The Heartstone Saga by Archibald Bradford (short novels in english .TXT) 📕

belt, keeping it behind the shield so she couldn’t see it.

But his preparations did nothing to dissuade Evadne; and after recovering her temper again she simply laughed when she recognized that his courage wouldn’t be broken by her words alone.

“How like your father you are!”

“Thanks, I’m told he had a pretty big dick too.” Nameless replied immediately, having no interest in hearing anything the Chimera was saying, only that she was still saying it.

Stall for time.

Milly wasn’t the only one who understood her role.

Evadne lunged again, with deadly purpose this time, her tail darting around in wide sweeps to get around the shield’s edge while she swiped at the barrier with her claws.

But each time she attacked her claws were repelled by the charm Volka had put on her shield and her snake tail was likewise parried by Milly’s spear.

Finally she had to retreat back a couple paces when the Minotaur’s weapon nearly poked out one of her eyes.

An opening.

“Here catch!” Nameless snapped.

Evadne let out another mocking laugh as she bent at the waist to duck beneath the canister he threw at her chest, her reflexes far beyond his meager skill.

But he hadn’t activated that one.

Her laughter abruptly ended when the strobe he’d kicked her way with one foot ricocheted off of the metal legs of one of the benches and went off to one side of her stooped face.

“Volka fell for that too.” Nameless said almost sympathetically over her screams of rage and pain.

His Minotaur spun around from behind him and struck at the distracted Chimera, her black spear catching her in the scalp and glancing off to leave a shallow cut in her shoulder, drawing more of her black blood to stain it forevermore.

“Milly get back!”

With one eye temporarily blinded, Evadne recklessly drew both of her hands through shadow again and Nameless had to lunge forwards to protect his exposed cow from another assault of entropic magic.

And this time the light in the shield didn’t repel it, the power of the charm expended so that he and Milly had to absorb the blow with their own strength.

When the darkness again faded from the room, the Chimera unexpectedly retreated as her face went slack, her tearful eyes closing as calm flooded her body.

When they opened again, it wasn’t Evadne looking at them.

The demon was out of patience.

“Ah, the last Empath. And a... I’m sorry I’ve forgotten what you are, some manner of animal given the power of speech?”

Milly and Nameless both felt the change in the other monster girl: her feral edge faded away like mist in the wind and was replaced with a gnawing coldness that sank into their very bones.

The Minotaur was the first to truly realize just what they now faced.

“You... aren’t Evadne.”

“I am not.” The demon confirmed as it stretched out the Chimera’s arms, enjoying the sensation of occupying her form so utterly once more; “I am inevitable.”

“Inevitable? Cool name. Wish I had one.” Nameless muttered, but the demon wasn’t listening to him.

It was too busy massaging Evadne’s breasts with her black-clawed fingers.

“I must say, I do enjoy these meat sacks that the females all have.” Its hands fell away again as the Chimera’s black eyes looked to Nameless’s golds; “But despite the pleasure that such diversions bring me, my purpose is the same as ever it has been. All will be dust that we may return to the eternal quiet we knew before. Life is noisome. Life is flawed. Life ends.”

Milly let out a derisive snort from behind her bond-mate, the hope that Volka had helped to encourage in her surging forth and causing her heart to beat strongly in her chest, a beacon that refuted everything the demon was saying.

“Yeah of course! But then it begins again!” She challenged boldly; “And again, and again after that! Even if you kill us here, others will take up the fight! You will never get what you want!”

The hollow voice that used to belong to Evadne chuckled, an unpleasant sound, like shale rubbing together.

“Brazen little creature. I think it is about time for you to end, don’t you?”

Nameless’s jaw tightened at the threat to his beloved cow, but he kept his cool.

“Not really. We have plans later.”

Again that horrid laughter greeted his words as the Chimera made a broad gesture with one clawed hand.

“As we speak my precious Evadne’s Ogres are rampaging through this city! Even if you escaped me somehow, there is no way you can stop all of my slaves from reaping countless lives!”

Nameless drew in a steadying breath as he received the signal he had been waiting on in his mind, his shoulders almost sagging with relief.

“That’s the difference between us. You have slaves. I have friends.”

The demon tilted Evadne’s head down and hissed at his words, drawing back for another assault.

Then the wall beside it suddenly exploded outwards under the force of Nina’s hammer.

Having felt it coming, Nameless and Milly ducked behind Volka’s shield and were spared from the flying debris, while one of Evadne’s bat-like wings came up instinctively to do the same.

“FOUND YOU!” The Gigas roared as she charged through the sudden opening.

The next swing of her hammer collided with the Chimera’s arms, held up in a guard, flinging her whole body backwards into one of the few undamaged parts of the walls.

The little red powerhouse put herself between Evadne and Nameless, her red eyes blazing with rage.

“This ass-kicking has been coming for way too long!” Nina rumbled as she stalked forwards.

The dark monster was a bit unsteady on her feet as she picked herself up off the damaged floor, even needing to shake her head side to side to clear the stars from her vision.

The demon ceded control once more in