Chapter 8: Warlock 1

A coppery tang filled my mouth, blood flecking the wall in front of me as I struggled to get my breathing under control. The last hit had been a strong one, and only luck saw my escape. I didn’t expect them to find me again so soon, the spell should have lasted another week at least. Something must have gone wrong, my calculations were perfect, nothing I’d done could have caused the premature failure. A lot of money down the drain, the last of my reserves. I need to increase my lead, put some distance between me and them.

Pushing off the wall, I took a peek around the alleys corner. The every day bustle of townsfolk going about their lives filled the broad avenue. Guards stood at intersections projecting menace, street kids carefully avoiding them while looking for an easy pocket to pick. Traders hawked their wares adding to the overall din of city life. The coast looked clear, so I tried to blend into the crowd. Those looked for me tended to avoid making a scene so a crowd was the best shield I could afford right now. Just need to keep on the move and figure out my next step.

Passing the docks, the scent of brimstone suddenly filled the air. There’s too many people. He wouldn’t dare, not with this many witnesses…. Apparently he DID dare, as glimpses of horns and leather flitted in my periphery. This was going to get nasty, fast. No one else seemed to notice the demonic figures, so my hands were a bit tied. I did have a few tricks up my sleeve, but it would require dropping a bit of protection I had been relying on to this point. Nothing else came to mind, though, and I sigh as I began stripping all bit of iron from my body. Thankfully it went quick, as I had fallen out of the habit of carrying it on me, but it meant my sword and dagger were now gone. I’d have to pull on my power more to escape.

They began closing in, slowly making their way through the crowd without raising a single alarm. Had to be some sort of glamor, than, which raised some interesting questions. I twisted the copper ring on my finger, a small blade releasing and drawing blood. Whispered words melted into the sudden breeze that formed, and a liquid sensation oozed down my back, making me shiver. I’d never get used to the feeling of a glamor being applied to me. The approaching demons paused, unsure now as to my location, and I began to limp out of the crowd. I would handle them, but too many casualties would drawn more attention to myself than I needed.

The docks were full of empty rotted warehouses, a sure sign of the cities decline following the last plague. I had scouted one out earlier in the week as a possible place to hide, and now it would have to do as a potential battleground. The door stuck as I opened it, the wood swollen and misshapen in the jamb, and needed to be forced open. A cursory glance showed that no vagrants had made this place home in the interim. Good, I did not need witnesses for what was about to happen. Stacks of broken crates and rotten barrels littered the floor, and I made sure to use them as cover before dropping the glamor. A few deep breaths steadied me as I called up a small bit of fire, broadcasting my location as sure as if I’d set the building ablaze.

It didn’t take long for the first to burst through the wall, and it was immediately speared by lance of force I threw at it. The others paused for a moment, my hand still outstretched, their fallen comrade screaming on the floor. Another narrowly missed the closest to me, sending wooden shrapnel flying into its flesh from the walls. They attacked en masse, and the battle was on.

I narrowly dodged an axe strike, reflexively casting narrow blades of energy towards the imp. They pierced its body, dropping it from the fight and adding to the growing cacophony a screams. A quick illusion helped thwart a spear thrust, more blades ending another threat. Locking eyes with a fourth imp rushing towards me, I was able to force an image into its simple mind, causing it to screaming in pain and horror, attacking its comrade with maddening fervor. The final imp was massive for its kind, almost coming up to my shoulders. The halberd looked wickedly sharp, and rudimentary armor covered its torso.

Ice coated one hand, fingers ending in razor sharp talons, and I summoned a whip of pure fire in the other. The boss imp charged me, fainting left before swinging its weapon in a massive arc. A quick illusion allowed me to close the distance, and a slash of the whip severed the shaft of the halberd. Dispelling the whip, I grabbed the creatures head with my ice hand, feeling its struggles run up my arm before stilling as the talons reached its brain. A quick blade of force ended the quarreling imps, and I surveyed the bloodied ground. Confirming none of them had anything of value, I set a hot and furious blaze before making my escape.

There was an inn not too far, and I passed the fire brigade rushing to put out the sudden inferno. Nothing they’d do would be able to put it out now, but it should die naturally on its own once the warehouse was gone. Nodding to the bartender, I haggled for a room for two nights using the last of my easy coin. That much power was going to knock me out soon, and I’d rather be in safety than unconscious in the streets. The bed was lumpy and mildewed, but at this point it could have been made of broken glass and I wouldn’t have cared. Falling into it, I slept the sleep of the dead.

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