'Centuries later and nothing has changed' The cursed being, engulfed in a burning fireball, felt like laughing. Were it not for the absolute fury and the sword in his lungs, he probably would have.
'Fighting knight pretenders and vile bandits in the middle of a dead wasteland to protect the only thing I have left. Why, it's like I never left!'
As the fire started dying down, he tossed the burned corpses that still clung to him aside and grabbed the sword still embedded in his chest. Slowly pulling it out he looked around assessing his situation, now with a calmer mind. His last attack managed to kill all the remaining 'knights' and many of the mercenaries as well, though not all.
Ignoring them for the moment, he found the firekeeper again, still in her ashen cocoon and tied to the wagon… along with two others, wearing disgusting smiles on their faces.
Finally pulling out the red-hot sword from his side, he tossed it aside and started running towards the cart. He was briefly surprised when the bandits turned their backs to him and ran away, seemingly in terror, instead of swarming him again. For a split moment he even felt the urge to chase them down and thrust his sword through those exposed backs, but he pushed those thoughts away, as he focused on the task before him.
He didn't make it far however, as one of the two bandits pulled out a knife and aimed it at the fire-keepers neck.
"That's right, that's right. Not one step closer, we wouldn't want anyone to get hurt, right? He he he he" The leader smiled in self-satisfaction as he saw the monster actually stop at his threat.
"OI YOU DAMN COWARDS, YOU CAN COME BACK NOW. OUR LITTLE FRIEND HERE AINT GONNA HURT NOBODY. Aint that right?"
"…"
"Stoic and quiet huh? Excellent! Already you have surpassed that damn commander." The representative cut in, as the mercenaries slowly surrounded it again, though still keeping significant distance.
The monster still didn't react however. It was silent and unmoving, though the tension in its limbs clearly didn't lessen in the slightest.
Seeing this, the representative finally dropped his smile as he scowled heavily "Ah, but this defiance of yours just won't do. Listen well my little monster. I am Cedric and from now on and forever, you will serve me faithfully. You will think of me as "Master" and you will do everything I say, follow every order precisely and unhesitatingly. Do so and maybe I'll keep the woman in good shape. Fail and I'll start chopping off limbs. Simple right?" He then walked towards the edge of the cart and pointed down. "NOW DROP YOUR WEAPON AND KNEEL!"
The monster looked on for a few moments more, but eventually it lifted its sword and let it fall down. It clanged and bounced off the ground a couple times, before finally settling on the ash.
The representative looked on satisfied, though it seemed the wind was starting to pick up again, as he could see mist start to build up behind the monster. Even more reason to stop wasting time "KNEEL! NOW!" he screamed, pointing vehemently down again.
The monster remained unmoving, but before he could order the leader to take a finger for demonstration, the knight was suddenly engulfed by the mist. It was only then that he realized this wasn't the typical ash mist. It had a sickening purple color mixed in and looked almost heavy and thick.
"HEY! IS THIS YOUR DOING? I ORDER YOU TO CEASE THIS AT ONCE!" He screamed
The leader felt a shiver run down his spine as he too shouted "DISPERSE THE MIST, DON'T LET HIM OUT OF YOUR SIGHT"
The mercenaries hesitated at first, but some did step forward and swung their weapons and shields trying to move the mist. When the only thing they suffered was a slight cough, the others quickly joined in as well.
However, while everyone was so focused on the mist, they failed to notice the rusty blade that carefully glid across the ground around them.
After half a minute of flailing, they finally managed to dissipate the mist enough to see inside it and more importantly to realize that the monster was nowhere to be found. Immediately they started looking around for it frantically, as they instinctively huddled close together.
The leader, too, felt fear grip his heart, as his instincts screamed at him to find the monster before it was too late. Nevertheless, despite looking everywhere he couldn't find even a hint of it, only the representative, the bandits and… the statue, which suddenly felt more like a curse than a blessing.
"ENOUGH, break her arm!" The representative ordered, furious at the monster's apparent betrayal.
The leader, however, hesitated. Choosing between sparing the statue and maybe being spared himself and continuing the threats, like the representative was and definitely enraging it further. Unfortunately, that decision was taken from him, as he felt a piercing pain coming from his abdomen. Looking down he could see blood begin to pool on his clothing, as a grotesque and jagged dagger slowly materialized, sticking out of his stomach.
"Wha…" Was all he managed, before he was kicked hard in the back and flew off the cart. Glancing back as he was falling, he saw that the monster had somehow managed to sneak up behind them and was now holding the scrawny neck of the representative with one hand, as it held him in the air.
Landing hard on the ground, his wound flared up in pain. He could vaguely hear struggling and shouting in the background, but he was too focused on trying to staunch the bleeding, to pay it much attention.
When he heard a loud thud near him however, he was forced to look up and yelped in shock. What had landed next to him was the rotten and hollowed husk that, mere seconds ago, used to be the representative. Its empty eyes were staring at him lifelessly, as if announcing his fate.
Forgetting his wound, he started desperately crawling away from it, but before getting very far, a dark shadow lengthened and completely covered him. Looking up fearfully, he could see the monster standing on the edge of the cart, right where the representative was before. When its eyes locked onto his, they froze him on the spot. Two glowing orbs of swirling fire were what greeted him, filled with calm, yet endless rage and disdain, like looking into portals straight to the depths of hell.
"Monster, d-demon, don't… no… I... s-stay away from me!" The leader stuttered pathetically as he tried to crawl away again "Oi where are you, you damn…" his following words were caught in his throat however, as he witnessed the last remaining mercenaries having fallen to the ground with a sickening shade of purple spreading across their skin.
"h-h-he-lp m-e" One of them tried to say with a raspy voice, while reaching out to his leader, only to die immediately after.
Spinning his head around, he looked back to the demon again. It was still standing where it had been, still looking at him, unmoving. Then… he noticed the rotten dagger in its hand, dripping a purplish-red substance. The same dagger he was stabbed with…
His eyes widening in grim realization, he rapidly looked between the demon, the dagger, the corpses and back again, until finally settling on his wound. It was still losing blood, but it wasn't completely red anymore, it was starting to turn a shade of… purple.
"ha… ha ha… hah ha ha ha" The once quiet pedestal was then filled with the maddened laughter of a man on the brink of insanity. Convulsing on the ground the leader laughed and laughed until toxic blood and foam crept out of his mouth and he went rigid still, wearing a disturbing smile on his face.
