Grimoires and Gunsmoke

“Fuck me, man…” Coleman groaned as his gaze swept across the faces around him. Each and everyone of them was etched with a blend of awe, confusions and lingering fear. The encounter had spooked them, but it also hadn’t taken the fight out.

Each highly trained fighter stood at the ready, scanning every inch of the encampment with their weapons competently gripped in their hand.

If Coleman was honest, he couldn’t blame them for their fear, especially when he felt it too. There was a literal DEMON straight out of some ancient legend after all.

With horns and all.

“Can someone tell me what the FUCK just happened?” The team leader yelled, as he walked towards Elijah who reholstered his heavily modified grenade launcher..

No one seemed to have had an answer as a deep quiet swept over the area. However, one soul spoke up as they dropped their empty magazine and slotted in a fresh one into their rifle. “Eli shot a demon in the face with a grenade launcher.” Bennett’s matter-of-fact response cut through the heavy air like a hot knife through butter.

The light hearted reply was received with a mix of amused chuckles and celebratory cheers, but there still was an undercurrent of anxiety that was felt by every service member there. It was blatantly obvious their weapons were nowhere near effective against the infernal thing. Even the armored piercing aspects of their High Explosive Dual Purpose (HEDP) grenades did little more than scratch it and those munitions could pierce up to 76 millimeters or 3 inches of steel.

Coleman stood for a moment, taking in Bennett's words and replaying the scene from just a few minutes ago in his own head. “That… That he did.” He affirmed, rubbing the stubble on his chin thoughtfully.

“So… Demons are real, huh?” Sutton asked, his voice a mix of skepticism and wonder. He stepped forward, ruffling his hair in disbelief before regaining his composure. “Makes you wonder what the hell else is real…”

A bout of silence reigned as everyone looked at each other uneasily. The implications of mythology, folklore, and legends not being just stories, now seemed to be much more probable and unnerving.

“Yeah, and apparently they’re bulletproof,” Elijah added walking over to where he had shot the demon.

Major Coleman nodded and narrowed his eyes as if he was looking for the demon lurking in their midst by sheer willpower alone. "Well, if the damn thing can be scratched, then that means they might be able to bleed."

“And if it can bleed, then it can be killed.” Sutton finished the thought as turned to the surrounding Soldiers, SEALs and Marines. “Was anyone recording on their end user device? We need to get any footage we can to command.”

Several servicemen voiced affirmation as they stepped forward as Sutton gaze swept back to the group, noting the affirmatives with a curt nod. "Good. Those who have visual intel, start grabbing maps, scrolls or whatever you can carry and prepare for exfil. We need to get this shit up the chain."

While the Ranger company commander issued orders, Coleman was already switching channel’s to HQ, "Warmonger, this is Baron. We've secured the perimeter, but we've encountered an unknown hostile that exhibits, uh, supernatural capabilities. Over."

The radio was silent for a moment before Warmonger's RTO voice responded, "Supernatural, Baron? Say again."

It was Coleman’s turn to go silent as he looked to Sutton for a few moments before getting back on the horn, “We've… engaged with an entity resembling a demonic figure. It demonstrated the ability to teleport and resisted conventional weaponry. We've got visual intelligence, requesting exfil."

“Wait one, Baron.” Warmonger replied as the line went silent.

“I bet you they think we’re high as shit.” The bald brown skinned SEAL Elijah had been teasing earlier suddenly spoke up.

The joke seemed far too real for anyone to laugh at. Everyone seemed to agree with the sentiment as Sutton spoke up. “Hell, I don’t blame them.” He chuckled, shaking his head. “I still think we’re hallucinating or something.”

A moment later, the radio crackled back to life, Warmonger's RTO with a tone that was all business. “Baron, Warmonger, maintain defensive posture. Exfil is being arranged, prepare your intel for transfer and await further instructions. Warmonger out.”

The ODA team leader hopped back to his original channel and looked at the men that said they had captured footage of the supposed demon. “Alright, you guys grab as much shit as you can and be prepared to hand off everything we’ve got. We’re going to hold the fort, but keep your eyes peeled and your heads down. We don’t know if that thing was alone or if there’s more of them.”

Sutton jerked his head towards his Rangers who were looking for further confirmation. “You heard ‘em, get the fuck outta here.” He echoed Coleman’s orders to the rest of the unit. “And fuckin’ break anything!”

Amid the controlled chaos of preparations, no one seemed to notice Elijah's absence at first. The seasoned soldiers, hardened from years of training and experience in the sand box, were thorough in their packing of sensitive items, or in setting up a defensive perimeter. The whirl of activity created a cacophony of noise that drowned out subtler sounds like that of Elijah’s stead approach towards the Spire.

One could say this was insanely stupid, and they’d be right. And Elijah wouldn’t deny someone saying curiosity killed the cat, but he’d also be lying if it was just curiosity that propelled the man… there was also something or someone else. A palpable, yet soft pull that asked him, no begged him to simply accept her offer of patronage. Earlier the entity had lingered in the back of Elijah’s mind, trying to coerce him into doing its bidding, but now… Now the entity had made itself VERY visible.

He could feel the damn thing as it did its best to ensnare his faculties, and he felt the frustrated screams and tantrums of failure. The entity couldn’t understand why it wasn’t able to get a solid hold onto his mind like it did to so many others in the past. But as Elijah stood on the threshold, the presence intruding in his mind opted for a different approach. It seemed to recognize that brute insistence was futile; instead, it unfurled its emotions like a banner in the wind, letting them flow over Elijah. What hit him was not just an abstract sensation of need or command but a torrent of raw, unguarded sentiment.

He felt the sharp sting of betrayal's blade, it was as acute as if it were his own, along with the fear that was ancient and bone-deep, a well of anguish that had no bottom. And there, threading through it all, was an aching longing for freedom. It was as if the entity were exposing its soul to him, laying bare a history of entrapment that spanned an unimaginable gulf of time.

“Ahh… So that’s how it is.” Elijah remarked as he understood what was before him and the connection made his chest tighten.

It was a story that he resonated with.

There were no details, but he too knew the sharp stab of betrayal and the cold void of abandonment. These were not just memories for him but scars that had yet to fully heal and he understood all too well the value of freedom and the pain of its absence. Yet, even with this tide of shared suffering and the pull on his sympathies, Elijah knew the perils of acting on empathy or any raw emotion.

Even he wasn’t dumb enough to abandon all sense in his thirst for answers.

Scoffing at the voice in the back of his mind, Elijah threw up a hand and waved it off. “Ya sure, you can be my patron or whatever when you get out.”

That half-hearted acceptance was all that the entity needed to seal a pact between the two, as the dagger suddenly sucked itself deep within the black spire with a sound like the world's breath being taken away. Elijah recoiled, his eyes wide with shock as the stone surface began to violently ripple as if it were imploding in on itself. A torrent of light and energy that it had previously been spewing into the rift was now being absorbed back into it, spiraling in a reverse maelstrom that centered on the dagger.

The violent action caused everyone around to snap their heads towards the spire until they ultimately rested on Elijah who was scrambling backwards on his back. But as they moved to help, they suddenly found themselves coming to a standstill as reality itself seemed to twist and turn in ways their minds couldn’t properly process.

Their horror was only amplified when a singular light and dark tendril snaked out towards Elijah who simply stared at the thing in a mixture of awe and horror.

“HOLY SHIT WHAT THE FUCK!?” Elijah yelled out, trying to get away from the abomination that was snaking towards him.

The tendril itself was an aberration of light and darkness that seemed to mingle together in a way that wasn’t entirely bound by the laws of the physical world and snaked its way through the air with an eerie grace.

Both Coleman and Bennett were in a dead sprint to reach the medic and pull him away, but they were too late as the tendril felt around, brushing against Elijah’s hand before violently stabbing its way in. Every nerve in Elijah’s arm screamed as he doubled over in pain, but it was soon drowned out in a cascade of whispers, echoes of emotions and untold thoughts.

Coleman was the first to reach him as he grabbed the back of his medic’s plate carrier and started pulling back with every ounce of strength. Elijah felt as if he were being torn in two, the whispers becoming a cacophony that threatened to overwhelm his senses. Bennett arrived a second later, aiding Coleman, both of them locked in a desperate tug-of-war with the unseen force that had anchored itself to their comrade.

"Move, move, MOVE!" Coleman's voice was a distant roar to Elijah, who was now in a haze of alien sensations until the tendrils retreated as suddenly as they had attacked, quickly slithering back into the Spire with the same unsettling grace, leaving a trail of shimmering air.

Bennett and Coleman didn't stop to watch the spectacle; they dragged Elijah away, his legs regaining enough strength to stumble alongside them as they made for the relative safety of distance. The whole encampment was mobilizing around them, in a protective barrier as everyone pointed their weapons and shouted on their radios.

Elijah's vision was blurred, his mind awash with more than just his own thoughts. He could feel the entity, its essence mingling with his and it was yelling angrily at him for his soul being so hard to brand.

But soon the yelling came to a cease and a horrifying quiet took its place.

The air around the Spire seemed to silently vibrate with the aftershocks of the reclamation of energy. The black structure that had once pulsed with a malevolent darkness was now a different entity altogether. As the final strands of energy were drawn back into the Spire with the green-leafed dagger at its heart.

With the strange aura that surrounded the rift completely consumed, every around the spire stood still as if it were silent as the eye of a storm. Then, as if exhaling after holding its breath for an eternity, the surface of the stone began to change. What was once an obsidian monolith was now morphing into something much more ordinary in appearance, yet extraordinary in detail.

The ancient looking spire no longer had its once smooth and dark features, instead it took on a more mundane appearance with intricate and complex patterns engraved into it. The patterns themselves looked to be an endless labyrinth of mazes that wound around the spire in continuous, unbroken lines and each line intersected and overlapped, creating a tapestry of stone that baffled the mind.

“What the fuck happened to me!?” Elijah shouted, quickly pulling off as much gear and he possibly could. The medic kept looking at his hand where the tendril had stabbed him, but there was no wound, no mark to be seen. The skin was unbroken, as if the entity's touch had been a phantom pain.

"Hey, hey, Elijah, look at me, man," Coleman said, gripping his shoulder firmly, trying to ground his comrade's panic with a firm but worried gaze. "You're alright, brother. No blood, no entry wound."

Bennett, who was helping to remove Elijah's body armor, spoke up in retort. “This is magic shit! The wound could be internal!"

Elijah's breaths were ragged as he replied, "I don't know! I don’t know! I fuckin like…! I can fucking FEEL something inside me! Something's there, man!" He clenched his fists, trying to shake off the invasive presence. “I can’t believe I’m going to die to a FUCKIN’ ROCK!”

That's when a Navy SEAL Corpsman arrived, sliding next to him pulling off his medpack. "Let's get him stable," one said, moving with practiced urgency. "We need to check vitals and-"

But their professional calm was interrupted as a loud crack echoed across the area, cutting through the murmurs and anxiety of the soldiers. They all turned toward the sound, eyes fixing on the Spire.

The cracks that had been forming along its intricate patterns while they were talking were now deepening into a network of fractures that spread like wildfire over the stones surface. As they watched, pieces of the Spire began to fall away, but each fragment was sucked into the small vortex that surrounded the dagger.

"The hell is happening to it?" Bennett asked, still in the process of stripping off Elijah’s gear.

"It's like... it's imploding," Sutton added, his voice low with awe and fear.

And indeed, the Spire seemed to be collapsing in on itself, the grooves glowing faintly with residual energy as if the structure could no longer contain the force within. The glow intensified, and a low hum filled the air, a vibration that everyone could feel in their bones.

Elijah, still dazed but aware of the danger, looked on with a mix of horror and fascination. The entity within him was silent, but something told him that wasn’t going to last forever as the structure finally consumed itself into one small fiery orb.

The orb slowly became brighter and brighter and slowly crept towards the group of soldiers, slagging the ground below it. But the light was so intense, it caused every soldier to shield their eyes with their hands or turn away. As they braced themselves against the unknown, a force swept over them like a gust from an explosion, yet there was no heat, no wind, no sound, just an impossibly intense light that enveloped everything for what seemed less than a heartbeat.

Then, as suddenly as it came, it vanished with a soft, almost delicate pop, leaving behind an eerie quietness that hovered in the air.

Tentatively, they all turned back to look at where the spire should have stood and instead they were greeted with the strangest sight they’ve ever seen. Just in front of them were only the liquified remains of the ground and just above it floated a diminutive creature, whose appearance was a stark contrast to the destruction that had just occurred.

No larger than the palm of one's hand, the being fluttered about with delicate wings that flickered with iridescent hues of purple. Her ears were pointed, framing a face that bore an expression of smug satisfaction and sharp intelligence and as she fluttered in place. The still burning flame of her head stood in place for hair that stood in stark contrast to the molten ground that began to cool and reform, as if her mere presence commanded the chaos to order.

“Mmmm… freedom…” The creature stretched and moaned in delight, showing itself to be similar to a… fairy.

But as she refocused, her smug grin stretched into a toothy grin exposing the razor like jagged knives she called teeth as soon as she spotted Elijah. “Well done mortal!” The creature chirped happily and bolted past every soldier in a blink of an eye before hovering just in front of the medic.

Elijah's heart hammered against his ribcage, both from the creature's sudden proximity and the intensity of the situation. Despite the creature's small size, he could FEEL the power emanating from her from whatever bond the thing formed with him.

Soldiers all around him instinctively readied their, but none could get a good shot on the small… being with it hovering so close to the special forces team’s medic.

"You have unbound me," the creature said, her voice a singsong that belied the danger of her shark-toothed smile. "A deed neither small nor simple. I owe you a debt, Elijah."

It just came to the soldiers, marines and SEALs that they could understand the being, but what really made them stiffen, was the mention of Elijah’s name. The creature's knowledge of it hinted at an unseen connection between her and their medic.

Elijah swallowed hard, his mind racing with questions about what had transpired and what the entity in front of him wanted. He felt the very back of his mind of an unspoken covenant that seemed to have formed. It was as if as soon as he thought to ask, who she was or why she knew his name, an alien and strange contract would flood his memory.

Zipping around his face, the fairy inspected him closer with a look of befuddlement on her face. “It’s quite surprising that mortals were able to break my bindings however.” The fairy said in wonder before she giggled. “I suppose I should properly thank you!”

“W-what? Nononononono! I’m okay!” Elijah waved his hands in denial as he tried to edge away.

“Oh heavens, no… That won’t do!” An even more vicious smile spread across her face. “I can’t let my slav- I mean savior go unrewarded!” Another evil giggle left her mouth.

Everyone stared in shock as the scene played out. "Ehehehe! Don't worry little one!" The Fairy again closed the gap within a blink of an eye. "I wON't HuRt YOU" Its distorted voice resounded as its eyes flashed blindingly.

Throwing up his hands in defense, Elijah shut his eyes and braced himself.

However, nothing happened.

“Huh?” The fairy said in confusion as she placed her hand on his head again, casting the same spell. “Why wont it work!?”

Elijah reacted immediately and tried to swat her away, but the thing teleported to the other side of his head and let out another brilliant flash. More swipes came her way, but the fairy simply dodged each hand trying to smack her away.

“Is this empty!? Helllooooooo?” The fairy yelled, bonking Elijah on the forehead with its fist. “Is anyone in there!?”

BONK BONK

Every comrade around him seemed to be in complete disbelief as they stared at the spectacle, but Elijah simply became more and more frustrated as he started flailing around. But with each swing, the Fairy simply dodged with the same befuddled and perplexed look on her face as she tried to figure out why her spell wasn’t working

“CAN YOU FUCK OFF ALREADY!?” Elijah yelled, grabbing his pistol and unholstering it.

“Rude! I’m trying to do you a favor you idiot!” The fairy shot back with her hands on her hips. “I don’t know what this ‘fuck’ means, but it sounds rude!” She reprimanded with a pout on her face while turning its face away. “You’re rude!”

Sutton turned to Coleman with a strange look on his face. “What the fuck is happening?”

“I don’t know, don’t.” Coleman paused as he kept staring at the surreal events playing out in front of him. “ Don’t ask me.”

Elijah gripped his pistol tightly in his hand as his mind raced for how to get rid of this new menace. She was small and impossibly quick, so drawing her out of the question, but he was still determined to get this damned thing away from him, so any attempt is a good attempt in his eyes.

“Okay, okay,” Elijah said, taking a deep breath to calm his frayed nerves. He holstered the pistol, a gesture of peace. “I apologize for that. It's been... a lot, to take in. Can we start over?”

The fairy’s countenance shifted as her wings slowed their flutter, the iridescence dimming to a soft glow. “Hmm... I suppose I could forgive you…” She mused to herself. “Very well, but first, as your patron and master, you must tell me how you’re resisting my mind spell.”

That’s when a thought struck him.

“Sure… Ya, I can do that.” Elijah replied with the gears turning in his head.

Bennett raised an eyebrow knowing full well that Elijah was lying and was going to pull some bullshit like he usually does. “This motherfucker…” He cursed himself as he read his body language. The engineer knew EXACTLY what this devious bastard was going to do.

A cruel smile formed on Elijah’s face as he put a little distance between him and his so-called patron. “Here, I just need you to float in place…”

“Like this?” The fairy replied curiously looking at her own body to make sure she was doing as instructed.

“Ya, like that.”

Suddenly the iconic sharp crack of a gunshot rang out as the small being exploded into small chunks of gore.