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Chapter Twenty: Heat

The tenday passed slowly, and anticipation rose in Katerin. Jon had woken on the third day and was back to acting his normal self. In addition, using magic, Roahn's strength, and Huen's ingenuity, the repairs on the ship were completing faster than expected. In a few more days they would be ready to get back on the water.

So today, she would summon a demon.

Memories of her past experience flooded her mind, and tied knots in her stomach. She had learned from her last attempt that no matter the reason—good or bad—there were terrible consequences and dangers tied to every creature of the hells.

She sighed as she tightened the straps on her breastplate.

It was still strange to her, but fondly she remembered how many times this breastplate had saved her life already. It might be heavier, hotter, and slightly more cumbersome—but it had saved her skin and her pride more than once. The tournament would have had a much different outcome had Fykes not convinced her to better prepare and helped her find a suitable set that was not too heavy, yet not too thin.

Her reverie of memories came to an end as she rapped lightly on the frame of the sleeping quarters. Jon appeared in his usual showmanship, appearing in the doorway with a flourish and a tip of his purple hat.

"Are you ready?" Katerin asked, doing her best to keep her expression serious. Of course Jon was in a theatrical mood, when he knew very well his life was going to be a pawn in a very dangerous situation.

"Of course, my lady. Who am I to keep you waiting." Jon grinned and grabbed his weapons belt from behind the door. "This'll be a story for the ages!"

"One that I'm sure you'll over embellish. Just like you winning a certain competition we had."

"But I did win! Ask anyone, and that's what they'll tell you. Joneth Mayor is the best knife flinger around."

"Because you lied about it."

"No, no. I simply embellished." He winked.

Katerin sighed and shook her head. "Everyone's waiting for us."

Jon's theatrical smile faded. "Where do you need me?"

"For the spell I need you close to me, but as soon as it's done, get as far away as possible."

"It'll be right in front of you?" Jon's eyes widened.

"Yes, if the spell works." She straightened her shoulders. "So, I would hope so."

Jon let out a dry chuckle. "Something's not right with your mind."

"I suppose you would know." She smirked.

"I'll make sure to piss it off from a distance, then. Do you know how it'll fight?"

"I have no idea of its caliber or ability. It may use magic, weapons—hell, it might fight with something we've never seen before."

Jon's grin returned. "A story for the ages," he repeated.

"I'll agree, when it's dead and we can sit around our fire and laugh about it."

"We will."

But you don't really know, she thought. She said nothing as they left the ship and let the sand shift beneath their boots.

Roahn, Arjiah, and Brazen waited patiently near the line of tall, rough barked trees—checking weapons and preparing.

Fykes was not far from them, shoveling the remaining contents of another plate of food down. Some of the dwarves had wondered why they were lower on supplies then they had calculated, and Katerin was sure of the reason. The dwarves had not under-prepared, but the people she traveled with could eat a tavern out of business in a day if they wished.

Not far back into the greenery, another form sat with his hands clasped as if in meditation.

"Trunk?" Katerin asked, blinking. He had been rather reluctant when it came to any fighting, and she knew he was no fan of fire.

He lifted his head and smiled. "I know it is not my place, but I feel I may be able to be of some use to you, during this fight, if you would have it."

"Are you sure? I appreciate the offer but this won't be—" she glanced to Jon, squinting. "It won't be peaceful."

"I can be of use, and so I will," Trunk said as he stood. His voice remained much the same no matter what he said, nor the emotions that played across his too-large eyes and expressive ears. It was not emotionless, but it was calm and steady.

Katerin looked across the rest of her companions, fighting the urge to bite her lip. "Ready?"

Each of them nodded, and Fykes smirked.

"Lead the way, my lady," Jon said.

As they found the clearing, and the circle, Arjiah gasped. "This is... amazing."

"Not if you consider its purpose," Roahn said, with a scowl.

"How long does this spell take?" Fykes asked, his hands resting on Ahlindrions hilt.

"Not very long. Ten minutes, or so. Pick where you want to be, and try to keep its attention away from Jon." Katerin said, giving him a wary look as she walked across the stones with Jon, to the center of the runic circle.

"Well, it's got a certain beauty to it," Jon said as he studied the patterns on the stone beneath his feet.

Katerin chuckled, "I think you'll be changing you mind on that shortly."

Brazen moved resolutely to her other side and smiled his strange, emotionless smile.

I think you'll want to move back, she told him.

He shook his head. If you are here, then so am I.

Katerin looked to Jon and held out her hand. "This is going to hurt. But it should be over quickly, and I'll—"

Jon squeezed her hand before she could start rambling. "Thank you," he said, looking at her with concern.

She swallowed back her fear and gripped his sweaty palm tight. "Here we go!" she called, giving one last glance to the people around her before she closed her eyes.

In one hand she held her staff, and in the other she held Jon's hand. She began chanting in the language of demons, and it felt almost sickening on her tongue, as it caused bile to rise up into her throat with every word.

As she chanted she felt the pull of magic. It was dark, dizzying and powerful. Something she had not forgotten, and the sensation of it had not faded over time. The words of her spell pulled at her, and the energy around her seemed as though it was pushing her to continue, compelling her to bring the demon upon herself and her companions with an almost gleeful sense of malice. She felt a wave of heat burst out from beneath her feet and, a hot, sulferesque wind buffeted her.

The shirt sleeve on Jon's marked arm burst into flame, and he sank to the ground with a cry of pain.

Katerin tightened her grip on his hand and kneeled beside him, continuing her chant as hot air fought her every breath and threatened to choke her.

As she called the demon out, searching for it's name, the magic fought her with power of a kind she had never felt before. It she could have seen anything else, she would have noticed the sweat pouring off her, but it was all she could do to keep a hold of Jon's hand as flames wrapped around them. Pain like a searing brand flowed through Jon's arm, and into her own, and for a moment she doubted her ability to finish the chant. She wanted to drop his hand and step away to be free of the pain, but she only squeezed his hand tighter, until the last words of the spell flew from her lips.

Pyranikus. She knew the name now, without having to search her thoughts.

She heaved in a breath, and leaned over Jon as he was curled up on the ground, his clothing scorched, his arm reddened and blistered. "Come on," she whispered, and hauled both of them to their feet, swaying in the heat.

Once she released his hand, she began chanting again, a name now upon her lips, and the energy that fought her weakened, unable to dispute her call. Her chest tightened until it felt as thought she might explode, every joint ached, and her head pounded so painfully she could hardly see.

There was a tearing sound, like a Luxian blade sliding through silk, and intense heat radiated from the center of the circle. A bright portal of energy opened, tendrils snaking about it like so many wisps of smoke. Those tendrils heaved a being through with what seemed to be an immense effort.

In the center of the circle now stood a towering demon. Its feet were the length of a horse, and its talons were the size of swords, and gleamed just as menacingly. It growled a sound that shook the stones beneath them all, while still sounding alien and terrifying. It had no skin, and pure red-pink muscle was all that was visible as it shifted its feet, looking burnt and scarred. Wings unfolded from its back, thicker than the Mynyrri's sails, and tattered at the edges. They blocked out the sun, to cast menacing shadows.

A long dingy mane flowed down its back, and two horns protruded from either side of its head that ended in sharpened, gleaming points.

"Who summons Pyranikus?"

It's voice inspired a chilling fear in Katerin, as she shoved Jon behind her, and lifted her chin. "I do!" This was a chance to make up for a past mistake. TO counter a fear that had grown for years. She would be stronger than this demon, and she would not give in to the fear of it's gaze.

Pyranikus' eyes snapped to her, looking down with a pitiless gaze. "No. You lack the ability, the strength." His tone was do deep it shook the ground beneath her feet.

Katerin watched as Jon scurried back from the demon. "Think what you wish, but it is you who lacks power, here." She spoke in the same demonic language she had used to summon it. As an angry snarl crossed its features, she held back her smile. Gods it's working, she thought as she watched Jon from the corner of her eye.

"I will burn you to ashes!" It roared again, and pulled two hilts from its sides. One hilt, brought a whip of writhing flame into creation, and in the other held manifested into a blade of pure lightning. Heat radiated out from him, to such a degree that anyone in his vicinity felt like their air was being burnt away.

*

Before Pyranikus could put his elemental weapons to use, Brazen dashed forward and drove his axe into its shin. He learned its hide was far tougher than it looked, and far more painful, too. Blood like lava sprayed from the wound and gouted over Brazen, sizzling onto his stone-like arms.

Katerin held out her hands, gesturing them in a grand motion that wrapped a spell around all her allies, giving them a respite from the heat as she rushed in behind Brazen, slamming her staff into Pyranikus' knee cap.

*

Fykes' blade sliced into the bottom of its wing as it slashed for Brazen and he narrowly avoided the molten blood as the wing shook.

Arjiah tossed bolts of ice at Pyranikus', aiming for his eyes and his wings. As they impacted she blinked in surprise, as they had a great effect, before they turned to steam and vanished.

Roahn charged the demon with abandon, letting out a roar of her own. Her silver scales glinted in the wavering heat. She leapt and slammed her hammer into its kneecap with a loud crack, as lightning danced away from the impact. She landed solidly and pirouetted, slamming her weapon down onto its foot.

*

Trunk realized too late that he was far too close to the demon, as fear gripped him and separated his fur. Heat and fire poured off Pyranikus like water off of river stones. Trunk scurried back, nearly tripping over his own feet as his whole body shook. Water and fire are the same, only differing in opinion. He told himself this over and over again, as he hefted his staff.

He had asked to join them in this fight and he would not run, now. He took one final breath, and released a spell. Vines sprouted and crawled rapidly for Pyranikus, covering over his feet and tearing up his legs, and slowing it as it struggled to pull itself free.

*

Jon watched in horror as Pyranikus appeared. He ran, gaining all the distance he could, with his pistol held in shaking hands. He heard the magical hum of the weapon, and watched from the corner of his eye as his first shot flew wide. He cursed and fired again, and his second shot scored a line through the demons cheek leaving nothing where there had once been flesh. Before he had a moment to marvel at the power of the dwarven weapon, Pyranikus' gaze snapped toward him, and he felt the mark on his arm grow hotter than it ever had before.

*

Pyranikus laughed at the ants about his feet. He flicked his wrist, and his whip heeded his command, scoring across Jon's armored chest, so hot it left the metal smoking. His sword arced out, and came down point first towards Katerin, and his teeth pulled back as she scurried out of the way. He flicked his wrist again to send the whip spiraling for her. It tore across her back and he watched her stumble forward, as he swung the sword out angled down for Fykes, who parried the blade unharmed, but was shoved several feet to the side.

Against the power of his weapons, Pyranikus knew these mortals were nothing more than a few twigs in a hurricane.

*

Brazen circled Pyranikus, his eyes darting across Katerin and Fykes. He knew he had to disable its wings, first. Cut off any chance it had of an escape, and put it down. As he circled, the demon turned to bat at Fykes, and ice spears flew past Brazen and lodged into the demon's calf and thigh.

Molten blood poured around the wounds, but before they could melt the ice that Arjiah had manifested, Brazen shrugged his shield and leapt onto the frigid ice, climbing to swing his axe into the bottom of the demons wing. He felt bones shatter and sinew tear before the ice that held him was gone, and he was falling with molten blood spraying across him.

*

Pyranikus growled in anger, and a wave of heat burst out from him, stealing the breath of his enemies. He scanned their faces and easily saw the mark of his magics on Jon. He grinned, tore his foot free of the vines and brambles, and walked toward him with deadly intent, his whip slashed out across Roahn as she charged him again.

Brazen was forced to roll aside, as Pyranikus walked forward, and Roahn pulled him to his feet with a quick nod.

*

Katerin felt fear rise up as the demon came forward, and she stepped forward to block its path, lightning coming to life between her fingertips. "I'm your problem!" she yelled, trying to keep its focus off of Jon. She released her spell and a line of lightning tore through it, arcing across its chest, to leave it blackened, like scorched parchment.

*

Fykes took advantage of the shift of Pyranikus' attention and drove Ahlindrion through its leg. He winced and shielded his face with one arm as molten blood erupted in a spray coating his breastplate and his arms.. The demon's whip swung back in a heavy blow, clipping his shoulder and dropping him to his knees before he had a thought to cry out against the pain.

*

Arjiah chanted as quickly as she could, to summon a healing mist and direct it towards those closest to the demon. She grimaced and shook her head, yelling out to her companions.

If her healing mist was too close to the demon, it evaporated before it could have any effect. She held her short mace in both hands, and prayed to every god she could think of that she would not have to use it today. The heat was unbearable, and even from a distance her breath came in ragged gasps, and the air around her warped in her vision. She could not move closer, for fear of the spray of it's blood, and if she moved away, she would be unable to aid her friends.

*

Roahn grasped the silver symbol around her neck and channeled her energy into it, not daring to close her eyes while she prayed. Lightning cracked across the sky in a brilliant flash, and struck down into the demon before her, despite the lack of clouds of any kind. It Stumbled, so she kept her chant going, and struck it once more, all while hefting her hammer and waiting for a moment to strike when it could not counter her. Today was as good a day as any, to splinter someones shin.

*

Trunk kept backpedaling, panting for breath as he watched the plants around Pyranikus ignite in a flash, and the once fertile soil turned to ash. He watched the demon wield its deadly weapons, watched his companions struggle, and witnessed the damage done to them when they were a fraction to slow.

Everywhere Pyranikus struck, he only left ashes and destruction in his wake, as was the nature of flames. He did not want to be here, and watch the plants burn.

Trunk swung his staff in a circle, and steeled himself, trying to forget his urge to run. The earth upturned around the demon, and shards of hardened dirt and stone tore free leaving furrows in the ground. They hovered for only a moment before they sharpened in mid-air, and tore into the demon like a thousand blades. The shards burst out like a fountain and tore through the demons wings, to leave deep and bleeding furrows across its middle.

Pyranikus wobbled unsteadily on his feet, as the ground shook beneath him, as if threatening to swallow him whole.

*

Jon stepped back again, with his heart growing nearer to his throat with every passing second and each time Pyranikus got closer to him. He was unable to ignore the searing agony in his arm, and had to use his free hand to steady his weapon as he took aim. His first shot was wide, but it did not miss, rendering a part of the demons left wing useless. His second shot hit square in the chest, and Pyranikus staggered suddenly. His third shot widened the first hole, and Jon grinned. Invincible, you are not, he thought. Lava-like blood poured from the towering demon in rivulets, igniting whatever they happened to touch.

*

Pyranikus' weapons were a blur. His whip slashed across Roahn's side, and caught Brazen's cheek. His sword slammed toward Fykes, but the mortal managed to parry this blow, so in an instant Pyranikus reversed his swing and sent the sword careening for Katerin, and his whip for his marked soul, behind her.

*

Katerin stabbed her staff into the torn up soil to block the massive swing, but the blow had enough power to knock her onto her back with a thud. The sword came for her again, and she had no defense against it, so instead of blocking with her weapon she grasped a chunk of stone, and incanted a shielding spell.

The weapon shattered the magical shield around her, and she heard the demon laugh. It bent down and reached for her with with one hand while its whip curled around Jon and thrashed him into the soil.

*

Brazen was in front of her before she could scramble to her feet, and his axe severed two of Pyranikus's thick fingers in one blow. The Demon howled, and his blood splattered across Brazen's shield arm and sunk into his strange stone-like construction, to leave the limb smoking, and useless.

Trunk yelled for the aid of more vines, and bent over as Pyranikus was, the smoking, withering plant life managed to wrench the demon him to his knees.

Brazen ducked the first sword swing, ignoring his inability to fully control his body. He swept his axe up again, scoring a line down the demons wrist, and noticed a moment to late as the whip arced for him in an elegant motion and wrapped around him.

*

Katerin swallowed back her fear and ignored her parched throat as she sent half a dozen unerring crystal missiles into the demons chest, and followed that with a line of lighting, that left the demons horns smoking.

Fykes lunged for Brazen, shoulder chucking him away from the sword blow that arced for him, and drove his blade in Pyranikus' wrist with so much force that he had to fight to pull the weapon free, yet still the whip held Brazen tight, unrelenting.

*

Arjiah held back the scream that fought to claw its way from her. She focused on her magic, healing every wound and burn she could as her companions fought to breathe. If they dared stay too close for too long, fire would consume them. She conjured up a group of smaller ice shards and spun them towards the demons face. As her spell shattered against the demon, its sword strike flew wide, giving Fykes more time to dodge aside, and strike it again.

Pyranikus snarled, and cursed in his demonic language. He tightened the whip around brazen and flung him into the stones and earth around his feet. "I will take what is mine," he said with a sneer.

*

Rohan cursed in answer to his words, as she grasped the symbol around her neck again. A storm brewed around her, obscuring her in fog. She watched as Brazen struggled, and her chant grew desperate. Finally, she released all of her chanted power toward Pyranikus. The bellowing thunderstorm buffeted Pyranikus' wings like it would a ships sails, and she heard the snap of bone as the lightning that struck from her conjured cloud arced between his horns.

*

Trunk finally calmed his breathing, and was able to call the flora around him to his aid without a struggle. The broken stones beneath Pyranikus formed into long strips, and those strips wound up the demon, starting at its knees and quickly cascading around its chest. Trunk gestured again and they tightened into a bone crushing hold, stilling the demons every maneuver.

*

Pyranikus had never felt fear, until this moment. His weapons were no longer a maelstrom around him, and he cursed the people before him in every language he knew. He had released rage, fire, and fury upon them, only to watch them stagger and rise again.

*

Jon was crawling across the ground, as he watched the demon wrapped in stone. He hissed at the pain in his arm, and leveled his weapon where he lay. Teach anything to try and mark me, he thought, as he fired. Two high pitched whistles sounded, staggeringly loud despite the chaos around them all. Jon let out a laugh, as his aim was true, and watched in a moment of triumph as the first of his bullets hit true. Pyranikus turned toward the bullet, and a luugh began, deep in his throat, as the second bullet found his other eye.

*

Pyranikus let out a scream that felt as though it shook the whole of the island, and Katerin's heart stopped in her chest. "Jon, no!" She yelled, but it was too late.

The demons death rocked the clearing, with so much power that it flattened nearby trees, its blood left the soil to bake, and rocks began to glow as an explosion burst forth left every soul near, covered in ash, to be absorbed in flames.

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