The light dimmed as the troll collapsed, blood leaking out of his pierced body. It fell on his back, gazing upwards with his healthy eye, unbelieving of what happened seconds earlier. Losing its strength, it let go of Aiden, concentrating on the hole in his chest. The flesh pulsated as it slowly creeped back together to seal the wound.
“Don’t believe I’m gonna let ya heal.” Sam stepped out of the building. The strength of the fight before left his body, turning his looks back into the ones of an old man. A shaking hand cramped around the sword, still glimmering in a silver light. He made his way to the head of the troll, staggering in his moves.
Hearing the steps, the troll turned his head to look at Sam. “Can’t move, can ya. Well, most humans would be dead if they had similar wounds. Shit, I even pierced your heart with that last blast and you’re still regenerating. Now I know why it’s said that you have to cut of the head to be sure.”
The troll groaned, resenting his enemy. Its giant hand once again began to lift itself upwards. Clearly it still had the will to fight for his survival. The hand creeped towards Sam, as his sword flashed out once again. A gentle wind blew as the light in the sky faded, leaving the world in an eerie grey moonlight. The troll’s hand clashed on the ground as its last breath passed, blood staining the ground where its neck previously was.
Sam looked up into the sky. All clouds were gone now, leaving the sky for the stars and the twin moons. “To think I would die under the same constellation as you, old buddy. Took me long enough to follow ya.”
Aiden opened his eyes, hurting all over his body, his heart pounding loudly. He looked around as he saw the troll next to him. “Fuck!” He backed away, crawling over the ground, keeping his eyes on the troll.
“It’s okay, brat. It’s dead.”
Aiden looked at Sam, standing next to the head. Realizing that the danger has passed he breathed a sigh of relief, calming down the first time since everything began. As the adrenaline faded his body collapsed, lying flat on the ground. I’m save. But as quickly as he relaxed, he once again shot up. “What about Eve!” He turned around, looking at the slum area.
Flames raged, quickly turning everything in their way into ashes. By now everyone inside there would surely be dead. “No, not you, too.” As he wanted to run there a hand stopped on his shoulder.
“Calm down, kid, she’s fine.” Sam said, as he pointed in the direction of the castle. As they looked at the gate Sam started to curse. “Damn bastards, I told them to get her inside.”
When Aiden saw Eve’s body lying in front of the gate he started to run, bones cracking all over his body. Reaching Eve, he fell, reaching the limits his body could stand after nearly being crushed, landing besides her. What do you mean ‘fine’?” He reached out to her, fearing the worst, because the battle left signs all over the place, caressing her face. Tears began to flow from his eyes as he felt a gentle breath on his hand.
Sam stepped behind Aiden. “See, I told ya she was fine. I took her here myself, so ya better be grateful.” He looked at Aiden. “And ya would be better off lookin’ at yourself first.” Cuts and bruises all over. And to top it off he was just clutched by a troll and stood again after a few moments. Definitely not a normal kid. He mused to himself.
“Hey brat.” Aiden turned around, shifting his back against the wall. He looked up at Sam, finally noticing the state of the old man. He was shaking all over, with blood flowing from his lips. His eyes were clouding but focused on the boy.
“Sam are you okay?” his voice trembled, fear once again striking his heart. He reached out to Sam, trying to stand up, as Sam’s sword flashed tearing apart his shirt, lightly cutting the skin of his chest.
Sam grinned. “Brat, I think I should congratulate ya.”
At the chest of Aiden glowed a mark. Confused Aiden looked at Sam. “What do you mean?”
“Look at that mark of ya. It’s a star mark, your first one.”
“That’s of no importance now! What about you?” He looked at Sam worriedly.
“It’s nothing we can change by now.” Sam’s grin turned into a self-reprimanding smile. “It’s the price for the power I used. My body was already broken for years.” He looked at his hand, shaking in the cold air.
“No, we have to get help for you!” Aiden rose to his feet, grasping Sam.
“It’s okay brat, I was always prepared for this moment.” He turned his body, looking down the street. “Now then, why don’t you come out?”
Out of an abbey the mercenary trio stepped outside. The elf stepped forward. “Easy there, we don’t mean any harm.”
“Yeah, just wanted to admire the fight.” The dwarf looked at the scene. “Well, a bit late for that now.”
“I didn’t mean ya three,” said Sam and shot out from his position. He swung his sword, creating a silver wisp which crashed into the roof of a nearby house, sprinkling splitter over the battlefield.
“Well, well, I didn’t think there would be someone who can notice me here. But I also didn’t expect this big boy here to die. I even went through the trouble of enhancing his strength, but it still lost.” Out of the debris of the roof a pair of wings appeared. With a swing of them a body of a demon flew up. “But thanks to that I can relief some of my boredom at last.” He floated down, landing on the street in front of Sam.
“At least I now know which bastard is responsible for this chaos.” Sam watched the demon, trying to save as much strength as he could possibly muster for the fight.
“Now, now, don’t try to fight, it will make it boring again. You can’t win. No chance.” The demon laughed at Sam.
“I won’t know if I don’t try.” Sam rushed forward, slashing at the demon.
“What do you think you are doing?” The demon stepped sideways, as the sword slashed downwards, slicing through the ground. Relentlessly the sword followed the demon, cutting the air in front of him. “I said it won’t work.” Watching the trajectory of the sword the demon swung his hand. The sword crashed against the nail, stopping in its movement.
“What?” Sam’s eyes widened at the situation.
“See, I told you. Well, I think I should try to hit you now, shouldn’t I. It would only be fair seeing as you attacked me first.” The demon swung his other hand at Sam, claws stretched out thirsting for blood. The claws neared Sam’s neck, as suddenly they shot to the side, grasping the blade of an axe. “Here I tried to be fair and look at you. Attacking from a blind spot, don’t you think you should be ashamed?” The demon looked at brute, cracking his head to the side.
“Shit! Durak, you better not leave me hanging!” Brute screamed.
The dwarf scraped his staff against the ground, creating a rune. “I’m done, get away Brute, old man!” The rune lit up as the earth began to rumble. Around the demon earth shot up, clinging onto the demon, trying to bind him.
Grasped by the earth the demon let out a yawn. “Is this everything you want to throw at me? A bit of dirt?” The demon looked at the dwarf, disregard in his eyes.
“I just had to bind you for a moment.” Durak grinned. “Now women!”
Still near the alley the trio came from stood the elf, pulling her bow to the edge, as wind raged like a tornado around her.
“Well, at least you are a bit amusing.” As the elf let go of the string the wind turned into an arrow, blasting at the demon. Wind razed against the ground turning stone into dust as it flew at the demon. “But it’s still not enough.” Stretching his wings, the demon deflected the arrow. “Now for your so called ‘binding’.” The demon flexed his muscles, breaking apart the stone. “So, what else do you have in store for me. He looked around, his eyes passing each of the mercenaries. “Wait, where is the silver one?”
Sam set down his foot as his sword sneaked upwards at the neck of the devil. Sure of his victory he smirked, but a devilish snicker cut through the silence.
“As if I wouldn’t watch out for you.” As the sword grazed the neck a tail struck out, clashing against Sam and throwing him away. “Now then, this one is down. The women over there collapsed after her attack.” He stepped forward in the direction of Brute.
“Don’t think that all I’m good for is a distraction. Strength of the Giant, come forth!” Brute screamed as the muscles inside him swelled, bringing the already big man an even bigger frame. He ran at the demon, each step shattering the stone under him. The axe came crashing down at the demon, ready to split him apart. But as before the blade was stopped by the demon. “Shit!”
“Don’t curse. It was a good attack; you just have the wrong opponent.” The demon took a hold of Brute’s neck, lifting him up into the air and chocking him. Brute punched at the demon, trying to free himself, but the demon just laughed at his futile resistance.
Stone spears shot out at the demon. One after another the dwarf sent them, trying to free his friend from the demon’s clutch. “Just wait until I’m finished, okay.”
As time passed Brute’s attempt to break free got weaker and weaker until his arm sagged downwards. Another spear crashed into the demon, but this time his focus changed to the dwarf. “I told you to wait, didn’t I?” He swung Brute around, throwing him at the dwarf. “Here, you wanted him back, didn’t you?” Brute crashed into Durak, throwing both away from the battle. “You’re not very nice, are you? At least you should catch him.” Laughter sounded out in the night, resonating in the crumbled street.
The demon started to move again. “Now, where did I struck him into? Ah, there he is.” Like a child finding a lost toy he looked toward Sam, who lay in a pile of broken rubble. “Do you now understand why I said you have no chance. You were already with one foot in the grave but still tried to fight, are all of mankind as stupid as you?”
A smile appeared on Sam’s face. “I believe myself to be one of the smarter ones. At least I never give up in the face of adversity.”
The demon looked at Sam, smiling in the face of his own demise. Cuts from the crash riddled his body and he started to cough blood.
“But ya should know… I’m not the only who never gives up.”
The demon’s eyes widened as he turned around. A sword, Sam’s sword, raced at the demon’s abdomen, pushed forward by tiny hands. His claws rushed forward, grabbing the blade, as the tip pierced into him, taking a few drops of blood.
“You damn insects! You fucking worms! How dare you hurt my body.” Rage possessed the demon when it was struck. “Here I was, playing nice with you and then you treat me like this.”
Aiden released his grasp on the handle and stepped back. Fear reining in his mind over the sudden change in the demon’s attitude.
“Stay right there you damn bastard.” The demon grabbed Aiden and threw him down on the ground. “How about you feel what it’s like to be pierced.” He took the sword and rammed it through Aiden. A scream resounded through the night as the pain assaulted the boy. “Yes, it’s not nice isn’t it, fucker?” Lifting his feet, the demon stepped on the hilt of the sword, burrowing it through the body into the ground beneath. “Now, let’s see what we can do next.”
Shit. Why am I lying on the ground again? Aiden grit his teeth to stop his scream. He looked at Sam, but the old man was also on the ground. Is this finally the end? As the boy started to pass out from the pain the demon struck his face, keeping him awake.
“Fucking piece of shit, did I tell you that you can rest? Fucking vermin, to weak, how can he die already?” The demon stepped back and forth. “Fuck, how can he die when I’m still angry! That silver worm also, how can he use his remaining life in a moment to fight. How am I supposed to relief my boredom?” He looked at the boy. “No use torturing him, he will die in a moment.”
At least I’ll get on his nerves. Better than just dying without doing anything. The boy chuckled.
“Shut up, bastard.” The demon stepped on the hilt, twisting it in the moment, bringing another scream forth. “It’s not enough. It won’t be enough just to kill them all.” The demon went back to wandering around, as his eyes passed the castle.
Had enough already? I’m still in for more. The boy looked at the demon, walking away from him.
As he walked the demon started to speak. “You know little boy,” he began, “if someone crossed you in the realm of demons,” he laughed,” you wouldn’t just kill him, no. You decimate his whole family.
“No!” The boy screamed, “If you dare touch her!”
The demon chuckled, “Seems like I found what to do.” Standing in front of the gate the demon grasped the ankle of Eve, pulling her in front of Aiden.
“Let her go you bastards!”
“Now, let’s make this a bit more fun. First let’s start by waking her up.” He pulled her up, tightening his clasp around her ankle. Eve woke up, pain attacking her, as her bones cracked under the pressure, her flesh deforming because of the grip. “Nice, I didn’t know what I should have done if pain didn’t wake her.”
“Curse you, bastard, let her go!” Aiden screamed, crying out his frustration. Still, the demon continued torturing her, letting Aiden hear her screams. “Please, let her go. You can kill me but let her go!” He looked at his sister. The demon laughed at his despair from seeing her getting her bones broken and flesh cut apart by sharp claws.
Aiden sobbed as Eve lay beside him, to broken to even scream anymore. “I’m sorry Eve.” He broke down, crying beside her. “I shouldn’t have attacked; I should have taken you away.”
“It’s too late for that now.”
“What do you want, demon! I’ll give it to you so spare her!”
“You’ll give me what I want?” The demon mused, an evil grin forming.
“Say your price!” Grasping at every straw the boy was even ready to form a deal with a demonic god, let alone a demon. “I’ll do it.”
“My price, you say.” He caressed Aiden’s face tracing a single nail down, cutting into his flesh. “Well, let’s make a deal.” He started to laugh. “You want her to live, don’t you?”
“Yes! I’ll give you everything!” Aiden’s eyes flickered as a ray of hope cut through the despair.
“My, what should I take?” He looked at the boy. “I know, I will take her ‘life’.”
“That’s not what you said, bastard!” Aiden cursed at the demon as a dark flame started to flicker at Eve’s body, the demon turning away from them. “I’ll kill you!” The demon walked away as the flames began to cover more and more of her. Aiden looked at Eve. “Eve, I’m sorry.” Tears streamed down his face. “I’m so sorry. I’ll stop them. I’ll kill him. I’ll kill every last one of them!”
As the flames reached her neck Eve wanted to speak, but the flames wouldn’t let her. Watching her crying brother, she mouthed a word. Then the flames swallowed her entirely, leaving only ashes behind.
‘Live.’
