Resurrection (Book Three of the Soul Forge series)

"I swear to the Spirits, Sypher," Edward panted, "if you get us killed down here I'll find you in the After and murder you again. Put your boots on the ground and run!"

"You try running with no feeling in your legs," the Soul Forge growled, but he forced his wooden feet to move faster, stumbling over the uneven floor but not falling.

The rock rumbled around them, shaking with every footfall of the beast charging over the top of the labyrinth towards them. It was covered in corded muscle, its flesh an ugly deep red except for the deadly tail that ended in a purple-tipped stinger. Three eyes of obsidian crowned its head above a slit of a nose, and a gaping mouth opened to reveal three rows of jagged teeth, two forked tongues flicking out to taste the air.

"We're gonna die here," Edward gasped, barely staying on his feet when Sypher gripped his shoulder and yanked him out of the way of the stinger. It wedged deep in the rock and stuck there, forcing the creature to stop.

For a single second, Sypher considered trying to cut the stinger off, but then he saw the faint blue glow from the rocks catch the smooth shell of armoured plating and gave up on the idea, grabbing Edward around the waist and forcing himself into the air.

"You can't fly with weight!" the orc yelled.

"Then stay fucking still!" Sypher snarled back, teeth clenched so hard against the pain in his wings that he was surprised they didn't shatter. The only thing keeping him aloft was adrenaline, his wings beating furiously to put some distance between them and the creature.

"The monolith!" Sypher looked in the direction Edward pointed and altered his course, gliding several yards to try and take the strain off his wings. No matter how numb his torso was becoming, the feathered limbs seemed to feel everything.

He managed about fifty metres before he had to land, his useless legs buckling beneath him and sending Edward sprawling. The orc dragged him up and started running in the direction they'd seen the glow, towing the Soul Forge along behind him.

The only part of Sypher that could still feel anything properly other than his wings was his left hand, and it gripped Edwards fingers tightly enough that they had to be aching, but the orc clung to him just as hard.

"What are the odds...of that thing...not following us?" Edward forced out between breaths.

"Slim to none," Sypher grunted back, finding enough of a rhythm in his lumbering body to take the lead. They were close enough that the stones were starting to reflect the glow of the monolith at their tops, the cavern above lightening with every second that slipped by.

"Pit!" Edward yelled, and Sypher leapt a second before the floor opened up to swallow them.

They would have made the leap, if the pit hadn't somehow sensed their intent and stretched its width. Sypher kept a hold on Edward, beating his screaming wings once to extend their leap, and threw out his left hand.

The edge of the pit scraped his palm even through his glove, but his grip held, his body swinging into the stone and knocking the wind out of him. Edward hung from his other hand, further down in the darkness.

"Climb," Sypher gritted. Edward grunted and pulled himself up, finding handholds in the joins between the leather plates of his armour. Sweat beaded on his forehead as he hauled himself up, but he made it to the mouth of the pit and dragged the Soul Forge up behind him.

"I'm getting... really tired... of almost dying," the orc decided, bending over and bracing his hands against his knees.

"We can't... wait here," Sypher warned, taking his wrist and setting off again. A tremor ran through the ground, and in the distance the demon with the stinger howled in triumph. "Faster."

"Can't."

"You can." The Soul Forge dug down into his rapidly depleting reserves of strength, his legs pounding hard enough that they almost regained some feeling as he hurtled around corners and jumped runes and pits as they opened. Any smaller demons in their path were given a swift kick or skirted past, too insignificant for a real fight with the red demon at their backs.

Even with the all out sprint Sypher forced himself into, it was gaining again. The scrape of claws on stone grew louder, its hissing breaths eager as it sucked in air, their scent thick in its nostrils.

When a gust of hot breath touched his neck, the Soul Forge dragged Edward to the ground. The demon sailed overhead, claws extended on spidery legs, and crashed into the closest wall. He grabbed the orc by the collar and hauled him along, following the glow until his legs finally failed him.

Unable to properly feel the terrain beneath his feet, Sypher's boot caught on a rock and he tripped, letting go of Edward to avoid dragging him down too. The orc skidded to a stop and looked back at him with wide eyes.

"Go," Sypher instructed. Edward's face crumpled, but he turned and fled, following whatever path made the monolith's light grow brighter.

The demon shook itself and shrieked, its three black eyes fixing on the Soul Forge getting slowly to his feet. It charged, not seeing the dagger he pulled from his boot. It didn't consider him running towards it, dropping to his knees, and slashing its underbelly as it passed over him.

But Sypher anticipated the stinger it sent towards his eyes from the left, and he corrected his course to avoid it, twisting back on himself to grab the purple appendage and force it to the ground. His boot slammed down on the armoured plating with enough force to crack it, making the demon squeal. He yanked on the stinger, dragging the thing off its feet, and slammed his dagger into the crack, piercing the sack of venomous liquid.

Before it could recover, Sypher ran up its tail and along its muscular back, drawing on the instinctual movements he picked up from years on Ember's back. At the shoulder blades, he jumped, beating his wings once to gain some height, and then he dropped. The soles of his boots smashed down on its skull, knocking it flat to the ground.

Without looking back, Sypher followed the path Edward had taken, praying the labyrinth hadn't somehow shifted and moved them all around again. The glow was still getting brighter, which meant he was heading in the right direction.

A sharp pulse of pain speared his skull, dimming his vision for several seconds. When it cleared, he was one step away from landing right on an inferno rune. There was barely enough time to change his course, so when he rolled to the side he lost his footing and tripped again, his back slamming into the wall.

The next beat of his headache was so intense that the veins of his eyes were imprinted across his vision even in the gloom. His body curled in on itself until the agony passed. Nausea followed the pain, turning the cavern into a mess of wavering lines and vague shapes.

Vel, if you're there, I could really use a pep talk. He sent the thought into the empty space in his mind where Vel was supposed to be. Silence echoed back.

And then...

You sound like shit.

Sypher was so relieved to hear Vel's voice that he actually laughed. I'm dying. Did you expect me look like I just woke up from a nice nap?

Why'd you get scratched, Sy? The demon soul's question was quiet. You don't always have to play the hero.

You know as well as I do that it's not in our nature to leave people to die. Vel fell silent, but Sypher sensed his acceptance. I was afraid you might not speak to me again.

I wouldn't let you die alone.

Is that what's happening now?

No. I'm here to tell you to get the fuck up. We're not dying in the dark.

So Sypher forced his legs to support his weight and carried on walking. The migraine faded enough that he could manage a steady jog, trying not to get frustrated at the dead ends he kept meeting.

That thing is following us, Vel told him warily.

I know. Sypher picked up speed, noticing as he did that the lack of feeling was beginning to spread to his wings at last.

What happens when you go numb? the demon soul asked softly.

I get a fever that will kill me. Us. We die, Vel.

We've cheated death so many times that it feels like a scary story parents tell their kids to make them go to sleep.

Not this time.

Despite the bleak conversation, the demon's presence was a comfort in the back of his mind. He felt stronger, even if only briefly. He avoided any further traps or sudden drops into darkness, hindered only by the smaller demons that were dispatched with a few strikes of his sword.

The red demon was drawing closer again, sensing its meal escaping, and its rumbling steps grew more urgent. Without Edward to pull along, it was easier to evade, but Sypher's body was failing him. When the creature gave up hanging back and started dogging his every move, he barely managed to keep out of its reach.

A spider-like leg tipped with the sharp talons swiped for his head, forcing him to defend himself. His sword cut through the limb like it was made of butter, but turning to slice it off cost him several valuable seconds.

The second appendage caught him across the back of his thigh, tearing through his leather trousers and into the flesh beneath. The Soul Forge grunted in pain and chose to carry on, certain that the creature could kill him in his weakened state.

It snarled and followed after him, hobbling on its remaining legs. Sypher kept running, taking a sharp right and bursting abruptly into an open space. He vaguely registered people standing off to the right, but his attention was on the crimson monster on his tail.

The monolith stood proudly, tall and white with purple veins glowing brightly across its surface. The ward stones maintaining its shield were all intact, so he darted towards them. The creature let out a rattling cry and followed. Sypher kept a straight line towards the shield, only throwing himself to the side at the last second.

Too cumbersome to turn so sharply, the monster collided with the shield and let out a shrill wail. But instead of being stripped apart, it bounced off with enough force to send it skidding along the ground. It landed in a heap, not getting back up, so Sypher collapsed onto his back and let his chest heave for a minute.

"Sypher!" The voice was music to his ears. Elda threw herself at him the moment he sat up, knocking him right back down again. He chuckled and buried his face in the crook of her neck. "We thought you were dead."

"I promised you I wouldn't die down here." She pulled back, allowing him to sit up and look around. Gira, Clover, Julian, Brady and Edward looked back with varying degrees of exhaustion, all of them in need of a hot bath and a long sleep.

"When Edward came here alone he thought that thing got you," Brady told him.

"Has it been chasing you this whole time?" the orc asked.

"Pretty much." Sypher got to his feet, accepting the hand Julian offered him and the hug that followed. "Have any of you had chance to find any weak spots in the shield?"

"About that," Elda hesitated. "The shield covers every inch of the wardstones. All we're doing is damaging our weapons trying to get through."

"Because it couldn't just be easy," the Soul Forge sighed, and then his eyes fell on the crumpled form of the red demon. "That thing didn't disintegrate. It hit the shield and bounced off."

"Please tell me you're not about to suggest what I think you are," Clover groaned.

Sypher grinned. "I hope you're all still able to run."