Zack shoved Anna aside just before one of the Demon’s halfway insubstantial claws raked through the space she’d occupied from behind. She gasped and stumbled at the same time Zack shoved his [Iron Dagger] directly into the Demon’s chest, or tried. The Demon flowed like mist around both his [Iron Dagger] and his hand, and then, of course, it punched him.

Zack had never flown before. He didn’t realized he had until he came to a rest against a hard tree a moment later, with his back aching and the world spinning. Yet while his limbs tingled, nothing felt broken. He simply couldn’t move.

Some Monsters could paralyze mortals, so it stood to reason Demons could do that too. He was paralyzed, but for how long? And what was a Six-Cursed Demon doing in Grassea?

Demons didn’t challenge mortals until far later up the Leveling ladder, past Level 10 and well into Evolan. Only Monsters roamed starter zones like Grassea ... or so all the books said. Even by the Pantheon’s relaxed standards, Demons were far too dangerous to Adventurers just starting their climb up the ladder.

Zack was vaguely aware of Anna calling up [-Burn-] and unleashing it on the dark form behind her. The Demon breathed the flames in like inhaling a cool mist, then lunged for her. Anna ducked under its attempt to grab her and sprinted away. She was fast, Zack gave her that. If she kept moving at that pace and ran straight back to Wolfpine, she might even escape.

Zack’s eyes widened as Anna diverted from safety and headed toward him instead. The Demon faded to nothing behind her, implying it had once again become invisible and undetectable. It was what Adventurers referred to as a shimmer. Only Adventurers with a high Divinity attribute could see Demons when they went into shimmer, and only magic weapons were truly effective against them.

And Zack, sadly, was fresh out of those.

Anna reached him and shoved both hands below his shoulders. Grunting with effort, she nevertheless managed to wrench him to his feet. She was stronger than he’d expected. The tingling in Zack’s limbs suggested he might be able to move again soon, but not yet.

He stared behind her. “Look out,” he rasped.

The Demon had just come back out of shimmer paces away, and it wasn’t alone. Three more appeared along with it, surrounding them on all sides. While their silhouettes looked almost human, they were obviously not. Their bodies were shadow and their eyes were pits of smoky red. And apparently, if they hit you, they paralyzed you for a period of time.

Glenn, with all the book knowledge he’d stored away, might know what the Demons were. He might even know a way to defeat them. Zack, sadly, knew none of that, only that Anna had come to save him instead of running away into the Deepscorn Woods. He’d been right about her, and that was a comfort ... even if it meant they were likely going to meet the forever death.

At Zack’s waist, in his hip pouch, something burned.

“I’m so sorry,” Anna said quietly. She put her back to the tree and supported Zack with both arms as the Demons blocked them in on all sides. “I feared he’d find me, but not so quickly. But I’ll make sure he spares you. I’ll find a way, no matter what it costs.”

The burn at Zack’s hip grew hotter, yet it wasn’t a burn that seared his skin. It was like the heat of a sun blazing down on a warm day. As his limbs tingled and his legs once again decided to work, Zack slipped a hand inside his hip pouch and confirmed the source of the impossible warmth.

It was coming from the strawberry-sized crystal Xiva had given him in The Mead Beast.

“Hey,” Zack said, as he pulled the crystal from his pouch. “Want to see something neat?”

The moment Zack pulled the crystal for his pouch, light flared. Zack opened his palm to find no less than a miniature sun blazing inside his fingers. The impact on the Demons was immediate.

All four hissed and shrieked as they stumbled backward, away from the light. Better yet, their once seemingly insubstantial forms grew visible and firm. That suggested he could hurt them.

“Light ‘em up,” Zack said calmly.

Anna gasped, released him, and immediately pressed her hands together, fingers and palms moving in a complex pattern. “[-Burn-],” she said vengefully.

She expertly cast her Harmcaster Skill once more. A ball of flame burst from her joined fingers and slammed into the Demon directly ahead. This time, the flames took root. The whole Demon burst into flames. It shrieked angrily, batting at itself as flame seared flesh, as its Health Bar appeared and charred visibly. Not a lot, but enough that it noticed.

The other three Demons stumbled off in all directions, waving their hands like a mortal trying to swat away stinging insects. They entered shimmer as well, leaving no sign they’d manifested save for the charring on the ground ahead. Better yet, Zack could move again.

The crystal in his palm still glowed like a miniature sun.

Anna stared wide-eyed. “Where did you get that?”

“Funny story,” Zack said. “Let’s talk when we’re back in town.”

“Right,” Anna said hurriedly. “Let’s go.”

Zack set off at an easy jog for Wolfpine with Anna right on his heels. The brilliantly glowing crystal faded as they moved, and soon, once they were well in the woods, the light inside it had gone out entirely. Zack couldn’t know exactly what that meant, but given the crystal hadn’t started glowing before the Demons showed up, he’d hope it not glowing meant the Demons were gone.

Still jogging, he risked a few words. “Any idea what those were?”

“Shaitan,” Anna said.

“Bad, I assume?”

“Low-Level Demons, but only by Evolan standards. They’re Level 12 minimum, impossible to damage without magical weapons, and capable of absorbing more than a few Harmcaster Skills before they start taking magical damage. They can also use a paralyzing strike.”

“I noticed,” Zack agreed, eyes scanning the shadows ahead for more demons. “So why are they after you?” He knew better than to trip over a treacherous upturned root. He’d spent enough time running from Monsters in the Deepscorn Woods that he could do it without thinking.

“We was simply the closest mortal target,” Anna said grimly. “Whoever’s after me must have released those Demons by the shrine.”

“Released?”

Anna kept up her brisk jog beside him, breathing evenly. “Unlike Monsters, which require physical restraints, Demons can be captured in enchanted crystals. If one of those crystals is shattered, they break free.”

“So someone released those Demons intentionally to let them do their Demon thing, which was try to eat us,” Zack agreed. Given the Pantheon’s Law of Consent prevented anyone from attacking them directly, that was a surprisingly efficient way to murder someone. “Are you always this popular?”

Anna huffed at his side. “I did warn you.”

“Does this mean you’re leaving Grassea tonight?”

“We don’t have anywhere to go,” Anna said mournfully. “Keep moving. We’ll be safe within the town walls. We’ll figure out something once we get there.”

Once again, Zack’s palm began to burn.

He threw out one arm as he came to a stop. Anna bumped forcefully against his arm before she came to a stop as well. Zack raised Xiva’s crystal which was, once more, glowing in his hand. Two shadows with baleful red eyes hissed as they appeared paces ahead, then scattered into the tree line.

Yet Zack didn’t fail to notice something quite disturbing. The glow from Xiva’s crystal was fainter this time, not nearly as bright as it had been back at the Shrine of Ralun. That suggested that this magical Item, like all magical Items, had a limited number of charges.

And with at least two Shaitan still pursuing them, limited charges weren’t ideal.

“Guess they didn’t like being set on fire,” Zack said. “How fast can you run?”

“Until my legs fall off,” Anna said. “You?”

Zack forced a brave smile he didn’t quite feel. “Let’s find out.”

Zack set off again at the fastest pace he could reasonably manage. Anna easily kept up with him. Yet as Zack’s heart pounded and his legs burned, he knew he was already dangerously close to maxxing out his Vitality. Glenn could likely jog for hours if necessary, but Zack was faster.

Over short distances.

Still, they were being chased by Demons at the moment. The motivation that offered was strong. Zack focused only on not tripping and maintaining his pace as Anna’s labored breathing behind him assured him she was keeping pace. His own breaths weren’t much quieter.

He also knew they didn’t have to run forever. Due to their position in Grassea—almost due west of Wolfpine—it would actually be quicker to reach the town gates than the Safe Road. The Safe Road stretched out from the southern side of Wolfpine, but they were approaching Wolfpine from the west.

There was another good reason to head straight for the gates of Wolfpine. Two alert Town Guards waited at Wolfpine’s gates. They could handle even Demons.

All Zack had to do was get Anna there without getting paralyzed and eaten by a Shaitan, and so long as his shiny little crystal held its charge, he could easily do just that. Though ... he would have a few new questions for Xiva the next time he saw her.

Like why she’d given him a crystal that could stop Demons a day before he ran into them.

==<

An Introduction to Metaphysical Enemies, from Card’s Book of Demons >==

Created by Xiva, Goddess of Shadows, Demons challenge Adventurers in zones of Level 8 and higher. Unlike Monsters, which are firmly rooted in the physical realm, Demons exist in the realm of spirit and only direct manifest in Balarel to cause mischief and do harm. It is once Adventurers begin to encounter Demons that the high Divinity attribute common to casters becomes vitally important.

Just as strong and powerful Monsters are deadly to lightly armored casters whose Skills take time to execute, Demons are deadly to heavily armored, physical warriors with low Divinity and purely physical attacks. Many of their strikes completely ignore physical armor, and most Adventurer weapons can’t directly damage some Demons unless first enchanted.

Worse yet, Adventurers with low Divinity attributes may not even be able to see Demons coming before being attacked. A Party of all physical Adventurers can fall victim to a group of Demons just as easily as a Party of all casters can be overrun by a horde of Monsters. For all of these reasons, having a strong and balanced Party in zones beyond the starter zones of Balarel is essential.

As to matters of Demon intelligence, there is no question that Demons are keenly intelligent and inherently malicious. Unlike Monsters, some Demons are known to speak in mortal tongues and even carry on conversations with the unwary as they lure their prey to their doom. Yet there can be no parlay with Demons, and once engaged, no quarter will be given or expected.