De'Vas Chronicles Book 4: Chapter 31

“Blood and death,” Grace growled. “That’s all I smell.”

They stood on the edge of the forests looking out into the clearing where a town lay, the gates of its protective wall smashed open. Ash glanced from the destroyed gate to the large stone building built on a man-made hill in the center of the town, the prince’s castle.

“I only see one person with magic in there,” Rachel stated. “They’re waiting in the center of town.”

Ash raised an eyebrow at the young elf.

“Your magic sight can see that far?” he asked.

She stared at the center of the town.

“Normally, no, but this person is strong. They’re like a bonfire,” she answered.

Ash stepped from the treeline and began walking toward the busted gate.

“Stay here. Even if you hear fighting, don’t join in,” he said, his hand already pulling one of the Lightning Resistant potions from his pouch, downing it.

He felt uneasy about this, more so when he arrived at the gate and saw that one of the large doors had something written in blood on it.

WELCOME HUMAN.

When he passed through the gates, he started to see corpses. Most wore the armor of the soldiers who had attacked Castle Markal. He only saw a few bodies not in the armor.

The town was eerily quiet and he only heard his footsteps on the dirt of the road leading through the city as he walked. There were no survivors, just silence and corpses everywhere.

“The competition in Riverbend is just a few days away,” Ash stated as he saw the man.

The oni stood outside the door of a tavern, an odd metal flask in his hand, which he took a deep drink from as a rune flared to life on it. Beside the door of the tavern was a large metal club.

Unlike when Ash first saw him, the oni was now wearing black armor made from sheets of thick plate and leather. He lowered the flask, the glow of the rune fading as he did. Ash noticed thick red liquid on his mouth before he wiped it away.

“Boss of District 114,” the oni said, gesturing with the flask. “Let me introduce myself. I’m Councilman Kaito.”

Ash eyed the strange flask, and the oni smiled.

“A relic,” he said, shaking it. “The Flask of the Starved King. Amazing the things you find while digging through the tombs of long-dead elven Kings and Queens.”

The oni hooked the flask on his belt and lifted the club over his shoulder before stepping away from the tavern into the street of the town.

“I’m afraid we couldn’t go all out in Riverbend, not without a few people dying,” Kaito stated. “And I figured you would come here after the two idiot princes attacked you.”

Ash looked around at the corpses scattered about. He even spotted the armor of the last Exiled Prince, though his body now lacked a head.

“Trash that got what they deserved,” Kaito answered the unspoken question.

Ash nodded.

“And their slaves?” he asked.

“I busted the cages and let them leave,” Kaito said before sighing. “Some did get caught in the fighting and died, but most are running as fast as they can from here.”

Ash stared at the oni.

“What do you coalition bastards want. Why did you send me to Vas?” he demanded.

Kaito let out a deep belly laugh.

“A future for our people. As for why you’re on Vas? I wish I knew, but only Victor and the fox know,” Kaito said before frowning. “I do know you’re complicating things and putting everything we’ve built into danger.”

Ash felt Sparky stir in his elemental scar as his temper flared.

“I’ve seen what you’ve built. I broke up Sero and Destry’s reagent operation. I know you worked with WillCo, sold them the reagents you harvested by killing people!”

Kaito sneered.

“Sacrifices needed to be made! We need weapons if we’re going to break down those walls around the Districts. The strength of the Council might give the human governments pause, but when the war happens, Councilmembers will die while the humans just make more bombs,” Kaito growled, his brow furrowed.

Ash gritted his teeth.

“Sacrifices! You have the nerve to justify what you’ve done!” Ash shook his head. “WillCo is still experimenting on paranormals. They’re even sending their victims to Vas to loot anything with magic they can. The only reason they’re able to do this is because you helped them!”

Kaito slammed the club onto the ground, dust flying into the air.

“I just wanted to go home!” he yelled, before he exhaled. “I originally just wanted to toy with you, see why Hitomi and Victor were so interested in you, but that’s changed.

“Even without you there, your District has been a thorn in our side, and Hitomi is losing sight of what’s important. She shouldn’t be punishing Piper for killing Blackthorn; she should be rewarding her.”

Ash felt his blood run cold.

“Cleo is…”

Kaito laughed.

“I knew it! The look on your face says it all! Oh, the elves would have a time with this. I can already picture the book’s title, The Nightmare Queen and her human sex toy!”

Ash pulled on his and Sparky’s magic as the Oni’s laughter died down. As Kaito lifted his club with a savage grin, his body nearly doubled in size as his muscles swelled. Ash pushed out a static field around himself for several yards. Then he pushed Lightning Magic into his thumb and index finger.

“Let’s see what’s so special about you!” Kaito yelled as he charged Ash.

The oni’s foot steps tore into the ground below him as he raced forward with the large metal club. When he entered the static bubble, Ash closed his eyes and snapped his fingers.

He heard Kaito growl as the spell created a blinding flash. Ash felt a portion of his magic leave his body along with Sparky as he raced to the left of the oni.

When Ash opened his eyes, he saw a large tiger made of Lightning Magic clinging to the oni’s arm that held the club.

“What the hell is this!?” Kaito yelled.

He tried to pry the lightning tiger off his arm, Sparky’s teeth tearing flesh as the oni began to free himself, but Ash only needed a second. The glow of the Bolt Cannon must have caught Kaito’s eye because he turned as Ash released the spell, lifting his other arm to block it. Sparky released his hold as the spell struck, and Kaito flew back.

The oni rolled along the ground before smashing into a building, his size collapsing the wall he struck.

Ash summoned his Lightning Shield, causing three balls of electricity to float around him, as Sparky moved to stand beside him. Both of them watched the rubble of the building, waiting.

The debris began to shift as Kaito staggered to his feet. The arm he tried to block the Bolt Cannon with now just a bloody stump, and his other arm was bleeding badly from Sparky’s attack. Yet, Kaito laughed.

The oni turned to a nearby corpse, placing his foot on it as he grabbed its arm and ripped it from the dead body. Disgust and horror filled Ash as Kaito lifted the arm and started to eat it.

“So that’s why she’s interested in you,” Kaito said as he continued cannibalizing the arm. “You’re the same as her.”

Ash saw the wounds on Kaito’s remaining arm start to heal, followed by new bone and flesh growing from the bloody stump where his other arm had been. Ash readied another Bolt Cannon, but Kaito pointed both his hands at the ground, and a wall of fire erupted from it.

Ash released the Bolt Cannon into the flames, the powerful spell dispersing them only to reveal the oni gone.

“Shit,” Ash swore, looking around for the bastard.

Red caught his eye, and he shifted one of the Lightning Shields to block the incoming Fire Ball.

Where the hell is he?

Another fireball flew around a house, coming right at him. It seemed they were like Cleo’s Will-o-Wisp spell and followed their target, even if the caster didn’t have a direct line of sight.

Ash used another of his Lightning Shields to block this one, leaving him with one shield left. He already figured out what Kaito was doing and started to prepare a Bolt.

When the next Fire Ball flew down an alley at him, Ash moved the shield to block it and started looking for the oni.

Kaito smashed through the building beside Ash. Debris flew as Kaito, now doubled in size again and both arms healed, charged, swinging what must have been the support beam for the house. Ash fired the Bolt at the oni’s face, his head whipping back as he staggered for a moment. Sparky charged at him as Ash started to ready another Bolt Cannon.

The Tiger made of Lightning Magic jumped onto Kaito, its jaws trying to close around the oni’s neck. The attack would have worked if Kaito were the same size as he was at the start of the fight; now his neck was too big.

The new size allowed Kaito to gain leverage and tear the elemental free. Blood poured down from the bite, but Kaito didn’t seem to care. He grappled Sparky and hurled the elemental into another building, destroying it.

Ash released the Bolt Cannon as Kaito lifted to the beam as a shield. The spell knocked him back into the rubble of the house he had burst through.

Through the settling dust, Ash saw the glow of the rune on Kaito’s flask, and a second later, the oni was charging at him, his body rapidly healing.

Flames started to cover his body as he let out a rage-filled yell, slamming his fist into the ground where Ash had been standing. The ground exploded into an inferno, and Ash felt the fires lashing out, burning his arms.

He gritted his teeth as he drew Riptide and used the blade of Water Magic to try to combat the fire. Kaito threw another punch, which Ash met with the blade. Flames sizzled as he hacked three of the fingers off the oni’s hand. He saw Sparky charging from where Kaito had thrown him, and soon the fight would be two on one.

Kaito roared and slammed his foot into the ground.

Fire erupted everywhere around him, and Ash closed his eyes as he used Riptide to guard his face, and his other hand prepared a Bolt. He felt the fires burn his skin and gritted his teeth through the pain. Before the flames died down, he felt Kaito grab his sword arm and start twisting.

Ash let out a scream as he felt the bones snap and muscles start to tear in his arm. He opened his eyes and aimed the Bolt at Kaito. The oni grinned at him; his face burned so badly that his skull was showing in places.

“Go join Blackthorn!” he said, with a twisted smile.

Kaito’s knee slammed into Ash’s chest before he could cast the Bolt. Blood filled his mouth as he felt bones break. The pain was so intense, he only knew his arm had been torn in half from the popping sound it made as the kick sent him flying back. He lay on the ground, trying to draw a breath, only to feel his lungs being pierced by his broken ribs. He tried to push himself up, but his body refused to move.

Kaito looked down at him as the oni tore a bite from Ash’s detached arm, his face healing as he ate. Sparky let out a roar, and the now healed Kaito dropped the arm and turned to face the elemental.

Ash’s fingers dug into the ground. He needed to get up.

Faylen, Lilly, Naomi.

He needed to win this fight.

Haylee, Selena.

The world started to fade as he gritted his teeth, anger seething inside of him.

Cleo…

Eva

“I smell his blood!” Grace roared.

She and Blake both pulled free their weapons and started moving from the treeline, the scouts and warriors following. Eva pulled free her axe and prepared to do the same, only for the elf to grab her arm.

“Stop!” Rachel shouted.

Eva looked back to see the elf staring wide-eyed at the town.

She’s trembling.

Grace snarled and pointed at the town.

“My daughter’s mate is in there and needs help!” she declared, Blake adding a grunt of agreement.

Rachel didn’t look at them, her gaze focused on the town as she shook her head.

“What do you see?” Eva asked.

What was she see that made her so afraid?

“So much magic…” she whispered.