Demonic Weapons – A special type of weapon, born from black magic. Unlike regular animal-people they do not change their forms, their bodies are that of an animal, although built anthropomorphically. They fight using black magic and spells. The only ones able to control them are Delaunay, born with a special birthmark (the so-called Delaunay Birthmark). The capture of wild demonic weapons, however, is done by the specially trained hunters working under the clan’s name all over the world. Capture of the demonic weapons is great importance, because wild and uncontrolled ones contribute to the rising of the Soul Plague. The biggest hunts happen during the mating season, when the unaware younglings are taken away, and later socialized.

Soul Plague – is an infection of the body by black magic, in most cases leading to death. In rest of the cases it causes madness in the infected and murderous impulses. Since the beginning of New Era an obvious decrease in immunity to the plague has been observed. Neither medics nor mages know the answer why. According to the Faith of the Twelve, the reason for this is the death of the deity of purification, which protected the mankind from plagues.

Brisian Language , also called the Common Language – universally used all over the world. In the beginning it was spoken only by animal-people, who with time became part of human societies and began using their national languages. The exact date of Brisian language becoming the common language is unknown. It is estimated that about 98.7% of the world population knows the brisian language in some way, and 95.3% knows it at a communicative level.

~ Universal Encyclopedia of magical issues, 910, Gormilia

Chapter 4

A risky move

Edward was uneasy. Meeting his opponent was very inconvenient. He wasn’t sure if the group standing before him had nothing to do with cannibalism that Arthur told him about. He held his spear tightly in his hands, he was ready to fight. The red-headed girl was still slightly smiling.

“Who are you?” she asked suddenly. Ed noticed that she wasn’t speaking gormilian, but the language common for all countries and people all over the world, brisian.

‘A foreigner…’ he thought.

“I could ask the same of you” he answered without emotion, also in brisian. He knew exactly how and what to say. The redhead sighed a bit.

“Hm, very well then. My name is Aru, I come from Voyca nation. So, now you will introduce yourself to me, or maybe, you actually prefer dishonorable ass beating?”

“Dishonorable?” he asked, not hiding surprise. “If you’re talking seriously, I’m astonished. I’m Edward from Rebellar.”

“Edward.” Her smile widened. “Indeed, I’m talking seriously. I see that you only have one weapon, so I will also use one, but if you cheat, the others will intervene. I’m warning you.”

“Heh, so let it be that way.”

“Lorenzo” she called. After a moment the boy’s body shined with white light, and in a form of a colt pistol he appeared in her hand. Eris and Kyoko moved away. “The rules are simple. If I win, you will give me your seal, but if you win, I will give you mine.”

“Understood.”

Aru shot in his direction with a fast magical bullet, Edward managed to avoid it with difficulty. Now the golden-haired had to focus, he felt that his enemy wasn’t an easy one; the red-haired girl continued shooting, and Ed tried his best to deflect the bullets with his spear. In one moment Aru shot more of them, Ed bounced them back like a pro, although he had to jump away. Then one of the bullets cut his fringe a bit. Ed sighed loudly, tightened the hold on his spear, and started charging. Aru slid her hand on the gun using her magic to strengthen it, Ed quickly got closer and tried to stab her, but then the redhead started shooting again. He got hit with two bullets in his shoulder, bit his lips from pain, and made himself counterattack. He managed to hit his enemy, who tripped and fell to the ground. She got up quickly, though, and moved away from him. She wiped the sweat from her forehead. She felt a bit of pain around her ribs, where he hit her. She glanced at him, he had his hand on his hurt shoulder, and was using magic. It was a spell that Peter taught him, which stopped the bleeding. Aru closed her eyes. She put the colt gun in her other hand and focused her magic, her free hand started burning a second later. Ed’s eyes widened.

“A fire magician…” he whispered to himself. Aru started throwing fireballs at him, at the same trying to shoot with her gun. Ed shielded himself with magic as much as he could, he ran over the whole room that was more and more filled with fire. Aru seemed not to care much about this, she stopped creating fireballs, and started attacking the boy with a stream of fire, like a flamethrower. Eris screamed out when flames almost touched her.

“Withdraw!” commanded Kyoko, who together with the blackhead ran towards their master. They stopped behind her, still observing the battle.

“That’s a bit too much!” shouted Eris to Aru. “You’re gonna burn everything!” “This battle requires sacrifices” she answered calmly. Ed strengthened Kasei with magic, Aru tightened her hold on her pistol. They began getting closer to each other. Fires destroyed everything in their way, yet the opponents were only focused on the battle. Only one of them would have their wish fulfilled, and they knew it well. Ed started running in Aru’s direction, and she was only waiting for the right moment to use the flames raging around her and to shoot her gun. Ed ran, and she waited… When suddenly they heard the sound of cracking glass and a horse’s neighing. Aru got frightened, and the golden-haired stopped. Through the window flew a brown-haired woman on a white pegasus surrounded with black aura. The pegasus stayed in the air, flapping its two pairs of wings. The woman sitting on it licked her bloody hand.

“Well, well.” Laughed the newcomer. “I’ve just finished my supper, and here awaits my dessert!”

“Shit!” shouted Eris. “It’s that mad woman with a demonic pegasus!”

“Is this actually…” thought out loud Edward “…that cannibal?”

“CANNIBAL?!” Lorenzo started shaking under his weapon form. After a moment the pegasus with the newcomer flew out in their direction, everyone jumped away. The brown-haired woman whispered something in its ear, the pegasus laughed with a human voice.

“Understood” replied the horse with a feminine, but low voice. It stretched its wings, and the black aura around it started swirling. It shot with magic in their direction. Aru and her weapons, Edward too, flew out with the wall to the other part of the factory, and all flames created by the redhead went out. They were lying on the ground between the rubble. Kyoko got up first, picked up Lorenzo, and held him tightly in her hands, ready to shoot. Aru got up after a while, and a moment later Ed did too, and picked up his spear.

“Who the hell is this?” he asked out loud.

“One of the players” replied Aru. “We met her when we were heading here.”

“In addition, she has an infected weapon” added the violet-haired. “This shouldn’t be taking place. It’s too dangerous.”

“And on top of that, that stupid pegasus obeys her!” Eris, who just dig herself up from the rubble, got angry.

“Alright!” shouted Aru. “We need to join forces! Eris, change into a weapon, Kyoko will fight using you, while I’ll take Lorenzo.”

“Let me help you” Ed seriously suggested.

“What?” Eris was surprised. “Are you out of your mind? You really think we’ll trust you?!”

“Aru and I wanted a honorable battle. And this woman isn’t your average enemy, if she has an infected magical pegasus. I think it’s logical that we should join forces… It also seems to me that this is the cannibal that one of my friends talked about. It’s terrorizing the city. I wanted to find the culprit, and I think I’ve found them.”

“Hmph!” Eris turned away. “Get out! We don’t need any help! Especially from an enemy, who’s just waiting to take the wish and our heads!”

“DAMNIT!” Ed’s spear screamed out. “SHUT HER UP, OR I’LL TEAR OFF HER EARS!”

“WHAT DID YOU SAY?!” replied angrily Eris. After a moment in their direction flew the next wave of black magic, which they somehow managed to doge. Aru seriously looked at Ed.

“Listen to me, you black-haired brat!” Kasei called out again. “And everyone else! Ed may be an idiot, but he’s not a bad man! He doesn’t plan on killing anyone in this damned game! And you think you will manage to deal with this woman? Haha, I want to see that! Me and Ed wouldn’t manage alone, but if we join forces, we can defeat her. You don’t know how awful this woman’s wish could be! Do you really want someone like her to win? Think about it!”

“Kasei…” whispered Ed, but then he smiled. Aru looked at Kyoko and Eris, the black-haired still looked mad. Fire mage turned her gaze at Edward.

“Alright” she replied. “Edward from Rebellar… let us join forces to defeat her. Until then, let’s call it a truce.”

“So be it. I think I can trust such an honorable person.”

Eris shone with a white light, and turned into a crossbow, which Kyoko took, after giving the pistol into Aru’s hands. They lined up, the pegasus slowly walked towards them, and on his back sat the satisfied brown-haired woman.

“You’re a cannibal?” asked the golden-haired.

“Hah, you thought it out, Mr. Obvious?” She licked her hand again.

“Disgusting…” commented the violet-haired. “To eat people… your own kind…”

“Please. What’s the difference between people and pigs, which they eat for dinner? A pig is as useless as you are. I, at least, make something useful out of you: food.” She laughed crazily. All three, including the weapons, felt disgust. “I’m Catherine. And this is my pegasus, Karia, I’ve found her not long ago, I think she became fond of me.”

“How dare you ride an infected pegasus?” Kyoko sharply asked. “Do you know how dangerous they are? It’s black magic after all!”

“Well, yeah, sunshine. You’re so beautiful, you must taste great. KARIA, ATTACK!”

“Understood!” she replied, stretched her wings and ran in their direction. Aru started shooting, Ed jumped out and ran with Kasei in the pegasus’ direction. Karia quickly kicked Edward sideways though, and Lorenzo’s bullets weren’t much of a challenge for her. She was coming closer to Aru. Kyoko jumped in the front of her mistress, she shot with the crossbow at the pegasus, which stopped for a moment. Catherine took out from the horse’s side the magical arrow, and it started focusing magic again.

“Take it, master.” Kyoko gave the crossbow to Aru, who also began focusing her magic. Ed then got up, although he was pretty beaten up. The violet-haired then began running in the direction of Catherine and her pegasus, their magic collided. And then Ed and Kasei felt shock: Kyoko took out from her body a sword, which she stabbed the horse with. It started neighing, and some blood fell to the ground.

“Now’s our chance, run!” shouted Aru. Ed started running behind her, Kyoko took the sword out of the pegasus and also withdrew. Catherine was angry, but started laughing. She pet the pegasus’ head.

“Easy, easy… We’ll have a chance to eat them again, you’ll see, sweetheart…”