Lightbringer - The Patron Saints of the Damned III

For several minutes, Megan heard and saw nothing as she led Michael out of the cave. Even the cruel whispers from before were gone … replaced by only a brooding silence that was somehow more menacing. The first sign of anything happening was when the sky above darkened. She looked up and noticed that there seemed to be fewer star-like orange lights than what there had been before. And as she continued to look, she noticed that several twinkled and then disappeared. She whispered, “They’re going out.”

“No,” Michael said, pointing to the lights that seemed much more distant. These were still lit, though they occasionally did twinkle as well. “They’re still there … they’re just being covered.”

“Demons?” Megan whispered. As if to answer her question, she heard the ground shake with a rumbling that slowly grew closer. As it did, the sound became greater until there was no mistaking it for anything but the footsteps of masses. Orange lights drifted with the thunderous noise towards their location. After a while, she could make out the forms of enormous grotesque giants that looked to be about thirty feet tall, carrying the enormous torches. “W-what are those?”

“I don’t know,” Michael replied, sounding just as disconcerted by what he was seeing. “I … didn’t know a lot about this place.”

The enormous creatures were not the only ones approaching, however. There were demons of every shape and size accompanying them. A few demons that carried real weapons and who led the others, like the goat-like creature closest to the front. But these were nothing like Dufaii or the demons who had ambushed them. They didn’t carry themselves with any sort of power or organization. If anything, they looked terrified and desperate. Some of them held the hands of the other demons beside them or walked trustingly beside the massive grotesque giants. There were even a few humans and other creatures scattered among them as well, walking among the demons as if they were the same people. No, the warriors had to be the ones above, blocking out the stars.

A horrendous shriek came from the cave, freezing every visible creature in its tracks. This sound became louder until it was physically painful to hear. The cave seemed to amplify the sound like a trumpet. And before long, white smoke began to pour from the opening of the cavern.

Megan pressed her palms to her ears with enough pressure that she was sure to leave a bruise. But it was the only way to get any relief from the terrible shrieks. She could feel the reverberations in her body, from both the initial sound and from the echoes as they bounced off stone. But as this died down, she heard something else. Shrieks cried back to the initial wail; these were not echoes from the walls. They seemed to come from everywhere. The demons and creatures on the ground looked at one another in terror. They searched the darkness for danger and then faced the ceiling as if pleading for help.

“Hold position,” shouted a commanding feminine voice from the darkness above.

“Followers of Ammon are to keep General Hades’ orders!” roared the familiar voice of Buer. “Tonight, we are all one people.”

The shrieks grew closer as the commands were given, and the ground demons panicked more. It wasn’t long before scratching sounds filled the air. Then, yellow pairs of eyes began to glow from the darkness all around them.

“The abominations are attacking!” shouted the female goat demon who wore an apron and who carried what looked like a white cricket bat. She pointed her weapon at the other demon civilians and barked orders, even with her tone far more nervous than the ones coming from above. “Form circles. Guard the behemoths, the uncorrupted souls, and the wounded.” This didn’t register for them at first. But then other demons who looked slightly less terrified than the rest began to help organize them. They gave commands and were able to get most of the other demons into something resembling formations.

Megan and Michael looked at one another with an understanding that required no psychic communication. They ran and hobbled respectively until they reached the goat demon, who stared at them incredulously.

“You … you’re the Archangel Michael,” the goat demon said, a violent edge to her voice.

“He’s not here to hurt you!” Megan said frantically, knowing that there wasn’t much time to argue. “Despite whatever he’s done, he’s not on their side anymore—not for all this.”

The goat demon studied them both and hesitantly nodded. “Things are dire if a human and an Archangel are offering to fight beside us … if Ammon and Hades have united their forces. I don’t even want to imagine what our chances are.”

Megan and Michael did not reply other than to stare grimly.

“Fine,” the goat demon said, running her fingers through her eyebrows in a show of clear frustration and anxiety. “We’ll probably not survive the hour, so there won’t be a chance for me to regret this. I’m Baph. You two will fight at the forefront with me.”

“I’m Megan,” Megan said as she readied her weapons and stood in the circle between Baph and Michael. “I know this looks bad … but there are lots of people trying.”

“Optimistic—I know a couple of naïve idiots like that,” Baph said with an unexpected bit of sentimentality. She shook her head and said, “If you see a … small demon who looks like a beetle, tell me.”

The request made Megan think of her brother. She nodded.

Silently, Michael pointed into the dark as he readied his sword. The oncoming swarm of yellow eyes was rapidly approaching.

However, this wasn’t the only threatening sight. Smoke suddenly billowed out of the caverns above with greater intensity. Then, a massive hand appeared, holding someone. It was Gabriel—struggling helplessly in the enormous being’s grasp. The figure seemed to only grow as it exited the cave, cloaked in the darkness and the clouds around it. Then its eyes glowed bright gold, flickered, and became a dull yellow like the rest of the eyes in the cave. And they floated upward until the figure looked twice the height of the behemoths.

Was this … the Creator? All the intelligence and kindness that had characterized them before were completely gone. And as the clouds dissipated, they revealed a titan body wrapped only in stormy clouds—electrical sparks igniting between them.

Megan’s jaw dropped and—despite all her rage that had preserved her so far—all she could feel in that moment was terror.

-O-

Dufaii could feel his heart racing in his chest as he and the other demons flew over what was soon to be a battleground. He couldn’t believe what he was seeing, the waves of abominations about to strike the citizens of Hell. The armies of Hades and Ammon waiting in ambush above the Creator—who had taken the same form as the last time they had fallen to madness. With his ability to see in darkness, Dufaii looked down at where

Exousia had taken position with the rest of their allies unable to take to the skies. She and Ammon had agreed that the best use of her power was to use a particular human magic to strike from afar. The newest incarnation of the Lightbringer and the Hydra were both standing guard around her. Exousia sat down cross-legged, drew her blade, and began to chant something as she swayed back and forth. She scattered bones in front of herself, cut her own hand, and bled over them. She only needed one more ingredient for the spell to be ready—a piece of the Creator.

That was Dufaii’s job as he flew overhead and got ready to strike … waiting for the signal that would make their defense something that could not be held against them by Heaven.

Sure enough, the newest incarnation of the Lightbringer—a being called Roach—stood to his feet and began to shout loudly through a cracking voice. “I am the … newest incarnation of the … Lightbringer. I revoke your privilege to be in this realm and … demand … that you leave.” The words came out pitifully, and like he didn’t actually believe them. They wouldn’t work, but now the angelic guard would have no grounds to join in the fight. Only time would tell if that would even matter.

Sure enough, the Creator ignored Roach’s words and continued their approach. They continued to crush Gabriel in their grasp; soon the pressure would no doubt destroy his body.

Dufaii signaled silently to the other demons, who nodded in agreement with what they knew they had to do. They could not afford to lose Gabriel as an ally. So, they began their descent with their weapons ready. Dufaii took aim at the wrist and struck, while the others cut at the fingers of the hand holding him. The combined attack drew enough blood to splatter all of them in gold. But the size, thickness, and unnatural density of the Creator’s form meant that the attacks didn’t do much. Yana dropped last on the wounded limb and began to pry open the Creator’s hand as they roared in fury.

The Creator used their damaged fist as a battering ram as they swung wildly at their attackers. Dufaii was one of the first ones hit and thrown to the ground with a hard impact that knocked the wind out of him. When he looked up to try to escape, the only thing he saw was a foot coming down to crush him. However, someone dove onto him and rolled him out of the way just as the impact would have crushed him.

It was Hades! She then stood, helped to lift him to his feet, and said, “We’ll get Gabriel and then keep them busy so that they can’t create a storm. You need to figure out how to end this!” She then turned to lead the attacking demons who still swarmed around the Creator. Given the distraction, Hades jumped between the titan’s massive legs and began to carve and slice at its ankles. When they tried to kick and stomp her, she danced between them and continued to cut. The rest of them tried to free Gabriel, but there was no use. The Creator’s vice-like grip was moving too quickly to repeatedly attack.

Dufaii decided to try again for a piece of the titan to get to Exousia. But the Creator’s speed and strength presented the same problem as rescuing Gabriel. Unlike any other being of comparable size, the Creator was simply not bound to the constraints of their form. In that oversized body, they managed to jump, kick, strike, roll, and dodge with speed even greater than that of a demon martial artist. They may have been afflicted by their madness, but they executed their attacks with vicious precision.

The Dufaii heard screeching come from the demon citizens; the abominations had begun their attack! What was more, another wave of them were making a beeline for the Creator.

It had been too long since Dufaii had fought in a real battle; he nearly froze with indecision but managed to calm himself. What would he have done back when he’d been an assassin? He’d chosen a target, learned it, let Ammon organize everything that needed to happen to make that target vulnerable, and then struck with efficiency. Why couldn’t he do that now? Even though the situation was not ideal for his style, being an impromptu battle that had given him no time to prepare, he could still fight in the way he did best.

“I know that look,” Ammon said, dropping beside him and holding his bleeding chest for a moment. His wounds had been reopened, meaning he had been hit by the Creator as well. There was also no missing how much slower and weaker he’d become since his soul had been stabilized. “Come on, old man. Let’s do this together like in the old days.”

Dufaii felt the briefest sense of anger. But when he looked at Ammon, he realized that the deeper feelings of rage and hatred were gone. With a level of calm that surprised even himself, he replied with a question, “How can we get a piece of hair with them moving like that?”

Ammon smiled genuinely, looking just as surprised. He studied the ongoing battle and replied. “We have a wave of graceless beasts no doubt coming to defend their master. If we can endure a few bites and scratches, we could potentially ride the wave.

Dufaii studied the approaching hoard and nodded—the idea seeming plausible.

“Think you can keep up?” Ammon asked—hovering over the creatures just seconds away from striking.

“You cannot afford to take any more damage,” Dufaii said and shoved his apprentice out of position. He sheathed his sword, which had no sharp edge, and readied the dagger tucked in his robe. He looked back at Ammon, gave him a defiant look, and braced for impact. A wave of claws and teeth hit his side. Fortunately, his armor resisted their claws fairly well—only his exposed skin taking much damage. He endured the pain as he was pushed in battle ever closer to his target, allowing his body to be moved like he was a victim of their attacks.

It wasn’t long before Dufaii felt his body brushed against the Creator; the creatures were crawling up them to launch themselves up at the demons attacking them. Dufaii also clawed, climbed, and jumped to get closer to his target. His ascent was slowed by the sets of jaws holding tightly to him—biting a hand and his neck. And though he stabbed and broke their bones, each one was quickly replaced by another. What was worse, his wounds were being torn and opened more, as the creatures used each other’s momentum to help them rip and tear.

But Ammon dove into the fray, bashing and slicing at the creatures holding him. He shouted, “You are the most stubborn demon I’ve ever met!” For the briefest instant, their eyes met. Then Ammon grabbed Dufaii’s foot, lifted him, and boosted him up towards the head before disappearing in a sea of claws, teeth, and deformed bodies.

Dufaii managed to grab a fistful of the Creator’s beard and then sliced it free. He propelled himself away with several propulsions of his wings and then fell to the ground away from the battle. He looked back, trying to make sure that Ammon was alright. But he saw no sign of him. He whispered, “Unfortunately, it’s a shared trait.” Having to force himself to move, he made his way to Exousia.

-O-

Megan tried to shake the panic as the creatures with yellow eyes emerged from the darkness. She’d fought and endured so many horrors already, yet nothing could have prepared her for the deformed beings called tumors or abominations that were charging in the thousands. Malformed creatures with forms blended into an array of peeling scales, broken claws, protruding bones, and bulbous flesh. The sickly glow of their eyes glowed in unison with those of the Creator. It was like they were a hive-mind, extensions of the same insanity.

As the first creature got within reach, Megan found that her panic did not stop her from moving as she’d practiced while reliving every flashback and nightmare she’d had in the months since the Deadwoods. She jumped backward just as one claw grabbed in her direction. Megan then jumped forward and caught the creature’s skull with a right hook strong enough to crack its skull. The successful hit, the terror from the oncoming waves, and the shock of blood splashing in her face again sent her into something of a frenzy. Megan lunged at another creature and broke its jaw with an uppercut. Something hit her arm and caused a brief flare of pain, so she turned and jabbed the bridge of its nose. She almost hit a hand that landed on her shoulder but stopped when she saw that it was the bristly hand of the demon next to her.

“Stay in the circle!” Baph shouted as she hit a creature with her bat while another bit into the arm she had extended.

Megan sent a series of rapid punches into that creature’s ribs, busting them until it let go. She thought one or twice of trying to come up with some kind of organized plan or strategy, but there was no moment for that to happen. All she could do was punch, dodge, punch again, take occasional cuts on her arms from attacks, and try to keep the creatures from attacking those at her sides. At some point, however, she managed to look up at the battle at the front of the cave.

The Creator was bleeding from hundreds of wounds that seemed shallow at best. They continued to fight, occasionally knocking a few demons out of the air with a kick or punch. The battle looked to be a losing one.

Abha then flew out of the cave, firing his pistol to draw the Creator’s attention. Behind him, Maeva and a few dozen angels in full armor flew from the entrance of the tunnel and began to swarm the Creator as well. These must have been the angels that he had mentioned before, the ones who never had the chance to join the demons. Each carried a shield on both arms, which they used to begin to take the brunt of the physical attacks for the more seasoned warriors. This not only filled the gap in the demon attack force but also let the rest of the demons strike freely. Still, the battle remained a defensive one.

Megan had no way to know if her side had a chance to win against all these creatures either.. They were weak, especially against demons, but there were so many. Already, many of the circles around her had fallen by the waves of those creatures. Sure, Megan wasn’t having as much as a problem as she stood between the leader of this makeshift army and an Archangel, but most of the demons were not so lucky. Their only saving grace was that the behemoths would occasionally batter the creatures away and then hold the wounded in their arms.

Then there was a shout … a human shout.

The abominations let out squeals and began to retreat. But they did not go far. They stopped just short of another army emerging from the darkness. These enemies were far more numerous than even the abominations. And they … were humans. Some were walking, some dragged their feet, some clawed their mangled bodies along the ground. Their eyes, while not yellow, were no less bloodthirsty and alight with mad happiness. As one, they let out another shout and charged.

The abominations seemed to recognize these humans and even feed off their energy, with their yellow eyes glowing brighter. Without even words needing to be exchanged, the two armies became one against their common enemy.

Megan watched the tidal wave of humans and abominations swept the group of demons closest to them away in seconds. She looked at the uncertain faces of her companions and began to realize that they stood no chance.

“Citizens of Hell!” Hades shouted, pulling most of her soldiers out of their battle against the Creator. “Fight one last time as we did upon the shores of Heaven. One last time, remember your training of old—use the painful and tragic memories of the Fall to your advantage! Defend your fellow demons and do not let the enemy quiet us without a fight!”

At this, the demon circles began to put up a little bit more of a fight—struggling and taking more of the humans and abominations down before falling. Megan watched them and readied herself for the wave to reach her, when she spotted something in a dark corner. It looked like another human figure, sitting in a familiar meditative pose, glaring at the scene. The look in her eyes … it was one of terrible power that Megan had previously experienced first-hand.

However, a few abomination and humans had spotted her as well. They were going in to attack!

Megan looked at her companions for a moment, hoping they could glean whatever information they needed from her eyes. She didn’t have time to explain as she sprinted away, hoping that she could reach Exousia in time.