Blood Demon

Ash fell from the burning sky covering the field with a blanket of death. The sun, black and lifeless, slowly began to sink below the horizon. Bodies, enemies and allies alike, littered the field and neighboring forest, their blood soaking into the dry ground. Screams rose with the wind, the last pleas of those still suffering hoping for a kind hand to end their nightmare. A rancid smell of decay mixed with the evil presence of the Dark Ones to create a miasma even the vultures would not venture near.

Without emotion I gazed across the battlefield. It had been the work of a minute to obliterate the humans' defenses. Once my hatred took hold in their minds I flooded their thoughts with inconceivable terror. Lost in the nightmare the pathetic creatures attacked whoever was closest to them. They no longer cared who was friend or foe. The Dark Ones waited until only a handful of humans were left before they moved in to finish the slaughter.

As the last of the humans died cheers rose from the Dark Ones; they had not yet realized my true intentions. Even as they celebrated I drew my knife down both arms, from shoulder to elbow, and felt my power swell around me as the blood dripped onto the ground. With a flick of my wrist I sent hardened shards of blood to the creatures dancing across the bodies of the fallen. The first dozen went down with only a gurgle of surprise as I slit their throats. The others quickly shielded themselves and gathered their own power. A slight smile played on my lips as I destroyed their shields and burnt their skin with my hatred.

The strongest were able to evade my attacks and, organizing themselves into a spear formation, rushed towards me. I was not an amateur at warfare and immediately found an opening. I drew my tri-staff from its holster on my back, my eyes never leaving the enemy. As I brought the staff in front of me I began to spin it, drawing the three pieces together, and laced the wood with my power.

As the first man reached me I slid to the right of his sword thrust and swept his leg, throwing him into the approaching defenders. Running around the tangle, I headed toward the Dark One standing in the back. He was the one feeding strength to the rest. As I gathered my power to kill him I was struck from behind and knocked back. I regained my feet and faced the man who had opened a cut on the back of my right shoulder. He was twice my size, easily topping twelve feet tall, and wielded twin blades with ease. His power lashed out at me, trying to find an opening, but my shields would not be so easily destroyed. With a growl I threw myself at him, spinning my staff at my side. He faked left and swung at my side as he easily evaded my staff. Twisting away from his attack I drew a knife from my waist and drove it into his heart.

I turned toward my original target in time to see him explode three knives and send the fragments toward me, his power covering them in an illusion to hide their location. Closing my eyes I opened my senses and let instinct take over. I dodged the pieces flying around me and sent a wave of power to the last of his defenders. They didn’t have time to scream before their bodies disintegrated. The Dark One was shaking as I drew near, his fear palpable. Shaping the blood that covered my staff into a blade, I stopped a few feet from him. His skin, usually a dusty gray, had gone pale while the whites of his eyes showed luminescent against the blackened sky.

“All that was written has come to pass,” he gasped. “You, who had sworn to protect the humans, will destroy everything.”

“Fate cannot be changed. It is not by my choice that this came to pass. It was your masters who ordered the slaughtering of my family. You were the ones who called the darkness of my soul from the abyss.” My voice was flat; I had long since stopped caring about my sins. Fighting against fate had only gotten everyone I loved killed. “They created me for this purpose, and now their wish shall be fulfilled."

As I swung my arm to behead the last Dark One, he whispered, “You’ll never defeat them.”