Modern Age Online

Kaleb used the time he went running after Typhanysor to finally get a look at his surroundings. The tall reeds and long grass made him think he was on the plains somewhere. But to his back and at the east and west sides of his eyeline, he could see the lights of two well-lit cities or towns on the horizon. The lack of car sounds were interesting, but it was the middle of the night. However, he couldn’t hear or see the command center the cops had established along the road. So he was somewhere north of two towns and far enough away from the cops to not count on help.

The constant roars of the Sludge Demon had Kaleb hopeful that his friends were chasing the thing this way. But he had his own demon to fry. Ahead of him, Typhanysor cut through the long reeds and muddy ground like a tractor. The demon’s broad back made quite the target for his Magic Gun. But he couldn't concentrate on his magic and run at the same time. It was when the Vanity Demon slowed that Kaleb risked focusing on his weapon. Typhanysor came to a stop and knelt down just as Kaleb’s attention fully sank into his weapon.

He felt his mana seeping into his hand and being pulled into the gun. Picturing in his mind want he wanted, Kaleb took careful aim at Typhanysor’s red back. Kaleb knelt in the mud, his jeans pushing the wet earth aside. Exhaling slowly, Kaleb felt the twinge of a headache forming between his eyes. He cut off the flow of mana and pulled the trigger on the Magic Gun.

The vial at the gun’s center swirled faster until it was a blue blur. It absorbed his mana and shaped it to his will as it passed it down into the barrel. With a low crack, a long blue spear of ice shot forth from the tip of his gun and lanced through the dark. The silent spear cut its way between the dark stalks of reeds and hit Typhanysor’s back with a wet and meaty sound. Kaleb winced as the Vanity Demon roared, echoing the Demon Lord that was barreling toward them.

Black blood trailed down Typhanysor’s back as he staggered around. The ice spear had cut straight through the demon and pierced him just to the left of his spine. Right under the left pectoral. Kaleb didn’t celebrate as Typhanysor whirled on him, the spear of ice already melting away. Instead, he swapped back to his Cybar and continued to charge ahead. He could barely see the black orb of demonic power lying on the ground next to the yowling Typhanysor.

“You puny! Insignificant! Fucking mortal!” Typhanysor screamed as the spear in his chest fully burned away.

A gaping hole leaking black blood remained on the demon’s body, and that was Kaleb’s target as he continued to fire. Blue balls of energy crashed into Typhanysor’s red chest, and Kaleb could hear the beast grunt with each hit. The demon looked torn as Kaleb rushed him. In the distance, the Sludge Demon’s roars were getting louder and closer. Kaleb could see the math being worked out behind the Vanity Demon’s eyes. He was wondering if he could kill Kaleb and run before the bigger threat would arrive. Kaleb was going to make him pay for taking the time to think about that.

When there was less than fifteen feet between them, Kaleb started firing into the Demon’s face. Typhanysor growled and crossed his arms across his face to block some of the energy. Kaleb put on a burst of speed and then dropped into the mud. He slid, legs first, past the demon. The wet ground, giving him just enough of a slide to make it to the orb. Typhanysor jerked around, his sharp fingernails held up and ready to gut Kaleb. But he was already ducking around the taller demon and making a run toward the screaming Demon Lord.

“NO!” Typhanysor bellowed.

Kaleb put his Cybar in its holster and cradled the orb against his armor. He was careful not to touch it with his real hand. But his robotic hand was gone so all he could was carefully balance the demonic orb between his robotic arm and chest. He pulled his right coat sleeve over his hand, used that to stable the thing. But even through the armored lab coat, it made him nauseous.

Another roar from Typhanysor made Kaleb looked around and he could see that the demon was already gaining on him. The Vanity Demon’s cloven hoofs dug through the muddy ground as he screamed incoherently. His long arms were spread out and his fingernails cut through all the reeds and grass they touched. The demon ran chest-first as he chased after Kaleb and the hole in his chest was still bleeding profusely.

“Small miracles.” Kaleb grunted as he tried to pick up the pace.

But the muddy ground pulled at his shoes with every step. His stamina was dropping quickly, and he was going to be forced to engage Typhanysor again. But a sudden thought hit him as he spun on the spot and held the orb to his chest. Typhanysor, blinded by rage and pain, took a running swing at Kaleb. At the last moment, Kaleb activated Shocky and summoned the small shield to his forearm. Kaleb felt the demon’s nails hit his shield, and he jumped as the force of the blow hit him.

The nails scratched up his arm and shield, leaving long rends in the metal. Kaleb was flung backward as Typhanysor hit him. He sailed in the direction of the Demon Lord as he watched Typhanysor seize up from Shocky’s stun feature. Kaleb wanted to grin in triumph, but a pneumatic hissing sound coming from his arm made him wince. He didn’t know what was broken, and he didn’t have time to guess as his flight met a sudden stop. He hit the ground hard for what felt like the billionth time that night. Except this time, there was no mud to cushion his fall.

Hard earth met his legs and then back as he skidded across the ground like a stone over water. He tried to maintain a grip on the orb, but it went sailing the first time his body spun across the ground. The immediate relief he felt from releasing the demonic thing was immediately squashed by the howling of the Demon Lord. The thing was very close. Kaleb quickly glanced at his bars for the first time.

Health: 115/209

Stamina: 40/168

Mana: 5/110

It wasn’t too bad. His new armor had saved him from a rougher beating. But his run through the mud and his shot with his magic gun drained his Mana and Stamina. Kaleb pulled himself to his feet as he quickly took off his lab coat. Finding the Nexus Orb, he wrapped it in his coat and took off at a run again. His Stamina dropped before his eyes as he did, but he could sense Typhanysor getting closer. The short stun effect from his shield wasn’t going to buy him too much time.

Thankfully, the Sludge Demon’s roars of anger were getting closer and closer. Something Kaleb never thought he’d be thankful for. In fact, as the bulbous midnight-black head of the sludge monster towered over the reeds in front of him, Kaleb started to question his plan. It was only the sounds of shouting coming from his guild mates that gave him some relief.

“Where is the damn thing goin?’.”

“I don’t know, but we need to get it contained again.”

“No shit, Sher-Lock. Did you think of that plan by yourself? I don’t know if you’ve noticed, but that damn thing hammered its way past the police mages. We don’t have the people to make a barrier!”

“Solutions, Abby, not complaints. We need a plan!”

Kaleb came crashing through a fresh batch of reeds and barely had enough time to register anything before he shouted.

“Here!”

He held up the orb, wrapped haphazardly in his white lab coat. Claire and Mass were wrestling with the blobby and sticky Sludge Lord’s humanoid form. It opened its mouth wide and howled again as Kaleb came into view. Two Gun was firing laser blasts into the thing as Abby and D34d-I hacked and shot it. Nearby Vivienne was standing with Jar-Lock examining the fight. Everyone’s heads turned to regard him as another different roar rose to meet the Sludge Demon’s.

Typhanysor barreled closer and Kaleb slowly backed away. The bleeding, exhausted demon took in the scene in front of him and growled in annoyance. The demon’s eyes narrowed on Kaleb and he charged forward, his hoofs kicking up dirt as he moved. Kaleb raised his robotic arm and tried to fire a spike, but all he got was the crackling of loose live wires. His mind raced to find a solution, but nothing came to him as Typhanysor’s long nails reached for his face.

Two blue flashes of light zipped over Kaleb’s head and smacked into Typhanysor’s face at the last moment and Kaleb turned to see a smiling Two Gun. The cowboy tipped an imaginary hat at him as the Vanity Demon screamed in pain. Looking back, Kaleb could see one of Two Gun’s shots had hit the demon right in his eyes. Typhanysor was reeling, and Kaleb wanted to take advantage of it. Claire and Mass were dealing with the Sludge Demon. So, instead, he struck out with the only weapon available to him.

Using his coat as a handle, he swung the orb like a kettle bell and slammed it into Typhanysor’s face. The demon stumbled, screaming in pain, and Kaleb rushed over to Two Gun and the others. The old cowboy glanced down at Kaleb’s missing hand and grinned.

“Looked like you needed a hand, son.”

“You’re fucking hilarious, old man. Why isn’t that Demon Lord dead yet?”

“We can’t kill him. We got to seal him away!” Jar-lock shouted over the roars of the two demons.

“Well, how the hell do we do that!?”

“We had a pile of mages about to do it. Then this beast went running off.” Claire said as she wrestled with the Sludge Lord’s tendrils.

It was trying to pull its way over to Kaleb. But the combined strength of Mass and Claire was holding it. The Demon Lord inflated and shrank, but the two super-strong aliens held on to its inky mass. But it was a losing battle. Abby stopped slashing at the Demon Lord to examine Kaleb. Near her, D34d-I dropped his rifle and threw up his wing-like arms.

*Quack*

“That’s it. I’m out. We need to do something!”

“Working on it.” Jar-Lock said as the tattoos on his arm lit up with magic.

Vivienne put her own wand up as well. But she maintained an eye on Kaleb. “What’s in your coat?”

“The Demon Lord’s Nexus of Power. The big red douche behind me was going to steal it.”

“What happened to the angel?” Abby asked.

Kaleb pulled up next to Abby and Two Gun. He nodded at Typhanysor, who was slowing rising to his feet.

“You’re looking at him. Bastard was faking the whole time. Seemingly to get this.”

Kaleb unwrapped the orb and the Sludge Demon went nuts. It roared and inflated itself against Mass’ and Claire’s holds. It stretched and writhed and Kaleb could see that the Demon’s skin was corroding or burning both Claire and Mass. He winced as he angled the orb for Jar-Lock and Vivienne to see.

“That’s MINE!” Typhanysor roared as he leapt toward Kaleb.

Two Gun started firing as Kaleb dropped the orb in the dirt and ducked. Abby back-flipped away and came up with her shadow-blades on both of her arms. Typhanysor screamed against the oncoming fire, but he pushed through. Even as Abby charged him.

Kaleb drew his Cybar again and started firing. With Abby in Melee range and he and Two Gun on ranged DPS, they slowly chipped away at Typhanysor’s health. But the tall demon was still pushing closer. Kaleb kicked the orb with his foot, pushing it closer to Jar-Lock. The mage looked down at the essence of pure demonic energy and then glanced back up at Kaleb.

“What am I supposed to do with this?”

“I don’t know. Magic something. It’s a giant demonic battery that the Demon Lord used to power his realm. Typhanysor wants it to empower himself and Sludgy over there wants it so his realm doesn’t collapse. Now you plan!”

Kaleb focused on firing as Abby spun like a top around Typhanysor’s legs. Her black shadowy blades sliced into the demon’s furry legs and rivulets of black blood were pouring onto the floor. Two Gun’s pistols created tiny pinpricks on the demon’s skin with each shot and Kaleb’s own blast seemed to peel away patches of Typhanysor’s skin.

Fed up with Abby, Typhanysor ignored her and tried to charge toward the orb again. But this time Kaleb met him with his shield up. Abby slammed her own blades into Typhanysor’s back just as Kaleb activated his shield. The Vanity Demon went rigid and Two Gun’s blaster shots peppered his red chest. Kaleb raised his Cybar and fired off multiple shots into Typhanysor’s face until he had to vent his pistol.

Typhanysor glared down at him. Even as Abby jumped onto his back and chopped her arm blades into the back of the demon’s neck. He didn’t break eye contact. Even as Two Gun’s laser blasts danced up the demon’s face. Even as he grunted in pain and slumped down on top of Kaleb. Typhanysor’s glare never wavered.

Kaleb met the glare with one of his own as he heard his Cybar beep. Raising the weapon up, Kaleb noticed Typhanysor was vanishing into a cloud of mists. He was momentarily worried until he realized the mist was slightly different. It blew away on the wind, seeming more like dust than the demon’s weird mist-form. Just for safety, Kaleb put another blast of energy into Typhanysor’s face. It dispersed the cloud into a puff of dust as Kaleb’s shot went through the demon’s face and hit the ground by Abby’s feet.

Abby said nothing though as they all waited to see if Typhanysor was really dead. Then a massive roar reminded them all that the Sludge Demon was still around. Spinning around, Kaleb raised his gun, ready to take on the next demon. But Jar-lock’s cry stopped him.

“Wait, Professor. I’m going to need your help with this. Two Gun, Abby, focus on keeping the Demon Lord contained.”

“What do you think we’re doing, dear?!” Claire screamed, pain clearly evident in her voice.

“Hurts!” Mass echoed in the same tone.

“I have a plan!” Jar-lock said, raising the demonic orb in his hand.

Kaleb blinked as the mage seemed to have no problem holding a source of pure demonic energy. Then he noticed a shimmer of magic around Jar-lock’s hand. He had coated his hand in magic and was using it as a glove to hold the Nexus. Kaleb bit back a growl of aggravation as he moved closer to Jar-lock and Vivienne.

The three of them huddled around the orb as the rest of the party wrestled with the Demon Lord. Kaleb sighed as he knelt down. The night was still young, and they had one last Demon to deal with.