An old and decrepit, but masterful demon sorcerer stood, somewhat, in the back of his many risen cadavers as they blindly, yet skilfully assaulted our friendly neighbourhood blacksmith. August cleaved through the sea of corpses again and again, but they would keep rising.
The hunched-back demon, despite not standing straight, was still tall enough to look down on all of us. He was a bit lanky, with a tattered robe dragging on the ground. His cowl, just as holey and frayed, covered much of his face, only leaving a pair of glowing green eyes to feast our curiosity upon. The demon carried a barbed lantern, probably doubling as a spiked mace, something a close combatant would wield. Yet, he stood comfortably in the back of dead demons whilst his animations fought August. He was clothed head to toe in rags, and what little we saw of his forearms when he moved around his chains in order to move the lantern looked like he was afflicted with every plague imaginable. Discoloured and deadened skin, warts and boils, even your occasional fly.
Perhaps what was even more interesting than his chained lantern, were the two floating coffins behind him. Curious. I tried once again to dispel his Phantasm, but he didn’t cast it. Those coffins were actually there. There was a demonic symbol engraved on them, and I retraced the hundreds of thousands of demons’ memories I collected. One meant ‘end life to begin life’ and the other meant ‘cold shadow’.
If it weren’t for August’s grunting in pain from having been stabbed by a clawed minion, I’d have kept paying attention. I knew he’d be fine though. Health regeneration enchantments meant he’d be back to normal in no time, and the durability enchantments and quintessence meant that the damage was minimised. Despite that, I’m not sure why he even let it injure him. However, I quickly realised why he was careful about how he fought.
There weren’t just demons there, in his army of animated corpses. There were humans, what I’d suspect to be holy warriors from Hyzek. According to Kar’thuz’s memories, as well as some others, Mister Jelly was somewhere in this fortress. That meant this monster before us used collected souls to reanimate them. I wasn’t sure how he raised souls with no bodies to fight for him. It was something I’d have to figure out on my own most likely. Even if August defeated him and kept him alive, I don’t think a master of mind magic would yield to me and let me map his mind.
In fact, why were Ren and I even spectating this fight? “Why aren’t you doing anything?”
“I can ask the same of you,” Ren bit back. “Besides, you know why.”
“Let’s say I don’t,” I shrugged. “Enlighten me.”
“As a man who made a deal with a demon, my demonic side has constantly tried to take over. Do you know what I needed to do in order to stop its progression?” he asked, then answered before I had a chance. “Consume demons. Literally. I had to rip them limb from limb, as alive as possible, as fresh as possible, and eat them. It quenched the thirst of the demon I made a contract with. I satiated its hunger, even if temporarily. Those demons I ate were low-rank and mid-rank demons, just like the ones we came to T’Ghuuz with, just like the billions of demons scattered across this world.”
What are you getting at?
“The reason you stand back, as well as I, is because we desire to learn. Just like you dance with the minds of others, I wish to prepare myself thoroughly before committing my blade to flesh.” His shadowy arm raised and its demonic finger pointed to the elite demon before us, “Information. Preparation. Survival. Tell me, mage, what have you learnt about him?”
I squatted down but floated upwards to remain at the same eye-level as before. “Necromancy. The dark arts. Supposedly, it’s a subtype of magic that stems from arcane, but I’ve only read texts on it. I thought it was only fantasy. I guess demons have that particular mana pathway available to them if they try hard enough. Or maybe this dude did something special in order to use necromancy. He is prudent, cautious. He takes care not to reveal his cards too quickly and draws the battle out. However, I don’t think,” I rubbed my chin, “that he’s doing it for the same reason we are. He is bidding his time, waiting for something. He’s not trying to learn our secrets so he can protect himself from unknown powers that we may have, no. For some reason, he wants this to be a battle of attrition. What about you, Ren? What do you see?”
“Fear,” he said, all ominous-like. But maybe Ren was right. The sorcerer had a spiked lantern connected to a chain; it was clearly meant as a weapon. Yet he kept his distance. “Maybe I hunted too many demons. But he feels the same way as those who exhibit extreme fear. But it’s, strange…” The half-demon ex-farmhand peered even more intensely at the elite demon and forgot I existed.
Hmm, yes, I’d want to let this battle drag on for my own knowledge on the demon’s abilities. But can we afford to? We’ve already wasted enough time when I took nearly an eternity to train. I stopped floating and stood normal once again. On my first step forward, August put his hand out to me, gesturing me to stop. Hmm? Well, alright then.
I doubted August even used any quintessence so far, yet he fought, and I knew not why. The concerning thing was, August kept getting injured. In fact, the pace at which he’d allow an attack on himself had increased. Was he being afflicted by mind magic? August? No, that wasn’t it. With 95% magic resistance, a measly Dispel from a baby could wipe away Phantasm from a seasoned mage with ease. August’s mind was clear.
His longsword continued to slowly cleave its way through the army surrounding him, yet he didn’t use any quint. However, something was weird; the risen cadavers hesitated before attacking August. Suddenly, a shrill cry erupted from the hunched-back demon and the floor illuminated with pale green magic. All of the reanimated were dismissed and fell into the magic circles.
“You’ve had it rough, huh?” August spoke to the demon.
The demon dropped his lantern and slumped to his knees.
No fucking way! Did Aug just win?!
Suddenly, a mass amount of mana was summoned around the demon. The chains around the coffins fell loose and they popped open. There were two small children in them. They looked human for the most part, but there were still small protrusions for horns on their foreheads. It was a boy and a girl, probably no older than Dillon. They had an enigmatic vibe to them.
Their eyes were, black? It was all black. Suddenly, a red mist encircled the boy, and he began levitating, floating farther up into the air. Red, demonic wings were formed from the mist and, through his mouth, a dark miasma came out. It covered the entire room in darkness. Even when I cast Candlelight, the spell would quickly lose its ability to luminate.
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The girl’s turn was next, but instead of floating up, she simply jumped out the coffin. She had a crimson mist as well, that formed dangerous claw-like fingernails. It was obvious that she was August’s main enemy now.
“So, do you want help now?” I asked, seeing that it was two versus one. The hunched demon didn’t seem to move anymore. It must’ve taken all he had to activate those two kids.
“No,” August rejected my help. In fact, he sent his longsword back into his inventory, basically sheathing it. The winged boy’s expression changed to one of slight confusion. The animalistic girl stopped walking forward. It was like they both began thinking that August’s behaviour was strange, but only for a moment.
The girl burst forth in blindingly fast speed, making me activate Timedial to see her better. August kept up with her, easily. He didn’t attack, nor did he block. It was easy enough for him to dodge all of her attacks. August rested a hand on her shoulder when she swung wide and uttered something to her. I didn’t make out what he was saying.
The girl grew agitated, and her fervour increased, and as such, her strength and agility were boosted incredibly. August increased his quint usage to match, and still easily avoided her. He continued saying something to her.
The floating boy’s hands gathered mana around them and released a wave of red mist towards both the girl and August. Whatever it was, I knew it wasn’t friendly. August disappeared, much like he did when he fought Ren, and appeared in the air, next to the boy. Similarly, he patted the boy on his head and said something, to which the boy was quickly angered and spread a nova of mist outward.
The girl, wasting no time, sprouted wings herself and flew up to them, missing August by a hairline with her claws. She swerved back to August whilst her brother made distance, and tried to sever August’s jugular. Only this time, the crazy blacksmith didn’t move. He let her attack. Her claws formed from whatever that red haze was hit August’s neck, but only managed to give him a few papercuts. August hugged the girl. Quite the disrespectful thing to do to an enemy if one was proud in their abilities, but he did it anyway. She struggled and tried to push him off, but she couldn’t get away until he released – which he did. Again, he muttered something to her.
Another wave of haze swallowed up August, to no effect at all. Suddenly, a clone of August hugged the boy this time, but the boy burst into a fleet of small bats and reassembled away from August. They were both at their wit’s end on how to deal with the blacksmith. They floated side by side, perhaps trying to conjure stratagems on how to deal with him, and periodically glancing at us. Even if they managed to defeat August, they’d have to face us after. And who knows how strong we were? Still, they both refused to let up and simultaneously prepared another attack.
That’s when I saw August’s mouth move again, and they halted their coordinated attack. The boy landed, and broke down in tears, slumped to his knees just like the hunched demon. Afterward, the girl landed next to him and comforted him. “Alright!” she said in whatever tongue she was used to. Between Jynnak and Yunaris, I didn’t know which world magic was more convenient. “You win! Do what you wish!”
They both returned to their coffins, and the hunched back demon seemed to be lifted out of a mental dizziness. He stood up once more, only to kneel before August afterward. “I see,” he spoke. “If this is their decision, then so shall it be. I can finally go to stasis now.” The demon seemed relieved instead of fearful now. “I, Yraz the Tormented, entrust these souls to you, holy warrior.”
The pale green light that was often seen had circled around August’s hands, and just like that, the boy and girl disappeared.
D-did he just adopt a couple demon kids?
“I guess Tara has siblings now?” Donna added.
Yraz, quite exhausted, looked up to where he imprisoned us before, then he stared to Ren and I. He surmised we must’ve been powerful, but still wore a painful expression. I’d sell my half of K&A just to find out what was going on in that head of his. “Holy warrior, gather your companions, there are things you all must know.”
August waved us in, so Ren and I encroached. I pulled Kar’thuz and Melissa in closer so that they might hear, but kept them in the void just in case.
“Before we proceed, I must know. Why are you here?” Yraz questioned us, giving shallow glances to Ren occasionally.
“There are a couple souls that I want to reclaim,” August said, taking Melissa’s objective as his own.
“Is the purpose of collecting those souls to revive ones that are dead?” Yraz grew even more serious.
August exhaled audibly, “Yes. But, it’s also for closure.”
Yraz’s hand snaked along his chin, “I see. Then closure you shall have. However, holy warrior,” he had a look of slight confusion on his face, “there may be issues resurrecting them, even if you had their real bodies. You see, the ‘souls’ we speak of are not the real thing. Real souls cannot be reached with magic, no matter the type or potency. I’m afraid souls are things that can only be reached by beings in a higher plane of existence.”
Hmm, he means the gods.
“The ‘souls’ that we harbour here, are but fakes. However, they are fakes that magic can reach. They are fakes, that if tampered with, can give or take power, give or take life. These, pseudo-souls are a combination of one’s physical existence, and one’s mental existence. And so, if the physical existence is no more, the mental existence has no vessel, and must therefore return from whence it came. However, fake souls immediately stop their progression. They can no longer learn or grow. The real soul that goes to stasis or the afterlife, is able to continue growing.” He squeezed his wrist, “Even if you put these fake souls into bodies, the ‘resurrected’ person is a prisoner of their past life.”
“Hmm, yes, you cleared up many things in my mind,” I admitted, “but why did you tell us this?”
He scoffed, then chuckled, ending with a big and weary sigh. “The greater part of me doesn’t want you to continue. I’ve placed the souls of those two children in this holy warrior’s hands. If he dies, it would have been for nought. I want them to live on, and experience life outside this accursed domain. The lesser part of me wishes that you continue and annihilate the other elite demons. Their wrongdoings cannot be pardoned!”
“What do you plan to do now?” August questioned the hooded demon.
“Well,” he looked down, “my life is forfeit. If you are to fall to the other elites, they will eventually execute me for my defeat and add my soul to the soul well. However, if you kill me now, I can safely go to stasis instead of being bound and suckled for power by the soul well.”
“Nah,” I said. “How ‘bout we make a trade? After we beat the elites and my buddy here gets what he wants from the soul well. We will take you back with us, so you can continue looking over the two kids in a place the demons cannot reach.”
“And what must I give?”
“Everything,” I tapped my noggin with my finger, “in here. You cast Phantasm. I’m sure you have mastered mind magic. I’m trying to do the same. I want you to allow me to map your mind.”
“And?” he asked, after a period of silence.
“And what? There’s nothing else.”
“Surely, you jest…”
“N-nah, I’m serious. You agree or not, man?”
“Of course, I agree! I must be a fool to pass on such a fate! I’ll even teach you whatever you wish to know of mind magic!”
A smile more demonic than demons wiggled on my face, “Great! Then we have a deal!”
Hmm, now where could I send this guy? I guess for now I’ll just put him in his own void plane with a clone.
“Ah, before you continue. Be warned, the other elites are not as understanding as I. Their only concerns are the soul well, their faction leader, and power. They are merciless. Tread carefully,” Yraz warned us.
We continued deeper into the fortress, eventually going into a room just as large as the one Yraz was in. But there were no canals of souls on at the sides of the room. There were no theatrics like Yraz employed. It was a plain room, except for the art on the walls. Yraz’s room had murals of demons eating other beings. But this room showed simply an army of demons, innumerable and powerful.
Finally, our entire party came across the next elite demon. He was simple compared to the hodgepodge of trinkets, medallions and clothing hanging from Yraz. Their only similarity was that he also stood as a bipedal demon. His sword was about the only thing slightly special. A curved twohanded type made from some dark orange metal. He stood there, menacingly, awaiting us.