Demoness 2 - Chapter 50 – Respite (Part 1) (Patreon)

Elania stepped out of the carriage, her eyes immediately drawn to the damage that surrounded them.

The seraph’s attack had left a trail of destruction in its wake, the once pristine streets and rows of magistrate buildings now marred by rubble and debris.

The laser beam had cut through the area like a hot knife through butter, leaving a jagged wound that stretched as far as the eye could see.

The Magistry tower itself…

Elania’s brow furrowed in confusion. The tower stood tall and unblemished; its walls totally untouched by the devastation that had ravaged the rest of the district.

It was as if an invisible barrier had protected it, shielding it from the seraph’s wrath.

Elania turned to Yolani, who stood beside her. “Look at that,” she said, pointing to the tower. “It’s completely undamaged. The laser damage just... stops.”

Yolani followed her gaze, her eyes widening in surprise. “You’re right,” she said, her voice tinged with awe. “Considering how important it is, there is probably some type of protection. Some kind of defensive enchantment, maybe?”

Elania nodded, her mind racing with possibilities. Maybe the Celestial Engine could power a shield to protect the entire city next time? They hadn’t exactly asked for the specifics of why the Magisters wanted the engine charged as full as possible.

As they made their way towards the tower, flanked by their escort of guards, Elania could feel the adrenaline from their escape slowly dissipating.

It was mostly her mind aching from the exertion of the fight, and she could feel the weight of exhaustion settling over her like a heavy blanket. Physically, though, she was as fine as ever thanks to [Regeneration].

She pushed the fatigue aside, knowing that there was still work to be done. They had retrieved the workshop’s treasures and escaped the Conclave’s clutches, but the threat was far from over.

The seraph was still out there, and they needed to find a way to stop it, or they were all going to be screwed when the Elders brought it out again.

There was a little evidence that they couldn’t just release it whenever they wanted. If they could, she could only imagine they’d have demolished every district offering resistance by now. So they had to have at least some limitation.

Elania glanced at Yolani, taking strength from her presence. They had been through so much together.

When they reached the Magistry tower, Magister Keswick was waiting for them on the steps. That just drove in how important their roles were.

The Magister’s face was etched with lines of worry, but relief softened her features.

“Thank the gods you’ve made it safely,” Keswick said, her voice tight with tension. “As soon as you came within range, we’ve been monitoring your progress. I must say we didn’t expect them to move so quickly, or we would never have let you go out there.”

Elania grunted, a conflicting feeling running through her. Not let them go out? Something in her rebelled at thinking this mortal would dare try to prevent her from doing whatever she willed to do…

Before she could say something to that effect, she clamped down on it. That was the [Divinity]talking for sure.

That didn’t kill the notion that someone had leaked their movements, though…

“Somehow, they knew we were going to be out there. They didn’t just flood the area with monks and an Elder randomly,” Elania said.

Yolani and Keswick both looked at her with a frown.

“You think we have a leak?” Keswick mused. “Well, you are likely correct, I’m afraid. Our institutions are so old there has been plenty of time for such things… I believe Magister Bannon used one such in Ms. Aetherhart’s rescue, even.”

Elania grunted. That was true. It seemed the city had been preparing for conflict for a long time… at least its major organizations had been.

“The seraph’s attack has left us in a precarious position,” Magister Keswick said, her brow furrowed. “Our defenses are weakened, and we need to act quickly if we hope to stand a chance against the combined forces of the Conclave and Lightbringers.”

She turned to Yolani, her expression serious. “Ms. Aetherhart, we need your expertise in artifice now more than ever. Our weaponry has been depleted at an alarming rate, and we need you to assist in their replenishment. Every musket, every bomb, every pouch of shock crystals is vital to maintaining our defenses. We have ample mana shards for your use in repairing and replenishing supplies.”

Yolani straightened her shoulders, a determined glint in her eye. “I understand, Magister. I’ll get to work right away.”

“I need some of those,” Elania said immediately. “Ours burned up during the battle at the Conclave, and I only have one that Magister Bannon gave me. I need at least a dozen. It’ll help me in combat immensely.”

“Done. I’ll see that they are brought to you as soon as you are settled in,” Keswick answered. She let out a tense breath. “Let me show you both to your rooms, and then we can see about restoring the Celestial Engine.”

The Magister led them inside and toward the elevator at the back of the main lobby. The entry room was full of soldiers and staff members talking or working on their equipment.

There were even several wounded that were laying on makeshift cots. It seemed every space in the building was being utilized by people that had taken cover.

That made sense if the tower was the most magically protected building in the city.

“We’ve collected several dozen Conclave prisoners. They’re locked up inside the tower and under heavy guard, so you don’t need to worry. We’ll utilize them to power the engine as necessary,” Keswick said.

Elania’s heart sank as Keswick mentioned the captured monks, her spine going cold at the implication.

“I’m not ready to do that,” Elania said.

Keswick looked at her sharply, then her expression softened. “Of course. It’s a bad idea to overcharge your [Divinity] essence right now. The prisoners won’t be a concern until we are ready for the next transfer, and when you aren’t as… full.”

Elania remained silent, her mind reeling at the prospect of what lay ahead. If her wings had been out, they would have been flickering unhappily.

The idea of murdering prisoners, even if they were enemies, felt like a line she wasn’t ready to cross.

The lives of countless innocents depended on her ability to power the Celestial Engine. But at what cost? How much of herself was she willing to sacrifice in the name of the greater good?

She didn’t have an answer by the time the elevator dinged, and they stepped out. The space wasn’t familiar to her, but Elania recognized a heavy metal vault door; the entrance to the engine. So they were near the heart of the tower.

Keswick led them down a short hall toward a cross of three doors. As they walked, Keswick explained, “Elania, your proximity to the Celestial Engine is of utmost importance. If another attack occurs, you’ll need to hurry to the control room and do your best to maintain its power.”

“Really, I don’t see how I can even nudge the meter. I thought it was the essence distribution that was the problem, not the raw amount of [Power] available,” Elania replied.

Keswick grunted. “That’s true, but the higher the [Divinity] level is on the engine, the more efficiently it will be processing that raw power into effects we have available. Namely, the defensive field. There are other capabilities we haven’t utilized in living memory that could also strike back, but that requires a much higher quality than we have ever enjoyed.”

Elania nodded, absorbing the information.

There was a lull in the conversation, and Elania absentmindedly checked her pack and holster. The recent memory of firing on the Elder came to mind.

Elania glanced at Yolani. “The pistol turned out pretty effective against the Elder. It saved my life back there.”

Yolani looked back at her, concern etched into her face. “What do you mean? I honestly didn’t expect it to be that critical, considering the powers you can throw around while a seraph.”

“It punched through his shield when nothing I could throw at it would get through, but then he used some kind of illusion magic. I thought I had killed him, but it was some kind of trick,” Elania explained.

Yolani frowned. “Illusion magic? That’s not a common type of magic. I don’t think it’s something you’d expect a Conclave member to use, either.”

Elania turned to Keswick, who had been listening intently. “Magister, do you know anything about the Elders using illusion magic?”

Keswick’s expression grew grave. “It’s impossible, but it’s certainly not common. That this Elder was able to confuse you so effectively speaks to their power and skill, especially as an ascendant with a compatible transformation.”

Bells started going off in Elania’s head. She’d seen that word used on her status sheet, and if the Magister knew more about it, she was going to ask later if she could.

Yolani sighed. “Great, just what we needed. As if the Elders weren’t dangerous enough already.”

“I didn’t do a good enough job,” Elania mumbled.

Yolani placed a comforting hand on Elania’s shoulder. “But you still managed to defeat him, even with his tricks. That’s a testament to your own strength, Elania.”

Elania frowned, but she was grateful for Yolani’s support. “Thanks. I didn’t actually beat him, though. We ran away, remember?”

“Yes, and we made it out alive. That’s sort of beating him,” Yolani countered.

“Based on your description of his abilities, it sounds like you were facing Elder Holt, the leader of the Conclave,” Keswick said, her brow furrowed.

Elania’s eyes widened. “Elder Holt?”

Keswick nodded gravely. “He’s never actually been met by a Magister, so we have little information on him. Rumors, though… paint the possibility that it was him. Besides that, there are only so many Conclave Elders that it is almost certain he is the one you faced.”

She frowned. “It’s likely that what you thought was a fatal blow wasn’t actually an illusion, but rather a planned substitution.”

“A substitution?” Yolani asked, leaning forward in her seat.

“Yes,” Keswick replied. “Elder Holt is known for using body swapping techniques to avoid injury. He likely had a prepared substitute ready to take his place if he sustained fatal damage.”

Elania’s mind raced as she processed this information. “So when I thought I had killed him...”

“He had already swapped bodies, transferring his consciousness to a new host and leaving behind the injured one,” Keswick finished.

Elania slumped back in her chair, the weight of this revelation hitting her. “That’s sort of ridiculous,” she muttered.

Although as soon as she said it she wanted to take it back. There were so many other ridiculous things, half of them relating to her own abilities, that it body-swapping wasn’t near the top of the list.

Keswick’s expression was grim. “Indeed. It makes him an incredibly tough opponent to defeat. Even if you think you’ve landed a killing blow, he may have already escaped unscathed.”

The Magister stopped and gestured to the doors. “Here are your quarters and workshop. There is a lift to the workshop directly, but I wanted to show you the normal route to get here first.”