comes to torture, I’m not exactly subtle. Now tell me, how do you know where our portals are being opened?”
“Fuck you!”
His fist hit me in the chest like a freight train. All of the air rushed out of my lungs. I would have fallen to the floor, but he still had me pinned to the chair. The blow to my face dislocated something. I tried to call on my gift, but he blocked my magic somehow. Just who in the hell was this guy? I’d never heard of a major player called Ryan before. His next strike came down like a hammer on my hand, breaking the bone in the center of it. He followed that up by smashing his foot into the inseam of my foot.
“I want answers!” he screamed into my face.
“Then you’re going to be waiting a long time.”
This time, he moved forward, and he cut off one of my fingers. Looking at it, I knew what he had done, and I could see the finger on the ground, but I couldn’t feel anything. Then the pain washed over me, and I almost broke. It was close, but I managed to keep from cracking. He reached out with one finger and touched my forehead. With that one simple touch, I was completely healed. I wiggled my finger in disbelief.
“Now we get to do it again.” His men took another step back.
I had the feeling I was in for a hell of a long day.
CHAPTER 3
SIR ROLAND’S REDEMPTION
The ground shook when the demon collided with Sir Aldin. The cloud of dust that rose into the air was at least thirty feet tall. N
o one could have survived a blow like that. The men on the wall stopped firing their arrows, and silence descended across the battlements. The demon horde cheered, waiting to see their demon leader rise victorious.
A cool wind blew across the battlefield, carrying the dust away with it. The last rays of the sun died on the horizon, and the moon rose. The men took it as a sign that one of their leaders had fallen. A wail of sorrow rose from the wall, and the horde laughed and danced about, assured that their victory was closer than ever before. A single beam of moonlight broke through the clouds and fell onto the crater. Now even the demons had gone silent. Every eye turned toward the cracked and scorched ground, and they waited.
At first, nothing happened, and the demons started to grow restless. The sounds of shifting rock made them silent again. A white gauntlet appeared at the top of the crater, followed closely by a second one. Moments later, Sir Aldin was again standing alone in front of the demon horde. His armor was dented and dirty, but standing in the glow of the moonlight, he looked almost angelic. The cloud above must have finished crossing the moon. The battlefield was again bathed in the bright light of the full moon.
Sir Aldin didn’t waste the time his surprise emergence had bought him. He called on all of the power that he could summon and charged into the demon horde with his sword held high. The arrows fell from the sky around him, sinking into the demons as he passed. He struck down those that stepped into his path, but he always kept moving forward. He used his shield as a battering ram and called upon his gift to strengthen his legs.
When he reached the center of the horde, he slammed his sword into the ground and pulled his power tighter around him. The demons started to charge forward. A smile cracked his lips, and he released the power that had been building in one solid burst of energy. It rolled through the horde like a thundercloud. The demons closest to him simply evaporated on the spot. Those within the next fifty feet lost limbs or burst into flames as the unbridled power of God washed over them. The demons within the next hundred feet of the epicenter were burned so badly that they wouldn’t be able to continue.
Demon Stone (Ascendancy Legacy 4) Page 2
