Page 107 of Daemon Master

Jasper’s body seized up, and a savage surge of triumph spiked through Adrian. With Freya and Metamire bombarding the seeker withVolatile Boltsand Shadowlash churning the air with dark tentacles from herCloak of Shadows, they’d overwhelm the seeker in mere moments.

Barely a heartbeat after his paralysis began, however, Jasper snapped free and conjured a crackling energy barrier. Metamire’sVolatile Boltsexploded across its surface in gouts of fire, frost, and lightning. Whistling to himself, Jasper resumed his approach at a more leisurely pace.

A tight knot of fear coiled in Adrian’s gut. The seeker had claimed to be born aetherically weak like Adrian, but that shield had borne the brunt of multiple attacks without buckling, and his shroud must be nigh impenetrable to shake off Tremorfist’s technique so readily. Adrian sent a mental note to Heartrender to avoid directly anchoring illusions to Jasper. He had a feeling the seeker would shrug them off just as easily.

Seymour and his daemons had almost closed the gap—Adrian and his own daemons a few steps behind—when water suddenly erupted from Jasper’s hands, crashing into them in a colossal wave. Adrian floundered as the water dragged him back. Heended up splayed against the far wall, his bedraggled daemons washing up beside him.

No sign of Seymour. It took Adrian a few seconds to realize the quick-thinking watcher must’ve melded with either Tremorfist or Shadowlash. Unlike Adrian’s daemons, they’d managed to stand their ground thanks to their superior size and strength.

The water quickly receded, the pressure abating enough for Adrian to regain his balance. Like most things created entirely from aether, it didn’t persist beyond its caster’s concentration. He scanned the room for Jasper and found him standing near Tremorfist and Shadowlash. The seeker had his hands raised, but instead of water, they now crackled with electricity. Adrian glanced down at the water still dripping from his clothes, his eyes widening.

Spirits below!

Flailing out with his aether, he attempted a desperate Fusion of his own with Heartrender, pulling it off right as Jasper unleashed his gathered electricity into the puddle coating the floor. Energy surged through the liquid, washing over his and Seymour’s daemons. Freya and Metamire, thankfully, had been far enough back to avoid it.

Heartrender’s body jerked and shuddered as lightning ate away at her aether, rendering her motionless in a far more impressive display of paralysis than Tremorfist’s earlier roar. Through their bond, he sensed Lockrod’s frustrated howl.

The stream of electricity cut off, though remnants of it continued flickering over them. Jasper grinned and flicked his wrists. Ice spread across the floor, coating all four stunned daemons in a thin sheen of frost and further diluting their aether while freezing them in place.

Even from within Heartrender, Adrian suppressed an involuntary shiver at the residual cold. This battle was off to a terrible start. With so many daemoforgings available, Jasperdidn’t need to worry about conserving energy—it only took a small investment of his own aether to activate an enchantment, the stored technique providing the rest of the magic for him.

Drawing courage from his daemons, Adrian struggled to hold on to his flagging resolve. They’d come this far, and no matter how much the odds seemed stacked against them, they couldn’t give up. Jasper was the only thing between them and freedom. They had to stop him, whatever it took.

“I expected more from you,” Jasper said. He clasped his hands behind his back, studying their daemons as they shook free of the ice. “Is this really the best you can muster?”

Heartrender’s low growl mirrored Adrian’s own anger. Moving more cautiously now, she regrouped alongside Lockrod, Tremorfist, and Shadowlash. Adrian noticed that Freya had also followed their lead, melding with Metamire in the chamber’s rear for the added protection.

Though Jasper likely could have unleashed more elemental blasts, he didn’t. As much as Adrian wanted to believe that meant he’d exhausted those particular daemoforgings, he had a sinking feeling the seeker was holding back, poking and prodding at them like the test subjects he viewed them as. Perhaps he’d make the same mistake as Kali, his arrogance leading him to underestimate them until it was too late.

Seymour’s daemons attacked, and Adrian ordered his own daemons to follow their lead. Lockrod summoned his ownUnbendable Rodnow that Adrian was melded. Having all four daemons in melee made it difficult for Freya to line up a clear shot, so she switched to firingVolatile Boltsstrategically, trying to catch Jasper off-guard or force him to react at an inopportune time. Coupled with Heartrender’s illusions, itshouldhave given them plenty of openings to exploit.

Somehow, however, Jasper always seemed one step ahead. Daemonic techniques bolstered his body, speeding up hisreflexes and enhancing his strength. He met Tremorfist blow for blow, striking hard enough with his fists to shove the enormous daemon back, and even without his forcefield, Lockrod’s staff bounced off his hardened skin with a reverberatingclang.

Jasper laughed, a penumbra of flame erupting across his body. Heartrender recoiled from the technique as the inferno seared her flesh. More fire shot from the seeker’s fists with each strike. He was destruction incarnate—an unstoppable force of nature, whirling through their midst.

Too many techniques, Adrian despaired as Jasper launched a bolt of lightning at Metamire, striking out at Shadowlash an instant later. She attempted to use herCloak of Shadowsto phase through the blow, but he infused his fist with earthen energy right before it landed. The elemental attack bypassed her defenses, knocking her aside even as her tentacles ineffectually pummeled him. A daemon with any one of Jasper’s techniques would have made a formidable foe. Taken together, the seeker had an answer for anything they threw at him.

Lockrod was the first to fall. Jasper deflected a blow from Lockrod’sUnbendable Rodon his forcefield. Then, moving with inhuman speed, he snatched the smaller daemon out of midair and tightened his hand around Lockrod’s neck. Lockrod chittered frantically, straining to break free. Spreading flames engulfed him an instant later.

Adrian and Heartrender unleashed a bitter roar in unison. AStunning Howlfrom Tremorfist eventually interrupted Jasper’s technique while Shadowlash’s flailing tentacles forced the seeker back, but the effort came too late. Lockrod dissolved into aether and returned to Adrian.

A fresh wave of rushing water shoved them away. As the liquid cleared, Adrian realized Jasper had followed in its wake, dashing past them toward Metamire. A barrage ofVolatile Boltsdeflected harmlessly off his frontal barrier. He reachedMetamire an instant later, freezing the daemon to the ground with a blast of ice before cupping his fingers in front of him. Adrian and Heartrender barely made it a half-dozen steps before a cone of lightning arced from his hands. Metamire evaporated, Freya landing heavily on the floor when her Fusion broke.

Adrian’s heart skipped a beat as Jasper loomed over her. Slain daemons with bonds could reconstitute their forms given time—not so with slain daemon masters. Relief flooded him when Jasper merely slammed a fist against the side of Freya’s skull to knock her out.

The seeker lifted his arms above his head, multiple tattoos flaring with winding bands of aether. “This has certainly been illuminating, but I believe I’ve made my point. No matter the strength of your connections with your daemons, their potential pales in comparison to daemoforging. Still, I’m sure I can find a use for you.” He fixed Adrian with an assessing look that made his skin crawl. “Your insights into aetherforging alone may have shaved years off my research. Serenity Corp owes you a debt.”

Bile rose in Adrian’s throat. The thought that he might have done anything to aid Project Paragon, even inadvertently, made him sick to his stomach. Seymour must’ve felt the same because his daemons both loosed terrifying roars and moved to flank the seeker.

As much as Adrian yearned to join the fray himself, he knew his limitations…and his strengths. Instead, he directed Heartrender to fill the room with as many duplicate images of them as she could.

Let Jasper sort throughthat!

The original daemons charged, and Heartrender shifted her illusions to mimic the motion and obscure the real strikes. Jasper, however, appeared unfazed. A small smile played over his lips while his eyes momentarily flashed with aether, just like they had at the Enclave. Adrian’s gut twisted as he recalled whatJasper had said about possessing enhanced sight.Hedirected Heartrender to yip a warning, but it came too late.

Ignoring the illusions entirely, Jasper conjured a burst of light over Shadowlash that burned away her dark tendrils. She whimpered, trying to retreat, but more light solidified into an array of brilliant swords that pierced her from all sides. Just like that, one of the most fearsome daemons Adrian had ever faced fell in a puff of aether.

Jasper could have done that at any time,Adrian thought dazedly. He’d had that technique available from the beginning but waited until now to use it. What elementsdidn’the have? And how much of their survival thus far had hinged on his restraint?