The summoner’s eyes narrowed and he pulled something that looked like a baton off his belt. It was solid, which was a good idea if he was going to hit higher-Tier people with it, but Serenity suspected it was simply because people on Earth weren’t yet skilled at making wands and larger was probably easier. “Why do you say I’m a summoner?”
The demon’s illusion seemed to have covered more than just the visual effect. Whoever created it must have tied it all together; a spell like that was far easier to make, but it all unraveled if part of it was seen through. Serenity could feel now that the way the “beast” seemed to be higher than a Tier Two but not truly a Tier Three was simply because its Tier was masked. The Wrath Demon was at least a Tier Four, probably a high Tier four rather than a low Tier Five.
It was also definitely being restrained by the summoner. There was no way a true Demon of Wrath, even one that had advanced from being Lesser, would simply stand there and growl when faced by an enemy. Serenity couldn’t tell if it knew he was also (at least partially) Wrathful. Overall, he doubted it, because it didn’t seem to be trying particularly hard to break whatever control it was under.
However nice it would be if he could control another Wrath Demon, that just wasn’t how it worked. Serenity didn’t have to have studied them in detail; he simply knew. A Wrath Demon could indeed follow another’s commands, but only after they’d evaluated themselves against them. They simply didn’t have the control yet, though they were better than Lesser Wrath Demons. Lesser Wrath Demons were as dumb as a pile of bricks and would attack anything that moved (and occasionally things that didn’t).
Serenity realized his attention had been drawn back to the demon instead of the summoner. That was annoying; it was the less important of the duo, even if his instincts said otherwise. “You asked how I know you’re a summoner? Isn’t is obvious?”
With his attention on the summoner and the knowledge that the Wrath Demon wasn’t as low Tier as expected, Serenity fully pushed his aura towards the summoner a little more. He wasn’t trying to hold down the other man; that might happen but it would be an unwanted side effect. Instead, he was trying to figure out the other man’s Tier. It almost had to be hidden. If it was as low as he’d first assumed, the demon didn’t make sense.
If he stretched out the answer, he might be able to slip the probe in slowly and gently and find out what was going on. “First, your clothing. No beastmaster would wear that; it’s too impractical for dealing with beasts. Far more suited to someone who only fights with them, but even then it’s clear you’re just trying to make an impression. I’m not entirely certain what impression; some kind of spellcaster, maybe?”
Serenity started out honest, but by the end he was pretty certain that brutally honest was a better term. None of it was untrue but some of it was probably unfair.
It definitely served its primary purpose. The summoner seemed to be restraining himself if the hand tightening on the baton-wand was anything to go by. Serenity felt with his aura; Tier Two. Solidly Tier Two right in the middle of the band. That couldn’t be right, even for just the snakes, so he pushed a little harder and felt another illusion give.
Fucking illusionists.
That wasn’t a skill that was common in summoners, so Serenity guessed he wasn’t looking at the illusionist; that was something he’d have to get the specialists to ask about. Perhaps he’d talk to his mother.
Behind the illusion, the summoner felt like he was Tier Five. A weak, empty Tier Five propped up by power that wasn’t his own.
Serenity’s first impression was that it was power given to him, but that wasn’t right. It was power that had been used on him to make him far more powerful than he should have been. It had clearly warped him away from himself and into the mold the person who used it wanted.
Yet it was also clear the summoner didn’t reject the foreign power. He clung to it as if it were a precious gift instead of the poisonous drug it likely was.
Serenity didn’t have time to think his way through all of the implications of this discovery. Instead, he had to keep talking to keep the summoner distracted. Or did he? Perhaps the better move was to precipitate action. He knew his own Tier wasn’t fully supported, but it was better than the summoner’s, and he was an underpowered peak Tier Eight instead of an underpowered mid Tier Five.
“The outfit wasn’t the real key, it just made your choices questionable. The second clue was a lot more important.” Serenity paused there; he might as well try to get the summoner off balance. He still wasn’t certain if this was actually going to result in a fight or not.
When the summoner seemed to lean forward a little, Serenity knew he had the man’s full attention. He also knew that his probe had gone unnoticed. “The second clue is simple; what beastmaster has a demon as a beast? Monsters can happen, but demons? Not on Earth, not now.”
Serenity didn’t look over at the “hound;” he wanted to see what the summoner did. His guess was confirmed when the summoner glanced at the hound for a moment before pulling his gaze back to Serenity.
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“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” the summoner tried to bluff. “I have giant snakes from the Amazon and a giant dog. Who will eat you if you keep threatening me.”
Serenity barked a laugh at that. “A Wrath Demon, and not even a Greater one? Don’t be ridiculous.”
The summoner flushed and pointed the rod in his hand at Serenity. The pressure inside the summoner that normally spread out and supported his stretched Tier concentrated then broke through it as the summoner yelled “Git ‘em.”
Reddish-black fire streamed from the rod towards Serenity as the demon charged him. It was clearly the power that had falsely expanded the summoner’s capacity, turned into an attack rather than the static form it had held before.
The demon charged towards Serenity. It really wasn’t much smarter than the Lesser Wrath Demons after all. That was disappointing even though it made Serenity’s next few minutes easier. At least it meant that when he killed it, it wouldn’t be much of a loss.
Serenity didn’t have time to deal with it in any manner that wasn’t permanent, so he slid to the side of its charge. It couldn’t correct in time; instead, Serenity slammed into the side of its actual head, pushing it into the path of the summoner’s fire. The hound’s wiry fur tried to find purchase in Serenity’s clothing and skin, but it skidded off the enchantment he’d evoked and his own natural toughness.
The fire didn’t stop even when it impacted and started to eat into the summoner’s demon. He tried to redirect it around the “dog,” but that meant he also wasn’t hitting Serenity.
Serenity dodged backwards; he wanted a little more space. The farther the stream of fire had to go, the more power the summoner had to use to get it there.
The demon turned towards Serenity. It looked truly horrendous now; the side of its head was both burned and literally melting in places, even though bone shouldn’t melt like that.
Anything that could do that to a Tier Four or Five was nasty, indeed. Serenity definitely didn’t want to be touched by it. He’d stand up better to it than the Wrath Demon, but it was hard to say how much better it would be.
The Wrath Demon howled. It was an eerie sound made even worse, if quieter, by the clear damage to its voice. It charged towards Serenity again, a little slower. In fact, this time it was slow enough that he wouldn’t be able to pull the same trick; if he dodged, it would be able to follow him. It was clearly capable of learning.
Unfortunately for it, it hadn’t learned enough. Serenity had other tricks. It was time to use them, too.
Serenity dropped a Death Field on the area. He didn’t have the time to corral it into being strongest where his two enemies were, but even without that it would help.
The dark fire seemed to burn a hole in the Death Field. Fortunately, it still didn’t spread any farther than it had before; it simply meant that the Death Field was gone wherever it touched. The summoner could have used it as a defense, but it didn’t seem to occur to him; instead, he moved forward and sideways as he tried to bring the fire to bear on Serenity instead of the Wrath Demon.
Serenity doubted the person who filled the summoner with power would make the same mistake. It was useful for this fight, at least. If Heat Resistance worked on it, he might have a surprise for the summoner’s master when the time came; otherwise, he’d need to increase his own Tier.
Serenity slid backwards a few feet and deliberately left his left arm behind himself to taunt the Wrath Demon. When it lunged for the bait, he allowed it to grab his arm where it was protected by the robe and its enchantment. It would drain and stress the enchantment, but it was worth it: it meant that until the demon let go, he had control of the demon’s head.
Serenity knew Wrath Demons well enough to know that this one, in pain in the middle of a fight, wasn’t going to let go if there was any chance to hang on. Wrath Demons were not the smartest. Strong and stubborn, definitely, but not smart. Serenity had to admit that he often fit the mold.
The demon’s bite was powerful enough to feel through the protection of his enchanted robe, but it was simply pressure; the teeth couldn’t penetrate and they couldn’t bite hard enough to crush, either. Serenity knew how to make a good protection spell. It might bruise; he was pretty sure he hadn’t quite calibrated it correctly for Tier Eight and it definitely wasn’t comfortable. He didn’t care about that; it wouldn’t slow him down in combat and he’d heal any damage quickly.
Serenity twisted his arm, which pulled the badger-like demon’s head up and to the side and exposed its neck to his manablade. Before it could correct its position, Serenity was covered in its blood but the young Wrath Demon would never threaten anyone again.
Serenity regretted having to put it down; it didn’t know any better and would never have a chance to learn.
Black fire splashed against the Wrath Demon’s body as the summoner directed the stream towards Serenity. He’d managed to get far enough to the side while Serenity was busy that the fire licked over Serenity’s legs. It went right through the robe’s enchantments and seared his legs. Serenity slid backwards as quickly as he could and barely managed to get ahead of the summoner’s fire.
Serenity doubted he’d have been able to stay ahead if the summoner were at full strength; he was clearly showing the effects of the Death Field. He moved slower than he had at the beginning of the fight and seemed drained of energy. It was far worse than it should have been, which told Serenity that he was almost certainly not supposed to survive using the dark fire. There was no chance he’d surrender at this point.
Which meant Serenity needed to simply kill him. Perhaps he should have started there; if he’d ignored the demon and killed the summoner first, maybe he could have saved the demon. Serenity had no idea what he’d do with a demon on Earth, but it didn’t deserve its fate.
Serenity didn’t dare to dodge closer to finish the summoner with his manablade. The dark fire was too much of a threat. Instead, he stayed mobile and avoided it as much as he could. Death Magebolts were the key; they’d accelerate the process of killing the summoner.