More Knowledge

Rowen returned to the living room and picked up the book on magic basics. She flipped through the book, pausing whenever something caught her attention. She went through it twice before she sat it down.

"Ok, so spells tend to be related to the five elements?"

~There are some exceptions, of course, as civilization advanced human's knowledge of magic expanded, and spells were changed to reflect that. Those of the bloodline tend to be born with elemental-based magic.

~Orc's don't have innate magic, but physically they are far stronger than any other bloodline. Dragons, of course, are born able to use fire without spells. Their fire works similar to hellfire in that it will not harm them.

~Elves possess earth magic and fairies air magic. Now, they are still able to use spells or become a Summoner. Orc bloodlines are more likely to become Summoners than any other bloodline. For the rest, it's a sign of weak power that they don't become a mage~

Rowen opened the book to the next to last chapter and pointed at it.

"Witches and priests. They are both powered by gods, what's the difference?"

~Priests serve Rhis and are the only ones who can use light magic. It is a gift from Rhis. Witches are patrons of the lesser gods and their powers are based on the god that they serve. Witches are as close to a Summoner as one can get. If the summoning is done correctly, the Summoner will be able to call on a portion of the demon's power.

~We are different from Summoners in that you have full access to my powers. We are, in essence, the same being.~

"I know that when it comes to healing, priests are at the top, but it's mages with healing spells that work at the hospitals."

~The priests are too good to lower themselves for public service work. But you cannot argue that they don't have a monopoly on higher healing. It's similar to how witches serving the Goddess Harmus have a monopoly on blacksmithing.

~Sure, regular humans can be a blacksmith and make decent weapons. Witch blacksmiths just create weapons that transcend what a human can create.~

Rowen closed the book and picked up the book on summoning. She flipped through it twice like she had the book on magic, though she was frowning when she sat it down.

"This tells me nothing about the powers that a Summoner can use."

~Odds are good that no Summoner has spoken of, nor written down, the powers they used. We are private creatures by nature and don't want humans to know all of our secrets. A smart demon will have the human's silence as part of the deal.

~Deals are our greatest tools. With them, we can create miracles and do things that otherwise would not be able to happen. The second greatest tool would be hellfire. It is the most versatile ability we have.~

Rowen closed her eyes and leaned back on the couch as Gabriel forced knowledge into her brain again. She spent a good minute focusing on her breathing before she was able to function again. She now had a shortlist of demon powers.

"Damn, you could have warned me. I think I almost passed out."

She massaged her forehead as its laughter filled her, "I'm starting to think you enjoy doing that."

~Maybe a little. Think of it as part of your training. One day my imparting knowledge won't even phase you.~

Rowen muttered a few choice words under her breath, "Ok, so four abilities, at least for now. Rage, burning soul, soul steal, and severance of sanity. They sound cool, for sure. Rage would be similar to the dwarves' berserk?"

~Yes. Your physical strength will increase, but your ability to think will be greatly reduced. Up against an opponent who is smart and thinks before attacking it may not be effective.~

"Definitely. Burning soul sounds fun and painful for them. That one is definitely on my to-do list."

Rowen was curious what it would look like when a person's soul was burned. She wanted to know if it would show any physical signs, or if they would just suddenly be dead. She could see why demons did not want to share knowledge about their powers outside of Summoners. All four were powerful and dangerous in the right hands.

"Soul steal is another interesting one."

~That one can actually be used in different ways. You could use it as a way to exercise a demon who had possessed someone. I have used it in the past to alter contracts between Summoner and demon. The important thing to note about that is that you have to be stronger than both of them.

~Considering that I am a demon prince, it will be hard to find a demon stronger than us. Severance of sanity is another one where you have to be stronger than your target. The weaker they are the stronger the effect. If they are weak enough you could permanently make them lose their minds. Someone who is only slightly weaker may struggle to focus but could potentially shake it off after a few minutes.~

Rowen kicked off her shoes and lay down on the couch. She grabbed the tv remote as she did and turned it on.

"I think it's time to take a break. I'm starting to get a nasty headache from everything."

Gabriel laughed.

~Take a nap if you wish. I have thousands of years of knowledge, I do not expect you to take it all in today.~

"Mhm, a nap sounds good."

Rowen closed her eyes, only to reopen them a moment later as Gabriel took control of the body. It put on the news and relaxed on the couch.

When Brooke returned home later that evening she found Gabriel up once again on the laptop and the two of them spoke briefly before she went to bed. This became part of their routine along with Rowen training every day with Austin and her training with Gabriel.

Rowen spent most of her time learning in some form as the first day of school quickly approached. The one thing that saw no progress was the investigation into who was behind the murder of Rowen's parents, her near-death, and Gabriel's summoning. It was as if Max Cormick, Rowen's neighbor, and their main lead, had disappeared from the face of the planet.

Detective Austin had done a thorough check on his background and found that Cormick was as average as you could get. He was an accountant with a middle-class income and a hobby of collecting horse figurines. He had a girlfriend that he had started to ignore a month before the incident with Rowen.

In fact, a month before everything happened Cormick's normal routines had changed completely. He had stopped doing everything but going to work, but even at work, his productivity had been lacking. He had been close to getting fired when he disappeared.

Before they knew it two months had passed and it was time for Rowen to attend Guilari Magic Academy. She had her workbooks that covered basic classes like math and history. She also had her book on Intermediary Summoning, which she had already memorized.

She had her backpack with all her necessary supplies, and her uniform; pants chosen over skirts. Rowen was excited and unable to stand still as the fourth of Senzala finally came.