Lords

“Are you sure?” Kay asked, handing me the crowbar.

“He's been gone for months,” I said. “We're not getting anywhere waiting around for him.”

“And you think breaking in to look for clues is a good idea?” Kay asked.

“No one's here, we'll be fine,” I said.

I got the back door open and we entered. Seemed like a normal British house.

“Okay, Daniel's lizard-thing said that there's a trapdoor into the cellar,” I said. “Let's get searching.”

Took us about an hour to locate the damned thing, but we found it and pried it open. We pulled out our flashlights and descended the wooden steps. We found ourselves in what was most definitely a cult chamber. Symbols were etched into the walls among shelf of what I assumed were Satanic texts. And, partially concealed beneath some junk on the floor was a very large crest. The crest of Salazchia. I approached it and shined my light upon it, and nearly gagged. What I had mistaken for just some random junk turned out to be bones. Human bones. Caked in dried blood and reeking of old meat.

“Jesus!” I hissed. “Why!? Just fucking why!?”

“Th offerings,” came a voice from beneath one of the shelves.

I turned my attention to it. There was a young boy cowering beneath it, obscured by shadow. He was chained to the wall, and had a badly healed scar on one cheek where he had been cut. I recognized him at once.

“Drake!” I said, running over to him and kneeling down. “Holy shit! Are you alright?”

“The monsters come,” he said. “They eat the offerings. Then they demand more.”

“The offerings...,” I said, looking at the bones again. “Human sacrifices?”

“Yes,” Drake said. “They didn't want me. Said I was too small. So he went to get more.”

He was barely whispering, and was visibly shaken. Just what the hell had he seen down here?”

“Monroe has been gone a while,” Kay said.

“That's true,” I said. “How have you...”

I turned to the bones once more, a sickening realization struck me.

“You haven't been...?” I asked, my voice trailing off.

“No,” Drake said, realizing what I was getting at and shaking my head.

I breathed a sigh of relief. So he hadn't resorted to cannibalism.

“The boy is far from emaciated,” Kay noted. “Who's been feeding you?”

“The... the Devil,” Drake mumbled.

“The Devil?” I asked.

“So I got a soft spot for kids!” Came a rather loud voice from directly behind me. “Sue me!”

I stood up and spun round and found myself staring into the pentagram eyes of none other than Damien Monroe.

“Sup?” he asked, grinning.

I stepped back in alarm. Kay seemed somewhat surprised as well.

“What are you-?” I started to asked.

“Oh, I'm waiting for Dad to get back,” Damien said. “Speaking of which, you guys picked a great night for a break in. His plane touched down thirty minutes ago. He'll be back any minute now.”

“You're joking!” I said.

“I know,” Damien said, smiling. “One Hell of a coincidence.”

I focused on my left hand and willed Burner to appear in it. The familiar wooden sheath materialized between my fingers.

“You called?” Burner whispered to me.

I shuddered. I'm still not used to being able to see and hear him. I've heard about him from Daniel, but experiencing him myself is something else.

I drew the sword and turned back to Drake.

“No time to talk,” I said. “Heat up.”

“Very Well,” Burner said, and the blade began glowing red. I slashed at Drake's chain, freeing him.

“Come on,” I said, lifting him to his feet. “We've gotta go!”

Drake and I began running to the steps, when the sound of a door opening above us sounded.

“oh, well ain't that just great timing?” Damien chuckled.

The footsteps aproached the trapdoor and began descending the ladder.

“Who's down here!?” A gruff voice demanded, as Demetri Monroe emerged into the chamber. He looked us all over, before his eyes finally rested on Damien. His jaw dropped. “S-son!?”

“Hey, old man,” Damien said coldly.

Demetri took two hesitant steps forward, before falling to his knees, almost sobbing.

“You're here!” he said. “My prayers have been answered!”

“You,” Damien said, remaining oddly emotionless as he spoke.. “Of all people. You prayed for me?”

“Yes!” Demetri said. “For both of you! When you and your sister vanished, I did everything I could to get you back. I've made deals with the darkest of beings, but not until today have any of them delivered!”

“None of them delivered a damn thing,” Damien said. “I've come back of my own volition.”

Demetri seemed to be at a loss for words, so Damien continued.

“I believe you, though,” he said, cracking a smile. “It's a relief, really. All this time, I thought you didn't care.”

“I-I've always cared about you,” Demetri said.

Damien let out a chuckle.

“Oh, right!” Damien said. “I've forgotten the introductions! This here is Anthony Helioson. An old acquaintance. And this...”

He gestured to Kay.

“...Is the Knower,” he finished.

I blinked. Knower? Is that some kind of title? Is that what “Kay” is short for?

“Now, Knower, if you wouldn't mind, would you get Drake out of here?” Damien asked. “That is within your capabilities, is it not?”

“What are you planning, Biker?” Kay demanded.

“A party,” Damien said, grinning broadly. “This is a reunion, after all.”

I caught on immediately. Damien was planning something evil, and Kay knew it too.

“Whatever this is, I won't let you-” Kay started, but I interrupted him.

“Take Drake and go,” I said. “I'll handle this.”

Kay looked at me quizzically, then nodded. He grabbed Drake by the shoulder and they both vanished. Weird... So he really is something more than he lets on.

“Gonna have to ask him about that later,” I muttered.

“Thank you for that,” Damien said. “I don't need him interfering.”

He then turned back to his father.

“Summon Salazchia,” he said.

“Wh-what?” Demetri asked, taken aback.

I stepped between them, sword raised in Damien's direction.

“Are you insane!?” I demanded.

“Hi, I'm the Bloody Biker,” Damien said. “Have we met?”

“I won't let you summon that thing,” I said, taking the best fighting stance I could with the sword.

“You know,” Damien said. “That sword once belonged to a friend of mine.”

His eyes narrowed at me, and the pentagrams glowed with a fierce rage.

“And now some insignificant tool is wielding it,” He continued, raising a hand. “Out of the fucking way!”

There was a flash of light, and I was thrown against the wall to the side. My vision was swimming, but I could still hear. Demetri let out a cry of pain. Damien ordered him to summon Salazchia again. Then, in a whimpering voice, Demetri spoke.

“Great Lord of Malice.”

Oh no....

“Salazchia, Daemon of wrath.”

No no no no no....

“I summon thee!!!”

Oh crap....

My vision abruptly came back. I saw the crest in the middle of the floor begin glowing, and in a flash of light, a figure stood there. It was about 7 feet tall, and dressed in metallic armor that didn't look like any culture native to earth. He held a massive claymore in one hand, and had dark black hair framing his tanned face. His eyes were solid blue orbs, dark enough that they could have almost been black. His mouth was lizard-like, and had needle like teeth. Three horns protruded from his forehead, extending a few inches upward. This was him. Salazchia, the Daemon Lord of Malice.

I could see Damien, standing over his father, smiling viciously at the newcomer, holding a falchion in his hand. Demetri lay on the ground, clutching a wound on his leg, that Damien must have left there. Damien suddenly turned back to his father, swinging his arm in a broad arc.

I could do nothing but watch in stunned silence as Damien Monroe beheaded his own father.

If it weren't for the violence that instantly broke out between Damien and Salazchia, I probably would have gone into shock or zoned out or something. But I didn't have that luxury. I had to come up with something to do about this. Worst case scenario, Salazchia would win, and then go on a rampage. Best case scenario, Damien would be successful and kill Salazchia. But then again, Damien was only the lesser evil by a small margin.

I didn't get a lot of time to think. Although they were almost on the same level, Salazchia managed to gain the upper hand. He slashed Damien in the hip, leaving a deep gash and bringing him down. Salazchia, somewhat exhausted, stood above Damien and raised his sword high.

“You've been a good adversary, Biker,” Salazchia chuckled. “But even the best things must come to an end.”

“So they must,” Damien said.

There was no warning. Salazchia was thrown off his feet by a blast of crimson energy fired straight out of Damien's eyes. He hit the ground a short distance away as Damien weakly got back to his feet. Damien quickly grabbed the sword that Salazchia had dropped, and threw it like a javelin, impaling the Daemon on the end of it. He then raised a hand, and a glyph of glowing red light in the shape of a pentagram appeared before it.

“Go shag yourself!” Damien shouted, firing a blast of energy from the glyph, crashing into the hilt of the sword and driving it further it.

He fired another blast, and then another, hitting Salazchia in the shoulders and driving him back against the wall. He fired another three blasts, each hitting the Daemon Lord, before he collapsed from the effort. Salazchia leaned against the wall for a few moments, panting heavily. He gripped the hilt of the sword and drug it out of himself, wincing in pain as he did.

“I'm impressed, Biker,” Salazchia growled. “You fought well. But now...”

Salazchia found himself cut off when Kay reappeared, standing between them.

“I cannot allow this fight to continue,” he said, n an icily calm tone of voice.

Suddenly, a glowing circle of blue light appeared, hovering in the air around Salazchia.

“This is...,” Salazchia muttered.

Kay snapped his fingers, and Salazchia convulsed in pain as lightning dashed along his skin. Kay snapped his fingers again, and suddenly the ceiling above Salazchia, along with several of the walls and furniture of the room above, came crashing down upon him. He then quickly grabbed Damien by the shoulder, and looked at me.

“I'll be back for you in a moment,” he said.

“Wait!” Damien cried, but Kay vanished before he had any chance to resist.

“What the fuck...?” I said.

It was silent for a few minutes. Then the rumble shifted. I turned to it in terror as Salazchia rose, unharmed, from the debris.

“Damn,” the Lord muttered. “They both got away.”

His eyes fell upon me, and he smiled.

“But I still have some company,” he said, grasping his sword.

“Um, Burner?” I whispered. “Can we take this guy?”

“No,” Burner said. “He's too strong for either of us.”

“A lie would have been more comforting,” I whispered back.

Salazchia threw back his head and left. Next thing I know, Salazchia had me lifted into the air by the throat.

“There will be no comfort for you, lowly human,” he said.

He tightened his grip around my throat. I released my grip on Burner and fruitlessly attempted to pry his armored fingers away.

“Suffocation has always been my favorite form of murder,” Salazchia grinned. “Even more fun than the sword.”

I struggled to get words out. To tell him to stop. But my air supply was completely cut off. I was dying, I was completely screwed.

“Is there something you wish to tell me?” Salazchia asked. “Very well. I will give you your last words.”

His grip loosened up enough for me to get some breathe in.

“Choose them well,” He chucked. “And swiftly.”

I looked down at him. Into his deep blue eyes. I had seen the eyes of a Daemon before, but these were different. Colder. As I gazed into these eyes, there was only one thing I could think to say. My only choice for my final words.

“Azail!” I said, as loudly as I could.

The eyes before me widened, as if in horror, and Salazchia's jaw dropped in surprise.

“I summon thee!” I shouted, will suddenly surging through me.

It happened all at once. A cloud of blackness engulfed us both, and bolts of lighting struck Salazchia from all directions. I fell to the ground as the black cloud took shape and solidified into Azail. I scootd backward, and gazed upon the two of them, standing face to face. The air crackled with electricity round them.

Salazcgia was the first to make a move. He raised his sword with both hands and swung it. Azail caught it between the finger and thumb of one hand, and with a mere twitch, the blade shattered like glass. Azail then stepped forward and punched Salazchia right in the chest, sending him flying into the pile of rubble. He then raised his right arm up high. The upper potion of the arm transformed into a pitch black cloud, with suddenly caught fire, propelling his forearm and fist at high speed, crashing into Salazchia face and exploding into a cloud, which began swirling around Salazchia's body. Fierce lightning exploded within the cloud, and Salazchia let out a cry of pain. The cloud rushed back to Azail, and reformed as his arm, leaving Salazchia lying there.

“Do you accept defeat?” Azail asked calmly.

Salazchia rose to his feet, and roared angrily. His body began growing larger.

It was at this point that Kay reappeared. Seeing what was going on, he grabbed me by the shoulder and said “We need to-”

I threw his arm off and said “Not yet!”

I'm not sure what compelled me to do so, but I knew I needed to stay.

Salazchia grew even larger, until he was twice as tall as before, and three times as muscular. His horns were at least a foot and a half long, and his eyes had taken on an inhuman shape. He was also sprouted large bladed wings. He roared savagely at Azail, you didn't flinch. Azail drew his dagger, which glowed red and expanded into a longsword. Salazchia swung his fist, and Azail knocked it aside with his blade before dealing three swift cuts to Salazchia's chest. They didn't cut very deep, but it was enough to drive the giant back. Azail stood stoically against Salazchia's giant form, as they glared into each other's demonic eyes. Salazchia's face was alien, making it nearly impossible to read his expression. But I could swear that there was fear in those monstrous eyes of his. Salazchia was afraid of Azail.

They continued to stare each other down for a few moments, then with a frustrated growl, Salazchia tore a hole in the air, creating a portal back to Bloody Hell, and stepped through it. IT closed behind him without trace.

“He banished himself...,” Kay said, awestruck.

Azail turned to me, frowning.

“I warned you,” he told me. “Our next encounter would not come cheep.”

Oh. Right.

“And I was just come to blows with another Daemon Lord,” Azail said. “A powerful one. So tell me; what do you have that could make this all worthwhile to me?”

“Um...,” I said, racking my brain.

“Well?” Azail demanded.

My eyes darted around the room, trying to find something that could appease him. But pretty much everything had been wrecked in the conflict. I'm pretty sure Azail wouldn't want any of this junk, and I couldn't give him Burner.

A hissing breathe escaped Azail's mouth. I assumed that meant that he was growing impatient.

My eyes fell upon his clawed feet. Feet that had been stubbed and scarred from traversing the rocky landscapes of Bloody Hell. I had an idea. A stupid one, but it was the best I could think of.

I dre my feet closer to me and began undoing my shoelaces.

“What are you doing?” Kay whispered to me.

“Something dumb,” I said, slipping the shoes off and sliding them over to Azail.

Azail stared at them for several long seconds. He then knelt down and lifted one, turning it over in his hands. They were dusty, low heeled steel-toe boots. A pretty old pair. Looking at them in his hands, I realized they were too small for him, and that worried me. For all of three seconds. He's body suddenly became less substantial, as he turned himself partially into smoke, then compressed it all slightly before re-solidifying. He had just shrunk himself down a bit so they would fit.

He slipped the boots on and tied the laces. He stood up and examined his feet for a few moments, before looking into my eyes and nodding. He then faded away into nothingness.

“You are the luckiest son of a bitch I've ever seen,” Kay muttered. “And also perhaps the stupidest.”

“Hey, remember a few weeks ago when Daniel got pissed off and picked a fight with the Wooden Girl?”

“Let's just go,” Kay said.

We started heading back to his house. I tried questioning him along the way.

“What happened with Damien?” I asked.

“He gave me some trouble,” Kay said. “But I got him to submit. He won't bother anyone for a while.”

“How did you do all that?” I asked. “The teleporting, the seal, the lightning? How?”

“The Panopticon would sum it up as a series of cheap parlor tricks,” Kay said. “I'm afraid I must give the same explanation. It wouldn't be a lie, entirely.”

“Seemed like more than just a bunch of tricks,” I said.

“It's difficult to explain,” Kay said.

“What did Dmien mean when he called you the Knower?” I asked.

“I know a lot of things,” he replied. “Things most people don't have the capacity to understand.”

We got back to his place. I was surprised to see some bags packed by the front door.

“What are these for?” I asked.

“I have to go,” he said. “You need to call Martyr Beta. When you do, he will come for his son. And I must go before then.”

“Why?” I asked.

“I am a threat to the Archive,” he said. “The Martyr's will hunt me down if they can find me. So I need to find a new hideout, and throw off their trial.”

He grabbed the bags and turned to me.

“Drake is resting in my room,” he said. “Both of you may help yourselves to the kitchen. I've left it full.”

He turned away from me, but I called out to him before he could vanish.

“Wait!” I said. “Just who are you?”

He turned back to me, smiling.

“I'm exactly what Damien said I was,” he said. “The Knower.”

And then he was gone.