"What... The Fuck..." Andrew whimpered out, his legs shaking as he covered his mouth in shock. Franz was in a similar shock as he shook nervously, ground to the spot he was standing.
Michael however was less caught off guard, a white aura surrounding him.
"Dragon Current: Getig-" He was cut off as soon as he began, the aura fading.
The inhuman soldier pointed an MP7 at the sleeping children, licking the blood off its teeth, its tongue long and lashing like a goat.
They could hear a low rumbling as they noticed more soldiers in the room, all wearing gas masks, yet their horns, tallness and consistent hunch visibly cued at what they were.
Abominations.
Holding the children as hostage.
Andrew knew he couldn't use his flame magick in here, the whole house along with the children would be lit on fire.
Suddenly one of the monsters dug into its pockets and threw gas grenades at the group, leaking knockout gas.
"Cover your noses!" Shouted Mike, which they did.
The gas filled the room and the hallway, covering the rooms in the noxious substance.
The Beast eating the Senior Prelate licked its muzzle, eyeing the children with sadistic hunger. It dropped the dead sister and stood up, putting its mask back on.
It moved towards the children, extending a furry claw tipped with yellow nails towards them.
Thunk!
A shield of golden light materialised around the children as they slept contently, the beast's claw hit against it.
Thunk!
Thunk!
The Beast hit it again and again yet the result was the same.
One of the Beasts aimed its MP7 at the children.
[Vesta]!
A flame lit in the smoky Darkness, revealing the faces of Franz and Andrew, allowing them to see through the blinding smoke.
Blam!
An invisible force knocked all the satyr-like monstrosities back. Against the other side of the room, one flying out the window from the force.
A voice rang out from the darkness
[Dragon Current: Yazata - Judgement!]
A holy light engulfed the group of abominations as they struggled against the psychic force, the light burning their skin and flesh as they screamed.
An invisible psychic energy rushed the gas out of the room through the window as the trio entered.
"Wait..." Andrew said. "They're not screaming..."
"They're laughing..."
The beasts howled in laughter as their body burned under the unyielding light, the metal on their guns peeling away, their flesh returning to Aether, along with their uniforms strangely enough.
"I-I can't hold them much longer." Franz said fraily.
"No issue." remarked Mike before creating a shield of light to trap the beasts as they burned.
Franz panted.
"Woah... That's a powerful ability." Andrew remarked.
"It's the Dragon Current... The Od that hasn't been made into something more substantial, being closer to the first primordial force that the Aether produced... It's the force that makes stars spin, guides meteors and causes matter to form and disappear." Mike explained.
"It's divided into 4 levels, I throughout years of training have reached level 3, the higher the level the greater the number of modes we can use to express a singular primordial force of creation..."
"Single? There are different primary forces?" Franz asked curiously.
"Quite so, it can range from the life energy of Astrum, the flow of Neidan or for me... It's the light of creation; Korsia. Its four levels represent its degree of closeness and oneness with Aether... Getig, Yazata, Spenta and at the highest level... Zurvan. I wish I could attain it but... It's quite impossible without a Relic..."
"Woah... I wish psy was this cool..." Franz said.
"Dude please, I got fire magick, that's the most vanilla thing I could've gotten..." Andrew replied bitterly to Franz.
Mike sighed.
"Every magick has its up and down side. It took me 20 years to attain Spenta Level..."
"Woah..." Franz was in awe
"Damn..." Andrew said "You're old-"
Just then one of the beasts, reached past the barrier, it's flesh scorching, gun falling apart, eyes melting in its sockets. It gurgled, its laugh choking as its legs melted into bone and it fell onto the floor.
Its flesh and bone started dissolving into Aether, chipping apart into glowing twilight, cracking and shattering like glass.
"Familiars... These things are familiars..." Mike said.
The others met the same fate, their bodies and uniforms dissolving as the Od that sustained them, dissipated.
"But these uniforms... And... I don't even know what Daimons these are..." He wondered.
"The hell's a Daimon? WHAT ARE THESE THINGS!?" Andrew was getting hysterical while Franz made sure the children were okay.
"Daimons... Immaterial Creatures of the Astral Planes. They can be summoned into the material kingdom by Tulpamancers, using Od to create physical bodies for them and binding them to their will.
"Well their physical versions atleast... This was likely an Archaia, a lower Daimon. At deeper Aethyrs lie Angels and Devils like the ones you fought the other day... Xaphan, Shax and deeper than even that in the Pure Lands are The Elohim, Gods essentially... Who command all lesser Daimons. Granted Tulpamancers can't exactly summon anything beyond Archaias or Faes, even summoning a Devil or an Angel requires a lot of resources..." Mike finished.
"The kids are safe... But her... H-her pulse is gone." Franz said, sordidly, bending down to check the sister's pulse.
"..."
Mike did the sign of Sabaoth and offered a quick Magni prayer for the departed, mimiced by both Franz and Andrew.
...
Suddenly Mike's phone buzzed to life, it was one of the guards stationed outside. He quickly picked it up.
"Hello! Status Repor-!"
"WE'RE BEING OVERWHELMED, TOO MANY OF-"
The line was cutting with static as it seems like the phone being used was damaged.
"SQU-" "MANY-" "TENTAC-" "-LENG-"
The buzzing cut out.
"They're more of them, they're attacking the whole Adytum and Orphanage... But why...?" Mike wondered, covering his mouth before shaking his head.
"We have to go. Franz can you keep the children safe?" He asked the boy, who nodded in response.
"Come Andrew let's go..."
They started walking through the different rooms of the 2nd floor bedroom. Some of the children had awakened in the ruckus and Andrew and Mike carefully led them back to Franz before moving forward.
"Do we have a headcount?" Asked Andrew.
"We'll have to ask Juno when we find her."
"God... I hope we find her."
Mike quickly dialed a number on his phone.
"We need backup, mission code 675, emergency level red, need all possible personnel." He said into it.
Suddenly as they were passing the window, something caught their eyes.
The outside was starless and moonless, enshrined in an endless darkness that made all things appear the same, and even then...
There were things writhing in the shadows. They looked out the window a feeling of uneasiness scratching at their brains, something was there, although they were not sure if they really wanted to find out.
Mike nodded and Andrew steeled his resolve, opening the window.
[Hestia]
He shot a fireball like a flare, shooting across the darkness of the sky like a meteor.
It illuminated, for a second, horrors.
A whole squad of those Satyric beasts, running at full speeds towards the Orphanage. Some were already breaking in through the front door and windows, others attempting to scale the wall using their putrid claws, a sadistic smile plastered on their muzzles .
Andrew without any second thoughts fired off.
[Vulcan]!
A steady stream of flame scorched through the ones attempting to climb, making a few fall off while directly killing others, their scorched flesh and bones chipping off into Od, their uniforms fluttering in the wind as they fall.
One quickly aimed its MP7 at the window and fired.
THUNK! THUNK! THUNK!
The bullets bounced off a shield of light that materialised around the windows, preventing the beasts from reaching the window.
"I've reinforced the windows, they won't be able to enter anymore... We'll have set a defense on the front though... I'm sustaining this shield, so you'll have to take the star role, tiger." Mike said.
They were already hearing the rapid footsteps downstairs as they rushed to the 2nd floor.
Mike and Andrew slowly stepped down to the 2nd floor, yet it seemed... Empty.
"Stay on guard, they're gonna ambush us-"
Suddenly one of the goat beasts leaped from the shadows, its yellow eyes glinting like a cat's.
It leveled its MP7
Mike created a frontal shield for both him and Andrew.
[Vulcan]
A shot rang out at the same time as Andrew fired through the beast, scorching through its torso, like melting wax, as it fell to the ground, kneeling and dead.
Ratatatatata!
Shots rang out from behind them
Mike barely had the time to shield his head and Andrew, the shield on his body was weaker as he was running out of Od
The shots shredded through the body shield, getting off multiple shots on Mike's body.
[Hestia]!
Andrew shot fireballs right on the beast's faces, burning them off.
Mike collapsed to the ground, coughing blood.
"Sh-Shit! Mike!" Andrew shouted, clutching at Mike.
"It's fine... I shielded all my important organs... Just put me down and make sure none of them reach the 2nd floor..." He coughed out.
Mike put a hand on his chest.
[Dragon Current: Spenta - Compassion]
A warm glow emanated from his palm which slowly started healing his wounds, enough to stabilize him atleast.
More beasts leaped from the shadows and surrounded them.
Andrew prepared another fire spell.
"I don't have any more Od kid... I'll make us a shield, you'll have to go offensive." He huffed out creating a last shield for the both of them.
"You know... I originally thought you were pretty boring but... You're damn cool honestly, more than Jackson." Andrew said, genuinely impressed.
"Hah..." Mike chuckled
"Knew it."
"Maybe not with that much arrogance-"
A round of bullets to the shields cut their conversation, Andrew replying in kind with a
[Vulcan]
This time it was not careful, a spread shot of concentrated fire across the room, setting beast and furniture alike on fire.
"Now you've done it... And after I told you not to..." Mike sighed.
"Whatever, we can put this out later."
Even as they spoke, something slithered in the shadows.
"Wait... That's..."
A smaller group of monsters entered, unaffected by the fire.
More Soldier-shaped abominations. Yet unlike the goat beasts, where their faces should be, there were only pale, featureless masses like slugs; smooth and inhuman, split open by writhing pink tendrils that spill forth like hungry worms tasting the air.
They carried handguns, wormish fingers wrapping around then like serpents. One however caught the eye of both Andrew and Mike. Andrew helped in surprise.
"Is that..."
"A rocket launcher...!"
As soon as Mike finished, the abomination lauched it towards them, it whistled forward, hitting the wall just side to them, sending them both flying.
...
When Andrew came to his vision it was blurry, his head splitting and his stomach churning. He could see the house was on fire, but his body was too weak to do anything.
He laid there.
...
Is this how I die?
...
Mighty epic way to go honestly
Fighting some...
Never did figure out what they were huh?
This is not the end
Oh hey Mahat, how you doing?
About as you are
So, not great...
Can't complain I suppose, atleast had a roof under my head and had a quasi father figure(s) who didn't wanna kill themselves.
That is a baseline requirement and you know it.
... Don't hurt my feelings
I am your feelings.
Suddenly he felt a tap on his cheek before a rough slap, although he was still numb to pain, his ears rang and they said something.
They slap now?
Wait...
The hand that slapped him, although calloused, was definitely feminine.
He opened his eyes which adjusted for a few seconds.
"Bianca!?"
"Finally..." She said, lifting him up with one hand like he weighed nothing before slinging him on her shoulders.
"We need to move." She said to the Arch Prelate and the surviving sisters.
"Wait... What about the monsters a-and Mike?"
"Right here buddy." Said an injured but still alive Mike, standing.
"I took care of the monsters." Bianca said bluntly as if it was a casual thing to do.
"What about the children!?" The Arch Prelate asked, concerned.
"Franz is protecting them on the 2nd floor, they're fine..." Mike replied.
"Ah they'll be fine, he's a good boy." Bianca assured.
Mike's eyes darkened then.
"We don't know about Juno though..."
"..."
"We'll find her." Said Bianca. "First let's secure the children and Franz."
More abominations watched from afar, through binoculars, gurgling in some alien mockery of a language.
The siege wasn't over yet...