Snippet #2626113

There was little that could be done to distract the creature from its target; still rending the earth to ease its passage into their realm, it had no real 'legs' to speak of. In fact, it did not seem to be wholly corporeal at all. As it rose from the earth and began to move closer to the Summoner, it glanced skyward in time to see the immense beam of energy thundering towards it.

By comparison, the blast of heat and slag from the side was paltry. Neither, however, would trouble it long; the Demon's concern was the girl, and this sky-fire threatened to destroy her before it had a chance.

A shadowy fog began to form over Nikita. Centered on her and expanding to eventually encompass the Demon, it did not absorb or block the energy; no, to do such a thing would be too taxing. It simply displaced it, sent it into another realm. Suffice to say that anyone or anything attempting to pass through the veil of shadows would end up in a most unpleasant place.

But it was not large, and could be bypassed; and certainly it would not extend to the man with the gun, or any of the others in the area.

By the time the Demon had gotten under the expanding cloud, the damage could be seen; a chunk of molten gore, bone and muscle, contracting and oozing, both present and at the same time scarcely visible, from its side. The effects of the Guardsman's weapon, no doubt.

Its wings were similarly in a sorry state, practically incapable of movement anymore. Its back was charred, but still mostly intact. Somehow it had survived both attacks with little more than cosmetic damage, its shadowy form flickering and licking at the air around it, reforming even. Its laughter began to bubble up once again, resounding in the heads of all those near.

"Your paltry attempts will not keep me from my prize," it bellowed. It did not care for the airborne; they would have to pass its barrier and engage closely. It similarly did not care for the men, or the as yet unseen beasts; all of them were beneath its gaze, and would likely be wiped out by the energies of the man above.

No, its focus was almost solely on the girl. "Kind of you, Little Thing, to speak of your intent," it mocks. "But it shall avail you nothing. Submit to my law," it demanded. Its words affected the mind; any nearby could be influenced by it, and those who succumbed would feel an intense urge to allow this thing to command them further.

But it did not rely on that alone. One of its immense hands began to reach for Nikita, the shadowy appendage difficult to see, even though it would consume her sight. It did not grab to crush; but to control.