Tales of Knargas ch8

Chapter 8

As the cable retracted and pulled him quickly across the sky he looked at his surroundings, picking a target. He climbed through the tree, no cover provided with the leaves long dead with winter cold. A figure stood larger than everyone else and he focused his eyes. "Whatcha doing?" came a high pitched voice that made Daniel jump in surprise. He spun around, grabbing the lizard by the neck in a flash before it could react. "Demon..." Daniel murmured, clenching his fist tighter and channeling in to his fingers, swiftly sinking in to it's spine and tearing the gecko-like head off, both body and head erupting in to a cloud of rusty blood coloured dust. He turned his attention back to the demon, ignoring the clumsy lesser ones trying to climb up. He jumped to the top branch for a closer look.

Where did it go? Daniel thought, the demon he was looking for now out of sight. "Hello there, your emotions are really annoying!" said a deep voice, filled with an almost human glee. Daniel tried flashing out and grabbing this demon by the neck. He was surprised to find his hand wasn't reaching the neck. The grip around his gauntleted hand tightened, he could feel the pressure through the metal. "That thing was my extra set of eyes, I saw that little trick already" he whined. "You know, your emotions are all jumbled with mine" he said, his voice reverbrating with the mixed emotion. Daniel filled his left hand with energy, bringing his palm up to the demon's chest, he was answered with a punch to the gut; his attack interrupted and just barely burning the demon. "I know you now" the demon said menacingly, tapping his temple with his right hand. "Not as well as I do" Daniel said. The demon hopped back, wings bursting from his shoulderblades and Daniel took in it's appearance.

It was roughly 9 foot tall, it had pale red skin, with twin horns protruding from it's temples. His black hair was short and messy at the front, although he had a long ponytail at the back. His fingers ended with black wicked nails, he only had two toes, each ending in thick obsidian nails. His only clothing was a chain-mail toga. "You know, you make me really...really...angry!" The demon shouted, his wings pushed him forwards, his right hand was striking out in a stabbing gesture. He ducked out of the way, katana flashing in to view and biting in to his foe's wrist. "Ow!" he shouted, bringing his right arm across, slamming him in the shoulder and sending him from the tree in to the waiting mass of lesser demons. Daniel summoned a disc of light in to being, throwing it at the demons below and clearing a path. He slammed in to the slushy ground and slight, demons about to pounce on him. He jumped up, before slipping clumsily, switching to his kunai and anchoring to a tree, dragging himself along the floor by the cable.

He slid to the tree, throwing bolts of energy in to the air as the demon swooped down, roaring. He brought out his sword and dodged a punch, slicing at the legs and jumping out of range. "you can't beat me like that" Daniel said, spinning on his left heel and decapitating the lesser demons that got too close, tail keeping him balanced. The demon laughed, holding up his left hand. Daniel's eyes widened, dropping his sword and bringing up his hand to guard his face, a ball of white fire smashing in to his hand, singing him with heat. The gauntlet became hot on his hand and he had to dive left and dig it in to the slushy floor, a cloud of steam rose with a hiss. "That hurt" Daniel said. The demon laughed, Daniel dived forward, retracting the cable and bringing his sword to his hand, forcing it in to the demon's shoulder, jumping back and retracting the cable before he could get hit. "You're think up this strategy as you go along, it's very unlike you to fight like this" the demon said. "You'd be surprised how logical you become with no emotions" Daniel replied, sword lifted.

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Back at the town gates, they were beginning to break through. "Where's Daniel?" Lupita asked over the sounds of combat. She dug her spear in to the neck of one zombie, ripping it off by kicking the chest. Thalarian was holding two short swords he pilfered from the lesser demons, cutting through them limb by limb. "He's fighting the general..." Thalarian chimed back. "He's doing well!" Jasmine shouted. "Wrong..." Thalarian said "He can't beat Roshrynn, Daniel is being toyed with" a taint of worry to his voice. The demons left were beginning to scatter.

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The demon laughed. "Nobody defeats Roshrynn, wolf-kin" Daniel shrugged, switching to his kunai, firing it at him, watching the tip embed itself in the demons chest. The demon laughed, he grabbed the wire in both hands, melting the cord with white-hot fire, before tearing it free and pulling out the kunai. Daniel's wrist started aching, the chain on it pulsed and the katana popped in to being, clattering to the floor. It's not a part of the gauntlet anymore, it got rejected He scooped up the katana in both hands, the handle felt lighter. The realisation didn't strike him before the fist did, The handle shattered, blade falling to the floor. Roshrynn's clenched fist knocking the wind from him. The kunai makes up the handle, without it it's just too flimsy... Daniel let go of the shards of hilt still in his hand, struggling to breath. The demon's hand gripped Daniel's face. "White hot death is too immediate...it wouldn't be any fun" The demon said manner-of-factedly, throwing Daniel 12 feet in to the air. Just before Daniel reached the floor, his feet were grabbed. The world span and Roshrynn let go, sending him flying in to the tree, head cracking on a thicker branch as the world turned black.

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"Let's go, i'll give the boy his emotions back, they're annoying me anyway" Roshrynn flapped up to the tree, writing a rune in the blood from one of Daniel's numerous wounds. The rune coated his forehead and glowed briefly.

"Much better, he should be a more interesting fight next time" Roshrynn said, giving the unconcious Daniel a mock salute. "Retreat for now! the sport is not yet done!" he shouted, flying off north.