Keepers Of The Occult (NaNoWriMo 2024) Chapter 14: Chapter 12: The Cost Of Duty (Part Two)

Read chapter 14 of Keepers Of The Occult (NaNoWriMo 2024) by Mercynarie on NovelPedia.

Liam materialised in midair, making use of the still-dissipating magic to keep his body afloat for a few more seconds. The canal before him was as abandoned as it came, with overgrown shrubs threatening to engulf its yawning entrance. The boy’s face darkened as his feet finally touched the ground. He stepped forward cautiously. The air was thick with the stench of death. Blue magic trickled down his body with each step, adorning it in his Magus robes. He felt Luca and Ava do the same from behind. Three presences popped up in his magic senses as dried leaves rustled beneath his sandals. This canal had obviously long dried up, so he wasn’t walking in sewage water, at least. But the emptiness of this whole place made even the softest sound echo through the whole damned place, which also meant an ambush was out of the question. “You sure wasted no time coming here. This boy must mean a lot to you, eh?” Liam narrowed his eyes without flinching. The same disembodied head that attacked him in school, as well as a gigantic black cat, were standing conspicuously at the end of the canal, staring straight at him. Chester’s unconscious body was leaning carelessly against the wall behind, and his life force felt alarmingly weak. Liam suppressed a sharp inhale; his friend’s injuries were no less severe than thosee of a car accident victim. “What do you want?” Luca stepped forward, both fists clenched tightly. “Don’t you dare hurt Chester!” A huge fireball burst out from the cat’s mouth without warning, singeing the floor in front of the Magus before they could react. “If you don’t shut up right now, I’ll skin you alive and put your screams on my goddamn Discman,” the Nekomata snarled. “You’re in no position to make demands, filthy humans.” Liam spotted Chester stirring slightly from the corner of his eye, although Chester made no further movement. “Now, now. There’s no need to be uncivilised here,” the Rokurokubi purred. “Our demands were made very clear in our note, and I believe you understand what’s at stake here. It was written with the blood of your very own son, after all. So, do you agree to our terms?” “You want us to let you roam free in this country?” Ava said. “After you’ve killed so many people?” She gestured at the pile of half-eaten skeletons rotting in the corner of the canal. “Fat chance,” she spat. “You have committed unforgivable crimes against the natural world. Come with us without a fight, and you may still be spared. We came here for your surrender. And we will use violence—” A huge mace materialised in her hand. “— If necessary.” A glowing orange helmet wrapped around Luca’s head as a show of backing his wife up. He lifted a magically conjured machine gun at the monsters threateningly. Liam resisted the urge to roll his eyes in frustration. Even if this was Ava’s way of suppressing her nervousness, she was being way too aggressive. And if they weren’t careful, Chester could still get hurt if a fight broke out. Not like he had a choice now, since that impulsive woman had clearly chosen to aggravate the monsters. Elemental magic charged in Liam’s palms as well. “I always knew humans were heartless, but you never fail to surprise me,” the Nekomata said. “Isn’t this your son? Don’t you care about his safety? No wonder you drove him away. Some parents you are.” A stray breeze hit Liam as Ava burst forward with an anguished shriek, swinging her mace wildly at the monster cat. Luca cocked his weapon as well, unloading hundreds of tiny green bullets at the Yokai. It was pointless. With a single flick of its bushy tail, the Nekomata sent Ava twirling in the turbulent air currents without even touching her. Luca gritted his teeth as he continued to spray his weapon at the monster, but the bullets simply bounced off its hide. The Rokurokubi hissed aggressively, seizing the opportunity to charge straight at Liam. Liam stomped his feet, sending a wave of jagged ice towards the nimble head. It cackled wildly as it simply rolled ove