1

We arrived in Glitterhaven two days later. The dwarves of Clan Silverhame were ecstatic at the return of their clan lord. They launched into song to welcome him home. I'll do my best to write what they sung, but please remember it is dwarven, which I don't know.

Ye ol' we ay oh! Ye ol' we ay oh!

Fa ba ray! Jheruim braugnag ge!

Ye ol' we ay oh! Fa ba ray! Jheruim braugnag ge!

Ye oh we ay oh! Ahn ba ray! Ye oh we ay oh!

Th'ou wai ol'! Th'ou wai ol'!

Jehruim brauna way!

This was a small part of the song which must have lasted about an hour. I later learned it was a song of celebration and recounted all of Clan Silverhame's victories over the racial enemies of the dwarves. After the song, which Durrgedenn joined in, his voice rolling nice and rich throughout, we were taken to the Clan Lord's home where we were bathed and dressed. Afterwards, we were taken to the Clanhold's feast hall where I was introduced to the dwarf concept of hospitality.

First came the feast. Durrgedenn sat at the head of the table, I at his right and Weijia next to me. Platter after platter of dwarven delicacies and traditional foods were put before all fifty of us who escaped Belial's clutches. Thoeqqua, a type of herd animal with shaggy fur and long horns was the primary meat at Durrgedenn's table. It had an earthy, woody flavor. Fish, deer, rabbits, squirrels and various game birds were served also. My favorite food was bread made from a type of worm which ate a fungus growing in the mines. The bread tasted identical to carrot cake. After my first bite, all my sleepiness, minor aches and pains were swept away, leaving me refreshed and reenergized. I gobbled down the whole piece and felt ready to go back and rescue Lady Orwen by myself. I started to eat another piece when Durrgedenn stopped me.

"That is enough leddis, Carter. Too much will make you sick."

"This is amazing!" I exclaimed. "What is it?"

"Leddis is bread we take on long journeys, deep into the mines, or when we toil long at the forge. It restores you like you had a full night's sleep and also heals minor aches and pains." The feast ended well into the night. Durrgedenn stood to speak. I scratched at the wound packed with the pink moss. "Friends!" He said in a loud voice. He indicated me, "Thanks to this man here, I and our brothers are returned to us; freed from the foul creature Belial. Long were we held by that fiend, kept from our loved ones and the comfort of the forge and mines! Thanks to Carter Blake, we are at last home!" The dwarves of Clan Silverhame gave a mighty cheer. "He did not only free dwarves!" He continued. "No! Carter Blake also rescued elves, humans, Snebbli, and a half-blood! Three cheers for Carter Blake!"

I scratched at my wound again as I picked up a full tankard of a deep brown liquid which fizzed like soda. I took a cautious sip and found the beverage had a faint peaty flavor with undertones of spinach. The taste awoke a tremendous thirst within me, so I drank it straight down. I finished swallowing, and a burn built in my esophagus. The sensation wasn't unpleasant, but I noticed Durrgedenn had a double. I laughed out loud, not noticing everything had gone silent. He turned to me and multiplied again. The Durrgedenns approached and peered at me with their many pairs of eyes and said... something. I had no idea what because he ended up far away as darkness swept over me.

2

I opened my eyes with a groan. I blearily noticed I was in a room of some sort with books on a shelf, a desk near my feet and torches on the walls. I tried to sit up, but the room spun around me. Hands pushed me back down, and I went with happiness, closing my eyes as I did.

"Sit still, Carter," Weijia said.

I glanced over at where I discerned her voice coming from. She sat on a wooden stool next to the bed where I was laying. She was clad in a silvery red dress which accentuated her curvaceous figure. An ancient dwarf man stood beside her. Long silver hair went down his back, an intricate braided silver beard almost dragged on the floor, and gold spectacles clung to a long, crooked nose. He wore deep purple robes, with his hands tucked into the opposite sleeves. Durrgedenn walked into the room while the wizened dwarf approached the side of the bed. He used his thumb and forefingers to pry my eyes all the way open and peered into each one. He nodded and released me.

"What happened?" I croaked.

The old dwarf chuckled. "Gretch."

"Gretch? By all the hells, what is that?"

"Ale," said Durrgedenn. "Powerful ale. I guess you've never had it before."

"Gee," I snarked with a groan. "What gave it away?"

Both dwarves cackled and left the room. Weijia moved from the stool and sat on the edge of the bed. She pulled off her boots and stretched out beside me.

"What are you doing, Weijia?" I asked.

"I'm getting ready to sleep next to you. I find it comforting."

"Say, could I have some more leddis?" I asked with a yawn.

"The healer said more would be toxic to you on top of the Gretch," she answered. "Carter, I want to—"

I don't know what she was getting ready to say because I fell asleep.

3

I sat next to Durrgedenn the next day, eating the morning meal. I scratched at the moss underneath my Thoeqqua skin shirt. The shirt was pretty comfortable, like fine satin against my skin.

"Durrgedenn, how soon can we mount the expedition to rescue Lady Orwen?" I asked. "I don't trust her to the tender mercies of Belial."

"We will leave before nightfall tonight, Carter. I want to finish giving instructions to my people and outfitting those who wish to come with us."

"Don't you think it would be better for only a few of us to go?"

"A small strike team would be best for infiltrating the fortress, however, we are going to reclaim it, are we not?"

This gave me pause. I hadn't given any thought to helping Durrgedenn to recapture his ancestral home. I folded my right arm on the table. My chin rested on my open hand as I thought.

'We're going to help him, right?' I asked myself.

'We don't know how many demons are present,' I answered.

'That's beside the point. He helped us escape, we should help him regain his home.'

'True, but is it the right thing to do?'

'What a stupid question! Of course!'

'What about Lady Orwen? What about stopping this war?'

'Shit. Good point. Let's do it any way.'

'Why?'

'For the same reason we gave our wish to help the baby and surrendered our self to the half-demon so Dearbhaile could get her memory back: Because that's how we roll.'

I looked at the Clan Lord, waiting for me to complete my thoughts. "As soon as you tell me we have an army ready to march, we will."

My words took him by surprise. He sat up straighter. "An army? Do you think we'll need one?" He asked worriedly.

"I'm not sure how many demons you spotted before you were placed in your cell, but I saw thousands in the stands of the coliseum. We will need an army."

"We'll raise the army, but getting one large enough will take a while."

"Send word to all your allies. I'll take a small strike force inside to rile them up and rescue Lady Orwen. When we leave, which I'm sure will be in a hurry, the army will begin its assault. Besides rescuing the Lady, I aim to kill Belial, which should make things easier."

He nodded and beckoned a dwarf in chain mail over. He conferred in a low voice with her, and after, she raced off. While they talked, Weijia walked by, talking with robed dwarves. She glanced over at me and winked. I gave a faint smile and turned back to Durrgedenn. I wasn't surprised to see him watching me with an intent gaze. "Something is bothering you, my boy."

"Indeed." He waited, allowing me time to gather my thoughts. "Lord Silverhame," I said, choosing to speak to him as an elder. "I have a couple of problems."

"Do those problems concern the young lady who walked by?" He asked.

"One does, I think."

"Tell me."

"I find myself thinking about a certain young woman a lot. She is the first thing on my mind when I wake and the last I think about when I go to sleep. I find myself thinking about her at odd times, wondering what she would think of this, or how she would react to that. If I think of something odd, or funny, she is the first one I want to share it with."

"You are in love with her."

"Are you sure?"

He chuckled, yet seemed sad. "Aye. I felt the same way about a woman a long time ago," he said.

"What happened?"

"We married and she bore me four strapping sons before she was killed in a battle with Lucien's forces."

"I'm sorry." I scratched at my belly without thinking about it.

"Don't be," he responded. "She died with great-maul in hand, crushing the skull of a demon which was trying to kill our eldest son. Back to your problem. Is the woman you are always thinking about Weijia?"

"No," I said. "She's a Renline Keeper."

Durrgedenn sat back in surprise. "I didn't know any Renline lived. And you're in love with a Keeper? You are aware she will outlive you by centuries, aren't you?"

"Yes and yes. Now do you begin to comprehend my problem? What should I do?"

"Talk to her as soon as you can. So, what is going on between you and Weijia?"

"I don't know. She has said she wants to be with me. Whatever that means."

The Clan Lord laughed. "She wants you to bed her, my boy!"

My jaw dropped. Without thinking I said, "I couldn't do that to my Rishka!"

The dwarf stopped laughing. "Carter, are you sure?"

Bewildered, I said, "Of course! Why would you ask me that?"

"Carter, do you know what Rishka means?"

"Yes. 'Bright One.' It's an honorific."

"Yes, but do you know what this means to the Renline?"

"What do you mean?"

"Who taught you the word?"

"Keeper Dearbhaile Galonadriel who is apprenticed to a Vaush-Tauric."

"Morgrid's beard! She's still an apprentice. Wow. You are a lucky man, Carter."

"Why?" I asked, still confused.

"Before I answer, have you called her Rishka?"

"No. She only called me thus right after I surrendered myself to Belial."

"You surrendered yourself to Belial?! Okay, tell me the whole story from the beginning!"

Even more puzzled than I was before, I did as he bade me. I told Durrgedenn about being in my own world, meeting Mordecai and being drawn to this world. I spoke of the Crimson Walker, causing him to gasp, and the appearance of Azriel. I talked about Angriz and restoring him from the Bloodtaste, Lady Orwen's abduction, meeting the Vaush-Tauric and Keeper Dearbhaile, the attack by Sera and Belial, the implementation and breaking of the Stop-Time spell, and the wiping of mine and Keeper Dearbhaile's memory. I mentioned the wizard Cora, her contest and granting of the wish, the summoning and bargain with Belial. As if remembering that had triggered it, my hand stole up to scratch at the moss-type growth I had packed into my wound.

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"Before I entered the summoning circle, she called me Rishka," I concluded two hours later.

"Amazing," he said.

"So, what do you think is so important with her calling me Rishka?" I asked.

"For a Renline, calling someone Rishka is the same as a human saying to another the words, 'I love you.' Understand?"

I looked at him in shock.

4

As night fell, the three of us - Durrgedenn, Weijia and me - headed out to sneak into Silverholme. The journey back to Silverholme took less time than did the escape. Not having to keep track of so many others made things easier too. The three of us were dressed in black and grey leather armor, our weapons tied down so they wouldn't jangle and give away our movements. We encountered an orc patrol camped about an hour away from the fortress. We crouched behind a bush in the shadows cast by the orc's fire. I counted four grey skinned orcs sitting around the blaze, plus one standing sentry duty at the edge of the light. A tent was set up a few paces away from the fire. The ones near the fire were cooking meat of some kind. The orc which was supposed to be on guard duty spent most of his time focused on the orcs by the fire and licking his thick lips.

"What should we do, Carter?" Durrgedenn whispered.

"Depends," I responded at the same volume, scratching my abdomen where I had placed the pink moss to halt my bleeding. "Do you think we can get passed them without their knowledge?"

"With the way you travel, I would say that is probable."

To my horrified surprise, I realized Weijia had circled around their camp and was creeping in. She silenced the inattentive sentry with ease by slicing his throat with a long knife. She dragged the dead orc further out of the light and gave a small rock a light toss into the brush on the other side of the tent. The orcs all looked towards the noise. After a small scuffle; one was sent to investigate. Weijia melted further into the shadows. The remaining orcs began to eat, not worrying about their companions.

A rock sailed through the air and hit one of the orcs sitting close to us. The stone bounced off his thick head and tumbled into the darkness. The orc jumped to his feet and began grunting and squealing at his companions. I don't speak orc, but I think he blamed one of the others for throwing the rock. As we watched, the orcs began to fight amongst themselves. My friends didn't take long to decide they weren't content to watch the orcs.

I was startled when an orc sprouted an arrowhead from the center of his throat before he collapsed in a heap. The remaining two stopped their fighting to stare at their fallen companion. Weijia took this opportunity to slip out of the shadows to run one of the remaining orcs through. The last orc scrambled over to the tent and picked up a heavy mace. He leaped back towards the fire, intending on engaging Weijia, but met me instead. He swung his mace at my skull. I ducked and drove my sword into his gut. I pulled the sword from the dead orc and wiped the blade on his armor, then returned it to its sheathe.

"Did you have to attack the orcs, Weijia?" I asked.

"Yes I did. They and their master are responsible for me being tortured, remember?"

I didn't want to confess I hadn't. 'What kind of person forgets something so horrible happening to another?'

"Of course not," I lied. "I meant, did you have to do so now?"

"The only good orc, is a dead one," she said, her face grim.

'She has issues,' I thought.

'She doesn't just have issues, she has a subscription, a complete collection from issue one and fancy binders to keep them in!' I responded to myself.

'Heh-heh. Brilliant.'

"Okay, then," I said aloud. "Let's get going. And, please try to remember: this is supposed to be a stealth mission! No more killing orcs unless necessary!"

"I'll decide what is necessary," she said, frost falling from her lips.

"No. You won't," I said, my voice stiff. "Not if you want to continue on this mission with us. I am in charge. If you don't wish to obey my orders, go back to the clanhold."

Without waiting for her response, I stalked off into the darkness. I was aware of Durrgedenn coming up to walk beside me, but if he had any thoughts on what had just transpired, he didn't share them with me. The rest of the journey back to Silverholme was uneventful.

5

Once we got inside the walls of Silverholme, I suggested we split up so as to cover more ground faster in our search for the Lady Orwen. Weijia shook her head. "We should stick together, Carter."

"Bad idea. In splitting up, we can better achieve our goal of freeing Lady Orwen and getting out of here which is better as far as tactics are concerned."

"It makes more sense to keep you safe. If we lose the Walker of Worlds, there is no telling how catastrophic that would be. Durrgedenn, please talk some sense into him!"

"While I get your point Miss Fujii, Carter also has a point: we are here to rescue Lady Orwen. If we stay together, we pretty much guarantee our failure."

"Fine," she said in a huffy voice. "I'll take the battlements and work my way down."

"Excellent. I'll start with the prison area where I was being held."

"I will remain down here and search," Durrgedenn said, "Shall we meet near the exit, or the torture chambers?"

"The exit," I said. "Be ready. We might be coming at a run."

"Don't forget the signal arrow," Weijia said. "It wouldn't be good to be recaptured by Belial's demons."

"Agreed," said the dwarf.

We clasped forearms, Durrgedenn headed to the left, and Weijia and I headed for the elevator. We encountered no one as we slipped through the hallways, and scurried passed doorways. We made it back to the torture chamber where we had first met. Little had changed except for the addition of five of the bat-type creatures and the decay of the other corpses. Flies buzzed around the bodies. I made the mistake of looking at the elf in the metal hoop device. The nest of squirming maggots where his eyes had been got my stomach to churning. I looked away before I added a steaming pile of puke to the carnage surrounding us.

I glanced over at Weijia and discovered she had made her face a mask of nothingness. Being back here had to have been harder on her than me, but she didn't say anything. She glanced around once, then strode to the elevator. I hurried to keep up with her rapid pace. When we boarded the lift, she kept her back to the front until I worked the control which started us upward and we had cleared the first fifty feet of shaft.

"Are you alright?" I asked, scratching my old wound.

"I will be," she responded. "I did not expect to be affected that way, Carter. It was as if I was tied to that wall again."

"Must have been a living nightmare for you: being tortured, helpless, alone and afraid; not knowing if you were going to live or die, or when."

"Yes." Her brow furrowed and she leaned closer to me. "Carter, how do you know this? Were you also tortured?"

"Not the way you were. I had this shock collar around my neck which was used to keep me in line and whenever the mood struck Belial or one of his minions. The worst part for me was I was forced to compete in gladiatorial matches. I had to kill, or be killed. I came to not mind the killing as much. What hurt was coming to realize something about myself, something I had held dear to my heart, was false. Empty words that meant nothing in the end."

The elevator had come to a halt, but neither of us were aware of this.

"What was it, Carter? What did Belial take from you?"

"My pride. I had always been smug and certain I could not be forced to do anything. 'All you have in life are the choices you make,' I told everyone in my unthinking arrogance. 'Even if your life is threatened, you still have the ability to choose death. That's what I would do in that type of situation. I would be defiant to the end.' That's what I said, anyway. When the time came, however, I did not. I gave Belial control over me."

"Choosing to live isn't giving someone control over you, Carter."

"No," I said. "Allowing them to dictate my actions did." She sighed and reached for me. I turned and slung open the grate of the elevator. I stepped off. Without looking back, I said, "Be careful, Weijia. No telling what Belial has planned for us."

"I will. You be careful, too, Carter." As I started down the corridor, she said in a soft tone, "Come back to me in one piece, my love."

I don't know if I was supposed to catch those words, or not. I chose to act as if I hadn't. I still had no idea how to tell her my heart belonged to another. I didn't want to hurt her.

6

I stole along the hallway that lead to my former cell as during my escape. I still didn't know why it had been switched from the one closer to the arena, but didn't care either. Cool air from an unseen opening to the outside blew across my face. 'This is familiar.' It was the intersection from escape. 'Towards the breeze, or to my left, into the darkness? Eenie-meenie-miney-moe.' I went left, into the darkness, with some trepidation, with no idea what was down here. 'Damn this oppressive silence is spooky.' The air seemed to grow thicker, heavier and more ominous. Though there was no light in the hallway, it appeared to get darker. Just ahead of me, a little boy giggled. I froze, the hairs on my body all standing at attention, goose bumps running over my body. The sound stopped with no echoes. I drew the sword a clan Silverhame smith gave me, glad to have its weight in my hand.

I resumed walking, and footsteps echoed behind me. I whirled around halting, and bringing the long sword up in a defensive posture. The steps also stopped. I held my breath, straining my ears for any sounds, but there were none. Walking again, reluctant as hell, but this time nothing except my own heartbeat, which had ramped up quite a bit, made a sound. The silence didn't remain for long, however. Just ahead of me, a baby begin to cry. The fear in that young voice spurred me into a run. The crying baby changed to a young girl shrieking, then a young woman screaming, then an old woman choking, then stopped. My nerves were shot. I stumbled to another halt, and leaned against a stone wall, trembling like as if with a cold.

Breathing normal again, and having regained my composure, I pushed against the wall, intending to go upright. Instead, the hardness of the stone gave way to the soft yielding of flesh. At the same time, a long, wet tongue slid up the side of my face. I screamed in revulsion and disgust and thrust my sword at who, or whatever had just licked me. The only resistance my sword met was when it impacted the far wall of the hallway. Malevolent laughter echoed through the darkness.

A sinister voice whispered near my right ear, "If you do not study..." Then, it moved to just in front of me and thundered, "YOU! SHALL NOT!! PAAASSSSS!!!!"

As the booming of the abrupt shout died away, I laughed. "Really?" wiped tears of mirth from my eyes. "Are you misquoting Lord of the Rings at me?!"

There was no response. Still chuckling a bit, I resumed walking. The dim stone walls and floor of the hallway were visible again. A little further the light grew a bit brighter. 'It's the mist.' After another five minutes of travel, it was like I was in an ethereal realm. I moved to touch the wall on my right hand so I wouldn't get turned around, and my hand met nothing. I stumbled forward into the mist and landed on my stomach, knocking the wind from myself.

I took a couple of minutes to recover, not noticing the moisture that was sinking into my clothing. I stood at last, and when my clothing clung to me, swore. 'Just what I fucking need: my clothes to be wet.' I trudged across the sodden, muddy ground, grimacing with abhorrence at each step. 'Damn these wet clothes feel disgusting.' Thunder rumbled off to my right, causing me to wonder if I had wandered outside somehow. A warm rain began to fall on me. Finding it tonnes better than the cold dampness that had already surrounded me,. I paused, tilted my head back to better enjoy the feel of the rain, and soon caught whiff of a familiar, coppery scent. My eyes opened. Sure enough, blood was falling from the sky like rain. I heaved a sigh and trudged onwards. Ten feet later, I tripped over a stone block, and rolled onto my back, clutching my injured shin and swearing like a sailor.

Something made me roll with alacrity to my right. The world imploded around me. I smelled ozone an instant before a shockwave sent me rolling further away. When the world ceased spinning, I sat up and opened my eyes. The mist cleared enough for me to see a blackened crater where I had been laying just moments before. 'Okay, somebody doesn't want me to continue. This must be the right way.' Curiosity had me check out the stone I tripped over earlier, scooping up my dropped sword as I approached it.

The stone looked to be ordinary granite; white with striations of grey and black, and polished to a high sheen. I walked around and froze, my heart in my throat. Claws had gouged out a name and two dates.

CARTER MARCUS BLAKE

10/9/20XX – 5/6/20XX

I must admit: seeing that freaked me out. For one, I never use my middle name - can't stand the thing. For another, I had an inkling that the second date was today. A sliding step came as if someone was attempting to sneak up on me. I whirled, sword up in a ready defensive position. No one. Full of caution, I made my way passed the stone and began to move faster, something telling me that time was running out.

A large dark shape plummeted to the ground in front of me, making me leap backward on instinct. Lightning flashed, illuminating the newcomer in staccato bursts. One of the largest demons I had ever seen crouched in front of me, black wings furled over its massive muscled back. Four long, thick arms, the lower two of which were planted on the ground and two muscular legs, coiled and ready to launch the monster into action. Long and sharp looking horns stuck out of its skull-like head. An elongated, heavy tail swished back and forth like a cat's. The fiend watched me with glowing silvery orange eyes, licking its face on occasion. Its wings unfurled and began to flap, stirring up a pleasant breeze. The wings were black near the demon's shoulders and faded to red near the primary feathers. A stripe of yellow delineated the covert feathers. Keeping its eyes on me, the demon raised one of its arms from the ground, and stepped forward with slow care. This movement was followed by a matching step forward by its opposite leg. 'The thing is stalking me.'

Trying to show that I wouldn't be intimidated, I twirled my sword before me, then snapped it down to my right. From the outside, I was bold, ready to fight. On the inside, not so much. The demon lowered its body, ready to pounce. I dropped my right foot behind me, turning to present a smaller target and to put more power behind my first swing. I brought my sword up into my left hand and grasped the weapon in a light yet firm grip. The demon took another slow step forward, this time moving the opposite arm and leg from last time.

The demon launched into its attack. The swinging sword was torn from my grasp, flying in one direction, and I in another. I rolled a few feet, and lunged upright. The demon was on me in an instant, ripping and clawing at my flesh. I threw up my forearms and knees, frantic to block the unrelenting assault. After fourteen hectic seconds, an opening appeared, allowing me to take ruthless advantage. The fiend swung both of its right arms at my head. I ducked under the upper fist, blocked the lower one with my forearms and launched my right knee up into its jaw, staggering the monster. The demon roared in frustration and swung both its left arms. I landed in a crouch. When both left fists whistled through the air over my head, my left elbow slammed into its right knee which buckled as it bellowed in pain and crashed to the ground. I rose to my feet and raced for my sword.

I reached the weapon, took it into my hands once more and then turned to the demon, ready to resume the battle on more equal terms. Moving faster that I imagined possible, the demon charged. When it reached me, I found myself lifted in the air. The demon had each of my limbs in one of its colossal hands. It roared in my face and then flung me. I flew on a short, hard trajectory and crashed into a wall. My skull bounced against it, sending sparkles of light shooting across my sight. The impact knocked the wind from me and caused my vision to go blurry. My ears rang, and I felt nauseous. Unsure of where I was, or what had happened to me, I pushed myself upright like I was moving through molasses, and saw two four-armed demons charging at me. I tried to get to my feet, but couldn't seem to get my limbs to work together. The demon yanked me up and slammed me against the wall again. It began to batter me with its free fists. My body twitched and swung from the thud of its fists. 'Interesting: I feel the impacts, but no pain.'

The demon flung me away from the wall again. My flight was once more short and pleasant. The landing, a lot less so. Fortune was on my side, the jarring landing served to clear the cobwebs from my mind. I rolled to my feet just as the demon landed hard where I had just been lying. Instinct had me rocketing my fist up to explode against its jaw as I shoved my feet against the ground to provide extra force. The demon's head snapped back, and it crashed to the ground. Pain raced up from my damaged hand, grabbed a dance partner in my shoulder and did the tango in my skull to the tune of a throbbing headache. A copper taste entered my mouth causing me to spit to one side. Blood and a tooth hit the ground.

"You bastard."

The demon which was just getting to its hands and knees. I ran up and punted the demon in its head as if trying to kick the winning fifty yard field goal at the Super Bowl with the entire New England Patriots defensive line attempting to stop me. The arch of my foot caught the beast on its jaw. My knee caught the side of its horn. The demon collapsed, semi-conscious. I collapsed, clutching my knee. I rolled around for a couple of minutes until the demon let out a gasping snore, reminding me of its presence. I got up, hobbled over and picked my blade up, swearing under my breath. I balanced on my non-bruised leg and kicked the other one out a few times, trying to work the pain out, set my foot back down and tested my weight. When my limb held up, I turned and limped back to where the demon was just beginning to stir.

'Hey, I'm Dr. Gregory House.' The demon had pushed itself back up to its hands and knees once more. I poised near its shoulders, my sword held tight in my hands above its neck and paused, waiting for the demon's head to come further up. I brought the sharp blade down with all my might. A scream of fury issued from my lungs as the gladius impacted, then sliced though, the demon's thick neck. Crimson blood shot up from the stump like a geyser, and splashed against me, hot and delicious. I stood over the demon corpse, savoring my victory. My chest heaved as I thrust my bloody sword in the air and bellowed my triumph to the sky.