Chapter 35 – Why Won’t the Dead Stay Dead?

The energy was washing over him and he felt rejuvenated. He got up quickly, there weren't even aches or pains. The sad thing was that master Strocker was now sitting on the throne, and worst still the man in blue was next to him attending to the wounds.

"You are a pain to kill," the man in blue said not turning around. "You almost killed one of my best puppets."

"Should I take that is a compliment?" Silk asked unhappily.

"Yes, you'll need it if you are going to last any longer." The man in blue talked in an aloof fashion like he already knew everything about everything.

"Just shut up," Silk shouted and charged.

"Stop," the man in blue said and was suddenly suspended.

The magic within Silk stopped circulating and while he could still hear no matter what he tried to say didn't come out his mouth. Suddenly he was truly scared, he was useless and in the other man's hands.

"There was a story once on how to become immortal," he started saying the story like he had rehearsed it one thousand times. "The first mortal to achieve immortality shouted in joy at being able to cheat his death, he had been trying for years."

The man in blue now turned to Silk, "The universes themselves tried to destroy the immortal so the immortal had to hide. He is still hidden, I couldn't find him but I feel like I'm close to succeeding in what he did. Just a few more experiments and I will make the second immortal, or so I thought."

This was confusing Silk. Immortality cannot be possible and the demons can't be close to artificially making it a reality. This could spill the end for anyone but demon kind, they would achieve ultimate domination.

The man in blue continued speaking in a now troubled voice, "Alas I was wrong. Immortality is exceedingly common, you met them, the gods. Trapped in their arena. It is a troubling phenomenon and they refuse to own up to what they have created. Silk, the demons are only a way to an end, I know you will join me in my fight soon enough but until then you need to disappear."

Silk felt an object in his pocket suddenly explode with power, it was the pocket watch. Opening energy poured out and undid the bonds in time that had restricted him.

"I will not disappear." He spat.

"So be it," the man in blue plunged his hand into the shadow of the throne and pulled out a shadow. It was Oak. "I didn't want to do this."

He thrust the shadow in old man Strocker, it bonded quickly. Strocker started taking up some of the pitch-black qualities of the shadow kind but kept some of his other qualities. Youth seemed to come back to Strocker and he looked like a new more demonic man.

"Have fun with your new friend," the man in blue sneered and disappeared.

"I'll never get used to that," Silk muttered.

Strocker suddenly woke up. He got up and looked down at the rapier. Seemingly thinking it unsightly he pulled it out and flicked the blood from it. The wound healed almost instantly which made Silk's healing powers look pathetic.

Strocker smiled, "I feel so powerful." Baring the blade he got into a sparring position.

Silk got ready to run. He was now defenceless after all.

Strocker lunged clearing distance easily in the blink of an eye.

Countering Silk created steps of air and started running upwards. Turning he made to blades of air and threw them at Strocker. They missed.

In second Strocker was above him and kicked him into the ground.

Cushioning his landing Silk didn't break any further bones so only his rib was broken from the kick.

Making two more blades of air Silk threw them but the space seemed to twist in front of Silk grow infinitely long. Not being able to hold the forms of the blade from such a distance he let the magic go.

"I have space magic now. How brilliant!" Strocker exclaimed happily.

Space started warping around Silk constraining him into a small area, the walls and ceilings crushing him.

"Strocker, for gods sake stop this." Silk shouted, "Can't you see you are being used."

Strocker appeared in front of Silk, the force on all sides didn't stop though. "So what if I'm being used. Look at me, I'm young and powerful."

Silk looked at him with pity. "This transformation will kill you from the inside out, trust me I know," Silk said through gritted teeth going to his knees.

"I'm more than you," Strocker laughed.

The pressure around Silk increased and Strocker raised the rapier to pierce him. I great fire burned Strocker's back.

He turned angrily. The burns healed in seconds.

This made Silk smile, they had finally appeared. Crusher crashed into Strocker from a different angle and throwing him to the other side of the room.

Crusher turned, "are you okay?" He offered a hand.

Silk took it gratefully, "thank you. I'm a lucky man."

"Just remember next time. We aren't useless. Don't leave us behind." Crusher reprimanded and pushed the chopping board into his hand.

"Can you stop with your bromance?" Phoenix called while wings on fire sprouted from her back. She was preparing for Strocker's next move.

"Anything we should know?" Crusher asked.

"Strocker can use time magic and because of the man in blue he can use space magic." Silk Shouted. "He will appear quickly in front of you but he cannot hurt you while he stops time for himself. The rapier will cut through anything and does power up magic so be careful of it."

Phoenix stamped angrily. "I can't believe you managed to lose something so powerful."

"Thanks," Strocker appeared in front of Silk ready to thrust but Crusher was quick enough to kick him away.

"Two more ants shouldn't be…" Strocker began to say but got drowned out by an inferno of fire.

"You aren't very sportsmen," Silk noted. Snapping out of his awe in keeping Strocker at bay he shouted, "I need the chopping board."

"You mean this thing is useful," Phoenix exclaimed in mock surprise while countering Strocker's sword and him physically splitting space at the same time by sacrificing a wing of fire. She threw the chopping board at Silk.

Suddenly the chopping board was in Strocker's hands at the other side of the room. "You need this. Sorry," he said throwing through a portal which could lead anywhere.

Silk looked at him blankly, "Wow, you managed to buy a few seconds." He spread his magic like a web so he could feel the energy within the room.

He rushed at Strocker.

Suddenly Strocker was in front of him but Silk rolled grabbing his feet and taking him down. He clicked his fingers and created a spark. Pouring magic into it, it should have burnt Strocker into a pile of ashes.

It missed but Silk didn't let the flames go out. "Phoenix, I need your help," he shouted. "Crusher, hold off Strocker, use everything you've got."

"What do you need?" she asked.

"Fire, all around us. A tornado of fire."

She paled, "I can try but it won't last long."

"It doesn't matter," Silk responded. "I need to enchant something. Please."

Phoenix nodded then gave a rare smile. "Okay."

Fire from where Silk had started the burning rushed forwards wrapping them closely. There wasn't enough room in the tornado for someone else so it was relatively safe if they didn't burn to death. Phoenix wouldn't because the enchantments on her cloak would prevent this, Silk didn't have enough power to stop himself burning though.

Drawing the fire from around him he started drawing fine threads in a complicated circle around a fiery replica of the enchantment he had found on the mirror kind.

Minutes of burning continued and Silk was barely scraping by and not burning to death, he was resilient but it was getting ridiculous.

Silk turned to see Phoenix was drifting in and out of consciousness. "Just a little longer," Silk whispered taking out his key with the embroidered spider.

The fiery tornado dissipated and Phoenix collapsed on the ground. Crusher was still fighting Strocker but it wasn't going well, he had cuts all over him like the sword had barely missed him.

Focusing Silk converted the remaining flames into magical energy and put it into his key. The sky seemed to shudder as a new moon appeared in the sky. The new moon was the workshop that Silk longed to return to but knew it wasn't possible yet.

The key seemed to Link with the workshop and draw power from it. Silk grinned.

"Strocker," he shouted. "Next time you steal from me take my key and not the sword."

Strocker's eyes widened in shock. His newly acquired spatial magic and understanding let him know exactly what the enchantment was.

Silk took the key from the enchantment and with it, space seemed to tear.

Silk, Crusher and Silk felt nothing but Strocker and the mirror kind did. The demon army was efficient and if the shadow kind was as similar to the mirror kind as Oak had made it seem then they would use the same enchantment to enslave them.

All that bore the enchantment of the enslaved would be pulled towards this space and transported to another world. Silk made sure it wasn't anywhere nice. Normally Silk wouldn't be able to pull this off but with the energy from the workshop it was easy.

Strocker looked pleased as Strocker was forced out of this world but he started to feel a shaking from underneath.

"Dammit," he exclaimed annoyed. "I really am an idiot." He picked up Phoenix and shouted at a stunned crusher to follow him. They started running out of the throne room. Well, not run but hobble.

They looked out the nearest window and saw a swarm of demons being transported by the suction of the enchantment towards said enchantment.

The city was in ruins but in the distance, Silk saw magicians in red cheering while the demons 'retreated'.

If they were caught by the storm of demons they would be forced into the portal by the sheer momentum of the tides of demons. They would be dead.

Silk went back to the throne door and pulled out his key. It glowed softly.

He put it into the key hole of the door and the whole door started glowing softly. Silk could almost swear that he could sense Oak's presence as he did this. Opening the door, it no longer led to the throne room but a forest.

Breathing Silk took his key back and took his first step into the unknown with Phoenix on his back and Crusher at his side.