Jinx muttered her incantation as she cast Demon Fire. A moment later, sparks erupted from her fingertips which were pointed at the anti-paladin. Streaks of fire slammed into her rival.
Demon Fire blasted her for 4 hp of damage, bringing her down to 21.
"How does that feel, bitch." Jinx smiled as she heard her scream with boiling hate.
"How dare you, subordinate!" She whirled around and withdrew her two handed sword.
The sword looked like it could cleave her in half.
A second later, Demon Fire ticked another 4 points of damage on the unholy warrior, leaving her with 17. She snarled like an enraged beast and rushed ahead, lifting up her sword with a murderous look on her face.
Jinx dodged at the last second. She felt the rush of air wash over her, slicing through her hair as it passed by. That was close! Her heart thundered in her chest as more blood dripped from her nose.
Demon Fire chewed through another hp. Just 1, though! Maybe she needed to reapply it. Now she was down to 16!
There was no way her spells could overcome a fighter like her. There had to be some way other than using her dot over and over.
"I'm going to kill you very slowly, whelp." There was an evil gleam in her eyes as they faced each other.
"Oh really? I've heard that before." Jinx glanced around, looking for an advantage as the shopkeeper moved all the valuable stuff out of their way.
There had to be a weapon she could use. Whoever heard of a magic user without a staff or wand? Her heart pounded as desperation filled her.
Aha! Maybe I could use that. Jinx snatched a crystal, dragon-headed skull wand and pointed it at her enemy.
"You ARE going to pay for that, right?" The merchant growled.
Jinx's violet eyes twinkled with devilish mirth. "Yeah, sure. Take it out of the dead paladin's coin purse."
The anti-paladin attacked using that opportunistic diversion to her advantage. The sword gleamed in the crystal's glowing lanterns. She swung quickly and Jinx was too distracted to avoid the razor-sharp blade.
She cried out and staggered back as she felt its painful bite rip through her belly. 3 hp vanished from her health pool just like that. Down to 7, she felt a cold, clammy feeling shoot through her.
Taking a deep breath, she carefully aimed the dragon skull wand toward the evil paladin. Before she could react, a bolt of black lightning streaked toward her rival, slamming into her chest, draining 4 hp from her health bar, leaving her with just 12.
Jinx reapplied Demon Fire with a wave of her fingers. She then dodged the sword strike, hoping she'd win this battle.
Demon fire struck the anti paladin, whisking away 5 hp, leaving her with just a sliver of health. Jinx's heart danced as she realized suddenly that she might actually win this fight. Did she dare hope? The consequences - to her body, soul and - most importantly - ego - were far too severe to accept.
She must win!
Jinx's opponent pulled back her sword, gnarled up her face and - with a shrill scream - swung with all her might. It was a glancing blow as Jinx barely dodged at the last second. However, the sword sliced 4 hp from her. Leaving her with just 2!
This was a battle to the death. Neither opponent could back down now. The stakes were too high and the adrenaline was too strong. Who would strike the killing blow first? That was the only question.
Jinx paled as she realized that they could both die and their bodies be enslaved.
I must win!
Jinx steeled her resolve and called upon a reserve of energy that she didn't know she possessed. She aimed the dragon skull toward the evil paladin, her hands shaking like a dead leaf in the wind. However, before she could blast her with the dark energy, the paladin attacked, her face contorted in pure rage.
For one, brief moment, their eyes locked and the power and ferocity Jinx saw within sent a chill through her body.
Jinx jumped back to avoid the unholy warrior's attack. Her foot stumbled over a wrinkle in the carpet and she smashed to the ground, causing the paladin to miss badly.
As the paladin crashed by her, Jinx rose her dragon-skull wand opportunistically. One shot. She was likely to only get one shot before the paladin would turn and crush her skull. Time seemed to slow to a crawl as her unsteady hands aimed at the paladin's back. She counted to three as she needed to make this shot count.
One.
Two.
Three.
Just as the paladin re-gained her footing and whirled around, murder in her eyes, Jinx released the dark energy from the dragon wand. Her heart stopped and her eyes went wide as she saw the paladin recognize what was coming and try to dodge it.
"No!" Jinx screamed.
That was just enough distraction to cause the paladin to freeze just long enough for the bolt to find its mark, dealing 5 hp damage and dropping her to the floor.
Jinx laughed, rising to her feet, feeling victory pulse through her in wild waves, as she finished the task before her. Her foe was dead! Pumping her fist into the air, a scream of victory emerged from her lips.
"Good job. Now are you going to pay for the damages?" The merchant inquired, tapping her foot on the ground.
"Quest complete. You've gained 50 xp points." The computer announced.
Ding! You are now level 2.
5 reputation gained from the Dark Sisterhood.
15 reputation lost from Slayers of Light.
Rep! She'd forgotten about that!
She'd have to polish up her knowledge about these two factions. Were they in the same town?
"Next Quest "Paying your Debt."
She accepted it without thinking.
Kneeling down, she rummaged through the corpse and smiled. There were three silver and a crystal. Nice.
"How are you going to pay for this?" The merchant barked, motioning around the room.
A wicked smile played on her lips.
"I keep the coins and crystal and you get her armor. Fix it up and you could sell for a lot."
The merchant looked up at the rafters, tapping her cheek with her fingers. Time slowed to a crawl and Jinx thought she'd never agree to it.
The shopkeeper sighed heavily. "Agreed. But I need that skull wand back."
"Quest complete "Paying Your Debt. You've gained 50 xp."
Jinx looked on her xp bar and saw she was almost up another level.
"Why? I want it." Jinx played hardball. She really did want that wand.
"Do you have the money to pay for it?"
"No, but isn't the woman's body mine since I killed her?"
"Yes. But you killed her in my shop." The shopkeep explained.
"Unprovoked attack!" Jinx countered.
"Then get her out of here."
"What if I give her to you in exchange for the dragon skull?" Jinx could feel the power of the skull as tingles of its power raced through her.
My name is Keylos. The skull elected to speak to her. Keylos's deep, powerful, masculine thoughts penetrated hers.
The merchant mulled it over, tapping her foot.
Keylos had chosen her and she liked being chosen by such a powerful object. It wasn't a good idea to let something like this slip by.
"What good would she do me?" She demanded to know.
"Think! Wouldn't a minion increase your standing?"
She nodded.
"She wouldn't eat, sleep, complain and do what you said forever. All for a skull."
They'd both be the winners of the deal and, more importantly, she'd gain an ally she was sure.
The shopkeeper smiled slightly. "Agreed."
They shook on it.
"You're Jinx. I'm Leelitha." She beamed a friendly smile.
"Could you do me a favor?" Leelitha, the merchant, leaned her elbows on the counter.
"What?"
"Go to the necromancer's place in the graveyard outside the town's borders. Could you do that for me?"
The quest "Get the Necromancer for Leelitha" popped up.
"Sure."
Jinx had to admit she was curious to know how the necro would rez her into a subservient minion. She listened to the instructions given her before setting out.
She strode through the town as people carried on with their lives around her. Pushing open the rusty gates, she passed through the silent tombstones.
"What do you want, youngling?" The door opened and a stooped-over old woman emerged.
"Quest complete. 50 xp gained." There was 450 xp more to go to get to 3rd level.
Jinx loved that sound which rang through her head. She had reached first level and saw that her hp had increased from ten to twenty. She needed to reach one thousand xp to reach the next level.
"You're needed at the Magic and Wonders shop. Leelitha wants you to rez a dead anti paladin." Jinx said.
"Oh, really?" The hag rubbed her bony hands together, grinning a wicked smile. Her red eyes gleamed like the fires of hell. "Pray, tell me about it."
Jinx cringed, but composed herself. With the amount of power this woman held, Jinx was very wary of her.
She explained in great detail of the fight - of course making her heroics and bravery even greater than it really was.
"Good, good." The old woman crowed. "I'll need a few items first. Would you gather them for me?"
"I will. What do you need?"
Quest accepted "Gather herbs for the Necromancer."
"Five witch weed, eight fox tail and four golden flower." The necromancer's tone was if she didn't expect much of her.
Jinx turned and walked down the path into a field as she checked her map. She clicked her quest and saw three circles where the plants grew.
The ebony heavens glowed with dancing lights of red, green and blue among the stars. Jinx was taken aback at the reality of the game.
Crickets sang to the heavens as she walked toward the first area as she searched for the herbs.
What uses were these plants for? Did she cut them up and make a potion to drink before she used her powers to rez the body? Did she make an incense to burn over the body, preforming the ritual?
She'd have to watch the process and learn what she could.
"Foxtail." She scanned over the herbs and plants.
Foxtail was a tall, thin reed which looked like a red bushy tail.
There! She spotted it! There was a clump of them growing near what looked like a small village.
Carefully, she picked her way through the village. She saw three foot-tall creatures with pointy ears and protruding muzzles who were slouched over. Their scaly tails lashed over the ground as they walked around the area of town.
A gentle song flowed through the air as a child whimpered. Some creatures sat outside their huts, making spears. To her, they looked as though they'd be used as darts instead of spears.
She crept near the clump of foxtail as she watched the guards appear from one hut and trod closer to her.
Jinx knew she could take them on, but wanted to get this over with. She dropped out of sight and waited.
They conversed as they walked past her. She watched them warily, hand on her wand just in case.
Pressure built within her as she itched to reach out and pluck the plants swaying in the breeze. Finally, she could hold back no longer and plucked the one directly in front of her.
Suddenly, there was a high-pierced whistle from the reed which made her heart jump. The two guards whirled on the balls of their feet and screamed something unintelligible.
Oh great!
Both had fifteen hp each.
Lifting up her wand, she quickly put a dot one one, draining 1 hp from the trogg, who peeled back his lips into a snarl. He charged at her with glowing, golden eyes. His companion followed with the same rage.
She pointed the dragon skull at him and the dark energy blasted forth and streaked to the trogg. The energy knocked him back, dealing ten hp, slamming him into the dirt for two more.
The stunned trogg staggered to his feet as his companion lunged.
His friend hurled his small spear. It arced through the air, piercing her shoulder as two of her hp slipped from her and pain shredded her body.
They may be small, but they hurt! Gritting her teeth, she blasted him with Demon Fire, dealing three damage. Jinx fired her dragon skull, blasting him with its dark power for six hit points more, then she hit him with Demon Fire again, draining two more from him.
He looked around for his companion and saw that he'd fallen. With eyes as wide as twin moons, he gazed at her.
Shrieking, he spun around and bolted toward his town.
She blasted him again and felt satisfaction as she noticed she'd gained fifty xp each for killing them. Jinx saw that the others were coming to the piercing whistling of the foxtail.
She sighed, battling two emotions fighting within her. One urged her to fight the twenty or so troggs who rushed toward her. The other told her to quickly grab the plants she needed and high-tail it out of there.
She calculated the odds of her winning and melded into the shadows, away from the village. She needed to complete this quest and then she'd learn to summon her imp.
It took an hour and when she was finished, she was sore all over from fighting mobs and gathering plants. She earned three hundred xp from killing swamp rats, troggs and feral foxes as she gathered up everything she needed.
"Ah...good you brought them." The old lady snatched them from her hand.
"Quest complete."
The words passed through her vision as 200 xp was given her.
Ding!
She was third level! Jinx gained five more hp, bringing her to twenty. She was wiser and had the confidence she could handle this.
"Congratulations, child." There was warmth in the old woman's eyes as she placed a hand on her shoulder.
"Thanks."
"Now, follow."
Jinx was led by her curiosity as she followed the old hag into the shop. Leelitha greeted the Necromancer with a bow as she ushered her into the back room.
There lay the body on a table in the cramped room with supplies stored on the shelves. Heaviness filled the air in the musty room.
As the Necro chanted in a low, sing-song voice, a bluish light appeared over the body, rotating counter-clockwise as she spoke in a language of grunts, growls and hisses, rising in pitch and dropping to a whisper.
Chills exploded along her spine as she watched the process of rezzing the dead to its new incarnation of un-life. The evil paladin's bones crackled, sounding like dry tinder being snapped as she sat up.
Jinx jerked back as fear constricted around her heart, making it impossible to breathe. Flushing, she tightened her jaw, pushing the fear from her and continued to watch the dark ritual.
"Awaken!" The Necromancer intoned, rising thin spider-veined arms toward the heavens.
The corpse snapped open her milky blue eyes and glared at the necromancer. With a savage snarl, she sprang toward the the old woman with her fingernails flaying through the air.
There was a blast of energy which knocked the undead back. The Necromancer snapped her fingers and ghostly chains wrapped around her.
The corpse's unearthly voice screamed as Leelitha clapped her hands over her ears and fell to her knees. Jinx gritted her teeth until they creaked, refusing to give in to the shriek that fought to explode from her mouth.
The Necromancer hissed and locked eyes with the undead, battling for dominance. When the zombie finally lowered her head, the old woman withdrew a glowing crystal and touched her on her forehead as the corpse mumbled something unfathomable to Jinx's ears.
Jinx shivered as the undead sniffed the musty air, then snapped her head, glaring at her. The dead glare punched her in the chest as fear spread its icy tentacles through her body.
Her lips moved, but no words came out.
Jinx lifted her crystal skull as the creature charged at her with malevolent fury.
Chapter 5 ***
Stepping back, she pointed her dragon skull at the zombie. The hag gave a toothy grin
before compelling the zombie to halt with a sharp command.
The undead stopped, even though Jinx saw in her eyes the deadly hate she held for her. Jinx smiled, folding her arms across her breasts.
"Minion. You are mine to sell or do anything I wish to you. This crystal has power over you and I hold it."
The zombie hissed and lowered her head.
The crone walked over to Leelitha and placed it in her palm. She stared the merchant in the eyes.
"Don't lose this or else you'll pay with your life or soul."
Leelitha nodded, then looked toward her minion with a glint of power.
With a dry chuckle, the hag turned and left the small shop. Jinx watched her stroll down the street before she made her way back to the graveyard tower.
"I'm ready." Jinx laid the candle and chalk on the desk.
"It looks like you had an adventure." Drizilla inspected her items. "They'll do."
"When can I start?"
"How about now?"
She followed her mentor into a spacious room.
"Draw this inscription on the floor and make it perfect. If you have to do it over a hundred times to make it satisfactory, then do so. After that, read this book and I'll give you further instructions."
Hours dragged by as Jinx worked on the inscription with her knees screaming and her hands sore. Her back sang like piano keys being played by the fingers of pain.
She started the diagram over, knowing how deadly serious this undertaking was. From all the books she'd read, it had to be done right. If not, she might not live or worse - become a demon's slave.
She'd learned about demons and now she was going to summon one. She couldn't believe it! All the books she'd read on demons, now she'd have her own. One master, one minion.
A name floated into her consciousness as she drew nearer to completion and it grew stronger.
Aku? What type of name is that?
There was a dark connection she could feel, but not explain. It grew so strong it was palatable. Explosions of energy pounded through her body.
Jinx dragged herself to her feet once she had completed the task. She wanted nothing more than to collapse into a soft, comfortable bed. Putting one foot in front of the other, she grabbed the book and started reading.
Demons of the Dark Online Part 1 Page 3
