Demon Cycle: Messenger's Legacy Part 6

Introduction.

Wards are magical symbols whose origins are lost to history. Long thought to be the stuff of superst.i.tion, their power was rediscovered when, after an absence of thousands of years, the demon corelings returned to plague the surface of the world.

By themselves, wards have no power. Demons, however, are infused with core magic, and wards siphon a portion of that magic away, repurposing the energy. The most common wards are defensive in nature, but a handful of wards that can achieve other effects are known, and in theory, it is possible to create a ward for any desired effect. Recently, mankind has discovered offensive wards, which can actually harm demons, who are otherwise immune to hand weapons and can quickly recover from almost any injury.

Defensive Wards:.

Defensive wards draw magic from demons to form a barrier (forbiddance) through which the demons cannot pa.s.s. Wards are strongest when used against the specific demon type to which they are a.s.signed, and are most commonly used in conjunction with other wards in circles of protection. When a circle activates, all demon flesh is forcibly banished from its line. Some examples: Defensive ward against: Clay Demons.

First appeared: The Great Bazaar.

Description: Clay demons are native to the hard clay flats on the outskirts of the Krasian Desert. Small, they are about the size of a medium-sized dog, made from compact, bunched muscle and thick, overlapping armour plates. They have short hard talons that allow them to climb almost any rock face, even hanging upside down. Their orange-brown armour can blend invisibly into an adobe wall or clay bed. The blunt head of a clay demon can smash through almost anything, shattering stone and denting fine steel.

Defensive ward against: Flame Demons First appeared: The Warded Man/The Painted Man Description: Flame demons have eyes, nostrils, and mouths that glow with a smoky orange light. They are the smallest demons, ranging from the size of a rabbit to that of a small boy. Like all demons, they have long, hooked claws and rows of razor-sharp teeth. Their armour consists of small, overlapping scales, sharp and hard. Flame demons can spit fire in brief bursts. Their firespit burns intensely on contact with air, and can set almost any substance alight, even metal and stone.

Defensive ward against: Mimic Demons.

First appeared: The Desert Spear.

Description: Mimics are the elite bodyguards to mind demons (coreling princes), and are believed to be the most intelligent and powerful demons, short of the princes. Their natural form is unknown, but they are able to a.s.sume the form of any living thing, including other demon breeds, clothing and equipment. These demons are somewhat lacking in creativity, and so are usually restricted to taking the forms of creatures they have themselves encountered (unless directed by a mind demon). One of their favourite tricks is to take the form of an injured human and feign distress to lower the defences of their prey.

Defensive ward against: Mind Demons First appeared: The Desert Spear Description: Also known as coreling princes, mind demons are the generals of demonkind. They are physically weak, and have little in the way of the natural defences of the other corelings, but they have vast mental and magical powers. They can read and control minds, communicate telepathically, and kill with their thoughts. By drawing wards in the air and powering them with their innate magic, they can create almost any effect. The other corelings, great and small, follow their every mental command without hesitation, and will give their lives to protect them. Sensitive to even reflected sunlight, mind demons will only rise on the three-night period of the new moon cycle in the hours when night is darkest.

Defensive ward against: Rock Demons.

First appeared: The Warded Man/The Painted Man.

Description: The largest of the coreling breeds, rock demons can range in height from six to twenty feet tall. A hulking ma.s.s of sinew and sharp edges, their thick black carapaces are k.n.o.bbed with bony protrusions, and their spiked tails can smash a horseas skull in a single blow. They stand hunched on two clawed feet, with long, gnarled arms ending in talons the size of butchering knives and multiple rows of bladelike teeth. No known physical force can harm a rock demon.

Defensive ward against: Sand Demons First appeared: The Warded Man/The Painted Man Description: Cousins to rock demons, sand demons are smaller and more nimble, but still among the strongest and most armoured of the coreling breeds. They have small, sharp scales, a dirty yellow almost indistinguishable from gritty sand, and they run on all fours instead of two legs. Rows of segmented teeth jut out on their jaws like a snout, while their nostril slits rest far back, just below their large, lidless eyes. Thick bones from their brows curve upwards and back, cutting through the scales as sharp horns. Their brows twitch continually as they displace the ever-blowing desert sand. Sand demons hunt in packs, known as storms.

Defensive ward against: Snow Demons First appeared: Brayanas Gold Description: Similar to flame demons in build, snow demons are native to frozen northern climates and high mountain elevations. Their scales are pure white, blending into the snow, and they spit a liquid so cold it instantly freezes anything it touches before evaporating. Steel struck with coldspit can become so brittle it shatters.

Defensive ward against: Swamp Demons First appeared: Mentioned in The Warded Man/Painted Man Description: Swamp demons are native to swamps and marshy areas and are an amphibious form of wood demon, at home both in the water and in the trees. Swamp demons are blotched in green and brown, blending into their surroundings, and will often hide in mud or shallow water, to spring on prey. They spit a thick, sticky slime that rots any organic material it comes into contact with.

Defensive ward against: Water Demons First appeared: Mentioned in The Warded Man/The Painted Man, seen in The Desert Spear Description: Water demons vary in size and are seldom seen. They are long and scaly, with webbed hands and feet, tipped with sharp talons. Some breeds have tentacles ending in sharp bone. They can only breathe under water, though they can surface for a short time. Water demons can swim very quickly, and delight in savaging fish, though they prefer warm-blooded mammals as their prey, especially those humans bold enough to dare to sail at night.

Defensive ward against: Wind Demons First appeared: The Warded Man/The Painted Man Description: Wind demons stand about the height of a tall man at the shoulder, but with head fins that rise much higher, topping eight or nine feet. Their great long snouts are sharp-edged, like beaks, but hide rows of teeth, thick as a manas finger. Their skin is a tough, flexible armour that can turn any spearpoint or arrowhead. That resilient substance stretches thin out from their sides and along the underside of their arm bones to form the tough membrane of their wings, which often span three times their height, jointed with wicked hooked talons that can cleanly sever a manas head when they dive. Clumsy and slow on land, wind demons have tremendous power in the sky, and can dive, attack and reverse direction before hitting the ground, taking their prey away with them.

Defensive ward against: Wood Demons.

First appeared: The Warded Man/The Painted Man Description: Wood demons are native to forests. Next to rock demons, they are the largest and most powerful demons, averaging from five to ten feet tall when standing on their hind legs. They have short, powerful hindquarters and long, sinewy arms, perfect for climbing trees and leaping from branch to branch. Their claws are short, hard points, designed for gripping through the bark of trees. Wood demonsa armour is barklike in colour and texture, and they have large black eyes. Wood demons cannot be harmed by normal fire, but will burn readily if brought into contact with hotter fires, such as magnesium or firespit. Wood demons will kill flame demons on sight, and often hunt in groups called copses.

Offensive (Combat) Wards: Combat wards siphon magic from a demon, weakening its armour at the point of contact, and redirect that magic as offensive force. This force can manifest in many different ways. Some examples: Combat ward: Bludgeoning/impact.

First appeared: The Warded Man/The Painted Man.

Description: This ward turns coreling magic into concussive force. The stronger the original blow, the more power generated. It can be placed onto any blunt weapon.

Combat ward: Cutting.

First appeared: The Warded Man/The Painted Man.

Description: This ward, when etched along the length of a blade, can enhance its sharpness, allowing the weapon to cut cleanly through even coreling armour and flesh.

Combat ward: Pressure (Arlenas palm ward).

First appeared: The Warded Man/The Painted Man.

Description: Pressure wards exert a crus.h.i.+ng force that builds in heat and intensity the longer they remain in contact with a demon. The Painted Man has one on each palm, and has been known to squeeze a demonas head with them until it bursts.

Other Wards:.

Many recorded wards have no known use, their purpose lost to antiquity. Because testing requires bringing them into contact with a demon, volunteers to conduct the research are understandably scarce. Some examples:

BY THE SAME AUTHOR.

The Painted Man.

The Desert Spear.

The Daylight War.

SHORT STORIES.

The Great Bazaar and Brayanas Gold.

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