Dover

  As the explosions rocked the clearing before him, Dover remained motionless, his crossbow braced against the rock which sheltered him. Not daring to blink, he carefully watched the chaos as he waited for the demon's inevitable escape attempt. Even his sharp eyes struggled to pierce through the flames and dust. Though seeing little more than shadows, it was still enough to recognize the goblins writhing in pain and the devastation wrought upon their mounts.

  He almost felt bad for them, it was a cruel way to die. Then again, goblins were cruel creatures and demons were pure evil. Instead of pity, knowing that they were getting what they deserved brought a predatory grin to his face.

  Turning his gaze from the dying he soon saw what he was waiting for. Within the cloud of dust a small section began to swirl as the demon beat its wings to flee. Taking a deep breath to steady his aim, he fired his crossbow.

  The bolt flew true, though he quickly launched two more in case it had erred. As soon as he saw the explosion in the sky he surged from his hiding place, heading towards where the demon would fall.

  The Demon Beszdux

  Though following close behind its goblin riders, Beszdux slowed when the initial blast happened. After all, minions were there so it wouldn't wouldn't have to take any unnecessary risks. As more explosions happened it quickly flapped to a complete halt, hovering in the air. It silently questioned what was happening, this was something it had never seen before. It wondered if there was some sort of volcanic field in the region.

  Then its skin crawled from the familiar feeling of magic. Realizing it was an ambush it ordered the goblins to withdraw, but they were traveling too rapidly to stop. It instinctively cast a magic shield and prepared to flee. Goblin riders and their mounts were expendable, it could summon as many as it wanted.

  Beszdux didn’t flee fast enough though, and was immediately thankful for its shield. A circle of flame erupted, engulfing every last goblin. Though the flames were powerful enough to dispel its shield, Beszdux's magic had lasted long enough to prevent any significant injury. Unable to locate the spellcaster through the dust, it immediately flew higher to escape rather than risk being attacked while blind.

  Cursing under its breath, angry at the delay, Beszdux swore revenge on the mage for when it eventually found them. Beszdux was already planning its next moves when it sensed more danger. Increasing its pace it launched itself out of the dust as quickly as possible, but it wasn't fast enough. A sudden impact sent it flailing before pain filled its back as its wing was shredded by another explosion.

  This book is hosted on another platform. Read the official version and support the author's work.

  Wounded and unable to fly it plummeted towards the ground, landing with a sickening crunch as bones broke. Struggling to its feet, it screamed in rage as its wounds began to knit together. With claws extended and consumed by anger, it hunted for its attacker.

  Searching for any sign of motion in the dust, its eyes spotted a lone figure charging closer. It couldn't help laughing despite the intense pain, knowing it would make quick work of the insect who dared harm it. Glaring at the approaching figure, it gathered its energy and focused its mind. With a thought it cast a spell to compel them to stop. Confident of its victory, it began plotting how to punish the attacker for their insolence.

  But the attacker didn’t stop. Even when Beszdux fully focused its energy on the rapidly approaching figure, using its full power and concentration, nothing happened. Unable to react, the attacker's flaming sword seared Beszdux’s skin as its scales barely deflected the strike.

  The man rapidly continued his assault, flaming sword in one hand and a dagger in the other. Despite the surge of pain which followed, Beszdux desperately parried each strike with its claws. Fear filled it on realizing that failing to block a single blow would mean its death. Attempting to withdraw, to gain enough time for its wing to heal, a fireball struck its back, preventing its escape.

  Having determined there were actually two attackers, the swordsman and a hidden mage, Beszdux felt a glimmer of hope. If it could locate the spellcaster it could create an opening. As if sensing this realization the man pressed his attack, each blow more brutal than those before, forcing Beszdux’s attention back to him. The fight dragged on, the demon completely on the defensive. It's only hope was that the man would tire first.

  The attacks continued to rain down on Beszdux, the cursed blades taxing its energy and healing. It was tiring just as much, if not more, as the attacker. Needing to get off the defensive, it grit its teeth and prepared to receive a blow. Wrapping its wings in front of its body like a shield, it let the next attack strike, hoping to catch the man off guard. The pain as the sword burned through its wings was immense, but the demon smiled despite that. Confident of victory it brutally slashed at the man with both sets of claws. The smile fading when the blows were harmlessly deflected by the man's armor.

  The next thing it knew, it was staggering backwards as the man shoved it away with a shout. The demon thought it had finally gained the advantage it needed, but then realized the man's cry was not one of surprise. The single word, "Now!", was actually a signal to a third ally.

  Before Beszdux could react, a shadow plummeted from the sky, smashing into the demon and pinning it to the ground under an enormous weight. Stunned from the impact, it could only stare as the swordsman plunged his dagger into its skull, bringing eternal darkness.