Page 114 of Unbinding the Demon
“He summoned a lloigor!?” Azathoth blurted out, his face engraved with anger. “Why am I not surprised that this cowardly and worthless ignoramus won’t fight me himself?” he grumbled, then looked at me. “Alright, this might actually be a good fight. It looks like most of the corrupted are dead, so just stay with Belzar.” He placed both hands on my cheeks and kissed my lips, then he flew off toward the strange beast.
Well fuck…
48. Ashes to Ashes
The freezing wind blew through my wispy bangs as I stood among the sea of burning corpses and scorched earth. Belzar stood protectively beside me, with black, putrid blood dripping from his muzzle and soaking through his fur. Sparks crackled up from the charred human remains around us. They swirled up into the deep midnight-blue sky until the frigid air extinguished their fiery life force.
The front of the church was burning, casting a warm glow across the ground. The barren branches of the small Japanese maple swayed in the breeze while the flames flickered and licked at the building behind it. Shadows from the branches danced ominously upon the dead, like the grasping fingers of wraiths attempting to snatch up their souls.
Tension coiled in my gut as the alien, godzilla-like creature let out a bone-chilling screech. It lunged at Azathoth, its colossal jaws snapping like a snare, menacing and monstrous. With a mischievous swoop, he darted at it before soaring away, luring it from our midst. With each thunderous step, its massive hind legs shook the ground. It launched after Azathoth like a relentless predator in pursuit, hungry for the chase.
The moment Azathoth was a suitable distance away, more of the corrupted began slowly emerging from the soughing trees. It seemed as if they had been patiently waiting for him to leave, like opportunistic ticks hidden within the tall swaying grass. There weren’t as many as before, but certainly a lot. Fear and dread washed over me. My gaze shifted from the corrupted to Lacey and William, who were still watching the creature in disbelief. They stood hand in hand, frozen in shock.
Fuck, they need to snap out of it!
“Guys!” I shouted to grab their attention, springing into motion.
With my arms flailing like a windmill, I raced toward them, moving like a whirlwind of desperation. As I jumped over and around the crispy bodies, relief from the immense fear I had been unknowingly suppressing washed over me.Lacey and William were alive! They weren’t corrupted, nor among the dead. Tears of gratitude spilled down my cheeks as I hurried over to them. William turned around and saw me, then he nudged Lacey with excitement. She whipped around, and they both began running toward me as well.
“Gwendolyn!” Lacey shouted as she stumbled over a blackened corpse.
“Gwenny-Love!” William grabbed my shoulders and shook me like a madman the moment we were reunited. Minor cuts peppered his face, and his appearance was wildly disheveled, making him look like a filthy, paranoid crackhead who had just been attacked by a mob of angry raccoons.“I think someone laced my weed!” His crazed eyes darted all around my face.
“For the millionth time, no one laced your goddamn weed!” Lacey hissed, then latched her arms around me in a panicked hug while panting from breathlessness. “Oh, my god! I’m so glad you’re okay!” She squeezed, then looked into my eyes with desperation. “Do you know what’s going on!? Or what that thing is!?” She pointed to the... lloigor? I think that’s what Azathoth had called it. “And what’s the deal with Ashton turning into a fucking demon!?”
They were both clutching onto me with suffocating grips. I would have been fine with it, but a bunch of corrupted were slowly approaching. We didn’t have time for explanations or a heartfelt reunion.
“I’m really,reallyglad you guys are okay too.” I gently shook them off. “But there’s no time to explain anything!” I rushed my words, but then proceeded to explain anyway as I pointed to the creature off in the distance. “I’m not sure what the fuck that thing is, but I’m sure Ashton’s going to kill it! And yes, he’s secretly a demon. His real name is Azathoth. Aunt Elowynn summoned him out of The Abyss!” They both stared at me with confused and downright dumbstruck expressions. Then their gazes shifted back and forth to one another.
Belzar growled as he mauled a few snarling corrupted, bringing our attention back to the perilous situation at hand. He tore the bodies limb from limb with his lethal jaws. Body parts and entrails sprayed out around him, soaking the ground with blackened, rotten blood.
“What the fuck?” Lacey’s wide, fearful eyes stared over at him. Horror took over her features the moment she realized we were slowly and subtly being surrounded.
“Don’t worry! That’s just Belzar. He’ll protect us.” I pointed to him as I reassured them, since they were understandably terrified. The corrupted were closing in, so I took out both of my swords. The shiny metal blades reflected in the flickering orange firelight as I held one up for them to take. “Quick! One of you should take my extra sword. They’re really good at killing the zombies.”
Lacey put her hands up, her body tense, while shaking her head and stepping back. “William, you should take it. I wouldn’t know how to use that thing.”
“Don’t worry, bitches. I got this,” William said with a determined expression. “I practiced using blades for a whole fucking month to prepare for my sword swallowing performance, so I’ve got some damn good moves.” He snatched the sword from me with confidence, then stared in awe at the otherworldly sight of it. “Where in the hell did you even get these?” he drawled as he ogled the blade.
I whipped around and stabbed a corrupted right in the face, turning it to ash. “They were a gift from a friendly undead prince in the Abyss. I’ll explain later!” I slashed through another one’s chest. “Lacey, stay close to me!”
William’s eyes bugged out of his head once he saw what the swords could do. In a sudden frenzy, he thrust it skyward like a maniac. With wild screams echoing from him, he flailed it around, taking out several of the corrupted in his chaotic wake.“Eeeaaahh! Take that!... Haha! And that!”
We were both downright mediocre at wielding swords. We surely would have been dead already if the blades weren’t magic or if Belzar wasn’t mauling most of the corrupted before they got to us. But it was still pretty cool fighting zombies alongside William. His wavy hair danced in the wind, while the blade glimmered and flashed in the firelight from the burning bodies. He dramatically slashed and spun, reminding me of a Viking on the battlefield.
Although Lacey didn’t have a weapon, she was still fucking them up pretty good. Blackened blood splattered across her face as she kicked and punched while screaming like a furious beast. She looked like a warrior goddess, going all Sekhmet on their asses. Although she wasn’t actually killing any of them, she still weakened them considerably, making it easy for me to deliver the final blow.
The harrowing screeches of whatever creature Azathoth was fighting resounded across the valley. The ground shook, and a distant building collapsed, with dust and debris billowing out around it. In between slaying the corrupted, I was able to steal quick glimpses of his fight. He was still trying to lure the beast away from us, but it seemed like it wouldn’t stray too far from the church grounds. Whatever the thing was, it was a worthy opponent, even with Azathoth’s powers unbound.
Lacey smashed her fist into a corrupted man’s face, then jumped back. “Gwendolyn, now!” she signaled for me to stab him, pulling my gaze back to our fight.
I drove my blade deep into his grotesque body. He snapped his sickly jaws and stared into my eyes as he crumbled to dust. The black engravings on the blade swirled within themselves, almost alive with magic. “Nice job.” She grasped my shoulder, fighting to reclaim her breath. Her eyes spoke volumes, revealing a storm of fear and determination churning within them.
“I could say the same to you. You're totally kicking ass!” I praised her back.
“Yeah, well, what can I say? I took Oliver's advice and learned some self-defense moves,” she said with a smile.
Luckily, Belzar was holding most the corrupted off, giving us a second to catch our breaths and exchange smiles. Our moment of rest was short-lived, though. Movement coming from the church caught our attention. My gaze shifted to the charred remains of the church doors. About half a dozen corrupted came snarling out of the building, like a gang of decrepit hobgoblins. The fire highlighted their distorted features, making them appear all the more menacing. It wouldn’t have been too big of a deal if it weren’t for the infamous obsidian daggers they all had in their hands.
