A Darker Shade of Sorcery - - (leveled readers .txt) 📗

down the monster’s gullet. The cobalt demon blazed into a fierce inferno, and in seconds turned to ash, only the stench of burned flesh giving sign it had ever existed.

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Before Evan could retrieve Ruaden from atop the demonic ash-pile, he was seized by the devil. But Evan was frenzied, as the demon lifted him he used the momentum to head-butt the devil brutally, a split second beforehand using Anatomy magic to make his head hard as steel. A strident snap of shattering bone and the devil released him with a shriek. Evan used an energy bolt next to propel the devil back, off into the trees.

The sound of breaking glass struck out amidst the chaos. Evan turned to see Cera had attempted to encase the fat demon in a prison of ice, but the demon was too strong and broke free. The revolting monster seized Cera now and threw her to the floor.

Evan surged forwards, fully intending to obliterate the demon, but as he moved his leg buckled with a sick squelch. He looked down and turned cold. The now two-headed scorpion had returned and its giant stinger was imbedded in Evan’s calf.

Screaming, Evan swiped with his clawed hands and severed the scorpion's tail.

The monster writhed away, but its stinger was still lodged in Evan’s flesh.

Fighting unbearable agony, Evan lurched towards the giant who leaned over an unconscious Cera.

Just as he summoned the sorcery to send this demon back to hell, his leg gave out and the demon whirled at his outcry, smashing its colossal arm against his skull.

Evan’s world blurred as he bounced against the ground. It felt like his cranium had cracked in half. Dimly he held on to consciousness, trying to grope blindly to his feet.

It was impossible, his leg was on fire and his head was as heavy as lead. Every bone in his body felt broken and his sorcery was almost drained. He was useless, helpless to save Cera, to save himself.

He heard the fat demon’s bellowing laughter as he picked up the motionless Cera.

This was it, he's going to kill her in front of me. Faintly, amidst his anger and despair,

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Evan was aware of something building within. The feeling was as alien to him as magic had first been. But this wasn’t the sorcery he was used to; it was something more. He couldn’t control it, it didn’t feel right.

His body convulsed, every limb trembling violently. Evan must’ve been imagining it, but he thought he saw a thin black mist seep from his fingertips, like soft ebony veils. They curled sinuously as the demon continued his frenzied laughter. The midnight torrent rose, snaking around the monster’s feet. Then they evaporated so suddenly Evan thought he'd imagined it all.

As the giant opened its slime ridden mouth to devour Cera, a fleeting white blur flickered into being. Two slender arms whipped out, seizing the giant’s head.

The demon’s skin parted sickeningly at the neck. The stranger then ripped the giant’s malformed head straight off its gelatinous excuse of a body.

Midnight blood gushed out of the headless form like a fountain as its many folds of flesh melted to the ground.

As Evan stared, he realised the stranger could only be the Arantay he'd heard so much about. Arantay soared across the clearing to combat the writhing scorpion demon.

The scorpion reared up to its full height, keening abysmally. Arantay didn't break his stride. His hand plunged straight through the demon’s chest, smashing the exoskeleton and grasping the heart within. With a ruthless wrench he pulled out the still beating black heart. The demon crumpled, lifeless.

Arantay looked about wearily, searching for any remaining life.

He found it in the purple devil lumbering back into clearing.

The devil froze when he saw Evan’s unlikely ally and with another hiss turned and fled. Before he got far Arantay was back in the air, landing on the devil and pinning him to the ground. The demon struggled but with one punch Arantay put him to sleep.

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It was over.

“Arantay!”

Evan was able to lift his bloody head an inch above the ground to see Tarensen run into the clearing, his pale eyes glaring, taking in the gory surroundings.

Arantay turned to him, hefting up the unconscious devil as he did so.

“Are they all dead?” Tarensen stormed, immediately tending to the motionless Cera and checking her pulse.

“I left one for questioning,” Arantay gestured to the devil.

“Thank Rueda, you’ve done well, Arantay. If it wasn’t for you…” Tarensen trailed off.

Tarensen moved towards him and Evan gasped as, without a word, Tarensen seized the stinger in his leg and yanked it out. Pain seared all along his calf. A second later the agony was soothed as Tarensen channelled his magic to heal the wound. He then moved his hands to Evan’s head, stemming the blood flow and knitting the skin back together. Feeling better physically but still scarred mentally, Evan looked for Cera who was also stirring after being healed.

Tarensen was breathing hard, barely controlling his rage.

“Arantay, take that vermin to my quarters with Cera and Evan. I shall join you shortly.”

“Where are you going?” Arantay asked.

Tarensen unsheathed the boomerang-like weapon at his back. “I sensed demonic activity and hurried here as soon as I could. Someone opened a portal in this very forest.” He looked positively menacing. “I will meet you in my chambers,” Tarensen repeated, ending the conversation as he ran into the trees.

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“Come,” Arantay motioned to them, who looked at each other, nonplussed. Tears had slid down Cera’s cheeks, causing clear tracks amongst the filth and dried blood coating her face.

Evan was in no better a state, his Novice attire was black with demon blood, and his own blood crusted the back of his head and leg.

Despite his helplessness towards the end, where he would’ve failed to save Cera if not for Arantay, a strange feeling couldn’t help but shine through. He thought back to when he wrote tales of Alwar and how he'd emulated him moments before, instinctively acting courageously to save someone else.

Unlike Alwar, he just hadn’t been good enough. But I will be, he gritted his teeth, next time he wouldn’t fail. He knew he was strong enough now to fight the creatures that plagued him. He would train harder and get stronger. He would never let anything like this ever happen again.

He wanted desperately to promise Cera he’d be able to protect her if this ever happened again, but he couldn’t find his voice. In the back of his mind was the horrible feeling she’d blame him for what happened. After all it was his fault. Evan would rather she didn’t speak to him at all than that.

They walked in shocked silence back to the Fortress, Arantay apparently the only one unfazed. Evan supposed he must be used to it by now, always encountering demons on missions, it was probably second nature dispatching them.

Arantay walked behind them, carrying the devil as if it was weightless.

The wind still howled around them, tossing their hair about wildly as rain splashed their faces, washing the worst of the blood and dirt away.

“I don’t blame you, Evan.” Cera said softly as they entered the Master's Citadel.

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Evan felt a huge weight lift away, but it was far from making everything better again.

“Thank you, I just wish you hadn’t been with me when it happened.”

“Don’t be stupid, if you'd been on your own you would've been killed or captured and taken to their realm. I don’t know which would be worse.”

“Better me than both of us,” he returned.

Before Cera could reply, Padrake ran across the hall towards them, followed by Taretta.

“Oh in Rueda's name,” he gasped, “are you all okay?”

They nodded mutely. Evan noticed the usual smile had slipped off Padrake’s face, replaced by an unnatural death stare focused on the devil.

“Tarensen’s quarters?” he asked curtly. Arantay nodded.

Taretta rushed towards Cera, double checking she was healed properly, then moved on to Evan, her face creased to a worried frown. Evan was feeling the consequences of his fire spells, his body shivering uncontrollably, but otherwise he was fine.

Padrake led them to Tarensen’s study where Arantay propped the devil against the wall.

Padrake leaned over the demon. He placed one hand on the monster’s head, then clicked his fingers. The devil grunted, his grotesque head rising off its chest to glare at them all. Padrake swished his hand again and Evan knew he'd bound the fiend with cords of air as he immediately tensed.

Arantay leaned against the wall opposite, crimson eyes smouldering, while Taretta and Cera sat on the wooden chairs. Evan remained standing, watching Padrake as he communicated with the demon.

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Padrake weaved a complex spell which enabled them to understand the devil’s guttural language.

“Release me, Venator.” Black fangs worked at the lipless gash.

“Who sent you here?” Padrake demanded.

The devil hissed repulsively. “Foolish Venators. You think I will tell on my Master, he would slaughter me.”

“We will kill you, demon,” Padrake spoke in a dangerous tone. Evan was taken aback by how uncharacteristic it was.

The devil sniggered. “Yes. You will kill me either way. I am already dead. My master can torture me for a thousand years; rip my soul apart strand by strand. Death by him, when it comes, will be a mercy.”

“You think we cannot torture you?” Padrake whispered.

The door burst open, nearly snapping off its hinges as Tarensen entered.

Evan moved out of his path, Tarensen looked more terrifying than any demon.

Within two strides Tarensen had walked towards the demon, unsheathed his weapon and slashed down, hacking off the devil’s leg.

The devil howled as gore gushed out in a red spray.

“Tarensen, the Novices,” Tarretta exclaimed.

“They’ll see worse,” Tarensen snarled. “Who sent you, monster? Who let you inside this realm?”

The fiend whimpered, blood pumping out of his stump and soaking the carpet.

“Soon my master shall be more powerful than even Akirandon,” he hissed, “you Venator fools will be the first to perish. My master will resurrect Ezanathul himself.”

“Tell me your master’s name,” Tarensen ordered.

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“He will punish me for that,” the devil said, grinning through his pain, “and you cannot do anything to me that he cannot do tenfold.”

“Is that so?” Tarensen’s hand distorted to a rotting, dead thing.

The demon’s eyes bulged as Tarensen seized his forehead. The screams he emitted now were a hundred times worse then when his leg was severed.

“Who is it?” Tarensen rasped again.

“KURRLAN.” The devil screamed, unable to endure the immense pain.

Although Tarensen took his hand away, the devil’s pain didn't stop.

Evan had to cover his ears the cacophony was so heinous.

Tarensen looked confused.

“He has found me,” the devil shrieked once before exploding, showering the room and all its occupants with lumps of flesh and innards.

“Ushk!” Tarensen roared, smashing his fist on the desk and snapping it in half, “his Master destroyed him, I needed more information.”

“He screamed a name,” Taretta contradicted.

Padrake waved his hand, immediately cleaning the room, and everyone else, of the gory mess.

“Kurrlan,” Tarensen nodded grimly.

“Do