Fool – Part 11
“Another one’s coming!” someone warned.
Everyone in the plaza turned. The two giants, now nearly destroyed, shielded the convict whose body was now riddled with dark holes.
Like bubbles disturbing the surface of water, holes began appearing all over him, each one causing his body to spasm violently. His lips were moving, likely whispering his final death spell. Fully cornered, he’d abandoned his life to complete a Demon Pact.
“Stay back!” Hannibal shouted. “If you get too close, you’ll get caught in it. Once a Demon Pact’s started, there’s no stopping it. Keep that in mind!”
The prisoner’s body was completely consumed by the holes. The corruption spread to the giants beside him, and the massive demons began to crumble, their fragments pulled into the void. When the last piece vanished, the pact was complete.
The black void burst, releasing hundreds of tendrils that snapped like whips, struck the cobblestones, arced through the sky, and tore through the Knight Guard’s formation. Hannibal, Francisca, and all the other knights were all knocked down by the sudden onslaught.
Patty and Cecily, watching from a distance, were able to observe every detail of what had happened.
“What… is that?”
The third demon was a grotesque mass of tentacles. Its pale pink surface glistened with a slick, unsettling sheen as it writhed ominously. Resembling countless worms twisted together, it was an indescribable amalgamation of horrors. Thick, arm-sized appendages lashed out in all directions, ensnaring some and toppling others in their furious path. The tentacles swept through the square, throwing the Knight Guard into chaos.
“What are you standing around for?!” A sharp voice cut through the bedlam.
A man clutching his bloodied left arm was staring hard at Cecily.
“Reginald?”
“What’s your forte?!”
Ignoring Patty as she tried to treat his injury, Reginald Drummond moved straight toward Cecily.
“The Infernal Blade!” It wasn’t an insult. It was a reprimand. “Fulfill your true duty as a knight, Cecily Campbell!”
Suddenly, it all came back to her. Who she was. A member of the Knight Guard of the Independent Trade City. Part of this proud order.
She was Cecily Campbell.
She asked herself: was she truly powerless? Was Cecily Campbell really so weak, the kind of woman who would sink to her knees after just one defeat, unable to help a single person?
No. She’d prove herself, here and now.
Cecily looked over her shoulder. Her comrade had been with her all along. She’d waited for her, always believing.
“I can’t do anything without you.”
“No, Cecily. With me, you can protect more people. That’s all.”
“Right.”
“Let’s go. Together, we’re unstoppable.”
“Yeah. No doubt about it.”
They broke into a run.
She had been humiliated by a man’s cruelty, her pride dragged through the dirt. The worst part was that she’d surrendered to that injustice. She folded and displayed a disgraceful side.
Never again. The chains binding her shattered. Her body that once felt so heavy was light as a feather. Her waning strength was replenished by renewed spirit, her vision sharp and clear, as if she had been reborn.
She vowed then and there. Never again would she yield to powerlessness.
I… We can do anything!
“Unshackle from slumber. Seize the truth. The wind, in my hand. Slay God.”
With her rapier manifested, Cecily sprinted forward. Her target was the main body of the tentacled beast, where the writhing mass of appendages converged.
“Shine forth!”
A silver glow flared, and the gale she unleashed sliced through the tentacles obstructing her path. But the pale pink surface of the creature was remarkably tough, preventing any significant cuts and repelling the gust. Nonetheless, the creature shuddered as if in pain, and in retaliation, launched a swarm of tentacles straight at Cecily.
Appendages rained down from nearly every direction. Evading seemed impossible. But Cecily wasn’t the demon’s only opponent.
“Hyaah!”
Hannibal, racing alongside her, swung his bent mace with brutal force, and with one mighty blow, he hacked through the tentacles. He glanced her way and flashed a grin.
“Those are sharp eyes. I don’t know what happened, but I was worried about you, Cecily.”
“I’ll accept the punishment for abandoning my post.”
“Once this thing’s dead, I’ll take responsibility for it.”
She didn’t want to burden him, but when it came to slaying this beast, Cecily had no objections. She sprinted ahead, overtaking Hannibal to close in on the demon.
The tentacles whipped around furiously, shattering cobblestones in their attempts to block her path. But as before, Cecily was not the creature’s sole foe.
The square was filled with the chanting of prayer incantations. Even with their formation broken, each knight used their Prayer Pact to crush a cluster of tentacles.
Meanwhile, those who had lost their jewel steel drew their swords and slashed at the writhing appendages. Each swing was repelled, but when one knight fell, another immediately took their place. Cecily caught a glimpse of Patty treating the wounded and Reginald valiantly swinging his sword despite his injuries.
The team held their own against the formidable demon. The tentacles dispersed, creating a narrow but clear path to the creature’s core.
Cecily dove through the gap. She dashed through the wall of tentacles until she finally had the creature’s main body in her sights. She saw a black mass, likely the demon’s core. It pulsed with malevolence, spewing forth new bundles of tentacles. There was no room to avoid them on the narrow path her comrades had created.
“Tsk!”
Tentacles struck her forehead, her side, and wrapped around her ankle. The skin on her cheek scraped away. The pain dulled her movements. Fatigue bore down on her, slowing her down despite her urge to push forward.
No matter how she thrust her rapier or unleashed the Infernal Blade’s winds, her attacks merely bounced off the demon’s tough hide. When the demon found an opportunity, Cecily, the closest to its core, became an easy target. Tentacles poured down from all angles.
Was this the end? No, it couldn’t be. She had just risen back up again. Her jaw clenched. She couldn’t fall here!
A tentacle grazed her waist, shattering the metal fitting of her sheath and sending it spinning into the air. She reached out to grab it and thrust it forward. The tentacle recoiled.
Aria’s words sparked in her mind.
“Tough it out. This sheath will protect you. Luke said it’s made from magnolia wood, which can ward off Aetherial effects.”
One of the demon’s components is Aetheria!
The tentacles missed their target and veered away from Cecily. Seizing the moment, she retreated from the danger.
Think.
Charging in blindly would only get her sword deflected. To pierce that tough hide, she needed a greater force. But how? How could she defeat this demon?
Think, Cecily Campbell. Use every ounce of your brain to make up for all the times you’d neglected to!
Something drew her attention, and Cecily looked up.
“Aria!” she shouted. “Carry my voice to the Knight Guard!”
A gust rose, this time not for destruction, but to amplify her voice. Her words echoed across the square.
“To those with jewel steel! Set fire to the demon, and I’ll finish it off!”
The Knight Guard responded instantly, and columns of fire erupted everywhere. Smiling at their swift response, Cecily raised her rapier high.
“Fan it, howl, and fuel the flames!”
A fresh wind surged, merging with the existing currents, intensifying each fiery column until they joined into a blazing vortex that engulfed the tentacled creature.
Cecily’s rapier groaned from the strain. Just a bit longer, Aria.
She knew this alone wouldn’t kill the creature. Though the demon writhed in the fire, it didn’t look like it was dying. But that wasn’t her goal. Cloaked in flames, the beast lost track of her entirely.
Discarding her scabbard, Cecily spun on her heel and darted toward the clock tower, the one structure still standing amidst the chaos.
She kicked open the door and dashed up the spiral staircase. Her body, unused to this level of exertion, screamed for rest, threatening to buckle beneath her. But she urged her muscles on. Don’t stop. Keep running. Fortunately, none of the stairway doors were locked, and she reached a ladder at the top. She barely paused, hauling herself up until she finally emerged at the peak.
Buffeted by gusts, Cecily steadied herself against a pillar, gasping for breath.
The top of the clock tower offered a view not only of the square but of the entire city itself. The dizzying height made her head spin. She shook it off, leaning forward and looking down despite the nerves stiffening her body. From here, the demon writhing with its countless tentacles resembled some monstrous plant.
Cecily turned to see the massive iron bell, as large as the earlier earthen giant, meant to signal the passage of time across the Second District. Suspended by sturdy ropes, it had a bowl-like shape with flared edges. While its weight was hard to determine, its imposing presence assured her that it would be more than enough.
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