Demoness 2 - Chapter 49 - Escape Again (Patreon)

Elania soared high into the air, the wind whipping through her hair as she put distance between herself and the Elder.

Almost immediately, the incorporeal and insidious restraining spell the elders used hit her. It felt like her wings were heavy, and she was a rock…

A rock with a decent trajectory for getting far away.

Not to mention she pushed herself and resisted the feeling of chains pulling her back with gritted teeth.

The connection snapped after a tenuous few seconds, and then she was free.

Elania’s heart pounded in her chest, and she doubled the distance again before slowing down. A slow spin while hovering allowed her to search for Yolani and the carriage.

Her vision was enhanced by her seraph form and [Divinity] stores, but it still felt a little strange being able to clearly see the distant streets below clearly when she squinted slightly.

Relief flooded through her when she spotted the vehicle, still moving forward at a breakneck pace.

She started toward it immediately, but there was another pressing problem.

Her [Power] was extremely low, less than 30% of its maximum, which was the lowest she’d been in a long time and much to dangerous.

Running out of [Power]was death… even in the best of times.

And these were very much not those.

She needed to recharge and fast. Her gaze fell upon a group of monks positioned ahead of the carriage, clearly intending to attack.

Well, she knew what to do.

A grim sort of determination settled over her, but nothing enough to destabilize her emotions and wings.

People treated lesser-demons like her as mana batteries… but that was a two-way street.

There wasn’t any way to use [Stealth] to hide her approach, but she tried to push a bit of [Presence Concealment] to the front. They were already so busy pointing and preparing for the carriage coming toward them that they didn’t look up.

When she reached them, she tucked her wings close and dove towards the group.

The wind began to scream in her ears as she hurtled towards them like a bird of prey.

While her dive went unnoticed, her landing was anything but. The roof groaned with the thunderous impact, and she whipped her wings around to slice the monks close enough into shreds.

The others were still turning toward her as she launched forward. Fingers turned to golden sheathed claws as she ripped and tore. Wings sent feathers flying like fans of knives, and the carnage reached a crescendo as she ripped the [Divinity] essence from their bodies.

That made her even faster, and then they were all dead.

Elania didn’t hold back or move, allowing all the [Power] to flow into her as fast as possible.

She gorged on their power.

[Power: 1800/1688]

A sigh escaped, and everything felt right. Even the warnings about excess power that appeared from the [System]were her friend.

Everything felt more vibrant. The slowly graying tint to the world she hadn’t even noticed until she’d refilled her [Power].

Maybe she’d be able to take on the Elder now?

She shut that thought down quickly. He was the reason she was so low in the first place, and they needed to get out of the Artisan District and to the safety of the Magistry.

Or at least get Keswick or Bannon to help her fight.

She needed another edge…

Her HUD was finally showing her [Power] gauge, so maybe the rest of the system was working?

Pulling up her [Status]screen brought up a garbled mess of words on a beige background, with two marble pillars on the sides. Okay… it had turned into some kind of heaven theme while being so bright it sort of hurt to look at for very long.

Not being able to see the skill list and all the things irked her slightly. What she really wanted to do was consider changing her slotted skills.

Suddenly, that section solidified slightly, the words standing still just enough that she could read them.

Not for the first time, it felt like the [System] was reading her mind.

Before it could break or go unreadable again, she pushed her desired changes, replacing [Stealth]and [Martial Bladesmanship] on the list.

[Slotted Skills: Improvised Combat (Rank S+), Enhanced Mana Sensing (Rank D), Mana Manipulation (Rank S+), Demonic Aura (Rank A) (Active)]

Almost immediately, the sense of exactly where the Elder was flared in her mind. She needed to level up [Enhanced mana Sensing] somehow, especially if it was this effective when slotted.

The sound of their rushing carriage drew her attention, and she moved to the edge of the building. Yolani raised a hand toward her and shouted something, but it was lost in the background noise.

Elania tensed, flaring out her wings, and then jumped at the optimal time. She didn’t just want to land on the roof heavily, that would destroy everything, so she took a more gentle glide downward as she lined up and matched the vehicle’s pace.

It took a bit of precision to line up accurately enough to grab a handhold and then dismiss her wings, but somehow, she managed it.

The guards still held on to their spots, although one on the flank position was missing. Their escort had been reduced to three. Not that they were doing much of the escorting.

It was obvious they were distressed, and holding onto the carriage and not falling off was probably a bit of an ordeal for someone without her abilities. They remained silent, not daring to say a word.

She pulled herself up onto the roof and moved closer to Yolani, keeping her voice loud enough so her friend could hear her over the rushing wind. “The Elder isn’t dead,” she said grimly. “He’s too strong for me to take on alone.”

Yolani’s brows furrowed with concern. “What do we do then?”

Elania shook her head, her gaze fixed on the approaching wall that surrounded the Magistry district. “I don’t know yet. But we need to get out of the Artisan district first!”

As if on cue, a group of monks appeared in front of them, their hands glowing with divine energy as they prepared to attack.

Elania tensed, ready to defend the carriage, but before she could move, a barrage of musket balls slammed into the monks from behind.

The monks crumpled to the ground; their bodies riddled with holes.

Elania’s head snapped towards the wall, her eyes widening as she saw the Magistry Guard lined up along the ramparts, their muskets glowing from the discharge.

Relief flooded through her as she realized they were finally within range of friendly defenses. The guards on the wall were active and armed, ready to defend against any further attacks.

Yolani let out a shaky breath, her hands gripping the reins tightly. “Thank the gods,” she muttered.

Elania nodded, agreeing with the sentiment. She turned and looked behind them, her eyes still scanning the area for any sign of the Elder.

She knew he wouldn’t give up so easily, but for now, they had a moment to catch their breath.

As the carriage approached the gate, Elania could see the guards rushing to open it, their faces tense with anticipation.

Elania gritted her teeth as the Conclave monks redoubled their efforts, determined to prevent their escape. The Elder was closing on them from behind as well, her enhanced senses placing him even though buildings blocked a direct view.

Stray shots whizzed past the carriage, the projectiles coming dangerously close to striking them.

“They’re not letting up!” Yolani shouted over the din of battle, her hands gripping the reins tightly.

Elania’s eyes narrowed, her divine power surging within her. With a wave of her hand, she erected a divine barrier in front of the carriage, the shimmering wall of energy acting like an oversized snowplow, deflecting the stray bullets.

“Just keep driving!” Elania called back, her attention focused on maintaining the barrier. “We’re almost there!”

Yolani nodded; her face set with determination. She reached for her magic projectile wand, taking aim at the monks who had managed to get too close to the carriage.

With a series of quick, precise shots, she sent them tumbling to the ground, their robes smoking from the impact.

Elania turned her focus toward the rear. The Elder had caught up to them, his face twisted with rage as he prepared to launch another attack.

Before he could strike, a series of cannons opened fire from the city walls, sending a spray of grapeshot hurtling towards him.

The Elder’s eyes widened in surprise, and he quickly erected a barrier of his own, the golden light shimmering as it absorbed the impact of the projectiles.

The barrage halted his pursuit, forcing him to focus on defending himself rather than attacking.

There was a clearing between the buildings of the Artisan district and the wall, and as they broke through the threshold, the realization that they had made it arrived. There were far more guards that hadn’t been able to fire that would be if anyone came out of the cover of buildings.

The guards on the walls continued to fire, providing cover as they made their final approach.

Elania breathed a sigh of relief as the carriage passed through the gate, the portcullis slamming shut behind them with a resounding clang.

The sound of cannons and gunfire continued to echo above.

The relief died as the gate on the other side of the gate tunnel slammed shut as well. Yolani brought the carriage to a lurching halt.

A guard appeared on the other side. “Who goes there!”

Annoyance pricked at her. Who the fuck did they think they were?

The guards seemed to be taking no chances.

Elania glanced at their escort. “Hey! It’s your job to figure this out.”

The one holding onto the back had at some point lost his musket. There was also the unfortunate reality that her enhanced senses picked up that at some point, he had relieved himself.

A frown appeared on her lips. The carriage ride hadn’t been that bad, had it?

Okay, maybe it had been pretty bad.

They probably shouldn’t have taken so long. But… at least they had got everything of value out of the shop that was easily movable. Checking the inside of the carriage, nothing seemed to have escaped, and the weight-reduction packs were pretty durable.

The other guard seemed to have fared slightly better and nodded to her and went to discuss entry.

Minutes ticked by, each one feeling like an eternity. Yolani looked at her with worry, but they didn’t talk.

Finally, the portcullis opened, and they rolled into the Magistry district. A prickle of unease settled over her. The attack had been too close, too coordinated. Someone had known their route, and where they would be.

Their target was pretty clear as well. She doubted they’d have gone after just Yolani.

They definitely saw her as the primary threat and priority.

They were probably right about that.

She just needed to hurt them a lot more than she already had, somehow.

It would be a shame to disappoint them.