Chapter 17: Nathan of Fury

Zoreon had escaped the firing lights that had flashed around the perimeter of his now doomed army.1

Curses! He thought violently. Even thought they could not die again, unless they were sent back to the underworld, his men were stuck in this life with nothing left.2

Like his soldiers, Zoreon was a heartless demon who took pride in corrupting others, but somehow he couldn’t help but feel a little empathy for them. The demon shook his head and the feeling went away. Zoreon surveyed the magical shield that now surrounded his army.3

How do I…? He shook his head and decided it wasn’t worth risking his own skin. The demon walked back through the trees, sneaking in and out of the shadows.4

Zoreon!5

The voice was so loud that Zoreon thought it came from behind him. He stopped and looked around. The light shield was just a distance away, but no one was there. He continued. He had gone a little ways before he had a funny feeling like he was being followed.6

He stopped walking for a few seconds then slowly turned around. Something had caught him in the shoulder and the demon was thrown back against a tree. Zoreon gasped looking about him.7

Nathan Limpen had shimmered in the darkness right before Zoreon’s eyes. The demon could see that the mage’s face was bright red with fury. Nathan’s arms hung at his sides; his hands were clenched into big tight fists glowing emerald green. Zoreon could tell his emerald eyes held a tiny bit of pain past his anger. Nathan’s appearance seemed to please him which lightened his mood.8

“Well, well, isn’t it the famous Nathan Limpen,” sneered Zoreon. “Come to defeat me?”9

Nathan’s lip curled into a silent snarl, his eyes clawing right through his former student. He ignored the demon.10

“By the way how is your lovely student anyway?” Zoreon teased.11

Nathan glared at his opponent without a reply.12

Zoreon smirked, “you could never truly hide your feelings, Nathan.”13

“And you could never feel at all,” retorted Nathan keeping his voice calm and smooth, “You were always this ignorant and cold hearted. Even before we meet I could always feel you tantalizing other people with your lack of abilities in the art of magic.”14

“You don’t have to rub it in my face I remember, you dolt,” snapped Zoreon. “From then on I never saw you again until you found yourself another one of your brats you call students, and I knew that she would be just like you, a gifted know-it-all that would always be the center of the attention. I was the only one who saw the both of you for what you truly were…a jumbled mess of nothing!”15

“You are just jealous,” stated Nathan, “because William chose me to be apart of his plans of being King.”16

“William,” Zoreon spat, “he’s nothing but a no-good penguin-waddling pumpkin…”17

“King William is twice the man you will ever be!” Nathan defended.18

“That’s right, Nathan,” sneered Zoreon, “you would know. Of course you created that man to be a leader.”19

“He created himself. It was his blood that willed himself to be anything he wanted.”20

“And it’s his blood that will spill for ‘his people.’”21

The mage shook his head, “it doesn’t matter because you won’t win this time.”22

“How you figure that?”23

Nathan pulled out the vile with the extra-strength potion and drank its contents in one easy motion. Immediately Zoreon could feel the affects of the potion. He could feel his magic changing and swirling inside himself almost making him sick. Soon he could no longer feel powerful, but he felt like he was second best. Zoreon felt almost mortal since all the dark magic had fled from his body.24

“Because I now have your magic,” Nathan replied to Zoreon’s former question.25

“No!” the demon screamed.26

“Too late, Zoreon. Your powers don’t exceed mine anymore.”27

Zoreon gritted his teeth to fight his inner pain, “fine is still won’t matter. I may be second best, but you don’t know how to use my magic.”28

“Of course I do,” Nathan replied playfully, “I taught you everything I know. I also know where you got your source for dark magic. Besides you know me, I love to learn new things.”29

Zoreon tried to get to his feet, but his legs were too weak to support themselves so he just collapsed from his exertion. “You won’t be able to…”30

Nathan rolled his eyes and lifted his emerald green hand palm out, letting a bold red light about the width of his hand. The light knocked against Zoreon’s chest forcing him to fly back hitting the stone wall then falling into a corner before he replied, “I’m done listening to your ridiculous palaver.”31

Zoreon’s dark magic felt good throughout Nathan. The dark magic attracted to the mage like a magnet and Nathan didn’t hesitate to absorb it. It clung to every ounce of hatred the mage had been holding on to for the last few years. Memories had crowded around the magic inside of him causing a furry of emotions to fight their way through to the front of his mind. Now the mage was about to let it all out. Nathan almost felt invincible.32

Nathan didn’t give Zoreon a chance to get up or shield himself. The mage fired a rage of jolted magic at Zoreon who was struggling to set up a short green barrier that kept fading in and out.33

Nathan’s magic kept bouncing off the shield. The mage had to duck to avoid being hit back by his own furry. One time Nathan forgot to duck and a stream of black and red magic sent Nathan flying backward. He got to his feet and stood still for a few seconds gaining his balance again. He saw a flash of emerald green out of the corner of his eye. Zoreon’s shield had faded. 34

Zoreon stood in from of him with a raised smoky hand as if he had just used magic. He tried to blast Nathan, but something went wrong and it back fired sending the demon backward.35

As a precaution Nathan shimmered only to reappeared ten feet way from where he had originally been standing. “Having trouble controlling your powers, Zoreon?” he taunted. He watched the mad-man literally pop a blood vessel his anger getting the better of him, but Zoreon refused to reply.36

Zoreon was getting a little bit better at aiming, but sometimes he had completely missed. The demon was a fast leaner, but not quick enough to dodge and fire magic.37

Nathan grew tired of the game. Zoreon had thrown out another beam of light right in front of Nathan missing him by about an inch, but Nathan shielded himself anyway blocking the ray of light so that it bounced off his shield and hit Zoreon in the chest giving himself time to move before he came back.38

As the inexperienced demon got to his feet, Nathan created a new shield with Zoreon’s magic. When he was done, he closed his eyes and concentrated on all his hatred. There was an abundance of hatred he was dying to let out.39

Zoreon tried to attack Nathan by magic once more, but soon realized Nathan had constructed another barrier keeping the demon out. The demon had also noticed that everything went still. Zoreon watched in interest as a great wind had picked up around the mage. It started as a breeze then it grew violently, whipping around Nathan’s cloak and shaking the trees.40

Suddenly the ground began to shake and rumble. Zoreon about lost his balance a few time trying to stand very still. Since he couldn’t get at Nathan he just waited for the mage’s obstreperous performance.41

But the mage wasn’t done. Soon Nathan began to emit an electric curtain that now surrounded him. Streams of lightening crisscrossed the air around the barrier that Nathan had put up. Zoreon watched the flashing beams of light explode into a million little sparks that flew in every which way, not being able to take his eyes off the streaking lights in the darkness. Then without a warning, the light lashed out and hit Zoreon in the chest.42

Nathan opened his eyes just in time to see Zoreon’s whole body light up and start to quaver up and down. The shaking became more aggressive as the demon blew apart from the inside.43

The mage had to draw another barrier to shield him self from the explosion. A few minutes passed by before the light began to fade and he could see again. When the light had vanished completely, Nathan could see that the tiniest of dust particles flittered the now dark forest.44

Nathan scanned the area with his magic, sensing no sign of the demon. His voice shook within a sigh of relief. One deed down two more to go, he thought.