Devil Ash Deceit (Devil Ash Saga) (19 page)

Ash fled from the area as fast as he could run through the tall grass he was lost in. He could hear the mammoth rhino-centaur demon charging behind him only seconds away. The boy’s blindfold covered only one eye, and as he ran he came to a small clearing where a tall, sturdy tree stood out. Without a second thought, Ash scaled the tree by leaping and flying up the various branches. When he got above the tall grass he saw the charging demon.

I know I need to bring back a demon, but I was hoping for something a little more manageable,
thought the boy.

The monster slowed down after entering the clearing, confused by its target’s disappearance. The centaur-rhino stalked around the clearing, looking in each direction for the vanished prey. It did not think to look up. Ash smiled in triumph.

He was so pleased with himself as he watched the creature storm off that he overlooked another danger. He felt a tickling sensation on his fingertips, then something crawled on his gloved hand. He looked down to see another black and purple spider, the same variety he encountered in his bunk, crawling on his hand and up his arm.

Ash jumped up and screamed, shaking his arm and slapping at it. When the spider persisted in climbing the boy’s appendage, Ash shot pellet-sized fireballs out of his fingertip at it. He scorched his coat in several places before he hit the spider.

All the excitement distracted the boy from a thunderous rumble on the ground. He caught a brief flash of gray below before the tree he stood on was knocked over. Ash was tossed to the ground several yards away. When he finally came to his senses, he saw the rhino-centaur was back.

He must have heard my scream! Damn that spider!

Ash panicked and jumped to his feet. The demon struggled to remove a chunk of the tree trunk that was stuck to its horn. Ash used the opportunity and took off towards the nearest tree. The demon tore away the vision-impairing tree trunk just in time to see the boy disappear into the tree line above. With a direction in mind, the demon charged onward after Ash.

The boy found his way onto a large tree branch that stood out high off the ground. In the distance he could see many more large trees. Releasing his wings and leaping as far as he could, he glided from tree branch to tree branch. His blindfold slipped down over his eyes but he didn’t mind. Moving this way was still easier than walking on the ground. Better still, the rumble of footsteps from the charging demon below became softer and more distant.

The boy glided onward through the forest for a while, enjoying the challenge of landing safely on each tree branch. When the sounds of a rampaging demon were no longer audible, Ash felt confident he’d escaped. As he traveled along peacefully, a new feeling of danger washed over him. He couldn’t explain it, but he felt like someone was watching him.

He was reminded of when he touched God’s Blessing and had his soul power unleashed, he could tell where his friends were by ‘feeling’ their location. Whatever was watching him now did not feel friendly. Ash slowed down and turned his iPod off. He could hear tree branches shuffling behind him.

The stalker timed his jumps to align with Ash’s so that the sound of his landings would not be heard. Apparently, the pursuer did not expect Ash to realize the additional sounds. But the boy did hear them, and just once extended his glide a little longer than usual, forcing the pursuer to make a landing first. Ash heard the tree branch rattle next to him, no more than ten feet away.

“Who are you?” Ash asked. “Friend or
demon
?”

“
Neither
!” said the voice of a man. Ash leapt back just in time to avoid getting slashed by a sword.

The boy lifted his blindfold and surveyed the situation. Before him stood a cloaked, serpent-masked man wielding two swords. The attacker gripped his weapons, ready for a fight.

“What the hell’s going on here!?” Ash asked.

* * * *

Aura hid in terror from the naked man bathing in the river. Darko Satan, the Prince of Hell, stood waist-deep in water washing his muscles. Aura had to cover his mouth with both his hands just to keep himself silent.

Why the heck is the Prince here!?
Aura panicked to himself.
Did he come all the way out here for a bath? That’s insane!

Prince Darko’s soft melodic humming continued to fill the air. It was both unbelievable and remarkable that such a lovely sound could come from such a brute. It was a cruel trick for the world to play on a boy who just wanted to see a naked lady. Aura watched silently, knowing that if Prince Darko detected him it would likely mean lights out.

Something stirred in the bushes on the other side of the riverbank. A creature stepped out and looked around, confused like Aura had been about the humming. The death toucher recognized the creature at once as something from fairy tales he’d been told as a kid. In those stories, this particular demon had always been portrayed as a wild, destructive killing machine. People on earth would refer to them as ‘bears’.

But demon bears were a much scarier sight to behold. This particular one must have been only a cub, and yet even on all fours it stood taller than Prince Darko. Its fur was jet black and as it reared up on its hind legs it stretched out its enormous blade-like claws. Prince Darko stood with his back turned to the bear, his loud humming keeping him from hearing the sounds of the approaching demon.

Aura watched in disbelief.
He’s about to get attacked by a demon and he doesn’t even know! I should warn him, shouldn’t I? Actually, it’d be better for Ash and me if he just died here… Maybe I’ll just watch and see what happens…

Aura remained silent, watching the scene unfold before him. The bear was on its hind legs about to chop the Prince in two. Darko continued washing himself, sticking his arms under the water. The demon attacked, lunging forward. Prince Darko pulled from out of the water his enormous sword Infernos, spun around just in time and chopped the demon’s head clean off. He never stopped humming.

The bear’s head dropped onto the riverbank and rolled away. The demon’s body fell into the river, settling next to some large black rocks. Aura examined the riverbank behind Prince Darko and spotted three more severed bear heads. The three black boulders the Prince bathed next to were
more
demons he’d played the same trick on.

Is this what that guy does for fun?!
Aura was freaking out. Based on the scene he just witnessed, Prince Darko was far more frightening than the boy thought possible.
I’d better get the heck out of here before he decides it’d be fun to play with me.

Darko stopped humming.

“What kind of man hides and watches while his
Prince
is about to be killed by a demon?” Aura’s heart stopped beating. The Prince looked right at him, speaking directly to him.

“A
dead
man.”

* * * *

Hornets
everywhere
. Shiva ran as fast as she could through the treetops, using a mix of strategic jumps and gliding. The bug demons were bigger than Shiva and had no problems keeping up with her. Luckily they weren’t all attacking at the same time. Whenever one would dart in stinger-first at her, Shiva would blast it with a small ball of flame.

This kept the hornets at a distance but did little else to deter them. They just kept on coming at her. Shiva needed a new plan to escape, or it would only be a matter of time till the hornets caught up with her. As she jumped to the next tree the girl came closer to the sound of running water.

Below her she could hear a flowing river. She had no idea how deep it would be, but she had a plan. Shiva hopped from the tree branch down to what she hoped would be at least five feet of water. She plunged feet-first into the stream. Then panic set in as her entire head went under and moments later her feet touched bottom. Like her teammate Aura, Shiva too was unable to swim and afraid of the water.

She waited in silence in the freezing cold water. Basically blind and deaf, her special sensory training would not be of any use here. Then, something penetrated the water near her. She felt the prickly limb of a hornet fondling the water blindly, looking for her.

She kicked and moved her arms, trying to back off from the danger. Another splash behind her, and she felt her back press against another hornet. She had no intention of playing ‘hide and sting’ underwater. She was running out of air as well and had to make a break for it. She motioned her arms wildly above her, trying to push her way back down to the bottom.

Another hornet submerged above her, and this time she felt the stinger brush against her shoulder armor. She instinctively screamed, letting out her remaining air. This helped her sink quickly back to the bottom. With her feet touching the rocky river bottom, Shiva worked her legs as hard as she could. With one big push she broke the water’s surface and shot past the swarming gathering of hornets.

She deployed her wings and took off once more, flying in whichever direction she sensed was clear of trees. She flew on with great haste, but soon the forest became much more dense and she was forced to revert back to her branch-hopping ways. With the buzzing still behind her and narrowing in, a new plan was needed.

She was lost in thought when she ran face-first into
something.
Whatever it was, she could not sense it in her path. It seemed to be a solid structure, but much softer than a tree trunk. She found footing on a nearby branch and took stock of the mystery object before her.

It was solid but soft. It had no smell, but there was a faint noise inside of it. Shiva couldn’t hear it too well with all the buzzing in the air. She held her ear closer to the object and at once figured out what it was.
This
would be her new plan! With a hand on the object, she hopped from branch to branch going around it until she was facing the direction all the buzzing was coming from.

This had better work,
Shiva thought. She put her hand on the mystery object and conjured a fireball inside of it. The girl then delivered a powerful kick to the object, sending it soaring at the swarm of demons.

Now: Explode!
Shiva commanded, making her small flame inside the thing explode.

The object she kicked was another hornet nest. When it blew up, flaming shards of hive and burning hornets splattered all over the pursuing swarm. Shiva went berserk, adding as many fireballs as she could to the storm of flame and pain that rained down on the demonic insects. After a moment of chaos, Shiva realized shooting fireballs in a wooded area was a bad idea.

She stopped herself from blasting any more and examined the battlefield. There were still a few hornets fluttering their burning wings on the ground as they died. Shiva raised the intensity of her flames enough to roast the remaining demons, and then extinguished them all. All she heard now was silence. Figuring herself triumphant, Shiva let out an exhausted sigh of relief.

She let her guard down, and that’s when a final living hornet flew at her from behind. She only sensed it seconds before it struck. If someone else had not jumped in and intercepted, she would have been pierced through her back.

Shiva stumbled forward and nearly fell off the tree branch, but regained her balance. She needed to know who saved her, so she removed her blindfold. Before her stood Phoenix, bathed in a glowing mist of soul power. His arms were stretched out holding the last hornet’s stinger a safe distance away.

“Phoenix…” said Shiva. “What are you doing here?”

“Hold on,” Phoenix said. With a blinding flash of soul power and flame, Phoenix obliterated the hornet demon. “Here, you may have this one as a souvenir.”

Shiva took the charred bug and set it down next to her. “Did you follow me?” she asked.

“Yes. I hope you won’t hold it against me.”

“You should have followed Ash, he’s the one who needs help. I can handle myself.”

“I don’t care about Ash. I care about
you
.”

Shiva turned red with embarrassment. “Is that all you wanted? To show up and prove I needed your help?”

“Shiva my dear, I am happy to say that is not the only reason I’ve come looking for you,” Phoenix said with a warm grin. “I need to call in a
favor
…”

The serpent-masked attacker came flying at Ash with twin swords. With his blindfold lifted the boy jumped out of the way. The masked man sliced the tree branch Ash was just standing on instead, sending it plummeting twenty feet to the ground below. The fleeing boy took shelter on another nearby tree branch.

“What are you attacking me for?” Ash asked.

In response the masked man leapt, wings spread, straight at Ash again. This time Ash drew his own sword and stopped the man’s attack head-on.

“Nice block,” the man said. “But if you want to fight with swords, there’s no way I can lose!” The man broke free from Ash’s defense and went right back in for another attack. Ash leapt away again, this time using his free hand to blast his attacker with a fireball. The serpent-masked man sliced Ash’s flames apart with ease.

“Running away?” the man asked, disappointed.

But Ash was not only running away. His barrage of fireballs did not stop, and soon the masked attacker was dodging and slicing at an assault of flames. By flying away with his hands pointing behind him, Ash was able to escape and attack at the same time.

“What’s the matter? Too scared to fight me?” the man shouted between fireballs.

Oh, I’ll fight you,
Ash thought.
But first I have to put some distance between us! There’s no way my beginner’s sword-skills could outmatch someone who’s skilled enough to use two swords!

Once he felt he was far enough away, Ash came to a stop on a branch and turned around to face his enemy. As he had thought, the masked man was still in pursuit. Now was the perfect time to blast him some more. Ash readied a large fireball in his hand, waiting till the masked man was only feet away before launching it.

But the man had great control over his flight path and dropped altitude mid-glide. The fireball soared over him, and the man pressed on towards Ash with swords posed to strike. Ash jumped, kicked off the tree trunk, and blasted away. He turned around in mid air to see his attacker land where he once stood.

“Now I got you!” the serpent-mask shouted, leaping into the air in pursuit of the boy.

“
Think again
,” Ash said. He watched as the fireball he’d just shot came soaring back, slamming into the masked attacker and knocking him back down to a lower tier of branches.

That fireball…
the masked man thought as he caught his breath.
He redirected it to swing back around and hit me on my ascent. The kid knew I’d follow him and planned his attack accordingly. He might be better than we thought…

“I wouldn’t stand there if I were you,” Ash called down to the man.

“Are you going to stop running and fight back?” the masked man asked.

“You think I’m not fighting back?” Ash said.  “Look out below!”

The masked man took caution and looked down. Hovering several feet below him was another fireball! He had time to curse and jump away before Ash directed the fireball up. It blew past him, narrowly missing the masked man.

“I’m finally getting the hang of controlling my flames!” Ash said. He gestured downward with his hand, making the fireball do the same. But the masked man would not be made a target again so easily. The man stepped aside and swung a sword at the homing fireball. The flames dispersed from the force of the swing before they could hit him.

“If weak fireballs are the best you have, you’re in trouble kid. I can keep cutting them all day long. And when you run out of stamina, what then? I’ll still be in top shape to cut you down.”

“Why are you attacking me?” Ash asked.

“You’ve been snooping around too much,” the masked man said. “I’m here to shut you up before you interrupt our plans.”

“So that would make you a rebel, huh?” Ash asked. A smile spread across his face. “Just my luck! I’m going to be the one who captures
you!
” Ash readied another fireball in his hands.

“This again?” the serpent-masked rebel asked. He took a defensive stance, ready to cut the flames again. But this time Ash was not charging just another small fireball. The rebel watched as the ball of flames grew and grew. When the fireball became too large to see the boy behind it, the rebel knew he was in trouble.

Crap!
the rebel thought.
What a monster of a flame stock this kid has! I can’t cut a fireball that big!

The rebel made a last-minute decision to jump out of the way instead of cutting the fireball, just as Ash let it fly. The fireball slammed into the tree the rebel was standing on instead. The entire forest seemed to shake as the tree toppled, burned in half. The top portion of the tree dropped to the ground below. If the rebel had attempted to take on the fireball, he would have surely been burnt to a crisp and fallen as well.

But the rebel’s dodging was not over yet. Ash lobbed more fireballs at him at a rapid pace. The rebel leapt like a mad man from tree branch to tree branch dodging Ash’s projectiles.

Crap crap crap! My swords are only useful if I can get close to him!

Changing strategies, the rebel dropped to the forest floor below and continued running. Ash held two more fireballs at the ready, still in hot pursuit. When the boy landed he could not see the rebel. Rows upon rows of trees for the foreseeable area provided a perfect place to hide and launch a counterattack from.

The serpent-masked rebel was already hiding and knew Ash’s location. The boy walked slowly down the tree line at full alert. Knowing that he could not rely on his vision here, Ash lowered the blindfold over his eyes. He stopped moving and listened to his surroundings. He could hear the sounds of the forest, like the wind and birds, but he listened for something else: whatever
didn’t
belong in the forest.

The sound of pine needles crunching saved him. In a split-second he knew where his enemy was and what direction he was moving in. Ash had to jump from his position, only narrowly avoiding the rebel’s blades. The boy twisted his body and fired his two projectile flames, but the rebel was already gone. Now it was a game of cat and mouse.

If that’s the way it was going to be, Ash was not going to make it easy for his opponent. The boy took off running down the tree line. In a matter of seconds he could hear another set of footprints running beside him only several trees over. Ash launched a fireball towards the sound, but the footsteps stopped moving. A new idea popped into the boy’s head.

While the rebel was standing still, Ash created as many small fireballs as he could before he heard his opponent start moving again. When the boy had eight fireballs hovering before him, he conducted an experiment. It took most of his concentration but Ash managed to direct his balls of flame in several different directions throughout the tree line.

Using his flames like probes, he ‘felt’ around the forest for his opponent. The rebel realized at once what the boy was doing and avoided the flames. But the more Ash concentrated, the faster he was able to move the balls of flames. Soon the fireballs were shooting down the tree lines at top speed searching for the enemy like destructive sonar.

The rebel started to sweat. Dodging through the trees, narrowly avoiding the fireballs that rocketed around aiming for him, he knew he was in trouble. The boy was proving to be much stronger than Phoenix let on. After several successful dodges, the rebel slipped up and accidentally stepped into the path of an oncoming fireball.

Instinctively he slashed out with his sword. The fireball, being small enough to cut, dispersed and died. The rebel exhaled with relief, then was knocked in the back of his head with another fireball. This time the flames were strong enough to incinerate his hood, leaving only the thin serpent-like mask he wore to protect his identity.

Ash, having figured out the location of his enemy, charged in to deliver the final blow. He could hear the rebel’s footsteps once again trying to flee, but the boy followed the sound and when there were no trees in the way launched one more fireball. His flame collided with the ground and the rebel’s footsteps stopped. Ash caught up with the impact area and tore off his blinding. The forest around him was empty.

A rustling in the treetops above tipped him off: the rebel had escaped by going
up
. The boy used his wings to perform a tall jump and landed on a tree branch high above the ground. He could see no sign of the rebel. His hopes of capturing their first rebel were dashed, but he refused to give up. He checked the sun and decided he had enough time to go after the enemy. He would find the first rebel and bring him to justice, no matter what.

* * * *

“Come on now, you’re only embarrassing yourself by pretending I can’t see you,” Prince Darko called to Aura. The death toucher crouched on his hands and knees in the tall reeds facing the river. The river where he’d just witnessed Prince Darko slaughtering demon bears with only one swing of his sword…

Damn, he’s right… this is pathetic, I have to face him…
Aura’s body was trembling with fright at what he thought the Prince might do to him. But Darko had a point, he already knew Aura was there, so there was nothing else to do but stand and show himself. Maybe he could explain his way out of this…

“Okay, okay you got me!” Aura stood and said, holding his arms high to show he had no weapons or bad intent. “Prince Darko, I don’t think we’ve really had the chance to meet. I’m Aura Draxler, friend of your sisters and a valuable part of her team. We’re all here for survival training.”

“
Death toucher
Aura Draxler,” Darko said.

“Yes, that is me!” Aura said.

“
Survival
training, hmm. I can help with that,” the Prince said, drawing his giant sword from the riverbed and holding it at the ready.

“Now hold on a minute!” Aura said backpedaling, a renewed sense of fright coming back to him. “Your sister needs me! I’m the glue that holds this team together! Goddard would be super upset with you if I got hurt! Did I ever mention I’m a huge fan of yours?”

Aura’s excuses did nothing to deter Darko. The Prince trudged through the river towards the bank where Aura stood. The young death toucher was about to turn and run when a terrifying sound came from the forest directly behind him. Aura turned and witnessed another demon bear approaching, only this one was twice as big as the ones Darko had slayed. The bear charged forward on all fours, its enormous red eyes appeared blind with rage.

“New idea!” Darko shouted. “Use your ability on that demon there. Show me, and I’ll let you live!”

This sucks!
Aura thought.
Trapped between a demon and a demented Prince! But I suppose if I have to choose…

Aura turned to face the charging demon. He felt more confident facing something he knew he could kill with a single touch. The Prince had a wicked grin on his face seeing the boy take his offer. With the charging demon nearly upon him, Aura brought out his wings and leapt high into the air. The demon reared back on its hind legs, making it nearly fifteen feet tall, and Aura just barely cleared the beast.

The boy turned in midair and fired a flame at the back of the bear’s head. Its fur was scorched a little, but the demon was otherwise fine. The bear turned its attention on the boy and ignored the naked man in the river. The demon lunged at Aura with teeth bared, demon spit spraying everywhere.

Aura took off his gauntlet and did the stupidest thing anyone could do: the boy charged forward as well. His entire plan hinged on being faster than the demon, which luckily he was. The boy slapped his death touch hand down on the bear’s nose, pushing away from the creature’s powerful jaws at the same time. He felt the electric spark of soul power jolt through his hand as it always did when the power was activated.

But the demon stood, alive and roaring at the boy who had managed to evade it. The demon slapped at the boy with a massive claw. Aura was in total shock that the demon had somehow shrugged off his death touch, and missed his chance to evade. The demon swatted him back to the forest floor, where the boy crashed into a thick tree trunk.

That’s the first time…
Aura thought.
The first time my death touch hasn’t worked.

The bear charged at Aura. A soft, throaty chuckle could be heard coming from Prince Darko. The laughter made Aura feel humiliated. Before the demon reached him, Aura created a large fireball and shot it into the creature’s face. The bear dropped, pawing at its eyes in rage and blindness, only feet in front of Aura.

The death toucher used his frustration as motivation and jumped to his feet. In a bold and possibly suicidal move, Aura leapt on top of the bear’s head. He ran down its neck and onto its back, then dropped to his knees.

“I’m taking your soul damn it!” Aura said. “And there’s nothing you can do about it!” He gripped the demon’s thick fur with his free hand and slapped his death touch hand down. The blue electricity-like power came back, attempting to rip the demon’s soul out. The beast reared up once more and thrust its razor-sharp paws at the boy. Aura was too high up on the creatures back so it could not reach him. The death toucher clung on, exerting himself more than ever to use his power.

Blood trickled out his nose, and the demon was still standing and flailing wildly. Whether by accident or plan, the demon managed to press its back against a nearby tree and brush Aura off. As the boy struggled to climb to his feet, he locked eyes with Darko Satan. The Prince still stood waist-deep in the river, watching with unimpressed features.