Having reached Templar Square shopping centre, close to Donnington. Drifter was surprised to see that the area was fully populated, clearly beyond the range of the mist demon’s plague. The people went about their day as normal, despite the massive quarantine zone just a mile away from their commute.
As was typical of the British, even if tragedy had struck just across the road from their home, they continued on as normal. Drifter and Dale took the opportunity to rest and relax at a café inside the shopping centre.
“Tea and cake?” Dale asked, judging the sweet treats.
“You got a problem with that?”
“Eh, kinda gay.”
“You didn’t say a goddamn thing when I ordered it, but the second the rim of the cup touches my mouth, that’s when you decide to object?”
“Why can’t we go to a pub and get a beer, like normal people? I feel so exposed.”
“You’re only saying that because everyone keeps staring at your blood stained clothes.”
“To be honest, they’re not drawing as much attention as I thought.”
“People these days have a higher tolerance for weird shit. We’ve all grown accustomed to horrible violence at this point.”
“It’d be admirable if we weren’t so complacent about it.”
“There’s not much else normal people can do when it comes to demons.”
“Now I really need a drink…”
“Then stop your bitching and go get one already.”
“I can’t … I don’t have ID…”
Drifter laughed uproariously. “So, that’s why you want me to go!? Get fucked, idiot!”
“At least I’m not some poofter who sits around drinking tea!”
“Tea is an integral part of our culture.”
“You one of those cunts who thinks they’re better than everyone else because they refuse to drink alcohol?”
“I don’t need to do that to prove I’m better than you.”
“I bet you’re just too scared to get a little tipsy.”
“I couldn’t get drunk if I tried. The Demon Sword’s power protects me from harmful substances.”
“Cursed to be sober your whole life? How cruel.”
“Beats being poisoned.”
“What other bullshit does that sword protect you from?”
“Disease, viruses, drugs, smoke, fatalities, dumb magic.”
“Magic?”
“Every so often, you get some tard who thinks he can use mind control or some other stupid shit to kill you, but it never works.”
“I’m starting to think that sword is a little overpowered.”
“I’ve barely scraped the tip of the iceberg…”
“What do you…? Oh no…” Dale suddenly stopped mid-sentence as he stared wearily behind Drifter.
“What? Oh fuck….”
Drifter cringed as he turned around to find a group of hooded individuals, carrying signs, marching up and down the shopping centre, chanting: “Hey, hey! Ho, ho! Demons are the way to go!” and other expertly crafted slogans, while handing out pamphlets to passers by, whether they wanted them or not.
“Are they the same cultists we saw yesterday?” Dale reluctantly asked.
“Different faces, same mental disorder, except there’s more of them and they're way more embarrassing.”
“I think now’s a good time to go take a piss.”
Dale left to do his business, leaving Drifter to deal with the freak show. He couldn’t grasp the concept of anyone willing to waste their time doing something so humiliating. It was extremely rare to find anyone who had sympathy for demons and the acolytes weren’t exactly providing solid arguments for them. They were clearly the bottom rungs of whatever organisation they were screaming for.
The whole march was nothing but an annoying blockade for anyone trying to go about their business, prompting Drifter to ignore them entirely and return to his tea. A spot of milk, with two teaspoons of sugar, a simple yet divine blend of sweetness without overpowering the bitterness of the tea. The perfect drink to help him ignore the madness around him.
Before he could enjoy his brew, he felt a stinging sensation near his temple, like a bug bite, irritating him. He lifted his hand to check his skin, rubbing it before checking his fingers.
“Blood?” He thought. “Been a while since someone tried to assassinate me, let alone drew blood.”
Drifter ignored it, assuming it was probably an insect that got lucky, as the cut healed over without any issue. Then, a second shot hit his hand.
“Who keeps doing that?” He questioned.
His hand bled, but it was hardly serious, just another scratch. The real concern was who or what was being fired at him. With no bullet left behind, Drifter could only assume it was something demonic, but he didn’t sense anything out of the ordinary, besides the obnoxious crowd.
He went back to his drink, but as soon as the cup came close to his mouth, it shattered in his hands, spilling shards and tea all over his cake. His lunch was ruined. Now, he was upset.
Rising from his chair, he looked at the glass ceiling over the shopping centre. It was brief, but now that he was paying attention, he noticed a slight demonic presence, just before the third shot ruined his day. As he turned his attention to the roof, he noticed one of the windows slightly open, with something peeking through the gap.
Lying on her stomach, white sniper rifle in hand, a woman looked down the scope of her bizarrely dyed gun. Her calm composure was shattered the moment Drifter’s sight met with hers. She had been spotted.
Wishing to confront the sniper, Drifter was forced to converse with one of the acolytes, as the obnoxious group were blocking the walkway. This proved far more difficult than he initially thought, as people dumb enough to obstruct the daily commute of the average citizen weren’t going to be the easiest people to engage with.
“Hey!” He called one hooded individual. “Could you move?”
“I have all your answers right here, good sir.”
“That’s not what I-” The bemused man completely ignored Drifter’s request and handed him a pamphlet, titled: Daemonism, but Drifter barely acknowledged it, immediately tossing it aside.
“Okay, I’m going to ask again. Can you move, please?”
“The only thing we aim to move are the hearts of the people, who have been misled by their leaders.”
“What the fuck are you-”
“For we have seen many things these past few months. Monsters, massacres and madness, but thanks to Lord Anderson, I have finally seen the light of truth. We all have. The light of Lucifer himself. A light of hope, shining upon humanity’s destiny. Indeed we-”
“Please stop.”
“I’m sensing great animosity and antagonism from within you. You should join us, and let our demonic brethren lead us to a new world.”
“Shut up.”
“I’m afraid we can’t, for we have been tasked with spreading the word of Lord Anderson, to save as many souls as we can.”
“Fine, fuck you. Go play in traffic.” Bored by their lofty preaching, Drifter prepped himself, before launching through the ceiling, wishing he had just done that from the start.
As the man watched Drifter perform such an inhuman feat, he was reminded of what his fellow worshippers had spoken to him about, only yesterday. The man in the white coat, who had murdered their demonic leader. Upon this realisation, the man quickly rallied his fellow worshippers to bring the man to justice.
The sniper quietly tried to crawl away, only to remember they hadn’t planned an escape route and thus, were stranded on the roof. It wasn’t long before Drifter burst through the windows, landing in front of the woman, as she tried to escape.
“What the fuck are you doing?” He questioned.
She was a short haired blonde. A real tomboy, with baggy trousers, large boots, jacket and sweater. She spoke with an American accent.
“Hold up there, don’t try anything funny with me.” She pointed her white gun, threatening Drifter.
“You gonna shoot me?”
“Pardon?”
“Come on, get it over with.”
“Wait. This ain’t any ordinary gun. I could blow you to pieces with this thing.”
“I doubt that.”
“Wha-? Are you stupid or just plain suicidal!?”
“Can’t do it, can you?”
“That’s not it!”
“Can’t pull the trigger now that I’m right in front of you.”
“Shut up!”
“Can’t bear to look a man in the eye before you end their life, can you?”
“Fine! I warned you!”
In a flash of light, the woman transformed her rifle into a shotgun and without hesitation, fired at Drifter at point blank range. A burst of energy exploded upon contact with Drifter’s body, covering the roof in smoke for a brief period. The woman breathed heavily, shocked by her impulsiveness.
Unfortunately for the woman, once the smoke cleared, she found Drifter to be completely unharmed.
“That’s a strange gun you got there. Can’t think of any in the human world that can transform and shoot demonic energy like that.”
“Oh shit.” The woman exclaimed, slowly backing away.
“Where did you get it? Let me see it.”
Backed up against the edge of the open window, the woman needed an escape plan and fast. Luckily the distraction she needed suddenly came in the form of a loud obnoxious noise.
“White Heathen! White Heathen! White Heathen!” Chanted the crowd at the foot of the building. Drifter, dumbfounded by the incessant yelling, marched over to the window.
“What the fuck are those idiots doing now?” Unable to sense any demons nearby, he peered inside the mall, only to find the acolytes shouting back at him the moment he came into their view.
“There he is!” The previously mild mannered acolyte decried. “The vile White Heathen! The true evil threatening to bring this world to its end, through his violence and terror!”
“Whoo!” The woman exclaimed. “What’d you do to piss off the crazies?”
“Who cares about the pillock parade? Are you gonna tell me about that gun, or what?”
“Sure… if you can catch me first.”
“Oh yeah? And how do you plan on-”
Before he could finish, the woman pointed her gun downward and blasted the ground. A bright flash of light, blinded Drifter, giving her ample time to slip through the window, with the crowd below breaking her fall. By the time Drifter recovered, the woman had already disappeared into the mall.
“That was a cunt move… I don’t know whether to be mad or impressed.”
Drifter looked around the roof of the building, hoping to find her exiting the mall.
“Dammit, if she were a demon, I’d be able to track her. The only way I’d be able to find her now, is if she fired that gun again.”
He kept searching until he caught a glimpse of her heading for a café, just outside the multi-storey car park. "Or, she can just run right into the open like a retard."
Drifter prepared himself for another huge leap, as the woman disappeared from his sight behind a tree. Not wanting to accidentally crush anything, or anyone, upon landing, he aimed for a clear opening in the road. Even if it put him further behind the woman, he was confident he’d be able to catch up to her quickly from there.
He flew off the roof, landing just outside the mall’s exit. He toppled slightly as he wasn’t used to doing massive leaps, as they tended to draw too much attention. After pulling himself together he found that the woman had already hidden herself. She was nowhere to be found.
“Oh… fuck me…” He moaned. “Not this hide-and-seek shit…”
“MURDERER!” Cried the acolyte, now suddenly equipped with a megaphone.
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He marched down the street towards Drifter, followed by his army of cultists, drawing the attention of the public, who were just minding their own business. The man called out to the people, hoping to rally their support from his outburst.
“This Heathen is a murderer! He killed our priest, slaughtered the demons who swore to protect us! The fall of mankind will rest entirely on the shoulders of those who oppose the divine machinations of our saviours, with such horrific violence!”
Naturally, his fellow protesters echoed his sentiments with their repeated chants of “White Heathen!” The citizens turned to Drifter out of confusion, who merely shrugged, dumbstruck by their childish ranting. His bewilderment was all they needed to confirm that the acolytes were talking bollocks, rolling their eyes, like they’d seen it all before.
Drifter ignored the fanatical group and continued his search. This only angered them further, as they soon began throwing rocks and other trash, as they yelled more insults to provoke him. Thanks to his protective aura, Drifter didn’t even feel the projectiles hitting him, and found their insults more amusing than hurtful, especially when they were drowned out by each other’s incomprehensible screaming.
“It doesn’t even look like a real gun, you dumbass!” A woman yelled as she was forced out of a café.
“First you break in through the back and then you pull out a freaky gun!? I can’t let you leave, yet! Tell me where you got it! Don’t make this difficult!”
As the woman backed up, Dale stepped out of the building, blade at the ready. Relieved he didn’t have to search for her with a crowd trailing him, Drifter attempted to catch the woman while she was preoccupied. However, his position was immediately given away by the man yelling into his megaphone.
“Follow the White Heathen!”
As the woman heard their approach, she realised she was trapped. Luckily she had the perfect move for the situation. The barrel of her gun widened, as she blasted the ground with a burst of glaring light that blinded the boys for a few seconds, giving her a head start with her escape.
“Fucking, cunt, cultists!” Drifter yelled.
As their sight returned, the two gave chase. With their superior speed, catching the woman should have been a cinch, but whenever they got close, she would unleash another flashbang to blind them. Even though his aura protected his eyes from such intense light, Drifter couldn’t help but flinch on reflex.
The woman only ran a short distance, heading around the back of the car park. “He said he’d meet me on the roof once I completed his test. I don’t get what his deal with these two is, but I owe him one, so I won’t complain.”
Once she was in, a swarm of chains burst from the ground, sealing the entrance as well as all other openings into the car park. They were the same unbreakable chains Drifter had encountered before.
They may not have seen her, but it was obvious where she was hiding. Drifter tried to force his way inside, but the chains were impenetrable and he was afraid the sheer force of his power may accidentally topple the building. Even he wasn’t going to be that reckless.
“Dude, you know that girl?” Dale asked.
“No, but I take it, you saw her unique firearm?”
“That thing’s definitely demonic, right?”
“Obviously.”
“You cannot escape us, heathen!” The acolyte cried, still commanding his followers.
Dale was bemused by their sudden appearance. “Are those guys still here?”
“Sadly.”
“You’ve made a lot of friends today.”
“Forget them, if we can’t get inside, we’ll just have to jump to the top floor.”
Dale rushed ahead while Drifter paused for a moment, before strolling around the building. “Hold on, this flight of stairs is open. I guess our wannabe hitman is expecting us.” He casually took his time climbing the stairs to the roof, as he heard gunshots being fired from above.
Upon his arrival, Dale was already engaged in battle with the woman, weaving effortlessly between her bullets. It was impressive how quickly he had grown accustomed to his powers, he was practically using her as dodging practice.
She noticed Drifter enter the scene and immediately ceased fire. “What kind of freaks are you two, anyway!? You can’t be human!”
“You have a fucking magic gun.” Drifter retorted.
“Don’t make me flashbang you again.”
“If you did that to Dale you might actually hit him.”
Frustrated by Drifter’s mockery, the woman fired off another flash of light, blinding the boys, before unloading a hailstorm of bullets through the light where Drifter stood. However, even though her aim was spot on, there was no sound of impact from her energy bullets, like they disintegrated before hitting their mark.
Once the light dimmed, she clearly saw that Drifter’s aura fizzled out the bullets, they were simply too weak to penetrate his defenses. This only meant one thing.
“I need something bigger…”
Before Drifter had a chance to taunt her further, the woman lifted her gun onto her shoulder, transforming it into a rocket launcher.
“Let’s see you stop this one!”
Shocked by her sudden escalation, Drifter braced himself as the rocket soared towards him, exploding in a burst of smoke. Of course, even that wasn’t enough to deal any real damage, all she accomplished was nudging him slightly out of position.
“You can’t be serious… “ The woman gasped. “You should be seeing stars after a blast that hard, but you’re not even fazed.”
Drifter dusted himself off, satisfied that his demonstration showcased just how outclassed she actually was. “Alright, Locke. You’ve had your fun, now get your arse out here!”
As if on command, a bright light tore through reality, as the sound of clanking chains rang out from the portal, with the bound demon emerging from the other side.
“Did the large chains give me away?”
“Cut the shit. What’s with the girl and her magic gun?”
Locke’s single, azure eye, the only part of him still visible, looked over at the woman. “Amanda, I take it the results of the test were as predicted.”
“If you mean my attacks didn’t do jackshit, then yeah.” She groaned.
“I see… Well, no harm in trying.”
Drifter was left puzzled by his response. “What the hell were you trying to accomplish?”
“I was curious to see just how much power you could draw out of the sword.”
“Well, it’s a lot. Now bugger off.”
“Drifter, no!” Dale cried. “We were looking for this guy, remember!?”
“Wait, was that it?” Amanda asked.
“This was just an experiment. Not just on Drifter, but on you as well.” Locke explained. “As thanks, you can keep the weapon.”
“You helped me, just for that? Aren't you gonna take my soul, or something?”
“Don’t be so cliché. I have no use for human souls.”
“What about their souls?” Drifter pointed out.
Locke looked down upon the acolytes surrounding the building, still chanting their same tired mantra. “So, that’s where that noise was coming from.”
“They worship you, for some reason. All your kind. They think you're here to save them from… something…?”
Giving the angry mob a hard analysis, Locke was unimpressed.
“Mindless sycophants. Siding themselves with whomever has the greater power, immediately handing them their free will. They lump praise upon demonkind, all in a vain attempt at survival, in the hopes their all powerful masters do not do to them what they have done to the rest of their kind.
To prove their loyalty, they rally others to their cause and attack anyone who opposes them, all to secure their positions in their clique. They may seem dedicated and determined, but in truth, they’re just desperate. Helpless to stop the oncoming disaster, fighting their own people in the hopes their enemies will spare them.
This self serving, traitorous behaviour is exactly why the demon world fell. They may act strong now, but in the face of true adversity, they’ll fold, betray, scatter and eventually die.”
“I wasn’t expecting an essay…” Drifter responded.
“And here comes that very adversity.”
A portal suddenly flashed open above them as a large, black, chimera demon fell from the sky and crashed into the road, inches away from the acolytes, who looked on in stunned silence.
“He looks just like the big bastard from a few days ago.” Dale realised.
“Did you just summon that thing?” Drifter questioned.
“Ever since his brother was defeated, he has been aching to avenge him, so I may have pointed him in the right direction.” Locke replied.
The acolytes looked up to the large demon in awestruck silence, before one of them proclaimed: “Our prayers have been answered!”
“He can slay the White Heathen!”
“He will lead us to the new world!”
“SILENCE!” The monster decreed. “Where is the one wielding the sword of legend!?” The acolytes quietly pointed to the roof of the building, where the demon focused his attention.
“Human! You cannot hide! I can smell you! Step down here and fight me, or the hooded ones' lives are forfeit!”
Drifter snickered. “Win-win for me then.”
“You’re not seriously going to let them die, are you?” Dale asked in disbelief.
“Well…”
“What!? No! It’s not their fault they’re stupid!”
“Then you save them.”
“Fuck you, I will!” Dale leapt off the building, ready to confront the hulking beast.
“I should go help him.” Amanda added, heading for the stairs.
“Wait, why?”
“Situation’s changed!”
Drifter and Locke were left alone on the rooftop, to watch as their associates went into battle.
“So….” Drifter awkwardly asked. “How’s Catherine?”
Locke didn’t answer, choosing to watch over the fight instead. Annoyed by his silence, Drifter picked up a pebble and lobbed it at what he assumed was Locke’s head area.
“Don’t do that.” Locke replied.
“Got your attention didn’t it?”
“Catherine’s well being is none of your concern.”
Drifter threw another pebble, aiming for Locke’s eye, but a stray chain swatted it away.
“Damn, almost.”
“Now you’re just being childish.”
“What’s your deal Locke?” Drifter asked, throwing another pebble. “If you want my sword, then come take it already.”
“Now is not the time. Once his men have headed to the south island, there will be no interference.”
“What’s heading south? Interference from who?”
“It’s nothing you need to worry about.”
Drifter threw a few more pebbles, but Locke refused to divulge any further.
“Twat…”
“Alright you giant fuck!” Dale cried. “Let’s go!”
“So… he refuses to fight me.” The demon was not pleased by this turn of events. “In that case, I shall make this quick.”
The demon opened its gaping, lion mouth as it crackled with violet lightning, merging his power into a shocking orb that grew larger by the second. Realising the attack was far too large for a single target, Dale immediately yelled at the acolytes.
“What are you still doing here, you idiots!? Fucking run!”
The acolytes refused, believing the demon had come to slay their enemies. They had the utmost faith that they would be spared. They were beyond reasoning. Dale had no choice but to leap into action.
He rushed over to the demon and leapt towards its face, uppercutting its mouth closed, to seal off his attack. He quickly landed on the monster’s protruding snout and held his lower jaw, heaving his mouth shut to prevent him from launching his attack.
“Try firing that shit now, you… bigger… bastard…”
However, there was a fatal flaw in Dale’s plan, the monster still had two arms free. As the Bigger Bastard swung its mighty fist toward Dale, he could do nothing but hold its mouth shut for as long as he could before he was inevitably launched from the demon’s face and sent straight into the concrete.
“NO! STOP!” Dale cried.
He picked himself up, but the monster cared not for his pleas, as he prepared a blast that would tear through the crowd like an oncoming train. Just as he was about to fire, a blast of light shot into the demon’s face, causing it to reel backwards, firing the blast over the crowd and through the car park. The attack soared into the sky and exploded, as part of the building began to collapse.
“And down she goes…” Drifter quipped as he leapt from the falling debris.
As if in sync, Locke leapt with him. Both of their jumps had the same trajectory and they both landed in the field on the other side of the road, at the exact same distance. As chunks of the building fell over the acolytes, Dale could only watch in horror. In the few seconds he had, he was only able to save one person. He dashed full throttle, and without thinking, grabbed Amanda by the arm and yanked her out of danger.
While some acolytes had the foresight to escape, others caught in the middle weren’t so lucky and met a bloody end, crushed to death under the weight of falling concrete, as their screaming suddenly went silent.
“Why did you save me!?” Amanda cried.
“I don’t know! I had to save someone!” Dale responded.
“Well… thanks. Guess I owe you now.”
“This isn’t the time for that!” The two looked over at the carnage left behind by the Bigger Bastard’s single attack.
“Christ… I need to stop this, now!”
“We’ve got to stop this now.” Amanda insisted.
“Wait, you’re helping?”
“Of course! Who do you think stopped that guy from firing into the crowd in the first place?”
“Cover me!” Dale dashed in as Amanda backed him up with a storm of bullets beating down on the demon’s back. The Bigger Bastard turned around, covering his face with his hand, slightly agitated by the pellets pelting him.
“What is this nuisance?”
Dale swooped in undetected and slashed through the demon’s chest with a solid uppercut. However, like his brother, the Bigger Bastard was covered in a thick, stone hide, protecting his skin. Dale merely left a scar on his armour, leaving the demon unharmed.
"Do all of you fuckers have armour!?"
Embarrassed by his weak slash, the demon grabbed Dale out of the air, ready to crush him with his massive hand. Amanda took action and fired a rocket at the demon’s cut armour, the explosion successfully winding it momentarily, freeing Dale from its grasp.
As he was about to make his escape, the demon thrusted its fist forward, crashing into Dale and sending him flying into the field. Any normal human would have been killed by such force, but Dale’s powers kept him from crossing over, instead leaving him lying on the ground in agony by Drifter’s feet.
“You okay, retard?” He asked.
“Yeah, as soon as the feeling in my legs comes back.” Dale responded.
The Bigger Bastard was pleased to see that his real opponent was about to step in. “Now that I’ve defeated your underlings, you’ve finally decided to show yourself, human?”
“They’re not my underlings, they’re just idiots.”
“Either way, I can finally pay you back for killing my brother and humiliating my kind.”
“Whatever… just do your thing already.” The demon charged up his mouth blast again, but instead of stopping it, Drifter merely waited for it to fire, without a hint of fear.
He pointed out his finger, as the demon fired a blast the size of a house. It ignited the grass as it flew by, but Drifter was hardly impressed with the demon’s technique.
“You’ve got it all wrong. It’s not the size of your energy attacks that matters, it’s the density.”
He fired a glimmering speck of light that collided with the massive violet spark bolt. Despite its miniscule size, it stopped the blast dead in its tracks. The Bigger Bastard couldn’t believe what he was seeing, from his perspective it looked as if his attack had just grinded to a halt without explanation. Soon, the demon’s energy burst, giving way under the pressure of the tiny speck of light, allowing it to pass through unscathed.
It flew over to the demon where it detonated with a blast so intense it shattered his black armour, flinging the two storey tall monster into the rubble behind him, burying him along with the people he killed.
“All bark and no bite, as usual.” Drifter didn’t even bother to check the body.
“That was amazing.” Amanda exclaimed.
“Gee wiz, Drifter. I hope I get to grow up as big and strong as you one day.” Dale sarcastically added, before a pebble was tossed in his face.
“Hey, I’m sorry about attacking you earlier. I just owed that Locke guy a favour.” Amanda apologised.
“Whatever.” Drifter replied. “Just get… Goddammit!”
“What!?”
“Locke buggered off!”
“What!? Then what was the point of all that!?” Dale wondered.
Drifter couldn’t answer, but he speculated Locke simply acted on a whim. Not wanting to let an opportunity slip by, Amanda quickly asked about a problem that was deeply concerning her.
“Before you fellas leave, could you help a gal out?”
“No. I’m pissed off.” Drifter replied.
“Oh, I think you’ll be interested in this. It’s about that cult.”
“Why would I care about a bunch of crazy people?”
“Because, their base of operation is near here. How do you think they managed to rally so many protesters so fast?”
“I’m not interested in human problems.”
“What if they aren’t human?”
“What?"
“I was a part of that cult for a short while. When I arrived here from the States, they told me I had to join them to avoid being targeted by demons, but ironically it was a demon who saved me from them.”
“And that demon was?”
“Locke.”
“What the fuck? Why?”
“Well, if you come with me, maybe you’ll find out.”
Drifter thought about it for a second. “Fuck it, why not…”