Demoness 2 - Chapter 87 - Priestess (Patreon)

Yolani and her guard pushed through the chaos of the district.

The once steady light from the stones above flickered and faded erratically. The sound of monk siege orbs slamming into Elania’s divine dome echoed through the air, each impact sending a shudder through Yolani’s body.

She glanced over at Henri, who lugged her large bag filled with artifice supplies.

“Don’t drop anything,” Yolani called out to him, her voice firm. “I’m going to need all of it.”

Henri nodded. “I’ve got it. Don’t worry.”

As they approached the main gate, the sound of battle grew louder. The clang of metal against metal and the shouts of soldiers filled the air. Yolani’s grip tightened on her wand.

As the men headed up the tower staircases to the main gate, a sudden warmth enveloped her, catching her off guard.

The sensation felt familiar, like Elania’s comforting presence, and she found herself relaxing despite the surrounding chaos. Just as she was about to question the strange occurrence, a glowing scroll materialized before her eyes.

[You have been granted a conduit of Divinity.]

[You have gained the class ‘Priestess of Artifice’.]

[Your patron deity, Elania, thinks of you frequently.]

Surprise, annoyance, and a hint of happiness battled for dominance in Yolani’s mind.

What was Elania doing?

“It would have been nice to discuss this first,” Yolani mumbled.

If Elania started asking her for worship, she was going to hit her with a stick a bunch of times until she came to her senses and the [Divinity] wasn’t in control anymore.

The warmth surrounding her seemed to pulse in response, as if trying to convey a message she couldn’t quite grasp. Actually, that was wrong. She could very well feel what it meant. ‘I’m still here. I love you.’

Yolani’s mind raced as she tried to make sense of her newfound status.

What did it mean to be a Priestess of Artifice? What did a conduit of Divinity do?

“Yolani?” Henri asked hesitantly. All the other guards, except half a dozen that were watching her, had made their way up to the ramparts.

“Let’s go,” Yolani ordered.

She moved forward with purpose, her steps quick and determined.

Henri kept pace beside her, his brow furrowed with concern. “Hey, are you okay? You’re... glowing.”

A laugh escaped Yolani’s lips, the sound tinged with a hint of disbelief. “Yeah, I’m fine. Just got a new class and stuff. No big deal.”

Henri’s mouth gaped. “Priestess of Artifice? What happened?”

Yolani shook her head, her focus already shifting to the chaos unfolding ahead.

She pointed up at the gate. “We need to get up there.”

The two reached the top of the wall. Chaos was there, waiting.

A Lightbringer rushed straight at her and she quickly aimed her wand, sending a blast of energy that knocked him off the wall and out into the air. Beside her, Henri intercepted another with his sword, the clang of metal against metal ringing out.

Guards fired a volley of muskets into a group of charging Lightbringers, the sound of gunfire mingling with the shouts of the defenders.

Yolani’s eyes narrowed as she caught sight of the incoming battering ram, its monk defenders creating a barrier to protect it from her magical projectiles.

Reaching into her bag, Yolani pulled out her assault wand, the weight of it familiar in her hand. A swarm of blue projectiles flashed out, slamming into the monks’ barriers.

That wasn’t going to work.

Maybe her trench digging plan was a go after all.

Behind the ram, a volley of siege projectiles blazed forward. Their blazing yellow lights winked out and a dozen bodies fell from the sky, slamming into the stone wall in a series of sickening impacts.

Yolani’s gaze slammed back onto the ram. The monks that had been riding on its roof had fallen all at once, unconscious or dead.

It was as if an invisible force had struck them down simultaneously, leaving only the Lightbringers to continue their assault.

Instinctively, she raised her wand, focusing her energy on the battering ram that was almost to the gate. She flicked her wand and a giant pillar of stone erupted from beneath the ram, a dozen times larger than she expected.

Its force was so immense that it launched the battering ram into the sky, sending it hurtling away from the gate and back out into the city.

“Why didn’t you just do that in the first place?” Henri asked, his tone a mix of amazement and confusion.

Yolani shook her head, still trying to wrap her mind around the effect. This ‘Priestess’ thing was going to be dangerous until she accounted for…

Gods, she had no idea what to account for.

“I didn’t know,” Yolani replied. She turned to a fallen musket and picked it up.

She turned it in her hands, fingers wrapping around the smooth metal of the stock. She didn’t have a workbench or the right tools for modifying it, but…

She knew exactly what modifications she wanted to make.

A golden light began to flow from her hands, its warmth spreading through her fingers and into the musket. Her eyes widened as the weapon began to reshape itself, the metal twisting and molding to her exact specifications.

In a few seconds, she had what she hoped was a fully working version of her new semi-automatic Guards rifle. The one that she’d figured out thanks to working with Elania and the machine gun, utilizing mana shards instead of shock crystals.

She reached down and picked up a scrap helmet and it morphed into the shape of a magazine, already fully loaded.

Oh, she could do a lot with this.

Without a word, she shoved the newly transformed rifle into Henri’s hands. “Use it,” she commanded.

Henri looked down at the weapon, his brow furrowed in confusion. “What... what is this?”

“It’s a semi-automatic rifle,” Yolani explained, her voice growing steadier as the initial shock began to wear off. “Thirty rounds per magazine. Let’s make some more of them.”

They didn’t have time to get started before a deafening roar of voices erupted in the distance. She gazed out into the city, another surprise presenting itself. A massive wave of people was rushing forward.

She scrambled in her bag for a telescope. It was obvious they weren’t Lightbringers by their outfits, but they weren’t members of the Guard, either.

No, it was a horde of civilians, rushing the enemy from behind with whatever improvised weapons they could find. As Yolani scanned the line, her focus landed on another group.

Ironfist.

She couldn’t make out individuals, but she wanted to imagine Harlock, Lucas, and the others out there, joining the fight, having survived the devastation in the city.

Her hand froze when she spotted the black robes.

Black candle cultists?

The Lightbringers were caught in the crush by the various groups, while the Guard on the walls pushed off the siege ladders and begin to open fire into the masses mulling below the defenses.

She didn’t know how it had happened, but one thing was for certain.

The tides of the battle had certainly shifted.

She needed to do more.

Yolani rushed from one guard to another, her hands moving with a newfound purpose and skill.

She took their muskets, one by one, and focused her divine energy into each weapon.

Each one transformed in her hands, and then she went ahead and modified their ammunition as well.

“What are you doing?” one of the guards asked, confusion written all over his face.

Yolani didn’t pause in her work, her voice steady as she replied, “Blessing your weapons. They fire thirty times now, without reloading. More firepower, faster reload.”

The guard stared at his transformed rifle, a mixture of awe and disbelief etched on his face. “How... how did you do that?”

“I’m a Priestess of Artifice now,” Yolani mumbled.

As the guards received their upgraded weapons, they turned their attention back to the battlefield.

The sound of gunfire intensified, the volume of shots fired increasing dramatically as the semi-automatic rifles unleashed a relentless barrage upon the Lightbringer assault.

At some point, she had to stop modifying the weapons just to keep up with the ammo usage.

The enemy soldiers fell in droves, their advance faltering under the crushing weight of the improved firepower.

It was all interrupted by a blinding light exploding in the distance, drawing everyone’s attention.

Yolani squinted against the glare, her eyes widening as she saw a colossal seraph materialize, its form towering over the city near the Conclave Fortress.

The divine being’s laser flashed out, its beam carving a deep gouge through the cavern’s side-walls.

A massive laser lanced out, striking the city and then passing over the Magistry district. It bit into Elania’s divine dome, which protected the entire district and not just the tower. The hostile energy didn’t pierce it, although the protective light flickered angrily.

The rest of the city was not as fortunate in their protections. It was just as bad as all the other devastating strikes, carving up another portion of the city.

The destruction wasn’t over.

The seraph reached up and punched the cavern ceiling. A ripple ran through the city cavern, and the light stones that Elania had suspended began to plummet towards the ground.

The earthquake hit next, and Yolani braced herself by holding onto a crenulation. Henri shouted at her and they both clung to the wall desperately.

The protective shield would protect them inside the district, but…

The falling light stones froze mid-fall again, caught by an invisible force.

Yolani felt her heart pounding in her chest. “She caught them again.”

“What?” Henri asked.

“Nothing,” Yolani replied, standing back up and dusting herself off.

She turned and looked out at the Lightbringers’ lines. Or rather, the lack of them.

They’d completely crumbled between the relentless deluge of aimed rifle fire and the unexpected onslaught from the rear. Ironfist mercenaries sliced their way through the center, and had divided the enemy into two main pockets.

For the first time, cannon fire and the staccato of the Gatling guns were silent, the gunners unable to fire without risking friendly fire.

There was nowhere for the Lightbringers to break and flee.

The mob showed no quarter.

The civilians unleashed their pent-up rage and frustration. A part of her felt a grim satisfaction in seeing the Lightbringers receive the punishment they deserved.

Another part of her recoiled at the sheer brutality of it all, but the memory of Lightbringer West’s face made it remain very, very quiet.

As if everything going on wasn’t enough already, a pillar of red light blossomed in the center of the city.

Yolani’s breath caught in her throat as lava poured out in a rapid, relentless flow from the city’s main elevator. The molten rock engulfed the highest level of the Noble district in seconds.

It spilled down each terrace, transforming the spiral pillar into a cascade of glowing, angry red steps.

Even at a distance, the air shimmered with intense heat, before pouring into…

Yolani did a double take.

There was only a shallow pool of water surrounding the district, the natural waterfalls of the city having ceased. The lava spread out as it began to form a new hellish moat of melted rock.

The seraph’s wings dug into the ceiling, carving another scar into the city cavern, sending a spray of chunks into the nascent lava lake.

She needed a better vantage point. Yolani turned and gestured to Henri, who stopped watching the Lightbringers and followed. There was a nearby tower, and she climbed the staircase inside as fast as she could.

The seraph was easy enough to see, but she wanted to see Elania. She pulled out her telescope and searched.

She knew Elania was there, fighting against the divine being with her newfound powers. But even with her enhanced abilities, could her angel truly hope to stand against a force of such unimaginable might?

“What are we doing?” Henri asked.

“Watching the battle,” Yolani replied.

Henri laughed, a hint of exhaustion in his voice. “Which one?”

“Elania’s fighting the seraph,” Yolani said.

Henri grunted.

A wave of helplessness washed over her as she watched the fight rage on.

“Please,” Yolani murmured, her voice thick with emotion. “Please, let Elania win.”