Chapter Seventeen:
The demon lashed out at anything around, furious at the interruption to its feeding.
The mutant woman had been strong...much stronger than any of its other victims...
But the mutant man somehow stole her back...they just vanished from its hold...
It was raging now...it would destroy this whole place if it had to...to find its lost meal...
Then, it sensed one of the mutants again...
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Kurt stared up at the creature, and he began to pray.
"In the name of the father..."
The demon's face turned toward him and it roared in fury.
"...and the son..."
It moved with unnatural speed and reached out with dozens of icy tendrils.
"...and the holy ghost..."
Kurt felt the demon's black smoky form curve around him. He sensed its hunger and readied himself for battle. The demon's face rushed at him, stopped short of actually impacting him, and growled angrily. Kurt drew his shoulders back, and choked on his last word as the demon grabbed him by the neck.
Fortunately, some else was able to finish the prayer for him.
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The demon's growling became a shriek of pain as a long blade tore into its vague form.
Kurt felt the hold on his throat fade and he was released. He stumbled to the ground and drew in a haggard breath. His skin tingled painfully as the harsh cold pulled back, and he stared in shock as several figures appeared from behind the demon.
The closest one jerked her arm backward and grinned viciously as she yanked the blade away. The creature spun away toward the shadows, and hissed at them in outraged fury.
Kurt looked up as the Slayer held out a hand to help him to his feet.
"Amen," Faith finished.
Her strength surprised him, and he barely had a moment to get his balance before the demon regrouped and lunged at them again.
Faith grabbed a hold on the back of Kurt's jacket and pulled him with her as she ran toward the front of the church. Before they ducked behind the front row of pews, Kurt spotted Mary and the three other X-Men trying to draw the creature's attention back toward the front doors.
He hit the floor roughly and Faith settled next to him. He blinked at her with confusion as she carefully peaked over the top of the bench. She ducked again as a large chunk of debris was thrown over their heads.
Faith turned toward him, still wielding her weapon and Kurt stared at it anxiously.
"Take it easy, Blue," she said to him in a low voice, "Despite what happened earlier, this knife was never meant for you."
Kurt could hear the others struggling with the demon and risked another glance around at the back of the church. There was another hideous shriek from beyond their hiding place, and both he and Faith flinched.
"You confused me for that?" Kurt asked incredulously, throwing the Slayer an annoyed glare.
Faith shrugged, "Hey...I'm a little out of practice, okay?"
There was a flash of red light and they heard Cyclops shout something over the din of the demon.
"Storm was injured," Kurt said, "We have to get out there and help them so I can get her back to the doctor."
"No..." Faith said firmly.
Kurt frowned at her and she shook her head.
"Not yet," she explained, "We gotta wait 'til the demon takes a solid form..."
"How will that happen?" Kurt asked.
Faith looked at him and grinned, "The Seer's working on it..."
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As Cyclops and Colossus prepared to meet the wraith-like creature head on, Mary and Iceman ducked behind a tall marble statue. Mary knelt on the floor and opened the large volume to the passages regarding the demon of Depletion. Iceman stood in front of her as extra guard just in case the creature's attention shifted away from the other diversion.
Mary smoothed out the book's old pages, and placed on finger over the final words in the demon's spell. She began to read aloud, and felt her voice timbre change as the ancient language echoed from her throat. It sounded a little like Latin, but each syllable left a bitter taste in her mouth.
She glanced up at Iceman, who nodded, reassuring her that their plan was working...so far.
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Colossus braced himself for battle as he found himself face to face with the shadowy creature. His gaze never wavered as his skin became solid silver, even when wisps of cold smoke began to curl around his arms. Usually, when his powers were active, harsh changes in temperature did not affect him. However, as the demon took hold of his limbs, Colossus felt a cold shock run down his spine.
The demon tried to pull him forward, but the weight of his body was significantly greater than the creature's other victims. There was a vicious snarl as the demon struggled to overwhelm the powerful mutant.
Colossus grabbed onto one of the tendrils of smoke and pulled back against his attacker. The demon shrieked in fury and its tail whipped toward the mutant. Colossus felt the forked tail snap painfully against his chest and he stumbled back a step.
When Cyclops saw his teammate loosing advantage in the fight, he raised one hand to his visor and focused his gaze on the demon. There was a bright flash of red light, as a beam from his eyes tore through the black smoke. The demon drew itself inward and avoided the powerful light as it cut through the vaporous mass of its body.
"Damn it," Cyclops muttered and raced toward his teammate.
Cyclops saw the creature pull Colossus forward again, and the impervious mutant struggled as well as he could against the formless tendrils and icy tail holding him.
"Iceman!" he called, "How much longer?"
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Bobby glanced down at Mary and heard her reading in the ancient language. The words made him shiver, and he looked back over at Cyclops.
"I'm not sure!" he shouted back, and then muttered to himself as he glanced back and saw the dark look on Mary's face, "I hope no too much longer..."
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Mary's throat was beginning to feel raw and torn as she continued to read the cursed incantations. Everything in her soul was raging against bringing this creature to its true form, but she knew it had to be done if the Slayer was going to be able stop its rampage.
She looked upward and saw Bobby watching her nervously, and then she glanced up at the frescos near the ceiling depicting the figures of angels.
I'm sorry for this, she thought, and continued to complete the ceremonial spells.
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The demon growled and tried to pull the strange silver mutant closer...
Such power...it would feed the demon well...
The second mutant's attack had been a minor distraction but had not real effect on its body...
The Slayer was here...it felt her nearby...hiding...she had injured it again...
...it would kill her for it...
Suddenly, a familiar sound began to fill the air around it...
Ancient words...which had been spoken by the vampires who had called it forth...
Its floating limbs began to grow heavy...and the demon shrieked in rage...
Then, it realized with the new solid weight, came an increased strength...
It hissed with approval and tightened its grasp on the struggling mutant it was holding...
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Colossus gasped in surprise as the cold limbs became stronger, and the demon's tail began to curl around his throat. It did not yet have the power to crush the mutant's body but it would be able to drain him of that life force.
Cyclops gaped as the smoky wraith began to become more distinct and definite in form. He once again reached for the controls of his visor and took aim at the creature.
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The walls of the church began to shutter as Mary's voice rose over all the other noise.