The Nameless Necromancer (Part 5)

    I find Liz near the firing range, practicing with her own blade, a deadly, swift longsword. I watch as she flows through a series of strikes designed to incapacitate opponents in her general area. I am pretty sure she notices me, but deigns to ignore me for the minute. I wait patiently, and eventually she stops and replaces her weapon in the slot on the back of her armor, before walking over to me. When she gets close, she asks, her voice slightly muffled by her winged helmet, “So, what are you planning this time?” I shrug, and answer, “Just a quick little excursion into the wilderness. But I actually came by here to get some practice.” I can hear her smile as she answers “And here I though you came for the company. But maybe this is the chance I need to beat some sense into your head.” I tilt my head and grin, saying, “You can try.” I walk to one end of the practice field, before turning to face her at the other end. I flip Heaven and Hell up into my hands and twirl them around for a few seconds, before raising one above my head in a salute. She draws her blade and holds it directly in front of her, tip angled slightly upwards. We both stand still, locked in a stare down.

         She suddenly charges at me, blade held out to her right, and I rush straight back at her. Right before we meet, she removes one hand from her blade and waves it in front of her. I ignore the darkness that erupts from the ground, a product of the crucifix I forged for her. I lunge forward and kick out at where Liz was last and hit empty air. I roll to the side as her sword comes down where I had landed, and flip backwards to get clear of the darkness. I stand outside the ring with daggers raised, and Liz suddenly explodes out of the darkness, sword flying towards my throat. I shift my daggers and stop her sword, and she pulls back before slicing at me again from the side. I step back, and  when she lunges forward again, I drop Heaven and grab her arm, before flinging her towards the other end of the field. She recovers in midair however, and lands on her feet. She straightens herself out, and flicks her blade once. Her eyes flash behind her helm, and the sword flares like it has been soaked in oil, and white fire runs up and down its length. She raises her sword to the sky in a salute, and brings it back down.

         I'm content to watch, until she sticks her sword tip down in the ground. I immediately become wary, and hold my daggers up in a guard position. As I watch, Liz puts a foot on the blade and pushes it back. The sword bends, but suddenly snaps forward unnaturally, and Liz yanks it back out of the ground as she is propelled towards me through the air. I fling Tribunal at her, and she bats it out of the air. I immediately recall it, and by that time Liz is in front of me, swiping at me with her sword. I roll out of the way, planning my own attack.

         Liz lands on her feet, and I sweep my daggers at her. She shifts her sword in her hands and blocks both strikes, before kneeling and placing her blade in the ground again. White flames explode outwards from the tip, and I am flung backwards and off my feet. I call on Heaven to grow wings and catch myself in midair. I float back down to the ground, dispelling my wings, beating the fire off my robes. Liz brings her sword back, and swings downward like you would swing a golf club. As soon as the tip almost almost touches the ground, a line of white flame lashes forward in a straight line. I roll out of the way, and Liz swings three times in a row, at me and to each side of me. I hold out a hand and thrust my own power out at the line in the middle, and darkness collides with light. Both energies immediately dissipate into the air, and Liz and I stand facing each other again. I throw two more bolts of darkness at her, but Liz twirls her sword around one-handed and reflects them back at me. I absorb them just as they hit me, unruffled.

         Liz flings her blade at me like a missile, and I lean slightly to the left by the slightest margin possible, so that it will just miss me. It flies past, and I watch Liz, expecting the sword to reappear in her hands. After it does not, I realize what it must be doing, and duck just as it boomerangs through where my back had just been. The sword returns to Liz's hand, and I nod at her. I sheath my daggers and walk forward, signaling the end of our practice. Liz nods in return and also begins walking forward.

         As soon as I am in arms reach, her blade flashes out and rests on my neck, and Liz says, “Slash, slash. You're dead.” I laugh and say, “I thought you were a noble Templar, and that such trickery was beneath you.” Liz lowers her blade and shrugs. “I must be spending too much time around you. Apparently you are a bad influence.” I smile in reply. “Or maybe you are not spending enough time around me. Who knows, if you stick with me, you might learn something someday.” Liz takes off her helmet and holds it under the crook of her arm before replying. “Well, we could put that to the test, but I suspect it is a test you will fail.” I bow towards the main hall, and say, “Lead on, fair lady.” Liz laughs and sheathes her blade, and the two of us walk back towards the hall together.
         
         Liz and I end up spending the rest of the day training, before we go out to eat near the docks again. Seafood is generally a birthday thing, but we make an exception tonight. We don't encounter any trouble, and when we pass by the Cathedral, Liz heads inside, and I continue on to the graveyard. When I get inside my room again, I focus on my bone claws. They immediately burst outwards from my hands, blood once more gushing all over my floor. It still hurts a good bit, but I think my body is adapting to the change, because I can ignore the pain with a bit of effort. I suspect that over time, I will probably no longer even notice it. I sigh as I look down at my blood soaked floor. At least it is stone instead of carpeted, or something like that. I force the shadows in my room into my skull again, forming another Shadowcraft. I wish I could create Shadowcraft without a physical basis, but I am not that good. The skull floats in front of me, apparently awaiting orders. I point at the floor and say, “See this? I want it all cleaned up by the time I wake up.” The skull rolls over on itself, spinning itself backwards until it is facing me again. I assume that is a yes, and climb into bed, slightly curious to know how it plans to clean the blood up, but not totally sure I want to see how it does it.

         I wake up for a last day of preparation. As I get up, I note my totally spotless floor. I spend a few hours in meditation, but still cannot find the spirit of a single Magi who encountered the blade in life. It frustrates me some, but also makes me think we might be dealing with something that has been locked up and well hidden for a long time. I admit that whatever it is, its raw power totally shocked me when it flung me against the wall. I think however, that with four of us, we stand a chance of defeating this thing. I head to the cafeteria and get something to eat, before returning to my room and rechecking all my equipment. At about midday, I head out to the gates of the Academy. Liz is waiting for me there, and just after I arrive, Solar shows up, gliding to the ground. Malkovich arrives last, and apparently has some new information for us. “I know at least some about the thing in the blade now,” he says. “I'm pretty sure that it's a daemon.” “Daemon?” I ask. “Are you sure we are not dealing with just a demon?” Malkovich shakes his head and states, “No, I could clearly detect some High Immortal energies around it. It has to be either a daemon, or a fallen angel disguising itself for some reason.” I shrug, and we head out. Off to battle a daemon.
         
         We head out into the city, avoiding contact with humans. With our robes, and Liz's plate mail, we will definitely stand out. Malkovich takes us out east, back towards the hills again. We are seen by one human, but he's homeless, and currently reeks of so much alcohol even a human would be able to smell it. He stares as we go past, but I am fairly sure no one will pay much attention to what he says about us. We exit the city boundaries, and continue eastwards. After we walk a few miles, Malkovich suddenly turns south. We walk south for a while, giving me time to think about what we are fighting. I don't know much about daemons, as the Immortals are more a Gatekeeper's area of expertise. But I know the little bit all Magi are taught.

         There are two main types of Immortals. High Immortals, who serve the King of Heaven, and Dark Immortals, servants of the Prince of Hell. High Immortals consist of the Archons, Arbiters, and Fallen Angels. The Dark Immortals are formed of Demons, Banes, and Daemons, all of them corrupt opposites of the High Immortals. Fallen angels are not Dark Immortals, though they are often thought of as such. Fallen Angels are regular angels who have been partially corrupted by Dark powers. Thus, Daemons are Dark Immortals that have partially been purified by the power of the Light. Both of these breeds wield a good bit more power than the typical High or Dark Immortal, due to the fact that they have control over High and Dark energies. But, the most important part of what I know is, Magi generally don't interfere with Immortals unless there is a very good reason. Magi can defeat Immortals in combat, but only about one in a hundred of us have the power AND skill to accomplish it, and fully half of those are Gatekeepers, trained to watch the other realms of existence and their denizens. Add in that we are not even full Magi yet, and we may as well be heading to our deaths. However, hopefully the daemon controlling William will not be able to access its full strength, thus making it vulnerable. At least, that is the idea. If we are wrong, well... that outcome is not worth considering.

         I notice that we have begun traveling southeast, and shift my attention back to our surroundings. We're deep in forest now, miles out of the city. Suddenly death flares against my senses, and I hold up a hand. Everyone stops and turns to me, and I point to my right. We spread out and start walking that direction, and the feel of death gets stronger as move on. Malkovich is ahead of me and to my left, Solar is to my right, and Liz is directly ahead of me. Liz draws her sword, and Solar's wings begin beating back and forth in a pattern. We continue moving, and Liz suddenly points to a smear of red, brown, and green ahead of us. We move closer, and begin to be able to make out details. It looks like a hunter was out here, and got caught by the daemon. His head is completely gone, along with his arms, and large chunks of flesh have been torn from his body, as if he was attacked by sharks. What is left of his body is impaled on a large branch, hanging in the air. The smell is nauseating, and his death reeks of violence and hate. I look at the body, and suddenly my arm moves of its own accord. I stare at it from my hood as it points outward at the dead body, before twisting in a gesture I have never seen before. The inside of my hoods lights up briefly, and the body immediately begins burning with black fire, and in seconds is reduced to ashes. The fire dissolves into the air, and the sense of his death is gone. My arm returns to my control and I lower it back down to my side. The others glance at me, but say nothing. Malkovich even nods. I wonder what I just did, and the only thing I can think of is more interference from Azrael. I shake it off for now, determined that at some point, the angel is going to answer me.

         Malkovich concentrates for a second before pointing southeast again. We return to our trek in search of the daemon, the body already forgotten. Except by me. We continue walking for another hour with an interruption when Malkovich stops moving. The rest of us follow suit, watching him closely. He points south, and his face is immediately filled with pain. He crumples to the ground, and we run forward to examine him. I place my hand over his hearts, and feel a strong, steady beat. Malkovich groans, but reaches up and removes my hand. He places his other hand on the ground and pushes himself back up onto his feet. We look at him questioningly, and he says, “Daemon. It's not far, and it sensed me locate it. It attacked, and almost had me. Fortunately, it's not as strong as it could be, or I wouldn't be talking right now. We should hurry.” The rest of us nod, and we start to head out. That's when everyone else vanishes in a bright flash.



         I start for a second at the sudden flash, but my body acts without aid from my mind, and my daggers appear in my hands, raised up in a guard position. I look around, and when I am not immediately attacked I relax slightly. I continue examining the area, ready to move at an instant. Eventually, I continue moving in the direction Malkovich had indicated the daemon was in. I reach out with my mind and find nothing. I stretch further and still find only peaceful forest. I reach yet further, and suddenly, at the very edge of my perceptions, I sense something dark. It immediately fades from my awareness as I struggle to hold onto it, but it is as if I am trying to grasp air. I maintain my slow stalk in the direction I had last detected the presence. I am still searching the area, and finding nothing. I wonder where the daemon could have sent the others, and hope it is not too far. I doubt I can defeat it alone, which I suppose is the reason it separated us. I hear a whisper of something move behind me, and I pivot around, daggers up. I don't see anything, but relax my guard when I see what made the sound. Solar is up in the trees, flying towards me. As he gets close, he drops down and tucks his wings in.

         He lands in a crouch, and stands up, saying, “Glad to find someone. I definitely did not want to fight that thing alone.” I nod, and reply, “Same here. Do you know where the others are?” He shrugs in answer. “Nope. I guess that thing sent us separate directions. Took me by surprise, I admit.” “Well then,” I say, “I guess that if Liz and Malkovich are missing, we will have to do the job.” Solar flaps his wings once, and shrugs again. We continue onwards in the direction we think the daemon is in, guards up, ready for another attack. I push a branch aside, and see the daemon ahead of us. William is gone. His body apparently belongs completely to the daemon now.

         I stare at the black horns jutting up from his brow, the reddish scales covering his skin, the grinning, bloody jaws with massive protruding fangs. But one thing I don't see is the sword the daemon was in, though I do notice while one of the daemon's hands is covered in the bright red scales, the other has scales of black. Solar steps up from behind me and takes the lead. I move up beside him, and Solar says, “Return to whence you belong daemon. This is no world for thee nor thy kind.” The daemon in William's body laughs, and it feels like glass being shoved into your ears. “PATHETIC MAGI. YOU NEVER CHANGE, THOUGH MILLENIA MAY PASS. YOU ARE NO MATCH FOR MY POWER. SURRENDER NOW, AND I SHALL ALLOW YOU TO DIE QUICKLY.” I glance at Solar, and he answers, “Nay, foul creature of the depths. For thou wilt be bound once more. This I swear upon mine power, if even I must give my life to do so.” I look and Solar and ask, “What are you saying? Are you even listening to yourself?” He grins in response, and says “But it sounds so appropriately dramatic. And heroic.” I shake my head in despair. “No, it sounds stupid. Besides, those were my lines.” We focus our attention on the daemon once more, and it is standing perfectly still, apparently content to let us talk. When it notices it again has our attention, it says, “THIS IS YOUR FINAL CHANCE, MAGI. SURRENDER NOW, OR SUFFER FOR AN ETERNITY.”

         I shrug as I raise my daggers up, and say, “Okay Solar. NOW you can say something appropriately dramatic and stupid.” Solar stretches his arms out before responding. “Sorry, all out of wit now.” The daemon roars, and thrusts its arm forward, reddish power glowing at the end. A line of force surges out, and flies towards us. Solar darts left, and I right, and the line smashes into the ground where we had been standing. I jump to a tree and rebound off it, heading straight at the daemon's back as it focuses on Solar. I seems to notice me at the last minute, and stretches its dark hand back, but I know it does not have the reach to stop me. Just before my daggers hit its skin, the black blade we saw earlier erupts out from the hand and blocks my daggers. The daemon flicks the blade, and I am thrown backward by the sheer force, seeing the daemon use its other hand to grab Solar's arm as I stop myself using a tree. The daemon flings Solar, and he smashes back into another tree.

         I rush at the daemon again, and it turns to face me. I dart forward to stab at it, and the blade-hand moves like black lightning, blocking every thrust I make. The blade suddenly becomes a hand again, and the daemon reaches over and the hand swells in size, before ripping a whole tree from the ground. I lunge at the daemon, and one blade barely breaks its skin before it flies backwards. I stumble, losing my balance, and out of the corner of my eye I see the tree come around. I desperately attempt to fling myself out of the way, but the tree smashes directly into me, hurling me back into yet another tree. I groan as I hear a snap from my back, and collapse on the ground. I struggle to pick myself back up, and am amazed to find that I can do it. My back is screaming as if it has been sliced in half,
but I manage to stand back up as I hear a massive concussion of thunder.

         I glance up to see Solar standing fifteen feet from the daemon, one hand held out. I follow his hand to a gaping, blackened hole in the daemon's gut, where Solar's attack apparently blew straight through William. The daemon grins and closes its eyes, and as Solar and I watch, the skin grows back together on the wound, as if it were never there. How in the Outer Darkness are we supposed to beat this thing if we can't even hurt it? I rush at it again, and it turns to face me, grinning. I does nothing as I thrust forward with both daggers. Both of them dig straight into the thing's stomach, and I twist them, hoping to possibly cause some harm. The skin immediately begins to seal over the wounds, and I let go of my daggers to save my hands. I flip backwards, attempting to call my daggers back, and I can't feel them. I stare aghast at the daemon, and it looks back at me. I shift Tribunal into my right hand, then look down at my left. I visualize the bone claws, and my hand responds, the flesh ripping away to reveal my new weapon. I raise Tribunal in a guard position, and hold my claw out away from my body.

         The daemon glances at my claw curiously, then back to me.  Solar also glances at the claw for a second, but restricts himself to nod. He flicks his own claws, and thunder booms as lightning sheathes them. The daemon watches as Solar and I charge at it again from opposite directions, while I send energy into my belt. We reach the daemon at the same time, and it shifts its black hand back into a sword which it uses to deflect Solar's strikes. I come up to it and it lunges out with its free hand. Remembering my first encounter with a Lycanthrope, I stretch out with my claw, and grab its hand with my own. I squeeze, and black ichor oozes out of my grip. The daemon shrugs its arm, and cannot move it. It stares at me, and I bare my teeth at it in response. I twirl my arm, lifting the daemon off the ground with it, though only with a great deal of difficulty. I swing around, and start to hurl the daemon at a tree. I hear a shredding sound, and its arm tears off, still lodged in my grip.

         The daemon crashes into the tree I was aiming at, the black ichor gushing from the stump of its arm. I looks down at the stump, then back to me, and I swear it appears troubled for an instant. However, it looks back down at the stump, as if expecting something. Nothing happens, and it looks back up to me with what I swear is fear in its eyes. Solar comes up next to me, and I whisper, “Okay, we have a plan now. Next time I can, I am going to try and grab that blade attached to William's arm. Then, you can get in a good shot at it. Hopefully it is losing some of its power, so it cannot regenerate any more.” Solar looks doubtful, and says “So we are just going to dismember him? What about William? Won't that kill him?” I frown and reply “Yeah, that's the tricky part. I'm still working on it.” Solar, still frowning, looks at me and asks, “And how do you know that sword will not slice right through your hand?” I shrug in answer. “I suppose I'll find out in a minute.”

         



         Solar and I turn and rush the daemon again, and its expression is back to furious, apparently once more confident mere Magi cannot defeat it. I close in on it first, and lash out with my claw. As I had hoped, the daemon immediately swings its blade at my hand, and it bounces off the claw, giving me the chance to lunge forward and grab it. The daemon attempts to pull out of my grip, but it is firmly stuck. Solar exploits the opportunity, and lunges at the daemon's stomach. He swipes once, twice, thrice with his claws. Thunder booms with each strike, and Solar enters into a pattern, striking so quickly his movements become a blur even to the vision of a Magi. He pulls back eventually, and a longsword emerges from nowhere to lodge itself in the daemon's face. It cries out in agony, and the black ichor covers the ground.

         I turn my head slightly to see Liz and Malkovich running our way. Malkovich yells “Hold it for just a few seconds more!” He begins twisting his hands in strange patterns, and I can feel the power he is shaping. The daemon roars and renews its struggles to escape my grip. It almost escapes, but I manage to hold on. I yell out “Hurry, I don't know how much longer I can hold it!” Malkovich nods, and Liz jumps up, grabs her blade, and performs a flip backwards, slicing into the daemon again as she does so. Blue energies wreath the daemon, and it roars again, this time screaming out “I SHALL NEVER BE BOUND AGAIN! NEVER!” The blue light explodes, and the daemon roars. The daemon collapses on the ground as we stand back and watch. After it remains still for a few seconds, I look to Malkovich, and he nods. Liz and I end up carrying the main body, while Malkovich takes the arm I removed, and Solar watches us from above.

         Liz and I have a bit of trouble getting in, as the wards seem to dislike Liz, and despise me, but we keep trying until we are allowed in. We get the daemon to the Astral Halls, and Malkovich takes control of it. Solar, Liz, and I leave, and Liz forces us both to go the infirmary again. Solar escapes fairly easily, showing Liz that he is barely injured, and he is perfectly capable of getting medical attention for himself. I am about to try the same thing when Solar speaks up. “You, on the other hand, John, could use some serious healing. When that thing hit you with that tree, I thought you were dead. Getting hit like that should have broken your spine and crushed your hearts, even if your ribs have already set. You must be incredibly lucky.” Liz turns to me with fury in her eyes. “Hit with a tree? And you were going to try and argue that you were fine, weren't you? After that? I swear by Michael's blade I am going too...” I throw a glare Solar's way that says, “We'll finish this later.” He grins and bows, before walking off. I note he walks the same direction as the exit. Liz muscles me to the Healer Marlee, and forces me to stay, before kissing me on the forehead and going to get something to eat. 

         As Marlee examines me, I muse that I should look on this as meaning that Liz just cares about me, and my injuries more than she lets on. My thoughts are interrupted when Marlee examines my back, the green energies of a Healer twined around her hands. She runs her hands over my spine, and the energy follows the path. I FEEL my spine twist and writhe in my back and grab the table I am sitting on. After a moment the pain fades, and I have the presence of mind to notice my claws are out. I pull my skin back over them instantly, and get up. I nod thanks to Marlee and walk out. Fortunately, Marlee is too busy attempting to figure out the torn table and blood to protest my leaving. I head back to the graveyard, and sleep like one of the dead. Or a Necromancer who almost ended up dead. I have given my Shadowcraft skull orders to awaken me at eight the next morning.

         When I finally wake up on my own, I turn to the skull which is still floating in the middle of my room. As I get up, I ask, without actually expecting an answer, “What time is it? How long have I been asleep?” The skull floats closer, apparently examining me, before suddenly responding. “Master....sleep....days....rest....ten....” I suddenly am wide awake, staring at the skull. “What in the Outer Darkness? You can speak? How many days?” The skull remains motionless for so I long I think I imagined it speaking, when it suddenly replies, “Master....sleeps....three....” “Three days!” I yell out in surprise. “You were supposed to only let me sleep one!” The skull nods. “Master....need....energy....sleep....rest....” I frown, but suppose it must have some ability to measure energy levels in beings. I wonder idly what else it can do, and say “Tell you what then, can you acquire food?” The skull's eyes turn red, and I nod. It immediately streaks out of my room. I sit back down on the bed, theoretically awaiting lunch. Or breakfast, depending on what time it is. I remember the skull mentioning ten, and wonder if it was giving me the time.

         The skull returns soon, bearing a dead rabbit. I stare at the skull in surprise. “I actually meant for you to get food from the cafeteria in the main hall. Without hurting anyone.” The skull flees my room again, rabbit still in it's grasp. Apparently Grave was serious when he said semi-sentient. This time when the skull returns it bears a metal platter several times larger than it is, which holds the dead rabbit. It places the platter on my desk and returns to me, apparently awaiting new orders. I don't know what else to do, figuring it would have become dormant again by now, so I say, “Guard my room.” The skull immediately creates a patrol pattern around the ceiling, ready to ambush anything entering my room, I suppose. I wonder how it would harm someone as I decide to go to the cafeteria. After I finish eating, I go to see if our expedition did any good.  I head to the Astral Halls looking for Malkovich, or the daemon when I cannot find him. No one knows where Malkovich is, but the daemon was transferred to the infirmary. “The infirmary?” I yell in surprise. I quickly head there, and end up finding Marlee leaving William.

         Most of the scales are gone, and the fangs are gone, but apparently nothing could be done for the horns.  I suddenly notice that the black blade is still attached to his right arm. He notices my look, and says, “Yeah, they can't figure out how to get rid of it. Apparently I'm stuck with it for life. But, it does have a few tricks...” His forehead furrows in concentration, and abruptly the blade reshapes into the black claw it was earlier. I gape, amazed, and William grins. “There's one other thing, but- IT IS IRRELAVENT” a new voice says, cutting in. I take a step back and raise my daggers, but William holds up a hand.

         “Don't worry, I have him under control. He calls himself Diathon. Apparently he was serious about never being bound in that sword again, so now he shares my body. Fortunately, I'm the one that ended up sitting in the driver's seat. All he can do is be an annoyance and offer advice. That and...INTERRUPT CONVERSATIONS.” I stare at William, and Diathon speaks. “MAGI. FEAR NOT FOR YOUR PATHETIC LIFE. I AM....HARMLESS TO YOU IN THIS PLACE. BUT, I AM NOT-” “He's definitely bothersome, but he was able to teach me a good bit about controlling this blade,” William finishes. “Apparently it was crafted specifically to bind him by a Sorceror. He is proud to mention, however, that I HAD ALMOST MANAGED TO ESCAPE THAT CURSED THING! I HAD almost corrupted it completely. That's why we saw the red energy around it. I WOULD-” As William cuts Diathon off, he mentions, “”It's still incredibly powerful, but I cannot use most of its abilities yet. But, with Diathon around I HAVE AGREED TO TEACH HIM TO USE IT, IN EXCHANGE FOR NOT LOCKING AWAY MY PRESCENCE.” I wince, saying “I guess you're a Darkborn now, huh?” William frowns before responding. “I'm not totally certain, since Darkborn have to repel the Dark Immortal from their bodies. I asked Malkovich, and he says I am the first person he has ever heard of to be able to coexist in the same body with a daemon. So, I suppose I am something new, especially with this thing here.” He gestures to the black, scaled hand.

         




         “Well, I suppose we should just be thankful you lived through that,” I respond. He looks more sober for a minute, and says, “Yeah. I guess I owe you guys my life.” His attention wanders from me, and I take that chance to leave without his noticing. After getting something to eat, I head back to my room, ignoring the skull, remembering the strange gesture I made at the dead hunter, and attempting to figure out what it means. I spend a few hours in meditation, living in my memories, sifting and sorting through them, attempting to figure out...well, several things. Mostly, I am annoyed that Azrael still refuses to give me a straight answer. Eventually, unable to figure out anything better to do, I head to the firing range.

         I draw my daggers and throw them in turns at the reinforced practice targets a hundred feet away. I am about to throw a dagger again when someone behind me speaks up. “How about a real fight, where your target actually hits back?” I turn my head to look at the guy who spoke, and look up, and keep looking up. Standing behind me is a guy who has to be about six nine if he is an inch, and who has to weight several hundred pounds. He has slightly curly, brown hair, two massive shields strapped to his back, and the energy of a Guardian flowing around him. I turn fully around while sheathing Tribunal, stop myself from gaping at this giant, and answer him. “I suppose you plan to be my opponent?” He nods, and I shrug, pretending to be unafraid. “I have nothing better to do.” I follow him out into the field, and the Elementalists and sole Mindwalker who were practicing stop to watch. We get set up fifty feet apart, and the Guardian pulls his shields off of his back, taking one in each  shovel sized hand. They are a plain, metallic silver color, and curved at their left and right sides, so that he can fit them together into one large shield. I flip Heaven and Hell up into my hands, and notice as I do so that a black aura briefly flows over my hands. I can feel it as a distinct energy, and it is not very pleasant. Ignoring it, I move my daggers up into a guard position, and stand at the ready. I've never fought a Guardian, so I have no clue what to expect. The Mindwalker steps forward between us and holds out her hand. The Guardian holds his shields at his sides, facing me. The Mindwalker's hand comes down, and the Guardian instantly rushes at me.

         I almost charge back, but instead elect to be cautious, and wait for him. When he closes to within five feet, he lunges out at me, using one shield as a weapon to batter me. I lean to the right and slice at him with my daggers, and his other arm instantly appears from nowhere into the path of my daggers, blocking them. He spins on me, swinging both shields like the blades of scissors, and I roll backwards. I rush at him, swinging high and low simultaneously, and his shields seem to be everywhere as he matches me blow for blow. He swings at me with one shield, and I hurl myself to the right, to his open side. I slam my daggers into his side, and they bounce off a suddenly appearing field of yellowish energy. He spins on me incredibly quickly and performs an uppercut with one shield which catches me in the face and flings me backwards and up. I activate Heaven and catch myself fifteen feet above the ground. I float around the Guardian for a bit, and he turns to face me. I dart down at him, and he crouches, shields locked together above his head like a giant turtle. My blades bounce off, and I swoop past him, turning to face him again.

         I alight on the ground, banish my wings, and hurl Hell and Heaven at him. He is turning to face me, and it looks like they will hit him, but all of a sudden he reacts with inhuman speed, catches both of them, and hurls them directly back at me. I barely manage to catch them, thinking about his combat technique. Every time I try to attack him, he suddenly seems empowered, but whenever he attacks me, he acts normally. Maybe Guardians use their powers to increase their reactions to attacks? I hurl three quick bolts of darkness at him, and he once more moves incredibly quickly, blocking all three without even an effort. So, he does boost reaction, but how do I beat him if I cannot attack him? The power a Guardian wields suddenly seems much more formidable to me.

         I wonder though, what happens if I do not attack directly? I slip Hell back into its sheath, allowing my bone claw on my left hand to grow out. I rush at the Guardian, and he sets himself for my attack. When I get close enough, I lunge out with my claw. I grab onto his shield, and he frowns, before sudden realization shines in his eyes. I yank my arm back, and the shield comes out of his hand. I flip backwards and his other shield hammers down where I had been standing. He looks back up to me, and I drive my claw straight through his shield. The metal tears, leaving a gaping hole in the center, and I toss it to the side. The Guardian glares at me, but stubbornly holds on to his other shield. I charge at him again, swiping out with my claw at his other shield, and he yanks it to the side. I lunge for the shield again, and even unaugmented, he still manages to beat me in the face with his shield. I am tossed backwards, but I roll and come back up on my feet. I figure out how to get his other shield away from him, and dart at him once more, returning Heaven to its sheath. He does not notice, focused entirely on my claw. I grab for his shield, and he swings it to the right, where I grab it with my other claw I have just released. I yank this shield out of his hand as well, and stand at the ready, facing him.

         He nods, and puts his hands down. “Can't believe you figured that out.” he mutters. I toss his shield back at him, and he catches it before speaking up again. “I can't believe you tore my shield. It'll take me forever to patch it back up. Still, I admit you have a bit of skill.” The Mindwalker comes over to us, and I look closer at her. She has long, brownish hair, very pale skin, is probably about five feet and eighty-five pounds, and when she suddenly speaks up, she does so in an accent that sounds heavily Southern. “You're just mad because you got beat, Scott. “ He grunts at her before turning back to me. “Though as I was saying, skill is not everything. Your knife throwing trick, however impressive, would be useless in a real fight. It is too easily dodged or stopped.” I turn to face him, annoyed. “So, you would be willing to make a bet? Because I am willing to bet I can hit you with only a single throw, two hundred feet.” The Guardian looks at me contemptuously before responding. “I would bet my life upon it.” I smile, saying, “Your life? That's a little bit high, don't you think?” He shakes his head, and I hold out my hand for him to shake on the bet. He does so, and walks the requested two hundred feet away. I draw Tribunal, grinning, and take my time aiming.

         The Mindwalker suddenly speaks up again. “You can hit him, can't you? I cannot tell how, but...” I look down at her. “Of course I can hit him. And please, stay out of my head, or else.” She continues looking at me, and I summon up the dark energy I felt before the fight. I channel it through my body, and her face suddenly turns paler, and she steps back, ensuring to look away from me. I turn back to the Guardian, and just when he seems to be getting bored, I hurl the blade at him. It whistles through the air, headed directly at him. Just before it reaches him, he steps aside, and the blade flies past. He begins walking my direction when I seize control of Tribunal with my mind and turn it around. He has moved about ten feet when the dagger smacks him in the back of the head, hilt first, and knocks him forward onto the ground. I recall the blade to my hand, and wait for him to pick himself up, dust himself off, and stalk forward to stand next to the Mindwalker.

         Turning to face him, I say, “I suppose I own you now. I guess I will let you go for now, in exchange for the your names.” The Guardian glares at me, but suddenly starts laughing. “I'm Scott, and this is Belle. Ding dong.” The Mindwalker turns and slaps him on the wrist, unable to reach any higher. I snicker, and she turns to me. “You think that's funny, huh?” I barely manage to control my laughter enough to answer her. “Well, you're a Mindwalker, and bells are...well....hollow.” I and the Guardian continue laughing, and Belle stalks away. Eventually we regain control of ourselves, and I have the presence of mind to ask, “So, what is the story between you two?” He shrugs. “Same story you will get from a lot of the Magi here. We just knew each other before we learned we were Magi, went to school together, we were neighbors.” I nod, thinking about Solar and Malkovich. “Well, thanks for the workout, but I've got to get going,” I say. He nods, looking mournfully at his other shield. I look at it as well, and feel obliged to say something. “Tell you what, go to the Workshop and find a Sorceror named William. He can probably fix your broken shield, and make both of them tougher.” He looks at me in surprise, but says, “Thanks. It would have taken me a good bit of time to fix it.”  He heads off to the Workshop, and I return to my room to find my skull has finally run out of energy. After replacing it on my desk, I spend a few hours in meditation, searching for that power that surged through my body before the fight.

         Maybe a Mindwalker could help me, as knowledgeable as they are of the mind but I think it is best I do this on my own. The energy was definitely powerful, but also seemed malign in origin, if not purpose. Maybe it is an extension of my powers as a Necromancer? It certainly seemed to fit the area of death fairly well. I scour my mind and body in search of the elusive power, and find brief traces of it echoing around in me. However, I cannot locate where it comes from. On a guess, I unsheathe my bone claws while in meditation, and the dark energy suddenly flows through me. I instantly lose my meditative state, and open my eyes to look at my claws. The energy absolutely wreaks of death, pain, and the ability to cause both. I draw the skin back over my claws, and awaken my Shadowcraft skull to clean my floor. I shudder, still feeling the aftereffects of direct contact with this strange energy. But I don't know how, or where from. It even feels somewhat similar to the energies of my belt, but there is a difference I cannot explain. They are both dark, but the while one seems to be almost...natural. I can't explain it no matter how much I try, but the difference is clear to me. I resume meditation in search of the dark power again, attempting to find its source, assuming that it does come from within me. Though I meditate until night falls, I still uncover nothing else about this new energy source, and go to sleep after setting my Shadowcraft skull to guard the room.
         
         I spend the next week in something that resembles peace.  I go to class, work out some, spend time on my studies, meditate, and accomplish pretty much nothing of significance. Azrael does not contact me even once, however, and it is starting to annoy me. Grave finally starts me not only on techniques to destroy and counter vampires, but the enhanced physiology of a Magi as well.  The vampire countering techniques are pretty cool, but what really fascinates me is the study of the Magi body. I already knew a bit about what separated us from humans, but not much. The first shift a Magi's power makes to his body is the growth of another heart. This changes the composition of the blood in your body, imbuing it with far greater amounts of oxygen as well as pump more efficiently and quickly. Of course, the shift has its downside. Our enhanced blood also makes us more tempting targets for starving vampires. 

         The second is the growth of a stomach and liver filter which allows the Magi to consume almost any poison and be unaffected. The new stomach also eliminates alcohol almost instantly. The third mutation in bodily structure is a change in bone alignment. Your bones become much more durable as well as lighter, and additional joints form in the body, giving Magi our natural flexibility and toughness. The fourth alteration is usually, but not always, the growth of your ribs. Your ribs expand and fuse together, creating a type of internal body armor that stretches from the top of your chest to your waist. It also expands out to the sides, meeting at the back, giving you complete protection. While this makes us a lot tougher, however, our bones can still be broken or otherwise destroyed, and the internal armor is no tougher than the rest of our bones. At the same time, your lungs develop a cleansing organ which examines, separates, and purifies all the gases entering them.

    Another change is a second set of eyelids. They develop very early, but do little in the beginning. As these grow, however, they will protect your eyes from sudden changes in light, as well as enhancing your vision beyond even the norm for a Magi, before finally enabling you to see regardless of the amount of natural light. Yet another change is a growth of additional, more sensitive nerve endings in your ears and on the outer level of your skin, allowing you to perceive and filter sounds much more accurately, as well as giving you a greater sense of balance and coordination.

         Yet another, vastly powerful but slow spawning change is in the way your body reacts to stress. Magi constantly produce a much more powerful form of human adrenaline, which is then stored in the body for later use. This gives Magi the ability to commit sudden feats of incredible speed or strength, without resorting to their magic to do so. Also, if the Magi currently has enough stored, they can continue fighting even after death, burning their adrenaline to move their bodies. Of course, after they run out, they die. Grave also let on that there were many more changes that are made to a Magi's body, but that is all that he has taught me so far.

         As for the anti-vampire techniques, I learned that it actually is possible to repel a vampire with a cross. Of course, the movies never explained in depth. The cross, it turns out, is not what actually forces the vampire away. Instead, it works with any object, as long as you have faith in a higher power. It even works for some Immortals, not only the King of Heaven. Grave also mentions that Magi will use the patron Immortal of their particular branch of magic. Necromancers, of course, typically use their faith in Azrael, patron Immortal of Necromancy. Somehow though, I doubt I can get rid of a vampire flea using my faith in Azrael. A vampire dust bunny is probably even out of my league in this case. Of course, I cannot know that until I have tried it, but I still have my doubts. My very strong doubts. So, it seems that for now at least, repelling vampires using my faith is probably going to be something I cannot do. Fortunately, I also learn methods of interfering with a vampire's bodily functions. I probably cannot do much more than slow them down, which currently means that they could wipe the floor with me anyway, but I have time to learn. Grave seems moderately satisfied with my progress, and actually lets me go earlier than I had anticipated. I go to the cafeteria to celebrate, and find Malkovich there stuffing his face. We share a brief meal before I decide it is time for me to go. I head back to my room. I open the door, and find Azrael standing inside, awaiting me.

I stalk inside to stand in front of the angel. “You owe me answers, and you know it.” I say angrily. Azrael's hooded face shifts as he gives me a once over. “You have become a good deal more powerful. You have finally tapped into two of your stronger sources of energy. Well done.” I shake my head in disbelief. “I don't want these Dark-cursed powers! I just want to know what in the Outer Darkness they are and how they work!” The angel gives me what I assume would be a frown. “They come from within you. Surely you can sense as much.” I glare at him in response. “Well, that clears everything up, doesn't it? Thanks, you're a big help!” The angel looks at me again, before commenting, “You did an appropriate job with the dead huntsman while you were searching for the daemon. He is at peace now.” I remember that, something else I want explained. “Yeah. What did I even do, exactly? And for the last time, why did you have me kill the Lycanthropes?” Azrael cocks his hooded head slightly. “You are a Necromancer. Death is your vocation. As for your former question, you acted upon your nature. It is what you were born for.” His cryptic answers annoy me even more. “What I was born for? I acted upon my nature, hmm? Do you have some kind of law about never giving a straight answer?” The angel shrugs, and I almost laugh at seeing him do something so....human. “A rogue Elemental Kin is coming to this area. He will reside near the docks. You are to kill him.” The shadows begin to thicken, and I immediately lunge forward, releasing a bone claw, yelling out “Oh no, not this time!” Azrael reacts with what I assume to be incredible speed, as I do not even see him move out of the way. One second, he is directly in front of me. The next, he is five feet away. Azrael glances downward, and I follow his gaze to a minuscule piece of black cloth on the floor.

         The angel looks up slightly, and I turn my own head to look back at my claw. It is fully double the length it normally is, and Azrael looks back up to me. “Impressive,” he mutters, “You are even further along than I had anticipated at this point. Much more skilled, as well as powerful.” Ignoring the claw, I glare back at the angel. “More skilled? More powerful? And further along in what? What in the Outer Darkness does that mean?” Azrael is silent for a moment. “Your destiny.” That said, the shadows thicken again, and even though I dart forward a second time, I plow straight through the shadows, and Azrael is gone. I feel the rage building up inside me, but immediately sweep it away. Calm, I focus on my claw, and it slowly shrinks back down to its normal size. I pull my skin back over it, and awaken my Shadowcraft skull to clean the floor, right before I go to sleep. I awaken the next morning and spend a few hours in meditation. After that, I go to the cafeteria for breakfast, and take my time eating. While doing so, I finally decide that I will follow Azrael's instructions. Though once more, why he is having me do this is anyone's guess.

         I figure I will have to look around the docks and the beach for a bit, attempting to find this Elemental Kin. Solar will probably be a great deal of help, as I have heard that Air Kin have no need to breathe. Near the water, that would be an invaluable skill. Malkovich, on the other hand... Fire Kin stay away from water as much as possible, from what I know. What I think of as currently being my most important questions are “How strong is this guy? And what element is he?” If I had to guess, he is Water Kin, since he is near the docks, according to Azrael. Of course, he could be another element, but that seems most likely. As for his level of power, I cannot even begin to guess at that. So, I have to fight an Elemental Kin I know absolutely nothing about, and win. Regardless, after the Lycanthropes, I somehow doubt this guy will give me too much trouble unless he is really strong. I head back to my room to find a pair of shorts and a muscle shirt. I end up having to cut off a pair of jeans to make the shorts, but I have a shirt I have not worn in about three years that now makes an excellent muscle shirt. Not that I have too many muscles to show off. I am thin, but not in that wiry, strong, tough looking way. I resemble a toothpick more than wire. Thin, and easy to break.

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          Danuthal