Act of a Demon: The Dark Bloods - Book II ✓

Chapter 5 - Recycled Words

5.

Recycled Words

Auronmar's castle had moved once more. The fortress stood still only for a few hours at one time, usually to allow Gahn to train Reyna and Dante outside its walls. During such times, decoy castles were deployed to further prevent enemies for honing onto the real one. They were Illusions conjured up by Auronmar and held up strongly despite his possible thousands or ten thousands of miles distance from them.

The current location of the true structure was devoid of trees. Even the horizon held no promise of them. The scenery was a strange sight of only green and black like they were the only colors in existence.

Reyna sat alone on the grass, about a mile away from the castle's long walls. She was waiting, and had been for about five minutes, for Dante so they could do their planned one-on-one sparring.

An approaching pulse of Magika was felt, but it wasn't Dante's. It was weak, a wandering lower demon that hadn't chosen a side in the war. Reyna sat immobile, curious of its course of action. All that could be seen was a sea of green, but she could still envision the demon.

It was small and hunched over like a primate with arms webbed with wings that protruded like little sails by its sides. Legs, stunted and angled out like a goat's, quickly gave way to three clawed toes. Its head that bobbled with its run was triangular and framed by long, pointy-ended ears. When it finally came into view, its black fur could be seen covering its entire body.

As Reyna continued to watch, blue mist erupted from her and solidified around her body. It outlined her like an azure suit of transparent armor that gave a blue glow to her black and white baseball tee and jean shorts. The armor capped over her hair and facial features. Individual eyelashes, cracks in her lips, and even her cornea were covered with it but remained unhindered. It was all as natural as her own skin.

The demon launched at Reyna as soon as it saw her. She observed the fiend as it zoned in on her. It only needed to a few more feet. Still seated, Reyna threw her arm up and released a blue crescent blade the length of her raised limb. It raced and met the lower demon, splitting it in half from head to crotch. Upon hitting its target, the attack disappeared.

Reyna at last got up and walked to the demon. It momentarily stood, intact, on its feet before slumping to the ground with a soggy squish. The halves were cleanly sliced, including the odd colored organs that sloshed out. They stewed within the demon's purple blood like a grotesque soup.

"Why couldn't ya have done that at practice the other day, cutie?" Gahn's cheery voice was accompanied by his soft footsteps on the lush grass. He eyed the corpse. "Though that one doesn't count. It's too easy."

Reyna turned to him, unsurprised by his appearance. She had sensed his approach since before she even dealt the death blow.

The azure armor dissipated. "Yeah, I know," she said as her hand shot up to her neck. The choker Amon gave her so long ago no longer resided there. Its amulet had cracked and the necklace had fallen within months after her arrival to the demon world. Also gone was the bracelet around her wrist, probably a fallen casualty during her one of her training sessions. Reyna held no relics of remembrance of the past.

"What is it?" Gahn asked her, sensing her distress.

"When is Auronmar gonna tell us what's going on?" she abruptly asked. "He hasn't even shown his face to us for over a year! What's happening back home? When can we see it? What's the point of him even wanting to train us?"

"Ya know I'm ordered not to tell ya that," he softly said.

"Why?"

Gahn looked at her. "Ya know why. So ya can concentrate on ya training."