Thankfully, that damned dragon didn't seem to be hungry anymore.
I had returned to the castle outskirts, carefully inching my way across the bridge. I say inching, because these stupid wooden barricades had been scattered all over the place, and those damned mindless creatures from the forest felt the need to hide behind them and strike in a crude, effective, pincer formation.
"This is ridiculous." I smacked a hand against the closed gate, eyeing the chains and judging where the lever for the raising mechanism would be. "That's pretty high up…" I mumbled, turning away and taking the net set of stairs cautiously. As I inched around a corner, an arrow nicked the wall next to my face. With a little 'eep' I ducked back around, listening to the groans of the mindless demons as they lumbered around the corner.
Each one tasted spear, and I looted the bodies coldly, cursing the lot of them. Boldwin had been right, with every kill I could feel my strength slowly growing, my reactions quickening. This…this was the power I had been seeking. But these weaklings held nothing compared to the mature demons…like those dragons. I considered it, with a reckless grin. To gain enough power to slay a dragon, I would become unstoppable.
However…
I knocked aside another arrow with my shield, snapping the undead man's crossbow with my spear. I pushed and shoved violently, impaling him through the lung. I pulled, blood pooling almost as fast as the souls I collected.
I eventually made my way up a series of narrow, dark hallways, dodging out of the way of exploding firebombs. Unbelievable, how determined they were to end my existence. In a particularly dank corner, I found a thin rapier, coated in blood. I picked it up, examined it, and unhooked the sheath from the corpse, wrapping it around my belt.
Backup weapons are good.
Up another ramp, I paused, listening to a little scratching noise. "What the hell is…?" I squinted, then swore violently as a giant cannonball careened down the narrow walkway, slamming into my face at God knows how fast.
Mere moments later, I slammed my fist into the ground, swearing violently.
"Are ye alright lad?" I looked up, noticing the startled faces of Thomas and Boldwin.
"What…the fuck am I doing h…FUCK!" I hopped to my feet, steadying myself. I felt dizzy, and sick. No surprise, since I had just been pancaked. "Why am I so weak, what happened?"
"Did you…die?" Tom asked hesitantly.
Once upon a time, this would have been hilarious. Now…
He winced, clearly catching my death-riddled gaze. "I got run over by a cannonball. I think so."
An awkward cough, then Boldwin spoke up. "Ye better hurry back. Ye left a mark in the real world when ye died. If ye can reclaim it before another intelligent demon, ye can claim back yer soul."
"Fucking wonderful." I snarled, slamming my fist into the Archstone.
As I pulled my spear from yet another corpse, snatching up more souls, I snarled twisted curses at the fates.
I had to do it all over again. The fog must have been able to reanimate corpses, or demons repossessed them, or something. But everything was back. The monotony was driving me insane. Every growl, every trap, the exact same as before.
I rolled my eyes, coming up to the stairs. Lo and behold, at the base of the steps, a pool of blood. Keeping my eyes to the stairwell, I knelt down and scooped it up. It pulsed warmly, and I tried to draw power out of it, the same way Boldwin had done to me. But nothing happened.
Disgruntled, I cupped my hands to my mouth, drinking deeply.
It was my blood, either way it didn't matter. I was dead already.
But as I drank, I felt my old strength rejoin the energy I had gained from this trip. The effect was compounded, I felt amazing! Hurriedly, I sucked it all up, gulping it like the water I no longer needed. With a content sigh, I palmed the residue off of my lips, fastening my armor back in place.
"And…now I continue?" I asked no one in particular. No one in particular answered.
Triple-checking to make sure another iron deathtrap had not been created, I traversed the stairs to the castle's ramparts, where catapults lined the stone sides, and an arrow clipped my shoulder. I dove behind a sling for cover, biting my tongue as green mist flowed from the tear in my ghostly skin.
With care, I peeked around the corner, watching the archer point to his spear-wielding buddy.
Oh-boy, oh boy. I sprung out from cover, launching two knives. The first hit the archer in the shoulder, the second missing spectacularly. I grabbed at my shield, just in time to deflect the lance tip from my stomach, and ram my dagger into his throat. Shoving the body away even before it stilled, I kicked out the legs of the other demon, punching a hole into his chest with the blade. As I tugged back, the dagger wobbled, then snapped jaggedly in two.
It was almost comical. I held the serrated piece of metal, blinking slowly. With a sigh, I wiped away the blood, sheathing the remaining metal point casually.
Around the next corner was another armored knight with a short sword. He fell rather quickly, and I felt a strange pride as his strength was again added to mine. I finally felt like I was accomplishing something.
Until I was knocked down another set of stairs and blown up by exploding powdered kegs.
One hell of a messy death, let me tell you. Waking up from that was worse than any hangover you could care to mention.
Ever.
This time, after grabbing my lifeblood, I kicked open the switch near the bottom of the tower, relieved to see the glowing sword in the stone off in the distance. I had made a shortcut, at the very least. With a groan, I sheathed my gear and began ascending the stairs again.
I brushed past a fog door, stepping onto a balcony that overlooked a sprawling courtyard. I was about to turn away, when the sound of metal on metal floated from below. Squinting, I could see shapes swarming together. I blinked for a moment, confused.
'They're massing around something. Or, someone…' Eyes wide, I bolted for the nearest descending stairs. "Another living being?"
Demons met spear point in a rather hurried fashion, skulls and weapons cracked against shields. It was laughable, how weak these monsters seemed compared to earlier. Finally, I found the resisting shape within the cluster, slamming a man mid-leap with the butt of my spear.
Back to back, we finished the demons with amazing ease. Once the last had fallen, he both let out a slow breath, turning to face the other.
"My name is Ostrava of Boletaria. My thanks for your kind rescue. If I may, you fight rather well."
"You're not too bad yourself." He looked like a general in the army, with his well-crafted armor and expensive weapons. He carried a heavy-looking long sword and ornate shield, both made of gold.
One hand reached behind his back, and withdrew a small decorative tube. "Accept this as a token of my gratitude."
I took the expensive looking telescope gingerly; thanking him as he brushed passed me.
"Now, I must go. There is something for me to take care of."
So, with that, I was on my own again, carefully plunging into the depths of the courtyards. My path had taken me up the granite stairs and around the side of the castle wall. At the end of this path, the road bent right. But the occupied space on the left caught my attention first. I noted with irritation the several large cannonballs held within a flimsy wooden container. On the path I was meant to take, I could make out a small wire, ankle high, which connected to the planks.
It was yet another trap, when I tripped it, I would become a pancake yet again. Farther along the path, I could spot more demon soldiers lying in wait.
My gaze shifted back to the trap rig, and I chuckled. Sliding my spear into the planks at an angle, I heaved backwards, snapping through the barricade.
With a satisfying metal on metal clang, the giant balls of death careened down the narrow path, flattening the entire group. With a whistle and song I strolled down the path, casually looting the fallen bodies. As I finished bandaging some cuts with the spare grass I had been accumulating, a bright light exploded overhead. With a dull hate, I noted the next path, a long stretch of ridge currently engulfed by flames. A gigantic red lizard circled overhead.
"You have got to be….shitting me." The dragon, noticing me, swooped around lower and blasted more fire at my face. This thing was determined to kill me. After every pass, it would look for me, and then once again blast more fire.
I gathered up my equipment, gulping. After a moment of formulating a plan, I hid behind the nearest wall. The dragon, having blown off enough steam, decided it was time to head back home. The moment its back was turned, I bolted shamelessly across the open stretch, not stopping until I had dove into the next dimly lit alcove.
I collapsed against the wall, shoving a middle finger at the dragon as it landed on its perch. "I'm going to come back and murder you, just fair warning." I mumbled, heading off down the next flight of stairs.
Finally, fucking finally, I smashed my heel into the lever of the gate, listening to the purest joy that was the chains raising the steel lattice. And then my face fell, as I heard concrete split with the sound of thunder.
I rushed down the tower, back to the front gates where I had begun my trek.
"Oh fuck." A spear was embedded into the ground, easily three times my height. I edged along the wall, trying to take a peek inside. It was no use; the inner gate was jet black. I paused in thought, glancing back to the Archstone.
"Screw this, I'll be back later."
"Here's yer spear and shield lad, good as new." I exchanged my current gear with my repaired equipment, handing him my broken dagger.
"Another purchase. Can you fix that one up and get me a similar make?" He nodded, exchanging me a knife for more of my souls. I tested the weight and balance, nodding.
"Excellent. Hey Thomas!"
The tired man looked up, smiling softly. "Yes, Slayer of Demons?" I handed him the rapier I had found.
"I got no use for this; can you pass it along to anyone else?" He nodded, hiding the weapon away with the rest of his gear.
"We've had another guest arrive since your last visit." He said it in a very offhand manner, like it was a common occurrence.
I felt my eyes widen, completely taken aback. "Wait, waitwaitwaitwait! There's another spirit here?" I thought for a moment of Ostrava, the knight I had just recently met. But he hadn't seemed interested in teaming up, nor had he seemed dead. I wasn't paying close enough attention, in retrospect.
"Yes, there is. She too is another Demon Slayer, a young magician and high class citizen, from her speech."
I raised a disbelieving eyebrow, but Thomas just nodded. "Yes, she headed off to Boletaria after I mentioned you."
"She WHAT?" My gaze darted back to the Archstone, thinking of the soldiers and other creatures I had encountered. Cursing, I rushed back over to the Archstone and slammed my fist against the rock.
I knew something was wrong as colors swam into my vision. The bodies of the reanimating slaves were strewn across the ground, clearly dead. Having stood at this spot four times previously, and having seen exactly the same scene each time, this difference was startling. My eyes swept up the perimeter as I sped forward. The massive spear remained impaled in the ground before the gate, but the fog had been breached.
'Shit.' I rushed into the blackness, spotting a dark outline in front of me. I approached it hesitantly, brushing the tip of my spear against it. I frowned; the weapon had hit something metallic. Something that, immediately afterwards, shot a painful looking object at my face. Ducking out of the way to avoid an imminent spike through the face, I rolled to a corner of the room, putting a column between myself and blobulous maximus.
Back to a wall, I let a dark curse escape my mouth, listening for the slithering of the creature. Of course, that's when I noticed the heavy breathing and muffled curses from the other side of the room. I glanced up, stunned, just in time for a blast of blue-white light to erupt in front of me. The room exploded with light, and before it vanished back into the darkness, a withering black slug monster vaporized into dust particles.
"More are coming, run!" A feminine shape emerged from the darkness, yanking my arm out of its socket as she raced past. I stumbled after her with a shout, slamming shoulder first into the opposite corner.
"What's chasing you?" I gasped, righting myself as another sludge beast closed in.
"Big blob." She gasped out, popping the cap on a vial of dust. She closed her eyes and the powder glowed a pale blue, before fading away.
'Some kind of magic…' I had the time to conclude as she grabbed another vial.
"Do you need Spice?" She barked hastily, grabbing a stick off of her belt, "Or have spare herbs?"
"Got no magic." I spoke rapidly, shoving my shield against a creature, stunning it momentarily. Retrieving an herb from my pouch, I tossed it to her hastily. "Take it, I'll cover you."
"They're weak in the back." She cautioned, yanking her robes up to her stomach and spreading the salve around the wound. "Be careful, watch for the big one."
"Big one?" I sighed, dreading that encounter. Remembering the girl's words, I dashed behind the slug and ran it through on my spear. My eyes widened as it began to turn, yanking out the weapon, I shoved it back in roughly, finally killing the thing. Of course, there being more than one, another slug took a shot at my back. My soul blood splashed the column, fading quickly. I gasped, dropping my spear and clutching my side.
"Move it!" The girl shoved me to the ground, raising the silver stick.
'A wand.' My mind supplied, as a ball of blue magic collected and launched forward, slicing clean through the blob creature.
"Note to self," I mumbled, spreading salve on my new wound, "learn how to do that."
"Less talking," she grabbed my uninjured arm and yanked; "and more running."
As we darted through the room, I caught sight of the aforementioned giant blob. "Cut right." I growled, yanking against her arm. "Take out the big one."
"Are you nuts?" I heard her call out, followed by a faint "Guess so…" A beam of magic pierced the giant monster, followed a moment later by my pointed spear. Growling madly, I repeatedly slammed the weapon forward, piercing a different section of muck, searching for a weak spot.
"Behind you!" I spun, watching about five of the munchkin globs slither towards me.
"Take care of them, then!" I growled, diving into an open section of floor. She began to blast them as I circled the main beast, jabbing it every moment I felt safe.
What seemed to be an hour later, the beast let out a dying gurgle and began to dissolve into the floor. Letting out a breath and looking up, I noticed the girl directly across from me, a glittering curved sword poised for another swing. She lowered the weapon, eyes on me.
We were basically doing the same thing, scanning the other for any threatening signs, sizing each other up.
On her person, I noted an ornate silver circlet, loose mage robes and her glittering wand. She held a pair of swords, both glowing. While I couldn't say much about the glow, I recognized the weapons right away. The curved right hand blade was a Falchion, a quick and light weapon designed for slashing flesh to ribbons. In her left hand, replacing a shield, was a long, thin Rapier, a defensive blade used to deflect and pierce.
Interesting setup…
Our eyes met again, my dull grey to her icy blue, and we both looked away awkwardly. Before I could speak up, a roar echoed inside my ears. Suddenly, power flooded through my body, a mass of soul unlike anything I had ever felt before. It began to expand, pouring out of my body like a mist. Moments later, I felt a body erupt and grow around me, trapping me inside a shell. Every ounce of my being was burning cold, in a pain so bad that I would much rather have been eaten by the slug.
Finally, after a scenic trip through Hell's Ninth Circle, the agony that was existence began to fade away, and I could open my eyes. Everything either hurt, or was dead numb. I managed to sit upright, glancing over. The magician didn't seem to be faring any better, palms slammed over her temples, eyes tightly shut. Swearing, I cheerfully stood upright as she opened her eyes, and offered a hand. She took it, allowing me to pull her to her feet, against the wishes of my protesting muscles.
"Well," she spoke up, letting out an angry breath. "Fucking oww."
"Agreed." I noticed the glow first, a very similar stone with a blade sticking out of it. Resting before it was a thin silver orb, hovering a foot above the cobbled flooring. Both of us realized what the object was, and both of us darted forward to claim it.
"It was my fight!" The female screeched, shoving me to the side. I retaliated by tackling her to the floor and reaching for the glowing mass.
"I opened the door, back off, bitch." As I touched the pure essence of the creature we killed, she grabbed my wrist and began to tug the soul with her other hand.
"Well then we'll split it, sound fair?" The solution was so childishly logical, I couldn't help but laugh. "I dunno if the essences of a demon works like that..." Making sure I had a firm grip on the soul, I tugged hard.
Even in a tangled mess we were in, the pair of us still managed to glance at each other in surprise. The soul had indeed been separated, with each of us holding a mass of the thin white substance. "It better be a damn even number." I grumbled, standing myself up and crushing the half-soul. Instantly, a wave of energy, similar to earlier, flooded my body. Although the power felt disjointed, like the energy was being stored by my soul, and that my body was only receiving part of the benefit.
"How odd," The girl mumbled as she rose, the last wisps of power being absorbed by her soul.
"You're tellin' me." I grumbled, adjusting my gauntlets. Out of the blue, she shoved a hand into my face. "You helped me out back there, thank you." I glanced at the hand, chuckled, and then grasped it gently.
"Joshua, heir of the Southern Tribe's throne; for whatever that's worth, of course."
"Lilly, of the East. Why have you come to these ruined lands?" The fallen prince of the Barbarian Tribes working alongside a ranked member of the Mages Guild? Pretty sure we had warred at some point or another.
"Same reason as you, in'nit?" I asked back casually, brushing a hand against the glowing archstone. "To kill some demons."
Author's Notes
Been kickin' around the next couple chapters, trying to figure out where I want this to go. I'm basically the worst updater in the world, and that's why this took so long. School an stuff really isn't an excuse. No guarantees on a next update, but I will probably have one out before the end of the month.
Comments and critique are welcomed, is this chapter better or worse? The other two were somewhere a little bit above 1,500 words, this one rammed the 3,000 mark and kept climbing. I usually like to aim for about 2,000, so use the three I've written as a guide for the next ones. Anyway, I'll shut up with my rambling and go to bed. Ciao.