Episode 33: Part 1
Despite the thick dark clouds that hung over the city of Hyperion Falls, Archangel Gideon stood at his throne room window, watching as occasional columns of sunlight streamed through. To the captive people of the city, those glimpses of light likely appeared to be like small prayers being answered for them… faint hope that the heavens above hadn't completely abandoned them to their dark fate.
The first phase of the invasion had been mostly successful and the Cambion forces had established a foothold on earth. He had also witnessed the demise of General Abaddon and watched as the demon advance was checked by the Vanguard Rangers. He had to admit, they fought well and had gained impressive mastery of their powers since the last time he confronted them. But now, he had a plot with which to rid himself of his angelic enemies and restructure his ranks.
His thoughts were interrupted as Lady Shemhazai entered the throne and bowed reverently, "My Lord… how may I serve you?"
Gideon turned and stepped away from the windows with a calm smile, "Lady Shemhazai… I called you here to ask how you were coping with things."
"Lord Gideon?"
The Archangel waved a dismissive hand, "I was referring to the death of General Abaddon in battle. I know you two did not often see eye to eye, but he was still your comrade and fellow demon, no?"
Shemhazai raised her head and spoke carefully, "If I may be completely honest Lord Gideon, I am relieved. General Abaddon may have been a great warrior in his own right, but he was a liability to your armies and to this campaign. With him gone, I believe we can better coordinate our forces… just you and I."
Gideon smiled slowly, "You've always been an opportunist Shemhazai… it's a trait I can admire. However, I have a very important matter to take care of and I need to be certain of your loyalty right now."
"Lord Gideon, you know I am devoted to you. I would give my life for you if need be."
The Archangel smiled again before giving a soft chuckle, "I hope it would not come to that Shemhazai. I'm preparing a new strategy to deploy our forces for the next push. I am going to the frontline to personally reposition some of our troops around the city."
The Cambion Counselor gave a confused tilt of her head, "And what would you have me do?"
"I will need you to guard this tower," Gideon answered, "Should the Rangers even be foolish enough to attack, you must hold this throne room at all costs. If so, you have my word that I will return as quickly as possible to help you destroy them."
Shemhazai frowned in slight confusion before bowing her head again, "Yes… of course Lord Gideon. You can rely on me."
"Good," the Archangel said with a devilish grin turning toward the doors, "Until I tell you otherwise, I leave my throne in your capable hands."
Back on the campus of Hyperion University, The Vanguard Rangers assembled in the office of Professor Bishop. While the Rookery Building had always been an old stone tower at the edge of campus, under the circumstances, it now resembled a small bastion of defense against the encroaching demon hordes.
It had been a day or so since the Rangers had halted the Cambion Legion's first assault, but it wasn't certain for long the uneasy stalemate would last. After having taken some time to rest and recover from the clash with General Abaddon, the Rangers pored over a map of the city trying to figure out a way to launch a counterattack against the demons.
"I still don't like the idea of launching an attack," Claire frowned examining their makeshift battle-map, "If we do, we risk getting cut off behind the enemy's lines."
She pointed to the location of the tower relative to their own marker, "Even more, what if the demons decide to attack the outer city? We have no way to stop them then."
"I don't disagree Claire," Kara admitted, "But we cannot sit back and play defense indefinitely. If there's a way to be proactive rather than reactive, then I am in favor of it."
Bishop frowned and repositioned some of the markers they were using to represent the Cambion forces, "If the newest news reports are true, then it looks like the demons have been shifting their lines. It almost looks like they're massing their forces to make an attack on the western city suburbs, completely opposite from where we are."
Danny scratched his chin thoughtfully, "If that's the case, it may mean that Gideon is drawing his own garrison forces away to bulk up those positions. He's reducing the defenses of his own fortress."
"Or it could mean he's luring us into a trap, like the Battle of Cannae" Joe added with a serious expression.
The Pink Ranger gave a questioning look, "Cannae?"
The Red Ranger frowned and looked at the map, "It was at the time of the ancient Roman Republic. During the second Punic War, General Hannibal of Carthage lured a Roman army into a tough position. The Romans actually thought they were winning the battle and advanced, until they realized they were completely encircled."
"What happened?" Kara asked curiously.
Joe exchanged a silent look with Bishop before glancing to her, "The Roman force was completely slaughtered."
The Rangers fell silent for a moment, absorbing the morbid history lesson until Izzy spoke, putting a hand on his arm, "Relating tactics from another historic battle. You really must be descended from Commander Auriel."
After another long pause, Claire sighed, "I hate to admit it, but Kara might be right about this. It's not like we have a lot of other choices right now. One way or another, we're going to have to fight our way into the city. If we're going to liberate it, then taking down that Dark Spire has to happen."
Danny stepped up beside the White Ranger, "Gideon may be luring us in, but what if he's not? If he really is offering us a gap in his defenses, then we can't afford not to attack either. It's risky, but we have to try."
The Red Ranger took a deep breath and gave a pensive frown, "Do the rest of you feel this way too?"
Looking around the room, he saw the other Rangers nod their heads, albeit reluctantly.
"All right," he said, "If that's the case, then let's go and cut the head off the snake."
The next morning, the six Vanguard Rangers morphed and headed out to the perimeter of the occupied city. By now, the Cambion Legion had begun setting up defensive measures against outsider interference. At the city limits, a thick wall of gently swirling black smoke had been raised to obscure the vision and senses of human intruders.
Fortunately for the Rangers, their suits and Empyrian war magic warded them from the effects, allowing them to easily pass through the first screen.
Upon slipping through and dodging a patrol of Magogs, the Rangers hurried to take cover within an abandoned parking garage. As they moved into the garage, they could see the roads around them had been torn apart and the smell of smoldering fires still burned from several nearby buildings. In all, sections of Hyperion Falls looked like they had been turned into some kind of bombed out warzone. To their relief, they hadn't seen any dead bodies of innocent civilians in the streets. The Rangers could only guess and hope that those people had been taken as prisoners… at least for now.
From the windows of the dingy garage, they could see the skies within the city limits were dark, but the outline of Gideon's Spire was still clearly visible in the near distance. "All right, what now?" Izzy hissed quietly looking to her friends.
Kara pointed to the Spire, "Gideon's fortress is still our objective. We avoid the demon patrols and infiltrate the spire."
"Easier said than done," the Blue Ranger muttered quietly causing both Nick and Claire to nod in silent agreement.
Joe glanced out the window but kept his head down before turning to the others. "We'll move quickly and stay out of sight. We limit our flight to get close to the spire. Do not engage in a fight unless there's no other way because we can't afford to get spotted. Everyone got that?"
The Rangers nodded again before quickly following him back out into the streets to make their way through the flaming ruins of the city toward their final destination.
Upon reaching the base of the Dark Spire, the six Rangers huddled together in the shadowy corner of the tower's outcropping while another patrol went by. Just like Bishop had said, the Cambion forces seemed to have been directing more of its forces away from the center spire to strengthen their frontline for another assault.
Giving an all clear sign, Claire gestured the others toward a large stain glassed window above them on the wall of the tower. One by one, the Rangers took a wing assisted leap upward and entered through a hole in the glass that Joe melted with his Keyrune's power.
Once inside, the Rangers slipped into the shadows and found the fortress tower largely unguarded. Despite being the stronghold of the demonic Cambion forces, the actual architecture of the tower was beautiful and ornate, though in a twisted sinister way. The intricate masonry and vaulted arches resembled the classical soaring look of Gothic cathedrals while stonework accents suggested an almost Baroque influence. While the Rangers made their way deeper into the spire and ascended some wide central stairwells, they could only wonder if the beautiful Empyrian architecture was what helped inspire the art of later human history.
After hurrying down a dark decorative hallway with mirrors and malevolent statues, the Vanguard Rangers reached a central junction point with a tall spiral staircase leading up toward the very top of the tower. Taking a long glance upward, Nick turned to the others and quipped nervously, "No elevator or handicap accessibility? Where is a building inspector when you need one?"
The Pink Ranger took a few deep breaths to calm her own nerves, "Forget the elevator. We've got a better way. Everyone? Going up?"
All together, the six Vanguard Rangers called their wings and took off, using the momentum of their jump to fly to the very top of the stairwell.
Upon reaching the landing, the six Vanguard Rangers hurried up the remainder of the dark winding staircase made of stone until they reached the ornate entrance hall leading to the throne room. As they approached, they were confronted by two large demon guards in thick brass armor with crossed halberds. While the Rangers charged their Keyrunes with their elemental powers, the throne room guards moved to block the door and took ready stances against the human intruders.
Moments later, the doors of the throne were blasted open and the two guards were violently thrown aside. As the demons' weapons skidded away and the sound of their clattering armor echoed through the ornate room, the Rangers advanced forward slowly, gripping their short swords and pistols. The room was dimly lit, but the six could make out the light reflected off the gold filigree hewn into the tall marble pillars lining the room. They continued up the blood red carpet until they reached the foot of the throne and jumped as the torch lights intensified, lighting the room up and revealing the malevolent smile of Lady Shemhazai sitting upon the throne.
The pale demoness in long robes gazed upon them from the raised dais looking like a coiled viper ready to strike. While her eyes were obscured by the ornate headpiece she wore, the Rangers were sure she was sizing each of them up and looking for signs of fear and weakness.
"Congratulations Rangers. I commend you for making it this far," the Cambion Counselor laughed shifting her posture in the seat, "I believe I also owe you a debt of gratitude for disposing of my hated rival General Abaddon."
"Lady Shemhazai, I presume?" the Red Ranger asked keeping a tense grip on his gladius.
The Counselor nodded and smiled, "Indeed. I've been dying to meet the children who have been foolish enough to think they could even stand against my lord."
"Where is Gideon?" Kara demanded stepping forward and leveling her gladius.
Shemhazai haughtily turned up her nose and gave a derisive sniff, "He didn't think you were worth dealing with for now. I'm afraid I'll have to entertain you until he returns."
"You would actually fight us?" Nick mocked her, "Abaddon had us under the impression you were a coward and a weakling."
"Such insolence," Shemhazai snapped in anger rising to her feet. In a flash, she summoned a long thin blade that resembled a rapier-like weapon, but with segmented parts. She gave the hilt of the weapon a sharp snap with her wrist and the sword extended into a bladed whip, cracking on the ground and gouging out a large chunk of stone from the marble floors.
The Rangers froze in surprise as they watched the demoness curl her lips into a sadistic smile and reveal a long forked tongue that resembled a snake, "General Abaddon did not understand the value of instilling confusion and terror in his enemies. I will show the six of you true terror and make sure you suffer slowly before I kill you."
With that, the Cambion Counselor extended her arms and began to levitate before her shocked foes. As she raised her blade, and extended it toward the Rangers, she quickly swooped down upon them giving a hideous shrieking laugh that echoed through the entirety of the dark throne room.
A/N:
The title Malleus Maleficarum translates in Latin to "The Hammer of Witches."
It refers to a treatise written in 1486 instructing others in how to identify, interrogate, and convict witches. To this day, it's still debatable whether or not the writing was sanctioned by Church Inquisitors during the Middle Ages. As Lady Shemhazai is an evil treacherous demon witch who uses dark sorcery, I thought the title was fitting. Please excuse my little Professor Bishop moment, and thanks for reading!