“Heal me,” Syd told Eir, holding the elf tightly against her chest. “Use your protection spell on me too, please.”

“Yes,” Eir said breathlessly, her body still shaking slightly from her near-death experience.

Dutifully, Eir began channeling her Oracle’s Protection, boosting Jadis’ Resilience and thus helping her to better withstand the foul fumes of the twisted wretch matriarch. With as much damage as the wretch was doing to Jay and Dys, Eir’s healing was countering it. That healing wouldn’t last forever, though, since Eir had already used up a lot of her magic reserves. The fight needed to end, soon.

With the intent of keeping the matriarch distracted, Jay renewed her attacks, swinging wildly and with as much speed and vigor as she could. Blow after blow struck the demon, doing no visible damage, but at least preventing it from casting any more spells. Still, Jadis was shocked that the demon could take so many direct hits from her heaviest weapon without showing signs of injury.

It only took a moment for Jadis to figure the demon’s fortitude had to have something to do with its constantly glowing hands. The wretch had cast some sort of spell, maybe a channeled one, that was granting it some degree of protection. She didn’t remember it doing that back in Alawar. Maybe it hadn’t felt the need at the time, or maybe she wasn’t the only one to have gained a few levels since that last encounter. Either way, the damage blocking spell was a problem, a problem that Jadis would have to see if Mirrored Strikes could overcome. First, though, the wind mage was going down.

Slipping out of the poisoned cyclone with a fast step to one side, Dys swatted a stumbling bone thief that happened to be in her way and shouted for help.

“Noll!” Dys called. “Go to Jay!”

There was no time to hear an acknowledgement to her command as in the next second the swirling green winds had enveloped Dys again. Doing her best to at least keep the cyclone away from the others, Dys headed towards the east side of the battlefield, striking and crushing any demons that got within her reach.

From her vantage point on the top of the hill, Syd stood tall, Eir still held against her, and observed the fight. With her multiple perspectives, Jadis was able to guide her two other selves to better positions for what she wanted to do, maneuvering both her selves, and her enemies.

The possessed elf floating in the air had his staff pointed at Dys, probably channeling his own magic to keep that part of Jadis suppressed. He was fifty feet up, easily out of reach of any melee attack. Anytime any projectiles were launched at him, be they physical or magical, he would either dodge out of the way with surprising speed, or he’d use powerful gusts of wind to throw the projectiles off course. Jadis was fairly certain she even saw a couple of Kerr’s arrows try to strike the mage, neither hitting the mark as the winds simply tossed the arrows aside.

Seeing Noll approach Jay, slashing demons to pieces with his sword as he went, Syd gently set Eir down, just for a moment. Turning and moving with great speed, Syd snatched the dead wyvern up from the ground. There was a definite undercurrent of satisfaction that Jadis would have to think about later as she viciously ripped the wings off of the wyvern and discarded them. Then, taking the reptilian corpse by the tail, she swung the creature over her head twice before hurling it at the wind mage.

While not exactly the most aerodynamic of projectiles while dead, the wyvern corpse still flew true, heading straight for the floating elf. When the fast-flying body was only twenty feet away, the mage’s free hand flew up and a powerful gust of wind blew, pushing the wyvern’s body off course. It sailed by, missing the mage by a few feet.

What didn’t miss was Noll.

Using her supernatural coordination, Jadis had launched Noll at the possessed mage a half second after Syd had hurled the corpse, timing it so that the mage would see and deal with the wyvern first. Hurtling through the air like some kind of furry, grumpy, lump of death, Noll’s blade whipped out just as the mage turned to face him.

Jadis’ perception was such that she could see things move around her with greater detail when she wanted to, simply because her mind moved so fast thanks to her massively increased agility. Even with her greatly boosted stats, she still could only barely see the flash of Noll’s blade as his curved sword cut through the demonically possessed wizard. Maybe it was a skill. Maybe the old wolf could just move that fast when he wanted to. Jadis couldn’t tell, but in either case she was glad Noll was on her side.

The cyclone and disruptive winds that had been roaring all abruptly ceased as pieces of corrupted elf fell soundlessly to the ground. There were, among the seven or eight segments of bisected flesh, the writhing pieces of a demon’s tentacles as well as a single emerald green eye, split in two.

With the cessation of the magically conjured winds, Dys was freed from the cyclone. Unfortunately, that meant the matriarch’s noxious fumes were freed as well. The green gasses began to billow outwards, spreading across the field of death. Dys, though, could move freely, meaning she could help Jay finish off the wretched demon. But first…

“Got you,” Dys said as she caught Noll before he could hit the ground.

“…You didn’t need to do that,” the man grumbled as he immediately extracted himself from the princess carry that Dys had caught him with.

“Yeah, but now we’re even.”

“Ridiculous,” Noll snorted.

“True,” Dys agreed.

With that, both turned towards Jay and the matriarch, locked in combat.

“Time to settle this,” Dys announced as she clenched the haft of her axe.

“Go to it,” Noll nodded. “I’ll keep them off your back.”

There were many, many reasons Jadis loved having three bodies. Being able to do multiple things at once made most tasks quick and easy. Having more selves to let her dote and love on her companions was wonderful. The combat advantages were myriad and turned her into a devastating force to be reckoned with. But as she fought the twisted wretch matriarch, Jadis loved that she was able to watch the beatdown from a bird’s eye perspective.

As Jay’s hammer came down upon the wretch’s raised left hand with the sound of steel on stone, Dys’ axe came from the side and struck the demon’s right arm. There was a tremendous thunderclap, like a boulder had been struck by lightning, and the glow coming from the demon’s hands shattered like glass. The head of Dys’ axe had not cut through the matriarch’s arm completely, but the blade was buried deep in the bone of its skinless forearm.

Wrenching her axe to the side, Dys pulled the demon off balance for an instant. More than enough time for Jay’s hammer to bypass the wretch’s defenses and slam into its ugly head. Antlers broke to pieces, some of them jamming down deep into the demon’s skull while others fell to the ground. For a brief moment, the wretch’s mouth was forced shut, the fumes it continuously spewed cut off. Then, like a child that was only registering it had been hurt a few seconds after the fact, the demon’s mouth opened again. And it screamed.

The wailing of the twisted wretch matriarch was like nothing Jadis had ever heard. Unlike the greater demon they had killed before that screamed with the voices of many stolen bodies, the wretch had only one voice. And yet, the sound was as though a man and a woman as well as an elk had all combined together into one. The scream was inhuman, unnatural, and sent a chill through Jadis’ soul.

That didn’t stop Jadis from immediately attacking the wretch again, though.

As the two of Jadis laid into the reeling matriarch, the demon’s wretched cries seemed to spur the remaining demons on the battlefield into a frenzy. All those left alive rushed towards the matriarch, throwing themselves at the Nephilim knights with mindless fury. The way, however, was not clear for them.

Noll dashed back and forth, his long, curved blade scything through the demons like wheat. Wherever he moved, demons fell. Wherever he wasn’t, demons still fell. Kerr’s arrows, now unhindered by the mage’s winds, rained down on the demons from on high. Each shot killed, some arrows taking two or more targets at once.

Jay’s hammer cracked against the matriarch’s arms, the blow knocking the creature back as it stumbled in the snow. Before a second had passed, Dys’ axe bit into the demon’s back leg, cutting it clean off. The wretched mother screamed, calling out to the demonic children around it, but Jadis wasn’t going to give them a chance to help. Her hammer swung again, hitting the demon in the side and sending it tumbling to the ground.

A sickly green light began to glow from the matriarch as it tried to cast another spell. Dys’ axe fell on its midsection, cutting deep as black blood and gore poured out. Jay’s war hammer came down onto the wretch’s upper body in the same instant, crushing its arms and left shoulder. The magic lights were snuffed out, the casting disrupted.

The demon’s fumes also ceased, though its wailing didn’t. Dys continued to hack away at the elk-like body and in a few more strokes of the axe the lower half of the demon was split apart. From inside dozens of demon eggs spilled out, as well as a few hatchlings, all of them squirming to get away. Jadis was ruthless, not willing to take any more risks with the safety of the others as she squashed the demonlings.

Somehow, despite the massive damage she’d inflicted, the wretch matriarch still lived. It raised its broken arms, trying to cast magic while foul blood poured out of its severed torso. It screamed again, its dead eyes locked onto Jay with a malicious, desperate intent as it reached towards her with shattered bones.

Jay’s hammer came down onto its head one more time, silencing the twisted wretch matriarch for good.

 

 

Congratulations! Twisted Wretch Matriarch Defeated. Bonus Experience Points Awarded for Defeating a Demon Mother of Samleos.

 

 

 

“Good riddance,” Jay and Dys both spat at the demon’s corpse.

With a triumphant cry, Willa and the other soldiers rushed the battlefield, striking down the demons that lay between them and Jadis two selves. To Jadis’ surprise, the Reavers charged with them. Maybe not all of the Reavers, by Syd’s count, but a good number of them, including Stavros.

Turning away from the corpse of the matriarch, Jay and Dys fell into line with Noll, flanking the old wolf on either side. Together, they pushed in towards Willa and the others, hammering what was left of the demon forces against their anvil. In seconds they cut the raging, undirected demons to pieces, leaving none alive.

“Are you all okay?” Jay called out to Thea, Bridget, and Willa as the last of the demons fell.

“Yes, we are,” Bridget answered, though she looked more than a little roughed up. “Though I almost shit my pants when those demons exploded.”

“I’m fine,” Thea agreed, coming right up to Dys.

“Alive,” Willa called back, her breath coming in great heaving gasps. “Somehow.”

“Yes, alive,” Stavros rumbled, flicking black blood from his scimitar as he came to a stop near Willa. “For now.”

“For now,” Jay nodded at the dark man. “You’re a piece of shit, Stavros, but at least you aren’t a coward.”

“Go fuck yourself,” he shot back, tossing a gesture her way that she didn’t recognize. “Just keep me and mine from the hangman like you promised.”

“I’ll do my part,” Jay answered, though a pang of anger welled up in her as she thought of what had happened to Gunnar and Sorcha because of Stavros’ lieutenant.

Then again, Stavros hadn’t ordered her to attack like that, the bitch had just been insane. She could blame herself just as much as Stavros for not doing a better job at securing the psychotic scum.

Thoughts of Eike brought Jadis’ mind to thoughts of Alex, Eir, and everyone else up on the hill with Syd. She needed to brief everyone on what had happened. They all needed to regroup, actually, as soon as possible. The injured needed to be healed, then they needed to retreat to their fallback point. Ideally, Jack could keep the majority of demons chasing him distracted for a while longer and—

The ground under Jadis’ feet shook. Everyone around her bounced as well, the vibrations coming in a steady, thumping gait. Looking around, Jadis didn’t immediately spot what it was. The light of day had almost completely faded as the sun set behind the westward mountain, leaving only the gray of the gently falling snow.

“Look,” Noll said, pointing with his sword. “There.”

Turning as one, the group looked where Noll indicated. From the shadows of the forest a gigantic shape loomed. Huge and bulbous, the aberrant form pushed through the trees, knocking them over as it went. Lesser shapes, some still huge in their own right and only dwarfed by comparison next to the colossal figure, moved with the creature. All were heading towards them.

“You’ve got to be fucking kidding me,” Bridget swore as she stared at the oncoming bramble fiend matriarch and its bodyguards.

“I guess we aren’t quite done yet,” Dys murmured.

“Pull back,” Willa ordered, motioning towards her soldiers and Stavros. “It’s slow. We’ll retreat to the fallback position.”

“I’ll distract the faster demons,” Jay announced. “We’ll keep them off everyone’s backs while we retreat.”

“Stay close,” Noll told her. “Don’t get separated.”

“We won’t. None of us are in any condition to fight all that, not after what we all just went through,” Jay shook her head. “Alright, let’s get—”

An earthshaking roar blasted through the night sky, causing everyone to jump. Turning to look back towards the open clearing, Jadis swore.

The dragon had regained consciousness. The titanic creature had risen to its feet without them noticing, their attention distracted by the battle and the coming matriarch. The ice dragon looked, for lack of a better word, pissed. Despite the dark, Jadis could see the dragon was glowing with an icy blue aura that radiated menace. Its red eyes shone with malice and its whole body was poised as though it were ready to pounce.

“I feel like we might be fucked right now,” Jay said as she stared at the imposing beast.

“Maybe not,” Noll growled after a moment. “I don’t think it’s interested in us.”

Noll’s assessment proved right as the dragon’s crimson eyes passed over all of them and came to a rest on the approaching bramble fiend matriarch. A deep growl emanated from the beast, so base that it could barely be heard, more felt in the bones. Spreading its wings wide, the dragon flapped once, creating a gust of wind that practically knocked everyone off their feet. In the next moment, the dragon rose into the sky.

The dragon didn’t fly far, however.

With a tremendous crashing sound, the dragon pounced on top of the bramble fiend matriarch, claws digging deep into the bulbous body. With another roar, the dragon unleashed its frozen breath at the demons surrounding the matriarch. It was hard to see what happened to the lesser demons, but the point-blank breath attack enveloped them all.

As the matriarch struggled against its attacker, casting spells and flailing its twisted arms, the dragon’s massive wings flapped again. The beast rose once more into the air, this time taking the colossal matriarch with it. The two titanic creatures lifted high into the sky, disappearing into the night as the dragon continued to roar its rage.

“Holy shit,” Jay, Dys, and Syd all said as they watched the darkness where the dragon and demon disappeared.

“Holy shit is right,” Bridget echoed.

“Oh my,” Eir whispered as she wrapped her arms around Syd’s neck. “They’ve gone quite high.”

“You can see them?” Syd asked, surprised.

“Yes,” Eir answered. “Barely. And it looks as though—oh! It’s falling!”

“GET DOWN!” Noll shouted, his yellow eyes having never left the sky.

A few heartbeats later, after everyone had thrown themselves to the forest floor, the world quaked as the body of the gigantic matriarch hit the ground right where it had been lifted from. Rocks, dirt, wood, and pieces of frozen demon flew everywhere as a cloud of dust and snow washed over the group. Cold pieces of debris bounced off of Jadis’ armor, some of the broken bits even reaching as far as Syd and the others on the hill.

The forest was silent as the dust settled, everyone who had ducked for cover waiting to see if more would come.

A pair of leather boots came to stand next to Jay’s head.

“Putain de merde,” Kerr said in awe as she stood over Jay. “Did you see that? Good thing we didn’t kill the dragon, huh?”