My thanks to everyone for reviewing me. This chapter will be longer, I just have trouble with beginnings. Special thanks to Herald of Chaos for the suggestion of Second Earth. Well enough talk, on with the story. Oh yes, I don't own Arella, but I do own Dor'oc, Trebek, and the Terethon Demons.
"I don't know where we are, and I already told you that Trigons death would cause problems!" Dor'oc said a tad angrily. Arella had been upset that they had not arrived in the dimension that Raven was in, not to mention they had materialized in the mother of all thorn bushes, in the middle of an ancient forest. Dor'oc and Trebek, one in chainmail and the other with a thick reptilian hide, hadn't been overly troubled, but Arella's robes had become torn and she was in a bit of a foul mood.
"I do not…" Arella began as a scream echoed throughout the forest. Trebek bounded forward with Dor'oc and Arella in hot pursuit. Trebek skidded on a gravel path in front of a small boy and a number of heavily armed and armored figures. The horses reared before the sent of a carnivore and the boy, with a survival instinct that would rival a rat, turned and ran into the forest and headfirst into Arella. Dor'oc stood leapt over them and stood beside his pet as the soldiers calmed their horses.
The horsemen, four of them anyway wore simple leather armor and carried spears and curved swords, except for the leader. He wore black plate mail that gave off the stench of sulfur, a sheathed greatsword that looked to heavy for normal man, but the terrifying thing was his face; it had grayish skin, a mouth of fangs that wouldn't shut properly, and burning red eyes. Terethon Demon? Those things aren't supposed be riding around!
"The boy is our prey traveler, leave or I will feast on your bones," the demon said with a voice like gravel being ground together. Dor'oc appeared to give it some thought: they're mounted, Terethon Demons are dumb but strong, and… A small voice in the back of his mind said FIGHT.
"Trebek Gor Na'thek!" The carnivorous reptile charged forward startling the horse's once more and throwing the Demon to the ground. Dor'oc moved fast unsheathing two long iron knives. The Demon leapt to his feet, an inhuman move considering how heavy his armor and sword was. The other horsemen were shouting about a devil dog as one of the horses had its legs broken with a snap of Trebek's jaws.
"You will die human," the Demon said unsheathing its sword and preparing it for an overhead chop. Dor'oc waited until the swing started, used the blade as a visual block, and skipped to the side and stabbed the Demon at the junction of arm and ribs. It howled and back handed him a dozen feet into a tree. It bled an oily substance heavily and Dor'oc knew he had gotten lucky and hit one of the things three hearts. The Demon growled as it thundered forward with another chop. Dor'oc grinned and whistled.
Trebek, working on disemboweling his second horse spun and leapt at the creature that dared to threaten his master. The two met as Trebek snapped his jaws on the Demons right knee, and they stumbled to the ground. Dor'oc staggered up as the Demon attempted to stand as Trebek shook its leg left and right as more of the oily blood flowed.
"I will kill you!" The Demon screamed with bestial rage. Dor'oc didn't pause as he went for the Demons face. The Demon caught the knife and he completely missed the second one that found the side of its neck and hit the malformed artery. The Demon screamed and smoked as its life blood flowed. Trebek, noticing its foe was dying, did its best to spit out the things foul tasting blood. Meanwhile the four mounted soldiers, well at this point two were mounted on horses that were terrified and two others were on the ground with dead horses, choose to make a hasty retreat from the man and his demon dog.
As the Demon thrashed about with its lifeblood pouring out, Dor'oc swore silently and cleaned his knives. Terethon Demons were shock troops the least, such as the aforementioned dying one, were difficult to summon. The things needed to have a Terethon Gate active in order to enter a world, a blasphemous pyramid like structure that radiated evil.
"Dor'oc, would you get over here! The boy is trying to run again." Dor'oc with a gesture sent Trebek bounding over. A few seconds of curse filled noise and the boy was dragged on the road by his boots by Trebek and Arella followed with a horrified look at the Demon and the horses.
"All right kid, what world are we on and why is a Terethon Demon casing you?" The kid was about eleven or twelve years old and dressed in what anyone would classify as rags. He looked at the Demons smoking corpse with wonder and a hint of fear.
"Second Earth in the province of Scel of the Great Empire of the First Ones. The Lord of Scel commands those Demons in opposition to the First Ones, and they chased me because they want my father, a loyal man to the First Ones." The boy said this in one breath and Dor'oc nodded as if this fit his suspicions. Arella looked from one face to the other and finally asked, "What in the name of Azar is he talking about?"
"First, Trebek sorren nehal," Trebek released the boy and busily began to eat one of the horses. The boy decided not to move and listened to the strange warrior.
"The First Ones are a race of ancient dimension traveling beings that brought a race of humans from a dying world to a young and vibrant one, Second Earth to be precise. As powerful as they are, they did have enemies, enemies who manipulated the most evil of the freshly arrived humans into building a gateway to a dark dimension. Those enemies are called the Terethon Demons and most likely this Lord of Scel has managed to activate the gate and summon a couple of hundred Demons."
"Those are not the worst," the boy said and Dor'oc paled slightly, "The Lord Corrimal has also summoned a dark dragon to terrorize the land."
"Tur'ak malla dres thir! Whoever this is guy is he's powerful enough to summon an Elder Terethon. Those things are tougher than Hell to kill," Dor'oc said in a rush.
"Regardless we should get…I'm sorry but what is your name?" Arella said to the boy who was watching Trebek eat with horrified fascination.
"My name is Kinde, and I want to go home."
"Then we'll take you there."
To say the four of them caused a stir on entering the rebel village would be an understatement; the boy was unremarkable, the woman strangely dressed similar to one of the priest from the capitol, but a warrior in strange armor with enough knives to outfit a dozen assassins, and a blood covered lizard (devil dog) made several burly men to grab some great examples of sharpened agricultural equipment and point it in Dor'oc' face.
"I don't suppose saying that I come in peace would have any effect on you guys," he said with a disarming smile that didn't work.
"Calm down, he saved this boy from a demon, and the lizard is not a demon dog. He came to fight the Terethon Demons and I cam to heal your injured," Arella said with much better results than Dor'oc's joke. The farmers lowered the farming implements slightly downward and an older man with slightly better clothes and weapons with the others ran forward and hugged Kinde.
"You rescued him from the soldiers of Corrimal?" The man asked giving Dor'oc a slightly disbelieving look.
"Corrimal has those Demons right? I killed one of the Demons, the "demon dog" got two horses and I imagine those soldiers are not going to have a nice evening." The villagers stared at him and it was so silent that Dor'oc could here this dimensions version of a cricket in the background.
"I think we should talk…"
"About two years ago Corrimal began to summon Demons from his castle. A number of us tried to contact the capital but we're isolated out here and he managed to capture a number of my men. We tried storming his castle and killing him. Unfortunately he was ready with that damned dragon," the leader had introduced himself as Sokka son of Keand. Currently they were sitting in his hut eating and talking about recent events
"It's not a dragon it's an Elder Terethon Demon. Those things are a couple thousand years old, intelligent, and powerful enough to tempt mortals with the illusion of power to enter a world. I think they can be killed by hitting its three hearts with sanctified iron," Dor'oc said. Arella and Sokka looked at him and both asked, "You think?"
"No one has ever survived killing them up close and personal. The death of an Elder Terethon gets a little explosive. The best bet is to destroy the crystal inside a Terethon Gate; without that to give them the energy to survive on a material universe they will vanish with a puff of foul smelling smoke."
"How is it you know so much of the Terethon Demons," Arella asked, curious to know about her young traveling companion.
"Fought a couple who were in the employ of an evil wizard a while back and I had hoped that I wouldn't have to face them again. The things are hard to kill unless you hit one of its hearts and then one of the major arteries. One heart, even two doesn't bother them much unless you manage to make them bleed to death because they can make a heart stop beating when its damaged, but this makes them vulnerable because the other hearts pump more blood so hitting an artery then usually does it." Sokka paid rapt attention to this stranger and thought of tactics for dealing with the things.
"What would happen if Corrimal were to be killed," the man finally asked looking just a little concerned.
"If he managed summoned a Terethon Elder then he has the full protection of that Elder; Terethon Elders like causing pain and suffering so they usually make certain their summoner's remain breathing. It's also a matter of control, Elders can't control the gate, but they can control a mortal who can."
"Then I need you three to destroy the gate and warn a good friend of mine. I sent an assassin to slay Corrimal and now I fear she will die, please aid us."
"I don't like Terethon Demons so I'll do my best. Who will I be looking for?"
"The greatest assassin in this land: Koryan Feinde."
Okay probably could have ended it better, but I did make it longer than the first chapter. Chapter three will be up next week, and now please review.