33.
Bleed Out
Mundus paced back and forth with his arms crossed over his chest. His sheathed sword bounced off his leg with each frustrated step. Anger and aggravation seeped from him, confining him in a shell of malice.
“That’s not gonna make them come out,” Cerus said. He was sitting under a mesquite tree watching Mundus frantically walk in circles. Erian was several feet away, standing silently, but observing nonetheless. Cerus didn’t understand how they could stand being out under the sun. Granted, demons did not succumb to intense temperatures as humans did, the sun’s light was still a bother.
“Their whereabouts can now be sensed,” Mundus harshly spoke, his pacing unhindered.
“Yeah, but what good would it do to attack them now?”
“My capability is beyond adequate enough to swiftly destroy their numbers.”
Cerus sighed. “But that’s not all of them. The ones we sense are strays. It could be a trap.”
“Of course I comprehend such a fact. I simply desire combat.”
He remained quiet, knowing the real reason for his agitation.
They had been outside in the same spot for days, lingering a few miles from Amon’s hideout. Mundus refused to go away any further. However, they had not seen as much as a demon or a human, Reyna included, and the lack of communication with her caused Mundus’ irritation to rise with each passing hour he did not see or hear from her.
Cerus smiled thinking it was kind of cute for him to worry so much.
“Are you not frustrated as well, Erian?” Mundus said.
The addressed demon spoke, “Azul keeps me company at times like these.”
Cerus snickered. “I’m sure she does.”
Erian glared at him but he only laughed harder.
“Silence!” Mundus roared finally halting his stride. His growl was aimed at the ground, and he was glaring at the sword by his side.
“Was that for me or for Lina?” Cerus grinned.
Mundus’ growl grew. “Such was aimed at each!”
The Shape Shifter kept his grin. “You’re just grumpy because Reyna hasn’t contacted you yet.”
“What has caused this spewing of brave words?” Mundus snarled, black stare on Cerus.
He bowed his head. “I am sorry. I have been disrespectful as of late and I apologize.”
The moon demon eyed him before saying, “Lina wishes to relay a message to you.”
Cerus bolted up. “What?”
Mundus’ sword gave a short shriek before the mentioned Spirit emerged out of it. Lina’s exit was simple and quick, stepping out from the silver blade as if exiting from a room.
“Master!” she cried out, her face reflecting her anxiety. “This one–”
“Simply account it to him!” An annoyed Mundus spat out to her.
Without hesitation, she followed her order and turned towards Cerus. Surprised, he blushed when she quickly floated up to him. A sigh emerged from Erian followed by “idiot” whispered under his breath.
Lina looked at Cerus with wide eyes. “Flow is hurt!” she said. “Did Master’s companion not hear Flow’s cry too?”
Cerus face fell. A mask of seriousness took over. Several hours ago he had allowed the Spirit to take off on his own. Flow usually left out of Cerus’ range of sensing him, but the wolf’s own heightened senses always lead him back to his master. “No. What’s happened to him?”
“An Upper has Flow and has hurt Flow, but this one heard Flow’s cry just in time!”
Cerus turned toward Erian, his bright neon blue eyes falling several shades darker. “Why didn’t Azul say anything? She must have heard it too.”
Erian didn’t answer.
He didn’t waste any more time waiting for a response. Cerus faced Mundus, face dripping with apprehension. “Can I borrow Lina to find Flow?” he pleaded.
“With great joy. Depart her from me,” he gruffly said.
“Follow this one!” Lina squeaked at Cerus and hovered off in a billow of dust. He had no problem keeping up with her.
Erian glanced at Mundus. “Why did you not go as well? You said you wished for a fight.”
“Battle with a single demon of such caliber does not qualify as a ‘fight’,” he spewed.
“I think you just wanted Lina gone.”
A small smile played on Mundus’ lips. The first one in days. “Perhaps,” he said.
Suddenly, a familiar power aura was approaching them. Her aura. Another power level was accompanying hers and it soured Mundus’ grin away. Within minutes, Reyna and Dante came into view.
She wore jean shorts and a faded green T-shirt that fit her way too big. The extra cloth had been gathered into a knot by her right hip. Her hair was pulled up in a tight bun but several strands still managed to escape. Dante sported a worn out blue shirt with equally washed out jeans. His sword was glued to his back without the use of a sheath, held on by his Berserker skills.
“Reyna.” Mundus jeered her name out. He had not seen or heard from her in days and when she finally showed herself, she comes with him? Had anything occurred between the two without his knowledge? Mundus bit down at the thought, anger bubbling in his chest. He almost felt foolish for having waited for her.
Dante walked up to the demons, quick to the chase. “We need to find Ram. Just find him. Not engage him yet,” he spoke to them, authority in his voice.
“I will not take orders from a human.” Erian narrowed his eyes at Dante. He glared back.
Mundus did not speak; his hand simply moved towards his weapon. Reyna shifted her own over his and gently guided it away from the sword’s hilt. They looked at each other, their eyes roaring multiple questions that they knew could not currently ask.
“Please,” Reyna said instead.
Mundus only crossed his arms. The tension lessened, but it did entirely go away.
Reyna tried her best to step between the three of them. “We came here ‘cause we wanted to know if you wanted to help. Dante may have– Wait. Where is Cerus?” She finally noticed the missing demon. The other two remained silent, each for their own stubborn reason.
Reyna sighed. “Fine. If you’re just going to stand around, go ahead. I don’t even know why you’re here. We’ll find Ram ourselves. Let’s just go, Dante.”
As the two mortals walked past the demons, faces set with determination, they were both thinking the same thing: Take the bait.
Reyna and Dante had been talking with Amon for the past few days about what action to take now that Reyna had returned with a fully powered Mundus and two dominant demons. They bounced ideas, discussing how Ram could be engaged to emerge out of hiding–if he should at all. Their meetings usually took place in Amon’s room to avoid scaring the refugees with their talk.
“It won’t be long until Ram finds out you’re here, Reyna, and he comes looking for you,” Amon had said. “I know this is asking a lot, but I don’t think you can stay here any longer. I don’t wish to put these people’s lives in danger again. It would be best if you returned to Mundus. He has two powerful demons on his side that are more than capable of taking on hordes of demons. You will probably be safer with him as well.”
“But I don’t know. I don’t really trust them,” Reyna answered from her seat on the bed. “All three of them are in Blethinette’s army and they haven’t said or done anything to show otherwise.”
“All the more reason I should accompany Reyna,” Dante insisted for the third time. His seat was on the floor, back resting against the cool wall.
“Who will protect the people here then?” Amon demanded.
“You can, Master Amon.”
He looked at him. “From a wheelchair?”
Dante shrugged as if that wasn’t something to worry about. “Most demons are of the lower level. Your Sight is more than enough to chase them away or hide from them. Plus, with Reyna gone from here, there is no reason for Ram to come and attack this place, and that’s assuming he knows you’re here which he probably doesn’t.”
Amon remained silent, digesting the logic of his words.
“Or I can go after Ram alone,” Dante offered. “I’m immune to Magika.”
“No, Dante. You’re only immune to Magika directly implemented onto you. External Magika like Teleportation or Ram’s Summoning can affect you. He can easily Summon several upper class demons and neither of you can handle fighting a demon like that, even if you took it on together. Much less a superior one. You will need Mundus and his companions’ help,” Amon spoke.
“So what do we do? I mean Ram could be crossing the ocean now for all we know. How would we even find him?” Reyna asked.
“What we need to do right now is make sure you and Dante group up with them.”
Dante perked up. “So I will accompany her.”
Amon nodded, allowing his worry for his niece to win over him. “We will need Mundus’ help to defeat Ram anyways. Even though that shadow weapon is a guess, I’m sure Mundus’ omnipotent powers will be more than enough.”
“But I still don’t know if we can trust him,” Reyna whispered, shaking her head.
“True, but I do trust in one thing for sure. If you are in danger, Reyna, he will defend you. Regardless of whom it is he’s against.”
“Yeah,” Dante said, dragging his words out. “I’m sure of that too.”
There was silence in the room.
“We can’t just go up and offer Mundus our help. He’s too proud, especially if he’s taking on Dante’s help. It’s just not going to happen,” Reyna said what they were all thinking.
“Then make it seem like we need his help,” Amon said.
Thus, they had formed a plan. Reyna and Dante would approach Mundus and using his pride against him to hopefully persuade him to allow two humans to join him in battle. Cerus and Erian’s acceptance could not be as easily predicted, but it seemed they followed Mundus’ orders. If he allowed them to stay, they would too. It was a crude plan that didn’t offer much guarantee, but it was agreed that should Ram come in search of Reyna, she would be safest with Mundus.
Now, as Reyna and Dante continued walking away from the demons, the crucial part of their “plan” was being put to the test. Each step they took, however, was increasing its fail rate. Dante placed a hand around Reyna’s waist –not part of the plan per say– to help rile up the moon demon. Reyna stirred at the sudden touch, but she said nothing.
Erian’s gaze shifted towards Mundus, awaiting his action.
“Such an opponent shall not fall to such frail hands,” Mundus gruffly said. Reyna and Dante were a few yards away from him.
They stopped and turned to face him and Erian. Mundus was glaring at Dante’s hand on Reyna’s hip. He saw and gripped her tighter. She stepped away from his grasp and up to Mundus.
“Will it be by your hands then?” Reyna spoke and crossed her arms. “Actually, I don’t know. Maybe I should be fighting you.”
Dante stared at her. Don’t get him angry, Reyna. I hate to admit it, but we need him.
In the background, Erian snickered at the thought of a weak female mortal going up against a fully powered Mundus.
“Insolent. You yet hang on to such thoughts?” Mundus bared his fangs at Reyna. She glared up at him, meeting his fury with her own.
“Well you don’t say anything different! Why are you here, Mundus? Why is Erian here? Cerus? What else could you guys have planned that doesn’t involve helping out Blethinette’s cause?”
Munds stayed silent for a few moments not breaking their intense eye contact. Something flickered in his chest. He had gone through this type of confrontation of the eyes before. A long time ago.
Mundus’ gaze momentarily flickered towards Dante, then back to Reyna. “I will protect you and defeat Ram. Such I vowed to you as you had vowed to aid me in the obtainment of my body.”
Dante caught something in his speech. “So after killing Ram you’ll leave?”
“Yes,” Mundus said without hesitation.
~*~*~
Flow had strayed too far away from his master, but the scent that was enticing him was so close now. He always enjoyed crossing to the human world. There were countless aromas that seduced Flow’s nostrils and exploded his vision with several bright colors; he could see scents, and the hues of the demon world were always so dull and flat.
The particular scent Flow had been following for over half an hour now was a crackling yellow, spinning like a golden braid. It unraveled into thin, gilded wires that suddenly darkened into a flat color and a dank smell. A demon’s.
Flow realized the danger too late and only saw a glimpse of the upper as it stomped out the garden of bluebonnets that Flow had been tracking. The pup yelped, knowing he was now too far away from his master to mentally call for help but, as a Spirit, if he released his essence, then any other Spirits –those that cared to listen– would know he was in trouble. Flow hoped at least Lina or Azul had heard. His golden eyes pooled in fear as the lizard demon silenced him within its fierce grip.
Countless miles away, Lina was explaining to Cerus that very occurrence –what she had seen from Flow’s transmitted image. Even moving at their top speed, it took them over half an hour to arrive at their destination. Though they traveled far from their nameless campsite on the southwest plains of Texas, it was still a huge state. Cerus briefly guessed they were close to the Dallas area.
Smooth highway roads curved on the ground like concrete snakes. Some of looping roads that rose above the others were broken, resembling crumbling bridges. Stationary cars with stagnate paint that had accelerated the body frames’ rust littered the streets like spilled Legos. The urban buildings that framed the cracked access roads were curiously well preserved as if a huge hand has merely plucked everyone out of them.
Cerus and Lina easily weaved through the obstacles of roads, cars, and buildings into a less visually loud neighborhood. The houses were modest and small, some close to a shack. Lawns were mediocre at best but those that still held grass were eating any households they touched. The setting was also eerily calm like everyone was merely asleep in their homes.
Lina came up to a bright yellow house that tackily stood out from the rest. She easily jumped over the wooden privacy fence to the backyard. Unlike the front lawn, the back was a beautiful representation of nature eating man. An overgrown garden of various colors reigned over the entire yard. Rich green blades of grass snuffed out the embedded fake rocks that had once served as a pathway to and from the house. Multiple flowers, bluebonnets and roses mostly, weaved through the metal loops of a corroded patio furniture set.
Lina halted in the middle of the yard. Her long hair enveloped around her body at the sudden stop. Cerus could not help but stare at her, thoughts of Flow momentarily gone, as her head snapped around causing her silver threads to spill around until she resembled a lustrous bell. He envied her hair for caressing her with such soft touches.
He stretched an arm out towards her, the action unspoken for. She turned to him. It was then he realized what he was about to do. Cerus placed his arm down.
“This one is sure Flow was here. Does Master’s companion see anything?” Lina’s voice bubbled with worry.
“Flow,” he whispered. Cerus tried to reach out to him again but found nothing. “No,” he sadly said, a small bed of crushed bluebonnet catching his sight. “Do you feel him anywhere else? Has he tried to contact you?”
Lina shook her head, purple eyes glowing with sadness. “This one has not sensed Flow. This one is sorry.”
He frowned. He’s only a pup and defenseless without me. He always has been.
Cerus remembered when he had first come across him. Beyond long ago when he was still in the process of mastering his Magika. He had run away from one of his practice sessions only to end up walking around aimlessly. Within the midst of his green plain tour, he had spotted a wounded ball of fur trying to escape from a demon that was trying to force Fuse with him.
Cerus approached the scene and quickly defeated the upper she-demon, saving the tiny creature. Surprised at seeing a Spirit for the first time, the Shape Shifter–in–training decided to keep him and took care of his injures.
Then, one day Flow came up to him with the offer of Fusion and it was how Cerus found a permanent willing host to increase his Magika. Though Flow was a Spirit that would forever remain as a baby wolf, Cerus wouldn’t trade him for any other partner.
Back in the garden, Cerus sighed. Then, he smelled something familiar. He lit up. Flow’s scent lingered in the vegetation. It was old and only a lingering clue that proved he had indeed been there but a fresh waft of him started to mix in. Flow’s essence was felt along with it; it seemed whatever force had sealed the Spirit had decided to let him free.
“I can scene him!” Cerus beamed.
Lina shared his eagerness. “This one can feel Flow!”
This time Cerus took lead with Lina following closely behind. They sped for a few minutes past sad houses and falling fences until Cerus stopped inches away from Flow’s unconscious body.
He was in the middle of a preserved street. His blue fur was matted with dirt and blood the color of burnt orange. Tongue out, his saliva pooled around his muzzle.
“Flow!” Cerus leaned down to him and gently picked up the wolf pup in his arms. Flow panted with unsteady breaths. “We have to take him to Mundus so he can heal him!”
He sped off before his sentence was even finished not giving thought to how unusual of a rescue mission it all was.
~*~*~
They were all held in place by an unseen force. It had jumped on them like rain, catching Reyna in mid-lecture and Mundus in mid-snarl at said lecture. Dante was frozen with his arm out, fingers cradled around Reyna’s elbow in an attempt to pull her away from the demon. Several feet away, Erian stood with his arms crossed around his chest, usual pensive scowl in place. Though also frozen in place, it almost seemed as if he would move at any given moment considering his normal posture is like one of a statue’s.
Suddenly Dante began to glow red as if his skin was being lit from the inside by tiny flashlights. It cracked and the red membrane shattered off like broken glass. Dante exhaled, turning his head around to find the already known caster of the Illusion spell. Three pairs of eyes followed him curiously.
Ram finally appeared before them, alone, and grinned warmly at Dante. “I didn’t think you’d break away from my Magika that fast, Berserker. I thought I would have more time by sending Mundus’ Spirit away. Here.”
An essence rose from Ram as he began a Summoning. Hot words fell out of his lips in a cloud of mist. A small dust devil appeared next to him. The dust funneled up into a tight knot and then quickly dispersed. In its place was a beefy, towering demon of the upper level.
His dark skin stretched over his muscles as if they were going to burst. Brown bobcat fur littered up human arms, legs, and midsection. His head was more feline with whiskers that curled into themselves. Pale green eyes settled on Dante. The fiend gave a small grunt before charging at him.
The Berserker drew his weapon and ran to meet his opponent –a foe Amon had warned them not to fight– head on. The demon sliced at Dante with a swipe of his needle claws, but Dante easily ducked. He swung his sword down at the demon’s arm but was unable to slice through it. In fact, the blade hardly sunk into anything at all. The fiend flexed his forearm muscles and bounced the sword off him.
Dante momentarily hesitated in disbelief but it was a long enough distraction for his challenger to counterattack. Lacing his fingers together, the fiend swung his club arms down so that both of his fists simultaneously fell onto Dante’s chest. A cracking sound, like an axe splitting a log of wood, rang out from Dante’s body. A rib exploded out from its cage and impaled itself somewhere.
Dante almost toppled down, but he brought his sword down as a support. On his knees, the huge weapon, though impaled in the ground, was too long for Dante to rest his hand on the hilt. He gripped the actual blade, blood dripping from his palms and dancing down the sword’s ivory face.
Dante opened his eyes. Somewhere between the blow and his fall he had closed them. Bloody vomit spewed from his mouth. The demon grinned –all fangs– and lifted his arms above his head for a second blow. Another crunch chipped the air.
Ram turned away from the scene and walked over to the motionless Reyna. As he did, his shadow lurked strangely behind him as if it had just noticed the body it belonged to moved away.
Mundus caught this flicker and understood. Such would explain my prolonged lingering in this Illusion. A pitiful and cowardice move indeed. However…
Ram was too involved with Reyna to observe the slight jerk Mundus’ index finger gave. “Dear Sister,” he said wiping away the lone tear that had fallen down her cheek. “He deserves it for touching you. Oh, Sister. I will take you where these two lovers of yours can’t touch you anymore.”
Reyna tried to move but of course couldn’t. The only action she was allowed to do was breathe. Even her peculiarly well hydrated eyes would not give her the pleasure of closing. All that could be seen were two bloody fists thrashing a beaten Dante.
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Author's Note: Hey there!
Sooo...we're getting a tad close to the ending of the book. Just a little more than a handful of chapters and this part will come to a close. Eeep! :x
Hope you guys are enjoying the story, and thank you so much for your support! You all are great! :D