Out of the dark alley emerged six figures. The outline of their body could easily giveaway that they were muscular men. And each possessed weapons that could deal serious damage if one gets hit by them. They were being mind controlled from the looks of it. Their movements had no rhythm to it, and they collided with each other in almost every step they took.
They launched at the boys with murderous intent. Their movements were sluggish and zombie like. Whoever that controlled these people had no concern for their lives.
"What's going on?" Daniel asked as he sidestepped to dodge a swipe from a baseball bat. The moon was the only source of light available and it's illumination was barely sufficient to engage in fight with hefty men, especially for a beginner like him. He was barely keeping up even though the attackers were slow.
"They're being controlled," Richard replied as he gracefully dodged a swipe and knocked his attacker down with a chop behind the neck.
Angus on the other hand bound three out of the six men with the chains of heaven, while Richard had cast a body binding spell on another immobilizing him. He fell to the floor with a heavy thud just before first man Richard had knocked down leapt at him from behind. He was fast enough to dodge most of the attack but the crowbar had grazed him on the shoulder. Richard spun around landed a kick on the man before immobilizing him as well.
"The spellcaster isn't here, I can still feel their magic though, it's faint."Angus revealed before running off towards the other side of the alley. The other two glanced at each other before running after him. He was without a doubt the strongest amongst the three of them for now and was clearly more experienced in the art of sorcery.
"What of the guys back there?" Daniel asked in-between gasps of air.
"They will be released once the spell is broken"Angus replied. They had now stopped after running metres far away from their destination. They were now at the junkyard, and there was still no sign of the spellcaster.
"Whoever casted the spell is here" Angus assured
Whatever feeling they got when they said there were traces of magic in the air was still a mystery to Daniel. He had only learnt offensive spells and they were minor ones. He had never expected that he would later seek refuge in something he'd so much detested. All he wanted right now was to go home and get a good rest.
"Get down!" Richard shouted just before a ball of flame swooshed over their head.
More attacks followed and soon the entire place was alive with flames. Angus turned around and looked at Daniel who in turn gave him a look of disagreement. He wasn't liking the way the two were staring at him and he swung his head sideways repeatedly to air his opinion of disagreement.
"Don't do it, don't do i.." He barely finished his last word when he suddenly appeared in his apartment. They've both decided he wasn't ready for the kind of fight that was placed before them.
Three nature sorcerers were in play and the danger was escalating by the seconds. Daniel banged his fists on the wall in frustration, they don't get to decide for him. He wanted in on the action but here he was vetting out his anger on the innocent wall.
'they don't get to decide for me, they don't get to decide for me!' he chanted inside his head while muttering the spell for teleportation, but it didn't Work
He repeated the spell but his efforts were futile. They had cursed him.
"Those bastards!" He cursed as he hurled a book across the room.
†††††††††
"Come forth, keepers of the underworld. Hell dogs!" Richard summoned. He had taken advantage of their flaming background to summon dogs from the underworld.
Flaming figures of dogs grew from the fire around him and rushed towards the nature trio. They were easily destroyed by the attacks from the assaulters but they was no end to them, as long as there was fire around, they will keep coming out.
Realizing the source of his power, one amongst the nature sorcerers had conjured up a wave of water but Angus had intervened. His eyes seemed to twinkle with a glow of gold and his back shone brightly. It was his mark.
The nature sorcerers panicked for a moment, having just realized the power they faced. The power of Stigma, a power branded only to the Worthy.
Angus looked totally different from before, in his hand he held a glowing bident with a double helical shape craved majestically onto it's surface. "The Spear Of Longinus" Angus pronounced
He struck the lance on the ground in front of the approaching wave and in an instant, the wave had disappeared.
"Casting spells is futile, The spear of Longinus can negate and cut through any magic attack with ease" Angus explained just before making a summersault backwards to steer out of the rampaging dogs path.
The light that once shone from him died down just as the spear he once held turned into gold dust. The three sorcerers were already caught in Richards attack and they struggled to keep up. Two had managed to teleport but one wasn't so lucky, black chains had sprung from the earth and bound him just before he could conclude his own teleportation spell.
Richard halted his attacks at the already powerless sorcerer who now lay on the scorching earth.
"What do we do with him?" Richard asked as he raised the now unconscious man from the floor, preventing him from burning his already scorched face further.
"We question him obviously" Angus replied while skipping over a pile of burning refuse. "We need to go before the police gets here" he added as soon as he recognized the sirens blaring from the distance. He walked over to where Richard stood just before he concluded his spell.
They appeared in the sitting room just before the raging Daniel. He hurled a book at them but Angus stopped it midair before gently lowering it to the floor.
"You didn't have to do that" Daniel said realizing his throws would have no effect.
"Do what?" Angus asked picking up an apple from the fruit basket on the table while Richard carelessly dropped the man he carried on the floor
"Who's that?" Daniel asked suddenly derailing from his sense of anger to curiosity.
"One of the bad guys" Richard replied from the kitchen while he washed his hands.
"You can't go bringing random strangers into this place what if he has a tracking spell on him." Daniel reminded. The other two froze for a minute before Angus rushed to the body of the unconscious man to examine him.
"He's not marked" He said with a sigh of relief. They had been careless and it might have been a big mistake. He stretched his hand forth unto the man's head and closed his eyes.
"What are you doing Angus?" Richard asked as he returned to the living room.
"I'm healing him so he can regain consciousness. The earlier he wakes up, the faster we deal and dispose of him" He replied just before the man sneezed.
He couldn't be past forty, he was infact a grown man and he had just woken up only to find himself in the midst of adolescents.
"What is this?" He questioned. He received a slap across the face before Angus spoke.
"We'll ask the questions around here"
The other two stared at him, still trying to make out the point of the slap. "To make it dramatic" Angus quenched their curiosity.
"Let me go this instant!" The man bellowed but received another slap.
"And we also give the orders around here" Angus added before being pushed aside by Richard.
"Why did you attack us?" Richard asked. A weird smirk spread across the man's face as he stared back into Richard's peering eyes.
"You kids are meddling with things beyond your control" He said "It won't be long before grand sorcerer come for that book herself." He finished.
It was obvious, Anna Jones had ratted out to her entire faction that they were in custody of a spell book that was believed to be lost, some even considered a myth.
"It would be advisable you hand it over and Lea..." He hadn't finished when he sent out of the premises by Angus
"He had nothing else to offer" Angus said with a shrug "besides, none of us wanted to hear him finish" He added.
Things were getting much worse than Daniel had thought, only the nature sorcerers were conversant with the idea of him being in possession of the book and the Infernal Judgement had their suspicions.
"I'll be leaving now" Richard said as he adjusted his shirt to it's proper position. He opened his mouth to chant his spells but nothing came out. This feeling of nostalgia, this malevolent aura "Rose." He recognized
"Leaving so soon"she asked as she slowly took form starting from her feet till she was standing in full form in front of the three boys. She wasn't alone, a more domineering presence could still be felt, an aura even more malevolent than hers. Out of the blue he appeared, Jeffery Bruce.