Espex The Demon Mage. (1)

chapter 31: Problems of Lords

Still standing in shock Samth couldn't believe what she had seen let alone heard. Espex the man she had followed for months the mage with the highest bounty in Skov was in fact the Lord of the infamous Asura clan. People in the hall still bowed down at Espex all but her and the old woman. 

Walking over to Samth the old woman lowered her head before raising it and speaking to Samth. "Hello lass allow me to formally introduce myself I am Fure Reagent Lord of the Asura and grandmother to current lord Espex."

Samth smiled with her cold big red lips and nodded her head before introducing herself, It had taken her a while to get used to introducing herself formally the first time she did it was to a barmaid in a little Inn on her travel up north. “Hello Fure, I am Samth the Angelic. I am companion and apprentice to Espex the Demon Walker.”

Fure smirked and nodded. “A sweet introduction lass, unlike the boy.” She gave Espex a piercing look, before returning with a smile to Samth. “Now I must ask you to come with me, Espex needs to do a few things since he hasn’t been here for a while.” Grabbing Samth’s skinny gloved hand, Fure dragged her towards the crowd leaving Espex at the now closing door.

“What’s going on?” asked a confused Samth.

“The pain of being a lord,” Espex said as Samth was dragged into the crowd.

Fure seeing confusion on Samth’s face told her, “We need to know if he is still worthy of being lord, technically speaking he shouldn’t be lord,” Samth just looked at Fure with puzzled eyes. “He killed our previous lord Ashra with magic, a flame sword I believe. Now he must prove he is capable of carrying Lord without magic.”

“What does that mean?”

“He must fight any and all contestants for Lord. One must earn the role, and the only way to lose it, is death.”

“That’s insane!” argued Samth trying to wrestle free of Fure’s grip.

“Enough girl!” Fure’s grip tightened, and her eyes almost like looking into an empty void, Samth was frozen with true fear, Fure was giving of a powerful presence nothing Samth had ever felt before.

Espex spoke calmly “Granny enough, you are being scary.”

“Hardly, I am only using a little fighting spirit; she should be used to it with you.”

Espex still looked down at his grandmother, “I have never used it around her.”

Shock now was on the old Asura's face. “Why not? You are an Asura even if you use magic! You shame us further.”

Samth had never seen Espex like this he seemed so cold. He was acting bitter, full of so much hate, he was usually a serious person but this was something more. Something was wrong.

“Let’s just start this already,” Looking over to Samth he smiled before talking “ Don’t interfere no matter what outcome, If I die go back to Gord you know the way Tate will protect you, it’s been fun.”

Before Samth could speak Fure’s old man was over her mouth. “Hush child don’t speak these are his last words, remember them well, these could be the last words of an Asura lord and of Demon Walker.”

Grix on Samth’s shoulder just gave a small saddened bark.

Espex looking around him began to take off his gloves and leather top. His ghost white body exposed. The three months to the north was tough on him, his body full of cuts and bruises, a large slash across his back from a blade and a few stab wounds in his gut. Samth had seen this all happen Espex was the bait to protect her from the Knights of One. She had been in many fights in the three months more than she could possibly have imagined. She had even seen the other Espex, his demon. Once was enough for Samth, she hoped she would never see it again.  Due to his last transformation to demon it had left him with scaled purple shoulder blades. Tough to touch and spiky to boot.  Standing in the old wooden hall Espex braced himself for combat, one fist out one back, and one foot out one back.

“I am ready!”

With that sentence said bodies boomed forward charging at Espex. The first came up front launching with his head, Espex counted by crashing down his right elbow, breaking the guy’s skull. Smashing into the ground the body hit as a woman came from Espex left, she swung with large nailed hands, with a swoop Espex dodged and kicked her in the torso. She flew back as another guy came from his back. Samth watched as Espex was vastly outnumber fighting left right and centre, Helpless Samth and Grix could only stand and stare. The punch that connected to Espex face broke his nose, blood spewed forth as well as a scream. The scream however was not from Espex it was from the one who through the nose breaking punches, Espex had countered by grabbing his arm and snapping it like a stick. This nose breaking seemed to be the door to chaos, Espex got a lot more viscous with his attacks, from giving them beat downs he was now snapping bones and crushing skulls. Screams echoed in the hall.

Overlooking the bloody affair Fure look saddened. “I was afraid of this.”

“What do you mean? He is winning” Samth said.

“It’s not that look,” she pointed at the bodies of Asura littering the floor, all moaning or laying still, “It’s about how he is winning. He is losing his temper, once he has lost it… He can no longer hold back or tell friend from foe, he is in a true sense of the word. An Asura demon of death, the last time I saw it was when he was eight years old and he killed the last lord.”

Grix gave a worried bark from Samth’s back and Samth just stood in concerned silence as Espex ripped his way through another two fighters. Man, women and child didn’t matter to Asura anyone could fight the Lord and anyone could beat them, however the cost may be their lives.

“Enough of this!” Espex voice boomed around the large hall, He stood covered in blood, some his own a lot of it others. His ghost white skin crimson. “You are all small fry! I do not have time for this; if you are not ready to lose your life, do not confront me. This is your only warning!” Espex very words sent shivers up Samth’s and even Grix spin. She had never seen him like this; he was a monster a demon. Of all the Asura left standing only one stepped forward. He wore a large brown dirty robe. Its hood covered his face completely shadowing it. He was a little taller than Espex but he wasn’t as broad. He gave of a presence of confidence.

Espex looked at this figure and nodded. “It seems you are brave enough. I will not hold back.”

Samth watched as Espex blurted forward jumping forward into the air and spun to kick the figure in the head, the man simply grabbed Espex leather seal foot and threw him to the ground.

“Impatient fool, I haven’t even introduced myself yet. “ His voice low but it did have the Asura accent.

Fure stood in shock as her grandson had just been flipped to the ground with ease. Espex stood up from the ground and looked at his hidden opponents face.

“Very well, who are you?”

“No one,” with that answer given the man disappeared and reappeared behind Espex, He tried to turn round but the man was too fast and Espex collided with a large fist to his left cheek. He didn’t even have time to register it as another hit him, then another and so on and so forth.

“How did he move that fast? Magic?” asked a pained Samth.

“No… Asura blood must be strong in him, he used pure power to move that fast, I only know one that could do that….. Haya.”

“Haya is an Asura also? I suppose that makes sense… Wait  you all have brown eyes has he always had the white eyes?”

Fure smiled” So you have met him then? I suppose I can say, his eyes used to be brown, but he fought the last Lord with Espex, he wasn’t as lucky though, He lost his eyes in the fight. Dear Samth, Haya is blind. “