The pressing silence of the tenebrous chamber filled the angel with a sense of foreboding dread.
“So that’s it then?” Constantine asked with a contorted, annoyed expression on his face. “You just spout a bunch of ominous sounding bullshit at us, and we’re supposed to get from that?
“Well-” Madame began, but was interrupted by Uriel.
“We should go outside Constantine, take a breather. I don’t like this room. The candle smoke is making me sick.”
Seeing how disturbed she was, Constantine decided to put aside his confounded irritation and rushed towards the door. Uriel jumped from her chair and followed quickly behind him. The sudden light from the outside hallway made them both squint when they opened the door.
“I’ll be outside in a bit, let me just clean this room up. Feel free to wait for me in the guest room.” Madame called out as they left.
As they walked back to where the others were, Constantine let Uriel go ahead first. She was the first to see Nathaniel breathe a sigh of relief from his chair. Absent-mindedly, she rushed towards the nearest window, opening it wide and taking a deep breath. The serene wind gently brushed through her hair as she calmed herself from what she saw earlier. She looked out the window into the nearby trees. Their wood was a pallid white and there were barely any leaves on them. What little greenery she saw around them was faded and dull.
Even the sky is boring and gray here. She thought before a loud thud broke her concentration.
“The hell?” She heard Constantine ask, before turning and seeing him up against the wall with Insect’s hands around his collar.
“What’re you doing?” He continued, his hands turned away from her in a defensive manner.
Nathaniel sighed. “Insect told me earlier to tell you as soon as you came out that she’s… quite upset with you. Says you lack respect. Even after all we’ve done to help you. Frankly I’m inclined to agree with her. What you did there was out of line son.” He said with a sombre tone of voice.
“Oh I’m sorry, did I upset you guys?” He responded sarcastically. “Was I supposed to just take Madame’s warning and run back to the training ground like a pussy? Possibly delaying my friend’s rescue by another few days while Uriel works on finding them? Just cause some old hag decided she wants to be a bitch and not help us-” He spouted off, before Insect’s fist came cleanly across his chin and sent him flying to the ground.
Uriel jumped with a gasp. Constantine tumbled into a nearby drawer, knocking a picture frame off of it, before sliding down against the wall. He quickly recovered however, shaking his head and wiping the drop of blood on his lower lip. He looked at his red thumb and then turned his gaze up towards Insect with a cold stare before Nathaniel intervened.
“Insect! That was uncalled for young lady!” He berated her. Insect snapped back around, signing to him with sharp, fast movement. “Yes I know he insulted her, but I understand his frustrations. There’s no need for violence here.”
“Yeah Insect, there’s no need for violence here.” Constantine spat, his sarcastic tone emphasized on the last word. “We can take this outside if you’re itchin’ for a fight. Or do you prefer just to silently sulk and sucker punch people, you bitch?”
Uriel’s gaze pierced through Insect’s unclear expression and saw the thought that flashed before her eyes. She wanted to kick him while he was down, but her pride held her back. Uriel continued to watch as Constantine stood back up and stared down Insect, their stares locked in a duel of intimidation. Nathan fruitlessly wheeled himself next to them, trying to pry them apart. In that chaos however, Uriel heard a small voice weeping softly. She quietly stepped over and knelt before Matilda, who was crying on the chair due to the unfolding scene. Soon the other three noticed as well, and their tempers quelled briefly.
“Hey, hey, Matilda, did the scary man’s swearing get you upset? I’m so sorry for that.” She whispered softly, while she gently wiped away the child’s puffy red eyes. “Why don’t you show me your room, it’s upstairs right?” She said, offering her open hand.
Matilda looked through hazy tears at Uriel’s face. There was a soothing, calming kindness that emanated from her smile that slowly compelled her to stop her sobbing. She nodded back meekly and grabbed Uriel’s hand, clutching it as she jumped from her seat. Uriel saw out of the corner of her eyes as the trio looked at her passing by, the room chiming with only the sound of her mechanical leg whirring and Matilda’s sniffles. Once she reached the stairs she had an idea.
“Hey, want me to fly you up there?” She asked, putting on a bit of forced enthusiasm.
The attempt was successful, as Matilda looked up with large joyous eyes and a nod. Uriel carefully picked her up, cradling the child in her arms as she unfolded her massive dark wings. She stepped back and propelled herself forward with one powerful beating of her wings. The sheer force shot her up the stairs, where she gracefully floated for one second before landing. Matilda’s excited giggling were signs of a job well done. She then put her down, and the two walked through the hallway on the right to Matilda’s room.
How strange. I didn’t notice when I flew on the church the other night but my broken wing has healed awfully fast. Is this because of that gift the Old Man mentioned?
“What’s this?” Uriel asked with surprise immediately upon entering, still entranced in her thoughts.
“This is my kitty, Anubis. Have you never seen a cat before?” Matilda responded. Uriel looked at her curiously and then at the little animal that was soundly sleeping on a cardboard sheet beside the bed. “I have a bed for him but he likes the cardboard more. Nothing I can do.”
“I’ve never seen felines this… small.” Uriel said with a smile. And wasn’t Anubis a canine...?
“Really?” Matilda asked as she cheerfully ran and sat on the bed, leaning over and giving her pet a little scratch behind the ears.
“W-well, I’d rather not scare you again. Maybe another time.” Uriel stuttered.
Matilda looked away, dejected.
“Sorry about earlier. Don’t be upset at my friend… he just… he’s not doing great right now.” Uriel confessed while sitting down next to her, arms clasped over her thighs. “In truth, I’m not either. I’m worried that our friends are in danger, and your mom’s earlier… thing… kinda freaked us both out. I’m… quite scared, Matilda. I’m not a seer, but even I can tell there’s dangerous shadows lurking in my future. I’m terrified that I will not be strong enough to fight them back.”
“You’ll do great! I know it. Look at you. You’re an angel of God. What would you be afraid of? You know, Insect’s the strongest person I know. She’s sooo cool. But even I saw when you’re around her she’s always respectful of you. I can tell from the way she moves.”
“You can tell all that from her body language? Aren’t you observant, Matilda?” Uriel smiled.
“Hehe, thanks. But yeah, I don’t think you should worry Uriel, I getcha. I feel the same worries sometimes. My mom’s been especially worried lately. She’s always been absorbed by her books and cards ever since… dad… died… but for some time now she’s been extra extra! You know what I mean? I catch her being super worried sometimes and she tries to be brave about it, but I can tell something’s wrong and has been for a while. She doesn’t let me leave the house alone anymore. Not even to like, go down to the well by the creek and get some water anymore.” Matilda rambled on, her words quick and voice shrill.
Uriel lifted her hand to place it around the kid, but instead her face was swallowed by sadness. For one brief moment she considered revealing the why, confessing the sin of what her power had opened into the world, but immediately she decided against it. She instead placed her hand down on her fluffy hair and gave her a pat.
No reason to bother you with this painful truth now. She thought. I’ll try and preserve your innocence for as long as I can, child.
“I’m sure its just your mom being extra careful, now that me and Constantine are in town. Clearly, we’re a bunch of hooligans.”
“Hooligans…” Matilda scrunched her face. “Where did an angel like you learn to talk like that?”
“Ahaha...” Uriel giggled nervously. “Want me to tell you a little story? Its a secret!”
“Sure. I can keep secrets!” Matilda said with excitement.
“Well, when I was a child like you, my mother, Cassandra… well, my adoptive mother Cassandra, she couldn’t really talk like you and I. She had her own special way of talking. But she didn’t want me to grow up the same as her. Not in that aspect anyway. She taught me so many things over the... years.” Uriel said. The last word left a nostalgic feeling in her heart, but also a curious thought.
How many years ago… exactly?
“Anyway, one day, when I was a bit older, she left for a few weeks and returned with this bizarre, weighty tome. It had this golden trim around the cover and was written in this strange dialect. Many strange dialects in fact. It was a sacred book of languages. Apparently, only those that have divine blood, like me, were able to read from this book.”
“Woah…”
“Yeah. Cassandra then made me study from that book every day. Of course, I didn’t want to for a while, but those days were quite uneventful, and my mother had an intimidating persistence. Eventually I gave in and began learning from it. Let me tell you child, this book had quite the peculiar power. As I read and studied all these ancient languages, these words and phrases and structures, I began hearing them in my mind. After a while, I was able to speak them as well, even though I’d never heard people talk like that. Like I said my mother was a being of few words. But after thoroughly reading that book over months, I could eloquently recite entire passages.”
“I can tell!” Matilda said. Uriel was unsure if that was a compliment or not.
“An interesting fact! That book not only taught me languages of the past, but also modern ones.”
“Really? You know gallion obviously. Plumerian? Darmanic? What else?”
“A bunch of them.” Uriel said, before speaking a few sentences in each as an example. ”If it existed or will exist, its most likely I know it, or be able to learn it once I discover it. Although I don’t know to what extent exactly...” She said, trailing off.
“Hey Uriel, thanks for making me feel better.”
“No problem, I’m sorry my friend upset you, please don’t be mad at him.”
“Hehe, don’t worry. You should go downstairs, make sure they haven't beaten each other up.”
“You’re right.” Uriel said, jumping from the bed. She had been so enraptured by thoughts of the past that she forgot about what happened earlier. The memory rushed back instantly. “You’ll be okay here yeah?”
“Yes! And maybe you can fly me around again sometime, please!” She asked as Uriel made her way out the door.
“Of cours-UGH.” Uriel said, before her path was stopped by Anubis clawing at her metallic leg.
He had a grumpy look on his face, probably annoyance from being woken up. He meowed angrily at her before he turned and jumped into Matilda’s lap. Uriel chuckled and then turned to go before Matilda asked her one final question.
“Hey one last thing, how come you don’t have a halo? Most angels in my books have halos but you don’t.”
“I uh…” Uriel was caught off-guard by the question. It wasn’t something she had thought about often. “I, I lost it. When I came here to earth.”
“Aww… I hope you find it someday!” Matilda said with an earnest sincerity in her voice as she turned back to petting her cat.
“I hope so too…” Uriel said, barely a whisper as she floated away and down the stairs. She stopped dead in her tracks when she made it back to the other room.
“A-are you guys serious? You haven’t moved… at all? Since I left?” She stammered, awkwardly pointing back at the stairs and then back at them. Indeed, Constantine, Insect, and even Nathaniel were all almost exactly as she had left them, two standing very closely to one another and the other sitting beside them.
“You see well…” Constantine began. “We just kinda silently waited for you to come back and let us know the kid’s okay. We seemed to be just on the verge of sitting and then you came back so…yay?”
“Let’s all sit and relax until Madame comes back, okay?”
“Sweet, until she does…” Constantine said, nonchalantly walking over and sitting on one of the couches next to the coffee table. “...We need to work this out now. I must know, Insect, what’s your deal with me? Nate if you’d be so kind as to translate please.”
Nathaniel hung his head in mild annoyance before he wheeled himself next to the coffee table. Uriel shrugged and followed them, sitting next to Constantine. Insect did not follow them, instead she signed rapidly for a couple minutes, capitalizing her movements with a fist in the center of her palm.
“Come now Insect, that’s unnecessary. You cannot ask me to tell them that.” Nathaniel protested. The woman only signed again, her gritted teeth and sharp expression indicating her insistence.
“Well fine…” Nathaniel sighed again. “...She said ‘The fact that you don’t have a clue, just goes to show you’re nothing but a lucky idiot that has no business playing the savior.’” He paused before relaying the rest of Insect’s message, disappointed and distraught by her anger. “‘I’ll train you and help you save your friends, because I promised to and you did save Sean and Jacob’s lives, but that doesn’t mean I’ll have to like you and be your friend while doing so.’”
Her shrewd eyes watched as Nathaniel recounted her words, making sure everything was exactly as she intended. She nodded when he finished, and then without waiting for a reply she flipped a middle finger in Constantine’s direction. Insect then turned and stomped her way out of the house, smashing the front door behind her.
Uriel immediately turned towards her friend, a painful electric shock flowing through her thoughts. His face was blank, expressionless, but in the pale darkness at the center of his eyes she could tell how much Insect’s words stung. She wanted to reach out to him to reassure him somehow, but instead he just sank back away from her, downhearted.
“I thought it might have just been some of her insecurities and jealousies over you Constantine...” The priest said after a moment of recollection. “...But there’s clearly more going on here that I do not know about. I can only say that I’m sure her heart’s in the right place.”
“Sorry about… the Madame thing from earlier.” Constantine glumly spouted.
“Ahahaha!” Nathaniel laughed joyously, trying to pump some life back into the room. “Its not like being respectful will be the difference between you being an effective demon hunter or not Constantine. I’m sure Madame’s already over it. I got caught up in the heat of the moment and let my emotions make me upset, but I won’t hold it against you.”
The three of them sat in silence for a moment before Nathaniel’s fake enthusiasm wore off and he frowned. “Perhaps these long years have made me soft. Perhaps I was too harsh on her in her youth and now she’s angry at me for being so lenient with you. You must understand Insect she’s… the daughter I never had. The partner I mentioned before, that died due to my selfishness? It was her… father. I swore to him as I held his dying body that I’d nurture and protect her with my life. Have not strayed from that promise yet, and I do not intend to. So should the blood between either of you and her get bad enough that she gets hurt, I would expect you to know whose side I’d take.”
Constantine and Uriel both gulped at the seriousness of the threat, and the intimidating seriousness in Nathaniel’s voice. A seriousness that thankfully faded immediately after when he chuckled with his usual jolly cheer. “Paaah, I don’t expect things to get that bad though. So fret not young ones.”
“I do not see kindness as the weakness you think it is Nathaniel.” Uriel said softly, addressing his earlier point. Her voice echoed with a comforting timbre. “Were it not for your kindness towards us, we’d not be here to talk about it.”
“Uriel’s right.” Constantine jumped into the conversation. “I don’t think we paid you back, not you nor Insect, nor Sean especially for taking us to you. And no, thanking you a couple times is not what I mean.”
Nathaniel scratched his chin and chuckled. “From what I recall son, you promised you’ll help us in return. The dark evils that have been unleashed will find their way to this little town eventually. I want you to be there to protect us when the time comes.”
He paused, sensing Uriel’s downcast gaze at the mention of what had been unleashed. “You must not blame yourself for what happened sweet Angel.” He said. “It was not your fault.”
Uriel looked back up at him, her eyes alight with newfound determination. “Then, I swear I will repay your kindness Nathaniel.” She said. “I will use this strange power I do not fully understand within me to be the Angel everyone expects me to be. I swear I’ll protect everyone in this town, including you and Insect. My black wings will inspire hope, not fear.”
Constantine could only nod in agreement.
“Very well then.” A new yet familiar hoarse voice boomed into the room. "I suppose you'll be wanting to begin the lessons you came here for, if you want to fulfill that vow, hmm?"
“Took you long enough Madame.” Constantine said.
“Quiet Little Imp.” She began saying. “Finishing a ritual like that involves more than just closing the book and collecting the cards.”
“Yeah I bet.”
“Veronica, you old gypsy! Took you long enough to get out of your cupboard indeed.” Nathaniel said with a cheer.
“I’m surprised you haven’t croaked yet, Naty.” She said with a smirk. As she made her way to the couch beside him, she paused, leaning down and giving him a respectful peck on the forehead. Uriel and Constantine looked at each other with a knowing glance. “Then again, you’re not terrible to have around. Keeps the place lively. What’re you two lovers smirking at?” Madame Léstrava then said after sitting down.
“Nothing.” They both said simultaneously.
Nathaniel chuckled as well. Madame’s expression was one lacking any amusement, but her eyes told a different story. “So, enough chit-chat, Uriel, you’re trying to find your friends correct?”
“That is correct.”
“And I presume you’re here because the trail you’ve been following has run cold, correct?”
“Y-yes. I had a vision of them being captured… but every time I tried finding any clues its just... emptiness.”
“Mhm, I see.” Madame looked down, then back to Uriel, then her gaze drifted towards Constantine. Uriel followed her lead, and turned towards Constantine, before back at her with a cocked eyebrow.
“Constantine?” Uriel asked, perplexed.
“Who, me?”
“You were looking for someone in Gausville were you not, Imp?” Erika said.
“Y-yeah.” He stammered. “We were… trying to reach… Evan’s dad. We never much got the chance to look for him after being separated and then… well…” He bit his lip, stopping himself from finishing that sentence. “What’s this all about?”
“You knew this man well, correct?”
Seeing she was avoiding his question, Constantine just sighed and answered. “Yes. After some bad stuff happened to me, he and Evan kind of took me into their home. It was just us three… Evan’s mom died in childbirth so neither of us got the chance to meet her-”
“Let me stop you there before you tell us your whole life story, Imp.”
“Erika, what’s… all this for?” Nathaniel asked before being promptly ignored.
“Uriel, your angelic eyes have the ability to peer into people’s souls. You can bear witness to the purity of their mind, their memories, their deepest desires and darkest of secrets.”
“Uh… alright. S-sounds… simple enough.” Uriel stuttered.
“Think of this ability like a machine, a machine that’s never been oiled nor used before. So its rusted and stuck. Right now Uriel, you’re trying to force the machine to do a task beyond its current capabilities. Instead, what I’m going to do is oil you up, and give you a simpler, more achievable task, one that will get your gears turning.”
Everyone nodded. Constantine was first to speak. “And then with the machine in more proper shape, she’ll be able to do the harder task?”
“Yes. In theory. It also depends how effective Uriel herself gets with this skill.”
“So what is this task? It has to do with Evan’s father doesn't it?” Uriel said with a nod.
“Glad you figured that out. Yes. You and your Little Imp friend have a very special connection. And we’ll be using that as the ‘oil’ in our earlier analogy.”
The author's narrative has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.
“Is it from when I possessed him?”
“You did what now?” Nathaniel exclaimed, his eyes rapidly bouncing between Uriel and Constantine. “Extraordinary…”
“I would say it’s more than just that… Anyway, you, Imp. You’ll be focusing on that memory of you at your friend’s house. Make sure its a memory that includes his father, yes?”
“I… I’ll try? I can think of a few.” Constantine blurted.
“Good. Uriel, you’ll dive into that memory. It should not be difficult, witness what is happening around you, try to find that person. When you do, latch onto that vision of him. Use the feelings and mementoes Constantine has for the man that took him in and once you’re feeling confident... use those feelings to find his memory.”
“H-his?” Uriel asked.
“The father’s.”
“He's got a name he’s-”
“Shut it, Imp!” Erika snapped at him, causing him to jump. “Uriel must find out that information on her own. It’ll help her know if she’s on the right course.”
“E-explain what you mean by finding his memory again, please?” Uriel asked, desperately trying to hold onto the confidence she displayed earlier.
“Listen! Find Evan’s father in Constantine’s memory. See the shape of his soul, and then, use that as a stepping stone to find the memory of his true soul. Find out what happened to him on that day.”
“T-that day?”
“Yes. Most days tend to be normal, they’re faded, unremarkable. But that day was a catastrophe. The sheer force of all that transpired that day will be a scar on the memory of the world. A scar that will be very easy for you to see. Find that day, find out what happened to that man, and if you can do that, you may yet have a chance of finding your friends.”
Throughout the speech, Uriel’s expression was one of frightened concern, but upon hearing of the chance of finding her friends, her entire composure changed. Uriel’s brow furrowed, her hands curled into fists, and her eyes lit up with the flame of hope.
“Alright Madame. I understand. I feel ready to do this.”
“Very well then. Let us begin. Turn and face each other please.”
Constantine and Uriel both silently obeyed, turning and locking eyes. A wave of emotions washed over both of them. Constantine gave her a reassuring smile and a nod. They both took a deep breath.
“Lock eyes like that, good, if you want to hold hands as well that’s fine. Now. When you both feel ready, close your eyes, and surrender your mind to the other.”
They both shut their eyes at the same instant, and Uriel was pulled into a vortex of shadows and light.
----------------------------------------
“FASTER YOU WORTHLESS SLUGS!” Mephistopheles screamed out into the pitch of night, his throat sore from the strain.
The demon soldiers in their vehicles stepped further against their pedals, but most were already pushing all the way to the floor. The inanimaliat’s eyes turned back towards the mountainside. A storm of dust and flame on the horizon grew brighter and bigger with each passing second. Even from that distance and with the engines close to him, the roar it made echoed out to his ears, like a low rumbling panther. He climbed further up the ladder on the side of the van, his hair and overcoat flapping against the air whizzing from behind.
Who? Who would send someone after us? Who would even KNOW in the first place? His thoughts raced. It couldn’t have been you? Could it?
His trance was broken by one of the SUVs pulling up close to him. The window rolled down and Andras’ worried head popped out.
“What the hell’s that, Mephisto?” He shouted.
“Nothing good Andras, keep your head inside.”
“How far are we from Dudael?” He said, ignoring his order.
“Far enough for them to catch up to us before we make it there, hand me the radio.”
“Are you serious? What the hell is it?”
“Yes I’m serious, it’s a walkie-talkie you idiot, front compartment.”
Andras’ betrayed face turned to contemptuous annoyance as he popped himself back in the car and scurried to find the device. He then stuck himself back out once he found it, motioning a throw to his partner. Mephisto eyed him closely, ready for the toss. He nearly fell off the side of the van trying to catch the radio due to Andras’ idiotic throw, but was successful. When he stabilized his position again, he turned and shot Andras a terrifying, bulging death glare.
Who crapped you out just so you can blight my fucking existence?
“All units, repeat, all units, we have a code one-x-b-eight situation!” Mephisto hurriedly shouted into the device. “Assume threat is here for the package. I repeat, the threat is most likely after the package. Proceed to combat positions. Over.” He said, strapping the radio to his belt once he was done.
“Mephy, catch this!” Andras called out to him, throwing him a submachine gun and a belt with ammunition stocks. His aim wasn’t as terrible this time around, and Mephistopheles caught them both with ease. He gave a cursory nod, climbed onto the roof of his car, and then gave Andras one final order: “Get yourself closer to the top of the convoy. Stay inside, that’s an order!”
The demon looked at his superior with a confused dumbfounded stare but he nodded approvingly once he came to his senses and pulled himself back into his car. The vehicle soon sped up ahead away from the group that was beginning to surround Mephisto and the van he was now standing on top of. He looked at them and demonic soldiers with their silver masks began putting down the roofs of their cars and unleashing their arsenal. Assault rifles, grenades, explosives, even some arcane and demonic-looking hunks of metal he could not recognize in the heat of the moment. A couple of the demons even began taking apart the back seats of their cars, constructing heavy black and red turrets and readying themselves behind them. Mephisto nodded, impressed by the speed and fervor with which they prepared themselves.
The inanimaliat then looked upward. The attackers were getting close. The crimson cloud of ash and dust was getting more and more transparent the more time passed. In it, he began seeing the shadowed shapes of his hunters. Closer, closer still, he held his order, knowing his soldiers were ready at any moment. He waited until the cloud got close enough to be in the range of his guns.
“FIRE ALL!” He screamed, and his demons unleashed hell. But in that moment, hell struck back against them.
----------------------------------------
Katherine heard the order despite the rage of her hellspawn motorcycle. Her left eye went ablaze with her own demonic strength, and the beast responded, fueled by it. She suddenly blasted forward through the cloud at a massive speed. The very ground beneath her wheels came to life with unholy fire. The rain of bullets washed past her, and what little hits found their mark bounced harmlessly off her armor. Not a single demon expected her to appear so suddenly, and the closest vehicle was the first to pay the price of that fatal mistake. Her bike slammed into the back of the car, putting a massive dent into it.
“The hell?” One of the demon soldiers croaked, aiming towards the assailant.
His bullets did not come fast enough. Katherine leapt from her seat high into the air and crashed down upon him, cleaving him atwain across his chest with her halberd in one stunningly elegant and graceful swipe. Her hair floated through the air as if underwater. The second soldier froze in fear for a moment at the sight of her, before his finger pulled the trigger on his rifle. Bullets ripped out from his gun, but he was aiming at nothing, except for the pale red haze of Katherine’s eye that still lingered. It faded into nothingness and the demon realized his grievous error.
He did not even see as she swung her blade from his left, carving him and part of the truck’s side behind him. There was a sharp screech as the Jawbone sliced down against the metal, cutting down all the way to the tire. Katherine yanked her weapon back, causing the tire to explode and send the car into a perilous wobble. She quickly climbed onto the front roof, rushing forward and bringing her blade down from the side door like a pendulum unto the unfortunate driver.
Without anyone keeping check, the car took a sharp turn left, veering into another nearby Jeep. Katherine merely stepped off the roof as the car pulled away from under her, and fell perfectly on the seat of her motorcycle which moved itself into position. She did not look at the blazing explosion of the two cars colliding but felt the sudden heat against the side of her face.
Not a bad warm-up. She thought to herself as a smirk crawled on her lips.
At this point the demons were aware of her, and turned their iron sights in her direction. The huntress pulled her bike off the road, gaining some distance from the hail of gunfire. From behind however, a number of other bikes and cars pulled from the flaming mist, unleashing their own swathe of bullets and explosive projectiles.
Later than I’d expect.
Katherine’s eyes scanned the convoy for the target vehicle. It was a bit farther up from her current position, and there were a few cars on the road between her and it. The demons in the back of these cars noticed her moment of pause and recon. They turned their aim towards her instead of the secondary squad, perhaps considering her the greater threat in that moment. Katherine was fearless, riding at a constant distance from this side group. But she was caught off guard by the sudden blast of hellfire that erupted towards her. She slammed the breaks instantly, pulling behind as a wave of red and purple flames engulfed the area she would have driven into.
The rapid shift in perspective revealed to her how suddenly the quiet nightly scene turned to chaos and destruction. Cars, vans, and motorcycles whirred past each other under a torrential rain of fire and bullets. Humans and demons on both sides screamed in agonizing pain as they breathed their last, blood spurting from their wounds, while others cackled and howled hellish battlecries. The sickening smell of ash, blood, and gunfire stagnated in the air. For a moment frozen in time, Katherine’s thoughts burned from the sudden soul-wrenching sadness of it all.
W-why am I here? I was tasked with cleansing the world of these demons… and here I am, fighting alongside them. Participating in the very sort of slaughter I always fought to avoid… Bend don't break. Bend, don't break. That’s what my mother taught me, but how long can my will bend before it breaks? Her veins pulsated with demonic fury, enraged at her subservience, her weakness, her patheticness. Her profane power flared within her left eye unleashing a nova of dark unholy madness.
“Hahahaha!” Her lips laughed, while her eyes cried. “I don’t care. I don’t care anymore. I’ve always been a slave to the whims of others. If the world wants me to be a monster, I’ll become the monster they will all fear. All these worthless souls here, I’ll be the one to reap. Them. All.”
She revved her engine and the unholy beast within roared back to life, fueled by its master’s ravenous impetus. She sped back up under a cover of bullets from her allies. As if to test her new-found sinister determination, three masked mooks diverged from the convoy and approached her on their own motorcycles. Her halberd flared with its crimson sheen as she ruthlessly cut them all down, their blood unable to stain her blade as it sprayed on the fiery road behind her. Their guts and entrails soon spilled out in similar fashion.
Her bike quickly caught up with the rest of the motorcade, and she saw the flamethrower from earlier was still viciously spitting death all over the battlefield.
I need to make an opening… Her thoughts raced as she weaved and bobbed through the chaos around her.
Her eyes scanned for something or someone she could use, and then she saw him. Samael was on one of the trucks further behind, but his massive size was unmistakable. His silver helmet was adorned by a single iron horn bolting out of his forehead while the rest of his thick shining armor made him seem even larger than he already was. He ruthlessly smashed and crushed the unfortunate soldiers that dared fire in his direction with singular blows from his gauntlets. Ronov was riding close behind him, in a large open back truck, assisting him with gunfire, and giving him a place to jump back to safety if need be.
Bingo.
Katherine slowed her bike briefly, in order to get herself closer to her underlings. “Fweeeeeeyut!” Went the sharp, high-pitched whistle she sent in their direction.
Ronov noticed it first, turning towards her with his bulging, paranoid gaze. He saw Katherine hailing for Samael, and to get his attention he shot a salvo of bullets into the back of his helmet. The elder demon tossed one of the masked soldiers from the car, his scream fading into the night, before slowly he turned towards his mate. Even from that distance and with the helmet obscuring his face entirely, Katherine could tell he was annoyed.
It didn’t matter, as Ronov only motioned back towards her, and Samael peered over at the Huntress. She pointed at the now multiple vehicles that spewed wave after wave of fiendish flame, beating back all attempts at reaching the prisoners. With a knowing nod, he hopped back onto Ronov’s truck and the two began making their way closer accompanied by a loud screech from their tires.
“Hello bird, someone order a big fat hairy demon?” Ronov cackled once he was in range, trying to joke towards Katherine but failing at the delivery.
“Sam! Take out those flame-cannons for me, NOW!” She shouted up at him from her bike, ignoring Ronov’s comment.
The demon nodded. He smashed two fists down into the roof of the car where Ronov sat.
“I fucking heard her you dumb-” He swore as he slammed the pedal and drove forward.
Katherine watched as the demons fearlessly charged into the inferno. Sam leapt from the back of his truck on top of one of the flamethrowers, crushing it beneath his weight. He quickly caved the skull of the one operating it before tossing the other demon troops in the path of oncoming cars, their bodies squelching sickeningly as beasts of metal and wheels ran them over. When there was no one left, he bent down, ripped the entire cannon out of the back of the car, and tossed the hunk of metal towards the other hellfire trucks. Katherine smirked gleefully seeing how the car buckled under the weight, veering straight into the other and taking both out in a powerful explosion of fire and metal.
“Effective.” She said, before revving up her bike and diving towards the mayhem. Her eyes were locked on her target, the largest van surrounded by about four or five trucks. “Go wreak havoc.” She whispered, leaning down towards the skull that adorned her flaming motorcycle.
Katherine then climbed up on the seat and jumped on top of a passing car while the bike, willed by her order, drove forward on its own once more. A fiery trail of destruction emerged where it trampled, a thunderous whinny echoing from its skull.
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Mephisto’s bullets found their marks but the large thick armor of their attacker’s vehicles were too much for his weapon. The demon marksman however took aim at the weaker, unarmored drivers and thugs that did not understand the concept of cover for easier kills. From his vantage point on the tallest vehicle of the convoy, he had clear opportunities, and he took them. Many careless attackers found themselves dead before his lethal onslaught.
We’re pushing them back. He thought. But only barely, if we don’t make it to Dudael fast and get backup we won't be able to win this.
As he took a moment to reload, he noticed a lone assailant in the distance dexterously vaulting from car to car, making its way closer towards him.
So you’re the one striking deep while the others cause the distraction eh? Fine then, come at me. He smirked before turning and firing in their direction.
Some of the bullets clink-ed harmlessly off of their armor, but a few almost hit them in the head before there came a flash of steel and the bullets were deflected.
“The hell? Was that...?” Mephisto said, loading and firing again.
Aware that they’d been found out, the attacker started dashing from car to car with greater speed, like a black blur in the night. They jumped and flipped and expertly maneuvered closer and closer to Mephisto, slaying any demon soldiers that attempted to stop them. His bullets were not fast enough, not accurate enough, and everytime it seemed like the perfect shot was about to find that headshot, the attacker would deftly deflect the bullets with their weapon.
Bastard...
Mephisto realized at that point that firing was a lost cause, so he scrambled up on his feet from his laid down position and prepared the rifle for the coming duel. He stepped back to the front of the vehicle, careful of the forces pushing against his body from the speed of the ride. He waited, but did not have to wait long, as soon the dark blur crashed down on the edge of the van’s roof. The figure stood up, cloaked in the shadow of the darkened sky, with the exception of the crimson wisps of energy that emanated from the being’s face. They stepped forward. Both looked at the other, prepared for a dangerous and deadly foe, but who they saw was not the person they expected at that moment in time.
“What the hell are you doing here?” Mephistopheles and Katherine both shouted at the other in disbelief.
“I should have known that was your Jawbone. Not many demons I know can swat bullets out of the air.” Mephisto said after the disbelief wore off. “What’re you doing Katherine? Why are you here after those two?” He asked, his voice straining to show his concern, but the loudness of his words betraying his anger.
“Mephisto… I should have expected you to be working with Baal, you traitorous snake. How long have you planned to sell us all out? Since Azazel I reckon, you never really turned your back on him did you?” She spat with vitriol in her tone.
“Careful Katherine, neither of us should throw the word ‘traitor’ around so carelessly.” He said, despite the scalding truth of her words. “What happened to you after that night? We all thought you were dead.”
“If only.” She said blankly. Without warning, she leapt forward, striking at Mephisto with her halberd.
But the demon was expecting an attack, and his reflexes shot into action faster than she did. He slid under the strike, swapping positions with her on the roof of the car. Her blade fell down onto the iron bars of the roof, embedding itself into them.
“You really trying to kill me aren'tcha? What’s happened to you Katherine? Answer me damn it, why are you doing this?”
She did not respond, instead cleaving towards him once more. Mephisto sidestepped the first swing, and then the second, and the third after that. Seeing an opening, he quickly drew his weapon and unleashed a volley of bullets towards her, pushing her back as she blocked them with the head of her blade.
Your swings and attacks are wild Katherine, unfocused, feral. What in God’s name happened to you? He thought.
“What does it fucking matter what I tell you Mephisto? We’re both cursed aren’t we? Both knights in someone else’s game, ready to be sacrificed when our use runs out.”
“Is that so, you’re under orders? Never thought the Great Huntress reborn would be anyone’s pet pitbull.” He shouted at her. Katherine lowered her halberd, and in that moment Mephisto noticed the pentagram mark on her left cheek. It burned into her skin, proof of its unholy power. “A pentagram seal. Quite a powerful one at that. Who did that to you Katherine? Who forced you to rescue Wrath? Who gave you that information?” He asked.
“I told you, It does not, MATTER!” She screamed in rage, as she lunged for him once more. “Even if I tell you, even if you free me of this seal somehow I’ll still be nothing but a cursed, wretched slave!”
Her swing was faster, more vicious this time around, and despite Mephisto’s best efforts the blade sliced him across the chest and shoulder, deep enough to draw blood. Deciding to no longer be purely on the defensive, Mephisto waited for Katherine’s next attack. A swing of her halberd from the left. He lunged at her, sliding with his elbow into her face before her hit could land. Disoriented, she swung blindly in his general direction. Knowing any attack on her armor would be ineffective, Mephisto dodged her flailing, and continued aiming for her head. He landed two powerful fistblows into her cheek and chin.
“Ghyyagh!” She groaned in pain, as she nearly stumbled off the roof of the car.
But Katherine shook off the pain and reengaged vigorously, her eye flaring with the red shine of her demonic fury. She twirled her blade around their bodies with even greater precision. She stabbed, and lunged, and swiped as the halberd danced in her hands. She became a scarlet whirlwind of razor steel, a lethal white-petaled rose. She managed to slice Mephisto’s arms and legs despite his constant evasion. His wounds were still shallow however.
Katherine saw an opening as he wobbled back from her attack, stabbing her halberd into the roof of the car, and using it as a vault. She delivered a thundering kick with her armored boot to the side of Mephistopheles’ head. Before he could recover, she pulled out her weapon and lunged at him, once again, aiming for a fatal attack on his neck. He pulled away just in time, as the edge of her halberd cleaved into his shoulder, cutting into his flesh and bone. She could not continue her assault however, as Mephisto used the opportunity given by her body being so far forward to pull her by the hair and smash her face into his knee. Katherine faltered back, clutching her face and groaning in pain.
She then spat out blood and looked up at Mephisto with a chuckle. “You really do know how to fight don’t you? There are few who would have survived that onslaught in such a small space.” She remarked, turning her head with a sickening crack of her neck before wiping the blood from her mouth. “You know, I never got to see you in action at the auction.” Katherine then said, remembering that fateful night. “Our paths diverged before I could witness what the infamous Mephistopheles was capable of. You don’t disappoint.”
“I’m sure whatever demon rumors you’ve heard about me are just exaggerations.” He responded groaning as he clutched his wounds.
“Hmph. And I see Azazel taught you how to use modern weaponry as well. You must miss him dearly, no?” She mocked.
“My most recent regret is him dying without me being responsible for his death, so no.”
Katherine began laughing. She laughed louder and louder, her shrill voice turning into a full on cackle.
“Never thought myself much of a comedian.” Mephisto said, confused.
“You truly are hilarious though. You speak of regrets, of wanting to kill Azazel. I’ve hunted him all my life for what he did to me. I’ve dedicated my being to exterminating him, and all of the other demons that dare plague our world. I wanted to send him down to hell with my own hands but I was robbed of that chance... I thought he’d escaped at the auction, but there he was, just wounded, right under my eyes.” She shouted, her voice and expression alive with a terrifying mania.
“And then Baal killed him. That’s not my fault Katherine. Nor is it yours. Sometimes even the greatest men and demons die from something as small as a stab wound. Or an explosion in his case.“ Mephisto said. Seeing Katherine in a sort of hypnotic trance, he decided to press further into the conversation, avoiding any combat with her.
She’s quickly gaining the edge on me. In a drawn out fight she’ll beat me everytime. If this lasts any longer I’ll die, I can’t dodge forever. But she’s not giving me any openings, perhaps I can make her falter in one crucial moment?
“Katherine. Please, I can remove that seal. You don’t have to do this. We can be friends again!”
She continued laughing. “Why would you help me? And why would I help you in turn? You’re working for Baal are you not? Why would I trade one demon for another? That’s why you’re taking Wrath to that damned pit. Their friendship meant nothing to you. At least I felt remorse for what I did to Uriel, but I did what I did for the greater good. Haah… I just remembered. You’re the reason it all failed aren’t you? You are the soulless, demon-fucking-bastard father of the angel. The impurity to my perfectly planned ritual. The degenerate that ruined it all.”
“That's a bit unfair Katherine, you can’t blame me for something I’ve done thousands of years ago. I am not responsible for your idiocy. If you want to blame anyone, blame yourself for being stupid and impulsive enough to sacrifice an angel you just met, and not even entertaining the possibility of her being more than what she seemed!” The demon shouted at her, his voice boiling with anger.
“And I suppose you would not have done the same, were you in my place? You would not seize the chance to save humanity from the horrors of the dark, even if it meant the death of one innocent?” She shouted, before in her desperate rage she pleaded: ”I have the chance to fix my mistake Mephisto! I can seal the gates once again. Just step aside and give me Wrath. My task does not involve killing you, but I will strike you down if I must.”
“No. My soul is not as broken as yours Katherine. Do not think you know anything about me or my desires. I have no delusions about my place in the world. I’m not some great savior, nor a man without sins. My sins are many, my regrets are great. But even a pitiable demon like me knows that crucifying an angel in cold blood and saying its for the greater good is a lie too great to bear.”
Katherine erupted, lunging towards Mephisto with her hands locked on the pole of her halberd. Her entire demonic strength coursed through her and she swung her blade towards the demon. But in her blind rage she did not see Mephisto’s counterattack. How he evaded her slice, and following a graceful spinning maneuver, punched her square in the neck. Debilitated by the strike, her grasp loosened, and Mephisto used Katherine’s own strength to flick her halberd up into the air.
“Sorry Katherine, I cannot hand Wrath and Evan over to you. I might not be the most righteous man…” He said as he unleashed a flurry of blows.
Katherine stumbled back, taking the brunt of each hit without putting up a single defensive block, still incapacitated from the earlier punch. With her heels against the edge of the van, Mephisto stepped back. He reached a hand up, catching the halberd that had been whirling forward. Powered by the momentum from its fall, he swung his entire body around, smacking the blade against Katherine’s armor. The staggering clash of the metals reverberated outward like a shockwave that still lingered as Katherine’s body fell limply off the back of the moving truck.
“... but I trust myself to keep them safe, more than I do you.”