Serpents's Heart

“I was hoping you would just die in your sleep, but I suppose watching you writhe in pain would be more… entertaining…”

We spent the remainder of the daylight hours sparring with one another, with the twilight of the setting sun signaling the end of our session. It was a rough first session, indeed. I’d never used a sword in my life. It was quite a work out, but I thought I would be able to defend myself if I had to. Virginia, however, continued to impress me. She was good, but when Erik pushed her, her true colors really showed. Her skill with a blade was remarkable.

We also were taught three incantations for our small supply of spirit pearls. The first of which was the incantation to transform water to Holy Water, a second that would encourage the healing of wounds, specifically ones caused by the claws or fangs of Demons, and a third that fills them with an explosive energy. When tossed, the pearls would burst in a flash of light, not only blinding the target, but with the possibility of causing serious injury. We were hoping, however, that the latter two would sparsely be used.

Erik had left to get some food, and Virginia and I remained, exhausted, under the ward of the pearl’s barrier. As we understood, after that day the barrier would begin to weaken, and at first light we would be moving. I wasn’t very hungry, I was just tired. I lay down, and it wasn’t long before I fell asleep.

I didn’t know how much time passed, but I remember being slowly awakened by an unusual odor. It was nauseating. I couldn’t see much. It was the dead of night, and the moon was obscured by clouds. I looked around for anything that might be the source of the odor, but I found nothing that could cause it. Virginia was asleep, and I couldn’t see Erik.

There was a sloshing at the water’s edge. Standing there, with its hand in the water, was a large, round creature. I couldn’t see much detail, but then the clouds cleared and the moon lit up the area. The creature wasn’t solid. Its movements made its body ripple, and large drops of what seemed like sludge fell to the ground. It’s back bubbled and boiled, with each pop releasing a small amount of nearly invisible purple gas, presumably where the foul stench originated. It chuckled softly to itself as it played, with the water itself turning into a putrid color of black as the creature splashed about.

I pulled out the ruby, and it began to glow again. Whatever that thing was, the ruby was reacting to it. I slowly crept back to Virginia. “Virginia! Virginia!”

She stirred awake slowly, and coughed. “What the hell is—?”

I quickly covered her mouth. “Stay quiet, grab your pearls and sword, we need to go now. There’s something over there and Erik’s not here.”

Virginia looked over to the water, and saw the creature, her eyes growing wide with fear. She scrambled to her feet, and grabbed her items, and quietly snuck away.

“Leaving so soon, are we?” The creature looked up from the water. Its voice was surprisingly soft, almost child-like. It turned its gaze to us as it stood.

The sludge-like substance that covered its body shook and splattered as it moved. Its face was partially obscured, but there was no flesh. What I saw was bone, its skull, nearly covered in the gooey substance on its body, and as I looked over it, I saw more of its skeleton appear in breaks in the substance, as if it had melted its flesh away. If it had eyes, I couldn’t see them. Rather, all I saw was a faint glow of red in the sockets where they would be.

“So silent,” it continued. “Did your companion not tell you of us? Tch, shame really. Allow me to introduce myself. I am Zagan the Defiler, Scourge of Purity.”

“The Exercitus Daemonum…” Virginia stammered.

“So you are aware,” Zagan giggled.

“How… did you get past the barrier?” I asked. “And the Holy Water!”

It chuckled. “You surely know the pearl’s transformation is temporary. When it weakens and wanes and the incantation begins to fade, I can touch the water, even if charmed, and turn it into waste.”

“But how? Holy Water, even if diluted, should still be painful!”

“Holy Water stings, it does,” it said, “but I am no mere Demon rabble. They are merely Tempters… Foot soldiers of the Throne of Hell, if you will. We of the Exercitus Daemonum are Archdemons, just a step in rank below our Master.”

Virginia let out a groan, and her knees buckled, coughing violently. “This gas… I can’t stand it much longer…”

“My gas is quite noxious, is it not?” Zagan chuckled. “I was hoping you would just die in your sleep, but I suppose watching you writhe in pain would be more… entertaining…”

It was slow, but I felt it, too. Whatever fumes emanated from the Demon started taking their toll on me. My chest burned with each struggling breath, and my eyes were on fire. My limbs ached, my legs felt so heavy. My legs began to shake… I felt weak. It was painful. I’d never been so scared. “It’s here,” I thought. Virginia and I were going to die. It was then there came several small flashes with a few bangs, and Zagan cried out. Smoke poured from his back, something struck him.

“In nomine Spiritus Sancti, et percutiam te!” I looked behind Zagan, and Erik arrived, bloodied and beaten, but infusing spirit pearls with the explosive energy and throwing them as hard as he could at the disgusting creature.

His bow was extended, but the string had snapped. He tossed a few more pearls at Zagan, and as it recoiled in pain, Erik ran to Virginia and me. He lifted Virginia to her feet and grabbed me by the arm, and he pulled us running at a dead sprint.

“Damn it, Angel!” Zagan cried. “This time I will not leave you to die! I will kill all of you!”

Running was painful. Each breath I was forced to take felt like someone was stabbing me in the chest with a thousand swords, and my vision started to blur. My arms and legs started to go numb, and I didn’t know how much longer I could run. Virginia didn’t make it very far before her knees buckled and she fell to the ground, struggling to get up.

“I fear the toxins have affected her much more,” Erik said. “If we don’t get her far from here soon, she will not make it!”

“Escape is impossible!” Zagan screamed. Zagan caught up to us, with its body covered in the sludge in its entirety, taking on a serpentine form, with the muck whipping and surging around violently. “I will feast upon your flesh!”

Zagan screeched and lunged toward us. Without a second thought, Erik grabbed our arms and pulled us aside as the gargantuan Demon smashed the ground. Erik glanced at his bow, seemingly useless from this vantage point. Erik flicked his wrist, and the bow snapped into a sturdy blade that extended beyond his knuckles.

Zagan reared back, and from its slimy body came a large claw. The creature thrust it towards the Angel, but Erick was able to leap away at the last moment as the claw crashed into the ground below. Sludge spewed in all directions. Virginia and I were not hit, but Erik’s leg and arm were covered in the foul material, and his flesh singed and burned. Zagan pulled his claw from the earth and prepared another strike, when Erik dashed forward, and with one nimble strike, cleaved the Demon’s appendage. The Demon recoiled in pain, and at the right moment, Erik leapt toward it. He sliced at the creature, severing the head. The head fell to the ground, with the body twisting and writhing, toppling to the ground. Just a moment later, the corpse turned gray and fell to ash.

Almost immediately, the toxins in the air thinned, and eventually receded completely. I felt better quickly, but not completely. My eyes still had issues focusing, my fingers were still numb, and I still felt sick. Virginia pulled herself to her feet using a nearby tree, but ended up vomiting moments later.

“Do you still have that canteen?!” Erik asked, frantically. “The Heart has probably already started sending signals out, and we need to silence it quickly!”

He was right, the ruby had started flashing since Zagan showed up. I panicked for a moment, as I searched my pockets for the canteen, finding it in my back pocket. I poured a little over the ruby, and it ceased the heartbeat.

“There’s a small village due east of here where we can rest,” Erik said. “I found a cabin which we can stay until we are healthy enough to move on.” He pulled out three spirit pearls and tossed one to both Virginia and I. “Venite, O Sancte Spiritus!” The pearls flashed, and started to glow a faint yellow. “Hold on to these, and they will encourage your bodies to heal against the effects of the poison.”

We started our trek through the woods just as the sun started to peek from the horizon. Virginia used my shoulder to rest as we walked. I think Erik wanted to move faster, but I don’t think the three of us could. He was covered in cuts, with his arm and leg burned by the sludge. I noticed his left hand had blood streaming down and dripping off the fingers. I noticed the source of the wound, a large gash in his shoulder.

“What happened to you?” I asked.

“I had left to get food, and when I returned, Zagan had started to weaken the barrier,” he replied. “I confronted him, but I thought I was too late. You both had succumbed to the poisons for an extended period.” He grasped his shoulder and winced.

“These wounds are from our fight… I didn’t win, and I was thrown from the area.”

“Are you going to be alright?” I asked.

Erik nodded, groaning a moment. “Do not worry. We heal fast.”

“I don’t understand how he got through in the first place,” Virginia said.

“The Archdemons have the ability to penetrate Holy Wards should the barrier be significantly weak,” Erik explained. “The barrier was strong at the time I had left, but the Defiler’s poisons can contaminate Holy Water and the barrier… He significantly reduced the barrier’s power, and he passed through.”

“And he turned the water black…” I added.

Erik nodded. “Only five creatures in the entire realm of Hell can touch Holy Water and live: the Exercitus Daemonum and their Master. Lucifer is virtually immune to the effects of Holy Water completely, but Zagan is not. I can assure you while he had his hand in the water; it burned and was incredibly painful. However, none are immune to the effects of the charged spirit pearls. As you saw it caused great strife to Zagan when he was struck.”

“We were lucky…” I lamented.

Erik seized in pain for a moment and clutched his shoulder. The gash was still bleeding badly. This made me realize the Angels are not invincible. While not as fragile as us Humans, it means their life is not everlasting. If Erik could become this wounded in a fight, he could die. And if he died, Virginia and I would not last even a moment. He was our lifeline. Unless I could become stronger, I would fail. It was a sobering thought.

We arrived at the cabin shortly. It was owned by an elderly woman with whom Erik had arranged to have us stay. While Virginia went to rest, I helped Erik dress his wounds. The cabin had a nicely stocked first aid kit, which we put to good use.

“I’m surprised we ended the fight with the Archdemon so quickly,” I said.

“Quickly?” Erik sneered. “The fight I had with the Defiler lasted hours... I’m surprised I’m still alive. Zagan, while cunning, is the weakest in combat. Weakest being relative. While his current body has turned to ash, eventually he will be reborn, and there’s no telling when he’ll return.”

“They are bound to Lucifer, giving them life eternal. Should they be slain, their essence returns to their Master, and they are eventually reborn.”

“Why has there been no mention of this in the Bible?” I asked. “You’d think that you guys up there would have tried to get it in.”

“Don’t you think I’ve tried?” Erik remarked. “Humans are very fickle creatures. They resist change like no other. My brothers have tried to correct the Scripture many times, and I have attempted to get this whole mess into the Word. But… every attempt has been futile. The only way I was able to get any word in was through the document… but fearing for their lives they hid the message, and it remained a secret for nearly three hundred years. Even now that it has resurfaced, there’s no guarantee that it will become public. And if it does, who’s to say the populace wouldn’t discard it as they have before? Changes to the Scripture are taboo to you Humans… even when the changes are given by God’s own people.”

He was right. Throughout history, there have been examples of people changing the world that did not match the way the Scripture read, and they were persecuted, halting advances for much longer than they should have been. In the same way those on the other side of the fence are so eager to disregard anything in faith. We as Humans are all stubborn.

“Do you regret it?” I asked. “Do you regret starting this?”

He averted his gaze, and was slow to respond. “Two millennia is a long time, Robert. Not a day goes by that I do not think back to my actions that day. I didn’t realize it then, but it soon became clear what I had done. My trust in my brothers is gone. My Father has sent me away.” He paused a moment. A single tear rolled down his cheek. “We are all bound by our past, and the guilt that lies upon my shoulders is far greater than any pain I bear on my flesh.” He sighed, and walked over toward the door. “Please, Robert, get some rest now. I will watch over you two for now.”

I nodded, and climbed into the second bed. It didn’t take long before I drifted away…