Chapter 185 (Patreon)

Chapter 185

Carnage erupted behind them, and they’d had to abandon their carriage in favor of walking due to the crowds.  They’d even lost all of their hired servants who’d either been pushed aside, behind, or had simply gone off on their own to try and force their way to the enormous spiral stairway and ramps leading to lower floors.  But they’d finally made it, given time by the defenders of this city sacrificing their lives - and the timely intervention of Mara who even now continued to battle topside in a violent struggle against the vampire hordes.

Fay’s guilt was building because of it.  She’d even flown over to assist for a time, but had been yelled at by the ghoul necromancer - telling her to get back to help Lahn walk and escort his mother down to the next level.  So Fay did just that, flying back and landing in the startled crowds before morphing back into the figure of a normal human woman to avoid attention as much as possible.

And it was true.  After the servants had been separated from Lahn and Shovi, only Shovi was there to help Lahn get down the stairs while simultaneously trying to avoid being trampled.  Her son was still weak, though his flesh was not withered any longer on the left side it still had significant muscle atrophy from years of disuse.  So Fay took up the burden of supporting him instead, urging Shovi to focus on herself due to the significant struggle she was showing just to remain upright with all the jostling of the crowds.

The slope of the spiral staircase and adjacent ramp was not steep, traveling deeper into the land mass holding up the 7th city level; but it was very large with long, drawn out arcs coming around the spiral in order to maintain something of a flat but slanted surface so people wouldn’t simply roll down if they accidentally fell.  It was also wide enough to fit a couple hundred people across at one time, but even despite this there were still dozens upon dozens of bodies underfoot that’d been trampled to death in the mass panic taking place.

“Are you ok!?” Fay asked, yelling over the booming, thunderous crash of powers up above as the chunk of tectonic plate this 7th level of the city had been built upon shook around them.  “Do we need to stop!?”

The echoing screams filtered through the relative darkness, with only lanterns along the stone walls illuminating their surroundings.  Shovi had stuttered and almost fell, but’d caught herself on a bigger man in front of them before righting herself again with a shake of her head.  She was panting, high heels clacking on the stone floor, and Fay wished it was only one of them that she had to babysit - because at least that way she could fly that person down.

But here she was.

And she was relatively sure Allie would not be happy if she let either of these two people die.

“We need to keep moving!” Shovi yelled over the booms and screams, brunette hair plastered with sweat across her face.  “We can’t stop!  We’ll be run over!”

Fay merely nodded, considering whether or not she could fly them down one at a time - but shook her head.  She’d already had to physically beat off people from steamrolling both of them, Mara was right - she couldn’t leave them alone and if she did she wasn’t even sure if she’d be able to find the other again in this mass of running bodies should she fly back up.

Twenty minutes passed before they finally made their way through the landmass and into the sky of upper level 6.

The stairway continued to spiral down, with nearly a mile of space between their position and the floor.  Far below them, various subsections of city with parks, industrial buildings, manors, residential neighborhoods and market places were scattered out as far as Fay could see.  This capital city, Mandon, was truly enormous - but even so there were scattered areas of burning buildings even here.  How many people did Dawn have under its thumb?  Thousands of people were filing down this staircase alone, occasionally showing people being accidentally pushed off or falling to their deaths in the mad rush, while other enormous staircases to their left or across the central waterfall on either side also showed similar events.  One of them even showed large amounts of fighting halfway down, with vampiric soldiers rushing along the steps after civilians to cut them down by the dozens every second.

Fay grunted when Lahn tripped again, and the communication bauble in her pocket started vibrating furiously.  Pulling it out, she held it to her chest with her free hand that wasn’t supporting Lahn’s left side - and pushed mana into it for the contraption to work.  “Hello?!”

“YOU NEED TO GET OUT OF THAT STAIRWAY NOW!” Mara’s voice screeched through the black bauble.  “WE WERE UNABLE TO HOLD THEM BACK!  THEY’RE PREPPING A-”

A shrill gasp, an audible scream from Mara, and a *SHUNK* cut through the noise before the connection cut off entirely.

Fay looked down, wide eyed, shock apparent.  Had she just heard Mara die?

Fay’s gut formed a knot and she looked up behind her where crowds continued to roll down the large stone construct, but flashes of eerie light radiated from the tunnel of tectonic plate and ominous roars echoed out to follow their advance.

And then it came.

A wave of red lava that devoured everything in its path, blindingly hot, roared down the steps like an avalanche down the face of a mountain.  Fay’s eyes widened as she saw hundreds of people swallowed and engulfed in the molten metal over mere seconds, and the flood of destruction was rapidly descending on her position.

“Fuck.”

Grabbing Shovi by the collar as the older woman screamed and yanking Lahn to the side where the edge was nearby, she decided on the long shot.  She didn’t have much of a choice, and jumping over the waist-high barrier - she dove off the stairway and into the air.

Just in time.

The rolling wave of molten metal washed over everyone that’d been around them in a splash of heavy, searing hot pain - muffling their screams as soon as it swallowed them up.  Even despite this the enormous wave of magma was also being launched off the sides of the stairway due to the sheer volume of the material, splashing Fay’s left wing mid flight and causing her to swerve with a pained grimace as Lahn clutched onto her - pale faced.

Meanwhile Shovi shrieked in horror, squirming in a panic in Fay’s grasp as they fell towards the ground a mile down.

“STOP STRUGGLING!  I’M GOING TO DROP YOU BY ACCIDENT!” Fay screamed over the roar of wind while they plummeted.  “I NEED TO GET A BETTER HOLD!”

Shovi only continued to panic, and levels of the spiral staircase blurred by as their speed picked up.

During this time, despite the panicking woman, Fay closed her eyes to go over the options she had.  Her magically infused, bat-like wings were not strong enough to carry both Lahn and Shovi, but it was still possible to blunt the landing or perhaps drift for a very short time before the strength of her wings gave out.

It was really her only option, otherwise…

Fay sensed the stamina signature before she actually saw the creature, and she quickly accelerated their fall with a burst of speed to avoid the tearing claws of a gargoyle’s empowered slash.  Looking up, the succubus saw the following monster as it howled in a rage - joined quickly by three other of its kin as more of the beasts swarmed out of the upper levels to descend on the 6th city level below.

She sneered.

Plumes of black clouds tore out of her outstretched hand as she momentarily dropped Shovi, hitting two of the pursuing gargoyles head on.  They shrieked and banked left, their bodies starting to decay while the succubus turned her attention back to Shovi - wrapping her arm around the other woman’s waist and altering their trajectory to avoid another dive-bomb swipe from another of the monsters.

Fay dodged expertly, then created a dreamwalker zone around her - burning through her mana to create hallucinations that would hide them from the gargoyles that continued to grow in number  while simultaneously sending out diversions of what looked to be her.

The gargoyles scattered, following the hallucinations off into different directions while screeching and roaring their hate with thick gray skin flexed and talons open.

Rapidly approaching the bottom of the staircase and aiming for a lake, Fay managed to infuse as much mana as she could into her wings with a monumental effort.  Pulling back and feeling the mana channels in her musculature almost pop, she screamed in pain and felt one of her wing membranes tear on the right side before ripping into the deep end of the waters below.

Cold fluid engulfed them, but the angle was right and the pullback was enough that no serious damage was done to anyone.  Gasping when she came up for air, she managed to pull Lahn up with her while Shovi wildly doggy-paddled to the surface and began to cough violently.

Fay felt her mana flicker and die in that instant, completely running out of juice, and her hallucinations ran dry to dismiss the decoys and her more human form.  She also wouldn’t be able to fly, so she retracted her injured wings and began to tug on Lahn - kicking and paddling to the shoreline while shrieks of gargoyles, screams of civilians, and the thunder of pouring lava was heard overhead.

“Come on Lahn!  We have to move!” Fay gasped, coming up beside Shovi while the older woman coughed up lungfuls of water on the shore.  Lahn wasn’t in too good of shape either, he’d used all the strength he had with his right side just to hold on - and he’d been nothing but deadweight since abandoning the carriage.  Only having one side of his body to use made him strained at best, and his breathing was ragged from the ache in his muscles.

A thundering roar reverberated from above and the ground beside them quaked when an enormous body hit the sand below.  Fay staggered, accidentally dropping Lahn to the ground to catch herself - only to look up with wide eyes when she saw a gaping maw looking back at her.

There, only a couple feet in front of her, was an enormous red-eyed gargoyle.  It was far, far larger than most of the others that’d been pursuing her, but it was certainly one of them.  Saliva dripped from its mouth, and huge talons extended from its hands and feet while gray rippling musculature flexed in anticipation.  Wings outstretched, it stood to its full height of twenty feet tall and snickered down at the three smaller individuals.

“I have come…” The gargoyle began with a wicked grin, pointing a clawed hand directly at Fay while other gargoyles began to swoop down - landing behind their bigger cousin with roars of their own.  “... To try my very first piece of succubus meat.  I have heard it tastes quite nice… I hope you do not disappoint!”

Fay blanched.  Even though she likely would be sent to the nether realms should she die, the other two people next to her would not.  They’d be permanently dead, and even despite all this - she felt her legs began to shake in fear.  Trauma from recent events was still fresh in her mind, and she began to silently cry while her body shook.

And as the gargoyle’s large maw opened up with a snarl, lunging forward in a flash of speed - another, even larger figure crashed down onto the gigantic gargoyle.

Blood splashed everywhere as the huge monster screamed in anguish, its bones cracking and lungs bursting while one enormous, white, arachnid limb skewered the gargoyle like a kabob.

The other gargoyles backed up in shock, and Fay had to wipe away the monster’s viscera from her face in shock before being able to see properly.  Her eyes traveled up, staring wide-eyed at the creature looking down at her.

Fay felt a mixture of emotions when she recognized the face looking back at her.  It was a mixture of fear, of shame, regret, sadness, happiness, and relief all jumbled around into one condensed moment.  Fear, shame and regret for having betrayed Athela’s trust to pursue her own wants.  Sadness knowing that Athela was likely very, very angry at her by the way this arachnid was glaring down - and that they’d been good friends for a few months before Athela’s death.  Happiness and relief that Athela was resurrected, if not having been very much changed since doing so.  Because even if Athela was angry, and even if Athela would potentially find a way to take revenge, Fay truly liked her and was glad to see her back.

But all those emotions quickly gave in to awe after the initial shock of seeing her co-bonded demoness acquaintance.

Athela now stood as tall as a house, with the upper body from the waist up of a beautiful young woman with four narrow crimson slits for eyes.  The lower body was that of a gigantic spider, with a vertical maw along her front similar to that of Riven’s ‘Messenger’ armor - but this one was made of crystal or ice.  Even now it breathed out swaths of frostbitten air, chilling the area around them and causing frost to accumulate on anything it touched, with similarly crafted flowers blooming spontaneously along Athela’s huge body like shimmering white-translucent roses.

The rest of her body was also a bright white, which was a stark contrast to the pitch black of her previous form.  Even her hair was a bright white, and when she sneered - so too were the rows of sharp fangs that bared down at the succubus in a hot rage.

“Athela…!” Fay exclaimed, hesitantly taking a step back as did the other gargoyles to Athela's turned back.  They were all very aware just how much stronger this new demon was by the way she’d flattened their largest companion like a pancake, and by the billowing aura of absolute malice exiting her while she stared Fay down.  “Athela, I didn’t realize you’d be back!  Is Riven here too!?”

Athela continued to stare, and as one of the gargoyles gained enough courage to shriek and lunge with claws outstretched - a dismissive backwards wave with one of Athela’s large arachnid limbs sent a spiraling crash of elemental chain-lightning that instantaneously eviscerated all of the dozen or so gargoyles that’d been lined up on a perimeter around them.

Their charred husks fell to the ground in pieces, flesh peeled from bones and streaks of smoking earth slathered in gargoyle body parts.  It’d been so effortless, and the fact that Athela had just shown off an ability that was without a doubt from the Fae Foundational Pillar completely shocked the succubus into silence.

Demons should not have access to the Fae Foundational Pillar or its sub-pillars at all.

Ignoring the two humans, the house-sized demoness approached the smaller succubus to tower over her - and with one feminine hand, Athela reached down and grabbed Fay by the waist.

Bones snapped and Fay screamed as she was brought to eye-level with the glaring arachnid, which was no doubt some advanced variation of Dryder - but far more powerful than what was normal.

“You… little… cunt…” Athela bit the venomous words off one by one, sharp and distinct from the others.  Her grip tightened, and another rib snapped - causing Fay to scream in pain yet again.

Overhead and to the west, one of the spiral staircases blew up - showering the distance cityscape in thousands of tons of rubble amidst a wave of fire.  Rippenvire airships were beginning to descend through the gigantic hole in the center of the city where the waterfall rushed down, either entering the 6th city layer or passing it by entirely to travel to the lower levels to wreak havoc there too.

“Please!” Fay gasped for breath, shuddering when one of her fingers snapped under Athela’s grip.  “You’re hurting me!”

“LET HER GO!” Lahn screamed up at the arachnid, not knowing who or what Athela was while Shovi frantically tried to drag her son away.

Athela turned her head, all four red eyes settling on Lahn and his mother with confusion before it clicked after faint memories she’d accumulated through her bond to Riven’s soul materialized.  “Ah… You’re Allie’s new plaything.  She does have unique tastes, doesn’t she?  Well, little one - this has nothing to do with you.  This is between Fay and I, demonic sisters of the same warlock master.  We have a score to settle… do not worry, I will take care of you and make sure you come out safe.  But as for Fay…”

Athela’s four red eyes narrowed, and her grin widened to display the rows of dagger-like teeth while Fay struggled to breathe.  “Do you have anything to say for what you’ve done?”

Her grip loosened around the succubus, and Fay shuddered as air finally found its way inside her lungs.  Meanwhile the carnage and chaos around the city only continued to escalate.

Fay grimaced, but her determined look had resolve etched into it.  “I… I’m sorry.”

“Sorry you got caught upon my return, without Riven to be here to stop me?” Athela mused thoughtfully, one slender finger tapping at her lips.  “Or perhaps, sorry that you betrayed my trust - knowing full well how I felt about him, yet deciding to use my temporary death as an opportunity to take him away from me?  Do tell.”

Fay huffed, but she couldn’t manage to feel angry even despite the broken bones and bruises she’d been given.  She understood how Athela must feel, and if anything - there was only guilt in Fay’s heart.  “I’m sorry that I hurt you, and I’m sorry that I likely lost a friend.  I… I was weak.  When I nearly died that day and Riven came to save me, all that pent up emotion just came out and it never left… It was the first time I’d ever felt that way so deeply.  About anyone.”

Athela raised an eyebrow.  “Do you regret what you did?”

Fay hesitated, then slowly shook her head.  “I regret that I hurt you… but no.  I don’t regret my actions.  I am falling in love with Riven.  I want him, even if it means… even if it means that you’re angry with me.  I care about him, a lot.  And I care about you too, I just…”

Fay’s voice trailed off, and Athela’s glare grew more angry.

With her free hand, Athela lifted a palm - presenting a shimmering block of ice.  That ice began to fade away, and her smile returned as the item within the ice began to present itself to the world.

Fay’s face blanched, and true fear overcame her when Athela’s grip tightened.

There, in Athela’s palm as the arachnid gave the succubus an evil smile, was the demon-slaying sword Athela had been killed with.

“I took this from Riven’s bag without him noticing before coming this way…” Athela mused, letting the sword hover there over her hand while Fay began to puke in fear as she realized what was about to happen.  “You know… I have two bodies now.  This one, which is more geared towards large scale battles, and the other… a modified version of my original arshakai body.  That version of myself is very adept to stealth and assassination, even more than it was before, so stealing something like this was merely childsplay.  Who’d have imagined that I of all demons would ascend, becoming an archdemon by passing through the veil of death?  By defying one of the original sins itself?  To gain the boon of a fallen fae goddess?  It is both laughable and absurd… but it happened.  So here I stand - a demigod amongst my lesser demonic peers.”

Icy tendrils connected to the sword from Athela’s bright white palm, taking the hilt and turning the blade to approach and point at Fay’s neck.   The weapon drew just the barest hint of blood from Fay’s sky-blue skin, and the succubus began to convulse as she thrashed and screamed in a panic while searing pain erupted along her soul aperture.

The amusement was completely gone from Athela’s cold stare, and her grip tightened to crunch down again.  “You may have thought me weak… or a pushover, because I would act silly in Riven’s presence.  Perhaps you thought I wouldn’t actually find a way to strike back at you without Riven protecting you when I got back… but let me tell you something, you little scheming bitch.  I am far more malicious, cunning, and vile than you will ever know.  To take something that is precious to me… leaves me with only a few options.  The most forward of these options, right now, is to simply kill you.  To sentence you to an everlasting death, and if Riven is not here… even if his skill wasn’t on millenia-long cooldown… how would he then save you like he saved me, hmmm?”

Fay was hyperventilating, sobbing, and quivering in Athela’s grip - but slowly the sword began to pull away, becoming encased in ice again before the block of ice vanished into a mist of frost.

Athela still glowered, but eventually her features softened and she let out a long and defeated sigh.  “But that… would unfortunately make Riven angry with me.  Riven is… important to me.  So permanently killing you would be a self-defeating thing to do, even if you do deserve it.  I just wanted to let you know that, if I wanted to, I could have easily ended you right here and now.  Forever.  Do those big breasts you use for brains understand that?”

Fay, who was still crying but not nearly as violently, nodded - humbled with wide, wet eyes.  She involuntarily shuddered.  “I understand.”

“Good.  Then you’ll also understand that this is a declaration of war.  I will have Riven for myself, and I will attempt to get him back.”  Athela cocked her head to the side, waiting for Fay’s reaction, but the succubus only let her gaze sink solemnly to the ground beneath them.  “No words, eh?  Very well.  Then, lastly, I have one more thing that I need to do.”

Fay’s eyes hesitantly blinked, then lifted again to the large demon holding her.  She sniffled.  “What’s that?”

Athela grinned jovially.  “Well I’m not going to permanently kill you, Riven will no doubt resurrect you soon, but I’m certainly going to show you how I feel about all this!”

Opening up her mouth to display a gaping maw of sharp teeth, Athela chomped down on the abruptly screaming succubus.  With a rip and a tear, Athela tore off Fay’s upper body and swallowed Fay’s head and chest in a single gulp.

She pulled off Fay's boots to give back to the succubus later, knowing they were one of Riven's gifts to Fay and were important.  Tossing Fay’s lower half to the side and licking her lips, she turned to Shovi and Lahn who remained on the ground - gawking up at her.  “What are you two looking at!?  It’s personal business, and don’t worry!  I’m sure Fay will be back in the next day or two.  Now, let’s find the two of you a nice place to hide so I can go kill some stuff!”