Arms crossed, the hulking silhouette sat on the roof overlooking a large alleyway. A lone figure stood encircled by eight masked men, showing no sign that they were even acknowledged.
Covered from head to toe in black, he stood almost completely still, hood drawn and waiting for the circle of assassins to make their move. Beneath his hood, a grin crept slowly across his lips. As one the assassins struck, daggers flashing. Compared to the man, the assassins seemed to move in slow motion. The faintly glowing blade licked out and opened a throat, then flashed sideways to parry a dagger aimed for his neck. Pivoting and twisting, lithe as an acrobat, he avoided every thrust and slash, some coming close enough to brush against his garb. Unruffled by coming so close to death, he launched himself into the midst of the assassins, all of which were still recovering from their overextended swings. He feinted to the left, then reversed and swept his blade in a wide arc that made the seven men leap back to avoid disembowelment. The swordsman faced the assassins and in the moonlight, his eyes glinted under his hood. Silent communication passed and the group advanced cautiously this time. Without warning, the swordsman leapt to attack, the glowing steel blade a blur as it took three lives in as many seconds. The first was brained as the sword’s point slid through his skull as easily as a hot knife through butter, mashing his brains. The second blocked as the thrust instantly translated into a side slash aimed for his neck but the force behind the blow broke through his guard and separated his head from his body. The slash turned into a diagonal blow and cleft the third assassin from shoulder to hip, spilling warm blood and guts to the floor. The blade swung around to deflect a dagger aimed at the ribs and flew up to parry a dual thrust to the head. Pirouetting on one foot, the swordsman dropped into a crouch and slashed his blade in an arc killing two more assassins who were slow to disengage. Slowly he stood up. The two remaining assassins backed away.
“Leaving so soon?” said the stranger, his tone conversational; as if he were speaking to a couple of friends he met for drinks at a bar. Realizing that engaging the swordsman meant certain death, both assassins pressed their palms together and incanted. The swordsman cocked his head as he regarded the blue flames that began to engulf the two men. No sound escaped from them despite their bodies slowly crumbling, the ashes swirling, cyclonic coalescing into a demonic beast.
The demon was half again as tall as a man and three times as wide. Its face resembled that of a disfigured boar and a trio of horns grew from its head. It wielded a flaming double headed axe and wore black armor from head to toe. The demon cast its gaze around at the bodies of the men who failed to kill the lone warrior and let loose a roar as it charged. The axe swung round in a decapitating blow towards the swordsman who stood there calmly, as if he were watching socks dry. At the last moment, his left hand flashed up and stopped the axe head in its tracks. The cloth covering his arm ignited then burned up almost immediately. The arm beneath the cloth was nothing human. It was covered in a hard black substance, with the ends of the fingers ending in points, like a clawed gauntlet. Dozens of sigils and runes blazed as the fire was absorbed into the man. The demon yelped, pulled its axe back and fell to its knees, prostrating itself in front of the swordsman. He waved his hand and a portal opened behind the demon, closing again as it beat a hasty retreat. Sheathing his sword, the man sighed. He rifled through the bodies of the assassins and came up with a modest amount of coin which he swiftly pocketed.
Turning around, he addressed the man on the roof. “Looks like our dinner is being paid for tonight eh? Lets go, battle always make me hungry.”
“Alright, double servings this time though.” responded the giant, who leapt down from the roof. “Oh and thanks for the meal guys,” he added to eight dead men lying in pieces around the place. Stepping over rapidly cooling body parts, the two men left the alley and walked off into the night.
