Chapter 15: Hell Above…
Before the sun had a chance to rise I set my gift for Taylor on the ground beside her, along with a short note explaining the stats of the weapon I crafted for her, and to let her know where I left breakfast.
I pat Arthur on the head telling him to protect them and be a good boy and set off.
I took a different route into town with plans to get behind the store and climb it. Some stores have ladder access to the roof on the backside, hopefully this was one of those stores.
I managed to sneak past multiple transmogrified monsters. One looked like the raccoon that had been losing the battle against naked beefdog. I suppose it could have been the same little guy. It’s not like raccoons were everywhere before, but I could be wrong. I’m not a green mountain raccoon expert.
I went into a few homes that were less damaged than others, looking for a pair of shoes or boots that would fit. My moccasins were shredded, I had to use multiple zip ties on each foot to hold the bottom and top portions together. I found a few random hoodies, a pair of pants that fit nice and snug without a belt and a T-shirt that felt odd. It may have been considered a women’s shirt, but I had no clothes that weren’t completely destroyed so.
It’ll do for now.
Along with a few more odds and ends, I managed to get some canned food and a new tennis ball for Arthur.
Only a block from the Grocery Store I decided to check one more house. Outside the first house, a lifted truck that was blown inside out.
Due to the size of the exhaust I skipped that house, because, as my mother taught me during one of her very rare road-rage stints, big truck equals little man.
I went next door, passing a driveway that had 2 normal vehicles. A new sedan blown apart more than any of the older vehicles, and a 2017, F150. Not jacked up or with any added accessories. Don’t get on me about what type of truck is better or worse than the other because I don’t give a shit, if it runs and drives, it’s good in my book, or was good.
Entering the house, I immediately noticed the shoe rack to my left in the small mudroom. I went through checking sizes until I finally found a decent pair of sneakers that were a bit snug but would work for the time being. I went deeper in the house to look for a different shirt and see what I could scrounge for food.
I found a few white T-shirts that fit perfectly so I traded in my gentlemen blouse or regular ole lady blouse for the shirt. I would also leave a few more cans of food richer. With the new additions, my sled was full in my inventory. Time to switch it out for an actual storage item.
Maybe a duffle bag or a big box. We’ll see.
As I opened the last door, it fell off the wall as soon as I touched it, hitting the ground with enough force to make a loud banging noise. I waited to see if anything else heard the racket and wanted to brawl, but it seemed my luck was moving on up.
In the final room I found a dresser, from the top to the middle drawer it was blown to shit from a game system, the wall behind it was missing and the two rooms were trashed with all sorts of plastic debris. Only the bottom drawer of the dresser was still intact.
I pulled on the drawer and I swear there were golden lights shining from within and angels singing to me as I picked up the item inside.
A brand new pair of Timberland boots. Not steel toe, or the normal Tan boot color like I usually purchase. These looked like a special ordered pair, straight from the internet with almost no wear on them.
I’ll be honest, there were no singing Angels or golden light, and the boots were actually ugly as hell, but, they were Timberland’s which were my boot of choice. Plus, they were an inch bigger than my normal size which happened to fit perfectly now.
The boots looked like they were designed by a high school kid, a big boy to be fair.
They had a bright Green base, with a White tongue and heel. To top it off the laces were neon Orange. Not sure I get the color scheme, all I could think was Miami Hurricanes colors, so they kind of fit with my Wind magic.
I laced up and set off. After making sure I started making quick movements in the backyard so I could wear in the new boots a bit. They seemed to put up with the quick stops and jukes a thousand times better than the old slippers.
After some quick moves, with the sun close to rising above the horizon I reached my destination. After a prompt inspection of the building, no ladder. I did however see a pipe mounted to the back of the store leading all the way up to the roof.
It was time to put myself through a mini test.
I jumped as high as I could, snagging one of the drain pipes that lead to the scuppers, then scaled the building with ease. Luckily, they weren’t super cheap with the drain system. I’m not sure cheap tin or PVC would hold my weight.
Once hitting the roof I crawled prone to the front edge of the building, opposite the guarded entrance, keeping my head down until I had a good view of everything.
The same 4 men stood uniformly, in the same exact spot and position I left them in.
Seeing movement, I ducked.
A gaggle of Choir Leeches left the old super market. They moved as one, passing the four guards without so much as a glance. Once reaching the parking lot, the Choir Leeches split into pairs, each teamed with two bundles of Shudderlings wiggling to each side. Each group split off in a different direction through town.
I counted 8 groupings total. Enough to cover half of the small town.
Army crawling to the back of the store opposite where I started, I finally peeped into the building.
Nothing could prepare me for what I was about to see and it could only be described as some form of hell.
A half circle of cages lined the back wall, each cage full of women stripped of all dignity, beaten and bloody.
Each woman connected at the navel by something that looked like a thick fleshy umbilical cord, there were at least 2 dozen connected with more waiting in queue.
The cord from each woman was pulled taut, linked to the mass of bodies in the center that made up the monstrous abomination.
My interface tagged the giant mass.
[Grand Cantor Maldrix—Level 16]
[Demon of the Fourth]
[Lesser Demon—Incursion General]
Both men and women were fused in the ball, but the bulk of the 15 foot diameter sphere of shrieking souls was made from children.
The skin of each person in the ball was morphed and stretched to meet the next body, as if they were stuck in a giant ball of flesh colored silly putty. Most of the bodies had multiple limbs sticking from places they shouldn’t have been. Some of the arms were free, but they were deformed as well, elbows moving the wrong way, feet in places hands should have been, and so on.
It was the most disgraceful way to mock our species.
Five Choir Leeches and close to fifty Shudderlings remained at the store, most standing behind the front entrance. Two of the Leeches were moving from cage to cage, doing something I couldn’t quite make out.
I couldn’t let this stand, and I definitely couldn’t walk away.
New plan.
Kill all of these MOTHERFUCKERS!
I think they were some sort of hive mind based on information I was given and the fact that the last Choir Leech was further out by our camp. Not much to go on, but better safe than sorry.
I stood up walking to the front of the building.
I summoned my Apostate’s Staff and cast Retaliating Wind as I dropped off the roof. Before landing I cracked the first Archer in the back of the neck, knocking him out instantly.
As soon as my feet hit the ground I used my momentum to spring back into the air, grabbing onto the bottom of the shattered “C” light that hung sideways from the sign.
I kicked off of the building, sending myself further than I thought possible, I landed a few feet past the second Archer but my boots did their job. The tread bit into the ground stopping my slide to propel me toward the Archer before he could pin a bead.
With a quick spin of my staff, he went to sleep.
The other two guards ran at me as if it was their first time running, their movements clunky and robotic. I got a peek at their tag as they closed in and it supported one of my hypothesis.
[Jared Hill]
[Native]
[Indoctrinated Devotee]
[Eli Rawlings]
[Native]
[Indoctrinated Devotee]
I dodged left, splitting the gap between the 2. My staff spun wildly connecting with the neck of Eli then the head of Jared, dropping both of them to the ground at once so they could finally get some sleep.
As Jared’s body dropped, a mob of Shudderlings poured from the exit, followed by three Choir Leeches.
Time to put my Mana control to the test.
I summoned Blood Lust to my left hand.
One after another, the Shudderlings flew to their demise.
My staff was a whirlwind of death and destruction, slaying piles of the grubs every second.
I pushed my assault.
I released a torrent of Mana through my right arm slamming my staff straight into the ground with all of the force I could muster.
The blow cracked cement underneath, sending a shock wave gale of beautiful violence in every direction, breaking up the Choir Leeches that were attempting to flank me, and disintegrating every Shudderling within 4 yards of the impact.
Vaulting to my right I flew over the first Leech, reaching Blood Lust down to slice through the length of the wide body. As soon as my feet hit the ground, I launched myself into the air again.
I struck the same leech in the head with my staff killing it instantly.
More Shudderlings left the building, diving at me as I attempted to get my staff up. I landed on top of the second Leech, sinking Blood Lust into its head then stabbing a Shudderling that was attached to my back to pull it off.
I stored my staff, immediately reaching back with my other hand and snagging the night crawler as it dug into my skin. Unlucky for this guy, I’ve fished my entire life.
I chucked the small worm at the ground killing it, all the while slicing through more of the flying grubs with my dagger.
I summoned the Apostate’s Staff back into the fight and stored Blood Lust.
I swung wildly, as fast as my new Strength and Dexterity would allow. I moved with more speed and precision than any internet black belt I’d ever seen.
I closed in on the remaining Choir Leech, my staff spinning too fast for normal eyes to track, it felt more natural than ever.
The staff circled my neck, wrapping around my arm like a snake until it slithered back into my grip where it was directed at the expanding large mouth of the Leech.
I pushed a bit of Mana through my arm, Gale Charge sliced through flesh and recycled body parts cutting a horizontal line to the other side of the monster.
Everything outside was taken care of other than a group of Shudderlings that were in the midst of closing in on me from all sides.
I triggered Retaliating Wind creating an orb that burst out in all directions around me vaporizing the remaining enemies.
It was almost quiet compared to before. The chant of Maldrix inside the only horror I could hear.
I hopped back up to the roof.
After waiting a moment to let my Mana regenerate, I cast Retaliating Wind and fell through a hole in the ceiling, landing inside the store.
Maldrix spoke, “Your life is mine to reap.”
Her cold layered voice invaded my head, like an icicle on the back of the neck. Making my entire body shiver.
She began to talk as I weighed the room, taking in my surroundings, “I feel you resisting, your kind is too we—.”
“Enough with the fucking monologues. Die.” I yelled through the silence.
The story has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.
I forced her uninvited words from my head in a battle of willpower. My head throbbed afterwards, feeling as if the icicle was removed from the back of my neck and drilled into my skull.
As the demon attempted to force her way back into my head I forced myself to take stock of the nightmare before me, refusing to look at the women who had all honor stripped of them by this fucking devil.
I noticed more cages in the back, I watched as a Choir Leech wrapped its tentacles around a small woman who was fighting for all she was worth in an attempt to free herself and get away from the monster.
The human mouths on the tentacles sunk into her skin as the Leech pulled her across the cracked tile flooring toward the cages.
I had trouble comprehending what I was seeing in those cages, but I knew.
Fury fueled me as I summoned my new Necrotic Mace in one hand and Blood Lust into the other.
I closed the gap on the Choir Leech dragging the woman. As I slid under the umbilical connections, Blood Lust severed the tight cords connecting Maldrix to the women.
Once reaching the Leech I stabbed into the floor, slicing through cheap tile and flesh in one motion as I cleaved tentacle from body.
The tentacle fell limp, unable to grip the woman any longer.
I pushed the attack, my Necrotic Mace was a reinforced hammer of destruction. The strike caused the head of the Choir Leech to explode covering the two of us in gore.
For my safety I put one arm under her shoulder and helped her back to the cage, Not locking up but she understood my train of thought as she closed herself in. I set down Blood Lust and one of the outfits I found.
She cut the sleeve from the T-shirt creating ear plugs as I turned away and went for the other Choir Leech that was in the midst of connecting another woman to the Grand Cantor.
While I was dispatching the previous Leech, I saw this one doing something to the bodies that made up Maldrix. I think it was molding one of the bodies within the demon into another cord that it stretched across the gap to the cage.
What they were doing to these women... It’s unspeakable.
I sprinted at the last remaining Choir Leech, Mace gripped in both hands.
As I closed in, the cages opened at the top.
The women who were still connected to Maldrix rose into the air.
The Grand Cantor used the women connected to it as weapons.
They were floating back and forth as other cords not yet linked slapped wildly up and down like the tail of a playful cat.
Maldrix punched out. A woman around 40 years of age flew through the air at me, helpless hanging from the cord that controlled her. I know I could have pushed through and took the hit to get to my destination and deal damage, but these women were still alive. Worse of all, they were fully cognizant of what was happening, their screaming features conveying sheer terror and pain.
I stepped back to catch the woman just before the strike connected. I wish I had Blood Lust but I had other tricks.
Before the abhorrent creature could pull back, I pushed Mana into my strike, sharpening the blunt tip of the mace into a precise scalpel of wind. I severed the cord that connected the woman to this abomination then retreated to set her down out of reach.
I danced through strikes, disconnecting cords whenever I had the chance to strike. I gave my all to catch the blows so I didn’t have to witness anymore torture or death.
I reached the last Choir Leech who was attempting to connect another woman right in front of me, I crushed it with a single blow.
I opened the cage so the woman could escape when it was safe. Pausing when I saw a freckle above her left eye.
A breath I didn’t know I was holding, finally released.
The world finally gave me something.
I mouthed “Oliver and Taylor are okay, Stay safe.” I hoped she understood over the horrific noise she must have been forced to listen to, I dropped a blanket from my inventory and shot away.
I switched the mace for staff as I turned back to Maldrix just in time to see one of the cords whip around my neck then lift me into the air.
Again, I pushed Mana into my weapon using it to cleave the bond, but as I fell, I thought back to the fight with the chipmunk and how the slow falling was a weakness that I exploited.
Maldrix figured this out much faster than I did.
Whips crossed the space between us carving lines into my face and chest, a figure came down from the skies, punching me into the ground.
I couldn’t stop the urge to close my eyes at the moment of impact.
I failed her.
The world turned dark orange as my gut-wrenching despair ignited into a raging inferno of anger.
Whip after whip hit me, slicing me from head to toe. I was numb to the pain, the physical pain wasn’t close to the amount of mental and emotion anguish I was experiencing as the dead woman connected to this atrocity continued to pound me into the ground.
I pushed through the attack to get to my feet then ripped across the room.
As I moved, my Mana infused Staff sliced out with a sharp cutting arc that blasted a hole through the center mass of Maldrix. I was careful not to hit any of the connected humans that I could see.
My Mana was about to run out.
I ran into the tight hole that my last attack created through the monstrosity, choking on blood and gore to stop in the center and release the built up violent gale of Retaliating Wind focused straight up through the top. I leapt out of the new hole I created, landing on top of Maldrix. Rotten blood and pink gore fell like rain and I was completely covered from head to toe.
I checked my enemies health bar and was discouraged to see that it was still around 75%.
The screams were now corrupting my ears again.
I was sure my attacks should have killed the monster if not severely injured it.
I fell with the corrupted rain inside the grocery store.
I landed in front of Maldrix and we traded blows, the first girl came running past my side, diving onto one of the bodies and sinking Blood Lust deep into the head of the conjoined man.
She yelled, her voice a blessing among the screams, “It’s the only way!”
I balked, unable to strike the face I saw screaming at me.
A child no more than 12 years of age was stretched out and defiled in the ball of flesh, inches from my face.
His face was contorted, with different size and color eyes, constantly draining bloody tears. One eye looked as if it were ready to fall out of the misshapen face, but still stared at me with accusation and guilt. There was no nose above the warped and malformed mouth that was stuck open unnaturally wide, screaming the same hymn with everyone else.
I felt a human hand touch my arm gently and I relaxed as I drifted closer to the boys face.
I looked away, just for a moment...
The woman with Blood Lust moved with the grace of a calming river. She dodged swipes from whipping tendrils like she was in the midst of performing a solo bolero dance.
Her strikes, calculated and measured, only attacking when the timing was perfect.
I watched, entranced, as she danced toward me as if in slow motion.
I felt as if I were a child, crying in the arms of my mother. The wet tears falling from my cheek covered my body below in salty water.
The strange woman closed in and I flinched as she reached to my arm. I tried to put my arm up in defense of the stranger but I couldn’t move it for some reason.
Oh well...
The lady pulled a ripped up cloth out of nowhere like a magician, then held out a big knife. I yelled in fear for someone, anyone to help me as I tried to get away, but I couldn’t move.
I rose into the air, then the stranger stuffed 2 big pieces of cloth in my ears with her bony little fingers.
She reached back and just before I lifted out of reach…
She punched me right in the nose.
CRACK!
“Fffffuck!… Thank you!”
I was apparently under the effects of the hymn, but the shock after the ear plugs was the key to snap me out of it.
I’m unsure how it worked but I was glad it did, quick thinking on her part. I looked down to see her climbing Maldrix like a rocky mountain, using Blood Lust as her climbing pick to reach my position.
She cut the 2 thick whips from Maldrix that coiled around my body like 2 long stringy snakes. I fell into a pile of blood on the tile flooring.
I glanced to my periphery and saw my health at 20%.
I was unsure how my health took such a massive hit until I noticed in the bottom of my vision my cheek was gushing blood. I looked up while freeing myself of the flesh vines to see the face of the boy. He still stared at me, only now recognizing what I thought to be guilt was truly ravaging hunger. His mouth was covered in my blood and I saw a piece of my cheek still hanging from his outstretched gums.
Another woman connected to the monstrosity flew through the air at me.
I ran, swooping out of the way just before contact and wrapping her up in a hug at the last second before impact. I held her with one arm while reaching down to grab the tendril connecting her.
I yanked at the link on her stomach with all of my strength until the fleshy cable snapped back from my hands like a spring. The same tendril whipped across my back multiple times as I carried the woman out of range.
I had the ear plugs in but still heard the horrible noise she made when I removed the cord. It sounded like all of the air was kicked out of her stomach as she was screaming. She ended up passing out from the pain.
Immediately, I removed a Health Potion and poured it directly into her wound until it closed then poured the rest into her mouth.
The potion went down and I watched as the whipping wounds covering her back stitched up in real time.
I moved back in, delivering a blow to the mass connected to the Grand Cantor, the necrotic poison of my Mace setting in.
I had enough Mana for close to 30 seconds of Retaliating Wind, I saw Maldrix’s back up entering the building and cast the spell.
I crossed the distance in a flash, meeting them at the door with my Mace.
I swung wildly, my anger still fueling every step.
I felt faster and stronger than ever as I brought my weapon down on countless creatures.
Shock waves traveled with every strike, killing any Shudderlings in the immediate area.
With a mass of bodies built up in the entrance the abominations started tumbling over the pile, which made it easier for me to hit them as they fell uncontrollably. I crushed monster after monster, until there was a sea of dead Leeches and Shudderlings.
With nothing else coming through the entrance I turned back, my new fighting partner had taken some damage but was still chipping away. I could see where Blood Lust was doing her job on Maldrix as the dark blood poured from small pokes and gashes all around the bottom portion of the globe.
I ran into the fray, hopping onto one of the cages and bouncing off to reach the top of the monster again.
I dropped the Mace down on the monster as if it were my Sledge Hammer. It reminded me of the time I chose to break apart stones for a walk way I created that led from the back deck of my house to the river below.
I kept that memory in my head as I continued to crush the creature below me.
The fleshy mass that was Maldrix turned into a sea of black necrotic flesh.
I swung over and over, ignoring the painful whipping until I felt the muscle under my feet go limp and saw the health bar of my enemy disappear.
“Loot.”
I received 5 health potions and a few random items I put off inspecting until later as I was more focused on getting the potions to the injured.
I jumped off the dead demon and handed all of the acquired potions to the woman as she returned my dagger, “Start handing these out, pour them into their mouths if they can’t drink themselves. It’s normally dangerous and stupid to get unconscious people to swallow liquid but its a health potion so, should be aight, and, thank you.”
I stood at the entrance then released Retaliating Wind at the mass of bodies.
Bodies of the dead monsters pushed out in a cone and I began looting as I made my way to the unconscious men.
There were a few Shudderlings squirming about the parking lot. I made sure to kill every last one. All that remained was one level 9 Choir Leech. Its mouths moved in unison, attempting to command me as it ran away to try to live another day.
I closed the gap, using my Mace with a large burst of Mana to end the fucker with one last swing. The creature exploded from the force, gore traveled in a cone behind it like a directional bomb was set off in its chest. I removed my ear plugs for good.
I laid the four men next to each other and used some twine to tie their arms until I was sure they wouldn’t hurt anyone or themselves, then I checked the tag of Jared.
[Jared Hill]
[Native]
[Dissonant]
Well, it doesn’t say they’re devotees anymore so that’s a good thing, must be a debuff of some sort.
After looting a few more potions I entered the building, walking up to who I believed to be Taylor and Oliver’s Mother, “Amy Johnson?”
I handed her a potion.
“You—you said Oliver and Taylor before? Are they okay? How do you know those names?” She questioned, getting warier of me the longer she looked at my disheveled face and clothes.
“They’re safe, I promise. My dog saved them from these fuckin’ things. He brought them to our camp while I was, away.” I answered.
I wasn’t sure if these people knew about dungeons or not but I didn’t want to overload anyone in her condition.
“Your dog? What the hell? Where are they!?” She raised her voice, obviously not buying the savior dog story.
The younger woman from before approached, “He saved us, give him a chance.”
“I can’t imagine what you must be going through, but trust me, your kids are safe and healthy. Actually, they’re probably as safe as anyone can be in this world now.” I reassured her before continuing, “This is going to sound crazy... I didn’t want to overwhelm you with information, but I’ll tell you exactly what happened or try to anyways.”
I explained my entire story, mentioning the dungeon, safe zone, and even how my dog is somehow a much smarter version of Lassie now.
“You’re right. It is crazy. But, I guess this is a crazy world now... Wait!” She said suddenly gasping, “The children! They’re in the back of the store! Go!” Amy pointed to the back door and I took off.
I kicked the locked double doors wide open to show the mostly empty stock warehouse.
I ran to the loading dock and saw something that instantly made me choke back tears...
At least 20 children, up to the age of Thirteen. Even a couple babies, were all in the back of the warehouse huddled together.
Not a single child cried.
They just watched me with exhausted, terrified eyes. My blood soaked form likely not lending any relief.
The older children stood in front of the smaller ones, protecting them.
I stored my weapon and took a step back, almost falling to the floor from the overwhelming emotion.
I’d never felt anything like it.
One of the women walked to my side. She stopped for a brief moment, placing her hand on my shoulder she whispered between heavy cries of relief, “Thank you.”
She ran to the children, grabbing one of the babies and picking him up in a tight hug as tears drained from her eyes, obviously his mother.
She let the rest of the children know everything was better and they had somewhere safe to go.
I backed up to the wall, sliding down until I sat with my knees in front of me.
I let out all of the gruesomeness I witnessed and all of the emotions buried over the past hour of evil in a few deep trembling breaths.
It was all worth it.
After a moment of rest I went to meet the woman who helped take down Maldrix, “Hey, I’m Rick. Uh, thanks again,” I held out my hand for her to shake.
The woman turned around, she looked to be around 26-28 years old, a slim athletic build and raven hair flowing just below her chin. Her chestnut brown iris’ remained serious but held a gentle undertone.
“Mina,” She said, grasping my hand.
I finished looting all of the monsters outside, finding just enough potions to heal all of the wounded.
Mina went into the homes across the street and stripped dressers bare, she picked up some piles of shoes and outfits throughout the parking lot as she went.
Once everyone was clothed and the word of a safe zone spread, we left for the safe zone, together.