Categories > Original > Horror > The Quiet Ones
-Angel glided high in the sky overlooking the Dark Territory. Below her, thousands of demons mobilized like a stirred up ant colony. If Jason's men made it through Jade's initial attack, there would be plenty more beasts to impede his progress to the master. Though such things were of little concern to Angel; her only interest was in following the orders of her master and mistress.
-The black tower loomed in the distance, and within moment's Angel's feet set down on the terrace outside of her master's throne room. She pulled open the doors and entered the room to find him waiting for her, his arms crossed and head bowed in patient reflections of things that Angel could not even guess at.
-"Report," Jeffery said in a commanding voice. Angel lowered her head and spread her white wings out. When she raised her head again, her eyes were glowing with brilliant yellow light. The light coalesced in front of her into an illuminated orb of distorted images that began to take the form of Jefferies demon army. Jeffery watched as Jade and her sisters abused the human scouts, and how the doppelganger demon infiltrated Jason's army. Jade gave a quick explanation of her plan, and then Jeffery saw what Angel had seen while flying to the tower.
-"Show me what Jade sees," Jeffery commanded. The bright orb blurred for a moment, and switched to an image of humans on a beach far below, gathering at the bottom of a cliff. Jeffery's hands gripped the arms of his chair as he leaned closer. Angel may have been mute, but she was the best courier among Jeffery's generals. Able to display what she had seen and what others were seeing, she had been affectionately dubbed the silent messenger.
-Jeffery looked on with anticipation as he watched the humans prepare to clear the way. He scowled with disgust as he saw the soldiers place explosives at the base of the boulders blocking the path. If the situation had been reversed, Jeffery would have used the opportunity to show off his power and rally his men. Instead, Jason was still sticking to conventional thinking. It would be his downfall.
-Several demolitionists placed charges at the base of the rocks. After backing away to a safe distance, they detonated the boulders, sending fist sized rocks flying up into the air only to come raining back down. The stones bounced harmlessly off of the soldiers' helmets and armor. A group of scouts took point and began moving up the path. A large contingent of heavily armed men followed behind them, but the rest of the invasion force remained on the beach with Jason.
-Jade snarled with frustration; she had hoped to catch Jason in the ambush and be done with it, but it seemed he was intent on playing it safe. Once the scouting party reached the end of the path, they would see the demon army that was waiting for them. Jade had no choice; she would have to make due and kill the meager offering. It was only a fraction of Jason's force, but it was better than nothing.
-She mad her way to a ridge overlooking the path ahead of the human scouts. She ordered the demons to lie low, and the beasts immediately obeyed her. Hellen stood next to Jade, staring in the direction the humans would come from with intense rage in her eyes. Jade knew that her sister was itching for a rematch with Jason, but that would have to wait.
-"Calm yourself," Jade warned.
-"I'll calm myself by strumming that human bastard's nerve cords like a harp!" Hellen hissed through clenched teeth. Jade said nothing more to her sister, but she knew that when the time came, she would have to watch Hellen's back. Her larger sibling was far too prideful to just let her defeat at Jason's hands go unchallenged. Jade couldn't deny that she wanted a piece of Jason herself, but after he had defeated Hellen, Marrow and now Siren, Jade held no delusion about her chances. She could only hope that if they all fought him at once, they could overpower him.
-Before long they heard the clattering noise of the soldiers coming up the pass. The scouts appeared first, scattered widely and looking behind every rock for any sign of a threat. Their light armor allowed them to move at a faster pace, but it also left them vulnerable. Jade knelt down to conceal her presence, and the demons on both sides of the canyon wall remained still. They would not dare make a move wither the general's say so. The scouts passed underneath them completely unaware, and their more heavily armored counterparts came into sight.
-There were several hundred of them making their way up the narrow path in a firing line. The humans' bulky armor made them far less nimble than their advanced scouts. Normally that wasn't a problem; they just shot down any threat before it got close enough to hurt them, but Jade was hoping that they would be at a disadvantage in such close quarters. She waited until she could see the rear row of the human line, and then she gave the signal to attack.
-At that moment, innumerable demons leapt off the edge and descended upon the humans, taking them by surprise. So many of the beasts attacked at once, that the canyon was cast in their shadow. The monsters landed on the soldiers and tore into them, ripping through flesh and armor with their claws. The soldiers fired into the mass of sharp teeth and talons, but they were overwhelmed by the sheer number of enemies.
-The humans screamed in pain, fear, and anger as they fought for their lives. Their thick metallic armor became doused with blood and gore as they blew the beasts apart. The monsters shrieked in agony as the explosive bullets shredded their bodies, but they did not stop fighting until the very last flicker of life left them. When the smoke cleared, the humans had been reduced to less than a fourth of what they had been. They looked at each other with victories smiles on their faces, but their celebration was short lived. Prompted by the sound of a vicious hiss, the men looked up to see dozens of demons slowly crawling down the canyon walls, and even more standing on the edge, awaiting their chance to fight. Jason's soldiers raised their weapons knowing they wouldn't be able to hold off a second wave, and the demons launched themselves at the doomed men.
-Jade and her sisters stood at the top of the canyon looking down at the carnage. They saw no reason to waste their time on cannon fauder, and in such cramped quarters it would have been more of a hassle than a pleasure. They watched as their minions mopped up the last of the humans, and when it was all over, Jade dropped down to inspect the killing ground.
-The blood was ankle deep as Jade strolled trough the bodies of men and demons. The surviving beasts divided their time between eating the corpses, and finishing off any of their kin which were too badly wounded to continue. The creatures quickly got out of Jades way as she searched the human bodies for any sign of life. She glanced down at a relatively undamaged man and was about to move on when she noticed him take in a shaky breath.
-"Scylla," Jade called, "we have a live one."
-Her one eyed sister dropped down into the gory mess, leaving Hellen up top to keep an eye out. Scylla briskly walked up to Jade and inspected the human. He had a deep gash in his side, but he wasn't in any immediate danger of expiring. "He'll do," Scylla said. She looked up at Jade, but then her attention turned to something moving further down the canyon. Jade turned to follow her sister's gaze, and spotted a lone human who was visibly shocked by what he saw.
-The man turned to run. Jade knew that he was too far away for her to reach in time, but she couldn't allow him to return to his unit and report on what he had witnessed. If Jason found out that the canyon pass was a death trap, the plan would be ruined. She whistled at a nearby beast: a streamlined quadruped slightly larger than a dog with black, leathery skin. The animal looked up and quickly spotted its intended target.
-The beast took off running at an incredible speed, catching up to the human before the man had made it ten feet. The beast leapt at the man, opening its mouth to reveal needle like teeth. The man turned to fire at the creature, but it knocked him to the ground and clamped down on his throat before I could get a shot off. One quick twist and the human's neck snapped like a twig.
-With the crisis averted, Scylla proceeded to create another doppelganger of the surviving human. Jade and Scylla scoured through the bodies and found several more survivors. After several minutes, Jade and Scylla inspected twelve naked human copies. The men scavenged up the radio equipment from some of the dead and, after some tinkering, got the devices working.
-"This is Marshal calling base camp," one of the men said into the radio headset. "Marshall calling base camp, come in base camp."
-There was a brief pause of static before a response came through. "Base camp here, what's your status, over?"
-"We ran into some trouble along the way, but we took care of it. The way is clear, so come on up."
-"...Roger that."
-Far away in the dark castle, Jeffery sat back in his chair laughing out loud. Raven now sat beside him, pleased at the sight of her lover in such a joyful mood. When his outburst subsided, he narrowed his eyes at the blood soaked scene that Jade and her demons were quickly cleaning up and said, "Like lambs to the slaughter. Jason, you make this far too easy."
-The black tower loomed in the distance, and within moment's Angel's feet set down on the terrace outside of her master's throne room. She pulled open the doors and entered the room to find him waiting for her, his arms crossed and head bowed in patient reflections of things that Angel could not even guess at.
-"Report," Jeffery said in a commanding voice. Angel lowered her head and spread her white wings out. When she raised her head again, her eyes were glowing with brilliant yellow light. The light coalesced in front of her into an illuminated orb of distorted images that began to take the form of Jefferies demon army. Jeffery watched as Jade and her sisters abused the human scouts, and how the doppelganger demon infiltrated Jason's army. Jade gave a quick explanation of her plan, and then Jeffery saw what Angel had seen while flying to the tower.
-"Show me what Jade sees," Jeffery commanded. The bright orb blurred for a moment, and switched to an image of humans on a beach far below, gathering at the bottom of a cliff. Jeffery's hands gripped the arms of his chair as he leaned closer. Angel may have been mute, but she was the best courier among Jeffery's generals. Able to display what she had seen and what others were seeing, she had been affectionately dubbed the silent messenger.
-Jeffery looked on with anticipation as he watched the humans prepare to clear the way. He scowled with disgust as he saw the soldiers place explosives at the base of the boulders blocking the path. If the situation had been reversed, Jeffery would have used the opportunity to show off his power and rally his men. Instead, Jason was still sticking to conventional thinking. It would be his downfall.
-Several demolitionists placed charges at the base of the rocks. After backing away to a safe distance, they detonated the boulders, sending fist sized rocks flying up into the air only to come raining back down. The stones bounced harmlessly off of the soldiers' helmets and armor. A group of scouts took point and began moving up the path. A large contingent of heavily armed men followed behind them, but the rest of the invasion force remained on the beach with Jason.
-Jade snarled with frustration; she had hoped to catch Jason in the ambush and be done with it, but it seemed he was intent on playing it safe. Once the scouting party reached the end of the path, they would see the demon army that was waiting for them. Jade had no choice; she would have to make due and kill the meager offering. It was only a fraction of Jason's force, but it was better than nothing.
-She mad her way to a ridge overlooking the path ahead of the human scouts. She ordered the demons to lie low, and the beasts immediately obeyed her. Hellen stood next to Jade, staring in the direction the humans would come from with intense rage in her eyes. Jade knew that her sister was itching for a rematch with Jason, but that would have to wait.
-"Calm yourself," Jade warned.
-"I'll calm myself by strumming that human bastard's nerve cords like a harp!" Hellen hissed through clenched teeth. Jade said nothing more to her sister, but she knew that when the time came, she would have to watch Hellen's back. Her larger sibling was far too prideful to just let her defeat at Jason's hands go unchallenged. Jade couldn't deny that she wanted a piece of Jason herself, but after he had defeated Hellen, Marrow and now Siren, Jade held no delusion about her chances. She could only hope that if they all fought him at once, they could overpower him.
-Before long they heard the clattering noise of the soldiers coming up the pass. The scouts appeared first, scattered widely and looking behind every rock for any sign of a threat. Their light armor allowed them to move at a faster pace, but it also left them vulnerable. Jade knelt down to conceal her presence, and the demons on both sides of the canyon wall remained still. They would not dare make a move wither the general's say so. The scouts passed underneath them completely unaware, and their more heavily armored counterparts came into sight.
-There were several hundred of them making their way up the narrow path in a firing line. The humans' bulky armor made them far less nimble than their advanced scouts. Normally that wasn't a problem; they just shot down any threat before it got close enough to hurt them, but Jade was hoping that they would be at a disadvantage in such close quarters. She waited until she could see the rear row of the human line, and then she gave the signal to attack.
-At that moment, innumerable demons leapt off the edge and descended upon the humans, taking them by surprise. So many of the beasts attacked at once, that the canyon was cast in their shadow. The monsters landed on the soldiers and tore into them, ripping through flesh and armor with their claws. The soldiers fired into the mass of sharp teeth and talons, but they were overwhelmed by the sheer number of enemies.
-The humans screamed in pain, fear, and anger as they fought for their lives. Their thick metallic armor became doused with blood and gore as they blew the beasts apart. The monsters shrieked in agony as the explosive bullets shredded their bodies, but they did not stop fighting until the very last flicker of life left them. When the smoke cleared, the humans had been reduced to less than a fourth of what they had been. They looked at each other with victories smiles on their faces, but their celebration was short lived. Prompted by the sound of a vicious hiss, the men looked up to see dozens of demons slowly crawling down the canyon walls, and even more standing on the edge, awaiting their chance to fight. Jason's soldiers raised their weapons knowing they wouldn't be able to hold off a second wave, and the demons launched themselves at the doomed men.
-Jade and her sisters stood at the top of the canyon looking down at the carnage. They saw no reason to waste their time on cannon fauder, and in such cramped quarters it would have been more of a hassle than a pleasure. They watched as their minions mopped up the last of the humans, and when it was all over, Jade dropped down to inspect the killing ground.
-The blood was ankle deep as Jade strolled trough the bodies of men and demons. The surviving beasts divided their time between eating the corpses, and finishing off any of their kin which were too badly wounded to continue. The creatures quickly got out of Jades way as she searched the human bodies for any sign of life. She glanced down at a relatively undamaged man and was about to move on when she noticed him take in a shaky breath.
-"Scylla," Jade called, "we have a live one."
-Her one eyed sister dropped down into the gory mess, leaving Hellen up top to keep an eye out. Scylla briskly walked up to Jade and inspected the human. He had a deep gash in his side, but he wasn't in any immediate danger of expiring. "He'll do," Scylla said. She looked up at Jade, but then her attention turned to something moving further down the canyon. Jade turned to follow her sister's gaze, and spotted a lone human who was visibly shocked by what he saw.
-The man turned to run. Jade knew that he was too far away for her to reach in time, but she couldn't allow him to return to his unit and report on what he had witnessed. If Jason found out that the canyon pass was a death trap, the plan would be ruined. She whistled at a nearby beast: a streamlined quadruped slightly larger than a dog with black, leathery skin. The animal looked up and quickly spotted its intended target.
-The beast took off running at an incredible speed, catching up to the human before the man had made it ten feet. The beast leapt at the man, opening its mouth to reveal needle like teeth. The man turned to fire at the creature, but it knocked him to the ground and clamped down on his throat before I could get a shot off. One quick twist and the human's neck snapped like a twig.
-With the crisis averted, Scylla proceeded to create another doppelganger of the surviving human. Jade and Scylla scoured through the bodies and found several more survivors. After several minutes, Jade and Scylla inspected twelve naked human copies. The men scavenged up the radio equipment from some of the dead and, after some tinkering, got the devices working.
-"This is Marshal calling base camp," one of the men said into the radio headset. "Marshall calling base camp, come in base camp."
-There was a brief pause of static before a response came through. "Base camp here, what's your status, over?"
-"We ran into some trouble along the way, but we took care of it. The way is clear, so come on up."
-"...Roger that."
-Far away in the dark castle, Jeffery sat back in his chair laughing out loud. Raven now sat beside him, pleased at the sight of her lover in such a joyful mood. When his outburst subsided, he narrowed his eyes at the blood soaked scene that Jade and her demons were quickly cleaning up and said, "Like lambs to the slaughter. Jason, you make this far too easy."
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