Zell’s eyes slowly opened. He was lying on his back. He tried to move but his body wouldn’t comply. He could feel that his mana was nearly depleted and continued to be siphoned away by something that was sitting heavily on his chest. He didn’t feel any injuries aside from the growing mana sickness. Looking up all he could see was dusty boards and cobwebs. With all the effort he could summon, Zell turned his head a fraction of an inch. In his peripheral vision he was able to see that he was in a large windowless room lit by a strong Candlelight spell.

Seated on a chair nearby was his captor. Zell’s mind raced upon viewing the dwarf, if he could still be called one. The creature was shirtless, and using some unknown instrument to poke and turn at various parts of his right shoulder. The dwarf’s body was more metal than flesh. Clockwork gears, golden colored wires, and countless moving parts that Zell couldn’t begin to identify covered his frame from the neck down. The largest portion of him that was still covered in skin was the left side of his chest and part of his muscular abdomen. Even those parts were marred with strange objects. Three fist sized black spheres were buried in a triangle pattern around where his heart might be. They swirled and glowed eerily every time the dwarf moved. Zell thought they were familiar and it suddenly struck him. The heart pearls of three mana lampreys!

Zell turned his focus inward, scraping together every bit of strength he could into moving his right hand. His fingers twitched, then closed. With more effort than he had ever used, Zell moved his arm which felt as though it weighed thousands of pounds. He touched whatever was sitting on his chest, it was smooth and round. A Handle? Sweat poured from his whole body as he pushed the object, causing pain to explode in his chest. With a gasp he spasmed involuntarily, causing another wave of agony. Rapid boot steps approached.

“Resisting?” The dwarf’s voice sounded confused. “Impossible.”

Despite his denial, Zell continued to struggle. He was no longer aware of his surroundings, he was fully engaged with the enemy within. And there was an enemy within. Zell felt the invading presence more clearly every second. He felt the anxiety of a being that was not used to being fought. Zell felt a wave of soothing suggestions and sedating magic. Big Mistake.

A wall of seething black rage devoured the insidious spells. Zell had been victimized by such sedating magic for most of his childhood and it now only caused the opposite effect within his mind. He felt a tiny bit of mana return, as though he were reversing the flow that had been leaving his body.

He suddenly realized that there was an open channel between whatever was stealing his mana and himself. His rage multiplied as he realized the violation for what it was. It might not have been a mana lamprey but it sure was behaving like one. He began to slowly overpower the invading presence, and he could feel its rising anxiety. It apparently had no power to retreat, and Zell was regaining his mana exponentially faster by the moment.

Robaru watched the boy. His axe Tarithiel housed the devil of the same name, and was resting on the boy’s chest. The skeletal wings that formed her twin blades were currently curved into him, their sharp tips embedded into his skin as she fed. She was capable of drawing the mana from any creature she contacted and had never once been resisted. Against all reason, that seemed to be happening at this very moment by a mere human boy. Robaru didn’t know what to do. If he removed the axe now it might well kill the boy, or worse damage Tarithiel. But if he let this go on... He used the detection ability in his Iron Eye and his mind raced. The boy had nearly reclaimed all of his lost mana and if it continued... Could he actually steal Tarithiel’s mana!?

“You seem stressed good dwarf.” An unfamiliar voice hailed him. “Is everything alright?”

Robaru spun at the ready. How could anyone have slipped past his detection? It wasn’t possible. The room was empty, his Iron Eye picked up no trace of mana. It couldn’t be a Throw Voice or Magic Mouth spell. He could detect any spells used nearby with the sensors implanted in him. That only left one possibility

“True Erase Self.” Robaru said in realization. “You must be Sha’vir the Wraith. Did Uniri send you to check up on this one?” He asked the empty room.

“No. I’m afraid I’m not that particular elf.” The voice answered.

“That leaves the hunter exterminator called Solution as the only other being with that skill. Based on this one’s known data, it is predicted that I have already been affected by some factor that will inevitably defeat me.” Robaru touched one of the many small runes engraved on his left forearm. It glowed briefly and he smiled grimly. “This one’s pipe was poisoned before it was smoked. I see.”

Robaru collapsed then, and Solution stepped forward out of thin air. He walked past the dwarf to the cot where his son was still shaking and sweating under the strange axe. He bent down to remove it, but suddenly stopped.

He dove to the side just as a powerful sweeping right hook would have probably torn his head off.

“This one regrets that deception was necessary.” Robaru said, stalking toward Solution. “My components neutralize all biological toxins. Now that you have been revealed, you will be defeated.”

Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

“No need to apologize, I would do something similar.” Solution answered, removing his left glove and assuming his own ready stance.

“A skill based on touch, no data present. Something you only showed to ones you killed.” Robaru summarized quickly. “This one won’t be touched.”

With those words, the dwarf made his move. He was fast, as fast as Coralia. Arlim barely avoided the strike even though he could see it coming thanks to the enchantment in his mask. Arlim was no novice himself, and he responded with a lightning fast palm attack with his bare left hand.

Robaru easily ducked under the attack. He quick stepped forward and threw a straight right punch at Solution’s ribs. Once again Solution was elusive stepping forward and spinning on his lead foot, and Robaru’s deadly punch caught only his trailing leather coat. With a grunt, the dwarf disengaged, leaping several feet away.

When he landed, he quickly touched a series of runes on his arm, each one glowed and faded as it was touched. When he finished, one of the three black spheres in his chest suddenly flared, glowing with an intense dark purple light. All of the machinery of Robaru’s powerful frame also began glowing the same color.

“This power wasn’t meant for you.” The dwarf growled, frustration seeping into the mechanical tone.

“I’m certainly honored then. With the power you just added to yourself, I’m definitely no match for you. If you had done that from the start I would have lost.” Solution replied with a slight bow. “But there’s something you should be starting to notice just about now.” He added with a slight grin.

Robaru stopped curiously. “A bluff?” No. There was something slightly off happening within his body. There was the slightest delay between the impulses he sent, and the response of his mechanical parts, and the lag time was increasing with every second.

“You must never underestimate the predictability of the freakishly powerful.” Solution’s voice reached him but sounded far away. “The confidence that they can win any battle as it comes means that they can just relax between those conflicts. It’s true I poisoned your pipe weed. Why would you assume that’s all I would do? I started this fight hours ago after all.”

Robaru was now on one knee. All of his components were failing completely. He turned away from Solution and crawled toward the cot where Zell still struggled against the axe.

“Will your weapon save you now?” Arlim asked.

“No. This one can never be saved. Not from her. This one merely wishes to touch his love once more before the end.” The dwarf said, crawling desperately.

Inside Zell’s mind, a battle was still raging. He knew he had the upper hand now, and was beginning to siphon their energy into himself. He had settled into a grind of harvesting his attacker’s mana when suddenly a mental voice rang out clearly.

“Release me please. I never wanted this.” The voice in his mind was decidedly feminine and pleading.

“Then take your hooks out of me, already.” Zell growled back mentally.

“I cannot as long as you keep pulling me in.” Answered the voice.

“Then convince me. Tell me who you are and why I should let you go.” Zell answered coldly, pulling more and more mana from her even as he answered.

“I’m Tarithiel... a devil. I steal mana for the one that imprisoned me in this weapon...”

“The dwarf.” Zell assumed flatly.

“No. He is as much a prisoner as I. We are husband and wife. The wicked empress sealed us both in metal and magic. She holds the key to both of our eternal torment and thus neither of us can resist her will for the sake of the other.” The voice was filled with lament.

Against all reason, Zell believed it.

“That’s a sad story, but it doesn’t change that we’re enemies in circumstance.” He responded.

“No, this is the end. I can hear my beloved, and he is defeated. I only ask you spare me enough of my mana to send my farewells to him in return. My silence is causing him great pain.” Tarithiel pleaded.

Robaru was nearly to the cot, moving one agonizing inch at a time. Suddenly a pair of boots entered his field of blurry vision. They weren’t the polished black ones worn by Solution, but plain brown traveling boots. The boy was on his feet. Robaru collapsed and rolled to his back, staring up at the boy that had defeated his beloved Tarithiel.

Zell looked down at the gasping dwarf with a new sense of compassion. He could see the pain etched clearly on that weathered face. Zell held the axe named Tarithiel in his hand.

“If this one is to die, please do not use her to deliver the blow.” Robaru managed to speak through the rolling waves of agony caused by his mechanical body failing him.

“Son.” Arlim spoke, removing his mask.

“Dad!” Zell looked up astonished, finally piecing together who had defeated the mighty dwarf. “How did this happen?”

“It seems ‘This one’ was careless and handled some instruments coated in mineral oil and dusted with powdered rust monster antennae.” Arlim answered, mimicking Robaru’s mannerisms.

“I don’t think he’s an evil person.” Zell said, kneeling down. He placed the handle of the axe into the dwarf’s limp right hand.

“Thank you, Balfonse Zell. A kindness this one doesn’t deserve.” Robaru grimaced through the words. Suddenly his voice sounded again with bizarre clarity and without any seeming pain. “Damage threshold for recovery measures has been reached.” He coughed violently and spoke once again in a pain wracked voice. “Uniri... is recalling her property. Please take Tarithiel. She will be safe from torment for at least a while.” As those last words left Robaru’s mouth, all three spheres in his chest flared and suddenly he was gone.

“What gave you the impression that your kidnapper wasn’t evil?” Arlim asked sincerely wondering.

“We fought. Well it’s better to say he thrashed me with no effort at all.” Zell replied, remembering the one sided fight. “He could have just bashed me unconscious and taken me but he gave the option of coming peacefully. On top of that, I was really hurt but he must have healed me. Finally, and this part’s gonna sound crazy but I talked to his wife. She’s trapped inside this axe.”

“They are quite the legendary couple. After all the story of The Dwarf and The Devil has been told for over seven centuries, and I think you’re right. They seem to be victims, pawns of the empress of Red Isle.” Arlim threw his arm around his son’s shoulders and pulled him close. “Here.” he said, pulling something from the pocket of his coat.

“A plum?” Zell’s face screwed up in confusion as he took the purple fruit.

“Thought you might be hungry after a long night.” Arlim answered.

“Yeah, I am actually.” Zell said as he took a bite. “By the way, Dad. What’s that awesome outfit!? Is it your old bounty hunter gear!?” Zell’s mouth was full and his eyes were sparkling. “You actually went toe to toe with that monster of a dwarf too!”

“Yeah yeah. I’ll tell you all about it another time. For now we better sneak out of here and pick up your poor sister who is absolutely distraught.” Arlim pulled a folded black cloak from his coat and handed it to Zell. “It’s got a pretty good invisibility enchantment on it. A friend was nice enough to give it to me.”

Later, just before dawn Zell found himself once again in peril. Three girls stood glaring before him with their hands on their hips.

“Do you have any idea how worried we were?” Nin said sternly. “You won’t get away with just words either!”

He braced himself for a slap and closed his eyes. He sighed in relief when he was instead buried in a group hug.