One after another, the inferns fell. Ryson cut up and down the roads of Ashlan making his way from the eastern edge of the city back to its center. He disposed of eight inferns and extinguished fires across the entire eastern half of the city. His success surprised him, but it was short-lived.
After passing through the plaza at the heart of the city, Ryson approached the largest of the blazes he had yet encountered. While he moved with both speed and stealth, he found the infern responsible for the inferno standing in the center of a wide street… waiting for him.
"I'm very happy you returned," the infern snarled.
It was the same half-demon that had confronted Ryson outside the tavern during the delver's first trip to Ashlan, the infern that ordered his capture and then tried to have him incinerated by using the beacon stones.
"I knew you were back," the creature boasted. "I told you I searched you. I know your taste."
"I'm really not worried about your twisted abilities anymore," Ryson announced without bluster, but in a determined display of self-assurance. Not only had he defeated his fear of the inferns, but he had faced the half-demons in battle and emerged victorious.
The infern stared deep into the delver's face. It couldn't discount the truth in Ryson's words. The tone carried more than confidence, it delivered a rebuke. The delver did not hate or despise the creature, but he didn't succumb to any outright fear of its supernatural abilities, either. There was but one small fraction of concern in the recesses of Ryson's being, and the infern wondered if it could capitalize on it.
"You still fear the demon fire," the infern noted.
Ryson eradicated the attempt with pure logic.
"Of course I do. It would be foolish not to, but I'm not holding a beacon stone anymore."
"I don't need the stones."
"No? Somehow, I know that's not true. Oh, you can still cast demon fire, but you don't have some link to exploit, not anymore. It's just your speed against mine. I'm more than willing to see who's faster."
"But what about the fear? Any fear can be exploited."
"That's probably true, but only to a point. I reached that point a while back. You weren't around, but trust me, I dealt with it. I'm a delver, that means I need to explore. Exploring means not being afraid of the path I have to travel or the answers I might find. It also means not being afraid of what's inside. That's why I'm holding this sword."
"You think the enchantment will save you?"
"No, I think the enchantment will destroy you. If anyone has anything to fear, it's you."
The infern glared at the delver with a growing hatred of its own. It had discovered it could not build Ryson's concern into anything more than sensible respect. Any advantage it hoped to garner slipped through its fingers. Still, it did not appreciate being deemed inconsequential.
"I told you before I didn't like your overconfidence."
"Tell it to your friends… the ones I've already disposed of."
"They were not prepared for you."
"And you are?"
"You have not caught me by surprise."
"You think I have to surprise you?" Ryson scoffed. "I don't. I just have to outmaneuver you. I've already proven I can do that, even when you had the advantage."
"You were lucky when you escaped last time, but this time escape will not be so easy."
"I have no intention of escaping. I'm going to eliminate you and then finish off your friends."
"You seem to forget just how close to death you were."
"Different situation. I was trying to outrun the magic the last time. It's hard to outrun something that's a part of you. I'm not worrying about that this time." All of that was true, but Ryson glanced about at the spreading fires. He had made his point, but it was time to end the dangers to Ashlan. "Look, we're wasting time. You're no different than the rest. If you think you can just incinerate me, then do it. Do it now."
The infern snarled, but initially resisted the challenge.
"I'll do it when the time is right."
"Your time is just about up," Ryson stated. "The truth of the matter is we both know you can't do it."
The half-demon nearly exploded with rage. It kept just enough composure to hide its assault. The infern did not move, but its red eyes flared ever so slightly.
Ryson smelled the scent of demon fire. With a quick dodge, he bolted to his left and then came to an abrupt halt. While he didn't look over at the flash of white flame, he knew it would have engulfed him had he not moved, but he had moved and was never in any true danger. His speed was superior. He kept his eyes on the infern and pointed out that simple fact.
"That wasn't even close. Holli was right. You needed the beacon stones to link to me. Without them, you're firing wild. You want to try again?"
Ryson noticed another spark in the half-demons eyes and the delver raced forward several steps. He was closer to the infern when the demon fire lit up the street behind him.
"I thought you were fast?" Ryson asked.
The insult formed as a question enraged the infern further. The beast opened its mouth and spit flames directly at Ryson's face, hoping to cause great pain and suffering before ultimately incinerating the pompous delver.
Ryson never even felt the heat. He leapt to the side and ran past the half-demon in an instant. He had to admit, he was actually enjoying the encounter. His fears of the infern proved pointless, just as pointless as his concerns over the magic. Just because there was magic within him, it caused no great danger… gave no advantage to his enemy. His abilities as a delver made him uniquely able to avoid the fire and decidedly capable of battling the half-demon.
Realizing instantly it had missed its target by a wide margin, the infern accepted just the opposite. It knew its existence was in great danger. The delver held to a confidence that was unbreakable. If the half-demon could not change the facets of the battle, it would meet the same fate as its brethren.
With no intention of being destroyed, the infern chose the option of flight. In a burst of heat, it rushed upward into the night sky. It knew Ryson could not fly, and it hoped to escape before the delver decided to go on the attack. It did not, however, expect the delver would part with his weapon.
Vowing not to allow the infern to get away, Ryson charged after the streaking half-demon with all of his speed and agility. In order to stop it, he needed to get to higher ground, and he chose a nearby building that had not yet been touched by flames. His acceleration was so great it propelled him nearly half way up the side of a building before he furiously climbed the rest of the way. He found solid footing on the rooftop, planted himself firmly, and threw his sword like a spear at the fleeing infern.
Flung with such velocity, the Sword of Decree cut through the black armor and thrust itself firmly into the half-demon's chest. The monster lit up like a comet. The burst was so powerful that it pulled from the fires well below the soaring infern. Flames raced up to and across the sky. The glowing flash was far more extensive than any of the previous encounters, perhaps due to the depth at which the sword was embedded. A huge fireball blotted out the body of the half-demon, consumed it in an instant, and then exploded.
Ryson watched as the light burnt out. The infern was gone. Just his sword hung in the empty air, upheld by the tremendous wave of heat that erupted from the blast. After but a moment, the blade plummeted to the ground and fell into the middle of the road below. He climbed back down the side of the building, but did not dare touch the weapon's handle. The intensity of the last blast made the entire sword glow.