Chapter 41: Aura Mastery

James led the way, fire-axe propped over his shoulder, gaze fixed on the empty street ahead. Streets lights came on, burning with a toxic orange light, illuminating the remains of dead demons and the occasional sign of destruction. A car abandoned where it had slammed into a light post. Shattered windows. Splatters of drying blood on the sidewalk.

But nobody was out this close to the hive. Even the amateur levelers seemed to know better than to come too close to a demon sign, its horrific presence bathing the blocks with a subtle purple radiance, gleaming on car windshields, causing pools of ichor to scintillate, tainting the very air with its haze.

There weren’t any more rogue Nemesis 2’s in the area, either. They’d all reached the hive. Not only that, but they’d immediately gotten to work, and the paste wall of human flesh now extended completely across the street up ahead, two stories tall and crawling with demons who were putting the final finishing touches on their work.

James kept his gaze squarely on their target. Some part of him tried to calculate how many people it’d take to make a wall that big. Six inches deep, six or seven yards high.

The answer was simple: it didn’t matter. One dead person was already an abomination.

And as he drew closer that feverish desire to fight his way inside from before seemed to center, to grow full and heavy and dense, become a cold and unyielding need to punish the creatures that had done this.

And now, with Iron Aura 1, he could. He’d used his Supplicant 6 points to boost his Stamina to 10; he had to be able to keep his breath if the fighting got thick, and it was time to ensure he didn’t get winded when the shit hit the fan.

They moved as a team. Becca and Serenity just a step behind and out wide on his flanks. Sarah in the center, Denzel and Joanna beside her, with Yadriel, Jason, and Bjørn in the back.

It felt surprisingly good to move forward with them as a crew. As if they had been doing this for years. Their movements felt instinctive, purposeful, right.

Was that due to their Arete? Was there really some kind of mystical bond between them now? If he closed his eyes, he felt like he’d almost be able to sense them, but he could be just fooling himself.

But they were more than a bunch of strangers. They were a crew indeed, a ka-tet, as Richard had called it, a team of nine united by a single and solitary desire: to defend their home and bring vengeance to the invaders.

Block by block they drew closer. They reached the spot where they’d made a stand last time. Insectile corpses lay thick upon the ground, but they ashed before him, collapsing and crunching underfoot.

James raised the radio. “Richard, this is Kelly. We’re in position. One block east of the wall. Going in.”

“Kelly, this is Star Boy. Have fun in there. Over”

No need to say what was evident: if they got in trouble, there was nobody on hand to get them out.

And that was just fine.

James rolled his head about his neck, eliciting a series of pops and looked over his shoulder at his crew. “We ready?”

“Affirmative,” said Jason.

“Yes sir,” said Becca, Bushmaster already raised.

Denzel punched one fist into the other. “Let’s get this done.”

“Well all right then. Bless red.” He glanced at Serenity, who gave him a wink, and he led the way forward.

Each of his stats jumped by +5. It paled compared to that +15 rush, but James still let out a shaky breath of appreciation.

The Nemesis 2’s on the wall sensed their slow approach, ceased their ant-like ministrations and turned as one with eerie coordination to gaze at them.

“Let’s clear that wall,” said James.

Both women opened fire.

Their attacks were surgical. Each would have won any marksmanship tournament held in the world. At a distance of half a block they had no trouble hitting the Nemesis 2 masks with perfect accuracy, pouring five or six shots into each, tracking the demons as they reared and jerked aside, only to lose their grip on the wall and fall heavily to the street.

More Nemesis 2’s appeared, scuttling silently into view over the top of the wall or along the fleshy surface from the sides.

“We’ve kicked the ant’s nest,” said James. “I’m going to move forward. Don’t shoot me.”

“Keep your head down, then,” said Serenity, her voice taut with focus.

James laid the fire-axe across his shoulders, held the shaft at one end and just below the head on the other, and strolled forward.

“Come on your bastards.” His whisper was barely audible even to himself. “Come get a taste of me.”

The number of Nemesis 2’s was starting to overwhelm the ladies’ ability to drop them. They leaped down onto the street and rushed forward, scythe-arms gleaming in the street-light.

James didn’t flinch, didn’t drop his hands.

He just kept on walking, lips pursed, gaze focused on the spot he’d chosen to tackle.

The Nemesis 2’s fell upon him like a breaking wave.

His Iron Aura flared into existence, just an inch away from his skin, ashing the demons over and over again, consuming them greedily, causing them to stumble and trip, to fall on him and immolate or be swept aside by the press of bodies.

The gunfire was constant.

Shields shepherded more and more of the demons to where he strode.

It was like walking through a nightmare, a bad dream filled with phantasms that dissipated before his touch. For all their speed and power they simply couldn’t hurt him, and he strode through the whirlwind of blades without flinching, glancing aside, or even noticing them.

Ash blew across him, but nothing else.

Your rank is now Supplicant 7

You have 5 unspent points.

James felt a jolt of satisfaction and almost he put the points into Aura again. But he was down to one Aeviternum, and he might need it for an empowered strike against the queen.

Maybe it wasn’t optimal, but it felt right.

James set the 5 points aside so he could bring his total up to four at the next level.

Nemesis 2’s were screeching around him, flailing, swiping, hurling themselves over and over upon his aura, and dying. He could barely see the wall now, just a maelstrom of black chitin and nacreous masks, but he walked on, indomitable, unstoppable, until at last their numbers parted and the wall arose before him, baleful in the orange light.

Only now did James unshoulder his fire-axe and draw it back. Still ignoring the demons, he took a deep breath, infused the axe with Smite, and swung.

It was like hewing at the surface of an icy lake.

The wall shattered, huge plates of pink spalding right off the deeper layers, his blade sinking all the way in.

James hauled it out, took another breath, and again brought it crashing down.

The gunfire only stopped when each lady reloaded. They’d stopped perhaps twenty yards behind him, held back by the sheer number of Nemesis 2’s that filled the area and swarmed around him.

He felt like a drain hole around which black ink swirled and was endlessly drained.

James swung, drew the axe out, swung again.

A hole opened before him, and then, curious, he extended his palm to the wall, demons shrieking their hatred and horror as he did so.

His Iron Aura manifested before his palm, and the vertical gash he’d created softened, grew wet, as if the meat were thawing out before his touch.

The demonic infusion leaving the flesh?

James drew his hand back. He’d rather deal with frozen jerky.

Again he swung, and again, until at last he’d created a vertical gap a foot wide and jagged with sharp edges.

“Going in,” he shouted, and shouldered his way through.

To see countless Nemesis 2’s flooding toward him, their pale faces gleaming, their movements frenzied.

James spread his arms and walked forward to meet them.

They fell upon him and died.

It was taking more and more deaths to hit a new level, but eventually it happened again:

Your rank is now Supplicant 8

You have 5 unspent points.

James nodded to himself and purchased his fourth point of Aeviternum, bringing his unspent total to 2.

Up ahead hung the burning demon symbol, resplendent over the flesh fortress. James stared at it as he advanced, moving slowly so as to give the Nemesis 2’s plenty of time to destroy themselves upon his aura.

His radio crackled. “James, this is Serenity. Slow down. We’re losing sight of you.”

“Serenity, this is James. I copy.”

He inhaled deeply and stood, one hand on his hip, axe over his shoulder, staring up at the symbol as the demons raged about him.

Was she watching him, the Monitor? He was only level Supplicant 7, which translated into an overall Level 16. Nowhere close to what she’d said he’d need to be. Was she judging him and finding him lacking?

But he didn’t feel lacking. He spread his arms out wide as if stating, here I am.

There was no change in the symbol.

Gunfire sounded from behind, slowly advancing, and turning he saw Crimson Hydra forcing its way through the press of Nemeses, Sarah fiercely focused, chin lowered as she maintained her circle against their foes, the Shields blocking and seeking to alleviate the pressure, Serenity and Becca taking down demons left and right, the Blessers doing their best with their own inferior guns but amping up the ladies so their shots were even swifter and more accurate.

“Took you long enough,” James called with a smile.

“Show off,” shouted Serenity, not looking away from her targets.

“Let’s keep moving.”

Hands resting over the haft of his axe, James resumed approaching the flesh fortress.

“Hold up,” called Jason, and James looked back to see the young man step out of the circle, his hands raised hesitantly as he left Sarah’s protection.

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A Nemesis raced at him, scythe-arms swinging, but a finger of Iron Aura speared out of Jason’s palm to impale it through the head.

The demon collapsed like a puppet with its strings cut.

Jason grinned.

“Aura Mastery?” asked James.

“You know it, sir.” Jason outstretched both palms and spears of Iron Aura began to flicker out like the world’s most delicate pistons, perfectly guided and tapering to hair-like thinness at their farthest extremities.

Where James had to wait for the demons to destroy themselves upon his aura, Jason could weaponize his, and James felt a pang of remorse: should he have gone that route?

Jason moved forward hesitantly like a guy who’d just regained use of his legs after surgery. His brow was furrowed with effort, but his Iron Aura speared out again and again, seeking out masks and punching clear through.

Demons dropped around him, again and again.

“Not bad,” said James with a wry smile. “C’mon up next to me.”

James joined him, and together they advanced.

“This is… I mean, holy shit.” Jason sounded half exhilarated, half overwhelmed.

“How far can you stretch them?”

“Let’s see.” James frowned, aimed his palm at a charging Nemesis, and a finger of aura burst forth, flying out to about four yards before attenuating to nothingness.

The demon impaled itself upon the strand and collapsed.

“Can you do two at once?”

Jason raised both palms and unleashed two spears, each about two or three yards long.

“Averages out,’ said Jason. “But if I keep alternating…”

He resumed his pistoning attack, once appearing then retracting almost too quickly to track, only for the second to burst out.

“What if you keep it extended, like a rod, and just swing it about?” asked James.

“You think? Sure. Let’s…” Jason’s frown deepened, and this time his four-yard-long spear remained extended from his palm. He swung it left, swung it right, and wherever it passed demons fell apart.

“Yes!” Jason laughed in delight. “This is…” He trailed off. “Really draining, actually, to keep it manifested like that.”

“Pace yourself,” said James. “We’ve a fair sight more to kill.”

They proceeded.

The rifles blazed. Jason impaled anything that came close. Jason just walked on, axe athwart his shoulders.

They forged a path to the last block that terminated in the flesh fortress.

Your rank is now Supplicant 9

You have 5 unspent points.

James frowned. What should he focus on? He studied his sheet:

Name: James Kelly

Class: None

Rank: Supplicant 9

Title: Vanguard

Virtues: None

Benedictions: Smite, Sacred Strike

First Miracle: None

Second Miracle: None

Third Miracle: None

Aura: Iron

Aura Strength: 1

Aeviternum Points: 4

Strength: 11 (Bless+6: 17)

Stamina: 10 (Bless+6: 16)

Speed: 6 (Bless+6: 12)

Agility: 5 (Bless+6: 11)

Power: 10 (Bless+6: 16)

Arete: 55

Unspent Points: 6

He’d been kicking an unspent point down the road since Supplicant 1. And while it was handy to have his physical stats raised by the constant Bless of his team, he couldn’t help but wonder if he shouldn’t bump them up again himself. Smite and Sacred Strike ran off the Power/Strength combo, but his Speed and Agility were what really let him hit in the first place.

The way things went, Iron Aura wouldn’t be as effective against Nemesis 3, meaning he’d have to take it down with his attacks. If he couldn’t land a blow, or if his Smite wasn’t strong enough, he’d be screwed.

Four points into Strength would give him a +2 Synergy to Power, leaving him with two points to dump in Speed, which was closer than Agility to one day achieving a synergy of its own.

James frowned. Aeviternum and Arete were the sexy plays, but he couldn’t let his base stats remain so poor for much longer. If he was ever separated from his team he’d be screwed.

James assigned the points, boosting his Strength, Power, and Speed.

With the +6 Bless that brought him to:

Strength: 15 (Bless+6: 21)

Stamina: 10 (Bless+6: 11)

Speed: 8 (Bless+6: 14)

Agility: 5 (Bless+6: 11)

Power: 10(12) (Bless+6: 18)

He fought the twinge of dissatisfaction. He was nowhere close to Serenity’s boosted Agility of 31, or whatever it was now. 40? More?

James resolved to ensure everyone kept track of their stats in Richard’s system when they got back.

A final wave of Nemesis 2’s threw itself at them and perished.

“There,” said James as the gunfire momentarily fell silent. “The way into the fortress is open. You all want to go in?”

“Wouldn’t miss it,” grinned Jason, clearly elated. His Iron Aura spiked a few times more from his palms, then rippled up his arms to form a dozen spikes emerging from his shoulders before disappearing altogether.

“We’ve got your back, my friend,” said Bjørn. “And I’m pleased to say my wager has proven a smart one. I’ve hit Supplicant 7.”

“Same here,” the rest chorused, except for Sarah.

James raised an eyebrow at her.

“Supplicant 8. Feels good,” she allowed.

“Good.” James scanned his crew one last time. Everybody met his gaze with steady confidence.

“Gimme one sec,” said Serenity. She crouched, unslung her backpack, drew out an ammo can, and set to reloading the mags she’d stashed in her army vest pockets faster than James could believe.

It took her about ten seconds to load each one, and a minute or so later she tossed the now empty can and stood. “Ready.”

“What’s your Agility at?” James asked incredulously.

She winked at him. “Buy me a drink and I’ll tell you.”

James snorted. “Deal.” He turned and unslung his axe. “We’ve a queen to dethrone. Let’s do it.”

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