Chapter 71 WHY THEY CALL HIM THE DEVIL'S UPHOLDER
Magnus quickly cast a levitation spell and rose off the ground to end the shaking. It had been driving him crazy. He then watched as his guard took hold of Xyra's arm and pulled her away from the area that was about to become a detonation field. He wasn't going to waste time in a battle today. These demons were going to die in one hit. He'd make sure of it.
The quaking eventually stopped, and Magnus lowered himself to the ground. He touched down just a little and about twenty demons sprung up from the ground. They looked a lot like serpents, their bodies long and sleek. However, they did have arms and legs. They resembled overgrown lizards, but they were a fiery red instead of green. Their eyes were black and unblinking as they stared at the sorcerer that they had circled. He didn't seem bothered by them in the least though.
"Human," began one as it bared its teeth. More and more demons were becoming able to speak, or maybe they had always been able to and just chose not to. It was hard to tell. Most didn't bother conversing with such creatures. "This is our territory. You're trespassing."
"I'm afraid I need to pass through here," Magnus stated calmly. "Is that a problem for you?"
"Yes!" They hissed angrily, all of them preparing to attack the sorcerer.
"Then I guess I'll have to do this the hard way." He went down on one knee and placed a hand on the ground. There was a smirk on his face as he began to mutter a few words.
From a decent distance away, Layton and Xyra were watching as Magnus began to cast a spell. Since it involved a chant, it was going to be a powerful one. The question was what it was. Magnus knew a lot of spells. It was always hard to tell just which one he was going to be using.
"You should make sure to watch," Layton told her. When she looked up at him, he had a proud smile on his face. "You're about to find out why they call him the Devil's Upholder."
Xyra quickly turned her attention back to her companion. He had finished chanting, but he needed to cast the spell quickly. The demons were all rushing him, closing the circle they had placed him in. However, he didn't seem nervous at all. He didn't usually though. He always seemed to have full confidence in his magic. He was Albus though, the strongest sorcerer on the planet. He had every right to be that smug.
Magnus watched as the demons rushed him, waiting for just the right moment. He wanted to make sure that all of them died at once. He didn't have time to deal with them all individually, so this was the best way for extermination. It was quick and powerful, just his kind of spell.
"Terratur," he whispered. In an instant, a bright white light began to form where his hand was. It stayed small for a moment, but the ground began to shake, stopping the demons. They weren't stupid. They knew what was about to happen. This man was a sorcerer, and he had just cast a horrible spell. All of them turned to run, but there was no escape. The light near Magnus's hand soon exploded, absorbing all of them in a bright white light. It formed a huge dome, spanning the entire width of the stadium back in Drester. It was obviously a powerful spell. Not many had a range like that.
Xyra watched in slight fear, realizing that Magnus had been there when the spell had ended. He had been absorbed into that huge dome. Hopefully he was alright though. Sorcerers were usually pretty good at keeping themselves safe from their own spells. Most had to be cast while they were still in the way of it. Magic is a dangerous thing if you don't know how to use it properly.
When the light finally cleared, all the demons were completely gone. Magnus was still there, unharmed and able to run a mile. Such a powerful spell had barely taken anything from him. This must be what Layton was talking about…the reason he has that title. She watched her companion for a moment longer, monitoring him as he stood up and flashed her a smile. It made him look so kind. It was hard to believe just who he was and what he was capable of. Despite what they all say, I don't think you're equivalent to a demon at all, Mr. Albus…the Devil's Upholder.
Traveling turned out to be much easier with Layton around. The conversations started without such boring beginning topics. Magnus and Xyra had always had that problem alone. Nothing they talked about ever had any real point or value. Plus, with Layton around, Xyra was never bored. He would tell her stories about Magnus when he was younger, about all the stupid and embarrassing things he would do and all the mishaps he had had. Needless to say, Magnus wasn't enjoying it as much.
They were about a week away from Millmore, Christian's town. They needed to find a place to stop soon. Their food supply had run out, and there wasn't a forest for as far as the eye could see. Nothing edible grew in the fields, and they weren't about to resort to eating grass. Animals were rare to come by in fields as well, so meat was out of the question. Plus, they were all getting sick of camping out. A bed was always much more delightful.
Xyra was just walking in silence, watching the surrounding scenery. So far they hadn't had a single rainy day. In fact, the entire journey had been full of bright, sunny weather. She couldn't remember a time when it had decided to rain on them. That was for the better. Traveling in the rain wasn't a smart idea. People often get sick like that.
As they went a little further, she began to think about just where they were. She recognized this area. There was something incredibly familiar about it. It didn't take her too long to realize why. In fact, she should have thought of it far sooner. They were drawing very close to a small town called Clearham. It was just off to the East a bit. It would probably only take a few moments to get there. Even though it was out of the way of where Magnus was going, she decided to ask.
"Magnus?" she began. "How about we stop in Clearham?"
"Clearham?" he asked as he glanced back. "Is that a town?"
"Yeah. It's just a little ways off over there." She pointed to the side, and in the distance, if he squinted, he could make out the structures of a small town. A smile broke out on his face. This was just what they had needed. Now they'd be able to stock up and take a rest.
"Sounds fine." He turned ninety degrees and started heading that way instead, and both of his companions followed.