Middle Demons (Angels and Demons Book 2) (20 page)

CHAPTER 39

As Nightmare and Andras entered Azazel’s workshop, Scapegoat bowed and greeted them.

“Welcome, General Nightmare and Lord Andras. Can I get either of you a beverage?”

Andras looked amused.

“Watcha got? Anything good?”

“I have half a bottle of 1982 serial killer left. Does that work for the two of you?”

Andras nodded, but Nightmare remained lost in his thoughts.

“General Nightmare? Does that work for you?”

“Sure. Whatever. I’m not here for the beverages. Can Azazel actually do what he claimed? Can he merge the berserker staff with a scythe?”

Azazel entered the room. Scapegoat bowed and went to go get the drinks.

“I assure you I can. Damnation was perfectly crafted with the power of two scythes and no loss of power. I can do the same thing with the berserker staff. I’m going to point out to you the same thing that I pointed out to Shadow. You don’t really have a choice. I get what I want because I’m more powerful than you, the other major demons, and most of the archangels.”

“
Most
of the archangels?”

“I’m not sure if I’m more powerful than Michael. I’ve never fought him. He also still has a few powers that are out of my reach. I haven’t figured out the whole ice thing.”

“So what the fuck are you? If you’re so powerful, why not become a major demon? How can you walk among the angels?”

Azazel pulled the berserker staff from the furnace and began pounding it with his hammer.

“I’m not a demon. I’m also not an angel. I’m a nephilim, a hybrid of the two.”

“I thought the nephilim were just a rumor…”

“I assure you… I’m very real. So is Shadow.”

“What?”

“You didn’t know? Shadow is a nephilim too. 3/4 demon and 1/4 angel.”

“Who is his angel ancestor?”

“Nope. You don’t have any secrets to trade. I’ve already given you more than you deserve. You owe me a secret for the one I just told you and another if you want to know who Shadow’s grandparents are.”

“Fine. Do you know the reason my father Lucian started this war against the Dragon’s descendants?”

“That’s not a secret. Lucian was simply eliminating the competition, specifically the major demons that might be favored by the Dragon because they descended from him.”

“That’s what everyone thinks. Do you know the real reason?”

Azazel looked up from his work.

“I’m interested. Go on.”

“My father wanted to eliminate Cain, Baal, and eventually Vixen in preparation for an assault on the Dragon. He wanted to destroy the three who might rally to fight on the Dragon’s side.”

“Interesting. It seems everyone wants to eventually kill the Dragon. I believe that he can be tricked and fooled but I doubt any of you possess the strength to kill him. Demons more powerful than Lucian have tried.”

“Could you kill the Dragon?”

“Not sure. He’s probably as hard to kill as Michael. I’m not really interested in trying. I’ve cornered the market for powerful weapons and that’s what I really care about.”

“So will you try to reclaim the berserker staff if I kill Shadow?”

“Why should that matter to you? All of you demons assume you’re the most powerful creatures in existence. Can’t you prevent me from taking your weapon?”

“I’m sure I can.”

Azazel grinned and ran his hand along his curved horns.

“Then I guess it doesn’t really matter, does it?”

Nightmare was silent for a few minutes.

“Will you tell me who Shadow’s angel ancestor is and then I’ll just owe you a secret?”

“No.”

“Why not?”

“I don’t deal in promises with the major demon of lies.”

Nightmare laughed.

“Fine. Just make sure you don’t break either of my weapons. I’m still not convinced you know what you’re doing.”

“I feel the same way about all of you younger demons rising up to become major demons. Don’t concern yourself with things that are out of your control. The berserker scythe will be properly forged. I’ve been making epic weapons since before you were born.”

“What’s the most powerful weapon you’ve made?”

“Why should I tell you that? Sit the fuck down and drink your beverage.”

Nightmare looked to his side and realized that Scapegoat was standing there, holding a mug. He didn’t want to interrupt Azazel’s conversation. Nightmare grabbed the mug and sat next to Andras.

“I’ve never seen you ask a demon that many questions before.”

“He claims that he isn’t a demon.”

“Bullshit. I’m only a middle demon of lies and
I
can tell he’s full of it. Look at him. That’s a demon. He might be fucking insane… but he’s a demon.”

“He claims that he’s an angel / demon hybrid.”

“And you believe him?”

“Think how easy it was for him to take my weapons away. There’s nothing in Hell that can do that… with the exception of the Dragon. He has some power that I’ve never seen before. It does make me wonder if he’s telling the truth. He also told me that Shadow is a nephilim like him.”

Andras chuckled.

“What’s so funny?”

“I think you’re just looking for a reason that Shadow kicked your ass in the trials. If he was some crazy powerful angel / demon hybrid, then he had an unfair advantage. It might make you the most powerful
demon
if Shadow isn’t fully a demon.”

“Andras?”

“Yeah?”

“Remind me why I let you live?”

“Because everyone else follows you out of fear. I’m not afraid of you.”

“Why not?”

“Because you haven’t killed me yet.”

“You realize that you logic is very circular, right?”

“Sure, boss. It makes sense though… in a roundabout way. Pun intended.”

Nightmare laughed and hit Andras hard in the arm. Andras rubbed his arm, which was now incredibly sore.

Several hours later, Scapegoat brought Nightmare back to his master. Azazel was staring at the berserker scythe as Nightmare entered the room. He didn’t look up.

“It’s almost too beautiful to give to someone like you. If I didn’t want Damnation back so badly, I would just keep this.”

“We had a deal, half-blood.”

“And you had better keep your end of it.”

Azazel handed over the berserker scythe. Nightmare saw that the shaft from his original staff had been spun like a corkscrew around the berserker staff and then the blade of his scythe had been fused to both its original shaft and the berserker staff. He felt an immediate anger as he closed both hands around it.

“Since the scythe is now bound to you, you now have a little more control over the berserker side of the weapon. You’ll still go into an uncontrollable rage, but you can choose when that happens. I call this weapon Rage. It has the potential to be more powerful than Damnation.”

“The
potential
?”

“Yes. It depends on the demon who wields it. You’re the largest demon I’ve come across and I’ve heard of your skills as a warrior. I’ve also heard that Shadow has kicked your ass and outsmarted you before. Maybe removing the thinking element of your fighting style is what you need to defeat him. Rage, the berserker scythe, can make that happen.”

“I’m really tired of your god complex, Azazel. You might think you’re unkillable, but I don’t share that belief.”

Nightmare continued to feel the rage build inside of him. Azazel put his hand on his sword but then grinned and looked at Scapegoat.

“Escort the demons out of my workshop. Take them back to hell.”

Scapegoat put one hand on Nightmare’s shoulder and the other on Andras’s shoulder. Seconds later, they were back in Hell with Nightmare’s armies.

CHAPTER 40

“Vixen escaped!”

Leech tried to calm a panicked Lilith and Raven.

“Who was supposed to be watching her?”

“Raven and Gangrene.”

Raven looked at the ground. Leech wondered if her look signified betrayal or something else.

“Did you let your mother go?”

“No! Nothing like that. We weren’t really watching her though…”

“What do you mean?”

“We were making out instead of keeping an eye on her. I guess she found a way to cut her bands.”

Leech noticed that something else was wrong.

“Lily, where is your scythe?”

“That’s the other problem, babe. I put it down to brush Keshi’s mane. When I went to go retrieve it, it was gone. I think Vixen took it back.”

“I won’t be mad if you did… but did the two of you give Vixen her scythe back and let her go?”

Lilith looked like she was going to bite of Leech’s head and she shrieked like a harpy.

“We already told you what happened, you dumbass! Why would we let her go? I wanted to kill her!”

“Any ideas where she went then?”

“No.”

“What did Shadow say when you told him?”

“We were hoping you would tell him.”

Raven cut in.

“Tell Murmur too. I don’t want to piss him off either. He looks mean.”

Leech felt a migraine coming on.

“I hope the two of you realize that everyone in your family is insane.”

Lilith started pushing Leech towards Shadow’s tent.

“Yup. We get it, babe. Now go tell Shadow we screwed up without emphasizing how badly we screwed up.”

“Yeah I’ll just casually mention that Vixen is gone… with her scythe… I’m sure Shadow and Murmur will be thrilled.”

“Sounds good.”

Lilith shoved Leech into Shadow’s tent. Shadow and Murmur looked up from the map they were using to plot out war strategies and battle plans.

“What’s up?”

“Vixen is gone with her scythe. It’s Lilith’s and Raven’s fault but they were too scared to tell you.”

Murmur grabbed his scythe and Dragonscale.

“Any idea where she would have gone?”

Shadow retrieved Damnation.

“Yup. She’s going to kill Baal. You and I need to get there right now. Leech, wait for Jess and Aim to arrive and then take the armies to where Baal is fighting Astaroth. Get there as fast as you can.”

“Fine. I’ll see you there.”

Shadow and Murmur disappeared in smoke and flame.

“You’ve sat on a throne far longer than you deserve.”

Baal looked around to see where the voice was coming from. He finally saw his sister, walking towards him with her scythe.

“I renounced our family a long time ago. I told you I didn’t approve of what Cain did and I was never involved in it.”

“You hated Abaddon and you hated Cain. You hated me too. The problem was that you were the weakest of us. You didn’t want to wait to see Abaddon become a major demon and then Cain and then me and then maybe you if any spots were left open. I know what you did.”

Baal pointed his scythe at her.

“You don’t know shit. I tried to stop Cain. Where the hell were you? Together we might have been able to stop him from accusing Abaddon of treason. But no… you were up in heaven somewhere fucking angels.”

“You’re a coward and a liar, Baal. I watched the only brother I care about marched down to be tortured because you and Cain were cowards. Cain has been dealt with. It’s your turn. I’m going to carve your heart out of your chest and feed it to Cerberus!”

“You’re a stupid whore, Vixen. I never conspired with Cain to turn on Abaddon. I know it makes sense to you in your insane little world, but I never feared Abaddon. I knew his secrets as well as you do. Do you know how many times I’ve been down there to plead with the Dragon to set him free? How dare you accuse me of what Cain did! I will sever your slut head from your whore body and throw the pieces of your corpse into the River Styx!”

Right before they attacked each other, Shadow and Murmur appeared.

“Vixen, it’s over. You’ve lost this war. Drop the scythe.”

“You’re still on Baal’s side? After what he did to your father?”

“I didn’t do
anything
to his father! I tried to stop Cain! We’ve been over this!”

Murmur pointed his scythe at Vixen.

“Do as Shadow said and drop the scythe. You’re outnumbered.”

“Not as badly as you think she is.”

Astaroth stepped out of the shadows.

“If you think we’re going to surrender, you’re wrong. We’ll kill all three of you if we have to. Murmur, the offer I made to Tannin and Belial still applies to you. If you want to switch sides, now would be a great time.”

“I’m not interested, snake witch. I’m tired of fighting a war that I didn’t start.”

Nightmare appeared in flames and smoke. Andras followed, carrying Rage so that Nightmare could speak with a clear head.

“That’s a good point. None of us started this bullshit war. We can move on, but not if those two remain alive. They’ll keep trying to start this stupid war all over again.”

“What’s your point, Nightmare?”

“My point, Shadow, is that we let the two of them fight to the death. If we’re lucky, they’ll kill each other.”

“I have a scythe more powerful than you…”

“I know. A dual-bladed scythe forged by Azazel. He made a weapon for me, too. It’s my scythe combined with the berserker staff. Your call. The second I take it from Andras, there’s no turning back. I will go insane with rage and slaughter everyone here.”

Murmur looked to Shadow.

“Let them fight. One of them betrayed my father. Maybe both of them. They started this war to kill each other, so let’s let them kill each other.”

“Shadow, Leech will try to kill you if Baal dies.”

“Let him try. I will kill anyone and everyone involved in taking my father away. Vixen and Baal both had something to do with it.”

Shadow, Murmur, Astaroth, and Nightmare all summoned thrones and were seated. Nightmare took Rage from Andras.

“I thought you couldn’t hold that scythe without going insane with anger…”

“I lied, fucktard. I do that from time to time. I have an entire department based on it. Azazel made the weapon so I have control over when the berserker part takes over.”

Baal and Vixen started circling each other. Baal hit his scythe against the ground and a circle of flames surrounded the two major demons.

“No one is to interfere. I know all of you young assholes think yourselves powerful, but I am a very ancient demon and I will slay anyone who steps inside this ring. This is between me and my sister.”

“Yes, yes, Baal. Family Feud. We get it. Shut up and fight.”

Baal pointed at Nightmare.

“You say that now… but you’re next after I kill Vixen.”

Baal disappeared and appeared behind Vixen. He grabbed her hair and pulled her towards the ground. Vixen moved with the momentum, brought her hands to the ground, and turned it into a back handspring. She wrapped her legs around Baal’s throat and pulled in the other direction. Baal flipped and landed on his back. Vixen brought down her scythe in a wide arc but Baal blocked it with his own scythe. He used the shaft of his weapon to strike at Vixen’s legs and tripped her. Both demons were back on their feet within seconds.

“Pretty spry for an old guy.”

“You’re older than I am, aged whore.”

“That’s the difference between us, Baal. I’m like a fine wine, I get better with age.”

“You’re only like a fine wine in the sense that you get men drunk and lead them to stupid decisions.”

Vixen swung her scythe and Baal jumped back out of the way. He tried a quick counterattack but Vixen stepped back and brought up her leg to kick Baal’s scythe further into the ground after his swing missed. He tried quickly to remove it, but it was stuck.

Baal stepped quickly away from his scythe and adapted an agile fighting stance. As Vixen swung wildly with her scythe, Baal dodged the incoming blows. After several misses from Vixen, Baal grabbed the shaft of the scythe and struck Vixen with an open palm in the chest. She let go of her scythe and stumbled back several paces. Baal grinned and spun her scythe, preparing to attack. Vixen regained her footing and started to hop around.

Baal swung with Vixen’s scythe and Vixen wrapped her leg around it. She threw several quick jabs at Baal’s face and his nose started to bleed. Baal dropped kicked at Vixen’s free leg and elbowed her other leg. The scythe fell with Vixen and the blade lodged in the ground. Baal stepped on it hard. When Vixen got back to her feet and tried to remove her scythe, she found that it was stuck.

Baal readied his fists and Vixen attacked. She had several misses but then clawed at Baal’s face and drew blood. Instead of reacting to the pain, Baal spun and brought his elbow down on Vixen’s nose. He heard a crunching noise and Vixen brought both of her hands to her face to stop the bleeding.

“You broke my nose!”

Baal responded with two powerful punches to Vixen’s unguarded ribs and then kneed her in the stomach. She fell to one knee, unable to catch her breath or stop the blood from gushing out of her nose. Baal walked back to his scythe and pulled until he finally unearthed the blade. When he turned to go finish off Vixen, he felt Vixen’s scythe slice into his gut. He mustered the strength he had left to bring up his own scythe and cut off Vixen’s head.