Mission 01: The Blue Knight
Slay the uninvited guest!
MISSION START
Kyrie was bringing a bottle of whiskey out of the storage room when she heard Nero's exasperated voice. "No, we're not a business for teaching you how to use Muggle telephones." She heard a harrumph from the fireplace, and with a small pop, the flames returned to their orange colour. "That's the third fake-out we've had in the past two days. Can't seem to get any real business…"
Kyrie nodded. The bar they'd set up near London served two very important purposes. First, they needed to keep an ear to the ground for demonic activity; while they weren't exactly advertising that precise fact, their advert was vague enough that anyone who did have problems with demons would be willing to try them. The second was…well, a bar made money, and money was nice to have at times. …Well, most of the time, actually.
Still, their ad was also vague enough that people were calling them for the most non-demonic matters she could think of. Even her patience had been tested after having to explain that they did not provide laundering, lost & found, or cleaning services. "Perhaps we'll be lucky, and our talents won't be needed after all."
He sighed, stretching out his arms as he sprawled over the sofa. "Might lose our edge if this keeps up…The biggest challenge we've had so far was getting our liquor license."
"Here; I'll switch with you. You can get something to eat, if you like." Nero shrugged, getting up and going to the bar. He sat down next to a man with short blonde hair as Kyrie prepared to take a seat in the comfortable chair flanking the sofa. She'd barely begun to do so when the flames turned emerald again; a woman's head appeared in the fireplace, looking disheveled.
Kyrie sat on the chair in front of the emerald flames. "This is The Blue Knight. How can we help?"
The woman's face in the fire looked both desperate and terrified. "I…well, to be honest…I don't know if you can really help me, but…I've nowhere else to turn, and I remembered your advertisement in the Prophet."
"It's okay," Kyrie reassured her. She motioned Nero back over. "Please tell us what's happened."
"Well…I still can't believe it myself…I was visiting an old friend in Hampshire, and we ate together, but when we went to the sitting room, there was…there was this large sword stuck into the floor. After we watched it for a few moments, it pulled itself out and started floating. I know what you're thinking!" she said accusingly. "Neither of us was charming it, and we didn't see anyone else there. And not long after, it…well, it did something…"
"Did it change form?" Nero asked. "Turn into a weird bat-thing?"
"Yes!" she exclaimed. "It…wait, how did you know?"
"And it was the only one? You're sure?"
"Yes, just one. It swooped down at us and we were so scared and I thought for sure we'd die and-"
"Okay, okay, I hear you," he cut her off. "Give me the address and we'll take care of it right away." He scribbled what she told him on a notepad. "All right, we'll be there soon. Make sure no one gets near that thing, and seal the room while you're at it." The woman nodded, her head disappearing and the flames going out. "Hey, Sam. We've got work."
The blonde man smiled. "Finally…"
With little in the way of grace, Nero tumbled out of the fireplace, landing in a heap on a rug. Coughing profusely, he rose slowly, dusting himself off and readjusting Red Queen on his back.
"Not what I'd call a good start to our first job," the blonde man said as he landed neatly beside Nero.
"Funny guy, aren't you?" Nero grumbled, shaking out his hair with great irritation. "I sure hope you've had combat experience; don't want to have to bail your ass out if you can't get serious."
"Oh, please tell me that wasn't a pun. James wore that one out when we were still in school." He glanced around the room curiously, and froze as he saw a very large blade slowly making a wide circle over them. A large red gem set just above the crossguard was glowing brightly, as were several multi-coloured lines running throughout it. "Is that it?"
"It is," Nero said, slowly drawing his sword. "It's a lot faster than it looks; unless you've got a way to freeze it in place, don't lose track of it, or it'll gut you faster than you can blink. Speaking from experience." With a flash, the Devil Bringers appeared over his arms.
He winced, but nodded. "All right."
Whether it had grown impatient or just noticed them, it was then that the floating sword spun rapidly before it descended sharply. Nero blocked it with his own sword and grabbed the hilt with his free hand. The creature's head, at the pommel of the sword, snapped angrily at him. "Any day now!" Nero called to his support.
The blonde man had drawn his wand, and with a complex motion, there was suddenly a large cork stuffed into the demon's mouth. "If there's anything else you know about this thing, now would be the time!"
"I dunno, hit it with something until it stops moving!" Nero snapped as the demon tried to fly out of his hand.
With an irritated sigh, the man cast several spells at the demonic sword. The first three bounced off and hit the walls, but the fourth did not. The demon suddenly stopped its struggle, and fell from the air; Nero tightened his grip before the blade could impale his foot. He peered at the sword warily; it was no longer glowing anywhere, nor could he feel any energy from it. Turning it over, he noticed the red gem was missing, and in its place was… "What the hell?"
"Ohh, Minerva is going to love this one," the blonde man said, grinning as his heartbeat raced. "Solid proof that transfiguration can save your life; she'll be telling stories about that Switching Spell for years." He rolled the large red gem around in his hand.
Nero glanced at the spot the gem had originally been; somehow, a light bulb was wedged in there. "…Where were you two years ago?!"
"Escaping from an island holding the worst wizard prison in Britain," he replied casually. "Where were you?"
"…On a different island, beating up a statue." He glared at the other man as he snickered. "Hey! It was a giant statue."
"I'm sure it was," he said absently as he pocketed the gem. He was about to turn back to the fireplace when something caught the corner of his eye. A large book the yellowed colour of old bones was sitting in the center of a coffee table in an angular frame. The title on the front was written in blocky letters he didn't understand.
"Well, whatever." He set the inert sword near the fireplace, cracking his neck. "Time to collect, I guess. Easy money is fine with me, even if I do have to put up with you."
"Uh-huh," the man muttered distractedly, moving towards the table.
Nero turned to stare at him, and then realized what was happening. He reached out with the Devil Bringer, and its glowing gold arm pulled his partner back. "I wouldn't do that."
"Hey, what was that for?!" He glared at Nero. "It's just a book, I wanted to-"
"Sirius!" Nero snapped.
He jumped suddenly, blinking rapidly. "…W-what? What were we talking about?"
"You were about to get chomped by another demon."
His eyes widened, but focused quickly. "The book?"
"The book. Looks like we've got some overtime to put in; you game?"
"Yeah. Ready when you are."
Nero nodded, releasing Sirius. Ascalon appeared in his arms, and he hunkered down behind the shield. "Looks like the real fight is about to start. Well…" He took a tentative step forwards, and then thrust the spear into the innocent-looking book. "Rise and shine!"
There was a sharp shriek, and the book rose into the air. It spun rapidly, and then it opened towards the ceiling. What looked like a flayed upper body rose out of it, roaring at them; as it did, Nero noticed that it had two red horns protruding from its skull, along with three eye sockets; the socket in the middle of its forehead was the only one unoccupied by a green eye.
The Holy Knight scowled at the newly-appeared demon. "Sorry, buddy. You're overdue."
The body retreated into the pages of the book, which flew at them, flapping angrily. Nero batted it away with his shield, forcing it back. "Okay, we've got this. Just make sure you-"
"Stupefy!" The flash of red hit the book dead-on, but a strange, glowing green circle with intricate lines appeared around the book. The book shone slightly, and the circle disappeared as it resumed its attacks with full vigor.
"…don't do that," Nero finished with a growl. "Well, fine; we can solve this quick!" Ascalon disappeared in a flash, and he reached out with the spectral golden arm, reeling the book in towards him. He forced the covers closed with the Devil Bringers, holding it as still as he could as it struggled violently in his hands.
"Well, that's one way. But didn't you say that we'd have a real fight?" asked Sirius.
He'd barely finished speaking before two skinless arms sprouted from the book's spine, clawing at Nero's face. The young man flinched backwards, avoiding having his eyes torn out but taking a deep cut across his face in the process. It healed just as a spray of blood hit the arm, and the book finally wiggled its way out of his grasp.
"Take this!" Sirius roared, slicing awkwardly at the arms with the inert Gladius. As he was so unused to the sheer size of it, the attack missed one of the arms, but managed to cut right through the wrist of the other. A scream echoed out, and the book flew open again, the bloody torso reappearing to bite at them.
"Get lost!" yelled Nero as Ascalon appeared in his hands once more, and he sliced the spear downward, cutting through the demon's head but missing its eyes. Snarling, the book retreated backwards through the air, and then fixed its green eyes directly on Nero's, a beam of light forming between them.
A curious sensation stole over him; he tried to shake it off, and moved to thrust his spear at the demon's glowing gaze. To his surprise, it was his shield that pressed forward, and it didn't reach far enough to harm the demon. Angry, he took a step forward to close the gap…but found himself a step backwards. "The hell is this?!"
Sirius swung the Gladius at the demon; as it swooped out of the way, the strange sensation left Nero, and he steadied his stance. "Would you stop messing about?" his ally chastised him. He slashed at the demon again, but it easily leaned out of the way, the torso retreating back into the book.
"Slippery little bastard," Nero growled. They needed to draw the demon from its hiding place so that they could gouge its eyes out, but whenever it showed it face, its stare did something strange. It was almost…as if…
If he wasn't in the middle of a fight, he could have palmed his own forehead. Of course! "Sirius, back up!"
"What, and give it a free bite?"
"Just trust me!" His companion didn't look like he did, but backed up all the same. The book flapped twice, and then two flayed arms sprouted from its cover, slashing at them with its claws. So when it does this… He stabbed at an arm, going straight through the elbow. As predicted, there was a loud scream, and as he withdrew the spear, the upper body sprouted from the book, fixing him with a glare that formed the beam of light once again, and the strange sensation washed over him a second time. Not bad, but we've got you this time! "Sirius, NOW!"
He thrust forward with his left arm as Sirius slashed down with all his might. Just like he'd planned, it was his right arm that shot at the demon, impaling its right eye at the same time Sirius had slashed the Gladius through its left eye. The gaze broke, and the strange spell along with it. As they withdrew their weapons, the demon clutched its bloodied eyesockets, howling with pain and fury. Bits of it began to flake away, like old paper crumbling to dust. Its arms fell limply, and with a final shudder, its body dissolved, leaving nothing but a dusty old cover and several red crystals behind.
Nero breathed a sigh of relief, Ascalon disappearing as he surveyed the damage to the room they'd been fighting in. "This is gonna come outta our paycheck, isn't it...?"
Sirius, still panting slightly with effort, shook his head. Dropping the Gladius, he drew his wand and said "Reparo!" Instantly, tables reformed, books that had been displaced and torn reformed themselves and returned to their shelves, and even the sectional couch became spotless.
Nero whistled admiringly. "You guys are really handy to have as backup."
Sirius grinned, his breath having returned. "That was BRILLIANT!"
…Along with a healthy dose of adrenalin, it would seem.
"Welcome to the world of a Devil Hunter, my friend," Nero said, patting him on the back. "When things go bump in the night, we bump them back to Hell."
"Best sales pitch I've ever heard," he said. Within seconds, both of them had begun to laugh.
"Welcome back," Kyrie greeted them as they came through the fireplace. "How did it go?"
"A little bit of surprise, but nothing we couldn't handle," Nero said, carrying the inert Gladius over his shoulder as he strode out of the flames.
She gasped. "I-Is that…?"
"Don't worry, it's definitely dead. Sirius found a way to wipe it out without having to cut it to pieces. I figured the bar could use a little decoration; what do you think?"
Her breathing eased, and she tried to get her heart rate under control. I should have known he wouldn't bring a demon back, especially so calmly, but all the same… "Well, if you're sure. Where will you put it?"
"Why not right there?" Sirius suggested, pointing. "Some blokes might put a shotgun behind the bar, but that can't top this thing."
Nero grinned. "He's got a point. You okay with it?"
She nodded. It would take some getting used to, perhaps, but they'd dealt with stranger things. "Of course. Oh, and did you contact the customer?"
"We did, and we've got our first reward!" Sirius said eagerly, holding up a bag and shaking it, the coins inside jingling.
"I think you're a little too rich to be happy about a reward like that," Nero said. He gave Kyrie's forehead a kiss and took the large blade behind the counter. "Now how will we-" He stopped suddenly as a large wooden mount appeared. "Thanks, Sirius."
"My pleasure." He held up the cover that had been left behind by the demonic book. "I'll need to get this to the Order, so we can see what we'll learn about it; don't forget, we need to get in the habit of-"
"Right, right, the name, we got it. See you in a bit." The fire flared once more, and moments later, he'd finished his work. He climbed down, wrapping an arm around Kyrie. "How do you think the view is?"
"Looks wonderful," she said, her eyes aimed in his direction.
Nero smiled, clasping her hand in his and looking back into her eyes. "Same here."
As they moved closer to each other, the light bulb set into the Gladius flickered on for a brief moment, casting a golden glow over them before going out again.
MISSION CLEAR
RANK: A
SAVE / NEXT MISSION
ENEMY FILE
New! Cursed Word
-This demon was formed when a book filled with powerful curses was taken over by the soul of a recently-killed demon. Though it is similar in some ways to the Evil Word, it is considerably more powerful and intelligent.
-It lies in wait for human prey while pretending to be a mundane book, feasting on those unfortunate enough to open it. It is much more talented at drawing in people than its weaker counterpart; merely reading its title can put you under its spell.
-Unlike the Evil Word, forcing the cover closed will not prevent the demon from attacking; it can manifest its clawed arms directly out of the cover without needing to open itself.
-The spellbook it uses to manifest itself is filled with arcane knowledge, including protective spells and trap jinxes. Attacks by firearms or magic will not only fail to harm this demon, they will actually heal it.
-Its true self manifests as a flayed upper body with two eyes. These eyes are its weak points; the demon knows this, and so it will usually only appear for brief moments at a time.
-The demon's two eyes can focus their gaze to hypnotize you, reversing all your actions for a short time. While highly disorientating, the attack also makes the demon vulnerable for its duration; counterattack and break its concentration!
-The possessed book is capable of flight and manifesting skinless arms to attack its prey. If you succeed in attacking the arms, it will be stunned for a moment and reveal its torso out of reflex, giving you an opportunity to kill it.
?
-Despite its greater power compared to the Evil Word, it still depends on its eyes to exist in the material world. Destroying them will likewise eliminate the demon.
8/9
This chapter is dedicated to Vv-saya-vV; in your wonderful review, you said you couldn't wait for the next chapter. So here it is! :-)
To the guest reviewer from last chapter: sorry about the rehash. But if it's any consolation, we're past the vast majority of it now! And Harry may be stubborn, but no one's more stubborn than Dante! ...Except maybe Lady. Or Nero. Or Trish. Or...you know what, I'll just stop there.
Anyway, have a good holiday weekend, everyone!
