The treetops bent towards Adrex as the wind picked up from the north once more. Adrex wrapped his cloak around him tighter to fight off the chill as he stared out into the shadows of the forest. It had been three years since he was last out here and had faced down the Demon Brutes, and now he was here on assignment to the Northern Watch as a Magus, not exactly how he had pictured his heroic fighting.

He waved his hand over the rock he was perched on a few glyphs forming before a fire sprung forth from the rock to give him warmth. The days were getting shorter, the night lasting longer and the snowy season was upon them. Adrex would be here for the first few weeks before the Watch swapped out. He was already looking forward to returning to the battleschool where it would be warmer.

Another gust of wind blew in his face and he shivered, holding his hood down to stop the wind catching it. The wind sucked the warmth from him, as did the Demon Athridon as it writhed in its cell, screaming at him or laughing. Adrex ignored the demon for now and added a bit more magic to his fire, increasing its warmth.

Adrex stayed on that rock until the sun dipped below the mountains and the sky started to darken. He took the brief chance he had to look up and just gaze at them, enjoying the peacefulness of the setting. Until he heard someone clear their throat next to him and he looked down at the culprit. “Oh, hi Jessie.” Adrex said sheepishly.

Jessie just gave him a disappointed look as Adrex slid off his perch and stopped the fire he had cast, landing lightly on his feet and standing in front of his replacement. “Just enjoying a moment of quiet when I can get it, you have to admit it’s beautiful up here.” Adrex said.

“It’s also dangerous; we don’t want another repeat of three years ago.” Jessie said sternly.

She was a stern Magae, one who believed in the cause and had done several patrols with the Northern Watch. She was also six years Adrex’s senior and was born in the waning years of the Demonic Crusades. “I know Jessie; I was here for the end of that. However we still don’t know how they broke the barrier, what happened to the men stationed here or the true cause behind it? So a few moments of star gazing to help relax a tired mind while the traps and barriers are still in place is fine” Adrex responded to her critique of him.

Jessie took a breath to start another monologue about the cause they had signed up for, duty, honour, and the greater good. Adrex just held up his hand. “Yeah, yeah. I know. Drop it. Nothing has happened while I have been out here.” He said giving his report. “Also, rain is on the horizon, the temperature is dropping and it may start snowing.” He added.

Jessie just humphed, pulled her hood up and wrapped her cloak around her, before finding a bit of masonry with a suitable overhang and sat herself down before lighting a magical fire behind her to keep her warm. Adrex just shrugged as she walked off for her watch and made his way to the encampment.

Set slightly further back from the castle a small fort had been built to oversee a greater area of land, this had also provided an area for bedding, stables for the horses and a fall-back position for the Watch on the barrier. For now it was home for Adrex, and while not the most pleasant place he had slept it was better than a tent especially during the upcoming seasons.

Adrex was greeted at the fort entrance by the Watch guards on duty as he made his way to the mess hall. He grabbed a portion of food and sat down at the end of one of the benches closer to the fire that blazed in the heath. He laid out a couple of pieces of parchment as he ate then started writing, using his finger to trace out letters with magic on the parchment like a little spell. The first note he wrote was to Meister Vista, just keeping her up-to-date on the happenings at the Watch which he was doing every week or so when he could.

Grand Meister Vista

All has been quiet since the alarms were triggered two weeks ago. The Watch Commander is thinking it must have been a wolf pack passing nearby, and I must say that I currently agree with that assessment. The Ranger with us has found wolf prints, though he did mention they looked larger than any known wolf species.

I am also looking forward to getting back to the school and get back to training to become a Meister, however I think I may have to visit the healing school first so my return will be delayed.

Best Regards

Magus Adrex

The next message he wrote out was for Gennel and Livia, just to give them an update to what was happening. He understood he couldn’t say too much, so he mainly mentioned what the surrounding landscape was like and that nothing had happened since he started.

Then he pulled out the final piece of parchment and stopped. Thinking about how he was going to word this, and thinking about the recipient. Gennel and Livia had made it to his graduation to a fully-fledged Magus and he had made it to theirs. That was when he had told them he was heading north to do his part with the Watch. However he felt bad for not keeping in contact with the others from his ward, and now he was reaching out to one for help and he felt bad. He wrote and rewrote the letter several times until he came up with it.

Dear Nora

I hope this message finds you well. I am hoping that I could see you for some medical assistance when I have finished my current duties with the Northern Watch. It is a rather sensitive matter that you have some knowledge in.

I also hope we could meet up as we haven’t seen each other since the last joint training exercise.

Kind Regards

Magus Adrex

He sat there and read it several times as his food got cold, the lights started to dim and those eating slowly filtered out of the mess hall. Again he could feel Athridon stirring at his unease; the Demon seemed to almost feed on his emotions. He would need to meditate tonight before he slept. Ease his mind and strengthen the bindings that held the Demon at bay, though at least he had not let the Demonic power out in the previous three years.

He quickly finished his now cold meal, then collected his letters and made his way to his room. It was sparse, and military in design. A cot for him to sleep, a small table and chair for report writing and a chest for clothing was all that had been given to him. The room was bigger than his room at the battleschool, however there were more offerings of comfort at the school including the training rooms, libraries and more.

He sat down at his desk and created the spell for the three notes, forming the notes into little birds of magic. He set down a map and pointed each bird to its destination before taking them to the window and letting the messages fly out as streaks of orange light.

With that task complete he sat down on the floor, crossed his legs, and rested his hands on his knees as he focused inwards, feeling the flow of magic inside him. As he got drawn in he created a repulsion spell at his door so that he would not be disturbed.

The flow of magic inside him pulled him deeper; it was like a river now that flowed through him unlike when he first started where it was like a small pool. That pool had grown and grown until it had burst its banks. This was something that every mage would go through, the week that had happened was a scary one for all mages as they struggled to get control of the overwhelming power now within them. Without proper control they would overflow and their magic would literally spill out of them until they used up too much and would become what was dubbed ‘Burnt Out’. They would never attain that power again and would be limited to their small pool of magic.

Adrex fell deeper yet into his magic until he found Athridon; the Demon was surrounded by its own black demonic magic though it was being held in by the barrier spells. “It has decided to visit us; we are most welcomed by this gift.” Athridon teased Adrex.

“What do you want, Demon? Why do you continue to try, why do you continue to exist?” Adrex responded.

Athridon grinned at him, and let out a short laugh that sounded like glass scrapping over itself. “It’s simple, little Magus, it's simple. I know what is coming. I will gain control of this body and help bring about the destruction of your world.” The Demon said.

“Oh? And when is that supposed to happen?” Adrex asked.

Again that sliding grating laugh came from Athridon. “It is getting closer every day, it won’t be long now. The Northern Watch will fall, and so will the Kingdoms. You have shown me much, and they are weak.” Athridon said. “I am not the only one either. There are more of us ready to take over. Your leaders will fall, and we will replace them.”

Adrex held up his hand, he smiled as Athridon spoke. “We really should have had this talk a long time ago.” Adrex said.

“You were unready. Too focused on being a hero, now you are more open to letting this happen. You have seen how bad the world truly is, how corrupt the Kingdoms are. You could help fix that.” Athridon smiled.

Adrex’s eyes glowed as the spell formed in his hand; his magic flowed to Athridon’s cell and reinforced the bindings. Athridon laughed again. “You’ll call for my power one way or another. Then you will be mine.”

The Demon started to get quiet and Adrex pulled away, letting the magic flow soothe him and quiet his mind for a while. He then prepared for bed and climbed into his cot.

-

A few weeks had passed and Adrex was now on patrol with the Riders, a group of the watch that rode East and West along the mountain ranges that formed a natural barrier. There were a few passes that Demonic raiders would slip through and these had to be patrolled. There were forts here too but they were often unmanned during the snowy season as the passes were all but impassable at those stages. With the first snows falling only the three major passes remained open currently.

The ground was white underfoot with a thin layer of powder and the grass had frozen and crunched under hoof as the Riders started their way back, having camped in Fort Kurzung for the night. Adrex looked up at the mountains, now capped with snow and while he could appreciate the scenery, he was still trying to keep himself warm even with extra thick and woollen layers the cold still snuck in.

He looked back down at the path they were taking, still just visible as a slight divot in the land when the Rider’s commander held up his hand. The eight men stopped as did Adrex, who stood up in the stirrups of his horse and started looking for what was wrong. He heard the crunching off to his right hidden by a few bushes that started to rustle. He drew his magic to his eyes and saw nothing out of the ordinary, but readied himself.

One of the Riders knocked an arrow and took aim at the bush, and the rest half drew their swords. The rustling grew louder and everyone’s focus was drawn to the bush. Adrex selected his spell he would cast, the archer half drew the weight of the bow. Adrex took a deep breath in. Two snow hares burst from the bush and looked up at the riders before running back into the bushes. Adrex let out his breath and the rest of the riders laughed at themselves and the situation, before they started back on their path back to the barrier, riding slightly easier after the tension was eased.

By midday they had covered a fair amount of ground and very close to making it back to the barrier, the snow had melted slightly under the sun forming slush on the ground. The mood was joyous among the riders and talk had started about what they would do back in their Kingdoms. Sett, from the Southern Kingdom, was talking about the great harvest, a week of sailing and fishing, diving for shellfish and collecting the fruits and berries from the trees and vines. Each night was a party for the villages, with dancing, singing, giant fires for cooking. It’s also how they supplied produce for the mainland with a portion set aside for trading that the Southern Kingdom paid to each village. 

Adrex was picturing sitting back on the beaches that Sett described watching the bonfires when he heard the squawking sound from his left. He immediately snapped his head as rustling sounds started coming towards them. This was heavier than the hares from before, and moving with purpose towards them. He let out a shrill whistle, and the Riders prepared.

Two shadowy creatures launched themselves from the undergrowth at the Riders. They were small with large green eyes long gangly arms and legs with wide mouths of sharp teeth. The Rider closest to the Demons was knocked from his horse and hit the ground sliding slightly. He wrestled with the little Demon, before landing a swift punch to the Demons face. Adrex Cast a push spell and blew the Demon off the Rider. The creature went rolling along the ground before standing up and glaring at Adrex.

The other Demon danced under the legs of the horses, causing them to slip and slide in the slush. The Horses tried to prance away but the little Imp like creature would not let it. It slashed with sharp little claws, trying to bring down its prey with no luck. The Rider grabbed the reins and forced the horse to charge forward away from the Imp who turned to face the other Riders, laughing in delight.

The first Demon charged the fallen Rider, who had got to his feet, sword drawn and ready. The Demon leapt forward, and the Rider swung his sword, the Demon being faster sailed over the slash of the sword, slashing at the Riders armour. Blood started to stain the snow as the Rider grabbed the Imp and tossed it aside, before stumbling to his knees, clutching his neck and chest.

Adrex motioned a circle in the air with one hand as the Imp charged again, then closed his hand into a fist. A pillar of flame erupted from the ground underneath the Imp who slid to the ground, the snow sizzling from the heat caused. It looked dead but Adrex didn’t risk it. He spiked it to the ground with several shards of ice, before turning his attention to the second Imp.

He created several traps around the Imp, forcing the creature away from the horses. The Imp looked behind and charged at Adrex, murderous intent in its eyes as it readied to pounce. There was a hiss and a thwack and the Imp stopped, dead. An arrow pierced its back and pinned it to the ground.

One of the Riders dismounted and ran over to his fallen comrade. He opened a satchel and pulled out some cloth that he used to cover the wound, another Rider dismounted and started to check the horses for injuries that would impede them travelling, while a third collected the fallen Riders horse. Once they had wrapped up the cuts on the horses and had made sure the fallen rider was not bleeding too badly they all mounted and rode off. Adrex watched them as they worked together to get things done, unable to help. All he could do is burn the Imps in a fire that he cast underneath them, black smoke rising from the Demons corpses.