First Sage ch22

The demons must have read our playbook, or our win condition was that obvious. Blood pooled at our feet, and I was getting in my swings. I moved to take a head, only for Ember to take it a moment before me. A growl escaped me as I backhanded a demon, closing into a grapple.

We needed to get to the stairwell, another about 25 yards away. Killing all the demons wasn’t needed; our win condition was closing the wellspring. Rituals were often delicate in the first 3 days of activation.

A demon charged from my 6, its steps silent, but its presence loud to my energy sense. Ember disengaged and covered my back. Her relic impaled the demon through one of its hearts before she slashed down to take the other one.

“Don’t get distracted; we need to move quickly,” Ember said.

Ember snarled and lifted a finger, impaling the demons with congealed blood and visceral on the floor. My vampire fell against a wall, breath heavy. She wasted what little energy she had in her life pool. The cow blood might have widened it, but she wasn’t big on reserves.

“Stop doing that; you’ll run yourself ragged,” I said.

This was supposed to be a vacation, and a demon summoner ruined it. My black halo absorbed the demon blood from the bodies around us. Ember didn’t want it; the blood was poisonous to her.

“I just need to catch my breath; I’m fine.” Embers said.

More demons rushed in while my seals repaired another part of my black halo. I dropped my energy sword and pointed my finger forward. Lances of super-heated energy blasted into the demons, cutting through bare flesh and bone. My reserves declined by a drop while my black halo began its first rotation. A minuscule amount of energy recovered, and I felt my PL increase by a single digit.

“Now, who’s running themselves ragged,” Ember said.

“I have a method to recover my reserves,” I said.

Ember’s smug expression dropped, and I knew I messed up. Why were relationships so difficult?

“Good for you,” Ember said.

Was she jealous? After she blitzed and killed everything that moved. A blow from my fist erased the head of a charging demoness, leaving her body to move while blood spurted from her neck. These demons were barely above possessed and barely worth our time, but hundreds filled the building, devouring souls. Given time, they will reach the second stage and become true demons.

I should have brought my rifle; it would have saved energy and time against the possessed.

A deep purple miasma filled the air. I pulled my hand away, letting the blood sizzle and pop under my aura as a demon, unlike the others, stepped into the hall.

Unlike the tailed women, this demon looked the part. Its skin had been peeled away for red bulging muscles to peek through. It stood on fused toes for better footing and greater acceleration. Instead of a firearm, it went with an ax crawling with shadows covered in runes, shifting from Norse to the demon’s culture. Silver metal gave way to blackened stone as veins stretched from the transformed runes like an infection. Flies black like the stone of the blade flew around it; they landed on the remaining steel of the mage-forged ax. Eggs embedded themselves in the steel, and a maggot quickly hatched to feed on the metal. After analyzing everything important about the demon, my eyes landed on the creature’s face. The demon’s lips had peeled away, revealing a mouth of blackened serrated teeth. Wiggling red muscle stretched and relaxed as the transformation continued.

“It’s a wrath demon possessed nearing its second stage. This fight won’t be like the others. Follow my lead.”

I lifted my right hand and formed an energy blade. The stable weapon buzzed in the air, hot as plasma and contained by my energy. My PL held at a steady 500 and slowly began rising as my energy sense felt out this new opponent.

We weren’t good at fighting together. I had to face facts. Could I swallow my pride and let Ember lead? She had far more experience than me.

Ember shot forward, and I followed behind her as the demon swung his ax. The air screamed, and windows burst open through the floor as Ember’s rapier collided with the demon ax. White hot energy battled against black rotten flies as the two forces rammed into each other. Like toddlers slamming action figures together, the two powered into each other.

The vampire let the ax take advantage. “Now,” she yelled, and I moved in.

The demonic blade slammed forward while Ember ducked under the weapon in her disengagement. I pointed my energy blade and extended it while she slashed the demon’s gut. My blade speared through the demon, but it hardly seemed done. Ember quickly disengaged, and I swung to end the fight.

“Get back,” Ember yelled.

Demonic spikes blasted out from the demon’s body. I moved, but one impaled my left arm before I could get away. Less than an inch deep in my arm, it felt like someone jabbed a white-hot poker in my arm. I dropped my energy blade and held the wound.

“What the hell was that?” I asked her.

“Wrath demons have the thorn ability. The more damage they take, the more they can dish back out. Feel for the build-up and get away when it activates. How’s your arm?” Ember asked.

I focused through the pain on the technique I stole from the werewolves. While I held the wound, I concentrated on forcing my body to regenerate. There was something left behind slowing my recovery. I pulled my hand away but couldn’t move my arm without opening the wound.

Something was in the wound, and I was betting it was poison. I pointed my finger at the monster, and Ember stepped in front of me just before the demon’s eyes flashed.

“Can they copy techniques as well?” I asked.

“If they are simple enough,” Ember said.

The demon returned to the offensive and charged. Ember went right, and I went left. Demic energy rose as the demon prepared to swing his ax. Muscles bulged red and infected as the demon swung, cutting the walls as the ax blade passed. There was no time to form my energy blade, so I stopped and blasted the demon. A red laser beam impacted the demon, stopping on its skin momentarily before burning through it.

My beam blasted through the demon’s spine, and its arm dipped before it could complete its swing. Ember ducked low and sliced through the demon’s knee. Blood gushed as Ember turned to stand at the demon’s back. She slashed, taking the demon’s arms, leg, and head; it was over when her fiery yellow blade sliced through the demon’s neck.

Blackthorns of demonic energy covered the demon as its head fell. Ember dashed back to get some distance as the thorns fired. One embedded itself in my leg, and five hit Ember.

I tried raising my power, but there was no time.

Two impaled her shoulders, one her gut, and two her thighs. The darkness within the thorns dissolved into her body as my black halo absorbed the demon’s demonic blood. More tweaks were made while I patched up my leg.

I stumbled over to Ember, whose body shook while her wounds regenerated before my eyes. “Don’t worry about me. I can handle this level of demonic power.” Ember said.

She was right before my eyes, already healed, while I was only patched up. Her regeneration was completely superior to my bootleg technique. In that fight, there was no time to power up.

“I should have listened to you more,” I said.

“Can I get that in writing?” Ember asked.

I blinked, and she chuckled. Blood shot out of her mouth, and she coughed while giggling.

My black halo floated down between my hands for a deep analysis. This time, there were fewer failures in its absorption. I could feel a slight effect on my energy.

“I think you did well for your first time,” Ember said.

“My first time,” I said, not paying much attention.

“You were more a civilian when we met. You had the potential and the will to kill, but that’s it. I think this was also your first fight against an unknown.” She waved her hand. “Don’t worry about it, and drink a blood pack to speed up regeneration.” I raised my eyebrow. “Sorry, I mean, put some bandages on it,” Ember said.

I focused on my technique and encouraged my body to heal significantly faster. Unfortunately, there was a high energy cost. Energy sword didn’t cost much, but I could only use so many lasers. My black halo was new and bulging with potential, but it needed time to filter into my energy. So, to preserve my energy levels, I focused on recovering from my leg injury.

Sweat beaded down my face while I struggled against the invasive energy left behind by the demon. After minutes of hard concentration, the wound fully healed.

Ember kissed me when I returned to reality. “Stay on my six, and don’t slow down. Once we hit the stairwell, it’s a straight shot to the basement.” Ember said.

She took off, and I followed her.

…

Bloodstained us from head to toe when we entered the basement. An old parking garage had been the perfect place to establish a ritual. Dried-out husks littered the ground with expressions of rapture on their faces. In the distance, a pink light glowed, covered in runes I’d never seen before. As we closed in lines of thralls, succubi fought us to the throne of a massive demon.

My attention was drawn from her to the runes made of pink flame moving constantly. They were our target, the wellspring, but I didn’t know how we would destroy them. Were we going to climb up and extinguish the flames one by one? I doubted it was that simple.

Then there was the demon. Pink skin, massive breasts, the perfect v shape, wide hips, and an ass that stirred too much from me. I might be smitten if I didn’t know better. Having sex with a lust demon was the equivalent of tanking a wrath demon’s attacks.

My barrier didn’t help much against the wrath demon. It felt like it never touched my barrier at all. That was concerning.

“A mage and a vampire, how quant.” The demon rumbled.

“That’s a greater demon,” Ember said.

Massive batlike wings fluttered, blasting the ground with gale-force wind while the demon rose into the air. A storm of purple expanded around her, almost like an aura. It concentrated it concentrated thickly around her body.

“Greater demons are two stages above the lesser demon we fought. Fortunately, lust demons even greater succubi are lesser than the other sins in combat.”

“Stop,” The demoness said, and we froze.

My brain shut down, and I could do nothing as gale-force winds swept us off our feet.

Demons died in droves, but the greater demon didn’t seem to care even as their blood was drawn into my black halo.

“What were you saying about lust demons?” The demon said.

“When she flapped her wings, she blasted us with pheromones to bend our will,” Ember said.

“Knowing you’ve fallen into my trap won’t help you.” The demon said.

“We need to take the momentum,” Ember said.

The demon appeared between us and slashed with an aura scythe. I blocked it with my energy blade. “Weak,” She said, and my arm buckled under her strength. Her tail wrapped around Ember’s neck and lifted her in the air. I heard her relic clatter to the ground, setting dried-out husks ablaze.

Pink flames lit the parking garage as we battled a greater demon to end a plague on the city. Using Ember’s move, I let the demon take advantage, and when she committed, I pulled my blade away and aimed a slash at her tail. Red aura clashed with purple miasma as our cultures fought for supremacy. Bolts of electricity blasted between us as I used my whole body to slash.

A kick slammed into my cheek, knocking me, spinning into a stone pillar.