A Taste Chaos Ch. 03

What you can do is what you are doing now. Ban it in your own but allow the sale and trade and use of them. That means we will always have to import and that makes demand increase and money as well. So you took something away from the Circle but then you added something back to offset that. Balanced. This is just part of that balance, Silence and all the other groups are not only defying your rule but also trying to destroy what you are building."

Damiex closed his eyes and leaned his head back and pulled both of them tight hearing little purrs of contentment from them.

"Thank you both. I'm at peace with what is to come. Now it's just a matter of waiting."

*****

The first rays of the sun were just spilling into the massive grounds around Damiex and his retinue. He saw his forces laid out in front of him. 10,000 of the best the Capital had all formed in neat ranks and ready to march. His ladies and Sins around him forming a perimeter and 200 of his personal guard from the Palace with Xixian leading them and keeping a fierce gaze on everything.

Ariel leaned into him always at his right and spoke softly.

"It's time my Lord. Say something to the troops and then we can begin."

Damiex grinned and nodded before walking up onto a raised platform to address his troops. His voice boomed as he stood illuminated in the red hued light from the sun that was rising red today.

"A red sun rises today as a Blood Dawn, for today we make war! We go to destroy a threat to what is being built here in our Circle, a threat to all with who they are. Leave none alive in our wake, they will forever be remembered as the Silence that fell forever."

Damiex drew Durandal and turned towards where he would form the portal. He focused his will and with a massive slash and ripping sound tearing through the air a huge portal several hundred feet wide tore into being. Several loud horns sounded as Damiex stepped aside over to his group again. Troops started marching through the portal to the distant mountain valley that held Silence's stronghold.

Damiex and his guard would be one of the last through as they wanted to stage and secure the assault grounds before they risked him coming through. Damiex rolled his eyes at that, he always thought everyone treated him far too carefully, he could take care of himself quite well by this point and was growing more powerful daily as he continued to assimilate and adjust to Asz's power and knowledge. Lately he felt like it wouldn't be much longer until he could truly call it his own. He would still be young and needing to build his own experiences, but the process seemed to be close to complete.

For an hour he watched the red sun rise and his troops quickly pass through the portal. The last through were the workers who would setup camp on the other side. Even though Damiex was certain it would be a slaughter it would still take a lot of time and then they'd have the entire fortress to comb through afterwards. They would be here at least for a day or two.

Eventually it was Damiex's group turn and they could close the portal after they were through. They walked through and into a scene of strictly ordered chaos. A massive camp was quickly being erected around them and he could see his troops moving down the valley toward the fortress.

In fact they all got their first look at their target. At the far end of the valley only a few miles away the two mountains on either side of the valley rose up and converged to a large peak at the back. Where they were was a section of the Black Spires, a mountain range of very high and very craggy peaks made of black granite giving them their name.

Cut into the large peak was a huge fortress towering out of the living rock. There was a very tall solid rock wall in a half moon in front of the main gate cut into the mountain to allow entry. The main gate alone must have been at least 100 feet tall and 50 feet wide and barred shut with huge slabs of black granite. Between breaking through the outer wall and then through the gate would be asking a lot of his troops. It was well defended and he could see scores of enemy troops on the walls and battlements that towered up the fortress. There had to be at least 2000 demons that he could see, not quite half his forces he thought.

Dante turned and saw his forces marching on the wall and deploying when he made his decision. He saw a small rise off to the side about a quarter mile from the edge of the fortress wall and decided that would do nicely. Everyone else had been watching silently but when he pulled out Durandal he got their attention. Damiex made a slash in front of him as a much smaller portal than the last time opened. He turned to his Sins and ladies and held his hand out.

"Shall we?"

The ladies eyes all narrowed like one big group thought while Cassius and Zaxen were smiling and ready for anything. Damiex again rolled his eyes at their extreme overprotectiveness. It was Ariel that voiced what the ladies were thinking.

"Where do you think you're going and why, hmmmm?"

Damiex smiled confidently, "We are headed close to the front to break the initial siege."

Ariel still speaking for the ladies frowned. "Why do you think we will let you do that? That's why we brought overwhelming numbers, this is what they are trained for. You saw the siege equipment we brought through. What makes you think we'd allow you at the front at this time?"

Damiex's eyes grew hard, "To save lives. I didn't come here today to watch my troops die, even die well, when I can do something about it. I came here today to make the other fuckers dead, not my own."

Serenity stepped up next to Ariel, "And you think you can do something about that fortress? Love we all know you are powerful, and if we can draw out their troops then it would be different, but right now I don't see how you could do anything about the wall or gate besides getting close enough to cut through it with Durandal and we'd never allow that."

Damiex smirked and rubbed the back of his head. "Wellllllll..."

He looked at Amaranda a bit guiltily and she raised an eyebrow and stared at him silently.

"I've been holding out on you when you've been training me lately love."

Amaranda walked up to him as the ladies gathered together watching him.

"Oh you have have you my Lord? And pray tell what have you been holding back?"

Damiex looked up breaking the intense stares piercing him and chuckled.

"Welllllll I've been holding back quite a bit in practice even when you've thought I've been going full power. I can feel that the transference and process is nearly complete. I know a whole hellluva lot more spells and magic than I've let on. It all comes as knowledge from Asz, but let me tell you there is one aspect of Asz that was just as greedy as the Governor of Greed. He hoarded any and all magic that he could come across and learn and came up with a lot of his own personal spells too. It's taken time but I know and can cast nearly all of it now."

The more he spoke the bigger everyone's eyes became. Amaranda was the one the break the silence.

"Just how much have you been holding back Damiex and how long has this been going on?"

Damiex smiled ruefully at her, "I've only been holding back for the past few weeks, it took time. All of the training has been paying off though and a few weeks ago it seems like something clicked and far more was unlocked and I started assimilating everything much quicker. As for how much I'm holding back, ummmmm."

Amaranda huffed, "Just tell us Damiex, it'll be fine."

Damiex smiled sheepishly, "The highest you've seen me push is about 25%. Anything above that would be too dangerous for anyone around me and would also destroy the grounds."

Everyone's jaw dropped when he said that, even Cassius' and Zaxen's.

Amaranda asked incredulously, "Are you serious?!"

Damiex just nodded, "Yes, that's why my control has gotten so good and refined lately, I have to use it with everything so it's begun to just come naturally. Now, I ask again, shall we go?"

All of the ladies looked at each other and seemed to have some magic private and silent communication before they all turned to him as one and nodded. Ariel spoke for them.

"Ok we can go, but we will be watching you closely and you'll listen to us!"

Damiex just nodded and sighed but he walked through as the others followed. They were now on top of the small rise looking directly at the wall and the gate further in the distance. The front line of his troops was just passing where they were and getting ready for their assault. One of the commanders at the front saw Damiex and a moment later a loud horn blast cut through the valley and the column came to a halt.

Damiex turned back to his group, "I appreciate all your concern but you all worry just a little too much. How about a little demonstration to help put everyone at ease that I'm not as vulnerable as you may think."

Damiex pulled Durandal from her sheath and thrust her into the ground and kneeled in front of her and started speaking in ancient demonic as he began casting. Everyone around began to feel his power swell up and it was like watching the awakening of a slumbering Titan as it grew and grew and grew. The pressure was absurd and bursts of power and color circled around him in an ever increasing pace. That's when they noticed that it was getting dark.

Ariel was the first to look up and gasped drawing the attention of the others. Angry and terrible looking black clouds boiled in the sky, you could watch them twist and writhe and it circled above the peak that the fortress was carved from. Ominous thunder rumbled loudly now and the wind was picking up every second, the flashes of lightning lit up the black sky and continued to grow until it looked like the entire storm system was racing between itself. The wind was gale force and howled around everyone and between it and the thunder and lightning no one could hear anything.

A sudden silence and stillness and enveloped them and lasted only for a moment just long enough for the Sins and ladies to hear one word from Damiex to finish the spell.

"DESCEND!"

A shaft of power and energy surrounded Damiex and erupted into the storm above supercharging it until it finally broke. The storm unleashed and a blanket of blood red lightning fell from the raging black clouds and crashed into the wall and fortress over and over as the entire valley glowed with an unholy red light for several minutes until the winds started to calm and the clouds began to break as silence reigned in the aftermath.

Damiex stood up and watched as the dust cleared and saw that the wall had been destroyed and there were clear paths through in many areas. He saw severe damage to parts of the fortress and many of the enemy troops were dead and strewn across the valley floor. The gate however was still intact.

Damiex narrowed his eyes. "Hmmm we still need to get through the gate. Ok one opening coming up."

For now he was simply focused on the task at hand and hadn't been paying attention to his family around him. He sheathed Durandal and knelt down in front of everyone on the hill and placed his palms flat on the bare rock. Once again his power began to grow and with it came the unfathomable pressure as the ground under his hands began to flow and quickly grow in size. Heat poured off of Damiex as his power rose and his hands began to sink into the ground as he continued to chant in ancient demonic.

They watched him appear to grip something and then with a rising voice he heaved upwards and stood as a huge molten core of rock and metal was torn from the ground and held above him Dwargon even his large frame. They could feel the energy and power pouring into it as it crackled and burned.

With a final chant Damiex pulled back and threw it with all his strength and power at the gate as a massive sonic boom broke in front of them from the small meteor that was now hurtling towards the large gate. A moment later and the explosion was deafening as they watched the gate simply vaporized before a tremendous cloud of dust and debris enveloped the entire rear of the valley area.

A huge cheer and roar rose up from his troops and the ground rumbled as everyone was stomping and beating their weapons on the ground or against shields. Once more several loud and echoing horn blasts blared in the valley and the column surged forward to engage the enemy now that the way was clear.

Damiex watched all this as he breathed heavily and struggled to remain standing and as he took a step back he started to collapse. He was immediately caught in strong and loving arms as he saw that Ariel and Serenity were holding him up and looking at him in awe and wonder. They turned and he looked back at his group and all of them, even Maturity was open mouthed and staring in wonder like Ariel and Serenity were. Damiex tiredly broke the silence.

"I need a few minutes and then we can join the front."

That broke the silence and suddenly everyone was shouting as one but the overall effect was clear and that no one had any intention of sending him forward. In a brief moment order was restored and Ariel took control.

"Absolutely not, you are going back to camp and resting! You've already done plenty and have single handedly completed the siege to open the fortress. You're exhausted and need rest, it will take time for our forces to clear the fortress and Silaz will be holed up with his best forces somewhere deep inside. It will take time to get there and then you can join the fight again, but not before!"

Damiex was too tired to argue further after two full power spells like that. He nodded his head and everyone relaxed a bit. Damiex gathered himself and stood upright and with help from Durandal opened a portal back to camp. Damiex along with Layla and Ariel and Serenity holding him up stepped back into camp first as the rest followed immediately behind.

They found Alizay and Xixian waiting for them in front of a beautiful and grand tent complex. Seeing it as well as memories from Asz who had been around since the beginning, he thought it looked like something that a Sultan would travel with to impress people, and even though this was his he was still impressed and laughed softly.

Alizay had a look of concern on her sweet face seeing Damiex's condition while Xixian was shining with pride and awe looking at him. Alizay took charge.

"Please through here and into your chambers immediately my Lord. We will take care of you and you can rest. Quickly please, you look very weak right now."

The three ladies marched him into the tent complex as the others followed including Xixian. Alizay led them through several sections and to a lounge area that had a very large tub currently full of steaming water and oils that looked like heaven to Damiex. Around the tub were several lounges and couches and seats as well as tables near them filled with food and drink.

Ariel and Serenity looked at each other and smiled and nodded before letting go of Damiex. Layla looked at them with a question and Serenity answered.

"Take care of our Lord and help him relax. The rest of us are going to sit and eat and we are all going to talk a bit after witnessing all that."

Layla smiled brilliantly at them before she quickly stripped down Damiex before stripping down herself and guiding him into the bath and joining him. Alizay had already gathered a large platter heaping with food and brought it and several glasses of wine over to the tub and set it down in close reach.

Layla snuggled into him and began to feed him as he soaked between sips of wine. Everyone else was eating and casually drinking and it was Ariel who broke the silence. She always seemed to be the spokeswoman of their groups.

"So what did we just witness love? What were those two spells that you used, I've never witnessed anything like them before. None of us have I don't think."

Layla fed him a large bite of soft and roasted tanta meat and he groaned. As he finished it he opened his eyes and looked at those gathered around. He was glad to see Xixian there as well, he really liked him and wanted him more involved as he knew he wanted too.

"Those were two signature spells from Asz that he had come up with. I have others, but those two served my purposes this time. These were spells Asz came up with and named which means some of them are like the demon and rather frivolous. I think he sometimes would pretend he was the hero in a Japanese anime or something with some of the things he came up with. But that was Blood Storm and Meteor Shot."

Layla looked up at him and fed him another bite of food as he smiled and chewed. She asked, "Were they supposed to be that powerful and destructive?"

Before Damiex could answer Amaranda shouted out, "No fucking way, that was so far over the top it would be hard to compare to even."

Alissa chimed in, "Yeah that wasn't anything normal at all."

Cassius and Amaranda were nodding as well. Ariel looked at Amaranda and spoke.

"Take a shot at it and try if you would."

Amaranda nodded and had a serious look on her face.

"Ok let's do some comparisons and that will help. Let's say that the power of just any normal average demon could represent their power with a simple pebble. A powerful demon would be represented by a small rock that could fit in your palm. Leaders of Districts or powerful mercenary groups could be represented by a large rock as big as our Lord's fist. Pretty damn powerful. Most Sins in the Circles would be represented by a small boulder that is maybe a foot across, or basically some of the most powerful beings in the Hells. Rulers of Sin however are on another level entirely, as they grow older they get more and more powerful. The average Ruler of Sin's power would be represented by a large boulder that's maybe 10 feet across. The more powerful of them even bigger, maybe double that and 20 feet. Still compared to anything or anyone else it would be no contest. The Warmaster as an example, when he would truly utilize all his power and experience and skill being the oldest one now at several thousand years old, his power would be a boulder 30-40 feet across. Truly monsterous and only some of the very old and powerful Archangel's such as Michael or maybe one or two others could hope to match him."

Everyone even Damiex was nodding along though Damiex was still devouring all the food that Layla kept feeding him. Ariel prodded Amaranda to continue. "So what about Damiex. I honestly couldn't gauge his power accurately enough to say."

Amaranda nodded and looked very serious. "Ok so if the biggest measure we have previously would be the Warmaster at full strength and in a rage was a boulder 30-40 feet across, well Damiex earlier his level would have been equivalent to a small hill or mountain maybe. Literally a boulder several hundred feet across. Something never seen before and in all truth utterly terrifying in its majesty and power. In terms of raw power or energy, it would probably take all of the other Rulers of Sun at full strength to even try to match him. Our Lord lost to rage and channeling everything he could though, I suspect it could be much worse and more dangerous though. Today he unleashed twice at full power, but it wasn't fueled by pain or rage or hate or anything. We know emotions run strong in demons and affect us greatly. Think of it this way. This was a calm release as ridiculous as that sounds, it wasn't emotional."

Everyone just turned and stared at Damiex as he watched all of the emotions play across his loved ones faces.

"I'm still just me, nothing changes."

It started with Layla but quickly grew and caught everyone and soon they were all laughing and it took a few minutes for everyone to stop. Ariel finally spoke when they all calmed down.