10 - Demon Worshipers

Posted on Mon Apr 22nd, 2024 @ 2:01am by Dungeon Master Sue Donym

1,894 words; about a 9 minute read

Mission: Chapter 4 - Apprentice
Location: Abandoned Warehouse
Timeline: 2090

Third era of Leo the Lionhearted, roughly six hundred years before the death of Selene Starcrest. Thirteen hooded figures gathered under the moonlight around a large stone slab with runes and circles carved into it. The leader pulls out an animal skin wine flask and pours the deep red liquid into the carved channels, letting it flow into every crevice as the others begin chanting ominously. Once the liquid was evenly spread through the carvings, the hooded figure cast a small ignition charm and the whole thing caught on fire, igniting the demonic summoning circle and beginning the activation of the magic.

She then tossed back her hood and started her own spell, unearthly sounds coming from her throat as she recited the summoning spell from memory. Once she was done, she threw back her head and made a demand. “Demon, come before us and grant me my desire! I wish to make a deal!

Every flame went out and a deep rumbling from a demonic throat could be heard for a few moments before the screams started.

Selune, now known as Aurelia in the new world she was living in, shook her head to clear it. She had lost nine of her apprentices that day. Rather than summoning a lesser demon, they had summoned a demon lord and it had torn through them like rag dolls before she had been able to get the situation under control - admittedly with the help of the local church. They had been woefully underprepared and she could guarantee that the people here in this world, on Mars, were likely even more underprepared.

And from what she saw in the pictures, they had likely already summoned at least something. She just needed to figure out what, and deal with it. Hence why she was at this warehouse. Apparently it was new construction, but the finishing work had been delayed by unusual activities. The local authorities couldn’t figure it out and they’d just listed it as abandoned, so the Cartel had been able to buy it for next to nothing since people kept turning up missing around it.

That included seventeen kids that had formed some sort of cult in one of the back rooms. Drones had found their remains and lots of strange circles and symbols as well as what looked like ritual sacrifices made from box wine and toaster pastries.

So here she was, with Becca close behind her, breaking into the same warehouse, wearing one of her nicer pantsuits that she loaded with tons of protection and enhancement charms, a new staff in hand. She’d designed this one from the ground up with Becca’s help to incorporate some of this world’s tech, including one of those recording systems everyone is so fond of. It still had a nice big crystal she could focus magic in and through, though she still wasn’t sure she could do anything like she could in her old world.

With a click, she unlocked the outer door and it opened with a creak. She cautiously stepped into the main warehouse, igniting the head of her staff with light as she did so. “Becca, if you could make a note of the time?”

“Of course, Lady Luna. It is currently one fourteen AM, thirteenth day of Febtober, 2090. We have breached the outer walls of warehouse 11619.” Becca rattled these things off as a common routine before switching to a slightly more alert tone. “Mistress, I'm detecting rising energy levels towards the back of the warehouse.”

“Thanks, Becca. I think I see it too,” Aurelia replied as she focused her senses on a demonic stirring back towards the row of offices in the back. One door in particular seemed to exude a sort of dark energy - a miasma if you will. Aurelia whispered as she stalked across the dark warehouse towards the door in question. “The last time I faced off with a demon, I had a Holy Saint with me. Great fighter, but a jerk. I think I prefer having you here with me.”

“Thank you, Mistress. I’m glad to be here as well,” Becca replied just as quietly as she held aloft a datapad in a threatening manner, right behind Aurelia. “I will do my best to protect you.”

They were about halfway across the warehouse when the air seemed to still and the door they were headed too slowly opened on its own to reveal a dim red glow. From beyond the door jam, peeked a figure shrouded in that same miasma with a pair of glowing red eyes like embers staring out at them.

These idiots had summoned an actual demon. Not just one of their pets or a random imp. A full fledged denizen of the underworld. And from the looks of it, this one was at least a denizen of Avernus, if not from deeper.

With a command from her, she activated one of the spells she had prepared in her staff’s crystal, aiming it carefully at the demon before them. Piercing light flashed out and not only filled the door, but ate away at parts of the wall the evil thing was hiding behind as well. A shrill scream pierced the night as the beast cried out in pain from the attack and was soon followed by a heavy thud.

“Lady Luna, I’m detecting a drop in energy levels. Should I investigate?” Becca motioned towards the now gaping hole in the wall where the door used to be. Behind that, she could see that she had punched a hole through at least two other walls as well. Apparently, the cleansing and disintegration spell she had prepared was a bit more powerful than she had planned.

Aurelia nodded. “We’ll investigate together.” Gingerly, they stepped through the gaping hole into the remains of the office to find the demon they were worried about collapsed on the floor and Aurelia was immediately disappointed. What appeared to be an overly endowed young woman with glitter filled long black hair, gothic makeup, pale skin, and a pair of large twisted horns on her head was now just lying there unconscious. “This is actually one of the lowest grades of succubus. They’re actually forbidden from harming people. She’s still here so I don’t think I killed her, but I definitely cleansed her.”

“Would you like me to attempt to wake her, Mistress?” Becca asked, readying herself for such a task.

“Not just yet. I think there’s…” Aurelia didn’t get the rest out, but she had just enough time to activate a protection spell as demonic energies came rolling in from the hole they had come in through.

A deep, guttural voice called out to them like thunder, sparks showering off of the sorceress’s hastily erected barrier. “I see you’re strong enough to handle my plaything. I might just be able to have a little fun with you.”

“Oh really now? May I have the name of the one I am fighting? It would only be proper, wouldn’t it? To introduce ourselves.” Aurelia was just stalling for a bit of time as she motioned for Becca to stay with the fallen succubus while she made her way back into the main room of the warehouse.

Peals of rumbling laughter pressed hard against her barriers as she cleared the remains of the wall and she could see that she was up against a full fledged three meter tall demon lord, wings, scales, and all. “I have yet to find anyone in this realm that can withstand the madness that is my name, little one. How about you introduce yourself first, like the civilized savage that you think you are, then I will whisper mine own moniker and laugh as your head explodes, hmm?”

That actually told her more than he knew - this was likely one of the lords of madness. “You know, I think I’ve heard enough for now.” With practiced ease, the redheaded sorceress let loose the same spell as before, but this time, she poured a lot more of her mana into it, the energies searing into the demon before her and literally burning away most of his torso before her eyes.

As she did so, his screams shattered every window in every building near them and wrinkled the metal paneling of the warehouse they were in, making it feel like it was going to tear itself apart. After almost half a minute of this, all that was left of him was half of his head, parts of his wings, and a few claws, all of which were dissolving on their own.

“Sorceress…” He gasped out as the last of his existence faded from this world. “I must know the name of one who vanquished me.”

“Aurelia Luna. Reincarnation of Selune Starcrest.” She stood over his remains, making sure every last scrap vanished.

With a softly reverberating chuckle, he got in one last word. “I see I never had a chance. Well met, Lady Death.” And with that, the last of his essence faded from this world.

But their troubles weren’t over - they still had an unexpected guest that had not returned to the underworld.

With both Becca and Aurelia standing over her, the lesser demon finally stirred, a look of horror on her face as she saw the two standing over her. It was the sorceress who spoke first. “So, you’re still alive and not returning to the underworld. Why is that?”

“I um… I’m not really a demon. I asked for the powers of one yes, but I’m really a human, honest! We just thought it was a game, but then he came out of the circles and one thing led to another and… and now here I am and everyone else…” Tears slowly started pouring out of the young girl's eyes as she couldn’t hold back any more. “I’m sorry. I’m so sorry.”

“That explains a lot, actually. What’s your name?” Aurelia asked, turning to Becca. In her old world, the girl would be executed for a number of reasons, but she couldn’t just do that in this world.

“My name… It’s Ember. He said he liked it.” This caused her to cry harder, tears pouring from her pitch black and glowing red eyes.

Becca was quick on the uptake and was already looking her up. “Ember Mofington. Nineteen years old. Recently from the North Park Orphanage. Spent time with three foster families. Reported missing by her employer at SavMart almost three months ago.”

“Well, I see why you would do something like this. Things are going to be difficult from here on out, but I have some experience in these sorts of things. I can teach you about who you’ve become, give you a job, a place to live, sustenance…” Aurelia reached out a hand to help the young lady to her feet. “And you can leave at any time. What do you say?”

Trying to dry her tears, Ember gave a slight nod before accepting the hand up. “Ok…”

“Excellent,” Aurelia grinned brightly at the stunningly beautiful formerly human, now demon woman they’d just rescued. “From this day forward, you are now my apprentice.”

 

RSS Feed