periodically, Safreon quickly moved to a shelf and pulled out an iron shod chest that was about two feet wide . He made a motion with his hand and uttered a single syllable and the chest opened with a click.
Behind him the Demon was becoming even more twisted with rage as the inside of the pinkish globe was alternatively filled with fire, lightning and even gushes of lava. The Demon was so mindless in its rage that it had torn its own arm partially out of socket and the arm hung lamely from the beast ’s left side, as it flailed in doomed agony.
Safreon placed the open chest on a work table and reached inside toward a vast number of small glass vi als, each about the size of a m an’s thumb. Grasping one and then opening it , he drew it forth and held it, arm outstretched, toward the pinkish globe and the trapped demon.
He grabbed a flask from his pocket and opened it, dripping a small amount of a fizzling pink liquid into the small vial he held.
As he finished, the large pink sphere containing the beast began to swirl more violently . Safreon noted that a bright point of light shone out from within the large pink orb and the creature recoiled in terror from it. The light seemed to draw part of the beast into it, and then with a loud popping sound, the entirety of the beast and the pink globe were drawn into the small, bright pink globe. The small pink globe, shining brightly, floated over to the small bottle held by Safreon, and slid into the neck of it .
Safreon deftly corked the top of the bottle and turned in a practiced motion and threw the bottle into the fireplace , where it burst with a loud bang and emitted a foul smoke– the majority of which mercifully floated up the open flue and into the chimney.
As he completed his work, Safreon reflected on the price of using the Wand of the Imperator as a magical power source . The risk of unleashing an uncontrolled demon was high, unless the Wand was expertly used in controlled conditions. When one used the Wand as Safreon did, it called forth a d emon to the mortal plane which could be easily exploited for magical power during the period soon after its summoning, because the creature was weak and disoriented from the journey from its home plane . After a time the demon would strengthen , and unless proper precautions were taken, it would then be unleashed to wre ak havoc upon mortals other than the user of the Wand and those he directly protected with special corollary spells . For those of evil inclination, this rampaging demon was merely a chaotic side effect of t he Wand’s use. B ut for one who had devoted his life to ridding the world of evil , this was something that had to be avoided at all costs.
Safreon believed that he could use the Wand in relative safety as long as his luck and skill in controlling the type of Demon that he summoned held out . H e also counted on his ability to control the environment in which the summoning took place . He needed to have his intricate alchemical tools at his dis posal to ensure his safety and the safety of those around him when he attempted to harness the considerable power of the Wand.
His thoughts darkened as they turned to th e bargain that he had made with the reptilian w izard , Gwineval. He had promised to deliver the Wand to him for inspection in exchange for aid in rescuing Hemlock from the Wizard Tower . The exact terms of this agreement had not been discussed , but he assumed that Gwineval would dem and access to the Wand– at least temporarily – in exchange for Hemlock. He believed that Gwineval was a well - intentioned being . But could he be trusted with that much power? Safreon was briefly overcome by a dark thought: w ould Gwineval attempt to seize the Wand if it was shown to him?
As the final traces of the foul smoke that had been emitted from the explosion of the jar in the fireplace dissipated, Safreon considered his path forward. He had to go to the Wizard
Behind him the Demon was becoming even more twisted with rage as the inside of the pinkish globe was alternatively filled with fire, lightning and even gushes of lava. The Demon was so mindless in its rage that it had torn its own arm partially out of socket and the arm hung lamely from the beast ’s left side, as it flailed in doomed agony.
Safreon placed the open chest on a work table and reached inside toward a vast number of small glass vi als, each about the size of a m an’s thumb. Grasping one and then opening it , he drew it forth and held it, arm outstretched, toward the pinkish globe and the trapped demon.
He grabbed a flask from his pocket and opened it, dripping a small amount of a fizzling pink liquid into the small vial he held.
As he finished, the large pink sphere containing the beast began to swirl more violently . Safreon noted that a bright point of light shone out from within the large pink orb and the creature recoiled in terror from it. The light seemed to draw part of the beast into it, and then with a loud popping sound, the entirety of the beast and the pink globe were drawn into the small, bright pink globe. The small pink globe, shining brightly, floated over to the small bottle held by Safreon, and slid into the neck of it .
Safreon deftly corked the top of the bottle and turned in a practiced motion and threw the bottle into the fireplace , where it burst with a loud bang and emitted a foul smoke– the majority of which mercifully floated up the open flue and into the chimney.
As he completed his work, Safreon reflected on the price of using the Wand of the Imperator as a magical power source . The risk of unleashing an uncontrolled demon was high, unless the Wand was expertly used in controlled conditions. When one used the Wand as Safreon did, it called forth a d emon to the mortal plane which could be easily exploited for magical power during the period soon after its summoning, because the creature was weak and disoriented from the journey from its home plane . After a time the demon would strengthen , and unless proper precautions were taken, it would then be unleashed to wre ak havoc upon mortals other than the user of the Wand and those he directly protected with special corollary spells . For those of evil inclination, this rampaging demon was merely a chaotic side effect of t he Wand’s use. B ut for one who had devoted his life to ridding the world of evil , this was something that had to be avoided at all costs.
Safreon believed that he could use the Wand in relative safety as long as his luck and skill in controlling the type of Demon that he summoned held out . H e also counted on his ability to control the environment in which the summoning took place . He needed to have his intricate alchemical tools at his dis posal to ensure his safety and the safety of those around him when he attempted to harness the considerable power of the Wand.
His thoughts darkened as they turned to th e bargain that he had made with the reptilian w izard , Gwineval. He had promised to deliver the Wand to him for inspection in exchange for aid in rescuing Hemlock from the Wizard Tower . The exact terms of this agreement had not been discussed , but he assumed that Gwineval would dem and access to the Wand– at least temporarily – in exchange for Hemlock. He believed that Gwineval was a well - intentioned being . But could he be trusted with that much power? Safreon was briefly overcome by a dark thought: w ould Gwineval attempt to seize the Wand if it was shown to him?
As the final traces of the foul smoke that had been emitted from the explosion of the jar in the fireplace dissipated, Safreon considered his path forward. He had to go to the Wizard
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