MerlinPendragon

Chapter Eighteen: Blood and Demons.

Added 2024-06-12 16:02:11 +0000 UTC

Chapter Eighteen: Blood and Demons.

I was being marched across a wheat field towards the waking demon, trying to figure how I could save Dante when something in the ambient mana changed. It took me a moment to recognize the feeling but soon it hit me. Years ago when I had been studying aquatic buffalo to discover how they seemingly parted the water as they ran across its surface. I had discovered the giant effect was not a continuous spell on their part but a natural effect that happened when they ran as a group. The mana around me now felt not like a stampede of water creatures but of ones of blood.

“On guard! Prepare for battle.” I shouted in a long forgotten commander's voice. The veterans were easy to spot amongst the townsfolk as they didn’t hesitate to draw knives and bludgeons as they looked around warily. The others followed their lead and soon my head and body were at the centre of a circle of cautious men. Dr Winwick was inside the line with me, eyeing me suspiciously, but to his credit he had taken out his healing supplies prepared to tend any wound.

We didn’t have to wait long. A dark cloud came sweeping across the night sky from the direction of the forest. It boiled with blood mana stoked by anger. This was partially natural magic, the most dangerous and powerful kind of magic. As the clouds shadow covered the moon. It swept across the field from the tree line and in its wake came twisted limes and shrieking fangs. I had to turn down my mana vision to see through the miasma of blood that surrounded them. This was no stampede of water buffalo this was far worse.

“Vampires.” I called, in the same confident tone as before. Pendants of a variety of deities were revealed by the militia most however seemed to venerate that of light. A few brief prays resounded in shaky voices before the night air fell deathly silent.

A scream broke the quiet as a claw tore a gash in a woman's arm, as it was cut off in turn by the woman. It was the first of many. More than a dozen feral vampires that felt far more dead than Mrs Sanguis attack our group unphased by pain of regret. My body was discarded to the ground and the man who had held my cane-mounting dropped it to fend off fangs. My head rolled. Up and I saw blood and carnage down and I saw dirt.

I thumped to a stop against a discarded pile of costs, not my body. I could feel it through a strange connection. Now that I could feel that connection I could control it. Like letting go of one's bladder I tried to release the bone connections. In an environment as full of tension and turmoil as this it was hard to relax. But I had pissed in worse conditions so it wasn’t long before the solid mass of coats behind me gave out. Focusing on the bones from the head down I was able to reconnect them one by one. Each floating over to my skull with the power of Bone Articulation. By the time I was back together the lines of battle had blurred. A unified front had turned into scattered brawls between the survivors of both sides. I crawled out amongst body parts and ash, aiming for the cabin. One of the living spotted me and tried to intercept but they were in turn stopped by a one legged vampire which clawed at their face. Plenty of vampires saw me as I retreated from the battle but to them it was as if I didn’t exist. They completely ignored me.

Once I had cleared the carnage I got up and began to run, holy water in hand. More had been spilt in the fight but I was still left with just over half. The moist surface of the glass scolded me as I ran but I gave it no mind.

Bursting into the cabin, the scene was much as I had left it. Mr Pools twitching in a pool of his own blood and Dante beginning to twitch as well. I didn’t have long.

As streams and whales of fury and pain filled the night I began my demonic working.

Using my Bone Claws I carved a summoning diagram into the dirt floor of the hut, surrounding Dante. I strengthened it with some salt and then added the components. A bag of silver was placed atop the possessed’s head and a ruby, pried from its fitting, rested on his tongue.

I could feel the binding magic weaken as Mr. Pools drew closer to death. I began to chant the second layer of the spell as my hands worked the first. Nearing the end of the spell Mr. Pools finally kicked the bucket and the spell holding Dante began to unravel. It wasn’t immediate but slowly it began to move.

“I smell blood.” A booming voice said as it took in a deep breath. “This is quite the welcome you have given me mortal mage.” The voice tried to sound strong and intimidating my my spell completed halfway through his sentence and the booming voice of a powerful demon was replaced by the annoying nasal squeak of an imp.

The horns, red eyes, and fangs slide out sideways from Dantes body as they form a new body. With red skin, sharp teeth and wings coming out of its back it might have been intimidating if the creature weren’t all of two feet tall.

“Great all that effort for an imp.” I mumbled under my breath as the two separated. Unfortunately although the demon was buzzing about, striking the sealing circle, Dante remained unconscious.

“I heard that!” Squeaked the imp indignantly, “I am no meer imp I am the great and powerful Sqwent.” It declared after bouncing off the barrier for the third time.

“Ah great it’s stupid to.” I complained to myself, before the creature could blow its top I continued. “Sqwent I command you, stop trying to escape.” I said tiredly.

His body was pulled back from the edge and every time he tried to ram into the barrier he was pulled back by his own body. One of the peculiarities of demons was that if one with more magical power than them commanded them using their name they would have to obey. It was how they managed to control demon armies.

“How are you doing that! You’re not even a mage.” It screeched.

“Oh right.” I mumbled, my exhaustion making me forget. To help recover from the man sickness I had shielded my core so no one could see my mana. Demons had an uncanny sense for mana and if this one was even a little more powerful it would likely be able to see through my defences. Since I had been cured of any remaining symptoms I released the hold on my core.

The response was immediate, mana pulsed out of me stilling the chaotic blood miasma for a second. Sometimes I forgot the impact the mana of an Archmagus could have on the environment since my tower and the surrounding valley was warded against such interference. The pulse reached up to the heavens and they opened. Lightning crashed and thunder boomed as the cabin was suddenly assaulted by falling water.

Sqwent prostrated himself as the sudden change in mana had a more profound effect on the magical demon. His insides boiled to the surface of his skin and he vomited out offal as he gently keened. Whether in fear or admiration I couldn’t tell, demons seemed to mix the two. Once the ambient mana calmed the demon turned back to normal.

“Please forgive my impertinence defiler If I had known I wouldn’t have behaved so rudely. Please spare me from your experiments.” The demon growled, the last said with a shiver.

“Defiler?” I asked, mildly surprised.

“Please forgive this lowly imp.” The creature wailed as if about to be stuck. “I do not know your almightyness’s true name. I have only the name they whisper in the darkest corners of the netherworld.” It pattered.

“I don’t understand. Why do you know me?” I asked genuinely confused. None of the other demons I had summoned ever seemed to recognize me and now I looked completely different.”

“Rumor of your vile power and twisted enjoyments had been circulating for centuries but when a Prince reincorporated bearing a mana scar, matching your powerfulness’ signature, none could deny your existence.” Sqwent jabbered on, rubbing his hands and trying desperately to ingratiate himself.

“Zorthal was a prince?” I wondered aloud, “Seemed a bit weak.” Sqwent shivered visibly at the words.

“Wait,” I said, my questioning half taking over. “I was in a different world, is this world connected to the same demon realm?”

“Yes, your unholiness.” The demon sputtered promptly, “There is one demon realm, it connects to all other worlds, realms, and planes. Save those of a celestial alignment of course.” When I didn’t react, taking the time to ponder the implications, Sqwent looked around before adding in a gasp, “Demon king save us.”

“What was that?” I asked, narrowing my eye holes at the little annoyance.

“Nothing, your allpowerfulness.'' The imp squeezed, smashing its head back into the dirt.

“Answer me Sqwent.” I commanded, knowing you had to be extra judicious around demons. It murmured something into the floor, “Answer me clearly and with detail Sqwent.” at my words it’s back straightened and with fear marring its features it answered.

“I said, Demon King save us.” It repeated unwillingly and seeing my confusion it was compelled to elaborate. “I said this because we are in the world, Cosmo-Osto.” It added through clenched teeth. Before I could ask it went on, “It is said your scariness hails from Cosmo-Vivra, a world that was disconnected from the plane of magic.” Finally giving in to the command it added, “There were never supposed to be any mages there let alone ones of your strength. Now that you can cast spells directly I fear for all demon kind.” It finished, unable to meet my eye.

His explanation only raised more questions but the sounds of relief from outside returned my focus to the immediate problem. It would appear that the town's reinforcements had arrived.

I thought again of just banishing this demon, its constant flattery was wearing. But now that the two were separated in body I could see that the imp was tying Dantes soul to his body. Even being separated like this was slowly eroding his soul, nothing that couldn’t self repair in a few hours but I had to hurry nonetheless.

With drawing my notebook I drew up a contract where in Dante would be the controlling party and any powers their union might grant them would be solely under his control. Sqwent was only too eager to sign Dante on the other hand was still unconscious.

A few slaps to the face remedied that and he awoke bleary and seeming hungover. I had to explain several times to mark the contract with his blood. Then it took even more convincing to get him to accept the red system prompt. The cabin filled with an ominous light as the imp was sucked back into Dantes skin, leaving it almost imperceptibly more red. His teeth were also slightly sharpened and his blue eyes seemed purple. After the ordeal was over Dante gasped and sank back to the ground, passed out.

I was slinking away from town, further into the country, when the heavy storm was momentarily parted at the sight of the battle. A beam of holy light illuminated the night sky for miles around and from nearly three miles away I could just about make out a golden figure at its heart. The shock stopped me from holding back the system messages that had built up.

Congratulations: