The Monster Mage

22

^^ Hell-Spawn ^^

I saw Helios stepping in our path to cut us off, and halted for a moment, sure of his purpose but too polite to not let him speak first. "Earlier, you said I was playing a game of Catch-Up. I'd like you to prove it; How about a friendly duel?" He smiled wickedly.

I shook my head carelessly. "Nah, I've got more important things to do than stomp on your ego. Maybe later I'll give you the spankings you clearly didn't receive as a child, but I've got a Midterm to handle right now."

When he went to angrily reply, I planted a hand on his face, activating the spell I'd crafted to get access to his Pocket or wherever those weird threads were going, then physically moved him. Without his physical enhancements, the mana from the threads, or his abilities as an Arch-Elemental, -all of which I was inhibiting with my Mage-Slayer spell,- it was actually too easy, as I ended up tossing him into the air, across the room, (very effectively moving him out of my way, even unintentionally,) then walking towards the door again like it was nothing.

'That's going to come back and bite you.' Galatea warned.

'Bite Me? Oh honey, you wish!!!' I responded wickedly, and I handed my Sandglass to the person collecting them.

I'd been studying the sandglasses, though I hadn't revealed them to be anything special, and I was honestly impressed. Essentially, each grain of sand was a magic crystal, and the interior of the sandglass was much bigger than it appeared, resulting in the clicking sound of each 'sand grain' as it hit the others. Each crystal was enchanted, using the funnel-shape of the sandglass to focus the Mana of the two occupants of the room; it studied their magical abilities, and I was sure that was the true test. You couldn't hide your true abilities when it had been recording your progress and outputs, and you couldn't fail because of the pressure of the exam or a lack of experience; your true strength was already known. I'd found out too late to lie to it, (and I could have, had I known sooner,) so I didn't bother trying. It didn't record the spells you used or your research in any way, just your power and progress, so in a way it wasn't very invasive at all: it measured what you put out, and nothing more.

That, or it was going to be used to create the perfect enemy for us, something we'd actually have to struggle against. Who knew? Mages were weird.

We stepped into the doors with our group, as I was tightly holding Galatea's hand. 'Don't get separated.' I instructed her calmly.

'Awwwww, my baby wants an excuse to hold my hand!!! She's so adorable!!! Alright, give her a calm response, something cool, uhhhmmm... oh! Don't worry, babe, I'll keep you safe.' She smiled at me, then paused, her eyes wide.

'Awwwwww my baby is confused and embarrassed!!!' I mocked her with a laugh, kissing her cheek while she blushed at being caught trying to be cool, the least cool of all not cool things.

The hallway we were in ended in a room about as big as the amphitheater, but I could see the illusion magic in the air with my Dragon's Sight. The floors were real stone, and this Demiplane was from before Medea discovered Hard Light, meaning everything here was individually enchanted. Each stone, each candelabra, even the very air was from an enchanted item.

In the center was an idol, a statue of Sir Gibran, the first Arch-BattleMage from this College, but it, too, was an illusion. In its place was a secondary illusion which looked rather demonic, being controlled by strings of magic. I followed the strings, and didn't even bother waiting to see what it was going to ask us, leading Galatea towards the stairs to the left, which were real, though they were trapped.