Blazing Glory Ch. 11

"I would never do such a thing!" Fathi laughed off the notion, but clearly nervous now. "Such an outrageous claim, my dear. Truly you are joking?"

He was frightened that they knew somehow. The man must think them all simple fools. But then again, he probably didn't know much of the world outside his little snake pit. If not for Hakim though, they would have likely have been caught unaware in this viper's trap. They would likely have been poisoned unaware with Kendra the only survivor and unable to warn them in time.

"Of course not," Kendra hummed softly as she leaned forward, her elbows resting upon the table as she folded her hands together. Resting her chin upon her hands, she looked at him as a judge passing final sentence upon the accused. Her lips curled up into such a wicked smile. "The 'little addition' added is most unperceivable due to the strong taste of the wine. A very subtle, yet common, mixture of scorpion poison meant to paralyze us and slowly shut down our vital organs. I've come across such similar methods in my time as many have been tried on me. A pity poisons do not work on an immortal demon..."

Fathi seemed to fall further and further apart with each word from those soft lush lips of the succubus until he was visibly shaking with fear. He did not fully understand how they could have foreseen he was not trustworthy let alone know one of them could survive his scheme of killing them. The fear of them was growing rapidly like a volcano speeding to eruption.

"But I've seen your types before," Kendra purred softly and ran her tongue tantalizingly across the sharp demonic fang in her smile. "You would have had us there helpless as you beheaded us yourself. A cowardly form of triumph your kind relishes in. How I have been the one to relish caving their skulls in with my bare hands..."

Fathi's breath seized in his chest as he caught the promise in Kendra's voice as he tried to speak.

"Oh my!" chirped the catwoman with a giggle. "It looks like the rat's about to call in the brigade to the rescue. About eight of them hiding behind the curtains around us I would say. Wouldn't you agree, Rae?"

"Xas. Each of them armed with just one sword by the sound of their movements and lack of significant metal ringing. There is that and the two guards waiting outside the door there. I wonder if they can act in time to save him before I slit his throat. I so strongly desire to bathe in blood this beautiful evening..."

The rat finally squeaked at Death's Mistress hissing words and glowing red eyes boring into his. The drowess simply brushed aside her white hair and gave him a dark wink. All of this revelation was too much for the man. The drowess finally made the man snap as he looked to be ready to soil himself.

"GUARDS!!!!" Fathi screamed as he turned and crawled as fast as he could away from his guests.

The curtains surrounding them were thrown aside as the guards in tanned leather armor charged from their positions to rescue their employer. The doors were opened abruptly as the other two rushed in at the cry for help. But the guards were not swifter than their adversaries as they had been surprised as well at these sudden turn of events.

Blaze and his friends were already in motion to counter the attack. Twin daggers spun into Rae's hands as she rose and stepped back, driving both blades into the bowels of the two men behind her. Their startled gasps turned into bloody gurgles of dismay at how swiftly the dark elf had moved. Tyra's powerful claws crushed the bones of the arms of the men who had tried to cut her down. They screamed briefly before she silenced them with bone crunching blows to the heads.

Nadine had taken it upon herself take the guards through the door by pouncing upon and ravaging them with her claws. Large arcs of blood and torn flesh flew into the air as they screamed. The succubus had already relaxed her arm in her way to release her whip in a chillingly cool smirk. Grabbing the end as it dropped fully out of her sleeve, she whipped it about with an ear-deafening crack. The four heads of the men rushing the unarmed Blaze were instantly beheaded before spraying the walls behind them in great gouts of blood.

With all of this happening within the span of a few breaths, the four women had dispatched all of Fathi's guards. The room's walls and floors were splashed with blood from their fury. They had heard and seen enough of Fathi to where they were finally able to unless their rage unrestrained. Fathi, whom was still trying to crawl away from them, yelped in shock when a head of one of his guards landed in front of him.

Blaze shook his head at how pathetic this man was. It reminded him of how his old master had once told him how his military exploits and adventures had earned him much fame and potential wealth. When he had asked his master why he then lived in some small cabin away from any significant population, his master simply smiled to him and answered straightforwardly.

"Because, my young boy, wealth corrupts us all. You get a taste of it and you want more and more. Few can appreciate this and overcome such evil desires in order to put such wealth to good use. But more often than not, you have those who are simply greedy for the wealth in order to give them power. They care for nothing else except to lord it over those below them mockingly. To make matters worse, they will stop at nothing to obtain this goal and maintain it. Those types are among the worst of us. I have absolutely no desire to join their ranks..."

Looking back over his shoulder, Fathi looked at Blaze as he picked up two of the swords from the beheaded guards. This fat little man was the real life example right before him of those who hoarded their wealth with greed and made others suffer as a result. He now fully understood his master's revulsion of their kind. Stepping silently towards the cowering man, Blaze raised his commandeered swords to end this town's infestation of greed and vile cult beliefs. No words he could say would ever reach this man's heart, for he had none. Only the cold intent in his eyes sent the message clearly to Fathi what was to come next.

"KANU!" Fathi shrieked.

Blaze and everyone froze instantly at that scream for help, five pairs of eyes turning towards the janni rising from her seat where the green skinned beauty had been sitting obediently all this time. "Yes, my master?"

"I wish for you to summon the four Devils of Kisra'al to protect me from these infidels... these monsters!" he screamed quickly.

"As you wish," Kanu nodded and closed her eyes.

Kendra hissed behind Blaze and leapt towards the janni in a flash to stop her, "Damn you, no you will n-!!!"

The young warrior stumbled back when an explosion of hot wind filling the room that reeked of death from rotting corpses. Kendra's words were cut off by that blast of air before she screamed suddenly and was sent crashing through the wall with such force that it left nearly half of the wall destroyed. When the dust settled from the wind, the demoness was nowhere to be seen in the abundant plant life just outside the wall leading into Fathi's garden.

Blaze whipped around in time to see four dark figures already in motion to attack. All of them were shaped like men and clothed completely in black wrappings from head to toe like the desert raiders Kendra had told them about in her travels. He could see nothing over their faces so completely wrapped, but ominous unearthly yellow eyes glowed menacingly beneath.

The one who had attacked the succubus dashed out the massive hole in pursuit with his metal gauntlets. Rae, Kendra, and Nadine swiftly backed out through the whole to get out of the tighter confines of the room as the other three black devils charged over the cushions and furniture to get to them.

"You thought you could kill me," Fathi spat at Blaze from behind. The warrior turned to look at the man now sneering with confidence. "Now you will pay for your insolence before my authority as ruler of this town. Kanu! I wish to be transformed in to the very image of Basri'a, the Demon Whirlwind to deal with this nonbeliever."

Blaze stepped back instead of charging forward like he wanted to, not wishing to be caught off guard as Kendra was in a fatal move. His instincts proved right for him as the fat little worm changed before his very eyes.

"Oh shit......."

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The almond brown skinned beauty lay on her back in the garden gasping from the shock of the blow she had just received. All she could remember was a blast of air as she leapt towards the janni before a blast of pain erupted from her right cheek. Everything else was blinding white pain after that until she came to in the soft grass she lay upon. By the Abyss, she hadn't been hit that hard in ages! Hissing at the stinging pain, the vixen sat up and spat out some blood onto the grass. A faint rustle caught her ear and the exotic dancer used that agility to swiftly roll backwards and over into a spring flip. Dirt and grass exploded from the ground where she had been just a moment before. Landing on her feet, Kenra stumbled a little bit. Bloody hell, she was still groggy from the blow.

Her green eyes glared to where the dirt settled around the dark figure. The only part of him that was not black was the shiny gauntlets encasing his fists. More likely made of steel in the fashion found in swords by the judge of it. Lush vanilla tiers frowning, she intended to pay this bastard back for that surprise cheap shot. Glancing about quickly, she blinked when she did not see her whip anywhere nearby. Growling in anger as she realized it must still be inside where she had been. She stalked towards the rising figure in the crater. The demon moved quickly and was already out of the depression lashing out with a heavy metal fist. Screaming in unearthly rage, the female demon countered with her own. Both fists collided with their intended targets as their heads turned with the impact before each figure became a blur as demonic power sent both flying backwards crashing through the trees.

A few moments later the black lycan flipped into view followed by volley after volley of dark arrows landing where she was only moments before. Landing on her feet, the lycan swiftly spun around to hide behind a tree. Expecting to hear the hollow thuds of arrows landing in the tree behind her, her pointy ears perked in shock when she heard nothing. Golden eyes glancing about in worry, she knew this demon must be moving around to cut her off. Clutching her arm where one of those black arrows grazed her, she almost whimpered at the pain as she felt the blood flow out of the wound.

Nadine had only caught a few glimpses of this demon that hunted her. It was using a large longbow with two full quivers on its back. It was abnormally swift in the motion of grabbing, placing, and firing arrows in its inhuman speed. But having only seen those two quivers, she initially planned to dodge until it ran out before going on the offensive. Unfortunately, the arrows never stopped coming after her. It would be just her luck that those quivers somehow never ran out of arrows.

She needed to move faster to do anything more other than trying to stay alive. But the furry beauty couldn't do it with her dress on. Removing the dress swiftly over her head, she folded it and placed it to the side. Other than distant sounds of combat, it was silent around her. Her ears wanted to wilt with worry about her other friends surviving, but she had to focus on herself now.

Dropping down on all fours and slinking low to the ground, the lycan quietly moved throw the tall grass and brushes around her. Moving with little sound with catlike grace, Nadine remembered how her mother, a proud tigerwoman, had stalked her playfully as when she was a child. Play that imitated real life that was paying off now. Ears perked, she pushed her faced slightly through some weeds and tested the air with a few sniffs. She could smell it, the faint scent of a rotting corpse. But where from?

Nadine froze when she heard the faint stretching of a string being drawn back. How did it know where she was under the cover she was in? Her ears locked on the source and it was from above! Hissing with frustration that the demon was up in the trees and able to see her clearly, she shoved back and sprung away out of the way. Three arrows sunk into the soil where she had been seconds after she'd leapt away. Landing on the trunk of tree, claws digging into the bark, she launched herself to another tree's branch as more arrows followed her. Golden eyes glanced to where they were coming from and saw the demon standing firmly on a large branch, already aiming at her where she perched.

"My turn to hunt," she spat angrily.

Leaping from her perch the catwoman grabbed the nearest branch, her nubile body lifting her and launching her to the next. The demon stood firmly where it was as it fired arrow after arrow towards the lycan. No matter how fast it fired, it could not hit the lycan as she flipped and dove through the maze of treetops with speed and agility. Dashing along the large branches, the arrows were always landing seconds after her footsteps as she sped towards her would-be hunter.

Nadine hissed with pain as her muscles began to ache with the exertion of moving so chaotically and swiftly around the canopy. All the while the arrows whistled around her twisting body as she drew closer to her target, becoming more dangerous as she shortened her reaction time.

Finally! Golden eyes opening wide, she leapt high into the air above the demon. The black figure true to its inhumane ability grabbed an arrow, aimed upwards and released within mere span of a blink towards the vulnerable target hanging in midair.

"Yes!" Nadine chirped happily, as her black body twisted in midair. Instead of the arrowhead puncturing her torso in a bloody death blow, its sharp edge only caught part of her as it sliced across her abdomen and chest. Gritting her teeth through the pain as blood poured down her torso, her right hand caught the back of the arrow before it could whistle past as her. Twisting her body as she spun around and shrieked with every ounce of muscle power the lycan had within her, she fell upon the surprised demon and drove the arrow through one of those yellow eyes and out the back of its skull!

The black body of the demon tensed up with the deathblow before going slack and dropping out of the tree to crash into the ground below. Nadine gathered her footing on the branch but slumped against the trunk of the tree. The gash across her torso was bleeding heavily. The pain was excruciating but manageable. Anything less than her full strength and that attack would have failed. The impact alone nearly separated her shoulder. But still... The victory was hers at the moment.

Dropping into her catlike crouch, the furry woman looked down at her dead prey with a purr, "First and only mistake, never take the high ground in the trees when dealing with a catwoman from the Quinlan forests."

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Rae hissed a drow curse as she ducked aside the curved sword aimed for her head, which sliced through a stone statue completely instead. Darting backwards in retreat, she took the moment as the demon gathered itself from its attack to gather herself as well. She had to admit that even though it was bothersome by not being used to it in situations like these, at least her evening's outfit allowed for her usual demands of flexibility and quickness. That is exactly what she had needed these beginning moments of this assault, because she hadn't been able to get off a defensive posture.

Her red eyes glanced over to see Tyra in a similar predicament as one of the demons assaulted her with a greatsword. The ground shook violently and left a deep wedge where the sword impacted where Tyra had been before she sidestepped. But the demon used its strength to press the attack further without the slow delay a normal mortal would experience.

Glancing back to her opponent advancing on her, the situation didn't look all that well for them but still could be managed. They just had to come up with a strategy to respond before their bodies gave out from the continuous onslaught. Reaching beneath her skirt, Death's Mistress spun both her small daggers into her hands. She would much rather have her ring sabers in this situation, but an assassin must deal with what the situation has given to them.

Silent as the coldest night in the desert, the famous drow assassin moved in directly towards the demon. It did not hesitate to take a large diagonal slice at her meant to cut her in half. As fast as the demon was though, she was a match for it as well as she spun about the dark figure and rammed the dagger into its back from behind. Twisting her wrist, Rae ripped the dagger up and out of the demon. She almost gagged at the stench of death that was released and the sea of maggots and worms that poured of the wound. What in the Abyss was this thing exactly? Even though it left a huge gauge in the body, the demon didn't even flinch and was already bringing its sword around for her head.

Ducking down, she felt the blade graze the top of her hair. Instantly she was driving the daggers into the stomach in the chest repeatedly with lightning strikes. Even though she was leaving an incredible amount of puncture wounds in its torso, the demon wasn't slowing down as it was already bringing its sword around over its head to come down on her. Hissing angrily she flipped backwards and crushed her right foot on the underside of its chin. The blow sent the demon crashing backwards and its sword clattering away.

"VITH!!!" The drowess shrieked as she landed and hopped backwards on one leg. Not only what are these things but what the bloody hell are they made of?! She felt like she had kicked a stone wall with everything she had. Hear a startled grunt of pain, she glanced over to Tyra as her aggressor was crashing into a nearby wall of Fathi's mansion. The powerful gargoyle was gripping the fist she had just punched the demon with in clear pain. Rae's red eyes went wide as she saw the blue skin had been broken open at the knuckles and bleeding heavily. Limping as she was and Tyra with a possible broken hand, they were not going to last much longer now.

Growling angrily, she had hoped to save it in case they had run into something dangerous. The revelation of the janni showed how true that judgment paid off to be the right one. But still with the janni at large, she hated to waste it on these bastards. Glancing back to their adversaries while they were still recouping themselves, Rae quickly lifted her skirt and pulled out a small vile containing a black liquid.

"Tyra! Over here! Quickly!" She called to the gargoyle. Popping the top off the vile and poured the viscous liquid over the sharp edge of the dagger. The little that she had was enough for only one.

"What is it? I think my hand is broken, so please tell me you have a plan..." The blue guardian growled as she ran up to Rae.

"I do," the dark elf whispered as she looked up to the towering gargoyle. "Use this on that demon and he'll be done with. But by the Abyss, don't dare cut yourself with it!"

Tyra blinked before taking the dagger's handle carefully as if she were taking a hold of an adder. "And what about you?"

"Don't worry about me. Just make sure that blade penetrates!" The drowess huffed before stalking towards the demon, whom had just finally picked up his sword. Turning around, it saw the drowess limping towards it determinedly.

Raising its sword in a welcome gesture to death, the demon charged forward to cut her down. Her cold glowing red eyes watched without any emotion. She heard a shriek nearby erupt from a pained source right as the demon reached her. The demon's yellow eyes gleamed at the welcomed prospect of spraying her blood everywhere with a fast overhead strike. Only its eyes opened slightly in shock as its downward stroke was stopped by the drowess's left hand upon the bottom of the hilt.