NOVEL NEXT Book 1: Chapter 8: People
Scarlet Asger
After a quick walk down the stairs, I find myself entering the twenty ninth floor through the open stairwell. But before I enter the rather large greeting room on the floor, I walk over to the edge of the stairwell’s center to peek down at the lower floors. And as I suspected, I see quite the number of demons on the lower floors just moving through the stairs themselves.
What makes it even worse is that I can hear the occasional scream coming from the other floors now that I’m at the main stairwell – an area connected to every floor of the building.
I shake my head after a few seconds before going into the greeting room, which is basically just a massive room with a few areas full of comfortable chairs or couches meant for relaxation while people wait here for something. What this floor is meant for, I’m not sure. But I do hear people on the floor. And none of them are in a bunker by the sounds of how loud their voices and movements are.
At the same time, none of the demons are near them either. So there’s that at least.
From what I can hear, two of the demons are most likely more Spawn, while the third demon on the floor is something else. It clearly has only two legs, but at the same time, it has much lighter steps than anyone else on the floor, and is moving around through the floor rather slowly.
If I had to guess, then I’d put my money on it being a huntsman. Which is a type of demon that tends to narrow in on someone they mark as their ‘prey’ before chasing after them and beginning their hunt. It’s also something I’ll have to worry about, since they actually use a weapon. A crossbow.
To start things off, I head in the direction of the spawn closest to the humans on the floor. Since it may go after them while I’m dealing with the other two.
“Look who’s already getting into their role as a defender of humanity,” I hear the tanuki’s voice echoing in my head. But I can’t help but frown at its words.
No, not really. While I do think it would be a shame for them to die, I’m not some superhero who’ll run around killing demons all the time to save people’s lives. After all, it’s their lives to live. Not mine.Life in a tier 3 city taught me how heroes end up in the end. Six feet under.
“Oh?” the tanuki mutters, sounding both slightly amused and interested. “Tell me then, half demon. Why are you going after the one closest to the humans first, despite it being the furthest away from you?”
Because the demons will be stronger if they kill the humans there. And that would make it a bigger problem both for me, and the other people on the floor below us if I don’t manage to take the demons out.
Also, why not?
“So it’s a pragmatic choice of what would be better for the masses or for you, over what would be better for an individual other than you? That or a whim?” Tar asks, sounding more and more curious as I continue making my way through the hall, getting closer and closer to the spawn in the process. Which also happens to be getting closer to the humans too.
Yeah, I guess. Call me selfish or cold all you want, but I’m not going to sacrifice my life for a stranger. And at the same time, if I can help people without it inconveniencing me too badly, then I will. After all, there’s no reason not to.
The tanuki stays silent this time, not responding to my thoughts.
I continue running down the hall for a little bit longer before turning the corner and finding a wide open room, with what appears to be a bunker standing wide open on the other side of it, and a demon spawn in the middle of the room. The room itself looks like some sort of middle room area, with various doors branching off of it, some of them being wide open and showing an office on the other side. There are pots and plants located closer to the middle of the room, with even a large tree smack dab at the center.
My eyes move towards the open bunker to find a group of eleven people trying to close the bunker door but failing.
Is it broken?
No matter how many people they have trying to pull down the lever to close the door, it doesn’t budge in the slightest. Which really shows a lack of care in this floor.
Maybe I should mention that to Allen the next time I see him?
I look directly at the spawn of which is moving closer to the people in the bunker before a light smile tugs at my lips.
|Demon Spawn – Subspecies: Spider – Level 2|
Another level 2. This shouldn’t be too hard. I think.
The instant the people in the bunker notice me, the terror on their faces is replaced with hope, and I even hear several of them muttering, “Guardian!”
I give them a brief nod before activating my Blood Claws skill again and leaping straight towards the spawn, landing on its back, and startling it in the process thanks to its attention having been focused solely on the people in the bunker. It lets out a loud screech that only grows louder as I dig the claws of both of my hands into its body. Then I-
A sudden flash of light makes me blink twice to clear the spots from my eyes before I glance towards the people to find two of them pointing their cameras at me while the others continue trying to close the door. The two being the youngest of the group. Just a couple of high school girls by the looks of it.
Seriously?
One of them even seems to be recording. Which’ll be a pain.
Why are they here anyways?
I focus on the spawn again as I begin to climb its body closer to the head, only to notice out of the corner of my eye an incoming leg to which I move my arm up at the last moment, making the claw strike at its own back.
By the stars… that could’ve been painful.
The spawn lets out a high pitch screech showing off just how painful it thought it was before I finish making my way across its slightly-longer-than-a-meter body to grab onto and dig into its head, just like the last one. Then I finish it by dragging myself forward and stabbing my other hand into its biggest eye.
That’s really turning out to be a good way of killing them.
Although it’s rather gross every time I do it.
I turn my head towards the bunker again to find that the people are still staring at me.
Oh. Right.