Exousia - The Patron Saints of the Damned -Book II
Chapter 4 - Honor Amongst Monsters

In the wet darkness of the lightless cave, Exousia secured her psychic attachment to the Hydra’s mind. She didn’t need to see its eyes to gain that connection, she just had to hold on. It felt like … having two cups of liquid side-by-side with their brims touching. These were their respective minds–filled to the brim with stirring thoughts and emotions. By touching her psychic energy to the monsters, she could feel as it felt, think as it thought. But this was a dangerous balancing act. Too much of a stir and the contents of either of their minds would spill or mis or both–potentially changing them forever. So Exousia had to be careful. And it left her with the question of how she would use the bond between them. First, she tried to channel the demon energy of control–to overpower the monster's mind. She felt its fears and primal emotions wash over her like rain and wind. Like a competent sailor in a storm, she held steadily to the wheel while feeling the dangers around her. But, as she went in to try to wrestle for control, something in the monster's energy made her stop.

There was a sharp hollowness that Exousia felt in that monster's heart, one that was familiar to her. It was the same feeling as … as when she thought about having to fight Ammon. At what she secretly felt deep down at the prospect of having to stay in this horrible place instead of being back home. The feeling was fear … mixed with an aching sadness.

It took Exousia a moment to put words to what she felt for the monster in light of their shared experiences. The feeling was empathy. And it began to fill her, feeling like a poison that sapped her power and will. She slammed her already-battered fist against the stone floor and felt stupid for the feeling stopping her.

She stared uselessly at the darkness beneath her for several minutes.

Then … an idea began to take shape on the edges of Exousia’s mind. What if instead of risking her sanity by controlling the monster's thoughts, she instead used the ability for an act of persuasion? Dufaii had, on occasion, showed her visions of the past without tampering with her thoughts. In theory, she too could open the barrier between her own mind and the monster's just a little bit … enough that they could communicate on a primal and equal level. If Exousia could accomplish that, there was a small chance that she could share her empathy with the monster so that it no longer saw her as prey or an enemy.

Clearing her mind of all else, Exousia looked back into the darkness until she felt that she'd met the Hydra's eyes. Again, she felt the rainstorm blow against her body and heard the low rumble of thunderous animal emotion. Then she opened her feelings so that the monster could sense her own anger at the loyalists, as well as her fear that she would be stuck in this place forever. Last, Exousia shared her feeling of empathy … the emotion which had not let her forcefully control the monster.

To her surprise, the Hydra seemed to open up its own primal thoughts, which were more like intricate feelings than words. It hated the cave, the horrid scraps it was given, and the stale air. It hated feeling weak and wanted to return home to the physical realm, where it could fish, hunt, and live in a peacefully hidden state.

Exousia’s demon magic made it so that she felt those same desires. She spoke even though she knew it would only be the feelings of her message which would be transferable. “If we work together … maybe both of us can go home.”

The Hydra did not respond. Its mind was in a somewhat altered state, even if not being controlled. The only way to know whether it could hold any of these thoughts for longer than a fleeting magic-induced moment, was to release it from the state of communication. This was it.

Exousia broke eye-contact; she expected the monster’s feelings to dissipate from its mind. But they didn’t; they instead left it with an aura that seemed … unsure … and more scared than what it had been.

Exousia extended a hand out towards its face and began to move forward, towards the head that kept her trapped.

The Hydra moved its head back as just as slowly as she moved out of the dead-end tunnel. Maybe it was testing to see if it was being tricked; perhaps it was luring her out to eat her. But by the time Exousia had crawled out entirely and stared at the creature, it had still not attacked her.

Instead, the Hydra inspected her with all its heads, as if trying to see if it could get her to run or attack.

Her hands shaking, Exousia held her ground and resisted, even when one of the poisonous mouths nudged her shoulder with a tooth. She then, slowly, picked up her javelin and pointed it in the direction of the cavern exit. She swallowed and began to slowly walk, with the creature following behind, half-expecting it to bite her in the spine at any second.

But the Hydra followed silently, its heads never too far from her.

Eventually, the two of them reached the lit tunnel that the loyalists had marked by fire. The lot of them were now much deeper than before, shouting Exousia’s name sporadically and from different locations. Instead of sending someone to go back and get help with finding her, those bastards had apparently decided to take care of it themselves.

Exousia picked a torch up off the wall and turned around.

The Hydra shifted and winced a little, seeming afraid of both voices and of the fire. No wonder they had been so insistent about carrying it. This was their weakness, their source of undeserved confidence … just like the Creator. And like with the Creator, they would now understand what it meant for that source to betray them.

The corners of Exousia’s mouth curled into a cruel smile, and she lowered the torch upside-down to extinguish the flame. “Let's see Michael’s perverse loyalty save them without their power to back them up.” she whispered. She beckoned the creature and began to jog silently down the tunnel.

The Hydra followed closely behind.

One by one, Exousia destroyed the markers that the loyalists would have used to find their way out. The only exception was a series of tunnels that she lit in order to create a circular path, which would likely confuse the loyalists and send them deeper into the cave. She turned to her new companion and said, “Just think of it as a chance for them to practice their loyalty training.”

The Hydra didn't respond, but it had stopped testing her with its hovering heads. It stayed a good six feet away, except for when a loyalist's voice carried a bit too well. Then its body would begin trembling, and it moved a little closer.

After fifteen minutes, Exousia was back at the entrance of the tunnel. She'd managed to extinguish every flame she'd passed. She then readied her weapon, gave her companion a look that she hoped would communicate the danger ahead, and knocked.

The Hydra began to move towards the door.

But Exousia put a forceful palm on its chest and whispered, “Wait, just a little bit more.”

The Hydra looked confused and a bit agitated at this, but it stopped. It twisted its heads and inspected every part of the enormous door as it rattled. When it finally began to open, Exousia got out of the creature’s way. It stood onto its two back legs and used its front ones to smash the doors the rest of the way open.

There was a small thumping sound of a body being struck by those iron doors. White feathers fell from where a loyalist had been guarding the entrance–like a dove after buckshot. Their body bounced along the stone ground before it slowed to a stop about fifteen feet away.

Exousia led them out of the cave and turned around to close the door. The problem was that she was not as strong as a loyalist and couldn't get it shut.

One of the Hydra's heads, however, seemed to get the gist. Ironically, it was the head with a knot on its skull from where she'd struck it. It helped her force the doors closed with its muzzle. Then it turned\ and spread its twelve heads like a fan–looking at all of the enormous guarded walls. Anxiety was already pouring off of it as it perceived its new enclosure.

“I've got an idea,” Exousia said, getting the Hydra's attention as she approached the loyalist's seemingly unconscious form. She took the loyalist's sword and smiled when she realized that it had been engraved with outlines of eagles. Something built with this much care had to be a soul weapon, just what she needed to make her escape.

The loyalist moaned. Did he already sense that a piece of his soul had been taken away?

“Quit your whining, I'm not going to take it with me,” Exousia said. “But it would serve you right if I did. You know even better than I do that even limbs were taken away from your enemies.”

She resisted kicking his writhing form and began to drag the cumbersome sword down the trail that lead to the lake. She felt herself quickly begin to sweat from exertion. But it wasn't long before the two of them could see the massive lake.

Exousia dropped the sword for a moment to rest, and said, “This would be a lot easier if you helped.”

The Hydra, however, did not understand this. It was distracted by the light, which glimmered along its black scales. Already, being out of the cave had affected it. It was more alert, faster, probably stronger, and better tempered. With this new vigor, it captured several squirrels and rabbits, tearing each in half between two heads and swallowing them down. And this multiplied its energy exponentially.

Exousia smiled and then picked the weapon back up to finish their journey toward the lake. An hour later, they made it to the edge of the water. She looked at her companion and smiled. It looked like they were going to make it. And though her original plan had been to stay and finish the Archangel’s training, the residual effects of her psychic bond to the Hydra made the idea of escape irresistible. By the time she looked down at the lake’s surface, she had no other thought than to go.

Then there was a crash, as twenty loyalists in heavy armor dropped all around them–somehow having avoided detection until they were directly overhead in the sky. A loyalist whose decorated armor revealed a high rank, stepped forward and pointed his sword at them. He turned to his allies and said, “Sura, go and get Michael. Turel, retrieve and protect the girl. The rest of you with me; we have to bring this creature back to the den.” One loyalist took flight into the air, while a second one took flight towards Exousia.

Exousia hopped backward and struck the unarmed and unsuspecting loyalist in the skull with her staff. The unexpected blow sent the loyalist crashing into the grass, rolled into a crumpled heap.

The Hydra froze, however, apparently in shock from millennia of defeat at their hands.

Exousia looked it in the eye, created another psychic link between them, and then screamed a battle-cry before the creature’s terror could breach the barrier. She disconnected to avoid splash back from the power, and charged at the loyalists.

The Hydra, its eyes filling with rage, followed behind. It clamped a set of jaws down on two loyalists that tried to catch Exousia by her arms. These were smashed together until unconscious–its movements so much faster and with so much more power than in the cave.

Exousia realized that there was no way she could survive in a match against it in this state for half as long as she had in the cave. It gave her a newfound respect for the demi-god who had managed to defeat it.

More loyalists flew forward.

The Hydra took out those loyalists in a flurry of claws and teeth.

When the loyalists tried to attack the Hydra, it was then Exousia who defended the creature with her javalin–point-breaking joints, temples, and groins. Just as the Godkiller had once done with his own bludgeoning blade.

The loyalists were caught just as unprepared as in the stories of the rebellion–here, unable to defend themselves from one enemy’s savage strength and the other’s status as the Creator’s champion. It wasn't long before all of them had been taken out.

Exousia then worked quickly and found an ornate soul-dagger off the commanding officer. It was lighter than the sword and more convenient to carry until they got out. She then beckoned her companion to follow her to the water.

“Stop!” Michael's voice boomed like an earthquake. His claymore was drawn as he dropped to the ground, alongside about fifty other loyalists. These included Gabriel and Raphael, who both frowned grimly. Unlike the previous group that had been caught unprepared, there were now way too many for Exousia and the Hydra to take on alone.

“You evil little creature!” Michael said, looking at her. His face was red, and spittle came from his mouth as he spoke. “I never knew how much demon was really in you! Using their powers to control this monster, betray your companions, and try to escape!”

The words, which should have made Exousia happy for antagonizing the loyalist, made her feel an unexpected sensation of anger and betrayal. This fueled the remnant feelings of homesickness that she had picked up from the psychic link, amplifying her resolve to leave at any cost.

Gabriel’s eyes darkened with an intensity that made his fellow Archangel's pale by comparison. However, his was unexpectedly directed at Michael. “She is the Creator's Champion and a child. You will not speak to her that way.”

Raphael, who seemed to have been studying Exousia, turned to them and said, “Look into her eyes. It’s not just her in there. She attempted a psychic link to the monster. She was exposed to its thoughts … and is trying to escape with it.”

“That has nothing to do with why I want to leave!” Exousia shouted, believing that this was entirely true. Even if she hadn’t thought it before, the feelings inside her were real as her own. She wanted to go home.

Raphael nodded empathetically, but it was clear that she was trying to validate her emotions even though she didn’t believe. “Exousia, we understand that you don't want to be here. But you must understand that we're doing this to strengthen you. We just want to keep you here until we know that you're ready to return to your teacher. And you were quite fine with the arrangement before you melded your mind with that the monster. This is a challenge of its own that you can pass, not a prison, not a cage, not a cave.”

Exousia’s mind twisted with anger and confusion, which was amplified by the fear that she felt from all the loyalists surrounding her. They who were her enemies, who had kept her locked in a cave for thousands of … no. She shook her head, trying to regain her own thoughts. “Next you'll tell me that you just wanted to keep the demons in Hell for their own good, right?”

“That was a long time ago,” Raphael replied, lifting her hands in a calming motion. “You're different. And you need to believe that we will let you go when all of this is over. You believed us before, and you trusted in your teacher. Do you remember that?”

“Well, why should I?” Exousia asked, feeling her neck become hot and her thoughts more difficult. “You didn't seem to think I was important when I was younger, but now you suddenly want my trust? What if you treat me like you have the Hydra?”

Raphael shook her head. “That's different, the Hydra is dangerous; it's a monster-”

“And what do you think that I am!” Exousia screamed, her eyes momentarily becoming black as any demon’s. Her voice changed so that it was deep, ominous, and booming with terrible strength that literally sent reverberations through all listening and ripples across the water.

Even the Hydra winced nervously.

Then there was silence as all of them stared at Exousia.

“Try to think,” Raphael begged, her voice sounding tired. “We can take you home right this moment, if need be. You clearly aren't ready for this, yet. In a few years, we can bring you back when you understand.”

“Don't negotiate with her!” Michael said, incredulously. “Gabriel, you should at least know how dangerous it is to give in to a child’s impudence.”

However, Gabriel gave him a brooding look that shut him up.

Exousia looked between the three of them, not really believing what she was hearing. It took her a moment to register what they were saying. Were they really telling her that she could go home? That she had won? Self-reliance had won out over loyalty, and she’d … beaten them. A darkly pleasant feeling filled her chest at that thought. But then she noticed something that sucked the air from her.

The Hydra had backed itself against the shore of the lake and was shaking as all the loyalists pointed their weapons at it.

That was the unspoken condition. Exousia would have to allow them to take the Hydra back to the cave. An ironically faustian bargain with angels.

A part of Exousia did wonder, for just a moment, why she shouldn’t agree. The Hydra was just a monster that had wanted to kill her, not anything that deserved any sort of loyalty. Except … that it was powerless and at the mercy of cruel beings more powerful than it was. The ultimate example of what Dufaii meant when he taught demon loyalty. To betray that would have been an act just as cowardly and treasonous as the loyalists’ own bargain with the Creator.

Yet, there was more to it than that. The Hydra was … her friend. One of the only friends she had ever made, no matter how brief their time together had been. It trusted her, and she had trusted it.

Exousia looked bitterly at the dagger she had clenched in her fist, now sobered by the knowledge of what she had to do. She said, “I told my teacher I would learn what each of you had to teach me … and beat you at your own game.” She turned and threw the blade at the water with angled precision. They touched, creating a portal to some unknown place in the physical realm.

The Hydra must have smelled Earth within the portal because it turned and looked down into where the water opened up. At least twenty angels dove toward it, weapons ready.

But Exousia already had her last two packets of fire powder ready. She tossed them, and the sky erupted with fire. This created a momentary shield over the Hydra.

A loyalist with a bow nocked an arrow, drew the string, and aimed it at the creature.

Exousia sprinted and dove at the loyalist's knees. Her shoulder struck hard enough to make the loyalist's legs buckle and his shot missed.

Then the Hydra was gone, and the hole closed behind it.

Exousia stood and dusted herself off. She dropped her weapon and dropped her hands to her sides. She knew that it was over.

Raphael and Gabriel stared at her, open-mouthed and looking deeply disturbed.

Michael, however, no longer looked angry. He looked at the champion's eyes and seemed to see something in them before Exousia thought to put up mental barriers between them. This left the Archangel wide-eyed, but with the vaguest hint of a smile. His eyes welled for just a moment as he said, “You’re … so much like him.”

Exousia stared back silently, surprised at the tenderness of the angel’s words.

Michael, however, put up a mental shield of his own as he turned to face the other Archangels. “The Champion has learned what I had to teach her. She’s ready for her next teacher.”

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