Demoness 2 - Chapter 32 – The Fortress (Patreon)

Yolani’s eyes flicked to the door as it creaked open. Joren stepped inside, carrying a small bucket of water and a bundle of clothes. He set them down and then looked at her with a frown.

“Are you feeling better?” he asked.

“Yes, thank you,” she lied, suppressing her hatred for him. She didn’t want him to know how much she despised him.

He might have helped her, saved her even, but he was working with the people who had taken her and Henri in the first place. Worked with the people who had tortured her.

His help didn’t absolve him of his part in her suffering.

“You need to let us go,” Henri called out from his cell.

Joren frowned and looked over his shoulder. “The Elders will decide what to do with you.”

“I’m a member of the Guard. You’re going to start a war,” Henri warned.

Joren shook his head. “I don’t want a war, but I can’t help you.”

Yolani wiped her face and hands with the water, turning the water crimson with her dried blood. She didn’t want to think about what West had done to her, or what he might still do.

She needed to focus on what she could do. Standing up, she took a step toward Joren. “Thank you.”

He tensed as she hugged him. “You saved me.”

“I’m just doing my duty,” he replied, patting her back awkwardly, clearly seeking escape.

She let him go and stepped back, her eyes meeting his. “I understand, but you saved me from him, anyway.”

Suddenly, the prison shook, and the sound of distant shouting filled the air. Joren’s eyes widened, and he started to slip away, but she held onto his arm.

“What was that? Is something wrong...?” she asked.

“I don’t know,” Joren replied, hastily leaving the cell and sliding the door shut with a locking click.

“I’m sorry I have to go. I’ll be back later,” he called out as he hurried away.

Yolani stepped up to the bars with a frown, looking for any sign of what was happening. Henri’s gaze was fixed on her.

“What was that?” he asked.

“No idea. But it’s a distraction,” she replied.

“I meant with the monk,” Henri clarified. “You hugged him.”

She shot him an annoyed glance. “I was trying to get him to let his guard down.”

Henri’s eyes narrowed. “You’re not going to try to seduce him, are you?”

She held up a key that she’d taken off the monk’s belt. “I don’t need to.”

Henri’s eyes widened. “You stole that?”

“I don’t know what that was, but it might be our chance. We need to get out of here,” Yolani replied.

***

Elania followed Gaston and the monk through the fortress, her eyes scanning the hallways and rooms they passed. The inside was a maze of rough stone, with narrow hallways and cramped rooms. The monks they passed were all clad in the same gray robes, and they all gave their small group wary glances.

Most of those settled and lingered on her. At least no one seemed to be able to tell what she was. [Identify] was a thing, but maybe her [Presence Concealment] was doing well enough of a job to prevent anyone of thinking to use it?

Anxiety tightened in her chest as they continued further, regardless. It warred with anger and frustration. It felt like the whirlpool of emotions was going to flatten her.

She had [Crisis Management] slotted alongside [Presence Concealment], [Mana Manipulation], and [Improvised Combat]. She was ready to swap out [Presence Concealment] for another combat skill when things hit the fan, and she had all her cooldowns available.

So that was ready.

The group came to a second checkpoint. This time, the monks guarding the gate were wearing more ornate robes and were undecidedly unhappy to see them.

“What do you think you’re doing?” one of the guards demanded.

[Martial Monk - Human - Lvl 162]

Their guide stepped forward and wielded his parchment with the elder’s name affixed to it. “Special instruction from Elder Gant. We have his seal and something he requested.”

The guard took the parchment and looked it over, then gave it to the second man. “Elder Gant might want it, but no one gets through here without following procedure. Elder Winx does not take kindly to people trying to bypass the rules. Especially here,” the second guard said.

The first guard nodded. “You can wait here while we send for Elder Gant.”

Gaston stepped forward. “We don’t have time for that. The orders were explicit. Can’t you send us ahead while you get the Elder?”

Both of the monks stared at him, their expressions suddenly flashing to shock. “You’re not a brother.”

Elania tensed, her hand going to her dagger. Gaston was faster and struck first, slamming a length of metal between the first guard’s ribs. The second guard didn’t waste any time drawing a weapon and simply struck out with a kick, sending the Guard lieutenant flying back into the wall.

The stabbed monk fell to the floor silently, going limp--Gaton’s strike had been lethal. That didn’t stop the second one from raising a shout, which was answered from behind them in the distance.

A flurry of exchanges between their guide and the guard erupted, but Elania stepped forward and struck the remaining guard with a slash of her dagger. Hot [Power] laced across the metal, leaving a sizzle of red light in the air as it blurred.

There was a screech as the blow narrowly missed the guard’s throat and took off his ear instead. He stumbled back, but she pushed past their guide and slammed him into the wall and then punctured his chest like Gaston had. Just a bit more brutally since his chest caved from the pressure of the [Vorpal] dagger’s hilt.

Elania glanced back at Gaston, who was getting back to his feet.

“Are you injured?” Elania asked, mostly to know if he could continue or not.

Gaston nodded. “We’re in it now.”

“Yeah.” Elania turned to their guide. “Where is the key to the gate?”

The man swallowed. “I’m not sure. It’ll be keyed to one of them. We need to find--“

Elania stared at the bars and then reached out to grab them. There was a visceral pulse of energy that flowed over her in response. The sensation was strange, and although she never thought of [Power] as a living thing... it seemed angry at her presence.

Like it wanted to reject her.

That was fine. She hadn’t wanted to absorb it, anyway. They just needed through.

A mental push filled the air with a thunderclap and the rest of the group’s hands went to their ears in pain. The gate shuddered and then the stone where the bars were inset began to crumble; the metal turning a blazing red.

Her hands burned with the [Power] flowing through her, but her own sheen of protective energy encased her skin and protected her from the worst of it. That was an improvement from before, at least.

The metal gave way and began to liquefy, and a second pulse of [Power] sent it splattering away from them deeper into the fortress as she stomped her foot onto the stone.

The path was clear, except for a few puddles of cooling metal. She stepped through the new hole and looked back at the rest of them. “Let’s go. We need to hurry.”

“The alarm...” their guide mumbled weakly.

“It’s already been raised,” Gaston replied. “She’s right. We need to move.”

“This is fucked!” one of the Guards muttered, but they followed along.

Elania shook her head. She didn’t disagree with him, but somehow, she had known it was going to end up like this. The main reason she hadn’t expressed her skepticism was because that would have meant waiting for a new plan... or never coming at all.

And that was not something she had been willing to consider.