Kaden spun and leaped, scrambling up the wooden pole walls of the village. The sharp points at the top only served to let him cling to the walls. What he saw left his blood cold. One of Desmona’s minotaurs was dead, and villagers ran everywhere, screaming. The other two flanked Desmona, who stood atop a dead [Ranger]. Two more lay in the street, writhing, and another was dead on the FarPortal.
Kaden dropped to the ground. “The strike team for this village is dead. I’m not leaving them for Desmona to torture.”
“Get me to them,” Eve said.
He engaged [Stealth Aura] and entered through the gate, dodging villagers.
Desmona strode through the streets, comforting villagers even as she hunted the [Rangers].
Kaden headed for the dead, stuffing the corpses into Inventory. When all six of the dead were safely stored, he ducked into a house whose door stood open wide. On the way in, he stopped. By the base of the house, a glittering black rock jutted from the ground. He’d seen them before, used to summon an incarnation of Asmodeus. He kneeled and wrenched it out of the ground, then snuck into the home.
A crooked staircase on one side led upstairs to a bedroom, where Eve helped him lay one corpse out. Kaden chose the one who looked like a leader. Or an adventurer who collected old pins he’d put in his cloak and used crossbow bolts he stored through his rib cage. “Let’s use this one for information.”
“Easy.” Eve activated [Life Exchange] and the Ranger gasped.
Kaden clamped his hand over the man’s mouth to stifle the scream. “You’re safe for the moment. How many were in your strike team?”
“Twelve. She has a skill. Split into six. There were bolts coming from everywhere.”
Eve boosted his health twice. “That’s all for now. Drink a potion.”
Kaden dispatched the [FalCrow] explaining the situation, while Eve resurrected the rangers one by one, raising their health just enough for a healing potion to take effect. A moment later a bird returned
Feris spoke with concern. “Hold your position. They’re tearing through the first two villages and will converge. We’ve practiced dealing with demo-plexis monsters but practicing and actually being attacked are different.”
Kaden relayed to Eve—and the [Rangers]. “Stay in this house.”
Eve wasn’t paying attention to Kaden, she was peeking out the upper window. “Desmona is doing something.”
Kaden activated [Stealth Aura] and looked down on the square.
Desmona wasn’t running, her eyes were closed, and she mouthed words.
[Relive the Moment] came to life as Kaden willed it. He wanted to know exactly what she was saying.
Desmona kneeled, cutting her forearm with a silver dagger. Purple blood dripped, the same color as the veins on Naski’s Seed had been. She spoke in words that caused Kaden’s health to drop with each one. The final word struck like a dagger to his heart, tearing a thousand points of health out. Kaden’s head ached like a TriTerror tail had been driven into it. [Relive the Moment] had ended as he lost his focus.
All around Desmona, commoners unlucky enough to be nearby dropped dead, as purple light burst from a ring of rocks, spraying up into the air—and dispersed. Kaden didn’t need multispeak to translate the guttural cry of sheer frustration. Desmona checked her circle and spotted the missing stone, then pivoted, scanning the village.
An arrow blossomed in her shoulder, and Desmona leaped left, followed by arrow after arrow.
*What did she do to you?* Eve asked as she activated Life Transfusion, raising Kaden’s health four hundred points.
He returned the mana. *She tried to contact an Abyss Lord. Their names alone cause damage, but I think it cost her just to try or every Demon’s Daughter would run around shouting it.*
From all around the village, shouts rose up. One of Desmona’s remaining Minotaurs fell as she shattered into eight copies—and each of them split in two.
Kaden couldn’t help, and that hurt more than any wound, because Demona wasn’t given to flair or banter. She stalked relentlessly, firing bolt after bolt at [Rangers] while dodging their arrows by just barely moving.
But not perfectly.
Here and there, Desmonas fell, some on fire from flaming arrows, one burned with acid to near uncrecognizably. Then one of them turned and ran for the square, ripping black stones from the ground one after the other.
*She’s running,* Kaden sent.
Then his heart caught in his throat. A shadowy figure materialized behind Desmona, stabbing the Demon’s Daughter with solid black swords, then leaping back as Desmona drew her shortsword and struck.
“Hello, demon. My name is Trella Sonos. I’m a [Shadow Blade]—”
Desmona unslung her crossbow and fired a bolt straight at Trella’s chest—and again, and again, as Trella charged. Two steps away, Desmona split in two, one holding the sword, one holding a crossbow. The sword-demon sliced—through the Dark Deception. [Deception Echo] spawned a second one which lunged, stabbing at Desmona’s foot even as she cut it down.
“Demon.” Trella stood right where she’d been a moment before. “I told you I’m a [Shadow Blade]. And there’s only a few of you.”
Kaden couldn’t say how Desmona stretched out her arm, turning it into a tentacle snare that lashed around Trella’s ankle, but she twisted, pulling at the tenacle even as she flipped backward.
“You’re going to have to do better than that. And what I just splashed on you? Alchemical Potion I call [Rot]. The one I meant to make was supposed to enhance attributes, but we’ll call [Rot] a happy little accident.” Trella bowed slightly, pointing to the bubbles that boiled along Desmona’s skin. “You’re stained by my [Inkblades]. You’re poisoned with [Rot]. Doesn’t look good for you.”
Desmona didn’t speak. She surged. The skill reminded Kaden of [Shadow Step], in that it left purple after-images of Desmona as the sword version charged Trella—and again, as Trella [Shadow Stepped] away—and again—and again.
The mana cost for [Shadow Step] rose every time if the cooldown wasn’t respected. Any moment—Trella collapsed a crossbow bolt struck her, fired by the Desmona who hadn’t moved.
Kaden’s world turned red, and he drew Remembrance as Desmona raised her sword. It was time to show Desmona what happened to demons.
“No.” Eve said. “Don’t you dare steal this battle.”
The demon swung her glittering black blade. It struck dirt.
Trella was gone.
“Hey, Demon. We’re going to go over this again.” Trella leaned against the building, completely unharmed. “I’m a [Shadow Blade]. And you are poisoned with Rot. And Ink. How’s your mana after that stunt?” She palmed her [Rescue Reset] coin and put it away.
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Desmona stared, for the first time uncertain, as Trella approached, both daggers drawn. In the blink of an eye, the Sword-Demon rushed her—but the skill deactivated four feet away, making the demon stumble the last step to behead—the Deception. The Echo stabbed her again in the foot, then slapped her with a backhand before fading into nothing.
The real Trella clutched Crossbow Desmona’s chin as she carved with [Evercut]. The body fell to the ground and Trella tucked the crossbow into Inventory. “Now. You and I are going to settle something.”
Sword-Desmona nodded, raising her sword.
“Wait, you think we’re going to settle this with swords and daggers?” Trella wiped a trace of blood from her mouth. “No, what we’re going to settle is my new favorite contest. I call it ‘Which of us can survive getting shot by twenty arrows?’” Trella raised her hand and pointed it at Desmona. “You go first.”
Kaden was used to Nasky’s snarling, wild attacks that relied on fear. Desmona did exactly none of that. She dove backwards into a nearby house, dodging a hail of arrows. Her movement skill activated, flashing her two feet forward and avoiding six more. Desmona crashed through a window into darkness.
The village went silent as Trella slipped into stealth and Rangers swarmed over rooftops and through streets, surrounding the house Desmona had entered.
Trella tossed a vial through the window.
A cloud of choking green gas billowed from the chimney.
“Help! Don’t hurt me!” A commoner screamed as a woman stumbled from the house, holding a child.
Rangers froze.
“Don’t kill an innocent.” Trella rushed to the woman—and drove an [Inkblade] through the woman’s chest, then ducked as the child became a gaping maw of teeth that missed her by a milimeter. “No commoner would survive that. Good try, but remember the rules of our contest? It’s who can survive getting shot. So far, the answer isn’t you.”
She kept so close Desmona couldn’t draw her sword, but the Demon used claws, and Kaden knew far too well how they could slice.
“Get clear!” One of the rangers was shouting.
The dance was far too close for that. Trella no longer used both [Inkblades]. She’d traded one for EverCut and didn’t hesitate.
Eve’s hand on his shoulder was the only thing that made Kaden realize he’d started to jump from the second story. “You’ll hurt Trella, or even worse, you’ll save her.”
Trella’s cry of agony tore his attention back to the fight. Blood gushed from a gash that ran diagonal across her chest, slicing deep into her breast and showing bone. Her actions said Trella understood her peril. The first slip would be her last. Instead, she pushed battle, always a breath away from Desmona, always with a dagger ready to block and Evercut nicking.
Desmona screamed and arched her back as a black blade emerged from her chest. Trella’s Deception stood behind it. He’d never seen it manifest outside of where she was. The Deception always took her place, that was part of its nature. A nature that had to be changing.
Demon blood gushed from Desmona, glowing pink, and as it did, her eyes glowed. She surged backwards, then hurled glittering black stones at Trella.
Kaden always knew Trella could escape. It’s what had gotten her out of so many fights and ambushes at the Saint’s Hall. She could twist or duck or leap. This was more like ballet, except every move put Trella closer and closer to Desmona instead of further away.
One stone clipped Trella’s knee, and she almost fell. Another followed, hitting her shoulder, forcing Trella to spin back and draw her [Inkblades] again.
But Desmona didn’t continue hurling stones, she kept them in her fists, creeping toward Trella—who stood again.
“Are you using [Life Transfusion]?” Kaden asked as Eve gripped her fists.
“No,” Eve said. “Not at this moment.”
Trinity wouldn’t count, would she? Trinity wasn’t level twenty five and thus could wreck anyone she damned well pleased. Trinity at twenty five would be a nightmare for anything short of a Centurion.
Desmona struck in a blink, lunging straight forward, razor clawed fingers grasping for Trella’s heart. She struck Trella’s Deception and blasted through the illusion—and the after Echo. Trella blinked—a [Shadow Step] of only a foot, and stood behind Desmona.
She drove an inkblade downward into Desmona’s abdomen, obviously aiming for the Demon Seed. In the same motion, Trella twisted to the side to avoid the claw-grasp that would have removed her own heart, and punched deep into the wound the Inkblade left. “Get back!”
Desmona didn’t go after Trella as she [Shadow Stepped] away. No, she dug in her own abdomen, yanking out a potion—
Boom.
Chunks of demon flesh rained down as white smoke blasted out. When it cleared, Trella kneeled, pinning down a spider-like creature. The Demon Seed, with rubbery legs, which Trella yanked loose until she clutched Desmona’s core, which was crosshatched with pink lines. “There.”
Rangers gathered around her. “Stab it. We want to see what title you get.”
Trella shook her head. “Not here. I’ll do it later, in private, with my party. This one?” She took another from Inventory. The core was dead and lifeless, the outside black. “This one got me [Hunted by Demons]. The bastards will spawn and come looking for me. Pity I live under a [Shield Tree].”
The gathered rangers cheered, while Kaden and Eve took the stairs down. Kaden rushed to pick up Trella. And recognized the purple gleam to Trella’s wounds. “Eve. Mana re-inforced wounds.”
“Nothing as bad as what you received.” Eve activated Life Transfusion. Normally, wounds knit right together, but the more Eve worked, the slower this healed. “It’s going to take time. A lot of time.”
“Everyone has scars.” Trella said softly. “I know you were watching. I didn’t need—or want—you to rescue me. And let me tell you, killing a Demon’s Daughter is excellent XP.”
Kaden hadn’t thought so. “The other two villages?”
“One’s a ghost town. So many demons. Feris and Sara are directing the rangers there.” Trella pressed something to his hands. Desmona’s core. “Bind her. She’s more powerful than the other two. More careful. More intelligent. I want to know what makes her different.”
Kaden activated [Soul Binding], and stored Desmona’s core alongside Naski’s. “From now on, I want to be part of whatever you’re doing.”
“You mark the demons, I’ll kill the demons.”
That reminded Kaden. He checked his notices.
You have completed a Quest: Tag, You’re an It!
For meeting high thresholds, rewards have been increased from one Faction Token to two.
[Quest Master] is active!
You have received 4x: Naturi Faction token.
Kaden smiled as he looked to Eve. “How many faction tokens did you get?”
“Four.” Eve spoke it in awe. “That’s double what I should have received. Why—no, no, I don’t ask that around you. I don’t. Why is not an option, it’s a reason to lose sleep. Sara is going to be so excited.”
Kaden was pretty damn excited about it, too. He tried to hand a faction token to Trella. She literally couldn’t take it. The system forced her to yank her hand away.
“Not cool,” Trella said, as they sorted through the remanants. Kaden was eager to find out what Desmona had done with the black stones, Demon summoning stones. He knew Ursus, the centurion Mage, had said they were Demon summoning stones, and both rare and expensive. All the ones that had missed Trella, he collected, but that didn’t account for the rest.
He searched everywhere, even digging in the floor of the house she’d hid in, but didn’t find them. Perhaps Demons had their own version of Inventory.
Feris gathered the Rangers—and Trella—among the surviving villagers. “Excellent work. This is what it means to be a [Ranger]. It means finding and facing Demons. It means winning. It means sometimes losing. Every one of you shed blood. Some of you took a dirt nap. Remember those lessons next time, because there will be a next time. Just not tonight. You’re all free. Go. Relax.” He congratulated them one after the other.
And spent a great deal of time thanking Sara for her help with communication and organization. So much time. Based on her grin, Sara was enjoying it, and Kaden was happy she was happy. Rangers were enemies of Demons, not Cosmic Horrors.
Trella made a beeline to the Grove, then rushed to the first group of [Druids] she saw. “Where are they holding the celebration? The one for clearing the three villages of demons?”
None of those Druids knew, but all of them spread out to ask friends.
Kaden watched the word spread. “There’s not a celebration.”
“There is now,” Trella answered. “Where’s Ravena? I want to see you stand next to her without staring at her chest. I want you to sing to me—”
“No, no, and no.” Kaden said. “We came here to give Cloud a family. Once I find Ashi, I’m going to take you to Vichor”
Trella stopped a passing [Druid]. “Are we in the right place for the celebration tonight?”
He looked around. “Probably? I mean, yes. The Feast Coordinators would know better.”
“Oh, I’ve always wanted to learn from a [Feast Coordinator],” Trella said. “Where would I find one? Or their offices?”
“71?” Kaden asked. “Who is the fastest wisp? It’s you. I need to find the [Feast Coordinators.]”
The wisp took off, taking them to a TreeSpace Kaden would never have noticed. Kaden stepped through and looked at the set of men arguing with an army of young Druids.
“There is not—”
“Excuse me!” Trella said. “Is this where I’m supposed to drop off supplies for tonight’s Feast? I don’t have wine, and you’re going to need to double up your order on food.”
The oldest man in the room threw up his hands. “Sure! Why not? It’s not like I need warning. It’s not like planning these things takes time. Don’t tell Alrec what this Feast is for, just tell him to make it happen.”
“Demon Village Clearing,” Trella said. “I’m pretty sure that’s what it’s for. Though, I mean, I guess it could be a ‘Surviving the Third Week of the Second Month of Winter Feast’ if that sounds better. Anyway, is it ok if I drop my supplies in an ambiguously large pile of supplies you already have on hand?”
“Follow the grass,” Alrec said. “All of you leave. It looks like we’re celebrating killing demons. Or the second week of the third month of something. Some days, I really hate this [Profession.].”