“Hellfire Bolt!” Black flames sprayed from his fingertips. They traveled through the air in sharp zigzags, cutting the air and burning even the oxygen to ash.

  Five fiery tendrils snaked around the demon’s body, worming their way beneath his armor that they might lick the skin beneath.

  The demon screamed at their touch. He roiled and squirmed, but there was no avoiding the flames, which grew larger for every second they consumed his flesh as fuel.

  By the time Virgil’s turn ended, the demon’s health dropped by over forty percent.

  The scholar grinned. It was a wicked grin that looked out of place on his kind face, and it held within it a hint of the infernal.

  Enemy turn!

  The black flames vanished, and the demon whirled back into a fighting stance. His swords rose back into position at his side, then plunged forward. Only this time, instead of one sword going to Ren and the other to Cassian, both swords sank into Ren’s chest.

  Critical hit!

  The young man’s health plummeted. He could have survived one attack; Cassian’s healing had seen to that. Two was too many. His HP dropped to zero.

  Ren slumped to the floor. He raised one hand, his fingers stretching to Cassian who could not move — and then that, too, fell to the ground and did not move again.

  Ren died.

  “No!!” Cassian screamed. “Minor Healing! Minor Healing! Minor Healing! Minor Hea—!”

  He cast the spell over and over, even after he ran out of mana. Even when he saw that his friend’s health was not rising.

  Your turn!

  Virgil’s hand shook. He feared the vicious glee that had overtaken him when he fired the first shot, but Ren was gone and his only hope of saving Cassian was to kill the demon before it could kill him.

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  “Hellfire Bolt!” Once again, black flames shot from his fingertips and jerked back and forth through the air until they reached their target. Virgil had seen fire spells before. Fire Bolt was an elegant thing, flames twisted in a burning spiral until they landed with a splash on their target. Hellfire Bolt was something else altogether, ungainly as a fawn fresh from the womb.

  “Hellfire—” Damn. Not enough mana to cast it again, and the demon was still alive.

  Virgil cast Mana Cycle and watched his MP regenerate. It wouldn’t be soon enough.

  Enemy turn!

  The demon did not hesitate. As soon as it recovered from the black flames, its swords went for Cassian.

  Cassian didn’t even see it coming. He was still crouched at Ren’s side, tears streaming down his face and his back to the demon.

  Cassian died.

  Your turn!

  Virgil cried out. This could not be happening. It could not be happening. It must be a dream or a horrific vision or anything besides reality, because it could not be happening!

  “Hellfire Bolt!” The attack brought the demon’s health to dangerously low levels but did not kill the damned thing. Virgil repeated Mana Cycle, but he wouldn’t have enough for another attack until his next turn.

  He took a deep, steadying breath. He could survive one attack. It would be scary as hell — ha — to see a sword through his own chest, but he would survive it. Even both swords; his HP was still maxed out, he could make it, and next turn he would send the demon back to whatever hell it came from.

  Enemy turn!

  The demon’s swords, to Virgil’s immense surprise, continued to hang loosely by the demon’s side. The creature did not attack. Instead, it held up its hands, palms out.

  A gesture of peace.

  “I surrender!” the demon spoke, though it had no mouth. Its voice scraped like a scalpel across a bone. “If you allow me to live, I vow to serve you for as long as I am in Grimora. I will help you to avenge your friends.”

  Demon Lord Cyrian has requested an end to combat. Accept?

  Virgil ground his teeth. This creature deserved to die! Avenging his friends would be as simple as that. Virgil’s fingers twitched, knowing that if he waited just a few more seconds, he would have enough MP to cast the Hellfire Bolt one more time.

  On the other hand… The scholarly side of his mind fought for control. What was a demon lord? How had it come to Grimora? Why had it slain Ren and Cassian? What would it mean to have a Demon Lord as his servant?

  These were questions that could only be answered if he let the Demon Lord live.

  And he doesn’t have to live for long, Virgil thought. He could ask his questions and dispose of the creature. On his next level up he would increase his WIS so he could cast the attack spell twice in one turn, and in doing so protect himself for the next battle.

  His lip curled. His eyes flicked to the limp bodies of his friends.

  What a choice. What a terrible fucking choice. Vengeance or knowledge? Or, given some patience, both?

  It was no choice at all.

  “I accept.”

  Mistwarped (Mistworld Series)

  by NeoRyu777

  When solving the unsolvable means breaking the rules, are you justified?

  why the Undead existed at all…

  And the Mist isn’t so easily conquered.

  Mistbound is now available on Amazon!

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