The Demon Priest

Chapter 2: Black Knights and Demon Blades

 Lancelot Ashridge. You will be the one to stop my father and end his reign of tyranny. You will sacrifice much and at times you will want to give up, but you must not. You will save this world and be hailed as a hero. Now, wake and let your destiny become reality.

 Lance's eyes flashed open and he woke up in a cold sweat. He grabbed his head and winced. What was that, and did it even mean anything? Waving it off as just a dream, he got up and equipped his sword. He pushed open the door then immediately put his arm up to shield his eyes from the blazing sun. He looked around and noticed that no one else was around. He scratched his head and thought.
 'There are no festivals going on are there? No, that's not it. Then what... Oh no, it's Sunday! Why didn't he wake me up?!'
 Lance ran to the church, making it there in no time flat. He opened the doors and everyone stopped what they were doing to look back at him. Geralt, who was in the middle of a reading, stopped for a moment to eye him then continued on. He laughed awkwardly as he took a seat next to Iris.
 "Being late for church isn't a good sign of a priest you know." She smirked.
 "Yeah sorry, weird dream." He replied.
 "Really? Demon related?"
 "Not sure. I didn't have much time to think about it."
 "Who knows, it could be a vision from Gilgamesh."
 Gilgamesh. The god above all other gods who brings peace to the world. Lance didn't think so, it just didn't feel like it. Although who truly knew what a godly vision was like, maybe it was from him.
 "Maybe. I am not sure why a god would be contacting me though."
 Iris just shrugged and they continued to listen to Geralt talk.
 Soon after church ended Lance walked over to his father.
 "There you are. I need to speak with you." The boy said.
 "Well it has to wait. Someone said that they saw something outside the town, in the forest. You have to go look into it."
 "But I... yes sir. I'll be back soon." Lance knew that his duty came first so decided not to argue.
 Geralt waved to his son as he ran off into the woods.

 The snap of a stick turned Lance's attention to his left, but let out a sigh when he realized it was just a deer. He wasn't sure what kind of monster he was looking for which made it harder to track. If he was smart he should have asked for details about it before he just ran off. There was another movement and he spun around raising his sword. He blocked the bite of a timber wolf as it bit down on the blade and Lance shook it off. The wolf growled and began to circle the boy, then jumped. Lance ducked and stabbed upwards tearing through it's stomach. It's innards spilled out onto the ground and it landed with a thump. Lance sheathed his sword and looked at the animal.
 'What a shame. Poor creature never stood a chance.' He thought. 'Now where is that monster?'
 Walking over to a tree he noticed six claw marks etched into the bark. He looked down and saw a foot print that looked to be made of three talons.
 'What kind of monster is this?'
 Lance ran his fingers through his hair, making it a bit messier. He scanned for more clues but there were none to be found. Sitting down on a stump he sighed. He just wanted to get this over with so he could ask about his mother. He wanted to know something, anything, about what she was like or how she died. Being kept in the dark was not something Lance liked, not one bit. To be truthful, he didn't know that much about his father either, which worried him a little bit.
 His ears twitched and he jumped, back flipping through the air and landing on his feet as a monster smashed the stump he was just sitting on. It turned it's head to bare it's fangs and show it's bat like face. It's body was slightly humanoid, but from it's sides six arms with long sharp claws sprouted. It had two muscular legs and  feet with three talons on each.
 'I see. It's a Roth. This may be tough.'
 The Roth narrowed it's red eyes and ran forwards with all of it's arms raised. It slashed at Lance and he rolled to the side, narrowly avoiding the attack. The Roth kicked out sending the boy sprawling across the ground. As Lance got up he saw a claw coming towards him and he put up his sword to block it. As the claw connected the force sent his weapon flying out of his hands and into a nearby tree. His eyes widened and he crossed his arms to shield another attack, which pushed him backwards a foot or two. A mix of golden and crimson blood oozed from his wounds. Lance retrieved his sword, now much more wary about the monster. He charged at it and slashed at it's legs which it tried to jump to avoid, but then Lance adjusted it so that his strike went upwards leaving a gash across its chest. The beast roared and, when it landed, swung with all six of its arms. Lance waited until they were close and then rolled forwards until he was close enough to feel the monsters breath. Quickly, he brought up his sword and lopped off the Roth's head, making a fountain of blood start to spray from the wound. It's head, along with the rest of it's body, slowly fell forwards turning to dust on the process. Lance sheathed his sword and stretched. For him, that was simple exercise. Then he winced as he felt his wounds sting. He was going to have to take care of that when he got back home. He also had to talk to his father. That was to be his first priority. He glanced around at the forest, taking in the beautiful nature. Then he looked up at the sky and noticed a dark cloud.
 'Is it going to rain?' Lance thought. 'No, wait...'
 He inspected it closer. That wasn't a cloud, it was smoke!
 Running through the woods as fast as he could go he reached the town in no time. At least, what was left of it.
 The houses were burned and destroyed, and corpses lined the streets. Blood was everywhere and the smell of death was clear. Fire was spread on everything flammable, including the church. Knights, clad in black steel armor walked through the town with their weapons drawn. Lance could only watch as they slaughtered the towns people.
 There was a movement beside him and he looked to see a man slightly twitching on the ground.
 "A-are you okay?" Lance asked as he propped the man on his knee. His shirt was soaked in blood, which poured from a stab wound in his chest. His mouth opened and closed a few times, then he seemed to find his voice.
 "L-Lance. The Black Knights. They c-came and destroyed the village. They said that *cough* that Abraxas is the true lord. You have to run..." His sentence trailed off as the life disappeared from his eyes. Lance closed them, then did a quick prayer. He thought for a quick moment. Abraxas, supposed king of demons. So that meant these really were the Black Knights. Lance stood and then took off in the direction of the church. The Black Knights was a name he knew all too well. His father told him about them when he had just started helping out the church. They were a group who, for reasons unknown except for those part of the group,, were dedicated to keeping the demons and the chaos on Chiyolas. They by themselves are the same as any human, which gave Lance the advantage because of his blood. However a group is very dangerous and the boy knew that, so he was to be on his guard. He also was told that the higher ups actually drank the blood of monsters to become stronger. A knight up ahead spotted Lance and drew their blade. Lance stopped, drawing his own in return and charged. The knight stabbed forwards and Lance blocked it, then kicked at their stomach. They staggered backwards and he took this moment of weakness to hit them in the head with the pommel of his sword, knocking them out. Even though they destroyed his town and killed his people, the half elf couldn't bring himself to kill a living person. That was inexcusable and he wouldn't do it unless necessary.
 He continued on until he saw his father standing outside of the church, facing three knights.
 Geralt held his katana high and brought it down onto the sword of a knight. As the two struggled for power, another attacker stabbed forwards, just missing their target as Geralt ducked under the attack. The third knight brought his leg up, smashing his armored knee into the priest's face. He fell back and the knights advanced.
 Lance looked on what was about to be his father's death. He didn't have time to stop it, but he also couldn't just stand here and watch it happen without even trying. The half elf closed his eyes and focused, calling out to the very depths of his soul. His eyes flashed open and he stuck his hand out, shouting a single word.
 "Singeral!"
 Raw, uncontrolled magical energy erupted from his finger tips, crashing into the knights like a wave. They were sent flying off into the distance, leaving no trace they were ever in the town.
 Lance had no experience with magic, save for an accident as a child, so his body wasn't conditioned to handle the effects of it. Visibly tired, he stumbled over to his father.
 "Lance!" Geralt exclaimed as he embraced his son. "I'm so glad you're okay. Is it safe to assume that you know what is happening. Lance yawned and sat down on the steps of the church. He looked around at the ensuing chaos around him, unsure of what to do. "Yes I do. However I'm confused about why they are attacking us. What have we done to them?"
 "I can only guess that it's because of the demons we kill. The Black Knights work to keep them on Chiyolas, so us killing them is like an insult, perhaps even a challenge. It may even be the fact that we worship Gilgamesh, who is seen as the slayer of the demons. Whatever the reason, we have to stop them."
 Lance nodded in agreement. He was the best hope Axon had, even if he was only one person. He stood up and gripped his blade, but was surprised to see his father getting up as well.
 "What are you doing?"
 Geralt hefted his katana. "What do you mean? I'm going to help you."
 "You're what? No, that's unacceptable. You have to stay here."
 "Lance, I'm old, but not old enough for you to start taking care of me. I can make my own choices and besides, this is my home and I've lived here a lot longer than you. I won't stand idly by while the knights burn my village and slaughter my people."
 The boy looked into his fathers eyes and knew that there was no changing his mind.
 "Fine, let's go then."
 Wait, I feel that we should be better prepared."
 Lance nodded, knowing what his father meant. They walked into the church and stopped at the door to the basement. Geralt took out a key and inserted into the lock. The door swung open, revealing a room with weapons hanging on the wall and mannequins dressed in different types of armor. Geralt started his collection years ago in case something like this happened. Lance thought he was crazy but now, now he could see his father prepared well.
 The boy walked over to a mannequin and took off a chain mail vest. He took off his robes and threw the vest on, then went over and equipped himself with a full suit of silver leather armor. He chose to leave the helmet behind as it would just obscure his vision. He turned to Geralt, who was dressed in a suit of steel armor with a red cross on the front. He kept his katana while Lance switched his old sword and replaced it with a sturdier, steel one.
 "Now, let's go." Geralt said.
 As soon as they exited the church they were attacked. Two knights blocked their path and held two bows aimed at Lance and Geralt. Lance rushed forwards and cut the bows in half, rendering them useless. Then him and Geralt proceeded to knock them out. They continued to traverse through Axon, effortlessly taking out anyone who crossed their path.
 "Dad, I'm going to go look for Iris." Lance suddenly said as he took out yet another knight.
 Geralt nodded. "Alright, then I shall go look for any survivors. Meet me back at the church son. I love you."
 "I love you too, father."
 Lance ran off in the direction of Iris' manor. As soon as he arrived he felt a sense of dread wash over him. Her parents were dead on the doorstep, their blood running down the stairs like a waterfall. The house itself was engulfed in flames and half of it was utterly destroyed.
 Lance burst through the door to find a knight standing over Iris, who was huddled in a corner. As soon as she saw Lance she tried running over to him, but her attacker blocked her path. She took out a dagger, the same weapon Lance used when he saved her all those years back, and jabbed at her opponent who easily deflected it.
 Lance ran forwards and slashed downwards at the knight, who's armor protected them from being split in two. However the force of it made them stagger forwards, which let Iris stick out her leg and trip them. Lance grabbed the knight by their helmet and smashed their face into the wall. The knight crumpled to the floor, out cold.
 Iris flung herself into Lance's arms and they embraced each other.
 "I'm sorry I couldn't have been here sooner." Lance whispered, fearing that if he spoke any louder more knights would show up.
Iris shook her head. "Hush. You're here now that's all that matters.""But your parents. I could have saved them."
The girl let out a sob and Lance held her tighter. This wasn't the time to talk about it. He let go and then grabbed her hand. "Come on, let's just get to the church."
Iris nodded and the duo exited her house and made their way back to the church.
 "It's... pretty bad out here, isn't it Lance." Iris asked as she witnessed her village being razed.
"I won't lie. It's bad and I'm not sure we can even continue to live here after this. In fact, I don't want to. The Black Knights could always come back."
"I don't even understand why they're here."
"Father said that it has something to do with me killing demons, or because we worship Gilgamesh. Either way they're here now and we have to do something."
 "This is unforgivable, and more so it's sick."
 Lance said nothing, only nodded, for no words could express how he felt. Everything he grew up with was being burned to the ground before his eyes. Everyone he knew was... dead, never to smile at him or ask for a favor again. The only thing keeping him sane was the fact that Iris and Geralt were still alive.
 They finally reached the church and noticed a large amount of knights standing in front of it.
 "Iris, stand back." Lance ordered.
 She nodded and stood behind him.
 Lance ran his index and middle finger up along the flat part of his blade, leaving a faint glow behind them. He was trying to focus his mana into the sword to try to send a shock wave at the attackers. With his sword now fully glowing, he shouted "Singeral" and slashed across in the air. What he was hoping to happen was that an arc of magic would hit them and send them flying.
 That didn't happen.
 Due to his lack of training and experience in magic, an arc did come out of his blade but the unexpected force pushed Lance back and threw his aim off, specifically towards the church bell. An arc of magic was sent spiraling towards the bell and easily smashed the tower that supported it. Fortunately, the bell landed around the knights with a solid thud. They banged on it from the inside, trying to get out but to no avail.
 Lance staggered back and would have fall on the ground if not for Iris catching him.
 "Lance?! A-are you okay?" She asked worriedly.
 Panting too much, the boy could only nod. That was the second time using magic today and he couldn't handle it. The only reason he didn't pass out was because of the fact that he channeled the spell through his sword, which lessened the strain on him a bit.
 "We need to get you into the church, then you can rest." Iris continued worrying about him.
 Putting an arm around her, the two stumbled over to the church, where Geralt had stood shaking his head. He found no other survivors, the only ones left were the three of them. All of a sudden Lance heard a noise to the left and his eyes widened.
 Time slowed to a crawl as a spear pierced through his fathers armor and chest, coming out on the other side. Geralt's eyes widened and his mouth gaped open as blood started gushing out of the hole in his chest. He fell on his knees and then on his stomach and a crimson pool began to form underneath him. Lance tried to scream but nothing came out as tears streaked down his face. Iris shook her head and put a hand over her mouth. She couldn't believe it. The man she knew so well, her second father even, killed in cold blood. She felt something move beside her and looked to see Lance fall on his knees.
 The silver haired boy couldn't handle it. Not his father. It couldn't be true. He turned and threw up. All this death and destruction was new to him and now he didn't even have his father to help him through it. Lance stood up, staggering over to Geralt's corpse.
 "Father, no! Please it can't be true! Aaaagghh!" Lance sobbed and sobbed until no more tears would come out. He lost his father, something he wasn't prepared for. He shook his father's body, as though it would bring him back to life.
 "Lance, help me!" He heard a girl scream. Iris!
 He whirred around to see Black Knights surrounding the girl, and being too exhausted to do anything could only watch what was about to happen.
 "Halt, you idiots." A voice boomed. The knights and Lance looked over to see a large, middle aged burly man in dark purple armor. A black cape ran down his back as he took off his helmet. Crimson slicked back hair and a beard of the same color was the most noticeable feature about him. A scar going from the bottom of his right, dark green eye to the corner of his mouth. "You morons, don't touch a hair on her head. Do you not realize who she is?" No response. "She is part of the Marhune family. Although that probably means nothing to you fools." A shake of heads confirmed this. "Her family is known for having a very... special bloodline. Very adaptable if you will. She will do fine for our experiments he has planned. Tie her up."
 One knight grabbed Iris and went to do what the man said. The knight quickly tied her up with a rope they had and took her over to the crimson haired man.
 "Hello my dearest, I am the commander of this little group. My name is Sir Reginald Alterson. May I inquire your name?"
 The only response he received was Iris spitting in his face.
 Reginald wiped the saliva off of his face and glared at the girl. "I see. Put her on a horse and being her back to base. Who knows, maybe I'll let my son have some fun with you, hmm?"
 The knight took her over to a horse and begun to follow his orders. Reginald turned to walk away but a noise behind him caught his attention. He brought his giant broadsword up just in time to block a strike from a silver haired boy. The force of the strike actually managed to push Reginald back a little bit.
 'Strange, the boy is obviously weakened and tired but still his strength almost matches mine. What is he?'
 Reginald swung his sword and sent Lance skidding back. Several knights came rushing forwards but the boy blocked the strike from the first one, slammed the seconds head into the ground and swung the third into the first sending them crashing into the church bell.
 'He took care of those knights so easily too. Strange indeed. He will be interested in this one.'
 "You, boy. Who or what are you?" Reginald demanded, pointing his blade at the child.
 "My name is Lancelot Ashridge. Give Iris back!" Lance got into a fighting stance.
  Reginald shrugged and dashed forward with amazing speed, slashing at him. Lance managed to block the strike but the force cracked his blade in two. Reginald kicked forwards and sent the boy into the dirt. Lance struggled to get up and only managed to get onto his knees. The sound of horses got his attention and he looked to see Iris, tied up and riding with a knight away from Axon.
 'Damn it. It's over.' He thought. Iris was kidnapped, his father was dead and his village destroyed.
 Reginald and the other knights stepped into his view. They started walking towards him menacingly. Today was the day he would die.
 'No, I can't die here I have to save Iris. I have to live!'
You have sacrificed, and now you will gain, Lancelot. I am offering you the power to get her back, and to get revenge. In return you will help me defeat my father. Are these terms acceptable?
The mysterious voice in his head stopped talking for a moment and in his mind Lance saw a weapon.  A sword appeared, double edged and looking deadly. A flame symbol was etched into the silver blade, running up along it. The handle was shaped like a cross, fitting for a priest, but then curved up like a claw or talon. It was jet black and in the middle of it was a silver gem, which had a narrow slit in it like the eye of a snake. As the handle went down it curved a bit and ended at the pommel, which was shaped like an arrowhead.
If you accept these terms, take the Demon Blade in front of you and let us form a contract.
 Lance thought for a moment. He didn't know what this voice was or what it really meant. Usually he would think this through, but it mentioned the chance to get Iris back and that was something that he couldn't ignore.
 "I accept these terms." Lance stuck his hand out and grasped the blade, which materialized in front of him, and was suddenly engulfed in blue and black flames.

 *Leaving you guys on a cliffhanger here. Hopefully you enjoy the first two chapters and continue to support the book. It would mean a lot to me if you vote for it, or even comment telling me that you like it. Any feedback is appreciated. Thanks*