Chapter 62

“I hate you.” JJ said as they sat on Henry’s couch, the television playing a random show in the background, the two of them smoking the hookah JJ had prepared while waiting for Henry. “Really, I want you to know that.”

“Dude, I didn’t have a choice.” Henry responded, taking a hit and blowing out a smoke ring. “Besides, you said your dad trusted her.”

“And he’s dead. So a lot of good that did him.” JJ said bitterly. “Seriously, why’d you have to go and get me tied up in Exorcist bullshit.”

“Excuse me?” Henry said, “you’re the one who started all of this. If you’d not had me download the damn game, I never would have resonated, and none of this would have happened.”

“Eh,” JJ sighed. “Given what I’ve seen, you would have been scouted sooner or later. Whatever your maximum potential is, I can tell you’ve got an extremely powerful resonation. Meaning if the app hadn’t triggered it, you would have naturally triggered it sometime or another. At least this way, it didn’t end with you dying immediately.”

He took a long drag, closing his eyes as he did. After a moment, he spoke, smoke billowing from his mouth. “But seriously, this isn’t good.”

“You don’t say.” Henry had gotten home and told JJ everything. He’d told him about the Varkoth fight. He’d told him about Jewel. Hell, he’d even told him about Ares, and the use of the Gae-Bolg. The shield he’d mentioned, JJ had even confirmed was another ancient artifact called the Aegis. Apparently, that shield, and spear, had once belonged to different Demon Hunters. Which, Henry figured, meant they’d been gained through less than savory means by the Exorcists.

“But even though it sucks. We have to do something.” Henry pressed. “I know you’re not keen about the Exorcists, and I get that. But we have to do something and working together seems like our best bet.”

“I’ll call her.” JJ said. “And that’s it. If she tries to order me about or something, she can shove it. I’m doing this out of respect for my father.” JJ’s voice was heated, and rightly so. “But other than you, and Jewel, I’m not interacting with any other Exorcists. And I’m sure as hell not snitching on my fellow Demon Hunters. I’ll not have my brethren’s blood on my hands.”

“Fair enough.” Henry said with a sigh. A week ago, life had been much simpler. Now, the world had the threat of ancient demonic creatures looming over it, and as far as he could tell, there wasn’t much they could do to stop them. Considering the Varkoth fight, the Exorcists definitely didn’t have the power to stand against such a creature. And if it was answering to forces even stronger than itself, mankind was doomed.

“She was right about one thing though.” JJ said as he leaned back. “You’ve done a wonderful job of putting a target on your back. Seriously, that Volture is so good. You don’t even know.”

“Yeah, because I could control the fact my Storm Crow was going to evolve into a literal harbinger of doom.” Henry sighed. “Which, granted, I get it, those passives are going to make it power up like crazy. But, is it really that good?”

Stat wise, it was physically weaker than his Blade Drake. But it’s passive meant it was going to get a lot of health over time, especially if he could hunt down a lot of D.E.D. But, just having more mana and health didn’t really equal crazy power.

“Dude, the last time something like that,” he pointed towards the Harbinger Volture, “was recorded, was in the hands of a Demon Hunter named Odin.”

Henry paused, coughing slightly as he’d inhaled too deeply on the smoke. “You don’t mean…”

“Oh yeah. Not someone merely named Odin. No, this was the original Odin. The one in mythos. The legend. The All Father. His Ravens, were based on his D.E.D.”

“Does that mean…my Volture has the potential to become as strong as Fenrir?” He still remembered watching Loki summon that massive D.E.D. Still remembered how easily it cut the Larpen in two.

“Nah. Don’t get me wrong, Odin’s dead were ridiculously powerful. And the fact he’d utilized a D.E.D. like your Volture, speaks volume to their worth. But his true power was in in the D.E.D. he’d fused with, his artifacts, as well as ya know…leading forces who’d undergone partial fusion with D.E.D. and turned into crazy powerful warriors.”

“Oh, well then.”

“But yeah, not as powerful as Fenrir in the slightest as it stands. But they’ve got ridiculous potential, and the big thing too is, when D.E.D. evolve, their passives go with them. So if, by some miracle, you survive to a point where your Harbinger Volture evolves as well…” JJ trailed off, the implication hanging in the air. “You see what I mean?”

“Yeah, I got you.” That definitely changed things. A D.E.D. powerful enough that it was utilized by a figure who went down in the mythological records as a God. And a D.E.D. that could turn into something even more powerful. Henry was starting to realize just what it was that had come into his possession.

“Which is why, like I said, you’ve got to make sure no one realizes what passives it has. You’ve screwed yourself by walking around with your D.E.D. out, you cocky fuck. But at least, for now, their true power isn’t known. And that, at least, will make enemies a little more hesitant to attack you.”

“Emelia mentioned that as well.” Henry mumbled. “She said there were monsters in this world already, that I would be in danger of.”

“Yup. Not really surprising, when you think about it.” JJ said nonchalantly. “We’ve had literal demons coming through rifts for gods know how long. It’s not a surprise monsters would walk among us as well.”

“Like, actual monsters?” He’d just wrapped his head around the D.E.D. Was JJ trying to tell him there were monsters other than the D.E.D. in the world?

“Yeah. You could call them that.” JJ said darkly. “After all, they’re literally willing to throw away their entire species for personal power and profit.”

Henry starred at JJ. “What are they?”

“Humans, idiot.” JJ laughed, but it was dry, and cold. “Humans are the monsters you have to worry about. There are those who are willing to do whatever they can to gain power. Not to help the world, but to help themselves. People who don’t give a flying fuck about the D.E.D. coming through rifts. People who only want D.E.D. powers in order to become gods in their own right.”

“If it’s just humans. Then why didn’t Emelia say that?”

“Because it’s not just ‘humans.’” JJ made air quotes with his fingers as he said the last word. “It’s specifically a group that branched away from the Exorcists long ago, and created a special sect of their own, focused on acquiring and fusing with powerful D.E.D., willing to throw away their humanity to become a new breed of monster. They look like humans. They walk and talk like humans. But all they seek is to devour and destroy. And the Exorcists, don’t want anyone realizing monsters like that exist. Because, you know…they made them and such.”

JJ went silent, and the two sat in the room for a moment, both thinking about the state of the world, and the hand they’d been dealt in it. After a long moment, Henry’s mind stopped racing, and he sighed heavily, resolve filling him. There wasn’t anything he could do against shadows and unknown threats. All he could do, right now, was continue doing what he’d been doing. He needed to get stronger. And once Jewel was ready, he’d be able to make the next move forward. Till then, as Emelia said, he needed to just surround himself with those he could trust.

“So, JJ.” He said, breaking the silence. “I know you don’t like the exorcists.”

JJ snorted. “Understatement of the year.”

“But, would you be willing to stick around me as I get stronger? You’re really the only person I can fully trust right now…” He trailed off.

He was going to need to keep an eye out for people he could trust. Maybe Caleb? Though, that particular exorcist didn’t have a high potential…and he’d gone and given Henry a D.E.D. that obviously Caleb had known he had no ability to control. Maybe Henry should try and befriend some of the newer exorcists? Help them get stronger alongside himself. Surely given how short of a time they’d been in the group; they’d have the least likelihood of being part of some secret group that would backstab him and kill him. Though, that camo wearing Vet was definitely not on his to befriend list.

“If I stick around with you while you’re on missions, my cover’s going to be blown.” JJ said. “Plus, if I just up and start spending all my time with a known exorcist, sooner or later the Demon Hunters are going to disown me.”

“So, that’s a no?” Henry said with a sigh.

“No.” JJ said after a moment. “It’s a, ‘I hate you, but I’m not going to let my best friend get himself pointlessly killed.’ Besides, sticking by you means I’m sure I’ll get the chance to avenge my father sooner or later.”

Relief filled Henry at that. He smiled at his best friend and sunk further back into the couch. With his D.E.D., and with JJ at his side, perhaps they could start to actually prepare for the threat that was coming. And with the Demon Hunter beside him, Henry figured at the very least, he could grow much faster in both power, and knowledge, than if he’d just been working with the Exorcists.

“I’ve got one condition though.” JJ said, pulling Henry from his musings.

“And what’s that?” Henry said.

“Can you get me that kitsune user’s number? She’s cute.”

Henry laughed. Typical JJ.