Jeff Inlo - Chain of Bargains

Pressing the thoughts of devastation from his mind, Ryson grasped the only strategy that seemed remotely plausible. He couldn't stop all the inferns at once, so he focused on defeating them one by one. As for the existing blazes, he would worry about them after the sources had been eliminated. After all, what good did it do to put out a fire if another one was going to start a block away?

Before rushing to confront the first infern, he made one quick dash around the center of the city. He steered away from the nearest blaze, as he didn't wish to reveal his presence. He couldn't see each individual monster, but he counted over a dozen separate blazes lighting up the night. Drawing on his memories of the city streets, he set a path of attack.

Deciding to head east first, Ryson raced to the far edge of the city. He would start there and work his way inward. He spotted one infern at the edge of a main road that led out into the surrounding farmlands. He knew of the demon's quickness, its ability to fly, and its capacity to cast demon fire, but the spectacle before him revealed another quality of the half-demons.

Like a small dragon, the infern bent slightly forward and opened its mouth wide. It belched flames from its mouth in giant streaming waves. The fire latched onto anything it touched and immediately sparked infernos of intense magnitude. The creature focused on a single building, and though the structure caught fire in an instant, the half-demon continued to spit flames into the center of the blaze.

The half-demon was no longer simply igniting a fire, but rather feeding the heat, raising it to unbelievable temperatures. The flames burned white hot and roared like a great beast. As the infern continued to breathe its demon fire onto the blaze, the building where the fire ignited collapsed inward, as if swallowed by a flaming hunger. When the debris dropped into the heart of the blaze, the fire flashed brighter and neighboring buildings immediately burst into flames.

To Ryson, the intention of the infern was immediately clear. It wanted to do more than spread fire across the city. It wished to burn scars into the land, to create blazes so hot they would leave nothing behind but black soot. The infern let loose its desire without conscience or concern. It would leave a lasting memory for those that watched Ashlan destroyed. The city at the center of the Great Valleys would become a glowing torch that lit up the land like a seething volcano.

Ignoring the heat of the blaze, Ryson placed his focus on the infern. He wasn't sure how to successfully defeat the half-demon, but he knew he didn't have many options. He immediately discarded any thought of trying to distract the creature. There were too many fires burning around the city. He needed to do more than disrupt the monster's actions or keep it occupied. If he couldn't stop it, the other half-demons actively engaging Ashlan would reduce the city to ashes before dawn.

To be effective, he needed to totally subdue all of the inferns as quickly as possible. He doubted he could make them retreat or somehow knock them unconscious. Tying them up was a ridiculous notion. He resigned himself to dispatching them completely.

His respect for life was deep, but he couldn't allow that to blur the truth. Creatures that invoked desolation brought misfortune on to themselves. Even if they had to die at his hands, it was their own actions that placed them in the path of a grave.

He didn't know if he could kill a half-demon, didn't even know if they were really alive. He wasn't even sure what weapons would be effective against them, not that he had much of a choice. He never replaced his war blades. He had a dagger and the Sword of Decree, and the dagger would probably melt in his hand. The magical blade was his only hope.

Considering the enchantments of the long sword, he wondered how much jeopardy he would face holding a magical weapon that might attract the attention from inferns all across the city. Would demon fire suddenly ignite the air around him? It was not a pleasant thought, and one he discarded quickly. He had already dealt with that fear, fought the battle and won. Allowing it to creep back into his thoughts would only serve to hamper his efforts.

Rather than concern himself with any danger, he considered the advantages of the sword's many enchantments. It was a blade forged by elves, but in his hands, the sword earned its place in the legends. It reflected and magnified natural light, it burned the soul of any creature it even slightly pierced, and at times, it offered enlightenment and lived up to the significance of its name.

Ryson didn't expect any great insight when he removed the blade from its sheath across his back. He grasped the jeweled handle firmly in one hand as he held it aloft. The light from the blade burned as bright as the fire in front of him, and as he guessed, there was no message, no clear direction of what to do. He already knew. He had to fight the inferns and defeat them.

Hoping to dispose of the half-demon as quickly as possible, Ryson raced forward before the infern noticed him. The attack was swift, lightning fast. The delver jabbed at the infern's upper chest just below the shoulder, cutting through a weak joint in its black armor. Ryson wanted to wound it severely enough to put the creature out of action.

The blade cut deep, and Ryson felt the handle of the sword warm instantly. He knew the enchantment of the blade was working its way into the half-demon's essence. The infern recoiled from the blow. The demon fire ceased erupting from its mouth, but surprisingly, the glow surrounding the infern increased dramatically. The creature doubled over. As it did, its body pulled away from the blade and broke contact with the sword. The sudden burst of light died at the same instant.

Ryson knew the wound was not severe enough to stop the infern and that it would attack him within moments, but the delver also realized something else. The full flash of brilliance that surrounded the infern did not simply come from the half-demon. It also did not come from his sword. The burst of light came from the blaze that was devouring the buildings behind him.

Not allowing the infern a chance to press the attack, the delver swiftly cut around the back of the half-demon and pierced the back of its leg just above the knee. He made certain that he moved with the infern to ensure the blade remained connected. It was not the wound that would stop the creature, it was the reaction between its own burning core and the magical properties of his sword.

Ryson knew the enchanted blade would burn the infern's essence, but what he also began to realize was that it raised the heat of the infern's core to an incredible level. The demon fire within the creature blazed with such intensity that it attracted not only the heat from the surrounding fires, but the flames as well.

Just as the fire sorcerer Brenn had cast a spell of flaming fury that erupted into firestorms, the Sword of Decree actually brought the essence of the infern to an even higher intensity. The tremendous concentration of severe heat drew in every burning flame. A stream of fire roared through the air and coursed over the infern's body. The flames engulfed the black armor until they entered through the gash in the infern's chest or through the half-demon's mouth.

In but an instant, the fires that had raged across several buildings were no longer visible. They had not been extinguished, but rather displaced, taken from the city and forced back into the half-demon.

When the last flame disappeared into the infern's body, the creature's face grew bright white, blurring out all of its features until even its red eyes were no longer apparent. The black armor began to melt away and was consumed by the blazing core. When there was nothing left to burn, the essence of the infern flashed once and then disappeared as if blown out by some powerful gust of wind.