—†— CHAPTER THIRTY —⸸—
The Power and the Priest
Any health that I had lost in the fight with that prick, I was able to pull out of that demon, but at the cost of my stamina. I was feeling it now as I sprinted for the cathedral.
“Az, fly ahead and tell Marcus and Sarah to be ready to bar the door.”
I could hear footsteps behind me, and even with my supernatural speed, which I was now pouring on with my enhanced stats, it sounded like they were catching up.
I turned, almost losing my footing, just in time to duck as another demon came out of a side street and nearly slammed right into me. He hit the street hard, so I dumped three warded rounds from my Colt right into his forehead.
I raised my other hand and fired at the two still coming at me.
I missed the first, but tagged the second in the chest. It only slowed him down though.
“Nephilim. You don’t have enough of those to stop all of them. They’re going to overrun you if you don’t just make for the cathedral,” Remiel said.
And I took his advice.
I made my way up the side of the church, since the front doors were still boarded up. As I approached, Marcus was standing on the landing with the double-barrel pointed in my direction.
I slid onto my side, feet first, toward the bottom of the stairs just as Marcus let loose two slugs into the nearest demon.
He stepped back into the doorway of the cathedral as Sarah stepped out. She raised her hand, and the demon Marcus had just shot lifted off the ground before she flung him backward into the other two.
I got back to my feet, ran up the stairs, and into the cathedral.
Before I could catch my breath, Marcus and Sarah were barring the door and shoving pews against it.
“I won’t be able to protect this cathedral during the trial, Nephilim.”
The strange voice of the spirit startled me. I turned to find it floating inches from my face.
“Thank you, Jerek Donati, for what you did. For saving Marcus Brennan. Even in life, there were few that I would ever consider a friend. And even though the priest is a Keeper, if he would have died, I would have been…” The spirit paused for a moment. “Disappointed.”
“I thought that you hated the Keepers?”
“I do. Now that you’ve made Marcus kin, I might just have to haunt him through out the rest of his long life.”
The spirit started laughing, and the sound of it wrenched my stomach as it flew off toward the back of the altar.
“Sarah, do not cast the ward yourself. Let this one cast it. You’ll need your strength.” The spirit said as it continued to laugh before disappearing through a wall in a sudden jerking motion.
“Jay,” Sarah said, running up to me while trying to reload the revolver. “There must be over a dozen of them outside. I don’t understand why they’re waiting. Why haven’t they rushed the cathedral?’ She asked.
“Only a true demon lord possesses the ability that you use when you threw that guy across the yard, sister. Az said with a chuckle. None of those demons out there are gonna volunteer to go first if you know what I mean.
Sarah walked over and handed her revolver to Marcus.
“Sarah, you might need it,” He said.
“She won’t,” the voice of the spirit suddenly droned from behind us again.
“Once the trial begins, she won’t have access to any of her weapons. Nor will she have access to any of her abilities.”
“None of it will matter where she’s going.”
“Where the hell do you plan on taking her?” I snapped.
The spirit roared into laughter again. The evil laugh pulsed and pushed pressure against my ears as he roared.
“I never said that she was leaving this cathedral.”
The spirit flew up toward the rafters before darting back down and through the floor.
“Remiel, what the hell is he on about?”
“I have no idea, but I find it curious.”
“Curious?” Sarah said, handing a handful of warded bullets to Marcus. “That isn’t the word I would use. Terrifying. Scary.”
Marcus took both of Sarah’s hands and met her eyes.
“Please be careful, Sarah.”
He squeezed her hands as she smiled and pulled away.
I pulled my last two magazines and slid them into the Colts. Pushing them back into my holsters, I pulled the pump-action shotgun from my inventory and leaned it against a pew for Marcus as well.
“It’s only loaded with the salt shots, so either use it before following up with a warded bullet or the blade, okay? It shouldn’t be a problem. I’m gonna ward the cathedral anyway. Nothing should be getting in.”
“Yeah, Mud, about that,” Az said, popping into view. “This place has old tunnels running underneath it. Hidden infrastructure the architects built in to hide that relic. There’s more ways in and out of this place than you can count. The only way you’re gonna seal this cathedral completely is if you put the ward on the outside. That way the barrier covers the entire outer perimeter and not just the inside walls.”
“Are you shitting me? I have to inscribe that ward on the outside of the building with all those demon fucks out there?”
“Oh, it gets worse, Mud. Did you forget where the aperture is?”
“Fuck!” I snapped.
As I looked to the front of the church, it was completely boarded up and sealed.
“I told the sister and the priest they were gonna have to extend the salt line across the front of the church, but they didn’t have time. They had to help you get inside.” The demon said, scratching his head. “Jay, you’re gonna have to place the ward on the side of the building. And when the time comes, we’ll have to fight our way out to the aperture.”
“Well, this night just keeps getting better and better, doesn’t it?”
Sarah hugged Marcus and then leaned up to kiss my cheek. The smile she gave me looked forced. She was trying not to let us see how afraid she was.
“Be careful,” I told her quietly.
Marcus and I watched as she moved to the hidden staircase and disappeared below.
A familiar voice cried in agony from outside. It screamed in pain and pleaded, and I had to hold Marcus back.
When I managed to get the door pulled open we saw two demons holding Father Hoffman the young priest I’d met when I first came through the aperture.
“Marcus Brennan,” Remiel said, appearing in front of the priest. “Please, this is a trap.”
I put my hand up across the doorway as Marcus pushed, trying to get outside.
“He’s right, Father. There’s already something riding that priest.” Az said.
“No,” Marcus pleaded, and he crumbled down to his knees. “This is my fault. I brought him into this mess. There’s got to be a way to save him!”
I stepped back inside and grabbed the pump-action shotgun and handed it to Marcus.
“If Father Hoffman rushes us, shoot him with the salt.”
I opened the door back up, just enough for myself to step through and closed it behind me as I walked out onto the landing.
“You can stop all that wailing, you yellow-eyed fuck,” I called out. “I know what you are.”
Father Hoffman stopped mid-wail and looked up, forming a huge and unnatural smile across his face as he creaked his neck and began to approach.
I pulled my jacket open, exposing both of my holsters.
“Uh-uh. That’s close enough.”
“I came looking for Astaroth,” Hoffman said in a gravelly tone. “But when I smelled you…” The demon mocked sniffing the air. “I knew that this place was something special.”
He began to raise his hand.
“If you raise either of your hands, or I start seeing any of that weird-ass black fire, I’m gonna show you what happened to Astaroth.”
“Why so hostile?” The demon said in an almost playful tone. “Heaven wants to purge you. I just wanna stick my knife in and poke around a bit. See what makes you tick. And don’t worry about all of these ‘demons’.”
The way Hoffman said it almost sounded like he was spitting the word.
“They’ll stay back and let us have our fun. They’re taking orders from me now.”
“Oh yeah? Is that true?” I hollered out at the now two dozen demons that were slowly surrounding the yard. “You must have a little bit of juice to snag all of these assholes away from Azazel.”
“Oh, poor Azazel. I couldn’t have him stealing my prize, could I? I’m afraid he won’t be joining us this evening.”
The demon seemed to hold his S’s just a little too long when he talked, and the gravelly voice burned at my ears.
“You seem to know an awful lot about demons, Nephilim.”
Az, I thought, who the fuck is this?
Jay, you need to be careful. I don’t know who this guy is, but I’m pretty sure he already killed me. Or the old me. He answered back in my head.
I activated Lumen Sight for a moment and instinctively took a small step back.
Azazel, why is the system telling me that this thing is something called a Power?
“That is impossible,” Remiel snapped out loud.
He disappeared behind me through the wall. I heard the door slide open as Marcus joined us on the landing.
Remiel reappeared next to me.
“Mud, a Power is not a demon. It’s not even one of the Fallen,” Azazel continued.
“They are not celestials.” Remiel added. And they should not be able to exist here. In any form.
“I don’t understand,” I said through the side of my lips and teeth.
I saw the look of terror in Marcus’s eyes as he placed a hand on my shoulder. If that is truly one of the powers possessing Father Hoffman…
I took a step forward, trying to keep my voice steady.
“Hey fuckface! We can talk about why I know what I know, but first I’d like to ‘know’ why the fuck one of the Powers is standing in St. Cloud, Minnesota, in 1920.” I hollered.
Hoffman’s eyes grew wide.
“You know what I am, ‘boy’?”
The gravelly voice grew louder, and I could feel it in my chest.
“Jay, what are you doing?” Azazel said through his teeth, now standing on my shoulder. “We don’t piss off a Power! The Powers are the embodiment, of cosmic forces. You know, things like death…”
“Are you telling me that this guy could literally be one of the fucking horsemen?”
“I’m telling you, Jay, that even the most horrific versions that your people have on this world about what these things actually are don’t come anywhere close.”
“Marcus, get ready. I’m gonna have to try and get the ward up as quickly as possible.”
“Remiel?,” I said fighting to get his attention. “Will the ward hold that thing back?”
“The barrier ward that you plan to use is of the arcane. It predates even the Powers. It should hold.”
“Well then, won’t Mr. Happy over there be real surprised,” I said forming a slow smile.
Azazel was now floating beside me, and I watched as he looked over to Remiel.
“You know what we’re gonna have to do.”
“I do,” Remiel said back.
“Shit,” I said, suddenly realizing what was about to happen. “Marcus, we’re not going to have either of these two in the fight for very long. You’re gonna have to keep them off of me. Shoot any of them that get close, but let one of the regular demons through if you can. Just make sure I know when he’s coming.”
“Are you sure?” Marcus asked.
“Yeah, I’m sure. If I can, I’ll try to use Blood Tithe on one of them so I don’t pass out.”
The voice carried across the yard, louder now.
“Nephilim, you should kneel. Kneel before me and come willingly, and I’ll end the priest’s life quickly.”
I drew both of my pistols from the holsters, emptying them into the demons on either side of Hoffman, and he raged, lurching forward, only to stop suddenly in his tracks as both primordial forms of Azazel and Remiel appeared in front of him with blades drawn.
“That’s impossible! How?”
“Surprise, motherfucker!” Az said as he drove his wings into Hoffman’s chest.
Remiel disappeared for a moment, appearing behind the young priest as he drove his blade into his back.
Hoffman swung hard, prying Remiel’s blade from his hand while it was still impaling him and pulled Azazel off balance.
“I know who you are, Azazel!” Hoffman roared as he reached for his throat, only to find Az no longer corporeal.
I ran for the wall behind me, pulled out my blade, and dragged it deep across my palm.
As I started to work, I could hear the gunshots going off, followed by the shotgun from the landing just to the side of me.
I worked as quickly as I could. The glowing inscriptions seared themselves into the outside of the brick facade.
Right as I was about to slam my hand into the center of the ward, I heard Father Brennan scream.
“Look out!”
I turned just in time to see a demon come at me from around the corner of the building.
In one quick and fluid motion, I drove the Trinity Blade right through it’s gut and pulled it back out.
The stunned demon crumpled to it’s knees and then onto the ground.
“Shit! I killed him!” I hollered back up to Marcus. “You’re gonna have to let another one through, but wait till after I do the ward!”
I turned around and slammed my now blood-smeared palm against the ward.
The building shimmered, and I felt all of my mana, stamina, and some of my health pull and rip from my body all at once.
“Now, Jay!” I heard Marcus scream.
I turned just in time to watch a man in suspenders and glowing eyes swing what looked like a pipe right at my head.
I didn’t quite get out of the way completely, and the metal glanced across my skull.
I managed to reach up, grab the demon, and pull with everything that I had left in order to replenish my health, but the exchange wasn’t very efficient. Although I was able to pull enough to keep from passing out, it was only just.
I finished the demon off with my blade and ran toward the landing as Marcus pulled me up the stairs.
I felt whatever was left of my stamina and some of my health rip from my body all at once as I turned and watched Hoffman tear the guts right out of Azazel.
Hoffman glared at us through glowing eyes as he pulled Remiel’s blade forward then out the side of his body. He tossed it to the ground and reached for Azazel, only to find that he was gone.
The Power turned his attention toward Marcus and I, and it raged! Charging at the cathedral and the doorway in a supernatural rush of speed before it slammed into the arcane barrier with enough force to completely eviscerate Father Hoffman across it.
Marcus, suddenly sagged as what little strength and will he had left, were taxed at the sight of watching what was left of his friend, steam, hiss, and pop as it ran down the outside of the barrier.
