This time, the challenge was to use T-rex, Seduce and Abyssal... I resisted the urge to go to a dark place... The house loomed before me, barely visible in the moonless night and the rain, but it was there. Each time the lightning flashed I had to remind myself that it was only an old house, that there wasn’t really anything to worry about in there. Of course, I couldn’t help but then remember that I was lying to myself. Either way though, I had to go inside. I had a job to do.
This assignment had come from the very top, and addressed to me, Agent Bradley Cartwright. I had a long and stories history with the agency, but even I couldn’t ignore something like this, or pass it off to a junior. If it had come to me, then the chances were that it was too dangerous for a junior. Sadly, they hadn’t told me anything about what was going on here, so my preparations had been difficult. I walked up to the door and pushed, finding it open. The lights were all off inside, so I illuminated my small handheld torch – no need for unnecessary magic. The agency guidelines were full of advice like that – avoid the use of magic unless absolutely necessary, for it will seduce you and you’ll find it harder and harder to avoid it’s use. However, I could tell as soon as I entered that magic had been used here and on an ongoing basis. The smell was strong, though only to one with my trained sensitivity to it. It was heavy in the air – I would guess that the first spell had been cast a couple of months ago. There was iron in the air, and a scent of sulphur – blood magic, with an abyssal source. At least I knew now that I could expect demons. I moved through the house, trying to be quiet. My torch would mark me out instantly if I were seen, but I held it low and hoped I could still remain undetected. The house was nice – a huge TV fastened to a wall in a living room, with several very expensive looking pieces of artwork hanging near it. The surfaces were covered in pottery and other ornamentation, and I was sure I recognised some of them from ancient texts on magic. The kitchen was large, filled with very modern and very fancy appliances. The smell was getting stronger and, looking through the kitchen, I found a door, presumably to a basement. The smell was strongest there – whatever was behind this door was, almost certainly, where the magic had been taking place. I hadn’t seen or heard any people yet, so I tried the door. It opened easily and silently. I went through, being careful to close it behind me. I had my identification with me showing that I had permission to be here, but that wouldn’t help if the people that discovered me were the magicians. I found the stairs and moved down. There was light coming from below, reddish in tint, and so I turned off my torch. I could hear chanting – the actual magic was taking place right now! Perhaps drawing on the energy in the storm, though that might make whatever they were doing even more dangerous. I started to move quicker – he chanting was quiet, but the tone and the rhythm suggested a summoning was taking place. I reached the bottom and saw that I had been right. Two people were writhing in passion together inside a magic circle. The energy in the room was high, and I could see their demon manifesting in the other circle. I sighed to myself. There is never a good time to arrest people, but this would rank amongst the worst. I stepped out, holding out my identification. “Stop what you’re doing,” I said, keeping a straight face. “You’re under arrest for violations of the Licensing of Arcane Activities Act of 1952. Please do not resist.” They either didn’t hear me, or chose to ignore me – honestly, I wasn’t sure which it was. They were certainly preoccupied with what they were doing. I pulled out some anti-arcanic powder and started to throw it around the room. It would dampen the magic energy, slow down the summoning and, hopefully, get them to notice me. As I started, there was a rumble of thunder at the same time as a flash of lightning. The storm was right overhead. There was an explosion of energy from both magical circles, my dust incinerated instantly, and the demon appeared. The two people on the floor, having now followed my instruction to cease their activity, looked at me and grinned. The demon started to approach. It was big, a good eight feet or so tall, and was covered in rippling muscles. As it started to prowl towards me, I could see that it had vicious claws and a hungry look. I couldn’t help but wonder why they had been summoning this thing in the first place, as they couldn’t have been expecting me. I backed away, back to the staircase and moved up. If I was going to face this thing, I wanted to do it without the two magicians able to support it. I pulled my phone from my pocket as I went, speed-dialling the agency to request backup of my own. No signal – looked like the storm was having more of an effect than I’d realised. I was on my own. I couldn’t just leave the house – otherwise this thing would rampage after me. I had to keep it contained. I also didn’t want the magicians to make an escape whilst I dealt with it. I returned to the kitchen and checked my phone again, hoping it had simply been the basement that had been blocking it – no such hope. I tapped an emergency app, knowing that it would send a message as soon as it could and looked for somewhere to go. There wasn’t much time, but I threw more powder over the back door, sealing it for a time so there couldn’t be an escape that way. I moved to the front of the house and did the same there, but the demon was on my tail, keeping pace easily with its long stride. I raced upstairs, that being the only place I could now go. I dove into a room, hoping to slow it for a moment whilst I prepared some defences. “Who are you?” The voice was that of a young girl, only a child as I had unwittingly hidden in her bedroom. I didn’t make any movement towards her but smiled. She’d turned on a bedside lamp, and I could see that she was only five or six years old. She was rubbing her eyes, clearly only recently woken. I couldn’t believe that they’d performed the ritual they had tonight, and all of the ones previously, with a child, presumably their own child, in the house! That was an issue for another day though. She didn’t look worried – just curious, so I risked a step towards her. “My name is Agent Cartwright,” I said quietly as I approached. “But my friends call me Bradley. Would you like to?” She nodded. “You’re an Agent? Does that mean you’re a spy?” “Sort of,” I replied. “I’m here to sort out a problem, and I didn’t know you were here. I’m sorry to have disturbed you.” “That’s alright,” she said. I could see that her bed was covered in cuddly toys and an idea came to me. “What’s your name?” I asked. “Rebecca.” “Good to meet you Rebecca. Do you think that one of your toys could help us?” “They aren’t toys. They’re my friends.” “I’m sorry – perhaps one of your friends could help us?” She nodded. “Are any of them particularly good at keeping you safe from monsters and helping you to be brave.” She nodded again and reached under her covers, pulling out a cuddly pink and silver dinosaur. A t-rex. “This is Mr. Chomps,” she said quickly. “He keeps me safe from any monsters.” “He’ll be perfect,” I said, reaching to take Mr. Chomps from her. I started to perform my own ritual, chanting quietly. Rebecca was quiet, clearly fascinated by what was going on as I cast my spell over Mr. Chomps. Quickly, I drew the spirit from the toy and a spectral version of the dinosaur stood in my small circle. Rebecca looked delighted and clapped her hands in wonder. “Now,” I said, moving back to her door and opening it again. “This Mr. Chomps is going to come and help me.” I tossed the toy back to her. “This one will stay and keep you safe, as he always does.” I moved out with my new dinosaur buddy and found the demon at the end of the landing. Mr. Chomps, sensing the threat, moved immediately to the attack and the demon couldn’t do anything to it. The purity and innocence of its intentions, to keep the child safe, kept it safe from the demon’s attacks and I knew that I could leave this battle confident out the outcome. I moved past when I could and went to make the arrest.
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October 2021
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