Note: This falls into the same universe as "Meeting Benson," another one of my works - but this is much later on down the timeline. As you'll be able to tell, this is only but a piece of a much larger story - you'll probably have a few questions about a few things, and I would be more than happy to answer every single one of them. Although the entire series is centered around a band of Holy Warriors and the adventures thereof, I've done my best to keep it a nice read for anyone, Christian or otherwise (y'know, try to instill Christian themes - Holy Warriors, Demon Slayers, c'mon! I can't help that - without being too preachy or something). I hope you like it; as always, I'm open to anything you have to tell me. Enjoy...
Taking
a deep breath, she tilted her chin up and planted her shod feet apart, sword
and shield ready. Standing in her shimmering, silver armor, a million things
spun through her mind: All right...I'm
here. It's finally happening. My first real battle ' this is nothing like
sparring back at HQ. God help me...
Her
enemy, instead of a simulation or another warrior acting as a practice buddy,
happened to be an actual demon this time. It stood around a hulking eight feet
tall, its muscular, rippling body a deep, mottled crimson, wearing nothing but
what seemed to be the shredded remnants of a pair of brown tie-up pants.
Glaring at her from about fifteen feet away, she could see the unsettling orange
glow of its eyes from where she was; two large, curling ram's horns protruded
from each side of its head, and its bulging, wet mouth was full of curved, razor-sharp
teeth. It stood hunched and ready, a long, bloodstained scimitar gripped
tightly in its right hand as it shifted its weight slowly from one cloven hoof
to the other.
The
battle was taking place in a closed area, vaguely reminiscent of the Coliseum
in Rome; the field was clean and circular, the floor
smooth and almost spongy. She knew that a few higher-ups were watching her from
some invisible window, monitoring her every word, scrutinizing her every move. She
was trying to hide her near-paralyzing fear ' and she hoped it was working.
'It's about a size A-Class ' not that big ' so it shouldn't be too much of a
problem,' her guardian ' which happened to be part of the group watching ' had
said. 'You're the best at sparring, and you've mastered all the simulations...'
She
had repeatedly told him she wasn't ready for an actual, one-on-one demon battle
yet, that she needed more time training and honing her skills back home, at HQ '
but Frank was confident in her. Maybe too
confident...
Nah.
The
current situation could have been worse, though ' Frank, being the guardian
that he was, had her covered, telling her that he was allowed to help out 'if
things got bad enough.' It was relatively comforting ' but that warm, fuzzy
feeling was being quickly choked out by the dark, prickling power emanating
from the demon's body as it swept over her in harrowing waves. It knotted her
stomach and raised the hairs on the back of her neck ' she knew it was strong
and had taken on others before her. And the fact that it was still around...
She
raised her arm and pointed her sword straight at it, unwavering, like she'd
practiced a billion times before. 'Demon,' she called out in a loud, strong
voice, 'I come before you today in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ. Prepare
to be vanquished!'
Instead
of roaring or launching itself at her like all the simulations had, it laughed
' laughed in a voice so deep she could feel it thrumming in her chest, causing
her sword to waver and drop a bit before returning to her side. 'Child of God,'
it uttered in its low, gravelly voice, 'do you really think you can prevail
against the likes of me? You are small and inexperienced. You have never fought
another such as me.' Its glowing, sunken eyes narrowed. 'I can smell your fear.'
She
had never heard a voice like that ' and, for a moment, she didn't know what to
say. She cleared her throat, keeping her chin up the best she could. 'I'm...I'm
not afraid of you.'
The
demon smiled, and it looked strange around his yellowed, pointed teeth. 'You
are lying, girl. I know very much about you, more than you realize. I know your
darkest fears, your every nightmare...I know your weaknesses, your
vulnerabilities...and I know exactly how to use every last one of them against
you.'
Although
she held her ground, she would rather have been running. Unfortunately, she had
a feeling it was telling her the truth. She was
totally inexperienced on an actual battlefield ' and she knew the demon could
crush her in a flat heartbeat. She wondered why she was even out here.
'I
do not wish to fight you,' the demon said, making a point to relax the
slightest bit. 'I do not wish to bring you harm. I see the doubt in your eyes,
in the way you move, and I do not blame you. Refusing to do battle is a wise
decision; discretion is the better part of valor. Rather, why do we not
negotiate some kind of peace? We could be...friends.'
With that last word, a different kind of power rippled forth ' unlike the
greasy, bone-chilling feeling of before, this one was...warmer, nicer. She felt
it wash over her body and she relaxed, even smiling a bit. What was the harm of
it?
The
demon's voice dropped. 'Come closer, my child,' it murmured. 'Come to me.'
The
closer she stepped, the more that peaceful feeling grew. It pulled her towards
it, almost like small, urging hands at her back. Sword still in hand, it was dragging
the ground as she approached it, gazing into its lovely orange eyes; when she
was only a few feet away she stopped, staring up at it, a wide, lazy grin on
her face. In a show of near-affection, it reached out to her and slowly,
gingerly drew a single black claw down her cheek ' and, as it touched her skin,
she was gone.
Her
vision was blacked out ' and suddenly she had what could best be described as'insight into the demon. She couldn't
see, really, but it was as if she were feeling around, touching its very soul;
she knew it doing the same to her. She ran her fingers over everything; it was
all cool to the touch, very neutral, very peaceful. Suddenly, though, she found
what seemed like a small hidden grotto and was slowly reaching into it, deep,
deeper into its core, pushing past all the neutral coolness, stretching, going
where she knew the demon didn't want her to go ' and then her fingertips
brushed against something cold and slimy.
It
was the single most evil thing she had ever felt. She had found the core of the
demon, nothing but raw, dark power, vile and disgusting. It sent a jolt of
pure, unabashed hatred and anger over her, stealing whatever breath she had and
completely shattering the illusion.
She
jerked and stumbled away from the demon, nearly falling. The demon, though not
stepping back, looked completely shocked ' evidently she wasn't supposed to
find that place. She shook her head then rubbed her eyes, making sure there was
absolutely no connection left, and unsteadily regripped her sword. There was no
friendship to be had with that creature, no negotiations, no peace. Whatever
she felt was horrible, too horrible for words, and the nauseating memory would
stick with her for the rest of her life.
The
demon was the first to fully recover. It threw itself at her, full of rage,
mouth wide open. She quickly brought up her sword to fend it off ' but it
somehow knocked it from her hands with its own scimitar, both landing way
behind her, out of reach. It grabbed her shield with one massive hand, but
didn't try to take it. It held its face dangerously close to hers, close enough
for her to feel its hot, moist breath, and said, 'This is beyond weaponry, my
child ' this has now become a contest of wills, of strength.'
It
began pushing against the shield; as she pushed back, she felt it trying to
worm its way into her mind again, straining, prying. 'No...' She gritted her
teeth, redoubling her efforts both physically and mentally, head bowed. 'I...I
won't be defeated...'
Hot
tears filled her eyes as she exerted every bit of strength she had, doing her
best to hold her ground, but she already felt herself slipping ' and, from the
already-triumphant look on the demon's face, so did it. 'Give in, my child,' it
whispered inside her head, 'for it is useless. I have seen the inner depths of
your soul; I have truly seen what makes you tick. You are mine now...'
From
somewhere above her, she felt its power crash down upon her like a wave,
driving her to her knees. She screamed as her mind was overtaken by darkness,
tearing her apart from the inside out. She could almost feel its claws dragging
across her soul; as she felt herself being sucked down, she threw her head back
and cried out the only word she could think of: 'Jesus!!'
As
soon as the name left her lips, there was a sudden silence ' and the demon's
presence was gone from her mind. As she kept her eyes closed, praying for
strength, she could feel herself becoming whole once more, even able to pull
herself to her feet. A rush of white, holy power stole her breath as she felt
it flow into her body, from her chest outward; she could feel it satiate every
part of her to her bursting point. Opening her eyes, she saw the demon still
above her, unmoving. Opening her mouth, she glared up and commanded, 'Back, demon!' ' and it was thrown
backwards, away from her, crashing to the ground a good ten feet away.
Without
even looking, she knew exactly where her sword had stuck. Turning, she
wordlessly approached it and pulled it from the ground where it had landed '
and, as soon as she grabbed it, the entire blade ignited with dazzling blue
flames. As she drew nearer to the demon, it scrambled opposite from her, still
on the ground, until its heaving back was pressed against the wall. She stopped
before it, looking down, noticing how small and weak it suddenly seemed. It was
trembling all over, its fiery eyes wide and full of fear, its claws scratching
at the wall behind it. 'P-please,' it stammered, its skin visibly glistening
with sweat, 'm-my child...'
'I
am a child of God, demon,' she said,
her voice incredibly strong and somehow unrecognizable, even to her. 'Thou hast
attempted to destroy me with your lies ' and thou hast failed.' She flipped her
sword blade-down, gripping it tightly with both hands. 'Now...thou shalt die.'
And
with that, she plunged her sword straight into the demon's chest. It gave a
bestial shriek, black blood spurting, its body spasming wildly as the blue
flames ate at its skin, its claws swiping at nothing. Without missing a beat,
she effortlessly dragged the sword through it until it was completely severed
from the chest down, its putrid, split innards spilling out onto the ground.
She straightened her body as she stared down at it once more, watching it
writhe and hearing it scream, until it withered into a pile of ashes, swept
away by the winds that surrounded her.
When
all remnants of it were completely gone, something left her and she stumbled to
her hands and knees with a sudden gasp, extremely drained and just as shocked.
She soon began to cry, tears dripping from her face to the ground it was
pressed against. She sobbed and wailed, thanking God she was alive but still
scared out of her wits.
Feeling
a pressing weight on her shoulder, she yelped and whipped around on her back '
but it was only Frank, face pale, eyes round. 'Oh, God!' he exclaimed. 'We saw
every bit of that! Are ' are you okay? I'm so sorry, I'm so sorry...I didn't
know, we didn't know...the
report...it, it mentioned nothing
psychological...' He ran a nervous hand through his hair. 'We didn't know that
was gonna happen, I shoulda jumped in...you almost didn't make it out alive,
but ' ' He stopped mid-sentence, eyes round. 'Wait. Do you remember what...what
you did?'
It
was all a bit of a blur for her at that moment. 'Um...' She closed her eyes,
then reopened them. 'Which part?'
'Where
you blew the demon backwards with your voice...c'mon...you remember that?'
'I
think...'
'That...was
amazing. You're not supposed to be
able to do that, not now, no, not now, not after your first battle...most
warriors aren't able to do it at all. It took me years before I was able to do that. Do you realize...do you realize
just how blessed you are?'
Her
head was beginning to hurt. 'Ah...wow, sure, I guess. So that means I passed?'
He
grinned and said, 'Yeah ' you did.'
'That's
good...' She wiped her eyes, resisting the urge to cry again. 'Can we go back
to HQ now, Frank?'
He
extended a hand, and helped her up. 'Sure. We can get this armor off you and
get you cleaned up and then we can tell everyone all about how awesome you did.
How does that sound?'
At
this, she smiled. 'That sounds wonderful, Frank...'
And
so, with his arm supporting her, Frank led her home.
