Depths of Chaos Ch. 14

Depths of Chaos Chapter 14

This story is part of a series. Although it can be read on it's own, parts of the story may make more sense when read in order. I highly recommend reading the story "The Demon" in order to discover the origins of our beloved Kali. Thank you for reading and I hope you enjoy.

Oily, black, tentacles tossed the thugs aside. Their horrified expressions alone would have been worth it, but the utter incomprehension written across Armageddon's face was simply priceless.

The police had been alerted despite the interference built into the very walls of his building. Kali's powers were unhindered by the layers of demonic and spiritual wards he had meticulously placed. The cops seemed to know every inch of his supposedly secret headquarters. In fact, the only thing that seemed to have worked as planned was Simon's immobilization, and Kali had already begun to work through that little detail.

All morning, since they arrived at the police station, she had worried at the issue of Armageddon's binding spells. In the end, it was another question that persisted to trouble her that provided the answer. She had wondered why the Sorcerer could possibly want Tral'zla'thor to begin with. He didn't seem the type to risk his soul for anything. In the demon's experience, those that summoned him were generally weak and foolish. The strong or intelligent realized there were other routes available.

After all, it's not like they're saddled with a conscience.

If someone was willing to perform human sacrifice, then what would a little armed robbery or blackmail be?

The answer was simple; information. There were always some mystics who summoned demons for no other purpose besides contact. Those were usually the ones that knew the truth about the sacrificial portion of the ritual. Tral'zla'thor himself tried to maintain at least a few such contacts. Beyond the fact that they often provided entertaining discourse, it also provided an escape into the corporeal world. Generally the mystics managed to keep him contained but occasionally the wards would fail and loose him upon the world once more. Especially when the sacrifice was circumvented.

Once that truth dawned no her, Kali began to scour the demon's memory and knowledge, ahead of time, for a way around the Sorcerer's effects. Finally, it had been Simon's suggestion that Armageddon tried to improperly bind her that led her to the final answer. He bound her demonic powers, but not her wholly human abilities. As soon as she realized that, she set about to memorize the incantation to break the spell.

In his arrogance, he never expected she could. He watched Simon like a hawk, wary for any sign of spellcraft, but Kali he treated in much the same manner as he did poor Sascha. They were tools to be used. The non-human aspects diminished them. Or perhaps it was that he never saw humans as his equal. PIA agents required a wary respect, even if only grudging.

All eyes in the room, save Simon's frozen expression, were locked on Kali in a mixture of horror and confusion. Even the police officer, who had crashed through the window attached to a climbing rope, had only managed to roll into a defensive position before he froze and stared. Kali didn't blame any of them, but she gladly took advantage of the situation.

She leaned forward and glided across the room towards the goons who reflexively drew their guns. Her body, below the waist, had transformed into living shadow. It flowed down and draped outwards at the bottom like a formal dress, and held her aloft. Ribbons of darkness spilled away from it and writhed. She had given life to the power, but let it choose the form.

The ribbons flashed outward. One thought granted Kali the shape. One word, once the seal had been breached, gave the chaotic powers license. Protect! For a moment it seemed as if they would refuse. Then, with an overwhelming sense of amused indifference, she shifted. The strength of those ribbons, those dark tendrils, tossed the men who grabbed her aside like feathers. It was then that she tried to rein herself in. She didn't want anyone to die, even to protect herself and Simon, or Sascha. She grudgingly admitted the blond woman was also a victim here.

The swat officer continued to kneel and stare. His shoulder pressed against a wall and his gun, some form of machine-gun Kali guessed, remained trained faithfully despite his confusion. Unfortunately, it followed Kali. Fortunately, he seemed to at least partially understand that she was on his side and refrained from shooting.

Armageddon's thugs, on the other hand, felt no such conflict. They began to reach into waistband holsters or shoulder rigs and draw pistols. Once more her body, her powers, reacted to the threat without conscious thought. The shadow form of her lower body stretched upward and sheathed her upper body. In moments it hardened into a suit of reticulated darkness.

Bullets began to ricochet off of the alien material, which prompted Kali to look, in fear, for Simon. Although she'd finished the spell to release him, she worried that he hadn't made it out before the shots began. He, Sascha and Armageddon were nowhere to be seen. Kali let loose the breath she hadn't even realized she held and turned back to the gathered criminals. She would be a hindrance against the Sorcerer and the police could desperately use her help here.

Somehow, Kali could even see through the seemingly opaque visor that protected her face. After a quick scan of everyone's location, she selected the gangster who could prove the greatest threat to the cop. Unfortunately, the armor moved much differently than her previous form. She nearly fell over numerous times during the first few steps as she tried to acclimate to the heavy, stiff, joints of the suit. By the time she reached the criminal, he dropped the clip free of his gun and scrambled for the next.

Kali reached for both arms and caught them at the elbows. She knew, without demonic prompting, that this form could easily powder the complex joints with nothing more than a quick clutch. Tral'zla'thor would have enjoyed that. That thought, even more than her own morality, convinced her not to do it. Instead she tossed him backwards, and straight into the weak sheetrock wall. The wall dented and cracked and the man simply fell.

"Would you mind doing something!?"

Kali spun briefly towards the officer to aim her accusation, but quickly turned back to the remaining four criminals. Her hand flew up instinctively to ward off the bullets that flew at her face, but the few that landed bounced harmlessly wide.

"This is the police! You are all under arrest. Throw down your weapons or I will be forced to shoot!"

Great, a rookie.

Kali hadn't been around too many crime scenes, or arrests, but even she could hear the wooden manner which he delivered the warning. The criminals didn't even flinch, they just continued to pour their clips at her. They knew the greater threat and ignored the lesser. She couldn't even blame them, or the cop. If she had walked in on five men shooting a seemingly demonic entity, she probably wouldn't know where to shoot either. So long as they fought amongst themselves, she'd wait to try to sort out only the victor.

"How about this. You can either drop your weapons and submit to the officer's authority, or I can personally disarm each and every one of you."

As she spoke she raised her arms before her like a surgeon who had just donned the gloves. Slowly, those arms lengthened and narrowed until they resembled giant serrated blades.

One sight of Kali's newest advancement left them to wonder exactly how she meant to 'disarm' them. Cautiously, one by one, they lowered their guns. Kali continued to glare at them, serrated arm-blades folded across her chest, while the rookie cop took their weapons and began the process of arrest. All the while she worried about how Simon fared with Armageddon.

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Simon bolted around the corner at high speed. Instantly he threw himself flat behind a dinner rack. The simple rolling cart didn't provide much actual protection, but he didn't expect to need much. A few shots rang out, but they went wide. In the very brief glimpse down the hallway, he spotted one of the Sorcerer's flunkies bolt for the far corner at the end of the hall. The shots he'd fired were more designed to keep Simon from following too closely. Simon was fine with that. After all, he was after Armageddon himself, not any of his strictly mundane associates.

While still frozen, he heard the Sorcerer curse at the dragon. The next moment he was free of the spell that immobilized him. The first thing he did was look for Armageddon, who he spotted through the door. From there it became a foot chase. Quickly apparent was that Armageddon chased after Sascha.

Simon finally jumped out from behind the dinner cart and spotted the door that had closed as he pulled around the corner. He sidled up to the door cautiously. While fairly certain it was the route Armageddon, and hence Sascha, had taken, it was always possible some of his people had gone through it and he had escaped into another room.

Simon finally felt compelled to pull the gun from his rear holster and double check the clip and chamber. All was in order, so he crouched before the door and reached for the handle. Some people, agents and police alike, preferred to be off to one side, but Simon had found that too predictable. If the knob turned, there was only so far you could be from it, which pretty much left the potential 'bad guy with a shotgun' a rather small area to shoot. At least most went for fatal shots rather than simple incapacitation, which left the legs, or whole lower zone, clear.

Left hand opened the door while the right held the gun comfortably forward. After a few moments to take in the scene before him, Simon let the gun slowly sink to his side as he stood up. Armageddon stood by the far wall of a small, sparsely furnished, room. His arm was extended out to the side and his hand clutched air.

I've seen Vadar do this before.

Unfortunately, at one of the side walls, Sascha reacted as half a dozen Imperial officers had in the movies.

With a slightly longer glance, Simon realized that she was actually in pain rather than suffocating, but the overall intent remained the same. She was in desperate trouble and nothing more than an act of the Sorcerer's will could choose her fate. And given this was magic, there was no guarantee that unconsciousness, or even death, would stop the spell. In fact, he rather suspected that all of Armageddon's will was required to maintain the woman's life. Although callous and amoral, he was calculating enough to punish if someone simply disturbed his concentration.

"Very good Agent Pie. I did not understand your angle until I found the transmitter. You were correct, I had forgotten about her humanity. Now, however, that same fact will allow my departure unmolested. You may step through the threshold, but any farther and I am sure the lovely young woman would not appreciate it. That instruction applies to your astral form as surely as your physical."

Simon followed the command to the letter. He even took the extra step of demonstrating that he returned the gun to the holster at his back. Then, he closed the door, to ensure they would not be interrupted.

Armageddon was volatile, and his organization, if not completely compromised, was at least jeopardized in this city. There was blood in the water and the other gangs would circle. If Simon could bind the man's powers, the Sorcerer would likely be dead by the end of the month. Of course, that was a much more difficult prospect for those who needed to cast a spell, rather than simply think it as the Sorcerer did.

"I must admit, your demonling impressed me. I will figure out how she broke through my binding spells. It might take a while, but rest assured I will. And when I do, she will be mine."

Simon kept the flare of rage from his expression. Or at least he thought he had, but Armageddon seemed to find some clue that hadn't been hidden.

"You should not take it so personally my dear opponent. She is powerful and very attractive. Besides, you have cost me my dragon, and are forewarned that I intend to come for your demonling. If you lose her a second time you will have no one but yourself to blame."

"I didn't cost you the dragon, Armageddon. You cost that yourself. You could have sought its power and knowledge freely, but you chose to try to possess it instead."

Simon leaned back against the door and crossed his arms. He hoped the relaxed position worked through his subconscious to calm him after the threats against Kali.

"The harder you tried to hold on to it, the more it began to slip away."

Armageddon's spell began to relax slightly. Sascha collapsed to her knees and doubled over. Her breath was shaky and Simon couldn't tell if that meant the pain increased or decreased. He hoped, for both her sake and the dragon's, that the effects had lessened. The Sorcerer seemed to enjoy the banter. Simon had suspected he would, since it fit with his almost comic-book-villain persona.

"That is truly an interesting interpretation. Mine would be that I overextended slightly. Had I known of the fate of Tral'zla'thor there is much I would have done differently. That was what has deprived me of this particular tool. For a time."

Armageddon began to back towards the wall. If Simon figured properly, it was one of the innermost walls of the floor. That didn't rule out the possibility of a hidden elevator. That would be well within the man's pathology. It meant that Simon needed to act quickly.

He shifted off of the door, careful not to appear he intended to move forward, and shoved his hands in his jacket pockets in the hopes that the Sorcerer would remember that the gun was in the small of his back and there had been no noticeable weight in his pockets that could be assumed to be weapons. In truth, the gun was his only mundane weapon. He wanted to look harmless without added suspicion.

"Let's make sure I understand this, please. I let you walk away, let you slip past the police, and you don't kill the weredragon. But you warn us that you will continue to pursue both her and my associate."

Armageddon smiled and stooped into a half bow. "You have quite succinctly demonstrated your gasp of the situation. Admirable. Now," he stopped moving, "what is your decision?"

Simon was glad that Sorcerers, amongst their vast diversity of abilities, did not possess abnormally acute senses. If he had, he would have heard the whispered chant, he could have seen the slight twitch of lips that betrayed the words. A werewolf might even have smelled the sachets of carefully prepared and measured herbs in his pockets. As it was, Armageddon had no warning of what was to come. Instead, he saw the pack of cigarettes come out of one pocket, the lighter out of the other, and fingers dig in ~perhaps to find the last butt.

Simon pulled the sachet of powdered herbs free. The other hand dropped the empty pack and shifted to flick the flint wheel on the lighter. Even though most of the powder drifted to the floor, the instant incineration of the paper burnt some of the thoroughly mixed incense and released the needed smoke. Along with the sachet had been a single hair he'd managed to get off of Armageddon's table on the first visit, which also shriveled and burnt under the sudden flame.

"... Bound in sight, locked so tight

Power never to be free,

This is my will, so mote it be!"

With the first word out of his lips, Armageddon realized that the moment Simon finished his summary he had begun to cast. Simon felt the surge of energy as the Sorcerer prepared to cast a spell, or perhaps counter his, but he'd kept quiet long enough that there was no time to react. With only five surprised seconds, even a master Sorcerer could not block the binding.

The power that had built within Armageddon vanished instantly. Spells that bound a persons power actually accomplished two things at once. The first was little more than a shield around the person which kept them from drawing energy or casting spells beyond its reach. The second part of every binding prevented the person from conscious manipulation of their own energy. Their body still reacted properly, but they could no longer perform even the slightest spell, telepathic or telekinetic ability.

Unfortunately, Simon's prediction about Armageddon's spell proved dangerously accurate. The moment his powers failed, Sascha collapsed to the floor and writhed in pain. Simon knew the former Sorcerer was about to escape, but without powers, he no longer qualified for the PIA's jurisdiction.

Let the police, or better yet the other mobs, deal with him.

Sascha was now his responsibility.

Through his other-sight, Simon could see the spell as it tightened around her. It was ingenious in a horrifically brutal sort of way. Based on what had happened to the corpses when the dragon had tried to free itself, Armageddon had designed a spell which forced the dragon to evacuate its host.

Now, without the Sorcerer's will to hold back the spell, at least partially, only the dragon kept itself from tearing Sascha apart. While a dragon's determination is formidable, it is far from infinite. It dug its spiritual claws in, but instead of tearing her apart, it tried to hold her together.

Simon slid to a stop next to the young woman. Although the dragon could undoubtedly view the spell as easily as he could, she was the target. Without time and tools she could not break the spell herself, especially with their combined concentration frayed to the breaking point by the pain.

However, with the dragon holding off the effects of the spell, Simon could concentrate fully on unraveling it. Spellcraft wasn't his strongest talent by half, but it was clear that Armageddon had put little effort into the design of this spell. It had been a spur-of-the-moment decision to buy him the time to escape.

Simon knelt, and sat on his feet with his hands on his thighs. With a deep breath, he launched himself from his body.

It always amazed him how different spells could look when in astral form as compared with simple other-sight. What had looked like a dark shroud of fog around Sascha and the dragon, became a mass of malignant shadow. At various points it oozed inwards in an attempt to grab the dragon and pull it free. The dragon fought each oily vine with claws, tail and fang, but more and more came.

Simon envisioned fire. Instead of the flicker of flames that he expected, his hands began to glow with a pure, even, light. This was how he knew to his very soul that God approved of his actions. Often, when he was on the right course, but not quite the most effective possible, his spells adjusted slightly. He plunged his hands into the dark sphere the surrounded the lycanthrope.

"Evil power of controlling bands,

I purge you with blazing hands,

light to peel the dark away,

night overcome by light of day,

vanish now from my sight,

flee from God's almighty light!"

The words flowed from Simon. As his spell began to form, Simon continued to pray silently. This wasn't a demon he battled. It wasn't even truly evil. It was a spell, it had no intelligence of its own, not even instinct. It was a net of barbs thrown over two poor souls and it was his job to pick them free. But he prayed for the strength and ability to pluck it free.

Slowly, the light from his hands began to expand outward and the shadow of the spell retreated before it. Within a minute the last shreds of shadow floated to the corners of the room and vanished. Simon slumped back into his body and sagged.

All it took was a glance around the room to know that his guess had been correct. Armageddon had escaped. Simon turned back to Sascha and slid one of her arms around his waist. With a little work she could walk with his support. It was time to find everyone else.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Kali had to admit to no little jealousy when she had seen the blond woman walk in with her arm around Simon's waist. The feeling vanished the moment she realized that the poor woman was both terrified and in pain. It was a good thing that she had made peace with it, because now the two women sat in a police interrogation room and waited for Simon to be done.

"So Armageddon's spells didn't prevent you and the dragon from talking to each other when he limited your powers?"

"Not at all. He mostly wanted her for her knowledge to begin with. It wouldn't do to block her ability to communicate. In fact it would be counterproductive. Why would he block us like that?"

"Well, it's just that when he blocked my powers, he also blocked the strange memory that somehow came with them. It's the first time since I was attacked that I could even think for myself without some hint of him being there."

Sascha nodded sagely. "It makes sense. You said it yourself, the memories came with the powers. They're all mixed together. So when he took the one the other went. But me, I have no power and her power isn't connected to her ability to think or speak."

Kali had found she actually liked the woman. At a guess, Sascha was almost a decade older than her, and did something corporate, but she seemed a lot like Kali in other ways. She was attractive and intelligent and not afraid of either. And, like her, the woman was new to the whole concept of layered reality. Fortunately, the dragon seemed much more friendly than the demonic memories.

The door opened and the two women looked up. Simon leaned against the door frame and smiled at them both. Kali hoped she wasn't simply letting her hopes get away from her when she thought his gaze lingered longer and brighter on her.

"We're all free to go."

They didn't need to be told twice. Both hurried to grab their coffees and bags and follow him out of the station.

"They want to make sure we stay in the area, for a while at least. We're not under suspicion or anything like that, don't worry. It's just that we might need to be called on to act as witnesses in court. I doubt it will come to that though. Most of the people they picked up have very good lawyers. And besides, we all know that no one but Armageddon was the only one responsible for either of the kidnappings, and none of us saw any other criminal activity. Well, there was resisting arrest, but that one's pretty straight forward anyway."

As they cleared the station, Kali felt her entire body heat up as Simon slid an arm around her waist. The three walked down the stairs when Simon stopped, halfway down, and turned to Sascha.

"Although I think your new friend can probably help you much more than I can, feel free to give me a call if you need anything." He pulled out a business card and handed it to her. "I'd also like to mention that the PIA can always use help with research. Even if you could only help out part time, a little information here and there or an internet conversation with some of our people would be an immense help with our records."

Sascha thanked him and promised to discuss it with her 'friend.' The three reached the bottom of the stairs, where Simon hailed a cab ~a miraculous feat in its own right~ held the door for Sascha and paid for her fair. He continued to hold Kali as he waved goodbye.

Kali turned in his grip so that the front of her body pressed against his side. One hand raised to press against his chest while the other slid to the small of his back. Simon only turned his head to look at her but his gaze was filled with equal parts genuine warmth and heat. She had to admit that the intensity of the morning's activity had stirred her desire as well.

Despite what she saw, her stomach twisted with nerves as she thought about the question she needed to ask. She knew he could sense her trouble and waited patiently for her. She took a deep breath and plunged ahead.

"So what happens now?"

Simon's smile didn't falter for a minute. The only change was a softening of his eyes.

"You heard, I'm not allowed to leave in case they need me to act as a witness, so I guess you're stuck with me. At least for a while."

He must have seen something that let him know that the joke had stung slightly. His eyes tightened in seriousness and he turned towards her. His hands found her hips as he pushed her slightly away, as if contact between their bodies might distract them. Kali had to admit, she did find the feel of his body could steal her attention fairly easily.

"I meant it when I told you I would put everything aside and help teach you to master your powers. From what I saw today, you're getting a fairly good grasp of at least the basics, but that's still a long way from mastery."

He took a deep breath, and for just a moment Kali could see something akin to fear in his eyes. The moment passed and he continued.

"I have to be completely honest with you though. I think I've begun to fall in love with you. If that makes you uncomfortable, I can still find someone else to teach you, but I thought you needed to know."

Kali's hands, which had found their way to his chest when he turned, reached down to take his hands and move them between them.

"I'll be honest, too, then. I don't know how I feel. I think you're a wonderful teacher, and a great person. I hope we can continue to see each other, not just for lessons either." His eyes were shining. "Regardless, I think we make a great team."

Simon beamed as he pulled her into a tight hug. Her body ached as she felt the solid length press against her. After a dangerous minute holding her that close, he finally pulled away to slide his arm around her waist and lead her back towards the car.

"That reminds me. I've been meaning to ask if you would be interested in a job or two with the PIA..."

Kali listened with half her mind, as the other half wandered ahead and thought of the fun they could have.

Copyright July 2007, by Deathlynx