章 6: Fade to Black
Even though I was surrounded by people, I hadn't received any dungeon points before the demons showed up. Now I was getting +1 DP notifications continuously. Apparently being at the center of a demon invasion garners you some hatred. Should I run? Could I leave these people to the demons? Unlike all my other summons, I couldn't feel any connection with these demons. I couldn't send them back or give them orders. Did I summon these things or was somebody framing me? It didn't matter because the white one barked an order and all hell broke loss.
The men had tried to form a tighter grouping to protect themselves but there wasn't enough time. The Hound demon closed the distance to the nearest man and with a leap and a snap of its jaws, he was dead. It wasn't even a fight but more like a lion meeting a lamb. I watched the blood pour out of the now headless man. There was a pause, as people processed what just happened, and then everybody attacked in unison. Some came at me but most charged at the hound demon. Their war cries began to rouse more and more fighters within the town. Swords, hammers and arrows struck the demon but none broke through its skin.
Soon the red demon joined the fray. It didn't rush. His weird eyes watching the men as he walked forward. I saw spikes growing out of his back and elbows; then his nails lengthened. A man shot an arrow, hitting him in the head. Unlike the hound, he at least bled but it was just a scratch. It narrowed its snake like eyes and then charged into the men that were trying to protect the archers and mages. It's spikes and claws tearing through their armor as if it was made of paper. The screams of the adventurers grew louder and then ended.
This couldn't continue or everybody in this town would die. I extended my aura and switched it to 'Consecrated'. It was supposed to weaken evil creatures and as my golden aura turned white and once both of them were under it, they began to slow and take more damage. I cast 'Minor Healing Light' on the red demon and heard its screams as the butterflies swarmed over it. As the butterflies connected, it was like watching positive and negative energy colliding. Tiny explosions took out chunks of it's flesh.
I glanced around and tried to gauge where my help was needed and that was about the time I realized that the white demon seemed to have vanished without a sound.
I looked around but didn't see him however, I did see more guards showing up. As they did, the tide began to turn. I cast another 'Minor Healing Light' on the hound demon and grabbed Amy's hand. We needed to leave while we still could.
I did my best to keep the demons under my aura for as long as possible. I wanted to give the people every advantage and minimize their losses. Still, I knew that if I stayed they would kill me. I learned my lesson at the castle and will protect myself against their betrayal.
We ducked between the warehouses trying to get to the main gate. The call of a demon invasion had pulled all the guards away. Other than the sounds of the battle we just left, it was entirely quiet.
We moved forward until I felt Amy being pulled away. I spun around only to see Amy flying through a warehouse wall with a sickening crack. The white demon was now standing where she just was. He moved and became a blur. He was faster than my eyes could track and soon vanished.
I moved to save Amy. The wall of the warehouse was thick wood. The fact that her body broke it meant that she was going to be hurt. She wasn't tough like adventurers who could shrug off that type of impact.
I stuck my head into the hole she made and saw her unmoving form a few feet into the warehouse. I was going to crawl in but felt the air shift and before I could turn, I felt his long, cool fingers sliding along my skin.
I was lifted up by the scruff of my neck as if I was a kitten. His harsh voice echoing in my head, "So you're the herald? TSK, I expected more. Well you know what they say, it's what's on the inside that matters." Every word he spoke made my ears ring in pain. It was unnatural. As he finished speaking, I felt his other hand begin to peel a section of my skin away. He did it slowly, enjoying my screams as I shook in pain. I tried to focus to cast but he dug a finger into my back making me shiver in pain giving me a '+1 in pain resistance'. I couldn't focus through the pain as he grabbed another section of attached skin and slowly pulled it away.
"Hmm, nothing remarkable yet. Perhaps it is hidden deeper." He chuckled at his joke and I felt his clawed fingers pulling at the muscles that lined my ribs. I had no doubt he would continue until I died but I still tried to cast. I focused. He let me begin and just when I thought I was going to get the spell off, he stabbed his fingers into my belly causing me to buck, cry and more importantly, lose the focus I needed to cast. He seemed to know I was casting even though I never chanted.
"Ah, so that's where you are hiding it." His Fingers dug deeper into my stomach. Notifications of my pain tolerance kept dinging in my head but I felt my vision turning white. I was in so much pain that I echoed his howl of agony. I was tossed to the ground and I just laid there trying to gather enough clarity to force out a heal spell.
I heard an elderly woman's voice. It was soft but firm, "You can't come into my town and expect to leave. Husband, remove his other hand while I tend to the girl." I passed out after that. I wasn't sure if that voice was part of my dreams or if it was real. I never noticed anybody near me other than the demon.
週次パワーステータス
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