Short Story: The Great Yaputcha, part one

Credits; Rea,
"They say there is a great beast who lurks in the caves."
"It has the ability to start fires with its mind, and can strike with swiftness like the raven."
"I hear it has poison scales and teeth like a kris."
"I've heard it eats dragons, and then picks it's teeth with basilisk teeth."
"And you've all heard right, which is why I am going to take you to meet with the elder of the tribe that dwells nearest to the caves of Argetiam.  He will tell you the way in which his ancestor slew one of the beasts many centuries ago."

Yuri knew that nothing was ever as it seemed with Professor Zinksfeld.  Especially not when she had full reign, an infinite budget, and a large number of willing volunteers.  Not that there was any real danger, word had it she'd released a demon that had been bound near the end of the last age and slain it, just because she wanted to see what sort of uses its corporeal form's organs and fluids would have.  And even if that story wasn't true he had personally watched her punch out a dragon, twice.  No one had ever died on her watch unless she killed them herself, so he felt rather safe in spite of the mysterious beast's legendary status. 
Nonetheless, it was still pretty scary.  Everyone was afraid, save himself, Professor Zinksfeld, and the new girl; who he only assumed wasn't afraid because she was quiet, had no perceivable indication of fear, and was reading a tabloid with the title 'new evidence shows that Emperor Altright keeps birds, official statement claims small, feathered, bipedal, beaked, flameless, herbivorous dragons'.  Anyone who'd read something like that in public without heckling it loudly must have nerves of Kraj, or blood stone, or whatever mysterious, black substance or substances Professor Zinksfeld had made her sword out of. 

"And blink, and here.  Swords away, this is going to be an eyes and ears exercise only today."
A small village surrounded them, canvas tents shaped like cones just outside of town, adobe houses shaped like cones around the central park, rubber orange cones shaped like cones on the streets, someone in this town had really liked cones. 
"Greetings, you have come to hear the Elder tell the tale?"
Professor Zinksfeld bowed to the newcomer, a tall, middle aged man wearing a very colorful and decorative cone.  "Yes, these are my students.  I want them to hear the tale so that they can learn from the lessons of your ancestors."
"And then they will perhaps stop in our gift shop?"
"Do you carry the reagents for teleportation?"
"Yes."
"Then yes, I'm sure they will."
"Follow me, I will show you to the elder."

They walked across the park, which Yuri noted as they crossed was round with the largest trees in the middle and the smallest on the edges.  Before them rose a very large cone, with many lashing lights and a sign reading 'Village Elder and other curiosities".  It came as no surprise when they found the elder sitting cross-legged on a mat in front of a large(and rather conical) statue.  The humming, combined with his minor levitation charm, gave the impression he was meditating; the picture-in-lens sunglasses and earbud headphones said otherwise. 
"ELDER!"
"What!"  The old man removed his earbuds and sunglasses and spun himself around to face them.  "OH!  Touris...pilgrims come to hear of our illustrious ancestor.  Sit, and I shall pass on the story of the great warrior."

Forty generations ago, there lived a young warrior.  He was ambitious, fast, strong, and good looking as all young warriors were in those days.  He travelled across the world, saving the weak and the poor from fates equal to or slightly less than death.  And all knew that he was good and strong.

One day, he came to this village.  Now the village had been beset for many years by a great beast that dwelled in the caves in the hills.  It would come in the night and take a sheep, unless a virgin, a girl between the ages of sixteen and twenty-two(blonde hair preferable), was offered to him on new year's day.  If she was offered than the flocks would be safe that year, but if she was not, or if she was deemed unsuitable, then the flocks would be devoured. 
The warrior, happened upon our village on new year's eve.  He saw the girl who was to be sacrificed and as their gaze met, and their eyes locked, they fell deeply in love.   On learning of her fate, he vowed to slay the beast and that for the price of her hand the village would never again fear the loss of their flocks. 

He went up into the hills that very hour.  Through the night the sound of his battle with the fearsome creature drove terror into the villagers hearts.  As the dawn broke they saw the shadow of the beast on the horizon, and they fled for their homes.  But lo!  The warrior bore it's carcass to the edge of town as proof that he had fulfilled his oath.  And on new year's day he married the maid and lived in the village from that time on, happy as can be. 

The whole class held still, disappointed by the lack of details on the fight itself.  They had come for a fairy tale story about a warrior helping a village?  What did this..
"Elder, perhaps you could tell my students how you fight the beast.  You seem to have left that bit out."
"On purpose, most people laugh and leave when I tell that bit."
Professor Zinksfeld leaned in, her eyes narrowing and her voice gaining a sharpness even demons would fear.  "I think you should tell them anyways, or else I might have to demonstrate the technique.  And my demonstrations have been known to...screw it."  She pressed her index finger to the bottom of his jaw and lifted him into the air.  "I can do this all day or you can spare the time to tell the tale properly, got it you finite being of conceivable and negligible power?"  The fabric of space seemed to run from her, several students..most of them actually fell over themselves trying to take cover.  Yuri didn't bother, he'd seen her do worse and she never hurt anyone by accident.
"Yes ma'am, I'll tell them,"
"Thank you."  Her voice softened in an instant, and the sudden containment of power caused everything to sort of bounce back into place.  The only damage done was mental. 

When the warrior returned, the villagers asked him how they too might defeat the beast.  He looked at them and said, and I swear I'm not kidding, 'to defeat the beast, you must put your right foot into the shadows of your cave.  Then you must take it out, or he will drag you in.  Then you must repeat it, and be prepared because he will cause your nerves to feel as though they are struck by lightening.  The feeling in your foot can be stopped by shaking it all about.  Incant the spell of destruction, the great Hokey-Pokey.  Then you must quickly turn yourself about, because the flash of light and roar of thunder as the spell impacts will blind and deafen you if you stare at it.  I did this several times, alternating feet, and using both feet even; so that my balance would remain even and no foot would be stronger than the other.  It took much time, for the beast's hide was as strong as its unwillingness to move.  But my blade would not dent its armor, and I know of no stronger spell.  Patience and precision, that's what it's all about.

"Hold on."  Masne, ever the voice of skepticism, spoke up.  "So you're telling us that the way to defeat the beast is, and correct me if I'm wrong; put your right foot in, take your right foot out, put your right foot in, and shake it all about.  Then do the Hokey-Pokey and turn yourself about?  That's what its all about?"
The Elder nodded, clearly to afraid of Professor Zinksfeld to lie or to avoid the question but nonetheless embarrassed and perturbed. 
"You have got to be kidding me.  Professor, this is clearly just a scam."
"Oh really?  Well then, why don't you just head up to the cave and find out for yourself."
"It's a sham, there's no beast, there's no monster, there's probably not even caves."
"That'd be a shame, I'd hate for you to have to spend the whole day in the gift shop.  Toodles!"
Professor Zinksfeld held up her hand and flicked it to one side just as she vanished in a small puff of white smoke.

Chapter Thirty-Eight(final)

(sorry it's been so long since my last update. Had to think about this one, I've decided to take the short route.)

Petra came down to the Atrium. Sitting in the center of the room was a woman. She was armored, but it was under layers of bandages.
"Hello princess."
"Another assasain here for the bounty? You would think my subjects would have learned." She hurled a dozen bolts of shadow at the meditating woman.

They were blocked by a barrier of light that formed in front of her target. The figure rose and pulled a familiar hammer from her back.
"I just want you to know; I forgive you for leaving me bleeding and broken twelve years ago."
She blocked another bolt. Petra unleashed a wave of shadows next, fear begining to rise in her. It went unblocked and shreded the bandages, revealing Chesi's wounds to be healed.
"How?"
"There is a power greater than any demon. He is my Lord, and he alone is worthy to rule."
"No one is more powerful than me."
"Time will see your opinions changed. I'll give you the time you need to set your mind staight."
Chesi slammed the butt of her hammer into the center of the Atrium. Petra realized instantly that she'd walked into a trap. The alchemical patterns drawn into the floor sprung alight as Chesi's power flowed into them.

"Good bye, old friend."
Chesi disolved into the patterns and the room was filled with light. Petra felt a flash of pain, then saw a door open.
"Welcome to the rest of your life, Petra Laerdsfeld. I'll be your guide."
"What's happened?"
"Think about it, you'll figure it out. I'll be back when you come to your senses; in the meantime, you can call me Dante."

Chapter Thirty-Six

Petra hurled another bolt, but Chesi was having no part of a magical battle. She cast a protective shell of light over herself to prevent Petra's dark magic from affecting her.

"You are stronger than last time. So am I."
Petra focused a narrow stream of power into Chesi's shield, shattering it like golden crystal.
Chesi swayed to dodge a pair of follow-up blasts. She lunged and her hammer connected with Petra's scythe, knocking it away. Petra teleported to it, and unleashed several more shadowy missles.

"Petra, you have to stop this. If you give up now you could just go into exile."
Petra shattered a pillar with another blast. "It's my birthright to rule the empire. No one can take that away from me." Chesi shielded herself again. "I'll give you once last chance, join me and take the throne you deserve. You don't have to die here."
Chesi let the next blast catch her in the chest. It slammed her against the wall, but no blood was spilled.
"We can't Petra. We're immortal, we can't die."

Petra circled the atrium as Chesi returned to the center. She was determined to defeat her opponent, but if she couldn't kill her she would need to get creative.
She began spinning her scythe; it's blade offsetting the rotation.
"But you can't defeat me either."
Chesi brought her hammer to bear. "I can knock you out, and use Alchemy to bind your power. I can't kill you, but I can make you wish I had."
Petra slashed the air, two collumns were reaped by the scar of shadow that formed upon them.
"You'll still have to knock me out."
Chesi teleported up to her. "Not as hard as you think."
Chesi's hammer began coming down. Petra lept back and brought her scythe across Chesi's leg. Blood spewed across the floor and the paladin collapsed in pain.

Petra stepped back and stared at her friend for a while. It took her a while to figure out what had happened. It was the scythe, she must have absorbed the Demon's power. It wasn't killing her, but Chesi's attempts at healing weren't working. Maybe Demons could kill immortals; she'd have to be careful of that in the future. Until then, she now had a way to win.
She cut again, leaving a gash across her arm. Another blow tore into her breast, and the back swing knocked her back sporting a new wound on her forehead.
"Looks like I win today Chesi. I'll be back every day to deal you another blow until you manage to drag yourself out of my palace."

Chapter Thirty-Five

The Academy had been converted into a fortress. No one opposed her, not after what she did to when she arrived. The survivors had either joined her cult, or slipt out quietly. Those who hadn't now patrolled the halls or fought mindlessly on the front lines.

Zombies were no threat to a proper mage. Kara and Kora didn't wouldn't have even bothered, but Chesi wanted to force Petra to notice them.

And she did. They arrived in the atrium and saw her standing there. Her usual black robes and scythe made her presence obvious.
"So You've come at last."
Kara, ever the outspoken one, cried across the hall, "You will pay for what you've done Petra. You shall atone for your actions in blood!"
"Not likely."

The doors on either side of the hall sprung open and undead began pouring into the room. Chesi and Kara ran to stop them. Petra began hurling shadowy meteors down at them as she hovered in the middle of the room. Kora began deflecting them in order to defend her compatriots.
After nearly an hour of fighting Kora began to notice that the attacks were not emmenating fom Petra herself. Rather, they were coming from the shadows that cloaked the rafters.
She considered her options. Her energy was nearly spent, the perpetual shielding had been exhausting. She could either attempt to combat Petra's power directly by trying to dispel the shadows, an impossible task against her former commander's power. Or she could try a more mundane approach.
"Petra, this is for the people of Tara; who's blood shall never cease in its spilling and who's land is eternally left to the dogs."
She drew her sidearm and emptied all twenty rounds into Petra's black cloak.
The Magess made no atempt to stop her. Rather she took advantage of the distraction and appeared behind the seer. The scythe flew to its mistress, and Petra flung her adversary aside before catching it.

Kora slumped senseless against the wall. Kara turned to see the Necromancer bearing down upon her. She parried every blow Petra brought against her. But her sacrifice to Knarf had left her with a disadvantage in a fight. Petra wheeled to her opponent's left, and used the blind spot to throw her adversary to the ground. Disarmed and dazed Kara could only await the inevitable.

A sweeping blow came towards the daughter of Anatolia, but stopped short. In a rush of adrenaline Kora had intercepted the blow with her body. She had snared the Scythe with her arms, but the blow to her was mortal.
"Good bye sis; You'll make a great empress soon. Tell the puppy I said hello."
With her last breath Kora tore open a portal to Anatolia, and Kara was dragged through it still crying out to her twin.

Chesi stepped up behind her roommate of old.
"It was going to have to be like this all along, wasn't it?"
"We both know no mortal could have defeated me anyways. Which leaves only you." Petra turned to her friend. Chesi could see now what Petra had become. Her skin was thined and nearly transparent. Bone could be seen through what muscle the usurper had left. She retained only a trace of what little humanity had remained when the war began.
"Yes, this is how it must be."

Chapter Twenty-Eight

Petra awoke to blood. Not hers, It was familiar though. Then she saw his body. Alid had been slain, his weapon was missing. Whatever had happened there must have been a fight. He would have died defending her, but from who.

Memories began coursing through her mind. She saw the demon rising from the summoning circle; she was fighting it. Alid had come in to defend her, but someone had killed him.

She looked up and saw the demon. He was facing down a sturdy woman in armor. Neither seemed to be fighting. But her lips were moving, and she was..Kneeling? This must be the demon's servant; this was the one who killed Alid.

She hurled a mass of shadow bolts at the intruders. The demon was thrown back, he'd let his guard down in distraction. A barrier of light protected the other. The demon, what was his name? Califrax was it? He looked at her with something between mirth and awe.

"The servant awakens. Destroy the intruder then, and embrace your destiny."
"You killed him!"
"Petra, stay back; I still have a chance to banish him. You're not strong enough yet, you're to badly injured."
"You worthless wretch! You killed him."
"What? Petra you're delirious; Alid was dead when I got here."

She readied her scythe and knocked the offender aside; the woman's shield held but her concentration was broken.

"Petra, what are you doing? He's loose now."
"Indeed I am. Well done, now kill her."

Petra turned on Califrax.
"You, this is your fault. If I kill you this'll all go away."
"Petra you're in no condition..."
A blast of magic threw her deep into the crypt. Her focus on the demon was unbroken.
"I've spent years preparing to fight you, I'll not let your lackeys get in my way."
"Ha! You'll do your work perfectly. Let that fire burn, take it out on her."

Petra took the scythe in both hands and let the magic flow from her. The room changed, all light purged as her anger built. The alchemical symbols beneath Califrax changed of their own accord. In place of a burning dark evil, nothing but shadows. The barrier that had supported him faded and he stretched his wings and floated forward to the edge.
"What? You are the tool of my power. Your soul is mine fool."
"I am no one's tool. I will not be your servant as she is." Her blade cut the air, and the shadows matched her blows upon his wings. As he teetered on the edge she called out to him, "I banish you, By my blood alone shall you be free. SHADOWS, CONSUME HIM!"

And they did. Beasts came from the depths on leathery wings, arms like tentacles rose from the depths, and as they did she heard a chant rising from the depths.
'Ew reah dna yebo, ssertssim. Wodahs hcihw semusnoc, emusnoc mih."
And a Maw opened up within the shadows. She could feel it, it was the shadow so she couldn't actually see it.
The demon was dragged down into the shadow. He hung clinging to the edge for several minutes. Finally she stepped up to him readying the butt of her Scythe to push him off. She could feel his mind, it was powerful more so then any other mind she'd felt. But then the thought came to her, this was one of the most powerful beings in all exsistance; and he was at her mercy.
She smiled, and laughed. It was a cold laugh, all hint of mercy and compassion drained from it.
Then she put the end of the scythe to his forhead and filled her blade with his power. And with it pushed him off the edge.

Chapter Twenty-Seven; Author's note

In all fairness, this is a secondhand account. Dante informed me of what happened later.
Alid broke through the door and saw Califrax drawing a pattern around Petra with a single claw. He lept into action. It was his duty as a guard to protect her, and he may well have been too late.

"Ah, the guard arrives. Here to watch your princess fall?"

Alid didn't reply. He rolled under the demon and snatched Petra from the circle. Califrax hurled a bolt to stop him, but he teleported back into the crypts and set her there.
"What did you do to her?"
"The power of a demon in battle was to much for her to bear."
He hurled another bolt towards his voice, but he'd cast his voice and a tomb shattered far from him.
"I must avenge her then. One of us must not leave this chamber."
Another bolt flew astray.
"Oh she's hardly dead. I've made..Precautions against such a possibility. She's quite immortal now; Time will not take her now."

Alid gasped; immortality was not only nigh impossible, but highly undesirable. If she was truly immortal than she was no longer his ward. So many things would be changed by this.
Califrax homed in on that slight sound. A flurry of bolts tore through his surroundings.
"Of course, it hardly matters now. She will be my hand in the coming years. Like your people, you will die."
Alid teleported Petra again. Immortal or not, he was obligated to protect all his people from the shaditha. He initiated an alchemical formula on the ground; He knew his limits. Perhaps his uncle could face down so powerful an opponent, but not he.

She could though. If she really tried; she'd have spoken to often, and toyed with him at first. But when she really tried Petra was formidable beyond anyone he knew.
He set a hand to the circle and activated its power. He had but to hold it off while its magic restored her strength.

"Demon! I am here, a Guard of the Nielda stands against you."
At first it seemed like merely the foundations of the academy shaking from his rising growl. There were hundreds of small dark objects moving towards him, but as he deflected them the growl rose and the bits of debris became a hail of demonic bolts.
He brandished his staff, guarding himself and his ward against the onslaught. Few bolts made their way past, destroying memorials to mages past. As they flew the demon came behind him and tore the flesh from his back. He felt his body alight with pain, and his legs lost their feeling.

He recovered from the blinding pain minutes later and saw the cursed angel channeling dark power into her motionless body. He drew upon what strength remained to him and hurled his staff deep into the demon's chest. As it flew, Light flowed to it, sharpening the bloodstone stave into a righteous spear.

Califrax recoiled, howling in agony as Alid succumbed to his own pain.

Chapter Twenty-Six

The demon struck faster than she'd expected. Petra had always imagined them more as reactionary fighters, the sort who would dodge and taunt rather than simply strike. She dodged his blow, then spun to avoid a flurry of demonic bolts. The distance she'd managed to put between them gave her time to loose a shadowy bolt of her own. It splashed harmlessly against his steely armor.

"The shadow? A necromancer, a warlock trying to battle a demon? You are more foolish than I had thought. But for your power, I would leave your corpse in the dust."

A wave of magic rushed across the room at her as he laughed. She shielded herself against it with little difficulty.
"It's your corpse that will be left here."

She charged another bolt and aimed for his wings. He caught it with a single finger and held it up before his eyes.
"The shadow corrupts; the more you use it the stronger in it you become. It was all too easy to convince you to use it more."
He flung it aside, several blocks shattering as it detonated. He clenched a fist, power gathering within, seeping from between his fingers.
"It was a shame to sacrifice Azriak, but for a servant as strong as you it was worth it."

Petra relaxed the energy she'd been readying for her next attack.
"Azriak, the other demon? You knew of it, how?"
"I was there. I am never far from you. Kroxinian sent word from his prison that a powerful mage was to be born. One enhanced by the fountain, and bearing its blessings."
He released a beam of unholy energy towards her, scouring the wall around her. As it faded she lowered the barrier she'd conjured to face her foe.

"What?"
"Ah, so you really don't know? I've been working your case since week six, day four. Your whole life has been preparing for you to become our tool."
"I'll no sooner be your tool than you'd be mine."
"I am Calfirax, corruptor of souls. You are already our tool, it is simply a matter of your accepting your fate."
He blasted the wall away, exposing the crypt to the edge of the mountain. As she recovered from the shockwave she spun. He was ready in front of her. As his claws closed on her she thought she could see a man sitting on one of the graves; robed in black. He was saying something, she couldn't hear over the demon's laugh but she could feel it in the air; 'not this time'. Then the darkness closed upon her.

Chapter Twenty-Four

"Here are the notes professor." Petra presented Naron with a heavily doctored, but factually accurate, copy of her notes.

She had developed a reason for her research. Since the demonic plane was, theoreticly at least, more or less just like any other elemental plane; she had edited her notes to make it appear she was simply trying to summon an inhabitant of one of the elemental planes. Since the practice for any other plane would be much like summoning a demon, a practice that was well established and researched, though well guarded against, the simmilarities would be reasonable and less subject to investegation.

"Any particular element in mind Petra?"
"Well, Knarf has mentioned that water is a particularly malleable element. I was thinking I'd try with that."
"I'm no expert at this, but I believe the pattern for water is.."
He really wasn't an expert at this. Chesi, and most other Alchemists for that matter, had tattoed a formula onto her arm. It allowed her to write alchemical formulas by contact with a flat surface and used her body heat as a reagent. Petra had no need of such a mark for her alchemy; she was sufficently powerful to use magic directly to write what she needed. Naron was using chalk. Besides being easy to mess up, it required a lot of time to write out every intricacy of the pattern.

She stayed to watch. It took hours but she was determined to see this through. She passed the time by asking him questions and talking about fictional social problems. After all, it was important that he not realize just how idiotic he was being. It was also extremly amusing to watch him get flustered and erase large portions of his work as he fumbled about in befudlement.

Chapter Twenty-Three

She had six months to find a suitably gullible young warlock. He'd need to be willing to do what she told him too, without realizing he was being told to do it. A demon might realize that she was working through him if he knew it.

She looked across the cafetieria. No one who'd been there for over a year would simply accept her approaching them with an idea; but a first year wouldn't have the capacity to pull it off. That left transfer students, all eight of them; Non-student visitors; who were rare and likely wouldn't have the capacity; or a teacher.

She glanced at the transfer students; they'd all placed in through heroic feats or prophecy. Simonas and Harold were prophesied somewhere; they might be dumb enough to do it. As far as visitors; most of them were nobles and none of them would fall for any atempt at trickery.
Teachers was the most interesting option. Otan had retired last year; after a long run. His replacement was delightfully ignorant of her power. Naron, a former Imperial Guard, must have gone out of his way to not know who she was. He was option one; he'd be the one to summon her demon.

"Professor Naron, can I have a word with you?"
"Sure thing miss..?"
"Petra, but everyone else call me 'the reaper'." Petra used the sweetest voice she could. She wasn't sure if she was going to be trying to seuce him, but a good impression was never a bad idea.
"So what's on your mind kid?"
'kid'? He was only like ten years older than she was. It took a great deal of restraint to not simply take him down to the arena and use him for a sacrifice.
"Well sir; I've been having problems with something I've been working on in my spare time. There's this formula.."
"This sounds like an Alchemy question. You should probably ask Mrs. Prevance."
"She hates me. Since the first day of school, she's hated me."
She knew why; Mrs. Prevance had never recovered from watching her kill that prisoner. Now that Otan was gone she was the only teacher who ever stood up to her; and that only because she was the most terrified of them all.
"Well I'm sorry to hear that. What sort of project is this?"
"Summoning, I'm working on a way to call something to me from somewhere else."
"Sounds vague, what's the problem?"
"It's not showing up."
"Why?"
"I don't think it wants to show up."
"And what sort of hel do you think I could be?"
"Maybe if you could repeat my experiment than I could observe and try to find out what's being done wrong."
"Alright, I'll look over your notes and we'll see what we can do this saturday. Bring them by my office tomorrow."
"Than you sir, you have no idea how important this is to me."
Idiot, how in the world did this guy become a teacher? He just walked into her plan with little hesitation.

Chapter Twenty-Two

"Are you sure you have it right?"
"Princess, It is exactly the way it was last time. Demons are not machienes; you can't just call and expect them to show up."
"Maybe we should kill something bigger this time."
"Petra my orders are to keep you safe. Just doing this much is a violation of that. Please, just go back to bed."

She sat quietly for another hour before finally returning to her bed. Chesi was a sound sleeper, so it was relatively easy to sneak out.

Why hadn't it shown? Maybe it knew it was a trap. Perhaps if she could trick someone into summoning it for her.

Petra had spent nearly three years now studying demons. Learning how they thought, how they fought, and what they sought. She was probably the universe's leading expert on shaditha. Yet she couldn't even call up a shade, let alone the full-fledged tempter that Chesi suspected to be following her. But she was determined to bring him into the open, and make and end of him.

She would be the most powerful being in the universe then; demon slayer, immortal, the physical embodiement of death. No one could order her around, and she could remake the world as she wanted too(however that was).

But first she'd need a pawn to summon the demon for her.

Chapter Twenty-One

Otherwise, Their ninth year proceded as had those before it. Classes were attended, matches were won, injuries were recieved, and here and there people died as a result of fiddling with magic for the wrong amount of time. Whether to much, or simply not being prepared; Life at the academy was quite dangerous. To say that nothing happened would be wrong; rather, nothing important to Petra happened.

The tenth year had gone much like the nine proceeding it. Scarcely a month went by some bonehead didn't try to upset her power, or challenge her outside of TacSim. And sadly, by now most of the teachers were themselves rightfully afraid of her power. Although she had probably killed before; Petra made no secret of it now. No one tried to stop her; if you were the level of stupid it took to start a fight with her, you were going to die anyways. She just made it prompt, painful, and public.

Alid and Chesi usually tried to convince her not to. Chesi would often heal the survivors, what few there were. Alid was the only student who could get away with intervening in her fights. More people owed their lives to him than he wished to count. He was a good guard; if ever there was a threat he'd try to deal with it long before she could find out about it. And when someone really did need to be put down he'd stand aside and let her do what she did best. Love is probably to stronga term; to say that she'd come to feel a strong affection for him might be a better. But if he felt anything more than a professional obligation he didn't show it.

It was august, halfway into the semester, when the end began. Chesi climbed down the stairway that lead to Petra's lab. It was dark, as always, and smelled like rotting flesh, a dozen herbs, and singed hair. Chesi was always polite enough not to say anything, so she'd written it into Fey to hate this place.
"Petra, what happened in the labrinth last year after I blacked out?"
"I blasted the golems. Boom, little bits of golem everywhere."
"How?"
"What do you mean how? With magic of course."
"I have a witness who says otherwise."
"What? We were the only ones in there."
"Not quite." A golem, the statue from the center of the room, clumsily descended the stairs. "He says it was a Shaditha. That you barely survived."
Petra muttered a curse at the stone man waiting silently beside her roommate. "Can you blame me for not saying so? What would you think if you saw a demon come to your defense?"
"I'd think something was wrong and that we should stop what we were doing and go back."
"We're immortal now Chesi. I'd don't care what the Demon wanted us to do; they don't control us. What could they possibly do to us?"
"What if they wanted us to be immortal? Wouldn't that mean it was wrong to be immortal?"
"How can it be wrong to not die?"
"I don't know, but if demons want it than it must be wrong."

"I think there might be a demon following you."
"What?"
"The first day of school; I felt something from when you killed that prisoner. It's the same thing I felt when Vlad fought his demon; not Vlad's demon but something close, and nearby as well. And the way the golem felt from the demon last year; it's the same thing. It took me till now to realize it; it may not be controlling you Petra, but it's following you."
"Absurd; Demons don't follow people. They offer power..."
"Which you have had since day one because everyone knew you could and were willing to kill. Because the Demon killed the prisoner for you."
"..Or eternal youth..."
"Which we both have thanks to the fountain he saved our lives for us to get to."
"...Or love." Petra paused. If the trend the demon had been following so far was any indication that would be next.
"Chesi, do you think the demon could make Alid like me?"
"Petra Laerdsfeld how could you? He's your guard, you shouldn't even think of using a demon's powers to make him like you."
"If I'm lucky the nether lord will do it of his own accord."

Chesi just stared at her friend in perturbed shock.
"I'm kidding. If he's following me then it will save me the trouble of finding one. He wants to play with my life; he'll find out what happens to people who take me lightly."

Chapter Twenty

By the time Chesi came to Petra had managed to get her story straight. There was no chance she was telling Chesi that there was a demon helping them. She didn't fully understand it herself, and until she did there would be no mention of their foul guardian.

"What happened? Are we alive?"
"I killed them, we're alive."
"Those skeletons sure didn't help."
"They distracted them while you dealt with most of them. How's your head?"
"Sore, but I can keep going."
"Good, grab your bag."

They trudged through the halls, here and there another golem would be patrolling, or a pit would open up in front of them. It made things more interesting, but Chesi was clearly not doing as well as she insisted she was. Petra expected that there'd be another exit somewhere towards the end, so she decided that continuing inward was the best way to get out.

They finally reached the end of the maze and found its guarded treasure. A small spring coming from the rock. The lower half of the cave had filled with water. It was pretty, the light from Fey sparkling on the gently rippling pool. The walls were painted; the tale of those who built the labrinth emblazoned on it. and above the spring itself was a plaque. It read, in an archaic dialect of common; 'drink and be full of life'.

"Probably means the stuff's filled with all kinds of evil little creatures. you drink it and they start living in you; eating you from the inside."
"Blood"
"There are things that can overpower Nieldic blood. I don't want to play host to some parasite."
"Mom"
"Oh right, your mom works in that department doesn't she? We'd probably be the the least endangered by it of anybody."

~Shut up and drink the water!~
"Who was that?"
There was no reply. The cave was as empty as it had been before.
"Something tells me we should drink the water."
"Probably makes you super-strong or gives you the runs or something."
"I think it means you'll live forever. If your body is 'full of life', wouldn't that mean you'd be absent of death?"
"Immortality. Reason enough for me."
Petra conjured a mug and dipped it into the pool. That annoying, evil sounding voice Sighe in relief, then began chuckling.
"Well?"
"It tastes like water, water that's been in and on old rocks for a long time."
"I'll drink some too; then we should get back to school."
Chesi took the mug and drank. Then both stood up and turned around.
In front of them was the front door; open to the outside.
"Convenient. And what a wonderful and potentially significant little adventure we've had."
"Aren't you glad I convinced you to come?"

Chapter Nineteen

It was dark, but Petra liked it better that way. Chesi did not, but could remedy the situation. She took a small orb out of her bag; it had been enchanted it to hover beside her while providing light to their travels.
Petra hated the little thing, it was one of Chesi's early eperimentations with alchemy. She'd written it a personality and even given it quirks; she'd even named it Fey. It bounced around as they walked, doing spins and generally expressing an air of perkiness and optimism. The intent was to lighten not only the room, but the mood as well. Petra's only pleasure in the thing was the hurt whimper it gave off whenever she batted it away.

The maze was wide, tall, and empty. The entrance had been occupied by several skeletons, but the rest of the halls were untouched. Petra was quick to point out that this was likely because of the number of bodies in the first room, and lack of traps since then. Chesi chose to take it as a good sign that nothing particularly dangerous was in the maze.

It surprised neither when she was wrong. Petra was actually quite relieved to see the large golem at the end of the vaulted chamber. He was stone, etched with runes and sygils akin to those on the door. He resmbled a Nielda, or human at the least; so whoever created the place had likely been themselves humanoid. He was armed with a mace and a shield, but did not attempt to enage them.
"Maybe it's just a statue."
"A runed statue? It's a golem Chesi. Do you want to kill it or should I?"
"Couldn't you just rewrite it like you did the door?"
"I'm a necromancer, not an alchemist. I don't know the first thing about golems. I could only rewrite the door because I recognized where the password was and happened to know the rune for 'reaper'."
"If you imobilized it I could probably rewrite it."

Petra stretched out her hand again. Fey retrated into the bag as the shadows swelled under her influence. The room grew dark as they converged on the golem, locking him into place. Chesi jogged up to it and began examining it.
"I was right! It really is just a statue."
The walls receded into the floor. Just beyond the columns that remained in their absence were hundreds of golems; all a perfect but functioning match for the statue Petra had needlessly bound to the floor.
"Those aren't."

Fire erupted in the vacant sockets of the stone company aroud them. The golems shuddered to life. Petra could see bones piled against the walls behind them. shattered swords and rusted armor were crushed underfoot as the golems began to enter the room's inner ring.

"Chesi, watch my back."
Petra called upon the shadow again. It responded to her influence more slowly this time. She faced a victorious army, but she would face them with an age of their victims at her side. She felt it like a second skin, the shadow bent to her will. She lost track of her own senses through the crawling of its power; feeling through the room with dark tendrils. She found what she was looking for, the walls and their skeletal companions. She let her power flow through them, her will was their life's blood.
"Have your revenge."

It wasn't a fair fight in the least. Stone and enchanted steel against bleached bone and rusted iron, While her armies were greater in number and skill they would have no victory. The sound of Chesi's hammer against the ancient wariors was alone the cry of sucess. They were surrounded at last; nineteen remained against her. Chesi was weary, she fought hard but her stamina was lacking. Petra raised her scythe and readied it for a blow against the igneous horde. The first one charged, Chesi tried to stop it but was knocked aside unconcious. Petra swung, connected but only scratched its rune-laden skin.

Then the chamber erupted with a power not her own. She knew them, from her first day of school when they'd made her famous and feared. Tentacles, wide and rough, burst through the boundaries of the universe and lashed out at her attackers. The golems became ensnared in the web of netherworldly power. She watched as all were torn apart and their sygils and runes desecrated by the writhing foe.

She slumped to the ground beside her friend. It was one thing to fight demons, but when they came to your aid it was another thing entirely.

Chapter Eighteen

"So what's so important you had to drag me out at nine at night?"
"I found a maze of some sort under the mountains. I thought you might be up for an adventure."
"Outside, in a cave. Chesi, what part of this sounded like I might find it interesting?"
"There could be old spellbooks; or magical weaponry. If you're serious about fighting a demon you should be prepared."
Petra grunted, accepting her fate.

The entrance was a very narrow tunnel on the face of a cliff. After squeezing through Petra saw why Chesi had been so interested. There was a doorway, twice as tall as she was, and wide enough she and Chesi could have lain down in it end to end and not touched the sides. Runes and archaic symbols decorated the frame, perhaps as a means of opening it with alchemy. More likely though they were a warning; a few skeletons littered the room, and there were scratch marks on the door as though someone hadtried to claw their way in.

"Why didn't they just leave?"
"We should be careful. It's probably a trap."
On cue, the tunnel behind them sealed itself. Chesi let out a startled yelp, but was silenced as a voice spoke from the door.
"Solve the riddle and you shall not die. Best our chalenge and prove yourself worthy."

Petra looked at the door, the runes and sygils were glowing a dim blue; the only light in the room. They were signs to let it speak, and to open it.
She decided to take the direct approach.
"Let us pass or it shall be you who dies."
"Your first attempt is expended."
"Petra what are you doing?"
Petra hadn't been training for the last two years so she could reason with doors. She raised a dark sleeved arm and extended a pale finger towards the door.
"Everything that was not, must one day be naught again. Heed my voice, enchanted stones, for it spells the end of those who oppose me."
The dim light of the runes was snuffed as tendrils of shadow sprung from her hand. Their light was quenched as she rewrote the spells, and drained the driving power of the door. When they flickered back to life they cast a purple hue on the chamber.
"Open"
And they did.

"The password was 'shortcake' by the way; I came through here yesterday."
"Now it's 'Reaper'."
"You take the fun out of riddles Petra."

Author's note; the descending years

I wasn't really paying attention to anyone else then. That didn't stop some of the most important things of other people's lives from happening. Kora received the first of the visions that would become 'the stone prophecies'; the first of which spared many lives in the very near future. Knarf and Kara encountered a dragon in the arena; by accident they were trying to get ahead of the game by spying out their next challenge. Knarf gave his right fore-arm and left eye to save her; she gave up her own eye to replace it in gratitude. I don't know how deep their friendship went; but for an Anatolian like Kara to give a Ga-Vok anything was, and would be for millenia, quite exceptional. Those two events set the framework for coming events.

Vlad actually dropped out of school the summer between years eight and nine. Azriak sent a shade towards the end of year eight and told him that he had four score hundred years to ready himself for a rematch. Vlad never has been the sort to waste time getting ready for things.
Kora took it hardest; the two of them had been good friends. She tried to send a letter, it ended up sitting on my desk for nearly five hundred years before I even knew what it was. She said a man who called himself 'the paymaster' had told her that he would have a Nieldic heir, and that he would know the child's mother by her depressed hair and the storm in her eyes; which would be unmistakable.

And Though I did know it at the time; I failed to truly appreciate just how much Chesi did in those years. Her uncle died during her eight year; It never even occurred to me that Chesi would have had to abdicate the heirship to have stayed at school. She pretty much gave up everything for a friend who didn't even give her the time of day most days. I never got that; Petra would never have done that for her. HE has plans, and HIS plans work out.

Chapter Seventeen

After that incident Chesi kept her peace regarding Vlad. She never openly opposed anything he did, at least not out of distrust. The two of them never really got along, but at least now they weren't openly fighting.

Alid assumed Vlad's role as second in command of the team. Petra began giving him more and more menial tasks. They kept winning, but all of the other teams began to notice that Petra was the only one with any real responsibilities in the battles. She was the captain of the number one ranked team in the school, and she was doing it with marginalized teammates.

She also began studying heavily into necromancy and summoning. She began to correct teachers during class and then demonstrate the subject principles. She stepped into the arena at the begining of her eight year and defeated the giant set before her. Many of the teachers would move out of her way in the halls rather than rsk angering her.
Her mood was as dark as the magic she practiced. The vast amount of time spent indoors, whether in the library studying or in the crypts below the school, paled her skin to a bone white. She never stopped researching new spells or practicing old favorites; even to the point of missing meals or ditching classes. TacSim was the only place she could be consistently expected to show up for. The lack of nutrition began to show; her once round visage grew gaunt. As the days passed she grew more like the nickname she'd bourne since her first week at the academy; The Reaper.

But she was not without her friends. Alid was always nearby; though his grades suffered for it. His dedication to her was something more than the obligations of a guard; though he showed no sign of reciprocating her hidden affections. Chesi too stood by her friend. She worried; the passion with which she had pursued Vlad's downfall faded as she saw Petra descend. She focused on healing and her study of demons was second only to that of her scythe-wielding roommate. And both she and Alid trained to defend their captain against the inevitable.

But Chesi went further than planning a defense. Her scouting of the mountains about the academy had revealed a labrinth beneath the tallest peak of the range. Nine miles south of the school it had an entrance. In the penultimate year of their schooling she brought her to it; in the hopes of distracting her with a new adventure.

Author's note; chapter sixteen arena floor

Hearing this story put a different perspective on things. Vlad has been an invaluable resource for the events of those years.

Alid hopped down into the arena and walked up to Vlad.
"Congratulations, you just survived an attack by a demon. How do you feel now?"
"Like I just got beat up by a demon."
"Have a swiftmend; I picked a couple up before hand in case this happened."
"Thanks."
Vlad downed the potion and returned the guard an empty vial.

"That was a truth potion. Are you now, or have you ever been in a pact with a demon?"
Vlad kicked himself mentally. No way he should have fallen for that so easily.
"Yes, that one. I begged for my life when raiders came to our town. He offered me immortality, and power befitting it. It has been a curse."
"Course it has, he is a demon after all. What exactly is the nature of this curse?"
"I must drink blood to remain powerful, vithout it I am no more than my age vould allow."
"Thus the girlfriends; the curse is passed on of course."
"By the bite; vhen they die they become as I am. It is a horrible fate; but if I do not pass it on I am less than human."
"Does it affect Nielda?"
"No, your blood abhors all manner of curses and creatures. It vould no sooner harbor my curse than it vould any other sort of undeath. I can only nurse my strength on the races vhere there is disease."
"Very well then. Can I have my sword back?"
"Are you going to kill me?"

Alid stared at him for a while before reaching over and taking his sword out of Vlad's hands. It was tempting; and would likely solve problems for many down the road. He sheathed his sword after a elongated pause and stepped up to Vlad.
Then patted him firmly on the shoulder.
"No. If you are no threat to Nielda, and you pledge not to endanger my mistress, than to kill you would be murder. I am a guard; my people are not endangered by you and so you need not be endangered by me. See to it that it remains that way."
"Thank you. Vill you keep it a secret?"
"Of course, you only threaten humans; and they are not my ward."

The two looked up to the bleachers and saw Petra turning to leave.
"She'll hate you for this."
"For living?"
"For winning. It hurts her pride to think someone else might be stronger than her. It would have been smarter on my part to simply apply the truth potion, but then Chesi would have killed you in half a thought. She has good instincts; she knows the demon threw the fight, she knows you are entered into a pact, and she even knows your ex's share your condition. I think she knows more about it from them than from watching you."
"She is a dangerous sort of girl. I vonder if she vould be open to hearing my side of things; perhaps over a starlit dinner and a good vine."
"She'd kill you for asking. Try not to draw attention to yourself for a while; I'll try to keep Petra to do anything stupid while her ego recovers."
"Thank you my friend. I hope that everything goes vell vith your mistress."

Chapter Sixteen

Petra sat in the stadium as Chesi stormed off, her promise restraining her from continued attempts to prove her theory. Alid jumped into the ring to retrieve his weapon from Vlad.

She was left alone, brooding over her teammate's feats. He'd defeated a demon. Chesi thought it had thrown the fight, but demons were supposed to be prideful beyond the pride of any mortal. Why would a being that thought so highly of itself throw a fight?
And he'd made it look good too. All the twirling and spinning as he dodged or recovered from blows, He'd been on the defensive the whole time but it looked like he was in control of the fight.
And he'd wounded it. There'd been actual Demon's blood spilled by his blows. She was fairly certain most people couldn't so much as prick one. He'd left the tiles filthy with it.
Most importantly though; he'd banished it. That was an act of magic. She was supposed to be the one good with magic, he was just some human.

And in that she turned her thoughts on herself. 'Could I have done that?' 'Is he the better mage afterall?' Petra's mind was awash with a hail of self-doubt and wounded pride. 'Would I be able to defeat a demon if I had too?'

She looked down and saw Alid patting Vlad on the back. He was congratulating him. Vlad had managed to impress him; SHE hadn't managed to impress him. After months of trying to get him to notice her as more than just 'the princess'and here he was offering up praise to a mere human. As her emotions began turning her thoughts incoherent and her mind grew frantic with building rage, She followed after Chesi and left the arena.

Chapter Fifteen

"So, how long should this take?"
"Not too long."
"Maybe if we killed a person?"

Petra recognized what happened at once. She'd done it herself, mostly by accident. The floor within the central ring of the circle was displaced as the fabric of space tore open. Beyond it she could see a fiery darkness, an abyss of scorched rock and dark power. Shades and demons could be ssen lurking around the edges of the portal. But the one who came through was already on their sideas the portal faded to a solid barrier.

"I am Azriak, why have you summoned me pathetic mortal?"
"To prove I am not you sevant."
The demon laughed loudly, his vast wings stretching in mirth. He flexed his taloned hands as he turned his attention to Vlad.
"Then you will soon learn that demons are not to be trifled with human."

{Vlad tells me the demon whispered 'Make it good' after this. It was still a hard fight for him in those days.}

The Demon lunged sweeping at him with his claws. Vlad rolled to the side and slashed at the netherworldly being. Had it not been for the angle the others saw it from his miss would have been plain to see. The demon withdrew his hand as though the wound had been true. Then quickly struck with his other hand throwing him back to the wall.
He may have been human, but Vlad was quite agile. He managed to spin in the air and rebounded at the demon from the wall. He twirled as he neared Azriak and the demon only narrowly deflected him. Vlad assumed a guarded stance facing the demon from across the stadium.
Azriak spread his silver-feathered wings and used their might to hurl himself at the young mage. His claws raked the tiles as Vlad lept back to avoid his blow. He struck again and tore stones from the wall. He growled savagely as he began stalking his small nemesis.

"So Chesi; feel satisfied he's not working with the demon now?"
"It's throwing the fight. A demon can use magic without energy; why wouldn't it have just killed him?"
"Alid?"
"Meh, Even if it's not fighting it's hardest it's still doing pretty good."
"He's not doing so bad either. He's doing pretty good actually. Annoyingly good."

The demon howled as Vlad connected a blow to his calf. Vlad was flung back as Azriak's wings spread in pain. The demon bellowed and hurled several small bolts of demonic energy at his foe. They were dodged easily. Vlad used the momentum of his dodge to roll beneath the fallen angel; cutting him deeply across the thigh.
"Unworthy whelp! Feel my pain."
Azriak unleashed a mass of whirrling power against the Mage before him. Vlad used all his strength and speed to avoid it's ravaging destruction. When the demonic storm subsided he found himself upon the demon's shoulder.
"Begone from this place demon; I am no pathetic weakling to bend to your will."

He plunged the sword into Azriak's brow. The demon howled as the portal below him unsealed and he was dragged down by those still trapped within.
"This won't be the last time, Vlad of Earth. Some day I shall repay you for every wound of this day."

And the portal sealed itself. Were it not for the damaged walls and floor it could never have been deduced that Azriak had even been there at all.
"Proof enough for you?" Vlad panted.

Author's note, behind the scenes between chapters fouteen and fifteen

Dante told me this one too. Apparently he was there for most of the critical points in Petra's life. HE really does a lot of thinking ahead. It would really get the Shaditha's goat to know how much they play into his plans.

I told you before I didn't want to brag about what I did to stop Califrax earlier in her life. Partly that's because I've never taken much pride it my ability to kick snot out of things; partly it's because there's really nothing interesting about fighting a demon when you already know the outcome. I knew how it would turn out; so all the thrill of the fight was gone.

When I arrived I already knew it was neither a Near Death nor an actual death. The first clue was the bouncy little rabbit soul. Now I understand how Alid couldn't have known just how obnoxious those things are; but if you have to make a sacrifice it should always be on a non-panicky animal. Had there not already been demons involved, they would have ignored it as a bunch of dumb kids trying to screw with higher powers. That's if they'd even noticed at all.

Califrax was in the stadium. He was in the bleachers.
On the floor, with Vlad was another demon; Azriak. The two were debating what they should do. Since they were there representing their own targets they were unable to reach an agreement on how to react.

Califrax hoped that by sending a shade, and thus revealing Vlad he could embitter Petra, make her distrustful of others and more vulnerable to his whispers apart from the influence of her friends.
Azriak had made a pact with Vlad and knew that he could accomplish great individual terror through the curse he'd left on him. He wanted to simply destroy them.

I knew how things needed to turn out and; though it's hardly a good act, I intervened. I showed my self and offered them a third choice.
"Azriak, your curse would linger on the human with or without your presence. Califrax, Petra would not be embittered against her friends by betrayal. Instead, have Azriak appear. Vlad will remain concealed, and by allowing Vlad to defeat him he will make her jealous of his perceived power. She won't rest until she can repeat the feat; and that will be the means of your corruption."

You have every right to be angry. It may have been necessary but that doesn't mean it didn't cause pain. Just understand that had I not done what I did, things would be far worse than they were.

Compared to what Petra did; that was downright saintly of him. Didn't stop me from kicking him out of my living room.