Devil of the Streets
Chapter 9
I stepped over the two dead orc guards and pushed open the large iron doors that marked the underground. I smirked from under my hood and looked at the broken and bleeding orcs behind me. Since when is a devil not allowed into the Black Market?
I walked through the large doors and onto what looked like a huge shopping strip. On the walls around me were pipes and other mechanical items churning and steaming as water and electricity traveled through them to the surface above. The underground strip was dim and dank and bustling with sound.
As I journeyed down the street I saw all sorts of monsters and demons walking through the underground shopping district. I took a big whiff of the air around me and smiled. Dirty, polluted, and smelly…just how I remember it.
"Aye, how did a devil get down here?" A gruff voice yelled from behind me. I turned to see a small group of monsters gathered around a stand on the side of the road. I was able to deduce that the gruff voice had come from a rather angry looking, nine foot tall, Troll. Oh…not good.
"I'm looking for someone. Wanna tell me where the lead goblin is buddy?" I said smugly and walked up to the troll's stand. Not my best idea.
"And why would I give devil scum like you any information?" He growled and stood up to reveal his true form. He was trying to intimidate me. If that's how he wants to play then fine.
I jumped onto the table in front of him and formed my long ice sword and a small pistol made of molten rock. I held the sword up to his neck and pressed the burning gun against his chest. The troll squirmed as I looked up at him with my piercing red eyes.
"Because if you don't I'm going to blow out your guts, cut off your head, and shove those guts back down to your throat." I growled and the troll was barely able to keep his composer. I pushed the gun farther into his fat, light blue stomach and chuckled lightly.
"How about I break every bone in your puny devil body and throw you in the ogre's soup?!" He yelled in reply and brought his right arm around to swat me away.
"Wrong move big guy." I mused and side-flipped over his swipe. I landed on the ground and had to immediately duck under the table that had been thrown at me. The monsters that had once been crowding this troll's stand had run off screaming as the great beast charged at me.
"I'm gonna smash you!" He screamed and charged at me. I probably didn't look to good, seeing as how I only came up to his waist, but I knew I could handle him. He let his left fist drag across the ground before sending it flying up at me in a massive uppercut.
The troll's massive fist flew up at me and I only had a split second to jump back and get out of the way. But as soon as I had gotten out of his uppercut, his other fist was charging down at me. I brought the sword up but was still forced backwards when the fist slammed into my blade.
I sled back for a few feet before recovering myself and looking up at another fist coming down at me. I was ready this time and judged the distance perfectly. The fist came down and slammed into the ground in front of me. I quickly put both hands on his front knuckles and flipped onto his hand, pointing my gun at the center of the hand.
"Boom." I said and fired a shot from the small revolver in my hand. A large piece of the troll's fist flew off when the bullet slammed into it, causing the troll to howl in pain. Flames started to spread across his hand as I wasted no time in pressing him further.
"What can't handle it? You're the one who wanted to play." I mocked the large beast as I ran up his arm and slashed a deep cut into his shoulder. I kicked off the back of his shoulder and landed behind him, turning to see him cursing and gripping his bleeding shoulder. Let's just get this dumb fight over with.
I ran towards him and fell onto my back at the last moment. I sled between his legs and made a cross slash with the light weight ice sword. Two gashes formed in his legs and blue blood poured out onto the street. The troll howled in pain once again as I jumped back to my feet and stood in front of him. I took a side stance and pointed the tip of my sword at him and held my molten revolver by my cheek.
"Looks like the big tough troll is in pain. Now, before I kill you, do you want to see a magic trick?" I asked the Troll, causing him to look at me with suspicion on top of the hate and fear in his eyes. "I have your attention! Excellent." I continued and let the two weapons disappear into shards of light. The cards appeared in my hands and I held them right in front of my face.
"Pick a card Troll, any card." I teased and the Troll's face fell. He clutched his wounded legs and tried to hobble away. "Awh, looks like you don't want to play. No matter, I'll just pick it for you." I called after him and pulled a card out at random. Ten of Hearts, perfect. The card exploded into the light shards as I called after the troll.
"Hey Troll. Catch!" I yelled and held out my left hand. I smirked as a huge ball of fire shot out and flew down the street at the retreating troll. He wailed in pain as the ball slammed into his chest and sent him spiraling back. He shot through a stand and into a solid rock wall, dislodging a few pipes in the process.
I let the card reform in my hand and smirked at the unconscious beast down the street from me. Devil scum my ass. That's when I turned around quickly to the sound of clapping coming from behind me.
"Bravo. Very impressive devil. Very, very impressive. I'm astounded that you were even able to find my little market. Who are you?" A mischievous voice said and I looked forward to see a small, green, goblin standing before me. He came up to about my waist and had long purple robes and barely any remaining white hair. He had wrinkly green skin that showed he was one of the older goblins, but I could tell he was the sharpest from the glimmer in his eyes. The small glazy pupils darted back and forth over my figure as the small green creature studied me.
"The name's James. Are you the head goblin around here? I'm hunting a certain group of fallen angels in this town. Want to help a devil?" I asked the old goblin boss. He smiled at me, I probably peaked his curiosity.
"I wouldn't mind helping the devils kill a few fallen ones. Please boy, come with me. I'd like to have a chat with the unique devil who found my quaint little market." He praised before turning and waving his hand for me to follow. The old goblin lead me down the street, monsters eyeing me the entire way, until we reached a huge building embedded into the rock face. It was at the very end of the street, must be the boss man's house.
"Right this way devil. Would you like a drink?" He asked as he lead me into the house. I gasped at the massive entryway I was currently standing in. The walls were plush with a light purple color and the floors and stairway were made of shiny, polished wood. Smaller goblins in butler uniforms ran every which way as the elder goblin lead me into the living room.
The living room was even more impressive. There were three large leather couches around a huge polished coffee table. The old goblin took a seat on the farthest one and I decided it best to sit across the table from him.
"So my boy, what is a devil servant like you doing all by yourself in a Black Market?" He asked and I just smiled at him. Two young goblin maids brought us our drinks; I just had a diet coke. Oh diet cokes…how I love them. The goblin maids smiled at us and the one closest to me even winked before walking off. Weird. Maybe that would have been better if goblins were pretty and not green.
"What makes you so sure I'm a servant and not just a rouge?" I asked. Let's see how much this old man knows.
"I can see the seal on your hand. And that is what puzzles me. How can a devil servant of such a prestige's house as the Gremory's be allowed in the Black Market?" He asked. I shot up a bit in my seat and looked across the room at the old goblin.
"How did you know I was with the Gremory's?" I asked and he chuckled lightly.
"Because that's the only big household around here with a red symbol. But I've never seen you before boy, are you new around here?" He asked and took a sip from his drink. I sighed and relaxed back into my set, taking a sip from own drink as well.
"Indeed I am, I just moved to this town from America. Luckily I was immediately allowed the honor of becoming one of Rias Gremory's servants. Now, the reason I was able to find your little Black Market is because I use to help run one when I lived in New York." I explained and the goblin leaned forward. He gazed at me with curiosity and stroked his chin as he examined me.
"So then, you must be from a different cut than the devils I'm use to. Why are you hunting these fallen angels then?" He questioned, getting back to the point of my being there. Of course he knew about them. Goblins have set up Black Markets in every town on the planet and they are extremely adept at gathering information, the best brokers you could ask for.
"Well they attacked my Master and took one of my friends hostage. I'm going to fine them, tear down their hiding hole, and kill them all." I stated plainly and smirked at the chuckling goblin boss.
"I like you kid!" He exclaimed and slapped his knee as he praised me. He took another sip of his drink and eyed me the entire time. I returned the gaze, keeping him from doing anything unexpected. You can never be too careful around a goblin, even when you think they like you.
"Well, the nearest fallen angel hide out would be in that old church on the mountainside. I'd be careful though kid. None of us know exactly how many there are." He advised as I stood to leave. I pulled out a few dollars and threw them on the table in front of him.
"Sorry about the troll." I said and the goblin started to laugh more.
"I should be thanking you! Malkirt has always been a problem around here. No, the only thing I want from you is a favor." The goblin said and pushed the money away from him. I turned around to face him again. Yea…not good.
"It's just a simple favor. If I ever need help with something, I'm going to call you." He said and I nodded. Being a goblin boss's bodyguard can give you a lot of life experience. Trust me. I had to protect this one goblin boss from three werewolves while he was getting it on in the back of a pickup truck with a nature spirit. Weird night…
"That sounds fair enough to me." I responded as I picked up the money and turned to leave again.
"One more thing kid." The goblin called after me. I stopped and didn't even turn to face him again. "I hope you get your friend back. Oh, and don't get killed either." He finished and I smiled before waving and walking out.
"I wouldn't worry too much about me." I finished and walked out the goblin boss's house and onto the strip. I walked back across the strip, through the iron doors, and back onto the surface. I had to make sure to step over the orc corpses on my way out. Seriously they need to clean those up! I chuckled and continued to walk out of the alleyway and onto the main road. I looked up at the night sky and saw the large, run down church in the distance. Let's get this party started.
I climbed up to the top of a building and summoned an ice rail. After about ten minutes of gliding through the night sky, I made it to the church's doorstep. The place wasn't that big, but it did give off a creepy "cult leaders live here" vibe that made me shiver.
I pushed open the door and walked into the church only to be greeted by rows of pews and a tainted window on the far wall. There was an eerie glow coming from the tainted window and the moonlight didn't help my uneasy feeling. Maybe going in alone was not a good idea.
"Well, well, well if it isn't the shit devil that sent a hundred volts through me. But looky here. I'm still alive and ready to tear you limb from limb." A voice echoed from the far side of the room and a white haired man stepped out from the darkness. It was the same priest who'd beaten up Issei.
"Awh look, it's a Catholic priest, and what's this, no little Timmy strapped to your pants? Progress." I taunted and the priest smirked at me and raised his light sword.
"It's been a while since I've fought a devil with a good sense of humor. Please little devil, entertain me more as I cut your flesh off you and make you watch me eat it." He threatened and I smiled.
"Sorry buddy. I'm seventeen, not seven." I mocked as the ice sword appeared in my hand once again. It was a solid piece of ice in the shape of a long sword, but it was still as strong as a real sword. I held it to my side and lunged at the priest.
He meet my strike in the center of the room and each of us took turns exchanging blows. I swung, he blocked, he swung, I blocked. Over and over again, until our swords meet and pressed against each other with all the force each of us could muster.
"Tell me where you took the girl." I commanded and pushed against my sword even harder, forcing the priest back. He smirked and jumped back, causing me to lose my balance and tilt forward.
"How about no." He said and swiped down, aiming his blade right at my neck.
"ROCK SHIELD." I yelled and my entire body turned to solid rock. The light sword slammed into my neck and cut a few inches before I jerked my head back and sent the priest falling backwards, off balance.
After a few second my body turned back to normal and a wave of pain slammed into me. I pulled the light sword out of the back of my neck and felt myself get lightheaded. Not good…
"James!"A familiar voice called from behind me and my closing eyes saw a blonde haired figure holding the priest's blade in the air above me. "Get up newbie. I don't think Rias would be happy if you died while she was stuck at home." Kiba's familiar voice sounded in my ears and I managed a smile.
"I never thought I'd be so happy to see another devil in my life." I said and tried to rise to my feet. I felt a hand pull my arm up and lay it across a pair of shoulders. I turned to see Koneko helping me up as Kiba and the priest exchanged blows.
"You two didn't have to come help me." I said as Koneko carried me over to a pew.
"Don't be stupid." She said in her lovely monotone voice. "Rias would kill us if anything happened to you." She finished and sat me down on the pew.
"Thanks." I managed and turned to see Kiba holding the priest at a standstill. All of a sudden the priest brought his right hand up and fired a shot from his pistol. Uh oh…
"Kiba!" I screamed as I saw the boy flip backwards. I thought it got him…
"What are you screaming about?" Koneko asked as Kiba landed perfectly on his feet and continued clashing swords with the priest. Oh…I must be pretty weak then. Kiba's already lasted longer than I did.
"Hey Priest." I called and a gunshot echoed throughout the church. "I got guns too bitch." I sang and watched a small trail of smoke rise from the barrel of my molten revolver. The priest jumped back and fell to a knee, clutching the gunshot wound in his side.
"I'm not dying like this. I'll let the others handle you pests." He said and slammed a small pebble into the ground. A bright light shot out from the altar and the priest disappeared. When the light died down, the three of us were left in the room alone.
"How did you guys find me?" I asked as Kiba approached me and the small white haired Rook.
"We went to the clubhouse about an hour ago and Rias told us the whole story. She and Akeno were far too wounded from the surprise attack to be able to help us, so we went on our own to fetch you." Kiba explained as he took a seat next to me.
"Fetch me? Aren't we fighting?" I asked, not ready to quit just yet. Koneko nodded and turned to leave but Kiba grabbed her wrist.
"Well, those were the orders but…" He said and winked at me. Oh prince charming I think even I'm falling for you now.
"Gay dude…too gay." He said and my face fell. Stop it with the mind reading!
"Whatever, let's just kill these fallen freaks and get that nun back." I said and stood back up. Then the pain hit and I feel back to the pew. "Man, this sucks. I can't fight with light poison in me." I whined and put a fire covered hand on the back of my neck.
"James! What are you doing?" Kiba exclaimed as I pressed the flaming hand to my wound. I just looked at him with a blank expression.
"What? I'm fixing myself." I said plainly and the two just stared at me. They never seen someone absorb the light magic by burning the wound, yea, I'm the newbie.
"If I cauterize my wound with fire magic, the light magic is forced to leak out. How do you two not know this?" I asked and the Rook, Knight pair just shrugged. "Eh, it doesn't matter." I said and stood back up. Much better.
"Let's get to killin." I sang and walked up the altar the priest had disappeared on. "Let's see here…" I muttered and examined the floor around me while the two devils just looked at me.
"James, how did you even find this place?" Kiba asked and I didn't even look at them when I answered.
"Oh I talked to the goblin boss at your local Black Market." I said plainly and I heard them gasp. I looked up to see the two devils starring at me, jaws dropped. "What? Never seen a goblin before?" I asked and leaned against the podium. The wooden stand broke and I feel to the floor, except it wasn't a floor.
"Looks like I found their hideout." I said and looked farther down the hole I'd uncovered. There was a long staircase with torches on either side that appeared to lead into the basement of the church. I stood back up and Kiba and Koneko appeared beside me.
"How many do you think are in there?" I asked and Kiba smirked as he pulled out his sword.
"I think maybe two or three dozen priests, plus three or four fallen ones." He said and we nodded to each other before starting down the stairs. Koneko lead us down and we eventually entered a large room.
"Man this is a boss fight room if I've ever seen one." I muttered to myself as I looked at the huge rock walls around me. We were standing at the back of a large room that was almost completely made of rock. In front of us was a massive group of rouge priests centered around a huge altar with a metal cross on top of it. And chained to the cross…
"Asia!" I screamed and sprinted towards the center of the room. I heard Kiba yelling for me to stop but I didn't listen. I just kept running, trying to save the poor girl. All of a sudden something hit the ground in front of me and I was sent flying back.
"Devil, why are you attacking us during our special little ceremony?" A cute voice asked from the top of the altar. I pulled my hood over my hair and pulled a few Heart cards out of my pocket. I looked up at the altar and saw the small blonde girl in the maid outfit standing there with a yellow light spear in her hand.
"Stop talking and let's fight already." I muttered before sprinting towards the alter again. The girl just laughed and threw another spear at me, but I was ready this time. I threw a card at my feet a second before the spear impaled my chest and I was sent flying over it by the explosion. My card exploded and I flipped over the spear, landing gracefully right in front of a group of priests.
"I don't have time for this." I complained and ducked under a side slash from the front priest's sword. I feel onto my back and kicked myself between his legs, jumping to my feet behind him. By this time I'd already pulled out a Spades card and abosrobed it. I side stepped the next slash from a nearby priest and responded by smashing my rock hard fist into his face.
I watched the priest tumble back and hit two of his friends before turning and realizing I was in the center of the priests. Not good…
"James! Get out of there and we'll hold them off for you." Kiba called as he and the small Rook ran towards the priests. I looked back and saw Kiba slash through two of the priests and connect swords with another while Koneko had tackled one, picked him up, and was slamming him into all the priests that attacked her.
"You guys take care of the priests. I'll handle the fallen ones." I muttered the last part before jumping over a slide slash from the priest in front of me. I flipped in mind air and landed right behind him. He gasped in shock as I wrapped my rock covered hands around his head and broke his neck. Crack.
"Alright, whose next?" I asked as I turned to face the fallen angel on top of the altar. But instead of one…there were now three. The two that had attacked me the night we tried to save Issei and the one who attacked me the night I meet Issei. Wow, my apprentice is bad luck for me.
"I think you'll be fighting the three of us young devil. Our leader isn't home just yet. She was going on and on about this boy she meet and was going to find him before she completed the ceremony." The man in the trench coat stated before a blue light sword appeared in his hand. Seriously, I really want one of those.
"Well I'll just deal with whoever that is when they get here. Well, they may not want to fight me. Not after I show them your rotting corpses." I said in a quiet, menacing tone before I jumped into the air and pulled a few more cards out of my pocket. Yo Kiba, watch this.
"Wild Card!" I yelled and all of a sudden the cards in my pocket flew out and started to swirl around me. I winked at the fallen ones in front of me as I landed on the altar, the cards flying around me, obscuring me from view. "Let's see how lucky you are." I teased before I disappeared.
As soon as I was gone from view, a dome of cards appeared around the fallen angels. They were stuck inside a room made of blank pieces of paper. They looked at the dome that incased them and saw that all the panels were blank, white, playing cards. On the outside of the dome however, one could clearly see what every card was. And stuck to the card on the very top of the dome, was me.
"What is this tricky?" The man with the trench coat yelled as he threw his light sword at one of card walls. As soon as the sword made contact with the card, the card flipped around the reveal a five of Diamonds. A blue magic circle appeared on the giant piece of paper and a wall of ice shot out.
The man in the trench coat dodged to the left, just avoiding being impaled by the wall. The three fallen ones look around the dome in amazement and backed into the center. There was no way out for them.
"Looks like you three activated my trap card." My voice echoed throughout the dome as I spoke from the card on top of it. "The only way out of this trap is to guess which card I am on, and not getting killed in the process. Have fun." I teased and watched them cower in the center of the dome.
"Just come out and fight us coward." The woman with the blue hair yelled as she threw her spear at one of the cards closer to the top. The card flipped around to reveal a six of Clubs with a yellow magic circle on it.
"Dance fallen ones, dance." My voice mocked them as they flew around the large dome, trying to escape the lighting attack. They can't even escape this and it isn't even my balance breaker, weak fallen ones.
"I've had enough of this! Mittelt, Kalawarner, break the top." The man yelled and my cherry face fell. Wow, this attack really isn't that great when you think about it. The lightening had finally stopped and the fallen ones were getting ready to throw their light spears.
"Well, I think our little game is over, sorry. You really didn't think I'd let you win." I said and a snap echoed throughout the dome. Every single card around the fallen ones flipped over as I fell from the ceiling above them. They immediately surrounded me and I just looked at them, smiling.
"Card storm." I said and snapped my fingers. Their faces fell as magic circles appeared on every card around us. "Bye bye now." I said and waved at the man in the trench coat in front of me. Fire and lightening exploded out of most of the cards, shocking and burning the fallen ones as they flew around inside the dome. I just stood at the bottom and watched them try to avoid my attacks.
When the fire and lighting had finally calmed down I snapped my fingers again and Ice and Earth spikes exploded from the ground around me. The fallen angels yelled in surprise before trying to fly to the top of the dome.
"This is unnatural devil trickery! You're a monster." The girl in the maid uniform yelled just as an earth spike stabbed through her chest. She squeaked in pain as her blood dripped down the spike towards me.
"No, the monsters are the evil fallen ones who tried to hurt that innocent, sweet little nun girl." I said plainly as I watched the girl squirm around on the spike.
"Release us devil trickster!" The man in the trench coat yelled as he and the blue haired woman threw two more light spears at me. I just shrugged and channeled the earth magic from a nearby spike. A wall of rock exploded from the ground in front of me and the light spears exploded when they hit it.
"I suppose that's only fair. Alright, let's settle this like adults." I said and snapped my fingers. The cards around us began to swirl around and return to normal as they funneled towards me. I didn't let the transformation finish and I had already jumped up at the two remaining fallen.
My ice sword reappeared in my hand and I swung it just in time to meet the man's light sword. He deflected my first strike but it sent him stumbling back a bit. I was already swinging before he could recover and was able to slice into his arm.
"Is this the fighting you prefer? You're just as bad at this." I teased and shot a fireball out of my non-sword wielding hand. Just before the fireball connected with the man, another light spear cut through it. I turned and saw Kalawarner starring daggers at me, two light spears in her hands.
"Awh, does the lady want some attention too?" I asked as I fell from the air and landed on the ground below the two hovering angels. The ice sword disappeared and was replaced by two molten revolvers and something on my back.
The earth behind me had begun to morph to form a massive sword made of platinum. The huge steel blade appeared on my back as I pointed the two revolvers at the fallen ones above me. I smirked and pulled the hammer on both guns back.
"Unlimited Power!" I yelled and fired shot after shot from both my guns. The angels ducked and dived but I heard them scream in pain as bullets ripped through their wings. Small fires appeared where the bullets connected with them and after about two clips, I decided to finish them. The guns disappeared in a red mist and I pulled a Clubs card out of thin air. I held it above my head and was consumed in a bright yellow glow.
"Unlock passive: Lighting Dash!" I yelled and the card broke into small pieces of yellow light. The small light particles flew into me and a new power flew through my body. When the light died down my body was sparking with lighting as I pulled the sword off my back.
"And now, I'm going to be taking the cute blonde home with me." I said menacingly as I pulled the sword to my side. I flew off in a flash and the next thing that happened was Kalawarner's head being severed from her body. The man in the trench coat was barely able to bring up his sword before I had appeared in front of him. I hit him with three slashes in the blink of an eye and his sword had fallen from his grasps.
"What are you?" He asked as I pulled the sword to my side one last time. It came around in a flash and the beautiful steel meet the fallen one's neck.
"Rias Gremory's Queen." I stated and turned away from the fallen one as his head and body fell out of the air and landed away from each other on the ground. I let the lightening speed leak out of my body as I slowly landed on the ground in front of the cross. Behind me, Kiba and Koneko were taking out the last few priests with a breeze.
"Alright cutie. It's time for your prince to take you home." I told the small unconscious blonde as I pulled my hood off my head. She cracked open an eye and her face instantly burst into a smile when she saw it was me. How did she sleep through all that?
"James! Are you here to save me?" She asked as I undid the shackles on her arms. She fell into my arms and wrapped her arms around me.
"Yep. Now let's get you home and clean you up. Don't worry; none of the fallen angels will ever hurt you again." I said and held her out at arm's length. Tears were rolling down her cheeks as she smiled at me.
"Thank you James. I'll never forget this kindness." She said and hugged me once more, even tighter than last time. She titled her head back and looked up at me. I couldn't control myself, maybe it's just the romantic inside me.
"Asia, I'm so glad you're safe." I said and brushed her hair away and kissed her forehead. I heard the girl hum and when I pulled away she was blushing and smiling from ear to ear. Well this is all wrapping up very nicely.
"Missed one." A harsh, familiar, female voice called. I felt something pierce my back and a searing pain flew through me. I released Asia and let the platinum sword reform in my hand as I turned to face the attacker. I was losing blood and falling into unconsciousness when I saw who it was.
"Ray…Raynare?" I asked in disbelief as I fell to my knees in front of her. I looked at the girl's shocked face as I fell on my face and blacked out.
"Why did it have to be you?" The fallen one asked as she landed beside me and pulled my head onto her lap. "What do I do now?"