Chapter 25 - Faith in Oneself

The head demon spoke and Sonder could hear him through the dark barrier, but couldn't understand a word that came out of its mouth.

Vell seemed to and responded, raising his staff, "I am Dread Mage Vellichoir, Master of Wizardry and Wielder of the Sacred Flame."

They were introducing themselves to each other.

Sonder wanted to watch but he had her own troubles.

The two summoned demons were lying around. The thin one moved side to side, its target the unconscious and wounded mages that lay on the ground next to her and the Apprentice.

She hoped Vellichor knew what he was doing. He said she was stronger than she knew, but what did that mean? 

She couldn't fight or cast any magic. She only managed once to and that with a lot of help. True enough that supposedly she passed some magical inclination but nothing that would be useful.

If someone asked if a mage was at hand, she wouldn't be the one to be picked out.

A few memories unlocked in her mind where, when she was young, she got bullied by a few older children.

She didn't fight back. She just took it, went home, and cried in her mother's lap. 

Her brother then went out to beat up those kids and got home with many bruises and he even got a tooth knocked out of his mouth.

The older children had gotten the same treatment, or even worse.

She was a shy girl when she was alive, and a realization came. She didn't want to be that anymore.

She was dead- undead. She had already died once while doing nothing and didn't want to repeat that.

Her 'life' also wasn't the only one at stake; the mages' were too.

She just needed to stall long enough until Vell managed to beat the other demon and come help them.

Looking around, she found that from the belt of the man who got eaten, a sword. It was lying next as the belt fell away from the rest of the body.

He also had a small wand, but seeing as she didn't know any magic, she left it there.

The Apprentice also had a wand and with it carved and prepared a few runes in the air next to her.

Sonder just held the sword very tightly. She was distracted for just a moment because she thought it funny that even though she technically had a sword, she needed another and now had two.

The sword she picked up looked more like a ceremonial one than one with which to fight but that was the best she could get at the moment.

The thin demon slithered around and Sonder said to the Apprentice, "You take the big slow one and I'll take this one."

"Are you sure?" She asked.

"No, but hitting spells against a big slow enemy is much easier than a thin fast one, right? Just help me after you're done, okay?"

She nodded.