OOM: Geburah, Part II
[After this]
It was cold in the ghost city. Putting on a jacket that morning had been a happy accident. Now he was warm, even while the chill on his face kept him awake. Staying alert was vital, especially when the clouds blocked the moonlight and cast the city into heavy shadow.
Wes strained to hear what sounds he could. The whispers in the wind had died away, but from time-to-time a stone would shift or a part of a building would fall and clatter on the ground. Sometimes there were other noises, but Wes usually had no idea what they were, and was only too glad they were far off in the distance.
Watcher training was a laughable thing, really. Like Giles, Wesley had lost nearly all his respect for it now that he'd spent years out in the field. But it had given him some valuable skills, including an ancient method for keeping accurate track of time. He had been here for nine hours now, and had walked roughly that many kilometers through the city. So far he hadn't met a single creature, living or undead, but being vigilant for so long was draining. He would need to rest soon, and he wasn't looking forward to that. For all he knew, something had been watching him for hours, just waiting for him to fall asleep before it closed in.
But a few minutes later, he was playing the spectator.
It was a Lei-Ach demon. Tangled, matted hair, a bone white face covered with running sores, and a heavy frame that had once made them feared warriors, even among other demons. But that had been long, long ago. Still, it was odd to find one alone, and since the Lei-Ach had never been known to send out scouts, there was no question this one was solitary. Unlucky for it; fortunate for Wes.
He might not be Angel or Gunn, and he remembered his past blunders and embarrassments better than anyone. But having one's throat cut had a way of focusing one's attention, and in the two years that followed, he had learned to suppress the fear and compassion that made a civilized person prone to fatal hesitation. Wes was no warrior, but he no longer had any qualms about taking a life, demon or otherwise. And that was true even before his guts were ripped to tatters by the savage and merciless blade of Cyvus Vail.
Still, this demon was a problem. He'd have to find some way to kill it, or else risk having it come upon him when he was asleep. There was no breeze to carry Wesley's scent toward it, but not having a ranged weapon meant he would have to get close to bring it down. He could count on this Lei-Ach being much weaker than his ancestors, but it would still be stronger, and possibly faster, than Wes, and if it managed to pin him down, that would be it. The Lei-Ach would then use its sharp tongue to extract his body's bone marrow, and his life along with it. That would be a slow and excruciating second death. As the old chronicles said, the Lei-Ach were "a nasty piece of work."
But how to get close? Countless times, he had watched Angel--large, tall, and heavy as he was--move more silently than Wes' own breath, to bring down a foe before it even knew Angel was there. And Angelus had been even quieter, the very embodiment of a silent yet mocking death. Wes knew his limits fell far short of that. He could not be stealthy enough, especially not here. Nor could he risk making a noise to bring the demon to him. Surprise was his only advantage against this Lai-ach. He could not afford to give it away.
Wes was still pondering his options, when Fate provided another. It was a second demon, this one with long loose ears and baggy skin. Wes had seen its kind before, a peaceful race. Too peaceful, in fact, to have earned a name for themselves among demons. Years ago, he probably would have thought it a non-combatant to be saved. Now it was only convenient prey.
The Lei-ach apparently agreed. It was already moving fast, and only a loose bit of shale gave the peaceful demon any warning of the attack. It looked up and started to back-pedal clumsily, putting up its arms and screaming for mercy, to be allowed to live. But less than a second later, the Lei-ach was upon it. The screams that followed were horrific, all the more because the Lei-Ach was taking its time killing its prey.
Wes leapt up from his own hiding place and moved as quickly as he dared toward the Lei-Ach, taking advantage of the other demon's dying shrieks to cover the sounds of his approach. Wes already had a heavy steel rod in his hand, and he kept a tight grip on it as he came up fast on the Lei-Ach's back.
He was only a few steps away when the Lei-Ach noticed him. But Wes was already close enough to have heard the disgusting sound of the murdered demon's marrow being sucked wetly from its bones. The Lei-Ach spun, but only in time for Wes' rod to come crashing savagely down on its forehead.
The Lei-Ach roared as the cold steel shattered bone and crushed sinew, and it made one half-hearted swipe at Wes' chest. But Wes was now in a frenzy, smashing the rod down again and again until the Lei-Ach finally lay still.
Breathing hard, Wes struck the Lei-Ach hard twice more to make sure it was dead, then staggered back several steps to settle half-way on a low stone wall. His hand still held tight to the rod, and his jacket and pants, now spattered with gore, glittered strangely in the moonlight.
As instinct slowly receded, his thinking mind returned. Did this make him top of the food chain? Wes huffed in derision. Hardly. But he had slain his rival, and for now, that was enough. Using the ragged clothing of the peaceful demon to wipe off his jacket and clean the steel rod, Wes returned to the shadows and kept moving through the city.
[Continued here]