“Duck,” he said simply, conjuring a bolt of lightning in his hands. Evan threw himself to the ground as the bolt crackled above him and smashed into one of sensors, destroying it with a deafening bang. Evan looked back at the smoking wreckage, realising that without the sensor, this part of the arena’s protective dome wouldn’t work.
“Now for the experiment.” Sypher swiftly unhooked an item from his belt and threw it at Evan’s feet. As the object shattered Evan realised it was a Battle Sphere.
What! Nova said you couldn’t bring extra weapons into an Arengi game.
His surprise turned to panic as the Battle Sphere released a horrific monster before him. An Oni.
The beast resembled a cross between an ogre and a minotaur, but worse since it was vaguely human too, like a caveman on steroids. It had short stubby legs, but a ludicrously muscled torso. Its head was oversized even on such a massive body, complete with tusks jutting from his bottom lip and horns either side of its wild mane of white bristles. The Oni had a snout instead of a nose and his skin was a beetroot red.
Evan staggered back, simultaneously throwing the Cobgob spell. It was instinct, since the Oni was about to roar. The magic cobweb did cut off the Oni’s roar, but instead of sealing his mouth shut, the Oni merely munched it to pieces. Evan threw an energy blast next, but it merely bounced off the Oni’s giant pot-belly.
Remember, Oni’s are incredibly resilient to spells. He remembered what he’d learned from training at the same moment his back hit the side of the arena. The Oni advanced, his six fingered hands drooping by his knees, each one tipped by yellow nails the size of knives.
With nowhere to run, he had to take his chances in close combat. But this was no longer in the bounds of an Arengi game. Sypher had destroyed the sensors, there’d be no protective dome to stop the Oni from killing him.
Rage filled him, blotting out the fear, as he realised Sypher had done all this to get Evan to unleash his demon magic. He almost wanted too, not just to destroy the Oni, but to set it on Sypher too. How dare he put his life in danger for his own gain.
Evan roared suddenly and leaped to meet the Oni as he trudged toward him. The brute reared back to defend, but Evan sidestepped him at the last second, looking around desperately for aid. His gaze caught on the green glint of a blade metres away, where Ruaden lay on the sand. He swiftly willed the air element to him and pulled the blade threw the air and into his waiting hands. The moment the hilt hit his palm, he whirled, sweeping low.
The monster grunted in surprise Evan slashed into his thigh. Blood sprayed across the sand, but the beast only chortled, swiping for Evan’s head.
He ducked at the last moment, this time stabbing at the monster and puncturing his bloated stomach. As he ripped Ruaden free, it triggered a crimson faucet, spurting out of the Oni’s new, second belly button. Before Evan could strike again, Ruaden flew back out of his hands and into Syphers.
“No weapons allowed Evan. You must rely on…other means.”
In that moment, Evan wished he’d never drank the Emerald Shade, only so he could call upon the black mist to throttle Sypher.
Unarmed, he had no option other than to jump back as the Oni grabbed for him, his nails sharp enough to gouge Evan’s skull. He rapidly formed a plan, preparing to dive between the monster’s legs and escape into another part of the arena. Once he was in an area where the sensors weren’t destroyed he’d be safe. Just as he made to put his plan into action, however, the Oni lunged again, this time his trunk-like arm connected with Evan’s head.
His vision blurred and he stumbled forward, before crumping to the ground, surrounded by darkness.
*
Taija felt uncomfortable ever since the game had started. She was uneasy about being in such a huge crowd, and where people might stare at her in suspicion.
She knew the Venators had gossiped about her. How could they not after what Tarensen, Evan and Jed had gone through to get her?
She was worried she might draw the attention of her fellow spectators, but happily they were all engrossed in the game. Taija had settled after the second Twinsphere game and had loved watching Joelle in her Jewelball match. Her anxiety returned, however, when the Arengi matches started and she knew it would soon be Evan’s turn.
She saw between Elijah and Emillia, and had been amused by their back and forth chatter throughout the afternoon’s sport, as well as them trying to explain to her how the games were played. They’d all gone silent once the Raging Squid’s match began, even Xavier on the next seat along.
Taija almost didn’t want to watch, especially after Evan and Jed’s bridge snapped in half. Now, though, she saw that horrible Sypher boy advance on Evan.
“Hey, that’s not right.” Elijah stood up in his seat. “I think Sypher just destroyed the sensor. Wait, what’s in his hand?”
“Holy freaking Rueda!” Xavier leaped out of his seat as the monster appeared from whatever Sypher had thrown at Evan.
Taija sat up sharp, horrified as the monster charged at Evan.
Many of the audience around them gasped and cried out as they too spotted the monster. The rest of the game was forgotten.
“Oh god, the Oni is going to kill him,” Emi screamed.
Taija watched, helpless, as Evan tried to fight against the abomination. She had no idea what an Oni was, but she was instantly reminded of the terrible demons from the asylum. Her heart started to thump and her skin went hot. She had no idea what to do, almost frozen in place, until the moment she saw Evan go down, hitting the ground like a ragdoll.
“No, no!” Elijah clapped his hands to his head. “Stop the game. Someone tell the masters to end the match.”
Before she knew what she was doing, Taija was out of her seat and racing through the stands, weaving in and out of the audience as she clambered over the rows of chairs.
“Taija, what are you doing?” Emi called after her. “It’s not safe, come back.”
She heard Evan’s friends hurrying after her, but getting caught in the chaos of the crowd as the other spectators jostled each other to get a better view of the Oni.
Taija bent down low as she ran, shoving people out of the way if she had too, and accidentally colliding with a gnome who sprawled to the ground, his box of popcorn flying everywhere.
She reached the edge of the stands and ran straight into the protective barrier separating the audience from the arena action. The invisible barrier felt like a wall made of glass, but she glimpsed it shimmer at her touch. Without thinking, she willed her magic to release, throwing out her arm in desperation and ripping a hole into the barrier. She swiftly ducked through and leaped down into the arena.
“How did she do that?” Taija heard several people shout behind her as she dropped ten feet, rolling across the sand as she landed.
Elijah, Emi and Xavier had reached the barrier behind her but couldn’t get through. The hole she’d made must’ve sealed itself already. She knew they didn’t want her putting herself in danger, and that they also wanted to help Evan. Before she could run back to the arena edge and rip a door in the barrier for them, the Oni gave an almighty roar.
Taija turned and ran to the Oni just as he stopped beside Evan’s head and lifted his foot.
A second before the Oni stomped down on Evan’s prone body, she saw Jed throw his axe as hard as he could. The Oni arched his back and left Evan alone, turning to face Jed with an axe sticking out between his shoulder blades.
But the axe only momentarily distracted the Oni, and before Jed could either attack or run, the monster had whirled round and struck him in the chest with a devastating backhand. Jed was lifted off his feet and thrown across the sand, where he lay wheezing for air and unable to get up.
The Oni stepped toward Jed, looking to finish the job, when Taija screamed. “Oi, ugly!”
The brute swivelled its block-like head her way, all four eyes settling on her. Despite her rush to get here, she froze now she was face to face with the monster. The inhumann
ess in his eyes was the same as those demons. The memories taunted her, she wanted to rip the demons apart all over again, just like she yearned to rip apart the monster before her.
Taija looked around her, expecting to see the black mist rising, but things were different now. She’d taken the Emerald Shade, her demonic magic was unreachable. But she had no other weapon either, she’d have to use what the others had called normal magic.
The Oni trudged toward her, his massive lips turned into a disturbing grin, which just made her angrier. Her fear of the monster faded entirely when she glimpsed Sypher watching her intently from the side of the arena. Over the Oni’s shoulder there appeared to be a commotion far away, by the arena’s entrance. Some of the Instructors appeared to be entering and stopping the combatants from playing their game, but they wouldn’t get to Taija before the Oni would.
The brute roared abruptly and lunged. She leaped to the left and rolled frantically to her feet as the Oni crashed where she’d been standing and skidded across the sands.
C’mon. Use your magic. The real magic. Stop worrying. It’s not evil like your demon side. You can control it this time.
A large ball of ice formed in her palm and she threw it straight into the Oni’s face as he turned back toward her. The ice smashed into shards as it crashed into the monster’s face, but he merely blinked stupidly, unhurt.
Oh crap.
She backed up, throwing another ice ball, then another, but the monster shrugged them off like they were nothing. Just as Taija wracked her mind for another spell she could use, the Oni charged at her again. She tried to leap to the right this time, but the beast snagged her legs as she dived, before pinning her the ground.
She cried out, fear returning full force now. On instinct, she beat against the Oni with her bare hands, but she might as well have been punching a brick wall.
The monster gurgled disgustingly as it moved to pin her shoulders and she could feel his hot breath on her face. She screamed as the brute’s crushing weight left her trapped beneath him, helpless to escape.
He opened his mouth wide, preparing to maul her into pieces and Taija’s mind roared at her, wishing the monster away with everything she had.
Suddenly, a sharp ripping sound tore through the air. The Oni paused, inches away from her face as bright lights flashed behind him. She couldn’t make out what the lights were until the Oni rose off her and into the air.
His horror-struck face told her the Oni had no idea what was happening, but before she knew it, the portal high above had sucked him inside it.
Did I do that? From the throb of energy magic that had shot from her hands, it must’ve been her.
The flashing and swirling vortex only spun faster after it sucked the Oni inside. Taija felt herself sliding across the sand towards it, and the other Venators in the arena appeared to be affected too.
“What’s going on?” one player cried.
“How could a portal be summoned here?” another screamed.
Taija tried to hold herself in place, but it was no good. No matter how hard she tried to grip the ground she slid inexorably closer to the roaring inferno she’d created.
She had no idea how she’d done it, nor where the portal led, but she guessed nowhere good. She couldn’t let herself get sucked in, or be responsible for anyone else’s fate.
Taija threw out her hands and willed the portal closed with everything she had. Slowly, the surging vortex shrunk and curled in on itself. Her feet were inches away from the bottom of the portal when it finally collapsed and vanished.
Taija looked around breathlessly once it had gone. The rest of the combatants were staring at her, some of them impressed, many more were fearful, but all of them looked as shocked as she felt. An uneasy hum came from the stands as the audience reacted to what they’d witnessed, many of them pointing her out to their friends.
She flinched as she got to her feet, realising Tarensen stood before her, breathing hard after presumably running from the other side of the arena. Mistress Aqenna wasn’t far behind, clutching her side as if she had a stitch. They must’ve been the instructors who called off the game.
“Are you okay? Are you hurt?” Mistress Aqenna asked, hurrying to study her.
She shook her head, numb.
“How did she do that?” Nova asked, standing in the crowd that had come to stare at her. “Many Arch-Realmers can’t even create portals using pure energy magic, let alone portals with gravitational pulls?”
“She’s strong, that’s all.” Tarensen barked, looking round at everyone gazing at Taija in either wonder or suspicion.
Taija felt a stab of guilt. She hadn’t seen Tarensen since the incident. His skin was still ghastly pale, his red veins showing through. He’d suffered the injuries whilst rescuing her from the asylum. She was to blame for what had happened to him.
“But what about the barrier?” another Arengi combatant asked. “She got straight through, like it was nothing.”
“Alright everyone,” Brooke said, moving to stand by Taija’s side. “Leave her alone. We should be focusing on the Ushk-head who unleashed that Oni into the game.”
Taija felt a rush of gratitude for Brooke, but still shrunk in on herself as she felt the eyes of almost everyone in the arena on her.
Tarensen touched his throat before speaking with a voice that carried over the entire stadium. “You’ve seen sorcery before, haven’t you? Stop staring with your mouths open. The girl has a talent with energy magic, you’ve all seen things more extraordinary than this.”
At his words the audience seemed to relax, and a few people laughed in relief. It seemed they believed Tarensen’s words and wouldn’t think she was a freak, or at least less of one.
Taija just thanked the gods it hadn’t been demon magic they’d all witnessed, and she was grateful Tarensen could explain away what she’d done.
But still, the fact that she had the power to do that, to make a portal even when even Arch-Realmers struggled. Taija hadn’t forgotten how she’d driven Kalkavan off. That had been a portal too. Could she be sure it hadn’t been a type of demon power she’d used?
Evan and Jed stirred and she ran over to her brother. Brooke and Nova were already helping Evan to his feet, so she did the same with Jed.
Jed looked around, his eyes bleary. “Where am I?” He then seemed to notice her. “Oh, hi. Would you like marmalade on your toast?”
“Uh, what?”
Jed shook his head, appearing to snap out of it.
“Just relax,” she told him. “You hit your head hard.”
“You!” Evan shouted, his voice angrier than she’d ever heard it.
At first she was filled with a horrible dread and thought Evan was addressing her, but then she saw Sypher standing metres away. Unlike Jed, Evan had no problem remembering what had happened.
“You did this, you monster!” Evan shrugged Nova off and ran at Sypher, but Tarensen stepped in and held him back.
“Calm yourself, Evan.”
“No, that maniac unleashed the Oni on purpose. I’m gonna kill him.”
Sypher raised his hands innocently, his expression full of fake concern. “I had no idea that would happen. Honestly.”
Evan opened his mouth to say something, but shut it after remembering how many people were around him. Taija suspected he’d been about to accuse Sypher of trying to bring out his demon magic.
“You broke the damn rules?” Nova snarled. “You tried to kill one of my players, all because of a game?”
“Kill? Of course not,” Sypher said smoothly. “Besides, I only used a Battle Sphere. It’s technically not against Arengi rules.”
“Yes it is,” said Nova. “The only weapons we’re allowed is our Veneseron-issued one.” She brandished her sword at him.
“Ah, but combatants have sneaked in weapons before.” Sypher pointed out. “There are many instances in historical matches. Hell, my ancestor Septimus once snuck a dragon egg into a game where it hatched and eliminate
d players on both teams. But I am truly sorry.”
“Where did you get the Oni from?” Aqenna demanded. “They’re one of the most dangerous creatures in all the realms and we don’t keep any in the Fortress.”
“I didn’t know the Battle Sphere held an Oni inside it.” Sypher shrugged. “I merely saw it in the weaponry room this morning and thought it would come in handy. If I knew it held such a dangerous beast I’d have never touched it. On my life, I swear. Besides, everyone still would’ve been safe from the Oni if that sensor hadn’t blown during the game. You all saw that was clearly an accident. I didn’t intentionally do anything wrong.”
“Liar!” Evan spat.
“Enough!” Tarensen’s unnaturally wan face had gone whiter with rage as he stalked toward Sypher, although his voice was no longer magnified as it had for the audience.
“As I can’t prove you destroyed the sensor on purpose, and as you are technically correct about the Battle Sphere,” Tarensen said through ground teeth. “I cannot banish you from the Fortress. But as you put the opposite team in extreme danger just to win a game, as you claim. I can still punish you severely.”
Tarensen turned back to her and placed a hand on her shoulder, muttering quietly. “Do not worry about your actions. I’ll inform my father and he’ll likely speak with you shortly.”
She simply nodded and Tarensen strode away.
“With me, now!” he barked, beckoning Sypher to follow as he marched across the Arena.
Sypher hung his head and followed, as if accepting his punishment, but Taija thought she saw the glimmer of a smirk as he left.
Evan watched him go, his expression full of unbridled rage. It was the complete opposite of how the quiet, kind-natured boy she’d known so far. It scared her. Though not as much as she scared herself.
*
Lok took a drag from his pipe. He wasn’t supposed to be smoking in the Archives, and he’s caused one of the books nearby to start coughing, but he wasn’t particularly bothered. The historians who wandered the colossal library were supposed to keep an eye on things, but Lok hadn’t seen any of the decrepit fools since he arrived. They were probably off chasing the books who’d tried to escape into the forest.
Angels and Elves- Act I Page 17