The Demon Sword: Sorataki

Chapter 34: To face carnage

Its hallowing cry could be heard from miles beyond the town. The looming orb in the sky was no more. In its place was a gigantic millipede that cast its shadow over Aqua falls. With its countless legs, it walked along the sky as it circled around the town of rivers. Natalie watched in utter silence as it homed in on them.

As it descended it opens its mouth containing hundreds of razor sharp teeth to release a red flame that smothered over the dome wall that Sophie placed. Travelling over its protective bubble the townspeople froze as they were submerged in a sheet of flame that expanded over the whole wall blocking out the sky.

As the flames travelled down the dome wall it crackled along the see through blue hue making it become more visible under the stress of the intense fire, though stressed by the heat it held firm none the less. Natalie could feel the air in the town spike in heat from the sheer heat coming off its sheets of flame. Her skin now prickling with sweat she watched in disbelief. As the flames subsided the otherworldly cries of the air walking millipede ran through the town as if a hungry lion watching its meal from beyond a cage.

As it crawls though the air to circle back for another round Natalie and the others took a moment to recollect their senses and truly grasp the threat at hand. If it was not for the wall put over the town then everything would have already been lost in that instant.

With one problem resolved only to be confronted with a worse one all seemed hopeless.

The six-story tall rhino demon came into Natalie's view as if reminding her that she still has it to deal with before she could worry about the now bigger problem. It was at this point that she again found herself questioning why she is putting so much on the line for the people of this town. Even though she was still hurt by their reaction to her presence. Although she came to this place to deal with another problem.

They still needed saving.

The children in the vans that she failed to save that day. After helping the nine only to watch them take away the rest tore at her deeply. It spurred her on to see this day, though. For all intensive purposes, she should be where Andrew was going to amend this mishap. She came here for Sophie's sake sure but for all, she knew Sophie has now done all that she could.

The pent up rage she held onto had now fled her system to her own deficit. She owes them nothing. So why? Why do her feet refuse to turn away from this?

It was at this point that Andrew flashed into her memory, and within that, her heart stirred up a connection to her out of character actions. Of course, she is defending a town over her original goal because this is not any old town. This was his mother's town. It was the place she likely travelled to buy her food and catch up with the locals. And although she had no positive connection with them herself she could sympathise as much.

Most of all she did it for Andrew since he's always been there for her with her problems. And as she stands this second he is out risking it all to deal with a trouble that she's partly to blame for, the least she could do is make sure there was a town for him to return to once they part ways.

It was for this reason why she was willing to risk it all for them. With her mind finding logic in her heart's desire she again threw caution to the winds and with a ball of electricity charging up in her hand ran towards the stampeding rhino. No strategy, just a sheer will to keep her partner from losing all the things that she once had.

A clash seemed inevitable until a transparent wall appears between them and the demon beetle. With the giant crashing into it, Natalie's charge came to a sudden halt.

"Return, pricing light!" she heard the voice of Sophie call out just behind her, the wall itself transformed into an intense beam of light. With the beam clashing against the tough horns of the beetle it clashed with the blast until it cracked and shattered its greatest weapon in half. Tumbling around in pain Natalie blinked at the sudden change of events, this followed by a rain of aqua lances made Natalie turn around to see Sophie and Mormon with a small band of hunters run up beside her.