Chapter 4

​Fight

​Grace watched as Legion whipped one of the snakes extending from its arms straight at the Caveman known as Ug. There was a loud cracking sound as the snake broke the sound barrier like a normal whip. Ug caught the snake by its head then pulled hard on it, dragging Legion off its feet and unbalancing the daemon. Ug then used his other arm to yank the snake with such tremendous strength that Legion flew in an arc over his head then crashed down into the small pond.
The caveman smiled.
Legion rose from the water and it cascaded down its body. Ug let go of the snake and it was retracted back towards Legion who was also smiling. “You’ve gotten quicker,” Legion commented.
“Much quicker,” Ug said, and he charged at Legion extending his arm out to close line it. The daemon ducked, spun on its heels and whipped its snakes towards Ug's feet who jumped just in time to avoid them, but Legion rose up with a kick that smashed into Ug's face. Ug tumbled into the pond and Legion let its snakes extend out into the water, which slivered like eels towards the caveman then wrapped themselves around his legs. Legion then span on the spot and pulled Ug through the air and then let go of him sending him straight into a nearby tree. Ug hit the tree with such force that it was uprooted and fell with Ug to the ground.
The daemon then lunged after him and continued their battle.
Grace turned then saw the other caveman called Og throw a punch at Mhoro. The daemon extended a snake from its arm, but instead of using it like a whip, it made the snake wind around its own head, coiling around and around until it was shaped like a shield. Og’s fist hit the shield and the daemon held its ground. From its other arm another snake extended and stopped after about a metre of itself had un-spooled, it then went ridged and the daemon held it like a sword.
Og frowned and then the daemon tried to slash him, forcing him backwards.
The nun was having better luck. Two daemons leapt into the air above her and then continuously whipped their hands forwards and backwards, as if they were throwing something at the nun. The nun side stepped as small darts hit the ground around her. Grace looked more closely and saw that they were actually small snakes whose bodies were as stiff as nails. Their heads were in the ground while their tails pointed into the air. The daemons landed nearby and the small snakes relaxed, popped out of the ground and then slivered back to their masters who gathered them up and were ready to throw them again.
The nun then swept up her hand and her habit extended out from her body like a tossed curtain and gathered around the daemons. The daemons threw their snakes right through it creating little holes in the cloth. But the little gaps weren’t enough to stop the onslaught of material and the cloth was able smother them both. They struggled as the clothes constricted them. A hand, horn or foot, after pressing against the cloth, eventually tore through, but the clothing just kept squeezing until the struggling eventually stopped.
The nun waved her hand and her clothes removed themselves from the daemons. There was almost nothing left of them. What lay on the ground was just their skins and spread across the floor was black blood.
The nun then strolled off to help the cavemen.
Grace watched all this in fascination, marveling at the fact that everyone seemed to have super powers.
Grace looked at the politician, boy and scientist who were also equally gobsmacked at the display of power on show.
Multa then walked through the group heading for the battle in order to join in, however it saw an opportunity instead. “Senator,” it said with a big smile, seeing a chance to have some fun with its captives, and without Legion around to rebuke it.
The US Senator glared at Multa, then went for it not even caring that he was bound by another daemon standing nearby.
Multa was shocked as the Senator punched it in the chest with both of his bound hands. The daemon who was binding him was pulled forward by the politician who then turned and kneed that daemon in the face. The snakes then uncoiled from the Senator’s hands and he went for Multa again, who held its hands up weakly to stop him, it didn't help.
Grace then realised that she herself wasn’t bound, Legion had left her unsecured. She got up and decided to run. She wanted to be as far away as possible from this group of daemons and people. She didn’t like this violence, it seemed totally wrong in this beautiful peaceful place.
The daemon who had bound the Senator picked itself up and saw her escaping. It sent a snake towards her and Grace jumped to avoid it just as the snake struck the ground where she had been standing.
She then discovered that she had landed, though awkwardly, ten meters from where she had jumped.
The daemon frowned at her then re-gathered its snakes, stepped into range and whipped them again. Grace got to her feet then somersaulted backwards just as the head of the snake struck. This time she landed twenty meters away.
She had performed the somersault easily, but she had little time to rest and marvel at her own skill as the Daemon attacked her again.
This time Grace went on the offensive, she wasn’t about to let this daemon get away with trying to hurt her like that. She launched herself at the daemon with her right foot extended. Her jump covered the distance astoundingly quickly and the daemon was as surprised as she was when the kick caught it in the stomach and it doubled over, letting out a groan of pain.
Grace rebound off it and landed a few feet away.
The daemon tried to recover, falling to its knees as it tried to stand up. In desperation it extended its snakes and went to whip her again. Before it could black cloth assailed it and wrapped tightly around its body. Its struggles didn’t last long as the cloth constricted the creature, twisting like a kitchen towel that was being wrung dry, until black blood flowed through the folds of the material.
The nun released the daemon that was nothing but torn shreds of black skin that flopped to the floor.
Grace looked into the eyes of the nun who was appraising her with a stern expression.
“Thanks,” Grace said.
The nun said nothing and just stepped back calmly, as Og and the daemon with the sword and shield tumbled between them, locked in combat.
Og stood up as did the daemon he was battling. Og then threw a low punch and the daemon dropped its shield down to block it. It was a dummy punch however as instead Og grabbed the rim of the shield with his hand and then forced it up into the daemon’s face who staggered as the snake shield hit it in the forehead.
With his opponent dazed Og kicked the daemon hard in the face and it fell to the floor.
“Let’s grab the souls, Multa and run,” Og said to the nun who had watched the battle without emotion.
She nodded and ran at the scientist, boy and the Senator. Her clothes flowed out of her and wrapped themselves around all three souls. The scientist and boy were gathered up easily, but the Senator threw off the clothes as he continued to batter Multa who was unable to strike back.
Eventually the Senator was overcome by the black cloth, which lifted all three souls above the nun’s head. She then ran off holding them above her head. Og ran over to Multa just as it began to compose itself after the multiple hits it had received to the face. After one more punch Multa fell unconscious and Og grabbed it and followed the nun away from the small pool.
“Follow us,” Og said to Grace.
Grace wasn’t certain she wanted to follow them.
She looked around and saw Ug, using a fallen tree like a club, try and strike Legion who just gracefully leaped away from each swing.
Ug then tossed the tree straight at Legion, whose snakes whipped up and sliced the tree in half before it reached it. The snake whip effortlessly cut through the ‘wood’ the tree was made of. The two pieces flew either side of Legion missing it completely but showering him in splinters, the daemon flinched away from the wooden fragments. When it looked up the daemon saw that Ug was running away from their fight.
“See you later Legion,” Ug called out, and the caveman then grabbed Grace in his massive arms and tossed her over his shoulder like a fireman, then followed Og and the nun.
Grace, who was being held in such a way that she was looking back on the battlefield, saw the knocked out or injured daemons.
Legion glared after them in annoyance.
She decided to wave and smile, taunting the daemon.
Legion whipped its snake one last time and the head of the reptile snapped its jaws right in front of her face. She flinched and stopped waving, watching as Legion disappeared from view, unable to give chase.