Devil Ash Disarray (Devil Ash Saga Book 3) (43 page)

Last mixture
! Goddard pulled his next beaker from the closet. This one was bigger than the others, with a bright green liquid bubbling inside. A light mist poured out as Goddard pulled the stopper out of it.

Gnusek took a step closer.

Goddard threw the beaker.

The greater demon took another step and opened his mouth. The beaker flew across the lab and landed on the demon’s tongue. Gnusek held the beaker in his cavernous mouth a moment and then swallowed it whole in a single gulp.

He really ate it
! Goddard thought.
That’s my melting mixture. It’s melted everything I ever poured it on
.
It’ll liquefy his internal organs in seconds
!

The Royal Advisor watched in triumph as Gnusek’s stomach area growled almost as loud as the demon had earlier. The wildebeest demon leaned over, its face strained in what looked like pain. Goddard thought he had already won, when the demon let loose a loud and fearsome sound.

BUUUUURP
!

Gnusek resumed his full gigantic posture and stared at Goddard, seemingly unaffected by the acidic beverage. He relayed, through another series of grunts and snorts, a thorough explanation of…
something
.

The greater demon’s horns then spun around on his head. The pointed tip of each large horn aimed straight at the devil in the room. Before Goddard even had a chance to understand what he was seeing, the tip of the demon’s horns opened up and
something
shot out of it. Goddard felt a sting of pain in his shoulders. The force knocked him back down to his butt. He looked over and saw blood oozing through his shirt.

Lodged in both his shoulders was a pair of peculiar objects. Two separate-but-equally painful bloody wounds housed long, transparent objects, like arrows or darts. Goddard touched one of the smooth clear weapons piercing his flesh and discovered it was shockingly similar to glass. A murky cloud of green liquid melded throughout the weapon and Goddard realized what the objects must be. Though he had missed out on Gnusek’s lengthy explanation in demon-ese, Goddard grasped the basic concept of the demon’s ability.

What he did not know was that Gnusek’s power had a name: Edible Artillery. At least, that’s the closest title anyone could give it in proper English. The demon possessed an amazingly powerful stomach capable of digesting and repurposing anything he eats. No amount of poison, acid, or mineral could harm him so long as he ingested it all through his mouth. That was the ‘edible’ part of his power.

On the ‘artillery’ side of things, Gnusek can then rearrange the objects he consumes into projectiles to be launched from his horns. Though he’d taken the liberty to explain this all to Goddard, the Royal Advisor had to piece it together on his own.

Isn’t that a nasty little ability
,
Goddard thought to himself in a mixture of astonishment and terror. The blood leaked from his wounds as his arms and shoulders went numb.

I’m so screwed.

The greater demon moved in on Goddard as he considered his options. Of which, there were none. He was positive he could still climb to his feet, but his arms were useless. He couldn’t attack, or hope to sneak past the demon. He could not escape from the lab. In a few seconds he’d be demon chow.

Goddard’s hand had fallen on top of his lap. He could feel a slight bulge in his pocket. He experimented with wiggling his hand and found he still had full control there. Gritting his teeth, the Royal Advisor bared any pain that flared up as he struggled to move his arm. Just inches away to his pocket, where he pulled out of the small vial he had stored there.

The ‘medicine’ I made for Ash
, he reminded himself as he stared at the thick dark liquid in the vial.
I never wanted to use this on myself, but I have no other choice. There’s no telling what it might do to me. This will not be pleasant…

Goddard fought to lift the vial to his mouth. Gnusek crossed the lab and was almost upon the Royal Advisor. The creature moved slowly, confident in its stride. It had significantly weakened an already-weak opponent. Stalking prey was all part of the fun for a demon. This gave Goddard the motivation he needed to summon every drop of his own soul power, reinforcing his damaged arms.

Goddard lowered his head and lifted the vial to his mouth, pulling the rubber stopper out with his teeth. He placed the glass tube’s open end between his lips and lifted his head a little, just enough to see his demonic foe coming at him again. Goddard hesitated until the demon stretched out an arm, reaching for his meal.

If I don’t do this I’m dead
, he thought.
Unfortunately
,
this is my last resort
…

He tipped his head back and let the sludgy liquid run down the glass and straight into his throat. He tried his hardest not to taste any of it or get any on his tongue. Not that it would matter in the long run. He’d likely have bigger problems in a few seconds…

Gnusek grasped the man by his wounded shoulders, lifting him off the ground and raising him to eye level. The glass vial, empty but for the remnants of the dark liquid still clinging to the sides, fell from between his lips. He wondered how long it would take for the changes to begin…

Changes
, he thought, staring the demon straight in his expressionless eyes.
Just like I did to him… The irony.

The details of what happened next seemed like a waking dream. Goddard’s body went entirely numb and his normally lively brain went quiet. Details blurred together as his mind shut down. Certain moments stuck out to him. Others were lost.

He remembered the demon lifting him up, squeezing his body. The intense pain that slowly dulled throughout his body.

He remembered being pulled closer to the monster’s wide, open jaws. Its disgusting, dirty, rotten teeth.

He remembered the stink of the demon’s breath, enough to kill a man.

He remembered looking down at his hand. The deep, dark shade of gray his skin had turned. How his fingernails had turned to talons.

He remembered breaking free from the demon’s grip. His feet hitting the ground.

He remembered observing the demon Gnusek one last time. The rush of power he got when he realized his opponent didn’t look so big anymore.

He remembered looking through the eyes of predator. Stalking his prey. Bulging grey muscles. Claws meant for ripping. Enemy flesh.

He did not, however, remember anything after that.

Chapter Thirty-One: The Worst Is Yet To Come

Several hours had passed since Ash, Shiva, and Aura carefully explained the situation to their orphan friends and forbid them from leaving the house. They could no longer hide the fact that greater demons had infiltrated the kingdom from the pair of devil youths. Not when both of them had already interacted with the vile monsters. Instead, Ash admitted to them the amount of danger they faced was staggering, and begged Aralia to stay behind closed doors for the next couple of hours.

It took a little convincing, but the orphans had to comply with Ash’s (but mostly Lady Shiva’s) authority and agreed in the end. With Ash out of bed and somewhat rested, the team bid their friends a somber farewell and set out to finish their mission. Outside the mood was ominous as they silently brought out their wings. They took flight without saying a word, heading east to the castle.

Below them on the streets, more and more people stood around carrying weapons. Some of them looked to be arguing passionately with each other, their voices adding up to an ocean of noise where no one person stood out to the team as they flew overhead. The mobs of men appeared to be slowly migrating in the same direction.

East.

As the team came closer to the castle, larger concentrations of armed citizens stood around the surrounding city blocks. For the time being, no one appeared brave enough to move in on the castle. The line of Royal Guards surrounding the entire circumference of the castle wall probably had something to do with that.

“They don’t look too happy down there,” said Ash. He lowered his elevation by a few feet to get a better look at some of the unhappy faces in the crowd.

“Doubt is starting to spread in everyone’s minds,” said Shiva. The girl tried not to pay too much attention to the citizens. Her worries were with her family. “It looks like the castle is locked down, too. That only happens in emergencies, so of course everyone is going to start freaking out.”

“Let’s get down there then,” said Aura. “So I can death touch that demon Prince and end all of this!”

The death toucher swooped and his teammates followed suit. Everyone descended, landing outside the main castle gate entrance that fed into North Hell. Behind them, citizens from all over the Kingdom gathered to discuss the dreadful current events. Before them, an entire squad of Royal Guards stood at full attention to defend the castle from any
threat.

Shiva wasted no time in marching straight up to the doormen manning the front gates. She was used to dealing with them on most days, and never looked forward to it.

“Open the gates,” she said. “We’re going in.” To drive the point home, she pulled her flame-wing pin out of her hair and flashed it to the guards.

“Lady Shiva,” the guard posted there replied. He was a tall young man, probably around the same age as Shiva. “You’re to report to the royal throne room.
Open the gates
!”

Several soldiers sprung into action and started pushing the big gates open. Shiva stood there impatiently tapping her foot, thinking it ridiculous she should have to abide by proper procedure and wait for the stupid gates when she could just fly over the wall in a matter of seconds.

The soldier, catching onto her impatience, decided he’d better give her a quick briefing. “Lady Shiva, all the Captains have finally been accounted for. Turns out, Captain Pace and Captain Meeter were injured fighting the greater demons. That’s why communications went down during the attacks.”

“What about
Stryd
?” Shiva asked.

“The Captains and Commander were all together at some event when they were attacked. The details are a little sketchy at this point, but the Commander claims to have fought off the demons for now. The castle lock-down is Goddard’s idea.”

“And what are the Commander’s orders?”

“He ordered every soldier out of the castle and onto the streets. Oh, and he wanted to see you and your team right away.”

“Where is he?”

“Last I heard, he and Captain Kilo were locked in the throne room with The Prince and The King.”

Lady Shiva surprised everyone by slamming her fist into the hard gate door. Her teeth were clenched so tight they could be heard grinding. When at last she pulled her fist away, the outlines of knuckles were indented into the door.

“We’ve wasted enough time here.
Let’s go
,” she said.

Though he’d been there just the other day, the dim and desolate halls of the Royal Castle took on a more sinister air to Ash. As he crept down the main hall following the speed-walking Shiva, the human boy couldn’t help but imagine demons popping out from behind every corner and every door they passed. He made sure to stick close to Aura, just in case.

They first encountered the main stairwell, which went both up and down. The team could have easily used those stairs to get down to Goddard’s lab. Shiva passed by them without saying a word. Instead of question her, Ash decided to hold his tongue and put his trust in the girl to not lead them astray.

Shiva led the boys further down the hall to the far corner of the castle. When they arrived at one of the rear stairwells Ash realized why Shiva had avoided the main stairs. They would have had to pass by the Royal Guard barracks if they went down the main stairs. The team descended the back stairwell a flight and exited within sight of their supervisor’s laboratory.

“Be on guard,” said Shiva. She headed down the hall toward the lab without slowing down. “He could be possessed already.” She put her hand on the metal ball and chain weapon at her side. When at last they reached the big door into Goddard’s lab, the girl paused for a moment to confirm her teammates were ready.

She looked to Ash first. His face was more pale than usual. Dark patches looked painted on under his eyes. The boy wiped a full sleeve of clear goo from his runny nose and gave a nod of approval to move forward.

Shiva turned to Aura and flashed him a look that said
watch him
as she motioned her eyes at Ash. The girl returned her attention to the door before her. She put her ear against the wood and listened. Hearing nothing, she proceeded to knock.

“
Goddard
,” she said, keeping her face close to the door. “
It’s us. Are you in there
?”

Without a response, Shiva knocked on the door a few more times. She whisper-yelled Goddard’s name. She peeked through the keyhole in the door, but couldn’t see much of anything. “Enough’s enough. I’m going in!”

Shiva gripped the handle and pushed. The door to the lab denied them entry, refusing to budge one way or another. She released her grip and stepped back. With a hand on her chin she said, “Okay, new plan. We bust our way in.” She looked to Aura and jerked her head toward the door. “Let’s go boys. Right fist!”

Like he’d done every day in training, Ash stepped forward and raised his right arm at Shiva’s command. He and Aura stepped forward and the three of them arranged themselves in front of the door. Ash gathered the energy of his soul in one vibrant mist that shrouded his fist. He gave it a little extra
oomph
to not look so deathly ill in front of his teammates.

Lucky for him, Shiva and Aura were too focused on gathering their own soul power instead of watching Ash. When the three of them had shining fists full of soul energy ready, Shiva led the attack. The boys followed suit, striking simultaneous blows against the wooden obstacle.

Wood splinters showered the lab as the door exploded off its hinges. Only the deadbolt remained in place, holding a small portion of the door to the frame. The largest chunk of the door flew all the way across the lab and struck the far wall. The team breathed a collective sigh of relief that it didn’t accidentally strike Goddard. The team filed into the lab slowly, examining every inch in their state of caution.

The black blood of a demon decorated the walls and floor. It looked like someone had used a hose to spray the lab down. The various tables and desks that filled the work area, which were normally covered in papers, test tubes, beakers, and the various experiments of Goddard von Gosick, were practically bare. Instead the clutter was scattered across the floor, covered in demon blood and smashed to pieces.

Ash was sure that’s what the dried liquid must have been. It smelled like demon’s blood. He’d definitely smelled enough demon blood by now to commit the scent to memory. And right now the lab
reeked
of it.

More apparent was the hairy corpse decorating the floor. Not far away laid the motionless body of a Captain of the Royal Guard.

The beastly demon Gnusek lay in a pool of his own blood. The carcass was mostly intact, aside from the numerous chunks of flesh that appeared to be torn off and strewn around the lab. The demon’s wildebeest-like face had caved in, its horns snapped clean off. There was not a single scorch mark on the demon. No burns of any kind.

“
What could have done this
?” Ash felt vomit bubbling in his stomach, preparing to make an unexpected departure. He lowered his eyes and tried to breath through his mouth.

“
Goddard
…?”

Shiva gasped in shock, uncertain of what she was seeing. Across the lab in the far corner, Goddard laid flat on his back on the floor. His clothing was mostly missing, torn apart, and covered in a mixture of crimson and black blood. His glasses were lying on the floor next to him, both lenses smashed beyond repair. He was slouched forward, out of it, not moving.

The Royal Princess sidestepped the demon corpse and went to her mentor. Ash followed her gaze and felt his heart almost plummet from his chest at the sight of the man’s abysmal condition.

The team surrounded their unconscious boss. The stinging fear and gripping uncertainty that Ash felt receded at the sight of Goddard’s chest rising and falling in a steady rhythm of life. They knew at once that somehow the Royal Advisor had survived his encounter with the mammoth demon. The only question was how.

Shiva shook the man and invoked his name until his eyelids fluttered.

It took minutes for the blurry shapes hovering over him to register. For the ceiling candlelight to stop blinding him. The incoherent noises piercing his ears turned into voices. The feeling returned in his body and he became aware of the bony finger jabbing his shoulder.

“Maybe he’s
dead
,” Aura said.

“He’s not dead,” Shiva replied. “His eyelids are moving.”

“Dead people’s eyelids move sometimes. I think I read that in a book once.”

“
You
read a book once?” Shiva looked skeptical.

Goddard surprised everyone by shooting up suddenly, breathing heavily. Everyone backed off, giving the man a little space.

“You okay Goddard?” Ash asked.

The Royal Advisor blinked several times, straining his eyes to make out the faces in front of him. “I feel like I’ve been kicked by a unique horn. Is that Ash?”

“Your glasses are smashed,” said Ash. He handed his boss the broken frames. “What…happened here?”

Goddard’s mind started to reboot. Images flashed. Some normal, like working on a cure for Ash. Others, not so normal, like squeezing demon flesh in his bare hands. He remembered speaking to Captain Miles. Throwing beakers around the lab. The wildebeest-like greater demon.

He could see the unmistakable furry corpse of the enormous demon only a few feet away. He knew what it was even without his glasses. There was no mistaking that shape or smell. He looked down at his own hands, covered in black. He examined the black on the walls surrounding him. Black splattered all over the floor, on his lab equipment, even the ceiling.

“I clearly defeated this demon… with my superior hand-to-hand combat skills… that you didn’t know I possessed,” said Goddard. It was half-truth, half-redirection. The Royal Advisor remembered one key detail he would not be sharing with the group: his consumption of the ‘medicine’ he’d been working on for Ash.

That would be a secret he’d take to his grave if he could help it.

“That’s impressive,” Shiva replied, taking a knee next to the roughed-up man. “But we’ve got bad news. That demon Prince is in the body of Stryd.”