Cold sweat dripped down the backs of the adepts as they watched Mors swallow the mana core in a few, bone-chilling bites.

Previously they were too far away to clearly see what Mors was doing and because they knew a little about his abilities, thought that he had faked eating the core to enhance his fear-based powers. Being so close, they now knew it was no trick.

Alice shivered as a haunting sensation crept up her spine. -"H..h...he actually did eat it... that should be impossible."

Aron began mumbling as Alec, and himself took a couple of steps back, without blinking. "And I saw him, walking through the battlefield, consuming the cores of the fallen and the souls of the damned and I knew that the Harvest walked amongst us and that..."

Alec finished his sentence, knowing exactly what Aron was going to say as it came directly from the elven scriptures. " Deaths apostle, the harbinger of destruction, the devourer of souls stood before me."

Small red lines began creeping over Mor's face flowing to his eyes' iris, changing its colour to a fiery red making it appear as if he was rapidly recovering, however, it was, in fact, the opposite. The fire mana was too pure for his channels and was forcing out what little remaining darkness he had left. -"I need to get rid of this mana before it kills me, but once I do I have less than a minute before I will collapse..."

Taking a slow look around Bruce's group, Mors revealed a bitter smile. -"Like that really matters anyway, they conserved most of their strength while I spent mine like a fool. All of these lives and past experiences and I still jump in to save a damsel in distress... pathetic."

Thinking that Mors was preparing for an attack, Bruce swallowed hard -"DAMN IT! I have underestimated this demon once again; he isn't even thinking about the possibility of a pact. If we fight most if not all of us will die."

Lowering his sword, Bruce put on the most domineering voice he could muster. "WAIT! Mors, you know if you fight us it will only lead to your death. Make a pact with us, and we shall let you go. All you have to do is swear you will never harm us. It's pretty simple."

Mors blinked a few times in astonishment. "... BHAHAHAHAHAHHAHHAHA, aaaaagh... no deal. He who throws the first stone." Mors' smile turned feral, "Should expect to be ripped to pieces."

"You idiot! Do you not fear death" Shouted Bruce as he raised his shield preparing for the worst.

"Death.... nope, he seemed alright plus dying isn't as bad as people make out, well if it's quick that is." Chuckled Mors as he slowly span Morrigan in his palm while getting into a combat stance.

Alice snorted. "Don't bother trying to reason with him, even if he has basilisk blood in him, he is just a demon, and he is on his last legs."

The story has been illicitly taken; should you find it on Amazon, report the infringement.

Mors' injuries, as well as the effects of the two mana cores he recently consumed, was sending him into a trance-like state, letting his subconscious bubble up and slowly a plan began to formulate.

Resolve flashed across Mors' face as he straightened his back, rising to his full height. Black steam began spewing from his wounds with a hissing noise as he let his instincts take over. -"Survive."

It sickened him, what he was about to do but Mors pushed his pride and anger tot he side.

A tense silence filled the air as everyone waited for someone else to make the first move.

Revealing a tyrannical smile more suitable for a lord of hell Mors inhaled deeply before uttering two words. "Dragons Inferno."

When Mors' consumed the red mana core, he somehow knew that he had acquired a new ability. Combining this with the core's shards in his stomach he released a barrage of vicious fireballs from his mouth towards the adepts.

Alice raised her staff to block the incoming fireball before her pupils rapidly shrank, and she barely dodged. -"This fire... I can't control it. Impossible!"

The other adepts had managed to dodge however once they looked up they realised they were now clustered together in front of the unconscious Claire.

Bruce immediately leapt backwards and pointed his sword tip at Claire's neck. -"I will not die here, not like this."

Alice noticed his action and shouted out. "Bruce, what are you doing to my sister?"

"Now DEMON, are you ready to make a pact. You have already risked your life to save Claire. Will you give her up just for some petty illusion of revenge?" Said Bruce, completely ignoring Alice.

"Do you think I would have forced you all into one place for your convenience?" Hissed Mors as he started walking backwards, his black clothes beginning to blend into the long shadows caused by the newly formed flaming craters.

Like a bucket of ice cold water being thrown over his head, realisation dawned on Bruce. "You... you're not going to let this end tonight are you?"

"I do not forgive nor do I forget," chuckled Mors. "If you want to avoid the terror of being hunted down, everyone you know and care about being slaughtered in front of your very eyes, before being slowly torchered to death, then chase me now. Either way, only pain and despair awaits you."

Mors was completely bluffing as his body was at its limit, however, as they had not attacked yet, he was reasonably confident that they were too scared to chase him in the dark woods. -"Cowards. I should have killed them when I had the chance."

Using the last of his power, Mors used shadow step and disappeared into the night causing Bruce to curse loudly.

Charging at Bruce, Alice screamed as she shoved him away from Claire. "GET THAT SWORD OFF MY SISTERS NECK!

"Oh, now there's no danger you can jump in and save your sister. Where were you when that bandit was touching her up while she was staked to the floor," snapped Bruce, his mind addled with the implications of having a demon like Mors as an enemy.

Alice's face went red. "YOU! You guys held me back! If it wasn't for you, I could of sa..."

"SHUT IT!" Shouted Alec in a frustrated voice. "Get Claire; we need to leave now."

Bruce folded his arms. "Who put you in charge?"

"We didn't just piss off a draconic demon, we fucking tried to kill it! We need to get as far away from here as possible! We can't return to the Pathfinders unless we complete this mission, the injuries Mors has should take a relatively long time to heal, and he should get some sort of backlash from eating those stones. I think we have around 6/7 months to complete the mission and get back. Once we are official Pathfinders we can be assigned to the Republics capital... there is no way he will be able to get us there."

"Draconic demon?" Replied Alice and Bruce in unison, both displaying a confused, horrified expression.