Daemon High: The Sense of Dread

Büeringwald gets F-bombed

I didn't think of a destination when I cloaked us out, apparently whenI don't focus, I end up somewhere else on the Isle. Fox says that I end up somewhere else on the Isle but never off the Isle is because I only know about the Isle. Something about preception and magic being the intetwined together.

At least I didn't drop into the sea again, I dropped into a more or less plesant place. I dropped outside of the palace, actually I dropped into an alley in Büeringwald, the name of the town that houses the Berringwood palace is Büeringwald, the more you know.

Xiang didn't know where this place is though, he looked bewildered. "Where are we? Victorian England? Looks a lot like it," asked the yurei.

"Nein, right place, but wrong time," I explained. Xiang looked around, "Where's Buster? I thought he went with us?"

As soon as he said that his dog immediately manifested right beside him. A smoky form appeared by where his feet would be and solidified. Buster appeared with a happy bark, I'll never get over how derpy his Dobermann looks, its supposed to be a intimidating dog but the lolling tongue and floppy ears and eyes that never seem to focus on one thing makes it look...kinda dumb. I think it is.

"Well, speak of the doge, there he is!" exclaimed Xiang. I looked out of the alley, the streets were empty, and the only thing that was moving where the occasional flicker of the lamp posts. It kinda reminded me of the Jack the Ripper news I read from my dad's archives. At least I'm not a postitude.

We appeared in an alley connected to a marketplace, I would love to shadowcloak us out but, the cloak can't be used a lot, if it did I wouldn't be riding a carriage to school now would I? Everything that uses magic on Burgeon Isle requires to 'cooldown' after use, or else it will burn up.

"So, we walk back? I don't think you can shadowcloak us again, right?" said Xiang. I raised a brow, "You know about the enchanted object rule then?"

"Educated guess," said Xiang. Eudcated guess? Who educated him? I don't remember Xiang knowing much about magic. We began to walk towards the palace, its hard to miss, its big and its on a hill, even a blind person can see it from here. I decided to ask him as we walked, "Who taught you about this?"

"Private tutor, I go to her place once every week."

"Who?"

"Guess, she's shorter than you, has black hair and Fox hangs with her."

I titled my head, so he talks to Sab, huh, that's something you don't hear everyday. Half the school's boys are scared of Sab, half because she's able to turn them into frogs, half because of her team. Her team is Gemini if you didn't already know. She tolerates Fox because he signs up for her experiments in exchange for, err. I don't know what Fox gets in return.

"Power, my red headed friend, I do it in exchange for power," said a voice, it sounded like the voice of a salesman. I looked at where the voice came from. Lo and behold, there he was in his orange furry 'glory', he was the size of a wolf, sitting under the light of a lamp post, half grooming himself. He looked at me and stood on his hind legs, and stayed standing on his hind legs.

"Francis Oboros Xavius Greatfox. Also known as the Tailed One, at your service,"  said Fox with a bow. I stepped towards him, "How did you get here?"

"I know portals like how I know my lefts and rights, I wound up here by chance, as a nocturnal animal I need something to do for the rest of the night. That's why I here, for a walk, the manor is too noisy at this time. I was supposed to be at Jenny's but she's sleeping. Sadly."

"Soooo, you're girlfriend isn't awake that's why you're here?"

"Nyet, we're just close, dating Jenny would be like dating my mother. That is below me. I need a place to test out what Sab gave me last week, apparently standing on my hind legs is one thing, as well as X-ray vision. Don't worry, I don't plan to use it anytime soon. Never infact, and I can't say I want a refund, this is unrefundable."

"She gives you all that and yet you don't have fingers?" I teased. It's true Fox doesn't have fingers, at lunch he eats out of a bowl like a dog would, and its really hard for him to open doors unless someone with thumbs is with him. Even harder when he's stuck on his partner's javelin. Fox shrugged, "Meh, I don't need fingers, they seem handy, but its either fingers or long life. He gave me long life, what a douche." He looked at the sky, and said "You're a douche you know that?"

"Oh wait? Wrong way? You mean he's downstairs? Eating a danish? Wow, just wow, he's that lazy? He's not even going to listen to me? You get your red-head down there and tell him to listen to me! Tell him that I want a pair of wings! Dragon wings!"

There he goes again, not making sense. I shrugged that off and said "You said something about portals right? Can we use it to get back to the palace?"

"Yes, we can, I'll tell you how I do it. I don't think you'll get it though, but, you see reality is like a fabric, like curtains and you pretend that you are pulling curtains back," as he said that he pushed his paws foward and 'pulled apart' the air. As he did that, I saw his claws digging into something invisible and as he spread his arms an orange swirling portal appeared in front of him, slowly getting wider and then taller as Fox began to use his legs to spread the portal apart.

I didn't realize my mouth was open until Xiang closed it. How did he do that? He turned to me and said "It's pretty amazing, now hurry up, I still need to sew this up."

Without words we plunged into the portal, it was, like all portals a bumpy ride. Turns, twists, spins, the everchanging shade of orange could make anyone sick. In the end we appeared in one of the corridor's of the palace. It was a mess, weapons scattered everywhere, blood on the walls as if some kid went wild with shaking a paintbrush around. Bodies were torn, some still had arms holding onto their weapons.

Lawrence was in the middle of things, holding a mop, and bucket. He was holding the mop like a weapon. I tilted my head and saw the dog thing snarling at Lawrence. It saw me, and began to charge, it ran past Lawrence, and suprisingly past me. It dove straight for Fox, who has just finished closing the orange portal.

It gripped onto Fox like how a bulldog would grip onto a chewtoy. Fox made a sound of protest, but it became blurred as the creature started shaking him around like how a dog would shake a cat around. In order to kill it.

I could make out what Fox said for a brief moment. "I. Don't. Think. This. Is. A. Good. Wel. Come. Re. Lease. Me. This. Instant!"

Then there was a loud explosion, I raised my cloak to shield myself, I lowered it when I felt the heat. The corridor was covered with fire and Lawrence was sucking the flames in beside me. The flames weren't spreading but instead it was heading towards Lawrence, like he was a piece of wood that the fire could burn.He wasn't hurt of course. Where the dog thing stood was Fox, also sucking in the mess he's made with his spontaneous combustion technique.

When the flames were gone and we made sure that the corridor won't catch fire again. We looked at where the creature was when Fox blew up. It had no head anymore, obviuosly and its body was charred.

Fox sniffed it and said "It's not a demon, neither is it from the Isle. I recgonize this scent, but it smells familiar. Where have I smelled this before? Argh! I can't remember. It smells like something dark, something...Ah! It smells like a nightmare!"

"A nightmare?" I blurted. Louder that it as supposd to be. Fox turned to me and said "Thought forms, manifestations of a scared mage, or something that was channeled by someone, who would do that?"

"I don't know."

"Then I suggest that we find out!" said Fox as he rubbed his front paws together. The foxy grin coming to his face. I don't like where this is going.