Artemis was strong, there was no denying that. Cloudhawk had no interest in fighting her. Whatâs more, every second they delayed the danger grew. Once the demon caught up with them there was no chance of escape.
He hadnât spent a lot of time with this woman, but compared to the Bloodsoaked Queen they shared similar outlooks and values. Theyâd spoken about many things he could never discuss with the Queen, shared ideas she wouldnât understand. Their chats had brought him and Artemis closer, and at least Cloudhawk had no desire for it to come to this. In all the world Cloudhawk didnât have many friends, he considered Artemis one of them.
He continued to try and talk her down. âThis world is big, I refuse to believe Greenland Outpost is the only place for us. I know that together we have the ability to find somewhere better. Why would you agree to be on that f.u.c.kerâs leash? Artemis, we canât waste time â come with us, quickly!â
The outpost soldiers thatâd come with her brandished their weapons, ready to join the fight.
âHold your ground! This kid is mine!â She wasnât going to take this from him. She allowed her hammer to slip from her shoulder and thud onto the ground as she glared his way. âYouâve been here so long and you and I havenât wrangled yet. You and me, one on one!â
âDoes it have to be this way?â
âCut the s.h.i.+t! Today one of us is dying!â
Artemis face was a mask of rage as she heaved up her hammer and charged at Cloudhawk. She bore down on him with deadly ferocity and every attack was intended to kill. If he was half a step late his bones would be crushed to powder. He didnât want it to be a fight to the death, but Artemisâ attacks held nothing back. He couldnât just sit by and wait for death.
âWhy donât you ever f.u.c.kinâ listen!â
Anger swelled up in Cloudhawk as well. He thought Artemis might be different, but in the end she was willing to kill him to save her own life and keep leaders.h.i.+p of the outpost. âFine. If you wanna fight, then Iâll give you a f.u.c.kinâ fight!â
Artemisâ hammer came cras.h.i.+ng down, like a meteorite from the heavens. If it hit Cloudhawk there would be nothing recognizable left. As power surged through his exorcist staff he brought it up to meet her hammer, and in the moment they collided that power was released to buffer her blow.
He was knocked back fifteen feet and a nasty pain radiated from his wrist. He thought using the staff was more than suitable, but he was wrong. However there were only a few in the outpost â maybe even the wastelands â who could face down one of Artemisâ attacks and live.
This wasnât how he was gonna die!
Cloudhawkâs improvements were evident, but he wasnât going to survive this situation against Artemis on his own. Beyond her there were also scores of outpost soldiers closing in, and sooner rather than later that demon would return. If he didnât find a way to get out now his chances of escaping were practically zero.
Thus with a plan to escape in mind Cloudhawk channeled his psyche through his cloak. Like a leaf floating on the breeze he dashed through the throng of outpost soldiers. Under orders from Artemis to hold their attacks, they werenât sure what do.
Cloudhawk swung his staff and it whistled through the air so fast it left ripples in its wake. A handful of warriors were caught off guard and were smacked to the ground. With the Queen on his shoulder Cloudhawk leapt over them toward freedom.
âHeâs getting away!â The soldiers were ready to give chase. âGet him!â
âHold your f.u.c.king ground!â She stalked toward the pile of soldiers like a lioness. âI said heâs mine, and if any of you pieces of s.h.i.+t try to join in Iâll crush your f.u.c.kinâ brain pan!â
Artemis was a well-known name in the outpost. Her temper was famous, and they knew that once she was angry it didnât matter if you were friend or kin, you stayed out of her way. The soldiers all exchanged quiet, nervous glances but none of them dared disobey. If she wanted to smash every one of them into pulp she would, and sheâd do it easily.
Cloudhawkâs strength was surprising, but he wasnât a match for Artemis. She could easily deal with him herself!
The outpost warriors were left alone, dumbfounded and unsure what to do while Artemis and Cloudhawk disappeared.
With the help of his cloak Cloudhawk was fast, but he was also carrying someone and that affected his speed. Artemis wasnât a speed-focused metahuman, but her powerful legs helped her bound over terrain with impressive momentum. Soon she caught up.
G.o.dd.a.m.nit! Is this woman really dead-set on fighting?
Cloudhawk stopped and spun around again, furious. Artemis was bearing down on him with her hammer raised while she threw something at him in her left hand. He thought it was some sort of weapon and made to dodge, but sheâd thrown it slowly. As it came his way he saw that it wasnât a weapon, it was a syringe.
âPanacea?â Cloudhawk caught it instinctively. It was the last injection from Hydraâs stash they hadnât used. âArtemis, this ââ
She stared at him with hard eyes. âWhat the f.u.c.k is your dopey a.s.s standing around for? Run!â
Suddenly he understood her intention. Sheâd been acting, there were too many soldiers around for her to simply let him go. If sheâd tried the soldiers definitely wouldnât have let it happen. Artemis was helping him escape.
Only she was a s.h.i.+t actress!
Yes, she couldnât fake it so her attacks had to be real. Each attack would have turned his guts to soup, but they had to in order to keep her heartâs desire secret. No one suspected anything, so when she went racing after him no one thought twice.
Cloudhawk heaved a sigh of relief then promptly injected the Queen with the panacea. âNext time give me some sorta hint, would ya? I coulda been hurt!â
âYou dips.h.i.+t,â she spat. âYou belong to me, you think Iâm gonna kill whatâs mine?â
Who would have thought that would be her answer!
If Cloudhawk had been even a little bit slower, a little bit weaker, heâd have been straight up murdered. She hadnât held back one bit!
The Bloodsoaked Queen started to recover immediately after the injection, but their foe had done a number on her. He didnât think sheâd be up for a fight any time soon. But even if she could, what would that accomplish? After such a brutal beating would she be ready for a second round?
Cloudhawk blurted out. âArtemis, why are you helping me?â
âI told you â you belong to me. If I donât help you, then who?â As they ran for safety she rolled her eyes at his silly questions. âOf course thereâs another reason. The demon doesnât know how that freak in black died, but once he figures it out you think heâll go easy on me? Iâm no idiot! I have to get the f.u.c.k outta here too!â
Truth be told that was probably the main reason!
Cloudhawk thought back to their fight with the black-clad mutant. Artemisâ surprise attack was what slowed the freak down, and without her intervention Cloudhawk absolutely would have been killed. The mutant was one of the demonâs seven henchmen, first among them. His status probably didnât indicate ability but instead likely meant he was the first one the demon recruited. He had probably be the demonâs longest serving subordinate.
Once the demon found out his most important disciple had been killed by Artemis she could forget about breathing.
Right now even the demonhunter was up s.h.i.+t creek without a paddle, canoe or nose plugs. Greenland Outpost had no hope of being free. Unlike White Lizard, Artemis hadnât spent most of her life in the outpost, but it was where sheâd spent her most formative years. She was unwilling to leave, but there was no other choice.
At least she still had Cloudhawk, that cute little morsel.
When she thought about adventures with Cloudhawk she thought it wasnât such a bad life. As for the demonhunter that couldnât seem to do anything right, now that they saved her life they could tell her to f.u.c.k off!
Of course Cloudhawk didnât know Artemisâ plans. The injection continued to work its way through the Queenâs battered body, helping her heal. He knew sheâd recovered consciousness already but until now she was mute as a log.
He didnât even need to think about it to know what was up. This time sheâd suffered quite the blow.
Ever since coming to the wasteland the Bloodsoaked Queen had been practically invincible. The only people to get the drop on her had to use dirty tricks, traps or full-on sieges. Even back in the elysian lands sheâd been the most talented among her peers! A demonhunter at eleven, an elite demonhunter at fourteen.
She was a singular talent the likes of which had never been seen, truly amazing. One after the other she broke every demonhunter record in the elysian lands. She was the only hunter with a chance to become a Master before thirty years old.
This was her history, and today she was pummeled into the dirt. A failure.
Her failure was so straightforward, so brutal. So absolute!
Sheâd given up her honor and her future to waste a year scouring the wastelands. In the end it was all a cruel joke. She couldnât even accomplish dying with the demon.
The Queen was too young, sheâd never even partic.i.p.ated in a proper demon hunt. Without that experience she didnât know what to expect, or how strong a demon was. If she were a little more sensible sheâd remember that these monsters used to war with the G.o.ds themselves. Theyâd lost, but they were a race that could stand toe to toe against the most powerful being in the universe. Was that not enough to explain her problems?
Cloudhawk tried to comfort her. âDonât feel bad, it wasnât a complete loss. At least now we know how strong that f.u.c.ker is. Weâll find somewhere to hide, train for a few years then try again!â
The Bloodsoaked Queen shut her eyes, drained of all strength.
Before them stretched the oasis, barring the way to freedom.
Cloudhawk sighed at the sight, but no sooner did he allow himself to relax than all of his nerves went taught. His whole body shook, for he felt the waves of a relicâs power permeating the air.
He barely had time to shout before the cloud darkened from a hail of countless sandy arrows. They fell from the heavens like a plague of locusts, a deadly rain. And they were caught in the middle.
How strong was this monster? The scale of this attack was staggering!