Gods From the Machine (27 page)

“
Are you finished with your little love scene?” Bergice said.

“
There are no known records of you at all in Garrisons because anyone who has ever laid eyes on you has died. But I think I finally understand. Like my rage, your greatest power is fear. You strike irrational fear into the hearts of your enemies, to disengage them and break them,” Nick said, “I’m human, so I’m no different. However, my fear comes from something else, something rooted much deeper than anything you can pull from my mind.”

“
Tell me then, what do you fear?” Bergice said.

“
I fear how badly this city will look when I drag your beaten carcass across it.”

Bergice chuckled at first, and t
hen his shoulders shook in a tiny fit of laughter. For a split second it appeared as if he would throw back his head and howl like a hyena. It was like he was sharing a private old joke.

“
What is so damn funny?” Nick asked.

Bergice exhaled slowly, becoming serious again. Every ounce of emotion evaporated from his face.
“This situation… I find it very nostalgic. I have an idea, let’s make a wager. Lord Ozarael’s orders were for me to kill anyone who found out about my presence here. However, since you prefer I leave your friends alone, how about a compromise? A fight to the death. Winner decides their fate.”

“
You’ve got to be joking,” Nick said.

“
From where I stand, you don’t have much choice.”

Nick had
put his life on the line already. In this duel, the odds were definitely against him. But he was right, Nick didn’t have a choice in the matter. Bergice was completely different from Astaroth or the Hellbeasts he had previously faced. His demeanor was calm, collected, as if he already knew the outcome of the battle. Nick on the other hand, was less than sure of himself.

Though he had become
more comfortable with his abilities and progressed much faster than possible given the time frame, was it enough?  Neither Matt nor Alyssa stood even a remote chance as a team, and one was a seasoned veteran while the other could wield angelic weapons. If he lost now, then he would lose everything. Everything he had learned and was trained for would be in vain. His best friend and girlfriend would die, and he would let everybody down.

The whole world depended on his success from spiraling into a cataclysm of chaos and destruction. Now wasn
’t the time to be gambling with millions of lives, but at the same time, Nick couldn’t deny that he felt a strange pleasure about sheer magnitude of this situation. There was a certain thrill about rising up to this challenge. The burden of failing the world was miniscule in comparison to the satisfaction of winning this duel. That was what the blood lusting demon inside felt. He himself began to see this as the true test of fate. Maybe this was meant to happen. Like meeting Alyssa, perhaps meeting Bergice was fate’s way of deciding if he was worthy of being a savior. He realized that if he wasn’t ready to meet this obstacle head on now, then maybe he never could. Could destiny be changed? Now was the time to decide.

“
Fine,” Nick said, finally.

“
Excellent. We will battle hand-to-hand. It is the basis of all combat!” Bergice said. “Now then, Prince Agrian, show me what you’ve learned!”

Nick called upon
a giant ball of fire, which he hurled and followed after it, matching it in speed. He knew the amount of power behind that attack was enough to reduce a small city like Glenhaven into a flaming pile of rubble, but now wasn’t the time to pull punches.

Closing in, he saw Bergice
’s lips move and suddenly a wall of ice appeared from thin air to his defense. A deafening crash. The collision turned his raging fireball into a black smokescreen. Nick emerged from the thick cloud that the two elements created and punched Bergice square in the chest, pushing him back. Bergice reacted by changing into ice. With a flick of his wrist, he summoned an icicle spear from the ground. Nick was surprised by the attack, but managed to catch it with both hands before it could pierce him. It took all his might to keep the spear at bay. He used his upper body strength to rip the giant spear from the ground and hurled it straight at Bergice, shattering him into pieces.

In seco
nds, Bergice rematerialized into his human form and delivered a kick. Nick quickly threw an arm to parry the blow. He reeled him in, charging his demon fist with an intense flame, and punched straight through him. The result melted a hole in Bergice’s body. However, instead of collapsing into a puddle, the ice reformed over Nick’s hand extinguishing the fire and created a paralyzing grip.

Nick t
ried to yank free, but he was held tightly in place. He could only watch as Bergice’s icy fist shot straight at him. His head whipped back, the force was like no pain he ever experienced. He was dizzy, but managed to pull himself up. Nick wiped the blood from his mouth with a sleeve. Nick’s vision was compromised by all the stars he was seeing. The beatings didn’t stop there. A flurry of punches rattled his skull until he was sure he would pass out.

“
I can’t believe this is what I was waiting for.” Bergice paused momentarily from striking him. Nick was badly bruised, only being held up by his arm frozen in place. “I expected so much more than this. Where is the spirit of the Inferno Bearer?”

“
I’m just getting warmed up.” Nick spat out some blood and with his free arm, blasted a stream of fire at Bergice’s legs then, knocked him over with a quick leg swipe. He spun around and kicked Bergice away. Finally his hand was free!

He di
dn’t stop there, he followed where he landed and grabbed him by the collar, holding him in place and delivering his retribution. Nick pummeled the ice demon in the face with the same ferocity as he did with Astaroth. He didn’t stop until the sting of fatigue built up in his arms and by then all was left was a pile of snow.

“
Your technique is unorthodox, to say the least,” Bergice said, amused. He was standing behind Nick now, reformed once more. “But then again, you always had your own unique fluid style of fighting, brother.”

“
I told you not to call me that!” Nick shot back. Bergice’s expression changed from playful to somber as if that remark had actually hurt him. How could it? Demons were emotionless beings.

“
You really have no recollection, do you?” Bergice no longer seemed to be in the mood for banter.  “Maybe this exhibition should come to a close.” With a wave of his hand, the ice in the river rose. He manipulated the ice to shape itself stories tall, towering over the icy barricade around them as it formed into the shape of a giant monster. A sea serpent or some sort of dragon.

Whatever it was, it was not friendly.

The ethereal beast roared, blowing cold shards out of its mouth. The power of the roar pushed Nick back in the snow and covered him in a thin blanket of ice.

“
Do you like my creation, Agrian?” Bergice said, proudly. “Pray you still have enough demon blood left in you to survive.” He leapt high into the air; his serpent obediently lowered its head as he landed gracefully on top.

“
Bergice!” Nick yelled.

“
Brace yourself, Agrian!” Bergice shouted from high above. “If you cannot defeat me, then Ozarael is assuredly out of your reach!”

Nick shook off the ice and powered up his hands, his eyes burning with determ
ination. This was it. The difference between their abilities would be revealed here. This would be the true test of rage versus fear.

“
That’s it, come and claim your reward!” Bergice yelled.

Nick ran across the frozen plane, and leaped
into the air. As he soared, he threw his best fire blast into the ice serpent’s head. The head vanquished into a thick cloud of white smoke. Nick squinted, trying to peer through the thick fog, but suddenly was engulfed by the mouth of the reformed beast. Before he could react, he was encased in a block of ice.

Nic
k thrashed to break free, but the ice block restricted all movement. The casing put pressure on his chest which made it difficult to breathe as well. He struggled violently against his crystalline prison, to no avail. He could feel himself losing consciousness. His eyes were drooping into slits, but before he passed out, a wave of air hit his face as the serpent spat him onto the snowy ground. The ice casing broke upon impact and Nick choked some air back into his lungs. His first instinct was to jump back to his feet, but his body would not budge. He was completely immobilized from head to toe.

Bergice strolled toward
Nick, looming over him like a predator over a wounded animal. “Face it, you’ve lost, Agrian. Only the cold release of death awaits your companions.”

Nick tried to speak,
but his mouth was frozen shut.

“
You’re at my complete mercy,” Bergice said quietly. “But despite our agreement I won’t kill you. I won’t even take you to Lord Ozarael. A death right now would be next to meaningless.” He knelt beside him. “If you pledge your allegiance to Lord Ozarael, perhaps he will spare you. If you join us again you will see that our goals are far more aligned than that of your precious Garrison. Together we will rain chaos and destruction onto any of those who oppose us. Together we will unleash a new age of demons, where we can rule as we were meant to!”

“
Over my dead body,” Nick finally managed to utter once the feeling returned to his lips.

Bergice stood up an
d shook his head disappointment. “You don’t realize it, but coming back with me will be better for everyone, including your beloved Quinn. You don’t belong here with these filthy humans. You belong with us, your own kind.”

Nic
k leaned his head forward a bit; his body was still stiff. “I never asked for any of this. What I am is my burden to bear, and I will use it because I need it to kill every single last one of you!”

B
ergice’s face hardened. “Those knights have brainwashed you far beyond logical reason, my brother. But perhaps the real monsters are those humans you hold so dear. Tell me, why do you give your allegiance to such a sad group? Have they accepted you for your true self?”

“
They stand for something other than themselves. They fight for others—to protect people from danger. They serve a noble cause, something you know nothing about!” Nick said.

Bergice
paused as he considered what Nick said. “That may be true for them, but can the same be said for you? I wonder…is that truly the force that drives you?” He circled Nick slowly. “Or is there something else perhaps that keeps the demon inside you from being unleashed?”

Nick didn
’t say anything now. He didn’t want to give Bergice any more details or openings to get under his skin. Just then, Alyssa appeared behind Bergice. She raised her arm and swung the
Morning Star.
The spiked mace bashed Bergice in the face, caving it in and breaking it into fragments of ice.

“
Speak of the devil,” Bergice said as his head reformed.

“
You underestimated us and so you failed to see the power of human will.” Alyssa brought the flail down once more, only to have it deflected by Bergice’s katana.

Nick tried to yell, but his voice was too hoarse and his cry came out as only a whisper.

Bergice dodged a kick. “The power of human will? The only thing humans have proven is their weakness. That is why you hide behind your shield of holiness and the reason for our existence to begin with! We were born from Lord Ozarael! If the first human could not find peace in solitude, how can you?”

Alyssa lunged at him with her mace, only to have her attack clash against his steel blade once more.

Bergice focused on Alyssa, his back turned to Nick, who was horrified by the new situation. “You have become quite bothersome, girl. To possess the abilities to manifest the power of angels in ways I never thought could be possible is quite a threat to our kind. I should kill you before you get the chance to grow.”

“
Leave her out of this,” Nick growled. “This was supposed to be between you and me.”

“
She has insisted on becoming a thorn in our plans. I am only doing what is necessary.” Bergice’s katana was itching to strike, and Nick could only envision the worst possible outcome. If she continued to push Bergice, he would no doubt retaliate in the most vicious way.

Some life seep
ed back into Nick’s body, but he still couldn’t fully move. However, his voice had returned. “GET OUT OF HERE!” he screamed.

Bergice folded his arms, amused by Nick
’s attempt to thwart him. However, instead of running away during the distraction, she ran towards Nick.

“
I’m not leaving your side, Nick,” Alyssa said, much to his terror. She was falling into a trap. “If you go, then he has to take us both!”

“
Forget about me!” Nick shouted again, but was no use.

“
I’m sorry, I’m afraid that’s impossible,” Bergice said. “Agrian and I held a bit of a contest earlier. Unfortunately for him, he did not realize the severity of his decision. Now, he and the rest of you will be punished for his crimes.”