slayers_desire | kidnapped by Demons: the rescue

There's a faint thought in the back of his head that he doesn't know this demon, it could be a trap, or any number of other things. But he doesn't believe they know his weakness, and even if April somehow did give that information up unwillingly, there's nothing they could do about it. And he feels confident enough to handle anything that comes his way.

So he gets in, and turns to meet the Lister demon's eyes again. "Thank you."

The Lister demons are hoping for a hero. Clark might not realize it, but they had been studying him, and found the littlest doubt that this man could do anything for them. The only thing that ensured he got this far was the promise that their leader made to April.

Clark is lowered down to the dungeon. It takes a couple minutes for the Lister demons to lower him completely down to the dark and forbidden zone. And once he is down there, his senses might be a little overwhelmed by the complete darkness, the smell of blood in one corner, and the sounds of a clinking plate as the torturer enjoys an early lunch.

Following those clinking plate sounds will bring him to the area where April is being kept. Still hanging chained by her hands, her naked body covered head to toe in blood, and currently unconscious to the world. It might be a fortunate thing that the blood makes it impossible for Clark to see the amount of wounds that April has endured.

Clark switches to x-ray vision mode as he enters the dark, and while it isn't quite the same as night vision, it's enough to keep him from bumping into walls or tripping over any obstacles, peeling away the layers of stone one at a time as his superhuman hearing tracks the sounds.

He nearly growls when he finally finds her, the more sluggish sound of her heartbeat and breathing telling him all he needs to know about her unconscious status. And the metallic scent of fresh blood. He manages to swallow the sound before it can emerge from his throat, and homes in on the other sound-maker nearby. Someone to punish for hurting her. Someone to take out before they can sound the alarm.

After years of cruelty to others, it seems that this torturer has no qualms about using the dull, bloody razor with his meal. The same razor that had been previously used on April.

He pauses, as if hearing a sound, then decides it was nothing.

Clark flashes into superspeed for just a brief moment, charging at the torturer, fist cocked back and when he arrives, he slams that fist into the back of the torturer's head, knowing from his sparring sessions with April just how hard of a punch someone like her can take. It takes everything he has to hold back just enough, trying to render him unconscious instead of taking his head right off his shoulders.

His control served him well. The Scourge torturer has no time to raise an alarm moments before the punch knocks him out cold. And he falls forward onto the table. That razor falling out of his hand.

That leaves Clark alone with April. Who would be glad to see him, if she were awake.

Clark takes only a moment to make sure the bastard is still breathing before he turns his attention to the only other person in the room, taking her chains in his hands and crushing them into powder, catching her body as gravity takes over. Cradling her in his arms, barely noticing that she's naked, more concerned about the covering of blood. He runs his hand through her hair, gently, mindful of her injuries even though it seems like there isn't a single spot he can touch without fear of hurting her more. "April? Can you hear me?"

Perhaps the only saving grace about her unconscious state is the fact that April can't feel any pain right now. The one drawback is that she also can not respond to Clark's question.

She feels like a ragdoll in his arms. Limp and almost lifeless. But she is hanging on. In her heart, she knew he would come for her.

He shrugs out of his jacket, wrapping it around her - to preserve her dignity, to keep her warm, to slow any bleeding, whatever the reason it feels like the right thing to do - and hefts her in his arms, holding her close to his chest. "I'm going to get you out of here," he says, and even though she isn't responding, he hopes that somehow she can still hear him. That she knows he's come for her.

He looks down at the unconscious torturer, feeling the burning rage that he would dare do this to her. But he doesn't have to kill him, and he doesn't have to let him go free either. Shifting her weight mostly onto one strong arm, he frees his other hand for the gesture required in the banishing spell.

The warmth of his jacket seems to have some effect, April's sluggish breathing deepens slightly. And even deep in the darkness of her mind, she can hear him. And knows she is safe now.

The light of the banishing spell envelops the torturer, then with a flash he is gone, sent to the demon dimension. A moment later Clark hears sounds of soldiers coming down the stairs.

The voice of the general is distinct. "All is not lost, if my princess will not give herself to me, I will take her."

They appear at the bottom of the stairs that lead into the torture chamber and stop cold when they see Clark. The Scourge general frowns. "Who are you?"

Clark stands tall, April held safe and secure in his arms, and knows that this is the moment he's been waiting for. He feels no fear, no anxiety, just cold burning anger and determination. His eyes flare bright gold with the promise of fire, barely restrained. And he doesn't even think about what he says next. "I'm Kal-El, the last son of Krypton. I'm taking her with me. Your time is over."

The general laughs. In that way that all self-confident men do. "No one will take my princess from me. Not will I still wish to play with her."

He signals for his men to attack. And from behind him they come, there is six who coming charging with their swords.

Clark's in motion before he consciously realizes what he's hearing, turning in a steady arc as his eyes unleash the vicious fire of his heat vision, sweeping it over them in a wide beam meant to blast them back more than burn. All his senses seem sharpened, heightened beyond most anything he's felt before, listening to the attackers and the general and his soldiers all at once, attuned to every noise they make, and beneath it, the gentle thrum of April's vital signs.

They were not expecting the blast. And they jump back and he can see their fear visible. There is enough hestitation that Clark can act before they will listen to the insane babbling of the general. "Attack him! Kill him!"

April's vital signs are slowly getting better. But she will need to be healed before she completely can come out of her comatose state.

Mindful of the fragility of the girl in his arms, Clark blurs into superspeed again, launching his one free fist into exposed stomachs and throats, focusing on working his way through those being commanded first, knocking away swords and planting solid blows into vulnerable spots, and to his eyes they all move as slowly as if they're trying to fight in molasses.

In one moment The Scourge general is commanding his soldiers, and then in the next all six are unconscious on the floor. And he is face-to-face with the hero who had claimed April.

"Impossible..." He backs away. The flight instinct strong in the one who orders, and never acts for himself.

Clark steps forward, keeping the space between them the same even as he retreats, those furious eyes glowing gold once more as they stare into the general's. "I gave you fair warning. You're done. For good."

"For good. The only way you could manage that is to kill me." The Scourge general laughed. He was taunting Clark. Trying to get him to act. Using his instincts to pull away the humanity in this one too.

"Guess again."

He unleashes a focused blast of heat vision, directed straight at the general's chest, hot enough to burn but not kill, powerful enough to knock him back off his feet.

The blast forced the general to the wall, where he fell to the ground from the strength of the attack. The demon sensed another tactic, another way to strip a layer of humanity from this person.

"Please... it doesn't matter what you do to me," It wasn't begging. It was cold and hard cruelty. "Princess will always remember how I touched her."

"Maybe not," he agrees, but it isn't at all friendly or despairing. His rage has become less of a fire and more of a sharp blade, ready to spill blood for blood. "I can't undo what you've done. But you don't get to walk away."

He steps forward, still holding April out of grabbing distance, and directs a decisive kick at the downed demon.

There was a satisfying grunt from the Scourge general as the kick landed securily in his gut. And still he egged Clark on. "Every night as she was chained in her bed, I would go in there and touch her. Again and again."

A door opened at the top of the stairs. There stood the Lister servants, who had been summoned by the noise.

Clark has no idea if what he's saying is true. But in this one moment, he decides it doesn't matter, because he believes that the general would tell any lie for any reason. Especially if it meant Clark losing his temper.

So he doesn't allow himself to believe it. Whether or not it's true is something he'll deal with later, when the demons are taken care of. After April is safe and healing.

"You're the shittiest loser I've ever met." This time, the kick is a lot heavier and directed squarely at the general's head.

Beside severly injuring the general, and receiving a cheer from the Lister demons at the top of the stairs, it also serves to stop the general from speaking any further. And he joins his men in unconsciousness.

"He is a hero." The Lister leader says softly.

With another brief check to make sure he didn't hit him hard enough to kill him, Clark banishes him through the portal. It's not nearly as satisfying as it would be to kick him over and over until his blood runs as freely as April's, but it feels good nonetheless. Knowing that he won't be able to hurt her again.

He moves to the other unconscious soldiers, exiling them too, one at a time. And finally, he looks up at the Lister demons, fierce protective determination still shining in his eyes, shifting April in his arms so she rests more securely. "Are there any more, elsewhere in the castle?"

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