The air was suddenly filled with flying chunks of concrete and twisted metal. If falling wasn’t disorienting enough, the debris field and fingers of black fog spinning off the main cloud made it even worse.

Chaos fought past the delirium and accessed his power. The mystically driven winds of the Morganna’s summoned storm were sheered by a zephyr of his own making that caught his cape and slowed his fall. Someone whirled past trailing a Doppler scream. On instinct alone, he shot sideways and intercepted them before gravity could.

He suddenly found himself with his arms around Vorpal, her masked face ending up a bit too close to his for comfort.

“My hero.” She started out in a deadpan, but couldn’t help but make a panicked sound as Chaos let both of them drop to avoid a huge fist of flying rubble.

He ignored her and plunged away from the swirling cloud as it began to discharge green lightning into the air around him. Passing though the haze of black fog, he saw Alloy, Hope in tow, crashing through the windows of a lower floor. “Thank god.” He murmured.

“Behind you!” Vorpal shouted.

Chaos turned and saw a jagged piece of metal as long as his arm hurtling toward his chest like a javelin. It was too late to drop, so he stopped focusing on the pillar of air that held them up entirely and threw up a wall of wind to protect him. A fraction of a second later, he cursed aerodynamics as the impaling object surged through the barrier unimpeded.

A ray entirely null of all sense of color impacted it and sent it spinning sideways, out of its collision course. Chaos looked up to see a similar void arcing toward him through the cloud that was rapidly spreading beyond the confines of the business park.

The roiling particulate cloud of black heat resolved into Darkness with Occult clinging to her back like a koala clinging to its mother. “Chaos!” Darkness exclaimed coming to join him in his steady descent to the ground. “Are you okay? Where are Alloy and Hope?” She finally registered the strange woman who was, as it happened, locked in a particularly intimate embrace with her beau. “Who is this?”

“They’re fine, I saw…” Chaos noted the tone and quickly shuffled Vorpal into one arm, pressed to his side with her legs dangling. The mercenary woman cursed, causing a sharp pain to sting him in the shoulder where her right hand gripped. He grunted in pain and almost lost his concentration.

“I’m Vorpal.” she said, “And I don’t care what it looks like, I’m going to keep a firm grip so I don’t fall; one way or another.”

“What’s she doing here?” Ian winced as the pain in his shoulder receded and inclined his head to Occult.

“She’s a target.” Darkness said as the quartet touched down.

“Of what?” Chaos asked.

An inhuman screech sounded from on high and Edenkai fell through the clouds, hate and determination in her eyes.

“That.” Darkness said.

“Two demons.” Chaos said flatly, calling up winds preparation to attack the advancing demoness. “Oh, joy.”

“There is four demons.” Habsi said, detaching itself from its hiding place amid Occult’s robes.

“What the hell is that?” Chaos asked, watching as the other two motes also appeared. “Those. Okay, now there’s three.”

“We are motes.” Naife declared once again as if that sufficiently explained the presence of sapient points of light, which it would have on its home plane. Instead, it only earned Occult another pointed glare from Chaos.

“Search me.” Occult shrugged, “But they tried to lead me away from the demon, but to Morganna.”

Darkness saw an odd look flash across Chaos’s face. “But, but,” she interjected, “they also told us what Morganna’s plan is; she’s going to try to strip psionics of their powers.”

Not far from them, Edenkai touched down, a less than graceful landing thanks to several close calls with various detritus in the air. She cracked her neck, bared her teeth and began reciting in a rough, unnatural language.

“Those little glow worms have some explaining to do once we deal with miss bald, grey and terrifying.” Chaos said, letting the wind lift him into the air.

“Strike!” Another spike of force lifted a demonic primate from its feet and sent it tumbling across the asphalt into its brethren.

“It’s the Ape Knight!” Zero exclaimed as she, Facsimile and Codex rushed up to back up the simian templar. “Just like Chaos told us about!”

“Why does magic always involve monkeys?” Facsimile asked, shifting her fingers into talons and leaping forward into the fray?”

“I cannot hazard to guess as to the origin of these creatures.” Lucian kicked away a baboon monster that managed to get inside the reach of his lance, “And I am not a monkey. Before my transformation, I was an ape of the genus Pongo, better known as orangutan. I would prefer that one that doesn’t know me does not insult me.”

Facsimile locked claws with one of the baboons and dispatched it with a brutal head butt. “Sensitive are we?”

“But we do know you.” Zero explained. With a wave of her hand, a sheet of ice congealed from the humid summer night and spread out beneath the feet of a number of the monsters, causing them to slide and trip across its length. “We’re the Descendants. We work with Chaos and Darkness.”

“I know who you are.” Lucian stated, and pulled on his mount’s reigns. “Embarr!” heeding its name, the now even more heavily armored rhino that served as Lucian’s mount tossed its head and in doing so impaled a leaping monstrosity. It worried the struggling creature briefly before throwing it hard into the side of a parked panel truck. Task complete, the Ape Knight continued his explanation, “I have seen your heroics on the television broadcast. But that doesn’t excuse the gold one’s rudeness.”

Facsimile scoffed and used a judo throw to send one of the beasts flying like a hairy beach ball. “Well pardon some more of this gold gal’s rudeness, pal, but where were you watching television?”

“Is that really important?” Zero asked. She stomped on the edge of her ice sheet, causing it and a good portion of the street below to shatter into a sea of shifting plates and sharp edges that took even more of the oncoming simians off their feet.

“Yes, it is.” Facsimile sniffed, getting airborne. “Seriously, I get that with protomorphs out there, getting a job isn’t that hard, but do you really see this guy flipping burgers? And where in Mayfield can someone hide a freaking mutant rhino?”

“Zero’s right.” Codex said, fiddling with the settings on her shrieker device. “This isn’t the time for this conversation, Fax. Darkness just called. Morganna’s already started her spell.” She purposefully neglected to mention what the spell was for.

“I said cease!” a frantic and harried voice shouted down the street. The baboons paid no heed, but the four heroes looked up to see the source.

Rehenimaru in her true form was around seven feet tall, with a chitinous, blue exoskeleton that followed disturbingly close to the structure of a human female body save for the dagger sharp, fingers, segmented tail ending in a stiletto point and high, flared crest above her brow that would not have been out of place in a lineup that included triceratops and torosaurus. The human touches of her white, long sleeved shirt and black leggings served only to image all the more strange.

Those sleeves bulged and flapped like sails as a bounding leap carried the demoness directly behind the line of monstrous baboons. “Whatever hunger you have can wait, we must—“ A thick paw clipped her in the head and nearly sent her sprawling. A look of shock came over her face.

“Wait, who are you?” Zero asked as the female demon snarled wordlessly at the creature she had created.

“This isn’t possible.” Rehenimaru said, dodging another claw swipe. “By my blood you are bound and by my blood, I command! Stand down!” Her efforts were rewarded by the near loss of an arm from snapping fangs.

“They don’t seem to be listening to you.” Facsimile said, lifting one of the creatures with much exertion and hurling it into two others. “Which begs the question: who the hell are you?”

Rehenimaru looked at her as if she was from another planet, which was effectively the case. “You! It is true…” She watched the prelate extrude a horn to gore an incoming beast. She barely had the wits about her to leap clear of the baboon monster that tried to barrel into her. “The children of Mankind have blood magic of their own.”

“Ya know, I don’t really care.” Facsimile decided aloud. “You’re the one that sicced these things on us.” With that, she threw herself upon the demoness, claws bared.

Rehenimaru caught the slashing strikes on her forearms and threw the girl back. “No I didn’t. I don’t have time to waste with your kind. My mission is the raise for Lord Colos an army to tip his hand against the Mankind called Morganna; the Heir of Hyrilius. But I don’t know why they refuse to obey me.” She punctuated her statement by puffing out her cheeks and blowing a stream of flame into an approaching monster, setting it ablaze.

“I’m officially at the point where I don’t care.” Facsimile admitted, gathering herself up to jump at the demoness again. As she did though, a strong hand caught her by the scruff of the neck and hauled her onto Embarr’s expansive back.

“Wait!” said Lucian. With his free hand, he brained another baboon monster. “If she seeks to vanquish my creator, we should hear her out. After all, the enemy of my enemy is also my friend.

“He’s right, Facsimile.” Codex said, completing her adjustments on the shrieker. “Morganna is our top priority.”

“Why?” Facsimile kicked a creature away as it came too close to Embarr’s flank. “Because we’ve got history with her? I think we should deal with one threat at a time.”

“I never said we wouldn’t.” Codex said, leveling the shrieker at a pair of monsters. “But we need to get to Morganna and fast. Otherwise, we won’t have powers to fight her with.” Her hand squeezed the trigger button.

There was an explosion of noise that scientifically speaking, the pistol in Liedecker’s hand should not have been capable of making and Colos was lifted bodily and thrown to the carpeted floor. A black scorch mark in the shape of a starburst radiated from the center of his chest.

Liedecker looked from the fuming demon lord, to the pistol and back. “Like it?” he asked, “That was low power, for when you don’t want to do collateral damage. I rather like my office remaining in one piece, you understand, don’t you, Colos?”

With a roar, Colos flung himself the length of the office, bringing up a clawed hand to cut out his foe’s insolent throat. Liedecker didn’t flinch.

Two more claps of compacted thunder rolled out into the room and Colos felt the immense pressure on his chest, felt his ribs strain against it and one such bone lose that battle. Then he was flung away from the arms dealer and into a pedestal holding a set of samurai swords.

“I’ve still got three more shots, Mr. Colos.” Liedecker said, coming around his desk. “Care to name your price?”

“Your hide!” Colos pulled one of the katana free from it’s sheathe and charged. Liedecker fired twice more, but this time the lord of Sai’n’shree saw it coming then crouched low, letting the eldritch-infused bullets rip massive holes in the wall behind him. Victory gleamed in the demon’s eyes as he swung to behead.

The pistol dipped as Liedecker used it to sweep aside his overcoat, revealing a scabbard hanging from his belt. His free hand found the hilt and drew the blade out smoothly. The sword was like none any culture that used swords would conceive of. It was about two and a half feet long; double edged and perfectly straight with a squared tip that was shorn off diagonally. A gold corded tassel with obsidian bangles was tied to the guardless, copper hilt.

Ancient folded steel had no hope against carbon nanotube reinforced titanium backed by enchantment. The ancestral blade of some family that had long since forgotten their former place in feudal hierarchy broke on contact. A stray splinter of metal cut a line across the side of Liedecker’s nose.

Colos’s other claw, the one that hadn’t been wielding a weapon had little better luck as it managed to cut a shallow set of lines across Liedecker’s belly before the crime lord dropped his sword low to parry the slash.

“You can’t win, Mankind.” Colos said, pressing the attack and forcing Liedecker on the defensive. “Your magical weapon could not pierce my flesh and nothing your forbearers have created can possibly do any better. You are alone and overwhelmed and there are no more surprises that will delay me from killing you and finding a way to open your barrier myself.”

“You think too much of yourself, boy.” mocked Liedecker even as he lost ground. “Or too little of me, I’m not rightly clear on that yet. But I do know a lot of my enemies underestimate me. They think that just ‘cause I’m the big boss means I can’t fight on my own.” He delivered a slash to Colos’s face to mirror the cut he’d gotten on his nose. “But let me tell you something, Scratch, I worked for this. I kicked and fought and stepped over bodies for this. And I’ve always won.”

He stepped back to find his back against the window. “Every fight, every argument, every trade dispute—I come out on top!” He only grunted slightly as Colos knocked the sword aside and lifted him by a shoulder against the window.

“Tell me how to open the barrier and you can walk away from this.” Colos said. He doubted he would get an answer as he still felt nothing but supreme self confidence and righteous anger in the man who was now at his mercy.

“You know why I win?” Liedecker asked, ignoring the demand. “Because I gave up on fear a long damn time ago. Because standing there and pissing yourself ain’t going to get a damn thing done. The only way you can win is to take risks.” His sword arm was being held down, but his other arm was completely free. Colos didn’t fear getting shot except for the minor inconvenience of having to stand up again. But this time Liedecker didn’t plan to shoot the demon.

The roar was all but drowned out by shattering glass and howling wind as Liedecker put the sixth bullet through the window at his back. As he started to fall, he dropped the gun and grabbed the claw clamped to his shoulder.

Gravity and leverage were happy to oblige as both man and monster fell out into space.

-- • --

The cloud of flying glass caught the light from inside, and gave the struggling pair of freefalling bodies a surreal quality as they wrestled to ensure that one would break the fall of the other. Three floors after their trip began, Liedecker won.

Twisting viciously in Colos’s grasp, the secret master of Mayfield’s criminal underworld set his sword against the chest of the demon and braced it with his shoulder as they crashed down onto the wide balcony the served as an outdoor executive dining room for his many holdings, both legal and not.

A steel chair did interesting things to Colos’s back before buckling under the pressure. The demon lord screamed painfully ad Liedecker’s full weight drove the sword through his thick hide and pinioned him to the tiled floor.

Biting off his own pained moan, Liedecker managed to roll away from the demon, out of range of his deadly claws. Fire raced up his arm from his shoulder and he knew it was dislocated if not worse. Getting into a crouched position, he regarded the demon carefully. “It’s been a whole load of fun, Colos, but about now, I think we really ought to talk payment. Or you can tell me what that back biting bitch that sent you here wants with my product.”

He wouldn’t admit it, but it took a great deal of Colos’s remaining the strength just to respond. “No one sent me, Mankind.” He said, “I want that magic for myself, to combat the inevitable betrayal I am soon to suffer at the hands of Morganna, Heir of Hyrilius.”

The name clicked in Liedecker’s mind. He remembered Scuff Singer saying that that was the alias Nightshade had gone by when she had kidnapped him. “Morganna, you say?” he asked, vengeance in his voice. “She a woman about my height, dark skin, dark hair? Talks like she don’t remember half the things in her head?”

“Yes, the Heir of Hyrilius.” Colos answered, “What of her?”

Liedecker laughed, despite the pain and increasing aches in his body. “That’s the bitch you want put down? Farnsworth? Listen, Ol’ Scratch, it looks like we’re working toward just about the same goal here. See, she used to work for me, then she cheated me and did quite a bit of damage to some of my men. The ones she killed got off lucky.”

Colos raised his head, wincing as the sword moved in his body. He could feel anger rising in Liedecker. He hated Morganna as much as Colos did. “You once commanded her? She was your underling?”

“She didn’t have all this magical bullshit then.” Liedecker confirmed. He shuffled on his knees to move closer to the pinned demon. “But if you’re in the mood to kill her, I think the price I’ve got on her head’ll more than pay for a couple pieces of hardware. But just why the hell are you so pissed at her anyway? What kind of double cross can she pull that you plan to kill her before you even know she’s done it?”

Colos raised one claw and pointed to the upward. Fingers of darkness were slowly blocking out the night sky. Liedecker followed the sweeping spiral arm back to a building in the distance. If the fact a small hurricane was developing directly above ConquesTech wasn’t enough to prove the supernatural was involved, it was lit infrequently from within by green lightning.

“What in the devil is that?” Liedecker asked. To Colos’s shock, the man still wasn’t frightened, only surprised and curious and insulted that the natural order of things wasn’t being followed.

“That is a storm from my world.” Colos said, “She is calling it from across the gulf between our worlds. For what, I cannot tell, but I do know that it is a sign that her betrayal has begun.

Liedecker grasped the hilt of the sword with his good and with some difficulty, drew it forth from the monster’s body. He noted the bluish ichor that trailed form the wound but refused to stick to the sword. “Then let’s see if we can’t find something that’ll make sure she’s not a problem for either of us.”

Another of the transmogrified baboons fell to all fours, screeching and slamming its head violently into the ground as if that would stop the painful noise rebounding around the space between its ears.

Despite the effectiveness of Codex’s weapon, however, if was only effective in a narrow band and so the monsters kept coming. Some even did so while smoldering thanks to Rehenimaru’s deadly fire breath.

Zero caught an overhand blow on a shield of ice and used the leverage to push her attacker back into the midst of its screaming brethren. “If you made them,” she said in a voice that was all too polite given the situation, “why can’t you just turn them back into normal baboons?”

“I’ve been trying.” Rehenimaru lashed out with her claws at two creatures before spitting more fire to put a temporary curtain of flame between herself and them. “But something is wrong with the spell the controls the Devil Seeds themselves.”

“That spell wouldn’t happen to have anything to do with the Astral Plane, would it?” Codex asked, keeping the shrieker trained on a small group of monsters.

“Yes.” Rehenimaru slashed at another beast. “It’s a puppetry spell with strings connected through the Astral.”

“I know what the problem is then.” said Codex, “Our local astral as been severely disrupted by whatever Morganna did about an hour ago.”

“An hour ago, the Heir bridged the way from Faerie and delivered us here.”

“She brought you here?!” Facsimile dropped low and struck the monster currently engaging her hard in the knee. There was a horrible pop and the thing collapsed. The golden prelate took the opportunity to look to her allies. “You all heard that, right? Morganna brought them here. And she expects us to believe anything she says?”

With a snap of her wings, Facsimile propelled herself into the back of one of the possessed primates near Rehenimaru and sunk her claws into it, bringing it down. Thusly, she found herself directly next to the demoness. “So why are you really here, Ren… whatever? To turn everyone against us like that one a few months ago? To enslave humanity? To awaken a dark god from his eons long slumber and inevitably be the only one he kills?”

With a snarl, Rehenimaru rounded on her. Placing a hand on the girl’s shoulder, she knocked her on her back and bent so her face was close to hers. “We came to hunt.” She said with dire emphasis.

Just as quickly, the demoness felt a hand press against her temple. “I don’t want to do this.” Zero said firmly, but with great care, “But if you hurt her, I’ll freeze your brain.” Deliberately, the demoness eased back and shot a gout of flame to press back a fresh rush from the beasts.

“Don’t, Z.” Facsimile said, getting back to her feet. “She’s probably stealing someone’s body, just like the Mauler. You can’t kill that poor sap to save me. They’re probably the lucky one though; the only person this hell-bitch doesn’t want to eat.”

“We don’t consume flesh, ignorant Mankind.” Rehenimaru said petulantly. “We sup on emotive energy. Right now, for example? Her loyalty and love for you are an exquisite bouquet.”

Facsimile didn’t know exactly what to be surprised by first. First and foremost, she had never considered that she’d engendered any kind of loyalty from anyone, much less love. Second, she kind of hoped the demon meant platonic love, or the battle would become very awkward. And third, while she considered the angle of demons praying on emotion, she never expected a demon to get off on positive emotions.

Still, she was talking to a demon and no matter whose side it was on, a demon was a defacto bad guy and that precluded having any respect or curiosity about them. “And the body stealing part?” she asked acidly even as she put suddenly oversized fist into an advancing, furry face.

“We don’t have physical bodies and couldn’t bring our daemon hosts, except for Lord Colos.” Rehenimaru explained. She lunged into on of the beasts and drove her claws into its throat, causing blood to fountain out and the creature to fall back. “So yes, I’ve taken a human host. She was most disgusted to have just done that, but most hopeful that the Heir of Hyrilius will be stopped.”

The collapsed fallen beast heaved once, violently, and then seemed to dissolve until a very ordinary baboon was left in its place; very much alive and uninjured and very much terrified out of its wits. It fled into the night by the shortest route.

“You communicate with those you take?” Codex asked, astonished.

“It’s antagonistic at first.” Rehenimaru explained, “But we have to sympathize with them to advance in power, to use Ro Kalum, Blood Magic.”

“That doesn’t make it less nasty and weird.” Facsimile noted, leaping over the flashing stinger of one of the demons to land next to a fire hydrant. Making her claws diamond hard, she plunged them hard into the metal surface of the hydrant and ripped it open. A torrent of water cannoned into several of the creatures and most of the others. “Zero!” She shouted, “Buy us some time!”

Zero nodded and focused on the water in the air and around the monsters. Water became solid, trapping the majority of the beasts in blocks of ice.

Nodding in satisfaction, Facsimile flew back to her comrades. “Now can we get out of here? Go help the others at ConquesTech against Morganna and her, “she pointed a still clawed finger at Rehenimaru, “people, maybe?”

Codex looked to Zero. “How long will that hold them if you’re not here?”

“Ten, twenty minutes?” Zero guessed, “I really don’t know how strong they are.”

“If we get the astral plane reasserted and help defeat Morganna do you promise to turn those creatures back to normal?” Codex asked of Rehenimaru.

“Wait, what about the whole evil plan to hunt humans and stuff?”

“Priorities, Facsimile.” Codex said gently. “if we don’t stop Morganna first, we won’t have any powers to deal with anything Rehenimaru and the others have planned.” She gave the demoness a sidelong glance, “And I imagine that this goes both ways.”

Rehenimaru nodded, an odd effect given her crest. “The Heir of Hyrilius is prophesized to betray Sai’n’shree in its moment of glory. Finding the path back to the realm of Mankind is our greatest glory as human hosts would make us more powerful than ever before.” She softened under the displeased gazes of the assembled humans and humanoid ape. “But it isn’t worth being destroyed.”

“Then we make haste for the place where my Creator awaits.” Lucian said, “But once she falls, demon, you will release your host. One way or another.”

“I’m starting to like the big orange guy.” Facsimile smirked at the demoness.

“Throw whatever weapon you want at me, Mankind.” Edenkai said, muscling her way forward through the hurricane force wind Chaos was sending toward her. “But that body will be my new host and I will add the magic of Mankind to my arsenal.”

“If anyone has any better plans on stopping her, I’m all ears.” Chaos said, already putting full power into pushing the demoness back.

“I can’t keep my black heat beams coherent in your wind.” Darkness admitted. “Maybe if you pulse it on and off, I can get a shot on her?”

“No good.” Chaos said, “it doesn’t work that way, I need to work my way up to full power. Try just pouring the heat on, maybe it’ll slow her down at least.”

Occult made her staff appear in her hands. “Maybe I can help.” She said, stepping up beside Chaos. The butt of the staff struck the earth. “Crystalline Reign!”

White quartz suddenly grew like kudzu all across the asphalt, forming an advancing and expanding arc of crystal before the young mage. It reached Edenkai and grew up around her. That tactic hadn’t worked against the Mauler, but he had been all muscle. Edenkai was built differently and had to actively avoid the growing spars rather than bull her way though. She was forced to leap backward, placing herself at the mercy of Chaos’s wind, which threw her a dozen yards, smashing into a piece of ruined masonry that had formerly been part of Building Seven’s roof.

“Nice shot, kid.” Vorpal commended. “I’ve never seen a psionic do anything like that before, but nice all the same.”

“That’s because I’m not psionic.” Occult admitted, “I’m a spellcaster, a witch.”

“Is true!” Renst backed her up. “Is why our Mankind is wanting her.”

“Morganna wants her too?” Darkness asked, “What is going on here?”

“I don’t know.” Alloy said, swinging down from one of the windows. “But she’s not the only one.”

“Alloy, where’s Hope?” Chaos and Vorpal asked in tandem. They shared a disdainful glare immediately after.

“Inside.” Alloy said, letting the tentacles set him down. “There’s people hurt.” He looked up to the top of the building. “Morganna has Lisa up there under a spell or something.”

“She what?!” Occult burst, realizing a bit late that she protested too much. “Er… I mean I just got her to safety, how could Morganna have her?”

“I don’t know, but I saw her too.” Chaos supported.

“That can’t be!” Occult protested.

“This is Morganna, it can, believe me.” Chaos chided, “I saw her turn a monkey into a man… sort of. How are you involved with Lisa Ortega anyway?”

“We live in the same neighborhood.” Occult didn’t quite lie. “And I’m a community oriented prelate. So I’m going up there and checking this out myself.”

There was a sound as if a crocodile was having digestive problems and a heap of rubble moved. The red ridged spine of Aberak smashed through the last of the debris covering him and he rose stiffly.

“Another damn demon.” Chaos swore. But Aberak only took notice of them in a lazy, reptilian sort of way before swinging his head up toward the clouds and their strange lightning.

“Curse that woe begotten witch.” He snarled. After a moment of scanning visually and sniffing, he found the heap of stunned beast flesh that was Edenkai and pulled her bodily to her feet, still ignoring the humans. “This entire obsession about choosing a female host… Look what you’ve wrought, Fellspawn!” he spat at her dazed visage. “That is mana from our home! A ritual she could not have carried out if you hadn’t abandoned your post!”

“Mana from their home?” Occult asked, looking up at the swirling cloud cover.

“And you couldn’t handle a single Mankind and a golem alone?” Edenkai asked acidly.

“I was attacked!” Aberak defended.

“And what could defeat the ‘mighty’ Aberak of the Blood Riven Moon?” was the smug response. The answer came in a trio of feather shaped blades that suddenly punched through Aberak and bloomed upon her breast.

“That would be Samael, the Angel of Death.” Though battered and dusty, the hired gun bedecked in magitech still managed to look the part of avenging angel as he took to the sky and rearmed his blade launchers. “Vorpal. I didn’t think I’d see you here.”

“I was sent by our superior to make sure you didn’t overstep your bounds and ‘creatively interpret your orders. Good thing too, I don’t think the boss would tolerate you pissing off the local heroes by puncturing one of them.”

“Oh, I heard my orders loud and clear, little girl.” Samael laughed, a deep, throaty laugh, “’Don’t leave a soul alive’ and well, my dear, you’re currently both here and alive.”

-- • --

A black spiral rotated over Mayfield, casting out feeder bands like the arms of an enormous squid. Arcs of green lightning vaulted through them, trailing iridescent sparks. There was no thunder, only a menacing silence that was like a stalking predator.

In the eye of this otherworldly storm floated an island of concrete and torturously bent rebar. Upon that island, a pool of calm amid the winds of the Faerie-born storm, stood two figures; Morganna, mad sorceress, and the Manikin, a golem charged with advising she who had become the Heir of the mage Hyrilius.

“The storm is almost fully formed, O Heir.” Manikin declared, watching Morganna stare blankly into the whirling vortex. “The chaos of the fey-storm will forge a connection into the heart of Sai’n’shree.” She reminded her charge mostly out of wondering if she was entirely with her senses. “When that happens, you will be able to work the enchantment you conceived on a global scale; using the power of the storm to power the spell and the inherent magic in the living demons to forge its shape.”

Morganna stared at the black clouds roiling outside her circle of protection. She saw images in them, things from her past; things from the future. Many futures. The winds of fey, her old teachers had said, propelled the sails of destiny.

“This…” Morganna said reflectively, “This hasn’t been done before.”

It wasn’t a question, but Manikin answered. “Once. When the Circle of Ten sealed away the natural paths between this world and the others. None had succeeded before, none since.”

“I will…” Morganna intoned, watching a possibility stemming from something like the life of a butterfly arise, then collapse into the infinite. “Succeed. I will. It has to be done. These… these… psionics, their power is a mockery to… to magic. Before it can return, they must… be wiped from the face of the Earth.”

She spoke a string of words in a long dead language and the emerald head of the Staff of Hyrilius flared, calling into being a flat plane not unlike a mirror into the space before her. The mirror image, however, quickly faded to reveal a view of the swiftly changing battle below.

“But they will try to stop me. Try to stop what is… right. Just.” Morganna ranted. “But… but they can’t.” She turned her gaze on Manikin, who felt as if those cold, brown eyes were focusing on a spot somewhere inside her skull. “You will defend me?”

“To my destruction.” Manikin inclined her head. “Hyrilius would not leave his Heir defenseless. I am your shield as well as your open book.”

Then something happened that even rattled Manikin’s mystically constructed mind. Morganna laughed.

Four razor sharp pinions sliced through the air, but this time, the targets were expecting them. The vortex of wind Chaos had been holding on to in anticipation of dealing with Edenkai and Aberak exploded outward with force akin to the eye wall of a tornado. The incredible winds caught up the projectiles and plunged them hard into the ground.

Chaos smirked. “So the man with the wings thinks it’s a good idea to piss of the guy the controls the air. Allow me to reacquaint you with gravity.” Setting his will against the air, he drastically reduced the density of the air in a column beneath Samael. With no air to provide lift, logically the mercenary should fall, he reasoned.

Logic blinked stupidly and twiddled its thumbs. Samael remained aloft in the midst of the massive downdraft.

“What the hell?” Chaos gaped.

Samael laughed. “You thought these wings work like a bird’s? Like an angel’s? No such luck, Chaos. I’m powered by something far beyond mere physics.” With that, he snapped the wings forward, sending a full dozen gleaming blades at the group.

The ground groaned and cracked as the beams supporting the roof of ConquesTech’s vast underground parking structure deformed at Alloy’s command, snapping vertical and bringing five feet of asphalt and concrete with them. The impromptu shield rocked at the impacts of the projectiles.

“How many of those things can this bastard fire?” Chaos fumed, listening to the barrage impacting.

“As many as he wants.” Vorpal said with a frown. “They’re magical constructs generated by his wing rig.

Chaos eyes her accusingly. “He’s magical too?”

“Know another way he could hover in that downdraft?”

“The real question is where did he get it?” Occult asked. Even with the hood obscuring her eyes, she gave Vorpal the impression that she was dissecting her with her gaze.

“Same place I got my goggles.” Vorpal said, “Our employer reverse engineered them from notes taken from the lady up top there: Tatiana Farnsworth.”

“You’ve got that wrong or at least your source does.” Occult said quickly. “She’s not in control. She’s under the control of an ancient witch called Morganna. This isn’t her fault.”

Vorpal made an amused sound. “Oh, too bad. My boss has a pretty big price on her head.”

“You aren’t going to collect it.” Darkness informed Vorpal more than asked her.

“I planned too. After making sure Samael didn’t take this as an excuse to do some collateral damage. But no, not now. Still, Morganna needs to be stopped.” She gave them all a level look. “By any means necessary. One woman’s life isn’t worth the lives and livelihoods of all psionics.

Another volley from Samael cracked Alloy’s wall, causing gaps to open. It wouldn’t survive another.

“That isn’t an option either.” Alloy said. “Lisa Ortega’s up there too and I’m not going to let your ends justify her into the hospital; on top of the fact that no prelate worth their salt would kill to get the job done.”

“Get real, kid. I’m not a prelate.” Vorpal said darkly.

Isp and Osp uncoiled from Alloy’s arms and menaced her. “But we are.” He said, matching her tone, “And the prelate playbook has plenty of chapters on knocking someone the hell out.”

“Down!” Darkness, who had been watching Samael through a gap in the wall shouted.

One last barrage of razor pinions was too much for the more brittle parts of the wall, which crumbled and collapsed, leaving a skeleton of i-beam and rebar. The prelates and their temporary ally scattered as chunks of debris filled the air once more. Darkness called up her black heat and launched herself skyward like a shot from a cannon.

Reaching Samael’s level, she hurled a lance of black heat at him as big around as her palm. The rogue mercenary raised a bracer covered arm and a translucent blue kite shield formed in front of him, scattering the attack into a harmless haze. He grinned and pulled back a wing to fire more deadly projectiles.

Something moved in the corner of his eye. He barely had time to raise the other arm and corresponding shield before a piece of reinforced concrete the size of a bowling ball smashed into it. Even with his magic shields, he was pushed back several yards in the air. Before he could orient himself, Isp and Osp lifted another missile to hurl.

“I could get a shield up if we all got close together again.” Occult said to Chaos.

He shook his head. “No, he’d just batter it down again. Best that they keep him on the defensive and distracted.”

“Then what do we do?” Occult asked.

Chaos nodded toward the top of the building, toward the crux of the cloud vortex that had by that time expanded over then entire city and a healthy chunk of the Piedmont region of the state. “There’s still a nutball in a stolen body trying to cripple psionic-kind.” He said. “And she’s got a good kid as a hostage; dominated, blackmailed, whatever – if you know Lisa Ortega like you say you do, you know that kid doesn’t deserve to get caught up in Morganna’s games a second time.”

Well aware of the irony, Occult nodded. “Let’s fly then.”

High above the fray, in the island of tranquility within the fey-storm, Manikin watched it all unfold in the scrying mirror. She looked up to see Morganna finishing the work of drawing an intricate web of faint blue lines in the air. It was a guide for drawing ritual circles; denoting the direction of leylines, geographic north and south and the directions of the rising and setting sun and moon.

She was troubled by the Heir’s plan. Hyrilius had spent half his considerably long life seeking wisdom and the other half seeking balance. To annihilate the demons of Sai’n’shree and seal the powers of Earth’s psionics would have been unthinkable to him.

But the network of spells that constituted her mind was hardwired toward her purpose of serving and advising his duly chosen heir. None of her advice had swayed Morganna from her scheme. She had no choice.

“They are coming, O Heir; the male warrior and the whelpling witch.” She spoke without emotion.

Morganna nodded, sitting down cross-legged beneath the guide with the staff across her knees. She looked up briefly and for a moment, the mad flames in her eyes dwindled to dying embers. “Bring the girl here.” She said evenly. “I want her safe here in the eye of the storm.” As quickly as it came, the moment of clarity passed. “As for the man… destroy him.”

“You must release a spell to me, O heir.” Manikin replied. “I’ve no magic aside from that which you allow me.”

With a deliberate motion, Morganna nodded. The spell Hyrilius used to imbue spells into his manikin was entirely mental. Within moments, it was written on what amounted to Manikin’s soul. “Take… this…” Morganna muttered. “And kill… kill all the psionics there.”

Chaos threw as much wind as he dared into his cape, skimming the side of the building at speeds he found to be frankly uncomfortable, though not a fraction of the speeds Darkness could achieve. Clinging to his side, beneath the flapping mantle, was Occult, hood battering into her face thanks to the wind.

“He’s not firing on us.” Occult said, trying to make conversation above the wind.

“I’d be the first to know.” said Chaos, “What with the searing agony as my insides get perforated.” He felt her stiffen against him. “Heh, don’t worry, he’s got a handful with Darkness and Alloy down there. It look’s like clear—Lisa!”

“Huh?” Occult said on reflex. But she followed his gaze and saw… herself. And ‘she’ was freefalling toward them feet first with her arms folded. Seeing herself was traumatic enough, but seeing herself falling to her death was enough to make her want to go somewhere and lie down.

Just as she was seriously contemplating such, ‘Lisa’ spotted them and slowed her descent. Chaos likewise slowed to a hover to face her.

“Give over the girl.” Manikin ordered.

“What is with everyone going after her?” Chaos wondered aloud. “Look, Lisa, whatever spells or voodoo Morganna has on you; it’s going to be okay. I’m going to put her on her back, find a way to separate her from your aunt and make everything happy families, okay? Just get out of the way.”

Manikin blinked. “I don’t think I am who you think I am, Psionic. I am a Manikin, servant of Hyrilius and his heirs. Morganna is the Heir of Hyrilius and as such, her whim is my will. Give over the young witch.”

The motes chose that particular moment to make themselves known. Naife emerged, apparently from Occult’s shoulder. “See?” it seemed to beam. “Motes are doing good, yes? Brought magic Mankind all the way here.”

“We are for to be getting reward, yes?” Habsi added, emerging from behind Occult’s ear with Renst not far behind.

“Where did you come from?” Manikin asked, genuinely puzzled.

“Bad sky-thing attack.” Naife said apologetically.

“Motes no want to be hurt by sky-thing.” Renst added.

“You hid inside me?” Occult exclaimed.

“Inside, outside, what is it mattering?” Renst inquired, passing through Habsi to drive the point home.

“Morbid little light critters aside,” Chaos said, trying not to look at the motes. “I’m leaving this up to the magic lady. What do you think, Occult? False memory, mind control… body switching?”

“This isn’t Lisa Ortega.” Occult said simply.

“How can you be sure?”

“Trust the magic lady on this one.”

“Yes.” Manikin nodded, placing her left palm against the side of the building. “Do so.” There was a sound like a far a low, shrill whistle that seemed to come from the glass and concrete of the building itself. Seconds later, a three story section imploded in on itself. The composite materials didn’t crumble or explode outward, however. Instead, they slid over each other, forming shapes that moved in ways that should have been impossible.

But they weren’t. A dragon the size of a horse vaulted out from the side of the building, followed by another and another until five of the beasts caught the air with wings of glass. White, glowing eyes regarded their prey moments before they dove as a group at Chaos and Occult.

“Leave the girl.” Manikin ordered as Chaos let himself and his charge drop like a pair of stones back toward the deck.

Samael caught another piece of thrown rubble on his shield and swept upward to avoid a blast of black heat. “Fighters are always more fun anyway.” He sent a single blade to harass Darkness into flying further from him. “Most people just beg for their lives, offer to outbid my contract—that sort of thing. It’s pretty rare someone puts up a fight and a lot rarer when they last very long.” He punctuated this by flicking a pair of projectiles at Alloy who let the tentacles snatch them out of the air.

There was a great crash above, followed by one near the main gate of the business campus.

Samael almost didn’t dodge another attack from Darkness, so busy was he with trying to make sense of what he saw approaching from the gate. “Is that a rhinoceros?” he puzzled.

“I know that rhino.” A fist enclosed in a metallic gauntlet slammed into him from behind as Chaos flashed by, carrying Occult. “The rhino means good things… I think.” Chaos shouted. “But the glass dragons, though; you should watch out for those!”

Samael snarled at Chaos and Occult, but couldn’t help but look behind. He immediately wished his didn’t as a world of pain with teeth made of equal part broken glass and sheered metal fell upon him.

-- • --

Samael’s shield flashed into place just as the animated debris-creature slammed into him, teeth squealing against the force generated by his bracer. He desperately thrashed about with his wings until he managed to push himself out of harm’s way – just in time to see a veritable geyser of black heat slam into the thing from below, folding it upon itself and slamming it back into the four other onrushing beasts.

“Strike!” From the back of Embarr, Lucian let loose a volley from his lance, which shattered the leg of one of the beasts. He and the SUV that had followed him through the gate came to a stop a bit away from the main fighting. Before the sound of tires screeching had faded, Facsimile launched herself out the sunroof and both Codex and Zero had their doors open. Rehenimaru uncoiled form the death-grip she’d had on Embarr’s back and leapt toward the battle.

Chaos watched the latter curiously as he landed between Codex and the Ape Knight. He spoke even as he deposited Occult on the ground. “Am I glad to see you!” He said, “But we’re going to need some help of the explosive variety. Any ETA on the General?”

Codex shook her head. “He’s not coming.” She said apologetically. “The FAA has grounded all air traffic in the Mayfield area due to the storm. They don’t know what they’re dealing with. And the cops are tied up with the side effects.”

“Do I want to know the side effects?”

“Effects common to fey storms;” Lucian started before Codex could properly sugarcoat it. “increased appearances by ghosts, objects animating, fey-wyld creatures manifest—“

“That is exactly what I didn’t want to hear.” Chaos stopped him.

“That was a demon,” Occult said, watching Rehenimaru, who was skirting the battle and moving the when Aberak and Edenkai had fallen, “Wasn’t it?”

Codex nodded. “She’s called Rehenimaru. Her species survives on emotional resonance; with human emotions being their equivalent of carbo-loading. But right now, she’s on our side. Apparently what Morganna’s doing will destroy their homeland.”

“On our side?” Occult snapped, “That’s easy for you to say; one of those things wants to possess me.”

“No one said we were trusting her.” Codex replied, “I’m not the kind of idiot that thinks a deal with the devil is even an option. As of right now though, there isn’t much we can do without harming the host she’s taken and stopping Morganna is the first step to dealing with them.”

“So stopping Morganna…” Chaos sounded the words out, “will save us—our powers and such—but it’ll save a bunch of critters that see humanity as the three dollar buffet?”

“It’s not even a choice, Chaos.” Codex said simply. “We may be willing to give up our powers to destroy the demons, but we can’t speak for ever other descendant on Earth. We don’t have that right any more than Morganna does.”

“Never gave it a thought.” Chaos assured, “Just pointing out what a shitty, shitty position we’re in.” He nodded to the Ape Knight. “Lucian, old pal, I’ve love to hear where the hell you’ve been and what’s with the car show armor, but—“

“You don’t have to say another word, my friend.” Lucian said, “There is a battle to be joined. Once we are victorious, there will be plenty of time to talk.” With that, he spurred Embarr to charge. Chaos took to the air and followed.

Codex was left with Occult and Zero.

“How much trouble are we in?” Zero asked, watching the green lighting racing through the swirling clouds.

“Demons, Morganna, the fey-wyld…” Occult listed. “I’d say ‘enough’ if not ‘all of it’. I wish I knew some combat spells. Shields and crystal bonds are fine for common criminals, but those dragons are going to need something heavy duty.”

“I have a solution to that.” Codex unclipped a handheld device from her belt and offered it to the younger woman.

“What’s that?” Occult and Zero echoed.

“The Book of Reason – translated, of course.”

“As in a spell book?” Occult asked. “In digi-book format?”

“Big leather books are pretty cumbersome in battle.” Codex said, “Not to mention that this has a reference index and search function.” She looked toward the battle. “You two help the others now. I’ve got to find a way to bring down Morganna’s circle of protection.”

“I don’t know how to thank you for this.” Occult said.

“Save my powers, protect my teammates, and we’ll call it even.” Codex said.

Zero grabbed Occult’s arm and began to run toward the fight. “Come one, Occult, they’re going to need us!”

Alloy rolled under a swooping attack, narrowly avoiding the monster’s gnashing jaws. The ground split and bled liquid metal that snaked into his hands and formed a zweihänder which he thrust into a passing wing joint. Stone and steel screamed as supernaturally sharp steel separated the wing from the body and the magic that held it all together. There was a noise like a truck full of fine crystal flipping over and the wing came apart into a shower of glass and cement shards.

The injured dragon crashed to the ground, its muzzle cutting a furrow in the ground all the way down to the metal beams that formed the ceiling of the underground parking lot.

“Rule number six hundred and fifty.” Alloy said to Isp and Osp. “Mook dragons are a bad thing to send against a literal knight in shining armor.” The tentacles were about to express their agreement when a second beast hit him from behind, clamping a claw across his midsection and lifting him into the air.

“Can’t you go one battle without needing me to bail you out?” A wry voice asked just before a golden blur smashed into the clawed foot holding Alloy.

Where were you when I was dead?” Alloy asked smugly as Facsimile set about trying to force the talons open with the help of the tentacles.

“When you were what?!”

“There’s a crazy guy with metal wings somewhere around here. He put a feather through me… I think.” Enough leeway was finally available to allow Alloy to wriggle out of the creature’s grasp. “But I’m okay now; Hope healed me.” He let the tentacles lash around the monster’s forelimb and hoist him onto it. “Hey, are these guys getting bigger?”

“I just got here.” Facsimile replied, head spinning from the previous revelation.

Alloy looked below and saw bits and pieces from the ground floating upward to fuse to the dragon’s form. “They are growing! Fax, we’ve got to figure out how to finish one of these things off before they’re big enough to stomp us out!”

“Can’t you, ya know, ‘Alloy’ them? I see bits of metal sticking out of this thing.”

“No can do. I think I figured it out; I can’t affect metal that’s under the influence of magic.”

Facsimile looked over as another of the creatures shrugged off the biggest black heat blast she’d ever seen Darkness create and simply ignore Chaos’s compressed air missiles. “So we’re boned then?”

A beam of red light suddenly illuminated their world as it cut the air before them and lanced into the dragon they were currently aboard. It traveled upward, melting the wing to molten slag even as it bisected the thing at the torso. The crystalline sound filled the air as the duo’s mode of transportation returned to being a mere collection of smashed debris.

Rehenimaru looked up in shock. A second before, she had been tending her fallen superiors, aiding their own natural regeneration with her own meager healing magics. Now she looked up at the towering figure of Colos, Lord of Sai’n'shree. He hadn’t been there in the previous moment. Now he filled her vision.

Watching the dragon he’d felled crumble to dust, the demon lord lowered his weapon. It was a long, boxy thing of metal and tubes and flashing lights. Steam clung to the barrel, which had just unleashed red death.

“Lord Colos.” Rehenimaru said in a voice that stopped just short of building him a shrine. “What manner of magic was that?”

Colos regarded her carefully. “It is the fusion of Mankind’s technology with their old magic: Magitech. It is more powerful than our si-ring rhea blood magic and can target the Astral Plane.”

“Then you did find a way to vanquish the Heir of Hyrilius.” Edenkai rose unsteadily. “And what of the warriors of Mankind?”

“They will help us.” Rehenimaru said slyly. “I brokered a peace with them.”

“No.” Edenkai spat. “They protect the young witch and I intend to add her power to mine.”

Aberak nodded, but for an entirely different reason. “Demons depend on a Mankind? Preposterous! They are our food, our hosts—not our allies!”

Colos held up a silencing hand. “Time are changing, Aberak. They are our food and our hosts and our allies. I have brokered a trade with one of their number who holds the secret of weapons such as these; some he theorizes to be even more powerful. Driving his organization to chaos would be counterproductive as long as we can trade with him, don’t you think?”

He watched the astonishment on their faces and savored it. “As for the warriors; I still cannot be sure that we can breech the protections the Heir has laid upon the eye of the storm. If they can do it, I will certainly not interfere.”

Edenkai gave him a measuring look. “We bought nothing here.” She said, “What did you bargain with?”

Colos gave her a level look. “Only what is mine.” He said evenly. “Now, to battle. We cannot let Sai’n’shree fall!”

“Ready?” Zero asked as she and Occult rushed forward. One of the dragons took notice and winged toward them.

“I think so.” Occult said, looking over the information on the digital version of the Book of Reason.

Zero noticed the beast coming. “I don’t think we have a choice anymore.” She declared nervously and raised her hands at the thing. The temperature dipped dramatically and a thick crust of frost formed over its head.

Occult nodded to herself and recited from the book, holding one cupped hand out in front of her. “O Holy western wind, which blows across the blazing sand, give your breath to me and let it fill my hand.” A spark of orange light awakened in her hand. “I cast thee forth to strike down those who stand against me!” Any lack of confidence departed like shadows in the dawn as the telltale surge of magic filled Occult, “Sacred Flame of the Sun! Fireball!” With sudden dramatic flare, she reared back and hurled the deadly object at the oncoming wall of teeth.

The fireball hit the beast’s snout and became a massive conflagration. Ice turned to steam amid the dozens of nooks and crannies that made up the head, pulling them apart as it sought open air. The dragon disintegrated into an avalanche that continued forward toward the two heroines.

“Globo de la fureza!” The wave of rock, metal and glass, broke around the two as they stood within the globe of force. Occult grinned. “Not bad, huh? A little of the old with the new?”

Zero blinked at the ruined dragon, and then smiled broadly. “That was amazing! We work really well together, don’t we?”

“Yeah,” Occult said, looking at Zero and only seeing Snackrifice’s lead singer. “We should do it more often.”

A tail slap drove Samael out of the air and sent him bouncing across the ground, his metallic wings kicking up sparks. Seconds later, the Ape Knight’s lance separated the offending tail from its body, causing a fine layer of dust to fall upon the mercenary.

As he reeled, trying to get his bearing, Vorpal appeared in silhouette above him. “You.” He hissed.

“That had to hurt.” Vorpal said, stooping down beside him. “Landing on the wings certainly had to. I mean they are fused to your spine, right? But I’m talking about your pride. You just got floored by a piece of masonry and you still haven’t shaken the cobwebs out, have you?”

“Yes, stay this close; I’ll open a couple veins for you.” Samael threatened. “First of course, I’m going to cut that stupid mask off you and see what’s so ugly that you have to hide it all the time.” He started to rise but Vorpal put a hand on his wing and suddenly, he found himself unable to move.

“No, I don’t think you’ll be doing much of anything.” Vorpal said. A shooting pain ran up his spine. “I can paralyze you, you know? I’d really like to because I’ve heard about everything you’ve done and frankly it makes me sick. If you were just anyone who’d done what you’d done, I’d snicker-snack you free of charge. Maybe ask to keep the head as a memento.”

She leaned down very close to his face. “See, I have psychotic urges too. That’s why I’m a hired killer after all. The difference though, is that I’m trying to deal with it. That and the fact that I follow orders. Liedecker, for whatever reason, only wanted me to make sure you followed the rules; not to kill or maim you.”

The pain eased and Samael started to swing at her. But then the pain returned a dozen-fold and he was reduced to writhing on his back, helpless.

“So I’ll just put you out of the game temporarily.” Vorpal shrugged and walked off, leaving the fight entirely.

Codex double-checked the spell she’d selected and looked over at the battle. She wanted to be out there helping her teammates. ‘I am helping my teammates’ the purely analytical part of her pointed out. That was academic. Without a way to break through Morganna’s circle of protection, nothing happening on the battleground mattered.

By now two of the dragons were down, the demons all seemed to be back in action (one carrying a really big gun), and Laurel wished that she had offensive powers just as much as Occult had. She had hoped magic would have been the answer, but she had no natural potential for it and thus would be limited to ritual magic, which rarely had offensive applications.

Somewhere in the back of her mind, she vowed to talk with the others about leaving the street level crime to her and her various martial arts skills just so she no longer felt left out.

But dragons and a world altering spell weren’t street level at all. And at the moment, the best she could do was look up the proper way to deal with it. Consigning herself to her current role, she touched her com. “Zero? Are you still with Occult? Good. Tell her to go to page seven hundred and ninety. We need to get her up the side of the building so she can bring down the circle of protection. I’ll send Darkness to take her there.”

Green lightning stuck the bubble of protection provided by Morganna’s circle as she steadily drew a circle of runes. It made impressive light patterns all around her, which she dutifully ignored if she even noticed them.

It would be very soon now. The runes were almost complete, the Astral was moving and the gateway to Sai’n’shree was almost open, and then the world would belong to magic once more.

-- • --

The coruscating red beam of Colos’s magitech plasma lance raked out at one of the dragons, which executed an impressive aerial maneuver to dodge it before diving to attack the demon lord.

Rehenimaru leapt swiftly to her master’s aide, making a series of intricate hand gestures. A red circle appeared in the air before the dragon, which was immediately filled with scores of red lines crisscrossing in all directions; a blood magic spell known as Ghan Rik Fri or ‘The Million String Trap’.

There was a noise like a thousand strands of piano wire being pulled violently taunt as the dragon hit it, deforming the lines of the circle. Caught, the beast, snapped and roared, trying to break through as its wings tried to keep it aloft.

Aberak looked to Colos for orders and Colos gave his brother a subtle nod. The reptilian demon bared hiss teeth in what could have been a mocking grin or utter satisfaction. His right arm lowered to his side, fist clenched. Sparks and red and gold played over the appendage as it swelled and became as hard as stone.

“Consider yourself fortunate, spawn of magic.” He declared, taking three running steps before jumping toward his ensnared foe. “For you will be vanquished by the Hand of Golden Devastation!”

The red, wire-like lines only worked in one direction and impeded the strike not at all. An explosion of dust and tinkling glass followed as the dragon’s head ruptured and its body fell apart.

Alloy glanced over at the demons’ handiwork and then back to the one winged beast in front of him. “That was pretty good.” He said on his com to Facsimile.

“They’re still evil soul mongers.” Facsimile said, in a bored tone. “So I’m not too impressed.” She raked the dragon from above with diamond hard claws to little effect. “Though I wish I could at least hurt these damn things!”

An idea floated though Alloy’s head. “You wanna be impressed?” He asked.

“Don’t get your self killed again on my account.”

“Just watch.” With that, Alloy charged the dragon head on.

It wasn’t a particularly good charge, even as people trying to flat out run while wearing full plate and carrying a sword decidedly too big for them go. In fact, it was really a charge in spirit only as the synthetic dragon, seeing it, decided to stalk forward and strike because it was fairly clear that the alternative would take too long. One claw, formed entirely out of shifting stones, swung in sideways to bat the armored prelate away.

That was when Isp and Osp made themselves and Alloy’s intentions known.

Isp whipped around into the claw’s path and speared into the ground. The air rang with the sound if impact as the dragon’s appendage rebounded off the orihalcite obstruction. Alloy charged on, directly into the maw of the beast, which yawned open to accept him.

Up came the zweihänder. Away flew the zweihänder, turning end over end until it wedged upright between the monster’s upper and lower jaw. Down came Osp, forming into a spiked mace to smash the lower jaw down to meet the lower. The psionically enhanced blade skewered upward through what would be the soft pallet and brain of a living monster.

The wholly inorganic dragon simply lurched forward, slamming Alloy with its snout and sending him down on his back.

Gold flashed before its white, glowing eyes. Facsimile couldn’t lift Alloy in all of his armor, so she simply dragged him away, throwing sparks along the ground. “Suicide is not impressive!” she screamed. “No heroic stands, no ‘even if I die in the process’ and if that’s what coppertop thinks is manly, well—well she can get stuffed!”

Alloy let the slight against his girlfriend slide, seeing as how Facsimile was clearly stressed. “That wasn’t part of the plan.” He said when she finally let him slide to a stop. The dragon reared up and advanced, its jaws still stapled together with the giant sword.

“Clearly.” Facsimile fumed. “Then what, pray tell was it?!”

“I can’t control metal that’s part of it.” Alloy said, sitting up with some effort.

“And?” a frazzled Facsimile asked.

“My sword isn’t part of it.” This time, Facsimile clearly saw the eerie silver glow behind his faceplate as he reached out a hand to the aforementioned weapon. She also heard him muttering something: elements from the periodic table. He stopped at ‘lithium’.

There was a flash of blinding blue fire and the dragon convulsed. The detritus that made up its form melted and in some cases, flash boiled around the seething spike of violently oxidizing alkali metal. Within seconds, the dragon’s heat was reduced to slag and smoke. The remaining body collapsed into its component rubble.

“Holy shit.” Facsimile murmured. “You did it! You took down a ten ton dragon with a sword you can barely handle!”

“You didn’t have to add that last part.”

“I know, but I’m pretty sure that makes it even more badass. Like, if you made it look easy, it wouldn’t have been nearly as cool.” She helped him get to standing. “I seriously don’t tell you that you’re awesome enough.”

She couldn’t tell, but under his armor, that last comment made Alloy blush.

“Alloy and Facsimile got the other one.” Zero reported dutifully through her com as she and Occult stood in the moonlight shadow of the building. “Would you like me to try and free the last one?”

“No,” Darkness replied over the com. She hurled another column of black heat into the last dragon, buying Chaos time to swoop in to deliver a stunning blow to one of its wings. “I can out fly one if it’s alone. Is Occult ready?”

Zero looked over at Occult who was pouring obsessively over the counterspell to Morganna’s Circle. “Darkness wants to know if you’re ready.” She asked in an overly cautious tone.

“I kind of have to be.” Occult said, nodding to the other girl. “Look at the storm.”

They both looked. Green lightning from Faerie, which have be lancing out of and through the clouds at random was now only moving in one direction: toward the center of the storm, and with visibly increasing regularity.

“Darkness, we have to do it now anyway.” Zero said into the com. “Hurry… please.”

She didn’t have to ask twice. A streak of black broke off from combating the last dragon and Darkness was almost instantly beside them, wrapping an arm around Occult’s waist. “Hold on tight.” She instructed needlessly as Occult had very recently had plenty of experience with being toted around by fliers.

They shot upward like a cork from the depths, flashing past the few unshattered windows in a dizzying blur. Twenty stories up, their path was suddenly blocked. Manikin, in the guise of Lisa Ortega flew dead into their path.

“Go through her!” Occult urged as Darkness slowed her ascent.

“No!” Darkness protested, “She’s just under Morganna’s control, she doesn’t know what she’s doing.”

“That isn’t her.” Occult insisted.

“You don’t know that.” Darkness insisted.

Below, the final dragon fought past Chaos as well as Alloy and Facsimile who tried to join in corralling it. Glass wings catching the green flashes of the lightning, it hurled itself upward to intercept Darkness.

“Destroy only the psionic.” Manikin ordered again. “The Heir wants the girl inside the circle of protection before the spell completes.”

“Why does everyone want you?” Darkness muttered to Occult. “And for that matter, Lisa?”

After an entire night of attempted kidnappings, the majority of which were orchestrated by the witch that possessed her aunt and the remainder being from a demoness seeking to possess her, something clicked for Occult.

“Aunt Tay.” She murmured.

“What?” Darkness asked.

“I said, ‘let’s find out’. They want me in the circle, let them take me in.” With that, she pushed off from Darkness and into open air. “After all,” she shouted, “It was where I was headed anyway!”

“Occult!” Darkness shouted, reaching out to grab the girl. But before she could fully react, Manikin had shot downward and seized Occult about the shoulders, yanking her violently upward, toward the crux of the storm. This left Darkness only seconds to avoid the dragon’s snapping jaws.

“There is no time!” Aberak snarled, watching the fight from the ground. “I feel the storm drawing on the Astral, pulling it back like a great wave. When it converges, the gate will open and Sai’n’shree will be no more.” He put a fist against his shoulder to honor those who would fall.

“Only if the Mankind fails.” Colos said staunchly. “And I have learned this night not to underestimate their ilk. They aren’t the rabble the Re’sha once knew.” He nodded to Aberak and Edenkai. “Come; if our kingdom will die, then we will stand atop it and roar in the face of Oblivion.” He gestured to the pair and their host bodies reverted, expelling their green, betentacled true forms. The hosts dropped senseless to the ground.

Rehenimaru looked to the demon lord as he reached out and tore a portal in the air. Returning to Faerie was nothing to a one of its natives, no matter what dimension they were in. He looked back and she had an epiphany.

While barely a breeze at ground level, the wind of the fey-storm was truly terrible just beneath the boiling clouds. Lightning fell like hail, pulverizing the already truncated summit of the building, sending fountains of molten metal and broken cement into the air.

It also broke and ran like water over the circle of protection that surrounded Morganna’s sanctum. The bubble of calm rippled gently as it admitted Manikin and her oddly sedate prisoner.

The runes were done; thirty nine unique symbols arranged in a large circle around a central rune, which still glowed a dull orange from the intense heat used to etch it into the ground. Raw magical force formed a clinging, multihued fog that itself formed lines connecting the runes to one another.

Occult stood, restrained by Manikin’s arms around her own and let her magical senses tell the tale. The lightning was trying to get in; to ground itself in the thirteen times three runes that would then activate the central rune, opening the gate to Faerie and allowing Morganna to siphon mana from the other side and enact her spell. The Astral positively boiled above the central point.

Morganna regarded her coldly. “You’re here.” She said.

“You didn’t want me here.” Occult observed.

“No.” Morganna shook her head. She looked to Manikin. “Why… why did you bring her?”

“You wanted the witch, O Heir” Manikin said, confused. “She is the only other controller of magics in this city. Surely, she must be the—“

“No.” Morganna said again, more sharply. “The one… the one whose image you have taken. That is the one I… that Nightshade wants. This is not… could not be her.”

“Then what shall I do with her, O Heir?”

“Dispose… of her.”

Another of the concepts Hyrilius had believed strongly in was that all magical potential was valuable and should not be wasted. Once more, in killing the young witch, Manikin would be forced to go against what amounted to her core beliefs. But once again, her duty to the Heir was absolute. She started to drag Occult backward through the circle.

But Occult resisted. “No. I am who she wants.” She stated. Seconds later, her own staff snapped into its full length, slamming Manikin in the jaw. The golem lost her grip on Occult’s hands and stumbled backward, out of the circle.

Occult’s glammer was pulled away from her and into the haft of her staff, leaving Lisa Ortega, the real one, standing before Morganna. The elder woman’s eyes flickered with recognition.

“You… you’ve been against me all this time!” Morganna exclaimed. “You… and Nightshade!” She raised the staff of Hyrilius threateningly. “I’ll... I will end you both! Along with the psionics.”

Lisa shook her head. “You can’t hurt Aunt Tay, you’re inside her. If you kill her, you kill yourself.”

Predator’s intelligence was something Morganna had in spades. It came into play now like a queen on a chessboard. “And neither… can you.” She observed. “Then you can’t stop me.” Her hand raised and the circle of protection came apart, letting the tearing winds into the bubble of tranquility.

The lightning seemed to see its chance and began striking down among the runes, which began to light, one by one, with the eldritch green energy of the fey storm. The fate of thousands on both worlds stood in balance with the fate of her favorite and only aunt. Lisa clenched her teeth against tears that formed both from emotion and the ravages of the wind. She made a choice.

“This is what you would have wanted.” She said, too quietly to be heard over the roar of the wind. Younger and faster, she made it to Morganna before the older woman could come on guard, swinging her staff to clout the mad sorceress across the forehead.

Reeling, Morganna swung the glowing brand that was the head of the staff of Hyrilius, missing Lisa’s head by inches and singing hair. Lighting crashed down on either side of her with near blinding luminescence.

Lisa dropped the head of her own weapon, pinning Morganna’s staff against the ground. Her free hand balled into a fist… and froze. Her aunt was looking at her, not Morganna. Even if her aunt had turned out to have been a contracted thief instead of a globetrotting adventurer, she had always loved Lisa; had sacrificed herself to save Lisa from the fate she even now endured.

Morganna took the advantage, striking out with her own fist with enough force to knock Lisa on her back atop the central rune. The last runes along the circle lit. The air screamed. Hair whipping in the wind, Morganna screamed her incantation; words in a forgotten and horrible language. When the circle discharged into the central rune, all of her problems would be dealt with.

Reflex made Lisa’s hand close over a clear marble in her bag. “Globo de…”

Thirteen times three runes spat lighting at her, green, scintillating and terrible—and stopped inches from her, crackling around the globe of force. To say Lisa’s heart skipped a beat would be putting it mildly and serve only to convey that what she experienced wasn’t a full on cardiac episode.

The world outside was green and seething. Inside, the ground shook and vibrated. She looked down. The central rune was trapped inside with her, unable to accept the incredible energies the others were trying to deliver. So they continued to pile up… and up… until…

Chaos, Darkness and Zero poured their all into holding back the rampaging dragon while Alloy and Facsimile tried in vain to get into its reach to deal some damage. It seemed hopeless. Every second, it drew up more and more of its fallen brethren’s crumbled remains, growing larger and more powerful.

“We only have to hold it off until Occult stops Morganna!” Darkness shouted over the coms.

“And if stopping her doesn’t stop the dragon?” Facsimile asked.

“It will.” Alloy assured, “That how these things work; take out the caster and all their spells go ‘poof’.”

“I’m more worried about what happens if she doesn’t beat her.” Chaos said, sending another missile of compacted air at the beast.

“Just have faith guys.” Codex assured, “she won’t let us—oh my god.”

She didn’t have to explain. They all saw the flare of green leap into the sky, parting the clouds as it went. Then they saw the roiling sphere of energy expanding outward from the core of the blast.

“Is that good or bad?” Zero asked as the sphere washed over them.

It is almost impossible to describe the speed of light in layman’s terms. It is even more impossible to describe the speed of something magical in nature and thus not constrained to the puny four dimensions humanity can perceive.

The wave of raw magic broke the sound barrier by the time it had reached Mayfield city limits, boiling away the fey-storm as it went. It broke the speed of light before it had completely overtaken the state. The rapidity in which North America, the eastern hemisphere and the Earth was faster still.

From our limited perception, it actually encompassed the Milky Way and parts beyond before encompassing Earth. Most people were totally unaware of its passage beyond the ConquesTech lot. Except, those who were affected by it…

The next thing any of the Descendants knew, they were dodging an avalanche as the great stone dragon went from ‘powerful, terrifying golem’ to ‘aerial rock garden’ to ‘rock garden’ all in the space of a breath.

“Told ya.” Alloy said wryly over the com as he knocked dust off his armor. “So did we win, or was that the spell going off…?” he asked, worry betrayed in his voice. Isp and Osp snaked into his view and shrugged. “That’d be a win then.” He said, relieved.

“I’ll be the first to admit it;” Chaos said, using a gust of wind to dust himself and Darkness off. “We owe Occult for this one.”

Zero looked up at the building, which had lost a few more stories in the process. “She’s okay, right?” The Descendants looked at each other silently.

“She is fine.” Rubble crunched under Embarr’s feet as Lucian led his mount to stand with the team. “I can still sense her magic in this world… as well as Morganna’s.” He paused in thought for a moment. “And a great deal more.”

“More magic now?” Chaos groaned. “And Morganna’s still out there?”

“I am afraid so.” Lucian said, solemnly. “And that means I am needed elsewhere. I am sorry, but our time to talk will have to come some other time, my friend.” Chaos and the Ape Knight shook hands.

“Hey!” came a shout from on high.

Zero looked up and smiled. “It’s Lisa!” she said, happily. “She’s okay!”

“Hey!” the very bedraggled girl said, leaning heavily against a broken beam. She didn’t have it in her to cast even one more spell. “I’m kind of stranded up here!” She called. “Need a hero!”

Facsimile chuckled and swept out her wings. “I got this.” With that, she took to the air.

End Issue #22