Chronicles of Eden - Act III (37 page)

“Too bad I don’t have a carrot to stick in her ass.”

Katie gave a small amused murmur to that and shook her head before holding a hand up at her side. Black and purple flames flared up around her hand, burning brightly as the succubus watched Forrus squirming about on the ground.

“Now then, how do you like your lycan? I personally prefer my meat well-done.”

Forrus glanced back to her with fright, seeing the flames searing around the succubus’s hand as the two monsters smiled coldly at her, then looked ahead at the serpent head which lowered its jaw as it prepared to move forward and swallow her whole. With a whimper she shut her eyes tightly, a small gasp coming from around the fruit in her mouth as she braced for the end.

‘My sisters, I’m sorry. I failed in avenging you.’

A sharp metallic strike was heard, with the hissing sound ahead of her slowly falling silent. Forrus paused for a moment then slowly opened her eyes, staring with surprise at seeing a sword piecing down through the summoned beast’s head, the shimmering blade being seen inside the mouth of the serpent as well as below where it struck into the ground. The summoned monster hissed weakly before black smoke started to rise up from its fatal wounds. Forrus stared at it with wonder then slowly looked up to seeing Daemon standing next to the beast while looking ahead with a cold glare, his gloved hand holding his blade down into the serpent’s head. The boy yanked his sword up, with the snake then dropping down and crumbling into black ashes with a faint hiss.

“It’s him again,” Tora growled with anger. Forrus glanced back to seeing the witch glaring at the newcomer while Katie showed a bitter smile towards him.

“Yes, always one to ruin the fun,” Katie said coldly, glancing down to the bound lycan then to Daemon with a small scoff before flinging her magical fiery blast toward him. Forrus screamed around her apple before Daemon darted forward and swung his blade around, striking the fast-moving fireball and sending it hurtling off to the side where it crashed into some trees. The magical blast exploded into bright purple and red flames that seared away a few trees, scorching the ground as a heat wave rippled around the impact. Daemon then followed through with his swing and dashed towards Katie, the succubus striking the side of the blade with her fingernails with a loud screech. The sword was knocked to the side before Daemon regained himself and swung around at the demon again, with Katie dodging the strike before flying up into the air.

“You miserable little human!” Tora yelled out as she waved her staff at him. The boy kept his glare focused on Katie while he merely swiped his blade to the side in a sharp spin, causing a distorted wave of magical energy to spiral out away from him and tear apart the ground before knocking Tora back into a stumble. Forrus looked back at the boy with wonder as she watched the events unfold, seeing him fending off a succubus and deflecting a witch’s magical power.

‘I don’t believe it. I was saved by a human. How is he doing this?’

Tora regained her balance and growled loudly at Daemon before looking off to the side, seeing Sasha quickly racing up towards her while holding her large broadsword back. Tora spun her staff around and then thrust her hand at the reptile girl, causing black and decaying roots to spring from the ground towards the monster like spikes. Sasha sliced the roots with her sword then followed through with another strike, with Tora swinging her staff down and throwing the reptile girl’s attack off-balance with a magical pull. As the large sword struck into the ground Tora spun around and whacked the reptile girl with her staff before quickly jumping on it and flying off to the side. Rulo jumped out from the shadows and swung down with her mighty hammer, just missing Tora as she flew past before racing up into the air where Katie was just scowling down at Daemon. Forrus looked around at the newcomers with surprise as they all watched the two flyers above with focused glares.

“Running away once again, how cowardly and pathetic!” Sasha called up harshly.

“Yeah, get back down here so we can squash you!” Rulo taunted with an oink.

Katie’s lips curled slightly with a quiet growl before she forced a stern smile.

“I must say, Daemon, you and your little
pets
are really starting to annoy me,” she scorned.

Sasha and Rulo narrowed their eyes at her while Daemon gripped his sword and geared it back behind him.

“I plan to do more than just annoy you,” he said coldly before swinging his blade up sharply, causing a white wave of light to ripple out and race towards the demon. Katie waved her hand down towards it, causing a flash of dark and purple light in the shape of a demonic circle to form before her, with the streak of light crashing into it with a flash. The spinning circle of magic light and symbols flickered and cracked slightly from the surge, with Katie showing some discontent as she watched the barrier slowly fade away.

“I don’t know where he learned to use magic like that,” she cursed while holding back her growl. “But if I ever find out where that is I’ll be sure to burn it to the ground.”

Tora nodded as she saw that Daemon’s magical expertise was indeed stronger than most humans’ she had encountered before.

“Shall I summon my own pets to strike him down?” Tora asked while sitting on her staff and holding a hand down towards the group below. “We can overpower him, right here and now.”

“No,” Katie said glancing behind them. “Another piece of the artifact is nearby. Surely they know that as well. Last we checked it was on the move and rather quickly, we need to catch up with it before it gets too far.” With a small scoff she looked back down towards Daemon before forming a harsh smile.

“You won’t stop me from unlocking it. In fact I doubt you’ll live long enough to see me obtain it should you continue to get in my way.”

“Over our dead bodies you’ll unlock it!” Sasha yelled out.

“You’ll never even get close to it, we won’t allow it!” Rulo shouted.

Katie chuckled bitterly at them while Tora tried to hold back her scowl.

“Please, mistress,” Tora implored. “Allow me the chance to feed them to my pets.”

Daemon held his blade across in front of him, the markings on the sword giving off a blue light as a small torrent of wind seemed to circle him. Forrus watched with awe as the human geared back then swung his sword around once, creating a flash of light that streaked in front of him and remained in place, then swung around again, forming a cross of the bright light that then shot out towards the airborne monsters. Tora aimed her palm down towards the boy, creating several flashing circles of black light with markings around them, the barriers shattering instantly as Daemon’s magical attack plowed through them. Katie grunted with annoyance then held her hand towards the attack, the magical cross of light hitting against her palm and halting as smoke and fire flared up from the touch. Her eyes glowed crimson as her hand wavered from stopping the attack, the woman then throwing the spell off to the side where it spiraled into the air before exploding with a flash. Katie held her hand with a scowl, the skin having been burned from the magical touch, and looked down to Daemon with a cold glare.

“You… are testing my patience,” she warned with malice. “For your own sake, as well as your
pets
, do not do so again.”

Daemon got ready to strike again before Katie clapped her hands together, forming a bright green and purple light that swirled around them. She then swung the light down towards the group, with Daemon swinging his sword and launching out a wave of bright light at it. The two forces struck each other and exploded with a blinding flash, with Daemon and the girls on the ground shielding their eyes from the bloom before it slowly faded, revealing the succubus and witch to be gone.

“Dammit, she got away again,” Sasha cursed.

“That bitch needs to go down, hard,” Rulo grunted with an oink.

Daemon watched as the leaves and branches up above swayed slightly in the wind before slowly looking back towards Forrus, the lycan still bound on the ground and watching him with wonder. Sasha and Rulo glanced over to her as Daemon slowly approached the wolf, with Forrus trembling bit as the boy held his sword down towards her. She shook her head with a whimper, trying to plead for her life around her gag as Daemon geared back with his sword.

‘Wait, please! Have mercy!’

With a precise swing of his sword Daemon sliced through the vines holding her, the lycan trembling a bit then looking to see she was able to move again. She quickly reached up and yanked the apple out of her mouth, gasping for air as she started to unravel her bolas from around her neck. Daemon watched her for a moment then started walking away while sheathing his sword, his cold blue eyes looking ahead as he focused on finding the succubus once again.

“Sasha, Rulo, we’re leaving,” he said, with Sasha nodding and holding her sword down at her side while Rulo rested her hammer over her shoulder.

“Yes, master,” they both replied formally. Daemon stopped and glanced back to them, the two girls then jumping a bit before smiling nervously at him.

“I mean, Daemon,” they quickly corrected with.

The human looked at them for a moment then glanced past them, with the girls looking back to seeing Forrus coughing on the ground as she had gotten her weapon freed from around her neck. The lycan took a few deep breaths then looked to Daemon with wonder.

“Who… who are you?”

Daemon just looked at her in silence before turning and walking away, with Sasha and Rulo then following after him.

“Wait, please,” Forrus pleaded as she tried to crawl after them, her legs feeling weak while she still felt lightheaded from being strangled earlier. Daemon stopped and kept looking ahead while Sasha and Rulo glanced back to the lycan.

“I beg of you, please help me,” Forrus said weakly as she tried to stand again.

“We already saved your life when we were not obligated to, yet you ask for more?” Sasha inquired.

“Yeah,” Rulo added with an oink. “And we didn’t even plan on saving you, you were just lucky we came by when we did.”

“Please, I need your help,” Forrus begged softly.

“We are not mercenaries,” Daemon said while still looking ahead. “We are not missionaries, we are not for hire for any, seek aid for yourself elsewhere.”

“I cannot,” Forrus said shaking her head. “I would not find another like you even if I searched all of Eden. You, a human, managing to not only save my life but also fend off a witch and a Darker One, are the one I seek in this world.”

She then took another step towards him before Sasha quickly held her blade out towards the lycan with a stern expression.

“Did you not hear him?” Sasha demanded. “We are not here to help you. It was by good fortune he dispatched that creature before it could kill you, but make no mistake, us being here was purely to stop that Darker One,
not
to save you.”

“Take another step towards him and it will be your last,” Rulo warned.

Forrus looked to each of them then dropped to her knees, with Sasha pointing the blade down at her neck.

“I beg of you,” Forrus pleaded. “My sisters, my entire pack, were brutally slain, eaten alive, by two monsters. Monsters that could not be killed.”

Daemon slowly glanced back to her while Sasha raised an eyebrow at her.

“Could not be killed?” Sasha repeated.

“Yes, they would not die,” Forrus desperately said. “No matter what we did to them, we could not kill them, they simply would not die. All my sisters were killed, tortured and eaten alive by these two monsters, leaving me the only survivor of my pack. I cannot kill them on my own, I know not if they
can
even be killed, but I must avenge them however I can. Please, I implore you, human who stands against even Darker Ones and prevails, I need your help.”

Daemon watched her for a moment then looked back ahead.

“We have heard of the two you seek,” he stated. “However they are not our concern, we have a more important task ahead of us. That is the only thing we are out here to do, nothing else matters.”

Forrus trembled then bowed humbly on the ground to him, with Sasha and Rulo watching her carefully as the lycan closed her eyes and tried to steady her voice.

“Please, I have nothing else to live for,” she begged. “I am but a lone lycan who has lost everything. I beg of you, if you’ll help me with my quest for revenge, I swear I’ll do anything you ask, I’ll surrender all that I have left in me to you.” Daemon glanced back to the lycan as she looked up to him with pleading eyes.

“You seek the succubus,” Forrus empathized. “Wishing to stop her from finding something of grave importance to you. I understand, and I’ll gladly help you in return. I’m a skilled huntress of the land, and will dedicate all my soul and being to aid you with your cause. I will help you seek out the succubus, and anything else you wish. Just please, help me avenge my sisters and send those two horrible demons that slew them back to hell.”

Sasha and Rulo watched the lycan with dull glares while Daemon just glanced back at her out of the corner of his eye. After a while of silence Forrus looked down with despair.

“You fended off a Darker One,” she commended. “You are both skilled with magic and your blade, and you show no fear in the face of pure evil. If there would be anyone in this world that could help me it would be you. Please, I’ll do anything you ask, anything.”

Sasha and Rulo scowled at the girl then looked to Daemon as the boy just kept watching the lycan without saying anything. Forrus held her hands together in front of herself and waited to hear his response, praying that he would answer her call.

“And what makes you think you could help me at all?” Daemon asked dryly.

“I have their scent,” Forrus replied with a focused expression at him. “The succubus and witch, I’ll never forget it after what they tried to do to me. No matter where they run, no matter where they may try to hide, I will be able to find them again. I swear to you, I can help you find them.”

“I can track them just fine on my own,” Daemon stated. “I have been doing so all this time without a hunting dog. So, I ask you, what other use could you possibly offer me that would justify you coming with us?”