I clutched desperately at the threads of my sanity that had long worn down to almost nothing. More often than not, it just made me slip further into the madness. However, every time I did, I’d end up fixed and with a happier life at the end of it. Something built to be broken and still thrive in it. Like a glowstick, in more ways than one.
“Getting tired of this theme,” I growled through clenched teeth. It was enough to almost be impaled or set alight, but having my sensibilities mocked was a step too far.
Whatever foul odor we had accidentally labored this area with previously had now dispersed and diminished. Now there was just the smell of ash and burned ozone.
[If only we could see through walls.]
I shot daggers at Wight with my glance. While we couldn’t see targets through walls, we had the next best thing. Well, actually - the next best thing would be to evaporate the whole wall and everything beyond it with one of our skills. Instead, I pushed up my glasses and activated
My vision went monochrome as we rounded the corner. Only had a few seconds, but it was enough - ahead of us in the passage was the bright crimson of Boofu's tracks in the light gravel of this underground den of terrible things.
Usually that would be as helpful, with our eye in the sky giving us positional information. The fact that Rodney couldn’t track the magic user meant that we had to do things differently. Track down the wounded animal by the trail of blood left.
Wight followed without a word, training his shotgun on any corner or doorway we passed. Interesting that he had never had any firearm training, yet wielded the gun as if it came naturally to him. Rodney gave us no further information about anything near us.
Each room was odd in their own. Purpose-built to be used for some type or demonic magic or another. The first a shade of red illuminating it, weird contraptions that looked like stocks or half-built guillotines. Another a pale blue - an odd color to find in Hell - and drowning in silky looking pillows.
I grunted to myself. “I think I’m starting to see a pattern here.”
[It is sex magic.]
"Yeah. I wasn’t going to say it like that. But…” I sighed and rolled out my shoulders. That sounded even worse than demon magic. Perhaps Frank just intended to torture me lightly. Just enough to annoy and wear me down.
Beside us, a large section of the wall vanished to reveal Boofu holding a spell. He released it, a beam of crackling energy, as soon as he saw us. We had played this sort of game before.
It struck me, and I absorbed the magic. Somewhat similar to any other kind of demonic energy, really. Oddly, after swirling around inside me, I didn’t feel the need to fire it out lest it destroy my insides. I broke it down. Refilling my demonic side with part of it and allowing the divine side of me to eat and destroy the rest.
Wight clicked the trigger, blasting a chunk out of the demon’s thigh before they vanished again.
[I’m getting sick of this evasive sex demon, Eric.]
“Don’t…” I worked my jaw. Maybe we should be having the tournament arc now instead. I would much rather be being beaten to a pulp than play hide-and-seek in someone's lewd playhouse. With demon magic.
[Also did you just eat that-]
“Demonic energy, yes.” I didn’t want him to call it anything but that. “I seem to be getting better at managing my powers.”
[Me too.]
“Yeah.” I gave him a grin. “Org are going to hate us, huh?”
[I’ve never been hated by ashes before.]
I shook my head, but hadn’t stopped smiling. “Alright, how do we get this tied up? I’m not spending the whole day chasing a vanishing demon.”
//Shit. Sorry, comms - but yeah, get finished asap, Eric.
If he wanted me to hurry up, then that could only mean one thing. Well, actually, probably a lot of different things. My bet was on having the location of one of the Hunters on the list. Although that took priority, we had already caused enough damage here where we couldn’t back out without Boofu dead.
“You heard HQ, Wight. No time for grandstanding.” With his nod of acceptance, we strode forward, slightly more serious about our efforts.
While it could be likely that Frank gave us these tasks for his own amusement, or he had some political reason for these targets to be killed… I was starting to believe these were tests. Or rather, lessons for us to learn. Most of our time in the Lowers had been against simple-minded demons that just walked forward and swung a melee weapon.
You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story.
But to fight against the unknown would hone us to be more efficient Hunters. Pinning down the elusive magic demon, and fighting against other Hunters made us stronger - readied us for the Mids. I’d have to ask Pearl about Frank later, to see if I was right about that.
Either way, we had a demon to erase.
“We’ll need your help with this one, Rodney.” Another passageway and different rooms and corridors, but no Boofu.
//Confirmed. I will need to see him for maybe ten seconds.
The demon was Mids-level, which meant he would have a true name we needed to grab hold of before we erased him. More fool us if we had forgotten. While the Blank was able to wriggle it out of a demon, he needed to make a connection across the planes - which was difficult when he couldn’t even track the demon with his tech.
I rolled to the floor as one of the rooms that we were passing suddenly burst out with shards of what looked like ice - only a dark purple color. Pain radiated up my leg as I took some damage. A little torn muscle to go along with the rip in my slacks, but nothing I couldn’t walk off. Or hobble off, as the case may be.
Wight had already stepped into the doorway once the attack had dissipated, but fired no shots. Either a trap or our opponent had vanished again.
Back up on my feet, I winced. It wasn’t just demonic energy that had struck me. Looking down at my leg, the blood from the wound looked darker, as my skin had turned a shade of violet around the impact site.
[Poison?]
I shrugged. “Doesn’t feel any worse than just the usual pain.” How strange that I had become used to the pain, to be able to address it as something so mundane. But I had been through much worse. Died a handful of times over, yet still lived.
My patron crouched down to inspect it. His clawed hand reached out and touched it gently, a wisp of his power wrapping around my leg. It didn’t feel any better or worse. Slightly numb, perhaps. “What’s the verdict, doc?”
[Nothing you cannot survive, but I suggest you take no more damage.]
He stood again as I raised my eyebrow. I could work with ominous. We began walking again, and I started to feel a little like a rat lost in some underground burrow. Although, maybe rats were good at that sort of thing.
//Three hostiles on your next left. Weak.
I liked when he called them weak. As much as it was a rough approximation of their strength, it also came across as a nice ego boost to pep me up as I went toward them.
[Allow me, Eric?]
With a nod, I allowed Wight to take point. It didn’t seem like using him as a shield if he offered up first. Now that he had powers of his own… that opened up a lot of possibilities going forward. He wasn’t even tied to me through the vessel. We could diversify forces, although Rodney could only watch me. Something to discuss when we got back.
Right before he gave us the place where we’d find one of the Hunters.
Wight switched around the corner, his shotgun blasting through one demon before he reloaded. Second shot downed another, then the third in quick succession. There had been the sound of magic spells being cast—a wholly terrible sentence—but as I rounded the corner after him, he seemed fine.
Well, he had taken damage, but was quickly healing over.
“I guess you have demonic regeneration to a higher degree than I do.” I shrugged as we continued onward.
[I am not invincible, but the amount of damage required to have me return to the Org is substantial.]
Certainly nothing a couple of Lowers demons could manage, I was sure. Chasing the demon through the tunnels wasn’t going to work out. He could lead us astray for hours and not even engage us. Usually these sorts of places held something important, though. Perhaps if we could find what was important to Boofu we could draw him out.
Pushing my glasses up, I activated
“This way.” I gestured to Wight as I walked through the wall and into a slimmer passageway.
[This looks to be more of a death trap.]
He wasn’t wrong. While the passage only looked to be a little less than twenty feet long before turning into a different room, it was slim enough to where we’d have to shuffle along it sidewards just about. My imagination had us getting pierced by those sword blades appearing through the stone. Didn’t want to risk that. Revolver up.
After the white and red lights faded, the wider corridor didn’t seem so dangerous. Plus, the attack had carried on through the wall into another chamber lit by green lights. With a grin, I walked on through, followed by Wight watching our six.
There was a slight drop from this passage down into the chamber, and I hopped down to be enveloped by the light. The impact caused a flare of pain up my injured leg, as though the force had activated my sleepy nerves. With my jaw clenched, I took in the room we found ourselves in.
Almost thirty feet long, maybe twenty wide, I was somewhat surprised to see that the walls and floor were brickwork as opposed to hewn rock. Several wide steps rose opposite us, up to an altar that held some manner of demonic object. It looked remarkably phallic, which wasn’t surprising at all. I was willing to bet it could cast magic or something, too.
With a flash of light, Boofu appeared in front of it, spells already pulsing in his hands as he growled our way.
“Wait!” I said, not drawing my revolver up. “We were sent here to kill you, but we don’t know why.”
His eyes narrowed, but he didn’t attack. Wight had his shotgun up, but was holding steady. He knew what I was doing. Only our target was out of the loop.
“You’re not here to steal the Dongbone of the Greater Magi?” There was hesitation in his held energies.
I didn’t really know how to address that. Once again, I felt as though the world at whole was having a joke at my expense. At least the demonic name would be something less grating to my ears.
“No,” I eventually mustered. “Far from it. In fact, up until you said that, I had no idea it even existed.” And was much happier for it.
“Then who sent you? Why are you here, Hunter and odd bird demon?” His tongue licked nervously around his lips.
I clucked my tongue. “See, that’s the interesting thing. Names are pretty important, huh?”
A little one-liner to set the mood. In truth, I had felt it first. Some part of my connection giving me the heads up to top up my overconfidence. As Boofu opened his mouth to speak, confusion and panic suddenly gripped at his facial features.
The whisper of his true name washed around the room as if carried by a breeze.
Erased.
We stepped out of the portal back into the basement, Wight coming through it the same way instead of pooling through the planes like usual. In seeing my inquisitive look, he shrugged.
[It seems I can tag along if we are making physical contact.]
Rodney looked up from his screens, knowing what my next question was going to be. Still, I asked it anyway, as he seemed apprehensive.
“Who do we have, and where?”
“That’s the thing,” the Blank said, rubbing at the back of his head. “It’s three Hunters, in the same place.”