Devil Ash Deceit (Devil Ash Saga) (10 page)

A lone girl dressed in simple servant’s robes scrambled through the door of the outpost. Aura was immediately interested in the petite young woman, craning his neck to get a better look at her. Most of her head and body was covered by a baggy hood, making it difficult to decide how attractive she was.

“Yes, master Dawnfall?” she said.

“Don’t just stand there, get the specimen!” he ordered her. The girl dashed out of the room in a hurry.

“Who’s the cutie?” Aura asked.

“Leona, my servant. Don’t bother talking to her,” he said. “She’s a little slow, if you know what I mean.”

“I know exactly what you mean,” said Shiva while casting an accusatory glance toward the love struck Aura.

A moment later Leona rushed in so fast she tripped and dropped the item she was carrying. An enormous glass jar slid across the floor, rolling to stop at Phoenix’s feet. The man bent down and picked up the jar, ignoring his fallen servant. He set the container on the table so everyone could see the horrible demon inside.

The creature was easily the size of a large cat. Most of its body looked like a light bulb attached to some standard bug parts, like the thin wiry legs and hideous bug eyes. It’s little legs scratched at the glass jar, but it couldn’t get out. A neon green glow coming from the demon’s body filled the jar, almost obscuring the bug. With everyone’s attention focused on the demon, Leona picked herself up from the floor and backed away with her head lowered.

Aura offered her a helping hand up. She declined, stood on her own, and backed out the door. The boy sighed, disappointed.

“How long until the swarm reaches the Kingdom?” Wilhelm asked.

“No more than an hour,” Phoenix said.

“How long until they’re within firing range?” Shiva asked.

“That depends entirely upon your skill level,” Phoenix replied.

“So these things, these bugs…” Ash said. “What exactly do they do?”

“Dire flies are explosive insect demons,” Phoenix said. “They live very short lives due to the explosive gasses their bodies produce. They have a tendency to…
explode
, uncontrollably.”

“So I can’t use my death touch?” Aura asked sounding alarmed.
I’ve made a huge mistake coming here,
he thought.

“Not unless you can use your ability without actually physically touching them.”

“It’s a death
touch.
Not a death
beam
,” Aura replied, sullen.

“Single specimens like this one are manageable, but an entire swarm is a serious problem. Their only life goals are eating and mating, which are constantly hindered by their accidental suicides. Even the slowest collisions cause their gasses to ignite. We can use that to our advantage by barraging them with flame shots before they reach us.”

“Let’s do it then!” said Shiva, getting pumped.

Everyone moved outdoors, where the group of men waited patiently for their leader. Phoenix moved to the front of the crowd and addressed everyone. He spoke loud and clear, his voice stern and commanding.

“Listen up, men! The swarm will be here within the hour. Line up along the edge of the cliff. Everyone hold your flames until the demons are close enough to shoot. We’re going to blast them all out of the sky before any get through! If you run of out flames or let any demons through, it will be your duty to stop them by any means possible! That means throwing your body in front of one if need be!”

Many of the men started to sweat and gulp nervously. A few of them even had trembling legs. Still, they all moved into formation around the edges of the canyon. Phoenix took center stage, with Wilhelm on one side and Shiva on the other.

“Where do you want me?” Ash asked, stepping up beside Shiva.

“Wait a minute,
Ash
was it
?” said Phoenix. “Perhaps this is not the best place for a mere
human
to be.”

“Actually, I’m only
half
-human,” said Ash. “I got plenty of flames.”

“That makes you about half as
useful,
I’m afraid. I have a more appropriate role for you to play though. Hey Archen!” Phoenix called for the old man, who came immediately. “Take Ash with you and evacuate everyone from West Hell,” he said. “If any demons get through, it’ll be a disaster for anyone still down there. It’s very important that we get everyone out. Can you two handle that?”

“Yes, of course,” Archen replied. “Follow me, boy,” said the old man. Without a moment to spare for Ash to raise a complaint, Archen dashed away. The boy bit his tongue and chased after him. Everyone else turned their focus back to Phoenix, the man with the plan.

“You two,” Phoenix called to Shiva and Aura. “Are you confident in your flame combat skills, both of you?” They nodded.

“I don’t wanna say I’m awesome at flame combat,” said Aura. “But yes, I am extremely awesome at flame combat, sir.”

“You know me, I’ve been blasting demons out of the sky since I was little,” said Shiva.

“Good. Then prepare a flame. They’re getting closer.”

The men stood side by side so that everyone could take shots. The swarm was almost within firing range. Everyone waited on edge for the command. Phoenix stood in the center of the formation, with Wilhelm to his right and Shiva to his left. The girl glanced down the line at her beloved grandfather and the old friend she’d rediscovered. She remembered Phoenix being intelligent and talented, but his commanding personality was something new. Now that she was older, Shiva wanted to show the man just how much she’d changed as well.

“Ready!” Phoenix said, snapping Shiva out of her daze. The line of men had all ignited flames of various sizes and shapes within their hands. Some even held multiple fireballs. Shiva also prepared a large fireball, anxious to show her stuff.

The men raised their arms and aimed their flames at the living storm before them. A single nightmarish entity, the swarm approached like a hungry beast ready to take a bite out of a part of Hell that was trying desperately to expand. Being on the front line of the defense almost certainly meant death if even one of the demons got close enough to explode.

“Hold!” said Phoenix. The neon glow of the demons approaching looked like a small green sun, making its way across the desert. Aura started to sweat. He found himself wishing he’d been assigned to the evacuation duty with Ash.

“Hold…” Phoenix commanded once more. The cloud of bugs was almost upon the rock valley before the cliff. Shiva trembled with excitement.

“
NOW!
” Phoenix shouted, blasting his own large fireball forward. Wilhelm simultaneously discharged two fireballs into the swarm, while everyone else shot their own fiery blasts. Shiva let hers loose as well, partially hoping that Phoenix was watching her. The flaming orbs shot across the sky above the open valley and collided with the frontline of demons. The first round of explosions began.

The explosions could be heard from all the way across the Kingdom. To Ash and old man Archen who were near the entrance to West Hell, the thunderous blasts were like a timer going off. They scurried on their route to help the people evacuate from the area.

Though they were still far off in the distance, the force from the explosions could be felt by all. The shockwaves blew clouds of sand in all directions, creating an eerie cover for the oncoming swarm to hide in. The brave defenders blasted their flames forward, but with each successful hit a new explosion would stir up more clouds of sand and dust, making it all the more difficult to aim properly. Not even the neon glow of the dire flies could be seen through the clouds of dust.

The next round of flames shot forward. The most destructive fireballs were from Phoenix and Wilhelm. Even with the battlefield clouded, their flames always resulted in another round of explosions that reduced the swarm’s numbers. Shiva took notice of Leona standing nearby. It seemed the servant woman was more capable than anyone had guessed, as she lobbed fireballs with great ease. Not wanting to be outdone by a mere house servant, Shiva stepped up her game and started blasting more rapidly.

Aura was also among the crowd of fire fighters. The boy fired off as many shots as anyone else but became more than a little frustrated at the lack of sight on the battlefield. Only when the demon bugs got close enough to the edge of the dust cloud could their green glow be seen again.

This sucks,
thought Aura.
Everyone’s just blasting forward randomly, hoping to get a hit. Even when we do get a hit, it just makes more explosions that make more dust clouds… At this rate, there’s no way we can stop them all. Maybe if we could properly see them…

The boy lowered his arm and extinguished a flame. He closed his eyes and concentrated, lifting his hand to his face. The blue electricity jumped from his death touch hand to his eyes. When he opened them, he could see new figures among the dust clouds heading towards them. Thousands of small purple clouds that could only be the demon’s souls. A wicked smile appeared on his face, seeing that his new ability worked on the demons as well.

With a new way to aim, the death toucher prepared an enormous fireball. He shot it forward, aiming for the largest cluster of demon souls that he could see. When it was within range of the swarm, the boy practiced a new technique he’d been working on. Aura split his single fireball into ten smaller ones. He had less control over the smaller flames, but they were close enough that he hit most of the demons by sheer luck.

The largest shockwave yet rocked the canyon. Some of the smaller men, and even Shiva and Leona, were pushed back several inches from the force. Aura smiled, realizing he’d come up with the most successful tactic yet. He did it once more, using his soul sight to spot where the largest clusters of demons were hiding among the dust clouds, then blasting them with the cluster bomb of flames. Phoenix and Wilhelm, who’d been firing continuously without slowing down, took note of the boy’s talent.

Though Shiva was drenched in sweat, she would not stop shooting. Not when Leona was still firing with great ease. There was no way she’d allow herself to be outdone by the servant girl.

“Cease fire!” said Phoenix. The distant landscape of the outer West side could no longer be seen through the blanket of dusty clouds hanging in the air. Everyone stopped firing, grateful for the rest. Most of the men were running low on their flame reserves and could really use the refresh time. For how loud it had just been, the quiet that came over the land now was ominous and eerie.

Aura used his soul sight once again to find out where the remaining members of the demon swarm were hiding. It was more difficult this time to make the jump from his hand to his eyes with his power. He had to strain his eyeballs and move his hand closer to his face to make it work. The power kicked in and he could see the purple clouds of demon souls hovering around above the canyon once again. Before he could warn anyone, everything went dark.

What the…
he thought, closing his eyes and opening them again. Still black. The boy strained his eyes once more, trying to return his sight by using his special ability. The demon souls flickered into sight before disappearing, leaving Aura with a black-only palette.
I can’t see!
he thought, slipping into a panic attack.

“What are you doing Draxler?!” Shiva said, glancing in his direction. She saw the boy crouching low, eyes filled with terror and not much else.

“I… I’m blind!” said Aura.

From the cloud of dust emerged hundreds more dire flies, surging forward as if the many deaths of their swarm meant nothing to them. Those who could still form flames began again at once. Shiva tossed a weak fireball at an oncoming fly, just barely managing to clip it in time. The explosion was close enough that she could feel a spray of demon guts on her skin.

“Did you say
blind
?!” Shiva asked. Aura answered, but she didn’t pay attention. A dire fly was zooming straight at Aura. The girl instinctively prepared another fireball, but it was too weak. She threw it and missed. The dire fly continued its collision course with Aura.

“
Move, Draxler
!” Shiva yelled.

An explosion rang in Aura’s ears and the force from it nearly knocked him over. It should have been over for him but something stood before him, blocking the blast. Some
one
.

“
Grandpa
!” Shiva’s voice echoed throughout the valley.

Standing in front of Aura, old man Wilhelm blocked the explosion from the demon. The clothing on his back was incinerated, revealing a bloody burnt wound that was still smoking. Various body parts from the dire fly littered the ground, some even stuck to Wilhelm’s back.

“
That ability of yours… taking its toll on you
?” Wilhelm asked Aura. The old man’s breathing was deep and strained, his face twisted with pain.

“Is that you, Great Satan?” Aura asked. “What’s going on? What did you do just now?”

“Grandpa!” Shiva said, rushing over to inspect her grandfather’s wound. “You’re hurt! Can you move? You have to get out of here!”

Several front-runners from the dire fly swarm changed course and ended up flying down into the canyon valley. Their deaths sparked explosions that trembled the rocks and threatened to bring down the cliff everyone was standing on. Another demon shot forward aiming for the three people that were no longer shooting. Before it could reach them, it was shot down by Phoenix.

“It’s time for the Royal Family to go!” Phoenix said. “Everyone cover them! Give your lives if you have to!”

“Don’t worry about me,” Wilhelm said. “I was protecting myself with soul power when the demon exploded. I’ll be fine.” The old man took a step and his legs buckled.

“Come on,” Shiva said, putting her grandfather’s arm around her and lifting him. “Follow my voice Draxler, we’re leaving.”

One of the faster demons broke free from the swarm and headed straight for the cliff. Everyone else was too busy firing at their own advancing demons to do anything. One man from West Hell could not charge a flame in time to save himself. When the dire fly slammed into him
the explosion was instantaneous. The resulting blast turned the man into a charred corpse.

Shiva
, Aura, and Wilhelm were tossed like dolls by the force. The girl checked to see if her friends were okay, then looked at the blackened patch of ground where the body lay. Fresh blood splattered everywhere, even a spattering wound up on Shiva’s face. More people laid on the ground moaning in agony. One by one, dire flies were getting by and crashing into the canyon side, causing the land to crumble. Everyone still standing had to step back, afraid the ledge might give out underneath them.

“Fall back! Keep shooting!” Phoenix said. Seconds later he clipped one of the demon’s wings, sending it plummeting into the canyon side. The resulting explosion was all that the rock wall could take. The ground everyone had been standing on only moments ago dropped into the canyon valley.

The men ran for their lives. Some brave souls backed off slowly, risking their safety to continue lobbing fireballs at the oncoming swarm. Those who could do no more helped the wounded. Some cowards simply abandoned everyone and ran. Phoenix continued to shoot down any dire flies that came near, but even he was running low on firepower.

“Keep fighting!” Phoenix shouted over the calamity. “We will die here so no one else has to!”

Shiva was on her feet again. With Leona’s help, she pulled Wilhelm and Aura to their feet and started moving. It wasn’t safe to be outside anymore. Everyone headed for the small outpost that was only yards away. With the demon swarm advancing, even Phoenix had to call it quits and run when he could no longer form a flame himself. Faced with a charge of nearly twenty bugs, the scholar cursed his weakness and turned to run.

From some distant place, rapid blasts of flames shot forward. The many fireballs decimated the oncoming demons with surprising accuracy and luck. The sky filled with simultaneous explosions that even engulfed some of the flies that weren’t yet advancing. Phoenix directed his attention upward. Shiva and the rest followed his gaze.

Standing on top of the outpost was Ash, dual flames in his hands. The boy sweated from head to toe and gasped loudly for air.

“I can take it from here,” the boy said, beaming with confidence.

Archen arrived on the scene as well, not wasting a moment in assisting any of the wounded men. “Get everyone into the outpost!” he said to his fellow Royal Guards. They scrambled to follow orders.

Phoenix seemed dumbfounded to see Ash standing there, saving everyone like he did. The man regained composure and nodded his head in respect to the boy. “It seems we could have used you earlier. I apologize for my disrespect.”

“I’m here now,” Ash replied. He had the faintest smile on his face, until he looked around at the scene unfolding atop the cliff. Many people were wounded and crying out in pain. Some were dead. Ash had to fight the urge to both vomit and cry. He blamed himself for not getting there just a few seconds earlier.
Maybe
, he thought,
I could have saved them.

The boy spotted more demons approaching through the cloudy debris that filled the air. His anger taking over, the boy raised his hands as high as he could.

“
Die…
”

Ash started collecting flames in his open hands. A large ball of fire appeared above his head.

“
Stupid demons
…”

The ball of fire grew larger than an Earthan automobile. The people that had stopped to watch gazed at the boy in utter awe. Phoenix watched intently, studying the boy.

“
Just die
!!”

Ash screamed as he chucked the miniature sun he created at the remaining dire flies. The first of the demon bugs to explode only fed the flames, making the ripples of consequent explosions even larger. For a moment, it appeared the entire rock valley was ablaze.  When the final explosion was done, every last person in a mile radius laid on the ground covering their ears and eyes.

All except Ash. He still stood on the outpost roof, having witnessed the entire demonic fireworks display. He was breathing even more heavily, having used up most of his flame stock in one shot. The boy dripped sweat not only from exhaustion, but for the first time since coming to Hell, the heat. The boy dropped to his butt, trying to catch his breath and relax for a moment.

Phoenix appeared unscathed from the blast, even though he was standing the closest to it. The man knew how to protect himself in a pinch. He stared up at the human warrior, a mere boy with a tremendous amount of power. Everyone around him began to stir, to stand up and retreat. Phoenix cast one last look out over the valley to ensure no more dire flies remained.

It took a few minutes for the clouds of swirling debris to settle. When the sky cleared, the men could see the threat of the dire flies was over.

“All clear!” Phoenix yelled in triumph. A resounding cheer arose from the survivors. Those who weren’t broken too badly twisted their bodies in emotion. Some jumped for joy, shouting the praises of their leader. Others dropped to their knees crying, just happy to still be alive or mourning the deaths of their friends. While Aura fumbled in the dark with Wilhelm, Shiva cast a curious glance up towards Ash.

The boy sat perfectly still on the outpost roof, staring out into the canyon valley. His face did not display a positive look. The boy seemed pensive, and Shiva directed her gaze out towards where the boy was looking. She saw nothing.

“Hey Ash, you alright?” she asked him.

“Can’t any of you hear it?” the boy asked in return.

Confused, Shiva turned to look out into the canyon once more. This time, instead of focusing too much on her sense of vision, the girl tried tuning out the sounds of the wounded warriors around her. There was another sound, more ominous and quieter. It lurked in the background of the scene, slowing growing louder.
Multiplying
.

“Rolling stones!” Phoenix shouted.