The Barrier part 2

„Drop your visors’, and draw your steel. Even the sound of leather on steel can betray our presence to them. Ohh and before I forget, no talking, just follow me.” With that said, they stepped through the flames.
The stench was unbearable, the sight none the less. The trees were torn and blackened, or they were giant torches of the roaring fire engulfing them. Looking at this side of the forest was like the inside of a furnace. That is, if the inside of a furnace smells like death and decay with a pinch of ash and scorched meat.
They started slowly onward the road leading to the town. Cass led them, while the cadets walked right behind her. Both of them fight down the urge to ask about the sightings, like where are the demons? Or what’s the cause of the flames around them which doesn’t radiate any heat. But what made Eront the most curious about, is how the demons can’t spot them, when Cass’ armor shone so brightly he couldn’t even look directly at her back.
They walked for a good ten minutes when they finally reached the town’s outskirt. They walked between the blackened ruins, not too long ago the home of the residents of the town. Now all these served, was to show the world what the demons were capable of.
A big baulk in flames blocked the street they intended the go through. Even without hearing her they knew exactly what she felt, about it. They had to take the main street, which led to the market square. Any other case this wouldn’t mean a bad thing, but right now this meant less cover and  a lot more hazard on their way. Cass stuck to the ash covered wall, and indicated the others to do the same. The progress they made in this manner was much slower, but it could easily mean the difference between life and death. Reaching the square, Cass motioned them to stay low, while she scouted ahead whether it is safe right now to cross. This gave Duke all the time to think about the sighting to the north, on the hill, where the church stood unscathed.  He couldn’t comprehend how was that still possible, and made a mental note to ask the justiciar about it. With the justiciar scouting ahead, and Duke lost in his thoughts, only Eront was able to see the movement of something small in one of the not-so-much-destroyed houses. He started forward to it. Even if it was the most slightest chance of anything in his life he had to take. That was when he heard the scream of a child, There was no doubt about it anymore, he started running. Only, he did not get far, as Cass tackled him, just as he was about to lounge for the building. He turned on his back, Cass still on top of him, shaking her head.
„Don’t shake your head to me! There is a child inside there! We’ve got to help!” All the time he was yelling Cass desperately tried to somehow silence him, but it was impossible to do so since they both wore full body armors, her only option would have been if she to cut his throat, but she wasn’t about to do that. When he finally shut up all there was to hear was silence.
But it was too late.
Something crashed right into the fountain with such force that it hurled Cass off of Eront. With Duke still in the cover of the buildings only he had time to observe the creature. It stood thirty feet high, it’s lower body hairy and hoofed as a goat’s, while it’s upper body was as muscular as no man’s could be ever be, even at that size. It’s head had two horns coming out of it, one them broken in half. It’s eye were the manifestation’s of the burning agony one can but hope would end as soon as possible, were the creature to reach one’s soul. It unfold it’s gigantic wings, and roared at the other two, making a flame of tornado around itself. The bloodthirster clutched it’s enormuos battleaxe with suce insanly strenght, that fire was engulfing out of it. Duke had no time to analyze this battle, the creature was about to lounge upon them. Eront was just about to shake the concussion from his head, while Cass was lying on the cobbles with no sign of life. He ran out of his cover, screaming at the demon, both in hope it would notice him, and in dispair of what actually he is doing. To his biggest surprised the demon relaxed it’s leg muscles and looked at him with infernal interest. It seemed that the demon liked the thought of the lunch coming over and serve himself up. Duke didn’t slowed down he ran as fast as he could, while the demon brought it’s axe over it’s head, and sent it crushing down. He barely had time to slide forward, under the demon’s legs, stones and dust went flying around him as the axe missed it’s mark. He stroke at the demon’s legs cutting deep gushes in it’s flesh. The demon roared out in pain, but it would hardly be a serious injury for it to slow down.  It turned around and slashed again at the armored figure, missing it again only by a few inches. As the axe’s blade bit into the ground beside him, the time slowed all around Duke. He had time to think. He saw the demon is having trouble ripping the weapon out of the ground, which gave im plenty of time to attack it. However, reaching it’s head would be unlikely even in the current situation, running along it’s arm and making a cut at it’s eyes would have been out of question even without the armor hindering his movement, let alone wearing it. And the creature’s arm would be to tough to cut through, but he could… yes that’s it! he thought. He gripped his sword with both his hands, and smote down on the axe’s handle. The force of the strike sent shivers through his arms, and made him stumble a bit, but he stroke again, and again, until he finally heard the satisfying crunching sound of the abyssal wood giving in and breaking. The demon howled at the cadet in anger. With such a feat done, Duke met it’s eyes triumphantly. This time the demon was the one seeing the opening in it’s adversary’s defense, and grabbed him by the leg. It brought the boy over it’s gaping maw, and bit down on his head, all the while Duke was slashing madly at the hand grabbing his leg. The demon chewed, and chewed, but could not feel the satisfying taste of human flash in it’s mouth. Duke simply did not give up, and neither did his armor. It held out. Duke’s mad slashing at the demon finally paid it’s worth, finding it’s left eye. The scream the demon let out was deafening, even more so for Duke, being between still it’s jaws.  It grabbed his leg again, yanked him out of it’s mouth, and started pounding him into the ground, from one side of itself, to the other.
Meanwhile Eront didn’t have the time of his life either. With Cass finally up, he had to make sure she can cast the incantation through and use all her power against the demon. While no demons dared to interfere in between the bloodthirster and it’s prey, they were all in for the leftovers. Cass was kneeling beside a blackened wall, while Eront was trying not to let any of the lesser creatures to attack her. He slashed, brawled, kicked and even headbutted them away but with their seemingly unending numbers, there was no way stopping them. Just as he was to give the final blow to a Brute, another jumped on his back, and pinned him to the ground. His sword fell out of his grip and couldn’t reach it. The creature had half the height of his, but was like twice as heav. He tried kicking it off of himself with no success. The demons were closing in on her, leaving him, and if they reach her that would be the end of all of them, He struggled with all his might but all he succeded was straining his own muscles. He saw one of the creatures just about to reach her, and he could do nothing about it.
Duke’s armor protected him from any direct harm, but it couldn’t save him from the concussion coming from the continues pounding. The bloodthirster tired of this game hurled him off at the others.
Eront saw Duke crashing right into the mass of the demons reaching for Cass, and sweeping them away from her. As lucky as that was, he also saw the bloodthirster clearly, flexing it’s lower body, and unfolding it’s wings. It jumped in the air, leaving fiery trails in it’s wake, and came crashing down on top of them.
That was when Cass opened her eyes, and stood finally up. The eye slits of her visor were glittering in a golden show of light. A golden circle of light rushed through them, and everything. For a split second, Eront could see living people around him, clear streets, and fine houses, but soon as it came, it went away. The light set the demons on fire, and sent even the bloodthirster tumbling away. Eront couldn’t believe what he saw. Just a moment ago, he was sure that they are as good as that. And now, Cass standing in front of him with a golden light radiating out of her. Even the fires were put out around them from the buildings. She brought her brilliant gaze upon the last remaining demon. The creature howled in frustration and charged at her. She brought her blade up, and lazily slashed in the air at the demon, like if she doesn’t find her opponent worthy for a sword stroke. The demon fell to it’s knees as a beam of light erupted out of it, and made it explode in a haze of flames. Eront quickly got up from the ground, grabbed his weapon and took Duke on his shoulder. Cass turned back to them still ablaze in the golden light, and spoke to them in an otherworldy voice full of power and regret. „To the church. Now.”



* * *


Eront supported Duke inside the church, whose armor was dripping blood. Cass closed the heavy oak door, while Eront set Duke down on one of the benches. Cass walked up to them, just as he was about to take off the other’s helm so he could breath better. She yanked him back. „Hey I know I screwed up big time outside, but that’s no reason for letting him suffer!” Even though the spell has worn out Eront could swear he saw her steel blue eyes in the darkness of her visor. „Not everything is about you. I’m not going to take any chances even inside the church.” she said bitterly. She kneeled beside Duke and healed him up as much she could. „I’m sorry, that’s as much I can do for you without seeing your wounds.”
„That’s enough.” said Duke coughing up blood between the words. He tried standing up, but she pushed him back gently. „Don’t push yourself. We are relativly safe here, so use the time to gain back your strength.” He nodded. „How is this possible that church is unscathed?” he asked her. Since it seemed he wasn’t needed right now, Eront looked around the church. It was dark inside all of the windows barred. On the floor he could see clothes, rugs and blankets, even the toys of some child. It was clear the remaining survivor holed up in here. But there was no sign of fighting, nor markings of blood. Where are they then? Where could they go from here, or better yet, what could have happened to them in here?
Cass sit next to Duke „The church is where the people’s fatih is the most conentrated, so the demons can’t get inside.”
„Is that so?” Eront he asked over his shoulder as he was going through  the benches and rugs. „Then where are the survivors?”
She shrugged. „That I can’t tell. There are still aspects of the barrier, the faith, and the demons that I don’t know of. While you are at it, check the altar whether you can find the artifact.”
„That’s stupid, why would a holy artifact be guarded in a small town church like this?” Duke asked her, his words filled with pain.
„Who said it’s a ’holy’ artifact? The artifact, is a dagger of unkown origin, with unkown aspects. What we know that it attracts the demons, and can even open portals for them to reach it.” she said.
„That seems awfully idiotic to place it here endangering the people living here.” Duke said in disdain.
„Yes, that’s what someone would think. However faith counters it, so we can only store it in a place where there is enough of it to effectively paralyze it.”
„So why don’t we store it in our headquarters?”
„That’s the catch, the dagger hates paladins so much that it can actually work against them. That is why they chose a long time ago a little town’s church to store it inside.”
„So, the whole cause of the portal is this dagger?”
„Unlikely. While the artifact is potent, to open a portal and let demons pour through it, speaks of higher powers. Probably something bigger is behind these schemes.”
Eront reached the altar and checked it. There was nothing unordinary about it, it was wooden, decorated with elaborated scenes of the faith’s history.
„Nothing is over here.” he muttered under his breath. Just as he said that, he spotted a small hatch on the altar’s bottom side. He reached down and ripped it open. There it was, a magnificient dagger. It had a slender curved blade, and a grip shaped in the form of a… he didn’t exactly knew what it looked like, but he was sure of one thing. That this dagger would make anyone proud.
He held the dagger, and yelled over to the others. „Hey I’ve got it.” just as the ground opened up beneath him.
                                                                             
* * *
He landed hard on the stone floor. The armor protected him from any serious injury aside from the pain. He gathered himself up and looked around. He was in a great hall, with caskets in the walls, filled with skeletons. „Is this a catacomb?” he said out loud particularly for no one to hear.
„Yes it is.” Came the unexpected answer. The voice was unbearable, it was like a jagged blade cutting on bone. As irritating the voice was, he was quiet sure that it was a male’s.
He looked around startled, shivering by the sudden coldness of the air. And then he spotted the owner of the voice.  In the centre of the room, he couldn’t believe how did he miss that the first time he looked around, was an armored figure, sitting on a throne… of shadow?
„Heh, you can actually see me. Wonderful that makes it easier for both of us.” as he stood up, the throne dispersed to nothingness in a haze of darkness. He reached for the sword stabbed in the ground by his leg. He started at Eront. All the while the cadet was cluthing his sword in his right hand, and the dagger in his left. He was sweating heavily, dispite the cold air around him.
He was walking slowly. There was no reason to hurry, the kid had nowhere to run.
As it closed the distance the boy could note the being’s features. It was at least two heads taller than him, and wore a full body armor just like himself, yet he still appeared slender, just like a shadow. Even closer, he could see the horned helmet, the grilled visor, the ancient runes on the blackened armor. Even though the armor was black as it’s wearer’s soul, he had the impression that it’s so rusted that everytime he moves, powder falls from it. The blade, black as the armor, was twice the size of his own longsword the runes on it glowed darkly, as it was draining the light from it’s vicinity. Black blood seemed to be dropping from it nonstop. Everything he saw was dark or black, as if, it was indicating the absence of the faith. Looking at his own white armor, it was losing it’s color, turning to a lackluster color by every second.
The creature finally reached him. It smiled. How can I see him smiling?! He is wearing a helmet! he thought. And then it struck him. It wasn’t ’wearing’ an armor, it was the armor, the armor was smiling! The helmet distorted to give way to a mouth with jagged teeth inside.
He spoke again. „You are not crying, neither did you wet your pants. I’m intrigued. It seems I’ll have some fun since a long-long time.” The distorted helmet’s mouth formed the words.
Making Eront all the more unsettled. He was sure, was he not to wear the helmet he would have lost his mind already.
Eront gathered all of his courage and asked him. „Who the hell are you?”
„You will learn my name sooner than you would wish to. said the creature laughing
He held up it’s blade high above his’s head and struck at the boy. Eront had barely enough time to react and block the demon’s blade. Even blocking with both his sword and the dagger, the force of the blow sent him down on his arse. He quickly got up, and sheathed the dagger in his sword’s scabbard, luckily it fitted in perfectly.
„Yeeeesssss, fight me!” he said, his free hand clutching the empty air „Fight me with everything you have! Show me your worth!” he said, clutching with his free hand the empty air, leaving the boy enough time to gather himself. All

right, I can fight him! he thought he maybe bloody terrifying, but he is only a demon.

The creature let out a bone shivering screech. „DEMON!? I’m no such puny creature! I’m more than those maggots! MUCH MORE!” with that he lounged at the boy. This time though he was ready for him, stepped aside, and cut through the giant humanoid’s torso. But as soon as the wounds appeared, they disappered as well. The creature laughed out loud again.
„Wonderful! So long since someone tried to fight me! Your soul will be a worthy add to my collection!”
He stroke again at him, Eront blocking it with his own weapon, this time staying up, but the force almost made him drop the sword. And this time, the being did not give him time to pull himself together. He slashed at him again, but the armor stopped the blade. The thing looked at this discovery with interest. He started whacking Eront, but he couldn’t put a dent on the armor. The boys resolve was strong. Eront could see the creature was thinking about something. He gripped the blade with both his hands, and lounged for the demon’s head and cut it off. To no avail, however, since the helmet regenerated on top of it’s shoulders as soon as it dispersed. The creature grabbed Eront by the head. The boy tried cutting himself off of the grip, but it was impossible. He tried rushing his head, but it seemed just as futile as the boys attempt at wriggling free of his clutch. He started pounding Eront’s head to the ground, with little success. He brought the boy up to eye level and screamed in frustration at him.
„Why can’t I tear you?! What are you made of!?”
This time the boy laughed. „As long as my faith is strong, you can’t harm me!” he said smugly.
The smile returned to the demon’s face. „We’ll see about that!” with that, he dropped him back on his ass. Disappeared. And so did everything. There was nothing. Eront couldn’t see anything, couldn’t feel anything, aside from the steel of his armor. He couldn’t feel the air he was breathing. He wasn’t even sure if he was breathing at all.
And then everything came rushing back, like nothing happened at all.
Except, he was at an entirely different place. He could smell ash, blood, feces, fear and death.
He could hear the crying of children, the scream for help of the dying. He could hear the swearing of the ones still fighting for their lives. He could hear buildings demolished by the ever so hungry flames, eating the wood away. He finally saw where he was. It was a town, under the invasion of the demon’s first cohort. He could see the townguard desperately fighting for their and everyones life, the paladins valiantly defending the weak. But it was not enough, even if the whole order was here, he wouldn’t be sure it was enough. Yet, it wasn’t the first time for him seeing this. The memories came rushing back, as a child he was standing in the square, the creatures ripping everyone to pieces around him. He was sobbing in a corner, covered in blood. An armored figure ran over to him. He could see the order’s crest on the armor. The man grabbed him, and ran away, leaving everyone to their deaths. As the man dragged him, he could still see the woman holding, the dying man in her arms. He could see the bloodthirster going precisely for her. „Mother? Father?” he exhaled, tears grouping up in his eyes. „What are you crying for? Here I am, granting you the chance to save your family, and you all you do is crying?!” the haze of darkness appeared beside him.
„I’m just a kid, I can’t do nothing ’bout it!” he cried fighting with his tears.
„You have a sword, and an armor, you don’t look like a kid to me.”
Eront knew he was right, he could save his family!
He sprinted to his mother, paying no attention to the demons clawing at him.
Just as he reached her, so did the thirty feet tall demon, and grabbed the screaming woman.
Eront tried cutting the demon, even hitting it, but his attempts went right through the beast.
Looking up with tears in his eyes, he could see the demon biting off the woman’s upper body, letting all the blood and entrails pouring down on him, drenching his armor. He started gagging. He tried fighting down the urge, but he couldn’t. He started crying uncontrollably and vomitting at the same time. There was nothing left in his heart, only absolute despair.
His helmet suffocated him, he had to take it off. His armor was drenched in blood and entrails, and in his own vomit. His world narrowed down to vomitting, crying and the feeling of his disgusting armor.
And then came the pain. As he kneeled over the ground, supported by his hands, he felt a crushing pain in his right arm, still clutching the sword. He opened his eyes. There was only darkness. He couldn’t see anything, but he most certainly felt everything else. This time he wasn’t just crying about his scarred soul, but also cause of the immense pain in  his right hand.
„Ohhh you poor boy, you can’t see in the darkness? Here let me help you!” came the oh so falmiliar voice.
The world came right back to him. He could see his helmet lying on floor a few feets away. He could see his hands. He could see the heel of the armored boot, crushing his right hand.
The creature stepped off of his hand, letting him see his distorted crippled right hand. He couldn’t even let his sword go.
„Where did your resolve go, eh, kid?” he kicked Eront in the face, sending him tumbling backwards.
Eront was lying on his back trying to get up. He walked up to him slowly. He lazily raised his blade. Eront raised his own disfigured right handed blade, his gauntlet so broken, that it engulfed the sword’s handle enirely. The blackened blade met his own in ther air, and broke his own into a million pieces, shimmering like the stars in a cloudless night. He stomped on his breastplate, breaking a piece out of it, just above his heart.
Breathless, Eront turned on his stomach and tried crawling away, crying with pain.
„You know, I find it ridiculous that people believe that the worst that can happen to them is that their good memories are sucked out of their soul. Wouldn’t you agree?I mean, what’s that, compared to taking your already nightmarish memory, and making it even worse?”  he laughed.
Eront got up to his feat, clenching his teeth. There is a doorway! If I could just make it there I may run away and hide somewhere until he is gone! And so he ran. While he just walked after him. He reached the doorway. He ran through it. He ran through the corridor behind it, the hall behind the corridor, and the room after that. All the while hearing the creature shuffling after him and singing on his terrible voice. He could feel his ears bleeding.
„Isn’t she lovely? Isn’t she wonderful? Isn’t she precious? Less than one minute old…..”
In this room he could see a bunch of  coffins piled up. He opened one of them and climbed inside, fighting off the urge to cry out load with the pain in his hand. He closed the lid, and waited, and prayed. He could hear him walking closer and closer. He waited with his breath held. And than, he could hear his steps further and further away, untill, he didn’t hear them at all. He exhaled with relief. If I could just hole up inside here, maybe I could make a run for it, and reach the others, he thought.
„Let’s just assume I can’t smell your fear, or sense your soul. Did you seriously believe that I wouldn’t smell your urine drenched pants?”
Barbed spikes manifested inside the coffin, and bit into his flesh. He grabbed the coffin and threw the boy out of it. The spikes tearing out of his flesh and armor alike.
Eront laid on the ground, crying, sobbing, and bleeding to his death. With his body maimed he hardly had any bodypart capable of moving.
„Why don’t you just kill me already?! THE FUCK DO YOU WANT FROM ME!?” he yelled at the being with his last attempt at grabbing reality.
„Kill you? And where would be the fun in that?”
He kicked Eront in the back. And again. All the way back to the first room, where they have met.
„Where it began, shall it end.”
He grabbed him by the head and lifted him off the ground, high into the air.
He showed the cadet nightmares again. He made him live through the one with his mother, than he showed others to him. Nightmares of what will become of him when he is done with him.
That’s when the ceiling came crushing down, with Duke and Cass.
„Let him go Alassar!” she screamed at the shadow.
„Or else? What could you possibly do to me.”
Duke rushed at him swinging at the arm holding his maimed friend. And nothing happened, Alassar simply sweeped him away, sending him into the hard wall with a crunching sound.
Eront’s eyes rolled back in his head, showing only the white of his eyes.
Cass tried reaching the dagger in Eront’s belt but the shadows didn’t let her. She tried fighting them off but she had no succes.
Duke getting up from the ground shaking his head, also had to fight with his own shadows.
„I’ll play with you guys as well. But right now I’m enjoying a delicate meal.”
The shadows fought both of them down, and started strangling them.
Cass could hardly breath. „The dagger…. stab him with it!”
Eront couldn’t hear them, his soul was hardly even present in his body.
Duke yelled at him fighting the shadows off. „Use the dagger and kill him!”
Cass fighting the down her part, joined in also. „Just a stab and you can end it!”
Eront’s conciusness came back, like coming back from under the water, taking a big breath.
He barely opened his eyes, murmuring. „A stab…. and it’s over….”
„Yes, just stab him!” they screamed in unison.
Eront reached for the dagger in his scabbard, with his miraculously still healthy left hand.
He brought it up.
Alassar looked at him with curiosity.
„A stab and I can finally end all the suffering!” he murmured with blood dripping from his mouth.
He brought up the dagger, and stabbed. Through the darkness, through the hole in his armor.
Through his flesh… into his own heart.