Friday, April 20, 2007

Chapter 17

Narn crept quietly, Riulan close by his side and his scouts spread out behind him. He had personally dealt with the few demon hounds that had been patrolling this side, and had done so silently. He could feel his blade pulsing with the closeness of the demons and it was only with effort that he kept it from lighting up again. He turned back and gestured with his right hand towards the camp, breaking up his scouts and giving them their targets. The plan was simple. Hit hard, and quickly. Kill what they could and then when they started seeing the first real sign of resistance, they were to get out again and ride. If they could get some of the army to follow them, all the better since they wouldn’t be heading back to the castle. The more of the army that followed them, the less that would be marching towards the castle and it’s defenders.

He lept up lightly and ran into the camp, invisible in the darkness until the last moment when he leaped into the firelight. His sword blazed up throwing the area around him into stark, brilliant lighting. He shouted his battle cry as he descended upon the demons and humans to complete the surprise and shock. He tried to move as quickly as he could, stopping to only to kill those that opposed him directly and to throw burning branches at tents and wagons on his way through. And he heard the sound of hundreds of voices raised in panicked cries as his scouts erupted from the forests edge and descended upon the enemy camp.

Narn and his glowing blade soon became the center of the enemies attention and he quickly continue moving, leaving humans alone as often as not, to cut down the demons amongst the camps denizens. Morale was all important and the ease with which he moved through their camp, and the disdainful looks he threw the cavalry often served as effectively as killing them as they fled before him and the path of demon corpes he left behind him. It further unnerved the demons to look upon the burning blade, and to feel it’s hunger as it cut them down, cutting through their tough skins like paper. Quickly Narn had created a general rout and his scouts immediately moved to burn the supply wagons and to escape with as many of the cavalry horses as they could. The rest they scattered.

Narn turned from cutting down a particularly nasty flying demon to give the orders to pull back. He saw the sudden look of horror in Riulan’s eyes as he did and with a sudden motion threw himself forward realizing his mistake. The massive demon blade whistled through the space he had just vacated and he felt the tug briefly of the wind of it’s passing. Rolling back to his feet Narn found himself facing a massive demon lord in armor.

Ormang’s sneered at his foe, “So small. I don’t know why they are all so afraid of you.” He stepped forward, his massive black blade whistling on the backhand, “You’ve annoyed me pest.” And with a clang and hissing sound the two blades met, Ormang’s turned to slide down Narn’s blade to bite into nothing but air.

By the Light that demon hit hard. Narn’s hands still felt slightly numb from the effort of turning that blade aside. He could feel Nyarhyanda burning as he turned his blade and thrust forward, hoping to stay somewhat out of reach of the taller demon. He felt the blade cut briefly and the look of surprise on demon’s face, as Narn’s blade cut through the side of his armor and nicked at his side, would have been comical if it had been on something less frightening. As it was the wound seemed to only enrage him more as though he were unused to being the recipient of pain.

This time Narn choose not to meet the blade though and he stepped back as his foe’s sword whistled through the area he had been. He dipped his blade briefly and scored lightly against the unarmored hand of the demon, the wound wasn’t deep but it begain oozing a greenish blood almost immediately and the demon Lord took a step back. The smooth counters and speed came as an unwelcome surprise. Ormang was obviously more used to brute force, and against most foes his blade would easily power through an attempt at blocking it. The two circled slightly testing each other’s defenses as a small crowd of soldiers and demons began to gather, watching the fight. Narn briefly realized that he was going to be hard pressed to escape if they all choose to attack, and he had another moment of shock when he realized that Riulan and Tel’mar’s squad had stayed, their weapons drawn, watching their commander battle.

The moment of surprise was noticed by Ormang and he rushed Narn, his blade thrusting towards the chest, his full weight behind the outstretched arm. Narn had time to react only by instinct and training as he twisted his sword through a circular motion, slowly pulling his hand back as he set himself. The sound of a blade entering flesh was clearly audible as Ormang’s blade harmlessly passed to Narn’s left, guided away by the manuever, and Ormang’s own hilt seemed to pull Narn’s blade up into the demon’s chest. Ormang never had a chance to make a sound as white fire erupted into his chest and the blade emerged from his back. And a sudden silence descended upon the scene as Narn stepped back and pulled his sword from the smoking corpse of the demon lord. The fight’s sudden end all the more shocking for it’s unexpected outcome.

Nobody moved as he turned to leave. Riulan and the scouts followed as he left.

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