Young Writers Society

Chapter One: Introduction to Demonology

Demons. If you are reading this, no doubt you are aware by now that demons exist. Not only this, but you are most likely enrolled at an academy of sorts where demon hunting is taught and skills are honed. Congratulations. My name is Arthur, and I was once like you.

Let me be the first to welcome you to the fold, and simultaneously warn you of the dangers you will face. First: death is the only escape from this career. Second: stupid people die first. Third: always, always listen to the hunters who have survived longer than you, otherwise, you won’t be around to join their ranks. Fourth: this book is not your friend. It is your guide. Read it. Know it. Live it. And maybe you might live to die of old age. Maybe.

I will not sugar-coat the issue. Demons want one thing and one thing only: Destruction of the human race. If you are lucky, you won’t have to deal with the more rotten denizens of the species, however, to be thorough, I will delve into descriptions of every demon known to man, so far. To begin though, this chapter will only go into the different categories of demon-kind.

Level one.
These breeds are the lowest demons on the tier of importance. Most level one demons have minor powers, and are content to be left alone. Some even have integrated into a semblance of “normalcy” while living among humans. Those, hunters leave alone because of their willingness to be peaceful. Others, however, have delusions of grandeur and serve demons of higher potent. Those are exterminated on principal.

Level two.
Demon species in level two can take humanoid form just as the level one relatives do, yet level two demons are a bit more devious. Through the centuries, level two demons could be found as head advisors to every dictator or cruel ruler who caused wide-spread human suffering. A few examples would be Hitler’s right-hand man, and Napoleon’s mistress. All had aims to conquer and destroy, but used human decoys to plan and execute everything. Their powers are more dangerous than those of level one, but an experienced hunter should have no difficulty discerning between demon and puppet. The demons tend to hide, whilst the humans are belligerent.

Level three.
Tricky fiends. Once a demon is categorized as level three, it means it has accumulated enough power to shield itself and perform stronger magics. They are also the last level that can take human shape, allowing them to blend into their surroundings. This makes it more difficult to kill, and only the strongest of hunters should attempt to take one down on his own. I suggest a team of at least two experienced hunters per demon. Most level three demons scorn the lesser demons, preferring to work alone. This makes it easier for a team to come out victorious.

Level four.
Word of advice to the novice. If your devices tell you that you are within even fifty miles of a level four demon, run. Don’t stop until you are in a safe-house. Odds are, the level four has already scented you, and won’t stop until you are dead. These types of demons cannot take human form and to put it simply, are very ugly. Not mention, extremely dangerous and can kill you with one blow. Only a team of Elemental fighters can take down a level four. Don’t chance it, unless you want to die.

Level five.
If you are unlucky enough to come across a level five demon, I offer my sincerest condolences to your family, because odds are, you won’t make it. In fact, I can guarantee you won’t, unless the level five is seriously injured, or retarded, or has a death wish of its own. So, again, take the same advice I gave for level four. Run. Run like, well, like a level five demon was on your tail, because it would be true, and possibly the last thing you ever do.

Level six.
Only a handful of demons have ever been classified as level six. And most likely you won’t ever run into one unless you are very unfortunate, or you made one angry by, for example, killing its offspring. I suggest not doing that. The only hunter ever known to have killed a level six demon, and survived, is perhaps the most skilled hunter to ever have walked the earth. Before you get all excited about it, no, it wasn’t me. I know her, and let me tell you, if you meet her, you might be surprised. She isn’t human, so don’t get any ideas of becoming like her. Her clan had all but been extinguished in the last war, and she is the last of her kind. The true demon-hunter. A warrior by birth. Her name, which will be burned into your memory after this moment, is Jada. Jada Fireblood. And she is a demon’s worst nightmare, and what they tell their children stories about to scare them to eat their vegetables, or whatever it is that they eat.

Ok! I'm here! Sorry about that.

Well, you didn't actually ask for a review. *pretends to walk away, then stops, taps her foot* You didn't even try to stop me!

Well....I'm here aren't I? Let's do this!

I loved this, Bailey. I'm not sure if everyone will be into this, but I definitely think you should add it. Not sure if it should be before or after, but in this case, I liked the fact that it was after the chapter. Jada's thoughts were so clear and bad-ass, I could totally relate to her in this chappy.

I'm sorry, I have nothing else to say. This was brilliant, as usual.

See you soon!

Tanya

Hey Aunt Bailey! Here I am for the review!

Okay, so I really like the concept and the tone of the professor; he had a very wise, grandfatherly sound, which I enjoyed. I only had one little nitpick here:

And she is a demon’s worst nightmare, and what they tell their children stories about to scare them to eat their vegetables, or whatever it is that they eat.

Sorry, but I just can't imagine demons snacking on carrots, y'know? Especially after hearing about all of these vicious types that'll kill people and stuff. Also, perhaps "children" could be replaced with "offspring" or something less human-sounding.

Now, as to the formatting of where to place this: Up until I read the last section on Level Six demons, I was thinking that this could be something you put at the end of the book, kind of as a reference guide; I've seen it done before in stories (the only one that comes to mind at this time is the Last Apprentice series).

But, since the last part of Level Six has an introductory sound, I'd put this at the beginning, as an introduction I suppose. I think the idea of having "textbook" pages preceding each chapter is a potentially good one, but also familiar. So, I guess it all depends on what information from the textbook you feel is necessary to put before each chapter. You don't want to break up the flow of the narrative too much.

Anyway, that's really all I can say. Keep up the great work! Love you.