Gods From the Machine (20 page)

“
Glad to know there’s someone else here that isn’t completely helpless,” Nick said. “But what are we going to do about the break? If we leave it, then the demons are just going to keep coming in but I can’t guard this post all day.”

A sound of rustling came from
the trees. Quinn grabbed Nick’s hand. “What’s that?”

A
figure emerged from the forest shadows. It was Daniel. He was dragging a sword with one hand; he had cuts and bruises across his face and body. His clothes were tattered and torn and he appeared as if he was on the verge of collapsing at any second. What was he doing here? Paul would never let the newest member of their organization travel this far alone.

“
N-Nick…we found you.” A smile of relief broke on his face as he reeled towards them. “Sir Marcus’s sword was stolen.”

Nick caught him just before he dropped to the ground. His breathing was slow and labored.
“Daniel what’s wrong?”

“
They’re in the Den of Pain,” Daniel murmured. “Hounds took the sword. Garreth…” He passed out cold.

“
He’s been poisoned!” Nick revealed the large thorns poking out from his ribcage. He plucked them out and threw them aside. He had dealt with enough cases of poisonings to know one at a glance. “The Dolere Flos did this to him. I’m sure of it.”

“
The Dolere Flos?” Quinn said.

“
The Dolere Flos are plants that produce toxic thorns and are indigenous to the Den of Pain. It is also the only place where the antidote exists. If the others are inside then they could be seriously hurt,” Nick said.

“
Be careful. It won’t help if you get poisoned too,” Quinn said.

“
Make sure he doesn’t die until I get back.”

Nick sprinted
through the tall brush and followed the trail Daniel’s sword left straight to the entrance of the den. Legends have provided many stories as to how the Den of Pain received its name, but no one truly knows for sure. Some say it was used to be a chamber for gruesome torture. Others believe it was because it was the prime breeding location for demons. Or perhaps it was because of the poisonous plants that thrive in the cold and dark environment. However, one thing was certain—no one who ever ventured inside returned alive.

He peered into the darkness and set his arms ablaze. As much as he disliked how his arms appeared, havin
g portable torches was convenient for traveling. He found a clump of the poisonous plant on the ground near the entrance. They pitched and snapped violently at his presence, trying to prick at his legs to send him into a state similar as Daniel. Luckily, his pants were too thick to puncture. He bent and, avoiding the thorns, ripped out the root and stuffed it into his jacket pocket. Brewing the root into a soup would be able to cure Daniel. The first part was easy enough, but now it was time to find Matt, Paul and for whatever reason, Garreth.

He walked
down the main pathway for a while, surprised to see few signs of demonic activity. They must have all been taken care of back in Hyperion. He continued further until the ground felt slightly off, squishy like wet dirt. The faint scent of fertilizer was in the air. Nick knelt and picked up some soft dirt and sniffed it—just as he suspected, it was a type of fertilizer, probably used for growing plants in the dark. It was strange since no farmer would dare grow anything outside the Holy Shield where their crops would be unprotected from demons and the inhospitable environment. Not to mention the fact that, without sunlight, it was impossible to grow anything worthwhile in this dark, dreary place.

Someone shouted Matt
’s name. He stood tall and listened. The voice was muffled, but familiar. It had to be Paul. He followed the sound to a small clearing surrounding a small pond. Around it, dozens of dead hounds decorated on the moss covered ground. There were large cuts zigzagged their bodies, Matt and the others must have been able to take care of themselves. However, there was no sign of his friends. Was it just his imagination?

“
Hey!”

Nick spun into a combat-
ready position only to find himself face to face with a weary looking Paul carrying an unconscious Garreth Graves.

“
No need to get startled. It’s me,” Paul said.

“
Daniel’s been poisoned. What are you guys doing down here?” Nick said.

“
Poisoned? Poor fool.” Paul shook his head. “Garreth had a particularly bad run-in with some Hellbeasts, but he’ll live. It’s quite apparent that his sword skills have taken a drastic decline since his falling out.”

Paul dropped the millionaire owner of Grave Tower on the floor li
ke a sack of potatoes. “As the one in charge, I made the decision to search for you after I found out you removed the tracker from your vehicle. We traced your last known location the other day to your girlfriend’s house and the trail went cold. We were then contacted by the president about the attack in Hyperion. We found the Hellbeasts and trailed them to the break in the Holy Shield, which subsequently led us to this den. Together we investigated and it turns out Astaroth had been living in this cave for a few months. However the demon was nowhere to be found. At the same time we had found Garreth also answered the call to action and we were ambushed,” Paul said. “As you can see, we have it under control. Now answer my question: Why did you leave the Garrison when Peter had explicitly told you to stay in Glenhaven?”

“
I needed a break from my solitude. Now where’s Matt?” Nick said.

“
He was on the heels of a hound, looking for a chance to redeem his previous failure.” Paul pointed behind at a giant rock that covered another path.

Nick squeezed through th
e small opening and found Matt on his knees, cursing over a puddle of water. The room was different than the others. There were shovels, buckets and bags and bags of fertilizer. It was like a hidden gardening shed. At the top, a large opening let the sun shine brightly, illuminating the room with natural light.

Matt tur
ned around. His face was dirty and defeated. “They took the sword, Nick. I can’t believe I screwed up so badly. All I had to do was keep it safe, and I messed it up.”

“
I’m just glad you’re safe.” Nick could already hear Peter’s gruff voice, chastising them for being so careless.

“
I can’t believe I let this happen,” Matt said.

“
Tell me everything,” Nick said.

“
I dropped it in here. During the scramble I decided it would be better to bring the sword pieces with us rather than leave them to get stolen. Stupid. We followed the trail to the break in the shield and found the den. After we went inside to investigate, we wound up trapped by a legion of Hellbeasts and it gets snatched from me. We kill almost all of them, but the last one managed to escape before I could get it,” Matt said.

“
Was there was somebody else in here? Someone human?” Nick said. “I just took care of Astaroth, but could he have broken through by himself? He said it was a ‘gift’ from Doctor Numerous, but the story doesn’t add up.”

Matt shook his head.
“No it couldn’t have been Doctor Numerous. I think Astaroth might be working with someone else.”

“
Another?”

“
I couldn’t get a good look at the guy with all the hounds trying to rip my head off, but there was another man here, and he was carrying a foreign sword, like the Pailean katana Garreth owns,” Matt said.

“
Any clues that could give us some idea of what we’re dealing with?” Nick said.

“
The only thing I noticed was that he dripping wet.” Matt motioned to the large puddle of water on ground, which had already begun to evaporate.

“
A Pailean knight, here? We have to inform Peter or the others if there’s a possibility that this demon uprising affected another Garrison,” Nick said.

Matt
’s eyebrows furrowed. “We can’t. The communicator signal was blocked shortly after they entered Fyria. We can’t send or receive calls while they’re inside the city.”

“
I don’t like this. It’s like we stumbled upon something big, but we have no idea how to approach it,” Nick said.

“
But if that’s the case, are we too early or too late?” Matt said.

There wa
s an eerie silence as they stared at each other. In his quest to get to Fyria he had been blinded by operations within his own neighboring city. Then again, how could anyone have suspected foul play in a peaceful city? This was an unpredictable and highly questionable turn of events. Nick was hit by the sting of regret. Astaroth, the personal bodyguard of Doctor Numerous, had been killed. Their only lead had run dry. Was it possible Numerous had enlisted the help of another fallen knight? But what other knight had the intellect to break down the shield?

“
I don’t think we’ll going to find anything else here. Although I did come across some journals Astaroth had kept. Who knows, maybe they contains some answers.

“
We should take it back and have it analyzed thoroughly before we make our next move. But first we have to get Daniel the antidote.” Nick remembered the roots he pulled earlier.

Matt
’s eyes widened. “He was poisoned by the Dolere Flos? How long has it been? We have to go before it’s too late!”

They met
with Paul and rushed back to entrance, the whole way Nick’s heart didn’t stop pounding. If Daniel died then it would be his fault. Everything was always his fault. Normally he would have brought the cure back as soon as possible, but this time he neglected to help in favor of finding more Hellbeasts. How could he have been so callous? A friend was dying and he didn’t even think twice. He realized then that Agrian was seeping further and further into him, causing him to become more ruthless and uncaring.

Nick
rushed through the trees. His heart stopped when he saw Quinn and Daniel sitting up. He looked to be his same cheerful self.

“
Daniel, you’re all right!” Matt exclaimed.

“
I don’t know what happened, but I woke up feeling a lot better.” Daniel shrugged. “I swear, for a minute it was as if an angel was looking down upon me.”

“
A miracle.” Quinn turned to Nick. “Took you guys long enough. He’s lucky to be alive.”

Paul stepped forward, lugging Garreth in his arms.

“Garreth!” Quinn shouted.

Paul dropped him at
her feet. “I’ve already stopped the blood loss and bandaged him where he needed it. All he needs now is rest and he’ll be fine.”

Garreth woke briefly at the sound of the voices
and peered into Quinn’s face. “Alyssa, is that you?”

Matt glanc
ed to Nick and then back to her. “Alyssa?”

11
. Night Terrors

“
Did he just call you Alyssa?” Matt said.

“
I heard him say that,” Daniel said.

She turned away
in the other direction. Suddenly all the pieces of the puzzle clicked into place and Nick reached an epiphany.

“
As in Alyssa Masters. You’re Peter’s granddaughter!” Nick said.

“
What kind of deception is this?” Paul he drew his sword. “Supreme Commander Peter’s granddaughter is a long way from here. You must be an impostor! A demon in disguise!”

Sh
e backed away with her hands up. “Wait a second. Quinn is my middle name and Valentine was my mother’s maiden name. I used them as an alias to protect myself. But yes, my true name is Alyssa Masters.”

“
Why should we trust you?” Paul said. “You could be making this all up. In fact, you’re probably behind all of this!”

Nick looked into her eyes and there was no doubt in his mind now.

“Put your sword down.” Nick stood between them, the sword pointed at his face.

“
Why am I not surprised? You were a fool when Peter picked you up as a child, and you’re a fool now. For all we know she could have infiltrated our organization by deceiving you! I won’t let the opportunity to exterminate a demon escape me,” Paul said.

“
Are you blind or just stupid? Garreth obviously knows her, which proves she is who she says she is. Now put down your sword!” Nick said.

“
Supreme Commander wouldn’t be pleased if he found out you cut down an innocent civilian based on a hunch,” Matt warned. Paul gave him a look of disdain and huffed angrily, before sliding the sword back into its sheath.

With the threat of death
gone, Nick approached her with a question that was burning inside of him. “Of all people…why would you keep this from me?”

“
I had to lie. I had to escape it all. Even if it meant risking my life by exposing myself—it wouldn’t have mattered anyway. I spent my whole life hiding in a bubble created by my grandfather. If I didn’t leave then I was as good as dead,” Alyssa said.