Daggat was hiding behind a bookshelf. He could hear the demon enter the room. Every movement sounded like a dozen poles striking wood. That couldn’t be good for the floor. Daggat’s floor, to be precise.

  He took a glance at the book titles. Histories and biographies. Following warlords, generals, doctors, alchemists and more. Daggat briefly wondered what the point of them was. Then he realized. They each would have a direct example of how they used their classes and skills. Perhaps he could use these to refine his party's paths, or even develop one of his own. He could hardly wait to sift through them.

  Daggat couldn’t see the demon, but he could almost sense its anger. Something had pissed it off. It spoke.

  “What is your game, Prodigy? You’ve impeded me.”

  “My game is Kingless, but no, I did not. I was distracting the intruders, as you commanded, and it just so happened you were in the way.” Lied Alfred. He was pretty good at that. Daggat almost believed him.

  “Where are they?”

  “In the tunnels. Shall I guide them to the laboratory?”

  “No. Keep them where they are. Stay here.” The demon began to move again. Shit. It was going after them. They needed to distract it somehow. Keep it here until they chop down the tree.

  The question was, how can he do that without getting himself killed?

  “Wait,” Alfred said.

  “What is it?” The demon said. Daggat slowly moved a book from the shelf. He peaked through. The demon was feet from the stairs down.

  “Wouldn’t it save time to meet them there? No need to be inefficient.”

  “I no longer wish to turn them. Now, silence.”

  “But, why?”

  “I said silence!” The demon turned to leave then, it turned back. “What have you done?” It skittered towards Alfred, who was floating above a chair.

  “What do you mean? I’ve done as you commanded.” Alfred slowly drifted away slowly.

  “No… you are different. No longer mine. Tell me what happened.” Its voice became deep and menacing. Well, more menacing.

  A table broke over the demon's head.

  “You cannot harm me with my own element.” The demon said.

  “Yes. I see that now. Should have been obvious, really.”

  Furniture and decorations flew around the room in a silent cyclone. Alfred rose in the air. The room seemed to darken and become colder. A side effect of unnatural power.

  Daggat continued to hide as the demon was attacked with a flurry of flying objects. Most of it smashed from the air, but some hit their mark. But the demon was sturdy. At most, they were distractions.

  He could push a bookshelf onto it, he realized. But it just proved that it had an immunity to wood. Which was unfair, to say the least. Plus, he didn’t want to damage any books.

  He felt something brush against his leg and he nearly jumped out of his skin. Birdy was cowering behind his legs.

  “This is your fault, you know?” Daggat said as he reached down to scratch the cat. Its wing was still bandaged. With the hearth fire, it should recover faster. He wondered when they should remove the bandage. While he pondered this, petting the cat, the battle raged behind him.

  Alfred flew out of range and kept moving. The demon chased. It climbed over the bookshelves, heedless to the destruction of the books it passed over. All the while a barrage of junk pelted the demon.

  Daggat was forced to move to stay out of view. Luckily, the demon was fairly limited in its powers. Deadwood could only do so much. Daggat bet the thing could float like none other, though.

  The demon swung behind a large bookshelf, guided by the undead boy. That was an opening for Daggat. He rushed to the controls. The others were huddled in one area. What were they doing?

  He quickly closed off all routes from here to them and opened a clear route to the laboratory. If the demon did escape here, it would at least be slowed further.

  “Enough.” The demon said. Daggat’s blood ran cold. Did it spot him? He looked. No.

  It had pinned Alfred against a wall. A wooden wall, made of very dead wood. Roots and branches grew from them, created by the demon's will. It had caught Alfred by the arms.

  “Victor, if you are in there, hear me,” Alfred said. He was struggling with the restraints. His debris had been ground down to a mass of powdered statues and bent metal things. Ah, that wasn’t going to work. Even if he was in there, it's been forty-odd years. If he could have willed his way out, he would have.

  The demon responded by attacking. It lashed out with both arms. They twisted together, growing and elongating. His arms became a single, spike. It pierced Alfred through the chest.

  “Fuuuuuuck,” Daggat whispered. He kind of liked the little prodigy.

  He dived under the table they had used to play Kingless.

  Like a shadow, the demon wordlessly passed over him, heading for the exit.

  Then there was hiss and the demon paused. Daggats eyes rolled to the back of his head. Idiot cat.

  He peaked to see the demon eying the cat with an emotionless glare. Slowly, it reached out a hand towards her. If the cat died, Zuss would kill him. Simple cause and effect. There was also the rest of his crew. If the demon caught up to them… well, it won’t be pretty.

  Daggat braced himself to do something stupid. He hated it when he was forced into these situations.

  “You don’t happen to have any books on mortal souls, do you?” Daggat said. His voice was at a speaking level but amplified by his hypervocal chords. The demon snapped his attention towards where Daggat was, but he had moved away.

  One advantage to having an unusually enhanced voice, it was hard to pin down the exact location. He would have to capitalize that best he could.

  “Daggat… so you were here.” The demon drifted to the center of the room and looked for him.

  “Yep. The whole time. Really embarrassing how long it took you to kill the kid.” Daggat slipped behind a ruined couch. It would find him eventually. What did he have?

  His broken sword was left behind. He didn’t even have a simple dagger. He needed to pick up a proper weapon. It was just… daggers didn’t feel right. Neither did the sword, really, but it had utility.

  In the room, the glass cubes were left untouched. He could use one as a weapon. Only in an emergency, he thought. They looked expensive. Everything else was either made of wood or destroyed.

  So, he had nothing but his wits and his voice. That wasn’t a lot.

  What had Al said earlier? Perceptions and expectations were important? What did that mean?

  “Ooh, close. I’m actually behind the other pile of rubble.” Daggat called out as he scurried behind a bookshelf. He needed to figure that out.

  When Daggat reminded Alfred that he wasn’t technically dead wood but rather undead wood, he had made that comment. Then he connected it to alchemy.

  How did his perception interact with alchemy?

  The demon tore apart the couch he was hiding behind a moment ago. Time to move. This time, he climbed up and nestled into a shelf. The demon wouldn’t find him here very quickly, right?

  Reading on this site? This novel is published elsewhere. Support the author by seeking out the original.

  Now, back to the alchemy. When someone drank his potions, they took on the aspects of the things he used to make them. Scales and such for the drake. Fur for the warg. That was logical. Wasn’t it?

  The recipes he had didn’t mention specific monster parts. Just essence amounts. If he made the same potion but from other monster parts, would it make the same potion or a different one? His gut told him it would be the same.

  Perhaps, and he was stretching logic here, his initial expectations of the potion set its effects. What he believed and how her perceived the world affected the outcome. If that were true, would the demon work the same way?

  It held dominion over dead wood. So far, it could control wood, animate them, turn corpses into wood, and probably have more powers. Maybe Daggat could say something to change its perception. Change how its own powers work?

  Absolutely ridiculous.

  But it was his only idea.

  Daggat heard the clanging of metal that signified he was going down the stairs. It seems the demon had run out of patience.

  Dropping from his hiding place, Daggat moved to the controls.

  Once there, he lifted the stairs and moved them to another slot. In response, the real stairs began to lift. A complex series of gears and pulleys powered by some sort of magic lifted the cage-like structure.

  The demon grunted in frustration as he was lifted back into the library.

  “Sorry, can’t let you leave.” Daggat activated hypnotic gaze. It couldn’t hurt, right?

  The demon kicked off the stairs, causing it to swing violently. He hurtled to the ground, landing like a fallen tree. Daggat backed away from the otherworldly piece of driftwood.

  Now or never, he hoped his plan worked.

  “You know, it’s funny. You ever think about what makes dead wood different from living trees?” Daggat covered his face in his hands as the demon thrust a dozen tiny roots at him. They dug into his skin ripping flesh. Daggat ignored the pain.

  “I will show you.” It said.

  “Sure, sure, but you know what's interesting about dead wood. Dead trees.” Daggat rolled under another attack. He could feel splinters in his arms start to wriggle and dig in. “They don’t grow. Can’t move. Can you imagine? Being stuck in one place, never moving, never changing.”

  To Daggat’s astonishment, the demon slowed. It was as though it was fighting against heavyweights. Was this the key to fighting demons? Trap them in their own identity?

  Slow or fast, when the piece of dead wood smacked into Daggat’s forearm, he felt it crack. Not a full break. This was another day he was thankful for pain tolerance.

  “Stop talking and die. You will enjoy it much more, I promise.” The demon said.

  “Another fun little bit of wisdom I know. Deadwood dries out. It rots. Vermin and fungus feast on it. Over time, say… less than forty years for sure, it begins to crumble.” Daggat was forced to step back from a slow, but still powerful, attack. “It becomes… WEAK.” Daggat slammed a fist as hard as he could into a root. It shattered under his fist. Daggat smiled a wicked grin.

  The demon backed away from Daggat, who was searching for another fragile piece to break.

  “Dead, weak, fragile, rigid…” Daggat hammered the thoughts into the demon's mind. Then he took three quick steps forward, lept off what looked like a stool, then kicked the demon in an arm. The arm cracked and snapped off. “What’s the matter? Lost your edge? Where was that strength you had a moment ago?”

  The demon's eyes narrowed, and then it looked thoughtful. Uh oh. Did Daggat do something wrong? It went still.

  “Uh… hello?” Daggat asked. The demon had gone completely still. Did he win?

  Suddenly the demon roared to life. It began to move again, just as quickly as before.

  “This is not me. This is a puppet. Deadwood makes fine puppets. Dead wood can be reinforced. Oiled and treated. Made to be stronger than it was before.” The demon had a sheen to him now. As it spoke, it took on a polished look, like the surface of a strong table. It lashed out and hit Daggat in the chest with a thick, sturdy hardwood root.

  Daggat flew through the air and slammed into a bookshelf. He felt a rib or two snap.

  It came at him. Well, it was fun while it lasted. If Daggat survived this, he would need to look into demon slaying.

  “Oh look…” Daggat had one move left. “They made it to the tree. You know, the one in the laboratory. You are out of time.” Daggat had no idea if that was true or not.

  The demon roared in frustration. For a moment, Daggat was afraid it would finish him off before going to the tree. It seemed to struggle with that thought as well. Luckily, its survival instincts won.

  Then he dropped down the hole. A moment later, there was a crash. Daggat laughed, ignoring the faded pain. It was bulldozing its way through the passages. Good luck, guys.

  Daggat moved to his feet, then hobbled over to Alfred’s body.

  “Well, it was a good team-up while it lasted,” Daggat said. He entered the library to kill Alfred in the first place. Now he was conflicted. It was just an undead, but… it was someone who might be able to keep up with Daggat.

  “Is it gone?” Asked Alfred. Daggat jumped.

  “Al?! You’re alive?” Daggat asked while Alfred floated up.

  “No. But I am not destroyed either.”

  “But… I saw what happened.”

  “Yes. He only stabbed me through the chest. Hardly lethal. Or… unlethal?”

  “I have a… different experience with that. You alright?”

  “As well as I could be. Though it will take quite some time for this body to recover.”

  “You good to move? We might be able to give back up.”

  “Indeed. After you.”

  Daggat and Alfred moved the stairs back to their previous position. He doubted he could catch up to the demon. But, if he was held up by the crew, then he might be able to help.

  Daggat

  True Name: Daggat

  Soul: Monster

  Genseed: gremlin [ 3 Str, 4 Dex, 3 Con, 2 Int, 3 Wil, 3 Cha; Regenerating Teeth, Rot Resistance; Tiny Size]

  Genbloom: goblin [ +2 Str, +2 Dex, +2 Con, +1 Int, +1 Wil; Scavanger; Small Size]

  Monster Level: 8

  Attributes (0/6):

  Strength: 11

  Dexterity: 11

  Constitution: 11

  Intelligence: 20

  Will: 10

  Charm: 12

  Feats:

  Encounter: True Angel

  Ability: Mighty Intellect

  Act: Fledgling Alchemist

  Knowledge: System Knowledge

  Act: Devotion [Layered feats]

  Act: Usurper

  Act: Touch of Death

  Skills(0/3):

  Alchemy: 1 [Source: Fledgling Alchemist]

  System Aptitude: 1 [Source: System Knowledge]

  System Assistant: 1

  Mind Codex: 1 [Synergy: Mental notes + Copy Tome]

  Party Leader: 1 [Source: Usurper]

  Notable Natural Skills:

  Literacy: Apprentice

  Biotraits (0/8):

  Base size: Small [Source: Goblin]

  Regenerating Teeth [Source: Gremlin]

  Enhanced Night Vision [Source: Gremlin]

  Disease Resistance [Mutations: Rot Resistance; Source: Gremlin]

  Hypnotic Gaze [Mutations: Dominating Gaze, Mesmerizing Gaze]

  Temperature Resistant Skin [Synergy: Fire Resistant Skin + Cold Resistant Skin]

  Scavenger [Source: goblin]

  Death Sight [Source: Touch of Death]

  Increased Pain Tolerance

  Hypervocal chords

  Transformations:

  Drakeheart Form:

  +2 strength

  +2 charm

  Extreme Temperature Resistant Scales [Synergy: Fireproof scales + Temperature resistant Skin]

  Fire breath

  Night Stalker form:

  +2 strength

  +2 dexterity

  Dark vision [Night Vision Enhanced]

  Deepen Shadow

  Other:

  Variant: +10 Intelligence

  Notable Gear:

  Strange pure-white sword

  Alfred

  True Name: Alfred Varnsach [Family name, Skill Alchemy]

  Soul: Mortal Untethered

  Genseed: Human [3 Str, 3 Dex, 3 Con, 3 Int, 3 Wil, 3 Cha; +2 skill points Standard Size]

  [Class] Level: 3

  Awakened Corpse Wood Level: 5 [+2 Int; Unliving [Unnatural flesh (wood)]; -Remove: Mindless Dead]

  Attributes (0/6):

  Strength: 8

  Dexterity: 8

  Constitution: 8

  Intelligence: 16

  Will: 10

  Charm: 8

  Feats:

  Knowledge: System Knowledge.

  Knowledge: Fledgling Mage.

  Act: Vile Concoction.

  Ability: Mighty Intellect.

  Act: Devotion. [Layered Feats]

  Skills (0/7):

  System Aptitude: 1 [Source: System Knowledge]

  Alchemy: 1 [Source: Varnsach family name]

  Attribute Boost: Intelligence (+2)

  Spell Craft: 2 [Source: Fledgling Mage; Perk: Refined Control]

  Construct Capacity: 3 [Perk: Expanded slots x2] (9 slots)

  Copy Construct: 1

  Pause Construct: 1

  Curses (0/5):

  Haunt: Titanfall Manor [Poltergeist, Mana Corruption]; YOU MUST REMAIN

  Unliving [Unnatural flesh (wood), Unrooted]; YOU CANNOT LIVE

  Graveless; YOU MAY NOT REST

  Notable Natural Skills:

  Research: Apprentice

  Biotraits (1/1):

  Disease Resistance [Source: Vile Concoction]

  Known Magical Components:

  Engines: Force, Control, Sense, Connect, Energy

  Drives: Efficiency, Focus