The Cambion Chronicles Ch. 13

Helen's truck was parked in an inconspicuous city alley. After hours of traveling on the road, they had reached Monroe, a city at least twice as big as North Jefferson. The redhead witch sat in the driver's seat with a pair of binoculars over her eyes, observing a building a couple of blocks away, "It's just an old church, I don't see anything strange," she spoke while lowering the binoculars and turning to Kristanna on the passenger's seat.

Helen's expression shifted to one of concern as she looked at the demoness. She could see the tension on Kristanna's body, the way she clenched her fists and cracked her visibly strained neck uncomfortably, shifting on her seat and occasionally taking deep breaths. The demoness had been resisting Orgorath's influence, but it was clear that she could not do it for much longer. She probably hadn't even heard Helen's remarks about the church.

While Octavia and Helen surveyed the area, Kristanna made it her full-time job to push the thoughts and voices away. On the road there were distractions, but being alone with her thoughts inside a truck made everything harder. Despite having fucked and fed for the entire previous night at the motel, Kristanna's cock remained in a permanent semi-erect state during their trip. It just would not calm down. Each time a stranger walked by Kristanna, her mind imagined them utterly impaled by her shaft. Bent over and bloated, their insides prolapsed in the most degrading ways after being used and discarded like mere toys. She had to constantly look out her window and turn her head away from Helen just to avoid looking at the witch's thick thighs and plentiful cleavage.

Kristanna wasn't sure if the heat overtaking her was because they were finally so close to getting the Demonic Focus and ending this nightmare. Or if she was just losing the battle of wills to Orgorath. All she knew was the toll and heft upon her mind and body. Controlling her insatiable lust and ignoring Orgorath's destructive impulses tested the limits of her willpower.

The demoness' constant state of arousal affected everyone around her through her lust aura. Helen could barely contain herself, practically jumping onto Kristanna's cock at any point she could. They had left a few corners and roadside bathrooms drenched in demon cum on their way here.

Octavia approached suddenly and leaned her arm on the truck window next to Helen, "Alright, that church has been converted into a museum, probably years ago. This is how The Rise justifies the site's level of security and stays out of trouble with city licenses. The place is open most of the day, but I don't think they would keep anything truly valuable on display. The bracers we want are most likely underground inside a secured vault."

"So, what's the plan?" Helen asked nervously.

"The Rise doesn't have heavy security on these sites. They know the hallowed ground does most of the protection, and regular people have no interest in these church relics. On any other day, I would just observe, and figure out who is their officer on site, how strong they are, and where they keep the keys to the vault. But.... guessing by the looks of it, we don't have that kind of time," Octavia remarked as she looked over to Kristanna with a nod, noticing the demoness struggling on the passenger's seat.

"So the plan is simple: I'm just gonna go in, disable any guards, find the holy chamber that creates the hallowed ground, and desecrate it so you can come in. I'm guessing our Cambion friend wouldn't have much trouble using that convenient telekinesis to break the vault open after that, would you?"

Kristanna turned her gaze to Octavia, her demonic eyes were showing, teeth clenched. She took a deep breath before responding, "I'll have to manage, I guess."

"Well, great. Because the guardian will never open it for us, or give us the key. These people will die before they give up anything to... a traitor." Octavia lowered her head, the conflict of what she was about to do emerging in her mind as she slowly accepted her fate. She kept reminding herself of all the bullshit politics inside the Celestial Rise, how out of touch they were with the world. She knew she couldn't go back to that, they probably wouldn't even accept her at this point. Bishop Kristensen had expressed a thinly veiled hatred towards Octavia since day one, her influence was wide. She had finally gotten her way, whatever her agenda was. Still, acting against The Rise in such an aggressive way gave the huntress second thoughts.

Helen looked concerned, Octavia's plan boiled down to "trust me, bro". If she failed it was all over. "So that's it? You just go in, then we go in? Simple as that?"

"Isn't that why you brought me in? This wouldn't be nearly this simple without someone on the inside. I'm that someone. You're welcome, by the way."

Helen let out a sigh. They didn't seem to have much of a choice. Normally Kristanna would be able to employ her strategic mind to help somehow, but she was barely holding on to her sanity as it was. The witch tried to inquire and make sure the plan was at least feasible, "And you think they will just let you in?"

Octavia nodded confidently, "I have some old codes and key phrases, I can use them to show I am part of The Celestial Rise and get them to lower their guard. I will make up a story about being ordered to pick up a relic that is in their vault. They will double-check my assignment with their ancient phone system. It will take them a while and I'll use that window to wander around, then desecrate the well. Did you get me that thing I asked for?"

Helen reached to the side of the seat and lifted a small plastic pot. One of those you fill up with pee and take to the doctor for examination. Inside the pot, there was a viscous, white goo. Kristanna's cum filled it to the brim, still warm to the touch.

Octavia blushed as she grabbed the pot and placed it in her jacket pocket, "I didn't need the whole thing filled, just a few drops is enough to corrupt the well."

"Well, we had plenty left... like, buckets of it." Helen responded with a cheeky smile, casually glancing at the corner of the alley where the "extraction" had taken place. Kristanna's cum covered the floor and walls as if scattered by a bomb.

The Demon huntress just shook her head and shrugged it off, walking away from Helen's truck and towards the alley exit. She ran into Gweneth, who leaned against the brick wall next to her parked bike, smoking a cigarette as she observed the cars and the people going about their lives.

With her dark short hair, green eyes, heavy make-up, and tattoos, Gwen stood out almost anywhere. She got the occasional glance from people passing by on foot or even in their cars. She chuckled as she looked at the "normal" folk judging her with their stares. She didn't blame them. A woman in her fifties, looking like she had never really moved on from her youth. A rock'n roll grandma who never made it her goal to look normal or be accepted. She lived on her terms.

Ironically, Gweneth knew that, no matter how shocked they were by her style choice, none of the onlookers could imagine the reality of her situation. They'd never guess that she was on a road trip with the love of her life, a practically immortal demon huntress, on her way to betray her religious cult and steal a Demonic relic from a church museum with the help of a half-succubus and her witch lover. It sounded crazy to even repeat it.

Gwen barely glanced at Octavia's gait as she approached and she could already tell something was off with the huntress, "You don't seem very confident in this plan."

"The plan is fine, it's just..." She cut the sentence in the middle, shaking her head and steeling herself.

Gwen could see the turmoil within Octavia's mind and heart. She waited to see if she would continue to speak but realized that she wouldn't. Opening up was still hard for the huntress, "I get it. You lived this life for decades and now it's about to be over. You don't know what comes after this."

The huntress adjusted a lock of her long, silver hair behind her ear nervously. Her other hand clenched the warm pot inside her pocket. For Octavia, speaking about herself almost felt like torture, "What if this is a mistake? What if I'm going against something good here, Gwen? There won't be any way back from this."

The middle-aged bartender nodded, throwing the cigarette on the ground and putting it down under her leather, platform boot. "When Gabriel sent you those messages saying you were going to be judged for some bullshit Divinium arrows. Do you think the Celestial Rise second-guessed their actions like you're doing now? Do you think they ever hesitated? Or stopped to consider how much they valued your years of service and sacrifice in their decision-making? Or any of the hunters, for that matter?"

It was a simple question, but there wasn't a simple answer. Seconds of silence went by until Octavia finally responded, "No, I don't think so."

Gwen simply raised her eyebrows and tilted her head, her expression spelled "There you go".

Octavia shook her head, nodding in agreement as she expressed out loud her stream of thoughts, "I have met so many hunters who are now dead. And I never even mourned them. I remember how I was also willing to die, eager even. And I was close to it too, many times. Reckless, uncaring. The thought of sacrificing myself didn't even phase me. But whatever it was, that wasn't courage. I was... Hopeless. They made me think of myself as disposable. They made me give up my life, give up on you for years! And when I look around me it's like it was all for nothing."

Gwen nodded, then wrapped an arm around Octavia's waist leaning on her chest, "But you're here now, you broke out. You have to give them hell, "O". Your life is still yours to live! Don't let them take that away too."

Octavia smiled softly, then nodded back. She walked to her bike parked nearby and grabbed a bag of tools from the saddle bag, then tossed it to Gwen, "You still remember what wires to cut?"

Gwen smiled widely, "Oh yeah".

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The Novice escorted Octavia through the maze of narrow hallways underneath the church. She held a candle in one hand, reflecting on her white habit and veil as she smiled. Daisy couldn't be much older than twenty. A few locks of her blonde hair escaped through the veil as she excitedly explained to Octavia, "You're the first member of The Rise I've seen since I was sent here, you know? Once sister Paula confirms your request we can get you what you need. Do you know if it's more at the back of the vault or the front? We might have to move a few things in there."

"I'm not sure", Octavia answered, but she sounded distant. As they walked, she focused on getting the layout of the hallways, figuring out which way would lead to the Sacred Chamber where they kept the well of blessed water and the holy remains that consecrated these grounds.

Daisy turned a corner, "The vault is over here. Now we just have to wait for Sister Pa..."

The novice's sentence was cut short as Octavia grabbed her head and hit it against the wall, causing her body to fall limp, "Sorry, kiddo", she whispered to herself as she knelt and grabbed Daisy's keys. The huntress began walking through the hallways, using her enhanced senses to see in the darkness and look for the chamber.

Upstairs, Sister Paula unlocked the door to a mostly unused office. She didn't wear a habit like Daisy, sporting more common, yet elegant clothes. A suit with a skirt and pantyhose and an elegant jacket to match it. All over a tightly buttoned white shirt that reached her neck, where a beautiful golden medallion held it together. Sister Paula looked like she was in her thirties, a beautiful, tall, and imposing woman. Her honey-colored hair was wavy but remained tied in an elegant bun over her head. Her skin was white, she mostly stayed indoors and sported no tan. Her green eyes were piercing and resolute.

As Sister Paula approached the desk in the office, she unhooked a yellow phone. It was one of those disk phones, ancient tech. As she placed it on her ear she heard no tone. Her finger smashed the button a few times in frustration. She then checked the cable, seeing that it was properly connected to the wall, she asked herself "What in God's name is happening?"

Sister Paula wasn't aware that a few meters above her at the street level, Gwen had already cut all cables connecting to the church and disabled all communications. Alarmed, Sister Paula turned around and began walking back to the underground hallways. The noise of her heels echoed through the space.

Not too far, Octavia came upon the holy chamber she was looking for. A twenty-five feet wide, square room with a tall ceiling, perfectly dry and warm. A chandelier illuminated the entire room evenly. Smooth stone tiles covered the floor and walls of the chamber, the candlelight they reflected made the room look like a piece of heaven on earth. Underneath the chandelier and at the center of the room was a big basin filled with holy water. Three golden urns with the bones of priests long dead rested on pillars symmetrically placed around the basin.

Reaching for her pocket, the huntress pulled out the plastic pot with Kristanna's cum. She began to unscrew the lid, taking a moment to consider her actions. This is it, there was no going back. With a deep breath, she poured the white goo into the water, tainting it with Demonic essence. She could see the candles flicker within the chamber as the holy energy began to dissipate. Perceiving with her Divine Sense, Octavia watched the strings of holy power turning into contaminated tendrils that permeated through the entire area.

As she turned to look, she saw Sister Paula standing by the entrance to the chamber, holding a wooden staff in her hand menacingly, "What did you just do? Why?"

Octavia trembled. For a second, she felt shame. But she couldn't allow herself to be weak now. The huntress looked deeply into Sister Paula's eyes, "The Rise doesn't care about you or me, all they care about is control. We are pawns in their game. They are sworn to protect humans, and yet they will have us kill anyone if it suits their goals! They are so obsessed with purity that they forget about mercy, joy, and forgiveness! I have nothing against you. We don't have to fight, Sister."

Paula didn't seem to swallow the message, shaking her head in disbelief, "You're blind! The Rise is the only thing keeping us from being overrun by the forces of hell!"

"Perhaps they are. But they will have to find another fool to do the fighting for them. I am done."

"Yes, you are!" Sister Paula said as she swung her staff and attacked Octavia. Despite her years of training, the demon huntress could barely dodge the first strike. Usually, she could see her opponent's movements coming from a mile away and use her superior agility to avoid them. But Sister Paula was no ordinary opponent. Perhaps an even better fighter than Gabriel.

With acrobatic moves, Octavia used the space in the room to escape Paula's swift strikes. She only succeeded because she moved around the pillars with the golden relics, which Sister Paula hesitated to strike. Having room to breathe, Octavia was able to finally take a proper stance. She then closed in the distance and went on the offensive. As she charged, her eyes began to glow with white light, the halo appeared above her head and light tendrils resembling wings emerged from her back. She punched, kicked, and pulled on Sister Paula's staff, trying to disarm her. But her enemy was quick to turn and dodge, protecting her weapon while maintaining balance and gaining some distance.

Sister Paula's skirt had slid up her thighs as she fought, now resembling more of a belt around her waist. They revealed the garter and pantyhose. Her suit jacket was partially off too, torn by Octavia. Her outfit wasn't built for the range of movement a fight required. Paula casually discarded her clothes on the chamber floor, revealing a white and golden leotard below. The outfit was tight to her curvy and athletic body, a typical huntress attire. Sister Paula's body shape rivaled Octavia's own athletic, perfect build. A similar halo and wings emerged from the tall woman. But unlike Octavia's white and golden light, Sister Paula's emanated a blue hue.

The fight continued, but having no weapon, Octavia found herself at a major disadvantage. She took several blows to her legs and body in her attempts to disarm or knock down Sister Paula. They broke off and retreated, but each time they engaged Octavia got the worst of it. Despite ditching a few strikes to Sister Paula, she was ultimately unable to end the fight. Sister Paula was wearing her down. The seconds felt like minutes, and then real minutes went by as the two fighters displayed unnatural stamina.

One wrong move was all it took for Octavia to be grappled by Sister Paula. She tried to escape but her arm was only twisted further. Octavia used her legs to push toward a wall, trying to shove her opponent back and take the fight to the floor. Sister Paula saw it coming and flipped her body, using Octavia's momentum to shift positions and end up behind her. Octavia found herself facing the entrance tunnel, with Sister Paula's arm wrapped around her neck in an almost perfect choke hold.

Sister Paula kicked Octavia's knees from behind and dominated her as she grunted, choking the huntress slowly, "It's over, you're not getting out of here."

Octavia's decisions all rushed through her mind. What a joke she was, a failure. The only time she decided to act for herself and against The Celestial Rise she had been utterly defeated. She thought of Gwen, how she would be alone. She feared Kristanna would ultimately turn into the monster trapped inside her. She imagined all the victims she would make. Octavia's conscience and divine power began to fade, her eyes rolling slowly to the back of her head, her peripheral vision darkening.

In what she believed would be her last conscious seconds, Octavia saw a silhouette approaching in the corridor. She wasn't walking, she was floating. Two molten pupils and horns glowed in the dark and slowly emerged into the chamber. Upon seeing Kristanna entering, Sister Paula realized the desecration of the holy ground had been successful, "Demon!" She muttered before dropping Octavia on the floor and changing towards Kristanna.

The demoness slowed Sister Paula with her telekinesis, then sent her flying across the room and onto the back wall, cracking the tiles. Sister Paula began to fight the telekinetic forces trying to crush and immobilize her. Her eyes, halo, and wings burned bright with blue light."Ahhh! You will not prevail, spawn of Satan!"

Sister Paula let out a guttural scream moving out and slowly walking towards Kristanna. The demoness pushed back, but she was afraid that drawing on too much power would damage the barrier she had put around Orgorath in her mind. Kristanna could not let loose, and in a fight like this she needed every ounce of power she could get.

Sister Paula was able to move forward and get in range of the demoness, she swung her staff towards Kristanna forcing her to raise a shield around herself. Paula proceeded to viciously wack her staff down towards the demoness, pushing her back slowly.

After several unsuccessful strikes, Sister Paula raised her staff in the air making it glow with blue light. She smashed the tip on Kristanna's shield like a spear and began to push, grunting from the effort. The demoness gritted her teeth screaming, pushing back against Paula's power.

Suddenly, Helen came running through the dark hallway and into the chamber. She held a pair of rusted metal bracelets in her hands, "Catch!" She shouted as she tossed one to Octavia. The Huntress was coughing on the ground and coming back to consciousness. She caught the bracelet in one hand, but hesitated for a moment, feeling the corrupted nature of the artifact. Her gaze moved to Kristanna being attacked by Sister Paula, then back to the bracelet. There was no time, no other way. Octavia made the call and wrapped the artifact around her wrist.