Demoness 2 - Chapter 78 - Counters (Patreon)

Elania’s heart pounded as she stepped in front of Yolani, her eyes locked on the paladin before her. His sword and shield gleamed in the dim light, the nastiness somehow failing to adhere. That was really, really unfair.

There wasn’t any time to delay. [Power] gathered into her palm, and Elania focused it into a lance of energy before releasing it at him.

It struck the shield with a crack, spending itself on the shining metal. The force of the impact shook the sewers. Rocks crumbled from the ceiling, splashing into the foul water. Everything around them groaned, a warning of the section’s fragility.

Elania cursed under her breath. Powerful attacks were off limits, at least not without risking the collapse of the entire sewer on top of them.

Maybe she’d survive that, but… Elania glanced at Yolani, an icy panic grabbing her chest.

Behind them, the crack of muskets filled the air as guards released a volley down other corridors.

Elania’s focus was ripped back to her opponent as he charged. Before she could come up with something, the sewer stone exploded inwards, sealing off the tunnel.

Elania gaped, her eyes widening as she turned to Yolani. “When did you learn Keswick’s magic?”

Yolani was clearly rattled, but managed a grin. “After last time of course I’m going to bring my new stone shaping wand.”

Elania nodded. They turned to assist the guards, only to find more paladins emerging from the shadows. The sound of the sword and shield paladin pounding on the shaped stone echoed beside them.

Elania’s mind raced, trying to formulate a plan. They were outnumbered, in enemy territory, and trapped in a confined space with limited options.

It wasn’t ideal.

She glanced to Yolani, who had her wand leveled at the approaching paladins. The guards reloaded their muskets, their faces grim in the faint light.

“Any ideas?” Elania asked, her voice low.

Yolani shook her head, her eyes not leaving the enemy. “Not unless you want to bring everything down on our heads.”

Elania blinked. Maybe that was an option actually?

The guards did their best, and Yolani sealed off several more tunnels, but it was ineffective.

The paladins burst through some of the sealed passages with brute force, and the second any of them reached within arm’s reach of the guards, the Magistry’s men were slaughtered.

Shock crystals and packs spilled into the muck, the prizes of the cache lost.

Elania’s heart raced before she grabbed a handful of shock crystals and tossed them into the paladins. She compressed them with [Power] as they left her hand and they exploded like little fiery blasts of popcorn.

That knocked the paladins back, but didn’t maim or kill them.

“Yolani!” Elania shouted. “Remove all the stone over our heads!”

Yolani’s eyes widened. “That won’t be easy!”

“Just do it!” Elania grabbed a musket and shoved a shock crystal into it, aiming at a charging paladin. Unlike her auto rifle, the musket was a one-shot weapon. But she could overcharge the crystal.

She did so, the energy crackling dangerously. The shot punched through the paladin’s breastplate, knocking him back as the musket barrel exploded and peeled backwards like an abused banana.

It got tossed like a javelin at the next one; the metal clanging against a shield. The sewer walls shook as Yolani worked to reshape the stone, but the process was agonizingly slow.

Abandoning the remaining few guards, Elania moved back to Yolani and grabbed her by the waist. She pulled out one of the mana shards Yolani had given her and reached toward the ceiling.

“What are you doing?” Yolani shouted, her voice laced with panic.

“Speeding things up!” Elania replied.

The mana shard glowed, and then a beam of energy punched through the weakened divot of stone Yolani had made. When it punched through the ground, it easily burnt through the building above as well.

Melting stone, dust and debris, all of it rained down on them as the laser cut the path. Most of it missed them, forming a ring around their feet, but Yolani buried her face in Elania’s shoulder to avoid the heat.

Elania tightened her grip around Yolani and then unfurled her wings in the confined space. The paladins charged towards them, swords glinting.

“Hold on,” Elania whispered.

They shot upwards like a rocket. Yolani clung to her, with wand still in hand. It pulsed brightly and suddenly the sewer below them began to collapse. The paladin’s shouts faded into the rumble of falling stone.

They burst through the floor of the building above. It took only a split second for Elania to recognize it was a burnt out building, and she turned and they shot out a missing wall.

Yolani glanced to the side, her eyes widening as they gained altitude. “That was…”

“Insane?” Elania supplied.

“I was going to say brilliant, but insane works too,” Yolani replied.

Elania managed a giggle, the sound almost foreign considering the destruction and fighting.

The relief was short-lived.

Below them, she spotted several circles of monks as they lit up, the man in the center turning into a familiar golden ball. They launched themselves toward her and Yolani like golden comets.

Elania’s heart raced as she flew fast, her wings straining with the effort. A quick roll was required to avoid one of the siege orbs, and Yolani’s grip tightened around Elania’s torso.

The other girl’s breaths came in quick gasps.

The other siege projectiles shot after them from behind, slowly gaining. Somehow, Yolani got a wand into her hand, though.

Energy missiles shot out from its tip, streaking behind them to intercept the homing projectiles.

Elania angled to gain more altitude and slowed down slightly, and the color returned to Yolani’s face.

Just as she thought they were clear, Arch-Paladin Anton snapped into existence directly in front of her, his massive sword already in motion.

Elania rolled more in reflex than anything else. They narrowly avoided being bisected by inches. Yolani screamed anyway.

Anton reappeared above them and forced Elania to dodge again. Then to their side. Then below. Elania jerked and weaved, her wings flashing repeatedly as she avoided his strikes as best she could.

Yolani’s screams turned to whimpers, her body shaking.

Panic gripped Elania as she realized just the maneuvers were hurting Yolani, the speed and sudden changes in direction too much for a human to endure.

Another sword slash was narrowly avoided, blade passing just a hairsbreadth away from its mark. She couldn’t stop or slow down, not with Anton appearing endlessly around them like some type of angry teleporting bird.

Yolani went completely limp.

Elania froze in place. Anton appeared in front of her, his sword presenting her with a heavy downward cleave.

In a split-second decision, she raised her hand, catching the blade in her palm. The sword punched through her [Demonic Aura] and cleaved through flesh, running down her forearm in a spray of blood and flesh.

Gritting her teeth against the flaring pain, she used the momentum to deflect the blade to the side. With her other arm, she released Yolani and punched Anton squarely in the chest. Her fist punched through the armor with a shriek, and then she opened her fingers in his flesh to leave a mana shard nestled within the wound.

Then she crushed all the [Power] hiding inside of it.

He winked away, and she turned to catch Yolani, the motion smooth enough that it was almost like she never let go.

Nearby, an explosion rocked through the air, and Elania dived downwards toward the buildings in the direction of the Magistry. They were still on the wrong side of the city, though.

Her flayed arm began to re-knit itself together, a terrifyingly grotesque process as the flesh and bone writhed.

Another monk circle lit up in an intersection. Elania fumbled with the bag of shock crystals before dumping it. She used her aura to prick each one, destabilizing them as they scattered in the air.

Before one of the human projectiles lashed out at them, the ground turned into a series of dozens of small explosions.

“Yolani? Yolani!” Elania shouted.

Her companion didn’t reply.

Elania scanned around them for the enemy.

She didn’t see any directly nearby. It was possible for that to change at any minute.

There was no choice anymore. She needed to land.