"Charge! Send this demonic bastards back to the inferno!" rang a voice from the gathered group of defenders. The band was made up of Eanian soldiers, college guards and students who were willing and capable of fighting. As the defenders rallied and charged it took barely a few seconds before they were thrust back into the chaos of battle. Demon's swarmed over them registering their group as a threat and seeking to end the threat before it spread. At first the group seemed capable, they seemed to be winning even. But, this was short lived as more and more demons targeted them. Soon soldiers, guards and students alike began to fall. The demons used their numbers and the fear they inspired to their advantage.
In the front of the group stood the Eanian captain, fighting two demons on his own and managing to stand his own ground. His voice rang out as he shouted out orders to anyone nearby, trying to keep their group focused an in something of a formation. In the rear of this failing group stood two humans. One clad in armor and the other clinging to her sword for dear life.
Jenna stood just behind Deven her sword raised in a defensive posture, one that Deven had taught her. But her arms were shaking horribly and her eyes were darting across the room rapidly. She was obviously terrified and in shock at everything going on around her. "D-Deven we need to get out of here." She said, her fear clear in her tone. "I'm working on it Jenna. Just hang in there." Deven replied his voice oddly calm in the chaos.
"We just need to ge-" He tried to say before his attention was stolen away when the screech from a charging demon pounded against his eardrum. The Demon was imp like standing at about the size of an average human. It charged at him with it's claws ready to rend his flesh. Deven readied himself and just as the demon was about to reach him he side stepped and slashed the demons arm with his blade. The demon hissed in pain and sputtered to a stop before lunging at him. Deven barely had time to ready his sword again before the demon tackled him. He had managed to point the blade in the imps direction and as it tackled him, it impaled its body onto his blade. His sword plunged through the demons stomach as he fell back onto the ground.
Even while impaled the demon still thrashed about atop him. Raking its claws across his armor leaving scratches as it tried to tear through to his flesh. Deven struggled under the demon for a few moments before he managed to force the demon off of him. He managed to heave the demon off his body and onto the ground beside him. The second the demon was off of him he moved his left hand off the hilt of his sword and tor his knife from it's sheath quickly driving the blade into the demon's skull.
As he tore both his blades free from the demons body he returned his knife to his sheath before getting to his feet. As he began to stand he noticed Jenna standing over him with her sword raised as though she was about to strike. "Gotta move faster then that Jenna." Deven said somewhat angrily. Jenna did not reply, instead she stood their eyeing him her body shaking terribly. "I-I-I" She stammered as she tried to formulate her sentence. Slowly he hands began to lower before she dropped her blade to the ground in a loud clatter. Deven quickly closed the gap between him and her as she began to fall to her knees, he grabbed her shoulder with his free arm and slowed her fall before kneeling at her side making sure to keep his back to the wall and his front towards the rest of the dining hall so he could see any approaching demons.
"B-By the gods...were all going to die...there's too many of them..." Jenna said, her voice shaking horribly. "No don't say that Jenna. Were going to be fine. I promise you." Deven said as he patted her back. "Were going to make it through this safe and sound I promise you." Deven continued in a reassuring tone as he kept his head on a swivel for any approaching demons. "No! No we aren't Deven. We aren't going to be fine! T-There is too many of t-them." She snapped anger rising in her tone.
"We're going to die here..." She said, her eyes bore into the mess of countless bodies littering the floor around them. "No Jenna. Listen to me. You are going to make it out of here. I promise. I won't let a single one of these demonic bastards touch you. I promise I will get you out of here. You just have to stay strong, we have to keep moving you have to trust me. I will get you out of here." He said his tone had changed from its reassuring and soothing tone, to a more serious and commanding one. "I know you are a strong girl Jenna. You can make it through this, just hang in there. Don't cave into your fear." He said switching back to his old tone. As he finished speaking a smile spread across his lips under his helmet. "Besides they haven't won yet, i'm still standing aren't I?" He said giving a small forced laugh at the petty joke.
She looked back at him with hopeful eyes. "Alright." She said nodding her head. "Your right. I can't give up yet. We need to push on." She said before the two got back to their feet.
Deven opened his mouth to speak but was cut short when a scream of pain emanated from the soldiers ahead.
Both Deven and Jenna's eyes shot to the source. There standing behind a group of soldiers was the Eanian officer. He stood their arms out stretched to his sides with a blade plunged through his back. Behind him stood a Djarkel soldier. The Djarkel soldier's arm was coated in blood and seemed dented a rent. He tore his blade from the Eanian officers back and watched as the lifeless corpse collapsed to the floor. Shouts of anger and rage erupted from the Eanian soldier's nearby as they watched their officer die. Many of them, charged towards the Djarkel soldier abandoning their formation and some even charging out of the fight they were in, all of them seeking to get their revenge.
The second the formation broke the demon's swarmed, overrunning those that remained and resuming their slaughter. Before them the counter attack fell to pieces and the demon's rushed forward seeking to eradicate this band from existence. Oh no.. Deven thought as he watched the remaining soldiers scramble to defend themselves. They were doing so well, they had managed to form a suitable defense against the demon, but now, with the lose of the officer, what order was created was quickly lost.
Deven had little time to prepare or to think of a new plan as a humanoid demon rushed forward. This demon held only a crude longsword in hand but, was charging in a bull rush towards them. As the demon closed on the pair it swung its blade in a wide horizontal strike using it's momentum to help the power of its strike. Deven hopped backwards but was not fast enough as the blade dragged across his chest plate. Once the demon finished its attack, it continued on, leaving Deven just enough time to parry its attacks. Deven was forced to keep stepping backwards in order to keep some distance between him and the demon all the while he parried the demon's blow making sure none of the attack hit their target.
Then from the side, Jenna rushed the demon, slashing it across its side and ending its relentless attacks. The demon howled in pain and eyed Jenna angrily. The second there was a break in the demon's attack Deven rushed forward. Slashing the demon across its chest and spinning around before slashing the demon again. This attack though damaging to the demon, left Deven exposed to an attack. As the demon went to exploit this exposure it was stopped in its tracks as Jenna slashed her blade across the side of it's neck. The demon dropped to its knees as its throat filled with blood and was quickly ended as Deven severed it's head from its body.
As Deven looked back up he saw a group of four demons rushing them, he felt his heart drop at the sight of the overwhelming odds but was prepared to fight all the more. That was until a voice echoed throughout the hall commanding the demons to die. At this command all of the four demons began to take their own lives. Quickly Deven's eyes shot towards the teachers table where he saw Tyrael, all around him demons were taking their own lives. A sense of awe and fear filled Deven but he could not let his eye linger long, not in their current situation. As Tyrael turned to face some other threat that required his attention Deven turned back to the situation swelling around him and Jenna.
While Tyrael's command had brought an end to a large number of the enemies in the hall, there was still a formidable force left. "How many damned demons are there?" He asked mostly towards himself. He received no answer to the empty question Jenna's eyes were scanning around them. The pure amount of demon's killed in that command was inspiring to many of the defenders, seeing so many of their foes taking their own lives did something in lifting moral, Jenna was not spared from this. She felt the little ember hidden away in her light into a small fire, there was hope. If not only a little.
Cheer's erupted from further back in the hall, but those in the front by the main doors had little time to cheer. As effective as Tyrael's command was, the further away the less effective it was. Meaning the demon's on the far end of the hall, still stood in their own will.
Before the pair of humans stood two human-like demons, their weapons bloodied from the number of lives they had claimed. The pair of demons eyed the two human's hungrily and menacingly. Patches of their armor gleamed with the blood of the fallen and this only served to multiply their intimidating posture. Deven's eyes narrowed on the demons as they approached. He could perhaps hold his own if not take on one of these demons himself, but Jenna, without her armor would be extremely vulnerable and would need to rely on skill and no small amount of luck and Deven was not sure how much of either one she had. He had to do something to catch the demon's attention. Something to get their focus on him and off Jenna, perhaps he could hold their attention while Jenna flanked them. It was risky and he could very well lose his own life, but it was the only option, at the rate things seemed to be going anyone that could help them was busy dealing with bigger threats.
"Jenna." Deven said as quickly as possible. "You need to go around them, try and attack them from the back or sides. It's our best chance!" Deven said as fast as his lips possibly could. As his gaze switched back to the demons it was clear they had begun to charge them. He could try counter charging, but with their superior numbers that would almost certainly mean death.
As Jenna began to reply he had no time to wait and listen he had to act, he needed to do something. He clenched his right hand tightly around the hilt of his sword and sprung forward he needed to put a small safe zone between him and Jenna.
"I will, but Deven what are you thi-" Jenna went to say before Deven sprung forward towards the demons. Her heart dropped as he drew closer to the two demons, What is he planning? He isn't going to charge them head on was he? She thought to herself in something of despair. But before he got too far Deven dropped low picking something up off the ground in his free hand and stopping in his tracks standing between her and the demons. "Get ready!" He shouted as he lifted the object up. It was then she realized just what it was, he had picked up the severed head of the demon they had recently fought.
"Come On!" He shouted in as intimidating voice as he could muster.
As he finished he drew back his arm before throwing it forward, sending the severed head flying threw the air towards the demon on his left. As the head flew towards its target Deven quickly gripped his blade in both hands having only a couple second before the demons would be upon him. In those desperate few second he channeled his blood into heating his blade until it glowed orange, once it was heated enough he stopped pouring his magic into the blade in order to conserve energies, it would be able to stay heated for a few minutes but would need to be reheated soon.
Deven's throw turned out to be better than expected as the severed head hit the second demon in its own head, causing it to stumble and shake its head in surprise, before turning it's ire to the human that threw it. Because of this flinching the first demon was able to get barely ahead. Already it lifted its bloodied barbed sword and charged towards the mortal.
As the demon closed on Deven it drew its blade back and swung it upward in a circle hoping to break Deven's defense. The attack being as obvious as it was, was rather easy to dodge as Deven side stepped the demons attack, but as soon as he finished his dodged the second demon was on him with its demonic curved great sword. It swung the blade vertically from the upper right to the bottom left. Deven barely managed to step and curve his body to the left as he dodged the attack. But using the momentum of the swing the demon spun its body around and carried the blade in a large arc before coming back around to face Deven and bringing it's blade down vertically at him.
Again Deven barely managed to sidestep the attack, and slash out hastily at the demon, his blade cut along the side of the demon's face and unarmored shoulder, tearing and burning flesh as it made contact with the heated blade. The demon howled in pain and stumbled back, just as the second took its place, stabbing its blade at Deven who was barely able to deflect the blade to the side and slash at the demon's stomach. The demon made no attempt to even dodge the attack letting the blade tear through its midsection, it resisted the urge to roar in pain, instead recovering from Deven's deflection and turning the blade and bashing the hilt of it into the side of Deven's helmet.
Pain jolted through Deven's head as his world was rattled for a second as he stumbled to his right. His left hand shot up toward where he had been hit. The blow had left a dent in his helm, that he could feel both outside and inside his helm, but he was far from out of the fight. He blinked his eyes rapidly as he regained his focus. Brought his left hand back down to his sword as he turned and faced the demons, making sure to face a point between the two demons. The one with the barbed sword was staring directly at him while the other was hunched over still gripping the side of its head.
Deven’s eyes darted back between them both as he waited for them to move. But, before either of them charged forward, he saw the great sword wielding demon stand back up straight revealing the gruesome wound going down the side of its face. The demon roared in rage and charged forward. As it closed the gap it swung its great sword diagonally from its bottom right up and to the right. The blade glided past as Deven barely managed to back step in time. But, the demon was not done yet. It pulled against it’s swords momentum and spun it around bring it back along the path it had came along. Deven barely managed to lean back in time as the blade glided centimeters from his chest. The demon let the blades momentum carry spinning it around in a circle before bringing it straight down towards Deven. Who narrowly dodged the strike by sidestepping to his left. While sidestepping he slashed the demon diagonally up its chest and over its wounded shoulder.
As Deven finished his strike he barely had time to dodge the horizontal strike the first demon sent at him. In order to dodge Deven was forced to back step but as he did he quickly found himself tripping over the blade of the great sworded demon. Deven’s heart skipped a beat as he stumbled backwards struggling in vain to regain his footing. As Deven fell back onto his back he scolded himself furiously for his mistake, for if he was not quick this mistake could cost him more than just a few wounds.
As soon as he landed, producing a loud crash as he did, he saw the barbed sworded demon smiling monstrously at him before rushing forward and leaping into the air, angling its sword directly downward midair aiming to stab the blade down into Deven.
Deven threw all his weight to his left as he rolled out of the way of the strike. There was aloud crash and screech of metal dragging on stone. Clutching his sword in only his right hand Deven swung out to his right towards the demon, cutting deeply into its right arm. The demon growled in pain but was not able to react fast enough, for as soon as Deven finished his attack there was the thunderous sound of the other demon fast approaching.
It was dragging its curved great sword along the ground as it rushed at Deven, it’s eyes gleaming with it’s intent. Deven had barely anytime to react once more throwing all his weight to his left as he tried to roll out of the way. But, the blade was too quick and it’s reach too far, as Deven rolled the blade sliced into his armor and cut deeply into his right side. “Gah!” Deven gasped as the instant pain shot through his body. There was a loud crash as the demon’s blade came crashing back down to the ground behind it. The demon struggled to regain its footing and ready it’s weapon, giving Deven just enough time to get to his feet. He stumbled as he first got to his feet and his hand shot to his side as a increased wave of pain burned through his body.
I can't stop, I have to keep fighting. Jenna is relying on me, I have to at least take these bastards with me when I die. I have to keep her safe, I can't give up yet. He thought to himself. With this in mind he did everything he could to push out the pain and focus on the fight, he had to win the fight he couldn't lose here, not now. But with how things have been going his chances were only getting slimmer. He needed help.
As the fighting ensued Jenna did as she was told, she stayed a small distance away and skirted around the fighting as she tried to flank the two attacking demons. At first the task seemed simple enough, but as was soon proven, it was hard to flank an enemy in a fight were both sides were changing direction and stance repeatedly. Each time she would get behind one of them it would turn in order to continue facing Deven.
Finally when she got behind the demons and they seemed to be facing this direction for a good amount of time she was unable to will herself forward, she pushed with everything she had ordering her legs to charge forward and her arms to bring up her blade and prepare to strike down these demons but, she could not. No matter how hard she willed herself forward her body would not budge.
Jenna you need to move. Deven is relying on you. You need to help him he is in trouble, he can’t take them both on his own. You have to do something or he will die! She thought to herself as she tried to will her limbs to move. Yet still, nothing happened. Every time she looked at the demons the image of them cutting down the guards, soldiers and her fellow students flooded her minds and overwhelmed her will. These things had cut down trained soldiers and guards as well as some adept students, what chance did she have? What was she? A noble who dabbled in archery? If trained soldiers fell to these monstrosities than she stood little chance.
She continued to watch the fight as she trembled terribly. That was, until she saw Deven lose his footing having tripped over the blade of one of the demons. She looked on in horror as he fell to floor completely vulnerable to any of the demons attacks. She had to do something, she couldn't sit there and watch her friend die. He had done this for her, he had risked his life for her, how could she live with herself if she let him die when he was relying on her to help. Jenna you need to move, he can’t do this alone, he needs your help. You have to move! She practically screamed in her head.
Then just as the barbed demon lept into the air and Deven rolled out of the way of its attack, she finally managed to will herself to take the first step forward, he body feeling oddly light as she kicked off and charged toward the kneeling one sworded demon. She noticed the demon’s blade had bent slightly from the force of the impact and it seemed to be inspecting the weapon thinking its ally could hold off the mortal as it did.
But as she closed on it, its head whipped around to face her, having heard the sound of her approaching footsteps. It opened its mouth and roared at her as it raised its blade to strike at her, still making an intimidating foe even while kneeling. But using her built up speed she was able to land a hit before it did. She plunged her blade forward throwing all her built up momentum into the attack as she drove her blade through the demons neck and out the other side. The demon’s roar was quickly silenced and replaced with a grotesque gurgling sound as the demon’s throat filled with blood.
With all her might Jenna tore her blade out from the demon’s neck. As she did blood splattered and onto the floor, quickly followed by gushing blood from the now open wound. The demon eyed her furiously and Jenna returned the glare in kind as she swung the blade spinning around and bringing the sword to bear on the demon’s neck severing its head from its shoulders. She was in awe that she had managed to do it, that she had actually managed to kill it. Part of her was convinced it was fake and any second she would snap back to reality.
But as she eyed the growing pool of crimson around her she did not snap back to any form of reality. Instead she was broke from her trance as a voice erupted from behind her, “Jenna!” The voice shouted in warning. The second she heard it Jenna whipped around towards its source but was met only with the sight of the great sword wielding demon who was already swinging its great blade horizontally in an attempt to slice Jenna’s midsection.
She tried to dodge the attack by back stepping but the blade was already too far in its motion to dodge entirely, instead she cringed in pain and cried out as the blade ripped through her clothing with ease and sliced across her stomach, the cut was not all too deep but it was enough to hinder her movement. She continued to stumble backwards but quickly found her feet slipping in the pool of blood below her feet, she scrambled to remain standing to no avail and found herself falling back onto the floor, the impact causing a wave of pain to shoot through her body emanating from both her back and the wound on her stomach.
Her blade clattered to the floor besides her, quickly blood began to soak her hair and sink into her clothes staining them crimson. The eerily warm liquid made chills run through her body as it warmed her. But her eyes were fixed on the demon standing above her while her hands clutched her wounded stomach. The demon’s eyes gleamed menacingly as it raised its great curved blade above its head ready to end here there and now. A feeling of dreadful hopelessness filled her as she watched the demon ready for its swing that would bring eternal darkness. She had tried to save her friend, she had tried to fight, at least she could die with that knowledge trying to cool the burning inferno of fear that gripped her being.
Then she heard it, that same voice crying out in rage, “NO!” it yelled. At the same time two arms wrapped around the demon as it was knocked to the ground next to Jenna, Deven falling atop it.
Besides Jenna the two thrashed about for dominance, while she began focusing her magic on sealing the wound on her stomach, in no way could she heal the wound entirely but with the training she had received she could perhaps at least close it. It was at least something.
Finally the thrashing stopped as the wrestling quickly became a fight for the demon to break free from the choke hold Deven had worked it into. The demon clawed at Deven’s arms but did little against the metal that made up his armor, it tried pulling at his arms but Deven managed to fight it and keep his hold. If it was not for the demons wounds it would have easily been able to break free from the hold over powering Deven with raw strength, but now its many wounds were taking its toll, sapping its strength from its limbs.
Finally the demon stopped its pulling against Deven’s arms instead reaching up towards Deven’s face, placing the palm of its hand on the cheek of his helm and slowly curling its claws under towards his neck. Slowly Deven began to feel the sharp poke of the demon’s claws on the skin of his neck, this contact only seemed to inspire the demon as it put more effort into tearing open his throat. Quickly Deven released his grip on the demon’s throat with his right hand and grabbed for his dagger tearing it from it’s sheath, just before the demon could plunge it’s claws in and tear open his throat Deven thrusted his knife into the side of the Demon’s neck.
Again and again Deven stabbed the demon’s neck each time the demons body would jolt, what were once roars and growls of pain had quickly reduced to the familiar gurgling sound. Slowly the demons body began to fall limp, but Deven did not stop until the demons claws fell away from his neck and dropped limply to the ground. As he pushed the demon’s body off of him her grabbed a hold of the top of it’s head using the dagger to cut through the remaining flesh keeping the head on, the bones in its neck having been broken sometime ago after the first few stabs.
Deven panted furiously and lay there allowing himself a second to catch his breath as he fought off the pain.
As he lay there he began to hear the sound of movement nearby and almost jumped when Jenna knelt over him and placed her hands on his side. A soothing sensation began to spread through Deven’s side as she did. As the sensation spread Deven noticed the beginning stages of fatigue begin to show through in her face. At this realization he quickly grabbed a hold of her hands pulling them away from his side. She looked down at him a little shocked as he spoke, “No, don’t you’ll need your strength. I will live.” He said as he sat up.
All around them the fighting still raged, more demon’s had begun to pour into the hall just as reinforcements from other areas of the college began to arrive. Still the chaos raged and death hung over the hall in the form of the bodies that littered every open area in the hall. Though the soldiers seemed to be fighting with more organization and where dying in smaller numbers, still the fighting was a cruel and as grueling as ever. Where there were not Demons fighting there were Eanian and Djarkel soldiers fighting, though their numbers had begun to run much lower than that of the other defenders of the hall.
Slowly both Deven and Jenna rose to their feet and retrieved their weapons. Deven even managing to prey a shield from the hands of a dead Eanian soldier. Jenna managed to find herself a bow which had been carried by a wood elf, but was yet to find any arrows, the wood elf’s body having been stripped of all arrows by some other archer.
“Blast! Now even a single arrow.” Complained Jenna as she stood from the wood elves corpse doing her best to hold down the bile that rose to the back of her throat while searching over the body. “We’ll find some eventually, just be thankful most of the nearby demons are preoccupied.” Deven responded. Both of their eyes shifted towards a line of soldiers that were doing a fantastic job at holding off a group of demons ahead of them.
“Maybe...but at what cost?” Jenna replied sullenly. Her eyes were filled with pain and sorrow as she spoke.
Deven frowned sympathetically, he struggled to find the right words to sooth his friend, for on the inside even he knew that this brief respite had come at a grueling cost to others and every second they used it they were only allowing more suffering to go unassisted. The thought filled Deven with a sense of guilt, but still he remained where he was. Listening to that part of his mind that begged him not to charge into the fight, to stay away where it was safe. He was not sure if it was his fear of his instincts that told him to fight would be foolish. Eventually he resigned to it being somewhere in between
“One far too great” He replied his tone just as sullen.
Konan375