Burning Road

Hell's Fury- Part VIII

Ragdhyl hated fearmongers. The demonic insects were swarms of fear made flesh. Similar to nightmares, they manipulated and thrived on the anxiety they induced. He'd spent much of his life afraid, victim to creatures that craved his terror. His heart still raced, but his adrenaline had run its course. All that was left was fatigue. Rag was terrified. Standing there before the demon prince he felt fear outside and in. Standing there at her mercy, Ragdhyl had an epiphany.

Since awakening a prisoner of the Countess of Wails, Rag was subject to a rising and falling sequence of distress, lull and distress again. He'd thought it merely a torture tactic, but watching the demon prince gloat he saw the truth. Anastasia bolstered her strength and using the collective fear of the gathered creepers. He saw the signs with fresh eyes. Allowing them to escape The Cauldron, and not killing them outright. She was toying with them, feeding on them, slowly.

Rag's shoulder tingled. He'd ignored it for a while, assuming it was the transmutation spreading... but it wasn't. Out the corner of his eye he saw a collection of tiny bugs settled on his shoulder, at the center of the tingling. He saw them everywhere once he knew what to look for. The Countess had her hooks into everyone, eating a grand feast.

Rag gestured and ash swept across his body, cleaning away the intruders.  He did the same for Vhalova and Cyril. He directed his ash towards Ingrid and the smile on Anastasia's face became a scowl. She narrowed her eyes and the remainder of the bugs rose into the air, creating a hissing black haze. There were far more than he'd anticipated.

"Guys, pick up your dice. It's time for round two!" he shouted as her body split into millions of buzzing insects.

"No more games," the demon cloud hissed.

The cloud converged and Ragdhyl threw up his hands. A half dome of ash formed over his allies.

At the same time the nightmare lashed out at Prince and Mimi. The ends of its tentacles grew curved barbs as they cracked back like whips. Then Ragdhyl witnessed a miracle. Energy as blue as the rays of The Under burst from The binder's back in the form of two large wings, from his head the same light created a mantle of horns like the crest of an elder dragon, and from his chest roared the battlecry of the most powerful of the old monsters. For an instant Prince became a dragon of the purest light. The energy crashed into the nightmare and its form reverted back to its true state. The flame maned horse backpedaled and prince shot it twice with his cannon.

The ash dome collapsed as a twenty foot tall armored mantis tore hunks off its sides. The warden jumped through the ash, his sword stabbing Muggle in the gut and his boots striking Ingrid in the chest. He spun around to slash at Vhal's throat but met Cyril's much thinner sword. The Countess screamed in equal parts grief and rage. Her eyes focused on the dying nightmare. Its icy soul turned to stone, killed by the human's power. Ragdhyl was in awe of the binder's might.

"You!" Countess Anastasia Malbogias shouted.

The ground shook and Ragdhyl had to cover his ears to stop the echoing in his skull. Out of the ground, small rodents clawed their way to the surface only to transform into sinister caricatures of beast.

"Him, I want his bones for my treasure room!" she said, pointing at Rag. Her familiars bellowed and attacked. 

The warden howled with them and licked his lips. Cyril shrugged out of his robes and beneath it was a dark tunic. On his hip were two more sheathed swords.  The two joined swords and their skill was impressive to see. Their dance was beautiful, but short lived, ending abruptly when Vhal fired Flower. The muzzle of the cannon blossomed in a ball of fire and blew the warden's head off. Cyril stabbed twice, his thin blade piercing both armor and heart. Warden Schmerz's body fell to the floor and burned away.