10 Fury

He was fast. So fast that I missed the opening blow, and the fifth took me into the air.

I created a wave of marble spikes, and he swirled around them as I landed, only just keeping my footing.

The director summoned a red blade with a twist of white flames that left heat waves in its trail.

I hurl a barrage of marble nails from the ceiling, and his blade dances cutting them down at inhuman speed.

He blurs toward me. I hurl a sick green spell.

Like a pinball, he jumped to the ceiling, maintaining his charge as the killing curse passed.

As I sink into the floor, I can hear the sound of burning metal as he fires bolts of intense heat through an illusion. I quickly sprinkled out pit traps throughout Grave Concoctions.

The director's magic seems to pool around his eye patch; then, I felt a sharp pain in my chest.

I spin, appearing behind him, killing curse already discharging. He moves, sword arcing as he cut the spell. I save my hand as his blade laces out, turning my borrowed wand to ashes.

I apparite next to the car, and on instinct, duck under the arrow that nearly took my head. I command my magic beneath me, and a wall raises, blocking the entrances.

I have no tolerance for snipers.

A wave of my hand saw the roof of the parking lot turn into an ocean of concrete serpents.

The director blurred through the doorway as they poured onto the ground. They attacked like a swarm, and with a singular stroke, he burns the charm, keeping them together. A veil of dust permeates the area, and he still splits the Bently I launch at him.

I teleport so close to him that my knuckles fused with his face. Then spiked his head into the ground.

Pumping magic into my body, I strike again.

Again.

Again.

I was going to cave this bastard's skull in. He blurs, and by the time I spot him in the dust, his blade looms mid-swing.

Black flames hit him. I teleport behind.

Again.

I swing harder and don't stop until I feel my bones crumble. His head is buried a few feet into the ground.

He is not moving.

I attack again.

Again.

Stepping back, I see the driver, black flames playing in her hands. "Inform my son, I will have a guest over and that I owe him a car."

She extinguishes the fires and nods," Of course, my Lord Frost, just as soon as we get you treated."

Looking down, I see my robes are dyed in my blood. "Send a runner to the dragon pits, tell Logan to stop pouting like a child, and just kill the damned thing already."

Taking a steadying breath.

"Tell him we are moving tonight."

I want my jewel back, and it looks like Balthakk's Exemplar has been identified.

I would have to inform Rogers.

-4 hours later-

It took some work, but Exemplar Fury was finally secure in his cell. That blade of his seems to be unstoppable. Once swung, it will burn through its target and seems to have some summoning and shape-shifting properties.

It was just easier to attach magical stakes made of gems down his spine, arms, and legs than trying to find a way to separate the two for now.

Speaking of spines, a red-faced Rogue was carefully pouring fresh dragon blood down Logan's spine. The girl had said she wanted to learn magic.

This bastardized version of Dumbledor's third use of dragons' blood would enchant Logan's metal bones. Orginal intended to create tools capable of breaking curses; I was hoping to recreate a lesser version of the vial of Valtorr.

With was only possible thanks to the help of my son Kurt.

As I summoned the magic needed, he guided it. The smirk on his face as he observed Rogue work, however, guaranteed stress. Given he was half-demon like her, Kurt dominated the poor girls' attention completely.

Combined with Logans' brooding behavior the last few days, I feared that Rogues' abilities were beginning to manifest. It took two more hours before we were finished, and the enchantment took but was weaker than I had hoped.

Rogue fled the room.

I would need to talk to her.

Logan left for a shower.

I would need to talk with him.

Kurt wouldn't stop laughing.

I would speak with him first since his difficulties were the most severe.

I feared that his genetic fathers' influence and the last five years of war might be taking their price on his soul. It hadn't taken him long to get to the grave concoction, and I would have been proud if not for the heartlessness of some of his actions. It was like gazing into a mirror and only observing the most dangerous parts of yourself.

He had arrived on the scene with a unit of warriors and took control like a true demon general. Exemplar Fury was controlled, the area locked down, and when he looked at me covered in blood, his only question was," Threats?"

My answer of "Sniper and pit traps" had half the unit unflinchingly flooding the streets with a flick of his wrist, without him even slowing his steady walk. As the healers treated my injuries, I just was not sure how Exemplar Fury's ocular attacked worked.

If I had not been exposed to sufficient demonic power to no longer be mortal, having my heart destroyed would have worried me more. As it stood, I was given a few potions and released.

As I praised the healers, Kurt escorted a happy-looking Ms. Knuclebones immediately to me.

His smile was all fangs. "So it appears I am getting married?"

I blink twice, " Congratulations."

His smile grew strained," Thank you, I have not had the pleasure of meeting her just yet, but I was assured you had secured all the arrangements." Looking at Ms. Knuckelbones, I questioned," Did I?"

With frantic gestures around her, she replayed," Yes, you did."

A peculiar debate followed and her youngest was presented to my son. She was young, maybe 17 years old, but I couldn't place an age on Kurt anymore given the time dilation in hell. Ms. Knuckelbones had gone into horrific detail about her training, and Kurts accusing stare was readily overlooked. He did not interrupt her as she spoke, but once she was done, Kurt had one specific inquiry for the girl," What can you do?"

The girl demonstrated her specter transformation.

Kurt tested her abilities for a time, and Ms. Knuckelbone grew more satisfied with each barrier she moves through. He even drew his bone wand, something he had grown out of, and cast a few spells to get a better idea of her limits. I could see the gears turning in his mind, then without warning, fiendfyre consumed Ms. Knuckelbones.

Then he confidently informed all of her daughters that they belonged to him now. He asked them a few questions about the location of vaults and potions before having them sent to the estate. After that, anything of value in Grave Concoctions was stripped bare.

By the time we got home, Logan had finally killed the dragon he had felt the need to bond with, and we could get on with recovering my property. Before that, I needed to talk with my son.

"So tell me, Kurt, how goes your subjugation of Hell?"

For the first time since I had seen him, my son stopped smiling. At the place my son once stood, I now faced the Demon Lord Leviathan.