20 Chapter 20 Plant Demons

As they tread towards their room to rest, Bob showed up before them.

"You have visitors, waiting just outside my door. Normally I wouldn't interfere in such things, but they are killing people and screaming for you to come outside."

The exhaustion disappeared from Grey's eyes as she took off running, with Airow right after her. Guit and Argen both groaned as they followed, much slower.

Grey burst through the door to the inn, to find the street filled with the dead bodies of the people who had been sleeping innocently. Blood was splattered against the walls, and she could hear screams in the distance from those who had woken in panic and fled. She covered her mouth in horror, as the demon responsible rose up from the center of the street, where it had been tearing someone apart.

Leaves covered the thick thorny stalk of the plant demon, and at the end of it, a giant flower, with razor sharp teeth snapped in rage. Vines extended out from the hole in the ground it had burst out of; also covered in sharp thorns.

Drawing her sword, Grey jumped at it, slashing at the vines that rushed towards her. As the cut off vines hit the ground, they immediately rooted and started growing at a tremendous pace. They didn't grow a flower, but there were enough vines, it didn't really matter.

Pulling back the string as fast as he could, Airow shot blast after blast at the flower, keeping it from attacking Grey as she cut the vines as fast as she could. No matter how many she cut, more kept appearing. Apparently, the magic that allowed it to replicate didn't run out.

She dodged back, next to Airow, as the number of vines grew too much for her to handle, and the two were promptly grabbed and pulled into the inn. The swarm of vines, rushing at them, stopped as if they ran into a wall.

"You will never defeat this demon in that fashion," said Argen, crossing his arms.

"They need fire to be defeated," said Guit. "Or holy attacks, like the bow, to burn the vines up."

"I used to have a holy fire attack," said Grey, looking at Airow.

"Give it a try," he said. "You are trying to defeat evil."

She nodded, and turned back to the plant demon. It had gone back to eating the bodies around it, the bulge as it swallowed, looked wrong for a plant.

Stepping outside the doorway, and out of the neutral zone that was Bob's bar, the vines immediately went to attack her again. Taking a breath, she glared at the plant and snapped her fingers. Her entire form suddenly ignited, as if she was suddenly engulfed in flames. There was an occasional white aura that could be seen, but the effect on the plant was immediate. It tried to escape by sucking itself into the ground, but it had eaten so many bodies, it couldn't fit.

Grey ran at the plant, slashing at the vines, with the fire running down her blade with each swipe. The vines, instead of rooting when they hit the ground, burnt up, as if they were tinder. Dust filled the street as she destroyed the plant.

"More will come," said Guit to Airow. "These types of demons never travel alone."

"Then we will have to leave the city, to keep the people here safe," said Airow as Grey returned to his side, her flames gone.

Argen hung his head. "Can we leave in the morning?" he asked.

"It is morning," said Grey, putting her sword up.

Airow began to move from body to body, with Grey at his side, praying over each body, and setting the souls and spirits free. Guit watched hungrily, as the specks of energy dissipated in the air. It took about an hour to complete, and there were several people who came to investigate what had happened while they were busy. None dared to come close as the two angels finished their work, then they watched as the four climbed onto their horses, that the door bouncer brought from around back, and they rode towards the gate.

"I'm not sure how holy that fire was, but it certainly did the trick!" said Guit, as they left through the gates.

Pushing their horses into a trot, they made their way into the countryside.

"When do we get to rest?" asked Guit, barely able to keep himself upright.

"I suppose we can rest here," said Grey, looking around. They had left the road, so if the plant demons attacked, no innocent travelers would be harmed.

"I will watch out for the demons, and wake you if any approach," said Airow, tying the horses to a tree so they could graze.

The three quickly settled onto the ground and were fast asleep after all of the excitement of the night and early morning.

Only a short three hours later, Airow roused them.

"There are several evil beings approaching from the city. It would be best if you were ready to fight, instead of asleep."

Argen crawled up against a pine tree, under the boughs out of site, but Guit and Grey stood to join Airow. Grey had slept enough, she would probably be fine, but Guit was having trouble, rubbing his eyes and trying to stand straight.

"I'm so hungry," he complained, as his stomach rumbled loudly.

An apple came flying out of the pine tree, where Argen was hiding, hitting Guit on the head. Perking up, he snatched it up and took a large bite out of it.

Just then, a huge plant demon squirmed out of the ground, and opened its flower up.

"You shall pay for the damage you have done!" hissed the flower, spittle flying past all of the sharp teeth in the middle of the flower.

"And you shall die this day!" declared Grey, catching herself on fire and charging towards it.

Airow quickly charged his bolt, but instead of the normal light arrows he had used up to this time, the bolt had a bright white flame in the place of the arrowhead. It took longer for him to charge it, but the damage it dealt when he released it, was well worth the effort. The blast hit the flower directly in its mouth, sending petals and teeth flying everywhere and disappearing into dust.