FIREFANGED: Demon in Exile

by Rory Surtain

  After entering a natural cave opening, we moved down an irregular-shaped tunnel until we found our first demon stretched out on the floor of a large man-made room. We were all wearing shamanic talismans. The man-crab devil didn’t notice us in time to avoid all the long elvish blades, but toward the back of the cavern, three snarling wolf-man beasts launched themselves in our direction, and a hairy, black spider-fiend fell on us from the ceiling.

  As traps go, it was well-timed. Unfortunately for the Hell-beasts, I was hanging back, waiting for that hairy demon to drop. It met my axe while its eight legs were still eight feet short of the floor, and its head had no other option but to split, a dozen demonic eyes on either side the blade. The spider-demon thrashed uncontrollably on the floor while the claws of the approaching wolves tore into the stone beneath their feet.

  Turning to face the triple threat, I whipped my axe into the nearest of the wolf-demons heading our way, knocking it backward, but still alive. The other two monsters veered rapidly toward the elves that were finishing off the crab-man. I drew Fei-Krull from the sheath on my back and leaped forward upon the injured third, quickly punching flaming holes in its head and neck. One elf went down screaming, but the rest of the dark elves were quick enough to dance away from the remaining wolf-demon pair, keeping their blades slashing to the front. Eight against two was an excellent ratio for us, and we were soon left with hairy black bodies scattered all about in small chunks. The wounded guard had lost his arm at the shoulder before being disemboweled. I could feel the last of his life force slipping away, but there was little that we could do.

  Overall, we had been lucky. The room had a sizable, broad shape. I figured it could easily hold forty demons, so the fact that it only held five of the Hell-borne fiends was a good start. The natural light was almost nonexistent, and I expected it to fall away completely as we progressed onward and downward. Fortunately, there was a consistent flow of heat coming from the dark tunnel opening on the far side of the room. I could feel it and see it as if it were a dim red light. Following it to the source would be the simple part of the afternoon.

  “This seems awfully quiet. How deep does this cave go?” I asked Lorna.

  “We never made it past this room before,” she said with some surprise. “Last time we were here, there were more than twenty waiting for us, and half of those dropped on us from the ceiling. It was a terrible slaughter.”

  “Okay, follow me. Let’s get to the heart of this cave,” I said. “Be ready in case I point out something for your attention.”

  We followed the heat trail into the descending tunnel. The passage floor was covered in the residue of numerous demon tracks, all consistent in their outward direction. Reaching an intersection, the demonic traffic showed only one option, straight-ahead. Around each corner to the left and right, I sensed a smoldering void. Ahead of me, I felt the stench of more pure evil. I pointed to the left and right for the elves, indicating the danger, and then I sprinted straight ahead across the intersection.

  The ambush was sprung. A shriek attacked our ears as a pair of hairy black hell-spiders, the size of large dogs, dropped from each side tunnel and scurried after me. I spun with my axe to face them as the elves rushed the spiders from behind. Long hairy legs grasped me as a set of venomous fangs clamped on my heavy vambrace. My axe parted the glowing eyes of a second Hell-spider. A third was climbing the backs of these first two as a spear exited its front, piercing the body of the first. The fourth was pinned by three more spears, and black blades went to work dissecting the monsters. I hacked myself free of the hairy spider’s jaws and trimmed away a couple of hook-laden legs in the process. One hook had snagged and torn the back of my calf. The severed spider leg continued to twitch, opening my wound further before we finished off all of the spiders, and finally, I was able to pull it free.

  We checked each other for wounds before moving on. Besides the jagged gash in my right leg, the steel of my left vambrace had been scratched but had held its form well under the spider’s bite. A horrid smelling liquid dripped from it. I moved my axe to catch some venom on its edge before turning my attention to another long passage ahead of us.

  “Things are about to get ugly,” I said to Lorna and her six remaining guards. “I can sense several more demons plus a couple of higher-level ones up ahead. With any luck, that means we’re almost to the source.”

  The demonic Alphas pulsed with a commanding presence that overlaid the chaotic rage emanating from the mass of Hellions ahead. Our mission’s end patiently waiting for us to proceed.

  “Wait here while I scout a bit. I’ll be right back.”

  I crept up the rough-hewn corridor and into a sweltering cavern, a home away from home for the Hell-kind. The heat flared, rising from a river of lava that cut off the back of the room from the front. Only a narrow bridge of lava rock allowed passage to the rear where an altar stood protected by two heavily armored Hell-knights. I felt a pall of black energy leaking from them in waves, coating the room and the other demons present.

  In front of me were a dozen black-horned lizard-men with beady red eyes. Heavily muscled, with long tails, jagged teeth, and short, hooked claws, they were a tough-looking match for the lighter elves. They basked in the dark energy of their overlords and the searing heat near the bridge, ignoring my presence.

  Returning to Lorna and her guards, I explained what we faced. The broad cavern could be an advantage for the elves’ quickness and suggested that they wait, charging in with their swords at the right moment. I had never encountered these lizard-beasts before but would do my best to distract and kill as many as possible, leaving it up to Lorna to decide when to strike.

  Slipping back into the blistering cavern with my axe drawn, I searched for the best point of attack. Carefully moving to my left, I ducked behind a boulder near the lava flow. Lizard-men lay scattered in front of me, the nearest a dozen feet away, oblivious to my presence. The massive Hell-knights hadn’t moved at all, and I had a feeling the far side of the bridge was their domain. My goal was in sight, but first demons first.

  Leaping over the rock between us, I went for the kill. My axe cut deeply into the neck of the nearest lizard fiend but didn’t fully sever its head as expected. These guys were made of much sterner stuff, but they were also a bit slower to react. Pulling my axe, I backed away from a wall of hissing beasts that stood up on stocky back legs and stalked in my direction. The creature I had struck failed to rise, thrashing its life away on the overheated floor. Maybe the Hell-spider venom did some good.

  The demons maneuvered, determined to hem me in. Not wanting to be pinned against the lava flow on my left, I dodged quickly to my right and swung hard at the nearest upright lizard’s head, catching it with a jarring blow. Its skull and my axe both shattered in the process.

  Feth.

  From the back of the room, I heard a hellish laugh. Something was paying attention.

  Unsheathing Fei-Krull, I shrieked out a challenge. The lizard-men answered back with a roar, my ears rang, bullied by their total lack of respect.

  Feth again.

  My frustration grew as the line of lizards advanced, and my openings shrunk. I needed a break, and one finally arrived.

  While the lizard brains were all focused in my direction, Lorna and her remaining guards charged in, heavy black blades cutting hard into their flanks. The momentum of the battle suddenly spun in our favor and gave me the chance I needed.

  I launched forward to attack a lizard-beast that had turned to face the elves. My fang punched with ease through the back of its scaly head right before its long, ribbed tail thrashed into my side, knocking me from my feet. Another beast pounced my way, and I rolled free, back to the left and the lava. My eyes watered from the fierce heat and the flaring pain in my side.

  The melee was on. I regained my feet in time to see an elf pulled apart by the heavy claws of two lizard-men. Two more demons had me pinned against the lava. Skipping forward and to my left, I delivered fast, over-hand
ed swings to the back, head, and neck of one monster before ducking low under the claws and jaws of the other. It dove low after me. I swung my left arm in a block that removed several of its teeth. It wasn’t the killing blow that I needed, but it bought me enough time to pivot off its line and drive Fei-Krull through the left side of its head.

  Block first, then kill. My Sentinel trainers would be proud.

  The situation had improved. The remaining lizard-men were a disorganized group thrashing out in all directions, but three of the dark elves were down. I yelled for the rest to back away, hoping it would spread out the foes and give me more room to work.

  There were still three lizard-men alive against the five of us when a wolf-beast roared across the bridge and leaped into the elves’ right flank. The beast wasn’t present when I’d first entered the room. The portal must have just passed the Hellion through.

  Feth.

  The new attack stole our momentum. Lorna fought in the middle of her elves, trying to hold a line, but the wolf-man was forcing them to fight in two different directions at once. I was on their far left and moved to flank the lizard-men. Dodging their ugly tails, I hit the first in the back of its head and neck, and threads of black smoke poured into the cavern. Dancing across to the next beast, I pulled myself up, grabbing one of its horns. Then Fei-Krull penetrated straight down through the top of its skull as it wrestled my weight, failing to remain upright.

  The final lizard and wolf-man beast began angling towards the bridge. The two hell-knights had still not moved an inch from their position around the altar behind them. The dark-wolf had elven blood on its claws as it fell to pieces, black blades striking home.

  Strangely enough, the lizard-man turned its back on us, dropping to all fours and aiming to make a run over the red river. That move borne of panic was its final mistake. Fei-Krull pierced its spine, and I push it sideways into the lava flow. We watched it thrash and sink out of sight, the smell of burnt Sulphur stinging our eyes.

  Who’s laughing now?

  For a moment, everything was quiet. We made sure all the demons on our side of the lava river were dead. Lorna and her three remaining guards were all severely gashed by the demons’ claws, and one had a hideous bite mark in his shoulder. It didn’t look good. There wasn’t any point in them continuing to fight in that condition, so I ordered them all back out of the cave to safety. My battle rage was peaking, and I didn’t want them in the way.

  I was ready to end this evil underground. My wounds weren’t life-threatening, a spider hook in the leg, probably a broken rib or two from the whip of a lizard tail, and my usual battered left arm. The ribs grated as I breathed, a sign that I was still alive. Gripping my war-blade tightly, I didn’t feel any pain at all. As soon as Lorna and her guards were clear of the cavern, I charged across the lava rock bridge.

  As I approached the altar, the two hell-knights stood tall, at least a foot taller than me, and drew their heavy longswords. They were the only demons left in the cave. Dressed head to toe in deep red plate armor, they wielded their monstrous swords with both hands. I had no intention of trying to block those weapons. The breast of each knight carried the emblem of a blood-black carrion bird. At least I think it was a bird. I didn’t take a long look.

  Fei-Krull felt light in my hand, almost a part of me as I stalked left, trying to determine how coordinated these two would be. The knight on my right seemed to hesitate and didn’t keep in line with its evil twin. I bounded straight into the left most knight as its sword arced forward. It was far too slow. My weapon exploded into its forehead, right through its plated helm without any resistance. I pushed away quickly, ducking to the right as a colossal sword took off the Hell-knight’s head, obviously intending to get mine too.

  I was impressed. The rightmost Hell-knight had used its cohort as bait and had failed. Still, I gave it points for going straight for the win.

  As the heavy sword passed above me, I stepped into the opening behind the demon’s massive follow-through and jammed Fei-Krull into its right ear hole. Roaring, it ignored the wound.

  The Hellion spun around counter-clockwise, trying to meet me as I circled behind. My next strike went into its chest, right through the sigil of the carrion bird. It lurched back, and I punched the third thrust through its faceplate, hoping to hit an eye. A black cloud billowed from its wounds as it staggered and finally fell, smoldering, face down on the hot cave floor. The other knight and its weapon were already burning darkly.

  The Infernal altar was constructed of solid lava rock in the shape of an arched doorway. It opened toward the front of the cavern. Inside the arch sat the skull of a giant vulture on a tarnished silver chalice. Next to it was a familiar-looking short sword. Grabbing all the items, I quickly backed away.

  The evil skull was crushed under my boot; its fragments kicked into the lava flow below. Just holding it made me want to retch.

  Resting at the opening of the return passage, I watched the evil cavern disintegrated before me. The altar began to crumble and melt; its demon birthing days were over. The narrow bridge did more of the same, cracking apart and tumbling into the lava flow, while the silver chalice and the short sword in my hands remained unaffected.

  My battle rage settled, and exhaustion began to grow, bringing with it a bushel full of pain. Soon enough, I heard the approach of my trio of guards with Yseria leading the way.

  “Ara, so glad to see that you survived,” she said. “Lorna asked that we retrieve you.”

  Hicks and Gunner were both silent, watching the hellish conflagration across the way. They both carried a torch, unneeded flames in that burning room.

  “The Hell-knights weren’t a match for my Kjaira,” I stated proudly, but somewhat less impressive due to my damaged posture. “But those damned demon lizards were tough. One even broke my axe with its face.”

  Gunner chuckled at that. “That’s why I like to carry the heavier version.”

  “You seem to have found a replacement,” noted Hicks, pointing to my new sword.

  “Yep, I’m planning on talking with Palypsos about that as soon as we get back. Now, if you don’t mind me leaning on you a bit, let’s get out of here before I’m completely baked.”

  By the time we emerged from the cavern, news of our success was already on its way back to Bastian. The deaths of the Hell-knights would leave the lesser demons of the area in uncontrolled confusion. The dark elves now had a great opportunity to hunt them down before they scattered to the winds. With the portal destroyed, there wouldn’t be any further replacements to haunt the Valley of Bastian.

  At this point, I was weighing the need to breathe with the amount of pain it caused. Yseria had taken note.

  “We saved you a cart,” she said. “I don’t think you’ll make the long walk back on your own.”

  Ducking her head under my arm, she led me toward a simple wooden cart, complete with a stocky pair of harnessed goats.

  “You’re right, I won’t,” I replied. “And neither will you.”

  Bar Sinister

  Back to war

  “Memet, where is Exile?”

  Memet was no longer seated by my right side but had shifted to the far left of Rei-Seeck. My war-blade was no longer embedded in the bar to my right. I hadn’t been paying much attention to it lately with the beautiful death-demon in our midst.

  Who would have thought that a soul of Death could be so beautiful and enticing? Well, we all would, Infernal power being what it was.

  “Its incessant howling was getting on my nerves, so I asked Memeton to remove it,” intoned our bewitching barfly.

  “As she says,” replied Memet. “It is currently indisposed, but we’ll get it back eventually.”

  “Indisposed? Eventually? Where did it go?” I asked.

  “Where it belongs. Back to War.”

  Chapter 17

  Demon in exile

  More than true to his word, King Ylamil showed his gratitude at our success. He officially ended the exile
of his daughter Raven and outlawed any rituals of sacrifice that the shamans might have practiced. I now carried a letter to Raven from her father detailing the new situation and asking her to return home.

  The King also presented me with a pair of necklaces, each adorned with a matching golden disc to replace the silver amulets that Raven and I both wore. I tucked these safely away for later. He also permanently assigned Yseria Warric as my Bastian Royal Guard, giving her the option to travel with me back to Berykholt. I wasn’t sure how I felt about that last little gift.

  Khamros brought me down to the lower levels of the castle to meet with Palypsos. I delivered the chalice collected from the portal altar. It was an artifact for demonic rituals. Perhaps, through further study, Palypsos could discern a clue to its original owner and how it ended up on the doorstep of Bastian.

  According to Palypsos, the silver chalice was centuries old and had been used to capture the blood of those sacrificed in the name of Infernal deities. It held the residue of many thousands of souls and would take a long time to decipher.

  The unusual sword had all my attention. Its stout blade was two feet long and at least three inches wide. The Bastian Castle armorer called it a glaive or a broadsword. It weighed almost the same as Hicks’ Sentinel axe, and its balance was as exceptional as it was ancient. On the hilt, the armorer noted a forge mark from a kingdom thought to exist over a thousand years ago. There were also some unrecognizable runes etched into the blade itself.