Early the next morning I summoned Torque.
Torque is a lesser technology demon, a black lizard-like creature with useless, filmy wings at his shoulders and bad eyesight. From the reports I've seen many Angels in the field use Torque for information about the latest magical technology, despite the fact that summoning demons is frowned upon in Heavenly society. Then again Guardian field agents are rarely concerned as much about Heavenly society as they are about performing their function well.
Forcing Torque to speak was not a difficult task, though not a pleasant one. I was forced to burn several small holes through his wings with Holy Fire before he would talk. He was vague at first, but the threat of utter annihilation kept him within the realms of comprehensibility.
Through Torque's vast knowledge of all things that beep, I learned of a computer programming language that warped reality with equal effectiveness and greater precision than ordinary magic. Under his unwilling supervision I wrote a few practice programs until I was positive my skills would not get me killed, then banished Torque with a brief word of thanks.
Then I slept, because I was tired.
And it was good.
*************
I refused to put up with going to the high school the next morning, which ticked off Larin.
"I went through all that trouble of registering you and you're not even going to GO?"
I shrugged and raised my hands in a defensive gesture. "It's unnecessary. Besides, what are a few hours out of the life of a witch-ghost?"
"Time doesn't pass for me any faster now than when I was alive, Angel Neruthael." Larin glared at me. "You summoned the Tech Demon? Did he give you what you wanted?"
"Yeah." Sitting down at the kitchen table, I opened my laptop and began typing. "I'm pretty sure he gave me valid information as well. I set up a personal defense weave-or some similarly technobabble-ish sounding spell- around myself, and as far as I can tell it's been working."
She leaned over my shoulder and watched me type out a report to Gabriel about my current actions. "You won't know it works until you've tested it."
Without further warning, she drove a steak knife into my back. The blade never reached me. Rather, it melted, turned back on itself, and would have wrapped its way up Larins' arm and snapped it off had she been a physical being. She threw it to the floor as it burst into green and black flames. We watched as it burned away, leaving a black stain on the linoleum.
"Impressive." Larin said when it was over. "Very flashy, though not damaging enough. Might stall a demon long enough for you to run away."
"That's the idea." I stood. "I'm going to do something about Aeldrin today."
Larin gave me a warning look. "You're not supposed to do anything. You're supposed to watch him."
"Sure. But he's a chaos demon and his god knows I'm here. I'm going to have to act before he does. Preemptive strikes and all that jazz."
"Do you have any idea what kind of mess you could create? The paperwork in Heaven alone would be a disaster, much less the damage you could do to reality!"
I shook my head. "The paperwork is done. I'm not going to do anything that my summoning permit doesn't cover."
"Are you suggesting that you summon Aeldrin?! Are you mad, Angel?"
"Of course not. I'm going to isolate him. Cut him off from Chaos." I noted that my body was hungry, and began rummaging through the cabinets in search of food. "It's not that hard. It's standard procedure for a summoning; I'd just have to leave the summoning elements out of it. Sure, Aeldrin's a lot stronger than most of the critters I'm used to, but the process won't need to be altered, just the energy I put into it."
The witch-spirit looked at me for a second. "You are insane."
"Am not. I can do this."
"You probably can't. But that doesn't matter." She crossed her arms. "Even if by some amazing stroke of luck you manage to achieve this, do you think he won't act? Do you think the Nameless God would allow one of its most prized soldiers to slip away? Angel Neruthael, don't be stupid."
I rolled my eyes. "Listen, I know there's no precedent for action like this, but I feel the situation merits it."
"Best case scenario: You get killed, sent back to Heaven in disgrace, and demoted."
"You're too negative. Lighten up." I found a package of blueberry muffins. "I'm an Angel. Therefore my actions are nearly always already approved by God, otherwise I couldn't take them."
"You've been to Hell. You could be under the influence of the Fallen."
"I wonder if that could get me a DUI charge..."
Larin threw her hands in the air in a display of disgusted helplessness. "If you're so set on screwing up your mission, not to mention reality as we know it, then go ahead. But I warn you, Angel Neruthael, you're doing a very stupid thing, a monumentally stupid thing; the kind of stupid thing that causes the spontaneous negation of vital parts of entire galaxies."
"I'm not worried." I finished my muffin and packed up my laptop.
"You damn well should be."
Ignoring the witch-spirit I continued on my way out the kitchen. I knew I was capable of isolating Aeldrin from Chaos; he was just another demon, after all. It couldn't be entirely different from summoning and isolating Torque, except in terms of power, and my body, despite it being trapped in a mortal form, contained a massive amount of power.
I could handle it. I was confident.
I got into my car, slammed the door, and sped off into the morning, thus beginning my suicide mission to find and bind Aeldrin L'Dreth.
~~~
~~~
~~~
AN: Observe, for I return. Much apologies for the lateness of this chapter, should any of you care to read it. I should be posting more soon, and the plot should continue faster than it has been.
Torque is a lesser technology demon, a black lizard-like creature with useless, filmy wings at his shoulders and bad eyesight. From the reports I've seen many Angels in the field use Torque for information about the latest magical technology, despite the fact that summoning demons is frowned upon in Heavenly society. Then again Guardian field agents are rarely concerned as much about Heavenly society as they are about performing their function well.
Forcing Torque to speak was not a difficult task, though not a pleasant one. I was forced to burn several small holes through his wings with Holy Fire before he would talk. He was vague at first, but the threat of utter annihilation kept him within the realms of comprehensibility.
Through Torque's vast knowledge of all things that beep, I learned of a computer programming language that warped reality with equal effectiveness and greater precision than ordinary magic. Under his unwilling supervision I wrote a few practice programs until I was positive my skills would not get me killed, then banished Torque with a brief word of thanks.
Then I slept, because I was tired.
And it was good.
*************
I refused to put up with going to the high school the next morning, which ticked off Larin.
"I went through all that trouble of registering you and you're not even going to GO?"
I shrugged and raised my hands in a defensive gesture. "It's unnecessary. Besides, what are a few hours out of the life of a witch-ghost?"
"Time doesn't pass for me any faster now than when I was alive, Angel Neruthael." Larin glared at me. "You summoned the Tech Demon? Did he give you what you wanted?"
"Yeah." Sitting down at the kitchen table, I opened my laptop and began typing. "I'm pretty sure he gave me valid information as well. I set up a personal defense weave-or some similarly technobabble-ish sounding spell- around myself, and as far as I can tell it's been working."
She leaned over my shoulder and watched me type out a report to Gabriel about my current actions. "You won't know it works until you've tested it."
Without further warning, she drove a steak knife into my back. The blade never reached me. Rather, it melted, turned back on itself, and would have wrapped its way up Larins' arm and snapped it off had she been a physical being. She threw it to the floor as it burst into green and black flames. We watched as it burned away, leaving a black stain on the linoleum.
"Impressive." Larin said when it was over. "Very flashy, though not damaging enough. Might stall a demon long enough for you to run away."
"That's the idea." I stood. "I'm going to do something about Aeldrin today."
Larin gave me a warning look. "You're not supposed to do anything. You're supposed to watch him."
"Sure. But he's a chaos demon and his god knows I'm here. I'm going to have to act before he does. Preemptive strikes and all that jazz."
"Do you have any idea what kind of mess you could create? The paperwork in Heaven alone would be a disaster, much less the damage you could do to reality!"
I shook my head. "The paperwork is done. I'm not going to do anything that my summoning permit doesn't cover."
"Are you suggesting that you summon Aeldrin?! Are you mad, Angel?"
"Of course not. I'm going to isolate him. Cut him off from Chaos." I noted that my body was hungry, and began rummaging through the cabinets in search of food. "It's not that hard. It's standard procedure for a summoning; I'd just have to leave the summoning elements out of it. Sure, Aeldrin's a lot stronger than most of the critters I'm used to, but the process won't need to be altered, just the energy I put into it."
The witch-spirit looked at me for a second. "You are insane."
"Am not. I can do this."
"You probably can't. But that doesn't matter." She crossed her arms. "Even if by some amazing stroke of luck you manage to achieve this, do you think he won't act? Do you think the Nameless God would allow one of its most prized soldiers to slip away? Angel Neruthael, don't be stupid."
I rolled my eyes. "Listen, I know there's no precedent for action like this, but I feel the situation merits it."
"Best case scenario: You get killed, sent back to Heaven in disgrace, and demoted."
"You're too negative. Lighten up." I found a package of blueberry muffins. "I'm an Angel. Therefore my actions are nearly always already approved by God, otherwise I couldn't take them."
"You've been to Hell. You could be under the influence of the Fallen."
"I wonder if that could get me a DUI charge..."
Larin threw her hands in the air in a display of disgusted helplessness. "If you're so set on screwing up your mission, not to mention reality as we know it, then go ahead. But I warn you, Angel Neruthael, you're doing a very stupid thing, a monumentally stupid thing; the kind of stupid thing that causes the spontaneous negation of vital parts of entire galaxies."
"I'm not worried." I finished my muffin and packed up my laptop.
"You damn well should be."
Ignoring the witch-spirit I continued on my way out the kitchen. I knew I was capable of isolating Aeldrin from Chaos; he was just another demon, after all. It couldn't be entirely different from summoning and isolating Torque, except in terms of power, and my body, despite it being trapped in a mortal form, contained a massive amount of power.
I could handle it. I was confident.
I got into my car, slammed the door, and sped off into the morning, thus beginning my suicide mission to find and bind Aeldrin L'Dreth.
~~~
~~~
~~~
AN: Observe, for I return. Much apologies for the lateness of this chapter, should any of you care to read it. I should be posting more soon, and the plot should continue faster than it has been.