Blood n'Tricks 2[Shadow Fall Mission][FINISHED]

Mission Specs:

Styn raised his hand, shielding his eyes from the harsh unforgiving sun. Great its fucking hot. While it was winter in many parts of North America, the world itself was not stuck in that same temperate zone. The demon stood on the outskirts of a small village in Africa. Supposedly targets identified by Shadow Fall operatives lay inside of it. He had been working hard lately, but the fact that work kept piling up reinforced his certainty that this was the ultimate path to true hedonism. If the rest of demon kind was failing to get results, then one stint of herculean effort could see him cruising for the rest of his life. Here's to you easy days.

Still, thoughts of his eventual laid back existence would have to wait till the matter at hand was resolved. Turning toward his guide Styn gestured toward the village. "This is the place that shaman family lives in then?" the demon asked in an attempt to confirm their location.

His not quite six feet put him in at a rather unremarkable height, a medium build cemented a sort of averageness. Dark green hair only an inch or so in length, could possibly be a dye job. Pale violet eyes, while a questionable fashion choice, were not outside cosmetic modification. Both ears came to slight point at the apex of their arc, something easily overlooked. While his teeth might be a bit sharper then normal for a human, they retained the same basic shape and placement. Nails also came to a point and were thicker then common, but were by no means long talons or claws. All and all, discounting demonic presence which is naturally suppressed in this base form, Styn would go unremarked in most locations. Especially next to the unique form of his traveling companion.

The Knight of the First Circle sported a dark green business suit, almost black outside of direct light. The pale violet tie was clearly meant to bring out his eyes, which were somewhat concealed behind a pair of gunmetal gray glasses with translucent bottom rims. Black dress shoes cap out the attire, with especial detail paid so that the combat boot soles don't look out of place. Still the effect lacked a certain something. First of all, his white button down shirt was untucked, which his dark green jacket didn't quite conceal. His tie was loosened as if he just got off of work and hadn't gotten around to taking it off. His pants looked a bit rumpled and his shoes were scuffed. In addition his eyes had heavy dark bags under them and his stare was half lidded, giving him the appearance of someone bored or about to fall asleep.

The woman next to him was dressed in the clothes of a technician of the First Circle. While there was no real official uniform, many of the techs had pieced together a set of clothes that were both functional and comfortable. Dressing in a similar way served all sorts of purposes, although such things were rarely enforced that Styn had seen within Shadow Fall. Then again Hobgoblin did seem to prefer things a bit more organized then some of the other Archdukes. Her dark brown eyes and hair along with her black skin, were common in the area. More importantly she spoke the local language, something that Styn couldn't be bothered to do.

A glance down at the clip board she cradled must have confirmed whatever it was that needed clarification, because she quickly responded. "Yes sir, the humans of this blood line seem to have a particular affinity for what could commonly be called the dark arts. The similarity to demon magic was noted by the site survey. Further investigation seemed to support those claims."

Styn examined the crude huts of the village with a raised eyebrow. Hardly the sort of place he would expect to find strong spiritually aware humans. Fascinating really, like hearing about a tap dancing rat. In recent years, humans with strong reiatsu were prized by all governments. In many ways the amount and power of a nations awakened ones was directly equivalent to their war power. In a world were advances in technology could no longer ensure safety or superiority, old families like this were especially treasured. The demon was curious as to why this group wasn't living in more luxury. Leave it to the cradle of human civilization to be the most backwards I suppose.

Perhaps he would have a chance to ask someone. For now Styn walked toward the village, little more then a collection of huts really. It was possible that those present had not noticed the approaching demons, but Styn was skeptical. At this time of day, when watched form a distance, the village was usually a bubbling cauldron of activity. At it was yesterday. While the residents did not number more then thirty among them, they were still an industrious lot. There were animals to feed and chores to be done, just to ensure survival. Humans have to eat after all.

As Styn passed the outer circle of structures, he couldn't help feeling as if he was entering a ghost town. Oh yeah, that's just what I need. To be haunted by humans. Blankets that served as doors flapped in stray breezes, but the demon could not detect any figures moving beyond their masking thickness. The warriors were most likely out hunting or some such activity, but there should still be women and children running about. Where are those pesky little germ factories? Previous surveys of the area had proven the village more then a match for weaker hollows, so Styn doubted that they had met with such a common end.

"Something is not right," Styn muttered before turning toward his guide. "Do you detect anything?"

"Uh, no. Maybe everyone is just asleep?" she offered helpfully.

With a shrug Styn pushed past a blanket and walked into one of the huts. There curled up on a mat stretched over the ground, was a woman. Next to her was a man, old enough to be her husband, and certainly sleeping close enough to be. Well I guess it could be her brother, because that's not weird at all. Then again with these aboriginal cultures it was hard to say what passed for a social norm. Both of the humans were passed out and unresponsive to the entrance of a stranger into their domicile. Walking over toward the couple Styn nudged the man with the toe of his black shoe. What an amazing lack of survival instincts. How did this species rise to dominate even a small portion of the planet again? Must have helped that demons have left them alone for so long.

"That's strange," he mused. A stronger kick got a similar lack of reaction. Not only that, but even this close the two human's barely registered to his spiritual senses. Granted perception wasn't exactly Styn's strong suit. A lifted eyebrow toward his guide showed that she was similarly baffled.

Kneeling down the Knight rested a finger on the woman and carefully extended a weak pulse of Za Koa into her body. Styn watched as her muscles seized and her body tossed and turned weakly. Delving in this manner could be dangerous to a weakened entity, but with his own life force floating throughout her form the demon finally got an idea of what they might be dealing with. Isn't that interesting?

"Its the results of some sort of ritual. Similar in nature to a demon sacrifice," Styn explained. "There are traces of the energy used to disable and drain them." The demon stood and gestured toward the exit. "Go check the other huts. If this bloodline really is known for its spiritual might, there should be at least one or two people conscious."I wouldn't be out here if this was enough to cripple the entire tribe.

Styn suited actions to words and followed the guide out. Several fruitless minutes were spent before he heard his companion call out. "Sir! I found one."

From the outside, the hut in question was much the same as all of the others. Inside however, was a different manner. All sorts of shamanistic tools decorated the walls of the structure. Religious art is always so amusing. Is that a penis? Kneeling in the center by a low burning fire was an old man with eyes closed. He was muttering something in what Styn could only imagine was the local dialect. "What is he saying?"

"He is calling on the spirits of his ancestors for strength. After naming off several local deities, he then beseeches them to locate the fallen one. Then everything repeats," the guide said with barely a moment to translate. "I tried to get his attention, but he seems to be deep in some kind of trance."Bet you didn't show him those titties. Then again, they are kinda small. Odd for a demon now that I'm thinking about it.

Styn crouched down till his face was practically touching the old man's own and playfully blew air at him. Smell my demonic breath and tremble! Or offer me a breath mint. The human's face twitched in a brief expression of disdain, but the chanting had faltered a bit. Oh? You're such a faker. He had better things to do then wait for a crotchety old man to beg the gods for help. Styn casually backhanded the human, sending him sprawling to the dirt ground of his hovel. He's lucky I'm such a nice guy.

The old man was clearly stunned for a moment, but vigor and life soon returned to his face. More importantly he was clearly cognizant of his surroundings again. Leaping to his feet he began screaming at Styn, gesturing powerfully with his hands. Aww, I made him angry. I wonder if laughing would be a bad next step in building our beautiful friendship. The Knight slowly stood as well, and glanced toward the guide for translation.

"Just curses and ill wishes sir," she ventured with a shrug. "Oh that's interesting. He seems to think we are connected to someone he refers to as the fallen one."

"Ask him who that is, reassure him that we are not friends of this fallen one, but may be persuaded to ally instead with the village," Styn said without breaking eye contact with the agitated man. I can hardly hold his words against him after smacking him the face. Seems like a nice enough old guy now that I'm getting a look at him. A moment of translation and the oldster's eyes narrowed with conviction. Oh noes we have cemented his bad opinion of us! I really have to keep a better poker face.

"He says that his village will not ally with demon spawn. He claims to see through our deceit and that Akachi will have to try harder if he wishes to fool the true successor of the Solarin tribe. A few more insults follow...oh dear." This last was muttered as the old man let fly a massive wad of spit which struck Styn in the face.

"It's just spit," Styn said wiping it off. Ugh I hope demon's can't catch Aids. Still, the superior look on the man's face was a bit irksome. What do you tell an old man with a broken jaw? "Any way you can think to get this guy to tell us where this Akachi is?"

"Let me try a few things."

A quick series of exchanges later and the woman turned toward Styn. "There is a nearby place of power. An old cave. This tribe is considered its guardian. I believe that we can most likely find the boy there."

"Boy?" Styn queried with curiosity. I guess I don't have the people's touch. That didn't take her long. But then again, our amazing display of good cop, bad cop has won the day after all. I'll have to remember to take full credit for this in the report.

"Yes, apparently the offender is his grandson, he referred to him as a man child among other things."

"Alright well, lets let him get back to praying and see what we can find out from the source of the disturbance. Should prove an interesting jaunt if nothing else. We can always return later, I don't think anyone is going anywhere anytime soon," Styn quipped with a half smile. A mocking bow was an apt farewell, as the demon exited the hut. With a quick glance toward their GPS device they were off. It was a short jog, no need to rip open gateways to announce their presence. The shouted curses from the old man needed no translation, and sent them on their way. And here I thought we had become such good friends.

About a half an hour of travel later found the two demons at the the entry of a cavern. The area in front of the site was well kept and clean of debris. There was a sense of holiness about the place and the path that led to the mouth of the cave was well worn. Carved rock sculptures of varying size and detail lined the path. Surprise surprise another penis sculpture. "I'm guessing this is the place?" Styn asked rhetorically.

"Yes sir," his guide answered, either not getting the humor of the question, or adding to the joke with a straight faced reply. Her eyes did however light on one religious artifact in particular before glancing away.

Styn cracked his neck and with a slight chuckle stepped into the cave. Where did they find this demoness? Does she spend all her time in the human world watching these shitty little villages? The walls were lit with torches and covered with a mural of paintings. Symbols very similar to demonic sigils were carved into the spaces between frescoes. At the moment those sigils glowed with a red infernal light. The place was alive with energy. Two great stone doors bared their passage forward. Pushing and pulling on them proved futile. Stupid doors getting in my way. You'd think that someone didn't want me here or something. Styn turned toward his guide. "Whats up with the door?"

"The inscription reads, 'Those who would enter must prove themselves a master of the elements,'" the guide translated. Her eyes were locked on the sigils surrounding the door, the only ones that were dark. They were the most complex in the room and seemed to branch out from five main symbols located evenly around the double doors.

"Seems simple enough," Styn said raising his hand. "Stand back, we're about to see how influential demons have been on this tribe." The demon was always holding on to some level of Za Koa. Kernels of infernal energy made up his structure at a cellular level. To hold Za Koa was to breath, a natural and unconscious effort of living. This was simply a byproduct of being a demon. Yet, was it not possible for a creature to draw a deeper breath? Did not enlightened lifeforms have the ability to speed or slow a beating heart? Yes, it was biology, but it was also something more. An exercise in will, an internal focus, the flex of a phantom limb.

In one moment Styn was barely a blip of presence, in the next he was surging with Za Koa. The explosion of force did not permeate his physical surroundings. It wasn't that he was hidden from spiritual detection, it was that he chose to chain his aura. There was no stirring of air, or crushing of ground. Instead the excess energy stopped at the skin, reinforcing the demon's passive Akuma Kyodo. Even a spirit blind human would find it easy to move about in comfort, such was the nature and expression of Styn's Za Koa.

Moving the generated power was as easy as summoning it. At times to be sure Styn would spend more then was strictly required. Za Koa was hardly such a forgiving force to allow for gentle coaxing and coddling. To be filled with the energy of chaos in bondage was to battle for supremacy. Every moment was a fight that brought out a deep and primal pleasure. Tingles of goodness raced through every cell as Za Koa pooled withing Styn's right palm. "Oh, Touketsu, unleash the lost souls upon these fools," Styn challenged the doors.

Red light gathered in a blob of shadow substance. This amorphous looking swirl of Za Koa shot from Styn's hand like an arrow launched from a bow. After traveling several inches the shape resolved into that of a bone white skull with demon horns. Empty eye sockets were lit with a flare that surrounded the Psycho Skull in a red blaze. A second after the first skull cleared the demon's hand a second one followed. This one was lit with a blue, frigid aura. The skulls continued to appear at one second intervals, speeding toward the door. The third was crackling yellow, the fourth was oozing green, the last was bubbling black.

As each projectile hit the door there was a noticeable lack of explosion. The wards on the stone slabs instead soaked in the energy and a symbol flared to life in response to each blow. Styn imagined in a way, that he was polity knocking on the temple doors. "Open sesame," the demon pronounced grandly as the obstruction parted and swung inward with a groan of ancient gears. It would seem that someone was home after all. There was an immediate sense of menace that filled the air. The troublesome human is sure to be up to some mischief beyond. So ominous.

A low guttural voice was growling out a string of babble. The darkness of the entryway was like a physical thing. The light from the sunlight streaming from behind failed to pierce it. Reaching out a hand Styn broke the threshold only to see his own hand disappear. Neat trick, it smacks of that mischief though. He turned toward his resident translator with and arched eyebrow. "Well?"

"It's...it's not the local dialect, it actually resembles an older demon language. Some kind of hybrid at least," the woman stated with a puzzled look on her face. "I can just barely make out...he's trying to summon a demon I think."

"You're joking?" Styn said with a laugh. And here I am obliging him by my very proximity. Hows that for irony?

"No, now that I've switched mental gears I'm certain. That man is trying to summon a demon. He's calling upon ancient demon families, interspersed with some local deities."

"Well if its a demon he wants, its a demon he gets," Styn said in good humor. Sounds like he's losing his voice. Probably been screaming for most of the day.

"Wait, maybe we shouldn't," the aide began.

"Tut tut. What? Do you want to do radio for backup? Don't be silly, its just one man. What could one human possibly do," the cocky First Circle Knight was quick to interject as he made his way through the double doors. The demoness was slow to follow and Styn found himself alone marching into the center of the room. Seriously though, I'm almost offended. After the first few steps the darkness immediately gave way into a well lit and decorated shrine. Should I be counting the penises at this point? It actually did sort of resemble something from the demon world.

A quick look over his shoulder showed him alone. The cloud of blackness that had obscured his view from the entryway boiled like something alive from this side. Tendrils of darkness reached out as if in response to Styn's eyes on them. "Come on, its fine, its just the one guy shouting still," Styn encouraged with another laugh. It really was just Akachi. Unless there are two young men running around doing dark rituals that is. The voice was far louder on this side of the cloud to be sure, but it wasn't like he had stepped into a portal or something. Styn was especially sensitive to his relative location in space. His glasses were not just for show, but instead a reflection of his altered view of the world.

The gunmetal grey lenses were something he normally never thought about, but he had first materialized them years ago. Styn was a Dodomeki demon, one with his third eye activated even. The sealed power of his current state was more then enough to verify that he was still in the cave. Even has he was musing on this the man turned, voice raised to a crescendo, arms spread in grand style. Clearly he expected to see someone before him because his face exhibited no shock. Instead, the man pointed a finger and the floor under Styn's feet lit up like the forth of July.

"Uh oh," was about all the time Styn had to reflect on his situation before he was pressed under a crushing weight. The entire floor was blazing with a golden radiance. Script that looked vaguely demonic surrounded him in interlocking circles and geometric designs. The outside layers began to compress and contract in on him, increasing the pressure to drastic degrees. Sweat broke out on Styn's brow as he struggled for breath. "Oh fuck this," he finally panted, reaching out to embrace more Za Koa.

White mist briefly surrounded his face, hands, and eyes as he assumed his true form. His hands seemed to blur and suddenly calcify into thick claws. The rush of spacial information that flooded his senses when his pale third eye opened was heady and familiar. The demon found it suddenly easier to stand as he drew deeply from the fount of infernal might. Styn's lips curled back in a cruel smile. "Oh you're going to regret making me do that Akachi," the demon spat. However, he was quick to return to good humor as he rolled his head around, neck making slight popping sounds. The expression on the young man's face went great lengths to restoring his previous mood. That's right Akachi. I know your name. Guess what else I might know?

"Is everything all right in there?" his guide chimed in. Styn could barely hear her.

"Yeah," the demon shouted back. "Any thing you'd like to tell me now that the idiot has finally shut up?" Styn teased. You could start with why you didn't follow. Damn but this isn't going to look good in the report at all.

As if waiting for the moment to be a pain in the ass Akachi suddenly rolled off a string of words. There was an imperious look to his face and form. Whatever he said it was clearly a command of some kind. Styn cocked his head to the side as if contemplating the words before calling over his shoulder again. Sure got his spunk back quickly. I guess we're back to playing the game then. "Feel free to translate that load of bullshit too."

"Um...okay. Well first off he was casting a binding of some kind. Are you um...bound sir?" The aide began tentatively.

The golden circle had finally shrunk about as small as it was probably going to get. The thing still swirled and pulsed around him in miniature though. I would call him a sneaky bastard, but I did kinda walk into this one. Styn inched his foot forward toward the inside edge of the inscriptions and received a rather large shock that his Akuma Kyodo did not protect from. Oh the sigils flared up all right, but it still hurt like the heavens. He cursed shaking his foot slightly to ward off the sting. "Yeah I'm in a trap of some kind. Hurts to touch the inside edge of it, also repels physical objects while delivering its payload."

"Right...so there should be a focusing object on the shrine. If I'm remembering the words right it contains the power of his clan. It should be fueling the binding and..." the woman trailed off again, this time not because she was being interrupted.

"And what?" Styn asked with a laugh. "You can't think I'm going to blame you for being stuck, go ahead I can take it."

"Well its a rite of domination. He's trying to make you his servant sir."

"Doesn't that just sound like a great way to spend the next two hundred or so years. That is if this backwater even has the sort of tech needed to extend human life spans that long." Styn looked the man up and down with another sneer. "Something I very much doubt." With a shake of his head the demon called back to his translator again. "I don't feel very subservient, is there some other trigger? He's looking at me like he's expecting something."

"Yes, he has to duel you for the ritual to be complete," she was quick to reply.

"Oh well great, as soon as he lets me out I'm punching him in the face. Then I might throw him to the ground, cut him a bit, kick him in the nuts, and spit on the bastard," Styn said cheerfully.

"Oh its not that kind of duel sir," the aide correctly politely.

"What kind of duel is it then?"

"The only energy that should be able to pass the ritual is summoning. The two of you will summon creatures to demonstrate your ability to command. If you lose, the spell will recognize him as your master and bind you to him for as long as he lives. The wording used was unclear as to what happens if he loses."

"Well I don't want him if the ritual binds him instead." Styn chuckled, noting the youth of the young man in particular. "Can you imagine how much a human can eat in two hundred years? No thanks." The translator at least didn't seem to have anything else to say. A courtesy laugh at least would have been appreciated. The Knight of the First Circle promised himself that things would be different when he was in charge. A woman who laughed at his quips was going to be essential. It would be good for morale. His to be exact. If the Archduke was happy would that not reflect on the happiness of the unit? She must be holding herself back to avoid becoming attached to me, poor girl.

Still, that was a dream for another day. Akachi was starting to look a bit upset about his unwillingness to participate in this little drama. Styn took a grandiose stance of his own managing to convey, at least in his opinion, the aura of looking down on the human. This was especially impressive since the young man stood at the top of a set of stairs that led to the alter where a black orb rested. The Knight assumed that was the focal tool that his translator had mentioned and thought nothing more on the matter. Pulsating shadow orb of soul stealing? Check.

"You fool," Styn announced playing his part even if the simpleton couldn't understand his words. "You have wrought your own demise by waking Styn of mighty house Goblin. Make your peace for you soon will leave this mortal coil."

To his horror he heard the voice of his aide, translating the words. "Wait dammit! Don't translate that!" Styn was sensitive about the name of his house. His blessedly eccentric father had founded it out of honor to Archduke Hobgoblin. It was hardly the sort of demonic name to inspire fear and terror in the masses. Even African legend was probably full of trick some weakling spirits that could be considered goblins. The Knight of the First Circle hardly wanted the man thinking of him in such a way. Great, first I walk into his trap and now I make a mockery of myself. Maybe I need to take this more seriously?

The damage was done though. Akachi's eyes widened in surprise and then as Styn had expected, he started laughing. "Oh laugh it up," Styn growled actually irritated for more then a second or two, unlike before. "No more comments form the peanut gallery!" He shouted toward his translator. I also have to consider the possibility that the woman has been messing with me. It wouldn't be the first time that the First Circle Knight found himself not nearly as clever as he imagined.

"Err...yes of course sir, sorry sir," the woman replied in what Styn was sure was false contrition.

It was time to get down to business. The cocky young man would see how funny things were when he saw who he was dealing with. An instant of will triggered every sigil on his body to flood his core with power. The Za Koa he held was pushed into overdrive as each symbol on the demon's body began to glow into the visible spectrum. Even the bone white gauntlets and suit pant covered leggins that appeared in his true form had a spattering of infernal red tattoos. The glow was hardly steady. Instead, it was the wild fluctuation of Shadow Burst, symbols pulsing rapidly. Styn suddenly seemed twice his strength.

The surge of energy was not directed at increasing his physical attributes though, Styn was not actually any faster or stronger then before. Something that was not readily detectable fortunately. Instead, every ounce of the gathered energy was channeled into his next incantation. Styn's mind raced as he sought out a familiar shape. His favored go to summoning was that of a modified soldier demon.

It was a structure he saw and dealt with on a regular basis. Recent incursions into the human realm had given him several interesting ideas to implement though. "Awaken the shadow within me, mend them new flesh and unleash them upon the world, Za Koa!" Styn shouted. Power spiked and then left the clawed demon in a rush. Shadows began to form between him and the arrogant young man, the new vessels for the flood of Za Koa. Where once there was nothing, there was suddenly an undeniable set of solidity.

The creatures were squat and ugly beasts, barely four feet tall, with pale yellow hide. They were hairy things, with black coarse bristles poking out of their heads, across their naked chests, and on their arms. They were completely unclothed, their entire lower body was arachnid in design. However, where a spider had eight limbs these creatures only had four spider like appendages. Long pointed ears sloped backward against their wrinkled faces which clung tightly to black fedoras. The minions had sharp teeth and their noses were little more then reptile slits. Their eyes were likewise short gashes, and shone with infernal red glimmers. Instead of forearms and hands, the creatures' arms ended in long curved blades.

There were fifteen of them in total. Normally such a summoning would drain him enough to make further actions exhausting. However, Shadow Burst made up the difference in latent energy with raw, barely focused power. As such he was able to create his maximum load with little long term impact on his energy. Styn barely felt winded, it was as if he had only created the recommended four. Not only that but his Shadow Burst wasn't even depleted. He had grown much over the course of his recent missions and could now maintain the state longer then before.

With a cocky grin of his own Styn tilted his head. "Your move Master Akachi."

Akachi's eyes widened in shock as he surveyed the chittering demons arrayed in front of him. Clearly, he had been expecting less of a showing from the young demon. He wasted no time in his own summoning however. Guttural syllables from an ancient demon language were forced out of his throat, the sort of sound that probably resulted in damage to weak human tissue. At the end of the incantation, he thrust his arms outward toward two giant statures that flanked the alter he stood atop.

White ghostly shapes exploded out of the pulsing black orb behind the human. They rushed against his back like a torrent of water and rolled up over his shoulders in a wave of hissing, spitting, fury. Styn could clearly make out the tortured eyes of what must have been the villager's souls, as they twisted down both of Akachi's arms and shot toward the two statures.

The spirits struck the inert stone like rocks tossed into a still pond. Ripples of fragmented light spread throughout the solid structure at the points of contact, again reminding Styn of a fluid impact. The cracks and joints of the humanoid looking statues blazed with black flame. Demonic runes were cut into the stone from within, spiraling outward from where a human heart would be. Red infernal glimmers ignited where the stone was shaped into eyes. With a creaking rumble, the two animated objects moved forward in synch. Akachi's face was ecstatic with joy, no doubt riding the high of his own perceived might.

"You know what they say," the demon mocked. "The bigger they are, the harder they fall." It occurred to Styn that there were multiple ways that this particular encounter could play out. His toolkit was hardly tapped out, and there seemed to be at least one loophole in the pathetic barrier that surrounded him. The obvious solution would be postponed for the moment. It had been some time since he had nothing better to do in a battle then to command his minions manually.

Normally he limited himself to simple commands, and a sort of programmed AI when the beasts were initially created. Styn moved his hands over the air in front of him now, as if over an imaginary keyboard. Of course this bit of fantasy was about three times the standard size of a keyboard from four hundred years ago. An act of an instant assigned values and commands to the hundreds of keystrokes at his disposal. Of course, nothing was really there though, it was merely a trick to focus his mind.

It was time to play the game. Fingers flexed the air in a double handed claw-like wave, a sort of salute to the human who had trapped him. Then those same digits began to dance through the air. In response, the fifteen shadows at his disposal began to move. The first thing the demon did, was divide the force into two equally sized squads. Each element now held seven shadows, with one held in reserve.

The first unit moved toward the right statue. It was fast for animated stone, which merely meant that it wasn't holding still. The statue pushed a massive open palm toward the lead shadow. Styn had little problem directing the creature into a leap over the hand and onto the stone arm. As its four arachnid legs found easy purchase on the animated rock, it moved toward the creature's head, slashing downward into the arm as it went. Chips of rock were cleanly cut from the pillar, black light leaking from the blows.

The other six rushed the statue's legs, swarming it like ants. Each of the shadows rushed in two at a time as they circled the giant form. On the look out for a potential trap, or surprise of some kind, Styn rotated them in waves. Within moments the statue was bleeding black flames from slashes all over its legs.

It looked to be in no particular hurry as its left arm moved to smack the lead shadow against its chest. Styn snorted contemptuously as he commanded his summon to jump again, this time hoping to plunge both sword arms into the giant's blazing red orbs. For some reason though, the shadow did not do as directed. Oh it tried to do something at least, Styn could see its legs bend in preparation for a leap. It just didn't go anywhere.

It was about that moment that the demon noticed the chill in the air. Frost spread out from both giants in a circle of dull white across the dimly lit floor. As the slapping hand finally made contact, the lead shadow from the first unit shattered into hundreds of pieces. The summon apparently having frozen solid with the prolonged contact with the stature. Styn's eyes tracked to Akachi, only to find the human with a satisfied smirk. "Well played Master Akachi, well played indeed," Styn said with a tip of his head. The game was hardly finished, but it was taking an interesting turn at least.

The golem on the right had been his test subject in the first salvo. On the left the battle was far different looking. The swarm of seven summonings on this particular side was playing a much more defensive game. Styn had yet to command any of the beasts under his control to approach close enough to strike. Instead, they had danced around the stature as if taunting it to strike, an action that it seemed more then happy to comply with.

With the realization that they were having such an adverse effect on the temperature of their surroundings, Styn switched to the left golem as his new testing ground. On the right side the summons scuttled backwards, keeping their distance as the spread of cold frosted the stone floor. The demon Knight's own breath began to stain the air in white puffs. He'd have to wrap things up quickly. And here I was hoping for a flawless victory. Still, my back is hardly against the wall, and I'm not nearly out of tricks just yet.

The seven shadow creatures on the left rushed their target while Akachi cackled. No doubt he suspected that they would all end up frozen, allowing his second statue to reinforce the one on the right. Instead, Styn triggered a specific function of these particular summonings. Giving the temporary nature of the beasts, the demon Knight had spent time considering the best way to dispose of them near the end of their life cycle. Even with his level of skill and control, the shadows could only last so long. He was quite satisfied with the solution he had come up with.

Although the beasts slowed on approach beginning to freeze over, they were still able to dodge the golem's slow strikes. All but one of them at least. One unlucky creature was too close to the impact of the statue's fist. As it rushed to pull its legs up from the ground it found itself stuck fast and promptly shattered by the follow up sweep. The rest of the beasts were able to get close enough for Styn to trigger the results of his pondering at how to get the most out of his energy expenditure. All six summonings exploded with the force of a concentrated Black Inferno Blast. The dark fire seemed to merge into one gigantic sphere that expanded outward only about ten meters before imploding inward with burning and crushing force.

The sound of shattering rock was quite satisfying and Styn wasted no time implementing that same strategy on the right side golem. Before Akachi even completely deal with what was unfolding, it happened once again. Another blast of demonic flames rushing outward only to collapse inward, rending stone and life from the statue. The Black Inferno Blast wasn't just burning the stone, but consuming the spirit power that had been spent to animate it. Once sufficiently weakened, the stone was easy prey to the implosive force. Almost immediately the chill from air and floor began to recede as the African climate was quick to reassert its hold over the chamber. Styn had almost forgotten that it was still mid day outside.

The single remaining summoning had been commanded to stand by this entire exchange, just in case Akachi had something up his sleeves. Judging by the human's shocked and stunned expression at seeing the destruction of his golems that was most likely not the case. Of course, it never hurt to be safe. Even as the man had been feverishly watching the final moments of the conflict, Styn had sent that lone shadow beast a command. Watching the young human's face and judging his attentiveness, the demon Knight was able to get this particular creature well within distance before sending it to complete its final mission.

With a sudden burst of speed the summoning rushed the stairs at which it had been gradually closing with. Akachi, already reeling for his loss, barely had time to stumble back before the beast was on him. The young human raised his hands above his head, exclaiming his terror in both voice and with a rather embarrassing flood of yellow liquid that soaked the crotch of his pants. Unbalanced from the backward cringe, Akachi was already falling to the side, face twisted in anguish at what was sure to be his last moments.

Not a single instant was wasted on the human though. Instead, the summoning struck with a powerful swipe of its blade arm at the still darkly pulsing orb of souls. A flare of some sort of energy slowed the strike, absorbing the bulk of its kinetic load. Twisted shadows beneath the beasts flesh throbbed in time to the beat of the shadow orb, there was certainly a kinship here. The demon Knight would not be overcome this late in the game. Styn's command roared through his creation's physical structure again and suddenly there was no resistance at all as the cutting edge of a blade arm connected solidly with the orb.

Akachi was just peaking out from behind his hands as the sound of fractured crystal echoed in the suddenly quite stone halls. "Noooooo," the young man screamed in very serviceable English. Idly Styn wondered if the bastard had been messing with him this entire time, or if there was some reason that the ritual had to be conducted in a foreign language. Whatever other musings that the demon Knight had were put on hold as a brilliant ray of pale blue light exploded out of the crack, disintegrating his summoning instantly. Hopefully this is a good thing.

The azure beam widened as it expanded beyond the stairs. As it washed over what remained of the golems, they too began to pulse with that pale blue light. Each remaining fragment began to release its burden of souls in reverse. The spirits of what were most likely the previous villagers began to flow together once more, streams joining to become another massive flood of screaming souls. Instead of Akachi these souls were being drawn into the orb itself, no longer using the human as a medium.

The arrogant human hardly escaped unscathed himself. He seemed to have frozen at the first touch of azure radiance. Styn wasn't sure what to think when his gaze slid over to the human, locked in his cringing pose, hip down on the ground with arms raised. The form seemed to waver and odd grey motes began streaming toward the orb. Much like the summoned creature mere moments before, Akachi wavered for another second longer and then dissolved into ash which rushed to fill the demonic artifact. As the last bit of grey matter funneled into the crack, the sundered crystal fused together with the sound of popping ice.

Just as Styn noticed that the golden binding circle at his feet was no more, his aide made her way tentatively into the chamber, looking ready to flee at the first sign of danger. "Well how about that," Styn said. "Looks like I get a shinny new demonic artifact instead of a worthless human slave. Sounds like a win to me." With a smirk toward the still worried looking demoness, Styn strode up to the dais and plucked the dark orb from its resting place. It had been more work then he thought it would have been, but it seemed like this adventure had drawn to a close.