Todd pulled out his weapon, he fired at it as Savon turned feeling the demon coming from behind. Everything happened so fast in that moment. It was a trap, one that hadn't really been planned but they fell into. The demons taking the opportunity to kill them.
Kayla called out as Savon turned around to face the one coming behind her, but a soldier demon came up through the floor right next to Savon. They didn't think, just did what they needed to or someone wasn't going to make it home. Their instincts and natural ability taking hold and it was like clockwork.
Savon reached forward as Kayla moved to step around him, he took the gun from her belt and pulled it up at the possessed man there. Kayla reached up and pulled one of his blades as he moved past her slightly bent which allowed her easy access to the blade.
At point blank range Savon fired once into the demon's head and then the heart, text book execution. He felt something wet hit his side as Kayla swung down and got the soldier right in the neck and shoulder. It howled in pain and lashed out at her but Savon turned and fired killing it. Todd jumped back as the one he fought fell to the floor not moving. They were quiet for a moment and Todd gave a bit of a laugh.
"Damn we're good." He said looking around them. Kayla handed his blade back. It was all over in a matter of seconds.
"How much do those things weigh, it's deceiving." Kalya asked looking at the blade. The handle was smooth from being used so much, each was curved with a sharp half serrated edge. It was flat and the length of his arm if not a bit more and wider. But they felt dense.
"Provides a solid hit, you managed just fine." Yeah but she didn't hit her target the way that she had wanted to. The weapon was heavier than she thought, he handed her gun back. "Not my weapon of choice." He said.
"Clearly can use it if need be." Todd said looking at the demon that he killed.
"I'm well versed in weapon use, best to know how to use multiple items." He said
"You worry me." Kayla said with a smile moving to follow, as he moved to go to the room that they needed to get into. Savon looked over his shoulder at her a half smile there.
"I haven't tried anything yet." He turned back around, and she wasn't sure how to take that comment or just what he meant by it. So she let it slide and gave the back of his head a look.
"There's..." Todd started and Savon lunged for him as he approached the middle of the room. There was a loud cracking sound and Kayla moved forward as Todd started to go down. Savon grabbed her having missed Todd and jumped to the side grabbing a beam there near the wall. Kayla felt the air rush from her as Savon nearly slammed her to the wall.
Not that he could help it with how fast he moved to get out of the way as the floor came apart and fell inward. Todd went down with it crashing to the next level, but the two of them were just out of harms way where the floor had rotted from years of neglect.
Savon stepped back putting a hand to her stomach and pushing her to the wall. She stood there and looked at him. She opened her mouth to speak, but he brought a hand up to her mouth and shook his head. She gave a nod and from where she was, she could just see Todd laying on the floor below them. The cracks gave her just enough view, it was not Todd's week, and it got worse as she watched.
There were others down there as well, tied up and kept in the corner of the room. Debris had fallen on them but they were fine for the moment. Todd moved making a sound and Kayla felt relief flood through her for a moment before a voice sounded.
"Good he's alive, tie him up and throw him in the corner with the others. We'll need him to summon more." Savon looked through the cracks in the floor and at the symbols written in blood on the walls and floors.
There were at least ten dead in the room to the one side and the group that was still alive had five in it, six with Todd now tossed against them. He was awake but he'd hit his head hard. It would be a few minutes before he could see clearly.
"Check above, make sure he doesn't have pals up there." The one speaking said and Savon had to think quick. He'd be able to hide his scent, not Kayla's unless he was smart about it. He pulled off his shirt and motioned for her to take hers off.
She gave him a look but did as he asked and he shoved his shirt at her. She took it and put it on like he asked. Better than standing there in your bra when the enemy came in her opinion, she was lost at his actions. She could hear others coming up to the room.
He took her shirt and tossed it across the room to a different door, he then pulled out his blade and sliced up his arm. Kayla gave a surprised look and barely suppressed a statement. What the hell was he doing?
He put a hand up to her mouth covering it and she gave him an angry look, she made a small sound that was muffled against his hand as he wiped the blood from his bleeding arm over her. He wiped it on her clothes, and exposed skin as best he could and then moved farther into the darkness of the room with her.
"They will smell you. I can't completely hide your human scent. This will have to do." He said quietly and she got it then. He spoke right next to her ear and barely above a whisper. She gave a nod and they were in the corner of the room farthest from the exit and the darkest part.
Savon pushed her behind him and he felt her hand on his back. They waited for a minute and then something came to the door of the room. A growl emanated from it, through the door came a different kind of creature. One that neither of them had ever encountered before.
Kayla had never seen such a thing before, it had black skin which was smooth and looked hair less, its paws were huge, claws on them. It looked like a panther, a type of jungle cat that she'd only ever seen pictures of. It's tail was smooth as well but came to a wicked double spike, curved teeth came from the top lip and over the bottom jaw. The head looked more like a wolf, the ears bigger than they should be, and it's eyes a vibrant orange.
After it a soldier demon came in and moved around scenting the air like the being before it. Kayla wanted to know what it was, but it seemed that Savon wasn't breathing, so she copied him. If he wasn't doing it, she wasn't going to.
She thought it odd that neither glanced in their direction. The soldier demon moved toward the door that her shirt had been thrown to, it grabbed the shirt and took a long smell of it. It made an odd clicking sound that was loud and the creature turned its head looking. Below them the master demon there moved forward looking up.
"Then follow." He said and the soldier demon went out the door and was fast down the hallway. The other creature moved slower smelling the floor and came to where they had jumped to when the floor had caved in. It turned it's big head and made a slight sound and everything was quiet for a minute. Then the master demon looked up at it.
"What kind?" He asked confused. There was silence again and then a frustrated sound came from the animal.
"It has to be blood from those she killed in the hallway. It's one human woman, he'll find her. Come back down." The master said, and they were only really privy to the master's side of the conversation. The creature looked around perking its ears and glanced at the corner that they were in but seemed lost. It turned and moved around the large hole in the room. It went head first into the hole and down into the room.
"Charges set." Savon heard in his ear, he thanked his lucky stars that Neil hadn't spoken until now. The hellhound would have heard it. Its hearing perfect, just like his. There wasn't a better tracker in the world then that being, and Savon had never been so glad in his life to be part acolyte. It seemed he could play mind games with the animal just like he did others. This being his first encounter with it.
Savon turned and looked at Kayla who was a bit pale. He made a motion of explosion with his hand and then held up both hands to tell her they had ten minutes before they were properly armed. That meant a whole fifteen to get to those in the room below them.
Savon motioned for her to stay where she was and she gave a nod as he moved forward toward the hole. He looked down, this demon was killing the humans, using them to bring up others from hell. He recognized the ritual as a dulled down version of the one that he was supposed to do so long ago. That and the symbols were written in the old language. A different demon came running into the room.
"The humans have killed a good number of us. I think this might be the group that Astor has been looking for. There is a great reward to bring some of them back."
"How many are there?" He asked.
"We aren't sure, perhaps a dozen or so. They've rigged some kind of explosive."
"Shit, Kiore go and take care of the problem. We have one from this group." Todd was moving again but the gag in his mouth prevented him from speaking. The hellhound made a slight sound.
"You'll do as you are told or do you need persuasion?" It moved from the room, and Savon thought the demon was one of the dumbest creatures of all time. Hellhounds were known for their temperaments and they weren't the best. Loyal to a fault to their own kind, and ones they found deserving. Extremely deadly and intelligent. All of this came to him, he didn't know from where but he knew.
If this demon had brought this one up and attached it to him for a servant it didn't seem to happy. If it wasn't one that was controlled correctly, they would have a horrible problem on their hands when they killed this demon.
They waited and the master demon was left with one soldier demon. He moved forward and pulled Todd from the group tossing him a short distance away. There was a sound of fighting in the room or hall next to this one, and it sounded like a good number there.
"Have to deal with this group." He said and Savon stepped up to the edge as Kayla did aiming her weapon. She glanced at him and he looked down. She was aiming at the master and he'd easily kill the soldier as he came down.
She pulled back the hammer of the gun, and he pulled out a blade. He moved jumping from the edge and came down on the soldier demon impaling it. Kayla fired at the master demon, however he'd turned at the last minute and her bullet missed the mark by an inch, so the wound wasn't deadly.
Kayla turned at the sudden sound behind her and the soldier demon had come back to the room and came at her. She had no real choice and jumped down into the room. She hit the ground and fell to her side the demon coming at her and she rolled as something slammed down.
Savon was there in a second and swung up but the demon blocked the blow from him. Kayla had to get up and pulled out her second gun aiming it at the soldier demon that came down. It rushed her and she fired getting it four times. It slowed but none of the shots were deadly.
Kayla ran grabbing a large chunk of wood and turned pointing it, soldier demons weren't known for their intelligence just their ferocity. She wasn't let down as it came at her, and with it's own momentum impaled itself on the wooden stake she had. They hit the ground hard, and she felt a few of her old wounds bleeding, plus new ones. At least she was still alive.