Abomination

Briar's POV:

In the church's long history of our ongoing battle against demons, every demon encounter is recorded.

Every demon, when it reaches a certain threshold, is capable of evolving and possessing an ability that makes it harder to deal with.

Throughout history, there have been only a handful of demons that needed intervention from the Cardinals, a title under that of the Pope himself.

But even so, as far as he knew, there wasn't a single demon who was capable of messing with a soul, much less eating one.

If it got stronger from eating them, then there was the high chance that there was no limit to how high its power could go.

The situation has changed. If any more recruits die, it could strengthen the demon more. It was solely my responsibility now to not capture, but destroy this demon.

"Jacob, Reuben, Catherine. The situation is worse than I thought. Take the carriage and get out of here. This demon needs to be reported back to the church immediately." I caution.

They open their mouths to respond, but movement from the demon directs my attention back to it. Hearing my words, the monster drops from the roof behind the recruits, cutting them off from escape.

Positioning myself in-between the demon and the recruits, knowing that they couldn't see it. They're smart enough to know something is afoot and let me take the lead, turning to face the unseen enemy.

My best bet is to fight defensively and counter the demons' attacks, instead of taking the initiative and risk getting outmaneuvered again. But, due to the cunning of the demon, I couldn't guarantee their safety. I needed them out of here and reporting to the Church as soon as possible.

Whispering so the demon can't hear me, I address them. "When the demon attacks, I'll block it. When you hear me stop its attack, you guys get to the carriage and go directly to the weygate." I order them.

"What about you, Deacon Briar? Should we return with reinforcements?" Catherine asks.

"Don't worry about me. I've been in worse situations. Let the person in charge determine if you should return when he sends the reinforcements. Otherwise, no matter what you see, hear, or feel, do not return here." He cautioned them. They nod their heads in understanding as he poises, ready to meet the demons next attack.

[A/N: At this point, I'm just going to call him a hollow. I feel like this is easier for all of us if I do so. Any church members will continue to call him a demon though.]

General POV:

While this conversation went over the hollow's head, the demon Silverfoot's acute hearing heard the whole thing, despite being on the edge of town, watching this go down.

He heard the panic in the Deacon's voice and how imperative it was for the rest of them to escape. Which meant, both good and bad news for him. The bad news was that if the disciples did escape, they would bring reinforcements. Reinforcements meant that they would scour this planet, destroying anything demonic in nature.

If he were to run back to the demon plane, whatever meager amounts of mana he took a century gathering would immediately condense to form his totem. With it nowhere being enough to evolve, he'll be a laughingstock among his peers. Therefore, he needed to bet on this demon, that he could successfully hold off the Deacon long enough for him to deal with the disciples. 

He watches from a distance, as the demon tries to move past the Deacon, aiming to strike one of the weaker kids. Seeing his intent, the Deacon once again moves in front of him, blocking his attacks with his own weapon. With the demon caught up, the Deacon yells at his disciples,

"Go! Now!"

They waste no time in carrying out his orders, running to the gate and taking the carriage. As they leave the Deacon's presence, Silverfoot realizes that they each were stronger than he initially thought and might not be able to take them on like he planned. Nevertheless, if they made it off the planet, it would be certain doom for him, so he followed close behind them.

As the carriage headed towards the weyline, Jacob sudden realizes something, calling everyone together. 

"Deacon Briar told us to report to the church and bring back reinforcements, but he never told us what to report." 

The others realize that he was right and wonder what to do next.

"All we have to report is that there's a demon with invisibility that wiped out a town, and we were ordered by Deacon Briar to bring reinforcements. This is valid, and I think we should just continue." Reuben suggests. 

Catherine shakes her head, "Based on that information, they're going to think we deserted Deacon Briar. We can't go back without knowing what he knows." 

The other boys consider her words and feel there's a ring of truth to it. Those who fled from the line of duty was labeled the same as heretics and sinners. Getting caught as a coward came with a harsh penalty. Being suspected as one was just as bad.

After a few seconds of silence, Jacob looks at them, 

"Let me go back. I'll face the consequences of disobeying Deacon Briar. You guys wait at the weyline for my return." He announces.

Catherine and Reuben look at each other, before they both agree that this was the best solution. Neither of them wanted to get the punishment for insubordination, but if Jacob was so willing to be the sacrifice, then why not let him. 

"Godspeed Jacob." Reuben says. 

Jacob just simply nods, as he gets back into the carriage and speeds away. In the distance, Silverfoot smiles at the opportunity given to him.