Emma had cast a magical rope, holding the wolf to the side of the ring. It was Blumbledore's command for her to do so. He wanted to ensure Azazel was able to adequately practice spell casting before he unleashed the beast.
"Hm, hm," Blumbledore muttered as he cycled through the tracks on the MP3 player. "What magic do you know, boy?"
Azazel scratched his head and rubbed his right horn. "Not much."
"Show me whatever you can cast," the wizard replied.
Azazel held his hand forward and closed his eyes. It took him a little longer than it should have, but he was able to channel the fireball spell, which landed right next to the wolf.
Blumbledore scratched his chin and nodded. "The most basic of spells."
Azazel shrugged and grinned, flashing his fangs, as he pulled out the BokeBall. "I have this."
Blumbledore focused his eyes on the object. He ran forward and snatched it out of Azazel's hand. After investigating it, he gave it a quick shake, which caused the creatures contained within it to appear within the ring.
"BllarrhhjsWarg!"
The undead wolf began to run around the ring at a frantic speed. When the tied-down wolf noticed the undead one, it let out a loud growl in return. "BllarrhhjsWarg!"
Emma began to laugh as the two wolves exchanged greetings. For some reason, she always got a kick out of the noises the wolves made, especially the undead one with its low, haunting growl.
The undead Lacerta began chasing the undead wolf around the ring. They ran in circles as the reptile unsheathed his spear. He tried to poke the wolf several times, but the beast was much faster than he was moving. To be fair, it wasn't that great of a speed, considering they were zombies.
"Interesting," Blumbledore let out a low chuckle. "This is an interesting use of necromancy."
"What do you mean?" Azazel asked.
"Well, you see," Blumbledore began, stroking his long beard, "normally, necromancy involves summoning the dead, not unleashing them to play tag in a magical ring."
Magical ring? This is a wrestling ring.
As the undead creatures continued their chaotic game of tag, Blumbledore couldn't help but shake his head in amusement. "Well, this is definitely more entertaining than a fireball."
"BllarrhhjsWarg!" The undead wolf let out a yelp as the Lacerta man pinned him down against the blue flooring of the ring.
The Lacerta stabbed the wolf multiple times in the head, causing the wolf to let out one last whimper as its undead fluids dribbled onto the flooring of the ring.
"It looks like the undead wolf just got a taste of reptilian justice!" Emma cheered.
"Ah, the ancient art of zombie wrestling, passed down through the ages," Blumbledore smirked as he approached the Lacerta.
The undead Lacerta man thrust his spear forward, grazing Blumbledore's beard. "Ack, put this creature away."
Blumbledore threw the ball, which caused the Lacerta man to go back to his corpse container. The wizard sighed with relief. "You need to learn to control your minions."
Azazel picked up the ball, then placed it back in his pocket. He shrugged. He wasn't aware there was a way to control them. After all, it was more entertaining to watch them go frantic each time he let them out.
"I'm down a man," Azazel sighed.
"Which is exactly why you need to learn to control them?" Blumbledore mumbled. "I'll lend you a necromancy manuscript later."
"Well, that escalated quickly!" Emma clapped.
"It seems my beard has become a target for the undead," Blumbledore pondered. "Perhaps I should invest in some beard armor."
Azazel facepalmed. He could just imagine the old wizard with his beard encircled by a cage of armor for protection.
As Azazel pondered his newfound responsibility for controlling his undead minions, Emma couldn't help but marvel at the unpredictable chaos that seemed to follow them wherever they went.
Blumbledore dug in the pocket of his coat, then handed Azazel something. "Here, this will teach you some basic spells."
Azazel looked down. Instead of handing him magical text, it looked as if he had been accidentally handed one of the wizard's dirty magazines. Azazel glanced between Emma and Blumbledore a few times before he stuck it in his own inner jacket pocket.
Maybe I can use this later...
He looked at Emma, who had crossed her arms in front of her chest, and was staring him down.
Maybe I won't use this later...
Azazel took the magazine out and quickly threw it out of the ring. It landed next to George, who picked it up and flipped through the pages.
"..."
"Wrong one," Blumbledore mumbled as he pulled out the correct book, The Art of Elemental Magic. "Yes, well, accidents happen. Now, let's focus on your magical training, shall we?"
Azazel took the book from Blumbledore and began to look through the pages. None of it made any sense. At all.
"Flip to page T.11," Blumbledore instructed as he watched Azazel find the page. "There you can find a basic thunder spell."
"Got it, page T.11."
"Excellent." Blumbledore nodded. "Now, focus your energy and channel it through your hands. Imagine the power of thunder coursing through your veins."
Azazel nodded, taking a deep breath as he closed his eyes. He attempted to follow the instructions. He concentrated, feeling the crackling energy gathering within him.
Oh, so this is what thunder feels like.
"Azazel, release the spell."
Azazel thrust his hands forward, expecting a roaring display of thunder to burst forth. However, instead of a roar and bright flashes of light, a dark cloud began to form directly above them. As the dark cloud formed, raindrops began to trickle from the dark cloud, covering the entire ring with water droplets.
Azazel shrugged and shook his head. His clothing was beginning to get drenched from the water pouring down on them.
"That's definitely not thunder," Emma laughed.
"Oh, dear..." Blumbledore sighed. "I gave you the wrong page number."
Blumbledore shook his head, and droplets of water flew from his beard. He waved his hand, causing the dark cloud to disappear.
"That was interesting, though I have no idea what I could use this for." Azazel grinned, his horns glistening from the raindrops.
Azazel turned his head and looked at Emma. He scratched his chin, thinking about whether the rain had hit her instead of him.
I think I have a use for this after all.
Blumbledore snatched the book from Azazel. He flipped through the pages and looked for the correct spell.
"Ah, yes, right here," Blumbledore said with a soft smile as he gave the book back to the demon.
Azazel glanced at the page Blumbledore had held open. "Are you sure this is the correct page?"
Blumbledore nodded and pointed to the text.
Azazel closed his eyes and attempted to focus. He could feel a new, electric energy focused on his fingertips. With a swift movement of his hand, he felt a crackle in his palm. When he opened his eyes and looked up, he observed a small bolt of lightning hit the chained wolf, causing it to tremble and fall to the ground.
"Success!" Emma cheered.
"Not bad," Blumbledore rubbed his beard. "The most basic of lightning spells."
Azazel sniffed the air. He could smell the wolf's blood. Slowly, he approached the wolf. His fangs were aching.
Maybe I should replace the wolf...
He kneeled down in front of the wolf and narrowed his eyes. He remembered that the wolf didn't taste half bad the last time he tasted the blood. Plus, it had been awhile since he had drank a living creature's essence.
"Turn around," Azazel commanded Emma.
Emma frowned. "Why?"
"Just turn around," Azazel commanded in a stern tone.
Emma sighed and did as instructed.
Blumbledore edged closer to Azazel and the wolf. He had never seen a demon at work, so he was curious as to what was going to happen next.
Slowly, Azazel leaned in. He inched his lips close to the wolf's neck. His fangs swiftly sunk into the beast's skin. He could feel the trickle of gamey, metallic blood flood his throat and all his senses. He felt a shiver down his spine as he lapped up the blood while injecting venom into the wolf.
Blumbledore watched with amusement. "This is...?"
"BllarrhhjsWarg," the wolf whimpered as it slowly turned into an undead minion.
As Azazel indulged in the blood, Emma turned back around, her eyes widening in shock at the sight before her.
"Um, Azazel..." she began, unsure of how to react to the scene unfolding in front of minions.
She paused for a moment, then grinned. "You still need to bite me."
Azazel pulled away from the wolf. He licked his fangs, then turned around. He flashed his fangs at Emma. "You wish."
Emma frowned.
"In time, kitten," Azazel purred. "Once I start with you, I won't be able to stop my indulgence."
Emma blushed and looked the other way. She noticed George was still flipping through the magazine.
The wolf, now transformed into an undead minion, rose to its feet with a low growl, its eyes glowing with an eerie light.
"BllarrhhjsWarg," it groaned, its voice now tinged with a hollow, otherworldly tone.
"Facinating," Blumbledore mused. "I had no clue necromancy could be used in this way. There is nothing in my texts about this."
"Do you have any texts on demons?" Azazel asked.
"Very few." Blumbledore sighed. "Not much is known about demons. There is a group known as the Hell Scholars, which might know more."
"I've already met them," Azazel sighed. "They don't know a whole lot, but they did manage to summon Lucifer."
Blumbledore's eyes widened. "They summoned... the Lord of Hell? What happened?"
"He married Emma's mom and is hanging out at our kingdom," Azazel laughed.
"Take me to him!" Blumbledore demanded.
"Are you that interested?"
Blumbledore nodded. "It's not everyday that one has the opportunity to meet the ruler of Hell."
Azazel grinned, flashing his fangs toward Blumbledore. "What do I get out of it?"
"Training from the best wizard on Terra!"
Azazel shook his head. "Move to Britannica."
Emma stood in the back, clapping and nodding enthusiastically. "Please, Master! We could use your expertise!"
Blumbledore stroked his beard. "I have never heard of Britannica. I have never seen it on a map."
Azazel looked toward Emma. Oh, right. I need to marry her as soon as possible.
"It will be on the map soon," Azazel assured the wizard.
"I will at least visit this Britannica." Blumbledore nodded. "If I am impressed, I will think about relocating."
The four of them spent a little more time down in Blumbledore's basement. It seemed Azazel was on the right track. He managed to successfully cast the thunder spell a few more times while the wolf ran around like mad, dodging each cast.
Tomorrow would be a new day, and their trek back to Britannica would begin, so Blumbledore could meet the Lord of Hell.