Chapter Six: When Life Flies

    A few days had passed when I finally got another call from Hector. During this time Halina asked persistent questions about a bunch of things I find not worth talking about. Stuff like the other provinces, mystical creatures, and a few other odd stuff. And eventually we got around to the tour of the park, the cool breezes really making it feel like fall.

I was hammering in a vial of magic potion into a dead body when Hector called, which scared the living crap out of me, and nearly caused the destruction of the vial. Catching my breath, I answered the phone, snark in my voice. "What Hector?"

"Hey Ditto. You got another job."

"Oh, okay. Sorry I snapped." I set down the tool, and rested on the dead body. "What's the job?"

"This one is a little bigger than normal. There's a demon sighting at Indiana. It sounded pretty tough." He paused, and there was coughing in the background. "I'd be careful on this one Ditto. Don't know what could happen."

"Got it Hector. Demons aren't that bad. This should be a quick one." I'm not that worried. The big bad demons are in the Dark Layer, and I'd know if any of those had showed up. "Alright. Send me the address. I should have this finished up by noon. You tell them my charging price?"

"Yep. You're good to go."

Hector hung up and I got his text. Sighing with hands on hips, the dead body looked pretty butchered from this angle. Here's another thing about necromancy. While I can summon things instantly, those zombies are usually pretty boring. You can't do much with them. But if you prepare the bodies before turning them into zombies, it makes for a fun time. This small blue vial contains a mixture of insta-freeze and a tiny amount of explosive magic called gas blast. Dangerous but fun stuff.

Why though would I be rigging up a dead body? Gonna be honest, if you are me, and have pissed off a lot of people in your life, wouldn't you have a few hidden surprises in your most predictable form of attack? A zombie is only as powerful as your ability to be as devious as possible. A necromancer unspoken rule. Is it even unspoken anymore? I guess not. Anyways, it's probably why we weren't trusted that often.

Oh, where did I get this handsome guy whose eyes are as lifeless as my soul? About a week ago there was a bad storm on the lake. And what do the humans do? Go out in a boat, hoping to not die in it. Yet the end was an unexpected demise, and I was able to recover a few of the bodies. Now, is that completely entirely moral? Er, kinda doubt it. Should I have returned the bodies to the family members who longed to see their lost ones one last time? I mean, yeah, if I was a moral and in-general a good person. Hey, not every being out there can be filled to the brim with nice intentions.

After putting another vial into the lung cavity, I put away my tools and gathered up my materials. I packed in a few extra stuff, because you can never really know with children from the Dark Layer. Demons are remarkable creatures, violent though, and enjoy the destruction of others. I find that funny, but most people find it horrifying. Tomato.....well, you know the rest.

I went to the living room, where Halina was busy writing something important. Who knows with humans. Throwing on my leather jacket, she looked up when I coughed. "You going somewhere?"

"I got a new job. I probably need to do this one alone. So it'd be best if you stay here." Going to the door, Halina made the weirdest noise ever. I turned. "What was that?"

"Uh, why don't I get to go?" She stood, head tilted in a way that screamed disapproval. I dislike disapproval. You can't judge me, without paying the price. "I can't possibly write about you if I can't see what you're made of."

"I mean, shit, you're not wrong," I said, my arms crossing. "But this job will be dangerous. And I wonder if you will have what it takes to not die."

"I don't need to have what it takes. I got you. Plus," she said, walking up with an amused laugh, "this is something I want to see. A fight between Hidden. I need to witness this."

"What can you promise to me that you should go?"

"I won't get in your way. I'll stand way, way back," she added. These sounded like good ideas. I like good ideas. "And I'll listen to you at all times."

"You swear you'll do these? 'Cause I don't want to have to save your ass." Here's the real deal guys. I'm not like other Hidden, but most Hidden are susceptible to damage from demons. If you are a weak, small human, you stand no chance against one of those fuckers. You ever watch a horror movie, where the priest throws holy water on the demon and chants a few weak ass words? That's a load of bullshit. Demons can rip apart humans quite easily. But that same can be true for a Hidden. Power level is the biggest factor in a Hidden's survival rate. You also need good training and knowledge. A fight with a demon is tough. Gotta have clear mind and a sharp sword, with you at all events.

Halina raised her hand in a mock boy scout salute. "I swear on my laptop."

"Ah, great then!" I swiveled around and walked to the grey car parked in my driveway. "Guess who get's to drive again?"

"I do!" Halina cheered. It was another crisp autumn day, the birds singing their last few songs before the migration south occurs. Squirrels ran around going after nuts and each other. I hate those little fuckers, they're always picking on my cat, and being bothersome. Dumb squirrels, maybe I'll turn them into zombies or a mutant creation. A beautiful masterpiece.

The portal to the Spirit Layer opened, and the car went in. I admit, it's nice having someone who isn't me driving around. I've never been a fan of lone drives, because like so much in my life, it reminds me of just how alone I am. Glancing at the woman, a weird sensation formed in the back of my mind. I shook my head, ignoring the thought.

"Why is it that only you travel through the Spirit Layer?" Halina turned the wheel a few degrees left, her car kicking up so much dust. "Isn't this way quicker than traditional transportation?"

"Huh, I guess you probably didn't get to see the portal district of Lake City," I said, gazing at a large swarm of spirits flying by. Their moans made me laugh. "There are plenty of magical ways to travel. Brooms ridden by witches and warlocks. Shifters that can fly. But the most effective are the Light Portals. These are run on harnessed light magic, in the form of a powder. A light portal has two ends. The sender and receiver. They're useful because they send you places in minutes, but they lack mobility in the human world. Since there are no portals in human cities, you have to travel via other method from Hidden cities to human cities."

"So that's why you drive everywhere? You go to human places more regularly."

"Yeah, the places I go to are more remote usually." I looked away, blush hitting my cheeks. "That, and I'm allergic to light powder."

"You're allergic to light powder?" Halina threw her head back in a loud cackle. Oh, haha, laugh at the guy who can't use traditional means of transportation. It's all fun and games until you say your biggest shame. "What happens?"

"I break out in hives when I go through."

Embarrassing I know.

"Ha! That's great. The big bad Ditto, can't even touch a little magic." Halina screeched in laughter, making me growl slightly. "I'm sorry, I'm sorry. But that's pretty funny."

"Meh meh meh. I get along alright."

"Then how do the Hidden travel between layers then?" Halina glanced at my gps, and made a sharp left turn. "You said they do."

"Planar Gates. These use very powerful magics, very complex." The gates, if you ever get to witness them, are huge. The magic rolls off is waves, the strength is so intense, that you need some of the most dangerous magi to run the things. "There aren't many of them. Only a few are scattered in each province."

"Then how do demons travel between worlds?" Dear lord, I can't get a break from the questions. Damn, sounds like me when I was younger.

"Here's some basic demon training. There are five classes of demons, class one through five. One being the strongest of the strong, five being the weakest of the weak." The gps said where to turn in a british accent. My favorite accent. "The more powerful ones can rip holes through the layers, traveling between. The sneaky ones can find spots where magic is weaker or leaking into layers. Demons that possess people are usually a three, and sneak into this layer via magic leakage."

The gps said we were a few minutes away. I gathered my thoughts, getting myself prepared mentally. I need to cover some things. Remember how I said magic is in ley lines, traveling all about. And how some of that magic is good or bad? That's......kinda the truth. There are two branches of magic: Dark and Light. Surprise surprise, you probably could have figured this out yourself. A typical magic story.

Then there are subcategories for each branch. For Light, you got things like fire, ice, water, and earth magic, the primary tools of the magi. But there are those the witches and warlocks use, like scrying, restoration, spell commands, and exorcism magic. These types of magics are used everyday in vast amounts, calling upon the vast veins of Light that courses through the layers. It's amazing how much is drawn, and replaced, within the span of a day. Thousands of tons of magic are consumed.

Now, the Dark subtypes include nasty hexes, curses, life draining, and demon summoning. And your favorite magic, necromancy. These aren't used everyday, because many of these magics are banned, depending on where you live. Necromancy, ironically enough, was never banned, because there were enough users to justify its use. I guess now you could ban it, but like, no one can use necromancy except me.

Magic is weird. With those that use magic naturally, I guess to say, can use a specific type of magic, have an organ within them that draws upon said magic. This organ, named the caller, is primarily found in magi and necromancers. A few witches and warlocks have it, but it's very rare. This is why we can draw on magic without a form of conductor, like a wand, staff, or something else.

Demons use many forms of Dark magic, not only because they are born out of a fiery hell pit, but also their blood is literally a liquified caller organ. Very dangerous, so people such as me have to gauge what class a demon is by what abilities they show.

Here, I'll present this skill as I fight this mother fucking demon.

The portal revealed a large, green farm. We drove down a long gravel driveway, surrounded by corn, on the verge of being harvested. A hill appeared past the crops, with a big white house and red barn sitting atop, a silo just barely visible past those. I opened the car window, and smelled the air. It was hot and fiery, burning my nostrils. "It's a demon alright. Too early to tell, but possibly a level four."

"What if it's like a two or something? Can you beat that?" Halina gave me a long look, something along the lines of caring, or curiosity. Whatever, both have the same effect.

I shrug. "If it's a two, I probably can take it down. But two's are usually not attracted to places like this. I can smell it. It's not a possessing demon, those have a more....centralized smell to them. This is hot, but not chaotic. I'm thinking a four."

We finally made it to the house, and my head felt like I drank half a bottle of firewater. This demon was a hot one alright, damn, keep it in your pants bro. We walked up to the house, the white porch still seemingly pristine. Odd, what was going on here? I knocked, staring at the cross on the door.

The door opened, and was greeted by an older woman. A shifter, by her smell. Odd, you don't see many shifters out in this type of environment. She smiled, a warm, grandma like smile. I held out my hand. "Hi there. I'm Ditto Night, the Man Who Dies for Fun. I'm here about your demon problem."

She shifted her thick glasses, and stepped aside. "Ah, welcome. Do come in. Do come in. I was just finishing up lunch when you rang. My husband is watching TV, probably asleep."

We went in, and I had to admit, the kitchen I just walked into was the most grandma thing I'd ever seen. Old knick knacks sat along the countertop, the walls were boring white, food sat out, and it smelled like delicious chicken. There was a table, and Halina and I sat down. "Excuse me, but I didn't catch your name."

"I'm Diddy Cat," she said, bringing over two glasses of what looked like tea. "Is tea alright?"

"Yes, thank you," Halina responded, sipping on it. "You have a very lovely home."

"Why thank you," Cat smiled, joining us at the table. "And you are?"

"I'm Halina Deya, a book writer. Ditto is my consultant."

The old lady nodded, her eyes gleaming. "Ah, the youth at work. It's such an inspiration."

Before they could go any farther, I interjected, "Excuse for stopping you, but you are shifter correct?"

Cat gave a soft laugh, trying to play it off. "Yes, good eye you got there. Me and Dale retired here many years ago, wanting to live out our lives with something calm."

"Then, if I may be so bold, why did you not ask a shifter hero." You are bound to know a hero of your race by the time you're this age. And there's a high chance you're good friends with them as well. "Not that I'm complaining, but you aren't human."

"Because this demon is scary as shit," a voice, I'm guessing Dale, said. The old man walked in, bald, plaid clothes, very grandpa like. "I wasn't sure who else to call than an exorcist."

"Er--sorry to correct you sir, but I am a necromancer." I clapped my hands together, waiting for the reactions. "Not an exorcist."

The old man laughed. "Sorry there, but I swore you just said necromancer." He mocked cleaning his ears. "Those died out years ago."

"All, except me." I opened my palm, and the classic double circle and triangle formed, a dark flame hovering above it. "The best for this job, I'm sure."

Both were silent, a weird kind of silent, like you insulted a dead relative, at their funeral. Cat sorta lost interest, before speaking softly. "My apologies. I suppose news doesn't reach us as well as it used to."

"Nah, it's okay. I'm here to solve a problem," I said. And I was. This is what I decided to do with my life. I vow to do what I want with it. "Tell me about this demon."

Dale rubbed his ragged face, deciding how to answer. These poor people, wrong about one thing, and it comes back to kick their asses. "It appeared two days ago. I was in the barn when the ground exploded. It crawled out all slow like, magma pouring from the hole. I got out, waiting for it to destroy the place. But it never did."

A demon that is holed up in a small barn. How strange. "I understand. I'll take care of it, though I can't promise what damages might happen. Feel free to stay here at your own risk."

The elder couple nodded, and I stood. "Come on Halina. This bad bitch won't kill itself."

"Good luck then," Cat said, grabbing my hand. "Be careful."

I looked down at her, her eyes becoming more feline. Is this what it's like to have a grandparent? Meh, doubt it. "If I die, don't let anyone know how it happened."

Halina and I went to the barn, and I saw smoke sizzling out the doors. This thing smelled terrible. Not magi terrible, but not good at all. "Halina, stay out here. I'll leave the doors open."

The handle warm, I slid the door to the widest it could get. An inferno of hot air smacked me, sweat glazing my forehead. The barn was literally melting, wooden planks burning, dead animal carcasses blackened to near nothing. Sitting on a stone throne with a moat of lava protecting it, sat the demon.

The demon was ash colored, tall yet lanky, large talons that were smoldering an inky black smoke. Its head reminded me of a crown, three prongs sticking out high. No wings, which was good. It hissed at the light. "Deka lat uni. Who dares enter the kingdom of Ges'athor?"

"Yo, uh, I do." I carefully stepped into the barn, avoiding the hot lava and melting my shoes. "Bro, you need to take care of this place. It's nasty."

The demon leaned forward, its gravely voice asking again, "Who are you?"

"That's a great question. I am Ditto, the Man Who Dies for Fun. Now. Here are your options." I drew Ever Heart, noticing the demon's scared features. "Either go back to the Dark Layer, or stay and die."

"Gath jeckin esthu nero kall. I cannot do that, Demon Slayer. This is my land now, and I do not plan on leaving."

"Cool cool, except, it's not." I pointed my blade at it. Hardening my voice, there was no turning back now. "Death is now your punishment. Unless you change your mind."

"You do not scare me Demon Slayer. I've heard of you, and am ready." Great, at least this guy knows of me. Not that I care, since I got to kill this fool. The demon stood as I rolled my neck. "Any last words Slayer?"

"Er--I'm starting to think you're probably a three." Ges'athor moved in a flash, appearing right in front of me. It's talons shot out, but I parried and moved with similar speed, slashing along it's hide. A line of red blood appeared, then Ges'athor moved again. The kick caught me in the side, sending me across the barn and threw the wall. I rolled down the hill, cursing every bit of the way.

"You aren't so tough Demon Slayer. Your name is nothing but a lie," Ges'athor said, walking down towards me. I laughed rather obnoxiously. "What's so funny?"

I revealed my palm, showing the mark of the necromancer. "Come on now, you think I'm dumb or something?"

This isn't my first rodeo. The zombie swarm ran out of the corn field, charging up the hill like an angry mob of children. The demon roared a breath of fire along the line, destroying many at once. A few broke through and launched themselves atop the still demon. While they were fighting, I snuck around them, saying more spells. My arms became tattooed with necromancy symbols, and I grabbed a white vial out of my pack.

I rushed behind the demon, who stomped on the last of my minions. Ges'athor must have sensed me, spinning to see my sword lunging deadly fast at it's face. It growled, it's arm turning to a grey blade. As my sword came down, I threw the vial, which broke instantly on the demon. The ghosts flew out of the liquid substance in a terrible scream as our blades clashed. My left arm glowed, and more zombies came to me focusing on the demon.

"Impressive Demon Slayer," Ges'athor said as we moved even faster, a near blur by now. We parried and cut and leaped. Moving and moving and moving. I ducked under a slash, while my ghosts responded to my right arm, circling around my opponent. "I have heard of your feats, but this is more than I imagined."

The zombies piled onto its legs, slowing it down tremendously. While it kicked and kicked, I managed to slash forward, just going over its arm and into the middle of the chest. Taking my chance, my right arm glowed again, commanding the ghosts to enter the demon.

The demon fell to its knees, a glass shattering scream leaving its mouth. After a few shakes, it slumped over. I nodded. "Tell me demon, why did you come here?"

The head lifted, and I looked into blurry red eyes. "Nervous--nervous. Rumors, a witch. I--I can't return. But nowhere is safe. Tensions with magi." It clawed at it's head, trying to break control. I tightened my grip, burning more energy. Sweat beaded down my chin.

"What? The magi don't do anything. That doesn't make sense."

"Rumors. The demons know, magi don't. Corruption, a witch. War...." It yelled, puking up magma. Gross, but understandable, with the intense pain I was causing. "Allies are being gathered. You--you--you know. Your mistakes. The witch, she stirs. Rumors."

Oh no, that's not good. Not good at all.

"Who, who's been corrupted?" I asked, starving for answers. Footsteps sounded behind me, but I cared not. My sword tip went to it's neck. "The magi? Council members? Who damnit!"

"I--there--hegthan'itnu--the demons stir. The magi. Just wanted to not be involved." The demon slammed its head down, red lines of blood appearing all across its body. It faced me, screaming even louder. "Leave me ghosts!"

"Ah fuck," I said, watching the demon begin to smoke. Moving before the thing could explode and destroy who knows how much, I swiftly took its head off. Both fell, blood pooling up, boiling hot.

The body lay silent. 

"What in the world?" Halina walked up behind me, taking a bunch of pictures. I smelled the shifters coming down the  hill as well. "What was it talking about?"

Rumors. The magi, demons, a witch, and tensions that could make even creatures of the night flee. I sheathed Ever Heart, steel scraping steel. Nothing the demon said was good, but it was too early to tell if I needed to be concerned.

"Nothing," I replied. Tapping the beast with my foot, steam escaped from the neck wound. A lucky day for me I guess. Another free corpse. "Dead as dead gets."

"You were amazing," Halina said, still taking pictures, but of me too. The clicks brought me back to reality. "The way you fought with both zombies and a sword, incredible. I didn't know you could move so fast. It was insane!"

"Thanks. I'm glad you thought so." I got on my knees, poking the corpse tentatively, making sure there would be no surprises. The skin was hard and now more cool. Using a spell, I seared the blood from both head and neck. A clean slice.

"Oh my," said Cat. She sniffed the air, peering at the pile of dead bodies a few feet away. "You truly are a necromancer."

"Look at these poor bastards." Dale laughed, I guess forgetting about my heritage. Do a good deed, and pasts become irrelevant. "Here's your money lad. You've earned it."

"Yeah Ditto, you were so cool." Halina sounded like a schoolgirl, who just watched a senior athlete do something lame. I went to respond, but my phone rang.

"Sasha, what's up?"

"Ditto, you need to get to Lake City right away." Her voice choked up, and I caught my breath. "Councillor Edward is dead. We need your services."

"Good God. Okay, I'll be there in a few hours. I just finished a job." Hanging up, I turned to Halina. "I hope your car can go fast with a demon attached to the roof."

She laughed, then realization hit her, then she frowned. "I'll grab the stretchy rope."