Port city of Ingleport

“Pull! Pull!” The cry came from the children of Hellway orphanage as over twenty of them, including the large Timmy, tugged on a long thick rope. On the other end unmoving as a mountain Lilith held on with a single arm, planting her feet deeply into the dirt. Normally she wouldn’t mind letting the children win, but with that deep pit of mud between them there was no way she was going to lose. Cheering rose from all sides as Hellborne of all ages, most having grown up here, watched the spectacle.

“Help!” The children cried all straining to pull Lilith into the mud. To her dismay, six adult Hellborne leaped over the gated off area joining the children in their efforts. Lilith switched to both hands. She regretted agreeing to have her arm tied to the rope. No doubt this had been the little hell spawns plan all along. Lilith gasped in alarm as her feet slid slightly forward to the eager cheering of the crowd.

“Nora! A little help!” Lilith cried shrilly, to the merriment of the onlookers.

“Damn straight, that isn’t fair!” Nora yelled also leaping over the gate. She reached Lilith side where she gave a wicked grin before sweeping Lilith’s leg out from under her. The effect was instantaneous. Lilith went down, sliding toward the mud pit. Desperate, she latched onto Nora’s leg who went down clawing at the dirt. Nora shrieked as her fate became clear.

“Not my new dress!” Nora pleaded. Lilith ignored her plea as she held on as they plummeted over rim. The laughter was thunderous as both women plopped into the muck below. Her mouth filled with gritty mud Lilith got up, looking like a white radish freshly plucked from a wet garden. To her right Nora was cursing, already trying to climb out of the pit.

“No you don’t!” Lilith cried leaping for her friend who shrieked again as she was pulled off the pit wall like a disobedient kitten on a curtain. They fell together into the mud. Lilith was sure to dunk Nora’s entire head under the brown mess briefly, before lifting her out.

“Angel piss!” Nora cried trying to tackle Lilith. It was useless. Lilith had her feet now and she was immeasurably stronger. She lifted Nora over her head, tossing her several feet in the air allowing her to plopped into the mud again, completely soaking her new green dress. Boisterous laughter erupted from all sides as Nora wearily got to her knees. She was so muddy that only her two blue eyes were clear of the brown muck.

Lilith freed her arm from the rope before climbing out of the pit, Nora just behind her. Wiping mud from her face, Lilith had a split second to resister the basin of water the children were holding before she and Nora got hit by its contents. She felt like she just got plowed by a large ocean wave. The pair stood there dripping wet. The pair’s clothes were plastered bodies showing off all their curves. She and Nora got more than one appreciative whistle.

“Lilith, Nora! You two run inside and get dressed before all the men start grunting and ramming their horns together!” Marith called over the crowd. More laughter as Lilith and Nora made a dignified walked to the orphanage. Well, as dignified as they could considering they were sopping wet after having wrestled in the mud.

Lilith changed into fresh linen with black pantaloons and a sleeveless dark tunic that contrasted nicely with her pale skin. Next to her Nora, wearing only under garments looked mournfully at her new dress like it was a drowned puppy.

“Don’t worry I’ll help you wash them later,” Lilith said clasping Nora on the shoulder.

“Yeah, that’s what I get for messing with you,” Nora said with a small smile. Lilith went to Marith’s wardrobe where she found a nice pink dress that would fit her friend. After they got dressed, they exited back out into the yard. Outside there was a long line of Hellborne. Dinner must be almost ready to be served.

Lilith rushed to the front taking over a server position, after she threw on a heavily stain apron. Lilith dished out large bowls filled with the stew from the huge cauldron she been simmering all day. She smiled at each child and adult as they gratefully accepted the offered food. Lilith was also well known for her cooking as much as for her strength. Brandishing a fist at anyone who dare cut in line, and there were many, Lilith made sure everyone got a good size helping before serving out seconds, and then thirds. After most had been served Lilith grabbed a bowl herself along with a sizable flagon of ale before joining the adults at their table. She plopped down next to Nora and Marith. She smiled as she watched the children occupying three long tables a short distance away. Like all children there was a lot of noise and laughter, along with flying food from all sides. Lilith smiled as she alternated between long pulls of the frothy ale and big bites of her own stew.

“I completely forgive you for ruining my dress,” Nora said patting her extended belly. “I think I just ate a stone’s worth of stew.” Despite her claim, she apparently had room for ale, taking a big draft from her tankard. Around her others had finished their own stews. Many went going back up to the cauldron jostling each other for a chance at the ladle.

“I’ve missed having you around for the festival of peace,” Marith said giving Lilith a warm smile. “It hasn’t been the same while you been busy working these last few years.”

“It’s a good paying job. Besides, not much of a festival of peace this year.”

“Aye, I heard what happened,” Marith said. “Did you really punch a pure blood angel?”

“You bet your hell spawn ass she did!” Nora said excitedly. She then proceeded to tell the story with gusto like she herself did the deed. Lilith let her do it, focusing on her food and tankard. Fetching more ale from an open casket, Lilith felt like nothing could go wrong.

Valiner felt like nothing could go right. For the last few days Galadorian had been watching him like a hawk and if it wasn’t her then another of their crew found an excuse to stay by his side. Even the hell blasted birds seemed to be watching him as a large raven kept coming back to the tavern, studying them intently. Now with the festival almost over and most returning to their homes, except for the really drunk, Valiner felt his chances of revenge dwindle to almost zero. Not once the entire time of the festival was he left alone. He was about to give up when fortune made itself known. A drunk demon stumbled into the bar loudly declaring that he was going to knock an angel on its ass. Everyone took great pleasure smacking the demon around, before emptying a chamber pot on his head and tossing the beast out. Valiner wasn’t sure if the demon even felt any of it considering how drunk he was. But that didn’t matter. What did was that it gave him the chance to slip out. Now here he was in the late hours of the night making his way to the water front where that hell bitch Lilith lived. His captain would be angry when she turned up missing, but he could live with that. What he couldn’t live with was letting her go.

Valiner turned a corner where he suddenly stopped. A soft buzzing that grew steadily louder with each passing second had him frozen in his steps. The sound was wrong like twisted bees from the pit itself.

“By Nephereal’s cold nipples, what is it now?” Valiner muttered looking to the dark sky. At first he could see nothing besides that damn raven sitting atop a roof. Was it the bird? No, the strange bird too looked off into the horizon where Valiner was sure the sound was coming. High above, a dark cloud was moving swiftly as it covered the entire ocean front. The sound was being pushing out in front of it. The raven gave a squawk of alarm before taking to the air. Valiner ignored the bird as he squinted at the cloud. The cloud suddenly blocked out the moon, covering everything in Ingleport in the blackest of nights.

“What’s that?” Valiner said as the cloud descended and he got his answer.

Lilith was fast asleep with a snoring Nora sounding like a train on the other side of the room. They had gotten back just before midnight with Lilith carrying her friend to her bed. Utterly exhausted, Lilith fell asleep the moment her head touched the pillow. So when she was awoken by a squawking raven, her anger was justified. She punched at the bird she failing to connect, except with the wall she had just patched the other day.

“Angel piss,” Lilith muttered collapsing back into the bed with a fresh breeze from outside. She’d have to fix that tomorrow.

“Damn it girl wake up!” The raven squawked fluttering out of range as Lilith tossed her boot at it.

“Shut up. I want to sleep,” Lilith muttered rolling over on her stomach. She pulled the covers over her head leaving her bare legs exposed.

“Something’s coming!” Rufus said a slight squawk to each of his words.

“No there isn’t. No go away before I make you find another bird to possess.”

Rufus fluttered down pecking at Lilith’s foot.

“Ouch!” Lilith said sitting bolt upright rubbing her eyes. “Rufus what are you on about?”

“Something coming! The sky is filled with them!”

“Their called birds. Now stop pestering me with nonsense before I…” Lilith stopped as a loud buzzing filled the air along with a shriek from someone outside.

The tale has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.

“They’re here! They’re here!” Rufus wailed flapping his wings wildly. Feathers floated down much like it had when Lilith punched the angel. For once she worried that Rufus might be right. Lilith hastily started to get dressed as Rufus began squawking at Nora who shouted at him a moment later. Lilith put on a black linen long sleeve shirt and the black pantaloons from earlier in the day along with her favorite white sleeveless frock coat.

“NORA!” Lilith yelled over the buzzing that was now rattling the walls as she laced up her calf high leather boots. She pulled back on her curtain. Nora was gawking out their large window still in her pink dress borrowed from Morith.

“This can’t be happening…” Nora said her flesh so pale it was only a shade darker than Lilith’s. She joined her friend at the window. Lilith blinked furiously hoping that somehow it would dispel the horror she was seeing. Black things were landing in the foggy streets. They were crawling over everything like swarming locust.

“We need to run and hide!” Rufus squawked landing on a nearby bookshelf. Before she could comment a large shape hurled itself at their window. Lilith tackled Nora to the side both of them tumbling to the floor as the window burst inward along with part of the wall. An insect the size of the man filled the empty space chitterling loudly its large mandibles clacking. Lilith leaped to her feet before the bug could move. She punched the bug as hard as she could. The bug didn’t fly backwards like the angel had. It didn’t even move an inch. The head she punched was simply obliterated. Thorax, mandibles and the weird three mouths she barely glimpsed was gone like it never been. Green ichor fountained briefly from its stump before the bug fell lifeless to the floor. Lilith barely had time to sigh in relief when another shape filled the hole where their window was. Lilith used less strength this time as she picked up the dead bug hurling it at the new one with a satisfying crunch as carapaces cracked from the impact. Both fell in a mess to the ground a story below.

“What are those things!” Nora shrieked looking at the green ichor dripping from Lilith’s hand.

“We have to hide!” Rufus said again flapping his wings.

“Stop it, both of you!” Lilith shouted, and both of them quieted down. “I don’t know what is going on, but we have to help. Nora, get dressed and grab your gun.”

“I’m not going out there!” Nora shrieked and Rufus shook his head in agreement.

“Fine!” Lilith snapped. “I am. People are in trouble out there. I’m not hiding here.” Lilith knew she had been too harsh, but she didn’t have time to be gentle. Lilith moved to the hole in the wall where below she could see dozens of the bug like things scuttling around in the foggy night. She swallowed her fear and leaped from the opening landing a story below on the hard packed earth.

Screams and shouting were erupting on all sides. Small fires burned all over from magical runes being broken and the power store within suddenly escaping. The air no longer had the salty sea taste that Lilith had known all her life. Now it was acrid and foul, like something had died. A haze covered the docks and the immediate vicinity as if the city was trying to hide the infection now ravaging it. Movement from her right drove all concerns from her mind as five of the bugs rushed her crawling like cockroaches they resembled. Once they neared they stood erect, their mandibles clicking in anticipation. Lilith jumped at them hitting the first one with a palm thrust that propelled it backward like cannon fire into one its brethren. Both tumbled away into the mist leaving a long green ichor trail in their wake. The others cocked their heads clicking their mandibles wildly. One of the bugs charged her its four limbs swinging in blurring arcs. Lilith dodged to the left, then punched it so hard that her fist exited the chest on the other side. The bug gave a death shudder before going limp. The other two clicked their mandibles as they charged her. Not having time to free her arm, she simply raised her fist again lifting the dead bug off the ground. The dead bug acted as an improvised shield, taking all the damage meant for her. Lilith’s punched the next bug her fist sinking deep into its carapace. She yanked her hand free she facing the final bug. It was scuttling away as fast as it could.

Lilith wiped away the green ichor, which had completely soaked her arm to the joint, as a strong breeze cleared the haze that cover the wharf. What she saw left her cold. It wasn’t the small fires or the wanton destruction of buildings who housed people she knew for many years. It was the webbing. All around was a thick spider web like substance hung on buildings like twisted tapestry. Even more alarming was the struggling cocoons. They were everywhere. Some like the nearest one had angel wings poking out of it. Overall this was a massive creature as tall as a building on eight thick hairy legs. Spider like, with a light gray exoskeleton, it had dozens of long human arms on its underbelly that held struggling people as it wrapped them in the white webby substance excreted by a large nipple in the center. The ground trembled at each step as the beast turned, facing Lilith. She half expected some insect like face perhaps with two towering fangs and bug eyes. Lilith was not prepared for the very human like face in the front of its body. It looked at her with dark eyes the size of a watermelon. The creature stamped its feet as it frowned at her and the dead bugs at her feet. Opening its mouth it had very normal looking teeth as it spoke in a tongue that Lilith couldn’t understand. The meaning became clear, as two dozen bugs charged her.

Darthnos twirled his double bladed hellrune axe in a blinding arc, killing two of the bugs instantly with a single slash. Nearly as tall as he was, the weapon was his fathers before he was killed in the fighting pits. The weapon had drunk its fair share of angelic blood in the last war. Now it was feasting on a new type of drink, its wide blade heads covered in green ichor. Another bug landed from the sky in front of Darthnos. Raising his axe high, he split it in two down the middle before it could even reach for him. The demonic magic in blade weaken noticeably after that last slash. Darthnos closed his eyes briefly using his own magical reserves to refresh the power of the hellrunes on each cutting edge. He slumped slightly in exhaustion. He watched as another group of bugs land only to be torn apart by a rampaging golem. The rest to fall victim to his crew all armed with their own hellrune weapons. They were holding for now, but he could feel his stamina reserves being rapidly depleted.

“Boss,” one of his Hellborne crew said coming up to him. He held a pistol in each hand casually firing a round into the air at one of the many swarming bugs up there. It burst into dark red hellfire flames before tumbling to the ground only to be squashed by a golem. “We’ll never reach the ship like this. There are lot more down there and bigger things besides.”

“We aren’t leaving my ship,” Darthnos growled. “Keep fighting you worthless sack of angel dung.”

“But can’t we…” the Hellborne said loading another round into his pistol.

“We aren’t doing anything besides fighting. You want to run and hide? Be a real demon! The angels and humans are fighting and by the wrath of the pit so will we!” Darthnos snarled pushing the Hellborne back into the fight. It was true. All around them an organized resistance had started. Humans were wielding weapons glowing with heaven and hellrunes. They chopped away at the bugs as they tried to land. Angels flew in groups of four, driving down the bugs where Darthnos and his crew took care of them. He might hate the overgrown pigeons, but they sure did know how to fight. Only a hundred years ago they would be killing each other, now here they were fighting side by side. The irony of it didn’t escape Darthnos.

A sudden strong breeze cleared the mist that had been settling over the city since night fell. Darthnos felt his heart sink. He had thought the situation nearly hopeless, now the realized how optimistic that was. The wharf was now laid out before him and so was the bugs. They swarmed over everything while a huge spider monstrosity was wrapping up people like breaded deserts. A surge from the flying bugs above and the angels were overwhelmed their angelic weapons falling the ground covered in a writhing mass. The defenders on the ground gave out cries of dismay as countless bugs descended. Golems were quickly covered in so many bugs that they couldn’t move and were torn apart shortly after. Humans were killed on the spot many being eaten right then and there.

“Retreat!” Came the call and Darthnos was about to give a similar order when he saw her, Lilith. Fearless, she was plowing through the bugs using a dead one in each hand as an improvised battling ram.

“Stupid girl! By the pit what is she thinking!?” Darthnos snarled and then went slack jaw in amazement. Lilith instead of being overwhelmed leaped high into the air landing on the spiders back. She tossed her dead bugs that she been carrying at several that landed before her. Like cannon fire they when spiraling to the ground in a fine mist of green ichor. She never stopped running until she was at the spider’s strange human face. There she knelt down driving her arm nearly to the shoulder joint into the creature’s skull. A shriek filled the night as the spider stomped its legs up and down, crushing many smaller bugs beneath it. The hands cocooning its many victims forgot what they were doing, seizing uncontrollably. Darthnos could see Lilith holding on and driving her other arm into the skull with an audible crack that Darthnos could hear over the buzzing of the flying bugs around him. She then leaped off the spider pulling out a sizable chunk of brain with her. She landed in a tumble as the spider toppled over onto its back, dead. Dazed, she didn’t notice the approaching bugs getting ready to pounce at her from above. Making a quick decision, Darthnos barked a final order to his men.

“Get to safety and help the defenders!” Without waiting for a reply he rushed forward where Lilith was struggling to her feet. She fell back down into the web-covered road as a bug landed atop her, its arms raised for the killing blow. Darthnos knew he would never make it, when the bug suddenly erupted in hellfire flames falling off Lilith. A quick glance to the side Darthnos saw Lilith’s friend there holding a hell-forged pistol. Dressed in a black overcoat and leggings she had a belt of hellfire bullets slung over her waist with knee high black boots and two daggers on her waist. With trembling hands she was fumbling trying to load in another round. It was enough. Darthnos reached Lilith side splitting two bugs open with a single swing of his axe as Lilith got to her knees, spitting out blood.

“Thanks,” Lilith said getting to her feet brushing herself off.

“Now we’re even,” Darthnos said as Lilith’s friend joined them.

“Lilith, you ok?” She panted a scared look in her eyes.

“I’m fine, but they’re not,” Lilith said pointing to the many cocooned figures struggling on the ground. The many bugs nearby regarded them warily.

“We can’t save them girly,” Darthnos said. Then to his surprise a large raven landed on Lilith shoulder.

“We must flee! More are coming! They’re over running the city!” The raven squawked.

“Is that a shade possessing the bird?” Darthnos asked.

Both women ignored him focusing intently on the bird instead. “Is the orphanage ok?” Lilith said.

It dropped its head shaking it sadly. “The bugs are already there. But we can’t help, we have too…” Darthnos never heard the rest as Lilith took off with incredible speed, the bird taking to the sky. He cursed as he followed with Nora letting the bugs get back to their victims at the wharf. They left that part of the fight behind. They passed small pockets of resistance which Lilith ignored plowing through all the bugs in her way, killing many as she flung them aside.

“Girly come back here!” Darthnos barked looking nervously behind him. Nora was keeping pace, but all around golems and humans alike fell to overwhelming numbers. “You can’t get there in time. Fight here and save who we can!”

“Lilith, perhaps we should listen and…” Nora began but Lilith put on an impressive burst of speed that Darthnos thought impossible and was quickly out of sight.

“Angel piss! What is she?!” Darthnos said slowing down catching his breath.

“I would like to know that as well,” Nora panted.