(Woohoo! More from ShadowStrike and I!)

“Really?” Dalion leaned forward on his throne. “Are you so sure? You are working for a demon after all….” Dalion grinned insidiously. His teeth had transformed into several rows of razor sharp teeth. The new smile did not fit this human face.

“My friends turned against you, demon spawn.” Syrce’s voice was full of contempt. He was not interested in the monologue of this thing before him. “I have come here to end you.”

“I think that would be the most fatal mistake of yours yet after trusting a demon as your friend,” Dalion sneered. He stood, his human form making him look weak compared to Syrce’s half-elven form. Dalion stepped forward and as he did, his body grew and contorted, his skin turned from the normal pinkish hue to a deep blood red, his forehead seemed to enlarge itself, and hair grew from the originally bald scalp. The glasses with the green lenses grew into his skull and became bright green eyes. His feet became cloven hooves and plate armor formed over his chest and around his legs. Dalion was an Eradar lord….

Syrce did not assume a look of surprise and instead looked up at his former master with even more hatred and disgust. He withdrew the chain again and gave it a few swings. Dalion held out his massive red hand and a long demonic bow appeared in it. “If I win,” Dalion said, “I’ll allow you to live and come back to the Legion. How does that sound?”

“I would rather die than become one of your pawns again!” Syrce screamed his challenge. He would now make right his deeds.

Dalion gave a malevolent laugh. “So be it!” He strung his bow and let loose a flurry enchanted arrows that all narrowly missed Syrce as he stood there unmoving.

He then slowly moved forward swinging his magical chain, the loud whirling of it echoed throughout the room. Dalion knocked his bow again and whispered a few words in his ancient language that summoned another set of arrows to fire at the mortal before him. He let go of the bow string and sent them toward his opponent. One grazed Syrce’s shoulder deep enough for his face to contort in pain. But Syrce had endured enough pain caused by the torture of the Legion to become desensitized to it. Syrce continued his advance.

Again, Dalion knocked his bow and shot another flurry of his arrows at Syrce, this time one of them hitting their mark in Syrce’s abdomen. The end of the arrow came out Syrce’s back and the feather at the end of the shaft was the only thing keeping it from going through him. He staggered moment but continued regardless, not bothering to relieve himself of it. He knew this wound would be fatal.

“Why won’t you die?!” Dalion roared in a frustrated tone.

When Syrce was standing in front of the demon, he looked him in the eye. “You will have to die with me first.” Syrce swung his chain and it wrapped itself around Dalion’s neck and the demon dropped his bow trying to grasp the chain but when he reached it at his throat, he pulled his hands back, for the chain now began to sear his flesh. Dalion could not scream from how tight the chain was wrapped. Syrce gave his chain one hard yank and pulled Dalion to his knees. He then drew a sword from his belt and stepped up to the kneeling demon who screamed without noise. “Now,” Syrce murmured, “I set things right.” With that, the half-elven man did the demon lord a favor by decapitating him and watching his head role across the floor. Syrce stepped away as his master’s body fell to floor and fell to his own knees. He looked at the ceiling and opened his arms, welcoming whatever came next for him as he slipped to the floor.