Trouble With The Church VII

It took more than convincing to get the demons to agree with his decision. After all, it was basically suicide to fight again so many mages when they have so few. And to make matters worse for them, their magic was weak against the enemy's magic. They were already at a number's disadvantage and now they were also facing magic that counters theirs. The only person who could fight without being at a disadvantage was Kies since he didn't use dark magic like the rest of the group.

"And why would we agree to this idiotic idea?" Falte asked him, not understanding why Kies wanted them to stay and fight against the church. Kies might as well ask them to go die instead. There really wasn't a difference between the two.

"Because we can win?"

"Huh? That's it? Okay then, let's say we do win. What will that do for us? They'll just send in their big guns right after. They don't know how many of us there are so they're only sending a small group first. Once they find out that there are more of us than they have expected, they will retreat and come back with more."

"Okay, forget winning," Kies admitted that they likely didn't stand a chance against the church, but he had an important reason to stay here. He couldn't leave the slums right now. "The Stormcaller's memory fragment is here," he told the two. Arc had only recently found out and urgently told him about this. Apparently, the reason why part of his memories and emotions were missing was that his core was incomplete. Arc didn't know the reason why this was the case, but it sensed that a piece of it was confidentially here in the slums.

At first, Kies didn't believe Arc since it made no sense for a piece to conveniently be hiding where he is but after some explanation, he realized that this was really the case. Whenever Kies had been roaming around the slums during his nightly walks, he kept having this hollow feeling that he couldn't understand. It always happened near the same place and Kies had stopped going there because of it.

Because of that, he was able to pinpoint the area where the memory fragment was located but it was a decently big area and he needed time to find it. Until then, he didn't want to leave the slums.

"Memory fragment... what's that?"

The demons didn't know what he was talking about but knew that it sounded like something important to him. "Since it's related to the Stormcaller, I'm assuming that it's not something small, but is it worth risking our lives for?" Ammine asked. There would be no point in staying and trying to find it if they're going to die. Unless it was something that was really worth it, they had no reason to continue staying here.

"Better explain to us quickly what it is since we're on a clock right now," Falte said in a hurry. They had no time to waste by being here talking if it wasn't necessary. They needed to start packing and finish evacuating before the church arrived.

"If I can find the fragment, I can use it to restore my core and become stronger. If we can find it before they come, I think I might be able to take them out." And that wasn't a lie or exaggeration. According to Arc's calculations, the fragment that's hidden here contains enough power to more than triple his current strength. He wasn't sure if that was enough to completely wipe out the attackers, but it was more than enough to give them a chance to fight back.

The two demons looked at each other for a moment. They were thinking about it. "Are you sure? Like absolutely sure?" Ammine looked at him. This was extremely risky, but if possible, they needed to stay in the slums until tonight at the very least. The portal will open here like it always has been and they needed to send a report that they were moving before they actually do so. This way, the portal won't open in the slums anymore and they could find a new place to set up base.

"If you have even the slightest doubt that you won't be able to take them on, say it now. We have no time," Falte told him. Kies needed to be quick about this decision. All their lives were in his hands right now. Them being demons obviously stood no chance against a group of light mages but it was a different story for Kies. His magic won't get oppressed like theirs when fighting against the priests of the church.

Kies hesitated for a second but responded confidently, "Yes, I'm sure I will be able to take them on and win." He knew some powerful spells that would only become even more powerful if he had that fragment. At the very least, he would be strong enough to delay the enemy and allow everyone else to escape if he couldn't beat them.

He told this to the demons and they nodded their heads. "Guess that's what we're doing then." Fatle was still a little skeptical of the idea but didn't say anything else and immediately went into the house and informed the other two of their situation. Worst-case scenario, they still had their pearls and they could bail if things didn't go the way they wanted them to.

The four of them then headed to the spot where Kies specified the fragment is and started searching, leaving Kies behind as the only one to defend. It was Kies' suggestion and they were against it at first, but seeing that there was no time, they agreed with his reckless plan of fighting against the church alone as they went and searched for the fragment. The goal was to hold them back for as long as he could until they could find the fragment and give it to him.

Kies waited patiently and quietly atop the roof of one of the houses for the enemy to come. It didn't take long for Kies to see what Falte was talking about. A large group of people dressed in white robes entered the slums. Each of them carried a long staff and looked rather tough individually. For there to be so many of them, this isn't going to be fun.

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