Chapter 43: Welcome Home...
An arrow stuck out of Hildy’s face. Boiling fissures of erupting lava traveled to separate me from Voldrix. A brilliant light blue glow enveloping a sword flew through the air behind me.
Arthur moved to protect his grandfather attacking Voldrix with sweeping claw attacks that took him by surprise and severed one of the arms from his body.
Brenden ran in behind the fissure as arrows rained from the sky above onto the demons, “Brenden, I think this is held by some form of earth magic try Earth’s Divide. I’ll move if it doesn’t work. Or take the damage. I’m used to it now.”
“Stand back!” Brenden yelled as his hammer came crushing down.
I’m not sure if he understood what I wanted him to swing at. He was swinging at the chain but that wouldn’t have unshackled my hands. So I did the opposite of stand back.
At the very last millisecond I slipped my wrists underneath the hammer.
I watched the 2 Mana signatures collide.
The pure Earth Mana from the hammer strike overpowered the alien Mana signature cracking the shackles that I’d worn for too long.
I used brute strength to free myself the rest of the way, breaking the chains.
“FUUUUCK!” I let out all of the shit I’d gone through in one scream as I leapt into the air toward the monument.
Voldrix saw me free myself and Arthur was beginning to stack some damage.
As I leapt over the Fissure that separated us I saw the demon’s defense instantly change to offense. His once missing arm grew back mid swing as he sliced his sword like fingers through the air.
Arthur stopped on a dime avoiding the killing blow but still taking some good damage as he back stepped to get distance and heal.
Arthur was trying to get his grandfather away from Voldrix but with him still being shackled and having broken legs and arms it was a substantial task to say the least.
As I landed on the other side of the fissures Voldrix moved to retreat with my father.
He grabbed the chain connected to his shackles and skipped over the fissure, making sure to drag Dad as he went.
“Release him and fight me! Come on Choir boy!” I taunted as I prepared to jump again.
I jumped higher in the air this time, wanting to get on the other side of him to box him in.
As I fell from the sky, lightning arrows zapped from mob to mob.
Seriously have to thank whoever is doing that after this.
Voldrix realized what I was doing and fell back just in time to avoid being trapped. His burst of speed was impressive.
The demons voice shattered the air as his unhinged side finally came back out, “You want to fight me?! YOU WANT HIM RELEASED!? Very well.”
Before I could land, I saw Arthur cast Flash Step in an attempt to stop him.
With Manasight still engaged, I watched as the Light Mana that circulated through Arthur immediately died out and drifted from his body to the ground.
There was a new type of inky black Mana, not the clean Shadow Mana that I see with Dark magic.
This Mana was thick, it moved like liquid rather than air. It was just wrong. Voldrix held out his hand and it surged across the field covering Arthur before his spell took shape. It looked as if it had drowned the Light Mana and dragged it down into the Earth.
My father faced me, Voldrix right behind him.
I ran for all of my worth.
My father smiled at me, pride and love.
Voldrix smiled behind him, sinister and evil.
Light and Dark. Heaven and Hell.
My life changed forever.
8 sharp fingers stabbed deep through his face and body to the knuckles, his skin shredded apart with the action, stretching him to an unnatural form. I never let me eyes leave his. I was there with him.
Voldrix gripped onto each side.
Then proceeded to ripped my father in half with his sword like fingers, tearing and chopping him up in the process to cover me from head to toe in my own fathers blood.
I couldn’t think, I couldn’t feel, I could only scream.
Arthur released a pained howled behind me. The sound ripping at my heart.
Brenden growled from the side then threw one force rock after another forcing Voldrix to fall back into defense as we wailed in rage.
Most of the other enemies were dead around us. The archer’s arrows paused for a moment.
I stood in place hunched over, as the screaming throne and heads continued their song I removed Conviction’s Claw.
“YOU! YOU! YOU! FFF—FFFFFAAAH—YOU!” I couldn’t make sense of my words.
So much hatred burned in my heart for this creature, Arthur ran past me as I walked toward the demon who was still being peppered by Brenden’s pebbles.
The last rock he threw was an ice pebble that froze his arm in place momentarily as a bolt of lightning came from behind me and shattered the appendage.
Arthur struck first, his claws tearing into the leg of the demon, he struck faster than I thought possible. His claws moved faster than the eye could track.
I vaulted into the air, Voldrix moved to intercept with his other arm but I deflected his hand before sinking my sword into his chest.
I removed Inertia’s Flail and spun it over and over with my other arm. Once it was spinning as fast as Arthur’s swipes, I sprang further into the air pulling my sword from his chest with a spray of blue blood.
I shredded the alien body parts that made up his face, with 3 swings powered by every bit of strength that I had.
Voldrix stumbled back as Arthur ripped one of his legs off then bounced back to avoid damage from Brenden’s frozen pebble that he tossed at his remaining leg.
Arrows plunged into his chest one after another at a pace that made me assume we had multiple archers helping us.
Voldrix fell onto his back, flailing his one arm at me. I had Retaliating Wind going and Fear’s Torment as I let some of his swipes hit that wouldn’t be deadly.
I stabbed Conviction’s Claw into his eye and the tip of the blade reached the back of his skull.
I removed the blade flipping off of the corpse of the demon and screaming at the ground as I landed.
Still, I felt nothing. I couldn’t think. I just screamed again.
As I screamed, I felt a change in the air pressure as Mana coalesced around me.
I pointed my sword at Voldrix. All of the Mana in my core mingled with my fury, turning the cold air into a blaze.
I pushed the Mana out of my core, forcing it through my sword.
A constant stream of wind and lightning burned through the chest of Voldrix to leave a gaping wound along with a large crater in the boiling ground.
I twisted the blade as he screamed, “KAELDRIX, MY LORD... MY BROTHER! LEND ME YOUR STRENGTH! HELP ME BROTHER!”
The heads on spikes, the deformed bodies that made up the demon’s grand throne, still screamed.
“Thank you brother,” Voldrix whispered.
Still unable to make a sentence I screamed at the reforming giant, “No! NO!”
I leapt at Voldrix as he stood back to his feet, I sliced into his new arms. They felt tougher, so I swung harder.
More arrows splattered into his back, lava spewed from the fissures created under his feet, force pebbles peppered his back with the arrows, all while I attempted to stay in the rodeo.
I sliced at his face with my sword and stabbed like an animal at his head with Blood Lust. Pale blue blood sprayed from his head like a hole in a garden hose.
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I felt something pierce my Shell and armor.
I looked down to see the disgusting fingers made of sharpened bone protruding from my chest.
I felt my feet leave his shoulder as I witnessed Arthur dig into his thickened skin with his paws. Arthur climbed the monster who somehow looked to be bigger than before.
I felt more bones pierce my body and is that one in my mouth?
I heard screams from my, friends?
Brenden removed his weapon I made for him and ran towards Voldrix full speed.
He definitely looked the part now.
And Mina. Huh, Mina?
How did she get here?
They must have ran into each other somehow.
I’m glad she’s alright.
So, she was the archer helping us out. She jumped into the air, changing her bow for 2 daggers.
Of course.
I smiled at my friends, and my puppy.
I get it, Dad.
I felt the ripping and tearing suddenly stop and I fell.
THUMP!
I hit the ground hard, barely able to keep the lights on.
The black hole that I’ve witnessed more times than I care to admit in the past 2 weeks was back for me yet again.
Mina let go of her daggers as she dropped from Voldrix with a potion in both hands.
She knocked the tinctures together then threw one at me that shattered against my chest.
She landed right on top of me.
Damn, good aim.
Mina lowered herself down to my level, I felt her tilt my head up and as she poured the Health Potion into my mouth it began to take immediate effect.
I coughed and gagged as my body stitched back up, “Hi.”
She smiled, I think it was the first or second time I saw her smile.
Pretty.
She held out a hand, helping me to my feet, “Hey Rick. Let’s kill this fucker.”
Mina moved to attack but Voldrix switched stances.
He backed up with a kick in our direction.
I pushed Mina out of the way as I cast Shell which took some of the damage but not all as I rocketed back and ricocheted off of the rough wall of the monument.
I felt the fear sinking in again and turned Manasight back on.
The heads posted around the battlefield on spikes all let off that same inky black Mana from before, I turned to the throne to see a thick amount of the same Mana.
All of it traveled into Voldrix.
I cut off Manasight to preserve MP since it was getting low.
I flashed over to the closest spike and smashed each head until they were no longer screaming the hymn.
I clicked Manasight back on for a second to see the flow of Mana stop.
Voldrix saw what I did and moved to distract me, thinking I hadn’t figured it out yet, “You said you wanted to fight, so come die like your dear old PAPPY! HAAAHAHA!”
He finally caught Arthur who was running around his body, each step digging in and tearing out skin to make the giant demon appear as if he had a nasty rash.
Voldrix swiped at him like a flea and Arthur went flying, his health going critical with the gashes left behind.
“I’ll let you watch as I kill your stupid FUCKING DOG first. HAHAHAA!” Voldrix echoed.
I ran as fast as I could to Arthur’s side.
Brenden stepped in front of Voldrix and smashed his hammer down with Earth’s Divide into his foot.
Rocks sundered from the earth tripping the large demon who swung an arm down slicing through Brenden’s armor and cutting him through his mid section to his shoulder.
He gave me the time I needed to close in and splash a potion on the pup.
I hugged Arthur to cover him as much as possible and share my barrier from Retaliating Wind as Voldrix’s leg came down kicking us into the air across the field like a football through a field goal post.
We crashed to the ground, but I held him all the way through as we skipped like a rock on a lake until we rolled to a stop.
Arthur was unconscious and back to critical condition, but he was alive. I noticed and wondered about the new armor he had on his tail but that was the least of my concerns at the moment. I administered 2 more potions to get him up to full health then had to leave him there to go help the others.
I would keep an eye on his health bar to make sure nothing came from outside to attack him.
I ran full speed across the lawn as Voldrix reached for Mina.
She danced away from his grasp deflecting his bladed fingers that moved with lightning speed and robotic precision. Unable to deflect all 8 of his swords she was suffering from the slashes and cleaving blows.
Brenden was getting back to his feet, he rolled his shoulder as his health shot back to 100% and I moved past.
I turned back to him, “Save your Mana. Go kill the heads on the spikes then use a force pebble to destroy that annoying fucking throne that won’t shut up. I think they’re healing him or empowering him somehow. I’m going to get Mina out of there and have her help you. After, go see to Arthur.”
With a nod we were both off.
I ran to Voldrix, once again summoning Conviction’s Claw to my main and Blood Lust to my off hand, “Let’s go choir boy!”
I sliced the back of his ankle where his Achilles tendon should be, if he had one.
He turned to me and Mina let off a barrage of Lightning arrows at the back of his head as she retreated.
I zipped between his legs, dragging my dagger and sword both into the side of his shin and calf as I went, “Mina, go to Brenden!”
Voldrix turned to look at them as I vaulted into air once more and sunk my Sword and dagger into his back and used them to climb to his neck.
He moved awkwardly to slice at me but I was in that one spot you could never quite itch so I deflected the blades that reached easily enough.
I stabbed the Claw into his back and stood on the handle, my Dexterity assisting greatly with the achievement.
I stabbed Blood Lust in with both hands and wrenched open a bleeding wound that drained massive amounts of his blood. Then staring at the waterfall that I created, I released Retaliating Wind through my own hellish scream.
The saved damage that I received was enough to blast the wound wide and punch a hole through the top of his chest.
Voldrix tripped from the impact of the wind and I bailed once the spell was finished.
I dropped down to grab the claw and yanked it out getting a rare shock debuff without casting the whip.
Voldrix violently convulsed as I turned to see Arthur running in, he must have been spam casting Escalating Dissolution as blood started gushing from the sewn mouths that ripped apart on his skin.
The shocking effect was done, Voldrix swung at us with the same scary speed and precision I saw moments ago.
However, we were prepared to end this, and we were both mad as fuck.
Arthur cast Vengeance as he bit into one of the fingers, ripping it off like it was a twig.
His bite cauterized the finger, not allowing it to grow back.
As his tail wagged back and forth vehemently he dodged strikes and parried back with his own claws as we dismantled the Demon in front of us.
An explosion was set off behind us as Voldrix screamed in despair.
I let a strike come straight in before Two-Stepping my way to the side at the last second while casting Arcing Thorn Whip.
The attack landed as intended, cutting the hand in half and cauterizing it, just like my dog taught me.
Body parts and the blood draining were the only noise we heard along with the cries of frustration and pain echoing from Voldrix.
All of his screaming heads and his fucked up throne were now completely destroyed.
He screamed in anger, “NO! I AM TO BE THE NEXT LORD! IT IS MY BIRTHRIGHT! BROTHER!!!”
Arthur climbed to his head tail still wagging as I jumped up once again, and like the very beginning, I sunk my blade into his chest.
“Shut up and die.”
Me and Arthur struck the same time.
I cast Arcing Thorn Whip and Gale Charge as I whipped my blade in a circle through the chest of Voldrix.
Arthur spun around in a 360, his tail connecting with the eye of the Demon.
Voldrix was dead on his feet.
His head exploded in a shower of dull blue blood.
Arthur back flipped to the ground below where I met him.
The top half of Voldrix slid from the still standing bottom. His headless top half fell off to the side as his bottom half fell backwards to the ground below.
“Loot All.” I quickly looted the demon and moved to Arthur.
I fell to the ground and hugged Arthur, “Good boy. I’m sorry buddy. I know…”
He howled in pain again, the earth shattering cry pushing me toward breakdown.
I remained strong for my dog who was more like my son now, and for my father.
Brenden and Mina walked up to us, each laid a hand on us to show their solidarity.
A new voice traveled in over the air.
We all heard it even though it felt like it was worlds away, “You have defeated my creations, but the others sent have already grown to heights you couldn’t imagine. You’re impending dea—,”
The voice was cut off as the air vibrated like we stood behind a jet engine. A bright white light fell from the sky blinding us before the world shook as if it were hit by a nuclear payload.
I opened my eyes first followed by Arthur and the others.
I stood in front of them with my spear raised in one hand and my Claw in the other.
The nuclear payload hit the ground in front of me, with outstretched golden wings and glorious golden armor, “Hello Aurelion, Level… 154, Legionnaire of Psalm. I see you gained a couple levels. Did you kill him?”
His wings stretched out showing their full span in an attempt to intimidate me, “You DARE ask questions of me? If my lord weren’t so smitten with this mongrel of yours I would smite you for the audacity.”
Aurelion had the voice you might imagine a 7 foot tall angel decked out in golden armor to have. Deep and ominous. I didn’t like him already, “You dropped in on us.”
“SILENCE!” He pulled his hand back to strike but froze as if someone were whispering in his ear, commanding him to stop, “Very well my lord. A message for you and your… Bedraggled Cur.”
A golden lined piece of paper floated into my hands and Aurelion spoke again this time as if trying to hide something from his god or whatever, “I know Damael handed you something that you should not have. I do not know what it was, and I do not feel the presence of a Divine item so you live another day. Just like that traitorous wretch, you will not last long. The Lords of the Nine Hells have your scent. They will kill you soon enough.”
“Right, just like this guy did huh?” I retorted.
Aurelion looked to Arthur, although we could not see his face, jealousy poured from underneath his helm as he shot off into the air.
As he took off I saw a bolt of light shoot back down in our direction.
I flashed to Brenden swinging my sword overhead.
My blade met the intense light magic and it took every ounce of strength that I had remaining to parry the spell off into the sky. Conviction’s Claw shattered into 2 halves from the blow and I fell to the ground exhausted.
That mother fucker just tried to kill Brenden, of all people.
Why?
These motherfuckers are just as bad as the Demon pricks.
I WILL kill them all.