Demon's Awakening Ch. 08

ALOR

Under two scorching suns, the desert plain turned pink.

"They say the library of Alexandria was buried here." Kaz said, scanning the shifting sands as they walked. "Remember when we used to throw rocks at the Keepers from the gates?"

Alor smirked turning the memory over in his head. "You'd steal the books. I'll never forget the perfect shot I made at that old grumpy Keeper, with his stack of books wavering in his arms."

Kaz laughed, throwing sand at Alor. It scratched across his true shoulder emblazoned with ancient tattoos. Inscriptions from his ancestors to carry on their bloodline. His build was much the same as Jin's had been, except now he had dark red skin, horns at his temples, and clawed fingers he'd dearly missed.

And his cock.

Seven hells he'd missed his cock. Alor could've cried.

But there was someone he missed even more than he was willing to admit. He'd promised Mina he would return to her once he'd give Jin's body back to it's rightful owner, and reclaimed his own. But going back to her, also meant he could be turned away.

He'd been stalling.

"Thats curious?" Kaz interrupted him from his reverie, watching an area of the sky. He pointed.

Alor saw a small black shape falling from the clouds. Terrified screams echoed across the desert landscape, it smelt human. And male.

Alor scratched his chin. "Well would you look at that, it's Ethan."

Kaz frowned in confusion. "A Ethan?"

"One of Mina's little friends." As he said it, Alor realised the only reason Ethan could be transported here was if a another ancient being interfered with him. Or something had interfered with Mina.

Humans died if they fell from a long height. Alor felt the phantom pain in his bones falling off C4 tower.

Shit.

At light speed, Alor ran across the dunes to the location Ethan was going to hit. With his true legs, he launched into the arid air, catching Ethan like a weighted rock.

He'd expected to hit the ground smoothly, only Ethan's collision sent them back over the dune, causing Alor to fall on his back with Ethan on top of him.

Alor spewed a cloud of sand from his mouth. "You alive?"

Ethan dry heaved, crawling off Alor to clutch on the sand beneath him. He vomited.

Alor stood up and brushed the sand off his skin with a smile. "Good."

Once Ethan was finished, his glare spoke volumes. You get pleasure out of this. Before he grimaced and emptied his stomach once again.

"A human?" Kaz stood over Ethan, his head cocked. He gave Alor an insinuating look. "Here?"

It took Alor a moment to catch onto what Kaz meant. He scoffed. "No, only Mina for me."

"I know your taste," said Kaz. "It doesn't stop at females."

Alor grimaced. Remembering how he fought over Ethan's consciousness mid-possession. "I didn't summon him here for my own pleasure. He's a brat."

"Stop talking about me!" Ethan balanced onto his feet, stumbling and kicking up sand. "Mina's been taken!"

Alor didn't have a heart, but if he did it would've stopped. "What?"

Ethan caught his breath and stood up straight. "This giant black shadow thing swallowed her! I tried to get her out but it crashed through the bed down into a portal and sucked me in with it." He held out a dark piece of jewellery. On closer inspection, Alor realised it was Mina's protective amulet.

Ethan sighed, overcome with emotion. "I tried putting this on her wrist, but it wouldn't work."

"Gurge." Kaz said in a confirming tone. He glanced a Alor. "He smelt you on her."

Gurge was a long time foe and minor God. He was an enemy to many entities, like the annoying spoilt little brother who wanted everything the eldest child received. He'd toil and meddle in the affairs of everyone in the Spirit Realm.

But he'd never meddled with a human before. Alor was ready to rip his head off and fish Mina out of his stomach at all costs. Even if she was just a corpse.

He needed to avenge her.

Alor gripped Ethan on the shoulder, a gesture of companionship. His eyes blazed in his sockets.

"We will find her."

The three of them trudged across the desert in search for Gurge. Alor knew he inhabited this land, it was the prime place to mess with spirits crossing the hellscape. But as the light faded, casting the desert in a blue hue with the cold stars glinting down at them, it became unnaturally quiet. It unnerved Alor.

"I might advise putting that around your neck, human." Kaz spoke up, looking over his shoulder at Ethan. He was visibly drained, what with falling out of the sky and walking for hours. "None of us can hurt you that way, even Gurge."

Ethan's eyes narrowed, his voice rasped from the heat. "I can handle demons."

Kaz returned his gaze to the front, amused. "The audacity... Don't cry once your insides are outside."

Alor spied a large shape on the horizon, stopping in his tracks. "There."

Every godly being had a temple of worship, Gurge's stood foreboding in the haze of the desert night. Part of it had collapsed into ruins, but the sandstone steps held strong, leading to the dark opening at the top of the structure. Left abandoned, there was no such thing as worship there.

"Did you hear that?" Ethan whipped around, searching among the dunes around them.

"The desert plays tricks on you." Alor said, darting down the dune. "If we run we can make it to the temple in a few minutes."

"Theres something gurgling. Can't you hear it!" Ethan exasperated, grabbing Kaz by the back of his white robes.

"I think he's going mad." Kaz tried to shrug Ethan off him. He called out to Alor. "Can't we just leave him here!"

There was a fair distance between them now, Alor could only just hear Kaz's voice reach his ear. He growled and turned around. They were two sand dunes away. So much for saving time.

"No!" Alor trudged back, closing the gaping distance at speed. "Ethan's the only one who can hold the amulet. He needs to give it to Mina."

That was when the ground began to tremble.

They were only twenty metres away. Alor could get to them.

But Kaz sensed what was happening and grabbed Ethan by the collar of his sweater.

A black mass barrled out from under their feet, launching them both mid-air like the sand all around them. Gurgling like a beast eating it's fresh kill, Gurge charged through the sand like a vicious snake.

Alor shrieked, watching as Kaz lost his grip on Ethan and the human fell into the gaping maw. Kaz rebounded off the side of Gurge as the God continued to his temple like he didn't just swallow another human.

"Hurry!" Alor called out to Kaz, turning on his heel and darting towards the sandstone temple.

But Gurge made an example of him, arriving at the temple in the blink of an eye. Gurge dove under the sand before the stone steps began, entering from below the only way he could.

"How do you propose we fight Gurge?" Kaz panted, having caught up to Alor's side. They were both at a dead run.

Alor wasn't tired one bit. His true body had been gloriously asleep for millenium, ready to put up a fight for the ages. "Just like old times, you collect while I distract. But we need weapons."