“If you want me to kick your ass again, I’d be happy to do so.” Sathanus looked me up and down. “I always enjoy a good fisticuffs.” She leaned her axe against one shoulder before holding her other hand out to me and curling her fingers toward herself. “Bring it.”
“All right,” I said, my hands curling into fists, only before I could strike, her knee lashed out. The blow caught me in the midsection, so hard stars flashed across my vision. Spittle-laced breath exploded from my lips as my feet left the ground and I flew through the air. As I slammed into the dirt a couple hundred yards away before rolling across the rocky ground like a broken mannequin, I finally realized she’d hit me.
Laughter filled my ears, pulsing in my brain as the archangel sauntered toward me. “Sure, I cheated. You weren’t ready, blah, blah.” She snorted. “But in a real fight, there is no cheating.” She looked down at me. “There’s just winning and losing. To think otherwise, well, that’s scrub talk.”
She offered me a hand, which I took. Then she dropped me, letting me hit the dirt. “You were supposed to counterattack instead of letting me help you up.” She slapped her thigh. “Pathetic.”
“When I heal, we’re going to try this one more time,” I snarled. Then I pushed myself to my feet. I could still feel my bones healing themselves, but this time it was different. It certainly seemed like once I’d sustained an injury, similar injuries healed quicker the next time I sustained them.
“No.” Sathanus shook her head. “We’ve been at this for hours.” She gestured to the horizon where lightning crackled and popped. “I’m going to get myself a mug of ale and then eat a big pile of ribs.” She looked at me. “We can resume tomorrow, but I want you to keep something in mind, Arthur.”
“What’s that?” I asked, and as I spoke, my stomach rumbled audibly. The Archangel of Wrath’s eyes flitted to my gut before landing on my face once more.
“I’ve been holding back.” She shrugged. “You don’t have to believe me, but I quickly realized if I went at you full speed, I’d kill you.”
“You were holding back?” I asked, unable to fathom it. She’d been so fast I could barely follow her movements, so strong that every blow had broken bones. How could she be holding back?
“Yes.” She held up one finger. “I’ve been using about one percent of my power.” I expected her to smirk, but she stared at me stone-faced, making me think she was serious. Only if that was true, I was fucked. “This isn’t even my final form.”
“Your final form?” I asked, confused. “Is that some kind of joke?”
“You think Envy is the only one with a dragon form?” Sathanus arched an eyebrow.
“I hadn’t thought about it.” I searched her face, but it didn’t seem like she was lying. That made a chill run down my spine. The Archangel of Envy could transform into a massive serpent, and when she did, her power increased by a factor of insanity. That Wrath could do it was simply horrifying, especially since she claimed to be fighting me at one percent strength.
“Think about it.” Sathanus met my eyes, and for a second, I felt the enormity of her strength. It was like being thrown into a sun. Heat blasted me, burning my flesh away to atoms before devouring what remained like the endless, crushing void of a black hole. I wasn’t sure if Lucifer could bring that kind of power to bear or not, but I had to imagine Wrath was not unique in this way.
“Can Michelle do the same?” I asked, swallowing hard.
“I would assume so. My sister could when I came down here for an extended vacation.” Wrath shrugged. “So yes, I’m assuming she went all out and still fucking lost.” The Archangel of Wrath shivered then. “That scares me, Arthur, and while I’m happy to keep training you. I don’t think it will matter.”
The sad thing was, I almost believed her. Still, I had to try, had to get stronger. If I didn’t, what was I doing here? How could I save Gabriella?
No. I needed to be able to fight Dred.
“I think it matters.” I nodded to Wrath. “As you said before, sometimes experience trumps strength.” I took a deep breath. “I assume Michelle and Dred have clashed many times. What we need to find out is why this time was different.”
I gestured toward the sky, where I could still see the swirling rift that Dred had torn open when he’d defeated Michelle, driving her from Heaven’s hallowed shores into the beached of Hell.
Angelic bodies no longer fell from the sky, but the hole was still there, pulsating like a massive wound in the horizon.
“That’s a fair point.” Sathanus frowned. “Let us speak more of it over a few drinks.” She licked her lips. “I have a massive thirst.” She pointed at me with one stubby finger. “And you’re buying Mr. I-lost-thirty-six-fights-in-a-row.”
“You didn’t actually expect me to win, did you?” I asked, following her.
“Not really, but I’d hoped you would.” She shrugged. “And you’re still buying.”
“I’ll tell them to put it on my tab,” I replied as we stepped through the gates and entered the city. It was a flurry of activity. Those angels that had lived were strewn out across every available space while healers tended to them. The bastards at the healer’s guild had tried to argue with us about costs and whatnot, but Lucifer had put a stop to that pretty damned quick when she’d hurled the guild leader into a volcano.
“I hate the smell of healing.” Wrath furrowed her brow as she made her way toward the mess hall. “It’s like suffering without the twang of victory from the battlefield.” She waved a hand dismissively, and I could tell the sight of so many hurt was bothering her.
“I’m just glad we’ll be able to heal most of them.” I glanced at the sky. Dred had done this, and I still had no idea what the forces of Darkness were capable of. I mean, I had an army of Archangels at my back, but what if Dred had something similar? After all, that lich I’d faced alongside Sam had seemed tough, but it’d also seemed like a minion. What if they had actual champions similar to the archangels?
“I am as well.” Sathanus frowned. “But this should not have been possible from just one man’s strength. Even with the Darkness on his side.” She shrugged. “It is concerning.”
“I’ve been thinking about that, and I guess we need to wait until Michelle wakes up from when Dred beat her into a coma—”
“If she wakes up.” Sathanus sighed before giving me a “go on” look.
“Anyway, I think he’s got to have help.” I gestured at her. “People like you. It’s the only way this all makes sense.”
“I would assume there are strong warriors within the Darkness, the likes of which I have not seen. After all, the Empress must be incredibly powerful.” Sathanus stroked her lustrous beard as we stepped into the mess hall and moved across the dingy wooden building toward a table in the corner. It was mostly empty, given the time of day. It was really early in the morning, and I figured that was why. That was when I realized I hadn’t slept in over a day, and what’s more, I wasn’t tired. At all.
“I feel like this is going to be one of those bad shounen mangas.” I sighed, taking a seat and resting my face in my hands. “The kind where you go through, and there are all these strong people, and then once you get strong enough to win, you find out there’s a whole new world of exponentially more powerful people.”
“I absolutely hope that isn’t the case.” Sathanus drummed her fingers on the table. “But it can’t be ruled out. Who knows how long this fight will go on?” She looked toward the ceiling. “I know it feels like you’ve made progress because you have some of the Armaments, but that will not be enough to save Gabriella and stop Dred.” She swallowed hard as a waitress came over.
“What will you two have?” she asked, voice cutesy, and as I smiled at her, taking in her short blue hair, high cheekbones, and supermodel good-looks, I noticed the stain on her right cheek. It was from the chef’s guild, and it made me wonder what she’d done to get banished.
“Ale. A lot of it.” Sathanus slammed a fist on the tab
le, and the sound echoed through the nearly empty room, causing the few patrons inside to look at us. “And meat. Enough to choke a party of goblins.”
“I’ll have some water,” I added as the girl turned to look at me, her hand whipping out over her pad. “And some breakfast. Whatever is fine as long as it’s mostly protein.”
“It will be as you wish.” She took a look around. “Let me check on the others before I go fix you something special.” Her eyes moved to her feet, and her cheeks flushed. “Thank you again for giving me this chance, Builder.”
“You’re beautiful and special. Why wouldn’t I give you a chance?” I asked, trying to remember her name and failing. I was sure I knew it, but then again, so many refugees had come in over the last few weeks, they’d all sort of become a blur, and furthermore, I had never been in the mess hall at this time. It didn’t make me feel like less of an ass.
“I, um…” she touched the stain emblazoned on her cheek with one finger. “I just…”
“I don’t care about marks or guilds or any of that crap.” I got to my feet and reached out to touch her cheek, running my knuckle across the scarred flesh where the guild’s banishment stood as a stark reminder to everyone. “I just care about you, and I think you’re beautiful.” I nodded. “This just shows how afraid of you the guild is.”
“Thank you!” she squeaked before turning on her heel and vanishing into a flurry of blue hair.
“Working on a new conquest?” Sathanus raised an eye at me. “Don’t have enough already?”
“What? No.” I shook my head as I sat down. “I’m just tired of all these people feeling like they’re less.” I touched my chest. “I know what it’s like to feel like you’re a piece of shit who won’t amount to anything. Then someone finally saw my potential and look.” I spread my hands to the room. “I just want others to have the same chance.”
“Is that so?” Sathanus murmured as the waitress came back with two frothy mugs of ale. Part of me hadn’t even known we had ale, but then again, Buffy, our resident merchant, and the dwarves had hammered out a trade deal, so I guess it wasn’t that surprising.
“Here you go,” the waitress said, smiling brightly at me, and I could have sworn she looked prettier. Had she done something?
“Thank you,” I said, taking my mug from her.
“No.” She shook her head, smacking her ruby red lips together. “Thank you, for everything.” She moved a bit closer. “If I could, I’d like to really thank you sometime.”
Sathanus kicked me under the table before turning to the girl. “That would be fine, but I don’t want him distracted. Could you come back in a bit?” She winked at the waitress who flushed.
“Right, sorry. You must be busy.” She scurried off, and as she hit the threshold for the kitchen, she glanced back over her shoulder. “I’ll have your meals soon.”
“Why were you so rude?” I asked, narrowing my eyes at Sathanus as the dwarf turned her gaze back to me.
“She wanted to fuck you, and we don’t have time for that.” Sathanus rolled her eyes.
“You don’t know that.” I shook my head. “She was probably just being nice.”
“Right.” Sathanus drew the word out. “Anyway, as you were saying earlier, I think there might be worse things in the Darkness. Strong things.” She took a huge gulp of ale, draining half the glass and leaving white froth on her beard. “Be prepared for that.”
“Yeah, I suppose you’re right. Expect the unexpected.” I took a sip of my own ale. It tasted nutty and had a hint of pineapple to it, which was a bit strange.
“Exactly.” Sathanus finished her ale and slammed the empty on the table. “That way, when this whole thing jumps the rails, you’ll be prepared.” She glanced at her empty mug for a second. “Jesus, it’s like the Sahara in here.” She got to her feet and snatched up her empty glass. “I’ll be right back.”
3
“You’re a goddamned angel,” I said, pushing my plate away and leaning back in my chair. I was so full of eggs, bacon, and sausage, I could practically feel it in my throat, and what was more, it had been so delicious, each bite had brought nearly an explosive orgasm of flavor.
“Thanks.” The waitress who turned out to be named Takumi said, nodding furiously. “It always makes me happy when people enjoy my cooking.” She twisted her hands. “I’d hoped to take over my parents’ restaurant in the fishing district, which is why I went to the prestigious cooking academy at Royal Centre.” She bit her lip.
“Then what happened?” I asked, glancing from her to the empty seat Sathanus had vacated a half hour ago. She’d grown bored with watching me eat and left to do something else. It was weird because I hadn’t expected to eat so much, and to be honest, the sheer volume of food I’d put away was a bit bothersome. Still, a guy has gotta eat, especially when brought a home cooked meal prepared by a delicious woman.
“I, um, well.” She swallowed. “One of my professors didn’t like that I didn’t follow one of his recipes exactly. We had these bad cabbages, so I tried to do a different method to compensate for that, and he didn’t like that I veered from his recipe even though it let me finish the challenge. I was expelled on the spot.” Tears clouded her vision, and she sniffled. “I never thought I’d be able to cook again.” She brightened, wiping her eyes. “But you don’t care about that, do you, Arthur?” She nodded. “Come back anytime, and I’ll cook my hardest for you.”
“Thank you,” I said, swallowing hard as I absorbed her story. It made me feel bad that such a thing had happened, and it made me wonder how many other similar things had happened. After all, I’d heard a similar story from countless Stained.
Part of me knew it was to keep the guilds in power, but most of me hated it. Still, now wasn’t the time to focus on righting Hell’s wrongs. No. It was time to work harder, to train harder. Then I could save Gabriella.
I shut my eyes for a second, thinking about the Archangel of Love. Was she okay? Part of me hoped she was even though I knew that Gabriella was innocent and pure. What was more, she was made to fall in love. If Dred was being nice to her, it was possible she’d fall for him and give him her mark and armament, making him even more powerful.
It was in my best interest for him to be torturing her, and even still, I hated the thought of it. No. At the end of the day, I wanted Gabriella to be okay. Besides, I was coming for her.
“Did my story displease you?” Takumi said, her voice bringing me back to her face. She had her eyes cast down at her twisting hands. “I didn’t mean—”
“No. I just have a lot on my mind.” I nodded to her and flashed a smile. “Say could you do me a favor?”
“Anything.” She flushed. Hard. “What do you require?” She swallowed. “If it is in my power, I will do my best to make it happen, even if it something you think I won’t like. I’ll definitely try for you.”
“Give me the name of the professor who flunked you.” I waved a hand at the empty plates. “Because this is the best thing I’ve ever eaten.”
“Oh.” Her chest flushed as well this time. “Shino.” Takumi swallowed. “She owned the premier restaurant in Royal Centre, so she’s probably…”
“Could be.” I nodded, getting to my feet. Royal Centre had been destroyed when Lucifer awoke, and while a lot of people had been killed in the blast, many had been in the other cities. If this Shino was alive, well, I wanted to have a word with her. Still, first thing was first. It was time to get a move on.
“Can I make you something for your travels?” Takumi asked as I got to my feet.
“That would be great. I’ll come back and get it in a bit, okay?” I nodded to her before picking up my water and downing the glass.
“Sure thing,” she squawked before hurrying to clean up my dishes. “Anything you’d like in particular.”
“I trust you to make something awesome.” I smiled. “After all, you just made me the best breakfast ever.”
“You won’t be disappointed.” She gripped th
e plate in her hand tightly and nodded furiously. “I promise.”
“I’m sure you’re right.” I waved. “Now, if you’ll excuse me.”
“Right, of course. You must be very busy.” She took a deep breath, causing her chest to push against the white fabric of her apron, and for a second I wondered if she was wearing anything beneath it. Part of me wanted to look, but that seemed rude, so instead, I waved once more and made my way outside.
It wasn’t quite raining, but I could feel the moisture heavy in the air. Ever since I’d used Lucifer’s Armament, the Ruthless Crown of Pride, to change the weather to be more conducive to our crops, the air had been humid, reminding me of a Florida summer, or at least what I expected a Florida summer would feel like since I’d never been there.
Rubbing at my arms, I made my way across the town toward Sam’s shop. As the Blacksmith came into view, I spied black smoke curling from the chimney. That somewhat irked me because it meant she was still working. If she was still working, that meant she hadn’t finished Caliburn. I needed Caliburn finished so I could get on with saving Gabriella.
Intrinsically, I knew Wrath was right and that I couldn’t defeat Dred, but at the same time, I needed to go after Gabriella no matter the cost. I couldn’t risk leaving her there while I futzed around. Besides, Wrath had made me realize something.
Dred was used to being the strongest dude in the room. After all, if he wasn’t, he’d have never fought Lucifer the way he had, never fought me the way he had. He was used to being a hammer to everyone else’s nail, but well, not everyone was a nail.
I just had to think of a way to beat him long enough to rescue Gabriella to keep Dred from getting the final Armament. Furthermore, it might let me in on how he’d gotten Belial, The Archangel of Gluttony and Belphegor the Archangel of Sloth to join him.
For all I knew, those armaments were weak just like the one I’d gotten from Sam was too. I needed to find out, and that meant I needed to face off with Dred. To do all those things, I needed my damned sword.
The Builder's Wrath (The Legendary Builder Book 4) Page 2
