Page 89 of A Deal in Darkness
Goetia are violent. Vicious. But they're stupid as fuck.
And whoever sent them probably didn’t anticipate a second higher demon here tonight.
“I’ll take the lead,” Elgios growls, summoning his power.
My temper flares as I summon mine, but the asshole’s right. I’ve got Adriana to protect, and I won’t be as efficient as usual. He’ll gloat about it later, but that’s the sacrifice required to keep my girl safe.
“Eyes closed, baby.”
The light fades and plumes of thick grey smoke bellow toward us. Pale green cuts through its underbelly and the acidic smog hangs heavy, burning the skin of the mangled corpses beneath us. It singes and spits as it touches demon blood, sparking with the darkness of Hell as it tries to beckon more Goetia.
It's failing because I won’t allow it. My magic easily overpowers the enchantment and my vision narrows, focusing on the enemy pouring through the doorway.
Disgustingly vicious creatures scramble toward us, each different but all horrific. Their limbs are malformed and their features disfigured, their skin scared by their torture in the infernal fires. The bones break and shift beneath their skin as they move, crawling over the floors and ceilings like the scourge they are.
Elgios waits until they’re too damn close, and his magic explodes. Violet light bursts in a sphere, eviscerating the Goetia too close to us and sending the rest hurtling away. He clenches his fists and sends his arm out to one side, releasing another burst of power into the world. The wall shatters and the Goetia breaks apart, shattering into fragments and crumbling to the floor.
More charge in and Elgios’s other arm flies out, sending more demons careering through the air. Another wave pours in and my power rises from the ground, covering them in a rising tide made from the darkness before time itself, pulling them under. They won’t escape its depths and my control is absolute, working in harmony with Elgios as we cut through the mass of disgusting lower demons who dare to challenge us.
They shriek and screech, infuriated and petrified, and their screams are music to my ears.
Elgios moves, and he’s so damn fast it’s hard to make him out. His wings slice through reality, shredding demons as he pivots, ducks and weaves around them. Carcasses and limbs get thrown around as Elgios shreds through flesh and tears muscle apart. He pauses for a moment before pulling a Goetia in half, roaring as its entrails pour onto the floor.
I smirk as the Goetia keep coming, pouring hatred into the shadows as they ensnare and drag the pathetic, violent demons back down to Hell. They’ll feel the heat of my infernos soon enough, but their torture won’t end quickly. Not for this insult.
More demons sink in the shadows as Adriana curls tighter and tighter, clinging to me as the sounds of battle and its horrors sound around. The cries revitalize me and I relish the Goetia’s destruction, letting it sate my appetite for now.
My wings open and they start slashing, albeit at a pace that I’d consider leisurely. Blood spurts and while I revel in the bloodbath, I take care to shield Adriana from its horrors, whispering reassurance as I sever heads from bodies and limbs from trunks.
The Goetia keep coming and Elgios keeps sending streaks of violet light sweeping out in all directions as he fights like the demon his reputation suggests he is. He leaps into the air, hauling demons onto the ground and stomping on them as the pile of dismembered, disemboweled bodies grows.
“Keeping up, Amaymon?” he asks.
I squat, thrust my talons into four demons and eviscerate them, replying in deed instead of words. Elgios smirks and proceeds to rip a demon’s throat out with his bare teeth, licking his lips as he savors the taste.
The fight’s over as quickly as it begins, as the onslaught stops and Elgios moves at a speed even I struggle to believe as he ruthlessly dispatches any unfortunate enough to be alive.
He’s vicious and it’s a pleasure to watch him as he renders the last Goetia defenseless before torturing them. I cast an enchantment to shield Adriana from their screams as Elgios makes them suffer and their agony is fitting.
The demon who commands armies demands to know who sent them and one breaks—but only after Elgios has peeled their skin back, stripped their flesh from their bones, cut open their stomachs, fed their bowels back to them, and devoured their meat.
“Mordecai.”
The name hangs in the air momentarily before Elgios puts the miserable creatures out of their misery, sparing none.
We meet each other’s gaze, and our concern is palpable.
“He’s back then,” Elgios says through gritted teeth.
“Apparently,” I snarl back.
Our wings flap in irritation as we beat them in the air, cooling our tempers as we shake the blood off ourselves. I enjoy basking in dried blood, but the time for that particular pleasure isn’t when I’m cradling Adriana. Especially not when she’s on the verge of breaking down.
Her stuttered breaths turn into sobs and they coincide with the snapping of bone and squelching of flesh as Elgios and I stroll out of the massacre. I’d usually delight in trampling on the bodies of my slain enemies, but not this time. Not when Adriana’s still petrified. Not when this is my fault.
“I’ve got you, Adi,” I whisper, kissing her forehead as Elgios looks on with intrigue. “I’m taking you home and then I’m going to take care of you, sweet girl.” I pick up the pace, eager to take her somewhere she feels safe. “We’ll take a nice long bath, baby. You like it when I bathe you.” I stroke her hair and she nods. “Just as soon as I take the plug out of your ass.”
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