Heather the Necromancer

Book 5: Chapter 32: Demon or Devil

Everyone on the ship went silent as a transformation swept over Heather and left her looking very much like somebody else.

Heather? Frank whispered to avoid the crew hearing the use of her name.

She opened her eyes and smiled before nodding to put him at ease.

Its still me, she said and looked past him to the onrushing darkness. She came to the railing on the edge of the ship and looked down at the searing glass.

What are you planning to do? Breanne asked in alarm.

Well, I am a devil now, so I am hoping it will chase me, Heather replied.

Why would you want it to chase you? Blackbast asked as she turned on Heather. Is this one of your foolish plans?

I am an infernal, and I wont burn on the glass, Heather said defiantly. I can jump down and lead it away before it wrecks the ship and everyone dies.

If it can catch the ship, it will run you down in seconds, Blackbast pointed out as her ears twitched irritably.

Then I will fight and try to kill it, Heather replied as a towering shadow fell over her. She looked back to see her bone champion standing at the ready, his eyes glowing with green flames. "I also have a backup who won't burn as well."

Where in the burning blazes did he come from? That captain called with a hand pointed to the Bone champion.

Heather turned back and quickly explained that she used a spell to summon a death knight friend. The captain then pressed her on what happened to her. She dismissed it as a magical illusion to make her look like a devil. She planned to use the disguise to lure the beast away and save the ship. The answers didnt seem to put him at ease, but he nodded his head let her get on with business.

So, what are the rest of us supposed to do?" Quinny asked. "Were not going to run away and leave you to die.

Heather understood her concern and realized it would be pointless to try and convince them to run. "Those of you who can shoot spells and weapons at it," she said and turned to the captain of the ship. Does this ship have any weapons?

Weapons?" he repeated with a laugh. "We don't run into anything on the glass. Nothing can survive out here."

So no, Heather answered for him. Are any of your crew spell users?

Oh yes," the man said and whistled for his crew. Heather watched as they assembled into a small pack and waited patiently. The captain then nodded to a tall man and told him to go ahead. The man blinked his single eye and threw out his hands as he chanted a magical phrase. Then, in a flash of light of the captain and crew were gone, leaving Heather stunned.

They abandoned us? Frank asked as he looked around.

Blackbast growled and cursed under her breath. That coward will find my temple cold to his visits. She looked around the ship before turning to Heather with a frown. I know how to steer such a vessel, but what do you plan to do?

Try not to die," Heather answered and held up her scythe. "I have a spell that hits hard. I am going to see if I can kill it or drive it away."

You're talking about that skull spell," Breanne interjected. "Where do you plan to get a skull?"

I have a few ideas, Heather replied with a smile. Now that the crew is gone, I don't have to hold back. I can summon all the skeletons I want and let my necromancer powers fly."

What about your devil powers?" Quinny asked, causing Heather to pause.

Heather looked shocked as she stared down at the blue ring on her finger. "I hadn't thought to look at those, and I don't have time to study it now." She looked to Blackbast, who was taking her place at the wheel, and asked if she was ready. Blackbast assured her she could steer the ship and asked Heather what she wanted to be done. Heather laid out a plan where she would keep the monster's attention while the ship passed by and her friends fired spells from the deck.

But Quinny and I don't have long-range spells," Frank said as Heather tensed.

I'm sorry, Frank, but this is the only way to save the ship and protect the egg. If that monster kills me, you guys turn away and head for the edge. I will catch up when I respawn."

What if the egg is what its after? Frank asked. It isnt going to stop chasing us after it kills you. We should put the egg in the room and try fighting it from the ship.

Heather understood his concern, but she was nearly certain it was the crown the beast was after. With a smile, she ran a hand over his chest plate and vanished in a puff of green smoke.

Heather arrived on the glass in a green flash and leveled her scythe. She was relieved that the searing heat caused her no discomfort and broke into a full run. Ahead of her, the billowing clouds of black rolled forward, and red eyes glared out from just inside. She heard the monster roar and saw that gaze shift to her as she rushed ahead, trailing black smoke from the scythe's blade. Behind her came the bone champion who hurried after her as fast as he could. She used the teleport to get well ahead of him and tried to focus on her plan even as fear shook her nerves.

"This is crazy," she growled to herself as the distance between the two narrowed. The storm of red lighting seemed to be swallowing the world around as the glass shook from the demon's thunderous steps. As the darkness reached around her, she channeled with blue light, and a wall of jagged bones appeared before her. She made it taller than the red eyes in the darkness and focused on it being extra thick. There was a tremendous crash, and right away, the wall cracked as Heather stepped away and focused her gaze on the glass around her. "Rise and serve!" she called in a commanding voice, the blue glow of her scythe arching with electricity that danced on the glass. All around her, the glass cracked and shattered as arms of bones reached for the open air. In moments skeletons clawed their way out and instantly began to smoke and smolder from the intense heat.

The wall shook again, buckling and cracking as bones fragments splintered into the air. Heather wasted no time in raising her scythe and, in one fluid motion, beheaded one of her skeletons.

I'm sorry," she cried and rushed to pick up the skull. "But you guys aren't going to last long, and I need spell components." She picked up the skull and ordered all but two of the skeletons to delay the demon as long as they could. A moment later, the wall exploded in a hail of bones as a towering black form roared in rage. Heather vanished in a green flash, appearing on the glass twenty meters away, and quickly held the skull between two hands.

Lets see if this hurts, she said and began to cast, the skull beginning to glow with unholy fire. The scythe began to glow again as she overcharged the spell, drawing on its power until engulfed by flames. Then she turned it loose as the demon stomped one of her burning skeletons. The skull produced a shrill wail and left a comet-like trail of flames and smoke as it tore through the air. The demon looked up at the sound but was too slow to avoid the impact. The skull exploded in a tremendous blast that produced a glass-shattering shock wave immediately around it. The monster stumbled back, but from what she could see, it was barely injured. The two remaining skeletons ran across the glass to her side, burning and charring in the terrible heat. She quickly cut another skull free and picked it up to focus once again, her eyes blazing green as she channeled.

The demon was suddenly wreathed in flames, and the world around her went red with light. She felt a terrible tingling sensation wash over her body and was thrown back as thunder roared in her ears. She twitched on the glass as the slow realization that she had just been struck by lightning sunk in.

That. Hurt," she groaned as she tried to roll to her hands and knees. She crawled to her scythe as the glass shook under thunderous footsteps. "Now would be a good time to save me!" she cried and used the scythe to stumble to her feet. Her prayer was answered as her bone champion ran past her and raised its towering shield. She looked up and saw the towering four-armed monstrosity bearing down on him without a shred of concern. The beast raised a powerful clawed foot and stomped with terrible force. Her bone champion blocked the blow with its shield, but the impact buckled him to this knees and then into the glass as it crumbled under him.

Get away from him!" Heather yelled and filled the air all around the demon with golden pollen. She searched the glass to see a skull burning in the intense heat. She used the teleport to arrive beside it and picked up to resume her spell. Her eyes could see through the pollen as the demon attempted to clear the air giving her the perfect shot.

She channeled until the air around her body began to glow blue, and her feet lifted from the glass. Electricity arced off her body as her arms shook to contain the power flowing into the skull. When she let it fly, the shrill scream it made was deafening, and its flames were now purple and blue. The pollen cloud was dispersed in a colossal impact that threw the demon back to crash into the glass.

A hail of black darts followed it, and she looked up to see Breanne flying above the heat and doing her best to help. A familiar grinding sound filled her ears, and she saw the glass cutter racing in with Legeis in his armor standing on the deck. As the ship raced by, he fired rockets and bombs in a massive salvo. The munitions exploded on and around the monster that even now thrashed in rage.

Heather gripped her scythe and channeled again, calling out for even more skeletons to rise and serve. This time the glass all around her shattered as arms of bone clawed out for a considerable distance. She easily summoned fifty creatures and ordered them to kill the beast even as their bones began to smoke.

The bone champion was first to the monster, his sword blazing with green flame as he cut at a massive leg. The demon quickly recovered from his shock and swatted the champion away before rolling to one side. All around it, more arms of bone broke through the glass and grabbed at its flesh, trying to hold it in place as skeletons swarmed over it like ants.

Skeletons died by the dozens as the monster put its four arms and great strength to use. Heather saw a chance and teleported to a skull that was sliding across the glass, quickly picking it up and going into another channel. The demon threw two arms wide, and a ring of orange symbols circled its body before a wave of fire rushed out in every direction. Skeletons fell over in burning heaps, and even her bone champion stumbled away in a ball of flames. The beast then came to its feet, its red eyes focusing directly on her. Even as she began to glow blue, her world turned red again, and she was thrown back, tingling from a second lightning bolt. She slid across the glass, her clothing smoldering until coming to a halt on her face.

Why dont I have lightning? she groaned as her head lifted from the glass. She blew the hair from her face and looked around to get her bearings. The demon was up and stalking her way. Her bone champion was also up and rushing in from the side with smoke trailing in his wake. Breanne was well to the side, casting a large black ray of energy that seemed to hardly bother the beast. The ship was nowhere to be seen beyond the massive wall of black that flashed with red lightning.

Struggling to her hands and knees, she sang out the words of her pulsing heal. As the soothing energies began to course through her body, she staggered to her feet. Her bone champion engaged the monster and caused it to turn on him by breathing a line of green flames. The demon punched downward with a fist and sent the hapless minion soaring.

With deep pants, she came to her feet and reached a hand up for her scythe. The weapon flew to her grasp as the beast before her roared and thundered. She focused on his steps and, in a green flash, arrived beside his leg. She cut with the scythe, spilling black ichor-like blood before vanishing in another flash to arrive well behind him. The monster turned about, but if her cut had caused any discomfort, it didn't show it. She saw its eyes begin to glow and vanished in another flash as lightning crashed down where she once had been. This time she was behind it and slashed at the leg behind the knee. More blood spilled, but the monster turned about with terrible speed, and a fist rushed down to crush her. She was gone in an instant to arrive on the glass by her champion. She quickly cast amend the dead and got him back up to help her face the terrible threat. It was here that the demon finally took notice of Breanne and reached out an open hand. The black clouds of the storm seemed to obey its call and formed into a massive hand that reached for the banshee. Heather shouted a warning, but Breanne couldn't react in time. She was engulfed in a fist of blackness that then flashed with red. It broke apart to reveal Breanne falling to the glass.

No!" Heather yelled and ran as if to catch her. Breanne was still in her ghost form when she hit the surface and passed into it to vanish from sight. Heather came up short, unsure what to do when a hail of rockets erupted from the storm behind the monster. The ice cutter raced out of the clouds dangerously close to the beast that turned to glare its way. Heather watched in horror as lightning danced across the deck, setting the ship on fire.

What are you following me for!" she yelled and vanished in a green flash. She reappeared mid-air beside him and sliced with her scythe cutting a gouge in the beast's side. It lashed out with an arm, but she was already gone, arriving on the glass dozens of steps away to pick up a blackened skull. The demon turned her way as its eyes flared with light. She vanished before the lightning hit and arrived behind it, the skull beginning to glow. All around her, the glass smoldered with bones charring in the intense heat, but suddenly there was snow.

She looked around in alarm to see there was a wind of white frost blasting down from the ship's deck. Blackbast had pulled the ship to a halt about two dozen paces behind, and Legeis was holding the blue egg out while Umtha chanted a spell drawing energy from the strange object. It raced in a cone of swirling air causing the glass around it to frost over, cracking in the rapid temperature change suddenly. Frank and Quinny jumped from the deck and landed on the cooling glass, rushing to join the fight to her utter delight.

The demon turned around just as she loosed the skull. The impact was close enough that she was blown off her feet, and the demon once again staggered away in a roar. The air filled with a high-pitched wail as Breanne rose from the glass. She screamed with all her might, causing the monster to stumble away from her. This drove it into her bone champion, who swiped at a thigh and caused another injury. Suddenly the beast was surrounded as Frank leaped and collided with it. A group of zombies led by Quinny was swarming around its legs, and Breanne began attacking it from above.

Heather used her teleport to close the distance and arrive mid-air behind the monster's back. A mighty slash-cut a line through its black stone-like skin before she teleported away to arrive on the glass on the other side. It looked as if it was going well, but suddenly the monster threw out its hands, and orange symbols circled its body. Before Heather could cry out, an aura of flame erupted all around it, and her friends were thrown back, burning with demonic fire.

Stop hurting my friends!" she shouted and ran across the glass with the scythe in both hands. The monster turned on her and reached out a hand as a hail of burning rocks began to rain down. Heather teleported out of the barrage and arrived knee-high to swipe. Unfortunately, the monster was faster this time, and a great fist intercepted her, and she was thrown back to slide across the glass and collide with Frank.

Heather? he said as she came to a halt.

Is that thing technically living? she asked as he picked her up.

I guess so, Frank replied and steadied her on her feet. Why?

Because nobody else is, she replied as her eyes began to glow blue. I need a distraction. Can you keep it occupied?

I can try," he replied and charged past her. Quinny joined his side, rushing in with sword in hand as blue light grew to blinding luminance behind them. Breanne was up as well and let loose with another wail before darting away from a mighty fist. Frank leaped into the monster's side and began to tear away at the flesh as Quinny buried her glowing sword into its leg. The monster started to thrash about, turning in circles as it lashed out and ignoring the chant Heather was completing. None of them knew what she was doing until a blazing blue scythe appeared out of a green flash and buried into the monster's shoulder.

Recede and rot! Heather shouted as she completed her spell and poured all the energy she was channeling into the beast.

There was an ear-piercing wail as the monster stumbled forward. It reached up with one of its left arms as the right shoulder began to crumble into a sickening black tar. It stumbled forward, coming to one knee and trying to support itself with an arm as the two right ones fell away.

Whoah?" Quinny cried in alarm and ran out of range as the monster gasped and spewed more of the black tar onto the glass. A few moments later, it fell face-first to the glass even as its body continued to break down.

You killed it, Breanne said in alarm as the group gathered to watch.

We killed it, Heather panted. I would have died several times if you guys hadnt helped. She turned and quickly began to cast her mend the dead spells, soothing away their injuries until all were recovered.

Get on ship, now! Umtha called as Blackbast threw a rope ladder over the side.

Heather grabbed hold of Quinny, and in a puff of green, both women were on the deck still smoking from the lightning. "Be right back," she said and returned to glass to snatch up Frank. She deposited him on the deck and returned for her bone champion and rescued him too. With a pant, she turned him loose and went to speak when a noise made her jump.

[Ding!- LilituDevil, level 22! Necromancer, level 16! Recluse level 15, Flower singer level 14]

[Ding!- LilituDevil, level 23! Necromancer, level 17! Recluse level 16, Flower singer level 15]

Whoah, we leveled twice! Quinny laughed.

That thing must have been twice our level or more," Frank replied and looked back at the palanquin. "And thanks to the door, we can go back to our lairs and edit our character sheets."

Heather is amazing, Quinny laughed. She beat something only the strongest players could fight.

I had a lot of help," Heather pointed out as the ship began to move again. "Pity we don't have time to look for its lair. I bet it has a lot of treasure."

It is in the deep sands and surrounded by more demons, Blackbast pointed out. "You would be foolish even to consider looking for it."

I will pass, Heather agreed and suggested they press on for the edge to focus on the egg, which even now Umtha was putting away. She was grateful for her friends and for surviving such a terrible battle. As the ship picked up speed and headed away from the battle Frank, and Quinny went through the magic door to spend their points. Heather remained on deck and ran a finger over the crystal ring. She gaped in awe at the Lilitu devil class and the world of possibilities it provided.

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