The Dark Night

"Through the darkness you must fight, save the one, destroy the night."

My magic was still weak. I could barely muster up a small flame. I had no armor and my only weapon was a small katana the old man had given me. I still wasn't sure who or what I was looking for but I knew I was getting close.

I moved silently through the growing darkness. There was a clearing ahead and I saw them, a group of dark mages in dark purple robes gathered in a circle and chanting.

Well, this was the place. No point in treading softly at this point. I stepped out into the clearing.

"Hey! You guys started the party without me!" I yelled nonchalantly.

They all turned toward me.

"Defiler! Servant of the light! You will die!" hissed their Master. Suddenly, tendrils sprang forth wrapping themselves around his body forming a heavy armor suit, surrounding him. The staff in his hand transformed into a gigantic barbed scimitar. The others gathered behind their master watching and chanting some dark curse upon me no doubt.

With a sweep of his hand, he hurled a fireball at me. I knew there was no way I could deflect it's full force. I raised my free hand quickly trying to summon a weak shield. It shattered against the fireball's blast, covering me in flames.

"Ooh! Ooooh! So this is what fire feels like!" I shouted as I batted off the flames. "That smarts!"

"That was nothing child!" bellowed the Dark Master, "Just a test to see if you're fireproof or not! Now you will die!"

He leaped towards with the dark sword in hand. I raised my katana to defend knowing full well it didn't stand a chance of stopping the blow but as I did, engravings upon the blade began to glow. As the Dark Master's blade came crashing down upon my katana and they collided the gigantic cleaver shattered to pieces, leaving him in shock with nothing but a hilt in his hand as the pieces of his sword clattered to the ground turning to splinters of dead grey wood as they fell.

"Ha ha! Whose got the upper hand now?!" I exclaimed flauntingly.

Among the hooded faces that now stared glaringly at me, I saw one face among them that was not wicked but sad. That was the one. I knew it. I didn't have time to fight all of them. This would just have to wait. As I rushed toward them, their Master lifted his hands again and a wall of dragon fire sprang up before me.

Well, I knew what fire felt like now. I was sure this would sting a bit. I raised the katana before me and pierced the wall of fire. It cut through the dragon fire like it was paper. As I waltzed through the flames licked at me but I felt no sting. In fact, the flames from the wall began to coalesce in my hands as I passed through.

I gathered a small bit of air and with the fire in my hand shot a compressed blast of air and fire at the Master and his servants as they charged towards me again, sending them flying back. Cool! I thought to myself. That's a new one. I'd have to work on that and remember it for later.

My powers alone were rather meager. What I could muster up on my own amounted to little more than parlor tricks. My power lay in the presence of greater magic. To an extent I could absorb magic around me and magic used against me then redirect it, reflect it, re-use it, and find it's weak points.

This was all good fun. If I spent the whole day with them I could probably master dark magic but, the old man had said to waste no time. As my attackers lay stunned on the ground, I grabbed the hooded mage with the sad eyes, as I did his hood fell from his face. It was not a he but a she! And an incredibly beautiful she! Well introductions could wait for later I supposed.

Light, light, light, light, light, light, light, light! I scrunched my eyes and squeezed my fists and she was suddenly light as a feather and so was I. I hauled her over my left shoulder and as I stepped off in a dash, seven doppelgangers sprang from my feet all dashing off in random directions.

As I quickly put a safe distance between me and the mages, I let a smirk curl over my face. I could still see the twisted contorted look of anger, hate, and surprise across their Master's face, beat by my mere parlor tricks.

I chuckled merrily and couldn't wait to tell the old man.