Terran Demons, aka Holifenars

Demons, as Terrans are familiar with, are hideous, monstrous beings of low intelligence and high volatility.

 

Classes of Demons

A - G, Class A being the most deadly and G being a nuisance until their numbers are great.   G Class are typically referred to as “harriers,” smaller, though often more numerous, and often possessing a pack mentality. They largely depend on close range physical attacks, though some have been known to be able to shoot organic projectiles. Sometimes these are barbs, other times it’s acid. Easiest to kill with a liberal dousing of fire.   F Class consists of somewhat larger demons than the Gs, and they act in smaller groupings, though they share similar traits and tactics. More likely to be a flying variety. Best destroyed with fire or delayed shrapnel sticky grenades, or whatever has similar effects.   E Class is yet again a little larger, and also often faster, though as with all demons, there are frequently exceptions. These ones tend to more frequently have projectile offenses than the prior types.   D Class is where they get trickier and harder to predict. Often acting in pairs or singles, they’re usually larger than the prior classes, and miasma cores are frequent. Sometimes these take the role of carnivorous “plants,” consuming anything that comes too close and then spewing miasma while remaining rooted to whatever surface will support them. Whatever support they offer to other demons is largely unknown, but they seem to act as beacons or scouts.   C Class, being another tier up, can be deceptively powerful, and often erratic. Sometimes they travel in packs, sometimes they act solo. Miasma cores are common, and their purpose largely seems to be to corrupt as much area as possible. Sometimes these are very “squishy” foes, exceedingly easy to dispatch with adequately applied force and fire (preferably from a distance), and other times they’re completely covered in chitin requiring special armor piercing rounds to penetrate, which then explode from within.   B Class can range in size from 7’ to nearly 30’ tall on average, with a breadth of anywhere from 4’ to 20’, give or take. They are tough, hit hard enough to damage most structures of common materials, and are usually faster than physics might imply. Sometimes they possess a miasma core, but more often than not they seem to take the role of a shock troop, seeking to destroy or consume as much as they can reach. These often arrive with harriers, which should be dispatched with haste lest they overwhelm the defenders before the larger demon can be dealt with. Class Bs seem to broadly possess better intelligence than their lesser counterparts, and alter their shapes with a notably higher frequency.   A Class is considered an emergency requiring no less than evacuation of an entire city, or barring that, a full sector, followed by a total lockdown and rapid setup of a containment field. More often than not, these “greater demons” are towering monstrosities, necessitating a large armed force to take down, and sometimes aerial forces. For a blessing, these are extremely rare, only (xx number) having been documented in the last (some thousands) years.   A special, little-known class, unofficially called S Class, are a tier of demons so intelligent and insidious that they can take on a human guise and blend in with humanity for a short time. Usually these are intentionally summoned, but what the summoners don’t always know is that it is their own body the demon takes over, and it is their life that is commandeered.   Miasma cores are strange, poorly-understood, grotesque orbs of twisted flesh. Between the seams of the layers of flesh spews this vile miasma, colored an ill shade of pink and orange, which is usually in the form of a cloying gas. It can also be in a more condensed, liquid state, which is several times more corrosive (read: acts faster) than the gaseous form, and while it can sizzle and splash, it's often considered the less dangerous because there's little risk of deadly inhalation.   This miasma eats through stone, concrete, metals, and flesh with near-equal ease, though it does take much longer to dissolve these in the gas state than the liquid state. The gas can become so thick as to obscure vision, and if it isn't cleared quick enough, it will start to warp the eriant threads that make up reality, creating all sorts of mind-bending localized phenomena.   In the case of the rare A or S ranks, their unique variety of miasma, when it is emitted, can start to eat a hole in the very threads of reality, destabilizing the zone and allowing for all sorts of mind-breaking possibilities and atrocities. Usually once the miasma appears, it can be anywhere from a matter of days to only mere hours before the worst damage is done.   Miasmic gas is usually cleared by a liberal application of good old fashioned fire; even if a scorched earth policy is employed, humans would rather deal with dead land than actively hostile, irreparable land. For a mercy, should miasma get beyond the abilities of the local forces to manage, the Verith and Fasar almost always pick up on the disturbance before it causes permanent holes.