Death's Stigma (NanoWriMo14)

Chapter 17

"Grim! Will you talk to me?" Ryan yelled.

"Ryan, I am really fucking busy with a greater demon."

"What!"

"I killed one of Skyra's generals and now one of his minions stole his powers and is trying to turn me into spider food."

Grim jumped away as the spot he was standing on was demolished. Grim blurred and tried to smash the crystal on her leg but I didn't break immediately this time. Grim pounded on it for as long as he could and then rolled away from the demon's hand.

"Now, now little mortal. You will make an excellent treat for my pets. The monstrosities that crawled from the tar in her abdomen flopped to the ground. The hellhounds were fused with spider parts and made Grim's skin crawl. He blurred and sliced one in half. The others pounced on him. He was knocked to the ground and he used his chains to kill the monsters on top of him. He cut up to more then was cemented in place by webs.

"Start with his fingers and work your way down darlings." The demon purred as more of the hell hounds were created. Grim couldn't move his legs or his left arm. He swung at the monsters but a hawk spider hybrid flew from the demon's back and knocked Katie out of his hand.

"Grim." Myst said worried. "What are we going to do boss."

He scaled his left arm as a hound started chewing on it. It couldn't break through but his right arm was vulnerable. He strained his body and the scales slowly spread across his shoulder blades and down his right arm. It reached his hand and he felt one of the hounds bite down on his hand.

"Hope you choke on." The binding circle flashed and released a spike of energy blowing off it's head.

"Stop hurting them!" The demon slammed her two front legs down and smashed him through the building. Grim hit the ground floor and struggled to his feet.

"What is with these guys and hands?" He huffed cradling his hand. Katie tumbled down the hole and stabbed into the ground next to him.

"Have you ever fought one handed?" Myst asked.

"No but I have to try." His hand stopped bleeding and he looked at it. The top two joints of his ring finger and thumb were gone. Only his middle finger and the binding circle remained on his hand. He ripped Katie out of the ground with his left hand and looked up the hole. He shot up the tunnel scaling over the remnants of his hand. He launched out of the hole like a bullet and hit the demon. He speared her above the crystals and cocked back his arm. He shattered the armor just above her heart and flipped away as she tried to grab him. As he flew away he sliced at her hand removing part of it.

The chains uncoiled and fired at her chest. He flew at her and and buried the spear point into her chest. She grabbed him and flung him into an AC unit as she held herself up with her arms.

"I'm not that easy to kill human. You may have destroyed one of my hearts but how many more do you think I have hidden under this shell."

"Grim even with the extra power you can't keep this up much longer." Myst said. She was right, every inch of Grim ached. The cuts from his landing wouldn't heal and one of his ribs was broken.

"I have to finish her." He blurred and jumped high above her. He landed punching and shattered the crystal on her back. He tossed Katie into the air and grabbed one of his two grenades. He shoved it through the carapace with a crunch and pulled the pin. He caught Katie as the demon smacked him off.

"What did you do!" She screamed as he tumbled across the roof. The grenade detonated and the air rang with her skrieks. She caught fire, the green flame consuming her body. The hybrids creeping towards Grim collapsed when the tar pit in her abdomen burst into flames. The demon clawed at Grim but he scrabbled back.

"No, you won't defeat me." She reached for him and he buried Katie into her head. She dissolved away leaving the fangs behind. Grim picked them up and limped away on his sprained ankle.

"Impressive." Someone said clapping behind him.

"God dammit." He said turning to face Nadia. "Look I understand that you sole purpose in life now is to hunt me down, but can it wait a day. If you can't tell I've had a rather crappy day."

"Oh Grim, I'm not here to kill you just yet. I want to play first. First you'll suffer then when you can't get any lower I'll slit you open." She stared at him and shooed him away. "Go, go. I have other prey to find."

Grim walked away calmly and traced his way back to the apartment complex. His ankle was stiff and swollen but he managed to work his way down the pit. He lowered himself to the bottom with the chains, weaving through spikes. The center was a mass of the crystal. Grim smashed through and fell a dozen feet into a new room.

"I don't know why I didn't expect that to happen." He said brushing himself off.

"Grim. I figured it would be you." Grim turned and bowed to Lord Death.

"I'll get you out in a second." His master was chained to the floor by his wrists, ankles, and neck. Grim snapped the chains and helped him up.

"What has happened in my absence?"

"I'll fill you in when I get you somewhere safe." Grim fired the chains and pulled them out of the pit.

"Grim I can feel your anguish, what has happened?"

"James and Elizabeth are dead, Nadia is being used by Skyra to hunt me down, I just had the majority of my good hand  removed, and I have two demons imprisoned in my hand." Grim started to trace his way back to the Sanctuary.

"A binding circle. So you planned on becoming a Reaper."

"Yes."

"Then we have much to do." They reached the church and they activated the tunnel. The gaurdian didn't apear and Death just pushed the door open. "You will require new fingers and a Reaper blade. Rest while I prepare the necessary items.

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