Devil Ash Disarray (Devil Ash Saga Book 3) (14 page)

When Shiva finally checked on Ash he was still sitting on his rear examining the damage. He stared at his hands, wide eyed in disbelief.

“What happened there? We nearly had him!”

“I think this kid is going to be more of a pain than we first anticipated,” Ash said, holding up his charred black hands for her to see.

Chapter Nine: Summer Soulstice

“What do you think?” Ash said to Aura.

He and Shiva had returned to the festival info booth where Aura said he’d meet them. They found him standing on
top
of the booth, perched like a bird scouting out the crowd. “Any good prospects for our team?” Ash asked.

“I found some good prospects alright,” Aura said with a confident nod. He pointed at a few people in the crowd. “That one,
that
one, that one, and that one.”

His teammates couldn’t help but notice a pattern to his candidates. All of them were the most attractive girls in the crowd. For all he knew the girls might have not even been looking for a team to join.

“I think I’ll do my own scouting if you don’t mind,” Ash said, trying not to offend his friend.

“It’s not a
buffet
Draxler,” Shiva said, disgusted. She’d stopped at a clothing boutique and purchased a new, cooler outfit to replace her armor. “Besides, even if you were going to pick women, why would you get ones so
scrawny
? We’ll be playing pushball! Do you really think dainty little damsels like that will be much help?”

“I think you’re missing the point,” Aura replied.

A hulking beast of a woman in the distance caught Shiva’s eye. “Now
there
’s the kind of lady we need to be looking for,” she said. The woman had her back turned to the group, but even so Shiva could tell she was sculpted almost entirely out of muscle. Her brown hair hung in the breeze and she turned around.

Did Dunger turn into a woman
?! thought Ash upon seeing her frontside.

The she-hulk of a woman did resemble Dunger, a man who’d given Ash trouble since his very first mission in Hell. Dunger himself was giant and muscular, with a totally bald head and big thick eyebrows. The woman version looked the same, but with the dull brown shoulder-length hair and maybe a little bit of makeup. It was freaky.

“That’s Dunger’s
sister
, Thunger,” said Aura.

“You know her?” Ash asked, amazed.

“Well sure,” Aura replied. “Hang out at the same bar with a guy long enough and you’re bound to eventually meet his sister. I went to her wedding a few years back, actually. She’s a nice gal. Well, nicer than her brother, at least.”

Dunger’s leviathan-sized sister wondered off. A new group appeared from the crowd and slowly approached. Aura met them with cautious smiles.

“Sars, Vadnais, Fry,” he said, waving to each of his friends. “Looking to join a team?”

“Good afternoon Aura,” the tall and suave leader of the southside gang said. He greeted both Ash and Shiva as well with a courteous nod. “Actually we’re here to sign up
our
team.”

“Where’s your other members?” Aura asked.

“Here comes our fourth right now,” said Fry, the smallest of the men. He stood facing behind them, where a large man cut across the crowd and stepped up next to Sars. Everyone knew the face. They’d seen it just moments ago, slightly feminized.

Dunger stared down at Ash with a menacing look spreading across his big bald head. His muscles bulged and Ash could see all of it, since Dunger never wore a shirt. In this heat, Ash was just thankful Dunger kept his shorts on.

“Hey Dunger,” Aura said, cutting the tension. “We saw your sister earlier. She looks…
healthy
.”

“I could see the family resemblance,” Ash said, chiming in with a nervous smile. Dunger grunted like an ape in response. “You guys have a fifth or what?”

“Of course we do,” Sars replied. “Bora! Come meet these guys!”

The next man to join the group stood the exact same height as Aura and had the same length of black hair. Bora politely introduced himself and shook hands with both Aura and Ash. Shiva kept her arms crossed, her attention focused on guarding the big bag containing her armor.

“Who’s
this guy
?” Aura asked Sars, sounding more offended than he had any right to be.

“I’m Bora,” Bora said. “Nice to meet you.”

“I know
who
you are, I’m asking why you’re here!” Aura snapped.

“Oh, sorry,” Bora said, bowing his head sincerely. “I was confused by your wording.”

“Bora here is your replacement,” Sars replied, wrapping an arm around his new friend.

“No kidding! Wonder how that came to be! It doesn’t have anything to do with the fact that he looks like a cheap clone of me, does it?”

Ash studied both their features, his eyes bouncing back and forth between the pair. “Actually, I think Bora might be a little more handsome than you.”

“Impossible!” Aura decreed, raising a finger of objection.

“That’s right, Bora is our resident ‘pretty boy’ now,” said Sars. “And he actually shares the babes with us, too.”

“Oh, it’s no big deal,” Bora said bashfully. “I just love making new friends.”

“Shut up Bora!” Aura snapped.

“Well, we should get going,” said Sars. “We have team practice later, and we’ve still got to find some matching uniforms.”

“My wife can sew uniforms for us all,” Bora said with a cheerful smile.

Ohhhhh
!
That Bora
…! Aura thought as he seethed in anger at being replaced by his friends. He knew it would one day happen. He just hoped the guy who replaced him wouldn’t be so… well, so much like
Bora
.

Sars and the gang turned to leave. Bora leaned in and spoke to Ash. “I don’t know what I’ve done to offend your friend, but please take this,” he said, slipping a five skorch coin into Ash’s hand. “Treat him to a refreshing beverage, on me.”

“Wow, thanks Bora!” Ash said with an incredulous smile. Bora patted him lightly on the shoulder and left. “That guys the best,” Ash said, watching him go. He took notice of his best friend Aura seething with hatred right next to him and changed his mind. “I mean
after
you, buddy,” Ash said unconvincingly.

Shiva wandered off and came back. “Listen up, dolts,” she told them. “I just want to get this over with and go home. It turns out Dunger’s sister
is
looking for a team. I say we pick her and one other random person and be done with this.”

“Fine! Whatever!” Aura said. “I don’t care who we pick as long as we destroy Sars’s team and that
dreadful Bora
as soon as possible!”

The team headed across the heavily populated town square, back to the information kiosk to check the wanted boards. Before reaching the boards, Ash bumped into another familiar face.

“Oh! Ash!” the girl said, her face lighting up. “What are you doing here?”

“Hey, it’s Aralia,” Ash said. Shiva and Aura paused, waiting for Ash to speak to his new friend. “I’m here to sign up a team for the festival,” he told her. “We’re not having much luck though. We need two more people to join us.”

“What! No way!” Aralia replied. “My friend and I are looking to join a team!”

“You’re kidding,” Ash said with a pleased smile. “What do you say, guys?” Ash asked his team.

“It’s nice to see you again Aralia,” Aura said with a smile. “Wanna help me kill Bora?”

“Sure!” Aralia replied with a cheery smile.

“I like her already,” Aura said with a ‘thumbs up’.

“I don’t know,” Shiva said with a hand on her chin. “Who even is this girl?”

“We met at the Devil’s Duel tournament,” Ash said. “She was one of the few people who actually stuck around and helped rescue
Vashi Tansa
.”

“Miss Shiva Satan, Ma’am!” Aralia proclaimed with a polite curtsy. “It’s an honor to be playing on a team with one of Hell’s most elite warriors.”

Shiva giggled as the girl tickled her ego. Snapping out of it, she asked, “You look kind of frail, girl. Are you sure you can handle the games we’re playing?”

Aralia waved her finger and produced her switchblade. “Looks can be deceiving, as you well know. Ash can attest that I’m tougher than I appear. I can handle anything, even demons!” She started flipping the knife around, tossing it back and forth between her hands, spinning needlessly. When she finally went for the big finale, she grabbed the blade with her palm and squealed.

“
Hmmm
,” Shiva said, sizing up the girl as she bandaged the bleeding hand. “Okay, okay, put the knife away. We’ll take you.” She glanced at the board as a kiosk worker erased the giantess’s name off the board.
I guess we have no choice, since Thunger isn’t an option anymore
, she thought. “But what’s this friend of yours like?”

“His name is Uverstarr,” Aralia said. “He’s real strong and he can move super fast! Just like the wind! He’s like a brother to me. I trust him with my life.”

“He sounds
dependable
,” Ash said. “You’re both in!”

Aralia looked at Ash and smiled. “Yes! You won’t regret this! We’re going to have so much fun!”

Shiva grunted, still not the least bit excited. Aura seemed lost in thought, probably scheming to bring down his new rival.

“I just hope you play games better than you play Devil’s Duel,” Ash said, taking a playful jab at Aralia.

The girl’s demeanor changed immediately. She went from cute and spunky to straight-up
scary
. “
We
have to play Devil’s Duel again
!” she insisted with a dire look of seriousness. “
I must win
!”

Ash and Aralia stood in line chatting about Devil’s Duel cards for a while until they reached the front of the line. Time flew by for the pair, who chatted like they’d known each other for years. The worker behind the counter took down everyone’s names and registered their team. When they stepped out of line, still laughing and comparing their battles with real demons, Shiva cleared her throat.

“I’m going to head home now,” she said. “I feel underdressed and I hate the heat. So see ya.” With a wave goodbye, she turned to go.

“Wait, Ms. Shiva Ma’am,” said Aralia. “I just want to say I admire you for all your accomplishments and I look forward to playing on your team during this soulstice!” Aralia even went as far as to bow politely.

Shiva was taken aback at the display of benevolence. “Oh, t-thanks,” she stammered her embarrassed reply. “I didn’t realize you were a fan.”

“Of course I’m a
fan
!” Aralia replied, clutching her fists in excitement. “The Royal Family’s Lady Shiva, Death Toucher Aura Draxler, and Half-Human Ash Kaplan! It’s the dream team that saved Hell from the rebel coup! Why
wouldn’t
I be excited to hang out with you guys? I know Uverstarr is dying to meet you all, too,” she added. Her eyes lit up and she banged her fist into her open palm. “Oh! I know! You should all come over for dinner tonight at my house! You can meet him!”

The team reacted with a mixture of shy hesitation. Aralia insisted they come join her and meet Uverstarr and the rest of her family. Ash had no trouble agreeing, but Shiva and Aura continued to meander in their decisions. It was when Aralia mentioned they could also meet her cute sister that Aura became interested.

“This sister,” he said slyly. “Is she
as cute as
you?”

Ash gave him a dirty look. Aralia responded with an amused smile.

“She’s
way cuter
than me!” she replied.

“I’m in,” said Aura. “See you tonight then. What time and where?”

Aralia wrote her address on the back of a festival flier and handed it to Ash. With one last smile staring into Ash’s eyes, she waved goodbye and left. “See you tonight! I hope to see you too, Miss Lady Shiva!”

“Yeah, yeah,” Shiva muttered as she waved goodbye and the girl disappeared through the crowd. “It’s hard to dislike that girl,” she said at last.

“Does that mean you’re coming to dinner?” Ash asked.

“I’ll go,” Shiva replied. “I have to check out this
Uverstarr
and make sure he’s a good pick, anyway. If he isn’t, we’ll kick’em both out and find replacements tomorrow.”

“Jeez,” Ash said. “Is that any way to treat a
fan
?”

Shiva looked away and said nothing.

“I like her,” Aura said. “I approve of this union.”

“Why?” Ash asked. “You interested in working your mojo on her?”

Aura didn’t bat an eyelash. “She’s cute, but I’m not interested in her that way. She’s all
yours,
Ash,” he said with a wink and a nudge of his elbow.

“Yeah, right,” Ash said, his cheeks brightening up in embarrassment. “I’ve got more important things to think about right now, thank you.”

Getting a girlfriend had been the
last
thing on Ash’s mind since coming to Hell. The sudden introduction of Aralia made him rethink his stance on the matter.