Chapter 336: Refusal to Submit

Doevm sat with clenched fists in one of the eastern classrooms, his pitch black eyes staring aimlessly at a blank wall. The smell of black powder drifted into his nose. 'They took down Thomas,' he thought. 'Our connection is still present so I can tell that he's spent. I need more time but that damned Grand Shaman…I can't fight two battles at once.' He let out a long sigh, and his breath fogged the air.

Ice statues lay about the room, depicting demons in extremely accurate detail. The fear was frozen on their faces. Olpi grasped the concept of compound magic well before the other four Demis, and had proven it. "What happens if they melt?" she asked.

"If they melt," Doevm echoed with a chuckle. He sent a mental command to the Giant, which shattered them with a single swing of its stony arm. The Demis barely reacted as the pieces of demon bounced off their torn pants.

"Thanks," Olpi stated plainly, pushing some of the shards away with her foot. "You have done a lot for us and we really appreciate it."

"We are allies fighting the same battle, are we not?"

Olpi nodded: "We are indeed helping each other."

Doevm gave the room a once-over. Olpi had her hands interlocked behind her back, the same posture as the rest of the Demis. Lining the walls were thirty Undead. The additions came from sparse scouting parties. All heads were looking his way, the center of the room. He folded his arms. "What?"

Looks were exchanged and he knew he had hit the nail on the head. Olpi stepped forward, the informal representative of the Demis. "C-Cerlius," she stuttered at first but caught herself. "How does it look on the battlefield?"

"Bad," Doevm responded. He extended his hand, concentrated, and the little mana he had left formed into a small ball of energy which returned to him as he released it. "One of the defensive lines blew up. They only have two left but there's no telling how long they'll last."

"Are we charging in?" Olpi asked.

Doevm shook his head. "I thought I could stall for longer but I forgot about the Grand Shaman. If I don't deal with her-"

"We can do it," Olpi suggested, gesturing to herself and the other four Demis in the room.

"You?" Doevm fought the urge to laugh. "You five want to go up against the Grand Shaman?"

The Demis nodded vehemently.

"I don't think so," Doevm stomped out their pride quick. No matter what the Demis had done or had the capabilities to do, they were just arrogant newbies. Overestimation meant death on the battlefield. "Just follow my lead, keep your head down, and don't ask questions."

Olpi frowned. He had hit a nerve. "So what would you have us do, wait with you while you build up magic again? The demons will be sending more after us. Do you plan to take them down yourself?" Doevm gestured to the Undead, most of which were covered in demon blood. She sighed: "Fair point but we still want to fight."

Doevm scrunched up his eyebrows. "Is that not what you've all been doing? You came to me for help, to survive. The exit is just over there should you decide to leave." He pointed to the doorway without a door.

"N-no," Olpi stuttered again. "We don't want to run. We just..."

"She means that we want to fight on our own," Menla blurted out. She patted her dirty but dry suit. "We are people too. We can think for ourselves."

Doevm shook his head: "I'm still not letting you 'fight' the Grand Shaman. You will die, all of you."

"Is it really that bad?"

"Yes and for that reason she can't be ignored. I can't kill her but I will make her feel pain." The Undead reacted in tandem with Doevm. Their statue-like posture was brought back to life with a collection of groans and growls. They had also felt the injury of their fellow Undead Thomas. No matter how brainless they were, the concept of comrades was innate.

Olpi pointed towards the front of the classroom and said with a nervous smile. "You told us don't ask any questions and just follow. You'd make a great instructor, Cerlius, and I'm not saying that because you taught us Compound magic. We will win if we bow our heads. We are used to bowing our heads. We're tired of it. I'm tired of it. I don't want to be given freedom. I won't accept it. I want to earn it, with our magic." After decades of being trapped inside the academy, being treated as half a human, they still held their heads up high.

Doevm looked down at his robe, the academy's robe to be more exact. They had given it to him after they took both him and his memories. "I understand, more than I'd like to."

The Demis hugged and high-fived, a small, brief celebration. It was illogical yet it made sense. "Humans," he muttered, more to himself than anyone else. Despite that, he found himself smiling faintly. He cleared his throat: "I will, however, take a small fee before I go. Please give me your hands."

The Demis placed their hands on top of each other like a team huddle. Doevm put his hand on top. "Vampiric touch."

It was quick as he only wanted to take a portion of their mana. Raising an Undead army had expended a lot of his resources after all. In the process however, Olpi caught his eye. While the others flinched, she was stoic. She had more mana than the rest, much much more. Doevm's core once again filled with energy. The fleeting bits of mana around him surged as if he were a dying cinder reignited. "Bravery is commendable. Make sure to back your words up with actions or it becomes mere stupidity."

"That's pretty wise," Menla said. "Who did you hear it from?"

Doevm sighed. "I'm leaving the Undead here. They can't come with me. Order them around as you'd like." He turned to leave.

"Thank you," Olpi said in elvish.

"Your welcome," Doevm responded. He walked out of the classroom, through the hallway, and leapt out of a window.