Vell spoke in the demon's language so that Sonder couldn't hear him. She must have had her hands full already, and he didn't want to add anything to distract her.
"You are interrupting my work. Return whence you came or die."
"Such arrogance from a creature of this plane!" The demon yelled back.
It spoke more elegantly than the other demons Vell had met during his lifetime.
"Final warning," his voice serious and low. "I could banish you with a word, even with just a slight gesture, but you don't deserve such an honor."
"When I am done with you, there won't even be enough blood left to mark the earth."
The air crackled with tension as the demon and Vell faced off. Vell's eyes glowed a fierce blue, the magic within him simmering just below the surface. He raised his hand, his fingers curling slightly, and muttered an incantation under his breath.
The demon roared, its own power surging. Black flames flickered around its clawed hands as it lunged at Vell, intent on ripping him apart. Vell sidestepped with a speed that was in contrast to his calm demeanor, and with a sharp flick of his wrist, he released a bolt of energy.
The bolt of pure energy struck the demon's chest, causing it to stagger back, but it quickly regained its footing.
"You think that paltry magic can stop me?" it sneered.
Vell didn't reply. Instead, he extended both arms outward, summoning a circle of runes that glowed with an intense blue light. The runes rotated rapidly, forming a barrier around him. The demon charged again, but this time it was met with an invisible force that sent it crashing to the ground.
The demon rose, fury in its eyes, and began chanting in a dark, guttural language. Shadows coalesced around it, forming into twisted, writhing shapes that launched themselves at Vell. He countered with a wave of his hand, and the shadows dissipated in a burst of blue light.
"Impressive," the demon admitted grudgingly. "But not enough."
It summoned a massive, burning spear and hurled it at Vell with deadly precision. Vell responded by drawing a rune in the air, a shield manifesting just in time to intercept the fiery projectile. The explosion rocked the ground, sending debris flying, but Vell stood firm, his eyes never leaving the demon.
"Now it's my turn," Vell said. His voice was a mere whisper, but it carried the weight of a storm. He clasped his hands together and then pulled them apart, causing reality itself to be torn apart and a ball of swirling nothingness to form between them. The crack hissed, growing larger and more unstable.
The demon's eyes widened, realizing the danger. It tried to retreat, but Vell was faster. He thrust his hands forward, releasing the energy in a blinding flash. The blast hit the demon squarely, engulfing it in a torrent of magical force.
When the light faded, the demon was on its knees, smoking and battered, but not yet defeated. Vell approached slowly, his expression resolute.
"You had your chance," he said, his voice cold. "Now you face the consequences."
With a final, decisive gesture, he summoned a beam of pure light that pierced through the demon's heart. It let out a blood-curdling scream as it disintegrated into ash, the dark energy dissipating into nothingness.
When the danger had passed, Vell breathed out to calm himself and then lowered the barrier between him and Sonder, and the other mages. There was no time to lose.
Just in time, he saw a strange sight. Something like a ghost hovered in the air before the unconscious mages of Eraf, and it breathed heavily.
Vell got a bad feeling, and in the few moments that were left, he jumped in between.