The Demonlord Chronicles

Chapter III – The Darkness of Light
15.
The demonlord Enitey tilted his head, visibly surprised. “What did you just say?”
Ardan positioned himself on the opposite site of the hall, facing the mantis demon. “I’ve said I challenge you. It is my sincere intention to kill you.”
“Interesting, interesting, interesting...” Sennobar muttered in the background, leaning back and apparently curious to see what was going to happen next. Ord leant forward, too, resting his head on his heads, ellbows on his massive legs.
“You... challenge me to a fight? I’m sorry, but I’m not exactly hungry right now, if you want to suicide, you may as well jump into the lava pit right outside...” the mantis reponded with a sly, sinister smile. It was obvious he wasn’t taking Ardan seriously.
“I wasn’t joking and I for sure do not intend to loose against someone like you.” Ardan answered, getting out of the leather coat he was usually wearing, throwing it to the side.
Uhm... Ardan... Ardan turned his head to see Cyra and Rihu, both noticeable surprised and worried alike. What the hell do you think you’re doing?
Ardan chuckled. “It’s alright... it’s fate for me to meet this demon right here.”
Enitey slowly got up from his throne, apparently deciding to accept Ardan’s challenge. “Why, did you have a vision of your death including me?”
“Not exactly my death, but otherwise yes.” Ardan taunted back, grinning slightly. Inside, however, he was focussed. He hadn’t exspected to fight a demonlord. Originally he had intended to persuade the demonlords into supporting the Wolven... but... to meet the demon named Enitey here... it was indeed fate. And if he managed to kill Enitey... eventually the other demonlords would pay his plea more attention, too.
“Fake confidence won’t help you in this realm, weak prey.” Enitey said, straightening up to his full height, stretching out his four arms and letting the two clawed onesclash against each other, giving off a few sparks and the sound of two especially hard objects colliding.
Smiling, Ardan  returned: “For your own concern, I would advise you not to take me lightly... If you still think I’m no threat, how about you give me the advantage and attack first?
I promise to surprise you.”
“Then make this an interesting fight and I will consider recreating you as a slave afterwards!” With these words, the mantis started casually stepping towards Ardan, before suddenly taking a quick lunge forward, swinging one of the giantic blades at Ardan, who swiftly ducked below the strike and as well jumped above the second, following one.
Before he touched the ground, the first of Enitey’s arms was already coming back for another strike and Ardan was forced to leap backwards, the cutting edge barely missing one of his arms. With a sinister chuckle, Enitey remarked: “It’s not bad for a weakling like you to dodge my first few attacks, but that won’t make you win this fight.”
“Then you don’t need to worry for your own hide and stay defensive like that, do you?”. Again Enitey darted forwards and striked for Ardan, who now jumped forwards to underrun his oversized enemy. However, Enitey simply kicked forward with one of his legs and Ardan had to jump off him again whilst yelling: “If this is all you’ve got, I think we will keep fighting for all eternity... doesn’t that make us two equal in strength?”
Further backing off, Ardan reached the wall of the room. Striking with both forelegs from either side, sure to catch Ardan without a way for him to escape, Etiney launched forward, just to see Ardan jumping up against the wall, propelling himself off and heading right for the insects head.
With a powerful smash, Ardan was knocked off sidewards, hit by one of other Enitey’s other set of arms, causing him to be flung across half the room, smashing against one of Ord’s legs.
“Hey...” the giant grunted in slight annoyance. “If you make a blotch at my skin, Enitey...”
“Sorry, my bad.” Ardan excused, getting back up. “Never fought a four-armed enemy before.” He walked towards Enitey again, putting distance between himself and the stone giant.
“You’re still alive? That’s nice, I dislike enemies who are squatted by a simple sweep.”
“Oh, don’t worry, Enitey, it takes more then just that to kill me... I’ve survived an execution and dieing itself already...” Ardan chuckled at his own words. “Actually, I survived my own death twice so far... After all, I’m an immortal.”
Sennobar and another demonlord started to chuckle at Ardan’s words, whilst a few others groaned at that joke. Enitey closed in again, whilst saying: “If you would be fighting just half as well as you’re bragging, I would actually face a worthy enemy...”
Dodging another strike and a second, Ardan responded. “Sorry, but” Jump. “my ability to brag” Roll. “isn’t even close” Quick dash. “to rival my strength.” Finally finding an opening, Ardan lunged forward, the talons of his right claw elongating within the fractal of a second, when he slid in between the manti’s legs, striking at Enitey’s right ankle.
However, opposed to his exspectation, his talons barely scratched the surface of Enitey’s skin. “Hahaha!” Sennobar suddenly started. “He hit you Enitey, he hit you!”
The mantis groaned. “And what about it, I hit him before as well! And it’s not like these scratches would even bother me.” Distracted by Sennobar’s comment, Enitey saw the thing flying for his head too last and was barely able to pull his head back when Ardan grazed past him.
“GARH!” Stumbling backwards, Enitey held his forehead with one of his hands and one of the antennae was flung through the air.
“Oh well... barely missed is still missed... was aiming for your right eye...” Ardan lamented, wiping a slight trace of green blood of his talons.
“Now you have done it!” Enitey hissed and gestured at Ardan. Suddenly everything went black.
Ardan gulped. “Wait a seco” He was interrupted and the ripped out of the darkness when something slammed into his chest, sending him flying backwards, slamming against one of the walls.
He quickly picked himself back up and... a bone? Ardan quickly pulled the bone spike from his chest, the wound near instantly spitting blood. He felt the pain starting to trickle through his body, but he knew this wound wasn’t all that serious. Less serious then what the blade heading for his head right now would probably inflict!
He jumped backwards, escaping the reach of the blade... which suddenly elongated further forwards, drawing a solid cut across Ardan’s lower body. He gasped in pain and quickly jumped further backwards, escaping from Enitey’s reach. Or so he though, because after a mere second he could see a shower of small bone projectiles flying right at him.
A light erupted, followed up by the sound of roaring flames and the bones were burnt to ashes mid-flight, before Ardan withdraw the wall of fire again, the heated pain ceding in his body and only leaving the dull ache on his lower body.
“Haha, cute! A demon who can use fire... You’re not exactly amazing, are you?” Enitey asked with a disappointed sigh.
“Uhm...” Sennobar started. “Actually you should realize that this fi...”
“Silence!” Ord suddenly yelled, interrupting the white-skinned demon. “This is a fight between these two and only these two. Noone else will interfere, not even with words. That exspecially goes for you, Sennobar!”
Ardan wasn’t sure, but he though to see Ord winking towards him. He realized he had at least three people in this room who hoped for him to win this fight. He smiled. That meant a total of three demonlords would agree to his plea... Ord, Cyra... and himself, after taking down this oversized mantis!
“You complain about me using fire? Pfff... You’re one to talk!” Ardan taunted, eyeing Enitey’s movements.
The mantis hesistated for a second. “Are you sort of retarded or just plain dumb? My abilities are unique amongst the demons! There is no other demon I’ve heard off who possesses the ability”
“... to do this?” Ardan asked, calling a few words, causing spears of solid bone to materialize behind him, before striking forward, at Enitey. Surprised by this form of attack, the demonlord was barely able to raise his bladed forelegs, deflecting a few of the spears whilst a few others managed to graze across his body, leaving thin scratches and shallow cuts.
There was murmuring running through the rows of the demonlords. Enitey lowered his protective stance and... smiled wickedly. “Oh, now this is getting interesting... Necromancer... against Necromancer... But let’s see how good you truly are, prey.” Without even saying a word, a group of spears, similar to what Ardan had just conjured, appeared behind Enitey as he dashed forward, yet the projectiles bypassed him within a moment, heading for Ardan at immense speed.
Ardan dashed sidewards, a shower of bones hitting the wall, causing stone fragments to fill the air, as he once again dodged upwards, jumping off the wall... and right towards Enitey’s waiting blades. The blades struck... air, as Ardan appeared to move incredibly fast for the fractal of a second, bypassing the strike closely. He hit against Enitey’s head, quickly striking both of his claws at the insectoid eyes. His talon’s were deflected when, suddenly, from the skin surrounding the eye, bones shot forward, forming a protective sphere around the eye.
Realizing he wasn’t in a good position, Ardan jumped off the demon’s head and landed upon the ground behind him, creating a small wave of bone projectiles towards Enitey’s back, who however turned around, easyly swiping them off. Facing Ardan, the bone sphere around his eye retracted again, as if it never has been there. The demon was confused, nontheless: He was sure to have hit that tiny scaled demon... but somehow he had managed to slip past his sure decaptation?
“I must confess” Enitey started, slowly, his voice more calm then before. “You were right to tell me not to take you lightly. I thought you were simply weak and suicidal. Now I realize you actually could kill me If I were to keep assuming that. But nontheless, your power simply is no match for mine. I haven’t even dipped into what I’m capable of...”
Ardan chuckled. “Then why don’t you show me what ARGH!” His words were interrupted by surprised scream of pain when something impaled his lower arms, ripping him off the grounds. Two exspecially long bones had suddenenly shot from the ground, piercing through his arm’s flesh and pulling him upwards.
Right there, he barely saw Enitey’s bladed foreleg shooting forth, right before it hit him. The air was pushed from Ardan’s lung once by the impact and a second time when he was slammed and pinned against the wall.
Lights dancing in front of his eyes: he realized Enited had struck him with the broad, ‘harmless’ side of his forelegs and was now keeping him pressed against the wall. He felt how the bones dropped from his arms, causing another spike of pain and the feeling of blood gushing against his sides.
Then he saw the second foreleg hovering in front of him. Ardan struggled, trying to get free of the situation, but Enitey definitely was too strong. He started to gather the focus to quickly arc out of Enitey’s grip, but suddenly realized something wasn’t right. He was... feeling weak... and... drained...

Ardan realized Enitey’s foreleg was not just pinning him, but as well draining energy, preventing him from casting any spells of his own. The second blade hovered closer. “Any last words, Ardan Flamehearted?” Ardan still tried to push off the foreleg with his bare right hand. “Nothing?”
With a sly, yet pained smile, Ardan raised his left hand towards the demon.
And opened it.
A dirty, blood-splotted piece of bandage dropped from his palm, gently floating to the ground.