As Kadin was running away he charged as much magical energy as he could and threw a couple of fireballs behind him towards the scout part. As he did this a magical bolt of lightning landed nearby, he kept running and it sounded like there were people right on his heel. A few second latter and another bright flare light the sky in front of him a bright point of light just under the cloud cover slowing falling towards the ground, he knew this was a signal to all the other groups out there and that they would be closing in on him – the only thing he could do was keep ahead of them … once he got through the barrier he could lose them in the forest.. he would prefer to take his chances with a orc or goblin war party than with a demon army. But as he was running he felt a dull thud hit his lower back and he felt his cloaks protections flare around it, chancing a glance back he saw he had made a little distance – he was faster than his pursuers – but above them were little red skinned imps, like that he had seen before .. but these ones had wings and another fireball was on its way. He jumped to the side and a second later a fireball about the size of his head streaked past and hit the ground ahead of him. He began dodging, spinning and diving to his left and right as fireball after fireball streaked past him, the little imps kept to the air and out of his reach, so he drew a pair of throwing knifes and risked pouring a little magic into them one with a lightning charge and the other with fire, he timed his throw to just before one of the little imps threw its fireball. The imp was able to move its body out of the way but the knife hit its wing and the flare of fire tore a hole through its bat like wing. It chittered in pain and anger as it fell to the ground, but Kadin wasn’t paying attention, his other knife already leaving his hand. This knife hit another imp right in the leg and Kadin heard the snap and crackle of the electrical charge as the second imp fell to the ground squealing like a pig. After this the other imps decided to pull back but not before throwing a new round of fireballs at Kadin, he tried to dodge out of the way but one of the fireballs hit him hard in the side a bright flash of rainbow colours and then a tinkling noise as he felt the protection on his cloak break. During the fight however he notice something strange – the demons were using magic without issue, no different coloured lightning bolts falling near them or anything else. The other thing he noticed was with all his manoeuvring and dodging it didn’t matter how agile he was – he was still being slowed down and there were demons closing in on him from every direction behind him. He turned towards the border again when he caught a movement out of the corner of his eye, and was able to only just get his blade up in time to block. One of the tall thin demons he had seen before with the chitin armour. It had thrust its blade towards Kadin in a blur of motion that he was only just able to block in time, it blurred back a few steps, with its long, thin, wicked looking blade raised. Kadin couldn’t tell if it was male or female, but it had long legs with reverse jointed knees, it was incredibly thin and had long arms that looked almost too long for its body. The armour it was wearing was an almost black shade of green and it looked as if it was almost moulded to the things body. It like the rest had on a helmet that left only the mouth visible. Its helmet a long thin upside down triangle shape that swept back away from it coming to two thin points like horns. The things mouth was just a thin slit it had almost no lips and its chin was little more than a point, the skin around its mouth was a light pink – not the deep red of the other demons and Kadin couldn’t see any eye holes or visor in its helmet, just is long almost black chitin plate. After staring for a second it blurred forwards again – moving faster than anything Kadin had ever seen. He raised his sword to block but was too slow, a sharp pain shot through his shoulder. Where his armour had previously been damaged there was now the long thin blade piercing through it into him. They seemed frozen in time, for only a second the thing having delivered a perfect thrust, and Kadin could have sworn he had seen the thing give a small smile at its attack before blurring back again.

This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.

The pain in his shoulder made the movements of his left hand slow and sluggish, so Kadin changed into a more defensive stance switching both swords into a reverse grip and standing with his good right side forwards. The thing in front of him gave another small little smile again then spoke

“Dewgrangal” its voice still sounded like the multiple overlapping voices like the thing before in the cavern but this was lighter and a little higher in pitch. A female Kadin assumed – but she didn’t wait for an answer she blurred forwards again this time with a low slashing strike, that Kadin was just able to move out the way of, she however dint give him time to recover as what felt like dozens of smaller thrusts hit him in the space of a few second, some he actually managed to block, doge or parry some, a few hit his armour and didn’t penetrate – but some of them got through, little cuts opened up on his hands, his legs, his arms.. he even felt blood running down his cheek.

‘When did that happen’ he thought to himself confused. Then

‘well defence isn’t working, time to attack’ he switched both swords to a forwards grip and aimed an upwards swing towards the things hand and immediately followed up with a heavy forwards stab. But it didn’t matter what he tried, his opponent flowed like water around every stab, slash and swing Kadin made. Her body moving by just an inch to avoid every strike and the whole time that damned smile never left her face. Kadin tried every trick he knew not only using his swords but following up with kicks, elbows, knees anything he could use to hit her. Until it happened; she made the smallest mis step that meant she wouldn’t be able to move out of the way in time, she swung her sword forwards to parry the blow, it deflected Kadins swing only a little, but it was enough to avoid his strike decapitating her instead he scored a shallow cut along the chitin armour of her breast plate. She blurred back her head tilted softly to one side as if confused; even as that happened, the shallow gash healed itself in only a few seconds, Kadin was about to go on the offense again when she said a single word in elvish.

“fun”.

Then she blurred and disappeared.