Page 80 of Demons Treasure Warlocks

“You’ve lost, Hastur. You’re a fucking loser. You can’t even keep your possessed humans alive.” Another tentacle, but Darius shifted slightly and avoided the strike. Where was Bale? There was only so much he could do before Hastur truly got angry.

Hastur curled his body back close to him and drifted a foot off the ground. Rage and dark energy radiated from him as he considered Darius. “I haven’t admitted anything yet, human. That’s not what I do. So, give up before you fail everyone you’ve ever loved.”

A wingbeat and a thump behind Darius gave him a chance to breathe. Bale was back. Hopefully the message got across. “I have everything, and I would give it all up if it meant you weren’t around to hurt anyone ever again.”

“Even your demon companion?” Hastur tried once more to break their bond, and Darius wouldn’t have it.

“Even him. Him I trust with my soul.” The words spread out in a wave of magic, knocking Hastur from his invisible pedestal. The land boosted its energy as it undermined Hastur’s fractured connection. “You can’t win. You never had a true bond with anyone here. No one likes you, Hastur. We do not welcome you. This land is protected and guarded by me, Darius Warlock. Only I can offer hospitality to other beings onto this land, and I do not do that for you.”

“No, you see, that’s wrong. When you were with me, you ceded all your abilities to me. I own you. I own everything in this fucking town. I am Granite. You lost, Darius, when you handed your soul over to me. Remember?”

“But he didn’t, Hastur. He kept one tiny piece for himself and offered me another.” Bale stepped forward, blocking Hastur’s view of Darius. Hastur screamed in outrage and sent another tentacle flying.

Bale’s head snapped around, and Darius’s heart stopped. Bale’s surprised expression almost broke Darius’s will as he crumpled to the ground changed everything. Blood dripped from his forehead as acid made the cut bubble.

“He lied, didn’t he, Darius? You wouldn’t do that to me? You trusted me. Remember when I took you under my wing? When you were grief-stricken? You reached out to me for salvation, and you swore to me that you’d give it all to me.”

Lightning cracked in the sky. The starry blanket overhead shifted to mottled grey as Hastur spoke. He circled Darius angrily as he tried to make Darius falter.

It wasn’t in Darius to accept what Hastur had done. Bale’s sacrifice wouldn’t be for naught. Hastur was going to pay for what he did to Bale. Darius breathed heavily as he tried to not let grief and bitter anger win. Bale wouldn’t want that. Darius had to do what made Bale happy. He had to be fucking calm in the face of a goddamn monster. He trusted his friends to do the right thing ultimately, even if some wavered. Taking one last shuddering breath, he stood tall and proud as he spoke. “I never said the words, Hastur.”

“Doesn’t matter. You consented.” Hastur trailed a tentacle up Bale’s prone body, caressing it lightly. The touch made Darius’s stomach roll, and he itched to protect Bale. Lightning snapped at the tentacle, causing Hastur to recoil slightly. “Whatever your friends are doing? It’s not going to work. They don’t have the strength. I allowed them to think they did. Your guardian is young and untried. He’s never understood magic, not like you. And the godling with his vampire servant? They’ll fail. Because Sawyer will be there to block them. Just fucking admit you lost.”

The grey sky turned black-red, and the rumbling noise and the static in the air felt like a blessing. Isaac had managed to do the thing. Darius focused the power in his fingertips as he thought of everything Hastur put him through. This was the end.

He trusted Isaac to know when to start. Darius saw the sliver of an opening and smiled. “Hastur, your reign over this town is over. As warlock and protector of Granite, I take away everything you stole and return it to the true owners. You no longer have any rights or powers in this dimension. I am ordering you back to the hellscape where you came from and forbid you from entering this one ever again.”

A shove from the side and an arm around his neck was the only warning Darius got that Hastur had a backup plan. Fucking Sawyer. His concentration shot, Darius attempted to stand up and face the fuckers once more.

“The other two portals are done, boss. This is it,” Sawyer said as he brushed the snow from his legs. “I can take him out for you.”

“No, not yet. I want him to see the end of his world first. Hold on to him though.” Hastur sniffed as he readjusted his stance and his tentacles. The blank face was filled with rage still as he stared at Darius. “Stubborn to the last, eh Darius? I was going to let you win.”

“I was counting on this. I always knew you had some sort of wild card. I was just waiting for you to play it.” Darius spat on the ground and winced as red dotted the landscape. Not a good sign.

“I wanted to offer you this chance, Darius. I really did. I thought you were an excellent rival, and you gave me so much. You’re a fantastic person and intriguing too. However, you must die. I can’t let this go on anymore.”

“Kill me.” That simple phrase was so easy to speak. He had said what was necessary to his friends. Bale knew he loved him. Bale loved him back. He glanced up at the night sky and maintained a straight face. Despite Sawyer’s words, his plan was still in the works. Darius only had to find the right moment to unleash his whole arsenal all at once.

“He’s got something up his sleeve, boss,” Sawyer said, his beady black eyes boring a hole in Darius’s face.

“Doesn’t matter now. He can’t win.”

“So says you,” Darius snapped and released the built-up energy at Hastur, watching as it dripped down into the small portal, gluing the fissure together. The combination of demonic energy and human magic was enough to seal the crack forever. Hastur never had paid attention to the small details like that.

The resulting crack of thunder and the power vacuum that occurred sucked Hastur back into his hellscape. Hastur fought for dominance as he scrambled to find a sturdy tree to lock on to. Tentacles whipped out, seeking purchase. One almost nailed Darius in the face, but he managed to trip over a rock and fall before it connected.

Darius used both fire and electricity into one shining whip and cracked it across Hastur’s face. Hastur shrieked in anger as he gripped the edge of the portal. Once more, he lashed out at Darius with his tentacles, attempting to bring Darius with him through to the wasted world. Darius kicked at the limb, not letting Hastur win.

Pouring all his energy, both physical and magical into the portal, offering it more power to hold on to Hastur, Darius grew dizzy. He never stopped because this was the moment. This was when he absolutely could not give into anything. He had to throw his whole self into this. Hastur had to disappear.

The door to Hastur’s dimension was just as determined to bring Hastur home. The energy pulled on Hastur, yanking him down bit by bit. Hastur twisted and shrank as he was forced into the small space. The portal sparked with black lightning and red ice as it fought to consume Hastur. The sight was disturbing as Hastur shrieked at the pressure over his body. The pull on Darius’s reserves drained Darius, but he continued to cooperate with the portal. They had to remove Hastur from their home.

Darius gave one last push of magic to seal the door, and Hastur’s squeal nearly shattered his ear drums as the portal closed. The resulting sonic boom and release sent Darius flying to the ground.

Darius sat up gingerly, his hand going to his head as it throbbed. His whole body hurt as he stumbled to his feet. He could only shuffle to where the crack was, and it was healed. There was nothing left.

It was done. Hastur was gone. Maybe they’d be able to relax.

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