The stale air grew heavier as we ventured deeper into the tunnels. Faith's earlier words about a trap echoed in my mind, making my skin crawl. The tracking crystal pulsed steadily, confirming we were heading in the right direction, but something felt off.
Isabella's posture stiffened beside me. Her ice-blue eyes narrowed, scanning the shadows. Aria's usual playful demeanour vanished, replaced by predatory alertness.
Then I heard it - multiple sets of footsteps echoing through the tunnels. Not the casual shuffle of maintenance workers or the scurrying of rats. These were purposeful, coordinated movements coming from different directions.
"Company," Isabella whispered, her voice barely audible.
Faith's grip tightened on her gun. "How many?"
"At least six," I replied, my enhanced hearing picking up distinct patterns. "Coming from both sides."
Aria's lips curled into a dangerous smile. "Well, isn't this lovely? And here I was worried we'd have a boring evening."
The footsteps grew closer. The darkness in the side tunnels shifted, taking on human shapes. Pale faces emerged from the shadows - vampire minions, their eyes gleaming with unnatural hunger.
Isabella drew her blade in one fluid motion, the silver edge catching what little light penetrated these depths. Aria's stance widened, her glamour flickering as she prepared for combat. I pulled out the silver whip from my ring, letting it uncoil with a soft whisper of metal links.
The vampires spread out, blocking both our advance and retreat. Their movements were unnaturally smooth, like predators stalking prey. But they hadn't counted on facing three succubi and a trained hunter.
Faith raised her silenced gun, its barrel tracking the nearest vampire. The creature's lips pulled back in a snarl, revealing elongated fangs.
The muffled bang of Faith's weapon broke the tension. Its bullet found its mark, striking the vampire's heart. The creature collapsed, its flesh sizzling where the blessed silver bullet had entered. The rest surged forward, their inhuman speed making them blur in the dim light.
I let my body move on its own, the silver whip whistled as it cut through the air. The weapon felt natural in my grip, an extension of my arm as it lashed out at approaching vampires. My movements flowed like water, each strike flowing into the next.
"Behind you!" Faith called out, but I was already spinning away from clawed hands.
Isabella's blade flashed in precise arcs while Aria danced between opponents, her unpredictable style keeping vampires off balance. Faith tracked targets with her gun, but our fluid movements made it difficult for her to find clear shots.
The whip coiled around a vampire's neck, the silver links burning into undead flesh. I pulled, using its momentum to slam it into another. "Isabella, how did you know whips were my thing?"
"The way you move." Isabella ducked under fangs, her sword taking an arm. "That fluid grace suggested proficiency."
"Plus you've got that whole dominatrix vibe going," Aria laughed, dodging a swipe. "Very sexy."
I rolled my eyes but couldn't argue - my combat style did look provocative. Yet something felt odd about these movements. They were too polished, too practiced for mere instinct. Was it the muscle memory of the real Lily? Had she trained with the whips?
A vampire lunged at Faith. My whip wrapped around its ankle, leaving smoking burns as it yanked the creature off course. Faith's shot dropped it with a wet thud.
"Getting a feel for our rhythm?" Isabella called to Faith.
"Thanks." Faith's tone carried uncertainty as she reloaded. "Though working with demons is... new."
We fell into a pattern - the three of us pushing vampires back while Faith picked them off. Her shots grew more confident as she learned to anticipate our movements, each bullet leaving sizzling wounds where they struck.
A shadow detached from the wall behind Faith. Before I could shout a warning, my whip had already lashed out, catching the vampire's throat. Faith spun, putting a bullet through its heart.
"Nice save," Faith nodded.
I didn't respond, too caught up in my thoughts. That move had been pure reflex - not succubus instinct, but trained muscle memory. Just how much of the real Lily's combat experience lived in this body?
More vampires emerged from the shadows, forcing me to set aside my questions. Faith had found her place in our formation now, her shots perfectly timed between our strikes.
"Not bad for a mortal," Isabella said as Faith's bullet found another heart.
"I'll take that as a compliment." Faith's final shot echoed through the tunnel, the last vampire crumbling to ash.
The last vampire crumbled to ash, and Faith quickly moved between the corpses, examining their faces with grim recognition.
"These were the missing people from our reports," she muttered, but before she could elaborate further, more shadows detached from the tunnel walls.
These vampires moved differently - coordinated, purposeful. Their eyes held calculating intelligence rather than mindless hunger.
"Flank them," one of them commanded. "Don't let them escape."
My whip lashed out as they advanced, but this group anticipated the attack, dodging with practiced grace. Faith's shots missed as the vampires used their enhanced speed more tactically.
"Getting tired of these interruptions," Aria growled, her playful tone gone.
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A vampire raised his hand, dark energy crackling between his fingers. The spell shot toward us like black lightning. I threw up a hasty barrier, the magical shield absorbing most of the impact but still forcing me back a step.
Isabella's blade danced with deadly precision as she wove combat magic into her strikes. Flames erupted along her sword's edge, leaving burning trails through the air. "Their coordination is impressive, but their magic is amateur at best."
Aria laughed, her own spells manifesting as she ducked and weaved between opponents. "Amateur or not, there's too many of them."
I struck with my whip, catching a vampire's arm before he could complete another spell. Between strikes, I managed to throw a few basic fire bolts, the flames barely singeing their targets. My academy training felt woefully inadequate against these numbers.
"Left side!" Faith called out, her blessed bullets finding marks despite the vampires' superior speed.
A spell grazed my shoulder, the dark energy feeling like ice against my skin. I wished I'd had more time to practice divine magic with father - even a simple offensive spell might have given us an advantage here.
"This is infuriating," Isabella snarled, deflecting a vampire's claws with her blade. "In Hell, I could tear them apart with a thought."
"Less complaining, more fighting," Aria replied, though her own spells seemed frustratingly weak compared to her usual power.
The vampires pressed their advantage, forcing us into a tighter formation. Their teamwork was impressive - when one attacked, others were already moving to exploit any openings in our defence.
My whip caught another vampire's leg, but two more immediately filled the gap. Faith's shots rang out with mechanical precision, yet for each vampire we dropped, more seemed to emerge from the shadows.
"We need to break their formation," Isabella called out, her blade leaving silver trails through the air.
I spun away from clawed hands, my barrier barely deflecting another dark spell. The cramped tunnel limited our movement, giving the vampires' superior numbers even more advantage.
"Any bright ideas?" Faith asked, ejecting an empty magazine and smoothly inserting another.
"Working on it," I replied, my whip singing through the air. The silver links left burning trails across vampire flesh, but they pressed forward regardless.
Aria ducked under a spell, retaliating with her own magic. "They're herding us deeper into the tunnels."
She was right. Each exchange pushed us further back, away from our original route. The vampires' attacks seemed designed to guide our movement rather than overwhelm us completely.
"Hold position," Isabella commanded, her blade cleaving through a vampire's defence. "Don't let them dictate the battlefield."
I threw up another barrier as multiple spells converged on our position. The magical shield held, but I felt the strain of maintaining it. These vampires might lack individual skill, but their coordinated attacks were wearing us down.
Between defensive moves, I watched Isabella and Aria unleash their magic. Isabella's spells wove seamlessly with her swordplay, while Aria's unpredictable casting style kept vampires off balance.
Something nagged at my thoughts as I deflected another attack. Back in the caves, neither of them had used magic against the undead. Isabella's precise blade work and Aria's acrobatic moves had been purely physical then. Why? They were clearly capable of combat magic.
Faith's gun clicked empty again. "Running low on ammo here."
Another spell grazed my barrier, forcing me to focus on the immediate threat. Isabella's flame-wreathed sword carved through a vampire while Aria's magic knocked two more back.
"Just perfect," Aria muttered, deflecting a vampire's claws with a magical shield of her own.
I pushed the questions aside. This wasn't the time to analyse past events. The vampires pressed forward, their coordinated attacks requiring my full attention. Later, when we weren't fighting for our lives, I'd ask them about the reason behind their restraint in caves.
My whip sang through the air once more as I moved to protect Faith's flank. Whatever the reason for their previous restraint, I was grateful they weren't holding back now.
"I have an idea," Isabella announced between strikes, her blade leaving silver arcs through the air.
"What do you mean?" Faith called out, her gun barking twice more.
Isabella's face tightened with concentration. "No time to explain!"
She raised her free hand toward the ceiling, magical energy crackling around her fingers. The spell built rapidly, far more powerful than anything she'd attempted before. I felt the world push back against her magic, trying to suppress the gathering power.
Isabella's spell exploded upward, the energy ripping into the tunnel's stone ceiling. Blood immediately began streaming from her nose and eyes as the backlash of straining the world barriers hit her. The stone groaned ominously before huge chunks broke free, crashing down onto the vampires in front of us.
"Isabella! Are you alright?" Aria rushed to support her friend as Isabella swayed slightly.
Isabella wiped blood from her face with her sleeve. "I'm fine. Just overexerted myself a bit."
"Are you insane?" Faith's voice cracked with anger. "There are civilians up there!"
Isabella's blood-streaked face turned toward Faith, her expression hardening. "Would you prefer we die down here instead?"
Faith's jaw clenched, but she didn't argue further. "You have a point."
I remained silent, realizing I wasn't particularly concerned about random mortals compared to Faith's safety. When had I started thinking of humans as 'mortals'? The thought should have bothered me more than it did.
Faith's radio crackled to life, a voice demanding an update on the situation.
"The vampires knew we were coming," Faith reported, her voice steady despite our recent close call. "There was a cave-in during the fight. The sewer tunnel has collapsed."
Faith's radio crackled again. "Can you retreat to a safe position?"
"We've come too far to back out now," Aria interjected before Faith could respond, her usual playful tone replaced with steel.
Faith pressed the radio button. "Negative. The vampire knows we're here, but the collapse has cut off their reinforcements. We'll proceed with the plan"
Silence stretched for several seconds before the voice returned. "Understood. Good luck, Agent Clarke. And... be careful around those demons."
"Hey!" Aria protested, sounding genuinely offended.
"Let's go," Faith commanded, already moving forward through the debris-strewn passage.
I watched Faith's back as we proceeded, noting how she hadn't mentioned Isabella causing the cave-in. The gesture wasn't lost on me - she'd protected us, even if only to maintain the operation's integrity.
The tunnel widened gradually, water dripping from ancient brick walls. Our footsteps echoed despite our attempts at stealth. The tracking crystal in my hand grew warmer with each step, confirming we were heading in the right direction.
Isabella moved with calculated grace, her usually perfect hair now streaked with dirt and blood. Aria had dropped her usual carefree demeanour, her eyes scanning constantly for threats. Faith led us with professional precision, her gun ready.
The tunnel opened into a vast underground chamber, clearly predating the modern sewer system. Crumbling stone columns stretched up into darkness, supporting what must be tons of London streets above. The air felt thick with age and decay.
And there, in the centre of the chamber, stood my old body.
But it wasn't me anymore. Red eyes gleamed where mine had been blue. The familiar face twisted into an unfamiliar smile.
"Welcome," the thing wearing my old body said, spreading its arms in a theatrical gesture. Its gaze swept across our group before settling on me. Recognition flickered in those crimson eyes.
"Ah," it said, smile widening. "How wonderful to finally meet the one who's been snooping around. I must say, you're quite persistent."
My grip tightened on the silver whip Isabella had given me. The body before us might have once been mine, but whatever inhabited it now was something else entirely.
Faith raised her gun. Isabella's blade glinted in the dim light. Aria's usual smile had been replaced by focused intensity.
The chamber felt like a trap ready to spring, but we had no choice but to spring it. We'd come too far to turn back now.
"I don't suppose you'd care to surrender peacefully?" Faith asked, though her tone suggested she already knew the answer.
The thing in my old body laughed - a sound that should have been familiar but wasn't. "Oh, my dear Faith. Always so thoughtful." It took a step forward, shadows seeming to writhe around its feet. "But I'm afraid this meeting has a rather different purpose."