• -Chapter 2-


    Melody fell back into her house, stunned for a couple seconds. When she finally raised her eyes to see what she ran into, she me the jet-black eyes of one of the most hideous monsters she ever saw. Resembling a grotesque mix of an ox and rhinoceros, this demon had oily green skin, barely hid by a tunic that only covered the lower half of its body. It stood on two legs with boots covering whatever type of foot it developed. Oversized muscles lined the whole creature’s torso, and the face was deeply contorted, scars streaking across the skin. Horns stuck out of the top of the head in place of ears, twisting in an evil fashion. Everything about this being screamed of Torkov’s work, and Melody knew it. However, in the split second that Melody was regaining her bearings after running into the monster, it picked up a razor sharp axe that it placed next to the door and swung it right for Melody’s neckline. Melody quickly dodged the attack and flipped backwards with the aid of her staff so she could get a good look at – hopefully – any weak points that the demon could have. In a fluid motion, Melody twisted her staff and held it horizontally in front of her, ready to put up the shield that she had been training for. Just as the demon regained its control and began its deadly swing again, Melody uttered the incantation, and a force field appeared, deflecting the blow that would have killed her.

    Alright, I have a few minutes until the force field dies out, Melody thought. I need to figure out how to beat this thing. Remembering her parent’s lessons about disabling your enemy, Melody let out a quick stun spell and started circling around the un-moving monster to see if there were any weaknesses or charms that Torkov could have misused. As she was circling though, a low grunt emitted from the monster, and it jumped up with astounding speed, taking much of the strength of Melody’s force field away. In a panic, Melody jumped back, knowing that her level of magic would most likely not work against something of Torkov’s bidding. I can’t do this. I need help. I need… my parents, she thought, as the monster took another swing at her. It was hopeless, both her shield and her energy were draining and fading fast. She had no clue how to defeat such an enemy, and was ashamed that all the years her parents guided her in the use of magic went to waste in one battle. In a fit of desperation, after the monster swung its axe at her, Melody jumped forward swinging her staff and charming it so the material would have the effect of something that consisted of solid lava. Hopefully, she thought, it would be enough. It wasn’t. To Melody’s dismay, a shield blocked her attack and sent her sprawling to the ground. No, Melody realized, direct attacks don’t work. The monster was walking toward her, its expression unchanging.

    Only one more chance, Melody thought. Although she couldn’t move, Melody sent out one more spell, another she had recently learned, that would attack the monster from the inside. At once, the demon stopped walking towards her, and doubled over to the floor, dropping the axe with the head barely touching Melody’s right leg. It burst into flame the same color as its eyes, void of any light. By this point, Melody regained enough strength to sit up from her position, setting her staff in front of her to act as a make-shift shield, just in case something came out of the deathly flame. However, as soon as it came into being, the flame whisked away, leaving the spot of floor it resided on untouched. A burnt piece of parchment appeared, floating down like the scroll that told her about her parents. Melody picked it up.

    “Do not deny your fate, you insolent girl. Just because I was negligent enough to not counter-act inner attack spells doesn’t mean you will escape me. If you know what is good for you and your parents, submit to next test I send you.”

    The scroll disintegrated predictably out of Melody’s hands. Immediately, she stood up and walked outside, knowing that another minion of Torkov’s would come soon. She needed to get away, so she could formulate a plan. With that thought, Melody walked towards town, so she could say goodbyes to her friends, for she knew the journey ahead would be long and probably filled with terrible events. Hopefully all that happened would help her in the end.