Wake Up Call

Thanks to the map that Samael and I made, we found an alternative path around many of the enemies, especially those big ones.

Our grand detour added an extra thirty minutes to five block walk, but our safety was more than worth the time.

Finally we reached the main plaza area, although right now it was the hotbed of demonic corruption. What I assume was shops and stores, once catering to the needs of the modern man, was now something that looked like prison chambers with barred windows. Even worse was that sludgy looking webbing, occasionally spitting out Night Hags from it. Not a good look.

The plaza looked packed with enemies. But something weird was happening to them.

A few of them were nodding off. Most of the Night Hags were curled up and sleeping, the Bowalkers were barely able to keep their aim straight, and luckily there weren’t any Harrowing Hags to speak of.

“What do we do?” I asked Uncle.

“Let’s give it a little while. They may just all fall asleep."

After nearly twenty minutes, it seemed like that was the case. They all went under.

I wouldn’t say the path to the castle doors were completely clear, since a lot of enemies were just sprawled across the ground, but getting there would be a lot easier now that they were asleep. We just had to be quiet.

We tiptoed around, very careful not to make a sound. It was looking like we might make it there without alerting anything...

Indena's eyes darted to her left. “Is that a chicken?” she whispered, watching a bird flutter down from a balcony and stride toward a creepy looking water fountain of tar.

That wasn’t just a chicken, it was a rooster. But it had weird black feathers with a crimson hue to them, as well as glowing red eyes and webby black feet.

Wait...a rooster?! Don't they...

*AAAACADDOOO!*

The rooster loudly let out a reverberated wakeup call, then all the sleeping enemies began to rise!

“Make a break for the door!” Uncle shouted, bringing up his broadsword and deflecting the first arrow of many.

Indena and I were too exposed, we’d be hit for sure!

An arrow was coming at us, Indena didn’t notice it in time to spawn a flame wall!

My arms instinctually raised up as if to cast a spell, my crystal heart and eyes turned from their usual blue to a hot orange. Markings like swirling flames appeared all over my body.

“Flame wall!” I announced, as a wall of fire exploded to life in front of me, blocking the arrow.

“Woah!” Indena cheered. “When did you learn that?”

“Just now, I guess!”

This must have been my Copycat Magecraft ability at work. It allowed me to watch powers and learn them myself.

The issue was it was only around 7% efficiency, and I’d already sapped my mana reserves with just that one power.

“I’ll handle it from here, Shrimp!”

Indena was firing off big bolts of flame at each of the Bowalkers while also rising up plooms of fire to destroy arrows as they came at us.

Uncle had managed to clear out a large chunk of enemies by deflecting arrows around and cutting down Night Hags, but I could feel the earthquake of the Harrowing Hags heading this way from other parts of the town.

*CAAACAADDDOOO!!* the rooster cried out again, trying to peck at Uncle's leg.

Uncle tried to escape the demon chicken with a kick, but a whole flock of them, being ridden by Night Hags, surrounded Uncle.

The heck did they come from?!

He was trying to get away, but they were ferocious!

“Uncle! Once you kick a chicken, they all get agro on you!” I shouted. It’s the unspoken law of chicken everywhere. Once you hurt one, you hurt them all.

Indena and I couldn't get to him while we were finishing off the last of the Bowalkers on the roofs. But to his fortune, something gaited out from the fog.

“MEOW!”

A purple cat attacked one of the demon chickens, causing the rooster and flock to focus on her instead.

*CAAACAADDOOO!*

“MEOW!”

The cat had a bag around her. She reached her pawn into it and tossed three tiny vials of glass at each of us.

CRASH! PWOOF!

A puff of pink and blue smoke swirled up and around our bodies. There was a sharp *Waaa* sound after that. When I looked down at my hands, I couldn’t see them anymore. That little kitty must have hit us with an invisibility potion.

I checked my status screen, and in the effects slot it said that this invisibility would last five seconds.

“Everyone, bum rush the door!”

I don’t know who or what this cat was, but she was super smart and very helpful.

The invisibility held just long enough for us to escape the enemies notice. We were about to get to the castle doors, but the very land before us warped to form a river of lava. Now the only way to cross was a drawbridge on the other side.

I tried to fly over, but my wings weren’t responsive enough. Uncle was too busy dealing with the foes tailing us to fly over too.

That left Indena to figure something out.

“You think you can go and let down the drawbridge?” I asked her.

“I can’t fly, but lemme try something!”

She took a few steps back to get a running start. Before she ran, she placed her hands against the ground and a pulse of orange energy radiated across the soil, all the way into the lava river.

A huge wave of lava rose up, she ran to it and surfed it across the gap.

“That’s awesome!” I cheered.

Once she hit the other side, she made a beeline for the bridge controls.

RAAAA!

But a harrowing hag was waiting for her over there!

“Damn it!” Indena had to dodge several attacks, one hit her foot and caused her to hit the ground.

She blasted the Hag with heavy flames, making it stumble backwards.

To help her, I spawned a stardust knife and threw it across the gap. The blade end hit the side of the Harrowing Hag.

Indena quickly moved to grab the knife out, then stabbing the big demon through the chest. The short blade wasn’t enough to kill the demon, but it was stunned on the ground.

Indena limped to the drawbridge controls, then messed with the levers until the whole bridge came down, allowing us to cross.

Uncle and I ran quickly, I used my spear to finish off the Harrowing Hag as we passed by.

The doors to the castle opened automatically as we approached, so we made it inside.

Uncle slammed the door shut, using a big piece of wood to bar the door. Hopefully they won't be getting in here anytime soon. I did see some vents above us, so we probably didn’t want to stay in this spot too long.

Finally, we made it into the castle. I vaguely remember Yamin mentioning that a church used to be in this town, so this might have once been a cathedral before the demon attacked.

You wouldn’t be able to tell it was ever a church though. Right now it looks like a gothic style castle from the inside, with design cues of a mansion.

“Pat-a-cake, pat-a-cake, baker's man! I’ll heal you up as fast as I can!” I cast the healing spell on Indena’s leg so it would heal.

“Thanks,” she said, cautiously walking for a few moments to make sure it was better. “Anybody…smell something weird?” Indena sniffed the air.

-Advisory! Large quantities of nitrous oxide detected in air-

Nitrous oxide…that’s laughing gas, right? Used to make people loopy during surgery.

“Uncle, laughing gas!”

“You sense it too. Good.” He turned up to the scaffolding, waving his hand like someone was up there. “We could use your assistance, if you don’t mind.”

Who was he talking to? When I looked up there, all I saw was a bunch of spooky bats. No, wait, there was the purple cat too!

The cat leapt down from above and prowled its way toward Uncle.

“You are perceptive, Elder of the Little One.” The cat spoke!

Wait, the cat had a virtual name tag above her head. It was Mella! Why was she a cat right now?

By the way…everyone has nametags above their heads. That way I know who’s who. Nobody else can see that but me.

“Ayo, I know that dumb voice!” Indena started to wobble around, her tone almost sounded a little, drunk…? “What’s a bitch like you doin’ up there, ay, ya’ dumb witch? Wait, if you’re a cat…doesn’t that make you aa..a…p”

Uncle caught Indena before she completely fell over. Her face was all red, and she looked sleepy.

“The gas is already affecting her." Uncle commented.

Mella leapt up to her and sat across her shoulders. Her fur started to glow a purple colour and radiate violet sparkles.

It seemed like Indena’s condition was almost instantly improving, so we sat her down while Mella continued to use some recovery spell on her.

“Thanks for helping her out,” Uncle said.

“It seemed you already knew I could help here,” Mella said.

“Seeing as you are a poison witch, I assumed you’d be capable of dealing with noxious fumes and liquids.”

Mella chuckled. “You were right to place trust in me. But in this form, I am weaker than normal.”

That brings up a new question…why did Mella look like a cat?

“Mella, why are you like that?” I asked.

“Oh? I’m a witch.” Her response didn’t really answer the question. “I have other forms, if this one is unpleasant for you.”

She suddenly turned into a viper, then into a spider, then into a bat. All the normally spooky looking animals. Samael hissed at her viper form.

Finally she returned back to her cat form.

“Why don’t you take on your human form?” I asked.

She stretched out her back, sticking her butt up in the air and returning to a laying pose across Indena’s shoulder

“No thank you.”

She looked kinda adorable in that form. Would she be okay if I pet her a little?

Oh, she let me scratch behind her ears! So fluffy!

“I hate cats.” Indena grabbed a pillow and hit her with it. “They’ll eat you in your sleep.”

“Ouch.” Mella grunted. “Refrain from such violence.”

“No, stupid…cat witch…”

It was hard to tell, but Indena was getting back to herself.

Now the next big issue was figuring out how to get to the demon lord. And if fantasy stories have taught me anything, he’s probably in the highest part of the tallest tower.